ast September Jos LuisPaniagua Tvar, one of my dearestmentors, passed away. Many werethe years we spent together; hetaught me a lot, to me and manyothers; he helped me so much...

Thanks. Life and its thousand circumstances,many of them (all of them!) insignificant things,

separated us and even made us remain atloggerheads for a brief period of time, but our new

meeting was magnificent and now I'm endlessly gladof having promoted the encounter; however much our

time together had passed, it remained a deep respect, asincere affection and a heartfelt gratitude.

It's not my intention to do here a eulogy extolling the virtues of my dear Master:he himself would say that you only speak well of the dead. Neither will I say that hiswork remains, a very good work that outlives him: books, some DVD, his kids andthe many hearts he touched with his deep sensitivity ... (our dear Mary,courage!). He was daring and audacious, consistent even in his inconsistencies,and outdid himself at every turn of the road. He really made a virtue of hisflaws (nothing greater can be said of a man!) and in such effort he discoveredand weeded paths for many of us who, in need of his guidance, approachedhim sometime.

To him I owe my new encounter with Martial Arts when I haddistanced myself from them, and of which he gave me a top view,

superior in the sense of going beyond, of integrating, ofovercoming the forms and delve into their deepest profits. He

was a reformer, a revolutionary, and he paid for his sin theprice they all pay. His book "Martial Arts - Mind BodyBalance" left a footprint on my view of the matter, andallowed me to exercise years later with more tact, aprofession to which I found myself unexpectedlycompelled and for which most of you know me.He withdrew at the right time to the countryside in his

native Valdepeas, to enjoy life in nature and a qualitytime, nevertheless he didn't cease to continue helpingpeople with his classes. He left this world quickly andquietly, without fuss, and aware of the transit.There were no goodbyes, perhaps because they simply

don't exist, there is only a transit, and the rest is justpersonal importance. But that is life for each and every oneof us, a million details, feelings, attachments, desires anddreams, wrapped in circumstances that encourage us,provoke us, confront us and test us. In that transition we livewhat we have to live, what forms a part of our way, and inthat interim, at every bend of the path, we meet one way or

another the designs of fate. Quintessence, the resulting, is impregnatedin the others, in those with which we come across in whom we touch,sometimes unknowingly, waves that generate floods of energy, of

"Upon departing these will be my last words:I'm going, I leave my love behind."

Rabindranath Tagore

"Only what is lost is forever acquired"Henrik Ibsen

L

transformation and even of consciousness, which sooner orlater come back to us when they reach the confines of infinity.

No, it's not the same living a life aimed to the development ofconsciousness and personal overcoming, than living a life givento confusion and marasmus.

Although both get unmistakably mixed in the thousands ofcycles, one of them dominates and either leads us upward orplunges us downward. There is no moral value in all that -wewish it was that easy!- but there is a difference, perhaps muchmore of innate nature than learned, but it does exist, and thenarrow free will in which we operate makes deep differences, hugeand at the same time fragile and thin as the wing of a butterfly.

In the field of beliefs everything goes. Beliefs, like paper, take it allin. If consciousness survives, whether life continuous in thespirit world or not, is something that everyone interprets ashe wants and can. My view on this is well known,because I have much written about it, and from thatconviction I wish you, Brother Jose Luis, dearPani, a good trip, lots of light and peace. Iam not a judge of your life, or anyoneelse's, gratitude is all I have left,the sweet and gentle charm ofgratitude, an undervaluedform of love. May itaccompany you andcomfort you. Thank you.

Alfredo Tucci is Managing Director toBudo INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING CO.E-mail: budo@budointernational.com

https://www.facebook.com/alfredo.tucci.5

ell this is an easy thing to talk about as there has been somuch.

In the 1970's while at a Karate tournament in New York Citya competitor came up and started doing a Tai Chi form and

instead of staying in the ring he started walking all over the arena doing Tai Chiand after about 10 minutes showed up back in the ring and wanted to be scored.Wow I am not sure what he was smoking but it sure was funny.

Of course there was a time when two guys were fighting in a tournament andone guy got swept off his feet and he reached out grabbed his opponents gipants and pulled them straight down. Yes leaving all exposed. This I am sure gota vote to ban those elastic waist bands for ever.

The there was the time I was made to look like a fool myself. I was teachingin the Sultanate of Oman for the Sultan of Oman who asked us to give ademonstration for him and his people a well. Being a former Guiness WorldRecord Holder for breaking bricks (3444 in 4 hours and 40 minutes) I thought Ishould do the breaking part of the demonstration so I asked for concrete slabsto be brought in 16x8x 2 and I was going to break ten of them like I had donebefore with spacers making it quite easy. So after doing all the rig a more roll ofsanchin kata breathing I was ready to stomp on them like I had done 25 timesbefore and with one big kia I broke two of them only. I was shocked as to saythe least as I had done this many times before. My good friend came out andsaid Donnie your going to make us look bad do you want me to break them. Isaid no way this is my gig. So we started to remove the broken slabs on the toponly to find that they all had a _ reinforcing rod right down the center and I hadbent them with the kick and nearly broke my bloody foot a well.

I immediately started to look for this guy named Muhammid but he haddisappeared on me and the Sultan and his audience stood and gave me astanding ovation when they seen that they had a rein enforcing rod down thecenter.

Yes and this is a true story.

W

Kapap

In the last seminar withCarlos Newton,

Ken Akiyama and myself, we taught that action isfaster than reaction andhow you can use gravityand object mass (weight)to help you to hold your

opponent down

Awareness in BudoI first met Carlos Newton when he was 17 years old. Back then I

could see that he had talent, but to accomplish what Carlos hasachieved takes more than just talent. His success and skill is theresult of hard work and we know that hard work beats talent,when talent doesn't work hard.

Over the years, Carlos and I have shared friendships andcrossed many bridges together. It was a long time ago whenCarlos was one of very few experts allowed as my guest in Israelto teach the Special Forces. More recently, I was honored tocomplete a big circle by sharing knowledge and friendship withCarlos's son Nick, who is now a young man of 17 years age.

During the last few years, Carlos and I have worked on manynew projects together. Working with the Cree and Inuit tribes in theArctic has been quite an adventure. 300 miles of remote roadwaylead their native land; isolated territory inside the arctic circle

Mixed Martial Arts

By Avi Nardia and Ken Akiyamawith Carlos Newton

Jiu Jitsu

Awareness is a keysubject in martialarts. In order to

gain skill in martialarts, you must firstgain awareness of

yourself, your fears,who you are, whatyou are, and mostof all, what youwant to be.

where the temperature drops to minus 45 degrees. Our projectis to teach martial arts to the tribes in order to reinforce their

cultural traditions and values.Carlos and I have also been teaming up on seminars and this year

we produced a DVD with Ken Akiyama and Budo Magazine on thetheme of awareness. Awareness is a key subject in martial arts. Inorder to gain skill in martial arts, you must first gain awareness ofyourself, your fears, who you are, what you are, and most of all,what you want to be.

Only after studying yourself can you begin to study others andonly after knowing yourself, can you know others. The more you areaware of in life, the more you can make from this life. In martial artsstrategy, the more aware you are of what is happening around you,the greater your ability will be to accept and counter.

Awareness is very important to study, as being aware will enableyou to observe the first rule of self defense - action is always fasterthan reaction. In military and sport applications, we step intochallenges and even seek conflict. However, in self defense, we seekto avoid conflict and escape. Often times a military unit's mission willbe to seek out the enemy and engage in combat. However, the ideabehind civilian self-defense is to avoid conflict and escape without

Mixed Martial Arts

Jiu Jitsu is aboutunderstanding actions andreactions. When you canpredict the effects andvulnerabilities of your

actions, you can alwaysblock your opponents

options before you attack.When you do this,

your opponent will becomevery frustrated

Kapap

Only after studyingyourself can youbegin to studyothers and onlyafter knowing

yourself, can youknow others.

Mixed Martial Arts

"In the martial artsSensei Avi Nardia

demonstrates beautifully the level of awarenessone can achieve through

the cultivation ofgreat skill and

technique."Carlos Newton.

A system ofteaching that isbased on the

assumption that thestudents are

incapable of thinkingseems like givingvitamins to a dead body

Mixed Martial Arts

In the spirit of expandingawareness, we also taughtabout the importance of

studying what if scenarios,the chain of attack, and cause

and effect relationships.

harm. There is a big difference and now you can understandwhy many teachers who teach military systems are missing thepoint of self defense. The application of military combatives iscompletely different from context of self defense. Police work isanother context that has it's own unique characteristics.

Good self-defense requires good awareness and great selfdefense requires great awareness. I know an Israeli combativesexpert designed his system to teach his guys only 5 moves.His strategy is based on one tactic - if any one comes closeyou, kick the groin. He shared an anecdote to support hisstrategy. He said that a cat will always climb a tree to escapeany danger. He said that if you give your students too manydifferent ideas that they will not be able to think under stress. Iimmediately replied with a question, What if there is no tree?

Some teachers attempt to support their theory ofoversimplification with scientific research. An experimentthat was not related to martial arts was performed which

showed that when people have many options to choosefrom, they will require more time in order to make a

decision because they are seeking the bestoption. This research is valid when it comes to

something like choosing a meal at a restaurant ofselecting a piece of ripe fruit.A system of teaching that is based on the assumption

that the students are incapable of thinking seems likegiving vitamins to a dead body. Why would you teachpeople who don't have the capacity to think? I alwaysexplain to my students that a jet pilot needs to calculatemany things in high speed. The pilot must be able to

react quickly, and with awareness of many concernswhile keeping the plane in the air. That example proves thatwe humans have the ability to make decisions understress.

One secret to this ability is to cultivate a mindset ofaction, rather reaction. As I mentioned earlier, the

best defense is to attack first. Even United Stateslaw allows preemptive action if you sense an

immediate threat. You have the right tothrow the first strike and still be

protected under the right toself defense.

Mixed Martial Arts

Jiu Jitsu

One secret to thisability is to cultivatea mindset of action,rather reaction.

Mixed Martial Arts

In the lasts e m i n a rwith CarlosNewton, KenAkiyama andmyself, we taughtthat action is fasterthan reaction and howyou can use gravity andobject mass (weight ) to helpyou to hold your opponent down.We shared ideas from Aiki KenpoJujutsu, Machado Brazilian Jiu Jitsu,and invited a few guests to share their ownideas in free fighting.

In the spirit of expanding awareness, we alsotaught about the importance of studying whatif scenarios, the chain of attack, and causeand effect relationships. Ken Akiyamademonstrated some ideas from a big projectwe are working on to share movement drillsthat are very effective for developing strength,and relaxation. The ability to move your bodyin a relaxed way is a vital skill for Brazilian JiuJitsu and self defense.

Jiu Jitsu is about understanding actionsand reactions. When you can predict theeffects and vulnerabilities of your actions,you can always block your opponentsoptions before you attack. When you dothis, your opponent will become veryfrustrated. When that happens, youdestroy your opponents ability tothink. When your opponent can notthink, you win. That's what makesjiu jitsu a great game of strategy.Strategy is the study ofaction, reaction, andforethought. Strategyrequires awareness.

With my student Mass Ortis which is MMA champion of Porto Rico and now study with me in USA. We took few pictures with CarlosNewton the Roning a UFC champion Pride and Vale Tudo ChampionCarlos Newton the Ronin UFC champion with my students Mass Ortis Boxing Thai Boxing and MMA Champion and with Paul Colon

and Mike Wilson , Mike is OVER 70 years old start studied with me BJJ Machado RCJ as been 63 now he is Brown belt hope soon gethis Black Belt as I told him and Carlos Newton are Champions Champions ForeverMy Self Carlos Newton the Ronin and Mass Ortis Boxing and Thai Boxing and MMA Champion and Paul Colon all had honor be

teacher.

Kyusho in Kata

Please first understand that Kata (as cool asit is), is not the best mechanism for learningKyusho. I personally have not missed a dayof Kata practice since 1975, so I guessyou can say I like them. However I donot believe it is the proper way to learnKyusho. Kyusho is best (most efficientlyand thoroughly) learned separately inspontaneous combat and then allowed topermeate your style or art or Katanaturally not you trying to place it inside.Karate has the most intriguing body

postures embedded in their forms or Kata,that they hold as the library of each styleand that is what has fascinated millions ofpractit ioners around the world andthroughout history.Each posture is open to interpretation

and has infinite potential that is onlyl imited by the mind and physicalcapabilities of the individual. Manystyles have what is called Bunkai, orinterpretations that are pre-arranged and scripted in form,performance and duplication.However this unlimited potential

is then limited by interpretationwhen set in specific techniquethat must be remembered andpracticed according to ascripted attack and reactpractice scenario. Instead it canhave even greater potentials if youchange or add components otherthan set physical actions in relationto those physical actions of anopponent or training partner. As youl imit your mind and thereforephysical manifestations in a singleparadigm, you can never unlock allthe potentials you can achieve.

Kyusho or Kata?

First question we should ask is which came firstKyusho or Kata?Forms or Katas were developed around the knowledge

or discovery of the weaker anatomical structures, functionsand possibilities. And the following Styles were createdfrom this base knowledge. This is where most (even upperlevel) Kyusho people get it confused. Trying to force auniversal and natural knowledge into a man-made tool isnot the efficient or natural method developing the toolaround the natural laws, structures and physical ability orlimitations is.It is also more logical to understand that the targets (or

goals) must have come first, then the weapons and actionsto properly access them were placed in postures andpatterns that were then linked into the forms or Kata. Whowould spend their valuable allotted life time into creatingrandom moves of the body, then spending more of thattime figuring out what they could do with them? It is farmore natural and efficient to develop a movement toaccess, utilize or leverage upon the goal. The moreefficient way is not put Kyusho in your Kata, the Kata mustevolve around your understanding of Kyusho. If you take a specific action, posture or series of

movements and work to place Kyusho into them, yes it willenhance those actions (in theory until actually applied), butyou have limited yourself to that reality until you havethought up (or someone else thought up for you to copy),another possibility. Another way to look at this is if aninstructor teaches you a Bunkai, you are not realizing yourpotential you are merely mimicking the actions of theirsand a sure recipe for failure under stress of attack becauseit is not your natural tendency (physical, mental orspiritual). The more unnatural and complex an action is foryou, the more probability for failure under test or therealities of actual combat .By learning a target or several targets, working the

correct angles and dynamics via spontaneous and stressoriented training you are developing a singularity of infinitepossibility. So then when you do YOUR Kata, yournatural methods, tendencies and capabilities will come tolife automatically as the actions you have alreadyperformed and felt, come to life. This is a crucial factor

in Kata that many miss.Most perform the Kata and try to invent actions orscenarios to make it plausible or give a meaning tothat practiced action the instructor then forcesthe student to remember this via much practiceagain ingraining a foreign aspect into their way.But instead if you train a target correctly, placedyourself under stressful single and or multipleattack learning to access that target, you havefelt the actually concussion of your weapon intothat target, felt the other individual give wayunder the attack and you have done this manytimes then when you do a Kata and thatmove that your natural actions have respondedwith instinctively, you will re-live that feeling orexperience. This is what Kata is for so that itwill become a reality even in real attack as thatwas how it was forged and not bymemorizing another person's actions.The simple begets

the complex, the complex hides the simple.

Most times we tend to only relate to the exterior ofany given task, challenge, opponents actions,

etc., we tend to overlook the interior as we

do not see it. As example someone attacks you by strike,kick or grabwe see this exterior action and react in like(typically in relation to the attackers outward action) andthat limits us. This type of training will always keep us onestep behind with the momentum and advantage for theinitiator. Working only in this physical reactive realm weare often times limited by size, speed, strength, age and allother physical attributes thus limiting our full potentials.However if we train interior aspects, via the experience

we picked up automatically in combat first, we can thenrealize a broader scope of possibilities and potentials; evenunleash them from the physical limitations. By keepingthis interior dynamic from feeling as the intention, goal ortarget, each posture or action in the Kata will take ongreater scope, possibility and potential. Your Kata willcome to life.As this example, look at the posture of the Karate

Warrior above; we can read many physical possibilitiessuch as blocking a kick and punch, a leg take-down, aneck break or even the legendary groin grab and yankmethod. All will depend on your size, strength and abilityto position yourself during the attack to physicallyaccomplish this. More-so it will all depend on how youwere trained or conditioned to think of this posture, if atall as you train to repeat a specific action for the postureand transition.Kyusho is the inhibition of a physiological function, if we

understand the internal physiology, functionality andaccessibility, an infinite array of new possibilities will availthemselves and therefore your Potential will increase

exponentially according to your innateattributes. So what this tells us is thatinstead of thinking solely on duplicatingsomeone's idea of what the bunkai ortechnique of the mechanical actions,instead you access the internal bodyfrom the first action responding withcounter inertia and action to each ofthe opponents' actions and inprocess your body finds this posturenaturally. This can be accomplishedtraining with targets, tool andtrajectories as opposed to specificactions for each posture.

So what is Kata?From Wikipedia: Kata (literally:form) is a Japanese worddescribing detailed patternsof movements practicedeither solo or in pairs. Eachis a complete f ight ingsystem, with the movementsand postures of the Katabeing a living reference guide

to the correct form andstructure of the techniques used

within that system. Karate Kata areexecuted as a specified series of avariety of moves, with stepping andturning, while attempting to maintainperfect form. The practit ioner iscounseled to visualize the enemyattacks and their responses. Karatekaread a Kata in order to explain theimagined events. The kata is notintended as a literal depiction of amock f ight, but as a display oftransition and flow from one postureand movement to another, teachingthe student proper form and position,and encouraging them to visualizedifferent scenarios for the use of eachmotion and technique. There arevarious forms of Kata, each with manyminor variations.If that is all it is, it is a very inefficient

process to retain and pass alongtechniques with, especially overmultiple generations. It would insteadbe far more efficient to train just thetechnique as it is repetit ively andsystematically add stress andcombative reality (speed, power andreal intent) as in Judo.

Kata of course can also be used isthis manner, but there are so manyother details that they embody that arefar more important and useful in a realencounter under stress and physicallimitations. However doing correctform is not the same as living thatform it is not in a performance wherethe deeper worth is found, it is in theliving and reliving of the Kata. So how is this Living it

accomplished? First you must know aweaker anatomical target that you arenaturally comfortable and apt toaccess with your body attributes andskil ls. Then begin with simpleapplication to assure you have thecorrect dynamics, angles, intent untilyou accomplish the goal statically be itcontrol, pain, dysfunction or KO. Whenyou do accomplish this, remember thefeeling not just of your hand or theopponents head, but your mental,physical and emotional qualities. Feelhow the opponents body reacted to itand notice how they fell. Duplicate thisas many times as feasible (of coursethe more the better as it becomesingrained). Then you begin to work itdynamically working to gain the target,the effect, the feel and themental/emotional aspect under everincreasing stress and attack scenario.Maybe first planned, but eventually thismust be realized spontaneously toactually acquire the tried and trueability.Once you have accomplished this,

each time you do that Kata, you re-live(feel) these experiences on all threelevels, mental, physical and spiritual.This is what Kata can be if you allow itand then train it ardently not a groupof set techniques that depend oncertain attack scenario, but from realspontaneous and urgent need. Youhave not forced yourself to do Kata(especially from someone else's ways),Kata just serves to remind you of yourexperiences, via mental, spiritual andyes even physical reliving of yourexperiences.Never put Kyusho in your style, put

your style into Kyusho. - Evan Pantazi Evan Pantazi 2014www.kyusho.com

Kyusho is the inhibition of a physiological function, if we understand the internal physiology, functionality andaccessibility, an infinite array of new possibilities will availthemselves and therefore your Potential will increaseexponentially according to your innate attributes.

This past week I was sparring with a young MMA fighter. Hewas twenty three years old, 6' 4, weighed 170 pounds and wasgetting ready for his fourth amateur fight. I am sixty one, 6' and195 pounds and my last full-on fight was in the year 2000. Inorder for the young fighter to be pushed aerobically the coach hadanother man split the round with me. He would go for ninetyseconds, and then I would jump in for the second ninety seconds.During the course of the first of the three rounds that I went I

took a hearty punch to my right eyebrow (I dropped my Draculaelbow a bit during a Zirconia if you must know) and as I was sittingthere (well-winded I must confess) after the third round the coachnoticed a cut over my right eye due to not enough vaseline. Itwasn't a big deal-indeed in the past I would have kept going, butnow I am a bit more cooties conscious than I used to be and so Icalled it a day.

A gym friend who is a doctor saw itand invited me to swing by his officelater in the day to have it stitched up.When I got home I washed up and mywife took a picture (Ewww!) and off Iwent to the doctor where he properlycleaned it out (this is important-thereare nasty cooties out there these days!)and gave it the five stitches it required.

Amongst the many things that myteacher Guro Dan Inosanto has saidto me that have stayed with me overthe years is this one:

"It's good to know where youare at."

One of the dangers of my line ofwork is that people are going to berespectful when I am teaching. I get

this-- I do the same when I am on theother side of the equation!-indeed,one would be an anus to test ateacher while he is teaching! Ofcourse the danger of this is that onecan easily start becoming a legend inone's own mind and miscalculateone's capabilities upon the intrusionof reality. This would be a seriousDarwinian error! It may have beenJohn Wayne who said Life is tough.It's tougher when you are stupid.

I do my best to avoid this in thecourse of my teaching/training invarious ways e.g.:

a) I insist upon honest feeds. Forexample, as many of you may know incontrast to most FMA systems thatlock out the strike responses to whichare being taught, in DBMA, unlessotherwise specified, the striker shouldcarry through with his motion-- justlike he is most likely to do in a realfight. Of course the speed, power,intensity will be dialed back to greateror lesser degree depending at whatpoint we are in the development ofthe response(s) being trained but in allcases the strike(s) should be towardsthe actual target(s) in a naturalmanner.

b) I use what in DBMA we call themetronome method: constant speed,

and equal speed and equal powerbetween the two practitioners.

Nonetheless there is no substitutefor action for knowing where one isat-- hence Guro I 's words ofwisdom-- given to us after he left uswith jaws hanging after having goneforty five non-stop minutes HARD ofMuay Thai on the long bag while inhis sixties.

Thus for me sparring such as mysession wherein I scored this booboo is invaluable in "knowing whereI am at" as I seek to walk as awarrior for all my days. I do my bestto not be stupid about it. I feel noshame in speaking up about placeswhere it is not wise for me to go.

For example, before we started Iasked my young MMA opponent notto torque my lower back-- so whenhe took me down, he took the biteout of it. Similarly as my half guardlock down was failing he drove myhead into the fence. I f I were ayoung fighter I would have asked ofmyself to work out my way of theproblem. As the old man that I am,with a family to support dependingupon the functioning of my body Iwas unwilling to risk a neck injuryand so I simply asked him for us toadjust our position away from thefence.

A major piece of the Dog Brotherexperience is having a realistic senseof what you can and cannot pull off in

real time. My time for full-on fightingfor fun may be done, but still I am theCrafty Dog.

There is an additional strandpresent here in this little story.

In this particular case I was workingKali Tudo the sub-system I havebeen developing for several years

now as part of the DBMA concept ofconsistency across categories. KTis , , , different and needs continuousresearch. It fascinates me in aprofound way to see just how deepThe Art is and how true its' promiseof the empty hands being the havingthe same idiom of movement is. Inthat the vision here is mine I would bethe one most suited for doing thework, but for my age. Of course Ihave would love to be thirty yearsyounger and getting in the cage forreal, but that wil l have to awaitanother lifetime.

Still, by getting in as I do not only doI get honest feedback as to where Iam at, but I also continue to developKT not only out of my students'

experiences but also my ownexperience-- for out of the freedomthat comes from doing comes theknowing --and I become a betterteacher and can stay relevant longer.

Remember too that in the logic ofDMBA our motive is only secondarilyto improve results in the cage. Ourprimary mission is to use the cage asa laboratory and training medium to

adrenally prepare ourselves for theinterface of gun, knife, and emptyhand so that we Die Less Often; weseek the advantage that comes fromhaving one operating system forweapons, empty hands, and the blendof the two. Fewer choices meansfaster reactions and when it comes toDLO having consistency acrosscategories means fewer choices whentime may mean the differencebetween living or not. I have thehonor of working with people who puttheir lives on the line in circumstancesof Die Less Often. They are TheProtectors-something I suspect eachof us aspires to be as we live ourrespective lives-and they deserve thatI know what I am showing them.

Of course there is also the innerglee that comes from sti l l beingcompetitive. As the country musicsong says I may not be as young as Ionce was, but I'm as young once as Iever was.

The Adventure continues!Guro Crafty/Marc

Eskrima

A matter of Discipline... and Confidence

Today, Martial Arts, the wordMaster (Sensei) has become one ofthe most frequently used andmisused of words. For somepeople, Master is the one who hasgreat knowledge and technical skill,as well as a transmission capacity.For others, a Master is simplysomeone who has students (and ifhe's got them there must be areason for it). I recall that when Iaddressed the "old boys" of Keio(all of them aged over 80 and with alifetime in karate) I always calledthem "Sensei", and those whodidn't teach classes always retorted"I'm not a Sensei. I don't teachstudents." Perhaps the wisest andsafest thing is consider that amaster is the one that unifies in hisperson both ideas. In other words, amaster is someone with knowledge,skills, transmission capacity... andstudents. The concept of Master, asthe term is understood in thissense, is much better depicted inthe word Sensei, since it mustnecessarily include some featuresrelated to Japanese values. Let'ssee our thoughts on the subject.

The specific differences that canbe appreciated between a dojo

Undoubtedly, to dedicate your life to the practicing and teaching of Karate it'shighly rewarding. Over the years, many years, you can even become a Master. Butthe meaning of this word, Master, so often taken lightly, contains and should containcertain features so thatthe person to whom itsappl ied can beconsidered as such.Salvador Herriz, who

is characterized byexplaining things withoutmincing words -alwaysfrom respect and withthe deepest knowledge ofKarate, to which he hasdevoted himself body andsoul-, reflects today onthe subject and thecomplex relationshipbetween the teacher andthe student, sometimesdiff icult because of amisinterpretation of thePhilosophy and Spirit ofKarate.

Karate

The Master-Disciple relationship in KarateText and photos: Salvador Herriz, 7th dan

(where you can positively develop aspirit of Karate with its traditionalpractice) and fitness gym (breedingground for developing other types ofattitudes in students) are quiteobvious. A gym looks modern withmarble, aluminum, glass and othermaterials. A dojo looks traditional withwood and little else. The gym offers

spacious dressing rooms, lockers,reception halls for visitors, etc., whilea dojo doesn't attach any importanceto all this services; in fact, with someexceptions, dojos in Japan even lacka dressing room for the students(much less showers), and you passdirectly from the street... to the mat.The gym has people who work there,

while the dojo maintenance is carriedout by the master in a more familiarway. A gym is decorated with large,spectacular and glamorous photos; allthat hangs from a dojo walls are justmemories of teachers andcertif ications to encourage andmotivate the students. The gymmakes its advertising (usually based

Reflections

Salvador Herriz and Master Goshi Yamaguchi, inthe Shinto shrine Igusa Hachimangu in Tokyo.

Karate

on the variety of its avant-garde facilities), while the only dojo advertising isword of mouth and the spreading of students to relatives and friends aboutthe benefits of its teachings.

It's not only to do something, but the pleasure of doing it in a certaindefined way. Same thing happens, for example, with the traditional physicalworkout using the old Okinawa gadgets. Surely modern training systems,machines that isolate specific muscles, etc., offer an extreme effectiveness,but ... when you practice with the old traditional tools you're not onlyseeking effectiveness, but the pleasure of doing it with these means. Thereis something romantic about it ... as there is in the practice of Karate ingeneral.

Limited the space, the meeting place, we will see now the Master-Pupilrelationship in the dojo ... and outside the dojo, as both roles are perfectlydefined and behaviors shouldn't be confused.

Karate is Japanese and the Japanese don't question, they only obey.They learn and practice. Thats all. In contrast, Westerners want, we want,do it our way, asking too much instead of letting time make understand In

The author, Salvador Herriz, between Mamoru and Masahiro Nakamoto,at the Shikina Enn in Naha (Okinawa).

Karate, by its philosophy and history, sensei's decisionsshouldn't be ever questioned. And if so, then why ask?The answer will arrive in due time to the person it mustreach.

Grade exams, for example, is a subject on which weshould think at length, in particular on how to accept theresults, especially when they are negative. Master Yamazakitold me he spent many years ignoring the true reason of hisfailure in his First Dan exams. He never asked nor was heexplained. That's the attitude. Thirty years later he learnt thatthe reason had been overconfidence. Master HironoriOhtsuka has always spoken of overconfidence as one of theevils of Budo, along with contempt, anger, fear, etc.Incidentally, at that time exams had no a fixed date, so theycouldn't be specifically prepared during the previous months.The date was known only a few days before. This forcedthem to be always prepared, which makes it more real.

When excess benevolence enters the mat in a gradeexam, justice runs away. There are many factors to

consider in a fair examination (including knowledge,skills, style technique, efficiency, physical featuresand personal situations, etc.), which the Sensei in hisposition evaluates in a most reasonable manner.Benevolence is one of the qualities of the Code ofBushido, but if the Sensei falls in an excess ofkindness, out of friendship, shame, excessivecamaraderie, etc., Justice (another of the Bushidorules) simply disappears. Everything must take itsplace, like everything in life and in Karate. Anyculinary preparation can get spoiled either by excessor default of any of its ingredients. Only the Sensei iscapable of applying in all fairness the degree ofbenevolence in its proper measure. This can prove tobe understood and accepted by the student, oftensacrif icing a precious time dumfounded bymisunderstandings and non-existent reasons.

Starting from the premise that the Sensei knowsmore than the student about what must beconsidered in an exam and what not, and if it isassumed that the Sensei has nothing against theaspiring student, quite the opposite... why notaccept his decision and / or advice withoutdiscussion, imagination, opposition or head-scratching in general? Why afford to think differentlyfrom the one who really knows?

The truth is that both teacher and student shouldknow their place. The student, to become an UchiDeshi disciple (someone especial to whom theMaster conveys the depths of art) has to workunnoticed and with no desire for prominence inconversations that have nothing to do with him,relationships that don't belong to him or to which hehasn't been invited ... Everyone should be aware ofhis limits and place. It has always been said that"who speaks doesn't know and who knows doesn'tspeak," which leads us to discretion in words anddeeds, leaving exposed those who discourse atlarge or totally inappropriately on a subject that it isnot within their competence. Moreover, we shouldthank the true experts in any field that share withothers their knowledge and thoughts; otherwise,such knowledge would be gradually lost, somethingcertainly negative and undesirable. My motheralways reminded me of the phrase "let the one whoknows more say more"

What an immature person usually does is makingmistakes. Everyone is free, of course, but right infront of the freedom of thought stands the risk ofmistake. We must always remember that the Senseihas already gone through the thoughts, self-

Reflections

In Karate, by its philosophy and

history, sensei's decisionsshouldn't be ever

questioned. And if so, then why ask?

The answer will arrive in due time

to the person it must reach.

assurance and convictions that more often than not haveerroneously the students in general. Some say that smartpeople learn from their own mistakes, but the mostpractical thing is what superior and wise persons do,"learn from the mistakes of others, instead of learning fromtheir own mistakes. Those who don't take advantage onthe errors of others are doomed to pass through them, justlike the one who doesn't know his past is bound to reliveit. The danger is that man can stumble twice over the

same stone and, if he insists... even three or more times.We must have the humbleness of recognizing those whoknow. The danger is that man can stumble twice over thesame stone and, if he insists... even three or more times.We must have the humbleness of recognizing those whoknow.

After long years of practice and study, the Sensei hasalready cleansed his body, his mind and his spirit while thestudent is still on that. A scattered mind that is not

Karate

The author at the Con Con dunes (Chile).

centered or wants to undertake several different things,cannot get good results as it tends to mix, to confoundand to get confused, to not assimilate properly theinformation and practice. Higa Sensei said: "If you run aftera hare, you might catch it, but if you run after two hares ...you won't catch any of them." The issue is furtheraggravated when both paths are technically or spirituallydifferent; for sure one will interfere in the development ofthe other.

It's difficult that a student eager to stand out could restrainhis momentum to move forward on this path of Karate, buthe should do it. When you are ready things are understood.Anyway, no matter how many explanations are given atcertain times, if your body, your mind and your spirit are notprepared to understand ... they just won't do it. There arepeople that the more information you provide them: data,explanations, reasons... The less they understand and theystill wonder why, or even dare to disagree for not

understanding... Some have become real"intellectual deafs", another effect ofdispersion. The Master can do his best for asuccessful transmission, but if the studentdoesn't follow his advice and thinks he knowsmore or understands better ... everything willbe in vain and it will fall on deaf ears.

Ah, the rush! There are no shortcuts inKarate and the one who seeks them, soonero later plunges down a dangerous bend.

Empty gesturing of apparentunderstanding is also useless if actions arenot consistent. The patience of a sensei isnot infinite and logically his attention maymove to focus on other students morewilling to follow his teachings under hisrules, as indeed has been happeninghistorically for years and years anywhereand in any environment. Sensei seeks theabove mentioned Uchi Deshi, the internalstudent. Time and grade will turn some ofhis senior students into Sempai, but aKohai, the promise, is something else, he issomeone in whom the Master has pinnedhis hopes for the future.

Another thing, at times different, at timescoincidental, is the pioneers, some of whomhave been able to become later true masters.

Pioneers deserve respect andrecognition for paving the way,

for being somehow visionariesof something transcendent.

But when pioneers haven'tcontinued developing

themselves and practicing (in agreater or lesser degree), in

righteousness, I don't believe theydeserve to be considered the center of

that path. Being the first is importantbut not enough to be considered

"Masters". Having traveled asmall part of the way, albeit in

ancient times, cannot becompared to havingtraveled a long distance,

even if it has been done in later times.Another case to mention is that of the

"sons of ... Sometimes, a particular personis imposed at the helm of organizationsonly because of the great importance of hisfather (Grand Master or Founder) within thestyle, but in righteousness and reality,without sufficient knowledge, skills ... that is,with no merits. Talent is not inherited by

itself. Surely, we all have now in ourthinking a particular name. If instead of

"son of" we talk about "grandsons", thematter may be further diluted. My

greatest respects, however, to theexceptions that besides inheriting a

name and a position have earned the

Reflections

right to hold their privileged position. My respect also theothers... but in a different way.

In the end, if you understand Karate, its technique,history, philosophy and objectives ... in short, its Spirit, assomething precious, a treasure to transmit only to a fewdeserving (and privileged) students, the relationshipMaster-Disciple actually becomes a relationship of Trust(since a treasure is not offered to anyone) and as such, anyquestioning can break that bond.

Honestly I think that a Master as such, with hisnecessarily certain age, a lifetime in Karate, a significantgrade, a wealth of true knowledge, of contributions ofmany big name Masters, with clear ideas and an attitudeconsistent with those thoughts generated through so manyand intense years... should he give many explanationsabout the ways of Karate? At this stage... no way!Whoever wants to voluntarily walk the Path by his side, willhave do it logically in his way, the way of Karate Do,accepting and not questioning.

It has always been said that Karate is discipline. It refersnot only as a means to achieve technical efficiency, but asthe relationship line of the disciple with the Master. Inshort, I think DISCIPLINE, CONFIDENCE and ATTITUDEare the basal columns of this relationship. Questioning anddispersion are their borers.

Another empty and very common gesture is greeting(traditional Japanese bowing, theoretically symbol ofrespect and recognition) and the expression Oss, thatbeyond the more or less customary use, depending ondifferent styles (e.g., in Wado Ryu there's no traditionalhabit of using it) is commonly misused in Karate becauseof its empty content, not to mention other confusions in itsuse. Indeed, this term, exported to Karate from the JapanKarate Naval College, is generally used as a greetingamong karateka (something like hello!, good bye!...). To

start with, this is already a mistake in itself. Thisexpression, which comes from the words Osu (Osaecontraction) and Shinobu, should be used in Karate only inmoments and situations in which you have to show acommitment to persevere to the personal boundaries withpatience, with genuine respect and appreciation forMaster, accepting his corrections, advice ... the expressionshows also, if necessary, an apology that even meansasking for pardon for some mistake made, understandingit and accepting it. That means Oss and if it's taken lightlyand used for everything, its content gets distorted.

Discipline is the basis of the spirit of Karate. I'm notsaying we should keep the two famous rules of the past,the first being "The boss (in our case, the Sensei) is alwaysright", and the second "In case of failure, the first ruleapplies." As the paths of life seem to be going, from thestandpoint of the spirit and philosophy of Karate, a Master,much too often is forced to endure the slip-ups of somestudents who believe they are smarter than anyone elsewithout understanding that observing only the rules ordecisions with which they agree, has no merit. That's easy!Discipline and loyalty is demonstrated abiding andsupporting the other rules...

Master is someone worth walking beside, to travel thepath under his teachings. But a Spanish friend of mine,Karate 9th Dan, once told me: "Do not call me Master. Wehad one Master and we crucified Him".

Karate

LEFT PAGE: Salvador Herriz and Hirokazu Kanazawa, inthe dojo of this Grand Master in Tokyo.

RIGHT PAGE: Up, with Master Tetsuhiro Hokamapracticing in ancient Okinawan tombs, traditional placeswhere long ago training was carried out in secret. Below,Morio Higaonna and S. Herriz in Master Higaonna's dojoin Naha.

This sequence is a short combination of hand strikes andkicking useful to introduce the student to the long andcomplex Hwa Rang Do Open Hand Form.

The STEP #1 is to set the defensive stance.The STEP #2 is to set the cat stance and cross the open hands

next to the front leg.The STEP #3 is moving the crossed hands from low to top

intercepting a frontal punch attack with forearms.

The STEP #4 is having both hands to the side and strike with adouble palm technique towards the ribs of the opponent.

The STEP #5 is grabbing one hear of the opponent and pull hishead.

The STEP #6 is striking the chin of the opponent with anuppercut palm technique.

The STEP #7 is striking with a knifehand the face of theopponent.

The STEP #8 is striking with a vertical punch the solar plexusof the opponent.

The STEP #9 is a step in left with a right high soft block.The STEP #10 is an axe kick right to close the sequence.

Kenjutsu - Internal and external distance...!

There are several people who tell us they have dreamed of swords, medievalweapons, and seek an explanation in one way or another. The sword has alwaysbeen a mythical and mystical object in the male realm.A sword is a weapon that consists of hilt, cross-guard and blade, a longer or

shorter steel sheet with a pointed end. Viewed from the standpoint of militarism, weall have the appearance of courage that drives us to fight for our goals. However,the man who carried swords in Japan, was defined as "one who serves" - Samurai.This means that the first step in learning Kenjutsu is to serve, to solve this distancewe establish between pride and humility. The act of learning is completely strippedof pride or arrogance. For the way of the sword it means surrendering, control ofexternal and internal distances. Many believe that there is only external "Ma-ai"when facing the opponent. Contrary to this, Ma-ai starts within us and manifestsexternally."If the mind is calm by stopping its movement, that stillness will make it move

even more."Similarly, we can say that our interior is like a big mountain. For Zen, in Chapter

62 of Shobogenzo Dogen Zenji (1200-1253), the mountain has a virtue that doesn'tlack anything, it is absolute in itself: for this reason, despite being firmly establishedin the ground, it's nonetheless always moving. Facing the sword, the inner mind isaware of its movement. The Ma-ai is able to establish the eternity of the moment ina single movement. This "movement" to which Dokai referred is the essence of allmovement. Anyway, who is in the mountain is not aware of this movement. Thosewho are not able to see this mountain at least once, cannot understand, see orhear this kind of things, due to this principle.Kenjutsu is experimentation, self-giving, surrendering, a unique moment! The

access and exit gateway of our inner mind! In a true confrontation there's no time,no truths or lies, everything is very fast. There are hardly internal and externaldistances. The wisdom of attracting and moving away those manifestations of thedojo in constant motion. In this thought, it's explicit in the way of Kenjutsu that anynew experience is a challenge, characterized by surmountable difficulties, thatarouse moral values of the one who wants to experience it. With respect to those ofdeep complexity, as may be the transformation of the old man into a new being,the steps to be conquered are multiple and coated with comprehensible obstacles.

Bugei

Some teachers in traditional schools have contacted me and together we havecome to interesting conclusions. Preserving something in the XXI century is not aneasy task, nor cheap. Preserving means keeping forms the way they are, even ifthere are still outdated and unrealistic sequences for current times. Many are calledtraditional and when we understand the technical synthesis, we find fragments ofthis and that, followed by intense justifications for it. The word preservation,according to the dictionary, is derived from preserve. Preservation: act ofpreserving.For us, preserving means to preserve even the way of thinking in the application

of each Seiteigata. Obviously we all worry to evolve internally and through thoughtwe seek perfection every day. But we are talking about martial heritage, whichmeans that from the historical point of view, it should be as it is. From a meremartial vision, everyone is free to practice and perform technical as he sees fit.Throughout history, eastern man, in our case the Japanese man - understanding

that his life was short, eventful, subject to suffering and certain death -, alwaysformulated the idea of "Bujutsu", the arts of War (specific, since the term "Bu"applied to the character "Jutsu" refers to a specific art). Recognizing - as we alsorecognize today - that life is transient, he wished to experience something immenseand supreme, something "not created by man's mind or by his feelings"; he wantedexperience or discovering the way of a transcendental world, entirely different fromthis, with its afflictions and torture.Throughout history, eastern man, in our case the Japanese man - understanding

that his life was short, eventful, subject to suffering and certain death -, alwaysthought of the idea of "Bujutsu", the arts of War (specific disciplines, since the term"Bu" applied to the character "Jutsu" refers to an art in particular). Recognizing - aswe also recognize today - that life is transient, he wished to experience somethingimmense and supreme, something "not created by man's mind or by his feelings";he wanted experience or discovering the way of a transcendental world, entirelydifferent from this, with its afflictions and tortures.Martial Arts have been influenced by the beliefs of the eras of each country. In the

case of Japan, the biggest influences were Shintoism, Buddhism andConfucianism, that nurtured the hope of discovering that transcendental world,seeking and probing. We should be considering this issue in order to discoverwhether there is or not a reality (whose name doesn't matter) of an entirely different

Bugei

dimension. To penetrate so deep, we naturally must realize that understandingscarcely at an oral level is no enough - because a description is not the thingdescribed, a word is never the thing. It's possible to penetrate this mystery - if its atall a mystery what man has always tried to penetrate and capture, invoking it,clinging to it, worshiping it, becoming a fanatic of it. However, this is not the desiredor exalted subject in this text.The arts of war had their boom in the Sengoku period and their reflexes can be

seen even today. Being life at that time quite superficial, empty, full of deceit andwithout much expression - it prompted war among the truths, each school or clantried to invent, give it a meaning. If the individual who invented such meaning andpurpose, was provided with a certain talent, his invention became quite complex,considering that many arts suffered a reformulation in the Tokugawa period. This ispoint where I want to get: everything is fine as long as it is perfectly in order inside.Everyone knows his need. Everyone supports the truth that is convenient for him.However, it must be understood that preserving is beyond what is or is not perfect.Like everything in life, we are subject to time until our mind adapts and discovers

whether or not we are on the right path. Many masters had only the certainty theywere on their way after being teachers. It is natural and normal that everyone hashis own rate of evolution. This means that in some people, the feeling is built withcare and attention. One thing at a time! At first we deal with doubts, prejudice,denials... However, for those of us who persist, from learning to learning andblessing to blessing, without understanding the mechanism of such ametamorphosis, our heart gets transformed, if we really would accept its leadershipand tutelage. Shades of pains, preconceptions, resentment, misplaced views andopinions, are gradually giving way in the forest of our dark thoughts to light gapsthat end up showing us the childishness and inconvenience of our less happyattitudes to face the way. In the past, this was called "Nagai" - Long, long road thatleads us to understanding.For masters, it is through this method that the pupil, in the middle of the rough

fight, is obliged to handle the weapons of his own discernment, so that externaladversaries cannot destroy his forces. It is in his own chosen way where he findsthose other enemies, perhaps even more dangerous - those who hide in the spirit,such as fear of accepting himself with the imperfections that mark his life,discouragement facing difficulties that unfold in front of him, the notion of personalshortcomings or the fear of failure.

Bugei

Discovering our own powers and where to find them is the meeting point withourselves. It is a lonely road, but essential, the consequence of which is a completealteration of our way to see and understand the art, the environment and ourselves,which leads us to recall a short story, relevant for a starting point.

Believing and acting (anonymous)A traveling man was walking along the shore of a large lake of crystalline waters,

trying to figure out a way to reach the other side, where his destiny was. He sigheddeeply and while trying to fix his gaze on the horizon, he heard a man's voice thatbroke the silence. It was a white-haired boatman, offering transport.The old small boat that crossed the lake had two oak wood oars. The traveler

saw that there was what looked like letters on each oar. When he jumped on theboat, he found that they were actually two words. In one of the oars it was carvedthe word "believe" and on the other "act".Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked the boatman the reason of the original

names he had given to the oars. The boatman grabbed the oar that read "believe"and rowed with all his strength. The ship began to spin without exiting from thecircle where it was. Then the boatman took the oar that read "acting" and rowedwith all his strength. Again the boat started to circle around, this time in theopposite direction, but without making any progress...Finally, the old boatman, using both oars, moved them at once and the boat,

propelled by both sides, crossed the waters of the lake, reaching calmly the othershore. Then the boatman told the traveler:- We can call this boat "self-confidence". The bank of the lake is the goal we want

to achieve. For the ship "confidence" to surf safely and reach the intended target, itis necessary to use both oars at the same time and with the same intensity: "acting"and "believing".And what about you? Are you paddling firmly to achieve your goal? But above

all, double check your boat and look carefully if the oars are not eroded by theacid of selfishness. After taking all these precautions, keep on advancing andhave a nice trip!

Interview

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What was it about martial artsthat attracted you to start trainingit in the beginning?Believe it or not, the movie

business. See, everyday my fatherwould swing by the video store on his way home from work.

He absolutely loved action moviesfrom Hollywood and Hong Kong, and since we only had

1 television in our household, ourchoice was simple: (1) watch withhim, or (2) study. Guess which one Ichose? Haha. When dad was home,my brother and I weren't able towatch our cartoons anymore, as itwas movie night every night.However, this quickly turned into animmense appreciation for the cinemain addition to the martial arts. Andlike every other school-aged child,my brother and I would mimic themartial art fight scenes with eachother. It was THEN, when Idiscovered that I would like to be aHollywood Action Star. My father'sresponse? No! You need a goodjob. Be a doctor, lawyer, or engineer.And being the eldest son, I thought Ihad an obligation to do so.

What happened when yourfather found out who werestudying Keishinkan?Originally, when I told my parents

that I wanted to learn martial arts,they said no. A few moments later,they inquisit ively asked why. I

Interview by Thomas LynchPhotos courtesy Don WarrenerT.L. Security Solutions

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replied, so I can be an Action Star.Again, they said no. (To this dayNO is still one of their favoritewords.) After a few days ofbringing it up again and again, myfather said if I really wanted tolearn martial arts, I would have topay for it myself. So I saved myallowance and joined KeishinkanKarate. Once he learned of this,he told me that if I ever get hurtfrom training, don't tel l me.Additionally, if you are hurt you'llalso have to pay for ALL of thehospital bills by yourself. (But

Japan has a National HealthcareSystem, if I did get injured, atworst I would be out 5 bucks.)

Which martial art do enjoytraining the most? Why?Honestly I can't pick just one.

See, I love Northern Shaolin KungFu because of the variety of thingswe do in class and in training, suchas deep stances, weapons, andvery longand challenging forms. And I

love Keishinkan Karate because ofthe full contact sparring, whichallows us to pressure-test ourtechniques, stamina and abilities.But if I have to pick one particularthing, which I enjoy most, I wouldhave to say the deep stances inKung Fu. The reason is, for me,the deep stances are verystrenuous and require my fullattention. They're incrediblyformidable and overall are a greatway to reset my foundation inmartial arts especially if myschedule has prevented me fromdedicating a few hours to train.

If you could do it all overagain, is there any particularmartial arts style that you wishyou had started training at anearly age, and why?Wow diff icult question. I

really guess that it would dependupon what my intention was at thattime, as well as for the future. If Iwas young, for exampleelementary age, I would probablywant something really flashy likeWushu or XMA. However, as I'molder now, I see the need forpracticality in the self-defense

aspect of martial arts, therefore Iwould probably choose MMA.

What was your favoritetechnique in Keishinkan Karate?Without a doubt my favorite

technique of all time is gyakuzuki(reverse punch). The reason is: my Keishinkan

instructor always taught me the goalof Karate is to have one flawlesstechnique which would be fightending just like ichigeki (looselytranslated as: one hit, one kill.) Ifyou're not able to run away, and

must resort to use your martial artstraining for self-defense, then itscommon sense that less is more.Which means, if I can strike myopponent only once to defeat him,then that's much better than dukingit out with him for a few minutes.

What is your favorite classicalweapon to use in martial artsand why? Pick one.In Kung Fu, my favorite weapon

is the double-broadsword. Forsome reason, the first time I pickedit up, the swords felt amazinglycomfortable in my hands. Andeven more so, when I startedswinging them around mimickingJackie Chan to the best of myability. When I attempted my firstlong form with the double-broadsword, I was beat. It's a veryintense, thorough and challengingform. But I loved it. Iimmediately began to spend hoursupon hours each day practicingthe swords and it really showedwhen I took 1st place in my firstever weapons tournament. Wow, Ithought you would have picked theJapanese Katana, since I've seenyou perform with it many times.Well I truly do enjoy performingwith the katana, however I initiallybegan training with the katanastrictly for public performances. Iassumed it was going to be asimple transition from the doublebroadsword, but boy was I wrong.It looks simple, however it's a verycomplicated tool.

Who are your martial art idols?Honestly, I don't have any now.

But when I was a kid, it was pretty

much every major Hollywood andHong Kong Action star. Stallone,Snipes, JCVD, Jackie Chan,Steven Seagal, Tom Cruise, BruceWillis. What about Chuck Norrisand BruceLee? When I came to the U.S. I

didn't even know who they were.Haha. I guess my dad neverrented their movies.

What are your future plans inmartial arts? My immediate plans are to

continue promoting martial arts

through the KOYAMADAFOUNDATION and THE UNITEDSTATES MARTIAL ARTSFESTIVAL. At the KoyamadaFoundation we sponsor bulliedchildren whom are from low-income backgrounds, by grantingthem a martial art scholarship. Wedo this because I believe thatmartial arts training can instil lconfidence, self-esteem, and anoverall positive outlook on life forthe child. We're glad that bullyingis becoming an eye-catching issueand is finally being addressed at anational level. And with limitedfunds, we're doing our best to helpout these kids one at a time. On the other hand, the festival is

designed to promote ALL martial artstyles / disciplines (whether they'reknown or unknown martial arts) andgiving everyone an equal chance.We do this in festival form where weinvite dozens of various martial artstyles to publicly demonstrate onstage. We have concessions,individual martial art booths andseminars, displays, red carpetentrance (with multiple appearancesby celebrity actors and famousmartial artists,) and much, muchmore. It's really a fun event whereeven Grandmasters can mingle withother Grandmasters, whom neitherhave ever had an opportunity toactually meet. Additionally, weprovide a platform for the generalpublic to see clear distinctions in thevarious martial art disciplines. Imean, if you ask the average Joehe probably wouldn't know thedifference between Shotokan Karateand Kyokushin Karate. Here, theycan see that firsthand. Not only that

Interview

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but the public can meet and actuallyask these Grandmasters questionsface to face. A chance most havenever had the opportunity to do.Overall, it's really a fun andeducational environment for everyoneinvolved.

Tell us how you got started inmartial arts.I was interested in learning karate

because I thought it would help mebecome a Hollywood action star. So,

I took my allowance money to myfriends Keishinkan Karate dojo andmet the instructor Tadashi Yoshii (8thdan.) I was already very athletic andhad been in a few street f ightsbefore, so I knew I should be able tohold my own in class. And Tadashimust have sensed that, or maybe hemistook it for a bit of cockinessbecause he invited me to attack him.I replied Eh? He wanted me toattack him anyway I wantedpunch, kick, everything. Then he

said: zenshin aru nomi. (Whichloosely translates to: Come at mebro.) Haha. So I did. And about10-12 minutes later I was exhaustedand panting like a dog in the desert.He blocked everything. And I meaneverything. As futile as my attackwas, he politely decided to put meout of my misery with a sharp maegeri (front kick) to my sternum. Iwas done. After that humblinginitiation, he invited me to arrive earlyto each class at least 30 minutes

beforehand just for the two of us topractice. And at every class Ishowed up early to, he would againsay zenshin aru nomi. And Iwould try to battle with him with allof my heart while he evaded myattack with ease. A few monthslater I began to realize that mytechniques and speed were rapidlydeveloping. I was becoming morefocused, disciplined and martial.And he noticed it to.Only 3 months of training had

gone by when Tadashi Senseiapproached me. He said Shin,there is an open karate tournamentin Nagano, and I want you tocompete. My reply was wellthought out and very precise as Iconfidently replied: Eh? Therewas no belt division, the bracket wasdetermined by school age. Jr. Highschool, High School, and adult.Before my very first match began Iwas visibly petrified. Tadashi said tome: I know you're a beginner, butdon't be afraid. Because whenpeople are afraid they tend to gobackwards. The key to success inkarate is to go forward when you'reafraid. Because if you get hit at aclose distance, it won't hurt so bad.So, I closed the distance and I gotpunched. Punched a lot. But hewas right, it didn't hurt that bad. Ofcourse I didn't win the tournament,but I did leave with something muchmore valuable than a trophy: I leftwith a renewed self-confidence andmotivation. Motivation to train evenharder.Tadashi sensei began to take me

around to his other friends dojo'sto spar with their students.

Interview

Multiple opponents, one after theother. And they kicked my butt until Icouldn't move anymore. Again myself-confidence and esteem grewexponentially (even after getting beatup) because I clearly saw a distinctand expedited progress in virtually allof my karate applications. Now, I washooked. More determined than ever tosucceed in the martial world.

What is your favorite characteryou played and why?I enjoyed all characters I played. But

the two that stand out the most are (1)

Nobutada in The Last Samurai, and(2) Shen in Wendy Wu: HomecomingWarrior. Nobutada was my favoritebecause he was character driven. Hewas all about Honor and Respect.Something a true samurai shouldproject in every aspect of their life. Asfor Shen, I have to be honest thiswas a dream come true for mebecause I was able to finally play anaction star. Something I've beentraining for since I was a little boy. Iwas afforded the opportunity toshowcase my martial arts ability in avery fun and stimulating environment.

Both characters are completelydifferent animals in terms of theirpersonality and motivational drivingforce. Both were challenging, andboth were different realizations of mydreams coming to fruition.

What's been your mostmemorable experience on set?Honestly? The food. On a major

Hollywood production they havecatering EVERYDAY for breakfast, lunchand dinner. And I mean TOP qualityfood, made to order. Everyday wassomething better than the day before:

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steak, seafood, marinated chicken,pasta, the dessert bar everything. Weall got so fat on set. Haha. However,on The Last Samurai we had apredominantly Japanese cast withhundreds of extras. And on location inNew Zealand there wasn't anyJapanese food or restaurants nearby,since we were in the countryside. Soone of the extras had a brilliant idea.He bought a little food cart and madeand sold Japanese food foreveryone on set (when he wasn't

filming of course.) Most of us ate there

everyday. He must have made afortune! But on a deeper note, everyday I had

amazing conversations with TomCruise. He is one of the most humbleand down to Earth people I've ever met.While rehearsing and sometimesfilming, he would yell, Cut, and callme aside. At first I thought I had donesomething wrong (since this was myfirst feature film.) In actuality he justwanted to chat. He told me that Ireminded him of himself when he wasmy age. I said; Tom, your American,I'm Japanese. He laughed and saidNot that way. I mean with yourinnocence and determination. You havea very real focus and personality. Itreminds me of me. I was honoredwhen he said that. From that point on,we would have multiple conversationseveryday chit chatting about everything.Today, I'm still honored to call him afriend and look upon that experience asone of the best times of my life.

So, I have to ask What was itlike working with Tom Cruise? Imean, it was your very first movieand all of a sudden you're co-starring opposite of him.It was absolutely, positively surreal. I

was very pleased and honored to bepart of the production and thankful forthe opportunity given to me. This wasmy first film and it already was a careerchanger. I knew that I had to bring adifferent level of professionalism towork with him and to be honest I hadvery little experience prior to this, andhad zero ideas of what to expect. I wascompletely focused on my role playingNobutada and the production itself. Ididn't get as nervous as I thought Iwould be and was very confident inmyself. However, I became petrified a

bit that I'd make a HUGE mistake onthe very first day. And then ithappened. I heard Tom Cruise startyelling between his scenes: Shin!Shin, where are you? Where's Shin?Shin! Shin! Everyone froze and justlooked at me as if I did somethinghorribly wrong or something else. Ireplied, Uh, I'm right here. He said,Come here. I want to introduce you tomy friend/director. (I was frozen. Wasthis for real? I couldn't move because Iwas still awaiting him to tell me I'm firedor something.) But that never

happened. He was amazingly nice.I've never met someone more sincereand humble than Tom Cruise. I mean,this guy would arrive on set, and thenproceed to greet and shake hands withevery crew and cast member he sees inhis proximity. He would go out of hisway each morning to do this. For eightmonths he did this!!Every time we see each other on and

off set, it seemed as if we were just oldfriends just sharing stories whether it's inNew Zealand countryside or elsewhere.But at the time I was often confused.

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What do you mean? Confused how?Well, for example one day Tom pulledme aside between our scenes on the setand began reminiscing and telling mehow I reminded him of himself when hewas my age. My thought was: Howso? Years later, I finally understood thiswas a most sincere compliment. Priorto that, I was often scratching my headat how I could remind him of himself.Haha!

What was the most surprisingand/or memorable thing workingwith him?

His precision. Definitely histechnical precision while executing hisstreet fight scene (the one with multipleattackers). He had rehearsed thatscene on his own for months andmonths prior to shooting that scene.And on that shooting day, heperformed it absolutely flawlessly. I, aseveryone else was in pure awe. Imean, here I am working with one ofthe worlds most successful actors,whom is by far the most humbledperson I've ever met, and not only ishe a legitimately good guy, but he'salso badass. And from that day

forward I've considered him one ofmy Action Hero Idols.

Where do you see martial arts andthe entertainment industry headingin the future? Meaning, what type ofmartial arts do you predict we willsee more of, in the future?I think it's a cycle. As technology

develops more and more, we've seenfilms and television become morereliant upon CG (computerizedgraphics.) And I believe one day,audiences will get tired of seeing CGand will want more reality. Meaning,

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more realism in the characters actionsand the martial art choreography. Andyears after that becomes a staple in theentertainment industry I believepeople will want to see a little more CG,thus having the cycle repeat itself.

What are your future plans in film?Acting? Producing? Directing?Well, for now I'd really like to

continue to focus on Acting andProducing. Directing is an option, butnot anytime in my foreseeable future.

As for acting I have a new actionfantasy American TV series we justfinished filming in Okinawa titled TheYokai King. We shot it in English andare looking to sell it to the U.S. marketfirst as well as other countries.Additionally, we are currently shootinga web series called Heart of theDragon. It's a supernatural martialarts thriller, where my character isforced to come to the realities of myown mortality. Also, my companyShinca Entertainment finished creating

and publishing an American comicbook called The Dreamhoppers andstarted developing a new comic bookseries. I have a few projects which I'mproducing as we speak. I try to keepmy hands in as many different facets ofthe entertainment industry as possiblebasically because its fun, and I'mconstantly learning. This ranges fromcomic books, video games, webseries, television, and film. I love it alland will produce as much as I possiblycan.

To your knowledge, what'sthe ONE martial arts film thathasn't been made yet, thatyou'd LOVE to see made?Hmmm the one martial arts

movie I would like to see made iswith 100% real people. Noactors. Everyone is a real person.The taxi driver is a real taxi driver.The FBI agent is a real FBI agent.Everyone and everything tellingan ensemble story thatintertwines with each other.Some people might consider thisa documentary, but that's notwhat I mean. I want a real movie,with real people, telling a realstory along the same parametersof each other's lives in theform of a Real Life Action Film.

What is the best advice canyou give to martial artistswhom would like to pursue acareer in the film and televisionindustry?Start filming. Film something,

film everything. Film yourself andblast it everywhere on socialmedia outlets such as youtube,facebook, etc. If you really wantto pursue a career in this industryits important to note that youdon't have to be an actor to makeit. This is Show Business.Remember if you can show (ordo) something better thananybody else, you can make it ifyou want to. But what happens to these

people who have little to zeroacting experience? That's easy.The production company will hirean acting coach for you in pre-production, and will keep themaround throughout the duration of

Interview

filming if you need them. This is ontheir bill, not yours. When I started onThe Last Samurai, I had virtually zeroexperience in horseback riding, andKyudo (Japanese archery)additionally I also only had little actingexperience. The Last Samurai was mydebut feature film. And I was honestwith casting about this from the verybeginning. The day I was selectedthey immediately hired a coach for me.So, start f i lming yourself and putyourself out there. And network.Network your butt off. I'm sure you'veheard this before, but it's absolutely

true: surround yourself with like-minded people. Who you hang outwith is who you'll become.

You've started the KoyamadaFoundation. What is it and why wasit created?When I first arrived in the U.S. I never

imagined nor intended to start a charity.Fast forward a few years, and I wasinvited to Chuck Norris' Kick StartKids charity. I saw firsthand how theywere helping children across the nationby building strong and moral charactersthrough martial arts. My wife said that

we could and SHOULD do somethingvery similar. So we did. Our goal is toempower youth to achieve their dreamsand goals. There will always be peoplein their lives trying to rip their dream toshreds. Without that self-discipline andconfidence, they might believe thenaysayer's and never have theopportunity to realize their full potential.So with our foundation we promotecross culture education, disaster relieffor underprivileged children and theirimmediate families, as well as grantingmartial arts scholarships to empoweryouth through martial arts training. We

believe that martial arts will grantchildren and adolescents the abilityto develop character and self-esteem through martial training. Wewant everyone in life to have achance to succeed. Not everyone isdealt a fair hand, and we're justtrying to help them out.

How has martial arts changedyour life? For the better I know for a fact

that without martial arts, I wouldn'tbe where I am today. It helped mediscover who I really am in myrelationships and as a person. Ithelped me understand others andto be more compassionate witheverything and everyone in life.More importantly, it helped me tonot be afraid of trying new things.My martial arts training hasthoroughly developed my intuition,situational awareness and sensitivityto my surroundings. It has sculptmy motivation, self-discipline, andconfidence in practically everythingI do. Overall Karate and Kung Futraining has really allowed me tochallenge new things in life. I oftenreflect on what Tadashi Sensei toldme; Never step backwards ifyou think you can do it, do it. Ilook at that and interpret it as; Youcan't move forward in life if you'realways walking backwards andscared to try new things. Goforward and discover.www.shinkoyamada.org(personal website)www.koyamada.org(charity / foundation)www.shincaentertainment.com(production company)www.usmafest.org(U.S. Martial Arts Festival)

MAX RENDINELLAMultidisciplinary martial artist

At the age of 5, MaxRendinella began martial artsbefore starting to read andwrite. Since then, he haslearned in several styles andschools with Kyokushinkaikarate, Nor ther n Shaol inBoxing and Muay Thai. Hisspecialty which he's beenpracticing for nearly 20 years,is Songshan Shaolin. As ateenager, he took advantage ofthe defection of several monksabr oad to f inal ly meetteachers allowed to teachShaolin in Quebec by Shi YanMing, the first known exiledmonk who opened the firstAmerican Shaol in temple.During these years ofexponential expansion ofShaolin, Max Rendinella hadthe opportunity to organizemajor events including thebest masters and disciples.Shaol in war rior monkVenerable Shi Xing Hong wasamong them. Following hismemorable meeting with thevenerable Shi Wan Heng, oneof the last surviving 4 majormasters of communistdomination of Mao Zedong'sregime, was when the secondphase of his journey in Shaolinbegan.

fter 6 years of learning anddevelopment of official relationswith the Shaolin Temple, MaxRendinella ended up in Hungaryto train with Shi Xing Hongunder the recommendation of

the Canadian master nicknamed Da Pingguoby the masters of the Temple. With thepermission of the Temple at that time,Hungary became the new residence For ShiXing Hong and he decided to developShaolin Gong Fu there with dedication andpassion. With the help of his close studentslike Max Rendinella that share the samevalues, a new branch of this martial art wasgradually emerging, the International Chan

AInterview conducted by Martin Leblanc

Photos by Wolfvision

Canada

Wu Federation was born. It was at thistime that Max Rendinella became theleader of the organization in Canadawhile the federation was beingstructured: martial curriculum, gradingsystem, uniforms, etc. In the lastDecade and following several trips ondifferent occasions, somecompetitions and international trainingcamps, Max Rendinella has developeda solid reputation among withinShaolin circles to the point that thegreatest masters Grand Master Shi DeYang visits him exclusively in Canada.Today, he is proud to offer manyprivi leges to certain passionatestudents who traveled several times toChina and Europe.

After a exhautive journey which gavehim several championships in variouscombat sports, Max Rendinella todayproduces high caliber athletes winningprestigious titles including Kung FuKing. Following a recent experience asa professional MMA fighter, MaxRendinella is now a complete martialartist who explored both the traditionaland modern side of the science ofcombat. Discover with this interview,the depth of his teaching...

InterviewML: What relationship do you

currently have with the ShaolinTemple?

MR: My relationship is orientedtoward the Grand Master Shi De Yang,it is thanks to my Master Shi XingHong, which maintains a very closerelationship with him. My links with theTemple began before the arrival of thenew abbot, who brought many

changes in the Shaolin Temple and allit entails. I think most of the Shaolinteaching is in the hands of the GrandMaster Shi De Yang. In addition, I wantto keep in my heart my vision of thetemple that I have known in myadolescence. That's why I prefer towork with the teaching method of theChan Wu Federation that respects thehierarchy of my own journey.

ML : Are you a disciple of Shi DeYang or Shi Xing Hong?

MR : Good question! The simplestanswer would be neither one... I amconsidered to be a disciple of Shi XingHong, but for us in the Chan Wu, itdoes not matter. With our gradingsystem, one can clearly identify thelevel of Gong Fu of a practitioner andwe are all students of Shi Xing Hong.Often people think having a disciplename reflects the person's level inShaolin but it's wrong, it only means amaster accepts the person as a

student. Shi Xing Hong identif iesstudents through international ChanWu Federation which established thefirst international Shaolin classificationsystem outside of China. It's been over10 years! Regarding the venerable ShiDe Yang, I'm lucky to work with him atall times while respecting the teachingsof my master.

ML : What do you teach inCanada?

MR : Since 2002, I have taught theSongshan Shaolin exactly the sameway I learned: the spiritual componentcalled Chan encompassing wisdom,mental development and ethicalconduct as well as the martial sidethat's referred to as Wu. Over time, theorganization was structured adaptingto the many changes brought about bythe development of the Chan WuFederation. In the past, Ioffered a full program ofrecreational and

Canada

Since 2002, I have taught theSongshan Shaolinexactly the same

way I learned: the spiritual

component calledChan encompassing

wisdom, mental

development andethical conduct aswell as the martialside that's referred

to as Wu

competit ive sanda but because of thegrowing popularity of MMA interest in sandahas unfortunately dropped...this finally leadto my KrossFight program.

ML : What is KrossFight?MR : Krossfight is multifaceted. For a

beginner, this training system is acombination of several fighting techniques Iteach or different methods of combat:Japanese (karate) thai (kickboxing) andChinese (kung fu). They can also beidentified by their official name, that is to saykumite, muay thai, and sanda. Once thepractitioner has knowledge and experiencein competition, it shifts to be closer to thereality of street fighting. My opinion is thattoo many fighters who forget the essence ofmartial arts rather focused on self-defense.Unlike various combat sports in which rulesare established, the street does not meet anyof its rules or weight classification. The factis that combat sports have rules that will limitthe styles that you can use in fights. That'swhy it's important to diversify one's martialknowledge to maximize adaptability. That isthe appropriate way to crossover skills in thestreet. Frequently, in my KrossFight classes,we work the same scenario within the rulesof the various combat sports. For example,in the following photos we can see that whenthe advantage is to the person positionedbehind the other different sports l imitopportunities while in the street, there are norules and no mercy!

ML : Finally, do you have an importantmessage to transmit readers?

MR : I would first like to thank you for theinterest brought to my attention. I would alsolike to thank my colleagues and my studentsand my master Shi Xing Hong. I surely willcome back for another discussion with BudoInternational, a magazine that I read since itsfirst publication that contains an article withGrand Master Shi De Yang!

For more information, visit thesewebsites at : chanwu.ca or sportaddict.ca

My links with theTemple began before

the arrival of the newabbot, who broughtmany changes in theShaolin Temple and

all it entails.

Canada

Krossfight ismultifaceted.

For a beginner, thistraining system is a

combination of severalfighting techniques I teach or different

methods of combat

Technique

"A single link is of no use, but connected with many others we obtain one of themost useful tools: the chain". This also applies to Martial Arts, and the metaphormay as well serve as an example to understand the importance of the chaining oftechniques into martial practice.Obviously, the ideal in martial terms is being able to finish any confrontation by

applying just one blow or a single technique. But this is extremely difficult. Perhapssome masters often come close to this ideal; or, on some rare occasion, a luckystrike can make us finish a fight with the first technique. But in order to achievethis, such technique must be performed in an absolutely perfect way in terms ofaccuracy, speed, strength, timing, coordination, etc. And perfection is an ideal towhich we all tend but we never reach, so most of us, Martial Arts practitioners,have to learn to chaining techniques to be effective in combat.

Text: Pedro Conde.Photos: David Gramage (davidgramage@gmail.com)

WHAT IS A CHAININGOF TECHNIQUES?

A technical chaining is simply thecoordination in sequences ofdifferent techniques. Normally we'veall learned and trained thesetechniques initially one by one in anisolated way. Chaining is not simplyadding techniques, given that eachchain has its own logic (according tocircumstances, the opponent, etc.);in fact, each technique depends onthe former one and the one that willcome next.

IS CHAINING TECHNIQUES EASY?

It is curious to observe somepeople perform flawlessly an isolatedblow, nevertheless the sametechnique visibly loses quality whenthey throw it in a combination. Why isthis? This is because the chainingskill, like any other attribute, mustalso be trained. And like everythingelse, it takes time, but above all itrequires knowing how to train. Thetruth is that chaining is somethingthat "almost" everyone knows, but

it's not about throwing punchescrazily, the difficult part is that atleast most of them reach theirdestination. You get more with justthree blows well chained (withcoherence, tactic and effectiveness)than with twenty out of order andwithout a clear objective.

HOW TO TRAIN TECHNIQUE CHAINING

Once a technique is mastered,learning to coordinate it with othersis essential. Coordination is thereforeone of the foundations of thechaining skill. The most pedagogicalmethodology for