Date: Fri 24-Jan-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Illustration: C

Location: A11

Quick Words:

Vichiola-martial-arts-Gritz

Full Text:

(feature on martial arts expert Chris Vichiola, 1/24/97)

"The More People Know, The Better"-

A Student Of Life, With A Goal To Continue Learning

BY SHANNON HICKS

DANBURY - Everything about Chris Vichiola says Student of Life. Through every

facet of his life, he has always wanted to learn more, to share his knowledge

with others, and then keep learning more. It's a circle he has repeated many

times, and something he obviously enjoys doing. A student of martial arts,

Chris is also an instructor to students of in the disciplines he has been

living for 13 years.

He believes in the positive attributes he has seen martial arts bring into the

lives of himself and others, and this spring the 37-year old Danbury resident

will leave his job at Newtown's Super Stop & Shop for his latest adventure: A

trip to California for three days of non-stop training at Spirit Warrior Camp,

led by Shihan Richard von Donk. Shihan (meaning "tenth degree black belt") von

Donk is Chris's teacher in the United States.

In martial arts, Chris has received his high belt ranking from Dr Masaaki

Hatsumi. Dr Hatsumi, who lives in Japan - Chris has made a number of trips to

the country - holds tenth degree black belts and above in every martial arts

training. A member of the Black Belt Hall of Fame, Dr Hatsumi has been rated

by every martial arts publication as one of the best martial artists of the

world.

Dr Hatsumi holds the 34th Grand Mastership of the nine families that held

Ninjutsu, which means he is the heir of the nine different styles of Ninjutsu.

The highlight of the three days in California for Chris? He will walk on fire

(burning hot coals, to be precise). To do this, Chris will use energy

channeling ("Mind over matter, ESP kind of stuff," he says). Once he does

this, Chris will be qualified for another high-ranking belt. Shihan von Donk,

who was voted Grand Master of the Year in 1995, has declared Chris "one of the

best martial artists in the world," as has Hatsumi Sensei.

Unfortunately, says Chris, we live in a violent society. "It would be nice to

live in a utopia, and I fail to understand where people are coming from

sometimes...," his voice trails off.

"So I teach people to defend themselves." Chris shares his knowledge with

others who, like him, are not out to harm others but who want to be prepared

should they find themselves in a dangerous situation.

More Training

In April, Chris is off to Ocala, Fla., for Navy SEAL training with Col James

"Bo" Gritz, the country's most decorated Green Beret commander.

Once Chris gets through his own medical/surgical training after that, he will

be licensed to teach others to receive their own Green Beret or Army Ranger

license. Beyond that, Chris plans to eventually get his pilot's license as

well.

"I always wanted to study martial arts as a kid," Chris explained. "I just

never had the money to do it. When I graduated from college, I had a little

more time and a little more money to do what I wanted to do.

"I always wanted to study the best of the martial arts, too. I did not want to

study tae kwondo, or karate. I didn't want to go into a ring and earn a

trophy. I wanted to study a martial art I could apply to my life, in real life

situations."

It was after Chris came across a book on martial arts by Stephen K. Hayes he

found information on applying for Dr Hatsumi's instruction. According to

Chris, it is most important to preserve the integrity of martial arts, which

has an old and respected history.

On top of ongoing martial arts studies, Chris has already graduated from the

Spike Top Gun academy depicted in the Tom Cruise feature film of the late 80s.

Chris was trained in special military operations. ("It's not just your average

fly-the-plane," he says.)

On September 22, 1996, Chris was one of 60 students - 40 students dropped out

before the end of the class term - to receive his wings from Col Gritz in that

graduating class.

The next step is to take what he has learned - his martial arts and Delta

Force training - and become qualified to turn around and teach others.

"I plan to teach whatever I learn," he says, which means Chris will be

teaching others aspects of Navy SEAL training, basic diving techniques, night

diving. Chris already has been trained by Col Gritz in Special Forces in

rappeling, the use of firearms, homeopathic medicine (healing through

medicinal plants), hunting and trapping, and survival. He also has been

trained in CIA and FBI espionage techniques - phone tapping techniques,

knowing whether mail has been opened already, Army Ranger, Delta Force, Green

Beret... "Everything they do, I have been trained in," says Chris.

Rewritten History

In 1990 and 1991, Chris spent a month during each year traveling in Japan with

Stephen K. Hayes, who was Chris' teacher during the early 1990s. Hayes also

has been rated to be one of the best authorities on martial arts. He also is

in the Black Belt Hall of Fame. During his study periods in Japan, Chris was

training with Dr Hatsumi, along with other tenth degree and above teachers.

Chris compares the history of Ninjutsu warriors thousands of years ago to the

persecution of Native Americans in our own country: History has re-written the

truth, and in a very slanted way.

"The true essence of martial arts was never meant to harm anyone. It never

meant, as movies project, killing and cold-blooded attackers, night stalkers.

It was never meant for that," he stresses. Chris, in fact, has already written

two books on the subject, one of which deals with the farmers of Japan who

became Ninja warriors, "who were forced to convert farming tools into weapons

in order to survive."

The word Ninja , Chris says, has been given such a misused connotation that

"we don't even like to use that word now because of what the media has

established with that word. Ninja warriors never wore black, or masks. They

disguised themselves to fit into surroundings," he said. "The blackness came

about through the Kabuki theatre. They needed to show invisibility, where

actors were dressing to be invisible.

"It is not a violent art.

"This, for me, is a way of life. I'm a student and a teacher. You never stop

learning. I have always believed in education. The more people know, the

better.

"Once you get to the teaching side, for too many people," he continued, "you

feel you know everything. Well I don't know everything." This is the kind of

reasoning that keeps Chris constantly learning.

Chris lived on Philo Curtiss Road when he was growing up in Sandy Hook. He

graduated from Newtown High School in 1978, then went on to get his psychology

degree from Western Connecticut State University. During this time he was also

a volunteer citizen advocacy coordinator with the Western Connecticut

Association for the Handicapped and Retarded, Inc (WeCAHR).

After graduation he became employed in Fairfield Hills Hospital's Cochran

Three-C, a double-locked developmental disabilities ward where, Chris says, he

was working with "very assaultive individuals/patients."

He has also participated in community based programs including becoming

trained as a Cub Scout leader with the Fairfield County Council, Scatacook

District; presenting former State Comptroller Bill Curry with "Causes and

Cures," a drug prevention program; working closely with Danbury Mayor Gene

Eriquez, who has praised Chris for teaching his students not only the

techniques of self defense, "but also the techniques of empowerment and self

improvement"; working with the elderly, and working with the Department of

Retardation.

Although he finds his greatest satisfaction working in the health care field,

Chris eventually left health care because he found it was not helping him live

effectively. In other words, Chris was not making enough money, he said, to

make ends meet.

Currently a resident of Danbury, he is pursuing his license with the Danbury

office of Travelers Financial Group. Through a number of licenses he is

working towards, he plans to become a financial consultant, again something he

will use to help others.

In Japan, it is mandatory that students, grammar school through high school,

take some form of martial arts, whether judo, tae kwondo, Ninjutsu. Another of

Chris' goals is to have this same discipline introduced into the Connecticut

school system.

"I'm approaching this entirely differently than a karate school, or a tae

kwondo school, which basically will go in and have a studio, and that's not

what my goal is," Chris says. His goal, instead, is to create teachers who can

bring these disciplines into the towns and cities of Connecticut.

"Martial arts," Chris says, "help an individual achieve enlightenment. Daily,

you strive to be your best.

"I am helping individuals improve their lives."

`The More People Know, The Better'-

A Student Of Life, With A Goal

To Continue Learning

FOR FULL PHOTO OF CHRIS STANDING ALONE

Chris Vichiola has been studying martial arts very intensely for 13 years. He

feels it is important as a lifestyle for him - it is a positive way for anyone

to live, he says - but also wants to get the word out to people that the true

essence of martial arts was never meant to be the violent form of fighting

history has turned it into. In addition to being a martial arts student, Chris

graduated from the Spike Top Gun Academy last November.

-photo courtesy C. Vichiola

photo of CV w/ man & woman

It was after Chris came across a book on martial arts by Stephen K. Hayes he

found information on applying for instruction with Dr Masaaki Hatsumi. Chris

spent a month during 1990 and again in 1991 traveling in Japan with Hayes, who

was Chris' teacher during the early Nineties. Shown here, while traveling in

Japan in 1991, is Chris (center), with Stephen and Rumiko Hayes.

-photo courtesy C. Vichiola

photo of CV on rope-walk thing

Martial arts training continues in March for Chris when he travels to

California for three days at Spirit Warrior Camp, where he will walk on fire.

Everything he has learned, Chris says, he wants to turn around and share with

others.

-photo courtesy C. Vichiola

credit for 1-col head shot

-Bee Photo, Hicks