review: aaron bank's world of oriental self-defense.

Two weeks ago I attended Aaron Banks's 44th Annual World of Oriental Self-Defense. Mr. Banks has been producing exhibitions and later tournaments that showcase a variety Asian martial arts since 1963. This particular show has played in Madison Square Garden, been featured on ABC's Wide World of Sports and was the subject of a Sports Illustrated article. Famous martial artists have gotten started through demonstrations or tournaments held by Mr. Banks and few would doubt his influence in growing the popularity of martial arts. Unfortunately, those golden years have long since passed and while it is great to see a continuing tradition, this most recent performance makes a youngblood like myself wonder if it's not a shadow of its former self.

fights.

Fights and physical altercations have always upset me. Not watching them, I mean I love Steven Seagal movies and shit like that. Boxing is my spectator sport of choice. I’m talking about getting into fights; I find the experience highly emotionally upsetting. Now this isn’t due to a particularly bad experience or anything. I’ve been in a few, but I’ve never been hurt and I’ve never had my ass kicked.... One time a guy stirred up some shit. He was drunk and just plain wrong. He was aggressing and aggressing and eventually created a situation where I physically couldn’t walk away and then he attacked me. So I fucked him up. Then I went and got a beer from the store, had a few cigarettes and cried.

review: ying jow pai demonstration.

This Chinese New Year’s I skipped out on the Chinatown parades and instead headed to The Fighthouse on West 27th Street. Resident school Ying Jow Pai (Eagle Claw Fist) was holding it’s annual New Year’s Celebration and Kung-Fu Demonstration. Featuring primarily forms, the school demonstrated the range or their techniques as well as showing some Yang style Tai Chi, Brazilian Jiujitsu from fellow Fighthouse residents and demonstrations from the Brooklyn Chapter of the Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut school.

review: ninja assassin.

I finally went to see Ninja Assassin this past weekend. Don’t expect expert film making and don’t expect any attempt at factual accuracy. As well, contrary to what I was told the Wachowski brothers did not “make” this film, they were listed with 3 other “producers,” a vague Hollywood term that can mean all sorts of things. So don’t expect crazy Martix-like camera tricks and effects either. What you can expect is a ton of blood and a hell of a good time. My suggestion, see this on a Saturday night at a neighborhood theater where there’s likely to be a large youthful crowd so you can yell and laugh and “oh shit” as the ninja stars fly and the body parts drop.

experiences with chi.

The other day I did a little over an hour of yoga practice, afterward I lied in meditation for 15 minutes and experienced something quite interesting. Starting at my groin and working down, then from my waist back up, I consciously tried moving and focusing my energy through different body parts in sequential order. I have previously done similar exercises for relaxation but this time was able to really feel my energy, to concentrate it in specific areas. A couple times while directing my energy I “looked” briefly at a different areas of my body to see if the energy was in fact everywhere and that I was simply paying attention to it only in the area of focus. I found it was not in other places but that the energy was indeed concentrating only where I was consciously directing it. This could be something else and I will confer with an instructor but it seems that I am developing the ability to direct and concentrate my chi.