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The Real Miyagi. A true story of a manbehind the biggest Martial Art legends! In1965, 20 years after World War II, a worldchampion martial artist from Japan comes tothe United States with only $300.00 in hispocket and the clothes on his back. Leavinghis siblings in search of the American dream,only to find obstacles that defy his honor.With the support of an EX-CIA agent, theymanage to start the first ever Karate schoolin Orange County, CA that paves the way forwhat is about to come!
FUMIO DEMURAJean Frenette during the 1980's and
1990's was the most winning competitorinternationally with his musical kataperformances.
He was second to none and his timing ofthe musical notes to the techniques has stillnever been equaled. We caught up to Jeanwhile he was here in LA doing the actionchoreography for his latest movie “Jaya”.
JEAN FRENETTE
In my last article Istressed the importance ofwhy in the CombatHapkido “Ground Survival”component we don't liketo stay fight on the ground.We honestly and stronglyemphasized that “TheGround is Not YourFriend”, unlike what manygrappling systems wouldhave you believe.
COMBAT HAPKIDO
In otherwords, you cansay it's veryimportant thateveryone has athought, aconcept andreasoning aboutl ife and itsmanifestations.
Maybe, seen from the standpoint of the mostpreeminent eastern scholars, all this would takeus also to the concept of Karma as the dividingline of events.
THE SHIZEN TRADITION
Many practitioners of WingChun Gung Fu have beentold throughout the years ofthe art's legendarybeginnings, when either YimWing Chun (for whom theart was named) or Ng Mui (aShaolin nun, if we are tobelieve she existed)witnessed a fight between asnake and a crane.
GAKU JUTSU-DO
Con frecuencia leemos que elWing Chun utiliza movimientos deserpiente y grulla , pero ladiscusión por lo general terminacon la mención del brazo dedesviación Boang Sau Wing, pararepresentar el ala de la grúa y eldedo Biu Jee Finger Jab queilustra la serpiente. En lugar dedetenerme ahí, que es lo quehabitualmente se hace, voy ahablar aquí de las características
de la serpiente y la grulla que influyen en el CRCAWing Chun, comenzando con la serpiente.
WING CHUN
or over 20 years Ihave been trainingpolice agencies andmilitary units all aroundthe world, and I'm stillconvinced that learning“real” self-defensetakes only days. If youcan't learn any givenself-defense techniquein five minutes, thenyou won't need it in areal fight.
MARTIAL ARTS REALITY BASED
“BUDO INTERNATIONAL”is a publication of:BUDO INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING CO.Central: Office:Andrés Mellado, 4228015 Madrid - SpanienLocal pages: Maurice [email protected] pages: Alfredo Tucci:[email protected]
Qissi is achameleonicactor who hasportrayed afew secondarycharacters inthe first VanD a m m e ' sm o v i e s :besides givinglife to Tong Poin "Kickboxer",
he played the Brazilian Thai boxer in"Bloodsport", where he has a shockingconfrontation with Chong Li / Bolo Yeung.In "Lionheart" he embodies a FrenchLegionnaire chasing deserter Van Damme.But who is this character? Who isMohammed Qissi?
MARTIAL CINEMA
“The Genesis of Judo”. By 87 Year Old HalSharp 9th dan Judo. This article is part of theseries I plan to write relating to judo and myexperiences in Japan in the early 1950's. Thisarticle is primarily about Japan's greatestjujitsu master, Sanjiro Yokoyama, who becamethe head instructor at the original KodokanJudo Institute.
JUDO
Tactical Combat Systems (TCS) is myown way of looking at the martial arts andclose combat. TCS is, first and foremost,based on concepts and principles andcontains ideas for self-defense witheveryday objects (SDS Concept), knifefighting (Knife Fighting Concept), stickfight (Stick Fighting Concept), defenseagainst firearms (Firearm Concept), use ofaxes (Axe and Tomahawk FightingConcept) and for empty hand fighting. In
this month's issue I will deal with self-defense against threatswith weapons.
SDS-CONCEPT
Eskrima meeting WingChun. Filipino Eskrima andWing Chun Kung Fu, aChinese style, share manysimilarities, but differencesas well. First I will start withthe differences. The way youtake your standing position,or your fighting stance isvery different. In Wing Chunyou lean for approximately80% on your back leg. Whilein Eskrima your balance isfocused on your front leg (ina normal and basic fightingstance).
ESCRIMA & WING CHUN
Do you need a master all your life? Afew months ago I launched myassociation TAOWS Academy, aproject that I had in mind for quitesome time. I called it TAOWS Lab. Inthe laboratory we try to take stepsforward in the study of this fascinatingCombat Art.
WINGTSUN
My experience with that shark calledRickson Gracie in his ocean brought meonce more to become a student, albeit Ialready had achieved mastership in WengChun Kung Fu. I was Rickson�s studentand representative between 1994 and2000, and since then pass that art down tomy students as part of my Tiger TeamBrazilian Jiu Jitsu curriculum.
WENG CHUN KUNG FU
The motions of the dragon serve torefine one's spirit. The appliedtechniques are based on thephilosophy of the element earth. Initself, the dragon teaches tostrengthen and lead one's Chi. It onlyembodies few fighting techniques, asthe main task of the dragon is toexercise inner strength based onbreath control.
SHAOLIN HUNG GAR KUNG FU
General Director & Art Director: Alfredo Tucci. Advertising: Maurice Elmalem - [email protected] International pages:
Alfredo Tucci. [email protected] Columnists: Don Wilson, Yoshimitsu Yamada, Cass Magda, Antonio Espinós, Jim
Wagner, Coronel Sanchís, Marco De Cesaris, Lilla Distéfano, Maurizio Maltese, Bob Dubljanin, Marc Denny, Salvador Herráiz, Shi de
Yang, Sri Dinesh, Carlos Zerpa, Omar Martínez, Manu, Patrick Levet, Mike Anderson, Boulahfa Mimoum, Franco Vacirca, Bill Newman,
José Mª Pujadas, Paolo Cangelosi, Emilio Alpanseque, Sueyoshi Akeshi, Marcelo Pires, Angel García, Juan Díaz. Photographers:
Carlos Contreras, Alfredo Tucci.
Among the eternallyrecommended readings toget to know the spirit ofthe East, especially that ofJapan, you cannot bemissing "The Book of Tea",a classic that will neverdisappoint you, because ithas stood the test of time.This marvelous text,written in English in thefirst instance so that aminority could approachthe deep meaning of tea inthe East, has become aliterary first line and a bestseller.
THE BOOK OF TEA
e live immersed in our bubbles withoutknowing what's inside them. Most oftenwe are not even aware of where theybegin or end and so we have littlenotion of the limits of the personal andtranspersonal or the environment where
they interact. We are bubbles inside other bubbles that nowand then ask themselves why and how.
The concept of the bubble and the energetic egg is aninteresting and recurring image in many cultures. From themost ancient ones to the modern, the concept of an ovalshape is a primal and universal model that summarizes theidea of an extremely strong, resilient and obsessivelyrepetitive pattern. Examples are plentiful and there's noneed to expose them here; the most seasoned readers willfind these images everywhere.
While water, pushed by gravity and its persistent tendencyto go down, adopts the form of an inverted egg, fire isgoverned by an upward shape. Human bubble, from itsinitial phase wrapped in the womb to its final stage in whichit takes the upright position, keeps that oval shape. Sagesand seers of various cultures have described this form as aconglomerate of energy and tensions taking place in agradient of matter-energy as a continuum whole.
For them, there is no such thing as a specific point inwhich we cease being matter to begin being energy. Even ifwe stick to science itself, these limits become alsosomething complex to us as soon as we leave behind oursensory perception. For example, we know that the humanthermal field extends beyond the body's physicalboundaries on emanations that today can even bephotographed. And what to say about the pictures takenwith the Kirlian camera, capable of capturing in images theair ionization or the way the electric power is organized inbundles around the body.
Ancient peoples went further in their description of thisphenomenon, even lacking a scientific method that couldassert their thesis, and dared to consider, via analogy andresearch of the forces, the elements and their relationships,more advanced possibilities (clearly bold and transgressiveif seen from the scientific view) nevertheless perfectlyverisimilar from the perspective of quantum physics.
Seen with this wider view, more than a few scientistshave shown interest and amazement summarizing thisknowledge. I am not myself a scientist and therefore thismethod doesn't own me; I've always been much moreinterested in what I've come to call "the language offacts," rather than the customary scientific consensus.What interests me about the speculations on the humanenergetic egg of the ancients, is precisely the outcome ofinteracting in it. The fact of having given them the chanceto explore their ideas without prejudice or scientificmethodological goggles has allowed me witnessing theconsequences of their positioning, something probablyimpossible if I had spent years of my life trying to maketheir world fit into my preconceptions. If you, dear reader,feel interest in knowing about the spiritual world
(nonmaterial, invisible), you better approach someonewho knows about it with your mind equally naked of thateffort.
Far from me denying here the value of the scientificmethod, but, like other any method, the scientific procedurefragments reality expostulating it to the eyes of the observer.The idea of an absolute and only truth is just that, an idea,and there is a clear difference between simplyunderstanding something and comprehending something.Comprehending is to understand fully. We understand whena light turns on and illuminates what we observe; wecomprehend, when we perceive from all angles andperspectives what we are observing. But I will not get stuckat this point, let everyone do as he or she pleases; when itcomes to position myself on these things I'd rather sharethan convince. My greatest respect for those who choose tosee things from another perspective; I got my own.
I was trying to say is that because of my positioningregarding these studies, I had the chance to understandquite a few things about the organization of the energies inthe human bubble.
First and foremost, attesting its existence, which on theother hand makes a much bigger sense to me than the ideathat what we "are" ends in the physical barrier. As a painter Isoon discovered that the apparent boundary of things is buta mental recreation even in the world of images. Nothing isabsolute; everything decreases and tends to mingle with thesurroundings in a bigger or smaller degree. Today we knowthat whenever we touch anything at the subatomic level, wegenerate a mutual interchange with the subject we aretouching (right now, my keyboard is getting impregnatedwith atoms from my body and so is my body with atomsfrom the keyboard!).
Here are some of the things that I was able to learn andverify:
* Energies associated in tensions tend to consolidate andtherefore to manifest themselves in the world of matter morereadily than the energies without such links that just float inthe most varied environments.
* Our energy bubble continuously interacts with theenvironment and with other bubbles in transactional andinteractional exchanges, transmitting information in adeliberate or directed way (the first step), or perfectly casualand unexpected (a second step).
* Bubble contents are continually changing and the verynature of those energies acts as a magnet attracting similarforces (like attracts like in the same plane).
* Except in the case of an expressly intervention (eitherfrom others, from the environment or from destiny), theenergies inside the bubble tend to saturate themselves fromtheir own nature, and oscillate once they have summonedthe events and forces for which they were acting, or haveconsumed what fed them.
* The energies and their charges determine the attractionof the nature of similar energies that approximate, and, asI've had the chance to check, these will be not only of anenergetic nature, but also consciential, amalgamating
"We live based on selected fictions. Our view of reality is conditioned by ourposition in space and time - not by our personalities, as we like to think.
Thus, every interpretation of reality is based on a unique position. Two stepsto the east or to the west and the whole picture change."
Laurence Durrell
"The first kiss is not given with the mouth,but with the eyes." Tristan Bernard
W
sometimes in groups of forces and acquiring a higher entity that may even actintensively on the physical plane.
* When the environment energy is higher than that of the bubble itself, itsuperimposes the bubble energy, whilst when the bubble energy is higher it willoverlay the environment energy.
* In the world of energies, the usual space-time limits are distorted,being neither distance nor time an obstacle for the proof of realenergetic or consciential exchanges.
* Bubbles are continuously inserted into Universes oftension and energies that finally act summoning eventsrelated to their own nature.
* It is possible to act on these forces to change theircharge and such intervention may even act on the fate ofindividuals or groups.
* The charges and their nature, however much they bechanging, have a predictable way of acting thatresponds to laws; in its more rigid side, they actthrough destiny, while in more malleable aspects, theydo it through what we eat, think and do.
* The energy of thoughts and desires of others, aswell as ours, generate strong forces that come inand out of our bubbles transforming everything evenif we are unaware of it.
* The Universes of tension in each bubble cancollapse when facing overloads creating a situationthat is usually accompanied by innumerable sets ofnegative events.
* Each bubble has its own coordinates which arenaturally predisposed toward specific groups of energiesand activities and toward a way of perfectly predictablebehavior (an apple tree bears apples ...).
* The engine of that bubble is the spirit of each individualor being, and death involves the breaking of that bond.
I could go on listing many more things that the ancients taughtme about the bubbles and the energetic egg, but unfortunatelythe space-time of this editorial is something fixed and limited.
I assume that quite a few will look at my writings inbewilderment wondering perhaps what MMAA have to do withall this. Well... everything and nothing, I'd say; but since MartialArts have been the driveway to my comprehension of thespiritual world, others in the same search path mightappreciate their content. On the other hand, I've been doingthese nonsense editorials for years and while I'm sure that themost faithful readers will not be surprised, I know just as wellthat new readers are constantly arriving. Hence the explanationand notice to mariners.
For me, the spiritual world, the realm of the invisible, is agrandiose dimension, the real border to be crossed and the onlyone that is able to summon what is human in its truedimension. Martial Arts, also a fruit of ancient peoples,sometimes are converted into an unexpected gateway tothat transcendence that every sensitive human being islooking for. I am not the keeper of the gate, but onewho looks in regularly at the other side, and this andnothing else is what I'm pleased to share. So, let itbe read by those who want to read it; no one isforced.
Alfredo Tucci is Managing Director ofBudo INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING CO.E-mail: [email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/alfredo.tucci.5
erhaps there is no morecontroversial topic in the martialarts then Dan Ranking. Somuch so that few if any want toeven talk about it in fear ofbeing ostracized from the
martial arts society.I am not about to try and play God when it
comes to dan ranking as those who know meI am far from a God of anything. But I wouldlike to ask a few questions and then quotefrom an old book my Sensei Richard Kim the20th Century Samurai wrote that I have that.What should a person who is 50 or 60 do
if he is at present a 7th dan and his Senseiof 40 years passes away? Who should hego to for dan ranking for his 8th 9th and 10th dan? Assume he is the senior student ofthe master who just passed away.How do we fix all these 40 year old
renegade 10th dans the Shihan's, GrandPoo Baa's, Great Grandmasters, and thelatest one I have seen the Supreme GreatMaster of Masters, I was almost sick to mystomach or is it possible to fix this situationnow or is it just to late? Whose fault is this?Is it Peter Urban or is it our own egos.What should a person who starts his own
style do? Lets say he is 30 years old andstarts his own Ryu Ha should he star at 10thDan?Here are the guidelines that were set out
in 1971 by FAJKO, which became WUKOand is now known as WKF. These arewritten in the back Page 110 of theWeaponless Warrior written in 1973 bySensei Richard Kim.
Earned Dan Rankings1st Dan - Sho Dan - 3 years of training
minimum - under 35 of age - no formal title. 2nd Dan - Ni Dan - 1 year of training
minimum after sho dan - under 35 of age -no formal title.
3rd Dan - San Dan - 2 years of trainingminimum after ni dan-under 35 of age - noformal title. 4th Dan - Yon Dan - 3 years of training
minimum after san dan -under 35 of age-no formal title. 5th Dan - Go Dan - 4 years of training
minimum after yon dan-under 35 of age -possible Renshi. 6th Dan - Roku Dan - 5 years of training
minimum 35 years or age possible Renshi.Must continue to be active in on a weeklybasis.7th Dan - Shichi Dan - 7 years of training
after 6th dan 42 years of age or overpossible Kyoshi over 10 years after Renshi40 years old or over. 8th Dan - Hachi Dan - over 8 years after
7th Dan - 50 years of age or older. PossibleKyoshi over 10 years after Renshi 40 yearsold or over. 9th Dan - Ku Dan - Minimum 60 years of
age. 9 years after 8th Dan - PossibleHanshi over 15 years after Kyoshi 55 yearsof age or older. 10th Dan - Ju Dan - Minimum 70 years of
age. Over 10 years after 9th Dan - PossibleHanshi over 15 years after Kyoshi 55 yearsof age or older.
Samurai RankingsRenshi- Over 2 years after 5th dan
minimum 35 years of age. Kyoshi- Over 10 years after Renshi 40
years of age minimum. Hanshi- Over 15 years after Kyoshi 55
years of age or over. I look forward to your answers and
thoughts on this very debatable question.
Please write me directly at:[email protected] next month Keep Smiling. DW
P
YU TO MU Seeing beyond Forms
They say: "What would happen to the World if we all likedthe yellow color?!" In other words, you can say it's veryimportant that everyone has a thought, a concept andreasoning about life and its manifestations. Maybe, seenfrom the standpoint of the most preeminent easternscholars, all this would take us also to the concept of Karmaas the dividing line of events.
If so, we could enlighten it with a simple analogy: It's likeif we used the flame of a candle to light another candle andin the process the first candle went out. The flame of thesecond candle has emerged from the first candle, i.e., it hasa connection with the first candle, but the flame of thesecond candle is not identical to the first. Thus, the twoflames have a connection, but are not identical. So are theways of seeing Martial Arts... of life.
A person is a combination of matter and mind. The bodycan be seen as a combination of four components: earth,water, heat and air. The mind is the combination ofsensation, perception, thought and consciousness. Thephysical body - actually, all matter in nature - is in directdependence of the cycle of formation, duration,deterioration and cease.
One day, Emperor Liang went to see Bhodidharma andasked him:
- I've built a number of temples; I have translated manysutras and have helped many monks. What merits have Igained?
- No merit at all! replied Bhodidharma.
We all have different ideas on one same subject and thatis what leads us to the proper measure of understanding,which, indeed, subtracts from us the privilege to believe weare somehow special. Through the path of wisdom we cansay that, undoubtedly, the great work to be performed bythe laws of life in the human evolutionary level is that ofraising the current dominant biotype toward more advancedforms of life, until it is possible for him to understand andpractice ethics in a rational and conscious way. If life beginswith breathing, consciousness begins with reflection.
Especially regarding martialness and martial artists, is butclear that the more primitive the individual is in his reasoningand observations, the more powerful and real the secondform of reflection will be, and the weaker, more unreal andmysterious the first. The more advance the being, the moreillusory the mundane reflection, limited to what we see,look... and the more powerful, real and lively the invisibleabstract life. So, for the primitive man, the end of physicallife is a great loss and so he desperately struggles to stayalive, while the evolved being has the feeling that deathdoes not concern him, because he doesn't quench his stateof awaken consciousness, and therefore he remains alive. Itis the sensation experienced by the great sage... Nothingbeyond himself!
Japanese mythology exposes that sword makers of oldforged their blades to cut spirits and souls. Certainly wecould say that, in this figurative sense, the soul representedone of the places where Dharma originated. The meaning ofthis word, Dharma, which is actually related to an infinitevariety of significances, is often associated with duty,especially in modern Japanese Gendai teachings. Since ourdays as students, Dharma represents the knowledge weacquire in its form of expression. However, we can see that
the concept of duty, as used bymany, is only that which isconnected with an individualcondition, or a particular age orcountry. We cannot attribute tothis definition a concept thatwas originally established assomething eternal; it's the samefor every one in every place. Itexpresses the meaning of theInner Self of the soul. Many ofthe great masters of traditionalschools have written about theterm "SenKon" - the soul of thewar -. In other words, we cansay that Kokoro - heart, in thesense of a feeling (the Japaneseanatomical term for heart isdifferent), is the progenitor ofthis virtue of performing,especially on the battlefield. Thus, it is also stated that thebirthplace of Dharma is the heart. What comes from theheart as a pure idea, when translated into action, is calledDharma, or, for the more scholarly, its literal meaning is"teaching."
The second meaning is generally associated with thedesignation "the way things are". Masters ascribe successin war to the Dharma of knowledge ... The differentiation ofeach way of understanding; we're all loaded with the fulland the empty. Many masters, with whom we have spoken,especially in Europe, have reached the same conclusions asus; unfortunately, the more recent writings do not helpclarify the lost meaning of the word Dharma, mainly inregard to the practice of war. They tend to not present auniform meaning for the word. Nor they help finding
practical ways of how torealize the Dharma. In wars,both internal and external, theattitudes assumed by theindividual in front of difficultiesvary for each person. Butsuffering from pain producesan effect more or less commonto everyone, which leaves theindividual exposed revealinghis or her true nature. What isthe size of your Dharma? It isrecognized for its reactiontype, because it appears infront of the deeper realities oflife, such as pain and deathwhere the being cannot lie anylonger. We all return to theoriginal ... to simplicity!
Lao Tzu says: "The eternal virtue never leaves you and,therefore, you will never be abandoned by the forces rootedin your own self; the naiveté of the child returns. He, whoknows his own light but keeps his darkness, is the model ofthe empire. Being the model of the empire, the eternal virtueno longer hesitates and so it becomes unlimited. Manpenetrated of light prefers staying in the dark because hehas his own light. He who knows the glory and remains inthe opprobrium becomes a protector of the world. Being aprotector of the world, the eternal virtue springs up in himand the original simplicity reaches him. It was suchsimplicity that made all things. It's like a whole rock fromwhich various forms of stone vessels arise. The sage doesnot do anything without simplicity; he leads with nobility andcauses no harm to anybody. This is the rule of the "return tooriginal simplicity."
“Seen in terms ofcontemporary Martial Arts,
so as to have somethingtangible, we'll find bignames that have been
admired, hated, mistreated by life,
by colleagues...”
History has proven thatman has great difficultiesadmiring others, perhapsout of fear, suspicion, envy...If we look at it in terms ofcontemporary Martial Artsso as to have somethingtangible, we'l l f ind bignames that have beenadmired, hated, mistreatedby life, by their colleagues ...What is interesting is that allof them, at bottom, wereadmired by their critics andattackers. We have seen thishappening to Funakoshi,Takeda, Kano, Ueshiba,Bruce Lee, Steven Seagal and many others. Why do we feelthe need of admiring internally and hating externally?
We find that same attitude in the school youthful loves, inwhich when a boy or a girl likes someone and doesn't wantto reveal his or her secret, simply begins to treat badly thebeing he or she loves. Most scholars believe that even beingadults, we still carry inside a lot of that childish absurdity,not to call it childish evilness.
Adolescence is a period of global and profound internaland external organic changes, both at physical and mentallevel. For the martial artist is the stage of physicaldevelopment: strength, endurance, speed ... It is also thefavored age for the onset of most of the emotionaldisorders. Some say it's the age of "boredom".
The true martial way, the one in which you really have toexert yourself, is usually a path of endeavor and resignation;
is but natural that dreams,concerns and whishes arise...However, as the boy grows older,he is visited by frustration, whichshould also be seen as normal.Anyway, not everyone can get ridof this frustration, becoming bitterand immature people.
Justifying human behavior asbeing a result of this or that cause,has been a tireless exercise overtime and through many branchesof knowledge. For masters,everything is part of each one: wescarcely offer what we have. Inshort, it seems that the only one
that is completely innocent and free of any responsibility forthe human act is the very person. Human volition, the will,that particularity completely sovereign of our characterseems to be completely unknown.
It is strange to see professional people lendingthemselves to speak ill of fellows and inducing others toconvey false information and accusations ... And after all, forhuman behavior this is also normal. Admiration is the hiddenface of the aggressor. At this point we prefer the maxim ofJean Paul Sartre: "I am not responsible for what others havemade of me, but I am responsible for what I do with whatothers made of me."
It is common that as years go by, we understand that ourthoughts are no longer the same and that our truths havebeen slowly changing. And there is no reason to beashamed of that! A few days ago, a friend told us that nowhe felt ashamed of admiring a musician artist: his "radical
"Sword makers of oldforged their blades to cut
spirits and souls. We could say that,
in this figurative sense,the soul represented one
of the places whereDharma originated."
Philosophy
"For the primitive man, the end of physical life is a great loss so he
desperately struggles to stay alive, while the evolved being has the feeling that
death does not concern him, because he doesn't quench his state
of awaken consciousness, and therefore he remains alive."
metal" past had evolved allowing him admire other aspectsof the guitar to which he had so much dedicated throughouthis life. He was delighted with Jazz and its performers; timewalks and, in one way or another, even involuntarily, we tryto walk with it: it's the natural process of maturity! Today wehate something, tomorrow we admire it! The same goes forother subjects; we come to discover that there are countlessthings, innumerable universes beyond our comprehension.
This great fr iend now understands that when thephenomenon of releasing from the past occurs, there is adeep alteration in the words and in the sense of seeing life;the time preceding such discovery is an age of revolutionand storm; then there's a desire in everyone to knoweverything by oneself; and, as we didn't have that desirebefore, we remain in the world of limitations. We believethere is only one truth; only one way can be the right one!
So when they ask me about the process ofconsciousness, of liberation, I say: first we have to freeourselves from the incrustations of centuries, we must getrid of all ideals and ideologies... Looking toward the insideand therefore toward the outside. Dividing whatever thinginto what it is and what it should be is the most illusory wayto deal with life.
The Wooden Bowl (Anonymous)
An old man went to live with his son, his daughter in lawand his l itt le grandson of four years of age. Thegrandfather's hands were already trembling, his eyes weretired and his steps were faltering.
When the family gathered around the table for dinner, hisunsteady hands and his poor sight were an inconveniencefor the grandfather to eat: peas ended up rolling out on thefloor, the glass of milk spilled on the tablecloth... The sonand his wife were exasperated...
- "We have to do something about Dad" said the son.- We've had enough spilled milk, noises from eating with
the mouth open and food on the floor."Then they decided to put a small table in a corner of the
kitchen, where the grandfather ate alone while the rest ofthe family ate quietly at the table.
Since the old man had broken a dish or two, his food wasserved him in a wooden bowl. Sitting there alone, now andthen tears peeked in Grandpa's eyes.
Still, the only words addressed to him were harshreprimands every time he dropped the silverware or thefood. The four year old boy watched it all in silence. Oneevening, before dinner, the father noticed that the boy,sitting on the floor, had some small blocks of wood in hishands. He asked the child:
"- What are you doing?" The boy replied sweetly: "- Nothing, I'm just doing a bowl so that you and mom
can eat when I grow up" - and the boy returned to his work. The boy's answer had such a big impact on his parents
that they couldn't speak a single word. Then tears began toroll down their cheeks... Although no one said anything, theyboth knew what they had to do. That night, the father tookthe grandfather back to the family table and thereafter, untilthe end of his days, he always ate with the family. It didn'tmatter if a fork was dropped, the milk was spilled or thetablecloth got soiled...
Philosophy
“Looking toward the insideand therefore toward theoutside. Dividing whateverthing into what it is andwhat it should be is the
most illusory way to deal with life.”
Major Avi Nardia is one of the leading head officialinstructors for the Israelite army and police in anti
terrorism and CQB, he along with BenKrajmalnik have made a new basic
dvd in the field of firearms andsafety, training techniques in
IPSC. Instinctive Shooting inCombat. Combat Instinctive
Point Shooting - IPSC is ashooting method basedon instinctive reactionsand kinematics to shootshort distances fast andin dynamic situations. Aself defense disciplinein order to survive in lifet h r e a t e n i n gsituatuations , where
you need a very fast andaccurate shooting
abilities, when you musttake the gun out as soon as
possible and shoot at a shortdistance without using the sight.
In this first volume you will studyhow to handle the weapon ( revolver
and semi -automatic ) dry firing practice andsecurity, "Point Shooting" or instinctive shooting , at aclose range and a series of movements and exercisesfor weapon retention , low stress and multiple attackers ;exercises on how to recharge with one hand, ... andfinally practice shooting gallery with guns such as AK- 74, M -4 , M -249 machine gun and even M -16grenade launchers .
REF.: • KAPAP7REF.: • KAPAP7
All DVDs, wichi is produced by BudoInternational, si provided and alone in theformats DVD-5 or MPEG-2, in VCD, DivXor the like is however neves offered with aspecial holograma sticker. Besides ourDVD is characteristed coverings by the higquality in pressure and material. If thisDVD and/or the DVD covering do notcorespond to the requirements specifiedabove, it concerns illegal pirat copy.
Budo international. netORDERS:
Eskrima meeting Wing Chun
During my travels I meet many people fromdifferent cultures. That 's the beauty of my work,to meet people who have the same passion as Ihave, martial arts. Recently the Greek Wing ChunMaster Chris Vafiades invited me to give Eskrimaand knife fighting training. He is a Wing ChunMaster who takes a great interest in Eskrima aswell. These courses normally last for five daysand the workouts are five hours a day. Mostparticipants are Wing Chun teachers or have atleast several years of experience. Chris himself isa well-known Wing Chun teacher in Greece.Though he is not internationally known, theremight be a chance that this will change quickly.Chris's Wing Chun is highly effective and of greatquality, and his theoretical knowledge of WingChun is quite impressive. I am sure, we will hearmore from this master in the future, becausequality will always prevail.
Wing Chun
I started Wing Chun when I was 16years old. My Wing Chun trainingbegan under Henk Roelofsen, one ofthe first students of Wang Kiu in theNetherlands. Later, I was a privatestudent of Grandmaster Wang Kiuhimself. Wang Kiu was for many yearsa disciple of YIP MAN himself. I have15 years of Wing Chun training andreally thought I belonged at the top ofthe Wing Chun students but when I metmy first Eskrima teacher Bill Newman Istarted to change towards Eskrima. Itfitted better with my way of thinkingand my attitude. I slowly began tomove to Eskrima abandoning WingChun, until finally I was completelyfocused on Eskrima. But still I'm a bigfan of Wing Chun and Philipp Bayer,whom I hold in high regard.
Eskrima and Wing ChunFilipino Eskrima and Wing Chun
Kung Fu, a Chinese style, share manysimilarities, but differences as well.First I will start with the differences.The way you take your standingposition, or your fighting stance isvery different. In Wing Chun you leanfor approximately 80% on your backleg. While in Eskrima your balance isfocused on your front leg (in a normaland basic fighting stance). In WingChun we keep the upper bodystraight and in Eskrima the upperbody is in motion. The focus onweaponstraining in Eskrima explainsthis difference. In Eskrima we start totrain with weapons and unarmedcombat starts later when you havemastered the principles of Eskrima. InWing Chun it is the other way around.
Eskrima Wing ChunsimilaritiesWing Chun belongs to the best
practical martial arts ever developed.This also applies to Eskrima. Eskrimais developed on the battlefield andtested in real combat at the cost ofmany lives and a great deal of blood.Therefore it is unfortunate thatEskrima is not always taken seriouslyby some people. They practice the artonly as second of even a third stylebesides their main Martial Art, like aside dish in a restaurant. In Wing
Chun the principle of forward energyis very important. When there is nocontact with the opponent and thehand is free, you have to attack. In myEskrima this principle is also key.Forward energy is a key principle. It isl ike sending your inner energyforward. The intention with which youmight attack is always pointedtowards your opponent. This innerenergy fires up your attack. Evenwhen you don't attack, you hold theinitiative. Your opponent must not begiven any chance to attack. Attack isthe best defense as they say. Andwhen he does attack, your defense isat the same time your attack. Forwardenergy is very direct and requires a lotof focus. But when well understoodand well-practiced, it becomessecond nature. For me this is a normalway of thinking. My father was alwaystelling me (when I was still very young)always to attack first. Because onlytwo things can happen, the opponenteither makes a run for it or hits youback. I always l iked the secondoutcome. Much more fun.
BlindsideBlindside is an important aspect of
Wing Chun, especially in the style ofWilliam Chung this is an importantprinciple. Evade the attack, bystepping out of the line of attack andcounterattack via the open line. Thisimportant principle in Wing Chunholds the idea that force cannot beanswered with force. And rememberWing Chun was - according to legend- developed by a woman. In Eskrimathis principle is called 'blind spot' andis practiced with sword and dagger orwith stick and knife (Espada y daga),
and also in pangamot and knife fight, Iuse this concept. I can say this is oneof the reasons that makes myknifefighting system different fromother systems. I use the concept of'blind spot' to use a knife moreeffective. For the opponent aknifeattack based on these principlesis hard to block. Actually it is quitesimple because what you cannot see,you cannot block nor counter.'Blindside' and 'blind spot' are key-principles for effective and hardattacks, unarmed or armed, it doesnot make a difference.
Created for the streetEskrima and Wing Chun are ideal
for self-defense. With short, quick andsimple techniques, they are effectivemartial arts, created for the street andhand to hand combat. On the streetthere are no rules or referees. Onlyone rule exists: beat your opponent orperish, there are no other options.
Weapons Wing ChunIn Wing Chun one also get to use
weapons like Baht Cham Dao alsoknown as butterfly knives or the LokDim Boon Kwan (long stick) is used.These weapons are more traditionalweapons with a long history. They arenot weapons that are commonly usedin the street, or are to be found on thestreet. Nevertheless also weaponstraining is an important part of theWing Chun and students love to trainwith them. Once you start withweapons training in Wing Chun youare already an advanced student inWing Chun.
Combination of both stylesEskrima and Wing Chun are like
brother and sister. As they fit perfectlytogether, which is of course one of thereason that many Wing Chun studentsalso practice Eskrima (and the otherway around). It is almost a natural fit.Both styles are proven concepts andsuitable for effective self-defense. Forme, self-defense means attacking andstrike first. I hold a broad interpretationof the word 'defense'. In Wing Chun youhave the so called chain punch: youstay in a straight line and trying to make
“Filipino Eskrimaand Wing Chun
Kung Fu, aChinese style,share many
similarities, butdifferences as
well”
the line between you and your opponent as small aspossible. In Eskrima I actually do the same, armed orunarmed, I call that a 'winning mood', hit and keep hitting.Wing chun and Eskrima have much in common but alsomany contradictions. That makes it so interesting; whatisn't right in Eskrima is good in Wing Chun, and what isnot right in Wing Chun is better in Eskrima they combinewell together, they are like ying and yang.
Wing Chun and Eskrima in moviesMore and more you see these martial arts in the
movies. Eskrima and Wing Chun guarantee realisticand spectacular action (the IP MAN movies are great).The good thing here is of course that these dynamicmartial arts are going to be more famous and known bythe public.Wing Chun and Eskrima form a perfect match, both
have an ancient history, one style comes from Chinaand the other from the Philippines. Both have beendeveloped in order take out the opponent as quickly aspossible, both are easy to learn as long as you have agood and skilled teacher who can train you in a waythat you can actually apply the principles.Unfortunately there are many bad teachers. ForEskrima one must have certain qualities to become agood teacher. Of course skill is important, but theabil ity to teach and make your students growphysically , spiritually and mentally are maybe moreimportant in becoming a good teacher (that is: goodskills are not enough). Because today you often seestudents being good in drills, but remember you do notwant to be world champion in drills you want to be agood Eskrimador or Wing Chun man.Want to know more about Wing Chun then I can
recommend Chris Vafiades www.vafiadiswingchun.com, you will not regret it. For Eskrima , knife fighting andPangamot , you can always come to me, do nothesitate and keep on hitting the sticks!. Welcome to myworld, the world of Eskrima. For my upcomingseminars , instructor courses , camps and more youcan visit my website www.scseskrima.com andwww.knifefightsystem.com
“Eskrima and Wing Chunare like brother andsister. As they fit
perfectly together, whichis of course one of thereason that many Wing
Chun students alsopractice Eskrima (and the
other way around).”
Experts
“He resides in Kyoto,and trains in classical
and modern martial artsevery day, living in
accordance with the idealof “bunbu-ryodo”
ALEX BENNETTAlex Bennett was born in 1970 in
Christchurch, New Zealand. Studying theJapanese language from the age of 13, Alexsoon developed an intense fascination withJapanese culture leading to a one-year stintin Japan on a high school exchangeprogram. It was at his host high school in Chiba
where he was introduced to the martial artof kendo. Attracted at first by somethingreminiscent of a battle out of Star Wars, hejoined the school club with little inkling ofhow his life was going to change forever. Although the rigorous daily training regime
was physically exhausting, and oftenfrightening in its intensity, Alex began todiscover the philosophical aspects of themartial arts to be profoundly deep, timeless,and borderless. It was the start of a“spiritual journey” that has no end in sight.Intrigued by the history and culture of thesamurai, he received his Doctoral degreefrom Kyoto University in 2001 with a thesisin Japanese on the socio-historicalsignificance of bushido. He obtained another Ph.D. from the
University of Canterbury in 2012 regardingthe cultural politics and history of kendo.After working at the International ResearchCenter for Japanese Studies in Kyoto, thenat Teikyo University in the Department ofJapanese Culture, and is currently
employed as an Associate Professorat Kansai University's Division
of International Affairs where he instructsthe martial arts and Japanese history. Alexalso serves as the Vice President of theInternational Naginata Federation,International Committee member in the AllJapan Kendo Federation, Director of theJapanese Academy of Budo, and alsorepresents NZ Kendo as the Head Coach, isco-founder and Editor-in-Chief of KendoWorld, the world's only English languagejournal dedicated to kendo, and holds thegrades of kendo Kyoshi 7-dan, iaido 5-dan,naginata 5-dan. He has competedsuccessfully in international competition innaginata and kendo, taking second place inthe World Naginata Championships in July,2011, and led the New Zealand KendoTeam to a spot among the best 8 in theworld in 2012. Bennett is also a prolificwriter in both Japanese and English onvarious aspects of Japanese history andculture. He resides in Kyoto, and trains inclassical and modern martial arts every day,l iving in accordance with the ideal of“bunbu-ryodo” - a balance of the scholarlyand martial ways.
HagakureI have spent the last 5 years of my life
working on a translation of the classicbushido treatise Hagakure, and it will bepublished by Tuttle on May 27, 2014.There are a few translations alreadyout there, but my one is different fromthe others for the following reasons:1. It is the first complete
translation of the two most importantbooks containing the dictations ofYamamoto Tsunetomo.2. The introduction fully contextualizes
the text, and makes it moreunderstandable to modern readers.3. The book contains many footnotes
which give the reader the backgroundknowledge needed to make sense of thenarratives.4. Explanations of vague terms or
concepts.5. Although modern renditions of
Hagakure (both in English and Japanese)sometimes tend to be ambiguous, or missthe finer nuances, this translation isaccurate and reliable.
6. The translation is based on what is considered to bethe closest text to the original (which no longer exists), andnot from a modern Japanese interpretation.7. The translator is a highly experienced martial arts
practitioner with a deep understanding of the samuraiculture and mind-set.
8. The translator is a recognizedauthority on the subject in Japan, andhas published extensively on bushidoand budo in Japanese.
Alexander Bennett Ph.D.Associate ProfessorDivision of International
Affairs, Kansai University(+81)-080-3859-0272
Experts
The DVD "Krav Maga Research and
Development" comes from the will of four
experts in Krav Maga and combat sports,
Christian Wilmouth and Faustino Hernandez,
Dan Zahdour and Jerome Lidoyne. To date, they
lead several clubs and a group of twenty
instructors and monitors from multiple
disciplines, from Krav Maga or
Boxing to the MMA, Mixed
Martial Arts. This work is not
intended to highlight a new
method or a specific
branch of Krav Maga, it
simply aims to present a
Krav Maga program that
focuses on the
importance of the
"content" and share their
experiences.
REF.: ¥ KMRED1REF.: ¥ KMRED1
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or the like is however neves offered with a
special holograma sticker. Besides our
DVD is characteristed coverings by the hig
quality in pressure and material. If this
DVD and/or the DVD covering do not
corespond to the requirements specified
above, it concerns illegal pirat copy.
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In my last article I stressed the importance of why in the Combat Hapkido “GroundSurvival” component we don't like to stay fight on the ground. We honestly andstrongly emphasized that “The Ground is Not Your Friend”, unlike what manygrappling systems would have you believe.
Don't Grapple… Survive!In a stand-up confrontation you
have much more mobility and manymore options: you can use barriers,jump, duck, parry, and even run ifneed be, but on the ground it is awhole different world. You have todeal with someone who is trying tohurt you while you are in a veryvulnerable, uncomfortable, restrictingposition. You probably have alreadylost the option of defusing thesituation by talking or simply removingyourself from that location by fleeing.
Now you have a violent attacker whohas trapped you on the ground,pinned underneath his body and thatcan be a nightmare for anyone!However imagine how much worsethat must be for a smaller person(such a petite female) pinned on theground under someone of much largersize. Now add the fact that you maybe dealing with more than oneattacker and you can begin toappreciate how the average personcan pretty much count on ending upin the hospital or in the morgue!
In this issue, I want you to consideranother aspect of ground fighting thatis almost never covered in most “sport-based” grappling arts: “Ground Survivalagainst Edged Weapons”. Years ago,when Grandmaster Pellegrini and Iwere creating the Combat Hapkido“Ground Survival” program, we realizedthat this area needed to be covereddue to the overwhelming number ofattacks ending up on the ground withthe assailant using an edged weaponor sharp object. In fact statistics showthat most women faced with a rape
scenario are confronted with an attacker armed with an edged weapon (or similarsharp object) used to threaten them into keeping quiet, getting on the ground andcomplying. Another example is an interesting one that I had the opportunity to learnfrom and translate into the development of my teaching material.
While I was in the Air Force, stationed in Puerto Rico, I was able to work part timeteaching Defensive Tactics to military personnel and security officers. In fact I hadthe opportunity to train over 1,200 Detention Officers from various JuvenileCorrections institutions throughout the island during my 4-years tour. At thoseinstitutions I visited and taught there was usually between 12 to 15 juvenile inmates
per "pod " and they all used one communalbathroom. One of the major concerns that I was made
aware of by the officers, was the situation whenthe inmates would flood the bathroom floorswith soapy water, create a disturbance, and,when the Special Reaction Team stormed thebathroom, the officers would slip and fallending up on the ground and one or moreinmate, armed with “shanks", would attackthem! You can see that this is not a positionanybody would want to be in, but it is part oftheir duty to deal with these dangeroussituations. As a Defensive Tactics Instructor, to
Self-defense
“In a stand-upconfrontation you havemuch more mobility andmany more options”
learn of that unusual scenario, was a strong motivation toresearch the best, most realistic techniques and tostructure a Ground Survival program specifically designedto address armed attacks. We have since then also addedthis important component to our International PoliceDefensive Tactics Institute (IPDTI) courseas “Officer Ground Survival”.When Grandmaster Pellegrini and I
were hired, in May of 2007, to teach acourse in “Military
Combatives”at the US
Naval IntelligenceOffice in Alexandria,
Virginia, our studentswere an interesting group
composed of personnel fromdifferent branches (Navy Seals,
CIA, etc..) who were being deployed toAfghanistan and Iraq as Interrogators ofsuspected terrorist prisoners. It wasexplained to us that the reason this special
training was required was the fact that the Interrogators wouldbe unarmed while in the room with the prisoners and therehad already been incidents when the prisoner had managedto attack the interrogator. Some had been injured before thesecurity team was able to enter the room and subdue theprisoner. One of the scenarios that we pointed out to themwas that luckily the attackers weren't skilled enough to takethe pen away from the interrogator and stab him with it! As you can see, just from the few different scenarios that
I have presented here, investing time in training on GroundSurvival against Edged Weapons should be a part of youroverall strategy if you are serious about self-defense! Aspart of my “reality” based classes in Ground Survival, Iintroduce a “training” edged weapon to the scenarioswhile the participants are practicing their techniques sothat they don't get surprised if it happens in real life, andcan prepare for the possibility of encountering andsurviving an edged weapon attack on the ground. Edged weapons are not going away any time soon! As a
matter of fact they've been used since man first used themin battle/hunting, and they will continue to be used moreand more by criminals because they are easy to acquire,easy to make, available just about everywhere (pen, fork,steak knife, screwdriver, etc.) and don't require any specialpermit to purchase. So it only makes sense to learn howto defend oneself against them in all facets of self-defense(i.e. standup fighting and on the ground).As with all of our Combat Hapkido training, all of the
techniques of this program were selected for being the mosteffective, easy to learn and retain. We continue to receivepositive feedback from all civilians, law enforcement, andmilitary personnel who have studied it. We hope that thisarticle will inspire you to research, learn, and attend our
seminars that are taught worldwide. Visit our websitefor more information: www.dsihq.com
Self-defense
"Vital spot in Taekwon-Do is defined as any sensitive or breakable
area on the body vulnerable to an attack. It is essential that the
student of Taekwon-Do has a knowledge of the different spots so
that he can use the proper attacking or blocking tool. Indiscriminate
attack is to be condemned as it is inefficient and wasteful of
energy". - General Choi Hong Hi (___), ENCYCLOPEDIA
OF TAEKWON-DO, Volume II, page 88. Taekwon-Do
is one of the largest and most professional martial
arts in the world today, (founded on April 11,
1955, by General Choi Hong Hi (___)), and
continues to flourish even after the passing
of its founder in June of 2002. Over time
the sporting factors took precedence and
much was either ignored or discarded in
the area of the original self-protection
methods. In the original writings of
General Choi much of the focus,
structure and even the use of the vital
points "Kupso" (__ or Kyusho), as well
as the weapon development to access
them, was outlined but never fully
taught. Kyusho International has
developed a program to enlighten,
educate, integrate and develop this
incredible Martial Art back to it's founders
concepts. This new program has the full
support of the founders surviving son Choi
Jung Hwa. The focus of this series is to
investigate the Patterns (teul), which are performed in
accordance with the founders precepts in "The
Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do" (an astounding 15 volumes written
by General Choi Hong Hi, including his "Vital Spots"). It is through
this structure that Kyusho will be initially integrated back into
Taekwon-Do. Kyusho International is proud to assist in this
monumental and historic
collaborative undertaking.
REF.: ¥ KYUSHO20 REF.: ¥ KYUSHO20
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or the like is however neves offered with a
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DVD is characteristed coverings by the hig
quality in pressure and material. If this
DVD and/or the DVD covering do not
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“Best Karate Kumite”. George Bierman Generallyspeaking, if you ask someone, “why are you inMartial Arts”, they will tell you it's because they wantto learn how to fight. You usually never hear themsay that they wanted to learn kata, weapons orwazas. I guess all of us have a little of that “I want to
be a tough guy” or you could be motivatedby a real need to protect yourself.
Whatever the reason, in this DVD Idiscuss Basic and Advanced
kumite techniques andconcepts that all of us should
know, whether you are anadvanced student or justbeginning, and somethings that have workedfor me over and over.Some can be used onthe street but I'm mainlyfocusing on tournamenttechniques. I can tell youover and over to keepyour hands up to protect
your face. Some of youmay do it and some may
not. Once you get hit in theface several times by not
doing it, you will. I began myMartial Arts training in 1973 and
this is a collection of proventechniques and strategies that have
worked well for me in competition to present day.I have combined strategies, footwork, techniquesand combinations that lead me to well over 2000tournament wins and a World Champion fighter inSt. Petersburg, Russia. They work!
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH, ESPAÑOL, ITALIANO, FRANÇAIS
REF.: • BIERMAN3REF.: • BIERMAN3
All DVDs, wichi is produced by BudoInternational, si provided and alone in theformats DVD-5 or MPEG-2, in VCD, DivXor the like is however neves offered with aspecial holograma sticker. Besides ourDVD is characteristed coverings by the higquality in pressure and material. If thisDVD and/or the DVD covering do notcorespond to the requirements specifiedabove, it concerns illegal pirat copy.
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Text: Peter Weckauf, Irmi Hanzal, (M.A.),&Thomas SchimmerlPhotos: Mike Lehner
Tactical Combat Systems (TCS) is my own way of looking at the martial arts andclose combat. TCS is, first and foremost, based on concepts and principles andcontains ideas for self-defense with everyday objects (SDS Concept), knife fighting(Knife Fighting Concept), stick fight (Stick Fighting Concept), defense againstfirearms (Firearm Concept), use of axes (Axe and Tomahawk Fighting Concept) andfor empty hand fighting. In this month's issue I will deal with self-defense againstthreats with weapons.
“In any case, oneshould weigh the
risk of losing his lifeagainst the loss ofmoney or things”
Self-defense
TACTICAL COMBATSYSTEMS (TCS)
Threats with knives orhandguns
Due to the danger which particularweapons pose, self-defense againstweapons is an extremely sensitiveissue. An aggressor who uses aweapon to threaten someone, wantsto massively intimidate his victimrather than kill him. It is still quiteimportant to look at the complexity ofthe situation and not to just casuallypractice some techniques.Inappropriate, premature or
exaggerated behavior may not onlyendanger our own health and safety,but also those of innocent bystanders.In any case, one should weigh the riskof losing his life against the loss ofmoney or things. Should you decideto defend yourself, make sure toconduct a "situation analysis" to beclear about what is needed for asuccessful defensive action.
Situation analysisIn a TCS framework, situation
analysis is defined as recognizing andanalyzing a potential ly harmfulsituation within a certain timeframe
and its solution. Understanding thethreat (Where? Who? How?) is acrucial first step. Only then can thesituation be assessed and appropriateaction can be launched.
Let me set up a short l ist ofparameters for situation assessment.You wil l then understand thecomplexity of the problem. You willalso understand that there is almostno way to defend yourself withouttraining and practice.
1. Analyzing the attacker - is heconfident or shy, aggressive or not, ishe under the influence of alcohol orother drugs, is he mentally unable tounderstand what's going on.
2. Analyzing the weapon -what kindof weapon are you confronted with(knife, firearm).
3. Position of the weapon -understand where the weapon is,where it is directed, position of theblade, is the weapon in motion or not.
4. Details of the weapon - forfirearms: is the trigger locked, doesthe attacker touch the trigger or doeshe protect his weapon? For edgedweapons: is the weapon single edgedor double edged?
5. Number of attackers - how manyattackers are involved (armed andunarmed)?
6. Danger for bystanders - are otherpeople in danger due to the threat orthe defense (deflection of bullets)?
7. Distance - to the aggressor8. Location - are escape routes
available, spatial constraints andcircumstances…
9. Position - am I seated, am I onthe ground or in motion? Are thereany spatial constraints for optimaldefense?
10. Technique - which technique isappropriate for my defense?
11. Tools - are potential tools(weapon-like objects, everydayobjects) available and useful?
The 9 columns of defense against weapons
Correct distanceAs a rule of thumb, the correct
distance is within arm's reach to theweapon. Longer distance makeseffective self-defense virtuallyimpossible, especially with firearmsinvolved.
Hand positionQuick access to the hand carrying
the weapon or to the weapon itself isthe basis for defense. Positioningyour own hands as close to the gun
“An aggressor who uses a weapon tothreaten someone, wants to massively
intimidate his victim rather than kill him”
as possible would be ideal. (Handsup!)
Element of surpriseChoosing the right time to approach
the opponent is crucial for successfuldefense. If possible, wait until theaggressor is distracted.
Deflecting the weaponWhen you access the hand carrying
the weapon, or the weapon itself,make sure to point the gun away fromyour body (firearms). Also make surethat no bystanders are in danger.
Controlling the gun or the handcarrying the gun
Once you have gained control ofthe weapon or the hand carrying it,don't change grips or perform othermaneuvers, as this might cause youto loose control
To beat or not to beatThere may be situations when it's
better to attack the aggressor
immediately, if this improves your ownsituation. Still proactive attacks maybe made impossible by your relativeposition to the opponent or when yourposition might be worse than before.
DisarmingAppropriate disarming is the only
way to gain control. In TCS we use anumber of disarming concepts (giveback, stripping, locks, take out,bodydisarming, attack the arm),depending on a given situation.
Controlling the weaponDisarming the opponent must be
followed by appropriate control of anddistance to the aggressor, so that hecan no longer use the weapon, or forthe weapon to be used against theaggressor.
Situation controlSituation control is defined as
making sure that the aggressor nolonger poses a direct threat. This can
be achieved by controll ing theaggressor, using the weapon, orhitting the aggressor.
TCS training methodsIn TCS we use many different
training methods. These methods, aswell as concepts and principles,
constitute TCS. Basically, we usetechnical holistic and partial methods,as well as inductive and deductiveprocedures.
This means that we practice wholesequences of moves as well asisolated parts of the sequences (e.g.disarming), but also certaintechniques which can be applied tovarious concepts.
Another very important buildingblock of TCS training methods isattribute training. Individual attributes,like reaction, speed, timing, agility…are practiced, as well as moreattributes combined with specificforms from the system or othersystems, respectively, in order to
improve the application. An examplewould be: quick access to the weaponor correct timing for disarming whenyou practice to defend yourselfagainst a threat with a firearm.
Tactical Combat System
TCS - T is for TacticalAll TCS Systems contain comprehensive tactical training in addition to the
technical training. Tactics will teach you when, where and how to use defensivetechniques, how to behave when you are faced with more than one opponents,different ways of handling a weapon and using it to attack, using and includingthe environment, teamwork and many more.
Self-defense
TCS - C is for CombatBecause self-protection and self-
defense are the most importantelements. Techniques and methodsfrom martial arts and combat sportsare used to improve techniques,nonetheless.
TCS - S is for SystemsBecause TCS contains various
systems, each of which can be taught
individually or in combination withother TCS systems. We teach self-defense with everyday objects, knifefighting and defense against knifeattacks, axe and tomahawk, firearms,stick fight, tonfa and empty handfighting.
For further information aboutseminars and instructors' courses goto www.knifefighting-concept.com
“Situation control is defined as making sure thatthe aggressor no longer poses a direct threat.
This can be achieved by controlling the aggressor,using the weapon, or hitting the aggressor”
GOJU RYU KARATE DO KYOHAN BY GOGEN YAMAGUCHI
Gogen Yamaguchi was born on January 20, 1909. He was a world-renownedGrandmaster of Japanese Karate-do and the founder of the International Karate-do GojuKai Association. He became well known, world wide by both his given name and hisnick name of ‘The Cat.’ Prior to his death was honored by the Emperor of Japan withthe Ranju-Hosho, which is the Blue Ribbon Medal of the fifth order of merit. Yamaguchireceived it for his enormous contribution to the world wide spread of the JapaneseMartial Arts. Yamaguchi’s name was a household word in Karate circles, and heappeared in all the major Martial Arts magazines and publications, both in Japan and inthe western world.
Yamaguchi was a very small man, just over five feet and a mere 160 pounds, however,he projected the impression of great bulk and an aura reminiscent of the samurai era. Hewas first referred to as ‘The Cat' by American GI’s for his gliding walk and flowing hair,while he was their karate teacher.
By 1966, Yamaguchi’s organization was comprised of more than 1,200 dojos andclubs and 600,000 members within the Goju-kai system. By then Peter Urban hadopened his New York Dojo and had initiated the spread of the style throughout the USA.In Australia, Paul Starling had been training for four years with Yamaguchi’s firstAustralian student Mervyn Oakley.
GOJU RYU KARATE DO KYOHAN by Gogen Yamaguchi was translated from theJapanese version by Masters Publication in
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: Its way toGermany and Europe
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: Its way to Germany and Europe„I am a shark. The ground is my ocean and most
people can�t even swim.“(Rickson Gracie)
My experience with that shark called Rickson Gracie inhis ocean brought me once more to become a student,albeit I already had achieved mastership in Weng ChunKung Fu. I was Rickson�s student and representativebetween 1994 and 2000, and since then pass that artdown to my students as part of my Tiger Team BrazilianJiu Jitsu curriculum. The private lessons in his legendarygarage in L. A.�s beautyful neighborhood of PacificPalisades used to start with a specific series of warm-upexercises, consisting of BJJ, Yoga and breathingtechniques, and followed by Rickson�s stand-up partner
drills. He has developed a sophisticated bottom-uptraining program, combining the stand-up self defensedrills of his father Helio Gracie with balance exercises,and comprising defenses against throwing, punching,choking and grappling techniques by utilizing leverageforces. That way it�s possible to successfully defendoneself against stronger and faster opponents.Rickson teaches stand-up techniques for distancecontrol to bridge the gap and subsequently toforce the opponent swiftly into ground fighting.The main goal is to control the opponent froma dominating top position such as thenowadays commonly known “Mount”position, where one sits on top of theopponent, keeping him down and forcinghim to surrender by means of punches, jointlocks, and choking techniques, or better yetto trick him into turning over onto his belly,where it�s even easier to control him using theinfamous “Mata Leon” (“l ion-kil l ing”)
Text: Andreas Hoffmann, Christoph Fuß, Photos: Gabriela Hoffmann
chokehold. Each training session with Rickson Graciewas then completed by sparring on the floor, rollingwith him. It really is very inspiring how easily hewould use the basics of BJJ, forcing his opponentto tap out. Beside Rickson I was also instructed byhis brother Royler Gracie and his Hawaiianblackbelt student Romolo Barros. Back thenRickson was also preparing himself for thefreefight championships in Japan, and it has beenan honor for me to assist him during his training. But I also wanted to offer the opportunity for
my students and friends in Germany and Europeto learn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Therefore I decided togive lessons, and furthermore to bring RicksonGracie to Germany. The time had come in 1995when in collaboration with Guy Miallot (France) wearranged a visit of Rickson and his wife at the time,Kim Gracie, to France and Germany. In France around300 participants attended the seminar, during whichRickson also took up ground fight challenges. During thisoccasion Rickson in no time tied around 80 persons up in knots,in both senses of the word ,whoever fancied a round with him,amongst them masters and champions of Judo, Sambo, wrestling etc.After that, Rickson held an intensive seminar specifically for us teachers.Subsequently Rickson and Kim Gracie flew to Germany with me, wherealready 40 people, almost all of them students of mine were waiting foranother seminar. Back then we did not yet have the same level of mediasupport in Germany as in France, and most people never heard of BJJ.
“My experience withthat shark called
Rickson Gracie in hisocean brought me
once more tobecome a student,
albeit I already had
achieved mastershipin Weng Chun
Kung Fu.”
Due to our chilly climate Rickson caughta cold attended with fever, butnevertheless insisted on holding theseminar, which turned out to be reallyfantastic. Nobody even recognized thathe had a temperature, everyone wascaptivated by him, and thus Gracie Jiu
Jitsu was introduced in Germany by thefirst black belt.I myself have given lessons and
trained with my students, andfurthermore during those f irst fewyears accepted many challenges forthe Gracie family in Germany. Back
then it was usually very easy to controlmost opponents on the ground. FromWeng Chun Kung Fu I was already wellacquainted with closing the gap, then Ibrought my opponents to the groundwhere they usually were no match,since hardly anyone had a clue about
“Rickson Gracie gave me thenickname “German
nightmare.”
the ground fighting system of the Gracie family –nobody knew about the mount, backmount andcrossbody positions and their strategies, no onewas aware of the standup techniques andcertainly not of the guard position.RicksonGracie gave me the nickname “Germannightmare”, which describes the impression I
probably made on many opponents who at firstconsidered Gracie Jiu Jitsu useless in combatbefore they were in for a somewhat rudeawakening. Today this basic knowledge found itsway into almost any style, though most peoplewould hardly be aware that we owe that to theGracie family.
Gracie Jiu Jitsu
„I am a shark. The ground is myocean and mostpeople can�t even
swim.“(Rickson Gracie)
Fu-Shih Kenpo and itsrelationship with the KOSHO SHOREI RYUKENPO
Technique The Kenpo Kosho technical
efficiency greatly relies on the use ofAtemi or blows, although it alsoabounds in projections and takedownsystems, a wide section in KoshoShorei Ryu, as complex as that inAikido or Ju Jutsu, these being a basic"concept" in the system.
In security, with the high art of "no-confl ict", it is used the so-called"female blocks" and "female blows"(Onna No Atemi), blocks and hitsmeant to cause just a certain degree ofpain and confusion, without doing toomuch damage.
Philosophy and Spirit ofKosho-Ryu Kenpo
Kenpo means literally "Fist Law".Kenpo is a martial art seeking thewhole development of the humanbeing in all its three aspects, physical,mental and spiritual. It chases fosteringour insight, balance, harmony and apeaceful and respectful coexistencewith all beings that surround andaccompany us on our way.
Kosho Shorei Ryu Kenpo is dividedinto two different branches that inthemselves make up a unique art: thespiritual arts and the fightingtechniques unit, which cannot bestudied independently.
In turn, physical arts are divided into
three separate combat systems,namely: "The Art of War of the Kosho-jiMonastery", "The Symmetrical Arts"and "The Art of the Authentic SelfDefense".
o The Art of War of the Kosho-jiMonastery includes basic attackingtechniques with fists, legs, hands,fingers, elbows, etc., besides theformal aspect of the "kata". With suchtechniques it is sought to hit the vitalpoints, intending to injure and eliminatea potential adversary.
o The Symmetrical Arts refer to theteaching of stretching and pushingtechniques, attacks to the limbs; theyare non-lethal techniques althoughquite effective to control withoutdamaging an adversary more thanneeded.
o The Art of Authentic Self Defenseis based on jumping techniques andgetaway movements; it also teachesthe use of any object in the defense.
The apprenticeship order of theKosho system begins by learning thespiritual arts and later, when thedisciple is ready, he is taught thephysical techniques. The reason forthis order arises from the view that inthe case of a real fight, the student willplace his spiritual arts before his mostlethal physical techniques. In this way,it's understood that he embodies thetrue meaning of the concept KenpoKosho.
True Self Defense is the art ofanticipation, the art of foreseeing andavoiding dangerous situations. Thebiggest and truest self-defense isliving and forging around us a world ofpeace and harmony. A true student ofKenpo avoids violence, respects thelaw and seeks to live in peace andharmony. But i f necessary, in asituation of a real danger to life, he isperfect ly trained to repel anyaggression and apply devastating andlethal techniques to the physicalintegrity of the attacker. On thephysical aspect, getting out victoriousin a self-defense situat ion is theessence of the art of Kenpo. In self-defense you win with the rhythm thatis born in the emptiness, with the
cadence that ar ises from theintelligence and with the knowledge ofthe opponent's rhythm. But harming,injuring or killing is not the way ofmankind.
The inner part, the true spirit ofKenpo, l ies in humbleness, insimplicity, in the constant self-control.Being humble means being respectful,responsible and fair to others and toourselves. The humble person doesn'tstoop to anyone nor permits anyonestooping to him.
The persistent and continuouspractice of Kenpo improves health,increases longevity and is notdangerous for the practitioners. Nomatter who practices it, whether weare a man or a woman, young or old,weak or strong, we must alwayspreserve our resources and use ourphysical strength and energy witheconomy of effort. Kenpo develops ourself-confidence, our senses and ourmind to act and judge quickly and bealways alert. The art of Kenpo is aninvaluable aid in our daily lives.
The true Kenpo practitioner shouldhave a broad and open mind, bepatient, humble, and temperate andgive example of an absolute innercalm. He must be training his mindcontinuously on strategy and tactics.
He should look for simplicity, whichis the key to mastery, perfection, purity,sincerity and a total commitment inevery technique, in every movement, inevery gesture.
Technique must be graspedinternally to the point that it may sproutfrom the unconscious as a naturalmovement. He who achieves learningthe power of nature wil l own anysituation. For this reason, thetechnique shouldn't be just amechanical routine, because that limitsour mind and this limitation becomesrigid and lacking in spirit. Ongoingtraining should be a normal part of life,so that body and spirit remainunchanged and alert in every situation.
"Train every day with the enthusiasm,commitment, eagerness and spirit ofyour first day. Live every workout like if
it was the last moment of your life andwork as if you were to live forever."
Remember that the truewarrior has only oneman to beat: himself!
The way of the warrior is the freepath of knowledge, without clinging toanything or anybody. That is the way ofthe authentic and pure Kenpo.Everyone carves his own path. Theway is in our heart, in the source of ourconsciousness, in our spirit.
Fu Shih Kenpo
Converting the heart of the Universe in his own heart, that isthe way of the warrior.
Kenpo is also practiced as a sport, but the true and purephilosophy of Kenpo must be always kept in mind. To masterthe art of combat you have to delve into its philosophy andspirit. The power of the body and the mastering of thetechnique are nothing without the spirit surveillance.
You must maintain an unprejudiced, balanced, fair,sympathetic and condescending spirit in any situation. Atrue Master of Kenpo will always fight for justice, even inadverse circumstances. Winning or losing, or pitting yourselfagainst others with some techniques is not true Kenpo. Thegoal is not to conquer or be conquered, but to achieveperfection and simplicity in every technique and inevery act of our lives. Always remember thatthe fist is a treasure in your pocket. Itmust be never be exhibited in public.
Let's reflect on these lastsentences, in them we'llfind the secret of the trueMartial Art.
In the art of Fu-Shih Kenpo wefully identify withthis KOSHOphilosophy ofM a s t e rM i t o s e .B e t w e e n
G r a n d m a s t e rThomas Barro Mitoseand I there is enormousrespect, friendship, harmonyand brotherhood.
THANK YOU
Great Masters
The Zen Nihon Toyama Ryu Iai -Do Renmei ( ZNTIR ), once
reviewed and adapted the concepts and methodology of a
school that proceeds from a method of real combat, is the body
that currently intends to maintain this tradition and original
forms alive through a system that unifies body, mind and spirit
in a realistic and effective way. This DVD was done at
the instance of practitioners of the Spanish
subsidiary of the Zen Nihon Toyama Ryu Iaido
Renmei (ZNTIR - Spain Branch) to present
to everybody a combat style with a real
sword, created last century, but with
roots in the ancient fighting
techniques of feudal Japan. In it you
will find the basic structure of the
methodology applied in the style,
from the coded warm up and
preparation exercises, cutting
exercises, guards, the school
kata, work in pairs and initiation
in the Tameshigiri or cutting
exercises on a real target , the
cornerstone of the Toyama- Ryu.
We hope that knowledge of the
existence of a style such as the
Toyama-Ryu Batto-Jutsu acts as a
revulsive of a traditional way and yet
very different from current combat
disciplines, that attract those who want to go
further in their martial practices. Those interested
in the Japanese sword and
initiates, will find useful this DVD both
as support to their learning and as a
reference.
REF.: ¥ TOYAMA1REF.: ¥ TOYAMA1 All DVDs, wichi is produced by Budo
International, si provided and alone in the
formats DVD-5 or MPEG-2, in VCD, DivX
or the like is however neves offered with a
special holograma sticker. Besides our
DVD is characteristed coverings by the hig
quality in pressure and material. If this
DVD and/or the DVD covering do not
corespond to the requirements specified
above, it concerns illegal pirat copy.
Budo international. netORDERS:
THE REAL MIYAGI
A true story of a man behind the biggestMartial Art legends!In 1965, 20 years after World War II, a world champion martial artist
from Japan comes to the United States with only $300.00 in his pocketand the clothes on his back. Leaving his siblings in search of theAmerican dream, only to find obstacles that defy his honor. With the support of an EX-CIA agent, they manage to start the first
ever Karate school in Orange County, CA that paves the way for whatis about to come! A demonstration at Ed Parkers International tournament in 1965
leads to his notoriety. The Martial Arts community began to take notice of his impeccable
precision and his weaponry skills such as the Nunchaku and the Sai. Soon after, he was approached by
such talents as Bruce Lee andChuck Norris!Later he signed with the largest
Martial Arts publication at the time inUSA “Black Belt Magazine” alsoreceiving 2 coveted “Black Belt Hallof Fame Awards”.People flocked from all over the
United States to see his dailydemonstrations at The JapaneseVillage in Buena Park, CA where hestunned the audiences with hisnunchaku and empty hand abilities.Steven Seagal, l iving in OrangeCounty at the time, was beingmentored by Mr. Demura and got hisstart demonstrating with him. Word about his skil ls spread
quickly in the entertainmentindustry!
In this riveting documentary, theychronologically follow his every stepfrom Japan to the United States.Interviewing the pivotal peoplewhose l ives he touched andchanged forever. From his first everaudition in Hollywood which landedhim the movie, The Island of Dr.Moreau, in 1977, to the 1980s, whenhe became involved in the iconicKarate Kid films, when he becamethe stunt double for Pat Morita, whoplayed Mr. Miyagi. He continued tobe the stunt double for Mr. Morita inthe television series O'Hara, andappeared in a number of films anddocumentaries, including Ninjastarring Scott Adkins and directedby long time martial artist and friendIsaac Florentine.
Interview
In spite of all his accolades inHollywood, he never lost focus inhis dojo and the martial artscommunity. He continues to be aKarate ambassador around theworld, which has grown to 32countries.
Fumio Demura, Kevin Derek(Director) and Oscar Alvarez(Producer) joined the Budointernational in an interview:
Whose idea was this movieand how did it come about?
KEVIN: In 2009 I was in Floridaworking on a project when I raninto Sensei Demura for the 1st timeafter 20 years. Surprisingly heremembered my name.I was one of his Black Belts back
in 1988. Sensei has always beensomeone I looked up to; hereminds me a lot of my father. Ialways bragged about him to myfriends about how famous he was.In Florida we went out for lunch ata Cuban restaurant. Whilereminiscing about the old times Isuddenly sprung the question that I
wanted to ask him since Igraduated from fi lm school.“Sensei I've been wanting to makea documentary of your life for thelongest time” Demura looked me inthe eyes and said, “You better do itsoon because I don't know howlong I have to live”. With that said, Igot on the phone with myproducer, Oscar Alvarez andstarted the ball in motion.
What is the main input fromSensei Demura and did he haveany ideas for the film?
Interview
KEVIN: The story line was purely from Oscar andI. Sensei Demura trusted and respected ourdirection. Obviously without his help and supportthis would not be possible. Sensei did put us incontact with people he wanted to include in hisdocumentary.
Who are the people involved and what did themain people have to say about Sensei?
KEVIN: One of the first people attached to theproject was Pat E. Johnson. They have beengood friends since the 70's. You might rememberhim from the scene in “Enter The Dragon” wherehe fights John Saxon on the golf course. He's awell-respected fight choreographer in the industrywith films such as “The Karate Kid” franchise“Mortal Combat” and many more. Pat was themost knowledgeable about Mr. Demura's lifebecause they had an extensive work history. One
of my favorite quotes from Pat is; “No-bodyever tries to tell Sensei Demura how greatthey are. Because when you're standing infront of greatness, how are you going toimpress him with anything you have everdone.” Mr. Johnson explains how SenseiDemura landed the part for Mr. Miyagi'sstunt double and the close friendship he andDemura formed.
Slowly the word got around about ourdocumentary and we started getting moreand more people attached to the project suchat Steven Seagal, Dolph Lundgren, Micheal J.White, Tamlyn Tomita, Sean Kanan, YujiOkumoto, Isaac Florentine, Billy Blanks,Gerald Okamura, Don Warrener, WilliamChristopher Ford, Oscar winning directorJohn G. Avildsen and many more!
We flew out to Arizona to take SenseiDemura to visit his friend, Steven Seagal. Didyou know that Mr. Seagal speaks fluentJapanese? He also used to help Demurademonstrate at the Japanese Deer ParkVil lage back in the early 70's. TheDocumentary starts out with a bold statementfrom Seagal stating: “There are so manypeople in martial arts and in the moviebusiness that never studied the martial artsand all they do is bullshit people, and talk
Great Masters
about all the people they studied with and allthe things they did! When they really didnothing! Yet they walk on screen and into thedojo telling people all these lies. DemuraSensei is the real thing!” One question thatwould have been interesting to ask Mr. Seagalwas, “Who are you referring to exactly:?”
OSCAR: I truly believe Dolph Lundgrensums it up perfectly in these words, “He's atrue Martial Artist and that's the bottom line,and there are not many of those guys stillaround”. Mr. Lundgren is correct SenseiDemura is a Karate pioneer and will foreverbe remembered as the man who broughtKarate to the United States and thencontinued spreading it around the world. Mr.Lundgren is a true Karate-Ka and a wonderfulhuman being. When we visited him at hisbeachfront property in L.A. he greeted uswarmly, and shared his personal experienceand how Sensei Demura made an impact onhis life as a young man. Sensei Demura'sstudents had been in his movie Showdown inLittle Tokyo.
Tell us some of the interesting facts thatyou found out about Sensei that fewknow?
KEVIN: He loves pizza! : Before starting thisproject I had to do some research on him, themore I read and talked to people the more I
realized what a great human beinghe is and how much he isrespected all over the world! Oneof the most interesting facts,contrary to everyone's belief, in1965, eight years before “EnterThe Dragon” Demura wasdemonstrating the nunchakus atthe LA City College during Mr.Nishiyama's tournament whenBruce Lee approached him andwanted to learn the nunchaku! SoSensei showed him what he knew.Later Demura signed on withO'Hara publications where heappeared on a number ofmagazine covers and publishedthe 1st ever book on the nunchakuthat came out in 1971.The other interesting fact, Chuck
Norris also trained with SenseiDemura. Mr. Norris, always hadgreat footwork but his handtechniques were taught to him byDemura. During one of Senseis'anniversary parties, Chuck Norriscredited his success to FumioDemura. Also Sensei Demura is the only
martial artist to have aprofessional running show in LasVegas. By the way, it was duringthe same time and place whereElvis was performing!
Who is involved in the makingof the film and when will it bereleased and will it be theatricalor documentary and what will bein the film?
KEVIN: The main credits go tomy Producer Oscar Alvarez andour Executive Producer PatNevraumont. The documentary isset to be complete this summer,from there we plan on screening
the film at festivals around theworld. Soon after, DVD release.
OSCAR: From the inception ofthis great idea, to capture the realstory of a Karate legend, to thelong and countless hours ofediting this inspirational film of ahumble man seeking the AmericanDream and sharing his passion ofKarate to the world. I cannot beginto take credit, but insteadcommend my Director, KevinDerek on his devotion to theproject, and his commitment tocapture the truth and legacy ofSensei Fumio Demura, which willforever touch our hearts. I believeone of Sensei Demura's studentssaid it best, “If something happensto Sensei, there won't be anotherDemura Sensei”. Thank you Kevinfor showing your true Karate spirit,which has breathed life into thisbeautiful documentary film thatwill touch millions of Karatekasaround the world. It was an honorand a humbling experience.
Sensei Demura Can you give abrief history of your martial artscareer and how did he get to theUSA?
DEMURA: I started Martial Artsat 8 years old, after World War II.We had nothing to play with, sowe did hand to hand combat andsword fighting. As kids, we playeda lot of sword fighting and createdour own makeshift swords andpracticed. Later, I met a man whoknows Karate, so I studied withhim. Then, a bit later MasterRyusho Sakagami opened a dojoand I went over and knocked ontheir door. I wanted to join, but
Interview
“I started Martial Arts at 8 yearsold, after World War II. We hadnothing to play with, so we did
hand to hand combat and swordfighting”
Master Sakagami said, “No kidsallowed”. Instead, I started to learnKendo, but I continued watchingKarate training, and then a little later Iasked if I can start training Karate andhe finally said, “Yes”.While training, I met quite a few
people l ike Teruo Hayashi, ShogoKoniba, Kinjo Hiroshi and then TairaShinken came to Master Sakagami'sdojo and stayed for some time. We practiced Kobudo every day and
night. Then, Taira Shinken moved intoMr. Inubes house and we continuedtraining there as well. In 1964 duringthe Tokyo Olympics we were notallowed to train for Martial Arts, but wewere allowed to do demonstrations. Ibecame an assistant to my Senseiduring the demonstrations and it wasat this point that I met Donn F. Draeger.He was very famous in Japan since hewas American. Draeger introduced me to Dan Ivan
and he came to Mr. Sakagmi's dojo totrain. Sometimes, we would go toDonn F. Draeger's home in Japan and Iwould teach weapons there. Iremember he had a big home. Then, heasked me, “Do you want to come tothe United States to teach Karate”? Isaid, “Okay”. At that point in my life Iwas so poor, my father had recentlydied and I needed more money to helpmy family. Mr. Dan Ivan offered to payme $200.00 month to teach in the U.S.and that was good money for meduring those hard times, so I acceptedhis offer to come to the United Statesin 1965. When we arrived to America we
started our classes out of a l itt legarage, then we had more and morestudents sign up, so we opened ourfirst dojo. Everything was going great,then we found the Japanese DeerVillage in Buena Park and we said toourselves, “Hey, we can do KarateDemonstrations here”. We offered to do it for free as a trial
run to see how it goes. We were onlydoing shows on the weekends andpeople began to complain that theycouldn't see the shows because theywere sold out. At that point, theJapanese Deer Village hired them andpaid them for the next summer to domore shows and it was a huge
success. Once we returned, we startedto change our show to fighting scenesthat looked like we were really hittingeach other and with reactions like in amovie sequence. Our Karate showbecame the most popular show at theJapanese Deer Village. We were moresuccessful then the bear show, the sealions and dolphin's show and the deershow. We were basically the numberone show, so they put more money intoour show. Everything was going great,then I get word from Japan andquestioning me, “Why are you doingthis stupid demonstration”? I had a lot of pressure from Japan, so
I was going to quit the show and walkaway. Before, I did my last Karate
demonstration I called my mother inJapan and told her: - “Mom, this is my last show, so you
better come watch it because I'mgoing to quit”.- My mom asked, - “Why are you quitting?”.- I replied, “Because I'm getting a lot
of pressure from Japan”. My mother replied: - “If you're doing something wrong
by doing this Karate Demonstration,then you better quit now, but if you'redoing nothing wrong, then don't quit”.- I replied, “I'm not doing anything
wrong” and my mom said, “Okay, thendo it.” So, I continued doing my Karatedemonstrations in United States, thenin 1974 at the 3rd WorldChampionships in Long Beach,California where Mr. Oshima was thesponsor. He asked me if I can do aKarate demonstration and I agreed.We did our Karate Demonstration to
music and my partner, Dan Ivan toldme to wear this flashy silver gi. I was alittle bit nervous to wear a silver gi, buthe said, “you need to prove yourself”,so I did it. After that demonstration Ireceived a standing ovation from theaudience. Mr. Sakagami called me overafter the demonstration that he saw medo for the first time. He complimentedme and that was the end of myproblems with Japan. From that pointon I continued to do demonstrationsaround the world. Today, everyonearound the world does the same kindof Karate demonstrations.
Interview
What championships did you win Japan and whatyears?
DEMURA: Karate Tournaments started in 1958 only inGoju-Ryu with no hitting, then JKA started the All JapanChampionship and that's what I wanted to compete in, so Istarted training for it. In 1961, I entered a tournament inJapan where all different styles were allowed to compete. Iwas fighting in the Semi-Finals with Kotaka and then I wentto the finals and made it to first place and I won at the AllJapan Championships.
What countries and mileage do you travel annuallyaround the world? and how many countries did youtaught in?
DEMURA: Right now we have about 32 countries underour organization. Unfortunately, I can't visit all of them, but Ifly about 100,000 miles a year. I'll fly to Argentina, to Chile,to England and to Germany and Switzerland. I try tobalance it out between all the countries. It's not easy. I'vetaught all over the world like in Canada, Mexico, Honduras,Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Brazil,Argentina and Chile. In Europe I've taught in Australia, NewZealand, France, Norway, Denmark, Spain, Saudi Arabiaand I'm going this year to Katow which is above Iran.
What was your involvement in karate kid and how didyou get involved in it?
DEMURA: The first time production called me, I wasreferred by Chuck Norris, so I went to the audition for theKarate Kid. The casting director handed me the script andsaid: “Okay, you'll be reading for the part of Miyagi”. I looked over the script and every page was Miyagi,
Miyagi, Miyagi. There were so many lines for Miyagi. I toldthe casting director this role is too big. I'm not that kind ofactor yet. I can't do this, so I said, “Goodbye” and I left. Later, I get a phone call from Stunt Coordinator, Pat
Johnson and he said, “Sensei, I need you”. I told him “I can't do that part it's too big”. He said, “No, we casted Pat Morita for Mr. Miyagi, but he
cannot do Karate, so I need you as his stunt double”. So, Iwent back to production and met with the producers andthey hired me for the job.
In summary Sensei Fumio Demura is truly a martial artistof extraordinary quality and one of the very few JapaneseSensei's who has been able to bridge the gap betweenJapanese culture and Western culture almost seamlessly. This movie “The Real Miyagi” is a testament to what
martial arts can do for practioners of all ages if theymaintain the three lessons that Sensei Demura has taughtover the years to his students and lived his life by.1 Always do your best!2 Always work your hardest!3 Never quit!
Great Masters
“When we arrived toAmerica we started ourclasses out of a little
garage, then we had moreand more students sign up,so we opened our first dojo”
KAPAP: Krav Panim el Panim,The Art of "Gaku Jutsu-Do"
KAPAP (Krav Panim el Panim - face-to-face combat) is a Martial Art form fromIsrael, mostly considered a modern andreality based Martial Art, but I prefer thename 'Practical Martial Art - PMA.'Those two meanings of KAPAP as amodern and reality based Martial Arthas created a certain amount ofconfusion in the market lately, so let'sclarify it.The early days of KAPAP takes us
back to the 'old days' in Israel, 1930through 1940, when it was a genericname for face-to-face [Hand-to-Hand]combat. The name was used evenbefore Israel was declared andestablished as an independent state in1948. Until the late 1960's it was usedas a generic name by different Israelsecurity forces. The system was basedon judo, Jiu Jitsu which takes us back tothe Japanese understanding of Martial Artwith teachers such as Yehuda Markus,Gerson Kopler, Michel Horowitz and manyother trainers and teachers from that earlyperiod. It is interesting to note that in Israelmost of the older people would be morefamiliar with the term Kapap while the younggenerations would be more familiar with thename Krav Maga. Krav maga was one of the many systems that
were born out of the old days. On my return toIsrael from the Far East, where I was studying AsianMartial Arts for eight years, I was asked by the ArmyLieutenant Colonel Harush Avi to create a form of KravMaga for young recruiters as a part of preparation formilitary service. At the same time Israel's top counterterrorism unit, YAMAM, had recruited me as a member of theunit and the trainer for the CQB and hand-to-hand program withthe rank of Staff Sargent Major (highest NCO). My task was tore-write and re-structure the old program and to incorporatenew training methods. In this mission I teamed up withLieutenant Colonel Chaim Peer, who was well-experienced inmil itary and other security forces. The system that wedeveloped together was later recognized as reality-basedmostly for the idea that "It is better to be a student of reality,than to be a master of illusion." Most of the moves and trainingwere connected and tested in reality-based situations. At thesame time the true idea and meaning of Kapap were missing.That was not the Kapap that we had in mind.
Martial Arts
Kapap is a system that consistsof three aspects: traditional,sport and combat. A wholesystem cannot not operatewithout those threedimensions. It's like a familytree: the tree with no rootsfalls down easily and it'sbranches fall off, dry and diequickly. For the last 15 years
Kapap has been in thecivil ian marketplace andwe've tried monitoring thequality of it by denying 75%of students who apply for it.Even by having that filter wefeel many times that we aregetting the wrong people. Inthe old days students wouldhave asked for admittance tothe school. What we facetoday is overblownadvertisements, and attemptsby students to get into theschools and teachers who areready to sell certificates by e-mail without ever seeing thestudents just in order to build upa system! In Kapap we do it old-school style: our students need toask for admittance into theorganization. They must regard us as
teachers and we will teach them as itwas done in the old days.Lately I have started considering
KAPAP more like Zen teaching. It could bedue to the time that I spent practicing Kendo
in Japan, which is very noble Zenswordsmanship.In our modern era the sword has been
supplanted by the introduction of modern firearmsbut the values of morals and ethics which should be
passed to the students through the Martial Arts is thesame. The gun is modern archery. During a knife fight it is
important to keep the right distance and to reach for the vitalpoints of the opponent in order to win and at the same time keep
him out of your safe zone. In order to solve the distance problempeople have created spears and bows and arrows. The gun could beseen as a small spear which is a bullet filled with black powder andthe ignition or explosion of it as the string's power. And again if Zenwas the way of archery, there is no reason why the gun should not
Kapap
Text: Avi Nardia, Tim BoehlertPhotos: Ken Akiyama
Martial Arts
also be considered the same. Once Istarted teaching surveillance andawareness I noticed that most peoplewere talking about gun disarming, butnone of them had ever used a gun inreal life. It was a red light to me thatso called "masters" could not eventake the magazine out of the gun orclear a malfunction or jam. It was veryscary to see that those "masters"actually taught people.Only by merging the following three
aspects wil l you get a trueunderstanding and knowledge of thegun. Gun usage, gun retention andgun disarming are those threesignificant aspects that bring you tothat level. By missing only onedimension of it you will fail. All thoseideas led me more into the research ofthe Asian way of fighting. In the olddays a true master was notrecognized as such by himself but bythe others. Today people are self-proclaimed 'Grand-Masters.'Therefore I want to emphasize theimportance of 'Gaku', 'Jutsu' and'Do' - the traditional way of teachingand learning Martial Arts.
'Gaku' means academic learningwhich occupies our minds. 'Jutsu' isthe practice and study of the actualtechniques in order to defeat anopponent. And the 'Do' is 'The Way,'the spirit we all try to attain in our livesin order to gain the true knowledge ofourselves and the world. That's themain idea of Kapap: "Always student,sometimes teacher." That's why theMartial Arts teacher was also knownas "Shinan-Jaku." It means 'pointingto the South', l ike a compass,because in the Japanese tradition,pointing to the North was consideredbad luck. The teacher was consideredto be a compass pointing to the rightdirection for his students. Those threeaspects of learning Martial Artsoccupy mind, body and spirit.Kapap's compass is set to point to
integrity first and most students andGrand-Masters are missing thisquality today. Someone told me thatIsraeli Martial Arts has no integrity so Iexplained it to him this way:While most Grand Masters today
are self-made, did not have any realteachers and they follow ANY way,
that's a compass that has no directionother than income.You may see that some people in
Israeli Martial Arts are students thathave been kicked out from otherschools and organizations for reasonsthat I see each day. I kick out somebad apples from the Kapap basket,and the next day they are Grand-Masters of Kapap, or they have ormade their own new "Real Kapap",based on lies and more. Then they tryto sell evil lies about their teacher andtry to take him down.During my early training, when the
teacher kicked you out of his dojo,that was the biggest shame you couldever face. Today you just cross thestreet or open Google and find a neworganization to send you your Grand-Master certificate!So to keep integrity in the Martial
Art's today is a real struggle. MostGrand-Masters today have only donemaybe one week in Israel and thenthey certify themselves! How manypeople really l ived in Israel andstudied for years in the Israeli MartialArts?
Kapap
“You may see thatsome people in Israeli
Martial Arts arestudents that havebeen kicked out fromother schools andorganizations forreasons that I see
each day”
When I was in Japan myteacher asked one of my students"so, how many years have youstudied in Israel?" My old teacher is blind today,
can hardly walk in his old age, butit seems to me that he gave methe best class as can we reallycall our students - students. The compass needle always
leads the way, but are ourstudents ready follow? Or if youdon't award them a colored beltor adavnce their rank but tellthem to train harder, will they thenext day become 'director' of anew organization and call youfraud? How can anyone call histeacher fraud if he himselfteaches what he was taughtexactly? I have been a victim of
character assaisinations bystudents that I kicked out of mydojo and Kapap as they shamedthemselves. I kicked one guy fromour Level 1 training out that wasfrom France, and the next day hewent from Level 1 to a Level 5Instructor, even though we onlyhave four levels!I kicked one guy out of the
Israeli Army, and he proceeededto load the internet with lies, hejust forgot to mention that Ikicked him out of the Israeli Armyfor being AWOL! And the storiesgo on and on!So in this world it's hard to find
real integrity and everyday I seemore of the shamed that havebeen kicked out of many Israeliorganizations inventing new KravMaga organizations. Themarketplace is seeking worthlesspaper certificates and not real
study. It's about ego and bullying,not Martial Arts.Someone asked me about a
guy that had some somecertificate signed for Kapap orKrav Maga, and I answered thatbathrooms are loaded withpapers signed by some butts -it's not the paper that makesyou, it's who signed thepaper, and how easily hesigned it and for howmuch money? In Kapapunder Lt. Colonel ChaimPeer, the price isexpensive: tears,blood, sweat. If youcan't pay in thosedenominations, keepbeing the director ofsome "real" system!Jutsu is something
that's the most basicand it is introducedfirst in the art, forphysical methods arethe most basic rootmethods of an art, but it'snot the most importantgoal. Training is followedby Gaku, which is a studyof the historical andtechnical. Then follows thephilosophical and spiritualimplications.A beginner will have no
idea about the physicalmovements, so he has to gothrough a lot of techniquesfirst to integrate themovements into one's ownbody. If the goal is purely forsport, winning contests, or forpure physical health or self-defense, it can stop here andthat's fine for what it is.
Martial Arts
“The marketplace is seekingworthless paper certificates andnot real study. It's about ego and bullying, not Martial Arts”
Kapap
“it's not the paperthat makes you,
it's who signed thepaper...”
Martial Arts
As the student improves his technique he has to realizethat there's some kind of technical underpinning. Heneeds to study and take his own initiative to read booksand research into why the techniques are done a certainway. To some people this would seem like a waste oftime, but knowing a bit about the history of Kendo willenlighten a Kendo competitor. Theoretical and historicalknowledge adds to the physical capabilities of thestudent. Gaku and Jutsu work hand in hand.Eventually every advanced student will come to the
point of asking himself some deeper questions about themeaning of his/her training and how this activity fits intoour lives and changes us as human beings. Here we seethe influence of the art on spirit. This is the 'Do', theMOST important part of the learning process. We see ourlives being changed by the art in a positive direction andgiving us larger perspectives. Without any concern for Do,budo training would be merely recognized as a systemwhose only purpose is beating up or killing someone else.It is not necessary to divide the three as you train.
Jutsu is informed by Gaku, and both are enveloped byDo. While in the beginning gaining technical mastery ismost important, as one progresses, Gaku and Jutsu alsobegin to take center stage, although Jutsu should neverbe neglected. In the end, a balance between the three isstruck, where feedback loops move back and forthbetween the three categories, increasing the knowledgeof all three.But remember, without integrity you can't find the
Kapap way and at the end of the day each of us standsin front of his/here own mirror, and we can lie to all butnot to ourselves! When I stand and look in my mirror, Ilike what I see and know that I will work harder and be abetter student.
"Lose your temper and you lose a friend; lie andyou lose yourself." Hopi
INSERT PHOTO Photo: Mauro Frota & An'Ichi Miyagi
Sensei, Higaonna Dojo
The photo was taken in a private class withAn'Ichi Miyagi Sensei while I was living at theHigaonna Dojo, sleeping at the floor (a little likeKarate Kid)One day, An'Ichi Miyagi Sensei told me that
he was coming to teach me a private class. Itold that to Morio Higaonna Sensei and he toldme to clean the dojo to receive his master. Andso I did. We trained Sanchin and Tensho kata,along with basic kata Gekisai, and lots of talkabout martial arts philosophy and moral values.He gave lots of examples from his own teacher,the founder of Goju-Ryu karate, Chojun Miyagi.After that he made me promise to write him aletter and visit Okinawa again. And I did so. Atthe dojo, he was always with a white belt, andduring the opening ceremony, instead of beingin front of me, he asked me to be beside him. Iwill never forget that day - it was my birthdaypresent, as I was turning 21 in that same day.Dear Sebsei Avu Nardia Hope to see you
again soon to keep on learning Kapap from you,especially because you treasure mybackground and give importance to moralvalues.Mauro Frota
“'Gaku' means academiclearning which occupies our
minds. 'Jutsu' is thepractice and study of theactual techniques in orderto defeat an opponent. Andthe 'Do' is 'The Way,' the
spirit we all try to attain inour lives in order to gainthe true knowledge of
ourselves and the world”
Kapap
“Without integrityyou can't find theKapap way and atthe end of the dayeach of us standsin front of his/hereown mirror, and wecan lie to all butnot to ourselves!”
Jean Frenette during the 1980's and 1990's was the most winning competitorinternationally with his musical kata performances.He was second to none and his timing of the musical notes to the techniques has
still never been equaled.We caught up to Jean while he was here in LA doing the action choreography for
his latest movie “Jaya”.
BI - Jean where and when did youget your start in martial arts?Jean Frenette.: I started when I was
6 years old with Judo, then at the ageof 10 I started Sankukai Karate withMaxime Mazaltarim, I trained with himand the founder of Sankukai YoshinaoNanbu until early 80's.
BI - Why did you change fromShito Ryu to Goju Ryu?Jean Frenette.: I met with Sensei
Chuck Merriman in the late 70's andhad many discussions about the originsof karate and in particular Goju-Ryu; Itwas in 1988 that I switched to Goju-Ryu Karate-do under Merriman Sensei.
BI - How did you get your start inHollywood?Jean Frenette.: I started TV work in
1978 where I was doingdemonstrations and fightchoreography; then in 1982 I startedworking in films; I did music videos, aTV movie called “In Like Flynnt” and“Police Academy”.
BI - What are the biggest projectsyou have worked on to date and inwhat capacity?Jean Frenette.: There are many but
in a nut shell, The best project that I
had an amazing time working on was“300” where I was involved as a stuntperformer and Immortals where I wasFight Coordinator to name a couple.
BI - What projects are you workingon now in Hollywood?Jean Frenette.: I just finished a
project called JAYA; starring
international phenomenon Parkourfounder David Bell.
BI - Are you still involved in martialarts as far as teaching and doingseminars?Jean Frenette.: Absolutely; I still
have my dojo in my hometown; we arecelebrating our 38th anniversary, I alsohave dojos across Canada, inCalifornia and in 6 countries in Europe.
BI - How often do you trainpersonally and what do you do inyour own training?Jean Frenette.: I try to train
everyday for at least an hour; myregiment is always stretching, karatebasics and katas, and of course crossfit training.
BI - We understand that you areorganizing a major seminar inMontreal later this month can youtell us who will be coming and whois welcome to participate.Jean Frenette.: Yes! We are
organizing an International Gasshukuon Okinawa Goju-Ryu Karate-do withKinjo Tsuneo and Gima Tetsu Sensei,both from the Jundokan in Okinawa;everyone is welcome if they have akeen interest in Goju-Ryu.
“There are manybut in a nut shell,The best projectthat I had anamazing time
working on was“300” where I
was involved as astunt performerand Immortals
where I was FightCoordinator.”
BI - I also understand that yourworking on a new book onOkinawan Jundokan Goju. Can youtell us a little about that, and what isyour position now in the Judokan?Jean Frenette.: Yes indeed! In 1999
I asked permission to Miyazato Senseiif I could do a book about authenticOkinawan Goju-ryu under hissupervision; he agreed to it and did thephotos of all the kihon, katas andbunkai according his teachings inrespect to the legacy of his teacherMiyagi Chojun; also I did an interviewwith Miyazato Sensei about history andtraining principals; in the book therewil l be all of the senior sensei ofJundokan during the time of MiyazatoSensei presence.
This book will be a must for anyGoju-Ryu practitioners around theworld.
BI - Why do you think that theJundokan in Okinawa has producedthe most dynamic Okinawan karate-ka in the last 30 years names likeTeruo Chinen, Morio Higaonna,Chuck Merriman, Masaji Taira and ofcourse yourself?Jean Frenette.: Because in keeping
its authenticity I think Okinawa being
the birth place of Karate and theJundokan teachers have kept theoriginal ways.
BI - Why have you never done amovie on Okinawan Goju and do youhave any plans to do something likethis in the future and if so what?Jean Frenette.: I have directed a
documentary on Okinawa Goju-Ryu forNational Geographic in 2006; but afeature film about Karate, the realorigins is the works as we speak asIsaac Florentine and I have teamed upto develop an original story; will keepyou posted on it but all I can say at thistime is that its coming.
BI - What is your favorite form andwhy did you switch from the
competition arena to the traditionalOkinawan Goju?Jean Frenette.: Actually I have
always been doing traditional karate; Ionly did the competition to test andexpress myself through my art.
I think that I was successful incompetit ion because I had solidtraditional background.
BI - You recently did some workon a film with Frank Shamrock thelegendary MMA fighter. What didyou find so interesting when youguys were talking?Jean Frenette.: Yes we recently did
work together on JAYA;I think that he is an amazing athlete
and real human being, he hasmastered his craft by relentless trainingand dedication.
BI - What are your plans in themartial arts world for the next 10years as far as the Jundokan goes?Jean Frenette.: To keep on training
as Karate is part of my life, still teach amuch as I can according to my filmingschedule and create an internationalorganization for Jundokan. There willbe an announcement in the next fewmonths about its creation.
“I think that I wassuccessful incompetition
because I hadsolid traditionalbackground.”
Passion to vocation
Between the late 1970's and early 1980's I spentconsiderable time and effort reading all I could find on
the history of the “Okinawan" fighting arts. I wasfascinated to discover that much of Okinawa's so-
called native fighting arts had actually come fromsurrounding cultures (i.e., China, Japan and SEAsia). Understandably, the passion to betterunderstand this diverse history prompted me to
look into the fighting arts of its neighboring cultures.During that research it became evident there were
gaps in Okinawa's fighting arts history... information mostlikely lost in the sands of time, if even recorded in the first
place! Ninety-two year old Kinjo Hiroshi, noted historian,best selling author and Okinawan Karate master,explained to me that, “in spite of the importance weplace upon studying the origins, history and lineage ofthis art today such was not the case during Okinawa'sold Ryukyu Kingdom Period.” In fact, according toKinjo, and in spite of the anecdotal references to “aliaison with [Fujian] China,” there never has been a
definitive explanation for the history of Okinawa's emptyhand fighting arts!
During the dawn of the 20th century local Okinawanauthorities decided to take out from behind closed doors
their secretive empty-handed fighting arts, and introduce to thepublic domain (albeit with an ulterior motive) a modified version of
kata as a form of physical fitness, ostensibly to serve schoolchildren. With a need to fill in the historical blanks, and no officialsource from which to corroborate information, local enthusiasts drewliberally upon anecdotal reference to describe its origins: “Karatetraces its historical origins back to China!”
The motions of the dragon serve to refine one's spirit. The applied techniques arebased on the philosophy of the element earth. In itself, the dragon teaches tostrengthen and lead one's Chi. It only embodies few fighting techniques, as the maintask of the dragon is to exercise inner strength based on breath control.
Dragon Drawing watercolor and pencil Vivi Escriva Palacios.
Kung Fu
Even a layman is able to distinguish the five constitutiveanimal-styles of the original Hung Gar Kung Fu, namely tiger,crane, snake, leopard and dragon, as each one has its very owncharacteristics. For example the tiger: its techniques are strong,direct and explosive. Or the crane style, who's winglikemovements are soft but fast. However, one animal in the HungGar Kung Fu remains an enigma, which is the dragon. As amythological creature it is the only animal in the Hung Gar KungFu which does not exist physiologically. Nonetheless, it is anestablished element within this ancient martial art. Within thetheory of the five elements, the dragon is being allocated to theelement 'earth', and is considered as very wise and powerful inspirit. Generally, the dragon is associated with special handpostures and tactics. Many practitioners know though that thisstyle includes intense exercise with the chi, our internal power.Even though the chi, which is also called 'qi', is not tangible andconjoined with our spirit, it is as real as any other kind of energy.Not mere muscular strength but rather will power and a strongspirit lead to success, which is why beginners perceive thefocused practice with the chi as very difficult. Each technique,as well as each animal in the Hung Gar Kung Fu, is based onthe principles of chi. The dragon style, however, is particularlyintended to teach how to steer and strengthen the chi, which isbeing implemented by practicing the age-old breathingtechniques. Looking at the dragon style (Lung Ying style) in itsentirety, an intent observer may identify a rapid succession offorceful fighting techniques and claw-like movements whichimpersonate the dragon. Hung Gar Kung Fu takes on theessence of the dragon as a creature and therefore the dragonstyle comprises only a few fighting techniques. In this style, asalready mentioned before, the 'real' practice is achieved by theslow Qi Gung (“chi labor”) exercises and the strengthening ofthe spirit. On a beginner's level, such exercises may lead to theimpression that these meditative processes have no referenceat all to a real fight. However, they are mistaken. To use thewords of the Kung Fu legend, Grandmaster and official HungGar Kung Fu style leader Dr. Chiu Chi Ling: “Many people thinkthat the dragon, an animal which does not really exist, isreduced to breathing exercises and qi techniques. This is a pity,because in reality, there is no element in Hung Gar Kung Fuwhich is NOT meant for fighting. This is also true for thedragon.” In other words, there is much more to the dragontechniques than simple breathing and/or health exercises and,
Kung Fu
Kung Fu
as Grandmaster Chiu Chi Ling indicates, eachelement in Hung Gar is meant for a real fight of lifeand death. Besides, the people in ancient Chinacould not afford to practice a martial art that wouldnot protect their lives and possessions. If a predatorsucceeded to steal the monthly wage at just oneoccasion, a farmer could have been ruined as hewas not able to pay for seeds, food and basicgoods. Hence, self-defense and the struggle forsurvival were of essential importance and there wasno space for futile and useless techniques in thetraditional martial arts. Taking this backgroundinformation into consideration, we are not only ableto fully understand the dragon, but to distinguish thetraditional from the modern martial arts. You have toadmit that acrobatics are not very effective in a fightman against man, right?
As already mentioned before, if you are lookingfor concrete dragon style techniques you will mainlyfind breathing exercises and only a few fightingtechniques. Now and then one might believe torecognize something as dragon specific, as forinstance if the practitioner imitates the claws orfangs of these mythological creatures. For adepts,the dragon's techniques are very fascinating as thetechniques often have similar characteristics andresemble techniques of another animal. Payingcloser attention, they recognize that the dragon'stechniques seem to have their own logic andprinciples. However, from the outside it seems as ifpractitioners, who try to learn more, are soon backto the slow and focused breathing exercises andthe sometimes odd vocal sounds. We are able toperceive techniques and learn them so why is itnonetheless very difficult to understand how thedragon is applied in a fight? One approach toexplain this question lies in the dragon's nature as astyle, which is meant to refine and sensitize thespirit and a practitioner often needs to readjust theway he has been training so far. Although Hung Gar
students experience this on an early stage of theirtraining, only a few of them get to the point wherethey are able to truly understand the dragon. Why?Grandmaster Chiu Chi L ing: “The problemnowadays is that practitioners only rarely advanceto the level needed to grasp complex systems likethe dragon. There are no secrets or detainedknowledge, but if one only scratches on the surfaceand/or is learning from a mediocre teacher, he willnever be able to understand it.” By now, mostpeople have realized that behind the abstractfighting concept of the dragon lies the purpose tofight for your life. Some people are even aware ofthe connect ion between the dragon and theelement 'earth' in the Hung Gar. A trueunderstanding and appreciation however onlyemerges when a student achieves a certain level.Only after having studied and practiced somethingfor a certain per iod of t ime, one is able tocomprehend it in-depth. Yet, the only determinant astudent can actually control himself is what kind ofteacher he chooses. If someone has a teacher whois constantly trying to deepen and enhance hisskills and knowledge, the sky is the limit. However,the number of people with profound skills andknowledge decreases with the depth of the skillsand knowledge in a certain department. Thestructure of a pyramid is a perfect metaphor for thisparadigm: Many people are familiar with the basics,but only a few know and understand the profoundknowledge within this field. This is also the case inthe Hung Gar Kung Fu. Only the strong-willed anddevoted student who is eager to learn will find hisway to the top and as a consequence will sooner orlater comprehend abstract and complex principleslike the dragon style. This is an indispensablerequirement to ensure the viability of the true andoriginal Shaolin Hung Gar Kung Fu. Are you goingto be one of those who wi l l perpetuate thisknowledge?
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Basic principles of Jiu-Jitsu: Accuracy
How can we achieve naturalaccuracy? Probably, participatingregularly and consistently in workoutscan be a problem for many. Initially,most of Jiu-Jitsu beginners are soeuphoric about training that they willattend classes almost everyafternoon. After a while, though, theystart realizing that it's not only thequantity but also the quality whichcounts and so, some cut down theirappearances on the mat to once ortwice a week, especially when theyalready are practically part of the elite.
Training hard and training a lotdoesn't necessarily mean improvingin Jiu-Jitsu; often the opposite istrue, since the practitioner who trainshard, or very hard, tends to believethat he already has the victory in hispocket and when this doesn'thappen, many of them get sodisappointed that they even give uptraining Jiu-Jitsu.
When I spent my first days in Riode Janeiro, I left a school of Jiu-Jitsuwhere they used to say "the secondis the first of the losers." Thismentality can also be felt in manyschools of Jiu-Jitsu with a sportsorientation and where members areextremely competitive. The fear and
disappointment they actually hadcould be felt in the air. However,defeat should assume as a learningexperience and we should do it byourselves; it is better to analyze andlearn from it taking the negativeexperience as a positive source toimprove ... then we could benefitgreatly from it.
I f you are in the way of el i teathletes or you have alreadyunderstood Jiu-Jitsu as a lifestyle,you should make a toast for bothsuccesses and failures alike, so itwould be better from the beginningapproaching the study of Jiu-Jitsu asa long-term training, and therefore,refining the technical repertoire and
putting knowledge on the foreground. People whofrequently strive in Jiu-Jitsu competition are alsoseeking prestige, either because they had adifficult childhood or because they are seekingattract attention on them.
Success and fame arrive, but end soon and aresurpassed by reality. Few achieve to turn again thisdeed into something positive and help others; thiswould actually mean winning something, namely,share our experience with another person andthereby reach together the joy summit of Jiu-Jitsu.
If you read today magazines of combat sports,martial arts, or the like - particularly Americanmagazines - you must believe that about 85% ofworld Jiu-Jitsu practitioners train other GrapplingArts. However, perhaps we are just about 5% of allcombat sports. Jiu-Jitsu has been given an imageon which one has the impression that only toughguys train - or rather, that each Jiu-Jitsu training
session is hard. Grandmaster Helio Graciewould probably be now turning in hisgrave if he could see the currentsport scene... since he alwaysemphasized that his Ju-Jitsu wasnot to make an athlete becomebetter; his goal was that anyonecould learn it. The actual usefulsources of Jiu-Jitsu, acomplete physical health,mental strength, joy of l ife,respect and discipline, mustremain in the front line, otherwiseJiu-Jitsu wil l be a mere masssport without a great spirit norroots.
The Jiu-Jitsu is a vehicle that brings usto use it for our personal development. Thepractice of Jiu-Jitsu, with its subtle differences,
encourages us to see everything elsein life in a more accurate and preciseway, as seen in a combat or in atraining technique.
In my view, the Jiu-Jitsu principle of"accuracy" remains hidden in manytraining aspects. We are constantlybetween the clouds of success andthe ground, which reminds us thatthere is a lot of work that we still cando for ourselves. Tournaments can beused to work on technique,regardless of whether you win or lose,but it should not be the ultimate goal,although, very often, tournamentstend to be the real goal of manypeople. However, we must keep inperspective the constantimprovement of our technique (long-term); apart from that, tournamentsare intermediate tests, very usefuland absolutely necessary for you.Maybe this could be explained as ifyou were training for the New YorkMarathon and you were participatingin smaller races to prepare yourself.
The goal should be development ofa Jiu-Jitsu person, so that he canfulfill the highest standards. It's noeasy task. Achieving this goalrequires a lot of work and time. Oftenwe move away from the actual pathand believe that we can take ashortcut, but then we realize, onceagain, that such direct accesses arenot real paths. I think one of thelessons I've learnt which is mostimportant than my Jiu-Jitsu, is the"here and now" - the present.
One of the most interest ingaspects of Jiu-Jitsu, in addition tothe large number of techniques, ofcourse, is the series of combinationsand variations that are learned and,over t ime, can be developed byoneself . After observing theopponent, his weight, his movementand dynamism, comes the nextaction, either from you or from youropponent. In the mind, this is almostlike flying on autopilot, until youdon't know where you can go. Thebody may behave, from one situationto another and for a long time, in aneutral way, until the adversary oryou yourself perform the next action.In this way is carried out the preciseaction to seal success.
Pressure and the connection theory
Frequent ly, Professor PedroHemetério speaks about adaptationand the connection theory, whichgoes that if you use an 80% of yourweight against the opponent, youcan easi ly get the f inal izat ion.Perhaps that 80% shouldn't betaken literally, but it is understoodthat in Jiu-Jitsu connection is veryimportant, as you can simply feelthe way your enemy behaves. Hehas also repeatedly said that i tdoesn't exist any precise techniquethat can be done without a trueconnection between combatants.The posit ion in re lat ion to the
pressure against the opponentmakes it possible to properly carrythe arm under control, so you caneven make a stretched arm lock.However, th is can happen inseconds... Right now I'm thinkingabout a fight I saw the other day, ina Jiu-Jitsu event. . . The combatlasted more than fifteen minutes andjust before the end, the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu man managed to avoid themounting position of a very strongopponent and defeat him with anarmbar. Actual ly, th is could belabeled in the category of "bestmove of the year", because that'swhat I had not seen in a major eventof Jiu-Jitsu since long ago.
So you could say that Jiu-Jitsudoesn't rotate around technique, butit has to do with everything. In mycareer I have been lucky enough totrain with the best and learn fromthem. My personal training beganwith Gracie in a small garage inSanta Monica. Then I traveled to Riode Janeiro to meet Sylvio Behring.Back in Los Angeles I learned someimprovements with the Machadobrothers, cousins of Gracie's, andmy many trips I could learn fromPedro Hemetério, a great Jiu-Jitsuchampion who, unfortunately, is nolonger with us. The man who hasmost influenced me to building myimage in the Jiu-Jitsu world, hasmost likely been Rickson Gracie. Iwas fascinated not only with hisskills as a fighter, but also with his
Jiu-Jitsu style; when you speak ofbasic concepts at the highest level,it is with him where you can seethat. Never, not even in my earlydays of learning Jiu-Ji tsutechniques, have I been interestedin memorizing a hundred paces.Rather, I've strived to improve myknowledge, instead of learningunnecessary movements to make itmore complicated. Nonetheless I amnot any great man of the theory, butrather I deal with practice.
Whoever wants to achievemaximum accuracy in Jiu-Jitsu, hemust first understand that it is notabout obtaining an effect ivesubmission (finalization), but theway you get to i t . Let's br ief lyexpose some techniques, as forexample:
• As a Jiu-jitsuka of the art that Ilearned with the Gracie's, from thefirst day I practiced the crossedchoke. The reason was because:
a) I found out that this strangulationis carried out with the "thumb" andnot pulling the neck when twisting thekimono.
b) I didn't have to keep my hip inthe guard position, but move itslightly in order to stay closer to myopponent's nape, and
c) I might need to use this choke asa ruse to "invert" the guard of myopponent, in order to place myself ontop of his belly (Mounted position).
• In over 80% of the Jiu-Jitsufights, several guard positions areadopted. When these thingshappen, i t makes i t di ff icult formany. But who says they have tohappen? Master Pedro Hemetérioplaces great emphasis on the needof maintaining the guard. So youmust place yourself as if you'd reallylike to be on guard, and the enemyshould now move and try sometechnique. Then you can take theopportunity to break the guard. Hereyou also have to learn to readbetween the l ines! So, let theopponent (the "strong") make thefirst move and then counter him withless force, but with accuracy andpersistence.
• If you are lying down and youropponent is dominating you in themounted position, then you should tryto make him feel unstable, so tospeak, so that he is forced to trykeeping balance. The hip movement,also called "Upa", was for MasterPedro Hemetério, and for many otherexperts in Jiu-Jitsu, a very importantelement. However, the Upamovement works not only as adefense of the mounted position, butalso as a defense of the side mount(the "100 kg position") and thecrossed mount; this technique cancreate the space you need to freeyourself. Therefore, it is a techniquethat can be used in differentsituations.
• We will remain in the mountedposi t ion and contro l now theopponent f rom above. Here wehave the opt ion of making armtechniques and shoulder lever. Theso called "American" is one of themost efficient techniques. Why isthis so? Suppose we are in themounted posi t ion with theAmerican, and now the opponentcan move so much that we can'tkeep our position (mounted). Ofcourse, we could try a differenttechnique, but we can also makethe move to the next position (sidemount, 100 ki los) and keep theAmerican and the strength to defeatthe opponent. In this case, I've justoptimized the position, rather thanhaving to apply a complete lydifferent technique.
• So therefore, we can concludethat a technique must be applied ata l l levels, regardless of thestudent's development degree, andalso that a technique should remainefficient independently of the sizeand weight of the practitioner; andlast but not least , a techniqueshould be usable to all, both menand women.
www.triangleacademy.ch www.graciejiujitsu.ch
Text and Photos © Sandra Nagel & Franco Vacirca
Action choreographiesMADE IN HONG KONG &AMERICA
Showiness versus Credibility
Formerly, Americans didn't believe incontinuity and spectacle and they preferredbasing their choreographic ideas intosomething more real and believable.
But in the mid 90's, the time when JackieChan came forth with "Rumble in theBronx", the American audience beganaccepting longer and more spectacularfights.
For example, if we compare Van Damme's"Blood Sport", we'll see it presents strongand sharp blows. The Belgian actor hadalready shown more complicated anddeveloped fights in "Knock Off".
For a long time, the American market hadstuck to the reference Bruce Lee had left inthe 70's, a major spectacle with a mainmovement and little continuity.
The general idea is that the good guy hitsand the bad guy gets hit; there isn't muchmore than that.
The Chinese, and especially Jackie Chan,unwrapped a style that gives us no breath:moves, falls, hitting and being hit at thesame time, then a great scene where theactor literally jeopardizes his life, followed byanother frantic fight which only to thinkabout it makes us feel tired ...
The difference was in the enthusiasm and time invested inthe fight sequences; if arranging choreography for a filmtook three months in Hong Kong, in the United States theyjust dedicated three days.
Image and Martial SkillsAnother remarkable aspect is that in the USA (and
throughout the West, we could say) more attention is paid toimage than to qualities; that's why an actor who "looks"tough is the star, but then there's always a stuntman ordouble specialist to recreate difficult scenes for him.
Muscle mass, facial features, this is the most importantthing when choosing an actor; his martial skills remain in asecond plane.
In Asia is not like that, we can see a star out of shape butwith high level martial skills, like Samo Hung.
Personally, I was lucky enough to work in different Asianand American productions (or for the international market);
the truth is that if in America we have a scene interpretationconsultant who will be constantly seeking that we expressour emotions to the fullest, in Asia we will find an actiondirector and his team of specialists who will leave no detailto chance in regard to the action sequences.
Continuity in the scenes Another detail at cinematic level is the filmic continuity.
When a scene is shot, then we have a next scene whichshould give the idea that everything's happening at thesame time.
Western productions usually have a woman who takescare only of that; she's called the "Script". And why is italways a female? For the simple fact that women are moremeticulous and skilled in details than men, they noticeeverything: clothes, the way every actor moves, what footdid he first use to climb a ladder, which was the part wherehe was beaten and what hand he rested on the floor whenhe lost his balance; everything is minimally detailed in order
Martial Cinema
to keep the continuity; yet, thereare always small details thatescape to the sight of everyonebecoming pearls for celluloid fansafter completion of the film.
I've never seen a "script" inAsian productions and I knowabout many Western actors thathave a lot of problems whenroll ing, as the directorsthemselves do not pay anyattention to these things. As forthe fights, I think continuity is notso important, but productionsoutside Asia give it such relevancethat everything seems even staticwhen the sequence is edited.
And Asians have an editingstyle that can work wonders withan elder actor and with l itt leexperience in fighting scenes.
With this in mind, we noteanother crucial detail, the cameraposition.
Camera Angles Asian Films specialize in
showing the action in a differentway; if we add unusual cameraangles to the edition, we'll havefrenetic action scenes with aunique style.
In Hollywood, the action depends onwhere the camera is, it seems thateverything has to be moving around itsposition...
On the other hand, in Hong Kong, forexample, the camera is positionedaccording to the action development.Yuen Woo Ping is a specialist in this areaand perhaps his most important contri-bution to the Western public was in"Matrix", complementing East and Westin scenes that marked a before and after,and joining the highest digital technologyat the time with excellent fightsequences.
Movie speed This is a crucial aspect in the fight
scenes; Orientals go for adding speedto the fights while Westerners preferslow motion...
As an example I can cite JackieChan's movies produced in Asia,
with an incredible speed and timing.H i s A me r i c a n pro du c t i o n s a realready somewhat more "credible",wh e re mo v e me n t s h a v e a mo renormal speed. Maybe it's because ofhis age - JC is almost 60 - althoughh e s t i l l mai n t a i n s h i s f o l l o wersinterested.
A clear example of films using slowmotion to add showiness, are nothingless than some of Van Damme'sfilms.
"Bloodsport" contains many scenesin slow motion techniques that makeJCVD's leg techniques shine.
Another star, this time female, whodisplayed her skills in USA and HongKong is nothing less than CinthiaRotrock, and if we compare her filmsproduced in Southeast Asia, we'll seebreathtaking scenes; but in her workson American soil, the quality is not thesame.
We can say that the Americanmentality is that of understanding atfirst glance everything that happensduring combat, where exist strugglesand slow-motion to make it easygrasping the actions.
By contrast, in Hong Kong, theyseek frantic actions that arecontinuous and impressive andperhaps it's necessary to view thefights more than once so as to seeeach of the movements clearly.
West vs. East Personally, I have worked in both
industries and it can be said that inmany ways they are like water and oil.
On the one hand, in Hong Kong youhave a detailed choreography, withmovements that must be accurate andin the correct angle respect to thecamera. This is what I experiencedworking with Anthony Szeto in "The
Martial Cinema
Fist of the Dragon", a film that hasn't beenreleased yet - only the "trailer" is available onthe Internet.
In USA you can already shoot in excellentconditions with a catering you won't find inChina or Hong Kong, but at choreographylevel, everything will be subject to time offilming and to the director's vision, withoutpaying much attention to the details at martiallevel or camera angles.
Currently, in China, co-productions with theUnited States and other Western countries arebeginning to be made; perhaps in a not toodistant future we will be able to appreciatefilms where these two personal and uniquestyles of making movies, Eastern and Western,complement each other.
Andrew DaszActor/fight [email protected]@gmail.comhttp://www.imdb.me/andrewdasz
Kyusho (the Vital Point) of Energy Development.
“Bow Pose” DhanurásanaFrom the last pose we opened the pathways and began to allow the
Kundalini to rise along the Shushuma as well as opening andenergizing both the Ida and Pingala as well. This was possible oncemany safeguards and nuero pathways were opened, strengthened andbalanced. This will begin as a vibration or feeling of electrical currentflowing through the body as it builds into heat to breakdown thecalcifications or blockages in the body. This can also be physicallyinduced with certain nerve manipulations, but the yoga postures aredesigned to bring them about on your own.
Not only did we prepare the physical body in all prior postures, we alsoprepared the brain and spinal column as well. This is paramount for goodand safe transmission of the very powerful energy. One must also keep inmind that it is not wise to simply release the Kundalini, but rather to nurturethe process it and prepare for maintained balance; this posture is one suchphysical way to accomplish the balance and release valve so to say.
When Kundalini reaches your head, do not try to intellectualize orcontrol it as you do not need to. You will feel the heat andpressures inside your head moving and vibrating as manychanges occur, you may even feel as if it opens andreleases up and out of the top of your head (Crownchakra). Let this occur as it serves to decalcifythe Pineal Gland and other components of thebrain as it improves mental functionality. Thisis the process called awakening in the Yogicarts and a goal of them.
With the release of the Kundalini thepractitioner will experience a great amount ofheat generating and moving that can lead tosome very distressful symptoms, (which theauthor has endured and not merelyspeculation). Such symptoms could be;physical sweating beyond normal day andnight, emotional imbalances and difficultalmost “crazy” periods due to pastemotional issues surfacing andreleasing (cleansing or purging) fromthe subconscious.
If the Kundalini fire is concentratedin the throat, the practitioner mayexperience a vibration, heat orpressure radiating out of the backof the neck and manifest achingand pain in the throat or jaw. Itmay also manifest in speakingangrily from the release of thingsyou’ve suppressed or have notbeen able to verbalize before.
Further symptoms are all basedon where the Kundalini centers orconcentrates; as another example, ifconcentrated or held in the solarplexus chakra, physical belly bloatingmay occur, and fear may surface or bepredominant. Loss of appetite mayalso become a symptom from theexcess energy or just lack of interest asyou live this experience.
If the Kundalini concentrates in the chestor your heart chakra symptoms will includea heat, pressure, and possibly movements inthis area of your body along with intense anduneven heart beats, vibrations or shocks. Thismay lead to emotional episodes initiated by anystrong realizations even in beautiful or wonderfuloccurrences. For Women these are not unlikethe hot flashes during menopause or the high
Text: Evan PantaziYoga Instructor: Carolina Lino - Ponta Delgada, AzoresPhoto by: Tiago Pacheco Maia - Ponta Delgada, Azores
emotionality during pregnancy for some.In Men it may feel as a heart attack or
high anxiety, but again this is a purging andthere are many ways to calm this fire, this
posture is one of them.When Kundalini f ire is sett led or
concentrated in the two lower chakras, theremay be a surfacing and/or release of oldsexual issues, guilt, or suppressed survival
energies which can cause discomfort at first buteventually release and greater awareness. Also
be aware and drink plenty of water as theincreased energy, muscle contractions and heat
manifested, along with the constant sweating leadsto dehydration and mineral loss, and the constant
detoxing and purging that this entire process creates.This is also controlled with this posture (and the next in
the series).When working with increased energy and especially
when it transforms into heat, the ground (preferably ondirt, grass or the damp sand at the beach) will act toattract and cool it. Now cold scientifically does not exist,only heat (greater vibrational levels) exists, but thegreater heat will flow or be attracted to the lesser (cold)heated or vibrational entity. So by placing the lowerChakras of the frontal body on the ground, in essencethe heat or Kundalini will be attracted, this serves as an
outlet so as not to overwhelm the body with it’s release.You will also note that the hands and legs are held in sucha position so as not to diverge the possible groundingoutlets so that a greater release can be achieved. Thefurther release from the base Chakra is severely inhibitedby the compression of the complete spine, from base tohead.
Not only is the spine compressed, but s too are all theperipheral pathways for the energies to flow. As theseflows are impeded, the front of the body especially thefrontal centerline or Chakral line is stretched (opened) forgreater flow. This concentrates and leads the energy ofthe Kundalini down toward the ground at the secondChakra in particular. This serves to release the excessenergies and released debris so as not retain them in thebody. The circuit is completed as it manifests andreleases from the base Chakra as it climbs through theShushuma, Ida and Pingala to the head and back downthe frontal Chakras.
“Bow Pose” DhanurásanaWhen we adopt this posture we lay the frontal body to
the ground flat so that all the chakras are in contact withthe less energetic ground. The arms reach back as thelower legs lift to meet as the hands clasp onto the anklesor feet. Then in a synchronous manner the upper body
“Not only is the spine compressed, but s too are allthe peripheral pathways for the energies to flow. As these flows are impeded, the front of the bodyespecially the frontal centerline or Chakral line is
stretched (opened) for greater flow.”
and legs are lifted so as to place the focal balance onthe second Chakral area.
The head is pulled back in order to stretch fromthe third eye or sixth Chakra so it is also felt asopening the upper sinus cavity where the Idaand Pingala meet. This acts to allow theincreased energies to descend down throughto the fifth Chakra at the throat that is alsostretched accordingly. As the Kundalini isallowed to transverse now into the fourthor Heart Charka, the pressure released toopen this gate is not only longitudinal,but lateral as well. This has beenaccomplished via the shoulders andarms extended to hold the feet in thisposition.
The third or Solar Plexus Chakra isalso in contact with the ground butnot completely as this serves to bethe first level of attraction for theKundalini. The sixth Chakra now bearsthe weight of the body and is the releasepoint of the heat and vibrations of thedispelled Kundalini. And of special note,should the practitioner feel any artifacts ofthe Kundalini, this posture can be used tofurther disperse it.
Breathing and Intention: From the prior “Big Toe Pose”
(Angusth?sana), the practitioner inhales deeplyin the pose and beginsto exhale as the kneesare brought down to the ground. Continue theexhale as you roll the bdy andarms forward untillaying flat down inprone position with armsextended. Take the time to again inhale deeplyand as you begin to exhale, slowly brings the armsto the side and down to grasp the ankles or feet thatare rising to greet them.
As you pull up on the head, shoulders and legsbegin to exhale slowly until the sixth Chakra is themain contact on the ground. As you exhale and performthe posture, feel all of the heat or vibrations travellingdown fromthe crown, through the third eye, throat,chest,solar plexus and into the lower abdomine.
To reeat the breathing prcess you may maintain theposture (the best solution) or again lay flat. This may taketime to comfortably holdthis posture through cmplete acomplete breathing cycle, but it is the more thorough wayto maintain the correct ground and disperse the greateramount of energies.
Next Posture 15 “Seated Primoidial” Rája Purnásana
“When we adopt this posture welay the frontal body to the groundflat so that all the chakras are
in contact with the lessenergetic ground”
few months ago Ilaunched my associationTAOWS Academy, aproject that I had in mindfor quite some time. Icalled it TAOWS Lab. In
the laboratory we try to take stepsforward in the study of this fascinatingCombat Art.
WingTsun is a Chinese boxing styleunlike any other. In my articles andbooks, I always refer to i t as a"hybrid" style. This word clearlydefines the character ist ics andidiosyncrasy of the system itself. Inmy experience teaching andpracticing this style, there is oneword that I think describes perfectlyWingTsun: SUBTLE. This little word,subtle, composed of only twosyllables (like WingTsun), presentsseveral meanings. The OxfordAdvanced Dict ionary of CurrentEngl ish def ines subtle at f i rstinstance as "fine and delicate". But itgoes on stat ing: "Ingenious,complex... An then: Quick and cleverat seeing or making del icatedifferences, sensit ive.. ."Undoubtedly, these last meaningsdefine much better what in myopinion makes this system sodifficult to understand.
Quite often, WingTsun hasundergone vulgar simplifications thathave led excellent practitioners to ablind alley, ambushed by the totallyinflexible guidelines of some gurus orteachers who claim to possess thetruth patent (their own truth, ofcourse!). It's something very sad,against which I've been campaigningfor months. But placed on a dynamicsof building and planning situations, Iwant to use all these negativeelements for the study of an art andtry to make them "good."
The TAOWS Academy LAB is a wayto link up WingTsun practitioners in aplace to practice and study what I callAdvanced WingTsun. I am not very
fond of high-sounding phrases (like"advanced") but, the end of the day, Ijust had to do it somehow, and myreflection intends to encouragepractitioners of this art to reviewingeverything they study with a certainperspective, to help them and helpourselves in our practicing.
Advanced is what follows to Basic. Idon't always agree with what is meantby Advanced or Basic in WingTsun,just for a very simple question. Notalways what we understand as Basicis easier to grasp or apply than whatwe call Advanced. This, in my opinion,would be the only reason for labellingthe techniques one way or another,but the more I practice this system,the more I realize that the seeminglybasic things are the most difficultones to apply in real situations.
In this search for the "apparentsimplicity", not always has beenunderstood the fact that what we areactually seeking is to make SIMPLEwhat is very COMPLICATED in itself(beating an opponent who is notcooperating and is trying to finish usoff as hard as he can).
Surely befuddled by action moviesor by the hundreds of demonstrations
Do you need a master all your life?
“In the currentWingTsun scene is alltoo common to hear
instructors ofdifferent branches of
Wing Chun affirmthat it is necessary to
study the art fordecades.”
A“Not always
what weunderstand asBasic is easier
to grasp or apply thanwhat we callAdvanced.”
Wing Tsun
and skill displays in which MMAschools, for the desire to beat anadversary who tries to doeverything and with a superiorforce, with a "magic" techniqueovercome him with just two tricks ...Well, after twenty years of trying ...I 'm sorry to say that is notpossible!
After this "disappointment", Iwonder what things could bechanged, or perhaps be oriented ina different way so we can fightusing the style to which some of ushave devoted more than half-life...
For sure many practitioners ofother styles (not WingTsun) whoread my columns and make meinquiries via email or on mywebsite, wil l f ind strange mystatement or even in some othercases similar to the problems ofthe so-called classical styles. But
the main thing is to try tointroduce into practice somethingthat is often forgotten: commonsense.
A few days ago, while I waspreparing a LAB session formy team, one of the TVchannels I usually watch inorder to study the combatelements and fighting arts,started to issue adocumentary about theRoman legions.
The documentarydescribed very conciselythe different strategies andtechniques that theRoman Legions carriedout in battle and the reasonsfor which this military body hadbecome the most feared warmachinery of the time,explaining also the individualtraining of Legionnaires. Thefact that most caught myattention was the extent of theinstructing period: six monthsto a year. I was surprised bythe relatively short period theyneeded to form one of the mostfearsome soldiers of ancienttimes, as opposed to theduration of training for amartial artist today. In thecurrent WingTsun scene is alltoo common to hearinstructors of differentbranches of Wing Chun affirmthat it is necessary to studythe art for decades.
I f ind it l i tt le less thancurious that there arepeople who claim that aperson needs 20 years to"complete a system", whena Roman Legionary wasperfectly trained for battle inless than a year. What is theconclusion to be drawn fromthis dichotomy? Well ... it'ssimple. Throughout thetraining process of any skill,there is a part of training andother of experimentation. The
“It's reallygratifying to seeevery day howan increasing
number ofcourageous
teachers dare topropose new
ideas (some ofthem reallyinspired). A beautiful
perspective isopening in themidst of so
much darkness.”
instructing period cannot last in anyway, 20 years! It's really offensive tothe intelligence of normal persons.Although, after a training period, theperiod of experimentation obviouslycan and should last as many years aspossible in order to improve thecapacity and understanding of theprinciples or techniques.
It was in these circumstances thatTAOWS Lab arose, where we cancomplete in the shortest time theWingTsun system and try out the styleitself in a number of scenarios andconditions that force us to adapt tochanging situations beyond our control.The experience is proving to be highlyrewarding, so much so that some of theexercises, drills and sections that Iteach in my seminars and trainingcourses have emerged from the workand research process I'm carrying outwith the team of my closestcollaborators. Everything in search ofapplying a style of fighting to the fight!
Reached this point, I'd like to referto the title of this month's article: Do we need a master all our life? In my opinion, NO, WE DON'T. In
fact I think it's really bad for thepractitioner's individual development.Don't get me wrong. I don't want thisto be misinterpreted. I don't meanbreaking up with your master / father /instructor, but quite the opposite. It'ssimply looking at everything with adifferent perspective.
One of the masters I most admireand I often reread shamelessly says
that.... "It arrives a certain moment inwhich you must 'kill' your master…" Itotally agree. Not doing it means notundertaking a work of self-discoveryand personal experimentation thatcan greatly enrich our practice.
This change in focusing the teacher-student relationship is, in my opinion,what should define the passing fromstudent to instructor, when after havingreached a certain level in all respects,the person finally receives the title ofSIFU. From that moment, is the new"father" who must look differently theway he relates to his Master and beginto leave his mark, his own style withinthe style, in short, the period wherepractitioners must engage in practiceand experimentation and suggest newideas.
Truly there are some groups thatare currently doing interesting works(and not just in my association). Thetelecommunication era allows us tosee what's happening in othercountr ies or cont inents in whatrelates to the practice of MartialArts.
It's really gratifying to see every dayhow an increasing number ofcourageous teachers dare topropose new ideas (some of themreally inspired). A beautifulperspective is opening in themidst of so much darkness.
At this point, I should like toinvite those who wish it towork, investigate and dare toventure into the so-calledAdvanced WingTsun which ismade up by the mostadvanced stages of the BZT,MYC, BCD and Pole system,invite them to not confusetradition with immobility, tonot confuse respect for theMaster with lack of courageon proposals to improvetheir practice.
Let's be more l ike theRoman Legionaries ... A fewyears of learning and thenmany years of practice andevolution. Surely this greatfamily of practit ioners wil lappreciate it.
Thanks very much to everyonefor your attention and support.
“I want to invitethem to not
confuse traditionwith immobility, to not confuserespect for the
Master with lackof courage onproposals toimprove their
practice.”
“In this search forthe "apparent
simplicity", not always has
been understoodthe fact thatwhat we are
actually seeking isto make SIMPLE
what is veryCOMPLICATED.”
Wing Tsun
“Let's be morelike the RomanLegionaries ... A few years of
learning and thenmany years ofpractice andevolution.”
87 year old Hal Sharp isone of the World's
foremost authorities onJudo. A 9th in Judo Hal isa book of knowledge from
that era when there islittle information on
martial arts, right afterWW2. Hal was actually a
Body Guard for theEmperor of Japan at theend of WW2 which is a
story in itself. His writingprowess is unparalled ashis books Sport of Judo,Techniques of Judo, andBoys Judo have all been
best sellers in martial artsfor years.
“The Genesis of Judo”.By 87 Year Old HalSharp 9th dan JudoThis article is part of the series I
plan to write relating to judo and myexperiences in Japan in the early1950's. This article is primarily aboutJapan's greatest juj itsu master,Sanjiro Yokoyama, who became thehead instructor at the originalKodokan Judo Institute. Jigoro Kano, founder of Kodokan
judo surrounded himself with a groupof powerful jujitsu masters such as,Yokoyama, Tomita, Yamashita,Saigo, Mifune, Samura, Nagaoka,etc… Before I get further into thisarticle the term used in Yokoyama'sday was” jujutsu”, however, since theterm “jujitsu” is commonly used todayI will use that term in this article. Today there is confusion as to what
is jujitsu versus judo. Compoundingthe problem is all the various Asianmartial arts that we see in manyshopping centers. Prior to the 1900s there were very
few books, and documents on martialarts most of which consisted ofscrolls and a few line drawings. Thenames of techniques often consisted
of made up words that vaguelydescribed the technique. In Japan there had been various
martial arts schools with systems likejujutsu, yawara, torite, taijutsu, judoetc. Some school's names wereassociated with the teacher's name.One could not tell by the name of thesystem which techniques they wereusing. Most of the schools faded awaywith their players and sensei's goingto judo. All of my older sensei's like,Kawakami, Takagaki and Mifunewere former jujitsu players. During theearly 1900s when E.J. Harrison(famous author of several booksincluding his best selling book TheFighting Spirit of Old Japan) practicedjujitsu and judo he had never heard ofnames such as karate, aikido or any ofthese other martial art schools, whichdoesn't mean they did not exist. While I was training in Japan during
the 1950s I started to work on a book
covering the history of martial arts inJapan. By this time I was familiar withsumo, kendo, aikido, taiho-jutsu andkarate. My sensei's tried to help meby taking me to various jujitsu schoolswhich turned out to be small groupsof older men doing kata's(prearranged drills) with and withoutweapons. For the most part theywould just be practicing tricks listed inan old scroll. None of the schoolspracticed in a competit iveenvironment like judo. At this point Iam not suggesting which martial art isthe best when it comes to a fight,especially since I grew up in thestreets of South Philadelphia learningboxing and street fighting which Ireally used at one time or another.The event that led me to writing this
article came about while I was writingmy new book titled “Boys - Girls Judo& Self-defense”, subtitled, “Road toBlack Belt”. I wanted this to be morethan the typical book which showsand describes basic techniques ortricks, while only giving lip service tothe essential elements needed to reallymake the tricks work in competition.Otherwise you might just as well bepracticing judo with a manikin. Evenmy first two books “Sport of Judo”
“Yokoyama earnedthe nickname ofOni (Demon)Yokoyama”
Judo
and “Techniques of Judo” do not adequately cover theessential elements for victory. I discovered an excellentdescription of these elements in a 100-year-old booktitled “Kyohan Judo” written by Sanjiro Yokoyama andEisuke Oshima. Kyohan means instruction manual. Thisis the first book on judo written by the Kodokan,published in English in 1915. A reprint of the book isavailable on Amazon and my next article will discuss thecontents of this book. However, it is important to notethat of the 297 pages in the book almost 100 of thepages are dedicated to how to make judo work incompetition and how to train effectively. For example, onthe subject of the kusushi (broken balance of opponent )the book speaks of when the opponent is a two leggedman and one legged man. This type of descriptionrevealed to me that the writer really was an experiencedfighter. Then I remembered that in E.J. Harrison's book“The Fighting Spirit of Japan” there was a chapter aboutYokoyama titled “A Champion's Reminiscences”. Thiscontained exciting and humorous stories about fightingin Japan during the Meiji era (1868-1912). For those of you who remember the movie the “Last
Samurai”, you may recall that during this period Japanwas seeking to become a modern nation and wasessentially eliminating the old ways of the samuraiincluding their methods of fighting. This resulted in manyjujitsu masters being unemployed. With the creation ofKodokan judo, where jujitsu was turned into a sport, thisbecame a haven for the jujitsu masters.
Yokoyama lived 1864-1912 during the Meiji era. Hetells the story of when he was a young boy he witnesseda real sword fight. An old ronin samurai wearing tatteredclothes was walking past three young samurai whoappeared to be a l itt le drunk. His sword caseaccidentally touched the sword case of one of thesamurais which is considered to be a grievous offense.Immediately he humbly apologized to the samurai. Hisapology was not accepted and the three samurais drewtheir swords and spread out to fight. He pleaded that itwould be meaningless to fight and continued toapologize. With no way to stop the fight the old samuraidrew his sword and slowly walked towards the middlesamurai. The samurai on the right side saw an openingand quickly attacked but was cut down by the oldsamurai. Then the samurai on the left attacked and hewas cut down. The middle samurai seeing his twobuddies lying dead in a pool of blood immediately tookoff. In those days all fighting had to be reported to thepolice, which the old samurai proceeded to do.
“Most of the photographsyou have probably seen ofthese old jujutsu and judomaster's are pictures of
old men. However, I assureyou they had powerful
bodies. Included here arephotographs of Yokoyamain kimono and Kawakamishowing his muscles”
As a young man Yokoyama studiedjujitsu. He and his jujitsu buddies wereanxious to test their knowledge in a realfight. In the neighborhood of their dojowas a section of town where there wasa lot of drinking and gambling.Sometimes at night gamblers wouldjump drunken customers to get theirmoney. The young jujitsu playersdecided to have one of their groupimitate a drunken customer and whenthe gamblers attacked they would jumpin and fight. Although they kneweffective ways of striking and seriouslyinjuring or killing someone they decided
they would limit their fighting toseparating the gamblers lower jaw withthe heel of their hand. It just so happensthat their jujitsu sensei was also thelocal bone-setter (like a chiropractor).The next day the injured gamblers wentto the jujitsu sensei to get their jawsfixed. Meanwhile, the young jujitsustudents would peak in the room to seethe extent of the damage they hadcaused. He recognized this was a selfconfession of his youthful actions whichwould not be tolerated today.Yokoyama trained in Tenjin Yoshin-
ryu jujutsu. Tournaments amongst
Judo
“All of my oldersensei's like,Kawakami,Takagaki andMifune wereformer jujutsu
players”
the various juj itsu schools wasextremely rough and sometimesdeadly. There were very few rules andessentially everything goes. Oftenbefore going to a tournament hewould bid his family farewell becauseit was a possibility he would not returnalive. At the age of 23 there was afamous tournament betweenNakamura and himself. Their fightlasted 55 minutes, which was arecord, and was finally stopped by thereferee because he did not want tosee any of them killed. Yokoyamastated that most of his tournamentsonly lasted 2 to 3 minutes. In Japaneach year in jujitsu and later in judothe big tournament was the East andWest. Nakamura was then considered
the champion of the East andYokoyama the champion of the West.During election times there were
often fights between the two partieswhich gave Yokoyama another outletfor practicing jujitsu.Another tough jujitsu master was
Kyuzo Mifune who often got into fights.Kano stated he often had to get Mifuneout of jail because of his fighting. Onone occasion Yokoyama was in arestaurant with Mifune. A gang of 13young men came into the restaurant,were drinking heavily and once in awhile they would whisper to each otherand stare at them. One of the youngmen came over to Yokoyama grabbedhis coat and hat and started to walkaway. Yokoyama went after him
demanding his coat and hat meantimesix of the others decided to join in afight with Yokoyama. Then Mifunequickly joined into the fray and within afew minutes they had knocked out orsubdued all 13 of the attackers.In another incident, a friend of
Yokoyama was at home having dinnerwith another fr iend. A group ofroughnecks entered his house anddemanded money which was refusedthen they pulled out swords andknives to threaten them. Amanservant saw this and ran out ofthe house to get Yokoyama. WhenYokoyama arrived the leader of thegang recognized him and bowed.Yokoyama told him to leave with hisgang but that if he needed somemoney he could come to Yokoyama'shouse later and he would give themmoney. The others wanted to fight butthe leader told them they would havetrouble with Yokoyama and that theyshould leave. They never came toYokoyama's house, however, one ofthe bad guys came to the Kodokanand became a very good judo ka.Yokoyama earned the nickname of
Oni (Demon) Yokoyama.Most of the photographs you have
probably seen of these old jujutsu andjudo master's are pictures of old men.However, I assure you they hadpowerful bodies. Included here arephotographs of Yokoyama in kimonoand Kawakami showing his muscles.Following Yokoyama, Kawakamibecame one of Kano's favoritestudents and competitor.In summary we usually form our
opinions based on our ownexperiences. For almost 5 years Itrained 6 to 7 days a week in hardjudo. I started as a white belt andmade it to 4th Dan. At the Kodokanmonthly rank tournaments, you foughtin your rank class, and as youprogressed they moved you up to thetougher guys. You could only win byippon, with no decisions for superiorityand no penalties to give you anadvantage over your opponent as theydo today. There were no weightclasses, you fought by your skill status.I had gone through the typical phasesof learning forms, being defensive,counter throwing, power gripping anddoing combinations because youcould not throw straightaway. By thetime I was a 3rd Dan I had developedthe power of shizentai (being nowhere)and being able to read my opponent(mirror mind) being sensitive to theopponent's actions and instantly beingable to adapt a technique to beat theopponent. I am not certain if the readerwill understand what I am saying, butthis is why I think I understand whatYokoyama was saying in his book.
Self-defense
“It doesn't take years to learn self-defense, it takes days.” That's a statement I'veused to promote my Reality-Based Personal Protection system for many years now,and many traditional-based martial artist scream, “Impossible! Wagner is a fraud.” For over 20 years I have been training police agencies and military units all around
the world, and I'm still convinced thatlearning “real” self-defense takesonly days. If you can't learn anygiven self-defense technique infive minutes, then you won'tneed it in a real fight.Plus, after havingwitnessed thousandsof fights, and havingbeen in several life-and-death f ightsmyself as a soldierand a pol iceoff icer, I knowthat in anyserious conflictonly four to fivetechniques willbe used.
TRAINING ONE MINUTE AT A TIME
Self-defense
REALITY-BASED TRAI-NING ONE MINUTE AT A TIME
Going a step further many life-saving lessons for personal protectioncan be learned in a minute, and Ifound this out by writ ing to mystudents on my facebook page. Yes, Istill write long articles, and even thickbooks on self-defense, but sometimesthe truth in combat can be learned ina minute.
To understand what I mean I haveselected 10 Personal Protection Tipsfor you to read, in a minute or less,and the subjects are varied. A lot of
“truth in combat” can be contained ina paragraph.
When you keep adding these one-minute tips together, and stringingtogether one realistic technique afteranother together, eventually you havewhat you need for those conflictscenarios you are likely to face.
YOU ARE BEING WAT-CHED WHEN YOU FIGHT
Whenever you get into a conflict inpublic (argument or physicalconfrontation) tell yourself, "I ambeing videotaped," and assume it willend up on YouTube for all to see, and
in a courtroom of law. Keeping this inmind wil l keep you from doingsomething you will regret. You'll neverget into legal trouble if you know theappropriate use-of-force to use forany given situation.
YOUR CAR DOOR IS THE ATTACK POINT
The attack point is 1-meter (3 feet)radius of your car door. Have your carkeys in hand, and before you put thekey into the keyhole of the lock,quickly do a full circle scan of the areato see if a criminal is approachingyou. It takes a mere two seconds.
Most carjackings happen in this small circle. Youneed to make this situational awareness techniquea habit, which means do it EVERY TIME youapproach your car door, and not just at night or inisolated areas.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AEGO FIGHT AND A REAL FIGHT
An “ego fight” is the proverbial bar fight. In mostcases the two people fighting have no intention ofinflicting any serious injuries to one another.Serious injuries would be permanent damage tothe body such as biting off an ear or finger,breaking major bones such as the skull or pelvic,gouging out an eye, and the like. Sure, somebodymay get a broken nose or broken jaw in an egofight, but even if a person loses an ego fight heusually survives it. On the other hand a life-and-death fight is exactly what it implies, serious bodilyinjury or death. Usually it's a fight against a criminalor terrorist. Reality-Based Personal Protectionprepares students for both types of fights.
"If you want to hurt someone use a closed fist. Ifyou don't want to hurt someone use an open handstrike." That is a quote I learned when training withthe Israeli police several years ago when I was aguest instructor at the National Police Academy(Israel Police Operational Fitness AcademyHavatselet Hasharon Israel). So, what does thatexactly mean? Just that, when you hit someonewith a closed fist it is essentially bone-to-bone,and that causes injuries. When you use an openhand strike, such as a palm strike, it is soft tissuemaking contact, and the top part of the hand isnot supported. The riot police officers I talked touse open hand strikes to stun someone; more likea hard slap. Yes, of course, you can injuresomeone with a palm strike, but would you do thatsame strike to the opponent's ribs if you wantedto break them - of course not. A good old balledup fist is what will break ribs. Plus, walk into anybar in the world, be it Mongolia or Brazil. If twountrained men get into a fight what kind of blowswill they be throwing? Close fists or open handtechniques. Obviously, most men are hard wired tohit with their fists; it's just natural. On the otherhand, if two untrained women go at it with eachother what will they do? That's right, a catfight:tearing, clawing, scratching, and slapping. Not100% of women, but most of them. That's justhow they are hard wired. So, when I teach myReality-Based Personal Protection on what kind ofstrikes to use I go back to that Israeli quote.
Self-defense
YOU'RE BEING WATCHEDFor years I have been saying that various
government agencies can listen and watchyou through your own phones andcomputers. A lot of my students thought Iwas paranoid or misinformed. Then when theNSA story broke a year ago I was provenright again. It's not just governments aroundthe world that can do this, but other entitiesas well - like those who may want to stealyour identity or black mail you withinformation they gleaned from spying on you.
There are all kinds of reasons why youwant to protect yourself. One of the easiestthings you can do is stick a Post-It noteover your camera lens when you are notusing it . Whatever that camera lens ispointed to there is the possibility that it canbe sending images back to an unfriendlyviewer. That simple Post-It note blinds apossible source turning your device againstyou. The Jim Wagner Real i ty-BasedPersonal Protection system is not just about"punching and kicking" only, but a l l"personal protection."
DON'T MAKE EYE CONTACTWITH THE ROBBER
In an armed robbery never make eyecontact with the suspect. If you do you justmay get shot; same with a vicious dog, oryou will get bit.
Reason one is they think you are trying toremember their face, even with a mask on.Reason two is that if you are a martial artistyou give off the same "vibes" as a policeofficer or a soldier (Type A Personality as wesay in America), and he may just shot youthinking you're a cop. I have been robbedonce in Mexico, and twice in Egypt, plus as apolice officer for 20+ years I have talked tomany robbery victims. Even if you plan toattack you must play the role of a very scaredvictim. Of course there is much more I couldwrite about, but you get the main point.
THINK FORENSICALLYAs part of your post-conflict training “think
forensically.” Like I teach my students in myCrime Survival course, “Preserve crimeevidence.”
“In an armed robberynever make eyecontact with the
suspect. If you do you just mayget shot; same with a
vicious dog, or you will get bit”
True "reality-based" self-defense training includes Pre-Conflict, Conflict, and Post-Conflict. Preserving crime sceneevidence must be a part of your training. The evidence youpreserve may be the very element that connects the criminalto the crime or sends him to prison in a serious crime. Youneed to know how to fight, but there are many things thathappen after a fight that are just important.
DON'T BE IN THE CENTER MASSA gunman goes for the "center mass" of a group.
Therefore, stay on the edges: restaurants, movies, crowds,airports, etc.
This is based on studying many school shootings, officemassacres, and terrorist attacks. In my Terrorism Survival Iactually have students carry out "terrorist attacks" withAirsoft firearms and certain patterns ALWAYS happen. Thenwe learn how to use those patterns to our advantage. Inschool shootings, et cetera, you always hear about thevictims killed, but almost never about what people did"right." Animals like to attack the herd on the edge, becausethey are only after food. Humans attack the center for masscasualties.
INSTANTANEOUS SHOCK FROM ASTAB WOUND
1 1/4" or 3cm stab to major muscle group can induceinstantaneous shock. You could pass out immediately ortwo minutes later.
Puncture wounds to the body are very serious. Even astab to a major muscle group may not seem like a big dealto you, even though it may not be life threatening, but anypenetration to the body of 3 cm or more can produce whatis called INSTANTANEOUS SHOCK. You may feel perfectlyfine, then all of a sudden you go unconscious. I always tell astory to my students in my Knife Survival course where Iaccidentally got stabbed in my left leg with a bayonet. It wasa little pain, but other than that I felt fine. There was bloodcoming down my leg, but that did not make me feel uneasy.A few minutes later as my training partner was getting a
Self-defense
“Going a step further manylife-saving lessons for
personal protection can belearned in a minute,
and I found this out bywriting to my students on my
facebook page”
dressing for the wound I passed out. It just hitme suddenly. I've talked to many knife victimsand many have told me they have experiencedthe same thing. Sometimes it is a few secondsafter the stab or sometimes minutes after theincident. YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS becauseyou could pass out while still in the fight, andthat is not good. I give a few examples of whatone should do in various situations, which Iwon't go into here, but just know that this can(but not always) happen to you, and you needto prepare tactically for such an occurrence.
THE KEY TO AVOIDING A HEAD BUTT
An Algerian Head Butt is where the attackerlaunches his entire body at you using the top ofhis head to impact your face.
There are several type of head butttechniques that people use: the AustralianWhisper, English Head Butt, Irish Head Butt,and the Algerian Head Butt. Regardless of whatkind of technique someone is going to throw atyou, if you have your hands in front of you upby your face it is impossible for the attacker toget close enough to you to complete thetechnique. In situations like a pub you can keepyour hands up, or as we in Reality-BasedPersonal Protection say, "talking with yourhands." It looks natural, but your protection isthere. A great tool also for you to practice headbutts is the Impact Head.
WARNING! AIRSOFT GUNS INUSE. PLEASE KNOCK.
I first introduced paint guns into martial artstraining back in 1981. Then when Airsoft gunscame out I immediately started using them andmade the first DVD with Budo Internationalabout the subject titled: Air Gun Training. As apolice and military firearms instructor I treattraining guns, even rubber ones, like the realthing. When I am using rubber guns, andespecially air guns, all my students know that Ifollow standard police and military range safetyprocedures. At a real firearms range there is ared flag flown that indicates that a range isactive; or sometimes called "hot." There is alsoa sign posted where possible foot traffic couldaccidentally walk into the danger zone. When Iteach air guns I always post a sign at the frontdoor that reads WARNING! AIRSOFT GUNS INUSE. PELASE KNOCK. This way a personwanting to come in won't get their eye shot outwith a 6mm plastic bal l i f we are doingshooting techniques or scenarios. If I do havean observer come in I will make sure they aregiven eye protection if the guns are still in use.You may even want the sign to be in the colorred to symbolize the red range flag. Reality-Based Personal Protection has raised thestandards of training, and this is just one morearea.
Be A Hard Target.To learn more about the Jim Wagner Reality-
Based Personal Protection system visitwww.jimwagnerrealitybased.com
m sure you’ve heard this conversation(or one like it) before:“I don’t need martial arts. I have a
.357. Ha! What are you going to doabout that?” This is a very common
misconception: If you own a gun, you’re all set toprotect yourself. But to anyone with any degree ofreality-based training, that statement would belaughable if it weren’t so dangerous. People say things like that out of ignorance. And
it’s not really their fault. They don’t know anybetter. Maybe they think just having a gun givesthem a lot of power. But just because even a two-year-old can shoot somebody, that doesn’t makethe gun all-powerful. Sure, many people have been killed by guns –
including many gun owners with a concealedweapons permit, who ended up getting killed withtheir own weapon. They pulled it and then theydidn’t know how to use it. They didn’t have theability to get it out, aim it, and fire the round thatwould stop the threat. Why? Because, havingnever done it before, they shut down. So the badguy took the gun away from them and used itinstead. Even law enforcement officers, with all oftheir training, are sometimes killed with their ownweapon. Just having a gun doesn’t make anyoneinvincible.
You can shoot at a target all day long and hitbull’s-eyes; but once you’re in a shootout,everything changes. So the individual who says “Ihave a gun. I don’t need any type of training” isspeaking from ignorance.Another reason why having a weapon may not
be enough is that it takes far longer than you thinkto get a gun out and use it.The reaction time of an individual in a real-life
self-defense situation typically much, muchslower.The results come as a surprise to mostpeople.
A former street cop, sheriff, and maximumsecurity prison guard. Chris Sutton is the founder ofCobra-Defense in Clearwater, FL. Cobra-defense is alaw enforcement based self-defense system. Cobra-Defense is the official self-defense system
of John Graden’s Martial Arts Teachers’ Association(MATA-www.MartialArtsTeachers.com). Instructor certification in Cobra-Defense is at
www.SelfDefenseCertified.com.Chris Sutton is availble for seminars and special
training. He can be reached at (1) 727-791-4111 or:[email protected]
I’
REF.: • TAOWS1REF.: • TAOWS1
Alle DVDs, die von Budo Internationalproduziert werden, sind mit einemspeziellen Hologramm-Aufkleber versehenund werden allein in den Formaten DVD-5oder MPEG-2, jedoch niemals in VCD,DivX o. ä. angeboten. Zudem zeichnensich unsere DVD Hüllen durch die hoheQualität in Druck und Material aus. Fallsdiese DVD und/oder die DVD Hülle nichtden oben genannten Ansprüchenentspricht, handelt es sich um ein illegaleRaubkopie.
Budo international. net
ORDERS:
It’s important that you have a tool box of “minutemotivators” on respect, self-discipline, persistenceetc... The Martial Arts Teachers’ Members area hasdozens of these speeches already written for you atwww.MartialArtsSchoolOwners.com
Respect & Self-Control"The martial arts and our program stress respect for your classmates,
for yourself and especially for the black belts of our school. The blackbelts have all proven that they have the discipline to accomplish theirgoals. We begin each lesson with the formal bow. It's done as a signof respect toward you as the student and myself as the Instructor."“Attention" and "Bow": While performing the Attention Position, astudent is required to stand perfectly still. This is taught as theability to control oneself and we all know the value of self-control.It also develops an intense level of focus and concentrationneeded to reach a "black belt" level in anything. The "bow" is auniversal sign of respect and gratitude. It is the IDEA of respectturned into action.
Polite Greeting: The polite greeting is taught to enhance astudent’s social skills. When a young student has the ability to greetothers confidently, it effects their self-image and self-esteem.Furthermore, the polite greeting shows respect for others. Polite greetings start with, "Hello, sir, how are you today?"Answers with "Great (excellent, super, fantastic, etc.)". "How are you
today?"And the use of "Yes, Sir,” and “No, Sir” or “Yes, Ma’am” and “No, Ma’am."
Commitment“How many times will you have to practice your punches before you start to get good? We
know that it partially depends on the intensity, spirit and attention to detail that you practicewith. To be realistic, anything not committed to for at least 100 tries can not be considered achampion's effort. How many times will you attempt to try something (that's important toyou) before you tell yourself you've not been successful? For many ultra-successes,champions, inventors and black belts, a thousand tries would be the beginning. As abeginning martial arts student, you must agree to adopt the ‘100 times’ way of thinking.We call this COMMITMENT. Everyone wants to be successful. It is just that many peopledo not COMMIT to do what it will be to BE successful. Don't begin your martial artsjourney without the knowledge that 100 classes will be when you've begun to show achampion’s level of commitment.”
“Everyone wants tobe successful. It is
just that many peopledo not COMMIT to do
what it will be to BE successful”
Martial Arts Pro
Self-Defense:"Our p rogram s t resses pract ica l se l f -
defense and reaction training. As you learnand improve your ski l ls, you wil l see yourconfidence in your abilities increase. We wantyou to start your self-defense training with thebasic concepts of distance with an opponentor attacker."
Goal AccomplishmentBelt Levels: "Students begin as a white belt and
gradually work their way to a black belt. The beltsare used as a series of goals with each new beltrepresenting the short-term and the black beltrepresenting the long-term goal. All studentsshould plan on attending classes twice a weekand practicing at home. All ages develop the"stick to it" attitude. Stick to your goals untilthey're accomplished. Don't put things off,especially when it comes to good health andfitness"
Self-DisciplineTo the parents of the child: "The type of
discipline that is taught in the martial arts will helpa student in all areas of his/her life. It teacheschildren to respect themselves and others, tolearn good sportsmanship and a healthy respectof adults and those in authority. It can even teachthem to do better in school."
Self-DisciplineAdults: "We emphasize that adults learn about
good health and fitness. Most notice a dramaticimprovement in energy and stamina, a renewedoutlook on life. The martial arts is a lifestyle thatstresses mental and physical improvement andself-discipline in one's life."During introductory lessons, you're giving the
student an “appetizer.” Build up their hunger forthe “main course.” Keep a POSITIVE MENTALATTITUDE about your students’ abilities and skills.They are all here to learn about the martial artsand our program. Wash away any negativethoughts or prejudices that you may have,because it may show through. If it does, youhaven't done your job properly! The more flexibleyou are in your abil ity to adapt to theirpersonalities, the more effective you will becomeas a teacher. The martial arts is for everyone whowants to learn and practice!.
RespectRespect is when you treat people the way you
want to be treated. Teach polite greeting -- "Lookme right in the eyes and say.... HELLO, SIR! Howare you today?" Emphasize eye contact andpositive response and attitude. Emphasize"Attitude is Everything."
John Graden is the Executive Director of theMartial Arts Teachers’ Association and theauthor of the bestselling books on how to run asuccessful martial arts school without sellingout:
www.MartialArtsSchoolOwners.com
Experts
"Students begin as awhite belt and gradually
work their way to ablack belt. The belts areused as a series of goals
with each new beltrepresenting the short-term and the black belt
representing the long-term goal.”
“All students should planon attending classes
twice a week andpracticing at home.
All ages develop the "stickto it" attitude.
Stick to your goals untilthey're accomplished.Don't put things off,
especially when it comesto good health and
fitness”
Bodyguard Within the security industry, we have seen a decline of the term
bodyguard over the past 5 years. Bodyguard has come tosymbolize the buffoon who we see aggressively pushing crowds inimages with celebrities in gossip magazines. This caricature couldinclude the off-duty cop who can carry a concealed weapon, thebouncer who is very large, or the martial artist who can fight well.These bodyguards have been involved in selling information to
the tabloids, violating confidentiality agreements, various use offorce incidents, having improper or no l icensing, hiringindependent contractors and misclassifying security employees,carrying guns or weapons without the proper permits or license,starting frivolous labor board suits and workman's compensationsuits against their client, impersonating police officers, and evenengaging in inappropriate behavior with the client.Bodyguards will typically become a major liability to the client
for reasons of indiscretion, unwarranted use of force orincompetency in the area of risk management.
The Past: Bodyguards are DinosaursIn the past, these untrained bodyguards dominated the market.
Today, most individuals and companies that hire executiveprotection services are more evolved. Reducing liability hasbecome the number one concern for them and they look forprofessional executive protection agents with formal training froma respected and accredited executive protection school. Thereason that this is important is that executive protection trainingis a completely different academy from police or militaryacademies; at an executive protection school the focus is onprotective intelligence and prevention. A seasoned executiveprotection agent has accumulated 600-1000 hours of formalexecutive protection training over the course of his or her career.Today, the untrained element still remains alongside the
professional agents within the security industry. So what haschanged?
LawsCalifornia, as well as other states that have a licensing security
board like the Bureau of Security and Investigations (BSIS), hascracked down on unlicensed activity.Security Training Anyone working in Security in the state of California must hold
a 'guard card'. In order to obtain a 'guard card', the securityofficer must have completed at least 40 hours of training fromBSIS. In addition, professional Executive Protection trainingschools have now been operating in the US for the last 20-25years and have elevated the formal training base in the industry.Leaders in the security industry realize that providing Executive
Protection services takes a specialized skill set and that pastexperience or training in law enforcement, the military, and martialarts is not enough. Those academies are a great base, but do notrain anyone in Executive Protection. Cross training is necessaryto make the transition and is difficult but it can be done. Anexample is the off-duty police officer: a police officer receivesthousands of hours of training about pulling his or her gun at thescene of a crime. It's a reactive motion. In Executive Protectionwe need to train against that. An Executive Protection Agentshould never be reacting to a crime by drawing his or herweapon. Rather, the Agent is focusing on the Principal andcovering and evacuating him or her out of harm's way. As anaside, another strong argument to not using off-duty policemanas Executive Protection Agents is that police are bound by theiroath to stop crime and drop all off duty activities at a moment'snotice to report for duty.A good Executive Protection Agent will continue to train on a
yearly basis to maintain the standards and skills required, just as
good companies wil loffer training to theirAgents. The US SecretService-style trainingprovides the foundationfor a strong ExecutiveProtection trainingprogram. The themeswil l generally focusaround:• Advance Work:
p r o t e c t i v ei n t e l l i g e n c e / t h r e a tassessment• 3 rings of Protection:
layering the protectionaround the principle • Cover and Evacuate:
we never stand and fightA good executive
protection training school or company has the followingcurriculum outline as part of their training:Protective Advances - Protective Intell igence - Radio
Communications - Motorcades and Routes - Firearms andSpecial Tactics - Public Affairs and Media Control - EmergencyFirst Aid/CPR/AED - Counter Terrorist Driving - Explosive DeviceDetection - Surveillance Recognition - Ambush Recognition -Post Assignments - Cover and Evacuate - Counter Surveillance -Protective Formations - Command Post Operations - AccessControl and Crowd Control - Bomb Incident Management -Safeguarding Privacy - Threat Management - Evasive Driving -Investigations - Kidnap/Assassination Studies
Final Recommendations For People orCorporations That Use ExecutiveProtection 1. Hire contract security vs. in-house, there is less liability
exposure and management issues.2. Make sure that each executive protection agent has gone
through an extensive background check including an interview,criminal & civil files, drug test, psychological test, past employers,and personal references.3. Make sure the security company and all executive protection
agents have the proper licensing and security permits. InCalifornia the company must have a private patrol operator's(PPO) license. Each executive protection agent must have a BSISsecurity guard card, exposed firearms permit, baton permit andpepper spray; California concealed weapons permit; and CPR(adult, child, & infant), first aid, & automated external defibrillatorcertified by the Red Cross or American Heart Association. Anyclient can verify licenses on the California Bureau of Security andInvestigations Services website.4. All executive protection agents must have formal executive
protection training and proof should be given to you in the formof diplomas, which you can verify.5. The security company should have an executive protection
training program and continuous yearly training. You shouldrequest a copy of the training curriculum6. The security company should have at least $2 million (WPG
has $10M) in armed liabil ity insurance and $1 mil l ion inworkman's compensation insurance, listing you as an additionalinsured on the policy. This insurance must be able to cover theAgents wherever they travel both domestically and internationally.7. No security company should have any independent
contractors working on the protection team. All executiveprotection agents must, by law, be employees of the company forliability purposes.
By Kent Moyer, CEO of The World Protection Group, Inc. in Beverly Hills, Ca.
Dominique Zaino was born on March 11, 1994 in Palm Beach County, Florida. Dominique has been studyingmartial arts since the age of three and is no stranger to the spotlight. During her competition years on "NationalTeam Pepsi World Martial Arts Show Team", now "Team Americas" she won the titles of 9 time Florida StateChampion in weapons, forms, and fighting and also competed extensively on the world circuit in 9 divisions toinclude traditional weapons & forms, point fighting, musical weapons & forms, creative weapons & forms andteam forms. She is one of the Stars of Martial Arts Show Biz TV online television show starring the Zaino familywhich is a online martial arts and entertainment reality based news show that helps promote martial artscelebrities, movie stars, Hollywood movies, events and products. She is the host of her own online RadioShow "The Dominique Zaino Show", and currently is a spokes model for Don "The Dragon" Wilson's TraditionZapparel line. Dominique is currently a student at the Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee, FL majoringin News Anchoring and Journalism, is a student of Hollywood Stunt Legend Kim Kahana Sr.'s Stunt & FilmSchool and holds the rank of 2nd degree Black Belt under the tutelage of father Grandmaster Danny Zaino.
The Book of Tea
Taoism and Zennism
The connection of Zennism with tea isproverbial. We have already remarkedthat the tea-ceremony was adevelopment of the Zen ritual. The nameof Laotse, the founder of Taoism, is alsointimately associated with the history oftea. It is written in the Chinese schoolmanual concerning the origin of habitsand customs that the ceremony ofoffering tea to a guest began withKwanyin, a well-known disciple of Laotse,who first at the gate of the Han Passpresented to the "Old Philosopher" a cupof the golden elixir. We shall not stop todiscuss the authenticity of such tales,which are valuable, however, asconfirming the early use of the beverageby the Taoists. Our interest in Taoism andZennism here lies mainly in those ideasregarding l ife and art which are soembodied in what we call Teaism.
It is to be regretted that as yet thereappears to be no adequate presentationof the Taoists and Zen doctrines in anyforeign language, though we have hadseveral laudable attempts.
Translation is always treason, and as aMing author observes, can at its best beonly the reverse side of a brocade,-all thethreads are there, but not the subtlety ofcolor or design. But, after all, what greatdoctrine is there which is easy toexpound? The ancient sages never puttheir teachings in systematic form. Theyspoke in paradoxes, for they were afraidof uttering half-truths. They began bytalking like fools and ended by makingtheir hearers wise. Laotse himself, withhis quaint humor, says, "If people ofinferior intelligence hear of the Tao, theylaugh immensely. It would not be the Taounless they laughed at it."
The Tao literally means a Path. It hasbeen severally translated as the Way, theAbsolute, the Law, Nature, SupremeReason, and the Mode. These renderingsare not incorrect, for the use of the termby the Taoists differs according to the
subject-matter of the inquiry. Laotsehimself spoke of it thus: "There is a thingwhich is all-containing, which was bornbefore the existence of Heaven and Earth.How silent! How solitary! It stands aloneand changes not. It revolves withoutdanger to itself and is the mother of theuniverse. I do not know its name and socall it the Path. With reluctance I call it theInfinite. Infinity is the Fleeting, the Fleetingis the Vanishing, and the Vanishing is theReverting." The Tao is in the Passagerather than the Path. It is the spirit ofCosmic Change,-the eternal growthwhich returns upon itself to produce newforms. It recoils upon itself l ike thedragon, the beloved symbol of theTaoists. It folds and unfolds as do theclouds. The Tao might be spoken of asthe Great Transition. Subjectively it is theMood of the Universe. Its Absolute is theRelative.
It should be remembered in the firstplace that Taoism, like its legitimatesuccessor Zennism, represents theindividualistic trend of the SouthernChinese mind in contra-distinction to thecommunism of Northern China whichexpressed itself in Confucianism. TheMiddle Kingdom is as vast as Europe andhas a differentiation of idiosyncrasiesmarked by the two great river systemswhich traverse it. The Yangtse-Kiang andHoang-Ho are respectively theMediterranean and the Baltic. Even to-day, in spite of centuries of unification,the Southern Celestial differs in histhoughts and beliefs from his Northernbrother as a member of the Latin racediffers from the Teuton. In ancient days,when communication was even moredifficult than at present, and especiallyduring the feudal period, this difference inthought was most pronounced. The artand poetry of the one breathes anatmosphere entirely distinct from that ofthe other. In Laotse and his followers andin Kutsugen, the forerunner of theYangtse-Kiang nature-poets, we find anidealism quite inconsistent with the
Classics
Among the eternally recommended readings to get to know the spirit of the East,especially that of Japan, you cannot be missing "The Book of Tea", a classic that willnever disappoint you, because it has stood the test of time. This marvelous text,written in English in the first instance so that a minority could approach the deep
meaning of tea in the East, has become a literary first lineand a best seller.
We have chosen the version of ELA (Ediciones LibreríaArgentina) published some years ago, to share with you afew passages therein. Those who still don't know it will agreewith us that it's a text that opens the door to understandingthe essence of the Japanese spirit. A title that is a mustamong the best oriental texts alongside classics likeMiyamoto Musashi, or the Art of War, as an indispensablecomplement for the complete development of every martialartist.
prosaic ethical notions of theircontemporary northern writers. Laotselived five centuries before theChristian Era.
The germ of Taoist speculation maybe found long before the advent ofLaotse, surnamed the Long-Eared.The archaic records of China,especially the Book of Changes,foreshadow his thought. But the greatrespect paid to the laws and customsof that classic period of Chinesecivilization which culminated with theestablishment of the Chow dynasty inthe sixteenth century B.C., kept thedevelopment of individualism in checkfor a long while, so that it was notuntil after the disintegration of theChow dynasty and the establishmentof innumerable independentkingdoms that it was able to blossomforth in the luxuriance of free-thought.Laotse and Soshi (Chuangtse) wereboth Southerners and the greatestexponents of the New School. On theother hand, Confucius with hisnumerous disciples aimed at retainingancestral conventions. Taoism cannotbe understood without someknowledge of Confucianism and viceversa.
We have said that the TaoistAbsolute was the Relative. In ethics
the Taoist railed at the laws and themoral codes of society, for to themright and wrong were but relativeterms. Definition is always limitation-the "fixed" and "unchangeless" arebut terms expressive of a stoppage ofgrowth. Said Kuzugen,-"The Sagesmove the world." Our standards ofmorality are begotten of the pastneeds of society, but is society toremain always the same? Theobservance of communal traditionsinvolves a constant sacrifice of theindividual to the state. Education, inorder to keep up the mighty delusion,encourages a species of ignorance.People are not taught to be reallyvirtuous, but to behave properly. Weare wicked because we are frightfullyself-conscious. We nurse aconscience because we are afraid totell the truth to others; we take refugein pride because we are afraid to tellthe truth to ourselves. How can onebe serious with the world when theworld itself is so ridiculous! The spiritof barter is everywhere. Honor andChastity! Behold the complacentsalesman retailing the Good and True.One can even buy a so-calledReligion, which is really but commonmorality sanctified with flowers andmusic. Rob the Church of her
accessories and what remainsbehind? Yet the trusts thrivemarvelously, for the prices areabsurdly cheap,-a prayer for a ticketto heaven, a diploma for an honorablecitizenship. Hide yourself under abushel quickly, for if your realusefulness were known to the worldyou would soon be knocked down tothe highest bidder by the publicauctioneer. Why do men and womenlike to advertise themselves so much?Is it not but an instinct derived fromthe days of slavery?
The virility of the idea lies not less inits power of breaking throughcontemporary thought than in itscapacity for dominating subsequentmovements. Taoism was an activepower during the Shin dynasty, thatepoch of Chinese unification fromwhich we derive the name China. Itwould be interesting had we time tonote its influence on contemporarythinkers, the mathematicians, writerson law and war, the mystics andalchemists and the later nature-poetsof the Yangtse-Kiang. We should noteven ignore those speculators onReality who doubted whether a whitehorse was real because he was white,or because he was solid, nor theConversationalists of the Six
dynasties who, l ike the Zenphilosophers, reveled in discussionsconcerning the Pure and the Abstract.Above all we should pay homage toTaoism for what it has done towardthe formation of the Celestialcharacter, giving to it a certaincapacity for reserve and refinement as"warm as jade." Chinese history is fullof instances in which the votaries ofTaoism, princes and hermits alike,followed with varied and interestingresults the teachings of their creed.The tale will not be without its quotaof instruction and amusement. It willbe rich in anecdotes, allegories, andaphorisms. We would fain be onspeaking terms with the delightfulemperor who never died because hehad never lived. We may ride the windwith Liehtse and find it absolutelyquiet because we ourselves are thewind, or dwell in mid-air with the Agedone of the Hoang-Ho, who l ivedbetwixt Heaven and Earth because hewas subject to neither the one nor theother. Even in that grotesque apologyfor Taoism which we find in China atthe present day, we can revel in awealth of imagery impossible to findin any other cult.
But the chief contribution of Taoismto Asiatic life has been in the realm of
a e s t h e t i c s .C h i n e s ehistorians havealways spokenof Taoism as the"art of being inthe world," for itdeals with thep r e s e n t -ourselves. It isin us that Godmeets withNature, andyesterday partsfrom to-morrow.The Present isthe movingInfinity, thel e g i t i m a t esphere of theR e l a t i v e .Relativity seeksA d j u s t m e n t ;Adjustment isArt. The art ofl i fe l ies in ac o n s t a n treadjustment too u rsurroundings.Taoism acceptsthe mundane asit is and, unlikethe Confuciansor theBuddhists, triesto find beauty in
our world of woe and worry. The Sungallegory of the Three Vinegar Tastersexplains admirably the trend of thethree doctrines. Sakyamuni,Confucius, and Laotse once stoodbefore a jar of vinegar-the emblem oflife-and each dipped in his finger totaste the brew. The matter-of-factConfucius found it sour, the Buddhacalled it bitter, and Laotsepronounced it sweet.
The Taoists claimed that thecomedy of life could be made moreinteresting if everyone would preservethe unities. To keep the proportion ofthings and give place to otherswithout losing one's own position wasthe secret of success in the mundanedrama. We must know the whole playin order to properly act our parts; theconception of totality must never belost in that of the individual. ThisLaotse i l lustrates by his favoritemetaphor of the Vacuum. He claimedthat only in vacuum lay the trulyessential. The reality of a room, forinstance, was to be found in thevacant space enclosed by the roofand the walls, not in the roof and wallsthemselves. The usefulness of a waterpitcher dwelt in the emptiness wherewater might be put, not in the form ofthe pitcher or the material of which itwas made. Vacuum is all potentbecause all containing. In vacuumalone motion becomes possible. Onewho could make of himself a vacuuminto which others might freely enterwould become master of al lsituations. The whole can alwaysdominate the part.
These Taoists' ideas have greatlyinfluenced all our theories of action,even to those of fencing andwrestling. Jiu-jitsu, the Japanese artof self-defense, owes its name to apassage in the Tao-te-king. In jiu-jitsuone seeks to draw out and exhaustthe enemy's strength by non-resistance, vacuum, while conservingone's own strength for victory in thefinal struggle. In art the importance ofthe same principle is illustrated by thevalue of suggestion. In leavingsomething unsaid the beholder isgiven a chance to complete the ideaand thus a great masterpieceirresistibly rivets your attention untilyou seem to become actually a part ofit. A vacuum is there for you to enterand fill up the full measure of youraesthetic emotion.
He who had made himself master ofthe art of living was the Real man ofthe Taoist. At birth he enters the realmof dreams only to awaken to reality atdeath. He tempers his own brightnessin order to merge himself into theobscurity of others. He is "reluctant,as one who crosses a stream in
winter; hesitating as one who fearsthe neighborhood; respectful, like aguest; trembling, like ice that is aboutto melt; unassuming, like a piece ofwood not yet carved; vacant, like avalley; formless, like troubled waters."To him the three jewels of life werePity, Economy, and Modesty.
If now we turn our attention toZennism we shall f ind that itemphasizes the teachings of Taoism.Zen is a name derived from theSanscrit word Dhyana, which signifiesmeditation. It claims that throughconsecrated meditation may beattained supreme self-realization.Meditation is one of the six waysthrough which Buddhahood may bereached, and the Zen sectariansaffirm that Sakyamuni laid specialstress on this method in his laterteachings, handing down the rules tohis chief disciple Kashiapa. Accordingto their tradition Kashiapa, the firstZen patriarch, imparted the secret toAnanda, who in turn passed it on tosuccessive patriarchs until it reachedBodhi-Dharma, the twenty-eighth.Bodhi-Dharma came to NorthernChina in the early half of the sixthcentury and was the first patriarch ofChinese Zen. There is muchuncertainty about the history of thesepatriarchs and their doctrines. In itsphilosophical aspect early Zennismseems to have affinity on one hand tothe Indian Negativism of Nagarjunaand on the other to the Gnanphilosophy formulated bySancharacharya. The first teaching ofZen as we know it at the present daymust be attributed to the sixthChinese patriarch Yeno(637-713),founder of Southern Zen, so-calledfrom the fact of its predominance inSouthern China. He is closelyfollowed by the great Baso (died 788)who made of Zen a living influence inCelestial life. Hiakujo (719-814) thepupil of Baso, first instituted the Zenmonastery and established a ritualand regulations for its government. Inthe discussions of the Zen schoolafter the time of Baso we find the playof the Yangtse-Kiang mind causing anaccession of native modes of thoughtin contrast to the former Indianidealism. Whatever sectarian pridemay assert to the contrary one cannothelp being impressed by the similarityof Southern Zen to the teachings ofLaotse and the TaoistConversationalists. In the Tao-te-kingwe already find allusions to theimportance of self-concentration andthe need of properly regulating thebreath-essential points in the practiceof Zen meditation. Some of the bestcommentaries on the Book of Laotsehave been written by Zen scholars.
Zennism, like Taoism, is the worship of Relativity. Onemaster defines Zen as the art of feeling the polar star inthe southern sky. Truth can be reached only through thecomprehension of opposites. Again, Zennism, l ikeTaoism, is a strong advocate of individualism. Nothing isreal except that which concerns the working of our ownminds. Yeno, the sixth patriarch, once saw two monkswatching the flag of a pagoda fluttering in the wind. Onesaid "It is the wind that moves," the other said "It is the
flag that moves"; but Yeno explained to them that thereal movement was neither of the wind nor the flag, butof something within their own minds. Hiakujo waswalking in the forest with a disciple when a hare scurriedoff at their approach. "Why does the hare fly from you?"asked Hiakujo. "Because he is afraid of me," was theanswer. "No," said the master, "it is because you havemurderous instinct." The dialogue recalls that of Soshi(Chaungtse), the Taoist. One day Soshi was walking onthe bank of a river with a friend. "How delightfully thefishes are enjoying themselves in the water!" exclaimedSoshi. His friend spoke to him thus: "You are not a fish;how do you know that the f ishes are enjoyingthemselves?" "You are not myself," returned Soshi; "howdo you know that I do not know that the fishes areenjoying themselves?"
Zen was often opposed to the precepts of orthodoxBuddhism even as Taoism was opposed toConfucianism. To the transcendental insight of the Zen,words were but an encumbrance to thought; the wholesway of Buddhist scriptures only commentaries onpersonal speculation. The followers of Zen aimed atdirect communion with the inner nature of things,regarding their outward accessories only as impedimentsto a clear perception of Truth. It was this love of theAbstract that led the Zen to prefer black and whitesketches to the elaborately colored paintings of theclassic Buddhist School. Some of the Zen even becameiconoclastic as a result of their endeavor to recognize theBuddha in themselves rather than through images andsymbolism. We find Tankawosho breaking up a woodenstatue of Buddha on a wintry day to make a fire. "Whatsacrilege!" said the horror-stricken bystander. "I wish toget the Shali out of the ashes," calmly rejoined the Zen."But you certainly will not get Shali from this image!" wasthe angry retort, to which Tanka replied, "If I do not, thisis certainly not a Buddha and I am committing nosacrilege." Then he turned to warm himself over thekindling fire.
A special contribution of Zen to Eastern thought was itsrecognition of the mundane as of equal importance withthe spiritual. It held that in the great relation of things therewas no distinction of small and great, an atom possessingequal possibilities with the universe. The seeker forperfection must discover in his own life the reflection of theinner light. The organization of the Zen monastery was verysignificant of this point of view. To every member, exceptthe abbot, was assigned some special work in thecaretaking of the monastery, and curiously enough, to thenovices was committed the lighter duties, while to themost respected and advanced monks were given the moreirksome and menial tasks. Such services formed a part ofthe Zen discipline and every least action must be doneabsolutely perfectly. Thus many a weighty discussionensued while weeding the garden, paring a turnip, orserving tea. The whole ideal of Teaism is a result of thisZen conception of greatness in the smallest incidents oflife. Taoism furnished the basis for aesthetic ideals,Zennism made them practical.
THE SNAKE ANDTHE CRANE Part I - The SnakeShe then incorporated the
ideas of each into a newfighting system specificallydesigned for a smaller andweaker woman to be able todefeat a man in mortal combat.Another more likely version isthat someone took the twoShaolin animal styles that werethe least reliant upon size andstrength (the snake and thecrane), and created an entirelynew combat system that wouldfocus on scientific conceptsand principles to overcomesomeone larger and stronger,possible even skil led in theother animal styles of Shaolinand other Gung Fu styles thatwere in existence at that time inChina. Some of thoseconcepts included Reference,borrowing power, Cutting Angleblocking, Facing, Economy ofMotion and Time, Footwork,Timing, Trapping, Multi-Directional Movement, Leverand Fulcrum, Body Unity andCenterl ine Theory. Each ofthese are topics covered in theCombat Theory A to Z essay inVolume VI of my 6-book series.But for now, I would like toexplore further into WingChun's snake and crane roots.We often read that Wing
Chun uses snake and cranemotions, but the discussionusually ends with the mentionof the Boang Sau Wing ArmDeflection to represent thecrane's wing, and the Biu JeeFinger Jab i l lustrating thesnake. Instead of stoppingthere as most usually do, I amgoing to discuss here manymore of the characteristics ofthe snake and the crane that
influence CRCA Wing Chun,beginning with The Snake.
Characteristics ofthe Snake
Fighting on the ground - Asa snake lives its entire life onthe ground, it must of course becomfortable and proficient incombat from the ground. Somust the CRCA Wing Chunpractitioner be well-versed inGroundfighting techniques andconcepts. I have long been aproponent of what I call Day HaGwoh Sau - Wing ChunGroundfighting, even manyyears ago when otherscriticized me harshly for it. Butmodern MMA contests haveproven the necessity for a WingChun trainee to develop one's“ground game” in order to keepup with today's ever-changingcombat technology.
Shooting/Speed - Snakesare very well known for theirextreme speed, which can attimes be in excess of 8' (2.4 m)per second. In Wing Chun,Speed = Power. In otherwords, a bullet is just a smallpiece of metal. If you throw itat someone, it may hurt. But ifyou shoot it at them, it wil lpossibly kill them. The onlydifference? The speed. Yourfist is much larger than a bullet,and although it cannot travelquite as fast as a bullet, thefaster you get it moving, themore power you will generate.A popular saying of the WingChun “Seventeen Musts” is“Chuet Kuen Yiu Fai” - “The fistmust be fast.”
Biting - Like the crane,snakes are known to bite. ACRCA Wing Chun practitioneris also trained to bite in life-or-death combat situations, when
Many practitioners of WingChun Gung Fu have been toldthroughout the years of the art'slegendary beginnings, wheneither Yim Wing Chun (for whomthe art was named) or Ng Mui (aShaolin nun, if we are to believeshe existed) witnessed a fightbetween a snake and a crane.
“As a snake lives its entire lifeon the ground,
it must of course becomfortable and proficient incombat from the ground”
no other escape may be possible.Even a small, weaker person cancause extreme pain to a much largerenemy, possibly causing him torelease a lock or choke.
Spitting - Just as the crane pecksat its opponent's eyes, snakes areknown to spit into the eyes of anattacker or prey. The CRCA WingChun fighter will use this same tacticin close range combat situations aswhen fighting on the ground or againstan armed opponent. This may serveas a sufficient distraction to allow aquick counterattack and/or escape.
Choking/Envelopment - Certainsnakes, such as Anacondas and BoaConstrictors are known to choke orsqueeze an opponent to death. Usingprinciples of leverage, some are evenable to generate up to 6-12 pounds ofpressure per square inch whenconstricting. In CRCA Wing Chun, weuse a variety of chokes andenvelopments to choke the enemyfrom many positions as well as toenvelop the arms, legs or body tobreak bones using the Lever andFulcrum principle to create “athousand pounds of force with fourounces of effort,” as the Chineseproverb goes. An old proverb of WingChun says, “Moh Ching Jiu, Soh HauTau, Yut Chuet But Hoh Lau” -“Grasping the throat is a ruthlesstechnique that, once commenced,cannot be stopped.”
“Snaking” - Just as a snake willslither and slide around its prey, theWing Chun fighter will use the sameidea in “Sticky Hands” to control theopponent's arm(s), leg(s) or body andthereby create safety zones fromwhich to counterattack from improved
angles of Facing with borrowedpower. Two other Wing Chunproverbs say, “Chee Ging Leen SingWai Lick Sahng” - “Sticking Power,when achieved, is a commandingforce,” as well as, “Chee Joke HahngKiu Wai Jee Woot” - “Sticking to andcontrolling the opponent's Arm Bridge
while shifting hand position showsversatility.” Also, some snakes movein a lateral “side winding” motion,which inspires certain sideward stepsin Wing Chun.
Intimidation - Snakes are known touse intimidation in combat. Cobrasinflate themselves to appear moreintimidating and sway back and forthto hypnotize their prey. Other snakesalso make hissing or rattling noises tofrighten or distract their enemies. InCRCA Wing Chun, use of intimidatingactions or words prior to a fight isknown as “Emotion Trapping.”
Cold-Bloodedness/Brutality
Snakes are cold-blooded reptileswith no pity, empathy or mercy for anenemy. When we refer to a person asa “snake,” we are generally saying heis sneaky, can't be trusted, will doanything necessary to come out ontop regardless of the rules, will fight“dirty,” etc. Although these might notbe considered admirable qualities in ahuman, like a snake, the CRCA fighteradheres to the Wing Chun proverb“Goang Sau, But Goang Ching” - “Incombat, show no mercy.”As you can see here, and will be
shown further in next month'scolumn, the CRCA Wing Chunpractitioner derives much inspirationfrom the snake and the crane incombat, both in action and inprinciple. It is the reason I chose toinclude them as part of the CloseRange Combat Academy logo seenhere (note that the crane's wings areactually knives).
“I am going todiscuss here many
more of thecharacteristics ofthe snake and the
crane thatinfluence CRCAWing Chun”
“Even a small,weaker person
can causeextreme pain to a
much largerenemy, possiblycausing him to
release a lock orchoke.”
WING CHUN GUNWING CHUN GUNWING CHUN GUNWING CHUN GUNGGGG FUFUFUFU::::
The Explosive Art of Close Range CombatThe Explosive Art of Close Range CombatThe Explosive Art of Close Range CombatThe Explosive Art of Close Range Combat
Sifu Randy Williams’ extensive collection of books
on Wing Chun in 6 volumes, the series contains the
history of Wing Chun, the theory and description
of all Wing Chun forms in detail, Volume 6 is
focused on instructing the system and provides
additional information about Wing Chun Combat
Theory from A to Z! This great work, originally
written in 1988 and newly revised and updated is a
must for the library of any serious student of the
art.
You can order the entire series as a set of 6 books,
or by individual volume, and the new DVDs can
also be ordered individually or in sets directly from
us through our website:
www.shop.crca.de
One Volume € 49,90
SingleWeapon DVD € 39,90
Biu Jitsu DVD € 25,90
DVD Set (all 5) € 149,90
The shipping & handling costs are not included for more
information please contact us:
Copyright © 1989 CRCA Enterprises
Publisher CRCA-Lopez / Mario Lopez,
Atroper Str. 56, 47226 Duisburg, Germany
E-Mail: [email protected]
Five brand new Wing Chun DVDs
1 DVD: “Bot” Jom Doh Basics
Complete “Bot” Jom Doh Form, 108 Motions,
Historical Information about the Wing Chun
Broadswords, Detailed Knife Blocking and
Striking Techniques, “Bot” Jom Doh
Footwork, Details of the footwork orientation
of the form, One-man “Bot” Jom Doh Drills
2 DVD set: “Bot” Jom Doh, Applications,
Drills, Concepts & Principles
Applications of the motions from the “Bot”
Jom Doh form, Knife vs. Knife, Knife vs.
Pole, Drills, Concepts and Principles,
Specially created Knife drills for the Wooden
Dummy, Detailed Knife Blocking and
Striking, Knife techniques as compared to
their empty-hand counterparts, Cutting
Principles
1 DVD: CRCA Wing Chun “Biu Jitsu”
Groundfighting
Contents: The concept of “Reverse
Engineering,” Chokes; Rear, Front Standing,
“Guillotine,” Head-and-Arm, Side-Mount
Shoulder Choke, and many other
Groundfighting drills and techniques.
2 DVD set: “Look Deem Boon” Gwun
Volume 1 ( 55 min. )
Content: Pole Details, Pole Drills, Pole
Footwork, Form Overview, “Look Deem
Boon” Gwun Form, 6 ½ Strikes of the Pole,
Applications: Pole vs. Pole
“Look Deem Boon” Gwun
Volume 2 (60 min.)
Heavybag Drills, Dummy Drills, Two Man
Drills, Form overview, Pole vs. Knife
