It's backwards! Revisited

There was a comment posted on my article about students promoting teachers and I followed it back to the author's blog. I believe I know who it is, the name is Ironmonkey, and I read his blog, which had comments about my statements. We agree that the situation is deplorable for a variety of reasons.
This is not something new. I've seen this same thing happen time and again, both in our system and others. I've met many an instructor who doesn't know the forms past Short Three, and I mean doesn't know how to do the form. I know high ranks who can't run the forms, can't seem to remember them. I have met those who claim to do the Parker system yet are not familiar with the techniques. And guys who claimed to train at Pasadena who couldn't run the techniques on a body and said that's how they were taught at the headquarters school. Then there are the ones who were IKKA members and wore the patch and all but didn't know the system. And didn't really want to know the system. Some even looked at learning the systema as being an obstacle instead of an advantage. I guess that's the yin and yang of the situation.
This will not go away. I am convinced it's a human thing. After all, what do they call the person who graduates last in their class at medical school? That's right; Doctor. But at least they went to school. Some of these people are just putting on a rank that's not earned or deserved. And Ironmonkey says sometimes the rank is not worth the paper it's printed on. I agree.
My first real Kenpo teacher, Mike Sanders, made a point of saying that the black belt was just a piece of cloth, then he'd take his off and drop it on the floor with the statement "See? It's can't even stand up by itself". He said "Let your ability be your certificate."
There is a place for the rank system and it's value is much less due to people like those who do the things we're discussing. I see it throughout our culture, and that's why I say it's a human thing. People will take the easy route whenever possible. So, what to do?
Stick to your guns. Work hard. Earn what you take. Let your ability be your certificate. Apply the higher standard. Avoid "good 'ol boy" promotions. We're never going to get the Ed Parker IKKA back and umbrella associations aren't working at this time.
There's a bunch of reasons things are the way they are and I'm not going to point fingers. All I can do is work on myself and my people and try to keep a reputation for integrity and quality. I want their diplomas to be worth the paper they're printed on and I want to the people to be priceless.

O Hee O

When I was in Australia with Ed Parker many years ago, we had just finished a demo at a grade school. The kids were coming up to us and wanting autographs and all that. One of them told me he had a pen pal in O Hee O. I just couldn't understand and asked him a few times what he said, to the point we were both getting frustrated. Then it dawned on me - OHIO!
I'll be going to O Hee O this weekend to teach at Steve Hatfield's studio in Mt. Vernon, just outside of Columbus. It seems that going through the weapons techniques is popular, so that's what we're doing.
There's a big deal happening up there this weekend as well in the Columbus area called "A Gathering of Mustangs and Legends". It's a "round-up" of many of the remaining flying P-51 Mustang fighters and their aces from World War Two.I've been in love with the P-51 since I was a kid and even flew one in New Zealand in 2000.
I'm looking forward to seeing the airplanes and my friends in Ohio.

Cromwell Martial Arts

I taught a seminar in Middletown, CT, just SE of Hartford, this weekend. Frank and Debbie Shekosky own a nice studio there. This was my second visit and they and their students always make me feel welcome.
Frank actually comes to us downline of Steve White. Steve taught Paul Zaniewski and Paul taught Frank. So Frank is doing the system very close to the way we do it. Frank is also certified in Modern Arnis through Prof. Remy Presas and Arnis is always a nice complement to kenpo.
The Shekoskys have two beautiful daughters, Kimberly and Kelly. Kimberly is a purple belt. Kelly is three years old but she does a sinawalli combination that ends in a wrist lock, can do Delayed Sword (on a person) and can demonstrate choke and wrist grab defenses. She loves chocolate milk, too.
I'll be back up that way in the spring, with a date remaining to be set. If you're in their area, stop in and say hello.

My keeper

There's a lady in my life and her name is Janis. She's my keeper, the one who helps me keep all the stuff straight and puts up with the rather focused individual I am. Jan never gets up in a bad mood, she always has a smile on her face. She's a great cook. And she doesn't talk all the time. Of course, there's more to her but it's Jan who puts up with me being gone so many weekends to teach kenpo across the US and overseas.
Some of you have met her at the seminars and camps I've brought her to. She enjoys the travel (although she gets motion sickness very badly) and meeting the people I've talked about.
Janis doesn't do the martial arts except that she takes fitness kickboxing at Kyle Zwarg's studio and she has to verbally spar with me. I'm grateful to her that she doesn't gripe about what I do and how much time it takes away. She understands what I am and what I do, and much of why I do it. And she even encourages me to go out and ride my motorcycle with the guys. Either she's got a guy on the side, she's hoping some old lady down here will knock me off the bike, or she sees how it's a type of therapy for me. I'm banking on #3.
So when you see her, give her your sympathy - she has a tough job.


This is Jan's dog, Romeo. Those two are pretty funny to watch and I might keep them around just for the entertainment value.
Ow, NO, please, No, owww. Sorry!

It's backwards!

There is an opposite and a reverse for everything. Yet, some things shouldn't be reversed. For example, airplanes shuld not land backwards. And students should not be promoting their instructors.
Ed Parker's Kenpo has been around since 1954, when he opened his firast commercial school, longer if you count his pre-studio teaching. That's a bit over fifty years, by my Chicago Public Schools math education. I tend to beleive that 50 years is a good amount of time to produce some competent instructors, pretty well distributed throughout the world. And if you count the number of 10th degrees, there are certainly enough to go around.
Why then, are there people who resort to promoting themselves under the guise of taking a promotion from their students? Can't find a teacher?
I pointed out this type of situation to Bruce Meyer, who read it and said "It's backwards. The students are promoting the teachers." Absolutely to the point. Other writers have said "Of course your students are going to want to see you promoted."
We agree that it's just not the way to go.
There is a mechanism for promotion in situations where it's just not possible to get tested and a group will elevate their best to the rank. It's called a quorum. That was more common many years ago when instructors, especially in kenpo, were few and far between. Now it's just an escape hatch for a lazy instructor who wants to be a fourth, fifth, or sixth degree without having to be trained and tested by a higher, more seasoned authority.
There are more kenpo instructors of senior rank now than ever and it seems there are more of these "association" promotions than ever. My point is, it's easier to get under someone to train you but these ranks are being assumed with little or no effort to hook up with someone with credibility.
Live in New England? Get with Steve White or Doreen Cogliandro. Middle East Coast? Joe Palanzo has a large group of competent people. Midwest? Kurt Barnhart in Chicago or Steve Hatfield in Ohio. Mountains? Paul Mills, Mike Pick. Northwest? John Sepulveda. Lower Midwest? Tom Kelly, Rick Fowler. West Coast? Larry Tatum, Graham Lelliott, Bryan Hawkins, Frank Trejo. And there are waaaay more that can get you on track. Make a phone call, save some money and either go to them or fly them to you.
I've seen too many guys who take a few private lessons, figure it's too hard, and decide to have their students promote them. I know the reasons - "Too expensive", can't travel", "I"m being held back", "I run a business and don't have time". Some reasons are legit, espceially the "we don't get along" one.
In the event you are genuinely stuck, there's a mechanism for that, too, and I've discussed that previously. But for most situations, going the route they've gone is just chicken***t. Do I sound upset? You bet. And so is anyone who put their time in, took their lumps, spent their time and money to earn that next stripe.
What do you think?

Chicago PDS

I taught a PDS in the Chicago area last weekend. The subjects covered were Zone Theory, "Broken" techniques, and Family Grouping/Grafting. There were students from white to 5th black there and everyone enjoyed themselves.
At the conclusion of each PDS I hand out a survey, you can't get your completion certificate unless you turn the anonymous sheet in. I've gotten overwhhelmingly positive responses at these seminars. At this one, a participant stated they felt it was a family atmosphere, and nothing was treated as a "dumb question". Another said they thought everyone was made to fell important - and that's why I like the small-group format.
Beyond that stuff, I always enjoy my visits back to the old neighborhood. The time goes way too fast and we laugh way too hard. The weather was fantastic, and Chicago pizza can't be beat. I'm planning to go back in December for one or two short seminars. And a beef sandwich.

"In it" vs. "At it"

Ed Parker used to say people would come to him for promotions based on time. Often it was when they heard a promotion board was being held and they'd show up. Many times it was the first time he'd seen them in years. There were times he would finish the test and decide someone on the board need to be bumped up as well as the candidates. Therefore, some people would show up hoping to be noticed and get promoted. He looked at this as being "in it" versus being "at it". He described it as how some of them were not practicing or teaching, they were just "in it". The one's he saw working out, teaching, going to seminars, and so on were "at it." Yes, there were times he promoted the "in it" people, and that sort of thing persists today.

In fact, I was recently told of one of my former students taking a promotion to another degree of black. There supposedly is a picture on their website of them being kicked with a caption stating "Five years in the making!". The implication here is that it took five years of work to achieve that degree. As the former instructor I can say that person took NO kenpo classes with me in that five years, two or three private lessons, and a smattering of tai chi classes. Six months after we parted, the promotion took place with an out-of-state instructor. That's an example of "in it", not "at it".

Our culture has been sliding into a feel-good, rewards for existing state. We are an instant gratification culture. It is affecting our martial arts and examples like this are increasingly frequent. It used to be that when someone said they took many years to achieve a certain level, people were impacted by the work and dedication. Now it's more like "What took you so long?" That's a shame.

We all have to make decisions about our art and this is one of them. Are you going to be "in it" or "at it"?

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Lee Wedlake has been teaching Kenpo Karate for over 35 years and has written a variety of Kenpo Books about different kenpo katas and kenpo concepts. Mr. Wedlake has worked directly with Ed Parker and is generous with his knowledge and his time. He is available for Kenpo Seminars and camps.

Promotion

Over the weekend I was in Chicago. At the seminar I taught there I promoted one of my long-time students, Ed Bilski, to fifth degree black. Ed is one dedicated practitioner, one of those people who has been "at it" for years, not just "in it".
He's been with me for about 25 years.

Mr. Bilski is an example of a good human being. I don't say that because of his martial arts ability. I say it because of how he's raised his children, how he treats his wife, Kathy, and how he interacts with people. He works hard, and he spends most of his free time helping others. Ed teaches a few people, and works on his daughter's hot rod Camaro. He's smart enough to know when he needs time for himself and he takes it to hunt, play music, and attend a seminar. He's a good student and friend.

I was fortunate enough to be asked to take his daughter, Tiffany, for her first ride in a small airplane. Today Tiffany has earned her commercial pilot license and is working toward being a flight instructor. The airlines may be in her future. Ed is proud, and so am I.

Congratulations, Ed!

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Lee Wedlake has been teaching Kenpo Karate for over 35 years and has written a variety of Kenpo Books about different kenpo katas and kenpo concepts. Mr. Wedlake has worked directly with Ed Parker and is generous with his knowledge and his time. He is available for Kenpo Seminars and camps.

The Doctor is in

More from Dr. Rowe. This research says that mental training can make our brains more efficient. And what we do as martial artists is the type of training that falls into that type of training. Emphasis added.

Mental training affects distribution of limited brain resources.
Slagter HA, Lutz A, Greischar LL, Francis AD, Nieuwenhuis S, Davis JM,
Davidson RJ
PLoS Biol. 2007 Jun ; 5(6): e138

The information processing capacity of the human mind is limited, as is
evidenced by the so-called "attentional-blink" deficit: When two targets (T1
and T2) embedded in a rapid stream of events are presented in close temporal
proximity, the second target is often not seen. This deficit is believed to
result from competition between the two targets for limited attentional
resources. Here we show, using performance in an attention-blink task and
scalp-recorded brain potentials, that meditation, or mental training,
affects the distribution of limited brain resources. Three months of
intensive mental training resulted in a smaller attention blink and reduced
brain-resource allocation to the first target, as reflected by a smaller
T1-elicited P3b, a brain-potential index of resource allocation.

Furthermore, those individuals that showed the largest decrease in
brain-resource allocation to T1 generally showed the greatest reduction in
attentional-blink size. These observations provide novel support for the
view that the ability to accurately identify T2 depends upon the efficient
deployment of resources to T1. The results also demonstrate that mental
training can result in increased control over the distribution of limited
brain resources. Our study supports the idea that plasticity in brain and
mental function exists throughout life and illustrates the usefulness of
systematic mental training in the study of the human mind.

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Lee Wedlake has been teaching Kenpo Karate for over 35 years and has written a variety of Kenpo Books about different kenpo katas and kenpo concepts. Mr. Wedlake has worked directly with Ed Parker and is generous with his knowledge and his time. He is available for Kenpo Seminars and camps.

Fresno PDS

The seminar at Graham Lelliott's school in Fresno, CA was a success. It's always a pleasure to visit and work Graham and his group. Graham is a real people person and has been a friend for years. That said, his people are like him as well and you can't not have a good time with them.


Most of the group was from Fresno but we had some people who drove for many hours to attend. Tim and Deb Maynard came down from Concord, CA and Amy Long was there from Sacramento.

Afterward on that Saturday we had a birthday party for Graham. A party at Graham's is more like a county fair than a party. It was good to have a chance to hang out and talk with Doug, Juan, Tim, Deb, Amy, Pete, David, Coleman, Patty, Kim, and more.

On Sunday, the "old man" and I took a ride out to King's Canyon to see the sequoias. Graham has access to a Porsche 911SC, so you can imagine what fun we had with that in the mountains. He pointed out a coyote on the way back, which was the first I'd ever seen, being a city boy.

The plan is for me to go back in early December to follow up last weekend's weapons seminar with Form Six, building on what we did. Watch for a date.


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Lee Wedlake has been teaching Kenpo Karate for over 35 years and has written a variety of Kenpo Books about different kenpo katas and kenpo concepts. Mr. Wedlake has worked directly with Ed Parker and is generous with his knowledge and his time. He is available for Kenpo Seminars and camps.

Gulf Coast Kenpo Karate

Mike Squatrito is one of my home-grown Florida black belts. Many of you have seen Mike in my book, Kenpo Karate 301. He and his wife, Renee, now own and operate Gulf Coast Kenpo Karate in Cape Coral, FL. It's right across the river from Ft. Myers.
Last month, they raised around $2000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association with an event at their school. One result of that was that they were invited to be on local television as part of the MDA Labor Day telethon. Mike and a few of his students were on the tube on that Sunday.
This makes me happy and proud for a few reasons. One is that I try to instill in my students a sense of giving back to the community. These sort of events, women's self-defense courses, etc. are a way to do that. The other reason is that MDA is a big deal to me, and I've worked with them since the 70's. Why? Because one of my childhood friends was stricken with MD. While he lived much longer than most at the time, he didn't make it through his teens. Danny Tozydlo was one of the brightest and disciplined people I've known. He did remote schooling, a feat back in the late 60's and early 70's, as it wasn't as easy to get connected back them. He was top of his class. Dan knew he was going to lose the battle but fought it all the way. MD attacks the muscles and he forced himself to stand as much as possible. I believe that lengthened his life. I often wonder what sort of contributions a guy like him would have made, gifted with the smarts he had, as he aged. I like to think they would have been significant.
So thank you to everyone at Gulf Coast Kenpo for your efforts, and to everyone who has participated at the Ft. Myers studio in the past as well as those who help out MDA whenever possible.

Get it while you can...

Last blog I mentioned I was transferring VHS to DVD of my Ed Parker tapes. (By the way, some of you have contacted me with your thoughts about what I should do with the tapes and so for it's been "keep them to yourself".)

One of the videos was of the last seminar Mr. Parker did in the Chicago area in November, 1990. It was one month before he passed away. He promoted me to sixth degree at that seminar. The event was not that big, not as big as some of the 100+ attendees we'd had at some there. Many of my regulars were there, and Steve Hatfield was in from Ohio. When I asked some of the guys why they weren't going to attend they said "I'll catch him next time". Well, there wasn't a next time. I'd learned that lesson back in the late 70's when my teacher, Mike Sanders, was suddenly taken from us in a motorcycle accident. And that's why I've told people over the years to "Get it while you can". You just never know what might happen.

Just today I was sent a website that calculates your real age based on several questions. It told me that while my biological age is 53 my real age is 46. I would be younger but I engage in high-risk activities such as motorcycle riding and flying airplanes. Even so, the life expectancy is usually 77 and mine is 83. I've made it through 19,544 days so far. But some old lady with bad eyes who likes to mix martinis with her prescriptions and go drive on US 41 could put a stop to that. Who knows?
When I was teaching at a seminar once 12 years ago or so I was approached by a young guy who said "I have to learn as much as I can from you guys because you aren't going to be around much longer". And I was about 40 at the time.

The point is made that if you have a chance to take a seminar, class , private lesson with one of the seniors who worked with Ed Parker, do it! Go see Frank Trejo, Tom Kelly, Joe Palanzo, Mike Pick, Bob White, John Sepulveda, Skip Hancock, Huk Planas, Larry Tatum, Paul Mills and others. We're not getting any younger.

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Lee Wedlake has been teaching Kenpo Karate for over 35 years and has written a variety of Kenpo Books about different kenpo katas and kenpo concepts. Mr. Wedlake has worked directly with Ed Parker and is generous with his knowledge and his time. He is available for Kenpo Seminars and camps.