Resources on Aging

Dr. Rowe and I were talking about some questions I had gotten from an overseas black belt who is working on developing a program for seniors. Doc told me about this website from the National Institute on Aging. Tai chi is recommended within it as an exercise method. The site is at http://go4life.niapublications.org/
You'll find the page on tai chi at
http://go4life.niapublications.org/try-these-exercises/balance/tai-chi
And more info at
http://go4life.niapublications.org/nihseniorhealth

Interesting kenpo tidbit

I've been asked how many tenth degrees there are in our system. That's a tricky question. Does that mean the "current" Ed Parker system or does it include the variations? Using the latter criteria I have found 27 people (no women) claiming 10th. They outnumber the ninth degrees 2 or 3 to 1.

The doctor is ON

Have to brag about my friend, Marc Rowe, again. He recently competed again and won two gold medals in powerlifting. Marc, if you don't know, is over 80. Earlier this year he set a record in his age group for deadlifting, now this  month he earned a Master class gold.
   Marc attributes a portion of his success to use of tai chi principles and not just for the physical part.
My congrats go out to him!

Take a minute to reflect

On this day in 1990 we lost Ed Parker to a massive heart attack at the age of 59. It was a huge loss to the martial arts community. Those of you who do kenpo in particular, take a moment to reflect on how he affected your life, whether you knew him personally or not. Thsi is not limited to our system, he affected the growth of other systems in the US as well.
I miss him every day.

Update to the B-25 bomber post of 14 November

http://vimeo.com/30331646

Recent seminars

The first weekend of December I was up in Chicago at Kurt Barnhart's clubs. Nice turnouts there. I even had my first tai chi instructor, Bill Grizzle, in the crowd. The subjects on Friday evening and Saturday morning were the internal aspects and he and Patrick Baio, both long-time practitioners, attended. I'm impressed with Bill's attitude in that he came and worked with us as a student. I managed to pick his brains a bit while he was there as well. Zoran Sevic from the John McSweenet lineage always comes to thump and I'm glad to have him and his open mind, too.

The second Saturday session was on working in the Web of Knowledge as a teaching tactic. I've done this elsewhere and Mr. Barnhart's people were tough to throw off. (This method is the subject of this month's article on my website.)

The following weekend's seminars in Holden, Massachusetts and Manchester, NH were well-attended. I had the opportunity to meet some new people and see my old friends Bill Gaudette and Lance Soares. Brian Walsh from Connecticut made the trip to Holden to take part along with his son, Chris. Brian and I have been communicating by e-mail and this was the first face-to-face. Good to have him there. Mr. White and I also had lunch Friday with a man we much respect, Hanshi Richie Bernard of Shidokan International.  

On Saturday in New Hampshire we had a full house in both sessions. The subject at Holden and Manchester was drills in one session and knife work in the second. The seminars were not duplicates and those who made all four got a special t-shirt.

Mr. White and I surprised the group there at his school by unveiling Ed Parker's gi top. This will be on loan from me and on display there at the Manchester Karate Studio. Since MKS is the largest Parker kenpo school in the US, I thought it was appropriate to make them the stewards of a precious piece of kenpo history.

 

Be afraid

http://m.wimp.com/intensefight/

New article at leewedlake.com

I've posted the December article for subscribers. The title is Teaching to the Web of Knowledge. It really should be in the Kenpo Instructors Handbook but I've isolated it for now. Here's an excerpt.

However, there is an opposite and reverse for everything. Instead of asking for a technique by name I ask the class to do what they know for a grab, that being part of one of the categories on the Web. Then I watch to see what comes out. It is apparent that most don’t think of their techniques in terms of the categories on the Web. When I ask for grabs I see chokes, locks, hugs, holds, even pushes (an entry to a grab?).

What this exercise does is allow you to cover the distinctions between each type of attack classification. Can you explain the difference between a hug and a hold? Why do you think he grouped locks and chokes together? Then there is the obvious - weapons go with weapons and the two-man techniques stand alone.

Yearly subscriptions for written articles are $29 and you subscribe at www.leewedlake.com

Thank you all

I posted some more podcasts last week and astonished to see there have been almost 30,000 downloads since June of 2010. I've gotten some good feedback, too. One that comes to mind is that they are "not kenpo-centric". That's what I was aiming for.
    I've also uploaded some more clips to www.kenpotv.net and should hit 1,050 this week. The new site is about to go live, so watch for an announcement on that.
   With the Thanksgiving holiday here, I wanted to say thanks for watching and listening.

For you aviation buffs

I found that this B-25 bomber is based about 20 minutes from here in Georgetown, TX. I sat in the cockpit and was told I could work toward a type-rating in it. Just what you need, me in a bomber.
http://vimeo.com/30331646

Who changed the names?

Information related to the recent poll on this site. I've left it up so you can see the results.

I always wondered about the difference in the technique names between the Parker and Tracy schools. Did the Tracy's leave Mr. Parker and change the names? Or did he change them after they left and opened their own schools? Who felt the need to make that change so they could be different from the other?
I could see reasons for either party to do this, so I asked around. What I was told was that it was Mr. Parker who made the changes.
If anyone has more info, I'd like to hear it.  

New article at www.leewedlake.com

I have posted the November article for subscribers on my site. It's on what I call the "shooting gallery effect". Here's an excerpt.

I was told many years ago that what makes us different from other systems is our rules and principles. It’s what makes any system different from another. Each has its own set of rules they go by. Even if it’s “no rules”.

We look at motion and determine what guideline is in use. Is it a power principle, method of execution, type of contouring, etc? Normally we see what we expect to because we ask ourselves why we would do some combination of rules and how they are supported by a rule or principle. It may be better to ask ourselves why we would not do something. I have found that to a fruitful way to analyze what I do.

Gil Hibben at the Alamo

I was in San Antonio and went to visit the Alamo. In the museum/gift shop there, in a case, was a Gil Hibben Bowie knife. What a pleasant surprise to see my friend's work there.
And before one of you wise guys says it, no- I'm sure he DIDN'T drop it there.

On filters

A young couple moves into a new neighborhood.
 The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
 "That laundry is not very clean", she said. "She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."
Her husband looked on, but remained silent.
 Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.
 About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband: "Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this."
 The husband said, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.”
And so it is with life.
 What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look.

In my opinion...

...this is how many instructors teach.

obscurantism \uhb-SKYOORr-uhn-tiz-uhm\, noun:
1. Opposition to the increase and spread of knowledge.
2. Deliberate obscurity or evasion of clarity.

Back-knuckles and beignets

Just back from New Orleans. I did some seminars for Danny Sullivan's Covington Karate Studio up on the North Shore. It was my first time there.The kids were a pleasure to work with. I met some of Danny's Mississippi people who came over for the adult seminars, as well.
After working on Danny Friday we went with his students Greg and his son Grant, along with Paul down to the French Quarter to eat at Cafe Giovanni. The restaurant was a nice place and the conversation with the guys was varied and interesting. Danny, Greg, Grant and I walked down to Cafe du Monde afterward to have some beignets. That's a place you don't want to miss if you're in Nola.
He's got a good group there at his school, which was opened last year and is growing. His website is www.covingtonkaratestudio.com.
The LSU-Alabama game was scheduled for that Saturday evening after the seminars and the excitement in town was almost tangible. I see LSU won the game, so all those fans I met have to be excited.
On the plane ride back I sat next to an interesting man who, as it turned out, went to high school in Covington and is living in Houston.
We're planning another event for spring. I'll have to starve myself between now and then because all those guys do is eat. And watch football.
 

A good re-read

I loaned out my copy of Living the Martial Way by Forrest Morgan. I was given a brand-new copy in return. I decided to read it again since I'd be sitting in airports and I'm glad I did.
Mr. Morgan is a very traditional stylist and I like that perspective. His descriptions of what was going through his mind during organizational meetings are much like my own. Being a retired US Air Force major his outlook on what a warrior is and isn't is interesting. His book is well-researched and the bibliography is extensive and includes many excellent books on the subject.
Morgan discusses the definition of what a martial arts is and concludes that the traditional definition is a little too restrictive. He says that according to Don Draeger, a martial art is one that was developed by warriors for use on the battlefield.  Therefore, by that definition, what we do in Kenpo and numerous other arts today is not martial arts.
   You and I probably have a problem with that, and so does Morgan. Define "warrior" (he does in the book but you need your own). Define "battlefield". (It's "battlespace" now in modern miltary terminology.) I think we might call someone who is fighting an addiction as a warrior in their own battlefield.
  I don't disagree with Morgan, as he points out, that definition doesn't really fit. It does raise the point to me that Parker Kenpo is not a military system but a civilian self-defense system. People have asked me about this when discussing the comparisons with Russian Systema. That is a military system, ours is not. Of course, ours has been adapted for use on real battlefields since Vietnam and when you're in a knock-down, drag-out street fight, that's a battlefield.
  It's 20 years old but still timely. I recommend you read it. 

Esslingen seminar

Back from Germany and a visit to Marc Sigle's Bushido ES. I taught some classes for his kids group and several adult sessions. Topics included freestyle drills, tournament preparation, extensions (lots of these) and Short Two.
The item at left was made from a lineage portrait Marc had done by Ed Parker Jr. This one was signed by most of the attendees and given to me at the conclusion. Usually I'm doing the signing but they turned it around. Cool.
We enjoyed some meals together and it gave me a chance to talk with people. Saturday evening we went to a restuarant up on a hill overlooking the valley with a beautiful view. We'd been there before but it's always a treat to go. (The schnitzel was excellent.)
Two other groups from Dusseldorf and Regensberg were represented. It's always a pleasure to talk with Thomas from Dusseldorf and I was introduced to Josef from Regensberg. I didn't know there was a group there. Kenpo is still spreading, guys.
Marc and his wife, Isabelle, are excellent hosts and I always feel at home there. The next visit is already scheduled for March. See you in Deuthschland!

Navy Seal comment

The Strong Silent Type!

 Dana Perrino ( Fox News) describing an interview she recently had with a Na vy SEAL. After discussing all the countries he had been sent to, she asked  if they had to learn several languages?
 His reply:
 "Oh no ma'am, we don't go there to talk."

Deutschland this coming weekend

I am looking forward to visiting my friends in Esslingen, Germany at Marc Sigle's school there. Marc always greets me on arrival with a "Welcome Home". We have a quick breakfast ( it's an overnight flight to Stuttgart) then head off to the studio, where I beat him up for a few hours. I take a short nap and then we go beat up the students, especially Lenny.
   Can't wait.

  

More concussion info

A new book is out entitled The Concussion Crisis by Linda Carol and David Rosner. The subtitle is Anatomy of a Silent Epidemic.  They write that football is the big one for concussions but that girls basketball suffers three times the boys concussions and girls soccer is twice the amount.
   I've read no mentions of amateur martial arts being studied yet. We get punched and kicked in the head and thrown. Lots of opportunity for concussion. Instructors should be watchful, especially with kids.
  I think it's just a matter of time before we get studied and then regulated. 

Concussion news

Brain in the News reprinted an article from CTV news (that's Canada, eh) that concussions in girls may be ignored in some sports. They cite numerous instances of girls being knocked unconscious in dance, gymnastics and cheerleading. Female dominated sports like these are not getting as much attention as in hockey and football injury studies.
Once again, the concern is for long-term effects. Girls are not exempt from the brain damage aspects and there are a lot of repeat injuries reported. Here's the link.
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Health/20110812/girls-teen-athletes-concussions-brain-110814/
You might find this interesting, too. It says keep kids out of the boxing ring.
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Health/20110829/kids-teens-boxing-concussions-110829/

Adrianne!

The FBI rape statistics are going to rise

Just in case you missed it, there was a release that the FBI is going to change its definition of what rape is. They admit their present one, which is many decades old, is not broad enough to cover all the variations. (Which is unfortunate that we even need to count this, but it's the real world.) So, expect to see a rise in the rape rate.
When I took Statistics in the university my instructor said he was able to prove a negative rape rate in the US. The point is there are lies, damn lies and statistics.

New Article at leewedlake.com

I've posted the October article for subscribers on my site at www.leewedlake.com. It's in the "kenpo chop". Here's an excerpt.

Mr. Parker likened weapons to sharps and flats in music. He described a sharp as a half-step up in a note and a flat as a half-step down. He went on to say that sharp weapons, like a chop, raise the damage and flat weapons, like a slap, lower damage. He liked to raise damage whenever possible and here we see the kenpo chop.

What even people from other systems call the kenpo chop is a handsword with the index and middle fingers extended as the remaining fingers curl in. The standard chop uses all the fingers extended.

To subscribe go to the site and find Join LWKS. It's $29/year and I just hit 150 items in the library for you.

Upcoming seminars

I'll be in Germany Oct 22-23 at Marc Sigle's studio in Esslingen.
On Oct 28-29 I'll be at Spartanburg Martial Arts in So. Carolina at the invite of Robert Wallace. Subjects include Defending the Third Person and Zone Theory.
The following week I'll be in Covington, Louisiana at Covington Karate Studio. Danny Sullivan is one of my black belts and he runs the studio.
A quick tour of some schools in New England is on tap as is another visit to Chicago before the end of the year.
More info is on my seminar page at www.leewedlake.com.

UK visit

I taught some classes in Merry Olde England last weekend. I was hosted in London by Diane Wheeler at her club there in Tooting. I was told I was the first American instructor to visit.
A few clubs were represented and some traveled to take the class and stay overnight in Wimbledon. I enjoyed meeting some new people and re-connecting with both Diane and also with Phil Buck, one of Gary Ellis's black belts.
I did a session on what I call "Broken techniques"; techniques that can be split in half and either part can stand alone. It seemed to be well received and the time flew by.
Had some time in the pub with many of the attendees and got to know them and hear their views on the system. The time went too fast and I was off the next morning to the Channel Islands.
   After working my way through the train system to Gatwick, I landed in Jersey to some beautiful weather, and it stayed that way all weekend. Paul McMurray, one of Graham Lelliott's black belts, was my host.
   My sessions on Saturday for the young ones covered escape techniques for grabs and the adults were exposed to the thinking of defending a third person. The brown/black class worked on zone theory with some extension techniques as examples. I was told I gave a simple, understandable explanation of the principles. Mission accomplished.
   Sunday we went through some ideas on the gun and knife defenses. We'd gone out Saturday night to a busy pub and even with some hangovers, these people were moving well.
   I really enjoyed my time with both groups. In both locations, black belts from other school and associations were welcomed. All had a good time.
   If you ever get a chance to visit Jersey (not Joysey), grab it. It's a beautiful island.
People have posted some photos of the classes on Facebook. I'm looking forward to going back.

Timing /Tempo Changes

An excerpt from the latest article for subscribers at www.leewedlake.com

Putting shuffles and steps in where they were not before changes timing and tempo. This is part of the exploration process a serious student should be doing to see how variables affect the form, technique, basic or person themselves. One factor is combat is to know what a person could potentially do and it’s another to see if they can actually do it. I might know what a cartwheel kick is and basically how and when to do it but in actuality I can’t do one. I’ve found this to be part of the question/answer function of combat. The big problem is that often there’s not enough time to get it figured out. Doing things at different timing and tempos will give you some insight into what you can and can’t do.

Sometimes we’ve been taught a sequence with the wrong timing and when someone points that out and we try it we may be surprised to see it works better. The message here is that it’s not always the mechanics that mess us up, sometimes it’s the timing.

Little Known Elvis Fact

Anyone even remotely familiar with the world of Kenpo Karate knows that the legendary Mr. Ed Parker trained 'The King of Rock & Roll', Elvis Presley, in the martial art.

What most do NOT know, is that Elvis took his training to new, uncharted levels.  Below is a rarely seen photograph of Elvis with his last martial art master and trainer.

More Stuff

I have added more podcasts, added videos to my YouTube channel and changed the Free Video pages at www.kenpoTV.net. This  month's article for my www.leewedlake.com subscribers will be up soon, too.

Podcasts - go to the home page at www.leewedlake.com for the links or I-Tunes
Yearly article subscriptions - go to www.leewedlake.com to subscribe for $29/yr.

New Journey book website

Under construction but here it is.

www.theinternationaljourney.com

Brain Damage in Fighters

The Brain in the News paper I get every month had an article in it about assessing brain damage in pro fighters. Here's the link.

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/16/sports/la-sp-boxing-brain-study-20110717

They want to get boxers and MMA fighters to volunteer for a research project. They think it would be of interest to know what sort of health implications are involved in these sports. Muhammed Ali has Parkinson's and they speculate that boxing was a contributing factor.

This is not a way to say the sport should be stopped. One scientist thinks it would enhance the quality, keeping in only the fighters of high quality. The article also states one as saying "We know fighting is not good for your health."

Really?

My annual political comment

I don't like this at all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JNFr_j6kdI&feature=player_embedded

A Second Journey Book

I've been told that there will be a second book to The Journey. When the first came out I was disappointed to see that some of the European instructors had not been included. I'm told that's going to be corrected with this book.
  I'm not sure what the criteria is for inclusion this time but I got a call from John Sepulveda telling me I'm in. Some others I've seen on the list are Mr. Sepulveda, Tom Kelly, Steve LaBounty, Gilbert Velez, Mike Pick, Huk Planas, Frank Trejo, Brian Duffy, Jeff Speakman and Brian Hawkins, and more.
  More info as I get it.

Manuals

The manuals are done and available thru my site store at www.leewedlake.com.

KenpoTV update

KTV is moving to a new software platform soon. The old one was ok to start us off a year ago but we've numerous technical problems with payment systems through PayPal. It's not PayPal's fault but it's been painful. (And I thank all of you who stuck with us while we tried to fix it.)
     The new system will allow you to use credit cards instead of starting a PayPal account. It will also allow Flash so you can watch in your phone or iPad. We think this system will allow us to break up the modules so you can pick and choose which packags you want; for example, maybe you want Instructing for Instructors and Drills/Sets/Freestyle. You won't have to take all the modules. No promise, but that's what the IT people are telling me. I want you guys to have more flexibility in getting the benfits of the site.
  Ove the last years we've been up and running I've gotten very good feedback on the content. Seniors such as John Sepulveda, Steve LaBounty, Ron Chapel, Gary Ellis, Steve White and others have been very complimentary. Members from many countries have added that it's been exactly what they are looking for.
   I've got another almost 50 segments to upload that I've been sitting on while content is moved. They include extensions, ground work and drills.
   Check it out at www.kenpotv.net.

Technique manuals

One of our guys in South Carolina expressed an interest in having the techniques in their original sequence and number. His wish is my command. I am almost done with them.
   These will not be verbatim copies of Mr. Parker's work and will not include such items as pledges, terminology, anatomy drawings, history, patch descriptions, drills, etc. Those can be found in other publications.
   I have re-written them so correct some typos and transposed rights and lefts. I added some commentary. What I kept is the number and sequence of the original 32 manuals for orange, purple, blue and green, along with the 10 yellows.
   These guys have been rewritten, resequenced, and had the numbers changed over the years. All the material is still there in different versions. But "It's the same but different".
   So if you're a collector or someone who wants to see what the originals were like, watch my site for availability in the next few weeks. 

Chicago promotions

A board was assembled on Sat. 20 August in Chicago. Kurt Barnhart's students tested. Dan Helie was promoted to 2nd Black Belt. First black promotions were Rick Vecchi, Ken Ritter and Cliff DeRose, Joe Cantele and Pete Tomaino to brown belt. Congratulations to them all!

Interesting

Germany's Marc Sigle sent this about knockout stats.
http://www.blackbeltmag.com/daily/mixed-martial-arts-training/boxing/knockout-and-concussion-statistics-for-violent-encounters/

Yeah, baby!

One of my guys, Austin Cooner, gets his shoulder boards after cadet training at the US Air Force Academy. That grin can't get much wider. Congrats!

August article posted at www.leewedlake.com

I wrote a few pages on attacking the knee joint. Here's an excerpt.

This is all not to say that’s it really easy to break the leg at the knee. Given the right circumstances it doesn’t take much but typically what we’re going to see is tearing of the muscles, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, cartilage with all the associated swelling and pain versus a break of the bones. This causes us to ask which part of the knee do we hit? I’ve addressed the back, inside and outside. Hitting from the front, just above the knee with a side kick, preferably a thrust or stomping type, will give us the best chance of breaking the femur. Just below possibly breaks the lower leg, tibia/fibula bones.

Above the knee tends to shear the femur above the part where it widens to form the condyles. Below can break the top of the tibia below where it widens to make the tibial plateau, where the cartilage is that the condyles sit in. Straight on would break through the joint. The above and below strikes have their own nuances and those positions are shown in the individual techniques in which they are taught. Breaking the bones can be done with sheer force at the right angle and time. Another condition may be bone density. Side kick Granny in the knee and it takes less force to break than an MMA fighter. Unless Granny is an MMA fighter.

This and many more are available by susbcription for $29/yr at www.leewedlake.com.

Planning

General Dwight D. Eisenhower was the Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe in World War II. In reading a book on strategy I found an excellent quote by him.
                                           
           "Plans are useless, planning is essential."

Simple and to the point. You do kenpo or some martial art for self-defense, making a plan to defend yourself in the event you have an altercation at some future time. You are planning. You get training on what your body and mind can do to handle a variety of situations and work it over and over to help insure a successful outcome. When it happens, you respond. It won't likely be with some standard technique sequence. It should be extemporaneous and the "plan" your were given as a student are useless. Warfighters will often relay the statement that all plans are changed at the moment of first contact. In other words, the plan is useless. But all that prior training and planning is what works.
Keep practicing.

Motivation

                                                          It Couldn't Be Done
                                                           by Edgar A. Guest   

Somebody said that it couldn't be done,
But he with a chuckle replied
That "maybe it couldn't," but he would be one
Who wouldn't say so till he'd tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it.
Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you'll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it";
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he'd begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it.
There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That "cannot be done," and you'll do it.

There is science behind the "choke"

One of my favorite periodicals, Brain in the News, reprinted an article about the science of why people choke under pressure. It's written about golfers but, like many things, you can mentally substitute martial arts for golf. One point the article makes is that choking most often happens when people try to think about what they are going to do. If you've been in the arts for a while you can remember your instructor telling you not to think-just do.
   They also mention the quiet mind and how you can learn to do that. No wonder meditation is taught with the arts, eh? Another point is that kids don't seem to have the same problems with choking.  They say that's because they don't have the weight of expectations and previous screw-ups. The ancient Chinese said "Be like a child". Damn, right again.
   In addition they describe the difference in performance between a control group that practiced with an audience and another who did not. Uh-huh, the first group with an audience did better under pressure. So your teacher who had you do your thing in front of the class was onto something!
  Here's the link to the article in the New York Times.  http://onpar.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/when-golfers-overthink-the-science-behind-the-choke/

And to get a subscription to Brain in the News go to www.dana.org. It's free, ya cheapskate.

Congrats

Alex Herrera is one of my brown belts and has been competing in MMA. He just placed in gi and no gi contests over the weekend in Brazil, 1st and 2nd respectively.
Here he is before:

And after.

Good on ya, little brother!

More on Hands-Only CPR

As many of you know, I became an instructor of CPR recently. I've found many misconceptions about the Hands-Only CPR. Here's some info.

More Bystanders Attempt CPR After Video Training, Says Study
Even very brief video training can boost rates of bystander Hands-Only™ CPR, says a new American Heart Association study. Not only that, but it may also lead to improved compression rates and compression depths. According to Bentley J. Bobrow, MD, lead author of the study, "This finding has enormous public health implications because of the documented hesitancy of untrained rescuers to even attempt CPR and because it is known that any bystander resuscitation attempt improves outcomes compared to no CPR."
Read the full article at:
http://www.newsroom.heart.org/index.php?s=43&item=1282

It's electric!

I was able to go to a fencing class with my first coach in Ft. Myers while I was down there. It was my first opportunity to do electric fencing. I've posted a link below to describe what that is. Big fun!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fencing

Podcasts

Yikes! I just added two more podcasts and saw that what's on there already has been downloaded 22,000+ times.
  Thanks for listening!
Yu can find them on itunes or link through my homepage at www.leewedlake.com.

Joe Zorich

I took Judo at the Shindo Kan school on Stony Island in Chicago in the late 1960's. Blaise Joseph Zorich owned it and that's where I got my real start in the arts. Carole Wolken was a black belt there and gave me my first lesson at that school. I credit her with sparking me to continue in martial arts.
  Joe, pictured here, was a great guy. He was our "dad". I remember him as a disciplinarian but he knew when to let us go a bit. It was fun and I have lots of great memories of his school.
  It's where I met his son, David. Dave and I are still in touch and he even comes to my seminars in Chicago. Dae continued as well and has earned degrees of black in both Korean karate and judo.
  It was Joe that introduced me to the importance of weight-lifting in a conditioning program, too. He had been a power-lifter.
  When I went back to visit as a young adult I was surprised to see that I was taller than he. That perspective as a kid that instructors are 10 feet tall and know everything sure sticks.
  Dave had sent this picture from an article they did on Joe in one of the major Chicago papers many years ago. Joe passed away some time back but he won't be forgotten.

New article at www.leewedlake.com

Excerpt from the July article in the Member's section.

I made contact with the new coach prior to showing up at his class. I went down for my first night and was taken aside by the new coach to see what I knew. Fine, great. He thought my basics were fine and that I would be allowed to start working with the others in the class. Freestyle, in other words. That too was fine and I looked forward to it.



Along the way I was able to catch him for a few minutes here and there and ask him about his background and got some insights on his philosophy of instruction. Now it got interesting. By the way, on that first night I was not asked anything about my background in anything other than this discipline, not even my full name and contact information. These are two items that an instructor absolutely needs. For one, how do you retain students and grow a student body without contact info? Not to mention the legal aspects. And not finding out what other experience, if any, I had led to me being talked to like someone with zero knowledge of body mechanics, timing, range, posture, etc. I can deal with that but two things arise. One; that rubs some people the wrong way and that makes imparting information difficult. Two; it sure would accelerate learning if you knew your student had some combat experience. But I digress. At this point I may have known more about my coach than he did about me. And what I found was distressing.

There's a warning label on my shoes

The world has gone crazy, ya' think?
Jan was complaining she didn't like the look of me in shorts and cowboy boots, so I broke down and bought a pair of Crocs. Not the ugly ones with the holes in the sides. These look like real shoes. Like most stuff you buy anymore, they had tags hanging off them. I think most of us just tear them off but I read them. I think that's a habit I acquired from aviation. I was taught to read the notes outlined in boxes in pilot operationg handbooks because that's where you really learn about an aircraft and the stuff that can kill you.
  Turns out these shoes won't kill you but they may hurt you. I had seen on the news that people were getting their Crocs caught in escalator steps. I guess the lawyers got involved and now the Crocs people have to put a warning label on their shoes telling me I should stand in the middle of the escalator step to prevent injury.
  That got me thinking about that label - pilots call them placards - that are now on the sunvisor of your car. It's in the black and yellow hazard colors and advises you that driving a car can injure or kill you. No kidding?
  Martial arts can injure and kill you, too. I was talking with a European kenpo instructor about liability and how an instructor can be sued in the US. He was surprised and told me you can't sue a karate teacher in his country. Apparently, their government thinks people are adult enough to realize there is risk in taking martial arts lessons and when they do, they release the teacher. I believe it must be to an extent because negligence is world-wide but stuff happens in class that an instructor just can't control. I'm sure you can think of an example such as the teacher being right there on top of you and someone simply slips and an injury occurs. That's why they call them accidents.
  In that same country they have no 4-way stop signs. They don't think they have to tell everyone what to do.  I think you get the point. If you look around you may be surprised to see just how many examples of the warning label are directed at you. Watch the ads for medication on television. You can take something for your condition but may, among other things, get thoughts of suicide, a heart attack or stroke or anal leakage.
  The world has gone crazy, ya' think?

Testimonial

I had the privilege of attending Lee Wedlake and Dr. Rowe's first ever "Functional Anatomy for Martial Artists" seminar. This is a must for all instructors and serious martial artists! Instructors often teach students that if they do "a certain move" on an opponent the effect will be a break or injury. However; if a practitioner themselves move in an incorrect way, the effect on themselves may also result in a break or serious injury.


Ed Parker often stated that; "The man who knows how will always be the student, but the man who knows why will continue to be the instructor." Taking SGM Parker's quote to the next level, participants in these seminars will learn the "hows" that make these "whys" work or in some cases not work.



I can't wait for part two of this seminar series.

Tim Walker, 4th degree black belt

American Kenpo Karate University, Inc.

Functional anatomy seminar

About a dozen kenpo and tai chi students attended our first functional anatomy for martial artists seminar here in Celebration, FL. The feedback has been  great! I was told Dr. Rowe kept what could have been presented as "over one's head" as very understandable and relevant to what we do.

   We used a combination of handouts, lecture, PowerPoint, anatomy models and hands-on in the sessions.  Doc and I are planning two more parts to the series and if there is enough interest, we can "take it on the road" to other parts of the country.

   If you're interested in attending the next one or in having one at your studio, please watch my website for dates or contact me at lee@leewedlake.com.

Hmm

Like the weather, there are all sorts of conditions in our personal lives: clear days, cloudy days, rainy ones, and stormy ones. These are all waves produced by the power of nature and are not things over which we have control. No matter how much we fight against these waves, there is no way we can make a cloudy day clear up. Cloudy days are cloudy; clear days are clear. It is only natural that thoughts come and go and that psychological and physiological conditions fluctuate accordingly. All of this is the very reality and manifestation of life. Seeing all of this as the scenery of life, without being pulled apart by it—this is the stability of human life, this is settling down in our life.


                                                                     Kosho Uchiyama

                                                                               Let go

Further Insights into Kenpo

My book of the title above has gone out of print. There are a few copies out there still for sale by some studios. You may find it through Amazon, Asian World or Ryukyu books.
  I don't have any plans to reprint it and I can't upload it to electronic delivery. Seems I was told the copyrights for the articles compiled in the book would revert to me after first publication in magazines but that's apparently not so.
   So, if you see one, grab it.

What's a Huk?

A Filipino rebel. Bet you didn't know that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hukbalahap

Panther Kenpo Karate

Congratulations on 25 years in business! Steve Hatfield's Panther Kenpo Karate in Mount Vernon, OH, near Columbus, was established at the same time Steve came in under me to train. He's been with me since 2nd degree black and is working on his 7th.
   This past weekend I was up there to be part of the anniversary celebration. I taught a seminar on joint-locking techniques and their counters. I also worked with the instructors on Form Five.
   Steve has been assembling a list of the instructors he has been on the mat with over the years and there are some very well-known names on it. From kick-boxing there is Benny "The Jet" and Bill Wallace. In kenpo he worked with Ed Parker, Frank Trejo, Tom Kelly, Joe Palanzo, Huk Planas, Jeff Speakman and more. His experience in Chinese arts, particularly in chi-kung is deep as well. He's worked with Frank Chan over the past years. He's also done some Russian Systema. All in all, a prety well-versed instructor.
   You can see his website at http://www.pantherkenpokarate.com/.
Here's to many more years!

Mont Vernon seminar June 11

6th degree Bill Gaudette of Massachusetts kicked off the 20th anniversary seminars at Jim Peacock's Mont Vernon Karate in New Hampshire Saturday. He did a nice presentation on limb destruction. He was followed by our host, Mr. Peacock.
  I've known Jim since he was a blue or green belt and it's nice to see how he's progressed over the years. His session was on how to blend techniques from Long Three as a situation changes. Very nice.
  Mr. Steve White, instructor to both Peacock and Gaudette followed the lunch break with a seminar he calls "Fun with Five Swords".
   In the picture below you'll see all the instructors along with one of my long-time guys, Robert Wallace out of Spartanburg, South Carolina.

 

  I wrapped up the day with a session on expanding your knowledge with an application of one of Mr. Parker's sayings, that being; "For every move, concept, principle and definition, there is an opposite and a reverse." I've been doing this seminar recently and it's been well-received.

The crowd of close to 40 on a cool, rainy day in New England enjoyed all the classes and some anniversary cake, too.

 Our congratulations to Mont Vernon Karate on their 20 years!

Good quote by John Wooden

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

TSA

I had to go thru the Fresno airport to come home from the Wonder Valley camp. What you've heard about the intrusive pat-downs are true. I had it done to me. These guys told me they had to pat down the paper money I had in my pocket. Maybe I should have worn my kilt through security.

Balance

An impressive feat or a waste of time?

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=jJrzIdDUfT4&vq=medium

Ron Chapel

When I was in Los Angeles on my way to Graham Lelliott's camp I was able to look up my old friend, Ron Chapel. Many of you know him as Doc.
   He was gracious enough to take some time out from work for lunch and met us (myself and Aussie Jack Nilon). We spent hours talking. Long enough that the waitress asked if we now wanted to order dinner!
  Ron is a fascinating man to talk with and we covered a range of subjects besides kenpo (and its politics). We talked about how the mind works, body mechanics, and who makes a good handgun. Motion Kenpo came up. Below I've passed on an article he wrote about the term a few weeks before I recently met with him. As he points out in it, I and some others don't take any offense to the term while others get pretty upset about it. I'll have him explain.

You use the term Motion Kenpo a lot, why?

Yes, many do, but like myself, only in mixed company. Most describe the Kenpo they do or teach as "based on motion," so I don't get the fuss. In all fairness it should be pointed out that I got the term "motion-Kenpo" from Ed Parker Sr. directly. The term is not a negative, only an apt description of the vehicle as is the term "commercial." Although not everyone teaches motion-kenpo commercially, that system is designed and built around a business model specifically for the purpose of commercial proliferation. Therefore both terms are correct. Among my own students it's just "Kenpo." But like any other discipline, when you mix company distinctions must be drawn to establish and understanding and to communicate. If I don't make that delineation many will presume I think and do as they were taught, and I do not.


There are others outside my lineage who utilize the term as well. I should also point out it is not a matter of "SL-Kenpo versus everything else." That would be incorrect. There are many who pre-date the creation of the motion model kenpo who also make a distinction in their interpretations. Many old the Old School Kenpo Students from when Mr. Parker first set up shop in Southern California, also either left before its creation or continued without adopting the motion based kenpo business concept, so I'm in very good company.



It is not unusual for those with one perspective to be protective of the point of view that is the totality of their understanding, and supports their knowledge, rank, and status investment. Moton-kenpo is "A" version of Kenpo not "the" only version of kenpo. However, I also recognize and have always said that the level of significance of motion/commercial kenpo is predicated in totality on the quality of the teacher, and as such there are individuals that do an exemplary job with what is by design limited material by continuing to educate themselves beyond its limited parameters to the benefit of their students, as Mr. Parker wanted.

Motion based kenpo is neither good or bad in and of itself. It is, what it is. Like many entities it has great potential, but that is no guarantee that teachers or students will fill that potential. Human nature being what it is, and adding business considerations to the process would suggest that most would fall short. Mr. Parker designed the material to allow everyone to seek their own level of competence within the boundaries of the teacher. Most who have visited or taken a class with me don't seem to have a problem with the distinction I and others make, which is quite easily demonstrable, and the truly gifted and intelligent teachers like a Steve LaBounty, Bob White, Lee Wedlake, etc seem to know and do well no matter what its called. Imagine that.
 
Those of you who know me and have taken classes or seminars know it's the expansion on the base that makes Parker kenpoa deep system. It takes a good teacher to do that. I'll take Doc's compliment, especially since I'm in good company with Mr. White and Sigung LaBounty. Next time I get out to LA, and I hope it won't be another almost 20 years, I plan to see what he's got for our law enforcement people. Should be interesting.

Member's Section article added for June

I added an article entitled Random Points Worth Repeating to my site at http://www.leewedlake.com./ Here is an excerpt.

Look at other instructors and systems


Take advantage of camps and seminars. See live instruction and get a better feel for the teacher and their perspective on the art. I’d seen things that looked fake on video but in person found the material was the real deal. You’ll usually get a few nuggets of info or wisdom at any event. Mr. Parker stressed individuality and you’ll see it manifested in the multitude of ways the system is presented.

A yearly subscription which includes the present list of over 100 articles and a new one monthly is at my site and is $29/yr.

Wonder Valley Camp

The bi-annual camp near Fresno, hosted by the Lelliotts, has come and gone. There were people from parts of the US, Sweden, Denmark, England, Spain, South America, New Zealand and Australia there. It was a blast.
   Graham Lelliott taught a seminar on Friday evening to kick it off. Myself, John Sepulveda, Steve White, Paul McMurray, Ed Parker Jr and Ingmar Johansson rounded out the staff. There were a lot of brown and black belts but the lower ranks seminars were well-supported, too. Subjects included "Fun with Five Swords", pattern recognition, and lots of self-defense practice.
  One of the traditions of these camps are the games, something started by Ingmar with his Viking Camp in the 1990s. The participants break into teams and compete in a variety of events for points to see which team tops out. I don't know what the results were but it was fun to watch.
  The Saturday and Sunday evening dinners were great for meeting people, catching up with old friends and maybe even winning a raffle or two. A storm rained out the Saturday party toward its end but we made up for it Sunday.

   And the rumors you heard are true, I did wear a kilt to the party. Graham and Jaydean had me in a sumo outfit two years ago so I had to do something this year. Jack Nilon and Ross White both kilted up as well. If you have to know, a Scot wears only his pride under a kilt.

Technology Turns your Mind to Mush

A friend and I were talking about how it seems that our attention spans have gotten shorter. Found a recent article in Brain in the News on that subject and it said that technology is actually re-wiring our brains. Here is more on the subject.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.92e49cb93f1c7fc4348116d5ec926d79.2f1&show_article=1

Kurt Barnhart Promoted

In 1976 Kurt Barnhart walked into my studio on 103rd Street in Palos Hills, IL. I had met Kurt briefly years before when I was working at another studio. He started with me and continued, eventually taking his first black test with Mr. Parker on the board. Kurt took the bull by the horns when I moved to Florida in 1991 and kept a club running. Today that club has the children of the students who studied with me working toward higher levels of proficiency.

   Over the weekend I promoted Kurt to 7th. I did this in the presence of many of the same people who were there when Ed Parker would come to teach and test our people. To name a few; Don Rushing, Tom McLennan, Ron Allen, Bob Weaver, Jim Tucker, Rick Vecchi and Barb Barnhart. Zoran Sevic and David Zorich were there, too. Zoran started with me in 1981 and is now a 5th under Tom Saviano (McSweeney lineage) and David and I did judo together at his father's dojo when we were kids.

As I told the group, Kurt has been in the arts a long time (and AT the arts as long), has continued to train and contribute to the arts and considers it an honor to teach. His committment shows and his efforts to foster goodwill in the martial arts community was demonstrated by the linkage of our group with the Danzan-Ryu jiu-jitsu group that works at the Center for the Martial Arts in Worth, IL, run by Sensei Robert Garza. You can feel the positive energy between the groups.  

I was treated to a therapeutic massage by one of the black belts there after my seminar. It was fantastic. They do the restorative applications in their training and I was fortunate to get worked on. A great weekend with the Chicago people once again.

My congratulations to Mr. Barnhart.

  

PA seminar photos

Got to do some shooting with Brian, Emidio, and Brian's father, Bob. Good guys all. 

Kitchen Nightmares

Not long ago I was out at Graham Lelliott's and stayed at his house. We were watching the tube when he asked me if I'd ever seen this guy (or goy; Graham has that great British accent) named Gordon Ramsay.
Ramsay is a chef and his show is called Kitchen Nightmares. I was hooked. Not because it's a cooking show, which it isn't, but because it's a business show in disguise.

   Chef Ramsay visits a restaurant and looks at the food, systems, staffing, management, physical plant and communication. Of course, the place is a nightmare -hence the name. But these are not some dumps, they look like nice places but they're in trouble. So, what's my point?
  If a person like him with karate know-how went into a martial arts studio you'd have the same show.
Here's the Ramsay formula. He introduces himself (obviously he's been invited so he has a camera crew and as you see the make-overs you know there's been a lot of planning) and he samples the food. Typically it's disgusting and he then meest with the staff and asks some questions. Then he goes back into the kitchen to see what's what. Next day he goes thru the food prep and storage and watches how the back-end of the place works. Or doesn't work, really.
  He then creates a plan to turn the place around. It involves changing the menu, the staff, the decor and when changes happen, the reactions are interesting. He usually installs some good operating principles and the business turns around. Sometimes they fail and it's often because the owner is not truly committed to doing what it takes to be successful.
  I asked Steve White if he watched this show and he responded with an enthusiastic "yes". Steve owns one of the top studios in the US.
  Here's my analogy.  A consultant comes to your school and watches what goes on there. They see how a class is run by the instructors (they would be your waiters, the people actually delivering the product). They look at your studio layout, cleanliness, equipment, etc (that would be your kitchen). Does your chef communicate with the other kitchen workers? That is, does your lead instructor have the communication skills to lead assistants and get the message across to students?
   How does management (the studio owner) work with the instructors? Do they have staff meetings? Ramsey shows that often an owner has never had one with their people. Is the menu (curriculum) manageable? And who is responsible for what?
  His show illustrates some of the bad attitudes owners can have toward customers. Some even call their customers liars when they send food back! His point is that sometimes we have to look inward to discover our business problems.
   I could go on but if you watch the show and think about what he's doing in the context of a karate school , or any business, you'll recognize sound business principles couched in an entertaining hour.
   In the past I have gone to some schools and done similar things and have gotten postive feedback on recommended changes. The results are the proof. There are martial arts consultants out there who do what Ramsay does but just doesn't get bleeped as much.

  Check it out.

Brian Price promoted

I was in Leesport, PA over the weekend at Brian Price's studio. The seminars there went very well with three sessions conducted. I had about 20 children in the first and then two groups of adults to cover Defending the Third Person and What-If subjects with.
  While there I promoted Mr. Price to sixth black. He had recently finished his written thesis requirement and it was approved. His time-in-grade was appropriate and he has been contributing to the art for many years by instructing and continuing his education in order to be a better teacher.
  Please join me in congratulating him.

Hollywood Stars

The list of Hollywood celebrities Ed Parker knew and taught is long. Some he didn't teach but knew through others and had conversations with. Often the subject of the conversation would be part of a lesson he would teach at a seminar. An example was that Julie Andrews (The Sound of Music) could sing fast yet still be understood. He related that to pronunciation of motion. The method used by violin teacher Suzuki was a model for the disguised repetition in the Parker system.

 Mr. Parker would mention German-born actress Elke Sommers from time to time when he would speak of his connections in the celebrity world. She was married to Joe Hyams. Some of you know of him from his book called Zen in the Martial Arts. A story, a lesson from him really, about Ed Parker is in that book. But what Mr. Parker remarked on was that Elke liked to walk around the house naked, even when guests were present. It was amusing to see his eyebrows raise when he told the story and it was like he was letting you in on a secret. Looking at her picture, you can see why.

www.leewedlake.com article update

Those of you who are subscribers at the site will see the May article posted in the member's section. It's entitled The Claw/Back-Knuckle Sub-Theme in forms. Here's an excerpt.

Sub-themes abound and one is the back-knuckle/claw series. It starts way down in Long Two and continues up into Form Six. The first example shows up in Long Two, the fifth section, as part of the universal block segments. It works like Raining Claw in which you drop the claw on his face to injure and obscure vision and follow with the back-knuckle. The variations are not important. Some do it as a rolling back-knuckle and others pump it up as a thrust. What is important is that it starts this sub-theme category.



You will need to look at the tools used and in what combinations. This should also be applied to other elements in the forms and techniques to enhance your understanding of the Alphabet of Motion.


In the example from Long Two you use a claw and then a back-knuckle with the other hand. Knowing we can alter sides and timing we start looking for other examples of these two weapons in other forms.

Spec Ops Warrior Foundation fundraiser and World Wide Ride

I'm going to Ft. Myers this weekend to attend our club's annual fundraiser for SOWF. The club has also organized a World Wide Ride for you motorcyclists. One goal is to raise money for SOWF, http://www.specialops.org/, the secondary is to get it in the Guinness book of records as the most riders in one day in one event. You can ride with a group or go around the block. Go here for details. http://www.specialforcesmc.org/.
It's a worthy cause. Photos to follow.

Ed Parker story

Mr. Parker used to tell a story about his high school teacher who told him he'd never amount to anything. He said that single event motivated him to do something with his life. He later told me that on a trip back home to Honolulu he went and found that teacher-and he thanked him.

    When he'd tell that story he'd often talk about how he wanted to be the organ-grinder instead of the monkey. For you young-uns who have no idea what that's about, here's the deal. About a hundred years ago men would get a monkey and train it do tricks while they played a mechanical, gear-driven organ. They hoped people would enjoy the show and put money in their cup. Mr. Parker's analogy was that he'd be collecting the money instead of doing the dancing. And that, kids, is just what he did.

You really can break someone's face

One of my black belts, Bill Damewood, is a paramedic (actually, a few of them are) and we were discussing facial trauma. There is something called Le Fort's fracture and it has three levels. He sent this along.

More than a century ago, Rene LeFort studied facial fractures in an experimental fashion.

He noted three common patters of fractures involving the bones of the midface. The following are called LeFort fractures:

LeFort I: This injury involves a horizontal fracture of the maxilla from the remainder of the midface. The maxilla may be depressed downward toward the tongue and compromise the airway because of the fracture and associated swelling.

LeFort II: This injury is also known as a pyramidal fracture because the fracture plane extends obliquely in an inferolateral direction. This type of midface fracture may be associated with significant hemorrhage because the fracture extends through the highly vascularized sinus cavities.

LeFort III: This injury is also known as craniofacial dissociation because the bones of the midface are fractured off from the remainder of the skull.

Picture from Google images. Take a look there to see more.

JAMA articles

The first quarter issue of Journal of Asian Martial Arts had four good articles in it on a variety of subjects. One on ritualized dojo patterns vs character training was informational and offered a lot on the whys of standing at attention, meditation, two-way respect and character building. While the examples are from a traditional Okinawan system, it applies to us as well.
   Another on the value of push-hands training in tai chi was interesting to me as it was written with my tai chi lineage as the foundation. It covered many good points in a short article.
   Considering budo as a form of art was the subject of another article and it made good arguments that the martial arts do, in fact, fit the criteria for being considered art like painting or acting. One significant point that stuck with me was how the author said one of his teachers emphasized that an upright posture should match an upright character. Another was that the practitioner needs to establish their values and know just what they will defend.
   The author of another article of reflections on traditional martial arts could have been reading my mind. He elaborates on the cultural changes that have affected the arts over many years and how those changes manifest themselves in our training today. One main thought is that we need to preserve what our predecessors developed and that's exactly how I feel about Ed Parker's Kenpo. I don't want this lost on my watch and I am aligned with other instructors who want it kept a bit more traditional so that students understand what they have before they start innovating it. It's real easy to change stuff but not so easy to recognize what you may lose in the process if you don't have a substantial understanding of what you're working with.
   I found this particular issue of the magazine a good read. Grab one while you can, although they do offer online the ability to download individual articles instead of spending the $10 for the mag.

Time dilation

Time dilation is the name for the idea that time seems to slow down when in a life-threatening situation. Mr. Parker used to tell a story about the actor, Christopher George, who starred in a show called The Rat Patrol. When filming, a Jeep rolled over and was headed straight for George. He told Mr. Parker that is was like everything went into slow-motion and he had plenty of time to figure out which way to move to avoid being crushed.  Many of us have had similar experiences under stress. Mr. Parker loved to recommend a book called Super Learning which purported to teach you to tap into the subconscious mind to slow time at will, implying you could use it as a self-defense tool. When I spoke with Prof. Stephen Yelon from the Univ. of Michigan about the book he called it pop psychology.
    Popular Science recently ran an article about time dilation in their April issue. Dr. David Eagleman's research suggests that the brain keeps two kinds of time; one keeps time in the now and the other tidies up perception of now. Neuroscientist Peter Tse says that our brain is trained to notice novelty and tells us what to pay attention to. He says our brain then processes more information per second. It's not used to that and gets caught in a loop of the familiar, thinking something should normally be this and defaulting to that duration. His conclusion is that our brain stretches time during novel experiences.
  Eagleman and Tse do not agree and the article goes into why. There is a rule they call "repetition supression". The brain spends less time on the familiar, so when the novel sight or experience happens the brain spends more time on it and it seems longer. That might explain why things seem slower when the car comes your way or a gun is pointed at you.
  They make an interesting link to schizophrenia with this in which time gets out of sync and one's internal dialog seems to be coming from without.
  Get hold of it if you can. It's interesting, and the rest of the issue isn't bad either.

The Crocodile and the Crane

I was given this book as a gift by Marc Sigle on my last trip to Germany. It's a story wrapped around an American chi-kung master but not a Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon type of story. I did not know how to describe it but when I looked at the back cover, there it was in small print; Fiction/Martial Arts Fiction/Apocalyptic Thriller. I didn't know they had an Apocalyptic Thriller catagory.
I read it quickly. It had just enough detail on chi-kung and martial arts to keep me interested as well as a story that kept moving. The author, Arthur Rosenfeld, is a well-versed martial artist. His bio says he did some kenpo. He also did a Korean art and tai chi.


If you're into Chinese martial arts I think you'll like it. Cover price is $21.95 and the ISBN is 978-1-59439-087-6. 
http://www.amazon.com/Crocodile-Crane-Novel-Immortality-Apocalypse/dp/1594390878

New search page at KenpoTV

We've posted a new search page that is broken down by belts. Find it at http://www.kenpotv.net/search/

The Ft Myers seminar

Had a great time in FMY this past weekend. Genie Byrd hosted her first seminar there. The knife seminar was well-received. We had a couple of promotions, too. Ed Cabrera of Tampa bumped up Steve Torres and Normia Stephens to 2nd brown and 1st black respectively. I moved Bill Damewood and Lance Soares up to 4th after testing them on the previous day.
   The previous day I had time to hang out with Marc Rowe and we co-taught two CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) classes at one of the local hospitals on Friday. I always learn something myself when I do these, from the students and from Doc.
   My Dad turns 84 this week so we had a little birthday celebration for him on Sunday before I took off back home.
  It was good to see the guys there and I miss them.

Marc Sigle's BushidoES group in Esslingen is always great to work with. This is a shot of the last class on Sunday. We had spent time on forms Long 2 and Short 3, some extensions and freestyle techniques over the course of the weekend.

Saturday evening we spent at a restaurant on a hill overlooking Esslingen and Stuttgart. It has incredible views, especially as the sun is going down.

I sat with Marc and we tested two of his black belts for second degree, Nadja and Paul. They did a fine job. I had tested Marc during the day and the three of them were promoted on Saturday morning. Their photos are below.

In one of the funny moments that all seminars have, I was demonstrating Dance of Death on Paul and had him on the ground. Marc held up a blue card. Nobody seemed to know what that meant but Marc educated them by telling the group that "Blue is a healing color." Just an example of the Gemutlichtkeit our German friends are known for.