Martialing Forces

Imagine 2,000 kids sitting quietly and watching adults run and kick and punch each other. Far-fetched? Not when they’re into martial arts big-time.

The Bren Events Center on the UC Irvine campus was filled recently with kids decked out in karate outfits and thinking about their best moves. In front of them were several world champions showing just how those best moves could be done.

It was all part of the Best of the Best Martial Arts Festival, sponsored by Grand Master Chang Jin Kang, a ninth-degree black belt and two-time world-record holder. (He can break 1,068 1-inch boards with his bare hands.) Kang runs martial arts schools in Fountain Valley, Irvine, Laguna Niguel, Santa Ana and Tustin.

The competition drew athletes from Brazil, China, Japan, Korea and the United States. Young fans watched as these champions executed karate, jujitsu and taekwondo movements. A full-contact match in Olympic-style taekwondo was a highlight.

The U.S. Taekwondo Union reports that 6.3 million people have taken up the sport across the nation and that the fastest-growing group is those under 12.

Fred Villanueva of Irvine brought his 11-year-old son, Nicholas, to the five-hour competition. “He’s been taking [taekwondo] lessons for four years,” Villanueva said. “He learns discipline, restraint and how to keep a lid on his temper.”

Proceeds from tickets and T-shirt sales were donated to Canyon Acres Home for Abused Children, Children’s Hospital of Orange County and the local D.A.R.E. program.