![\"\"](\"http:\/\/embodiedstrength.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Me-and-Raul-1024x747.jpg\" "\\"Sam")
I met my good friend Dr. Raul Ramirez several years ago while training with Billy Robinson. Also a Licensed Acupuncturist based in \u00a0Culver City, Los Angeles, Dr. Ramirez translated most of the oldest Acupuncture textbooks in existence, the Huang Di Nei Jing. Later he wrote a dissertation on the treatment of inflammatory disorders using the protocols described therein. This work earned him a Ph.D. in Eastern Medicine.<\/p>\n
In addition to his work in Traditional Eastern Medicine, Dr. Ramirez has devoted a great deal of his life to martial arts. He has studied Sanda (Chinese Kickboxing and Wrestling) in Bejing, China and Bangau Putih Silat in Bali, Indonesia. He is also well studied in the internal martial arts of Ying Yang Palm and Liu He Ba Fa. Additionally he has experience in Sumo Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Catch Wrestling.
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\nNot only has Dr. Ramirez come down to train with me at my private studio in San Diego many times, but he\u2019s been nice enough to teach both myself and my private clients some awesome techniques from Sanda (Chinese Wrestling and Kickboxing).<\/p>\n
I recorded the following interview one evening when Dr. Ramirez and I sat down for several hours and talked Martial Arts, Catch Wrestling, Acupuncture, Chinese Medicine, and a host of other awesome topics. I got the full story of Raul\u2019s experiences while training abroad, and some real expert insights on the Huang Di Nei Jing the oldest Acupuncture textbook written around the end of the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). Without any more introduction here is the first installment of my interview with Dr. Raul Ramirez.<\/p>\n
Sam:<\/strong> To start out, how about if you fill us in a little bit on your martial arts background. How you got involved in training? What interested you in it?<\/p>\n Dr. Ramirez:<\/strong> Ok I guess probably just from watching movies as a kid I got interested. I grew up in the Palm Springs area, there wasn\u2019t much training out there so when I moved to L.A. I started in Karate. My sisters friend was a black belt in it so I started a little training there. In my university, while pursuing my undergraduate degree, I had to take a class in Tai Chi from there I just got really into the Kung Fu stuff, Chinese Kickboxing and Wrestling mostly. Then around 1999, with my teacher at that time, I had an opportunity to go to China and study at the sports university in Bejing for a month.<\/p>\n Sam:<\/strong> What was the training like in China and what did you do there?<\/p>\n Dr. Ramirez:<\/strong> It was really awesome, at the University in China you can actually major in any sport. It\u2019s where all the olympians go so not just martial arts, but swimming or anything can be made a full-time study. I was there as the 2000 olympics were approaching so all the students there were very high level. Basically the training was 6 hours a day 6 days a week.<\/p>\n Sam:<\/strong> What would a typical day be?<\/p>\n Dr. Ramirez:<\/strong> Up in the morning and a morning training session, in between or before the next training session would be a strength and conditioning session, then an afternoon training session, in the evening they would usually do pad work or sparring.<\/p>\n Sam:<\/strong> Sounds like a brutal schedule?<\/p>\n Dr. Ramirez:<\/strong> I was having so much fun and excited about everything I was learning I really didn\u2019t mind it much. I did wrestling in the morning for 3 hours and kickboxing in the afternoon for another 3 hours.<\/p>\n Sam:<\/strong> So is this how you started studying the language?<\/p>\n Dr. Ramirez:<\/strong> Yes at that time I really didn\u2019t know any Chinese, I had a friend translating but he would get tired and so I decided I would really have to learn it.<\/p>\n Sam:<\/strong> What\u2019s the correct names for the martial arts you studied in Bejing?<\/p>\n Dr. Ramirez:<\/strong> Kung Fu has a really old Wrestling Style call \u201cShui Jiao\u201d it\u2019s basically their wrestling sport. It has a gi top but it\u2019s short sleeve, so it\u2019s kind of like Judo but you are not wearing a full gi. It\u2019s also sometimes called Kuai Shuai which literally means \u201cfast wrestling\u201d, the kickboxing is Sanda some people will also call it San Shou and it also employs the use of takedowns and the wrestling techniques so in many ways the wrestling is just a component of Sanda.<\/p>\n Sam:<\/strong> I think a lot of people probably aren\u2019t too familiar with this because usually over here in the West whenever someone mentions Kung Fu and Chinese martial arts we always think about the traditional arts that involve practicing forms, breathing and other similar exercises. I don\u2019t think a lot of people realize that over in China there also exists a very alive, athletic, sport-based martial arts.<\/p>\n Dr. Ramirez:<\/strong> I definitely agree with that. Most people just think of forms or Jet Li movies and they don\u2019t understand or realize that the history of Kung Fu goes back over 3,000 years. People will try to claim a Buddhist relationship because of the Shaolin temple and say that all Chinese martial arts came from India, but even with Chinese wrestling it has a long heritage that has nothing to do with Shaolin. From what I\u2019ve studied, that style used to be more like MMA and involved punches and kicks but over thousands of years it became more centered as a sport and focused on your ability to take someone down. But that\u2019s the root of Fast Wrestling; it was at one time more wrestling mixed with striking. You have to understand over in China, even if a style isn\u2019t that great, if the teacher knows it really well they will still reject students. They\u2019ll say, \u201cyou\u2019re not a good person I don\u2019t want to teach you,\u201d it happens a lot.<\/p>\n Sam:<\/strong> That\u2019s the opposite of here the goal in most martial arts schools is to teach everyone, to pack-out every class and get the enrollment numbers up.<\/p>\n Dr. Ramirez:<\/strong> The attitude of my teachers is they\u2019d rather let the style die than pass it onto someone who\u2019s a bad guy.<\/p>\n Sam:<\/strong> It\u2019s like they wanted to know you\u2019re a well adjusted \/ balanced person before they\u2019d even teach you?<\/p>\n Dr. Ramirez:<\/strong> Yes a lot of them feel what they have is a treasure. They know the value of it and will be selective rather than teach someone who they don\u2019t respect or who won\u2019t respect the style.<\/p>\n Sam:<\/strong> That\u2019s something missing in modern martial arts, the true value isn\u2019t fully understood. I have people call up often who want to train in Catch Wrestling but just on the basis of dropping in on a class when they can. I\u2019ll soon learn that most of them only have the intention of finding a technique no one knows to take back to some other gym that they are committed to and beat everyone with it. I always turn these people away because they are telling me they don\u2019t respect or really value what I have to share. Additionally, their reasons for coming to me are insincere. They don\u2019t want to learn so they themselves can become better, but because they want help in beating someone else.<\/p>\n Dr. Ramirez:<\/strong> Yes, people often don\u2019t realize the sacrifices we have made to learn. They think they can just come and take from us as it\u2019s convenient for them. They don\u2019t know there\u2019s more to this and to martial arts than just fighting; that it can help you develop yourself more as a person than anything.<\/p>\n Sam:<\/strong> What\u2019s the Chinese Kickboxing like?<\/p>\n Dr. Ramirez:<\/strong> The Chinese Kickboxing \u201cSanda\u201d is what it\u2019s called, is similar to Muay Thai but a lot more kicks like Ax Kicks, Spinning Kicks, plus they have all the grappling techniques and use them for defending kicks and punches.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/embodiedstrength.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/IMG_0001a.jpeg\" "\\"Raul")