Episode 786 - Mr. Gad Krooder
Mr. Gad Krooger is a Martial Arts Practitioner from the Netherlands. He host the YouTube channel A-De's Chinese Corner
In that club, everybody was respectful of each other. You we’re learning together, you we’re learning something useful. It’s not only a physical activity like soccer or basketball, it was also a cerebral activity. My brain was also involved. I love learning, so this was also another thing to sink my teeth in…
Mr. Gad Krooder - Episode 786
Having parents who trains in Martial Arts is an advantage for some kids because they can start early. Mr. Gad Krooder, whose father trained under Mas Oyama’s top student, started at 11 years old but he remembers starting since he learned walking.
Mr. Gad Krooder, a long-time listener of the show, hosts a Youtube channel that teaches the Chinese language when he’s not training.
In this episode, Mr. Gad Krooder talks about his journey as a martial artist, how martial arts and language is connected, as well as his time in Taiwan. Listen to learn more!
Show notes
You may check out Mr. Krooder’s YouTube Channel, A-De's Chinese Corner
Show Transcript
Jeremy Lesniak:
Hey, what's going on everybody? Welcome. This is whistlekick Martial Arts Radio, episode 786, and my guest today, some of you know him, Mr. Gad Krooder. Welcome. I hope you're having a great day. Thank you for joining me. If you don't know my name, I'm Jeremy Lesniak. I'm your host here for the show. I founded whsitlekick because I love traditional martial arts and I love traditional martial artists like you, and that's why we do all the things that we do here at whistlekick. We're on a mission to connect, educate, and entertain all of you, no matter where you are, what you do, or even why you do it. Now, if you want to go and find all the things that we're doing to connect, educate, and entertain you, go to whistlekick.com. That's the place you're gonna find references and links and all the stuff that we're working on, including our store. It's one of the ways that we pay the bills over here. We sell some stuff, use the code podcast15 saves you 15%. Lets us know that the podcast leads to some sales. Helps us out on the backend. Now, this show has its very own website, whistlekickmartialartsradio.com. That's where we close the transcripts and the photos and the links and videos and we tag episodes so you can find them. There's just a bunch of stuff over there. And if you haven't been there before, I would really encourage you to do so. There's a lot more going on on the back end of these episodes than you're gonna find in the show notes. What else do I need to tell you? I need to tell you that if you wanna support the work that we do, yeah, you can buy stuff. Yeah, you can share stuff, but here are a couple other things that you could do. You could tell a friend about what we're doing and I don't just mean post it on social media. I mean actually reach out to somebody and say, hey, do you know about whistlekick? Do you know what they're doing? Do you know that you know the very things that we were talking about the other day or after class line up with what's important to them? Well, maybe you'll consider sharing an episode or just sharing links to the things that we do with those folks. And then you might also consider our Patreon, patreon.com/whistlekick. What we do with Patreon is we make sure that we deliver overwhelming value. The value that we put out over Patreon is designed to be so much more than the few dollars you pay. You can start as $2 a month, truly, that you will never quit. And we have very, very few people who quit. In fact, I can't remember the last time somebody quit. We have had people who opt or doubt their pledges, totally fine. And to all of you out there who are Patreon contributors, thank you. I appreciate you. Some shows name you, I'm not gonna do that. And then the last thing, if you wanna go and get the whole list of all the things you can do to help us because you're a super fan, you are part of our family, well, go to whistlekick.com/family. That's where you're gonna find that. It's a whole list as well as some exclusive behind-the-scenes stuff. And now it's time for my episode. I've gotten to know Gad a little bit. He's been a regular in the chat on First Cup for years now. But this is our first time getting to chat in person. And it's always fun when I get to talk to somebody that I kind of know, but not really and that's what this was. We have great conversation about not just martial arts, but his life and how, let's just say martial arts gave him a completely different path than he might have had otherwise. Check it out. How are you?
Gad Krooder:
I am doing fine.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Is this the first time we're talking on?
Gad Krooder:
This is the first time we're actually talking. It's the first time, yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
It doesn't feel that way. It feels like I know you. So weird.
Gad Krooder:
Well, maybe because you know, we've gotten to know each other through Facebook Messenger and First Cup.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Gad Krooder:
And yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. You've been watching First Cup for a long time.
Gad Krooder:
Since I think it was like 2000, was it 17 or 18? I forgot.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Have I been doing that show that long? Holy cow.
Gad Krooder:
You have. Yeah. You have. I mean, you were doing it before I started watching it. Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah, yeah. I started it before a lot of people were watching it.
Gad Krooder: Yeah. Like, oh my God, I got his amazing content. I kept watching. I was like doing my work at the time. Just put my earphones in and then just, you know, listen to whistlekick, all the interviews. One of the first ones I listened to was with Superfoot Bill Wallace.
Jeremy Lesniak:
eah.
Gad Krooder:
That was an awesome one. Yeah?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. I'd love to have him back on because I'm different. I'm a different interviewer. It was 14, episode 14. You're gonna be like 780 something.
Gad Krooder:
780, wow! Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Isn't that crazy? You've been at this.
Gad Krooder:
It is, yeah. I was also a bit surprised when Andrew asked me. Like I have no actual high rank and I don't have any, I've done anything significant because you had Adrian Paula, Cynthia Rothrock, and then Mike Stone. You have Mike Stone.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Gad Krooder:
Like all the greats and then like little humble me is coming on, but yeah. And then he said, well, how long have you been doing martial arts? Like since I was 11? So I'll be 47 this week. So he said, yeah, there you go.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. Well, I'm sure you've heard me say this when other guests come on the show and they say something similar, I'm like, and how do you think I feel? I'm the one talking to all these people.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
You know, I'm in the same way you are, you know? Just, I just like to train. I just love martial arts and it just happens.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah, that's the second best thing to actually doing martial arts is talking about it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Exactly. Exactly. And sometimes, I think some of us might think it's better. No, the absolute best is training with people that you can talk to while you're training.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah, you're right.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So you, you said 11. Now, we should let the audience know you don't live in the US so.
Gad Krooder:
I don't live in the US. Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So some of the things that you may talk about might be a little bit different. Now, in the US it is uncommon for someone at that age to get started. They usually get started younger or older. There's a dip around that kind of 10, 10, 11, 12, depending on where you are and it starts to come back up again depending on where you are late teens, early twenties. Is it the same for you over there?
Gad Krooder:
No, their kids will start like 5, 6 years old and kids will start at 15. It's not really like a trend that's going on. Like people start when they want to start or when their parents want them to start, so, yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay. Why did you start?
Gad Krooder:
Actually started before I was 11. Because soon as I could walk and talk, my dad taught me a bit of karate. Don't know how old I was, you know, like 6, or 7, 8 years old. And he taught me just the basic kicks and punches. And he told me that he learned karate, Kyokushin, from a guy called Jon Bluming in the Netherlands. And at that time, I didn't know who he was. Just, okay, that was your teacher. Great, fine. And he taught me like a bit of the style. It's like hardest style of karate. He taught me, you know, how to block, how to kick, how to punch. Also things like, okay, how to hit behind the target. So don't stop right before, but you know, that's a lot of schools teach, you know. If you kick, if you punch, you know, kick behind the target. And yeah, a lot of stuff like that. Later on, I discovered that Jon Bluming was the direct student of Masutatsu Oyama.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Oh! Wow!
Gad Krooder:
Yeah, yeah. One of his best students. And he brought Kyokushin to Netherlands in the 1960s I believe.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Cool.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. My dad only did it for a few years, but you know, he picked up enough. I don't even know if he has.
Jeremy Lesniak:
But still. Yeah.
Gad Krooder:
And then, I had an uncle who did boxing. He also taught me some boxing, but I didn't like to fight. I just didn't like altercations. I didn't like to, you know, get into arguments, you know. I would just walk away or you know, just not say anything.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Were arguments presenting themselves to you often?
Gad Krooder:
No, not at that time. Not at eight years old. It was like let's discuss the state of politics in Netherlands. No, but just, you know, arguments that kids have, you know, of silly stuff.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Sure.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. I would just wouldn't like it. And I think as a direct result that I also got bullied in school. Lots of times. Yeah, I was, and my dad said you know you gotta stand up for yourself. Your brother like to fight. I don't like to do this. And then, I remember one time my dad said like, this kid is always picking on me. It's like a big kid. And he's like, okay, cause we were playing soccer next to the school field, next to the school playing soccer. And it's like, oh, you know, he's like pushing me all the time. Is like, starts fights with me. So, okay, next time, what you do is you faint with your left. When he blocks it, you grab your hand and you do an overhand to his face. Like, okay. Because he said like, if you don't do that, you'll keep on getting bullied. So I did that and bang right on his face. And after that, no more problem with the bullies. Actually became, I think, not a good friend, but like, you know, like he was very nice to me afterwards.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Respected you?
Gad Krooder:
Yeah, he respected me. I guess sometimes...
Jeremy Lesniak:
Did that change anything for you? Because you know, I don't think any of us, when we're young wanna fight. But that's quite the transition to recognize sticking up for yourself and what the consequences are.
Gad Krooder:
It did actually, because, you know, something in me said like a fire ignited. It's like, okay, I don't wanna be bullied anymore. Cause you know, if I don't do this now, then this will continue I don't know for how long. And one of my friends, one of my classmates who did Taekwondo, he was standing next to me, he said, whoa, I can't believe you just did that, you know? In a sense that, okay, that's not you, you know, doing things like that. It's like, he said that's great you know. Why didn't you come to Taekwondo, you know, and train with us? I was like, nah, no, I don't wanna do that cause I was not the athletic type. I didn't like sports.
Jeremy Lesniak:
But you were playing soccer.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah, but that's different. Just like playing soccer, just with your friends and it's okay and that's it. But like joining a club or you know.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay. It felt formal.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah, it felt too formal. And also, another thing was that I was afraid of rolling, of going to the ground. Because few years back I had a skiing accident. Cause little Gad up in the mountains, the kitty class. Okay. And you have to be pushed up the slope with, I dunno what you call them, but those things that push your butt, you know, just put your skis on the ground and then they push you up. Something happened and I fell down and I just rolled off the mountain like when one of those cartoons, like a big snowball. And after that I was so afraid of like rolling, like doing head rolls or anything. And I did anything to get out of gym class. Yeah, I was such a pain in the teacher's ass that he's like, okay, that's right. You're being punished now. No gym class for you. And I was like, oh, that's too bad. Oh. So, and then...
Jeremy Lesniak:
Were you badly hurt or was it that you were scared?
Gad Krooder:
was just scared. Yeah. I think I was a bit hurt physically, but I think emotionally I was hurt the most.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And you're still 8, 9 years old at this time? Somewhere there?
Gad Krooder:
Yeah, I think I was about 8 years old. Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay.
Gad Krooder:
So, and I think the thing happened with the trapping, like now I know, oh, it's called trapping when you catch the hand and then overhand. That time I didn't know it was trapping. I think it must have been about 10 years old and then by the time I was 11, I was at a friend's house, a neighbor's house, also did Taekwondo. And we were watching Revenge of the Ninja with Sho Kosugi, one of my favorite ninja movies. And I was watching, I was like, oh, this is great, it's great. Cause I'd always love Kung fu movies, Bruce Lee, Kung fu karate movies. And he said, you know, you wanna be able to do this. And I said, oh, yeah, yeah, that sounds great. So why don't you come to our club? And I said, okay.
Jeremy Lesniak:
This is the Taekwondo friend?
Gad Krooder:
This is the Taekwondo friend, yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay.
Gad Krooder:
Like, okay. I was at his house, like sitting in his room watching tv, like, I think it was VHS at that time. And he's like, oh my God. Like, you wanna be able to do this? Yeah, sure, sure, sure. Now why don't you come down? I was like, well, is it gonna be any rolling involved? He's like, no, no, no. Taekwondo, standing up. I was like, okay, I'll have a look. And my dad had been also pushing me to go there because maybe he noticed that I got a taste of, you know, defending myself. And before, you know, it goes the other way, maybe he thought Okay, would be good to sort of guide that. Not just like let it go rampant. Because there were a few incidents at school where kids that have been bullying me for a long time and, I didn't want to do anything to them because, you know, I don't like violence. But I remember sitting in class and that kid that was always picking on me in the worst ways, and he was raising his hands to ask a question. And I saw that, and I saw this open and I went, boom! Right in there. And you fell to the floor. And the teacher was like, what just happened? Yeah, but he is always picking on me. But he wasn't picking on you now. But as I told my dad, but you, you know, that was my opportunity to get back like in a kid's mind.
Jeremy Lesniak:
No statute of limitations in your world.
Gad Krooder:
Nope. Guilty. Judge.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Keep calling me.
Gad Krooder:
Bam! Oh my God. And the same kid, you know, we were out skating and again, he was bullying me and I had my skates on skating cause there was like a small canal near to us in the middle of winter. And he was pushing me again and bullying me, saying nasty stuff. And I just, I did the leg sweep and he fell to the floor and I held my skate on his neck. And I said, come on, try that again. Try that again. And no, no, no, no. I don't want. I don't want. And then of course, you know, the teachers talk to my dad. And my dad's, hey, like, he's being bullied. You're not doing anything. So, you know, a teacher was like, did you teach your kid to do this? And my dad was like, yeah, you know?
Jeremy Lesniak:
At least he had your back.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But he also told me, he is like, mm, you gotta be careful with that. You know, don't take it too far. So I think he also saw something immediate that I had a neck for. Cause all these things, like, what I did were, it came naturally to do these things. Like with the leg sweep and putting my skate on his neck, like nobody taught me that, but I just, at that time, like he was pushing me and I just saw the [ opportunity to do this and I executed the technique and it was flawless. So if I were more to combat, it would say flawless. And so he said, okay, why didn't you go there? And my friend also said, why didn't you come down? No rolling. Okay. Did it. And from the first class, I fell in love with it. He's like, okay, yeah, this is what I want.
Jeremy Lesniak:
What was it about it? What did you fall in love with? What did you want that you saw there?
Gad Krooder:
People that respected me, I think. Like, I didn't get that in the classroom, but at that club, everybody was respectful to each other. You were learning together, you were learning something useful. And it wasn't only a physical activity like playing soccer or basketball or running, it was also a more cerebral activity. So, my brain was also involved [00:17:00] because I like learning. I love learning languages and this is just another thing for me to, you know, to sink my teeth in.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Gad Krooder:
And I also like the fact that, okay, it teaches me how to defend myself against the bullies. Maybe I also understood that, okay, I will not only know how to fight, how to kick and punch, but also when to, not to when to stop. So those sort of things that attracted me to Taekwondo. Maybe if karate or judo or anything else was my first introduction, then maybe I would've stuck with that as well. Because you have those things in all martial arts or most of them if you have a good school. Maybe I was just lucky to have a good school. So it was an ITF school in the beginning. So also more emphasis on self-defense and also more forms, also step sparring. Not that much emphasis on like the actual competition sparring at least like it was a while back so, you know.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And different schools do it differently, even within the same system.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
You find Taekwondo 8 years old, you're enjoying it. It's checking some boxes for you. It sounds like you kept going, but you went back and you went back and you went back some more.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah, I went back after the first class. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. This is cool. My dad didn't even have to force me. Like he had to force me to do a lot of things like sports-wise because my dad loves sports but I don't really like sports. I like to move, I like exercise, but I don't like sports. I've never actually liked, never been crazy about a football team or a soccer team.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Is it the competition element that doesn't resonate for you?
Gad Krooder:
I think so, yeah. I think so. Because when I did Taekwondo, I didn't do it to win competitions, to bring a cut back home or a medal or anything like that. It was just more, you know, for me to be physically active. To learn new things and to be with like-minded people and that's why I kept going there.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. Okay. And you persist in Taekwondo for some period of time and I know just enough of your story. At some point that changed, but I have no idea when.
Gad Krooder:
I did...
Jeremy Lesniak:
What's the next, yeah.
Gad Krooder:
Go ahead, sorry. Finish your question.
Jeremy Lesniak:
What's the next point on the journey?
Gad Krooder:
The next point is, okay, so been doing Taekwondo, 11 years progressing and the belt test weren't mandatory. So there's a belt test. Okay, if you want to attend, you can. But if not, okay, you can also wait for the next one. And I was never really interested in that, you know, to, okay, yeah, I'll go, but only if I really have to, you know. Because at some point you have to advance.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Because they wouldn't teach you new stuff, I'm guessing.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah, that too. That too.
Jeremy Lesniak:
That's how they kept you going because you like to learn.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. Yeah. And it was nice to have a new colors. It was like, yeah, you know, I have advanced, but it was more like, okay, I'm amassing all this knowledge and skill and that is enough for me. So, I don't know, I'm never, okay, I wanna get my black belt in 3 years. Never. And then I'm 18 and I'm going off to university. And what I've chosen to do is Chinese or actually Chinese languages and cultures. And it's probably because of my martial arts background.
Jeremy Lesniak:
But not Korean?
Gad Krooder:
No, not Korean, right? Yes.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Gad Krooder:
Actually, because at that time they were in the same building. So the first floor was Chinese languages and cultures. Then you had Korean and Japanese on the second floor. Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
That's a little ironic to me, by the way.
Gad Krooder:
Why?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Historically, the attitudes between Korea and Japan.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. Hmm. But they're just, there's scholars there.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Right, right. I'm sure it was fine. I just, I could imagine some, you know, some older native, you know Koreans or Japanese folks here that put 'em on the same floor.
Gad Krooder:
Hmm. Yeah. Or even like the Chinese and Japanese in the same building. I've lived in China. and I've heard and seen some pretty nasty stuff there. So yeah. Can we all just get along?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. Sadly, no. So university, what I'm getting the sense of is martial arts opened your, kind of your world and gave you a lens to Asia. And you, I'm guessing, you know, it probably wasn't that oh, you know, I think I might like this. I'm gonna go to university and study Chinese language and culture. You probably were dabbling and reading and watching Chinese films.
Gad Krooder:
And at one point I wanted to be a policeman, I wanted to be a cook, I wanted to be a veterinarian cause I like animals, lots of choices. And then, at that time in the Netherlands, when you're about 16, 17 years old, okay, you gotta prepare for when you graduate. When you're 18 years old. We have different kinds of high schools or middle schools, like a 4 year, 5 year and a 6 year. And the six year one, if you completed that, you can go to university. So I've been reading all these leaflets and books about, you know, what university you can choose and visited some universities. Actually I wanted to study acting. Wanted to go to acting school, but my dad was adamant that I not pursue a career like that. Useless. Useless. Big fights, big arguments with him about that.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Wow.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
He didn't think you could make a living at it?
Gad Krooder:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Is that the concern?
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think I could have. I mean, I think if you really passionate about something, you can earn money with it. And so I think, okay, a language then cause I'm good at languages. Then okay, I can really speak French and German, English, Dutch. Okay. What's next?
Jeremy Lesniak:
As you're graduating high school?
Gad Krooder:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
This is what you've already learned those languages. Okay.
Gad Krooder: Yeah. I was fluent in English by the time was eight, so my mom also doesn't know how they came to me. It's like I was fluent.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Watching tv? This wasn't a school thing?
Gad Krooder:
Probably. I don't know. I was, yeah, I was watching a lot of British TV and some shows that were on the Dutch TV, like from Australia or the US or England. And then, yeah, my mom taught me German and French and also continue that during middle school and high school. Like okay, let's do Spanish or, but that's also like a European language or Italian, boring. Hey Chinese, that looks cool because you know, I watch all these kung fu movies, with all this Chinese writing, there's little drawings can make a word of it. Oh, okay, let's do that. And so I went there, to the university and just being there in the library, all these old books with Chinese text, and the smell there, I was like, oh my God, yes, I wanna be here. You know, this is where I want to be. This is where I can truly study Chinese. And it was actually Chinese languages and cultures because there's another university or college here in the South of the Netherlands, but they only teach you to the language, and then you become a translator. So it's not really because, but I also wanted to learn literature and philosophy, especially philosophy. And I asked, okay, do you also teach that here? It was like, no, not really. I said, okay. So went to Leiden University in the North of the Netherlands. Between Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay. Yeah.
Gad Krooder:
But then the first day of studies, the dean is there, he's having a chat. And he says, okay, look to the left of you, look to the right of you, you will not see those person. You will not see this person in three months. It's like, oh, wow. That's a good way to, that's a nice pep talk, you know. When I became a teacher myself, I vowed never to talk to my students like that.
Jeremy Lesniak:
There are martial arts instructors who talk about classes that like, you know, look around new students, you know?
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. So you should be encouraging students to learn, not discouraging. So yeah, so a little side note about my studies in Chinese. So I quit Taekwondo in a sense.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Because you kind of had to.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah, I kind of had to. There are schools everywhere. But it's because, you know, cause he wasn't kidding when he said, okay, look to the left, you look to the right of you. It is a hard study, especially in the beginning. It's also hard because the way they teach because it's a very discouraging way of teaching. But it's also, especially in the beginning, it's not an easy language to learn. You have to put in a lot of time to sit in the library and write the characters over and over again. It's not like when you have English or Spanish or German where we all use the same alphabet sort of, and then it's okay. You can just sit on the couch and look at a book and memorize it. You have to like the whole writing system, You have to learn from scratch. And of course, the more you learn, the more you see patterns and the easier it becomes. But that takes a few years. It's a bit like martial arts, isn't it?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. As someone who knows nothing about Chinese language, that's exactly where my brain was going.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. No shortcut.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. It usually takes a few years.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. No shortcuts. I mean, you can learn the basics, but you know that's it. But then there were of course Chinese studies, and you go to, I went from a small town to a big city, and you meet more people and people who've also done other martial arts than just Taekwondo. And I started doing kung fu, or yeah, you call it kung fu or it's actually called wushu. So, the Chinese, so kung fu just means the effort you put in something to learn a skill.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Right.
Gad Krooder:
But now it's synonymous. Cause in China and Taiwan, you know, everything is kung fu. You know, the writing, dancing, hosting a show, you know, that's also your kung fu.
Jeremy Lesniak:
But in the West, we've narrowed it down.
Gad Krooder:
I have a friend who teaches in Amsterdam, and I also call it my kung fu brother. So we are kung fu brother. So it's not that because you have some people say, no, that's not the right term. It's like, who cares? You know? It's just...
Jeremy Lesniak:
People know what you're talking about.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. Most of the time if we use wushu then people think about these people who fly around the room in shiny pajamas. But like boxing, fencing is also wushu.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Really?
Gad Krooder:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Interesting.
Gad Krooder:
Because the word wu means marshall, but it's actually, the character consists of two elements, it's to stop and a spear. So to stop a spear, so to stop and attack. And shu means a technique or a skill or what you would call art. Because I also feel that I'm, apart from martial arts, language is also kind of my thing. I think a lot about languages. And the word art is very deceptive because people think about art as like, oh, look at a beautiful painting on the wall. Yeah, exactly. That looks like a banana with an apple and a vase. That I like that, that is beautiful. They have a Picasso and then people go like, what the hell is that? You know, the kid brothers, you know. So art is not that it has to look beautiful or ugly. Art is just, again, it's a skill that you try to master. That is what art is to me. So, and I think that's also, where am I going with this?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Well, we were relating the two. You had started learning wushu.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. So, and then I said boxing is also a martial art because it's a skill to fight. You're learning fighting skills.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yes.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah, that's what it's. So, I did kung fu for a while. I had to get up very early in the morning to do it because it was right before classes. Oh my God. And I'm not the type of person to get up very early and start my exercise in the morning. I need my coffee and my sandwich first. So that was grueling but, you know, I tried it anyway, for, it was for a year, I think. Yeah, could be less. Year, a year at most. And it was a style called, I think it was called [30:51] which basically is just like, it used to be an exercise regimen for soldiers in China. So it's just basic kung fu, basic wushu movements.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay.
Gad Krooder:
If you asked me to perform the form now, I was like, no, I can't do it. I even forgotten very simple form that I can remember. You just repeat that. What we also did was it also introduced me to some other things that I, we didn't do at Taekwondo. It's like hardening your body, like not using any padding. So we did an exercise where you would stand, you know, stand opposite of each other, and then you touch your hand, touch it. You slam your hands into each other, your wrists. So tuck, tuck, tuck, tuck. So up and down, up and down. So you do that for a while. Your arms get really sore and you have like these huge lumps on your arm, on your wrist. And then I also learned a Chinese strip. You get a hard-boiled egg, you put something like metal, like something silver in it and you rub that over the lump, over the bruise.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Oh.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. And then the swelling goes away and the yoke gets completely black. Yeah?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Oh, fascinating!
Gad Krooder:
That was fascinating. Like I've never, cause back then we didn't really have Google, so I never googled the science behind that. But it's true. Like I've witnessed it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Hmm. Okay. Okay. I'm gonna have to look this one up. That's fascinating.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah, just find somebody you know, just slam your arm into a doorpost.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. Yeah.
Gad Krooder:
This evening, just try that, you know.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Let me give you a nasty bruise and then test something.
Gad Krooder:
For an experiment.
Jeremy Lesniak:
You said that you were in that program for a year. What happened?
Gad Krooder:
I think, I did it together with, kind of embarrassing, but I did together with a girl that I liked. Like she became my girlfriend. We broke up and then I was like, cause we did it together each morning and then we broke up and then like I didn't want to do that anymore.
Jeremy Lesniak:
The idea of getting up early when you didn't want to and having to see her.
Gad Krooder:
Oh. She was also doing, so I saw her, it wasn't doing Chinese, but it's just like, you know, it just didn't feel right any anymore. No, just didn't do it. And then I sort of stop doing, no, actually, huh! I started Taekwondo again. Yeah. Actually this is helping me to jog my memory.
Jeremy Lesniak:
It's been a while since you thought about this stuff.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. Yeah. I'll have to call you when I lose my keys again. It's like, okay.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah, I will talk it with me.
Gad Krooder:
Jeremy, you have to jog my memory.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Look in your shoes.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. There they are. So I started doing Taekwondo again cuz there was a Taekwondo club there but it was WTF. So this is my introduction to, you know, to something else Taekwondo, but it felt different.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Anybody who's trained both knows how dramatically different they are.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah, they're different.
Jeremy Lesniak:
The fundamentals are fairly similar, but the forms and the sparring. You know, the, the age that you're talking about, it wasn't, it's continued to differentiate, right? Like it's, you know, small angle between the paths, but as we follow time, they get further and further apart.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. I started learning in '87, so it's a different era for Taekwondo also and then in the '90s, mid-late '90s. It was different because like you really had to kick somebody like a mule.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Gad Krooder:
So, and yeah. Actually I'm lying now.] Oh my God! I'm lying my ass up now because I was doing WTF before. Okay.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Oh, alright. You switch 'em?
Gad Krooder:
From 11th to 18th, but because we moved house, we moved from the middle of Holland to the south of Holland, and I joined a club there that was WTM.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. So, but because we went immediately to university, I skipped that whole part in my mind as well.
Jeremy Lesniak:
It's okay.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. So, but you know, it's basically the same when you first do ITF and you have those little shoes on and you can, it's more like point sparring. Is that, okay, I have a point. And with WTF, it's like, boom, that's not enough. You really have to see the other person, feel it, feel your kick, feel your punch. So, but I actually kind of like that, you know. It felt more realistic that way.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. Yeah. Plenty people like it for that reason. They like that contact.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. Didn't really like being on a receiving end, but no, I was just kidding.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Only a special few like getting kicked. I know people who like to get hit. They are a special breed.
Gad Krooder:
There is a sort of masochism involved in martial arts. Like we've, you've discussed that a few times. Like other people, you know, people who get their, you know, legs in a lock and get kicked in the head for as a hobby, as a sport, as a, you know, way of life you know?
Jeremy Lesniak:
We are a weird bunch.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah, we're a weird bunch, but, you know. So WTF, I picked it up again. University, WTF. And also did some Hapkido while I was studying. Also got introduced to that because somebody at the Toronto Club also gave, he was starting Hakido classes and it was Han Mu Do, actually like a offshoot of Hapkido. And also did that for a while. I think also about a year, I think. And I also did some Wing Chun during the time. So I get introduced to a lot of martial arts.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. And also I also like the Wing Chun. I really like the Wing Chun training. I like the Hapkido because of the throws and believe it or not, the roles, I started enjoying the roles. Because I actually...
Jeremy Lesniak:
How did that change?
Gad Krooder:
I became more adventurous during the years, so I also became less frightened to try out new things. And I think martial arts also helped with that. I am able to get out of your comfort zone. And so I did, I did Hapkido, I like the wrist locks. Also like the fact that you can, you don't have to kick and punch your way out of a fight. Of course, the first step is avoiding the fight, but sometimes you have no choice. But also like, okay, when somebody attacks you, you don't have to start kicking and punching. Can also be quite difficult if the person is really close to you. So if you learn a grappling art like Hapkido, that's very useful. And you can also restrain a person and say, okay, you know, it hurts right now. Okay, I can break your arm, but I can also stop. The choice is yours. Yeah. And then, you know, luckily I've never had to do this. But it's good that cause if you don't learn that skill, you also cannot offer people that choice. You might just go break the arm because you've also never learned when to stop or you just punch 'em in the throat or in the face and with very, very dire consequences. So Wing Chun, Hapkido, still doing Taekwondo and then it was, and at that time I had a choice to go to Taiwan or to China for the scholarship.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay.
Gad Krooder:
Started the part of my studies an exchange [00:39:00] program. And you can, okay, you wanna go to Beijing or do you want to go to Taipei? To the Taipei Language Institute. I said, oh boy, no, where should I go?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Was it a difficult decision?
Gad Krooder:
The beginning it was because, you know, you learn Chinese, I don't wanna make this too political.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Sure.
Gad Krooder:
But first you, because like, disclaimer, I love China and I also love Taiwan. I have no issue with people from either country. Okay. So, but I saw the pictures of, and the stories of people who had been to China and the people who had been to Taiwan. And Taiwan was all palm trees, sun, people smiling. And Beijing was people with wolly ass. It's like wintertime, the story there, because at that time also the dormitories there were really bad. I heard people saying stories about like, cockroaches. They just climbing into bags and it's like, wow, this is awful. Also, the amenities were also very, very bad. And then Taiwan's completely different. But I also met some Taiwanese people and I met some Chinese people at the time. And for, and this still holds true to an extent that I've lived in both countries. In Taiwan, because I ended up staying there for a longer time, we get there, but in Taiwan, I sometimes had to look in the mirror. It's like, oh my God. Like, oh yeah, I'm not Taiwanese. I look different, but they don't make me feel that I'm different. Like they're really welcoming and make me feel like one of them. And China, there's always this, people are friendly, but you always notice there's, okay, there's this divide, there's this wall between you. It's like, okay, Westerners and Chinese. Of course, there are exceptions, but especially if in the late’90s it was that way. When I talked to the Chinese students that came to the Netherlands to study like it was different. It was different. And I was also taking religion classes at that time and I also noticed that my professor had also told me that because of the cultural revolution in China, lots of temples were destroyed. Because he also did research there, and he said, you see people at the side of the road with incense sticks or just sticks, and looks like they're [41:36]. And he said, yeah. And I would ask that old lady, what are you doing? He's like, oh, I'm praying to this, this, and this deity because, still pray, but you know, don't tell anyone. And he also said, because he also, he was Jewish, very famous professor Jewish. Studied at the Saban in Paris, and then he also lived in Taiwan for many years, and he became a Daoist priest there. Which I don't think many foreigners have done.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Well, I wouldn't think so.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, also because of him, I chose Taiwan because I wanna see more of the old culture. I want to visit temples and you know, if you already tell me that there are not many temples left in China, it's like, what is point in going there? So that was my reasoning at that time. And then I got a scholarship to, I won a scholarship to, not won, win is not the right word, but you know, you have to apply and you have to make your case. Why do you want to go there? And there was one of my arguments because I wanna see actual, yeah, I wanna see more of the culture. Cause that professor was also on the board of the, you know, of the professors who went to say who was gonna go and not. But they actually had to like ask people if they wanted to go to Taiwan, they'd have to beg people not to go to China. To go to Taiwan, because most people want to go to China because they thought, okay, I'm studying [00:43:00] Chinese so China is the obvious choice. So for me, it was the opposite. It's like, no, I'm gonna choose Taiwan. I'm gonna do something else. And never regretted the choice moment in my life. Never.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I mean, what we're getting at this point is even from a very early age, you've had a deep love, if I can use that word, for Asian culture, you know. Specifically Chinese culture, but obviously you, you know, weren't exclusionary in what you would train.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And I'd kind of like to take a small, maybe it's a detour, maybe not, and talk about how your education in Chinese language and culture maybe changed or added to your martial arts experience. Most of the folks listening or watching this are never going to pursue Chinese in an academic way.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Even if they're, you know, Wing Chun, Wushu practitioners, Taichi, Bagua, Gi, doesn't matter what it is, they're probably stopping at the training and not going much deeper. So you have an opportunity to kind of enlighten all of us. What were you able to take back from the academics and bring into your training?
Gad Krooder:
I actually got fed up with the academics.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Oh.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay.
Gad Krooder:
I got fed up with the academics. So, what I got from it, is a very good question, and what I got from it is that the academics are not for me. And that was after the year in Taiwan because in a year in Taiwan I had learned more about the language and culture than 2, 3 years at university.
Jeremy Lesniak:
But that makes sense, doesn't it? Immersing yourself.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. And also, I thought it was quite embarrassing that a very famous professor, sitting at the Coffee Machine when I got back to, from the year. And he was at the Coffee Machine, a place where we used to study like a little plaza where you could sit with chairs and tables, you know, you could study there, drink some coffee, and chat. And he was talking to another professor from China and he just asked a very simple thing about, you know, you want some milk in your coffee? And he couldn't do it. He was stumbling over his words like I really wanted to go over and help him. He's like, no, that's how you say it. But he was like, he was a famous professor, written so many books, very knowledgeable about one subject. Maybe agriculture or economics or something, but actually like the day-to-day, like the communication between the people, the language.
Jeremy Lesniak:
But he'd never used it.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
He understood it, but he didn't really understand it. And you know, there's a pretty strong parallel there with martial arts and whether you look at it as people who criticize an art that they've never trained in, or people who say this, this material will work, but they've never, I mean, we did an episode talking about how important sparring was, right? Like there are some folks who train and they never spar and they trust that they'll be able to use it. I think we could all imagine what that would've happened for that professor. Had he been on that trip with you, he would've embarrassed himself likely early on.
Gad Krooder: Yeah. Exactly. So it's a good detour that you took asking me that. Because I figured, okay, if I want to continue to evolve, I have to completely immerse myself in the language and culture and that is not going to happen here. And that is when I decided to go back to Taiwan.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So you said you spent a year in Taiwan on exchange.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
The Netherlands. And how long were you home before you said, I'm going back?
Gad Krooder:
Oh, I was like three months in Taiwan when I said that.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Oh!
Gad Krooder:
I wanna go back. Yeah, yeah. But actually in the way of martial arts, also to, to answer your question about, okay okay, what did the language help me with martial arts? To be honest, not much. Not what I had thought, what I had hoped it to be. That happened later on but like the first year there, I discovered that it was not very easy to find martial arts because there was Taekwondo at the university, Taekwondo Club. But that was such a bad experience. Like I went there with another classmate also from the Netherlands, who also did Taekwondo. So we both went there and it was like that class was, the teacher was hardly ever there. So, not to say okay, that white belts are bad and white belts don't know anything but this person that was there, okay, she had a white belt. I cannot change that historical fan. She had a white belt, but she didn't know how to do a warming up. I mean, you can be a white belt and you're the best warming-up ever. I've met white belts who did that. Not her. And it's like, oh my God. Like just standing around in class, like, oh, okay, what are you gonna do next? Spend five minutes thinking about what to do. I was like, okay, this is the state of martial arts and here in Taiwan. Hmm. Okay. Then you start looking and I found, I saw like people practicing in the park as well. And there were people with the shiny pajamas on and they play some Wong Fei Hung music, you know, the Chinese music. And have these people doing all these movements and yeah, that's not what I won. I mean, expensive as hell anyway. So, I was kind of disappointed that there was not much in the way of martial arts there. And also, there was martial arts and either it was just like, for me, it seemed a bit like a scam, what they were doing, or it was just too expensive. People there are more interested in basketball and baseball, like [49:23] I think one of the best baseball teams in the world. So they're much more interested in that. It's like, oh, martial arts, oh no, that's for all people in the park. So, and you saw that, you know, people practicing Qigong and all that stuff. So also not what I was looking for at that time.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Gad Krooder:
So, yeah. To maybe a bit of an elaborate way of answering, but...
Jeremy Lesniak:
It's okay. That's what we do on this show.
Gad Krooder:
It didn't help me one bit like I, that sort of, oh, okay. From the first day, from the first few weeks of my studies, and actually before I started, I was like, okay. When I heard about that you could get a scholarship to go to China or Taiwan, I was thinking this could help my martial arts because I can leave an island and I go there and study like martial arts where it was invented. I can go there. And imagine my disappointment. We also tried to look at like a Kung Fu or Wushu club, and they were practicing and it seemed like a bit more, you know, a bit more useful, what they were doing because they're also practicing grappling and other things, and it's like, hey, okay. They're not just like doing, you know, their actually doing some practical applications as well with martial arts. So I went there. No, sorry, no foreigners. You're only gonna be here, not because we were foreigners, we were not Taiwanese or Chinese, but just because okay, you're only gonna be here for a year. We're not gonna invest my Shufu, my teacher not gonna invest in you his energy when you're gonna leave in a year anyway.
Jeremy Lesniak:
That seems like such a Chinese martial arts philosophy. I've heard a few of these stories and they've only come from Chinese martial arts schools. Now, that's not to say that it doesn't happen in other schools, but it, you know, my experience of karate schools and I've had many, has always been you're here for a year. Let's see what we can get done in a year.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah, yeah. Even if you're there, okay, I only want to attend for a few classes just to get a taste of it, just to know what it's all about. I mean, since I sent that said in his videos, now I like to watch his videos where he goes to other schools. Okay, let me try capoeira. Let me try this. Yeah, and they're also very welcoming. Sure, you want to attend a class? Sure. Whatever. I don't know if it's like for only, like if it's something Chinese or Chinese martial arts, but I've heard other people say that as well. We didn't even try after that. We feel like, okay, whatever. So, and also, I met my wife three weeks in when I was in Taiwan.
Jeremy Lesniak:
On the exchange? That first trip?
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Oh, oh. I mean, admittedly, audience, I knew that you had met your wife in Taiwan. I didn't realize it was that quickly.
Gad Krooder:
Three weeks in, I was, yeah. I was a young man.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So that's part of why you wanted to go back?
Gad Krooder:
I fell in love with Taiwan and I fell in love with my wife and all, not only the reason that I wanted to go back because of her, but it was one of the, I also loved the country.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Sure.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. And I also wanted to know more about the culture and everything. So spoiler, I didn't finish my studies, so I chose not to get a degree. Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
What did your dad think of that?
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. That's, now you've touched on the very... Now we get to the crux. When I was in Taiwan, and I told him that by email, his only response was, cause I had already spoken about it to my student counseling. She said that's a good idea. Many Western students do that. They study there, they find work because it's not hard finding, mostly, it's English teaching work, but I love teaching so that's no, you know. There's no punishment for me. So, okay. You can make some money there and study there. It's a good idea. My dad didn't think it was a good idea. He wanted me to stay in the Netherlands. Also, you know, then finish my studies, find a good job, like an international job. And, you know, he just had plans for my future. They were different from mine. I was more interested in learning about the language and the culture and, you know, and go from there and see what the future holds. Still finding my way. I mean, what do I want in life? What do I want? There's more to just studying and yeah. Short of it is, we had a huge round, like a huge.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Not surprising.
Gad Krooder:
And they also blamed my wife for you know, forcing me to go back to Taiwan. But nobody forced.
Jeremy Lesniak:
But if I may, you no longer live in Taiwan. So am I correct in guessing that maybe that eased over time?
Gad Krooder:
No. Yeah. Yes and no.
Jeremy Lesniak:
You moved back. Okay. Okay.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. Yes and no because my mother even said why can't you find a nice Dutch girl? It's like, Ooh, mom, don't say that.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And to be fair, every mom has said that to every son about wherever they live. If they wanna leave, they want to go elsewhere, you know? I mean, it's no secret I'm Jewish. Number of times my mother has said, you know, can't you find a nice Jewish girl? It's as cliche as you get.
Gad Krooder:
My household is even more, my family, was even more Asian than my wife's family. That's what she said because not a typical Dutch family. But maybe not surprising because my mother is from, you know, sorry, my grandmother is from Indonesia.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Oh, okay.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. So maybe there's also the, you know, from like, the first food I ate was, you know, Indonesian food, spicy Indonesian food. Like as soon as I could, you know, get off the baby food. It was rice. Yeah. So when I said, okay, hey, so after that year, got back to Netherlands to start my studies again, reluctantly. And then I also told them, oh, but my wife's gonna, my girlfriend at that time, she's gonna visit us. All hell broke goes, oh, but you have to do this. You have to find a summer job and it's just not gonna bore you with the details but a lot of bad stuff happen. And my wife had to, my dad actually forced me to put her back on a plane to Taiwan as one of the hardest things that I ever had to do.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So sorry.
Gad Krooder:
But I also thought, figured, okay, she's going back to Taiwan now, but I'm going after her. Then I moved to another city, no longer live with my parents because I had to study. So for my study to be close to the university after summer. And then my wife came over, my parents again, but my parents were like, again, totally against that. And my wife gave me a plane ticket to cash in. She said, okay, you can cash it in next week, in a few months, next year, whatever. It's your birthday present. Here's your plane ticket. And I said, okay, I'm gonna go back to [00:57:00] Taiwan, move with you. This is this day. Are you sure? Yes, I'm sure. What are you gonna tell your parents? Say I'm not gonna tell them which was a shitty thing to do. I still feel bad about it. I don't regret the way, I don't regret the fact that I left, but I regret the way that I left.
Jeremy Lesniak:
You were young, what 22? 23?
Gad Krooder:
I was 22. And I was also scared of my father.
Jeremy Lesniak:
You're not alone in that.
Gad Krooder:
He taught me a lot in the way of like martial arts when I was younger. How to stand up for myself. He could be a very sweet man at times, but he also had a very violent side. At the time I didn't understand it, but recently I've connected with a friend from high school again. Seen him for years. We also talked about this and he said there were times I just wanted to call the police for you or what do you call that? The, like the child services or...
Jeremy Lesniak:
We would call it Child Protective Services in the US.
Gad Krooder:
Child Protective Services. Yeah. Yeah. Like there were a few times, but you know, because he's your dad and you know, I didn't know if that was the right thing to do, but it was. Yeah, it was tough. Yeah, I'm sure I wouldn't call them like a hundred percent fully abusive, but cause still the opinion that sometimes kids just need, you know, a smack on their butts. That sometimes kids need that. Yeah. Bit of discipline, but you can also take it too far. The same with martial arts, you have to know when to dish out the aggression, the violence, but you have to know when to stop as well. There's a line and my dad crossed that line a few times.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Sure.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. When dad and son are squaring off when just, but more like an argument, like a verbal argument and all of a sudden, like, he punches me in the nose. I remember when I was about 18 years old, I think the discussion was about my studies again. What I wanted to do because I wanted to follow on my own path and then he punched me in the nose and he said like, I was so upset. And then he said, oh, okay. I said, why did you do that? So I thought you were gonna hit me. I said, I'm not gonna hit my own dad. Like, we have an argument, you know, some resentments towards you, but I'm not gonna hit you. Like, yeah that was one of the many, many instances. So I was also a bit like, oh my God, you know, what is he gonna do? So, didn't tell them. So we eloped. Yeah, it was, we left in the middle of the night. Thieves at night. It felt like that.
Jeremy Lesniak:
To go back to Taiwan together?
Gad Krooder:
To go back to Taiwan, yeah. And I left my parents with, you know, with a lot of problems there. Also, some financial ones because they were helping me out with the apartment and the rent and everything. But it's, yeah, so like I said, I felt like a shitty thing to do, but at the time I felt I had no choice. I was cornered. So I went back to Taiwan. Yeah. To make a long story short, I didn't speak to my parents for three years. So, yeah, it was that bad actually. Because I was really angry, I was scared, lots of emotions going through me. So, but there was in Taiwan. But that's, it's all in the past now, or some of it is in the past, but you know, past never leaves us completely. And then I started my life in Taiwan because I figured I'm never going back to the Netherlands. I'm staying here, staying in Taiwan. And that was when I started to discover that I don't have to actually join a school to study martial arts. So to get back to the martial arts, I started practicing on my own because the situation hadn't changed. I love martial arts. For me, it's not just sport. Because in the Netherlands, martial arts is called and people say, oh, you do Taekwondo oh, that is a fighting sport. Same as in German, right? In Dutch is called vechtsport. In German is called Kampfsport, but both mean fighting sports. So it's seen as a sport. A few weeks ago, I read an article about how karate evolved in the Netherlands and as a sport, and it's really interesting to see that, you know, it was written by Karateka who, you know, who analyze this. And it's like from very early on that in the Netherlands, like any activity is labeled sport. So it's, there's competition involved, there's exercise involved. It's more of a, exercise is usually a social activity. The social element is very, very important here. So, but for me it was never a sport or a hobby or an exercise. It was more like something that was, you know, part of me. Because all through these years, like I think there were two things that really kept me going from, helped me from going under. And there were two people, Bruce Lee and Chuck D. So those are my two heroes growing up.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And this is where I let the audience know that, you know, that that was probably the first point that we bonded over was over hiphop music.
Gad Krooder:
Yes, exactly. And I heard like, oh, Jeremy is a hiphop hat as well. Okay. That's good. That's good. That was, because throughout it all and the thing that, you know, Chuck D's voice and do you know, welcome to the Terrordome? The first sentence, what he says, I got so much trouble on my mind, refused to lose. That is constantly in my head. It's still is. Whenever something you know is weighing you down, that comes up. So much trouble on my mind. Refuse to lose, don't give up. And of course, Bruce Lee. I'm gonna say something controversial maybe.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Do it!
Gad Krooder:
Yeah, let's do it. And I don't know if Bruce Lee is actually such a special martial artist. [01:04:00] I don't know that. What I mean is that I have no doubt that he is an excellent martial artist. He is gifted, of course, but is he special? Like maybe at that time there were not many people who could do what he did, but I don't know. That's what I'm saying. I don't know if he was or not.
Jeremy Lesniak:
But he still meant something to you?
Gad Krooder:
He meant something to me but not in the way that you think because like, okay, look at him punch or kick. Yeah. Oh, okay. That's excellent. I want to be able to punch and kick like Bruce Lee. No, it was when I read the [01:04], just the things that he said. One of the things he said was like you have to learn yourself, like what kind of person you are and the best way to do that is through interaction with other people. I'm paraphrasing. I don't know the exact words anymore. But that's, also other things in there that also helped me with becoming a good teacher. So, in a way, Bruce Lee was my teacher, but not because I watched his movies or anything else that, oh, okay that's how you punched it. That's how you kick. But more of like in the way, you know how to look at the world and how to think.
Jeremy Lesniak:
What did your training, you know, we're talking about you training on your own and you know, what I'm hearing from you is that you're taking inspiration from others around you, whether they were figuratively around you or literally alive, passed on.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And we're in agreement. I mean, we talk about this on the show often, but you know, back 20 years ago, there weren't a whole lot of people training on their own. it was really, really frowned upon. What did your training look like? What were you doing? Where were you doing it?
Gad Krooder:
Just any place I could train. Just find a spot somewhere and it consisted of, and this is not just like it was all the way through, like all these years that I was in Taiwan. I had excursions to, I did some Aikido there. I met some other people. I trained there for a while, there for a while. But most of the time I was just training at home for a while. I also lived with my in-laws. Yeah, they lived on a flat, an apartment on the ground floor, but they had a huge hall where there's the altar. There was an altar in it, but in front of the altar, there was an area where I could train. So, and I just learned from memory because at that time did we have YouTube yet? But maybe YouTube, but not many, like so many videos that we have now.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Not really.
Gad Krooder:
No, not really. I come from an era when if you as a kid, if I wanted to learn something about martial arts, I to go to the library, pick a book, read a library.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Gad Krooder:
We do that kinda research.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. You were not alone in that. We've had a lot of guests.
Gad Krooder:
Not just going online and watching a video and like, okay, that's it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And then commenting about how terrible it is.
Gad Krooder:
That is the truth. Yeah. Lately, I've been writing down some thoughts about that is like, okay, like every time I've come into the habit of every time I've thought about martial arts, I just take out my phone and like, write down this thought. But yeah. So, my training just looked like our basic warming up. And I'm also saying this because maybe there are people listening now who are in the same boat. Especially now with, you know, what's been going on in the world. That, okay, you, maybe you don't know where to start, but just start simple because martial arts is not just, that's what I'm saying, it's not just a sport. Okay. Because football, okay, or any, a ball and I throw the ball or I kick the ball, or a tennis, I have a tennis record, I have a goal and I hit, so, but martial arts is something that is just part of who you are. Actually, I would argue that it is part of who you are as a human being. It's something basic, what you are as a human being. Even if you say, oh, I don't like martial arts. I don't practice martial arts. You do. Every time that you get out of bed, you practice martial arts. Because whether unconsciously you know how to defend yourself, the way you open a door, the way you walk, trying not to fall down the stairs. It sounds silly, but maybe to some people, but...
Jeremy Lesniak:
I'm with you.
Gad Krooder: Martial arts is ingrained in us. Like the, and I'm not talking about, now it's martial arts. To make a little sight note, because I think about this a lot, and I also don't like the term traditional martial arts to modern martial arts or mixed martial arts. So I'll get back to the training on your own later but now then I touch upon this, martial arts is just martial arts because I said I come in an era where I had to go to the library and everything which is martial arts. Karate is a martial arts. Didn't say karate is a traditional martial arts. It's karate is martial arts, judo is martial arts. In Holland, it's a fighting sport. Everything is a fighting sport. Maybe that is even better to call it that because then you know everything is a fighting sport, but you don't have that distinction. Cause if you really think about the only traditional martial arts, the most traditional martial art is going after each other with clubs in our hand. That is the most traditional martial art. And a mixed martial art, a mix of what? Like we use our hands and feet and okay, in this school we...
Jeremy Lesniak:
There are only so many ways to move.
Gad Krooder:
There's so many ways to move. So, again, language again, I kind of, I also use it traditional martial arts of course, but sometimes I feel that it's not fair to make that distinction between cause it's all martial arts.
Jeremy Lesniak:
You know Gad, I think I wanna have you back to go deep on this subject cause we're not gonna be able to give enough time to this, and I can tell.
Gad Krooder:
No, no, no, no, no.
Jeremy Lesniak:
This is something that you've put a lot of thought into.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. I have no high rank in any martial arts now. The highest rank I have is a blue belt in Taekwondo. But I have a mass knowledge and I think about things.
Jeremy Lesniak:
You've been training for a long time in a lot of schools.
Gad Krooder:
Training for a long time, yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
The color on your waist does not necessarily indicate what you know as we already talked.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah, exactly. I observe and I think, and sometimes I form an opinion, but then maybe a year or two year later, I think about it again and I revise my opinion. So now the more you learn, the more you also learn about yourself. Have Bruce Lee again.
Jeremy Lesniak:
What's your training look like now? We're gonna start to wind here, but I wanna get there. Because I know you...
Gad Krooder:
Yeah, the time as well. Yeah, that's why I tell people like you have to tell me when to stop
Jeremy Lesniak:
Well, that makes my job easy.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. My training now? Now I'm back to doing Taekwondo, but luckily, but these past few years when I just didn't deem it very wise to be in a room with a lot of people and being covered in other people's bodily fluids. Then, cause that is what happens. I mean, normally I wouldn't care. But situation was different. So for me it was like, hmm, I'm gonna train by myself. And I just trained from memory, but I also had the aid of YouTube. The channel's Karate Training. So Greg and Debbie are the teachers there. That is a very good YouTube channel. They're very attentive in the videos as well to okay, if you're training at home, be careful with this. Be careful of that. Adam Chance channel, lot of tips from there. And just, you know, reading, reading about it. whistlekick, of course, also gives me ideas. So yeah, that for a while. But the most basic thing is to get in shape because if you're not in shape, you won't be able to fight. That's the core of everything. So for a long time, cause I had knee problems. And I started 6 years ago, I had an accident and then, yeah, couldn't do anything. But I still tried to keep in shape, just go to the gym. Okay, I can't do martial arts, but I can train martial arts a different way. So more studying, actually like studying the martial arts, but not doing it physically, but more mentally. And just keeping my body in shape. Just like do some weights, some running as far as my knee would allow it. And yeah, and when my knee was good enough, just go back to formal training at a school. And after that, when the thing hit, just training at home, but just doing the same with just doing pushups like cause best thing at martial arts is, you don't have to use any equipment. You can, of course, if you wanna do weapons or whatever, you can use your whole body. You can do it anywhere. You can have a very small room, you can do your Wing Chun form. Then you can even do a karate form in a small room.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I was raised four foot by four foot.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. Just be, be flexible. That's awesome. You're not only flexible in stretching your lens, but also be flexible here. Yeah. And now I'm back to Taekwondo training.
Jeremy Lesniak:
How does that feel? It's a long, you know, at times windy road and you've kind of come full circle. How does that feel?
Gad Krooder:
Yeah. Zipping up my boots, going back to my roots. That's what it feels like. Yeah. It feels good because the school I train at now, reminds me of the old school, Taekwondo schools that I used to train at. It's WTF, but for me, it feels like the good ordained again.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Good.
Gad Krooder:
And it's also good for my knee because I have a full ACL tear was discovered a few weeks ago. Talked to the teacher, to the instructor and he said, okay, we'll find a way around it because I want to keep on training. I don't wanna give up. Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I'm glad This is where we're gonna start to wind out.
Gad Krooder:
Okay.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And I think you sent over some stuff because people can learn Mandarin from you, right?
Gad Krooder:
I have a YouTube channel.
Jeremy Lesniak:
YouTube channel for that?
- Gad Krooder:
Yes. I've only started it recently because I saw so many people teaching on the internet that learn Chinese in three months. And of course, that is gonna have a lot of people watching your videos, but isn't actually useful. So I wanted to make relatively short, useful videos to help people with their Mandarin studies.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Hmm. Nice.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
What's the name of that channel?
Gad Krooder:
It's called A-De's Chinese Corner.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I know we've got it in the docs so that'll be in the show notes. Okay.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah, I think I sent it to you. So, just short videos. I've only just started. So, they're not actually like, every time I make one, it's like, hmm, okay, I can improve there and there. So yeah, I'm working on it, learning how to edit videos, but I don't want to wait until I learn all of that. I just wanna share my knowledge that I have with people. I love teaching people and I also love learning myself, and I know what it is as a foreigner, as a non-native speaker to learn Chinese. And through the years I have become a native speaker of Chinese, I can say that.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Cool. That's awesome.
Gad Krooder:
Actually, I've had people talk to me on the phone and then think that I am Chinese or I am Taiwanese because I have a bit of a Taiwanese accent and it's like...
Jeremy Lesniak:
It's quite the compliment.
Gad Krooder:
Yeah, it is. But when people don't believe you and they think you're, get angry, you know, I'm Dutch, like, yeah, but you were Taiwanese. You were born in Holland. No, I'm just Dutch. You know, nothing there. I was like, you're joking and then he hung up. He was angry.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I love it.
Gad Krooder:
So yeah, you can visit my channel. Yeah, people can visit it. Hope they like it. Leave a comment and yeah. I also like to you know talk to people about martial arts, exchange ideas.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. Is there a way people can get ahold of you? They wanna talk martial arts, your social media or email or something you wanna share?
Gad Krooder:
Yeah, I can share that.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Or they can write to me and I can pass it to you. If you're more comfortable with that.
Gad Krooder:
No. If I say they have to spell it out because I have a very unusual first name and last name, so I'm thinking about, okay, so yeah, if you want it, they can find me on Facebook.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay.
Gad Krooder:
That's okay. Can they find me through whistlekick then?
Jeremy Lesniak:
We'll have links. I mean, once in a while we get an inquiry from someone, they're like, hey, can you pass this message on to so and so? Cause I don't give out anybody's contact info. But if somebody wrote to me, you know, I can pass it to you. I've got ways holding.
Gad Krooder:
Okay. Yeah. Yeah. You can also add my Facebook link to the video.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay.
Gad Krooder:
It's okay.
Jeremy Lesniak:
All right. And you know what we do now? This is where we sign off, but you're signing off. So what words do you wanna leave the listeners with today?
Gad Krooder: Leave them with, no matter how much trouble you have in your mind, refuse to lose. That is all I can say and just keep on training. What you can do? Just do it. If you don't feel like training today, normally maybe you do 20 pushups, do 10 pushups today. Okay. Don't do 10 kicks, do five kicks, but at least, you know, keep on training and keep on learning and yeah, that's basically it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I wanna thank Gad for coming on the show. Wonderful to finally connect, see you face to face and share some stories. I had a lot of fun. Audience, thanks for coming on. Thanks for doing what you do. Thank you for your support. Remember, you can check out whistlekickmartialartsradio.com for everything related to this episode. And you know, some of you at their own martial arts schools, are you looking at your school saying I would like more. I would like this to be my full-time job. I would like to have staff that are better trained. I would like to have more money coming in, more students, whatever it is, we offer consulting. I lead the consulting team and all the things that we do, the integrity, honesty, functionally driven things that we do here at whistlekick, we extend that into what we do with martial arts schools. We have a 100% success rate with helping schools. So how do you get started? Easiest thing you can do is email me, jeremy@whistlekick.com, but if you want to find out a little more before you reach out if you go to whistlekick.com under the school section, there is a link for our consulting offering. Let me give you a little bit of reason why some evidence, stuff like that so check that out. And for any of you, if you're looking to connect with me, if you'd like to have me come to your area for a seminar, your school, or maybe in your general area, cause you're, I don't know, a business person, not a school owner, well reach out. We can do that. We're constantly setting dates into the future for having me come teach and depending on how things shake out, maybe you'll see some other whistlekick folks coming with me. I appreciate all of you. Our social media is @whistlekick everywhere you might think of. Until next time, train hard, smile, and have a great day.