NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with martial artist and catch wrestler Qin Yunquan, who is the CEO, co-founder, and chief instructor for women's and children's self-defense at the Kapap Academy Singapore.

We spoke with her by Skype Tuesday.

The activities of Qin Yunquan, particularly in the area of teaching self-defense, have been getting widespread coverage in the Asian mainstream media, which reaches an enormous number of people on that continent and beyond.

"It was a huge honor," she said, to be listed on the "Forbes" 30 Under 30 Asia list, in the social entrepreneurs category, which is for "leveraging business tools to save the region's problems". An event for these honorees was held in Hong Kong, which she attended.

"It was a great opportunity to share with these people about what I did in Singapore, the social impact we're trying to create, etc. And of course to hear from these inspiring people as well about their own achievements and their work."

She has also been "featured in quite a few mainstream media, being on TV, in magazines, being part of what are called the Change Makers Campaign by CLEO Magazine.

"Being on these channels has been a great opportunity for me to continue to share the message of empowerment and self-defense with as many people as possible. Because the whole idea is to continue to educating people the importance of self-defense, and why EVERYBODY can do self-defense."

At the same time, she is training people in catch wrestling and grappling.

"More people are hearing of catch wrestling than ever before," she said.

We discussed plans for seminars and competitions in catch wrestling this fall, the need for catch wrestling to have standardized rules and proper governance, her plans to train women in India in self-defense, why her work is more than a job and really a "calling", and much, much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link does not work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is available at Google Play Music.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web here.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player app is available for free, both for Android at Google Play, and for iOS on the App Store.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is sponsored by:

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, resurrecting and promoting the sport of authentic catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance provides tournaments, seminars, and training as well as education about catch wrestling. Join the movement and keep real wrestling alive. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

Skullz Double-End Bags, the perfect bag for your combat sports training. Skullz Double-End Bags provide a realistic striking target, and help improve timing, distance, and hand and eye coordination. Hang it and hit it right out of the box! No pump required. For more information, go to SkullzDeBags.com.

Labels: Asia, catch wrestling, Eddie Goldman, India, Kapap Academy, No Holds Barred, Qin Yunquan, self-defense, Singapore, women

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with martial artist and catch wrestler Qin Yunquan, who is the CEO, co-founder, and chief instructor for women's and children's self-defense at the Kapap Academy Singapore.

We spoke with her by Skype Wednesday.

While providing training in martial arts and combat sports, including catch wrestling, she has gotten both national and international recognition for her work teaching self-defense classes to women and girls.

"Self-defense has always been my pet project, and I always love talking about it, just simply to increase the level of awareness, and to address some of the misconceptions that people have in relating to self-defense," she said.

"And I really just hope that, given how the world is going and it seems to be trouble brewing on the site, I think it's really important that people don't see self-defense as a recreation activity, as something that they want.

"I really think they need to see it as a necessity.

"And I'm doing my best to help people see that. But really, I think each person has to be responsible for their own personal safety, and you learn something or two.

"Hopefully we never have to use it, but I think we'll be pretty glad that we know these skills when we have to."

We discussed how her work, in particular her instruction in self-defense for women, helped earn her a spot as a finalist for the 2017 Singaporean of the Year Award; how she plans to expand her work regionally and internationally; how self-defense differs from martial arts in that you must first try not to engage the other person, use psychology, and just get out; how the majority of her students are brand-new to any self-defense or martial arts training; how the #MeToo movement has influenced people in Singapore, although it is not as strong as it is in the U.S.; the importance of the case of convicted serial sexual predator Larry Nassar, former doctor for USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University; why she plans to bring this self-defense instruction to India; the potential for catch wrestling in India; the growth of the grappling community in Singapore; why she is taking a break from competition now; and much, much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link does not work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is available at Google Play Music.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web here.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player app is available for free, both for Android at Google Play, and for iOS on the App Store.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is sponsored by:

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, resurrecting and promoting the sport of authentic catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance provides tournaments, seminars, and training as well as education about catch wrestling. Join the movement and keep real wrestling alive. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

Skullz Double-End Bags, the perfect bag for your combat sports training. Skullz Double-End Bags provide a realistic striking target, and help improve timing, distance, and hand and eye coordination. Hang it and hit it right out of the box! No pump required. For more information, go to SkullzDeBags.com.

Trans Boxing, organizing boxing training for transgender and gender non-conforming people, for fitness and self-defense. For more information, go to TransBoxing.org.

Labels: #MeToo, catch wrestling, Eddie Goldman, India, Kapap Academy, necessity, No Holds Barred, Qin Yunquan, self-defense, Singapore, women

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with martial artist and catch wrestler Qin Yunquan.

She is an instructor for women's and children's self-defense at the Kapap Academy Singapore.

She has also just been invited to join the new Singapore-based body image movement, Rock The Naked Truth.

We spoke with her by Skype Thursday (Wednesday New York time).

Before she was involved in martial arts and combat sports, at the age of 17 she suffered from anorexia, and weighed just 37 kg (about 81 pounds). Now an active freestyle and catch wrestler as well as a self-defense instructor, we discussed her transformation and involvement with Rock the Naked Truth.

"I was invited to the Rock the Naked Truth movement," she said.

"It was started off by Cheryl Tay, who is also a former anorexic victim herself, or a patient herself. The reason why she started the movement is that she wanted to spread the awareness that people should not be ashamed of their body type. People should not be ashamed of their appearances. Just be who you are, be comfortable who you are."

She continued, "Don't be subjected to people's scrutiny. I think that's the objective of Rock the Naked Truth."

We discussed how this movement helps both men and women to get in shape, to be happy about it, and to combat low self-esteem.

Qin Yunquan's journey is also a story with many lessons for all. She went from being, in her words, a "chubby" teenager, to becoming anorexic, to straightening herself out and finding a calling in martial arts and teaching women's self-defense. She also has wrestled as part of the Singapore national wrestling team. We discussed how her academy values every martial arts system, including the Kapap unarmed combat system, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, catch wrestling, and many more.

In addition, we discussed the upcoming March 20 catch wrestling tournament in Singapore, the grappling scene there, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web, at http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/no-holds-barred-with-eddie-goldman.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player for iOS is available for free on the App Store.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

Gracie Tournaments, featuring regional, national, and world competitions in submission-only Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. For more information, go to GracieWorlds.com.

The National Registry for Wrestling, whose mission is to increase wrestling's fanbase, to build a registry of all wrestling fans, to serve as a connecting point for all wrestling fans, and to provide TV and Internet listings for wrestling. For more information, go to NR4W.com.
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Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.com.

Labels: body image, catch wrestling, Eddie Goldman, Kapap Academy, No Holds Barred, Qin Yunquan, Rock Naked Truth, Singapore, women's self-defense

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with martial artist and catch wrestler Qin Yunquan.

She is an instructor for women's and children's self-defense at the Kapap Academy Singapore.

Her next travel destination is the U.K., specifically the historic home of catch wrestling, the Snake Pit Wigan, for their annual International Week events. While she is still recovering from knee surgery and may not be able to wrestle in their tournament, she will attend the training sessions with several goals in mind.

We spoke with Qin Yunquan by Skype Friday.

"Our goal is actually to start a catch wrestling tournament in Singapore, probably next year, probably the second half of next year," she said.

"One of the key reasons why I'm going to Snake Pit Wigan is so, because I understand at the end of the camp, there would be a competition, a catch wrestling competition, and I'm actually there to find out how a catch wrestling competition is organized, and things as such."

While rehabbing her knee, she has also been going to watch both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and no-gi grappling in Singapore. She noted that the level of grappling in Singapore has risen in recent years, but it also has been influenced by catch wrestling.

We discussed how catch wrestling is different from jiu-jitsu and should not look like it, how wrestling has not grown as much as other combat sports in Singapore have, the self-defense training (especially for women) she provides, her plans to compete much more next year, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at AmericanTopTeam.com.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to TakedownRadio.com.

Labels: BJJ, catch wrestling, Eddie Goldman, grappling, Kapap Academy, No Holds Barred, Qin Yunquan, Singapore, Snake Pit, Wigan

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with martial artist, catch wrestler, freestyle wrestler, and our correspondent, Qin Yunquan.

She is an instructor for women's and children's self-defense at the Kapap Academy Singapore. She is also helping to build Catch Wrestling Singapore.

At present, she is preparing to wrestle on the card of the Catch Wrestling Alliance International Invitational: The Rebirth.

This event will take place Saturday, June 7, in Collins Court in the John Wooden Center on the campus of UCLA, at 221 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, California 90095-1612.

This invitational event will be held under catch wrestling rules, where you can only win by pin or submission. Her opponent will be named shortly.

We spoke with Qin Yunquan by Skype Friday.

While she is currently recovering from a knee injury, which she said is "not too bad", she expects to resume training shortly and be ready for her June 7 match. Her preparation also included a trip to the two-day Certified Catch Wrestler Training Camp in San Diego, California, February 7-8, with catch wrestling legend Billy Robinson and Jake Shannon of ScientificWrestling.com. This camp turned out to be the last one for Billy Robinson, who passed away February 27 at age 75.

Discussing some of the submission techniques which she learned from Billy Robinson, she said, "Billy Robinson taught me a lot of the submissions that uses a lot of deception." She went on, "A lot of people when they grapple, they go on with brute force, and it's almost predictable what they're going to do next."

Billy Robinson, she noted, taught many different setups. "So you think he's doing something, and yet you're really going for the arm or the leg, and you're not protecting against it."

And that deception is something that is very useful against many opponents. "They're going to know all the predictable moves of, for example, BJJ or even wrestling."

We also discussed her continuing work in providing self-defense training; the use of technology, social media, and apps in popularizing catch wrestling; how combat sports in general and various styles of grappling and wrestling are growing in Singapore; and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

Labels: Billy Robinson, Catch Wrestling Alliance, Eddie Goldman, grappling, International Invitational Rebirth, Kapap, No Holds Barred, Qin Yunquan, Singapore, submission

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with martial artist, catch wrestler, freestyle wrestler, and our newest correspondent, Qin Yunquan.

She is an instructor for women's and children's self-defense at the Kapap Academy Singapore. She is also helping to build Catch Wrestling Singapore.

She has just completed a three-week trip to the U.S. packed with high level training in numerous disciplines.

First she spent five days training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the famed Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Torrance, California. She also trained with Raul Ramirez of the Catch Wrestling Alliance in catch wrestling in the Los Angeles area. Next, she spent about a week training at The Arena in San Diego, California, in MMA, no-gi grappling, wrestling, muay Thai, and muay boran. Then she went to the two-day Certified Catch Wrestler Training Camp in San Diego with catch wrestling legend Billy Robinson and Jake Shannon of ScientificWrestling.com.

We spoke with Qin Yunquan by phone Saturday night while she was preparing to leave San Diego for Singapore on Sunday.

"It has been indeed a very, very interesting stay in the States for this time," she said. "It has been a very fruitful experience going from one gym to the other gym, training in different systems of martial arts. There's so much to share about each experience. And every one of them has been amazing."

Speaking about the training with Billy Robinson, she said, "This time around was actually my second time I'm actually attending Billy Robinson's seminar, and once again it was a mind-blowing experience."

We discussed some of the key lessons she will take back to Singapore from her training; how the philosophy of the Gracies "complements" and helps what is done in catch wrestling; how she especially worked on takedowns when training with Raul Ramirez; why it is essential to understand the principles behind all these techniques; why catch wrestling has "a very, very bright future"; the plans to educate the public and develop catch wrestling in Singapore and Southeast Asia; her plans to compete in the June 7 Catch Wrestling Alliance event in Los Angeles; why this "training is my vacation"; and much, much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

Labels: Academy, Billy Robinson, BJJ, catch wrestling, Eddie Goldman, Gracie, grappling, jiu-jitsu, Kapap, MMA, No Holds Barred, Qin Yunquan, Raul Ramirez, Singapore, submission

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with martial artist, catch wrestler, and freestyle wrestler Qin Yunquan.

She is an instructor for women's and children's self-defense at the Kapap Academy Singapore.

While based in Singapore, she is currently in the U.S. to further her training, including in catch wrestling with Raul Ramirez of the Catch Wrestling Alliance in Los Angeles, and at the Certified Catch Wrestler Training Camp, February 7-8, in San Diego, California, with catch wrestling legend Billy Robinson and Jake Shannon of ScientificWrestling.com. She will also be training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA.

We spoke with Qin Yunquan by Skype Tuesday.

Speaking about the participation of herself and her students in submission grappling and MMA tournaments, she said, "Whenever we go into tournaments, local tournaments like grappling tournaments, especially in submission grappling, we go in, not under the premise that we are submission grapplers, but we go in and we publicly tell people, 'We are catch wrestlers.'"

This leaves an impression on those who are not catch wrestlers, especially after they win their fights.

"It strikes fear into the people, because they have heard about catch wrestling, but they don't know enough about it. So it's like fighting an unknown opponent, and you don't know what they're going to do," she said.

"And so when we win these local tournaments, whether it's a standalone catch wrestling or a submission grappling tournament, it raises the profile of catch wrestling, because you go in, publicly telling people that we are catch wrestlers."

While BJJ and MMA are much bigger than catch wrestling in Singapore and all of Southeast Asia, she noted that it is growing there. But she added that there is "not enough credit given to catch in MMA."

We discussed how she and those in her academy got involved with catch wrestling; the origins of the Kapap Academy Singapore, which was started by Teo Yew Chye, and how it was born out of tragedy; her training of women in self-defense; her participation in freestyle wrestling with the Wrestling Federation of Singapore; her own earlier training in Wushu; why wrestling doesn't have "cultural boundaries to it" and "anybody can do it"; and many other topics.

"Stay tuned for the growth of catch wrestling in Southeast Asia, because our school is definitely going to be set to showcase more catch wrestling in all parts of the world," she said. "And stay tuned for more fighters from our gym coming to compete, because we will definitely showcase catch wrestling and what it can do in various martial arts contests."

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

GrappleGnostic, sponsored by Defense Soap. Where the will to win meets the power of knowledge. Features, interviews, analysis, health tips, and information on wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and all the grappling arts, written by some of the best writers and experts in the world. Check out their web site, a http://defensesoap.com/grapplegnostic.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at http://defensesoap.com.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

Labels: BJJ, catch wrestling, Eddie Goldman, freestyle, grappling, Kapap Academy Singapore, MMA, No Holds Barred, Qin Yunquan, Singapore, submission, Teo Yew Chye