No Holds Barred: Antonio Graceffo on Wrestling in China

  

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with the writer, web show host, MMA fighter, and wrestler, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/antonio.graceffo" target="_blank">Antonio Graceffo</a>.

Born in Brooklyn, known as the "Brooklyn Monk", and raised in Tennessee, he has been living, training, and competing in several different countries in Asia for many years. Now 46 years old, he has gone back to school, this time in Shanghai, China, to complete his Ph.D. We spoke with him Thursday at Foley's Bar and Restaurant in New York, while he was in town visiting with family members for the holidays.

"I started doing a Ph.D. at Shanghai University of Sport, and I'm on the traditional wrestling team there," he said, referring to competing in the Chinese traditional style of wrestling known as Shuai Jiao, where the wrestlers wear jackets. "And I decided that I was going to take one year away from MMA fighting, just concentrate on improving my wrestling skills." 

Discussing his studies, he said, "For my Ph.D., I'm writing a dissertation on comparative forms of wrestling. So within China, there's a number of traditional and ethnic forms of wrestling, and I'm also along the way writing scholarly articles for comparing wrestling with other sports, including MMA, sambo, judo, and so forth."

While sports, including combat sports, have been booming in recent years in China, wrestlers from that country still often do not achieve much success on the international level. In addition, there are relatively few people in China training and competing in wrestling.

"I think the key for China to improve in wrestling would be if they would promote the traditional wrestling more within China," he advised. Right now wrestling is mainly done in clubs, often involving people who work or go to school full-time.

"Culturally, they could promote traditional wrestling to the Chinese people as a Chinese sport. From that pool of traditional wrestlers, they could probably begin to draw people and then train them in freestyle and Greco-Roman."

He continued, "The strength and the weakness of Chinese sports in general is the system of sports schools, that they only have people at sports schools playing sports, and that kids in regular schools don't play sports."

We also discussed his training and experiences at the Shaolin Temple, how prevailing attitudes have changed over the years in China to martial arts and combat sports, how the standup fighting style of Sanda is still very influential in China, the prospects for Wushu as a sport, why the issues of concussions and brain injuries in combat sports have not become major areas of controversy in China, learning the Chinese language, what is called Chinese food in America, and much, much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred <a href="http://nhbnews.podomatic.com/entry/2013-12-27T12_43_44-08_00" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://archive.org/details/NoHoldsBarredAntonioGraceffoOnWrestlingInChina" target="_blank">here</a>. If one link does not work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through <a href="http://landing.stitcher.com/?vurl=noholdsbarred" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through <a href="http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=150801513&s=143441" target="_blank">iTunes</a>.

Card Sayings 2

民族传统体育学术前沿

研究生 姓名          安东尼   

学号_1310104008___

民族传统体育学术前沿

这节课，我们有许多有趣的教师。我们的老师告诉我们关于他们的研究中，我们学到了很多东西。戴国斌老师教给了一个非常有趣的演讲。他知识非常渊博武術的主题。戴国斌老师教我们关于武術的历史和文化.他还教我们做研究和写我们的论文。他写了许多关于武术的历史和文化的论文和文章。这是有帮助的，博士生导师，他的论文，我们可以尽量多看。通过这种方式，我们可以学习如何做更好的研究。但是，我们也可以学到很多关于武术的知识。

 

他总是要求我们很好的问题，如“什么是武术？”这个问题似乎很简单。但实际上，这个问题是非常困难的。他问我们这类问题让我们思考，让我们做更好的研究。

 

姜传银老师是我们的散打老师，他还教了我们一个很好的演讲。他问套路和散打之间的区别是什么。在一段时间内，我们讨论这个问题。然后，他告诉我们，套路和散打之间的区别是对手。你可以一个人做套路。但是，你需要一个对手做散打。在我们的散打课，姜传银老师告诉我们永远不要害怕你的对手。他告诉我们，只有三个对手，你应该担心。你应该怕的人谁不想要钱，谁不想面对的人，人谁不想要的生活。两个戴国斌老师和姜传银老师告诉我们是一个很好的博士生，我们必须尽我们所能读。他们告诉我们，阅读一切关于我们的主题。我们应该阅读，我们可以多篇。通过这种方式，我们可以学会做自己的研究。

 

两个刘静老师和云崖老师在美国做研究。这是对我来说非常有趣，因为美国是我的祖国。他们说，体育教育在美国的许多有趣的事情相比，中国体育教育。她告诉我们，在中国，教育和体育教育是由政府管理。美国教育和体育教育并非由政府管理。教育和体育教育是由许多个独立的协会管理。该协会是私人的。所以，在美国的教育和体育教育的显着变化因地区。

 

在中国的体育教师在学校的全职雇员。在美国，许多体育教师是兼职员工。例如，他们有一个全职工作，在其他地方，他们也教运动在一所高中兼职。她还注意到，在美国，很多孩子都很胖。但是，在美国先进的体育节目都非常优秀。因此，这是一个有点怪。中国有一个系统的体育学校和体育院校。美国没有。在美国，每所学校或大学都有自己的团队和培训计划。因此，队伍的质量和培训计划显着变化从一个地区到另一个。

 

 

她也作出了评论，美国的学校有很多优秀的体育器材，这是在中国制造的。但她从来没有发现同样的设备在中国。

在我们班的第二部分，她告诉我们，她的研究涉及到太极拳。在美国，不少人练太极拳，因为对健康的益处。

 

虞定海老师做了很多研究太极拳。他告诉我们，太极的历史和文化。他谈到了太极的做法和解释健康的好处。在太极拳中有某些特定的声音，我们可以使这将帮助我们呼吸，我们的能源。他告诉我们，关于太极拳健康的好处有很多的研究。

他去法国教太极发现，太极拳和中国武术是中国以外的非常流行的。现在，世界各地的人了解中国武术。

Martial Arts Card Sayings Volume 1

martial,arts,bokator,mma,mixed,cambodia,training,grappling,wrestling,anonio,graceffo,card,comment,brooklyn,monk,bradalserey