movie review: choke.

I recently watched "Choke," a documentary film about Rickson Gracie's preparation for, and competition in the second Japanese Vale Tudo tournament in 1995. The film profiles his career and training in California, then follows him to the competition. As well, the filmmakers follow two other competitors, one American, one Japanese as they prepare. The second half of the film documents the actual tournament, compressing the matches and showing some interesting backstage goings-on. Choke is primarily a profile of an important fighter at the height of his career but it only skims the surface of the ancillary and highly relevant subject material- the emerging dominance of Gracie Jujitsu and the then unnamed MMA.

jiu jitsu youtubes.

.Who doesn't waste time surfing Youtube? In terms of martial arts it's a great way to get new ideas, see what other people are doing, learn a little history and even get a few laughs in the process. I found two Jiu Jitsu Youtubes recently that I found interesting. Both are ads for schools, but they're doing stuff that's a little different and definitely at least a little interesting. Are they showing amazing technique? Is it practical? Dunno, I don't practice Jiu Jitsu; I just know that this stuff looks kind of cool.

the art of studying martial arts.

part one: choosing a school

I have had several people ask me recently to assist them with choosing a martial art to study. Sometimes they have a vague idea what they want to learn, often it just seems like a more interesting way for them to work out. “Why lift weights and run on a treadmill when I could be learning something cool and important?” Fair enough. I believe however, that if one gets invested in a particular school, or specific art without adequate research they are prone to losing interest after a short period and becoming discouraged from further participation. Unfortunately the volume of (mis)information out there can be quite daunting for the uninitiated. One solution is that those of us currently studying develop a holistic knowledge of the Arts in order to assist those who are curious about taking up their study.

shaw brothers buying guide.

Many of us love Kung-Fu movies, and if you’re like me you have a particular affinity for the infamous Shaw Brothers Studios. Unfortunately, for years the picture quality of these movies was terrible. This is because SB never released or licensed their films for home viewing- NO officially released VHS, Laserdisc or DVD ever. Until recently.

Around 2004 a film company out of Singapore named Celestial Pictures bought the entire back catalog of SB and began re-mastering the bulk of them. Not limited to the Kung-Fu and swordplay films so many of us love, but also the opera, romance, horror and drama produced by SB. Celestial painstakingly restored 760 films for DVD release with many now available. Here are some notes on finding and buying the right ones.

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.