Published: September 19, 2008 11:11 pm         

City hosting tae kwon do tourney

TERRE HAUTE — More than a thousand martial artists will flock to Terre Haute for today’s American Tae Kwon Do tournament, and a lucky bunch will carry with them experiences from a Friday night at Minton’s ATA Black Belt Academy with Hollywood’s Mike Chat.

Or, depending on their age, The Blue Power Ranger.

“I think it’s great for the community,” Ann Minton said as more than 70 students lined the training room Friday afternoon for instruction from Chat.

Today’s “X-treme Experience” tournament, hosted by Minton’s ATA Black Belt Academy in Hulman Center, is rated Class “A” by the ATA, meaning between 900 and 1,100 participants will compete, she said.

Since many are children with accompanying parents, the total number of bodies present will be between 3,000 and 4,000 throughout the day, she estimated.

And, since that class of tournament can confer state, national and world titles, competitors have flown in from as far as California, Wisconsin and the East Coast.

Chat, instructor and creator of the X-treme Martial Arts System, was on hand at Minton’s behind the Honey Creek Mall, working with local students Thursday and Friday.

“This organization is incredible,” the Los Angeles-based martial artist said, noting Sr. Master Paul Minton’s recent achievement of an eighth-degree black belt in tae kwon do as one of the reasons he came to Terre Haute.

Chat, a seven-time World Forms and Weapons Champion, created the XMA and licensed the usage rights to the ATA so it can be taught in any of their schools.

Born in Thailand, Chat’s family moved to Naperville, Ill., when he was about 2 months old. He began studying martial arts at age 8 through Sharkey’s Karate Studios.

Along the way to world level competition, he experimented with a number of different disciplines including tae kwon do, Okinawan Shorei-ryu, kickboxing, ballet, acrobatics and yoga.

“What is X-treme Martial Arts? It’s a fusion of all those,” he said, noting that the movements all come down to gymnastics and ballet.

And, as a matter of fact, “the highest injury rate in all of sports is in ballet,” he noted, rattling off sprains, broken toes and other injuries associated with competitive dance. “It’s brutal.”

But it’s also fun.

Chat and Sharkey’s Karate Studios “Side Swipe Team” participated in the reality television show “America’s Got Talent” last year, showing off some of the eclectic mixtures of gymnastic martial arts that gets kids and crowds excited.

“Cool, chop-saki, Hong Kong-style,” he said with a grin. “What everyone saw in film.”

And since much of the old Hollywood-style action didn’t really belong to any one style, Chat invented one, bringing the knowledge of the traditional arts along with him.

“We want to benefit the school owners,” he said, noting that kids tend to fall off from martial arts in their teenage years for a variety of reasons, all of which can be combated with an occasional chance to work on the high-flying roundhouse kicks sported by their favorite movie stars.

The extra workouts involved also help the students take their skills to a new level while bringing some spice to their interests.

“If you develop a passion for something you tend to stick with it for life,” he said.

Facing the mat filled with kneeling students, Chat asked Friday’s class, “Do you want to be good, or do you want to be great?”

“Great!” the group shouted in unison.

“Anyone can be good,” he explained. “Do what you’re told and you’ll be good. Not everyone can be great.”

And that’s the same instruction he gives back in Hollywood.

At his own studio, Chat trains stunt doubles for A-list celebs like George Clooney, Keanu Reeves, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon.

And more recently, he worked with R&B artist Usher, a fellow martial artist, who wanted to “learn some tricks” for the BET Music Awards.

“We feel honored that people at that level want to be a part,” he said, noting that actors tend to be “incredibly focused” and disciplined while training, making them great students.

And for the kid from Naperville, Hollywood always was the goal.

“That was the dream,” he said in Sr. Master Minton’s Terre Haute office.

Watching the “old school” Kung Fu movies led to a love affair with acting, and even today he remembers those early stars.

“Sammo Hung’s the man!” he said when asked about some of his favorites.

Hung, considered to be “the big brother of Jackie Chan,” arranges much of the choreography for martial arts films around the world.

Chat credited the Mintons for helping to build a regional network of schools and tournaments that did not exist before their work.

“We want to support people who do great things,” he offered as explanation for his participation in today’s tournament.

And for parent Richard Alley, watching his son participate with one of his on-screen heroes makes it worth the gas.

“It really helps with their confidence and self-esteem,” he said, watching the kids practice.

Brian Boyce can be reached at (812) 231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.