Just Matt and I today…
2 rds off balance/grip work
2 rds freestyle sambo
1 rds par terre (groundwork)

We ended out sambo session with some work on a failed shoulder throw, turning back, chest to chest for an inside leg hook takedown. We also worked a bit on a rolling kneebar on the ground from a whizzer grip.

We then suited up and had a nice well deserved bout with the shillelaghs. I got to try a few different approaches that worked better than I thought they would have. only one decent sized bruise…not a bad trade off at all:)

Next up we ran through some basic longsword drills for about 20 minutes to a half hour. Basically everything from zornhau then a response.

We ended the session with some restricted sparring, knife vs e-tool. only the knife wielder was allowed to initiate attacks while the guy with the shovel was allowed to parry and return or counter strike. Nice being able to do this full speed now with the trainer.

I go get an MRI Monday afternoon on my shoulder, so hopefully I can get fixed and start grappling like I did earlier in the year.

Right now I am working on a short series of training lessons for those who want to do some solo bata training. You can see them here:

Solo bata

Ventured out  for the first time with the view camera in a rucksack. Not too far, mind. And I didn’t walk all the way.

The rucksack had wheels and was  just about large enough to fit a disassembled CAMBO 5×4, two lensboards, all the bits and pieces as well as ten film holders. It all weighed about 9 kilograms, so I compromised about the tripod and went for a light Sherpa instead of the proper, heavy Manfrotto ( which weighs three times as much). Strictly speaking, field photography is best done using a field and not a view camera. Field cameras fold neatly into handy boxes designed for the ease of use in the field.  A view camera on the other hand, like my monorail CAMBO 5×4 is a set of bits attached to an inch thick rail, quite awkward to carry assembled and better suited for studio work .  But I hardly ever anything the easy way.

By the time I got going, the dull light of the morning gave way to intermittent sunshine.  It was hot and the Heath was full of people greedily soaking in the warmth of the last summer bank holiday.  I wandered around and shot slowly, deliberately six frames, most of them at  very large apertures, to capture the Heath walkers. I knew they’d be blurred, but today I was tired of lifeless landscapes. That said. I shot two of those.

One was a picture of a pond reflecting the sky and the low hanging branches. The reflection of the trees in the pond must have had every possible shade of green in it and  I used a colour transparency. I always carry those with me, but only allow myself one or two a session.  Their cost is only one of the factors. I’ve got nothing against colour photography, but I resent not being able to process colour myself. Once I’ve shot the entire current box of Provia I’ll send it away for processing.

With the heath on the Heath and with the intensity of the process itself I got tired quite quickly. I usually only expose six sheets of film in a session, because this is how many the developing tank takes at once and because with the work involved in every frame, that’s about as much as I can handle in a day.  Another thing when you’re indoors, but in the field I tend to go for six very different shots and locations. If an idea doesn’t work, it doesn’t matter how many retakes you’ve got. But that approach involves a lot of walking with the heavy equipment on your back, so by the third loader I was beginning to lose concentration.

First I stupidly took out the film darkslide before loading the film in the camera,   I’ve no idea why. Then I set up a frame, waited patiently for ages until a lovely elderly couple with a long haired dachshund walked into the shot and released the shutter – without loading the film first!

Finally, I’ve got my six sheets of FP4 exposed (two wasted) and went home. I’ve set up the darkroom, loaded the tank, developed the film (shot at 50ASA, developed  in Ilford DDX for 8 minutes) and blogged about it all.

Not a bad day’s work.

A BRITISH tabloid cruelly labelled Michael Campbell a ’serial quitter’ after the New Zealander withdrew midway through the second round of the British Open at Turnberry.
Campbell was headed for his highest-ever score in a major when he withdrew after taking a bogey at the par-four 12th hole.
The 2005 US Open winner was 14-over-par for the round and 21-over par for the championship when a recurrence of a right shoulder injury forced him from the course.
It is the fourth occasion this season the Sydney-based Campbell has withdrawn from a tournament. He pulled out of two earlier events on the European Tour, then withdrew through injury from the Players Championship in Florida.
It also meant Campbell will have sat out the weekend rounds in all 15 tournaments he has contested this year up to the British Open.

Com ja sabeu, des de finals de gener he estat col·laborant amb en Ramón Costa i en Joan Vilaseca en la preparació dels diferents actes que el 3er Congrés Catalanista duu a terme a la nostra comarca.

El gener va tenir lloc la presentació a la Teneria, el 9 de març va tenir lloc la primera ponència a càrrec del sociolingüista Jordi Sedó al Foment i el proper dia 20 de juny a les 19h al museu de la pell tindrà lloc la ponència sobre àmbit polític, que anirà de la mà d’Alfons López Tena, president del Cercle d’Estudis Sobiranistes i vocal del Consell General del Poder Judicial, que ens parlarà de “Catalunya Estat”.

El 3er Congrés Catalanista que s’està celebrant aquest 2009 a diferents ciutats de Catalunya en actes molt diversos, compta amb quatre congressistes d’honor:  President Pascual Maragall, President Jordi Pujol, President Joan Rigol i President Heribert Barrera.

Pels que no conegueu l’origen i els objectius dels congressos catalanistes a continuació us en faig un breu resum: Als anys 1880 i 1883, en els prolegòmens de l’empenta catalanista de finals del segle XIX i de principis del segle XX, es van convocar el primer i el segon congressos catalanistes que van enfortir la necessitat d’un catalanisme obertament política més del catalanisme cultural: memorial de Greuges (1885), Bases de Manresa (1892), eleccions de 1901, Mancomunitat de Catalunya (1909) hi estan relacionats. Valentí Almirall, Prat de la Riba i més tard Cambó i Macià aprofitaren els seus plantejaments i les seves conclusions. En aquesta tercera edició es planteja tirar endavant l’objectiu de visualitzar el moment actual de Catalunya des del punt de vista de la societat civil i oferir propostes de canvi i de recerca de solucions per aconseguir noves fites de construcció nacional i el retorn de l’autoestima i de la il·lusió col·lectiva.

Acte de presentació del 3er Congrés

Per a més informació o per participar en aquesta tercera edició del congrés podeu consultar la seva pàgina oficial: www.congrescatalanista.cat

Photograph of ballet shoes, costume, flute, for magazine cover. Used a Cambo 4×5 view camera and one Speedotron strobe in a light box for the exposure.

Photo © Craig Brewer

The Instant Messengers – Goonies Never Die from Medicine Agency on Vimeo.

Ummmm….I prefered the earlier stuff, but they rock the party with these new jams too. Really good live show.

Matt and I doing a bit of sambo on a fairly warm Wed. afternoon.

Temp in the LOD hovering in the mid 20’s F on Sunday. Only Matt and I were foolish enough to train.

We will be having another SAMBO Clinic in Findlay, Ohio with MARK TRIPP.
The Clinic will be FEBRUARY 14t, 2009 from 1PM to 4PM

Please mark your Calendar! You dont want to miss this CLINIC

For more information contact:
Mark Hunter
Ameri-Kan Judo

markjudo@aol.com
www.amerikanjudo.org
419-722-3476

Hour One: (Gi top or Kurtka) Set ups, grip fighting, “Russian Judo” and Sambo Throws

Hour Two: Throwing to position, armlocks & leglocks, ground defense and offense.

Hour Three: Russian Judo and Sambo in MMA
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I went to the last clinic held there with Mr Tripp….it was a great time with some great people and instruction. Call or write to make sure but If I am thinking correctly the price for this seminar is a measley $25. you cannot get a better deal than that.

A balmy 35 in our training area.

3 of us today…we stuck with grappling today.

1 rds circling footwork drill

2 rds off balance grip work

2 rds freestyle sambo

We then went over a number of leglocks, heelhooks, straight achilles, bicep achilles, foot stretch, toeholds, kneebars..we worked on the mechanics and positioning for these and some defense as well. We also worked a few of these in a drill.

Three of us today…..
2 Rds shadow boxing
2 rds controlled sparring 3 count drill
1 rd speed bag
1 rd freestyle footwork
We then went over a few kicking counters to punching attacks from savate and
then some footwork for avoiding the bull rush type of fighter.

Next up sambo…..we worked on a few of the concepts from Scott Sonnon’s new
book on sambo for mma. Regardless of how many might feel about the guy and
his marketing, the book is very good and has a lot of interesting concepts
in it.

We finished up with some mountain axe…we went through two plays axe vs
axe…then we worked on two deflections into chops to the head. We also got
to talking about JdP as well and swung our longer sticks for a short while.

Ken

The thermometer read 35 in the LOD today but it seemed a litte warmer, either that or we are getting used to the cold.

Three of us today…we had a part timer show up as well but mostly just for a social visit and he left early.

Started with sambo…
1 rd warm ups
2 rds off balancing grip work
1 rd ground engagements
We worked on two throws…a split throw and a cross grab sacrifice throw from both sides.
2 rds free style sambo.
At one point during a match with Justin I accidently kneed him in the groin…a few seconds later his elbow found my groin….good times! Gotta start wearing that cup!

We ended with some stretching…Matt’s back was bothering him so we cut out a bit earlier than normal.

Green Posse

Kauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers

  American golfers seeking new challenges often cross the Pacific Ocean to play on the majestic sun-belt courses of Australia.

   In recent times, New Zealand has become a golf paradise that can compete with the most challenging golf courses in the world.  Golfers on the west coast tired of long flights to Scotland for cold, windy golfing and challenged chefs, can now bask in the warm winds and sunshine of New Zealand’s outstanding weather as they challenge themselves on three of the world’s truly breathtaking golf courses.

  Kauri Cliffs sits on the north eastern coast of New Zealand’s North Island.  Wall Street tycoon Julian Robertson’s opening bid to make New Zealand a golf destination for challenge seeking golfers from around the world.  Kauri Cliffs sits majestically upon a spectacular setting overlooking the warm Pacific Ocean and was designed by renowned golf course architect David Harman to be one of the world’s top golf challenges.  Kauri Cliffs is a 7,119 yard, par 72 golfing Eden featuring a number of eye-catching gorges that will weaken the knees every time you’re forced to carry the ball over one.

  The quality of Kauri Cliffs will become apparent when you step upon the tee of “Cambo”, the 4^th hole named after local hero Michael Campbell.  “Cambo” is an outstanding risk/reward challenge, with lurking ravine on your right and treacherous bunkers short left.  Holes 10 and 11 are par 4s requiring precise approach shots to land in the right spot for your next shot.  A birdie is makeable with a properly placed shot to the green.  Stay away from the cliffs during the four-hole stretch from 14-17; the wind direction may have you thinking about throwing the clubs into the Pacific, to join the balls you put there, so bring a truck load of balls and maybe a spare set of clubs.

  Kauri Cliffs is New Zealand’s playground for west coast golfers preferring to fly less and golf more, a 18 hole challenge that will demand you play through for another 18 holes, every day, as long as you bring enough balls that is.

  Once you defeat Kauri Cliffs treacherous holes or if you need a break from knocking balls into the warm Pacific, you can travel across the island to the south eastern tip of New Zealand’s North Island and try your luck on Cape Kidnappers.  Ranked No. 41 on Golf Magazines Top 100 Courses in the World, Cape Kidnappers will thrill you if you’re a little intimidated by heights, so you probably want to pack your little pills for this trip.

Three of us today…nice and chilly! Our indoor temp read 40 F.

2 rds shadow boxing
2 rds savate
1 rd speed bag
1 rd freestyle footwork
1 rd bob and weave line training with a rope

Onto sambo….
1 rds ground engagements
2 rds grip work
2 rds freestyle sambo

Conditioning:
med ball crunch tosses
med ball sprawl tosses
swings with kettle bell
clean and jerk with kettle bell
Turkish get up

We then took out our navaja trainers and reviewed some much neglected material. We focused mainly on methods of attack and ended with a drill stringing jiro’s together.

We ended the session with some work using the entrenching tool. We discussed the various grips available then did some work against an attacker using a saber with the e-tool user employing a med grip in the enter of the handle and using the butt end of the handle to wind over to trap the blade.

This past sat Nov 1st, Sambo expert Mark Tripp ran a three hour sambo clinic in Findlay Ohio. About 3 1/2 hours to the west of us here in Kinsman.

1st hour: sambo basics and sport sambo. Grip work with some submissions and take downs.

2nd hour: combat sambo, some striking as well as building on what we did in the 1st hour.

3rd hour: military combative sambo

Very good seminar, I saw a number of things done differently and better than I do them. Nothing really new but some definite tweaks will be made to how I will do things….did I say tweaks, more like some things need overhauled:) I joked at the begining of the seminar seeing we were the only guys who had Kurtkas on…I said don’t be fooled by the proper equipment, we still suck….he replied that it was ok to suck at the begining of the seminar but that we not allowed to do so by the end….honestly, he came through and I know personally by the end of the 3 hours that my sambo had improved…it may just be that I suck less now.

The cost of this seminar was only $25, a great deal considering the amount of material covered and the quality of instruction. It is clear that Mark has been at this a very long time. His teaching style was very friendly and easy going…for me it made it very easy to learn. Low turnout though with only 8 people showing up. If I had known about this earlier I could have brought a few more people with me but as it stood I only had a little over a week to prepare and it was just too short notice for all but Matt and I, most likely because we lack real lives.

Hopefully this low turnout will not make them give up the idea of having him down again. I know I will make the trip again if I hear of another clinic.

While we were already heading west we decided to stop off at the Atomic Athletic showroom and warehouse in Bowling Green Ohio. Lots of interesting toys to play with, stone padlocks, stone rings, huge monkey fist knots, kettlebells etc…..very cool place and the owner was more than happy to take us on a tour and demonstrate just about everything and let us try it all out. I picked up a 35 lb solid kettlebell to hurt myself with while Matt picked up a Bull-Moose bar for lifting.

After a lengthy BS session and a few minutes to play with some new toys…rapier and special forces shovel from CS we got a late start:)

2 rds shadow boxing
2 rds Savate
2 rds freestyle footwork

Onto grappling:
1 rds ground engagement
2 rds off balancing grip work
About a half hour going over a faked single leg grab into a hand reap followed by work with various leg hooks and set ups.
2 rds sambo
1 rd ground work

Never got around to doing any weapon work and still managed to train for 2 1/2 hours. We probably need to streamline how we are doing things to get more into less time.

Injury report…..well I am just old I guess, my left knee is killing me and at some point my left hand must have gotten smashed. i don’t remember it at all but upon waking up this morning I found it swelled and very sore.

Photograph of communion elements for a church. The traditional grape juice and matzo was placed in very shiny and reflective serving trays so I used a very large softbox to get a nice sheen across all of the metal. Photographed with a Cambo view camera with 6×9cm roll film back and Fuji transparency film and was converted to black and white with the “channel mixer” in Photoshop.

Photo © Craig Brewer

Three of us today….
2 rds shadow boxing
2 rds 2 man feed and follow drill with jab only
2 rds three count cadence drills
1 rd freestyle foot work
2 rds feed and follow 2 man footwork drills

Decided to take a short break from sparring and work more on technique for a bit.

We then threw our jackets on for sambo…..
2 rds grip/off blancing
1 rd ground engagements
Work on a back trip done to the opponents rear leg and a belt/lapel grab sacrifice throw from the side position.
Some work flowing from striking to an arm bar and from striking to an ankle lock.

2 rds free style sambo

We ended the session with Matt and I doing some bouting with the fokos. Both of us using the back spike a great deal more than before.

On Wed, Matt and I worked out…about an hour of full bore sambo..good session.

Still life photograph for company brochure that sells Victorian styled accessories. Shot with  Fuji transparency film on a Cambo 4×5 view camera and Speedotron strobes.

Photo © Craig Brewer