Episode 8 - Interview with Sifu Stephen Murphy of Mystics Athletic School

In this interview I get the chance to ask my own Kung Fu instructor, Sifu Stephen Murphy about his 27 years of teaching traditional Chinese Kung Fu. He tells of his struggle with cancer, onset at the age of 23, and his introduction into the world of Chinese healing and internal arts or "the art of good health".
Sifu Steve talks about the mixture of martial arts styles taught at Mystics Athletic School, his introduction to the martial arts and experience training with Donnie Yen's mother, Bow Sim Mark. He also talks about the abundance of knowledge there is to be had in the world and how that helps us to always remain a beginner.
Learn more about Sifu Stephen Murphy at his lineage page or at Mystics Athletic School

Episode 7 - The Greatness of Kung Fu - An interview with Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit

Grandmaster Wong is a 4th generation successor of the renowned Southern Shaolin monastery in Putian, China. Living in Malaysia, he travels the world spreading the "greatness of kung fu" throughout the world through the Shaolin Wahnam institute. Learn about the masters Sifu Wong studied under and hear stories of how he trained and how he has been working to improve Kung Fu teaching methods to share his art with the world.
We talk about how Chi Kung can help to heal today's modern society and how "good health is natural", as well as how Kung Fu training has evolved in recent times.
Grandmaster Wong has authored several internationally renowned books on Tai Chi, Shaolin Kung Fu and Chi Kung:

• The Art of Chi Kung
• Chi Kung for Health and Vitality
• The Art of Shaolin Kung Fu
• The Complete Book of Tai Chi Chuan
• The Complete Book of Zen
• Introduction to Shaolin Kungfu
• Master Answers Series — The Shaolin Arts
• Sukhavati — Going to Heaven as Taught by the Buddha
• The Complete Book of Chinese Medicine
• The Complete Book of Shaolin

Find more information about Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit at these websites:

• Shaolin Wahnam Institute
• Good Health Home Page
• Shaolin Kungfu Chi-Kung and Zen
• Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan) Home Page

Episode 6 - Interview with Antonio Graceffo, Martial Arts Author and Adventurer

Antonio Graceffo is a true martial arts anthropologist and adventurer. Learning obscure styles of martial arts all over southeast Asia, Antonio shares his experiences of studying at the Shaolin Temple, a Muay Thai Temple in Thailand and studying with other locally known masters of styles such as Kuntaw, Bokator and variations of Muay Thai.
He’s the host of the "Martial Arts Odyssey" author of “The Monk from Brooklyn”, and the “Warrior Odyssey”, among several others. Discover what life is like for a a man who has dedicated his entire life to preserving the legacy of the martial arts. Antonio Graceffo is truly inspiring to anyone interested martial arts history.
Learn more about Antonio at his website: SpeakingAdventure.com/

Episode 5 - Interview with Sword Master Shihan Dana Abbott - Part 2

Start with Part 1 of this interview here.
In part two Shihan Dana Abbott talks about the "Spirit of the Samurai". What is it, and how has it shaped Japan over the years? How does this weapon, the sword represent an entire philosophy?
Learn why Japan is such a strong country, both culturally and on an individual level. How does the "American Spirit" relate to the spirit of the samurai? Learn about the strengths that will carry Japan through its recent tsunami disaster and where those moral traditions originate and how they are passed on from generation to generation.
Be sure to check out Dana Abbott online at:
SamuraiSports.com
and
LearnTheSword.com

Episode 4 - Interview with Sword Master Shihan Dana Abbott - Part 1

Inducted into the black belt hall of fame in 2004 as weapons instructor of the year, Shihan Dana Abbott is the director of the International Sports Chanbara Association, which represents more than 160,000 members in 30 countries around the globe. He is also the founder of Samurai Sports Incorporated, a sword training company.
He speaks, in part one of this interview, about the history and development of the samurai over the millennia. Learn about government run fitness academies in Japan and how martial arts training is so fundamentally so much different than it is in the U.S. Learn about all the different types of sword arts and when and why they are practiced. Shihan Abbott also offers insight into how the traditions of Japanese sword play help benefit the health of a culture and the health of an individual.
Be sure to check out Dana Abbott online at:
SamuraiSports.com
and
LearnTheSword.com
Listen to Part 2 here.

Read Interview Transcription

Episode 4 - Interview with Sword Master Shihan Dana Abbott - Part 1.pdf

Episode 3 - Interview with Weapons Master and Pankration Master Spencer Gee

Master Spencer Gee has had extensive training in several martial arts styles from Tai Chi to Filipino weapons arts. In this interview we talk about his experience in Pankration, the original MMA, or the "Martial Art of All Powers" which dates back to ancient Greece in the 6th century B.C. As a very scientific and calculated style of fighting, Master Gee speaks of how he uses these teaching principles to teach many different arts including T'ai Chi.
He also talks about how other disciplines like tennis and ballroom dancing have contributed to his martial arts training and teaching methods. Hear about how the creativity encouraged by these other disciplines contributes to the artistic and expressive side of the martial arts.

Read Interview Transcription

Episode 3 - Interview with Weapons Master and Pankration Master Spencer Gee.pdf

Episode 2 - Interview with Sensei Peter Freedman, Grandmaster of the Boston Arnis Club

In this episode, I speak with Peter Freedman Sensei, Grandmaster of the Boston Arnis Club and trainer to sky marshalls, special forces and CIA, to name a few. Primarily teaching the style of Ketsugo Ju-jutsu, Sensei Freedman has developed his own method of teaching called “Freedman’s Method of Ketsugo Ju-jutsu” based on very scientific principles of mechanics. We discuss this method and talk about his experiences growing up and developing his martial art on the streets of Boston. Sensei Freedman has been teaching martial arts to troubled youths help turn their lives around from a life of drugs and crime into something far more profound. He has been featured in Black Belt Magazine several times and is the recipient of a lifetime achievement award for his outstanding contributions to the city of Boston. As the Guro director and lineage holder of the Boston Arnis Club, he is responsible for passing on the tradition of Arnis that was entrusted to him from Guro Grande George Brewster. Learn what it means to be a martial arts “lineage holder”, learn the difference between a “living martial art” and a “dead martial art” and learn how new methods and creativity are still affecting how people train and expand their knowledge today. This was a fun discussion with one of the great modern day masters and I think you'll enjoy it! To learn more about Peter Freedman Sensei, check out his page on the Martial Arts Lineage Project (top right) or visit his website: www.freedmansmethod.com or: www.themartialartscoach.com

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Episode 2 - Interview with Sensei Peter Freedman, Grandmaster of the Boston Arnis Club.pdf