Something New Everyday

A review of the Shoot Fighter Inc Kick Boxing Class

2009-08-19T11:33:00.000-07:00

Ashwin's Face Book status update caught my eye.

Ashwin Mohan: Going to our Kammanahalli centre for a kick boxing techniques seminar. Join me if you have the time. 8pm today and tomorrow

I decided to see for myself what one of these classes was like. I practised some martial arts myself in P.U years ago , and the scene was probably quite different these days. Having heard of Ashwin's classes, and since I also know the man, I had recommended him to a couple of friends before and I often wondered what kind of class he taught.

Today I'd find out.

Since this was a seminar, I coaxed a friend along, just up and left office. The martial arts centre is a neat little place off the Kammanhalli main road, complete with mirrored walls and clean floor. There were a group of youngsters in sporty clothes grouped around Ashwin. I made to sit and was invited to participate instead. So, this wasn't so much of a seminar as it was a demo class. My partner fled while I bravely took my place.

The thing about transplanting cultural aspects from one country to another is the baggage that comes along with it. Look at our own exports. We're conveying Krishna without the conciousness, but with asceticism intact. It's common-sense that there will be some amount of historic or ritual baggage from another era. One just has to sift through the irrelevant to find the relevant.

Martial arts in India has had this sort of peculiar past. Earlier Karate, Aikido, Hapkido and the lot came with a lot of ritual garbage. We had instructors who'd scream "ich, ni, san..." etc. when you could just count in english. They'd look aghast if you said round-house kick instead of Mawashi-Geri. The students also did their best, making stern faces and 'Oshing' their 'Sempai's and Sensei's at every turn. The weirdest bit was the faux samurai loyalty.

There was also inter dojo rivalry. Shotokan karatekas called everyone else impure and unworthy, the aikido guys called everyone else crass and the kyokushin guys were basically always spoiling for a fight. There were many more of course and each spanked his own monkey.

Independant Shootfighters Inc's mixed martial arts course certainly seems to have put paid to all that nonsense. Their classses are lively. People call each other by their names and there is absolutely no rank and file. Since the class had no more than 7-8 people Ashwin tried to pay equal attention to everyone.

The class I attended seemed to concentrate on locks and holds. I had expected some Muay Thai style stuff because of the kick boxing monicker, but I found myself extremely interested. Locks and Holds in martial arts use the body's natural resistance and leverage points found at bone joints to disable, knock out or seriously mutilate an opponent. In all we learnt 5 techniques in the space of about an hour. The teaching system is simple. Ashwin first introduces the technique (A quip about it's Japanese name and historic usage included) and then demonstrates it on a beefy assistant instructor. After a couple of repeats, we all practice it with a partner. Ashwin walks around correcting everyone, and then it's on to the next technique. The system works well. I remember three of the five moves that I was taught, and given another class will probably memorise more.

Another aspect of the class that appealed to me was Ashwin's anecdotes. Maybe it's just the gawker in me but I love fight stories, and this guy had plenty. Apparently, a couple of the moves that he taught today have been used by him on a couple of unfortunates and the story makes the technique easier to remember.

If traditional martial artists claim that Ashwin is throwing the baby out with the bathwater, I'd like to add that I encountered some esoteric teaching too. There was a bit of emphasis on Chi use and helping the body understand it. Some of the techniques we were told to perform as though we were handling feathers, and we did some Qi Gong breathing as well.

By now I know it sounds like a whole lot of new age mish mash, but everything was demonstrated, and nothing was left unquestioned. I popped in a couple myself and Ashwin fielded them well. Ashwin also peppers his talks with a lot of references. There was a reference to Di Mak, (made famous by Van Damme), and of course Qi Gong.

The class ended soon after. The whole thing felt like a Chinese meal. Quickly consumed and left wanting for more. The class was certainly aimed at teaching the key points and the students have to do their own research if the class is to be truly useful.

It's certainly a far cry from the old days. The teaching minus the militaristic posturing. Do I recommend it? Yes! I highly recommend Ashwin's classes for those who are looking for self defence lessons or to learn techniques without the add-on rituals. If you enjoy tradition on the other hand, you should enrol yourself in one of the Kyokushin, Shotokan or Taekwondo classes around the city.

It's a safe bet that none of them are as much fun though.

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George Supreeth practiced Kyokushin and Kenpo Karate for a bit when he was younger. He is a keen observer of martial art styles, techniques and their historic significance. His knowledge of this area makes many people think he is a black belt which he is in fact not. He however makes no attempt to correct these assumptions.

Some great streetfights

2008-05-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

Some russian security guards trash some goons in a supermarket. Watch for the guy who gets hit first, and see what he does to them in return. Yowza. I read somewhere in the comments that these guys are trained in Systema, a russian martial art.

Some idiots pick a fight with a Kurdish boxer, and he whopsass.

Some nice headbutts

2008-05-14T10:00:00.001-07:00

Kyokushin students learning capoeira moves!

2008-05-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

Vladimir Vasiliev teaches Knife Disarmin

2008-05-11T01:16:00.000-07:00

Lisa Nova - Affirmative Girl

2008-05-10T20:10:00.000-07:00

and more Lisa...

Ipdu choodu!!

2008-04-26T08:52:00.000-07:00

watch that face

2008-04-18T01:37:00.000-07:00

Yoga brand Aerobics

2008-03-18T21:07:00.000-07:00

Bikram's patented yoga style. He claims that he has invented 2 breathing techniques and 9 asanas to be performed in a heated room. Poor things, the Americans. These classes seem packed so a lot of them must be really interested in Hatha Yoga. Bikram's Yoga is about as appropriate as teaching someone the Heimlich maneuver claiming it cures cancer.

For those who really don't know, Yoga is a Sanskrit term used to denote a series of widely different processes by which practitioners reach the single goal of god consciousness.

Hatha Yoga (Ha-Tha) is primarily a series of body locks used to control, arrest or release pranic energy (perhaps constituted from raw Solar energy) coursing constantly through our body. The Sun-Moon or male-female, or positive aspect-negative aspect are all terms to capture the essence of polarity that marks almost everything in the known universe. Through skillful use of aasanas, the yoga practitioner first controls the flow and use of energy, following which he is then taught to skilfully merge the dual aspects of energy in what is today recognized as the frontal lobe.

Since the sudden rush of energy can literally cauterise or damage delicate brain working or even tissue, students are taught to release energy in small doses over years until the system is able to withstand spontaneous power surges to the brain, resulting in the merging of ones conciousness. In other words, there is probably no "I think therefore I am". Rather I beleieve that the new position may be. "I am my thinking, if i think i am, if not i am not."

This goal is synonymous with all mystical practices (and eventually even all religious practices) across the world.

So, if Bikram is teaching people to tone muscles to heat and music that's his shtick. Should he really drag Yoga into all this?

hm. Then again. What does it matter anyway.

sigh...

2008-03-18T21:01:00.000-07:00

2008-01-31T10:27:00.000-08:00

Similar to Mushin (Japanese) though I think the actual idea of wei wu wei is a lot more esoteric than is being explained. More on that later perhaps :)

Buakaw - The assasin from Lumpini

2007-12-30T23:21:00.000-08:00

Buakaw, Check out those roundhouse kicks. The balancing foot either barely touches the ground or is momentarily in air when the foot makes contact. Also when he knees it's like it's on a 180 degree in all directions. You never know where that knee's coming from. Beautiful huh?

Talk about Findmuck

2007-12-25T21:00:00.000-08:00

G.P sent me this and Cyriak is Mad.

Home Made Taser

2007-12-25T20:56:00.000-08:00

Here's a nice little craft project for the kids next sunday. A home made Taser. Mom Can I have another cookiekazaap!!!

Jane Fonda+Baba Ramdev

2007-12-03T20:46:00.000-08:00

Whatdyu get if you cross aerobics with hatha yoga? Yoga NYC style.

Followed by Kundalini knowledge - NYC Style

You have to love that costume!

Daft Punk - Gondry Pride

2007-11-25T20:51:00.000-08:00

Yowza!

Meownication

2007-11-25T18:19:00.000-08:00

Peter Trumps Mohit

2007-11-23T12:34:00.000-08:00

Russel Peters taking the piss out've a TV commentator.

Business as usual...

2007-11-23T11:44:00.000-08:00

Bangkok

Papa CJ brings the house down

2007-11-23T10:58:00.001-08:00

Way of the Sword

2007-11-23T09:59:00.000-08:00

剣戦争- 戦う方法。ジョージはあなたの様式を好む

YouTube - NgalSo Self Healing

2007-11-18T01:25:00.000-08:00

Great mantra chanting by Lama Gangchen Rinpoche followed by some silly assed neo-buddhist-ambient-lounge or some thing.

YouTube - NgalSo Self Healing

Stephen Colbert + youtube = immortal

2007-11-09T01:59:00.000-08:00

A comedian from the comedy central, Colbert roasts Bush at the White House Correspondents' Dinner last year. I did the collecting so you wouldn't have to.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Bush's reaction throughout

And a mind bending singalong.

2007-11-08T19:50:00.000-08:00

Get your twangers out. play with your balls now everybody. Sing with me.

A Cappella - Electronic

2007-11-08T19:37:00.000-08:00

Yowza!! This dude is too much.

messy mother, frantic son

2007-11-08T02:59:00.000-08:00

Thomas Haemmerli's mother died on his fortieth birthday and he is called by the cops to her apartment. He is greeted there by utter chaos, his mother's apartment is a junkpile with years of accumulated rubbish. It takes Haemmerli and his brother a month to clean the place out, and in the process they discover old films, photographs and documents.

The result. A film by Haemmerli called:
Seven Dumpsters and a Corpse

Game Theory - Pay Raise

2007-11-03T07:39:00.000-07:00

Using game theory to negotiate a pay raise.

Mohammed Ali's Famous Shuffle

2007-11-01T09:59:00.000-07:00

Mohamed Ali's famous shuffle which bewildered opponents enough for him to bushwhack them. It's absolutely amazing the speed with which he shuffles and then simultaneously co-ordinates a punch.

Go here to see the shuffle performed in a T.V studio.

If you carefully watch you can spot the shuffle in action in some of these fights.

Quran Recitals

2007-11-01T08:55:00.000-07:00

I came across these recitals by accident, chasing a 'miracle' of a 5 year old's flawless Quran recital. You may chase up on the legend of this non-arabic speaking boy's spontaneous arabic discourses if you're interested, but I found some absolutely amazing Quran renditions that you really ought to check out.

The boy I spoke about earlier.

Another beautiful voice, a teenager.

I somehow always grew up near mosques, so I'm used to hearing the soulful sounds of muslim prayer on rackety speakers, but this is the first time I have been absolutely captivated by the sound.