I am turning my back on the UFC. And it’s George Saint-Pierre’s fault. Continue reading
Thug Sport
Posted in Journalism, Kickboxing, Observation with tags Alexei Ignashov, Badr hari, Blitz Martial Arts Magazine, Budo, Cor Hemmers, Elvis Presley, Full Contact World Tournament, Genesis, George Saint Pierre, Hosea, Israel, Jacob, John McCain, K1, Kyokushin karate, Lance Armstrong, Mas Oyama, MMA, Nick Diaz, Pride, Ramon Dekkers, Semmy Schilt, Sensei Kawabata, Tony Bowden, UFC, Ultimate Fighting, Wayne Carey on May 3, 2013 by Jarrod Boyle
RIP JEFF HANNEMAN – 1964-2013
Posted in Music, Real Men, Slayer with tags Dissident Aggressor, Jeff Hanneman, Slayer, South of Heaven on May 3, 2013 by Jarrod Boyle
Jeff Hanneman, guitarist of the magnificent, soaring, crushing, excoriating speed metal band Slayer, has died aged 49.
One of the high points of my kickboxing career was walking out to the song ‘Dissident Aggressor’ from South of Heaven.
I trained to it this morning.
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The Day Borges Blew Up My Head
Posted in Reading, Real Men with tags Ahaseurus, Borges: A Life, Both Flesh and Not, David Foster Wallace, Edwin Williamson, Glenferrie Road, Jorge Luis Borges, Labyrinths, mobius strip, New York Times, Princess Diana, The God's Script, The Immortal, Theseus on April 27, 2013 by Jarrod Boyle
This week, at the urging of David Foster Wallace, I read two stories by Jorge Luis Borges: ‘The God’s Script’ and ‘The Immortal’. In the same way I will always remember where I was and what I was doing when Princess Diana was killed, I will always remember sitting at that Glenferrie Road café, killing time in between clients on a grey mid-morning when I read those two stories. Continue reading
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Venus in Furs
Posted in Reading with tags Goethe, homosexuality, Jane Austen, Justine, Leopold Von Sacher-Masoch, Marquis de Sade, Pride and Prejudice, Story of O, Venus in Furs on April 21, 2013 by Jarrod Boyle
“In life, one must be the hammer or the anvil.”
– Goethe, as quoted in Venus in Furs.
I am convinced that Pride and Prejudice should be on the reading list of every teen-aged boy. I loved the book when I read it; I thought to myself, ‘I should have read this twenty years ago! This explains exactly what’s wrong with them!’
I have recently read Venus in Furs and this book should also be added to the adolescent male list of required reading. Continue reading
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All Hail the Super-Samoan!
Posted in Kickboxing, Real Men with tags George Saint Pierre, Junior Dos Santos, Mark Hunt, Nate Diaz, UFC 146 on April 13, 2013 by Jarrod Boyle
On Saturday May 26, the Cindarella of fightsports will strike out in pursuit of the UFC Heavyweight title. We love and respect Junior Dos Santos as one of the few gentlemen remaining in what has increasingly become a thug sport (see the woeful weigh-in shaenanigans of Diaz and St-Pierre), but my money is on the great Antipodean.
I salute Dos Santos, but Mark Hunt is in my heart.
All hail the Super Samoan!!!
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Jamie ‘The Official’ Stamp
Posted in Kickboxing, Real Men with tags Anthony Vella, Bangkok, Beniah Douma, Chiang Mai, Daddy Kool, Elliot Compton, Eruption, Evolution, Joel Bowen, Kickboxing, Louie Isofidis, Lumpini, Moranbah, Muay Thai, Ormeau, Paul Briggs, Paul Demicoli, Saenchai, Team Quest, Thirteen Coins on April 12, 2013 by Jarrod Boyle
Revenge of the beard!
International Kickboxer Magazine, March/April 2013
In Queensland, people grow all kinds of crazy things in their backyards. At Jamie Stamp’s house in Ormeau, it happens to be a kickboxing gym.
“It started off as a small shed down the back of the house,” says Jamie. “Since Anthony [Vella] has come along, the place has grown in leaps and bounds. It’s getting bigger and bigger! We’ve already got six of our regular fighters matched for February, and there’s fifteen or so fighters down there altogether.” Continue reading
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Sydney Force: Michael Badato and Joe Concha
Posted in Kickboxing with tags Blacktown, Brett Whitton, Daddy Kool, Dane Beauchamp, Full Force Gym, Ghot Seur Noi, IKBF, Joe Concha, Joel Fisher, Koh Samui, MASA, Michael Badato, Muay Thai, NTG, Rebellion Muay Thai, Rinehard Badato, Shaggy, Sydney, Total Carnage, Urban Fight Gym, WBC, WKBF on April 12, 2013 by Jarrod Boyle
International Kickboxer Magazine, March/April 2013
The Full-Force Gym in Blacktown in Sydney’s western suburbs is a family affair. JARROD BOYLE talks to MICHAEL BADATO and JOE CONCHA, two of its brightest stars. Continue reading
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Ricky and Tegan – As Real as it Gets
Posted in Ridiculous curiosity with tags assault, Ricky Nixon, stand-up comedy, Tegan Gould on March 28, 2013 by Jarrod Boyle
Ricky Nixon has fronted court to answer charges of assaulting his former fiancée, Tegan Gould. I expect this will force him to put his career as a stand-up comic on hold.
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Christian Ennor
Posted in Kickboxing with tags Bob Jones Corporation, Boxing, Bruce Lee, Christian Ennor, Dave Hedgecock, Eric Diamandstein, Freddy Roach, Jackie Chan, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Kung fu, Mehmet Ceyan, Muay Thai, Paul Fyfield, Robbie Jankovski, Sam Soliman, Tae Kwon Do, Underworld Gym, Wildcard Gym, Zen Do Kai on March 22, 2013 by Jarrod Boyle
I am lucky enough to have Christian Ennor holding pads for me. He is among the best pad holders I have worked with; he is systematic and understands not only how fights work, but how to train for them.
One of the things I admire most about him – other than his insight into the intricacies of fighting – is his physical courage. He always positions himself in such a way that I can get maximum leverage and power into my strikes, which is always at his expense. That kind of self-sacrifice is emblematic of the very best trainers.
He is also proof that a great trainer needs intelligence and insight every bit as much as experience. Continue reading
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Drag-Racing in the Desert of the Real
Posted in Film, Observation, Pretensions toward cultural theory, Reading with tags Baudrillard, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Cambodia, concentration camp, Dawn of the Dead, Dexter, George A Romero, Germaine Greer, Irreversible, Killer Joe, Matthew McConaughey, Naomi Wolf, Raders of the Lost Ark, Salo, Sam Peckinpah, Sergei Eisenstein, Straw Dogs, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The American Nightmare, The Exorcist, The Wild Bunch, Tobe Hooper, Tom Savini, Walking Dead, Wes Craven, Wliiam Freidkin on March 17, 2013 by Jarrod Boyle
I had an argument with some friends of mine recently about Dexter. Personally, I think that is a show for which the script is a poorly-written pretext for the violence. Continue reading
Theme Park at its Darkest 