Monthly Archives: March 2011
UCLA Newsroom Article – “Tai Chi beats back depression”
Click to learn more –
- Click text for full article…
- Click photo to learn more about the UCLA Tai Chi class
- Click here to sign up for the UCLA Tai Chi class.
ARCHIVE – Daily Bruin Article on Dorm Martial Arts Classes – 5/1/1997
Check out this article on having self defense classes in the dorms. UCLA Martial Arts provides self defense classes to any group on campus and does about 6-7 ORL programs in the dorms every quarter. Lance Wisdom is our resident self defense instructor for the dorm classes. Click here to learn more about what Lance does in these classes.
Click here to read about how classes used to run almost 15 years ago!!
ARCHIVE FOOTAGE – UCLA vs Stanford Tornado Kick – 3/21/2006
Check out this awesome tornado kick during a Taekwondo match between UCLA and Stanford
Over 3 millions views!!! Check out the UCLA Taekwondo Program at these sites;
UCLA Kendo Club – 4th Annual Yuhihai Tournament
The term “Yuhi” means “A great leap of bravery and ambition” The UCLA Kendo Yuhihai Tournament aspires to motivate students to challenge themselves through Kendo competition. The 4th Annual Yuhihai Tournament took place on the 6th of March 2011 and included 9 teams from around the country.
Kendo “The Way of the Sword“, has evolved from a nearly 2000 year old tradition of Japanese Swordsmanship. The concept of Kendo is to discipline the human character through the application of the principles of the Katana. The UCLA Kendo Club was founded in 2002 under the head instruction of Masaharu Makino, 7th Dan instructor form the Long Beach Kendo Dojo, to promote the art of Japanese Swordsmanship. The club strives to practice and teach proper Kendo, balancing competitiveness and self cultivation. The UCLA Kendo Club currently consists of a committed group of roughly 40 active participants ranging from undergraduate to faculty.
(UCLA Kendo Club at the 4th Annual Yuhihai Tournament)
Competitors from California and surrounding states as far as Massachusetts (Harvard), attended the tournament to compete in this ancient tradition of sword play. The tournament began with demonstrations from Kendo Masters with Katana’s and the UCLA Kyodo Taiko Drumming .
(Kata Demonstration by Uchidachi: Uk Hur Sensei, 7th Dan & Shidachi: Chuljoo Pak Sensei, 5th Dan)
(Click picture for a video of the Yuhihai tournament including a Taiko Drumming Demonstration from UCLA’s Kyodo Taiko)
How To Watch a Kendo Match;
The four main target area, each worth one point, are hit with strikes to the head (MEN), torso (DO), wrist (KOTE) or thrust to the throat (TSUKI). The competitors call their attempted strikes in a strong voice (KIAI), and strikes must be delivered with the upper third of the bamboo blade (SHINAI)). Even though it may appear that many strikes are finding their targets in the course of a match, a successful stroke must be coordinated with correct footwork, powerful kiai, good posture, and a strong follow through.
The three referees indicate points by snapping red or white flags overhead; at least two must agree for the point to be awarded. A fast crisscrossing of the flags at hip level means the official did not consider a strike valid. The match is halted after each successful point and resumed at center court. Two good points delivered simultaneously cancels one another and the match is stopped. Penalties are given for stepping out of bounds, dropping ones shinai, and poor sportsmanship. If a contestant accumulates two such penalties in the course of a match, one point is awarded to the opponent.
Individual matches are fought for two out of the three points over a period of 2-5 minutes. A scoreless or tied match my be extended until a deciding point is scored, though in preliminary matches a draw may be decided by a referees decision based on form, technique and fighting spirit. Team matches are usually fought in teams of three or five. Each individual competes with normal individual match rules ad regulations. To win the team match the team has to win more individual matches that the opponent. If the number of won matches is the sames on both sides, the victor is decided by number of points scored If the number of points and matches won are the same, each team selects a member to compete in a sudden death match to determine the winner. (Courtesy of Southern California Kendo Organization)
The UCLA Kendo Club in Association with the UCLA Martial Arts Program wishes to thank all the competitors and teams in the 4th Annual Yuhihai Tournament and looks forward to seeing them next year. Special Congratulations to the winners of the tournament UC Riverside.
15th Annual Collegiate Wushu Tournament at UCLA
Congratulations to the UCLA Wushu Club, this past weekend (3/5/11) they hosted the 15th Annual Collegiate Wushu Tournament in the Student Activities Center. 27 Teams competed against each other in ‘forms’ which include techniques from various Chinese martial arts. Many of the forms include acrobatic and aerial moves which the competitors move across the floor in various orders. Some forms have the same techniques some have variations from school to school. But all are very impressive to watch, see below;
(Click the picture to watch a video of Stefan Wojciechowski – Co President of the UCLA Wushu Club, performing a form during the tournament)
While watching the tournament, I kept hearing a single chant to encourage the competitors, this chant was “Jiayo” and it means to ‘add oil’ or gas, like fuel to a fire. When I asked the UCLA Wushu Club President what the chant meant he expanded on how rival teams cheer for each other and what the collegiate tournament means to him;
“For me, the Wushu Collegiates shows true sportsmanship. There is no malice between rivals and it is common that your arch rival will lead the cheer for you as you compete. That strong sense of community and friendship and the ethic that we are about improving ourselves and our expression through martial arts, is what made me really love this sport and want to provide that opportunity to other college students.”
–Stefan Wojciechowski (UCLA Wushu Club President)
UCLA A team took 2nd place group set, losing by only .01 to Berkeley UCLA Wushu’s biggest rival! UCLA also took 2nd place in the overall team competition, again coming second only to Berkeley, Stefan said that Berkeley has a massive club with many schools in the bay area to train with, this makes them a force to contend with. Individually the UCLA Team received nine 1st place, eight 2nd place and three 3rd place medals. To see all the individual UCLA achievements check out the list below;
Julie Wang 1st place Beg Female Straight Sword
Chris Hoo 2nd place Beg Male Staff
Josephine Lee 2nd place Int Traditional Open Empty Hand
Andy Huang 2nd place Int Male Traditional Open Empty Hand
Candace Sy 2nd place Int Female Traditional Open Empty Hand
Christine Truong 3rd place Int traditional Open Empty Hand
Karen Mok Adv Female Southern Fist 1st place & Adv Female Broadsword 1st place
Erin Wu 1st place Adv Female Straight Sword, 3rd place Adv Female Spear & 2nd place Adv Female Taiji Sword
Jarrad Lee 3rd place Adv Male Yang Taiji, 1st place Adv Male 42 Form Combined Taiji, 2nd place Adv Male Taiji Sword & 2nd place Adv Male Internal Open Empty Hand
Elaine Ho 1st place Adv Female Internal Open Weapon & 1st place Adv Female Internal Open Empty Hand
Janice Chan 1st place Int Female Straight Sword
Ernest Wong 1st place Beg Contemporary Open Weapon
Stefan Wojciechowski 2nd place Adv Contemporary Open Weapon
(Karen Mok with one of her medals)
List of schools that competed in the 15th Annual Wushu Collegiates;
1. UC Davis 2. UC San Diego 3. UC Berkeley 4. UC Irvine 5. UC Riverside 6. UC Santa Cruz 7. UC Hastings 8. University of Washington 9. University of Southern California 10. University of Oregon 11. University of Maryland College Park 12. University of Virgina 13. Northern Arizona University 14. Stanford 15. De Anza College 16. Cal Poly Pomona 17. College of Alameda 18. L’Academie de Cuisine 19. San Jose Community College 20. LCC 21. California State University Fullerton 22. California State University Northridge 23. SCC 24. San Jose State University 25. RHC 26. City College of San Francisco 27. UCLARelated Articles
- COMPETITION SUPPORT – UCLA Wushu Club (bruinmartialarts.wordpress.com)
COMPETITION SUPPORT – UCLA Kendo Tournament
COME OUT THIS SUNDAY AND SUPPORT THE UCLA KENDO CLUB!!
WHEN – Sunday March 6th (9am-6pm)
WHERE – Student Activities Center
WHAT – 4th Annual Yuhihai Tournament
Kendo (剣道, kendō), meaning “Way of The Sword”, is a modern Japanese martial art of sword-fighting based on traditional samurai swordsmanship, or kenjutsu. Kendo is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong martial arts values with sport-like physical elements. Click here to see the official Yuhihai Tournament website.
To learn more about the tournament’s history, and to listen to UCLA Kendo club members talk about what Kendo means to them, click the pictures below to listen to a UCLA Radio post, watch slow motion video of the All Japan Championships and to see USC vs. UCLA in last years tournament!!
(Click the picture to listen to the technical, emotional and historical aspects of UCLA Kendo)
(Click the picture to watch an awesome video of the All Japan Kendo Championships, it shows excellent slow video of each winning point!)
(Click the picture for a video of last years tournament – USC vs UCLA)
COMPETITION SUPPORT – UCLA Wushu Club
COME OUT TO SUPPORT THE UCLA WUSHU CLUB THIS SATURDAY (MARCH 5TH)
WHEN – All Day – Starting around 10am
WHERE – 3rd Floor – Student Activities Center (SAC)
WHAT – 15th ANNUAL COLLEGIATE WUSHU TOURNAMENT
The sport of Wushu is both an exhibition and a full-contact sport derived from traditional Chinese martial arts. It was created in the Peoples Republic of China after 1949, in an attempt to nationalize the practice of traditional. Chinese martial arts. Most of the modern competition forms were formed from their parent arts (see list below) by government-appointed committees. In contemporary times, wushu has become an international sport through the International Wushu Federation (IWUF), which holds the World Wushu Championships every two years; the first World Championships were held in 1991 in Beijing and won by Yuan Wen Qin. Over 25 teams will be competing in this years Collegiate Tournament!!!
To get a better idea of what Wushu Forms Look like check out the UCLA Wushu Club Website or check out one of the UCLA Wushu Teams form video below;
(Click picture to watch video)
IMPORTANT – Sexual Assault; The Facts and How to Help.
1 in 6 of American women have been victim of either attempted or completed rape. Over 17.7 million American women have been victims of attempted or completed rape. College age women are 4 times more likely to be sexually assaulted and every two minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted.It is often said that a college campus is the most dangerous place for 18-22 year old women to be!!
These statistics are the reason that the UCLA Martial Arts Program is stepping up and taking an active role in educating UCLA students on sexual assault and how to prepare themselves by using risk reducers and increasing their awareness of this college campus problem.
(UCLA Martial Arts Director, Paul McCarthy talks to college women about awareness and self defense tips in case they are attacked. His “Got Consent” shirt resonates with a primary teaching tool used for both college women and men….no means NO!)
How do I educate myself and stay safe while on Campus?
Take a Martial Arts Class to learn how to defend yourself. Click here to go to the UCLA Martial Arts website which has details (including full syllabi) on each martial arts class offered. We recommend one of the following to gain the tools needed to defend yourself;
Classes run every quarter and cost between $30-45 dollars for the full 8 weeks!! If you live on the hill in a dorm you can request to have a custom self defense program come to your dorm. Contact your RA or Paul McCarthy at pmccarthy@recreation.ucla.edu to learn more or book a program.
New programs that UCLA Martial Arts will be running in the Spring quarter include the Wednesday Wellness Workshops in collaboration with CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services). These workshops will include a brief interactive skit that will educate students on the dangers of date acquaintance rape and show brief self defense techniques on how to deal with those specific situations. The tentative dates for these workshops are April 27th, May 4th, May 11th and May 18th or 25th. Once the details are set stay tuned on this site to learn the specifics.
How can I help or get involved?
The UCLA Martial Arts Program is always looking for assistance in teaching self defense programs. We have a Martial Arts Assistant Certification Program for those students who have taken a couple of martial arts classes and want to develop their teaching skills. Click the link to learn more. We are also looking for male and female presenters for the CAPS “He Said, She Said” interactive skit during the Wednesday Wellness Workshops. There is no experience necessary and full training is provided, public speaking and being able to ‘act’ out the characters of Tom or Amanda would be a plus though!
Contact Paul McCarthy at pmccarthy@recreation.ucla.edu for more information – Or attend the informational meeting on Wednesday the 9th of March at 8pm in the John Wooden Center Main Conference Room (at the back on the 2nd floor).
Interested in assisting during more programs? Spring will host The Clothesline Project at UCLA in May which will include a Take Back The Night event at its culmination. Volunteers to help set up, host and just generally help out with the event are always welcome. Contact the administrators on the linked page above, join the Facebook group or attend the meetings on Wednesdays from 6:30-7:30pm in Ackerman 2412 (Spring location will change) , do not worry about being late, come for a little bit or the whole meeting!
I look forward to seeing you get involved with UCLA Martial Arts and helping to make UCLA a safer place for everyone!
Cheers
Paul McCarthy.
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UCLA Recreation Martial Arts Instructors & Students
The UCLA Martial Arts Program 