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Malia Bernal is an American martial arts and fitness instructor who is 77 years old. Although she is 77 years old, she is very fit and well. She is also known as an actress. Her works are Sekicks (1992). She is also the ex-wife of Al Dacascos, who is also a martial artist. She married Al in 1970 and divorced in 1984.
Surname
Malia Bernal
birthday
October 5, 1942
Age
77 years
gender
Feminine
Height
5′ 5″
nationality
American
ethnicity
Mixed
profession
Actress, martial artist
Married single
single
children
2 sons
divorce
Al Dacascos
@malia.dacascos.bernal
@malia.bernal
She also competed in many championships in the 70’s and 60’s. She has also achieved a seventh degree black belt in Xiang Dai Kung Fu. She is from California, USA. It is also sa that her net worth is around $500. There isn’t much information about her on the internet, but she has her name on IMDb.
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You can find her on Facebook. She was also consered the top competitor of the 1970s and 1960s. She still carries on her passion and still practices martial arts.
10 Facts About Malia Bernal:
Malia Bernal was born on October 5, 1942 and is currently 77 years old. She is about 5 feet and 5 inches tall. However, we do not know her weight or other body measurements. Malia is an American born in California, United States. Professionally, she is known as both an actress and a martial artist. We don’t know anything about her parents or her siblings yet. Malia’s estimated net worth is approximately $500,000. She was previously married to a martial artist named Al Dacascos. The couple even share a total of two children. She follows Christianity and is ethnically mixed. Malia is sometimes active on popular social media accounts like Facebook and Instagram. In fact, she has gained more than 1200 followers on Instagram. However, it appears that her Facebook account has been kept private.
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malia.dacascos.bernal – Instagram
1779 Followers, 239 Following, 324 Posts – See Instagram photos and veos from Malia Bernal (@malia.dacascos.bernal)
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Meet Malia Bernal: Age and career of martial arts maverick …
Malia Bernal became the first woman on the cover of Black Belt Magazine at the age of 31 … Born 5 October 1942, Malia Bernal’s age is 79 at time …
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Malia Bernal – IMDb
Malia Bernal is an actress, known for Sekicks (1992). She was previously married to Al Dacascos. Contact Info. Contact Info on IMDbPro View agent, publicist, …
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Date Published: 6/21/2021
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Malia Dacascos Bernal | Facebook
Malia Dacascos Bernal is on Facebook. Join Facebook to connect with Malia Dacascos Bernal and others you may know. Facebook gives people the power to…
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Meet Malia Bernal Age and career of martial arts maverick explored
Malia Bernal became the first woman to appear on the cover of Black Belt Magazine in 1974. How old is she now and what are some of the highlights of Bernal’s famous, cross-border martial arts career?
Malia Bernal was the first woman to be on the cover of Black Belt Magazine at the age of 31
Malia Bernal was born on October 5th, 1942 and is 79 years old at the time of writing. That means she turns 80 this year – but you wouldn’t guess by reading her Instagram feed.
At the age of 22, she began studying Wun Hop Kuen Do, a hybrid martial art from Hawaii. Six years later, she married Al Dacascos, the man credited with founding Wun Hop Kuen Do.
The style incorporates techniques from many styles, including northern and southern kung fu systems and Arnis, the national martial art of the Philippines.
Bernal and Dacascos became, in the words of Action Martial Arts Power Hour host Alan Goldberg, “a powerful kung fu couple.”
“Together they illustrated the effectiveness and beauty of Wun Hop Kuen Do – Al through its fights and Malia through kata (form).”
The couple divorced after 14 years of marriage, but that didn’t stop Malia’s martial arts career.
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How many children does she have?
In the introduction to his 2015 interview with Malia Bernal, Kung Fu Kingdom writes that “out of this illustrious tree” (i.e. the personal and professional collaboration of Bernal and Dacascos) “the best athletes have come”.
They include martial artist and actor Mark Dacascos, born February 26, 1964. Mark’s biological mother is Moriko McVey-Murray, of Irish and Japanese descent; Malia is his stepmother.
But Malia refers to Mark and his brother Craig as her sons. Both speak fluent German – Bernal was apparently the only woman teaching martial arts in Germany when she moved here.
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She put Mark and Craig in a German school, much to her initial chagrin.
What are some of Malia Bernal’s career highlights?
Malia is a 7th degree black belt in Xiang Dai Kung Fu, an offshoot of her ex-husband’s Wun Hop Kuen Do.
She competed with male martial artists “as their own,” writes USA Dojo. “She was the woman who changed the movement and look of competitive forms.”
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The outlet adds that they “brought the softer kung fu style to the fore and designed uniforms that emphasized grace and line.”
“When she performed, she was captivating.”
She developed Xiang Di Kung Fu in the 1990s and her legacy speaks for itself. Mark Dacascos, Karen Shepherd, Christian Wulf and Emmanuel Bettencourt are among those who continue the art of Xiang Dai Kung Fu.
Bernal has a #1 rating from Professional Karate Magazine, adds USA Dojo, and a spot in the AMA Hall of Fame.
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Who Is The Husband Of Malia Bernal Martial Arts Maverick Explored
Malia Bernal was the first woman to be on the cover of Black Belt Magazine in her early 30s. How old is Malia Bernal currently and what have been some of her notable achievements as a martial arts pioneer? Malia Bernal was the first woman to be on the cover of Black Belt Magazine at the age of 31
Malia Bernal was born on October 5, 1942 and is 79 years old at the time of publication. That means she turns 80 this year, but you wouldn’t guess by looking at her Instagram feed. At the age of 22, she began learning Wun Hop Kuen Do, a hybrid martial art from Hawaii. Six years later, she married Al Dacascos, the man responsible for founding Wun Hop Kuen Do. Who is Malia Bernal’s husband: Martial Arts Maverick explored.
Malia Bernal married life
The style combines elements from a variety of martial arts, including northern and southern kung fu systems and Arnis, the national martial art of the Philippines. The couple became, in the words of Action Martial Arts Power Hour host Alan Goldberg, “a wild kung fu couple.”
“Al exemplified the power and beauty of Wun Hop Kuen Do: Al through his fight, while Malia demonstrated its effectiveness and elegance through kata (form).” After 14 years of marriage, they divorced. But her martial arts career didn’t end there.
How many children does she have?
“From this famous tree,” writes Kung Fu Kingdom in his 2015 interview with Malia Bernal, “the greatest athletes grew.” Mark Dacascos is an actor and martial artist who was born on February 26, 1964. Mark’s biological mother is Moriko McVey-Murray, who has Irish and Japanese roots; Malia is his stepmother.
Malia refers to Mark and his brother Craig as her children. Bernal was apparently the only woman teaching martial arts in Germany when she got there. She enrolled Mark and Craig in a German school against her will and much to her dissatisfaction.
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Explored Malia Bernal’s career
Malia studied Wun Hop Kuen Do, a derivative of her ex-husband’s Xiang Dai Kung Fu. According to the USA Dojo, “she competed with male martial artists as their equals”. “She was the woman who changed the movement and the look of competitive forms,” says The Daily Dot. In addition, “she pushed the more delicate style of kung fu to the fore and designed costumes that emphasized elegance and line”.
“She was fascinating while she was performing.” Xiang Di Kung Fu was developed by her in the 1990s and her influence speaks for itself. Mark Dacascos, Karen Shepherd, Christian Wulf and Emmanuel Bettencourt are among those who continue the art of Xiang Dai Kung Fu. Professional Karate Magazine USA’s dojo is her number one spot, as is induction into the AMA Hall of Fame.
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Interview with Malia Bernal
Malia Bernal is a legend in the martial arts world.
A prominent figure dominating the US tournament scene in the late ’60s and early ’70s, she was the pre-eminent fighter in both combat and kata (forms) for five years.
Formerly married to Master Al Dacascos, founder of Wun Hop Kuen Do, they competed together in various mixed martial arts tournaments in the United States and Hawaii and proved to be a formidable kung fu squad, consistently winning trophy after trophy.
The best athletes have come from this famous tree; In addition to being the mother and teacher of martial arts superstar Mark Dacascos, she has trained and coached a number of other respected martial arts warriors such as Emanuel Bettencourt, Karen Sheperd and Christian Wulf, who adore her solid, relentless ironclad work ethic and boundless energy, who just loves to get the job done!
She has been in the fitness industry for decades, has worked with the likes of Chuck Norris, and is friends with the likes of Benny “The Jet” Urquidez, Linda Lee, and many others.
Her other accomplishments include becoming the first woman to be on the cover of Black Belt Magazine in 1974 and winning multiple Golden Fist Awards (all the more impressive considering it was a male-dominated sport at the time). ). as the best all-around competitor.
Now Malia takes the time to talk to us about her colorful life and experiences, from her background, competitions, learning from Master Al in the early years, remembering young Mark’s training, her fitness career, the Attributes of a winning mentality, your future book “White Belt Master” and much more!
We found her optimism contagious, and hope that in this interview we’ve managed to capture at least a little of that essence – which continues to inspire a powerful legacy in all those whose lives she touched. This is Malia.
Hello Malia, we are so pleased and honored to have you with us!
Thank you Raj, nice to be here!
What do you think of the name Kung Fu Kingdom?
I like this! It’s catchy and when I saw it I immediately thought of England. Kung Fu Kingdom is very good and I’m honored to be interviewed.
Thank you very much Malia! Okay, let’s take it from above, when and where were you born?
I was born on October 5th and I’m about 25 years young 😉 I was born and raised a California girl cowgirl in the mountains on a ranch, so I was a tomboy.
Nice environment to be! May we know your height and weight?
I am 1.65 m tall and weigh 54 kg.
Can you tell us a bit about your background, how did you first get into martial arts and when?
I started martial arts in my early 20’s and it was actually a birthday gift certificate.
You know I come from a very big family of brothers and sisters, I was the boy and we used to play fights.
My family remarked that I was a born fighter, I was just never taught any techniques. So I got this certificate, which allowed me to start looking for a school that I liked. So (as with everything) I did my research before signing up. I must have gone to maybe 15 different schools with different styles and just watched all the classes. I was primarily interested in the advanced courses because I wanted to know what it would be like when I finally got my black belt, whether it was in taekwondo or in the Japanese styles and so on. (They weren’t for my body type, for example, so I didn’t go for them.)
I was about to tell my family that it doesn’t work when I saw this Asian-oriental-style school. I went in and looked around. At first I thought it was a Chinese restaurant and then discovered it was a kung fu school! I watched the classes and saw the end results; it was beautiful, there was an art hidden in the beauty of the movements, even the techniques applied so fluently were beautiful. It was just right for me, my body liked it, I realized I could do it and that’s how I got into kung fu.
For years you have developed your art in the circle of well-known contemporaries, who were they?
I guess those were the guys that were teasing me the whole time! People like Chuck Norris, Joe Lewis (RIP), Rick Alemany, Steve Armstrong, Fred Wren, Donny Williams, Howard Jackson, all the famous fighters.
The legends, I guess you know them well!
We were in the same circuit, so yes I knew them very well, they were all my friends.
Good to know. Do you still keep in touch with guys like Chuck Norris?
On occasion. I was his wife’s coach for years, they lived on an island and Chuck hired me to tutor them, so I moved to the island. I actually did a movie with Chuck. I know he’s very busy with whatever he’s doing these days, but whenever our names are mentioned we both have a great deal of respect for one another, a loving reminder of the beautiful friendship we’ve shared over the years.
Wonderful! Who would you credit for having influenced you the most in martial arts, was it Sifu Al Dacascos, who you were married to, or other masters?
I think the only ones who inspired me back then were the guys who dominated all the styles out there and actually did back then, they inspired me and Sifu Al always believed in me.
You have to realize that back when I started there weren’t many women to look up to – it was just the beginning for women in martial arts. However, I thought to myself, ‘Women can do that too, not just men!’ I’ve always been a bit cheeky.
In terms of women, there were fighters like Marion Bermudez from Arizona, Mahi Morales from Northern California and Nancy Miller and the Castro sisters June, April and May and Lily Urquidez doing the art and I was always like, ‘I want to be just as good as!’
I will always say to Sifu Al that he is probably the best martial artist I have ever met. There is no one like him who can move, develop technique, combine speed and insight into how techniques should be used and applied in such a way – which many instructors cannot. It comes naturally to him, he’s just a born fighter. That’s what I think to this day and I often tell him that I’m very disappointed that he didn’t go any further, didn’t just do small and large seminars and travel. Sifu Al is the one who should have been out there in the movie world choreographing fight scenes, making movies because he was so fabulous and I still think that to this day. In fact, our son Mark Dacascos just had his first film directing debut with Showdown in Manila and Sifu Al was the fight choreographer for it! It will be released next year, 2016.
How about Benny “The Jet” Urquidez, for example, was he another influence on you in a positive way?
He’s definitely a favorite and Bruce Lee’s movies inspired me too, I used to get a kick out of them!
Did you meet Bruce Lee often?
I met Bruce Lee even though we weren’t close friends or anything, but I was close friends with his wife Linda. My sons, Mark and Craig, used to play with Brandon and Shannon Lee, they were friends too. I stayed with Linda after Bruce died and we talked to each other practicing forms… our friendship endured. Then I started traveling back and forth a lot, like a little gypsy!
How was the training with Sifu Al, can you tell us about your experiences?
Studying at Al Dacascos was confusing. I was recently asked to describe Al Dacascos, including what I felt and learned about him. I said I was in a state of confusion and I told him recently that that’s actually a compliment. I was lost in his style because it was quite stunning. I was a woman in an all-male school, so they didn’t want me there in the first place. They tried to beat me up, half kill me to make me stop, but I didn’t stop, I said, ‘No, I’m not stopping, I’m not going anywhere!’
I remember going up to Al and saying, ‘When I got lost here, I don’t understand,’ or whatever it was, and he looked at me and put his hands on his hips and said, ‘ Malia, I taught you to kick, I taught you to punch, I taught you to jump, sweep and more. I’ve taught you everything you can learn up to this point, figure it out, piece it together!” He then said, “Haven’t you figured it out yet, I’m not ready-made art, I’m free flowing? I taught you everything, put it together!’ It was frustrating at the time because I thought, ‘You’re the teacher and you’re telling me to put it together?!’
It was only over the years that I realized how grateful I was for the way he taught me, I even told him the other day. Sifu Al wanted us to take what he taught us, adapt it to our body and mindset to make it more powerful and better for us. He was never regimented in cookie cutter movements. He always taught to go with the flow of the situation. For me it was always about doing something instead of talking about it. I know that this approach has been of great help in teaching anything, because when someone asked me to teach, they might ask about my preparation and I would say, “Well, why should I prepare, I’m prepared!” That is What I learned from Al is that no matter what you have to do, you have to be prepared. This was really good, this has helped me my whole life to stay in the flow, punch, kick, ad lib, whatever you need to do at the moment, go up, do a technique and make it work. Just go there and just do it – that’s the best feeling in the world not having to prepare yourself.
This is very Bruce Lee-esque! So for the record and for the benefit of our readers, what rank or dan have you achieved so far?
Well, I have an 8th degree black belt in Wun Hop Kuen Do and in Kajukenbo. My kung fu system (Xiang Dai Kung Fu) is one that I’m still assembling, still creating as we go on…as far as rank goes, although I’m the creator and teacher, I’m forever and ever too Pupils.
So you developed your own style, Xiang Dai Kung Fu, what’s it called?
Translated it means “river”. It’s my personality, because as I mentioned, what I found and learned in Wun Hop Kuen Do was freedom, the flow that nothing could ever stop. Even if you don’t know the answer, go ahead and try to find out, and that’s why I want my style of kung fu to aim at the freedom of flowing power.
Sounds ideal! Can you tell us more about this system?
It’s a contemporary style, not traditional, which suits my free-flowing nature. I’m not a traditional woman, I’m a contemporary woman, although I have the utmost respect for traditional styles. Time moves on, everything evolves and progresses, that’s why my Xiang Dai Kung Fu combines a lot of exercise, self-defense and fitness. I used to do powerful kung fu forms mixed with southern stances (deep, low stances) and northern (jumps and powerful kicks), the power of the punches and the focus of the mind.
I have found that when you train you use your brain, your body and your experience, in fact you use your whole being. Some days you just get out there, other days you shut yourself down and just do what you have to do, especially if you’re running, hitting a punch bag, or lifting weights. Mentally, you don’t always have to think, but you do need to know your routine in order to execute it. I’ve always thought kung fu and kung fu forms to be the ultimate practice because it utilizes your mind AND your body, both of which have the ability to memorize, with training for both to project and execute forms. Since some people have trouble memorizing, I also develop forms that use both the left and right sides of the brain because I’ve found that you teach someone to perform a technique on their right side and then ask them to execute them with his left side they fight. By using this technique, it allows the student not only to learn well, but also to have fun!
This core principle comes from a center of trust that works with all your accumulated abilities; You can improvise spontaneously if necessary?
Speaking of confidence, I had to have a lot of confidence when I was yellow belt. When I started playing tournaments I realized there was a way to make a really big name for women and I realized there were a lot of martial arts magazines, all for men, not women. So I clearly remembered saying to my students and classmates at school, “One day you’ll see, I’m going to be the first woman on the cover of this Black Belt magazine!” It was cool because it happened, it was such an honor.
Interesting, is your son Mark Dacascos also an 8th Dan in Wun Hop Kuen Do?
I think he is, but Mark doesn’t give a damn about rank, it’s not his thing. He’s training for the joy of it, not for a belt. I don’t care either. I don’t know if you know that Al demoted me to white belt many years ago because of a personal conflict. I’m not sure if your audience knows, but I have written a book called White Belt Master based on my life and time in Wun Hop Kuen Do and Kajukenbo. I was out of the arts for 23 years and stayed mostly within my own small circle of friends that I worked with, which is another reason I became so heavily involved in fitness because I wasn’t heavily involved in martial arts anymore .
When I was demoted to white belt. I was already preoccupied with my own style and my own students. Just one of those things Mark and I always laugh about because Mark doesn’t care about rank! The thing is, when you walk into the classroom and you can’t tell the teacher from the students, there’s a problem, which is the basic rationale behind rank belts. After I was demoted, other organizations wanted to bring me under their style and classify me, and although I appreciated it, I respectfully declined.
Because of my kajukenbo roots, I adopted Sijo Emperado’s karate blanket. We met when I was a white belt under Al Dacascos. Even then, he recognized my spirit and commented that one day I would make a great contribution to Kajukenbo. It was the last official system he supported and approved of before his death.
So you’re writing a paper called White Belt Master, how’s that going?
When I started writing “White Belt Master” I really was a white belt, but in the meantime both my boys and people were so pissed off with Al that he gave me my black belt back a few years ago, so now I’m a again black belt. I’ll still write about what it was like to be a white belt champion, I’ve done this journey more than once but what I’ve written has kind of taken a left turn because I see things differently now. Well, it’ll come out for sure eventually, it’s too great a book not to do, who knows, maybe I’ll even make a movie out of it.
That would be amazing, looking forward to it! Do you remember roughly how old you were and what type of competitions you were in back when you were competing and completing forms?
I was in my early 20s and it wasn’t easy. It was tough and tough, whereas today everyone is padded to the feet with gloves, headgear, chest armor. In contrast, we had nothing, we fought bare-handed and bare-footed; My fingers, toes and shins show how hard I used to fight.
It wasn’t just a match, sometimes we fought all day.
It was an honor for me to win the internationals five years in a row, including kata, and to fight two of those years, the other years were just for form. The most memorable international match I’ve won was probably against Benny Urquidez’ sister Lilly. I was the underdog as the girl from Northern California and she was the girl from south Los Angeles and we eventually met for the finals and were going to pair up just to see who would win the internationals.
Lilly’s Southern California audience and all of her students, Benny and all the brothers, everyone was there. When I went to the grandstand, the students said, “Ah, don’t go up, you better go now and get your trophy for second place!” I looked at them, smiled but didn’t say anything, I just walked on the stage, ( which was always high for the Internationals), but the remark stuck in my head, I was like, ‘Oh my God!’ Anyway, the result was I was the winner, and walking back, I looked at her and me I think I said to them, ‘I’m going to get the trophy for first place’.
It was a great honor to beat Lilly on her own territory, of course Lilly has since passed away. She was such a fabulous martial artist and had such a great background. Women like Lilly really tried to practice the art; We didn’t go in to try to kill each other, we went in there to demonstrate our skills and techniques.
Exciting flashback! thanks for sharing this Many years ago you were also the only martial arts teacher in Germany, how did that feel?
Well, at the time you just don’t realize you’re the only one, I didn’t realize it! When I moved to Germany they said to me: ‘Malia, this is a man’s world, it’s not like America, where it’s a woman’s world’. And I said, ‘What does that mean? Oh well, it’s man’s world over here, but that doesn’t change my mind.”
Being in Germany was fun, exciting, wonderful, it was an adventure where some of my students were actually prostitutes and I didn’t even know it! It was so funny that I walked through the red light district because my business was right in the red light district. It was a great school.
Living in Europe I met the greatest people and I loved the Germans very much and they were always warm, hospitable and good people – I adore my students, I love them all. I know a lot of people have problems with gypsies but I never had, I must have taught 100 gypsies and all their children and we spent New Year’s Eve with the gypsies. I just learned that when you go to live in another part of the world, the important thing is to live like they do and leave America at home. Living in a foreign country, I wanted to live it at the highest level. I wouldn’t mind living in Germany again.
You know I did exactly that, traveled and had so much fun and did great things. Christian Wulf, we all, you know, we’ve done great things. Emanuel Bettencourt, who you spoke to, was one of my first students and he is so wonderful, I love him like a son.
You speak German well, I assume?
Yes, I speak German, but my sons Mark and Craig are fluent in it. Of course Mark and Craig hated me when we moved to Germany because they thought I would send them to the international school where they can speak English and I didn’t have them, I put them in a German school. For six months, they came home crying every day. Finally they started to learn German. As for me, I didn’t have time to go to school, I was on a mission there, I didn’t go there to learn German, I just wanted to learn to communicate. So I learned from the streets, I learned from my students, I learned enough to make ends meet.
Sounds like a real learning curve! Let’s talk about your involvement in films, so you’ve done a lot in terms of martial arts films, Emanuel mentioned something before?
Yes, I did a movie called Sidekick with Chuck Norris, maybe 30 years ago! That was really fun because Chuck himself asked me to do this film, he said, ‘Malia, there’s nobody who can do this film but you, you’re number one and you’re known for the most beautiful shapes . You have to be yourself in the film, I want you to be in my film.” I told Chuck that I hadn’t done forms in ages, that I didn’t practice it and that I was living the good life there on the islands!
You know I had the opportunity to do a lot of films during my martial arts career, I felt so honored but I always turned it down because I was more interested in being a competitor and films wouldn’t help me complete the number to become one reputation enough to teach and advance. I was just honored that Linda Lee introduced me to a gentleman at Golden Harvest as she was trying to inspire me to get into films. It was my decision not to get into the film world, but hopefully there comes a day when I do a film with Al and Mark. In my soul I know this is gonna happen, like, I don’t know! It’s like I didn’t know how I would be on the cover of Black Belt Magazine; I just know what I want, and if a woman wants something bad enough, she gets it.
So you got a lot of invites to do stuff but you didn’t do any other films?
The only invitations I’ve ever accepted have been any TV related ones, I’ve done all the talk shows because I wanted to promote the arts, promote women and show and do. That was good for me, I didn’t think in films any more than Mark did in films, he had no plans to do films.
Was Mark spotted by a talent agent in the early days on this subject?
Yes. I had something like a fitness school in San Francisco and I taught fitness and kung fu, actually I taught a program called Aerobic Defense. Mark and a couple of kung fu students I had taught were my teachers and at lunchtime Mark had gone out to eat and someone came up to him and gave him a card and asked if he was interested, to make a movie and he came back and showed me this little card and said what do you think mom? I said what have you got to lose, you’re talented, try it, see what’s at stake, it’s something new. He asked me to go with him but sitting in the car he didn’t want them to think he brought his mom it was so funny!
How interesting. Can you give us your opinion on some of his films?
Secure! Only the Strong has always been my favorite, another is American Samurai because Mark didn’t know anything about a samurai sword, he only had a few lessons and went ahead and made that movie. His ability to wield that sword was just amazing. I also liked Crying Freeman it was good I should see it again and I loved the tattoos he had there and some of the techniques used. Of course, that’s where he met his beautiful wife, Julie Condra, who was his co-star. Actually, there are aspects in all of his films that I love. In my eyes, Mark beatifies just about everything he does.
Totally agree. Can you share some memorable experiences with Mark in the early years?
Well I’ve never spoiled Mark, even when he was a little boy I trained him hard. I will never forget he always wanted a six pack abs and while living in Germany Al and I had to go to Italy for a weekend tournament and Mark was always doing his crunches, crunches, crunches! He wanted a six pack like his mother.
That day (I hadn’t looked at his tummy for a long time) he came home and said, “Mom, mom, mom, come on, I want to show you my tummy,” and he took off his t-shirt and said, “What do you think?” and I said, “What do I see there?” He started to cry. “Oh darling, you don’t have a six pack yet, maybe a two pack” and his small tears ran down his eyes. He later said, “Oh my god I’ll never forget it, I thought I had a six pack and you told me I had to get back on the floor!” With Mark, I stretched him until I thought I was two do of him, I pushed him to the limit, I let him train with Emanuel Bettencourt. They used to do their forms with combat boots so that when the boots were removed their legs were so loose.
In my classes back in Germany, maybe because it wasn’t common for women to teach men the art, I had a hard time getting male students, but I trained everyone so hard. I mean, they did thousands of push-ups, thousands of jumping jacks. You were in such amazing shape; Mark and Emanuel, they all had the most incredible bodies, a strong and resilient group of animals. That’s why these guys in their later years are still able to do what they do today because I gave them such a solid foundation that they don’t know any other way and I always told them, ‘Don’t say ‘that you can’t do it, only that you will!’
So you gave your students the mindset?
Yes, you train them hard when they are young, teach them how to eat healthy and right way of life, do your best; All my students have been like my children, I have always done my best to guide them and I am so happy. For example, look at Christian Wulf, Emanuel and all German students. I am thrilled that I have helped instill a strong discipline and work ethic.
When we talked to Emanuel he said (referring to your methods in training): “Malia used to kill us!”, can you tell us about that?
I did! I remember Mark was fighting in Italy and we were training really hard but he thought he was going to lose that big event. As his coach, I walked over to him on the floor while he just listened to me and he said, ‘I’m just telling you I’d beat you up if you lose this, now get in there and do your thing. I didn’t train you to be a loser, I trained you to be a winner. You’re not going to tell me that guy is better than you, I really don’t want to hear any doubt.” That’s what I said to my poor son! You know he needed to hear it and he stood up and won the match.
I only talk like this to all my students because I’ve trained them so hard and there’s no way I can understand how they think they’re going to lose? There will be times when you lose, but this is not one of them. I trained these guys hard and I mean hard.
They used to laugh because I was sitting in the corner on a big pile of mats and yelling at them what to do while eating strawberries, everyone knows I eat all the time! Even though I teach today, I eat whenever I feel like it, anyone who knows me knows I eat when I’m not talking! You probably can’t imagine that I’m this skinny just by eating, but I use up a lot of energy as my days are really long and I teach long, hard classes.
I’m not a conventional type of coach, the only conventional thing about me is that I’m always trying hard to improve. I think I’m a good teacher and I develop fabulous students. I achieve what I set out to do in whatever way I can.
Excellent! This hardcore, old-school mode is the surefire way to get results! Now can you share with us some of the secrets of longevity in martial arts because you…
I’m old enough to be your mother! (Her words. Both laugh)
Well I live a clean happy life, eat healthy and exercise regularly despite my body being a running injury! I’ve had so many hurts, but I’ve learned to treat everything that goes wrong in life as another part of life that I will overcome. I don’t let anyone into my life who causes stress, if they cause stress I get rid of them. Ich stehe jeden Tag auf und bin einem 5-Uhr-Workout treu. Ich mache Meilen, ich mache Gewichte, ich bin Wasserski, Schneeski, Windsurfen, alles in der Natur gefahren.
Kannst du uns sagen, welche Art von Training du machst?
Meine erste Klasse beginnt um 5:30 Uhr morgens und ich unterrichte eine Laufklasse. Ich bin nicht mehr der schnelle Läufer, der ich früher war, denn wie Sie wissen, bekommt man mit der Zeit viele Verletzungen an den Knien, am Rücken usw. Während sie laufen, jogge ich, aber ich mache Kilometer, ich mache Trailrunning, ich hebe Gewichte Gewichte, ich mache viel, viel, viel Bauchmuskeltraining, weil ich nie einen Bauch haben wollte oder unfit sein wollte. Wenn Sie in der Welt der Kampfkünste und Fitness sind, müssen Sie so aussehen, wie Sie es predigen. Ich mag keine Leute, die mir predigen und die nicht so aussehen wie das, was sie predigen. Weißt du, du solltest besser in der Lage sein, das zu sein, was du sagst, wenn du es ausspuckst, solltest du besser diese Person sein und deinen Worten Taten folgen lassen.
Ich werde anfangen, mit einem Trainer im Boxstudio Bag-Working zu machen. Ich liebe es, mich beim Boxen zu engagieren, nicht weil ich jemals Boxer werden werde, sondern weil ich das Oberkörpertraining liebe, das Boxer machen.
Ich liebe es zu trainieren, zu essen und Filme zu schauen. Ich lebe ein wirklich entspanntes, ruhiges Leben, ich liebe meine Freunde und Studenten, sie sind gute Menschen, alle, die ich kenne, sind gut, ich liebe auch einen guten Wein. Ich bin im Allgemeinen ein glücklicher Mensch, ich bin immer so, von dem Moment an, in dem ich morgens die Augen aufmache und die Leute mich hassen, weil ich so bin! Ich bin einfach so dankbar, am Leben zu sein und ich bin so dankbar für alles, womit ich gesegnet wurde und alles, was ich habe. So denke ich, sei glücklich.
Gute Politik! Weißt du, wir haben mit vielen Kampfkünstlern in Kalifornien und Los Angeles gesprochen und so weiter, und Yoga-Kurse sind dort sehr groß, praktizierst du Yoga, Chi-Meditation, solche Sachen?
Ich sollte, aber ich tue es nicht! Weil ich so ein energiegeladener Mensch bin, hat mich Tai Chi nervös gemacht, weil es zu langsam war! Der Instruktor hatte Probleme mit mir, weil ich das Tempo mit der Stimmung erhöhen würde, weil ich zum Ende kommen wollte und er sagte: ‚Nein Malia, das wird langsam gemacht‘…
Ich sagte: ‚Ich kann das nicht, du machst mir Bluthochdruck, ich kann diesen Kurs nicht machen! Obwohl ich für Ihre Hilfe, Ruhe und Friedlichkeit für immer dankbar bin, gebe ich ihr eine Chance. Aber es hatte den gegenteiligen Effekt auf mich, weil ich eine schnelllebige Frau bin und nur dahin kommen möchte, wo ich hin will.
Das Spirituelle ist überall in Kalifornien, was meiner Meinung nach der „spirituelle Zustand“ ist. Sie meditieren, aber ich mag es nicht, mein Spiritualismus ist Gott, nicht Buddhismus, nicht Yoga, ich kann es nicht, ich würde lügen, wenn ich sagen würde, dass ich es täte. Vielleicht würden einige der Schmerzen, die ich habe, verschwinden, wenn ich Unterricht nehmen würde! Eine lustige Anmerkung ist, dass ich kürzlich meine Yogalehrer-Zertifizierung erhalten habe. Meine indischen Schüler praktizieren eine Form von Yoga, jeder scheint sich dafür zu interessieren, wenn Sie dorthin gehen, wo meine Kinder leben, war früher jede Ecke ein chinesisches Restaurant und jetzt ist es ein Yoga- und Meditationsstudio, sie sind überall! Mark steht sehr auf Yoga, er muss so viel wie möglich tun, denn wenn man älter wird, wird es schwieriger, also studiert er Fu Shu Yoga; Er tut alles, um sich in Topform zu halten.
Faszinierend! Also, kannst du immer noch Spagat und solche Sachen machen?
Ich kann alle Basics machen, Straight Punch, Back Fist, Uppercut, nun, ich habe Russian Spagats und normale Spagats, das kann ich immer noch, also ist das okay!
Können Sie uns eine Lieblingsübung nennen, die Sie teilen könnten, oder einen Trainingstipp für Leute, die dieses Interview gerade lesen?
Wenn Sie versuchen, Gewicht zu verlieren, schieben Sie sich vom Tisch weg, sagen Sie nicht Ja zu einem Nachschlag und wenn Sie sich zum Kampfsportler ausbilden, seien Sie engagiert, seien Sie heute nicht heiß und morgen kalt. If you want to be number one make sure that you’re in the right art suited to your body. Take your time and before you get onto an art or fitness programme, realise why you’re doing it and what you want out of it, and don’t quit until you reach the reason you started it in the first place. Quitters don’t win and I am not fond of quitters!
Could you tell us the most daring physical feat you ever accomplished?
Well, actually it had nothing to do with martial arts! I’ve always been a pioneer in many avenues for women and when I was living on the islands I received a call from a friend of mine who was a welder in Alaska who was welding pipelines together. Anyway, they were having trouble with women’s lib here in California and were very upset because women could not work on an actual gas pipeline as a welder. Somebody wrote about that recently and said I was a welder, I was never a welder, I was a welder’s helper. I worked among thousands of men, slowly crawling across California working on a natural gas pipeline which was so dangerous. The environment was so scary, working with gas lines, because it’s really hard physical work, I mean it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done working with grinders and grinding pipe, sealing gas leaks and crawling in the pipes. I did it for two years and succeeded at what the union wanted me to accomplish and I wanted to accomplish -opening the door for other women to be welder’s helpers if they wanted to.
Wo! That’s a trailblazing story! So, what was your most serious injury and how did you work around it?
I have fractured vertebra in my lower back, that was why I developed a workout for my abs to be so strong because when I was young, I had an accident and was told that I’d be paralysed and never be able to walk again. I was going to be in a wheelchair if I didn’t have the operation they wanted for me. I listened to everything they wanted to do with me and the programme they devised and I walked away saying, if I do what you guys are asking me to do, I’ll be paralysed for sure -so I’m not going to do it! So, I went home, read up about my injury and developed an ab work programme to develop my stomach so that I never had to use my back all that much, so I’ve been able to overcome a fractured vertebra which is supposed to paralyse you. I probably have the worst rotator cuff injury ever from too much water skiing, snow skiing, and tricking in the water. I’ve had constant injuries one after the other, but I survive somehow and I just keep going.
Sounds pretty intense!
You do what you have to do, you look around and you think there are others that are worse off than you, or it could have been worse for me; you know I’m just very positive about life and that everything will turn out OK! So with anything that’s wrong, I don’t take time off and say I’m sick, (unless I have a temperature or the flu) I go and teach my classes whether I can do them or not. There’s nothing wrong with my voice, I always tell the students I can still yell and scream the same way, you (the student) just get out there and do it, I can still tell you what to do. Anyhow, that’s how I deal with it.
We don’t hear that kind of method very often!
I’m an unorthodox woman! I have faith in God and if it’s meant to be, it will be. My mother was a very powerful, strong woman and a lot of my faith and my strength came from her. Men are supposed to be the stronger sex with the attitude but my mom had a different view, ‘I want you to be strong, I don’t want you to be weak, snap out of it’, you know -that’s just kind of how I am. I was around a lot of strength when I grew up, my family and brothers were really strong, then getting involved in martial arts -I became attached to a strong group of people. Al too had a big influence on me in becoming who I am today.
That’s all very evident! Now we come to an interesting question, what’s one geeky thing about you that people don’t really know?
Most people don’t know that I’m a Christian, I pray, read my bible and go to church. I love God -people don’t know that about me; my faith, my belief is really strong. I might not look like I’m a church-going person but I am, God used his humour there! Many only think of God when things are going wrong and if they’re sad. But I think of Him every day, I start my day with Him, end my day with Him and in between. I read my bible and try to lead a good life maybe that’s why I’m so peaceful, so happy. I have a belief that everybody needs a belief and I believe in God, if you don’t have some sort of belief, shame on you!
That’s immense! If you could be a superhero who would you be and what superpower would you like to have?
I would be the Bionic Woman because she can see beyond, she’s stronger than everyone, she can run faster. I could then get somewhere faster than by plane, it would be cheaper to travel so no air fares, that’s why I would be bionic -it’d be wonderful! Who wouldn’t want to be bionic or have bionic parts and if something goes wrong, get it fixed!
What other hobbies do you have?
I like sports that you don’t have to be on a team for, that you can do on your own. I I used to do a lot of things like surfing, snow and water skiing; all that was needed for that was a boat and someone pulling me. I love walking, the woods and the forest, going to the ocean early in the morning and just watching the waves, I love lighthouses, there’s something mysterious about a lighthouse.
How delightful. Do you have a favourite type of music?
I love all music, I listen to music all the time and when teaching aerobic classes, I listen to this hard core wild music. I myself probably have a tendency to go for light classical and light jazz. I also love guitar and flamenco and I still love the Gypsy Kings, and anything fiery. I never used to like country music but over the years I’ve started to, I also like rock! I used to teach Michael McDonald, you know who used to be with the Doobie Brothers?
Michael McDonald are you kidding? “Shine sweet freedom shine your light on me…” love Michael McDonald! “Sweet Freedom”, is an absolute classic one of the best songs ever!
Yeah! Well, if I hadn’t gone into the fitness world I would never have met these people, but he was my client for a long time. They used to hire me to work with Michael because when he was busy writing music he’d eat a lot and he’d get big so when it was getting time for him to go on tour, they’d bring me in to go and get him trimmed down. I used to say when we didn’t work out to music, ‘Come on Michael sing!’ and he’d say ‘I can’t sing!’ He used to tell me he felt like a dog and that I was going to put a leash on him because every day I’d take him out for a run! We had a great time, I loved Michael he was one of my favourite clients, he’s just so talented, he still does great music, and still has that beautiful voice. Overall, I met lots of neat people in my lifetime.
Wonderful story thanks for sharing that! Could you tell us about the types of movies (other than martial arts) you like to see?
Well, I like romantic comedies, I went to see a movie the other night but it was not my favourite. One I recommend you go to see is one of my most recent favourite movies, “The 100 Foot Journey”, you have to go see it, you’re going to love it!
Big! I promise to check it out. Now, what one thing in life do you really hate and what’s one thing that you really love?
What I hate is prejudice. I’m a people person you can put me in a room with anybody, I don’t care who it is and right away they feel like they’ve known me forever because I‘ve been through times in my life when I didn’t feel comfortable and I don’t remember it, because sometimes it’s easy to block things that you don’t want to remember out, I’ve done that a lot in my life. I know how important it is for people to be comfortable if they feel like they’re out of place, I like to make everybody feel like someone cares about them, that they are important.
I don’t like racism thinking a person is black or white or yellow etc. There is no such thing to me; people are people and it makes me really sad to see people misuse old people, children or animals. We’re meant to be here to help each other and when I see people not helping it makes me really sad, but when I’m able to help someone else it makes me really happy. I dislike people who think they are better than anybody else because they may have more money etc.
What I love is to see people being kind; I love it if you see somebody that’s down and out and you’re kind enough to help them; if you see somebody cold, to take off your favourite coat and give it to them to help them keep warm. If you see somebody hungry give them something to eat.
We wonder why we have so many people that turn out rotten, a lot of kids get involved in drugs, and other people kill people. Maybe if somebody was kinder or paid more attention to them they wouldn’t have turned out like that. The world is in the hands of each person and it’s each person’s responsibility to do something kind. I’m a firm believer that just because someone did something bad to you doesn’t mean you have to go out and do bad to somebody else. Turn the other cheek, forgive and forget.
Kung Fu virtues?
Yes! I always get a big kick out of teaching people how to do what they never thought they could because they were so scared. When they win, that is such a rush for me, when I see their faces and think ‘Wow look at what I taught them and look what they can do for themselves now!’ To give to others who perhaps nobody else would give to.
That’s brilliant and extremely inspiring Malia! Would you say that’s your proudest accomplishment helping people realise the best in themselves?
Yes, I feel blessed and proud about what I can give to people, I can help by getting them thin or teaching them to eat healthier or I can help people get recognised. Well you certainly are the centre of attention when you’re doing a form or fighting and when you can give a person that experience to know what it feels like for a moment to be number one that’s really a cool thing!
Marvellous! So, what’s on the horizon for you; what are you keen to accomplish in the next five years?
Well to remain alive would be nice! If I can make it for another five years in good health, I would like to develop certain people that don’t think they could amount to anything and show them just how brilliant they really are. I’d like to see world peace, there’s not much I can do about world peace except being kind to others and extend a warm helping hand.
I would like to do something with Mark and Al. I just want to continue being a happy person. Maybe somewhere along the line I’ll fall in love again, love is nice. For my son Craig, I love to watch him growing and maturing in his business. He is amazing in what he does and how he does it. My sons are the best of friends, always have been and always will be. Mark is a great father to my grandchildren and Craig is a doting uncle.
I’m hoping to do more adventurous things soon so we’ll see. I am so grateful and so blessed with everything in my life. I have wonderful students everywhere I go. When I’m in Germany I had so much fun, I’m hoping to go to Morocco, I want to go on a camel ride out to the desert and do a lot of adventurous things that I haven’t done for a while. So I have a student who is from Morocco so maybe I’ll go there to do some work and I’m looking forward to that; who knows how I’ll be accepted in that country, we’ll soon see!
Thanks for sharing that. What advice would you give to a beginner, perhaps to women who were considering taking up a martial art, what would you recommend?
Well they have to go to a few schools, check them out, and ask themselves why they want to take it?
Do you want to learn self-defence? For that, you can go strictly to a self-defence school.
Do you want to do it for relaxation? Did you know you can do forms for fun if you have no interest in fighting? Do you want to become number one in fighting and make your dream happen? A lot of these things I’ve just said never crosses many women’s minds; they don’t have to just attend a karate class for the sake of it. If you know the reason for everything you do, then you won’t be disappointed.
What special message would you like to share with Kung Fu Kingdom readers, your students and fans around the world right now?
I’d just like to say that I love all my fans from all over the world (including from your city, London; I loved the people there and those big, old taxi cabs which you could almost live in)! My fans seem to be everywhere, they’re so warm and they send me nice greetings, thank you! I’m just grateful that I’m now in the older generation and that I’m still remembered -it’s such an honour to be walking down the street and somebody asks for your autograph because they remember you from the past. I just want to thank everybody for always supporting me, I love you all!
No doubt you’ll get people taking selfies with you too -uber cool! What’s one warrior wisdom quote or concept that you really love, something that’s given you a lot of motivation and helped you become who you are today?
Well, in the Bible we have the story of Job, one of the wealthiest men in the Bible who had the most property, cattle and so on. The Devil suggests a test to God to see how much of a follower Job really is, and take everything away. His children were killed of diseases, his friends left him, he had not a penny to his name and he was probably the poorest person in the Bible; little by little he was stripped of everything he owned but he still never lost his faith in God. My point is, even after all these horrible things, the Devil didn’t win; Job still loved God and at the end, God blessed him with more of everything including wealth than he ever had in his whole life. The man of faith, that’s one of stories that I love in the Bible. Similar thing with David and Goliath, it’s all in how much you believe in yourself.
When you put it like that, it’s certainly fu for thought! Do you have a website, or, how can people find out about your teachings, classes and such?
Word of mouth, I’m the best kept secret. I’m very quiet about myself, nobody really knows much about me -word of mouth is how I get all my clients. I’m on Facebook, you can look me up ‘Malia Bernal’ even though I don’t use it much.
True, word of mouth is the best advertising, so you don’t need advertise your classes at all?
I’m not interested in having a big following, I like to have small groups here and there, I don’t want to have a school. I enjoy teaching privately, I don’t want to be tied down to a business. I like to pick up and go whenever I want to. I like to know that if I decide I don’t want to teach this anymore, I don’t have a boss over my head, I am my own boss. Lot of reasons why I don’t keep a lot of things is because I like freedom.
Goes back to Michael’s song “Sweet Freedom” doesn’t it? That’s ideal, there are probably not a lot of people who could say they have freedom!
Exactly! What I will say is that if anyone wants to become a champion in form tournaments or want me to choreograph their competition material, I’ll be interested to do that. They can message me at [email protected] and I’ll answer or they can find me on Facebook: Malia Bernal.
Well, what can I say Malia? It’s been an honour and privilege to spend some time with a true martial arts legend; this has been totally eye-opening and incredible! We’re eternally grateful that you’ve shared your amazing story with us -a superstar and role model in the hearts of so many in the martial arts world and beyond. We hope we’ve given readers a vivid and memorable glimpse into the life and legend of Malia Bernal. Please keep in touch!
Thank you Raj and Kung Fu Kingdom, it’s been a real pleasure and I thank you for taking the time and hearing what I have to say, let’s stay connected!
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Email: [email protected]
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