karate
Antidote To March Madness
If you happen to live in the U.S. of A. you know that there is hardly a way around March Madness.
Well, how about a healthy antidote without any known negative side effects and no FDA approval needed?
Yep, martial arts quotes. Some will make you think and others will make you smile.
Enjoy!
“A warrior may choose pacifism; others are condemned to it.” – Author unknown
“Don’t hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit softly.
“- Theodore Roosevelt
“Cry in the dojo. Laugh on the battlefield.”
- Author unknown
“Each of us has his cowardice. Each of us is afraid to lose, afraid to die. But hanging back is the way to remain a coward for life. The Way to find courage is to seek it on the field of conflict. And the sure way to victory is willingness to risk one’s own life.” – Mas Oyama (Kyokushin Karate)
“He who hesitates, meditates in a horizontal position.” – Ed Parker (American Kenpo)
“Do or do not, there is no try.” – Yoda (Jedi Arts)
“Always be able to kill your students.” – Masaaki Hatsumi (Bujinkan Ninjutsu)
“A good martial artist does not become tense but ready, not thinking but yet not dreaming. Ready for whatever may come.” - Bruce Lee
“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.” - Muhammad Ali
“Courage is being afraid, but then doing what you have to do anyway.” - Rudy Giuliani
“The one who has conquered himself is a far greater hero than he who has defeated a thousand times a thousand men.” - The Dhammapada
“Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” - Winston Churchill
“Success is never final. Failure is never fatal. It is courage that counts.” – Winston Churchill
“Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.” - Napoleon Bonaparte
“The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in combat.” - Navy SEALs
“Those who are skilled in combat do not become angered, those who are skilled at winning do not become afraid. Thus the wise win before the fight, while the ignorant fight to win.” - O Sensei Ueshiba
“The measure of a man is not in how he gets knocked to the mat, it is in how he gets up.” - Unknown, but could have been me. Really.
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” - Mahatma Gandhi
“You carry on no matter what the obstacles. You simply refuse to give up … and, when the going gets tough, you get tougher. And you win.” - Vince Lombardi
“If you’ll not settle for anything less than your best, you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish in your lives.” - Vince Lombardi
“No one can defeat us unless we first defeat ourselves.” - Dwight Eisenhower
Can Autism Be Overcome By Martial Arts? Just Ask Monique Sciberras.
I’m not sure when I first heard about autism. I’m not even sure that I had even heard about it before watching the Oscar-winning movie “Rain Man” starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise way back in 1988.
I guess you can say that autism got quite a bit of exposure through the film and Dustin Hoffman’s character, Raymond Babbitt.
Autism is a disorder of neural development. It is characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior.
According to studies, these signs all begin before a child is three years old.
Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize; how this occurs is not well understood.
Autism has a strong genetic basis. In some cases, autism is strongly associated with agents that cause birth defects.
It is controversial when it comes to proposed environmental causes, such as heavy metals, pesticides or childhood vaccines.
The global prevalence of autism is about 1–2 per 1,000 people, however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports approx. 9 per 1,000 children in the United States. The number of people diagnosed with autism has increased dramatically since the 1980s.
And then there’s 10-year old Monique Sciberras from Australia who was diagnosed with mild autism several years ago.
According to her parents, Monique has been able to thrive through her martial arts training and overcome her disability.
She has become a force to reckon with in karate, kung fu, boxing, Muay Thai and weapons.
I came across some video footage that deserves to be shared with you, wherever you may be right now:
For more about Monique Sciberras, click here
He Entered The Dragon And He Also Entered The Sport Of Kings
Alright, so here I am enjoying some awesome TV-coverage of the U.S. Open 2011, tennis that is.
Tennis is also known as the sport of the kings.
Then out of nowhere I asked myself if there were any well-known martial artists who happen to be accomplished tennis players.
And choosing today’s featured actor/martial artist/tennis player really was almost a no-brainer.
He knew he wanted to launch his acting career and to cement incredibility, he needed a major championship title.
And this he did, by capturing the 1971 Long Beach International Middleweight Karate Championship. Again, a big deal!
His first acting role came in the movie “Melinda,” released in 1972. Even though his role as a martial arts instructor was minor, it did get his name and face out there.
And then came producer Fred Weintraub knocking on his door and offered him a role in “Enter The Dragon” which was released in 1973.
Let’s stroll down Memory Lane, shall we?!
Yep, Williams, Black Belt Jones And Karate Master a.k.a. Jim Kelly!
One Of The World’s Highest Ranking Karate Masters Just So Happens To Be A Member Of Mensa
Thanks for stopping by again today.
I haven’t posted as regularly as I normally do during the last couple of weeks due to an increased work and travel schedule, but trust me when I say that you were always on my mind!
Just reading today’s subject line and you know I’m up to something, right?!
So what does Karate have to do with Mensa?
Well, if you happen to be Grand Master Sam Pearson that would be a whole lot to be proud of.
First off, you might have heard of Mensa, but so far didn’t really know what they are all about. Let me enlighten you:
Mensa, the high IQ society, provides a forum for intellectual exchange among its members.
There are members in more than 100 countries around the world.
Activities include the exchange of ideas through lectures, discussions, journals, special-interest groups, and local, regional, national and international gatherings; the investigations of members’ opinions and attitudes; and assistance to researchers, inside and outside Mensa, in projects dealing with intelligence or Mensa.
Mensa is open to persons who have attained a score within the upper two percent of the general population on an approved intelligence test that has been properly administered and supervised.
One of their members is Sam Pearson.
And I will be honest with you: Until this morning I hadn’t heard of him myself.
Grand Master SamPearson is THE man who brought martial arts to the East Carolina town of New Bern in the early 70s.
You have to know that even at the age of 74 he is still a force to reckon with and still works out at the Twin Rivers YMCA.
Sam Pearson was born in 1936. After being raised by his granny in Florida, he was returned to his mom, who according to his own recollection, was on her third husband by then.
His father didn’t play much of role in his upbringing and so as a 17-year old he looked for direction in the outside world.
Thus, in 1953, wanting to change his life and find that direction he was missing, Sam Pearson joined the no-nonsense U.S. Marines who are known till today for promising their recruits a rough time. A promise made is a promise kept.
Nobody else from his high school at the time joined the Marines. His USMC career would last 20 years.
During a tour in Vietnam he was exposed to the devastating Agent Orange which was used to kill the vegatation so the Viet Cong couldn’t hide in it. Only problem was that our guys were affected by it which was denied by government authorities for way too long.
Like what happened to so many servicemen, the exposure broke down his immune system, causing all kinds of debillitating ailments.
Sam Pearson has battled numerous ailments such as PTSD, diabetes and high blood pressure and even Parkinson’s disease.
Only 3 years ago during a short period, everything seemed to be breaking down, including severly painful shingles across his face.
Things looked very bleak and robbed him of his joy of life. But somehow things turned around and he is doing a lot better today.
Way back in 1974, he introduced martial arts to New Bern, NC.
The current head instructor is his former student and New Bern policeman Ronnie Lovick who is a 7th degree black belt.
During the early 70s, karate and other martial arts started to become really popular in the United States after many servicemen returned from Asia.
The school was operated at several locations. During the daytime Sam Pearson worked as head of security of a shopping mall.
He ensured that all of his students were worthy of pursuing the martial arts. He looked for honest and dedicated individuals who also did not smoke or drink.
Counting the years that he instructed in the Marines, Sam Pearson has probably taught more than 2,000 students over almost 50 years.
Besides all his great accomplishments, Sam Pearson is most proud of the fact that he is a member in Mensa, the international IQ-society.
Semper Fi, Sam Pearson!
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Karate, It’s Not Just About Kicking And Punching
For most dedicated karateka and practitioners of other styles it really does go way beyond the dojo.
In many cases it is about acquiring useful life skills, discipline, focus, respect and confidence. Just to name a few.
I heard that Karate USA is challenging their students in a rather interesting way: Before they can graduate to their next belt/level they are required to do something that helps their community.
That means that by the time they reach black belt level, they would have, besides mastering kicks, punches, kata and what have you, organized and executed a number of projects that can make a real difference in their communities.
Some of these projects could be activities such as raising money for the homeless, picking up trash in their community or even helping orphanages in far away corners of the world.
I think this is a noteworthy cause and let’s see if there are some copy-cats out there.
Also, I thought I share their website with you.
Check it out right now:
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From Walker, Texas Ranger To Norris, Honorary Texas Ranger
Besides being known as a Major League baseball franchise, the Texas Rangers were originally formed in the 1820s under Stephen F. Austin, the “Father of Texas,” to protect settlers. They are a division within the Texas Department of Public Safety.
They have the lead criminal investigative responsibility for the following: major incident crime investigations, unsolved crime/serial crime investigations, public corruption investigations, officer involved shooting investigations, and border security operations.
The Texas Ranger Division is comprised of 144 commissioned Rangers, 24 non-commissioned administrative support personnel, 1 budget analyst and 1 forensic artist, totaling 170 full time employees.
Now, that we have cleared up what some of you might have thought was something Hollywood had made up just for TV. Texas Rangers are the real deal.
Most of us hanging out at this blog have watched at least one episode of “Walker, Texas Ranger” which aired from 1993-2001 and starred Chuck Norris.
Chuck Who? Careful now. Watch out for that devastating roundhouse kick!
You probably know that Chuck Norris was an highly accomplished karate tournament competitor, close friend, student and sparring partner of the legendary Bruce Lee with whom he put on display one of the most famous martial arts movie fights of all times in “Way of the Dragon“.
He went on to star in a number of other movies before playing a Texas Ranger on TV.
That was then and this is now:
It is official that both brother, Aaron and our featured Chuck Norris will become honorary Texas Rangers.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry will present commemorative certificates to the Norris brothers for bringing honor to the department that was depicted in the TV series and actually filmed in Texas.
Don’t Mess With Texas!
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Billy Blanks, Martial Artist And Creator of TaeBo
I always like trying out different workout programs. So a couple of years I borrowed a DVD from a friend.
And I gotta tell ya that I got a really good sweat from what I was following on the screen.
The program is better known as TaeBo and it simply combines numerous training elements from Taekwondo/Karate and Western boxing while creating a high-octane environment in the privacy of your own home.
TaeBo has helped and continues to help millions get and stay in shape.
It is not a self-defense program, even though the man behind TaeBo certainly can defend himself.
He is a 7th degree Taekwondo Black Belt and his name is Billy Blanks.
Before introducing his immensely successful brainchild, Karate Hall of Famer Billy Blanks was actually a very accomplished martial artist and boxing champion (Massachusetts Golden Gloves Champion) which he explains in the following video clip I found for you.
Hope you enjoy it!
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Who Else Remembers Grandmaster Allen Steen, The Father Of Texas ‘Blood And Guts’ Taekwondo Karate?
Just a week ago I spent time with friends in the Lone Star State.
For those of you not familiar with the term, I’m talking about Texas.
What comes to mind for a lot of people when referring to Texas might be cowboys, longhorns, oil, football (American, of course!), BBQ, …..
I have to admit that I thought of some of that, too.
But visiting Dallas this time somehow got me thinking of the first American to receive his Black Belt from the founder of Taekwondo in the U.S., Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee, who had come to Austin, Texas, way back in the late 50s to pursue his college studies. The year was 1957 to be exact.
In 1959, Allen Steen started his karate training under Jhoon Rhee and just 3 years later as brown belt he opened up the first storefront dojo in Dallas.
In 1962, he was promoted and became Jhoon Rhee’s first American Black Belt.
What followed, is nothing short of shock and awe in Texas, the U.S. Southwest and beyond.
Grandmaster Allen Steen is remembered for creating a very aggressive fighting style that was very rough and tough. We’re talking about bare knuckle fighting competition, years before Jhoon Rhee launched his Safe-T protective gear.
In 1966, Allen Steen left a path of destruction at Ed Parker’s International Karate Championships in Long Beach, California, by beating even Joe Lewis and Chuck Norris both on the same day.
I found a video clip of his fight against Chuck Norris that I would like to share with you at the bottom of this post. Hope you like it.
Besides being an extremely successful competitor himself, Allen Steen trained together with his first Black Belt student J. Pat Burleson and surrounded himself with other very dedicated students who went on to become champions in their own right.
Some of the names that I still remember from devouring martial arts magazines way back in the day are Skipper Mullins, Fred Wren, Demetrius “The Greek” Havanas, Roy Kurban, just to list a few.
Allen Steen further impacted American and Texas Karate by opening countless dojos and promoting tournaments of which one has truly stood out over the years.
Originally known as the Southwest Karate Championships, the tournament name was later changed to the United States Karate Championships and became THE karate tournament on the second weekend in February.
I will add that Allen Steen handed over the karate business affairs to his trusted aides and friends years ago to move on to other business ventures, but his impact is felt even today.
I also stumbled across something that might interest you which is what it took to get a Black Belt from Grandmaster Allen Steen:
He expected technical perfection with a “No Quit” attitude.
After a grueling performance of basic techniques, katas and heavy warm-up fights, the student had to go up against one tough Black Belt fighter after another. Many of these guys were accomplished National Champions!
Just when you think it couldn’t get any worse: You were then challenged by 2, then 4, and finally even 8 fighters, all at the same time.
But we did say “No Quit” attitude, right?!
And even if one survived the “punishment”, Allen Steen would only put his signature on the certificate if one met his technical standards.
Let that sink in for a while.
Anyway, here’s the clip I promised. Enjoy!
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Building Positive Life Skills Through Martial Arts
I was just thinking about the next post here at TheMartialArtsReporter.com when I came across a newspaper article that involved an abused teenager, who in many ways reminded me of myself many years ago.
Growing up in a divorced family and difficult home life, a teenager can feel mighty lonely at times. Especially when you have to hold in all your frustration, disappointment and anger.
Mental and physical abuse at home certainly do/did not make things easier. The sense of helplessness can become overwhelming.
More often than not, teenagers in these situations and surroundings will resort to actions that are counter-productive and that can affect them for the rest of their lives.
In countless cases martial arts have proven to be an constructive outlet for troubled teens. It certainly was one in my own personal experience.
Bruce Lee was my long-distance mentor through his movies and books which got me started in Shotokan karate (yes, I know that Bruce Lee wasn’t a karateka, but a Chinese boxer/kung fu expert. At the time, it sure didn’t matter to me!).
Martial arts training was a great way to escape from a home that really sucked (sorry!). My training helped me learn how to focus, acquire self-defense skills, express myself , build my self-esteem, become really passionate about something, make new friends and so much more.
But enough about me.
Let’s get back to the other teenager this post started about, shall we?!
Money became an issue and attending martial arts classes was in question.
Along came a martial arts instructor and mentor who had the brilliant idea of developing a scholarship program for students with monetary challenges.
I am talking about Sensei Dianne Reeves, founder of Vision Martial Arts Center in Plano, Texas.
Diane Reeve is a 6th-Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, and holds Black Belts in three other styles: Kenpo, Jujutsu and Kobudo (weapons).
She has been the sole owner of VMAC since its inception in 1995 and has over 2 decades of martial arts experience.
Ms. Reeve is a Registered Nurse and also holds a Master’s Degree in Education. She has two children of her own, but counts each of her students as her children.
Ms. Reeve is a member of the Southwest Kenpo Karate Association and J. Pat Burleson’s World Martial Arts Ranking Association. She was inducted into the World Karate Hall of Fame in 1999 and was World BlackBelt.com instructor of the month October 2002.
She was featured in the March 2003 issue of Plano Profile. In 2004, she was nominated for Children’s Advocacy Center Volunteer of the Year.
She has promoted over 120 people to Black Belt, and higher and has taught martial arts to literally thousands of people, ages 3 and up, from all walks of life.
To learn more about their great program and sponsors, simply visit vmacplano.com
This is an inspirational story and program that is making a real difference in so many lives.
Let me know what you think and if you know about similar stories and programs.
In the meantime I hope you enjoy this video clip of a teenage extreme martial artist:
The Real Life Karate Kid 2010 Comes From Dubai In The United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Anybody remember the 1984 blockbuster “The Karate Kid?
Of course, you do. It was even nominated for an Oscar. Can you believe it?
I think the movie got a lot of kids to start taking karate and other martial classes. And that’s a good thing in my humble opinion.
And coming to a theater near you in June, this year’s “Karate Kid” stars Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan.
It looks entertaining and it will definitely get more kids and probably even some adults into the dojos.
Again, that’s a good thing, even though it’s more about kung fu than karate, but heck, who’s crossing their “T’s” and dotting their “I’s” anyway?
If you want to whet your appetite, simply check out the trailer:
Meanwhile, off-screen and in real life the United Arab Emirates celebrate their own Karate Kid:
In the Northern Italian metropolis of Milan, 13-year-old Khalifa al Abbar landed a remarkable victory at the Italian Open International Championship.
In a highly competitive field of karate practitioners from 49 countries Khalifa took home the gold medal.
In the process he remained victorious against four Italians and an American in the Under 14 category.
His victory even came as a surprise to him after finishing fourth in last year’s tournament.
As regular readers of TheMartialArtsReporter.com you already know that karate is not an Olympic sport and you might even know that World Championships are not open to competitors under the age of 14.
That’s why this tournament in Italy with more than 2,000 competitors is considered THE event for karateka under 14.
This has to be Khalifa’s biggest win so far and he certainly worked hard for it.
According to reports, he will take a 3 month hiatus to improve his overall fitness and muscle mass to be able to stay on top of his game.
Congratulations, Khalifa al Abbar!
To learn more about Khalifa, who is an inspiration for many other kids and teenagers, here are two video clips I found just for you:
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