Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/25sh5a/Episode_418ooth.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIn this episode, we discuss a new discover about
George Tragos gained fame as the trainer of Lou Thesz, the dominant National Wrestling Alliance
On November 19, 1935, professional wrestler Ray Steele met professional boxer Kingfish Levinsky in a
Who is the greatest legitimate professional wrestler to wrestle in the United States? How do
Minor film company Conn Pictures Company released Tough to Handle (1937) on May 24, 1937. Director S. Roy Luby pairs “B” film stars Kane Richmond and Frankie Darro in this story of phony lottery tickets. Grandpa Sanford believe he won the lottery. Grandpa will be able to use the money to improve the circumstances of his grandchildren, Mike, played by
On September 5, 1984, I walked through the doors of Grover Cleveland High School for the first time. I attended St. Louis’ most popular magnet school at the time, Kennard NJROTC Academy. The St. Louis School Board decided to move the program to “The Castle on Grand”. Cleveland High School would graduate many St. Louis children on St. Louis’ South
I wanted to write about one of my favorite movies, The Scarlet Pimpernel (1935). It is an adaptation of the novel by the same name, written by Baroness Orczy. The film (affiliate link) concerns an English peer, who risks his life by saving French aristocrats from the guillotine. The story is complicated by the fact the peer is married to
Julius “Uncle Jules” Johannpeter was born in St. Charles, MO on March 5, 1875 to recent German immigrants Frederick William Johannpeter and Johanna Johannpeter nee Grieve. “Uncle Jules” was seven years older than his sister Caroline Leah “Lee” Johannpeter, my great grandmother. When Lee’s husband William Ellis died in 1917, Lee had the challenge of raising her two-year-old son Gilbert as a single
A question I’m often asked during classes and seminars is “Can I become invincible by learning self-defense?” The short answer is “No” but they are asking the wrong questions. Better questions would be: “What can I do to make myself a less desirable target?” “How can I get in better shape to successfully repel an attack?” “What techniques should
In one of the last films in the series, British authorites recruit Sherlock Holmes to protect the young heir to a European throne. Universal Pictures released Pursuit to Algiers (1945) on October 26, 1945. Basil Rathbone returns for the twelfth of fourteen times as Sherlock Holmes. Nigel Bruce again plays his assistant Dr. John Watson. As the film begins, Sherlock
Before he became St. Louis Chief of Detectives in 1890, William Desmond plied his trade as a Detective with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. During February 1890, Detective Desmond’s persistent efforts to locate two confidence men paid off with the arrest of both men. “Kinch” Keegan and “Thatch” Grady were brother-in-laws and accomplices in several confidence games. On January
On July 7, 1939, Twentieth Century-Fox Films released the final Mr. Moto “B” film starring Peter Lorre as Inspector Kentaro Moto. Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation finds Mr. Moto accompanying the Queen of Sheba’s Crown from its discovery in an Egyptian archaeological site to a San Francisco museum. Mr. Moto suspects the arch criminal Metaxess, who authorities believed was dead, intends
During the Gilded Age and for several decades after, St. Louis had the distinction of being the largest city west of the Mississippi River. Pickpockets and thieves rode the rails to ply their illicit trade in the bustling metropolis. On September 21, 1901, hotel employees overpowered a sneak thief, who attempted to burglarize a room in the plush Southern Hotel.
The legendary Bruce Lee wrote an article for Black Belt magazine many years ago which challenged the efficiency and efficacy of kata, forms or pattern training. Ever since the publication of this article, many other martial artists have begun to challenge or question the need for forms training. Since I am dedicated to teaching self defense, you would think I