|
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Muslim
By Adisa Banjoko 18/07/2001
Over the past few years, the trend towards participation in the martial arts has risen sharply. For some people, it is the lure of spectacular acrobatics in high-action films such as
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Rush Hour II. However, under the surface of the cinematic trend, is the more general surge in martial arts training amongst the general public. Many Muslims are part of this
trend, and whether they are taking classes through local mosques or attending structured programs at commercial martial arts academies, Muslims are definitely catching on.
More recently, Muslims have specifically turned to various martial styles indigenous to Muslim homelands. Probably the most notable amongst these styles are the Escrima and
Silat - most often found in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and other parts of South East Asia. But, to focus exclusively on these styles would be to ignore the breadth of martial arts that exist in the world
today, and interestingly enough, martial arts can be traced directly back to the Prophet Muhammad (saw) himself.
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, the director of the Zaytuna Institute in Hayward, California, points out in his most recent audiotape release - a boxed set entitled
The Life of the Prophet Muhammad - that the Prophet Muhammad (saw) was indeed a prolific wrestler. It is recorded that in one instance, he was able to throw Arabia's finest grappler with such grace that the defeated man asked to be taught the Prophet's (saw) techniques. Since the time of the Prophet (saw), the grappling arts have always been a sport of great enthusiasm in the Muslim
world - most notably amongst the Iranians who have consistently competed well in wrestling events at the at the Olympic Games.
It is no wonder then that the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) is one of the world's most popular websites for grapplers the world over. Founded by Shaykh Tahnoun bin Zayed
Al-Nahyan, a member of Abu Dhabi's ruling family, the ADCC was founded to "generally promote a healthy lifestyle by educating members in nutrition and to train people in all aspects of self defense, which in turn builds self-confidence." *
It was Shaykh Tahnoun's own personal interest in grappling that was the genesis of the ADCC; he had been a fan and practitioner of a growing American sports phenomenon called Gracie Jiu-Jitsu (also known as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) while he was a student at San Diego State University.
First made popular in the U.S. in the early 1990s, Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is a grappling art from Brazil created by the Gracie family over 75 years ago. It uses leverage and technique over strength and speed, thus making it ideal for people of small physical stature. In fact, Helio Gracie, one of the early proponents of the form, weighed in at 120 lbs. yet beat men as heavy as 360 lbs. For women and children especially, this is a superb art, as
its techniques do not rely on absolute strength and speed for success. Sheik Tahnoun even has a kid's team that is one of the worlds finest.
Some of the more contemporary leaders in the art are: Rickson, Royce, Ralph, Renzo, Royler, and Charles Gracie.**
Once a year, the ADCC hosts the Abu Dhabi World Submission Wrestling Championships. It is a prestigious invitation-only event
where the best Muslim and non-Muslim grapplers train and compete together in the spirit of the art. People from America, Brazil, Japan, Morocco and other parts of the Muslim world flock to the UAE to participate and attend.
Most of the winners of the Abu Dhabi competition go on to compete in major market entertainment events such
as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), which is hosted at various venues in the
U.S., and the PRIDE Tournaments of Japan. These events, especially the UFC, have attracted a major American viewing audience, which has led to
their great success. (thanks to cable, satellite and Pay-Per-View).
One competitor Muslims should particularly note is Din Thomas - an African American Muslim from Florida who recently competed in the UFC. He has a record of 5-2-0 internationally and has competed extensively in Japan.
Other competitors of Muslim background include Abdelaziz Cherigui, Ahkmed Sagidguseinov, Alli Mihoubi, Amir Rahnavard, Betiss Mansouri, Jamal Karimov, Mushtaq Abdullah, Reza Nasri, Saeed Hosseini, and the legendary Brazilian, Wallid Ismail.
At the 2001 ADCC World Submission Wrestling Championships, Muslim finalists included Tareq Al-Ketbi (UAE), Khalil Ibrahim Khalil (Jordan), Mohammed Jehad (Lebanon), and Jehad Hamdan (Palestine). The competition is televised annually in various parts of the world via satellite.
At www.adcombat.com, you can get the latest grappling news, buy videos of the tournament, get training tips and engage in debates on message-boards
about upcoming matches. You can also read interviews with the biggest stars of the grappling world.
Through the vision of Sheik Tahnoun, the Muslim world, (as well as the martial arts community) has a higher standard to live up to, while staying true to one of the Prophet's pastimes.
Citations
*Abu Dhabi Combat Club.
**For more information on the history of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, please visit Charles Gracie Jiu-Jitsu or
BJJ.Org
|
