Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Bonsai!
Apparently this man, Pedro Morales, is a world-class bonsai artist. He started off with a powerpoint presentation of what was going on "out there". He said he thought it was important that the group see what others around the world were doing with the bonsai. There started a discussion of the stylistic differences of traditional bonsai vs the new generation bonsai. Is this starting to sound familiar? I thought so.
He touched on competition. There are shows that these people bring their trees to and are judged. He spoke of how he familiarized himself with the style of the judges and worked his creations appropriately, to appeal to their particular tastes. This should be familiar to those of you who have competed in tournaments. I used to do the same thing when I was competing. I wrote about it in my books but here's the gist. I'd harden them up for the karate judges and flow them for the kung-fu people (of which there were not many in the 70's in the Midwest).
Someone asked him why he selected a particular person to go study with. He talked about his teachers and how far he had to travel to work with them. One point he made was about how his teacher told him he needed to do a particular thing and he disagreed, telling him it just wouldn't work, "no way". He decided to comply, even with his misgivings, and was very surprised to find the instructions were correct and it worked beautifully. He was gracious enough to go back and admit he was wrong and passes that information down to others he teaches. How often does this occur in our training; we are told to do something, we have our doubts and after all, it works? Happens all the time.
The demonstration he gave was interesting. I really had no idea of how they train the trees and the complexity of the art. I'm always fascinated by the genesis of these things. Who thought of this and why? Then they worked out how to make it pass. The difference in style, like in our arts, was apparent. The Japanese traditionalist makes the tree tell a story with a minimum of information to the viewer. Chinese, Southeast Asian and European bonsai have a different look. There are styles within the styles - cascade, windswept and others. Some get classified as "landscape" instead of bonsai due to small changes. Technicalities you might say. But we do the same in the martial arts.
He worked a tree and explained what he was doing and why. He got people to picture where that three would be in a year or two or five. It really was interesting. I found that when they say something is true when it is true everywhere, it's true. People are people and the concepts they used in their art are like ours. People talk about tradition vs innovation, interpretation, vision, stylistic variations, appeal to the eye and more. In this, their art is like our art. I'm glad I had the opportunity to see this and listen in.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
US Army changes unarmed combat training
Our military is moving away from the grappling it was focused on as in the Marine Combatives program. The Army says it's going standup.
"3. Combatives are more relevant...and tougher! New instruction has been added which teaches Soldiers to fight from their feet, not wrestle and grip on the ground. Soldiers now attend 22 hours of instruction, which is double the previous requirement at BCT. Additional techniques - wearing full kit - have been added that is more relevant to what Soldiers might be asked to do in a combat situation."
11 hours of instruction was what they got prior. Would YOU go into combat with 11 hours of karate training? That's a yellow belt course if you go twice a week for 45 to 60 minutes a class over 10-12 weeks. This assumes a student will practice over that time span also, so it's contact hours. The new 22 hours is better. And I realize there's quality vs quantity but 22 is still better than 11. I've had yellow belts go in the military and they told me their kenpo training was a real asset. One was a Marine Staff Sergeant who my curriculum as a core for training his guys and brought them all home. He successfully used it at least once in a stand-up grapple situation. He didn't think much of the Marine system - and he was an instructor! There recently was a story about three troops who encountered an insurgent. It got physical and one started rolling with the opponent. The other two stood by to watch since their guy "was winning". The bad guy decided enough was enough, pulled a grenade and blew them both up. My guy told me that when his guys got tied up like that they dropped a "flash-bang" between themselves and the opponent. They knew it was coming and the bad guy would let go long enough for them to escape and take further action. Same tactic, not fatal.
I like the ground stuff. I just don't believe it should be the core of a warrior's training. I use warrior in the military sense. The military has changed the nomenclature over the years from soldier/sailor/marine to warfighter/warrior when using generic terms. I also understand the need for short-term intense basic training for warfighters and police. Most don't practice and need something easy to learn, use and retain. Plus, it's part of a force progression; words, hands, mace, club, gun, for example. And they have gear hanging off themselves that's useful but also an impediment. It's harder to throw and uppercut when you have a gun on your hip and more difficult to roll around wearing a backpack and helmet.
"5. Physical Training is standardized, with scientifically proven techniques that improve conditioning and help prevent injuries. Those returning from combat say "drop the long runs, the repetitive sets of pushups and sit-ups, and volleyball games; instead focus on training the right muscles and energy systems needed in the fight! Prepare your body for walking patrol with SAPI and equipment or hauling your injured buddy out of harm's way!" FM 22-20 has been replaced with TC 3.22-20, and that applies to Soldiers in Basic Combat Training and the entire Army (and, you can get this Training Circular as an app starting in August)! "
6. No more bayonet assault course against rubber tires...but lots more pugil and combatives against a thinking opponent. The bayonet assault course has been a staple of bayonet training since WWI. But that's when bayonets were prevalent on the battlefield! The last time the US had a bayonet assault was in 1951, and the rifle we now use in combat isn't meant for bayonet charges. Now, Soldiers will see more pugil drills in pits and on obstacle courses. This, combined with additional hours in combatives, will "warriorize" our Soldiers. Good for them - times have changed.
"8. We're treating the Soldier as a "Tactical Athlete". The Surgeon General of the Army will begin supplementing initial training units with physical therapists and athletic trainers to prevent injuries and ensure better conditioning. Additionally, we're instituting the "Soldier Fueling" initiative, to teach and enable Soldiers to develop a nutritional lifestyle to counter our societal challenges." Bravo- they caught up with the rest of the world on exercise physiology.
I am pro-military and that does not mean I am pro-war. I hold a field grade rank with the USAF Aux and believe in the best training for our people (civilians, too!) to insure their safety. We have many of our young people enlisting and some are entering our schools prior to going to basic. Don't let them be sloppy, you'll do them a favor. That goes for all your students, anyway.
Tim Walker sent the link in that I took the excerpts from. Read about all the changes there.
http://www.military.com/news/article/army-news/the-top-ten-basic-training-changes.html?ESRC=army-a.nl
"3. Combatives are more relevant...and tougher! New instruction has been added which teaches Soldiers to fight from their feet, not wrestle and grip on the ground. Soldiers now attend 22 hours of instruction, which is double the previous requirement at BCT. Additional techniques - wearing full kit - have been added that is more relevant to what Soldiers might be asked to do in a combat situation."
11 hours of instruction was what they got prior. Would YOU go into combat with 11 hours of karate training? That's a yellow belt course if you go twice a week for 45 to 60 minutes a class over 10-12 weeks. This assumes a student will practice over that time span also, so it's contact hours. The new 22 hours is better. And I realize there's quality vs quantity but 22 is still better than 11. I've had yellow belts go in the military and they told me their kenpo training was a real asset. One was a Marine Staff Sergeant who my curriculum as a core for training his guys and brought them all home. He successfully used it at least once in a stand-up grapple situation. He didn't think much of the Marine system - and he was an instructor! There recently was a story about three troops who encountered an insurgent. It got physical and one started rolling with the opponent. The other two stood by to watch since their guy "was winning". The bad guy decided enough was enough, pulled a grenade and blew them both up. My guy told me that when his guys got tied up like that they dropped a "flash-bang" between themselves and the opponent. They knew it was coming and the bad guy would let go long enough for them to escape and take further action. Same tactic, not fatal.
I like the ground stuff. I just don't believe it should be the core of a warrior's training. I use warrior in the military sense. The military has changed the nomenclature over the years from soldier/sailor/marine to warfighter/warrior when using generic terms. I also understand the need for short-term intense basic training for warfighters and police. Most don't practice and need something easy to learn, use and retain. Plus, it's part of a force progression; words, hands, mace, club, gun, for example. And they have gear hanging off themselves that's useful but also an impediment. It's harder to throw and uppercut when you have a gun on your hip and more difficult to roll around wearing a backpack and helmet.
"5. Physical Training is standardized, with scientifically proven techniques that improve conditioning and help prevent injuries. Those returning from combat say "drop the long runs, the repetitive sets of pushups and sit-ups, and volleyball games; instead focus on training the right muscles and energy systems needed in the fight! Prepare your body for walking patrol with SAPI and equipment or hauling your injured buddy out of harm's way!" FM 22-20 has been replaced with TC 3.22-20, and that applies to Soldiers in Basic Combat Training and the entire Army (and, you can get this Training Circular as an app starting in August)! "
6. No more bayonet assault course against rubber tires...but lots more pugil and combatives against a thinking opponent. The bayonet assault course has been a staple of bayonet training since WWI. But that's when bayonets were prevalent on the battlefield! The last time the US had a bayonet assault was in 1951, and the rifle we now use in combat isn't meant for bayonet charges. Now, Soldiers will see more pugil drills in pits and on obstacle courses. This, combined with additional hours in combatives, will "warriorize" our Soldiers. Good for them - times have changed.
"8. We're treating the Soldier as a "Tactical Athlete". The Surgeon General of the Army will begin supplementing initial training units with physical therapists and athletic trainers to prevent injuries and ensure better conditioning. Additionally, we're instituting the "Soldier Fueling" initiative, to teach and enable Soldiers to develop a nutritional lifestyle to counter our societal challenges." Bravo- they caught up with the rest of the world on exercise physiology.
I am pro-military and that does not mean I am pro-war. I hold a field grade rank with the USAF Aux and believe in the best training for our people (civilians, too!) to insure their safety. We have many of our young people enlisting and some are entering our schools prior to going to basic. Don't let them be sloppy, you'll do them a favor. That goes for all your students, anyway.
Tim Walker sent the link in that I took the excerpts from. Read about all the changes there.
http://www.military.com/news/article/army-news/the-top-ten-basic-training-changes.html?ESRC=army-a.nl
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Technical analysis by video
Distanced from your teacher but still want to progress? Do you have questions about how you’re doing and want or need guidance from a senior instructor? This is for you! Sometimes you’re better than you think and having an outside opinion will verify you’re on the right track. This is NOT a belt program; you won’t get a rank through e-mail.
You can get personalized instruction from Lee Wedlake via video.
Here’s how it works.
Shoot a 4-6 minute video of yourself doing what it is you want critiqued. It does not need to be at lightning speed although fast execution will often reveal how mechanics go awry with too much speed. These clips can be solo, with a partner or both. These will not be posted, they are private and they won’t be returned.
Once received, I will review the video and develop a written report for you. It will include your strong and weak points with recommendations for ways to improve performance where needed. Get your camera out or borrow one. Use a camera that is designed for web videos for best results. Make sure you’re in screen and consider shooting from two angles so you can show what it is you want critiqued. You can ask questions and point out what you need looked at.
The report will be sent to you so you can use it as a tool for improvement. Then repeat the process as you move along.
How do I get it to you?
Send the video by snail mail on a DVD, CD or by the web. Some files are too large to e-mail so think about using www.yousendit.com or something similar that can help you send large files. By mail send it to Lee Wedlake’s Karate, 12451 Metro Pwky #104, Ft. Myers, FL 33907. You can either include a check or money order or send payment by PayPal to lee@leewedlake.com. Web delivery, use the PayPal option.
What does it cost?
This analysis and report costs $50, about the cost of a seminar or a private lesson. Less than group class tuition at the studio and unique to you.
Longer videos will not be accepted. You will be surprised at how much you can put in a short clip. Ready? Let’s get you going!
You can get personalized instruction from Lee Wedlake via video.
Here’s how it works.
Shoot a 4-6 minute video of yourself doing what it is you want critiqued. It does not need to be at lightning speed although fast execution will often reveal how mechanics go awry with too much speed. These clips can be solo, with a partner or both. These will not be posted, they are private and they won’t be returned.
Once received, I will review the video and develop a written report for you. It will include your strong and weak points with recommendations for ways to improve performance where needed. Get your camera out or borrow one. Use a camera that is designed for web videos for best results. Make sure you’re in screen and consider shooting from two angles so you can show what it is you want critiqued. You can ask questions and point out what you need looked at.
The report will be sent to you so you can use it as a tool for improvement. Then repeat the process as you move along.
How do I get it to you?
Send the video by snail mail on a DVD, CD or by the web. Some files are too large to e-mail so think about using www.yousendit.com or something similar that can help you send large files. By mail send it to Lee Wedlake’s Karate, 12451 Metro Pwky #104, Ft. Myers, FL 33907. You can either include a check or money order or send payment by PayPal to lee@leewedlake.com. Web delivery, use the PayPal option.
What does it cost?
This analysis and report costs $50, about the cost of a seminar or a private lesson. Less than group class tuition at the studio and unique to you.
Longer videos will not be accepted. You will be surprised at how much you can put in a short clip. Ready? Let’s get you going!
Online learning site update
We've made further progress toward getting the site up and running. A bug in the program we're using was mucking up the registration process and our testers were frustrated at the access problems but we worked that out. We've got some home page issues that we're working on. Some issues with settings were resolved and I have been going through the videos to make sure everything I uploaded is there and that necessitated filling in some missing material. It's amazing how these mistakes creep in. In addition to the general categories you'll be able to use, playlists are being developed to make navigation easier. You'll be able to find a playlist with, for example, all the clips on Long Two. You could also use the search box to do that or to select a technique and find everything related to it.
The general categories are 1) drills/sets/freestyle 2) Kenpo 101 3) Kenpo 201 4) Kenpo 301 4) Kenpo 401 and 5) Instructing for Instructors. There's over 600 videos up there now with more on the way. Some of the playlists will be structured to match the Web of Knowledge and others will have the techniques in their original 32 order.
We'll have an all access special charter membership for the first 100-200 members that will save you some money, so watch my site and this blog for the opening.
The general categories are 1) drills/sets/freestyle 2) Kenpo 101 3) Kenpo 201 4) Kenpo 301 4) Kenpo 401 and 5) Instructing for Instructors. There's over 600 videos up there now with more on the way. Some of the playlists will be structured to match the Web of Knowledge and others will have the techniques in their original 32 order.
We'll have an all access special charter membership for the first 100-200 members that will save you some money, so watch my site and this blog for the opening.
More on CPR
Lance Soares in MA is one of my black belts who is a Paramedic and former miltary medic. He sent this comment in.
The American Heart Association has been toying with this concept for awhile now. Many of us believe this is the future of CPR for all levels of provider. The Good Samaritan Law however are different from state to state and should be researched by those who learn CPR for their own sake (Here's some info to get started.)
http://firstaid.about.com/od/medicallegal/f/07_good_sam_law.htm
Below are comments from Dr. Rowe, who is also a certified CPR instructor. He's been urging me to get mine but I'm lagging a bit. Several good points here.
Several mechanisms can result in cardiac arrest. If the patient is walking along and suddenly drops (dead)-SUDDEN CARDIAC ARREST, the cause is almost always the heart-. The heart has either stopped or is quivering, fibrillating. The red cells are charged up with oxygen because the victim had been breathing right up to the arrest, but the heart is not pumping so the oxygenated blood cannot be delivered, cannot get to the cells. Chest compression squeezes the heart and pumps the already oxygenated blood around so the oxygen can be dumped off to the cells of the brain and heart. Compression works in very effectively when the cause is the heart and the arrest is sudden.
However a second major cause of cardiac arrest is lack of oxygen-hypoxic arrest due to problems with respirations and breathing. Oxygen does not get into the blood and the cells therefore are starved of oxygen. The heart and brain cells are injured and die and the cardiac center in the brain and the heart muscles shut down and the heart stops. This usually takes minutes so the patient does not just suddenly drop. The airway may be blocked, the lungs damaged or ventilation interfered with.-drowning, choking and severe asthma attack are examples. Now you have blue blood-no oxygen in the red cells and dissolved in the blood. Now if you just do compressions you are pumping around unoxygenated blood and the patient will not survive. Here you need classic CPR-breaths and compressions , breaths to charge the blood with oxygen and compression to pump it around.
Since children usually arrest from breathing problems rather than heart problems classic CPR is indicated. Also if you come upon an arrested victim and there are no witnesses or information about the event, you do not know the cause of arrest and you should probably add breathing to resuscitation. Finally the most important action in resuscitation of a drowning victim is what is done immediately at the scene. Studies have shown immediate resuscitation at the scene rather than paramedic ,ER or ICU treatment determines survival . Immediate breathing for the victim at the scene is the single most important thing to do followed by compressions after the blood is oxygenated. Successful resuscitation is often associated with breathing for the victim when they are still in the water. Drowning is a classic example of hypoxic arrest. Bottom line-compression alone is good but one size does not always fit all.
Thanks to both of these professionals for their contributions.
The American Heart Association has been toying with this concept for awhile now. Many of us believe this is the future of CPR for all levels of provider. The Good Samaritan Law however are different from state to state and should be researched by those who learn CPR for their own sake (Here's some info to get started.)
http://firstaid.about.com/od/medicallegal/f/07_good_sam_law.htm
Below are comments from Dr. Rowe, who is also a certified CPR instructor. He's been urging me to get mine but I'm lagging a bit. Several good points here.
Several mechanisms can result in cardiac arrest. If the patient is walking along and suddenly drops (dead)-SUDDEN CARDIAC ARREST, the cause is almost always the heart-. The heart has either stopped or is quivering, fibrillating. The red cells are charged up with oxygen because the victim had been breathing right up to the arrest, but the heart is not pumping so the oxygenated blood cannot be delivered, cannot get to the cells. Chest compression squeezes the heart and pumps the already oxygenated blood around so the oxygen can be dumped off to the cells of the brain and heart. Compression works in very effectively when the cause is the heart and the arrest is sudden.
However a second major cause of cardiac arrest is lack of oxygen-hypoxic arrest due to problems with respirations and breathing. Oxygen does not get into the blood and the cells therefore are starved of oxygen. The heart and brain cells are injured and die and the cardiac center in the brain and the heart muscles shut down and the heart stops. This usually takes minutes so the patient does not just suddenly drop. The airway may be blocked, the lungs damaged or ventilation interfered with.-drowning, choking and severe asthma attack are examples. Now you have blue blood-no oxygen in the red cells and dissolved in the blood. Now if you just do compressions you are pumping around unoxygenated blood and the patient will not survive. Here you need classic CPR-breaths and compressions , breaths to charge the blood with oxygen and compression to pump it around.
Since children usually arrest from breathing problems rather than heart problems classic CPR is indicated. Also if you come upon an arrested victim and there are no witnesses or information about the event, you do not know the cause of arrest and you should probably add breathing to resuscitation. Finally the most important action in resuscitation of a drowning victim is what is done immediately at the scene. Studies have shown immediate resuscitation at the scene rather than paramedic ,ER or ICU treatment determines survival . Immediate breathing for the victim at the scene is the single most important thing to do followed by compressions after the blood is oxygenated. Successful resuscitation is often associated with breathing for the victim when they are still in the water. Drowning is a classic example of hypoxic arrest. Bottom line-compression alone is good but one size does not always fit all.
Thanks to both of these professionals for their contributions.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
No-Breaths CPR
I recently renewed my CPR card and was introduced to this method. I maintain that students be trained in CPR and ALL of the instructor staff in a martial arts studio. I know school owners who have had students drop from heart attacks on the mat and CPR kept them alive. I would not be surprised if the states start to mandate automatic defibrillators in our schools. We do an athletic activity and often strike the chest. Do yourself a favor and take a class in CPR.
Learn Sarver Heart Center's Continuous Chest Compression CPR
Every three days, more Americans die from sudden cardiac arrest than the number who died in the 9-11 attacks. You can lessen this recurring loss by learning Continuous Chest Compression CPR, a hands-only CPR method that doubles a person’s chance of surviving cardiac arrest. It’s easy and does not require mouth-to-mouth contact, making it more likely bystanders will try to help, and it was developed at the
University of Arizona College of Medicine.
"This video is worth sharing," said Gordon A. Ewy, MD, director of the UA Sarver Heart Center and one of the research pioneers who developed this method.
Please click on the link below to watch the video.
http://medicine.arizona.edu/spotlight/learn-sarver-heart-centers-continuous-chest-compression-cpr
Learn Sarver Heart Center's Continuous Chest Compression CPR
Every three days, more Americans die from sudden cardiac arrest than the number who died in the 9-11 attacks. You can lessen this recurring loss by learning Continuous Chest Compression CPR, a hands-only CPR method that doubles a person’s chance of surviving cardiac arrest. It’s easy and does not require mouth-to-mouth contact, making it more likely bystanders will try to help, and it was developed at the
University of Arizona College of Medicine.
"This video is worth sharing," said Gordon A. Ewy, MD, director of the UA Sarver Heart Center and one of the research pioneers who developed this method.
Please click on the link below to watch the video.
http://medicine.arizona.edu/spotlight/learn-sarver-heart-centers-continuous-chest-compression-cpr
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