October 14, 2023

TKD Part 1 ACTION !!!!!!!!

I vividly recall the year 1993; An F5 Tornado blew through Martial Arts schools around the entire world, except Brazil and Japan. On November 12th of that very year, a significant evolution in martial arts sparked…..no, really just Exploded like the Big Bang and is never likely to occur again. A No Holds Barred competition had been put together my Art Davies and a family from Brazil with the surname of Gracie. A Tournament had been devised to fight three times in one night. The only rules were no Biting or Eye Gouging.

Thousands of applicants sent in resumes and videos, some of which presented a huge danger in terms of size, strength and fighting of different types. It was called the Ultimate Fighting Challenge ( eventually to become the Ultimate Fighting Championship ). A 175 pound man in a white karate GI won all his fights…It made sense to no one who had never seen Brazilian Jiu Jitsu…..All I could think about was No Holds Barred fighting and this mysterious clan of Gracies…

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My journey in martial arts had begun in my childhood, encompassing a diverse range of disciplines, including boxing and wrestling. At that time, I was engrossed in the study of Hapkido under the tutelage of a Master who had recently arrived from Korea, bringing with him a treasure trove of techniques.

Under his guidance, I was introduced to an array of locks and chokes reminiscent of Japanese Jiu Jitsu and Judo, as well as the flair of Taekwondo. Until this juncture, I had staunchly believed that striking arts reigned supreme. After all, the legendary Chuck Norris had espoused this viewpoint. However, fate had a peculiar way of intervening. In our class, there were a few accomplished wrestlers who had the knack for executing double leg takedowns on me with ease. I found myself grappling with uncertainty, my wrestling knowledge from Junior High offering little solace. The wrist locks I had learned were supposed to come to my rescue, but they proved inadequate. It was during this period that my interest in Judo began to germinate.

Black Belt magazine was my monthly source of enlightenment. I had long abandoned the tantalizing allure of Ninjitsu from my youth, now fixating my attention on Kickboxing. Towards the rear of the magazine, there were sections dedicated to the sale of videos, showcasing the lethal art of Muay Thai, which appeared rather intimidating. However, what truly captured my imagination were the “Gracie In Action” videos. Soon enough, an article featuring Rorion Gracie graced the magazine’s cover. I read and reread that article, attempting to grasp the novel concept they were espousing: the art of defeating an opponent on the ground. This notion ran counter to everything I had been conditioned to believe. Sure, wrestling had its principles, Jiu Jitsu introduced locks that could culminate in throws and strikes, while Judo furthered the concept with its chokes and various forms of arm locks.

Intrigued and appalled by the efficiency displayed in these Gracie videos, I found myself questioning how these practitioners of stand-up martial arts could succumb within seconds to what seemed like a back-alley brawl. As someone who prided himself on being an open-minded individual, I felt compelled to delve deeper into this new paradigm.

I did not see the PPV’s but read the reports two months after in Black Belt magazine. The Brazilian man had defeated the boxer and some other sort of exotic fighters. My curiosity grew. Wrestling seemed more appealing to me but where does one wrestle when they get out of high school or college? My wrestling career began and ended in junior high. It seemed I would have to relocate to Southern California to learn this mysterious art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. After viewing the videos, I toyed with the idea but that just wasn’t going to happen. So I filed it away in my mind and carried on with life.

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The Promised Land ( or so I thought )

Back home from the military, I started ‘kickboxing’ at a karate club that was home to a world champion full contact kickboxer. Being an eager student, I signed up and began to take beating after beating, always asking what was going on and how I could learn what they were doing. I received no response, only more beatings. I gave up on that place and waited.

            Miraculously, a school opened up the street from me that had a crappy computer generated banner on it ‘Karate, Kickboxing, Jiu Jitsu’. Could it be? I promptly entered the school and asked about jiu jitsu and the UFC. The owner was a small man who kickboxed professionally under American Rules, had wrestled in high school and attended a Rickson Gracie seminar in Omaha, Nebraska. I said, Where do I sign up? Like most primitively formatted schools, I took my beatings but the instructor was willing to teach me as well. I was introduced to Guard (it took months to decide who had the Guard, me or him), the rear naked choke and the straight armbar. He had enough judo and wrestling to teach a homemade version of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I became an addict. An addict to above the waist kickboxing, two wrestling takedowns, holding someone between my legs, one choke, and one armbar. I had arrived! I studied every fight available on tape and mimicked the moves incessantly. Pancrase, a Japanese hybrid arts fighting style, aired some events on PPV and I studied them and found out that more than 3 moves existed in grappling. I took notes, and tried them on anyone who would let me. My coach became unsettled that I would walk in and demonstrate something I picked up that he didn’t know. This continued for two years.

            In the meantime, some guys who had fought ‘in a cage’ in Iowa dropped by the school. I did OK but it was obvious by now that I was headed nowhere. Most of us ‘first generation’ MMA’ers were training without a clue. We took what we could and imitated it. Few had the bucks or desire to relocate to Southern California and pay thousands of dollars to the Gracies. One good thing did happen. I made friends with the high school wrestling coach and he allowed me to train with the teenagers. I knew I was possessed when I allowed myself to be schooled by kids, just to learn more about grappling. Wrestlers were dominating in the UFC at the time and I thought it was a worthwhile investment of time. I even competed in a couple of open freestyle tournaments. I took kickboxing seriously though I thought it was silly to kick above the waist but it was the only thing available to me. I began fighting. I had three American rules kickboxing matches that I won. I was learning and competing in Wrestling and Kickboxing, …..in my mind I was approaching something like MMA.

            In 1998, I competed in a National tournament that had a Muay Thai division. My focus had been on grappling/wrestling for those few years but when I heard the music and saw the knees, leg kicks and something that looked like it was real, I was hooked. Again, I would either have to relocate or imitate. I managed to find a man who converted from American Rules to ‘Muay Thai’. I left my old gym much to the chagrin of my former coach. He thought leg kicks were crude and unskilled. (I personally thought that foot pads and silk pants were crude) Again, I was excited to learn Muay Thai to add to my MMA arsenal. Again, I had been hoodwinked. I took the beatings and learned next to nothing after several months and a few fights later. Including a short lived amateur boxing career of two fights and two wins.