INTERVIEW with Scott Parker

January 10th, 2010

Editor’s Note: When I first started doing wushu, my friend and coach Dan Wu lent me a few wushu videotapes. It was a hodgepodge of videos from various competitions. Those VHS tapes took a brutal beating as I watched them over and over for inspiration. I remember one tape from a competition that I think was in Florida. It was during the master’s demo in what looked like a hotel convention room that was dimly lit with a patterned carpet floor. One performance really stood out to me. It was a lanky white kid who had the loudest slap kicks I’d ever heard and the speed of his movements blew my mind. I went back to Dan and asked him who that kid was. It was Scott Parker.

Jiayo.com forum moderator Y Chan caught up with Scott who agreed to this interview and shares some great stories and thoughts on wushu. We’d also like to thank Scott for these photos that give us a glimpse into the early days of wushu in the United States.


YC: Hey Scotty, thanks for doing this interview. I’ve told you this before, growing up in Ohio I grew up on the legend of Scott Parker so this interview is especially exciting for me.

You’ve trained with several people, but Master Nick Gracenin is the one you’re most often associated with. Before we get to how you found him, paint us a picture of what the times were like and how you got interested in wushu.

SP: It was the summer of 1984. One could feel the eruption of an entire nation behind this young athlete, her name was Mary Lou Retton and strangely enough it was there wushu began for me. Let me paint the picture, the whole world was glued to their television sets, the reason being, a young girl from the United States Gymnastics team. Who in order to win the gold medal, not only for her event but for the team overall, needed to place first in the vault. The young girl took a deep breath as she peered down the runway at the apparatus; the entire country seemed to be on the edge of their sofas.

I stood there in my granny’s living room, feeling tingles and chills with incredible anticipation. She began to sprint down the strait lane of carpet. At times the camera cut to close up to focus on her face, her face exuding the confidence and concentration of an elite professional. Running toward the pummel horse, everyone in existence was stride for stride as she made her approach. Then BAM! Everything stood still as the young power house sprung from the spring board, hit the equipment, and did the most incredible front end hand spring end over end thing I had seen up to that day, then following through to stick the landing.

YC: Wow, Mary Lou Retton inspired you to do wushu?

SP: For sure, I was a nine year old boy from Masury, Ohio. This was probably the first Olympic Games I was old enough to comprehend. There was something about the whole event. The thrill of victory and agony of defeat. Cheesy but true! Many other variables of a child’s life also played a role in the beginning of my voyage of Chinese kung fu. I was often sick when I was little, having had an inability to fight infection, involving my lungs, which at the time weren’t exactly working up to par. To this day it has never been clarified what exactly the problem was even after innumerable family doctors, an eccentric specialist at the Cleveland clinic and probably countless hours of hospital stays in an uncomfortable chair for my mom. I suppose those awkward sickly childhood years are often the catalyst for many kids in need of starting new different activities. So I guess it was then, after seeing my clear enthusiasm for Mary Lou Retton’s abilities the gymnastics idea fell into my mom and dad’s thoughts. They knew at the time it would be a good idea for me to start something that would offer some conditioning for my pulmonary system and the fact there was a local gymnastics center was a fortunate coincidence.

YC: Wow, all these years I’ve known you, I never knew that. So, tell us how you got started with Master Nick Gracenin, what it was like to train under his watchful eye, and your relationship with him. I know that’s a lot. Like I said, I’m pretty excited about this!

SP: Traveling down memory lane with you Y is a pleasure. I had no idea walking in the gymnastics center and seeing a group of my peers doing beginner wushu would develop into all it has. While my mom and dad were at the desk checking on class options, I noticed something on the spring floor taking place. It was a class of some kind and immediately I was drawn in. Now I know what they were doing, it was arm wheel into hammer fist. I had never seen anything like it. To date, I’ve probably done roughly three million arm wheel to hammer fist. After watching the class for a little while, I noticed its structure; I noticed the teacher leading the class, how he spoke, and what he expected. I went over to my mom and dad and asked if instead of doing gymnastics I could take part in what I was watching on the floor. The gentleman at the desk explained a little about wushu and then on to the schedule for the class and I signed up. The next day I showed up to class and was introduced to Sifu Nick Gracenin and his students, he told me what shoes I would need for his class and we began to warm up by jogging around the gym floor, first forward then back to the side, I know you know how we get it on and poppin’ when class starts. The class progressed the way it commonly does. I remember even that first day wanting to get everything right. I remember wanting to be the best in my class that first day. This I’m sure is a feeling most competitive people feel. This feeling was perfect for my wushu; I strived to do more and do better. The competitive drive was evident, when on my second day Sifu made a positive example of me in front of the entire class for working on things I had learned the previous day instead of horseplay before class. That was the first of many examples Sifu made of me, however, the examples were not always positive.

I continued to work out for a long time at the gymnastics school. The gymnastics school, however, was Sifu’s second school. The main school was at the Buhl club in Sharon Pennsylvania. I wanted to take my wushu to the next step and, from what Sifu would say about the students at the Buhl club, I needed to be there. So I made the transition to working out there. The facilities were awesome with two big rooms. One was with a carpet, mirrors, and a weapons rack. The other had nice wood floor and stretching bars on the wall. There were posters on the wall of Jet Li– I didn’t even know who the guy was, but, he looked sweet. When I began at the club it was all much more serious. Sifu was so involved in the class and I realized wushu as a whole. With Sifu Gracenin, there were always events with extreme involvement in the art. Being his student already opens up the world of wushu on so many levels, there were people from all over the country, and even the world, seeking Sifu out for his knowledge on the art. This would lead to people needing places to stay for an extended amount of time on many occasions, so I met so many great athletes and people whose names I would come to greatly respect.

One such event the school went to see the Beijing Wushu Team at a theatre in Ohio. I remember being blown away by everything they did like I was at a blockbuster world premiere. After the show we walked to the tour bus, after Sifu had a conversation with someone in fluent Mandarin, we were on the bus introducing ourselves to the team. They were all so nice. After we exited the bus we did a little demo for them in the parking lot. They looked from their tour bus window, and seemed to actually be impressed. I’m not sure if it was my butterfly twist or my fresh Bell Biv Devoe gear. The next day we had a seminar where I got some long fist pointers from a team athlete we performed for the night before. I gave him some pointers on wearing baggy Girbaud jeans overalls with one strap undone. Wow! Now I see it was the BBD look.

YC: How and when did you begin competing?

SP: I started competing very early, first doing basic number one forms in karate rinks around all of north eastern Ohio. Sifu Nick would also host the Wushu Expo annually. These were incredible events where people would come from all over the world to Sharon, Pennsylvania, to compete, do seminars and perform. It was amazing to meet so many people that were so consumed with kung fu.

YC: While you were training under Master Nick, you also trained alongside and competed with many other old-school U.S. legends. Can you take our readers back in time and tell us what the competition scene was like when you were competing?

SP:
After competing in north east Ohio and western Pennsylvania for a few years it was time to travel with Sifu to a larger tournament out of state. So the parents of the school got together and decided to plant corn on some donated land to raise money to send our team to a tournament in Houston Texas. We sold corn literally by the dozens on the side of the road. Grocery store parking lots I must admit it was quite a fund raiser picking and selling corn for the love of wushu. Money was raised and I was on my fist airplane ride, destination Houston Texas for Jeff Bolts “International Kung Fu Championships”. This trip was the first of many. Over the years this event is where I started to meet and notice so much other talent Phillip Wong, Javone Holmes, Woody Wong, Richard Brandon, to name a few. This was pre-compulsory form years so the interpretation of everyone’s choreography for forms was so much more diverse and unique. One could observe the explosive jumping and speed of Javonne Holmes mixed with his crowd pleasing monkey staff form. On the ballroom carpet in an adjacent ring Tom Dorney was gracefully using up the entire ring with one of the longest spears I’ve ever seen. Tom could also keep a pair of what seem to be a fifteen section whip chains moving in perfect line for a good minute twenty. Phillip Wong was the consummate professional with some of the cleanest wushu I’d seen. Later we would become teammates on Edward Aguirre’s Professional Wushu Team. I was extremely excited to be in his company as a teammate and a competitor.


YC: Having worked and trained together before, you’ve told me some interesting stories about competing with Yuen Wen Qing at the World Wushu Championships. Can you share some of that with our readers?

SP: Eventually competing would lead me all over the world. Including the World Wushu Championships where at 18 years old I not only competed against Yuen Wen Qing, but also spent an entire night in a Kulha Lumpur Malaysia hotel patio drinking beer and desperately trying to bridge the communication gap as much as an eighteen year old intoxicated boy in a foreign country could do. I think he got the point. Rumor has it after I stumbled back to my hotel room; Yuen Wen Qing was looking in the swimming pool calling my name to make sure I hadn’t fallen in. The next day I placed 9th in broadsword and he placed 1st. Surprise!


YC:
That’s hilarious, Scotty! Besides Master Nick Gracenin, can you tell us a bit about your other wushu teachers and their influence on you both on and off the carpet?

SP: Even within the very sometimes similar wushu class structure there is a very different way of being sifu and being student. Other than Sifu Gracenin it’s been my pleasure studying under a number of coaches, each having as unique and diverse a way of instructing as they do living. A great coach, I had worked with after making the American Wushu Society’s team, was Sifu Edward Aguirre. His impact on me at the time was huge. I traveled to New York City via Greyhound bus to work out with Edward in-between national sport karate tournaments while we competed throughout the country. Sifu Aguirre had an exhausting grueler of a class that left you beat and sore. I loved it!


YC: Something a lot of people don’t know is that you have an extensive Peking Opera background. How did you get into that and what was it like for you?

SP: After a few years my interest would lead me to move on from Sifu Aguirres American Wushu Society. I began to teach my own class by renting different dance studios around Manhattan. Fortunately, placing an ad in the village voice would lead me to find a great group of people I was honored to teach. In between all this I managed, through a good friend, Kevin Howard, to be introduced to a gem of a hidden talent living in Roosevelt Island. Hung Jin Quan or as everyone in the states knew him, Jamie. He was a performer from Beijing opera troupe number one. Actually in the company that performed for the wife of communist leader Chairman Mao Tse Tung. Anyone who practices wushu understands the level of communist China athletes. Now multiply that by the level needed to be a performer for the chairman yourself.


YC: Can you elaborate further on the commonalities and differences in training methods between peking opera and contemporary wushu?

SP: When I first accompanied my friend Kevin Howard to a Peking opera class, it was literally the first time I had ever truly seen or experienced opera. I started out with opera the same way as wushu doing the basics, warming up I got to know my new coach Jamie Quan. We were outside on the bank of Roosevelt Island looking over to 59th street in Manhattan. When, between the front splits and head-to-toes, I got a little knowledge of what I was in for. Jamie offered an amazing glimpse into opera, the Cultural Revolution, and the difference between Chinese and American. Our discussions were often cut short when it came time to do hand stands, bow stance, horse stance, and stance technique in cadence to Jamie’s counts. I followed both him and Kevin that first class, my wushu background made picking up a little easier.

However, there is a control of body movement in opera that does not come easy by any stretch. Always eager to impress I started out going strong with warm up and stretch kicks. It was very difficult to keep up the pace for very long, reason being the typical Peking opera workouts are designed to build a level of stamina that exceeds the typical wushu athlete. When beginning basic kicking there is a preparation referred to as the cloud hand. The cloud hand is somewhat of a horizontal arm wheel simultaneous with four steps of foot work ending in a high empty stance with both arms extended similar to wushu basics. Stretch kicks are done stationary with three beat steps in between. This conditions the performer for both stamina and creating the appearance of traveling movement in a confined area. After around 30 front stretches in this manner you finish the reps with a cloud hand then relax briefly. Seriously with Jamie Quan, TOO briefly. Beginning the next 30 cross kicks with a cloud hand and continuing on through the full fundamental ranges of kicks.

Following basic kicks there are a number of body turning techniques that are done in place; as opposed to wushu which uses of the entire carpet. When doing these techniques in place you start off feeling like a beginner again. This is because of the conditioned element of control. This is especially apparent through my favorite aspect of opera, the fight choreography, which after adapting to the choreography and its differences it often takes place in the center of the individuals.

With wushu fighting sets, the action of the fight is constantly crossing, overlapping, and appealing to all corners of the carpet. However with opera, the fight is controlled by the characters to be as equally exciting to audience viewing from two dimension. The difficulty in opera is within the fight choreography there is also a story to tell and without the stamina and the appearance of acting chops you can look like a real herb. Opera also has enormous emphases on tumbling. Jamie once told me, a student’s tumbling should be handmade like a cook’s dumpling. I knew what this meant when I became very familiar with his tumbling and spotting regimen. I assumed Di tang, a personal favorite style in my competitive prime, would benefit me well in opera, unfortunately, not so much. In opera the Cartwheels, aerials, back hand springs, and front hand springs are done repetitively by the dozens covering only a few feet. While in wushu there are apt running preparations. When seeing an elite opera tumbler do their thing it is an unbelievable experience that will have you totally in awe.

My study in opera was primarily in the warrior roles; however this is one role in an entire catalog of characters based on Chinese history and myth, that’s pretty vast. Then you add in study of vocals and face painting, juggling and sleight of hand there is a lot to discover. Discovering Peking opera opened up my eyes to the use of movement, and for me the core of that movement was wushu.

YC: That sounds incredible and I just learned something new! Besides Peking Opera, you’ve done a lot of other stage work and performing. How did wushu and competing help prepare you for this and what other skills did you need to develop outside of wushu?

SP: Utilizing my wushu I had performed in a countless number of plays and productions school shows thing of that nature however after studying under Jamie Quan, my wushu took on a different characteristic. The art of Peking opera taught by someone at that level has a confidence almost arrogance of performance quality that can only be reached by extreme levels of practice. I merely scratched the surface of the art even after six years of study. Never the less Peking opera added so much to my wushu a new understanding, a performance quality of story and dimension.

There was a long time of mostly practicing martial arts in rehearsal studios and on the road, it would come time I would need a coach again. Needing to get back to my roots. Sifu Chen Ying offered the perfect class. I had heard about and seen Sifu Chen around New York City for years. You know firsthand that anyone going down the road in search of good wushu will eventually find it. Sifu Chen’s class is where I met a group of people that found “It” in a H.O.T. [editor’s note: this is an old inside joke] school on the Bowery. The level of his students was proof that he had the quality of wushu I needed. I studied there almost until the time I moved from New York. Sifu Chen’s teaching as well as having the friendliest group of wushu athletes is something I’ve missed since leaving.

YC: Ok, so we’ve talked a bit about your past. The last time you and I trained together, you were still ripping out tornado 720s, butterfly twist 720s, jump outside 720s, and your patented whip-cracka’ slap kicks. Can you give us some pointers on our wushu?

SP: Recently, this Thanksgiving, I visited my favorite city in the world, New York City. I worked out with another great sifu, Yuan Zhang, at his school in Brooklyn. After taking and assisting in a couple of classes I realized something. My workout now is considerably different than the workouts of my past due to age and a totally wrecked right knee ACL injury. This prevents me from catching the air or flowing the way I once did. However, it in no way prevents me from developing the art on a new avenue of discovery. After years of trying to develop the highest straightest butterfly twist or the loudest fastest standing kicks, the biggest pointer I can give is what I learned from everyone I’ve done wushu with, my partners, teammates and even from competition. To perfect your wushu you need to be committed to your wushu. It is a special martial art not always restricted by past traditions but an evolving changing art that is capable of always pushing a multiple number of boundaries, much like the individuals that study it.

YC: BOOM! Words of wisdom from U.S. wushu legend, and my good friend, Scotty P! Thanks a ton Scotty. It’s always a pleasure.

SP: It truly was a pleasure Y.

discuss article here

Scott Parker competes with broadsword in Arizona in 1996:

ATTENTION: Jiayo.com back online after Malware infection

September 18th, 2009

First, apologies for having to pull the site down for a few days. Even bigger apologies if you had visited the website prior to our down time, because there is a chance that a malicious script had infected your computer.

Several days ago, both Firefox and Safari gave warnings that the site had been infected by malware. This has happened before, but in the past, resolving the problem was relatively simple. This time, finding the source of the malware was much more difficult.

For more info on malware, please see this wiki entry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malware

I’m still in the process of checking files and updating things, so please bear with us.

Thanks for your understanding and patience!

-Brandon

The World Games 2009 Kaohsiung: A to Z of Kaohsiung World Games, part 1

July 11th, 2009

From the Taipei Times

By Richard Hazeldine
STAFF REPORTER
Sunday, Jul 12, 2009, Page 18
The World Games get underway in Kaoshiung this week with Thursday’s opening ceremony. Here’s an alphabetical summary of all you need to know about the 10-day sporting extravaganza.

A — Athletes

An estimated 4,500 athletes will be arriving in Kaohsiung ahead of Friday when the competition starts, up from the 3,500 who participated in the last World Games in Duisberg, Germany, in 2005. That is just under half the approximately 10,500 that usually participate in an Olympic Games.

B — Bizarre

The World Games are often associated with the weird and wonderful, and with sports such as boules, frisbee, tchoukball, lifesaving and ballroom dancing on the roster it is easy to understand why. Nevertheless, the Games also have their fair share of “regular” sports, with squash, rugby sevens, powerlifting, softball, racquetball and sumo wrestling featuring, among others.

C — Casting

Probably the wackiest sport on the World Games roster is casting. It is basically fly fishing without the water as competitors cast a rod and try and land the fly on a series of targets. The sport even has its own governing body — The International Casting Sport Federation. However, those hoping to “catch” some of the action in Kaohsiung will be disappointed. The event has been cast aside and will not feature.

D — Drugs

Drug cheats are not just the preserve of the Olympic Games, and the World Games adheres to the same strict anti-doping regime as the Olympics. All doping matters are dealt with according to standards set out by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

E — Eco-friendly

The 40,000-seat main stadium for the Games, designed by Japanese architect Toyo Ito, is a great example of green construction. According to the Kaohsiung Organizing Committee (KOC), solar panels on the stadium roof are capable of generating more than 1 million kW/h of electricity per year, saving 660 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. The stadium is also built at a specific orientation to ensure natural ventilation, while sheltering spectators from both seasonal winds and the harsh tropical sun.

F — Flags

Whenever Taiwan and China appear at the same sporting event there is always potential for trouble and more often than not the source is Taiwan’s flag (it is barred from all Olympic events). The KOC has already stoked the embers by announcing it will allow Taiwan’s flag to be displayed by supporters. Expect at least one crazed Chinese official to lose their temper.

G — Gongs

As hosts, the Taiwanese squad will be looking to improve on their meager medal tally from four years ago in Duisburg, when they finished in 22nd position in the final medal table, bagging just six medals — two gold, two silver and two bronze.

H — History

From modest beginnings — the first World Games in Santa Clara, California, in 1981 saw just 1,265 athletes take part in 18 different sports — to this year’s eighth edition, where almost four times the number of athletes will take part in 31 sports, the World Games is a growing concern and a genuine success story.

I — Invitational

Sports which are not governed by International World Games Member Federations can be played at the World Games, but they are classified as “invitational” and no medals are awarded. Also, the host city can choose to classify official IWGA sports as invitational events. The invitational events for Kaohsiung are beach handball, tchoukball, softball, wushu (martial arts) and dragon boat racing.

J — Jia you

With only one phrase available in Mandarin when it comes to shouting encouragement for athletes, expect to be hearing jia you (加油), literally “add oil,” a lot during the 10 days of competition.

K — Kaohsiung

The host city and Taiwan’s second largest, with a population of more than 1.5 million and an area of 154km².

L — Ladies

The ladies of Taiwan’s tug of war team are not to be trifled with. As reigning World Games and world indoor champions they represent Taiwan’s best hope of gold in Kaohsiung.

Interview with Rory Bratter

July 5th, 2009

NOTE: This is the second interview in a Jiayo series of interviews with wushu athletes past and present. This installment is with Rory Bratter. I heard about Rory before I ever met him. Someone had mentioned a wushu kid from New York who I should check out at the next wushu competition. I think I first saw him compete at the 1999 US Team Trials in Texas (or was it the 1998 USAWKF nationals in Baltimore?). He was young back then but definitely had some skills. Fast forward a few years and he’s performing in Ka in Las Vegas! Y Chan ran the interview and got the low down on Rory’s view on wushu today and girls with bad breath. – Brandon

Alright Rory, you’ve got an interesting and unique story. You were on the tournament scene with old-schoolers in the 90s, made the U.S. Wushu Team, and worked with Cirque du Soleil: Ka– all that before most Wushu’ers even hit their prime. Now, before we touch on any of that, how did you get started doing martial arts and how’d you find your way to Wushu?

Where to start! I started training in martial arts when I was 5, basically because of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Yes, to this day I still think I’m Donatello! I began training in Okinawan Kempo, then moved onto Traditional Shaolin, and then I began my training in Wushu with a JaVonne Holmes. Since training in Wushu, I’ve also studied Sport Karate and Jujitsu, which I now teach at Premier Martial Arts in New Rochelle, NY. I’ve also dabbled with Wing Chun, Capoeira, Shoin Ryu Karate, Brazilian JuJitsu, Arnis, Tae Kwon Do and Shotokan Karate.

That’s awesome that you were able to get that exposure to martial arts. Because you started at such an early age, was there someone who kept you on your path?

My Dad was the one who pushed me. ‘Til this day he’s still a major preparation freak, so he never missed a beat when it came to my training or my life in general. He did a great job keeping me focused and ready for any challenge. He was a pain sometimes because when I was younger I wanted to be with my friends, and there I am swinging a broadsword around in the fields of Long Island. He’s still the same way though, always reminding me of what I need to do or focus on. Even if I know what has to be done, he still likes to let me know again personally. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be half the athlete I’ve become, so I can never thank him enough for that. Love ya pop!

How would you describe how Wushu has changed since you began, both in China and in the U.S.?

Oh my… well from the videos I’ve watched I’m going to say this: The level of Wushu in America is much higher than it was when I was competing. The guys nowadays are cleaner, faster, and they jump higher– it’s truly amazing. And the girls… should compete with the boys!

Major props to Miss Tiffany Reyes. I had the opportunity to train together with her in California when I was 18, and the amount of improvement from her is incredible. Keep it up girl!

Now lets talk about China… I’m not really liking the new format, where you can start on one side of the floor facing one direction and then finish on the opposite side facing the other direction– it’s kinda crazy to me. I feel like it takes away from some of the tradition. But, hey, it’s not my call. I honestly think the level in China has remained stagnant. I’m actually a little upset with China Wushu because I feel like it’s going a li’l NASKA on me. The beauty of martial arts is in the technique and how you perform that technique. I think martial arts as a whole, not just Wushu, is just turning into a gymnastics competition. Don’t get me wrong, I love to jump and do all of the crazy moves, but when it comes down to it, there’s not much application in most of these acrobatic techniques. I miss the Young Jet Li’s and Yuen Wen Qing’s Of the world.

Obviously, because of your early start and scope of martial arts experience, you’ve trained with some of the top athletes/artists in different circles. Can you tell us a bit of what you’ve learned from your main influences?

Wow, I could actually go on all day about this. One day I’m going to take the time out and write a book about this question in particular!

Over the past 19 years, I’ve been blessed to work and compete with and against some of the best martial artists in the world. All of these martial artists have had a major part of my life and have influenced me in more ways then one. I’m going to say my major influences in martial arts are Moses Arrocho, JaVonne Holmes, Chris Columbo, Chen Ying, Hejing De, And Jian Zeng Jiao.

Moses Arrocho was my Shaolin instructor, and he taught me how to overcome odds no matter what was in front of me. He taught me how to use my strengths to get past all odds, especially with fighting.

JaVonne Holmes was my first Wushu instructor, and he influenced me by teaching me the value of preparation through physical conditioning, as well as mental toughness.

Chen Ying influenced me, majorly because he always pushed me to my limits and showed me what China-style Wushu was really supposed to look like! There’s a major difference between watching videos of the China Nationals and actually seeing it in person. Regardless, it’s breathtaking, but it’s always better in my opinion so see it in person.

He Jing De taught me my furocity and speed. He took my level far and beyond where I ever thought it would end up.

Jian Zeng Jiao taught me how to be more creative and different than everyone else. I definitely bit a lot of his moves from him while we worked with cirque!

I must say the one instructor who has had the biggest influence on my life has been Kyoshi Chris Columbo. I met Coach Columbo when I was 8 and I started competing on Team Karate International, which he was the main coach of, on the NBL Circuit. He gave me my heart and my will to win. I was actually a very shy kid and working with him really brought me out of that shell and really made me into the athlete I’ve become. Thanks Coach!

You were able to get to a place that most elite Wushu competitors only dream about: making a living through your craft. In what ways did Wushu prepare you for that and how did you acquire the other skills that you needed?

Well Wushu is a very grueling sport and I’m sure all Wushu practitioners are smiling and nodding right now. Wushu is very demanding on the body aerobically and anaerobically. So Wushu definitely made me a stronger, faster, more flexible and mainly a more durable athlete.

So we know where you came from and who influenced you. Give us a glimpse of what your mindset is when obtaining new skills

I’ve been a martial arts buff my whole life, and I’m also quite the adrenaline junkie. So usually when I come across something new, the first thing in my mind is overcoming the fear of getting hurt. It’s OK to respect something, but fear only gets you hurt.

Then, I commit 100 percent to what it is I’m doing. I don’t second guess anything, I just give it my all. Anything you do with your body takes body control. You really have to understand what it is that your trying to do before you try it and how to control what your body does while your the the process of executing that skill. It’s mainly about having the guts to try it, understanding it in your head, and being able to control your body enough to pull it off. That’s usually my mindset when it comes to new things.

Ka was such a success and involved artists from around the world. What was that experience was like?

Oh my god! Cirque was a blast, a crazy experience for me, especially because of the timing that Cirque came along in my life. I had just graduated high school, expecting to go to college and… BAM! I was offered a job as an artist for Cirque. Yes, the idea of making a living doing what I love to do was priceless, especially after hearing my dad tell me all these years, “Raw ya gotta figure out what you love to do, and then you gotta figure out how to make money doing it”.

The first thing that happened was I went to Montreal, Canada, for about 8 months to create the Ka show. So I was living in a dorm across the street from Cirque headquarters. Imagine eating lunch everyday with a clown juggling next to you, a mime walking around, or people with chalk all over there hands from acrobatics training! The Cirque Headquarters was like a huge playground for me. I got paid to do crazy stuff everyday! It was like a dream come true.

After those eight months, I moved on to Las Vegas where we trained on the actual stage which was yet another crazy experience. If you haven’t seen the show, please, go see it and you’ll understand what I mean when I say it’s a crazy experience. You’d actually believe that the stage was an acrobat too!

The thing I liked about Cirque was that they’d take a martial artist and try to mold you into a free-runner, or they’d take a Olympic gymnast and try and teach them Wushu. They were very open-minded with that kind of stuff. I worked with some of the best athletes I’ve ever seen in all respects: gymnastics, Capoeira, dance, it was truly amazing.

I also met a lot of cool people like Tom Cruise, and Janet Jackson. I was able to walk Pam Anderson down the red carpet at the premiere of the show. All and all, a very cool experience. I’m telling you I gotta write a book!

When you were in Montreal, what was the creative process like and who had what input?

The creative process was a really cool experience. Ultimately, the input came from the director of the show and the coaches. I was very young in Montreal and had plenty of ideas, however, if we were to actually perform the ideas I had on stage every night I think there would have been a much higher injury rate. At 18 years old I’m thinking “Man, I’ve got probably the best two Wushu guys in the world next to me, we should be doing crazier stuff!”. But, when I had to perform it twice a night, 5 days a week, that’s when I understood why we weren’t trying to doing 720 butterfly twist splits every night!

It must have been crazy with all these different personalities, disciplines, cultures, etc. what was the chemistry like between all these different artists?

It was awesome, pretty much everybody got along. My best friends at Cirque were the Capoeira guys from Brazil. We ended up being roommates and we are still great friends. All and all ,everybody got along and looked out for one another, which you had to because it’s a very dangerous job. I met a lot of great people while I was there, and I’ve got friends that I will have for the rest of my life from the Cirque experience.

How much work per week were you performing/practicing, and what was life like when you weren’t performing/practicing?

We practiced everyday for about an hour and a half then we did two shows at night, and we did that 5 nights a week.

The whole experience was, no doubt, amazing. So, what’s your favorite story from it?

I’m gonna go with the high falls training. That’s when they take you on a scissor lift and take you up 20, 30, 40, 50, 60ft in the air to check to see if you suffer from any vertigo and it was the entire Wushu troop on the lift.

So we hit 20ft and they’d ask “Are you scared?”, and if you were, you jumped into an airbag that was on top of a net (that was for a really soft landing). It was really funny because that’s when you saw who had the biggest ego. And I’m definitely not scared of heights at all, but the higher we went, the tighter HJD and JZJ held onto the side railings. It was totally Kungfu grip! But we all jumped off safely.

OK, so we’ve talked a bit about how you got to where you are. What do the next 5 years look like for you?

Ahhh, next five years… Well, at the moment I’m managing Premier Martial Arts in New Rochelle, N.Y.. I’m planing on staying in NY for a while and spending some quality time with my family. Also, I’m hoping to do some more stunt work in the NYC area or wherever it may take me.

If Wushu became an Olympic sport I’d definitely consider competing again. I want to go to college for business sometime in the future, but as it stands today I want to give back the the younger generations of martial artists and pass them the knowledge that all my coaches gave to me.

I love to teach, I love to train, I love to be challenged and I’ll be a martial artist ’til the day I die–but winning the NYC Lottery Mega millions wouldn’t be so bad either!

I’m hoping to get married sometime soon and start a family of my own, so watch out for Rory Bratter Jr in a few years!

Can you tell us who you are at a core level, what your thought process is like, your beliefs, and how you interact with other people?

I’m a pretty down to earth kind of guy and very family-orientated. I do train everyday, as well as cross train. I play flag football in a league on Long Island. I enjoy spending time with my friends. I like to cook. I’m a huge Yankees fan as well as a huge Giants fan.

As far as thought process: I still believe I’m very young and can still take my level even higher and farther if I put my mind to it. I still have a lot of dreams that I want to fulfill.

If I had to give advice to a up and coming athlete, I’d let them know that hard work beats talent 9 out of 10 times.

I’m not shy anymore so I interact with people quite a bit. I’ll pretty much talk to anybody; family, friends, complete stranger– I’ll talk to ya. I’m very friendly and usually have a big smile on my face. I love being an uncle to four children and can’t wait to have my own kids someday.

I feel like the harder I work the farther I’m gonna go, so I’m gonna do what I’ve always done and give 150% every time I train and see where this roller-coaster takes me next.

…And now, the lightning round!

All-time favorite wushu athlete: Yuen Wen Qing… Hands down. The guy was a beast.
Favorite movie: Bad Boys 2
Last meal on Earth: I’m undecided between Surf And Turf or a major selection of sushi!
Ideal date: Hahahaha, I love to eat… so I’m going to have to say dinner and cocktails somewhere nice in Manhattan, or I’d cook at my house.
5 songs in your workout playlist: I listen to everything. but lets start with Public Servic Announcement – Jay Z, Step Into My World – KRS-1, Victory – Biggie, Puffy and Busta Rhymes, Ante Up – Busta Rhymes and MOP, and X Gonna Give It to Ya – DMX
Bigger turn-off: bad breath or busted feet? Man I’ll tell you what, I don’t like feet but my girlfriend actually has perfect feet, so I don’t mind her feet. But, bad breath is a major turnoff for me.

You’re the man, Rory. Thanks a lot for taking the time for this interview and best of luck!

Anytime Guys, Stay Healthy and Keep Training… Thank You!

Kung Fu/Wushu

June 23rd, 2009



Kung Fu/Wushu

Originally uploaded by jiushang

US Team Trials. Kelly Kim – qiangshu

Kung Fu/Wushu

June 23rd, 2009



Kung Fu/Wushu

Originally uploaded by jiushang

US Team Trials. Brenda Hatley – qiangshu

2009 U.S. National Wushu Team Trials Results

June 21st, 2009

us wushu team trials - 2009

Reporting live from De Anza College Gymnasium in Cupertino, CA where the U.S. National Wushu Team Trials have just concluded is Brandon Sugiyama who has provided results all day. Matt Wong provided results as they appeared at the conclusion of the tournament.:

Men (A Team):
Max Ehrlich
Colvin Wang
Peter Dang
Alan Zhao
Alfred Hsing

Women (A Team):
Elaine Ho
Stephanie Lim
Ashley Chung
Sarah Chang
Joana Pei

Men (B Team):
Phil Dang
Mikey Tsai
Donovan Hui
William Chen
Jian Wei Bench

Women (B Team)
Brenda Hatley
Claudine Tran
Tiffany Reyes
Melissa Yu
Tiffany Wang

Men (C Team):
Chase White
Eugene Moy
Stephon Morton
Jason Liu
Matthew Tay

Women (C Team):
Emily Fan
Jessica Shyy
Samantha Tsen
Karlee Yong
Isabelle Ju

The top ten (A Team) will represent the U.S. and compete in the World Wushu Championships during October 2009 in Toronto, Canada. Congratulations to all the competitors and thank you to the tournament organizers/staff. Now, represent double-huge Team USA!

Individual Results (Again, BIG thanks to Matt Wong):

Men’s Changquan
1. Alfred Hsing
2. Phillip Dang
3. Chase White

Women’s Changquan
1. Sarah Chang
2. Stephanie Lim
3. Claudia Tran

Men’s Nanquan
1. Max Ehrlich
2. William Chen
3. Jonathan Sun

Women’s Nanquan
1. Melissa Yu

Men’s Taijiquan
1. Alan Zhao
2. Alfred Hsing
3. Jian Wei Branch

Women’s Taijiquan
1. Elaine Ho
2. Tiffany Wang
3. Isabelle Ju

Men’s Broadsword
1. Peter Dang
2. Michael Tsai
3. Edward Kahana

Women’s Broadsword
1. Joana Pei
2. Claudia Tran
3. Stephanie Lim

Men’s Straightsword
1. Alfred Hsing
2. Phillip Dang
3. Colvin Wang

Women’s Straightsword
1. Sarah Chang
2. Brenda Hatley
3. Samantha Tsen

Men’s Southern Broadsword
1. Max Ehrlich
2. William Chen
3. Jason Liu

Women’s Southern Broadsword
1. Jessica Shyy
2. Melissa Yu

Men’s Taiji Straightsword
1. Allen Zhao
2. Alfred Hsing
3. Jian Wei Bench

Women’s Taiji Straightsword
1. Elaine Ho
2. Tiffany Wang
3. Samantha Tsen

Men’s Spear
1. Colvin Wang
2. Justin Yu
3. Alfred Hsing

Women’s Spear
1. Tiffany Reyes
2. Sarah Chang
3. Kelly Kim

Men’s Southern Staff
1. Max Ehrlich
2. William Chen
3. Simon Ho

Women’s Southern Staff
1. Melissa Yu

Men’s Staff
1. Dennis Ta
2. Peter Dang

Women’s Staff
1. Joana Pei
2. Stephanie Lim

All the best,
Y Chan

Vietnam snatches five golds at Asian youth wushu champs

June 12th, 2009

From VOVNews.vn

Vietnamese athletes bagged five gold medals at the 2009 Asian Youth Wushu Championships that is taking place in Macau , China , from June 8-11.

The gold medallists include Nguyen Manh Quyen, Nguyen Thanh Trung, Nguyen Viet Cuong, Duong Thuy Vi and Tran Thi Minh Huyen. All the golds were secured in Taolu (performance) events.

The team also won seven silver and five bronze medals in different events at the tourney.
The Vietnamese athletes are expected to bring home more gold and silver medals from the tournament as five artists of the 19-strong team advanced to the finals of Sanshou (combat) events.

Wushu: See Min strikes gold

June 12th, 2009

From New Strait Times

SEE Min made a grand debut in the Asian Junior Wushu Championships when she won Malaysia’s first gold medal in Macau yesterday.
Malaysia also bagged two silver and three bronze medals from eight events on the first day of competition in the taolu (barehands and weapons) categories.

See Min won the girls’ Group B (Under-15) nanquan (southern style barehand) with 8.82 points. Singapore’s Sin Minli took silver with 8.76 and Iran’s Maryam Esmati the bronze with 8.74.

See Min, who is coached by former Sea Games gold medallist Lim Kim, made her international debut in last year’s World Youth Championships in Bal, where she took silver in the nandao (broadsword) event.

Yesterday’s silver medals came from Tai Cheau Xuen in the girls’ Group A (Under-18) nanquan and Loh Ying Ting in the girls’ Group C (Under-12) gunshu (stick).
The bronze medallists were Foong Foo Mun (boys’ Group A taijiquan), Kimberly Goh (girls’ Group A taijiquan) and Yap Zheng Yan (boys’ Group A changquan or northern style barehands).

In the Singapore edition two years ago, Malaysia chalked a medal haul of 3-2-3. All the three gold medals were won in Group A competitions.

Macau takes four gold in Wushu

June 12th, 2009

From Macau Daily Times

Macau brought home four gold medals from a total of six in this year’s Asian Junior Wushu Championships held at the Tap Seac Sports Pavilion.
Chu Nga Lu won a bronze medal in the Women’s Qiangshu B category of the 5 th Asian Junior Wushu Championships, while Lei Weng Si won gold in the Women’s Daoshu B category.
Chu Zhi Wai also won gold in the Men’s Jianshu A category.
Ho Si Hang won silver in the Women’s Taijijian A category of the event and a gold medal with partner Fong In Hong in the Women’s Duilian A category. Chu Zhi Wai and Van Ka Lok won gold in the double Men’s Duilian A category of the event.
Iran claimed six gold medals, making history for being the first time to have ever won two gold in sanshou. The team ranked third overall in the tree-day championships in the SAR.
Iran took 16 medals in total – Sanshou (weapons form) and Taolu (bare-handed free-form fighting).
In addition, Vietnam won five gold, seven silver and five bronze medals.
Other teams in the event included India and Bangladesh.
Macau had already ranked fourth at the World Junior Wushu Championships were held in Bali, Indonesia in December last year.