martial art
MVP (Most Valuable Posts) 2009 At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
Where did this year go?
2009 just started and now it’s already over!
I don’t know about you, but I am truly looking forward to another great, make that even greater, year 2010.
Thank you so much for your continuing support and interest.
For me personally, there were numerous moments that stand out at TheMartialArtsReporter.com in 2009.
Here is my MVP (Most Valuable Posts) 2009 selection and if you have any favorites not listed here, why not just let me know:
“Gracie Jiu-Jitsu - Behind The Scenes In Rio De Janeiro, Brazil”
“Peaceful Warrior Wisdom For Martial Artists And Others, Too.”
“My Interview With Jackie Chan” Is Becoming An Internet Favorite.
“Unfair Karate Fight, Let’s All Lighten Up, Shall We?”
“20 Seconds With Bruce Lee Could Change Your Life Forever”.
“Fighting Legend Benny ”The Jet” Urquidez Offers Great Advice”
“Pankration, One Of The World’s Oldest Martial Arts”.
“Switzerland Is The Place For Cheese, Chocolate, Skiing, Watches And Wrestling”.
“You Want This Former UFC Champ In Your Corner During A Bar Fight”.
There you have it:
The Most Valuable Posts 2009 At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
I’ll talk to you next year. That’s just in a couple of hours.
“Gone Fishing! – Part 2
Hey there,
yeah, I am still hard at work not working.
Just needed some rest which I know you can relate to.
But I will be baaack!
Promise.
Have you checked out some of my previous posts from last month?
Take it easy and stay tuned.
Talk very soon.
TKD Gold Medalist Dana Hee And Change “I Can’t” To “I Can”
I am pretty sure that most of you will agree that the Korean martial art of Taekwondo is one of the most popoular and well-known styles.
Interesting to me is the fact that it was not really developed and introduced until after WWII ended in 1945. That’s not that long ago.
While Japan was occupying their country for decades, Koreans were not allowed to practice martial arts. Except only when in service for the Japanese military.
After the war, that all changed for countless individuals striving to improve themselves through Korean martial arts and Taekwondo in specific.
Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee as well as many other Korean instructors and former U.S. military service members returning from the Far East paved the way for Taekwondo to widespread acceptance, especially in the United States.
Another boost for Taekwondo in the U.S. certainly took place in the realm of the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea.
And our featured martial artist today, Dana Hee, played a pivotal role.
Some of you reading this post might not be old enough or you simply did not follow the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul to the degree to remember her name.
Let me share some very intriguing insights about Dana Hee and what an inspiration she was then and still is today.
Dana was born in 1961 in Louisiana and based on what I found out about Dana, she had to endure a rather crappy childhood, to say the least.
Growing up with divorced and alcoholic parents, Dana had to go through what no child should experience, namely despair, abuse and being abandoned.
Over years, Dana was passed between orphanage, suicidal family members, halfway houses, and finally a foster home.
As you can probably imagine that took its toll on her self-esteem and led to a major fear of failure.
At the age of 25 and way too many years of having been programmed with the “I Can’t” mindset and running from her fears, Dana was finally able to make a decision to commit to change her life forever.
Through her agonizing, against-all-odds process of this struggle, Dana Hee transformed from the young woman with low or no self-esteem in a such profound way that changed “I Can’t” to “I Can”.
Dana trained vigorously and competed for several years, pushing past her self-doubts and fear of failure to finally win the Olympic Gold Medal on the U.S Olympic Taekwondo Team that consisted of 8 men and 8 women. Team USA Taekwondo won another 3 gold medals in Seoul.
I will add that Takewondo was a demonstration sport in Seoul and became an official Olympic discipline in 2000 in Sydney.
After her Olympic success, Dana has moved on to become a leading Hollywood stuntwoman and double for leading actresses including Nicole Kidman, Uma Thurman, Gwynneth Paltrow, Renee Russo, and Jennifer Garner in big budget movies such as Independence Day, Terminator III, Charlie’s Angels, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, Demolition Man, Lethal Weapon 4, Swordfish, The Long Kiss Goodnight, plus an ongoing list of television shows like Star Trek Voyager, The Pretender, VIP, and the X-Files.
With her life experience and unwavering persistence to succeed Dana Hee is high in demand as a motivational speaker for dozens of clients including Hewlett Packard, IBM, United Way, and United Airlines.
I would like to leave you with a quote by Henry Ford:
“If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right. ”
Thanksgiving Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
I Hope You Enjoy Thanksgiving Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com And A Quote I Really Like!
Sifu Eddie Camden, The Instructor Recommended By Martial Arts Legends
Martial Artists And The Day After Thanksgiving, Aka Black Friday
Happy Thanksgiving 2009 From TheMartialArtsReporter.com
Peaceful Warrior Wisdom For Martial Artists (And Others, Too)
Urijah Faber, The California Kid Of World Extreme Cagefighting
Jet Li, From Humble Beginnings To Action/Martial Arts Movie Superstar
This week’s quote for readers of TheMartialArtsReporter.com:
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but the number of moments that take our breath away. ” Unkown
Tai Chi – Live From Hong Kong
Honestly, I have been very fortunate to have travelled to a number of very desirable places in the world.
One of my absolute favorite places, if not my most favorite ever, is Hong Kong.
The first time I visited Hong Kong was in November 1992 and I can’t believe that was 17 years ago, OMG!
I have been there quite often ever since. And I just love it more every time I visit.
What it is really cool about staying on the mainland, especially in TST (Tsim Sha Tsui):
The absolutely breathtaking view you get of Hong Kong’s world famous skyline on Hong Kong island.
All while looking across Hong Kong Harbor, which is one the busiest waterways in the world.
In my opinion, there’s nothing like it! Alright, I admit it, I am biased.
Now, that you have taken in this superb view from your hotel room (when booking, ask for ‘harbourview’), it’s time for us to head down to the waterfront for some early exercise.
Don’t worry, we’re not going to hit the heavy bag or anything like that.
I was thinking more of Tai Chi to start the day.
Understand that Tai Chi aims at 3 elements:
Health: Tai Chi emphasizes the relief of physical effects of stress on the body and mind.
Without a doubt, good physical fitness is an important step towards effective self-defense.
Meditation: To maintain ultimate health, the meditative element of tai chi is considered essential, especially when applying the form as a soft martial art.
Finally, martial art: This is challenging, because it takes a long time of training to skillfully use Tai Chi as effective self-defense. Instead of meeting opposing force head-on, one attempts to yield and “stick” to an incoming attack.
And this is actually what I experienced while I was there:
It’s really quite relaxing and you need to try it, seriously.
I have seen early morning ( 6 a.m.!) Tai Chi practiced in courtyards in Beijing and Shanghai which I also truly enjoyed, but I gotta tell ya Hong Kong is still my favorite.
But you already knew that.
Krav Maga – Martial Art Or Not?
Is Krav Maga a martial art or not?
As far as Krav Maga practitioners are concerned it’s more about martial than art.
Now what does that mean? Good question.
For some, traditional martial arts appear to be too rigid and simply too tradition-bound.
Krav Maga strives to be a ‘defensive tactics system’ which means it has to constantly adapt to situation and circumstances.
It is NOT a sport. It is about self-defense that will get you home safely.
Krav Maga incorporates elements of many martial arts themselves.
Krav Maga has been the prime fighting system of the Israeli Defense Forces since the State of Israel was founded in 1948.
Imi Lichtenfeld, who created Krav Maga (Hebrew for contact combat), was the Israeli military school’s chief instructor for physical training and Krav Maga.
He already developed the concepts of an effective self-defense system while still living as a Jew in Eastern Europe and fighting fascist thugs in the 1930s.
Years later in Israel, Mr. Lichtenfeld continued to refine the system to base it on the body’s natural instincts under stress and making it a very aggressive, “never quit” combat system.
Check out this video clip and as always viewer discretion is advised.
Do not attempt without a certified instructor and not before consulting your physician!
So, is Krav Maga a martial art or not? Let me know what you think.
Pankration – One Of The World’s Oldest Martial Arts
Pankration has got to be one of the world’s oldest martial arts, dating all the way
back to ancient Greece.
How far back in time does ancient go?
How about 648 B.C. as its official entry into the Olympic Games.
That’s like more than 2,400 years before the American Declaration of Independence
was signed in Philadelphia, which happens to be Greek for ‘Brotherly Love’, but I know
you knew that.
Alright, some historians may argue that martial arts originated either in Egypt, Meso-
potamia or India, even thousands of years before they were formulated in Athens, Greece.
Anyway, let’s get back to them Greeks, shall we?
The Greek word Pankration means ‘all powers’.
This ancient fighting form or all-out combat incorporated hands, feet, mind, spirit,
you name it. Except for eye-gouging and biting.
Kicking, boxing, wrestling and whatever gave you a competitive edge.
Reminds me kind of ValeTudo (‘anything goes’), Pancrase, and most certainly of Ultimate Fighting.
Pankration has been enjoying a true revival all over the world in various forms.
Hope you enjoy the video clip below.
Are there any Pankration practitioners reading this blog out there?
Don’t be a stranger, I would love to hear from you.
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