WHATS THE NAME OF THE SONG IN YOUR DEMO? -everyone on the planet give it all by rise against - give it all by rise against - give it all by rise against - give it all by rise against - give it all by rise against - give it all by rise against - give it all by rise against - give it all by rise against - give it all by rise against - give it all by rise against give it all by rise against - give it all by rise against - give it all by rise against a very inspiring song that i finally chose 3 months after i finished shooting. as soon as i heard it i knew it was the one. it still gets me pumped up, i hope it does the same for you. HOW CAN YOU BE 1/2 CHINESE, 1/2 CAMBODIAN AND 1/2 VIETNAMESE? DO THE MATH, THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! -GAry M., Italy 1. you're an idiot. 2. when i was growing up i never felt like i belonged to any one ethnicity. i followed Chinese traditions, spoke Cambodian but grew up in a Vietnamese community. no one really accepted me so i always felt like an outcast. i think it helped me build character and it taught me not to judge people by their race, so i'm not bitter. HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE YOUR NAME? I THOUGHT IT WAS WITH A "Z" BUT SOMETIMES YOU MIX IT UP WITH OTHER WORDS AND IT'S GOTTEN ME ALL CONFUSED! -Sarah K., Melbourne sometimes it's S-IN. most of the time it's Z-IN. almost never is it SH-IN. SIR - ith  or  S - AIR - ith ah - ZOOM - ah FAN Woo - Koo XIN Sarith Azuma Phan Wuku and yes, that's my real name. YOU ROCK! I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO THE STUFF YOU DO BUT NEVER FOUND THE RIGHT TEACHER.  ARE THERE CLASSES I CAN TAKE? DID YOUR MASTER TEACH YOU ALL THIS OR DID YOU TEACH YOURSELF? -Sean R., Alaska i am master-less.  most of what i know today is self taught. there were coaches and teachers who would supervise and watch me but i rarely ever got instructed. my talent was mimicking. i watched how fighters threw punches and kicks, and they became my punches and kicks. i watched how the masters moved and it became how i moved. a few years ago i went to a gymnasium and watched gymnists tumbling. 3 months later, i was ready to join cirque de sole... YOU THROW AROUND THE WORD NINJA A LOT. ARE YOU REALLY A NINJA? -George J., Illinois well, i've got a lot of characteristics of a ninja.. invisibility - when chores need to be done, i'm nowhere to be found... night warrior - i usually don't sleep until 4 am and don't wake up until noon... master of his environment - you've seen my demo... assassin - i literally know how to kill a man 108 ways .. escape/avoidance - when security guards chase me, i know which routes to run... ok, so i've never stepped into a school of ninjitsu or even taken a class.  i've studied them aggressivly though..  so no, i'm not a ninja. i'm the newer, cooler breed. i'm an "Urban Ninja". HAVE YOU EVER GOTTEN HURT DOING WHAT YOU DO? -Sheila H., Germany hell yeah i have! one time i was trying this new trick called "the McFlurry" and i totally ate it on my face! it wouldn't have been a big deal cause i always eat it, but that time i had a zit on my cheek and it stung like hell! alright, you're probably wondering if i ever broke anything.. no. i get injured on a daily basis and at least twice every year i get a really bad injury that takes me out for months. every time i get those i go "ohhh, this is the one! this is the career ender!", but somehow i always recover. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING FREE RUNNING/PARKOUR? -Brian N., UK i don't like to say i do parkour or free running. my style is different. i'll call it, Urban Ninjism or Street Kwon Do, haha :) in summer of 2005 i submitted a video to a certain prestigious parkour site. it was a place to share your skills with the parkour world and i was eager to show mine. to my shock, the response i got was horrible. pk purists repeatedly put it down and said my style wasn't pk. i wasn't ashamed or disappointed, on the contrary! a vengeful flame ignited within me. i wrote back and said, "F@$K all of you, your approval means S*#T to me! this isn't pk, this is MY style and all the world will know it!" almost a year later, i put out "Urban Ninja". le parkour has a certain philosophy and rules that don't quite agree with my style. free running is it's evolution. at the time, it hadn't been established yet. it's more lenient of my style, but still not for me. both styles are respected but in the end, i'm too much of an individual for parkour and i don't even like jogging, so i'm not a free runner either. back to your question. when i climbed a tree at age 7. when i mimicked Jackie Chan at age 12. when i ran from cops at age 16... that was when i started urban ninjism. they shouldn't have scoffed at my old video like that. if i had feelings, they would've been hurt. to hell with anyone who doesn't like my style. "men who say it cannot be done should not interrupt men doing it" WHY DO YOU RUN WITH YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR BACK? -Steven R., France it is an homage to the video games, cartoons/anime and comic books that have influenced me over the years. street fighter, neo geo, ninja scroll, batman, teenage mutant ninja turtles, naruto... these and tons more helped me create my unique style. i've been told i'm a comic book character come to life. i'm cool with that. WHY DO YOU DO MARTIAL ARTS? -K, Tennessee martial arts was my guide when i didn't have one. martial arts gave me strength when i needed it. martial arts instilled confidence in me. martial arts taught me to believe in myself. martial arts taught me how to live. why do i do martial arts? a better question would be, why doesn't everybody do martial arts? I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO LEARN THIS STUFF, WHERE CAN I GO?  AND I'M 17, AM I TOO OLD? -Greg, NYC 1. back in my day, we didn't have the interweb's vast accumulation of information. today, knowledge is easily attainable if you know where to look. YOUTUBE.COM alone can help you immensely! although nothing can replace a real life guide or mentor, when there is no other option, learn on your own. seek the knowledge. ...and find a patch of grass. 2. i started learning tricking and acrobatics at age 21, so you've got a ways to go.   depends on the individual as well. determination, discipline, dedication.. where do you stand? how much do you want it? how much are you willing to sacrifice? i lost a chunk of my life. it made me what i am today. was it worth it? ...hell .... yes. WHERE CAN I GET THOSE WRISTBANDS YOU'RE ALWAYS WEARING? -Jamie, Toronto the white wristbands i wear are simply boxing wraps or gauze (first aid bandages). as for my black ones, those are wrist supporters. i drew on the swastika (manji) symbol to   promote harmony, although many people do double takes when they see it. it is NOT the nazi symbol! when was the last time you saw an Asian nazi?! i first jacked up my wrists learning how to walk on my hands. after they healed i jacked them up lifting weights. after that, from boxing. after that, from acrobatics. today, my wrists are ok but i still wear the bands. now they are like my shackles. constant reminders of the path i've chosen. also, i just feel stronger when i have them on. WHAT KIND OF SHOES SHOULD I  WEAR FOR URBAN NINJISM? -Joshua, Georgia comfortable ones. that's pretty much it. i chose the chucks cause i thought i would look dope jumping around in them and i didn't see anyone else wearing them. then i found out why. chucks suck for hard landings cause they've got absolutely no cushion. then i found a pair of zero brand shoes that looked exactly like the chucks. they were the best!.. until i ripped'em to shreds. after that i wore some bootleg chucks and just stuffed some pads into them to absorb any shock. now i'm wearing some velcro high top vans + pads and i love them. XIN-SENSEI, PLEASE ACCEPT ME AS YOUR STUDENT! TEACH ME YOUR WAYS! ..OR AT LEAST GIVE ME SOME TRAINING TIPS! -Lotsa Folks a bulk of my letters are promises of dedication and requests to train under me. people find inspiration in the way i live and view life and wonder how i became the way i am. heres what i have to say: first of all, thanks for considering me for the job and i'm glad you've decided to choose this path. some find new friends and fun, health and enlightenment or just a great new hobby. the benefits are almost endless! everyone has a different experience with martial arts. my experience was different. mine was a very cold and lonely one. the deeper i delved into martial arts, the darker it got for me. it was a difficult journey that i chose to travel alone. i experienced things that will scar me for life. i studied techniques that young boys shouldn't know about. i explored my dark side and learned so much about myself and at the same time about humans in general. my heart stayed black for a while. people used to see my anguish through my eyes. you can always tell with the eyes. i learned how fragile the body can be and also how a person's spirit can seem invincible. i learned to think outside the box and to always try and see the bigger picture. i didn't know why but i kept going. until one day i just became lost... somehow i crawled back into the light. realizing how precious life is, i began to live it to the fullest everyday and without hate. i learned how to be happy again even though i know the darkness will always linger within me. martial arts was with me every step of the way. from light, to dark and back into the light and it made me the proud individual i've become. i will always be grateful for it and i will never regret the things i've done that led me to where i am today. with that said, i am always willing to train with new people but as for teaching, i'm still learning myself and feel i am not ready or qualified to do that. my journey is not yet over and i am working hard everyday to better myself. i want to grow even stronger than i am now, not only physically but mentally and spiritually. the demons inside me need tending to.. i suggest you study the greats but do not follow in their exact footsteps, instead find out what they were searching so hard for and then blaze your own path. you don't need a master, sensei or sifu to follow. everything you need is already obtainable, you just need to look within. give it all, train hard and live free. -XIN WHAT  DO YOU USE IN YOUR HAIR TO MAKE IT ALL CRAZY LIKE THAT?! -T Party Lee, California "LUNG PUN" or Dragon Spit. i get it from my uncle in China-town who imports it special from Hong Kong. a shady looking dude delivers it every couple of months. i'm not sure what else to tell ya. you could try hair wax!