The way of chi.

Filmmaker finds his center through martial arts 

Your entree to new and exciting possibilities

For Warrington Hudlin, president of the Black Filmmaker Foundation and Festival, and, most recently, founder of DVRepublic.com (a broadband original television site for the Internet supported by the Ford Foundation), his interest in the martial arts was born out of necessity. "I decided that if I was going to be fighting all the time, I might as well be good at it," says Hudlin, who grew up on the streets of east St. Louis. In 1968, his parents enrolled him in a martial arts school. He earned a black belt in jujitsu in 1974 from Master Lil' John Davis.

It wasn't until several years later, after the had graduated from Yale and moved to New York, that his skill came in handy. "My friend and I saw two white guys beating up a young black man," says Hudlin. "My friend and fellow martial arts student gave one of the guys a kick to the chest in one fluid motion," explains Hudlin. As the bully flew through the air, the other one thought twice about throwing a punch. "He had this look in his eyes, as if he was having a Bruce Lee flashback," recalls Hudlin, chuckling at the memory. The pair quickly ran off.

Hudlin soon sought out a martial art with which he had more of a cultural affinity. In 1977, he met Jelon Vieira, a master teacher of Capoeira, the Afro-Brazilian martial art that was disguised as a dance during slavery. "Capoeira is an incredibly beautiful martial art. Watching two people play Capoeira is like watching two soloists exchange lyrics." Hudlin was so smitten with Capoeira that he made a short, award-winning film about it in 1980.

Hudlin's latest martial arts interest is Chi Gung. His teacher and personal physician, Grandmaster Doo Wai, emphasizes that only a select few achieve Hudlin's closed-door disciple status because "few people have the patience, discipline, and intelligence to reach this level."

Getting started

* SEARCH THE WEB Says Hudlin, "You can get information on authentic martial arts training by connecting with a number of online sites." www.nymartialarts.com, www.hillsidejiujitsu.com, and www.she-do.com.

* USE CONSUMER SMARTS. Since the industry is not regulated as a whole, it's important that you look out for unscrupulous practices. According to Hudlin, "Be suspicious of instructors who make claims of how good they are, but never demonstrate what they can do."

* START YOUNG. "The younger you are, the more easily your body will respond to the training," Hudlin contends, "although it's never too late to learn. Preteens and teens are at the ideal age to get started."

* CONSULT BOOKS AND VIDEOS. Start with these: Capoeira, a Brazilian Art Form: History, Philosophy, and Practice by Bira Almeida (North Atlantic Books, $14.95) and Kumite-Ryu (videotape) by Shihan John Davis, available through www.espytv.com