Are you ready to rumble?

First, a little history. Back in 1975 when I was in college I took a class in Jishukan Ryu Jujitsu. The instructor was Jack Ping. He was awesome. At the time Jack was the highest degree black belt in the USA in his art. Unfortunately, I was a poor college kid and couldn’t afford his private classes. That was thirty years ago, and I’ve lost touch with him.

Time went on. I didn’t do any martial arts for a long time. After Anne and I moved to Traverse City, I made friends with a guy who was studying Kung-Fu San Soo. I was curious, and I wanted to get back into martial arts, so I tried it. Sifu Tom Akers ran that school. I enjoyed it. Man, what a workout. Then my daughter was born. That put a lot of strain on my time, so something had to give. So, after only a year, I stopped studying Kung-Fu.

More time passed. After spending years coaching and playing soccer with my son, the kids and I decided that we wanted to try something new. I started looking for martial arts schools where we could study together. That is when we found Master Marti Lynn. I liked her from the very beginning. This dynamic woman was a fifth degree black belt in Taekwon-Do. Neil, who was twelve at the time and I started taking Taekwon-Do classes with Ms. Lynn. My daughter Rowan joined the classes a year later. Neil and I eventually worked our way up to black belt. We loved the classes. Sadly Ms. Lynn went through some difficult life issues and finally had to close her school.

The kids and I still wanted to study martial arts, but we really didn’t like the other Taekwon-Do schools in the area. We had seen a master of a different martial art, Maharlika Kuntaw, at tournaments and demonstrations. Maha Guro Brian “Buzz” Smith really impressed us with his skills with weapons. So we decided to try Kuntaw. We loved Kutaw as well. Once again, the school ended up closing on us. This time because Buzz had some health issues.

OK, so maybe that was a bit of a long winded history. But, this is another in my series about people who have inspired me. Of those four people, all of whom did inspire me, Ms. Lynn and Buzz inspired me the most. So, I’ve managed to get both of them to answer some questions for me here.

Rick: What makes your martial art so special?

Ms. Lynn: Taekwon-Do is Korean Karate an aerobic endurance exercise which incorporates 70% foot work and 30% hand movements into self-defense. Most all moves are performed from a standing position, very few sweeps and virtually no falls, rolls or grapples. In a workout the movement originates from a relaxed state, intensifies into dynamic power and immediately following impact the muscle relaxes and prepares for the next assault, attack or defense. This maximizes the amount of power one can exert in any given technique, it also enables the student to conserve energy as tension requires more energy than relaxation. In other words, students are encouraged to ‘relax’ during class. As the Takewon-Do student progresses the intensity of the interval training will require anaerobic training thereby helping them to reach higher ground in endurance capacities.

Buzz: Maharlika Kuntaw is a multifaceted martial art from the Philippines. It is one of a few that covers many ranges and attitudes of the Filipino Martial arts culture- kicking, punching, weapons, groundwork, throwing, and locking.

Rick: Why did you get into that particular art?

Ms. Lynn: I got involved in Taekwon-Do strictly for self defense in 1978.

Buzz: I started out in Tae Kwon Do and quickly found out that is was severely lacking in many aspects- throwing, grappling, weapons, groundwork, locking.

I was impressed by a 15 year old waiter in a Filipino bar. He showed me in real time what can be done with a minimum of effort if you know the basics. So, he actually inroduced me to the art and I have stuck with it.

Rick: Who has inspired you?

Ms. Lynn: I have been inspired by several people in my life but here are a few that have touched my soul, my Grandfather John was a ‘Polar Bear’ in WWI, he withstood some of the most rigorous death defying challenges and his stories of strength and resiliency always made me feel as though there was something in my future, a physical entity that I just couldn’t wait to get involved in. My wonderful and optimistic grandmother lived through so much adversity and yet she said these words daily, “Don’t worry about a thing.” I still think of her when I say those words. My instructor Grandmaster B.C.Yu has inspired me to climb and don’t stop till you reach the top…I’m still climbing!

Buzz: Guro Dan Inosanto has been my mentor, friend, and cheering gallery. He brought out the Filipino arts to the general public in the late 70’s I trained with him many times and he was the one who really opened my eyes to what I had. I was not fully aware of the multitude of avenues that the anyos ( small forms) allowed me to take. He pointed the finger at the path and urged me to take it. Little did I know what I would accomplish and find.

Master Marti Lynn and Brian “Buzz” Smith. Two very special people who will forever be a part of my life. The good news with both of them. Buzz’s health is showing improvement. I’m really hoping he will get back to his feisty old self.  Ms. Lynn is working on starting her school back up.

I did manage to find this video of Buzz teaching.

My kids and I really enjoyed working with both of these people. Their arts are very different, and the both had their challenges for us. Taekwon-Do is very aerobic and disciplined. It is a fantastic workout. Kuntaw is simply incredible in the simple ways it can be used to defend yourself. Either way, I’m very glad that I’ve had a chance to have these people in my life, and they have inspired me.