Successful Street Applications [Archive]

GeneChing

01-21-2008, 10:06 PM

Martial arts for health is fundamental.

Battling the unexpected (http://www.centralkitsapreporter.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=93&cat=23&id=1141206&more=0)
Jan 19 2008
By RACHEL BRANT
Staff writer

Mark Olsen moved to Los Angeles for martial arts. He trained in various forms of mixed martial arts, but even his years of training could not prepare him for what was next.

In 1999, Olsen, owner of the Martial Arts Training Academy in Bremerton, felt a stabbing pain in his back. Other problems quickly ensued.

“I literally felt like I had a knife in my back. My legs felt weird and started going numb,” Olsen said. “The pain got worse and then I started losing control of a lot of things. I couldn’t do anything which was horrible.”

Olsen’s roommate took him to the hospital where the then-27-year-old spent 12 hours in a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine. A doctor discovered that Olsen’s mylon sheath had separated from his spinal cord.

Olsen’s doctor called his parents in Washington and said they needed to fly to Los Angeles as soon as possible. It was then that Olsen knew it was serious.

“I thought ‘this isn’t right, this is serious,’” he said.

The doctor told Olsen and his parents that the seasoned martial arts enthusiast may have multiple sclerosis. Olsen was in the hospital for two weeks, paralyzed from the waist down.

The doctor said his good health may have saved his life. Olsen’s parents put him in a traditional martial arts class when he was 8 or 9 years old. He moved to Los Angeles in 1996 and began training heavily in Muay Thai kickboxing, Jeet Kune Do, submission wrestling and Kali, a form of Filipino weaponry.

“(The doctor) said if I wasn’t in as good a shape as I was I would have died from it,” Olsen said. “If I hadn’t been training that hard I would have been gone in that one episode.”

When he left the hospital, Olsen had to give himself injections in his leg every other day. He frequently had family and friends visit him in Los Angeles and help him in any way they could.

“I started learning that when you’re down people will help you,” Olsen said. “My spirit wasn’t broken for sure. I had company, I even had friends from home (Washington) fly down.”

Olsen, desperate to get back into training, returned to martial arts soon after he left the hospital.

“And me being the way I was I got back to training as soon as I could,” he said. “I started training before I could feel the bottoms of my feet.”

Olsen moved back to Bremerton and could not find a place to train in the area, so he began teaching martial arts out of his parents’ garage.

Olsen then found a spot five years ago on Riddell Road and opened the Martial Arts Training Academy. He said if he had not gotten sick, he would probably be competing in mixed martial arts tournaments and the Martial Arts Training Academy would not exist.

“Maybe I got sick and plucked out of there and now I’m learning my goals are constantly shifting toward the students here,” he said. “My utmost goal is for people to have a positive place to train and ultimately I want that positive energy to get put out in the world.”

Olsen said he loves teaching the adult and children’s classes at the Martial Arts Training Academy. He enjoys talking with his students on a personal level and strengthening them physically, mentally and socially through martial arts.

“My No. 1 goal for these kids is to realize how good they are and their potential,” Olsen said. “The potential for greatness is in everybody.”

Through his martial arts training, Olsen was prepared for many things in life, but he could not prepare for that moment in 1999 when he battled a paralyzing illness. Now he is off medication and views the illness as a positive change in his life.

“Looking back on my getting sick, good things have come from it,” Olsen said. “Right now I’m one of the happiest people on earth.”

diego

01-24-2008, 10:09 PM

I occasionally get news feed articles about these. I'm going to start collating them here. It's sort of the opposite of the Busted Teachers thread (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48947).

sweet buddy got all tired from running and she beat his azz:)

Good thread Gene

bodhitree

02-01-2008, 07:35 PM

I occasionally get news feed articles about these. I'm going to start collating them here. It's sort of the opposite of the Busted Teachers thread (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48947).

Wow, that lady is 53, I wish they said what martial art she did, her weight, and other stuff.

And she's a marathon runner.

Seppukku

02-03-2008, 04:27 PM

New York Times
Jan. 31, 2008
By **** Huckabee

According to numerous reports from local South Central law enforcement agencies, at least fifty armed robberies and sixteen manslaughters have been averted by a local marital artist this year alone, whose name we were not given permission to print.

For, as the subject said: "A name is the most important thing in the world. Printing it in the Times is like suicide." Although I was incredulous, and balked at his wish to remain anonymous when I only wanted to extol his service to the community, he said: "Secrecy is vital to my trade. I, like Peter Pan, cling to shadows like jism to Bill Clinton's wardrobe. Remember, acceptance or denial of a single name determines whether one goes to heaven or hell. In my case, knowing my name paves the way to Hell, because if you find it out, I'll track you down, make you look at farm animal porn, and then kill you and send you to Judgment with a guilty conscience. And when the police come, they'll call you a pervert and you'll die in infamy, and you're wife will be like 'What the hell?' and then she'll doubt whether you ever really loved her, or whether your fondness for the family dog wasn't something obscene.....and she'll recall that time she called you from the grocery store and asked you if she needed to pick up a couple of bones for the dog, and you said: 'Nope. I've got a big one right here in my hand. Come on boy, open up wide!' And then she'll think you were like the biggest perv in the whole world, and I'll get my revenge like that."

.....the rest of the article is available on the NY Times website. I'll see if I can find it. I was quoting the above by memory, which should tell you just how good I am at quoting things by rote.

GeneChing

02-06-2008, 07:36 PM

I gotta hand this one to ninpo. It's a pretty cool story.

Modest martial arts expert sees off mugger (http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/latest/display.var.2019104.0.martial_arts_expert_sees_off _mugger.php)
By John Hoskins

A PARTIALLY blind and deaf man used his martial arts skill to turn the tables on a teenage mugger who tried to snatch his rent money.

John James, 33, had just withdrawn money from a Lloyds cashpoint machine at Southampton University campus when he was suddenly attacked by a youth riding a bicycle.

Mr James said the teenager approached him from his right where he suffers from partial deafness and blindness.

"As I went to remove the cash, he whipped it out of my hand and tried to cycle off, but I grabbed him about the head and shoulder for about 20-30 seconds before we fell to the ground."

The pair then tussled during which themugger threatened to stab him, before three passers-by came to his aid and he held his assailant in an arm lock. The drama eventually ended with the teenager handing back the cash and riding off in the direction of University Road, shortly before the police arrived.

Mr James, who is unemployed and lives in Burgess Road, Swaythling, said he was shocked at what happened but had since made a good recovery.
advertisement

He believes he was able to see off the mugger thanks to the training he received learning the self defence martial art of Ninpo.

"If I had not joined the martial course, which I did three years ago, I don't think things would have turned out the way they did."

He then modestly added: "I don't think I'm very good at it but I do my best."

The attacker was white, aged between 16 and 19 and of medium build. He was wearing a black waterproof waist length shiny jacket and black shiny trousers, possibly a tracksuit.

A police spokesman said: "This was an unprovoked attack and we are keen to hear from anyone in the area who can help us identify the youth involved. Fortunately on this occasion he did not escape with any money, much to the efforts of the victim and members of the public who stopped to help."

Anyone with information is asked to call the street robbery investigation team at Hulse Road on 0845 045 4545.

GeneChing

03-28-2008, 06:59 PM

If someone pulled a gun on me, I'd have given up my jewelry.

Martial arts expert foils robbery (http://www.bradenton.com/breakingnews/story/492821.html)
HERALD STAFF REPORT

An expert in Tae Kwon Do kicked a woman in the face who he said tried to rob him at gunpoint this morning, according to a Manatee County Sheriff's Office report.

The 43-year-old victim said that at 12:30 a.m., he was standing in front of Health Care America, in the 6000 block of 34th Street West, when two men and a woman approached him. The victim said the woman had a gun and demanded his jewelry.

The sheriff's report said the victim pushed the gun away and kicked the woman in the face before fleeing to a gas station to call 911. The suspects then fled in an unknown direction, the sheriff's report said.

GeneChing

03-31-2008, 08:15 PM

The female suspect has long black curly hair, about 5'4" tall and skinny and a big old shoe (http://www.martialartsmart.net/90-201.html) print on her face. :p

Martial arts expert kicks would-be robber in Bradenton (http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080328/BREAKING02/127166104)
By Michael A. Scarcella
Published Friday, March 28, 2008 at 5:44 p.m.

BRADENTON - A martial arts expert reportedly kicked a would-be robber in her face early today during a hold-up in the 3600 block of Cortez Road West, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said.

Andres H. Acuna, 42, was in the parking lot of Health Care America when a car pulled up to him about 12:30 a.m. Acuna said three people, including a woman, confronted him. The woman, carrying a gun, demanded Acuna’s jewelry.

Acuna, a martial arts expert, said he kicked the woman in her face and then ran across the street to a Shell station to call for help. Authorities said the suspects followed Acuna to the gas station and drove away.

None of the robbers got anything and Acuna, authorities said, was not injured.

Man uses martial arts against three robber (http://www.mysuncoast.com/Global/story.asp?S=8084512&nav=menu577_2_1)s
Updated: March 28, 2008 10:19 AM

BRADENTON - A Bradenton man uses his martial arts skills against three people trying to rob him.

On Friday just after midnight, 42-year-old Andres Acuna was in the parking lot of Health Care America, when a dark colored, possibly blue Honda pulled up and all three occupants, two Hispanic males and one Hispanic female, got out and approached the victim.

The Hispanic female pointed a black gun at Acuna and demanded his jewelry. Acuna pushed the gun away and as he is a trained Tae Kwon Do expert, he kicked the female in the face. He then fled across the street to the Shell gas station, where he called 911.

The suspects got into the car and followed Acuna over to the gas station and then fled East on Cortez road.

The suspects did not get anything from Acuna, and there were no shots fired or any injuries.

The two male suspects were wearing gloves. The female suspect has long black curly hair, about 5'4" tall and skinny.

sanjuro_ronin

03-31-2008, 08:58 PM

A case of kick N Run, I think that's part of Taeguk !
:D

jackmcmanus21

04-01-2008, 10:44 PM

The female suspect has long black curly hair, about 5'4" tall and skinny and a big old shoe (http://www.martialartsmart.net/90-201.html) print on her face. :p

Shoe print on her face! I love it.

GeneChing

04-03-2008, 06:57 PM

This isn't quite a successful street application. It's more of a successful track and field application.
Kung fu molds Costello on and off the track (http://www.andovertownsman.com/sports/local_story_093173005.html?keyword=topstory)
By David Willis
Staff writer

Santi Costello's journey to becoming a track standout began unexpectedly.

"When I was 4 years old I got beaten up," he said. "My dad said, 'That's not going to happen again. You're going to learn how to defend yourself.'"

Days later, Costello's father signed him up for kung fu lessons. Little did he know it would end up shaping his son's life.

"It's because of my martial arts training I have been able to achieve my goals," the Andover High senior said. "It helps me as an athlete, but it is as much physiological as it is physical."

Costello spends at least an hour a day practicing basic kung fu at home and goes to workouts at his studio at least three times a week. He declined to say what his current level is but said he has continued to progress since earning his black belt at age 10.

"Kung fu is all about self-defense," he said. "Karate is flashy. People don't really grasp the concepts. People think it's a way to hurt people. We are taught never to strike first. It's not about kicking someone's butt.

"It's a lot of punching and kicking and blocking. There is also a lot of stretching."

That training has helped Costello in a big way on the track. Possessing a 34-inch vertical leap, he has become most well known for his jumping.

"He's got the best vertical leap I have ever seen," coach Peter Comeau said. "He was born with an ability to jump, and he just has spring in his legs."

Costello led area with a 21-7 in the long jump last spring while battling a leg injury. He then followed it up this winter by taking first at the Merrimack Valley Conference meet with a 20-71/2. But he has no interest in being just a jumper.

"I can't imagine sticking to just one event," Costello said. "I want to do a little running then a little jumping. I'll do whatever they need from me."

He showed his versatility in the winter by taking eighth in the state pentathlon — which consists of the 55-meter hurdles, 1,000, high jump, long jump and shot put. He plans to sprint and do hurdles in addition to his jumping this season.

Costello also has plenty of interests outside of sports. He volunteers at the Boys and Girls Club, where he also plays basketball (he could dunk if he could hold onto the ball). He also helps out the Mass Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and works as a youth counselor in Andover.

"He has a great personality," said Comeau. "He is just all over the community. He's a great leader. Now if he can just stay healthy he could have one of the best senior seasons we have seen in a while."

GeneChing

04-11-2008, 10:23 PM

I'm almost thinking now that the positive transfer of martial arts to sports deserves its own thread. But for now, these two stay here. ;)

Artful field strategy (http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/highschool/bal-va.karatekids10apr10,0,4126851.story)
For a variety of athletes, karate offers physical, mental leg up
By Katherine Dunn | Sun Reporter
April 10, 2008

The benefits run the gamut of the physical (from flexibility and strength to being able to apply that strength) to the mental (from confidence and discipline to the quick thinking necessary to anticipate several moves ahead of an opponent).

"Martial arts is kind of like logic if you think about it," said Ousmane Toure, a junior soccer player at Randallstown. "If I do this, then this is going to happen; so if I do that, what should I be expecting? You open up the pathways to what can happen, and you try to take the best course of action."

Matt Fischer, a senior lineman at Archbishop Curley, picked up martial arts as a freshman in the school's Martial Arts Club. He said that trying several styles of karate as well as modern boxing, grappling and weapons fighting gave him a keener peripheral awareness.

"It's just a different way of thinking. You can almost watch somebody and the way their body moves, you can almost pick out what they're going to do - the way they step and kick a certain way or the way they might run the ball on the football field," Fischer said.

Frank Costello used martial arts training during his 16 years as strength and conditioning coach for the NHL's Washington Capitals, and he is a strong proponent of its benefits for all athletes.

"I think it's an example of cross training," Costello said. "In years past, athletes were lifting weights and doing other things, but this is real functional training and improves flexibility. I think most of all it enables the athlete to use the strength and speed that they've developed. Martial arts is very disciplined. It teaches you to realize your power and how to explode at the right time."

Klotz, the Wilde Lake lineman, sees that in his own game. "It taught me how to control my adrenaline so I don't go crazy and start throwing people all over the place," he said. "Same thing on the football field, where you have a burst of pure power and then settle down."

Karate also teaches how to apply that power so that athletes are not at a disadvantage if they're the smaller, weaker opponent, be it in karate, football or wrestling, said Ken Klotz, David's father, a fifth-degree black belt who has been teaching karate for more than 30 years.

"You're always being trained to think and attack the person's weakness, and I think that's going to come out in your sports," said Ken Klotz, who runs schools in Columbia and Bowie. "I've had lacrosse players, soccer players, et cetera, come up to me and tell me there are very similar strategy thoughts going on."

Ken Klotz regularly has several varsity athletes in the martial arts classes he teaches at University of Maryland and said he has seen more younger ones enroll at his studio.

In addition to the general applications, specific lessons from karate can be particularly applicable to a single sport.

Arnold Farmer, a junior defensive tackle at Poly, said he uses the hand techniques and footwork from karate to get past his opponent on the line.

"You can learn how to lock the offensive lineman's arms so you're more mobile," Farmer said. "Once you lock that arm, you're free to get to the quarterback or the running back."

Sop****re Kaitlyn Pentz, the goalie for the Century girls lacrosse team, said the footwork, flexibility and hand-eye coordination she learned helps, but the mental aspects are most important to her game.

"It taught me confidence," said Pentz, a black belt. "When I get scored on, I tell myself, 'OK, I can get back in this game. I know what I'm doing. I just need to focus on what I'm trying to do.' "

Ken Klotz saw one of the best examples of the cross-training nature of martial arts when he studied in China in December and January. Staying at the Shanghai University of Sports, he saw every sport, "but their core identity is martial arts.

"We got to visit a boarding school, first through 12th grade, and martial arts is the core component of their training," he said. "They do everything else, math, Chinese and all, but their whole idea is that martial arts centers the mind for everything else."

He and Wilde Lake football coach Doug DuVall have discussed introducing martial arts to the Wildecats' training regimen. Finding the time has been difficult, but DuVall said they'd like to try again this summer.

"It's a whole thing about disciplined training, and we attempt to do it in all sports," DuVall said.

"Certainly the discipline of throwing a baseball, that's pure body control. Hitting a tennis ball, shooting a three-point shot, hitting a fastball - that's all really mind over matter. ... Anybody can do them if they have the discipline to practice long enough. In football, there's not a kid, who if he had martial arts training, would not be a better football player."

GeneChing

04-30-2008, 07:34 PM

I love to hear these kinds of stories. Click link for video

Martial arts saves boy from harm (http://www.bclocalnews.com/greater_vancouver/burnabynewsleader/news/18191949.html)
By Michael McQuillan - Burnaby NewsLeader - April 28, 2008

Sean-Douglas Sime is in his fifth year of learning martial arts and he likes that it makes him physically and mentally tougher.

But the nine-year-old never thought he’d have to use it to save himself from harm.

His martial arts instructor Jim Hanger didn’t either. But he prepares his students for that possibility just in case.

And that training and preparation paid off earlier this year when Sean-Douglas was grabbed from behind by a stranger. He was not only able to get out of the man’s grasp but also delivered a crushing blow to his assailant.

Sean-Douglas’s father Dean never believed his son’s martial arts training would help save him from harm. That’s certainly not why he registered him and his 11-year-old brother Connery.

“It was more or less for the structure, for the discipline,” said Dean, a member of the Canadian Armed Forces. “It’s the healthy body, healthy mind approach—keep them busy instead of in front of the TV and the video games.”

The attempted assault happened in February as the two brothers were walking a short distance to a friend’s house.

Connery ran ahead while Sean-Douglas fell behind as he sauntered down the Queen’s Park neighbourhood sidewalk.

Sean-Douglas recalls a man jumping out from behind some bushes and grabbing him from behind in a choke hold.

With the stranger’s arms around him, Sean-Douglas initially panicked—despite the training. He let out a yell for help which Connery heard and then ran back to help.

But by the time Connery returned, it was all over.

The stranger was staggering away, hobbled by an injured knee.

Sean-Douglas had broken the man’s grip with the techniques he learned, and then swept back with a side round kick. He connected with the side of his attacker’s knee, causing him to fall to the ground incapacitated.

“The guy went down to the ground screaming,” said father Dean, recounting the boys’ description to him.

Hanger wasn’t surprised at the damage Sean-Douglas did to a man more than twice his size.

“Believe it or not, it takes seven pounds of pressure to take a knee from the side. A five-year-old could do it,” he said. “If the guy had his weight on that leg and he hit him on his knee, that’s all that it would take to do the damage.”

The stranger, believed to be Caucasian and in his 30s, made his injured escape while the two brothers ran full sprint to the safety of a neighbour’s house.

It was perfect execution of the side round kick technique, said Hanger, proud of his student’s reaction in the incident.

He believes in teaching self-defence and not just how to bow and memorize the proper terms used in martial arts.

Occasionally the owner of Red Tiger Martial Arts in New Westminster has his instructors sneak-attack students during classes. Eventually, students learn not to panic and then properly use the defending moves they’ve learned in their training, said Hanger, a fourth-degree black belt.

Dean was also happy with the way the boys reacted.

“Sean-Douglas told me he was panicked for his life. But he just did what he was trained to do,” he said.

“That’s what you hope for.”

sanjuro_ronin

04-30-2008, 07:52 PM

LOL @ side ROUND kick !!

jacksawild

05-01-2008, 12:34 AM

Occasionally the owner of Red Tiger Martial Arts in New Westminster has his instructors sneak-attack students during classes.

brilliant.

GeneChing

05-08-2008, 08:08 PM

It may be perceived as some martial arts schools jumping on the bandwagon to get some publicity, unless of course, their teachings help to improve the situation. Sad story really. We had a horrible bullying case here that made the local papers.

Bullied Jason goes from hell to hero (http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2008/05/08/10851_gold-coast-news.html)
Katie Miller
08May08

BULLYING victim Jason Nicholls was treated like a hero by his classmates after publicly telling his story yesterday -- but his courage was ignored by teachers.

The 14-year-old has been repeatedly attacked, called names and robbed by students at his school because of the mannerisms he has due to Asperger's syndrome, which impairs his social and communication skills.

During the worst incident, which is under police investigation, another student allegedly held Jason by the throat, punched him, broke his hand in three places and stole his mobile phone during class while the teacher was absent from the classroom.

The bullying has become so bad that the Year 10 student is required to leave his classes five minutes before other students and eat his lunch in a separate 'safe zone' at Palm Beach Currumbin High School to avoid being picked on.

But there were no negative incidents at school for Jason yesterday after a school essay he wrote about his condition in an effort to be understood was printed in The Bulletin.

The Currumbin Waters local said he was nervous about going to school with his picture on the newspaper's front page but in the end he didn't have to face any bullies, only friends.

Jason said not one teacher had said anything to him about his newspaper appearance but added that not everyone may have seen it yet.

The bright student said many classmates did not know what the article was actually about but knew he had featured in the paper and asked questions.

"I had people asking me to sign my autograph and everything," he said.

"It was a bit weird ... something new."

Jason said he was glad he had spoken out.

"A lot is off my chest," he said.

"Maybe it will be (better now), we'll have to see."

Jason and his 13-year-old brother Blake, who started at PBC yesterday, rode their bikes to school together, which also helped the situation.

Mum Elise Nicholls said there had been some inconvenience to the family from TV media going to great lengths to contact them -including following Jason's grandmother to the rubbish tip -- but it was worth it to speak out.

"This was a big thing for Jason because he didn't know what sort of response he would get at school," she said.

"I think he's finally been able to reach the community and let them know that he's different.

"The overwhelming response from the community has been greatly received and appreciated."

Gold Coasters opened their hearts after Jason's story, offering encouragement and a range of gifts to boost his confidence.

Multiple business owners called The Bulletin offering to give something to the teen and his family, including a complimentary five-star experience from a Surfers Paradise hotel that wished to remain anonymous.

A personal trainer, a fishing charter company, a singing teacher and two martial arts clubs also offered their services free of charge.

The Toya Kan Karate Club at Oxenford and the Combined Martial Arts Academy at Nerang both said they had students with Asperger's or other autistic spectrum disorders.

"I was bullied all through my childhood just because we moved around a lot in the UK so my accent was a bit different to everyone else," said Paul Butterfield of Toya Kan Karate.

"I was absolutely appalled and disgusted by what I read about Jason and wanted to try and offer some support.

"People look at it as a self defence ability but ultimately martial arts gives you a lot of self-confidence and selfesteem and people tend not to pick on you so much when you have that."

There was also an offer from Robina local Aiden Grimes for Jason to walk the Kokoda Track next year, which Mr Grimes has done 53 times.

Mr Grimes, who himself has Asperger's syndrome, said he cried when he read the story because it mirrored his own life experiences.

Despite requests to his media personnel, education minister Rod Welford could not be reached for comment yesterday.

An Education Queensland spokeswoman said she could not discuss Jason's case specifically because of privacy legislation and provided an overview of general school bullying policies.

gwa sow

05-08-2008, 09:07 PM

not sure if its a good thing or not but a few of these were in good old Fl. there was a story i saw on the news down here a while ago were a kid ordered a pizza. he left the door unlocked waiting for the pizza guy. a robber snuck in and the kid used aikido to subdue the criminal.

Quote:
Occasionally the owner of Red Tiger Martial Arts in New Westminster has his instructors sneak-attack students during classes.

been watching too much Pink Panther lol

GeneChing

05-09-2008, 12:09 AM

Meanwhile, here's a really good one. These are exactly the kinds of stories I love to hear.

Domestic Violence Victim Saved By Martial Arts Student In Front Yard (http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/254429)

National statistics report that one in three women will suffer abuse at the hands of a loved one in their lifetime so when a hero like Tom Hobine comes to the rescue, one can bet that the cheering squad is less than silent.

In the coastal Texas town of Corpus Christi, domestic violence isn't a foreign topic where a beautiful young woman was killed by her husband just over a year ago after she had tried to escape his violent hand.

Last week, a hero named Tom Hobine who had just returned from his martial arts class helped save a victim from potential death at the beating hands of her own husband.

Hobine says he saw a strange man in his front yard on top of a woman pounding her with his fists and in reflex moves, he pushed palm struck the guy from the victim. When the abuser got up and acted as if he were going to come at the good samaritan, Hobine executed a well-placed roundhouse kick to the face then proceeded with a learned martial arts self-defense maneuver that helped restrain the wife-beater until police arrive.

The abuser, John Michael Lea, Junior, apparently has a repeat history of the abuse. He had beaten up his wife just last week but because she did not come forward and press charges, Lea was released back on the streets to repeat his pattern again.

Despite his violation of a temporary restraining order, Lea's violent actions are not at all uncommon for an abuser in a domestic violence situation and had it not been for Tom, the courageous neighbour and his timely intervention, this woman might not be alive today.

As for Hobine, he believed he did what anyone would do and is not a hero.

Common warning signs that one is in an abusive relationship include things such as if one's partner bites, slaps, pushes, shoves, punches holes in the wall, prevents one from seeking medical assistance or alters the story so that no one gets into "trouble",, lies about the event to make the victim out to be the one who caused the injury or prevents the involvement of law enforcement.

For further help and anonymous assistance, call The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE. It is manned 24 hours a day.

TaichiMantis

05-09-2008, 02:53 PM

It may be perceived as some martial arts schools jumping on the bandwagon to get some publicity, unless of course, their teachings help to improve the situation. Sad story really. We had a horrible bullying case here that made the local papers.

OMG! Thanks for this. My niece has Asberger's, she is 15. The bullying in her school was so bad my sister took her out and my brother-in-law is home schooling her. I'm going to send this to her.

Vankuen

05-09-2008, 06:37 PM

OMG! Thanks for this. My niece has Asberger's, she is 15. The bullying in her school was so bad my sister took her out and my brother-in-law is home schooling her. I'm going to send this to her.

It's sort of sickening to know that society in general treats people that way because of a social impairment. When I was in high school, we had a young guy who was socially inept--would run around screaming, or do some other thing else that would make him stand out socially. He didn't have any impairments, he was just different. Needless to say the "in crowd" messed with him a lot.

Later that year he hung himself from a tree.

I'm glad this story ended differently.

I wasn't popular in high school for the first couple of years, so I was screwed with a few times...and when that happened it usually came to blows. The attempts at bullying stopped eventually after a few of the altercations because bullies want easy prey, they don't want to have to work for their "recognition". Eventually I got in with the popular crowd during the last couple years, but I always stuck up for those that couldn't do it themselves....because it was the right thing to do and having been through it myself I couldn't see it happen to someone else.

It honestly makes me very sad to know that high school kids are just as bad or worse than they were when I was a freshman. Little do they know that after high school none of that "click" stuff matters.

Graychuan

05-13-2008, 11:02 PM

This is not quite apropriate but as soon as i find any links I on the subject ill post..however I rememebr sometime last year (maybe) an elderly woman was on the national news because she thwarted a robbery attempt at a fuel pump while filling her car. The assailant tried to take her purse and she doused him from head to toe with 89 Unleaded. The guy ran away but was soon identified from an obvious smell. Not quite martial arts but the mindset of this woman is something to be recognized. She used her surroundings and completly turned he table.

I think it also helped that she was ready to set him aflame if she didnt get her purse back. :p

Shaolin Wookie

05-20-2008, 05:54 AM

I'm almost thinking now that the positive transfer of martial arts to sports deserves its own thread. But for now, these two stay here. ;)

Ah....that's nothing new. I know it's SD, but you'll have to humor me. Senior Master Gary Grooms of Shaolin-Tao worked with the offensive and defensive lines of the Atlanta Falcons to train them for scrambles, tackling, balance, and defense. When a wide receiver sprints out on his rouute, he has a coouple of seconds where he's basically fumbling around with the defense's hands, trying to clear his route. So, Senior Master grooms taught them methods (Tai Chi based, I think) to pass to the outside and take off unhindered. If I'm nott miistaken, this was ini the early/mid ninetees or so. We've got a newspaper article from the AJC about it on our websitte somewhere. He also worked with the defensive lines to teach them good balancing techniques, etc.

My teacher was a linebacker for hte Falcons for like 6 years or so and got into martial arts because ofo that traning. Sifu is the kind of guy you'd take one loook at and say: "Now why wouuld he ever have to defend himself?" LOL......

GeneChing

06-03-2008, 07:37 PM

timely - we needed to ttt this thread with something fresh
Martial arts master turns energy to helping others fight cancer (http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080603/NEWS04/806030314/1006/news01)
By KEVIN CALLAHAN • Courier-Post Staff • June 3, 2008

PINE HILL — Master Dominick A. Giacobbe is the holder of an 8th Dan Black belt in the 2,000-year-old art of Tang Soo Do, Korean karate.

So, it is safe to say, not many fights scare him.

Except when his wife, Christina, first came down with cancer more than 30 years ago.

"We were scared, back in '74. In those days, if you had cancer, you died," Giacobbe said last week behind the desk of his karate school office, which is adorned with pictures of Giacobbe with famous people.

Christina is doing fine and Master Giacobbe is still fighting cancer by raising money with an annual karate tournament in Atlantic City.

Like the master martial artist he is, Giacobbe turned the pain, hurt and fear of cancer into a weapon to fight the disease.

When their first child was two weeks late, Christina had a cesarean section. A tumor was found on the pelvic bone. The tumor was malignant.

Giacobbe called the American Cancer Society. It was a life-saving call, not only for Christina but for the many cancer patients Giacobbe has helped over the years with his fundraising tournaments.

"I called the American Cancer Society and they said you can conquer it with your mind, by eating right and exercising," he said. "I said, that is what I teach in my martial arts class."

Giacobbe, 57, teaches three classes a day still at his popular Pine Hill facility. He has taught more than 10,000 students, including many professional athletes.

So, Giacobbe and his wife took the ACS advice and trained and ate well together and they embraced the positive attitude needed to survive.

"We said we would conquer this disease," he said.

When they did, Giacobbe made another call to the ACS. This time, he asked them what he could do to help them. He had felt so fortunate for their help and time, for their care and compassion.

"They never asked me for a penny, they were always so positive, I said I had to give something back," Giacobbe said. "They didn't call for donations, but they called because they were concerned for my wife. That is what inspired me."

Giacobbe, a graduate of Washington Township High School, turned his inspiration into perspiration. He went to work to raise money.

Giacobbe, who lives in Voorhees, first hosted a martial arts show in 1982 at Resorts International in Atlantic City. Then in 1985, he started doing a karate tournament and gave all the proceeds to the ACS.

To date, he has donated $585,000 to the ACS.

Giacobbe's goal is to raise $1 million.

"Some years I gave big chunks and some years small amounts. Maybe this year, I don't know, it might not be a big chunk because of the economy," he said.

Giacobbe, who was named Man of the Year in 2000 by Black Belt magazine, is attacking the goal with the same positive attitude he and his wife attacked cancer. And, Giacobbe is using the same positive attitude toward beating cancer he saw Sugar Ray Leonard use for his epic fight with Marvin Hagler.

"He was so positive," Giacobbe said about Sugar Ray, who asked him to help train him. "The odds were so much against him, but he was so positive that he made it happen."

In addition to Leonard, Giacobbe trained Evander Holyfield and Pernell Whitaker for several of their championship fights. A fighter is a fitting symbol for battling cancer.

Giacobbe, who has appeared on many TV shows, also trained Eagles players, including greats Reggie White and Mike Quick, when Buddy Ryan was the team's head coach.

Giacobbe, who recently returned from teaching karate in Ireland, Wales and Italy, also trains the regular guy. He teaches every class at his academy.

And, he passes onto his students the same message on the karate mat and in the street. He feels attacking cancer with a positive attitude is the way to beat the disease. He and his wife have already proved it works.

"Cancer can be conquered with the mind," he said. "That is better than any medicine you can take."

Giacobbe is passing his positive attitude and passionate fight against cancer onto the general public. He just wrote a book called "The Secrets For a Powerful Life (published by AuthorHouse).

"The book has a lot of philosophy. The greatest part of training for martial arts is all the philosophy," he said. "It is the martial arts philosophy that makes you a better person in life. It is the philosophy you take from martial arts, about the ability to defend yourself."

Giacobbe tells stories in the book to relate to readers.

"I call them secrets because the stories aren't written down," he said. "Masters handed them down to other masters."

Reach Kevin Callahan at (856) 317-7821 or kcallahan@courierpostonline.com.

GeneChing

06-25-2008, 08:11 PM

...but worthy of note for sure.
Kung-Fu granny beats up soldiers (http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=29&art_id=iol1214311920513K521&set_id=1)
June 24 2008 at 03:18PM

A 77-year-old Japanese grandmother has beaten up Italian soldiers to toughen them up.

Martial arts expert Keiko Wakabayshi has been hired by the country's military to train recruits in hand-to-hand combat, the Daily Telegraph has reported.

Miss Wakabayshi, who is just 1,5 metres tall, looks tiny compared to her charges who are mostly about 1,8 metres.

But the pensioner is a trained master in an array of martial arts disciplines including jujitsu, jojitso, kenjitso, judo, kendo and karate.

She wipes the floor with soldiers of the Folgore brigade at their barracks in Livorno on a daily basis.

Miss Wakabayshi was born in Japan but now lives in Northern Italy. She tells her students to look at her and believe that nothing is impossible.

After flooring an opponent she tells them: "Don't think it's unbelievable. The physique doesn't matter."

Sparring is regarded as the most effective method of teaching martial arts and senior Italian military officers hope the experience of being humiliated by Miss Wakabayshi will toughen up their soldiers.

Miss Wakabayshi trained for many years to achieve her level of expertise and believes she can carry on defeating brawny soldiers for years to come. - Ananova

GeneChing

06-25-2008, 08:14 PM

I was tipped to this story a while ago, but I had no one to cover it and no place to publish it at the time. I'm glad someone else tackled it.

Teenage mom finds relief in Taiji (http://southcountyjournal.stltoday.com/articles/2008/06/24/sports/sj2tn20080624-0625taiji0.ii1.txt)
South city girl one of two St. Louis teens to claim national championships
By Ron Clements
Tuesday, June 24, 2008 2:28 PM CDT

Submitted photos Jardena Green practices an exercise under the instruction of her sifu, Justin Meehan. Green, a 17-year-old single mom in south city, uses Taiji to overcome life's difficulties. Jardena Green does not have an easy life.

The 17-year-old south St. Louis resident supports herself and her 16-year-old brother. Their mother lives in Morocco and their father, a U.S. Army instructor, is currently in Iraq. Jardena also cares for her 18-month-old daughter. She works part-time at St. Louis Bread Company and attends Forest Park Community College.

Displaying maturity beyond her years, Jardena has found a way to cope - the Chinese martial art of Taiji (Tai Chi).Using the "Taiji philosophy" to "overcome life's difficulties," Jardena has excelled in the sport since her father introduced it to her three years ago.

"It has a lot of discipline and commitment," she said. "It really helps me relax. Whenever I'm stressed out, it's really a calming thing for me."

Jardena and another south city teen, 15-year-old Justin Rice Meehan, made history Memorial Day weekend by becoming the two youngest competitors to win a national championship at the 10th Annual Chinese International Kung Fu Championships in Orlando, Fla. Competing in the Taiji Advanced Adult Push Hands competition, both Jardena and Jason brought home first-place medals. Tournament directors said the the double win by two St. Louis teenagers from the same Taiji school in a nationally recognized Advanced Adult Push Hands competition is an historic first.

Both teens are taught by their sifu, or instructor, Justin Meehan, Jason's father. Three years ago, Justin was introduced to Jardena by Jardena's father, Gordon, who teaches Aikido.

"I grew up in a martial arts family," Jardena said. "We used to sit through and wait for my dad to finish teaching Aikido and then Justin would come in and teach the Taiji. One day, I just wanted to see what it was about. Then I really got into it. I never thought he'd take me on as a student."

Justin told Jardena that "Chinese martial arts have the power to improve understanding and strengthen character."

"I've been in the Chinese martial arts for 40 years," Justin said. "I often deal with kids who find themselves alienated or in a hostile environment. I've found that, for some kids, Chinese martial arts is a way of obtaining confidence, and a little bit of a boost. It's a kind of applied spirituality. It allows them to feel better about themselves."

His son, a standout multi-sport athlete at Webster Groves, said working so closely with his dad brings them together, and he was especially pleased to make his father proud in Orlando.

"It was really great," Jason said. "That was my third time going, but I didn't compete at all. It meant a lot to me just to compete. Then to win, I was really proud of myself and my father was really proud of me."

The influence of Taiji in Jardena's life has been so profound that she would like to teach the sport herself someday.

"I like how soft it looks, and it looks really beautiful," she said. "It lets off a lot of stress, and you're not going to be sore afterword. When you find out what each movement means, it's really interesting and really cool. And, you can really fight with it, so that's helpful."

GeneChing

06-25-2008, 08:22 PM

...just one more from the newsfeeds and I'm done for today...

Kids with cerebral palsy get kicks from martial arts (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/lifestyle/stories.nsf/lifestyle/healthfitness/story/cd012c241c7420da8625746e006c5d8c?OpenDocument)
By Jennifer Miros
06/23/2008

The sport of martial arts has long been a fun way for children to get fit, learn self-discipline and improve focus. Learning kicks, punches and blocks requires concentration and strict attention and often leads to improved self-esteem.

Children ages 7 and up who are patients of Dr. Jan Brunstrom, director of the Cerebral Palsy Center at St. Louis Children's Hospital, also have the opportunity to participate in the only known martial arts program specifically adapted to meet the needs of children with cerebral palsy. The classes, called "Fighters With Courage and Power," teach a form of martial arts called Kajukenbo, a blend of karate, judo and jujitsu, kenpo and kung fu. Instructors Ken Sills and Charlie Walton, both black belts, share a vision for bringing the benefits of the martial arts to the disabled.

"The martial arts help children with disabilities with their balance, stamina, mental clarity, focus, independence and self-esteem," Sills said. "When they are here, they feel like they are superheroes."

The full-body workout requires students to stand, since most are used to sitting for long periods of time. Sills and Walton pull techniques from different martial arts to customize a movement based on each student's abilities. For example, while one student may be able to use his or her hand to punch, a student with restricted hand movement may use a forearm strike.

"The ability to defend yourself has a profound effect on confidence," Walton said. "People with disabilities rely on people for a lot of things, but martial arts allows them to take control over that part of their life."

In addition, involvement in martial arts has helped many patients with cerebral palsy reduce or eliminate the need for physical therapy.

"While they are in class, we treat them like any other student," Walton said. "We want them to know that they can do the same things as anyone else. They just have to find other ways to do it."

`Camp Independence, the only known sports camp in the nation for children with cerebral palsy, started its sixth season on June 9 at the Webster Groves Recreation Center and runs each week through July 25.

In addition to martial arts, campers also participate in other sports including tennis, soccer, pilates, floor hockey, kickball, baseball, dance and adaptive cycling. Children from Missouri, Illinois and several other states plan to attend Camp Independence this year.

For more information about Camp Independence, call the St. Louis Children's Hospital Answer Line at 314-454-5437 or visit stlouischildrens.org. To learn more about volunteer opportunities for Fighters With Courage and Power classes, visit kajukenbo.org

TaichiMantis

06-25-2008, 10:02 PM

Thanks, keep 'em coming!;)

GeneChing

06-30-2008, 08:00 PM

with a little Christianity thrown in to boot.

Teen gives physical limitations a karate chop (http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080628/APC04/806280607)
June 28, 2008

When Scott Schultz was 5, a routine exam by his pediatrician found the young boy's reflexes were nearly non-existent. His parents, John and JoAnn Schultz of Neenah, were told to "watch and wait."
Advertisement

At 10, Scott's parents enrolled him in Christian Karate, led by the Rev. Bill Stiebs, pastor of Cornerstone Church in New London. The martial arts program, which teaches American-style karate, provides students with both physical and spiritual strengthening.

Scott struggled to keep up as others progressed through the karate belt ranking system, his mom recalled. He had poor coordination, problems with balance and great difficulty jumping rope.

"He was so clumsy motor-wise, and couldn't catch a ball or run … and he could not follow directions and had an odd gait," JoAnn said. "People said, 'why's he in this class? He's not going to go far.'"

His parents started noticing other things as well.

"Noises that we could tolerate, he could not," JoAnn said. "Scott also exhibited visual spatial difficulty. When he ran up a flight of stairs that were open to the bottom, he could not come down those stairs."

Scott, who is home-schooled, was easily frustrated by schoolwork and had great difficulty holding a pencil and writing.

"I think had he been in the public school system, we would have seen issues a lot earlier," JoAnn said.

After countless tests, time and doctors, at 11 Scott was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a neurobiological disorder that is part of a group of conditions called autism spectrum disorders. They are known as spectrum disorders because two children with the same diagnosis, which generally occurs between ages 5 and 9, can exhibit a wide range of skills and abilities.

Through prayer and the help of mentors — black belt instructors Dr. Jim Ziegler and Scott Simpson — Scott was encouraged and directed to the Bible scripture Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

"Scott would come early and practice the whole time before class," Stiebs said. "He never complained about the intensity of the training we did. He would help others to get better even when he was struggling to improve his physical abilities. Scott's parents would drive him twice a week to New London from Neenah to be able to participate in our Home School Karate classes."

After a couple years Scott's physical abilities began to improve. He became one of the best students performing karate techniques. While the average time it takes to earn a black belt, Stiebs said, is between 3 and 6 years depending on the time a student invests, after 5 years of training Scott recently was awarded his black belt and now is an expert in martial arts.

More importantly, Scott, now 16, grew spiritually.

"He prayed for others and helped teach others godly principles," Stiebs said. "Over the 30 years I have been in the martial arts very few students have persevered through the physical adversities Scott has. … God has truly blessed this young man."

Scott said he was happy and relieved when he passed the two-day testing to earn a black belt, especially the sparring portion. Although he won't soon be starring on screen in an action-flick, "I would like to work on some in my backyard," he said with a laugh.

The karate class, JoAnn said, has been incredible for her son in more ways than one.

"If you watch him today you would not think this was the same boy at age 10," she said.

GeneChing

07-15-2008, 08:48 PM

...but he's got a nice monk robe (http://www.martialartsmart.net/45001.html), so that counts for something.
Giving up the gangs for kung fu (http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/indepth/features/display.var.2393661.0.giving_up_the_gangs_for_kung _fu.php)

Martial arts group Sanshu UK gives youngsters an alternative to street crime. DAVID MILLS speaks to its founder.

KUNG fu is helping get teenagers off the streets and into the community.

Tom Metcalfe is a qualified martial arts trainer who has set up a kung fu school called Sanshu UK.

The 23-year-old, of Blackbrook Lane, Bickley, has launched a programme called Respect to encourage youngsters to come to the scholl and keep away from a life of street crime.

Recently News Shopper ran a six-week Voices Against Violence campaign to find solutions to the slaughter among teenagers which is plaguing our streets.

Already in London this year 20 teenagers have died violently, compared with 26 last year.

Mr Metcalfe, who has been doing martial arts since he was 15, says Respect was inspired by the murder of 18-year-old Rob Knox outside the Metro bar in Sidcup on May 24.

The Shaolin kung fu martial artist said: "The murder of Rob Knox was the inspiration because it happened on my doorstep."

He says Respect is about getting on the streets and speaking directly to the kids on the street.

Mr Metcalfe, a revenues officer, said: "It involves going out and talking to groups and individuals lurking on street corners, kids in parks smoking, and trying to get them involved in something positive, giving them a way out of gangs and giving them something to do.

"There's a lack of things to do for young people, they don't have anywhere to go.

"We need to get them off the streets and into the community where they can hope to achieve something."

He says young people lack role models and someone to talk to.

He said: "I want to be some sort of role model and tell these kids there are people you can talk to and things you can achieve.

"If kids are having a hard time at home, maybe not agreeing with parents, they rebel and turn to gangs as an alternative family."

Sanshu UK meets every Thursday at St Augustine's Church Hall, Southborough Lane, Bromley, from 8pm to 9pm.

Sessions are open to both boys and girls and are free for the first month.

All students bow to begin with before doing a warm up and a series of kung fu techniques.

Mr Metcalfe said: "Martial arts instil discipline.

"Kids can take out their aggression on the pads we have.

"The club gives them a chance to meet up with friends and they also learn self-defence."

He added: "The kids get really involved, and want to be like Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee.

"We partner them up and get them used to different people.

"We have young people with older people so they get used to being around all types of people."

A typical session ends with everyone seated and discussing issues which concern them.

Sanshu UK, which has 15 members aged from 13 to people in their late 20s as well as two trainers, plans to visit schools to reach out to youngsters.

GeneChing

08-20-2008, 08:06 PM

Capoeria has grappling?
Jackson man uses martial arts to stop alleged carjacker (http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080819/NEWS/80819016)
By Kathleen Baydala • August 19, 2008

A Jackson man who escaped an armed carjacking attempt credits his martial arts training with his rapid response.

Marvin Williams, 34, said he was in the parking lot of the Wal-Mart on Mississippi 18 Monday night when an armed man approached him and demanded his keys.

“I was thinking he was fixing to sell me something or beg,” Williams said today. “But as he got closer, I saw he had a gun. I gave him my keys but he wasn’t walking away.”

Williams studies the Brazilian martial art known as capoeira and said he used his skills to stay calm while he grappled the gun out of his alleged attacker’s hands.

Officers who were nearby managed to chase down the suspect after he fled.

Spencer Walker, 36, of Jackson is charged with carjacking, two counts of resisting arrest and two counts of disorderly contact.

Kevin Huang

08-21-2008, 03:10 AM

I had always thought that capoeira was "hiding" reality combat grappling moves in its aerial dance moves, but I'm not a capoerista.

In any case, the bully thing in high school applies just as much to CMA circles as well. Anybody who's perceived as "different" or "uncool" is going to face lots of social opposition from the "in crowd". Bullies don't change their stripes as they get older.

By the way, I'm sure people remember that incident where that guy robbed the US track and field team and then got chased down by Olympic caliber athletes. I remember thinking "Those track athletes were very fortunate that the guy robbing them didn't have a GUN".

GeneChing

09-12-2008, 09:31 PM

This almost went to the Martial Arts and Religion thread (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49824), but I felt it would sit better here. The rabbi angle isn't as important as the work.
Enter the rabbi: sensai helps kids fight illness (http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20117407&BRD=2731&PAG=461&dept_id=574907&rfi=6)
by Ben Hogwood, Assistant Editor
09/11/2008

Gary Moskowitz is helping kids with life-threatening illnesses control their fear and have some fun with martial arts. (photo by Ben Hogwood)
Imagine being 8 years old and riding in the back of your parents car to get another dose of chemotherapy.
The treatment may be painful, it may cause hair loss and nausea and it may leave you fragile, susceptible to bruising and excessive bleeding.

You have an enemy but you can’t see it, you can’t control it and you don’t know how to fight it. You are scared.
Enter Gary Moskowitz, a rabbi and martial arts sensei who is helping children with cancer and other illnesses fight back and empower themselves.
Moskowitz is the executive director of the non-profit Martial Arts Therapy, which is bringing the program Kids Combatting Cancer to Havurat Israel Temple in Forest Hills. The program will be held on Sundays and an additional weekday, beginning in October. Moskowitz is currently looking for volunteers to help him get the program off the ground.
Through martial arts, Moskowitz teaches these children how to cope with their fear and empower them to fight their illness. He also lets them enjoy a physical activity in a safe environment, something they would rarely have the opportunity to do.
The program includes all the common aspects of martial arts — the punching, kicking and even some stick fighting — but it also includes a form of meditation called guidance therapy specifically designed for these young students. The therapy, in effect, lets the students give an identity to their aggressor, which they cannot see. The student imagines the cancer cells as ninjas attacking a specific part of their body. He or she then unleashes an imaginary army of “warriors” to fight back.
“When you visualize what the pain is, visualize beating up these ninja guys, the pain subsides,” Moskowitz said. “Even if its a placebo effect, it works.”
Another important practice a student of Moskowitz can learn is how to control fear. Whether it’s getting into a fight with other people or getting injected as part of a chemotherapy treatment, the fear needs to be controlled or it can become overwhelming, Moskowitz said, as he recounted a story of one of his students on his way to the hospital to receive treatment. At first, it took five orderlies to hold him down. After he learned some breathing techniques, he was able to sit still and take the needle.
“Pain is a message,” Moskowitz said. “We can learn how to scramble that message.”
But a big portion of the program is to let these children have some fun and interact with others. Because the children are too fragile to actually practice martial arts physically on each other, Moskowitz created “virtual karate,” where two students compete against each other in contests, but are several feet apart. A judge then determines the effectiveness of their kicks, punches and blocks.
Moskowitz doesn’t know what it’s like to suffer from such a disease, but as a former police officer he is all too familiar with getting into dangerous situations, as he has throughout his life. He was a popular target for bullies as a child, the only white student his age wearing a yarmulke to school in the Bronx. By the age of 14, he had already been the victim of four armed robberies.
He took up martial arts to protect and empower himself and help get over his own fears. When he became an instructor, he included community service as an aspect of his training, one necessary if the student wanted to advance in rank.
In 1978, he formed Martial Arts for a Better Community, which trained instructors in how to teach martial arts to physically and emotionally challenged students, in addition to offering classes for poor children in exchange for them volunteering their time to train others.
The program was initially successful, but ran out of steam as it ran out of funding. However, four years ago he revived the idea, this time focusing primarily on children with cancer.
Moskowitz is currently trying to set up a study where a group of students can be gauged for a period of time to see how they progress physically.
Currently, Moskowitz has some volunteers helping him get the word out, including Gloria Katz. She has worked as a paid volunteer coordinator for a number of years and, with some extra time on her hands, decided she wanted to find an organization to help.
She met Moskowitz through the Havurat Israel Temple. “We got to speaking and we kind of were in sync,” she said. “I was looking for an organization I could really devote some good volunteer time to and something with purpose and meaning.”
Moskowitz is currently looking for volunteers to help with the program, including instructors as well as people who can work with the families or contact hospitals and schools to tell them what they do.
Eventually, he hopes to set up these programs all around the state and the country, so more children fighting for their lives can have a more holistic approach to healing.
“These kids are not treated like sick kids,” he said. “We treat them as heroes. They are very heroic to undergo some of the things they do.”
To learn more about the program or to volunteer, contact Moskowitz at (718) 575-3504 or e-mail gavriael@aol.com.

uki

09-12-2008, 10:25 PM

now this is newsworthy...

A female Italian karate champion said passersby in Rome just watched as a man grabbed her around the neck and she punched him until he dropped.

It could have been much worse, Lara Liotta, 29, four-time winner of the Italian women's karate championship, told The Daily Telegraph of London. What would have happened if this person, instead of attacking me, a karate champion who knows how to defend herself well, had attacked a young girl?
http://www.postchronicle.com/news/strange/article_212171453.shtml

WanderingMonk

09-12-2008, 10:33 PM

I generally would require a photo first. There is one available at the telegraph

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2776841/Female-karate-champion-defeats-mugger.html

you don't want a situation in which you have austin power saying "that's a man, baby":eek:

uki

09-12-2008, 11:15 PM

thanks for the upgrade.:)

Oso

09-13-2008, 05:35 AM

**** gypsies

uki

09-13-2008, 05:41 AM

**** gypsiesthey are something else... i lived in romania for several months... bistrita, craiova, cluj-napoca, brasov... gypsies everywhere. as long as you respect them, they are no problem.

GeneChing

09-18-2008, 07:58 PM

we need a kung fu tackle...;)
Karate teacher nabs suspected serial burglar (http://www.9news.com/seenon9news/article.aspx?storyid=99915&catid=509)
posted by: Dan Boniface written by: Kyle Clark 15 hrs ago

LITTLETON – Martial arts instructor Kevin Kowalczik admits there is no such thing as a "karate tackle," the move he pulled Tuesday night while chasing down a man in the alley behind his studio.

Kowalczik, part-owner of ProRank Karate in the Piece St. Village, chased and tackled a man he says had just burglarized the nearby Front Range Christian Elementary School in Littleton.

Kowalczik held 21-year-old Kyle Torres until police arrived. Torres is being held on suspicion of burglary, assault, criminal mischief, theft and possession of burglary tools. Littleton Police suspect Torres is responsible for at least five burglaries. Deputies searched his home Wednesday afternoon.

Several tenants along the strip plaza tell 9NEWS they have been on alert after a half-dozen burglaries over the last month. Kingdom Kids Academy replaced stolen computers only to have the replacements snatched during a second break-in.

"By the time an alarm goes off and the police can get here, he's gone," said the academy's Penny Gautier. "That's happened six or seven times."

Kowalczik said he was locking up the studio around 11 p.m. Tuesday when he saw someone in the alley behind the school.

The third-degree black belt "armed" himself with a rubber gun he uses for self-defense training and confronted Torres.

"I figured at nighttime maybe it would look real," Kowalczik said.

The karate teacher said Torres initially froze and dropped to his knees as ordered, then noticed the "weapon" was anything but a weapon.

"He noticed the red tip and he got up to run, which was the wrong choice," Kowalczik said.

Crystal Simangan, Kowalczik's fiancée, followed him into the alley, calling 911 on her cell phone, and witnessed the chase that ensued.

"It felt like a scene from an action movie," Simangan said.

"It was kind of like a diving, Superman tackle move," Kowalczik said. "There's not really a karate tackle, but I think there might be now."

As Kowalczik, a third-degree black belt, made his "karate tackle," Simangan stuck to snapping cell phone photos.

"I'm a white belt," she said with a shrug. "I was basically Kevin's wingman."

Police arrived within minutes to make the arrest.

Ty Weaver, a 12-year-old student at the karate studio, said Torres met his match in Kowalczik.

"He didn't stand a chance," Weaver said.

Kowalczik, who has been studying martial arts since childhood, says he has never had to use those skills against someone in real-life before.

"We always talk about it's for self-defense only," Kowalczik said. "We don't go around throwing punches and kicks."

"I'm just really excited that I actually had the opportunity to use it in the real world and it actually works," he said.

Simangan drew a slightly different lesson.

"Don't mess with the ninjas," she said with a smile.

SimonM

09-22-2008, 05:55 PM

Shamelessly bumping the racist thread out of first position on the page. This is a successful application of net-fu.

GeneChing

10-01-2008, 07:20 PM

It came over the newsfeeds and I felt it should be archived here somewhere, but it didn't deserve it's own thread.

7 Article Marketing Lessons I Learned from Being a Martial Arts Champion (http://www.healthywealthynwise.com/article.aspx?author=Eric%20Gruber&title=7%20Article%20Marketing%20Lessons%20I%20Lear ned%20from%20Being%20a%20Martial%20Arts%20Champion&Article=5537)
By: Eric Gruber

How does my martial arts training directly relate to my success as an article marketing expert?

When I was seven, I was a scared, scrawny cry baby. Kids in the neighborhood stole my hat and I ran home crying! My younger brother, who was only four at the time, knocked on the bully's' door to get my hat back.

My parents enrolled me into Chirico's School of Karate, where I learned steps that took me from NOTHING to a SELF-ASSURED 4th DEGREE BLACK BELT.

I also learned secrets on how to become a champion in the martial arts. I discovered that these same secrets helped me become a champion in all areas of my life.

So do you want to know what these life-changing, business-evolving secrets are?

7 Black Belt Secrets for Article Marketing Success

Secret #1: Watch who you hang around with

One of our black belts drives all the way from Pennsylvania to New Jersey to practice. That's a 3-hour round trip.

Why?

The furious energy at Chirico's School of Karate is undeniable as soon as you walk in the door. You're surrounded by a true grandmaster with more than 40 years of martial arts training and black belts who are determined to succeed.

Who are YOU hanging around? Where are your articles being associated? Are you just blasting articles out there? Or are you carefully selecting websites and ezines which your targeted audiences and prospects read? Remember, who you associate with will determine the level of success you can reach.

Secret #2: Consistency is the key for long-term success

When I don't train consistently because of traveling or personal issues, I lose karate tournaments. If you want to achieve your business goals online, you have to consistently write and submit articles. You have to be in front of your audience on a regular basis. Otherwise you will lose sales to your competitors.

Secret #3: Ups and downs are part of the process

During my martial arts training, I learned that there is NO possible way that you can win every tournament. Yes, I can't even tell you how many trophies, medals and plaques I have won throughout my more than 20 years of martial arts training. But, I also lost count of how many tournaments I lost in the very first round.

Not every article you write and submit online will be a success. You will have ups and downs with your article marketing efforts, but you have to keep writing consistently. It's the only way you will win in the long term.

Secret #4: Hard work is part of the game

It took me ten years of blood, sweat and tears to get promoted to the rank of black belt. I learned that there are NO obstacles that I couldn't beat if I consistently persevere.

How many of us secretly wish our success would be handed to us on a silver platter? Get real. There is work involved. The solution is to make the hard work FUN by doing what you love to do (sharing your expertise) and delegating what you don't (the mind boggling, manual article submission.)

Secret #5: Model others who are already successful

My instructor is a 10th degree black belt grandmaster. Yet, he doesn't try to reinvent his own martial arts training programs from scratch. He adapts training techniques, forms and strategies that were created from the ancient masters who have proven their immense success.

When writing your articles, model article templates that work for others and then adapt it to your own writing style.

Secret #6: Don't put all your eggs in one basket

When we practice self-defense, we train for a variety of attacks from the front, sides and back. We do grappling and ground techniques. And, we even practice fighting against multiple attackers. So we're ready for all situations.

Just like we want multiple fighting strategies, you want multiple streams of income that will help you fight the recession. You can easily turn your articles into products like special reports and eBooks.

Secret #7: Find a mentor or coach for faster results

I would not have been a state champion for two years in a row, if my instructor didn't walk me through every step of the way. I know many entrepreneurs who have wasted thousands of dollars on marketing programs that got them nowhere. Don't make that mistake. Invest in someone to show you the way - the right way - the first time. (Not sure where to start? Join my Write Your Way to Profits Insiders Circle)

Follow these secrets, and you will reach article marketing success. You will be found online. And, you will get more prospects, publicity and profits

About the Author:

Article Marketing Expert Eric Gruber uses the power of articles to create online opportunities for entrepreneurs who want more publicity, prospects and profits. Now, Eric is sharing the exact roadmap, broken into 5 easy-to-follow steps that thousands have used to launch and build their businesses online with articles. And, he's giving this knowledge for FREE, with his new e-Book at: http://www.BroadcastYourArticles.com/freebook

GeneChing

10-02-2008, 07:53 PM

PTSD is the other shoe dropping from our wars. I've always thought martial arts has tremendous therapeutic effects and am impressed to see a school offering free classes for vets.

Finding peace in ancient art (http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081001/A_NEWS/810010336)
Kung fu helps turn around life of violence for struggling Army veteran
By Dana M. Nichols
Record Staff Writer
October 01, 2008 6:00 AM

VALLEY SPRINGS - David Foster got hooked on combat.

"At the time, it is a sense of euphoria," said Foster, who served in the Army during Operation Desert Storm (the 1990-91 Persian Gulf War) as well as in operations against drug dealers and slave traders. "Afterward, you crash."

Civilian life was a big crash for Foster. So he hunted for ways to regain the euphoric clarity of combat. For a long time, he lived in Stockton, picking fights with other rough characters ranging from gang bangers and drug dealers to people beating their dogs. "I probably got in two or three fights a week for 10 years," Foster said.

The Sheng Chi Foundation is offering free martial arts classes for veterans at Sheng Chi Kung Fu, 139 Main St., Valley Springs. Information: (209) 772-1760 or www.shengchifoundation.org.

The Veterans Affairs Department finally caught up to Foster and forced him into a treatment program for post-traumatic stress disorder. That allowed him to kick the fighting habit and resume something closer to a normal life. But it didn't give him the spiritual healing he has found since through another path, an ancient art of which the VA doctors didn't approve: kung fu.

"The VA didn't want me in martial arts, because it is related to violence," said Foster, 38, of Campo Seco in Calaveras County.

Shou Shu kung fu is a very traditional form of the Chinese martial art. Foster began studying it at Sheng Chi Kung Fu in Valley Springs.

Although kung fu trains a person in fighting methods, Foster said he found it an effective and safe way to capture the vivid, in-the-moment consciousness of combat without hurting anyone.

"That is one thing the martial arts will help a military veteran do is revisit the here and now," Foster said.

Now other veterans will have the same opportunity, as the Sheng Chi Foundation affiliated with the Valley Springs martial arts studio began in August to offer free classes to veterans. Sheng Chi co-owner Phil Weaver said he has had a number of students over the years who reported that studying the art helped their recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder.

"You have to concentrate so much on what you are doing in here that you can't have any other thoughts in your head," Weaver said.

Weaver said he and his wife, Liz Weaver, who co-owns the business and also teaches kung fu, wanted to do something to help veterans, including those returning to civilian life from the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Experts on post-traumatic stress disorder said studying an art such as kung fu may be helpful to PTSD patients, but they also offered some cautions.

"I think that can be helpful, but you always have to be careful of whether a student is tolerant of an exposure to things that are going to mimic combat," said David Lechuga, a Southern California neuropsychologist who runs his own clinic in Lake Forest and teaches at University of California, Los Angeles, and Pepperdine University.

Lechuga knows the issue well; he is a fifth-degree black belt in Shotokan karate, and his students include veterans who witnessed heavy combat.

"There is an underlying theme of violence in everything we do," Lechuga said. "It is controlled, but it is violence nonetheless."

Phil Weaver said maintaining a safe, trusting environment is key to effective learning, and at times he has paused classes when students with PTSD began suffering a negative reaction.

"It is very emotionally challenging to learn the art. It does push people out of the box," he said.

Scott Jensen, assistant professor of psychology at University of the Pacific in Stockton, said it makes sense that studying a highly disciplined martial art would offer benefits to people with stress disorders but said he is not aware of any particular research indicating martial arts are better or worse than other highly disciplined activities.

Research shows that a method called exposure therapy is an effective way to treat PTSD, Jensen said. Exposure therapy patients are encouraged to re-experience traumatic events, which can be anything from war violence to a car accident to a molestation, in a safe environment, thus gradually reducing the impact of the trauma.

Experts agreed that individuals suffering PTSD should seek treatment first from clinicians skilled in helping people with the disorder. But those interviewed for this story also said martial arts training is a positive opportunity for veterans.

"It sounds like a great program and a great service," Jensen said.

Gary Howells is a professor of psychology at Pacific and a Navy veteran who served two tours in Vietnam.

He said arrangements such as the free kung fu classes offer the hope of communitywide healing as veterans are welcomed back to civilian life.

"If nothing else, it is another means of removing the isolation and saying that we appreciate you. And I think that is an important, positive message," Howells said. "We are doing it better with (the Persian Gulf War and the Iraq war) than we did with Vietnam veterans."

Foster, meanwhile, is still studying kung fu, although he is doing it privately with an instructor who lives in Mokelumne Hill.

He still suffers many of the classic PTSD symptoms, including nightmares and hypertension, and he pretty much avoids crowds by staying at home and gardening. But he says his human relationships have improved.

"Things are better. I fell better about myself."

Hebrew Hammer

10-02-2008, 07:59 PM

Wow, that lady is 53, I wish they said what martial art she did, her weight, and other stuff.

And she's a marathon runner.

Yeah...nobody likes a show-off at any age...very impressive. :D

GeneChing

10-20-2008, 07:46 PM

Would you vote for this guy?
2-term incumbent faces martial arts instructor in House District 68 (http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20081018/NEWS09/810180342&theme=CAMPAIGN_2008)
By CYNTHIA REYNAUD • creynaud@dmreg.com • October 18, 2008

An incumbent with a focus on keeping young people in Iowa faces a martial arts instructor and business owner in the race for Iowa House District 68.

Republican challenger Larry Voorhees, the owner of and master instructor at Voorhees Taekwondo Inc., said he decided to run against incumbent Democrat Rick Olson to get off the sidelines and fix the issues with which he disagrees.

"For too many years, I've been fussing about what happens at the Statehouse," Voorhees said. "I can't tell my black belts to get involved in life if I don't do it myself."

Voorhees is a newcomer to government and politics, but says he has held leadership positions as the president of the State of Iowa Black Belt Association and as a project manager at Nationwide Insurance in Des Moines. Those jobs have provided him with skills he would use as a state representative, he said.

"People have this perception that government is so complex, and it's not, or it doesn't need to be," he said. "I have the contacts, I have the ability, to gather a group of people and get something done."

Olson has served two terms in the Iowa House. He said his background in law has set him apart from others in recent years.

Olson works as a private practice attorney.

"I've got the ability to communicate ... and an understanding of Iowa code and statutes," he said.

Olson's focus in the past four years has been on keeping young adults in Iowa. Another term in office would allow him to continue that work, he said.

He cited his own daughters as an example of talented youth who left the state for positions in other areas of the country.

"There's no reason for them to come back here," he said. "I wish they were back here in Iowa, but there's nothing here to keep them here."

Olson said he hopes to create benefits that offer discounted college tuition to students from Iowa who commit to live and work in the state for a certain number of years after graduation.

"That's how you keep these kids here," Olson said.

Voorhees said he will focus on whatever the community deems important.

"This is not pushing Larry's agenda. It's about what the people want me to represent them for," Voorhees said.

He listed "protecting traditional family values by seeing a marriage amendment voted on by the people of the state" and "providing fiscal restraint and responsibility in the state budget" as examples of what he thinks should be priorities.

"The bottom line is I want them to vote," Voorhees said. "It's not only our right, it's our duty and obligation to vote. If you didn't vote, you lost the chance to make the difference."
Candidate Q&A

Democrat Rick Olson and Republican Larry Voorhees answered the following questions about state issues:

Q. What is your top priority for enhancing economic growth in Iowa?

Olson: Providing a work force that meets the needs of business — existing or potential.

Voorhees: Encourage small businesses to grow, develop, invest and be innovative. Provide incentives to the smaller businesses so that the playing field becomes at least a bit more level.

Q. What is the most important thing the state should do to make Iowa schools more competitive in the global economy?

Olson: Emphasize math and science. Every child that graduates should be fluent in a language other than English.

Voorhees: I think a better question would be, “what is the most important thing the state should do to make Iowa GRADUATES more competitive in the global economy?” It is the students who we need to educate better so they can be more successful and competitive. We should emphasize basic skills: reading, writing, computational skills, basic economics, consumer skills, comprehensive reasoning, appreciation for the arts … and we do what we can to ensure that students don’t just pass these classes, but that they have the skills to be successful in these areas. Initially, it is the responsibility of local school boards to insist on these things, but it is up to the state to help make this the environment and the baseline.

Q. How would you hold state government accountable to taxpayers?

Olson: Encourage citizens to vote.

Voorhees: A good first step would be to require that any increase in taxation that equals 10 percent or more of the current budget must be voted on and approved by the general public before it can be instituted. Secondly, I would strongly suggest that tax monies raised for a specific purpose only be used for that specific purpose.

Q. What are Iowa’s most urgent infrastructure needs and how would you pay for them?

Olson: Most urgent would be highways. We need to re-evaluate the amount of taxpayer money being spent on farm-to-market roads, and reallocate the same to primary and secondary highways. We are increasing licensing fees. The bipartisan infrastructure and transportation task force has spent considerable time evaluating this subject. I would defer to their recommendations.

Voorhees: Roads, bridges, existing levees, in that order. Roads and bridges should be paid for out of the current funding models, for the time being, until we have a chance to see if we can do a better job. Levee repair/reconstruction will need to find at least a temporary funding source, within the current general fund, without imposing new taxation on people, if there isn’t a current mechanism in place. I also think we should research whether the development of light rail transit would be beneficial; however, that may be something that needs to be addressed by local metro areas, rather than by the state Legislature.

Q. What should Iowa do, in light of this year’s flood disaster, to protect property and taxpayer dollars in the future? If there are costs involved, say how you would pay for it.

Olson: Obviously, the federal government needs to step up to the plate and provide disaster relief. There are few ways to protect the community from flooding that doesn’t, then, cause flooding downstream. Nature has a mind of its own, and our ability to predict rain totals is not an exact science. The Army Corps of Engineers bears a certain responsibility in that they regulate the amount of water released in our major reservoirs in Iowa. The development of additional reservoirs may be of some benefit in the future. Re-evaluate flood plain development.

Voorhees: What funding sources are currently targeted for those types of projects? Has there been a well-thought-out program or project plan for the future? Without having access to that information, it would be inappropriate of me to speculate an answer. It remains to be seen what the current federal and state responses will be in the immediate future. Then, a long-term, broad-based solution will need to be studied and brought forward.

Lucas

10-20-2008, 09:45 PM

well the guy has a memorable last name....lets just be happy his first name isnt Jason.

:eek:

SimonM

10-20-2008, 10:49 PM

Well... he'd probably promise to slash spending. And institute a one-strike policy where he'd severely punish people for vice crimes by impailing them...

GeneChing

10-22-2008, 07:58 PM

...especially if your 83. :eek:
Woman uses martial art to subdue car burglar (http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20081022TDY02302.htm)
The Yomiuri Shimbun

KYOTO--An 83-year-old man was arrested Monday on suspicion of attempted theft after he was found ransacking a car in Kita Ward, Kyoto, and caught by a woman who used her Chinese martial art skills to subdue him, police said.

According to the police, Keiko Kurisaki, 45, found the man ransacking a car in a parking lot at about 1:40 p.m. and called the police. As the man tried to flee, Kurisaki apprehended him using a shuai jiao technique in which an opponent's arm is twisted and one of his legs brushed aside to knock him off balance. Kita Police Station officers arrested the man when they arrived at the scene.

According to the police station and others, Kurisaki was the general manager of the Japanese men's team that recently participated in an international competition of Chinese martial arts in Taiwan. The team won first prize in one of the techniques.
(Oct. 22, 2008)

sanjuro_ronin

10-23-2008, 02:22 PM

...especially if your 83. :eek:

LOL, a JAPANESE SJ person to boot !

GeneChing

10-23-2008, 07:26 PM

But then again, perhaps this gets to a core issue with applications.
The link between martial arts and teen delinquency (http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/opinion/article/457040)
Published Thursday October 23rd, 2008
Chris McCormick

A good kick: Teaching martial arts to youths at risk for violence and delinquency has proven to be helpful in curbing their aggression, resistance to rules, impulsiveness and inappropriate behaviour.

During the recent federal election, the leader of the Conservative Party announced he was going to get tough on juvenile crime.

Among other things, he said he was going to allow the media to publicize the identity of young offenders. I doubt his tough on crime approach will work, but in the spirit of collegiality, I want to describe a different approach which might.

Several psychiatrists wrote recently in the journal Adolescence of their attempt to reproduce other, smaller studies which showed that juveniles at high risk for violence and delinquency were less violent after taking a school-linked course in traditional martial arts.

Such research often shows mixed results, because participation in the studies is voluntary, or the juvenile is already in a martial arts program. Both factors self-select for more aggressive youth, with the result that some studies even show an increase in violence for students who take martial arts.

However, in this study, teachers identified students at high risk for violence and delinquency. There was no lack of such students, as the school was located in a poor area of a large urban city that had a very high juvenile arrest rate. The students who were identified as high risk were required to take the course if their parents agreed, and an outside martial arts teacher was brought in to teach them.

To make the study scientific, 60 students with similar problematic behavior profiles were paired and then randomly assigned to either a treatment group or to a wait-list control group. For ten weeks the students took three classes per week of a traditional martial art which emphasized self-protection and calmness, which used a combination of meditation and patterned movements called a kata.

At the end of the study, of 14 variables that were measured, the treatment students improved on almost all of them, while the control group actually deteriorated on most, including teacher-rated violence. In addition, there were significant differences between the groups on self-reported happiness, resistance to rules, impulsiveness, and inappropriate social behavior.

A follow-up on teachers' ratings of the students showed that improvement remained, and in some cases increased, for months after completion of the course.

The concern over youths is not new, and the idea of teaching them positive ways of dealing with aggressiveness and impulsivity is not new either. However, it is usually a soft approach, criticized for not being tough enough. What this study shows is that using traditional martial arts for intervention teaches self-confidence, and in turn increases the individual's sense of confidence and self-worth.

Why did the program work? Well, it probably helped that the intervention involved physical exercise. Kids have a lot of energy to dissipate. Second, the emphasis was on the development of skills of self-defense. Knowing how to protect yourself builds confidence. Third, the martial arts teacher was not a middle school teacher, and thus represented an authority from outside the system.

The study was so successful that in the following term, the school offered a similar class for disruptive girls, who can also benefit from learning martial arts.

Some teachers were reluctant to assign students to the course because it seemed like a reward, but that's just one of those things that make you shake your head.

Martial arts requires attention, commitment, and discipline.

One very quickly learns that before you can control someone else, you have to learn to control yourself. And this betrays one of the big secrets that is tangential to the training involved. The students were being paid attention to, and offered something unique that can turn into a life-changing experience. I'm not surprised they changed.

This approach is more than 'getting tough on youth crime' can offer. But if Stephen Harper is serious about youth crime, he could set an example and take up martial arts with his kids. He did say in the campaign that he likes to spend time with them, throwing balls and so on.

Who knows, maybe in the process he'd learn something himself.

Chris McCormick teaches criminology at St. Thomas University and his column on crime and criminal justice appears every second Thursday.

SimonM

10-23-2008, 07:52 PM

Which country is this article from?

GeneChing

10-30-2008, 06:52 PM

Rugby is pretty street. I learned how to head butt from a rugby player.

Boks turn to martial arts (http://www.thetimes.co.za/Sport/Article.aspx?id=874154)
Sapa Published:Oct 30, 2008

Springbok coach Peter de Villiers is leaving no stone unturned to ensure his team is literally fighting fit ahead of their three-Test tour starting against Six Nations champions Wales in Cardiff on Saturday, November 8.

Hennie Bosman, the reigning World Senior Karate Champion and kickboxing expert, was leading the charge when the Boks started off their training session at the University of Cape Town’s Groote Schuur field yesterday afternoon.

There he was, with the help of another martial arts expert, teaching the Boks the art of handing off opponents in the tackle situation. He also drilled the players in exercises which were aimed at freeing themselves when held up in tackles.

Once the 7th Dan Black belt Bosman and his partner gave way, Springbok assistant coaches **** Muir and Gary Gold put the players through their paces. Muir kept the backs busy with basic handling exercises although players did not run in structured playing patterns.

As a result one could not gauge how new flyhalf Ruan Pienaar and new cap Earl Rose would be fitting into the Boks’ playing pattern, or what roles have been set out for them.

Jean de Villiers, the Boks’ key backline decision maker, was absent at training. He has been laid low with a stomach bug and has been kept indoors at the team’s Foreshore hotel in the Mother City.

Gold spent the afternoon working the forwards hard on the Australian-made scrummaging machine and there was lots of interest from the few thousand spectators in John Smit who was packing down at an unaccustomed tighthead position, alongside hooker Bismarck du Plessis and loosehead prop Tendai ’Beast’ Mtawarira.

This front row was backed up by second rowers Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha, flanked by Juan Smith and Pierre Spies, who usually plays at eighthman. However, the opposing pack also packed down without a No 8.

Later on in the scrummaging session Gold, who was assisted by Saru referees expert Neville Heilbron, moved the permutations around which saw Smit locked with hooker Chilliboy Ralepelle and loosehead strongman Gurthrö Steenkamp, at one stage.

However, the only position which remained constant as Gold moved the players around was that of the ’scrumhalf’ who would-be spies might have mistaken as the Boks’ new secret weapon.

The ’scrumhalf’ was none other Springbok flanker Schalk Burger who was sitting out at training because of a hamstring strain, which apparently is no cause for concern.

Weather conditions were fair in Cape Town yesterday afternoon and totally unlike what the Boks will encounter on their UK tour.

"It can be tough in the cold, rain and wind which we are bound to experience on tour," said Bok skipper Smit. "The really good teams adapt quicker to the local conditions. It’s the same when teams tour here.

"There are other aspects like the mistiming of the seasons, but given there’s not really an off-season any more, you can’t blame the fact that we’re at the end of our season."

Smit also spoke about the importance of this tour in the light of the British and Irish Lions’ campaign in South Africa next year.

"The bulk of the (British and Irish) Lions squad will come from the teams that we meet on this tour," said Smit. "Although the conditions will be different in South Africa than they will be on this trip, it is important that we win.

"Beating Wales, Scotland and England make it easier to set the tone for next year.

"Every player who goes on this tour will understand the magnitude of what is waiting for us next year.

"This is a great opportunity to suss out what they (the Lions) have in store for us and for us to score early psychological points."

"Any advantage we can gain against Wales, Scotland and England will be beneficial."

P.S. SimonM, if you follow the link in the post above, you'll find your answer. I always link to the source to credit them.

SimonM

10-30-2008, 07:08 PM

Thanks, eh.

Never been to frederickton.

TaichiMantis

10-30-2008, 08:30 PM

LOL, a JAPANESE SJ person to boot !

then again...how hard is it to run down and dump an 83 yr old? :cool:

sanjuro_ronin

10-30-2008, 08:38 PM

then again...how hard is it to run down and dump an 83 yr old? :cool:

That depends, some 83 years old can whip a mean walker !

GeneChing

10-31-2008, 06:57 PM

I'm always a little skeptical of teenagers telling stories like this, but we'll give Kyle the benefit of the doubt for now.

Martial arts student uses his skills to foil carjacking (http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/749405.html)
A 19-year-old Jiu-Jitsu student thwarted a knife-wielding carjacker outside a Fort Lauderdale training center.
BY ADAM H. BEASLEY
abeasley@MiamiHerald.com

A martial arts center in northern Fort Lauderdale offers Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which the studio claims is the most effective self-defense in the world.

Wednesday night, one of its students -- 19-year-old Kyle Yates -- found himself in need of the training.

Yates fought off a knife-wielding carjacker in the center's parking lot and was able to speed away without injury, according to Fort Lauderdale police.

His attacker remained on the loose Thursday.

Reached by phone, Yates, of Fort Lauderdale, said his reaction was half-instinct, half-skill.

''The windows were down,'' Yates said, 'and I was thinking, `He ain't getting in my car.' ''

Here's how Fort Lauderdale police and the victim said it happened:

About 7 p.m., Yates was leaving Pablo Popovitch's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Center, 1594 E. Commercial Blvd., following a practice.

As he got into his white Thunderbird, a man in his 20s approached, held a knife to Yates' neck, then demanded his car.

The demand was declined.

Yates shoved the thief's arm away, knocking him backward, then threw the car into reverse.

He later called police and told them what happened. There were no witnesses and the knife was not recovered, according to police.

Despite having a knife to his neck, Yates was nonchalant a day later.

''I really didn't take it seriously at all,'' he said.

The art student began his martial arts training earlier this year during a brief stint in the military. After his discharge in March, he started attending sessions at Pablo Popovitch's center.

The facility also offers classes in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, kickboxing/Muay Thai and mixed martial arts.

''Since I've been there, I've been more of a calm person,'' Yates said. ``I react faster and make more rational decisions.''

His quick decision Wednesday night may have saved his Thunderbird.

sanjuro_ronin

10-31-2008, 08:38 PM

Isn't that a case of Car-Fu rather than BJJ ?

Lucas

11-04-2008, 12:33 AM

i woner if thats a case more of the guy didnt want to actually slit a throat so when he was pushed he just went 'oh well, he called my bluff'

who knows but the 'attacker'

GeneChing

11-12-2008, 10:03 PM

I'm disappointed to see UPI lists this as "odd news". This is excellent news.

Karate senior scares off would-be crooks (http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2008/11/12/Karate_senior_scares_off_would-be_crooks/UPI-82551226510557/)
Published: Nov. 12, 2008 at 12:22 PM

NEW YORK, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- A 57-year-old New York man with a history of karate lessons says he used his martial arts skills to scare off three young would-be thieves.

Grandfather-of-six Diogenes Angeles said after being confronted by the three young men on his way to a pharmacy, he punched one of his would-be robbers and all three quickly fled the scene, the New York Daily News said Wednesday.

"They see that I am kind of old and figured they can just come and rob me," the retired sign painter said.

"Once they saw I could defend myself, they ran away," Angeles added. "I hope they learn from this and don't attack other people."

Angeles credited karate lessons he began taking at the age of 14 for thwarting Tuesday's potential robbery.

Police later arrested three suspects in relation to the incident, the Daily News said.

Those men have been identified as Eugene Sanchez, 19, Rakeem Johnson, 23, and Jason Lopez, 25.

GeneChing

11-19-2008, 07:30 PM

Anyone here from Bridgeport, CT of Richmond, VA?
New Police Chief: Martial Arts is Key (http://www.wtvr.com/Global/story.asp?S=9368554)
Posted: Nov 18, 2008 02:29 AM

Could martial arts help end gang activity and school violence? It's a question CBS 6 put to Richmond's new top cop.

Chief Bryan Norwood says kids need to be engaged and have strong role models. Norwood started martial arts programs as chief in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He calls those programs a huge success.

Now, he wants to implement these programs in Richmond city schools. "The martial arts provides that specific discipline that allows them to really focus on certain parts of their life," says Chief Bryan Norwood.

Strong discipline, strong minds and self confidence. They're a life long lesson for Brady Taylor. He believes he would be dead if he had not taken part in a martial arts program. Taylor's been enrolled in the program for several years. In middle school, Taylor says older kids picked on and physically abused him. "They punched me, kicked me, pushed me, threw me up against the chairs," says Taylor. This worried Taylor's mother. At one point, Patti Hobbs thought her son may turn violent. "Columbine really scared me because Brady was the child who nobody ever paid any attention to unless they were pounding on him," says Hobbs. But Hobbs say that changed when Brady signed up for Martial Arts. "If he could control his own environment and feel safe then he wouldn't need to lash out and it has worked...it's been wonderful."

CBS 6 contacted Richmond Public Schools. Right now, the district says it doesn't have Martial Arts programs in place. But Felicia Cosby tells CBS 6 the district is excited Chief Norwood is willing to work closely with students and looks forward to discussing this concept.

GeneChing

11-19-2008, 07:33 PM

This is one hardcore 10-year-old practitioner.
At Hospital, Wresting Control From Spina Bifida (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/18/AR2008111803383.html)
By John Kelly
Wednesday, November 19, 2008; Page B03

If you have children who complain about the injustices of life -- about, say, the punishing chores they are required to complete -- may I suggest you share the story of Jessica Gregory?

Jessica, a 10-year-old from Forestville, is a stellar reader and an accomplished martial artist. She was born with spina bifida, a congenital disorder of the spine that can cause a variety of problems. Jessica has been visiting Children's National Medical Center since she was a baby. Three years ago, doctors there performed a series of procedures to make possible the bodily functions most people take for granted. A hole in Jessica's abdomen gives access to her bladder so she can be catheterized. Another, called a stoma, is in her belly button and allows the contents of her bowel to be flushed out.

These rituals must be performed several times a day, and almost from the start it's been Jessica who's been doing them.

"They believe in children being independent," said Jessica's mom, Sheila, of the staff at Children's. "They said: 'She has to do this on her own. If you start doing it, she's not going to do it.' "

Jessica was not thrilled by the prospect at first. Sheila drove the point home so often -- you must do this for yourself -- that Jessica appealed to a higher authority.

"I overheard her praying, and she said, 'God, that woman gets on my nerves,' " Sheila said. "I had to get myself together. I had a laugh, then I said: 'You can talk to the Lord all you want, but you still have to do it. I'm not going to do it.' "

Jessica did learn to do it and in the process took ownership of the situation. Mom Sheila and dad William used to call the regular irrigation of Jessica's bowel and bladder doing "the boo-boo thing." One day Jessica announced, "Can we call it 'the fluids'?"

A much better name.

"She's very self-sufficient, which is another thing the hospital trains them to do," Sheila said. The self-sufficiency extends in all directions. When she was younger, Jessica wore braces on her ankles and had difficulty walking. Sheila said Dr. Laura Tosi, a Children's Hospital orthopedic surgeon, told her that Jessica had to learn to pick herself up when she fell. Sheila should resist the urge to help.

When they'd go the mall, Sheila got scowls from shoppers suspicious of the stumbling child's inattentive mom. "People would look at me like, 'Okay lady, should we call child protective services?' "

It was Dr. Tosi who recommended that Jessica do either ballet or martial arts as a way of strengthening her legs. Said Dr. Tosi: "A critical challenge to pediatric hospitals is what happens when [patients] turn 18 or 21? How do we care for the adult with a congenital disorder?"

Research revealed that kids with spina bifida and cerebral palsy were entering adulthood with atrophied muscles, their bodies prematurely aged.

"Working with that knowledge base, I started kicking my kids in the can," Dr. Tosi said. Exercise became critical, not just to help minimize bone loss and help minimize weight gain but to improve morale.

Jessica's parents enrolled her in the Little Ninjas program at Full Circle Martial Arts Academy in Capitol Heights, where her older brothers had been students. Now the fourth-grader has a blue belt in kung fu.

On a recent day at Children's, Jessica stood on one foot, her arms birdlike at her sides. She had assumed her favorite kung fu position: the crane.

Why is it your favorite, I asked. "You get to have fun with it," Jessica said. "You have to stay focused."

Helping Children's

As I admired her martial arts poses, I asked Jessica what she wants to be when she grows up. "A doctor," she said. "That's easy."

When you see the lifesaving work done at Children's Hospital, it's hard not to want to help. It's too late for me to go to medical school. It's probably too late for many of you. But we can make a difference in another way: By taking part in The Washington Post's annual Children's Hospital fundraising campaign.

Our goal is to raise $500,000 by Jan. 9 to help pay the bills of poor sick children. To donate, write a check or money order payable to "Children's Hospital" and mail it to Washington Post Campaign, P.O. Box 17390, Baltimore, Md. 21297-1390.

To donate online using a credit card, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/childrenshospital.

To contribute by phone using Visa or MasterCard, call 202-334-5100 and follow the instructions on the recording.