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Karate -- with a disco beat Photo by Drew Fleming Joe Harrington, dressed as the sailor from the 1970s disco group the Village People, does his two-finger pushup during a dress rehearsal of a skit to be featured on ESPN. The skit will be taped Saturday at the 11th Western U.S. National Martial Arts Competition in Beaverton. ESPN will show `Macho Man' routine By JULIE SWENSEN Don't miss it Shihan Jerry Piddington says he hopes the Macho Men routine will air on ESPN next Thursday. He expects to know for sure this afternoon. For more information, call Piddington at American Karate Academies at 779-0334. Martial arts is a strict, serious sport, emphasizing focus and discipline. The Village People's "Macho Man" tune from the 1970s doesn't usually come into play. But in a new spin, some Medford-area black belts are using the infamous disco song as a backdrop for their martial arts prowess, and will soon be seen performing a skit that combines the two on ESPN. The group's exhibition, to be taped this weekend along with other exhibitions during the 11th Western U.S. National Martial Arts Competition in Beaverton, will air later on ESPN. For Shihan Jerry Piddington -- a 35-year martial arts veteran who plays the Village People cowboy and packs a bullwhip -- the routine shows the lighter side of karate. "A little more butt shaking, please!" the 56-year-old Ruch resident coaches his cohorts marching in line during a recent practice at his American Karate Academies in Medford. Just as each of the six wears a different Village People costume -- besides the cowboy, there's an Indian, a construction worker, a cop, a biker and a sailor -- each uses a different martial arts weapon. Jeff Berry, 30, who plays the cop and owns American Taekwondo Academy in Central Point, got the idea from a similar routine he saw in a videotaped seminar. The presentation proved popular last month at a karate championship at the Medford Armory, where the group performed the routine for the first time and caught the eye of the promoter of this weekend's championship. That led to the ESPN gig. Berry said kids like their show because of the weapons, and adults like it because of the Village People. He said it started out as somewhat of a joke. "Hey, you never know, we might be movie stars," Berry said. That might be less farfetched than it sounds. Piddington has appeared in several martial arts movies, including "The Quest" with Jean-Claude Van Damme. The sextet starts the number standing in line, backs to the audience. As the music starts, they shift their weight and shake their behinds to the music. Then they turn, pointed fingers slowly sweeping the crowd. Then, out to the middle runs Lynn Harris, 39, of Ashland, a 27-year karate veteran who plays the Indian. He whips around a bostaff, a long stick used in martial arts competition. Next is Bob Faulconer, 36, of Jacksonville, a karate veteran of more than 20 years who owns Medford Taekwondo. Playing the construction worker, he puts on a dizzying display with numchuks -- two bars joined with a chain. Then comes Berry, making fast moves with a sword-like tsai in each hand. After him is Piddington, a ninth-degree black belt who gets into it with his cowboy getup and whip. The title Shihan is awarded to those obtaining a seventh-degree black belt. Next is Leif Beins, 23, of Medford, a four-year martial arts student who plays the group's biker, armed with a pair of martial-arts sticks. Last up is Phoenix resident Joseph Harrington, 25, the sailor. He does chops, punches and blocks, then a series of pushups that work down to a two-finger, one-handed, one-legged pushup. Harrington says shows such as the "Macho Man" skit may attract kids to martial arts who would not otherwise have been interested. After youngsters saw him doing the two-finger pushup in the routine, they asked him to teach them to do it. Piddington said some traditionalists may frown on the routine and think it's stupid, but promoters like it because the audience "gets the lighter side" and "it's entertainment." The group already has been asked to don the outfits again for a performance at a Eugene martial arts competition in February. Beins said that although the skit is silly, "it gives people a good show." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA