Thursday, July 3, 2008
Bruce Lee In The UFC
Thanks to YouTube, I can get a quick dose of motivation to either train or head for the work out equipment, from a short video clip of Bruce Lee. Although the results can fluctuate by the minute, entering Lee's name produces 31,900 video clips to view. This is currently more than any other martial art movie star. However, with the thousands upon thousands of video clips of different topics available, each one also allows viewers to post their comments and herein lies the intrigue.
The majority of the comments for Lee's clips appear to be positive and praising, seemingly from new admirers who were not even a thought in their parent's young adolescent minds yet when the "Little Dragon" was alive and (literally) kicking. Then, of course, there are those comments from the insecure martial art "experts", internet tough guys, who go out of their way to view Bruce Lee video clips in order to leave ignorantly rude and immature comments. I believe we are all entitled to our own opinions, which is why I am mainly referring to the comments that would normally entail censorship. Some of the more mild statements however, are the assertions that Bruce Lee was: "Over rated", "fake", "just a Hollywood actor", "gay", or that he was not a "real fighter" because he never competed in tournaments.
The comments led to comparisons of UFC fighters and that led to the opinion that Lee would have been "destroyed" if he fought in the UFC octagon. They believe because Jet Li admitted he would have been "killed" if he actually fought in the octagon, as depicted in his film Cradle to the Grave, then it must surely apply to Bruce Lee as well.
Now, I'll be the first to admit there are many Bruce Lee fans that think Lee was the totally invincible fighter who could not be beaten by anyone, based on his movies. Although those who knew him state he could actually do many of the things he did in his films, true fans would enlighten themselves to realize Lee meticulously choreographed those fight scenes, therefore he naturally dominates all of his opponents in his films. I believe Lee Jun Fan (Bruce Lee's birth name) and his performance in a UFC match should be viewed as realistically as possible without movie fantasy.
First, it should be cleared up that Lee was not an unbeatable, invincible fighter. Ed Parker Jr., son of the late Kenpo karate master, revealed an incident that most Lee fans may not be aware of. While a young Bruce Lee was still filming episodes of the Green Hornet, Gene LeBell managed to get him into a hold that he could not get out of. Supposedly, this incident prompted Lee to begin learning the grappling arts in earnest. I'm sure many will immediately imagine Royce Gracie quickly taking Lee down, easily putting him into a armbar and forcing him to tap out. At this point, it is a plausible scenario.
Indeed, it is difficult to picture a man, 5' 7 ", approximately 138lbs, with a muscular yet slender build, stepping into the octagon cage where his opponent, 6' 2", 228lbs, with a thick heavily muscular build, stands waiting (and possibly growling). By most accounts, the outcome may seem painfully predictable, yet anyone with any wisdom realizes the outcome actually depends on the man in question.
"To me, totality is very important (...) Many styles claim (...) they can cope with all types of attacks (...) if this is true, then how did all the different styles come about?"
-Bruce Lee
Not since Mike Anderson introduced the World Full-Contact Karate Championship in 1974, has a martial art event been as popular as the UFC; and dedicated fans know there have been many matches where a larger, more muscular man has been defeated, even knocked out, by a smaller or less muscular opponent who had better fighting skill. I've witnessed this myself. Was Lee skilled enough to pull that off in the UFC? Those who knew, trained and sparred with him equated Bruce Lee with exceptional skill.
"For his size and weight, Bruce was one of the strongest people-pound for pound-I have ever met. I think he could have beaten a lot of people much heavier and much stronger than he was. He would have done extremely well in competition (...) He was that skillful."
- Mike Stone
"...it was obvious that he possessed qualities which were exceptional...In my opinion, his caliber of talent was one in two billion."
- Ed Parker
"I don't know how Bruce did it. He moved in so fast, before you could even get set."
- Jhoon Rhee
"Bruce asked me to spar with him. I couldn't touch him. Every time I tried to move, bang, I was the one being hit! He was very light on his feet, very deceptive and evasive."
- Larry Hartsell
"I don't think there was anyone in Hong Kong who could have nailed him with a punch."
- Joe Lewis
Lee's ideology has also been effectively proven several times, in non-contact and full-contact kickboxing competition, by Joe Lewis. Okay, so Lee could hit fast and hard, the Gracies proved jujitsu grappling is a major key to victory in the octagon. How would Bruce Lee have handled that? Those who know anything about Bruce Lee's realistic approach to combat are aware he had over 33 grappling maneuvers in his repertoire. In other words, he was also skilled on the ground, perhaps due to the Gene LeBell incident.
"He (Lee) was very good friends with Wally Jay, Gene LeBell and Hayward Nishioka. It's a fact that Bruce learned a lot of grappling from these men."
- Larry Hartsell
"...one minute he (Lee) could look like any kicking system and at middle range, he could explode like a savage street-fighter or a western boxer. And when he got in tight, it looked like Wing Chun. And then when he'd go to the ground, it looked like jujutsu. He was a good grappler also. Despite his lightweight, he was very quick. I think he probably received training from various (...) people and (...) from Gene LeBell (...) and he probably learned a lot of jujutsu from maybe Wally Jay."
- Dan Inosanto
Lee's personal approach to combat, popularly known as Jeet Kune Do, has also been called "scientific or sophisticated street-fighting". Doesn't that sound like something suited for UFC competition? It may seem that "Jeet Kune Do" stylists have entered the octagon cage before and were soundly defeated by Royce Gracie. If you are having trouble recalling their names, so am I. While they may have been tough fighters, it is doubtful they were truly qualified to represent Jeet Kune Do. Of course, even the most qualified are still not the iconoclastic Bruce Lee. It would be similar to saying that when a boxer trained by Muhammad Ali loses a match, it means Ali was not really a great boxer. Thus, it should be evident now the belief that Lee's quick demise in the UFC cannot be so cut and dry predictable.
"Size is never a true indication of muscular power and efficiency. The smaller man usually makes up for the imbalance of power by his greater agility, flexibility, speed of foot and nervous action. (...) once you go into action and grapple with an opponent (...) keep moving faster than he and pay absolutely no attention to his size, fierce facial contortions, or his vicious language. (...) attack your opponent at his weakest points, which are mainly gravitational, throwing him off balance, and applying leverage principles so that his body, and the limbs of his body, are used toward his own defeat. 'The bigger they are, the harder they fall.'"
- Bruce Lee
Some of the comments of the internet tough guys pertain to Bruce Lee as a "fighter". Did Bruce Lee have any "real" fighting experience? In The Legendary Bruce Lee by the editors of Black Belt magazine, M. Uyehara's article; Bruce Lee The Man, The Fighter, The Superstar, reveals Lee's gang-banger background where his gang carried chains, pen-knives and razor blades attached to their shoes, in "a city of ghettos" where no-holds-barred rooftop matches were the norm.
"He had quite a few fights. A lot of people were jealous of him. Most of his fights were for real."
- Larry Hartsell
Linda Lee, Bruce Lee's wife, tells of the challenge made by a kung fu expert in her book The Bruce Lee Story. Pregnant at the time, she watched as Lee not only accepted the challenge to fight, he threw down the gauntlet demanding nothing less than an all out fight with no rules. "In less than a minute" Lee achieved the upper hand and was soon chasing his opponent, repeatedly punching the back of his head. About another minute later, Lee finally took his opponent down and forced a submission from him. Years later, the challenges would continue...
"...he told Bruce that he was a phony, that he was just a "movie" karate man, and that he really wasn't a good martial artist. (...) The kid jumped down and really started trying to take Bruce out. This kid was good. He was no punk. He was strong and fast (...) But Bruce just methodically took him apart. He slammed the kid into a rock wall and trapped him. He bloodied his mouth...and rammed him into that wall about three more times just to show he could have him against that wall any time he wanted." - Bob Wall (Recounting an actual fight occurring on the set of Enter the Dragon)
Let's re-look at the aforementioned scenario of Lee facing off against a highly skilled grappler like Royce Gracie. Let's remove the rules of the UFC and put them into actual combat. Could a lightning fast finger-jab from Lee be the determining factor of the outcome?
"His finger-jab (...) was in your face before you knew it. He studied body motion and the physical signs that developed before any action actually began. He could notice the small clues and react to them thereby intercepting your motion."
- Bob Bremer
It's almost creepy to realize Lee could thrust his fingers through unopened steel cans of Coca-Cola, at a time before cans were made of the thinner aluminum metal. But considering Lee's other documented physical feats supported by reliable sources, it all sort of makes the quick finger-jab a little less creepy, relatively speaking. For instance, his striking speed from three feet away with his hands down by his side reached five hundredths of a second. That's about as long as it takes for you to blink. He could perform push-ups using only his thumbs and he could snatch a dime off a person's open palm before they could close it, and leave a penny behind. He could also hold an elevated v-sit position for long durations, and something many body-builders have difficulty with; from a standing position he could hold a 75lb barbell straight out in front of him. To amaze visitors, he would thump the ceiling with a 300-lb (136 kg) bag with a thrusting side kick.
It remains an intriguing "What if?" speculation, the iconoclastic founder of "sophisticated street-fighting" competing in the UFC. Unfortunately, it is something we will never see nor predict with absolute certainty. However, one thing is certain; the "Little Dragon's" passing in 1973 has left a great legacy that continues to influence the martial arts to this very day.
"It's a shame a great martial artist like Bruce had to leave us so soon, but I feel he accomplished more in his lifetime than most people will accomplish in 70 or 80 years, so I don't feel that he was really short changed. (...) It is not how long you live, but what you accomplish while you are living. (...) I think he lived a full life."
- Chuck Norris
The Legendary Bruce Lee
It's Easy to Create Melody!
Some consider melody the most important aspect of music making. Of course, there's harmony and rhythm, but melody is the one part that listeners hold to memory more than any other, and, it's also the easiest part to create!
For example, in the lesson Oriental Sunrise, we have two chords. Now if we just play these chords, if we just fool around with them, we get textures and whiffs of sound that drift away and do not hold. But, as soon as we add in melody, the whole piece becomes alive and discernable.
To create a melody really requires nothing more than playing around with the right-hand. The left has the chords and creates the harmonic background - an aural canvas if you will. Now, we can add in highlights to our sound painting using melody.
We improvise and are amazed at the fact that just a few notes is enough to create a wonderful sound - especially since you use the pentatonic scale. You can't go wrong by playing on the black keys. Every note you produce will sound "good." We let go and allow our intuitive mind to come up with the melody and the music pours out of us.
Once you know the scale you'll be playing in, (in this case, minor pentatonic) you are free to play any note you want from it to create your melody. The focus is now on making music and not on choosing melody notes - a very freeing experience!
Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit http://www.quiescencemusic.com now and get a FREE piano lesson!
Rocket Piano Course Review
The piano is a common musical instrument that is played by means of a keyboard and it is widely used in western music for solo performance. For some people learning how to play the piano is tough and frustrating while some others have it as a natural talent. Ruth Searle has created the rocket piano cause where she claims she would show anyone how to play the piano with the rhythm, timing and magic of a professional. Much has been said about this course but here is a review of what to expect.
The course consists of 4 major components which are 218 step by step lessons which are put into 3 books, 57 video lessons to show you the exact techniques of playing the piano and what they look like, 133 audio files which let you hear exactly how each song should sound and three software games. It also comes with two bonuses which are an advanced learning techniques book and a perfect your pitch pro listening game
The good thing about this course is that the author has more than 15 years of experience playing piano and she actually has a degree in commercial music meaning that she knows what she is teaching. The not so good thing is that there is a lot of material to cover, but if you are committed to learning how to play a piano you should be ok.
All things considered, rocket piano does look like a good course and if you are someone who is interested in playing piano I highly recommend you give this course a try.
You can find out more about Ruth Searle's Rocket Piano by Clicking Here Now
Remembering Our Legends
As I sat on the edge of my chair at the Huemann Bookstore in Harlem, peering into the eyes of film legend Melvin Van Peebles, it was hard for me to fathom the lack of promotional fanfare. I could not understand why Mr. Peebles, as so many other legends, are infrequently receiving the accolades for breaking into Hollywood, theater and or music. Mr.Peebles sat in the bookstore without major paparozzi, and spoke to me and several other reporters, producers and scholars, as well as aspiring writers and children, on the systematic approaches he needed to break into Hollywood. Amidst the systemic racism, stereotypical roles, and lack of technical assets Mr. Peebles moved to Europe and eloquently informs of his causasian comrades that have assisted him along the way. Mr. Peebles spoke of the power of unity in the community prior to integration, and how not having come from a culture that promotes unity, for individualism is an American tradition and that we as a people were critically effected by racism. He explained the lack of cohesiveness. He spoke of being able to use the passport to avoid the radical, and powerful tools corporate America uses to stagnate your growth. It was a learned experience and I am prompted to have you, the reader, research all that you can on the life and works of this genius. I use Melvin Peebles as an example of great African-Americans that are pioneers in the film industry, and whose art and style set the trends for action packed movies. His association with Stax records led to the making of some of the greatest soundtracks of the 1960's and '70s.
Melvin Van Peebles confirms African Americans have set the cultural standard of music. He says that with film the larger movie houses continue to utilize Black recording artists to sell their movies. As he said, now a days, movies are just long soundtracks. Sometimes people go to a movie because of the sound track.
The legacy of Melvin Van peebles, filmmaker, writer, pioneer, is like the instruction manual for independent filmmakers. I am urged to advise all artists, music lovers, writers and filmmakers to study his works, his films, and to learn from the hardship and success stories.
Being a lover of film and music it was not very hard to choose both genre's as my column's topic. It is vital for us to continue to observe, praise and document the many contributions Blacks continue to make in this country and the world.
All things new are old:
As of late, many corporations, media houses, and universities, are attempting to document the contributions that have been made in hiphop. Although there have been many great innovative artists that have been promoted in the mainstream, there still is a decade of artists that go almost unnoticed. I remember when lawyers, librarians, record labels and mass media thought disco would be the music that would be forever. I observed the music scene at a very early age. My father's cousin, Fats Lewis and Bobby Robinson owned Fury and Enjoy records. In the early sixties Gladys Knight and Pips graced their label. Later in the mid seventies Bobby promoted rappers. I was influenced by music from that era but it was my Grandmother, who sang gospel everyday, that exposed me to music. My uncle Al Eford wanted a club and he decided to take on the task of running a club, which became 22 West 135th Sstreet. So of course the family worked there, and I sold tickets for any party my mother and aunts gave. From promoting 22 West and going to parties at Harlem World, Harlem Prep and the Celebrity Club and Renaissance Ballroom I met a lot of Djs. My experience with living in Manhattan and the Bronx, partying in the centers, parks, fire escapes, roofs, led to my love of aerial views and prompted me to get into video at an early age. I still wrote poems and news articles on a freelance basis with the Amsterdam News and other small tabloids when I got older. I still, however, loved music and thus learned how to produce my own songs and worked with young producers like Strafe, Toney Woods (New Jack Swing/Teddy Riley's producer) Donald D, Pumpkin King of the Beats (PBUH) and Paris Ford (7 Minutes of funk) Michael B and Richie Weeks (Weeks and co). Then later Barry B (Get Fresh Crew). I learned to respect the innovators who also had been influenced by the legends of rap and r&B and of course funk.
Although music was a passion, I rarely witnessed women on tv being promoted or promoting rap on a positive level, or even allowing new rappers to speak to the public and see a more intelligent side. I observed that women on tv were promoted as hookers or emasculate. So I decided to get into tv production and public access was a vehicle.
Moments in Hiphop are vignettes of the talk shows that I hosted/produced. It shows a side of many artists who may have set trends and who have had an opportunity to influence the sculpture of the ever evolving hip-hop culture.
We as producers, artists, poets, actors, filmmakers, writers, painters, dancers, djs, are the creative force that shape the world. We are the true innovators and it is only genius when we learn from history how to identify the new to preserve our HISTORIES...
We must be the authors of the dictionaries that define our works. All too often creative individuals do not receive the proper acknowledgments for their contributions, because somewhere in this generation, someone decided that when you are too old you are not important. Remember it was the elders that gives the knowledge to the young who are to manifest what is learned. It is up to us to tell Our story. When DJ Yoda spoke of a plan to preserve the hiphop culture with pioneers in the industry, I referred him to the necessary grant writing agency that could do the job in raising funds for his tasks.
History tells me that it is important because it can repeat itself. As the scholar Professor James wrote in his expose' Stolen Legacy, "if it remains to be seen if we are beyond typical historical responses to challenging ideas and if we only had original documentation. We must keep in mind the burning of the Egyptian and Ethiopian Libraries, the sacking of Timbuktu, the Inquisition and the many book burnings in history".
Legends of film, like Melvin Van Peebles, Gordon Parks,and all the masters of Rock, Soul, Jazz and the true pioneers of Rap like Kool Herc, Afrikaa Bambatta, Grand Wizard Theordore, Jazzy Jay, Pete DJ Jones, Pebblee Poo, Cold Crush Brothers, Crash Crew, Mike and Dave, Eddie Chebe and Reggie Wells, Mr. Magic, Frankie Crocker, Eddie Ojay, and that bum DJ Red Alert, and so many others that would run off this page, must be remembered, documented and preserved.
Darlene also had an opportunity to work with Filmmakers Kerwin Devonish(Have Plenty) Lahh Woods (BeeBoy TV), Austin Philips(Straight out of Bklyn, Paid in Full), Darriel Dashiel (Darlene Lewis, Darryl Johnson (CNN) and Darriel created Borough of Manhattan Community College's ENG TV Student Club), FishGrease/Classic Concepts(Ralph McDaniels), TNT Casting(Prison Song), Mother Goose Down Productions (Broadway Playwright Jean Spruill).
When you purchase Hiphop Before the Bling/DVD Moments in Hiphop, a third of the proceeds will be forwarded to the Non Profit Organization The Universal Federation for the Preservation of Hiphop Culture. This is an organization which preserves the Pioneers of the culture. Kurtis Blow, Grand Master Cas, Melle Mel and First female of Hiphop Pebblee Poo are some of the members of this organization. Founded by Afrikaa Bambaata. Contact organization:
Email Federation200@aol.com.
Accomplishments: Associate in Applied Science Degree 1988 (Business Management)
Bachelor of Arts Degree - 1993 (Communications
Productive Product Funnel Creation - 5 Incredible Ways to Impact Your Product Funnel Creation
Launching a product funnel is probably the best decision you can ever make in growing your ebusiness. This effective marketing technique will allow you to create series of products, earn the trust of your potential clients to easily promote repeat business, and boost your online sales and revenue.
Here are the 5 incredible ways to impact your product funnel creation:
1. Develop more products. In launching a product funnel, you must not contain yourself to having only one product for every level of your funnel (low-end, middle-end, and high-end product). To boost your sales and to meet as many needs and demands of your potential clients, don't stop adding to your product line. By doing this, you will not only increase your chances of making more sales but you will also give your customer base a wide variety of choices which they will surely appreciate.
2. Plan ahead. Creating and launching a product funnel need some serious work. Don't get lost in the process by having a workable plan that can help you every step of the way. Determine ahead of time the kind of products to create, the type of marketing tools you will use in advertising your products, the advertising gimmicks that you will employ to boost your sales, and the efforts that you need to take in order to build a trusting and fruitful relationship with your customer base.
3. Take good care of your customers. If you want your clients to do repeat business with you, you need to know how to take good care of them to make them happy. You can start by offering them top quality products, world-class customer service, and by giving them some freebies or discounts whenever they make a purchase. You may also build a personal relationship with them by helping them resolve their pressing issues by giving them free useful information through ezine publishing and article marketing.
4. Qualify as many people on the first level of your funnel. What they say is true: the more people you advertise to, the more chances of making a sale. Qualify as many people on your funnel by widely advertising your products. This will allow you to touch on the global market and connect with your potential clients from all points of the globe.
5. Do follow-ups. Don't easily give up when your potential clients do not buy the first time you offered them your products. Learn the art of persuasion and improve your selling skills and send follow-up emails to convince these people to transact with you.
Do you want to discover the secret to generating over $180,356 per year online?
Download this: How to Make 6 Figures Online
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sean Mize is an internet marketing strategist who teaches internet marketers how to increase their income by creating high ticket classes and coaching programs.
How to Shop Online Securely
Online consumers spend billions of dollars each year, and as online shopping becomes more and more favored, the major reason why there are still some people who would rather not shop online is shopping security. Here are some guidelines, which you could use to make sure that your security, privacy and rights will be protected when shopping on the internet.
1. Make sure that you are aware of the currency exchange rate before purchasing any international merchandise.
2. Know the delivery cost and time frame before you even place your order. A lot of shopping websites make use of couriers in the delivery of goods. Also, overseas delivery could be expensive.
3. Before placing a bid on eBay, make sure that you will be checking the feedback of the buyers and sellers. Make this your standard as you go on eBay.
4. Always, always, always read the FAQs of the website carefully.
5. If the company or individual you are buying from asks for cash as payment, say no. Using your credit card for payments would be able to protect you from fraudulent transactions. This is because credit card companies are able to issue refunds if there would be any proven fraudulent activity on your account.
6. View the contact page of the buyer. Verify if their postal address is on there. If it is not, do not do business with them.
7. If you have questions, ask. Genuine sellers are helpful and there are even shopping websites that have customer feedback forms.
8. Read twice the company's terms and conditions, as well as their privacy policy.
9. Try searching the company in Google or any search engine to know more about the company from comments and reviews from other consumers.
10. If you still feel unsure on shopping online, then you could probably try shopping the conventional way. You need not force yourself on something that you are uncertain of. However, do not shy away from online shopping altogether. Eventually, you would realize that it could provide a truly worthwhile experience.
Searching for good places for online shopping? Select and buy from a great collection of apparels, jewelry, sarees, salwar kameez, footwear, menswear and fashion accessories from this online store of ethnic India. Choose from more than 1800 traditional and modern products - you will find ready to wear and custom made clothing for all colors, sizes including plus size apparel
Productive Advertising Online - Intermediate Tips for Advertising Online
Advertising your business is one of the first steps that you need to take in order for you to secure sales and augment your profits. In this article, you will find the intermediate tips for advertising online to give your products the exposure they need.
1. Carefully choose your advertising medium. There are numerous marketing tools that are available in the internet today; however, not all of them will work best for your products or your company. To pick the best one, research each advertising tool (PPC advertising, paid listing, ezine publishing, article marketing) to know how they work and what they can offer.
2. Be willing to invest. If you decide to go with PPC advertising, you will need to shell out money for the advertising cost. The more you shell out, the better position you will get for your ads. To get your ROI, you have to make sure that your ads and your landing page are appealing so your visitors will be enticed to buy from you.
3. Build relationship with other webmasters. In doing so, you can easily swap banner ads with them. This will bring great benefits for the both of you since you'll promote your products free of charge. Just make sure though that they are not direct competitors.
4. Hire affiliates to promote your products. There are thousands of affiliates who are armed with advanced marketing tools and ideas and they are more than willing to promote your product in exchange of commission. This is one of the greatest ways to promote your product online, with so many people recommending it to online users; you will surely make a sale in no time.
5. Build your own website. Create your own place in the internet where your potential clients can get in touch with you.
Do you want to discover the secret to generating over $180,356 per year online?
Download this: How to Make 6 Figures Online
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sean Mize is an internet marketing strategist who teaches internet marketers how to increase their income by creating high ticket classes and coaching programs.
