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.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
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
http://www.fox4now.com/Global/story.asp?S=11178217
http://www.nbc-2.com/global/story.asp?s=11178840
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
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/
"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/
Sunday, September 20, 2009
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.
New quotes have been added to the great quotes page, too.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
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.
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.
Friday, September 18, 2009
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..
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..
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Chicago was a blast!
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.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Bad Things T-shirt
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Seals 3, Pirates 0
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/
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
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.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
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
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
Friday, September 4, 2009
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. --
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. --
Thursday, September 3, 2009
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/
http://www.arrowheadkenpo.com/parker-books/
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