Action Martial Arts Magazine #80

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Grand Master Dennis Brown

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By Herb Borkland On August 13th, 2007, at a simple tea ceremony rarely held in public, 67-year-old Grandmaster Willy Lin passed along "the robe and bowl" of t'ien shan p'ai to his disciple of over 40 years, Washington, D.C. kung-fu pioneer Master Dennis Brown.

Grand Master Brown – ‘80's weapons star, trainer of champions and promoter of his own long-running U.S. Capitol Classics tournament – is now officially the yiban, or heir apparent, to the world-famous fighting system, which originated in the T'ien Shan mountains of northwestern China.

A member of half-adozen Halls of Fame, Grand Master Brown was cited at the turn of the century in Black Belt magazine as one of the “25 Most Influential Martial Artists of the 20th Century.” Today Dennis Brown stands as a living legend of the original United States generation to discover it was possible for an American to have a destiny in Asian martial arts.

The Grand Master, flashing his trademark hundred-megawatt smile, recalls his kung-fu-crazy days in the ‘70s, before any open-door Chinese fighting schools existed in Washington. So how did he train? Brown and a few friends would drive up to New York every weekend, to spend all morning and all evening in tiny Times Square grind houses where they showed double bills of old-school Cantonese chop-sockey. Then the DC guys spend their week practicing moves they had picked up watching those Shaw Brothers classics.

Chinatown insiders recall the youthful Dennis Brown as a fighter of closed-door matches in New York and Washington, including one famous bout in which he bested a full-contact hero who later retired unbeaten from the public circuit. As a weapons forms competitor, Dennis Brown won national grand championships for his staff work and sword forms; and, remarkably, he redesigned and revolutionized the legendary rope dart, of which he is today the greatest American master.

The full story of Grand Master Brown’s love affair with the rope dart also harks back to 1982, when he became the first AfricanAmerican in history to study martial arts on the Chinese Main

Land. He was one member of a small group-training trip to the still-exotic and untouristy China of thirty years ago; and he brought there his early fascination with the rope dart.

Roughly speaking, a rope dart resembles a spear tip attached to the far end of nine or ten feet of rope.

“The rope dart is one of the oldest weapons in the Chinese arsenal,” explains Brown.

“It was the first you were able to throw and retrieve.

Throwing stars and spears you use once, and then you have to go get another weapon.

The rope dart shoots out, strikes and returns, so until the day of the gun, it was the only long-range weapon you could continue to use. It was important because it was different.”

Is it hard to learn? Yes, and no. If you work a broadsword or a staff and make a mistake, you can simply continue, but with a rope dart, you face uncontrolled steel flying back at you.

“It’s possible to lose teeth, crack your head, yes.”

Grand Master Brown admits. “If you wrap twice around your neck and misjudge the length of your rope, centrifugal force can hurt.”

What about wearing a practice helmet? “No helmet! If you’re afraid of the weapon, you’ll never be able to master the weapon.

The weapon has mastered you.”

Arriving in China, Dennis Brown had already been studying kungfu since 1965, had put in ten years performing as a state tournament champion, and so understood about a competitor’s stage presence and how to impress an audience. He also felt the need for a new gimmick to give him a competitive edge at national tournies.

“Cudgel work was my regional fame,” the Grand Master points

out “And when I won at The Battle of Atlanta, I used my broadsword until I went to the long staff as a tie-breaker. That’s why I was invited to go to China, in the first place. For my long staff and broadsword. But now all anybody remembers is the rope dart.”

Breaking in a brand new weapon on the tournament circuit meant that Brown needed more than just his own patented brand of dynamic showmanship. He had to find ways to educate audiences and judges about a weapon they didn’t know how to assess. So Dennis Brown set about personalizing his rope dart.

Brown named his competition form “The Spiraling Dragon’s Tongue.” A few of his steel whip moves began migrating into the performance. More spectacularly, he also began to tinker with both the rope and the dart themselves.

One problem in tournament competition was making sure everybody could see the rope—as opposed to being in a real fight, when near-invisibility would be the ideal. Dennis solved this problem by selecting a new gauge of rope which was five times thicker than what he had trained with in China.

The Chinese model connected the dart to the rope by chain links, but Brown added five or six extra, to make it heavier in compensation for a heavier rope.

Better yet, when the rope dart snapped out, audiences and judges heard a distinctive clanging sound. So now the visual experience had an auditory dimension, as well; and, to top things off, he doubled the amount of flag silks attached behind the dart.

The final effect was dazzling and occasionally even scary. More than once judges threw themselves over backwards out of their folding chairs when Dennis Brown shot his clanging dart to within a foot of their faces.

In 1982, when he first arrived in China, Grand Master Brown had already founded the U.S. Capitol Classics (so-named because there already existed an event called the Capital Classic, spelled with an “a”). The 21st century U.S. Capitol Classics has evolved into one of the country’s most famous and glamorous venues. It has been said by martial arts historians that, over the years, the greatest champions of the last quarter-century have given some of their most memorable performances at the Classic.

Grand Master Brown’s pioneering has also extended to regional and national broadcasting. In the Washington area, he is fondly remembered for a six year run as “The Morning Sound” Exercise Consultant on popular WHUR radio. And, for three years in the late ‘90s, beginning on ESPN, the Grand Master co-hosted “Black Belts,” a weekly half-hour TV show which covered the grand championship forms showdowns at five-star national tournaments.

Although it turned out TV audiences prefer watching fights to forms, “Black Belts” helped mainstream truly modern martial arts action.

Currently, Dennis Brown stays hands-on busy running three

successful Shaolin Wu-Shu Training Centers in the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Popular respect and deep affection for the Grand Master have spread globally. His life story – as truly amazing as any of the old Hong Kong movies he loved as a boy – traces a martial hero’s inspirational rise from family poverty to the summit of traditional Chinese kung-fu. But now what lies ahead for the Grand Master?

“Over the years, what we have named our Shaolin Wu-Shu locations has changed from ‘school,’ to ‘studio,’ to ‘academy,’ to ‘training center.’ I remember how Jhoon Rhee surprised us all in the ‘60s when he created the Jhoon Rhee Institute, but he understood the need to teach self-defense in the largest possible sense. Self-defense is anything which protects, strengthens and enlarges the individual. So now I want to evolve into a Shaolin WuShu University.

“Our different locations of the new University will be like regional campuses – not just another gym, as some schools are moving back to, but instead a place of learning for warriors. I want centers of physical fitness, nutritional information, helping kids do better in school, character development, as well as a space where the community can gather for its affairs. What about language-learning and Chinese culture, art and literature – I Ching, The Art of War, The Book of Five Rings, 47 Ronin?

“After all, the Shaolin Temple was much more than warrior monks. I think students today should be encouraged to be students of the arts, not just kung-fu fighters.

Custom and traditions are important. Do you want to be considered literate in the martial arts, or not? You ought to become a martial artist as a Marine becomes a Marine – forever.”

How about the Capitol Classics?

“This year, we want to be the biggest and the best because it is the Classics’ 30th anniversary. A generation ago, the idea behind the event was to showcase the finest talent nationwide, so local East Coast superstars could measure their abilities against the very greatest. Now that we have a 6-A NASKA world rating, we’ll see lots more international teams from Europe, South America and Asia. Originally, our China Open was an attempt to get more styles and systems into competition, beyond the traditional gi arts and American free-style. This year there will be international flair – a more inclusive event featuring many different countries.”

Brown lights up his smile. “So a Baltimore kid gets to compete against, say, the champion of Ireland. How great is that?”

Grand Master Dennis Brown’s one life/one style integrity singles him out. And because of his unforced modesty, deep learning and positive attitude, a new generation is discovering that, even in the postmodern world, the classic Way of the Chinese Warrior will matter more than ever.

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An exclusive, behind-the-scenes glimpse into Joe Lewis’ “Masterpiece Event”… and how his devastating brain cancer diagnosis almost prevented it from happening.

By Rob Colasanti “Ambassador of the Martial Arts” Some martial arts events are good. Some are great. But very few…are legendary.

The 12th Annual Joe Lewis Research Conference, orchestrated

by Mike Allen and family, exceeded everyone’s highest expectations—and the banquet proved to be one of the most “magical” evenings in martial arts history.

What’s unfathomable, however, is that this extraordinary event almost didn’t happen.

A few months before show time, the legendary Joe Lewis was diagnosed with a grade four, malignant brain tumor in his left temporal lobe.

Doctors informed Joe that if he didn’t have the tumor removed immediately, he could die within just a few weeks. So Lewis was rushed to the hospital where he underwent emergency brain surgery to remove the life threatening mass.

The Champ’s operation was extensive; his skull cut wideopen, then artfully pieced back together with a clip of staples.

The good news is that the surgery was a success—no complications.

Next, Lewis began his long and challenging road to recovery.

This included grappling with all of the nasty side effects that result from heavy doses of steroids, chemotherapy and radiation.

Of course, there’s no convenient time to be diagnosed with brain cancer—and this tragic health crisis happened approximately ten weeks prior to Lewis’ Annual Research Conference—making it doubtful as to whether or not he would even be able to attend his own event.

However, as the conference neared, word trickled out that Lewis simply refused to miss his own event…even if he had to ignore his doctor’s orders.

On the morning his conference began in Tampa, Lewis underwent a mandatory radiation treatment at a Philadelphia Hospital near his home in Pennsylvania. Immediately following the treatment, he was driven to the airport where he boarded a plane and flew to Tampa.

The sheer strength and determination of Lewis—even with brain cancer—remains incomparable to this day.

No One Knew What to Expect At 3pm, on Thursday, October 6th, Joe Lewis Fighting Systems (JLFS) began its annual black belt exam.

The room was packed with martial arts students, instructors and school owners—all of whom were putting forth the maximum effort to display their technical and attitudinal skills to become a Joe Lewis black belt, or to obtain a higher degree of black belt in Lewis’ system.

At approximately 4pm, a small cadre entered the room carrying an American flag. An announcement was made that Joe Lewis was in the hotel and heading toward the testing room.

Suddenly, the entire mood of the room changed; excitement, anxiousness, speculation and nervous energy instantly took over.

Many, including the author of this story, were momentarily thrown into a trance. Time began to slow down and adrenaline began to speed up. Everyone was thinking the same thing: What are we gonna see when we take our first glance at “the greatest fighter in the history of karate”—post brain surgery—when he steps through that door?”Will our hearts abruptly drop, when we see the toll his awful illness has taken on him?

Would he be bald from the chemotherapy and radiation?

Would his movie star face be disfigured after having his skull cracked open like a coconut just a few weeks ago?

Would he be in a wheelchair…or slowly brought in with the assistance of others?Would he be frail, timid or sick looking?

Frankly, no one knew exactly what to expect. Then, the moment of truth had finally arrived. Like a superhero valiantly appearing out of thin air…Joe Lewis entered the room…and the crowd gasped.

Lewis Stuns and Inspires His Students As Lewis made his way through the doorway, everyone instantly rose to their feet.

At the same time, a thunderous round of applause ensued that could only be compared to the kinds that take place at the beginning of a State of the Union Address. The clapping, cheering and whistling seemed to go on forever.

Many people thought their eyes were deceiving them as they took their first look at the great champion, post emergency brain surgery. Why? Well, not because Lewis appeared weak, sick or terminal…but because he looked so incredibly strong!

Lewis’ arms were toned and muscular. The tendons in his forearms resembled steel cables working beneath the surface of his flesh. And his famed golf ball sized knuckles could be seen from across the room.

As Lewis stood there absorbing the applause and scanning the room, he clenched a pair of hand grippers, which he repeatedly closed with his powerful grip. He and only three other martial artists worldwide can close the #2.5 (237.5-lbs of torque) gripper.

From the back, Lewis was shaped like a “V.”From the front, he appeared mighty and was beaming with command-presence.

But, perhaps the most amazing thing of all is the fact that at age 67—and after going through round after round of toxic chemotherapy and radiation—Lewis still had all his hair!

At the same time, a few “battle scars” were evident.

Lewis was ordered to take powerful steroids as part of his treatment regimen. This caused his head and lower neck to swell and appear much larger than normal. The same with his stomach, which he repeatedly pounded to demonstrate that it was still all muscle—had been just puffed out due to the steroid medication.

Lewis was also experiencing some vision problems with his left eye. He lost some of his hearing in his left ear. And, he was exhibiting some random memory recall issues. Further, the left side of his head was red and swollen due to the radiation blasts. But all-in-all…Lewis looked phenomenal considering all he’d endured, up to and including that morning.

When the applause finally came to an end, Lewis spoke to everyone from deep within his soul.

He explained that in life, you’ve got to follow your heart—not what others want you to do, or be. He discussed what it means to be a Joe Lewis black belt and the responsibility that comes

with it. He spoke with conviction, emotion and wisdom. And this impromptu “mat chat” set the stage for the second half of the JLFS black belt promotion—FIGHTING, FIGHTING AND MORE FIGHTING! Rock-Solid Content from an All-Star Lineup of Martial Teachers For the next three days, JLFS delivered an all-star lineup of prestigious presenters who taught seminars on a wide range of combative topics and concepts.

The presenters included Dr. Maung Gyi, Mike Allen, Danny Dring, Walt Lysak, Richard Ryan, Dr. Roger Greene, Bill Wallace, Dennis Nackord, Bill D‟Urso, Joe Hess, John Maynard, Col. Dane Harden and many others. The brain trust of knowledge these presenters collectively brought to bear was deep and unrivaled.

Joe Lewis also taught a seminar, which captivated the attendees for several hours.

This was yet another testament to the amazing vigor and willpower of Lewis. To be blunt—a man of lesser conviction, confronted with the same health crisis as Lewis, would NOT be leading a kickboxing workout for several hundred people. Instead, he‟d probably be laid up in bed, sulking, or planning his own funeral!

Clearly, Lewis continues to defy conventional norms—and regardless what the data says about his illness, everyone believes in their heart-of-hearts that he will beat even the most optimistic survival odds by a long shot.

In fact, Lewis is so damn tough—mentally and physically— that he may even KO this brain cancer “intruder” completely!

“Joe, I meant it from the bottom of my heart when I said at the UFAF convention that you are the greatest champion in the history of the martial arts.”

-Chuck Norris Night of a Thousand Memories On the evening of Saturday, October 8th, JLFS hosted an extraordinary banquet that is already being hailed by many as one of the most “magical” events in martial arts history.

At the very top of the prestigious VIP list was Linda Lee Cadwell; Bruce Lee‟s only wife. And, Walter Anderson; former Chairman and CEO of Parade Publications—one of the largest publishing firms in America.

The three original World Full-Contact Champions were also present under one roof: Lewis, Wallace and Smith.

The triumphant evening began with the Pledge of Allegiance and the Star Spangled Banner. Next, Walt Lysak delivered the prayer.

Then, one by one, the students who tested for their black belts three days earlier were presented with their rank certificates, as they received a momentous photo with Grandmaster Lewis.

Next, a series of notables stepped in front of the mic to deliver brief, heartfelt messages aimed at how Joe Lewis helped change their lives and the lives of so many others during his nearly-five-decade-long journey through the martial arts. The speakers, who at times had to fight back the tears, included Bill

“Superfoot” Wallace, Dennis Nackord, Mike Allen, Nelson LeBron, Col. Dane Harden, Joe Hess, Mike Anderson, Don Warrener, Jeff Smith, Bill D‟Urso and Rob Colasanti.

The Graden brothers (Jim, Mark and John - All former world champions) also spoke.

Jim Graden, former president of The Project Action Foundation, revealed his plans to create a National Joe Lewis Day. Then, Mark Graden spoke about an exclusive video montage that he put together to symbolize Lewis‟ inimitable career. The video was played and the audience was once again reminded that there never has been—and never will be— another martial arts champion like Joe Lewis.

Then, 8th Degree Joe Lewis black belt, John Graden, took the stage with a speech that focused on the historical significance of Joe Lewis‟ career; how he helped pave the way for all martial artists; how he defined the sport of karate back in the 60‟s and 70‟s; how he set the standard for all fighters. Then, for the grand finale, Graden unveiled a oneof-a-kind painting of Lewis, which he commissioned famed sports artist Bob Mueller to create. To try to describe this masterpiece in writing would be an effort in futility. Instead, I suggest you take a moment to marvel at the accompanying photo, so you can see its beauty for yourself.

“Joe - I was profoundly moved by the spirit in the room and the great waves of love for you. The night was magic. I have never been more proud of you, my brother.

Stay strong.”

-Walter Anderson Former CEO, Parade Magazine The banquet was also filled with plenty of spontaneous humor. At one point, the audience viewed a hilarious video message from a pink gi wearing Judo Gene LeBell, a.k.a The Godfather of Grappling, who ended with, “When it doubt…CHOKE „EM OUT!” as he quickly moved-in to strangle the camera.

As the evening progressed, the “spirit” in the room became so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Rob Colasanti, Ambassador of the Martial Arts, took the podium to read a hand-written letter that he received from Chuck and Gena Norris, who were unable to attend because they were in Bulgaria filming Expendables 2. The audience listened attentively as Colasanti read off lines such as, “Joe, I meant it from the bottom of my heart when I said at the UFAF convention that you are the greatest champion in the history of the martial arts!” Everyone in attendance was deeply moved

by Mr. Norris‟ letter, especially Lewis‟ beautiful children, Cameron and Kristina. To say they were proud of their daddy would be an understatement.

Next, Colasanti played a stunning, surprise video that he was able to get from Dr. Nathaniel Branden—Lewis‟ “Intellectual Godfather” and one of only two main mentors that Joe Lewis has had in his life.

Dr. Branden is best known for his works involving the psychology of self-esteem and for his role in promoting Ayn Rand‟s controversial philosophy, Objectivism, as connoted in the book Atlas Shrugged, which Dr. Branden helped her write during a ten year timeframe.

Due to his ailing health, Dr. Branden was physically unable to fly from Los Angeles to Tampa. But even with his Parkinson‟s

disease and dementia, the eighty-something-year-old still demonstrated his tremendous love, friendship and admiration for Joe Lewis by recording a dramatic video message for all to see.

With the camera zoomed-in tightly on his face, Dr. Branden struggled to download the information from his brain to his mouth. The pauses between his sentences, combined with the profoundness of his words, caused the room to go into a deep silence. It also caused Joe Lewis to slide down in his chair and wrap his arms snugly around his head—as he wept profusely— while being embraced by Dr. Maung Gyi, Senior Mentor of JLFS. (This was a sight to behold.)

JLFS also presented a few prestigious awards, as determined by the association’s board; Fighter of the Year, Gallantry Award, Fight Trainer of the Year, etc. Mike Allen received the coveted Instructor of the Year Award.

But the main award given on this unforgettable night was the immeasurably prominent JLFS Lifetime Achievement Award.

Only two remarkable individuals had received this honor, previously. But now, there would be a third.

Lewis told the audience that he wanted to issue one last award of this magnitude—and that would be it. The Champ spoke with pride and dignity as he gave the third and final Lifetime Achievement Award to his close friend, training partner and teacher—the legendary, Bruce Lee. In doing so, Lewis pointed out the historical significance of the award that no one in the audience realized.

He explained, “During World War II, the Japanese tried to prevent the spread of martial arts to the western world. Their plan was foiled thanks for the efforts of various nations such as Burma, Okinawa and China.

Lewis added, “Each of my three Lifetime Achievement Award recipients represents one of these three nations. Dr. Maung Gyi represents the Burmese nation and received the first ever JLFS Lifetime Achievement Award. The second award was issued about five years later to Bill Wallace. He represents Okinawa, which became unconnected to Japan during its issue. And finally, today, my third and last award goes to Bruce Lee, who represents the country of China.”

To accept the award in her late husband’s honor, Linda Lee Cadwell took the stage and was greeted by a standing ovation that echoed throughout Tampa Bay. Mrs. Cadwell gave an acceptance speech that no one else in the world could have given.

Cadwell eloquently spoke about the relationship that existed between her late husband and Lewis. She told interesting stories from the past that only she would know. At one point, she began describing a rebellious, headstrong, young man who had no intention of following the conventional norms of the martial arts—a visionary, if you will. She continued to describe this person’s character in detail, as if slowly painting a picture

on a canvas, one brushstroke at a time. Then, she asked the audience, “Can you guess if I’m talking about Bruce Lee or Joe Lewis?” She paused for a moment and then said, “I’m talking about both.”

Mrs. Cadwell then gave Lewis the advice she believes her late husband would have given him, as it pertains to Lewis’ fight against brain cancer.

"So, here we are today, and Joe is facing the meanest opponent of his life: this cancer.

And I thought to myself, what would Bruce have to say to Joe right now?

And I think he would say, 'Joe, you have been preparing to fight your whole, entire life.

And when you're in a fight, you use all the tools that you have; every bit of strength you possess; every breath you take; every beat of your heart; with never a thought in your mind as to victory or defeat, because nature and the Lord above will take care of that.'"

Mrs. Cadwell added, "Joe, in this fight, we are ALL in your corner, and we want you to know you're in our minds and in our hearts at all times. So I'm here to say thank you for the Lifetime Achievement Award that you are presenting to Bruce...but it is apparent to me...from all of you [pointing to all the JLFS members & guests in the audience]...that it is fitting and proper to pay tribute to the lifetime achievements of Joe Lewis. And, from the days of his fighting, when he set unmatched records and championships, to being voted as the foremost fighter of the 20th century by his peers, to the thousands of students he has taught over all the years, Joe Lewis, you have made a difference in this world. Everyone here, including me, has a story to tell, many of which we've heard tonight, of how their life is better because of you, Joe. There is love in this room, there is respect in this room, and there is admiration in this room for Joe Lewis. And I would like you all to stand one more time and join me in honoring and saluting Joe Lewis' Lifetime Achievements!"

[Rousing 1-2 minute standing ovation and applause] It goes without saying that Mrs. Cadwell’s talk was touching, heartfelt and genuine. She was gracious, elegant and kind.

Again, no one could have delivered such a meaningful acceptance speech, or added such clarity to the Bruce Lee-Joe Lewis connection, as Linda Lee Cadwell.

“Bruce has received many posthumous awards over the years, but none so meaningful as this one presented by you. Joe Lewis and Bruce Lee are forever linked by a common bond of excellence.”

-Linda Lee Cadwell As the banquet reached the home stretch, Joe Lewis took the stage one final time. Here, he began speaking from the heart about his best friend and mentor in life—Walter Anderson. with a rather “superhuman” individual here. But, at this moment, let’s not forget that Joe Lewis’ plight has just started.

Anderson is the recently retired Chairman/CEO of Parade Publications, the media empire that produces Parade Magazine, which is delivered to more than 33 million homes per week.

Then, out of the blue, Lewis did something he’s never done before. He awarded his dear friend with the first honorary Joe Lewis black belt—EVER! According to Lewis, “This honorary black belt given to Walter Anderson is the first one I’ve ever given by our Joe Lewis Fighting Systems and it will be the last one I ever give. It’s from the heart!”

When Mr. Anderson spoke, he moved the crowd with stories of when he and Joe were invincible young men in the Marine Corps.

He told humorous tales about the follies of their youth. And he shocked the audience when he described how the two nearly died together in battle—trapped in a foxhole in Vietnam—as the enemy had them surrounded from every angle.

One thing’s clear: Joe Lewis and Walter Anderson are bonded by a friendship that can never be broken.

As Mr. Anderson said, “He would trust Joe with his life.” And Mr. Lewis echoed the same.

When the banquet finally came to a close (after 2 a.m.), countless photos were taken among Mr. Lewis, his special guests and the attendees who were cheerfully celebrating with one another.

Everyone was wearing big smiles. Laughter could be heard from all corners of the room. And no one seemed to have a care in the world. No one, except for Joe Lewis, I assume.

Who knows what thoughts were really going through his mind, despite his outwardly strong, in-control and unconcerned guise?

The sobering reality is that Lewis has brain cancer and his prognosis is, well, Google it and see for yourself.

Though he mustered every drop of energy in his being to endure the labors of his annual conference for the sole benefit of his “family” and friends, the fact is that the man has barely even begun the toughest fight of his entire life.

Immediately after the conference, it’ll be more rounds of exhaustive chemo and radiation. Visits with eye specialists and audiologists.

Additional brain scans and other high-tech tests. New medications, constant doctor follow-ups, physical recovery and on and on and on.

Oh, and what about work?

Will he ever be healthy enough to get back on the road and teach again,

consistently?

I wish this story had a fairy tale ending—and someday it may—since we’re dealing with a rather “superhuman” individual here. But, at this moment, let’s not forget that Joe Lewis’ plight has just started. He has not “beat this thing” yet and only the Good Lord knows how the chips will eventually fall for him. Me?I was one of the last people to leave the banquet hall—when the clean-up crew began removing the tables and chairs.

As I walked through the hotel towards the VIP room to meet up with Joe Lewis, Linda Lee Cadwell, Walter Anderson, etc., I bowed my head for a moment and began reflecting on what I had just witnessed.

Frankly, there were no big stages, teleprompters or spot lights at this show. No fancy martial arts demonstrations. No one trying to sell you something.

No egos. No false praise. No comedy routines. No canned speeches. No superficial awards being given out like candy. No special effects.

And, no high-priced celebrities, brought-in by the host to sell more tickets.

This event had none of that stuff—THANK GOD! What it did have is tons of inspiration, gratitude, brotherhood, pride, love, healing energy and historical significance. th The 12 Annual Joe Lewis Research Conference was about dignity, honor, principles, valor, camaraderie and family.

Even more, it masterfully integrated all of these attributes with good ole’ fashioned martial arts spirit and powerful content that was delivered with effortless ease.

And to think that this amazing event almost didn’t happen because of Joe Lewis’ brain cancer crisis—then for it to be so massively successful despite the circumstances—can only be explained by one word. Fate.

As I continued down the hallway that night, I quietly thought to myself, “Wow…there will never again be another event like this one…in the history of the martial arts.”

-------------------------------------------About the Author: Rob Colasanti is the former president of NAPMA and Martial Arts Professional Magazine. He is the author of the book, The Martial Arts Business Bible and he is a JLFS black belt. He can be reached at RobColasanti.com.

Photos courtesy of Joanne Allen, official photographer of JLFS.

EYE TO EYE SEMINARS Baltimore, Md. Chesapeake High here just on the outskirts of Baltimore City, saw 85 particpants take advantage to practical application knowledge for self defense from very know practitioners of several martial art styles that could realistically be used in a street or self defense situation that may arise. Step by step, Master Mu'Allim Najee Hassan, Grm. Anakanda Mushaba, and Soke Hasan Khaleak, broke the moves down in very easy to understand language and applications. One could also see by the looks on their faces, many , many, of those in the audience was enjoying what the witnessing as well. Hosted by Chief Professor Al Wood, Professor Lusk Penn, and Shihan Terryl Richardson this unique event was very well received by the participants, and also by the spectators of over 75 who had gathered on this special eye opening event.

This A SANUCES JIU JITSU EYE TO EYE SEMINAR, allowed everyone to see as to how easily applications can be done regardless of your martial arts style of discipline as long as you have the correct Knowledge and Understanding in order to put something into effective action. To often, many people put the importance on the aquisiton of knowledge and omitting the very importance of understanding this knowledge.

WHAT GOOD IS KNOWLEDGE AND ONE DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO APPLY IT??? Correct Knowledge and Correct understanding work hand to hand for the correct and best results in anything we do or encounter. It is very,very important to remember this formula as we all carry on our daily lives!!!!!!!!!!!!!

were given by a live band in order to add continual enjoyment to the atmosphere. Shortly thereafter , Grm. Rankin opened the ceremony with a very BRIEF and effective talk of welcoming all gathered, the background of USMAA and its purpose, then immediately started calling forth one by one, every inductee and giving account for the award of which they were about to receive.

The beautiful Holiday Inn located here served as the host venue for this very well prepared affair. It should also be noteworthy that Grm. Rankin made an excellent choice in choosing this facility, because its staff members were very professional, warm, and friendly to all the guests whom had ventured there. Just before all began to depart, Grm. Rankin provided photo opts with the inductees both in a group setting or individually to their honored delight. Excellent job Grm. Rankin and staff, keep up the outstanding work.

BKC AWARDS BANQUET Balto., Md. The 2nd annual BKC (Baltimore karate Curcuit) under the promoter and host Soke "Mike Panthers" stagged a very well run and crowd pleasing banquet in order recognize deserving martial artists for their contributions to the

13th USMAA AWARDS BANQUET Frederick, Md. Recently here in this very scenic, beautiful, historic, and mountainous county in Maryland, Grm. William A. Rankin hosted the United States Martial Artist Association's 13th International martial arts hall of fame and banquet, in order

to recognize dedicated martial artists from all corners of the globe, for their well deserved, and for many, their long over due recognitions for their contributions and dedication to the growth and development to all aspects of the martial arts in general. In order to set the stage for what was about to come, a delicious buffet meal was served to the delight of about 300 total honorees and guests, dining on what they wanted, and how much. After period of time when all had settled in and continued to dine, various muscial selections

martial arts here in "CHARM CITY". Enon baptist church was the host venue as over 150 excited people crowded into the activity hall to witness some of Baltimore's best receive their long over due recognition on this warm June evening.

With memorable songs from the past being played in the background, things got under way with all dining on the scrumptious meal prepared by the hosting facility. While the audience was "pleasing their palets" the M.C. for the evening, began to acknowledge the recipients one by one and giving a brief talk on why this award was being presented to this inductee. First the special posthumous awards were presented to either a relative or friend of the deceased recepient as all reflected on the individual be recognized his contributions in the past. Afterwards, those still alive and "kicking", received their deserving awards as well. At the conclusion of the evening's ceremony, with the "light music" still being played in the background, the attendees exited the building while giving friendly handshakes, big hugs, along with warm pleasing smiles on this crowd pleasing event.

Posthumous Awardees:Master Theodore Hall, Master Alvin Parson, Grm. Henry Wilson, Master Michael Hawkins Present Awardees: Grm. Craig Hall, Master Kenneth Hall, Grm. Betty Hawkins, Master Glen Hawkins, Grm. Riley Hawkins, Master Christopher Miller, Master Joe Miller, Master Howard Moore, Master Tyrone Perry, Master Lisa Scott, Master Jessine Brown, and Master Albert Hawkins

to the martial arts here in "CHARM CITY". Enon baptist church was the host venue as over 150 excited people crowded into the activity hall to witness some of Baltimore's best receive their long over due recognition on this warm June evening. With memorable songs from the past being played in the background, things got under way with all dining on the scrumptious meal prepared by the hosting facility. While the audience was "pleasing their palets" the M.C. for the evening, began to acknowledge the recipients one by one and giving a brief talk on why this award was being presented to this inductee. First the special posthumous awards were presented to either a relative or friend of the deceased recepient as all reflected on the individual be recognized his contributions in the past.

Afterwards, those still alive and "kicking", received their deserving awards as well. At the conclusion of the evening's ceremony, with the "light music" still being played in the background, the attendees exited the building while giving friendly handshakes, big hugs, along with warm pleasing smiles on this crowd pleasing event.

Posthumous Awardees:Master Theodore Hall, Master Alvin Parson, Grm. Henry Wilson, Master Michael Hawkins Present Awardees: Grm. Craig Hall, Master Kenneth Hall, Grm. Betty Hawkins, Master Glen Hawkins, Grm. Riley Hawkins, Master Christopher Miller, Master Joe Miller, Master Howard Moore, Master Tyrone Perry, Master Lisa Scott, Master Jessine Brown, and Master Albert Hawkins “LEGENDS

OF THE MARTIAL ARTS” HALL OF FAME AWARDS

On Saturday May 21, 2011 Martial Arts movie sensation Master Cynthia Rothrock and I.T.M.A. Chairman st Eric P. Kovaleski hosted the 1 annual “Legends of the

Martial Arts” Hall of Fame Awards banquet at Split Rock Resort and Golf Club in Lake Harmony Pennsylvania.

“The reason Cynthia and I created this event is to recognize and honor our seniors and peers in the martial arts while educating our juniors about the lives of sacrifice and dedication to the martial arts by our living legends,” Kovaleski states.

The opening ceremonies started with the American National Anthem followed by the Korean National Anthem, introductions and welcoming statements by both Master

Kovaleski and Master Rothrock. Shortly after Kovaleski read a “proclamation letter” from Pennsylvania’s Governor Tom st Corbett welcoming everyone to the 1 Legends Hall of Fame st and by announcing May 21 as “Martial Arts Day” for Pennsylvania in honor of the event and dedication of such great men and women of the martial arts who would soon be honored.

Soon each of the following martial arts grandmasters and masters were honored with a tribute video, created by Leonard cook, and were introduced to the audience. The Living Legends were as follows The Great Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee who was inducted as the “Living Legend of Tae Kwon Do”, Grandmaster Ji Han Jae “Living Legend of Hapkido”, Grandmaster Jae Chul Shin “Living Legend of Tang Soo Do”, and Master Wesley Snipes “Living Legend of the Silver Screen”. Master Snipes was unable to attend due to his unfortunate circumstances with the IRS although Mrs. Snipes sent a letter to be read and showed great appreciation for the honor. Next to be inducted was Master Cynthia Rothrock as “Queen of the Martial Arts”, Master Chuck Jeffreys “Fight Choreographer of the Year”.

Also Grandmaster Robert Kovaleski was recognized with a Tribute video in celebration of his 45 years of service to Tang Soo Do. Also Tae Kwon Do Times and Grandmaster Woo Jin Jung were recognized for the journalism award for “Magazine of the Year” in celebration of 30 years of publications.

There were approximately 50 additional masters chosen by the “Legends Hall of Fame Board of Directors” who received awards based on their accomplishments and years of service and dedication to the martial arts.

The 2011 Board of Directors was comprised of: Master Eric Kovaleski, Master Cynthia Rothrock, Grandmaster Robert Kovaleski, Grandmaster Chong Su Kim, Grandmaster Ken Mackenzie, Grandmaster Dominic Giacobbe, Grandmaster Alan Goldberg and Chief Master John Godwin.

This historic event followed two days of national competitions that were held at the USA National Karate Championships, also at Split Rock Resort. The Championships were hosted by the International Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan Association ™, And Grandmaster Robert and Master Eric Kovaleski. Competitions were held in Traditional Forms, Open Forms, Sparring, Weapons, Breaking, Jump Front and Side Kick Competitions and Demo Team Competitions. The Highlight of the tournament was the Special Needs Divisions and the Celebrity Guests and Masters. Next year’s events are slated to be held on May 11 -12, 2012.

For more information on either the “Legends of the Martial Arts” Hall of Fame or the USA National Karate Championships please contact Master Eric Kovaleski at 570307-KICK (5425) or visit www.itma.us

Global Violence Fills Self-Defense Classes

by John Graden With worldwide rioting and civil unrest, more Americans are enrolling into self-defense programs however they are no longer seeking self-defense from a martial arts school.

When people get scared for their safety they buy guns, increase home security, and seek out self-defense training. Even though violent crime rates have actually dropped in recent years civil unrest is at an unprecedented level. Right now, people are afraid.

Not since 9/11 have Americans experienced the level of fear and uncertainty as they are now. While in the past events like the LA and Watts riots were localized, today the riots and protests are on a more global scale.

Revolutions in the middle east, riots in Greece, Britain, Australia and now protests and riots in the USA have citizens concerned for their own safety and that of their families. Combine that with record unemployment and economic pressures and you get the highest stress levels since 9/11.

The result is a significant increase in enrollments into real self-defense programs like Cobra-Defense. Cobra-Defense has licensed centers across the country. Cobra was created by former street cop and maximum security guard Chris Sutton headquarters and is based in Clearwater, FL. The school also offers a belt based martial arts program and the Cobra-Defense 10-week Academy. According to Sutton, 5-10 adults contact him each week and nearly 100% are seeking out the Cobra program and not the martial arts program. Sutton says, “The ratio is about 15-1 Cobra over martial arts inquires. Most adults want self-defense but do

not want everything that is involved in a martial arts program. Today, many adults view those as kids’ activities.”

John Graden, Executive Director of the Martial Arts Teachers’ Association agrees. According to Graden, “Thought it’s great for self-confidence, when it comes to self-defense, adults no longer view a child oriented, belt based martial arts program as a viable option.”

Graden has long been an advocate for reality based selfdefense programs as a supplement to martial arts schools.

“Now, more than ever do martial arts schools need a real self-defense program. That’s why we have made CobraDefense the Official Self-Defense Curriculum for the Martial Arts Teachers’ Association. With the popularity of MMA, adults are far more educated about martial arts than ever before. For 20-years the UFC has been showing them that many martial arts are weak in reality training.”

When it comes to family safety, maybe parents too are beginning to see the difference between a belt based personal development oriented childrens’ martial arts program and real world self-defense. Tiffany Walton, a Cobra-Defense student in Utah enrolled herself and her daughter into Cobra even though they were already in a karate class, “Karate is doing wonders for my daughters’ confidence, but it’s not teaching her the real-world skills for protecting herself.”

How you can cash in on the MMA boom!

By Grm Ted Gambordella I love to watch MMA fights on TV. I love to train in MMA at my club and I love to write books and do DVD’s about MMA training, conditioning and fighting, and I not alone.

MMA is HOT. It is one of the most watched shows on Cable TV, and has some of the biggest pay per views.

Local fights pack auditoriums across America and the World.

MMA is hot and is going to get hotter as the Stars become more well know and the sport continues to find new and exciting stars.

The most obvious way to cash in on the MMA boom is to become a Great MMA fighter, not just an average fighter who gets a few $200 to $500 matches and gets his brains bashed in on a regular bases, but a Great MMA fighter that wins fight after fight, builds a following and in turn gets to earn a 7 figure salary. This amounts to about 20 to 35 people in the World. 99% of MMA fighters don’t make any real money. Most average making $200 to $500 a fight, some make $1,000 to $3,000 a fight, and those are the one that have built a following and have great trainers and a great training program. Only a very small amount of MMA fighters make $25,000 or more a fight and only a hand few make $100,000 a fight. If you plan on cashing in on the MMA boom by being a MMA fighter your chances are slim and slimmer.

But don’t let me discourage you from trying. Most MMA fighters are not in it for the “money” but because they love the sport and more importantly they Love To Fight. If you don’t like being in real fights, where you can get seriously hurt, making a living as a MMA fighter is not a good option for you.

So how do you “cash in on the MMA boom?” without being a fighter? I believe there are easy, proven successful ways almost anyone can make money with MMA if they are will to do some “work” and be persistent as they build their business. By “work” I don’t’ mean trying something for 3 hours, spending $100 and then giving up after a few weeks if it doesn’t work. By “work” I mean putting in 3 to 8 hours a day for the first few months and actually building a MMA business. If you intend to build a big MMA business you need to be willing to put in 40+ hours a week. I tend to work 12 hours a day on the computer, but it doesn’t seem like work to me because I love it. If you don’t love MMA, don’t love to “work” and don’t have an obsession with success you won’t make your MMA business or any other business grow.

I think the best ways you can cash in on the MMA boom, with very little upfront money, or No upfront money is to become an “affiliate” of an existing MMA website. This means that you sell MMA products as an “affiliate” from current websites without having to do anything but send people to the website. The website does all the selling; all you do is send the leads to the website, which does the sale and in turn gives you a commission as an affiliate.

So how can you sell MMA products as an “affiliate”? There are 1,000’s of people making a great living off the internet by being “affiliates” of websites. This means they simple refer other people to the “owners” website and they receive a commission without having to do any direct sales, stock any product, deliver any products or run a online business in any way other than sending people to a website that they get credit for and make money when a sale is made.

There are 1,000’s of websites you can become an affiliate with selling everything from vitamins to dog food. But we are talking about making money with the MMA boom and being a MMA affiliate and there are only a few real good websites for that. You can do a Google search to find MMA affiliate websites.

One of the best new ones is www.secretsofmma.com This site uses www.Clickbank.com to track sales and allow people to join for free, then make their money by just sending other people to the website and getting 50% of the money Think about it, the guy that developed the website and has the products to sell has spent 1,000’s of hours developing the website and years and years developing the programs, books, DVD’s, etc, that they are selling on the site. But all you do is join as an affiliate and you can make 50% of any sale and you don’t have to spend any money.

Just use your mailing lists, your face book connections, your twitter lists, your friends, your email contacts, use any an every “legal” way you can to develop leads and send them to the website. The opportunities for you to send people to the website are unlimited. (A word of caution, NO affiliate in any program is allowed to send out SPAM). If you don’t know the people, don’t’ send them emails or solicit them in anyway without their permission to go to the MMA website. This is called spamming and will get you thrown out of All Legitimate MMA programs and will get you thrown off your ISP if you do it. So don’t spam. Promote.

The more you promote the website the more money you can make and the more money you make means you will have more money to invest in more promotion and make even more money. Most MMA affiliate websites have dozens of examples of emails and articles you can send out to your friends and most have dozens of ads and articles you can copy and send out. They also have banners which you can put on websites and send them to the “sales site” while getting full credit for any and all sales. A good affiliate website will give you everything you need to become successful and start making money, all you have to do is a little “work” and start sending leads. And remember you are building a business, not trying something for 10 minutes then quitting. if you will join a good MMA affiliate program you too can cash in on the MMA boom!

Jhoon Rhee Changing The World Article by: Gordon Richiusa We must strive to achieve human perfection. I define human perfection as a person who never knowingly makes a mistake. If we all live with one simple habit – never do the things we know we shouldn‘t; and always do the things we know we should – we all will be humanly perfect.‖ Jhoon Rhee in Trutopia W ham, the soft foam pad on your hand hits your opponent upside the head with a back fist, knocking him sideways, but not into oblivion.

You can thank a man named Jhoon Rhee for the protective safety equipment you are wearing when you spar. At eighty years of age, only middle age by his standards, the inventor of the first martial arts safety gear, Jhoon Rhee, has recently embarked on another noble quest. He wants to return the simple values of honesty, discipline and respect to the world.

He believes that not only is this possible, but that now is the time to begin moving the world in the right direction. He also believes that it is true martial artists who must forge the path for others to walk.

Luckily, it is Jhoon Rhee, a man of true quality, who is delivering the message and leading the way. The name Jhoon Rhee has always been synonymous with martial arts.

He is a man who has taught and trained with the best, the most legendary fighters of our time, and now he takes on a new battle… to improve the world!

Rhee‘s world-changing message was forged through his martial training, and he shares it with others through his teaching, training, speaking and writing. Specifically, he wants people to know that in life (as in martial arts) the goal is to become better, happier people. He explains that all change begins with the individual and it is individuals that must lead others by their example. Jhoon Rhee personifies his own advice, he practices what he preaches!

Known as the Father of American Tae Kwon Do, and credited with making safe, yet realistic training possible, Jhoon Rhee‘s work has positively affected millions. Beyond martial arts, he has been an official Ambassador for the U.S. to other countries. He has offered martial arts lessons to members of Congress in W ashington D.C., allowing them to benefit from disciplined training. Scores of martial arts legends acknowledge that they have learned from Jhoon Rhee and that his best teaching tool has always been his fine example.

Following is an exclusive interview with the great Jhoon Rhee for LEGENDS AND LEGACIES on W orldW ideDojo.com.

(G) IS THERE A QUESTION YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN ASKED THAT YOU W OULD LIKE TO ANSW ER? (JR) No I don‘t know if I told you, but I have been interviewed many times and am willing to answer any questions you have. Once in the Soviet Union I was interviewed for eleven days, eighteen hours a day. I was conducting seminars and one day I had a fifteen hour question-and-answer session. I answered every question they asked.

(G) O.K. THEN, HOW ABOUT THIS? DO YOU CONSIDER TAE KW ON DO A SPORT OR SELF DEFENSE TRAINING?

(JR) ―No, neither, none of them. It‘s a philosophy. In my book, Trutopia, I say that the book is my tae kwon do philosophy. Publishing that book was a fifty year dream of mine.‖ (G) ARE YOU HAPPY W ITH HOW TAE KW ON DO HAS DEVELOPED IN THE U.S.?

(JR) ―I could be happier. W hen I first came in 1956 and I said the words Tae Kwon Do, most people thought it was something on a Chinese menu.

Considering that we now have put it in the Olympics … we have come a long way. However, the US TAE KW ON DO FEDERATION and the KUKKIW ON groups are their own organizations. Every group has its own rules and forms.

Keeping separate, it‘s going to be hard to agree on anything. They really don‘t know my philosophy, yet. Now, my book is out and I‘m hoping they will understand, soon.‖ (G) LET‘S TALK ABOUT YOUR BOOK. IS THIS HOW YOU W OULD LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED?

(JR) ―I‘m eighty years old and this is the culmination of 50 years of martial arts. Me, everybody thought I was just a tae kwon do master, but I‘d like to be remembered by the rest of humanity as someone who REALLY DID CHANGE OUR SOCIETY.‖ (G) IN W HAT W AY? (JR) ―In my book it says, our goal is to make this planet [a place] where everyone is ‗happy with every breath of life‘.‖ (G) AH! NICE. DO YOU THINK THAT PEOPLE W ILL REMEMBER YOU THAT W AY? OR, HOW DO YOU THINK THAT W ILL LIKELY REMEMBER YOU?

(JR) ―W ell, I am going to live another 50 or more years, 56 more years!

I promised the public for the last forty years that I‘m going to live to 136.‖ (G) I‘M SHOOTING FOR 140 MYSELF. (JR) ―W ell, good. The U.S. Congress just gave me an 80th birthday party.

For that event I did 100 push-ups in a minute. I broke a board, stretched my leg and touched my chest on the floor.‖ (G) YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION!!! W HO W AS YOUR GREATEST INSPIRATION AS A MARTIAL ARTIST? W HO INSPIRED YOU THE MOST?

(JR) ―I really believe in philosophy and I never learned the philosophy from my senior people. So, I really was never inspired by any martial artist.‖ (G) W HO THEN INSPIRED YOU? (JR) ―W hen I was taught U.S. History, when I was young, I really adored George W ashington. I respect George W ashington more than any other human being. He was a man who took his responsibilities seriously, but was humble. W hen he had the opportunity to be elected president for a third term, he denied the offer.‖ (G) IF YOU HAD A CHANCE TO GO BACK INTO HISTORY AND SIT DOW N W ITH SOMEONE, W OULD GEORGE W ASHINGTON BE THE PERSON YOU W OULD PICK?

(JR) ―Yes, George W ashington.‖ (G) IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO SPEAK TO HIM, W OULD THERE BE ANY

QUESTION YOU MIGHT ASK HIM OR ANYTHING THAT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO THANK HIM FOR?

(JR) ―I would like to thank him that when people were surrounding him and asking him to become king, he denied that [opportunity]. W hen he was almost forced to run for a third term, he denied that [opportunity] and, if he didn‘t do what he did, America would still be a primitive country. W e would still be primitive, like 200 years ago, because there would be no freedom of speech, press, or religion. All these things are guaranteed now. If we didn‘t have these freedoms, people couldn‘t invent things. You know the reason that we have so many good things on this planet? It is because Americans did it. It‘s not that Americans are smarter, but they were given the freedom to think and express. So, everything good that we now have came from this country. I‘m the only one saying this, on this planet, I‘m afraid. I‘m serious about it. You know, the American Founding Fathers did not create this country… [we are creating it, today]. You know over two hundred years ago, all of a sudden everything changed. Just one hundred years ago, if a Korean king wanted to send a message by messenger to the U.S., it took nine months. Today, we can do it in ten seconds.‖

(G) RIGHT, WE SEE A TSUNAMI IN JAPAN HAPPENING ON THE NEWS, AS IT HAPPENS. (JR) ―I was just saying to a friend that we are living in a world where, if Obama dies today, by tomorrow all six billion people will know. So, I am hoping that the message of my book will really ride this wave of communication and saturate the entire planet quickly.‖ (G) WELL, I HOPE IT DOES, TOO. I THINK IT‘S AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE AND BASICALLY, IT IS WHY WE ARE DEDICATED TO THE LEGENDS AND LEGACIES SERIES. (G) HOWEVER, LET‘S GET BACK TO OUR INTERVIEW. DO YOU HAVE ANY ESSENTIAL TECHNIQUES OR IDEAS THAT YOU‘D LIKE YOUR TAE KWON DO STUDENTS TO KNOW ?

(JR) ―My physical technique is just like anybody else‘s, but developed more closely to perfection by continuous training. I don‘t claim that I have any particular special technique other than I created the ACCU-PUNCH, which I taught Muhammed Ali. The Accu-punch is a punch with your body and mind as one. When you decide to punch, you‘ve already punched. This creates a tremendous acceleration and increases the punching power. I‘ve demonstrated my punching power, breaking three boards dangling. If you don‘t have really explosive punching speed, you will push (dangling boards) and they will not break. But, I always break them.‖ (G) WHO IS YOUR SUCCESSOR? IS THERE SOMEONE, A STUDENT WHO YOU ARE LEAVING ALL OR MOST OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE WITH?

(JR) ―I have 56 more years to go. I have plenty of time to decide. I will see later who is the most ideal. That definitely should be someone in my family line. It doesn‘t have to be my bloodline, but it CAN be. It could be outside, could be a Caucasian.‖ (G) I KNOW THAT YOU‘RE AN AMBASSADOR, A CREATOR, A TEACHER, AN INVENTOR, A BUSINESSMAN, A PHILOSOPHER AND MARTIAL ARTISTS, BUT HOW WOULD YOU SUM UP YOUR LIFE ?

(JR) ―As I said, I am more a philosopher than just Tae Kwon Do, and so I‘d like to be remembered more as a person who mentally influenced, inspired a lot of people to change their course of life to be good. Do you know what is the definition of GOOD? It‘s not defined very clearly in history. What‘s good?

What‘s evil? That‘s why, depending on the cases, laws are always changing.

We must really clearly understand the definitions of Good and Evil. Unless you know what the Universal Common Purpose of Life, you cannot define them. So, in my TRUTOPIA book I say, the Universal Common Purpose of Life is happiness. Do you agree?‖ (G) YES, ABSOLUTELY. (JR) ―Then, good values are those values contributing to happiness…that‘s a good value. Anything against good is evil. If I ask you, ‗when do you find the happiest moment?‘ I‘ll answer for you, It‘s when you are in love. When you‘re in love you are the happiest person. So, love is the first Universal Value, a good value. Then, I ask, ‗why do I love my wife?‘ Because, she‘s beautiful! So, beauty is the second value. There are two kinds of beauty.

One is skin-beauty, one is heart beauty. We know that heart beauty counts more. How can you make your heart beautiful? Tell the truth! So, we can say, when I am truthful, my heart is beautiful. When my heart is beautiful, people love me. When people love me, I am happy. So, Truth, Beauty and Love—I call these, TBL—are three Universal Good Values. What are bad or evil values?

The opposite. The opposite of truth is cheating. The opposite of beauty is ugliness, and the opposite of love is hate. So, when I‘m cheating my heart becomes ugly. When my heart becomes ugly, everybody hates me. When everybody hates me, I am unhappy. So, I just defined Good and Evil for you.

Helping everybody to be truthful, beautiful and loving that‘s how I want to be remembered. I want to be remembered as the person who worked on that philosophy. Do you follow me?‖ (G) YES. DO YOU THINK ALL MARTIAL ARTISTS -—ESPECIALLY MARTIAL ARTS TEACHERS– SHOULD TAKE THIS TRUTOPIAN PLEDGE?

(JR) ―Maybe all people should just read my book. In there I have seven qualities of a champion and twenty one miraculous events in my life. I say, ‗We, the Martial Artists, citizens of the world, hereby declare the Lead by Example Action Philosophy to the world. We all know that a picture is worth a 1000 words, but we also must know that an action is worth a 1000 pictures.

The Lead by Example Action Philosophy is designed to inspire all people to be more enlightened; to ensure effective children‘s education for family unity; and to promote cultural diversity for universal harmony. The Lead by Example Action Philosophy can be achieved through the Joy of Discipline—a mental and physical exercise program that can lead us to achieve 100 Years of Wisdom in a Body of 21 Years Young, the foundation for a happy global society. The Lead by Example Action Philosophy is a new social awakening campaign for a perfect global society in the Third Millennium. It is not a religion, but recognizes a Supreme Intelligence as the origin of life and happiness. People constantly move to avoid pain or to seek joy and comfort.

Therefore, the universal purpose of life, unquestionably, is happiness. The ultimate value for happiness is Love; only Beauty triggers the love emotion; and only Truth beautifies the human heart.‖ (G) WHICH OF THESE STATEMENTS WOULD YOU SAY IS CLOSER TO THE TRUTH?

1) THAT YOU, JHOON RHEE, ARE A SPECIAL HUMAN BEING (THEREFORE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO LIVE TO 136 YEARS OLD)?

2) THAT YOU, JHOON RHEE, HAVE LEARNED SOME SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE THAT WILL HELP YOU ACHIEVE THIS MIRACULOUS GOAL 3) THAT ALL HUMAN BEINGS ARE SPECIAL, IN THAT WE ALL POSSESS THESE ABILITIES?

(JR) All human beings are destined to develop a divine human character, because we are children of God. We cannot resemble to his figure, because he doesn‘t have a figure, but the only thing we can resemble is his character.

So we are of divine human character, if we follow the Truth, Beauty and Love formula. At the beginning of human history, instead of adopting TBL they adopted a way of life with deception, ugliness and hatred. As a result we are living in a world full of problems. It‘s really incredible what a tough life we‘re living. In America, our population is much more blessed than many others, but still we have so many problems. Just imagine the people in Africa and in China or other South Eastern countries, where their salaries are around $200 a month. Can you imagine, they are still better off than people living 250 years ago before governments based upon freedoms existed on this planet? I really feel that the True Beautiful God does not just want us to believe in Him, but desires our going to Heaven as perfecting our human character to be identical to the divine human character. When that happens, automatically a true Heaven on Earth can be realized. Truth, Beauty and Love will prevail in this society. Then, I think God will bless us with a plentiful energy, abundant energy. I think water will become our source of energy and I think some scientists have succeeded in experimenting with low temperature fusion. Nuclear fusion is a reality; it‘s a matter of time in one or two decades and it could be realized. When there is plenty of energy, all other problems can be solved. When we can live comfortably, we can live a divine human lifestyle.‖ (G) WHERE DID WE GO WRONG? WHY, DO YOU THINK, DID HUMANITY GO WRONG? WHY HAVE WE TAKEN THIS SIDE ROAD? IS HAVING OBSTACLES PART OF THE LEARNING PROCESS, PERHAPS?

(JR) ―This is the one question that I used to ask when I complained to God ‗Why did you make me suffer like this?‘ And, I am really successful compared to other people. Yet, I really feel that life is so tough. So, the reason is that when God created this near perfect Universe he created 99.99 percent perfect. He has given only.01 percent for us to perfect…to develop a perfect human character. That means, to develop our conscience to be perfect. God gave us the responsibility for human beings to take over so that once we achieve that, God wants to really bless us as the Co-Creator of the really perfect Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.‖ (G) COULD EVOLUTION BE PART OF THE PROCESS? (JR) You know somebody must always sow the seed for a plant to grow.

The growing period, they call it Evolution. When you sow the seed of corn into soil, somebody has to initiate that. Corn doesn‘t happen automatically.

Then, Nature (of God), sunlight and rain and all combined together, it grows.

That is Evolution. I don‘t think a monkey became a human being. That‘s the first answer we need to give to people [who are suffering] so that we don‘t condemn God. When you look at the Book of Job, many religions really neglected three areas. Book of Job, chapter one, verse one says that ―there was a man on Earth, whose name was Job who was perfect.‖ Obviously, perfection does not define all knowing [it‘s] character perfection. Can you see that? And, Jesus said ‗you therefore must be perfect as the Heavenly Father is perfect.‘ That‘s Matthew, 5:48. That tells us that we can be humanly perfect, which means character perfection again.‖ (G) YOU SOUND LIKE YOU‘VE ACTUALLY READ THE BIBLE. (JR) ―I used to teach the Bible. Then, you know Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. He clearly said that the Kingdom should be realized on this Earth. Many religious leaders didn‘t really try to become humanly perfect. They just made a mediocre try and then gave up and justified giving up by saying that it is impossible to be perfect.‖ (G) AND, THAT PRAYER YOU CITE ALSO BEGINS WITH THE WORDS, OUR FATHER NOT JUST MY FATHER.

(JR) That‘s right. So, many religions, not just Christians, but Jews and Islam have really given up hope. Instead of saying we can be perfect they say. ‗we are all born sinners. You never can be perfect.‘ So, we‘re really condemned by the religious dogma to stop thinking that we can be perfect. Everybody thinks they just have to go to church and ask forgiveness. If that‘s the case, then Hell will be continuing forever. It seems being hopeless is really against God‘s will. Once and for all, somebody must be dedicated to showing that [perfection and happiness] are possible.

The Wright Brothers were the only ones who thought it, described it and thought we could fly and that dream was realized. Albert Einstein‘s Theory of Relativity, people thought he was out of his mind in his time, but he became a history maker. How about Thomas Edison inventing the light bulb? He acknowledged the importance of his many failures before he succeeded.

Somebody is always first to have the vision.

We have to honor that which tries to adopt a policy of hope, tries at least. If everyone just tried to be humanly perfect, can you imagine? We could eliminate our military because we will establish a trust among people. Why do we have a military? We lost our trust. We cannot trust our neighbor‘s country, so we build high walls.

Then, we destroy each other because we fear that we might be occupied by another culture. That‘s not the solution. Do we need millions of police just to watch us, to keep us from cheating on what most of us believe is a simple truth? And, what is the Church doing? It tries to stop people from cheating.

What does martial arts do? It tries to stop unfair people from attacking [or victimizing] others. So, we train to be prepared for physical attack. Then, there‘s lawyers and accountants, all these professions that don‘t produce anything. They‘re the ones that make more money than those who actually produce things. So, how unfair this world has become when I am sure that God‘s original idea of a perfect Kingdom is where everybody loves everybody else, where we can trust one another, where we don‘t destroy each other, so that we don‘t hurt each other. When we perform art we can really make each other happy. That‘s the one competition we need in this society: Who can make more people happy?

That winner will be an artist. An accomplished artist can make people happier. In my book I wrote that we, should be striving to become a society of performing arts.

Remember the John Adams quotation?‖ (G) PLEASE REFRESH MY MEMORY. (JR) ―He said, ‗Politics is divine science after all. I must study politics and war in order to give my children the liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. In turn, so that they can give their children the opportunity to study music, painting, dancing.‘ He predicted that the future of this nation was performing arts. Among [artists] there is one unique art. It is the human art of love. Do you have children?‖ (G) YES, I DO, AND GRANDCHILDREN. (JR) ―The love between you and your wife is the ultimate love and the masterpiece of your love is your children.‖ (G) MY GRAND OPUS. WHAT ABOUT MY GRANDCHILDREN? (JR) Well, that is your children‘s masterpiece in the performing art.

(G) TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT A LITTLE, DO YOU RECOMMEND ANY SPECIAL DIET?

(JR) Yes. It really is a shame that the human heart has been contaminated and everybody has become selfish and contaminates the air, the water, soil, food. So, eating at a restaurant you have to be very careful. Unless I have to, I try to eat at home so I don‘t have to eat chemicals that are added to make [the food] taste better. I eat more vegetables and fruits. I eat very, very little meat, just enough to carry my proteins.

(G)DO YOU TAKE SUPPLEMENTS? VITAMINS OR EAT SPECIAL FOODS? (JR) ―I take Omega 3 and a multi-vitamin.‖ (G) DO YOU DRINK ALCOHOL? (JR) ―No, no, no alcohol. This is really one of the themes of my speech, ‗Is drinking and smoking good for kids‘ When there are kids and parents in the audience they all say ‗no.‘ Then I ask, Then is drinking and smoking good for parents?‘ Everybody says, ‗no to this as well.‘ This is one of the reasons why our society is going so wrong. Parents are not leading by example. Teachers are not leading by example, political leaders, social leaders, religious leaders are not leading by example. They all talk beautifully, but they are not living the truth. As a result our society has become full of problem after problem.‖ (G) TELL US PLEASE, HOW OFTEN DO YOU PRACTICE? (JR) Well, I live everyday Love.

(G) LIKE MANY MARTIAL ARTISTS, YOU BEGAN YOUR TRAINING AT A RELATIVELY YOUNG AGE. DO YOU FEEL THAT MARTIAL ARTS IS AN IMPORTANT OR ESSENTIAL FACTOR IN YOUR CURRENT PHILOSOPHY?

(JR) ―Yes, if you see the Seven Qualities of a Champion that really woke me up about philosophy and this way of life. Think of it. We are living in a world of violence. Who can handle violence better than a martial artist? I think this is the reason why God gave this information to martial artists.

Martial Artists must all be united together to really save the world. We‘re not going to depend on the politicians or religions or any other institutions.

Martial arts is maybe the ONLY institution that emphasizes DISCIPLINE. I really feel that I started [things moving in the right direction] when I started teaching in Washington, DC in 1962. I tell all my students that they have to obey their parents cheerfully and have discipline to make good grades. The words disciple and discipline have the same root word. When you become a good disciple, you become disciplined and visa versa. When you are disciplined, you become good teachers.‖ (G) TO WHAT DEGREE WOULD YOU SAY THAT MARTIAL ARTS TRAINING HAS CONTRIBUTED TO YOUR CURRENT PHILOSOPHY?

(JR) ―Until you have been enlightened and you live this lifestyle, so that no matter what you do you are living this lifestyle, that is the only way to be enlightened. You must live the truth to be enlightened, and not just learn the message. There are many PhDs who read many books, but they don‘t practice what they teach. They are not enlightened. God made the only way to be enlightened [and that] is to live in the truth.‖ (G) IS IT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING A MARTIAL ARTIST AND BEING GOOD AT PUNCHING AND KICKING? (JR) ―If you are a good martial artist, you first of all have to be a good person and have compassion for other people. There are some people who really enjoy the pain of other people. Those kinds of people are really remote to becoming a good person. However, there are quite a few people who are very compassionate and they are good martial artists. Benny Urquidez is one

of them. I listened to his Message in a Bottle. He talks about, pretty close to what I‘m saying. ‗Why am I here?‘ He didn‘t say, to be happy. He said, ‗to understand.‘ He hasn‘t told us what we‘re supposed to be understanding.

(G) WELL, I HAVEN‘T RELEASED THE WHOLE INTERVIEW YET. BENNY‘S FULL INTERVIEW WILL BE RELEASED IN MY NEXT COLUMN FOR LEGENDS AND LEGACIES, ON WORLDWIDEDOJO.COM. (G) HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE MMA?

(JR) ―That‘s not an activity [that is] fit for a human being. That‘s beating up.

To me that‘s a sign that the society we are living in is so cruel. I would never promote or endorse it. That‘s why I invented safety gear, to make sure that we don‘t injure one another while we are preparing to be able to defend ourselves. That‘s why I brought the musical form of martial arts to competition. Forty years ago I started [it] because I saw the future was in the artistic world.‖ (G) HOW DO YOU RANK BOXING, THEN? (JR) ―Again, that‘s a byproduct of the society we are living in. I don‘t think boxing, or any full contact martial arts is how we should relate to one another.

I think that is the opposite of loving. I believe [these kinds of sports] will all disappear in the future. One day, we will have a martial art just to remind society how people used to live. Other than that, all the fighting arts will disappear. Soldiers will disappear. The policemen and lawyers will disappear.

We need only one law: The Law of Human Conscience and Reason. On page 103 of my book I make it clear what truth is. Truth is conscientious common sense in agreement with nature and the laws of physics. That‘s the truth. Truth is nowhere but in each thing, and life itself, and is unchanging, ever lasting, within time and space. I go on to say that, ‗Money can buy weight machines but not muscles. Money can buy people, but not true love or respect. Money can buy books, but not wisdom. Truth can give you all the above, money, respect and wisdom.‘‖ (G) AND, I GUESS MONEY CAN BUY YOU A BLACK BELT THESE DAYS. YOU HAVE SO MANY GREAT ANSWERS TO MY QUESTIONS. I WAS JUST WONDERING, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE BELT RANKING SYSTEMS, KIDS GETTING BLACK BELTS WHEN THEY ARE FIVE YEARS OLD OR BECOMING A GRAND MASTER AT NINETEEN? DO YOU THINK THAT THERE IS SOME BETTER WAY, AS MARTIAL ARTISTS TO CONSIDER OUR RANKING SYSTEMS? SHOULD WE HAVE A SINGLE RANKING SYSTEM?

(JR) ―There is no way. Everybody currently has a different organization, a different view. It‘s impossible to meet. That‘s why we MUST find common truth. All the differences came from dishonesty, focusing on making money.

When honesty is restored, everything will be restored.‖ (G) I WAS PARTICULARLY IMPRESSED WITH YOUR SIMPLE SOLUTION TO MOST OF THE WORLDS ILLS: JUST TELL THE TRUTH. WOULD YOU SAY THAT IS A FAIR ANALYSIS OF THE BOOK? (JR) ―That‘s right. Not only is truth the core of success but truth is the core of happiness.‖ (G) CAN YOU TRANSLATE THIS MESSAGE INTO SOMETHING THAT MIGHT BE USEFUL TO MARTIAL ARTISTS, SPECIFICALLY?

(JR) ―We are teaching the martial arts in my school and so I am trying to persuade all the martial arts schools to buy a box of the books and share this philosophy with their children and the parents. To translate this message to martial arts students, we made a song . . . When I am truthful, my heart is beautiful. When my heart is beautiful people love me. When people love me, I am happy. What is happiness? Happiness is the purpose of life for everyone.‖ (G) AFTER READING YOUR BOOK AND RECOMMENDING IT TO MANY PEOPLE, I NOW SAY THAT I AM A TRUTOPIAN. WE BOTH AGREE (YOU AND I)—AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR CONTRIBUTING TO ANOTHER BOOK THAT I WILL RELEASE SOON, THE FIVE PRINCIPLES OF EVERYTHING– THAT MARTIAL ARTISTS ARE THE PEOPLE WHO CAN LEAD THIS MOVEMENT. I CALL THE MESSAGE OF YOUR BOOK A TRUTOPIAN MESSAGE, WHICH I SUMMARIZE AS THE TRUTOPIAN PLEDGE….THAT ALL OUR ACTIONS SHOULD BE BASED ON TELLING THE TRUTH. DO YOU THINK THAT COMMON PEOPLE, POLITICIANS AND WORLD AND BUSINESS LEADERS WOULD BENEFIT BY TAKING SOME KIND OF TRUTOPIAN PLEDGE? IF SO, WHAT SHOULD BE IN THAT PLEDGE?

(JR) ―People say that I am crazy, because I believe in Trutopia. I believe that a perfect world, here on Earth is very possible. I‘m hoping that influential people will read our books and be inspired by the message.‖ (G) …OF CONFLICT AVOIDANCE RATHER THAN JUST CONFLICT RESOLUTION? SO, WHAT WILL OUR PLEDGE BE?

(JR) ―I think the pledge is: When I am truthful, my heart is beautiful. When my heart is beautiful, everybody loves me. When every loves me, I am happy.

That is a good pledge. So far, we‘ve been telling people to be good . . . just to be good. Now I am saying, be good for your own happiness. There is much more motivation for people to apply truth to their actions.‖ About Gordon Richiusa Gordon Richiusa has written 15 articles on World Wide Dojo..

Gordon Richiusa is an Italian American who has been a martial artist for some 50 years. He teaches the Five Bird System.

Gordon earned a Master of Arts degree in English and has written numerous articles, stories, books and scripts under his own name and his pen-name, Gordon Rich. He has been a teacher of English Composition, Film as Literature, Creative Writing, and Scriptwriting and He holds two teaching credentials and continues to teach and to write with his wife Barbara.

From August 16-23, 2011 , Master Eric Kovaleski chairman of the International Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan Association and martial arts movie sensation Master Cynthia Rothrock led a team of 30 students from around the world to tour and practice in the “ Land of the Morning Calm,” South Korea. As you know Korea is the birthplace of the traditional martial arts of Tang Soo Do, Hapkido and Tae Kwon Do.

According to Grandmaster Hwan Kee’s “Kwan Jeok Bu,” which documents the Moo Duk Kwan pin numbers, Grandmaster Young Duk Kim was assigned Dan Bon #2.

This means Kim was the second black belt in the art in all of

Tang Soo Do’s history, making Kim the most senior after Hwang Kee’s death.

Accompanied by the founder of the I.T.M.A., Kwan Jang Nim Robert Kovaleski, the two masters led their team to meet and learn from the “Grandfathers of Tang Soo Do” and original members of the art as well as trace their roots in history at the World Headquarters in Seoul Korea. Most people only recognize Cynthia Rothrock as a Chinese martial arts stylist because of her fame in many Kung Fu movies along with her many years of forms competition in tournaments. But many do not know of her extensive Tang Soo Do background which dates back to age 13 with her start in the martial arts at the Scranton Karate School under Senior International Grandmaster Frank Trojanowicz. Master Trojanowicz was a Korean Karate pioneer opening his first school in 1961 after returning from the military. There Rothrock met longtime friend, Kwan Jang Nim Kovaleski who was an instructor under the director of Trojanowicz. st Rothrock soon earned her Cho Dan (1 degree black belt) th and continued her training to earn her 6 Dan in 2005 under Master Kovaleski who founded the I.T.M.A. in September of 1994.Rothrock states “I have always been proud of my Tang Soo Do roots, and look forward to passing on the art. This is the reason why I was so excited when Master Eric asked me if I was interested in helping to plan our 2011 Korea Tour.

Both of us wanted to trace our roots back to the very beginning of our art and we felt that meeting the most senior members that we can accomplish just that.”

“THE GRANDFATHERS” Great Grandmaster Young Duk Kim (age 85) is the highest ranking and most senior Tang Soo Do master in the world today. He is the “President of the World Moo Duk Kwan General Federation” with the federation’s headquarters in Seoul Korea. Grandmaster Kim was the first student of the founder of Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan, late Great Grandmaster Hwang Kee. Historically, all Moo Duk Kwan black belts received a “Dan Bon” or black belt pin number at the time of earning their Cho Dan or black belt.

For example, Grandmaster Robert Kovaleski started Tang Soo Do in 1966 and was issued a Dan Bon #18174.

Grandmaster Hee Suk Choi (age 89) is the “President of the House of Senate” for the federation.

Grandmaster Choi’s Dan Bon is #3 and is the second highest ranking in the world today. During our visit to the World Headquarters Choi stated that he was Kicking Instructor to his longtime friend and founder of “HAPKIDO,” Do Ju Nim Ji Han Jae.

VISIT TO THE WORLD MOO DUK KWAN GENERAL FEDERATION While in Seoul, We visited the Moo Duk Kwan Headquarters. All participants were given the opportunity to

meet, study and perform for the “Grandfathers,” senior masters and dignitaries including: Grandmaster Young Duk Kim- President, Dan #2 Grandmaster Hee Suk ChoiDirector of Senate, Dan #3 Grandmaster Jae Joong KwonChief Director of the Federation Grandmaster Koe Woong Choung- Director/Secretary General of the Federation Grandmaster Chang Il –Do – Chief Master Instructor. Also known as “Bruce Lai”in the film industry. Master Chang completed Bruce Lee’s “Game of Death” along with starring in over 45 films. Grandmaster Hwang Jung Lee – Known as “Silver Fox” in the film industry and very famous for his exceptional kicking abilities in film and well known for fighting the legendary Jacky Chan in numerous films.

All I.T.M.A. members demonstrated “Hyungs” or traditional forms for the dignitaries and for Korean National Television including performances by; Grandmaster Robert

Kovaleski, Master Cynthia Rothrock, Master Eric Kovaleski, Master Rommel Gargoles and Master Bear Loebe, Master Raymond Lee of Australia, Chris Connolly of the World Tang Soo Do Assoc., Jonathan Forkin , the students of Chuck Norris’ “Kick Start” program and students of Master Kovaleski’s Karate Usa. Grandmaster Kovaleski was then tested by Grandmasters th Kim, Choi, Kwon and Choung and awarded the rank of 8 Dan making him one of the most senior American Grandmasters in the U.S. today. Also during the test, Jessica Kovaleski, Secretary of the I.T.M.A. was promoted to th 9 gup yellow belt. Grandmaster Kovaleski also promoted student and West Coast Director of the I.T.M.A. Master th Cynthia Rothrock to 7 Dan, after performing for the committee.

Students were awarded “Certificates of Commendation” from the ITMA. The Certificates were then signed by Grandmasters Kim and Choi and they awarded all participants “Medals of Honor,” for their dedication to the art. Shortly following, U.S. Representatives honored the Korean dignitaries with appreciation plaques for their lifelong self-sacrifice in teaching the traditional tenets and classical codes of Tang Soo Do, and for serving as an inspiration to members all around the world.

KOREA TOURS AND SIGHTSEEING Along with visiting the World Moo Duk Kwan Headquarters, Masters Kovaleski and Rothrock took their team on a cultural tour of South Korea. During the 8 day- 7 night tour students were emerced directly into the Korean way of life.

We visited many of the historic sites including: Myeong Dong , The DMZ, Gyeong Bok Palace, the Korean Folk Museum, Jogyesa Temple, the Korean Blue House, the Korean Folk Village, the Suwon Soccer Museum and World Cup Stadium and Suwon Fortress.

We also witnessed a Korean Guard Demonstration, learned and practiced traditional Korean Archery, visited and hiked at the Korea National Park, visited the Amethist Museum, toured the Korean War museum as well as visited the “Kukkiwon” -Headquarters for Tae Kwon Do. Tour members also enjoyed the traditional Korean cuisine including Korean Barbeque, Kimchee, Bulgogi, Beebimbap, Samgyetang and Kimbap.

2012 UNITED STATES VISIT The Grandmasters and Dignitaries of the Federation all plan to attend the USA National Karate Championships and the “Legends of the Martial Arts” Hall of Fame Awards ceremonies at the Splitrock Resort in Pennsylvania in May 2012. They also plan to conduct seminars and a reunion with all Grandmasters, Masters, Black Belts and students of Tang Soo Do. For further information on either of these historic events please contact Master Eric Kovaleski at (570) 307-KICK (5425) or email MasterKovaleski@frontiernet.net.

US CAPITOL CLASSICS

29th BATTLE OF BALTIMORE

Wash., D.C.

Essex, Md.

When one hears the use of the word classic, immediately what comes to mind is something that is very noteworthy and at a high level of existence in it's category. Well, when past and well deserved inductee into Action martial arts

My fellow columnist Master John Burdyck, continues to make indelible strives in promoting entertainment and friendship for the 29th consecutive year with his highly

magazine Hall of honor, Master Dennis Brown doved this name nearly, if not more than 30 years ago, it has lived up to the highest standards and expectations indicative of promoting all Sport Martial Arts regardless of discipline or style of those competing, and this columnist having first hand of being involved, can attest to its name being well deserved. Once again being hosted at the lavished Gaylor Hotel and Resort Hotel here just on the outskirts of the nation's Capital, approximately 650 competitors from numerous ethnicities, age groups, sexes, and national origins, turned out for top honors as well as top recognition before the approximate audience of 1,200 excited spectators who had crowded into to this nearly standing room only very large ball room, that continuously lives up to its billing year after year.

Running concurrently with the highly acclaimed all Chinese Martial Arts competition, the CHINA OPEN, those in attendance had the opportunity of going from ring to ring witnessing numerous martial arts competitors giving their best to walk away with a least one of the specially designed and of the highest quality trophies Master Brown is known for giving out, not to leave out the hopeful concept to walking away with a lucrative amount cash to line ones pockets after winning in the special evening's Grand championship finals. Many, many V.I.P.s were on hand to help out and lend support to this nationally high rated NASKA (North American Sport Karate Association) tournament where some of the best competitors in the U.S. and countries outside of America, had the opportunity to go after and acquire badly needed points in order to be well positioned for the national championships to be held in the National Championships finale, which was scheduled to be held only four months, away with great anticipation.

Strongly consider coming to the U.S. Capitol Classics Tournament held here in August of 2012 at this very serene, peaceful and beautiful waterfront resort area, only about 1/2 hours drive from downtown of the historic area, for a very, very, memorable time of full enjoyment.

anticipated Battle of Baltimore held here at Essex Community College for if not all, at least 95% of the time at this same facility. Personally, this columnist can not remember this exciting competition being held any where else, I stand corrected if I'm wrong. That being neither here nor there it still doesn't take away from the well planned aspects put into all of his tournaments given here, which eliminates the potential problems before they begin. Master Burdyck has put something into action that makes his tournament grow while others step backwards or just stand in the same place, what he uses is basic and fundamental business aspects known as SUPPLY AND DEMAND. Once he see a need to be addressed, he addresses it. Let me be more specific. Once he saw that the large number of Chinese Martial Artists began to grow, he established a separate concurrent tournament for the Chinese martial arts, with their own qualified judges and referees. Now he is running 3 tournaments at the same time, the Open tournament, the Chinese Martial Arts tournament, and now the most recent Grappling tournament, all of which is widely appreciated by the competitors and spectators alike.

On this day, I would conservatively say that the attendance was 750 competitors and 500 spectators at the very least. Needless to say because he is so well organized, he draws many V.I.P.'s, top ranked competitors, not to mention Judges and referees from all around. Please note that his awards also draws many to compete. All first place winners receive a world , all competitors 12 and under receive an award, even if they didn't place 1st-4th for a trophy, they still receive for getting out there and doing their best, this makes them all winners. Way to go Master Burdyck, many others can learn from your example.

MARYLAND'S SUPER SHOWDOWN Baltimore, Md. During the mid-summer of this year Master Quick and associates, stagged a very well run local tournament, here at the Notre Dame University.

Coming from many local martial arts schools and associations about 250 competitors performed in several divisions before in audience of nearly 480 whom had come to gather to witness the anxious competitors walk away with top honors in their respective divisions, or if not, to give it their very best. It was very good to see so many children and adolescents competing, and giving it their as some many eyes were upon them. It was very good to witness their instructors, fellow students, parents and the spectators in cheering them on, and giving them a sense of confidence on giving it their best for a job well done.

This well attended local event saw numerous martial arts styles and disciplines giving it a flavor of educating those in attendance a better appreciation of being educated about something of which they had very little or no knowledge about at all before. This was a learning affair for the students and spectators alike. The beautiful trophies that were given out, made all feel it was well worth the effort of being there. Additionally, the excitement of those vying for the Grandchampionship honors, brought very loud cheers and ovations for their pinpoint performances and their outward display of sportsmanship to the satisfaction of all those in attendance. Outstanding job Master Quick, looking forward to seeing you and your students at future events.

Karate Tournament of Champions 2011 New York City is the place to be every November as Seiko Hanshi Rick Diaz hosts the popular Karate Tournament of Champions (KToC). Over 700 competitors filled the floor at the Fitzgerald Gym at Queens College for what has grown to be one of New York’s premier open martial arts events.

Thanks to the dedication of fine masters, instructor’s, competitors and parents, KToC has successfully flourished.

PSKL President Mike Conroy was the ring coordinator along with Garth Binns, Dave Moradi, Ben Parra and TCK MMA’s Jadi Tention was the fight coordinator. Winners walked st away with beautiful trophies including KToC’s popular 1

place six footers. Troy Binns of Team Victory took home the cash prize for the men’s Fighting Grand Champion and Rebecca Ehrhart was the Female Fighting Grand Champion.

Throughout the day the 1700 + spectators witnessed the flowing forms of Kung Fu and Wushu practitioners, the intensity of traditional Karate, flashy high kicks of Tae Kwon Do and serious Sport Jiu Jitsu fighters.

There is something for everyone at KToC-forms, weapons, fighting, team fighting, selfdefense, breaking and the popular new addition of Jiu Jitsu.

Quebec’s, Master Vaillancourt’s students waited patiently as they watched the great sportsmanship and camaraderie of all of the participants. NYC Shaolin students are always a crowd pleaser and competitors Vincent Scarduzio of L.I. and Hunter Stenqvist of Connecticut were proud to show their parents their 6-foot KToC trophies. The event was filled with martial arts masters from all over-Master Louis Toledo, Master Seon Kyo Paul Kim, Sifu Christopher Lee, Master Phil Quinones, Juan Jimenez of Born to Win, Master Kris Bergos, Diego Lopez of Tru Force, Elix Fitzgerald, Master Jim Smith, MMA’s Musuko Monroig, Master Dave Thomas, Soke Haisan Kaleak, Al Gambardella, Genyne Kyoshi Bucciero and Sensei Mike Mullero of Next Evolution BJJ and many more could be seen working the floor.

Radio station WBLS, Dynamics Martial Arts, NYPD Explorers and LI Fight Club were a few of the vendors lined up at this year’s event. The “Moms Who Kick” whose goal is to raise awareness to make a difference in the fight to find a cure was also in attendance. Hanshi Diaz is strong supporter of their efforts and donates a portion of the KToC profits to their cause.

You can always see Hanshi Diaz talking and getting feedback from attendees to improve his event. He can be seen all year round working to develop this ever growing New York favorite. Diaz also hosts a Free Youth tournament in May. This year the B.L.I.T.Z. Free Youth Tournament will be held on May 6 at the Al Oerter Recreation Center in Flushing, NY, where kids 17 and under can compete for free and practice their skills.

Karate Tournament of Champions is an event you and your students should attend. Make sure you add it to your 2012 calendar. Spend the weekend in the New York and don’t miss the Karate Tournament of Champions scheduled for November 18, 2012 at Queens College, NY.

He Dreams in Gold Most young children enjoy running, jumping, and all sorts of physical play. Some relish it so much their parents enroll them in organized sports.

In a few cases, this unleashes a future for the child the parents couldn’t have imagined.

For thirteen-yearold Zach Ostergren, it started with an introduction to baseball and cross-country around age four.

At the young age of seven, he switched gears and stepped onto the field to play tackle football. He possessed agility and speed, notably a natural athlete. But his smaller stature exposed his tentative side. He lacked the aggressiveness needed to tackle.

Joe, Zach’s father, recognized his son’s true gift for sports and signed him up for wrestling, hoping to give Zach an encouraging nudge and maybe fire up a little aggressive confidence.

Wrestling definitely unleashed Zach’s aggressive gene, making him a fiercer athlete, but that aggression also followed him to school. Even at such a young age, Zach needed to learn the art of balancing his new competitive edge with discipline and true growth.

To give the athletic scales even pull, Zach began studying Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. From his first class, he was a star pupil.

Jiu Jitsu was the perfect fit for his focus, dedication, and passion to succeed. This was where he first shined gold.

Even his smaller size worked to his advantage. He quickly learned to anticipate his opponent’s moves, but like playing chess, he showed patience and the ability to strike quickly when necessary. There was no doubt that Zach had found a home for his competitive spirit. At home, Zach was and continues to be surrounded by family support, which rounds him as a person as well as an athlete. Being an older brother, he sees himself as an example to his younger brother, yet another golden trait of a true leader. He trains regularly, and his training is his own. “I like to train and improve. I really like to compete,” says Zach. And compete st nd he does. Zach has taken 1 or 2 place in every competition he’s competed in since he began in 2009, most recently winning gold in both the 2011 Charles Gracie Invitational and the Grappling X. He mainly competes above his weight, and has lost only once within his weight class. Team Quest Fight Club is his training ground under the tutelage of Carlos Zapata and Mark Shoemaker, where he’s seen gold successes such as the 2010 Lake Tahoe West Challenge th and at the 2011 4 American Cup, just to name a few. As the only 12 year old to instruct a kid’s Jiu Jitsu class at Team Quest, he continues to pride himself on proper technique and his involvement in their bully proof seminar. His popularity is growing among the Grappling and Jiu Jitsu world, so it’s no surprise he’s attracted the attention of

many sponsors. Their support is priceless and will be seen during his next competition - IBJJF Pan Kids Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

Mixed martial arts and Zach Ostergren have a bright future together. He aspires to gain the world championship in his weight class and move from his orange belt in Jiu Jitsu to a green belt and eventually black. More wrestling is on his horizon, as well as a possible 2012 triathlon birth. Most impressive are his goals to represent the USA in the Olympics, if Jiu-Jitsu becomes an official event, and win the coveted title of UFC Champion.

Zach Ostergren has dreams and goals, all of which sparkle in Gold.

Sheri Larsen is a published freelance and short story writer, and KidLit author.

Her website, Writers’ Ally (http://writersally.blogspot.com), is where she explores writing, children’s literature, and motherhood. She lives in Maine with her husband and four children.

The Evolution of Youth Martial Arts The Future of MMA The youth martial arts organization that has helped many children and teens around the world gain the recognition and respect they deserve are building momentum rapidly. This is not just any ordinary organization. Their unique approach of creating a home for youth martial artists to share their accomplishments and dreams with the world is a new and exciting opportunity for youth martial arts.It started with a child on a Facebook MMA Fan Page that was mocked for not having enough knowledge about the sport of MMA, which prompted this organization to create a Facebook fan page specifically for the youth of the sport to give them a special place to congregate and share. They have continued to grow ever since.Who is this organization that we speak of?

They are The Kids of MMA. (TKO MMA)There are certain challenges that many parents face when raising youths.

Many parents struggle with their children and sign them up for martial arts classes in hopes that their youths will learn discipline, respect, live healthier more productive lives, and to keep them off the streets .One of the challenges for parents is not being able to pay for the things that are needed to forward the careers of these young athletes.

Things like gym fee's, training equipment ,competition fees, travel fee's, etc.. are sometimes hard to provide especially in these hard times .Another challenge is, parents don't have the proper help they need to spread the word about their young martial artists to allow them to gain sposorships to help them pay for the things that are required to forward the careers of these young athletes. The Kids of MMA was created to help youth martial artists gain recognition through various online channels to help support them on their journeys of becoming future pro fighters, coaches, and martial arts instructors. The Kids of MMA knows the importance of keeping these young athletes motivated and inspired to help them achieve their dreams andto keep them off the streets and in school.

For More Information go to www.Thekidsofmma.net

By Sifu Abdulmuhsiy Abdurrahman CAPITOL CLASSICS CHINA OPEN 2011 U.S. INTERNATIONAL KUO SHU TOURNAMENT Hunt Valley, Md. In this serene and beautiful suburb in the "OLD LINE STATE" of Maryland, the members of the United States Kuo Shu Federation, USKSF, hosted their annual highly anticipated and well organized 23rd consecutive and successful Championships before an audience of over 800 spectators and approximately 550 competitors that ran for two days on this summery month of july. The event officially got underway with introduction and seating of all the judges and referees, followed by the entrance of v.i.p.'s

and tournament officials (whom were seated at center stage). To keep with normal tradition, very special political figures sent representatives to convey their heartfelt appreciation and congratulations on this very auspicious event. President Obama, Governor O'Malley, U.S, Senator Mulkulski, and the County Executive, are only but a few who had their representatives in attendance!! Next marched in was the precisioned Homeland Security Honor Guard from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency. After their presentation, next in line was the ceremonial "warding off of evil spirits" Lion Dance presented by "THE WONG PEOPLE" from Wash.,D.C., followed by a precisioned perfomance flag dance given by the "HELEN CHIN" scholarship fund association.

I shall like to point out that despite the "trying" time of our present economy, more people as a whole were in attendance to support this very worthwhile event-this includes international representation as well. We here at Action Martial Arts Magazine congratulate them on a job "WELL DONE" for so many years and encourage them to continue to promote the Chinese Martial Arts in such a spectacular crowd pleasing and professional manner. Plan to be in attendance on the 3rd weekend in July of 2012-you'll be glad you did!!!!!!!!!!

National Harbor, Md. The fabulous Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center located here, once again served as the hosting venue for Master/Mfundi Dennis Brown's all Chinese Martial Arts competition, the China Open that ran concurrently with the Open Martial Arts Tournament, the 29th U.S. CAPITOL CLASSICS. Master Brown is a well known Chinese Martial Arts practicioner who added the Chinese Martial Arts as a separate competition approximately 2 decades ago to the delight of an overwhelming amount of Chinese Stylists. The extremely large hall where the competition took place easily facilitated one side the large open tournament, and on the other side the very well attended China Open with plenty of seating for the spectators.

All together approximately 800 competitors and 1,100 spectators engulfed nearly the entire spacious area.

Needless to say many, many top performers and V.I.P.'s in the martial arts world were on hand to support this sort after historic event, coming from all parts of the U.S., and several countries as well. It was quite rewarding, from this columnist standpoint, to witness the future generation (the children) perform with such vigor, and above all their DISCIPLINE, was very encouraging to say the least. Keep your eyes "glued" to this publication's future issues announcing the date for their next champions, and by all means plan and register early to be there, YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU DID. AND HAPPY FOR DOING SO!!!!!!!!!!

2011 TAI CHI AND KUNG FU LEGACY

Chin Woo Forms= Lauren Yeung (Sunnyvale, Ca.) Musical Group:

Dallas, Tx. This year's 2011 legends of Kung fu and Tai Chi legacy world martial arts championship, again was held at the renowned Plano Convention Center located here just as it

External Weapons= San Antonio Shaolin Kung Fu (San Antonio,Tx.) Internal Forms= Red Crane School of Tai Chi (Kansas City, Internal Weapons= Red Crane School of Tai chi (Kansas City, Mo.)

WONG PEOPLE TOURNAMENT was done in many years in the past. On this beautiful summer day in July, 550 competitors, 2000 spectators, and 200 seminar participants had a very memorable time on this 2 day affair. Coming from Brazil (40), Israel (12), Canada,

Mexico, and from virtually all points of the U.S., Promoter Jimmy K. Wong and his associates went out of their way to make everything, WORTH THEIR WHILE!!! As in the past years, many special V.I.P.'s of the Chinese Martial arts community were on hand to support this lavish and very well ran Championship. Some of the many Grandmaster and Master in attendance were, David Chin, Lou Illar, Augustine Fong, Ray Luk, Lily Lau, Chende Wu, Chungking Tu, and Johnny Lee, again were just a small margin of notetables who had come out to lend a helping hand. A very well deserved lifetime achievement award went to Sifu Mike Barry for his past and continuing advocations and promotions of the Chinese Martial Arts for so many years.

Want to have a GREAT TIME, plan now for their 2012 event here also.

GRAND CHAMPION RESULTS: Beginner External Forms= Essay Eden (Houston, Tx. )

Intermediate External Forms= Pei Wu (Houston, Tx.) Modern Wushu Forms= Steve Lee (Broken Arrow, Ok.) Beginner Internal Forms= Gigi Ip (Houston, Tx.) Intermediate Internal Forms= Queena Tong (Houston, Tx.) Tai Chi Chuan Forms= Zoe Siytangco (Houston, Tx.) Jr. Forms= Ty Roberrts (Killeen, Tx.) Confucius Warrior Award= Lauren Yeung (Sunnyvale, Ca.)

WASH., D.C. Just as if history was once again repeating itself, Sifu

Raymond Wong and his loyal students and volunteers, known as the "WONG PEOPLE", stagged another well run and precisioned all Chinese Martial Arts tournament to the delight of approximately 350 focused competitors and 300 loud and cheerful spectators, whom had settled here in the Nation's Capital for a day of fierce and friendly competition.

Traveling from as far north to Massachusettes, and as far south as Puerto Rico, some of the best competitors and officials in the Chinese Martial Arts disciplines were on hand lending their support to this long running historic event. In addition to show their appreciaton by awarding the competitors beautiful customized and quality medals, the "Wong People" makes it a point to bring forth and recognize each and every attending school, individually, to the delight of the loud and cheering audience that had assembled.

After the strong competition that taken all during the day, the grand championships closed things out with star peak performances that dazzled the bewildered crowd to no end.

We strongly urge you to attend this historic event year and enjoy sightseeing the Nation's Capital while you're there.

ICMAC NATIONAL FINALS Wash., D.C. Sifu Nick Scrima from the well known state of Florida, 3 years ago came up with the outstanding idea of promoting and advocating the Chinese martial arts in monumental

way.

In short, conduct all Chinese martial arts competitions throughout the country, with a rating system, and because the demand is so large from Chinese martial arts competitors, the flood gates will open-and you know, he was right. In this short 3 year span of time, this hotly contested competiton is being given in various regional areas throughout the nation, to the delight of the students from the very large array of CMA styles and disciplines.

They would compete in their own setting and be judged only

by QUALIFIED officials. But things just doesn't end there, a

rating system was vised as an incentive, to give the top competitors in all divisions, the opportunity to gather points according to how they place in their respective competitive categories and those accumulated points would be the determining factor used as to who would be sent to the "National show-down" to determine who's the best of the best, in order to close out that year of competition.

To add more attraction, what better place to have these finals than in the Nation's Capital? However, maybe because the disposition of the prevailing economy or other undelying factors, this year's attendance was much smaller then anticipated, compared to the previous years. About 250 competitors performing before an audience of about 200 spectators gave it their very best to come away with top honors in order to be awarded one of the high quality customized medals, or even better the top prize money given to the Grandchampion. As being a student in one of the many CMA styles/disciplines, this columnist fully supports this idea and concept of bringing together Chinese Martial Artists from all walks of life for the common good of unity, growth, and development. Please allow us at Action Martial Arts Magazine the opportunity to encourage your fullest participation at these kind of events in order to promote the badly needed concept, of growth and unity.

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GATI CHI SELF-DEFENCE BEYOND TECHNIQUES!

THE DEDICATED LIFE OF A WISDOM FIGHTER… The Wisdom Fighter’s Duty is to Master the Destructive Forces and establish Equilibrium in order to maintain in Peace the global functioning of the World.

The time has come for us to Respect the existence of our Deep beings and simultaneously to live in Perfect Harmony with our Environment. Whatever the way in which we express God according to our Culture, God is always presented like the Saviour of Humanity, the Warrior who drives Darkness out. But the question is to know what Darkness and Light are, on which side God is, who the Man is without God and if it is possible to conceive the existence of God without being a Man. Where do Stars and Planets come from when they appear, and where do they go when they disappear after a Cosmic Explosion? Who gave men the idea of Fighting to keep their Prestige and not lower the heads of their Egos even to save the Gift of God: Life itself? And we all, the Vulnerable Humans, are in prey to Suffering. But Life is on the verge of Modifying the situation in the Almighty’s way: something that Man cannot analyse because of his Imperfection and his Immature Emotions and Mental; all are the Devil’s Mechanisms choking his Inner Evolution.

The Wisdom Fighter goes on Fighting while being in a condition where the Impulses of his Polluted Emotions and his Surface Mental Reason are predominant, along with his Mental Logic turning round in a Closed circuit. There is no doubt that we have reached a climax. Our Duty as Fighters is to become Aware that Behind events there is the Stimulation of Destructive Forces which Manipulate the masses and take them to the Grave. The Wisdom Fighter’s Duty is to Master these Destructive Forces and establish Equilibrium in order to maintain in Peace the global functioning of the World.

Nature activating itself relentlessly to Destroy him and use him for an Obscure purpose.

The time has come for us to have the realization of a Faith which includes Respect for the other Faiths, whatever they are.

We need to cling on to something for a Luminous lifestyle, or to a Prophet who is like a Symbol and a Leader. That is why men have always spontaneously chosen chieftains. But there was no one to give them an early Education making them Conscious that they belong to the Family of the World so that they can become the Guardians of Peace for this Family.

Instead of that there were numberless Faiths inspired by the personal experience of Prophets or Saints who became something like the Captains of Separated small groups.

On all the continents, to leave for War means to leave Family life behind. Those who demonstrate their Force establish themselves as Leaders. But a new Order has to come, where each one will have his place, each one will have the right to express himself and to live with sufficient means. This is Democracy in the real sense.

Money, which was created with all our Sufferings, is not there to Destroy. Destruction should not be on the Path of the Conscious Warrior. We should have the realization of a Faith which includes Respect for the other Faiths and various practices in daily life; a Faith which enables us to live in Brotherhood. It is necessary to bring Luminous Actions in order to develop and cultivate our capacity to understand the Suffering of

the others and give our best to live in One World and One Martial Art Family.

In Gati Chi, the Wisdom Fighter Fights to Gain Victory over his own Inner Enemies.

Our Technical Progress is spectacular, our Faith in Religion is widespread and so is our Confidence in our Heads of States, Ministers, and those who have chosen to take Responsibility for Saving our Mother Planet. We remove one and replace him by another, hoping that he will be better.

After some time and most of the time when it is too late, we realize that he is worse than the previous one: how long shall we go in this way? There does not seem to be any solution.

And yet, signals are regularly sent to us: this is the function of what is named, in Gati Chi, the Warning Consciousness.

This Consciousness alerts the Warrior, who knows then that he has to face Danger. It is an Extra-Sensory faculty, which leaves the Warrior time beforehand to prepare within. Here, the Gati Chi teaching is very useful. The Warning Consciousness is out of reach of human Imposition and it always goes forward in spite of an unimaginable Chaos.

It is interesting to listen to the words uttered by leading men of all countries. Each one is like a robot without Luminous Sensitiveness, programmed to bring an end by Destroying.

And each end leads to another beginning in the continuation of direct or indirect Violence. It is extremely difficult to come out of it when Human Consciousness is on this level, fully busy applying its unlimited Knowledge of the Art of Killing to Destruct deliberately in order to solve the Economic problems. The Gati Chi Martial Art teaches the Warrior to develop his Luminous Inner Qualities so that he can build a Conscious Army, which alone will be able to Construct the United World Peace. The Gati Chi Warrior Fights to gain Victory over his own Inner Enemies, which all human beings are filled with: they are the mechanisms of the Dark and Slimy

Unity in our Consciousness is essential and to carry it out we must do everything we can. The first step is to become Conscious of ourselves, which is a Must; not to run after the Power to Dominate others but learn how to Dominate our own beings, how to Master the mechanisms of Aggressiveness in our daily life. This will have a direct or indirect effect on the national life and the International life: this is the Dedicated life of a Wisdom Fighter.

GM Prof. SRI DINESH

Shocking News for Increasing Membership Confuse members, shock an industry, and increase your bottom line through innovation. Every feasible option of fitness or exercise offered to the public in the fitness industry today has fundamentals that are seemingly unoriginal. Meaning, no one has reinvented the wheel for exactly how to offer results and reasonably meet goals. In fact, fitness centers, discipline specific schools, and infomercial fads commonly single out a portion of a program that sounds the most appealing to the consumer, and then sell the same product over and over again.

There’s nothing wrong with using what’s known and what previously worked in meeting consumer needs. So why be manipulative in the presentation of an already available and workable product? Probably because it’s not really that workable!

Grow business with a guarantee, a program that will whip members into the shape they’ve always imagined.

MMA programs hit the nail on the head when combining fundamentals of exercise and formulating a comprehensive program to create a blue print for guaranteed success and guaranteed results. Take a look at the top athletes in MMA. Despite efforts of cutting weight around fight time, their bodies remain in pristine condition because of a common trade of training. It’s called the muscle shock.

MMA training emphasizes muscle shocking the body, otherwise known as muscle confusion. This is not a new concept; this is not an uncommon practice for high performance athletes or even body builders.

What is muscle shocking? First, break down a typical day of exercise. The average or characteristic exercising person will establish a routine or regime that targets key areas of the body, for a specific amount of time, and perform the same functions with minimal self challenging tools (e.g. 3 mile run, 10 minute abs, 3 days a week).

While mentally they feel accomplished, physically they have missed the boat and landed themselves on a fitness plateau.

This is exactly what makes fitness programs whose roots dig into Mixed Martial Arts the most effective programs for weight loss, toning, flexibility, strength, cardio conditioning, and mental and physical balance. Integrating plyo metrics into a workout routine reduces the body’s adaptation to the workout. This is a good thing!

Mixed Martial Arts, kettle bell training, plyo metrics, light w eight resistance, cardio conditioning, muscle group focus,

calisthenics and many more styles of training are commonly neglected with a one dimensional workout.

MMA fighters regularly invest their faith of success in vast and innovative training, hence Mixed Martial Arts. What’s even more riveting is athletes from other sports are realizing the potential MMA training and fitness has in enhancing sport specific performance as well.

There are several types of muscle stimulation that are

crucial and equally important to each other in developing your cardio conditioning, core muscles, overall strength, and muscle definition. Plyo metric exercise is defined as any exercise in which muscles are repeatedly and rapidly stretched and then contracted. The ultimate goal of plyo metrics is to improve muscle power, producing rapid muscle growth and body restructuring.

The human body is a unique and amazing machine that needs to be challenged.

By performing the same exercises day after day you become quite good at them.

MMA training and fitness pushes the body to become efficient and equipped to out-perform itself every time you exercise. Do you want to be average or impressive?

Impressive is achieved through muscle shocking, keeping the body guessing by changing your routine day to day, minute to minute.

Here’s the scoop on muscle shocking/muscle confusion and how MMA has been so successful in weight loss, muscle definition, performance enhancement, and strength conditioning. Don’t think that muscle memory isn’t important in the reduction of muscle soreness, stiffness, and proper form. MMA incorporates just the right amount of muscle group change ups, increased and decreased frequencies forced and controlled repetitions, cardio jolt and conditioning, muscle shock, and muscle memory breakdowns. A MMA body becomes prepared for anything and looks like it’s been through everything, usually because it has.

How this compares to musically driven, timed repetition, calorie calculated, and movement mimicked fitness club classes is quite interesting….IT DOESN’T!! To date the most effective weight loss and toning mechanism is muscle shocking the body with MMA Fitness.

So, increasing your bottom line and your membership numbers won’t be a shock when you use muscle confusion as a concrete method for shredding fat, building muscle, and enhancing performance.

MMAXOUT Fitness http://www.mmaxout.com Mixed Martial Arts Xtreme Work OUT

By: Grandmaster James Lacy’s

Expanding the meaning of Self Defense in the 21st century Often in quiet reflection, I think about things I wrote about with my Action readers over the decades.

Over the last forty years of writing, I have boldly shared my visions.

Back then, it was all about this ‘style,’ or ‘that,’ system of martial arts. Bruce Lee took us out of the cookie cutter approach and was a catalyst for amalgamation. He even listed the 25 or so ‘systems,’ or ‘styles,’ that contributed to his knowledge base. Aside from Krishna Murti and a few others, he still hung on to Asian philosophy to explain the ‘spiritual’ aspects.

He never spoke much of Jesus, and as most Christians of today, never understood Jesus’ self defense methods self-defense methods. any have still not read or heard about this.

Why is this important?

One reason is that two billion plus Christians only listen to the Bible, which paints a picture of Jesus as merely turning the cheekin any affront. Nothing could be more incomplete. Yes, Jesus had a champion in His school years called Jacob, the stone mason’s son. This had to be so that Jesus could focus on the big picture of His mission.

Many parts of the life and teachings of Jesus, including His personal religion and advice on selfdefense still evade well meaning Christians. Not sharing this information hurts Christianity and perplexes other religions from sharing similarities, communication and truth.

Jesus’ self defense was all about being merciful and not trying to take the law into His own hands.

He would look for he good in others and what He called His mercy mission was kind of like what any good upright Samaritan would first attempt. If His kindness was taken for granted, He believed in plan B, which had to do with rendering unto Caesar so to speak. He believed in the rule of law and its ability to handle crime. The only exception, or plan C was held as an option for worst-case scenarios. For instance; if His mercy was disrespected, if the law was not there in the here/now and most importantly – if Jesus could not see any light, love or life in His attacker, He allowed for the final option. The final option was Jesus’ ability to use all the forces of the

universe to destroy the pure evil in front of Him. I realize that this is controversial to some, but I do not placate my readers I believe in time, many of these things I share will fall on fertile soil.

Conclusion Can you name one school owner that insists on learning penal code in their state? The quick reference manuals change yearly in each State and are only sold at police supply stores. Can any of us afford to make a mistake? This was never talked about in any school I ever trained in.

Incomplete knowledge or superficial explanations are dangerous in that ignorance of established and ever changing additions is no excuse in court.

Even a mere decade ago, we did not have access to smart phones. Whether the application id GPS, voice or photo documentation, ADT home security or a download of each new years’ penal code, without technology we are more vulnerable than we need be.

The next time you learn a new technique or prepare to ‘test,’ ask yourself if you are balancing your training. Do you care about legalities?

Can you engage in intelligent discourse on these issues or are you doing yourself and students a great injustice? Realize that no one book written a decade or more ago is sufficient. Make being prepared a goal, and just like most anything, realize the need for diligent focused update training yearly.

Any less is to be a paper tiger or chimpanzee with a bazooka.

Telling it as I see it – Light & Life Jung Shee Lacy 18 Daoist Palms.

www.ironpalm.com