Pumphrey Brothers

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Statistics

Craig PumphreyNickname: The ProfessorHeight: 6ft. 4 in.Weight: 250lb.

Paul PumphreyNickname: The Human BulldozerHeight: 6ft. 4 in.Weight: 235lb.

[http://www.pumphreybros.com Craig “The Professor” Pumphrey] (born December 4, 1974) and [http://www.pumphreybros.com Paul “The Human Bulldozer” Pumphrey ] (born July 18, 1971), also known as “The Pumphrey Brothers,” are world-champion professional [http://video.stv.tv/bc/scotland-cowal-20080915-pumphrey-brothers/ breakers] , martial arts experts, Guinness World Record holders, and all around gifted athletes from Indiana. The dynamic duo is best known for their feats of raw, brutal strength, dismantling cars, planes, office building, hotels, and more, using their bodies and bare hands, to prove that anything is possible.

Background

Craig Pumphrey

Growing up in Indiana, Craig’s interest in martial arts grew from an early age. Watching famed martial artists like Bruce Lee breaking boards inspired the desire for Craig to learn the science behind the art of breaking on his own. In the summer of 1988, he began what would eventually grow into an impressive career in “breaking.” He got an early introduction to demolition that nearly cost him his life, when he fell 20 feet onto a steel construction bolt that went straight through his head and nearly [http://pumphreybros.com/ demolished his skull] .

Breaking began as just one activity of many athletic endeavors including wrestling, track and arm wrestling. Craig practiced breaking on his own and began to get very good at it. But it wasn’t easy. The Pumphrey family did not have a lot of money, so in order to find enough material to train with Craig would frequently have to trek down to the creek and cut out slabs of ice by hand for him to break. Eventually, he expanded into the more impressive feats that would earn him world records. Craig recalls his first “big break” as diving off a shed and body slamming through 10 feet of ice.

After gaining some notoriety from neighbors, Craig and his brother decided to take their breaking talent from simple hobby to road show. Their first performance was at their church as part of a youth event. That transformed them into big hits and they became regulars at community events. Soon the once local sensation landed several national TV opportunities and eventually made it into the Guinness Book of World Records.

But it’s not just breaking for Craig. He also enjoys hunting and fishing in his down time. He also graduated from [http://www.in.gov/ilea/ Indiana Law Enforcement Academy] in 2002 and is currently working as a police officer.

Paul Pumphrey

Paul grew up in Indiana and was always into sports. Paul was the complete athlete, excelling in football, baseball, wrestling, arm wrestling and track. Paul would qualify for the Jr. Olympics for his track successes in a handful of events including Discus, Javelin, Shot Put and Hammer Throw. Unlike his brother, Paul was not inherently interested in breaking or martial arts when he was younger and actually made fun of Craig for breaking things. That all changed when Craig dared Paul to break a baseball bat and Paul could not do it. Craig then snapped the bat like a toothpick. Paul couldn’t let his brother one-up him like that and started practicing.

He was bitten by the breaking bug and spent hours in his friend’s warehouse breaking concrete with his brother. They would forklift concrete in, break it and then forklift it out. He cites the key to his training regimen is repetition. The only way to prepare your body for enduring such abuse is to force it to adapt. The only way to adapt is to do things over and over, and that’s why as long as the Pumphreys are breathing, the concrete industry will never go out of business.

The showmanship began for Paul the same way it did for his brother Craig. People tend to notice people who are constantly breaking things and it didn’t take long for them to earn a reputation among neighbors. People wanted to see these rumored breaking feats that were performed by two young Indiana boys. Thus Paul and Craig performed at local fairs. That was the catalyst that transformed them into big local hits. They took the show on the road eventually breaking onto the national scene when the Today Show contacted them. Paul and Craig swear that they never once thought of making a career out of breaking, it just happened.Like his brother, Paul had a knack for the spectacular and began attempting some impressive “big breaks.” Using his athletic background, Paul developed a signature shoulder ram technique to perform impressive breaks. Essentially he charges like a linebacker on a blitz and powers his way through any obstacle. The first time he attempted this he rammed through 10 feet of ice.

Martial Arts Career

At the age of 18, Craig Pumphrey started kickboxing, expanding his growing repertoire of martial arts knowledge. He made the leap to Pankration because of a fight with his brother. Paul bested Craig in the fight since Craig had no arsenal once Paul tackled him using his wrestling/football skills. Craig remedied this by researching everything he could about joint locks and pressure points. He was completely self-taught and consequently learned things differently. Craig realized his fighting style was completely unique and named it [http://mmajunkie.com/news/12907/advertiser-spotlight-human-wrecking-balls.mma "eclectics”] meaning to pull from many sources and combine into one. Craig’s martial arts style is a mixture of jiu-jitsu, [http://www.starzworld.com/pancrase_usa_2003.htm Pankration:] a complete breaking system as well as a mental element. Craig states that his philosophy is to never picture himself winning, but rather picture himself losing in every possible way so that he has “nothing to lose” once he steps in the ring.

While looking for validation for his self-taught methodology, he met with a Pankration master. After sitting through an eight-hour seminar the master was so impressed Craig was awarded an instant black belt. The one condition was that he compete in the National Pankration Tournament, he did, and won the national title.

World Records & Titles

Paul PumphreyPaul has set world records for breaking [http://pumphreybros.com/ 23 slabs] of concrete. He also has the world record for using his pure lungpower to [http://pumphreybros.com/ blow up] a hot water bottle until it explodes. He can perform the task in 59.3 seconds. He has honed this ability from years of countless lung conditioning. Paul has said that his greatest achievement was winning back-to-back titles in the World Breaking Championships.

Craig PumphreyIn 2000, Craig won the gold medal for the three man team at the World Cup Pankration Championships. In 2001, he was the gold medal winner for the over 230 division of the USAFPA Grand National Pankration Championships and was inducted into the USAFPA Pankration Hall of Fame. Craig has also been inducted into the International Karate and Kickboxing Hall of Fame, which is particularly meaningful to Craig since the last two people inducted were Chuck Norris and his idol, Bruce Lee.

Also, in 2001, he was the national breaking champion at the [http://http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=45301&p=1227993 Bluegrass Nationals] . He was featured in the 2001, 2002, and 2007 [http://books.google.com/books?id=EFGfhd-P0EEC&pg=RA1-PA142&lpg=RA1-PA142&dq=Guinness+World+Record+Craig+Pumphrey&source=web&ots=HgJtuFdTUF&sig=FlqJcqRvb9qwwgqTIUIzSQNgsVY&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=6&ct=result#PRA1-PA143,M1 Guinness Book of World records] for his world championship earning breaking act, [http://ngcblog.nationalgeographic.com/ngcblog/2007/10/displays_of_super_strength_1.html the skillet roll up] . Craig was the first in history to be able to roll a skillet into the tightest roll of anyone. He has been featured in numerous martial arts magazines including Black Belt Magazine, Kung Fu magazine and Jiu-Jitsu America. Craig is a two time [http://www.starzworld.com/pancrase_usa_2003.htm Pancrase National Champion] , and received an invite to the first ever ADCC tournament hosted in the United States.

Television Appearances

Paul has been featured on [http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/ripleys/database/ep_310a.html Ripley's Belive it or Not] displaying his signature “ [http://pumphreybros.com/ Shoulder Slam] ” technique. Craig and Paul have also been featured on [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoZQD4djwW0 Fight Science] and the Emmy Award winning [http://www.clipser.com/watch_video/648306 Sport Science] where Paul proved that screaming makes you stronger. Paul also set a world record for breaking 23 slabs of concrete, which he did on the Steve Harvey Show. The brothers also demonstrated their raw talent on National Geographic's [http://ngcblog.nationalgeographic.com/ngcblog/2007/10/displays_of_super_strength_1.html Super Strength] . The Pumphrey Brothers are now focusing their energy toward their new TV show, Human Wrecking Balls on [http://www.g4tv.com G4] . The brothers will demolish everything from boats to houses using their bare hands. For each challenge, the brothers will work with engineering experts to review the object of their destruction from every possible angle before taking it apart. Each [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G4_(TV_channel) G4] episode will reveal the outcome of the [http://mmajunkie.com/news/12907/advertiser-spotlight-human-wrecking-balls.mma Pumphreys’ destruction] .

Lucent

Beyond breaking, Paul enjoys any type of sport imaginable. The Pumphrey Brothers also have a musical side, playing in a band, called Lucent. Paul plays the guitar and Craig is the lead screamer. But they couldn’t keep their talents separate and became known for breaking concrete while playing. As the brothers say, they’re like Rage Against the Machine but they would actually demonstrate the rage on stage.

External Links

• [Official Pumphrey Brothers Website http://www.pumphreybros.com]

• [TV Squad: http://www.tvsquad.com/tag/Paul+Pumphrey/]

• [Kung Fu Magazine: http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=675]

• [News and Tribune: http://www.newsandtribune.com/clarkcounty/images_sizedimage_220005846/resources_photoview]

• [National Geographic: http://ngcblog.nationalgeographic.com/ngcblog/2007/10/displays_of_super_strength_1.html]

• [KikSkin Martial Arts: http://www.kikskinmartialarts.com/newspress.asp]

• [Starz World: http://www.starzworld.com/pancrase_usa_2003.htm]

• [MMA Junkie: http://mmajunkie.com/news/12907/advertiser-spotlight-human-wrecking-balls.mma]

• [G4 Wikipedia Page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G4_(TV_channel)]

• [Indiana Curiosities: http://books.google.com/books?id=EFGfhd-P0EEC&pg=RA1-PA142&lpg=RA1-PA142&dq=Guinness+World+Record+Craig+Pumphrey&source=web&ots=HgJtuFdTUF&sig=FlqJcqRvb9qwwgqTIUIzSQNgsVY&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=6&ct=result#PRA1-PA143,M1]