Photos by Champion Photos

When was the last time you enjoyed a good martial arts show? Canadians have so far been out of luck for well-rounded, family-friendly (language and violence) live martial entertainment. Out of that void was born the Open Black Belt World Championships (OBBWC) which kicked-off August 18 in Toronto.

Fans get autographed stuff during intermission

The capoeira team had the crowd stomping to the beat

This lady was totally scary. She has a tiny knife!

The two-day show had pretty much everything you could hope for: lively demonstrations (capoeira, dragon dance, “Afrikan” martial arts), tournament sparring (WTF Taekwondo, kung-fu, karate, kickboxing), and forms competitions (Chinese, Okinawan, and Korean).

And of course several martial art personalities attended, including Bill “Superfoot” Wallace, Don “The Dragon” Wilson (kickboxer and actor), Dan “The King of Breaking” Netherland, and Michael Jai White (who you’ll see in the upcoming Batman movie).

Taekwondo sparring was one of the main events, and the highlight of the weekend according to several spectators. “When the sparring started, I was almost off my seat… the speed and power of the guys and their determination was incredible” said a young couple from Toronto.

Two representatives of Taekwondo were Ontario Champions Randi Byrne and Natalie Simon, who both won their divisions. While this was not an official WTF event, it has the potential to draw serious international talent and expose the sport to a new audience.

Randi Byrne serves as one of the ambassadors of Taekwondo. Now that's diplomacy!

Although the celebrities studied different styles, their experience and insight can benefit all martial artists. An interview with Bill “Superfoot” Wallace revealed his concern for children in competition:

Another knockout for the Superfoot. The camera dude had zero chance.

When I started [47 years ago] there were no children in martial arts. Most schools wouldn’t teach students under sixteen. Today they start much younger, and the technical level is improving because of it. But too many competitions a year can damage a child’s fighting spirit and take their eye from the true goal of self-improvement.

One of the differences between Canada and the U.S. is corporate involvement in martial arts, which I believe is overall a positive thing because things like sponsorships enable athletes to do what they otherwise couldn’t do. Of course we also see down-sides, such as how sponsorships can possibly influence tournament results.

And then there was Dan Netherland’s, who attempted to surpass a world record (currently held by himself) by breaking 20 bricks at once. Taekwondo breaking tends to focus on speed and accuracy, so how could power breaking benefit the modern student? Netherland explains:

Breaking is essential to develop confidence, and compassion. Students need a calibration of what damage their techniques can do. This gives them balance when striking, and confidence in their ability. And confidence reduces aggressiveness because they know how bad they can hurt people, and can choose to walk away.

Not bad for a 60-year old red belt, I guess.

His tips for practising breaking?

I used to train every day, but now [after 53 years of training] a few times a week is enough to maintain bone density and strength. I never strike the air during practice. Some people say this will cause bad form when missing – I say it makes good form when hitting. A big mistake for beginners is starting too heavy too fast, which leads to injuries. Start slow and let your body adapt.

Don Wilson spent several minutes complaining that nobody will give him a UFC match, before giving a demo on kickboxing strikes

The 1^st OBBWC was MC’d by martial art instructor and radio personality John Harada, who kept spectators informed about the martial art styles and fighters in the ring.

Don’t worry if you missed the event: it was professionally filmed and will be showing in select Cineplex Odeon theatres this October 20. If you prefer it live, the second OBBWC is already planned for next year in Toronto.

» OBBWC Website
» Event Photos

It’s the top event for university students around the globe, and the largest multi-sport competition after the Olympics. Taekwondo is a big event at the biennial Universiade (World University Games), and just because they’re university students doesn’t mean the competition isn’t world class.

While the Canadian team never saw podium, the competitors were first to admit this event is more about gaining experience than winning medals. Reggie Lawrence is a Newfoundland fighter who could become a deadly force by adding serious experience to his athleticism and determination:

The experience was incredible for me… and the biggest thing that I took from this tournament was that I realized the world’s best are not out of reach for me. Going into my first match, I was so confident that I was going to win that I couldn’t stop moving around with anticipation… but this was from total excitement and the anxious desire for wanting to hurry up and fight. I will try to remember and put myself in this state of mind for every one of my fights from now on. I won that match 3 to 0… I have a clear taste of the Olympics now.

Despite being the Bantamweight Canadian Champion, Shannon Condie considers the Universiade useful for honing her skills:

I was excited to have beat China in my first fight as I had lost to her not long ago at U.S. Open. This match showed me where I have matured, but at the same time there are still kinks to be worked out. It was nice to have high level athletes such as China and Korea in my division and ultimately those were the girls I came here to fight.

By several accounts Shannon actually beat Korea in her extremely close (2-1) second match, but questionable refereeing wasn’t in her favour. Like a true martial athlete Shannon shrugs it off: “The ref’ing was generally bad, but as an athlete it is something that we all had to deal with while here.”

Shannon Condie (red) vs. Korea

Shannon reports the Canadian Team bonded well and enjoyed the trip in and out of the ring:

The people of Thailand have been very welcoming — asking us where we’re from and saying hi in passing. Our support staff was awesome! I would like to thank all of them (including our Manager and Coach Scott Woodhouse and Ashley Casteneda) for giving up their home life and paying to come help us out in Thailand.

This year Canada’s Taekwondo team was not funded, so all competitors needed was a university enrolment, a black belt, and a few thousand bucks to fly to Bangkok.

» Official Website
» Photo Gallery
» Next Universiade (2009) website
» Canadian Interuniversity Sport