"Deadly Arts"

[Phlebas]

I live in Eastern Canada and I've been seeing ads for a television documentary series called "Deadly Arts" on the History channel. It begins this week on Wednesday the 26th from 9pm-11pm EST or alternatively from 1am-3am EST if you're a shift worker or just plain busy.

The commercials are pretty short and not very descriptive, but I'm sure I caught a glimpse of Aikido, and some very interesting and exotic stick-fighting that I've never seen before... and I *thought* I saw what looked like two samurai warriors (in full armour) doing the beginning of kata #4 with steel blades. I suppose it could have been anything, it was only one or two seconds in duration but it really looked like Hasso no kamae vs. Waki Game, and if it was, the documentary might be covering Kendo in particular. Speaking for myself I would consider it a CRIME if they didn't give Kendo a full hour on its own.

I just wanted to let the forum know in case anyone's interested... however I would like to take this opportunity to shirk any personal blame in case it SUCKS. I doubt it though. The History channel has aired some good stuff in the past.

[AlexM]

I just checked History Television's website. There will be absolutely nothing on kendo in the featured programs.

They're looking for more exotic stuff than kendo... we're just too tame.

I'm surprised that they call Tae Kwon Do the most practiced art in the world. One would think that judo surpasses that sport in popularity by quite a bit.

I wonder if they'll talk about the "mysticism" of these arts... as these types of programs are prone to doing (for some reason practice does not make perfect, being at one with the universe does).

[Phlebas]

WHAAAAA??

No Kendo? That's amazing. It's a martial art based on Kenjutsu so you'd think THAT would be "deadly" enough for them. I'd like to see Kendo at least get a nod... as a modern variant of something deadly. They're doing Aikido, for heaven's sake. What a rip! I'm incensed.

(tosses television guide into woodchipper and sets fire to TV set)

Ahhh. (rubs hands over flaming TV) That's better.

[etherknot]

Ah yes! I saw the same promotional ad on TV. I also didn't see any kendo clips in the ad.
However there is to be a special on Sunday Nov 30th. on History Channel Canada about samurai etc. to help awareness for when "The Last Samurai" comes out. I don't know about the "Deadly Arts" series but the other special on Sunday might be more interesting to watch.

Now shove over, you are hogging too much of the burning TV.

[Phlebas]

Thanks etherknot, I didn't know about that special. I owe you one! I just hope it's more about the actual samurai rather than a thinly disguised advertisment for the film... but as I said, the History Channel is pretty good most of the time.

Of course I'll make room for you... now let's all gather 'round and enjoy TV's warm glowing warming glow.

[Future Head]

I've seen a couple shows that sound like that, on the History channel and/or TLC. They range, as is to be expected, from interesting to flat-out uninformative. One of them was called "The World's Most Deadly Martial Arts" and was essentially a top ten that included Budo-kan, Aikido, Kung Fu, Kali, and some other obvious picks. Hopefully this will be a good one.

The stick-fighting is probably kali, by the way. That's an intense fighting style, if there ever was one.

[Hai_hai]

I live in Eastern Canada ...

First, I've seen the show. It's okay. It's just a documentary show on weapons and stuff.

Second, you are from Eastern Canada... what, do you want a medal for admitting that?

[AlexM]

There was a "top ten" list of martial arts (MA) that came out few years ago in the form of one of those TLC television specials. They ranked something called juko kai among the top ten and said nothing about judo (probably the most popular form of Asian MA on the planet).

Juko kai is actually a bogus organization. It's run by someone called Rod Sachorski (spel?) who claims to be Grand Master, Soke, Shihan, etc... Type juko kai into the search engine at e-budo.com and you'll find all you need to know about it.

Also, the Discovery Channel showed something called X-tream martial arts the other night. Some guys from various MA "hall of fames" doing bad khu-ro-ty moves on television... including some "shirtless iaido". I didn't catch it but have seen clips. Pathetic...

These are just examples of how the public at large can be easily told anything about budo because no one actually governs who has what credentials. These people are like psychics, they claim supernatural powers that are in fact parlour tricks. Beware what you see on TV kids...

BTW, while flipping channels I also caught a little snippet of a show that was just showing a number of blurbs of various forms of martial arts (no rankings, no in depth stuff, just 5-7 minute exposé on one martial art after another).

There was a section on kendo: I was unfortunately disappointed. It included footage of two lone kendoka sparring in a "zen" garden. They were on a cement walk-way and there was a small step at one point. One fighter wound up a bit lower than the other one. Their kendo looked... not so good... it looked like "sensei" kendo: little movement. Plus, being on cement they couldn't do proper fumikomi because they'd injure their feet. The person doing kendo (the one that spoke after the fighting clip) was Cary Mizobe from the West Side Kendo Dojo in L.A..

I did not like this segment for a couple of reasons.

1) It didn't show "real" kendo. No one spars on cement in the middle of a zen garden. At least not typically.

2) They could have shown energetic and young kendo: A regular practice in a proper place with many different kinds of people practicing (especially if they were in Los Angeles). Instead they portrayed it as a stale form of budo: slow moving, to be done between elites (when's the last time you had access to a Japanese garden?), etc.

It was, on the whole, a missed opportunity.

I think that so far the best documentary on kendo is still the NHK special on the Ishida's 8th dan test (showed off alot in a small amount of time). Although the Eiga documentary was cool too.

[Phlebas]

Hehehe... I saw that "Xtreme Martial Arts" show and I nearly busted a gut laughing at the "iaido" guy or whatever he said he was. During his demonstration he was doing what appeared to be dance moves while spinning the sword around, and at one point he actually *threw* his sword spinning into the air while he did the splits, then he caught it in one hand behind his back. (!) Complete with pumping, psyched-up music it looked more like a cheerleader routine than martial arts -- just replace the sword with a baton and he could do halftime shows at football games.

The "karate" guys were funny too. Their demonstrations were more like a gymnastics routine, with backflips, handsprings, cartwheels, etc., all to the pumping loud music again.

I haven't laughed like that for years. Still, AlexM's point has never been better illustrated: "Beware what you see on TV kids..." Because what I saw was definately mislabeled as martial arts. Good entertainment though. Lots of loud noises and shiny things.

[etherknot]

I also saw the "XTreme Martial Arts" show on Discovery.
Hmm. It was for the most part half ok and half really bad. The half that was good was the little information bits (although I chuckled when they refered to it as "The Spear" not Yari or "The Fan" not Tessen).
The whole tournament thing was bad. BAD! I know it's not what we are all used too but it seemed so very... Hmm.
The shirtless iaido was pretty funny too. Correct me if I am wrong but; after batto (taking the sword out), do you NOT step backwards? Cause shirtless-iaido-guy did.
The best part was the Matt fellow explaining his pre-sparring techniques. "I like to take swig of water", on screen- a bottle of very greenish Gatorade. Hmm.

Anyways the whole thing came to me as being fairly cocky and worries me if that is the kind of vibe that is being sent into the communities.

[hyouriittai]

Also, the Discovery Channel showed something called X-tream martial arts the other night. Some guys from various MA "hall of fames" doing bad khu-ro-ty moves on television... including some "shirtless iaido". I didn't catch it but have seen clips. Pathetic...

I saw some of that Xtreme-business. According to that show, it seems that one isn't cool, or even a martial artist if they don't go shirtless. Wouldn't it be creepy if you bowed into the dojo one day, and found everyone in bogu, but with no keikogi on. Me? I'd slowly creep out in reverse.