Football & MA

[GeneChing]

Not to be confused with Football & MMA (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=54183). ;)

Right here in our five&dime. East Bay Massive!

Raiders to Celebrate Asian Heritage (http://www.raiders.com/news/article-1/Raiders-to-Celebrate-Asian-Heritage/d0213da4-3062-49a7-a4ef-a39eeec117ee)
Posted Nov 18, 2009

This Sunday marks the Raiders first-ever Asian Heritage game...

The Oakland Raiders will celebrate Asian Heritage this Sunday when the Silver and Black take on the Cincinnati Bengals at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The festivities include a full half-time performance by local martial arts schools in dedication to late grandmaster Bruce Lee. The Raiders will pay tribute to Lee and the grandmasters from the participating schools in a pre-game on-field ceremony to honor their contributions to the education and practice of Asian martial arts. Lee’s wife Linda will be in representation of the Lee family.

“We are pleased to add our celebration of Asian Heritage to the many ways in which we share with our global fan base our commitment to multicultural initiatives,” said Raiders Chief Executive Amy Trask.

Grandmasters Ralph Castro, Ernie Reyes, Jack Wada, Scott Coker, Doc Fai Wong, Cung Le, Brian Schwartz, Jordan Pallen, Chris Jensen, Roger Hamilton and Richard Brandon will be honored prior to kickoff. The ceremony will recognize their outstanding efforts as promoters of the millenary form of martial arts. The Raider organization and the grandmasters will pay tribute together to Bruce Lee by dedicating the cultural half-time performance to him. Lee is considered to be the most influential martial artist of the 20th century.

Bay Area-native Neyshia Go will perform the National Anthem. Go comes from a Chinese and Filipino cultural backgrounds due to her family’s Asian roots. She has won numerous local and California State singing competitions and was an American Idol top-50 finalist in 2008.

ESMG World, a leader in multicultural marketing, will produce the half-time show in conjunction with The Silver and Black. The Asian cultural presentation will feature diverse martial arts demonstrations representative of Japan, China, Korea and the Philippines. The martial arts showcase will include aikido, san shou, kung fu, tai chi, lion and dragon dancing, taekwondo, shaolin kenpo, shotokan, kajukenbo, Philippines’ martial arts, Filipino stick fighting, wushu, karate, and mixed martial arts.

The participating schools are: Aikido of San Jose, Cung Le’s Universal Strength Headquarters, Doc-Fai Wong Martial Arts Center, Golden State Taekwondo, Great Grandmaster Ralph Castro’s International Shaolin Kenpo Association, Hamilton Martial Arts Academy, Pallen’s Martial Arts, Richard Branden’s Studio Kicks, and West Coast Martial Arts.

The Raiders have long been pioneers, both on and off the field, with regards to the team’s global outreach. The Silver and Black maintains a global presence and communicates with the worldwide Raider Nation through the team's official web sites which feature original and translated content in six different languages - Tagalog, Japanese, German, Chinese, Spanish and English.

[uki]

i just had a dream about the teenage mutant ninja turtles last night...

[SIFU RON]

A truly great event. History is being made Sunday. M/A and Football ? Incrediable !

Every youth that plays football will be introduced to M/A on Sunday, what a shot in the arm for M/A. Bruce Lee, one of the people that got KF off the ground and into the world. The Oakland Raiders !

My grandson ( 11 years old ) has just finsihed his 4th football season with his elementary school. We have been tossing that football since he could pick it up, he has been training KF with me since he could walk. The local High school football coach trains him and sees his potential. KF has instilled confindence, pride, and honor in him, football comes naturally to him

Thank you much Gene for putting this on the forum. I am happy to see all that you do for M/A and all of us.

Ron

[GeneChing]

I'm sorry I'm already booked Sunday or I'd go. It's been forever since I've been to a game. The girlfriend of one of my kung fu brothers was a Raiderette one season and I had this open invite to go to a game, but I never took advantage of that. :(

I'm delighted to see they got Linda Lee Cadwell out for the event. She doesn't grace too many martial events so her presence always elevates the proceedings. I know all the masters being honored, albeit some only by reputation, but many I know more closely given that they're all from this area. They are all great contributors to the martial arts here.

The downside is that it looks like rain. I can feel that storm coming in right now and we're only like 20 minutes south of the Oakland Coliseum.

[SIFU RON]

It wasn't on TV here, sorry to have missed it. :rolleyes:

[GeneChing]

They need a better copy writer. It's mostly rehash. No mention of Linda either.


Raiders Celebrate Asian Heritage (http://www.raiders.com/news/article-1/Raiders-Celebrate-Asian-Heritage/d0213da4-3062-49a7-a4ef-a39eeec117ee)
Posted Nov 22, 2009

The Raiders first-ever Asian Heritage game took place on November 22, 2009...

The Oakland Raiders celebrated Asian Heritage this past Sunday when the Silver and Black upset the Cincinnati Bengals 20-17 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The festivities included a full half-time performance by local martial arts schools in dedication to late grandmaster Bruce Lee. The Raiders paid tribute to Lee and the grandmasters from the participating schools in a pre-game ceremony to recognize their contributions to the education and practice of Asian martial arts.

“We are pleased to add our celebration of Asian Heritage to the many ways in which we share with our global fan base our commitment to multicultural initiatives,” said Raiders Chief Executive Amy Trask.

Grandmasters Ralph Castro, Ernie Reyes, Jack Wada, Scott Coker, Doc Fai Wong, Cung Le, Brian Schwartz, Jordan Pallen, Chris Jensen, Roger Hamilton and Richard Brandon were honored prior to kickoff. The ceremony recognized their outstanding efforts as promoters of martial arts. The Raider organization and the grandmasters paid tribute to Bruce Lee by dedicating the cultural half-time performance to him. Lee is considered to be the most influential martial artist of the 20th century.

Bay Area-native Neyshia Go performed the National Anthem. Go comes from a Chinese and Filipino cultural background. She has won numerous local and California State singing competitions and was an American Idol top-50 finalist in 2008.

ESMG World, a leader in multicultural marketing, produced the half-time show in conjunction with The Silver and Black. The Asian cultural presentation featured diverse martial arts demonstrations representative of Japan, China, Korea and the Philippines. The martial arts showcase included aikido, san shou, kung fu, tai chi, lion and dragon dancing, taekwondo, shaolin kenpo, shotokan, kajukenbo, Philippines’ martial arts, Filipino stick fighting, wushu, karate, and mixed martial arts.

The participating schools were: Aikido of San Jose, Cung Le’s Universal Strength Headquarters, Doc-Fai Wong Martial Arts Center, Golden State Taekwondo, Great Grandmaster Ralph Castro’s International Shaolin Kenpo Association, Hamilton Martial Arts Academy, Pallen’s Martial Arts, Richard Branden’s Studio Kicks, and West Coast Martial Arts.

The Raiders have long been pioneers, both on and off the field, with regards to the team’s global outreach. The Silver and Black maintains a global presence and communicates with the worldwide Raider Nation through the team's official web sites which feature original and translated content in six different languages - Tagalog, Japanese, German, Chinese, Spanish and English.

The logo bothers me. At least they could have got an Asian dragon. I'm a stickler about dragons...
http://www.raiders.com/assets/images/imported/OAK/photos/2009/11-November/111809asian-heritage2.jpg

[Hardwork108]

The logo bothers me. At least they could have got an Asian dragon. I'm a stickler about dragons...

Agreed!:)

You would think that the logo designer would know the difference and if he didn't then one would suppose that someone along the chain of command would see that this was not an Asian dragon.

HW108

[GeneChing]

He was just in our mag posing with a featured weapon. It was our 2009 November/December (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=845) issue: Imperial Decree Precious Sword (from his dad's collection).

Webster LB has a world of talent (http://prepsports.stltoday.com/ssi/prep/stories2010.nsf/football/story/55DE236090B4EC02862576970003BAFD?OpenDocument)
By Nate Latsch
SPECIAL TO THE POST-DISPATCH
12/25/2009

Meehan has a world of talent, the Statesmen coach said, but he also has everything else to go with it, including a 3.7 grade-point average.

"You really think someone is trying to feed you a line when you talk about the kid, but he's kind of a throwback," Ice said. "He's doing extra conditioning every day and has other kids doing extra conditioning with him. He just shows up to work. He can't wait for the next practice to start. When you combine his talent and his work ethic, he'll be successful at the next level."

Meehan, who helped Webster Groves go 13-0 and win the Missouri Class 5 championship this fall, has been collecting honors as a junior. He was selected the Suburban South Conference defensive player of the year by the league's coaches, named the Missouri Football Coaches Association defensive most valuable player for Class 5 and now the 2009 Post-Dispatch defensive player of the year.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder started at middle linebacker as a freshman, then started at outside linebacker as a sop****re before moving back to the middle this season.

"I think it was a great year to do that because I was ready to step up," Meehan said. "I felt like I could take it. I felt like whatever the middle linebacker needed to be, I could do that."

Meehan, 17, became a leader for one of the area's best defenses and helped the Statesmen earn the school's fourth state title. He racked up a team-high 145 tackles, including nine for losses, and added six sacks, four interceptions and three fumble recoveries.

Winning is nothing new for Meehan. As a freshman post player he helped the Statesmen win the Missouri Class 5 basketball championship. In his other life, competing in martial arts competitions for several years, he's won often.

"He's a pretty well-rounded kid," Ice said. "His parents have done a good job exposing him to a lot of things. He's traveled a lot for (martial arts). He's done a good job with the basketball team. He's been exposed to a high level of competition from a young age."

Meehan's father, Justin, has studied and taught Tai Chi for more than 40 years, traveling the world to learn from the best of the best. He has shared that love with his wife, Daizy, who played basketball at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, and his two sons, John and Jason.

Jason said his father never really got into sports, besides martial arts, but he and his brother were well-rounded in athletic competition. John played football at John Burroughs and at Drake University. Jason will be playing college football somewhere in two years.

"We've always been athletic and loved to compete," Meehan said.

Meehan said he got involved in martial arts when he was 3 and has been doing it ever since, traveling the world to learn and compete against the best. He won three medals at the 10th annual Chinese Martial Arts Championships in Orlando last year and won two gold medals at the same event earlier this year.

The Webster Groves linebacker said he'd like to go back and compete again if he gets the chance, but for now he's definitely focused on his future on the football field and playing in college. Ice said schools like Oklahoma and Wisconsin have shown interest and Meehan could have his first offer soon.

"I plan on taking it as far as it goes," he said.

At the end of an interview recently, Meehan wanted to make sure he thanked those who have helped him — including football coaches Ice and Mike Abegg and Webster basketball coaches Jay Blossom and Scott Stallcup — and his brother, John, who has "definitely paved the road" for him.

"Without my brother, I'd be a different kid," Meehan said. "I wouldn't be the same. I owe everything I have to my brother."

Too good to be true? Hopefully not.

[jjustinmeehan]

Twice selected St. Louis Post-Dispatch Defensive Player of the Year, Jason Meehan of St. Louis is now a Defensive End for Northern Illinois University, which will play in the Go Daddy Bowl at 8:00 p.m. this Sunday Jan 8th and televised by ESPN.

Born in 1992 to Sifu Justin and Daizy Meehan, Jason is now a first-year freshman in college with a major in Business. Due to his outstanding accomplishments in high school football, Jason was also named Player of the Year for the Suburban South Conference and a MaxPreps All-American his final two seasons at Webster Groves High School. Jason earned Missouri all-state honors as a junior and a senior. He made 145 tackles with 99 solos and four interceptions during his junior year. During his senior year, he had team-high 177 tackles with 13 for loss, 10 sacks and five interceptions. He also caught nine passes for 413 yards and five touchdowns. He led Webster Groves to the Class 5 Missouri state championship as a junior and a runner-up finish as a senior. In the semifinal game during his senior year, Jason made 18 tackles with 12 solos, two quarterback sacks and an interception. Additionally, he made an 84-yard touchdown catch in the win over Kirkwood. Jason Meehan was a team captain during his final two seasons at Webster Groves. He never missed a game during his high school career.
Amazingly, Jason also played basketball for his high school and led his team Statesmen in field goal percentage.

Since he was a toddler, Jason had martial art training in Tai Chi, Brazilian Capoeira, and other martial arts. He was trained mostly with his father Sifu Justin Meehan on Tai Chi but also studied directly from Master Zhang Xie-Xing of San Francisco, CA and Grandmaster Feng Zhi-Qian of Beijing, China. In 2008 and 2009, he attended Annual International Chinese Martial Arts Championship held in Orlando, Florida and won Push Hands Champion two years in a row, at the age of only 16 and 17. (see ICMAC website). His older brother John Meehan who played Football for Drake University also was the first to win ICMAC Extreme Push Hands held in St Petersbergh (see Youtube)

Jason always credits Tai Chi and Tui Shou (or Push Hands) for teaching him how to neutralize incoming force and yielding. He thinks Tai Chi practice helps him to relax after a tough football practice or a grueling game. Tai Chi rejuvenates his body as well.

This year’s Go Daddy Bowl will feature a pair of 10-win conference champions Mid-American Conference champion Northern Illinois (10-3, 7-1) and Sun Belt Conference champion Arkansas State (10-2, 8-0). The game will be played at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, AL. Game time is 8:00 p.m. cst. It will be televised by ESPN. St. Louisians and Tai Chi fans, let’s cheer for No. 49 Jason Meehan especially when he plays up against opponents over 300 pounds.

[SPJ]

Chinese foot ball was very popular in Song dynasty

You may see tales in "legends of water margins".

Such as Gao Qiu was very good in playing football. He was promoted to high power and very corrupt.

Chinese football and kicking Jiang Zi

both were and still are related to MA.

This is nothing new.

:cool:

[SPJ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7cnbyJpElw&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=SP797F1C4335744149

new TV episodes of Shui hu or legends of watermargin (2011).

for people that are interested.

:)

[GeneChing]

Maybe they should train kicking too.


Source: Bears hire martial arts expert (http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/bears/post/_/id/4690461/bears-hire-martial-arts-expert-as-skill-development-coach)
February, 11, 2014 8:19 PM ET
By Jeff ****erson | ESPNChicago.com

The Chicago Bears hired renowned martial arts expert Joe Kim to be a skill development coach for the 2014 season, a league source confirmed Tuesday evening.

Kim will work with all of the Bears' position groups on enhancing their use of hands when blocking or escaping blocks, per the source.

Kim was hired as a pass-rush consultant by the Kansas City Chiefs from 2010-12, according to the official website of Kim's Martial Arts School. Current Bears general manager Phil Emery was the Chiefs' director of college scouting from 2009-11.

In addition to Kansas City, Kim has consulted for the Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers and Penn State. Kim was also the Browns' assistant strength coach from 1992-95 and 1999-2000.

Kim's website calls him "one of the most successful Taekwondo Instructors and Coaches in the United States."

The Bears had just 31 team sacks in 2013, down from 41 team sacks the year before in Lovie Smith's final season in Chicago.

[Syn7]

Wait, they hired a TKD guy to help people with their hands? What am I missing here?

[GeneChing]

Then again, maybe he's a Kung Fu expert...:rolleyes:


It’s The Kung Fu Chicago Bears! (http://khitschicago.cbslocal.com/2014/02/12/its-the-kung-fu-chicago-bears/)
February 12, 2014 9:49 AM
Dave Fogel
Dave is the son of former 60s radio deejay and Hollywood television...

The Chicago Bears have hired a Kung-Fu instructor to help out some of there players. Surely most of those moves are illegal on the playing field, but there is a pretty solid reason for it. Check out just what it is in this newscast!

Guess we won’t have to worry about the US defaulting on it’s bills, well, at least for a little while. Check out just how much the country is in debt and how the bill to keep us funding was able to pass.

A Chicagoan has been tapped to be the chairman of the Metra board. What problems will he inherit when he takes the job? A bunch, many of which are listed inside this newscast!

Don’t miss a single K-Hits Newscast. They happen at :10 and :40 past every hour between 5 and 8 AM.

[GeneChing]

After working Superbowl50 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69244-Superbowl-50), I've been thinking more about football.


The NFL is Destined to Fail in China (http://www.patspulpit.com/2016/3/28/11316922/the-nfl-is-destined-to-fail-in-china)
By Rich Hill  @PP_Rich_Hill on Mar 28, 2016, 7:23a 43

The NFL is planning on expanding the International Series to Germany in 2017 and China in 2018, in an attempt to branch out into the league's six frontier markets- the others being the United Kingdom (check), Canada (check), Mexico (check, in 2016), and Brazil (possible 2017 Pro Bowl destination).

Mexico City, Toronto, and London are three major international cities that have legitimate potential for a sustainable NFL franchise, per FiveThirtyEight research. Germany was host to five of the six NFL Europe teams upon the league's closure, while American Football in Brazil is growing at a rate that had led one local team to have more Facebook fans than the Bills, Bengals, Browns, Jaguars, Titans, Buccaneers, Rams and Cardinals.

The NFL likes to tout the London expansion as a complete success with viewership growing hand over fist, although some might disagree with the reports, so the league wants to capture the magic and spread it to other countries.

China, however, is the golden goose for the NFL. The upper middle class of the country has surpassed the United State's for the first time in history in 2015 and is expected to grow to more than 50% of the country's population by 2022. The NFL wants their support and all the disposable income that comes with it.

The issue is that the NBA got there first and won't be conceding ground anytime soon.

While the NBA might be losing viewers in the United States, they're growing in China and have a solid lead over other American sports on the international stage.

The NBA has a distinct advantage over its American competitors because the sport has been entrenched in the country's identity. Basketball made its way to China just a couple years after it was established in the States and was one of the few Western imports to continue under the Communist rule of Mao. They even had a basketball team in the 1936 Olympics, the first time basketball was considered an Olympic sport. There are generations of basketball players in China, with talent of a high enough level to compete on an international stage.

Basketball is similar to soccer in the sense that it takes few resources to play. You need a ball and a hoop- and "hoop" is a loose term. The rules are simple enough, the game is fluid, and the scoring is exciting enough to capture an audience. It is a sport that can be practiced alone and played together. Every shot is an opportunity to distinguish oneself. These are all important qualities in a region entrenched in soccer.

The NFL also acknowledges the fact that American Football isn't an Olympic sport hampers the growth in China.

"Here in China, there are far more patriots than there are sports fans," NFL's Managing Director of the NFL in China Richard Young told a Chinese outlet. "People rally behind the flag. Primarily, sport is seen on ethnic and national viewpoints; and pride."

While both soccer and basketball allow China to compete in World Championships and Olympic events, football has no comparable stage. The Chinese government also plays a role in developing future athletes, while cultural norms push kids towards academics instead of athletics. The country's one-child policy also deters parents from directing their kids to high contact sports, and the league's tone deaf approach towards head injuries certainly won't endear the sport to an international audience.

These are, of course, sweeping generalizations, but they play an important role in projecting the growth and success of the NFL in China. Iconic players and events are necessary to connect viewers to a sport and to leave a lasting impression, and China is not likely to present one to the football world.

The NBA launched their growth in China in the late 1980s when they allowed a Chinese television network to broadcast games "free of charge," and the NFL has been trying to follow suit. The star power of Michael Jordan and the 1992 Dream Team, as well as the development of basketball player Yao Ming into an international star has placed the NBA in the homes of 30 million viewers per week.

The NFL could use a similar ambassador for the sport, but China's current stance towards football makes it unlikely that a Ming-like player will be able to star in the States, and the prospects of a home-grown player like Jeremy Lin are also bleak. While there will be Pacific Islanders on almost every team, descendants from eastern Asia are far and few between.

In order for the NFL to thrive in China, there has be an increased focus on the future of the sport because the concerns shared by those in the Chinese market are the same as those in the States.

As health concerns continue to be the thorn in the NFL's side in the States, it's important to realize that is the stopping point of any potential for the sport in China. Per Harris Polls of Americans, only 26% of non-football fans think the NFL's concussion policies are effective. Now project that sentiment over a population that the league is trying to entice.

If the league can genuinely improve the safety of the sport, perhaps there will be room for development- or else football will have to grow on the back of two-hand touch or flag football leagues.

The NFL also has to realize how out-of-touch they are with the youth demographic, which is set to boom in China, in line with a growing middle class and increased disposable income. While the NFL (and baseball) continues to watch its average viewer increase in age, the average basketball fan has remained the same age over the past decade- a sign of continued youth interest.

We mentioned Facebook fans earlier in reference to the interest in football in Brazil, but there's also a reason why the Celtics have far more Facebook fans than the Patriots do.

The NBA understands how to leverage technology to capture wider audiences. The NBA considers fan-made highlight tapes to be free marketing, while the NFL is content with preventing sites from embedding YouTube videos from their official channel. The NFL wants to control every facet of the experience, while the NBA wants to support the user's individual experience.

Superstars are created when the athletes' individualism shine both on and off the field. The NFL owners are too busy trying to stop touchdown dances to notice that white males over the age of 65 are the only demographic that dislikes celebrations. These superstars are necessary to create a 1992 Dream Team-esque impact for football in China.

And finally, the NFL needs to find themselves an ambassador that can promote the sport- and superstars would be incredibly helpful in this step. The Patriots are the most popular team in China, so naturally a player from New England would make the most sense. Safety Patrick Chung is of Chinese descent and has been actively involved in Boston Chinatown.

Or maybe if the league owners could stop railroading quarterback Tom Brady over DeflateGate, they could see that Brady is the favorite NFL player of Asian Americans (and, on another note, he'd be a walking billboard for the league in Brazil thanks to his wife).

Until the league recognizes that safety is a major issue that is worthy of immediate action, and until the league stops catering to the whims of out-of-touch owners desperate for immediate returns, instead of focusing on the health of the league's future, China won't be a successful venture for the NFL.

[GeneChing]

JKD (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?4858-Jeet-Kune-Do) is an interesting choice for NFL. (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?55738-Football-amp-MA)


Saints rookie Alex Jenkins combines knowledge of martial arts with pass rushing skills (http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2017/06/saints_rookie_alex_jenkins_com.html)

http://image.nola.com/home/nola-media/width620/img/saints_impact/photo/22844283-mmmain.jpg
Saints international practice squad player Alex Jenkins (74) during Saints OTA's at the team's headquarters on Thursday, June 1, 2017. (Photo by Michael DeMocker, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
The Times-Picayune By Herbie Teope, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
on June 05, 2017 at 7:00 AM, updated June 05, 2017 at 7:02 AM

Defensive linemen often utilize numerous tools, such as speed, strength, leverage and the use of hands, to get past an offensive lineman.

So, it is a good thing New Orleans Saints rookie defensive end Alex Jenkins has worked his hands as long as he can remember while growing up in Bath, England.

The 24-year-old Jenkins couldn't avoid the workouts when considering his father, Peter, teaches Jeet Kune Do, a martial arts style founded by the legendary Bruce Lee and has roots in Wing Chun Kung Fu.

"I never took it officially," Jenkins said. "But every time I walked past him in the hallways, he'd grab my hands and start trapping."

The incorporation of hands come in a variety of Jeet Kune Do forms, such as the Pak Sao or Phon Sao, and the movements are designed to block or ensnare an opponent's hands and arms while simultaneously going on the offensive.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45z-9VITtm0

The skills learned from his father has translated well for the Saints rookie.

"Something I've been doing my whole life is something that relates to this game heavily, especially at my position," Jenkins said.

Martial arts blended with football isn't new, as some NFL pass rushers, such as Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Tamba Hali or Chicago Bears outside linebacker Lamarr Houston, incorporate both areas during offseason workouts.

When informed that Hali, who has trained with Ryron Gracie of the world-renowned Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy, and other NFL players are involved in various disciplines of martial arts to improve football skills, Jenkins became intrigued.

"I would definitely love to get into that," he said. "Maybe even get my dad out there because I show him some of the moves and he goes, 'Ah, that's this.' And he'll translate it to some sort of martial art, plus you have to put a little more hips into it in football."

The 6-foot-6, 270-pound Jenkins raises a good point on the game, of course, because while he uses forms of Jeet Kune Do on the football field, his primary goal is to become an NFL player.

Jenkins joins the Saints on a roster exemption as part of the league's new International Player Pathway initiative, which was awarded to the NFC South on a random draft in late May.

Each team in the division is allowed an 11th player on the practice squad, but the player is ineligible to be elevated to the 53-man roster during the regular season.

"It's a mixture of frustration, but then appreciation at the same time because it gives me a chance to learn and really focus on development," Jenkins said. "But being a competitor, an athlete and playing this game, you want to play.

"Ever since I started playing this game, I've always been the top guy, I've always been the guy getting the first-team reps, so it's an adjustment for me being on the sideline and watching. But, it's also a blessing to be able to learn, develop and see where I can be next season, how I can contribute to this team next year."

Jenkins caught the Saints' attention after flashing potential while playing at University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, where he was a three-year starter and recorded 3 1/2 sacks in his senior season.

He enjoyed success at UIW leading to his signing with the Saints, but Jenkins quickly realized the difference between college football and transitioning to the NFL level when he arrived days after organized team activities (OTAs) began.

"The speed of the game, the speed of how quickly you have to learn things, the size of the playbook," Jenkins said. "Obviously, I'm coming in a week late for OTAs, so I'm really trying to catch up, but those are definitely the things I think are a lot different than in college."

Jenkins admits to feeling anxious when he first hit the practice field, especially knowing the level of competition and going against NFL offensive linemen.

But it didn't take long for Jenkins to settle down, draw on martial arts skills he learned as a youth and gain the all-important confidence that he belonged.

"I won one of my first pass rushes with a spin," he said. "Soon as you get it out of your system, you feel good. I know I can play at this level."

[GeneChing]

Anyone know what style of Kung Fu Gordon practiced? Just curious.


He’s retired from competitive dance and kung fu, but Washington DB Kyler Gordon is still Mr. Spotlight (http://www.hastingstribune.com/sports/he-s-retired-from-competitive-dance-and-kung-fu-but/article_3b022573-ce3f-527a-a5a1-1d7a8f00d605.html)
By Mike Vorel The Seattle Times (TNS) Apr 23, 2019 Updated Apr 23, 2019

https://static.seattletimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/04162019_Kyler-Gordon_141814-768x611.jpg

SEATTLE — Kyler Gordon was an athlete before he was anything else.

Before he was a football player, a Husky, a four-star corner and a national recruit; before he was a Seattle Storm dancer and a kung fu fighter; before he was Mr. Spotlight, Kyler Gordon was already stealing it.

“Before he was a year old, his grandma and grandpa were like, ‘Uh, there’s something special about this little boy. He’s going to be something,’ ” Kyler’s mother, Evamarie Gordon, told The Seattle Times last week.

“It’s really weird. I know it sounds kind of stupid, but I had a vision as well. I just knew in my heart that there was something about him.”

Something, but what? Kyler was walking at nine months old. He was attempting somersaults and cartwheels before his first birthday. When he was 4, he tried kung fu, just for kicks. He dipped his fleet feet into dance — ballet, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, you name it — a year later. He used to stretch while watching cartoons to improve his flexibility.

Occasionally, Evamarie — a gymnastics coach — would take her son/pre-teen slinky with her to the gym, which is where he learned a backflip. For four years, Kyler devoted 20 hours a week to dance classes (and that’s not counting competitions).

At age 8, he moonwalked his way to being named “Mr. Spotlight” — with a pink bow tie and curly brown hair to boot — at the Spotlight Dance Cup national finals in California.

“Google him on the internet and you’ll see him,” Evamarie Gordon said. “It was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ One of the guys from Broadway was one of the (competition’s) judges and he said, ‘This kid is going to go somewhere in the industry.’ ”

Kyler Gordon found football instead.

Or, maybe it’s more accurate to say that football found him.

“When he got to the field, I’ll never forget it,” Evamarie Gordon said of her 9-year-old son. “They’re like, ‘Where’s this kid been?’ I’m like, ‘He’s a dancer. He’s been in dance.’ ”

Despite adding yet another outlet for his athleticism, Kyler didn’t stop dancing. He joined the Seattle Storm’s hip hop dance troupe at age 9, performing at home games and events (while still making it to football practice). The activity itself almost seemed insignificant; Kyler’s athleticism was a universal currency, accepted everywhere. If he participated, he dominated — whether it be dance or defense.

“Everybody wanted him to play everything,” Evamarie Gordon said. “He did football. He did basketball. It didn’t matter what he did. He’d kill it.”

So it was that a budding defensive back, former kung fu fighter and decorated dancer arrived at Archbishop Murphy High School in Everett in the fall of 2014.

The question was never whether Kyler Gordon would be successful. The question was where, and the options were endless.

“When we saw Kyler as a freshman we could tell that he was special,” said Archbishop Murphy head football coach and former Washington linebacker Jerry Jensen. “He had a high ceiling in basically whatever he decided he wanted to do, whether that be track or football or basketball. He would have success at it.

“He really kind of took to football and worked on the craft and that allowed him to get his strength up. But the thing that really impressed me most about Kyler is probably his flexibility. That allows him to move as fluidly as he does and as effortlessly as it looks.”

It was effortless, and it was everywhere. In his senior season in 2017, Kyler was named to the Associated Press 2A all-state team both as a defensive back and an all-purpose player. The 2017 Star Times selection rushed for 517 yards and 12.9 yards per carry, caught 32 passes for 841 yards, threw an 88-yard touchdown pass and piled up 44 tackles and five interceptions. He averaged 19 yards per touch and was named offensive MVP of the Cascade Conference. He jumped as if each strip of turf was its own tiny trampoline.

And he put things on tape that Jensen had never seen.

“You would just see Kyler’s break on the ball or a one-handed catch or he would go up between two defenders and come down with the ball,” Jensen said. “He’s just a kid that has innate ability to rise above others and make plays.”

Was it innate, though? Were those physical gifts — the balance, the body control, the reflexes and instincts — just something he was born with? His mother was a gymnast and his aunt was a dancer, after all.

Or maybe that unique athletic background — the ballet, the kung fu, the Storm games and dance competitions and Mr. Spotlight crowns — all molded Kyler into a pass-catching, pick-snatching football machine. Perhaps each activity ultimately contributed to the final product, a four-star prospect ranked by 247Sports as the No. 102 overall player in the 2018 class.

Was it nature, nurture or a little bit of both?

“I think if you look at his background with dance, obviously that would help with his feet. Then kung fu (would help) with his stretching,” Jensen said. “You can see how those things just apply themselves to his athleticism.

“It just doesn’t look like he’s straining and overworking to do these things that you look at and they’re just jaw-dropping. So I do think those things played a key role in where he ended up as an athlete.”

Specifically, he ended up at Washington, where Kyler played in four games as a freshman and then essentially wrecked the competition at the Husky Combine last month. The redshirt freshman cornerback finished first on the team in the vertical jump (42.5 inches), second in the 3-cone drill (6.52 seconds) and pro agility drill (3.87 seconds) and third in the broad jump (10 feet, five inches).

But inside the program, at least, Kyler’s thorough domination didn’t open many eyes.

“We go play pick-up basketball and he’s dunking,” said senior defensive back Myles Bryant, “so that 42.5 (inch vertical jump) wasn’t a surprise.”

Still, a starting spot in his second season is far from a slam dunk. Through two and a half weeks of spring practice, Kyler — who, as a redshirt freshman, is not available to the media, by the way — has been sharing first-team reps with fellow redshirt freshman cornerback Dominique Hampton, opposite established starter Keith Taylor.

Kyler has always been an athlete. Now, he needs to prove he can play in the Pac-12.

“He’s got really good ball skills, which you know we’re always looking for in our corners — to be playmakers on the football,” defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake said last week. “Him and Keith Taylor are tied for the best hands in the room right now. They’ve got two picks apiece. So I’m expecting those guys to have a really good battle here for the rest of the camp.

“But Kyler’s athletic, can jump, can move side-to-side. It’s really more about him continuing to grow, continuing to attack the football and getting his man skills at a higher level, which he’s working at right now.”

Kyler’s still working, studying — and in between drills, he’s definitely dancing. He’s showing no signs of stopping.

His mother makes sure of that.

“I tell him, ‘You know what? There’s other kids better than you.’ So I think that’s why he’s so humble and quiet,” Evamarie Gordon said. “He has the love and passion for it. He knows there’s kids better than him, but he pays no mind to that.

“He’s always hard on himself and he knows he can do better, and he keeps pushing.”

The end goal, of course, is to crack a ridiculously deep rotation in Washington’s defensive secondary. It’s to demonstrate that a rebuilt defense can still produce the same results. It’s to star once again on a different kind of stage.

It’s to prove he’s still Mr. Spotlight.

Watch out. He’ll steal the show.

[MasterKiller]

Anyone know what style of Kung Fu Gordon practiced? Just curious.

Temple Kung Fu

[SPJ]

Kicking, running and dodging.

:cool:

[GeneChing]

Ex-Phillies want the team to honor legendary strength coach, kung fu master Gus Hoefling (https://www.inquirer.com/phillies/phillies-strength-conditioning-coach-kung-fu-mike-schmidt-20230719.html)
Mike Schmidt, Larry Bowa and others credit Hoefling's punishing workouts for fueling the team's 1980 World Series victory.

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A generation of former Philly sports stars — including Phillies Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, and former Eagles quarterback Roman Gabriel — credited Gus Hoefling with their on-field success. Hoefling died on July 4 at 88.Read more
DAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer
by David Gambacorta
Published an hour ago

He operated in the shadows of Veterans Stadium, unseen by spectators.

Beginning in 1976, in a small, carpeted room just beyond the Philadelphia Phillies’ clubhouse, Gus Hoefling led a generation of players through daily workout routines that he’d concocted, a punishing blend of resistance exercises, stretching, and Northern Shaolin kung fu.

He was, by many accounts, major-league baseball’s first dedicated strength and conditioning coach, decades before it became customary for players to employ their own training entourages.

Hoefling was also a walking urban legend, a man whose mysterious backstory and unconventional methods transfixed otherwise hard-to-impress professional athletes.

“He came here with rumors of having been in competitive fights with Bruce Lee,” Mike Schmidt, the team’s Hall of Fame third baseman, wrote in an email, likening Hoefling’s training room to a “sweat dungeon.”

“Gus had lethal hands,” said former pitcher Larry Christenson, “and could break bamboo chopsticks with his throat.”

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Mike Schmidt, and a core group of other Phillies who worked closely with Gus Hoefling, celebrated the franchise's first World Series championship at Veterans Stadium in 1980.

Hoefling, who coached 17 years with the Phillies, and four years with the Philadelphia Eagles, died July 4 in Tennessee, following a lengthy battle with head and neck cancer, said his wife, Maggie Hoefling. He was 88, and had requested to be cremated.

His death sent a ripple of heartbreak through a circle of former players who considered themselves his disciples, a group that included Schmidt, Christenson, Steve Carlton, Bob Boone, and Larry Bowa.

Each credited Hoefling with sharpening his mind as much as body. He urged the players to shed negative thoughts that gathered, like so many storm clouds, during difficult periods, and to instead believe that they could succeed.

That initial, core group of Phillies who worked with Hoefling went on to win the franchise’s first World Series championship, in 1980.

During a 2020 interview with The Inquirer, Hoefling summed up his philosophy in simple terms: “Anybody can quit. I want to win,” he said. “Turn negative knowledge into positive.”

Hoefling’s former pupils want the Phillies to publicly commemorate his legacy in some fashion, perhaps during the team’s alumni weekend festivities, which are scheduled to be held at Citizens Bank Park in August. (The Phillies did not respond to a request for comment.)

“It’s time to acknowledge him,” Schmidt said. “Actually, way past time.”

‘You gotta learn to move, move, move!’

It was the specter of an infamous day in U.S. history, and, later, a chance meeting with a down-on-his-luck quarterback that set Hoefling on a circuitous path to Philadelphia.

Hoefling grew up in Iowa, and was in third grade when Japanese fighter planes launched a surprise attack on a U.S. naval base in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

A schoolteacher suggested that Iowa, the country’s bread basket, might be attacked, too, Hoefling previously told The Inquirer. He responded by sending some pocket change and a Wheaties box top to a radio show, Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy, and received a book on judo.

The judo book’s lessons ignited a lifelong passion for martial arts.

Years later, in Southern California, Hoefling studied tomari-te, a form of martial arts unique to Okinawa, and began teaching. One student was a doctor who introduced Hoefling in 1970 to Roman Gabriel, the Los Angeles Rams’ 6-foot-5 quarterback.

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Elbow and leg injuries had derailed Gabriel’s career.

“[The Rams] thought I couldn’t take the pain,” Gabriel said during a recent interview, “which was bull—”

Hoefling began to train Gabriel, who had relied only on lifting weights and running to stay in shape. “He would throw punches at me and not let me block,” Gabriel recalled. “He’d say, ‘You gotta learn to move, move, move!’”

The Eagles traded for Gabriel in 1973, and Hoefling followed the quarterback to Philadelphia.

Guided by Hoefling, Gabriel shed 25 pounds, increased his flexibility, and turned inward.

“Gus was a great philosopher,” Gabriel said. “The most important wisdom he gave me was, ‘If you don’t know who you are, you won’t get respect from people.’”

During his first season with the Eagles, Gabriel threw for 3,219 yards and 23 touchdowns, and was named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year.

Hoefling won an admirer in the Phillies’ then-owner, Ruly Carpenter, who hired Hoefling after his tenure with the Eagles ended in 1976.
continued next post

[GeneChing]

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Bob Carpenter, the son of former Phillies owner Ruly Carpenter, was among those who trained religiously with Gus Hoefling for years.
DAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer

Ruly’s son, Bob Carpenter, was 13 when he first met Hoefling during spring training. The younger Carpenter grew curious about the “bald, jacked guy in shorts and boxing shoes” who was showing several Phillies what appeared to be unusual exercises.

Carpenter remembers Hoefling enlisted him to join with blunt humor: “Hey, kid, you can’t be a fat little **** all your life. Get up here and start training!”

Hoefling’s training room soon became the source of league-wide intrigue. Members of the team were challenged to reach to the bottom of a 55-gallon drum that was filled with rice, and move their arms around, a task at which Carlton, the future Hall of Fame lefthander, thrived. A dark, enclosed space — nicknamed the “mood room” — was used for meditation.

Players wore flat, thin-soled boxing shoes, which slipped easily on the carpeted floor. To disrupt their balance and focus, Hoefling would kick at their legs.

Schmidt compared Hoefling’s physique to Oddjob, the stout villain in Goldfinger, the 1964 James Bond film.

Bowa heard stories that Hoefling sometimes traveled the city’s subway in disguise, and grappled with muggers.

Hoefling told others, like pitcher Don Carman, of sneaking, years earlier, into China, to deepen his studies of kung fu — at a time when Americans were barred from visiting the country.

“This is where we weren’t sure if it was a myth,” Carman said, “or what really happened.”

“He had that mysterious martial arts tattoo on his arm,” Schmidt said. “He commanded tremendous respect. If he said ‘Do it,’ we did it.”

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Steve Carlton was among Gus Hoefling's most devoted pupils. (AP Photo/Bill Ingraham)
ASSOCIATED PRESS

“If I had gotten into a fight with Gus the first year I worked with him,” said Boone, the former catcher, “he could have killed me in about 30 seconds.”

Hoefling’s most devoted followers continued their workouts at Veterans Stadium during the offseason, meeting five days a week. When the temperature outside turned bone-rattling cold, Hoefling had them run the stadium’s steep ramps.

For three consecutive seasons in the mid-to-late 1970s, the Phillies had suffered devastating losses in the National League Championship Series. Hoefling urged players to build a deeper resolve, to remember how fatigued they’d be in the summer, when the Vet’s AstroTurf could heat up to 165 degrees.

“He’d say, ‘Right now, you might think I’m nuts,” Bowa recalled. “But it’ll come into play when it’s August, and it’s the 8th inning, and the game is tied.’”

When his students excelled — Carlton won three of his four Cy Young awards while working with Hoefling, and Schmidt won three MVP awards — Hoefling didn’t seek any credit.

“I don’t think we would have won the World Series without him in 1980,” Carpenter said. “He had no idea the value he provided.”

‘He was our protector’

Hoefling’s career with the Phillies came to a quiet end in the early 1990s, after he was injured in an elevator accident. He continued to loom large, though, in the minds of former players, many of whom reflected on his lessons long after their playing careers ended.

“Gus was not just a teacher and a conditioning coach,” said Christenson, who remained close to Hoefling. “He was our friend. He was our protector.”

Left-handed pitcher Shane Rawley said he was “kind of floundering” when the New York Yankees traded him at age 28 to the Phillies in 1984.

“Gus became a major person in my life at that time,” he said. “I’d never been around someone like him.”

In 1987, Rawley led National League pitchers in starts, with 36.

Away from the game, Hoefling continued to enjoy sharing his training secrets, said his wife, Maggie. Sometimes that meant interrupting a restaurant dinner to discuss a waiter’s elbow pain, or inviting strangers into the garage of their Largo, Fla., home to exercise.

“If someone wanted to learn,” she said, “he’d go to the moon and back. He loved helping people.”

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Former Phillies pitcher Larry Christenson said Gus Hoefling had "lethal hands," but used his abilities to motivate the team's players.
Copyright © The Phillies/Paul Roedig

Hoefling was slowed only by cancer — Stage IV squamous cell carcinoma of the left tonsil, which doctors discovered in 2018.

He believed the disease had been caused by a chewing tobacco addiction he developed in the 1970s, when the tobacco industry routinely provided their products to the Phillies and other teams, in an attempt to lure younger consumers into emulating their sports heroes, who played with puffed-out cheeks.

Hoefling endured grueling radiation and chemotherapy treatments, and unsuccessfully sued a pair of tobacco companies. Yet he remained capable, well into his 80s, of replicating the swift kung fu moves that had once enraptured members of the Phillies and Eagles.

“He was a phoenix that would rise from the ashes, no matter what,” Maggie Hofeling said. “He had such an aura — this forcefulness and positivity that he carried through his entire life.”

Like Hoefling’s former students, she hopes that that his pioneering work can now be celebrated, before memories of that magical era in the city’s sports history begin to fade.

Hoefling’s words still burn brightly in the mind of Roman Gabriel, who continues to repeat an instruction that he received long ago.

At night, Hoefling once told Gabriel, lie down in a dark room, and consider how fortunate you are to be alive, to play a game you love, to have people in your life who care for you.

“I miss him,” Gabriel said. “God, I miss him.”

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Even after battling head and neck cancer in his 80s, Gus Hoefling remained capable of replicating kung fu moves that once enraptured a generation of Phillies and Eagles.
David Maialetti / Staff photographer


David Gambacorta
David Gambacorta
I work on the investigations team, and narrative-driven projects.


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