Interview with Christian Tissier - Aikido

Christian Tissier - Aikido Expert

Christian Tissier is one of the foremost experts in Aikido. He helped pioneer the art in France and founded one of France's largest Aikido organizations. He received his 7th degree Dan in 1998. 

BKO Kung Fu: Why did travelling to Japan and studying for 7 years make you a better martial artist than if you only trained in France?

Christian: When I went to Japan aikido was quite new in Europe. Even if there had been good Japanese sensi in Europe, the level of people to practice with was not high enough at the time. Also, it was a challenge to go to Southeast Asia.

BKO : Tell us about receiving the Japan Foreign Minister's Commendation.

Christian: The commendation was a great surprise to me. I am very proud of it because it comes from a non-martial artists organisation. I think the Japanese Foreigh Affairs awarded many people in many fields. I was not alone in receiving this prize. At the same time, there was a very famous Japanese woman welknon in special make up for movies, a Japanese doctor who found a specific disease of Japanese abroad, created a clinic in Paris and the Piquet Library editing and selling books about Japanese culture for years. 

So, I am very proud for aikido and aikidoists for having been recognized. As you understand it is not only me who was awarded. 

BKO : You are one of the best non-Japanese Aikido practitioners in the world; if not the best. What happened with your nomination for 8th dan? Has anything changed since the original request?

Christian: Oh, this is an old story already. I refused the nomination and it is a good thing. There are so many aikidoist with 5th or 6th dan who are better than me and some 8th dan that have the same number of years as me. I feel comfortable where I'm at. My level is no more and no less than where I know I am. 

BKO : From most Aikido demonstrations we have seen, the attacker is usually coming down with a downward chop. Why is this? Why do we not see counters to kicks?

Christian: Aikido demonstrations are a difficult exercise according to what kind of message you want to give. I think you mentioned the Bercy demonstrations with 2000 spectators and TV. We need to present aikido but we don't show the type of confidential exhibition we show when presenting to other aikido people or a very traditional school. With public demonstrations we show more effective techniques but still showing the essence of aikido. If we show applied techniques with kicks, knives or I don't know baseball bats we are not in our field of study and spiritual researches. 

BKO : When you visit dojos around the world, in your opinion, what do you find that is practiced wrong most often? What's the correct way?

Christian: There is no wrong way. People practice what they learned with their teachers. They are honest even if it is not the way I do. What we do is only aikido. It is all our life. For people who do not practice it, it is nothing. The correct way is to polish our mind and soul with enjoyment. 

BKO : Stephen Seagal made Aikido popular in American movies. There is always a controversy about him being as good as he says he is. In your opinion, how good do you think he really is or was?

Christian: I am not a fan.

BKO : Does Aikido have a place in MMA? How so?

Christian: Aikido has no place in MMA. Aikido helps to find a human beings maturity. It takes time, effort and intelligence. Aikido's aim is to preserve integrity; Physical and spiritual integrity. The Martial study in aikido is a pretext to make you understand that is you make a mistake you fail; you die. The practice of the tatami gives you a new chance to try again to be better, to erase your mistakes in a useless violence.

Christian: BKO : Why do you believe France refuses to participate in MMA like UFC?

I think the sport ministry does not want violence to become a show .

Thank you Christian for taking the time to answer our questions.

Please visit Christian's website.

Ian Schaffa Interview. Ellite MMA fighter from Australia

Ian Schaffa Suplex

Ian Schaffa has earned a formidable reputation in Japan and Australia. His achievements include:

XFC World Champion, Austral-Asian Vale Tudo Champion, Bronze Medalist at the 1999 Australian National Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships, 2 x Kickboxing Champion, 2 x Full Contact Karate Champion, Ranked top 10 Australian Boxing, Ranked top 10 Australian Kickboxing. He holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a black belt in Kyokushin

BKO Kung Fu: As a profession fighter for 10 years, what tips would you give yourself when you first stated if you could go back in time?

Ian:  Don't listen to negative people.
         Believe in your ability. Practice.
         Dream big.

BKO: What's your best training technique to get better at blocking?

Ian: Have people come at you with different attacks and get used to it. Practice defending. 

BKO: Do you feel fighting against as many different styles as possible has given you unique insight? How so?

Ian: Having to train for different styles in a short period of time taught me to adapt very quickly and perform.

BKO: Where there anything that caught you off-guard when you started to fight in Japan? How did you adjust?

Ian: The Japanese culture caught me of guard. I wasn't used to alot of things. Japanese food, language, etiquette etc but i quickly learned.

BKO: We read about your drinking and fighting in the past? What would you tell someone who does this also?

Ian: If it's caused by personal issues, maybe see a professional to get those issues dealt with. Aim to change your focus. If you can successfully drink and have street fights, then you can use the same amount of energy succeeding in something a little more positive.

BKO: Did you run away from home when you were younger? What was that about?

Ian: Yes, I was a troubled teenager. I had personal issues that had to be dealt with. I held alot of anger and did not know how to deal with it. 

BKO: How did you overcome your anger issues?

Ian: I found something new to focus on and channel my anger through.

BKO: We understand you have a huge interest in helping others less fortunate. Are you currently working on any projects in this field? How can others help?

Ian: Yes I have been visiting a group of homeless people for the last couple of years. I make food and share it with them. They are very grateful. They make me happy. I am not asking for any help directly although if you do know of someone that is less fortunate that requires help please give.

BKO: What are you goals for the next 10 years?

Ian: My main goal for the next 10 years is to continue to grow my business. I want us to be the leading program in the Australian fitness industry.

BKO Kung Fu: We look forward to seeing this happen and wish you all the luck. 

Be sure to visit http://mmaxfit.com.au/ to find out more about Ian's fitness business. 

Interview with Alan La from Invincible Worldwide

Alan La is the Founder & Executive Director at Invincible Worldwide. His organization helps people see their true strength within themselves through a combination of Martial Arts and showing individuals the greatness that is inside them.


BKO Kung Fu: Alan, Why did you start Invincible Worldwide and what makes it unique from other schools?

Invincible is an idea that began on the back of my lecture notes while studying at University. It’s an idea of possibility. It’s the idea that no matter who you are, what you look like, or where you come from, you can achieve extraordinary things in life. It is about empowering people to feel a true sense of inner power that enables them to achieve 3 things: 1. Perform at a higher level in life 2. Be loved and respected by those around them 3. Be able to influence and inspire others to become extraordinary. 

It took a few years to refine, and now Invincible Worldwide has 2 ways we achieve this: The Invincible Athletes Academy builds martial arts athletes with peak performance speed, power, strength, skills and the strongest mentality. And The Achieve Anything Academy empowers ordinary people to become extraordinary by showing them their inner greatness and potential to achieve success in life. 

BKO: Tell us about Alan La, before Invincible Worldwide.

For the past 13 years, I studied and trained in various Martial Arts, including Wu Chu Chuan, Shaolin Kung Fu, Wing Chun, Tae Kwon Do, Jeet Kune Do and Tricking. I’d also spent countless hours on seminars, books and audio tapes, studying and writing on the area of human potential and achievement. After years of martial arts training 3 hours every day and applying everything I’d learnt about the psychology of achievement, I began to notice the harmonizing effects of aligning our physical and mental potentials. I began to feel an empowering sense of inner power and physical power. During that period, the word ‘Invincible’ stood out to me, and it’d perfectly fitted this extraordinary feeling. I wanted to share this feeling with the world. 

BKO: Who had the greatest influence on your attitude in life? please explain.

The first person that comes to mind for any martial artist would be Bruce Lee. However, I’d like to mention someone else as well in my life. My dad. He’s not a martial artist himself, but he taught me the values of being a man, of being righteous, virtuous and striving for greatness – all of which are virtues of being a true martial artist. 

BKO: How has leading Invincible Worldwide changed your life?

Since founding Invincible Worldwide, I’ve been able to live out my goal of empowering other young people to also feel this new sense of self-worth. This alone is WHY I do what I do. My vision is to empower everyone in the world to become extraordinary. 

It began when I inspired the guys in my team to rise above mediocrity in their lives. They are now my brothers, my family. At the beginning of each year we list out together the craziest things we want to achieve for that year. And it is always so amazing to see each goal get ticked off one by one. This year alone, we’ve done a national tour, been on TV, featured in newspaper articles, reached millions on Youtube, been honored to partner with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Hyper Martial Arts, performed on big stages, did motivational seminars for 200+ students, nominated for the Young Citizen of the Year Award, received the Australia Day Medallion – the list goes on. And there’s never a day that I don’t appreciate it all. I appreciate every student that walks into our class. I appreciate all the efforts and hard work that my team has put into the vision. I appreciate every worldwide fan that sends us daily encouraging messages. I guess leading Invincible Worldwide has changed my life in that it allows me to appreciate the possibilities of life and what we can achieve if we put in hard work, vision and heart. 

BKO: What do you believe holds the majority of people back from achieving their dreams? What do you recommend to overcome this?

You know when you’re running to the point of exhaustion, where your heart and lungs are trying hard to catch up, where your muscles are numb, and your body feels past its limits? Research has shown that at this point, you’ve only reached 70% of your body’s full potential. It is just like in life. Too many of us have never even tried pushing ourselves to that point of exhaustion in chasing our dreams. The reason why we don’t do this is because the vision is not great enough, and so the pain of trying and the possibility of failing or getting rejected are far greater than the pleasure and excitement of feeling worthy and competent. 

Try pushing yourself a little bit more in everything you do. It’s called releasing more latent ability. Just give it a little more than 110% in what you do, whether it in training, job or school. And when you begin to see big results, you start to develop self-confidence and the inner belief to take on the bigger goals. 

BKO: Can you tell us of your favorite success stories with one of your students?

There’s a success story with every student. Some of them will tell you in person with tears in their eyes, or through long heartwarming messages. Others will keep it to themselves. Whichever the case, you can always see it in their eyes and their presence. It is the moment they realize their true potential, the moment they realize they are truly Invincible. Every success story is unique and different. I appreciate every single one. 

BKO: You company goal states you want to have a worldwide impact? How do you plan on doing this? (World tours, Internet, Franchises?)

Yes we are planning to tour around the world. We’re also developing an online program for people in remote areas to access. The goal is to create a movement where people are living out the Invincible idea, becoming more of themselves every day, living with peak physicality and mentality, and inspiring others to do so. The world will be a better place. 

BKO: Let's say someone wanted to open one of your schools in another country? Is that an option? What would you require of them? 

We haven’t planned for that. But you never know. 

BKO: Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers?

Awaken the Dream. If anyone is interested in joining the movement and helping us create a better world, connect with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/InvincibleWorldwide 

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions and give us such awesome photo's. 

Watch this amazing video with Invincible Worldwide.