IKF 2011 Hall of Fame
Man of the Year – Joseph Simonet
Women of the Year – Tiffany Chen
Instructor of the Year – Ren Guangyi
Jane Hallander Memorial Writer of the Year – Matt Furey
Competitors of the Year – Garett Lubecki and Kyle Loehr
Charles “Mask” Lewis, Jr. Grappler of the Year – Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza

Last Year’s Winners

Man of the Year – Rorion Gracie
Woman of the Year – Kathy Long
Instructor of the Year – Tim Tackett
Outstanding Contribution to Martial Arts – Ming Lum
Competitor of the Year – Charles Lin
Jane Hallander Memorial “Writer of the Year – Jason William McNeil
Charles “Mask” Lewis, Jr. “Grappler of the Year” – Demian Maia

(Intro)

One look at their lineage and you could tell early on that they were destined for greatness. Regardless of style or system, belt or sash, the true watermark of any accomplished practitioner is lies in his teacher.

Few embody this tradition of greatness like our “Man of the Year,” Joseph Simonet, and “Woman of the Year,” Tiffany Chen. Simonet counts among his instructors Al Tracy, Ed Parker, Dan Inosanto, Victor deThouars, Cacoy Canete and Wang Kiu—a veritable wing in the martial arts Hall of Fame. Simonet has taken a little bit of each and melded it into a dynamic eclectic system call the “Slam Set.”

Chen only needed one tai chi teacher, but when you call William C.C. Chen your sifu—who lived with the legendary Yang Chen Fu—one is more than enough. While Tiffany has had the luxury of called her father sifu, she’s also blazed a trail with international push hands medals.

“Instructor of the Year” Ren Guangyi has trained at the foot of Chen Xiaowang, considered the greatest Chen master alive and someone who grew up in Chen Village.
“Co-competitors of the Year,” Garett Lubecki and Kyle Loehr, are just learning, but they are making sure the learn from best. Lubecki is spending his martial arts formative years with world-renown Orlando, FL-based hsing-I master Nick Scrima, while Loehr cut his teeth under international wushu champion Kenny Perez.
“Writer of the Year” Matt Furey went to the grappling mount to get his training. He can count among his mentors two of foremost names in mat combat—Dan Gable and Karl Gotch. And then there’s “Grappler of the Year” Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, who credits his brother for turning him from MMA hater to grappling champion.
Six name. Six martial arts style. But one key similarity: solid teaching roots that have produced successful fruit.

Man of the Year—Joseph Simonet
At Peace with Himself

“At the end of the day, I know my system has what it takes to survive generations of martial arts scrutiny.”

“People say I’m crazy doing what I’m doing
Well they give me all kind of warning to save me from ruin
When I say that I’m OK well they look at me kind of strange
Surely you’re not happy now you no longer play the game.”
--John Lennon, Watching the Wheels

When all else fails, when the weight of the world seems to be pushing squarely on his shoulders, Joseph Simonet turns to his ultimate salvation—training.
It’s not that Simonet is alone in this world—he has a large family, a wife and a new son—but he admits there are times when being locked in a room with a forgiving wooden dummy is the only way to separate fact from fantasy. Clearing his head comes from taking his frustrations out on nine-legged enemy.

“I can’t really explain why training helps me see more clearly, but it does and it always has,” explains Simonet, Inside Kung-Fu’s 19th Hall of Fame “Man of the Year.”
“I find the more I concentrate on flowing from one move to next, the more I work out what’s on my mind. When I am done, problems turn into solutions,” he adds.

In the Beginning
Not that there has been a lot of conflict lately. As a matter of fact, the only real problem is finding enough time to satisfy all his martial arts obligations. Consequently, his midnight training sessions are few and far between. Besides the birth of a son last year, Simonet’s K I Fighting Concepts martial arts program had become a worldwide sensation.

A longtime contributing editor of Inside Kung-Fu, Simonet’s instructional books and DVD’s covering his innovative 116-move Slam Set as well the personal creation, “The Art and Science of Mook Jong,” has drawn praise from eclectic martial artists and converts from traditional circles.

“The Slam Set is my alphabet of movement,” he notes. “When I finalized 90-percent of my Slam Set, after years of training with so many masters, I found pieces of structural elements from several different martial arts systems based on anatomical superiority that made sense to me.”

He felt enlightened but his teachers felt alienated. What they saw as blasphemy and betrayal, he saw as growth and a natural martial arts progression. Suffice it to say, the dummy was whittled down to size before things got better.

Of his escape from tradition Simonet says, “I challenged their existential foundation. I discarded kenpo after 35 years even though I achieved a ninth-degree black belt. I spent decades being sincere, forever being the sincere student.

“I have no problem starting over, as long as the model is strong,” he adds. “Nobody wants to train in something for 20 years and have me come up to them and say, “That’s really not going to work. Let me show you another approach.”

Granted, bucking tradition leads to plenty of ruffled feathers. But Simonet is willing stand tall in the face of criticism and let his martial arts do the talking.
“I don’t think I will ever be satisfied,” he admits. “Each day that I train is another experiment in turning four moves into two and two moves into one. I am forever discovering something new about my art and myself. The moment I think I have it all, I realize I am nowhere near mastery. And so training continues.”
--Dave Cater

Surrounding Herself with Greatness
Woman of the Year—Tiffany Chen

“Tai chi always teaches you the importance and the need to slow down.”

Tiffany Chen was born into a kung-fu family. Her father is the great William CC Chen, a disciple of the famed Yang tai chi master Cheng Man Ching. One of the methods behind William CC Chen’s tai chi is understanding the body mechanics as it applies to practical application. William can hit so fast and hard with his relaxed fists he will rattle your body. His tai chi combat expression looks similar to Western boxing.

Carrying on the family tradition are his son, Max, and daughter Tiffany. Both are world champion full-contact fighters. Their DVD, “The Kung Fu Kick Boxing Workout” is popular along with Tiffany’s “Step By Step Tai Chi” with Tiffany Chen.

“I never practiced tai chi with the intention of looking to fight,” Tiffany relates. “I learned the form, I learned some push hands, and then I started competing in push hands.” In 1994 at the age of16 she entered her first push hands competition. After many victories it was time to move forward.

“I wasn’t being challenged in the push hands arena any more, it was time to step up the game so I started doing my father’s sparring class,” she recalls. “Still I hadn’t intended to fight…until I did.” And did she ever. To date, Tiffany has won more than 40 gold medals worldwide. By age 26 she was voted into the Inside Kung-Fu magazine Hall of Fame as “Competitor of the Year.”

Train with a Purpose
How does she do it?
“I train as hard and as much as I possibly can.” Tiffany also teaches tai chi five-to-six days a week at her father’s school. Her daily training routine is intense. “I always try to get to the gym no matter where I am to keep my cardio and strength training in check. At least 5 or 6 days out of the week and spend anywhere from an hour-to-two hours, depending on how I’m feeling. I always try to keep my body guessing so there is no real routine I follow. Most importantly, I listen to my body and tailor my workout accordingly.”

Before a fight, Tiffany pays just as much attention to preparing herself mentally.
“In my most recent fight I had a girlfriend staying with me who is a boxer and competing in the same tournament as me; she is brilliant at mental preparation and in all aspects of her life. She shared a book of hers with me called Mind Games and that really made me understand and embrace the mental preparation in a different way.”

Cross-Over Skills
Tiffany has successfully applied her tai chi skills to kickboxing.

“My tai chi training has become an added tool,” she notes. “Physically I feel that I have done the work; I know I can take a beating and I know I can throw a punch. The tai chi has always helped my coordination and aided my healing, but even more than that it has helped the mental preparation.

“Tai chi always teaches you the importance and the need to slow down,” add Chen. “You can interpret it however you like; its meaning is universal and relates to everyone in so many ways. For me, I understand that I need to slow down my natural inclination to run full-speed ahead when that bell rings. I’m learning to be more present and listen to my thoughts instead of running full speed with my fists ahead of my brain.”

Tiffany’s parents set the standards.

“My plan has always been to learn how to be as great as my father,” she admits. “My father is such an inspiration and has given back so much, working together with my mother [Priscilla] at our tai chi school and through his teaching around the world. He is an amazing mentor and role model.

“I surround myself with generous, beautiful people,” she adds. “Quality people are rarely surrounded by individuals who aren’t motivating factors or inspirational to them. Surrounding yourself with good people creates a symbiotic relationship that makes everyone’s quality of life goes up exponentially.”

--Robert Dreeben

The Future of Tai Chi
Instructor of the Year—Ren Guangyi

“Ren Guangyi introduced Chen taijiquan to arena's that never saw traditional martial arts performances.”

Accomplishments in martial arts span competition, film, teaching, and upholding the highest values and standards of a chosen art. The best martial artists boast success in one or perhaps two of these endeavors. Few succeed at all. But when a master reaches the heights of his discipline across all these areas and beyond, he can be considered a model, a standard bearer, a pioneer, and a visionary.

In today's traditional Chinese martial arts—especially with the advent of mixed martial arts—few classically trained kung-fu masters can reach a level of success in a market calling for the modern, simple, direct, and non-traditional. One of the very rare exceptions, however, is New York's Chen taijiquan pioneer, Ren Guangyi, Inside Kung-Fu Hall of Fame’s “Instructor of the Year.”

Unrivaled Heights
A product of the creators of taijiquan, Ren Guangyi's inimitable and unique mastery of traditional Chen taijiquan has propelled him to unrivaled heights in competition, teaching, and most recently, music and film.

An original protégé of Chen Xiaowang, Ren Guangyi won the 1998 heavyweight push hands competition in the rough and tumble bi-annual International Taijiquan Competition held in the Chen village county. A few years before, he performed in a series of landmark instructional videos and was featured in seminal articles starting in the early-mid 1990s. He first appeared in Inside Kung-Fu in 1997 in the now classic and reprinted "5 Levels of Combat Training in Chen Taijiquan" and quickly became a cover personality on major martial arts magazines.

He went on to co-author two of the first books in English on Chen Taijiquan: the landmark Taijiquan: 38 Form & Applications, published in 2003, followed by Taijiquan Hand & Sword, published in 2005.

Music to His Ears
This early success led to his being the most sought-after taijiquan instructor for some of the most discerning students in business and arts. Culminating in the legendary, Lou Reed, becoming a devotee of Ren's powerful interpretation of taijiquan, Ren joined Reed's group and was the first master in history to perform taijiquan on stage globally with a major rock musician.

Performing with Lou Reed's group on the David Letterman Show, the 2006 Winter Olympics closing concert, BBC's Top of the Pops, and Carnegie Hall, Ren Guangyi introduced Chen taijiquan to arena's that never saw traditional martial arts performances. And just this year Ren became the first to teach taijiquan at the prestigious Sydney Opera House in a once-in-a-lifetime art and music event curated by Lou Reed and musician, Laurie Anderson.

Tai Chi on Film
But there's more. In 2006, master Ren was hired by famed film director Darren Aronofsky to choreograph what came to be known as his “Compact Cannon Fist” taiji form, performed by Hollywood star Hugh Jackman in the feature film, The Fountain. You can now catch Ren Guangyi playing the lead in the dark action short film, Final Weapon, which features an appearance and music by Lou Reed. Final Weapon reveals authentic Chen taijiquan combat for the first time on film and is now playing to acclaim on the film festival circuit.

The only word to describe these far-reaching contributions to Chinese martial arts is prescience. Master Ren Guangyi is not just a master for the present—he is a kung-fu master of the future.

--Stephan Berwick

Focused on a Goal
Co-Competitor of the Year—Garett Lubecki
“It's rare to see a young person of Garett's age be so focused on a goal.”

A byproduct of participating on the national scene is that the best’ll notice you. Do well and you will receive good score; do poorly and judges will let you know in no uncertain terms what improvements have to be made.

And so you can understand the trepidation some martial artists might have for leaving the comfort of their training hall nest and bearing the talents in front of the world.
Now imagine if you are 13 and just starting the eight grade. Think of how much more difficult the gamble must be for one so young. But what separates Garett Lubecki from the mass of forms competitors is his willing to put his talents to the test.

“It's rare to see a young person of Garett's age be so focused on a goal, diligent in following instruction and demonstrating remarkable perseverance in his kung-fu training,” notes his sifu, Nick Scrima.

Lubecki, Inside Kung-Fu’s “Co-Competitor of the Year”, began his kung-fu training in 2004. After several months of searching for schools, his family decided Scrima’s Chinese Martial Arts Center in Dunedin, FL, where has been ever since.

Rare Find
In 2006, Garett entered his first big tournament, the International Chinese Martial Arts Championship in Orlando. A few weeks prior to the competition Scrima decided to have Garett compete for Grand Champion. This required not only a change in the level of competition by moving up to the advanced division, but also meant that Garett had to learn a new form with a weapon with which he had not previously practiced. He captured his first Grand Championship title that year and has won four more since. He also earned the title of ICMAC National Champion in the Junior Divisions in 2009.

In 2008 Lubecki earned his black belt, became only the second student in Scrima’s 30 years of teaching to earn first-dan honors at age 12.
“Though it all Garett has remained very humble, which is especially rare today even among adults,” Scrima notes. “He continues to work hard to improve himself and that makes him a very special student.”
--Dave Cater

Wushu Rocketman
Co-Competitor of the Year—Kyle Loehr
“He has made tremendous strides in his knowledge and understanding of wushu.”

There is something about a wushu performance that can grab an audience and hold it spellbound. Maybe it’s the acrobatics. Maybe it’s the athleticism. Maybe it’s the combination of speed and power and grace. Whatever the hold, it grabbed Kyle Loehr by the hand and pulled him “Crouching Tiger” style into the performance martial art.

After seeing champion and wushu master Kenny Perez in action, Kyle realized his destiny. The strength, the movement, the command Perez showed instantly mesmerized him in his wushu. He quickly became a student and protégé of master Kenny Perez at Dynamic Martial Arts Academy in Phoenix, AZ and the pair soon became the team to beat on the national tournament scene.

Now in his fifth year of wushu study, the 19-year-old Loehr has dazzled at every level and shined against the sport/art’s best and brightest. Nicknamed the “Wushu Rocketman,” Loehr’s specialties are a picture in versatility. His favorites are: long fist, broadsword, 3-sectional staff and horse cutter. He has used his extensive wushu knowledge, as well as a body conditioned for competition, to ride roughshod over America’s top names. This past year alone, Kyle has captured gold at virtually ever kung-fu stop on the West Coast. Last summer, he joined his teacher for a trip to China, where he spent time with the great Wu Bin in Beijing, and trained alongside wushu players in Xian.

Eyes on the Prize
Loehr’s training must have paid off; he recently earned a spot on the U.S. Traditional Wushu Team and was to take part in the World Championships in Shiyang City, China.

“He has made tremendous strides in his knowledge and understanding of wushu,” explained Perez. “His dedication and attention to excellence have helped him become one of the finest wushu performers in America.”

A black belt in toshikan karate, Kyle is also a full-time student at Arizona State University, where he studies clinical exercise and wellness. But at the moment, his eyes are squarely on the benefits wushu brings. He says he wants to prove Americans can excel in a sport dominated by Asians. Kyle insists that more legitimate wushu athletes should leave their comfort zone and compete in open competition. Only then will they see their wushu destiny.
--Dave Cater

That Championship Feeling
Jane Hallander Memorial Writer of the Year—Matt Furey
“Writing is an outlet for … I try to make it fun but educational.”

Most martial artists know Matt Furey as one of the finest pure fighters of our generation. A former NCAA wrestling champion, Furey turned to kung-fu in 1990 and six years later began his run of shuai chiao supremacy.

After winning three national titles, Furey cemented his place in history by becoming the only non-Asian to win a gold medal at the World Championships in Beijing. It also marked the first time an American had won a gold medal in any international kung-fu competition held in China.

Best for Last
But Furey, Inside Kung-Fu’s 2011 Hall of Fame Jane Hallander Memorial “Writer of the Year,” may have been saving his best for last. In 1996, he wrote his first book, The Martial Art of Wrestling, and a new career was born. Furey fell in love with writing and readers fell in love with his words. Since then, Furey has penned two international bestsellers, Combat Conditioning and Combat Abs, which detailhis incredible training program. He also publishes a free daily newsletter on his website, .

But maybe his biggest opportunity of all came six years ago when he became a contributing editor of Inside Kung-Fu. His columns—now numbering 74—are always insightful, educational and entertaining, combining Furey’s training secrets with stories about the people, places and events that made him a respected teacher worldwide.
“Writing is an outlet for me,” Furey explains. “It gives me an opportunity to reach a great number of people. I try to make it fun but educational.”

Perfect Fit
Charles “Mask” Lewis Jr. Grappler of the Year—Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza

“It was love at first sight.”

For a guy who once had no interest in mixed martial arts, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souva sure has made an impact on the sport. “Jacare”, Inside Kung-Fu’s “Grappler of the Year,” is quickly becoming one of the great fighters our generation. Not bad for someone who had no love for martial arts.

“I hated the martial arts, but I kept my brother company as he went to the academy,” admits Souza, Inside Kung-Fu’s 2011 Hall of Fame Charles “Mask” Lewis “Grappler of the Year. Once he stepped onto the mat to give it a go, however, it was a whole new ballgame.

“It was love at first sight,” he relates.
Jacare, who got his nickname from the yacare, a type of Brazilian crocodile, has been taking a big bite our of his MMA competition. While his last two wins have been unanimous decisions, 10 of his 13 MMA victories are submissions. His most-impressive triumph, however, came last year when he decisioned Tim Kennedy and captured the Strikeforce middleweight title.

This auspicious start follows a stellar career in BJJ, where he was a two-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion and 2005 Abu Dhabi Championships winner.

The Move to MMA
In 2003, that passion for victory moved seamlessly to MMA.

“It’s a natural process to enter MMA,” he says. “I could not remain stagnant. My desire and passion motivate and propel me forward.”

Souza made his debut in Jungle Fight, which turned out to be a KO loss to Jorge Patino. But then he posted a 10-fight winning streak before losing to Gegard Mousasi in Dream. His next fight was a no-contest, and now he’s currently riding a three-fight winning streak, as he sits alone atop the Strikeforce middleweight division.

--Doug Jeffery

Esther Lin photo courtesy of Strikeforce

Where to Find Them
Joseph Simonet—www.fightingconcepts.comn
Tiffany Chen—c/o
Ren Guangyi—www.renguangyi.com
Garett Lubecki—c/o www.kungfuchampionships.com
Kyle Loehr—c/o www.dynamicwushu.com
Matt Furey—www.mattfurey.com
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza—c/o www.strikeforce.com