Kalarippayatt - The Indian Martial Art

Here's a website I found for a school based in London. I'd never heard of this martial art before - apparently it goes back many thousands of years and incorporates strikes, joint locks, grappling, and weapons. The modern version is a synthesis of many different regional varieties of fighting that have survived in India. Take a look - http://www.kalarippayatt.co.uk/

Capoeira in Long Island

A reader is looking for capoeira classes on Long Island. I don't know of any - do you? Let me know!

N.Y. Youth At Risk - Mentorship Opportunity

I saw this posting on craigslist and thought it deserved as wide an audience as possible. New York Youth At Risk is looking for mentors and volunteers in any capacity. They don't mention martial arts but they have a special program called The Warrior's Way, for young men aged 12-15 who don't have a father figure. As we all know, martial arts can be an exceptionally positive way to reach young people and change their lives for the better. Too often the people who need martial arts the most can't afford lessons and equipment. If you have a kids or teen program, consider "adopting" one of these kids and letting them take classes for free.

N.Y. Youth at Risk Warrior's Way program
Craigslist Post - N.Y. Youth at Risk Needs Mentors and Volunteers

N.Y. Times tai chi article

They Call It Meditation in Motion, but Does Tai Chi Heal Ills?
By MARK DERR
Published: April 13, 2004

MIAMI BEACH, April 12 — On a languid March evening, Jeff Morris, a lean, muscular man with a calm smile and shaved head, led a class of three men and two women with slow, fluid, continuous movements through the formalized postures of tai chi, the centuries-old Chinese Taoist martial art.

For 75 minutes, the participants focused their attention on controlling the positions of their arms, legs, torsos and spines, guiding them in concert repeatedly through their poses with varying degrees of gracefulness.

Told in 1986 that he had full-blown AIDS and just a year to live, Mr. Morris turned to tai chi, its companion discipline qigong and later a cocktail of antiviral drugs. Now, H.I.V. is virtually undetectable in his blood, and he teaches tai chi at various locations in Miami-Dade County.

Read the whole article - free registration at nytimes.com required

Best Judo

New book review! Best Judo by Isao Inokuma and Nobuyuki Sato. Enjoy...