Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Sunday, September 9, 2018
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Saturday, September 1, 2018
Ralph Castro
 |
| Bruce Lee, Ed Parker, James Lee, Ralph Castro |
(from the Striking Distance Facebook page 10-1-16)
Ralph Castro emerged from the mid-20th Century martial arts culture of Hawaii. Although it rarely gets the credit it deserves, Hawaii was really the first great international martial arts melting pot in the world. And it wasn't just diverse, it was tough....old school tough. Once when I brought up Ralph Castro's name while interviewing Willy Cahill about this history, he smiled and said, "He went to high school with my brother; a really rough school....and Ralph was the toughest guy there."
Mr. Castro opened his first kenpo school in San Francisco in 1958. Barney Scollan, a student of Al Tracy's in Sacramento during the early '60s, told me: "Whenever we saw Ralph with his students at competitions, we'd all be saying - 'Jeez, we gotta fight those guys?!'
Castro was also a key part of why a young Bruce Lee left a good situation in Seattle to relocate to Oakland. Here in the Bay Area, Bruce aligned himself with a talented group of forward-thinking practitioners, training and talking martial arts with a 24/7 mindset. Linda Lee gave me a great description of this: "I can't tell you the number of late nights that were spent with Ralph Castro, and Wally Jay, James Lee, Allen Joe, all those guys. Many late nights were they would go around the room demonstrating things."
When I interviewed Mr. Castro a few years ago, I found him to be a very humble, benevolent, and down-to-earth guy. He is living proof that you can be a tough guy AND a gentlemen.
There are other people that are far more qualified to talk about his longterm career than me. But for the section of history that I have studied and written on, I have to salute Mr. Castro not only as a trailblazing martial arts pioneer, but as a class act in every way.
Friday, August 31, 2018
The phone call
(from John La Tourrette's Facebook page 8-27-18)
“The Phone Call From Ed Parker That Changed My Life Forever!”
It was 1977. I’d been with Ed about a year, and I asked Jim Mitchell, “What does one have to do to get Ed’s attention?”
Jim looked at me and said, “Write a thesis”. That was it. Nothing more. Nothing less. Jim turned and walked away. He was done talking.
I knew what a thesis for a college MBA degree took. A lot of research. A lot of study. It had to be between 40 to 80 pages. And it had to be professional and of high-quality.
But I did not know what a thesis for Ed Parker meant. Nor was I aware of what was required from him. I knew of only one fellow that had written a Kenpo thesis that resonated with me. It was the “Medical implications of karate blows”, by Brian C. Adams in 1969.
I did talk with some of my Kenpo friends like Dale Petite and Tom Kelly. It seemed like most folks that did a thesis, wrote a few pages, and they were done. In fact one man wrote 3 pages about how Kenpo was like water, and that was it. I was disgusted with him and with his feeble attempt.
I figured that a thesis should mean something, and should have valid and practical information in it. And should be more like a doctoral dissertation, rather than a homework assignment for a 3rd grade class-report on volcanoes.
I started thinking about a topic, about some idea or concept that could add to the well-being of Kenpo practitioners and could add to the martial arts.
I love books. I’ve always loved to read and study. So I went down to the Book Shop and went through their bookshelves looking for an idea that would trigger my creativity.
My fingers kept going back to a small book by handgun expert Jeff Cooper. It was titled “Principles of Self-Defense” and it had 23 pages in it (the current issue has 43 pages).
It was $5 bucks, which in 1977 was a lot of money for 23 pages. I finally bought it. Took it home. Studied it. Wrote in the margins. I knew the book was important, but I could not consciously “connect the dots” between that small pamphlet and a thesis for Kenpo advancement.
After reading the book and thinking about a topic that would fit me well, and fit the martial arts well, I fell asleep with that topic on my mind.
I woke up in the middle of the night! I had a title. “Mental Training of a Warrior”. I got up out of bed, grabbed a pen and notebook and started outlining the chapters of the book, based upon my 26 years in the martial arts and my 6 years in Kenpo Karate.
Three months later the book was done. It was horrible.
I was so disappointed with it that I threw it away. I tossed it in the garbage can.
I’d written what others had spoon-fed me and “not” what I really felt and believed. It did not have in it what I’d personally learned from my experiences over the years in the US, Korea, and Japan.
I started over again from scratch. I would write out each chapter by hand. Cut and paste with scotch-tape. Rearrange the chapters until they fit and were properly in sequence.
My pregnant wife Lynn would type out the chapters on an electric typewriter on the kitchen table.
Lynn was so pregnant that she could barely reach the keyboard, but she kept typing away.
Three months later the new version was done. I felt I’d done my best. I hoped that Ed would appreciate it. The orginal thesis was 352 pages long!
I had a copy made of “Mental Training of a Warrior”, and sent it off to Ed in Pasadena. A month went by. Then another month went by. I just about gave up hope.
One afternoon the office telephone rang. I picked it up and said, “Idaho Karate Kung-Fu Association, how can I help you”?
A deep voice says, “How are you John? This is Ed PAWKER. (That’s how Ed pronounced his name, “Parker” with his Hawaiian accent”)
“Hello Mr. Parker.”
Ed: “I just got back from Latin America. I’ve been giving seminars down there, and I’ve been gone a couple of months… just got back in town from Chile.
I’ve been reading over your manuscript…(Ed paused a few seconds)…
“…It’s NOT a thesis…” (Another long pause, and I started worrying that it wasn’t good-enough)…
Then Ed laughed. When Ed laughed he always laughed from deep down in his chest…and I could just see that big grinning smile on his face as he said…
“No John, it’s NOT a thesis…It’s a BOOK! Get it PUBLISHED! It’s That Good!”
And that’s how my thesis turned into a book. Ed liked it so much that he MADE ME GET IT PUBLISHED!.
My sincere appreciation goes to Ed Parker, Jim Mitchell and Tom Kelly for getting me motivated back then in 1977.
And that “is the start of the story”.
“The Phone Call From Ed Parker That Changed My Life Forever!”
It was 1977. I’d been with Ed about a year, and I asked Jim Mitchell, “What does one have to do to get Ed’s attention?”
Jim looked at me and said, “Write a thesis”. That was it. Nothing more. Nothing less. Jim turned and walked away. He was done talking.
I knew what a thesis for a college MBA degree took. A lot of research. A lot of study. It had to be between 40 to 80 pages. And it had to be professional and of high-quality.
But I did not know what a thesis for Ed Parker meant. Nor was I aware of what was required from him. I knew of only one fellow that had written a Kenpo thesis that resonated with me. It was the “Medical implications of karate blows”, by Brian C. Adams in 1969.
I did talk with some of my Kenpo friends like Dale Petite and Tom Kelly. It seemed like most folks that did a thesis, wrote a few pages, and they were done. In fact one man wrote 3 pages about how Kenpo was like water, and that was it. I was disgusted with him and with his feeble attempt.
I figured that a thesis should mean something, and should have valid and practical information in it. And should be more like a doctoral dissertation, rather than a homework assignment for a 3rd grade class-report on volcanoes.
I started thinking about a topic, about some idea or concept that could add to the well-being of Kenpo practitioners and could add to the martial arts.
I love books. I’ve always loved to read and study. So I went down to the Book Shop and went through their bookshelves looking for an idea that would trigger my creativity.
My fingers kept going back to a small book by handgun expert Jeff Cooper. It was titled “Principles of Self-Defense” and it had 23 pages in it (the current issue has 43 pages).
It was $5 bucks, which in 1977 was a lot of money for 23 pages. I finally bought it. Took it home. Studied it. Wrote in the margins. I knew the book was important, but I could not consciously “connect the dots” between that small pamphlet and a thesis for Kenpo advancement.
After reading the book and thinking about a topic that would fit me well, and fit the martial arts well, I fell asleep with that topic on my mind.
I woke up in the middle of the night! I had a title. “Mental Training of a Warrior”. I got up out of bed, grabbed a pen and notebook and started outlining the chapters of the book, based upon my 26 years in the martial arts and my 6 years in Kenpo Karate.
Three months later the book was done. It was horrible.
I was so disappointed with it that I threw it away. I tossed it in the garbage can.
I’d written what others had spoon-fed me and “not” what I really felt and believed. It did not have in it what I’d personally learned from my experiences over the years in the US, Korea, and Japan.
I started over again from scratch. I would write out each chapter by hand. Cut and paste with scotch-tape. Rearrange the chapters until they fit and were properly in sequence.
My pregnant wife Lynn would type out the chapters on an electric typewriter on the kitchen table.
Lynn was so pregnant that she could barely reach the keyboard, but she kept typing away.
Three months later the new version was done. I felt I’d done my best. I hoped that Ed would appreciate it. The orginal thesis was 352 pages long!
I had a copy made of “Mental Training of a Warrior”, and sent it off to Ed in Pasadena. A month went by. Then another month went by. I just about gave up hope.
One afternoon the office telephone rang. I picked it up and said, “Idaho Karate Kung-Fu Association, how can I help you”?
A deep voice says, “How are you John? This is Ed PAWKER. (That’s how Ed pronounced his name, “Parker” with his Hawaiian accent”)
“Hello Mr. Parker.”
Ed: “I just got back from Latin America. I’ve been giving seminars down there, and I’ve been gone a couple of months… just got back in town from Chile.
I’ve been reading over your manuscript…(Ed paused a few seconds)…
“…It’s NOT a thesis…” (Another long pause, and I started worrying that it wasn’t good-enough)…
Then Ed laughed. When Ed laughed he always laughed from deep down in his chest…and I could just see that big grinning smile on his face as he said…
“No John, it’s NOT a thesis…It’s a BOOK! Get it PUBLISHED! It’s That Good!”
And that’s how my thesis turned into a book. Ed liked it so much that he MADE ME GET IT PUBLISHED!.
My sincere appreciation goes to Ed Parker, Jim Mitchell and Tom Kelly for getting me motivated back then in 1977.
And that “is the start of the story”.
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Nunchaku advertisement
Full page advertisement from Black Belt Magazine for Mr Parker's book Guide to the Nunchaku.
On a trip to visit Mr Joe Palanzo's Ed Parker Studio GM Francisco Conde stopped by to show EP his latest creation the "Conchaku". GM Conde had created his version of the ancient weapon by using plastic instead of wood, he also had Conchaku's that were solid and swirled colors.
EP took to the Conchaku and even included their use in the seminar he gave while at the studio.
GM Conde also had a special version where small penlights were inserted into the bottom of the Conchaku, the lights were turned off and one of GM Conde's student started whirling the Conchaku ala Bruce Lee in the Way of Dragon.
The crowd went wild until one the penlights came loose from the bottom and went sailing thru the air, fortunately no one was struck by the airborne penlight. GM Conde turned the lights on, grabbed the Conchaku and announced the penlight version was still under development!
Sunday, August 26, 2018
Justin Lin is developing Warrior, based on material created by martial arts legend, Bruce Lee, to Cinemax.
(by Mike Cecchini denofgeek.com 8-22-18)
Justin Lin is headed to Cinemax with Warrior. The project is based on material created by none other than legendary martial arts star, Bruce Lee. Lin's Perfect Storm Entertainment is working with Danielle Woodrow and Bruce Lee Enterprises to bring the project to the screen. Justin Lin will direct the pilot, which was written by Banshee co-creator Jonathan Tropper. Cinemax has given Warrior a 10 episode, straight-to-series order.
Here's the official synopsis for Warrior:
"Inspired by an idea from martial-arts legend Bruce Lee, this gritty, action- packed crime drama is set during the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the second half of the 19th century. Filming in Cape Town, South Africa, it follows a martial arts prodigy who immigrates from China to San Francisco under mysterious circumstances, and becomes a hatchet man for one of Chinatown’s most powerful organized crime families."The show was developed based on handwritten notes from Bruce Lee that were brought to light by his daughter, Shannon Lee. Cinemax will start airing Warrior in 2019. The above image (photo by Graham Bartholomew) showcases series lead Andrew Koji.
“As a show that proudly bears the imprimatur of Bruce Lee, it’s our intention to deliver not only explosive martial arts action – which we will – but also a powerful and complex immigration drama that is as relevant today as it was in the 1870s,” Jonathan Tropper said in a statement when the project was announced (via Deadline).
“I’ve always admired Bruce Lee for his trailblazing efforts opening doors for Asians in entertainment and beyond,” Lin added. “So I was intrigued when Danielle told me about the urban legend of his never-produced idea for a TV show and suggested we bring it to life. Then when Shannon shared with us her father’s writings: rich with Lee’s unique philosophies on life, and through a point of view rarely depicted on screen – Danielle and I knew that Perfect Storm had to make it. Partnering with Cinemax has led to a wonderful collaboration with Jonathan Tropper, who has created a fantastic series inspired by Lee’s writings. We are all honored to continue what he started.”
Bruce Lee fans may remember that Lee felt he deserved more credit for the creation of the popular Kung Fu television series (which starred David Carradine). Lee had written material for a project with the working title of The Warrior, which featured a Chinese martial artist making his way through the American old west. Sound familiar? It has never been made clear just how many of Lee's ideas made it into Kung Fu, but the similarities can't be ignored.
Lee would have been the intended lead in The Warrior, and may have been considered for the role of Cain in Kung Fu before the decidedly not Asian David Carradine was cast in the role. In a 1972 interview with Off Duty/Pacific, Lee joked, "[what] they didn't know is people were ready for Hopalong Wong."
This is one of those projects we never expected to see.
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http://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/warrior/153683/warrior-justin-lin-cinemax
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