Jon Foo: Co-Star of the New Rush Hour TV Series Worked With Jackie Chan, Tony Jaa and Yuen Woo-Ping!

This article comes from Black Belt’s December 2012 issue — long before Jon Foo was selected to take on Jackie Chan’s role in the 2016 CBS TV version of Rush Hour.

— Editor

Although Jon Foo is most notably known for acting in 2010’s Tekken, the film adapted from the hit video game, his martial arts and movie résumés extend far beyond that role. Foo has an extensive background in the Chinese arts, and he’s the first Westerner to have the privilege of doing film fights for Jackie Chan, Yuen Woo-ping and Panna Rittikrai, three of the greatest martial arts moviemakers of this era.

Born in 1982 to a Chinese father and an Irish mother, Jonathan Patrick Foo grew up in London not far from the world’s most famous football arena (soccer to the unenlightened), Wembley Stadium. Whereas most London lads would have cultivated a commitment to cheering on one of the city’s renowned football teams, Foo chose to forge a connection to the martial arts — in particular, those of his father’s homeland.

Influenced by Jackie Chan films and enthralled by the associated acrobatic skills, 8-year-old Jon Foo began practicing southern Shaolin kung fu. At 15, he joined the London Chinese Acrobat Circus and performed at various locations in the city. Several years later, he took up wushu, after which he met a coach who taught him a couple of competition forms that opened Foo’s eyes with respect to dynamic martial arts performance.

After he graduated from secondary school, Jon Foo opted to continue his education by attending art school. In retrospect, it wasn’t the best decision. “One day, I was designing a door handle and thought, ‘This is rubbish — I don’t want to design door handles,’” he told Black Belt. “I had a good demo reel and felt I needed to leave school and go to Hong Kong to do film.”

One of the reasons Jon Foo longed to head east was during his wushu training, his instructors would often lament that in China, coaches were able to push their students to greater heights because they weren’t constrained by the same rules and conventions. His curiosity sufficiently piqued, Foo booked a ticket to China, where he promptly sought entry into Beijing’s hallowed Shi Cha Hai Sports School — the same facility where Jet Li trained.

“In London, you go to the club once or twice a week, but in China, everyone lives in the school and trains all day,” Jon Foo said. “My most memorable moment there was watching an 8-year-old kid trying to squat 100 kilos (220 pounds). Once you see something like that, you think everything is possible.”

Big Break

Foo spent two intensive weeks honing his wushu skills in Beijing, then headed back to London. From his U.K. base, he sent his demo reel to the JC Group in Hong Kong, half expecting it to wind up in a pile with the hundreds of other reels Jackie Chan no doubt gets every week from aspiring martial arts actors. Much to his surprise, Foo received a letter from Chan’s manager saying the superstar was impressed by his video. Even better, the correspondence contained an offer: If Foo wished to fly to Hong Kong to join the Jackie Chan Stunt Team, they’d be happy to have him.

Kelly McCann’s Combatives Self-Defense Course, a new remote-learning program from Black Belt, will help you fine-tune your street-defense skills using your tablet or smartphone!

“I went to Hong Kong and basically knocked on their door,” Jon Foo said. “Willie Chan (Jackie Chan’s manager — no relation) took me to some sets and introduced me to some directors, and I started working, doing fights on Yuen Woo-ping’s House of Fury (2005). Then I [went to] China to work on Jackie Chan’s The Myth (2005).”

While shooting The Myth, Jon Foo landed a role in The Protector, with Tony Jaa. Foo’s reputation must have preceded him, for he was afforded the top honor an up-and-coming film fighter could hope for: “I was asked to do a fight against Tony,” he said.

The stylistic differences between a Jackie Chan production, a Yuen Woo-ping production and a Tony Jaa production were stark, Jon Foo said. On the set of a Chan movie, “you have to basically learn that style, that rhythm,” he said. “So when I was not shooting, I’d be training with the stunt guys just to pick up the kind of pace that Jackie likes. It’s very specific — I mean, even if you see it in silhouettes, you know it’s Jackie Chan’s style.”

Working with Yuen Woo-ping was a very different experience, Foo said. “Woo-ping is on the ball. He knows what moves he wants and the angle of the moves he wants, and he already has these little things edited in his mind.”

Check out the Greg Jackson Mixed Martial Arts Core Curriculum from Black Belt! Stream lessons to your digital device and start learning how to incorporate MMA tactics and techniques into your current art.

In contrast, filming in Thailand with Tony Jaa was much slower, Jon Foo said. “That’s good in its own way — people are always chilled out. Panna Rittikrai loves it when you do a good move or a combination he likes. He’ll just crack up laughing and his face lights up — you really see the feeling that he is excited.”

Being a lifelong martial artist, Foo prefers to make his scenes as realistic as possible — which is probably why the Thais like him. “They pad up as much as they can and take real hits,” he said. “It’s cool.”

When the camera is in position to show those real hits, however, the synchronization between attacker and attackee needs to be top-notch. “You have to capture that it’s real, and that comes from a true expression of yourself, rather than making it a dance,” Jon Foo said. “I know it’s choreography, but you still need to have the chi or energy in it. If you capture that, you have done a good job.”

As evidence, he cites the blockbuster Ong-Bak. After it hit theaters in 2003, Thailand made hundreds of muay Thai warrior” films, but they didn’t rise to the level of Ong-Bak because they lacked that energy. It’s what makes one fight scene better than another and one movie work while another falls short, he said.

New Challenge

Jon Foo’s latest project reunited him with the intrinsic energy of Siam. Titled Bangkok Revenge, it has the martial artist playing Manit, a man who suffers from ataraxia, which causes him to be unencumbered by normal emotion and anxieties. The condition stems from an incident that occurred when the character was 10: He was shot in the head by the same criminals who killed his parents. Most of the movie takes place 20 years later, when Manit, now a skilled fighter, tracks down the murderers.

“He’s got shrapnel lodged in his brain and really doesn’t know what he’s doing,” Foo said of the complex character. “But he’s got these skills, he’s nonchalant and it opens the door for action that is raw, almost unsettling and often a bit twisted. Being emotionless was a challenge because usually when you do something, there is an emotional reward. But now there’s nothing.”

It was a sea change from his first mainstream role, which was playing Jin Kazama in Tekken. The film received mixed reviews, and fans of the video game on which it was based lambasted it. “I had a great time working on the film, but I would’ve liked it more if the production side of the movie had better insight into the game, with more research into the characters of the game rather than the characters in the script,” Foo said. “If a film is an adaptation of a book, it’s important to do research. Just because it’s [from] a computer game doesn’t mean it should not be as well-researched as any other kind of adaptation.”

Burton Richardson teamed up with Black Belt mag to make Silat for the Street, a new online course that teaches the best fighting moves of the Southeast Asian art. Click here to learn how you can start streaming it to your smartphone, tablet or computer now!

That attention to detail defines Jon Foo’s life — whether he’s practicing kung fu or making movies in Asia. And he attributes it all to his martial arts training. “It’s one of the main things in my life where I [can] find myself, be honest and be free,” he said. “[It’s] taught me to anticipate, calculate and allow myself to be — which is how eventually you will find yourself.”

Photos Courtesy of China Lion

Go here to order Dr. Craig D. Reid’s book The Ultimate Guide to Martial Arts Movies of the 1970s: 500+ Films Loaded With Action, Weapons and Warriors.

Source: Black Belt Magazine

6 Things You Need to Know About Self-Defense — Advice From One of the Greatest Kickboxers in History!

Being able to defend yourself isn’t just a matter of knowing which technique will stop an assailant in his tracks so you can get away. It’s also about being physically able to execute the move and being mentally prepared to do it.

The following are some defensive components that will help you do that by enabling you to make the most of what you’ve learned in the dojo.

Awareness

It’s essential to walk with confidence, and keep your head up and your shoulders squared. Always scan your environment. When a predator sees that you’re in touch with your surroundings, he’s more likely to think: “She’s a little too aware of what’s going on. She doesn’t look like the meek, mild, timid type. She doesn’t look like the type who’ll try to get into her car without paying attention.”

Kathy Long has studied aikido, kung fu san soo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and kickboxing.

Commitment

The most important — and the hardest — thing to learn is how to commit yourself to fighting back violently. That’s because you won’t know if you can do it until you’re in that type of situation. To help you and your classmates understand what you need to do in an extreme encounter, your teacher may need to discuss it in terms that are somewhat aggressive. He or she will explain what’s involved in jabbing your fingers in an attacker’s eyes, crushing his groin and punching him in the throat hard enough to make him gag. You need to learn how to switch on this ability at a moment’s notice. You have to program yourself to do whatever it takes to keep an assailant from raping you — or worse.

Reality-Based Training

When you go into a dojo or any facility where they claim to teach self-defense, investigate how realistic the training is. You don’t want to acquire a false sense of security by learning fancy techniques that aren’t practical. At some schools, they put the “aggressor” in a padded suit and let you beat on him. That kind of training teaches you an important lesson: It’s possible for you to hit a target with sufficient power to produce a debilitating effect.

Kelly McCann’s Combatives Self-Defense Course, a new remote-learning program from Black Belt, will help you fine-tune your street-defense skills using your tablet or smartphone!

Attire

What you wear while you work out is another crucial component. A gi can be comfortable to train in, but realize that you probably won’t be wearing one when you’re attacked. Therefore, it’s good to occasionally train in street clothes: a dress, nice slacks or a suit — even high-heeled shoes, if you wear them. My kung fu san soo instructor used to occasionally have his students come to class in clothes they wore to work or to the theater so they could see what it felt like to execute their techniques while dressed up. If your teacher doesn’t do that, ask him or her to start.

The clothes you wear can affect your ability to defend yourself, says Kathy Long.

Physical Fitness

Upper- and lower-body strength is important for executing techniques, and cardiovascular conditioning will enable you to run. If you don’t have the time or money to join a gym, get a set of dumbbells and lift at home. It’s fun to gauge your progress by noting how long it takes for a certain number of repetitions with a given weight to become too easy. That’s a sure sign you’re building useful strength. (As long as you’re using weights that are lighter than 25 pounds, you need not worry about developing a bodybuilder-type musculature.) To hit your lower body, walk up and down stairs or run.

Check out the Greg Jackson Mixed Martial Arts Core Curriculum from Black Belt! Stream lessons to your digital device and start learning how to incorporate MMA tactics and techniques into your current art.

Nutrition

Eat everything in moderation. Stick to good sources of protein and carbohydrates, and supplement them with loads of vegetables and a little fruit. Stay away from fried foods, and don’t consume too much dairy because it’s high in fat. Avoid overloading on pasta and white rice because they turn into glucose and fat if you don’t exercise enough. Limit your intake of sweets.

The better you eat, the better you will function. The better you function, the better you will feel. The better you feel, the greater endurance you will have and the happier you will be. When these factors are combined with increased awareness, proper mind-set and realistic martial arts skills, you will have maximized your personal security.

Kathy Long is a five-time kickboxing champion and a member of the Black Belt Hall of Fame.

Source: Black Belt Magazine

6 Things You Need to Know About Self-Defense — Advice From One of the Greatest Kickboxers in History!

Being able to defend yourself isn’t just a matter of knowing which technique will stop an assailant in his tracks so you can get away. It’s also about being physically able to execute the move and being mentally prepared to do it.

The following are some defensive components that will help you do that by enabling you to make the most of what you’ve learned in the dojo.

Awareness

It’s essential to walk with confidence, and keep your head up and your shoulders squared. Always scan your environment. When a predator sees that you’re in touch with your surroundings, he’s more likely to think: “She’s a little too aware of what’s going on. She doesn’t look like the meek, mild, timid type. She doesn’t look like the type who’ll try to get into her car without paying attention.”

Kathy Long has studied aikido, kung fu san soo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and kickboxing.

Commitment

The most important — and the hardest — thing to learn is how to commit yourself to fighting back violently. That’s because you won’t know if you can do it until you’re in that type of situation. To help you and your classmates understand what you need to do in an extreme encounter, your teacher may need to discuss it in terms that are somewhat aggressive. He or she will explain what’s involved in jabbing your fingers in an attacker’s eyes, crushing his groin and punching him in the throat hard enough to make him gag. You need to learn how to switch on this ability at a moment’s notice. You have to program yourself to do whatever it takes to keep an assailant from raping you — or worse.

Reality-Based Training

When you go into a dojo or any facility where they claim to teach self-defense, investigate how realistic the training is. You don’t want to acquire a false sense of security by learning fancy techniques that aren’t practical. At some schools, they put the “aggressor” in a padded suit and let you beat on him. That kind of training teaches you an important lesson: It’s possible for you to hit a target with sufficient power to produce a debilitating effect.

Kelly McCann’s Combatives Self-Defense Course, a new remote-learning program from Black Belt, will help you fine-tune your street-defense skills using your tablet or smartphone!

Attire

What you wear while you work out is another crucial component. A gi can be comfortable to train in, but realize that you probably won’t be wearing one when you’re attacked. Therefore, it’s good to occasionally train in street clothes: a dress, nice slacks or a suit — even high-heeled shoes, if you wear them. My kung fu san soo instructor used to occasionally have his students come to class in clothes they wore to work or to the theater so they could see what it felt like to execute their techniques while dressed up. If your teacher doesn’t do that, ask him or her to start.

The clothes you wear can affect your ability to defend yourself, says Kathy Long.

Physical Fitness

Upper- and lower-body strength is important for executing techniques, and cardiovascular conditioning will enable you to run. If you don’t have the time or money to join a gym, get a set of dumbbells and lift at home. It’s fun to gauge your progress by noting how long it takes for a certain number of repetitions with a given weight to become too easy. That’s a sure sign you’re building useful strength. (As long as you’re using weights that are lighter than 25 pounds, you need not worry about developing a bodybuilder-type musculature.) To hit your lower body, walk up and down stairs or run.

Check out the Greg Jackson Mixed Martial Arts Core Curriculum from Black Belt! Stream lessons to your digital device and start learning how to incorporate MMA tactics and techniques into your current art.

Nutrition

Eat everything in moderation. Stick to good sources of protein and carbohydrates, and supplement them with loads of vegetables and a little fruit. Stay away from fried foods, and don’t consume too much dairy because it’s high in fat. Avoid overloading on pasta and white rice because they turn into glucose and fat if you don’t exercise enough. Limit your intake of sweets.

The better you eat, the better you will function. The better you function, the better you will feel. The better you feel, the greater endurance you will have and the happier you will be. When these factors are combined with increased awareness, proper mind-set and realistic martial arts skills, you will have maximized your personal security.

Kathy Long is a five-time kickboxing champion and a member of the Black Belt Hall of Fame.

Source: Black Belt Magazine

Modern Training With Traditional Okinawan Weapons, Courtesy of Andrea Guarelli and Matayoshi Kobudo

[Sponsored Post] Most Black Belt readers are familiar with the basic weapons of the Japanese and Okinawan martial arts, like the bo and nunchaku. That’s because those ubiquitous self-defense tools are taught in a variety of systems, both traditional and modern.

The Matayoshi style of kobudo is unique in that it teaches techniques for wielding those traditional implements of self-defense along with many, many more. In fact, the system is renowned for the emphasis it places on weapons that otherwise would have been lost in the distant past.

Andrea Guarelli (left) and Shinpo Matayoshi (with the suruchin)

Andrea Guarelli sensei is a master of goju-ryu karate-do and an eighth dan in Matayoshi kobudo. He is the only Westerner to have received his sixth dan and the title of renshi directly from Shinpo Matayoshi. That recognition followed an extended period during which Guarelli trained under the master and the two developed a deep personal friendship. Guarelli’s accomplishments are lauded in this certificate from 1996.

Translation: Mr. Andrea Guarelli, for a long time you have been applying yourself to the growth, diffusion and development, by your students in your country, of our cultural heritage, which is karate-kobudo of Okinawa. The extraordinary results you have reached have contributed to the prosperity of Zen Okinawan Kobudo Renmei. To pay you tribute for your contribution in the association and to honor the result of your effort, I would like to demonstrate my gratitude.”

Below is an exclusive video in which Andrea Guarelli demonstrates suruchin no kata and its application (bunkai) against the tinbe (shields).

Shinpo Matayoshi was known as an expert in suruchin-jutsu. Some believe this weapon dates from far back into history — to a time when it was used primarily against animals. When it’s deployed against a modern human attacker, Matayoshi kobudo teaches students to twirl the weapon with the aim of hitting or ensnaring the adversary’s limbs or neck.

The suruchin comes in different lengths. In the Matayoshi school, the length is proportional to the size of the user. The weapon’s length comes from the cord that runs between the two stones, each of which has a hole through its center. Shinpo Matayoshi liked to use the device to trap an enemy’s weapon, disarming him with apparent ease. He also would demonstrate blocking techniques against weapons that entailed first immobilizing the attacker’s fighting implement with the suruchin and then using the other end to quickly counterattack the person’s vital points.

The use of suruchin in Matayoshi kobudo encompasses numerous tactics and techniques, including the following:

•     Rotation (furi)

•     Defense (uke)

•     Grasping changes (mochikae)

•     Grips (hikitori)

•     Stop in the air (furidome)

•     Hooking (karage)

•     Lengthening (nobashi)

•     Shortening (chijime)

As chairman and founder of the International Matayoshi Kobudo Association, Andrea Guarelli has set out to preserve the history and teach the techniques of the Matayoshi style — including everything that’s related to the suruchin — to interested students and instructors around the world.

To achieve this goal, he wrote Okinawan Kobudo: The History, Tools, and Techniques of the Ancient Martial Art, now available in English from Skyhorse Publishing. This book delves deep into the history of the Okinawan martial arts and includes many never-before-seen photographs given to Guarelli by the Matayoshi family.

In addition, readers will enjoy a step-by-step photo tutorial of the oar kata known as chikin akachu no ekudi (techniques of the red man of Chikin) and eku no kata bunkai (oar-vs.-bo fighting techniques).

Okinawan Kobudo: The History, Tools, and Techniques of the Ancient Martial Art also discusses two rare weapons disciplines: tekko-jutsu and tecchu-jutsu.

Originally, the tekko (above), whose name means “iron hand,” was a horse stirrup. It was readily available and easy to transform into a knuckle-duster, aka brass knuckles. The tekko was favored because it was easy to carry and conceal. Consequently, it became a popular street-fighting weapon in the 1920s.

In 1934 the tekko was officially adopted into Okinawan kobudo. That occurred after Shinpo Matayoshi returned from China, bringing with him several models of tekko. He then devised techniques for wielding the weapon.

Matayoshi shared the tekko with few of his students. While no original kata are known to exist today, the tool was adapted for use with some karate-do kata. Matayoshi advised Guarelli to incorporate the tekko into the goju-ryu kata known as sesan. Some students of Shinpo Matayoshi and Shinko Matayoshi went on to create their own tekko kata — including forms that have been dubbed kakazu, odo and kanei.

Although the origins of the tecchu (above) are unknown, there is a version that descended from a tool that was used by fishermen to repair their nets. Intended for fighting in the water (like the tekko), it fits over the hand so it can be used for thrusting and slashing strikes, as well as for throwing. The Micronesian “shark knuckle” is a similar weapon made of mangrove wood into which sharks’ teeth have been set.

To learn more about Matayoshi kobudo and its weapons, visit the International Matayoshi Kobudo Association. The website hosts a list of member organizations around the world, including the Matayoshi Kobudo Association of America, whose president is Kyoshi Danilo Torri of Hanko Ryu Martial Arts in Trumbull, Connecticut.

Better yet, make plans to train with Andrea Guarelli. The master conducts seminars around the world. His 2016 USA seminar will take place in Connecticut on August 27-28. Members and nonmembers are invited to attend. Visit the Matayoshi Kobudo Association of America for details.

About the author: Kimberly Rossi Stagliano is a student of Andrea Guarelli, as well as the secretary and treasurer of the International Matayoshi Kobudo Association and the vice president of the Matayoshi Kobudo Association of America. She trains in shito-ryu karate and Matayoshi kobudo with Kyoshi Danilo Torri, a founder of the IMKA and president of the MKAA, at Hanko Ryu Martial Arts in Trumbull, Connecticut. She’s a nationally recognized author, blogger and speaker who’s been published in The Washington Post and The Huffington Post.

Andrea Guarelli’s book is available at Amazon. Click here to purchase.

Source: Black Belt Magazine

Martial Arts of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Part Two)

In Part One of this blog, I noted that the sword fights from the first six Star Wars films were superior to those of Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens.

Fans of the films claim that because of executive producer George Lucas’ love of early Japanese chanbara films, the lightsaber duels, the force and the amazing fighting skills of the Jedi — which were based on kendo, ki (chi in Chinese) and samurai/Errol Flynn films, respectively — were emphasized.

Studying the evolution of the lightsaber duels throughout the original trilogy served as a basis for determining the extent of kendo’s real and fake influence. With Luke Skywalker using telekinesis in The Empire Strikes Back, it begged the question, Was this the force? My “yes” answer was revealed in that blog, and my “no” answer will be expounded here.

Photo Courtesy of Disney/Lucasfilm

While the philosophy of the force ties in with Native American culture (see Part One), the combative nature of the force does not. Instead, during Jedi duels, the force falls in line with Chinese literature and kung fu cinema, where swordsmen use fa jing chi strikes to send opponents flying backward without touching them. In Chinese films, they also use xi wu da fa “suction” abilities to pull opponents or objects toward them, and they apply ching gong to leap high, run atop trees and land on their feet after jumping down from tremendous heights.

Before 1977, Japanese films didn’t use these techniques, and indeed they don’t exist in samurai folklore. Yet these fantastical abilities were commonly featured in Chinese literature and films dating back to the 1950s. They didn’t become widely available to Westerners until the 1970s. However, we need look no further than the first three fights of the Chinese film The Ghost’s Sword (1971) to see many of the skills of the Jedi knights that are shown in the Star Wars movies.

Burton Richardson teamed up with Black Belt mag to make Silat for the Street, a new online course that teaches the best fighting moves of the Southeast Asian art. Click here to learn how you can start streaming it to your smartphone, tablet or computer now!

In the 1990s, when director Sam Raimi heavily used Hong Kong martial arts action in TV shows like Xena: Warrior Princess, he had an assistant whose job it was to watch “fant-Asia” action movies and make fight-scene compilation videotapes for him. When I learned fight choreography in the Chinese film and TV industry in 1980, I was instructed to do the same thing. It’s no stretch to think that the British stunt coordinator for the original Star Wars trilogy was aware of 1970s kung fu films, especially when you consider that Hong Kong was a British colony and Chinese films were more accessible in the British entertainment circles.

Photo Courtesy of Lucasfilm

How did the fights change in the prequels The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005) and how do they compare to The Force Awakens?

Tapping into the success of fant-Asia films in the West, Lucas wanted to ramp up the speed, agility and aerial capabilities of the Jedi fights because the films were set during the Jedi council’s heyday, when Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, “Darth Vader,” Count Dooku and other Jedi were at the pinnacle of their fighting prowess. The standard for this new action look was set by British stunt coordinator Nick Gillard, who intelligently hired legitimate wushu and guan (pole) expert Ray Park to play Darth Maul, a vicious, fighting-machine Sith warrior who wielded a double-bladed lightsaber.

Kelly McCann’s 5-Volume Combatives Self-Defense Course, a new remote-learning program from the makers of Black Belt, will help you fine-tune your street-defense skills using your tablet, smartphone or computer!

When Gillard added one-handed, figure-8 twirling and body-hugging swordplay to block, parry and slice; spinning footwork; aerial cartwheels; and flips to the Jedi repertoire, that marked the end of any kendo influence. In reality, samurai films from the late 1970s on have become increasingly influenced by Chinese-style choreography. Yet Parks pointed out that after flashing fancy whirligig wushu swordplay, all he had to do to sell the kendo look was end the swirling with a two-handed sword grip. As the trilogy evolved, there was more one-handed sword work, acrobatics and Hong Kong-style, frenetic-paced fights. To see what I’m talking about, watch Kenobi vs. Gen. Grievous or Yoda vs. Count Dooku.

Photo Courtesy of Disney/Lucasfilm

Now, let’s briefly revisit the plotlines of Star Wars and The Force Awakens.

For those who came in late, in the first movie, Luke Skywalker joins a cocky pilot, a wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire’s world-destroying battle station while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the evil Darth Vader.

Photo Courtesy of Disney/Lucasfilm

In the Force Awakens, Finn, a former Stormtrooper, joins two cocky pilots, a wookiee and one droid to save the galaxy from the First Order’s world-destroying battle station while also attempting to rescue rambunctious lass Rey from the evil Kylo Ren.

Déjà vu. Not only has the plot of Star Wars come full circle but so have the lightsaber duels — except that in The Force Awakens, there’s no new creative choreography and the duels look more like the hackem-whackem sword fights we used to do as kids using tree branches.

Photo Courtesy of Disney/Lucasfilm

There are only two novel ideas in The Force Awakens: One, Kylo Ren uses a lightsaber that looks like a medieval sword; and two, a fight takes place between Finn and a Stormtrooper who wields a large tonfa-like cattle prod. The fight was reminiscent of the Shaw Brothers movie The Magic Blade (1976), in which Ti Lung brandishes a slender, machete-like sword blade with a tonfa-style swiveling handle, but The Force Awakens didn’t match that fight’s creativity or intensity.

For The Force Awakens, critics lauded the boastful words from the filmmakers, who said that they didn’t need wires to pull off the fights and that John Boyega (Finn) would wake up early and train for a few hours before beginning four to six hours of stunt preparation followed by a day on the set. So what? Thousands of great sword fights before The Force Awakens had actors doing the same thing, and often with better results.

Check out the Greg Jackson Mixed Martial Arts Core Curriculum from Black Belt magazine! Stream lessons to your digital device and start learning how to incorporate MMA tactics and techniques into your current martial art.

In the benefit-of-the-doubt world, since The Force Awakens is a nostalgic homage to Star Wars, perhaps overtly mimicking the simplicity of the original lightsaber duels was intentional. But still it’s pretty chintzy. Our only hope is that with Donnie Yen being cast as a Jedi in the next Star Wars production, we may be in for a return to the more entertaining use of Hong Kong martial arts and fight choreography. May the force be with them.

Read Part One of this blog here.

Go here to order Dr. Craig D. Reid’s book The Ultimate Guide to Martial Arts Movies of the 1970s: 500+ Films Loaded With Action, Weapons and Warriors.

Source: Black Belt Magazine

Sneak Attack! Learn the Low Spinning Heel Kick of Kuk Sool Won

Created by In Hyuk Suh in 1958, kuk sool won is a comprehensive system of strikes, kicks, animal-inspired techniques, throws, grappling moves and weapons. One of the trademark strategies used with many of its moves is the spin. It introduces the element of surprise and generates incredible power.

When it comes to self-defense, perhaps the most useful spinning technique is the low spinning heel kick. Although kuk sool won teaches several variations of the kick, this article will focus on the basic one.

(Photo Courtesy of Daniel A. Middleton)

For the low spinning heel kick to be effective, you need speed, flexibility and commitment. If you execute the technique too slowly, your opponent can counter by stepping out of range. If you lack the requisite flexibility, your body won’t be able to move quickly enough or get low enough for the element of surprise to work. If you attempt the kick but change your mind halfway through, you’ll find yourself inside your opponent’s defenses, off-balance and low to the ground with virtually no way out. However, once you’ve acquired the necessary attributes, you’ll find that the kick is a devastating addition to your arsenal.

The best way to use the low spinning heel kick is by beginning with a setup that places your opponent in the prime position for the technique to be effective. The setup can be intentional (you employ techniques, body shifting, positioning and so on to lure him in) or spontaneous (you trigger the technique the moment the conditions are right). Although both are acceptable, it’s better to train for spontaneous deployment because you can’t depend on having control over anyone’s actions in a fight and because too many negative consequences can result from trying to maneuver your enemy into the proper position.

Burton Richardson teamed up with Black Belt mag to make Silat for the Street, a new online course that teaches the best fighting moves of the Southeast Asian art. Click here to learn how you can start streaming it to your smartphone, tablet or computer now!

That being said, the most advantageous position for the application of the kick is one in which you and your opponent are in “mirrored” stances. For instance, if you’re in a left forward stance, your opponent is facing you in a right forward stance.

Getting Started

It’s best to start by distracting your opponent with a high-line technique such as a jab or finger strike to the eyes. The objective is to get him to raise his hands and, more important, to focus his attention up high. That should be followed by your spinning to the rear and sinking your weight on your forward leg as you squat. It’s OK to place your hands lightly on the ground for support and balance.

Continue the spin as you extend your rear leg and sweep it parallel to the ground. Strike your opponent’s forward leg above the calf and slightly behind the knee. The technique will break his balance and can damage the muscles of his lower leg. The momentum of the kick will enable you to spin a full 360 degrees and stand up, re-establishing a ready position.

An alternate method, although not quite as fast or effective, involves placing your knee on the ground while you spin and executing the technique almost like a low, turning hook kick. This variation is easier for beginners but lacks speed and mobility, so it should be used only as a transitional method for developing the proper mechanics.

Training Right

An effective low spinning heel kick requires leg strength, and the best way to develop that is through squats. Lots of squats. Start slowly and pay attention to what your body tells you. The key is to build powerful quads, calves and hamstrings without damaging the connective tissue surrounding and supporting your knees. Technique development is important, but it should never be done to the detriment of your health.

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Begin with your feet together and pump out squats in sets of 25 to 50 repetitions. Don’t try to do too many or get too low to the ground. Build from there until you can comfortably do 200 to 300 reps in sets of 50.

Next, add the spin. Start in a left-leg-forward position and turn gently to the rear as you bend your knees. Begin in a relatively high stance to develop a feel for the motion and build leg coordination. As you get more comfortable, spin from a standing position and drop into a crouch with your weight centered over the ball of your forward foot.

Do this turning/squatting exercise until the motion becomes comfortable and easy to perform, after which you should add the kick. It’s effected by whipping your hips around and swinging your leg in an arc until it’s back at its starting position. Then you should immediately stand up and assume a ready position.

Training equipment can bolster the development of your low spinning heel kick. Perhaps the most important is a target that permits you to improve your accuracy. A commercial kicking pad is fine. If one isn’t available, improvise with a plastic jug such as the container engine coolant comes in. Such target training will help you develop a sense of accuracy and distance.

The low spinning heel kick should be executed with the weight centered and the body low to the ground (top). Beginners often fail to bend their support leg, which leaves their butt in the air (bottom). (Photos Courtesy of Daniel A. Middleton)

Two other tools can be used in conjunction with target kicking to fine-tune your body position, boost your leg strength and improve your balance. The drills that go with them are designed to eliminate the most common mistake students make while learning the low spinning heel kick: the dreaded “butt in the air,” which may result in the target being hit but which sacrifices the crouch and spin.

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To correct this mistake, you can use two folding mats, or a target and a foam pad. The mat method begins with the stacking of two folded mats on the floor. Each one should be 14 inches to 18 inches high, or slightly higher than your knee. Pull the topmost mat out so it overlaps the bottom one by about two feet. Place a stationary target under the top mat and against the edge of the bottom one.

Stand in a ready position about one foot from the edge of the top mat, then practice spinning and kicking the target without touching the mat. Exercise caution when doing this exercise. Repeatedly hitting the lower mat, which indicates that you’re kicking too deep, or hitting the upper mat, which indicates that you need to lower your body, can lead to hyperextension of the knee.

Two drills for mastering the low spinning heel kick: A plastic container is placed under stacked mats before it’s kicked (top). A training partner holds a target in his left hand and a foam pad in his right while the student practices the kick (bottom). (Photos Courtesy of Daniel A. Middleton)

The other exercise requires a training partner. Have him hold a target in one hand and a foam pad in the other. As you kick at the target, have him swing the pad over you at waist level. If you perform the technique correctly, you’ll be able to strike the target without getting hit by the swinging pad. If you fail to drop quickly or deeply enough before you kick, the pad will provide immediate feedback. The speed of the swing can be increased or decreased depending on your ability, and your partner can vary his rhythm to help you work on your speed and timing.

Mixing It Up

The final piece of the puzzle is incorporating the low spinning heel kick in combinations. One that’s often taught in kuk sool won is the high-middle-low combination in which three spinning kicks are performed nonstop at head, waist and knee level. This is a great drill for improving your balance during spinning. For best results, execute it in reverse (low-middle-high) from time to time.

In Hyuk Suh, founder of kuk sool won. (Photo by Peter Lueders)

Another combination, one that’s perhaps a bit more application-oriented, starts with a lead-hand jab and proceeds to the low spinning heel kick and round kick. It includes a distraction, the spin kick itself and a follow-up technique. These are merely suggestions; you’re encouraged to come up with your own combinations.

Tactically, the low spinning heel kick can be used just like any other similar technique, such as a sweep or low-line kick. The difference lies in the power of the impact. The tremendous amount of torque generated by the kick makes it better-suited to taking out the muscle or joint via impact trauma, rather than merely disrupting your opponent’s balance the way a sweep does.

Source: Black Belt Magazine

Pencak Silat Expert Gets MMA Smackdown, Regroups, Comes Back Even Stronger With His Martial Art!

Fighters have practiced pencak silat for thousands of years, but it didn’t capture the attention of Western martial artists until the late 1980s. Suddenly, the Indonesian system was everywhere, with its vicious counterattacks and precision takedowns attracting self-defense practitioners who wanted the best in street-fighting functionality. As a bonus, it offered a fascinating dose of Southeast Asian culture.

I had the good fortune of starting my silat training under Dan Inosanto in the early 1980s before it became popular. Several years later, Herman Suwanda, master of the mande muda style, started a class at the Inosanto Academy, which I naturally attended. Inosanto later got me into the backyard bukti negara group operated by Paul de Thouars. With those wonderful teachers guiding me along the path, I was in silat heaven.

Silat worked very well for me. As one of the original Dog Brothers — I was dubbed “Lucky Dog” — I used the art in the group’s all-out, minimal-protection stick fights. In our style of combat, which was deemed “too extreme” by UFC co-founder Art Davie, I was able to regularly apply foot sweeps and my go-to move, the tarik kepala, or head-tilt takedown. The latter technique proved so effective, in fact, that after some time, a couple of my fellow Dog Brothers asked me to stop using it because they feared someone would get injured.

I used silat in stick-fighting tournaments, in a challenge stick match in the Philippines and in two empty-hand challenge matches. When people questioned the effectiveness of the style, my teachers would point to my success as proof that it really worked. All was well in the world of silat. Then came MMA.

RUDE AWAKENING

Back in the mid-1990s, MMA was called no-holds-barred fighting. I began training with some of the NHB pioneers — in particular, with Egan and Enson Inoue. The experience proved an eye-opener, to say the least. I couldn’t get my silat to work against athletes who had a strong grappling background. Sure, I wasn’t kicking them in the groin or gouging their eyes, but I had to acknowledge that most of my techniques didn’t function as planned.

Slap and Strike technique from Richardson’s new .

Example: I couldn’t break my opponent’s posture sufficiently to execute a good sweep or takedown. It was frustrating because I knew firsthand how effective silat takedowns could be. I’d used them against resisting opponents many times, but MMA was a different world. The grappler’s base was just too stable, and I couldn’t do the head tilt because my opponent’s neck was often too strong. To make matters worse, I found that my stance was vulnerable to wrestling takedowns.

After months of trial and error — mostly error — I decided to set aside my silat skills. It was a sad and difficult decision, to be sure. I enjoyed being known as a silat fighter, but the truth had to come first. My goal in life was, and still is, to be the most effective martial artist possible and then to pass along my knowledge of functional skill development to my students. Silat wasn’t working, so I had to move on.

DIFFERENT DIRECTION

I began investing the majority of my energy in MMA and Brazilian jiu-jitsu while still maintaining my roots in kali, jeet kune do and muay Thai. The No. 1 lesson I learned during this period was that a person’s training method is paramount. You must contest against a resisting opponent or you’ll never be able to apply your techniques against a real aggressor.

This proved so important that I coined a phrase: “If you want to learn how to fight, you must practice fighting against someone who is fighting back.” The martial arts are that simple. As John Machado, one of my BJJ instructors, says, “No sparring, no miracles.”

Head Twist technique from Richardson’s new .

Ten years later, I was the owner of a BJJ black belt who had coached top fighters for matches in the UFC and various grappling events, but something was missing. Although I’d immersed myself in the fight sports for a decade, it dawned on me that I was neglecting the street-fighting facet of the martial arts. Yes, MMA definitely worked, but when there are no rules governing the combatants, you often need something more.

My remedy was to put groin strikes, throat grabs and simulated eye attacks back into my sparring sessions. My partners and I trained with resistance — of course, while keeping safety at the forefront of our workouts. And things changed again.

RENEWED RECOGNITION

While sparring with a longtime training partner, I made a move in the clinch. He countered, and I countered back before flowing into a silat technique. Hmm.

A few days later, I found myself in the clinch again. He effected a counter to my arm-drag attempt, and that left him open to a cross-arm trap. Another silat success! An hour before it occurred, I would have told anyone that the cross-arm trap is great for movies but nearly impossible to use against a real fighter — but I had just pulled it off. In subsequent sparring sessions, I got it again with other training partners. What was happening?

Go here to read “Silat: Indonesia and Malaysia’s Deadly Martial Art” on the Black Belt website!

Analysis: Most silat techniques work well in the clinch. Typically, a practitioner makes a strong entry with a strike and, once his opponent is stunned, moves directly to a takedown. If the strike doesn’t have the desired effect, the silat stylist will remain in the clinch and likely resort to additional striking. Meanwhile, the opponent is striking, as well. If the silat stylist has good clinch-fighting skills, however, he can nullify the strikes while looking for an opportunity to unleash his next blow or set up a throw. The key to all this? Proficiency in the clinch.

SUPPORTING SKILLS

To get to the clinch when your opponent is a street fighter who’s throwing wild punches is one thing. To do so safely when your opponent is an MMA fighter is quite another. You need kickboxing skills because a trained mixed martial artist is difficult to approach unless you possess solid strikes and tactics.

Because MMA practitioners also are likely to be skilled wrestlers, anyone who intends to use silat as a base should work on takedown defense. It requires lots of experience to deal with the power, suddenness and penetration of a strong wrestler — which is where sparring with a resisting partner comes in.

If your aim is to use a silat off-balancing technique in the clinch, you can increase your chance of success by using any number of street tactics. For instance, you can maneuver into position to grab his throat, then lift to make him rise onto his toes. Or you can slap him in the groin to cause him to bend forward — he usually will, even if he’s wearing protection. The best part is, such tactics can be practiced safely in sparring sessions, which is the optimal way to gain experience against an opponent who’s fighting back.

SIMPLE SOLUTION

Sparring has been removed from most of the silat that’s taught in the West because it was deemed too dangerous for modern society. But MMA is flourishing, and martial artists now have access to protective equipment that enables them to spar safely. Each of my silat instructors engaged in real fights while learning the art in Indonesia, and that experience gave them the ability to apply their knowledge against resisting opponents intent on doing them harm. If you want to be able to use an art like silat in a chaotic situation, you must train in an environment that mimics the street as much as possible, and that’s no-holds-barred fighting.

Yes, learning the techniques and then practicing them with precision is important, but training with resistance is even more crucial if your goal is self-defense proficiency. It’s the single best way to make silat — or any other traditional martial art — functional in the MMA era. You need to be able to ensure that your techniques work against a mixed martial artist because nowadays there are lots of people, both good and bad, who have experience in this form of fighting.

Burton Richardson was Black Belt’s 2015 Self-Defense Instructor of the Year.

Source: Black Belt Magazine

How to Hit Harder: The Key to Developing Maximum Power in Karate, Taekwondo and Other Martial Arts!

We have all seen martial arts demonstrations. A master squares off against his taller and heavier opponent, extending his arm until his fist stops a mere inch from the other man’s chest. Suddenly, the master’s fist slams forward with explosive force, throwing the opponent into the air. The foe lands in a pile 8 feet from where he stood.

Nearby, another expert lets loose a full-throated kiai as he leaps up, kicks and shatters a board held high over his head. A third master smashes downward with a hammerfist, pulverizing a stack of concrete blocks.

What secrets do these experts share? What endows mere mortals with such seemingly superhuman abilities? Consciously or subconsciously, these people have mastered the martial sciences. The more you understand them, the more you will come to appreciate the martial arts.

Black Belt Hall of Famer and Shaolin monk Wang Bo (left), photo by Robert Reiff

The martial arts are enormously popular, but what about the sciences? It may sound funny, but when you study the lives of masters of the past — people like shotokan karate’s Gichin Funakoshi, shito-ryu karate’s Kenwa Mabuni, wado-ryu karate’s Hironori Otsuka and goju-ryu karate’s Chojun Miyagi — you will discover they all were highly qualified martial scientists. Their disciplines covered sports medicine, biology, geometry, kinetics and physics. Knowledge of these disciplines enabled them to develop maximum effectiveness in their techniques.

That is not to say the term “martial arts” is incorrect, for the men mentioned above were indeed world-class masters of the martial arts. But the words “art” and “science” are not mutually exclusive. The techniques of karate and taekwondo constitute arts because, when properly executed, they move us to see beauty in their form. Yet they are effective because they develop tremendous power as a result of sound scientific principles.

What Is Power?

On an immediate physical level, the offensive goal of a karate strike is to transfer as much destructive power as possible from the karateka to the opponent. The question is, What constitutes the power that is being transferred? From the standpoint of physics, a dictionary definition of power is “energy transferred per unit of time.” The last word gives the first clue to the nature of karate power: Time is a critical factor.

Think about placing your fist near someone’s chest and pushing him as hard as you can. Now perform the same movement but shorten the time it takes to place your hand onto his chest. As the time decreases, the push becomes a strike. The body mechanics are the same; the only difference between a push and a strike is the time involved.

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The time required to execute a technique translates into speed. If we return to the dictionary, we find that speed equals distance divided by time and that momentum, which we can think of as force, equals mass multiplied by velocity. For instance, if you want to deliver a force of 4,000 units, you might have a 200-pound man move at 20 mph (mass x velocity, or 200 x 20 = 4,000). This example indicates that a great mass traveling at a relatively low velocity can result in the desired amount of force. Put more simply, a big man, although not nearly as fast as a small man, can still deliver a great impact.

On the other hand, a smaller but quicker man can produce the same impact: A 100-pound man moving at 40 mph will yield 4,000 units of force (100 x 40 = 4,000). This suggests that a smaller mass traveling at a greater velocity can produce just as much force as a larger but slower mass. An extreme example of this is a bullet — although it has a very light weight, or low mass, its great velocity gives it tremendous impact.

Developing Power and Speed

As you can see, velocity and mass are important when you’re talking about power. Let’s examine these concepts to understand their applications for real fighting techniques. The goal is to produce as much power as possible, so we’ll look at ways to increase speed and effective mass.

The greater the speed of your strike, the more power it has. Speed can be increased through good muscle conditioning. Many karate and taekwondo stylists use weight training and isometric exercises to enhance muscle tone. Explosive push-ups, or push-ups executed as hard and fast as possible, are also good for increasing speed. Another ideal exercise involves anchoring a heavy rubber exercise band (similar to a bicycle inner tube) to a doorknob, then grasping the band in your fist and practicing punches against the resistance of the stretched band.

Black Belt Hall of Famer Hee-Il Cho (right), photo by Rick Hustead

To develop speed, good technique is also essential. It allows you to properly tense the correct muscles in the proper order. Likewise, it allows you to relax those muscles not used to punch; if you don’t, those muscles will pull your arm in the opposite direction of the punch. Beginners without good technique often tense some of the wrong muscles unconsciously, thereby decreasing the speed and power of a strike. Constant practice at slow, then moderate and later fast speeds is the best way to develop good technique.

Another consideration is that hand speed is not constant throughout a punch. Research by the Japan Karate Association and other organizations indicates that during a karate punch, the greatest speed is attained just before the arm reaches maximum extension. This is the point at which contact with the opponent should be made. The remaining motion of the punch should be follow-through.

Not coincidentally, making contact just before maximum extension is the proper way to practice punching on the makiwara. It is also the way a good boxer punches — he aims for the back of the head and just lets the opponent’s chin get in the way.

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The speed of the attack, however, is only half the picture. The speed and direction of the target are just as important. The faster and more directly the opponent is coming at you, the greater your destructive force is when your punch meets the opponent. And the closer the strike is to a head-on collision between your fist and the opponent, the better.

Using freeway physics to illustrate, if you drive your car into a parked car, a certain amount of damage results. But if you drive your car into an oncoming car, greater damage results. Conversely, if you drive 55 mph into the rear of a car moving at 50 mph in the same direction, the damage is only slight because the actual impact speed, or the difference between the two cars’ speeds, is 5 mph.

While practicing the martial sciences, a common way to take advantage of your opponent’s speed is to dodge, soft-block or slip his punch as you counter with your own punch, thus lessening the impact speed. Punching an opponent who is withdrawing or falling away from you transfers the least amount of power, which explains why boxers on the defensive like to roll with an incoming punch.

Theory to Application

To thwart opponents who roll or withdraw, some martial arts teach lunge punches for extreme depth. Some karateka and street fighters advocate stepping on an opponent’s foot to pin him in place so he can’t withdraw from a punch.

Grabbing an opponent and pulling him into your punch increases impact speed. Similar techniques include teaching a prone practitioner to punch an opponent as he falls or lunges toward you, and to punch or kick upward at an opponent as he comes down after a jumping technique.

Black Belt Hall of Famer Leon Wright (left), photo by Robert Reiff

The other main variable to consider is mass or weight. Of course, you can increase the weight of a striking limb by adding muscle mass to it, but that is not always easy to do. A more practical way to increase your effective mass already exits in karate. The human body is a series of components — trunk, arms, head, hands, legs and feet — and each component has its own mass. When punching, you can increase your effective mass using kime (focus), or tightening muscles, especially the trunk, armpits, buttocks and legs, at the exact moment your punch makes contact.

Kime fuses your body into a single unit for a split second, making it a solid bar, as opposed to a series of linked units like a chain. By relaxing the moment before impact, you get speed. By focusing the strike at the exact moment of impact, you gain effective mass. Together, speed and effective mass add up to power.

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How do these ideas apply to the masters mentioned earlier? When force is applied to stationary boards or bricks, they will flex to the limit of their physical makeup; beyond that point, they will break. There are many other factors to consider, such as size and condition of the striking point, but the power produced by speed and effective mass is of prime importance in breaking stunts.

In self-defense, the one-inch punch is just as scientific but more subtle. The arm extends an inch into the opponent’s chest, and the hips twist, automatically rotating the shoulder into the punch with great speed and with the full body mass behind it. The force produced, when directed toward the opponent’s weakest point or angle, can be enough to break bones or send him flying.

Such is the effect that an understanding of the martial sciences can have on your practice.

Source: Black Belt Magazine

History and Techniques of Matayoshi Kobudo: Andrea Guarelli Discusses the Rare Okinawan Martial Art

[Sponsored Post] As a child, did you wish you had a nunchaku so you could fight alongside Donatello, Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael? The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are fictional, of course, but Matayoshi kobudo is a very real martial art, and it’s making a resurgence around the world thanks to Andrea Guarelli of Verona, Italy.

Guarelli is a master of goju-ryu karate-do and an eighth-degree black belt in Matayoshi kobudo. He’s the only Westerner to have received a sixth dan and the title of renshi directly from master Shinpo Matayoshi. That is possible because Guarelli trained under him for many years, and the two developed a deep personal friendship — as evidenced in a 1996 certificate of thanks that reads:

“Mr. Andrea Guarelli, for a long time you have been applying yourself to the growth, diffusion and development, by your students in your country, of our cultural heritage, which is karate-kobudo of Okinawa. The extraordinary results you have reached have contributed to the prosperity of Zen Okinawan Kobudo Renmei. To pay you tribute for your contribution in the association and to honor the result of your effort, I would like to demonstrate my gratitude.”

As chairman and founder of the International Matayoshi Kobudo Association, Guarelli has set out to preserve the history and teach the techniques of the Matayoshi style to students and instructors around the world. As part of this goal, he wrote Okinawan Kobudo: The History, Tools, and Techniques of the Ancient Martial Art, which Skyhorse Publishing has just made available for the first time in English. The book delves deep into the history of the Okinawan martial arts and includes many never-before-seen photographs given to Guarelli by the Matayoshi family.

Of particular interest to the Black Belt readership are the full-color technique photos of eku no kata and related bunkai (fighting applications) that pit the eku (oar) against the bo (staff).

The use of “white weapons” for self-defense has always been part of the cultural heritage of Japan’s Ryukyu Islands, which include Okinawa. Karate and kobudo are two wheels on the axle of the Japanese martial arts.

And while karate is practiced more widely around the world, kobudo can add a similarly rich dimension of fitness to students of any martial art. Making the pursuit even better, training in weapons is a whole lot of fun.

The Matayoshi style of kobudo dates back to the 1500s. It was systemized and modernized by Shinko Matayoshi early in the 20th century. After his death in 1947, his son Shinpo Matayoshi assumed responsibility as soke and codified the art further, creating hojoundo (basic training exercises), kata and bunkai. When Shinpo Matayoshi died in 1997, his son Shinsei Yasushi Matayoshi inherited his father’s dojo — although he’s not a practitioner of the style. Shinsei Yasushi Matayoshi wrote the preface to Guarelli’s book:

“I congratulate Andrea Guarelli sensei, direct student of my father Shinpo, on the publication of his book about the history, techniques and kata of our school. In spite of national and language differences, no distance exists between people who aspire to the same martial way (budo), and I am deeply grateful for his love and respect toward my father, grandfather and family.”

The weapons of Matayoshi kobudo are divided into four categories: long, short, soft and double.

In combat, long weapons have two advantages over shorter weapons. They have a higher potential efficacy, thanks to their length and trajectory. And their range of action is wider than that of shorter weapons, which permits the user to strike first and from a safe distance. Matayoshi kobudo long weapons include the bo, eku, nunti (perforating weapon) and chogama (long scythe).

Short weapons are easier to carry. For this reason, historically they were more often used for defense than for offense. Matayoshi kobudo short weapons include the jo (medium-length staff) and kuwa (similar to a hoe).

The so-called “soft weapons” of Matayoshi kobudo include folding weapons and limber weapons. Their lengths vary, and they’re most frequently considered secondary weapons intended for use after a main weapon. They can be hidden around the waist (suruchin, or rope with weights at the ends), in the sleeves (nunchaku) or on the back (sansetsukon, or three-section staff) before deployment in a confrontation. Also in this category is the kuramanbo (“stick that turns”).

Historically, the double weapons of Matayoshi kobudo were its primary tools of defense. The sai and tunkuwa (also called tonfa or tuifa) are still in widespread use and viewed as basic weapons suitable for beginners. Others, like the kama and tinbe (shields), are intended for more advanced practitioners. A few, including the tekko (fist-load weapon) and tecchu (hand-held striking implements), are rarely taught and, therefore, reserved for students at the highest level of the martial art.

This post is intended to whet the reader’s appetite. No doubt martial artists across the English-speaking world will want to learn more about Matayoshi kobudo and Andrea Guarelli. They can do so by visiting the International Matayoshi Kobudo Association website.

Andrea Guarelli’s text Okinawan Kobudo: The History, Tools, and Techniques of the Ancient Martial Art can be purchased from Amazon.com as a paperback book or an e-book.

More good news for American martial artists: Andrea Guarelli plans to conduct a seminar in Connecticut in August 2016. For details, visit the Matayoshi Kobudo Association of America website.

About the author: Kimberly Rossi Stagliano is a student of Andrea Guarelli, as well as the secretary and treasurer of the International Matayoshi Kobudo Association and the vice president of the Matayoshi Kobudo Association of America. She trains in shito-ryu karate and Matayoshi kobudo with Danilo Torri, a founder of the IMKA and president of the MKAA, at Hanko Ryu Martial Arts in Trumbull, Connecticut. She’s a nationally recognized author, blogger and speaker who’s been published in The Washington Post and The Huffington Post.

Source: Black Belt Magazine

Martial Arts of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Part One)

Now that the furor has subsided, I thought it would be a good time to talk about Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens and the martial arts it contains. Before I begin, however, allow me to share the fact that I’ve been an avid fan of the franchise since it debuted in 1977. In 1980 I was actually mistaken for Mark Hamill at the Taiwan premiere of The Empire Strikes Back. As such, I was among the millions around the world who were dying to see and, hopefully, enjoy The Force Awakens.

The film has already earned $1.95 billion worldwide and is on its way to becoming the highest-grossing movie of all time. Even better, the next installment boasts Donnie Yen as part of the cast! Considering that, how could I not blog about Star Wars? As you read on, please keep in mind that it’s not my intention to malign The Force Awakens; rather, I want to examine the film’s action from a martial arts perspective.

Photo Courtesy of Disney/Lucasfilm

In a nutshell, the weapons choreography in The Force Awakens is inferior to that of the first six movies. Translation into Star Wars parlance: The latest film’s fights are weaker than a womp rat on muscle relaxants.

Disagree? Envision the movie’s lightsaber scenes without the glow and without the sound effects that are unleashed whenever one blade makes contact with another. The action wouldn’t be quite so captivating.

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Film buffs know that George Lucas is a fan of early Japanese chanbara sword-fighting movies, with Seven Samurai (1954) being one of his first loves. They’ll also tell you that Star Wars was heavily influenced by Akira Kurosawa’s Hidden Fortress (1958). And they’ll occasionally explain how lightsaber skills, the force and the Jedi knights’ superhuman fighting abilities are based, at least in part, on kendo techniques, the concept of ki in Japan (chi in China) and samurai cinema, respectively.

Let’s see just how much of this is true by looking at the evolution of lightsaber combat.

Poster Courtesy of Lucasfilm Ltd.

Star Wars (1977) was the only one of the seven films that tried to cling to its kendo roots by making sure each shot was overflowing with basic strikes, parries and blocks from the Japanese martial art. Stunt coordinator Peter Diamond, a graduate of London’s prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, was in charge of the fight choreography. If you rewatch the first lightsaber duel ever filmed — Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Darth Vader, played by Alec Guinness and David Prowse — you’ll notice that the body posturing and fencing mimic the minimalistic samurai duels that Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune was famous for.

However, the technique exchanges are closer to the encounters that Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone had in The Adventures of Robin Hood. That 1938 release featured crusader-style single-handed sword work. Before Star Wars was filmed, Guinness had gained his skill in that type of swordsmanship onstage, so all he needed to do to sell the kendo look was hold the lightsaber with two hands. Yet because lightsabers are tubular — and, therefore, don’t have an edge — they resemble shinai, the bamboo training weapons used by kendo stylists, more than they resemble swords.

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For the Luke-vs.-Vader lightsaber battles in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) [aka Episode V] and Return of the Jedi (1983) [aka Episode VI], Lucas wanted stunt coordinator Diamond to add acrobatics and more detailed choreography. When Hamill was learning moves from kendo and other martial arts for his first Empire fight with Vader, it reportedly took him weeks to polish and even longer to shoot. Hamill would often ad-lib during rehearsals and use a one-handed grip. When Lucas came on set to review the choreography, he told Hamill to keep both hands on the lightsaber at all times.

Photo Courtesy of Lucasfilm Ltd.

Also in The Empire Strikes Back, Luke’s telekinetic ability is introduced. Was that really a component of the force? Yes and no.

Lucas’ force is strikingly similar to a concept presented in Carlos Castaneda‘s book The Teachings of Don Juan (1968). In it, Castaneda meets a Yaqui Toltec named Don Juan Matus, who teaches him shamanism. The Yaqui are a real native people based in Mexico and the Southwestern United States. The Toltecs in the book are members of a 10,000-year-old sorcerers guild. In the text, Don Juan Matus often speaks about a life force, insisting that humans are luminous beings. He also teaches Castaneda that some humans are able to use their powers for good or evil according to their personality.

Does any of this sound familiar? It should. Remember when Yoda told Luke, “Luminous beings we are.” You can probably guess what the saying “May the Lord be with you” inspired in the Star Wars universe.

(In Part Two, I’ll continue to investigate the force, as well as examine the evolution of the fights in the three prequels. Then I’ll explain how the duels in The Force Awakens fell short.)

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Source: Black Belt Magazine