Texas conference registrations

There's a rumor that we're running out of rooms and it's not so.
We can take more than 65 people for the seminars if the additional people book rooms off the ranch in Bandera.
 The ranch has a limited amount of rooms. After you register and receive confirmation from us, then call the ranch to get your room reserved. Most rooms will accommodate several people but if you want to have your own, you can. The ranch charges us by the person, not by the room. If you want several people in your room, just tell them at the ranch when you call.
If you'd rather not take a room just for yourself to allow others to "pack a room", your option is to book at a Bandera hotel and just pay the seminar/dining option.

T-shirts are back

The shirts are back in black for winter.

seminar tour shirt

 Push here, carpe testes, bad things, carpe jugulum and seminar tour shirts are in the store. www.wedlakekenpotv.com/leewedlake/store

Bad Things shirt

 

 

Books on sale this month

20% off when you buy them on my website. Go to www.wedlakekenpotv.com/leewedlake/store, use the code holiday12 and hit the apply coupon button. I'll autograph them for you, too.

The Kenpo Karate Compendium

My new book will be out in the Fall of 2014. My books now will go off the market June 1st. The new books consolidates Kenpo Karate 101 thru 601 and adds new chapters. This is not just a reprint. New photos, new information.
The cover has been done and the marketing guys are working out their strategy. The publisher is Blue Snake books. More to come.

KenpoTV

I've recently added several clips of Ed Parker which have never been posted before because they are in my personal collection. He's seen teaching Short Three, Four, Finger Set, basics and techniques. You'll see him move and hear him tell his stories. I will be posting more, including him doing nunchaku.
If you're not a member, it's $1 for a trial. Go to www.wedlakekenpotv.com

December premium article

It's a few days late due to being away for two weeks in November. The title is Changes. Should be up next day or so.

The Texas Kenpo Conference in May

Below is what you'll find on our Facebook page (2014 Texas Kenpo Conference) and on the registration link. There's a countdown on the page and it gets lowered every time we get a paid registration.

Texas Kenpo Conference, a Gathering of Kenpo Seniors
                              (formerly the Kenpo Senior Conference)

                  May 2-4, 2014  Rancho Cortez in Bandera, Texas

      Your hosts are Lee Wedlake and Steven White

Welcome to Texas! In the spirit of past camps hosted by our lineage friends, this year’s event will be held on a guest ranch outside San Antonio, giving you a real Texas experience. This weekend will be the anniversary of Sibok Tom Kelly’s birthday and we dedicate this event to his memory.

We’re expanding the schedule with classes starting during the day Friday. We also reduced the number of simultaneous classes so you don’t have to struggle so much with “which one?” Topics and instructors are listed below.

Senior Instructors are 9^th degrees Lee Wedlake, Stephen LaBounty, John Sepulveda, Bob White “Faster and Stronger”

The “Lieutenants”, representing the four lineages;
Steven White, NH, 8^th degree -  
Graham Lelliott, CA, 8^th degree – zone applications of storm techniques/Long Two
Brian Duffy, TX, 8^th degree – Staff applications
Ron Sanchez, CA, 5^th degree - 
Denise Plowman, ID, 5^th degree – kickboxing/conditioning
Barbara White, CA, 4^th degree- Women’s self defense, open to all women including non-students
Felix Indest, LA, 2^nd  degree – sexual predators
Rebecca Knight, AZ – Cudgel

Registration: all-inclusive fee with early registration before Feb. 15, 2014 is $450. $495 after and up to the event, space permitting. Registration includes lodging, six meals, use of all amenities including horseback riding*, any/all seminar sessions, participation certificate, and a patch.
* See their website at www.ranchocortez.com for the full list.

Due to space considerations, participation will be limited. You can bring family members if they want to take advantage of what the ranch has to offer, and there is a separate fee per person. If you do not want to stay on the ranch you can get a rate that includes seminar fee and meals only. 

Location: Rancho Cortez www.ranchocortez.com is a working dude ranch 45 minutes from the San Antonio, Texas airport (SAT). 872 Hay Hollar Rd. Bandera, TX, 78003

Transport: The ranch has a 10 passenger van that can transport to/from SAT. $125 each way. Plan to fly in/out close in time so you can share the costs (arrange this through the ranch) or rent a car.

Capacity : The ranch has limited capacity, so register early. Lodging ranges from 14 person bunkhouse (dormitory, one for the men and another for the women, two bathrooms each) to rooms of various sizes, some of which can hold 4-5 guests.  The single rooms are already booked.
When you register we will contact you to confirm receipt and then you can call the ranch to arrange your accommodations. Rancho Cortez will do their best to put you in the appropriate room. If you’re ok with the bunkhouse, just tell Cheryl there. 830-796-9339

If you just have to have you own room there are other motels and guest ranches within 15 minutes of Rancho Cortez. The ranch can accommodate RVs. Book with the office

www.theriverfrontmotel.com/

www.riveroakinn.com/Welcome.html

www.flyingL.com (closest)

What to bring:  The ranch is a mile down a gravel road off TX 1077 and it’s real dark out there so bring a flashlight. The rooms have no TV, telephones or coffee makers. Wi-Fi is available but cell service is spotty. The food is good and rooms comfortable. They have a small store, so you can buy water and soda, etc. but you may want to bring bottled water. They have a pool and spa, so bring your swimsuit. There is a workout room onsite, too. If you plan to ride the horses, bring your jeans, hat and boots.

European seminars

I'm back from a series of seminars in Germany, England and Ireland.
  I spent almost a week in Esslingen and Willich. Esslingen is near Stuttgart and my student, Marc Sigle has a studio there. Willich is near Dusseldorf, about 4 hours north. Thomas Kozitzky teaches up there.

  At Marc's I taught over the weekend, covering the techniques in Long Three and then the form. We even had some beginners who hung in and did well with the task. Grafting was on the menu, too. Mr. Kozitzky came down from Dusseldorf, Phil Buck was in from England and Chris Junge was there from Saarbrucken. We always have dinner Saturday night at Katerinelinde, overlooking the valley with a nice view of Stuttgart. Great food and good company. Got a couple of nice kenpo t-shirts from Lenny Steinke, too.
  Marc and his wife are moving into a new home as well as having a baby boy about 6 months ago. The boy has a great grin and makes me laugh.
  Tommy and I drove up north Monday  and I taught a small class for him that evening on general rules and principles. It gave me a chance to reconnect with Udo Zehl and a few others, as well as meet Chris Mueller, who would host me on Thursday.

  Tuesday night I taught at Peter Ritter's club and went over master keys. Wednesday I was at Chris Mueller's and the subject was angles and timing. Everyone in the Dusseldorf seminars were great to work with.

  I flew up to Bristol, England to meet with longtime friend, Gary Ellis, who picked me up and took me down to his place in Plymouth. That evening I taught a class for the kids and another for his tai chi class. Friday evening we did lock flow with the kenpo group. Saturday's classes were very full, with visitors from other groups. Ed Downey's reps came down from Birmingham. The subjects includes two man techs and knife work.

  Gary and I goofed off a bit Sunday before he took me back to Bristol. The next morning I flew to Dublin to work with Ed Downey's group. Last time I went to Ireland they lost my luggage and they did it again. Mr. Downey was good enough to give me a uniform to teach in. I always keep my belt in my carry-on because this isn't the first, or last, time my bag has been delayed.
   Ed took me on a quick tour of  a local university that looks like a set from Harry Potter. It has an impressive chapel. We had lunch with his two daughters. I had not seen Aisling in years. Then off to the studio to work on Form 5.
  Tuesday morning we went thru the knife work with a flow integration using standard techniques. That afternoon, Ed put me in the care of Darren Mahoney and Gerry Shanahan. Darren work at the Irish Air Corps base and he escorted us thru the museum and the hangars. Gerry is a pilot, too. I enjoyed the time with them both.

  Gerry and his wife, Helen Meade, run Trim Kenpo Karate, where I would be teaching in the evening. The town of Trim is known for being the shooting location of the film, Braveheart. They restored the castle there for the film and "unrestored" it afterward. Gerry gave me a framed aerial photo of the castle that he took from a Cessna 150. That's a pretty cool memory of Ireland. 

  The class for the kids was packed. Dorenda McGee gave me a hand with the demos and the kids were attentive. Easy to work with. The adults were working Triggered Salute variations with the them being an extract if my seminar on concussions. The McGee family gave me some nice souvenirs of Ireland to take home.     
  I was fortunate to get an upgrade to first class across from Dublin to JFK. Even with the gloomy forecast for bad weather in the US, none of my flights were delayed.
  My thanks go out to everyone who hosted and those who made the events a success. Your participation is appreciated. I renewed many friendships, made some new friends, got to catch up with the guys in England and had lots of laughs with our Irish friends.
  It's notable that it was not just my lineage people who made this happen. This was possible with the support of John Sepulveda and his AKTS, Ed Downey and his EKKA and the CKF and Larry Kongaika groups along with our own PKS people.
  I go back to Stuttgart in February and there are tentative plans for England in October.

2014 Kenpo Senior Conference

We had to skip 2013 due to scheduling conflicts with other groups. I was told people were mad at me but it is what it is. Steve White and I want to promote peace and cooperation in the kenpo community and throwing another event in a crowded schedule would not help.
The date as of now is May 2-4, 2014 here in Texas. The Omni hotel we used for the first event is not available so I'm looking for another. The same kenpo seniors have agreed on the date, those being myself, Bob White, John Sepulveda and Steve LaBounty. That weekend is also the birthdate of the late Sibok Tom Kelly, so we'll dedicate the event to his memory.
  We plan to expand the schedule to have some sessions during the day on Friday. We'll limit your choice to one of two sessions versus the three in 2012. That being the only complaint we heard, not being able to decide between interesting subjects.
  This is a "lineage" event. That means we select our assistant instructors from the lineages represented by the four seniors. We term them "lieutenants" and wish to showcase those on the way up be becoming the next generation of senior instructors. Of course, some of us have a right-hand man who is senior in their own right, but we still call them lieutenants.
  We're lining up female instructors, too. Barbara White from CA and Denise Plowman of ID are already on board. Steve White, 8th degree is committed. Graham Lelliott and Ron Sanchez are on the list.
  As I write this I am getting ready to head down to the San Antonio area to look at venues that will include the possibility of doing it at a ranch. These facilities have a variety of rooms, dining halls, fitness facility, pools, Jacuzzi, hiking trails, horseback riding, campfires and more. That makes them a good thing if you want to bring the family. More later on this.
  Steve White and I are looking forward to hosting you again in 2014.
  Remember, we call it the Kenpo Senior Conference because it's a chance for seniors to get together, not because it's for old people.

A Big Deal in Miami

I'll be part of an event, directed by Munis Abunawar, in Miami on Sunday, 10 November. There's the Pan-American tournament on Saturday, which I'll be at too. Sunday includes myself, Bob White, Gilbert Velez and Manny Reyes. http://www.panamericaninternationals.com/ and
http://worldkenpofederation.com/seminars

Texas seminars

The weekend of Oct. 11-13 I'll be on staff with Dennis Conatser and Brian Duffy at Mr. Duffy's AKF camp in Austin.
The last Saturday of the month, Oct 26, I'll be doing a seminar on two-man defenses at Round Rock Karate Academy here. www.rrkarate.com
The Dallas area seminar will be May 17 in Coppell at Oscar Steele's.  

California seminars

I'll be out Fresno was the first weekend of October with Graham Lelliott. www.glkenpo.com

Atlanta this weekend

I'll be up at Keith Mathew's studio in Cumming, GA this Saturday. www.kmkarate.com

New book is coming

I'm on a deadline to submit the manuscript to the publisher in October. This is the compilation of my books, Kenpo Karate 101 through 601. That means parts of 101 will be included for historical background on the system and Mr. Parker. The chapters on the forms have been re-done with the few errors corrected. All the thesis form material has been consolidated. New chapters on Forms 7 and 8 are added. A new chapter on sets is in there, too. You'll get the history of them as well as their reason for being. All the general rules of motion are consolidated, new photos, too.
I've spent many hours recently re-writing some things for clarity based on input I've gotten over the years. I've updated some of the historical info in the opening chapter since it's been over a decade since 101 was originally published. John Sepulveda wrote a preface for it, too and contributed to the chapters on 7 and 8. Many of the photos were done in Germany and England as well as the US, so you'll see it was an international effort.
The book is looking to be out late in 2014 through Blue Snake books. Working title is The Kenpo Karate Compendium. This will be THE book on the forms.  

New KenpoTV postings

I've got several new seminar clips of Mr. Parker ready to go up to KenpoTV. He covers variations on Lone Kimono, Parting Wings and tells the story about himself and Elvis with Tom Jones.
If you're unfamiliar with the site go to www.wedlakekenpotv.com. A week long trial is only $1.

November European visit

Howdy y'all,
   I've got a bit of a long trip in mid-late November this year to see friends in Germany, England and Ireland.
  The weekend of 15-17 November I'll be at Marc Sigle's studio in Esslingen, Germany, outside Stuttgart. It's a weekend thing with classes Fri eve and on Saturday and Sunday. John Filipidis from Greece has indicated he may be there, too.
  That Monday I'm off to Willich, near Dusseldorf with Thomas Kozitzky. I'll do some evening classes Mon-Tues-Weds.
  On Thursday, 21 Nov I'm off to Gary Ellis' club in Plymouth, England. Then it's over to see Ed Downey in Dublin on Monday and Tuesday.
  Subjects are set for the Plymouth and Willich seminars. That info and contacts are on my seminar page at www.wedlakekenpotv.com/leewedlake/seminars-2
  Since I'm coming back to the US the day before Thanksgiving I'll be in Ft. Myers, FL for the holiday.

October 2013 premium subscriber article

If you're a subscriber to my monthly articles (not to be confused with the free newsletter), the October article is on use of the thumbs. I was a bit surprised it was a long as it is but there's a lot to using them and keeping them from getting hurt.
Subscription is $29/year and you can register by going to www.wedlakekenpotv.com

The October 2013 newsletter

The next newsletter is about ready to go. You can get on the e-mail list, and it's free, by going to my site at www.wedlakekenpotv.com/leewedlake and subscribe.
Every month I list updates to my video site, recommended reading, seminar schedules, video links of interest and other items. I've been told it's pretty handy.

I've been delinquent

Google had me locked out of this blog for some time and today I managed to crack the code.

Premium Subscriber article for August

My monthly article will be up later this week. It's on inattentional blindness. I came across the term in a book by Alex Stone entitled Fooling Houdini. He writes about magic and what makes it work, which is our minds and this "blindness" is key. Since we use distraction and keeping an opponent busy with their injury, this is a good to know item.
My monthly articles and an archive of over 100 others is available on my site at www.wedlakekenpotv.com/leewedlake. A yearly Premium subscription is only $29 and you can access articles on technicalities of kenpo, history and more.

August newsletter

Most of you know I publish a free newsletter every month. It's e-mailed and you can get on the list by going to my site to sign up. www.wedlakekenpotv.com/leewedlake
You'll find short articles on happenings, seminar schedules, brain science ( we hit the head a lot, so this is stuff you may want to know), recommended reading, site updates, links, etc.
According to my webmaster, depending on how your computer is set, it may be hard to read but a quick change gets it right.

August seminars

I'll be traveling a lot this coming month.
August 3-4 I'll be at Marc Shay's American Karate in Broomall, near Philadelphia. Saturday seminars are open to all. One session for kids and two for adults. The adult sessions will cover Two Man Set and Grafting. Sunday is a Comprehensive Review seminar, Part One.

August 9-10 it's Coastal Kenpo Karate in Goose Creek, near Charleston, SC. Nick Dreiling hosts. Open seminar Friday evening along with classes for kids taught by Bruce Meyer. Adults sessions Saturday on zone theory, grafting and category completion.

August 17 I'm in Ohio at Steve Hatfield's Panther Kenpo Karate near Columbus, in Mount Vernon. Kids and adults sessions. Adults will cover line and flow drills along with technique extensions.

The AKTS camp in New York is the last stop for the month. This is John Sepulveda's camp and it's director is Tim Murphy in Rockland, NY. This will be a biggie and it's my first time teaching in New York state. Dates are 8/23-25.

Contact info for all the above is on my site at www.wedlakekenpotv.com/leewedlake/seminars-2

July newsletter is coming

You can get it in your e-mail inbox monthly, for free. Go to www.wedlakekenpotv.com/leewedlake and register there.
It includes seminar listings, recommended reading, updates, and other interesting related information of use to martial artists.

Things to know about bullets

I recently learned a few things about what bullets do when they ricochet or pass through glass. Being that we work with pistol defense I think it's a good thing to learn about the weapon itself.
I was in a class in which the instructor, a former British soldier who served in their SAS, who said that ricochets often travel along the surface the ricochet off, they don't go off at an angle like we think. He mentioned that in the context of hiding behind something like a mailbox and that you could still be hit in the leg with a ricochet. Interesting.
  In another area, I had seen a video about shooting through automotive glass. Of course, breaking through the glass will alter the path of the bullet if reference to where it was aimed. The reason why, however, according to handgun instructor Buddy Morrison, is that auto glass has a plastic laminate in it that causes deflection, unlike a lot of window pane glass.
  I thought these points were interesting, I hope you do too.

The Power of Touch

The Dana Foundation Brain in the News reprinted an article by Rick Chillot entitled The Power of Touch that was published in the March issue of Psychology Today.

  I thought this was a fascinating article because that's our thing - touch. The writer says we're hardwired for interpreting touch even better than speech! I plan a podcast around this, too. Take a look at this link.  

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201302/the-power-touch

Plymouth, England next week

I was with Lance Soares a week or so ago and he lives in Plymouth, Massachusetts and next week I'll be with Gary Ellis in Plymouth, England. Funny how these things work out.
Mr. Ellis is holding a Friendship Camp there on the weekend of Friday 28 June and Saturday 29 June. Subjects include working on flow with empty hands and against weapons. I'll do sessions for the kids on Thursday along with a tai chi class. Here's his website contact page.
http://www.garyelliskenpokarate.co.uk/#/contact-page/4535069268

It Only Took a Year

But I fixed the broken links on the right side here.

New Shirt Available

Here's my new version of the seminar tour shirt. Available in my online store at http://wedlakekenpotv.com/leewedlake/store/new-lee-wedlake-seminar-tour-shirt/

June Premium Article

Don't Stand on Tradition is now posted. It's the June article for subscribers. It and almost 100 more are on my site at www.wedlakekenpotv.com/leewedlake
A subscription for yearly access is only $29 and you can register on the page above.
Thanks for the support.

Upcoming Seminars

I'll be in New Bedford, MA this weekend with Lance Soares. Subjects for this weekend include gun defense and sleeper holds/concussions.
Plymouth, England with Gary Ellis is set for the last weekend of June. Coincidental that Lance lives in Plymouth, MA. Flow drills, two man techs and weapon work there.
Ft. Myers, FL will host Part 2 of the comprehensive review seminar we started back in April. Forms 4/5/6 are on the schedule as well as finishing off the techniques.
A multiple attacker seminar is tentative for Round Rock, TX in July.
August sees Broomall, PA, Charleston, SC, Mount Vernon, OH and Stony Point, NY on the schedule.
More dates and places can be found on my site at www.wedlakekenpotv.com/leewedlake/seminars-2

Missed My Anniversary Date

June 2, 1975 I made first black. Mike Sanders in Sterling, IL signed off on me after flunking it the first time around. Three years later I moved to second after being on probation for a year. Mike didn't like my sparring skills and I had to fight, fight, fight. I was more of a kicker due to my initial training. The first kenpo school I went to gave no formal instruction in sparring, so we went to tournaments to see what we could pick up. With a predominance of Korean and Okinawan styles, we didn't fight much like kenpo people. Mike told me I had to get the hands better, so I did. When I pulled off a triple win (fighting/forms/weapons) at a tournament in 1978 or early 79, he signed my certificate.
It seems funny that 46 years after starting in the martial arts, I'm still at it and closing in on 40 years as a black belt. And I'm still working at it.

Wonder Valley Camp May 24-26

Wonder Valley 2013

I flew into the Los Angeles area a few days before the camp. I had the opportunity to visit Mr. Parker's gravesite, something I do before I go to the Fresno event. It's hard to believe it's been over 22 years since his passing. Standing on that spot brings back memories of that day when over 2,000 of us were there for his burial. But on to something lighter.

SGM Parker's gravesite

Graham and Jaydean Lelliott host the bi-annual Wonder Valley Kenpo Camp (and execute it nicely with the help of students and friends) on a former dude ranch that is just perfect for it. The venue is about 30 minutes east of Fresno, in the mountains. The Lelliotts go the extra mile and it shows.
I dropped my car at the airport and Graham was there to pick us and get us to the ranch.
    The instructors included Steve White from New Hampshire, Marty Zaninovich from Fresno, Ingmar Johansson from Sweden,  Ian Harris and Paul McMurray from Jersey, Channel Islands and Ed Parker. Subjects included joint locking, knife work, gun techs, and concept work in progressions and applications. I did two early morning tai chi sessions on the patio by the pond. All the instructors worked with the kids, too. There were a lot of families there and everyone had things to do. Dustin Kwock ran the ropes courses, archery range and the early Saturday Boot Camp. There was even paintball competition.
  Attendees came from Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, the U. K., Venezuela, and across the US. I saw people I hadn't seen since the last event and met some new friends (Aloha, Dave and Pam!).
The Saturday night luau was big fun. Harry Troupe from Maui played his guitar. He's a professional and it shows.

A bit of fun on Saturday night.



With Australia's Peter Tas.

We had two promotions there. Graham Lelliott's two students, Ian Harris and Paul McMurray were both moved up to 7th degree black. It was unexpected and they were both emotional about it. Mr. McMurray said he felt the belt around his waist but the weight was on his shoulders. True words. Lots of photos of the promotion on facebook.

Graham and Jaydean gave all the instructors a Western belt as a thank you. I thought that was a great idea and I'll think of them and the camp every time I wear it.
If you think you'd like to attend the 2015 camp, please contact them thru their website, www.glkenpo.com or on Facebook to let them know. Your interest may make the difference in whether they throw it again. It's a huge job and they basically take over the ranch for us. It's well worth the trip for the learning experience and the friendship.

Pennsylvania Seminars

Last weekend I went to Leesport, PA to Brian Price's studio in Leesport to teach seminars for the kids and adults. The kids class was on staying focused in training and we even had parents on the mat with us. The adult subjects were concussions/sleeper holds for the first and the second was on "category completion". The turnouts were very good and many schools were represented.
   We were honored to have Hanshi Ron Martin, 8th dan, Goju-Ryu present. He was the captain of the first US Karate Team and was known as one of the top karate fighters.

Self, Brian Price, Hanshi Martin

 

 Mr. Price had recently earned his instructor certificate in Systema and we did a little hands-on during the weekend, which was fun. He and his wife, Sue (who bakes a mean cake), took me to dinner Friday and we had an enjoyable evening. Saturday's dinner after the seminar was attended by about 15 people, including Mark Schiffman, Jim Deery, Marc Shay, Mike Corsello, Stephanie Hammond and Hanshi Martin. It was entertaining, to say the least.

  Photos to follow.
  I'll be in the Philadelphia area the weekend of July 27-28 at Marc Shay's and hope to see our PA people again.

May Premium Article

Here's an excerpt from my article entitled "There Are No Rules". It should be available to premium subscribers shortly.

We do things other many systems do not. For example, we use the neutral bow while most use a front stance. We check and others don’t. We cover out at the end of a technique and most practitioners of other arts have never even seen such a thing. It’s due to our principles or “rules” of motion.

I believe the statement that we have no rules is largely a semantic argument. Try using a front stance in a kenpo class on a regular basis and see if the instructor tells you it’s ok and ignores the use of a neutral bow. They’ll tell you you want to have your feet turned on the 45 and give you reasons. They’re going by the rules. I created lists of the General Rules of Kenpo in the back of several of my books in the Kenpo Karate numbered series, those being the 101, 301, 501 and 601 volumes.

A yearly subscription of $29 allows access to monthly articles and over 100 archived items. Subscribe at www.wedlakekenpotv.com/leewedlake

Chicago seminars, May 3-4, recap

As always, I had a blast with the people back home in Chicago. I surprised the guys by showing up to run their Thursday night class in Burbank. Kurt and Barb Barnhart put me up in their home for the time I was there.
Friday night I taught a class on Russian Systema basics that was well-attended, as were all the sessions. One of my first students, Rich Kozik, came by to see us. Rich started with me when he was 14. I was a brown belt teaching at the park district.  He's now 54 and has been fighting cancer for the past two years. That makes it 40 years that I've known him.
As I've mentioned in some of my recent posts, I've had several long-time students attending seminars and this was no exception. Kurt Barnhart was one of my first students when I opened my first studio in Palos Hills, IL in 1976. I taught his wife, Barb, as well as her daughter, Lisa "The Terminator". Black Belts Manny Rivera and Ed Bilski have been at it since the early 1980s and Don Rushing was not far behind. So, we're into the 30 year students!
Some of the people in class there are second generation, meaning their parents trained with me years ago. There's a few who started with me and earned their ranks under Mr. Barnhart, such as Rick Vecchi and Pete Tomaino. They all knew Mr. Parker, too.
Saturday's classes were on techniques with some extensions, making relationships to their construction with the focus on buckles and forearms. Gina got the "Dogjaw"!
On Saturday night we went out to see my cousin Mike Schumacher and his band, Full Circle, play at Hackney's in Palos Park (where my uncle had been the police chief many years ago). Mike's a kenpo black belt, too. They'd rounded up some of my cousins I hadn't seen in years to be there, too. Turns out one of my cousins teaches guitar and she had a student who had trained with me in 1983. HE showed up, too. Good to see Tom Jarema after all these years. Mike's daughter sang a song with them and she's got some pipes! The crowd went nuts. My cousin Laura sang as well and she did a great job. Vocals run in that side of the family, motion (dance and karate) runs in our side.
Kurt and I missed the chance to get up to Milwaukee to see the Harley-Davidson museum due to a late train and missing our connection. That was disappointing for us both but we'll make it up in September when I go back.

April's Germany Visit

Marc Sigle flew me over to Esslingen, near Stuttgart. I went a day early and he and I went screaming down the Autobahn to Friedrichshafen, on Lake Constance.

Lake Constance

 

Marc's parents have a condo down there so we had lunch, went to the Zeppelin museum, http://www.zeppelin-museum.de/dasmuseum0.0.html then out to the airport there for a huge aviation expo they happened to be having. On the way to the condo we stopped at the church at Birnau, famous for its Baroque architecture. http://en.seeferien.com/Cultural-activities/Birnau-The-pilgrimage-church-and-baroque-jewel-of-Lake-Constance

 

We went back to Esslingen on Friday to start the weekend off with a children's class and one for the adults on the gun defenses. By then, Thomas Kozitzky and Claudia Neumann had arrived from Willich as well as Phil Buck from England.
Saturday and Sunday were full days with more gun defense, forms work, and an emphasis on working with the Web of Knowledge. Saturday night we went to our usual dinner spot at Katerinalinde, which overlooks Stuttgart with a beautiful view.

 

Working the gun techniques in Europe is always a bit different because they don't have the widespread ownership and have less experience with handling guns than many Americans. I spent extra time on the handling and the psychology of a gun fighter or criminal. I have gotten good feedback on this approach.

Phil Buck bet me I couldn't work a line from a Monty Python movie, of his choosing, into my seminar; "He's not the Messiah, but he a very naughty boy." He lost. Below, he has a light snack at Barista in Esslingen.

 

 

 

There was a all-over positive atmosphere the entire weekend. Maybe it was Kirsten's cookies. But everyone had a great time. Marc is a wonderful host and I can't thank him enough. We both thank everyone who supported the event.

 

 

Look Out Deutschland!

I'm on my way to German this week to see our people over there. Marc Sigle hosts at his studio in Esslingen, near Stuttgart. Phil Buck will be down from England. Thomas Kozitzky and Claudia Neumann will be there from the Dusseldorf area and we may have reps from Athens, Greece.
Always fun with this group. Be there if you can.

A New Systema Instructor

Congratulations go out to Brian Price in Pennsylvania on earning his instructor certificate from Vladimir Vasiliev at the headquarters school in Toronto. Brian is one of my 6th degrees and has been working with my old friend, Al McLuckie and also going up to Toronto to train. Al is a Filipino Martial Arts guro but got into the Russian system years ago, just before I did. Brian has been exposed to some high-level practitioners and worked very hard to do this. He makes us proud.

Covington, Louisiana seminars

I was teaching at Danny Sullivan's studio on Saturday and worked with his children's class and a group of adults. The kids did falls and ground defense and the adults worked joint lock techniques and grafting.
The kids did a great job. The adults were introduced to grafting some of the locking techniques, based off our handshake defenses. We had guests from a local Tae Kwon Do studio and they picked it right up.
I found that I had two more 20 year students there in Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Peter Galvano, both of who had started with me in Ft. Myers, FL in 1992-93. Pete now has a studio in Gulf Shores, Alabama, near Mobile.
I had the opportunity to work with them and Mr. Felix Indest afterward, as they're all working toward their next rank. It's good to see they're motivated and improving and make time in their schedules to work together, even with the distances involved.
On Friday night we were hosted at the Southern Yacht Club by brown belt Paul Kavanaugh for dinner. Group of a dozen of us enjoyed a meal with a great view and interesting conversation. My thanks to Paul, along with a Happy Birthday!
Thanks to everyone who supported and to Mr. Sullivan for making it happen.
 

New Orleans area this weekend

I'll be at Danny Sullivan's Covington Karate Studio this Saturday, April 20 for one kids and two adults seminars. Kids will be working on falls and rolls. The adults are doing joint locks and grafting.
www.karatecovington.com

South Carolina PDS

Nick Dreiling hosted one of my Professional Development Seminars at his new location in Goose Creek, near Charleston, on Saturday, April 13. He was a bit under the weather but toughed it out.
A PDS is a small-group, intensive seminar very focused on a subject or subjects and this one was a continuation of detailing the original Ed Parker purple belt techniques.
Fourteen participants from all over SC and Genie Byrd drove up from Florida. Nick had lunch catered in. We ran about six hours and covered a lot of material.
Friday night we ran some seminars, too, with Bruce Meyer working with juniors and I taught a class on the freestyle techniques. It's always interesting to watch Mr. Meyer with a class and this time was no exception. He started to teach the advanced juniors a thesis form he's been working on. When I say started, I mean he gave them the first part. As I listened and watched I saw how well he had thought out what he had created, and that's what we want to see as instructors- what's come out of what we put in.
Thanks to Nick's wife Terri and his mom, Linda, for handling lunch. I think their baby girl, Lily, had a hand in there, too.  Nick's dad picked me up at the airport when Nick was feeling ill, so it was a pleasure to get a chance to know him, too.
I'll be back in SC in August, watch the website for details.

And I saw Bill Murray at the airport!

Ft. Myers Comprehensive Review Seminar Recap

They came, they saw, they had enough after 6 1/2 hours. Genie Byrd hosted at Imperial Dragon Kenpo in Ft. Myers, FL. About a dozen black belts participated in the review, coming from the local studio, Ed Cabrera's in Tampa, Tim Walker's AKKU in Branford and American Karate in Tallahassee. Jim Deery flew in from Philly. Four of them had just passed their 20 year anniversary on kenpo under me.
Jim Deery had a car accident and totaled his vehicle, went to the hospital and made it to the studio anyway! That's dedication. Frank Triolo, who is fighting and beating cancer sat in, too. Big pats on the back to these two.
We started with the original yellow, went into the orange and the extensions, continued up to purple with extensions, too, and on to blue. The forms from one thru Long Three were done also. We discussed variations, themes, relationships, where the techniques came from and I told some anecdotes. The feedback has been very positive.
This session was designed for those working toward 3rd and above, hence the amount of detail and the length of time it took. Other sessions are planned in other states as well as a follow up to this one so we can finish. Watch for dates on my website seminar page at www.wedlakekenpotv.com/leewedlake/seminars-2 and on my Facebook pages.
  I managed to see my tai chi teacher, Tom Baeli, very briefly and my Systema buddy, Pater Annazone. I spent some time working with Dr. Marc Rowe, who took over my tai chi classes at the hospital when I left Ft. Myers. It's always interesting hanging with him. One of my tai chi students from Celebration, Deborah Porter, came down and had dinner with us as a group after the Saturday class. She told me I'd inspired her and she's now in her second year as a student of Chinese medicine and will be an acupuncturist.
  I didn't get to see everyone I wanted to but got some time with my sisters and my dad, who will be 86 this month and is doing well. Since it seems I got most of his genes, it looks like I'll be around a while to pass on the knowledge.
  Thanks to all who supported the event. It was good to see y'all.
  

Damewood, Walker, Caldwell, Byrd, Cabrera, Shaffer, Jenkins, self, Weil, Deery and Miragliotta. Brad Congress and Frank Triolo missing.

Well, duh- the April article is out...

and I forgot to post the excerpt. Here it is, it's on scanning.

 

As we cross out that same angle won’t help us much with our scan, so we have to move the head. But how we move the head is important. I’ve seen some snap their head around; once on the single cover and twice on the double. Looks strong but it’s not good for your neck. It’s really not good if your neck is tense, as it probably would be in a fight. Resources say there can be soft tissue damage in the neck, as there can be in a car accident.

Snapping your head also starts the fluids in your ear’s vestibular system moving and produces a sense of dizziness or unsteadiness in some people. The fluid in your ears moves against the hairs (cilia) in them and that movement produces a signal that goes to the brain, where it’s processed to tell you which way you’re moving. The vestibular system has three tubes in it, basically one for each major axis; vertical, lateral and diagonal. Move your head fast and the fluid moves fast, slowly and it moves slowly. When you snap it and stop, the fluid is still moving and the brain has to sort out the signals. It’s processing that plus what the eyes see and other pressures such as weight on the feet (proprioception) or someone pressing on you. There’s a lot going on. Type vestibular system in Google images, for example, to see what it looks like.

A yearly subscription to the monthly articles and the archives is $29. You can do it as an add-on to your kenpotv subscription or as an add-on at www.wedlakekenpotv.com/leewedlake

Old Guys Rule

I wish two good friends a Happy Birthday this month. Kurt Barnhart of Chicago and Bruce Meyer of Columbia, SC. We're all about the same age, and still kicking. I'll see them both in the next few weeks. I guess I'll have to find some "Old Guys Rule" t-shirts for them. I have one -took it off an old guy.   

Talking with Chuck Sullivan

It was great to reconnect with Mr. Chuck Sullivan at the Bob White Invitational. I don't think I'd seen him since 1988 at the Ed Parker Tribute in LA. What a pleasure to talk with him.
   We spoke of people we knew and some kenpo history. He had an observation that so many of us had parallel history; working with the same man in the same system but not meeting. Which was one reason why Bob White's event was so cool. It gave many of us a chance to connect or reconnect.
  I had quite a bit of undisturbed time talking with him. With all the people around it would seem like a "hi/bye" thing but nobody tried to horn in on our conversation. There were a few polite hands on a shoulder to let us know they were present but no distractions. I am grateful for that.
  Mr. Sullivan is credited with creating the set we know as Staff Set. He freely acknowledges that he learned a longer staff set from Mr. Parker and re-worked it. I had seen a video of that long set many years ago and can't remember where. Mr. Sullivan told me he took out some of the repetitious moves and got up the nerve to ask Mr. Parker if he could show it to him. According to his account, Mr. Parker said  that's the version they'd use from then on. And the Staff Set was born.
  While I had him I asked him about something I'd heard that Danny Inosanto had created the Stance Set as was shown in the Secrets of Chinese Karate book Mr. Parker wrote. I had doubted that info but wanted to hear from someone who was there then. Mr. Sullivan told me "Danny was too young" to have done that back then.
  It was an enjoyable few minutes to spend with a man who has done so much for our system. He looks great and has tremendous energy, too. My thanks to him for spending time with me and to Bob White for making the meeting possible.

Bob White Invitational

The weekend of March 22-24 weekend I was fortunate to be invited by Bob and Barbara White to attend their event in Costa Mesa, CA. This was the 8th annual Bob White Invitational. They and their staff pulled off a wonderful event to raise money for the Royal Family Kids Camp organization. The RFKC sends abused children to camps across the globe and the White's efforts help many of those kids. I'm told they raised $100,000 this weekend!
   Friday night they held a dinner at a local country club at which they showed a video of one of the kids who had been abused, rescued, cared for and adopted and how RFKC was instrumental. This child's story is a beacon. The founders of the RFKC were there, too and spoke a bit about how the kenpo community has stepped up to help the program so much - and has been spearheaded by the Whites.
   I had ridden over with Bob White, Steve LaBounty, Barney Coleman and John Sepulveda.   I didn't get 10 feet inside the door and saw so many people I hadn't seen in years that it took me another hour to make my way inside. Here's the short list; Chuck Sullivan, Vic LeRoux, Steve Cooper, Ed Downey, Angelo Collado, Rich Hale, Barney Coleman, Gilbert Velez, Doreen DiRienzo (Cogliandro), Mike Pick, Rainer Schulte, Paul Dye, Martin Wheeler, Bobby Lawrence, Ed Parker Jr. and more.

The seniors. I'm over Bob White's left shoulder.

  I was honored to sit at the table with Bob and Barbara, Steve LaBounty, John Sepulveda, Doreen DiRienzo, Barney Coleman and Benny "The Jet" Urquidez.
  At Saturday's tournament I saw my old friend and teacher, Frank Trejo. I finally met Bill Hayes from Old School Kenpo. Dave Hebler was there and Paul Dye interrupted his demo team to have them salute him, which was only right since he had been his first instructor. Outside with Steve LaBounty I was introduced to "Johnny", who turned out to be John Natividad, one of the premier fighters in the 60s and 70s. Graham and Jaydean Lelliott had come down from the Fresno area and we had a chance to hang out, too. Brian Duffy was there from Texas, so we had each other's backs.
  I met several people I'd heard of before like Ted Sumner and Sergio Correa.
  The tournament was an all-kids event and went like clockwork. They had a drawing for a Harley Sportster motorcycle won by a lady who had never ridden a motorcycle before (they pulled her ticket out of my cowboy hat). Between that, the silent auction at the tournament and the auction the night before at the dinner, Bob told me the would raise close to six figures for the kids and they did.
  They're planning #9 next March.
     

Another one to be proud of (updated)

My long-time student, Steve White, of Manchester, NH is on his way to Spain to do a business seminar for the Martial Arts Industry Association (MAIA) branch in Europe. He was invited by Marc Sigle of Esslingen, Germany, who is heavily involved in it. Steve's program director at his school, Lee MacDonald, is with him.
Steve's Manchester Karate Studio is a very successful and respected school in New Hamsphire. It's been there over 25 years.
In addition, Graham Lelliott is down in Australia on a teaching tour in four cities. Based on the Facebook reports he's doing his usual bang-up job.
I am happy to see the accomplishments of my students and wish them continued success.
UPDATE: Marc Sigle mailed me and said Steve is wowing them there.

Congratulations

Steve Hatfield

Back about 30 years ago I met Al McLuckie at a seminar I did at Fred Degerberg's in Chicago. It was the first seminar I ever did (and I sure wish it had been better). Al was doing Serrada Eskrima, having come from California and working under Mike Inay, an Angel Cabales student. Over the years Al trained in other arts and is a phenomenal martialist. I hosted a tournament in Chicago that I had Mr. Parker at and Al did a demo of his Filipino Martial Arts. When I asked Mr. Parker what he thought, he said "He's above average". That's pretty good from someone who had seen so much from all over the world, including crossing hands with Bruce Lee. Al has continued to progress and created his own system called Warrior Arts.

   Not long after I met Al I met Steve Hatfield from Ohio. I've always encouraged people to get with Al to improve their weapons work and Steve was one of them. Al lives in Ft. Wayne, IN and Steve being in the Columbus area, they were able to connect. Steve has been one of my students since the mid-80s and is also very well versed in chi-kung (qi-gong). Like many of my students, he's cross-trained and he passes that down to his students. Recently, Steve earned his instructorship from Al in Warrior Arts after 25 years of training. Well done, Steve!
 

More in the line of sheepdogs

An open letter by the president of Cold Steel knives.
http://www.coldsteel.com/Open-Letter-To-A-Sheep.aspx

March Article Excerpt

This is from the March article for Premium Subscribers to my site. It's based on the book, Extreme Fear, by Jeff Wise.

There are many points he makes which I believe are important for us as martial practitioners and teachers. Knowing that blood pressure rises under stress to better deliver nutrients and oxygen to the body is one. We know our mouth goes dry, but why? Some “unnecessary” systems are temporarily turned off under stress, such as the digestive system, thus the mouth goes dry.

As has been stated in other books, the object is to let the fear/stress rise to a level where it improves performance (and it does) and not beyond where performance deteriorates or the fear overwhelms you. It’s called the Yerkes-Dodson Law- “Increased stress leads to increased performance up to a certain level of intensity, beyond which performance gradually levels off and then declines.” This is why we stress students in the classroom, to get them somewhat used to how the body and mind react on the street. There’s a difference in the chemicals released into the bloodstream by physical stress versus mental stress. Having a student exercise (run in place, do push-ups) to induce stress works to a point but it’s just not the same.  

Premium subscriptions are $29/year and allow access to new monthly articles as well as the 100+ archived items. www.wedlakekenpotv.com/leewedlake to subscribe.

Texas Seminars This Weekend

I'll be at Oscar Steele's Kenpo in Coppell on Denton Tap Rd, near Dallas, this Saturday. Three seminars, one for kids, two for adults. The adult sessions will be on flow drills and two man techniques. I've been there before and it's a nice group.   www.oscarsteeleskenpokarate.com/

British Knife Laws

This is what our British friends have to deal with. Sent to me by Ed Bilski in Chicago.

https://www.gov.uk/find-out-if-i-can-buy-or-carry-a-knife

New Study on Brain Injuries

A Dec. 3, 2012 article by PBS names a study that shows repetitive head injuries are linked to degenerative brain disease. It's called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CET). Thye show that atheletes such as footbal players who get hit in the head frequently appear to be susceptible.
Kenpo people like to hit each other and head shots are fair game, with control. Boxers, kickboxers, MMA people who take frequent hits should be aware of this. 4,000 former NFL players are suing the NFL about this.
Wear your headgear and watch your control.
Scientific paper at http://goo.gl/ZUrHc

Here you go...

When you call someone an idiot, imbecile or moron, this is what it means. And this was used in a proposal to eradicate them in our country.

Standing for Chris Kyle, Navy SEAL

South of cemetary, looking east

I received a notice from the Patriot Guard Riders that the family of Chief Petty Officer Chris Kyle had requested the presence of the PGR at his burial in Austin on 12 Feb. I jumped on my bike and rode to the meet point. Along the way, I-35 was starting to attract people along the road to see the procession coming down from Dallas. As I left Round Rock, the fire department had two trucks parked on the overpass at Hesters Crossing, ladders raised and flag between. Down the road most of the overpasses had emergency vehicles with their lights flashing and many citizens holding national flags. Kyle was a Texan and the people were showing their support.

Looking west. More bikes were on the east side, too.

 The ceremony started with full military honors, drums and bagpipes, gun salute, and as Taps was played two fighter jets flew over low.

East side.

PGR said 318 bikes showed.

West side.

 It took a half-hour for all the SEALs present to hammer their SEAL trident pins into the casket lid, a tradition they have. A man next to me counted them and said there were 120 of them. I was far away but I could see the lid covered with them.

Looking down at the area where the ceremony was.

The ceremony ended with the SEALs on one knee as Amazing Grace was played.
I've been to many of these but not like this one.

Georgia Seminars

I was at Keith Mathews Karate in Canton, near Atlanta, this past weekend. Keith has been with me for years through Robert Ray-Wallace, (who is now back in Spartanburg, SC).
The turnout was good, we had people from Georgia, Florida, Alabama and South Carolina there. I met some new people who are teaching in Georgia that I hadn't known about such as Robert Ray, Damon Excell and Joel Ellis. Shane Thomas came down from SC, he's in the Sepulveda lineage and teaches there.
After lunch at Sal's on the square in Cumming (love the food there), Friday night we kicked off the weekend with a class for youth and covered some escaping principles based off grab and hug attacks.
   The Saturday seminars were on Defending the Third Person, a concept I like to teach and am working to expand. The idea is based on what if you have to step in to protect another person who can't or won't defend themselves. I address the decision chain, the eight angles and third person perspectives, physical tactics that come right off the technique lists and use of the "soft" weapons, such as voice.
   The second seminar was on the four standard gun defenses. I illustrate how they can be used for two-handed grip approaches as well as the "thug" grip. I finished off the day with a small black belt class where they asked about a variety of techniques. I know these kinds of small sessions were valuable to me as I was coming up and I'm glad to do them.
  My thanks go out to Mr. Mathews, his wife Kim, and the helpers who made this happen. Kim and the ladies set up a lunch for everyone, which makes it really convenient and lets us talk a bit between sessions. Talking with Miss Meredith, the psychologist, was interesting along with some airplane stories from one of the guys. Meeting up with Damon Excell was cool, as he had trained in California and attended some of the Friday night classes at Pasadena. We must have crossed paths there years ago. Shane Thomas from AKTS always supports and is a fine representative of the Sepulveda lineage. I got some time with my guy, Tim Walker, out of FL and got caught up with him.
  My luck held as I went to the Atlanta airport and there were NO lines for check in or security. Imagine that. An upgrade to first class on Delta capped off a nice weekend.
  Thanks for the Southern hospitality!
    

More on Hits to the Head

The Dana Foundation newsletter had this article linked in it about concussions. As we learn more about them it concerns me that they always mention football, lacrosse, boxing and other sports but don't seem to have gotten around to karate. This article is long but worth a read, especially when he gets to addressing how important it is to protect our children. He's got some scary figures in there about mass and acceleration as related to children's growth proportions.
http://dana.org/news/cerebrum/detail.aspx?id=40424
You can subscribe for free there at the www.dana.org.

Another Caution for Instructors

One of my black belts told me he'd been sick and was having muscle and joint problems. After a few doctor's appointments they figured out it was a parvovirus infection and that you get it from children.
Being that he's working with kids at his studio, you can see how the possibility is fairly good that you'd catch something. Kids are germ factories and we always kept some of that antbacterial gel on the mat for use at any time, particularly after class. One of the guys called it "kid shield".
   Take a look at this link to the Mayo Clinic about it. I had never heard of it before and thought some of you who teach children might want to know. Click thru to the symptoms and so on, too.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/parvovirus-infection/DS00437

February Article Posted

Premium Subscribers to my website will see the February article posted entitled 10 Inches From Disaster. Here's an excerpt.

"In my seminars I’ve said that the faster you get past the “this isn’t happening” phase and get to doing something that will likely get you through the situation is advisable. I say this because it’s what I’ve done to get myself and crew out of some rather bad situations such as fire in the cockpit or instrument failure in the clouds where you can’t see out the windows. You can’t “freak out”. In aviation you’re the pilot-in-command and it falls to you to pull it together and do the right thing, and use your crew or passengers if possible. You can see where this applies to a possible street situation like a mugging with a gun pointed in your face. Being cool and letting training kick in is what tips the scales in your favor.  So, Mr. Lee, can you really do what you teach?

There’s another saying I like that goes “We are all acolyte warriors until we are tested in combat.” I’ve been in situations that required Captain Cool to be present and one came up again recently. It was very instructive, and I’d like to pass what I learned along to you."

See www.wedlakekenpotv.com/leewedlake to subscribe. It's $29/yr. for a new article every month and access to over 100 archived items. More excerpts elsewhere in this blog.

New t-shirts available

I have produced a limited run of shirts with the cover art from my book, Kenpo Karate 601. They are available in sizes small thru 2XL and in either stonewash blue or a light color tan. They're $20 and you can order at www.wedlakekenpotv.com/leewedlake/store

Upcoming seminars

I'll be in Canton, GA, near Atlanta, on Feb 8-9 at Keith Mathews' studio for adult, children and a black belt seminars. Contact Keith at kmkenpo@yahoo.com.
In March I'll be in the Dallas area at Oscar Steele's studio in Coppell. That's March 2nd, a Saturday.
Two weeks later I'll be in Plymouth, England at Gary Ellis' club. March 15-16 (Fri/Sat)
I'll follow that with a trip to Bob White's in Costa Mesa, CA for his big event on Sat. March 23.
Contact info for the March events is on my webpage at www.wedlakekenpotv.com/leewedlake and click the seminars link.