Successful Street Applications

[sanjuro_ronin]

then again...how hard is it to run down and dump an 83 yr old?

That depends, some 83 years old can whip a mean walker !

[GeneChing]

I'm always a little skeptical of teenagers telling stories like this, but we'll give Kyle the benefit of the doubt for now.

Martial arts student uses his skills to foil carjacking
A 19-year-old Jiu-Jitsu student thwarted a knife-wielding carjacker outside a Fort Lauderdale training center.
BY ADAM H. BEASLEY
abeasley@MiamiHerald.com

A martial arts center in northern Fort Lauderdale offers Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which the studio claims is the most effective self-defense in the world.

Wednesday night, one of its students -- 19-year-old Kyle Yates -- found himself in need of the training.

Yates fought off a knife-wielding carjacker in the center's parking lot and was able to speed away without injury, according to Fort Lauderdale police.

His attacker remained on the loose Thursday.

Reached by phone, Yates, of Fort Lauderdale, said his reaction was half-instinct, half-skill.

''The windows were down,'' Yates said, 'and I was thinking, `He ain't getting in my car.' ''

Here's how Fort Lauderdale police and the victim said it happened:

About 7 p.m., Yates was leaving Pablo Popovitch's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Center, 1594 E. Commercial Blvd., following a practice.

As he got into his white Thunderbird, a man in his 20s approached, held a knife to Yates' neck, then demanded his car.

The demand was declined.

Yates shoved the thief's arm away, knocking him backward, then threw the car into reverse.

He later called police and told them what happened. There were no witnesses and the knife was not recovered, according to police.

Despite having a knife to his neck, Yates was nonchalant a day later.

''I really didn't take it seriously at all,'' he said.

The art student began his martial arts training earlier this year during a brief stint in the military. After his discharge in March, he started attending sessions at Pablo Popovitch's center.

The facility also offers classes in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, kickboxing/Muay Thai and mixed martial arts.

''Since I've been there, I've been more of a calm person,'' Yates said. ``I react faster and make more rational decisions.''

His quick decision Wednesday night may have saved his Thunderbird.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Isn't that a case of Car-Fu rather than BJJ ?

[Lucas]

i woner if thats a case more of the guy didnt want to actually slit a throat so when he was pushed he just went 'oh well, he called my bluff'

who knows but the 'attacker'

[TenTigers]

I'm always a little skeptical of teenagers telling stories like this, but we'll give Kyle the benefit of the doubt for now.

Kyle was discharged after a "brief stint" in the armed forces. I wonder on what grounds was he discharged?
I dunno. My "Spidey Sense" tells me it sounds more like Kyle is prone to exagerration.

[GeneChing]

five seconds seems a little long for that move...

Man learns the hard way not to threaten martial-arts expert
By Chris Freiberg
Originally published Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 12:00 a.m.
Updated Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 11:39 a.m.

FAIRBANKS — A Fairbanks man got more than he bargained for when he pulled a gun on a veteran martial artist last week.

Jeffrey Walker, 44, said he was minding his own business shortly after midnight Wednesday at Townhouse Apartments when he received a call from the neighbor below him that his two year-old was being too loud.

“He just starts berating me, saying that if I can’t shut the kid up, he’ll shut him up,” Walker said.

Walker, a former firefighter who has lived in Fairbanks for only about a year, thought his neighbor would call the police or the apartment manager to complain.

Instead he showed up at Walker’s front door with a .45-caliber handgun. Walker, who has studied the self-defense system of bojuka since he was 25, leapt into action when he saw the man pull the gun out of his hoodie.

Walker grabbed the barrel of the gun and lifted it up with his left hand while simultaneously using his right hand to push the assailant’s wrist and arm into his own head, effectively using the butt of the gun like a hammer.

“It only took about five seconds,” Walker said.

While his girlfriend called police, he continued to hit the man until he stopped resisting, though he says the instructor who taught him the disarming move wouldn’t have been so kind.

“My instructor would have shot him after taking it away,” he said.

Walker began studying bojuka when he was 25. Its creator claims that it teaches people who to eliminate threats with a variety of blocks, grapples and strikes that are committed to muscle memory. While studying bojuka, Walker was able to reach level 3, which is the grade just below becoming an instructor.

“The guy who taught me said at the time ‘Right now you have to make a conscious decision you are going to do this if it’s ever going to happen. You can’t hem and haw,’” Walker said.

He felt that if had not disarmed the man, he was going to be shot, as well as his girlfriend and child. Instead, he was able to disarm Eric E. Backlund, 38, of Fairbanks without a shot being fired. Backlund has been charged with third-degree assault, a felony, in connection with the incident.

When police arrived on the scene, they found him sitting in a pool of his own blood with Walker standing over him. He was treated for facial lacerations at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital before being arrested.

He later told police that bringing a gun into the situation was “monumentally stupid,” according to a criminal complaint filed in court.

Fairbanks police Sgt. Robert Thompson said that there was no doubt that Walker acted in self-defense, but he warned that the situation could have had a very different outcome.

“You don’t want to try to disarm someone if they have a gun in that situation unless there’s no other option,” Thompson said. “But it’s not something that I would recommend.”

Thompson said that in nearly 20 years on the police force, it was the first time he had heard of a civilian successfully disarming someone with a gun.

As for Walker, he was packing up to move Monday morning in case his alleged assailant got out on bail.

“I told the owner of the apartment complex I don’t feel safe here,” he said. “He could start shooting through the floor next time.”

[GeneChing]

I wasn't sure where to put this, but I knew I had to post this on our forum somewhere...

Amazing Art must See 60th Narcissus Pageant

[sanjuro_ronin]

I wasn't sure where to put this, but I knew I had to post this on our forum somewhere...

Amazing Art must See 60th Narcissus Pageant

Well done.

[Mas Judt]

Simply brilliant

[pyrodeity]

five seconds seems a little long for that move...

heyyyyy i meant the whole incident not just the disarm

[GeneChing]

A successful street application that can get you on Ellen

February 10, 2009 | Posted at 6:00 AM
An Unbelievable Speed Painting Demonstration!

Lisa Wong decided to take up speed painting as her pageant talent after being inspired by an episode of Ellen! Watch and you'll see how quickly she picked up the skill and added a whole new dimension -- by painting with the canvas upside down!

[Lucas]

A successful street application that can get you on Ellen

impressive. the fact that she had a kungfu atmosphere to her performance, and that she painted bruce lee made it actually worth watching. plus she's a cutie.

although to be fair, she didnt really paint it just upside down, but from 3 angles it looked like.

now if she could do taht on a constantly rotating canvas, i would be very impressed.

i didnt know you were such a big ellen fan gene.