MARTIALFORCE.COM
PRESENTS
AN INTERVIEW WITH
JIAOSHI
REMILIO M. OLIVIERE SR.
JAN / 2011
"My Kung Fu training taught me not to strive for excellence,
but to be excellent."
My name is Eddie Morales and welcome to Martialforce.com Online Martial Arts Magazine. I want to introduce our readers to Jiaoshi Remilio M. Oliviere Sr. Oliviere is originally from New York City but now resides in Atlanta GA. He has a strong lineage of Martial Arts training and an open mind to continuous learning. Jiaoshi Oliviere is old school in his approach in regards to building a strong foundation through basic training. He has a personal commitment to helping the kids in his community and the knowledge and background to make a difference in their lives. We here at Martialforce.com are proud to bring you this interview of a dedicated Man with a powerful art.
Interview By Eddie Morales
Martialforce.com
Online Magazine
Martialforce.com: Where were you born and what area did you grow up in?
REMILIO M. OLIVIERE SR: I was born October 11th 1965 in Kings County Hospital located in Brooklyn New York. However I was raised in Springfield Gardens in Queens New York.
Martialforce.com: What is your current occupation?
REMILIO M. OLIVIERE SR: I am the Owner of Kung Fu Atlanta Inc. Where I teach Xìtong zongshi zài xué. I am a Certified Personal Trainer and run my after school and tutoring programs.
Martialforce.com: When, where and with who did you begin your Martial Arts training?
REMILIO M. OLIVIERE SR: My Kung Fu training began when I was very young as a treatment for Asthma. I began in Queens with Master Courtney Williams who was then a member of New York Foo Jow Pai. I then trained with some of Jason Lau students who lived in the neighborhood. Kung Fu especially back then was not really a rank driven art. So we would just train and train. It was not until I was 11 years of age that I met Zong Shi George Crayton Jr. Zong Shi, he is my true instructor, father figure and we are ultimate of friends. He took me into his home and taught me a different side of Kung Fu and training that remains the trademark and standard of true Kung Fu and the foundation of my school.
Martialforce.com: Do you think that Martial Arts training has had a positive affect on you when you were growing up?
REMILIO M. OLIVIERE SR: Yes... Definitely. My Kung Fu training taught me not to strive for excellence, but to be excellent. Excellence is the deterrent for all things negative in life. Without it, I would have died a long time ago especially growing up in an abusive household. My training was evident in all that I did. School, work and even play.
Martialforce.com: Who has been your greatest influence in Martial Arts and throughout your life?
REMILIO M. OLIVIERE SR: There have been many influences in Martial Arts throughout my lifetime thus far. It is extremely difficult to name just one. The most important would be my lord and savior Jesus Christ. Without GOD none of this is possible. The most significant physical being would have to be Zong Shi George Crayton Jr. Without disrespect to others like Frank Dux when I was in WA. And Abdul Muttakibir who I trained with as well. Then there were my movie idols such as Sammo Hung and Lo Wei.
Martialforce.com: Do you believe the practice of Kata / Forms (Pre-arranged Movements) is useful and if so why?
REMILIO M. OLIVIERE SR: Yes. Absolutely Kata / Forms are not just useful, they are essential. Without Kata or Forms, There is no technique. It is the blueprint for fighting… It creates a standard for the practitioner to use their imagination. This imagination combined with practice and proper instruction leads to infinite possibility.
Martialforce.com: From your experience, what do you believe defines a good Martial Arts practitioner?
REMILIO M. OLIVIERE SR: I believe that good Martial Arts practitioner in general needs to be completely open minded. The practitioner needs to have imagination. Honor the old but be open to the new and different. Practice diligently and respect all. Train hard and thorough and live tranquil and honorable...
Martialforce.com: Can you give our readers your definition of a good instructor?
REMILIO M. OLIVIERE SR: A good instructor is a person who has honor! This person will sit down with you and explain what is needed and teach it accordingly. A good instructor will identify talent in all students and devise a plan to bring it out individually. I hate to see it when instructors hand people a price list, schedule and brochures then sends them on their way. This is so impersonal and not a sign in my opinion of a good instructor.
Martialforce.com: What would you say is your greatest achievement to date?
REMILIO M. OLIVIERE SR: The words” greatest achievement” are to vague to answer question singularly. I would like to believe that my greatest achievement to date are my students and people who come to my school because there child has a problem reading or with math and we are able to provide them with the help needed coupled with basic Martial Arts training. I look at the results of students that I produce and people that schools and everyone else turns away. GOD has blessed me with the ability to return what was given to me.
Martialforce.com: In regards to tournament competition, were you an active competitor or do you practice non-sport?
REMILIO M. OLIVIERE SR:
I was an active participant in the New York Tournament scene
from 1973 until 1990. It was then that I moved to Tacoma WA. In Tacoma there
was not much in the way of Kung Fu for me to compete so I wound up training
with Frank Dux in Federal Way, Wa. Kung fu has always had problems in
competition. I thank competitors of that error who were honorable though we
were so young. Little KA, Jerry Fontanez, Taimak to name just a few. Here in
GA. I myself refuse to fight for I would never win. Disqualification would
be stamped on my forehead. So I tend to teach as an art and not a sport.
This is what our Art was intended for.
Martialforce.com: When you say art are you referring to street defense or the artistic value of movement?
REMILIO M. OLIVIERE SR: Actually, the answer is both. I believe that you have to teach the extreme of the art (Street aspects) before you can do sport. Forms are the artistic form, true value and blueprint for fighting. We believe if you train for sport that there is not too much street value in it. When you train for survival, you become a warrior. You are able to take much more punishment than you give out. That is what gives you the ability to end a fight at your own will. One blow can win or loses a fight. Must be able to take that blow.
Martialforce.com: Why did you change the name of your school?
REMILIO M. OLIVIERE SR: I see that you have done your homework. This is a very good question and I would like to set the record straight. I originally opened up as “Oliviere’s’ Long Hu Pai Kung Fu Academy. This is a mouthful and people had no idea who we were or what I taught here. A few came in thinking we were a Chinese Restaurant. I needed a simple name that everyone would know who we were and what we did. The second reason is much more complicated. Even though Huan Shou is the style that I taught at this time of opening, No one here in the south knew what it was. That coupled with the fact that I am from a different era of the Huan Shou practitioners of today with the exceptions of the Grandmasters etc., I was never qualified to teach what is being taught now at the Long Hu Pai Kung Fu Academy of New York.
In the past, when a few people broke away from Zong Shi Crayton, They completely deleted him from there resume and called there school by another name. I did not wish to do that at all and that has never been my intention. So what I did was broke down and simplified what it is that I do. The name Kung Fu Atlanta was created by a good friend and supporter of mine from the Kuroshi-do System Sensei Ian Evans who has a Graphic company called ENI Graphics. When looking for website domains, we could not believe that no other Kung Fu schools had the Domain for Kung Fu Atlanta. If you are looking on line for a school and type in Kung Fu in Atlanta, Bam there we are. I then thought that is the name that we need to use for school as well as website.
So to keep it simple, we became Kung Fu Atlanta Chinese Boxing Institute. If then asked what style we teach, I can simply say (System of always learning) Xìtong zongshi zài xué. This coupled with taking the school to Karate tournaments and producing the talents that I have, as well as support of other true Martial artist down here has made us what we are today.
Martialforce.com: Do you have any thoughts on the subject of teaching?
REMILIO M. OLIVIERE SR:
Instructors can be a dime a dozen so to speak, but good
teachers of martial arts are few and far in- between. A person looking to
begin is caught in a vicious cycle of wanting to train and actually
training. This cycle can determine many future qualities a person on this
stage develops. The most common that most of us teachers of martial arts
come across is " I used to train in Tae Kwon Do" or " I made yellow belt and
quit" This is a product of this early stage that happens to many beginners
without proper instruction. Then there is a generation that is working
against a new student of martial arts as well. I remember growing up in
Queens and my mother throwing me out of the house to go play and I could not
wait to get out of the house which led to me training outside with friends
or class or school etc. This generation has too many things working against
them like video games, guns and dare I not say the single parenthood or two
income family where both parents have to work.
So homework means to look for a program that deals with the sudents situation. Some schools have afterschool where students can stay off the streets and get extra training as well.Some have tutoring. Some schools students can go everyday and UNFORTUNATELY, some schools are in it just for the money.
Martialforce.com: Did this cause any problems between NY based Looang Foo Pai and Kung Fu Atlanta?
REMILIO M. OLIVIERE SR:
For the record, Zong Shi Crayton opened up an entire new
world in martial arts for me. He has always been my father figure, friend
and teacher. I could never say that he is not the reason for me doing what I
do and simply being able to teach what I teach. Like in every family, there
are arguments and disagreements and we are no different. Like in every
family you basically kiss and make up as well eventually. What I accomplish
is always a testimony of what he is and has taught me
Martialforce.com: If you had only one technique to teach and use yourself, what would it be and why?
REMILIO M. OLIVIERE SR: I would have to say the basic Muay Tai shin to thigh attack followed by whatever technique deemed necessary. My principle is simple. When chopping down a tree, we can cut from the top and work our way down till we are finished. Takes allot of time to do especially if tree is huge. Chop it down from the bottom the whole tree falls. The same with fighting. Hit the top (head) opponent may fall. Hit the body, opponent may fall. Hit the legs? Head and body will tumble down. Other styles may disagree, but your question is, what would be the technique that I would use and teach.
Martialforce.com: If you had to pick the one pet peeve you have in your experiences in the 40+ yrs that you have been in Martial Arts, what would it be and why?
REMILIO M. OLIVIERE SR:
Emphatically it is the egos that many posses. If someone was
to beat me silly, I shake his/her hand and go home and train until I feel
that I am ready. I come back and fight again. I can not learn from winning.
Winning doesn’t push me to be better. Most of all I won’t brag. I don’t sit
on a throne and put everyone down. I learn from my mistakes and the mistakes
of others.
Martialforce.com: What does the system you teach comprise of?
REMILIO M. OLIVIERE SR:
When Zong Shi George Crayton Jr. Created Huan Shou in the
late 60s and early 70s, it consisted of 14 styles of Kung Fu and 7 styles of
Karate. Our main style of fighting is Bok Mei (White Eyebrow). The
generation I grew up in set out to prove under his guidance, instruction and
careful tutelage that Kung Fu practitioners can fight. He proved just that.
Like all styles, time changes them. For instance: I teach the Tasseled Spear
Form but what are the chances of any of my students using it in a street
fight or if they are bullied etc. Huan Shou is no different.
In the newer generation of Huan Shou, the 7 styles of Karate have been eliminated and Tai Chi has been heavily incorporated into the system. Here in Atlanta, I believe that no style on GODS green earth is a complete style. In addition to Huan Shou, I have rank in Hung Gar and trained considerably in Wing Chun in which I incorporate in my teachings. I now have a Muangsurin from Burma Thailand (Phen Tran) who I train daily with in Muay Tai. Once I excel at this, I will also incorporate into my teachings.
Therefore what I teach is no longer called Huan Shou. I teach now what is called Xìtng zǒngshi zài xué
This is simply translated as
“System
of ALWAYS LEARNING”
Martialforce.com: So you have created your own style of fighting?
REMILIO M. OLIVIERE SR:
No Sir, I have simply given what I do and teach a name. I am
Muay Tai. I am Huan Shou. I am Hung Gar, Street fighting and MMA with my
son. Therefore what I teach is a system that is always learning as well as
the students and even the Instructors.. (hahah)
I simply believe that it is impossible to complete myself as a practitioner
by limiting myself. Kung Fu will always be my foundation. Xìtong zongshi zài
xué is my way to humble completion. My students benefit from this thinking
and there is absolutely no egos involved. Simple pure training in an old
school setting.
Martialforce.com: Do you allow your students to compete in tournaments?
REMILIO M. OLIVIERE SR: Currently I do. I believe that after the New Year, I won’t. The tournament circuit that I participate in is a corrupt one. Anytime you can single out children to slip in an adult competitor to defeat a child and referee the entire fight? Not only is it not honorable, it is an insult to the school. They have to cheat us to beat us and it is a shame. The sad part in it all is that the values being taught to the students. Not honorable at all...Unfortunately, there many less than honorable schools down that do this type of thing. In my opinion they have no Martial Etiquette at all. No Honor. No real fighters.
Martialforce.com: At what age do you believe a child should start Martial Arts training?
REMILIO M. OLIVIERE SR: I myself started training at 4 yrs old. I take students from ages 3 on up. MANY instructors won’t consider that at all. I do it cause if someone would have never taken me in, I may not be doing this interview now. Realistically, pre-teen a couple of years is a good time to really get a good student that will remain in Martial Arts in General. My four year old is now training and has won two tournaments.
Martialforce.com: Can you tell our readers a little about your instructor/s and what you gained from their tutelage?
REMILIO M. OLIVIERE SR: From my early instructors who were classical Kung Fu Practitioners, I developed a strong FOUNDATION and workout habits. We trained all of the time and everywhere we could. I could be on a handball court and a training session would break out. From Zong Shi Crayton who I feel that pound for pound is if not the best, one of the best that ever graced any coast, I learned how to fight in all situations. He spawned me from the will of GOD into the warrior that I was then and always will be. I am currently studying Muay Thai from a gentleman from Burma. His demeanor is unlike any that I ever encountered in my life. From him I have already learned the lessons of patience and silence. It is amazing to me that there is so much going on around us that are considered noise. The second we start to quite our minds, so much is then revealed. I am quickly adapting this to our way of fighting and have a new love and drive to get all that I can from this training. In truth Sir, We as Martial Artist learn from everything. We all have many instructors. I learn just as much from Sensei Ian Evans from Kuroshi-do and Master Rick Murray who is a practitioner of Goju Ryu and Price Fagan (to name a few)as I have from anyone else. My core is Zong Shi!!! My completion is Zong Shi and everyone else that I am associated with. I have learned from you interviewing me as well. It is all about being as complete as you possibly can. This is why no matter what rank that we ever achieve, True Martial Artist will always be a practitioner.
Martialforce.com: My last question is, what would you tell someone that has been wanting to study Martial arts but for whatever reason, never begin?
REMILIO M. OLIVIERE SR: I would tell them to simply " BEGIN." It doesn't matter what style that they begin with or even stay with for that matter. They would need to get in there. I would suggest to them to do there homework first.
Martialforce.com: Thank you for this interview and we here at Martialforce.com wish you much success.
REMILIO M. OLIVIERE SR: Thank you sir!
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