Stickman's Escrima Blog

Marc Denny meets Arthur Gonzalez - GM to GM

2011-10-11T08:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went out to Lodi for the first meeting of GM Arthur Gonzalez of Tenio's Decuerdas Eskrima and GM Marc Denny of the Dog Brothers. Since I was the person who put them in touch with each other, I was very interested to see the results of my matchmaking. I met Art Gonzalez a little over a year ago and was immediately impressed with his no-nonsense down-to-earth approach to self-defense. I first met Marc Denny back in 1988 at the 1st National Eskrima Championships in San Jose, and I've appreciated his savvy in developing the Dog Brothers as an organization and as a vehicle for FMA education. I thought I saw a commonality in the approach of these two men, hence the introductions.

When I arrived at GM Gonzalez' home at 11am, Marc was already there, along with a couple of Art's students. I could tell right away that there was a good rapport between the two grandmasters, without any sign of formality or stiffness. It was raining, so we drove to the business district in Lodi where Art sometimes teaches at a student's location. There Art gave a 90 minute presentation of his system, introducing Marc to the concepts and principles of his approach. The half-dozen of us in the room practiced a few techniques for grappling against someone with a knife to get a taste of practical application. When I say a few techniques, I mean we were all drenched in sweat by the end of the session, and I for one was a little bit sore, the sign of a productive workout.

Afterward we all went to lunch, where discussion ranged from martial arts experiences to travel to neurolinguistic programming (NLP). By the time we broke, it was 4pm, and a few of us headed back to Art's place. There we practiced some flow drills in the yard until the rain picked up again, at which point we called it a day. When I left, Art and Marc were heading out again to meet some more of Art's friends. I could see a high level of respect between the two men, and what looks like the beginning of a new friendship.

2010 World Series has a Filipino twist

2010-10-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the San Francisco Giants and starting pitcher Tim Lincecum on their victory last night to open the 2010 World Series. What few people know is that Lincecum is half-Filipino on his mother's side.

In 2008 the Giants also became only the second major league baseball team to have a full-blooded Filipino on the roster. Geno Espinelo pitched one season before going back down to Giants' minor league affiliates. The first Filipino to play in the majors was Bobby Balcena, who briefly appeared with the Cincinnati Reds in 1956.

Of the three, Tim Lincecum is by far the most successful. Called up in 2007, he already has two Cy Young awards, in only his second and third seasons! He's known as "The Freak" because he generates so much power and control from a diminutive 160 lb. frame, using a highly unorthodox throwing style taught to him by his father.

Here's more from the Filipino American National Historical Society, documenting Lincecum's family roots in Stockton, California.

An Odd Premonition

2010-10-06T16:53:00.000-07:00

It is with sadness that I learned yesterday of the deaths of two pillars in the Filipino martial arts community, with the passing of grandmaster Ben Largusa and master Christopher "Topher" Ricketts. Ben Largusa, age 83, was head of the Villebrille-Largusa system and one of the early big-name instructors here in northern California. Christopher Ricketts, only age 55, was a protege of Tatang Ilustrisimo and the founder of the Bakbakan association. The following story, which I was already writing, begins some 72 hours prior to getting these messages .....

* * * * * * *

The weekend following Bruce Juchnik's event saw a different kind of gathering, a memorial service in Stockton on Saturday for the late Isidro Javier, a relatively unknown grandmaster from the Stockton area. This was attended by many from Bahalana, with whom he was associated, as well as folks from Serrada, the Kenpo community and more. There were speeches from those who knew him, and a few demos, including Chaz Tibon and Gelmar Cabales (Serrada), Dexter Labanog (Bahalana), Max Pallen (Cinco Teros). Among other notables present were Eric Lee and Glenn Abrescy.

I was pleased to see so many Serrada people in attendance. Virtually all the active teachers from the area were there with students, including grandmaster Vincent Cabales and masters Ron Saturno, Carlito Bonjoc, Darren Tibon and Jerry Preciado.

Again this is one of those things that makes Stockton so unique, that there is such a broad community linked by the Filipino martial arts. It's one thing to learn techniques, but there is something very much alive in meeting people and knowing the stories. Events such as this are markers in the history of the FMA, bringing people together to acknowledge a community that is bigger than the differences we use to define ourselves.

Years ago I read about how Yip Man would bring students along to tea houses, where he'd spend time with old friends. At the time the students did not always appreciate the invitation and were bored. I thought I understood how the "kung-fu life" included such ostensibly "teachable" moments, but one has to live a while to really begin to feel the connection of those roots. The art is a living thing which we experience, through the movement that we embody and through the stories which imprint value upon that knowledge.

The next morning, Sunday, I attended a Kilohana meeting at the invitation of Art Gonzalez, an association member and grandmaster of Decuerdas escrima. Kilohana is planning an FMA festival in 2011 and would like to expand involvement of the FMA community. Professor James Muro was there, and after the meeting I got to hear him share his wealth of knowledge about Decuerdas escrima, in which he holds a rare master's certificate from the late grandmaster Gilbert Tenio. Afterward I walked to lunch with Art Gonzalez and his crew, yet another opportunity to delve deeper into local escrima lore.

* * * * * * *

That night I had an odd dream. I was on an airplane with some top martial artists. Art Gonzalez was to my left, the others were sitting just ahead of us and I couldn't identify them. I knew the plane was going to crash and that I'd be alright, but a voice told me clearly that a couple would die. I awoke thinking "that was odd", and even mentioned it to my wife in the morning. Twenty-four hours later the emails arrived about Ben Largusa and Christopher Ricketts ....

Bruce Juchnik's Sacramento Gathering

2010-10-06T14:18:00.000-07:00

The past couple of weeks have had a lot of intense martial arts energy. The weekend before last I went up to Sacramento for Bruce Juchnik's annual martial arts gathering. It's a busy event, with dozens of instructors from nearly as many disciplines and styles.

The FMA were a popular draw, with participants filling the conference room to which we were assigned. That was the first problem; as I looked at all the people crowded together, most clutching double sticks, I knew this was going to be a challenge for all. The second problem was the number of instructors sharing a tight schedule, meaning each one only had 20 minutes to teach.

First up for the morning session was Graciella Casillas, who grasped the issue and immediately told everyone to put down one stick. Watching her perform Serrada was quite interesting. Everyone has their own idiosyncratic personal style, and there's something to be gleaned from seeing that diversity. Graciella still has very fast hands, one of the hallmarks that made her the first fighter to ever hold simultaneous world championships in boxing and kickboxing.

Next up was grandmaster Arthur Gonzalez of Tenio Decuerdas Eskrima. A large man with an intense manner, he projects a commanding air, reflected in techniques honed for the street. He taught a couple of no-nonsense close-quarter self-defense scenarios against a knife that were simple yet quite effective in their details.

Remy Presas Jr. followed, demonstrating disarms and joint locks with the single stick. His ability to flow through techniques impressed the crowd, leaving many wondering how he could make it look so easy!

I taught next, and went back to knife work largely because of the crowded room. I showed how and why to bring an attacker's weapon hand tight to the hip when doing an arm bar, then finished with a basic wrist lock to teach the principle of finding the open direction in any disarm.

After that things became a bit of a blur as I circulated the room helping the familiar instructors, who followed: Mata Sa Bagyo founder and Serrada master Carlito Bonjoc, Serrada grandmaster Vincent Cabales, and Serrada master Ron Saturno.

We broke for lunch after that, and a couple of car loads of folks from Decuerdas and Serrada drove to a Chinese buffet. Listening to Stockton natives reminisce about that town's FMA history is an education in itself. There was a time when Arthur Gonzalez was a teenager and his father had both Angel Cabales and Gilbert Tenio working for him. Arthur was stunned when he discovered their pictures in a martial arts magazine!

Those are the kind of roots that make Stockton such an authentic breeding ground for FMA here in the United States. Just as in the Philippines, there are generations of families and students who have trained over decades. It's a tough town, where the art has not just survived but thrived in response. It's a wonder more students in America don't visit this Mecca to train; it's certainly as real and intense as the Philippines, and a heck of a lot closer!

The afternoon session was largely dedicated to Pentjak Silat with Victor and Paul De Thouars, assisted by Bernard Langan and another whom I don't recall. As always, I love the deadly beauty and sophisticated knowledge of body mechanics found in Silat. Alfredo Bandolan spent his time on Doce Pares sparring. The last person up was Glenn Abrescy, but that segment ended abruptly when he had to go to a different session scheduled at that same time.

I've since heard that there were some teachers at this weekend who were upset at the brevity of time allotted, or felt they should have had more priority billing, but one feature of this gathering is that teachers are introduced by name and style, but not by rank. This is to level the playing field so that participants choose with whom to train based on the art alone. Regardless, the key to my weekend was getting to meet and socialize with some of the best martial artists on the planet.

Return of the longwinded blog

2010-09-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

Okaaaaay ... It's been nearly 9 months since I posted on this blog, a new record for letting it slide. A lot has gone on in that time, some events worth noting, many more perhaps now forgotten. Writing, or at least making a stab at good writing, takes time. Unfortunately I've never yet earned a penny at it. It's a bit disillusioning when one's best talent is financially of such little worth, but the illusion of contributing to society makes up for that. Regardless of motivation, when the muse sings, it's time to write again. Signs appear, such as:

I've finally heard from my half-dozen loyal readers, scolding me for having been derelict;
I received a writing award, a bribe if I've ever seen one (and if it is, it's the first) - more on this later;
I met a prospective student who is even more prolific a writer than me; can't have that, y'know!
So here, with no further ado or mea culpas, is a brief update:

Cacoy Canete was scheduled for a seminar this summer at Ron Lew's Tiger Eye Claw school in San Jose, but due to health problems he was unable to leave the Philippines. Instead grandmaster Ron Lew, one of Cacoy's top proteges, filled in for him with an exemplary seminar on Escrido, demonstrating the effortless flow through endless locks that characterizes that form of FMA. Loved it!

My scheduled foray again this year to SoCal to do a seminar and help officiate the FMA part of the Long Beach Internationals was not quite so successful. Injuries had me sidelined, and I'm at the age where the slowdown of the healing process is no longer mere speculation. Despite a place in the seminar lineup, I ended up staying home that weekend. It was probably the right thing to do.

This year has seen interesting developments within the Serrada community. Back in February master Darren Tibon hosted the Legacy FMA tournament in Stockton. The day before the tournament was organized for seminars with participants from Tres Manos, Kombutan, Pakamut and Serrada. This was a particularly significant event for the Serrada participants, especially taking place in Stockton, because many had not seen each other in years. It was the first time since Angel's passing that so many of his students came together to teach and share with such brotherhood.

I won't go into further detail here; anyone interested in a more complete description of the event should refer to the FMA Digest March 2010 Special Edition "Legacy Seminar & Tournament", for which I was the principal contributor. The significance of the seminar has been a renewal of many positive ties within the Serrada community. It's been nearly 20 years since grandmaster Angel Cabales passed away, during which time most of us have gone our own ways and several organizations have sprung up. There's been enough time to now see who is still active in and dedicated to the art. Over these years we've all honed our personal skills, yet still it is clear that we are flowing from the same root source.

Here are a couple of things that have evolved since this event which affect me directly.

On June 21st I received a "Master of the Pen" award (along with Marc Lawrence) from Steven Dowd, publisher of the FMA Digest, for excellence in writing. I personally think of my write-up of the Legacy weekend as my masterpiece. It's certainly the most meaningful thing I think I've ever written, and I'm especially appreciative of this award coming in recognition of that as well as previous submissions to the Digest. Meanwhile, my mom hung around into her late 90's and still managed to miss seeing me get anything like this.

I'd like to put in a plug here: If you are someone who can write about the Filipino martial arts and wants to get published, contact the FMA Digest! Publications always need material to put out, and frankly, a lot of people promise but don't deliver, so here's a chance to contribute to the community and get some recognition for whom or whatever you choose to cover!

The other item of personal significance is that shortly before Labor Day I received a Master's certificate in Escrima. Frankly, it's a bit hard for me to write objectively about this. I take pride in accomplishments but I'm not much into self-aggrandizement; I jokingly refer to this as "my official getting old award", which is far more truthful than I'd like to admit. Still, this is a milestone for a couple of reasons, and important to acknowledge.

Officially the award was presented by grandmaster Anthony Davis through his World Serrada Escrima Federation. Anthony was the instructor to whom Angel Cabales entrusted my basic training, and though I've run my own program independently for the past two decades, we've come together many times at a number of events. Like the writing award, it's a symbolic honor recognizing my growth and contribution within the art over a 25 year period. Both this and the writing award were presented in a spirit of authenticity - no money changed hands, no favors were demanded - for which reason I was happy to accept these honors.

There's a bit more to this story though. There are those who would say (correctly) that this is not an official Cabales Serrada Escrima diploma. I always expected that my Advanced diploma from Angel would be my last promotion, since I've been independent of any formal organizational ties since the death or retirement of all my teachers. While Angel was alive I asked him twice about going for a Master's. The first time I wasn't ready and both of us knew it; the next time he acknowledged the request but was already too ill to proceed.

Forward to now ... Evidently Angel informed some of his master graduates that if three of them agreed to promote someone up to their level, they would have the authority to do so. This was only recently disclosed to me, and as far as I know I'm the first to receive such an upgrade. With the signatures of Angel Cabales' master graduates Ron Saturno, Jerry Preciado and Darren Tibon also affixed to the document, it feels like further validation of the progress I've made through the years. I've known and respected these men since we were all students under Angel. To them I express my humble thanks.

I'd also like to acknowledge promotions awarded by the WSEF to the following:
* Mila Davis received a grandmaster certificate. She has been both training and life partner to GM Anthony Davis for 35 years.
* Tasi Alo received a grandmaster certificate. He has been a close associate and training partner with Anthony Davis for over 30 years and is also currently recognized as grandmaster in the GMT system.
* Darren Tibon received a grandmaster certificate as well. In my mind I've considered Darren a grandmaster for some time. If building a strong school and lineage is what defines the term, Darren is someone who has walked the walk.
* Last but not least, Ronnie Saturno was presented a grandmaster award from the WSEF. Ron was with Angel long before I came on the scene, though it's only recently that I've come to know him better. He's a wellspring of knowledge not just about Serrada or martial arts, but is a deep thinker on many subjects and a hidden treasure whom I feel is fully deserving of such recognition.

I applaud all of them for the hard work they've done for Serrada and Angel's legacy!

For my part, I realize this isn't a retirement award (not quite that old yet anyway) but an incentive to step up and re-energize my own endeavors within the art. The blog is part of it. A training manual, which Angel wanted for new students, and for which I had plans long ago, should get off the shelf. There's other projects, such as the CAD/CAM I'm learning for CNC machining. My "sparring grade" barongs, bolos and knives are showing up in the hands of top instructors on the West Coast, such as Remy Presas Jr., Alex France, Vincent Cabales, Darren Tibon, Anthony Davis and others.

Teaching is still to me the biggest part of it, what keeps my mind active and my body ... well ... still moving (and that's much better than the alternative!) I'd like to thank my students, in particular Jonathan Winter and Josh Newman, for keeping me on my toes and forcing me to always go deeper to find the answers.

Life hands us these moments. Many young men are bemused when they first begin hearing themselves addressed as "Mr." since that was a title previously associated with a father or other adults, but soon it becomes common to the ear. So I presume it will be with the lofty resonance of "master", which now separates me from the young bucks who are working hard to establish their identities. Having heard myself introduced more and more often as "master Finder" at FMA events, I've already given up on correcting those introductions, since it just seemed rude to contradict such politeness. It's also my excuse not to dye my hair dark again, since "silver" is getting me so much more respect.

Organically it's the passing of the torch from generation to generation. Just as Angel Cabales used to call himself the master of Escrima, as many of his students became recognized in their own rights, people began to call him grandmaster until finally he adopted the term. That kind of progression, taking the mantle of responsibility for carrying the art forward, is happening with my generation now. We need to move forward ourselves to create space for those coming up after us. In the end, titles and awards are no more nor less than what we make of them. It is in the sharing of experience that we provide meaning.

As an old saying goes, "Before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water."

Stockton Legacy Tournament Feb. 20-21st

2010-01-17T02:02:00.000-08:00

The United States FMA Federation is hosting a two-day event this coming February 20-21st in Stockton California. The Saturday portion consists of nine scheduled seminars through the day, followed by a tournament on Sunday.

With five seminar slots scheduled with different graduate students of the late grandmaster Angel Cabales, this event should be of particular interest to Serrada practitioners, bringing together for the first time these instructors, representing over 125 years of collective experience in this system.

http://www.usfmaf.org/Events/future/USFMAF_Legacy_seminar-tournament.pdf

Eskabo Daan Grand Opening

2009-12-23T13:14:00.000-08:00

Eskabo Daan Grand Opening

November 7th was the opening of grandmaster Robert Castro’s Eskabo Daan school in San Francisco, and it certainly kicked off in grand style with drumming and demonstrations throughout the day.

This is a significant milestone not only for grandmaster and founder Robert Castro and the growth of his system, but also for the Filipino martial arts community in general. While there are many people teaching here in the Bay Area nowadays, almost all are using facilities such as other martial art schools, recreation centers, homes or parks (I’ve done all four). GM Castro’s school is special in that it is dedictated first and foremost to the FMA, thus putting a very public face on these arts that are still unknown to most.

Given GM Castro’s years of networking in martial arts, the opening was well attended by masters and grandmasters from throughout California. Balintawak was represented by GM Ver Villasin from Vallejo and GM Nene from Los Angeles, Tapado by GM Joe Tan, Senkotiros by GM Max Pallen, Kajukenbo by GM Emil Bautiste, Kombatan by master Alex France, and Serrada by master Ron Saturno, just to name a few.

The school facility itself is a fantastic resource, with large training spaces on two different floors. Robert understands feng shui, putting a lot of thought into creating his environment. The street level uses simple colors, mirrors, and a waterfall facing the entrance and windows for a sense of harmonious balance while emphasizing the public nature of this space.

Go down the narrow twisting passageway into the basement and you have the gritty feeling of an old-school private boxing gym, with mats, heavy bags, weights and other training gear. The two floors are yin and yang to each other, and a rare and fascinating combination to find in one school.

With a place like this, Robert plans to promote seminars. His first event hosted legendary Leo Fong, a martial arts pioneer, promoter and author who produced influential books on cross-training and conditioning for martial artists, as well as works on various martial arts that helped introduce them to the West.

Eskabo Daan is located at 1920 Polk St., San Francisco; (415)674-4388.

Autumn Leaves

2009-10-24T01:51:00.000-07:00

It’s a warm and sunny late October afternoon. The elm trees are starting to drop their leaves; I’m raking the back yard in preparation for a class. I breathe deeply and take in the fresh air and suddenly what began as a necessary settles into a timeless meditative rhythm, connecting me to every martial art student who has ever swept a dojo floor. The scratching of the rake as it creates little piles of the fallen leaves puts me in a reflective state, bringing to mind an awareness of mortality, a reality that once again has encroached on the ego’s illusion of stability in an ever-changing world.

In early August Kajukenbo’s Professor Charles Gaylord passed away. Though I only met him a couple of times at Sifu Mark Gerry’s home, our conversations were both casual and intimate, sharing a love of martial arts. I wish I'd known him better.

Then this past week I heard that Art Gitlin had just died. Art was the founder of the Haak Lung school, originally located in Alameda, and was the former editor of Soldier of Fortune magazine. I lost track of Art when he moved the school to Lafayette. A few months ago I ran into his wife Sue Thomas, herself one of the highest ranking women in Kajukenbo, and learned that Art was ailing. I said I’d come by to visit, but I never made it by, to my regret. Again, though I only met Art a couple of times, he was someone who left an impression not easily fogotten.

It’s funny how our perception of time’s passage can be elastic. Boredom or nervous anticipation can stretch on endlessly while good times are over oh-so-quickly. A split second can be enough time to notice a myriad of small details in sparring, or in an accident. Aging itself alters and distorts our awareness of time’s passage. When I was little, my grandfather explained it in a way I’ve never forgotten. The time between one’s 6th and 7th birthday represents 1/7th of your life, so waiting for your birthday seems like forever. At age 80, however, that year only represents 1/80th of your life, and as a much smaller percentage, it seems to pass so much more quickly.

So here it is, nearly the end of October. I barely remember the start of the month; in fact, mentally I still feel stuck somewhere back in July. Though I can easily recall logically where I’ve been and when over the past several months, emotionally things move at a different pace.

The ancient Greeks had different concepts for time. Kronos is clock time, how we keep track of daily events. Kairos is spiritual time, in which events unfold organically, such as seasons or phases of life. I think martial art training partakes a bit of both. We need kronos to get us to classes and workouts, but actual training is timeless; all we have in that moment is presence in the Now, and while we can hope for advancement and promotions according to plans or schedules, true progress is not linear.

I’ve often thought of growth like building a dam in stages. After the dam is built, it takes time for water to fill in the reservoir behind it. Once it’s full, the dam can be raised, and again it takes time for the water to reach the top. Only when our skills and knowledge have reached the level of our container are we ready and able to raise the bar, setting a new goal to fulfill.

The leaves are raked; I’m waiting for my students to arrive. As these thoughts have crossed my mind, I thank those who have contributed to my being here today, doing what I love, recognizing in return that the knowledge they’ve shared is now my obligation to pass on to others. We are just links in a chain, and if we don’t complete the ccycle, all that has been gained from previous generations down to ours will disappear as though it had never been …

Upcoming Bay Area November Events

2009-10-24T01:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday November 7th, GM Rob Castro is having a grand opening of his new Eskabo Daan headquarters in San Francisco at 1920 Polk Street (cross street Pacific) from 10:30am to about 4:30pm. Donations will be collected for Philippine relief aid for the recent typhoons, to be delivered to the Philippine consulate.
For those who wish to make donations outside of government channels (there are many complaints of poor distribution or corruption, which I am not in a position to verify) the following link with alternate resources was left in response to my earlier blog about the typhoon floods:
http://diskorner.blogspot.com/2009/10/where-to-donate.html

The following Saturday, November 14, GM Ted Sotelo will be hosting an escrima clinic at the BITW, 2661 Alvarado St, San Leandro. This is geared primarily towards preparing Kajukenbo practitioners for stick fighting competition. For information regarding times and directions, the phone number is (510) 347-2939‎.

The Great Rattan Shortage of 2009

2009-10-02T12:00:00.001-07:00

I've been quite surprised at the shortage of rattan over the past 2 months. I've checked my usual sources and they have no idea when they'll be able to restock! I've got orders I can't fill and I've been turning away other customers looking for rattan. One possibility is that the Society For Creative Anachronisms (SCA) has adapted many of their weapons to rattan, and with their upcoming Fall tournaments, perhaps there has been a run on sources.

I'll say this for the SCA, from a small backyard Berkeley event they've grown into a huge international community, and the quality of armor and weaponry they use for tourney sparring is far beyond what we settle for in the FMA, which has had very little innovation in these areas. I know there is some cross-over between the SCA and FMA practitioners, but I doubt we'll see many half-garbed "natives" taking on armored SCA fighters. Lapu-Lapu and his men defeated Magellan with superior numbers and tactical position, but I don't think the SCA will offer similar odds.

Typhoons wracking the Philippines.

2009-10-02T11:42:00.000-07:00

Last week northern parts of the Philippines were hit hard by typhoon Ketsana (called "Ondoy" there - Photos). As I write this, the country is bracing for a second assault by incoming typhoon Parma (also, apparently known there as "Pepeng"), which is expected to have a tsunami-like storm surge.

It's been a tough week on the far side of the Pacific Rim, with earthquakes in Indonesia and Tonga, the latter creating devastating tsunamis in Samoa. I've been reading about organized efforts by the local Samoan community to send aid overseas, and there are similar efforts directed to the Philippines being organized in the upstate NY area. The following is one of the messages I've received:

"As most of you may already know, the Philippine islands have been hit by Tsunami Ondoy. The effects of this tsunami were so severe that over a quarter of a million people have been displaced from their homes. In an attempt to help these people in their time of need, we will be collecting donations at the Buffalo Martial Arts and Fitness Expo. Seeing that the Can-Am Filipino Martial Arts Summit is taking place at the Expo, we felt that it would be appropriate to set up a station for those who wished to donate. We will be accepting cash, money orders and PayPal donations. This money will then be sent to the Filipino Red Cross. For those who are planning sizeable donations, we recommend sending the funds directly to the Filipino Red Cross. If you need help making your donation through PayPal, please do not hesitate to contact us.

In case you have not received information on the Buffalo Martial Arts & Fitness Expo or the Can-Am Filipino Martial Arts Summit, we are attaching all the pertinent information.

Datu Tim Hartman
World Modern Arnis Alliance
Buffalo Martial Arts & Fitness Expo
Horizon Martial Arts

So far I'm quite surprised at the lack of similar outreach by the FMA community here in California (and apologies if I'm simply uninformed). I've been in several mostly Filipino places in the past few days (restaurant, community center) and have yet to see any kind of local response, including any emails from the usual sources.

2009-10-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

Once again it’s taken me a long time to get back to blogging. A lot has happened, and I hate to catch up, or maybe I should call this ketchup, because it will have about 57 ingredients, like Heinz.

I’ll start where I meant to jump back in, with Cacoy Canete’s seminar at Ron Lew’s “Tiger Eye Claw Center” in San Jose, Ca. back in July. First, last, and just about everything in-between, Cacoy was amazing. There he was, about a month shy of his 90th birthday, actively demonstrating to a packed house ( and I’ll bet that kind of energy keeps him going!) What was astonishing to me was that he looked so much better than when I saw him about two years ago (and perhaps he was just tired that day).

Poor Junior Cautiveria, a senior master in his own right, got to play uke this time. I say poor, because so many of us were struggling to figure out the nuances of Cacoy’s techniques, he finally begged us (half in jest) to hurry up and get it so he wouldn’t have to take too many more of Cacoy’s demonstrations!

Lots of interesting people show up at Cacoy’s events. Tom Meadows made it up from the coastal hinterlands. We met in 1989 as teammates in the Philippines, where we attended Cacoy’s 70th birthday in Cebu, so this had a bit of a reunion feeling to it.

I had a great time working out for awhile with a tough looking guy with the physique and intensity of a pro linebacker. Joe, as he introduced himself simply, was one of the Kajukenbo guys there from Benicia, so I correctly surmised he trained with grandmaster Emil Bautista. Well “Joe”, as it turns out, is Professor Joseph Bautista, a legendary competitor, 8th dan in Kajukenbo and Emil Bautista’s kid! There I was, handing out pointers; sometimes it’s better NOT to know who your partner is …!

My other big summer trip (it kinda feels like pulling out the slideshow here – LOL) was a four day swing down to southern California for the Long Beach Internationals. I was there to help officiate as a judge for the USFMAF. Interestingly, WEKAF had the adjacent ring, so there was a lot of FMA action all weekend in the corner of the auditorium nearest the entrance.

While fighting was separate for the two organizations, forms were combined because there were only about a dozen competitors in those divisions. Some of us on the judges’ panel have been active in both organizations, and basically most of us have gotten to know each other over the years, so it was nice to see how smoothly this went off.

Now here’s two things I’ve observed about these competitions. First, there are 10 year old kids from karate schools who can run rings around most FMA players when it comes to forms, and second, very few non-FMA forms competitors will get in the ring to fight with weapons.

Both of these are the result of training priorities. Most martial arts forms competitors go through their routines hundreds, if not thousands, of times. Many are fast and flashy, opting to demonstrate with things like shiny ultralight aluminum staffs that can’t take a blow. Those are not the attributes for which most FMA’ers train. There certainly are formidable weapons experts out there in many disciplines, but just like the FMA, how many of the top people actually compete in fighting?

The other thing is publicity. The USFMAF has the right idea with the “Cultural Challenge”, opening up the ring to anyone from any style, using a variety of padded weapons representing sticks, swords, staffs, spear, naginata and shield. As this was created in conjunction with the Chanbara association, I was expecting a deluge of Japanese and other stylists to try it out. Unfortunately that didn’t happen, and so a handful of FMA players got to have fun amongst themselves.

The fact seems, however, that most people attending a major competition are doing so under the particular auspices of a home federation and are unlikely to spend time or money once there to step outside of that sanctuary to try something so unfamiliar. This is nothing new, as even Narrie Babao’s legendary precedent had only three competitors!

Participation within larger martial arts competitions is a key to recruitment. It’s how I found my way into the art, meeting GM Angel Cabales at a Max Pallen tournament. To a certain extent, the FMA remain an exclusive “insiders art”, and so I’ve seen some organizations sponsor events in direct competition with each other on the same dates. This is unfortunate because it dilutes participation at both venues, having a threefold effect.:

* First, it promotes division rather than camaraderie between FMA schools and organizations.
* Second, it reduces quantity and quality of competition and officiating.
* Third, smaller turnouts make it harder for small promoters to stay in the game, or to get larger promoters to make room at their venues.

Aside from all that, the fun part of the tournament was seeing some great performances and meeting old and new friends, most memorably Kalimaya Herrera and Eric Lee among the former, and Jose Rogers among the latter.

On the way back from Long Beach I stopped overnight to visit Anthony and Mary Delongis at their ranch up in canyon country. I’ve known Anthony through Tom Meadows’ Latigo y Daga Association but this was the first time I’ve actually met him. Anthony is a professional martial arts coach and actor, having trained Hollywood stars such as Harrison Ford and Halle Berry, plus his cameo appearance as the swordsman facing Jet Lee in the opening fight in Fearless. He’s also been featured on tv programs such as Extreme Marksmen, so a visit to his ranch was quite a treat.

Now I’ve managed to collect a few weapons over the years, which I like to hang on the walls for display, but there are a few places that make me drool with envy. Sid Campbell’s dojo was one such place. Anthony’s is another. It’s funny how one can feel so comfortable when everyone is within reach of something potentially nasty. As Robert Heinlein famously said, “an armed society is a polite society”.

My last lasting impression of this trip was how much I dislike and distrust so many other drivers. The Friday drive to SoCal wasn’t too bad, but the Monday drive heading back north was nightmarish. Why is it, with traffic doing 90 mph and packed like sardines, literally at parallel parking distances, people think they have the right (or sanity) to simply squeeze into places that don’t exist?

There are consequences (I’m surprised there are not more). I got out to stretch my legs and sit down in the fast lane of I-5 at 2 PM, while the CHP blocked the road about 50 yards up so a helicopter could land to take away victims of an ugly wreck. It was 104°; I had to tell the two blonde cougars in front of me to put up the top of their convertible before they roasted from rare to well-done. By the time the freeway opened half an hour later, I’d gone through all the water in the car, clearly both a planning and tactical error to get caught short. When the road re-opened, I was near the front; fast driving, little congestion. Behind me the freeway was stacked for miles. The simple act of pulling off to get more fluids resulted in the nightmare derby for the next five hour marathon drive. I’ve been up and down the state many times before, but without a doubt, this drive was the worst.

Finally, I got some interesting feedbacks through the grapevine about this blog. Twice in the past couple of months I’ve had near-strangers, top martial artists both, tell me Ted Sotelo wanted to thank me for something I wrote on here. Ted, if you get this, thank you in return, and you are most welcome. For the record, I’ve never met Ted. I only hear him spoken of in the highest regard by folks like Tom Meadows. GM Ron Lew laughed when he said Ted turns him into a pretzel (we were discussing Cacoy’s Eskrido) while I simply gulped because that’s what Ron does to me. Clearly these guys are well above my pay grade!

On the serious side, though, the point of resonance is human mortality. In the past 3-4 years I’ve attended more funerals than my entire life prior till then. We say goodbye to those who raised us, even as we start saying goodbye to those with whom we were raised. Generally speaking, most young people have experienced little such loss , but as we get older we are reminded more and more often of the brief time we have here.

The Most Miserable City In America?

2009-02-11T13:40:00.000-08:00

California’s Central Valley city of Stockton recently earned the dubious distinction as #1 on Forbes magazine’s list of worst cities in America, based on demographic statistics like crime, the housing bust, unemployment, etc. Nearby Modesto was #5. Then again, this isn’t really news to people familiar with the area.

Back in the 1980’s when I was training with Angel Cabales in Stockton, I would sometimes bring training partners along to observe and participate in classes. Steve Van Manen, who later trained extensively with Sonny Umpad, was a frequent passenger on my early trips. As one who had worked on river boats and ridden the rails around the country, he had a keen eye for his environment, and I’ve never forgotten the first words he said on seeing Stockton: “This is a hard place to make a living.” The main source of economic activity in the area is agriculture, which means lots of intensive farm labor, along with the deep-sea port which ships produce around the country.

Now it isn’t like there is no upside to Stockton. There are many lovely tree-shaded parks, the University of the Pacific, and the north area is quite affluent, home to wealthy folk like Art Spanos, who owns the San Diego Chargers football team. On the other hand, the downtown area has long been depressed. The old Manilatown, the center of Filipino culture in the city, was largely demolished for renovation, turning what was once a vibrant neighborhood, albeit low income, into a largely soulless cluster of daytime office buildings.

On the other hand, Stockton remains a stronghold of FMA culture outside of the Philippines. There are probably more clubs in the area, relative to population, than anywhere else in the U.S.A., including the surrounding locales such as Lodi and Modesto, among them the Cabales Serrada Academy, Angel’s Disciples, Bahalana, Mata Sa Bagyo and other smaller, more private groups that train in back yards and parks.

Given the relatively low income of many residents and the high proportion of Filipinos and Hispanics, martial arts are deeply ingrained in local culture. Unlike many places where this is just another fitness option, in Stockton martial arts are central to many cultural activities and events, and participation is ingrained, passing from generation to generation within extended family lines. Further, with the inroads of gangs and drugs into poor working class neighborhoods, practice in martial arts isn’t just relegated to dojos or academies. It's about survival, with plenty of opportunity for those so inclined to accumulate “war stories” on the streets.

While the major martial art magazines may focus on what happens further south in the media center of Los Angeles, for those interested in some of the most realistic training outside of the Philippines, Stockton remains a cultural mecca. After all, the FMA evolved in tough environments, and so those early manongs who settled in this area for work were already acclimated to survival under duress. The art may have continued to migrate as the Filipino population spread out into major metropolitan areas, but out there in the hinterlands it remains close to its roots.

Tommy Gilbert, RIP

2009-02-09T11:41:00.000-08:00

Feb. 10 - I just got back from an overflow capacity funeral for Pastor Tommy Gilbert. I've updated this post based on information provided during the services.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A sobering part of growing older in the martial arts is seeing one's seniors pass away. The past six months have had a devastating toll on the Bay Area martial arts community, first with the passing of Hanshi Sid Campbell from cancer at age 65, then a month later the unexpected death of Master Luther Secrease from a heart attack at age 58. Last week marked the passage of another notable when Tommy Gilbert died of a massive heart attack at only age 55, just one year older than me.

As a colored belt years ago, I didn’t really get to know Tommy, but as one of the toughest fighters around, he was an old friend of my Kenpo instructor Sifu Al Thomas. A 6th Dan in Kajukenbo and former world champion point fighter, Tommy was founder of Best In The West, a school noted for turning out top fighters (eight world champions) who are just as tough on the street as in the ring; his son Damon Gilbert recently retired from the ring as a fourteen-time world champion, and is also an Oakland police officer. Damon, who is recovering from neck surgery, recounted how he successfully fought his retirement title defense only able to use one arm due to spinal injuries!

The final eulogy was delivered by grandmaster Ted Sotelo, who stated that Tommy was to have been his successor when he retires. Though I've yet to meet GM Sotelo, two of the best escrimadors I know, Ron Lew and Tom Meadows, consider him one of their mentors. In the world of martial arts, we are all connected ....

SERVICES PASTOR TOMMY LEE GILBERT

Tribute Service:
Monday, February 9, 2009
Time: 6:00-8:00 P.M.
Where:GREATER LOVE MINISTRIES
2661 Alvarado Street #7
San Leandro, Ca.

Home Going Celebration
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Time: 10:00 A.M.
Where: Parks Chapel AME Church
476-34th Street
Oakland, Ca.

Peter Freedman on Training Slowly

2009-02-09T09:17:00.000-08:00

This is from an email sent out by my friend Peter Freedman in response to a question from one of his students. Having taken a high performance driving course at the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School and done autocross racing, I think Peter is right on the mark with his analogy about driving, which is why this is posted here. - JF

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Great hearing back from you again and thank you for your question. Well this is a really great question you asked here. It is also an extremely important question and I will try my best to shed some light on why most combative martial arts like Ketsugo Jujutsu and other systems train in slow speed.

First let's look at driving a car. Let's say you never drove a car before but you happen to watch and be a huge fan of Nascar. Now you want to learn how to drive and have high hopes and dreams of some day racing cars. So you sign up to a driving school to learn how to drive a car so you can first get your drivers license. When the time comes to actually drive the car, your mind is racing and you can't wait to go Fast & Furious.

Now when you enter the car you must first adjust your seat to the right distance. Put your seat-belt on. Adjust your mirrors. Start the car, and at this point in time your heart is starting to race and pump and speed up. You step on the brake pedal and put on your blinker. You shift the shifter into drive and you look over your shoulder and start to ease off the brake and out onto the empty road. You step off the brake and step slowly onto the gas peddle. Hand over hand, you turn the wheel as the car pulls out onto the road. Now when you are out on the road what do you do? Do you step down on the gas pedal and go as fast as the car can move or do you first get to know the car and feel the road underneath your tires?

You will need to learn to adjust your steering skills along with your braking and gas coordination skills. As you slowly get used to the car and the road you can gradually speed up the car. But at first your mind will be all over the place - watch out for other cars - watch out for people or kids - watch out for small animals. Your mind will be jumping around - brake - gas - steering, a little to the right, now a little to the left to get the car to straighten out. You are looking for red lights, yellow lights etc... Stop signs pop out at you. Now you must switch lanes - oh boy, how you going to do this, you ask yourself? But over time all these little things that you strain your brain to memorize to do become normal to the point where it is now automatic and now you can spend time on strategy of driving and less time worrying about every thing about how the car works or operates.

Did you know when you go to a school for car or motorcycle racing that they first sit you down and it will be mostly class room time and lecture before you ever get a chance to drive out onto the track or sit in one the cars? When you are ready to drive out onto the track, they will have you first walk it on foot so they can talk and explain to you where it would be the best time to start downshifting and clutching into the turn and when and where to step on the gas coming out of the turn.

They would walk you around to certain points on the track to show you where you would have the best chance of passing another car and where would be the worst places to pass another car. Once this is over they would have you go back into the class room and discuss what you just saw and felt. By now because you went (SLOW)and first WALKED around the track, you got a chance to see every bump and dip on that track.

They want to see what is going on in your brain and how you think long before you are allowed to get behind a wheel to actually drive a race car, and never mind about racing, you won't be ready for a while to race a car.

Just like wanting to learn advance techniques before you are able to actually do them, or get your black belt before you really deserve one but because your friends from another school got their bb in two months and you feel you deserve one as well, my question here for your friends is this: Can your friends drive?

The next step is they put you into a car and they have you drive around the track in slow motion, talking to you all the while you are driving. They give you commands and a set of instructions: when to down shift and when you should brake and when to step on the gas, when to speed up and when not to speed up.

In the martial arts this would be known as the martial science.

You go around this track hundreds of times slowly until you can learn their safety methods and proper racing techniques so you won't become a danger to yourself and other drivers(follow the rules of racing). These rules in Jujutsu would be considered the concepts and principles of why things work and when they would work.

Now once this accomplished they bring other cars out onto track with you and your instructor communicates to these other cars by way of two way radio. They set up fake scenarios like you are actually racing but only done in very slow motion. They talk you through each maneuver you do until it becomes ingrained into your being and you can actually see and understand what they mean. Once they feel this has occurred you are allowed to have a mock (fake) race and they practice giving you instructions through a radio in your helmet while you are racing to see how you follow their directions under stress and how well you listen to them.

Jujutsu is a lot like racing a car. First we must understand that we are dealing with the human anatomy here and we don't want to (Crash & Burn!) hurt our training partners or ourselves. Always safety first should be in the forefront of your mind's eye.

Most of the techniques we taught to you and we share with you are extremely dangerous and are designed for crippling and killing. With this being said each student must first learn to go very slowly (to walk the race track) and learn all the proper methods and techniques first, so that your brain and body can learn to move in the proper way.

Most of the techniques we practice here in our jujutsu school, you just can't do fast with out first learning the proper technique of how each technique really works first. As you start to feel comfortable with the flow of the series of movements and timing and angles etc then you can speed it up a little bit providing your workout partner knows how to go along with the types of techniques you are applying to him/her, and this is for safety reasons.

Just by going slow can really help you to be able to see more options (creative techniques) or (openings - holes - gaps & weakness) in your opponent's defense, so that in future events if you should happen to get into a real bad situation with another person who has the same kind or set of special skills that you now possess, you will have a better chance to counter their attacks and go around their defense and win (stay alive).

When you first learn jujutsu you are learning things that go against the joints which if you go to fast can really over extend that joint or even worse break that joint and really hurt your workout partner.

There are three speeds we teach to all students here:

Slow speed for learning;

Medium speed for practice;

Fast speed for fighting.

If you train fast all the time you are actually slowing down your ability to learn fast and that is counterproductive. Also by going fast you are promoting fear in yourself and in your training partners. By going fast you lose the ability of understanding what you are doing. By rushing through your techniques you can't see the cool counter techniques that you can see when going slow. By going fast you concentrate too much on the end of the technique and miss the important things, like the beginning and the middle of what you are practicing.

Health wise, training fast is not to good for longevity. It raises your blood pressure and it hurts your joints. Also it taxes your nervous system. Yes, you will be fast but over long periods of time with age creeping up on you, joints will start to wear out, your nerves will cause you to shake. Your Ki or Chi or Prana will go in different directions. From a healing point of view, which seems to be the path way I am now on, I have learned to go very slow and take your time and this will produce better and safer results. Going slow teaches us which way to go under pressure. By training fast we lose our sensitivity.

I love what Bruce Lee, the founder of Jeet Kune Do, said in his movie Enter The Dragon back in the 1973: "It's like a finger pointing to the moon," then he goes on to slap the young man to whom he was giving the private lesson who was staring at his finger, saying "Don't concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory!"

That pretty much says it all right there, but I feel it actually went right over everyones' head. You see everyone seems to concentrate on the finger (speed - lots of techniques) and they are missing the rest of the big picture, - All That Heavenly Glory. A real shame.

The Tai Chi people have it right. They know the importance of slow training. So do the special operation groups in the military or law enforcement. They train really slow. When I first got an opportunity to watch them train one of the instructors came over to me and said "We train very slowly here so that we may learn more." I smiled and nodded in agreement with him and after I was finished training them they liked my methods of hand to hand. Not one person got injured and every one learned really effective techniques and had fun learning with my crew that I brought with me to help teach.

Well I hope this helps out ..."

Last Day For A New Year’s Blog!

2009-01-31T13:56:00.000-08:00

January 31st; we’re already 8.49% of the way through 2009! Thus my belated last ditch attempt at blog for the New Year. I’ve thought of this often, ever since the 1st of the month, but after today, it’s too late! How’s that for self-motivation?

How many of us make New Year’s resolutions? It doesn’t seem as big a deal as it used to be. How many of us made martial art resolutions? In some places that is a tradition, more solidified and culturally reinforced than the kind of wishful thinking so many of us do as a parlor game and then so quickly forget.

In Japan, you may find the members of a dojo at the beach, standing in the surf while throwing 1000 punches, or maybe doing meditation under a waterfall in the mountains. This is a way of setting one’s focus and determination for the upcoming year, planting the seed for reaching one’s goals. It takes dedication to one’s practice to do such rituals, but our minds tend to note and follow more highly energized stimuli, so this is good self-programming which refreshes one’s attitude.

Using a memorable date provides a powerful anchor by which we can measure our commitment and progress. In Western society we go by calendars, so it’s never to late to start a new program. The first of the month, a birthday, anything can be used to set a starting point.

Modern calendars are reliable but not always in sync with natural rhythms. In older societies passage of time was marked by observing celestial transitions. Lunar cycles in particular are good for measuring shorter passages. The new moon often sees the setting of new goals, which then symbolically evolve as the moon waxes, or one could project one’s aims to coincide with the full moon, or use the waning part of the cycle for more closely guarded endeavors.

For slightly longer phases, one can go by seasons. Those who follow a more natural diet, whether by local availability or preference, might note the effects of seasonal produce on their bodies, just as animals do in the wild. Spring foods might be cleansing and restorative after the winter, then summer foods for energizing and building strength. Autumn is a time for fattening up, while winter is often lean, when we live off our stored resources.

So on New Year’s Eve I had my weekly class. Not surprisingly, some whom I’d expected didn’t show up. Perhaps the party spirit prevailed, though my class ends early enough to do both. The next day I practiced with one of my students and we kicked the new calendar off with a good dose of intensity.

So far I’ve been carrying that through these following weeks. I’m training harder myself and with students, and some old faces have popped back up for refreshers. I'm going back to more serious conditioning routines that have been neglected over the past year, in particular resistance training and hitting the wooden dummy.

2008 was a rough year; here’s hoping 2009 shapes up as a better one!

Anthony DeLongis article and award

2008-11-26T12:24:00.001-08:00

A quick note that Anthony DeLongis, Black Belt Magazine's 2008 Weapons Instructor of the Year, has the first of a two-part article on combative application of the whip appearing in the December 2008 issue.

Peter Freedman on Self-Esteem

2008-11-26T12:13:00.001-08:00

This is a newsletter I received from Guro Peter Freedman, a colleague on the East Coast. As one who has studied NLP and hypnotherapy, I recognize and strongly agree with what he has to say. Too often I've seen students acquire skills but then fail to actualize their knowledge based on lack of self-esteem. With Peter's permission, I've posted his writing below.

Jeff "Stickman" Finder

*********************

Hello to All,

I want to take a moment to address some thing that has an effect on all of us, not just children but also adults. I want to take a moment and address that inner child that is in every adult. I want to address the issue of insecurity. This feeling of not being good enough or afraid to fail or even to look like a clown in front of others or afraid to make mistakes.

The fear of failing. Even the fear of not knowing some thing well enough. The fear of looking or sounding stupid. The fear of dancing etc.; the fear of being yourself. This inner fear started some where during our childhood and has remained with us into adulthood.

This inner fear we call insecurity keeps us from accomplishing our goals. It keeps us from getting ahead in a struggling world. It pulls us down from becoming happy. It stops us in our tracks from trying new adventures or even reaching our goals or setting new goals. This inner fear cripples us to a point where we feel and think we are not good enough to accomplish things on our own or to learn new skills. It stops us from just trying something, anything, new.

People who are insecure feel as though they must please others so they (the insecure) can get the approval from others to try something new with out worry of ridicule. This insecurity or inner fear prevents us from making new friends or getting into new relationships. It can also push us into bad relationships we will regret later. This insecurity (inner fear) can cause us to make bad business decisions that can effect our welfare for not just us but our families as well.

A Child's Confession - Wisdom of a Guro

I have been teaching martial arts since the 1970s and it has been quite a journey for me. Through the martial arts I have learned much about myself. Through the martial arts I have learned much about other people as well. What I call natural and common sense of reading people others might call psychic abilities. I say this is just wisdom gathered over the years of trying to understand myself and my interaction of others who share this planet with me. What I have come to take notice during my life time on this planet so far and up to this point in time I will share with you here and now openly.

I have been really listening to all my students for the past ten years now more clearly than I ever could have listened before. Not sure why this new ability has awakened in me - (my ability to hear more deeper and clearer) but it just did and I am thankful for it.

I have been listening to my kids in my kids martial art classes talk, both kids and teenagers alike. What I hear is saddening. I hear them say to me all the time that they are not worthy. I hear them say to me that they are not good enough. Now I have not only noticed this in the kids and teenagers class but also in the adults class. I have seen a common thread that links all of us together, children - teenagers - adults, a common mind that has brought us to live our lives for the belief or care of what others might think, or do think, of us. We become crippled so badly that we wave our own rights of happiness in favor of what others may think of us.

Sad.

When teaching all ages I have come to notice what people say to me. I notice how they use their hands while they are explaining themselves. I watch their body language and facial expressions while they talk and I listen to the level of vibrations in their voice. Also I hear the volume of when their voice rises or falls when using certain key words. These key words coupled with their body language is what sets off my mind to start taking notice there is a problem that needs my attention.

This I call the wisdom of the Guro. Here is an example of what I mean.

One child confessed to me that he is not too bright and is in fact stupid. This hurt me deeply to hear such a young child say such a thing about himself. I asked him “where did you hear such a thing.”

He said “my mother, my father, my brother, my sister, my cousins, my friends,” even his school teacher. He mentioned that the only place he did not hear this was in my school and in my presence. So everywhere else he travels he has been made to believe he is stupid and not worthy of anything.

I was taken back by this and went against the grain and told him he is a very bright individual. Also I mentioned that he should not accept words like that because he will start believing in these words over a period of time and it will have ill effects on him when he grows up into an adult.

I have recently had talks with his parents and they did not recognize or know they were causing this kind of effect on their child. I told them they need to speak with the school teacher as well and other family members to curb how and what they say to this child.

They are destroying this young mind before it even can get a chance to grow into something positive. I explained to the parents that what they have been doing they have actually learned from their parents and without knowing it, they are actually keeping the chain going strong in their family now.

I have heard adults tell me the reason they can’t train with me now is because they don't have what it takes to be able to do what I am teaching them or sharing with them. They lack coordination to do the drills at hand. My question to these adults is, what else are you stopping yourself from experiencing in life in the belief lack of coordination or know how. Is that really the reason, or are you afraid of what others may think of you if you make a mistake or look foolish in front of these people?

You see it all starts in childhood. You wear some thing that your parents don't like and they tell you so and so will see you. Do you want so and so to think this of you? I say tell so and so to go get lost and start living your own life and let out your spirit.

Start enjoying your life now. Stop caring what others may think of you and be happy. Don't be afraid to make mistakes and try some thing new. After all our reason for being here on this planet is to experience life. Why not go and get the best experience you can before it is too late and life comes to an end for you.
Martial art is a great way to learn to express your self and grow your confidence, as long as your martial art teacher fosters this approach of allowing you to be yourself (and some do not).

Start checking in with your self and taking inventory. Start questioning all the reasons why you have not enjoyed yourself or taken on new adventures in life. Why are you afraid? Question everything.

I can go deeper on this subject but your eyeballs will fall out with all the reading you would be doing. Come to class & I will be happy to talk with you and explain more.

Bring a troubled friend. Give them the gift of freedom of soul through martial training.

NOW -- Don't Worry - Be Happy! And Experience life!

Please write to me with any questions you may have. I want to wish you all a very healthy and happy thanks giving.

Respectfully yours
Guro Peter Freedman

Weare - Manchester NH Dojo (603)529-3564
E-mail, peter_freedman@comcast.net
Website, www.freedmansmethod.com

Fall odds and ends

2008-11-06T23:21:00.000-08:00

It’s been a month since I last blogged as a lot has been happening.

First I want to start with a brief memory of master Luther Secrease. It’s been a long time since I last visited Luther’s school, 1989 to be exact, and that was for an escrima seminar by Serrada master Sultan Uddin. Though he’d assisted grandmaster Angel Cabales many times over a number of years, this was Sultan’s first time on his own. Since I was local, Angel called and asked me to drop by in case Sultan needed any assistance, but when I got there, I could see he had things well in hand.

As for Luther’s funeral, it was memorable for a number of reasons. What everyone says about black churches is true; they do have the best music! The church band was a well-seasoned group of three keyboard players (acoustic and electric piano and organ), guitar, bass and drums, plus several professional singers showed up to perform gospel and soul, and a 15 year old kid who did a long jazz saxophone solo that would have made Roland Kirk proud.

In attendance was an all-star gathering of top martial artists from Northern California, including luminaries like grandmaster Byong Yu, Al Reyes, Al Colavito, Sam Montgomery (a champion fighter and former teammate of Luther’s) … the list could go on and on, as the overwhelming majority there shared Luther’s deep passion for the martial arts. Even the minister was a black belt student of Byong Yu!

Later at the graveside service, the minister made a special request for all the black belts to gather to one side. Reflecting how the military gives a 21 gun salute to fallen veterans, he said he’d like to start a new tradition amongst us martial artists, and so he had the black belts (at least 30 went to the cemetery) get into horse stances to give a 21 kiai salute, with a strong punch for each kiai. It was a moving send-off to one of the finest teachers and fighters the Bay Area has known, and I hope this does catch on as a tradition in the martial community, sending off our own in a style that can be appreciated.

Meanwhile, in the last blog I mentioned taking stock of my life and making some changes. With the weeklong hypnotherapy training session a time to be deeply reflective, and framed on either end by the deaths of two influential martial artists, I decided the time had come to act on idea that had been floating around for the past year, so I proposed to the woman to whom I’m now married! Things indeed happened rapidly once we agreed to seal the deal, and within a couple of weeks we held a small ceremony along the Bay Area shoreline at the spot where we first met. Everything fell into place, from old Kenpo compadre Bob Ernst doing the ceremony, to the unexpected appearance of Tom Meadows, my good friend from the U.S. team at the inaugural 1989 WEKAF championships, who just happened to be working nearby in Richmond for three days!

The only snafu was the engraved wedding rings we ordered from Ireland didn’t arrive. Apparently U.S. Customs decided they were a security risk and confiscated them, or so we think. The U.S. Post Office has been typically unhelpful. While the tracking number on the registered package tells us the rings arrived in the U.S. at 2:25pm on October 2, 2008, the post office says that the package can no longer be tracked with the number that provided that information. I was given a Customs number to call, which got a recording saying if I was calling because the Post Office had provided the number, that was a mistake because Customs doesn’t track individual packages it seizes, and a notice would be mailed to the sender in about 30 days (hasn’t happened yet). I contacted my congressman; I even emailed the White House. No rings arrived for our wedding, so we had to use others. Today I got a call from a postal customer service person who gave me a number to call to start a trace on international shipping. I called, and they said they couldn’t do a trace; it had to come from Ireland, where authorities there have already stated that since the package had arrived in the U.S., it was out of their jurisdiction. Aside from this bureaucratic comedy of national security proportions, things have been great.

On the escrima front, I was invited by master Darren Tibon to join a demo for halftime at a Golden State Warrior’s basketball game, but that has now apparently been pushed back to Filipino Culture Week in March. The occasion is the NBA is going to retire the jersey of the first Filipino who played in the NBA to their Hall of Fame. I believe this is Raymond Townsend, a UCLA point guard who was drafted in the second round in 1978 by the Warriors and who played for four years in the league.

I don’t mind this getting pushed back, as I have some young kids (9-14) whom I’d like to bring to the demo, and they can use the extra time to improve. I know Darren has invited some other groups to participate, to put on a strong performance, and I know how hard Darren’s guys train. Tonight I got a call from him that they actually broke one of my sticks! They’ve had it over a year; when Darren said he thought my sticks were unbreakable, I laughed and used my standard line, that the Titanic was supposed to be unsinkable. Still, I continued, how many rattan sticks do you think you would have destroyed instead of using this one? About 50 he replied. That sounds about right to me!

Closing notes: Here is an upcoming event on the blog calendar. In less than two weeks, on November 15, grandmaster Bobby Tabimina will be doing his last Balintawak seminar before returning home to the Philippines. I have tremendous respect for his abilities and style of escrima. If you can train with him, it’s a memorable experience, and a skill set that is a valuable contribution to anyone’s repertoire. This will again be in Hayward, California, and it must be pre-paid by November 11.

Finally, for those who can find it, the January 2009 edition of Inside Kung-Fu has an article by Chris Suboreau and Steve Magness on Sonny Umpad’s escrima system! It’s great to see how Sonny’s students are working to continue his legacy of Visayan Style Corto Kadena.

Autumn reflections

2008-10-02T21:34:00.000-07:00

First, a shout-out to Bob Sapp. I met Bob a couple of weeks ago in SoCal where we were both attending a weeklong training seminar (not martial art related)with Igor Ledochowski. I didn't know who he was, but just looking at him, I figured him for a pro football player, and he introduced himself as a former Minnesota Viking. There were some other martial artists attending this event, and the next day I floored one of them when I mentioned Bob's name. I had no idea Bob was the top K-1/MMA fighter in Japan. Bob's an interesting guy, very smart, very intense, who's into some deep concentrative meditation. Anyway, a belated happy birthday, big guy, and good luck on your journeys!

Since getting back home, things have been keeping me busy, mostly personal and family business. There was a Derobio Escrima seminar in Vallejo, hosted by Tasi Alo for his old friend Chris Siangco and his son Chaz, who came up from San Diego for the first seminar they've ever presented of this art, as they prefer to focus on developing committed students. It was a physically active and challenging event, compressing into a few hours what they consider months, if not years, of developmental training.

Meanwhile, there have been changes happening in martial arts world. Sifu Mark Gerry held a memorial party for grandmaster Sid Campbell, which was quite the all-star gathering, going late into the night. It was inspiring hearing people give testimonials for Sid, who did so much to help so many for so long.

There's a bittersweet post-script, though. Master Luther Secrease was there and I didn't get a chance to say hello. Sometime this past Sunday night or Monday morning he apparently passed away in his sleep at only age 58. Luther was a prominent TKD teacher, a former state champion tournament fighter and an outstanding member of the Bay Area martial arts community who officiated at many a tournament. I mostly knew him through my Kenpo teacher; both earned black belts in the 70's under Byong Yu, whose students had well-deserved reputations as fierce fighters.

These past few weeks I've heard so many people, and not just those connected the through martial arts community, talk of being present in the moment because we don't know what tomorrow brings. Change is in the air, as reflected in our economic turmoil and the upcoming election. It happens all the time, but time is an illusion, a construct of perception (a favorite topic of Bob Sapp) and there are times it seems to move faster. At such moments we become more aware of the impact of compressed events, such as these two losses coming so close together, which have left a huge void in the East Bay martial arts world.

As we move into the fall season I'm using this time to take stock and make some changes, mostly stopping to appreciate the good things happening in my corner of this world, and sharing some joy just being with those who are important to me. I hope you'll all do the same.

September Seminar Calendar

2008-08-26T20:53:00.000-07:00

There are two excellent seminars scheduled here in the San Francisco Bay Area for the third weekend in September. On Saturday the 20th Bobby Tabimina will be having another seminar in Hayward. If you remember my post from the earlier event, this is something that should be of value to anyone interested in extreme close-quarter combat.

The next day, Sunday the 21st, there will be a Pedoy/Derobio seminar in Vallejo. To my knowledge, this is a first for this style to be presented here in this area. My own experience with Derobio was a few years ago in Albuquerque with Dan Medina, one of Pedoy's top students, and it left me very impressed with the system. Many techniques in Derobio look like Serrada but are very different in application, flowing with the attack rather than blocking them. This is a very reasonably priced seminar (as is the Balintawak) so here's a chance to check out something special!

For anyone up in New England, Guro Peter Freedman has several events in New Hampshire, including a demo on Sept. 6, a cookout/multi-style teach-in on the 13th, and a law enforcement "surviving edged weapons" seminar on the 24th.

Check the calendar (right hand column) for details on these events!

Sid Campbell, RIP

2008-08-18T23:21:00.000-07:00

The martial arts community lost another giant tonight when Hanshi Sid Campbell, 10th Dan in Shorin-Ryu, passed away just before 8pm. Coincidentally and symbolically, this was both sunset and low tide here in the San Francisco Bay Area where he taught for over 40 years.

In 1966 Sid became the first person to open a Shorin-Ryu school on the mainland of the United States, under the auspices of his teacher, grandmaster Shugoro Nakazato. During his career he taught over 15,000 students, of which 850 attained black belt, but Sid’s influence extended far beyond his immediate students.

A prolific writer, he published over 50 books on martial arts, unveiling the techniques and history of many now well-known Asian weapons. The book he co-authored with Sonny Umpad, Balisong: The Lethal Art Of Filipino Knife Fighting, for instance, was one of the first and most comprehensive on that subject, and helped propel Sonny’s career. Most recently Sid co-authored three volumes (The Dragon and The Tiger, vols. 1&2, and Remembering The Master) about the relationship of Bruce and James Lee, whom he both knew, providing insights into the development of Jeet Kune Do and James’ lesser known but essential contributions to that art. Unfortunately there were two more volumes yet unfinished in Sid’s computer when he passed away.

Sid was not only a writer but an accomplished artist as well. He was one of only a handful of painters worldwide doing authentic depictions of warrior arts. A couple of years ago he produced a large art book, Warrior Arts and Weapons of Ancient Hawai'i, depicting scenes of Hawaiian village life and tribal warfare, based on his close connections with legacy holders of Hawaiian society. This book is now a text in cultural studies at the University of Hawaii. He also was working on a companion volume on the samurai, for which most of the artwork was done, again historically true to the heraldry and fighting tactics based on extensive knowledge and research.

Sid lived large. He loved going out for dinner and sharing a beer, yet somehow managed to pack more into a day than most people could dream. In addition to teaching, writing and painting, he was a promoter and producer, and was both a member and organizer of numerous organizations and martial arts halls of fame. With such a rich involvement in the arts, he was a great storyteller with a deep sense of humor.

I was privileged to briefly be in business with Sid, along with Bill Rodriguez and Jack Long, at "Pathways to the Orient", a multidisciplinary school in Oakland back in the early 90’s. Though the partnership didn’t last long, that was my introduction to him. It took a few years to reconnect but Sid was never one to hold a grudge. He had a huge heart and loved the arts, and that extended to anyone else who shared his passion. About two years ago there was a big roast for him in Alameda, a star-studded event with hundreds of martial art celebrities from around the globe. It was a night filled with humor and spiced with the love for this man felt throughout the community. It was an honor and privilege to be there as a fly on the wall, and of course Sid had the last laugh when we all left at the end of the evening to find fake tickets on all of our cars!

Three weeks ago I felt a strong urge to visit Sid. I knew he’d been fighting cancer for a couple of years, and I thought he’d get a lift from seeing the weapons I’ve been making. I barely recognized him when I saw him because he’d lost so much weight, but once he was settled in his chair at his desk, he lit up handling various swords and knives I’d brought for him to see. It was one of the few times he and I just sat and talked alone, and his warm encouragement and support will always be remembered.

Two nights ago I had a dream about being in a huge airport ticket lounge. I was in a line of people buying tickets to go to New Zealand. Everyone who got a ticket had a polaroid photo affixed to the wall, showing their place on the flight. One image there stood out, a large, full face. I didn’t understand who the dream was about when I awoke, but I knew it was a death dream as I’ve had these before. It wasn’t until I heard this afternoon that Sid had gone back into the hospital that I realized it was his face I’d seen in my dream, and I knew his time had come even before getting the call a couple of hours later.

It might not have been New Zealand, but that just meant somewhere far away across the waters. In my heart, I know Sid is in his beloved Hawai'i tonight.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The following is a list of Hanshi Sid Campbell's awards and achievements, courtesy of his close friend Sifu Mark Gerry:

Soke Sid Campbell has been a featured inclusion in virtually every martial arts magazine in the world. He has been chronically documented in dozens of Okinawan related text and historical books written by authors that specialize in martial arts publications. Among some of his most notable achievements include being awarded the Presidential Sports Award (by President Jimmy Carter) for instructing the armed forces, listed in Bob Wall's Who's Who in the Martial Arts, contributed to and listed in Who's Who in Karate, inducted into the Professional Black Belt Hall of Fame, registered in the Who's Who in the Martial Arts Elite, featured in The Men of Merit (International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England), seated on the Board of Advisors for Horizon Publications, dedicated inclusion in the Knights of Heaven Brotherhood of Martial Artists (volume 12), on the Board of Directors of the International Tao of The Fist Martial Arts Fraternity, profiled in Marquis Who's Who in the West, Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in Entertainment, Master Instructor (1993) World Martial Arts Hall of Fame, awarded the CRYSTAL AWARD (comparable to the OSCAR for Martial Arts) in the category of LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT, featured inclusion in Contemporary Authors (volume 116), National Advisor to the United States Defense Tactics Association, retired vice-president of the United States Shorin-Ryu Karate Association, Director of the Pathways to the Orient Sports Academy, past Secretary of the Northern California Referee's Association, featured in Who's Who of American Martial Arts and Martial Arts: Traditions, History and People, Consultant to John Corcoran's "The Martial Arts Source Book", featured inclusion in the World Head of Family Sokeship Council's The World Martial Arts Elite, a book of authorized Biographies, (First edition, 1999) and bestowed with the prestigious Golden Fist Award for Outstanding Okinawan Instructor.

Sid Campbell is also on the Martial Arts Network Advisory Board for Chop TV, a distinguished member of the Board of Advisors to the International Congress of Oriental Medicine and Martial Arts, Creative Director for TRAC Productions and Co-Founder of the Kobudo Warrior Gear equipment company. He is also Co-Founder of the Islands Holding Company as well as a recipient of the Golden Halo Award bestowed by the Southern California Motion Picture Council.

As a leading authority on traditional Okinawan and Japanese martial arts, Soke Sid Campbell has written over 50 books on various topics including: Ninja Shuriken Throwing, The Weapons of Okinawa, Shadows of Darkness; Secrets of the Night Fighter, Exotic Weapon's of the Ninja, Kobudo Weapon Fighting; Techniques, Tactics and Styles, Balisong; Lethal Filipino Knife Fighting, The Mercenary's Tactical Handbook, Kata; The Essence and Inner Meaning, Martial Arts Philosophy Made Easy, The Samurai Chronicles (Trilogy), Ancient Fighting Secrets of the Yin-yang, Weapons of Okinawa; A Devastating Kobudo Arsenal, Kobudo Weapon Fighting: Tactics, Techniques & Styles,Weapons of the Samurai. Bushiso Arts of War and numerous other titles. His short stories number over 200 and have been read by millions across the world.

Cinematically, Soke Sid Campbell has been involved with the martial arts motion picture industry for over 20 years. He has written motion picture scripts which include "China Bomb", "Falcon Claw", "Wingless", Bushwhackers". He has appeared as an actor in Ninja Busters, Weapons of Death, Death Machines and as of most recent, co-starred with legendary kung-fu master Eric Lee in The Master Demon, Martial Medicine with Dr. Zee Lo and Chasing the Dragon. He has choreographed over 600 action fight scenes that have been seen in various martial arts films.In 1997 he was nominated for inclusion in the prestigious World Head of Family Sokeship Council. He also serves as an Expert Witness on Federal criminal cases (www.Sidcampbell.net) involving weapons and other items of a martial nature involved in the commission of Federal and State crimes.

He has also been featured in numerous video instructional tape series including Super Nunchaku (beginner's course), Super Nunchaku (semi-advanced course), Super Nunchaku (advanced course), The Tonfa Police Baton, Boots, Buckles & Blades; Practical Street Fighting Secrets for the Urban Traveler, Fist Load Weaponry; Awesome Tools of Self-Defense and produced Eclectic Escrima for Self-Defense. Many of his literary works and video productions are presently being converted to CD-ROM. He also wrote, produced and is the host of "Just For Kicks", a cable formatted television program that features martial arts talent and guests. Shortly thereafter he was inducted into to MARTIAL ARTS GALLERY OF FAME. As of July 20th, 2002 Sid Campbell was inducted into the Martial Art Masters 2002 HALL of FAME in Newport Beach, California and on August 17th, 2002 he was awarded the LIVING LEGENDS AWARD for Martial Arts Historian at the Bob Wall Celebrity Roast in Burban, California. He is also of member of Worldblackbelt.com, an organization dedicated to the positive growth and unification of fellow martial artists worldwide. In 2002 he was elected as Vice-president of Oakland's Dimond Merchant's Association, the community of which he served and taught at his Honbu (headquarters) Shorin-Ryu Karate Studio.

He is also the CEO (Chief Executive Officer), along with Chairman of the Board Eric Lee, of LEGENDS of the MILLENNIUM Corporation. It is the first and only action-martial arts theme restaurant chain concept to be developed.

Real speed vs. effective speed

2008-08-05T03:16:00.000-07:00

It’s important to understand the distinction between real speed and effective speed. As I’m using the terms, real speed is how fast something actually is moving, while effective speed is efficient. In fighting, it has a lot to do with perception of motion.

A lot of people put a great deal of emphasis on real speed, but it isn’t always an effective approach because the amount of effort put forth can result in excess motion or wasted energy. One can often see a similar result in drag racing, where the losing car is going faster at the end than the winner. That’s because the winner had a smooth launch, getting up to speed quickly, whereas the loser might have used too much power at the start, creating spectacular wheel spin but resulting in an ineffective run that could not make up the time lost before the finish line.

I spent ten years getting beat to the punch by my Kenpo teacher. Finally, one day in frustration I said “Someday I’ll be as fast as you.” He just looked at me and said “That’s not the problem; you’re already faster than me!” That’s when I started to realize why he was such an effective fighter, on the mat, in tournaments, on the street. He initiated his movement so smoothly, by the time you recognized what was coming, it was too late to react effectively.

Often when fighters try too hard to be fast or powerful, they telegraph their movement. If a smooth start covers a quarter of the distance before an opponent sees it coming, that is a huge advantage because speed has already built up and so perhaps half the response time is gone.

There are a few ways to minimize telegraphic movement. Being relaxed is one, though one can be relaxed and still telegraph by looping movement to generate momentum. This is still akin to the guy who pulls back his fist to throw a punch. Of course one can use this to disguise an attack using the principle of equal-and-opposite reaction to throw the other hand. Kenpo is famous for such combination attacks, but that doesn’t address the problem of telegraphing an individual strike.

Spring-loaded forward pressure is a way to initiate movement in a direct line, helping overcome this habit. This requires good grounding and a sense of internal power because there has to be a base from which to project that forward movement. Sometimes I visualize the catapaults on aircraft carriers, which use hydraulic pressure to help launch planes off the deck in extremely short distances.

Spring-loaded pressure is a good tactic for closer ranges, but at longer ranges that smooth direct start will work wonders. After winning the grand championship at a major tournament, my Kenpo teacher got a lot of phone calls from other schools, wanting him to teach their black belts how he exploded out of his low stances with either hand or foot. He turned them all down, saying there was nothing to teach except hard work and practice. What they saw as explosive was the powerful end of his technique, because he closed the gap so cleanly his opponents never saw him come off the line.

Tabimina Balintawak seminar review

2008-07-13T13:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the opportunity to experience another outstanding escrimador, grandmaster Bobby Tabimina of Tabimina Balintawak, the last direct protege of founder Anciong Bacon. “Sir Bob”, as his students call him (and he often calls others “Sir ___” as well) is an example “par excellence” of a word I coined awhile back, “intentity”, combining intentionality and intensity.

An imposing presence, he paces back and forth with the restless energy of a tiger, making eye contact with everyone as he moves up and down the line. His teaching methodology is a provocative mixture, ranging from discourse on psychology to physiology while sprinkling in humor to engage his audience, but just as quickly as a summer cloudburst he can rachet up a fierceness that is undeniably impressive.

The core of this teaching is developing the reflexes to handle extreme close range combat. Defense is paramount to surviving, and once basic counters are understood, the training rapidly advances to random non-pattern based counter-for-counter feeds. As students’ reactions improve, the pace and intensity continually increase. This is one-on-one training, because these are skills that can only be “installed” (as he likes to say) under stress, so the skill and control of the instructor are vital components. This, too, is the reason they train with tapered rattan, because the lighter tip reduces impact for the strikes that inevitably occur.

This summer has opened fresh vistas for me, from Ron Lew’s stick lock-flow to Bobby Tabimina’s reflex training (interestingly, both Ron Lew and Bob Tabimina have trained with Cacoy Canete). Humbling though it’s been, there is a refreshing sense of renewal in encountering new puzzles to unlock. Bruce Lee described a punch as a question that asks if you know the answer. Well, the masters at the top of the FMA food chain, especially from the tried-and-true Visayan systems, aren’t just asking questions, they’re presenting curriculums for a PhD in combative science. I may have a long way to go to get there, but I know that the journey will never be boring!

Product endorsement from Modern Arnis!

2008-07-11T22:22:00.001-07:00

I recently had the opportunity to show some of my new training swords to a handful of grandmasters teaching a seminar at Ernesto Presas' facility here in the Bay Area, resulting in an endorsement of my products from Remy Presas Jr., who now has a pair of barongs for his class to use. He generously asked me to do a write up for his website, which you can read here. Salamat!

Controversy in the whip world

2008-07-06T01:08:00.000-07:00

Sparks are flying in the world of whips. Some guy is arguing that "the bullwhip is a miserably useless weapon", despite the historical research, cultural usage and contemporary martial practice. The whip blog has come back to life after a nearly two-year hiatus. Jump over to the Filipino Fighting Whip blog to read and follow the links to see for yourself what this is about.

Some online articles

2008-07-01T22:18:00.001-07:00

I just found three short articles from two instructors in Cebu that are worth taking a few minutes to read. The first two discuss the relationship between stick training and empty hands and how this is misunderstood by most martial artists, including many in the FMA.

The last article is about how Tagalog terms have become intertwined with systems from regions of the Philippines other than Luzon. The authors rightly (in my opinion) point out that this is a form of cultural cleansing not so different than under Spanish occupation, imposed by the cultural elite of Manila, and that slowly there is a return to recognizing the diversity of expression that exists in the Philippines.

This is not unlike the underlying premises in the book "Cebuano Eskrima", which attempts to correct cultural myths not just about the FMA but also how those pertain in certain ways to the broader political culture of the country.

Reflections on the ESKCOA Tournament

2008-06-29T04:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I attended the Eskrima Coalition tournament out in Stockton. I was there as a vendor, setting up a table for the first time at such an event.

For me there was a sense of amazement at being there, such as I haven’t felt in some time, because the culture of the Filipino martial arts is so strong in that place. I wonder if the younger generation has any awareness of the tradition that is being passed on to them? Probably not; as the saying goes, youth is wasted on the young. Whether they realize it or not, however, they are being mentored in ways beyond just the physical aspects of the art.

Here in this room were people whom I’ve known mostly through the media, in books and videos, guys who didn’t just train with the old manongs but who grew up in their shadows and were raised by them. What really brought the depth of this home to me, though, wasn’t just the presence of the big names, but discovering that the guy sitting next to me was someone who had trained in the art a decade or more before I ever found the door! In most places here in the West, FMA’s imprint is only as deep as the experience of one’s teacher, but at a gathering such as this in Stockton, the “home of FMA in America”, one feels the weight and presence of generations and the ghosts of many escrimadors who have created such a legacy.

There were three people there, however, whom I had never met, who put their stamp on the day for me. The first was Dentoy Revillar, creator of SLD, a system named in honor of his three teachers by using initial for their method of the art: Angel Cabales (Serrada); Leo Giron (Largo Mano); and Gilbert Tenio (De Cuerdas). Dentoy is one of Angel’s earliest students, captured on film with him in the famous footage from demo at the Long Beach Internationals over 30 years ago.

Though somehow I didn’t introduce myself to him, perhaps a bit in awe, he made an impression because of the speech he gave to the assembled contestants and spectators before the competition began, a talk combining practicality and wisdom of experience, exhorting the players to discover their boundaries in the competition so as to further their training beyond, and to the spectators, urging them to respect the experience of the officiating, and to imagine themselves from that perspective to understand the imperfections and limitations inherent in judging a sport. I could only nod in agreement as he hit these points, recognizing how well his words encapsulated both the highs and lows of competition, but presented with a positive and inspiring authority.

The second person on my list was Art Miraflor, whose association goes by the name “Knights of Eskrima”. Like many of the older practitioners in Stockton, he garnered experience through several of the old manongs who brought forth the art. He and I talked for perhaps half an hour or so, a conversation that ranged from his blend of Serrada and De Fondo to the evolution of point fighting eskrima rules to common experiences we’ve both had as pioneers in the evolution of modern gear for the sport and training. At its roots, the FMA is grounded in people who have worked with their hands, and Art was the first of several whom I met yesterday who have made a living in industrial environments. Though I’ve covered similar ground relative to the products I make, it was a lot of fun hearing how his experimentations in materials mirror mine. I especially got a kick out of his description of FMA competition as one of the most modern sports, because it has improvised by borrowing gear from so many other sources. I look forward to seeing how his next generation of padded sticks works out, as there is always room to improve on these.

The third person on my list is Brady Brazil, whose name is closely associated with Rene Latosa. Though Brady has a fierce reputation, I found him an entertaining and thoughtful conversationalist, willing to both listen and share his unique history as a Filipino growing up in the Bay Area, exposed not only to FMA but to the elders of Chinatown as well. Brady is an historian, particularly regarding martial history, and he had a vendor table that drew me with its antique swords. He generously allowed me to take pictures of a couple that particularly drew me, such as the old-style Chinese butterfly sword, which is much leaner and more agile than the broad ones typical now, and I ended up purchasing a talibong from him (which I've now copied for training), a wicked-looking S-curved short sword. This is the first acquisition I’ve made in a few years, reflecting how picky I am and how few truly interesting pieces I come across, or at least that I can afford!

Interestingly, this piece is 23 inches long, shorter than the newer ones I’ve seen in pictures. This reinforces my impression of many older weapons, that they were designed primarily for close-quarter combat. Though it isn’t a light piece, it has a nice balance to it. Evidently whoever brought it back from the Philippines dulled the edge and had it chromed and polished, making it more of a showpiece for practice and an artifact for display. Nevertheless, it has the feel of a real tool, unlike many fantasy knock-offs that flood the pages of so-called weapon catalogs. This is one I intend to copy for my growing collection of training swords, and I look forward to discovering the qualities of this design.

As for the tournament itself, it was well-attended by participants and spectators, and the presence of over half a dozen vendor tables attested, as Art Miraflor pointed out, to the growing viability of FMA as a cultural sport. Besides Brady Brazil’s antiques, there were at least three tables selling T-shirts, and one other vendor who makes sticks and knives.

I don’t know how well anyone else did, but my assistants and I didn’t notice a lot of money changing hands most of the day. This wasn’t unanticipated, especially in this current economy, and as a friend pointed out many years ago on a visit there, Stockton has the air of a place where money is hard earned. Still, I was pleased with the attention my own products received. Though for most of the day I joked that I’d sold one stick, things got brisk as I was packing up (especially my rebar keychains) so the trip certainly paid for gas, dinner for the crew and such.

More importantly, from the perspective of what I’m doing these days, I was gratified with the attention and feedback I got for my swords, validating my feeling that these are a unique and valuable addition to the training weapons available for the art, as well as being aesthetically pleasing. The barongs in particular seem to strike a chord with many senior instructors. Vincent Cabales left with one, and I’ve just completed a slightly larger pair for Remy Presas Jr. Carlito Bonjoc’s suggestion many months ago was an inspiration to design these, and he seemed quite pleased with the results.

The other pieces that caught a lot of eyes were the knives I modified from one designed by Sonny Umpad. These had the unexpected result of a warm conversation with an old student of his who now lives in Sacramento.

As much as I enjoy the results of my labor, the greater pleasure is seeing them put to good use and knowing they help further the legacy of the arts.

Little Manila: Filipinos in California's Heartland

2008-06-26T21:34:00.000-07:00

I just caught Little Manila: Filipinos in California's Heartland tonight, a half hour program on public television. Focusing on Stockton, it covers the immigrant Filipino experience from the early 20th century through the farm labor movement of the 1960's (the United Farm Workers Union would not have existed without Filipino activism).

"In its heyday in the 30s, the lively area of Little Manila in Stockton had the largest population of Filipinos outside of the Philippines. Narrated by famed Filipino-American producer Dean Devlin this documentary tells the immigrant story as Filipinos experienced it."

This webpage includes photos, preview and a transcript of the show. If you want a DVD, you can order it here for $14.95. It's history worth watching!

Sonny Umpad's Birthday

2008-06-26T07:22:00.000-07:00

Today is the birthday of the late maestro Sonny Umpad, creator of Visayan Style Corto Kadena Eskrima. Students are invited to drop by the old place to share memories. There will be a gathering for dinner in Alameda around 5:30 this afternoon.

Indiana Jones' whipmaster

2008-06-21T00:38:00.000-07:00

I received an email from Anthony de Longis this evening. He's a Hollywood weapons master who's worked behind the scenes training actors to use the whip on films such as "Batman Returns", "The Rundown" and "The Legend of Zorro". He also appeared in his own right as the swordsman facing Jet Li in the opening of Fearless, so you probably have seen him in action.

Anthony studied FMA with Dan Inosanto, and he is a friend of Tom Meadows, connecting us through the Latigo y Daga Association. In the past he sent write-ups to post on the Filipino Fighting Whip blog, which has long been linked on the sidebar of this one. Unfortunately that blog became inactive, and at the moment I cannot access it to submit a new post, so by default I'm forwarding his information here.

Anthony recently worked with Harrison Ford on "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and he did an extensive write-up for Indy Gear, so click this link and get an inside look at the whip training for this new movie.

Harrison Ford on Good Morning America (with a cameo by Anthony)
Anthony and Mary on Good Morning America
Anthony at the ranch for French tv (long: whips, swords, lances, horses, tomahawks)

Zero Tolerance = Zero Intelligence

2008-06-19T23:20:00.000-07:00

If you are an FMA practitioner, the current climate of political correctness about weapons and self-defense should concern you. We've seen attempts to legislate martial arts, bans on knives are gaining in many locales (Britain is leading the crackdown) and this article about a 10 year old elementary school boy suspended for having an empty brass shell casing (from a blank, no less) used in a Memorial Day celebration and given to him by a uniformed veteran, shows the hysteric phobia about even harmless artifacts that are associated with weapons.

Tony Jaa is back in Ong Bak 2!

2008-06-19T22:25:00.000-07:00

Tony Jaa is back in Ong Bak 2, his directorial debut, combining Kung-fu and Samurai arts with Muay Thai! Read about it here and watch the trailer!

Stories about Tatang

2008-06-18T17:54:00.000-07:00

I came across a blog that has some stories about Tatang Illustrisimo, and some related comments from people who've experienced Tondo. There's some other stuff at the beginning about space exploration and John McCain, but ignore that. For FMA practitioners, the descriptions of Tondo are graphically descriptive insights into the kind of lives led by many of the old manongs.

Hacking away at the truth

2008-06-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

One would like to think of martial artists as noble warriors, upholders of honesty and truthfulness. Unfortunately there are as many scoundrels as white knights in the arts, people who are attracted to power to feed their egos. Now it may be a matter of perspective, that a person can do something unethical because they think it’s justified, but the credo of “the end justifies the means” has long been discredited as merely giving oneself permission to do evil.

Now what I’m writing about is pretty petty stuff, but still, annoying at best, and disturbing on a deeper level when suspicion falls on those whom one knows personally and would hope to respect. So what is it that happened?

For starters, one of my favorite personally made training knives came up missing this week. It’s something that was in my bag and now it’s not. I’ve been showing my sticks and blades at classes and seminars lately. To the person who took it, may it give you no pleasure, remaining a hidden symbol of your greed.

While I might have just written it off as an “accident” (and funny how most such “accidents” always seem to happen amongst "friends"), it just happens to coincide with the calendar attached to this blog being hacked sometime this same past week. A July 12 posting for a USFMAF clinic in Hayward for tournament officials and competitors “disappeared”. When I logged in to the administration area, I found an unknown user ID and password. Either the person who hacked in didn’t care to erase their tracks, or left these behind so they could do more mischief in the future.

There are folks I’ve seen lately who have their issues with USFMAF president Darren Tibon. Could one of them be behind this? The missing post seems too specific, too targetted, to be some random transient glitch. I’ve always tried to be neutral by having open lines of communication. That doesn’t mean always being in agreement with anyone, but being respectful when disagreements do arise, giving respect for what is respectful, and moving on when it isn’t reciprocated. Life is too precious to waste tilting at windmills. Sometimes this makes me a messenger, and messages are not always well-received. If that makes one partisan, it only reflects bias elsewhere.

So to you, “Sinbad”, whomever you are (and I do recall someone who has used that ID), yes, you know what you did was indeed a sin, and bad in that it merely demonstrates the cowardice of hiding behind the anonymity of the internet. And since you opted to use a “magical” password, whether consciously or not, that tells me you believe in things that cannot be seen, in which case you know the door has been left open for the law of karma to pay you back accordingly. Arbadacarba to you too!

Recent Grandmaster Seminars

2008-06-15T12:09:00.000-07:00

June really kicked off in the San Francisco Bay Area with successive weekends featuring FMA grandmasters doing seminars. The weekend of June 7 saw a gathering of talent at Eddie Solis’ school in Richmond, hosted by Modern Arnis GM Remy Presas Jr. Also on the bill were Max Pallen, Alfredo Bandalan and Vincent Cabales. I dropped by on Saturday morning to pay my respects and say hello to old acquaintances, but due to a scheduling conflict had to leave around noon, during which time I only was able to observe Max Pallen on the floor. This was billed as a two-day seminar, so I went back the next day only to find the place was closed and empty. I’d suspected this might happen, as that was a lot of high-powered talent to assemble in one place for a small event and several had to travel quite a distance to attend. Still, it was unfortunate, and there was no sign or notice posted to explain why. I doubt I was the only one caught off-guard as I’ve heard from one or two others that they’d planned to make it to the second day.

Yesterday was a seminar with GM Cacoy Canete at GM Ron Lew’s Tiger Eye Claw School in San Jose, which was well attended by Doce Pares students from several locations. It was amazing to see Cacoy in action again; here’s a guy who will be 89 on August 8 (birthday bash down south in Van Nuys) who is still traveling and teaching actively! The morning session consisted of double stick drills. Cacoy, seated, would show the drill to Ron Lew, who would then repeat the drill with his assistant for the class to follow. This was a fun format, based on adding the number of strikes with each drill. When I got there the class was doing a six-count, then seven, eight, up to 12. The patterns were similar but not exact repeats because they each had to end in the same position.

After the lunch break Cacoy delved more into tactical aspects of his art, explaining the differences between linear and curved strikes and why his style evolved to use more of the latter, as they are harder to block. He demonstrated a simple pattern combining both curved and linear strikes to the opponent’s left and right sides, showing both high and medium height applications. The latter part of his seminar was disarming, and he showed multiple variations using both Ron Lew and GM Anthony Kleeman, who arrived during the lunch break from L.A., as demonstration partners. The crowd got a kick out of seeing the old grandmaster effortlessly applying his techniques to Anthony, who is twice his size!

One of the highlights of this seminar took place in the overflow room, as the more experienced attendees filtered in to watch Ron Lew demonstrate joint-lock flow with sticks with some of his senior students and associates. Ron is amazingly adept at this form of hubad-lubod, defined in “Cebuano Eskrima: Beyond the Myth” (pg. 53) as “a manual interactive drill in eskrima where two training partners practice trapping and freeing from traps or any routine manual drill.” The speed at which Ron and his partners work is phenomenal, looking more like empty hand Wing Chun chi sao than typical impact-based stick fighting. Their skill is based on the ability to sense and reverse out of traps, often changing grips to exert maximum leverage resulting in throws.

Ron slowed down the action so everyone could see how this was performed, explaining his principle of finding nodes of contact. Every lock is based on the pressure that can be applied at such points, and the more nodes in a lock, the more potential to exploit leverage. For instance, a simple arm-bar might have three points: a wristlock, the stick across the opponent’s arm, and the tip locked against the chest. A more complex figure-4 armlock with a stick might have five or six points, such as: the hand holding the opponent’s wrist; the arm under the opponent’s tricep and the forearm against opponent’s forearm; the punyo (butt) of the stick locking in the opponent’s wrist; the end of the stick across the neck or under the jaw; and perhaps (though not necessary) a foot trap or leg immobilization.

Ron explained that this is learned by going slowly to be able to analyze what is happening at each point of the interaction, allowing both practitioners to see not only the advantage of each position but also the ways these can be reversed and countered. This is similar to how my old Tai Chi teacher, John Wong, would teach interactive technique. It is a common error for people to want to go too fast too quickly, which may allow them to overpower their training partner, but the key to developing skill is in deeper understanding, and that means taking time to see and feel things that are missed at higher speeds.

Cacoy Canete demonstrating disarms on Anthony Kleeman

The Tao of Peace - now published!

2008-06-09T16:15:00.000-07:00

Today I received a copy of a new book, The Tao of Peace, by my old friend and training partner of many years, Marc Sabin, a gifted Taijiquan teacher now living in New York. This is a book born out of the ashes of 9/11, which Marc experienced as a resident of lower Manhattan. He began writing a series of insightful and poignant letters from NYC to friends around the country, which I eventually posted for him on my website. These were soon followed by the original manuscript for this book. After it got shelved by a publisher Marc went on to other projects, but I never forgot about it, and finally through the power of the internet it came to fruition and can be purchased at Lulu.com. It is a beautiful and meditative book, based in years of practical martial art experience. It's the second book to which I've been godfather this year, and one I'm especially proud to have been a part of along the way.

... and while we're on the subject of books, I'd also like to recommend "ASIAN MIND-BODY TECHNIQUES REVEALED:Secrets For Reducing Stress And Improving Health" by Harve Kurland, also from Lulu.com. Harve is a long-time Tai Chi Chuan teacher, exercise physiologist and college teacher and has also produced "Symmetrical Yang Style T'ai-Chi Ch'üan Volume One and Volume Two" DVDs, available through Amazon.com.

Serrada demo video

2008-06-05T02:18:00.000-07:00

This is a video of a demo by Frank Lile and Chez Tibon of the Angels Disciples club, posted recently on YouTube. I've always thought these guys do a great job highlighting the art of Serrada Escrima; note the ranging to get inside with the daga against the long stick. This was a hot day (over 100º) and an even hotter performance by maestro Darren Tibon's team!

More NorCal FMA events coming

2008-05-14T14:36:00.000-07:00

Wow, lots of events suddenly pouring into my mailbox, so check the calendar for details.

New entries:

June 14 - GM Cacoy Canete seminar
June 28 - Eskrima Coalition Tournament
July 12 - Mata Sa Bagyo Potluck Picnic

Update 5/24:
I just learned that Kelly Worden will not be at the Presas seminar on June 7-8. The current lineup will be Remy Presas Jr. with Alfredo Bandolan, Vincent Cabales and Max Pallen. Check www.modernarnis.com for further information.

Conflict or Competition?

2008-05-12T10:46:00.000-07:00

2008 has started off with a number of interesting events for FMA practitioners here in northern California. That’s the good news. The bad news is how little support these seem to be getting.

Sometimes such events are scheduled in direct conflict with each other. For example, April 20th saw both the Golden Gate Internationals tournament in Santa Clara and the Disney qualifier tournament in Stockton, California. Both were worthy of consideration, either as a competitor or spectator. While the two events were perhaps 80 miles apart, the number of regional FMA competitors is not so great as to fill divisions in both at the same time.

Smaller turnouts dilute competition. This robs fighters of the opportunity to gain experience through more rounds of competition. Spectators have fewer chances to watch and evaluate performers, while less skilled players can advance when a greater benefit would be the opportunity to test against and learn from those more skilled, thus elevating their own experience in the art.

This is even more apparent to me when watching forms. At mixed tournaments, where there are rings side-by-side for various arts, I see few FMA participants who match the speed and precision of many karate performers. Weapons are our specialty, so why do karate or TKD students regularly turn in more spectacular performances? Experience is a big key, and many of these schools are geared towards competition. They go to more events throughout the year and often have more participants in their events, creating more potential for quality performers to emerge.

Currently there are several other upcoming events, some of which also conflicts with each other. Remy Presas Jr. and Kelly Worden have a seminar in San Pablo, while an FMA tournament is being held in conjunction with the Pista Sa Nayon Festival in Vallejo, about 10 miles away. Frankly, if I were promoting the seminar, I’d try to reschedule for the following weekend, and hand out fliers at the Festival, which anticipates a turnout of about 25,000!

I know from experience it can be hard to line everything up perfectly. Sometimes the date is hard to set, other times venues aren’t available. Still, in any field those at the top are a pretty small circle, and the FMA is not a large community. It would be great if local leaders could work together more progressively to avoid these conflicts, as well as encouraging their students to participate and support outside events.

Perhaps part of the problem is the nature of martial arts. We train for conflict, not cooperation, and this fosters divisions between groups when the larger picture is that we’re all on similar paths. Imagine if classes regularly had 20+ students, or how it would feel to walk into a tournament and see 50 fighters in a division? The energy would be tremendous!

By the way, I just received a notice this morning for another event, a Saturday seminar and Sunday tournament, to be held this coming weekend in San Francisco, which I’ve placed on the calendar. It isn’t a cheap event, and five days is pretty short notice for people to put on their schedules. Coming on the heels of these other recent events, I wish a lot of luck to the promoters!

Events coming up very soon!

2008-04-14T13:37:00.001-07:00

Apologies for the lateness of these notices, but I’ve been preoccupied with family matters these past few months. Here are some events that are coming up rapidly.

Max Pallen is hosting the Golden Gate Internationals on April 18-20th in Santa Clara. On Saturday the 19th this will include an FMA stick fighting division.

Those who are really dedicated can use this to tune up for the big Stockton tournament the next day, Sunday, April 20th. This is a USFMAF Disney qualifier at Delta College in Stockton. For the FMA community in California and the West, the Stockton tournament should be an A-list event.

Stockton and the surrounding central California region is still the per-capita hotbed of Filipino martial arts in the U.S., so the number and skill level of participants will be among the best anywhere. The same should be evident in the corps of certified officials that has been developed through clinics held throughout the past year.

There will be a wide variety of events to choose from, including: knife division sparring; padded point single stick sparring; point live single stick sparring; continuous live stick sparring; and padded continuous single stick sparring. These are formats designed to highlight the unique qualities of the FMA, developed by practitioners with many years of experience competing and running FMA tournaments.

This is a qualifier for the elite international Disney Martial Arts Festival, so participants will have a chance to compete for a spot in one of the top FMA competitions anywhere in the world!

Finally, there will be a number of grandmasters in attendance to receive lifetime achievement awards, including Dionisio Canete, Ramiro Estalilla, Alfredo Bandolan, Steven Dowd and others.

Whether you come to compete or just watch and mingle, Stockton tournaments always have a lot of energy. This is an event that should not be missed!

Dan Donzella Silat Seminar Review

2008-04-14T13:37:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday Sifu Dan Donzella gave an excellent presentation of Silat, covering basic principles for both standing and ground fighting. Dan was quick to emphasize the importance of understanding principles rather than just learning techniques, pointing out that in a real confrontation, we’ll never think “do technique #17”, but if we understand principles we will flow according to the situation as it evolves. This is an approach I wholeheartedly endorse, and it was a treat to be on the receiving end of his approach.

Having been in the martial arts a long time, I’ve seen a lot of stuff, which kind of flattens the learning curve. I consider it a good day if I come away from an event with one good bit of information. That being the case, Sifu Donzella’s seminar was a banquet. The three hours passed too quickly but was long enough, as everyone seemed saturated by the end. Whether novice or experienced Silat practitioner (there were a couple), Dan presented information in the most simple and effective manner, with impressive results.

Here are a few things I took away from this seminar, some of which I’m only starting to fully recognize as they soak in:

Triangles. FMA is famous for geometrical imagery, but Silat is similarly scientific in its analysis. The FMA typically use triangles to denote footwork and angles of defense with weaponry, while Silat seems to place a greater emphasis on empty hands and body control. One of the first things Dan showed was how Silat looks for natural triangles of the body as points of entry to attack and control. Basically this means bisecting joints. While many technical elements were familiar, seeing a new way to frame entries simplified and connected attacks to different body parts in a highly effective manner. Right then and there I knew the day had been worth it, even if I learned nothing else, though of course I would.

During the latter part of the seminar, when he was covering Harimau, Dan used triangles to define his space going to the ground, his opponent’s space going to the ground, and the importance of controlling both triangles. This then transitioned again to those body triangles to overwhelm, control and destroy the opponent.

Dan expressed repeatedly this principle of self-defense, which is maximum damage with minimum risk or effort. Self-defense isn’t fighting, as in squaring off to duel, but a means to an end, which is to go home intact. Thus his art is efficiently structured so even a small fighter can quickly destroy a larger, stronger opponent before those attributes of size and strength become factors in the outcome.

One of the key principles is taking the opponent’s balance. As Dan put it, a punch may miss but the ground never does. (An old Aikido teacher described throwing to me as “hitting the guy with an 8,000 mile thick punch!) Through the concept of triangles, the opponent is already assumed to have compromised balance. The Silat practitioner simply moves through the opponent to utilize that imbalance. Leg or foot traps, simple pressure points and redirection of momentum all conspire with gravity to put the opponent at severe disadvantage, whether one puts him down or chooses to leave him a standing target.

Another key covered was the Silat principle of dividing the body into zones. FMA generally goes by variations of high/medium/low and left/right. Dan’s style of Silat breaks the body alignment by centerline, plus 1/4 lines and 1/3 lines, defining both points of attack and attacking weaponry, particularly useful for finding pressure points that control balance such as in the shoulder and hip.

Hand positions contain important details, and Dan gave perhaps the best functional breakdown of a common Chinese martial art hand position I’ve ever encountered, the classic index finger extended palm (what my Kenpo teacher called kue-soh). With the thumb open, it has the elements of the Serrada C-hand, and the index finger, supported by the bent middle, allows for pressure point jabs. Many martial arts recognize the extended index finger as pointing or directing energy of the technique. The middle, ring and little fingers are bent together, allowing powerful claws, grabs and twists.

Lest it seem like this is too much a finesse system, one of the most impressive aspects was the generation of whipping force in all Sifu Donzella’s strikes. I’m a proponent of relaxed power too, but I’ve rarely encountered anyone who generates whipping energy with such abandon. Even with controlled power at demonstration levels, Dan’s strikes crackled with explosive power not unlike a bullwhip. Whipping blows to the spleen, liver, bladder, carotid and femoral arteries, for example, are designed to create shock in conjunction with entries that unbalance the opponent,

Whereas FMA often attack sequentially, such as the famous parry/check/strike patterns, Silat seems to favor more simultaneous defense/offense. This is not to say one is necessarily more effective than the other, and each can be explosive. There certainly are many similarities between versions of these related arts. A difference in timing might be in milliseconds, but it just feels to me that the Silat approach is to overwhelm right from the entry on multiple levels (hand, foot, balance), making it extremely difficult to counter. There is no retreat, just attack. All this (timing, tactics, power) confirmed my initial impression of Dan when we met in the parking lot, that he looked like someone I would not want to fight!

A special thanks to Reginald Burford and his Oakland Eskrima Club for a solid turnout for this event, to Maija Soderholm for helping arrange the use of the Suigetsukan Dojo, to Bernie Langan for sharing his insights during the class, and to the guest who drove down from Oregon, a true commitment to the art.

Now, a small rant at the end! It still surprises me how many people do not take advantage of events like this, especially when they are priced low enough for most to afford. As martial artists we should always be curious because we don’t know what an opponent may know. We should want to be able recognize their skills and how to counter them. Some things we may see often, such as in movies, on TV, or even just watching a class through a dojo window. Other things are more subtle or rare. This does not mean less effective, it might just mean it’s been kept more secret, or it’s too scary for most people to try. Those are precisely the things that give practitioners an edge and are precisely what add breadth to our experience, not just more of the familiar.
There were a dozen people at this event, a nice size for the dojo and a single instructor, but considering how many folks were informed or expressed interest, it’s too bad more didn’t avail themselves of this opportunity. There’s a chance Sifu Donzella will be back later this year, so perhaps more folks can make it then.

Condolences to GM Anthony Davis

2008-04-14T09:10:00.000-07:00

Gentlemen,
It is with sadness and regret I greet you today. After recently losing his father several months ago, GM Anthony Davis has lost his mother just days ago. The following is an obit, he wished passed on to our brothers within the FMA.

Please continue to pass this information along thru your resources.

Regards,

Guro Mike Schwarz

Rebecca Watt Davis was born on July 6, 1933, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. 'Becky' as she was fondly called by the many that loved, respected, and adored her, passed away into heavenly glory on April 9, 2008. Although Rebecca Watt Davis had battled with a long series of illnesses for many years, she never lost her pioneering spirit. Rebecca Watt Davis was married to her recently deceased husband retired Air Force Staff/Sergeant Harold Davis Sr. for (56) years. In a nutshell, Rebecca lived on after her husband's death primarily for her children.

Mrs. Davis was an outstanding example of a genuine soldier of the Lord. One of the very first members of St. Stephen Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, she helped to build up, establish, and recruit new members of the very first choir of the church. In 1993, Mrs. Davis survived a very severe brain tumor operation. The doctor's said after her operation she would not survive very much longer; but the great Lord on high had other plans for her, as she went on to live for another glorious sixteen years.

It is impossible to describe in words how many hearts Rebecca Watt Davis touched, as there are just too many to count. Everyone that knew 'Becky' will tell you that she always greeted you with a warm welcome, and with a warm smile. Dependable, talkative, a good dancer, a devoted wife and mother, and a loyal friend, one of her favorite spiritual songs were "Keep your eye's on the sparrow"

In the early seventies after her husbands retirement from the Air Force, 'Becky' worked for former Fairfield Mayor Campos for many years. 'Becky' took great pride in her home, and she could always be found redecorating something. As a studious student of life, she passed this special gift over to all of her children. As a former military wife, Rebecca Watt Davis travelled to various historical countries such as, Germany, England, and throughout various parts of the United States.

Mrs. Rebecca Watt was preceded in death by her mother and father; Mr. Phillip Watt, and Mrs. Ella J. Watt; husband; Harold Davis Sr., brothers; Phillip Watt, John Watt, sisters; Elizebeth Scott, Ethel Watt, Mary Lloyd,Cherry Wilkinson, and last surviving brother Charlse Watt.

Mrs. Rebecca Watt Davis leaves behind to mourn, and to celebrate her passing; Harold J. Davis, Gerald G. Davis, Anthony M. Davis, Angela Davis/Ross, Lamont M. Davis, several grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

Often imitated, but never will Rebecca Watt Davis be duplicated; because when the Great God up above created 'Becky' he definitely broke the mold. A "Queen of Queens" Mrs. Rebecca Watt Davis will forever be affectionately remembered, for she will always stay deeply rooted within numerous hearts and minds.

Silat Seminar in Oakland - Sumatran Harimau

2008-03-01T09:12:00.000-08:00

Sifu Donzella began his martial arts training in 1973 studying the Chinese/Indonesian art of Chuan-fa /Tjimande under the Liu Seong family name. The system was founded by Great Grand Master Willem Reeders. At the age of 4, GGM Reeders began his training in the Chinese arts under his great uncle Leong Liu Seong, and later under many silat teachers as well as Nes de Vries of the Serak system. With a Chinese Indonesian base, Sifu Dan Donzella expanded his knowledge in these arts over the years as well as adding Arnis , the Filipino arts.

Sifu Donzella will be teaching Sumatran Harimau, (tiger ground fighting). Use of levers is well known in Pentjak Silat to over power your opponent with little effort.

Saturday April 12, 2-5pm
Location- SUIGETSUKAN DOJO 103 INTERNATIONAL BLVD. OAKLAND, CA.
(510) 452-3941 $20. advance $25. Door (cash only please)

Contact info- Jeff “Stickman” Finder

stickman@stickman-escrima.com (510) 222-0332

Deepening Belief

2008-02-25T08:43:00.000-08:00

My mother's funeral was last Sunday. She had a full life, traveling around the world, meeting interesting people, and she was alert right up to the end of her 96-1/2 years. When she finally went, it was about as quickly and peacefully as possible, with a close friend at her side. I consider that a blessing, and just the flow of life.

So I'm ok, keeping busy with family affairs. I wouldn't find much time to train these days, except I tend to see everything as a chance to be aware. Whether sparring, driving a car or inhaling the smell of food before eating and taking time to savor each bite, I try to remember to check in to the moment. How am I doing emotionally? Are there physical manifestations I can adjust? I take a breath and let it go, and let my senses go out to the environment …

Last night I took my teenager out to dinner. Grandma's death has been a profound experience, and so this was a teachable moment. I got to talking about quantum physics, whether something is a particle or a wave (it's both) and the concept of the field. I was describing how at the quantum level, the presence of the observer in and of itself affects the experiment (the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle), which means that thought are things (like the old sacred dudes taught, I said) and so with focus and intent, we can affect our surroundings. No accident I was steered to martial arts by some pretty attuned people.

I'm explaining how the ability to be centered creates a calmer environment around oneself to which people intuitively respond favorably. I used to be more high-strung, so the shifts in reactions at this stage of life are really cool. Anyway, we've just got our drinks (coke for her, Negro Modelo for me) and I'm saying fish don't notice the medium they swim in - and neither do we, which I can see has caught her attention. I stare into my beer and inhale its fragrance; I rhapsodize how perfect it is in that moment and she tries to hide a smile …

Suddenly a baby starts crying nearby. My kid is annoyed, and I just toss off a comment about no, don't just let things affect you, you affect it; send a cool vibe like your thought is a thing and it impacts the field accordingly. Then I stopped talking and just settled myself with a deep breath, and in a moment or two the room was quiet and peaceful! I love synchronicity, the idea that the universe supports one’s premise.

Would the room have settled so quickly if I had not been in that space? I choose to trust the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle to validate the possibility. The lesson for me these days is how belief makes energy work. Belief is not thought, though thought can be a part of it. Belief is simply certainty, as real to the body as to the mind.

It seems basic, but even on the physical level we’re directing energy to do anything. You think you can, you can. You think you can't; you get that too. We make choices. Martial arts taught me focus and concentration. Meditation is awareness. It's something I try to apply to everything, in every moment. That is a gift I take from my mother’s death, a deepening realization that each moment is precious, and taking the time to acknowledge more of life. The more I practice remembering to do this, the easier it seems to become.

Here is an interesting blog on psychic phenomena and martial arts.

Doing Simple Things

2008-02-24T12:42:00.000-08:00

I’ve always placed a lot of emphasis on doing simple things in my martial art practice. It comes from my Kenpo teacher, Al Thomas, who taught that complicated techniques were nothing more than longer combinations of simple things. Master those elements, and the whole comes together better.

As beginners all we can see is the gross form of something, and we need to create a structure within which to work. As we develop and acquire breadth, though, there are fewer and fewer new structures to build. Rather we develop depth through developing control of smaller details, polishing what we have.

Consequently, my job as taskmaster is to insist students go back and figure out what I showed them to prove they understood the concept. Sometimes I’ll scold them by saying “You’re paying me for my knowledge, so why aren’t you paying attention?!”

It gets frustrating at times, as a teacher, to see that other people don’t grasp this. Sometimes I show a very specific move I want practiced, then I’ll turn my back for even just a few seconds, and when I look back guys are already experimenting with variations or even completely different moves.

Recently I thought of this analogy, that a technique is like a car’s engine. There can be a lot of moving parts, but if only one of them screws up, the whole thing might fail. Things like precision and accuracy in timing and motion get honed by conscious repetition, paying attention to consistent efficiency. The payoff can mean success under stress.

A personal example of that comes from my old Kenpo days. I was a brown belt, sparring against a green belt named Eric to help him prepare for a tournament. Eric was about 6’1” tall, 220 lbs, a deep chested physically fit lineman for a utility company who won trophies as a black belt in point and semi-contact competition. I was his tune-up, but facing him I felt like more like tuna.

On our first face-off, I beat him with a quick and unexpected jab. He looked like he expected to box and I caught him by surprise, a lucky shot. The next point was more of a setup, faking him and then catching him with a backfist on the reverse.

Now Eric was angry. As we squared off I could see the flames in his eyes and thought “this is it; what will I do?” I swear I remember thinking of the old story of the monk who offended a samurai.

Not wanting to dishonor his sword by simply killing the man outright, the samurai told the monk he had three days to prepare for a duel. The poor monk, distraught, sought out a local fencing master who took one look at the monk’s lack of skill and said “Just hold your sword over your head like so, close your eyes, and when you feel “coolness”, strike!”

All the monk did for those three days was practice standing and meditating on feeling coolness. When the time came for the duel, the two faced off and the monk did as he had been instructed, expecting to die at any second. A few moments ticked off, then a few more, and finally he opened his eyes to see the samurai bow to him and say “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were a master!” and then stride away. By concentrating so fully, the monk (or a tea master in some versions) attained a state of grace which was impenetrable, and the samurai recognized the power of such commitment to a single moment.

Well, Eric was not about to stride away, but my commitment to the next moment was absolute. As soon as our teacher shouted “Hajime!” and Eric started forward, I through the straightest, strongest, most single-minded right punch of my life, powered by a kiai that shouted I had nothing to lose.

The punch caught Eric square in the center of his chest. His legs kept churning towards me; his upper body stopped cold, and an instant later he was flat on his back, both of us in disbelief.

Our teacher called “Point!” and every hand in the room except one pointed to me. The last student crossed hands and said “I couldn’t see it because of my angle.” The teacher burst out laughing, saying “When someone goes down like that, it’s a POINT!” Everyone started laughing, the tension was broken, and Eric, as I recall, went on to do well in that weekend’s tournament.

The point is this – back then in our training we threw thousands and thousands of punches. Every day we’d do hundreds, in horse stances, side stances, hitting the heavy bag, hitting each other. Classes would last up to a couple of hours, and we’d punch and kick until we felt our limbs would fall off and there was no choice but to be efficient, because we were too tired to put anything extra into our movement. Thus when the moment came, the body was primed to act; the mind said go, and so it was done.

Beyond that moment, though, are the many attributes one gains to get there, and these are the things that we can apply to daily life, as most of us aren’t required to punch our way out of many situations. We learn to persevere, to endure the effort to reach our goals. We develop stamina to work harder, and efficiency to succeed with less expenditure of energy. These are not just characterizations of physical movement, but qualities of the mind that foster determination and courage. We learn to stay calm through patience and to act decisively when necessary. We become observers of the human condition, both our own and of others, and so develop appropriateness of action.

Like that punch, our qualities of wisdom await the right moment to act. To the unprepared, the unknown can be overwhelming, while those who have developed their inner resources will always have that strength to sustain them. Lately I’ve been dealing with my mother’s death, the passing of the matriarch of our family. Such occurrences often upset equilibriums, changing the balance of relationships between family members. No matter how one might prepare, the reality remains a challenge, and I’ve found my ability to remain centered has been a great attribute not only to myself but others around me as well. People react to stress by feeling stressed themselves; it can be contagious. Conversely, having a place to feel secure can allow problems to simply be what they are, without necessarily becoming overwhelming.

No one becomes a black belt or escrimador overnight, and looking at the whole process taking years can be daunting. However, when we approach things one step at a time, just taking on what needs to be done next, things are more manageable. Remember to breath and relax; tension isn’t going to help. As the old saying goes, “Before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water ….”

Family Matters

2008-02-14T14:04:00.000-08:00

Apologies for this blog being slow lately. After a couple of months illness, my mother passed away last night. There are writings I've started recently that I hope to complete in a week or two. In the interim, I hope you check out some of the blogs linked here.

Something To Chew On

2008-02-09T08:46:00.000-08:00

I recently came across a link to what someone described as "the dark side of the art", which is Kino Mutai. This is a Filipino art of biting for grappling situations. I won't go into description of it, since the link goes to a well-written description of the technique. It's certainly food for thought!

On The Power Of Suggestion

2008-02-06T08:46:00.000-08:00

I've been a bit overwhelmed lately dealing with family affairs. I've still been writing but haven't been able to finish pieces due to pressures of phone calls, letters and logs. When one of my students offered to write about a class experience, this is what he produced.

* * * * * * * * *

A funny thing happened while sparring with Guro Jeff recently. After some warm up, we were in the midst of flow and were chatting. I am used to Guro Jeff speeding up and slowing down, playing with the timing to look for an opening. This is nothing new, but this time, he slowed down his speech at the same time that he slowed down his attack. The effect was to hypnotically make me slow down as well. It was then that my opponent went in for his attack and disabled me. The funny thing was that it was almost as if I saw what he was doing but I was trapped under his “spell”. I think fondly back to Star Wars and the concept of the “Jedi Mind Trick” in which Obi Wan used the power of suggestion to convince a pair of Storm Troopers guarding an entrance, to let him and Luke pass It seemed that Jeff had mind-tricked me in the same simple way (his exact words as he was slowing down his speech ended with “slow … down” which is exactly what I did).

Oh well, lesson learned-or was it? When we resumed, Jeff began talking again. This time I was determined not to fall for the same trick. As if sensing this, he changed his tactic, this time asking me a question, offering me the choice between two responses. In the split second that I weighed the answers, he went in for the “kill” again and achieved a successful attack.

I remember working over a year ago with Jeff. At that time we were practicing gun disarms. I stood behind Jeff, the trainer gun pointed at his head. He started talking, asking me some question and then too, used my distraction to take his opportunity to disarm me.

As Guro Jeff explained, this is why the police use simple commands, like “freeze” and “drop your weapon” rather than talk more lengthily to the perpetrator. In my opinion, people are trained to respond to authority, and simple commands spoken with authority, create more of a sense of authority. Perhaps also, the idea is to keep things simple enough not distract yourself.

All this makes sense, of course, but if the power of suggestion can be made to others, at what time can we make suggestions to ourselves to improve our fighting skills? The following time I met to practice with Guro Jeff, we got into a lengthy conversation about the power of thought. Being essentially lazy in my practice, I often use visualization in my techniques at times when I’m not physically practicing them. Thus, I imagine my instructor, or Grandmaster Cabales doing a technique and then I imagine myself copying that technique. Apparently there is some evidence that visualization alone can improve a player’s game.

Taking this a step further, Jeff recommended that I open myself to my own suggestion at bedtime, in order to see what appears out of my subconscious, in my dreams. I took this idea home with me, and that night before going to sleep, I let myself think about my escrima practice, allowing myself to wonder what I might dream about it. That night I had a dream where I was fending off a basic attack, but before I could complete my defensive technique, my opponent switched to a different attack. In the dream, I made a completely unconventional move, rushing my opponent, and taking his center. This was not a technique I had ever tried or even thought of before. The next time I worked out with a partner, I tried this technique, and while it didn’t work as ideally as I had hoped, it was novel, and opened the door to further exploration.

We often think about physical practice, setting goals to reach a new level in training. Of course practice is essential; we train to make the body automatically respond so that we don’t waste time thinking during a conflict, We want to be able to just react instead. I am beginning to see, however, the power of suggestion on my opponent, whether it is with words, my stance, or just my attitude. What I “project” may have an influence on my opponent’s confidence, just as walking through a dark alley hunched over is more of an invitation to be attacked than standing tall, and alert. I am just beginning to realize that I can also rely on all the information that is stored somewhere in my brain, if I allow myself the opportunity to synthesize it. I plan to try techniques like the “dream suggestions” more regularly.

The ultimate in laziness? Practicing in your sleep! If nothing else, I’ll have some entertaining dreams.

The “American Express” Flute – Don’t leave home without it!

2008-02-05T22:48:00.000-08:00

He calls it his “American Express” Flute – he won’t leave home without it!

Testimonial From London:
In the UK, they would rather you die then properly arm yourself for defense, but I was carrying the HITS when I got stopped by the police on London Bridge Train Station. I told them it was a flute in the making. The next time they saw me, I had the flute! Now they think I have a guy here in London making flutes out of cheap plastic tubes! They really have no clue... :)

For the record:
I was approached by 5 guys, 1 on my left, 4 staggered to the right. I managed to get off a punyo strike to the closest attacker on my right, which led me to a straight thrust to the attacker on my left, both of which were head shots. Afterwhich I spun to my right again to face the rest and that's when I saw one lunging with his right hand leading in a thrusting motion with a knife. I managed a redondo that was slightly faster and better timed than he was, thank God, and it caught him right where I wanted it, in the hand itself.

Although the flute does feel light, it gives great speed and ability to force someone to drop a weapon...with a cracking sound that wasn't the flute ;-) I have seen the footage of a HITS being used in a DB match and I own 2 of those. I know from first hand experience the flute WILL hold up to thrusts, punyos and redondos against bone!

Being a Rapid Arnis player and instructor, I am always on the lookout for non-lethal devices for self-defence. I do believe I have found what I am looking for in the HITS sticks and the HITS Shakuhachi Flute! I would put my endorsement to anyone of these and I would recommend anyone to purchase one! And learning to play one might not be too bad either ;-)

Mr. Finder, I thank you greatly for your creation. I literally owe my life to you.

Mabuhay!

Damien Alexander
Rapid Arnis London

Strengths and Weaknesses

2007-12-26T17:22:00.000-08:00

Fluidity in combat is based on understanding yin and yang, which express the direction in which energy is flowing. We move through positions of strength and weakness. What we want is to maximize our strengths and minimize exposure to our weaknesses, while exploiting weaknesses and neutralizing the strengths of our opponent.

Musashi wrote that to one who understands strategy, a battle with thousands is the same as a one-to-one duel. In what ways might this be valid?

An army occupying a secure position might have to move out to engage the enemy on other ground. To minimize vulnerability, it may employ advance scouts, strengthen the flanks, and move under the cover of darkness or weather.

A fighter might use footwork or feints to draw his opponent’s response, keeping elbows in tight to the body and utilizing environmental factors to evade or hinder the opponent.

The goal is always the same – to defeat the enemy. How that is accomplished is completely variable, determined only by one’s strategic and tactical skills. This is true whether negotiating a contract, playing a sport or running a war. The terms of engagement may differ, but the desired outcome is essentially similar.

This is where careful analysis of one’s technique is helpful, as I opined in the last post. We move from position of strength to position of strength, passing through areas that may be weaker due to unalterable physiological causes.

Some martial arts may focus on those strong positions. Think of katas that emphasize locking punches or deep stances with a loud kiai. On the other hand we need efficient movement between those positions. Motion and focused point of concentrated energy are two sides of the same dynamic and are mutually complementary. One without the other is incomplete.

Can we identify our powerful positions? How can we tweak them for maximum performance? How does raising the peak broaden the base of our capabilities? For example, developing a powerful punch as a strength deletes weak punching from the liability side of the equation.

Just as in a yin/yang symbol, weakness and strength contain their opposites within them. Weakness can be a lure to draw an opponent; strength can create rigid overconfidence. For instance, a punch at full power is the point where balance might be most easily compromised or the joints most effectively attacked.

Weaker positions are generally those we gloss over on the way to more advantageous ones. For instance, we sidestep a punch; the step weak moves us from a vulnerable position to a less vulnerable one. We need to have a strong position for our counter to be effective, whether a block or strike. How many of us only concentrate on the end result of the punch while ignoring the dynamics that set it up?

This isn’t to say a soft parry can’t be effective while we transit our opponent’s line of attack. That is, in fact, the counterpart to the more powerful example preceding it. The fact is, soft and hard can both be utilized. There are no perfect positions, just appropriate options at the right time.

At a certain level, it doesn’t matter what attack comes, it’s all just timing and angles. Everything else is simply descriptive detail. This is the genius of the Filipino martial arts, that they study angles of attack and perfect timing through live practice with partners.

How can we test strength or weakness? Generally this is through partner practice. Wing Chun has chi sao, Tai Chi has push hands, FMA has hubud hubud. One must be able to feel emptiness in one’s own technique as well as read it in another’s, allowing one to absorb and redirect attacks. This is where slow practice is valuable. It allows one to stop and examine the dynamic exchange of energy at any point, and even, if both people are paying attention, to back up and re-examine positions already passed.

Sometimes one can realign a weak position to make it stronger. For instance, a block that extends the arm might rely on just the shoulder muscles, which are relatively weak, but that block might be accomplished by keeping the arm in stronger alignment closer to the centerline while turning the waist to achieve the same or better result. In general the closer we stay to our own centerline, the stronger we are because we draw more stability from the core muscles of the body.

Techniques of muscle testing from Applied Kinesiology or other healing modalities can be applied to understanding strength or weakness of internal alignments. The better we get at “reading” our opponent through touch, the less time and energy it takes to understand intention behind movement.

Tight defenses, old offenses

2007-12-21T09:17:00.000-08:00

It’s winter. When it’s cold, energy sinks to the roots. Time to focus inward, do things that take a slower pace. Core work. Conditioning. Fundamentals.

Today I worked on the latter in front of a mirror. I want to see what an opponent sees. I want to know what I’d think if I had to fight myself. This was a breakdown of movement, looking for that one-inch gap, subtle shifts from one position to another.

I recently saw a reality show on aspiring MMA fighters. One talked about learning to “protect his home”, meaning his belly. In close quarters the key is keeping forearms tight, elbows straight down and touching the body.

You can see this in Muay Thai. At longer range the elbows are out from the body, hands high. As the action gets closer, the defense closes up to protect the ribs and belly. All an attacker sees is bony forearms and elbows.

Lifting the knee to defend against kicks extends that bony armor to cover the body from top to bottom, especially when the knee and elbow reinforce each other seamlessly. This is why mirror practice is valuable, because what feels secure may reveal a gap through which an opponent can wedge an attack.

There are also ways to psychologically exploit those gaps. Throwing a kick directly at a protected area that you wish to hit, like the floating ribs, may cause an opponent to react by moving to cover an area he feels is exposed, effectively unlocking the vault for you. In other words, the tendency is to strengthen less defended areas, thereby weakening the secured ones, which are probably the more high-value targets.

Another example of this is watching a boxer pound away at the liver or solar plexus. Like water eroding a rock, each blow weakens resistance. If nothing else, it spreads the defense by forcing coverage of that area at possible expense elsewhere.

I’ve been watching some MMA lately. I like so much of what they do, but there seems to be a consistent paradigm in this style of fighting. It’s different than martial art fighting in the 70’s or 80’s. MMA has its advantages, one of them being “combat tested” all the time, and the strength of the ground game. At the same time, there is a self-reflective quality that they are all working the same material.

Is there room to look outside of that? I feel like I’ve stepped out of a time machine, because I look at the stand-up sparring and see opportunities for attacks that are not thrown. Mostly these are straight-line moves. I rarely see aggressive jabbing, for instance. I almost never see straight kicks, either front or side, that were bread and butter at one time. My Kenpo teacher used to “teach us to fly” with those kicks L

I’m not saying my old style is better than MMA, just that from these eyes I’m seeing things nobody is using. While I have no doubt there are effective counters in their repertoire, a lot of fighting is about seeing opportunities. You can’t exploit what you don’t perceive, and conversely you may not defend what isn’t thrown. A move that’s been long retired can seem new and innovative when revived. After all, isn’t that what the Gracies did by repopularizing grapping in the arts?

These techniques are not some secret sure-fire way to beat another style, though a good side kick to the brisket can be a spine-altering experience, but different ways to put pressure on an opponent. Any time you force an opponent to react to your lead is an advantage. Think of fights where fighters circle each other, pawing the air. If one steps up and applies pressure, it can create opportunities that aren’t to be found in dead space.

This is where a good short punching game is a strength, as is a robust defense. Elbows often feature prominently in both aspects, and arts like Wing Chun or some FMA are able to attack and defend at the same time by angle of elbows while punching.

Pressure up top can create openings below, so it’s useful to integrate some techniques utilizing both hands and feet to strike, just as punching combinations coordinate left and right hands. Arnis has four-corner patterns of high/low left and right, as do Kenpo and probably many other styles. While these offer sound defenses, on a deeper level they’re counters that probe for openings through which to strike.

Low kicks can be a high percentage move if used judiciously in the right situations. If you can get an opponent to react or look upwards, the kick comes in under the radar. For instance, against the speed of a stick one might feed a high strike that is countered by an umbrella. As the opponent’s hands move up, you kick underneath.

This is why the mirror work is important, to spot your own gaps and tendencies when moving. You need to see the possibilities both defensively and offensively.

Understand Principles of Energy

2007-12-21T00:19:00.000-08:00

Understand principles of energy. This is the most important thing.

There is only one principle, motion, which has two phases, yin and yang. These define the direction in which energy is moving. Yin energy decreases. Yang energy increases. This is all you need to know.

Do not waste time thinking in terms of duality. Direction is the key.

Apply this to fighting, your opponent cannot fool you. His intentions are clear to see.

Apply this to life and who knows what can be achieved!

Serrada Footwork Revisited

2007-12-13T07:43:00.000-08:00

The focus of Serrada footwork is the male triangle, staying on the centerline. Though Spanish influence on FMA is often credited, this seems more akin to Italian fencing, which learned to use linear footwork to eventually counter the circular Spanish style. We do have evasion to the outside, but that is secondary to controlling centerline, so orientation will return to the most direct line of offense/defense as soon as possible.

As we work centerline, we face the direction of attack. If it comes from our left, we face left, from the right, we face that direction. In our basics, we work this with the concept of front hand, front foot, so facing left leads with the right and vice versa. Footwork alignment is like modern sport fencing, front foot/knee pointing towards the opponent, heel of the rear foot, which is perpendicular, on the same line. If you were to close your eyes and lift the front foot, your drop should be straight towards the opponent. This alignment allows us to cut the lines of an opponent's attack. It also protects the low line by keeping the angle of the legs closed against groin kicks. If you face the "wrong" way, ie. facing right with right lead, that target tends to be wide open, which isn't so bad at longer ranges but a tempting target at medium or close range.

Our foot switch is called "papeet" which Angel Cabales defined as "chicken step" (what dialect, I don't know). Many folks nowadays refer to it as the "replacement step". The point (literally) of this step is to hold the ground on which we stand, controlling the apex of the male triangle. Thus we step up with the rear foot, feet together, then back with the opposite foot (or the same one in a "false replacement", which allows rapid readjustment for alignment or balance, or to confuse an opponent as to our intentions). This is different from the chicken step I've seen in other styles, which maintains balance on the rear foot and looks, to me, more like how a chicken steps.

This isn't to say we don't move off a spot. Angel used to say we know how to move already, since we weren't born where we are now, but the goal of holding our ground is to defend a doorway, hallway, etc. where there is little room to move or strategically we cannot allow an opponent to pass. Also, at more advanced levels the front hand/front foot alignment is not absolute, allowing us to throw a right forehand with a left lead, for instance. However, we tend to stay close to the basics as they are fundamentally sound for our system.

Holding our ground means we force the opponent to come to us, allowing us to use his range and timing without showing ours first. A common error new students make in learning papeet is holding ground with the rear foot, stepping in and out with the lead, the "other" chicken step. This changes our range according to lead, and if an opponent advances as we step back, we lose ground we cannot necessarily recover. An advantage of forward replacement is it develops centripetal force to generate momentum for power in a very short space.

Fencing Terminology and FMA

2007-12-05T18:18:00.000-08:00

This is an assignment, homework for any aspiring (or inspiring) escrimador.

Here is a list of modern fencing terms. Read it. Don't just skim, but think about each category and item. Parts of weapons have names and functions; footwork, timing and other aspects are defined. Terms may differ, but everything listed can be found within the FMA.

Think of examples in your own training. Some techniques may be formally taught, others show up by instinct. Studying a list like this reminds me others have had similar insights; it isn't necessary to reinvent the wheel when the road is so well-trod.

Flyswatters and Plyometric Escrima

2007-12-03T11:19:00.000-08:00

Recently some flies showed up at my house and I didn’t have a flyswatter. I had a plastic one for awhile which was ok until it came apart in chunks. Still, it was better than the old wire mesh swatters that bent at every opportunity.

I’d eyeballed the Wimbledon-sized electronic zappers at Harbor Freight but couldn’t really envision myself swinging like Igor Ledochowski in my kitchen. Bang goes the coffee maker; crack goes the microwave! Besides, it’s really too decadent and takes the sporting aspect out of it. At least a tennis raquet has legitimate other uses. Or so they say.

Besides, I’m an escrimador, for goodness sake; I should be able to take out a few flies, right? Flying critters are a challenge, that’s for sure. I’ve heard old-time boxers used to practice catching flies in garbage cans. Ick. The problem is if you succeed! I prefer the finger-flick line drive myself.

These, however, were small flies, hard to see with my middle-aged eyes, and I didn’t really have time to play with them. I looked around for an improvised implement. Towel? T-shirt? I knew from experience that neither was a proven fly-killer. Pushing too much air simply buffets the flies away.

Then my eyes alit on the perfect implement. Hanging on my wall was an African flywhisk! Make that a pair, actually. Now at the upper end, these can have ceremonial value. One of mine is older and has that air of authority. The other is one you might find at a flea market or some place like Cost Plus Imports. It’s sturdier and more functional, basically a decorative stick with a horsehair whisk on the end.

The figurine-carved l6-inch handle and skinny shaft together are 22 inches long, about as thin and rigid as holding a golf club. The lower part of the shaft is wire wrapped but the last 12 inches are wrapped tightly in horsehair, which then extends another 12 inches as a horse-like tail.

Now here’s a paradox. This whisk is indeed a great flyswatter. It’s fast, sturdy and the end is sufficiently large to get the flies yet not so aerodynamically resistant as to brush them aside. This combination makes it very accurate, and a few sweeps cleared my room of the unwanted visitors.

What really caught my attention though was the way in which the air resistance of the whisk slowed down the movement of the stick. While it is sufficiently quick for fly swatting, particularly with the whipping of the tail hairs, it doesn’t move anywhere as quickly as an escrima stick. It feels like the difference between running on dry land and running in waist-deep water.

That’s when inspiration hit me. What if someone could come up with a safe way to make an escrima stick that moved like this? It’s a challenge I’m throwing out there because I see benefits to both training and competition.

The qualifications would be rigid, light, comfortable grip and balance, with enough air resistance to significantly slow movement of the striking end of the stick.

So far I’ve seen few sticks that really satisfy the first four requirements well, let alone the fifth of resistance. There are some that do the latter at the expense of weight, balance or grip.

Imagine being able to spar with the intensity of competition, yet the speed of a controlled moderate flow! Spectators and judges would be able to see techniques more clearly, as would competitors, who would have more incentive to use defense. Surviving combat is a traditional value of the art, something represented poorly in no-defense slugfests.

In training students would be able to practice with as much speed as possible, with the form of their techniques more easily seen, felt and corrected. Ultimately one needs to develop the timing for full-speed, but there are differences between training for speed or for flow. The former implies beating the opponent; the latter is practice at reading intention. They are certainly not mutually exclusive, of course, but when people forget about flow for the sake of speed, most lose touch with the sensitivity that allows responsiveness to the opponent, important attributes for combative reflexes.

It takes little skill to whack someone on the head three times in a row. I’m sure many murders have been accomplished that way, but what if you are the one getting whacked, or if the other guy is simultaneously gutting you with a knife as you’re trying to render him unconscious?

Escrima is built on natural reflexes, but training them to an effective autonomous level of response takes time and effort. I tell my students to notice what works best for them and to get comfortable with those things first. When they have the security of a bread-and-butter core of material, then they can begin working other options into their repertoire.

That is the value of flow training; the constant repetitive cycle creates a hypnotic state of trance that programs the bodymind to respond automatically. Like rocks being polished in a tumbler, rough edges get smoothed away. Finer movement evolves from less resistance. As less effort is expended in reaction, more time is available for response. We see more clearly and move without thinking, moving directly through awareness.

With experience we grow in skill. Fewer things surprise us, and we can even come to appreciate those that do because they help further push our boundaries. Awareness, as I stress over and over, is a key to making things work. That is why so many teachers tell their students to slow down, so things are not happening too fast for the conscious mind to keep up. Eventually the student becomes aware of patterns and can digest bigger “chunks” at a time. Getting there takes patience.

This is where something like a good air resistance trainer would make sense. Like a limiter on a car engine, it could slow down the consequences of our need for speed. I recall a review of an early Toyota Corolla SR-5 that called it a “secret racer”. You could put your foot to the floor and shift furiously, emulating and honing all the skills of a real sports car driver, but you weren’t going fast enough to threaten other drivers or collect tickets. Best of all, according to the article, was no one else would suspect you were having so much fun!

Controlling Our Emotional Reactions

2007-11-30T07:33:00.000-08:00

The only thing we really control is ourselves, and every time we get angry, we've allowed someone else to manipulate us by pushing our hot buttons. When we feel emotions rising, we might want to ask ourselves how we are playing into someone else's game. Are we really that easy? If we allow ourselves to act unconsciously, then yes, we are.

One of the benefits of meditation is creating space within ourselves to be able to observe how our own thoughts and emotions arise. When we learn to separate ourselves from such phenomena, we gain greater control over our ability to choose our own direction for ourselves.

Think of difficult people as challenges to our own self-control. There are many who will test us simply because their own lives are uncontrolled. Their sense of self-worth is validated externally, so by provoking us they feel as though they exist and have importance, forcing the world to acknowledge them. Calmness may fluster them because they don't understand it. They don't feel at peace within themselves. If they can get others to match their own internal state, then they feel a sense of recognition; they live within their own world of stormy emotions and so invite us to join them there.

Conversely, if we remain calm and weather their outbursts, we may be able to plant a seed of calmness within them, creating an anchorage against the pain of being tossed by what they themselves cannot control. At the least it may allow their own rage to expend itself, until they are too tired or bored to continue their assaults against ourselves. Think of advice given for dealing with aggressive animals. If a dog or even a bear charges and we run, we become a moving target to be taken down. On the other hand, if we stand in place (dogs) or curl up in a ball (bears) we have a much better chance of surviving.

Cats that run from dogs will be chased and killed if they cannot escape. On the other hand, those that sit immobile may still attract initial attention, but after nosing around, a dog will generally get bored and leave. I've witnessed both. Why do deer freeze when caught in headlights? It's because that is their defense against drawing predators into the chase.

Aggressive humans are also predators. Think of them as emotional vampires who feed off the response of their victims. They may seem strong, but in reality their weakness is their need to feed off of others. If they do not get the reaction they seek, they are lost.

I've been in dangerous situations where remaining calm defused assault, and I know women who have avoided rape in the same manner. Even if we have to fight, it is better to do it with a clear head than one clouded by fear. Fear has its place as a warning, motivating a response, but do we want others to be able to use it to pull us into their trap? If we consciously note rising emotions, we can deal with them before we hit crisis mode, and that generally is the better response.

Illness in the family

2007-11-28T02:15:00.000-08:00

My mother went into the hospital on Friday for shortness of breath from congestive heart failure. Saturday afternoon she had a major stroke. She's already beaten the odds and surprised everybody by recovering significant motor function in the affected arm and leg. She lost speech, but within a day was able to say a few things we can understand and is very expressive in letting us know that she can hear us, either in person or when the phone is held for her. She's certainly very aware of her circumstances, remarkable in itself for someone 96 years old.

It's certainly hard to see her struggle, but she's one of the toughest and most resilient people I know. She's gone through dental work and other procedures without wanting or taking pain medication, things that make most of us cringe at just the thought, using her powers of visualization to revisit old memories, imagining herself far away in beautiful places like Hawaii. She also taught singing for several decades so she knows how to use breathing effectively. She's taught me a lot about the power of the mind to control the body.

I may be away from my computer more than usual, but I'll get back to posting some pieces I've started when I'm able to get them done.

Sport Science - debunking myths?

2007-11-22T23:10:00.000-08:00

I just caught part of a Discovery Channel's "Sports Science" ( episode #70), on debunking sport myths. One myth was whether "the shout" (kiai) actually makes a difference, and another was whether sex before events hurts an athlete's performance.

The kiai test used a world champion break artist. With a shout he generated about 2000 lbs. of force to shatter a stack of bricks. Without the shout, he only produced about 1500 lbs. and the bottom brick didn't break, rebounding the energy back up into him. I thought that single test, dramatic as it was, cannot be definitive because it was only a single sample. It did seem to substantiate the fact that a kiai helps release adrenaline as well as focus the mind. The martial artist clearly felt inhibited trying to match his previous break while holding back on part of his technique.

For comparison they should have also tested someone who felt confident breaking without a kiai, then having that person add a shout. What I'd really like to know is whether a focused exhalation without a kiai would be equal to using one. Again, I think that would require multiple repetitions and multiple test subjects to get reasonably objective data. Anecdotally throughout history, though, the grunt or shout has been understood as a byproduct of maximum exertion, so I think there is merit to the process. Withholding it may well inhibit performance, but does emphasizing it increase performance or is it a distraction?

The sex myth involved testing a world champion boxer in several categories, including leg strength, lower and upper body cardio endurance and blood testosterone, both before and after a night of sex with his wife. In the follow-up he tested higher in almost every category (cardio results were equivalent) including testosterone levels in his blood, the one result he couldn't fake. The concensus on this was the myth against sex was in fact without merit and quite possibly exactly wrong.

Something I remember from a documentary on Babe Ruth wasn't that sex itself tired out the athlete, but rather the effort in chasing women and carousing beforehand that did the damage. In other words, for guys in a steady relationship, it shouldn't be an issue. The only rationale I can see might be to make a man ornery, or as Eddie Murphy put it in "48 Hours" (and quoting Richard Pryor, perchance): "Lack of p***y makes a man brave!"

Self-Yoga

2007-11-15T11:22:00.000-08:00

Here's the first piece I said I'd get done in the post from earlier today. It's about a deep self-healing process I've gone through this week. - JF

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Yoga means “to yoke”, meaning integration of mind and body to a higher spiritual consciousness. For most people, however, it is a form of exercise, and that is what I’ll address here.

One problem I see in learning something like yoga or martial arts is that people learn it as an external form, something they do according to precepts they’ve memorized without internalizing it and making it their own. This is why I chose to call this “self-yoga”, because it is something that should be unique to each individual according to their needs. It is important to understand principles of stretching and using the breath, but the actual use of these principles should vary according to one’s own innate wisdom.

The principles are pretty simple: First, come out of a stretch by reversing the way you went into it. When we stretch we lengthen muscle fibers. I see people go into a stretch one way and then jump out of it without thought, in a completely different movement pattern. This can cause fibers to cross and bind, creating more problems than were there before. Old-time kahunas in Hawaii used this principle to punish troublemakers, twisting joints to cause crippling pain. The only one who could unlock the damage was the person who created it in the first place, being the only one who knew the direction in which the movements had been chained together.

The second principle is using the breath. Most folk think they know how to breathe because obviously they’ve been doing so since birth, or else they wouldn’t be alive. Yoga has made a science of using the breath, however, which goes beyond merely inhaling and exhaling. While those are the two directions of airflow, the effect of breath on the body can be profound. Through the interconnectivity of muscles, tendons and ligaments, it is possible to direct the force of the breath to any part of the body. By focusing our attention where we desire an effect, we can direct the pressure of inhalation to stretch or open up areas of tension, and use the exhale to release the tension. Using different postures or positions (asanas) is a way to direct this effect to specific areas. If we hold a stretch, the relaxation on exhale lets us take up the slack which is created during the tension part of the cycle. The next inhalation can then deepen the stretch. Exhale to move into a stretch, and use the inhalation to move back out of it. Inhaling is like filling a balloon with air; imagine yourself as one of those big parade balloons rising as it fills up. Let the breath create the movement and pay attention to the quality of your stretch, both going in and coming out. You’re working on your body to heal it, so don’t rush; mindfulness is significant!

The third principle is to not use force. Often when we try to do something that is not comfortable, the body will tense up and create resistance to protect itself. If we consciously remind ourselves to relax, this allows the body to trust what the mind is telling it to do. It may take a moment, it may take many sessions to learn, but once the trick of letting go has been learned, one can feel tension melting away as the breath opens up the area of focus in the stretch.

There are some exceptions to non-force. One is dynamic tension. This is a process of tensing parts of the body for brief moments, and can be done either through internal resistance, such as tightening a muscle internally, or by pressing or pulling to create the resistance against other parts. This has several effects. On the one hand it increases blood flow to the muscle, and uses what Eastern arts refer to as “local chi”, energizing that specific body part. At the same time it tends to fatigue the muscle, which by using up excess energy allows it to reset to a more relaxed state.

Some teachers advocate holding the breath for 8-10 seconds while tensing, others say to allow it to release slowly. I tend to use whatever feels appropriate to the moment. If I’m just exercising I usually release the breath, but if I’m trying to unlock a difficult to reach area of tension in my body, I may hold the breath to force it deeper into the spot that I’m squeezing tightly. Generally I’d say that the slow and gentle method will get the job done, but once in awhile I’ll use this method when I can’t seem to reach an area that has become chronically locked up.

This past week I had a very dramatic example of self-healing using these methods. About two weeks ago I got a kink in my back, right between the shoulder blades at mid-sternum level. Most of us think of the sternum as a single plate, but this is a spot known to more knowledgeable chiropractors as a hidden joint of the body. I’ve had seven whiplashes, the result over the years of being hit multiple times from behind while stopped at red lights in my car. Consequently this area has been tight, the result of my body holding the tension from fear of further injury to a spot previously hurt. I’ve been to a number of chiropractors who have had limited and varying success in releasing this. I’ve been told that at best it is something I’ll probably have to live with, that the best they can do is relieve the worst of the symptoms.

Now the only real difference between something like chiropractic treatment and yoga is whether the activating energy is external, internal, or a combination as in acupuncture. Just think of any of these as ways to move energy. By this past weekend, the pain in my back was pretty severe, affecting my breathing and posture, to say nothing of my mood. I began waking up in the middle of the night from the pain, rolling on the floor and stretching to try to release the spot where the tension was held. Finally on Tuesday I awoke around 4am and decided I’d had enough; without expectation that I would get help from anyone else, I realized that I would have to use what resources I knew on my own to get in and try to fix things.

I was beyond using preset patterns of stretches; this was writhing to get to the source, which is where intuition came to my rescue. There are two processes I used to get results. One was rocking, the other stretching.

The rocking process is one I came up with on my own. I’ve studied a variety of massage methods since 1977, and the closest I’ve seen to this is Breema. As my spine seemed misaligned from mid-upper back to the base of the neck, I began by laying on my back, interlocking my fingers and cradling the back of my head in my hands, flexing alternate wrists to rock my head side to side. At times I pushed the heels of my hands closer together, raising the head up, and pressing with the heel of the hand to change the angle and range of movement. As my neck began to release I changed position to standing. This allowed me to move my head forward or back with the rocking, hitting tension at different angles.

After awhile I felt the need to work lower, so I unlocked my hands and dropped them onto my upper chest, rocking my upper torso side to side. By anchoring my hands this way, my shoulders and chest moved as a single unit, as opposed to letting the hands swing separately; it is a different effect. I stopped a few times to use dynamic tension, pulling my shoulders back to try to isolate and break up the tension, then returning to the rocking motions.

As I felt things grinding and loosening up, I then went into an upward stretch, locking my fingers together except for the index fingers, which I pointed upwards to direct and extend the stretch. As I filled with breath, I would stretch upward, then hold the position in the exhale; classic yogic breathing. With the next breath I’d continue to stretch. It felt like the breath was climbing inside me, each one progressing upward a few centimeters at a time.

Several years ago during a bout of bronchitis I learned to breath into the left or right side of my chest separately, and to cough the same, in order to clear the lower part of the lungs. Now with this I was discovering how to breathe into, and clear, the upper parts of my lungs, and consequently found myself clearing large and unexpected amounts of phlegm. Nasty, but that’s how it works; tension accumulates in a variety of ways. In this process one learns to be aware of the internal architecture of the body in unexpected ways.

Finally, as pressure from the breath focused into my neck, I instinctively began bending backwards. Over the next 8-10 breaths, as I found myself in a deep back bend, feet firmly anchored, I then began to use the breath to lift the chest upward while remaining in the back bend. I found it curious that I felt so stable in this posture, but being focused on the process, I felt secure and in control. I could feel my shoulders opening up and releasing tension, until there was a tiny “crack” from the center of my pain, and it was gone.

At that point I stopped stretching (after about 2-1/2 hours total time) and began doing some morning chores. About an hour later for some reason I reached over my shoulder and touched my back, and my hand came away wet! I thought it might be blood but it looked clear, so I went to a mirror to take a look. There, in the center of my back where it had hurt the worst, a patch of skin about the size of a silver dollar had split and peeled away, looking like a bad sunburn!

As I examined this in the mirror, I began rolling my shoulders and was surprised at the fluid range of motion, and the complete lack of pain. I then did another quick upward stretch and realized my arms were behind my ears, when for many years they had been alongside or even slightly forward!

The result of this experience is that my range of motion is vastly increased from what I’ve had in a long time, both in my back and my right shoulder, which has been impaired since a motorcycle accident in 1982. Both shoulders now move about the same, and pain-free. Whatever spot was locked up in my back all these years, has now been broken up.

For those familiar with the concept of kundalini, I feel like I’ve been raising and releasing this energy for the past few months. One possible reason is I’m in a relationship with a new girlfriend. We have a deep connection, and that has brought new energy into my life in many ways. I believe that when we are healthy and happy we don’t compartmentalize ourselves. Conversely, we create blockages when things aren’t going as well. By entering a new state energy was freed up, but the old block at the heart chakra had not yet been released. When energy hits a block, something has to happen. As long as the block was there, the energy built up until it manifested as pain, and continued to do so until I was able to dissolve the block.

Does this mean the process is complete? Of course not, because being alive is itself a process. I can feel that most of that backed-up energy has moved upward, just like heat from a flame.

As the neck and tailbone tend to reflect each other, I later did some stretches in deep horse stance to open the hips. These consisted of resting my hands on my knees to support my body weight so I could swing my hips freely. This resulted in a powerful release in my right hip that went right down to my knee, unlocking a block I hadn’t even fully recognized. I then wondered if I could extend the release into my foot, and with a couple of weight shifts I was able to release the pain I’d had in my right ankle since dislocating it nearly 2 years ago! This went all the way to the big toe, eliminating a hot pain I’d been carrying in the instep of my foot. Didn’t I say everything was interconnected? I haven’t felt this good or connected in years!

Now I have to monitor these results to see what comes next. Old patterns don’t just disappear, so though I’ve felt incredibly good the past 48 hours, I recognize that tension can again accumulate in a habitual manner. It’s so easy to forget how hard it was to get to this point and just return to business as usual, when in fact a breakthrough like this should be the start of a new phase and not just the end of the old.

As I said at the beginning, this is about trusting one’s own inner wisdom, letting intuition be the guide rather than being a slave to technique. Though rooted in established principles, the actual methods I used were unique and unorthodox, but allowed me to achieve exactly the results I needed so badly. I’ve outlined the process and results as guidelines only. I know that many people carry aches and pains on a daily basis, the result of living in a body. If we depend on others to fix us, we will never be as free as when we are able to find our own solutions and follow through to reach the goals we set.

Quick Update 11-15

2007-11-15T08:48:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe I haven’t posted in awhile, but it’s been a busy time. I’ve started several posts but gotten sidetracked with shop projects and yet another birthday.

I’ve been learning new skills for making my training blades as I’ve incorporated several new pieces of equipment into the shop. The main goal is to work safer. One of my students wanted a kerambit, and it was too dangerous to make that on the router because of the small size and the multiple curves. I now have ways to do these on the new machines, and I’ve sold every one I’ve made except the one I absolutely had to keep for myself.

A byproduct of the new gear is that they’ve allowed me to create new techniques that add to the repertoire of cuts and grinds. These create distinctive appearances to the pieces I make. I now have three ways I like to finish handles: straight grain, patterned grain, and pattern stamped.

Last Sunday a friend, a former world karate champion, picked up a kris to take back to Hawaii. While at her friend’s house, the husband insisted he’d seen the “wood” I used, even after I said it was plastic. He went into another room and came back with an elaborately carved letter opener from Madagascar. We examined it side-by-side with several of my pieces and even photographed them together. They were virtually indistinguishable. I did some research online and found that Madagascar is famous for rosewood. I then pulled out a couple of guitars with rosewood fretboards and yes, that is the match!

I’ll see about finishing some of my other articles. One is about corner fighting, another is about a method of self-massage and stretching I just developed. My back hurt pretty badly for about two weeks leading up to my birthday and nothing was helping, so I decided to follow my own intuitive yoga. Not only did I fix the kink in my back, I released tension that has been held there for decades! The results have not only been local but global, releasing several old and deeply held injuries! This is something special, so I need to think about how to explain what I did so others can resolve their own aches and pains.

Assassination Tango

2007-10-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

Back in June Alex Castro blogged about the film “Assassination Tango” and the relationship he found in this dance style to the martial arts. I finally followed up on his recommendation this weekend and rented the movie. As Alex actually has some experience in tango, I suggest you read his post here.

I watched the dance during the closing credits, paying attention to the footwork of the man (after prying my attention away from the gorgeous female dancer) and I’d say I’ve probably used every step I saw there somewhere in my escrima. On the other hand, to do this so smoothly in tandem with another person … recognizing the movement and performing like that are two entirely different things. I can understand Alex’s investigation of this as a way to improve his FMA footwork (to say nothing of his social life), just as I’ve watched flamenco for similar reasons (just the FMA, folks!)

The Sound of One Hand Clapping

2007-10-17T13:21:00.000-07:00

What is the sound of one hand clapping? The answer to this old Zen koan is “nothing”, or “there is no answer,” which is just a wordier explanation. However, if we ask this from the literalist position of a martial artist, the question leads to experimentation in the real world of practical application.

There are, of course, many variations of clapping, ranging from polite tapping of fingertips against the palm, to every-fiber-of-your-being hand-against-hand Sumo slams, but all presupposing a result stemming from the tympanic resonance of one object against another. Even one-handed claps strike against walls, tables, etc.

But what if air is the object against which we strike? We are always told that, like a fish in water, we do not perceive the medium in which we move because it is taken for granted, but is this true? We feel wind, sense temperature, all qualities of this medium. We know it is there; can we use it?

An ordinary person attempting to clap one-handed will probably wave that hand vaguely in the air and then ponder at the nothingness of the result, oblivious perhaps to the precept that the result speaks for itself, as does the experiment that produced it.

As martial artists, we train ourselves to move precisely. A highly developed proprioceptive sense helps us slice time by defining aspects of any motion from start to finish, so we start by looking at our original clap.

Where are the hands at the start of a clap? This isn’t a random thing; we all have deeply ingrained habitual patterns and clapping is pretty automatic. Where are your hands when they meet? Are they even or is one on top? If the latter, what does it feel like if you reverse them? Do the hands bounce? How much?

Since martial artists are concerned with things like speed and power, let’s focus on vigorous clapping for our model. Your hands might start face height, about shoulder width, and come together evenly at chest or throat level.

Now do the same motion with just one hand. You have a designated start point. You have (or should have) a designated end point. How do you move between them?

Efficiency suggests the shortest distance is a straight line, and the simplest way to achieve this is with relaxation. Inertia says an object in motion will tend to remain in motion unless worked upon by an outside force. Tension is a force that acts against acceleration through increased stress in components of a system.

Rather than a stiff movement that pushes, use a sudden pulse of acceleration to start, and use a “pop” at the end, with some rebound. This is a short, explosive motion, and the sound of your one hand should be a “whoosh.” It may take some practice to consistently create a sound (although some of us older guys may hear extra creaking in the joints).

What this gives you is a powerful inward strike, whether a slap, chop, parry or block. Develop both hands by alternately “clapping” in this way. Another thing to practice is a single-handed double slap. Interestingly, you may find the second slap to be both shorter and louder than the first.

Other techniques to hear the sound of one hand: Upward outward parry (flick it); downward outward parry. I like to combine the two. In a fighting stance, flick upward with the lead hand then slap downward with it. The elbow stays fairly fixed in position and angle; rotation is from the shoulder. Keep the fingers open. The rear hand may do the opposite to cover, ie. flick downward and then up.

Some nights when I’m on, I’ll just shadowbox to the sound of my hands. I can feel the energy flowing through the fingertips and I’ll feel energized at the end of the workout.

This is powerful stuff. Sifu Al Thomas, my old Kenpo teacher, was a master at hard style blocks (courtesy, perhaps, of his Shotokan roots). We got punished for being slow or obvious. As we got better, though, movement became quicker and lighter, but the only reason parries were not so bone-jarringly painful was perhaps our own understanding of the consequences of getting caught. One day Al put speed and power in perspective. Hard blocks were for simple situations, such as overzealous students. When sparring skilled fighters, he parried to stay in tempo. If, however, it were a serious fight on the street, he would be flicking with his fingertips.

Maximum distance, maximum velocity. Applied to vital targets such as eyes and throat, these do not require great strength, though conditioning is an asset. Being relaxed can increase stress on joints because of greater velocities. Tension is actually a way to apply the brakes. Pay attention to your body and work your way into this. You don’t want to injure ligaments or tendons by over-stressing them.

The more skilled one becomes at this, the shorter the distance to achieve a powerful result. Bruce Lee had the six, three and one-inch punches, in increasing order of skill. Listen to your hands in the air and you can measure your success.

Strike with the padded parts of the palm. The whole palm is a powerful slap, striking more nerve endings on the surface than any other blow. Using the heel of the hand at the end adds focus to penetrate more deeply. The palm side of the knuckles is a hard bony surface, good for parries against punches. Practice hitting with these rather than the whole palm for more effective parries. It will also help avoid parrying too high and getting fingertips bent backwards.

For those who use the Filipino c-hand check, which keeps the thumb open to catch or as a sensor, focus the parry specifically with the knuckle of the index finger. This is the “fist within the palm” that focuses the maximum energy of a palm strike. Practicing flicking this knuckle can make it an effective nerve strike against the wrist, and will also help overcome the danger of snagging one’s thumb during the parry.

So, some tips from the Stickman on using air to hear the sound of one hand clapping. Of course that means you are listening with your ears, but then if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it (and earthquake sensors picking up the fall of a giant redwood are just extensions of our hearing), does that mean it really made a sound?

Ah, those wacky Zen masters! But if there is only nothing, then there is nothing to oppose, either. No need to try, just do. When we let go we can have it all, and so we see the appeal of the empty mind to the art of fighting; indeed, to the art of living. When we do not resist, the path become simple. Not always the shortest, but the most direct path has fewest detours.

Building Better Trainers

2007-10-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got a surprise phone call from Bill Bednarick, a student of Mushtaq Ali, who is also a maker of training blades for Filipino martial arts. He was calling to compliment me on the design and appearance of the knives and swords I now make. His comments reflected what I’ve been hearing ever since I started making these, that they don’t look anything like plastic. That’s because I’m not just machining simple lines but I’m hand finishing my pieces just as any woodworker using exotic hardwoods. So far the results speak for themselves.

We spent perhaps an hour on the phone, trading tips and comparing techniques. It’s a pleasure to deal with someone who is open and up-front like this. Similarly, some years past someone who wanted to use my rattan hardening techniques to start their own business contacted me. As I’d freely published this information online, I gave him my blessing and as far as I know the guy has done well.

On the other hand, there are people who have copied my synthetic sticks as though it’s been their original idea. Since I pioneered the concept 18 years ago, I’ve seen a few of these guys come and go. Usually they fail by trying to undercut the price of my products. This isn’t a big profit business, so for most it hasn’t been worth the effort, and no one has ever offered the variety of products I offer.

At least with blade makers there is a greater degree of creativity. One must envision the final result. Products may compete but they are not “knock-offs” in the sense of being identical. For this market, we’re all doing personalized hand-made copies of traditional Filipino designs anyway.

There has long been a spirit of cooperation among knife makers, who have guilds and organizations that bring them together in comraderie at knife shows. There is nothing similar for those of us making trainers, a specialized purpose, though some real knife makers might have a few “faux” items available on their table at a show.

Since I've been involved in FMA (25+ years) a lot of creative people have brought new tools to the training market. When I started there were only cheap floppy rubber knives from the martial art stores, useless for training against a stick or doing disarms. The late great Al Mar created a stir with his semi-rigid rubber copy of the Gerber Mk II commando knife. Since then there have been many products introduced, ranging from rubber imitation knives to beautifully exotic hardwoods.

There are many aluminum trainers on the market but many are simple two-dimensional cutouts. As I found out with my own designs, aluminum is hard enough to be damaging to sticks, unlike plastic, which is very similar to wood. Metal is also problematic for swordplay as the edges quickly become rough and sharp-toothed, requiring repair for safety.

Once again I believe I’m cutting new territory with the products I’m designing, both in the material, chosen for toughness, and the level of detail, such as bevelled edges to lighten and balance the blades. My goal in making training blades is to create functional artwork, blades that look as good hanging on the wall as they are useful for training. In doing so, I also figure these will be unique (which is why I’m numbering each individual piece), something that the knock-off artists won’t be able to simply imitate and claim as their own.

Hammers, Screwdrivers and Pliers

2007-09-26T13:55:00.000-07:00

This morning I was teaching a lesson that focused on empty hands, my goal being to show applications based on Serrada’s weapon techniques. Midway through the class the student expressed frustration at learning a lot of things, saying he preferred to get just one. Now I don’t disagree with this, since one good move is better than a lot of poorly executed ones, but the guy was confusing himself by trying to make everything a memorized pattern to fit specific situations, which is rather contrary to how I see the art or teach it.

This fellow is an old-school karate guy in the true sense of the meaning. He’s about a dozen years older than me and was probably churning out kicks and punches when I was still a toddler. On the other hand he probably hasn’t trained since about the time I began getting serious about this stuff, which would be, oh, around 35 years ago (yikes!) On the one hand I give him credit for knowing a fair amount, but then I see his sticking points, where half-remembered techniques of yesteryear freeze him up in the moment. He’s a physically powerful guy; the challenge is to keep him focused in the moment.

Anyway, we were analyzing the cross block, which is where we deflect an attack to our left side, right side forward, with our weapon or lead hand angled downward and the check hand crossed underneath. From there, as the check hand controls the opponent’s arm we were doing a raking downward backfist (or chop) to the bicep (as opposed to the neck) and then a short straight punch to the solar plexus. One variation of a finish from there was to close in and trap the head with the left while delivering a smash with the right elbow. It’s a nice, short explosive combination but he was over-thinking it and freezing up. I was trying to get him to relax and see how the moves flow from one position to the next logical available target.

It was at this point that I came up with a new analogy. I asked if the guy did home repair and if he had a toolbox, to both of which he answered affirmatively, so I surmised that he probably knows the difference between a hammer, screwdriver and pliers. Again hearing confirmation, I then said that he probably would not be confused as to which he’d need for any particular task, to which he also agreed. Here I drew the analogy, calling the bicep strike a hammer, the short punch a screwdriver, and the head smash pliers. He immediately got the message.

I then asked if philips head screwdrivers were better than slot head screwdrivers, making the point that neither is better, but each is the proper tool for a particular job. So it is with punches. A twist punch is neither better nor worse than a straight punch; each has suitable applications though there can be overlap in choice.

Since he got this too, I then described the technique as a work project, where different tools might be needed along various stages of the process. Rather than pre-determining what tools he might need at any moment, I suggested that he dip into the toolbox at any point to get the one needed right then.

Sometimes martial arts seem such a mysterious and confusing whirlwind. Usually that’s because the vision is too tightly focused and cannot see the forest for the trees. I had already described applications of several punches, each of which basically used the elbow to create a defense against a counter while attacking. You may recognize this as the JKD principle of an intercepting fist. By seeing them as similar, not unlike a slot or philips screwdriver, it becomes easier to focus on the main idea of hitting the target while simply integrating the angle of the arm for protection.

In this case using the toolbox analogy brought some clarity to seeing options. With the three basic tools of hammer, screwdriver and pliers we are either smashing, drilling or squishing a target. The most important thing is to see the “what” while being flexible and adaptive about the “how.” I constantly reinforce the mindset of being “target oriented” - see the target, hit the target. How you do it is a variable, and training should teach us how to use our tools and why they fit certain situations. Correctly understood, this should lead to efficiency because one learns to strike quickly with any opportunity rather than wasting time and motion trying to find some position that might distant or unavailable. Again using JKD philosophy, it’s using the most direct weapon to the closest target.

It is said that speed cannot be coached. However there is raw linear speed and then there is adaptive speed, which includes the mental triggers that initiate timing and control motion. Watch a world-class sprinter sometime. Everything propels him forward towards his goal. The arms pump straight ahead and back; rocking them side-to-side is less efficient and unbalanced and will cost the runner time in races that are measured to 1/1000 of a second.

It is the same with fighters. A good fighter may see someone draw back an elbow to throw a haymaker, and respond by shooting a jab straight forward. It isn’t necessary that the fighter be faster than his opponent, though it may appear that way to onlookers. Simply by being more efficient at identifying the threat and responding, he is quicker to the target though not necessarily moving at greater physical speed. When we know how to use our tools, we don’t spend as much time thinking about those choices. When we know how to use a greater variety of tools, that opens our creativity.

Knowledge, Skill and Ability

2007-09-25T17:18:00.000-07:00

Today I began thinking of various elements of training and these three words – knowledge, skill and ability – stayed with me. This is another use of the triangle as a concept, keeping in mind that it is still a single integrated structure and why it is commonly shown within the circle to denote wholeness. So why did I choose these three words? They are a reflection of certain memories that surfaced, and so are representative of key concepts.

It is said that knowledge is power, but I think it would be more correct to say that knowledge is a key to power. One can know something without grasping its value or understanding the implications. It takes action to apply knowledge for effect. Nevertheless, knowledge is the foundation, the means from which understanding can grow. Great thinkers like Archimedes and Descartes understood that having a single certain truth enabled them to establish valid and logical principles.

Serrada founder Angel Cabales understood the value of knowing the principle of one. He taught to hold the ground on which you stand because we already know how to move; being immovable is much harder. By not moving, we are the leverage with which to move others. This doesn’t mean we lack mobility, but that we can ground ourselves where and when we need, and this is a great generator of power. Similarly, our defenses use a single point of contact to create a powerful fulcrum. Two points are inherently unstable because balance tends to shift back and forth, but one point simply controls the balance, as it has nowhere else to go.

Skill is application of knowledge. How many of us have trained with people who can explain the how and why of techniques in intricate detail but cannot demonstrate them well enough make the application work? I specifically remember one guy back in my Kenpo days who was an orange belt (the first promotion) back when I was a white belt. By the time he got his next promotion I was already several belts past him, and over a decade that was it for him. Now this guy was a walking encyclopedia of details from the day I met him, a veritable engineering whiz at blueprinting every move in our system. He was also built like a warrior dwarf from “Lord of the Rings” and was one tough punching bag, emulating his hero boxer Tex Cobb, who was known for relying on an iron head to survive his fights. Unfortunately Kenpo is designed for speed, accuracy and mobility, all of which my friend was lacking. Perhaps it was a bad match of body type and the art (he’d have made a good MMA guy) but all his knowledge of this system seemed of little practical value.

The third level is ability, a term I’m using as a catchall to describe a level encompassing and surpassing the previous two. It is how well we exhibit our knowledge and skill, as having those things does not intrinsically qualify our performance. On the one hand we each have natural potential, greater for some than others, but which can be enhanced for any through proper physical conditioning. On the other hand, ability goes beyond the physical to include our willpower. Training can build physical and emotional toughness, but then sometimes athletes leave their game in the locker room. Certain things cannot be coached beyond narrow limits, such as size, speed and desire. Heart is something that is revealed only when it is tested, though it can be nurtured through the learning process as steps are mastered.

Physical strength is always an asset, though perhaps not as vital in weaponry as in other arts such as grappling. Still, one needs to be strong enough to handle pressure and have the endurance to finish a fight. A problem I have in teaching is that I see most students only once a week for a couple of hours. Escrima can be very technical and requires focused attention. When training time is constrained, it is imperative to work on skill, leaving conditioning for the student to pursue elsewhere. Leaving conditioning to chance is a mistake, because hard, grueling practice can reveal character. To excel takes hard work, and as they say in motorsports, the last 10% of performance is 90% of the expense. The mountain is always steepest at the top.

I miss the old days at the Kenpo school because we had access 24/7, and classes ran several hours every day. With that much time, conditioning was well-integrated into training, as opposed to haphazardly hoping students will take it on themselves to get sufficient work in on their own. We had a basic conditioning cycle we used to do, consisting of 100 jumping jacks, 25 pushups, 50 situps (or crunches, done in pairs with our feet interlocked and slapping hands with each other when we came up to add torsion), and then 25 more pushups. We would typically open class with 2-5 cycles, done quickly to get warmed up before bagwork, kick trading or sparring; we always worked up a good sweat quickly.

Another component is stretching, which again is less significant in Escrima than in an art that emphasizes kicking. Current recommendations are to stretch when fully warmed up, better at the end of a vigorous workout because muscles are more pliable when hot. Not only do we not spend time on this in short classes, we rarely get that hot in Escrima, even when sparring hard. Back in the 70’s when I did a little Tai Chi with Master Chiang at the Wen Wu School, I was taught that flexible legs were a key to longevity. In my 20’s this was a distant concern, but now I can feel what a difference it makes. In the last 8 years I’ve gone through graduate school and endured a period of difficult health. During those times my conditioning was neglected, and I can attest that it doesn’t come back as easily as when I was younger.

Many of us take up martial arts to defend ourselves or for sport, health being the third reason people often give. As we get older and our skills become honed, we come to rely on efficiency rather than strength. This is all well and good, but to maintain our health we need to still make room for the less glamorous side of training. As the saying goes, what we do now will show up in our health in 10 years. The work we do today pays off in the future.

New webpage on making training blades

2007-09-23T09:07:00.001-07:00

Once again my blogging has been on a backburner because of other projects. I'm now filming classes so I can provide DVD's to my students so they can review what we covered. I find it useful as a teacher, enabling me to monitor their progress and also evaluate my own teaching methodology. New technology isn't always simpler than the old. Whereas before one would make a videotape and then copy it, now I have to transcode the file through two different processes to finally get it on disk. It's awkward, and it requires a lot of computer resources for hours. Each transcoding takes about as long as the actual running time of the viewing material.

Additionally I've been focused on making my training blades. At this stage I've probably worked as hard getting my shop set up for this as actually making blades. I've had to integrate new equipment, which includes a dust collection system along with the tools, so I've reorganized my small space a couple of times to get everything to fit together as comfortably as possible.

I've also updated my website, as I posted previously, and yesterday I added a new page describing the process of making my training blades. I'll add photos at some point, when I have someone available to take pictures while I'm working in the shop.

New training weapons production

2007-09-14T09:54:00.000-07:00

I'll keep this brief, since I don't want to rewrite what I've put on my website.

Due to the closure of many machine shops and the exporting of so much production overseas, it was not longer economical to get training knives made here, as costs are now as much as I've been selling them at retail.

The upside is that I've invested in equipment to make my own blades, which opens up a whole new world of possibilities since I'm no longer locked into single designs for production runs, and no longer at the mercy of programmers and machine codes reinterpreting my designs.

I've added a section on my custom training blades, which, like my sticks, are designed to handle contact sparring. There are samples of work I've done on there, and more designs are already on the way by request, most notably barongs and kerambits. Check it out!

Native Filipino Bikers!

2007-09-04T18:28:00.000-07:00

These guys are from a mountain tribe called the Ifugaos. Aside from the incongruity of native dress and ersatz "motorcycles", the ingenuity and craftsmanship of their bikes is as cool as their clothing is colorful. Photos courtesy of guro Peter Freedman.

Sonny’s Anniversary

2007-08-29T01:45:00.000-07:00

This past Friday was the first anniversary of the passing of Sonny Umpad. I didn’t make the last-minute gathering in Alameda that afternoon, but on Sunday a group of about 20 met for dinner at the New Gold Medal Restaurant, one of Sonny’s favorite eateries in Oakland’s Chinatown.

This was a very informal affair, just friends and students sharing food and catching up on lives, but Sonny’s presence was strong in the room. That’s hard to ignore when that many people come together for no other reason than a connection they share through one source who remains an inspiration for continued personal growth and that of a community. A year ago I wrote about how Sonny’s energy went out into the community when he died, and it’s good to see that this energy has become focused rather than dissipated. That is a special feat in itself.

We didn’t lift a toast Sunday evening, and I’m sure if we’d done so when Sonny was around, he’d have been embarrassed, but not quite speechless. It’s too bad we didn’t meet like this when he was alive, but I can’t say “when he was still with us” because he is.

Late note: As a follow-up to the dinner, there is now a write-up for Sonny on Wikipedia.

Mabuhay ang Sonny Umpad!

Sifu Larry Hartsell passes away

2007-08-22T18:05:00.000-07:00

The martial arts community has lost another giant with the passing of JKD grappling legend Larry Hartsell. Though I never met him myself, I know the high regard in which he is held by so many excellent martial artists. Sifu Hartsell was an early catalyst for the revival of grappling within the martial arts community. My condolances to his family, friends, students and the JKD community in general for his loss.

Progress in Training

2007-08-12T10:34:00.000-07:00

Progress in martial arts training is rarely a linear progression as growth comes in spurts. The fastest and steepest learning curve is at the beginning, when all seems new. Even then, everyone has their own rate of learning. Some absorb information like a sponge while others struggle to squeeze in each drop.

Ironically, it’s the latter who most often seem to rise to excellence. Knowledge that is hard fought to acquire has value. Those with great talent sadly seem rarely destined to achieve their potential. Taking their abilities for granted, it’s “easy come, easy go.” What is learned without effort seems of little value, another way of interpreting the phrase “you get what you pay for.”

I sometimes compare learning to building a dam on a river. As the dam rises, the water fills in the reservoir behind it. That filling in takes longer than building the dam. So it is with learning. Acquiring information is one thing; having the knowledge of how to use it is another. The dam represents the structure of your learning; the water is your experience.

The water level rises as it fills in behind the dam, quickly at first where the reservoir is narrowest at the bottom, more slowly as the surface area increases along with depth. When the reservoir has filled, one can then raise the dam, and once again it will take time to fill the volume behind that interface. Thus a new dam may need to be fairly tall, but successive levels might go up in smaller increments.

Similarly, with experience it becomes harder to learn new things because so much is already understood. Eventually any new nugget of information is like a precious jewel, adding some glow to what is already polished.

Our unconscious mind operates like water. We are only aware of what floats or is reflected on the surface, though we may intimate the ripple of currents below or surmise the contours of the bottom.

Knowing how to learn is its own skill set, related to but separate from the actual subject at hand. One’s internal perspective can either help or hinder the learning process. Meditation is helpful because it turns down the volume of self-talk, the dialog we carry on with ourselves. As we learn to tune out distractions, we gain clarity, which helps us become better focused on what is important.

How many people beat themselves up mentally and emotionally when they make a mistake? What a huge waste of energy that is! Such a person is stuck in the past, which cannot change. A feedback loop of negative self-talk is called “stinking thinking.” It’s better to stay focused on the positive. Simply acknowledge the error, recognize what needs to be fixed, and correct it.

One form of negative belief is that it will take a long time to learn something. If that’s what you believe, then that’s what you will get. We program our experience through such internal structures. I use a Huna technique, which is to program new patterns in three repetitions. It works like this:

The first time you do something new, your unconscious mind ignores it. It’s busy thinking about someone on whom you have a crush while digesting lunch, maintaining heart rate and metabolic temperature and balancing a tall vertical structure on the narrow platform of your feet.

You then repeat the behavior (thought or action) immediately and EXACTLY. Not similar, but as close to duplication as possible. Your subconscious mind still hasn’t paid attention to the content of your new behavior, but because it is a repetitive pattern, it rises to a higher level of significance. Your mind is geared towards noticing things like patterns.

Now you repeat the behavior for a third time; your subconscious has been primed to pay attention to the message itself. Add to this the fact that your conscious mind is focused on this exercise, which will increase its attraction to the unconscious.

Programming the basic behavior can be that quick, but without reinforcement it will be forgotten. Each subsequent repetition over time will deepen the channel. We build our neuro-networks to find and access our information. This is why it’s important to learn something correctly the first time, because it is harder to change established patterns of behavior than it is to create new ones.

Some teachers will let students flounder for a long time without correction. Perhaps this is to allow the chance for self-discovery, but then isn’t the function of the teacher to point the right direction? There is plenty of self-discovery to take place even when looking in the right direction. That is why I take pains to establish the foundation with beginners, because then they can go much further on their own. At least this way, if they don’t stay in the art, at least they will understand basic principles, which will be of more benefit in the long run than merely trying to remember sequences of movements.

As martial artists, one of our skills is to become fighters. Even in arts like Tai Chi, to raise energy and focus there should be a sense of an enemy standing before oneself. In arts like FMA, this goal is explicit. Some people are born with a fighting spirit, or acquire it early from their environment. Others have to learn it later, and perhaps more by choice than necessity.

There is a difference between “knowing” and “not knowing” that is irrespective of intellectual content. As Sijo Adriano Emperado has said, “one must turn on the light; once it is turned on, it cannot be turned off.” One obstacle to overcome is equating anger with intensity. Think of the scene early in “Enter the Dragon” when Bruce Lee gives a lesson to his young disciple. Anger clouds judgment; intensity focuses it like a laser.

It is the natural fighter who seems to learn quickly. One of my recent students was an experienced martial artist who learned six angles of escrima in three months and was able to use them fairly proficiently. At the other extreme I have a student who has been with me for half a dozen years, and it took much of that time for him to become actualized, someone in whom the art lives as opposed to “just doing it.”

The first guy is tough, already knows how to fight. Escrima added a new skill set, filling in knowledge not yet acquired. What he learned serves him well as he is proficient with those basics. The question is whether he will deepen that skill or whether he will set aside his training as he goes on to other things. The only way to really become good is, just like tennis or many other sports, to continue to test oneself against better opponents and thus elevate one’s game. As I wrote at the beginning, it is rarely the fastest learner who excels. Hmm, like the tale of the tortoise and the hare.

The second guy is a professional who likes to spend his free time outdoors. Escrima was just an add-on activity, something he found interesting. For a long time he seemed to be sleepwalking through training; my challenge was to find a way to awaken him. The trigger finally turned out to be switching from stick to blade, sparring with the swords I’m now making. That one change injected a higher perception of risk that propelled his skills to a significant level, and suddenly he has become very hard to hit.

To see the light come on is the moment I wait for as a teacher, because I know that now the art lives in this person. When it takes a long time, as it sometimes does, the struggle itself has meaning for it is what gave birth to a new reality.

What difference does this make? For one who has “seen the light” the answers come from within. In practical terms it means this person will perceive and counter attacks even faster than he consciously realizes them. When I spar such a person I can simply attack, knowing that it will take all my skill to find an opening I can exploit. Against someone who is merely proficient, I not only must protect myself against their attacks, but must also take responsibility for protecting them against my own!

At one level, one trains a student to spar by giving them opportunities to succeed; there is a danger that they will see this as ultimate success. It seems particularly true in fencing arts that it is easier to attack than defend, lending credence to “the best defense is a good offense.” Perhaps, though, it is simply harder to learn good defense, as that involves reading the opponent’s intentions accurately rather than leading them, or worse, ignoring those signals. Boxers may be willing to trade blow for blow, but with weapons that is rarely a wise course of action. Those that strike without concern for safety risk getting set up in the worst way.

To quote another saying, “There are bold pilots and there are old pilots, but there are no old bold pilots.”

Sonny Umpad online clips and interview

2007-08-07T17:14:00.000-07:00

Pierre Hartmann has a video tribute to Sonny Umpad up on his website. These are highlights from Sonny's seminars in Geneva, Switzerland. Click this link and then click on "Medias" near the top of the page.

Check out the other clips also. One is of Mr. Hartmann and the other is of Uwe Muller, his teacher, from 1985. I was rather impressed with these, particularly the latter. Mr. Muller has the look of someone who's had a lot of practical experience; fast entries, strong finishes.

There is also an interview Pierre did with Sonny. Anyone interested in FMA should find these insights valuable, both what Sonny had to say and Pierre's impressions of him.

Blocks, Parries, Passes and Checks

2007-08-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

Blocks, parries and passes describe a continuum of defensive options based on redirection of an opponent’s attack.

Though employing different energies, each method is a means to an end, which is to avoid injury and create an opening to counterattack or escape. In any martial technique, there are two essential phases: entering or opening your opponent, and what you choose to do after that.

Blocks are kind of the workhorse of the trio. They are powerful sweeping strikes, the kind usually taught to beginners in martial arts to give them structured form and develop muscle control. Advanced practitioners don’t need the big wind-up, though. Their movement is direct and efficient, integrating the whole body in explosive movement. Power comes from focus at the point of impact.

The lower part of the forearm, from the midpoint down to the elbow, should be used for blocking. This is the strongest part of the bone, well supported by muscle, and doesn’t exert a lot of leverage against one’s elbow and shoulder. Some arts, like Isshin-ryu karate, strike with the muscle on inward or outward sweeps to protect the bone from injury, but most arts use the hard edge of the bone as the weapon.

While sometimes disparaged as slow or basic, as used by an expert these are dynamic and powerful limb destruction techniques. Muay Thai is famous for elbow strikes, and some empty-hand styles of Filipino martial arts employ a variety of hard joint-breaking techniques as well.

While hard blocks can be devastating if successful, the risk is leaving oneself in a vulnerable position as a consequence of committing too much power. This is as true of a fencer being open to a riposte as it is of a driver losing control of a speeding vehicle in a corner. Control of balance allows options.

Parries might be thought of as lighter blocks, redirecting an opponent with less force, a way to bypass an opponent’s attack with minimal energy. Parries can range from soft touches to forceful pops, slaps and whipping motions that attack joints and pressure points. These can be done with the upper forearm or various parts of the hand, which, because of the extension and leverage of the arm, move faster than the elbow. Being speed based, the whole body dynamic is generally lighter and more mobile for parries than blocks, though both methods seek to focus against an opponent’s weaknesses while avoiding their power.

Both blocks and parries intercept and deflect the trajectory of an attack. A stop-hit is a form of defense that uses aggressive timing and angles to beat an opponent to the punch. A vigorous parry performs a stop-check type of hit, generally grabbing or sticking to the opponent’s limb for control rather than knocking it askew.

Filipino arts often utilize 1-2-3 timing in sequences like parry-check-hit. Some classical arts teach 1-2 block-and-strike timing while other arts may teach simultaneous block-and-counter moves. The 1-2 timing is a natural rhythm that often winds up with trading blows, whereas the 1-2-3 timing interjects a limb immobilization through checking that disrupts an opponent’s natural instincts.

Simultaneous timing works best either by surprise or if there is a clear technical superiority against an opponent. In other words, there is a higher risk/reward factor here, less opportunity to get out of trouble. 1-2-3 timing helps establish control over potentially dangerous counterattacks, and practicing this form of continuous checking develops one’s sensitivity and quickens the reflexes for both defense and offense.

Sometimes the best option is to pass, essentially a longer parry or block that sweeps the opponent’s attack along using momentum and knowledge of leverage to gain a tactical position of advantage. Whereas I think of blocks and parries as mostly linear deflections, passes tend to be more 3-dimensional and use misdirection as well as redirection of energy to overextend or exaggerate an opponent's movement.

The general intent of a pass is to reposition oneself either from the inside to outside of the opponent, away from the opposing hand, or vice versa to attack vital centerline targets, all the while keeping him unbalanced while moving purposefully oneself.

Passes can be categorized as high or low, and to the inside or outside. These are the four key components. Beyond that, they can be smooth redirects, such as a single parry that sweeps an attack away harmlessly, or can utilize a disruptive check/hit as a setup for the pass. Here again we see the 1-2-3 timing as parry-check-pass, which should be the lead-in to a follow up finishing sequence such as strikes or holds.

Passes cross our centerline, a vulnerability of the tactic. Control your opponent’s reach without changing your own range by extending the vertical angle of the opponent’s limb. In other words, if passing a low slash, suppressing it downward as it crosses your midsection is equivalent to taking inches from his reach while pointing the weapon further away from its target. A straight pass alone may only hasten or lead the opponent in to his target. If doing an overhead pass, give it some lift to upset an opponent’s balance and limit his options.

Passes, as well as blocks and parries, are not executed by one part of your body but by the whole. The three key elements I first identify in techniques are right hand, left hand, and body alignment. From these I should be able to identify balance, footwork and movement.

To make any technique work, body language must be congruent. This means top and bottom, left and right, front and back, inside and out. To block hard, feel strong. To parry elusively, be quick. To pass effectively, take charge and be directive. You are controlling not just your own timing but your opponent’s as well, dictating where he goes and predicting his responses. Done well and he has as much free choice as a mark on the street playing Three Card Monty.

It's A Riot!

2007-07-28T01:11:00.000-07:00

Just found this, a video from Cebu, Philippines, of 1600 inmates in orange jump suits at the prison there doing a choreographed dance routine to Michael Jackson's "Thriller". Kinda bizarre but definitely has some good moments. According to the article, dance choreography was instituted to replace calisthenics, which many (no surprise) found boring, and to instill discipline in a hard-core crowd.

Speaking of hard core, I just got a look at a sampler DVD entitled "Secrets Of The UK's Best Self-Defense Instructors". Two thoughts - this stuff looks very effective, and these guys have a lot of experience doing these things. Each instructor has his own flavor, so there's material that resembles Kenpo, Systema, FMA, etc. with some nice practical details.

An article you may find interesting by Tai Chi instructor Harve Kurland, Man of the Tao vs Martial Art Hucksters about ethics in teaching. He has some old footage of Gichin Funakoshi there, whom he holds up as an example of someone who taught the art from love and dedication as opposed to ego. Harve also has several video links of old-time Tai Chi masters here. Wu Tu Nan is perhaps 104 in the film (he lived to 107); quite impressive.

Back to Cebu, the site of most of tonight's "Human Weapon" program. The show wasn't bad, but already it seems to be settling into a format that is heavier on travelogue and less on training. Also because there is a competition at the end, coverage seemed heavily skewed towards Doce Pares.

On the other hand, I'm probably being overly critical since that was mostly doing stuff that's pretty familiar to me. I would have liked to see more variety of training, particularly the rural training methods of Leo Gaje such as the caribao wrestling. Might that be a part of Buno training?

All in all, though, a cool program; glad they started with some lesser known arts like FMA.

Human Weapon

2007-07-23T17:30:00.000-07:00

This past Friday evening the History Channel on cable tv launched a new program, Human Weapon. The series is based on two Americans who travel through Asia exploring martial arts. One is a mixed martial artist, the other a wrestler and former NFL player, and the hook for each episode is a competition between one of them and a local champion in the indigenous art being studied. The conclusion isn't really in doubt, since they come across as enthusiasts taking on professionals, but the real interest isn't in the result so much as the exploration of martial culture.

The first episode was on Muay Thai, a promising start because the series immediately began with a lesser known art, compared to karate or taekwondo. The show did a decent job showing different schools and philosophies of training, ranging from modern sport to military to traditional combatives. It was the latter which for me provided the most interesting bit, as it showed the depth of the art as it is still practiced for survival in remote and self-reliant locales.

Even more intriguing were the trailers for next Friday's episode, which will highlight Filipino martial arts in the Philippines. Such coverage is unusual here in the U.S. and this looks to show rare glimpses into the hard-core traditional training that few Americans appreciate.

The Human Weapon airs at 10pm Pacific time and, if consistent with the first episode, will repeat again at 11pm.

Force vs. Flow

2007-07-17T18:09:00.000-07:00

The best classes are those where insight is gained towards resolving blocks to improving our skills. Often we have the information all along but in pieces; insight is making the integrative connections resulting in new perspectives that deepen our understanding.

Recently I had one of those days where I felt particularly attuned in class, able to analyze vividly what both my student and I were doing in sparring. Teaching is like uncovering a mystery, peeling back layers to get to deeper truths in oneself and in others. To share insight one must find the key to another’s understanding. A good teacher has many tools, but as any mechanic knows, it’s having the right tool at the right time that makes a job go smoothly. Being in the flow leads us to our solutions by allowing the unconscious to produce insights.

During sparring I was consistently finding openings to my student’s centerline with a variety of tactics, but always with the strategy of what I call “falling in the gopher hole”. This is based on Bruce Lee’s theories of slight forward pressure to create springy energy. When the opponent creates an opening, we are already there at the threshold; the pressure is released and we automatically fill the gap without time consuming thought. Pressing the opponent’s centerline while guarding ours keeps this energy direct and balanced.

Our conscious awareness being much slower than the unconscious mind, we perceive through our senses what is already done. If we think first how to act, it is two stages, thought then action, the latter most likely inhibited by the weight of processing the former.

Awareness without thought: Our minds should be aware of the dynamics of the fight without excessive micromanagement over movement. Our strategy is our goal; tactics need be executed with instinctive reactions. We do this every day in ordinary life while walking, driving or feeding ourselves. The more stress we can handle in this ordinary manner, the greater the internal resources available for other purposes.

Sometimes we go unconscious in action, our conscious mind simply unable to keep up with the flow of action. At such times we may perform things seemingly beyond our abilities, but evidently not beyond our capacity to imagine. Our unconscious mind of course remembers every detail of the experience, and through methods such as NLP, hypnosis, meditation etc. we can later recall much of this information through accessing our multiple sensory memories. All states of awareness are constructs, hence hypnotic, since we build these on more subtle beliefs that direct our thought. What we cannot rationalize is expressed through emotion, the domain of the unconscious, and revealed in the gross and subtle actions of our physical bodies.

Here’s an example of the mind going unconscious in action. Three decades ago I knew an acquaintance of my older brother, a bear of a man with Aikido and Kendo training. This man fought his way to the kingship of the Society for Creative Anachronisms several times in their rough-and-tumble early days. In his most memorable fight, he felt he had been fouled grievously towards the end of a round and was extremely angry. During the break he centered himself and when he came out for the next and decisive round he knocked out his opponent. All he remembered was how blue the sky was that day, which he described as a Zen-like state of bliss which enabled him to bypass his judgmental conscious mind, giving him complete freedom of action.

Verbal expression is a way to hone in and clarify our thoughts; to get from theory to practice, I needed to communicate my own intuitive impressions. An axiom in hypnotherapy is that in order to create a state within a client, one must access it first within oneself so as to lead another person there. In martial arts, as in NLP, we can do this through mirroring and matching. I was using this on him; my goal was to transmit this skill too, leveling our playing field.

To begin with I could see my student’s movements were too wide and blocky, creating openings and losing timing. He was swinging from the shoulder, using muscular energy rather than finding a more natural internal rhythm. This was isolating the dynamics of his arm motion from the rest of his body, resulting in discordant footwork and poor body alignment. Correcting this one thing would unblock an entire cascade of improvements to his overall technique.

My first step was to get him to pay attention to how he was handling his weapon, changing his technique to make it tighter and smoother. A supple wrist is important to be able to control balance of the weapon. Every weapon has its balance point. We can try to impose our desired movement regardless of this, or we can let the weapon follow its natural trajectory. This lets us guide it by controlling its center of balance, a much more fluid relationship.

Identifying a physical point of resistance was the leverage to understanding its effect in our sparring dynamic, which is where we both were able to see a deeper picture. By using his arm in a muscular way he was relying on force, which by its nature, using the concept of equal and opposite reaction, creates the resistance that it encounters. Most of us have had experiences of struggling to make something happen and getting nowhere, only to stop fighting and suddenly achieve a breakthrough.

In terms of our sparring, his desire to force the action made him stiff because he was overthinking each move, which in turn telegraphed his intention. As long as he projected an attachment to a particular outcome, I could easily see what he was trying to do before he did it, a clear example of how the body responds to the conditions of the mind. Escrima is an art with a lot of deception. It takes fluidity and adaptability to hide one’s intentions.

Connecting his sense of power to the need to force an outcome exposed a rigid dynamic between thought and action. Changing his physical rhythm created a new mental pattern as well, allowing him to experience the process itself rather than the need to focus on a specific tactical goal.

Let me restate that. If force is required for a particular result, then flow is allowing the process to find its own path. This could be the path of least resistance, or it could be the path of greatest understanding, but either way it should give us what we need.

The effect on his sparring was immediate and dramatic, raising it to a level I’d never seen in him before. As soon as he began to flow, the old familiar gaps in his technique were gone. For the first time I felt him nullifying my attacks effortlessly.

I’ll finish with a brief story that illustrates a difference between force and flow. In 1189 King Richard I (Lionheart) met Saladin during the Third Crusade. To demonstrate the strength of his sword and sword arm, he hacked through a bar of iron. Saladin then demonstrated the keenness of his sword by dropping a piece of silk across the edge, slicing the fabric in half by its own weight. Both ways can achieve results, but one requires great effort and the other almost none.

Sicko - a review

2007-07-01T07:09:00.000-07:00

I saw "Sicko" last night and my old Kaiser line about "paying money to be uninsured" no longer seems funny or an abberation. As one who has been on both sides of the insured/uninsured issue, suddenly our country seems not just woefully unenlightened, but a so-called democracy in the grips of oligarchs. This goes beyond just a condemnation of our health care system, to an indictment of the care with which those entrusted with our governance have sold out our trust. After seeing this, I read about Massachussetts' experiment with mandatory health insurance, and the complexities of that so-called remedy seem woefully antiquated and unnecessary, just a further dip into the murky waters of profiteering at the expense of public health. For the first time in my life I truly have to question the premise that this country is "the greatest". Michael Moore may not be without the baggage of his agenda, and there may be some errors of omission in this work, but without a doubt he raises important debates, and this is one that should hit home in every household in America.

Another great blog from Alex!

2007-06-30T07:17:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be lazy and once again refer readers to Alex Castro's blog. Alex is a sharp writer and has benefitted from training with various guros in his travels and relocations. These days he's putting out cutting edge information on Serrada (pun intended), while I've been concentrating lately on retooling my shop for making my blades and improving my skills in that endeavor.

Some quick notes

2007-06-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

Darren Tibon's production company has a really nice presentation of the demonstrations of various martial arts from the 2007 Disney Qualifier in Anaheim, including, of course, excellent Serrada (especially lock-and-block by Chez Tibon and Gelmar Cabales).

I also highly recommend reading Alex Castro's current blog on "Assassination Tango" (he's also linked on my right-hand column). Great information on dance and martial arts!

Training with new training blades

2007-06-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

It’s always special to see something come together that’s been a long time coming. Sometimes a small change makes a big difference, breaking up what is routine and opening new possibilities.

My inspiration comes from the late great Sonny Umpad. Last weekend was a gathering of the Visayan clan. I was already thinking of how to get copies of a magnificent 12" training blade Sonny made for me many years ago. It was so nice I never wanted to use it or risk losing it (which I did for about 2 years, another story). With the cost of manufacturing so high around here, I decided to make my own copy by hand.

The first one took me hours. I traced the original, scanned it into the computer, then resized it to fit a piece of paper and printed it out. I cut that out and taped it to a solid billet of plastic and then went through various stages of cutting, grinding, filing, sanding and polishing. When I was done, I had a really cool training knife!

The next day I decided to make another, which went faster. Now I was more confident in the techniques I needed to make these. I had one last odd shaped piece of material left, which I turned into two 19” krisses.

Here’s where the fun began, because now my students and I got to start playing with the new toys to see how well they hold up in use. The plastics I use are much tougher than almost any wood yet gentler against other sticks than metal. The way I finish these makes them look like wood. Sometimes I have a hard time convincing folks it isn’t what they think.

What surprised me was the sudden increase in accuracy my students showed with the krisses compared to regular sticks. While the techniques themselves required some adjustments to really align the blades, it was the basic strikes that caught my attention. Whereas I’ve critiqued students at times for holding back and not throwing strikes to the target, with the krisses their attacks were as close and precise as I could wish. There was something about the mass and shape of the weapon that focused their mind and body into the strike in a new way.

The krisses, at 19”, are heavier than most sticks but feel secure because of the grip. The triangular blade shape seems to draw attention towards the tip, which has a slight downward hook. One student called it a “hawk’s beak”, saying he felt as though it wanted to bite into the target. Whatever the reasons, drills and sparring this week hit a new high, and those are moments a teacher savors and will remember.

Of the two large blades, the first has a thinner handle because my material was oddly shaped, missing a rectangle I’d cut out years ago for the prototype of my commando blade. It lacks the mass of the lower guard in front of the knuckles at the bottom of the blade, which helps balance the tip, so I made the blade thinner and lighter (except for the tip, which I’m leaving blunt). I always say the weapon will tell you how it likes to move; this one has a light feeling, responding like an extension of the fingers with quick reversals. The balance is almost like an Indonesian kris.

The second kris feels bigger, with a slightly broader handle and blade and a straighter alignment. This is more similar to my heavy Moro kalis seka and is more suited to powerful slashes, with control coming from the wrist.

My smaller knives follow a similar pattern, with the first slimmer in the hand and the second one more robust but with more defined grind lines.

After 2 hours of heavy use yesterday, they don’t look quite as shiny and new, but that’s ok, these are supposed to be training weapons, not show pieces. I love having these in my stick bag, but I’m sure they won’t stay there much when it’s time to play!

I’ve already had several people ask if I’m going to sell these. The answer is probably yes. These are labor intensive, but if I make them by hand I can sell them retail for what machine shops would charge me just for cutting the basic form, which I still have to finish by hand. I won’t have large quantities in stock, and each one will be a little different, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I just need to keep honing my skills so I can refine various grips and blade balances towards specific goals.

Note: Last night, after writing this, I went to a party at grandmaster Mark Gerry’s house, a fantastic gathering of masters and grandmasters attending Wally Jay’s 90th birthday weekend events. The first, lighter kris really caught the attention of everyone who played with these.

Nice!

June updates

2007-06-01T14:55:00.000-07:00

A reminder that tomorrow is the Mata Sa Bagyo potluck picnic in Pittsburg, Ca. This is open to the FMA community in general and the Serrada community in particular. I'm hoping people will attend what is becoming an annual gathering, which bring me to ....

... something I've discussed here before, which is the lack of support for so many events happening here in the NorCal FMA community. Last weekend there was a Balintawak seminar in Pleasanton, a town conveniently located between the East Bay, San Jose and central valley communities such as Stockton and Modesto. Once again there was an astonishing (to me) lack of turnout. There were about a dozen members of the Tabimina Balintawak club that sponsored the event, and there was me.

Sorry if I'm preaching from a soapbox here, but for years I bemoaned the lack of events such as this in our region, a chance to see top instructors from related arts sharing their knowledge with the rest of us. Over the past year or so there have been many opportunities to attend events like this, but participation has been so sparse that the promoters are now shying away from the effort involved to make these happen. Besides posting on my blog calendar, I also directly emailed nearly 50 people about this event, letting them know there was a steep discount if they mentioned my blog. Of those, exactly NONE showed up. For $50 they could have had 5 hours with grandmaster "Nene" Gaabucayan of Teovel Balinatawak Arnis; for $10, the cost of a movie, they could have watched.

This was an excellent seminar with a top instructor. I often say an event like this is a success for me if I learn one thing new. By that definition, last Saturday was more than just a success because I picked up a few good ideas. It's too bad nobody else has the time or desire to do the same.

For those who live in S.F. or on the peninsula, a reminder that there is a two day Richard Bustillo seminar this weekend. If anyone from here attends, let me know. I'd like to hear about it, and maybe it will relieve some of this sense of futility about such events.

Dog tricks pt. 2

2007-06-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

I knew my dog was quick, but now I have proof.

Normally my dog trots, about my jogging speed, or lopes along at what is my running speed. About once a month she hits another gear. I'll look up and there she is at the park or beach, flying impressively ahead of a pack of dogs. Still, she prefers to stop and sniff; she'll stand for half an hour over a gopher hole if I let her. Sometimes she'll catch them, other times she's just fascinated to watch. One day I even saw the gopher touch her nose twice without consequence!

On Memorial Day we were near the end of a long walk when I stopped to talk to two ladies who were helping look for a lost dog. I turned a minute later to call my dog but she wasn't there. I called and called for perhaps 2-3 minutes when I spied her over 100 yards away. She was running and I saw what I thought was a small dog. "Oh good! She's playing." Then I realized she was chasing a jack rabbit, the first I'd ever seen at the Albany Bulb (a wild landfill being slowly strangled by the park bureaucracy).

I started running toward the action while calling my dog when suddenly the rabbit headed straight towards me. Perhaps it understood that by doing so, I'd have a chance to grab the dog. The rabbit actually changed directions a couple of times right in front of me but my attempts to snag the dog's collar were futile.

I could see with every cut the rabbit made that my dog was closing the gap, a few inches at a time. While she was perhaps 6-7 feet back when I first spotted them, as they made the last cut in front of me the distance was less than half that. At this point I took off running after them, understanding what the outcome was going to be.

About 50 yards into the weeds the rabbit tried one last cut and the dog cut it off and pounced, coming up with a limp rabbit in her mouth. I was about four running strides behind, yelling "DROP IT!" My dog started to run off and then thought better of it and did as told, turning towards me in submission. I grabbed the collar and snapped on the leash and led her a few feet away from her prey. I looked back and the rabbit was watching, panting hard from under a clump of dry weeds. I didn't see any blood on either animal so we quickly left, hoping the rabbit could recover without being found by another dog.

Meanwhile my gal was panting heavily with her tongue out, which I'd never seen her do before. She kept that up for 15 minutes and slept quite well when we got home. I guess I can't sing Elvis' "Hound Dog" any more, since she HAS caught a rabbit. I've never seen a solo dog run one down before, though I've seen two dogs team up to do it. I've certainly never before had a dog with this combination of speed, agility and endurance. I was quite impressed and she seems to have a new sense of her prowess as well, which means I've had to go Alpha on her once or twice to let her know she's still #2 in my house.

We went back the next day to make sure there was no sign of a dead rabbit; the field was clear. I guess jack made it home ok. The birds (mostly red-wing blackbirds) made a big racket while we were out there though. It was as though they recognized my dog as the "almost" killer and were putting out the word.

What was so impressive was the drive and determination to complete her task once she was in motion. As martial artists, we could learn a lot from that.

Dog tricks

2007-05-22T09:41:00.000-07:00

Just yesterday at the beach an adolescent male ridgeback stole my dog's ball and wouldn't let it go. He kept running farther away while chewing on it vigorously. That kind of ruins my game with my dog,to say nothing of how fast some animals can ruin a good ball. Then too dogs sometimes get into a scrap over something like stealing a toy. I figured these two dogs combined weighed about 130 lbs. and my bitch was shadowing him pretty closely, so forestalling any escalation seemed a good idea.

When I finally got close enough to the ridgeback to be able to make a move, I yelled "DROP IT!" which worked, slightly to my surprise. Of course he went right for it again, which is why I wear stout boots for dog walks. I stepped on the ball and said "LEAVE IT!" and "OFF!" while crowding him off the spot.

Mind you this can be risky; I've stepped away from a dog or two if they seemed especially determined. I don't relish my toes as a chew toy. I'd never met this dog before, and particularly being young and rambunctious, I couldn't be not entirely sure he knew or would respond to common commands. By the same token I didn't think he'd be overly dominant yet.

I believe that a dominant tone of voice is really the key to grabbing control anyway. In most circumstances, when immediate attention is required, from either man or beast, a strongly projected"YO!" seems to be universally effective in establishing one's presence.

What reminded me of yesterday's experience was an email that arrived this morning with a similar theme (a nice synchronicity!) In it was a story about a man who was attacked by a dog. He retreated behind a car and shouted "SIT", which worked! Just about every dog knows that word, unless it's been taught in German or Spanish or Vietnamese, etc., but even then it's a word they might very well have heard and recognize.

The point is, use of a common command in a strong voice can be a valuable trick. Pitching a hand up high over a dog's head (or towards one further away) reinforces this with body language; as a dog's nose goes up, the other end tends to go down.

There are similar psychological tricks in fighting. For instance, grapplers learn to release holds when their training partner taps out. On the street, this could aid an escape. The better response, from the grappler's point of view, would be to stop increasing pressure or ease back a bit, but not to relinquish control unconsciously.

The idea is to control direction of attention. NLP is useful because it teaches modalities of consciousness. Applied Kinesiology or similar body therapies are good for learning pressure and release points. Lead the mind, the body follows. Lead the body, the mind pays attention.

Serrada and Wing Chun

2007-05-18T19:47:00.000-07:00

Alex Castro has written an interesting post comparing Serrada and Wing Chun. He was one of a number of people who trained with me who also trained under Wing Chun grandmaster Chris Chan.

Nice to be able to reference writings of someone with whom I've worked in the past, especially one with such a solid and varied background ....

Alex Castro's Serrada Blog

2007-05-13T08:33:00.000-07:00

There's a new escrima blog by Alex Castro which I've linked in my sidebar. Alex trained with me for a couple of years when he started escrima. Since then he has lived mostly down in Texas, with some time spent briefly back here in California. Though he is writing from a Serrada perspective, Alex offers insights from a much broader perspective. He is a talented martial artist who was deeply involved in Shuai Jiao when I met him. He's often left thoughtful comments on my posts, so I'm happy to see him writing his own.

Wally Jay's 90th Birthday Dinner and Seminars

2007-05-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

If you want to catch the action, make your dinner reservations for Friday June 15 now! This is the date of Wally Jay's 90th birthday banquet at the Hong Kong East Ocean Restaurant in Emeryville, one of the Bay Area's finest and most scenic Cantonese restaurants.

An event for Wally Jay attracts the very best the martial arts world has to offer, with exhibitions and seminars on Saturday and more. Here is a flier for the event.

PS - If anyone is interested in going in on a table, let me know ....

Snap/Cut (slight update)

2007-05-05T11:13:00.000-07:00

Normally I practice with a natural flow, keeping tight but exploring how things like footwork, body angle and alignment, weight distribution, etc. all are components that contribute to the outcome of any specific phase of an encounter. In other words, there’s more than one way to skin a cat.

I decided this morning to break my movement down to the lowest common denominator, stripping techniques down to the absolute minimum. I used two tools in this exercise. First was a blade; specifically one made for me by Sonny Umpad. It was playing with this that got me into a creative space, feeling the balance, hearing the “swoosh” through the air.

The second tool was a mirror. Live time feedback, how we did it before video. Great for checking alignment, seeing what others would see. Just don’t fall in love with your own image …

Here’s the exercise: stand in front of the mirror; fine-tune your best alignment with that “opponent”. Do each movement of a technique extremely mechanistically, as tight and minimalist as possible. Don’t worry about speed; that always comes with familiarity. This is about precision, identifying start and stop points, how to get from one to the other as efficiently as possible.

Kung-fu practitioners talk about tendon strength as being more important than muscles. That's because their elasticity can generate a powerful pop in striking, but puts great stress on these connective tissues. Muscles grow and increase strength faster, making one look and feel strong, buta danger is if one part of the system overwhelms another. A possible sign of steroid use is when bulked up athletes constantly tweak tendons and joints, which have not yet caught up in development. It takes time to handle as much power as one can generate, so don't rush and risking injury.

Make each movement a “snap”; just go from touch at one point - SNAP – to touch at the next point. Don’t worry yet about trying to string it together, just feel each snap. The whole body should move together as one, every part doing what it should do, going where it needs to be. It’s a bit choppy at first, but it defines your tightest options within the technique.

Example: On a Serrada inside block there are essentially five moves: parry, counterstrike, hit under the arm, hit over the arm, lock (en garde) position. Each of these movements has an apex in time, where the energy of that move completes itself and begins turning into the next. This is the moment of impact where a blow discharges energy. Too many people think past that to the follow through, but that is relative, depending on many factors including the design of your technique.

I’ll postulate a theorum here: The least amount of movement necessary at the end of the chain has the most control. Everything preceding the strike – root, foundation, trunk, branches and stems – has done everything to maximize the potential at the end, so there is less final adjustment and therefore a finer degree of tuning. More like a bullet than a boomerang ;)

Back to the exercise …. So I’m practicing using the target in the mirror and I start picking up a distinct rhythm as I’m linking together the snaps in a technique (specifically an inside block for angle #1, a tip-up defense common to most systems). The first move snaps hard and rebounds to the next position, which cuts with a slower tempo. An inside block would start as a parry/counter in snap/cut timing. In Serrada our next moves would be to cut under and then over the arm, so that’s the next snap/cut pair. It’s important, especially on this one, not to skimp past the first impact point (snapping upward into the arm) just to get to the next. It isn’t a race, it’s about being effective, so each move gets dialed in.

Why is this important? Well, besides making each strike potent in its own right, it also allows us the versatility to respond more effectively to unexpected changes. Having a good base means having resources available. If your base is weak, you are fighting yourself as well as an opponent.

To continue the exercise, there are now two phases, to which we’ll add a third. The first phase is snapping to each move individually to dial it in. The second phase is snap/cut in pairs. The third phase is turning the in-between transition points into snap-cut combos. In our inside block, we would now look at the counterstrike/upward cut as the snap/cut, and then the downward chop and lock position as the next snap/cut.

Each sub-pattern within the larger framework becomes more focused, utilizing more sudden “shock power.” Now with a sense of continuity between each of these points, begin doing triplets. This would be parry/counter/upward cut, then the forward spin cut/abanico/turn-and-check (the last 3 – abanico, turn, check) are all components of returning to our lock (en garde) position.

Can we just snap each and every hit? Probably, but will it be targetted well enough to be effective or just a flurry of motion? Eventually our patterns become so ingrained they are natural and unconscious, and that kind of tight, focused speed comes from an inward sense of touch and balance; proprioceptive qualities.

A whole technique should be strong in all components. What you don’t see (or know or understand) CAN hurt you, which is why every detail in techniques is important. These are the elements that comprise the polishing process. If we want to have longevity in the arts, eliminating mindless errors minimizes careless injuries. The best techniques don't just strike an enemy, they protect us internally as well. Deepening our self-understanding elevates our process on multiple levels. We may never use everything we practice in a real situation, but the better our attributes, the more we improve our chances.

Kali Means To Scrape

2007-05-05T11:06:00.000-07:00

Recently there were some online forum discussions on disarms. Some folks feel they are impractical, usually, I think, because people put too much emphasis on the technique by itself. I personally think they are good to know as finishing moves, but don’t ignore other things that take precedence (like striking or otherwise gaining control). My argument was two-fold, that 1) its better to know and not need than to need and not know, and 2) if we don’t practice the hard things, it’s certain we’ll never gain those skills.

Recently I had a chance to view Nick Papadakis’ video “Kali Means To Scrape.” One old grandmaster, manong Legaspi, had had his arm shattered (and permanently crippled) at the outset of a fight, yet still managed single-handedly to drive away multiple opponents after disarming one and taking his knife.

His story gives me new appreciation for Angel Cabales’ teachings that take control of an opponent's weapon rather than just discarding it, or worse, thinking it cannot be taken at all. Angel’s reasoning was so we could use it and nobody else could pick it up. Legaspi’s story exemplifies this possibility. After all, it saved his life!

Sonny Umpad DVD from Dog Brothers released

2007-05-03T07:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a student gave me his copy of the new Dog Brothers DVD "The Grandfathers Speak: Maestro Sonny Umpad." I have to admit it was bittersweet watching this, appreciating the value of preserving his legacy, missing the man. The interview parts are sometimes difficult to understand because Sonny had a strong Visayan accent and was close to his untimely death from cancer at the time. On the other hand, the archival footage of Sonny in his prime is simply amazing, even if the old 8mm film stock was less than stellar. The breadth of his teaching can be seen in the footage of students working out with sticks, staffs, knives and swords; be sure to check the "Extras" for more of that.

Wednesday Evening Class Update

2007-05-03T00:18:00.000-07:00

My Wednesday evening class is moving to a new location in Pleasant Hill, the Gracie Sports Center at 150 Longbrook Way #D, Pleasant Hill, Ca. 94523. Class time is 7:30-9:30pm starting next week; fees are $75/month.

This is exciting because for the first time in many years we will be working out in a well-equipped martial arts gym which includes mats, heavy bags and even a boxing ring. Cesar Gracie is a world class fighter and trainer to other top competitors, and I hope access to his facility will inspire those of us who use it toward greater levels of achievement as well.

Out In The Cold

2007-05-02T01:25:00.000-07:00

On the last Tuesday of April I found out that the weekly class I’d been teaching Wednesday nights for the past two years was getting cancelled at the end of the month. In other words, the next day was my last class there. I’d had a feeling this was coming through a series of increasingly clear hints, but still, that was abrupt. Heck, even the husband of the site’s owner didn’t know this was coming, and he’s been taking my class.

It isn’t easy finding a new location. I jumped on the internet last week, spending a couple of days looking up schools and community centers, making calls and leaving messages. Out of perhaps a dozen places where I left messages (sometimes more than one) I got two return calls. One place is pretty far from where we’ve been training, an inconvenience for my steady students though possibly better for one or two occasional ones. The other guy expressed a lukewarm interest and hasn’t returned any subsequent attempts to contact him.

Considering the high cost of renting a place here in the Bay Area, I’d think there’d be more interest in utilizing down time for facilities. Then again, prime times are limited. A few places I reached were happy to let me use Saturday afternoons, but how many people are willing to commit the heart of their weekend to taking classes? The failure of so many quality seminars gives me that answer. As for bigger community centers, I don’t know why they don’t answer messages, unless it’s the “We already have Tai Chi” mentality that I’ve encountered a few times at those places.

It’s difficult enough to sustain a class even with a stable environment. I figured at least we’re heading into nice spring weather following a dry winter, but lo and behold, this first Wednesday of May is supposed to rain. Some people would perhaps shrug this off as minor adversity, but I’m just not excited about holding class outdoors when it’s cold, wet and dark. Until this gets resolved, I guess I’ll be trying to get by just my private lessons and we’ll see who’s still around when a new group location becomes available.

MAMBA articles

2007-04-29T09:42:00.000-07:00

Those who read this blog know I am interested in the mental and spiritual aspects of martial arts. My M.A. in holistic health education explored healing, somatic psychology and spirituality through the relational perspective of quantum physics. Hypnotherapy, in which I’m certified, has furthered my belief that the mind and body are not separate but rather different frequencies of energy expressing self-reflective qualities.

In a sense I see physical reality as the manifestation of many vortices, little energy black holes defining specific points of energy in the matrix of the universe. We record the experiences we attract through our minds, encoding the memory within the physical structures of our bodies.

Physical training in martial arts gives us skills, but how far we go in pursuit of those skills and how we choose to use them or integrate them into our lives are personal choices, which underlie the activity itself. Furthermore we make these choices constantly throughout our daily lives. We think of ourselves as single entities when in fact we are complex organisms constantly adapting to our environment through evolving physical and emotional states, of which our conscious awareness is itself a final product.

From time immemorial, warriors have strengthened themselves through rituals which strengthen beliefs, attitudes and convictions, allowing them to become role models in their societies and to deal with the consequences of their actions. There are those who argue that the FMA are only about practical and efficient methods of physical combat, ignoring the rich tradition of anting-anting and oracion.

In fact, a warrior mindset is invaluable for maximizing physical attributes. As the saying goes, “it’s the size of the fight in the dog, not the size of the dog in the fight.” Without desire and focus, what will be achieved? With it, what cannot be? Whether we acknowledge it or not, training affects us on a multiplicity of levels. If we do acknowledge it, we may gain insight faster because we align our attention consciously with deeper values.

A recent link submitted to the yahoo group “csemt-serrada_escrima” revealed a treasure trove of articles on shamanism, hypnosis and martial arts by James Overton Sr. whose website is at mamba-ryu.com. MAMBA stands for “Mastering the Art of Mind and Body in Action”. Nice acronym for a very well developed version of what I’m aiming towards through my “Self Empowerment Practice And Theory” (SEPAT) © .

SEPAT coincidentally spells “TAPES” backwards, a nice metaphor for hypnotherapy as a way to “unwind” or deprogram limiting beliefs. In Tagalog “sepat” refers to a “wild child”, another nice metaphor for letting loose our innate curiosity and sense of freedom.

As martial artists, our best attribute is to reach freedom in movement, to be responsive to the flow of energy. The paradox is we gain control by giving up control, just letting things happen. We can still be aware and making decisions, but they are natural and constrained, like a car driving along a road. We can think about what we are doing, but we needn’t think about how we are doing it.

Our bodies are responsive to our minds. The more our minds are free, the less inhibition on the resources the body can utilize. It is easy to see with beginners how their “stuckness” in movement is the same in their mind. Peeling away resistance allows one to see more possibility. Fear is a limiting factor; recognizing it is empowering if used as a way to control the energy of the emotion.

The Roundabout – It’s A Riot!

2007-04-23T11:51:00.001-07:00

Sometimes a twist on an old drill yields interesting results. This drill is something I came up with recently in a class. Originally dubbed “the riot drill” or the “barroom brawl”, we now mostly use the term “roundabout” to describe the process itself.

Often when people drill techniques, they pair up and take turns feeding strikes to each other. If there is an odd person out, as happens in class, this can turn into a threesome, feeding strikes to each other in a circle.

Sometimes we turn this into a game where we might feed back randomly to either partner. This gets closer to the “roundabout” but we are still dynamically locked in one-to-one with a partner and giving ourselves time to complete techniques. In most drills the pattern is to automatically engage the person who just attacked us, but the attack you just neutralized might not be your most immediate priority if another is coming in. In a brawl or riot one might have multiple opponents swinging away freely from any direction.

One solution, commonly seen in Aikido randori, is to direct the first opponent into the path of any successive attackers, solving two problems at once (finishing the first while engaging the second).

Back in the 70’s the BKF had a drill where everyone in the room would fight everyone else at random, a training exercise specifically for surviving such a melee. I’ve been in riot situations where everything was chaos. Who is nearby can change by the second as the surging mass of a crowd moves individuals in its current.

This drew my attention to the idea of how to train for randomness. The roundabout drill seems a way to introduce this factor into training by manipulating the variables of speed and direction. Getting to the details, the new idea works like this –

In a three person circle:

Person A feeds a strike to Person B.
Person B gets a single block/parry/deflection …..
But instead of counter-striking back at A, he throws that strike at Person C!
Person C then takes that incoming blow and counter-strikes towards A, etc.

It’s a bit like playing “telephone” where a message goes around a circle. More people can be added but too many will slow the drill, negating much of its value. If there are more than five participants, I suggest breaking up into smaller groups.

It sounds easy, but here’s the nitty-gritty. When we trade techniques such as in lock-and-block or numerado, the timing is several beats or moves in the counter, then maybe even a timing break to reset before a strike is returned; we have time to see the pattern creating the next incoming attack.

In counter-for-counter sparring or sumbrada, it’s pretty much one-for-one continuous rhythm. Either a counterattack is a logical outcome of a defensive position or it is not. In either case we can learn to either anticipate or follow the intentions of our opponent.

In the roundabout, the strike you just fed is coming back on the third beat, which is faster than what we experience in most normal technique exchange, and much less predictable than the rhythm of counter-for-counter. Coming from a different direction, however, and off an angle unrelated to the strike you threw just a second ago, you must quickly reorient and adapt from one person to the other.

This can accelerate going around a circle, and the speed it acquires plus the redirection of attention raise the difficulty factor significantly. Doing this in a continuous direction creates different challenges from a typical two-on-one type of drill, because each person has to maintain the same kind of focus and attention.

Giving a single counter to our attacker before turning to hit the next person can slow the pace of the drill, but the biggest challenge is to defend, turn and strike. If nothing else, this forces us to break and reexamine our ingrained responses in a new way.

Finally, changing directions is important because it reverses our left-right feeds and receives. As the drill emphasizes immediate responses, we tend to receive an attack with the side closest that person, and attack on our opposite side. This affects where our movement is open and how we reach across our body.

Drills can get hypnotic, which is good for building neuromuscular memory, but sometimes when people go into flow trance their conscious mind tends to check out. Redirecting attention rapidly from one opponent to the next helps break tunnel vision and broadens the scope of our potential reactions. If we stop trying to control everything and just watch and monitor the direction things unfold, we have a better chance of keeping a clear mind. That “one mind” is important because mental conflicts cause glitches that break our flow.

Back Online

2007-04-21T07:10:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted for a couple of weeks but I had a computer problem; it was crashing intermittantly, causing me to lose data, emails etc. I suspected a hardware problem and code indicated memory or motherboard but none of the diagnostics showed anything, so I started uninstalling recent software updates. I finally found a program that reads the SMART (self-monitoring and reporting technology) software on my hard disks. It turns out my backup disk, an old one, was about to crash from causes that had nothing to do with the data or disk surface itself (why diskcheck and Spinrite didn't help). There went a week of long hours and late nights, leaving me to play catch-up during tax time. If anyone tried to contact me and didn't get a reply, this is why.

A reminder of the tournament in Stockton this Sunday , which includes demonstrations of Filipino dance and martial art styles.

Next Saturday is an opening in Oakland for the IESA and UMA organizations. Check the calendar for this and other updates.

Starting from the bottom

2007-04-05T08:47:00.000-07:00

How aware are you of your feet? Experienced martial artists always recognize the importance of footwork, because it is the foundation of everything you are doing above it. Balance, stability, positioning, power, all rely on this.

Here are some thoughts I had yesterday about walking. It’s the most common daily exercise, even if it’s just getting up in the morning and going about your business.

When you walk, do you just put your foot on the ground, or do you pay attention to how and where you place it? Do you slap it down flat, or do you roll forward from heel to toe? Does your foot roll from one side to the other as you shift your weight? Do you distribute your weight evenly on both feet or are you weighted more towards one side of your body? If you are not sure of these questions, look at the bottom of an old pair of shoes. How they are worn will tell you a lot about your habitual patterns of stepping.

What are some things to do to enhance our awareness of our feet? One is to spend some time applying TLC (tender loving care) to your feet. After all, they deserve some attention after the daily grind of getting you where you go.

Massage your feet, paying attention to areas that are sore. According to reflexology, we have 72,000 nerve endings in our feet that happen to map out our internal organs. Massage will not only make your feet feel better but is also a way to affect organic imbalances elsewhere in the body by getting energy to flow better.

Since body parts are interconnected by tendons and ligaments, feel free to work from the toes upward, releasing tension as you go. Besides the toes, areas that often create problems are the arch and ankle.

Bend and flex your toes. You can do this while massaging the feet, and also while standing barefoot and rolling one foot at a time on the balls and knuckles. I frequently do this before putting on shoes, so my feet are de-stressed and ready to go. This is also good for warming up the ankle joint and calf muscles.

Speaking of shoes, they should be fit properly and be comfortable. Poorly fit shoes can bind and restrict movement of the bones and muscles in the feet and cause permanent distortion and damage.

Walk barefoot (or in socks) a bit each day, allowing the feet to stretch and spread naturally. If you notice pain or soreness in part of your step, that’s a clue to work out whatever tension is in that area. Letting something like that slide can become chronic, and eventually you’ll wonder why walking has become so painful.

As you walk, pay attention to how you center your weight, letting yourself roll forward with each step. For brisk walking, reach with your stride, and as you push off with the toes at the end of the step, allow yourself to feel the stretch in the front of the hip and thigh to complete the movement. Opening up this joint is important for athletic performance.

As for the knees, we tend to lock them when standing or walking slowly. When you walk more quickly, let them relax slightly, keeping a bit of flex. A lot of people experience knee pain, especially as they get older, and this is another area where a little attention can have strong benefits.

So this was a simple prescription for walking – push off with the ball and toes of the foot, relax the knees, stretch the front of the hips. See if it doesn’t improve balance and mobility in your martial arts movement as well.

Validation

2007-03-27T19:54:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the universe has a funny way of validating things.

Last night as I was laying in bed ready to go to sleep, I began having visions of a carjacking, and thinking about ways of foiling it so that the perp was badly hurt, like deliberately crashing the car. I haven't had thoughts about carjackings in perhaps a dozen years.

This afternoon there were helicopters over my house for well over an hour, and when I called the sheriff's dept. about something else, they said they were a bit busy at the moment. It turns out some guy tried a carjacking at a gas station right around the corner from where I live. When the cops arrived ( and they hang out at the Starbucks across the street, which is probably why they were right on top of this) the guy refused to put down the two knives he was waving, so they shot him once.

He's expected to survive.

The point of yesterday's blog is that everything is interconnected, and on deep levels that we rarely acknowledge we have access to connection. Based on a few emails I got back this morning, it's hard for some people to acknowledge on any level, even though this is within the conceptual realm of quantum physics.

As martial artists, we strive for attributes to elevate our skills. Some are innate, like genetic predispositions such as height. Others can be manipulated, like physical conditioning. We can develop the physical senses, such as touch, but things like mental sensitivity develop on levels that are even less readily apparent. Psychics (the real ones) are no different from the rest of us, just more attuned to subtle vibrations. Think Yoda feeling a disturbance in The Force. Warriors have had mystical experiences since time immemorial.

When we listen, our vocal cords resonate with the words we hear; we essentially speak back the message we are hearing. Even deeper, there are mirror neurons in the brain that fire sympathetically with those of other people. As science pushes back the boundaries of knowledge, the mysteries deepen.

Angel Cabales used to say that a high escrima skill was like reading your opponent's mind. He may have been more accurate than we knew.

Transmutation

2007-03-26T16:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I watched my dog watching a gopher push dirt from a hole.
This morning I watched my cat eat a rat he had killed.
This afternoon I had a vision …

As I was playing with my dog, I thought of her watching the gopher.
I thought of the gopher pushing out dirt, excavating tunnels and rooms.
I thought of why gophers need a lot of tunnels, and suddenly I envisioned a snake;
Not the whole snake, just the head poking through a hole underground.
Tough nose, nasal slits, hungry eyes, darting tongue; death.
I realized I had became the gopher in a moment of life or death,
Fighting against an overwhelming foe
If cornered
Or perhaps to save the young …

And then I became the snake, hungry yet patient, willing to wait to strike, willing the prey into fatigue and resignation, knowing the outcome in advance.

I became the gopher again, living through dying, surrendering into the belly of the snake and joining the life force there, just energy ever changing and permutating to take on aspects of new forms. Gopher becomes snake; snake is gopher.

Snake dies, snatched by an eagle to fly away to be eaten. Remains fall to the ground, some now digested, the eagle playing a part. The nutrients and essence enrich the soil, and now gopher/snake/eagle waves upright in the breeze as tall grass.

Cows come by, eat the grass; we humans eat the cows.

Each of these I saw in progression, time rushing forward like seconds on a clock. Each one felt real, not separate but the same, the energy rushing through each connected to all which preceded, back into infinity.

Every molecule, every atom, has a history that we do not know! There are vibrations imprinted that are part of what makes us who we are, and everything we see, feel and touch.

I always interpret, and martial arts is my metaphor, so this is how I want my martial art to be: crafty, like the gopher, who survives by creating back doors to escape; patiently relentless like the snake; swift and sure like the eagle; resilient like grass; strong and life-giving like the cow; sensitive as a human, seeking wisdom of awareness through the pinpoint of consciousness.

Imagine martial arts as not about fighting but as a way of being aware of life. Not awareness itself, which is deeper, but a way of knowing it is there. If we seek completeness in our art, it must exist in our mind. To exist in our mind, we must feel it in our spirit. To feel it in our spirit, we must be aware. To be aware is to understand there are those truths beyond our limits and trust our intuition.

Flow is not flow when we think about flowing, though it can point the way. It is flow when we have access to all, when we become aware of being more than who we are when we think of who we are. It is more because it uses things that exist where our minds do not go, except by letting go.

Anything can have flow; nothing can “have” flow.
It comes but it cannot be taken.
Flow is what takes you with it, not what you contain.
You ride it by letting it show you what it wants to reveal; if you try to force it, it will show you only what you already know.

Swap meet/Seminar cancelled

2007-03-20T02:40:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note that this upcoming weekend's last minute seminar and swap meet has been cancelled because too few people pre-registered to cover basic costs. Too bad, folks. WE are the FMA community, and we lose when this happens.

I would like to point out that there was no shortage of instructors willing and ready to teach. That leads me to wonder: where are their students?!!

The value of something like this is a chance to grow by learning what OTHERS are doing in the art. As GM Angel Cabales used to say about Serrada, it isn't designed for fighting other Serrada folk (which would be silly, as it is such a relatively small group) but to face other fighters from other systems, and that takes experience.

Those teaching should be encouraging their students to participate, learn and grow. If not, is it to protect their own "rice bowl" or to protect their ego from fear students will like something else better?

On the other hand, times are tough. Bridge tolls went up 33% in January. Gas rose $.45/gallon this past month. Within minutes of four gasoline refineries, I'm seeing the highest gas prices in the country. This winter's fuel bill was double that of last year. I don't care what the government says about inflation being low, I know discretionary incomes are evaporating; I hear the lament from students who quit because they no longer can afford training at the 1985 prices I charge.

Meeting Mushtaq Ali

2007-03-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

The martial arts world can be a curious place. In its most elemental state it is about the quest for personal power. One can say that about politics or business, for that matter, but martial arts distill this down at the primal level, dealing with physical ownership of one’s personal space on physical and emotional levels.

Whatever the reasons people come to train, the arts act as a filter that reveal our personalities. Some come to validate themselves by testing their courage. Many earn recognition through hard work and dedication, which might be rewarded by titles or rank, though some aggrandize themselves with the illusion of such achievement.

At its best, martial arts strip away pretense. We learn success through failure, enduring challenges of pain and frustration to refine ennobling characteristics of perseverance and fortitude. There is a saying that “the nail that sticks up gets hammered down,” referring to the process by which the ego is put in place by the reality of experience. So it is that those who rise authentically to positions of leadership are often very genuine in their dealings, demonstrating humility that reflects accumulated wisdom of direct experience.

This weekend I finally got to meet Mushtaq Ali, the “Traceless Warrior,” who embodies those qualities I admire most in anyone, not just martial artists. It is said of angels that “they can fly because they take themselves lightly,” and so it was refreshingly delightful to experience the unpretentiousness with which he shares his broad skills and knowledge. I’ve always been picky about those with whom I train, and so though I’ve known Mushtaq for a few years online and by reputation, it was more than a little gratifying to feel my expectations were not misplaced.

The orientation of this seminar was interesting as it was not geared towards those already immersed in S.E. Asian martial arts. The majority of participants are involved in Scott Sonnen’s Circular Strength Training (CST), as is Mushtaq, and this seminar was sponsored by D. Cody Fielding, a certified trainer in this system. This brought an interesting dynamic to the weekend.

First, the participants overall had a very deep sense of kinesthetic awareness in body movement. Mushtaq joked a couple of times about the California mentality, but in truth this was an unusual group even for here, which included body workers and energy healers. At times it felt more like a gathering of somatic psychologists in the ways in which the participants were able to tap into and articulate subtleties of their class experience.

Second, because of the nature of this group, Mushtaq proposed to do an experiment, which was to teach a complete martial system in one day. Now before some of you get huffy or indignant, let me point out that a martial system is not the same thing as a complete and detailed art. By focusing on fundamental principles, the goal was to impart a framework that can be filled out through later experience.

The first day did not even touch on martial arts, but was oriented to ways in which we learn, and how the body and mind interact. Skill is based on sensitivity to a changing environment, and so the first session was devoted to visualization and movement exercises designed to promote integration of left/right coordination in order to accelerate the physical learning curve. Most people are unconscious of their own movement, creating habituated and often limiting gaps in both mental and physical responsiveness. Deepening self-awareness increases one’s potential by accessing those hitherto neglected resources. This is a key to Mushtaq’s concept of “splitting time,” which is a significant aspect to controlling centerline as well as the larger kinosphere (the space around us which we can fill with our movement).

Day Two was devoted to principles of movement in martial arts. Keys around which drills were practiced included the three dimensions of physical movement, nodes of rotation and integrated body movement. Weapon orientation was addressed in terms of point up, forward or down, and outward, center and inward. Exercises were done first with sticks, progressing later to blades. It was fun to watch the progression in skills of participants over such a short period of time.

Many martial art systems overcomplicate these natural tools with formalities that feel counter-intuitive until thoroughly mastered, a process which can be artificially elongated. Yes, there is the necessity of time to develop physical conditioning and responsive techniques, but if one can build on natural movement, the whole process becomes easier.

I’ve long been a believer that self-defense skills are innate. We all know how to shoo a fly away, or wipe a cobweb from our face, building blocks for more powerful applications. I’ve taught core movements in as little as a single session, even taking raw beginners to a high level of sensitivity to empty hand flow in an hour or so, but in general I teach Serrada inductively, using the specific techniques to derive the general principles.

My Tai Chi teacher, the late John K. Wong, was a master at going straight to the underlying principles as a way to create and develop technique. He showed us how to improvise on the fly through sensitivity according to basic precepts, and Mushtaq is the first person I’ve seen in many years to use this methodology.

This seminar was a bold yet crafty way to maximize the limited time available in a weekend workshop. Too often people are taught a bunch of fancy techniques which are quickly forgotten. By presenting simple and easily remembered techniques within a logically memorable framework, Mushtaq gave participants enough clues for years of development. Though this does not negate the value of further guidance and instruction, it was a gift of great value. There are far too many in the martial arts who can parrot movement mindlessly, without that sense of “aliveness” that is so apparent in truly competent practitioners. As one instructor watching another, I truly admire Mushtaq Ali for the skills to impart such a lesson.