KENPO GIRL
  • About
  • Articles
  • Contact
  • Events
  • Dojos Near You

KENPO GIRL

Dedicated to the enthusiastic martial artists in various systems, and how martial arts has affected our lives.

Martial Arts Mania

7/19/2016

6 Comments

 
When I started Kenpo Girl I had no idea the level of popularity it would have.  My goal was to start and open discussion between all systems of Martial Arts about the passion we have for Martial Arts.  I wanted an open dialog going on in the Martial Arts Community.

I discussed this recently with my good friend Debbie Goodman on her TV show, Martial Arts Mania.

Picture

Debbie Goodman (Left)  Kenpo Girl (Right)

Debbie Goodman goes way back with Martial Arts.  She was one of the many children inspired by the TV show “Kung Fu.”  It wouldn’t be until her late 20’s that she decided to start taking lessons... 
​
“I started with Shotokan Karate but it just didn’t do it for me.  I tried a blended style which taught self-defense moves but there was no philosophy…  I finally found John Cho’s Kung Fu school and felt it was a good fit for me."

Debbie got the idea for Martial Arts Mania in 1992 from a TV show out of San Francisco called, 
​"Kung Fu Theater."

Picture
​The goal of the show was to invite Central California martial artists to come on the show and demonstrate their styles and talk about their schools. 

In 2013, Debbie was nominated for a "Martial Arts Hall of Fame" award in Newport Beach. On this trip she attended a book signing at the Martial Arts History Museum in Burbank, CA and filmed the event and interviewed some of the martial arts celebrities that attended.  

​Soon Martial Arts Mania was the talk of Los Angeles but suddenly the show was facing an uncertain future.  Martial Arts Mania’s co-producer, Eric Catlapp, in May 2013 was tragically killed.  
​

“The show came to a screeching halt at that point and I wasn’t sure it would continue,” Debbie explained.

​The show would go on.  Bestina Mounenalath signed on as co-producer and help Debbie pick up the pieces, just in time to get a call from James Wilson.  James Wilson is a film producer and wanted Debbie to interview his stars from his upcoming move, “The Martial Arts Kid.” 
Picture

Debbie saw an opportunity and took it,
​“I told him I'd been dying to get an interview with James Lew, and if he could get me an interview with James Lew, I'd come down when he was available, and whichever one of the stars was available on that day, I'd interview them. It turned into a dinner party at James Lew's house, and Don Wilson was the one that was available.”
Debbie been watching these two icons since the '80's. They graced the covers of many Martial Arts magazines at that time. James Lew has been in the film business since the early '70's, starting with the TV series "Kung Fu".  Don “The Dragon” Wilson is not just an actor but a 10x World Champion Kickboxer. These two interviews would boost Martial Arts Mania’s popularity and would become Debbie’s most memorable interviews. 
Picture

Don Wilson (Far Left) Debbie Goodman (Left Center)
​James Lew (Right Center) James Wilson (Far Right)

Debbie says fans of Martial Arts Mania can look forward not just to more celebrities, but also more "home grown" Valley people such as "Kenpo Girl".  Debbie plans on showing more "demonstration" type shows.  She hopes one day her show might just be aired not just on a local channel but possibly a corperate one. Martial Arts Mania is currently featured on CMAC but can be viewed online.  
​
Below is the links to CMAC and Martial Arts Mania.
You can also view "Kenpo Girls" interview on Martial Arts Mania below.


Martial Arts Mania
CMAC
6 Comments

    Jesalyn Mae Harper

    Hello my name is Jesalyn.  I'm a divorced single mom and a karate addict...
    I am currently a 1st Brown belt in American Kenpo and a Junior Instructor at Double Dragon Kenpo Karate under JR Diaz, I am part of the Parker/Planas Lineage and study Karbaroan Eskrima with JR Diaz, under Guro Ed Planas

    Archives

    March 2018
    November 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016

    Categories

    All
    Ameri
    American Kenpo
    Andrea Harkins
    Antonina "Black Panther" Shevchenko
    Belt Systems
    BJJ
    Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
    Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
    Camp
    Cane
    Carlos The Natural Born Killer Condit
    Carry Wong
    Children
    Cynthia Rothrock
    Debbie Goodman
    Diminishing Returns
    Dojo
    Don Wilson
    Douglas Wong
    Dragonfest
    Ed Parker Jr.
    Elite Sports
    Ewart Chin
    Fear Appeal
    Fear Factor
    Fight Or Flight
    Film
    Frank Trejo
    Gear
    Ghost Patch
    Gi
    Grand Master
    Heather Flessing
    Huk Planas
    Huk Planas World Gathering Kenpo Camp
    Instructors
    Jennifer "Warrior" Waters
    Jiu Jitsu
    Josei Heishi
    Josei Heishi Jiu Jitsu
    Karate
    Karate Parents
    Kempo
    Kenpo
    Kickboxing
    Korean
    Kung Fu
    Leeann Morris
    Lineage
    Long Beach Internationals
    Martial Arts History Museum
    Martial Arts Mania
    Marty Zaninovich
    Mixed Martial Arts
    MMA
    Modern
    Motivational Speaking
    Muay Thai
    Olympics
    Plateau Effect
    Rick St. Clair
    Schools
    Self-Defense
    Seminar
    Senior
    Spar
    Stephen Wonderboy Thompson
    Sumo
    Taekwondo
    The Martial Arts Woman
    TKD
    Tournament
    Traditional
    UFC
    Valentina "Bullet" Shevchenko
    Veterans
    Weapon
    White Lotus
    Women In BJJ
    Wow Factor
    Wrestling

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • About
  • Articles
  • Contact
  • Events
  • Dojos Near You