Again, it’s been a while since the last post but rest assured I’ve kept busy!
Unified Weapons Master (UWM) finally went out with their ‘Call to Arms’ early this year, announcing that they were looking for fighters for their inaugural fight event. After completing Continue reading
Kummooyeh is a Korean martial art that centers around swordsmanship. Wanting to know more, I paid a visit to one such school in Sydney.
I try to shrug off some of the raindrops as I walk up the stairs to the loft of a spacious building, just off the busy Parramatta Road here in Sydney. When I decided to save this visit for a ‘rainy day’, I had not intended for it to be taken literally! Maybe I should stop viewing the use of an umbrella as cheating.
A Taekwondo class is currently in session, so I take a seat while I wait for the Kummooyeh instructor to arrive. Continue reading
Finally Ardent Heart is ready to be published! This has been a labour-of-love long in the making, a true team effort that could not have happened without the following talents:
Ming Ng, who handled the cinematography and editing. Check out more of his work here.
Bethany Levy, who handled design and visual effects. To see more of her work, have a look at her website.
Dudu Capoeira, a talented Capoeira musician and teacher who supplied the music. You can buy his music via his website, or on iTunes. Check out his website!
Inspiration came from this awesome ballet clip, which got me thinking Continue reading
I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and learning from Sifu John Callaghan since I joined my Kung Fu school. A martial artist of great taste and an excellent teacher, Sifu John is passing on the teachings of Sigung Randy Bennett at the Australian Jow Ga Kung Fu Academy in the heart of Sydney.
These ’10 Questions’ will be raised with masters of any and all styles I cross paths with, should the opportunity arise.
UWM is getting closer and closer to going live and the people behind have now launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo – check it out here.
For those who are wondering, UWM stands for Unified Weapons Master and can most easily be described as Ultimate Fighting – but with weapons. Continue reading
Shameless plug – a montage (or rather, another montage) for my school. This will probably be the official intro to our school in Sydney – and a damn good-looking intro it is, as well.
On a personal note, for once yours truly had nothing to do with setting it up (except for a small dose of feedback during its revision).
– Lobo
Another overdue entry – last year, as I went competing again, I had the pleasure of getting acquainted with Sydney-based stuntman Stephen Murdoch.
Competing in both Traditional Weapons with a sword form from the Korean martial art Kummooyeh, as well as going into the Creative Weapons category with a tricking form with dual-wielding Kamas, Stephen showed both strong versatility as well consistent high quality.
But just as important was the respect he showed through it all, win or lose, both to martial arts in general as well as all the competitors he was up against. That is the kind of character that each instructor should try to foster in his students.
– Lobo
Getting towards the end of my story, but it isn’t over yet!
Having recovered from my knee injury (to a degree) and scored some trophy loot, I could see the next big challenge looming on the horizon – the legendary Black Belt.
Even though I had been training since my teenage years, I actually had never had the opportunity to attain it. There was always something that got in the way, such as my school shutting down, me moving to another city, and so on. Even though my Capoeira blue belt could be seen as the equivalent of a black belt (as it marks you as a graduado, a graduate) it was still not a black belt. But now the time had come. Continue reading
The next chapter in my story, when it becomes apparent that it is time to move on.
I am far from what you would call a spiritual person, and as a happy agnostic I feel that there must be something greater than us that started it all, but until I feel certain of what that certain is I will keep myself open and accepting of most possibilities (except Scientology). But when it comes to fatalism, I do pick a side – as a big fan of the concept of ‘free will’, I put my faith in the belief that although we are born into circumstances out of our control, we are still able to make our own choices throughout our lives and influence our future. The idea that we would all be subject to a predetermined fate irks me. When astrology claims that my ‘Leo’ personality is defined by how the planets were aligned at the time of my birth, it feels like an insult to my ego and independence (which, ironically, is very much typical Leo behaviour).
Eye of the Leo
The continued Capoeira adventures in my story. If you wish to know more about Capoeira, read this.
After moving from Sweden to Sydney, I joined forces with Pipoca straightaway. Once my sister and my friend Jimmy arrived as well, we went househunting and soon rented a flat right by the famous Bondi Beach. A job had already been found for me, which was a shock compared to Sweden, and I soon got into a routine between work and training with my friends. In the next 6 months we enjoyed the beach life and went on adventures, such as snorkelling at the Great Barrier Reef. After struggling in Sweden for so long, it was a relief to be able to bask in the sun for a while. Eventually my sister and Jimmy went back to Sweden, and life settled down to a routine with just Pipoca and I. But now that I no longer had the company of people from my own Capoeira group, how was I to continue my training? Continue reading
Lobo's Blog 