In the war zone of Burma, Antonio Graceffo meets Mater Kawn Zanie, a legendary, undisputed master of Lai Tai, Shan Kung Fu, a soldier with decades of combat experience who often goes out on patrols armed only with Shan double swords, and no gun. The Shan have been fighting a defense war against genocide and […]
A detailed explanation of the practical fighting program: Teaching basic hand-to-hand fighting skills to soldiers, Host Antonio Graceffo goes back into the war zone of Burma, with the Shan State Army, a rebel group, protecting the Shan people from genocide committed by the Burmese government. Practical fighting is a basic program of 18 strikes, beginning […]
Watch it for free on YouTube This is a look into the new web TV show, “Martial Arts Odyssey” hosted by Antonio Graceffo. In this short overview, Antonio explains how the show came about and what the basic premise is. Host Antonio Graceffo has been living in various countries in Asia, studying martial arts, for […]
Since the launch of my web TV show, “Martial Arts Odyssey,” more than 18 months ago, I have received a lot of email asking about Khmer and Thai martial arts, what they are, and which is better. This is just a brief overview to help people understand the martial arts of Cambodia and Thailand. You […]
“You can gain extra power on your kicks by throwing your kicking arm down, but you need to protect your face with a cross arm defense.” Explained Adjarn Ngern, at the national kick boxing stadium in Vientiane, Lao. In Tae Kwan Do and a lot of other kicking arts, the right hand comes down when […]
In the world of professional sports, politicians have long learned that great athletes make great PR. Basketball player Yao Ming is probably the first Chinese national to become a household name. Paradorn brought a lot of positive media attention to Thailand. And, you would have to go into the deepest regions of a remote jungle […]
In 2003, Antonio Graceffo went to Thailand to find a Buddhist monk, named Prah Kruh Ba, a former professional Muay Thai fighter, who lives in a jungle monastery on the Burmese border, where he takes in tribal kids, orphaned by the war in Burma. Antonio cut the Kruh Bah story out of a Taiwanese newspaper, […]
Using the butt of the knife for grabbing and grappling is one of my favorite knife fighting techniques. Unfortunately, the knives used by the rebels in Burma were about twice as long as the Philippine bolo. So, when I was grabbing my opponent with one end of the knife, I had to be careful not […]
Master Hisam’s hands are huge and swollen, as hard as rocks. In demonstrations, he uses them to smash granite slabs to dust. One could only imagine what those hands would do to your skull, even through boxing gloves. The gym is a four story walkup, overlooking a highway in Tainan, the ancient capital of Taiwan. […]
They beat the Chinese, the French, the Americans, and even Genghis Khan in war, so I figured the Vietnamese could teach this Brooklyn Monk Something about fighting. Vovinam is taught everywhere in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The practitioners see it as a matter of national pride, similar to the way Koreans view Tae Kwan […]