Martial Arts Nomad

My travelling friend Lee in HK snapped and sent me this fight picture for my martial arts blog of a fight night (tonight) in Hong Kong. Funny I wasnt sure what kind of fighting this was by the information on the poster. I wasnt sure if it was a kickboxing or Muay Thai fight or just boxing. A search on YouTube for martial arts video of libogen fight night brought up lots of fight videos and they are definitely fighting the art of the eight limbs.

Libogen Fight Night Poster in Hong Kong (photo by GramophoneDJ)

Friday night for the 2009 Western Canadian Martial Arts Championships was well attended, with lots of action. I’m still getting to know my new D90 and shooting action photography is a good place to give a new camera a real workout. Its also a good chance for me to watch fighters up close and seeing what really works. You can bet that its always things like good combinations, staying on your opponent, speed, aggression, and conditioning that work here just like anywhere else.So while I am there to shoot photos, I am also there for a bit of an education.

I would also mention that the Modified Muay Thai event was also paired with Kung Fu on the North side of the arena. While the crowd was focused on the fights, there were Kung Fu demonstrations, with Tai-chi, and competitors performing routines with staff, sword, and other weapons. Although I dont focus much on those events in this photoset, I have always found the art of Kung Fu remarkable to watch.

Enjoy the photos below, or dive into the whole photo set at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/superwebdeveloper/sets/72157622650374528/

The stands were packed for fight night at BCIT

Kung Fu demonstration

As I mentioned above, This full photoset is available on my flickr site

Capital Jiu Jitsu In Dulles Virginia

If I ever miss a martial arts class, I know that the next one is going to be that much harder. So I dont like to miss a class, unless it cant be helped, like when I am going out of town.  I will even try to find a way to train while I’m on the road. In October I had a conference to attend in Alexandria, VA., and would be staying in Centerville, Loudon County, basically. That’s way out there from D.C. and Alexandria, I know, but that is not really part of the story.

I did a bit of looking around on the web to find a gym to train at. My criteria would be to find a place that would allow me to train the way I like and be located in the general vicinity. I finally settled on Capital Jiu Jitsu and I sent an email introducing myself. I was given a very welcome reply to come and train while in the region.

They turned out to be a good fit for me because I am accustomed to a very contemporary approach to training. My idea of a good gym is one that offers a range of programs, with kickboxing and BJJ as the core curriculum, some form or another of cross fit training harsh enough to make you puke, and some gentler things like Pilates and Yoga. It turned out that the kind of gym I picked out was not unlike the one I go to regularly in many ways. That meant that when I got to Capital Jiu Jitsu, I saw lots of things I know and love (or dread) and that made me right at home. Its a combination of an up to date curriculum combined with the brutality of things like kettlebell weights and monster truck tires. It happened also that I had come to the ‘Mothership’ location of this three location franchise, with over 10,000 square feet for martial arts and 2000 square feet for cross fit training. They even have a half-octagon cage for MMA training for the pro fighters.

Blogging about martial arts is one of my own reasons to try another school, but there are other reasons as well. By dropping in on another school, you get a different perspective on your regular training program. You get to see what you know in a new light, you find out what other people know or are training in, and its a chance to see how much different martial arts schools actually share in common. Another reason you might want to try another gym is because you may be moving, or you aren’t happy training where you are currently. I hope the last case wouldn’t be the case. Or maybe you want to expand your training by going to more than one gym.

I came to the advanced Muay Thai/Kickboxing class, led by sensei Japheth Brubaker, who is also the BJJ instructor at the school. But as it turned out, there were only two other guys at the class that night, Eugene Catedral and Leo Perrucci, who are also training assistants for the beginner/intermediate classes which they told me are much larger. I regret that I ran out of time and was not able to train on one of those days with them.

The one hour class began with typical grinder of a warmup with light jogging, some burpees, push-ups and sit-ups and crawling around on all fours. Then we got into roundhouse kick defences, as you see in the photos, with variations on trapping a kick and dropping the opponent to the ground. We then moved on to Thai clinch escapes and variations. Towards the end of the hour, we did some very light sparring, with lots of fast moves but hits were kept as light as possible, power to a minimum. In a second round between Leo and Eugene, they were able to incorporate the clinches and leg holds into the free sparring, which was really nice to see. They learned something and then applied it. That is the whole point of this exercise of learning martial arts, isnt it?

There is a fairly common practice among martial arts schools is to offer a first class for free. That might just spark your interest in trying out another school for fun. But such allowance, whether there is one or not, does not exclude from rules, expectations, or the traditions of martial arts. Its to see if there is a good fit for both you and the school, with no risk for either party. With that in mind, here are some pointers for you if you want to try a new gym. I’m assuming you have done your research and are ready to try them out:

• phone or email ahead of time, ask permission politely to try out their facilities. Tell them about the school you go to now, how you train, your age, your weight, your personal experience training. Be honest about what you can do and expect that a good school might allow you to come in at a level lower than what you can do.

• Bring what gear you can. There are probably some loaner gloves you can use.

• Show humility and respect to the sensei, or sifu, the students and staff alike. Pay attention to the lessons.

• Don’t be a dick. Being arrogant in anyway could be a total turn off. Not everybody knows what you know. In an informal sort of way you are representing the gym you come from, so remember that it is about more than just you when you go in there.

• Respect is the most important thing in martial arts. So bow when you step on the mat, even if the way you have been taught to bow isn’t the same bow the gym uses. You bow to the sensei when you see him the first time, and then introduce yourself politely to him or her and the other students. Go on those assumptions and they will tell you otherwise if needed.

• Don’t go with something to prove. Just try to fit in and go through the exercises. You are just there to work up a sweat and keep some kind of regular schedule in the gym.

• A gym is more than some big equipment or space or great this or that. Keep an open mind and you might find that things that detract from your experience are more than made up by other qualities.

• Consider writing a thank you email or note, or even better, write a review for them for Google reviews or one of the other web sites for reviews, like Epinions,  about businesses and services. Even recommend it to a friend. People who operate martial arts gyms in general are there because they love what they do and they give fully of themselves. So pay them back at least by sharing your positive experience with others.

• If for some reason your experience was negative, try to communicate politely through more discrete ways to the Sensei or other representative what you did not like about the school. At least try it that way first, because hopefully it was just an off day for someone there. This does not need to present itself as a point of conflict. Letting the school know about what your concerns were may help them improve their services and the programs they offer. Remember, no matter what, its supposed to be a learning experience for everybody concerned.

• If they don’t offer a freebie class, respect that. Perhaps they offer a free week or other new member program that you might go for. A good school costs money to run and you shouldn’t be adverse to spending something that helps them in some small way to keep the lights on.

So there you have it. One way or another, just keep on training.

Osu!

Thanks to: Eugene Catedral, Leo Perruci, Japheth Brubaker. Photos by Audrey Foo.

Update: Kirash Moghaddam and Adam Blanchette both won their fights in convincing fashion. Ali says in is blog: ‘Adam looked great and managed to use his jabs and low kicks really well… just like that Adam improved his record to 3-0 in less than a year and a half of training… Kirash was a whole new fighter this time around. His opponent looked quiet dangerous up until the bell rang after that he just looked more beat up every second of the fight. Kiarash was truly a “beast” out there.

Way to go guys! Osu!

A couple of friends of mine, Adam Blanchette and Kirash Mogghadam are fighting at Fighter’s Realm 3. If you are in Courtenay, come by and see the action!

Saturday September 26, Fights @ 7 PM, Doors @ 6 PM
Warrior’s Realm Academy
2785 Mansfield Drive
Courtenay, BC
250.703.0092
www.warriorsrealm.ca

2009 Western Canadian Martial Arts Championships

October is coming soon and that means its time for the 2009 Western Canadian Martial Arts Championships. Its a great place to several different disciplines of martial arts, different classes and different age groups all together at one place. I attended last year’s event and blogged it, since a fellow martial artist and occasional sparring partner, Adam Blanchette, competed in kickboxing.

This year promises an exiting tournament with two days of action with new and expanded divisions in Karate, Kung Fu, Grappling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Modified Muay Thai. Dont forget that besides fighting or just watching, this is a community event that needs volunteers for setup, registration tables, timekeeping and other tasks. Volunteering gets you the best seats in the house and a sweet T-shirt if you register before October 9th.

There is also the event Facebook page.

See you there!

TOP RANK MARTIAL ARTS is bringing back the NORTH AMERICAN Challenge # 24

WHEN: Saturday April 4th, 2009
WHERE: Mickey McDougall Gymnasium in North Vancouver, BC
WHAT: LIVE Kickboxing, MMA and Muay Thai!
TIME: Doors open at 7:00PM fights start at 7:30PM
TICKETS: Available now by calling 604-318-1902 OR Reply to this email.

For seating chart, go to ringfight.com

North American Challenge is BACK in North Vancouver following the smashing success of the 23 previous installments. This show has reliably sold out well before the doors even open, so get your tickets soon! NAC 24 will feature an action-packed evening of exciting fights in a venue that offers incredible views from every seat in the house, and this event is supporting the Canadian Cancer Society Relay For Life!

This is your chance to cheer on some of the most explosive Canadian fighters as they do battle with notoriously talented Brazilians in North Vancouver, BC.

With a collaboration of top-level amateur MMA, Kickboxing and Muay Thai, there is something for every fight fan to enjoy.

The Brazilian team is coached by Morganti Jiu Jitsu expert Cesar Narita and includes:
Heavyweight Adam Godoy (Brazil) VS. Mike Gill (Canada)
Light Heavyweight Kyle Thorpe (Brazil) VS. Kyle Wisniewski (Canada)
Middleweight Lelo Aurelio (Brazil) VS. K the Marshall (Canada)

Local MMA fighters doing battle include:
Part Jenson VS. Matt Dwyer
Emilio Ditrocchio VS. Nael Anderson
Ramy Kadi VS. Alan Day
More local Kickboxing bouts include:
Nigel Miller VS. Adam Blanchette
Marc Bandeursen VS. Nicolas Migrane
Dustin Dickson VS. Logan Marten

**** Plus more exiting bouts **** ( Fight Subject To Change )
Tickets are on Sale Now!
For tickets or info, contact Mike at 604-318-1902 or fightspromoter@gmail.com

Directions to Mickey McDougall Gym:

Heading East or West on Highway #1, take Exit #18 (Lonsdale Exit). Turn down Lonsdale to 23rd St. and take a left at the lights (Centennial Theatre will be on your left). Continue to the 2nd block. Mickey McDougall Gymnasium will be on your left-hand side next to the Court House.

Kai Sinthong Muay Thai in VANCOUVER, BC. Kai Singthong will be hosting a Muay Thai Fight event showcasing Vancouver’s talented local fighters at the Maritime Labour Centre – 1880 Triumph Street.

Doors open at 6 and fights start at 8. Tickets are $30-$40 (save $5 by purchasing in advance). For tickets please contact Master Song at 778.896.1539

Proudly fighting out of Kai Singthong are Sean Kearney, Stanley Lam, Michael Khademi, Osmond Cheung, Cathay Cheng, Jessica Becher, Maylyn Silab, Walter Buse and Tai Lam.

Other fights include:
Scott Shaffer from Maurice Smith Seattle, Victor Wang and Alexandru Aparaschivei from Kel Lees Martial Arts, and John Edward and Colin Silver from KB One Kickboxing

This will be an action packed event with tons of Kicks, Knees, Elbows, Fists of Fury and Stand Up Grappling! This event is sanctioned by the Canadian Muay Thai Association and follows International Muay Thai Kickboxing rules and features some of the finest fighters from the Kai Singthong gym as well as other skilled fighters from Canada and USA. There will also be a special guest appearance by former UFC champion Maurice Smith.

muay thai chaya

Muay Thai Chaiya is a Thai martial arts movie set in the lives of 3 brothers, Pow, Piek, and Samaw, as they move from their home in a boxing camp in a small village to the big city. We see them grow up and experience life together, move from village to the big city, where they vow to stick together but are pulled apart by the forces of their lives. This is a great fighting movie upon the large scale backdrop of the three brothers’ lives. There is blood, Muay Thai, fighting, living, drama, illegal fights, corruption of the big city, love, betrayal, murder, ugliness, sacrifice, loss, action, tradition and for each of them the pain and challenges they must overcome. In the end, its the fighting spirit of Muay Thai Chaiya that brings them through.

I found other reviews of this film elsewhere, on movieexclusive.com and twitchfilm.net but I dont think the reviewers really understood the film. Stefan Shih of movieexclusive.com called Muay Thai Chaya ‘…a mixed bag approach that couldnt decide what it wants to be…’ and said further, ‘The storyline too is pretty weak…”. Mack at twitchfilm.net said that the movie was “…ripped right out of pages of a Hong Kong filmmaking handbook”. I might not have seen the movie if I had to rely on those reviews. But I am glad I did see it. Sure to some degree these movies are going to be gone over with the same broad brush as an asian martial arts movie, for sure. But I am surprised that neither of those authors picked up on the deeper dramatic backdrop in the story. The story this movie leans upon is that great russian epic, Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. In that work, there are brothers with different temperments who traverse lifes experience by different paths, and have everything tested along the way. Maybe to some its a stretch but I can see the connection. And the backdrop for this action movie rests on that premise. If other critics didnt like the balance struck in the movie between fighting and drama, perhaps they didnt consider that this is a Thai movie made for a Thai audience, and that balance of sentimentality works for that kind of audience. Ong Bak and The Protector also have their moments of pure sentimentality. Such moments are usually set ups for action, where we become sympathetic with the main character, and then we are committed to them through their combat. Muay Thai Chaya reaches deeper into the lives of three brothers to show the heart of the Thai fighting spirit.

Muay Thai Chaya (2007),  Cathay-Keris Films,  Starring: Kongkait Komesiri, Akara Amarttayakul, Sonthaya Chitmanee, Don Ferguson, Saengthong Gate-Uthong, Prawit Kittichantheera, (the lovely) Phreeta Kongpetch, Samart Payakarun, and Thawatchai Phanpakdee.

Chocolate (“ช็อคโกแลต”)

We have a new angle on martial arts movies from the makers of Ong Bak, with Chocolate, a Muay Thai movie, with a female lead. Taekwondo expert Jeeja Yanin trained for 2 years to prepare for the part.

The movie is about an autistic girl with lightning reflexes and a talent for martial arts, whose skills come alive when she has to collect debts for her mother’s operations. Lots of action in this one. Her kicks are top notch. Make sure you watch the out takes during the credits to see how real the punishment on set was for this production.

More on Jeeja Yanin at: http://www.bkmagazine.com/feature/q-yanin-vismitananda

Torrent: http://isohunt.com/torrent_details/51033152/chocolate?tab=summary