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From the Bermuda Sun

There’s only one real way to train to be a fighter and that’s to fight.

Bermuda’s San Shou team have been preparing for the regional championships for the brutal full contact Chinese fighting art - with full-on, no holds barred fight sessions.

Garon Wilkinson, president of the Bermuda San Shou association, said the four fighters who head to Brazil on July 13 and their sparring partners had been slugging it out at regular Wednesday ‘fight club’ sessions to prepare their bodies and brains to react under the extreme pressure of fight conditions.

“You can do all the running, skipping and jumping in the initial stages but the only way to truly prepare cardiovascularly for a fight is to actually fight.

“Ordinary sparring doesn’t really prepare you for the sort of oxygen debt you experience when you get hit so we’ve introduced weekly fight sessions to our training regimen.

“Basically we just warm up and then go at it as hard as we can.

“We find our fighters are getting nervous before Wednesday fight sessions. We want them to be nervous because that’s what they will have to deal with in a fight.”

The full programme is actually extremely sophisticated, incorporating plyometrics, mitt work, boxing training, strength and conditioning, spinning and beach work as well as fight techniques and tactics.

The team Sentwali Woolridge, Wilkinson, Jermal Woolridge and Leroy Maxwell, all of whom competed in the World Championships in Beijing in November last year, have been in training since January, a minimum of five times a week.

Despite the heavy sessions on Wednesday there is no let-off on Thursdays, one of the toughest days of the week.

“You need to prepare your body for back-to-back fights. My fight in Beijing was at 11.30 at night.

“If I’d have won I’d have been fighitng again at 7.30 in the morning. You have to be able to take a bruising and a battering and still get up the next morning and do it all again, so we’re training hard on Thursdays too.

“In some sports you can not train and the worst that can happen is that you are going to get a bad result. If we don’t train, well….”

The team have adapted their programme over the past few years, incorporating features from the other countries they have met at past tournaments.

“Our programme has become pretty developed over the past few years. Every time we go to compete we learn something new.

“Going to the World Championships was just amazing. We got to see how our style of fighting in the west measures up to the European and Asian styles.

“We tend to use more of a boxing/kick boxing style. They really use their martial arts skills more.

“There’s a lot more straight knockouts with kicks.

“Our basis is in traditional martial arts so we have the skills to fight that way. It is just a matter of being able to blend everything together, which is really tough.”

Wilkinson believes that, though the competition will be tough at the PanAm Wushu Championships, it will not be as competitive as the worlds.

And he believes that Bermuda, who picked up two silvers and two bronzes at this event last year, has genuine medal prospects.

“All of us are experienced fighters now. We have had at least five fights. If everything goes well I don’t see why we shouldn’t come away with gold.”

Pan Am Wushu Championships
San Shou section

Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil

July 13 - 20

Bermuda team: Sentwali Woolridge (Under 70kg), Garon Wilkinson (under 75kg), Leroy Maxwell (under 85kg), Jermal Woolridge (Over 90kg), Oscar Lightbourne (judge), Damion Wilson (coach), Khalid Pitcher (coach) Talia Iris (manager).

From The Telegraph 

PUPUL CHATTERJEE

Ranchi, June 27: Wushu practitioners are in a fix. They have the finest quality of carpets and mattresses to practice on and coaches to help them but no proper place to train.

Fenced arena of at least 8×8 dimension is a basic requirement for the game. But aspiring practitioners for the 34th National Games are being forced to make do with the hockey stadium. As the construction of the indoor stadium is still on at Hotwar, the practitioners have no choice.

Chief coach L. Pradeep Kumar from Manipur said: “Among the other options available, we opted for the hockey stadium as we have proper lodging facilities here. Also, the Morabadi grounds are nearby and players can use it for outdoor exercises. We will adjust with the facilities till the new stadium is ready.”

Besides Kumar, coaches from Uttar Pradesh and Ranchi are helping the practitioners improve their skills.

Joint secretary of Jharkhand Wushu Association Shivendra Dubey said the issue of indoor stadium would be solved before the third camp begins.

“The lack of an indoor stadium is a minor problem and will be solved by the third phase of the camp. In fact, the government has promised us Chinese coaches for the last camp before the Games. As of now we have been successful in training players. They are undergoing proper practice sessions and are also being given nutritious food.”

About 45 participants, including 11 girls, have come together for the camp, which is going on since May 12. This is the second wushu camp and after rigorous practice, some will be selected for the third session. Later, 27 will be selected to participate in the 34th National Games in December.

Apart from lodging, participants of the 45-day camp are also getting the best diet possible, said a wushu practitioner.

“We get food as per the diet charts from (the National Institute of Sports) Patiala. Fruits, vegetarian and non-vegetarian items are on the menu and in good quantity. The government has also given us tracksuits. The only thing missing is an indoor stadium,” said a participant.

But the coaches are confident that Jharkhand team would perform well at the National Games.

From CCTV.com

Photo by CCTV.com 

With just over 40 days to go before the start of Wushu competition in Beijing, members of South Africa men’s team are also sharpening their skills. They are going to take part in two events during the non-Olympic competition: the men’s rapier and the men’s broadsword.

The International Olympic Committee confirmed on December 26, 2006 that Wushu will appear during the Beijing Olympics as a special sport. A total of 15 martial arts events will be held, allowing 8 athletes to compete in each of them. Two invitations have been allocated to Africa, with Egypt taking part in the events of the Men’s Nanquan and the Men’s Nangun, while South Africa will take part in the Men’s Rapier and the Men’s Broadsword. Representing South Africa in the events is Bryan Son, a 22-year-old third generation Chinese South African.

Having had years of experiences in learning Wushu, Son has been making rapid progress in the past few years under the guidance of Yang Lihua - a former Chinese martial arts athlete, and currently head coach for the South Africa Wushu team. Son is especially skillful in the apparatus department.

Yang Lihua, Head Coach of South Africa Wushu Team said “As they have to work to make a living, our athletes can only train in their spare time, which normally comes down to twice a week and two hours for each session. We are going to have a two-week intensive training in Beijing before the Olympic Games begins, and I hope that’ll help our athlete improve greatly and have good results from the competitions.”

Wushu have become a fad in South Africa in recent years. Bryon Son is just one of some 400 amateurs lucky enough to be picked to represent South Africa in Beijing. He hopes he’ll be good enough to earn a medal or two for his country.

 Click to watch the video.

From Xinhua.net

NANNING, South China, June 16 (Xinhua) — The 2008 National men’s wushu routine championship, scheduled from June 13 to 15, concluded at the Gymnasium of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in China on Sunday.

A total of 42 teams from across China participated in the competition consisting of 11 events such as Nanquan, Taijiquan and outines of sword and broadsword.

Lv Yongxu from Shandong Province earned the gold medal in the broadsword competition for his impressive performance, followed by hanghai’s Yang Yuhong and Anhui’s Yang Nianwu, while Zhao Kun from Henan Province won the sword contest with Wu Di and Wang Congranking second and third.

Written by Y Chan

Jiayo.com moderator

I recently had the opportunity to meet up with Alex Huynh and his old teammate Alex Lo (who was my teammate at the time), while he was here in New York City to do a show with Fox news. He was kind enough to give up some sleep and take my lady friend and I out for a drink. Here’s is the interview that resulted…

1) Could you please let our Jiayo! members know which projects you have worked on recently, and which upcoming projects we can look forward to seeing you in?

Recently I was in Pirates 3: At World’s End. Since then I’ve worked on a couple episodes of Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight. It’s like Power Rangers on steroids washed down with some Sparks. I’m currently in pre-production for an upcoming pilot, and I’m really excited about the upcoming Will Smith/Charlize Theron film Hancock. You should be too. Please, be excited.

2) I’m sure the Jiayo! community would love to ask, how did you get into the industry?

Since I was a kid I had always dreamt of being in the movies. After college, I moved out to Los Angeles where I barely knew anyone. I didn’t know of any place to train, so some of my sport karate friends from my NASKA days suggested that I come train with them at open gyms. It was there one night that I was discovered by my now very good friend and mentor James Lew. It’s been one blessing after the next since then.

3) In what ways would you say Contemporary Wushu training and competition has prepared you for the work that you do?

I started my martial arts training in ShaoLin Kungfu, which really helped me discipline myself for the more dramatic roles. Wushu prepared me for the more theatrical demands: the physicality, acrobatics, and definitely the elements of flavor and drama. Mentally, both Wushu and Kungfu taught me how to keep myself balanced.

4) What other skill-sets did you require that your Contemporary Wushu Training did not prepare you for, and how did you acquire those skills?

For stunts, thankfully I studied some Ditang and Internal, so that prepared me for the ground-pounding. As for other skill-sets, learning wirework required that I re-learn how to move while in the air. It’s one thing to do a 720 jump-outside on your feet, and a complete other dynamic to do it on wires. Stunts are very sophisticated and now very technologically advanced. Also cinematically, you have to learn what works and doesn’t work on camera. I’ve had a lot of great stunt coordinators, stuntmen and stuntwomen that I have worked with who have taken the time to teach a young grasshopper like myself. For acting, it’s a matter of revealing something within yourself and (not to sound too sappy) but becoming one with the character you’re working to bring to life. That can take a good acting coach, but even moreso and open mind.

5) If you could only offer 3 pieces of advice to somebody looking to break into the industry, what would they be?

Stay HUMBLE, stay hungry, work hard, and keep your teeth clean. Oh wait, that’s four. Stay HUMBLE, hungry, and work hard. You should be keeping your teeth clean anyway.

6) I’d recently heard you got to work with Will Smith. I have to know, what was he like?

Will Smith is the freshest prince ever. Seriously, the entire experience was absolutely amazing. I grew up watching him on “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air,” and “Parents just don’t understand” was the first song I ever heard, so working alongside such a stellar performer was a dream come true. And as friendly and humble as he appears to be on TV, he’s 100 times that. Plus, he’s the most fun actor I’ve ever worked with!

7) How do you decide which projects to become a part of, and which ones to leave alone? Is there a process, set of rules, or somebody’s advice you follow?

Honestly, I take whatever I can get. I love to work. But that doesn’t mean I take everything. There are guidelines. I prefer to do work that I feel will affect people positively and/or make them smile from ear to ear. You gotta believe in what you do, no matter what it is you do. And always, have fun and be thankful. I’ve got the best job in the world and I appreciate every moment of it.

8 ) Your schedule must be brutal both physically and mentally. What does your training regimen look like, and how does it prepare you for your schedule?

My workout schedule varies depending on my work schedule, but I try to get in a couple hours a day. Weight training, cardio, gymnastics, stunts and of course Wushu and Kungfu, and I give myself about 30 minutes a day to just meditate and find some peace. It gives me time to ponder life’s great questions, like, “How do they get those ships into tiny bottles?” Mindboggling.

9) How did you get involved with the stunt team you are on and what is the dynamic like?

Reelkick started out as a bunch of guys from different backgrounds (Kungfu, Wushu, Tae Kwon Do, MMA, Gymnastics, etc.) who got together on weekends to train and throw around fight choreography ideas. With inspiration coming from all angles, including from our friends at Zerogravity, we organized and formed a team. Currently the team is spread all over the globe working on next year’s big blockbusters.

10) What is the next step for Alex Huynh?

Fight Science opened me up to the international audience, so I want to do more work to entertain that audience. I really want to promote not only Wushu but also Asian Americans in Hollywood movies. I’m taking it step by step, paying my dues, loving the journey, and always keeping my eyes on that delicious prize.

11) What would you say is your favorite thing about the work you do?

I’m doing what I love and loving what I do.

12) What would you say is the thing you like the least about the work you do?

Having to tame the four snakes in my right arm.

13) You must have so many stories doing what you do. Is there one you’d be willing to share?

Stories, stories, oh the many stories. Here’s a good one:

One time my friend and I went to the movie theater and saw that “Hero” (one of my all-time favorite movies) was being screened before the US release date and so we tried to get in. So we got in, and when we got to the theater they gave us free drinks and popcorn. I’m thinking, “Maaaan this is dope.” So we roll in, she’s in a tank top and shorts, I’m sporting a T-shirt that says, “I have a Black Belt in keeping it Real.” Completely slumming. We cruise into our seats, right between the tuxedo-clad theatre patrons. Something felt funny, and then I realized that it wasn’t a screening. It was the premiere. And one of my heroes, Jet Li, was sitting a few rows above me. I went in and out of consciousness probably three times.

14) Ok, now for easy question #1: who’s your all-time favorite wushu athlete?

My all-time favorite Wushu athlete (besides my Coach Zhang Gui Feng and idol Li Lian Jie): the man, Yen Wen Qing. Oh and Dennis Ta.

15) Ok, now for easy question #2: new-school or old-school?

Old school, all the way. Jumps and spins are nice, but you can’t touch the flavor.

16) How are your goals different doing the work you do now vs. your goals as a competitive wushuer?

I think the goals I have now are similar to those from my competition days, just on a bigger scale now: keep learning, keep growing, do my best, and give ‘em a great show.

17) What is your favorite memory from your competitive wushu days?

Hmm… 2003 US Team Trials. It was my first official Wushu competition, and I got to meet the people that today are still some of my good friends (including the Y and the Jiayo). And I learned that my white silks were see-through.

18) Is it true your parents discovered the infamous “Gay Wushu Cowboy” picture on Jiayo.com?

[Sigh…]
Jiayo.com is an international phenomena, my parents were bound to find that picture. But surprisingly, they were proud that I filled out that costume very well.

Thanks Alex, for taking time out of your crazy schedule to do the interview. If anybody is interested in some cowboy wushu love, feel free to contact Y Chan at ychan@jiayo.com

Dance review: Lines Ballet with Shaolin monks

Rachel Howard, Chronicle Dance Correspondent

Usually the phrase “back by popular demand” is just so much marketing spin, but apparently the word really has gotten out about Lines Ballet’s collaboration with Shaolin monks. This week’s entire encore run of “Long River High Sky” at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater is sold out, and Wednesday’s opening-night audience was on its feet the moment the curtain fell.

Most of the cheers during the two-hour show went to the monks’ more acrobatic kung fu feats: propeller-legged jumps, lightning-fast punches, landed on the crown of the head. But after one quartet exclusively by Lines’ own exquisite dancers, an irrepressible lone enthusiast shouted “Bravo!,” and more power to him. Because though the monks may be mesmerizing, they’re far from carrying the show. The real marvel here is how choreographer Alonzo King brings these two art forms together with a shared sense of spiritual purpose that can’t be faked or fabricated.

It works because both King and the monks treat their endeavors as physical disciplines seeking enlightenment - a tendu isn’t just the straightening of the leg but a ray of light radiating from the sun, King is fond of saying; the goal of ballet isn’t to look pretty but to reach for transcendence.
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From Voice of America
By Sam Beattie
Dengfeng, Central China.
12 February 2008

China has pushed unsuccessfully to have the ancient martial art of wushu — better known as kung fu outside of China — included as a demonstration sport in the 2008 Olympics. Instead, the International Olympic Committee has granted permission for an international wushu competition alongside the Games, something Chinese state media are promoting as an Olympic showcasing of the sport.
Sam Beattie has more about wushu from Dengfeng, a small town in Central China’s Henan Province where tens of thousands of students receive wushu training.

We saw just one class in a school of 20,000 students. Their studies focus on learning wushu, the Chinese term for martial arts.

Four hours a day, six days a week — even during school holidays such as the day we visited — students train here in an unheated building for an upcoming competition. It is drummed into them: practice makes perfect.

Jiao Ruiping is a wushu student. She says, “For example, when there is a move that you cannot get right, the coach will ask you to repeat it again and again, until you do not have any energy left to practice, but you still have to keep on practicing.”

Boys and girls as young as six years old come here from across the country. They are drawn by the reputation of a school that has produced a host of wushu champions.

Students say dreams of glory get them through the long days — practice on top of normal school studies — and cramped nights, living 10 to a room in a school dormitory.

Student Ye Fangs says, “Except for the classes and wushu, there is nothing else to do. Everyday is just study and training, nothing else.”

Even though the sport is not officially part of the Olympics, the coaches hope it one day will be.

Coach Cha Huimin says the art of wushu is treasured in China. “I think every Chinese person is really hoping that more people from around the world will learn about wushu, to understand it or to even practice it, to spread the art of it, because wushu is a treasure of China.”

Though wushu athletes will not taste Olympic glory, the sport may still be the key to these students’ futures. It can lead them to sporting universities, and to jobs in the military and as coaches. For a few, it can also lead to fame as martial arts stars in film and theater.

From Vietnamnet

Mother and daughter Wushu champions
14:19′ 01/02/2008 (GMT+7)

Nguyen Phuong Lan and her daughter, Vu Thuy Linh
VietNamNet Bridge – Around ten years ago, the world Wushu champion Nguyen Phuong Lan was the top wushu artist in Vietnam. Saying goodbye to the national Wushu team, she will now teach young Wushu artists, including her daughter Vu Thuy Linh.

People still remember Nguyen Phuong Lan’s performance at the 23rd SEA Games in 2005. At that time, she was pregnant but Lan still kept up with her students each day during their drills and practices; that year, Vietnamese Wushu artists won 7 gold, 7 silver and 7 bronze medals.

At the 24th SEA Games, the audience saw Phuong Lan through the performance of her daughter Vu Thuy Linh, who won a gold medal.

Recalling 17 years ago, Phuong Lan said: “Linh was very active when she was in my stomach and even more so after she was born. At the age of nine months, she tired her grandparents, when she learned to walk, she began to imitate my Wushu practices. When she was two years old, she flexed her leg muscles and called me to watch. Since then, I knew that she had the talent to become a Wushu artist”.

Thuy Linh began practicing Wushu at the age of eight. Four years later, she won a gold medal at the Asian Young Wushu Tournament.

Conquering challenges

Seeing the happiness of Phuong Lan – Thuy Linh at the 24th SEA Games, few would expect that Thuy Linh faced many challenging years. Knee injuries have plagued Linh since she was 12 and prevented her from practicing difficult exercises.

“Sometimes it was painful. I cried on the training ground and asked my mother if I could quit. But under my mother’s assistance and advice I’m determined to surpass the pain not waste my and my mother’s efforts over nearly ten years,” Linh said.

Linh’s courage and self-confidence helped her triumph at the 24th SEA Games, though she had to take an analgesic afterwards for one month.

Linh remembers the special feeling of standing atop the highest stage. “My mother was the one who helped me from my first steps and supported the achievement of this success. In the most difficult moments of my life, she was always been beside me and she is why I love and am dedicated to Wushu,” Linh said.

The 2008 Olympics in Beijing are ahead, and Linh is looking to China; and beside her is her mother, the former World Champion.

From the Manila Standard

WUSHU, which will be played as a special event in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has found a godfather in businessman-sportsman Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco, who will throw his support through San Miguel Foods Inc.

Wushu Federation of the Philippines president Julian Camacho said the San Miguel Corp. big boss has already agreed to support the nine Filipino wushu artists, who will train for the next seven months in China.

Camacho has already informed the joint Philippine Sports Commission-Philippine Olympic Committee working group of this development during an initial meeting among national sports associations which will send athletes to the Olympiad.

“Hanggang Olympics na sila doon,” said Camacho, who added that aside from training, the wushu artists will compete in several tournaments to get themselves in shape.

Seven of the nine-member team, to be led by four-time world champion Rene Catalan, will train in the sanshou style in Sichuan province, while world champion Willy Wang and 2007 Southeast Games bronze medalist Janice Hung will fly to Guangzhou to master the taolou techniques.

Joining Catalan in Sichuan are 2007 SEA Games gold medalist Marianne Mariano, silver medalists Mary Jane Estimar and Benjie Rivero and bronze winner Daniel Parantac.

The International Olympic Committee has allowed China to organize a special wushu event as a demonstration sport during the Olympiad. Peter Atencio

–

SELECTED Filipino athletes will have more than enough to pursue their Olympic dream.

Malacañang has allocated a P30-million budget for the athletes, more than enough to take care of their logistical needs in preparation for the Beijing Olympic Games.

Aside from the budget from the government, additional private sponsors will allow concerned national sports associations to be able to acquire foreign coaches and send their athletes to train and compete in qualifying meets.

Telecoms magnate Manny Pangilinan, for instance, is helping boxing and taekwondo, while Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco is involved in other sports.

Already qualified for the Olympics are Miguel Molina, James Walsh, Ryan Arabejo and Daniel Coakley in swimming, Tshomlee Go and Mary Antoinette Rivero in taekwondo, Harry Tañamor in boxing and Mark Javier in archery. More boxers are expected to make it once they take part in a qualifier next month in Bangkok and another one in April in Kazakhstan.

More qualifiers in wushu, a special event in the Olympiad, will be known as soon as six Filipinos finish their training in China next week. Six divers, led by Sheila Mae Perez, are already in China to get set for a qualifier next month.

Athletics is expected to send a two-member team.

The working group, headed by Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez, is also looking at possible qualifiers in lawn tennis, fencing and weightlifting.

Tennis bets, led by Fil-American standouts Cecil Mamiit and Eric Taino, are looking for wildcard slots.

Fil-Am bets Heidi Ilustre and Diane Pascua, who are seeking berths in beach volleyball, are not included in the working group’s list. Peter Atencio

From the China Daily

 The Beijing 2008 Wushu Tournament, an international martial arts competition to be held on the sidelines of the Beijing Olympic Games next year, will involve players from five continents, officials said as they expressed confidence in their ability to promote the sport globally.

Spanish athlete Raul Esteveelopee performs during the men’s qiangshu competition at the 9th World Wushu Championships last week. The Beijing 2008 Wushu Tournament, an international martial arts competition to be held on the sidelines of the Beijing Olympic Games next year, will involve athletes from five continents. [China Daily]

“The participation of people from all over the world in wushu is very important, so the Beijing 2008 Wushu Tournament will involve people from five continents,” said Wang Xiaolin, president of the Chinese Wushu Association (CWA) and secretary-general of the International Wushu Federation (IWUF).

The tournament will be held from August 21 to 24 next year at Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium during the Beijing Games and will feature 10 events for taolu (the routines) and five for sanshou (the fights).

The top six finishers in the taolu events and the top eight in the sanshou events from the 9th World Wushu Championships have already qualified for the tournament next summer. There are an additional 20 wild-card spots that have yet to be filled.

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