Wednesday, August 31, 2011

JKD Grappling

What most people don't realize is that there are many facets to JKD that are not widely publicized.  JKD Weaponry is one. Don't think that JKD has a weapons component then just watch "The Game of Death".  How about JKD Grappling? Watch "Enter the Dragon".  The scenes in those movies weren't staged for dramatic purposes but were Sigung Bruce's expression of his combat reality.

NOTE: understand that the reality of 1973 and 2011 are vastly different and if Sigung Bruce were alive today his JKD would have changed and evolved as it did during his lifetime.  It had already changed dramatically from it's inception in 1962 and I'm sure if he had lived it would be well beyond the Pak Sao, Lop Sao, Que Chuie that many today think exemplifies what JKD is.

This article in Black Belt magazine outlines Guro Dan's views on JKD Grappling and it's growth and evolution since Sigung Bruce's death.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Edged Weapon Awareness

I distinctly remember when this video came out and the impact it had on the tactical training community.  If I remember correctly Guro Dan, Tuhon Leo Gaje, and my friend Don Garon were all in the video or were advisors.  While the information is over 30 years old it's still valid today - don't bring a gun to a knife fight!

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Bunraku

The following is from Wikipedia:
"Bunraku is an 2010 computer-animated fantasy film that revolves around a "Man with No Name" stock character known as 'The Drifter'. Directed by Guy Moshe from his own script, the title of the film is based on a 400-year-old form of Japanese puppet theater, a style of storytelling that uses 4-foot (1.2 m)-tall puppets with highly detailed heads, each operated by several puppeteers who blend into the background wearing black robes and hoods.[1]
The classic tale is re-imagined in a world that mixes skewed reality with shadow-play fantasy. Its themes draw heavily on Samurai and Western.[2] Bunraku premiered as an official selection of the Midnight Madness section at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival in Canada.[3][4] A theatrical release is slated for 2011."

Friday, August 26, 2011

Richard "Army" Maguire - Indian Club Expert

The following video is from a very good friend of mine named Richard "Army" Maguire.  He has an amazing background (martial artist, animal trainer, carny, etc.) and is one of the most innovative and smart trainers I have ever met.  He works with a number of fighters (boxing, MMA, etc.) on the West Coast in regards to Indian Clubs and hand conditioning as well as being an inventor of training equipment.  BTW - Guro Dan has told me on a number of occasions that Army is a "genius" and "does things I have never seen before"... a pretty astounding endorsement if you ask me.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

New Interview with Guro Dan Inosanto

Follow this link (Guro Dan Inosanto Video Interview and Text Interview on Frank151.com) for a new and very interesting interview with Guro Dan.  At 74 years old Guro Dan is still teaching several times a week at his school in Marina Del Rey, California and training (BJJ, Silat, Russian Kettlebells, Escrima, etc.) daily, as well as traveling around the world teaching seminars almost every weekend.


BTW - I unsuccessfully tied to embed this video into the blog but was unable to do so for some reason.  If someone can figure out why I wasn't able to do so I would greatly appreciate it!

Monday, August 22, 2011

Women Cage Fighters

How would you like to get your butt kicked by a girl?  Several of the women in this documentary are perfectly capable of doing it... and I'm sure would rather enjoy it!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Great Analogy on Martial Arts

While the following video is meant for BJJ students, it's message is really for all martial artists.  In short, you need to master the basics (words/terms) before you can create sentences ( a combination) and well before you can debate (spar/fight) with someone else.  This message has been lost (or diluted) over time in that people think that after a few days/weeks/months of training that they are ready to take on all comers... this is far from the truth.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

New John Rain Novel Coming

From Amazon.com

John Rain is back. And “the most charismatic assassin since James Bond” (San Francisco Chronicle) is up against his most formidable enemy yet: the nexus of political, military, media, and corporate factions known only as the Oligarchy.

When legendary black ops veteran Colonel Scott “Hort” Horton tracks Rain down in Tokyo, Rain can’t resist the offer: a multi-million dollar payday for the “natural causes” demise of three ultra-high-profile targets who are dangerously close to launching a coup in America.

But the opposition on this job is going to be too much for even Rain to pull it off alone. He’ll need a detachment of other deniable irregulars: his partner, the former Marine sniper, Dox. Ben Treven, a covert operator with ambivalent motives and conflicted loyalties. And Larison, a man with a hair trigger and a secret he’ll kill to protect.
From the shadowy backstreets of Tokyo and Vienna, to the deceptive glitz and glamour of Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and finally to a Washington, D.C. in a permanent state of war, these four lone wolf killers will have to survive presidential hit teams, secret CIA prisons, and a national security state as obsessed with guarding its own secrets as it is with invading the privacy of the populace.

But first, they’ll have to survive each other.

The Detachment is what fans of Eisler, “one of the most talented and literary writers in the thriller genre” (Chicago Sun-Times), have been waiting for: the worlds of the award-winning Rain series, and of the bestselling Fault Line and Inside Out, colliding in one explosive thriller as real as today’s headlines and as frightening as tomorrow’s.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Abecedario Training

The concept of Abecedario is an integral one in the Filipino Martial Arts, but is also part of many others as well.  Abecedario is the mastery of the A-B-C's or the basics. Abecedario, as done in the Inosanto Blend of Kali, Arnis and Excrima, is done with the single stick, double sticks, stick and dagger, staff, etc.

Following is a video of Guro Harley Elmore demonstrating Abecedario with a number of weapons:

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Saturday AM Classes - August 2011

We will be having Saturday morning Martial Arts Koncepts classes in August on 08/13/11 and 08/27/11 from 1000 to 1130 AM. Please mark your calendars NOW!

NOTE: don't forget that Ajarn Chai Sirisute will be in Ellicott City, MD on August 20 and 21, 2011 giving a Thai Boxing seminar.  Contact Scott Anderson via the Maryland Thai Boxing website for more information.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Wing Chun and Hubud

I've stated on many occasions that if I had to introduce someone to the concept of trapping I would initiate the learning curve from the Filipino Martial Arts (in particular Higot Hikot Hubud Lubud) as opposed to Wing Chun (Chi Sao).  I know this will anger some and confuse others, but my rationale is that most people will be able to feed and receive (quickly) the basics behind Hubud long before they will be able to grasp similar concepts in Chi Sao.  I also like the integration of weapons (both impact and edged) that allow me to teach and reinforce the concepts and skills without the training "appearing" repetitive when in reality it is... a little "dog psychology" that works well.

The following video shows a nice integration of Wing Chun and Hubud that will hopefully help you bridge the two concepts and systems.