Antonio Graceffo
Encyclopedia
Antonio Graceffo is a martial arts
and adventure author living in Asia
. He is also the host of the web TV show, Martial Arts Odyssey
, which traces his ongoing journey through Asia learning martial arts in various countries. Graceffo is largely credited with revitalizing the lost Khmer
art of Bokator
by being the first to report on it. Beyond martial arts, Graceffo is also a linguist with fluency in multiple languages, including Mandarin Chinese, Thai
, Khmer
, Vietnamese
, German
, Spanish
, Italian
, and French
.
. When he was 9 his family moved to Tennessee
and for the next 8 years he spent school days in Tennessee and holidays and summers in New York
. He moved back to New York at the age of 17.
Graceffo spent seven years in the United States Military
starting with the Army National Guard
. At Fort Benning
, Georgia
he went through boot camp and completed infantry school. Later, he graduated from Non-Commissioned Officer’s Academy. He then served in the Navy
and the US Merchant Marines
.
Graceffo graduated from Middle Tennessee State University
with a degree in Foreign Language and English. He studied applied linguistics/translation at the University of Mainz in Germany
for four years. He also did an advanced Diploma in TESOL
at Trinity College, England
and did graduate business diplomas through Heriot-Watt University
in Scotland
. He worked as a translator and teacher in Europe
for most of the four years he was in school there and then worked in Costa Rica
for one year. After that, he returned to New York and went through a financial training program and worked as a financial planner, and then a wealth manager. Eventually he became assistant head of private wealth management for one of the largest private banks in America
.
The tragedy of September 11, 2001 prompted him to leave his career as an investment banker on Wall Street
to pursue full-time adventure writing in Asia. Arriving in Taiwan
in 2001, Graceffo’s quest to discover Asia’s diverse martial arts has led him to the original Shaolin Temple in China
and a Muay Thai
monastery in Thailand
, as well as Cambodia
, Vietnam
, Korea
, the Philippines
, and Burma.
. The story he wrote in Black Belt magazine was the first article ever written about the art. In 2007, Antonio became one of two Americans promoted on the same day, to the rank of Black Krama in Bokator
. These were the first foreigners ever to obtain this rank. In the same year, Antonio traveled into Burma and shot videos with a master of Lai Tai, a kung fu type art practiced by the Shan people. To date, this seems to have been the first video ever shot of the art. In 2009, Antonio became the first non-Muslim student of Silat Kalam, a Muslim martial art in Malaysia. In 2011, he was given a national award, Silat Kalam Warrior. He was the first non-Muslim to receive this award.
crisis. Warrior’s Odyssey, his most recent offering, details Graceffo's first 6 years of travel in Asia through 10 countries.
Antonio Graceffo is a regular contributor to black belt magazine and writes about 70 articles a year for various magazines and news sources.
another Khmer film.
Graceffo works, or has worked, as a martial arts consultant for TV shows such as Human Weapon
, Digging for the Truth
, Kill Arman
, The Art of Fighting, Samantha Brown
’s Asia, Inside Martial Arts, Black Belt Magazine Destinations Video Column, and Thai TV shows about Muay Thai Chaiya and Kun Khmer Champions in Cambodia.
The web TV show Martial Arts Odyssey has over 100 videos up on Youtube
.
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
and adventure author living in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. He is also the host of the web TV show, Martial Arts Odyssey
Martial Arts Odyssey
Martial Arts Odyssey is an American martial arts travel themed web TV show, created and hosted by Antonio Graceffo. The series has run more than 180 episodes shot in Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Laos, Burma, and Cambodia...
, which traces his ongoing journey through Asia learning martial arts in various countries. Graceffo is largely credited with revitalizing the lost Khmer
Khmer people
Khmer people are the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia, accounting for approximately 90% of the 14.8 million people in the country. They speak the Khmer language, which is part of the larger Mon–Khmer language family found throughout Southeast Asia...
art of Bokator
Bokator
Bokator, or more formally, Labokkatao is a Cambodian martial art that includes close hand-to-hand combat, ground techniques and weapons. Possibly the oldest existing fighting system in Cambodia, oral tradition indicates that bokator or an early form thereof was the close quarter combat system used...
by being the first to report on it. Beyond martial arts, Graceffo is also a linguist with fluency in multiple languages, including Mandarin Chinese, Thai
Thai language
Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...
, Khmer
Khmer language
Khmer , or Cambodian, is the language of the Khmer people and the official language of Cambodia. It is the second most widely spoken Austroasiatic language , with speakers in the tens of millions. Khmer has been considerably influenced by Sanskrit and Pali, especially in the royal and religious...
, Vietnamese
Vietnamese language
Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of 86% of Vietnam's population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. It is also spoken as a second language by many ethnic minorities of Vietnam...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
.
Life
Born to Sicilian parents, Antonio Graceffo is originally from New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. When he was 9 his family moved to Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and for the next 8 years he spent school days in Tennessee and holidays and summers in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He moved back to New York at the age of 17.
Graceffo spent seven years in the United States Military
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
starting with the Army National Guard
Army National Guard
Established under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, the Army National Guard is part of the National Guard and is divided up into subordinate units stationed in each of the 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia operating under their respective governors...
. At Fort Benning
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
he went through boot camp and completed infantry school. Later, he graduated from Non-Commissioned Officer’s Academy. He then served in the Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and the US Merchant Marines
United States Merchant Marine
The United States Merchant Marine refers to the fleet of U.S. civilian-owned merchant vessels, operated by either the government or the private sector, that engage in commerce or transportation of goods and services in and out of the navigable waters of the United States. The Merchant Marine is...
.
Graceffo graduated from Middle Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University, commonly abbreviated as MTSU, is a public university located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, United States....
with a degree in Foreign Language and English. He studied applied linguistics/translation at the University of Mainz in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
for four years. He also did an advanced Diploma in TESOL
TESOL
TESOL may refer to:* The acronym "Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages", used in English as a Foreign or Second Language * TESOL Inc., a professional organization based in the United States for people working in this field...
at Trinity College, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and did graduate business diplomas through Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University is a university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The name commemorates George Heriot, the 16th century financier to King James, and James Watt, the great 18th century inventor and engineer....
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He worked as a translator and teacher in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
for most of the four years he was in school there and then worked in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
for one year. After that, he returned to New York and went through a financial training program and worked as a financial planner, and then a wealth manager. Eventually he became assistant head of private wealth management for one of the largest private banks in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The tragedy of September 11, 2001 prompted him to leave his career as an investment banker on Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
to pursue full-time adventure writing in Asia. Arriving in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
in 2001, Graceffo’s quest to discover Asia’s diverse martial arts has led him to the original Shaolin Temple in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and a Muay Thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
monastery in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, as well as Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, and Burma.
Martial Arts Achievements
In 2005 Antonio was the first foreign student of the Khmer martial art of BokatorBokator
Bokator, or more formally, Labokkatao is a Cambodian martial art that includes close hand-to-hand combat, ground techniques and weapons. Possibly the oldest existing fighting system in Cambodia, oral tradition indicates that bokator or an early form thereof was the close quarter combat system used...
. The story he wrote in Black Belt magazine was the first article ever written about the art. In 2007, Antonio became one of two Americans promoted on the same day, to the rank of Black Krama in Bokator
Bokator
Bokator, or more formally, Labokkatao is a Cambodian martial art that includes close hand-to-hand combat, ground techniques and weapons. Possibly the oldest existing fighting system in Cambodia, oral tradition indicates that bokator or an early form thereof was the close quarter combat system used...
. These were the first foreigners ever to obtain this rank. In the same year, Antonio traveled into Burma and shot videos with a master of Lai Tai, a kung fu type art practiced by the Shan people. To date, this seems to have been the first video ever shot of the art. In 2009, Antonio became the first non-Muslim student of Silat Kalam, a Muslim martial art in Malaysia. In 2011, he was given a national award, Silat Kalam Warrior. He was the first non-Muslim to receive this award.
Notable accomplishments
2007 and 2008 Antonio was embedded with the Shan State Army in the war zone of Burma, reporting on the genocide.Writing
Known for his brutally honest and comical writing style, to date, Graceffo has penned 6 books in publication. The Monk From Brooklyn: An American At The Shaolin Temple was the first book published, which chronicled his studies at the Shaolin Temple during the SARSSevere acute respiratory syndrome
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome is a respiratory disease in humans which is caused by the SARS coronavirus . Between November 2002 and July 2003 an outbreak of SARS in Hong Kong nearly became a pandemic, with 8,422 cases and 916 deaths worldwide according to the WHO...
crisis. Warrior’s Odyssey, his most recent offering, details Graceffo's first 6 years of travel in Asia through 10 countries.
Antonio Graceffo is a regular contributor to black belt magazine and writes about 70 articles a year for various magazines and news sources.
Film & Video
Krabei Liak Goan (Buffalo Protecting Child) was the start of Graceffo's movie career, providing him a co-starring role as the villain in the Khmer Kung Fu film. He also stars in BokatorBokator (film)
BOKATOR is a khmer Historical Material art Action Documetary film which certains two part that a first half describes the origin and nature of the martial art, Bokator while the second half is a mini-film, starring martial arts and adventure writer Antonio Graceffo, called “Brooklyn...
another Khmer film.
Graceffo works, or has worked, as a martial arts consultant for TV shows such as Human Weapon
Human Weapon
Human Weapon was a weekly television show on The History Channel that premiered on July 20, 2007. The hosts, Jason Chambers and Bill Duff, travel across the world studying the unique martial arts, or styles of fighting, that have origins in the region....
, Digging for the Truth
Digging for the Truth
Digging for the Truth is a History Channel documentary television series. The first three seasons of the show focused on host Josh Bernstein, who journeyed on various explorations of historical icons and mysteries. Bernstein is the president and CEO of BOSS and has a degree in anthropology and...
, Kill Arman
Kill Arman
Kill Arman is a reality/documentary TV-series about martial arts, created by Tuukka Tiensuu and Arman Alizad, and hosted by Arman Alizad. The series was first broadcasted in Finland in the 9th of March, 2008...
, The Art of Fighting, Samantha Brown
Samantha Brown
Samantha Elizabeth Brown is an American television host, notable for her work as the host of several Travel Channel shows including Girl Meets Hawaii, Great Vacation Homes, Great Hotels, Passport to Europe, Passport to Latin America, Great Weekends, Passport to China, and Samantha Brown's Asia. Ms...
’s Asia, Inside Martial Arts, Black Belt Magazine Destinations Video Column, and Thai TV shows about Muay Thai Chaiya and Kun Khmer Champions in Cambodia.
The web TV show Martial Arts Odyssey has over 100 videos up on Youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
Books
- The Monk From Brooklyn: An American At The Shaolin Temple (July 15, 2004)
- Boat, Bikes, and Boxing Gloves: Adventure Writer in the Kingdom of Siam (April 28, 2005)
- Desert of Death on Three Wheels (June 28, 2005)
- Adventures in Formosa (December 28, 2006)
- Rediscovering The Khmers (August 18, 2008)
- Warrior Odyssey: The Travels of a Martial Artist in Asia (August 1, 2010)
- Khun Khmer: Cambodian Martial Art Diary (November 7, 2011)
External links
- http://speakingadventure.com/
- http://brooklynmonk.wordpress.com/
- http://www.youtube.com/user/brooklynmonk1
- http://twitter.com/Brooklynmonk
- http://3dguy.tv/brooklyn-monk-in-3d/
- http://brooklynmonk.podomatic.com/
- http://www.valleymartialarts.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11&products_id=1706