Taekwondo
Akshay Kumar Gets Serious About Martial Arts Training In Indian Schools
Akshay Who?
Akshay Kumar is frequently referred to as the Indian Jackie Chan. He has starred in over 100 Indian movies and has made a name for himself as the go-to guy for dangerous stunts in numerous Bollywood productions.
After obtaining Taekwondo black belt status in India, he travelled to Thailand to study Muay Thai.
Upon his return to Mumbai, India, he began teaching martial arts. One of his students, who just so happened to be a photographer, advised him to give it a shot at modelling.
For only two hours of posing in front of the camera, Kumar got Rs. 5,000, which looked pretty good, considering he previously made Rs. 4,000 a month. After just several months of modelling, he was given the lead role in a major movie.
After 20 years of acting and producing, big-time Indian movie celebrity with nationwide recognition, Kumar Akshay is now making a case for introducing martial arts training and education in schools all across India.
In Kumar’s opinion, schools should train kids enough to protect themselves and to deter other forms of danger when India demands it.
Akshay Kumar, who also hosts the Inidan version of Fear Factor which is a stunt based reality show, has announced he would even speak to top ministers and bureaucrats on this topic.
He is taking his own first steps to making his idea a reality: Kumar is using his own money by putting in place an annual karate competition.
I will keep you posted as soon as I learn of any developments in this regard.
All in favor of Akshay Kumar’s push for martial arts training in schools, say ‘aye’.
A Very Different ‘Gang Of Four’. No, Make That ‘Gang Of Five’.
The term ‘Gang of Four’ comes from the name that was given to a political faction made up by four officials of the Chinese Communist Party. They were prominent during a period referred to as the Cultural Revolution for 10 years (1966-1976), which must have felt more like a century for many Chinese citizens.
Very shortly after the death of Chairman Mao, the group was charged with a number of crimes such as treason. The members consisted of Jiang Qing, Mao’s last wife as the leading figure of the group, and her close associates Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan and Wang Hongwen.
The gang that I would like to draw your attention to is very different.
The group of women I would like to feature today are all very talented movie actresses who have thrilled audiences all over the world in numerous movies that have already become classics in their own right.
The one I became aware of first was back in the 70s, when she played the part of Bruce Lee’s sister in Enter The Dragon.
Her fans simply call her Lady Whirlwind or Lady Kung Fu. You probably know her as Angela Mao.
Trained in hapkido, kung fu, tae kwon do, and other martial art styles, she was definitley well prepared for her movie roles.
I can hardly believe she was paid only $100 for her short role in Enter The Dragon.
Some of the ladies featured in this very special blog post are now getting over US$ 10 mio. per movie!
Anyway, do you remember this one?
Yeah and then there is Maggie Cheung with her very own special accent which resulted from moving at age 8 from Hong Kong to Britain, where she was the only Asian at a school in Kent, England.
She then moved back to Hong Kong again at age 17 for a career as a model.
Maggie Cheung has acted in 70 Hong Kong movies. Five of them were Jackie Chan movies in which she also matched him in the stunts and injuries.
Picture book face and tough as nails. Check her out in this rather creative Red Leaves clip of Hero fighting against …….
Is that some serious foliage or what?
Even without being a martial artist per se, one simply cannot overlook Gong Li, often referred to as the Marlene Dietrich of Chinese cinema.
Arguably, Gong Li is the first Chinese actor to draw attention in the West without being a trained martial artist.
Remember the intro describing the Cultural Revolution?
Well, get this: Gong Li was born to a pair of economic professors who during the Cultural Revolution were forced to work in factories. They had to send all their children away, with the exception of Li, to work in the countryside. Heartbreaking to say the least.
At age 22, while studying at the prestigious Central Drama Academy in Beijing, Gong Li met the director Zhang Yimou. This event would change her career forever.
And even though speaking English is a challenge for her, Gong Li has been able to land numerous international movie roles such as Hannibal Rising: Behind The Mask, Miami Vice (starring Colin Farrell) and even Shanghai (starring John Cusack and Chow Yun-Fat).
I found a clip of an interview with her also talking about Curse Of The Golden Flower (again starring Chow Yun-Fat and directed by Zhang Yimou). Enjoy!
But wait, there’s more!
How about a former Miss Malaysia who also starred with Pierce Brosnan in ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’. She does her own fight scenes.
She has done stunts that make me cringe such as with Jackie Chan in Police Story III: Supercop, where she rode a motorbike onto a speeding train and jumped from helicopter into a moving convertible.
You probably know by now that I am talking about Michelle Yeoh.
She has dislocated her shoulder, cracked some ribs, and ruptured arteries in her leg.
While leaping from an 18-foot overpass in Stuntwoman she missed the safety net and dislocated her neck. It was scary and reportedly having heard a snap in her back, she feared to be paralyzed for life. Fortunately, she recovered after spending several months in a full body cast.
And yes, she also starred in the classic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and here is one of the best fight scenes with Michelle Yeoh and ….
And here we come to the fifth member of our Gang of Five:
She just turned 32 in February of this year and she has had the fortune of being part of a number of successful movie projects such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as well as Rush Hour 2, Memoirs Of A Geisha, Hero and House Of Flying Daggers.
The daughter of a Beijing accountant/economist and kindergarten teacher, Ziyi Zhang attended the Beijing Dance Academy and the Central Academy Of Drama which has certainly given her the foundation and work ethic in attaining her acting career accomplishments thus far.
I think we’re gonna see and hear a lot more good things about Ziyi Zhang.
If you have watched all the video clips of this post, you were able to see her in two of them already. One with Maggie Cheung and the other with Michelle Yeoh.
“I think we could have had something special ….”
What?
Just watch the following Rush Hour 2 clip and have some fun!
Haiti And Taekwondo
I didn’t expect to learn what I did and I sure didn’t anticipate to meet whom I met on my recent business trip overseas.
First off, I have known this gentleman for a number of years now. He is a really smart guy with tons of university degrees as well as an MBA and even a Ph.D. to boot. But even more important to me is the fact that he is a really nice down-to-earth kind of guy you enjoy having conversation over a beer or two or more with (which we recently had!) .
I am sure you all remember the massive earthquake that hit Haiti and specifically the capital of Port-Au-Prince just about a year ago. Very devastating. Extremely tragic. So many human lives lost and so many more changed forever.
But get this: The gentleman mentioned above was in Haiti conducting business right there in the middle of it all when it happened.
He was supposed be staying at his hotel, but there were some changes in plan that asked for him to join some other business associates to head out for a meeting just about 30 minutes before tragedy hit Haiti.
These circumstance essentially saved his life when the Big One hit Haiti. When he did make it back, his hotel had been flattened. As you can imagine, all his personal belongings that were in his hotel room had simply vanished during the disaster.
This gentleman made it out without even a scratch and several weeks later he did receive his dust-covered passport from the State Department which was recovered from the former hotel site. He now always carries it in his briefcase as a reminder of his close call.
Even though I didn’t experience it myself, it is a reminder to me how fragile life is and how I have to remind myself during hectic workdays that our time on this planet is limited and that one should make the effort on just ‘being in the moment’.
And there is one such Taekwondo master that I didn’t meet in person on my recent trip, but I did make the acquaintance of one of his master students. According to his master student, this master embodies this ‘being in the moment’ on a daily basis.
And boy, was he full of praise and admiration of his now 57-year old instructor and who is the the founder of Elite Taekwondo in Montreal.
He is Master Clerveaux Ferrere, 7th degree TKD-Black Belt and WTF-Champion.
Originally from Gonaives, Haiti, he has been a TKD-practitioner for over 38 years and he is a worldwide recognized martials arts personality, both as an extremely successful competitor and a highly-respected instructor.
Some of the highlights of his career: 8-time Canadian champion (7 times in a row!) as well as 2-time Pan-American champion and so many other numerous titles, that are simply too many to count here. He even made it to the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988.
His laid-back personality combined with his creativity in his teaching methods keep his students coming back for more.
Master Clerveaux is known for his impeccable technique as well as his patience and formidable talent as a communicator that have his students respect and admire him.
I was able to get this short video clip that gives us a glimpse of 57-year-old Clerveaux Ferrere’s kicking abilities:
Can Wushu Kung Fu Become An Olympic Discipline?
We all know that boxing, wrestling, judo and even Taekwondo have been celebrated Olympic sports.
I have been asking myself for many years when karate would get a shot at being part of the Olympic family.
But it looks like with all the different organizations out there with their own agenda it will probably continue to stand in its own way.
Along with the fact that they would need one clear direction and mission statement presented to the IOC by spokespersons with clout.
Clout? Well, would you agree that somebody like Jackie Chan has clout to get people’s attention that would help Wushu become an Olympic discipline?
Wushu organizers were able to put on an international tournament during the Beijing Games in 2008 and showcase what Wushu competition is all about.
There seem to be competing Wushu organizations who might just drop their own personal agenda for the big goal and that would be the Olympic Games in the foreseeable future.
Your thoughts and comments are always welcome here (but you knew that already).
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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Enter the coupon code “shield_sale” (without the quotations) during checkout at karatedepot.com and receive 10% off the price of your shields!
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:
Move Over, Jackie Chan And Jet Li, Because Here Comes Donnie Yen!
When it comes to martial arts action movie superstars, Jackie Chan and Jet Li have unarguably become household names.
But there’s another performer out there who has been around for many years now and who has been finally getting the attention and, in my humble opinion, long deserved star status.
Well, actually, he is considered the top action movie star in Hong Kong.
He is better known as Donnie Yen.
Martial artist and former stuntman turned actor, director, action choreographer and movie producer, Donnie Yen was born in Guangzhou (Canton), in the Southern Chinese province of Guangdong, in 1963.
When he was 2, his family moved to Hong Kong and then nine years later to Boston, Massachusetts in the United States.
At a very young age he developed a strong interest in martial arts, with his mother being a Wushu and Tai Chi practitioner, who even had a school in Boston.
Donnie studied numerous martial arts from Taekwondo to Wushu and became a very proficient martial artist, who was even admitted to the prestigious Beijing Wushu Team.
In the early 1980s, he starting working in the Hong Kong movie industry as a stuntman and then eventually getting acting roles until his breakthrough in 1992 in Once Upon A Time In China II (together with Jet Li).
He went on to act, to direct, to produce and to leave his mark as a distinguished fight choreographer in a number of productions such as Legend of the Wolf, Ballistic Kiss, Highlander: The Endgame, Blade II, Hero (again with Jet Li) as well as Shanghai Knights (this time with Jackie Chan).
In 2008, he starred in the biggest box office success in Hong Kong and China, Ip Man.
The movie depicts the life of the revered Wing Chun master and teacher of Bruce Lee.
They just recently announced the release of the sequel, Ip Man 2, which will be end of April 2010.
Just to whet your appetite, here’s Donnie Yen in action:
How did you like his chain punches?
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”:
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!
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