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In 2006 I took a course of acupuncture, the therapist recommended
I take up the Chinese art of Tai Chi. The instructor was Brendan Burnett, who I now call a good friend, not only practices Tai Chi for health but also
as a the martial art it originally was. Brendan’s journey to master the art
of Chen Style Tai Chi Chuan saw him take part in many other martial arts
plus he is fan of the UFC and Kung Fu movies.
What inspired you to start training in martial arts?

Growing up I had the influence of my dad being on the Dorset Judo team
and my step dad a British Karate champion in the 1970s. I was bullied at
school but then later took it (Kung Fu) seriously after seeing the Shaolin Temple movie starring Jet Li. Being a huge fan the Wu Tang Clan Hip Hop
group helped as well. I took up training in Wing Chun which I have continued to practise to present alongside Tai Chi. Taking up a martial art is good to keep you out of trouble as a youngster.

I know you as a Tai Chi instructor, what other martial arts have you trained in?

Along with Wing Chun and Tai Chi Chuan I have tried Karate, kickboxing,
Aikido, Jiu Jitsu and Pent Jak Silat. It’s good to try different styles to see what you prefer. Also it makes you rounded as a martial artist rather someone who’s just done one style.

As a traditional martial arts expert what do you think of the sport of MMA?

I enjoy watching the UFC and like MMA as it means you can do more than
one martial art. There is the difference though that with traditional
martial arts, it is about morals as opposed to the aggression focussed on
the fight you are training for. I’m sure many of the UFC guys are good role
models and do things for charity but there is a difference between
doing martial arts on a daily basis for health and fitness and fighting
in the ring or cage.

Who are your favourite fighters from the world of ultimate fighting?

Royce Gracie is one of my all time favourite UFC fighters, along with Chuck
Liddell.

Is there a difference between self defence on the street or in a bar
and the MMA sporting competition?

A street fight is different, the psychology is different, you don’t want to
fight and not want to get hurt. In MMA or boxing you can hit harder as your fists are protected from the gloves. In a real fight on the streets you
can’t choke people. You can’t get away with it (as a martial artist you need
to know the law of what is reasonable self defence). I train stand up as
it is rare for a fight to go to the ground in a real situation.
Lyoto Machida a traditional Karate practioner was crowned the new
UFC light heavyweight champion at UFC 98, what effect do you think it will
have?

Good news, Jiu Jitsu, boxing always been doing well in MMA. Fantastic,
hopefully will be a good influence. I haven’t seen much UFC recently not having the channels at home. I’ll go and watch now I know that and see him on youtube. Like anyone they’ll find a way to beat him eventually after studying his style.
The legendary Bruce Lee -- the first Kung Fu fighter to mix the martial arts,
what are your favourite Bruce Lee movies and was he an influence on you?

He’s the god of Kung Fu. I have practised Wing Chun for 12-13 years because of Bruce Lee. Most martial artists did more than one style.

Favourite Bruce Lee films?

Enter The Dargon, Fist of Fury, Big Boss and The Dargon Story, I love them all!
Brendan has studied Chen Tai Chi Chuan from Chinese Master Liu Yong in China and learnt street self defence from Mo Teague, a no nonsense fighting expert recently featured on Danny Dyer’s Deadliest on Bravo.

http://manliantaichisouthengland.webs.com/

http://www.youtube.com/user/badboybrendan

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com