Kirkuk kicks into shape with Tae Bo

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Tiffany Chobot
  • 506th Expeditionary Services Squadron
KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) --  The inventor of the Tae Bo fitness system, Billy Blanks, and his daughter, Shellie Blanks-Cimarosti, visited here Sept. 28 to conduct three Tae Bo classes with the troops during their Spirit and Body Tour.

Mr. Blanks said he was excited to visit with the people deployed here supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“Although teaching Tae Bo is fun, I really enjoy getting the opportunity to sit down and talk to the troops,” he said. “It gives me the chance to tell them, ‘We love you guys, and we appreciate what you are doing for our country.’”

Mr. Blanks said Iraq is the most interesting place he has taught Tae Bo.

“I’m excited about being here,” he said. “We are here in a war zone where troops want to workout and have some fun. But, at the same time, we’re in a place where people are laying down their lives so that we can keep our freedoms. That’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I enjoy spending time with them.”

Ms. Blanks-Cimarosti echoed her father’s sentiments about the tour, expressing support and enthusiasm for the deployed servicemembers and their mission.

The Blanks family said they felt privileged to visit the region and spend time with the servicemembers in Iraq.

“I have been visiting the troops for two and a half years, on and off. I come to Iraq because I love serving the troops,” Mr. Blanks said. “I truly believe it is an honor and a privilege to be able to stand in front of the troops, talk to them, spend time with them and teach them Tae Bo.”

While here, they instructed three separate sessions of Tae Bo. At the end of each session, they sat down with participants to answer questions.

“He talked to us about his background and the odds he overcame to achieve the success he's had,” said 1st Lt. Elizabeth Craft, 506th Air Expeditionary Group intelligence operations chief. “He also discussed the power of the mind and the importance of positive thinking. He's living proof that self-confidence can help you accomplish your goals.”

Mr. Blanks began martial arts training at 14 and is now a seven-time world karate champion and holds a seventh-degree black belt in tae kwon do.

Additionally, he created Tae Bo from a mix of tae kwon do and boxing. He then took it one step further when he added music and additional exercises.

Tae Bo promotes inner peace, and the exercise concept is total awareness of excellent body obedience, Mr. Blanks said. Young and old alike seem to enjoy the unique form of mind and body exercise.

“The youngest student I’ve had was 3, and the oldest is 106,” he said.

Besides the wide age variance, Tae Bo has also been introduced in 100 different countries and in 30 languages.

But, he is not going to stop with Tae Bo, at least not for his new-found military audience.

“In the future, I hope to do several more of these tours,” he said. “I would like to be able to teach troops hand-to-hand combat in the future.”

But the most important thing that he said he wanted to get across to the troops was to thank them for everything they do.