1996_10 Insight October 1996

              Lifestyle
OCTOBER 23.1996 I
Fresnans get kick out of martial arts
I Ancient arts teach
safety, discipline and
self-esteem
by Brian A. Matthews
Staff Writer
A chorus of cries from punished elevated
punching bags echoed through the sparsely
decorated dojo at Stuart Quan's Bushido
Kai Karate on First and Bullard avenues.
Brandon Collins. 11. cinches his blue belt
around his narrow waist preparing to
perform a "crescent" kick.
"Whack." yells Ihe bag. as Collins' bare
feet land atop the three inch padded
foundation that covers half the dojo.
Still not satisfied, Collins slarcd at his
target which has stopped moving.
He lines up behind his older sister, Jenny,
and waits for yet another chance at his
hanging nemesis.
The Collinses and their intermediate-level
classmates at the dojo are a few of the
thousands of Fresnans who arc exploring
the world of martial arts.
Popular sport
Seattle might be synonymous for coffee
shops, and Boston for its taverns, but Fresno
has a strong case to be recognized as the
western Mecca of martial arts instruction.
There arc more than 30 schools that teach
various forms of martial arts in the Fresno,
Clovis area.
"I think the reason why martial arts are so
popular specifically in Fresno is because of
the high crime rate," said Jo Fernandez,
program director for almost four years at
Master Cho's Tae Kwon Do on San Jose
Avenue in Fresno.
"It's just a lot of people getting fed
up with what's going on around them
and doing something about
plained the Fresno State senior majoring
in exercise physiology.
A crime-ridden Fresno was one of the
factors that compelled Kathy Martinez of
Fresno to enroll at Stuart Quan's.
"Living in Fresno you realize that you
need something to protect you and your
family from thc dangers that arc out there,"
said the mother of two, who has earned her
blue belt.
Martial arts also attracts those mesmerized by its representation in the visual
media.
"Many watch television and movies and
decide that's what the want to do,".
Fernandez said. "The kids watch Ninja
Turtles, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
and WMAC Masters and are influenced
while some of our older members arc
influenced by Bruce Lee, Jean Claude Van
Damme and Jackie Chan."
Brandon Collins points to the action-
movie exploits of his instructor or "Sensei"
as motivation to study martial arts.
"I want to be like Stuart, he is in movies
you know," said Collins.
Stuart Quan. whose dojo's are located in
Fresno and Clovis, has been seen on thc
small and big screen displaying his Bushido
Kai karate.
He was a Ninja who battled the legendary
James Bond in "007 License to Kill." and
he maintained global and universal order as
the Red Ranger in the Mighty Morphin
Power Ranger's feature film. Like the
reasons for practicing, the types of martial
arts vary, with literally thousands of
independent and correlated art forms
deriving from various cultures and provinces of the orient.
Form and function
The most prevalent in Fresno are karate,
tae kwon do and kung fu.
Modem karate originated in Okinawa and
ligrated to Japan in early 1900s.
Karate can be divided in two styles,
Okjnawan and Japanese, with each having
different forms.
Shotokan, a Japanese style that's popular
in Fresno, is classified as a "hard" style of
martial arts with its sharp deliberate
movements that put emphasis on force.
Shotokan is different from other karate
systems, in that it uses a linear fighting
approach, meaning that all attacks are
demonstrated in a direct straight-forward
fashion.
AAt Stuart Juan's, shotokan is blended
with other forms of martial arts.   .   . ,
"Stuart founded the Bushido Kai karate,"
said Minh Pham, 18, a blue belt at Quan's
Fresno dojo and a Fresno State business
major.
"It's a mixture of shotokan, tae kwon do
and judo, but mainly the first two," Pham
said;
Tae Kwon Do, which originated from
Korea more than 2,300 years ago is traditional martial art that, when translated,
literally means "Ihe art of hand and foot
fighting."
It's a combination of sharp and strong
angular movements with free-flowing and
graceful circular movements.
'Tae Kwon Do is considered a softer
martial art than shotokan," Fernandez
explains. "Tae Kwon Do is like boxing in
the sense that you arc always moving."
fn the movies
Fernandez attributes Master Cho's huge
congregation, the largest in the Valley, to tae
kwon do being ihe type of martial art that's
mostly represented in television and
movies.
"When most people see martial arts on
television and in the movies, they see the
high flying and the kicks, they are seeing
tae k\von do. That's what I think makes the
art and this school so popular," Fernandez
said.
Kung Fu is a Chinese martial art. Its
origins can be traced lo the early 1500s.
Insight photo by Mohoammed El Sharif
"We fall down, but we learn to stand up again," said Stuart Quan, who teaches
Bushido Kai Karate in the Fresno and Clovis area
It represents a martial art lhat is created
for combat and fitness.
More complex than others, kung fu is
considered the "softest" martial art. It
consists of circular motions and intricate
foot patterns.
Though physical demonstration, either
in combat or recreation, might be thc
perceived ends of martial arts, most
systems emphasize the refinement and
enlightenment of human psyche.
"It's not all about fighting." Pham said.
"It's a metaphor for life where you
learn about self-discipline and responsi
bility. You identify and work on your
weaknesses as a human being."
Kathy Martinez said that those who
just want to fight are not grasping the
whole concept of martial arts and are
selling themselves short.
"Those who come lo fight eventually
leave early." Martinez said.
"I had my daughter Christina join
because I felt that she needed a boost
in self esteem and it has worked
wonders for both of us. Plus I've lost
25 pounds since I joined."
ing Karate can be divided in two styles. origins can be traced to the early 1500s. learn about self-discipline and responsi-       25 pounds since I joined."
Mosquito Districts get rid of what's bugging you
by Irene R. Marin through bites. Bolh females and males    ihroughtheirsalivaglandswhilefeed-     cases, clean water," Mulligan said.       growth regulator. We
Staff Writer survive off nectar, female mosquitoes    ing Mulligan said mosquitoes can lay    chemical called bacillus
need blood to help with their repro-        Mosquito abatement districts were     up to 100 to 2(X) ecus in one clump    israelensis (BT1).
Insight photo by Svea Peterwn
Technician Henry Doll checks for
larvae at Fresno State'
by Irene R. Marin
Staff Writer
Something's bugging (ouch!) students and (slap!) Valley residents.
Thc problem's lurking (swap!) in polluted water.
Blood-sucking creatures are breeding in still waters near Fresno State.
Dave Farley 47, district manager of
the Fresno Mosquito and Vector Control District, said there are 14 mosquito species found in the county of
Fresno County. But there's one kind
of mosquito they are especially trying to catch: the encephalitis mosquito. Culex tarsalis.
"Female mosquitoes are the biters,"
said Farley.
"The female encephalitis mosquito
can transmit diseases to humans
through bites. Both females and males
: off nectar, female mosquitoes
need blood to help with their reprc-
'duction." Farley said.
In ihe early I940's, there was an
encephalitis epidemic in ihe San
Joaquin Valley . Two deaths were
reported in Fresno.
"Encephalitis causes swelling of
the brain, a high fever, stiff necks and
retardation in small children." said
Farley.
The disease begins as a virus carried by wild birds, including chickens and perching birds.
Mosquitoes pick up the disease by
feeding on an infected bird. The insects use the blood for reproduction
while maintaining the infectious disease in their salivary glands. They
transmit encephalitis to humans
Mosquito abatement districts were
set up in thc San Joaquin Valley in
1942. Currently there are four districts in Fresno County. Dave Farley
manages half the city of Fresno and
some of the farmlands west ofthe cily.
Fresno State's mosquito problem is
primarily found in the irrigation
drains, pastures and basins, located
northeast of the campus. Polluted
water drained from washing down
cattle, swine, and horses may sit for
weeks. The problem begins here.
Steve Mulligan, 46, manager of the
Consolidated Mosquito Abatement
District, handles Fresno State's mosquito control.
"Mosquitoes live off organic material found in polluted and, in some
cases, clean water." Mulligan said.
Mulligan said mosquitoes can lay
200 eggs in one clump
on the surface of still water. This begins the mosquitoes' four-step life-
cycle.
First, ihe eggs arc laid, second, the
larvae hatch from the eggs, third, thc
larvae then changes into pupae and
soon they become adult mosquitoes
and fly away.
Mulligan said it's important lo control mosquitoes before they become
ad.ults. "It's easier to catch them in
clumps rather than |as| adult mosquitoes," Mulligan said.
Farley says there are three spraying techniques used to control mosquito population.
"First we use a chemical called
Allosid.  This chemical is an insect
H
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growth regulator. We also i
chemical called bacillus thuringie
israelensis (BT1).
Farley said ihey also use a light oil "
surface-coat in some cases:
"Since, at the larvae stage mosquitoes are able to perch up to the surface of the water to breath, the coat
of oil prevents ihem from doing thai,"
Farley said.
They also use mosquito fish, which
feed on the insects, to control the
population.
Mulligan said there is no activity
of any diseases in his district.
"A good way to reduce mosquito
population is io dump out containers
holding rain water, clean out polluted
swimming pools, and perhaps report
ihe problem to the nearest abatement,"
Mulligan said.
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