Martial Arts Lineage Podcast

Episode 9 - Interview with Dr Yang, Jwing-Ming of YMAA

Tim Johnson — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 23:00:44 +0000

Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming works with a select few disciples of Chinese kung fu at his retreat center in the mountains of northern California where the culture and traditions of the ancient Chinese arts are preserved through an intensive 10-year training curriculum.

I speak with Dr Yang about his influences and his beloved masters in China with whom he grew up learning kung fu. We talk about the differences between training in old China and training in other parts of the world. Dr Yang tells of how he reluctantly took up Tai Chi Chuan at the young age of 16 to thwart illness brought on by hunger and malnourishment as he was raised as one of a family of 9 children, often eating only one meal a day. He has since moved to the U.S. to get his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and opened Yang's Martial Arts Association in Humboldt County, California.

Find out more about Dr Yang at his lineage page:
http://www.maLineage.com/martial-artists/Yang-Jwing-Ming

Or at his website: www.YMAA.com

Dr. Yang is currently accepting applicants for his next round of disciples and can be contacted through the website above.

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

Tim Johnson — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 23:00:43 +0000

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

Tim Johnson — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 23:00:42 +0000

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:

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

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

Tim Johnson — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 23:00:41 +0000

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

Tim Johnson — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 22:00:42 +0000

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

Tim Johnson — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 20:00:43 +0000

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

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

Tim Johnson — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 04:00:53 +0000

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

Tim Johnson — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 20:00:42 +0000

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

Read Interview Transcription

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

Episode 1 - An Introduction to the Martial Arts Lineage Podcast with Tim Johnson

Tim Johnson — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 20:00:41 +0000

According to legend one of the most revered styles of martial arts was invented by a Shaolin Nun named Ng Mui. She was one of five survivors of a battle with the Chin Empire who had outlawed the practice of Kung Fu and attacked the Fu Shan Shaolin temple where Ng Mui lived.

After her travels through China she ran into a young woman who was being forced into marriage to an officer of the Chin army. She didn't want to marry this tyrant but the officer said if she did not marry him, he would kill her father and wed her anyway. The Shaolin Nun Ng Mui took the girl up to the nearest temple and taught her a totally different type of martial art one that was meant for a young girl her size, a smarter way of fighting with short fast movements using the snake and the crane as inspiration.

In 9 months the girl was ready. The Shaolin Nun Ng Mui spoke to the officer and told him that if he beat her in a fight she would marry him. He laughed and of course agreed to the fight. When the fight came, the officer was unquestionably defeated after which he left the area and left the Young Girl named Wing Chun alone.

The Young Yim Wing Chun Continued her training and became a legend for her great fighting skills, after many generations within her family, the style of Kung Fu was past on to Chan Wah the money changer and then to Yip Man who in turn passed it on to the rest of the world.

Welcome to maLineage.com. The best place on the internet to find information about the lineage of any style of martial arts and learn about your favorite martial arts legends and celebrities.

And welcome to the martial arts lineage podcast. This is episode 1. My name is Tim Johnson and I'll be hosting interviews with martial arts masters and instructors from across the country and around the globe.

Martial arts has been a huge part of my life for almost 20 years now; I've studied and taught several styles of karate, kung fu, and capoeira and I've found something in each style to relate to so many other aspects of life.

In an effort to broaden my knowledge of martial arts history, I've developed this site, maLineage.com, dedicated to capturing and preserving the history of all styles of martial arts. You can follow the lineage tree of any martial artist in the database and read stories, legends, timelines and quotes from every person in the database. That means that eventually, every martial artist in the world could have their own page that outlines their complete lineage and their impact on the world of martial arts. And if you study martial arts, that includes you. You can sign up with a free account now to create a page of your own and incorporate yourself into the massive lineage tree. And furthermore, you can go to other people's pages and share experiences you've had, stories, quotes and other information about your martial arts colleagues.

I've been working to build an accurate historical lineage tree of all styles of martial arts as far back in history as possible. I've got a long ways to go, which is why I need your help, but so far I've added hundreds of people like Ueshiba, Miyamoto Musashi, Ip Man, etc. etc. including the founders of as many styles as I've been able to find.

I believe that modern martial artists, especially us here in the western world, can learn a lot from the philosophies and ideals of the ancient masters who originally developed martial arts. To look into the minds of the creators, to read stories of the development and influences of these arts, and to draw parallels between ancient martial philosophies of all types and your own life is truly revealing of the meaning of martial arts.

I'm so excited about this podcast and I have a lot of interviews lined up with martial arts masters and instructors from all around world that any martial arts enthusiast will definitely enjoy.

So join me as I speak candidly with martial arts masters of many different styles about the history and development of the arts and how the art continues to develop today. you can look forward to interviews with Shihan Dana Abbott, Japanese sword master, Antonio Graceffo, living in Southeast Asia as a martial arts anthropologist, Master Spencer Gee, a weapons master from New York, and many more. All of these people have dedicated their lives to martial arts and are constantly striving to spread their beliefs throughout the world to create what I believed to be a better human race.

Martial arts as a whole as well as any physical activity is healthy both physically and mentally which is why I won't be focusing on one particular style of martial arts. I think if you ask any accomplished martial artist they will tell you that no one style is better than any other style; they're all for your own personal benefit.

I've already recorded a handful of interviews now and it's been a blast talking to all these different people. They've been so willing to share their insight and experiences and I can't wait to share them with all of you.

Like I said, my motivation for creating this podcast is to learn as much as I can about martial arts and of course share that information with you, but I'd also love to get feedback from anyone out there listening who might have questions they want me to ask or people you want me to interview. I'd love to hear what you like or don't like about the show so please, if you have any suggestions, go to maLineage.com and click on "Contact" at the bottom of the page where you can send a message to me directly and tell me anything you want about the podcast or the website. I want this to be something everyone can enjoy.

I won't take up any more of your time, I just wanted to use episode 1 to say hello and introduce myself. Check out the next episode for an interview with Guro/Grandmaster Peter Freedman, who's trained air marshalls, special forces and hundreds of troubled youths in the city of Boston, which earned him a Lifetime Achievement award in 1989 from the Mayor of Boston. It's a great interview and I hope any martial artist will really get a lot out of all these interviews.

So enjoy the shows, go check out the brand new website maLineage.com which was just launched on April 20 of 2011, make sure to leave some feedback, and sign up for a free account to become a part of martial arts history.