THE DRAGON S LAIR NEWSLETTER OF THE IRON DRAGON KUNG FU AND KICKBOXING CLUB 91 STATION STREET, UNIT 8, AJAX, ONTARIO L1S 3H2

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1 January 2010 Volume 2, Issue 1 THE DRAGON S LAIR NEWSLETTER OF THE IRON DRAGON KUNG FU AND KICKBOXING CLUB 91 STATION STREET, UNIT 8, AJAX, ONTARIO L1S 3H2 JANUARY 2010 VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1 (905) / ajaxdragon@hotmail.com / COMMENTARY HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2010 here we come! Those of you who have heeded Ol Sifu s advice have burst out of the starting blocks to start 2010 up and running. For those brethren who did not and are now horizontal on the couch, recovering from their New Years Eve hangover..it IS STILL NOT TOO LATE! LOL! Get ye over to yonder Iron Dragon Kung Fu and Kickboxing Club as soon as you can so that you will be ahead of the pack for 2010! CHANGES IN CLASS FORMATS FOR 2010! I am tinkering with the format for Saturdays Circuit Training and MMA class. From now on the new Chinese Wrestling Moves will be introduced on Thursday nights and then the reinforcement of those moves will be done on Saturday along with Open Grappling and also at the end of every Kung Fu Kickboxing Class till the following Thursday. We will use the Ontario Jiu Jitsu Point System to score Saturdays Open Grappling so we can get used to the point system before 2010 grappling competitions. Chinese Wrestling techniques that are not legal in Jiu Jitsu and Grappling will still be taught because they are effective self defense - we just have to remember what is legal in competition! LOL! The Wednesday classes at 12:00 pm and 8:00 pm have been designated as full equipment training classes. All participants should gear up with footpads, shin pads, groin protection and mouth guards before the start of the class. Boxing gloves should be kept ready for use (close to the participant).

2 January 2010, Volume 2, Issue 1 2 In these classes we will do our regular training warm up followed by partner drills with some light contact. I have found these workouts to be a nice change of pace and the participants of some of these early classes have truly enjoyed the classes! So I say give the people what they want! MODERN MARTIAL ARTS THE INABILITY TO CHANGE AND PROGRESS Iron Dragon will continue to change and improve its curriculum on a regular basis. We do not adhere to the age old paradigm where martial arts practice the same old tired techniques and training methods simply because they have always been done that particular way. LOL! In the early 1970 s my Kung Fu Kickboxing Sifu s Mick and Martin McNamara became dissatisfied with the Point Karate sparring style. They felt that full contact kicks and punches would more accurately simulate real fighting conditions. The style of fighting evolved at Twin Dragon and became known as Kung Fu Kickboxing as they combined Western Boxing with the Oriental kicking methods. The rest of the Ontario Martial Arts community, bound by tradition did not change. As a result, Twin Dragon Fighters were feared on the tournament circuit. They frequently lost by disqualification due to excess contact. The Twins knew they were on the right track. Their fighting style evolved while the Traditionalists did not. When Full Contact Karate and Kickboxing made its debut in North America the traditional martial artists were light years behind Twin Dragon as they dominated Ontario Kickboxing for some 20 years! It was not till the early 90 s that other martial artists changed and became competitive with the Twin Dragon fighters! Witness Karateka Fred Ettish in his March 11, 1994 UFC II destruction at the hands of a mediocre Kickboxer. Ettish was a martial artist that refused to adjust and as a result of his stubbornness, was beaten senseless at UFC II. Prior to UFC II, Ettish had only competed in traditional non-contact point Karate tournaments. He had never encountered full contact of any kind! The man had no business in a full contact ring! The bad 70 s porn star moustache and traditional Karate technique were a recipe for disaster! LOL! Have a look at Fred s performance at UFC 2 and tell me if you agree whether or not this stubborn clinging to Traditional Karate is truly a march to folly! After his pathetic performance at UFC II Ettish was asked whether he would consider cross training in kickboxing and grappling in answer to the hard lessons he learned at UFC II. His response was, No, our Karate already has those techniques. LOL!

3 January 2010, Volume 2, Issue 1 3 Now fast forward to UFC 107. Where are the Gracie s now? They have stubbornly refused to adapt their game to account for the improvements by the strikers in the sport. Now, just 15 years since Royce Gracie completely dominated the UFC, the Gracie s are no longer a factor! That is evidence enough for me! A martial artist must continually adapt his techniques in order to stay relevant in this day and age! Iron Dragon will not remain stagnant. We will continue to develop and refine our techniques and training methodology indefinitely. I look forward to receiving your feedback as our program continues to evolve! STRETCHING EXERCISE FOREARM / ELBOW PAIN RELIEF Weight Training combined with Martial Arts training can be very stressful to the delicate connective tissue of the elbow. This month we look at several ways to eradicate elbow and forearm pain. Forearm Stretch focus outer upper elbowfocus lower inner elbow Extend your arms straight out in front of your body with your palms down, Now lift your finger tips towards the ceiling while keeping your arms outstretched. You will feel the stretch mostly in the upper forearm just below the elbow joint. To a lesser extent you will feel a light stretch on the inner side of the elbow just below the joint itself. Forearm Stretch Extend your arms straight out in front of your body with your palms up, Now bend your wrists downwards so that your finger tips extend towards the floor while keeping your arms outstretched. You will feel the stretch mostly on the inner side of the forearm just below the joint itself. To a lesser extent you will feel a light stretch in the outside of the forearm just below the elbow joint. Pushing your outstretched hands against a wall will increase the stretch. Maximus Mad Scientist of Workout Methodology My friend and former student Max Oikle aka Maximus is truly the mad scientist of Workout technique! He is the creator of the Chin-Up contraption at the back of the (Iron Dragon) gym labeled Max s Rack Attack from Hell! LOL! Max has provided me with many useful tips and insights along with a complement of others that I found completely useless doozies! LOL! That statement is in no way meant to be a criticism. Every idea that Max has come up with regarding exercise technique or equipment, came from his own personal workout experience. In fact, according to Max the reason why some of his ideas were useless to me was that I performed them incorrectly! LOL! The man is passionate about the fitness lifestyle! His thoughts hold far more credence to me than some pointy headed exercise guru s ranting and raving (based on book learning and rote memory). Max talks the talk and walks the

4 January 2010, Volume 2, Issue 1 4 walk. Today at over 60 years of age he is in amazing shape with a heart rate of just 57 beats per minute - equivalent to some of our 23 year old fighters! Maximus has shown the remarkable ability to approach age old problems from a fresh perspective. For that I am forever grateful! Sure some of his ideas have been a bit offside yet some of his ideas have been absolute gems! Here is one of those gems! Forearm Muscle Imbalance method to correct Maximus Method Max reasoned that elbow pain is caused by an imbalance between the muscles used to tighten ones grip and the opposing muscles that open ones grip. Think about it. You use your hands to grip things all day long. How often do you OPEN your grip against resistance? Never! So intuitively it does make sense that there could be an imbalance in the forearm muscles that is contributing to the pain in the elbow. To perform the exercise simply put 2 elastic bands over the fingertips of one hand. Now open the hand under tension from the bands and then slowly close them. Repeat this for at least 15 repetitions on one hand and then alternate with the other. Do 3-5 sets of this exercise and you will feel your forearms starting to spasm. Clearly you are working the forearms muscles in a way that is unaccustomed to. Intuitively, I believe Ol Maximus is onto something here! Max has told me that he used this method to clear up the sore elbows he was experiencing and so far my personal experience has been that it does indeed work! If you are experiencing elbow pain give this exercise a try and let me know your results! SIT-UPS OUTDATED EXERCISE OR EXERCISE GEM? When I began training with my Hung Gar and Chinese Wrestling Sifu David Lee around 1978 I was struck by his remarkable conditioning. He was in phenomenal shape. At about 5 3 tall and 125 lbs, the man was ripped! In fact, I believe he was the first person that I knew to possess the proverbial 6 pack abdominals that are so sought after today! LOL! David s abdominals were better developed than Bruce Lee s! I asked him his secret, expecting to hear about some exotic exercise from the Far East that could account for his amazing abs! His secret?..hundreds of sit ups. Plain everyday, hold your feet down, Sit-ups! Visual impact aside, an increase in muscularity around the midsection will give you the ability to absorb a blow to the body. This ability is frequently tested by me in class, courtesy of an errant punch or kick from one of my students! LOL! I have noticed that stronger abdominals allow me to kick for longer periods of time without fatigue. My unscientific analysis of kicking physiology, tells me that the

5 January 2010, Volume 2, Issue 1 5 abs are involved every time that you lift a leg off the ground. It makes sense then, that stronger abdominals would help you to be a better kicker. There are many exercise physiologists who swear Sit-ups are no longer a relevant exercise and that Crunches are the way to go. I beg to differ! Punch one of these pointy headed, self appointed, exercise guru s in the guts and they ll see the difference too! Tell you what Let s do a little experiment. Do 3 sets of as many Sit-ups as you can do (in accordance with the instructions below). Two days later tell me whether or not your gut is aching! LOL! Yeah very surprising, despite everything that the so called experts are telling us these days! Now here are the exact instructions as transmitted to me by David Lee. From personal experience, I know they are valid. From an exercise physiologists perspective well you know how I feel about these pointy headed experts! LOL! Do the exercise with GOOD FORM! Allow the abdominals to lift your body from the floor, not the forward momentum caused by incorrectly throwing your arms forward and swinging your body upwards. A good way to achieve good form is to come to a complete stop at the bottom of the Sit-up before raising yourself up. Stop at the bottom for a 1 count and then lift yourself back up with no momentum. I consider the bottom of a correctly performed Sit-up to be when the upper back is approximately ½ inch from the floor. You re upper back should not touch the floor between repetitions as this will momentarily take the stress off the abdominal muscles until you start to come back up. Keep the stress on the abdominals the whole time by keeping your back off the floor! You will be surprised how much more difficult and more effective this exercise will suddenly become. Familiarize yourself with the proper form and work on your repetitions until you are able to do at least 100 reps in good form. Once you are able to achieve 100 reps in good form you are ready for the next level of difficulty - Variable speed repetitions. Do 20 repetitions as fast as you can in good form then slow down and do 20 repetitions at a slower cadence. Alternate this back and forth until you complete 100 repetitions. Now - the last stage of this training regimen. Try to do 300 repetitions per day at the variable speed cadence just discussed. It seems like a daunting task at first but after a few days you will find that it takes no more than 3 minutes 3 times per day for a total of 9 minutes per day! David recommended that Sundays be taken off completely as far as abdominal work was concerned. Let s be clear on this. Everybody has abdominals. There are only three reasons you can see them on some people and not on others. The abs are not conditioned sufficiently, the level of body fat on the individual is too high or there is a combination of both factors. That said, not everybody has properly

6 January 2010, Volume 2, Issue 1 6 conditioned abdominals for combat sport. The abdominals must be prepared to accept punishment through sparring and medicine ball training, but there is no better exercise than the standard Sit-up to prepare for this. Any boxer will tell you that sit ups are a staple in their training. Try my experiment and see for yourself! WEIGHTLIFTING EXERCISE OF THE MONTH FULL SQUATS Another exercise that is frowned on by those same pointy headed exercise physiologists is the FULL SQUAT. When I say full squat I don t mean those sissy bodybuilder squats where you only come down parallel to your knees. I mean ass to your heels squats! Squat fully till your butt hits your heels. True, this can be hard on your knees if you do not perform this exercise properly or insist on piling on too much weight. We, as martial artists are not concerned with bulking up the legs, only strengthening them! There should be no reason to pile on ridiculous amounts of weight! Perform the exercise properly and reap the rewards. Bounce at the bottom of the squats to cheat your way through and you will be awarded creaky knees that would rival your grandfathers! LOL! Remember that for North Americans squatting is an unusual posture. You will have to slowly break your body in to this new body position. For the rest of the world however, the squat position is necessitated by the lack of seating in large, overpopulated urban areas. We don t hear about knee injuries incurred by the millions of people worldwide who squat as a way to stay comfortable when there is no seating available! To perform the exercise, load a moderate warm up weight on a barbell and put it on your shoulders. Now squat UNDER FULL CONTROL to a position where your butt physically touches your calves and brings you to a full stop. Now UNDER FULL CONTROL and absolutely no bouncing at all, use your leg and buttocks muscles to lift you back up to a standing position. Repeat this for 15 repetitions to 20 repetitions as a warm up. Now increase the amount of weight to your working weight; one that will allow around 10 reps and perform 3-4 sets Bi-Weekly as part of your overall strength training routine. Our concern as martial artists is to fully strengthen our legs including ligaments and other connective tissue. It is my opinion that this will only occur if you use a muscle through a full range of motion not the partial reps that are common in bodybuilding. It is not our goal to get large, bulky or aesthetic muscles. Rather, streamlined, strong and functional muscles are what we are after. Try out this routine and let me know what you think! Lil Dragon now grown up Dragon! In last months closing comments I mentioned how gratifying it is for me to have students who trained with me as Lil Dragons years ago, return to our school as adults!

7 January 2010, Volume 2, Issue 1 7 Tarran Sawh trained with us in 1999 as a Little Dragon and is now enrolled in the adult program. Here are photos of Tarran in 1999 and now in 2009! Tarran is the little fellow to the far bottom right of the picture. Also notice Mike Fardoe behind my right shoulder he too was a member in 1999 as a teen and is now back with us in 2009 (he was unable to attend the 2009 picture taking). FIGHT LEGENDS KICKBOXING / BOXING LEGEND LILLY (URQUIDEZ) In doing my research for this month s newsletter, I was saddened to find out that Lilly (Urquidez) Rodriguez died in 2007 from kidney failure at age 58. Lilly was a member of the Urquidez family. The family dominated North American

8 January 2010, Volume 2, Issue 1 8 Kickboxing in the 1970 s. Many of the early pioneers of North American Kickboxing are unknown to the current generation of martial artists. I will share their stories and amazing accomplishments every month in this column. One of the most amazing Kickboxers of the 1970 s was Benny The Jet Urquidez. Less known was his equally amazing sister Lily Urquidez Rodriguez. A pioneer of Women s Kickboxing and Boxing; Lilly Rodriguez was a feared competitor in the 1970 s. Fighting came natural to Lilly. Her father, Arnold was a professional boxer while her mother Lupe was a professional wrestler! Her brothers are martial arts legends Benny, Arnold, Adam and Reuben Urquidez. Her husband Blinky is a renowned Kickboxer in his own right and famed for his victory over Jean Yves Theriault! Lilly Urquidez Rodriguez Lilly captured the Women s World Featherweight Boxing Title in 1976 and the Women s World Featherweight Kickboxing Title in 1977! As is common among fighters, Lily stayed in the kickboxing game beyond her prime and was brutally beaten by an up and coming fighter named Lucia Rijker. Lucia went on to become a multiple World Champion in both Kickboxing and Boxing. Lucia will be featured in an upcoming edition of this newsletter. I have scoured the internet to find video footage of Lilly in her fighting prime but was unsuccessful. It is a shame that female fighters were not taken all that seriously until the 1990 s! After retiring as a competitor, Lilly went on to become a much sought after trainer by both male and female boxers and kickboxers. She became an integral part of her brother Benny s Jet Center Kickboxing and Boxing Club. Lilly was the Manager and Chief trainer of World Champion Bridgett Baby Doll Riley. After the death of her son Sonny in a 1990 gang related drive-by shooting, Lilly and her husband Blinky became active in the counseling of troubled youth in the Los Angeles neighbourhood where they lived. It was her husband Blinky who brokered a peace treaty among 75 gangs in Blinky is now the executive director of Communities in Schools, a social service agency mandated to prevent gang violence and to intervene with youths susceptible to gang activity.

9 January 2010, Volume 2, Issue 1 9 As is the case with most fighters (in any martial art) Lilly was a fighter in and out of the ring in testament to the human spirit that is developed through martial arts training! Lilly was inducted into the Martial Arts History Hall of Fame in 2003, preceded by Benny in 1999, followed by Arnold in 2004 and her husband Blinky in 2005! Lilly Rodriques Fight Trainer MARTIAL ARTS IN THE MEDIA The one, the only Five Fingers of Death (aka King Boxer)! The summer of 1972 saw the release of the first Oriental Kung Fu movie to break into the North American film market. Five Fingers of Death was a cinematic hit all across North America, breaking records wherever it played! It preceded Bruce Lee s Enter the Dragon which was released the following summer to even greater acclaim! It was the first movie of its genre to be screened in North American Theatres and started an almost 3 year martial arts movie craze! The movies prompted many students to begin what was to become a lifelong journey myself included! LOL! Here is the 5 Fingers of Death aka King Boxer Movie Trailer The acting was poor, the film quality was poor, the dubbed English was excruciating, but the never before seen Kung Fu fight scenes had everybody going nuts over what became known as Chop Socky films! I can remember that

10 January 2010, Volume 2, Issue 1 10 we all truly believed that the fighters could jump 10 feet in the air as they did on film. It wasn t until much later that we realized this was done with off screen trampolines! LOL! I hope you enjoy the clip and also that I have managed to convey some of the enthusiasm I had for this film when it first came out! In a retrospect, I m a little embarrassed by that, but at the time it was glorious! LOL! Historical Perspective THE 36 CHAMBERS OF THE FUKIEN SHAOLIN TEMPLE circa Contrary to popular belief in the West, Martial Arts training played only a supplemental role in the training of the Shaolin Monks. Martial art training was encouraged in the belief that a strong mind would encourage and foster spiritual training. Since most modern martial arts have descended from or been influenced by Shaolin Kung Fu, it is not surprising that Buddhist philosophy has a profound influence upon those arts. The southern Chinese Shaolin temple at Fukien contained 36 martial arts training chambers / halls. The monks would advance to each successive chamber only upon completing the requirements of the previous chamber. Many were discouraged by the arduous training. Some, after a year or so, sought to leave without permission. These escapees were a great source of embarrassment to the monastery, since they were incapable of meeting challenges from other martial artists. To prevent the monks of the Fukien Shaolin Temple from leaving before their religious and martial arts training was completed, Abbott Gee Sin dictated that no Monk could leave the temple without going through the 36 th and final chamber. Within this chamber was The Hall of the 108 Wooden Men - wooden dummies outfitted with various mechanical devices that could suddenly attack the monks as they passed through the chamber. This was the most difficult of all the chambers! It was designed to be a final test of a monk s martial arts abilities. Some legends indicate that the Wooden Men were wooden dummies fitted with mechanical devices. The dummies could be triggered by monks outside of the chamber to simulate random attacks. Other accounts seem to indicate that they were actually men wearing wooden armour. The exact nature of the dummies has been lost due to their destruction (along with the Shaolin Temples) in the 17 th and 18 th centuries. Passing through the Hall of the Wooden Men was a life or death undertaking. Many monks were killed or seriously injured in their attempt to go through the hall! Needless to say, many who wished to leave the temple simply escaped rather than face this task!

11 January 2010, Volume 2, Issue 1 11 The story of the 108 Wooden Men of the Shaolin temple has become legendary! It has been romanticized in many Kung Fu movies of the mid 70 s. Here is a clip from one of those films: Shaolin Wooden Men (1976) starring Jackie Chan After passing through the Hall of the 108 Wooden Men, the graduating student would be faced with one last formidable task. A large, smoldering iron urn blocked the student s path to the outside. The student was required to move the urn out of the way using only his forearms to grasp the urn. Lifting the smoldering urn would permanently burn the outline of a Tiger and Dragon onto his forearms - the mark of a graduated Shaolin Monk! This final task was shown in the opening credits of the original Kung Fu Television Series ( ). Here is a clip from the show that depicts Shaolin Monk Caine s martial arts training and departure from the temple: The television show Kung Fu was one of the most historically accurate depictions of life at the Shaolin temple. I highly recommend that you purchase the 3 complete seasons that are available on DVD! The fight scenes don t hold up after

12 January 2010, Volume 2, Issue 1 12 all these years but the essence of the philosophy and history of Shaolin is accurately captured in every show! Contemporary Martial Arts Legends JHOON RHEE AND BONG SOO HAN - KOREAN MARTIAL ARTS PIONEERS As Sifu at Iron Dragon Kung Fu Club it is my duty to make my students aware of other Martial Art styles, founders and histories. As martial artists we are members of a fraternity of like minded individuals. There are many ways to climb a mountain; so too are there many ways to achieve martial arts mastery. At Iron Dragon we practice Kung Fu yet how many of our students are aware that almost all martial arts share a common ancestry in Shaolin Kung Fu? This month we look at two founding fathers of Korean martial arts in North America. Taekwondo s, Jhoon Rhee and Hapkido s, Bong Soo Han. Jhoon Rhee Father of American Taekwondo Jhoon Rhee (born Jan.7, 1932) is a Taekwondo master that immigrated to the United States from Korea in the 1950 s. Taekwondo is a Korean Martial Art that relies primarily on Kicks with minimal use of the hands. It is very much a sport version of the more fighting oriented Hapkido. Takedowns and punching techniques are not widely used in this art. Rhee is widely revered as the father of American Taekwondo. From his hometown of Washington, D.C., Rhee has produced many top American Taekwondo Instructors. His business acumen is legendary as he has founded a nationwide chain of Jhoon Rhee Taekwondo schools. In addition, Rhee is credited as the inventor of the original Safe T Chop and Safe T Kick dipped foam martial arts protective equipment that continues to be used to this day!

13 January 2010, Volume 2, Issue 1 13 During the mid 1960 s Rhee was introduced to Bruce Lee. The two became fast friends and exchanged techniques. Lee developed some of the Korean Taekwondo high kicks under the guidance of Jhoon Rhee. In exchange, Lee taught Jhoon Rhee his Wing Chun Kung Fu and Jeet Kune Do punching techniques. Bruce never favoured high kicks in actual combat but used the flashy high kicks in all of his Kung Fu films! Jhoon Rhee only made one martial arts film, 1973 s When Taekwondo Strikes. When Taekwondo Strikes movie trailer He has taught thousands of Americans the Korean art of Taekwondo and is active in counseling and guiding of troubled youth in his hometown, Washington D.C. to this day! Bong Soo Han Father of American Hapkido In researching this article I once again found that the subject of my article had passed away (unbeknownst to me) in Bong Soo Han was best known as the action choreographer and action stunt double for lead actor Tom Laughlin in the film Billy Jack (and the various sequels thereto). Refer to last months newsletter for an in depth story about this groundbreaking film. The Korean art of Hapkido is frequently referred to as Korean Karate in reference to its origins in the older Japanese art. This martial art is a more complete Korean martial art than Taekwondo in my opinion, as it uses more hand techniques and includes Korean grappling techniques. Grand Master Bong Soo Han was the world's foremost practitioner of Hapkido and he is referred to as the Father of American Hapkido. As one of the original senior students of the Founder of Hapkido, Yong Sul Choi, he led a dedicated effort develop and promote Hapkido as it is known today. Han taught thousands of students throughout his lifetime, many of whom have become masters in their own right. Han studied and refined Hapkido for over 60 years! Up to the time of his death, he held the rank of 9th Dan Black Belt and was the founder and president of the International Hapkido Federation. In the turbulent times following the Korean War and the increasing conflict of the Vietnam War, the South Korean government chose Master Han to train hundreds of military personnel including American/Korean Special Forces and Secret Service agents. It was this realistic experience, that had American military and law enforcement agencies (including the FBI) seek Han out to develop and teach effective defensive tactics programs. Han first introduced Hapkido to the United States in 1967, although mass

14 January 2010, Volume 2, Issue 1 14 exposure did not come until the motion picture "Billy Jack" became a blockbuster at the nation's theaters in In this groundbreaking film, Han gained critical acclaim for the creation and staging of the most breathtaking and realistic fight sequences ever to have been seen in North American cinema. Han redefined and revolutionized Hollywood's understanding of martial arts much to the delight of the viewing audience! Han also served as Tom Laughlin's double in some of the martial art sequences in the movie Over the years, Han continued to choreograph, double, star in, and/or produce numerous films. Han was the subject of hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles and was a member of the Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame (1978). Han wrote many martial arts articles for a number of magazines and went on to author his own book, HAPKIDO, The Korean Art of Self-Defense (Ohara Publications, 1974). Han operated his own martial arts school and the International Hapkido Federation (IHF) Headquarters in Santa Monica, California for 37 years right up to his death in 2007! Han authored the book Hapkido Korean Art of Self Defense SELF DEFENSE AVOIDING OR ESCAPING FROM A TWO HANDED GRAB FROM THE FRONT In a self defense situation it is often necessary to avoid or escape from a two handed grab from the front in order to avoid being taken down, restrained or punched. The following techniques will help you to avoid being grabbed or escape once you have been grabbed..

15 January 2010, Volume 2, Issue 1 15 Avoiding a two handed grab from the front The best way to avoid a 2 handed grab to the shoulders or neck is to not get grabbed in the first place! The following technique can be used to prevent being grabbed from the front. As the opponent reaches forward to grab, simply step back with either leg and execute a double arm outside forearm block. Now, depending upon the amount of distance you have created you can either Kick, Knee, Punch or Elbow your attacker. Because you unexpectedly stepped back, your attacker will be drawn into your counterstrike. Breaking free from a two handed front grab Once grabbed it is imperative that you break free immediately! Bend one of your arms and insert it between the attacker s arms at a 90 degree angle. Now grab your own wrist with the other hand. Turn your upper body and the combined leverage of turning your body, along with your two arms will deliver enough force to break free. As you reach full rotation why not come back with an elbow to the head! PROVERBS TO LIVE BY.. To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right. CONFUCIOUS PONDER UPON THIS.. Chinese wisdom, proverbs, traditions, etiquette and history were as much a part of the art of Kung Fu as the physical fighting techniques that were taught. In keeping with that tradition, it is hoped that this, one of many proverbs to come, will enhance our students martial arts experience for many years. In this day and age where many cultures have come together we are fortunate to receive proverbs of wisdom from many different cultures. It is my intention to present proverbs of any culture that are relevant to our training goals. These proverbs are intended to foster a dialogue about some of the less obvious facets of our art. The proverbs are purposely kept simple so students will ponder their significance and relevance in their own lives and experiences. Going forward it is hoped that all students will contribute to our monthly proverb. Short proverbs or wisdom from any culture that are relevant to the goals of our Martial Arts Community / Club are welcomed. ajaxdragon@hotmail.com to submit your contribution.

16 January 2010, Volume 2, Issue 1 16 IRON DRAGON MEMBER SUBMISSIONS: Here is a submission from Iron Dragon Member, Ash Latanzi: Bruce Lee when asked, Are you really that good? Replied, If I say yes, you will say I am boasting; But if I say no, you will know I am lying. Modesty can go a long way to deceiving your opponent, regardless of the sport/game being contended. Cheers, Ash Thanks Ash! Well said. Here is a submission from Iron Dragon Member, Randy Carter: Hello Karl, I have come across a movie "The Legend of Drunken Master" Many fans regard this movie as Jackie Chan s best film. It's another portrayal of the Wong Fei Hung character. The plot is about the British Council trying to smuggle priceless Chinese artifacts out of the country, the hero (Jackie Chan) must come to the rescue using his drunken -boxing skills. Disagreements between Chan and director Lau Kar- Leung over what style should be showcased more--- Drunken Boxing or "Hung Gar Kung Fu". This caused the director to walk away from the movie, leaving the star to choreograph the 20 minute long final fight scene himself, with awe-inspiring results. Thanks, Randy Carter. (Karl, feel free to use this as you wish) Thanks Randy! I searched the Title on YouTube and found that the complete movie can be watched there (in 10 minute installments)! THE LEGEND OF THE DRUNKEN MASTER (COMPLETE FILM): C6B6E50A38&index=0&playnext=1

17 January 2010, Volume 2, Issue 1 17 YOUTUBE VIDEO DISCOVERIES! The popularity of YouTube on the internet has led to the discovery of some long lost videos related to Iron Dragon! Iron Dragon s Colin Kitson vs. Jeremiah Wilson 2007 fight at The Docks Toronto, Ontario Colin Kitson takes on Canadian ranked #7 Jeremiah Wilson in only his 1st Amateur bout and nearly beats him! Dragon Hunt Trailer German Release Trailer for the German Release of 1990 s feature film Dragon Hunt, starring Twins Mick and Martin McNamara and featuring Ol Sifu as one of the Baddies LOL! Look for the Bad Afro turned Mohawk haircut at the very beginning of the clip! LOL! PAST YEARS EVENTS It has been a busy year for Iron Dragon s Competitive Team! Pat Rhodes, Chris Martin, Jordan Latchana and Taylor Van Kessel all made their competitive Kickboxing debuts. Pat Rhodes outpointed his opponent in a clear decision victory while our other competitors lost close decisions. 15 year old Taylor Van Kessel took on an opponent that was 11 years older than him and went toe to toe for the full 3 rounds in a close decision loss. Shanice Szmidt made a thunderous grappling debut wiping out her opponent in only 53 seconds at Joslin s Canadian Open, only to be disqualified for an illegal technique. Shanice rolled right along, taking a Silver Medal at the Ontario Jiu Jitsu Championships just 3 weeks later! Paulo Pinzon Jr. became the Canada Cup Continuous Sparring Champion after beating 3 higher ranked opponents. Just a day later, on the same weekend in November, Paulo Pinzon Jr. made his Grappling debut at the Joslin s Canadian Open, losing to the eventual winner of his division! Young Dragons Matteo and Tomas Marticorena made their competitive debuts at the Ontario Cup Continuous Fighting Championships, losing to much more experienced competitors. Win or Lose, all our Iron Dragon competitors are commended for the courage it took to enter the competitive arena! You are all winners in my book!

18 January 2010, Volume 2, Issue 1 18 IRON DRAGON COMPETIVE HIGHLIGHTS 2009 Shanice Szmidt at the 2009 Joslin s Canadian Open Grappling Championships Shanice taps out her opponent in just 53 seconds 1 st Gabrielle Stan, 2 nd Shanice Szmidt, Shanice Szmidt at the Ontario Jiu Jitsu 3 rd Jessica Williamson Tournament Paulo Pinzon Jr Canada Cup Gold Medalist Paulo Jr. with his victims Tomas Marticorena competes in his bout at the Canada Cup Nov.7/09

19 January 2010, Volume 2, Issue 1 19 Matteo and Tomas Marticorena 2009 Canada Cup Continuous Sparring Championships KICKBOXING FIGHTERS 2009 Jordan Latchana Pat Rhodes Chris Martin TEAM IRON DRAGON 2009 COMPETITORS L-R Paulo Pinzon Jr., Pat Rhodes, Matteo Marticorena Chris Martin, Tomas Marticorena, Taylor Van Kessel, Shanice Szmidt 2009 Competitor of the Year It has been a very hard choice given the level of the competitors we have produced this year. Based on the prestige and competitive level of events

20 January 2010, Volume 2, Issue 1 20 entered, my choice for the Competitor of the Year is Paulo Pinzon Jr. He is the reigning Canada Cup Continuous Sparring Champion and now Iron Dragon competitor of the year! Congratulations Paulo! Special Award of Honour 2009 Shanice Szmidt made an amazing grappling debut at Joslin s Canadian Grappling Competition, destroying her opponent in 53 seconds only to be disqualified for a move deemed illegal by the promoter of the event. The technique she used to submit her opponent is a Chinese Wrestling technique I instructed her to use. This she did amazingly well. Unfortunately I did not interpret the rules as making the Chinese Wrestling Crab technique illegal. I take responsibility for this mistake. To reward Shanice for her amazing yet unrecognized victory, I am awarding her the Iron Dragon Special Award of Recognition for 2009! IRON DRAGON SOCIAL EVENTS 2009 It has always been my vision that Iron Dragon would first and foremost be a family of people from diverse backgrounds united by a common interest in Hung Gar Kung Fu, Chinese Wrestling and Kickboxing. To that end it is important that the family that trains together also occasionally parties together too! LOL! Many events this year have brought our family together socially. The following are some of the highlights. IRON DRAGON XMAS PARTY DEC.12, 2009 RUMBLE AT RAMA NOV. 21/09

21 January 2010, Volume 2, Issue 1 21 KIDS HALLOWEEN PARTY OCT. 24/09 IRON DRAGON KIDS SUMMER PARTY JULY 2009 PICTURE OF THE YEAR! Maureen Brennan, Joe Stranzl, Jennifer Limgenco REMAKE OF THE THREE MUSKETEERS LOL! TILL NEXT TIME Well here we are at the end of our first newsletter for 2010 Volume 2 issue #1. Whew! What an amazing year 2009 was for Iron Dragon!

22 January 2010, Volume 2, Issue looks to be a very busy year for Iron Dragon. Many more competitive opportunities will arise as Iron Dragon looks to compete in Kickboxing, Grappling, MMA and Continuous Sparring competitions in the upcoming year. More importantly we will be making changes to our regular classes in order to make them even more effective and fun in the New Year! Thanks go out to all my students for making 2009 such a successful year! I look forward to training with you all for many years to come! Until next time keep kicking and punching and Kung Fu Fightin! Karl, Sifu