wrestling
Tipping Off March Madness With The Week In Review
“Variety is the spice of life.”
I am trying to live up to that saying by posting about different topics that relate to martial arts or not. Anyway ….
In case you were too busy being busy, here’s what you missed:
Bulgarian Greco-Roman Wrestler Is Big In Japan: The David Beckham Of Sumo
It Happened In 1935 … Sarah Mayer, First Non-Japanese Female Judo Black Belt
The Question Is: “Honestly, Are You Really Prepared To Fight If You Have To?”
With ‘The Sensei ‘, She’s Creating Buzz In The Movie Industry And Let’s Just Face It … With A Name Like Lee Inosanto, She’s Got To Be Good
What Goes Up, Must Come Down. With This Guy, Things Appear To Be A Bit Different. Thai Action Movie Star Tony Jaa Defies The Law Of Physics.
There you have it: The Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
Have a great Sunday!
I will be reporting again from here tomorrow.
Big In Japan: The David Beckham Of Sumo
So far I haven’t touched on the Japanese martial art known as ‘Sumo’.
That is about to change. Right here, right now.
Sumo is a contact sport in which a wrestler tries to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to get him to touch the ground with anything else but the soles of his feet.
The sport includes a bunch of ritual elements, such as the salt purification, which we will see in detail in the video clip below. This goes back to the days when it was used in the Shinto religion.
From what I have been able to find out is that the daily life of a professional sumo fighter is very strictly regimented by the Sumo Association and that means even meals and traditional dress code.
Oh, by the way, Mongolian wrestling and Chinese Shuai jiao, both offer some resemblance to Sumo.
Most Sumo matches last only several seconds, as one wrestler is explosively ousted from the ring. In far fewer cases, a match can last several minutes, but this is more the exception than the rule.
The wrestling ring itself is 4.55 meters or somewhere around 14 feet in diameter. The whole square surface that holds the ring takes up 16.26 meters or about 140 sq. ft. I hope my former math teacher isn’t reading this and checking my conversions from meters to feet.
Japan is the only country that offers professional Sumo and there are approximately 700 fighters registered with 54 fighting stables.
Sumo’s hierarchy is strictly based on merit which can also mean that if a wrestler doesn’t continue his winning performances and starts losing bouts he can be demoted and lose his rank. This means serious competition and extreme pressure on fighters to perform at a very high level.
Currently, the Sumo Association only allows 1 foreign fighter per stable, which means a total of 54, right?!
And from what I understand the one foreign fighter who really stands out right now and who has attained the rank of ozeki or Champion (that’s right below yokozuna or Grand Champion!).
Born in Bulgaria as Kaloyan Stefanov Mahlyanov and former Greco-Roman wrestler, he is now fighting as Kotooshu Katsunori, at times referred to as the ‘David Beckham of Sumo’ and also the ‘Prince of Sumo’.
Kotooshu is 6′8″ tall and weighs 334 lbs., which, believe it or not, is fairly light considering his height and that’s because he is often compared to former Gand Champion Akebono from Hawaii, who at the same height weighed about 517 lbs.
I selected a fight between Kotooshu and Grand Champion Asashoryu that I really enjoy, even though I don’t really follow a lot of Sumo, but I can appeciate the traditional rituals, strategy, tactics and very proficient grappling with a bunch of explosive power.
I hope you like it, too.
Finland: Sauna, Wodka And A Very Eclectic Korean Martial Art
Most of us would make the connection between Finland and Finnish sauna and even some of the most famous Wodka brands money can buy, right?
But Finland and a very eclectic Korean martial art?
Let me tell you how this post came together.
Last Sunday while getting ready for a tennis mixed doubles match I was talking with one of my team members and his wife about martial arts.
They told me that that they had studied some Korean martial art several years ago in Mississippi, which they referred to as Han Moo Do.
I actually had no in-depth knowledge of this style and they were kind enough to tell me a little bit more such as:
Han Moo Do is a fairly young style which consists of elements of Tae Kwon and Hapkido. They probably told me more, but that’s what stuck with me.
That sounded pretty intriguing to me, so I started to dig a bit deeper and here is what I found online:
Han Moo Do was created by 8th dan Young Suk (Yoon Soon Hwang) about 20 years ago, when the first club was established in Finland!
Lately it has been spreading to other Nordic countries, such as Sweden, Norway and Denmark.
The first club outside of the nordic region was recently set up in Limerick, Ireland. But also even in Mississippi in the U.S. Southeast as I mentioned above.
Hanmoodo is descended from other Korean styles, such as Hoi Jeon Moo Sool and Taekwondo, so Hanmoodo resembles these styles as well as Hapkido in many areas.
Hanmoodo’s techniques include kicks, punches, throws, takedowns, grappling , joint-locking techniques and chokes.
Kicks are mostly aimed at ribs or head.
Punches can be targeted to the body only.
Throws and takedowns resemble Judo and wrestling techniques but are done even more elegantly.
Joint locks mainly target the wrist and elbow but there are also leg locks.
Chokes are performed mostly with forearm and wrist.
The art contains three weapon styles: nunchaku, long staff e.g. Japanese bo; and sword e.g. Japanese katana.
Hanmoodo practitioners are also encouraged to engage in exhibitions where a practiced choreography is presented to an audience. These choreographies feature several practitioners performing self-defence techniques on each other.
In competition, Hanmoodo rules permit kicks above the waistline and punches between the waistline and the head.
All strikes must hit the front of the body and other kinds of strikes are prohibited.
Competitors may also grapple by throwing or taking down their opponent and controlling him/her on the mat but striking is prohibited when either competitor has a hold on the other or is considered to be on the ground.
I have found Han Moo Do or hanmoodo to be a rather interesting mixed martial art that covers the four combat ranges of long, medium and close as well as ground fighting. Oh, yeah, weapons, too.
Personally, I can do without the high-flying kicks, which in no way criticizes the style itself. High kicks might have their justification.
Summa summarum, I am impressed with Han Moo Do and to give you some visuals of it all, here is a clip I found. Hope you enjoy it.
P.S.: My wife and I won our tennis match 6-0, 6-3.!
Valentine’s Day And The Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
Happy Valentine’s Day, y’all!
I don’t understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine’s Day.
When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon.
Anyway …
Let’s get back to what really makes the world turn and that would be martial arts, right?! Just kidding around here.
Check out The Week In Review that took us from Russia (with love) to Japan to Brooklyn, New York to Hong Kong to Houston, Texas.
Russian Systema Or Just When You Think You’ve Seen It All
Masahiko Kimura, The Best Judoka Ever?
Martial Artist Wesley Snipes Co-Starring In “Brooklyn’s Finest”
Teenager Tried To Kick Bruce Lee In The Face
Linda Denley, Karate Superwoman From Houston, Texas
Have a great Valentine’s Day wherever you are!
I will talk to you tomorrow.
Masahiko Kimura, The Best Judoka Ever?
Can you believe this?
Even though I trained in judo for a brief period quite a long time ago, it wasn’t until I started doing research on Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and even rolling around on the mat for a short while that I became familiar with the term ‘Kimura’. And even then I thought it was just some technique that could really hurt you or your opponent, depending on who’s on the receiving end of it.
Well, after digging a bit deeper, I too finally saw the light! Man, I must have been living under a rock or something.
Masahiko Kimura (1917-1993) is considered by many the greatest Judoka to ever live. He stood 5′6″ (170 cm) tall and weighed 185 pounds (84kg).
Kimura became the youngest ever 5th-degree black belt when he was just 18 and by the time he reached the age of 29 he was a 7th dan.
In 1937, Kimura did something very remarkable: He won the All-Japan Championship and remained undefeated for the next 13 years in matches held throughout Japan.
But what he accomplished later in life on the international stage really cemented the legend of Kimura.
In 1951, he defeated Brazil’s Helio Gracie, a legend in his own right, who publicly said that he thought nobody in the world could defeat Kimura.
At age 42, Kimura faced a much bigger and younger opponent by the name of Waldemar Santana, who he even battled to a draw.
Kimura’s prime came before judo was an Olympic event, but in his senior years he trained a number of notable Olympian judokas, including Canada’s Doug Rogers, who won silver in the 1964 Tokyo Summer Games.
As far as I could find out, Kimura was never awarded beyond 7th dan and based on so many reports I am left to believe that Japanese judo officials were not quite amused with Kimura’s career moves from judo into professional wrestling.
What I find intriguing is how a guy like him standing at 5′6″ (170 cm) and weighing 185 pounds (84kg) could beat countless taller, heavier and at times way younger and faster opponents.
Kimura’s success is based on San Bai Ro Rioku. On this premise, Kimura did 300 pushups everyday in High School. While attending university he increased that number to 500.
After his first victory, Kimura decided to start doing 1,000 non-stop pushups to ensure future victories. As you can assume, doing pushups was just a small part of Kimura’s regimen. During his prime, he practiced 4 times a day, at least 6 hours every day. He trained at Taku-Shoku University, Local Clubs, Kodokan, and Police Academies.
Quite often he would practice against a tree, always at midnight. During one instance, Wushi-Zima, a two time champion, heard a commotion in the nearby woods. When he checked out the noise it turned out to be Kimura doing uchikomi against a tree. For better understanding of uchikomi: You actually practice a throw, where you take your opponent to the point just before he is thrown.
And coming full circle: So, what actually is a ‘Kimura’?
The Kimura lock is one of the most important submission holds in Jiu-Jitsu and other grappling styles. At times it referred to as hammerlock, chicken wing or ude-garami. Whatever you prefer, it is a very powerful and versatile attack. And wherever you see grapplers competing, you can be sure to see the Kimura lock used to submit opponents and win fights.
Le me know if you think that Masahiko Kimura is the best judoka ever.
The Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
The Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
“Time keeps on moving into the future.”
But that shouldn’t stop us from having a look at this past Week In Review. Enjoy!
This has to be my personal favorite technique ever. Don’t miss “Back To Basics: Karate Middle Punch (Chudan Zuki)“
“Chewing on” an injury myself, I thought you might benefit from “Should Injured Martial Artists Still Work Out?”
At times underrated and underestimated “Judo: No Kicking And Punching, But It Can Still Hurt Like Hell!“
Do you know who ‘The Greatest Sports Figure Of The State of Iowa’ Is? Dan Gable, Olympic Wrestling Icon From The U.S. American Heartland
Yeah, it’s that time of the year again: “Jack Bauer/Kiefer Sutherland Of “24″ And The Art Of Fighting“
Congratulations To Fellow Martial Artist, Robert Downey Jr.! Wing Chun Practitioner Wins A Golden Globe Award for Sherlock Holmes!
Take it from the Little Dragon, Bruce Lee And The Power Of Goal Setting
Enjoy your Sunday!
I’ll be back here tomorrow. You, too?
The Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
Hey guys!
I hope you had a great week and you are enjoying your weekend.
You might have already noticed that I have added a very cool inspirational feature of “The Quote Of The Day” on the right side bar.
So, instead of just 2 quotes a week, you’re getting at least 7 a week, or at least one a day. Sounds like taking your daily vitamin!
Besides that let’s just dive right into all the exciting posts and what else happened this last week:
Honor Student – Muay Thai Style
Self-Defense From A Pinned Down Position
Bartitsu, The Fighting Style Of Detective Sherlock Holmes
Canadian UFC Welterweight Superstar Georges St. Pierre And “Operation Olympic Wrestling 2012″?
Get Ready For A Western Boxing Prodigy
First U.S. American Judo Brown Belt And 26th U.S. President
Talk to you soon.
Canadian UFC Welterweight Superstar Georges St. Pierre And “Operation Olympic Wrestling 2012″?
One of the absolute superstars of mixed martial arts, Georges St. Pierre from Montreal, is seriously considering to take a hiatus from his extraordinarily successful UFC career to “empty his cup”.
What that means is that GSP has been thinking out loud about trying for the Canadian Olympic Wrestling Team to compete at the London Olympics in the summer of 2012.
Well, you already know that I admire the fact that he is willing to get out of his comfort zone.
Just think of it:
He is currently at the top of his game, fighting for Dana White’s UFC and is one of the top 3 or 4 Pound-For-Pound Fighters in the world.
Some would even say he is THE invincible UFC-welterweight with a work ethic and athleticism second to none.
Now, stepping onto Olympic wrestling mat is quite a different story, even though GSP is considered one of the best wrestlers on the professional MMA circuit.
Believe it or not, Georges St. Pierre didn’t wrestle on a high school or college level!
In his 20’s, he finally added wrestling to complement his fighting arsenal and thus became a force to reckon with.
As he says himself, it won’t be easy once he has made that final decision and commitment to go Olympic.
GSP will have to adjust his training and will have to prevail numerous qualifiers to even become a member of the Canadian Olympic Wrestling Team.
I am not going to speculate on the money he will be leaving on the table while he pursues his Olympic dream, should he actually go for it.
What do you think: Will GSP go for it or not???
First U.S. American Judo Brown Belt And 26th U.S. President
As I write this post, I make myself aware of the fact that even though the Japanese martial art of Judo translates into ‘the gentle way’ that it is not felt that way when you are on the receiving end of some of these highly effective submission techniques.
But let’s get back to today’s Mystery Man.
If you are a U.S. history buff, you already know whom I am referring to as the 26th U.S. President.
If not, here’s another hint: This gentleman’s face can be seen on famous Mount Rushmore.
But wait a second:
He’s not the only one honored there, because he is in the company of three other U.S. Presidents who left a lasting impression on history.
Well, who is it then?
Along with Thomas Jefferson, he is considered the most well read politician to have ever served.
He was also a fervent supporter of Abraham Lincoln’s civil war policies.
No, of course we aren’t talking about George Washington.
We are talking about no other than Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt!
He was a very active outdoorsman, avid practictioner of physical activities such as wrestling, boxing and yes, Judo.
Teddy Roosevelt was a 3rd degree Judo brown belt in his living years, taught by Master Yamashita, who introduced Judo to The United States in the late 1800s.
There you have it:
The First U.S. American Judo Brown Belt And 26th U.S. President, Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt.
Talk soon.
Meet The Amazing UFC-Champion Georges St. Pierre (GSP)
I have been following the career of one of UFC’s absolute superstars for some time now and I gotta tell ya, GSP does not seize to amaze me for a lot of reasons.
Refreshingly, Georges St. Pierre is simply a very down to earth and likeable guy. The kind of guy you could just sit down with and have a beer or whatever.
The Canadian from Quebec has stayed very humble and modest even after all the breathtaking success he has had on the mat and in The Octagon.
Unarguably, Georges has become one of the outstanding figures of MMA worldwide with a very strong background in kyokunshinkai karate and wrestling.
He is consistenty ranked among the Top 4 Pound-For-Pound MMA-fighters in the world, along with Fedor Emelianenko, Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida.
Georges is very methodical in his workout that includes a lot of cross training with plyometrics.
His inclination to being extemely analytical when preparing for his next opponent continues to pay off for him, too.
He is very professional in his approach to fighting, career choices and the way he presents himself.
Recently I came across a magazine headline that made reference to the physical results of his training regimen and lifestyle.
“Georges St. Pierre, The Body Women Desire And Men Admire”.
I let you be the judge!
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