Ed Parker used to say people would come to him for promotions based on time. Often it was when they heard a promotion board was being held and they'd show up. Many times it was the first time he'd seen them in years. There were times he would finish the test and decide someone on the board need to be bumped up as well as the candidates. Therefore, some people would show up hoping to be noticed and get promoted. He looked at this as being "in it" versus being "at it". He described it as how some of them were not practicing or teaching, they were just "in it". The one's he saw working out, teaching, going to seminars, and so on were "at it." Yes, there were times he promoted the "in it" people, and that sort of thing persists today.
In fact, I was recently told of one of my former students taking a promotion to another degree of black. There supposedly is a picture on their website of them being kicked with a caption stating "Five years in the making!". The implication here is that it took five years of work to achieve that degree. As the former instructor I can say that person took NO kenpo classes with me in that five years, two or three private lessons, and a smattering of tai chi classes. Six months after we parted, the promotion took place with an out-of-state instructor. That's an example of "in it", not "at it".
Our culture has been sliding into a feel-good, rewards for existing state. We are an instant gratification culture. It is affecting our martial arts and examples like this are increasingly frequent. It used to be that when someone said they took many years to achieve a certain level, people were impacted by the work and dedication. Now it's more like "What took you so long?" That's a shame.
We all have to make decisions about our art and this is one of them. Are you going to be "in it" or "at it"?
**************************************
Lee Wedlake has been teaching Kenpo Karate for over 35 years and has written a variety of Kenpo Books about different kenpo katas and kenpo concepts. Mr. Wedlake has worked directly with Ed Parker and is generous with his knowledge and his time. He is available for Kenpo Seminars and camps.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Promotion
Over the weekend I was in Chicago. At the seminar I taught there I promoted one of my long-time students, Ed Bilski, to fifth degree black. Ed is one dedicated practitioner, one of those people who has been "at it" for years, not just "in it".He's been with me for about 25 years.
Mr. Bilski is an example of a good human being. I don't say that because of his martial arts ability. I say it because of how he's raised his children, how he treats his wife, Kathy, and how he interacts with people. He works hard, and he spends most of his free time helping others. Ed teaches a few people, and works on his daughter's hot rod Camaro. He's smart enough to know when he needs time for himself and he takes it to hunt, play music, and attend a seminar. He's a good student and friend.
I was fortunate enough to be asked to take his daughter, Tiffany, for her first ride in a small airplane. Today Tiffany has earned her commercial pilot license and is working toward being a flight instructor. The airlines may be in her future. Ed is proud, and so am I.
Congratulations, Ed!
**************************************
Lee Wedlake has been teaching Kenpo Karate for over 35 years and has written a variety of Kenpo Books about different kenpo katas and kenpo concepts. Mr. Wedlake has worked directly with Ed Parker and is generous with his knowledge and his time. He is available for Kenpo Seminars and camps.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
The Doctor is in
More from Dr. Rowe. This research says that mental training can make our brains more efficient. And what we do as martial artists is the type of training that falls into that type of training. Emphasis added.
Mental training affects distribution of limited brain resources.
Slagter HA, Lutz A, Greischar LL, Francis AD, Nieuwenhuis S, Davis JM,
Davidson RJ
PLoS Biol. 2007 Jun ; 5(6): e138
The information processing capacity of the human mind is limited, as is
evidenced by the so-called "attentional-blink" deficit: When two targets (T1
and T2) embedded in a rapid stream of events are presented in close temporal
proximity, the second target is often not seen. This deficit is believed to
result from competition between the two targets for limited attentional
resources. Here we show, using performance in an attention-blink task and
scalp-recorded brain potentials, that meditation, or mental training,
affects the distribution of limited brain resources. Three months of
intensive mental training resulted in a smaller attention blink and reduced
brain-resource allocation to the first target, as reflected by a smaller
T1-elicited P3b, a brain-potential index of resource allocation.
Furthermore, those individuals that showed the largest decrease in
brain-resource allocation to T1 generally showed the greatest reduction in
attentional-blink size. These observations provide novel support for the
view that the ability to accurately identify T2 depends upon the efficient
deployment of resources to T1. The results also demonstrate that mental
training can result in increased control over the distribution of limited
brain resources. Our study supports the idea that plasticity in brain and
mental function exists throughout life and illustrates the usefulness of
systematic mental training in the study of the human mind.
**************************************
Lee Wedlake has been teaching Kenpo Karate for over 35 years and has written a variety of Kenpo Books about different kenpo katas and kenpo concepts. Mr. Wedlake has worked directly with Ed Parker and is generous with his knowledge and his time. He is available for Kenpo Seminars and camps.
Mental training affects distribution of limited brain resources.
Slagter HA, Lutz A, Greischar LL, Francis AD, Nieuwenhuis S, Davis JM,
Davidson RJ
PLoS Biol. 2007 Jun ; 5(6): e138
The information processing capacity of the human mind is limited, as is
evidenced by the so-called "attentional-blink" deficit: When two targets (T1
and T2) embedded in a rapid stream of events are presented in close temporal
proximity, the second target is often not seen. This deficit is believed to
result from competition between the two targets for limited attentional
resources. Here we show, using performance in an attention-blink task and
scalp-recorded brain potentials, that meditation, or mental training,
affects the distribution of limited brain resources. Three months of
intensive mental training resulted in a smaller attention blink and reduced
brain-resource allocation to the first target, as reflected by a smaller
T1-elicited P3b, a brain-potential index of resource allocation.
Furthermore, those individuals that showed the largest decrease in
brain-resource allocation to T1 generally showed the greatest reduction in
attentional-blink size. These observations provide novel support for the
view that the ability to accurately identify T2 depends upon the efficient
deployment of resources to T1. The results also demonstrate that mental
training can result in increased control over the distribution of limited
brain resources. Our study supports the idea that plasticity in brain and
mental function exists throughout life and illustrates the usefulness of
systematic mental training in the study of the human mind.
**************************************
Lee Wedlake has been teaching Kenpo Karate for over 35 years and has written a variety of Kenpo Books about different kenpo katas and kenpo concepts. Mr. Wedlake has worked directly with Ed Parker and is generous with his knowledge and his time. He is available for Kenpo Seminars and camps.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Fresno PDS
The seminar at Graham Lelliott's school in Fresno, CA was a success. It's always a pleasure to visit and work Graham and his group. Graham is a real people person and has been a friend for years. That said, his people are like him as well and you can't not have a good time with them.
Most of the group was from Fresno but we had some people who drove for many hours to attend. Tim and Deb Maynard came down from Concord, CA and Amy Long was there from Sacramento.
Afterward on that Saturday we had a birthday party for Graham. A party at Graham's is more like a county fair than a party. It was good to have a chance to hang out and talk with Doug, Juan, Tim, Deb, Amy, Pete, David, Coleman, Patty, Kim, and more. On Sunday, the "old man" and I took a ride out to King's Canyon to see the sequoias. Graham has access to a Porsche 911SC, so you can imagine what fun we had with that in the mountains. He pointed out a coyote on the way back, which was the first I'd ever seen, being a city boy.
The plan is for me to go back in early December to follow up last weekend's weapons seminar with Form Six, building on what we did. Watch for a date.
**************************************
Lee Wedlake has been teaching Kenpo Karate for over 35 years and has written a variety of Kenpo Books about different kenpo katas and kenpo concepts. Mr. Wedlake has worked directly with Ed Parker and is generous with his knowledge and his time. He is available for Kenpo Seminars and camps.
Gulf Coast Kenpo Karate
Mike Squatrito is one of my home-grown Florida black belts. Many of you have seen Mike in my book, Kenpo Karate 301. He and his wife, Renee, now own and operate Gulf Coast Kenpo Karate in Cape Coral, FL. It's right across the river from Ft. Myers.
Last month, they raised around $2000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association with an event at their school. One result of that was that they were invited to be on local television as part of the MDA Labor Day telethon. Mike and a few of his students were on the tube on that Sunday.
This makes me happy and proud for a few reasons. One is that I try to instill in my students a sense of giving back to the community. These sort of events, women's self-defense courses, etc. are a way to do that. The other reason is that MDA is a big deal to me, and I've worked with them since the 70's. Why? Because one of my childhood friends was stricken with MD. While he lived much longer than most at the time, he didn't make it through his teens. Danny Tozydlo was one of the brightest and disciplined people I've known. He did remote schooling, a feat back in the late 60's and early 70's, as it wasn't as easy to get connected back them. He was top of his class. Dan knew he was going to lose the battle but fought it all the way. MD attacks the muscles and he forced himself to stand as much as possible. I believe that lengthened his life. I often wonder what sort of contributions a guy like him would have made, gifted with the smarts he had, as he aged. I like to think they would have been significant.
So thank you to everyone at Gulf Coast Kenpo for your efforts, and to everyone who has participated at the Ft. Myers studio in the past as well as those who help out MDA whenever possible.
Last month, they raised around $2000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association with an event at their school. One result of that was that they were invited to be on local television as part of the MDA Labor Day telethon. Mike and a few of his students were on the tube on that Sunday.
This makes me happy and proud for a few reasons. One is that I try to instill in my students a sense of giving back to the community. These sort of events, women's self-defense courses, etc. are a way to do that. The other reason is that MDA is a big deal to me, and I've worked with them since the 70's. Why? Because one of my childhood friends was stricken with MD. While he lived much longer than most at the time, he didn't make it through his teens. Danny Tozydlo was one of the brightest and disciplined people I've known. He did remote schooling, a feat back in the late 60's and early 70's, as it wasn't as easy to get connected back them. He was top of his class. Dan knew he was going to lose the battle but fought it all the way. MD attacks the muscles and he forced himself to stand as much as possible. I believe that lengthened his life. I often wonder what sort of contributions a guy like him would have made, gifted with the smarts he had, as he aged. I like to think they would have been significant.
So thank you to everyone at Gulf Coast Kenpo for your efforts, and to everyone who has participated at the Ft. Myers studio in the past as well as those who help out MDA whenever possible.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Get it while you can...
Last blog I mentioned I was transferring VHS to DVD of my Ed Parker tapes. (By the way, some of you have contacted me with your thoughts about what I should do with the tapes and so for it's been "keep them to yourself".)
One of the videos was of the last seminar Mr. Parker did in the Chicago area in November, 1990. It was one month before he passed away. He promoted me to sixth degree at that seminar. The event was not that big, not as big as some of the 100+ attendees we'd had at some there. Many of my regulars were there, and Steve Hatfield was in from Ohio. When I asked some of the guys why they weren't going to attend they said "I'll catch him next time". Well, there wasn't a next time. I'd learned that lesson back in the late 70's when my teacher, Mike Sanders, was suddenly taken from us in a motorcycle accident. And that's why I've told people over the years to "Get it while you can". You just never know what might happen.
Just today I was sent a website that calculates your real age based on several questions. It told me that while my biological age is 53 my real age is 46. I would be younger but I engage in high-risk activities such as motorcycle riding and flying airplanes. Even so, the life expectancy is usually 77 and mine is 83. I've made it through 19,544 days so far. But some old lady with bad eyes who likes to mix martinis with her prescriptions and go drive on US 41 could put a stop to that. Who knows?
When I was teaching at a seminar once 12 years ago or so I was approached by a young guy who said "I have to learn as much as I can from you guys because you aren't going to be around much longer". And I was about 40 at the time.
The point is made that if you have a chance to take a seminar, class , private lesson with one of the seniors who worked with Ed Parker, do it! Go see Frank Trejo, Tom Kelly, Joe Palanzo, Mike Pick, Bob White, John Sepulveda, Skip Hancock, Huk Planas, Larry Tatum, Paul Mills and others. We're not getting any younger.
**************************************
Lee Wedlake has been teaching Kenpo Karate for over 35 years and has written a variety of Kenpo Books about different kenpo katas and kenpo concepts. Mr. Wedlake has worked directly with Ed Parker and is generous with his knowledge and his time. He is available for Kenpo Seminars and camps.
One of the videos was of the last seminar Mr. Parker did in the Chicago area in November, 1990. It was one month before he passed away. He promoted me to sixth degree at that seminar. The event was not that big, not as big as some of the 100+ attendees we'd had at some there. Many of my regulars were there, and Steve Hatfield was in from Ohio. When I asked some of the guys why they weren't going to attend they said "I'll catch him next time". Well, there wasn't a next time. I'd learned that lesson back in the late 70's when my teacher, Mike Sanders, was suddenly taken from us in a motorcycle accident. And that's why I've told people over the years to "Get it while you can". You just never know what might happen.
Just today I was sent a website that calculates your real age based on several questions. It told me that while my biological age is 53 my real age is 46. I would be younger but I engage in high-risk activities such as motorcycle riding and flying airplanes. Even so, the life expectancy is usually 77 and mine is 83. I've made it through 19,544 days so far. But some old lady with bad eyes who likes to mix martinis with her prescriptions and go drive on US 41 could put a stop to that. Who knows?
When I was teaching at a seminar once 12 years ago or so I was approached by a young guy who said "I have to learn as much as I can from you guys because you aren't going to be around much longer". And I was about 40 at the time.
The point is made that if you have a chance to take a seminar, class , private lesson with one of the seniors who worked with Ed Parker, do it! Go see Frank Trejo, Tom Kelly, Joe Palanzo, Mike Pick, Bob White, John Sepulveda, Skip Hancock, Huk Planas, Larry Tatum, Paul Mills and others. We're not getting any younger.
**************************************
Lee Wedlake has been teaching Kenpo Karate for over 35 years and has written a variety of Kenpo Books about different kenpo katas and kenpo concepts. Mr. Wedlake has worked directly with Ed Parker and is generous with his knowledge and his time. He is available for Kenpo Seminars and camps.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Ed Parker seminar
I was transferring some of my old videotapes of Ed Parker seminars in Chicago to DVD. The one I did yesterday was from April of 1982. There were two seminars on one tape. The first was what he called an Advanced Karate Theories seminar. In that particular seminar (the title was a blanket term he always used) he discusses the Mother/Father/Sister/Brother/Cousin concept, and inserts to techniques. What I found interesting as well was that he did Five Swords, and he did it WITHOUT the double block so many people like to say he did. For more on the subject, see my You Tube video on Five Swords.
What was fun, too, was to see the faces there. My long-time student and friend Kurt Barnhart was in the front line. Frank Trejo and John Conway Jr were there, too.
The second seminar on the tape is a nunchaku seminar. That's some unusual stuff. Ed Parker was pretty good with a pair of nunchakus and he did some things that caused Frank and I to do a double-take.
Now before you guys start asking if you can get a copy, let me explain a few things.
These were done with a cheap black and white video camera because the technology was fairly new and I couldn't afford a color camera at 1982 prices. I was allowed to tape them with one condition. Mr. Parker told me I could not copy them for anybody, and he had good reasons. Any time I did make a copy was when that person asked him and he specifically gave me permission. So today I have a few boxes full of Ed Parker videos and I can't copy them if I want to keep my word. But the knowledge is useless if it isn't shared. I've been wrestling with this for years.
I'll make a decision. Sometime.
**************************************
Lee Wedlake has been teaching Kenpo Karate for over 35 years and has written a variety of Kenpo Books about different kenpo katas and kenpo concepts. Mr. Wedlake has worked directly with Ed Parker and is generous with his knowledge and his time. He is available for Kenpo Seminars and camps.
What was fun, too, was to see the faces there. My long-time student and friend Kurt Barnhart was in the front line. Frank Trejo and John Conway Jr were there, too.
The second seminar on the tape is a nunchaku seminar. That's some unusual stuff. Ed Parker was pretty good with a pair of nunchakus and he did some things that caused Frank and I to do a double-take.
Now before you guys start asking if you can get a copy, let me explain a few things.
These were done with a cheap black and white video camera because the technology was fairly new and I couldn't afford a color camera at 1982 prices. I was allowed to tape them with one condition. Mr. Parker told me I could not copy them for anybody, and he had good reasons. Any time I did make a copy was when that person asked him and he specifically gave me permission. So today I have a few boxes full of Ed Parker videos and I can't copy them if I want to keep my word. But the knowledge is useless if it isn't shared. I've been wrestling with this for years.
I'll make a decision. Sometime.
**************************************
Lee Wedlake has been teaching Kenpo Karate for over 35 years and has written a variety of Kenpo Books about different kenpo katas and kenpo concepts. Mr. Wedlake has worked directly with Ed Parker and is generous with his knowledge and his time. He is available for Kenpo Seminars and camps.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)