martial arts magazine budo international 280 1 fortnight 2015
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Traditional Martial Arts, Combat Sports and Self Defense Magazine. Free read & download. Online issue. 280 Year XXIVTRANSCRIPT
Major Avi Nardia is one of the leading head officialinstructors for the Israelite army and police in anti
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nyone who has lived long enough know it'strue: family and karma are synonymouswords. Not much to explain about this, butthere are still people who have not yetdawned on the matter. My grandmother, who
was wise, used to say that "Friends are the family wechoose", but it's for sure that the one that life and destinyhave given us, sooner or later will end up at leastquestioning us.
There are many atavisms around family, some of themare meaningless in the context of modernity. It is healthy toreview them, because being decent, impeccable or morallystraight (whatever the direction of personal criteria orpredilections), often mixes to the detriment of ourselves, ifwe don’t draw a clear dividing line at this point.
It doesn't escape no one's attention that we humansare a group species. We need each other to survive andalthough the selfish gene is registered in our system, weknow just as well that our chances of success and survivalare directly proportional to our ability to empathize with thegroup we belong.
The assumption of psychological and sociological rolesis the next step in understanding the scene in which thegame of family life is to be played. More or less aware (oneand all) of all these particulars, the very events of life leadus unfailingly, sooner rather than later, to contrastourselves in the family confrontation.
My master José María Sánchez Barrio said that “theclosest is the most distorting” ... What a talent! And what iscloser than one's family?
In every family there is a character with a special skill todrive you insane in an Express service. That's why thoseunforgettable Christmas family gatherings are the mostfalse set-ups of joys, known to all, where it's not rare tocheck how more than one ends up drunk in order to beable to put up with so much love and harmony in so littletime and space.
To that cocktail of infinite recriminations of a lifetime ofcoexistence in which grievances accumulate by millions,you must add the icing on the couples, male or female,third in discord, which often bring out the worst in eachone.
Selfishness is rampant in the family battlefields and theatavistic behaviors cloud the more enlightened lucidity,enveloping us in the most extreme stupidity andmeanness. Things "you wouldn't do to your mother", asstated in the expression, are precisely what you end updoing to the closer ones, sometimes to your own mother.
Where are the limits, the insurmountable barriers?We've all heard or experienced stories that make your hairstand on end. People with an impeccable social imagewhich has committed outrages astonishing in itsimmediate environment... ghosts of revenge, hatred,suspicion and longest of the infernal lists, run amok in thefertile territory of unconsciousness, in which, trapped infeelings difficult to understand and easy to justify,inevitably take out the worst of oneself.
I think there's no need to be hostage to atavisms. Weshould face the karmic process with the counterweight ofconsciousness. Saying that your brother (father, mother,cousin, whatever) will always be your brother, is just anatavistic discourse; past certain limits, one should knowwhen to put an end to the lie, guilt and the obligations thatcarry a position for which you haven't applied (at leastconsciously) in this life. When you are grown up, youshould have the privilege of deciding on that regard,because that is part of the releasing process of living.While you're at process of "manufacturing", you stick tothe standards (what else can you do!) But once you'veearned the right (and acquired the power!) to being anindividual, you must position yourself in these matters.There are privileges and obligations in those "charges" ofwhich one must be able to resign.
Once our Karma is satisfied in its fulfillments is whenour level of awareness and action in the acts has reachedits culmination both internal and externally. No easy task,because you have to go beyond the string of grudges andimaginary debts unconsciously accumulated during years,in which we were tender sponges which settled lots ofemotional experiences, generally disturbing. But it'spossible, because the greatness of clarity andunderstanding implies that once you see something frommany points of view (not only your own), you are releasedfrom the unconscious doubt that accompanies yourproceed. That's why I say that karmic ties can be solvedand not only that, it is our obligation to do so.Accumulating more debts, whether there are other lives ornot in which issues will have to be again elucidated, willonly be possible within the framework of lucidity, deepunderstanding and determination to cut the link.
All I want to leave behind is an intense love perfumethat enraptures mine, the chosen ones, in such a way thatthey will not even know that what they're breathing is myscent.
With those with whom I may have something to fulfill, sobe it; but debts are not eternal, even mortgages have an
"The family is a great institution. Assuming, of course, that you like living in an institution."
Groucho Marx
"Karma, when properly understood, is just themechanism through which consciousnessmanifests"
Deepak Chopra.
A
expiration date. That's the law, what has abeginning has an end.
Nevertheless, in these matters, each one isevery one. Therefore, that said, Iapologize to you for my reflections inloud voice, which are only mytruth; if they do you a goodservice, I will be happy,because this matter is noteasy to understand foranyone. As I said, eachone responds accordingto his or her nature.
Alfredo Tucci s General Manager to BUDO INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING CO.e-mail: [email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/alfredo.tucci.5
udo International English Edition is growing each and every issue thanks toyou all for reading and enjoying the world's #1 martial arts magazine.
In July of this year with our dear friend Jean Claude Van Damme on thecover we broke all records for the magazine having close to 30,000 readers and foranyone in the martial arts business this is a huge number of readers. Star power reallydoes work well for all concerned.
Now we are growing again and will have a new issue every 2 weeks. I have no idea howour illustrious leader Alfredo Tucci can do it, but it will make us even more current and upto date with information.
We are also planning on doing an article each month on up and comers in the martialarts look for a story on Silvana Shamuon of Canada an up an coming new super star plusall new champions from all over the world Brazil's Mario Hayashi Jr. winner of both Kataand Kumite in the recent WKO world Championships in Curitiba Brazil and Cinthia Costaas well from Brazil an amazing fighter from Brazil, Marcia Budd Scheneff from Canada thewomens kata champion and the USA Team who won the Team kumite championships.These YOUNG GUNS are the stars of the future and we at Budo International want topromote and expose the world to these champions.
So watch us grow and be apart of the new revolution in martial arts magazines.
B
Classic Masters
his Canadian-born Australian resident, also holdsYudansha ranks in Jujutsu, Judo, Yamaneryu Kobudo andJapanese swordsmanship [Sugino-ha Katori Shinto Ryu].He has literally trained under the who's who of the fightingarts, and studied in Japan [Okinawa], China [Shanghai,Beijing, Hong Kong, Fuzhou and the Shaolin Monastery ...
several times], Korea, SE Asia and the Philippines. He's been teachingprofessionally since 1972, operated his own dojo since 1974 and isone of only a handful of traditional karate instructors worldwide to evergrace the covers of Karate Illustrated, Official Karate, TraditionalKarate, Combat, Budoka, Blitz, Bujutsu, American Samurai, FightTimes and Shotokan Karate Magazines concurrently! McCarthy Senseihas been the subject of countless newspaper and magazine articles,radio and TV programs, a film documentary and worked in Hollywoodfilm projects [the last being, "Roxanne," with Steve Martin]. He haswritten and translated no less than 8 books [one a bestseller/Bubishi/Charles E Tuttle Pub Co], produced a myriad ofeducational video presentations and instructional DVD's, writtenarticles for all the major Martial Art magazines around the world andforewords for no less than a dozen books by other well knownauthors. He's been featured in not one but two separate best selling
Abstract
At 60 years old, Patrick McCarthy is a 5thgeneration disciple of Uchinadi with an impecca-ble lineage of Okinawan instructors, starting withhis late teacher Kinjo Hiroshi [1919-2013], whowas preceded by his instructor Hanashiro Chomo[1869-1945] who was taught by Itosu Ankoh[1832-1915], and his master Matsumura Sokon[1809-1899], -historically the tradition's mostvisible pioneer. McCarthy has studied the art of karate since
childhood, and enjoyed an outstanding competiti-ve background before migrating to Japan as afield-researcher, where he ultimately surfaced asa best-selling author. He's been a nationally ratedfighter, kata and weapon competitor, twice NorthAmerican Karate champion and World Senior'sKata & Kumite champion with countless munici-pal, local and other domestic/international-rela-ted victories to his credit. Few can describethemselves as a legitimate Japan-trained andaccredited 9th degree black belt in traditionalKaratedo, with a Hanshi-level teacher's license...McCarthy Sensei can!
Japanese Tradition
TText: Don Warrener &
Patrick McCarthy, 9th Dan Hanshi Photos: Don warrener
books ["Karate Masters" & Combat Karate" by Jose Fraguas]along side such notable masters such as Nakayama,Nishiyama, Kanazawa, Mikami, Okazaki, Ozawa, Sakumoto,Higaonna, Demura and Dalke, etc. He's amidst less than ahandful of non-Japanese to ever successfully establishthemselves in the art of Traditional Karate and be recognizedboth in Japan and worldwide. He's an IBA-based PhD[supervised by Dr. Rony Kluger] who's traveled the world[more than 60 countries] teaching the results of hisgroundbreaking research in over 1000 professional seminarsfor the past twenty years and responsible for havingdeveloped the world's very first government accreditedcollege-level 2-Year MA's Instructor's undergraduate program- originally hosted by Australia's College of Natural Medicine'sFaculty of Health Sciences. McCarthy Sensei currently oversees his own organisation
with a worldwide membership. He's been widely recognizedfor his outstanding contributions to the art of Karate withawards from the Canadian Government [1985 ProvincialGovernment of Ontario, Premier of Ontario, Certificate ofRecognition in appreciation of achievements in amateursports; 1985 Citation: Ontario Sports Award Program from
Okinawa
“By the mid-1980's, twentyyears of training in the
traditional fighting arts hadleft me rather frustrated by
its rule-bound practices,inflexible rituals and cultural
ambiguity. It wasn't that I dislikedit or wanted to quit practicingbut I could no longer accept the
modern interpretation ofritualized practices”
William Davis Premier of Ontario], Canadian Jujutsu Association [1985Distinguish Service Award], the US Naval Academy [HOF], JujutsuAmerica [Meritorious Service Award], American Law Enforcementagencies, the Israeli Military/YAMAM, the World MA's Organizationand Blitz Magazine, he was also named "History General" of theMuseum of Sport Karate, cited in Sep of 2010 by the USNKA andinducted into its Hall of Fame and presented with their prestigious,"Living Martial Art's Treasure" award, and inducted into the CanadianBlack Belt Hall of Fame in 2012.
- Don Warrener
The Journey - Not the Destination By Patrick McCarthy, 9th Dan Hanshi
It may have started with wrestling, boxing or evenbaseball, all of which I was hopelessly passionateabout in my childhood. However, if there was everany doubt, the mid-1960's National Film Board'sdocumentary on Canadian judo champion, andOlympic silver medalist, Doug Rogers, sealed my fateand forever change my destiny!From the time I first entered the dojo, until I made
black belt, and then across my entire competitivecareer, throughout a fascinating era of cross trainingand field studies in Japan, China and SE Asia, andthe authoring of papers, journals and books, as aninstructor and even throughout the lofty lecturingposition I enjoyed in academia, the fighting arts havealways provided a wonderfully balanced pathwayupon which to experience life to its fullest.
Early Days I was a kid from Rockwood Court, a middleclass
neighbourhood on the east coast of Canada in thesmall port city of Saint John, New Brunswick.Summer vacation had just finished and I was alreadyback at school … it was the 2nd week in Septemberof 1964 and I wouldn't turn ten years old until mybirthday nearly three months later, in December.
Spellbound, I sat motionless on my chair in our schoolauditorium watching that wonderfully motivationaldocumentary film about Doug Rogers. I was not unfamiliar with superheroes as my favourite comic
book and movie characters of that era were Superman,Batman and Hercules, etc. However, even a 9-year old kidunderstands deep inside that such heroes are only make-believe… not real! Yet, there and before my very eye's, was agenuine superhero! I wasn't watching a cartoon character butrather a real live person; an Olympic Champion… and aCanadian… just like me! As I listened to his passionate story about sacrifice and
dedication the idea of transformation for anyone with thegenuine desire to succeed sounded possible. As I continuedto watch how he practiced, competed and become achampion I imagined that I too could becomeempowered just like him, if I was only to take up thefighting arts. When I got home from school thatday I immediately shared my feelings with myparents who subsequently wasted little time ingetting me enrolled at the local Judo club. Littledid I know that this would become the starting pointfrom which a childhood passion graduallytransformed into an adult vocation and ultimately aprofessional career. For the past fifty years I have enjoyedliving my dream…and I'd like to tell you something of it.
Dream ~ Believe ~ AchieveWhen the opportunity arose to start teaching in 1972, albeit
still as a teenager, I found myself inexplicably drawn to it.There is a saying; “Once you've found something you're trulypassionate about you'll never have to work a day in your life.”Having spent my entire life with the fighting arts, I can
Karate & Kobudo
“... The fighting artshave always provided awonderfully balancedpathway upon which toexperience life to its
fullest”
honestly say that I have never wanted, dreamed or desired tobe or do anything beyond this humble calling. In 1970, the company my father worked for transferred him
from Saint John, New Brunswick to Toronto, Ontario… thelargest city in Canada, which represented a move of some1500km. Relocating to a new place and so far away at suchan age, and without the social networking that iscommonplace today, meant losing touch with my childhoodfriends and dojo. Coming from a small town with just morethan 50,000 people to a thriving metropolis with a populationof over 2-million represented a colossal change in my life…but one that I most enthusiastically embraced. In 1970,Toronto was literally a mecca of fighting arts, and I wanted tostudy them all! During that wonderful era I enjoyed the opportunity to meet
and train with many noteworthy instructors, includingTsuruoka Masami [the father of Karate-Do in Canada], RonForrester [the father of Canada's Jujutsu movement], Prof.
Karate & Kobudo
“It was also during theVancouver years that I grew more and more
disgruntled with the egos,tournament scene, childlikepolitical animosities anddiscouraging commercial
exploitation of thetraditional art”
Okinawa
Wally Jay [Small Circle Jujutsu founder],Richard Kim [the Harvard Professor ofKarate-Do], Wally Slocki [the premierCanadian tournament fighter of his era] andmany, many more. Such instructors allplayed an influential role in shaping not justmy physical skills, but also my character andthe way I came to embrace the art oflearning! Tsuruoka Sensei wrote, “My first
recollection of Mr. McCarthy was when heentered my dojo as a young, raw, brash andinquisitive kid who'd just moved to Torontofrom Saint John, New Brunswick. Patrickhad no idea of the ways, philosophy oretiquette of Budo, but only wanted tocontinue developing his physical skills in theart of fighting.”Prof Wally Jay wrote, “I first met Patrick
McCarthy when he was still a teenager, and,with great interest watched his remarkableprogress in the world of martial arts. Iwitnessed the transition from all-roundcompetitive champion, to respected teacherand international lecturer. It came as nosurprise to me that Patrick has beendescribed as the foremost historian ofKarate-Dodo in the Western World.”When I was 32 years old, Prof Ron
Forrester kindly wrote, “I have known Mr.Patrick McCarthy for over 18-years. He is aperson totally dedicated to the fighting artsand ways. His credentials are of the higheststanding and the Canadian Government hashonoured him when the Province of Ontarioawarded him the prestigious 'Certificate ofRecognition,' for his outstandingcontributions. I can recommend him, withoutreservation, as an extremely capable andteacher of the fighting arts and as a person,his character is beyond reproach.” Sensei Richard Kim wrote, “From an early
age, Patrick McCarthy has been a devoutstudent of Karate-Do. Maturing under mydirection, he acquired a creative approach tolearning, and came to realize the importanceof balancing his physical training withmetaphysical exploration. Moreover, throughthe precepts of Karate-Do, Mr. McCarthy haslearned that empirical research andintrospection are absolute necessities forone to discover that which lies beyond theimmediate results of physical training.Formerly one of Canada's most prominentKarate-Do teachers, Patrick McCarthy issecond to none physically, which made himunparalleled in his reign as a competitive
Karate & Kobudo
champion. Relocating to Japan where hebecame my personal representative, PatrickMcCarthy's star is now shining on a newhorizon. Of all the thousands of students that Ihave had over the years, Patrick McCarthy isby far the most talented. Whatever he does, hedoes exceedingly well.”
Thinking Outside the BoxIn order to get to the Toronto Karate dojo
where I was training in 1970, I used to have totravel through Chinatown. Making my waythrough Chinatown as a teenager was likeentering an oriental labyrinth of sight, sound,beauty and mystery. The cultural mystique,language, food, even the pretty girls andespecially its fighting arts helplessly captivatedme. I couldn't help but seize the opportunity todeepen my understanding of Karate bystudying several Chinese and SE Asian fightingarts during that time. The principal sources ofthat learning were found at the Hong LuckKung Fu club, the Jing Mo Goon, Liu Seong,Canadian Karate-Do/Kung Fu Association, theFire Dragon and Yao Loong Kung Fu Centre. Awonderfully influential and inspirational period,fi l led with indelible memories, what Iexperienced during those five years changedeverything I had previously understood. Thebiggest gift, however, was the ability to crosstrain in different arts and, 'think outside thebox.' The idea of, “Thinking Outside the Box,”cross training and innovativeness had becomeso well entrenched in my psyche, that I firmlybelieved the deepest message of thetraditional fighting arts was eclecticism and thecontinual search for more innovative ways ofaccomplishing the same outcomes. Prof Wally Jay wrote, “Learning Karate-Do
during a generation when the art was void ofthe answers he sought, his need to understand"how" and "why" were the determining forcesin shaping the kind of person Pat ultimatelybecame. Vibrant during his competitive career,he is as meticulous now, in his research andteaching, as he ever was as an athlete.Although the nature of his attention has shiftedfrom the competitive arena to the field ofresearch, the intensity with which he pursues“his obsession” is second to none. Anyone whohas had the pleasure of taking a lesson,attending a seminar or sitting in on one of hisilluminating lectures can immediately describePat's regard for both the work which captivateshim and the people with whom it is shared.”
The Vancouver & Japan YearsAt 25-years old I seized a fortuitous
opportunity to relocate on Canada's Westcoast. In 1979 I moved from Toronto, Ontario,to Vancouver, Brit ish Colombia, where Iestablished the Vancouver Karate Centre, withmy new business partner, Rod Philipsen.Competitively speaking, it was also a timewhen I was deeply entrenched in the open-tournament scene and travelled extensivelythroughout Canada and the USA. Localstudents and instructors quickly came to knowthe VKC as a place that warmly welcomed
guests irrespective of the style they camefrom. I enthusiastically continued to embracemany wonderful learning opportunities fromsuch visiting guests. The chance to makefriends in the Japanese, Chinese, SE Asian andKorean fighting art communities strengthen myties with local instructors of various traditionsand again opened the doors for greaterlearning and insight. I regularly hosted localand international instructors of that era at theVKC including names such as Prof. Wally Jay,Richard Kim, Teruo Chinen, Remy Presas,Steve Armstrong, Jerry Gould, Bill Wallace,Benny Urquidez, Joe Lewis, Eric Lee, AlexKwok, Cindy Rothrock, George Chung, JonFunk, Ken Low, Bruce Currie and DonShapland, etc. It was also during the Vancouver years that I
grew more and more disgruntled with the egos,tournament scene, childl ike polit icalanimosities and discouraging commercialexploitation of the traditional art. I had my ownideas about the actual functionality of the artbut remained publicly silent because they werein direct contradiction with all I had learnedand I did not want to be openly criticized orostracized by my community.
DetachmentBy the mid-1980's, twenty years of training
in the traditional fighting arts had left me ratherfrustrated by its rule-bound practices, inflexiblerituals and cultural ambiguity. It wasn't that Idisliked it or wanted to quit practicing but Icould no longer accept the moderninterpretation of ritualized practices [i.e. kata,hyung, xing - classical choreographedroutinesform/ patterns]. Consequently, I beganto search for a new teacher, style, or even anorganization that could teach me the originaland more functional application practices in arational, coherent and systematized manner.Specifically, I was looking for someone whocould…
• 1. Use the habitual acts of physicalviolence as a contextual premise throughwhich to improve my skills and understandingrather than continue to depend upon rule-bound practices with a compliant partnerattacking me with a controlled reverse punch,etc.
• 2. Teach me the prescribed original old-school responses and counter-attacks to andagainst these habitual acts of physical violencewith functional variations if/when somethingdoesn't work or goes wrong.
• 3. Reveal howsuch prescribedtemplates [ i .e. themnemonic ritualswhich make up thec l a s s i c a l l yc h o r e o g r a p h e droutines/kata] notonly culminated the lessons already impartedbut, when linked together, clearly offeredsomething greater than the sum total of theirindividual parts.#4. Clearly identify and demonstrate where
these prescribed mnemonics exist in the
Okinawa
classical-based choreographedroutines handed down in kata andhow they're linked back to the habitualacts of physical violence.
The Japan YearsWhen I f irst went to Japan and
started to learn how to speakJapanese, I'd ask the old masterswhat it was like to train under theirteachers. Through personal interactionand speaking with such people, localfunctions, interviewing them and ortaking film and photographs of theirpractices, I was given certain insightsinto the fighting arts and its fascinatingsocial culture. For each encounter, Iwould wonder what was the value ofthis meeting, how did this meetingcontrast with other people I've met,what did I get from this meeting, andhow is this information going to helpme. Finally, not only how I will use thisexperience and information but alsohow can I help other people with it? I found Japan to be a wonderfully
pensive culture and spent considerabletime delving into its historicallandscape, social mindset and spiritualteachings. One of the most enjoyableaspects of Japanese culture was thefriendly manner in which socialinteraction took place. In the manyyears I resided in Japan I never onceever felt a threat to my owninsecurities... admittedly, it took sometime to better understand theTatemae~Honne cultural phenomenon.I also came to understand how theJapanese traditional fighting arts were,in so many ways, a microcosm of itsculture… a miniature representation ofits customs, mindset and values. As Ifound out more about myself throughthe fighting arts, I discovered mystrengths and my weaknesses. Such athing not only allowed me to workdiligently in an effort to transform myweaknesses into strengths it alsoallowed me to enhance existingstrengths. Japan was, however, not al l I
expected it to be. There was amplefrustration, significant confusion andremarkable disappointed! I suppose inmany ways I was more than a littlenaive in expecting to encounterincredible superhuman skil lsetsperformed by the many masters Icame into contact with. In my mind,partially conceived from all I had beentold about the oriental masters andpartially because of how they'd beenportrayed in Hollywood movies andmyths, I expected to experienceremarkable performances from youngmasters bordering the impossible toencountering patient old mastersimparting incredibly discerningwisdom with provocatively
enlightening answers for just abouteverything. While there was certainly no
shortage of excellent practitionerseverywhere I looked, I found no traceof such superhuman performances oroverly illuminating teachings anywherein Japan or Okinawa, for that matter! Idon't mean to say or even suggest thatall the instructors, recognized mastersand leaders I came into contact withwere useless, incompetent oruninformed, as this was simply not thecase. What I do mean to say, however,was just how surprised I was at thetime to realize that we in the West wereevery bit as talented andknowledgeable as were those who hadbeen placed on such high pedestalsand subsequently deified! A bit disillusioned, I decided to
return to cross training and augmentmy studies with various combativepractices. I took up Katori Shinto Ryuswordsmanship, Shoot Fighting andSubmission Wrestling and trainedunder three of the country's topinstructors; Sugino Yoshio [1904-1998], Sayama Satoru [DOB 1957] andTakada Nobuhiko [DOB 1962]. Crosstraining opened many new doors ofopportunity while provoking valuablenew insights into both training and lifethat I had never before realized. Theopportunity to travel back and forth toKorea, China and SE Asia for theexpressed purpose of participating inand cross-comparative analyses ofother fighting arts became a regularexperience. In China, Fujian Province,Shanghai, Beijing and the ShaolinTemple became important destinationsof significant discovery. While Koreawas important and certainly from acultural point of view, it was Thailand,Indonesia and the Philippines thatoffered the most incredibly valuableexperience in support of betterunderstanding the art of Karate.Based upon that lengthy andunique experience, I startedmaking my own deductionswithout finding the need toseek out the approval ofothers, as functionalitybecame its own authority. Such findings ultimately lead me to
understand the origins, developmentand evolution of the fighting arts inOkinawa along with what organic forcesinfluenced radical change. Discoveringthe process and essence of what the
Okinawan pioneer masters sought outand established as traditions lead me todiscover and revive dormant practicesno longer embraced by the Japanesemodern and rule-bound counterpart.Delving deeply into the cultural abyss,having the wonderful opportunity ofworking with so many differentinstructors, and at the very sources oforigin, learning the language andstudying both the surviving originalinstructional documents, and thehistorical circumstances in which thearts were cradled and evolved, was bothan indelible and life-changingexperience. Recognizing the terribleambiguity, which shrouded an otherwiserelatively easy-to-understand art, theongoing experiences collectivelyresulted in establishing a baselinecontextual premise theory I called, the“Habitual Acts of Physical Violence”[HAPV-theory]. In support of thiscontextual premise I leaned heavily upona highly functional and very commonChinese and SE Asian practicemechanism called, 2-person drills. Tsuruoka Sensei, “After leaving
Toronto, he [McCarthy] settled inVancouver where he established hisown dojo and further refined his skills.However, his passion to learn was sogreat that he ultimately migrated toJapan to further his knowledge ofBudo. There, at the source, he wasdeeply influenced by the culture,philosophy and psychology of themartial arts and came to understandthe true value of patience, respect &tradition. It did not stop there, however,for his interest in such things took himas far as Okinawa, Fuzhou, the ShaolinMonastery and beyond. In thosedistant places, he feverishly searchedout the evolution and contributions ofpioneer teachers. His research,published articles, instructionalvideotapes and books, including thebest-selling Bubishi (Bible of Karate-
Do) are testimony to his dedication &pursuit of knowledge. In my opinion,Mr. McCarthy is one of the foremostwestern historians of Karate-Do Doand I am pleased to lend my name insupport his ongoing efforts.
“I also came to understand how theJapanese traditional fighting arts
were, in so many ways, a microcosmof its culture… a miniature
representation of its customs,mindset and values”
Traditional Arts
Some years ago we published an exceptional video, a real discovery! Thenative Palo Canario (Canary Stick) fighting style perfectly differentiated withinthis ancient tradition, in the frame of a family who had managed to preserveit. Fourteen years have elapsed since then and a generation of martial artistsneeds to rediscover these jewels, so I decided to republish this article andshare with you the extraordinary mastery and exquisite peculiarity thatcharacterize this unique tradition. A TREASURE!
ETNOLOGIA MARCIAL
Traditional Arts
MARTIAL ETNOLOGIA
Reportage
Following the l ine that we haveestabl ished in this magazine ofrecovering and making,known traditionalWestern Martial Arts styles we arehonored to present today one,of themost interesting and characteristicstyles of the Canary Staff,(a clearlySpanish Art) from the Canary Islandsthe Acosta family style.As has happened so many other times
in history a family style has,come intothe light thanks to the vision of anexceptional man who acts,as a bridgebetween the past and the future.Mr. Marino is a simple man but with a
great human intensity. His,powerful lookdoesn’t hide the fierceness of a warrior-like character adorned however, with anaffable fr iendly and funny touch.From,humble origins working-classpeople he has that natural wisdomproper of someone who lives close tonature instead of having the back turnedto it. The skin polished by the country’ssun frames a cunning smile that candistract from those intense and
mesmeriz ing eyes that look outunabashedly from the heart of an uprightman; he is a wonderful person whointensively caught my attention. His style is unique. He handles a
shorter and l ighter staff than inother,styles what undoubtedly gives notonly an intense rhythm to his movements,but also a fluid and natural way abouthis gestures ,offering great effectivenessto his attacks and checks. The ways inwhich these staff players manage theirweapon would make the hair of fencinglovers with bigger names and fame onthe world panorama stand on end. It is a style that goes far beyond the
merely traditional far beyond,a curiositywe are speaking about a total MartialArt in which what,counts is undoubtedlydefeating the adversary.The lovers of staff fighting are advised
don’t say we didn’t warn you!,Let thembe careful if they confront a player ofthis school! Here… they,are very serious.
Alfredo Tucci
“Though the staff is played with the hands,it is always carried in the heart.”
The play of the CanaryStaff
THE ACOSTA FROMTENERIFEA Dynasty, ThreeCenturies, A TraditionThe Art of fencing with staffs is one
of the most notable manifestations ofthe popular culture of the CanaryIslands and from the times of the firstinhabitants it has been conserved andcontinues being practiced on theseislands.This thousand-year-old discipline, a
mix of fighting and folklore inheritedfrom the culture of the aboriginalGuanches, has today become a truesymbol of the identity of the people ofthe Canary Islands. It is an Art and asportive-recreational practice still aminority but on the rise, with a lot ofprojection for the future, and a livingexample of the perseverance of thesepeople to maintain their traditions.Many accounts from the epoch of the
conquest of the Canary Islands, backaround the year 1400, mention the greatskill the aboriginal Guanches possessedfencing with staffs as weapons of war, ofdefense and attack. Staffs hardenedwith fire left a profound memory of bloodamong the Spanish troops that tried tocolonize them. Once the Islands wereconquered and annexed to the kingdom
of Castilla, the use of the staffdisappeared for a while due to theprohibition that the new governorsimposed, impeding people from enteringthe city centers with their staffs. But thecountry people always resorted to itsuse outside the villages as a method ofself-defense in order to resolve oneconflict or another originating from theownership of livestock and the pastureland areas or even to put somebody intheir place. Also at that time, it was acustom for the boys of each family toconfront one another to demonstratetheir skill with the staff at the popularfestivals that were celebrated in thevillages. On numerous occasions theyhad to face veritable duels for thequarrels that existed between families.Though a fight could occur anywhere, itseems that the festivals were thepreferred place for them, and for asimple motive, to demonstratemanliness or to conquer a woman. Whatis certain is that for many of these men itseemed “that if there wasn’t any fight, itwasn’t a festival”.Time went on and the people from
the countryside jealously guarded theart in the hearts of the families. Thegrandfathers transmitted this wisdomto their grandchildren and these totheir children for more than fourcenturies. Marino Acosta Armasinherited this practice from hisancestors who were also expertplayers. His family was always in
contact with all those traditions thathad a Canary flavor; fighting, dog orcock fights, and, of course, the art offighting with staff. Time did everythingelse, converting Marino into theprinciple exponent of the traditionalAcosta Style of Staff Play fromTenerife, considered one of the fastestand toughest styles.Each family clan developed a
particular style for the use of the staff.Some were specialized in longdistance, others in the short, andothers employed it as defense againstbladed weapons. In present times,there are various styles identified:Deniz, Verga, Morales, Garafiano, Vidal,Conejero, Quintero, and the Acostastyle. Each one of these styles showstechnical differences that can be easilyappreciated merely by watching them.This technical wealth, this diversity ofschools and styles, is part of thegreatness that the martial culture fromthe Canary Islands possesses. Many Martial Arts practitioners in
Spain and in other places in Europehave heard about the arts that arepracticed on the Canary Islands. Itseems that these commentaries havebeen the only indication that one hashad of the existence of the CanaryStaff play, perhaps for the simple factthat it isn’t an art that comes from theEast and there isn’t much graphic andaudiovisual documentation, so itdoesn’t awaken sufficient interest
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MARTIAL ETNOLOGIA
among the community of martialpractitioners. No one could imaginethat only a few kilometers from theIberian Peninsula there are someMasters who keep these ancientfighting techniques intact and atsuch a high level. There is ageneralized belief that the foreign isalways better than one’s own, andperhaps this kind of beliefcontributes even more to the factthat the Canary Staff resides soclose to us and yet continues beingunknown. There are indications thatschools were created in Cuba andVenezuela through the knowledgethat some Canary emigrants tookthere. However, it is more difficult tounderstand that in the greater part ofSpain it is totally unknown. Somemasters who emigrated to Cuba towork in the sugar cane fields say thatmany Cubans wanted to learn the artof the staff and resorted to thepeople from the Canary Islands toteach them. These masters wereopposed because it was the onlymeans they had to defendthemselves from the Cubanmachete. For that, the Cubans had alot of respect for them.The masters only taught the
members of their families and on veryrare occasions, people very close,because they knew that an individualwho achieved a good handling of thestaff would be capable of fightingagainst three or four people at the
same time, even against themselves.If there was some student whoshowed too much uneasiness aboutlearning, they simply didn’t teachhim, because it was believed that hehad come only with the intention of“looking for the knowledge”. Themasters knew very well that thesetechniques, in the hands of a studentwho didn’t show sufficient respectand spirituality, could be usedsometime without dignity and withoutjustification. For many of them, itmeant that “power without spiritualitywas no more than brute force”. They were very reserved men and
even guarded a certain number oftechniques that they never taught totheir students so that when themoment came, they could use themin a compromised situation andcome out victorious. It was l ikehaving an ace up your sleeve,because there was always the riskthat the student would want to getahead of the master. These hidden orsecret strikes were called “the lastpoint”, and from there comes thetypical saying: “The last point is nottaught to anybody”. In this way, theytaught little by little, leaving the lasttechnique for the end, which themaster kept as a favorite. What iscertain is that the art of the CanaryStaff is immersed in a mysteriousworld dominated by a multitude oflegends and superstit ions andsuspicions about being taught, given
Traditional Arts
MARTIAL ETNOLOGIA
that the practice of the staff wasassociated with a prohibited andpunishable fighting instrument. And forthat, the masters preferred to gounnoticed, hiding their talent andwisdom as something very secret. It is surprising how on all the
continents they have developed amultitude of fighting arts, each onewith its own characteristics andconnotations. However all of thempresent common philosophicalaspects. The Canary Staff play has notbeen outside this same martialtradition. Just as with other arts, it hasthe figure of the master, with agenuinely familial transmission, its ownnomenclature, traditional dress, andespecially, a philosophy of respect andoccultism toward the tradition. So, it isnot strange that the masters choose afew students as the true transmitters oftheir knowledge.
The Acosta DynastyThe origin of the Acosta style can be
situated midway through the 1800s, inthe region of Esperanza (Tenerife), as anevolution of a style of staff play proper ofthat area and apparently lost. Thisevolution is the fruit of the emigration toCuba of some players who adapted it tothe combat at short distance in order toface some bladed weapons. Its oldestknown master is Florentin Vera, andafter him there were the mastersMaximiliano Hernandez Acosta and
Leopoldo Acosta Acosta (Mr. Polo), bornin 1908. Later, the children of these meninherited their mastery, RamonHerandez Acosta (son of Maximiliano)and Santos Acosta Acosta (sone of Mr.Polo), who, as a consequence of a tragicphysical disability, delegated it to hisbrothers Pedro Acosta and AnastasioAcosta (Tato), the youngest of all thebrothers and whose motor capacity wasalso and unfortunately affected by alabor accident. It wasn’t unti l the epoch of the
disappearance of Francisco Francothat the Acosta style crossed over thelimits of a tightly closed family circle.The active members of the family metto correct errors, improve thetechniques, and to practice the precisemovements and in this way excel overother players. A the end of 1977-78, Marino Acosta,
helped by his cousin Pedro AcostaAcosta (another son of Mr. Polo)decided to begin to teach groups ofstudents who didn’t belong to the family,in that way becoming the first Masterswho opened up the style to peopleoutside the family nucleus, a novelty thatwould suppose the definitive impulsethat that style needed to guarantee itsperpetuation. Since then, schools fromvarious municipalities in Tenerife havebeen formed, like that of the Campitos,personally directed by Mr. Marino andhis cousin Pedro.There are schools in Valle de Guerra,
Las Mercedes, Arafo, Santa Cruz de
Tenerife, Puerto de la Cruz, and mostrecently, the incorporation ofCartagena in Murcia (Spain) as the firstschool created outside the islands anddirected by Alfonso Acosta (fromCartagena, and whose mother is fromthe Canary Islands). Although in thepast, the style was at the point ofdisappearing, nowadays it is in safehands with Marino, his sons, and agroup of students who, l ike him,incessantly fight to transmit the style inits purest state.
Characteristics of the Acosta StyleThe style is called Short Staff by its
ancient practitioners in order todifferentiate it from the others on theislands, which they call Long Staff, andit presents unique and verydifferentiated technical characteristics:among them, the central grip of thestaff, the absence of wide, circulartechniques, and big movements of theguards, on many occasions, jumps.Short Play (short distance)predominates and Crouched (withtechniques initiated from below). FullStop (block defenses of the opposingstaff) is habitual and one doesn’tpractice changed play, normallypassing the staff from one guard toanother from below or inside (by thefront and below the body of the player).Although each one of the masters of
the Acosta style highlights his
Traditional Arts
MARTIAL ETNOLOGIA
Above: Mr. Polo
Above left: Polo and Santos in the mid-seventies execute “stop with loose hand”.
To the right: the “three pillars” of the school.
particular way of using the staff, Leopoldo Acosta (Mr. Polo)was the one who gave the style fame for aggression andspeed. He customarily fought very crouched, squatteddown, or with one knee on the ground and from thisposition he launched points and strikes, creating a lot ofdiscomfort for the one fighting standing up, because inorder to project a technique against the adversary there isno choice but to open the arms and in this way one can goinside and surprise the adversary, and in that, Mr. Polo wasan expert. Some players today, like Carlos Darias, firsttraditional master not belonging to the Acosta family, stillconserves this way of fighting squatted down, so particularand similar to that of Mr. Polo. By putting a knee on theground, one is more protected, you create a lot moredanger and you maintain more control over the other player. If Mr. Polo was the most charismatic of the masters of the
Acosta style, Mr. Marino is recognized as the greatestexponent when it comes to transmitting the style andrecovering forgotten angles for the young practitioners fromthat almost abandoned part of the Acosta play, and what isknown as “play from above”. And it isn’t that the oldmasters (Mr. Polo and Mr. Maximiliano) didn’t know them,but determined to perfect a lower game, they left it aside.But we never ignore that before one played from among allthe styles despite each one personalizing his technique. The practitioners from the school of Marino Acosta, and
we include the family members who play today, learn fromthe beginning the debt of respect that exists to Santos andPedro Acosta, to Marino and to any other master who, likethem, has dedicated a great part of their lives to spreadingthe art that they loved so much and that our ancestors hid.This article also serves as a homage and recognition to allof them.The Canary Staff is a gentlemen’s art that praises human
values. Practicing it and keeping it alive not only keeps us closer
to the Canary culture, but also makes us better men.
Traditional Arts
MARTIAL ETNOLOGIA
Self Defense
The self-defense industry is becoming more and morecreative each year with the production of new gadgets
capable of providing tactical advantages to theircustomers. This is certainly the case of a practical device
invented by the famous international Master AmaroBento, of Portuguese origin, which is causing a stiramong its users. The author tells us here about his
invention: the Chameleon.
Tactical key ring MADE IN Portugal Developed in Portugal by a Portuguese, the Chameleon.Object of injected plastic manufactured in different colors
Self Defense
The chameleon:
- It is avant-garde.- It is a trendy utensil as a keychain.- It is efficient in any position.- Adapts to any person, regardless of age, height
and weight.- It causes pain to the aggressor but it is almost
impossible to hurt anybody with it.- It can be used in any position.
Today this device is widely used in manyplaces worldwide for self-defense and inmany security companies in Switzerland isthe official keychain for service.
With the Chameleon was also created atraining system called Tactical ChameleonDefense (TCD), in which, in just one day(in the case of civilians) or two days (forsecurity forces), people learn the basicuse of Chameleon.
We are also looking for instructors and masters ofthe various Martial Arts who are interested inmaking the TCD instructor training course, so theycan offer courses in their zones.
What is the Chameleon TacticalDefense - TCD?
Amaro Bento, inventor of TCD, is an expert inclose combat and self-defense. Over the last 20years, Amaro Benedict founded several martial artsschools geared to the amateur teaching, but also totrain professional members of civilian and militarysecurity forces in hand to hand fighting.
Throughout these two decades of intenseresearch on Martial Arts, Amaro found that there arenot so many "tools" in the market that can provide,in a simple and efficient way, a legitimate means todefend yourself and others. A simple and efficientself defense "tool" should be something thataccompanies us every day and is present in ourdaily routines. Being familiar with a particularobject, allows you to use it very effectively in thecontext of self defense.
With this in mind, Amaro Bento has conceived in anoriginal form, suitable for both men and womenworldwide, a tool for everyday use which allows you in
cases of extreme necessity to use itas a "weapon" for legitimate self-defense: the Tactical Chamaleon.
What are the advantages of TacticalChameleon Defense -TCD?
Thanks to its ergonomic design,the Chameleon adapts perfectly
to all kinds of hand, whether largeor small, and it can be used insituations of tactical pressures orto control the aggressor.
In situations of extremenecessity and with dueproportionality, it can serve as animpact object, without causinginjury. No matter where theattacks may come from , with theChameleon Tactical you will beable to deal with various threats, ifyour own safety or that of othersso requires.
Being a small object ofeveryday use, it is not considereda prohibited instrument, althoughits use as an instrument ofdefense should be made in strictcompliance with legal provisionson self-defense.
The benefits and potential useof the Tactical ChamaleonDefense are numerous.
It can be used to defendyourself and others, it can beused by civil and military securityforces.
The Tactical Chameleon can beused also as a keychain, so it is aconstant companion of al lpersons, regardless of age, in allsituations of daily life, especiallyby women in those crit icalmoments of opening the door ofthe house or the car - times when
Weapons
occur most of the robberies or assaults -. TheChameleon Tactical is thus the small object thatcan save your life.
How to carry the TCD
The Tactical Chameleon can be carried on yourbag or around your neck as a modern piece ofjewelry, and thanks to a simple locking system itcan be quickly removed and have it ready to beused as self-defense tool in seconds.
This simple and fast handling is also a very goodsolution for people with physical limitations, aswell as for the security team members who cancarry it hanging on their belts.
Make up your mind to visit our training centersand check by yourself the many advantages andsimple and practical applications of the TacticalChameleon!
Our professional instructors will be happy toshow you how to deal with this amazing tool.
"Change your chance of defense."www.tacticalchameleon.com
Self Defense
In this first article of 2015, I wouldf irst l ike to extend New Year'sgreetings to all our friends, readersand supporters and wish them ahappy and prosperous 2015. Bestwishes to all the martial community.Today I'd like to address one of the
most controversial issues for WingTsun practitioners. It's one of thosereasons that so often generateunproductive discussions among"brothers", and in which the mosttraditional branches will never reachagreement with those that promoteevolution and adaptation to moderntimes.I 've been asked the question
countless times: Is there groundfighting work in Wing Tsun / WingChun? Surely many of the teacherswho are reading this column will havebeen overwhelmed with samequestion on many occasions and theyknow that what I'm saying is real.
Is there ground fighting in Wing Tsun?
ell, it must besaid that inWing Tsunthere is NOground workand that
actually it NEVER existed anythingof the like. I've heard many timesmasters that, when being asked thefamous question: But if you felldown, what you would do? haveanswered with the famous reply:"Get up immediately"
I recognize that, for many years,this statement of GrandmasterWong Shun Leung seemed to mean overwhelming and totallyindisputable logical assertion, butNOT today.
After years of practicing andobserving the evolution of themartial arts in general, I'm sureabout the need to stop turning ablind eye to this need and startpracticing ground fighting inmethodical and professional way,from the Wing Tsun viewpoint. Thereasoning is equally logical and allwe have to do is just change theapproach of the question. Perhaps,instead of asking ourselves, what ifwe fell down? in order to be able torespond as the Great Wong ShunLeung ... we should ask ourselves,what happens if an adversaryTAKES you down and FORCES you
to stay on the ground ??? This littlenuance, that makes the difference,makes us approach the subject in acompletely different way. Thequestion can sound the same, butin practice is quite different: In thefirst question, a slip, a sweep or anyimbalance caused by the struggleitself can lead us to the ground, anda well-trained practitioner, with aquick gesture, can retrieve theposition and get up rapidlyrecovering his verticality andtherefore the "center" of a WingTsun fighter, who will always trydominating the center line on hisenemy's AXIS. But ... What if anadversary who knows your strategy,fixes your legs and puts on the floorto "pass your guard" withoutleaving you an inch of space,mounts you and finalizes you withsome of the excellent strangulationor dislocation techniques that thehuge arsenal of the grappling andground fighting systems havetested for several hundreds ofyears?
Don't answer. It was just aquestion for your own reflection...
When I started practicing WingTsun, I remember the famousdialectic confrontation between oneof the most outstanding Wing Tsunmasters of history (Dai Sifu EminBoztepe) and the Gracie family. The
W
occasion, that seen with hindsight Ifind it really sad, I must admit that atthat time caused a great stir andespecially a deep reflection among allof us who were hardcore fans andadmirers of the career of Dai SifuEmin. But, why not admit it wasamazing how those men dressed inwhite, who came from Brazil, were so
confident to challenge anyone whowanted to fight them, regardless thestyle, WITHOUT rules and no timelimit? There was no doubt; a new typeof "predators" had come to theecosystem of Martial Arts. And theyhad come to stay!
Again I want to try to call for areflection those practitioners of Wing
Tsun with an open mind and the spiritrequired to understand Wing Tsun as asystem of Chinese Boxing and not"only" as an element that is simplylinked to the practice of Chi Sao, inwhich practitioners just do it with theirschool mates and brothers. Now forthis, I would refer once more to two keyelements for understanding this system:
WingTsun
1. The Art of War. General Sun Tzu2. The origin and evolution of the
system itselfIn the FIRST of them, I could quote
several sentences of this excellentbook of General Sun Tzu, which givesits name to my association (TAOWS:The Art Of War Society) but there'sone that serves to almost everything
in regard with Martial Arts: "Knowyour enemy and yourself and you willnot be defeated in a hundred battles."You will agree with me that it's justIMPOSSIBLE to defend attacks andstrategies of a high-level enemywithout knowing, at least basically, hisstrategy. Furthermore, it is extremelydifficult to design a plan or a strategy
to win if we are not mindful of ourenemy and his plans. Therefore,again, Martial Arts place us in thestudy of the art of our potentialenemies that will define the strategiesto be used.
When I stepped into the world theGrappling (I'm a Brazilian Jiu Jitsupractitioner), first thing that surprised
me was the excellent methodology,the concretion and precision of itstechniques and, especially, the clarityof combat strategies.
It's something really amazing! Themore I practice, the more I realize howutterly disrespectful and insulting maybe for a Grappling practitioner, thatthe classic styles make statementssuch as: "Anti-Ground PROGRAM" or"Anti-Grappling". It's something inwhich I insist my instructors and
students of the system. I don't wantto ever hear such expressions to anyof them. I find it deeply offensive anddisrespectful to the hard work ofthose who train fighting styles. Halfjoking, half serious, my Grapplingteacher tells me often: "The best anti-grappling program is practicinggrappling..." EXACTLY! There is noother way...
Also, I'd like to quote in this point,the attempts of programs against
"grapplers" that the variousassociations have been generatingsince that time when Royce Gracieburst onto the martial panorama in thefirst UFC,
rolling over everyone that crossedhis road... In my opinion, and with thecurrent perspective, such programsare completely and utterly useless,because they've forgotten the mainthing to develop a strategy againstanything: KNOW the ENEMY¡
WingTsun
When I view any of these programsI have personally taught for years, Ismile and think how lucky we were!Yes, we were very fortunate, becauseif a mid-level grappler had grabbed usand put into the ground, for sure wewould have a hard time. We were noteven able to imitate correctly anytakedown technique and we simplyrestricted ourselves to do somethingthat even the worst grappler in theworld would do so badly.
As you see, to know the "enemy" isfundamental to try to win.
The SECOND assertion is whatmost discussion generates. Tounderstand why Wing Tsun is so, wemust refer to the origins of the stylenow about 500 years ago. In China, anation that emerged from the union ofdifferent ethnicities who only shared avast geographical area bounded bylarge mountain ranges and the sea, inthat era, those closed "ecosystems"
generated different combat systems(Chinese Boxing) disputing each otherthe hegemony in the fighting world,which explains why styles and sub-styles arose.
New styles of Chinese boxingemerged to overcome the dominantstyle. This explains how the WingTsun was born as a RESPONSE toother Chinese styles; styles that usedhitt ing methods that were verypowerful and circulars, as well as long
and medium distance to hit theenemy. At that juncture,
Wing Tsun emerged as anANTIDOTE (or at least as an intend)against this type of fighters. And,undoubtedly, it WORKED!
Then, where is the problem?It's really easy. "Predators" have
changed. Potential enemies are nolonger Chinese boxers of the HungGar Kuen style or similar. Techniques,tactics and strategies of potentialenemies of a Chinese boxer practicingWing Chun Kuen, are no longer thesame ... so the response to themshould be different. We will not saythat they are ineffective, but anywaythey need a flexible adaptation to thechange of scenery.
Many of the more traditional stylesdon't want to see this for variousreasons (all of them very respectable)and don't consider these interestingpoints. I wish them LUCK. I will do. Iwill because Wing Tsun style is so richin its adaptability that it allows us toadapt to this and many other things
just by looking at the style forms andideas that hide in them. In reality, it issimply a matter of attributes. Whatshould we need to perform a logicground fighting program that fits WingTsun?
1) Know the enemy (workout ofgrappling and classic fighting systemsto know the attacks and real dangersof potential enemy).
2) Tactile sensitivity (chi sao / chiguerk).
3) Mobility in any scenario (standingor on the ground).
4) Capacity to hit without space (aninherent feature of the style that wealready have).
5) Know the objectives where toattack an enemy that uses suchstrategies.
6) 5 years training.As you see, nothing that cannot be
solved with study and especially withpoint number 6 on the list.
In short, to those who claim that inWing Chun there is no ground: It isEFFECTIVELY so. There never was.
But then say: You better begin torealize that the scenario has changedor begin to pray that never facesomeone who brings you on thefloor...
There are some comrades whomerely say: "But I can always attackthe grappler's eyes or even bitehim..." Curious... do you think agrappler can't poke your eyes or biteyou? Common sense, gentlemen....
In the TAOWS Academy weperform ground fighting work as anextension of the standing work.Also, we have developed workprograms for our students, in whichthey can learn, at least basically,what to do i f faced with thesesituations. We'll be happy to showthem to any Wing Tsun follower whowishes to stop by one of our officialcenters.
I hope that this reflection can serve.With my respects
Sifu Salvador SánchezTAOWS Academy
WingTsun
Goju-ryu and KyushoThe integration of a style toVital Point Application
Got style? GOJU-RYU orotherwise? Do you have anumber of years dedicated to adiscipline of BUDO and havedeveloped a strong foundationforged with numerous hours ofpractice, study and repetition? Ifso, I salute you. I salute you formaintaining the legacy andmemory of our past masters andhonouring the spirit of what wedo (and what others will not),regardless of your affiliation orstyle. I salute you for the hoursof traditional drills and kata youhave endured and continue toendure in the way of BUDO. Isalute you for the people youhave helped along your journey.You have made a greatinvestment within yourselveswhich the sum of equates to awell-wired, fine-tuned humanmachine of BUDO (on many,many levels).
So, I have a proposition foryou. Why not take your trainingone step further and study theintriguing world of VITAL POINTapplication the world knows asKYUSHO? Chances are, basedon your foundation of kata andtraditional curriculum, you arealready targeting VITAL POINTSor at the very least, you are invery close proximity of theseKYUSHO targets!
Integrating GOJU-RYU toKYUSHO has been and continues
Kyusho International
to be an exhilarating journey for me personally to say theleast. I have had the opportunity to meet and learn fromothers in different systems, ideologies and methods ofBUDO. So, the purpose of this article is not to only projecta GOJU-RYU perspective of how to apply KYUSHO and / oruseful concepts / methods to the system, but also toencourage other disciples of other disciplines to pursue,seek and implement your WAY and ideologies to KYUSHO.
For this article I will use the technique “KAKEI” of GOJU-RYU and trust other stylists can relate the concept to theirdiscipline. The following method is the means I personallyuse and share to acquire the end goal and assist in thelearning curve of our KYUSHO.
The MethodFirst and foremost, you will need to put your style into Kyusho! Do not put
Kyusho into your style. As previously mentioned, if you have any degree ofproficiency in your art, you have become wired a certain way. Don't fix whatisn't broken! Integrate into the next step. Take your system and abilities andapply it to Kyusho!Next, proceed with “SHO-SHIN”. It means “BEGINNER's MIND”. It is the
ability to be open, eager and resist the temptation of preconceptions of a given task or subject,regardless of your experience. Slow things down! Learning a new concept or technique can beexhilarating and we can lose control emotionally which will affect our progression. I often ask mynew students if “practice makes perfect” and they respond “YES”. I disappoint them and tellthem “No, perfect practice makes perfect”.The point is you can go Hell's Bells and sort of get it, or you can invest in the time cultivating
your martial assets and really get it. Nature's Law is you must crawl, then walk, then run.Learning something new should be no different. Feel it, experience it and apply it! The end goal is“MUSHIN” or “EMPTY MIND”, applying without thinking and this is the goal Kyusho Internationalassociates strive for. The ability to connect to the Vital Point(s) in a real life and dynamicenvironment. The next step is to determine an attack and a counter attack to a specific vital point. We will
employ the scenario utilizing a Goju-ryu / Kyusho based continuous fighting drill (again, Iencourage you to explore the possibilities within your own system). The attack in thisdemonstration will be a high level punch and the counter measure will be the utilization of“KAKEI”. The target will be LU-7 located 1.5 AU (Anatomical Units) behind the crease of the wriston the thumb side of the forearm. Once you have established the vital point location, required trajectory and method of
activation, move on to a more progressive but moderate regiment (the crawl, walk, run rule).Below is a 3 phase systematic approach to assist you in the development and progression ofobtaining “Mushin” or “Empty Mind” to any given Kyusho application. Don't forget!
Communication with your trainingpartner is crucial to your skil ldevelopment! Discus the actions,sensations, good hit / bad hit etc. andkeep giving each other feedback.
The 3 Phase ApproachThe training drill utilizes an attacker “TORI” and a defender
“UKE” and for ease of explanation, we will use TORI and UKEto identify each individual in the drill. Applying a rule of “rightfoot moves first” will support the initial learning curve of thisexercise.
Phase 1 - 1 Step Targeting- TORI (attacker) steps right foot forward / right punch- UKE (defender) steps backward right foot / left KAKEI- UKE
to LU-7
Repeat 3 times then switch arms
- TORI (attacker) steps left footforward / left punch
- UKE (defender) steps left footbackward / left KAKEI-UKE to LU-7
Switch roles (attacker becomesdefender / defender becomesattacker) and repeat the exercise
Phase 2 - ContinuousTargeting Drill (simplified)
Set 1-TORI (attacker) steps right foot
forward / right punch-UKE (defender) steps right foot
backward / left kakei-uke to LU-7
-UKE (defender) steps right footforward / right punch-TORI (attacker) steps right foot
backward / left kakei-uke to LU-7
-TORI (attacker) steps right footforward / right punch
-UKE (defender) steps right foot backward / left kakei-uketo LU-7
Set 2-TORI (attacker) steps left foot forward / left punch-UKE (defender) steps left foot backward / right kakei-uke
to LU-7
-UKE (defender) steps left foot forward / left punch-TORI (attacker) steps left foot backward / right kakei-uke
to LU-7
-TORI (attacker) steps left foot forward / left punch-UKE (defender) steps left foot backwards / right kaki-uke
to LU-7
Set 3 and Set 4 duplicate Set 1 and Set 2, however theroles are reversed. TORI (attacker) becomes UKE (defender)and UKE (defender) becomes TORI (attacker)
Phase 3 - Continuous Targeting Drill(advanced)This is a more advanced drill comprising of a longer set
with more footwork and hits on the target. The advance drillconsists of 16 sets with the TORI initiating the exercise(attack) to the UKE with the 9th set reversing the roles ofTORI and UKE.The next step is implementing the various vital point drills
knowledge to Jiyu or freestyle adding vital points of thelegs, body and head! Kyusho International is a globalcollective that believes not in theory, but in reality basedtraining and study, applicable to any style (or no style).Good health, well being and good training to you. Enjoy
the journey.
Steve Lynch is a Kyusho International CertifyingInstructor from Canada, 80kms north of Toronto. Specialthanks to Athena Pickard Photography, Eric Watts,associates of Canada Goju Karate Federation andKyusho International.
www.kyusho.com/ki-locations/canada/
Kyusho International
Abbreviation of Search, Evolutionand Development, here's three
letters that represent thefoundations of the KMRED Group.
Indeed, the KMRED Group isprimarily a Combat Academy,
whose main objective is that ofdeveloping a credible "CONTENT"
for Self Defense.Parting from a very refined KravMaga that emphasizes the basic
principles and not the meretechnique by the technique, alongwith a long experience in combatdisciplines, the Group specialists
have set up for many years now an"effective" system with regard
with "Anti Aggression" methods.
KM "R.E.D"... Three Letters full of sense!!!
"R" as in Research
Courses, trips to the sources of disciplines, exchanges, tests, study of "returns ofexperience" etc ... everything is good to try to always do it better, simpler!!!!!
However, parting from the fact that in regard with Martial Arts and combat sportseverything had already been invented, it is now necessary to exploit and bring together
what is best done, by drawing on disciplines that are focused on real confrontation orcombat sports. What could be more effective than a British boxing direct hit,
a Thai boxing elbow strike, a Judo projection or even a triangle chokein Ju-Jitsu?? These are techniques that have proven to be highlyeffective... the only questions left are where? When? How?
A finding, in short, that obliges us to conduct our research,not towards new techniques, but to the study of the contexts
that surround situations of physical confrontation. Manytechniques are good in specific contexts, the goal being
to first select those that will work in 70% to 80%, and,in the second place, the "exceptions".
"E" as in EvolutionThe "Crash Test" trial
To determine whether a base ortechnical principle is in line with ourgoals of efficiency, we subject themto a "Crash Test". In comparison, inthe automotive industry, newvehicles pass crash tests, whoseresults are ranked from 1 to 5 stars.5 stars is a vehicle in which thechances of survival are higher(which, of course, doesn't mean thatit guarantees at a 100% that you canemerge unscathed from an accident)
So our options are subject totests taken in situations as close
as possible to reality, with the rightmaterial, and from there we selectonly what offers better results inorder to make our programsevolve.
"D" as in Development
The development and evolution ofour research is primarily intended forour students, but also to be sharedwith everyone. That's why theKMRED Group set up a few monthsago in its training centers insouthern France, an instructorscourse for people who want tointegrate our teaching team and
share in turn the results of ourinvestigations.
Managers and guarantors of theR.E.D. principles are the co-foundersof the KMRED Group: ChristianWilmouth, Faustino Hernández andDan Zahdour, al l three ChiefInstructors of Krav Maga of Level 5,and Instructors of various CombatSports. However, validation of themain changes is carried out inconsultation with all instructors ofthe Group, since the secret ofsuccess l ies in knowing how tosurround yourself with efficient anddedicated collaborators and neverget away from "reality"....
Hwa Rang Do® signaturemove: INSIDE CIRCLE-UNDERC-LOCK
The inside circle-under C-lockcan be found in numerousmartial arts and in manymovies. A dynamic, effective and
often misunderstood technique, it isa signature move in Hwa Rang Do®and requires some detai ledexamination. You can start to
study this technique from theTae Soo Do® Brown
Belt (Tae SooDo® is theundergraduateprogram toaccess themore complexHwa RangDo®).
Hwa Rang Do
et’s start to analyze the grip: thetwo hand thumbs-crossed grip.It is not complex, both handsgrab the opponent’s hand, withthe four fingers in front and thethumbs crossed over each other
on the back. No special angles are appliedwith the grip itself. Pressure is put on thewrist only when you rotate under theopponent’s arm for the takedown.
To execute the takedown after acquiringthe mentioned grip (both of your hands areon his right hand), step out with your rightfoot, then step through with your left as youwhip your opponent’s arm overhead in alarge counterclockwise arc. Once your leftfoot touches down, it is essential that youdrop to your left knee to tighten the torqueon his wrist (you have to use your weight toattack the wrist).
By dropping his arm, you prevent youropponent from spinning underneath andout of your lock. As long as you have theproper angle and the correct grip, it is very
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easy to apply pressure on the pinkieknuckle with a slight twist and takeyour opponent to the ground and/ordislocate the wrist.
A common mistake is to pull thearm laterally. You have to pushdownward instead, and maintainconstant pressure on the wrist. If thearm straightens and the 90-degreeangle is compromised, just twist thewrist inward and toward youropponent and the angle will be easilyreacquired. Also, while spinning underthe arm, avoid standing too high withyour back arched and your handsbehind your head, as this will weaken
your balance and give your opponentthe opportunity to spin out of thehold.
The inside circle-under c-lock is avery effective technique that allowsyou to dislocate the opponent’s wristor take the opponent down even ifyou’re lighter than him. The reason iseasy to understand, you canconcentrate all of your weight on asingle point: the wrist itself.
This Hwa Rang Do® principle isvery important in our lives too. We allhave problems, usually manyproblems, and the best strategy toface them is starting from one and try
to solve it in the best way aspossible, with all of our energy. If wetry to solve too many problemstogether the consequence is usuallythat we are not able to improve oursituation.
About the author: Hwa RangDo® Head Instructor, LieutenantColonel of the Italian Military PoliceForce (Carabinieri) and EngineerMarco Mattiucci is the Chief of theItalian Branch of the World HwaRang Do® Association and one ofthe main followers of GrandmasterTaejoon Lee.
Korean Styles
Hwa Rang Do
(MISSION STATEMENT OF THEWORLD HWA RANG DO®
ASSOCIATION)HWA RANG DO®:
A legacy of Loyalty, Relentlesslyseeking Truth, Empowering Lives,
Serving Humanity
et's face it, bullying is no longer like it was when you and I weregrowing up. In the old days, bullying had to happen face-to-face.You had to actually be in physical contact with another person toeffectively bully them or to get bullied.Today, fifty percent or more of incidents involve cyber bullying,
which takes place online. Two people don't even have to meeteach other face-to-face for one to bully the other. It can happen with thepush of a button. We have Internet tough guys and girls, people who hidebehind a screen name and think they can say anything they want. For kicksthey try to wreak havoc on somebody's life, without ever having to meet theperson face-to-face. Their victim may be a classmate, or perhaps even acomplete stranger.The impact of bullying is very real. Let's face it, we have kids who are
killing themselves because of a change in status on sites like Facebook andnumerous other social media venues. Children and adolescents are at anextremely emotional time in their life. Whatever is going on in theirimmediate world with their friends and in their social life is everything tothem. This makes them extremely vulnerable to bullying.Oftentimes bullying is going on right in under your nose, and you don't
even know it. Most students haven't been taught an effective way tocommunicate these situations with parents and/or teachers, to clear the air.There isn't an easy-to-follow and effective action plan in place. Oftentimesthe situation just goes on and on and on, until you see the end result. Thenwe call it bullying, after the damage is already done.Someone can get bullied for weeks and months and years on end with no
physical contact. They're waking up not wanting to go to school and in fearfor their life, because of something someone said about them in a socialmedia forum on the Internet. The bullying may go on at night while thestudent is asleep, and when they wake up the next morning they read allsorts of horrible stuff and then they have to go to school and deal with thelooks and the laughing behind their back, because it seems like everybodyin the whole school has read it, too. There is face-to-face bullying. There is cyber bullying. The reality is that
both wreak havoc on the victims, not only if they may be weaker physically,but because they are susceptible to influence by their peers, which mostchildren are. There are a variety of reasons why bullies do what they do, but that's a
whole other book. We don't have room here to go into psychologicalprofiles, domestic abuse, kids who have been enabled their whole lives, kidswho feel as if the world owes them something, kids who won't settle foranything less than to be the alpha male or alpha female. Bullying happensfor many reasons. We're not here to discuss where it stems from. We arehere to learn what we can do about it prior to, during, and even after abullying situation occurs, so you can protect your child from the reality oftoday's world.Zero tolerance is the approach you have to take with your child when it
comes to bullying. This is a must. There's no way around it. There are nohalf efforts here. Like a fire that starts out small, what starts out as aseemingly minor confrontation between your child and a bully will only getbigger if you let it go and don't take some kind of action. Eventually theproblem becomes so big that it gets out of control. Instead of stepping on aburning match, you're having to call on the fire department. Or in the caseof bullying, the police department. And in many cases, by that time it's justtoo late. You as a parent must look at every single situation, address it, and attack
it. There is no situation that is too small. Once you have identified it as acase of bullying, then you have to address it immediately. What exactly is bullying? The dictionary definition is “to use superior
strength to intimidate or influence someone emotionally or physically”. Inreal life, bullying can take on a variety of different forms. When we talk aboutzero tolerance and addressing things immediately, you have to know when asituation qualifies as actual bullying. We don't want to be overzealous,walking on eggshells all the time. Once you determine that bullying is in fact going on, then you have to
take immediate action steps. Remember, that fire can get out of controlreally quickly, and the effects of bullying can last well into adulthood. It's upto parents and other responsible adults to help young people cope with theworld we live in today. Every child deserves to grow up in a safeenvironment, and it's up to the adults in that child's life to make thathappen. It's up to you.
A former street cop, sheriff, andmaximum security prison guard. ChrisSutton is the founder of Cobra-Defensein Clearwater, FL. Cobra-defense is alaw enforcement based self-defensesystem. Cobra-Defense is the officialself-defense system of John Graden'sMartial Arts Teachers' Association(MATA-www.MartialArtsTeachers.com).Instructor certification in Cobra-Defense is atwww.SelfDefenseCertified.com.
Chris Sutton is availble for seminarsand special training. He can be reachedat 727-791-4111 [email protected]
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No, despite we appear together in these photos taken at our last meeting inour studies, this is not an interview I made to him, but I didn't want to miss thechance of giving the touch of a human profile, something I've always consideredessential in this literary "genre".
Because Master Sewer is a peculiar person, easy going and highly educated, ittakes time to enter the barriers that formality involves, barriers always desira-ble on the other hand, because education, a good education like his, will neverbe sufficiently stressed. Exceedingly cautious, he's never heard to speak ill ofanyone. A slight sarcastic tone, not sardonic though, adds a friendly and fami-liar touch to his pleasant company. His eyes are tender, because they can't hidehis natural goodness, based on more than a generous spiritual nature, becausetrue compassion is seen in his actions and that only is given by the one who hasalready tasted in his own flesh the pain of life. Without ever bragging about it,he gives the best of himself and he does so with generosity and joy. MartinSewer is a good man, something essential to being a good Master.
Alfredo Tucci
Interview with Grandmaster Dr. Martin Sewer, 8. Dan
BI: When have you started Martial Arts and why?MS: Inspired by my father I started with
approximately six years of age with Judo. This I did forthirteen years. At competitions I was very successfuland was normally among top ranks. When I reached thebrown belt and prepared for the black belt I quit Judo.
BI: Did you practice any other kind of Martial Art inyour childhood?
MS: Yes, I did. My teacher in Judo had orginally doneJiu-Jitsu. Because of that he tought his more advancedstudents often Jiu. In addition Shotokan Karate wastought in the very same dojo, which I also participatedfor two years.
BI: Did you fight full contact?MS: When I was young I boxed for about two to three
years. So yes I liked to fight full contact back then anddo like it still. Back then finding full contact fightingtournaments in Kung Fu were I lived without Internetwas not possible. As I learned, however, they alreadydid take place here in Switzerland.
BI: What got you intrested in Kung Fu?MS: Bruce Lee. I loved his movies and books in
younger years. I tried his methods and wanted to learneverything that had something to do with Kung Fu. Butas a twelve year old, living in Adliswil (township near ofZurich), this wasn`t easy. Internet wasn`t really a thingback then, so I couldn`t easely google it.
BI: Because of what did you start with actual KungFu training?
MS: A fellow student of mine in Karate was learningKung Fu. This was my first access to Kung Fu.
BI: What kind of Kung Fu was that?MS: He learned a system, which a man had dreamed
about, quite similar to the movie „Karate Tiger“. I know,this sounds quite unbelievible. But it`s the truth. Thisman`s name was Romeo. He dreamed the completeKung Fu system. He practiced and then tought it toothers. So this was the very first Kung Fu I got to know.
BI: What kind of a system was this?MS: It was a 10-Animal system with 5-Element-
Boxes. Today you could say quite similar to Hung Garand its concepts. Positions and hand gestures are allthe same.
BI: This sounds really quite unbelievible. Surelynot everyone believes it to be true.
MS: Yes, indeed. This is actually the first time Imentioned this to this extent. I know the majority ofpeople, wouldn`t think it possible. However, it`s true.There`s more between heaven and earth than we mightthink.
BI: Well, how did you proceed?MS: I trained and finished the system with my former
training partner Andy. After that I travelled to China andHong Kong.
BI: There you met your master, Grandmaster Dr.Chiu Chi Ling, 10. Dan?
MS: No, I met him in Zurich 1989 at a seminar on theholiday of Pentecost and learned from him. Back then Iparticipated in many seminars and courses and learnedfrom many very good teachers.
BI: Then you travelled to Grandmaster Chiu ChiLing to Hong Kong?
MS: I wanted to learn from him. But he neveranswered my lettres or faxes. Because of that I didn`tknow if he would accept me as his student.
BI: So you travelled to Hong Kong and tried tobecome his student?
MS: Grandmaster Wu Mei Ling from Konstanzarranged training trips to China at this time. If Iremember correctly, I joined one of this trips in 1991and travelled China. There I met many masters andgrandmasters. No one impressed me like Chiu Chi Ling.After my trip through China I stayed in Hong Kong andlearned from Grandmaster Chiu Chi Ling.
BI: How did manage to get in touch again withGrandmaster Chiu Chi Ling?
MS: I found his school. Rang the bell and Old-Grandmaster Chiu Kow opend the door. He impressed
me very much, being already 90 years oldthen. He was a real gentleman. But hiseyes were hard. I didn`t know anythingabout him. Later I wrote a biographyabout this man. Chiu Kow didn`t speakany English and I not a word Cantonese.We comunicated only with gestures.Nevertheless I achieved that he called hisson Chiu Chi Ling, which knewimmediately who I was. Some time laterhe was in Mo Kwoon (Martial Artsschool). Lessons started right then.
BI: Chiu Chi Ling is a legend inMartial Arts. What is it like to learnfrom him?
MS: The training was very tough. Hetought me about eight to ten hours perday. Fortunately I was already in a goodshape and had a solid standing.Otherwise I woudn`t have been capableof going through with it. Sifu Chiu toughtas much as I could take. Forms, weaponforms and exercises. I was stuffed withknowledge. After class I went back to myguestroom and fell fully clothed asleep. Inthe middle of the night I then woke upand was hungry. Fortunately this was noproblem in Hong Kong. There`s alwayssomething to eat.
Grandmaster Chiu Chi Ling who isnormaly a funny man is very strict andprecise with his lectures. He had me trainthe techniques as long as it took me toexercise them perfectly. I remeber well aclass in my school in Zurich where I hadto perform an exercise for four hours.Today I`m very thankful for that. TheShaolin Hung Gar Kung Fu with which heentrusted me is a real treasure to value.
BI: How did you proceed after thisintensive beginning (1991) in HongKong?
MS: Already in 1992 I invitedGrandmaster Chiu Chi Ling toSwitzerland again. He accepted myinvitation. My lessons were continuedevery day then. He told me somethingabout an exam at the end of my time inHong Kong. But I didn't understand whathe wanted to tell me. Back in Switzerland(1992) I asked him again about it. He saidI took part in the final exam held by ChiuKow and Shiu Ying (Chiu Kow's wife) andpassed it (Masters-exam) That's how Igot my permission to teach my ownclasses in 1992.
BI: Wow - You were only 21 years oldand already „Sifu“. Wasn't it too early?
MS: Yes. It was way too early. In thechinese way of thinking one is a youngSi fu wi th 30 years even. I had toproove mysel f in the eyes of bothtraditional chinese and european Sifus.But in my defense: I didn't bestow thistitle upon myself. It was given to me bymy Sifu. In retrospective it wasn't awrong call. I was able to proove myselfand the skills of my students and theirresu l ts at compet i t ions speak forthemselves.
BI: Most western masters orteachers were two to three times inAsia. How often have you been there?
MS: I've been to Hong Kong over 40times. Besides my master visitedSwitzerland almost every year and taughtme.
BI: So you were a young master. Howdid you go on after that?
MS: In 1993 I founded my schoolKUNG FU SCHULE MARTIN SEWER. Inthe beginning it wasn't easy. I had manyobsticles to take. In 1995 I finally foundsome rooms and the success ofconsequent and hard training started toshow. In 1999 I was named Chief-Coordinator of Europe by GrandmasterDr. Chiu Chi Ling.
BI: Oh - this must have been a bigstep for you! How did your fellowstudents from neighbouring europeancountries react?
MS: Indeed, it was a big step. Mymaster supported me above-average.These were the consequences. Most ofmy fellow students reacted with envy anda lack of understanding. They are allolder in years than me. But not obligatoryin regard of Kung Fu experience.According to my Sifu most of them areSidai's (younger Kung Fu brothers). Inaddition none of them has learned andtrained as much and hard as me. I myselfcan not evaluate this and so can't theyeither. Just as I wasn`t there when theylearned, they weren`t there when Ilearned.
BI: You were elected the first nonchinese succesor of style of theChiu Chi Ling lineage of Hung Gar
Entrevista
Kung Fu. How did this happen and what does it meanto you?
MS: Around 2006 I was in San Francisco, home of choicefor my master. When I was there, he treated me like his ownson and I participated in his family life for the first time. Whilehe was driving me to the airport, he asked if I would take itand do it. I told him I would and we both knew what wasmeant.
In 2007 in Canada he mentioned this in public the firsttime. Because of that a student got so jealous that herefused to continue his lessons under Grandmaster Chiu ChiLing. Since then Grandmaster Chiu Chi Ling is more carefulwith such delicate matters. He doesn`t want anyone to bejealous. However he already repeated this in YouTubeVideos.
This means a lot to me. I am proud to represent this styleand lineage. There`s a lot of responsebility involved. I willgive my best to live up to this task. I hope one can forgive if Ican`t do everything right all the time. I try at least.
BI: You are Grandmaster today. How can one becomea Grandmaster?
MS: There are three ways to become a Grandmaster:1. If you trained masters yourself (Family system)- I have trained masters. Their masters degree was
confirmed by Grandmaster Chiu Chi Ling. 2. The Kung Fu society acknowledges you as a
Grandmaster- Since 2006 I was acknowledged by differnt international
organisations as Grandmaster. In 2012 and 2013 I won the„Martial Arts Top Level Demonstration Match“ in thecategory „Grandmaster“ in Malaysia.
3. You are head of the style.- I am not at the moment, but I am going to be.
BI: Everyone who saw you and your Master togethercan see your position in this old and famous Kung Fufamily. Such warmth and repect isn`t often seen. Thankyou very much, Grandmaster Martin Sewer, for thisInterview. We would love to read and see more of you infuture.
MS: Thank you and thanks to your readers for theirinterest in our old Martial Art. I would love to write for yourmagazine again.
"A knight in shining armor is a man who has never had hismetal truly tested"
~UNKNOWN
Text: Avi Nardia, Tim BoehlertPhotos: Ken Akiyama & Budo archives
In a forthcoming DVD produced inconjunction with Budo Magazine, we'll shareideas from traditional Martial Arts and CQBwith modern day variations and techniques.
Teaching Martial Arts and Combatives, Ioften see 'heroes.' It's said that after a warthe marketplace is loaded with heroes andhero stories. Israelis at the age of 24 arewrit ing autobiographical books aboutthemselves. I 've met many new GrandMasters. I've met men that after taking only afew days training with me, where they couldhardly survive, are now Grand Masters!Students that I've kicked out of the Army andPolice Academy are now the 'real-deal',accompanied now with their own war storiesand life experiences. It all makes me wonderhow the Israeli Martial Arts got watereddown to the level that is prevalent today.
This new wave of Martial Artists and web-surfers run from one movie to the next moviefad, and they seem to only study the MartialArts in waves and set their dreams and goalson a movie depiction of what some hollywood-type thinks is the latest/hottest Martial Artsand they fail to understand that it's the manwho makes the title and not the title thatmakes the man.
Close Quarters Battle (CQB) ideas are notnew.
"To study the old is to understand the new." - Hanshi Patrick McCarthy
Suijutsu ( in Japanese) history tells us that fighting could takeplace anywhere, and that thereby a Samurai had to be ready tofight in every situation - immersed in the water of a river or the seafor example. In the old days a Bushido person had to study manyarts from horsemanship to swimming and even writing and musicand culture so as to be open minded and to have a broadviewpoint and to also have skills.
Avi Nardia
Self Defense
As a joke I always said that in Israeli Martial Arts wehave also 'Sue Do': the art of suing! Around 2000there were many lawsuits all over due to some dirtymoves by a few greedy lawyers that had travelled toIsrael for a few days, including sight-seeing, andwhen they got back they were experts in IsraeliMartial Arts and they actually tried to trademark it.When I moved to the USA, I was one of the few tofight it. As a result of that, they attacked me in manyforums, in any way they could including payinginternet criminals to slander me by building an on-lineblog that called me a fraud, citing that they were thereal deal. None of them served in the Israeli Army anhour or even in the Israeli Police but somehow theymiraculously knew the real Israeli Martial Arts andsold certificates to teach it! It was really funny as thecertificates were signed by Imi Lichtenfeld, who hadpassed away 15 years before, but he still managed tosign the certifications.During that time I said I'd fight in court, or on the
on-line forums, anywhere on the internet, in sea or airas that's a part of my trust of what is CQB. Youshould able to fight in any field that you may findyourself in. I fought the slander and I never wentdown. It wasn't and still isn't right.When we teach and study combatives remember:
the point of Combative Martial Arts is aggressiveness,fearlessness and determination. The spirit of notgiving up. And when I see different combativesystems I can see no matter where and when theywere 'made', they have a common lineage back to allof them. But this line is also brutality and we have toremember one more fact - age. And don't forgetinjuries. Most combative arts are taught to kidsbetween 18 to 22 who are in the best fitness of theirlives! Any former soldier will admit that 'yes, we wereyoung and yes the body paid the price with injuriesthat we carry for a life-time.' All admit that we mustlisten to the body and train smart. I was invited to Wingate Sport University in Israel to
lecture on the subject 'slow is fast.' I was paid by theIsraeli government to explain the idea of how bonesare on a continual growing process until we're almost22, and how all the stress on bones and joints cancreate damage for that will last us a life-time. How themuscles are faster to grow and adapt, but how thebones, joints and ligaments are slower to grow andadapt and why we need to train slower to build asystem. When asked why we get our young peopleinto the Army in Israel at the age of 18, the answer issimple: they are too young to understand, easy tomanipulate and direct. At an older age they would besmarter and maybe also refuse.After seeing so many soldiers, police officers and
special forces soldiers for so many years as a trainer Icould see also different injuries. What does it mean tokill a person? "The weight of knowing that you'vekilled another person: is heavy. I've seen guys losereligion over it, and I've seen guys gain religion overit, through a course entitled 'The Anatomy of a Kill.' Itwas about what bullets do to people" he says. "Howthey tumble through the body, what kind of damagethey do, the difference between soft organs and hardorgans, what happens when the bullet hits what, howto deploy the round earlier so it pulls earlier and doesmore damage." A friend asked me how do you trainfor it and how do you teach for it? It's a hard issue.Do we talk to civilians or Army? In my days I used to take my Counter-Terrorism
Unit student to the hospital mortuary and show thembodies. The parts after bad accidents. I remember
Self Defense
two friends that had been in suicide bombing situationsand both said that each time they went in with the rightmindset, they acted professional as a doctor or nursewould in the same situation, but that once they made amistake and went in with the wrong attitude and mindsetand lost it. So we can build, but that doesn't mean thatone day we won't fail.Combatives is a hard subject and this is why I like to
keep teaching part of swordsmanship when I teachcombatives as it's the ultimate CQB using a sword in amêlée. A mêlée is disorganized close-combat with agroup of fighters. A mêlée happens when groups fighttogether in combat with no regard for group tactics orfighting as a unit. Each combative fights alone.
"Among many types of fighting encompassed by thegeneral term 'close combat' includes the medieval andancient mêlée and the modern terms hand-to-handcombat and close quarters combat (CQC.) Closecombat occurs when opposing military forces engagein restricted areas, an environment frequentlyencountered in urban warfare. Military small unittactics traditionally regarded as forms of close combatinclude fighting with hand-held or hand-thrownweapons such as swords, knives, axes, or tools. Inmodern times (since World War II), the term 'closecombat' has also come to describe unarmed hand-to-hand combat, as well as combat involving firearms andother distance weapons when used at short range.William E. Fairbairn, who organized and led the famousShanghai Riot Squad of the Shanghai Municipal Police,devised a system of close-combat fighting for bothsoldiers and civilians which bears his name, 'theFairbairn System,' incorporating use of the handgun,knife, and unarmed martial arts fighting techniques.Since that time, the term 'close combat' has also beenused to describe a short-range physical confrontationbetween antagonists not involved in a military conflict,for example in riots and other violent conflicts betweenlaw enforcement personnel and civilians. Hand-to-handcombat, sometimes abbreviated as HTH or H2H, is alethal or non-lethal physical confrontation between twoor more persons at very short range (grapplingdistance) that does not involve the use of firearms orother distance weapons.”
[1] While the phrase 'hand-to-hand' appears to refer tounarmed combat, the term is generic and may includeuse of striking weapons used at grappling distance suchas knives, sticks, batons, or improvised weapons such asentrenching tools.
[2] While the term hand-to-hand combat originallyreferred principally to engagements by military personnelon the battlefield, it can also refer to any personal physicalengagement by two or more combatants, including policeofficers and civilians.
Self Defense
[3] Combat within close quarters, toa range just beyond grapplingdistance, is commonly termed closecombat or close-quarters combat. Itmay include lethal and non-lethalweapons and methods dependingupon the restrictions imposed bycivi l ian law, mil itary rules ofengagement, or ethical codes. Closecombat using firearms or otherdistance weapons by mil itarycombatants at the tactical level ismodernly referred to as close quarterbattle. The U.S. Army uses the termcombatives to describe various
military fighting systemsused in hand-to-hand combattraining, systems which mayincorporate eclectic techniquesfrom several different martial artsand combat sports.Close QuartersCombat (CQC), Close Quarters Battle(CQB) or Close Combat Fighting is aphysical confrontation between two ormore combatants.
[4] It can take place between militaryunits, police and criminals, and othersimilar actions. In warfare it usuallyconsists of small units or teamsengage the enemy with personalweapons at very short range, up to 30meters, from proximity hand-to-handcombat to close quarter targetnegotiation with short range firearms.In the typical close quarters combatscenario, the attackers try a very fast,violent takeover of a vehicle orstructure controlled by the defenders,who usually have no easy way towithdraw. Because enemies,hostages/civi l ians, and fellowoperators can be closely intermingled,close quarters combat demands arapid assault and a precise applicationof lethal force. The operators needgreat proficiency with their weapons,and the ability to make split-seconddecisions in order to minimizeaccidental casualties.Criminals
sometimes use close quarters combattechniques, such as in an armedrobbery or jailbreak, but most of theterminology comes from training usedto prepare soldiers, police, and otherauthorities. Therefore, much materialrelating to close quarters combat iswritten from the perspective of theauthorities who must break into thestronghold where the opposing force(OPFOR) has barricaded itself. Typicalexamples would be commandooperations behind enemy lines and
h o s t a g e
rescues.Although there is considerableoverlap, close quarters combat is notsynonymous with urban warfare, nowsometimes known by the mil itaryacronyms MOUT (military operations inurban terrain), FIBUA (fighting in built-up areas) or OBUA (Operations in BuiltUp Areas) in the West. Urban warfareis a much larger f ield, includinglogistics and the role of crew-servedweapons like heavy machine guns,mortars, and mounted grenadelaunchers, as well as artillery, armor,and air support. In close quarterscombat, the emphasis is on smallinfantry units using light, compactweapons that one person can carryand use easily in tight spaces, such ascarbines, submachine guns, shotguns,pistols, knives, and bayonets. As such,close quarters combat is a tacticalconcept that forms a part of thestrategic concept of urban warfare, butnot every instance of close quarterscombat is necessarily urban warfare-
for example, a jungle is potentially astage for close quarters combat.
source: CQC Manuals
Beyond the technicalAfter teaching for many years I see
how spirit and mind must be in place.Many times it's more important thanjust the body conditioning incombative arts. The problem is inthinking about how to share it withstudents, mostly young andinexperienced, who may have theireyes on only the shiny armor and the
brave knight, and also how to makethem understand Zanshin and Kamae. While talking with a friend from
traditional Martial Arts I could see howKendo explained it to me and that'swhat I learnt best from Kendo, andnow as a teacher. I was very surprised,but at the same time happy to hearand understand Kamae.
Kokoro no Kamae is the posture ofyour heart and mind. In Budo trainingyou assume a posture so that youguard your weak points and make itdifficult for an enemy to attack you;and at the same time, it is a strategyto expose the enemies weak points.If you face an enemy without a
kamae, you will be an easy target.Learning basic usage of kamae isamong the first lessons beginnersstudy. We physically adjust ourselvesin certain ways in response to whatthe enemy shows us. We learn thatfrom each kamae there are morefavorable ways to move attack and
Self Defense
defend and less favorable ways. You learn the strengthsand the weaknesses of each posture and how to use themstrategically against various types of attacks. You even seekamae in sports. Football and basketball for example useformations to respond to their opponents formations andhave options to use based on their opponents adjustments.Kamae is also present in games like chess and of course inwar in terms of battle formations.Beyond physical kamae
(just placing yourarms legs andbody in specificways) there ism e n t a lkamae. If welook at hephysical basicsagain, eventhere is presenta mental aspect.You want to use
your body in such ways as to lie to your enemy. This isbasic Kyojitsu Tenkan ... Kyojitsu Tenkan basicallyexplained means that what the enemy can perceive andreact to is not truly what your intention is. If it looks likeyour leg is open to an attack, it is not, if it looks like yourarm can be grabbed, that is because you want them tograb it. Your true openings are hidden, and your truestrengths are hidden as weaknesses. Many people neverdevelop these skills, even at this level (and they miss mostof the art by doing so) so it is not surprising that when itcomes to mental and spiritual kamae not only do the vastmajority never even think about it, they never train it norgain skill with it.Life is combat NOT sport!
“Make your fighting stance your everyday stance.”
- Miyamoto Musashi
"Beware the ego, it will be your downfall..."
Ritual Cat
When the spiritual teacher and his disciples began their evening meditation, the cat who lived in the monastery madesuch noise that it distracted them. So the teacher ordered that the cat be tied up during the evening practice. Years later,when the teacher died, the cat continued to be tied up during the meditation session. And when the cat eventually died,another cat was brought to the monastery and tied up. Centuries later, learned descendants of the spiritual teacher wrotescholarly treatises about the religious significance of tying up a cat for meditation practice.
Source: traditional
A few days ago radical Muslims kidnapped three young Jewish kids and murdered them incold blood. This act set about a new wave of hatred in Israel. Many Israelis demandedrevenge. This is an ongoing story and was broadcast internationally - touchingeveryone. 'An eye for an eye' is the demand of many for revenge.If this is the way itwill be the way, then we will soon be blind. This one act led to the attemptedkidnapping of an eight year old by Jewish radicals, religious terrorists, that was atthe last minute saved by his mother. SHe was able to thwart the kidnapping. Thevery next day these Jewish radicals managed to kidnap a 15 year old Muslim kidand burned him alive. What a shame, and how inhuman. The mother of one ofthe Jewish kids that had been murdered, Naftali Frenkel, R.I.P. said "there is nodifference in blood to blood, or religion... a murder is a murder." These words bya mourning mother show that she is a warrior. Warriors do not lower themselvesto the standards of other people; they live independently, according to their ownstandards and code of honor.I find these words most important in these sad days in Israel as I see how low
people can go. It makes me sad, and sick at the same time. Three terrorist'skidnapping three kids and killing them simply because they are radical Muslims andthe kids were Jewish. In Return six radical Jewish men kidnap a poor Palestinian
Muslim child and brutally murder him in the most evil of ways - by burning himalive. These actions are not representative of Israelis and nor by the
religious belief. These people are sick criminals and evil humans.These are not warriors, these are cowards. It's a shame to
even call them human. Terrorists are terrorists and warcriminals, whether they be Muslim or Jewish orrepresent any religion. As responsibleteachers, we must stop this crazy world fromdegrading further through education and bymaking warriors that will follow friendshiplove and peace.
Religion is not the problem, there areplenty of wars started by atheists (Hitler,Stalin et al). The problem is humannature. Unfortunately far too manypeople are just sheep who wil lbl indly follow the dogma ofwhatever group they identify with.Whether it be Islamicfundamentalism or politicalcorrectness, the problem isstill the same: group think,intolerance and thearrogance to believe thatyou are right andeveryone whodisagrees with youis wrong.
To hate is easy.This is why intraditional MartialArts we teach ourstudents toteach with Loveand peace andtolerance andwhen we needto teachc o m b a t i v e s ,sometimes it'sjust teaching howto hurt or how tokill, but we forgetthe manners and
Self Defense
values. When you research the old Japanese military ways, theyalways followed Jutsu: Kenjutsu changed to Kendo Jujutsu toJudo from just art and skills to 'The Way.' The way of the modernera of teaching is from love and peace and tolerance, and not justskills. Today in MMA we face going backwards to just teachingskills and how to hurt and win, but not to make a very importantpoint. Do we also teach in the right way and to the right people?This made me leave the 'family' and build my own family that
will follow those values and morals and here is the story of the'family':
One day a man travelled deep into the jungle and met amonkey. He said hello to the monkey and was surprisedwhen the monkey returned his greeting with "hello myfriend!" The man didn't know monkeys could speak, and sohe asked the monkey to about this. The monkey said "yeswe can speak, we just hide it." The man then said "wehumans say that monkeys and humans are of the samefamily." The monkey was really happy to meet his 'new'relative and didn't stop exclaiming "my family, my family!"Suddenly, out of nowhere a lion attacked both of them andthe monkey pulled the man up into his tree and climbedhigh up to a safer place. The lion said "throw the human tome, and I will eat only him and I will set you free." Themonkey replied "no way, he is my family." Through the longnight the man eventually got tired of trying to out-wait thehungry lion below, and so he asked the monkey to watchover him as he slept and said that when the monkey wouldgo to sleep and he would watch over him. While the manslept the lion asked the monkey again to let him eat theman, and he'd let the monkey go free. But the monkeyreplied again "No. We are family." When the man woke, hetold the monkey to sleep and stated that he'd keep watchover him. The Monkey went to sleep and the lion asked theman to "throw the monkey down to me to eat and I'll setyou free! The man didn't think twice, and he threw themonkey down to the lion, but the monkey woke up quicklyand before the lion could set his paws on him he jumpedback into the tree and climb back up to where the man satsafely. This was really embarrassing to the man. Both knewwhat happened, but no one spoke of it. Then the lion fellasleep and the monkey said to the man "let's go!" and hewalked him safely all the way back to the edge of the jungleand said goodbye. As the man started walking, the monkeycalled him and said "can I ask you favor?" "Yes!" the mansaid, happy that the monkey still considered them friendsdespite what the man had tired to do to the monkey. Themonkey said to him "would you please not mention toanyone that we are family?"
This brings me back to the Israeli Martial Arts, as I havebeen stabbed in the back by 'friends' and other greedypeople that had been too ready to sell my friendship foralmost no money and I decided to simply say "Please don'tmention that we're family." I have since built my own familycalled WARRIOR, as warriors follow their heart and keep theirvalues and morals! This is my family.
Avi Nardia
Weng Chun
The secret weapon of Weng ChunKung Fu�s ancient Chinese fightingstrategy to defeat bigger andstronger opponents is to fight theopponent�s structure, rather thantheir strength and speed. For thatpurpose the ancient masters ofWeng Chun created the 16strategies poem: Loi Lau Hoi Song,Huen Lau Kau Da, Kwun Fan JeetChuen, Chum Kiu, Biu Chee.
et us first examine the Kwun Fan JeetChuen and Chum Kiu Biu Chee:
Kwun- means rolling. The Kwun-strategy for example utilizes an insiderotation of the arm to create a leverageon your opponent�s incoming attack.
Whether this takes the form of a strike or a kick,with the leverage of Kwun we can strike back froma safe position, or lock or trap the arm or the leg,and use this situation for further attacks. Anothermethod is to utilize the leverage for creatingconstant forward pressure to destroy theopponent�s structure. We perform Kwun- rollingusing the arms, legs, hands, feet, shoulders, hip,or with the whole body.
Fan- means dividing. The Fan- strategy aims atdissipating the force of the opponent. A goodexample for Fan is the double back fist of WengChun, where the incoming strike of the opponent isdeflected and guided with one arm, while at thesame time you give him a back fist strike with theother arm. This pulls the opponent into your attack,multiplying the damage and at the same timethrowing him out of balance. The Palm up- hand /Tan Sao is also a very famous Weng Chun handutilizing the Fan strategy. Tan Sao Fan-strategy canbe combined with a simultaneous punch or kick.
Jeet- means cutting, intercept, and the Jeet-strategy is used to disrupt the opponent�s timing
Weng Chun Self Defence: How to render Speed and Power of the Opponent useless!
L
Text: Andreas Hoffmann, Christoph Fuß, Photos: Gabriela Hoffmann, Budo International
Weng Chun
or to intercept his attack. For example, when the opponentis preparing a kick, you can Jeet- intercept his kick withyour kick. The idea is to cut the opponents fighting rhythmor his preparation of attacks. A good time to use Jeet-intercept is also when the opponent changes the side of
his attack, because then he usually is a little bitoff balance, which is meant to beutterly disrupted by utilizing Jeet-intercept. An interesting aspect ofJeet- intercept is the mentalapplication level: To attack the
opponent at the very momentwhen he prepares himself foraction. By surprising and
overwhelming him, the fight becomes easy. Thus he willalways be one step behind.
Chuen- means inch, small, and the Chuen- strategyutilizes a small quick change, for example of your hand, toinsert the opponent�s attack, providing for example anopportunity to get behind him and to attack him from thissuperior position. To know the small point sometimeschange a position with the opponent totally: Only a slightchange of the sweet spot might lead to a completely
different position towards the opponent.Especially at the higher levels as a fighter, you
need to know the details. Chum- means to lower, to sink, to put
down, therefore the chum-strategy aims atlowering the opponent�s structure. For
example, if he enters with a doubleleg takedown, you would increase
his downturn thru yourforearm, so he will loosebalance, and you can
control him from a topposition, e. g. with punches.Kiu- means bridge, and
according to the bridge strategythe Weng Chun fighter alwaysadopts a suitable position in
relation to the attacker, whileusing timing in such a way that
he can achieve the greatestpossible effect on the
attacker by applyingrelatively little force, sothat he is able to controlhim effortlessly. If the
opponent attacks you,he offers you a bridgewhich you can use.Another Kiu saying is
◊Kiu Loi Kiu SeungGo“, which means
◊ If there is abridge, cross
on top of thebridge”.
Weng Chun
Biu- means darting, and following the Biu strategy, youwould for example perform a semicircular punch frominside to outside, mostly using the forearm and the fingerstrike to disconcert your opponent, to break his timing(“Jeet”- strategy) by surprising him with an fast fingerstrike. Especially if you Chun-lower his arm (his structure),you can easily follow up by a Biu-darting attack and throwyour opponent off balance.
Chee- means finger, hence the Chee strategy is all aboutknowing how to use the fingers for darting or grapping.
We can consider these ancientWeng Chun strategies as
universal. I usethem in SandaSparring, ChiSao training,
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Tai Chi and Pakua push hands etc.Whenever you examine combat more closely, you will findthese strategies behind the techniques. The late ChineseWeng Chun Grandmaster Wai Yan was the only Grandmasterin China I ever met who properly understood and applied thisprinciple oriented fighting style. His Weng Chun lifework wasto unify all traditions of Weng Chun Kung Fu in his famouskung fu school Dai Duk Lan after World War Two, and tounderstand the underlying principles and strategies more
deeply. Daily hard training and sparring at DaiDuk Lan with Weng Chun Grandmasters aswell as Grandmasters from other styles, like
GM Yip Man etc., thus establishing a highlevel of Weng Chun Kung Fu after
World War Two. I myselfbecame his last student,
and today I focus onteaching this high level
Martial Art (Weng Chun)worldwide. This is the reason
why Weng Chun competitorsare so successful even we are
small in numbers. Become part ofWeng Chun�s evolution and joinour schools:
www.weng-chun.com
Weng Chun
All DVDs, wichi is produced by Budo International,si provided and alone in the formats DVD-5 orMPEG-2, in VCD, DivX or the like is however nevesoffered with a special holograma sticker. Besidesour DVD is characteristed coverings by the higquality in pressure and material. If this DVD and/orthe DVD covering do not corespond to therequirements specified above, it concerns illegalpirat copy.
REF.: • TAOWS-2REF.: • TAOWS-2
“TAOWS Academy. Wing Tsun Advanced”. Sifu SalvadorSánchez Wing Tsun is an excellent style of Chinese
boxing that permits a lifetime training experienceand an integral development of the individual.Its ideas, techniques, philosophy etc , it allbelongs to an ancient art and must bestudied and understood in its whole. SifuSalvador Sánchez focusses his seconddvd on the wooden dummy and howit influences all of the Wing Tsunpractice. Given that the woodendummy form is taught at the finallevels of the actual system oftoday, most practitioners thatleave the system before time don'thave the opportunity to know theideas and concepts hidden withinthe form, and they cannotincorporate them in their practice.For TAOWS academy it is veryimportant that the practitionerunderstands what he is doing alwaysand in every aspect, and for this, in this
dvd we are going to follow the sameoutline that we follow in our classes,
seminars and training sessions. Our outlinefollows six steps, the first one is to develop an
idea, what we want to achieve. The second partare the forms, Siu Nim Tao, Chum Kiu, Biu Jee, the
wooden dummy form, depending on each�s level, the thirdpart is footwork, mobility understood. The fourth pillar is Chi Sao, ChiGerk, stickiness, the soul of the system. The fifth element is nonstickiness and no contact, to know what to do in order to reach contactwith the opponent in a safe way.
Budo international. netORDERS:
The Second Introductory Lesson
For children, the second lesson nearly mirrors the first,with the exception that a white belt test is given at the endof the lesson. The test is a review of the techniques andideas you’ve taught the student up to that point. At theconclusion of the test, two digital photographs orPolaroids are taken with the student and the instructor —one for the student and one for the school. The photos,while not absolutely essential, are a nice memento of theirfirst lessons and a strong visual reminder of their positiveexperience at your school.
Of course, there’s no reason not to teach a few moretechniques to a student who shows exceptional talent, butthe general rule with the intro lessons is that less is more.When teaching adults, depending again on the student’sability, an instructor can teach any number of techniques.Here’ a sample lesson for teaching an adult (thetechniques in bold are emphasized):
Adult Intro Lesson Plan (Sample)
• Attention, Bow, Ready Position• Guarding Stance• Footwork• Jab• Head Movement• Slipping and weaving• Front Leg Stretch (I can always do better than
I think I can)• Front Kick • Back Kick• Wrist Release
When teaching adults, the idea is to fit the lesson to theperson’s needs. The way you’d train an executive carrying40 extra pounds would be much different than the wayyou’d teach a marathon runner. Furthermore, it’s vital toremember that the lesson is taught in such a way as toovercome any objections to enrollment, such asobjections about price,commitment, class timesand so forth.
Self-Defense:
"Our program stressespractical self-defenseand reaction training. Asyou learn and improve yourskil ls, you wil l see yourconfidence in your abilitiesincrease. We want you to start
your self-defense training with the basic concepts ofdistance with an opponent or attacker."
It is very important to end the lesson with this: “Let'sdiscuss the VALUE of what you've learned today. If youcan develop a black belt attitude of focus, concentration,respect for yourself and others, spirit and intensity, and theunderstanding of what it takes to be successful in thechallenging goals you've set for yourself, you will haveacquired something truly worth a fortune. As you beginyour study of the martial arts, always put these qualitiesand skills above all else.
John Graden is the Executive Director of the MartialArts Teachers’ Association and the author of thebestselling books on how to run a successful martialarts school without selling out.www.MartialArtsSchoolOwners.com
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
Urban Action ShowcaseFilm Festival NYCNov 7-8, 2014
Urban Action Showcase FilmFestival in collaboration withHBO/Cinemax on Friday eveningNov. 7, 2014 hosted a welcomereception celebrating diversity in theAction genre. Now in its secondyear it the UASF is becoming morerecognized for bringing togetheraction movie stars of this caliber allunder one roof. Gracing the eventwith their presence were Ron VanClief The Black Dragon, CynthiaRothrock Lady Dragon, Don TheDragon Wilson, Vincent Lyn(Operation Condor), TJ Storm BlackCobra, Taimak (The Last Dragon),Marrese Crump (The Protector2,The Wrong Side of Town), GloriaHendry (James Bond, Black BeltJones) Michael Wood, Oso TayaCasel, Sonny Simon, Sugar RayCrosson, Michael De Pasqual Jr, RioHayes, Ric Myers (Inside Kung FuMagazine), Willie the Bam Johnson,Moses Comp, Christopher Mobby,Keith Taylor, Janet Blow, Michael
Chin, Ernie Reyes (The Run Down,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), SifuAlan Golberg, Robert Samuels andmore. This year's showcase wasdedicated to the “Last Dragon”tribute was given to movie star, mydear friend Taimak, a former studentof Grand Master Dr. Richard Chun.Host Demetrius Angelo, is a great
martial artist with over 35 yearsexperience in various martial artsstyles, and 15 years employed byHBO. He created this showcase inorder to recognize, encourage,promote and facilitate multiculturaland minority interest in the BlockBuster Action genre. The quest ofUASE is to celebrate, diversity andhonor past, present and futureachievers in action films. It alsoencourages the participation ofethnic minority f i lms makers,promote minority action fi lmproduction throughout variousmedia outlets, help ease distributionworldwide, inspire minority interestin the art of film making networkingeducation and development. Friday night as the event
progressed action stars were
interviewed live by the vastcorrespondents. Everyone gatheredat the HBO theatre for a briefwelcome and intro by host, Demetriuswho then invited guests and audienceto take a moment to interact.Saturday Nov 8th at the Hilton hotelseminars were given by the action filmstars, Masters of the Martial Artsjoined Action Filmmakers, Producers,Comic Book Artist and ContentCreators from across the country for afull day of Panels, Seminars andMaster Class all promoting the variousaspects of Action Filmmaking. Someof the many highlights of the eventincluded the Action Icon and Mastersof the Martial Arts Screen Combatseries with Cynthia Rothrock, MarreseCrump, Robert Samuels, Oso TayariCasel, Ron Van Clief, and HanshiNikwan Murphy individually teachingeverything from Hand to Hand,Weapons and Firearms for the screen.The expo was largely comprised ofmartial arts supply companies boothsand displays. Here each star took theliberty of sharing their knowledge,experience and success as well asencouraging new comers to challenge
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text & Photos: GM Maurice Elmalem Demetrius Angelo
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acting and learn more about moviemaking. I had the chance toconverse with few grand masters,producers, stars, and it was quite aninformative moment especially withmy partners of The Martial Arts Kids(the movie that made a buzz worldwide). The UASE launched its 1st
Annual Call 2 Action Martial ArtsAction and Talent Competition
presented by Willie Bam Johnsonand sponsored by DynamicsWorld. For the first time ever over16 Action Icons and GrandMasters gathered to judge 4categories of Martial ArtsChampionship competitors wenthead to head for a walk on Fightrole in one of the many attachedfilm companies which included PoBoy Films, Tradition Films, ASC
Troopers Touch Entertainment,among others. There where botha Kids and Adult Division withOne Grand Champion emergingfrom each division. Traditions Films gave us a
sneak peak at “The Martial ArtsKid” starring Cynthia Rothrockand Don The Dragon Wilson.They were joined on stage for aspecial Q & A with fellow co-stars
T.J Storm, Matthew Ziff, Nassim“Young Dragon” Faras Lahrizi,Producers, James Wilson, MauriceElmalem, Cheryl Wheeler Duncan,Dr. Robert Goldman, DirectorMichael Baugarten and more. Atabout 2pm everyone were invitedto the AMC Theatre in TimeSquare, NYC, for the preview ofThe Martial Arts Kid movie andwatch the Last Dragon Film as wellas others. We were then invitedback to the showcase finale at theAMC Theatre where DemetriusAngelo presented awards to all thestars, while showing clips of theirf i lms and highlighting theirachievements in film and showbusiness. As The Martial Arts Kidmovie trailer played repeatedly theaudience became thri l led andcomplemented the quality ofproduction, cast and music. Sitting
next to me were my partners,James Wilson, Cynthia Rothrock,Dr. Goldman and Don Wilson andfrom the look in their eyes I knewhow thrilled they were with thesatisfaction of the audience. Themovie will be released in theatresApril 2015 Among the nominees for the
UASE 2014 awards where ActionIcons were honored along with thewinners of the film festival whoreceived awards and distributionsdeals. Cynthia Rothrock and GloriaHendry received the Urban ActionShowcase Urban Fists of LegendsLegacy Award while Cynthiareceived both the Legends of HongKong Cinema and Dragons Awardas well. Don The Dragon Wilsonand Ron Van Clief The BlackDragon both joined Cynthia inreceiving the UASE Urban Fists of
Legends Dragon Award. T.J Stormand Ernie Reyes Jr. both receivedthe UASE Urban Fists of LegendsDecade Award while MichaelWoods, Robert Samuels andVincent Lyn joined Cynthia inreceiving the UASE Legends ofHong Kong Cinema Award. Newcomer, Marrese Crump took homethe UASE Urban Fists of LegendsProdigy Award to cap off the Iconsof Acton honoree awards. We thenwere invited to the Empire Hotel atColumbus Circle NYC Roof Toprestaurant farewell party.Congratulations to Demetrius forsuch a superb job. All the best forthe future and keep on growingwith great success to make yourindelible print on the world withUrban Action Showcase FilmFestival. Until next time, GoodLuck.
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