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COMBAT AND COMPETITION
Author: Floyd Burk
If someone were to mention Benny Urquidezs name, chances are youd envision a 5-foot-6-inch dynamo with the most powerful punching and kicking skills in the world. If youre into competition, you might recall that he owns a spectacular 58-0 professional record that was compiled on top of hundreds of wins in amateur bouts. If youre into history, youd no doubt remember his shake-up victories over scores of Asian kickboxers back in the 1970s despite the best efforts of promoters who would send one opponent into the ring after Urquidez had prepared to face another.
No matter what youre into, you would have to acknowledge that ìThe Jetî proved time and again that he could fight anyone, anywhere under any rules.
Thats all well and good for the keepers of the official Benny Urquidez biography, but it does little to improve the lot of the average American who is obsessed with becoming a better kickboxer or learning how to fend off crackheads on street corners. To meet the needs of all the martial artists who were clamoring for their own bit of Benny, the Southern California-based ring legend decided to create a system he could spread to the world. The result was ukidokan, a take-off on a couple syllables from his surname combined with kan, the Japanese term for karate training hall.
But ukidokan is much more than ìkarate ? la Benny Urquidez.î Rather, it is a two-faceted eclectic art composed of a street-fighting subsystem and a ring-fighting subsystem. To its founder, however, no such dichotomy exists, for in his eyes ukidokan will always be a way of life.
FAT FREE
To create ukidokan, the Black Belt Hall of Fame member extracted the best moves from the various styles in which hed trained extensively: shotokan karate, kenpo karate, kickboxing, boxing, white crane kung fu, aikido, jujutsu, judo, pro wrestling and weaponry. ìIt is a collection of the best of the best of what I was taught in the 60s and 70s,î he says. ìI trimmed off the fat and kept the meat, then modified it to make it work for modern times.î
In the martial arts world, most destroyers of tradition run into more than their fair share of hassling from former instructors who feel theyve been betrayed by the creation of the new and improved art. Not so with the father of ukidokan. ìI was different from others who went out on their own and got flack, because I earned their respect before I did it,î he says. ìI worked with so many good masters in the 60s especiallymany of whom I trained with, competed for and taught forthat when I came up with ukidokan, it was like part of them was part of me. When they looked at my system, they would say, I know where you got that technique from, or This move came from me, and I would say, Of course. They were thrilled and honored that I used some of the stuff they taught me.î
JACK-OF-ALL-TRADES
Urquidez proved hes a master at blending arts that others treat as standalone styles. That ability grew from his unique background, which took off when he was a hard stylist in the early 60s, soared when he added a few soft styles and grappling arts over the ensuing years and continued when he broke into full-contact karate in the early 70s. His quick capture of lightweight, super-lightweight and welterweight championship titles attested to his ability to morph into a proficient practitioner in virtually any martial arts genre he chose. His fans loved to watch him in action because he did things others wouldnt or couldnt do. He thrashed opponent after opponent using strategy and finesse, always maintaining control of his emotions even when he went up against the fiercest fighters. His skills and consaid: ditioning enabled him to absorb whatever punishment his foes could dish out, after which he would launch into a brutal offensive charge or deliver a precision knockout blow.
ìBack when I was defending my titles in Japan and other places, my stylewhich was actually my brother Arnolds stylewas called kenpo shotokan,î Urquidez says. ìWe called it that because we knew a lot of soft styles and hard styles, and to incorporate them all, we called it kenpo shotokan.
But when I was in Japan, they would ask what my style was, and I would say that we call it kenpo shotokan. They consaid: No, its either kenpo or shotokan. You have to make up something that is yours because you dont look like youre doing either art. What youre doing is unique. ìThats when I decided to come up with my own system,î he continues. ìWith that and the other stuff I had learned, it took me five years to create ukidokan.î
Ukidokans two halves grew out of The Jets experiences in the self-defense- oriented arts and the competition- oriented arts. The first he christened ukidokan karate, or what some practitioners refer to as ìthe art.î The second he called ukidokan kickboxing, or merely ìthe sport.î
THE ART
When you choose to train in ukidokan karate, you focus on kata, sparring, waza (situational self-defense techniques) and what Urquidez refers to as grab arts ( judo, jujutsu, aikido, wrestling and other forms of grappling).
You also do boxing, kickboxing and other endurance-building activities. And to function better in a street setting, you hone your understanding of the fighting ranges. ìThree feet away from your opponent is the safety zone, two feet away is the kicking zone and one foot away is the punching zone,î Urquidez says.
ìAnything closer than that is elbows, knees, takedowns and grappling. From there, things go to a press, a submission hold and if your opponent does not tap out, you put him to sleep.î The art works for everyonemale or female, strong or weak, old or youngbecause it empowers without requiring power. ìIts all about leverage,î Urquidez says. ìIf you have to struggle and muscle it, youre doing it wrong. Everythings done with leverage and momentum.
ìWhat makes ukidokan karate unique is that the training is done under pressure,î he continues. ìYou must learn to control your emotions. Whatever captures your mind, captures your body and spirit. If you feel fear, youre captured. Ukidokan gives you tools to deal with your fear. It reprograms you.î
While ukidokan karate is taught throughout the world, its spiritual home is the Jet Gym in North Hollywood, California. There, instructors place great emphasis on getting you to manage your emotions when the heat is onfiguratively and literally. Whenever training takes place in a controlled, comfortable school environment, theres no threat, Urquidez says. Thats why hes been known to flick up the thermostat even in the middle of summer when the mercury has already hit 100 degrees. ìI want to make it hard, to make it tough and to make it a little less comfortable,î he says. ìWhen you train at the Jet Gym, you dont look good and you dont feel good, but soon you know who you are.î
People go there to face their truth, he claims. You get accustomed to facing the unknown because you never know who youll end up being partnered with in class or matched with in the sparring ring. ìWhen there is a threat in front of you, emotions such as anger, fear, frustration and anxiety will arise.î And if you want to survive, you learn how to reign them in.
THE SPORT
If you opt to train in ukidokan kickboxing, you will learn boxing-style punches and footwork, as well as kicks, knee and elbow strikes, leg checking and counter-kicking. You will also delve into advanced concepts such as gapping, cornering, controlling the center of the ring, and a myriad of other strategies and tactics that could only have come from a fighter with The Jets experiences.
The ultra-tough physical training teaches you to push yourself further than you thought was possible. As you develop a deep understanding of ring warfare, you toughen your will and your determination. You learn how to use kicking and punching as a language to communicate, as a way to gain wisdom and insight, as a method to improve your life and become a better person. That internal training becomes your vehicle for conquering your fears and becoming one with the bushido, the way of the warrior.
DEEP IMPACT
As you rise through the ranks and levels of ukidokan, you begin to notice that the karate half and the kickboxing half are intertwined. ìThe philosophy of the artsand this goes for ukidokan karate and ukidokan kickboxing as wellteaches a good way of life. It is about discipline and respect, about learning how to have honor.
ìA lot of people arent sure why they train,î he continues. ìThey say, I dont know why Im here but Im here. I tell them theyre here to face their truth. They say, How do you know that? I say, Because Im the last stop. ìA lot of themeven grown men end up in tears, not because they got hurt but because of other stuff, other emotions that they came here to cleanse, to get rid of, and to have the tools to deal with.î
He pushes all his students to achieve a balance between their physical training and their mental training, between their quest for personal development and their quest to help others. He encourages them to make ukidokan a way of life, and its completeness facilitates that. Even though Benny Urquidezs name is irrevocably linked to kickboxing, the art he created is not. In fact, it extends far beyond the ropes and canvas and promises to make the world a better placeone person at a time. ...
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