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Traditional Martial Arts, Combat Sports and Self Defense Magazine. Free read & download. Online issue. 200 November 2 fortnight - Year XXIV
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asters frequently wish to imprintstrong, firm and even rigidguidelines to their teachings.Wielding certainties that everyonelacks, but which are based on their
own shortcomings, they believe that their truth isbeyond all doubt - the truth to be transmitted -, andthat their only mistake is being "soft".
Such attempt is not only banal, but a clear sign oftheir lack of wisdom in their teaching authority."Autoritas" cannot be imposed by force, but byvirtue and this is not coercive, but friendly andgraceful... only he who convinces wins at the end.
Almost 90% of today’s problems come fromexcess pressure, including depression, which isnothing but a "false opposed", result of the former. Inthis scenario, traditional teaching formulas must findinspiring alternatives and there are many in the East.
Once overcome the anachronisms and egoproblems, East has to offer effective teaching andreflection vehicles that invoke and evoke the best ofeach student, without resorting to the usual fraud,humiliation or punishment. However much a donkeycan be guided with the stick and the carrot, modernmethodologies should learn to sharpen the carrot tothe detriment of the stick. Sure, the stick has itsadvantages in the short term, but it leaves somescars that are difficult to erase and, as in the case oftaming the bravest horses, you risk losing the bestones in the naive attempt of achieving the best ofthem by means of whipping.
Between the violent horse breaking of the Far Westand the initiatory domestication of American Indians,there's a long gap. But everything is a product of theenvironment... the abundance of horses in theAmerican West didn't require from cowboys anysophistication for the development of their tamingmethod. They rode a horse and whipped him untilthe animal surrendered. The bravest ones, the bestof them, however, would die because they refused tosurrender.
Native Americans followed much more subtlemethods. For them, horses were an extremely
valuable asset and conquering them called formanhood far away from violence. Usually gettingone’s own horse was an initiatory experience whichrequired several days of dedication andcommitment.
The young teenager equipped himself for the taskwith some dried meat and a water gourd, and withno other weapon than a blanket and a rope headedthe herd. At first, horses ran away as soon as theysaw him coming, but he persisted and the animals,uncomfortable with the presence of a visitor, took anincreasingly longer time to move away. Once he hadchosen his goal, the youngster started approachingthe horse he liked all day and night. The herd itselfwas isolating the individual, perceiving that he wasthe cause of their troubles. The first stage had beenachieved.
Horses need a long time to graze, so the insistenceof the boy ended up taking the animal to a state ofhunger and frustration, whereas he, alone and armedwith his determination, could hold out with buffalodry meat. Typically, after several days, the colt,isolated, tired and hungry, allowed the rider to getcloser and closer, as he tried to eat as much aspossible. Finally, at the right distance, the young manoffered him feed and water from his hand. The restwas done by caresses, the magic of words and thebeautiful intimacy of Indian people with nature.
As the old sayings go, brain is better than brawnand honey catches more flies than vinegar. Anyformula that appeals to violence, hardness orstiffness, produces physical, emotional and spiritualscars. Every martial artist should reflect on this point,because violence lurks behind every practice, artand tradition, and dragging along methodologies andformulas that are only based on fact that they werealways done so, doesn't favor transgression,evolution, or improvement. The melancholy of "anytime in the past was better" it is a force contrary togrowth. Bones ache after a few years and what isworse, the soul is dried. But one thing is true:Impassive and proud, cowboys gallop towards thesunset horizon. If you love scabies, they don't hurt.
"Every person who passes through our life is unique.They always leave a little of themselves and take away alittle of us. There will be those who will take a lot, butthere won't be anybody who doesn't leave us anything.This is the proof that two souls don't meet by chance." Jorge Luís Borges
"I do not know where our humor comes from, but in theworst situation in the world that may
occur you can simply sit there and laugh. I guess it's because good always emerges from within,
regardless of when or where."Renne Hallett, Seneca Tonawanda Tribe
M
3
Alfredo Tucci is Managing Director to BUDO INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING CO.e-mail: [email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/alfredo.tucci.5
Shaolin Master Shi Yanti was born in HenanProvince, China, in 1984. He is a monk of the34th generation of the Songshan ShaolinTemple and a direct disciple of Venerable AbbotShi Yong Xin.Seeing his father practice Kung Fu, he became
interested in Martial Arts at an early age.When he was 13 years old, he began topractice in a more serious way; he loved KungFu so much that he finally decided to enter theShaolin Temple. In 2002 he was selected by theGroup of Shaolin monks and he immediatelybegan to train under the tutelage of Abbot ShiYong Xin, who is his Master to this day.The Abbot taught him a lot, and seeing the
potential of his disciple, he sent him to NanjingUniversity in 2008. There he studied religionsand philosophy of the world. Later he passed allthe exams to become a true monk (bhikkhu)fully ordained; but that was not enough forMaster Yanti who wanted to learn more. Soonce he finished his studies in Nanjing, AbbotShi Yong Xin and the Chinese governmentqualified him to access to the University ofSingapore in 2009, where he studiedBuddhism, English and Science and Society fortwo years.Later, when he returned to Shaolin Temple, he
continued working with his Master Abbot ShiYong Xin and was given the task of caring forforeign visitors who came to the Temple. Thisallowed him to practice and improve his English.Recently, thanks to his valuable experiences
and his exceptional skills in Kung Fu, he has hadthe opportunity to travel outside China, mainlyto Europe, to teach the Shaolin culture, ChiKung and Kung Fu, and where he has foundmany students. Until today, the Shaolin MasterShi Yanti continues to learn Chan Buddhism andthe traditional Gong Fu at the Shaolin Temple.
Text: Shifu Bruno TombolatoShi Xing Jing, 32nd Generation of the Shaolin TemplePhotos: www.budointernational.com
Shaolin Qin Na
Qin Na can be seen as a style in itself,since it requires a thorough study not onlyof the joints but of anatomy in general.Qin (擒 ) means "capture", and Na (拿 )
means "control." The two words together,Qin Na, can be translated as "capture andcontrol", then we can say that Qin Natechniques are those movements ofgripping, pressure and dislocationthrough which we can control ouropponent in a defense situation. TheShaolin Qin Na techniques are usedto neutralize or interrupt an attack.The Shaolin Temple has an
illustrious history and a long track inMartial Arts and more precisely in QinNa techniques. Although its origins dateback almost from the foundation of ShaolinTemple, is well known that during the lastChinese dynasty (Qing Dynasty 1644-1911), theQin Na techniques were already quite popularamong the general population so it was in thistime that the capture and control techniqueslived their heyday and expansion.
The legend of Shaolin Qin NaDamo (Bodhidharma) developed his
techniques by observing the trapping of animals.In ancient Shaolin there already existed a style
called Chan Chin Na Shou (缠 丝 擒拿 手 ).According to legend, the Shaolin Chin Na wasborn in the times of Damo (Bodhidharma) andoriginated from the techniques of capturinganimals. It is claimed that Damo taughtBuddhism in the Shaolin Temple in the SongShan Mountain, and he had often seen wildanimals attacking the monks, so he thought of away to protect the monks but without harmingliving creatures. Damo began to imitate themovements of capturing animals used by thetownspeople, while studying the system of jointsof the animal body and weaknesses; in the end,he found a way to twist and turn bones andjoints and completed a whole series ofcapturing techniques, and that was thebeginning of Chin Na. Then, and while hisdisciples increased, Damo created variousforms of Kung Fu, although some of hisdisciples before being Shaolin monks hadtheir own techniques of Kung Fu, so
they made a great contribution toenrich and develop the Shaolin ChinNa.Tan Zhong, the invincible monkAnother popular story dates the
evolution and development of Qin Natechniques in the final period of theSui Dynasty and the beginning of theTang Dynasty, in a war betweenEmperor Li Yuan (李渊 ), of the TangDynasty, against General WangShichong (王世充), of the Sui Dynasty.The son of Li Yuan, Li Shimin (李世民,the second emperor of the TangDynasty) was imprisoned in Luoyang.To save his son Li Shimin, Li Yuansent a letter to the Shaolin Templeasking for help. In the year 620, the
Shaolin monks enlisted in the war andrescued Li Shimin. Among the warriormonks, there was a monk named TanZong (昙 宗), with a very high level ofKung Fu, he specialized in ShaolinChin Na and earned the greatest meritin the war. When Li Shimin succeededhis father on the throne, he appointedmonk Tan Zong as General of theTang Army, and rewarded the ShaolinTemple with 40 hectares of land. TheEmperor ordered the construction ofmore than 2000 homes in the Temple,and over 2000 warrior monks weretrained. In addition these monks wereallowed to eat meat and drink wine. Atthat time the Shaolin Temple hadreached its peak.At that time, the Kung Fu of the
Shaolin Temple was directly related to
the war, therefore, the developmentand training of Shaolin Kung Fu beganto be much more important. Toimprove their fighting techniques, themonks decided to train Chin Na,amongst other reasons because theyrealized that it was very practical inthe hand to hand combat. Instructorsand Masters of the Temple invitedother famous masters from otherregions to teach the monks. Alsomany famous martial artists came tothe Shaolin Temple because of itsfame and offered their own Kung Futechniques.So from its origins, the Shaolin Qin
Na, combined with different stylesfrom different regions, and through itsconstant evolution and improvement,was gradually developing its own
“Qin Na can be seen as astyle in itself, since it requires a thorough study
not only of the joints but of anatomy in general.”
characteristics to what we know today.While these are just legends, in regard
with the development of the Qin Natechniques in Shaolin, it is worth notingthat the Qin Na has been present in allChinese Martial Arts and still is; even itmay be considered a subsystemwithin other Martial Arts systems or,as mentioned above, a style initself.
CharacteristicsThe practice of Qin Na
practice should be carried outgiving a greater emphasis onthe development of control andthe needed sensitivity to leavethe attacker defenseless bymeans of any of the fiveprinciples of Qin Na.
The 5 Qin NaPrinciples (wuqínnáyuánzé 五 擒拿 原则)
1. The division of the muscle ortendon (Fenjin 分筋)
Fen Jin uses two areas of attackand defense: "Zhua Jin" and "NaXue." Zhua Jin (抓紧 ) is appliedthrough the tearing of the muscleand / or tendon, while Na Xue (捺穴 ) is performed by applyingpressure on the cavities (pressurepoints).
“Qin Na can be seen as a style in itself,
since it requires athorough study not onlyof the joints but ofanatomy in general.”
2. Incorrect placing of the bone (Niugu 扭骨)
Niugu focuses on bone manipulation and dislocation,which results in dislocating or breaking bones anddamaging the joints, muscles or tendons around thebones.3. Blocking or stopping the breath(Biqi 闭 气)Bi Qi are techniques to block or stop the breath. One
example is a blow in the upper chest, below the armpit, oran attack to the solar plexus, which will result in theinterruption of breathing frequency. These attacks causethe muscles below the ribs surrounding the lungs toconstrict, forcing them to stop working for a few seconds.Another way is to press, hit or block the neck to close theairway.
4. The blocking of a vein or artery(Dian Mai 点 脉)Dian Mai (known as Dimmak) is used to interrupt the
blood circulation, the motor function, or the bodymovement. When used correctly, these pressure pointscan help in healing the body, but when used in othercombinations, Dian Mai can cause great physical pain,
immobilize the body, loss of consciousness or causeserious injury or, very rarely, cause death. Dian Mai is avery dangerous aspect of Qin Na and it should be onlyrevealed and taught to those with the highest moral andethical principles.
5. Pressing a channel of Qi (dianxué 点穴)Xue Dian or "cavity pressure," also known as "pressure
point". Qi channel - nerve and vein / artery or nervepressure center. These body points govern the properfunctioning of the organs, the blood circulation, or themaintenance of body, mind and spirit.While the first four principles are easy to teach and easy
to apply, only high level Martial Arts Masters are able toproperly use the techniques of Dian Xue.Xue Dian does not require as much muscle power (jinli劲力) as the first four, but it requires the ability to use thepersonal energy. This energy is known as Qi (气), the vitalenergy or life force that feeds the body, the mind and thespirit.
Shifu Bruno TombolatoShi Xing Jing, 32nd Generation of the Shaolin Temple
It is with great pleasure that I present a new seriesof videos about Shaolin. It took us a while to find theright person for the task, but when Master Tombolatotold me about Master Yan Ti, I immediately saw in himthe ideal profile to work in a new video series for all ofyou lovers of Kung Fu and Shaolin . With this work, weare also inaugurating a series of videos also translatedinto a new language, Chinese, which pleases us greatly.This first video will be much cheaper than the previousones, only 15 euros! and its price on download is theusual one. We hope that the new formula pleases you.
Alfredo Tucci, Director.
Shifu Yan Ti belongs to a newgeneration of better trained Shaolin
Masters (he speaks excellent English aswell as other languages) which have
arisen under the shadow and tutelage ofbig names like the great Shi de Yang.
Spreading the knowledge of Shaolin hasbeen and will always be a guideline of this
magazine.
Alfredo Tucci, Director.
All DVDs, wichi is produced by Budo International,si provided and alone in the formats DVD-5 orMPEG-2, in VCD, DivX or the like is however nevesoffered with a special holograma sticker. Besidesour DVD is characteristed coverings by the higquality in pressure and material. If this DVD and/orthe DVD covering do not corespond to therequirements specified above, it concerns illegalpirat copy.
REF.: • KMISS-1REF.: • KMISS-1
In this DVD, Master Marco Morabito, with exclusive rights forBudo International, presents a preview of the Israeli KravMaga Survival System. In this colossal work, the basicmethod and techniques of this discipline are illustrated in aclear and transparent manner. That is, no secrets, but in an
extraordinary job that will take you to the verycore of self-defense. The techniques are
illustrated so that they are easilyunderstood by all. A truly uniqueopportunity to approach self-defense or improve yourknowledge on the subject. Theauthor is one of today’s topself-defense exponentsworldwide and has to hiscredit an extensiveexperience both in themilitary field and in securitycompanies; awardedseveral times in variouscountries and acclaimed byhis courses and seminarsaround the world, he hasbecome an internationalspokesperson for differentcombat and self-defensesystems, little known but highly
effective. He has learned andstudied all over the world, from
Japan to the US, via Poland, Spain,Cape Verde, Germany, Israel, France
and Russia, a continued research inremote areas of the world, such as Siberia or
the desert of Texas, without stopping at any point inhis tireless search for new knowledge without ever stopasking questions. The Israeli Krav Maga Survival System isnot a discipline or a set of rigid rules, but a method, a processof continuous and constant evolution. This makes it adaptableto any situation and circumstance and permeable to anychanges, and then be able to take stock of its mistakes anduse the experience as an opportunity to improve.
Budo international.comORDERS:
n general, the word Boxing refers to a wide genre ofcombat sports in which two opponents face oneanother using their fists, exclusively or not, differingfrom various sports according to their rules, like theaforementioned English Boxing or Boxing itself, FrenchBoxing or Savate, Chinese Boxing or Shaolin Boxing,
Kickboxing or Japanese Boxing, Muay Thai or Thai Boxing,ancient Greek Boxing systems, l ike Pygmachia andPankration, etc.
In ancient Greece, Boxing was included in the Olympics.From its origins it was a popular sport.
In Rome, the contenders used the "cestus", metal handprotectors studded with nails, with which they even got to killtheir contenders.
Farang Combat and Puerto Rican Boxing
One of the main bases of the FarangCombat martial style can be found in theboxing rudiments of Puerto Rico mixedwith the positions and attacks of FarangMu Sul (martial style founded by GrandMaster Michael De Alba).
Using eight basic combinations of blowsand movements, the Farang Combatsystem develops effectively surprising andquick attacks in the practit ioner'sdefenses and attacks.
According to cyber informationnetworks, Boxing is a combat sport inwhich two opponents fight using only theirfists to hit each other above the waist.While also using Boxing combinations, theFarang Combat style adds blows to theopponent's thigh with high efficacy.
Farang Combat
I
“Boxing and Wrestling aretwo of the oldest sports andthere are records in Egyptand in the East dating back
to the fourth millennium BC.”
Boxing and Wrestling are two of the oldest sports andthere are records in Egypt and in the East dating back to thefourth millennium BC. The first data of a Boxing match inmodern times is located in England in 1618: the Duke ofAlbemarle organized a match between his butler and hisbutcher.
Boxing was also practiced in the early days of ancientRome, but with the emergence of Christianity it was virtuallyeliminated as an activity across Europe. Contrary to whathappened in Europe, Boxing was widespread throughoutAsia. It is commonly thought that Muay Boran or AncestralBoxing appeared at the beginning of the Christian era inSoutheast Asia.
Its origin is African and dates back to 6000 a. C., in thearea of modern Ethiopia, from where it first spread toancient Egypt and then to the Mesopotamian civilizations,where bas-reliefs depicting boxers dating from 5,500 BCwere found amongst its ruins. From Egypt, Boxing passedto the Minoan civilization that was developed in Crete, whilefrom Mesopotamia it expanded to India.
Egyptian boxers used a kind of glove that covered theirfists up to their elbows. The custom of wearing gloves isalso found in Crete and then in ancient Greece, where wefind references to Boxing in Homer's Iliad, in the 8thcentury BC.
My first experience with boxing begins in 1979. One of myneighbors had won the featherweight "Golden Gloves". Asyou can imagine, most days he instructed me in therudiments of boxing to learn its moves and combinations.Every Friday, the adults in the community did their ownboxing posters, thus creating enthusiasm and fanaticism forthe sport among all of us from an early age.
At that time, boxing gloves were very expensive, so weonly had a pair of gloves. I remember my father used to flipa coin in order to raffle the right glove. The left glove, ofcourse, went to the loser... Our quarrels were no set time,the winner was the one who knocked out or tired theopponent.
Our boxing events went on for a couple of years. As wekept using only one hand to punch and the other to block,we became masters in fighting with just one hand! Iremember as if it were only yesterday my first street fight.Two abusers were seeking the excuse to see someonebleed. To my dismay, I was the chosen one. Without a word,the brawl began. Very quickly, I knocked down the firstattacker and, to my delight, the second chose not to fight!
Today I continue to use the movements and attacks ofone hand that I learned in our boxing billboards, whichwere so effective for me in the violent streets and then onthe ring.
Farang Combat
Roy Jerry Hobbs has had a Martial Arts career that extends to the masteryof seven disciplines. Beginning with Judo in 1958, he became a highlyrespected master teacher of three styles of Karate, Kobudo, Aikijujutsu, andIaido. He has lived in Japan, and traveled to South Korea, China, andIndonesia to research in the martial traditions of those countries.Hobbs Sensei has had a very successful military career, retiring from the
U.S. Air Force as a Colonel in 2004, after 33 years of service. He now spendshis time traveling the world teaching Martial Arts. Additionally he regularlytravels to Japan to deepen his in knowledge of Okinawan and Japanese martialarts.Currently Hobbs Sensei's biggest passion is the study of Iaido. In that realm
he serves as the International Director of the Dai Nippon Toyama Ryu IaidoKyokai, and as the Vice President of the Kokusai Budo Koryu Kyokai. Bothgroups have their headquarters in the Kansai area of Japan.
Text: Sensei Boulahfa Mimoun
Budo International: In what countries do you think that MartialArts are still practiced as in ancient times or as tradition demands?Roy Jerry Hobbs: From my experience there are a traditional martial
artists in virtually every country. As an example, the Dentokan, has apresence in seventeen different countries on virtually every continent inthe world.
B.I.: Where have you trained most, in a more realistic way andwith a greater intensity enough to desire going back home?R.J.H.: I have trained most in the USA and Europe, but I have spent a
lot of time in Japan. I lived in Japan from 1980 to 83, and again from1997 to 99. Furthermore I have visited Japan many, many times fortraining.
B.I.: On which of the Martial Art styles that you practice you feelmore at ease?R.J.H.: I feel equally comfortable doing Karate and Jujutsu. But, as I
get older, I find I really enjoy Iaido.
B.I.: Tell us any history that impressed you, during your journeythrough Martial Arts?R.J.H.: My fondest memories are the times I have been able to train
with many of the old teachers in Okinawa. Three of my Okinawa Karatemasters have passed away, and another one is now 86 years old.These masters were and are the generation that has preserved the oldways of Okinawa Karate and Kobudo. It is now our duty to do the same.
B.I.: What was your worst experience in Martial Arts, if any?R.J.H.: I trained with a really crazy master one time. It was a bad
experience, but it was also funny in a way, especially when he cuthimself.
B.I.: When you teach, can you feel the difference among people ofdifferent countries?R.J.H.: Yes, culture does play an important role. Unfortunately in
many developed countries the students are too lazy, it's the result ofliving a soft life.
B.I.: Which are your objectives from now on after 57 years ofpractice?R.J.H.: All I want is to continue to learn, teach, and train. Now I am
concentrating on the Japanese sword. It is a really fascinating art, withdeep cultural and historical roots.
B.I..: Your next trip? R.J.H.: My next trip will again be to Japan. I will be visiting and
training in the Kansai area and Okinawa.
B.I.: How long have you been studying Martial Arts? R.J.H.: I have been studying Martial Arts since 1958, that is, 57 years.
B.I.: What was the first martial art that you began to practice? R.J.H.: I first studied Judo. In 1965 I began to study Karate, Jujutsu,
and Kobudo. Finally in 1970 I began to study Iaido.
Arts from Japan
B.I.: How did you manage tostudy so many martial arts? R.J.H.: I was a member of Shogo
Kuniba's Seishinkai organization,which included the teaching ofShito-Ryu Karate, Okinawa Kobudo,Goshin Budo (Jujutsu), and Mugai-Ryu Iaido. Also at that t ime inAmerica there was a kind ofcooperative agreement between theSeishinkai and the U.S. Hakko-RyuJujutsu association.
B.I.: And you also studied inJapan, right?R.J.H.: Yes, in fact I lived there
from 1980 to 1983, and again in1997 to 1999. Besides, I havetraveled there many, many times fortraining.
B.I.: Who are some of theteachers that you have trained
with in Japan? R.J.H.: I have trained extensively
with Kiichi Nakamoto (Goju-RyuKarate & Kobudo), Seiki Toma(Shorin-Ryu & Kobudo), Shian Toma(Seidokan Karate & Kobudo),Seikichi Odo (Okinawa Kobudo),Yasuo Kawano (Goju-Ryu Karate),Ryuho Okuyama (Jujutsu), YasuhiroIrie (Jujutsu), Atsushi Shimojo(Toyama-Ryu & Mugai-Ryu Iaido),and Takashi Ishikawa (Toyama-RyuIaido).
B.I.: What is the name of yourorganization? R.J.H.: It's the "Sekai Dentokan
Bugei Renmei, Inc.", that roughlytranslates as "World TraditionalMartial Arts Federation".
B.I.: What arts are taught withinthe Dentokan?
R.J.H.: Currently we teach Goju-Ryu Karate, Shorin-Ryu Karate,Okinawa Kobudo, NihonAikijujutsu, Toyama-Ryu Iaido, andMugai Ryu Iaido. We are also inthe process of establishing theShito-Ryu Karate presence withinthe Dentokan.
B.I..: How many Dentokanbranches are there throughout theworld? R.J.H.: At present we have
seventeen country branches locatedin Austria, Botswana, France,Greece, Indonesia, India, Ireland,Kenya, New Zealand, Russia, SouthAfrica, Switzerland, Turkey, UnitedKingdom, United States of America,Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
B.I.: Is there any main focuswithin the Dentokan?
Arts from Japan
R.J.H.: No, not really. Some of our members only doone art, others do everything we offer. It just depends.However, we have been very active lately instrengthening our Iaido program. Atsushi Shimojo,Soke, has been very helpful in this regard. He is thePresident of two Martial Arts organizations in Japan: theDai Nippon Toyama Ryu Iaido Kyokai (DNTRIK), and theKokusai Budo Koryu Kyokai (KBKK). I serve asInternational Director to the DNTRIK and Vice Presidentin the KBKK.
B.I.: I see that you travel a lot. Is it mainly forbusiness or pleasure? R.J.H.: I travel very often outside U.S.A. to teach in
other countries. I also travel to Japan several times ayear for training and organizational meetings.
Interview made at Moulton College Northampton(England). Jerry and I have been close friends in the last30 years.
At the early age of fifteen, a youngjudoka entered the gymnasium of thealready very famous Master andfighter, Helio Gracie, asking to seehim. After waiting a while, Helio, whohad overheard the youngster’scomment, went out to see who itwas. “You have said that the judokasare weak, and I’m not weak,” saidthe boy. Helio, who never missed anopportunity to demonstrate thesuperiority of his system, andcharmed by this youngster’scharacter, invited him to fight thenand there with a student of his, withJudo rules.“Helio’s student was so technically
superior that he was all over me!”Masur tells us. “Nonetheless, I heldfirm, getting up over and over again,without giving up. Things heated upand we began to throw strikes. ThenHelio detained the fight and said:“No! If you want to fight Vale Tudo,
then do it with this other student ofmine.”I don’t even have to tell you that I
kept getting beat on, and even moreso!Helio thought that I had already
had a big enough lesson, but I didn’tgive up. “Leave it, already,” Heliosaid. “That’s enough.”But I said to him: “No, I don’t want
you to think I’m weak.”He laughed and led me to the
dressing room. Coming out, heinvited me to train at his school, butI didn’t have any money then…butHel io, who no doubt l iked myfearlessness, told me that that wasnot a problem. That day changed myl ife forever. I could never beappreciative enough of my dearMaster!
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Alfredo Tucci© Budo InternationalPhotos:
Text:
“When that fifteen-year-oldjudoka asked to meet the
already famous Helio Gracie,he couldn’t have imagined that
he would becomeone of hisclosest
collaboratorsand beststudents.”
“In the Kioto Self-defense system, the keys are in controlling, leading,
and eliminating the adversary in the firstdefense. The details on the ground belong
to another part of Jiu-Jitsu”
“That which today they call MMA issimply Jiu-Jitsu, because in Jiu-Jitsuthere is everything, and that is sobecause Jiu-Jitsu is self-defense.”
The complete Brasilian Jiu-Jitsu self-defense system
Jiu-Jitsu was created as a real fighting system. According toGrand Master Mansur, this is the true strength of Jiu-Jitsu:“This is the reason why, from the first day that a studentattends a Jiu-Jitsu class, he can begin to apply the techniquesthat he learns. The essential thing in Jiu-Jitsu is self-defense;without it, there wouldn’t be any Jiu-Jitsu.”When that fifteen-year-old judoka asked to meet the already
famous Helio Gracie, he couldn’t have imagined that he wouldbecome one of his closest collaborators and best students.Over the years, that learning bore its fruits, and Mansur grewas a fighter, first-rate practitioner, and afterward, as a teacherand expert, creating in Rio two of the most successful Jiu-Jitsugymnasiums, today run by his sons. His special teaching ability
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
and his charm, as well as his firmness, allowed the young students fromhis school to win again and again in all the championships. This man’spedagogy, his ability to teach, is undoubtedly one of his greatestqualities compared to other teachers in the field. He has developed aperfectly organized system so that students can take maximumadvantage of each class. This is also the case of his videos and bookthat we are honored to present.On this occasion, Mansur undertakes the arduous task of adapting the
methodology of the complete system that he learned from his MasterHelio Gracie, with regard to self-defense. He doesn’t recognize theimprovements he has included in it, which shows how much respect hehas for his Master! On the other hand, it is natural that it’s been like this;it is the obligation of all good students to try to improve the work of theirMaster. Not carrying out this task would be to negate evolution itself.Helio did the same thing when he received Japanese Jiu-Jitsu,
“The details on the groundbelong to another part of Jiu-Jitsu.”
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
transforming it, improving its efficiency. In Kioto Jiu-Jitsu, Mansur has completed a similar task, the fruit ofundeniable experience, almost 50 years as a teacher,35 of them as a policeman in the city of Rio de Janeiro.Could there be a more adequate place to speak ofeffectiveness and realism? For those who don’t knowthis city, well… let’s just say that surviving in it for 35years as a policeman is already a merit.
Mansur, who adores and respects Helio, would neveradmit it. Surely, when he reads this text, he’ll get angry
with me, but I owe it to my readers, and this is the truth.Mansur’s vast work in self-defense really fills up three
normal videos (basic, intermediate, and advanced), whichappear on two DVDs full of didactic material. We didn’twant to leave anything out. The techniques are explainedin great detail and demonstrated. Even when they aredone in kimono, the Master assures us that its applicationin street-clothes is the same. Nothing changes. “You can apply the techniques with kimono, on the
ground, and even in water! My wife, Sheila, knows thisvery well” (laughter).
Great Masters
Sheila, the Master’s wife, who accompanied him onthis trip to Europe, nods: “It’s true that when I was muchyounger, I had a lot of success with men (smiling). On oneoccasion, I was sexually assaulted in Copacabana whiletraining in the sea… The assailant got what was comingto him (laughter). Jiu-Jitsu also works in the water!”
Sport or Self-defense?
The proliferation of Jiu-Jitsu as a sport is ultimatelytaking away from its value as a self-defense system, to
the point where some of the professionals and expertsin the material are unfamiliar with its technique in thisregard.
“I can’t understand how one can be a black belt inJiu-Jitsu and not know self-defense! It’s like writing in alanguage without knowing how to spell!” affirms MasterMansur.“For a Jiu-Jitsu athlete to be truly complete, he must
learn self-defense; this will provide him with knowledgethat will improve his ability to fight.”
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
The motor coordination and its development are the center of the teaching of theKioto system. This aspect is always noted when one witnesses the teachings of thisGrand Master:
“Can you be a great fighter without coordination? The base of the teaching isimitation and integration of the experience of movement, and for that the Kioto systemalways returns to the same point: Coordination!”
Great Masters
“If it’s true that simplicity is the basis of theefficiency of Helio Gracie’s system,
simplicity is not simpleness!”
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
The Gracie self-defense system was based onthe def ic iency in Hel io’s st rength. The defectconverted into a virtue makes for mastery, sincenecessity is always the mother of all things. ForMansur, it was his work as a police officer thatforced him to perfect and go more deeply into theideas that his Master taught him. The price washigh. Mansur survived 11 shots and innumerable
violent assaults with empty hands and with bladedweapons.
“If it’s true that simplicity is the basis of the efficiencyof Helio Gracie’s system, simplicity is not simpleness!”
Though the MMA don’t utilize many self-defensetechniques for their l imitations and the sportive
Great Masters
regulations, for Mansur, this is nothing more than anotherway of denominating Jiu-Jitsu:
“That which today they call MMA is simply Jiu-Jitsu,because in Jiu-Jitsu there is everything, and that is sobecause Jiu-Jitsu is self-defense.”
With weapons, without them, facing leg or arm attacks,standing or on the ground, for the Master, Jiu-Jitsu is inessence pure self-defense. Of course, as with everything inlife, it’s successful application will depend on our training.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
“In order to beeffective,
it is not enoughto learn thesystem; one mustpractice itfrequently.”
“In order to be effective, it is not enough to learn the system; one must practice it frequently. This, and nothingelse, is the key of mastery and of effectiveness.”“It is practice that gives you domination and confidence in yourself. It’s like learning to ride a bicycle. Once you
learn, you don’t forget, but your skill in riding it will depend on the freshness of your practice.”
If it is so that the Gracie system has become famous for its ability todominate adversaries by closing the distance in order to controlthem on the ground like an anaconda, this has been itsmost questioned self-defense uses in martialcircles, especially when confronting severalattackers. We asked the Master about thesuitability, or lack thereof, of going to theground in a self-defense situation.
“Self-defense is the part of Jiu-Jitsuthat is most done standing. Everydefensive movement ends with anatemi or some form of submissionthat definit ively neutralizes theopponent. In fact, many of thesemovements are prohibited in sportiveJiu-Jitsu for obvious reasons.”“In the Kioto Self-defense system,
the keys are in controlling, leading,and eliminating the adversary in thefirst defense. The details on theground belong to another part ofJiu-Jitsu.”
Great Masters
“Para sereficaces nobasta conaprender elsistema, hay
que practicarlocon
frecuencia”
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
“The Gracie self-defense systemwas based on the
deficiency inHelio’s strength.
The defectconverted into avirtue makes for
mastery,since
necessity isalways the
mother of allthings. “
This video from Master Mansur is, in my opinion, amagnificent piece of work that no martial artist should miss outon, since in the end, the Martial always begins here, with hardand true defense. His proposals are as coherent as they areeffective, and undoubtedly they will be the source ofinspiration for all those who study the Martial Arts assomething more than a sport.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
“This video from Master Mansur is,
in my opinion, a magnificentpiece of work that no martialartist should miss out on,
since in the end, the Martial always
begins here, with hard and true defense.His proposals are as coherent
as they are effective, and undoubtedly they will bethe source of inspiration for
all those who study theMartial Arts as something
more than a sport.”
Reconsidering the traditional techniques of fist and legfrom the perspective of efficiency in self-defense, this isthe purpose of this extensive work with which this world-renowned expert in the self-defense and police sectorpresents today his last two videos.In addition to being a vivid and practical reflection
on the effectiveness of the main fist and leg attacksand defenses, the substantial work of Jim Wagner isextremely useful for traditional martial artists; manyof them have encountered serious difficulties todefend themselves of a real attack on the street andneed guidance to take advantage of their skills bysimply using judiciously the techniques they knowso well."The street is not a gym, and
the rules are very different,"repeats often SergeantWagner."It 's not the many
techniques that you mightknow, but the proper useof those that we knowwork well and commit usto a minimum," he says.Furthermore, the system
that Jim presents us todayhas been created foranyone can learn veryquickly to respond to anaggression. If in additionyou are fit and possessthe appropriate disciplineand physical ability, allthe better. In short:k a r a t e k a s ,t a e k w o n d o k a s ,boxers... That's howyou defend yourself!
Reality Based
Self-defense
The Defense "Metric" SystemBlocking and attacking with arms and legs
Jim Wagnerwww.budointernational.comPhotos:
Text:
The Defense "Metric" SystemBlocking and attacking with arms and legs
Go to any traditional Martial Arts school and ask the instructor: "Iwant to learn to defend myself, how long will it take?”Probably the most common answer that you will find is"Three to five years". Well, it's a correct answer if theinstructor refers to a choreographed series ofmovements, repetition of steps, dozens of kata, antiqueweapons and learning the terminology and foreigncustoms. However, if you ask an instructor of RealityBased Self Defense, anywhere in the world,he wil l say: "No need to spend yearslearning real Self Defense, it's enoughwith a few days"; and, surely, he will besupported by Mil itary and PoliceForces that will back up this assertion.Well, with my Defense and Blockade
Metric System, learning everything youneed to know about boxing andblocking with your hands and arms isjust a matter of hours; so it's up to youstudents to decide on how to useperfectly your skills.
Definition of Metric System
What does this concept mean applied toSelf Defense? We all know that the metricsystem is based on the number 10; for example,10 millimeters per centimeter, etc. Applied to SelfDefense it means that there are only 10 ways to hit aperson, 10 blocking angles and 10 directions to shiftfrom one place to another. This rule applies both to ahousewife defending herself with a knife from an intruder,and to a member of an anti-terrorist unit that movestoward a goal.The first two directions are: front and rear; which means
moving ahead towards your opponent to close the gap orstepping backwards to avoid the blow of a bottle of beer forexample. This implies either hitting an assailant in the facewith a straight punch directed forward, or giving a hammerpunch to someone who is behind trying to hold you. I'veassigned a number to each of these directions: forward is 1,backward is 2.
Reality Based
Self-defense
The Defense "Metric" SystemBlocking and attacking with arms and legs
The two following angles ofattack are horizontal: to the leftand to the right, the numbers ofwhich correspond to 3 and 4.Then we have the vertical plane,in which you can only hit in twoways with the fist or with theelbow: upward (corresponds withnumber 5) and downward (6). Inany case, the same numberapplies to any ascending blow,whether it is directed to the ribs,the elbow or the chin; the goaldepends on its viability.The final four lines to hit are
diagonal, which I graphicallyrepresent with an X whether theblow is descending (to the leftor to the right), or ascending(to the left or to the right).Here's how this Metric
System works; workingthese main angles you willcover a total of 10directions. It does nottake into account theangles formed betweenthe main angles, alsoknown as "angleminutes", since theylack interest in a
fluid combat. In fact, if someone tries topunch you in the face with his fist drawinga path between horizontal and diagonal,the angle of the arm to block the blowscarcely changes its dynamics.
Rediscovering the ancient knowledge
If you stretch out your fist or plot a blow with an open hand toward a goal,you will only find 10 directions. If you delve in history to find a map of anglesof attack, you will find an Italian wood carving of the 17th century, or theFilipino Kali diagram of 1940, or the Indo-American ancient traditions, oreven the current US Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP), whereyou will discover all the main angles. In my case, I limited myself to simplycalculate those angles that were possible, and only 10 of them are, in orderto teach all my students, whether Police, Military, Security professionals orcivilian personnel.So how can there be so many instructors ensuring their students that "they
can show them 300 ways of hitting the opponent with their empty hands"?Actually, there are a couple of reasons to maintain such a
claim. The first is that such instructors have neverparticipated in a real fight and refer to techniques
that they were taught without acknowledging acommon denominator. The second reason isthat by teaching you "hundreds" of things
Self-defense
they assure a steady economicalincome.In my case, if I told my
students, most of them Militaryof Police members (such asthe German Federal Police –Bundespolizei -, or the securityforces of the US Air Force), thatI had to teach them hundreds oftechniques that take years tolearn, in addition to laughing atme, they immediately wouldseek another instructor; becausemost of the police and mil itarymembers know that the techniques theyneed in the streets or on the battlefieldshould be simple, effective, and theyshould require very little time to learn tomaster them.If you want to simplify your training and
learn only those blows and blocks that reallywork in combat, I advise you to take a look atmy two new DVD's.
Too simple to be true
Many martial artists will have a hard timewhen it comes to assume that there are only10 directions for a kick, as their instructorshave always assured them that there are
countless ways to kick an opponent. That's why most martial artists believethat "the more the better". However, if you browse through any militarymanual, former or present, you will notice that in all of them very fewtechniques are proposed. Military combat systems are based on the main
angles. The reason is clear; techniques in the battlefield should besimple and effective. Police Corps have adopted many military
techniques and training methods since they are paramilitaryorganizations. In this type of control systems you will
not see high kicks or on the shins, nor gymnasticmovements. My Reality Based Self Defense
system was also born from the Military andPolice systems; this new work is based onthe same techniques and training methods.
Kicking
The most reliable kick in the Reality Basedarsenal is the front kick launched with the rear leg,
just like you'd never use the front leg to kick a door,since you project much more strength from behind
by taking advantage of the movement forward. Theaim of these kicks is the pelvic area, being the gravity
center (GC) of an opponent standing up. In a RealityBased system, kicks are never thrown above the pelvicarea, since high kicks are unstable, easy to block and theyhardly reach the opponent.In the case of horizontal kicks (also called side kicks), the
target is the knee or the shinbone. In a side attack, withouttime to turn to the aggressor (the most instinctivereaction), it will suffice launching a horizontal kick. AReality Based horizontal kick is a gravity-assisted kick, asit is thrown toward its target in a downward angle and notperfectly horizontal like a traditional side kick.In the case of rear kicks, only one in a million reaches its
goal, and I've never launched any in a real fight. You mayask why. And the reason is very simple, if you intuit thatyou are going to be attacked from behind, your instinctforces you to turn around and face the threat; but if youraggressor manages to reduce the distance before youturn around, you will probably shrink your shoulders andbend slightly forward, just like when the ball was about tohit you when you were a child, and just this would be theposition from which you'd throw your rear kick.
As for the "round" kicks (oftenreferred to as "roundhouse kicks"),they simply don't exist in our RealityBased Self Defense System, sincewe never impact our foot instep orshin because of the fragility of thebones. The closest we've come isthe diagonal kick, which is similar tothe front kick but drawing adiagonal line toward the target;usually the pelvic area is hit with theheel.In vertical kicks there are only two
movements: up and down. Tolaunch the kick down and forwardwe have to trample strong and fast;we wil l usually stomp on theopponent's foot every time he has itplaced on the ground. We resort totrampling in the need of using areasonable force (stomping on the
limbs even if it causes bonefractures) or a dead force (on vitalareas or those of special risk: head,neck, torso, spine and pelvis).A vertical upward kick will impact
the genital area of ??the opponent ifhe has his legs apart, or will hit himin the face if he is bent over.However, direct the attack towardsthe chin would be a real suicide.When I was in the U.S. Federal AirMarshal, an instructor of defensivetactics in the Los Angelesheadquarters, asked his students inone of his classes to try to kick aterrorist on the chin in the narrowaisle of an airplane on going. I wasnot allowed to attend trainingbecause they said I was "toorough". They were right! When whatis at stake is the lives of people, I
don't practice or teach"ostentatious" techniques such askicks to the chin.And speaking of ostentation... In
our technical arsenal we never turnour back to the opponent, unlesswe are fleeing, neither do we throwroundhouse kicks. We maintain theold Spartan philosophy: go forwardor die trying.As a witness and protagonist of
many confl ict situations, I canassure you, from my experience,that with my system you will onlyhave the chance to launch one ortwo kicks, so each one of them hasto be effective.Of course, knees can be used as
effective weapons and they turninto powerful tools when they enterthe red zone of the opponent: the
Reality Based
Self-defense
grappling distance. A spear-shaped front knee strike works well, while it isimpossible to execute a knee technique backwards. Horizontal knee strikes arepowerless, but vertical are devastating. An upward vertical knee strike can godirectly to genital area or to the face if you pull down your opponent's headat the same time. A downward vertical knee strike can go to the torso of theopponent while you keep him down on the ground to control him.In the field of kick blocks, the Reality Based Self Defense System only
has 3 techniques sufficiently adequate to block the main 10 directions.The detention kick: when the front foot is raised laterally to intercept atelegraphed front kick (that is, you can see it coming). Then we have thedetention knee, which is used to stop most of the kicks below the waistline. It is simply executed rising up the front knee to the genital area asa spear to protect the centerline. Finally, high kicks to the head areblocked with the arms (to which we call lateral arm shield), or wejust step back and let the kick pass by.The beauty of this new Defense System is the
relative ease in learning the techniques, whichare the same used by many Military andPolice Forces around the world, as it isabout learning 10 main directions whilekeeping your skills. As you can see is alot easier than what is being proposedby most of the current f ightingsystems.
Be a hard target!
Reality Based
Self-defense
Self-defense
Fu-Shih Kenpo
Raúl Gutiérrez
KICKING IN MARTIAL ARTS, Part 2
JOINT MOBILITY AND STRETCHING
In any physical activity, and especially in Martial Arts, is vitallyimportant achieving a perfect joint mobility and stretch ability. Theseexercises are essential to ensure a complete preparation of the bodytissues for the physical effort, being also in charge of optimizing thestructural part of the body.Warming up in any sporting or martial discipline is the initial phase
and comprises a set of previous exercises for a better performance ofthat particular activity. Its aim is to prepare our body to face andendure to the physiological demand to which we voluntarily will submit.
"In any physicalactivity, andespecially inMartial Arts,
is vitallyimportantachieving aperfect jointmobility and
stretchability."
he right choice, duration, intensity and execu-tion of warm up exercises are critical because itdepends on it that may occur in the body thephysiological changes needed to achieve incre-ased neuromuscular coordination, delay theonset of fatigue and decrease the risk injury.
We recommend that you start out your physical activity inan order such as:
1) Active joint mobility static exercises.
It consists of carrying out a stretching exercise in a restposition, to the limit of what is comfortable, stretching outthe relaxed muscle until reaching a certain position and hol-ding the position for 15 "- 30".
In this type of stretching there is no effort on the part ofthe agonist muscles so the energy expenditure is muchlower than in dynamic stretching. Moreover, being slow and
relaxed movements, it is attained a better muscle relaxa-tion, increasing blood circulation and reducing the sensa-tion of pain. There are, in turn, two main types of staticstretching:
* Active stretching: it consists of stretching the antagonistmuscle without using any external assistance.
* Passive stretching: is the stretching of a muscle in whichan external force is applied to the limb to be stretched. Thisexternal force can be a partner, a wall, a stool, etc.
There is also the isometric stretching, a type of staticstretching in which the muscles involved exert strengthagainst the stretching, and get tensed in order to reducemuscle tension. There also exists the so called ofProprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) method,which combines both static stretching and isometric stret-ching, and its embodiment comprises four phases:
Fu-Shih Kenpo
T
* Performing a static stretching.* Isometric contraction with resistance for ten
seconds.* Relaxation at rest.* Static stretching with a wider motion range.
If we speak about Stretching by Bob Anderson,we are talking about the static method par excellen-ce because it improves coordination, prevent pulledmuscles and increases muscle extension. As adrawback, it is very monotonous and promotes sta-tism. It consists of:
* Adopting the correct position in 5 secondswithout pain and hold it 20" to 30".
* Return to the starting position.
The Sölverborn and PNF Stretching, unlikeStretching by Bob Anderson, improve their resultsstrengthening the muscles around the joints. Notethat any work involving isometric contractions maycause muscle pain. Returning to the SölverbornStretching, it comprises:
“In the warmingup initial phase itis desirable toundertake jointmobility staticexercises andstretching,
while joint mobilitydynamic exercisesare suitable in thewarm up phase oflocomotion prior to
activity.”
* Performing an isometric tension of the selected muscu-lar group for 10 seconds.
* Total relaxation for 2 or 3 seconds.* Position of maximum range of movement (without pain)
is reached.* Return slowly to the starting position.
Dynamic stretching
This type of stretching involves stretching through impul-ses but without exceeding the limits of static stretching.
The antagonist muscles stretch out thanks to the repeti-tive contractions of the agonist muscles. It corresponds
with exercises based on jumping and balancing, avoidingballistic movements (rebounding) because they may exce-ed the limits of muscles and cause injuries.
This way of stretching can be counterproductive unless itis preceded by a session of static stretching or when themuscles have not received a good warm up, as dynamicstretches in cold body segments can cause the stretchingmiotatic reflex whereby the muscle would end up gettingshortened and it wouldn't give the intended effect.
Moreover, dynamic stretching improves the range ofmovement and increases the strength and flexibility of mus-cles to a greater degree than static stretching.
In short, static stretching doesn't improve muscle perfor-mance, only the tolerance to the discomfort produced by
Fu-Shih Kenpo
“Special attention must bepaid to the preparation of
those joint nuclei thatfacilitate general mobilityof the locomotor system,as well as those that areespecially vulnerable to
injury, like ankle and foot,knee, hip, shoulder, trunk and neck.”
Raúl Gutiérrez
the stretching improves; moreover, dynamicstretching doesn't maintain the musclesweak as do static stretching, but it increasesthe strength and the flexibility of the mus-cles.
To achieve a significant sports improve-ment it's necessary to carry out active mus-cular efforts and quick movements (dynamicstretching) so as to stimulate the muscles totake on the task with a greater performance.
And don't forget that in order to relax themuscles at the end of the task is highlyrecommendable to practice static stretches.
2) Active joint mobility assisted exerci-ses.
Joints are the biomechanical axis of thebody, real fixed points where human move-ment originates and supports itself, expres-sing in all its breadth. A stiff and immobilizedjoint gives an idea of the decline in quality oflife. Joint mobility exercises allow you totherefore maintain the health of your joints,tendons and ligaments.
You should do joint mobility exercises fortoning the joints until you feel like a kind ofburning sensation in the whole area you areworking and the muscles involved in themovement are fatigued.
3) Joint mobility passive exercises.
They are especially helpful in keepingmuscles and joints healthy. They are madewith the help of someone when the personis unable to do it on his own, in cases ofinjuries, accidents, etc. They are very impor-tant because if the muscles are not increa-sed, joint mobility and flexibility helps theblood flow which helps to keep the kneesand elbows for example in optimal condi-tions.
4) Muscle stretching static exercises.
5) Dynamic joint mobility exercisesduring the warm up locomotion phase.
6) The dynamic stretching exercisesprevious to the main phase are optional.
2. Stretching and joint mobility beforephysical activity.
“Static stretching doesn'timprove muscle performance,
only the tolerance to thediscomfort produced by the
stretching improves; moreover,dynamic stretching doesn't
maintain the muscles weak as dostatic stretching,
but it increases the strength and the flexibility of the muscles.”
When a good warm up is carriedout, the main effects are centered onachieving:
* Increasing heart rate.* Increasing systolic pressure.* Respiratory tract dilation.* Adequate redistribution of blood
flow to the active areas.* Increasing energy substrates and
oxygen in the circulation.* Improved neuromuscular proces-
ses.* Prolonged fatigue in the short-
term.* Improved metabolic processes
providing energy.* Eliminating initial oxygen deficit.* Decreased muscle viscosity.* Improved joint movement
mechanics.* Increased capacity or muscle
elongation.
Warm up improvements areoriented to the achievement of anadequate cardiorespiratory adjus-tment and the preparation of thetendinous and articular musclesystem for activity.
Locomotion exercises are thebest placed to facilitate adjus-tments to a respiratory and cardio-vascular level, and stretching andjoint mobility exercises are essen-tial to ensure a complete prepara-tion of body tissues for physicaleffort.
In the warming up initial phase itis desirable to undertake jointmobility static exercises and stret-ching, while joint mobility dynamicexercises are suitable in the warmup phase of locomotion prior toactivity.
It is desirable to do joint mobilitybefore performing any musclestretching. In this way you can getan important endogenous war-ming up that becomes a key factorin preventing injuries of capsule-ligament nature.
Special attention must be paid tothe preparation of those joint nucleithat facilitate general mobility of thelocomotor system, as well as thosethat are especially vulnerable toinjury, like ankle and foot, knee, hip,shoulder, trunk and neck.
The temperature rise is an elementfor facilitating stretching of tissuesassociated to the mobilized jointnucleus, therefore, joint mobility staticexercises previous to muscle stret-ching are recommended.
3. Joint mobility and stretchingafter physical activity
After performing physical activity isappropriate it is convenient to set anappropriate muscle stretching workthat favors the recovery of tissuessubjected to movement, thus avoidingthe "straightjacket" effect (a person lit-tle spontaneous, too restrained andrigid in his behavior).
If the main activity is continuous innature, stretching exercises should beperformed at the end of it, contributingdecisively to eliminate contracturesand muscle stiffness, and even moreso if the main phase has been intense.When the main activity is fractionatedin nature it is recommended to alterna-te the resting phases with joint mobi-lity dynamic exercises and musclestretching, contributing thus to a bet-ter recovery of muscle tissue and avoi-ding possible contractures due to theeffort.
The more intense the effort made,the greater importance must be givento the realization of joint mobility andstretching.
Fu-Shih Kenpo
ALFRED HSING - AFTER THE SCENES OF "DRAGON BLADE"
Text: Emilio AlpansequePhotos: Golden Network Asia, Lionsgate Premiere
Alfred Hsing is a former member of the Wushu National AmericanTeam of San Jose, California. After more than a decade of intensetraining, Hsing decided to quit his "daily work" in order to train fulltime for the World Wushu Championship. This decision paid off as hebecame the first American to win a gold medal in Wushu Taolu in the10th World Wushu Championships in 2009. In addition to his career intournaments, Hsing has gained much recognition as an actor, acrobatand action choreographer participating in numerous projects of allkinds, from television commercials and series, to short and featurefilms, including major Asian hits like "The Sorcerer and the White
Martial Cinema
Snake" of Jet Li (2011), "My Lucky Star" of Zhang Ziyi(2013), or "Ip Man 3" of Donnie Yen (2015). Today, Hsingshares with us some of his experiences working as amember of the JC Stunt Team in "Dragon Blade".
Budo International: Please tell us about your experience working on this film.Alfred Hsing: Well, working with Jackie Chan has been my lifelong dream. Just like
that, a goal in my life was that of being hit or kicked by Jackie in one of his films. Over20 years ago, when I was a child and I saw his films,the idea of meeting him in person seemed so faraway... and, of course, the dream of workingwith him seemed even further, but I guessit all starts with a dream. Then you visualizeit, believe in it and set your goals. By setting goals,you are taking real steps that convert dreams into anachievable reality. And now I'm here ... now I have achievedthat dream. I have worked with Jackie and the JC Stunt Teamfor four months. I have been set on fire, thrown through highbeams, I've crashed against boxes, they've thrown coalsover me, I've fought Jackie Chan and I've even faced JohnCusack!
B.I.: And your throat was also cut by "Tiberius"?A.H.: Oh yeah! I was assigned to work with the actor
who played Tiberius (Adrien Brody) in all his action scenes,so in one way or another he stabbed me, chopped me andcut my throat on numerous occasions.
B.I.: How did you get the chance to work on thisproject?A.H.: It's an interesting story. After a few years living in
China, I returned to Los Angeles by the middle of last yearand I could have lost this opportunity if it were not for acouple of seemingly random events in my life - Onewas the wedding my friend in Vietnam, and as Iwas in Vietnam, I decided to do a full Asian tour.I stopped in China to see my friends andattend a few meetings. There I learnt that ElJun, a major coordinator of JackieChan's stuntmen team, had beentrying to get in touch with me, buthe couldn't contact me (because Iwas in LA and my phone in China wasoff). But when I went back to China, I hadthe opportunity of reconnecting with him, so amonth later they were calling me to work withthe JC Stunt Team for this f i lm and Iimmediately flew back to China.
Martial Cinema
B.I.: So, you had to travel from LosAngeles directly to the Gobi Desert?A.H.: No, shooting began in
Hengdian, in the Zhejiang Province.Some call it China's Hollywoodbecause they often roll movies there.Later we transferred the production toDunhuang. Now realistically, howevermuch it has been an amazingexperience and a dream of a lifetime, ithasn't been without difficulties. Weshot in Hengdian for weeks without aday off. At this point I began sufferingdelusions because of heat, excessiveacrobatics, and lack of sleep. Then wemoved to the Gobi Desert. It was adifferent kind of heat. We sweated lessbecause it is very dry, but sandstormsare frequent and the sun is very strong.If you don't use sunscreen and youstand uncovered in the sun just onesingle day you will suffer severe burns.We shot for a whole week, we exitedthe hotel at 6am and we returned atabout 10pm. There were people whogot hurt and I had some dangerousencounters. I'd never change this
experience for anything, but the realityof everyday life for us Stunt guys was alot of work. In short it was physicallyand mentally exhausting.
B.I.: How were prepared all thosescenes of the Chinese team in whichsequences empty hand and swordwere performed?A.H.: During the pre-production the
team prepared the routine on the spot.Filming was pretty fast. We shot somuch that I really can'tremember specifically howmany days it took. I think it was1 or 2 days and one of thesedays it rained, so we had totake a break in filming while wewaited for the rain to stop. Thecameraman had worked withJackie's team before, so therewas a lot of chemistry androlling was pretty simple.
B.I.: Please tell us moreabout Jackie Chan as aperson.
A.H.: Jackie is possibly one of themost generous public figures I’ve evermet. In Chinese we call him "BigBrother". He often invites theproduction team to dinner and hebrings food to the shooting. He paysfor everything out of his own pocket.He doesn't have to do it, but he seeshow hard it's going to be working dayafter day on the set and he decides toinvite the team to dinner. He isamazing in many ways. First, note that
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Interview
is 61 years old, but he's still extremelyfit and active. He's always out theredoing acrobatics, choreography,acting, assistant direction, directing theaction, operating the camera, anddoing almost everything in the set. Hehas more energy than many youngpeople of 30 years old (laughs). Heknows what he's doing on set. You cantell that he loves making movies. Hehas been making films for more than 4decades.
B.I.: Can you talk about theprocess behind some of the fightchoreographies?A.H.: Jackie was very involved in
every part of the action design - fromconcept itself to the specificmovements and the addition of upsetsin the history on the fly. While he wasfilming or busy with other aspects of thefilm, us, his team of specialists wereconstantly experimenting withchoreography, new movements, and soon. Then, when a sequence wasprepared through the efforts ofeverybody in the team, we showed it to
Jackie and he approved or made somechanges. It's really a fun process towork with Jackie because he comeswith movements that are to a largeextent a signature of his style, but at thesame time he always brings somethingout of nothing that surprises you.
B.I.: Which has been the mostmemorable trick for you and why?A.H.: In the film, there was a scaffold
about seven stories high which wasused to fix the walls of the city. I hadan unforgettable experience when Iwas to a height of 6 stories. A coupleof specialists had to jump withoutsafety harnesses. We clung to a ropethat was attached to a counterweightthat was on the floor. It was a generalshot. Each of us had a number and wejumped in order. I was the seventh injumping. In the second shot, when Ijumped, the bucket underneath spunand crashed into the back of my headas I was coming down. I lostconsciousness for a few seconds as Ifell, but my hand was holding tight therope. If I had released the rope I would
have fallen down out of control and thebucket would have fallen on me. WhenI reached the floor I regainedconsciousness and I continued actingin the scene. Jackie's role was that ofa commander who was inspecting theconstruction and he was playing hischaracter talking to another Romangeneral about certain things of thelogistics of construction. Just whenthey yell "cut!” Jackie ran back andsaid to me "Are you okay?" I rubbedthe back of my head where I had beenhit by the bucket and said, "Yes, I'mfine. No problem." Then he left. Jackieis amazing because he seeseverything. It reminded me of some ofhis comments between racks in"Police Story" (1985). If a trick wentwrong, he emphasized that all his stuntmen should continue playing their role,even if someone got hurt, because ifsomeone stopped interpreting hischaracter, it meant that the trick hadbeen in vain and that shooting couldnot be used. Working with Jackie Chanwas a real honor for me and a dreamcome true!
Martial Cinema
FIRST WORLD MEETING OF BUDO MASTERS
Dear BUDO lovers, this event wil l be a uniqueopportunity to meet in person masters around the worldand to enrich the culture and brotherhood among arts,styles and persons; a great celebration of innovativeformat, where to share through seminars the endlesstechniques of Martial Arts, and where you will be able toexchange views and meet those persons who write andhave become famous in the pages of our magazine.
Currently published in 7 languages (Spanish, English,Italian, Portuguese, German, French and Chinese) andsoon available in more (confirmed the Turkish edition inNovember), our magazine will support with all its mediapotential, networks and contacts this excellent initiative ofthe respected Master Sifu Paolo Cangelosi.
Students joining a specific group should contact theirMaster for reservations. Those of you who simply want tobe part of the event, whether in the seminars or at the gala
dinner, can make your registration directly. Everyone iswelcome under the banner of respect, martial brotherhoodand cooperation.
The event will be held in two days:
SATURDAY 16 AND SUNDAY 17 APRIL 2016 IN ROME-ITALY
The program will be divided into seminars and a Galaevening.
Details:
SEMINARS:every master is entitled to a few minutes to share his
own techniques; the available time may vary depending onthe number of participating masters.
SCHEDULE OF SEMINARS: SATURDAY APRIL: 16, 10.30 - 13.30 hrs. SUNDAY APRIL; 17, 10.30 - 13.30 hrs. COST OF SEMINARS FOR STUDENTS: 1 dAY €30 E2 days 40 E
Masters to join the initiative of our event should confirmtheir participation stating whether they come alone or withtheir students before the end of November; in a secondstep, before February 28, they should send a list of theirstudents with name, with a deposit of 20 euros perstudent.
The final settlement of the seminar shall be directly madeon the day of the stage.
SATURDAY NIGHT GALA April 16 at 20.30
Aperitif and buffet dinner. During the Gala certificates of participation will be
awarded to all students. Masters will be awarded theCertificate of "Budo Masters Council Director", globallyrecognized and endorsed by the signature of the mostfamous masters of the world.
Students in turn will receive a certificate of attendanceasserting their participation in the meeting and signed byall of us.
A Photocall will be available at all times in the sameplace of the Gala, where photographs will be taken with allboard members, friends, students, etc. Photographicevidence will be published in the Budo Internationalmagazine, at that t ime already translated into 10languages, in an extraordinary article that will largelydescribe the whole event and its participants, highlightingthe presence of each Master.
As Masters confirm their attendance at the Gala, theywill be also included in the advertising pages of the event,both in the magazine and across our network. Someexamples of this advertising are inserted at the end of thisdocument, showing some of the masters from all over theworld, whose assistance has already been confirmed.
PRICE FOR THE GALA NIGHT: 80 E
Since the objective of the meeting is not monetary, butthat of cultivating friendship and cooperation, we haveestablished a very affordable price.
For the GALA night reservations, each master must senda list with the full name and a fee of € 80 per guest beforeFebruary 28, 2016. Participants going on their own canregister directly.
Considering the great participation demand worldwide,please do not delay sending your list, because reservesare limited.
FOR BOOKING PAYMENTS:
Banco Popolare GENOA AG.3 IBAN: IT90 X050 3401 4030 0000 0000 824SWIFT: BAPPIT21Q60
PLEASE SEND YOUR RESERVE LISTS OF THESEMINARS AND THE GALA EVENING TO:
SEMINARS AND THE GALA EVENINGWILL BE HELD AT:
CENTRO SPORTIVO FONTE MERAVIGLIOSA VIA ROBERTO FERRUZZI 110/112 (ZONA EUR) ROMA – ITALY (AMPIO PARCHEGGIO GRATUITO)
HOTEL For overnight stay in Rome, we will be reunited with
convention, at:
HOTEL SHANGRI LA CORSETTI VIALE ALGERIA 141 00144 ROMA (ZONA EUR) ITALY TEL. +39 06 5916441 FAX. +39 06 5413813 email: [email protected]
ACCOMODATION PRICE: SINGLE ROOM € 60 DOUBLE ROOM € 85 BREAKFAST INCLUDED
To book in, please contact the hotel, identifying yourselfas a participant in the convention by using the password:BUDO MASTERS.
We have reserved a limited number of rooms. It isadvisable booking before March 15, 2016 (we would like to
note that, for those arriving late might not be easy to findaccommodation in Rome, since the Jubilee is beingcelebrated on those dates).
For those staying at the Hotel Corsetti, we have madeavailable a Pullman bus that will take our "Budo Masters"group to the place of the seminars and Gala Evening.
Our director Alfredo Tucci has kindly placed himself atthe service of the organization through his personal mail,[email protected], for all non-Italian friendswho might have questions about the event, and he didn'twant to pass up the chance to leave you a few words:
"Dear Budo Brother, it is my pleasure to support thegreat idea of the Master Cangelosi. Many of you know the participants of this meeting
through our pages and are aware about their extraordinarywork as trainers and Masters. Now you have the chance ofmeeting them in person as part of a unique event of itskind, take some pictures with them and access theopportunity to learn from the best, bringing with you home
a great experience as martial artistsand as individuals, together with acertificate signed by all of them, thatcertainly will deck out your personalhistory as budokas. My grandmotherused to say that "everything istransmitted, less beauty"... Then comeand make up part of the greatness!"
Alfredo Tucci Chairman of Budo International
Publishing Co.
Samples of the certificates to bedelivered and on which we keepworking. Of course, names will beadded as participants confirm theirpresence. The first one is thestudents' certification and thesecond is that of the Masters.
by Clinton H Wallace
James E. Wilson, Grand Master Maurice Elmalem,Don "The Dragon" Wilson & Ewart Chin, CelebrateMaurice Elmalem Day at The Martial Arts HistoryMuseum, Burbank, CA
Maurice Elmalem is a legend in the Martial Artsworld and now he has his own day at the Martial ArtsHistory Museum in Burbank, California. Numerousluminaries from the martial arts world attended inclu-ding kickboxing champion Don “The Dragon” Wilsonand Ewart Chin. Grand Master Maurice Elmalemattended the Celebration
The Martial Arts History Museum recognizedMaurice Elmalem as a Martial Arts Grand Master,having studied for 50 years under world-renownedmasters such as Dr. Richard Chen, Joe Hays, TigerKim and Gideon Kadari. Because of problem withbullies Elmalem decided to study the Martial Arts.Elmalem has the distinction of holding seven world
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Maurice Elmalem and Family attend Maurice Elmalem Day CelebrationCeremony at The Martial Arts History Museum, Burbank, CA
records and several time U.S. Cup Gold Medalist, he hascompeted in over 600 championships worldwide. Elmalemhas the title of “World Extreme Daredevil Champion” for hisoutstanding martial arts demonstrations and has been nick-named “The Houdini Of Martial Arts” he is a 9th Dan BlackBelt with PWMAF and 8th Dan Black Belt with WorldTaekwondo Federation. Elmalem's achievements have beenfeatured in over 200 magazines and newspapers; Mauricehas accumulated over 550 trophies and 47 gold medals infighting and breaking and millions of people have witnessedhis awe inspiring technique on television shows such asABC Sports, Fox 5, Pix 11, Madrid TV, Spike TV, Discover,ESPN, David Letterman Show and Madison Square GardenTV Network.
Maurice Elmalem Archives A true renaissance man,Maurice is an author, movie producer, musician, painter, realestate developer, sculptor, engineer, craftsman, photogra-pher, mountain climber, editor of Budo Magazine, marathonrunner, gymnast and holds seven world Championships andeight documentations in the Guinness Book Of WorldRecords. Elmalem was born in Morocco, North Africa; hegrew up in France and Israel before immigrating to Americain the early seventies. Grand Master Maurice Elmalemattend Maurice Elmalem Day Celebration Ceremony at TheMartial Arts History Museum, Burbank, CA Photographcourtesy of Maurice Elmalem Archives Elmalem graduatedfrom Columbia University with a degree in architecture andengineering. He is the founder of Maurice contractors &designers, Inc. & Maurice Butterfly Art in New York. For moreinformation on The Martial Arts History Museum please clickhere (http://martialartsmuseum.com/) for Maurice ProMartial Arts please click here
(http://www.mauriceproma.com/) and for BudoInternational please click here
(http://www.budointernational.com/)Read more at: http://demigoddesschronicle.com/2015/09/21/mauri-
ce-elmalem-honored-by-the-martial-arts-history-museum/
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