Martial Arts
With A Name Like Lee Inosanto, She’s Got To Be Good
I was just thinking about how a name and family traditions can be passed on down to the next generation.
This definitely applies in many ways to our featured female martial artist extraordinaire, stuntwoman, actress and director, Diana Lee Inosanto.
Some of you might not know, but she is the daughter of living martial arts legend, Guro Dan Inosanto.
Guro Dan’s close friend Bruce Lee was Diana’s godfather, whom as a child she simply referred to as “Uncle Bruce”.
Diana grew up in a martial arts family and environment. Supposedly in the Lee and Inosanto living rooms the coffee tables had to go and make room for mats to continuingly perfect martial arts techniques. I love it!
Diana Lee Inosanto became a highly trained and very proficient martial artist in her own right, to say the least. It also doesn’t hurt being married to highly-acclaimed martial arts expert, Ron Balicki.
After years of working as a successful stuntwoman on projects such as Buffy, The Vampire Slayer and Face/Off, she was able to release her own movie brain-child known as “The Sensei” last year in movie theaters, in which she both acted and directed.
It is now been announced for release on DVD on March 9, 2010.
Critics have called it a very different kind of martial arts movie and that’s fine with me.
“The Sensei” is set in a small Colorado town in 1985, the early years of the AIDS epidemic. The movie battles prejudice and homophobia in 1980s.
McClain (played by Mike O’Laskey) is a gay teenager who is constantly being ostracized. He tries to sign up for classes at the local martial arts dojo to learn to protect himself, but they won’t accept him either.
Karen (played by Diana Lee Inosanto), the black sheep of the family, that runs the dojo, returns to the town after several years away. She privately trains McClain, and the two develop a friendship until a secret Karen harbors changes everything.
My research led me to hear from people who have already seen the movie and this would probably sum it up the best:
“Afraid at first that it would be a cheesy Karate Kid with a gay kid as the lead, but it was so much more than that.
The movie deals with many levels of prejudice, including sexual orientation, race, gender, religion, and HIV. It was touching while sending a powerful message.
The depiction of the victimization endured by the lead character was realistic and horrific.
Some parts of the film weren’t quite as polished and smooth as a major production movie, but it is an independent film.
For anyone who has dealt with any sort of prejudice or hatred, this is a movie that will make you feel strong and hopeful.
For anyone who doesn’t understand what some youths have endured, be it 20 years ago or today, this is a movie that will open your eyes.”
Like I said, the date for the release on DVD is set for Tuesday, March 9, 2010.
Let me know how you like it.
Taekwondo Grandmaster & Man Of Contrasts, Hee Il Cho
9th degree Black Belt Master Cho, who turns 70 this year, empitomizes the winning attitude of “I Can And I Will”.
Born in Pohang, Korea, in 1940 during the Japanese occupation and growing up as an adolescent during the Korean War (1950-53) life was not for the faint of heart.
Master Cho started his martial arts training at about the age of 10 after being beaten by a couple of teenage punks.
And again, his Tang Soo Do training was not for the faint of heart. Only the toughest made it through the rigorous daily 5-6 hour grind.
By the age of only 13, Master Cho attained his 1st dan and upon reaching the age of 21 he was a 4th degree Black Belt!
He complemented his Taekwondo training with boxing for around 2 years.
When he was 22 years old, Master Cho was called to serve in the Korean Army. During his tour he even taught Taekwondo to Indian, Korean and U.S. special forces.
By the time he left Korea for the United States in 1968, Master Cho was already a 6th dan.
After moving from Chicago, South Bend (Indiana) and Providence (Rhode Island) he ended up in Los Angeles where he lived, trained and taught from 1975 till 2000.
No other Taekwondo practitioner in the world has donned more martial arts magazine covers than Master Cho. More than 70 times!
Master Cho has been considered controversial by some in the Takewondo community for his views on how the art should progress and evolve, all whilst maintaining tradition and on the same token expecting TKD to move forward. He also ruffled feathers for incorporating boxing training and techniques to make Taekwondo practitioners more-rounded martial artists.
The Black Belt Hall of Fame Inductee and Black Belt Instructor of the Year has been marveled for his kicking abilities, especially his spinning kicks.
Master Cho has displayed his amazing kicking skills in countless books (e.g. “Man Of Contrasts”), videos, movies and seminars conducted throughout his martial arts career that now spans 60 years.
Hee Il Cho continues to teach in Hawaii where he now lives.
I would like to end today’s post with a very interesting statement Master Cho made in reference to a number of incidents, in which after being challenged by some guys walking into his school and beating them and then only to get sued for injuring them.
“All this has created a great conflict within me, for if I cannot use my skill to protect myself from any person who walks in off the street and demands a fight, how can I hope my student will retain confidence in my ability to teach them this skill? And yet, if I use my skill and hurt someone, even in self-defense, have I not betrayed the spirit of what martial arts are all about?”
And I know how much you enjoy “Masters In Action”:
No Fear Or Know Fear?
How often have we heard the saying, “Have no fear!” or “Don’t be afraid!”.
So, let’s say we are telling ourselves that we don’t have fear, meaning that we are basically suppressing it.
Hmm.
Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
I think that denying and suppressing anything that is important in our lives is not constructive.
A better way of dealing with fear in my humble opinion is to be aware of it, acknowledge it and act despite of it.
Somewhere I heard the analogy of fear being a cobra and it would be way more beneficial to tame the cobra and not just kill it.
I think we need to have a look at what fear actually is.
Let’s start with something to think about like F-E-A-R (False Evidence Appearing Real). So is fear all just made up in our mind or is it something that is real?
A dictionary defines it like this “Fear is an emotion of alarm and agitation caused by the expectation and realization of danger. “
During this condition the hormone generally known as adrenaline is secreted which increases a person’s awareness and alertness.
Further, you become way more alert and sensitive to your immediate surroundings. Your senses are opened up to detect and tune in to the danger or the possibility of danger.
And you immediately decide between fight or flight.
The best example to show the difference would be comparing a rabbit with a grizzly bear.
Guess which one is always ready to fight and which one is prepared to flee.
You got it: Rabbits are always ready to skip town and grizzly bears hardly ever think of backing down.
The crazy thing is every one of us has actually inherited a specific amount of flight and fight adrenaline.
Everybody reading this post is equipped with different degrees of both reflexes based on our personal DNA dispersal.
I have heard of countless statements by professional fighters, law enforcement and military personnel that they all experience fear, but they use this emotion to operate at a higher level of alertness to reach their set objective. Whatever that might be.
What I’m saying is that we have to acknowledge that we have been pre-programmed and that we have to work with and around the cards we have been dealt.
It does not mean that we have to succumb to our fear, but rather control it and use it our advantage as described above.
I will elaborate more on this topic in the future, because I believe it is extremely important not only for martial artists but for everyone in daily life.
I welcome your thoughts in the meantime.
Mokuso Or The Power Of Meditation Not Only For Martial Artists
The term meditation (in Japanese, Mokuso) refers to a variety of techniques or practices intended to focus or control attention.
Most of them are rooted in Eastern traditions. These techniques have been used by many different cultures and martial arts throughout the world for thousands of years.
I remember that during my years of studying Shotokan karate we always started and ended our training sessions with a short, maybe 1-2 minute each of relaxation or meditation in a kneeling position, also known as ’seiza’.
The important part is to control your breathing like this:
Breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth, exhale from deep within the abdomen.
Relax to let the troubles of the day evaporate, and clear your mind to be ready for the Karate class and to start refreshened.
Mokuso is the time to clear your head and eliminate any anger before entering class. There is no religious meaning attached to Mokuso.
A even more physically active way of meditation would be by performing kata .
Today, many people use meditation even outside of its traditional settings as a form of mind-body medicine.
Many claims have been made about its value in promoting or improving health and wellness.
Just this morning I read that daily meditation exercises have the potential to cut the risk of death from heart attack by 30 (thirty) percent and cancer even by 49 (forty-nine) percent.
There are even claims that one can add up to 12 more years to on’e life. That’s powerful in my book.
There you have it in a nutshell: Mokuso Or The Power Of Meditation Not Only for Martial Artists.
Don’t try this while driving or operating heavy machinery!
Master Terry Lyon of Lyon-Karate.com
Meditation During Yoga Practice
Did The Movie “Enough” With Jennifer Lopez Help Women’s Self-Defense?
Even though this movie wasn’t really a success with movie critics, it was able to generate somewhere around US$ 55 mio.
Looking at it from martial arts and self-defense perspective, it probably does offer women something to think about and maybe even start taking self-defense classes.
The fighting concepts depicted in the movie are based on Krav Maga, which we talked about here some time ago.
I found this clip with J-Lo’s character getting ready for the big show-down with some interesting martial arts philosophies and a very challenging workout regimen.
I would really love to hear from the women reading this post today and learn if this movie had any effect on you in regards to your martial arts and self-defense training.
Another Diverse Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
How’s it goin’?
Hope you had a great week, because I sure did, as you can tell from last week’s line-up of posts.
Enjoy all of them in their entirety along with the attached video clips.
Talk to you next week.
The Highest Ranking Female Judoka In The World
Finland: Sauna, Wodka And A Very Eclectic Korean Martial Art
Find Out Who Makes Matt Damon Look Tough In “Green Zone”
Breaking News: Budweiser-Mamas & Mardi Gras Madness
Mardi Gras And Why TheMartialArtsReporter Is Going Nuts
Happy Chinese New Year! It’s The Year Of The Tiger!
Nip Tuck And Martial Arts
How do the two go together?
Well, if you’re Roberto Miguel Rey Júnior, not a problem.
Some of you might be asking yourselves, whom I’m talking about.
You’re probably more familiar with his aliases such as Dr. Robert Rey or simply Dr. Rey.
I saw him the first time on E! about 3 years ago on the reality show Dr. 90210.
Again, if you’re not familiar with all these U.S. American intricacies, that’s the zip code for Beverly Hills, California.
In my humble opinion, Dr. Rey is quite an interesting guy and here’s why.
Born in th U.S. in 1961, the naturalized Brazilian lived in Sao Paulo until he was about 12, when he was brought to Utah along with his siblings by Mormon missionaries.
Four years later his mother reunited and lived with them in Prescott, Arizona.
So, what happened to his father?
Well, let’s put it this way:
It just didn’t work out and yet it did a lot better in many ways for Dr. Rey, who went on to study medicine at Tuft University School of Medicine, where he got his M.D. in 1990.
He advanced to acquire the knowledge and skills to become a very accomplished cosmetic surgeon licensed in California and Massachusetts.
And believe it or not, Dr. Rey has performed over 10,000 surgeries!
He has been featured on too many TV shows to even list here and it is safe to say that he is somewhat of a household name through the reality show, simply known as Dr. 90210.
What I find admirable is the fact that the married father of 2 children donates a lot of his time and skills to humanitarian missions to operate of children with physical deformaties.
Even with the craziness of a heavy workload and countless other obligations, Dr. Rey still has the drive and enthusiasm to pursue his commitment to martial arts which include Tae Kwon Do (black belt) and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (blue belt).
I found the following clip of Dr. Rey starting his BJJ training with Rener Gracie. Very cool!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1542083985294472959
Breaking News: Budweiser-Mamas & Mardi Gras Madness
I came across a Mardi Gras photo I just had to share with you real fast.
Does it have anything to do with martial arts? Probably not.
Oh, wait! Maybe yes.
How about determination and self-confidence?
Maybe not.
Maybe it’s just loss of inhibitions among friends, aka bosom buddies (pun intended).
I still think it’s a funny picture and I hope you like it, too.
Russian Systema Or Just When You Think You’ve Seen It All
Just wanted to share a little bit about Russian fighting concepts, better known as Systema.
Now, I want to be absolutely honest (and when am I not?) that I have been hearing more about Systema almost on a daily basis and I am just getting more familiar with it myself.
According to wikipedia, Systema is a Russian martial art. It is designed to be highly adaptive and practical, training using drills and sparring instead of set kata.
Systema focuses mainly on controlling the six body levers (elbows, neck, knees, waist, ankles, and shoulders) through pressure point application, striking and weapon applications.
Systema is often advertised as being a martial art employed by some Russian Special Forces (aka Spetsnaz) units
I will continue to do more research and simply leave you today with a clip featuring 4 of the most accomplished Systema instructors.
This stuff is amazing!
Martial Artist Wesley Snipes Co-Starring In “Brooklyn’s Finest”
Thought you might appreciate to know that we will be able to see fellow martial artist Wesley Snipes in a new movie to be released early March 2010.
The title is “Brooklyn’s Finest” and besides Wesley Snipes, stars Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke.
And here’s the storyline:
Burned out veteran Eddie Dugan is just one week away from his pension and a fishing cabin in Connecticut.
Narcotics officer Sal Procida has discovered there’s no line he won’t cross to provide a better life for his long-suffering wife and seven children.
And Clarence “Tango” Butler has been undercover so long his loyalties have started to shift from his fellow police officers to his prison buddy Caz, one of Brooklyn’s most infamous drug dealers, played by Wesley Snipes.
With personal and work pressures bearing down on them, each man faces daily tests of judgment and honor in one of the world’s most difficult jobs. When NYPD’s Operation Clean Up targets the notoriously drug-ridden BK housing project, all three officers find themselves swept away by the violence and corruption of Brooklyn’s gritty 65th Precinct and its most treacherous criminals.
During seven fateful days, Eddie, Sal and Tango find themselves hurtling inextricably toward the same fatal crime scene and a shattering collision with destiny. ~ Baseline StudioSystems
The stunts should be pretty impressive, considering that John Cenatiempo was the stunt coordinator. He has done a lot of great work in movies and TV shows such as Body of Lies, Life on Mars, The Wrestler, I Am Legend – just to name a very few.
But back to Wesley Snipes, whom we could consider a mixed martial artist, because he trains or has trained extensively in Shotokan karate, Capoeira and in a number of other disciplines including various styles of kung fu and Jiu Jitsu.
It’s been some time that he was able to put his acting and martial arts skills on display. The wait is over!
I am looking forward to seeing Wesley Snipes in Brooklyn’s Finest. This should be a good one.
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