101
Martial Arts Topics / Re: Daily Expression of Gratitude
« on: December 05, 2008, 06:15:54 AM »
Grateful I still have my job, so far several people including some big wigs have been laid off.
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102
Martial Arts Topics / Re: Daily Expression of Gratitude
« on: November 27, 2008, 05:30:57 PM »
Thankful that what seemed like a disaster turned into a blessing, allowing me to spend my our 1st thanksgiving together as a family.
103
Martial Arts Topics / Re: Looking for fighters for stickfighting TV series
« on: November 18, 2008, 05:20:53 PM »
Thanks for the clarification Guro Crafty!
Better get started on my submission.
Better get started on my submission.
104
Martial Arts Topics / Re: Looking for fighters for stickfighting TV series
« on: November 15, 2008, 01:37:32 AM »
Could we get a little more info about the time commitment? Just curious, would it be more than two weeks, a month, or more?
Thank you Guro,
Robert
Thank you Guro,
Robert
105
Martial Arts Topics / Re: Looking for fighters for stickfighting TV series
« on: November 10, 2008, 01:48:06 PM »
This sure seems exciting and challenging... contemplating, not that I think I will be chosen but I have other things to weigh out IF chosen.
106
Martial Arts Topics / Re: MMA Thread
« on: November 05, 2008, 07:05:27 PM »
Anyone catch the Uriah Faber vs Mike Brown fight?
I wasn't sure who would win but I didn't expect .... so sudden.
But hey.. that's MMA.
I wasn't sure who would win but I didn't expect .... so sudden.
But hey.. that's MMA.
107
Martial Arts Topics / Re: Daily Expression of Gratitude
« on: October 28, 2008, 06:35:10 PM »
Grateful for the opportunity to spend my days off with my 8 mo old at the park / beach and get a small workout done in the process too! 
108
Martial Arts Topics / Re: Why did Elite XC Fail?
« on: October 26, 2008, 11:40:11 AM »
I think the commission ruled that there was no wrong doing.
109
Martial Arts Topics / Re: GM Narrie Babao
« on: October 23, 2008, 03:36:11 PM »
There is a Narrie Babao on myspace, he participates in some of the FMA groups. I sent him a message to contact you.
110
Martial Arts Topics / Re: Why did Elite XC Fail?
« on: October 22, 2008, 12:34:35 AM »
Exec: Mismanagement Caused Elite Collapse
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
by Loretta Hunt (lhunt@sherdog.com)
Though it had a platform that rivaled all others in mixed martial arts, EliteXC and its parent company, Pro Elite, couldn’t stop themselves from falling off the ledge.
Launched in December 2006, Pro Elite entered a booming market and quickly established a place behind perennial leader, the UFC, with the sheer magnitude of its size and scope. However, it was a combination of mismanagement, runaway personalities and frivolous spending that led to its demise, said one of its consulting executives, T. Jay Thompson.
“Mismanagement, it was mismanaged by people that didn’t know MMA, that didn’t have the proper years of experience,” said Thompson of the company’s cease of operations Monday after only 22 months in business. “It’s not an exact science. There’s not a book that you can write to learn how to promote shows.”
Thompson, who promoted 55 events under the Icon Sport and Superbrawl brands over 13 years, was one of the more experienced individuals brought into the Pro Elite fold, but he said he was under-utilized from the start.
Pro Elite paid Thompson $350,000 in cash, hundreds of thousands of shares in stock and signed him to a five-year consultant’s position in return for his Icon Sport promotion and all its assets, which included a 50-plus event tape library.
Thompson’s Icon Sport was not the only bold purchase made in that first year of operation.
Pro Elite also paid $3.75 million for longtime promoter Terry Trebilock’s regional juggernaut, King of the Cage, $5 million for the UK’s Cage Rage outlet and invested $1 million cash in South Korea’s SpiritMC –- all hefty price tags to ensure the fledgling promotion gained unfettered access into each respective region and had a healthy stable of farmed talent from which to pull.
Instead, SEC reports listed losses from all four acquired companies totaling over $20 million.
“They didn’t use it,” said Thompson of Pro Elite’s ill-fated farm system. “They bought too much too fast. To be in second place in five years, we needed to [still] be here in five years. First and foremost, we needed to find a way to make money.”
But instead of raking in the dollars, Thompson saw them fly out the doors of the company’s overpriced Wilshire Blvd. rental offices in Los Angeles.
“It had to be $100,000 in rent [a month],” said Thompson. “It’s a beautiful place to bring someone up and hold a meeting and try and impress someone, but who we trying to impress? It’s MMA.”
Thompson said the warning signs were apparent from his initial negotiations with Pro Elite in late 2007. A deal that was supposed to be signed a month before EliteXC’s inaugural event in Hawaii turned into a verbal tug-of-war between himself and former EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw a day before the announcement of Icon’s purchase was made. Once onboard, Thompson found he didn’t mesh with the outspoken Shaw, an import from the boxing world.
“I think Gary Shaw has a lot of positive traits as a promoter,” said Thompson. “I didn’t necessarily see him as someone morally or ethically that I wanted to learn from though.”
A frustrated Thompson found himself on the outside looking in, absent from the initial meetings with CBS that Shaw spearheaded and the company’s day-to-day decision making led by the Los Angeles office.
With the company showing signs of internal dissention, Shaw was downgraded to a consultant’s position in late July. Thompson does not believe Shaw’s pay was reduced in the demotion.
Shaw’s son, Jared, stayed on with the company as a vice president, though his role with the organization was never clear.
“It was my understanding that to get Gary out, they had to keep Jared in,” said Thompson.
Like his father, the novice Shaw seemed to have issues fitting in with Pro Elite and the sport in general.
“I think Jared Shaw is a passionate kid,” said Thompson. “I don’t think he knows MMA. I don’t think he should be making decisions in an organization of that size. I believe Jared Shaw’s heart was in the right place. I think Jared Shaw wanted badly to succeed and for what reasons I don’t know, whether to be in the front, to be the star himself. I think he tried his hardest and just did a rotten job.”
Nowhere was Shaw’s struggle more apparent than Oct. 4, when EliteXC made its second trip to Florida to promote its third card for CBS. Shaw, who didn’t hide his affinity for the promotion’s biggest star, Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson, caused more commotion outside the cage then Seth Petruzelli’s 14-second decimation of Slice inside it.
“When you have a high-level representative of our company in Jared Shaw on national television jumping up and screaming, it’s extremely embarrassing,” said Thompson. “To have people like that calling the shots, I’m not all that surprised that the company’s where it’s at right now, and I’m not surprised that CBS doesn’t necessarily want to put their eggs in that basket.”
Just who called the shots Oct. 4 -- which unknowingly became EliteXC’s swan song -- will remain a hot topic as the promotion’s death is dissected from every angle. The loss of Ken Shamrock just a couple of hours before his main event bout with Slice was a brutal blow, and the decisions that came afterward proved crucial to the company’s survival.
“It was a scarily run show from what I saw,” said Thompson, who said his attempts to assist the company in its most desperate hour were disregarded. “It’s really easy to be a promoter when your star’s winning fights, when everything’s going well. Crisis management is really what makes a good promoter.”
Thompson said he flew down to Florida on his own dime and was sitting cageside when he got word that Shamrock had sliced the skin above his eye and would not be cleared to fight. Unable to get clearance to head backstage, Thompson said he tried to relay suggestions to upper management through assistants and unanswered phone calls.
“Number one, they picked the wrong opponent,” said Thompson, who confirmed that light heavyweights Aaron Rosa and Petruzelli were considered for the opening. “Do I want my star getting his ass kicked by the unknown guy that’s a dropout from the UFC, or do I want his ass kicked by a guy that I can call Tito Ortiz’s number one student protégé and the next big thing in MMA?”
The second mistake proved poisonous, said Thompson, and pertained to alleged talks between Petruzelli and the promotion for the fighter to stay on his feet and in Slice’s comfort zone.
“I have no proof [but] I’d be amazed if he wasn’t paid to stand up,” said Thompson, who was absent from the last-minute negotiations but claims co-employees intimated to him their confidence in an arrangement that had been made prior to the bout. “I sent [Pro Elite CEO] Chuck Champion an e-mail basically telling him my concerns the day after, and after talking to him, he made it clear to me that isn’t what happened, and I had to go with his word.”
Once keen on purchasing and bailing out the EliteXC brand, Showtime, a subsidiary of CBS, terminated the nearly negotiated agreement with Pro Elite last week. Thompson doesn’t blame them.
“Watching the company from the inside out for this long, I don’t want them running my show if I’m CBS,” he said. “I don’t want that group running my show.”
Thompson believes the Icon Sport brand will be returned to him, but fears it, and many of the fighter’s contracts, could be held up in bankruptcy court for an extended period of time.
And as Affliction Entertainment and possibly others swoop in on the still-warm spot once held by the first promotion to score a live broadcast TV deal, Thompson hopes someone will succeed where his company has failed.
“I think CBS is deciding whether or not they want to be in the MMA game at all, and I think they’re leaning away from it to be honest with you,” he said. “If they do it, they’re going to go into business for themselves and bring a couple of key people on. I would love to be involved with that.”
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
by Loretta Hunt (lhunt@sherdog.com)
Though it had a platform that rivaled all others in mixed martial arts, EliteXC and its parent company, Pro Elite, couldn’t stop themselves from falling off the ledge.
Launched in December 2006, Pro Elite entered a booming market and quickly established a place behind perennial leader, the UFC, with the sheer magnitude of its size and scope. However, it was a combination of mismanagement, runaway personalities and frivolous spending that led to its demise, said one of its consulting executives, T. Jay Thompson.
“Mismanagement, it was mismanaged by people that didn’t know MMA, that didn’t have the proper years of experience,” said Thompson of the company’s cease of operations Monday after only 22 months in business. “It’s not an exact science. There’s not a book that you can write to learn how to promote shows.”
Thompson, who promoted 55 events under the Icon Sport and Superbrawl brands over 13 years, was one of the more experienced individuals brought into the Pro Elite fold, but he said he was under-utilized from the start.
Pro Elite paid Thompson $350,000 in cash, hundreds of thousands of shares in stock and signed him to a five-year consultant’s position in return for his Icon Sport promotion and all its assets, which included a 50-plus event tape library.
Thompson’s Icon Sport was not the only bold purchase made in that first year of operation.
Pro Elite also paid $3.75 million for longtime promoter Terry Trebilock’s regional juggernaut, King of the Cage, $5 million for the UK’s Cage Rage outlet and invested $1 million cash in South Korea’s SpiritMC –- all hefty price tags to ensure the fledgling promotion gained unfettered access into each respective region and had a healthy stable of farmed talent from which to pull.
Instead, SEC reports listed losses from all four acquired companies totaling over $20 million.
“They didn’t use it,” said Thompson of Pro Elite’s ill-fated farm system. “They bought too much too fast. To be in second place in five years, we needed to [still] be here in five years. First and foremost, we needed to find a way to make money.”
But instead of raking in the dollars, Thompson saw them fly out the doors of the company’s overpriced Wilshire Blvd. rental offices in Los Angeles.
“It had to be $100,000 in rent [a month],” said Thompson. “It’s a beautiful place to bring someone up and hold a meeting and try and impress someone, but who we trying to impress? It’s MMA.”
Thompson said the warning signs were apparent from his initial negotiations with Pro Elite in late 2007. A deal that was supposed to be signed a month before EliteXC’s inaugural event in Hawaii turned into a verbal tug-of-war between himself and former EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw a day before the announcement of Icon’s purchase was made. Once onboard, Thompson found he didn’t mesh with the outspoken Shaw, an import from the boxing world.
“I think Gary Shaw has a lot of positive traits as a promoter,” said Thompson. “I didn’t necessarily see him as someone morally or ethically that I wanted to learn from though.”
A frustrated Thompson found himself on the outside looking in, absent from the initial meetings with CBS that Shaw spearheaded and the company’s day-to-day decision making led by the Los Angeles office.
With the company showing signs of internal dissention, Shaw was downgraded to a consultant’s position in late July. Thompson does not believe Shaw’s pay was reduced in the demotion.
Shaw’s son, Jared, stayed on with the company as a vice president, though his role with the organization was never clear.
“It was my understanding that to get Gary out, they had to keep Jared in,” said Thompson.
Like his father, the novice Shaw seemed to have issues fitting in with Pro Elite and the sport in general.
“I think Jared Shaw is a passionate kid,” said Thompson. “I don’t think he knows MMA. I don’t think he should be making decisions in an organization of that size. I believe Jared Shaw’s heart was in the right place. I think Jared Shaw wanted badly to succeed and for what reasons I don’t know, whether to be in the front, to be the star himself. I think he tried his hardest and just did a rotten job.”
Nowhere was Shaw’s struggle more apparent than Oct. 4, when EliteXC made its second trip to Florida to promote its third card for CBS. Shaw, who didn’t hide his affinity for the promotion’s biggest star, Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson, caused more commotion outside the cage then Seth Petruzelli’s 14-second decimation of Slice inside it.
“When you have a high-level representative of our company in Jared Shaw on national television jumping up and screaming, it’s extremely embarrassing,” said Thompson. “To have people like that calling the shots, I’m not all that surprised that the company’s where it’s at right now, and I’m not surprised that CBS doesn’t necessarily want to put their eggs in that basket.”
Just who called the shots Oct. 4 -- which unknowingly became EliteXC’s swan song -- will remain a hot topic as the promotion’s death is dissected from every angle. The loss of Ken Shamrock just a couple of hours before his main event bout with Slice was a brutal blow, and the decisions that came afterward proved crucial to the company’s survival.
“It was a scarily run show from what I saw,” said Thompson, who said his attempts to assist the company in its most desperate hour were disregarded. “It’s really easy to be a promoter when your star’s winning fights, when everything’s going well. Crisis management is really what makes a good promoter.”
Thompson said he flew down to Florida on his own dime and was sitting cageside when he got word that Shamrock had sliced the skin above his eye and would not be cleared to fight. Unable to get clearance to head backstage, Thompson said he tried to relay suggestions to upper management through assistants and unanswered phone calls.
“Number one, they picked the wrong opponent,” said Thompson, who confirmed that light heavyweights Aaron Rosa and Petruzelli were considered for the opening. “Do I want my star getting his ass kicked by the unknown guy that’s a dropout from the UFC, or do I want his ass kicked by a guy that I can call Tito Ortiz’s number one student protégé and the next big thing in MMA?”
The second mistake proved poisonous, said Thompson, and pertained to alleged talks between Petruzelli and the promotion for the fighter to stay on his feet and in Slice’s comfort zone.
“I have no proof [but] I’d be amazed if he wasn’t paid to stand up,” said Thompson, who was absent from the last-minute negotiations but claims co-employees intimated to him their confidence in an arrangement that had been made prior to the bout. “I sent [Pro Elite CEO] Chuck Champion an e-mail basically telling him my concerns the day after, and after talking to him, he made it clear to me that isn’t what happened, and I had to go with his word.”
Once keen on purchasing and bailing out the EliteXC brand, Showtime, a subsidiary of CBS, terminated the nearly negotiated agreement with Pro Elite last week. Thompson doesn’t blame them.
“Watching the company from the inside out for this long, I don’t want them running my show if I’m CBS,” he said. “I don’t want that group running my show.”
Thompson believes the Icon Sport brand will be returned to him, but fears it, and many of the fighter’s contracts, could be held up in bankruptcy court for an extended period of time.
And as Affliction Entertainment and possibly others swoop in on the still-warm spot once held by the first promotion to score a live broadcast TV deal, Thompson hopes someone will succeed where his company has failed.
“I think CBS is deciding whether or not they want to be in the MMA game at all, and I think they’re leaning away from it to be honest with you,” he said. “If they do it, they’re going to go into business for themselves and bring a couple of key people on. I would love to be involved with that.”
111
Martial Arts Topics / Re: Something big is brewing
« on: October 17, 2008, 07:08:49 AM »
Looks great.
112
Martial Arts Topics / Re: VIDEO CLIPS OF INTEREST
« on: October 12, 2008, 02:39:12 AM »
I thought this was humorous:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_1VWHv8BHU[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_1VWHv8BHU[/youtube]
113
Martial Arts Topics / Re: VIDEO CLIPS OF INTEREST
« on: October 09, 2008, 03:34:06 AM »
60 CAL Handgun
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYtN3RIpvPY[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYtN3RIpvPY[/youtube]
114
Martial Arts Topics / Re: MMA Thread
« on: October 05, 2008, 11:00:39 AM »
Love the jumping knee.
115
Martial Arts Topics / Re: MMA Thread
« on: October 02, 2008, 03:15:49 PM »
I think this will be shorter than Tank vs Kimbo.
Remember the way Tito manhandled Ken by picking Ken up, figuratively pushing him across the octagon into the fence with ease? Kimbo looks much bigger and stronger than Tito to me.
Remember the way Tito manhandled Ken by picking Ken up, figuratively pushing him across the octagon into the fence with ease? Kimbo looks much bigger and stronger than Tito to me.
116
Martial Arts Topics / Re: VIDEO CLIPS OF INTEREST
« on: September 26, 2008, 01:21:28 AM »
From the movie titled "The Pacific Connection" with Roland Dantes.
Choreography was done by Prof. Remy Presas.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfZmDhfdEDc[/youtube]
Choreography was done by Prof. Remy Presas.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfZmDhfdEDc[/youtube]
117
Martial Arts Topics / Re: Daily Expression of Gratitude
« on: September 24, 2008, 10:52:44 PM »
Grateful to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
118
Martial Arts Topics / Re: VIDEO CLIPS OF INTEREST
« on: September 24, 2008, 08:47:05 PM »
I don't know if this has been lifted from a DBMA tape \ DVD but this is a great clip! Very inspirational.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXeuYgYrLNs[/youtube]
119
Martial Arts Topics / Pun Intended
« on: September 22, 2008, 01:04:58 PM »
1. The roundest knight at king Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.
2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian .
3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.
4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.
5. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.
6. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
7. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
8. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.
9. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
11. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.
12. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
13. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other, 'You stay here, I'll go on a head.'
14. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
15. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'
16. A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his grandmother telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said, 'No change yet.'
17. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
18. It's not that the man did not know how to juggle, he just didn't have the balls to do it.
19. The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
20. The man who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.
21. A backward poet writes inverse.
22. In democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's your count that votes.
23. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.
24. Don't join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects!
2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian .
3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.
4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.
5. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.
6. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
7. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
8. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.
9. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
11. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.
12. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
13. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other, 'You stay here, I'll go on a head.'
14. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
15. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'
16. A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his grandmother telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said, 'No change yet.'
17. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
18. It's not that the man did not know how to juggle, he just didn't have the balls to do it.
19. The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
20. The man who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.
21. A backward poet writes inverse.
22. In democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's your count that votes.
23. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.
24. Don't join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects!
120
Martial Arts Topics / Re: Daily Expression of Gratitude
« on: September 22, 2008, 01:08:43 AM »
Grateful to celebrate so many birthdays in September.
121
Martial Arts Topics / Re: VIDEO CLIPS OF INTEREST
« on: September 21, 2008, 12:32:00 AM »
Not necessarily a video but it does have an effect on those in the UK:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://slashdot.org/
Your Rights Online: YouTube Bans Gun and Knife Videos In the UK
Posted by timothy on Sunday September 21, @01:50AM
from the long-chain-of-abuses-and-usurpations dept.
Censorship
PatPending writes with a depressing excerpt from the UK's Metro: "The Google-owned video-sharing site YouTube has decided to introduce the ban [on weapons-related videos] for the UK only amid widespread unease about the increase in knife crime in the country. 'We recognise that there has been particular concern over videos in the UK that involve showing weapons with the aim of intimidation, and this is one of the areas we are addressing,' a YouTube spokesperson said. 'I would like to see other internet service providers follow suit to reinforce our message that violence will not be tolerated either on the internet or in the real world,' she said."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://slashdot.org/
Your Rights Online: YouTube Bans Gun and Knife Videos In the UK
Posted by timothy on Sunday September 21, @01:50AM
from the long-chain-of-abuses-and-usurpations dept.
Censorship
PatPending writes with a depressing excerpt from the UK's Metro: "The Google-owned video-sharing site YouTube has decided to introduce the ban [on weapons-related videos] for the UK only amid widespread unease about the increase in knife crime in the country. 'We recognise that there has been particular concern over videos in the UK that involve showing weapons with the aim of intimidation, and this is one of the areas we are addressing,' a YouTube spokesperson said. 'I would like to see other internet service providers follow suit to reinforce our message that violence will not be tolerated either on the internet or in the real world,' she said."
122
Martial Arts Topics / Re: MMA Thread
« on: September 14, 2008, 12:26:32 AM »
An interesting announcement by Affliction, it appears that they joined forces with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Affliction, Golden Boy Join Forces
Options: Email Article | Printer Friendly
Affliction, Golden Boy Join Forces
Saturday, September 13, 2008
by Mike Sloan (msloan@sherdog.com)
14384
LAS VEGAS -- Popular clothing company Affliction and its mixed martial arts promotion might not be dying on the vine, as UFC President Dana White claimed. The apparel giant canceled its planned Oct. 11 card in Las Vegas, and rumors swirled that Affliction might be another one-and-done MMA promotion.
Affliction announced on Saturday a blockbuster partnership with powerful boxing company Golden Boy Promotions. Golden Boy, created by superstar and future Hall of Fame boxer Oscar De La Hoya, is arguably the leading promotional firm in boxing, and its partnership with Affliction, also a fledgling MMA promoter, is significant for both MMA and boxing.
Golden Boy purchased “The Ring Magazine,” the world’s longest-running boxing periodical, and its ancillary publications last year and just recently scooped up the United States’ only amateur pugilism program -- USA Boxing. Now it appears poised to help make MMA even bigger using a somewhat risky endeavor with Affliction.
“Since our acquisition of ‘The Ring’ last year, we were looking to find ways to bring the younger audience to the magazine, as well as to boxing,” said Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer. “Affliction, which really is an iconic brand, has captured that younger audience, and so we’ve been sitting down with the owners of Affliction and trying to find ways to cross promote the two sports. It’s great for the fighters; it’s great for both sports.”
Golden Boy has become the new guard in boxing, and its promotional and marketing ideas have changed the approach to how the sport should be handled. Always willing to try new ideas in an effort to grow its already superfluous stable of elite talent, Golden Boy’s partnership with Affliction does not come as much of a surprise. Considering that De La Hoya, his public relations staff and Schaefer have hinted to Sherdog.com on numerous occasions that promoting MMA was “a possibility,” it was a matter of when, not if it would happen.
“We’ve been looking into mixed martial arts for some time now,” Schaefer said. “I’ve been studying and following it and have educated myself about it, and we finally decided to throw our hat into the mixed martial arts ring.”
What’s even more intriguing is the fact that Golden Boy does not plan to branch out and create a separate entity solely for MMA shows. Instead, its goal is to assemble massive pay-per-view events that will integrate both boxing and MMA in one night in the same ring. Though neither Schaefer nor Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio (Pictures) commented on potential blockbuster cards, the notion of a fight night featuring boxers the caliber of Bernard Hopkins and Joel Casamayora, along with world-class mixed martial artists like Josh Barnett (Pictures) and Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) is no longer far-fetched.
Atencio was as enthused as anyone about the partnership.
“Golden Boy is the top promoter in the industry in the world,” he said. “They think outside the box, and this is just another example of what they do. We’re going to bring top MMA fighters and top boxers together in one night. This is a great partnership, alongside our partnership with M-1 Global and Fedor, and this just brings another level to MMA. I think the two worlds have finally merged.”
Questions surround how exactly the two powerhouses will pull off their inaugural event, let alone the four they have planned in 2009. Atencio had some ideas but opted to leave those decisions to the experts.
“I think with Golden Boy, we’re going to leave that up to them,” Atencio told Sherdog.com. “They have the expertise. They’ll do all the production side of everything, and we’ll do what we do as far as MMA goes, like matchmaking. [Golden Boy] will do the matchmaking with boxing. [Pulling it off] is something we have to sit down with Golden Boy and talk about. I know some of the events in the past that have done this, or tried to do this, have either done one MMA match with all boxing or all mixed martial arts with only one boxing [match]. Quite honestly, I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
Atencio said the debut event under the new “strategic partnership” will come in the first quarter of 2009, and though he said the date for the show remains up in the air, he said it will most likely fall in January. He also said that the Oct. 11 card from Las Vegas was postponed because of the pending partnership, and the card, or least some of the match-ups from it, could fill out the MMA portion of the first event. Atencio made it clear that the premiere was too far out to state who would be competing. A location was not revealed, either, but Las Vegas and southern California have emerged as logical locales.
Another crucial element to the partnership with Golden Boy and Affliction is the fact that De La Hoya’s lucrative company has a solid business relationship with cable giant HBO, as the vast majority of its fight cards land on that station. Atencio was excited about the potential for his brand of MMA to appear on the world’s leading movie network but was hesitant to speak out of turn or make erroneous declarations.
“Hopefully,” he said with a broad grin. “That’s up to Golden Boy once again. They are the ones who have the relationship with HBO, and if they can bring it to the table, then absolutely.”
Landing events on a network that has brought fight fans some of the greatest boxing matches in history would be significant. But why did Atencio and his team decide on Golden Boy and not another of the world’s powerful boxing promoters? Golden Boy is smart, young and has shown an ability to capture the attention of boxing fans.
“They’re very creative, and they’re always looking at new ideas. And so are we,” said Atencio, who estimates the deal took eight months to be finalized. “Looking at both of our companies, it just made sense for us to come together.”
Atencio also revealed his plans to continue promoting separate all-MMA shows under the Affliction flag and reinforced his promotion’s partnership with M-1 Global. He was not sure when the next all-MMA show would be promoted, but the eager entrepreneur hopes to have a few shows sandwiched in between the major pay-per-view events with Golden Boy.
Another key aspect of the partnership between Affliction and Golden Boy will have the apparel company create event-specific T-shirts for Golden Boy’s major PPV shows, beginning with the mammoth showdown between De La Hoya and Filipino whirlwind Manny Pacquiao in December. Affliction is also going to create a plethora of boxing-related shirts sporting vintage “The Ring Magazine” covers featuring the likes of Joe Louis, Jack Dempsey and others, which will be available in the 20,000-plus retail outlets where Affliction clothing is sold.
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Affliction, Golden Boy Join Forces
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Affliction, Golden Boy Join Forces
Saturday, September 13, 2008
by Mike Sloan (msloan@sherdog.com)
14384
LAS VEGAS -- Popular clothing company Affliction and its mixed martial arts promotion might not be dying on the vine, as UFC President Dana White claimed. The apparel giant canceled its planned Oct. 11 card in Las Vegas, and rumors swirled that Affliction might be another one-and-done MMA promotion.
Affliction announced on Saturday a blockbuster partnership with powerful boxing company Golden Boy Promotions. Golden Boy, created by superstar and future Hall of Fame boxer Oscar De La Hoya, is arguably the leading promotional firm in boxing, and its partnership with Affliction, also a fledgling MMA promoter, is significant for both MMA and boxing.
Golden Boy purchased “The Ring Magazine,” the world’s longest-running boxing periodical, and its ancillary publications last year and just recently scooped up the United States’ only amateur pugilism program -- USA Boxing. Now it appears poised to help make MMA even bigger using a somewhat risky endeavor with Affliction.
“Since our acquisition of ‘The Ring’ last year, we were looking to find ways to bring the younger audience to the magazine, as well as to boxing,” said Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer. “Affliction, which really is an iconic brand, has captured that younger audience, and so we’ve been sitting down with the owners of Affliction and trying to find ways to cross promote the two sports. It’s great for the fighters; it’s great for both sports.”
Golden Boy has become the new guard in boxing, and its promotional and marketing ideas have changed the approach to how the sport should be handled. Always willing to try new ideas in an effort to grow its already superfluous stable of elite talent, Golden Boy’s partnership with Affliction does not come as much of a surprise. Considering that De La Hoya, his public relations staff and Schaefer have hinted to Sherdog.com on numerous occasions that promoting MMA was “a possibility,” it was a matter of when, not if it would happen.
“We’ve been looking into mixed martial arts for some time now,” Schaefer said. “I’ve been studying and following it and have educated myself about it, and we finally decided to throw our hat into the mixed martial arts ring.”
What’s even more intriguing is the fact that Golden Boy does not plan to branch out and create a separate entity solely for MMA shows. Instead, its goal is to assemble massive pay-per-view events that will integrate both boxing and MMA in one night in the same ring. Though neither Schaefer nor Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio (Pictures) commented on potential blockbuster cards, the notion of a fight night featuring boxers the caliber of Bernard Hopkins and Joel Casamayora, along with world-class mixed martial artists like Josh Barnett (Pictures) and Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) is no longer far-fetched.
Atencio was as enthused as anyone about the partnership.
“Golden Boy is the top promoter in the industry in the world,” he said. “They think outside the box, and this is just another example of what they do. We’re going to bring top MMA fighters and top boxers together in one night. This is a great partnership, alongside our partnership with M-1 Global and Fedor, and this just brings another level to MMA. I think the two worlds have finally merged.”
Questions surround how exactly the two powerhouses will pull off their inaugural event, let alone the four they have planned in 2009. Atencio had some ideas but opted to leave those decisions to the experts.
“I think with Golden Boy, we’re going to leave that up to them,” Atencio told Sherdog.com. “They have the expertise. They’ll do all the production side of everything, and we’ll do what we do as far as MMA goes, like matchmaking. [Golden Boy] will do the matchmaking with boxing. [Pulling it off] is something we have to sit down with Golden Boy and talk about. I know some of the events in the past that have done this, or tried to do this, have either done one MMA match with all boxing or all mixed martial arts with only one boxing [match]. Quite honestly, I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
Atencio said the debut event under the new “strategic partnership” will come in the first quarter of 2009, and though he said the date for the show remains up in the air, he said it will most likely fall in January. He also said that the Oct. 11 card from Las Vegas was postponed because of the pending partnership, and the card, or least some of the match-ups from it, could fill out the MMA portion of the first event. Atencio made it clear that the premiere was too far out to state who would be competing. A location was not revealed, either, but Las Vegas and southern California have emerged as logical locales.
Another crucial element to the partnership with Golden Boy and Affliction is the fact that De La Hoya’s lucrative company has a solid business relationship with cable giant HBO, as the vast majority of its fight cards land on that station. Atencio was excited about the potential for his brand of MMA to appear on the world’s leading movie network but was hesitant to speak out of turn or make erroneous declarations.
“Hopefully,” he said with a broad grin. “That’s up to Golden Boy once again. They are the ones who have the relationship with HBO, and if they can bring it to the table, then absolutely.”
Landing events on a network that has brought fight fans some of the greatest boxing matches in history would be significant. But why did Atencio and his team decide on Golden Boy and not another of the world’s powerful boxing promoters? Golden Boy is smart, young and has shown an ability to capture the attention of boxing fans.
“They’re very creative, and they’re always looking at new ideas. And so are we,” said Atencio, who estimates the deal took eight months to be finalized. “Looking at both of our companies, it just made sense for us to come together.”
Atencio also revealed his plans to continue promoting separate all-MMA shows under the Affliction flag and reinforced his promotion’s partnership with M-1 Global. He was not sure when the next all-MMA show would be promoted, but the eager entrepreneur hopes to have a few shows sandwiched in between the major pay-per-view events with Golden Boy.
Another key aspect of the partnership between Affliction and Golden Boy will have the apparel company create event-specific T-shirts for Golden Boy’s major PPV shows, beginning with the mammoth showdown between De La Hoya and Filipino whirlwind Manny Pacquiao in December. Affliction is also going to create a plethora of boxing-related shirts sporting vintage “The Ring Magazine” covers featuring the likes of Joe Louis, Jack Dempsey and others, which will be available in the 20,000-plus retail outlets where Affliction clothing is sold.
123
Martial Arts Topics / Re: Daily Expression of Gratitude
« on: September 13, 2008, 12:33:22 AM »
SImply grateful that its finally the weekend.
124
Martial Arts Topics / Re: Daily Expression of Gratitude
« on: September 12, 2008, 12:34:08 AM »
Grateful for my job that allows me in a small way to protect those that are protecting us.
125
Martial Arts Topics / Re: Daily Expression of Gratitude
« on: September 11, 2008, 01:28:08 AM »
Grateful to celebrate a good friend \ instructor \ brother birthday tonight with most excellent company tonight.
126
Martial Arts Topics / Re: Daily Expression of Gratitude
« on: September 08, 2008, 10:52:16 PM »
Grateful for the opportunity to train with Guro Crafty today.
It was very cool!
It was very cool!
127
Martial Arts Topics / Re: VIDEO CLIPS OF INTEREST
« on: August 28, 2008, 02:57:23 AM »
I thought this was kind of interesting, I think some can be adapted to DBMA Staff or at least fun to play with.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soOIHCqo-F4[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soOIHCqo-F4[/youtube]
128
Martial Arts Topics / Re: home made equipment
« on: June 02, 2008, 03:27:09 PM »
There is a youtube clip of one of Sonny Umpad's students using a ball on a string for footwork. Im currently at work so I cant post the video.
Ill try when I get home.
Ill try when I get home.
129
Martial Arts Topics / Re: DB Gathering of the Pack August 10th, 2008
« on: May 13, 2008, 06:33:16 PM »
Sorry if this is a dumb question but would the area be big enough for 5 people to be swinging doublestick without clocking your "partner?"
130
Martial Arts Topics / Re: The Dog Brothers Tribe
« on: April 07, 2008, 05:14:31 PM »
Congrats everyone!
131
Martial Arts Topics / Re: The Nat Geo Documentary on the Dog Brothers: Fight Club
« on: April 02, 2008, 11:47:48 AM »
While checking my google mail, this message popped up in the sponsered links section.
Dog Brothers Martial Arts - www.dogbrothers.com - As seen on National Geographic Fight Club: No Limits
Dog Brothers Martial Arts - www.dogbrothers.com - As seen on National Geographic Fight Club: No Limits
132
Martial Arts Topics / Re: MMA Thread
« on: March 30, 2008, 01:10:18 AM »
I thought the fight was good.
134
Martial Arts Topics / Re: VIDEO CLIPS OF INTEREST
« on: March 22, 2008, 01:39:03 AM »
A clip from one of my favorite movies
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=bqRltz8u_IE[/youtube]
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=bqRltz8u_IE[/youtube]
135
Martial Arts Topics / Re: VIDEO CLIPS OF INTEREST
« on: February 29, 2008, 12:02:30 AM »
The "raging bull" headbutt was kinda cool.
136
Martial Arts Topics / Re: Hawaii, looking for people to train with (in town) till April.
« on: February 28, 2008, 06:04:36 PM »
Ill shoot you an email one of the guys that regularily trains with Mike lives in town. I'd meet up with you but I live in Wahiawa now.
137
Martial Arts Topics / Re: The Nat Geo Documentary on the Dog Brothers: Fight Club
« on: January 31, 2008, 12:14:00 PM »
This link will take you to other topics
"http://boards.historychannel.com/forum.jspa?forumID=800000065"
I started to read the topic "I've got to say I don't like Fight Quest" and people complained about how physical the shows were and blah blah blah... well I dunno.
To each their own... there are some decent threads but you have to dig for them...
"http://boards.historychannel.com/forum.jspa?forumID=800000065"
I started to read the topic "I've got to say I don't like Fight Quest" and people complained about how physical the shows were and blah blah blah... well I dunno.
To each their own... there are some decent threads but you have to dig for them...
138
Martial Arts Topics / Re: The Nat Geo Documentary on the Dog Brothers: Fight Club
« on: January 31, 2008, 11:28:41 AM »
Ive checked out some of the other Martial Art forums and well most of the stuff they complain about is silly. I think they need to watch Poi Dog's youtube clip.
139
Martial Arts Topics / Re: MMA Thread
« on: January 26, 2008, 01:20:06 AM »
Wow.. I might be late on the news but Frank Shamrock vs Cung Le is set for March.
Also.. There was a Savate Stylist on Showtime Elite XC
Anyone see it? His kicks to the outside of the thigh definitely hurt his opponent, who happened to be a local fighter (Kala Kolohe) from Waianae and is scheduled to fight Robbie Lawler.
Unfortunately he didn't utilize the kicks as much as he should have been because he let the shorter opponent get in too close and land a straight right to the chin.
Also.. There was a Savate Stylist on Showtime Elite XC
Anyone see it? His kicks to the outside of the thigh definitely hurt his opponent, who happened to be a local fighter (Kala Kolohe) from Waianae and is scheduled to fight Robbie Lawler.
Unfortunately he didn't utilize the kicks as much as he should have been because he let the shorter opponent get in too close and land a straight right to the chin.
140
Martial Arts Topics / Re: The Nat Geo Documentary on the Dog Brothers: Fight Club
« on: January 23, 2008, 10:59:25 PM »
Well I think Guro Crafty mentioned in the episode and made it clear there are people that will put you in check should you act like a butt.
141
Martial Arts Topics / Re: New Site Layout
« on: January 23, 2008, 06:36:36 PM »
Im sure the stats will be interesting after the program airs.
142
Martial Arts Topics / Fight Quest: Philippines
« on: January 05, 2008, 02:39:53 AM »
Did anyone catch the episode? I thought it was much better than the Human Weapon. The hosts split up and trained with separate instructors and then fought knife, live stick and empty hand.
Here is the trailer.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=rkTo-hKEgwA
Guess who???
http://youtube.com/watch?v=SbgbQuXhJ0U&feature=related
Here is the trailer.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=rkTo-hKEgwA
Guess who???
http://youtube.com/watch?v=SbgbQuXhJ0U&feature=related
143
Martial Arts Topics / Re: For Any Conan/Frazetta/Robert E. Howard Fans.
« on: January 04, 2008, 12:43:13 PM »
I always thought Death Dealer was cool.
144
Martial Arts Topics / Re: Movie Fights
« on: January 02, 2008, 01:21:14 PM »
Fist of Legend is awesome!
I always liked the scenes from the Lone Wolf and Cub series.
I always liked the scenes from the Lone Wolf and Cub series.
145
Martial Arts Topics / Re: MMA Thread
« on: December 31, 2007, 02:26:06 PM »
From Sherdog:
Chuck Liddell (Pictures), the former UFC light heavyweight champion, and Wanderlei Silva (Pictures), the former PRIDE middleweight king ended years of frustration by locking horns and granting fight fans across the globe their wish of seeing the dangerous 205-pound fighters square off.
Liddell and Silva tore right into each other from the outset and from the way the two were delivering pulverizing punches, it seemed like the bout was one strike away from being stopped at any moment.
Silva was rocked in the first period and stumbled into the fence only to miraculously fend off Liddell with a bomb or two of his own, which caused "The Iceman" to stagger backward. The times that both men were on the verge of being sent to sleep were too numerous to count. Without question, the two future Hall of Famers delivered more than expected and for once, a fight of this magnitude more than lived up to the hype.
Silva was all but out at least twice in the opening round, but he was unbelievably able to shake off the cobwebs and bounce back.
"He had a lot better chin than I thought he did," a worn and battered Liddell said with a chuckle after the war. "I hit him with a lot of shots real hard. He still kept coming. I hurt him a few times during the fight, but he just covered up and kept coming. … I had him hurt a little bit but he recovers quick."
Liddell, now 21-5, was dropped legitimately once and taken off his feet another time, but for reasons only the fight gods know, he endured. Silva was cut badly over his right eye and his cheeks swelled considerably. Liddell had scrapes under both eyes and an inflated bottom lip.
Both men were exhausted in the latter stages of the fracas, but still they managed to swing for the fences until the final bell sounded. It was still anybody's guess as to whether the fight would last the allotted three rounds. Liddell, 38, even managed to score two perfect double-leg takedowns.
Silva has always had that uncanny ability to recover within seconds of being on the verge of unconsciousness, as does Liddell. But what kept both men coming back for more attrition was their heart and desire to win.
"It would have been a travesty if both of us didn't fight, because it was a great fight for the fans," Liddell said of the fight that seemed destined to never materialize. "We're just swinging. That's just good old fashioned stand there and bang each other."
Liddell was able to stave off a third defeat in as many fights, but the same can't be said about "The Axe Murderer." Silva has now been the recipient of three frightful beatings, two by brutal knockout. Silva didn't discuss his future in the sport, though he did agree with the official scoring of the contest. Liddell won the unanimous nod by the margins of 30-27 (twice) and 29-28.
"He's a very tough guy," said a disappointed Silva, whose record fell to 31-8-1 with one No Contest.
"I give my best," the 31-year-old Brazilian continued. "Win or lose for me. I like to give the emotion for my fans. Here and everywhere."
Chuck Liddell (Pictures), the former UFC light heavyweight champion, and Wanderlei Silva (Pictures), the former PRIDE middleweight king ended years of frustration by locking horns and granting fight fans across the globe their wish of seeing the dangerous 205-pound fighters square off.
Liddell and Silva tore right into each other from the outset and from the way the two were delivering pulverizing punches, it seemed like the bout was one strike away from being stopped at any moment.
Silva was rocked in the first period and stumbled into the fence only to miraculously fend off Liddell with a bomb or two of his own, which caused "The Iceman" to stagger backward. The times that both men were on the verge of being sent to sleep were too numerous to count. Without question, the two future Hall of Famers delivered more than expected and for once, a fight of this magnitude more than lived up to the hype.
Silva was all but out at least twice in the opening round, but he was unbelievably able to shake off the cobwebs and bounce back.
"He had a lot better chin than I thought he did," a worn and battered Liddell said with a chuckle after the war. "I hit him with a lot of shots real hard. He still kept coming. I hurt him a few times during the fight, but he just covered up and kept coming. … I had him hurt a little bit but he recovers quick."
Liddell, now 21-5, was dropped legitimately once and taken off his feet another time, but for reasons only the fight gods know, he endured. Silva was cut badly over his right eye and his cheeks swelled considerably. Liddell had scrapes under both eyes and an inflated bottom lip.
Both men were exhausted in the latter stages of the fracas, but still they managed to swing for the fences until the final bell sounded. It was still anybody's guess as to whether the fight would last the allotted three rounds. Liddell, 38, even managed to score two perfect double-leg takedowns.
Silva has always had that uncanny ability to recover within seconds of being on the verge of unconsciousness, as does Liddell. But what kept both men coming back for more attrition was their heart and desire to win.
"It would have been a travesty if both of us didn't fight, because it was a great fight for the fans," Liddell said of the fight that seemed destined to never materialize. "We're just swinging. That's just good old fashioned stand there and bang each other."
Liddell was able to stave off a third defeat in as many fights, but the same can't be said about "The Axe Murderer." Silva has now been the recipient of three frightful beatings, two by brutal knockout. Silva didn't discuss his future in the sport, though he did agree with the official scoring of the contest. Liddell won the unanimous nod by the margins of 30-27 (twice) and 29-28.
"He's a very tough guy," said a disappointed Silva, whose record fell to 31-8-1 with one No Contest.
"I give my best," the 31-year-old Brazilian continued. "Win or lose for me. I like to give the emotion for my fans. Here and everywhere."
147
Martial Arts Topics / Re: VIDEO CLIPS OF INTEREST
« on: December 18, 2007, 01:27:30 AM »
Cool fight scene from Jackie Chans - The Myth.
To me it looks like the Eastern Indian fighter is doing stuff that looks like some fma sinawali and krabi krabong elements tied together.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=HKPcKmnP5nM
To me it looks like the Eastern Indian fighter is doing stuff that looks like some fma sinawali and krabi krabong elements tied together.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=HKPcKmnP5nM
148
Martial Arts Topics / Re: Tippy-tappy drills-- threat or menace?
« on: November 26, 2007, 12:31:49 PM »
Earlier this thread we talked about "dancing" and its relation to martial arts and respected the fact that some of the great martial artists were also great dancers below is a blog from http://serradasatx.blogspot.com/2007/06/assassination-tango.html
Friday, June 15, 2007
Assassination Tango
Last night I was watching a movie titled Assassination Tango, starring Robert Duvall.
This effort seems to be Duvall using his craft to promote his real life passion of Argentine Tango. A synopsis of the movie is Duvall's character is a hitman sent to Argentina on a contract hit, encounters a snafu on his timeline and discovers a passion for Argentine Tango. As a movie it has a "Noir" quality to it, some of the scenes seem subtle and oblique. There seems to be an aspect of byzantine-politico-machinations and a possible reference to Augusto Pinochet.
Anyway, the Tango scenes are the saving grace of this film.
The female counterpart to Duvall is a Tango instructor, "Manuela" who is Duvall's wife in real life and looks to be half his age...nice work Duvall! She introduces him to the real stuff in a small studio where her healthy, curvaceous younger sister is teaching. The younger sister, wearing a little skirt and red stilleto heels, proceeds to demonstrate "el gancho", the hook, on Duvall. "El gancho" is a quick snapping leg manuever on the male dance partner's inner thigh, and with stilleto heels there's a fine line between pleasure and pain!;)
Watching this movie reminded me of my brief encounter with Argentine Tango in San Francisco, CA. Two of my motivations for pursuing Tango dance lessons were my fascination with Gypsy Lore and Culture for which the origins of Tango are attributed to, and the potential to improve my martial arts skill set by learning to move with a partner with singular unified movement and connectivity. Aaaand my social-life needed a shot in the arm.
My dance partner was a beautiful Filipina woman, and a co-worker. The first lesson was learning "the embrace", this was a body position that required both partners to make contact and stay connected at chest/breast level....I recall I got a bit light headed and struggled to concentrate for the rest of the class and following classes as well.
The instructor of the class was a beautiful Argentine woman who told a story of traditional Tango dance practice in Argentina: Due to the strict social mores men and women were separated in the learning of Tango - women learned tango with women and men learned tango with men. As in most Latin American countries "machismo" plays a big part in the culture so to make it acceptable for men to learn tango with other men the training was modified to display a more combative aspect to it. Looking at the footwork of Argentine Tango I can see kicks, sweeps, and leg hooks. I can see this existing in traditional Argentine Vaquero culture. Imagine a Vaquero executing "El gancho" while wearing sharpened spurs on his boots, things suddenly start to get dicey! Then out come the Navajas, "flick-click!"
It would be interesting to find that type of instruction!
Aside from the passionate "embrace" position there is a variety of footwork that goes hand in hand with the leg maneuvers such as cross stepping and figure eights - Cruzadas Y Ochos.
The following is a list from Wikipedia:
Steps
While Argentine tango does not teach amalgamations of steps like swing, salsa, or ballroom dances do, there are some recurring figures that are taught. Here is a fairly typical order of steps that may be taught in a beginner classes.
Walks - a couple, in embrace, walks in unison
Salida Simple, or "eight-count basic" - salida as "the way out" onto the dance floor
Cruzada - (from cruzar - to cross) Action of the follower crossing her left foot over her right at certain points in the dance
Ocho - a figure-8 traced by the follower's feet when moving forward or backward.
Media Luna - a half giro.
Lapiz - "the pencil" - curved figures traced by the toe as an adornment
Molinete - "windmill" a turning figure of the follower around the leader (synonym for Giro)
Giro - a turn (in either direction)
Sacada - one partner displaces the other's unweighted leg
Gancho - one dancer hooks their leg around their partner's leg.
Barrida - one partner sweeps the others foot, displacing it along the floor
Arrastre - (= drag) synonym for "barrida"
Volcada - rotating the woman around her axis, while her axis is tilted toward the man, causes her to "capsize" making the free leg "spill" tracing a figure on the floor
Colgada - both dancers lean away from each other and outside of their standard axis. The weight shift is more analogous to sitting in a chair than leaning counter to one another as the shoulders stay positioned above the hips and the back is not rigid.
Parada - one dancer, usually the leader, halts the motion of the other dancer usually by blocking with the foot
Mordida - one dancer, usually the leader, places both feet on either side of the others dancers foot. Generally occurs after a Parada, with the second foot brought in forming a gentle squeeze on the other side of the foot which was halted with the parad.
Posted by Alex Castro at 12:39 PM
Friday, June 15, 2007
Assassination Tango
Last night I was watching a movie titled Assassination Tango, starring Robert Duvall.
This effort seems to be Duvall using his craft to promote his real life passion of Argentine Tango. A synopsis of the movie is Duvall's character is a hitman sent to Argentina on a contract hit, encounters a snafu on his timeline and discovers a passion for Argentine Tango. As a movie it has a "Noir" quality to it, some of the scenes seem subtle and oblique. There seems to be an aspect of byzantine-politico-machinations and a possible reference to Augusto Pinochet.
Anyway, the Tango scenes are the saving grace of this film.
The female counterpart to Duvall is a Tango instructor, "Manuela" who is Duvall's wife in real life and looks to be half his age...nice work Duvall! She introduces him to the real stuff in a small studio where her healthy, curvaceous younger sister is teaching. The younger sister, wearing a little skirt and red stilleto heels, proceeds to demonstrate "el gancho", the hook, on Duvall. "El gancho" is a quick snapping leg manuever on the male dance partner's inner thigh, and with stilleto heels there's a fine line between pleasure and pain!;)
Watching this movie reminded me of my brief encounter with Argentine Tango in San Francisco, CA. Two of my motivations for pursuing Tango dance lessons were my fascination with Gypsy Lore and Culture for which the origins of Tango are attributed to, and the potential to improve my martial arts skill set by learning to move with a partner with singular unified movement and connectivity. Aaaand my social-life needed a shot in the arm.
My dance partner was a beautiful Filipina woman, and a co-worker. The first lesson was learning "the embrace", this was a body position that required both partners to make contact and stay connected at chest/breast level....I recall I got a bit light headed and struggled to concentrate for the rest of the class and following classes as well.
The instructor of the class was a beautiful Argentine woman who told a story of traditional Tango dance practice in Argentina: Due to the strict social mores men and women were separated in the learning of Tango - women learned tango with women and men learned tango with men. As in most Latin American countries "machismo" plays a big part in the culture so to make it acceptable for men to learn tango with other men the training was modified to display a more combative aspect to it. Looking at the footwork of Argentine Tango I can see kicks, sweeps, and leg hooks. I can see this existing in traditional Argentine Vaquero culture. Imagine a Vaquero executing "El gancho" while wearing sharpened spurs on his boots, things suddenly start to get dicey! Then out come the Navajas, "flick-click!"
It would be interesting to find that type of instruction!
Aside from the passionate "embrace" position there is a variety of footwork that goes hand in hand with the leg maneuvers such as cross stepping and figure eights - Cruzadas Y Ochos.
The following is a list from Wikipedia:
Steps
While Argentine tango does not teach amalgamations of steps like swing, salsa, or ballroom dances do, there are some recurring figures that are taught. Here is a fairly typical order of steps that may be taught in a beginner classes.
Walks - a couple, in embrace, walks in unison
Salida Simple, or "eight-count basic" - salida as "the way out" onto the dance floor
Cruzada - (from cruzar - to cross) Action of the follower crossing her left foot over her right at certain points in the dance
Ocho - a figure-8 traced by the follower's feet when moving forward or backward.
Media Luna - a half giro.
Lapiz - "the pencil" - curved figures traced by the toe as an adornment
Molinete - "windmill" a turning figure of the follower around the leader (synonym for Giro)
Giro - a turn (in either direction)
Sacada - one partner displaces the other's unweighted leg
Gancho - one dancer hooks their leg around their partner's leg.
Barrida - one partner sweeps the others foot, displacing it along the floor
Arrastre - (= drag) synonym for "barrida"
Volcada - rotating the woman around her axis, while her axis is tilted toward the man, causes her to "capsize" making the free leg "spill" tracing a figure on the floor
Colgada - both dancers lean away from each other and outside of their standard axis. The weight shift is more analogous to sitting in a chair than leaning counter to one another as the shoulders stay positioned above the hips and the back is not rigid.
Parada - one dancer, usually the leader, halts the motion of the other dancer usually by blocking with the foot
Mordida - one dancer, usually the leader, places both feet on either side of the others dancers foot. Generally occurs after a Parada, with the second foot brought in forming a gentle squeeze on the other side of the foot which was halted with the parad.
Posted by Alex Castro at 12:39 PM
149
Martial Arts Topics / Re: Boxing Thread
« on: November 23, 2007, 06:15:21 PM »
Wow, that was great!!
Thanks for sharing the article.
Thanks for sharing the article.
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Martial Arts Topics / Re: Russian Stick Work
« on: November 19, 2007, 10:44:56 PM »
The Systema seems really interesting. I would like to experience a seminar, the techinique that was perfomed at the end of the clip seems like it would fit in with the FMA and other systems, it seems like a matter of zoning out into a zero pressure zone. It also reminds me of something out of Datu Worden's "Connecting the Systems" video. I think I have posted this before but I was pretty skeptical of the Systems stuff but an instructor that I have had some Sombo training with years ago wrote an article about Vlad and the Systema system and it made me want to give it a chance.
Dr Brett Jacques Grappling Arts International Magazine Nov./Dec. 1999
http://www.russianmartialart.com/main.php?page=m_specialassignment
Dr Brett Jacques Grappling Arts International Magazine Nov./Dec. 1999
http://www.russianmartialart.com/main.php?page=m_specialassignment