Category: Community

SPRING HILL — It’s about discipline. Respect. Tradition. Giving back to the community.

Joseph Lotrecchiano, 49, believes that the martial arts teach all that and more, and he’s eager to share his knowledge with everyone who signs up and agrees to follow those principles.

He has a black belt in Aikibudo, but it’s not about belts or ranks or status, Lotrecchiano said on a recent Tuesday night at his home. It’s about using your knowledge for good.

He said he felt bad that many parents cannot afford to pay for the training for their children, and the same for many adults, and he’s “paying it forward,” sharing what it’s done for him.

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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Some law enforcement officers saw a need to connect with kids, especially in certain neighborhoods of Sioux Falls. So they came up with a plan involving middle school students, police officers and a martial arts studio.

Thanks to a non-profit, the new program is off to a good start.

“So we are going to scoot away you are going to get your knee inside.” JuJitsu instructor Bruce Hoyer leads a group of middle school students and local law enforcement officers through a class.

The program is called “Cops and Kids.”

The Next Edge Academy owner says the idea was born out of conversations with some of his friends who are police officers. They wanted to do something to connect with young people.

“The goal of this is to give them interaction with police officers, but also for them to learn a little bit of self-defense. So for me, self-defense looks very different, in the fact that I want them to control themselves in a high anxiety situation,” said Hoyer.

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https://www.keloland.com/news/local-news/new-program-combines-kids-cops-and-martial-arts/

LA CROSSE (WKBT) — The Three Rivers Martial Arts Academy in La Crosse, which had been in limbo for several months since the death of cofounder Larry Klahn in October, is ready to take on all comers again.

Klahn

“We’re back up to a full roster of classes Monday-Saturday, including adult and youth classes in both Tae Kwon Do and Judo,” said Pamela Mihm, a fifth-degree black belt who is leading the comeback. “This was no small feat, as we were not allowed to be open for several months while we waited for insurance.”

Continue Reading Here: https://www.news8000.com/three-rivers-martial-arts-academy-bounces-back-in-tribute-to-cofounder/

Elvis Presley is one of the most iconic performers of all time. His suave image has been imitated countless times over the years, and he ranks amongst artists such as The Beatles and Bob Dylan in terms of significance in popular culture. Elvis helped to hasten the onset of – and popularise – rock ‘n’ roll as we know it today, and is also credited with easing race relations through “opening” up the door to “black music” in the mainstream.

Celebrated for his music and acting credits, Elvis is also remembered for his altruistic spirit. Just two months before he passed away on June 24th, 1977, the overweight and ailing Elvis defended a person from being attacked. At 1am on the 24th, Elvis witnessed a young petrol station worker being assaulted by a pair of assailants in Madison, Wisconsin.

Given that it is a well-known fact that Elvis had a longstanding love for martial arts that originated from his military service between 1958 and 1960, he was prepared. Between 1970 and 1974, Elvis trained under the tutelage of Master Kang Rhee in Memphis and eventually secured the hallowed Black Belt in September 1974. Famously, Elvis’ love for martial arts would become an essential staple of his live show, with his performance featuring karate moves.

Continue reading here: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/elvis-presley-defended-man-karate/

“The house must form a breeding ground for good and close communities with a focus on physical activity. It will be a great gathering place for children and young people from the local area and the rest of the city who can improve their skills in the various disciplines of martial arts. And then, the house will give a big boost to the development of the area,” commented the Mayor of Copenhagen Lars Weiss.

https://www.themayor.eu/en/a/view/copenhagen-to-open-a-modern-martial-arts-house-in-2022-8971

“We need help,” Raheem said. “Our city is dying. Our communities are dying, and the infection of poverty, the infection of un-thought-out actions, the finished projects of our children growing into teenagers, growing into adults, and they’re missing a certain part of their development. It’s crippling us.”

Raheem is hoping his martial arts program can serve as a resource for the community.

https://www.wdrb.com/news/louisville-martial-arts-academy-focuses-on-teaching-kids-life-skills/article_3c5a05b8-1d7d-11ec-99c3-1f8e99cba5a9.html

One of the longest standing businesses on Daniel Island was on the brink of closing due to financial struggles wrought by the pandemic. But Sensei Glenn Raus refused to concede to COVID-19.  

After 18 years of business, Osupurē “Osprey” Karate, which was formerly called Japan Karate Institute Daniel Island, was forced to reinvent itself after nearly losing all of its membership over the past year. 

At 33 years old, Raus started his karate training at the Japan Karate Institute West Ashley and is now a fourth degree Black Belt with more than 20 years of martial arts experience and training. He worked for Blackbaud at the time when the tech company moved to Daniel Island in 2000 and saw it as the perfect spot to start a satellite dojo. 

Karate is much more than kicking and punching to Raus. As a man of moral fiber, he preaches precepts that focus on perfecting the mind, cultivating the spirit and keeping truthfulness in one’s heart.

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I’d spent three intense years training in jeet kune do—an expression of martial arts Bruce Lee developed—before finally making it to Leung Ting Gym in Hong Kong’s neon-lit Yau Ma Tei neighborhood. Among fruit and jade markets, a narrow staircase leads up to this living piece of history. It’s named for one of the last disciples of Grandmaster Ip Man, one of Lee’s most influential teachers, who helped popularize a 300-year-old kung fu style called wing chun.

Leung Ting Gym doesn’t normally allow visitors or drop-in students, so it’s a treat that my concierge at the Rosewood Hong Kong has brought me this far. Through a small window on a mustard-colored door, he and I watch in awe as three students perform the circular and linear hand motions of chi sau. Cantonese for “sticky hands,” it’s a calm, fluid way to diffuse the energy of an attacking opponent, a centuries-old lesson in grace under pressure.

Peering in, I think about wing chun’s founder, a Buddhist nun named Ng Mui from China’s legendary Shaolin Temple. Her fighting system tailored for smaller people has emboldened me as a 5-foot-2 Asian-American woman.

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SAN ANGELO, Texas – Last March, thousands of martial arts academies across the nation were forced to shut down in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. In San Angelo, several academies slowly adapted through online classes and ongoing communications with members. Fast forward to present day, in-person courses are back in action following safety guidelines.

“We are very excited about the fact that we can do live classes in person, but we’re still running zoom classes for those that don’t necessarily feel comfortable or can’t quite make it in,” Team Chip Martial Arts San Angelo master instructor Kyle Johnson said. “The zoom classes are still running and we even have what we call a virtual classroom, which is done via Facebook and it’s done via video submission posts.”

Studies say people who suffer from anxiety and depression can benefit from physical exercise like martial arts. It’s considered a mood booster and can improve an individual’s confidence. Concho Valley Martial Arts Center master instructor Frank Galindo III says it can help people feel empowered.

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FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — Sensei Steve Basche touts martial arts training as more than a workout. “You leave here feeling amazing. You release the endorphins. You feel confident because it’s martial arts – kicking and punching, defending yourself. You feel great, You can’t help but feel amazing.”

The 5th degree black belt also touts the character development and physical discipline available for anyone. “We teach the discipline, the self control, the focus, the indomitable spirit to never give up, which is something that’s very important nowadays.”

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