Combat Magazine - December 2011

BRINGING MARTIAL ARTS TO LIFE

MARTIALARTSSHOW the

THE NEC BIRMINGHAM 12th & 13th MAY 2012

January 2012 Vol. 37 No. 01 £3.95

Martial Arts What’s Your Style?

Win... a Sony 40” LCD TV, a PS3 & a Copy of the Film Arena!!!

PLUS...

The Cut Doctor’s, You Have One Minute! - Casanova Wong, Korea’s Answer to Bruce Lee? - Alter Ego’s, Which One do You Bring to The Fight? - Aaron Cook, Passes the Olympic Test! >>>

visit us at www.combatmag.co.uk

COMMENT

VOL 37 NO. 01 JANUARY 2012 PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF

A Happy New Year to you all!

Paul Clifton paul@martialartsinprint.com

SENIOR DESIGNER

For many people 2011 wasn’t the best of years but in adversity we really find out what we are made of and hopefully the true warrior spirit, that martial arts provides us with, will have helped you through!

Kevin Thompson

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Hadley Austin

WEBMASTER Nick Harley

ADVERTISING/SALES EXECUTIVE Jan Harley 0121 351 6930

HOW TO GET WORK PUBLISHED

To have your submission published in COMBAT couldn’t be easier. Supply your written material either on disc (ASCII), typed or on audio tape. Send it together with a covering letter and some good quality photo’s (digital photographs must be 300dpi) to the Head Office (address below).

NEWS ITEMS

For all news related items, simply mark your envelope “COMBAT NEWSLINE” and together with a photograph (if required) and a covering letter, send it to: COMBAT, Head Office. or E-Mail: combat_news@martialartsinprint.com

There can be no doubt that 2011 was a very fiscally challenging year for most as the world of finance, industry and commerce saw unprecedented challenges for everyone, even the Martial Arts World which normally thrives in a recession.

However, here we are, 2012, a new year and hopefully a bright one for you all. I can assure you that we have worked extremely hard behind the scenes to provide a great deal for you all to be proud of and bolt into: The Martial Arts Show Live at the NEC in Birmingham www.themartialartsshowlive.com May the 12th and 13th.

Martial Apps (www.martialappsltd.com) where you will be able to download some of your favourite martial arts stars App for very little in terms of cost.

CALENDAR

If you have a forthcoming event that you would like published in COMBAT Calendar. Send your entry, giving dates, times, and contact numbers, to “CALENDAR” COMBAT Head Office.

Martial House www.martialhouse.co.uk the ONLY FREE online service for the martial arts community can promote, share, advertise and interact for FREE!!!

COMBAT, Unit 20, Maybrook Business Park, Maybrook Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B76 1BE. Tel: 0121 351 6930 E-Mail: combat.magazine@btclick.com

To name three, with at least another 15 still to be released!

HEAD OFFICE:

CLUBS DIRECTORY

Advertise your club, school, group, Association for as little as £15 per month. Simply layout your details (using current advertisers as an example) including a good example of your logo/emblem if required and send it together with a cheque to the Head Office. Please mark the envelope “Clubs Directory” or E-Mail: combat_clubs@martialartsinprint.com

ADVERTISING DETAILS

If you would like details about advertising in COMBAT please write, telephone or email the Head Office to obtain details, deadline dates and costs etc...

DISCLAIMER

COMBAT is published by M.A. Publications ltd, Unit 20, Maybrook Business Park, Maybrook Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B76 1BE. The publishers reserve the right to reject editorial and/or advertising material as they see fit.

The Publishers accept no responsibility for the return of unsolicited material. However, the Publishers will endeavour to return such matter providing that it is accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope. Any material accepted by the Publishers shall be revised or altered should the Publisher deem it necessary to do so. The act of submitting manuscripts and/or materials shall be considered an express warranty that such material is original and in no way infringes upon the rights of others. It is expressly forbidden for any part of the magazine to be reported whatsoever without the permission of Editor / Publishers. The views or comments expressed in these pages are not necessarily those of the editor or Publisher. Distribution by COMAG, Tavistock Works, Tavistock Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QE.

ADVERTISING DETAILS

To take out a subscription to Combat magazine, just send your cheque for the correct amount made payable to M.A. Publications Ltd. to: Subscription Dept. Unit 20, Maybrook Business Park, Maybrook Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B76 1BE. or telephone: 0121-351 6930 12 issues = UK @ £44.95 EUROPE @ £75 (Airmail) REST OF WORLD @ £90 (Airmail)

COLUMNISTS

Aran Dharmeratnam Gavin Mulholland Joe Hallett Kerry-Louise Norbury Mike Finn

PHOTOGRAPHY Carrie Austin 07716266854 Film Media Phil Hobden Mike Murphy

CONTRIBUTORS KUNG FU Brian Dossett David Wing Guy Holland Mick Clarke Peter Browne Rich Hinchcliffe Richard Thomas Stuart Rider Tom Hibbert

Derek Frearson Iain Armstrong Jeremy Yau Michael Tse Simon Lau Vince Hinde Yap Leong

Of course 2012 is an Olympic year, just in case you had forgotten. One of our brightest young prospects in the Taekwondo arena will be Aaron Cook who recently made sure of his qualification for the London games. We caught up with him after his most recent tournament success and you can read what he had to say in our exclusive article in this issue.

We also welcome a new columnist this month in the form of David O’Neill. David will be keeping us all up to date with the World of Arm Wrestling We have a great competition for you to be in with the chance of winning a Sony PS3, Sony 40” LCD TV and a copy of the great new film starring Oscar nominee Samuel L. Jackson, Arena (check it out on page 47).

Here at Combat we like to take time to appreciate the work of some of the martial arts world’s unsung heroes. This month is no different as we take a look the cut doctors as these guy’s work tirelessly at the side (and sometimes inside) of the ring waiting for the call to patch up, stitch up and get their fighters ready in order to allow them to continue the fight. They do more than just tend to cut’s though, as you can discover for yourself in our article “You have one more minute” on page 54.

Mike Boyle gives us an interesting insight into what it’s like to train for a professional MMA bout. Mike is a trainer at one of the top gyms in the US, training such names as Kenny Florian and Joe Lauzon. He gives us some interesting insights and tip’s that you may find very interesting not to mention helpful.

Well, the bell has sounded so I will leave you now to discover all the delights we have prepared for you in this issue, until next month OSS !

KOREAN ARTS Dave Oliver David Allerton Hee Il Cho Keith Evans Tony Vohra

KARATE

Chris Denwood Mike Finn Neil Horton Peter Allen Rannoch McDonald Ronnie Colwell Steve Arneill

THAI BOXING Dan Green Richard Smith Shaun Boland Tony Myers

SPORT MARTIAL ARTS

BOXING

Humphrey Broome Joe Hallett John Swift Neville Wray Peter Edwards

FULL CONTACT

HEALTH/ STRENGTH/ FITNESS

Luke Calvert Mark Wilson-Smith Bill Wallace Cris Janson-Piers Dean Sugden Joe Lewis Kerry-Louise Norbury Paul Hennesey Steve Humphries

Drew Price Gavin Sibson Neil Rosiak Philip Malin Silvio Simac Jon Watson

SELF PROTECTION/ DEFENCE

Aran Dharmeratnam Kevin O’Hagan Morne Swaenopal Peter Browne

PHOTOGRAPHY Carrie Austin Martyn Skipper

MMA

Carl Fisher Dave O’Donnell Gavin Mulholland Rob Nutley

We are on the look out for enthusiastic martial arts fans that would like to become area/regional reporters.

Fancy yourself as a team player? genuine and ‘real’ martial arts fans call now on: 0121-351-6930

CONTENTS MARTIAL ARTS NEWSLINE

12 -

ON THE RECORD - With Steve Butler

8 -

16 - 19 -

62

20 - 22 - 34 - 30 - 32 - 34 - 38 - 40 - 44 - 47 - 48 -

78

TRAIN HARD - FIGHT EASY - With Alexis Rufus THE NEGOTIATOR - With Aran Dharmeratnam BOOK REVIEW - Khun Khmer

THE DRUID SPEAKETH - By Rob Devane

WANT TO LEARN M.A? - With Dave Lomas JKD FOR ALL - With Kwoklyn Wan

CHATTERBOX - With Kerry Louise Norbury THE BUNBUN SERIES - By Mike Finn COMBAT FILM - By Phil Hobden

FORMS FORUM - With Joe Hallett

COMBAT HELPLINE - With Master Jake Ogden

SHINOBI SOLDIERS - An Investigation Into The Ninja SONY & ARENA DVD COMPETITION ARMED COMBAT - By Dave O'Neill

FEATURES

54 -

YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE! - The Gash Doctors

60 -

BEGINNINGS Grandmaster Mark Shuey's Canemasters

58 -

62 - 66 - 71 - 72 -

100

REGULARS

6 -

78 - 82 - 84 - 86 - 90 - 92 -

BUNJINKAN TAIJUTSU - By Dave Giddings

TRAINING MARTIAL ARTS - By Mike Boyle FIRST FILLIPINO AND INDIAN MARTIAL ARTS SEMINAR A Meeting of Arts & Minds By Kam Dhiman

GRANDMASTER GINA LAU - Eagle Claw Kung Fu REACH OUT & TOUCH SOMEONE Enter Teuk Gong Moo Sool - Part 5

ALTER EGO: THE OTHER I Which You Do You Bring to The Fight?

A NEW HERO IN THE MAKING Jack Griffiths - Spirit2Power

THOUGHT'S FROM THE DOJO Jumpers For Goalpost's

EXIT CASANOVA WONG, ENTER WONG HO

By Master Guy E. Larke SAVAN TAO - By James Brock

THE SECOND WORLD ACTION FILM FESTIVAL In Hwang San Bul TRADITIONAL

112

96 -

THE E.S.K.K. COLUMN - With Chris Denwood

100 - ATEMI JUTSU - The Art of Body Striking

102 - LOCAL BOY BECOMES NATIONAL KARATE CHAMP

106 - TANG SOO DO - By Master David Allerton 110 - 112 -

MY JOURNEY TO BLACK BELT

By Neil Patel

COOK PASSES OLYMPIC TEST But Misses Out on Final Examination

THE NEC BIRMINGHAM 12TH & 13TH May 2012

8

newsline

BRINGING YOU THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN THE WORLD OF MARTIAL ARTS. IF YOU KNOW SOMETHING WE DON’T THEN WRITE OR FAX IT TO US AT Unit 20 Maybrook Business Park, Maybrook Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B76 1BE TEL: 0121 351 6930 E-MAIL: newsline@martialartsinprint.com

Grow Your Club and Enthuse Your Students Too! The company: Martial Arts badges are unique suppliers of martial arts achievement badges, catering for children that are learning any kind of martial art.

Our badges are woven from the finest fabric and can be placed on martial arts uniforms, T shirts, and sweat shirts or in our exclusive badge folder which has been made to accompany the collection.

Martial Arts Badges has been created to give junior students something to strive for in between their regular grading tests. If children grade every three months, that is a long time for a child, particularly under ten years of age. Also a badge is a far better way to reward a child for a mon or bit grading which some instructors carry out each month. Most children are only awarded a bit of electrical tape to go on their belt for this?

Martial Arts Badges was born from working with junior students to achieve a satisfactory design. They needed a design that would be popular with the kids. It was created

by Alan Woodhouse a 4th Dan GojuRyu Karate Instructor who runs a karate school near Southampton in the South of England.

Working with Martial Arts Badges can have many benefits, such as; Keeping junior students enthusiastic about their training.

Junior student drop -out rate decreases.

Having the potential for students as children, to take their badges to

school to show friends.

Parents can see their Childs progress on a more regular basis.

Increased club/school funds.

More concentration from children in class.

You can reach Martial Arts badges online at www.martialartsbadges. com or you can e-mail them at admin@martialartsbadges.com or you can telephone them on: 01489 782038 OR 07909523583 ITSMI The New Way to Kit Out Your Club!

Most print and design companies are really pricey when it comes to tailor made designs or products which means that the smaller clubs can’t really justify the cost needed to create professional artwork. So Itsmi Desisgns have decided to offer something geared more towards the local, smaller clubs, to make it more affordable to help them promote their club with a professional quality service at the right price.

Working in the industry for a few years helped them gain a better understanding of the type of promotional artwork that was needed. This helped Itsmi Designs to create a service that provides excellent quality but at a very sensible rate, making it affordable and acceptable for the customer.

Over the course of the last few months it has become clear to Itsmi that the recession is affecting every industry – and that includes Martial Arts.

Attracting new students in the current economic climate is tougher than

ever. Jobs are being cut, everything costs more and most people are earning less. Times like these make it particularly hard to continue to justify “excess” spending, and for many Martial Artists, training falls into this category.

So what do you do if times are difficult? Compromise what you do, or lose the enthusiasm in the face of a difficult economic time, which is unlikely to inspire people to join. No, You need to keep your standards high and remain enthusiastic in order to succeed. And this is where itsmi Designs (a West Midlands based graphic and garment design studio, specialising in providing high quality, cost effective design solutions to small businesses and Martial Arts clubs) comes in to help you.

With over 17 years of high street fashion retail experience combined with graphic design experience, itsmi Designs is more than qualified to bring you the very best in modern graphic design to your Martial Arts organization.

An effective promotion can significantly improve the first impressions and public appearance of any business.

Effective designs enhance brand awareness, build confidence and provide opportunities to break into new markets through brand recognition, to help your business grow. They can also help you create a brand for your club, organisation or group.

Itmsi Designs are ready to help you so give them a call; it won’t cost you anything to discover what they can do for you and in this day and age, where else can you get that kind of support?

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Pre-cut mending on the move for sports people ... and horses too Please find a press release below on “pre-cut” Kinesio Taping, now available in Boots. Don’t hesitate to contact me for more information. It would be great if you could feature some, or all of this release. More pictures are available.

Pre-cut mending on the move for sports people....and horses too Pic caption: 1) Kinesio pre-cut product shot, 2) Kinesio pre-cut in situ 3) Lee Clark with horse Kinesio Taping was first brought to the world’s attention in 2007 when David Beckham wore it in pink for a back injury when he was playing for Real Madrid. Since then, Kinesio Taping’s healing properties have largely been spread by word of mouth amongst athletes and trainers who swear by it.

In his book, “Every Second Counts”, cyclist Lance Armstrong refers to Kinesio Tape as “Something better than any laser, wrap, or electric massager.” In 2010, physiotherapists from all of the UK Premiership football clubs were trained in the Kinesio Taping technique and earlier this year Kinesio Taping was officially endorsed by Tottenham Hotspur footballer, Welsh International and PFA Player of the Year, Gareth Bale.

Mhairi Burke, Head Physiotherapist at Greenock Wanderers RFC says: “I’ve been using Kinesio Tape for three years on a range of injuries on the back, neck, quadriceps, calf and ankles. It significantly reduces recovery time, sometimes by at least a week or more.”

Lee Clark physiotherapist to the British Endurance Riding Team, who treats both the riders and the horses with Kinesio Taping, has been using it to great effect on the horses too. He says: “The studies so far show without doubt that it helps horses to recover from their injuries more quickly. It’s definitely in my equine first aid kit as well as my human kit now.”

The Kinesio Taping technique was originally developed by chiropractor Dr Kenzo Kase in Japan over 30 years ago and was brought to the UK in 2007. Kinesio Taping has also been used for many years in the NHS for effective treatment of Lymphodema - swelling of the arms, hands and legs.”

Managing Director of Kinesio Taping UK, Kevin Anderson says: “For our pre-cut range, Boots staff have been fully trained on Kinesio Taping’s application and benefits. Kinesiotrained practitioners, including physiotherapists, chiropractors,

newsline

osteopaths and sports therapists will also be explaining and demonstrating its uses to shoppers in store.”

For more information, go to www.kinesioprecut.co.uk or call 0191 287 7008.

Jenny Jones welcomes BBC review after no women selected as Sports Personality Award contenders In reaction to the BBC’s decision to review the shortlisting procedures for its Sports Personality of the Year Award, Green Party Mayoral candidate Jenny Jones said: “This is a welcome move. Frankly the exclusion of women from the shortlist was an insult to some of Britain’s greatest sporting stars.

However it is probably unsurprising given the inclusion of publications aimed exclusively at men in the selection process.

“It is difficult to imagine an athlete being as close to the top of her game as Sarah Stevenson, and yet she received just three nominations from a total of 260 allocated to 26 publications.

“The BBC should consider returning to a system based on the votes of the general public.”

Now High Street store Boots has come on board and is selling “precut” Kinesio Taping in convenient, light weight packs at £5.99 each for lower back, neck, shoulder, knee and foot injuries.

Traditionally, athletic tapes were wound around injuries to form a stiff bandage that would immobilize a joint or muscle. By comparison, the 100% cotton Kinesio Taping which comes in bright, funky colours, is light, fully waterproof, comfortable and modelled on the thickness and elasticity of real skin.

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The will to succeed

is meaningless without the will

to prepare!

Stamina how to prepare to go the distance

As a pro fighter I always like to keep myself in shape and fight ready. Mainly because I hate being out of shape but also it means I have the option to take fights at short notice if the opportunity arises. My stamina is at a good level all year round but when I am training for a fight I always have to pick the pace up so I can reach my peak about 2 weeks to 10 days prior to my fight date. I run every day but once during the week when training for a fight. I try to vary my runs from a long distance steady paced run (8-10km), to interval runs which would last about 45 minutess to an hour. The long distance prepares me for going the distance in a fight (5 x 3 minute rounds) and also helps strengthen the leg muscles and cut weight.

TRAIN HARD - FIGHT EASY With Alexis Rufus

The interval runs help me with the high bursts of speed and power which you need during a 3 minute round. They also help with recovery time during rounds so that you are fresh at the start of every round.

Another thing that always helps me prepare to go the distance in a fight is doing longer rounds on the pads and bag during training, instead of a normal timed round and shortening the time of my rest period. For instance, I would do a 5 minute round with only 45 seconds rest. In a Full Thai Rules fight you would be doing 3 x 5 minute rounds with a 2 minute break. By training for longer I find I last longer during a round and I am recovering far quicker than the rest time I am given so I feel fresh going into the next round. Stamina is vital for any fighter, the last thing you want to be worrying about when you are in the ring is your fitness, so get this sorted from the start and take it seriously.

Strength - upper & lower body.

Thai Boxing requires use of most of the muscles in your body so increasing strength in your upper and lower body is vital to any fighter’s training. The type of strength work that is ideal for a fighter is functional weight training concentrating on resistance, power and speed.

Exercises specific to my movements in a fight are important. Ideal exercises would include circuits on a cable cross over machine, punching & kicking with hand and leg weights, hammer and tyre workout, kettle bells, pull ups, squats with weight bars on your shoulders, the use of pulleys and resistance bands. Exercises which can be done without the use of weights and other equipment are squats, squat thrusts, push ups, sit ups for core strength and burpees. All of these target specific muscle groups and help develop strength in the lower and upper body. When a fighter

punches or kicks, it is sometimes from a standing point and so the force and power required to generate a powerful and accurate strike, is very high. All the exercises that I have listed here will be good for developing this.

Clinch work or grappling is also used during a fight and this requires upper body strength. Again any training specific to the movements during grappling will help. A strong grip or lock is an advantage as is the strength to sweep or throw your opponent. Any weight training where you are lifting or pulling weight at or slightly above your own body weight will help with this.

Speed - hand & foot.

Speed and power are essential to any fighter. Fast feet and fast hands can be developed in a number of ways. I like to skip to improve my feet speed. Skipping for up to 40 minutes before a class can not only help cut weight but improve foot speed, movement & co-ordination. Shadow boxing is also good, concentrating on foot movement and placement in a small area of the ring. For hand speed use of a speed ball is good, but also a good pads man who can take you through fast punch combinations.

Alexis in training

Timing.

During a fight you are scored on your strikes to your opponent. If your timing is off, then your strikes will be off and you will not be scoring the essential points needed to win a fight. You have to know your range, learn your striking distance and most importantly watch what your opponent is doing so that you know when to counter their strikes or when to be the first to punch or kick. A good fighter should be able to read their opponent well. Sparring is good for improving your timing. I think light technical sparring is often better than heavy sparring because it allows you to really think about where you are placing your shots, why and at what time. A good sparring partner is obviously essential and someone of a similar weight is always good. Bag work can also help because you don’t have anyone guiding you through shots on the pads or telling you which kicks and punches to do. You have to think for yourself about when you are going to strike as you would in a fight thus helping improve the timing of your shots...

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ON THE RECORD With Stephen Buttler

For those of you who haven’t read my previous columns, my name is Stephen Buttler, a recent addition to the fold of ‘Combat Magazine’ columnists. I am a Blackbelt martial artist with a background in fitness and sports therapy. My hobbies include breaking sports/fitness world records for different charities and my successes mean so much more when they involve helping others. My public appearances in November and December will involve raising money for terminally ill children and Parkinson’s UK. This month’s column will feature some of the training methods I use to improve my striking speed and power and my incorporation of them into a Shropshire Mixed Martial Artist’s training regime as he prepares for his first professional fight.

Featured fighter.

Over the past few months I have been working with Richard Cosgrove, a Third Dan martial artist who recently enjoyed an upset win in a semi professional fight against one

of the UK’s brightest prospects.

Richards runs ‘Elite Martial Arts’ Club in Oswestry, Shropshire.

Training methods we have been using which will improve your overall performance level.

Richard asked me to help him with his training because he felt I possessed fitness attributes which he could develop to improve his fight performance. I observed in Richard that despite his high skill level and incredible cardiovascular fitness there was plenty of room for development in the speed of his footwork, core stability in relation to the rapidness with which he maintained and restored his postural alignment when grappling on his feet and on the ground and during stand up fighting. By his own admission he felt that he was striking hurtfully but needed to become faster and strike more powerfully, all of which we have been spending time on in the build up to his professional debut.

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Over speed Training.

This is an area of training I have often observed to not be part of a martial artists/self defence practitioners training regime which can potentially be a huge barrier to personal development. Richard wanted my help in this area which plays an integral part in my own training.

The purpose of ‘over speed’ or assisted training is to provide modalities which enable you to increase your striking power and speed of movement, for instance with footwork, by making you perform at a higher level than you could without.

‘Over speed’ training facilitates this effect on the neuromuscular system by acclimatising the nervous and muscular systems to higher speeds of contraction. Simply put, following weeks of ‘over speed’ training there will be nervous system adaptation enabling you to continue with greater striking speed and power, as well as faster more fluid footwork etc.

Richard and I have been using surgical tubing which can be stretched beyond its resting length to produce ‘over speed’ effects in training. To improve

his kicking speed and power together with speed and fluidity of his footwork, we have been tying the surgical tubing to his ankle and fighting cage posts and for upper limb striking wrapping it around the back and hands. The ‘over speed’ training is activating Richard’s central nervous system speeding up his nerve supply to the muscles affected. This anticipatory effect improves intramuscular coordination.

Furthermore, with regards to his footwork and ground reaction, we have been using this type of training to allow the increased momentum from the stretched tubing to enhance his joint stability at the knees and ankles subsequently permitting greater force generation.

Resistance Training.

The combination of ‘over speed’ training with resistance training and finishing workouts with regular maximal efforts represents contrast training targeting neuromotor patterns aiding speed and power development.

Resistance training encompasses systematically adding weight to the body. Richard and I have been using resistance training to improve his explosive movements when striking, fighting for dominant positions and attempting submissions. We have been integrating backpacks, weighted vests and unstable surfaces within his resistance training for speed and power development.

In stand up sparring we have been wearing backpacks and weighted vests to convert and generate strength improvements into the neuromuscular movement patterns performed in martial arts/self defence...

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Resistance Training

WANTTOLEARNMARTIALARTS? Written by Dave J. Lomas (7th Dan Black Belt in Kung Fu) retired.

Fighting Styles It is important to understand the difference in fighting styles as well as the types of clubs available when deciding to take up the fighting arts for the first time because taking the time to study the various martial arts will save disappointment and money in the long term. Imagine finding out that the club and the style of martial art that you have been doing for the last 5 years is nothing compared to the fighting style and club that you went to see the other week. If only you had known 5 years ago about this other club with its very good teaching standards and its fighting style being far better and more suitable for your needs, if only. You think to yourself, “yes this other club is more expensive but they are more reliable and don’t mess you about and they also teach a fighting style that is more in line with my needs and abilities “. “If only I hadn’t joined the first club I came across and avoided falling for their promotional tricks “.

During the 1960’s the main forms of fighting were aikido, jujitsu, boxing, wrestling, unarmed combat, (if you were in the armed forces), and the other two martial art styles that were often referred to back in those days karate and judo. Even today if you were to mention that you were learning a martial art many would still think of judo or karate almost straight away.

In the case of karate, many would associate this combat style with the karate shout and breaking bricks in half with the edge of the hand. More commonly called, in the olden days, as the ‘karate chop’ this is just one of many fighting techniques that karate students are required to learn.

The history books say that as a result of the Japanese empire invading China at some point in history the Japanese armies discovered the fighting methods of kung fu for the first time, and being very impressed with this form of combat, they returned to Japan and formalised their own version of what they saw and called their own version of kung fu ‘The Way of the Empty Hand’ or Karate-Do in Japanese. It was during the Second World War that American, British and other armed forces came into contact for the first time with the remarkable fighting skills of the karate stylist which in turn resulted in the martial arts spreading to other parts of the world.

22 COMBAT WWW.COMBATMAG.CO.UK

Traditional karate is taught in a very military style way with each technique performed in a specific order and in a crisp and precise way with all the students executing the strikes, blocks and kicks together in unison. Being noted from time to time for its rigid military style of teaching and rigid performance of the techniques this has given karate a bad name from those who say it lacks fluidity and adaptability but agree that when it is performed by a group of senior students it does look very impressive. There are many different styles of karate which focus on techniques and methods in many different ways but they are all related to each other to varying degrees. In the same way that kung fu is a title covering all of the Chinese martial art styles so is karate in the same way. A general title for a wide range of Japanese fighting styles some of the more established and well-known karate styles include Wado Ryu, Shotokan, Gojo Ryu and Shotokia.

Jujitsu is one of the more popular of the Japanese martial arts that is noted for combining karate kicks and punches with arm and wrist locks and other forms of take down or throwing methods. From jujitsu, and judo, was developed a form of martial art that used only controlling locks and throws without the general use of kicks or

strikes, this breakaway fighting style was called aikido. Aikido at first glance looks very much like judo with a practice mat, same type of uniform, (Gi), and the ritualistic bow in kneeling position, however aikido uses a more distinctive method of throwing or taking down an opponent. The aikido throw uses arm and wrist locks in the main combined with various other moves to control and take their opponent to the ground and unlike judo which starts with both practitioners holding on to each other aikido is more based on responding to an attack. Spectacular to see when performed as a demonstration, by its very nature it is an ideal form of selfdefence but not practical for the sporting area of the martial arts.

Unlike judo which does not involve any striking methods at all aikido will include to a very small degree very simple kicks and punches.

Kenpo or to give it its full title ‘Shorinji kenpo’ is the combination of both the Japanese and Chinese martial arts. This combat style is a practical blend of both karate and kung fu fighting methods that has proven very popular around the world. Many years ago a dispute arose over the origin or for want of a better word ‘ownership’ of the kenpo style. After legal proceedings had been completed the award of origin went to Japan.

Resulting from this decision the Japanese added the extra title of Shorinji, (Shorinji is the Japanese translation of the Chinese word Shaolin), to highlight this combat style as being Japanese.

Judo is not one of the striking arts but focuses on the sport competition aspect and is not designed to disable a person in a life threatening situation.

Judo can be compared in some ways to a form of wrestling that involves throwing, grappling and restraining their opponent on the ground. This form of martial art is ideal for children who like to roll and tumble on the ground and have the freedom in the initial stages of training to play at fighting. Although at the more advanced stages of training the physical demands and the technical required skills are much harder, the new child to the class can enjoy the playful tumbles and interaction of movement with others without the risk of being hit or kicked like in the striking arts.

For a child to take up the striking arts like karate and kung fu, and since the early 1990’s kickboxing, the nature and training methods involved are a whole lot different to that of judo or aikido. Although all basic training in the striking arts are reasonable save, for both adults and children alike, there is not the same sense of freedom as with judo or aikido within the early stages. The striking arts by their very nature, there are exceptions, involves a lot of repetition kicks, blocks and strikes with ever increasing power and effort and the need to understand and learn, what can be sometimes very boring to a child, techniques and fighting stances. Popular with both adults

and children alike judo became an Olympic sport many years ago along with the Korean combat art of tae kwon do.

In England and in most parts of the western world boxing still is, and will remain, one of the most popular forms of fighting.

Boxing clubs and competition events have continued to be one of the most popular forms of sport with large amounts of money to be won for the top professional boxers.

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WWW.COMBATMAG.CO.UK COMBAT 23

my 10 cents

COMBAT FILM

www.mod-life.net

By Phil Hobden

Sometimes just one story isn’t enough. So this month I take a look at a host of topics that have been on my mind. First up... time to get Expendable again.

Expendable?

The cast for the Expendables 2 gets better and better. Statham! Arnie!

Willis! Van Damme! Jet Li! Sly! Chuck Norris! It truly has become one of THE great action casts.

That said I hope this time they put as much effort into the story as they have the cast because, for the most part, The Expendables Part 1 was a bit of a letdown.

Hall Of Fame Although I couldn’t attend the evening, I was honoured to be inducted in the Combat Martial Arts Hall Of Fame for Services To The Martial Arts Industry. A massive thanks to Paul and the team.

3D Or Not 3D...

Not. Okay so it hasn’t been quite the fad that most 3-D haters have assumed it would be (thanks in part to a relentless push by manufacturers and studios) but I have yet to see a 3D movie at the Cinema that has blown me away. Okay so I haven’t yet seen Scorsese’s Hugo as I write this but still even if that is as good as everyone says I’m not convinced one film can make a medium.

That said I know for sure that neither the upcoming re-release’s of Titanic or Star Wars: the Phantom Menace in retro fitted 3D will tip me over the edge of liking the medium.

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I’m not the only one. Slowly the balance between people seeing 3D of a movie to 2D versions is slowly coming back in favour of 2D and at home sales of equipment have stagnated. Maybe glasses free 3D is the answer but I’d rather watch movies without a headache.

Khhhhhhhan!

Is he... isn’t he? That’s the big question... will JJ Abrahams have Khan in Star Trek 2 as the main villain? With rumours (now squashed) of Benico Del Toro cast in the eponymous role it was looking possible but honest I hope they don’t.

The thing I loved about Abrahams Star Trek was that it set a new course. Bring back Khan (especially in the similar numbered sequel) would be a huge mistake.

What? Really?

Senna, the touching and brilliantly made look at the career of one of racings racing drivers AND one of THE best films of 2011 will not be in the running for the Academy Award for Best Documentary after not making the short list. Yes that’s right it won’t even be on the short list on the night.

Surprised? Well not really after all it took Scorsese years to finally nab an Oscar, they gave 11 of them to Titanic and awarded Best Film to Dances With Wolves over Goodfellas and Forrest Gump over Pulp Fiction. Idiocy like this seems par for the course

Podcast!

You can now hear me alongside my co-host Richard Blanchette (formally if the insanely popular AMR Movie Show) every two weeks on the Filmsploitation Podcast, available on I-Tunes (search “Filmsploitation “) and via www.thefilmpodcast.co.uk .

Films, TV, Cult... it’s all covered alongside our guest hosts which so far have included filmmaker Ross Boyask, writer Mike Fury and AMR host Andrew Mackay to name but 3.

Find us, download us, listen and rate!

2012 - What to look out for 2012 looks like a pretty promising year all in all for action and superhero films. Here’s a few I’m looking out for: Prometheus, the Ridley Scott directed Alien prequel that is but isn’t but is. The Amazing Spiderman - Spiderman rebooted with the Social Networks Andrew Garfield and hot as a volcano Emma Stone. The Avengers - The culmination of years of super hero films all thrown into one. Thor! Hulk!

Capt America! Iron Man! Nick Fury!

The Hobbit Part 1 - More Peter Jackson Hobbiting his way around New Zealand. LOTR was superb, this could be even better...

To read the rest of this article why not order a back issue, visit www.combatmag. co.uk/backissue

COMPETITION We have 3 Blu-Ray copies of the rather good independent Troll Hunter to give away. All you have to do is answer this simple question: Which of these films is NOT a mockumentray? a) Blair Witch b) REC c) Quarantine 2 Send you name, address and answer on an email to trollhunter@martialartsinprint.com We have 3 Blu-Ray copies of the Jason Statham, Robert DeNiro starring Killer Elite to give away. All you have to do is answer this simple question: Which of these films does not star Robert DeNiro? a) Goodfellas b) Meet The Fockers c) American Pie Send you name, address and answer on an email to killerelite@martialartsinprint.com

the age div

COMBAT HELPLINE With Master Jake Ogden

info@jakeogden.co.uk - www.jakeogden.co.uk www.wjo.org.uk - jakeogden.blogspot.com

Welcome back to my column. This month I want to discuss two areas: 1) Children and Adults training together & 2) The egotistical student. A question that I seem to be asked regularly at the moment is “Should children be taught in the same class as adults or should they be taught separately in their own class?

I have listened to both sides of the argument and can see where both sides have valid points. Here are a few things to bear in mind when making a decision.

• What is being taught • How it is being taught • The age and maturity level of the children and adult • The type of adult you and your system has attracted

What is being taught?

Different systems are designed for different things, some are designed for the military, some are designed for the street, some are very aggressive and some are very calm.

Is your system suitable for young and old?

How it is being taught Is the method of delivery aggressive, placid or both? Is the syllabus kata/form/pattern orientated? Is the system being delivered responsibly?

Is it suitable for young people? If so, are they responsible enough to be taught potentially lethal techniques in an adult environment?

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The age of your children How old are your younger students?

Is the content and method of delivery too much for them? Is it taking much longer for the younger students to pick and therefore thwarting the pace if the class.

The type of adult you have attracted Has the class been marketed at the type of adult that would relate to having children in the same class as them?

It has been proven that young children generally learn in a different way to adults, for example some younger children enjoy learning through play, including multiple breaks, role play, incantations, different visual learning aids etc.

Some instructors do not cater for differentiation; they deliver one way and one way only because that is how it has always been. Well, that’s fine but that type of instructor may lose students because he or she is not receptive to engaging all the different types of learning styles. Young children often do not

have the attention span of an adult or that of an older child, therefore regular intervals or interjections of varied activity and play would need to be employed. Also; in some cases, children and adults learn and pick things up at different rates. Consequently this can cause problems as one set of people are waiting for the other set.

Another thing to consider is what is in your syllabus; I believe some techniques are not suitable for young children to learn. In this case it may be necessary to remove or change a certain technique until that person is responsible enough learn it fully.

It’s always good to remember that some adults do not want to train with lots of young people, perhaps they want a break from being around kids and use there martial arts class as a place to let off steam...

To read the rest of this article why not take out a subscription, visit www.combatmag.co.uk/ subscribe

ide

ARENA The Ultimate Face Off In the Savage and Brutal World of

David Lord finds himself forced into a brutal and savage world of violence and modern day gladiatorial mayhem. One where “unwilling” victims are captured tortured and forced to fight for their lives and freedom. In a world of virtual anarchy, the newest recruit is to pose the powers that be, their biggest challenge.

Kellan Lutz (Twilight series, Nightmare on Elm Street) and Oscar nominee Samuel L. Jackson face off in the action-packed, visually stunning thrill ride film ARENA, an assault on the senses of common decency, ARENA takes you to the brink of having to reconsider your own beliefs and question yourself to ask, what would you really do?

Lutz stars as a man kidnapped from his ordinary life whose thrust into the savage world of a modern day gladiatorial arena where men fight to the death for the entertainment of the online masses. Jackson plays the sadistic businessman behind the underground operation. ARENA also co-stars Nina Dobrev (The Roommate, “The Vampire Diaries”)

and Daniel Dae Kim (“Lost,” “Hawaii Five-0”) so action fans won’t want to miss the life-or-death excitement when ARENA debuts on Blu-ray™ for RRP £17.99 and DVD for RRP £12.99.

The story revolves around one sadistically savvy businessman (Samuel L. Jackson) as has created an empire with his brutal, fight-tothe-death gladiator website. His newest warrior is David Lord, a kidnapped fireman, and how he is imprisoned and forced to fight for his life. To buy his freedom, Lord agrees to do a series of lethal bouts. But as the body count escalates, and with his most challenging battle remaining, Lord unleashes a torrent of bloody carnage

To read more articles like this make sure you get the next issue of combat available from WH Smith & all good newsagents

Arena is out to own on Blu-ray™ and DVD January 9 courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

16 COMBAT WWW.COMBATMAG.CO.UK

and reveals a secret that threatens to tear down the entire enterprise and with it Jacksons character and his empire.

ARENA marks the directorial debut of visual effects supervisor Jonah Loop (Collateral, Transporter 2). It was written by Tony Giglio (Chaos, Death Race 2 & 3) based on a screenplay by Michael Hultquist & Robert Martinez (Victim) and produced by Mark Williams (Flawless, Malice in Wonderland), Brad Krevoy (Dumb and Dumber, Kingpin) and Mike Callaghan (Hardwired, Ticking Clock). The Death Games Begin on January the 9th and is available on Blu-ray™ and DVD

ARENA C

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This month we have teamed up with 'Sony Pictures Home Entertainment' for the soon to be released 'Arena' (on Blu-ray™ & DVD) to give you the chance to win some amazing prizes. Up for grabs we have a Sony PS3, a Sony LCD TV and of course a copy of the film starring Kellan Lutz (Twilight series) and Oscar(r) nominee Samuel L. Jackson on Blu-ray™ Synopsis How do you make a fortune from the bloodlust of millions? One sadistically savvy businessman (Samuel L. Jackson) has created an empire with his brutal, fight-to-the-death gladiator website. His newest warrior is David Lord (Kellan Lutz), a kidnapped fireman, now imprisoned and forced to fight for his life. To buy his freedom, Lord agrees to do a series of lethal bouts. But as the body count escalates, and with his most challenging battle remaining, Lord unleashes a torrent of bloody carnage and reveals a secret that threatens to tear down the entire enterprise. Also featuring Daniel Dae Kim (TV’s “Lost”) and Nina Dobrev (TV’s “Vampire Diaries”).

Arena is out to own on Blu-ray™ and DVD January 9 courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment To be in with a chance of winning one of these fabulous prizes, simply answer the following question...

What series is Kellan Lutz famous for starring in?

Email your answers along with your name and address to...

arenacomp@martialartsinprint.com * You can also enter this competition by visiting www.martialhouse.co.uk

© 2011 S All Righ ony Pictures W ts Rese orldwide rved.

Acquisit ions Inc .

Good luck!

ARMED COMBAT

By Dave O’Neill

Have you ever in your life had an arm wrestle? Chances are you have, whether it was over the classroom table at school, against your mates, with your family or down the pub.

Do you remember how much fun it was? Would you still like to prove yourself against your friends, or do you currently arm wrestle but find that lack of clubs, the knowledge and experience and training unavailable?

Would you like to experience that fun all over again?

In the ever competitive world that we live in, ruling governing bodies and politics take all the fun out of something that should provide so much enjoyment to those competing and spectating. For this very reason, Armed Combat was born...

Armed Combat (The Future of Arm Wrestling), offers a visual feast of entertainment and excitement for all people, young and old, and for the first time in history will have other sports cross-pollenate and compete against each other. Body-builders vs Martial Artists, Martial Arts vs powerlifters; the list is truely endless. Let us now take you thought the amazing journey of how Armed Combat began, showing how dreams really can come true, and visions will sculpt a new sport and pastime for many future generations.

Rod “RAMBO” Lenette, is the current British Champion and former 18 COMBAT WWW.COMBATMAG.CO.UK

European and World Champion at arm wrestling, which in itself is impressive. But what sets him apart are the obstacles he has had to overcome during his 25 year career.

Rod’s arm wrestling days were over when a few years ago when he suffered kidney failure. His kidney failure has an interesting background explained by Rod: “When I was three years old I went skinny over night and nobody knew why. Doctors thought I might have had leukaemia but it turned out I had a rare condition called lipodystrophy which means all my fat is stored in the wrong places.

“I have also had type 1 diabetes since I was 25 which requires me to take insulin.

“Later on in life I was suffering bouts of pancreatitis and bad stomach acid reflux, I was always going to the doctor and he thought I was something of a hypochondriac. I then got in touch with a professor, Steven O’Reilly, who talked to me about my lipodystrophy symptoms and how I had none of the major ones such as kidney failure. He told me how my body fat was being stored around the organs rather than under my skin making them twice

their usual size, so I was placed on a medical trial for a drug called leptin which was developed to help treat obesity. Leptin balanced everything out for me: it got me off of insulin and brought my triglycerides to normal ranges, but, as a side effect, my kidney creatine and urea levels went right up. After a while I started feeling ill and losing strength and the doctors ended up having to put me on dialysis for five years due to chronic kidney failure. Luckily, I have had a kidney transplant and since then I’ve been trying to make every day count.”

Rod’s health is generally okay now, but some of his medication has side effects meaning he has good and bad days, “but I am in a position ten times better than when I was on dialysis so I cannot complain”.

However, poor health hasn’t stopped Rod.

Rod’s achievements to date...

To read the rest of this article why not order a back issue, visit www.combatmag. co.uk/backissue

NEWS We would like to form a new breed of Super Arm Wrestler, and this can be from any desired sport. The next future Grappler champion could be a strongman, a bodybuilder, a martial artist or just a freakily strong individual.

If you would like to be part of this new and exciting sport, please email me at: dave@armedcombat.co.uk The Armed Combat i-phone app is to be released in March 2012, giving updates on events and also short videos on techniques enabling you to learn arm-wrestling for yourself.

FUTURE PLANS 2012 will see Armed Combat going on tour around the country; not only will we be in this magazine on a monthly basis to keep you up to date with all events, but Dave and Rod will be visiting schools, gyms and Dojos in your area, teaching the basics of arm wrestling.

THE GRAPPLER The Grappler is up and running at Kwoklyn Wan’s Club, Urban Martial Arts gym - St John Street, Leicester LE1 3WL (0116 253 8668), weekly Arm Wrestling training is held every Wednesday 8pm til 10pm, so come along to have a go and be trained on the Grappler. Ladies are also very welcome.

ATHLETE PROFILE Each month we will be featuring a profile of one of our up and coming athletes, and eventually this may be one of you reading this article. (Your support is essential) It has been our aim since July 2010 to introduce a grading system in to arm wrestling. Through the new partnership, this will now be organised. Through Kwoklyn and Paul the grading will be similar to the grading systems you have with martial arts, you will learn different disciplines to achieve your grade including referee skills, we aim to support you throughout your training and hopefully you could go on to own your own club. (We will fully support you). More information on these issues will be given is subsequent articles.

TMAS 2012 The next big event is the Martial Arts Live show Live, which is being held at the NEC on the 12th and 13th May 2012. So come along to join in the competition or to see if you can beat the current British Champion Rod “Rambo”.

If you have watched a professionally run fight event over the last decade, you will have seen a cut man working with fighters. Confidently, quickly and quietly looking after his fighter making sure he gets one more round.

Simon Haslam is one half of the UK cut man team: “The Gash Doctors” with Paul Barton. Both guys have a wealth of experience and still actively train and compete. We caught up with them and this is what they had to say...

Combat: What’s the key driving factor behind what you do?

“You have to have a passion for the sport to be a cut man, it’s not about the money” says Simon.

“Who in their right mind wants to deal with other people’s blood, snot and aggression? You have to

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love the game and the people”!

“For me, a fighter should have three things when he gets into the ring. Gum shield, cup and his trusted cut man. How many fights have been lost and careers halted because no one in the corner knows how to deal with a simple cut”?

Combat: There’s more to being a cut man than taking care of the cuts a fighter incurs though isn’t there?

“As cut men we wrap hands, assess a fighters needs before a fight, examine any previous or troublesome lacerations. At 2

years a cut is 98% healed! We will grease the fighters before they enter the ring. No one else is allowed to apply the grease to avoid any future grease gate scandals such as the GSP v Matt Hughes debacle.

At all times we watch the fight neutrally. Assessing our fighters needs for the end of each round.

Watch his opponent’s techniques to monitor the probable causes of cuts. We do all this with the aim of getting our fighter safely and confidently through to the next round”.

Combat: What about injuries and the limited time you have to deal with them?

“When there are injuries we need to be prepared to act quickly.

We get one minute between the rounds to work with the fighter to make sure he is ready for the next all important round. Swabs dipped in adrenaline, timer set, enswel iced, wipes ready, in we go! There may be multiple injuries we need to access. A large gash to the cheek, a nose bleed, a small gash over the eye. We quickly prioritise the injuries dealing with the injury most likely to stop the fight. So the small cut over the eye were blood may impede the fighter’s vision and cause the referee to stop the fight is the number

one priority. The nose bleed and cleaning the fighter up and the gash is priority number two”.

Combat: And after the fight, does your role stop there?

“No, even when the fight has ended we must continue to look after the fighter, cleaning him up and deal with any injuries. If it’s been a close fight and the judges are still watching to see who is

the one dripping blood and that could sway the decision?

Combat: So what are your orders of priority?

“Our top priority is the fighter’s safety and welfare. We look for signs of any serious injury; dark spots around the edge of their vision, this could be warnings of possible detached retina for instance...

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WWW.COMBATMAG.CO.UK COMBAT 21

Bujinkan Tai Every martial art has a unique pattern of moving, and the uninformed can tell from watching the big differences in different arts. Boxing has a different dynamic to Kung Fu, Karate is different to Capoeira, Aikido different to Penkat Silat. Of course there are harder to spot differences between closely related styles which only the well informed ‘insiders’ will notice. The difference between Northern and Southern Praying Mantis style kung fu may only be obvious to, well Kung Fu practitioners. So what are the characteristics of Bujinkan Taijutsu?

To start off and to complicate things, according to Soke Hatsumi taijutsu should be formless. Well that doesn’t really help. The idea here is not to give your opponent any clue as to your level of proficiency or your intention. To be able to achieve this, the use of relaxed awareness is key and leads to the ability to respond smoothly and quickly to unfolding events. But to be formless you start from a solid grounding in form - contradictions are never ending! Once you have ‘internalised’ the stances and formal postures, you return to a natural state with the same intention and attitude. This way you use the correct dynamics, weight distribution and movement even with a shortened and subtler movement.

This teaching of principles rather than fixed forms results in a more flexible approach to survival.

When starting in Bujinkan training there are stances (kamae) to learn and the Kihon Happo no Kata which are the building blocks of Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu. The Kihon Happo no Kata is a set of eight movements, three of which are striking forms and five are joint locks and throws. These are not taught as jissen kata (real fighting techniques) but as forms that contain many principles of distance, timing and footwork. It’s from this and the San Shin no Kata that the taijutsu of the Bujinkan is derived.

The San Shin no kata is a set of five forms that again teach principles and can be readily adapted to weapons applications. It is worth noting that the San Shin no kata taught within the Bujinkan is quite different to that in Karate, and is based on the godai or five elements of chi, sui, ka, fu, ku (earth, water, fire, wind, and void).

Striking hand forms

Top: Boshiken, Shakoken, Fudoken, Bottom: Sanshitanken, Shutoken, Shikanken

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Once the student has learnt the basic forms they then look at achieving it in a flowing manner, using less isolated limb musculature and more body dynamics and core strength to achieve the same effect. They develop variations within each technique, which can mean striking with a different form of fist, in a different place, moving outside the opponent’s stance, or inside, or ending with a throw instead of a restraint or strike.

This process of endless variation helps internalise the principle of the individual kata and keep the student from falling into rigid and unresponsive ways.

Some of the more obvious differences are in the basic beginnings of training. With fudoken the fist is held vertical rather than the 90 degree rotation to horizontal that you may see in Karate and other arts. This is because it translates to weapons work as well as the idea of being able to change the form of the fist (Fudoken, Shutoken, Boshiken, etc) or to a grab or a throw. The other thing is the initial form of striking taught. When starting the student is taught to punch through with an extended arm, this teaches the correct weight distribution and balance needed, and aids learning blocking and receiving techniques. This is then shortened as the student

jutsu

STANCES

By Dave Giddings

progresses to a more jissen kata form once the correct dynamic is internalised. The other thing is footwork, the circular and cross stepping techniques known as shinobi aruki. These are deceptive ways of moving off the line of the attack, while maintaining balance...

To read the rest of this article why not order a back issue, visit www.combatmag.co.uk/backissue

Beginnings Grandmaster Mark Shueys Canemasters

When I mention weapons what comes to mind? A katana shining and shimmering in the light of a rising sun? A pair of rattan sticks from the Philippines blurring in a tornado of destruction? Maybe a butterfly knife or Balisong singing its deadly song of death in its flight? Perhaps the Chinese chain whip cracking through the air as if it were a dragon on the attack? How about a cane? Ridiculous you say?

Have you ever accidently banged your shin against a chair or bumped into someone’s cane? If you did, imagine the impact if the object was coming at you hard and fast. This is the brutal revelation that young 3rd degree black belt candidate Mark Shuey experienced when his Hapkido introduced the new weapon he had to learn for his upcoming promotion test.

Although a short number of techniques, the blocks and strikes he endured by the seemingly useless hunk of wood was humbling to say the least.

After the test the weapon fell into the recesses of his mind as issues such as family, business and other aspects of training were far more urgent issues than playing with a crutch. It wasn’t until many years later a news report of an elderly citizen with a cane being accosted. For whatever reason, something clicked. His life was never the same again.

He saw the problems seniors and people with disabilities faced as follows: • Threats to their physical safety • Poor stamina, strength, flexibility and balance • The cane was like an open invitation to attacks • The stigma they faced was that of they were approaching the end so to speak • Paranoia and lack of confidence as they perceived themselves as targets This was totally unacceptable to him as a martial arts professional.

He began to examine the cane in a different way from before. He saw the timeless and multi-cultural image of the cane as a useful tool and sometimes even a status symbol.

And why not use it? It’s perfectly legal everywhere, even on a plane.

So even for a young and fit martial arts practitioner it made a lot of sense to study it.

The typical drugstore cane however was about as useful as a flyswatter versus a bull. As he already had a long career as a general contractor his knowledge of different woods and how to shape and manipulate them was vast. He began to play with various woods and coatings as well as tweaking the designs to get different results.

He took what he learned the years before from his previous instructor and expanded upon it. He drew upon on wide knowledge of various Korean martial arts and slowly began to devise a system of defensive and offensive techniques that could be mastered quickly and easily by anyone. As he began developing the syllabus, he was surprised the myriad of options that came into play. A cane could hook, smash, poke, scrape, thrust, sweep and disarm. Another beautiful thing was that it could work effortlessly with any established martial art system.

Especially as no one would expect a cane to be used a weapon.

Another serious problem he dealt with was the physical condition of the aging populace. Using just a sturdy cane and a set of exercise bands anyone could greatly improve their conditions and turn back the unkind hands of time. Many people will never come face to face with an assailant but arthritis and other dehabilitating conditions can prove to be even more brutal.

Eventually “Canemasters” became far more than the sum of its parts.

Veteran martial arts champion GM Shuey became an international media sensation. With a growing curriculum and various programs it reached out and helped countless people from military veterans to

elderly people wanting to feel safe going outside to martial arts wanting a practical sidearm to face the hard cold streets at night.

Part One

By Master Guy Edward Larke

Currently Canemasters is divided into The American Cane System (a complete martial art system based on GM Shuey’s lifetime of experience), Cane-Fu (a self-defense program suited for all, but aimed at seniors), his carefully designed exercise system (incorporating a combination of stretching, balance, isometric, and isotonic routines using exercise bands and a cane) and the American Cane Masters Foundation (the non-profit arm of Cane Masters International, that provides funding for Certified Instructors of the American Cane System and Cane-Fu to travel to senior centers, hospitals, and rehabilitation facilities around the world in order to provide instruction on how to use a cane for selfdefense, exercise, and rehabilitation.)

Next issue will begin an analysis of the American Cane System and its relevance in the martial arts community. We are ALL getting older no matter how much we fight it. But we can control how we age and how comfortable we are in our own skin.

Perhaps when we ourselves become more comfortable with the concept of getting older the stigma and victimization of seniors and people with disabilities will cease.

For further information on these programs and the remarkable works of art that come out of GM Shuey’s workshop go to www.canemasters.com Master Guy Edward Larke has dedicated his life from a young age to the pursuit of the martial arts, Asian culture and hopology. It led him to Korea in 2000 and has lived there since then. He lives in Seongnam city with his wife Gi-Ryung and son Alexander. He holds black belts in Taekwondo, Hapkido, Taekkyon, Bon Kuk Kumdo, Korean kickboxing, Karatedo, Wushu, Cheonji-muyedo, and various other arts. Currently he teaches Taekwondo, Karate and Cheonji-muye-do full time in addition to writing for various magazines and running Kisa-Do Muye & Marketing.

He can be contacted at kisa_do_ muye@yahoo.ca.

To read more articles like this make sure you get the next issue of combat available from WH Smith & all good newsagents

training martial artists

The training of a martial artist is one of the most interesting yet bizarre processes I have witnessed in my 30 years of training for sport. My first exposure to martial arts was in the ’90s watching Gracie-Shamrock on VHS. Subsequently, we have been lucky enough, at Mike Boyle’s Strength and Conditioning, to be asked to assist with the training of some of the US’s top martial arts fighters, including Ken Florian and Joe Lauzon.

The first thing I noticed about martial artists was that these athletes train hard, very hard. It seemed the better they are, the harder they train. The second thing I realized about fighters was that effort often mattered more than technique, particularly in the weightroom. Technique in the weight room, it seems, is often an afterthought for fighters.

One thing I establish with all my athletes is the difference between training until failure and training until technical failure. We train until we cannot do another perfect rep. This was a foreign concept to these fighters; they were used to being pushed to exhaustion and beyond, as martial arts is a sport of fatigue tolerance.

What makes you a good martial artist might make you a bad lifter!

One of the major problems with training fighters is that what makes a good fighter can make a bad lifter. The ‘push through pain’ mindset that is so much a part of martial arts training can be a clear disadvantage in the weightroom.

Combine an athlete with mental toughness with a coach hell-bent 26 COMBAT WWW.COMBATMAG.CO.UK

on training to exhaustion, and you get a group of injured athletes.

Another problem with training fighters is that coaches often take the easy route; it’s hard to make someone strong and powerful, but easy to get them in shape. When in doubt, coaches often simply seek to expand the endurance base. I have often argued with coaches in all sports that the limiting factor is strength, not endurance. Many martial arts conditioning coaches do not want to hear this. They will train a weak fighter for muscular endurance even though he cannot do a proper bodyweight squat. My experience with fighters is that it is often a game of survival of the fittest. Those who survive the training actually get to fight. In the process, many bodies end up by the wayside.

to prevent injury.

• The shorter, more mesomorphic types also need to work in the weightroom, but may actually need more aerobic work.

• The tall lanky type with great wrestling or judo often gets trained wrong, never really develops or gets injured.

The Key to Training Fighters!

Another interesting note: the mistake we make with fighters is that we train them all the same.

The key to training fighters in the weightroom is to be technically oriented. Fighters need to be able to perform lifts to perfection before adding external resistance.

Resistance needs to be added with great care, and technique should never be compromised.

The ‘more is better’ coaching style and the lack of trained strength coaches in martial arts has caused athletes to abandon technique and basically use weights to train for the fight. This is a huge mistake.

• The tall ectomorph needs to train for size and strength, as this is what ectomorph’s lack.

However, the ectomorph must be carefully taught and watched

Strength training is to develop strength and power. Most fighters get more than enough specific conditioning during a week, probably too much with jiu-jitsu,

wrestling, boxing and other forms of fighting. If a martial arts athlete needs additional work, stationary bike intervals might actually be the best vehicle as the bike allows the athlete to train energy systems with minimal joint stress.

Fighters, in my mind, should never back squat—in fact, none of my athletes ever back squat—due to the preponderance of back issues associated with it.

All our athletes perform only single-leg squats and singleleg squat variations.

In addition, fighters need to do perfect hang cleans. When told this, many fighters will play the specificity card and try to tell you how ‘specific’ the clean from the floor is to throws and other fight moves. I disagree: The clean from the floor and martial arts have little in common if you truly understand both sports. In Olympic lifting, it is good to extend the knees first to get the chest over the bar. In a good throw, it is the exact opposite. A well-performed hang clean is actually more specific and far safer. This goes back to the previous point about leverage..

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17th of July heralded the first ever Filipino Martial Arts and Indian Marital Arts joint seminar. Tuhon Pat O´Malley of Rapid Arnis International hosted Gurudev Nidar Singh Nihang at the Torbay Gymnastics Centre in Torquay. This seminal meeting of Arts and Minds came about in the spirit of friendship, the common search for knowledge and exploration of martial tradition within their respective cultures.

Both of these Masters are legendary within their own arts. Pat O´Malley has won 5 world titles within Filipino martial arts, coached the British team and been the trainer to over 25 WEKAF World Eskrima Kali Arnis Full Contact World Champions. He also co-founded and is the current chief instructor of Rapid Arnis International.

Master O’Malley is also the leading member and original founder of the infamous ‘Black Eagle Society’ where Eskrimadors from many styles come together to test their skills in full contact no rules stick fighting wearing only head gear and light hand protection.

GurdevNidar Singh Nihang is the last known surviving Gurudev (Master) of ShastarVidiya, the pre-eminent battlefield art of Northern India. He is a published Sikh historian. He has lectured across the world on the Hindu Sikh martial tradition and has contributed to several television documentaries, radio programmes, and publications on the subject.

The seed of this seminar was first planted in 2009 and at the first Martial Arts Festival run by Kwoklyn Wan in Leicester (which grew to become the massively successful TMAS Live at the NEC), where these two masters first crossed paths. An instant cord was struck and after subsequent meetings, at following TMAS Live shows, they decided that it would be a great idea to do a seminar together so that people could appreciate and experience the depth of both martial arts.

to alternate every 15 to 20 minutes bouncing off the previous principle/ technique and whilst expanding upon and interpreting them within the sphere of their own arts. ´The best quote I heard was from Scott Marshall: “These two guys could have taught each other’s art and no one would know the difference”´ The day was a massive success as all participants thoroughly enjoyed themselves, best illustrated by the some of the reflections of the day, as seen below. After which follows an interview between Pat O´Malley and Nidar Singh Nihang.

Gurpreet Dhillow SV Hello, my name’s GurpreetDhillow, I’ve been doing ShastarVidiya for 7 or 8 years. Today’s been a fantastic day, getting to see two masters in actions.

Getting to see similarities between arts, and of course obviously also seeing different ways to achieve the same thing. It’s great to meet new people that have similar opinions about martial arts. Who have lots to share and it’s great being part of the martial arts community.

Scott Marshall Rapid Arnis Edinburgh Hello, my name’s Scott Marshall. I do Rapid Arnis and Filipino self-defence, from Edinburgh. Been doing Rapid Arnis since 2005. The reason I got into rapid Arnis was because I was looking for a weapons based system to add onto other martial arts I’ve done in the past.

Andy Jenson Head Instructor Rapid Arnis London Hi, I’m Andy Jenson the head instructor for Rapid Arnis London.

I’ve been doing Filipino arts since late 2004. What I really liked about the seminar, Filipino arts and indeed SV, is the adaptability. Everything has a combative application. There’s very little in the way of waste, because of that it really struck a chord with me.

I’m glad I came down...

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On the day there was an air of expectation and suspense as no one knew what to expect; both Pat and Nidar Singh are known for their spontaneity and (dark) humour! A bonus to the day was the presence of the BBC World Service, who was doing a feature on Nidar Singh as the last surviving warrior of ShastarVidiya.

The format for the first half of the day involved instruction from both masters, after which they proceeded WWW.COMBATMAG.CO.UK COMBAT 29

Reach out & Someone

Enter Teuk Gong Moo Sool (Part 5) Regardless of the ethnicity, philosophical approach or the intensity of the art, hand strikes are perhaps the most common attacks used in a martial arts arsenal. This is for good reason. They are fast, easy to master, and versatile.

After studying 16 various disciplines in his younger days, Grandmaster Park slowly began cutting to the meat of hand strikes in general. What were the most common strikes? Why were they the most common? How did they differ from system to system and why? Was the whole arm utilized to its whole potential? Why not? This questing attitude hasn’t changed.

Where many Korean masters get annoyed, impatient or irritated by questions such as why, GM Park smiles broadly.

In his quest to develop a truly modern martial art for the world he altered, added, threw away and adopted many ideas in his approach to striking. In regards to striking he saw attacks primarily as straight, circular or snapping. The basic implements used as a result are the fingers (tips and sides), the fist, the knife edge (and the reverse) of the hand and the palm. In latter techniques, the elbow, shoulder and the back of the forearm are brought into play as well.

He stresses the importance of where and how you hit. There is no universal strike or target. You need to get close to your target and analyze your opponent’s body type and stance. When fighting a boxer 30 COMBAT WWW.COMBAT.CO.UK

a TGMS fighter would typically hit the thighs with spear hands. A TKD fighter would likely be on the receiving end of knees and elbows.

Grapplers would likely be put into a subtle finger lock, break it and follow with an elbow lock. Against the veteran or mixed skill fighter a TGMS practitioner would mirror his stance/ movement but very slightly avoid the attack and respond with the same technique.

What follows is a written description of the 17 basic upper body strikes and the most preferred target for each one. Much more detail is available in the book/ DVD series.

1. Jeong-Kwon (“Knuckle Punch”): This seems at first to be the standard corkscrew punch seen in countless styles. One major difference is that the elbow is lightly bent. In TGMS almost none of the strikes are done with a completely straight arm. GM Park’s studies told him that this results in joint problems later in life, plus full power isn’t attained. The second difference is that the fist itself is turned a little extra outward to allow an even further corkscrew effect. The preferred target is the solar plexus. (Pics 1-6)

1...

2. Oh-Lee-Uh (“Upper Blow”): In many ways this resembles the atypical uppercut. It differs in that the blow is more of a snap, than a thrust so it relies on speed to develop power. Obviously it targets the chin.

(Pics 7-10)

7...

Touch

By Master Guy Edward Larke

3. Doh-Lee-Uh (“Screw Blow”): Despite appearances this is NOT a hook. The elbow is bent at 120 degrees and is more direct in its targeting of the ribs. (Pics 11-14)

11...

4. Kwon-Su (“Finger Stab”): To perform this and the other finger attacks there are special exercises and even equipment utilized to condition the fingers as a whole. Many styles use similar strikes in katas/ poomsae, but seldom use it in a real fight. The cart aroid artery on the side of the neck is a good target. One can also slightly bend his fingers and slab/ stab to the eyes. Basically a spear hand. (Pics 15-19)

15...

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Alter Ego: “Which you do you bring to the fight?”

I have been teaching since I was 16 years old, and I can safely say that I have never met a human being that doesn’t have any ‘doubts or fears’ around the reality of what might happen in a self defence scenario and by that I mean a situation where regardless of your ability you are attacked in a manner that truly threatens you.

I was recently at a seminar run

by Mick Gould and during a Q&A session at the end, a police sergeant asked, “Mick, best technique for a knife?” Mick didn’t miss a heartbeat, “After sxxxxxxg yourself!? Well.......” and then gave an explanation.

Personally I’d have paid to have just heard that response alone, I mean when an ex-sas instructor says that, I think it’s a clear indication that we can all cut the bravado and start getting down to the nitty gritty.

What do you need to survive an attack?

Technique: The ‘tools’ to do the job Training: The ‘know ‘how to do the job Competence: The ‘ability’ to do the job Common Sense: To ‘know what is really needed’ to do the job Mind Set: The attitude required to do the job Before you read what comes next, have a quick go at putting these selections into your own order of importance. Try not to read on until you have had a go, it’s just so you have an opinion before we move on.

I want you to consider a loved one and if heaven forbid they entered a situation where they became someone’s prey. What from the five selections above would you want them to have to the best of their ability? Done it? Okay continue....

32 COMBAT WWW.COMBATMAG.CO.UK

I am going to go for Mind Set and I am going to go for that every darn time....period! Mind Set is a pretty big topic in its own right and one that most experienced practitioners, regardless of style, will agree is key and many would argue is the most important factor.

Consider this true story about Los Angeles police officer Stacy Lim, returned home and was confronted by a gang of men who wanted to steal her car. She identifies herself as a police officer. In response one of the gang shoots her in the in the chest with a .357 magnum round (Note: Known in gun self defence circles as an “extremely reliable one shot stopper.”), the round goes through her heart and then on exit blows a hole out the back of her chest the size of a tennis ball!

Right well I don’t know about you, but this isn’t sounding like it has a happy ending?! But then Stacy Lim would not agree; as she actually returned fire and took the fight to them by running ather attacker; whilst shooting at him. Not surprisingly the rest of the gang pegged it (and I am laughing as I write this as I can only imagine the ‘hell on earth’ they’d unleashed; if no where else in the world the phrase, ‘you didn’t expect that to happen did you?’ must apply!).

Stacy Lim then heads back to house, unloading her weapon and tossing

the clip which was found 20 feet away, she doesn’t remember doing this, but she did it because she was trained to ‘not allow your weapon to be used against you’.

Stacy Lim died twice on the operating table (her attacker though only died the once!), she needed a 101 pints of blood and then 8 months later was back on active duty!

That true story overwhelms me and it should you and frankly I think it and those types of stories should be shared as the power of the imagery is often so much more powerful than just words.

I know one thing if someone I care about gets attacked and they are outnumbered and out gunned then I want that story of Stacy Lim in their mind, if someone I have taught or care for is being attacked I want them to hear their own internal voice saying ‘Stacy Lim, Stacy Lim, Stacy Lim’, I want images of what they love pushing them to survive, I want them to understand that when I say ‘Don’t Die!”, that’s what I mean.

What is the reality of what happened here? Great technique in being able to shoot under fire and threat?

Absolutely. Great training that enabled the technique to work under pressure? Absolutely...

The Other I

By Guy Bloom - Defiance Combat Self Defense

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Thoughts from the Dojo

Jumpers for goal posts

They say never turn your hobby into your job, and tempting as this has seemed in the past I always managed to resist. My life evolves around my latest hobby, they keep me occupied both mentally and physically. My hobbies are escapism, a complete break from life’s drudgeries .Starting like alot of kids with stamp collecting, then bird watching I moved onto canoeing, boxing, American football, and for the last 15 years karate. My life is my latest hobby, my friends are all now from the Karate world and most of my spare time is spent teaching and training, no my wife insists I change that last sentence ,not most but all my time is spent at Karate. Does this sound sad, do I feel guilty, well yes possibly but that is the way I am and always have been. When I first meet my wife I was in the boxing gym training 3 hours a night 5 nights a week and running 20 plus miles a week in my spare time.

My trouble has always been that I train in a professional manor but the results are usually very amateurish, and so now I come to the main crux of this article what is the difference between amateur and professional.

Some of my karate contemporise have very successfully turned professional and spend their days happily earning lots of money teaching karate. And to a man or woman I greatly respect their courage and commitment, without them and their type many of the associations around the country would struggle. These people are in reality the back bone of the art and consistently turn out high quality students who support the courses and competitions around the country. I do believe without these people karate would fade away or be watered down to a lesser art.

In the good old days of sport you had gentlemen or professional players and neither mixed unless it was absolutely unavoidable. There was a lot of snobbery around being a gentleman player who competed for the glory of the game and not for the crudeness of money. Maybe that is 34 COMBAT WWW.COMBATMAG.CO.UK

still in our minds but there is to this day a certain amount of snobbery around teaching for the purity of passing on your knowledge for the advancement of your art rather than the pound reward. But I also have the greatest respect for the unpaid heroes of karate, I have trained with several excellent Sensei’s who earn nothing for their time and have no interest in running clubs but have a genuine desire to pass on their experience. But these knowledgeable Senseis will never be well known or be graded to dizzy heights within their associations because of their low profile.

So am I an amateur because I run my clubs part time and make no money from my karate, or a purest for not tainting my karate knowledge by selling it to who ever will pay for it. Or am I fooling my self that because I have been too disorganised

or too scared to break away from the monthly wage and stand on my own two feet I pretend I am keeping my karate pure by not being paid for it.

So is professional and amateur just a state of mind, we use the terms in everyday conversation with a very different slant on their meaning, “ That job was done in a very amateurish way” or “ Its good to have the job done by a real professional”. Then there is the way you train rather than the way you teach, I know of a lot of students that train very hard, very regularly and take in every thing they are taught in a very professional way without receiving a penny. When I go to competitions I see students sparring and performing katas at a level of competence and athleticism that I can only dream of that is as far from amateur as you can get but still no money changes hands. As an amateur boxing coach I saw a level

of dedication or professionalism from some of my unpaid boxers that went far beyond the level I found once I got my professional licence and started training paid boxers.

As all martial arts stem from and continue to be a fighting form can we do them as a hobby or like the early practitioners should it only be practiced as if your life depended on it? Can I truly say I train in a professional manor if my physical restrictions mean the end result may look amateurish? Maybe I have to except my limitations and realise at 55 I cannot do karate like a student of 20, hopefully what I gain over the years in improved techniques will compensate for the drop in fitness. So does the way I teach and train rather than the exchange of money make me amateur or professional in the true sense of the words.

Several years ago I went to watch the Shaolin monks at the Wheel of Life show and managed to blag my way behind scenes and spent a happy hour or so watching them train and mess about. My first reaction was total awe and I went back to my Sensei full of stories of amazing stunts. Now my Sensei has an unerring ability to cut to the core of the issue, she neatly summed it up by saying” well they should be good they’ve got nothing else to do all day”. Although I was incredible impressed by the Shaolins I was also very depressed as it made me realise they were the true professionals in every sense of the word and I was just an amateur messing around on the fringe of martial arts.

To put it in football terms many of the martial artists I watch and envy are premier league players whilst many of us and without doubt myself are playing football at the week end on the park with jumpers for goal posts.

But should this put me off doing what I enjoy should it stop me striving to be the best I can, no of course not.

By John Broughton

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Exit Casanova Wong

Enter Wong-Ho Part One By Master Guy E. Larke

The Hong Kong action genre was truly a famous (or from others points of view, infamous) period in motion picture history. It affected film making globally, particularly action film making, in ways that can never be fully described. A few legends emerged from this era, yet sadly the majority seemed to disappear as fast as they came. Among the plethora of forgotten heroes was a Korean Taekwondo expert nicknamed by his publicists “Casanova Wong”.

Wong burst onto the scene in 1977 in the highly successful “Shaolin Plot” and put out hit movie after hit movie for nearly a decade before returning back to Korea. While in HK he was privileged enough to work under the legendary Sammo Hung and still considers him an inspiration to this day.

In Korea he continued his reign in action films and even performed in dramas to expand himself as an actor.

In addition to this he began a new career in directing and producing his own films. Eventually, as in HK, even Korean stars can quickly vanish into the recesses of history. It was during this period he formulated his own synthesis of martial and cultural arts which he named Cheon Ji Muye Do (literally Heaven and Earth Martial Arts).

For me it was a chance encounter at a large bookstore in Seoul (in August of 2006) as I found an unusual book that was part HK photo album, part martial arts textbook, and part biography. The back cover showed a large poster for the classic HK film Warriors Two in which he appeared with Sammo Hung. I was intrigued and after a few hours on the internet my wife was able to connect with him over the phone. Shortly thereafter we met in the port city in Ulsan. 5 years later I am sitting in a café with Grandmaster Wong-Ho discussing our training together, his life in movies and the future of Cheon Ji Muye Do. 36 COMBAT WWW.COMBATMAG.CO.UK

Do you think if you were discovered by someone else (other than Golden Harvest) you would had a different experience in HK?

and around me at the busy streets and buildings and thoughts came flooding through my head about my home and starting the rest of my life there. I still feel like it was so short of a time ago.

WONG-HO: Obviously it would have taken me much longer to get the top.

If you want to succeed you had better just go straight to a big company.

How did you meet Sammo Hung? How important is he to you?

How important was it to be in the right projects in the HK movie industry? Did it matter?

Wong-Ho: Most of my movies were made by Golden Harvest and directed by Huang Feng. They did nothing “small.” Whenever I considered a new project I looked at the set and the kind of money being invested. GH was always top notch.

If I went me with a smaller company I looked at whom the director was and the role in which I would take on.

What were a few of your most memorable moments in HK? WONG-HO: The very first day I arrived in HK they had a large welcome dinner for me at an expensive hotel. Afterwards I walked out into the streets and looked up

WONG-HO: In my very first movie in HK, Sammo was the fight choreographer. Because he was, and still is, such a great choreographer, I was able to discover my latent talents and express what I wanted to on screen. In part he created Casanova Wong. So many people attack him out of petty jealousy. I have nothing but admiration for him. He worked hard to get where he is now.

How did that period of your life affect you as a martial artist? How much Chinese influence is there in your current art?

WONG-HO: As I was in HK I developed far more in my training as I had to study various Kung Fu styles, Judo, etc. Once again Sammo Hung played a role in my education and in doing so helped me advance spiritually as well as technically. If I connected with someone who wasn’t as mature or

spiritually “together” as him I wouldn’t be the man I am today. It’s the same with everyone. The kind of people you meet affects who you become.

As far as influences, Korean styles used a lot of kicking techniques, while Chinese used a wide variety of hand techniques. Basically I tried to take what I felt was the optimum combination of both nations’ arts, plus I added aspects needed for movie choreography and even for the streets. In addition I added a very unique form of meditation, a systemized set of breathing exercises, calligraphy-based movements for weapons and ceramic making exercises to assist in joint locks and blocking.

What were the best and worst parts of being in the golden age of martial arts movies?

WONG-HO: The best part was that since I was young I was in my prime.

I could express myself 100% then. As I was in films, in a way I am eternally young. I can’t do some of those techniques anymore. I’m not 25. But I can always look at myself on film and use it as an instructional tool.

Meet & train with Wong Ho at...

As far as the worst part? Nothing.

People by and large never appreciate what they have, but if they honestly look back later they would be appreciate what they did have. This generation doesn’t appreciate what they have. Ordinary people never had the chance to be in movies so everything they say is hearsay. I can prove what I say though.

Why did you finally go back to Korea?

WONG-HO: When I was in HK I was preparing for my debut as a movie director. Korea had four seasons and a wider variety of scenery. Also at that time it was much cheaper to make a movie there. Sadly HK was very limited in size and variety of locations.

Interestingly enough, I shot movies in Korea, but they were released in HK. From HK they reached the world.

Do you ever regret that decision?

WONG-HO: None. Although I do admit sometimes my mind drifts that way as I actually had plans of moving to America when I was young rather than back to Korea. Once again, so much depends on who you meet.

If you stayed just a few more years in HK, where do you think you’d be now?

WONG-HO: As an actor or a director perhaps I would have developed more, but as a human being? I don’t think so. I experienced a lot of hardships after I returned. On the positive side it allowed me to develop my art, my philosophy, and my action festivals and create Asia’s first action movie university major.

When did you start teaching? What exactly did you instruct?

WONG-HO: About six years ago at Han-Min University here in Korea after developing Cheon Ji Muye Do. In 2010 I became the head professor for the Action Movie major there as well. This puts me closer to ultimate goal of building my own martial arts university and martial arts village.

Did you have any favorite or famous students?..

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