 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||
 |
February 2008 · Inside Kung-Fu Magazine | |||
| Click here to return to previous page | ||||
 |
|
 Woman
of the Year 2007 Inside Kung-Fu Hall of Fame – Addy Hernandez
By Dave Cater Not since the day of the legendary Graciela Casillas has a female practitioner so captured our hearts and minds. Beautiful and deadly, Hernandez has taken the martial arts world by storm. A combination of fitness and function, Addy is earning the respect of her peers with a no-nonsense attitude built by years of dogged commitment and training. An Inside Kung-Fu columnist and Unique Publications DVD author, Hernandez began her martial arts training in 1994 under K I Fighting Concepts founder (a IKF columnist) Joseph Simonet. Training in both kenpo karate and Filipino stick fighting, Addy also found time to study Yang-Style tai chi and meditation. The grueling years of early mornings and late nights paid off with multiple black belts in myriad styles. Today, Hernandez holds fourth-degree black belts in K I Fighting Concepts and doce pares; a third degree black belt in Tracy’s Kenpo karate; and a second-degree black belt in escrido. She also is a certified instructor in Yang-Style tai chi. Hernandez continues to expand her knowledge and abilities by stretching her mental, physical and philosophical boundaries. She promotes, organizes and teaches at Wind and Rock, on of the fasted growing, most highly acclaimed martial arts training camps in the country. She has also been an active participant in Simonet's many public appearances and seminars coast to coast. She also has appeared on two Inside Kung-Fu covers in the past three years. Most martial artist would be content to rest on these lofty laurels. But Hernandez, who also teaches yoga and runs marathons, insists she’s just beginning. “I can honestly say I’ve barely scratched the surface in my training,” Addy explained. “The more I learn, the more I want to learn. It’s as if each martial arts door leads to another.” The secret, she insists, is to remain balanced and maintain a solid focus on the goal at hand. “Finding balance and peace in one’s life is all about making the right choices,” she notes. “I am convinced that I can make positive choices, which will almost always produce harmonious results. Certainly, life confronts us with many challenges and sometimes seemingly insurmountable obstacles. I am, however, a believer in the old adage, ‘change favors the prepared mind.’ “ When the time came, Hernandez was prepared for her latest challenge – a DVD for Unique Publications called, “A Cut Above.” The DVD illuminates what can happen when a blade finds its way into the hands of a skilled practitioner. While Addy Hernandez is a relative newcomer to the world of martial arts, she is anything but a neophyte. Combining the drive of a beginner with the desire of a hardened veteran, Hernandez will only get better, stronger and more polished in the decades to come. |
|
|
|||
 |
|
Fitness and self-defense in a safe and fun environment. | |
|
|||