XL Recreation

Everybody was (insert martial art here) fighting

In Austin, there's no shortage of places to get your kicks

By Shermakaye Bass
Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Remember the 1970s "golden era" of martial arts in America, when everybody was kung fu fighting and Chuck Norris was an upstart, albeit one with a mean roundhouse kick?

If you're of a certain age, grasshopper, you'll recall those freeze-frame, flashback days, when David Carradine and Bruce Lee unfurled their heroic maneuvers across TV and cinema screens.

For some, those days never left. Led by modern movie champions such as Tony Jaa ("The Protector"), Jet Li ("Fearless") and director Quentin Tarantino ("Kill Bill" — both volumes), our culture has entered a second golden age of martial arts. And instructors in Austin, which has about 200 martial arts schools and studios, train thousands of students in dozens of disciplines, from the cryptic to the classic.

In one discipline alone — tae kwon do — Austin has "25 or so TKD schools, at least," said John Seay, Third Coast Martial Arts owner-instructor. Joe Schaefer's Shaolin-Do Kung Fu/T'ai Chi school has more than 550 students, and Schaefer, a sixth-degree black belt, estimates he has more than 100 students who are black belts of varying degrees.

Regardless of the art form or style, most professionals say Austin hosts one of the country's most diverse martial arts communities — an overlapping, sometimes inter-squabbling circle of circles.

But how does a city known for its peaceniks and thinkers come to embrace such a congregation of martial artists? Aside from the appeal of balletic moves that can condition the body, quiet the mind and maim a potential assailant, Austinites seem drawn to martial arts because we're a pretty educated and culturally curious lot, said Leslie Buck Jr., co-operator of the Center for Martial Arts.

Martial artists are intrigued by less-mainstream forms, and it's not uncommon to find students of Indonesian silat variations or Filipino kali forms (Buck's specialties) alongside traditional Japanese karate styles, Buck said. Mixed martial arts, which combines elements from different cultures and disciplines, is another emerging trend in town, he said.

Muay Thai teacher Rodney Solis put it this way: "Austin is very fitness-oriented, very progressive and very mind-body conscious. Some people here are into combat martial arts, where you can heavy-duty defend yourself in life-or-death situations. And some are more about the mind-body Zen connection. Some styles are for the Aries type, others the Aquarians."

In an attempt to infiltrate this community of communities, we've investigated some of the less-mainstream arts; Afro-Brazilian, Israeli, Chinese, Thai and Japanese figured most prominently into the search. We focused on a cross-section — from the extremely physical and combative (Israeli krav maga) to the spiritually soothing (Japanese aikido, which some consider more of a healing art). Either way, we were determined to kick out the jams.

Aikido
Josef Birdsong, Aikido of Austin

In his crisp black hakama (skirt) and silver ponytail, Josef Birdsong has the aura of a Japanese sage. The 61-year-old, who is actually Irish and American Indian, possesses the serenity of someone who might have retreated to a high mountain hermitage at some point in his life. Birdsong oozes aikido — the Japanese term for "the way of unity with the life force."

As you'd expect from such a description, this martial art is a study in harmony, a nonviolent and deflective style practiced by the thoughtful "warrior," mostly in self-defense. "The key to aikido," said Birdsong, a Sacramento native and former Peace Corps volunteer, "lies in the balancing of internal and external energies," tapping into one's own core nature while using the force of the attacker to neutralize him.

For these reasons, some argue that aikido is not a "true" martial art — not a warring art, but a healing one. Birdsong would beg to differ. A fifth-degree black belt who has been teaching aikido for half his life (he launched the aikido program at Austin Community College in 1986, after teaching a similar program at the University of Illinois), Birdsong said that by using rolls, blocks, joint-locks and other nonaggressive moves, aikido's mission is to stop violence, not further it.

"Fighting is not the point," he said.

The system incorporates traditional Japanese fighting styles such as judo and jujitsu, but it was created by a self-proclaimed peace-seeker in the early 1900s, Morihei Ueshiba. The great-grandson of a samurai warrior, Ueshiba trained in the classic arts before developing his meditative hybrid and opening a dojo, or place of learning, in Tokyo before World War II. The structure remains, and today houses the World Aikido Headquarters. Birdsong has visited three times. His own dojo, Aikido of Austin, has been around in some form since 1985, when his organization was accepted into the U.S. Aikido Federation. The current studio is airy, welcoming in its quietude.

"I'm a nonviolent kind of guy," Birdsong said, explaining his initial attraction to aikido. "I'd been to India for the Peace Corps, and I was practicing yoga at the time . . . Then I met my aikido teacher, Akira Takei. As they say, the teacher arrives when the student is ready." Later, Birdsong received a master's degree in physical education, but instead of taking a more conventional teaching path, he followed his aikido calling. In 30-odd years of instructing, he estimates he's taught more than 10,000 students.

(Aikido of Austin. 5501 N. Lamar Blvd., No. C11. 323-0123, www.austinaikido.org. Monthly fees: $90 to $100.)

Capoeira da rua
Da'Mon Stith, Dynamic Arts Academy

According to Da'Mon Stith, co-founder of Capoeira da rua ("capoeira of the street"), opinions differ as to where capoeira was born: Brazil or Africa. Divisions also exist between the more traditional, low-flung capoeira Angola and its flashier, better-known sibling, capoeira regional. But few debate the beauty of this martial art or its potential to inflict serious harm with foot sweeps, takedowns, kicks and head butts.

For a newcomer or self-styled anthropologist, a session at Stith's studio washes away any concern for its origins or for who teaches the "purest" form. When the instructor starts the music — a hypnotic percussive drone — and his students began to sway in their moving base, called ginga (Portuguese for one's individual walking style), it's all about being in the present. The past might reside in Brazil or the Congo. But it doesn't live at the Dynamic Arts Academy, at least not when the roda (circle of players) begins to form.

Stith, 31, has an organic approach to capoeira in particular and martial arts in general. Having studied Okinawa shorin ryu (a form of karate) when his father was stationed in Japan, Stith also has explored Indonesian silat, Zulu stick fighting, muay Thai and other martial arts forms, but he found himself drawn to capoeira about 12 years ago, when he began to "play," as it's called, with skilled practitioners.

"I went out in pursuit of it, kind of like street ball. That's why we call our style capoeira da rua," Stith says. "I'd get in there and play and learn through trial and error. That's how you learned it in the old days" when the slaves of Brazil (or their African ancestors) blended mesmerizing rhythms, call-and-response chants, swaying movements and serious martial arts forms, all united by wit and wile. Capoeira embodies the folkloric traditions of the trickster, said Stith, who estimates he's taught at least 500 students in elementary-school classes, churches and University of Texas informal classes.

"At the time that I became interested in capoeira there weren't a lot of people doing it in Austin," Stith said. "So I found whatever books or research material I could." Soon after, Stith and two former Austinites, Mikhail Breckenridge and Angel Furqua, created their own style, which since has given rise to capoeira da rua schools in Canada, Missouri and other parts of Texas.

"There are organizations like the International Capoeira Angola Foundation, but we don't have a single governing body like other martial arts do. To be honest, that would be the death of capoeira — if it were seen as one style or one expression," Stith said. "I always tell my students, if you want a very formalized class or a different style, there are nine other groups in town that teach capoeira now."

(Dynamic Arts Academy. 804 Capitol Court. 299-1749, www.capoeiradarua.com. Monthly fees: $75; student and family discounts available. The studio also houses Indonesian martial arts instructor Leslie Buck's Tactical Arts Academy.)

Krav maga
Jeff Levine, Fit and Fearless gyms

It's a miniature battlefield at the Fit and Fearless studio in South Austin, and at the center of the combat is Jeff Levine, the troops' fearless leader, along with two of his colonels, Wayne Miller and Kersten Lillejord. Their mission: to whip everyone into a frenzy, putting them in tip-top fighting shape within weeks. Their tool, and their endgame: the Israeli martial art krav maga.

"Krav maga was developed under very violent circumstances," said Levine, head instructor and owner of two Austin Fit and Fearless gyms specializing in the technique. "When Israel was created in 1948, they had a new country with no army. So everyone was sent to the military — 60-year-old men, football players, housewives. But the military needed (a combat style) that could be taught to people very quickly and that would work for all types of people."

A particular type of people seem drawn at Levine's Penn Field location. They are fierce, buff, young and youngish, wearing tights or shorts and T-shirts, and they are kicking some behind while Levine surveys their progress.

In the background, the driving rhythms of AC/DC reinforce a feeling of aggression and purpose, making the combatants' intensity palpable. In front of the troops are Miller and Lillejord, yelling drills and watching as about 20 students converge with their partners in the middle of the mat, throwing and blocking punches, jabbing with their knees and kicking.

This is exactly what Levine wants, having trained thousands of people in krav maga. He hammers one thing into his beginning students: Be aggressive. If you are being physically threatened, don't wait for the attacker to strike first.

"I tell students to strike hard. I don't care if they're doing the move wrong, as long as they do it hard," says Levine, 41.

A combat instructor for the U.S. Army at Fort Hood, where he teaches 100 men and women at a time, Levine has an impressive résumé in krav maga. He's taught the form to all sorts of military and law enforcement personnel, including Navy Seals, immigration officers and police officers.

"It is a law enforcement/military system," he said, adding that the system draws from a variety of fighting techniques, including muay Thai (kickboxing) and jujitsu. "In Hebrew, 'krav maga' literally means 'combat contact,' " Levine said.

Like all other certified instructors in the United States, Levine was trained and certified in Los Angeles, at the only sanctioned facility in the country. In Austin, Levine has about 2,000 students in his programs.

But regardless of age, size, ethnicity, gender or body style, Levine said, his students leave the program with much more confidence than when they arrived. "It's not always just about fighting," he said.

(The Fit and Fearless gyms at which Levine teaches krav maga are at Penn Field, 3601 S. Congress Ave., G-300, and 1901 W. William Cannon Drive, No. 121. Monthly fees: $89. 441-5728, www.fitandfearless.com.)

Muay Thai (kickboxing)
Rodney Solis, K.O. Sport gym

Walk into Rodney Solis' muay Thai class ready to sweat, swear and put up your dukes (not to mention your knees, shins, elbows and feet).

The 37-year-old is as affable as your hometown neighbor, but don't let that fool you: Solis is a drill sergeant who expects novices and veterans alike to arrive with a "get it" attitude. He'll hand them a jump rope and, smiling, demand two three-minute rounds of rope-skipping, which is harder than it sounds.

Solis has been teaching Thai kickboxing for about 10 years, and he comes from a background of boxing, Brazilian jujitsu, as well as muay Thai. He trains a handful of kickboxing fighters in town and has competed in the ring. But the majority of his students come in "to get in shape or learn how to defend themselves. Maybe 2 percent of my clientele actually want to fight," Solis said.

That's because the remaining 98 percent don't want to get the stuffing kicked out them. Muay Thai is rooted in the ancient Siamese martial art krabi krabong — "sort of the weapons version of Muay Thai," Solis said — and it's called "king of the ring" for good reason.

"Muay Thai can be the most brutal martial art there is," said Solis, who figures he's trained 150 or so students in the past decade. "You're talking about two guys who get in the ring (gloves on) and throw elbows and punches and head butts. They grab each other around the neck and grapple. It's hard core."

Solis hasn't fought in some time, choosing to train others who are a bit younger, but he still works out with one of the most revered muay Thai experts in Texas: Jason Webster, whom he considers his master instructor. Webster spent two years in Thailand learning muay Thai and then fighting in the ring. "He was the first non-Thai guy to get a black belt in krabi krabong," Solis said.

Solis takes an informal approach to teaching. "It's an open-door policy (at K.O. Sport gym). Any kind of skills that we have, we'll share them. Our thing is not about rank or belts or all this certification stuff. We say, 'Just come on, let's spar.' That's the best way to do it: Put up or shut up!"

Or, as some would say about the grueling (though oddly enjoyable) martial art: No pain, no gain.

(K.O. Sport. 9906 Gray Blvd. Monthly fees: $80 and up. 589-9990, www.kosportaustin.com.)

Shaolin-do kung fu
Joe Schaefer, Shaolin-Do Kung Fu/Tai Chi schools

Austin has scads of studios that teach different styles of kung fu — styles patterned after animal movements, such as the praying mantis system or the flying tiger — but shaolin-do is the granddaddy of them all, synthesizing 50 styles and 900 forms of Chinese martial arts. Joe Schaefer is one of the city's most accomplished instructors and one of the nation's few sixth-degree black belts under the shaolin lineage of kung fu.

"The term 'kung fu' actually means mastery of something through a lot of effort," said Schaefer, 41, a chill sort of guy who's been teaching here for nearly 20 years and has two Shaolin-Do Kung Fu/Tai Chi schools in town. "You can have kung fu of cooking. But most people in our country know of kung fu as a type of martial art."

At his North Austin studio, Schaefer teaches patiently yet firmly, much like you'd expect from the master in TV's "Kung Fu."

"I like to call shaolin kung fu a liberal-arts education in martial arts." Schaefer knows higher education. He received a doctoral degree in neurophysiology from the University of Texas in 1997 and taught there for six years, but his passions for kung fu and tai chi have been a prevailing force — and a partial means of making a living — since 1984, when he began his training. Since launching his own studio in 1987, Schaefer has trained more than 200 black belts in the shaolin style. As a practitioner himself, he trained under grandmaster Sin Kwang The (the third and only living grandmaster of this style). Schaefer has performed at the shaolin temple in China's Henan province, and not long ago, he took second place in the masters sparring division against fifth- through seventh-degree black belts.

But Schaefer welcomes students of all skill levels and treats newcomers as respectfully as he does longtime students.

"A lot of people come in because they've seen some Jet Li or Jackie Chan film, and they come in wanting to learn to fight," said Schaefer, whose wife and daughter both practice shaolin kung fu. "My own surveys show that my students change their goals within the first three months anyway." In other words, he said, they may seek him out because they want to whomp on people, but within a few weeks, they tend to focus more on the spiritual, mental and sheer physical aspects.

Like other martial arts experts in town, Schaefer noted that Austin has a very high number of martial arts studios. "You could say it's very competitive," he said with a laugh, alluding to the internal bickering and occasional slagging that goes on among martial artists. "But I can say I have one of the largest adult kung fu schools in Austin."

Still, Schaefer said, "I don't talk to my students about fighting, really," Schaefer said. "I don't think they come here to fight. Most mature adults don't walk around thinking about trying to beat somebody up. I like to say I speak the language of transformation."

(Shaolin-Do Kung Fu-Tai Chi studios. 2521 Rutland Drive (Schaefer teaches there), 837-9307. 3005 S. Lamar Blvd., 326-2989. Monthly fees: $109 and up. www.swshaolin.com.)