Here, you will find what my other activities are when I'm not painting on canvas or on the computer or traveling.

 

MARTIAL ARTS  

 This is the flip of the coin, my parallel universe: since the age of 13, I have been living in the world of martial arts. I trained in Judo, Vietnamese and Chinese Kung Fu, Japanese Karate, Savate-French boxing, Yoseikan Budo, Taekwondo, English boxing, Kick boxing, Thai boxing, Jeet Kune Do, Shoot fighting, Hapkido,  Korean sword (Kumdo), Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Filipino sticks/knives fighting with all types of teachers, from Masters to bouncers to cops to military personel.

I am a certified 3rd degree Black Belt instructor under the Dohyun International Hapkido Federation in Seoul, Korea. I also have a 1st degree Black Belt in Japanese Karate, and continue to practice regularly Hapkido, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Filipino sticks/Knives fighting, and occasionally Thai boxing. To me, it doesn't matter what  martial art you practice or what belt you wear. The main point is: make sure your techniques can work in the street, and train hard.

The image above is a link to the video of my 3rd degree Black Belt Hapkido testing in December 2008 (click on it).

 FITNESS TRAINING

Although I had always been into martial arts since a young age, my focus had been primarily on technique, not necessarily on fitness. After decades of practice, my body had been through multiple injuries and my metabolism was changing with age. The quality of my training was getting weaker and I was slowly but surely gaining weight. At that point, I decided to shake things up. Gathering years of experience in the fields of sports and martial arts, I put together a personal system that is aimed more towards health, fitness and conditioning. It can be used separately or as a complement for pure martial arts training.

 The program is based on a mix of cardio exercises (elliptical machine, jump rope, running, intense martial arts, or anything that can raise and maintain moderate to high cardio vascular  levels) and muscle resistance (weights or any kind of anaerobic training), along with proper diet (what and when to eat) and stretching. In order to reverse the downhill process my body had been going through, I started to train everyday (instead of 3 or 4 times a week) and modified my eating habits.

Within a few months, I dropped 18 pounds and gained muscle. At 43, I am   leaner, stronger, faster and more flexible than when I was 20. The system worked so well that people now ask me for advice and coaching. It is also a system that can be adapted to anyone's likes or needs, no matter what age or physical condition, as long as you understand the basic principles. It changed my life in many ways, and I believe it can do the same for anybody, provided, of course, that you dedicate yourself to it completely for at least the 3 first months (the hardest ones). After that, it is mostly maintenance.

OTHER STUFF

My other interests are varied. I have been a Swing dancer for a long time, although I spend most of my  dancing time with Salsa now. I also took horseback riding lessons for 3 years, but seldom have the time to practice anymore. You can't do everything.

Finally, last but not least, I love to cook. Mostly French, of course, but I like to try other things and am very open to exploration. I try to never forget that eating and the art of cooking  are one of the very first pleasures in life, and cooking for your friends is one of the   best ways to show how you appreciate them.