Good for him!

There was a young man on that flight from Amsterdam to Detroit who took action when others did not. I'm told he's 23 years old and from Holland. Other passengers assisted in restraining the man. We need more people like this guy and the others. They are sheepdogs!

The price of gangsta cool

I know all kids are not gangsters but the style of wearing pants low is an impediment to running or kicking in self-defense. Here's an extreme example of why not to wear them low.

Killer Tripped Up by His Own Baggy Pants 

NEW YORK (Dec. 18) -- A career criminal massacred three members of a family in their apartment but fell to his death when he tripped over his own baggy pants.
The massacre occurred Thursday afternoon near a string of upscale shops on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Police said the attack apparently stemmed from botched drug ripoff.
"There is a significant amount of heroin found in the apartment," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told the Daily News.
David Karp, AP

Workers from the medical examiner's office carry the body of a murder suspect who fell to his death from an apartment building fire escape.
Police said Hector Quinones, 44, shot and killed Carlos Rodriguez Sr., 52, and his 24-year-old son, Carlos Rodriguez Jr., then stabbed to death the younger Rodriguez's grandfather, Fernando Gonzalez, 87, according to reports in the Daily News and the New York Post.
The elder Rodriguez's wife, Gisela Rodriguez, 49, and her daughter, Leyanis, 28, walked in on the carnage. Quinones heard keys in the lock and opened the door for the women, police said.
He shot the mother, who was grazed on the head by a bullet but managed to run from the apartment. The killer was just about the grab the daughter when his low-slung pants fell down and he tripped, the Post said. That gave the young woman the chance to run into a back room, where she found the bodies of her brother and father.
Quinones yanked up his pants and scrambled after Leyanis Rodriguez, who climbed onto a fire escape, screaming for help to construction workers on the roof of a nearby building, the Post said. The attacker followed her onto the fire escape, but once again his drooping pants fell and he tripped, plunging three stories to his death.
Estella Carrino, who manages a street-level bicycle store in the building, said she heard the body hit the ground.
"He had no jacket on and his pants were down. He was very dead," she told the Daily News.

Filed under: Nation , Crime

Podcasts are coming!

I've recorded about a half-dozen podcasts on kenpo and they should be available soon. I did some interviews while in California last week that will be posted. Subjects include Amy long's book The Kenpo Continuum , some time with Graham Lelliott taling about Ed Parker and his wife Leilani and some time with school owners on what their teaching philosophy is.
I've got lots of material to record and send out but I'll be looking for your feedback on subjects to answer your questions.

Madera and Clovis seminars

Once again, we had a great time in California. Graham Lelliott arranged for me to teach at his new studio in Clovis and over at Pete Valdez's studio in Madera. Both are in the Fresno area.
   Mr. Valdez hosted two seminars at The Dojo, his year-old school. I did a session for the kids and also conducted a women's self-defense class. The children were great to work with, Pete and his assistants are doing a great, job with them. The women's class was the same one I run as a community service here in Florida; it was the first time I'd done that class outside my own school. It was a mix of ladies from the studio and women who had no training at all. Pete wants to use the format to offer his own program and I'm all for it. We need more women to know how to avoid trouble. That's Pete's group below.

   The Saturday seminar at Graham's was fun for us all. I started with compounding moves from techniques, threw in some offensive stuff, and we got into some soft-style concepts. The class was attended by all ranks and members of four studios, Graham's, Pete's, Amy Long's group from Sacramento (photo below) and Tony Velada was in from Chicago. (Sorry if I missed anyone.)

   The Lelliotts have a Christmas show for the families every year and the kids did a wonderful program. The them this year was the Nutcracker, very appropriate for Kenpo people I think. Little Dragons to teens were involved and Saint Nick even showed up to do a sword form and pass out candy canes.
  It was my last trip of the year and a good one. Thanks to Pete and Gloria for their efforts at The Dojo. Thanks also to Graham and a pat on the back to his wife Jaydean for all the hard work in putting together their show.

Photos by Amy Long.

Dec 15, 1990

Today marks the 19th anniversary of Ed Parker's passing. I think about him and miss him every day. We're marking the day with some comments from my black belts at the end of our class tonight. Please keep him in your thoughts.

Version 2.0 of the original Parker yellow belt techniques

We're almost done editing the re-done Yellow DVD. It's 41 minutes and has the original 10 Parker techniques on it. The first one was shot in the 80's. This one is the same length but has only the techniques in some detail - no basics, freestyle techniques or forms on this one. Pre-ordering will be open soon on my website store at http://www.leewedlake.com/

New stuff coming

Bill Spearman has just about finished editing my new DVD on the original ten Parker yellow belt techniques. It runs about 45 minutes on the ten techniques. Those I've shown it to have said they like the format and the information presented. It's got enough detail to keep both new and experienced students happy. Look to be able to pre-order it on  my website soon.
   Kenpo Karate 201  has been out of print for a short time but I've ordered some more from the printer. They should be in my hands by the first of January, so you can order now while they're on sale and and they'll ship that first week of the year, if all goes according to plan.

Fresno this weekend

I'm off to central California to teach at The Dojo in Madera, CA and Graham Lelliott's Central Valley Karate Club in Clovis. Hope to see some of you there.

Congratulations

Barbara Barnhart was recently promoted to 3rd degree black. Barb is from the Chicago area and started with me as a white belt before I left for Florida in 1991. She's been at it steadily and has a rep as a lady who's a heavy hitter. I've seen her take the guys right off their feet.
   Barb teaches with her husband, Kurt Barnhart, one of my sixth degrees who runs Phoenix Kenpo in the southwest Chicago suburbs. Nice job, Barb!

Seminars in CT

Frank Shekosky is hosting a seminar with me in March. His studio is in Middletown, near Hartford. Here's the link. http://www.cromwellmartialarts.com/seminar.html


He also does Modern Arnis and taught recently at one of their events. Here's a link for that, too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRRyMLX8O7s  He sells instructional videos on Arnis and you can reach him through his website to get them.

Last seminar of the year

I will be in California the weekend of the 11-13th to teach seminars at Graham Leliott's new studio and at The Dojo, run by the Valdez brothers in Madera. Both schools are in the Fresno area.
That Friday evening I will do a class for kids at The Dojo, followed by a women's self-defense class. On Saturday I'll do two adult seminars at Graham's. I hope to see you there.
For info contact info@thedojo.com or glkenpo@hotmail.com.

New article on my site

I posted the December article in the members's section this morning. It's about groin strikes. Here's a preview.

"We’ve all heard the phrase “a swift kick in the…” fill in the blank. Most books you read on the technicalities of the martial arts refer to the groin as one of the primary targets. Eyes and throat are the others. However, the groin is a primary target in many Kenpo self-defense techniques.

It’s a standing joke in our circles about how the TKD people don’t allow groin kicks. I remember being a brown belt and asking a Korean TKD instructor why they didn’t allow that. The answer, in broken English, was “You at tournament, your wife or girlfriend or family, they not want to see you get kicked in groin.” It’s not that they don’t do it, they don’t allow it. Too often, I think, they don’t even teach it. Then the hapless practitioner does not get used to seeing it coming and they get hit because they didn’t recognize the technique."

"I was fighting in a tournament in Indiana, in the black belt division, and the two fights before me were between TKD and hard stylists. The two TKD guys went down (and out) because they took a kick in the groin and were not wearing cups. I’m not picking on them because of their system but it was noteworthy that they chose to compete without the protective gear even though the rules on the flyer said it was required equipment. The third guy up was their teacher and I was paired with him. The center ref asked for a cup check on everyone. This guy I was to fight dropped his gi pants right there to show he had one on. "

"Mr. Parker used a nasty pinching movement in some sequences in which the testicles are smashed between the heel of the foot and the ground. It’s an attention-getter."

Grabbing the gun slide

This clip was sent to me by Tom Saviano, John McSweeney's top guy. He and I both teach to grab the weapon to control it. This video shows what happens when you do. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAG-Jm7rUhA

Graham Lelliott's new studio

Central Valley Karate Club in the Fresno, CA area has moved to 2139 Shaw Ave in Clovis, 93612. The new number is 559-324-7900. This is Graham's new place and I'll be out there in a few weeks to do some seminars at the new studio and over in Madera at The Dojo, run by Pete and Trini Valdez.
     At the Madera studio I'll do a kid's class and a women's self-defense program. On Saturday Graham hosts my two seminars for adults. The Lelliott's are having a Christmas show with their young students on Sunday.  The weekend is Dec 11-13. Hope to see some of you there.
 

more extension manual

I've completed re-writing my extension manual for the next 24 techniques. It will be available soon. I've been shooting video to accompany it, too. I want to offer a package that includes the written manual and the associated DVD. Those of you who bought the manual as it is now can get an upgrade at a reduced price. I'm working on a school/club owners manual as well that will include the rotating curriculum, something many of you have asked about. Creating that curriculum takes a horrendous amount of hours and then it needs to be tested and tweaked. This one is complete, been tested, and can be altered to fit your school if needed. Watch for it.

Podcasts

The most recent poll on this blog showed that almost all of you are interested in podcasts. I've started recording them and hope to have them out there soon. I have numerous subjects in mind. I'll talk about history of the system, my experiences with Ed Parker, technicalities such as concepts and principles like the family groupings and master keys and have interviews with other practitioners. If you have suggestions on what you'd like to hear, please contact me at lee@leewedlake.com.

Kenpo Karate 201

Kenpo 201 has gone out of print. I have two copies left. If there are enough requests I'll have another run printed. Meanwhile, all my books are reduced for the holidays but only when you buy them through my site.
Thanks for supporting.

YouTube deletion

Yep, most of the videos are down. I'm re-shooting most of them and some new ones will be posted soon.

Got this from a friend

Something cool that Xerox is doing.

If you go to this web site, http://www.letssaythanks.com/, you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq . You can’t pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services. You have the option of picking a pre-typed message, or composing your own. How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! This is a great site.
Please send a card. It is FREE and it only takes a second.

Verification below.

http://truthorfiction.com/rumors/x/xerox-cards-for-troops.htm

More on salutations

I've added a new article on salutations to the Members section of my website. The photos are not up yet but I think you'll find it interesting even without them.

NH fundraiser results

Jim Peacock's fundraiser for the Cates family garnered $10,000. The event was held over the weekend. Thanks to those of you who donated.

Books on sale

If you go to my website store you'll find my books on sale from now until Dec 20th. Take advantage of the discount of $3/copy. Thanks for supporting the site.

Good story

This is from Marty Sherwood in Fresno, California, one of Graham Lelliott's brown belts.

Lee,


I just wanted to let you know that the after school Kenpo Karate program started last week at Cheri's school. All I can say it was a total success. The director of the programs told Cheri it was beyond his expectations. We now have 20 students and I can't wipe the grins off their faces. The director also told Cheri that one of kids he put in with us was having a very hard time getting placed in other programs and felt he did not fit in anywhere. He said he never saw him smile. Well, I guess after the first class, he went up to the director with a ear to ear grin and said " I know what I want to do and now I have home". Now that is what Kenpo is all about.

Thanks for everything

See you soon.

Marty

A couple of doctors and a stick

I was talking with Dr. Rowe and Rick Stone about weapon concepts in different cultures. The subject came up about taking a strike from a stick; should you let it hit the muscle or the bone? Assuming you had no chance to avoid, of course.
  Marc related a conversation he and a group of doctors had in which the question was; what part of the body would they hit with a stick? As a group they decided the best parts were the bony ones. Knees, shins and elbows were their primary choices. Fingers were in there, too. The docs settled on those due to the abundance of nerve endings which would send huge amounts of pain information to the brain.
   The head was not on the top of the list. It's spherical, harder to break. I've seen people cracked upside the head with a stick in real confrontations. One guy, all it did was make him mad. But crack him in the knees and the results differ.
   I'm passing this along because I thought it was interesting that a group of non-martial artists, looking at it from  a medical standpoint, would select the same targets we teach. They did it based on what they know of the body and how it works. I speculate we figured it out a thousand or more years ago purely from hitting people and watching their reactions.

Tim Walker's studio

One of my black belts, Tim Walker, has a studio in Brandon, Florida. He sent these photos along recently. His studio has a clean, bright look to it.
Tim has black belt ranking in two Kenpo systems. You can see his website at http://www.akkuinc.com/

New nunchaku program

Jim Peacock of New Hampshire has produced a booklet and DVD of a nunchaku course based on Short Form One. He covers the grips, carries, swings and they are indexed in the form. Mr. Peacock likes the term "nunchuck" as it's the colloquial American term for the Okinawan weapon.

The Kenpo Nunchuck dvd:

Time : 8:03
Content: The dvd contains a demonstration of the form from 3 different angles, and provides a glimpse of the supplemental 5 week curriculum that goes with it ( the text is done, I need to shoot some more video for it ) .

The Kenpo Nunchuck Booklet:
81/2 x 11, bound, 7 pages
The booklet contains explanations and pictures describing the terminology used for teaching this form, as well as a written description of how to do the form.

The set is $25 until Christmas. You can get them direct from him. They will soon be available thru my online store as well. http://www.kenponunchuck.com/

Think about what you would do

In my seminars I refer to an incident in New York with a woman named Kitty Genovese in which 50  bystanders watched her killed and did nothing. Here's a similar story with input from sociologists.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/28/california.gang.rape.bystander/index.html

Manchester seminars

The 25th anniversary celebration of the founding of Steve White's studio in Manchester, NH was well-attended and tons of fun. The right photo, from left, shows Goju-ryu 10th degree Richie Bernard, Steve White, Francis Rene of New Orleans, myself and Don MacKay.

Hanshi Bernard was there to teach elments of traditional Japanese Goju with his first teacher, Kyoshi Ronnie Martin of Pennsylvania. Their time slot was chock-full of good information on fighting strategy. Steve White did an excellent seminar on kenpo takedowns that was followed by one of Olympic judo competitor Jimmy Pedro's black belts, the dynamic Ms. Chandler, covering ground work. Jim Peacock did a seminar on his new nunchaku program in a well-thought-out presentation. I wrapped up the day with teaching the Spear Set to the group, the first time ever since I learned it many years ago.
Mr. Rene thought a birthday couldn't happen without a present and Mr. White was given a ring with his school crest on it. The ring was done by our own Brad Congress of Bradley's Fine Jeweler's here in Ft. Myers.
   At a small gathering in Steve's home later that evening I was able to sit and talk with Mr. Martin, who was one of the best known tournament fighters in the US back in the 60s and 70s. We knew many of the same people and traded stories. It was great to have the opportunity to meet and talk with him. I caught up with Don MacKay as well. I met Don way back in the early 80s and he was instrumental in connecting Steve and myself.
   Congrats to MKS!

Congrats to Steve White

I'm off to Manchester, New Hampshire this weekend to participate in the 25th anniversay of Steve White's Manchester Karate Studio. I'm on the seminar staff for the event along with other excellent instructors. I'd met Steve back when his school was new and he was still working his regular job. He made the decision to go full-time back then and his school has been very successful. He is a model for achieving one's goals.
Once again, congratulation to Mr. White, his staff and students on 25 years!

Please help

Jim Peacock's Mt. Vernon, NH studio are holding an event to benefit the Cates family. The mother and her daughter were attacked in their home early one morning recently and the mother was murdered. The father was away on business. The daughter is a junior black belt under Mr. Peacock and they attribute her survival to her kenpo training.
You can contact Jim Peacock to contribute at the number below (it's a 603 area code) or  by e-mail at mvkarate@yahoo.com.
Take a look at this, too.
http://www.wearebetterthanthis.com/

The Mont Vernon Karate Studio Is Sponsoring a Penny Sale Fundraiser to Benefit The Cates Family
Saturday, November 7th at the Mont Vernon Village School.
Doors open at 5:00 - Drawings start at 7:00

We have LOTS of great prizes to raffle already, but we need MORE! Make your personal or business contribution today! Call the Mont Vernon Karate Studio at 603-672 - 3570 for more info.

All proceeds go directly to the Cates family

“ Never Give Up! “

Deutschland

I was over at Marc Sigle's school in Esslingen last week. Marc's school is "smoking". He's got many students and the place is packed every time I've been there. I taught some classes and I think everyone enjoyed them, I know I did. Thomas Kozitsky was down from the Dusseldorf area, too. Always good to see him.
   Marc took me over to the Porsche auto museum on Friday. That was a treat to see the first cars they made, the race cars and the one-offs. If you get to Stuttgart check out the porsche and Mercedes museums, they're worth a look even if you're not particularly into cars.

Interesting

Juggling Shown to Change Wiring of the Brain


October 14, 2009 07:00 AM

by Denis Cummings

An Oxford University study has found that practicing a task such as juggling can alter the structure of the brain, indicating that the plasticity of the brain is greater than previously believed.Juggling Increases White Matter
Researchers tested the brains of 48 volunteers, half of whom were given weekly juggling lessons for six weeks. At the end of that period, their brains were tested again. Those who had juggled—regardless of whether they had become good jugglers—had a 5 percent increase in their brains’ white matter, the nerve strands that connect different parts of the brain. Those who hadn’t juggled had little change.

Previous studies have found that juggling and other mind tasks—such as cabbies memorizing the streets of London—increased the amount of grey matter, the portion of the brain that contains neurons. This is the first study to find that white matter is affected.

Lead researcher Dr. Heidi Johansen-Berg said that the research shows “the structure of the brain is ripe for change.” It raises hope that scientists can design treatments to improve brain function for those with dementia or neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

“Knowing that pathways in the brain can be enhanced may be significant in the long run in coming up with new treatments for neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, where these pathways become degraded,” said Johansen-Berg.
The study, “Training induces changes in white-matter architecture,” is published in Nature Neuroscience.

Background: Strengthening the brain
The Oxford study also found that the white matter of the jugglers did not change and the grey matter did not decrease after four weeks of not juggling. This finding conflicts with a German study released in 2004 that found the amount of grey matter produced by juggling had decreased after three months.
“The brain is like a muscle, we need to exercise it,” said Dr. Arne May, lead researcher of the German study.
There have been studies showing that games and puzzles such as Brain Age and Sudoku keep brains healthy and improve mental skills. Several studies have had promising results giving brain games to the elderly, people with forms of dementia and children with ADHD.
However, the findings on brain training can be misleading, according to Dr. Adrian Owen of the BBC’s Lab UK, who writes that many studies aren’t peer-reviewed, and don’t have a proper control group. He also says that brain imaging, which was used in the Oxford and German juggling studies, “only shows how hard the brain is working, rather than how effective the training is.”

Lab UK is organizing an experiment, called “Brain Test Britain,” that allows Internet users to take online brainteaser tests, use brain training games for at least 6 weeks, and then take the tests again to see if there is an improvement. The study will run for the next year and be published in 2011.

Reasons For Positive School Growth

My last post asked for feedback on why your school may be doing better in this recession. Tony Perez in Australia responded. You may not think it is relevant to you in the US but Australia is feeling the effects of the global recession.

1. Positioning. The market placement I take is that I offer a character education and life skills program with the framework of one of the most comprehensive martial arts around - Kenpo.


I promote my belief that Kenpo is a paradigm for life. Just like going to school, we teach one how to think, not what to think. One of our goals is congruent actions. Defending yourself in physical ways, by getting a good education, taking care of your physical body, paying your commitments on time, completing home work assignments for school, etc. would be examples of the congruence, or consistency, a martial artist tries to develop.
2. Thorough student pre interview. My wife Leah takes care of this mostly-(she' s the brains and the beauty of the outfit)-where we endeavour to pre qualify potential students by assertaining their background, wants, needs and desires / outcomes of their training. At the same time to explain to them that what we offer is not a hobby martial art, to show how we integrate it with school or work life.
3. Seek commitment. We don't accept casual students. We sign all our team members up to a 12 month program with the reasoning that this offers win/win. At the end of their initial 12 months should they decide to move on at least they are moving on with some physical, emotional and problem solving skills and I haven't wasted my time and other students time with someone who is here one week and not the next. We only use a Direct Debit Tuition Billing Co. to handle this part of the operation - that's their skill, not mine.
4. We are a school not a club. A school is where an education takes place whereas a club is a simply a place to hang out. Schools have consistent rules, standards and a module and competency curriculum.
5. Treat your training partner well. Just like you would your friends, colleagues, parents, mentors, etc.
6. Open door policy. I work hard to network with the families of all my students and I try to acknowldege their achievements outside of Kenpo. This lets them know that I care about them as people not just as a source of income. I try to make everyone feel welcome, valued and respected.
7. Be prepared to say "NO". I 've worked hard to build a positive, nuturing environment and gained the respect of our local community and I'm not prepared to introduce a "bad apple" that may spoil this culture. I have often directed people to other schools. And guess what? - many have come back.
8. Know my niche. I don't try to be all things to all people. As far as the kids go, I'm not a child minding service and as for adults I'm not into creating rock - em , sock - em robots. Do I possibly miss out on students here? Maybe, but I'm confortable with that.
9. Be professional, think professional, act professional. Everyting we strive to do is professional - from presentation and appearence through to communication and qualification. I'm just completing my Diploma in Sports Coaching and Administration (specialization martial arts) which is the highest educational qualification (not certification) recognised by our Dept. of Education and the Sport and Recreation Industry here in Australia.
10. Value your worth. If you don't belief in the value of what you have to offer then nobody else will believe you either. I operate in a local community of some 25,000 people. Servicing this we have 3 x TKD schools; 2 x Kung Fu schools; 2 x traditional Karate schools and lord knows how many MMA places. My tuition fees are the highest yet I have the highest student retention rate. Most of these other places having a revolving front door. I try really hard to get the right people in the front door and then I don't have to work harder to keep them from working out the back door. We explain to people that their tuition fees are not like buying something at a shop on impulse. We have all suffered from "buyers remorse" I'm sure when the novelty of the initial purchase wears off soon after walking out of the shop. I tell people that they are investing in a better future for themsleves or their children and that like any investment, the full value of which will only be realised over time.
11. Thank people. It's easy to take students for granted so I try to make sure that I regularly and sincerely thank them for sharing their journey with me.
12. Never forget what it was like to be a white belt. Enough said
13. Be consistent. I've made many, many mistakes along the way. I've been disappointed and let down by students and colleaques alike - but that is life. The only time you fail is the last time you try.

Latest poll results

The latest poll here asked how your school was doing in the recession. Interesting that the majority said their schools/clubs were doing better. If you would, please e-mail me at lee@leewedlake.com with the reasons why. I'm sure those who said their school was doing worse or the same would like to know what they can do. Thanks.

Cadet Serena Wedlake promoted

My niece, Serena, was recently promoted to Cadet Lt. Colonel in the Civil Air Patrol. She is a member of the Charlotte County Composite Squadron. Her commander, Major Jim Kaletta, is on the right. Serena was also recently named to the National Cadet Advisory Committee at the CAP National Conference in San Antonio. She's expected to acheive their Spaatz award this year, the highest a CAP acdet can earn. I don't know what's after that, except maybe world domination.

Ed Parker video

Phil Buck in England sent this. It was done about the time I was training with Mr. Parker and his patter was frequently used in seminars. Nice to watch.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5c7UQ3Ukks&NR=1

Right off his sleeve

Greg Schreffler is one of our Atlanta area black belts, trained by Robert Ray. When 9/11 happened Greg got so motivated he joined the National Guard - at the age of, I believe, 35. He was the oldest guy in boot camp. Greg has been shipped to Georgia and Afghanistan, where he is now serving. There's a symmetry to that, a Georgia boy going to Georgia in Asia.
Like some other military I've trained in the past, he sent me a unit patch. It came right off his uniform, and that means a lot.

The new website

Yes, it's actually on its way. Tom Fanelli in California has got much of the content moved and built a new look for us. The address remains the same. http://www.leewedlake.com/

From Steven Oliver

Mixed Up Martial Arts


I just returned from Washington, DC. While there I attended a NASKA World Tour tournament (The U.S. Capital Classics) met with about 25 school owners representing around 5,000 students, and then met several times with my instructor Grand Master Jhoon Rhee.
Meeting with Jhoon Rhee and my other events during my quick trip reminds me of several important aspects of martial arts instruction in 2009 and beyond.
One of my favorite Jhoon Rhee quotes is "Martial Arts without Philosophy is Just Street Fighting." Now, he's obviously a visionary and at times out of sync with where things exist currently in the martial arts community due to focusing on where how he sees the future unfolding.
We discussed his development of Musical Forms (Martial Ballet.) He explained that in the 1960's he foresaw that martial arts "fighting" would no longer be necessary in the future but rather to preserve
martial arts the "art" must be preserved over the "martial." He then explained that his concept was 100% congruent with our American Founding fathers and with the true purpose of human evolution.
Quickly as he saw my skepticism he pulled out a manuscript of his soon to be published biography and pointed out this quote: "I must study politics and war, that my sons may have the liberty to study mathematics and philosophy, natural history and naval architecture, in order to give their children a
right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, tapestry,and porcelain." John Adams quotes (American 2nd US President (1797-1801), 1735-1826)
Now, that's really interesting. To me it seems that in the 1970's and 1980's most martial arts
 instructors had come around to Grand Master Rhee's way of thinking.We practiced the "DO" arts to facilitate personal development. The movie "The Karate Kid" shared principles and values that were
clear about developing discipline and confidence and avoiding violence. To my great disappointment it seems that many practitioners and instructors have lost sight of what Grand Master Rhee keeps clearly
in focus. Martial Arts Practice today for the vast majority should be purely about personal development. Clearly our armed forces and police need effective fighting technique, but frankly that's more often
about modern weapons not about unarmed combat (hopefully.) And, if you don't want to take Jhoon Rhee's word for it (or even John Adams) how about another kick-boxing and point-fighting legend Joe Lewis? He's perhaps the ultimate "old-school" tough guy still training students throughout the world. What's he have to say?
 In one aspect of what is called "martial arts," the MMA stuff, many black belts come across as heavily tattooed, cartoon looking hoodlums, who respect violence and feel free to curse and to exercise degradation
against others on national TV. The media has gone from completely ignoring us in the early sixties to seemingly only granting visibility to those who believe that it's in vogue to condone violence, and/or that it
is okay to send kids the message that adults accept the use of violence as a means to resolve problems. This is not the message that parents in martial arts wish to have their kids taught to value or with which to have
them exposed. Just as "Pro Wrestling" is not real wrestling, in a way, perhaps MMA is not real martial arts.
Violence by definition is a "loss of self-control." Martial arts teaches self-control; therefore martial arts is not violent-people are. Guns (for the gun control freaks) do not kill others-bullets do.We need to wake up-black belts are leaving the martial arts in droves. We need to revalidate and grant dignity to the meaning of the old definition of what is a black belt. Either it does not mean anything any longer (in this fanatical M.A. marketing atmosphere) or it has become the finish line which determines at what point in ones journey does he call it quits. SAD!
 Joe Lewis

It's vital to recognize that Martial Arts Training is always about developing high quality physical skills. It's about fitness and self-defense. However, those mostly arise from the mental and emotional development
that goes with rigorous practice of martial arts. And, to add another point that Joe Lewis makes. The first, second, or  third degree Black Belt must be a starting point for personal development. Just as a high school diploma should be a start to one's learning through life. For a beginning student achieving Black Belt is an appropriate early "bench-mark" to beginning quality personal development for life. It's not an end in itself.
Quality schools will (and, do) constantly expand and enhance the definition of what a Black Belt (and, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Degree Black Belt) is and must attain. Marketing for Martial Arts schools should be about
attracting quality students - never about watering down the achievement and recognition of students and never about lowering standards of excellence.
Stephen Oliver, MBA
8th Degree Black Belt

The doctor is in

This was dug up by Dr. Rowe. It is about how tai chi can help diabetes.
UF study: Tai chi can help people with diabetes lower glucose levels


Filed under Health, Research on Wednesday, September 30, 2009.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A regular tai chi exercise program can help people better control their diabetes and lower glucose levels, according to a University of Florida study.
In a study of adults diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, those who participated in a supervised tai chi exercise program two days a week with three days of home practice for six months significantly lowered their fasting blood glucose levels, improved their management of the disease, and enhanced their overall quality of life, including mental health, vitality and energy.
“Tai chi really has similar effects as other aerobic exercises on diabetic control. The difference is tai chi is a low-impact exercise, which means that it’s less stressful on the bones, joints and muscles than more strenuous exercise,” said Beverly Roberts, the Annabel Davis Jenks endowed professor at the UF College of Nursing.
Roberts, with Rhayun Song, of Chungnam National University, studied tai chi’s effect on older Korean residents. The research was featured in the June issue of The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
About 23.6 million children and adults in the United States, or 7.8 percent of the population, have diabetes. It occurs when the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life.
Risk factors include obesity, sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating habits, high blood pressure and cholesterol, a history of gestational diabetes and increased age, many of which can be reduced through exercise.
“People assume that for exercise to be beneficial you have to be huffing and puffing, sweating and red-faced afterward,” Roberts said. “This may turn people off, particularly older adults. However, we have found that activities like tai chi can be just as beneficial in improving health.”
Tai chi is an ancient Chinese martial art that combines deep breathing and relaxation with slow, gentle circular movements. This low impact exercise uses shifts in body position and stepping in coordination with arm movements.
Sixty-two participants, mostly Korean women, took part in the study. Half the group participated in at least 80 percent of two supervised sessions one hour per week, with three days of home practice for six months, and the other half served as a control group. Those who completed the sessions had significantly improved glucose control and reported higher levels of vitality and energy.
“Those who participated in the tai chi sessions actually had lower blood glucose at three and six months,” Roberts said. “Those individuals also had lower hemoglobin A1c, which means they had better diabetic control.”
In addition to improved blood glucose levels, participants also reported significantly improved mental health. This was very encouraging especially since people with less depression are typically more active and independent, Roberts said.
Tai chi has also been used for people with arthritis and disabilities to increase balance, muscle strength and mobility and to reduce the risk of falls. It is worth investigating its effects in other conditions, especially in older people, Roberts said.
“Tai chi provides a great alternative for people who may want the benefits of exercise on diabetic control but may be physically unable to complete strenuous activities due to age, condition or injury,” Roberts said. “Future studies could examine if tai chi could similarly benefit conditions such as osteoporosis or heart disease.”
Since tai chi is an exercise that involves so many parts of the body and also helps to relax the mind, it is more likely participants will adhere to the exercise, said Paul Lam, a lecturer with the University of South Wales School of Public Health and Community Medicine and a practicing family physician in Sydney, Australia.
“This study shows that tai chi can have a significant effect on the management and treatment of diabetes — a significant and growing health challenge for all Western countries,” Lam said.
                                                                           -30-

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Tracy Brown Wright, tracyb@ufl.edu, 352-273-6421

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Old stuff

A student's mother came in with three Black Belt magazines she had fround at a garage sale and bought for me. They were dated 1990 and 1991. Coincidentally, all had articles about Ed Parker and kenpo. In addition, one had the letter in it I had written refuting Al Tracy's claim that his schools teach standardized material throughout the world. (Wasn't true then and still isn't.) Chicago black belt Brian Fox wrote two letters and there was one from Zach Whitson (also reefing on Tracy. In fact, most of the letters about his article did.)
  It's probably a good thing she didn't look inside one of the mags because whoever had their hands on them at one time put word balloons in like a cartoon on many of the photos and they were rather nasty. I noticed they didn't deface Danny Inosanto's stuff, though.
  Always fun to look back at the stuff from almost two decades ago.

Hate the game, not the players

I belong to a group of motorcycle riders who are mostly military Special Operations people. I have been adopted by them over the last year or so and I am proud to be associated with them. Most of them are Green Berets. We show up for funerals and tributes, participate in fundraisers and an occasional "welcome home" at the airport for returning soldiers. Below are two links from news media about what some of our members attended a few days ago.

http://www.fox4now.com/Global/story.asp?S=11178217

http://www.nbc-2.com/global/story.asp?s=11178840

Smooth is slow...

I got this from a newsletter at SpecialForces.com. He makes the point of being smooth and how slow practice ingrains that. That's a point I've been making for years. We say, "Speed Kills"; speed kils power when you go too fast. Tai Chi uses slowness to ingrain smoothness. Read On.

"The Determined Patient Warrior is the most dangerous warrior"

His motto is:
"Smooth is slow and slow is fast"
Warriors persevere through long, hard, rigorous, repetitive and tedious training both physically and mentally preparing themselves for that day they will be put to the test. Preparation and progress is accomplished slowly and painfully, but when he's prepared and ready that slowness becomes smooth and when put to the test that smoothness becomes fast.
Perhaps the best way to explain the motto "Smooth is slow and slow is Fast" is using some characteristics of a tiger, the fiercest predator of the cat family.

One method of hunting Tigers employed is to stake out some animal like a bull as bait or if a tiger has killed a person or large animal and has not eaten all the kill they often will return to finish their meal so if you can locate the kill by tracking it down to where they have secured it you can lay an ambush preferably by getting up in a tree out of reach because they often return at night.
When the Tiger approaches they do not have much sense of smell so they rely on their sight and hearing which is far keener then ours. They observe every little detail as they approach slow and careful selecting an approach with out exposing themselves and a lot of times from a location you would not expect. They constantly observe the area to see if anything is out of place or disturbed. They have excellent night vision and they are listening for any sounds to give warning to them, they can read the sounds of a the jungle like we read a book. They are patient and will only approach the kill when they feel it is safe. Many a hunter in ambush has sensed they're being watched only to look around to find the predator staring at them. The hunter becomes the hunted. For the hunter it is also a game of patience that started with setting up the ambush. Now we have a game of patience and to get that shot off without wounding the Tiger and making the situation worse he must be patient for the right opportunity. If the hunter has prepared properly (Smooth is slow) when that small window of opportunity comes things will happen fast and he will make that kill (slow is fast) if not the hunter often will become the hunted and the next meal.
"Smooth is slow and slow is fast"
http://www.specialforces.com/

More stuff added to my website

I've finished uploading the rest of the student documents one would get when enrolling at the Ed Parker studios. Copy of the rules and regs, lifestyle code of ethics, belt knot placement, etc are now ready to be viewed. You need to be a member of the site to access it. It's $29/yr and more info is added monthly.
New quotes have been added to the great quotes page, too.

It's out!

The Journal of Asian Martial Arts Sept/Oct issue is out and it has the article on carotid chokes Dr. Rowe and I wrote. I rec'd the writer's copies so it should be on the stands.

Interview from England

This was written in 2000 by England's Phil Buck, Kenpo black belt under Gary Ellis and Hung Gar stylist

This exclusive interview was conducted with Kenpo master Lee Wedlake at the American Kenpo Karate Systems Millennium Internationals, which were held in Plymouth, England in October 2000. It gives a snapshot of the development of Kenpo in the UK at that time.
Mr Wedlake is currently a 9th Degree first generation Black Belt in the art of Kenpo, and rightly regarded as one of the leading authorities on the art in the world today. A successful writer, he is also highly skilled and knowledgeable in Chinese, Russian and Filipino martial arts, allowing him a unique cross-disciplinary outlook.

PB: I’m talking to Mr Lee Wedlake, who is one of the top men in Kenpo today. Mr Wedlake, can you tell us a little bit about yourself, perhaps when you started in the Kenpo system ?
LW: I started in the Kenpo system, an offshoot of the Kenpo system, in late 1972 which was after five years experience in Judo. I stayed with that instructor for a short time. I fought a man named Michael Sanders who was a black belt under Mills Crenshaw, who was one of Ed Parker’s first Utah black belts. Mike passed away in a motorcycle accident in 1979, and I got directly under Ed Parker in ’79, trained with him up until his death in 1990.

PB: So you really are one the first generation old school guys ?
LW: Well I wasn’t there as long as (Frank) Trejo or Huk (Planas), those guys. But I met Ed Parker in 1977 so there’s a pretty long span of time. I mean, the guy opened his first school when I was, well, born (laughs). I wouldn’t say I was one of the first first guys tho’.

PB: One thing that always amazes me about you is your depth of knowledge of the Kenpo system. The way it was engineered. Perhaps you could tell me a bit about that.
LW: Well, I’m amazed about the system itself because, you know, when I first started I knew there was more to it than I was getting from my first teacher. My second teacher started to point me on a path and of course I got with Ed Parker, but I co-trained with Frank Trejo because he was managing Pasadena when I first got out there. So Frank helped me improve my fighting skills quite a bit. And then I met Huk, and was privileged to be able to start working with him, and have been since about 1981 or 1982. I would say at this point in time that I’ve learned more about Kenpo from Huk than I did from Ed Parker. But it was Ed Parker’s logic and all the contact that I had with him along with all the keys I’ve also got from Huk over the years, I was able to assimilate all that and compare it to previous knowledge and other things I’ve picked up along the way.

PB: You’re also involved in other martial art systems, notably the Filipino martial arts and Taijiquan. How do those affect how you teach and train ?
LW: There are lots of good concepts and drills, exercises and so on from all of that that integrates nicely into Kenpo if for no other reason that to be able to build the relationships of the historical perspectives – where this came from, why we do it the way we do. In my estimation there’s not enough time spent on the internal aspect of Kenpo that the Tai Chi helped with. The weapons principles that I picked up in the Escrima helped me to put the Kenpo techniques together, because if you learn Kenpo by memorisation you learn five knife techniques, you learn x number of club techniques. A lot of instructors don’t pick up the points where to blend those, where they should fit together to help develop spontaneity and your ability to pick up all the attack lines. In the Escrima, those guys have got all of that stuff figured out already, so you take that idea from them and apply it to what you’ve already got and you’ve got something that works – works better.

PB: Is this why you think a lot of people are cross-training in Escrima and Kali ?
LW: Well nowadays everybody’s cross-training in everything, and as the decades go by it was the Bruce Lee phase, then it was the Ninja phase to the grappling phase, went through a little bit of the weapons phase. With the Internet, and more people are travelling and the doors have opened through the Karate schools and martial arts schools around the world, there’s more people being exposed. And there’s the commercial aspect – well, if we open our doors we’re going to make more money. So the cross training really helps, with the boxing and the Thai boxing, the grappling stuff. Kenpo is a great core system, it’s like the Rosetta Stone for martial arts. We can read what other people do, and they have a hard time reading us. My experience working with the Tai Chi people and the Escrima people is that they say ‘oh, that Kenpo stuff’s pretty cool because you guys have these other neat techniques, but you also have a way to describe them that makes a whole lot of sense’. Then they start using our terminology to describe what they do, because the methods of motion are similar in a lot of respects.

PB: One thing I’ve found, training in both Kung Fu and Aikido, that you can apply principles and concepts from Kenpo to those arts as well. They seem to be universal.
LW: There are a lot of universal concepts, you know, general rules and all that. Historically if you go back and look at the roots of Aikido, its related to Jujutsu, but the founder of Aikido (Morehei) Ueshiba also studied internal Chinese martial arts. You get Bagua (Pa Kua), Xingyi (Hsing-I) and all of that. So its no surprise.

PB: There’s a similarity between the Bagua techniques and the Aikido, you can look at a Bagua stylist and an Aikidoka and see a lot of similarities of motion.
LW: No surprise.

PB: Let’s change the subject, as I want to talk a little bit about the weekend. How do you
think its gone ?
LW: It’s gone well. It’s been a good response. Fairly large event, I would think. I don’t know how many competitors they had but the seminars would seem to be well attended and the atmosphere was good so it was a good weekend.
PB: I think we cleared something like 500 competitors, so there was a big crowd on the day.
LW: Yeah, that wouldn’t surprise me. It turned out very well for Gary Ellis.
PB: Certainly this weekend I kind of feel sad that it’s over, because it’s all about the brotherhood. Everyone seems so friendly and gets together and has a good time doing it.
LW: The feeling that we’ve had at other camps in other parts of the world and particularly in Europe has been perpetuated here this week and I feel the same way, it’s “Ah man, I’ve got to go home tomorrow.”
PB: Luckily, your real world is Kenpo – that’s quite a good situation to be in, I think.
LW: Yes, I’m fortunate because I’m able to be a full time instructor. I have a school in Florida with about 250 students. I can make a living off of it and be able to go out and travel and meet people like you.
PB: One thing we’re hoping in the UK is that this event will start a percolate a bit of interest in Kenpo. In the UK its kind of marginalised, its not really considered “mainstream” in a country that’s dominated by sport Karate, Shotokan, kickboxing. How do you see us making inroads with Kenpo in this country ?
LW: I think what Gary’s done with inviting the Jujutsu people over to teach and they can see what we do, and it’s that sort of thing that helps build bridges, you know. And everybody gets educated – they learn from us, we learn from them, and as long as that sort of thing keeps happening I think Kenpo’s going to grow.
PB: On the competition side…a lot of emphasis is placed on the competition side of martial arts these days, and it’s certainly an aspect of the Kenpo system. How important a side of it do you think it is ?
LW: Well, every warrior culture, or every aspect of a culture that affects a warrior, has got to have a proving ground. And with some people it’s just training in their sport until they can go and compete somehow. Its like, a lot of people play tennis but they’re not going to go do Wimbledon, okay ? So if someone likes or wants to compete they have that avenue available to them as a proving ground for the new warrior to see if they can get out there and actually do that. That’s what Larry Beltramo was talking about today. Even if you lost, you still won because you got out there and you tried versus the person who says I’m not, I’m too afraid. An American president named Teddy Roosevelt had a saying to the effect that it’s the man in the arena against the poor timid souls who just won’t get out there. So I think that’s the good thing about tournaments. The bad thing is that if you don’t get good judging you can be throwing away a lot of money and time, and for some people its just not a good experience, so they should not be forced to do it.
PB: There’s an argument, quite prevalent in UK martial arts magazines, that points fighting promotes a certain kind of mentality insofar as it’s not really getting to the realism of martial arts, it’s just a sport and you lose the art.
LW: It’s a sport. It’s a game, so you play by the rules of the game. I equate that to handgunning. I was a bodyguard, I was trained as a bodyguard, and I trained with police officers, so what you learn from combat tactics on the street in a real life survival situation is going to be different from what you do for competition handgunning where there’s pop-up targets, crawling through tunnels and all of that sort of thing. You learn to play the game and there’s a certain set of rules and then when you get to real fighting then its different, so if you decide you want to fight like a point fighter then fight like a point fighter, if you don’t want to do that then don’t go do that. So, it’s a decision, its individual decision what you want to do.
PB: Mr Ellis has said to me many times you fight how you train. Does that impact that decision ?
LW: Yeah, that’s what I’m saying, is that if you think that’s the way you want to fight then that’s what you should go do. Personally I went through the whole thing of point fighting, I did well at it, I placed in some big national tournaments in the United States and I had this vision of being able to play this game where somebody would throw a punch at me and they just wouldn’t touch me at all, and that’s not going to happen. I got away from that after a while, and said ‘I know I’m going to get hit, its just a matter of how hard’, and I changed my fighting style because I decided I didn’t want to fight like that anymore. I had no use for that. That phase was over.
PB: You’ve still got this ability to not get touched. I’ve had hands-on experience with you and you seem to be not there all the time. It’s kind of scary.
LW: Well, its something I’ve been trying to cultivate. You know, it’s all in the footwork.

PB: I know that over the last few years you’ve formed a close relationship with Mr Ellis, you’re over here quite regularly to teach. How do you see that relationship hopefully developing with Kenpo over time ?
LW: I met Gary Ellis back in about 1985 or 1986, and we hit it off. We lost touch for a short time and it wasn’t because of him, I was moving around the United States and it’s been a very good relationship because Gary’s an open-minded person and he moves very well. When you watch him work it always makes me think of Ed Parker because he’s about the same size as him, the same physical build, same intensity, he looks a lot like Ed Parker. And the fact that he’s willing to keep training is very important, and that alone will take Kenpo a long way.
PB: I noticed when you came over in May for the seminars he lined up with all the other Black Belts, he trained with all the other Black Belts. That’s rare to see for a man of his level.
LW: Yeah, that’s right, because I think too many people get to 1st Degree Black and say, well I know everything now, and they go sit on the side. I take seminars myself, I’ll go out there and roll around on the ground with the guys so I think that’s the way it should be.

PB: Tell us a little bit about Systema.
LW: I came across it by accident through a video tape someone had given me and just by a series of coincidences I managed to hook up with this instructor in Toronto, Canada named Vladimir Vasiliev who comes to the UK to teach occasionally. It’s a Russian martial art that’s supposed to have been around for a couple of hundred years now, and it almost looks like anything you want it to look like. It looks like an internal art, it looks like White Crane, it looks like Kenpo, it looks like Silat, it looks like Eskrima, it’s a very strange looking system. Very internal sort of thing, soft system, extremely effective, and Vladimir as an instructor has got a good personality and is very very willing to share. So I was impressed with all of that, and trained with him a little bit on a seminar basis probably half a dozen times but it’s proved to be a nice integration into Kenpo. Once again with the drills and things that I mentioned earlier that you can take from Tai Chi or the Eskrima. It’s a tool in the toolbox. I wouldn’t give up my Kenpo to just go and do that, but it’s good stuff if its something you can get your hands on to put hand in hand with the Kenpo.

PB: One last thing, as the ceremony is about to begin. What do you think of England, I know you’ve been over a few times now.
LW: You know, England is one of my favourite places to visit and people think I’m crazy but I love going to London.
PB: You are crazy if you think that.
LW: Well, yes. (Laughs). But I like English people. My heritage goes back to England. Jaki MacVicar when I was here years and years ago went back and looked up my name in the Domesday Book. So it goes way back.
PB: So you’re one of us ?
LW: Yeah, in fact they say the family was from Devon. I found a coat of arms here for the family name and the whole deal, so it’s kind of like going back home.
PB: Mr Wedlake, thank you very much.

Weight lifting and tai chi

In about 1985 I was working out at a Nautilus facility and that's where I met my first tai chi instructor, Bill Grizzle. He studied under Wai-Sun Liao in Chicago. I was wearing an Ed Parker's Studios T-shirt and that started the conversation. Knowing that weights and tai chi were thought to be mutually exclusive by many tai chi people I asked what his teacher would think of him weight-training he said "He'd freak out".
Marc Rowe sent this along on the subject. It's from a website by Fernando Bernall.

 The Fitness Professional: A Model in the Health care Field, Part I

Squats and Deadlifts: add-ons for Tai Chi
September 17th, 2009

Squats and deadlifts are considered closed kinetic chain (CKC) exercises. Meaning, that the force to overcome the load (barbell), is applied to an unmovable object (the ground) and not to the object being lifted. Open kinetic chain (OKC) exercises differ in that the force applied, moves the load, like in a bench press or bicep curl. In the following article, I will share some thoughts on the common ground these exercises share with tai chi and how, by applying principles of strength training, the tai chi practitioner can develop more functional strength and endurance.
The reader should know that I am fully aware of the negative views held within some Tai Chi circles regarding weight training. It is considered detrimental by many who think that weight lifting distracts from Tai Chi’s internal development and that too much emphasis is placed on muscular strength at the expense of softness and flow.
While I do think that everyone should practice some form of weight training, in particular dead lifts and squats, and seek to increase muscle mass, my intention is to show how principles of resistance training used within weight lifting, can and should be applied to Tai Chi practice. I’ll add that this is a necessity to Tai Chi practitioners who live in the West whose lifestyle is nowhere as physically demanding as that of our Tai Chi forefathers.
The process through which leg strength is gained through squats or dead lifts, is applicable to tai chi practice and several principles of strength and endurance training need to be understood.
GPO: Gradual Progressive Overload
If I’m squatting 3 sets of say 200 lbs. of 15 reps each twice per week, it won’t be long before adaptation takes place. This falls in line with the SAID (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand) principle. Meaning, that my legs and back will only get as strong (adapt), as they need to be in order to accommodate the 200 lbs of weight (demand). If I want to improve in strength, I need to increase the weight or do more reps to improve in muscular endurance in a GPO fashion.
The same can be said for Tai Chi practice. If the practitioner wants to increase leg strength, then he or she needs to increase the load. However, in contrast to squats or dead lifts (which cover a wider range of motion from the legs being bent to around a 90 degree angle, as in squats, to full extension, and are isotonic in nature), much Tai Chi practice is limited to a given depth of stance through most of form practice. The limited range almost categorizes Tai Chi practice as isometric in nature. This means that the legs are only strong withing a given range of motion.. And, while in the Tai Chi form are some postures that require deeper lowering of the body, these are few and far in between; Snake Creeps Down, comes to mind..
Furthermore, even if the practitioner practiced Tai Chi standing at various depths in order to increase intensity, he is limited by his own weight. Thus, in order to improve in strength through Tai Chi practice, there needs to be change in the daily routine and such change can be accomplished through what is known as FITT (Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type)..
Frequency:
Have we not all heard of practitioners of old practicing their form several times per day? A dozen times and even more on daily basis? Sure we have. Yet, in today’s fast pace lifestyle, many find it difficult to allot sufficient practice time daily. Lamentable, in my opinion, is the creation of short forms which were choreographed for those too busy to practice.
Intensity:
In exercise, intensity is often determined or aimed to, by a percentage of maximum heart rate (MHR) or by a percentage of one rep maximum (1RM). While these parameters are outside of Tai Chi practice, there needs to be method through which intensity can be gauged, even if it is perceived rate of exertion, (PRE). Otherwise, how can one know if improvement is taking place? How is “effort” quantified?
Time:
Here we need to really take an honest look at our practice. We know that shorter forms have been developed to accommodate those whose time limitations prohibits any extended practice time.. But without an appropriate amount of time during one’s practice, how can physiological improvements take place?
We know that it takes at least 15 to 20 minutes of constant exercise before the body enters in the the so called “fat burning zone” How can a 15 minute form bring into play the energy systems involved in weight management? It can’t. If one is to reap any benefit from Tai Chi practice, one should at least commit to 30 minutes or more of daily practice.
Holding postures for a given amount of time and gradually increasing it will also fall under the “Time” aspect of FITT.
Type:
Type can fall into the resistance or cardiovascular approach to form practice. For example, sometimes I like to practice wearing a weighted vest. By adding the weight, my body is challenged from a resistance perspective. Practicing the form at a faster pace presents a cardiovascular component.

Any change on one or more of the FITT items on our Tai Chi practice would change the GPO and thus improve the practice martially and health wise..

Being alert can cause a fight?

This was sent by Tim Walker and raises an interesting point. The "cell phone trick" is worth noting.
The USCCA is a concealed carry organization.

How Being Alert Almost Caused a Fight.
by Patrick Kilchermann, USCCA Team Member

Okay, my friend Brad and I were walking down a sidewalk, shooting the bull about his job search since moving to Colorado. He isn't especially "aware" like I am, and was focused mostly on our conversation- something that actually worked to his benefit in this case. I, on the other hand, was carrying my GLOCK 26 under a button up shirt, and was taking careful note at the shabbiness of the neighborhood that we were in.
I generally carry my GLOCK 26 when I'm in a comfortable environment, and my GLOCK 19 with a spare magazine when I'm not so sure, and I was just starting to wish I had my 19 and spare magazine when this bright, shiny, white 1970s Oldsmobile with black tinted windows rolled up on the opposite side of the road, and parked in front of an especially junkie house.
"Don't look now, but I think we've got a car load of gang bangers pulling up to buy some drugs."
Sure enough, all four doors opened, and four stereotypical gang bangers got out. One of them looked right at me as he got out. I nodded, and turned forward, and kept talking to Brad.
I must note... I'm not from the city, and I hate being in cities. I live out in the middle of "nowhere Michigan", and simply have no experience dealing with these types of guys. Where I live, a nod without a smile is another way to say 'don't bother me, and I won't bother you'. Anyway...
My pulse was already up a bit, and I wasn't eased when I turned back 3 or 4 seconds later to make sure we weren't being followed: Three of the bangers were entering the house, and the fourth who I made eye contact with was standing in the driveway, staring at me. I turned forward, and a few seconds later, I turned back again. Now he's standing behind a big bush, partially concealed, watching us. I mention the fact to Brad, and he turns and looks, and is immediately on edge. "Why would they be looking at us?!" "I don't know... let's just keep walking." I said. Well, we walked for another 1/4 mile north, turned west, walked for a block, and were walking south again. I had just began to think it was nothing, when here comes the white Olds toward us. They must had driven south, turned west, and turned north.
We kept walking, but I made eye contact again as they drove by. I was walking as confidently as I could- hoping to project the idea that they should just keep driving. I'm only 5'10" and maybe 150lbs while holding a 5lb dumbell... but Brad is at least 6'3", 200lbs, and looks like he could do some damage. I was hoping that was enough...They drove past, and all four of them stared hard at us. Gulp. "Brad, did you see those guys staring?" I asked, trying to sound confident. "YES! What is the deal?!" He said. He wasn't scared, but bewildered. After two or three seconds, I turned, and my stomach dropped. The Olds was stopped right in the middle of their lane, about 50 yards behind us, and the passenger was leaning out his window STARING at us. I mean... his whole upper half was leaning out of that car window. I made sure he wasn't holding a gun or anything, and turned to Brad: "Dude, they are stopped, check it out!" Brad turned, and quickly turned back again, saying "You must be bad luck! I've NEVER had anything like that happen here, and I jog on this trail all the time! Let's hurry and get the heck home!"
We kept walking, and I turned back 5 seconds later. Same thing. 5 more seconds later, and the car had drive another 50 yards to a stop sign, and was stopped with its right blinker on- except the passenger was still staring back at us. The second the car broke the corner and disappeared, we broke into a jog, crossed the street, and took a different path home.WHEW....
Now fast forward a few weeks....
I've been talking to Joshua Pellicer (body language expert) after the interview I did with him a while back (members got a copy of this here), and I brought this incident up. What he told me opened my eyes in a big way. He said (paraphrased): "These guys obviously didn't want to be noticed- nobody with bad intentions ever does. So Brad never has an issue, because no bad-guys (wolves) deem him to be a threat- they can tell that he's harmless (a sheep). But you set off their own radars, because you noticed them. This is why armed citizens almost encourage attacks in some ways- because the bad guys pick up on their defiant waves, and they almost see it as a challenge." So I asked Josh- How can we remain in condition yellow then, without telegraphing to all the bad-guys in the area "I'm watching you, so you had better shoot me first!" Josh said, "Remember the cell phone trick that we talked about right in the beginning of the interview that we did on body language?" "Yes, of course." I said. "The same rule applies here. If someone is sneaking up behind you, you don't want to turn around and confront them, because then they'll be pushed to act. The same thing applies here! You can look at them to see what they are doing, but you have to look at them in a way that won't trip their radar, which is exactly what that part of the interview was all about."
This was a huge breakthrough for me- I had always assumed that a "wolf" would run at the sign of a "sheepdog", but I guess that doesn't apply if the "wolf" just bought a felonious amount of drugs, and you are on the wolf's turf.

Chicago was a blast!

The seminars in Chicago, hosted by Kurt Barnhart, were successful (as always). It was good to see a bunch of the long-time students from the area participating in the Friday seminar and the Saturday PDS. Some of the old Chicago group who attended were Kurt and Barb Barnhart, Don Rushing, Rick Vecchi, Tony Velada, Ed Bilski, Jim Tucker and Manny Rivera. Former Ft. Myers resident Ozzie Rivero was there, too. A few of them are sons of  my students and it's rather striking to see the heritage being carried on.

     Since the Friday event was coincident with the anniversary of 9/11 I dedicated the seminar to their memory and a big portion of the registration fees I donated to the Special Operations Warrior Fundation (SOWF). http://www.specialops.org/.

SOWF provides scholarships to kids who've lost parents in SF operations and also help families of wounded get to the bedside of those soldiers when they arrive in the US.

   The Saturday PDS on Form 6 was intense but the group accomplished the mission in a shorter time than normal. It seems they prepared hard by working both sides of the listed techniques, went over the applications prior with Mr. Barnhart and had their questions ready. They even elected to skip lunch.

      I was able to get some time to work with Sensei Bob Garza at his dojo in Worth. He teaches a Sunday morning Iaido class, sword work, that I enjoy tremendously. This time I picked up some interesting fine points that heped me increase my understanding of weapon work in general. It's always a pleasure to work with Bob.

Bad Things T-shirt

After asking around, I found that many of you wanted a generic kenpo t-shirt and liked this idea. It's available in my website. The artwork is from an old graphic used on Ed Parker's technique booklets back in the 70's. The saying is from a Special Forces group in Afghanistan.The shirt has my generic kenpo crest version on the left chest.

Seals 3, Pirates 0

If you remember back to April, there was a story about Somali pirates attempting to hijack a ship, the Maersk Alabama. The captain was taken and there was a standoff for a week. The captain and the priates were on a lifeboat for that time until the Navy Seals took out the pirates on Easter Sunday and made the rescue.
I was over at the National Navy Seal Museum in Ft. Pierce, FL over the weekend. The Alabama's lifeboat is there on permanent display. I was told the broken windows were not shot out, as was broadcasted on the news. The pirates had broken the windows for air. When you see how cramped the boat is you see why. They apparently chew some kind of root to ward off seasickness and they had run out of it, so they were hanging their heads out when the Seal snipers took them out.
The museum is worth a look if you're over that way. It's on the grounds where the original UDT teams trained. It's an hour or two to walk thru and they have a few videos to watch as well. Several boats are outside with various covert underwater insertion vehicles.http://www.navysealmuseum.com/

Kenpo toolbar

Amy Long sent this along. It's a kenpo toolbar! http://KenpoKarate.OurToolbar.com/

Bo Derek

You guys were right! It was Bo Derek in the photo with Doug. You young guys who don't know who she is, watch the movie called 10.

Form 5/6 DVD has started shipping

My new form DVD started shipping out on Sept. 4. I was hoping to have it in your hands by the holiday weekend but UPS was a day late. Enjoy.

Article published

My article with Dr. Rowe on caroltid chokes will be on the stands soon. Here's the e-mail notice the publisher sent.

The newest issue of the Journal of Asian Martial Arts is printed and shipping!


Contents
"Psychology, physical disability, and the application of Buddhist mindfulness to martial arts programs" (M. Kelland, Ph.D.)

"Xiong Style Taiji in Taiwan: Historical development and a photographic exposé featuring master Lin Jianhong" (M. DeMarco, M.A.)

"Pirates of the Philippines: A critical thinking exercise" (R. Macaraeg, M.A., J.D.)

"The carotid choke: To sleep, perchance to die?" (M. Rowe, M.D. & L. Wedlake, B.A.)

"Arthur Rosenfeld: Martial artist & storyteller" (T. Bailey, L.M.P., A.P.)

All readers should enjoy the mix of topics. Dr. Kelland brings Buddha's teachings into the martial art studio. A corroborative effort is seen in the article about the carotid choke. By combining their martial arts and medical expertise, the authors produced an excellent article that provides insight and application far beyond the norm. After 18 years publishing this journal, I finally wrote about the relatively unknown taiji system I had studied in Taiwan. Who doesn't like reading about pirates!? Macaraeg's article shows how practical weapons and clothing fit a pirate's occupation. Martial arts literature is a growing genre, and Bailey's short piece gives us an idea of how Rosenfeld infuses his combative experience in his novels.

It is a continuing pleasure to bring quality material to you that is unique and insightful. We thank you for your support as it allows the journal to be published and to develop.

Sincerely,
Michael DeMarco, Publisher

Of interest

I've had this sitting for a while and thought I'd pass it on since it's hurricane season and the swine flu is threatening.

A great link that I find useful here is the Emergency and Information

Service Website:
http://visz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/usa_alert.php?lang=eng
It has near real time alerts for fires, NOAA weather events, Geological
updates, Avian Flu, Mumps, et cetera. --

Parker book source

I was sent this link for a school that says they can get all the Ed Parker Insights books and the Encyclopedia. I don't know if they're legit but here it is.
http://www.arrowheadkenpo.com/parker-books/

Poll results

Most people said they would like to see a follow-up to my last book. I'm working on the concept now but this is going to take a while. Thanks for your input.

Guess who?

Who is this woman with Doug Kimme? You guys from Chicago will remember Doug from the Southwest Highway school in Oak Lawn. Those of you who don't know him, Doug was a student of mine for years and was a Combat Controller in the Air Force. He's said the teaching methods he picked up from me and his exposure to Ed Parker back then contribute to the effectiveness of his instruction when he teaches SWAT teams.

You can vote on her identity in the next poll.

Article to be published

I have been advised that the article Dr. Rowe and I wrote on sleeper holds will be published in the Sept/Oct issue of the Journal of Asian Martial Arts on Sept 4th. Copies will be available at the studio or you can find them at Barnes and Noble.
My thanks go to Danny Sullivan, Peter Galvano, Ed Cabrera, Jack Nilon and Genie Byrd for posing for the photos. (A start of a new career on the catwalk possibly?) Thanks also to Mr. Ron Chapel and Mr. Tom Kelly for their input on escaping the hold.

The doctor is in

More on concussions. There are specific references to wrestlers and boxers in this article. Instructors should read this carefully.
Sports Imperative: Protecting Young Brains

By JANE E. BRODY

Published: August 24, 2009

Attention players, parents, coaches, trainers and doctors. The injury experts have a message. You’ve probably heard it before, but the moment is right to hear it again: If young athletes want to preserve their brains after a head injury, however minor, the typical jock advice to suck it up and get back in the game is not only bad, it’s potentially life-threatening. Now, before the playing season starts, is the time for baseline testing of athletes involved in sports where head hits are common. With pre-injury results in hand, coaches and doctors are far better able to determine whether a concussion has occurred and if and when the brain has recovered. It is also time to abandon the notion that a seemingly minor hit that causes a player to see stars or become briefly disoriented is “just a ding.” It is not “just” anything — it’s a mild concussion that must be taken seriously. "If in doubt, sit them out” is the strong recommendation of Dr. Robert C. Cantu, one of the nation’s leading experts on sports-related concussions and their consequences. Dr. Cantu, a co-author of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association position paper on managing sport-related concussion, emphasized in an interview, “No athlete should be physically exerting himself if he has any concussion-related symptom.”

Lasting Consequences
Last year, The New York Times published 15 articles on the occasionally devastating results of repeated concussions. The cases involved high school and college students as well as professional athletes. Nearly all had returned to play before they had fully recovered from a direct or indirect blow to the head, and a second or third hit put them on the bench for good. The consequences of a repeat concussion were often long-lasting and sometimes permanent: persistent headaches, fatigue, difficulty paying attention, memory problems, mood swings and personality changes. In a few cases, the result was death. At least four American high school students died last year from football head injuries. Most suffered from what is called second-impact syndrome, a rare but catastrophic dysregulation of brain activity that can occur when a young player sustains another hit before the brain has recovered from an earlier concussion. In nearly all cases, such tragedies can be prevented if players, parents, coaches and doctors learn the critical importance of recognizing and heeding the symptoms of concussion and giving the brains of injured players a chance to heal fully. The symptoms of concussion may include headache, blurred vision, fatigue, fogginess, poor balance, sleep disturbance, nausea, dizziness, irritability, sensitivity to noise or light, memory problems or inappropriate emotions. Dr. Cantu, a clinical professor of neurosurgery at Boston University School of Medicine, says anyone responsible for an athlete’s well-being should use the 25-item Graded Symptom Checklist (see accompanying article) to assess the seriousness of a concussion and monitor recovery.
“First and foremost, anyone who is still symptomatic from a concussion should not be allowed to return to a contact or collision sport,” Dr. Cantu wrote this year in Current Sports Medicine Reports, published by the American College of Sports Medicine. For high school and younger athletes, whose young brains are more vulnerable to severe damage, those with symptoms of a concussion should not be allowed back in that day’s game, he said, even if they say they feel fine and appear to be symptom-free 20 minutes later. And a young player who suffers a repeat concussion would be wise to remain on the sidelines for at least a week after all symptoms are gone. In the interview, Dr. Cantu stressed the importance of giving an injured brain a chance to rest, physically and cognitively. Not allowing sufficient rest can make the symptoms worse, delay recovery and cause permanent damage when brain cells die because they haven’t had time to recover.
“It is generally accepted that three mild concussions in any one season should terminate an athlete’s further participation that season,” Dr. Cantu wrote. “Furthermore, there should be at least a three-month symptom-free period before resuming participation in a contact collision sport.” Football players are not the only ones likely to sustain sports-related concussions. Athletes who play ice hockey, lacrosse and soccer, as well as boxers and wrestlers, are also at risk. Even basketball players are vulnerable to concussions. The risk in soccer comes not from heading the ball but from collisions with other players or the goal post, said Steven P. Broglio, a certified athletic trainer at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who recently studied head impacts during high school football games.
And it is not just male athletes who are at risk. If anything, girls who play the same sports as boys are more vulnerable to concussions and take longer to recover, studies have shown, even taking into account the probability that girls are more willing to report symptoms. Younger athletes, too, are at greater risk of concussion and recover more slowly than those of college age or older, Dr. Cantu said. Counting only the reported cases of concussions among high school athletes, 137,000 occurred in the 2007-8 school year, according to data collected by the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Many more are believed to have occurred but were either unrecognized or unreported.

Special Helmets
In an effort to alert coaches and trainers to a head hit warranting investigation, players at several colleges and some high schools have helmets fitted with a telemetric system that can almost instantly transmit wireless signals to computers on the sideline about the intensity and location of a hit. The system, called HITS, was developed by Simbex, of Lebanon, N.H., with support from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. It is marketed by Riddell, but is still primarily a research tool to help coaches, trainers and doctors identify players who may not report symptoms for fear of being taken out of the game.
Dr. Cantu estimated that the incidence of concussions in football is “probably four to five times higher” than is now being recognized on the sidelines. Dr. Broglio, who has studied the HITS helmet in high school football, noted that “53 percent of concussed high school athletes are suspected of not reporting their injuries to medical personnel.” An individual telemetric helmet now costs about $1,000. But Rick Greenwald, the president of Simbex, said in an interview that the human development institute had provided money for developing a lower-cost version that could be widely used at the high school and youth sports levels.

Thank you, Lance

Third degree black belt Lance Soares was here in Ft. Myers for training for a few days. He's working toward his fourth. He's pictured here with Ft. Myers firefighter/paramedic Bill Damewood, alos a third degree. These are some big boys and I'm glad they are the good guys. Lance is a paramedic, too. He taught a class for the beginner/intermediates while he was here, so our people had a chance to meet and work with him. He gets to train with Steve White and his crew of excellent practitioners up in New Hampshire, too. He's passionate about our art and I'm glad to have him with us.

More Josh Waitzkin

I've written about Josh Waitzkin before, the former world chess champion and world tai chi push-hands player. Here's a link with an interview with him forwarded by Steve White.

http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2009/01/21/learning-about-learning-an-interview-with-joshua-waitzkin/