Sunday, March 09, 2014
No Holds Barred: Frank Shamrock on Fatherhood, Catch Wrestling, and Head Injuries
(Frank Shamrock and Eddie Goldman, New York, July 1, 2010.)
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with MMA legend and the best MMA fighter of the 1990s, Frank Shamrock.
Now retired as a fighter, we discussed, in an interview recorded by phone Friday, what he is doing now and what his plans are.
A major focus of his life now is raising his five-year-old daughter, "five-year-old immersion" as he calls it, including all the tasks of a father from watching children's shows with her, to getting her to train in taekwondo, to explaining why so many people know him.
While he does not follow MMA much anymore, he does have an interest in the rebirth of catch wrestling. He said that both he and veteran combat sports announcer Mauro Ranallo plan to attend the Catch Wrestling Alliance International Invitational on June 7 at UCLA in Los Angeles, California.
"Catch wrestling is the basis of my fighting style. And the basis of catch wrestling is conditioning, athleticism, and continuously trying to finish," he said.
"Anybody doing that is exciting. You're in shape, you know what to do, and you're constantly moving. So It's a recipe for creating exciting action."
He did caution, "I know as soon as super-athletes come along, the game will change. But let's wait until the super-athletes come before we worry about it."
For now, he said, "This is the type of martial art and social presentation and participation that's really good for everybody."
What he does have second thoughts about are those sports where there are strikes to the head.
"If you do that for a continuous period of time, if you develop a style that eats punches, if you are not good, if you are in over your head, if you're taking shots, none of that is good for you, in any sport, no matter what you're doing. You cannot get hit in the head. You cannot mess with the computer that runs the machine," he said.
"My whole style is based around not getting hit. I don't have any memory loss. I don't have any speech problems. I've been very, very blessed. And when I started getting hit, when the game started turning to boxing and wrestling, I got out, because I didn't want to get mashed up."
As for his daughter, he said, "The brain is the most important thing. You cannot damage it. My daughter is not going into any contact sport that hits her in the head. It's not going to happen. Might be volleyball, at best."
Asked whether at the start of his fighting career he would have gone into professional grappling or real wrestling rather than MMA if the financial and career opportunities were equivalent to those in MMA, without hesitation he replied, "100 percent."
We also discussed his now mellow life as a father and "a normal house dude", how his views on violent sports have evolved over the past two decades, the "huge potential" for sports like catch wrestling, some of his favorite experiences in Pancrase and Strikeforce, the lack of a martial arts code in present-day MMA, how the martial arts changed him, his relationship with his brother Ken, 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: brain, catch, Eddie Goldman, fatherhood, Frank Shamrock, grappling, head, injuries, MMA, No Holds Barred, trauma, violence, wrestling
Friday, February 01, 2013
No Holds Barred: Dr. Alex Eingorn and John Perretti on the Practical Martial Art That Failed
Dr. Eingorn, considered by many to be the best chiropractor in New York, founded one of New York City's first multi-disciplinary health care centers in 1989 that later became Better Health Chiropractic, which he still runs.
Our discussion was recorded by phone Monday night.
Dr. Eingorn first met and began training with John Perretti in New York in 1977. The techniques taught by John were officially known as Tao Jutsu Do, combining the best techniques of the martial arts and combat sports. Even in the 1970s and '80s, Dr. Eingorn recalled, Tao Jutsu Do was also known by a term which would later eclipse it: mixed martial arts.
The training included everything from grappling to use of weapons to kickboxing to running gauntlets while blindfolded. The emphasis, Dr. Eingorn stated, was on "the practicality of everything" rather than style. The training not only focused on these many techniques of fighting, but also on how to "repair people" from any injuries they suffered, something which reinforced Dr. Eingorn's career choice.
Along the way, however, something went wrong. While Dr. Eingorn said he used to follow professional MMA and has attended several live events, he no longer follows MMA like he once did.
"In my opinion, it's evolved into a totally different animal," he said in this interview.
Discussing his training from 1977 to 1983 with John Perretti, he said, "We had rules. We couldn't just get somebody on the ground and keep pummeling them in the head. You know, you get somebody on the ground, you land a punch, you know it's solid, you stop the fight."
He continued, "Initially, when John was starting this, it was all about stopping your opponent and discouraging them from continuing, whether it was through an arm bar or a choke hold or some other technique. And then it stopped. What I see now is that the damage is relentless." And he said, "These people are coming out injured, more than they need to be, in my opinion." When asked what he wants to see in MMA today, he responded, "more technique and less violence."
He concluded, "When we were working on this, we were trying to create a practical art, a practical martial art, that will do no harm, that will just develop the person's ability, it will teach them honor, it will teach them boundaries, it will teach them discipline, and teach them all the beauty that the martial arts has to offer, without the devastating trauma and lasting injury." But that, in his opinion has not occurred with professional MMA.
"And I think, unfortunately, we failed. I think the powers that be took that to a totally different level."
We also discussed some of the style vs. style challenge fights of the 1970s and 1980s, the issues of head injuries and brain trauma in combat and contact sports, 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.
"The Martist" with John Perretti. A "martist" is an artist as well as a martial artist. This is a blog for those who think about fighting, published by John Perretti, the lifelong martial artist and former UFC and Battlecade Extreme Fighting matchmaker. Check out John's writings at http://johnperretti.com.
MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City February 16 and 17, 2013, for the fourth annual MMA World Expo, featuring an amateur MMA tournament, grappling, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, and much more. The MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, February 16, and Sunday, February 17, 2013, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.
Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.
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: Alex Eingorn, Eddie Goldman, grappling, John Perretti, martial arts, mixed, MMA, No Holds Barred, practical, Tao Jutsu Do, violence
Saturday, December 15, 2012
No Holds Barred: The Connecticut Shootings and the Combat Sports
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.
MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City February 16 and 17, 2013, for the fourth annual MMA World Expo, featuring an amateur MMA tournament, grappling, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, and much more. The MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, February 16, and Sunday, February 17, 2013, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.
Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.
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: boxing, combat sports, Connecticut, Eddie Goldman, grappling, killings, martial arts, MMA, Newtown, No Holds Barred, shootings, violence, wrestling
Thursday, March 22, 2012
No Holds Barred: Kushinda Lamarr Thornton on Values, Violence, Martial Arts, and MMA
(Photo by Keisha Morrisey)
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with veteran martial arts instructor Kushinda Lamarr Thornton of New Breed Life Arts.
New Breed Life Arts is a dojo, based in Harlem, New York, that trains adults and children both in numerous martial arts and in life arts. They write on their web site that their "main focus is to assist people to become empowered, productive citizens, and to provide exposure to positive relevant images. The New Breed's goal is to provide information and enlightenment while utilizing mind, body and spirit concepts."
They are also playing a key role in organizing the Battle of the Dojos martial arts tournament and show on Saturday, March 31, at the Paradise Theater in the Bronx, New York.
In an enlightening and important discussion, we spoke with Kushinda Lamarr Thornton Wednesday afternoon at his dojo. We discussed numerous issues, including values and respect in the traditional martial arts and the lack of respect in so much of MMA. He explained that the purpose of training in the martial arts is actually to prevent violence and not to promote violence. We also heard from our colleague and correspondent Keisha Morrisey, whose son had trained with Kushinda Lamarr. We also discussed some of the activities which will take place at the Battle of the Dojos event, and much, much more.
You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.
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", by Ian Carpenter.
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.
DARE Championship. Based in Thailand, DARE is a mixed martial arts event where fighters from all over the world compete to become the DARE Champion. DARE is one of the first MMA promotions in Thailand, and has been televised in many countries and online. For more information, go to their web site, at DareFightSports.com.
Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.
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/.
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", by Ian Carpenter.
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.
DARE Championship. Based in Thailand, DARE is a mixed martial arts event where fighters from all over the world compete to become the DARE Champion. DARE is one of the first MMA promotions in Thailand, and has been televised in many countries and online. For more information, go to their web site, at DareFightSports.com.
Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.
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: Battle Dojos, Eddie Goldman, Keisha Morrisey, Kushinda Lamarr Thornton, martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, values, violence
