Mind, Body & Kick Ass Moves is a television programme broadcast on BBC Three. Presented by Chris Crudelli the documentary series travels around the Far East exploring different martial arts and learning the secret skills and knowledge of the 'Grandmasters'. The series investigates aspects of each different martial art by filming the masters demonstrating their style and skills. There is one series of 10 episodes. Each episode focuses on a mix of different martial arts and masters and shows Crudelli taking some martial arts and tricks to the streets, in a style similar to street magic. The opening narration states Crudelli is a master of combat and esoteric energies. An edited version was broadcast in the United States in half-hour segments as Mind, Body & Kickin' Moves on FSN.
Vagabond Skills & Japanese Kiai
Aug 9, 2004
Tu Jin Sheng (Iron Crotch Qigong) and others. At a builder's merchants in Cardiff, Chris invites six strong men to push him over. Needless to say, they don't succeed. Extraordinary martial arts secrets are exposed for the first time, from deadly shouting to a van pulled by a penis. In Hong Kong we show what happens when a sledgehammer cracks bricks on a man’s head and in Taiwan a trained hand crushes a steel pipe.
Wushu & Wing Chun
Aug 9, 2004
Ip Chun (Wing Chun) and others Fighting as entertainment is the theme of this episode. It takes Chris from a fight club in Taipei to a film set in Beijing, where he is taught how to fly in 'Crouching Tiger' fashion. In the UK, two female show wrestlers take Chris through their paces and in Hong Kong the spirit of Bruce Lee is invoked by a sprightly 80-year-old.
Shin Gong, Okinawan Karate & Haring Bakal
Aug 16, 2004
Master Ushiro (Shindo Ryu Karate) and others A deserted village in China is the setting for a Daoist sect to invoke spirits that protect against blades, blows and fire. In the Philippines the protective power of amulets is machete tested on a man’s stomach. None of this helps Chris when he meets Master Ushiro in Japan. Teacher of the FBI and the Russian Special Forces, Ushiro is a master of the original Okinawan karate. Fast, lethal and very effective he makes grown men crumble. Ouch.
Dancing, Tai Chi Quan & Ninjutsu
Aug 16, 2004
Jing wu men Tai Chi (and others) Master Presas in the Philippines reveals the Martial Arts techniques hidden in simple dance steps. Chris meets his match on the Great Wall of China, as a master of ancient Tai Qi uses him for target practise. Back in the UK, we see life saving techniques on a beach in Cornwall and self-defence tricks on the streets of Brixton.
Kyushu, Taoist Cookery & Black Eagle Eskrima
Aug 23, 2004
The Living Treasure of China (and others) There's a bone to pick with meat packers at Smithfield Market in London. Chris learns the secrets of Philippine machete fighting, and discovers the ancient art of horseback archery in a Shinto temple in Japan. Meanwhile, in a busy Hong Kong kitchen, The Living Treasure of China teaches Kung Fu cooking as well as some elegant nut-cracking moves. In the UK, pizza delivery boys learn how to dish it out when it cuts up rough.
Special Forces, Japanese Sword Skills, Lion Dancing & Tai Chi Animal Style
Aug 23, 2004
Master Tetsuzan Kuroda - Komagawa kaishin-ryu (and others) A Southend pub provides the setting for an everyday guide to martial arts. In Japan, two men fight with swords on a deserted beach. When Chris follows them into their dojo the Master finger wrestles him to the ground. In Wales rugby players are effortlessly converted to 'Kung Fu' drinking games, meanwhile the Taiwanese anti-terrorist SWAT team engage in some real life martial mayhem.
Samurai Weapons, Balitok Eskrima, Ninjutsu & Fut Gar Kung Fu
Aug 30, 2004
Fumon and Midori Tanaka - Enshin-ryu (and others) A Glasgow fairground wheel makes Chris Crudelli find his balance and cab drivers in Cardiff reap the benefits. Meanwhile, in Japan, Master Tanaka and his daughter excel in the art of the sword. Chopping down arrows in mid flight can only be done "when you and the sword are one." The same intuitive relationship allows Master Presas in the Philippines to stick fight whilst blind-folded. The power of intuition and developing a sixth sense is what drives the acolytes of Master Aoki in Japan to stand under a freezing cold waterfall. Chris can’t resist joining them for a cold shower and attempts to improve his pre-emptive talents into the bargain.
Katana, Kombatan & Shintaido
Aug 30, 2004
Dr Masaaki Hatsumi - Ninjutsu (and others) Chris gets in the firing line of some of the most dangerous martial artists in Asia. In the Philippines a weapon maker mixes deadly spiders with steel, while in Japan Chris narrowly escapes a Ninja pole head trap. Animals provide inspiration as Chris eats scorpions in a Beijing market and the energy of the snake and leopard are harnessed in the Hong Kong docks.
Knife Fighting, Enshin-Ryu & Dim Mak
Sep 6, 2004
Duan Bao Hua - Liang Yi Dian Xue Gong Fu (Dim Mak) Chris encounters deadly moves - from samurai decapitation skills to the legendary death touch. Hairdressers in Glasgow reap the benefit of his skills, learning new things to do with a hairbrush, while a Southend tattoo parlour becomes the venue for some serious ‘Chi’ work. Engaging in a spot of river fighting in the Philippines, Chris learns how to invoke the spirits from the dead and to protect himself with amulets and Latin prayers.
Hard Qigong, Doce Pares & Chow Gar Kung Fu
Sep 6, 2004
Grandmaster Ip Chee Keung (and others) From ‘Praying Mantis’ insect style kung fu to a serious poke in the eye, get inside the secretive world of martial arts with Chris Crudelli. In the Philippines stick fighting has never been so fast and in Taiwan we uncover unbelievable physical feats involving bottle openers and fingers, steel rods and eyeballs, cleavers and toes. For the first time, Asia's most dangerous fighting masters reveal their skills.
