You wouldn’t think martial artists needed instruction on how to use a heavy bag. After all, the only thing you need to know is to hit the bag with power and keep going until you’re out of gas, right?

Brother, you are soooo missing the boat. There are many advantages to training properly with a heavy bag, so let’s explore them, shall we?

• First, I recommend training by the round or by the set. Training by the round can be short, like 30 second rounds, to long, like a 5-minute round. Training by the set can be either short sets, 10 – 20 reps, to long sets, 100 – 500.
• If you train by the round, increase the intensity when using shorter rounds, and pace yourself with longer rounds. With a short, 10 – 30 second round, you want to use quick bursts of power and speed. With the longer rounds, you should incorporate footwork, move around and attack from different angles.
• With the sets, I suggest always using footwork with each rep. “Footwork”, as in advancing/attacking footwork when you execute each rep.
• Speaking of footwork, don’t just stand in one place throwing punches. There will almost never be an time when you will do this in fighting, and doing so in training is bad for your fighting skill. Move around and attack from a distance. One of the common mistakes people make in bag training is standing too close to the bag. Think about how far the opponent will stand to you in fighting, and keep yourself at the average distance.
• Penetrate the bag. This is what develops speed and power simultaneously. Very often, fighters will push the bag with their punches and kicks. The idea is not to see how far you can make the bag swing, but how loud you can make the bag sing. Proper power will collapse the bag and fold it in half. Sink your fist, your foot, your elbow, your knee, your stick into the bag.
• Train your combinations on the bag, and make sure to have good speed and power on every part of the combo. Often, people will run through the combination and have power only on the last movement.
• Swing the bag back and forth, or side-to-side, and hit the bag at certain intervals. This is good for timing, accuracy, and power, as you must now pick the right moment to land, and still hit with power.
• Practice what I call “break-away” skills. Stand close to the bag–close enough to kiss it–and then jump away, as if evading an attack. Launch your attacks at certain points of your “break away”:  as you move away, as soon as you land, or after a fraction of a second after landing. This develops good countering skills.

You can use your imagination to incorporate your style’s skills with how they can be utilized on the bag. This way, you have more than just a sitting target, but something similar to having a moving opponent/training partner.

Thanks for visiting my blog!

The day before I started this blog, this was the final final push by Sister Colleen to get me to start one!  I was cracking her up with my lack of starting one.  Needless to say, it was a good idea.  Anyways, here are some lyrics I wrote.  This song to be is entitled “Lord, I Want To Be With You.”

Today I saw you walking in the street
Today you glanced in my direction
Today my hand was put into yours
Today words of wisdom were spoken

I am falling on my knees
Begging you Lord, please
Guide me in all that I do
Lord, I want to be with you

How did I not see you there before
Trying to guide me on your path
How could I have been so blind
You finally have reached into me

I am falling on my knees
Begging you Lord, please
Guide me in all that I do
Lord, I want to be with you

Take my hand and lead me on
Never let me stray from your side
Remind that I’m worth your time
Send me out worshiping and praising

I am falling on my knees
Begging you Lord, please
Guide me in all that I do
Lord, I want to be with you

With you, oh-oh-oh Lord, with you
Give me the strength and courage
It is only you I long to follow
So leave me here in prayer

I am falling on my knees
Begging you Lord, please
Guide me in all that I do
Lord, I want to be with you

Lord, I want to be with you
So take me into your will

Today I do not leave anything for you to reflect on, take as you wish.  Look at it in my life’s perspective or your own.  Share your thoughts if you wish!

Fact: “SALESIAN” – The title was chosen by St. John Bosco because of the esteem he had for St. Frances de Sales, and his desire that his Sisters, Priests, and Brothers imitate the kind and gentle ways of this saint.

When I went to bed Friday night, I knew it was coming in all its glory.  Being a Minnesota native in Cape May Point, New Jersey, I was one of few who gladly awaited its coming.   The snow had already started to dust the ground around 4pm, and I knew it was going to be great.  The reports made people frightened.  They talked of power outages, how the grocery stores were becoming bare, and boots along with shovels where exiting the stores faster than one can imagine.  Bedtime came after a viewing of the movie Twister (one of my favorites by the way).  Around that time, the winds start gusting and the storm had arrived at 11pm!  I woke at what must have been early in the morning.  Laying there, I imagined what the ground must look like, but I was too cozy to look  out the window.  Suddenly (dun dun dun!) my phone went off.  It was Sister Colleen and I responded to her, causing myself to look at the phone and see it was 7:15am, crazy time for being able to sleep in. 

The next realization was that the power was out and it was going to get gradually colder in my room.  The awesome thing is that I was able to go within a few yards to the house that the Marianist Brothers and Priest live.  There living room and TV room and stove top are gas (yay!).  It was a day to just sit and think.  I spent a lot of time looking out the window at the snow with teh wind gusting it all around.  We play some cribbage, I read, we had a delicious dinner together, and built a fire in the fireplace.  Falling asleep Saturday night on the chair in their living room, I felt a warmth of community and a comfort knowing they would take me in from my cold room!  Staring into the fire I looked into myself and the fire that has been burning in me.  It was a great moment for contemplation.

Sunday, we woke up and had mass at 8:30am in the living room.  It was a very interesting moment.  There are things I miss of mass with friends in a small group like that, but it was still pretty cool.  After breakfast, the real work began.  Shoveling all day.  I shall spare you from all the stories.  I will say that at 3:45 when everyone was done workign for the day, I decided that I was going to dig my car out and head to see the Salesians (FMA).  Let me say this, I had plenty of chances to do it earlier in the day giving me an earlier departure.  Needless to say, grand total of time spent on getting my car out (including the little I did in the morn to get my sunglasses) one and a half hours.  That is what you call darn good Minnesota smarts on how to properly get out a car. 

Skipping many things, my visit to the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians was so much needed.  I was actually going crazy not being able to spend some time up there.  The biggest part of my weekend was that within 20 minutes of showing up Sister Collleen had me set up with my interview with Sister Phyllis at 7:30 Monday morning after prayers, mass, and breakfast.  I was not so much worried about the actual interview as I was worried that I was having to have the interview!  It turned out to be awesome and apparently I had the biggest grin on my face.  My visit only proved to be awesome with them.  The sad part was the part when I had to leave. 

Other people I love there (I love everyone…but these have stories kind of) are Sister Ramona and Sister Rosalie.  My first visit, I was with Jen (met in bathroom, gave me a medal) and Sister Ramona setting up Christmas decorations.  Sister Ramona is sweet and fun and she always seems to make me smile!  Sister Rosalie is so lovely and I find inspiration in her.  I had the pleasure of walking in from prayer a couple times with Sister Rosalie, as well as helping clean up some things after dinner.  That lady will make me smile always as well!

For countinous readers, my absence was due to the sad weather.  I hope to be posting each day again, if not twice when there is a creative spirit in me.  For those one time readers, I urge you to read into the words I share.  There is much wisdom to be found for different people in one singular creative burst.  Peace!

Temple University – FMA 2242 ‘Videography’
90 Second Video ReMix Project – ‘The Thing That Did It!’

The main idea behind this project was to rearrange and repurpose footage from YouTube clips in order to derive new meaning from it.

For my venture into ReMix, I decided to mash-up B-Movie trailers and clips from fast food commercials and specials on obesity.  The idea was to make the correlation between fatty food/gluttony/overindulgence and the monsters from these old films.  Although done for humourous effect, the hope is that after laughing ‘at’ the images portrayed in this short, those who are laughing will realize they’re laughing at themselves.

The project took a long time to conceive and nail down.  It originally began as a mash-up of clips from reality shows, commercials, and films, making a commentary on the frivolity of real relationships in popular media.  That quickly devolved into an awful mess however, and led into the venture out to do a more enjoyable piece.  I’ve been really into watching both B-Movies and my health lately, so it made sense to take those two interests and make something interesting out of them.

Make the Opponent Chase You

The header of this article seems to contradict the title, doesn’t it?

Good. See, the smart fighter must do that, confuse the opponent. If you are too easy to read, you will be easy to defeat. We don’t want the opponent to believe that we will be easy to defeat (whether or not we really are inferior as fighters), because we don’t want to empower him. You would be surprised how much stronger a confident fighter will be, and how the same fighter will weaken if you can take away that confidence.

At the same time, you have an advantage in having an opponent think he is superior, when he isn’t.

More confusion.

You can take away the opponent’s confidence hitting him harder and faster than he is hitting you. This will take away his aggression and put him on defense.

At the same time, if you can make him more aggressive, you can lure him into making fundamental mistakes–like underestimating you, or attacking so recklessly he neglects his own defensive protections.

Yes, more confusion…

You must confuse your opponent as often as possible. Allow him to gain momentum by baiting him into attacking you, then hit him with a powerful counter. Have him chase you, and then take advantage of his forward movement and make him run into a trap. Convince him that he is the inferior fighter by beating him to the punch, and then put him on the move. Force your opponent to move away from you, and then catch him while he is in motion. Start out fighting left foot forward, and then switch your feet once he settles into a rhythm. Attack more with your feet, and then close the distance and slide him a barrage of hand techniques and punches. Try to pull him into a grappling or clinching fight with you, and then when he attempts to put distance between you and get away, attack him with your feet and long range punching.

Bottom line… your opponent must never know what to expect. The moment he believes he has figured him out, you switch your tactics on him. Each time you switch tactics, range, rhythm, speed and timing, and power levels, he finds himself trapped and another notch is taken out of his energy and confidence level. By the time he realizes that he is being outsmarted (or not)–the fight should be over. Finish him.

This is one of those advanced-level things that is not easy to pull off, and takes a lot of wisdom and gaminess to execute. It is the favorite tactic of many old men that they use to defeat younger men. My good friend Billy Bryant used it to beat me many times. My grandfather used it to beat me right after I had placed high in international competition. Master (forgot the first name) Bae of Angeles City, Philippines (he was a Korean) used it to beat me when I was 19 and actively kickboxing… and he was easily in his 50s. I use this tactic now when I fight younger, more energetic men. But there is a catch:

You must understand many techniques, strategies and skills in order to use this method effectively, as using a style that is unfamiliar or inferior will still result in your failure. When you switch techniques, you must use techniques you are good at.

Younger men who are still in the process of developing their skill at certain strategies and tactics will find it difficult to “switch”, because the techniques are not ingrained well into them. Older men use it because we usually don’t have enough endurance to stick to one for very long (LOL!!), but also because we know how confusing it can be to have to change strategies in the midst of a fight. However, you can use this technique at any experience level. This is the fighting techinque known by many as “Palit-Palit”, a classical Eskrima style that can be universally applied to any style of fighting.

Try it, perhaps with three techniques at a time, and do this for 3 months before switching to another 3 techniques. Good luck!

Thank you for visiting my blog!

This poem I wrote a couple days before I started to share my journey with all of you.  It was what gave the final push to have me start this blog.  I was lost as to what to title it at first, but this is what became of it.  It is a poem entitled “Prayer: See Inward, See Outward.”

There is this deep longing
Something that burns deep within
I want to run out dancing
But where do I really begin
I close my eyes and start to see
This image of complete joy
A woman of God who is free
Her faith she wants to employ
Songs in the heart filled with love
A voice with much to speak
Sharing what came from above
God’s will is what she does seek
My eyes open again with hope
At what could be my mission
With fear I must certainly cope
With God I must share vision
The longing inside I do hold
Burns to be released for you
Dancing and singing so bold
Beginning to live I must do
With God in my beating heart
Showing all those who care
Eyes wide open I am a part
Beauty in faith is my prayer

This one lends itself to speak on its own!

Fact: The Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA, aka Salesian Sisters) are the largest female religious order in the world.  They are approximately 14,430, the next order of women down is 9,693!  You can find these and more statistics in the Catholic Almanac 2010 on page 487.

Hello All,

As I was doing my usual Youtube search I came across this video with former UFC Middleweight Champ Dave Menne at Tiger Muay Thai & MMA training camp (www.tigermuaythai.com). The thing that I want you to pay attention to Kru Moo’s emphasis on the details of Dave’s hand and hip position and the importance that Kru Moo of that before striking even takes place.

Enjoy this video it is a great video on the Clinch.

Shawn

I was reflecting on the dissatisfaction I am experiencing with the state of Filipino martial arts tournaments. There is no secret that I would like to see empty handed fighting divisions in FMA tournament. But I think our Eskrima tournaments can use an overhaul in the way the stick is applied in the sparring division (not to mention a complete BAN on Eskrima “kata”… I just don’t like them!) because one thing I do agree with many of our Eskrima brothers is that our tournaments simply aren’t “real enough” (are any tournaments short of death matches really real enough?). There are a few ways we can modify how our tournaments are arranged.

First, I believe that the weapons we simulate in tournaments should be judged and ruled as whatever those weapons are supposed to be. So in that case, I believe that a hit to the body should count for only 1/4 of a hit to the head or a hit to the forearm or hand. In Eskrima tournaments, we simply don’t award enough for hits to the hand, whereas the hand and forearm are perhaps some of the best targets for stickfighters and knife fighters alike. A hit to the head is something that shouldn’t be necessary to hit 25 – 50 times in order to win a match; three times should count as “game” to an automatic win.

Secondly, if there were bladed divisions, such as Bolo or thrusting sword divisions, we should use the Japanese style of “Ippon Kumite”, meaning that an unanswered, killing blow that is recognized by all judges would automatically count as a win. That would alleviate all the back and forth confusion/trading that modern Eskrima is known for. To be honest, when I competed in the Philippines, we always knew who was winning. When I watch the tournaments today, it is very difficult to score. I actually prefer the point system used by some of the Stockton Eskrima clubs to score their matches. However, I do miss the combination-style hitting that I train to use.

Lastly, focus should be on the landing of strong, clean blows that–in real combat–would incapacitate the opponent.  If we did this, we could actually have challenging matches with not just our Eskrima sticks, but allow the use of other weapons, such as the spear, the staff, the knife, and even the Bayonet. (Yes, the Bayonet. Maybe some of you from the province forget that our old men taught this weapon as part of the Eskrima we studied. Some of us are actually embarassed by this weapon, as if the Bayonet made our systems look “country” and unsophisticated. Check out Big Stick Combat’s article on this weapon)  Doing this will really raise the esteem and respect of our native arts in the minds of spectators and participants alike.

My inspiration:  I read Darrin Cook’s article a few days ago on the bayonet, and thought about a Japanese weapon that is very similar to the Bayonet art I learned as a teenager, the Naginata. When I was a young man, I had the chance to spar with a young lady who had learned this weapon as a girl, and found that the techniques she taught me (after whipping me good) were identical to the Bayonet techniques I learned as a boy. When I searched youtube for something similar, I came across this clip (below) of a Naginata competition, and I realized that this is how I’d like to see the Filipino Martial Arts showcased–in a way that highlights its strengths and allows it to keep its dignity as a fighting art despite being a competition/spectator sport.

Please check it out and see if you agree with me. Thanks for visiting my blog!

The path to mastery in the martial arts is much like attempting to reach the summit of a great mountain. One could make it alone, though it would take 10 times as long to accomplish, and the chance of failure is great. On the other hand, a mountain has many peaks and for the novice, he may reach small peaks thinking that the one conquered is the highest. However, the reality is that they all seem to be the highest–although you never know when there is a higher point. If you attempt this trip and fail, you could end up like many ignorant climbers and end up traveling up and down slopes and never even come close to the ascent. You may be starting in the wrong place and be hundreds–possibly thousands–of miles from the most direct path to the top. It is best to consult a guide… a map to show you the way. For a man to take himself to the top of a mountain is not only foolish, it is a journey that if one takes alone, can lead to a waste of an entire lifetime. I have known men who have studied the art their whole life, and can’t defeat some of my beginners.

The movies and stories of how others made this trip have fooled many people to a fallacy called “make your own path”. This is a poor excuse for refusing to follow the ones with more knowledge, and is the calling card of not the commercial dojo teacher, but the commercial dojo student. The guy with a checkbook and zero dedication. The one who will not work too hard or will not hang around if his path is too slow, too strenuous, or unlike the one in the movie “Ong Bak”. We now have 13 year olds who wield power with their parents’ wallets to pick and choose schools if the program is not entertaining enough, or not handing out belts fast enough. Because of this, dojos are combining gymnastics and cartoons in order to recruit and retain preadolescent students. They are adding patches and lightning bolts to costumes (don’t dare call them gis) to make them more attractive to visitors and karate tournament judges. Even adult martial arts students are commandeering the path of schools by searching out the next hybrid martial arts style that boasts of MMA/military/LEO/Israeli connections. Its so bad, McDojos are offering certfication programs from ”be an MMA fighter, or just look like one” to “add $$$ to your bottom line with MMA”. See for yourself!

The seminar industry is basically throwing certificates at existing teachers to get new affiliated guros and sifus and senseis who will gladly host the Grandmaster for seminars. And some of these guys are swearing by their new arts, thinking that they are equal to the ones who took the journey the right way. Students no longer need to pick a teacher and stick with him, because there is just as much respect for the guys who make up their own arts and create their own paths by taking a little Muay Thai, a little BJJ, and a little FMA to come up with their own personal fighting style. In 15 years, these guys will start calling themselves “master”, and in 25 years, they will all be “Grandmasters”, and in 35 years, they will be “Great Grandmasters”.

But there is more to the arts besides good PR and long resumes. As always, we start with skill. At some point, kids, you will have to excel at what you do. Way above the rest of your peers, if you want to be a true master of the art. We’ve got far too many mediocre guys calling themselves “masters”, and far too many people accepting it just because the guy is nice, popular or has a few gray hairs. If you want people to remember who you are for generations after you’ve left the earth… and name-drop you and their art, you must stand out.

Think of all the kung fu styles out there. All the Karate systems. All the Jujitsu systems. There are easily a thousand systems in the last 100 years. Can you name 10 great masters? Funakoshi, Uyeshiba, Miyagi, Wong Fei Hung, Oyama, Gracie, Yip Man, Kano… who else?

Yeah, it’s hard. Unless you happen to have studied one of the styles, or read a lot of magazines, it is difficult to name 10. Now, how many of these men were really known for their awesome fighting skill? Maybe 3 or 4 will come to mind right away. I can guarantee you that Mas Oyama is among them, huh? Wanna know why?

Because not many of these masters were really widley known for their fighting skill. Very few were. Most simply promoted a lot of people, got written about in magazines and books, or somebody made a movie about them. Its worse today. Due to the widespread use of advanced PR and media, there is a very small emphasis on developing unbeatable skill in the martial arts. People are using excuses like “martial arts is not for fighting” and “train for self-improvement, not for selfish reasons (like wanting to have superior skills?)” to avoid having answer if one is a dominant fighter or not. 100 years ago, a reputation that reached for several counties and provinces far was satisfactory for the martial artist. He only wanted to take on and defeat all comers. But today, he wants to be famous, and damned near every Eskrimador is a world-champion, or “undefeated in 100 death matches”.

Don’t rely on third-party authors to forge your reputation; let your hands do the talking.

But on the way there, make sure you have the right person to show you the ropes and lead you to superior firepower. You don’t need a good manager or web developer, you need a trainer and a guide. This climb is arduous and steep. It is dangerous for some of you. It will lead to many bumps and bruises, even some broken bones. It may not be very lucrative. And it’s not for everyone. Yet the road to martial arts mastery is one that any man can tackle if he keeps the flame of desire lit, coupled with the right person to show him how it’s done. Don’t listen to the naysayers who say that the peak does not exist, or that it’s too high. They are the people for whom those lies are true:  mastery doesn’t exist for them, because they will never take the journey. Therefore, they will never be one. Find yourself a true master of the art to follow, and you will acquire skills you never fathom you’d ever possess. It will take a lifetime of effort and dedication, but the peak is there, waiting for you.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

There was once a Master of barehanded fighting, who was known for having 99 techniques in his system. He was very picky over who he would accept as a student, but–like all Masters–needed to eat, so he often took students. Although he accepted students when he would rather not have, he insisted that pupils started with the first technique, and earned the next successive technique through many grueling tests.

Students rarely held on past the 20th or so technique, but occasionally a student seemed promising and would make it to near 70 or 80. As the numbers neared 90, the tests became more challenging, and the Master demanded more and more from his student. Many years passed, and the Master was now in his 60s, never having any student make it all the way to the 90th technique. However, one student did everything right. He was now at 89, and the Master began talking to him about humility and service and patience.

The student was young, but diligent. His only fault was his ego. The student would work hard to improve his skill, but it seemed as if it were not so much to make his art better and earn the next technique–but to make himself look good, as this student liked to brag. The Master, knowing this, began to slow his pace of teaching, until he finally reached the 98th technique. At this point, the teacher stopped teaching… instead choosing to make his lessons lectures on character and philosophy. The student, having bested all the local champions and even some masters, began to show a lack of patience, and started to doubt the existence of a 99th technique.

One day, he approached his Master, and discussed leaving his teacher and starting his own school.

The Master insisted that the young man had much to learn, causing the student to smirk. The young man invited his teacher to test his skills. If he could not beat the young man, he should be free to go. If he was overmatched, the student would stay.

You should know what happened next… The student fought–and was defeated by–the 99th technique.

There are many lessons behind this popular story. But I will focus on its application for the teacher.

• Teachers must always keep their skills superior. Not just because you want your school to look good by having a skilled master, but you should retain the ability to test your students yourself for as long as you can. My own grandfather was still sparring me when I was in my 20s, and he was in his 70s. It gives your students a reason to try hard. Lazy, out-of-shape teachers do not motivate student bodies. You are better able to get your points across when you can demonstrate the material you teach in real time.
• The best learning one can receive is learning that comes the hard way. This is the most reliable information a student has:  those things that he has seen, felt and experienced. When a student is spoon-fed his lessons, he has no reason to believe in it, outside of blind faith. Save that for religion. As a fighter, you need real, practical experience.
• Insist that your student earn their knowledge, if you are concerned about your art being respected. If the art is easy to come by, the student will cheapen it, as your art is something to be bought and sold. Treat it as a family heirloom and your students will value it as well.
• Only promote students when they have allowed themselves to be molded into just the type of martial artists you want them to be. You do not owe them anything, as their teacher. In this industry, certification is earned, not purchased. If there is more for your students to learn, make sure they learn it! Do not reward mediocrity. Doing so lessens your value as a teacher.
• Your art is something that should be bequeathed to only those who have demonstrated that they will do what you ask them to do. Now, this is only if you value your art as such. Some of you see your art as not much more than a commodity. If you are one of them, this article is not for you. The rest of you are teaching more than just techniques. You are passing down the lessons you learned from a lifetime of experiences, and these things should not be handed over to just anyone with a buck. You are bestowing your legacy as well, and how you treat it will reflect on how you will be remembered.
• I have always been told not to teach everything in my art. Even a student of 8 years can betray you or go away. Always keep something for yourself. When you are satisfied with the progress of a student who has learned all you are willing to share with, then reveal it. This is why some Masters adopt certain students as “sons” or members of their family. This is also known as “bayat” or “bai si” in some cultures…

Not all of you will possess this kind of information, or some of you will develop your arts to this level. Learn how to treat your system; it will be preserved for generations. Fail to do it, and your art will fall by the way of splintered subgroups or even dissolve.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Hello All,

For the last 2 months we have worked very hard on our hip turn over on our rear leg round kick. Here are two great videos for understanding not only the hip turn over but how to use your footwork to set up your kick. Last Thursday night when Lopes and I were teaching @ Gladiator MMA our focus of the training was to teach the fighters how to use their footwork to get their body in the right position to set up their bodies for power and combination striking.

In this 1st video Bas Rutten does a great job explaining how to use your base leg so that your hip turns over naturally. I met Bas in 1998 and he was a great guy. I miss watching Pride and listening to Bas do the play by play.

In the 2nd video Olivier Gruener talks about how MMA fighters limit their power when kicking because they don’t understand the centerline theory. This video is from Sensei Erik Paulson (www.erikpaulson.com) CSW 2008 camp DVD series. I have the 2008 camp and it is awesome  Olivier Gruner does an amazing job explaining Muay Thai and punching. Also as an added bonus on this video clip you get a little Greg Nelson teaching you how to use and inside cover to clinch.

Watch these two videos and implement them into your training with hard work and smart training methods your kicking will have lots of power and more importantly control so that you can set up your hands and takedowns.

Shawn

This is just one fallacy in the Filipino arts that doesn’t seem like it will ever go away.

Have you ever seen one of those “Streetfighting Tai Chi” guys demonstrating how the exercise of Tai Chi can also be a deadly combat art? I have, and what I see are guys who kinda can fight force-fitting their applications to their Tai Chi into “combat situations”. And–no joke–I even saw a guy demonstrate a “hidden” arm bar submission ON THE GROUND, that some master buried in his art several hundred years ago! Yeah, right.

The truth is, you can probably find a “practical application” in a disco dance, if you look hard enough. You know, all those shuffles are really hidden leg attacks, and the finger-snapping they do is symbolizing bone breaks. Martial artists have this technique called “Oh-we-have-that-too” and the connections are hilarious.

So, who came up with this idea that everything in the FMAs are connected anyway?

Okay, we won’t answer that. I’m tired of not answering nasty email accounts from jerks too cowardly to email me threats from their OWN email accounts, let alone use their real name:

From: “L4928@aol.com” <L4928@aol.com> To: THEKUNTAWMAN@yahoo.com

You can and will be arrested here in the USA as a terrorist for any threat or attack you make on anyone. I have notified the authorities about your internet terrorist threats and you will be dealt with accordingly. Here in America we all have freedom of speech and freedom of religion, if someone says something against you or your religion, so what it is only words. You e-mail account has been traced, and you will be tracked. If you do not like the American way of life then, GO BACK TO YOUR COUNTRY. By the way, I am a Guru in the philippino martial arts, also 3rd black in Kenpo, also 1st black in Lima Lama, also phase 1 instructor in Jeet Kune Do Concepts. Good luck to you here in the USA and remember follow our laws and you will enjoy your stay, however if you act like a terrorist then you will be treated as one, just watch the news and you will see what happens to terrorists who attacks Americans or anyone in the USA.  

I’m sorry to bore you with stuff like that. I just find it really, really funny. Just thought I’d add a little humor to the mix. Back to the subject at hand…     

So, we martial artists can find places where all this stuff is connected by digging and digging and digging for new ways, or we can take the skills we already know within our arts and make them better. It seems that these days, martial artists spend all their time trying to find connections. We can replace our strikes with a cut, replace this hand block with a slap to the throat, and this step with a foot stomp to break his foot at the instep. Then I can put in this elbow destruction from Muay Thai, and then and arm crank, and bite his nose off…. LOL     

I know I pulled a little bait-and-switch with the title of this article, but I just wanted to appeal to your desire to find Filipino Secrets that will help you win fights in ways you can’t find on Youtube or DVD. And to be honest, I can teach it to you. But you have to study from me; I’m not going to put it here on the blog. What I will do is give you strategies and basic techniques to get you on your way. All that “stick is a knife is a machete is a whip” crap is just that–crap. Sorry! Like I said, you can find similarities, but your time is better spent developing fighting skills for exactly that… Fighting. Not demoing neat ways to connect the systems. Not demonstrating how your fist is basically a knife (cause it’s not). Just plain old kicking somebody in the pants so bad, they scream everytime they see a Filipino flag.  

And that–not good grades, or connecting the systems, or killing people with your bare hands–is what the Filipino martial arts is all about… studying and developing the most efficient ways to hurt a man or stop him from hurting you.  

Save all the linking stuff for the folks over at Match.com.  

Thanks for visiting my blog.

Here you will find a poem that was rattled out of me during my second visit to the sisters.  I was helping Sr. Colleen with some tings on her computer and then had the urge to type out a poem.  This is what came of that.  I was not sure what to call it, so I asked Sr. C to look at it and see what see thinks.  I had a title in mind, but I was not sure if I wanted to call it as such.  After she read it, she said to call it “Vocation.”  Oddly enough, that was what I was thinking about calling it before I even asked.  Thus it was confirmed, that was to be the name.  I now leave you to read a poem entitled “Vocation.”

It is not very quiet in her heart so full
There is this tug, this bit of a pull
Something calling to do a little more
Drawing her to see what is in store
Fear trembles from deep within
She has no idea where to begin
There was a visit to come and see
Leaving her now on bended knee
With all of this she is left to wander
Her friends give her much to ponder
In all the moments of her past
Maybe this is what will forever last

It was exactly what I was feeling at that moment in time.  The visit was after the second weekend in Advent, a Monday to Tuesday visit.  As you may notice, in writing creativly is where I find it easiest to express myself.  Maybe God works through me that way.  It is something I have explored the possibility of.  I hope you find something of yourself in what I write, and remember,  don’t be afraid to comment!

I have been compared to a preacher, because of my natural tendency to teach and lecture. I’ve always been that way, even as a child. As the oldest child of my family, I am “Kuya” to everyone around me. Even other martial arts teachers–inlcuding some who are older than I am–call me Kuya, which means “older brother”. For this, I apologize. But you know, this is America (or the internet), and if you don’t like what I write, you can always hit the -back- arrow and go to another website.

So anyway, I was thinking about the Preacher Parable (my last post), and thought about the similarity between people reading my posts and those listening to their preachers preach in the pulpit.

Have you noticed, that although the preacher is preaching about sin in general… you always seem to think he is talking directly to you? In fact, every single member of the congregation believes the sermon is about him, the listener. Why is that?  I can answer these questions with a simple truth about insecurity:

Your weakness speaks the loudest when you are listening to truth.

When every martial artists saw the first UFC, did they not also see himself losing to a grappler?

When you watched Kimbo Slice beat people up in the backyards on Youtube, did you see yourself fighting a guy with his size and aggressiveness?

When you hear thekuntawman putting down FMA training methods without naming styles and people, did you hear him mocking your FMA style?

That’s the funny thing about having good fighting skill and ability. See, toughness on the inside usually gives you thick skin, and that prevents you from becoming easily offended. Ever see a great professional boxer get called out by another fighter? Even if he is being ridiculed and insulted in person by another fighter, the best fighters smile, shake it off, and deep down inside, he can’t wait to get that bootie in the ring. But let me share some deep inside information for you betting men:  if you ever see a fighter lose it in the face-to-face, like the weigh-in… bet on the other guy, cause the one who can’t hold his water is getting his ass WHIPPED!

Why is that? Several reasons.

• First, a man who cannot control his anger will not be able to control his emotions and his concentration when he is fighting. Unless he is just lucky and lands a finishing shot, he will not be able to focus and get the job done.
• If he has skill and knows that his skill will pull him through, he will be more amused at the prospect of being called on the carpet by an inferior fighter. Little bothers him because nothing is a threat. Imagine if a 12-year old boy wants to fight you. Are you going to get mad and duke it out with him? Hope not. Most likely, you will send him on his way, or laugh it off and recommend that he finds someone else to fool with. The man with superior firepower knows that he is no danger and will not waste his time getting upset.

My wife is such a meany. She’s turned on a really funny movie, “I Can Do Bad All By Myself”, and I can’t concentrate. So I’ll let you think about this tiny little bit of information I’m sharing, and we’ll get back to it later.

Thanks for reading my blog.

This is the second of two writings that came from my hands a night or two (do not recall exactly) after my visit the the Salesian Sisters/FMA over Thanksgiving.  It is a poem entitled “I Am Ready For You.”

Jeremiah 29:13 “When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart.”

Oh Lord I did not see
I was not searching as I should
Searching You with all my heart
Now I see that You were there
And in lack of giving all my heart
Blind I did stay, lost in the world
Here, though, a change occurred
I give You all my heart now
Take it and do with it as You please
I earnestly search for You
Actively waiting for Your call in my life
Take me where You will, protect me
You say You are waiting for me
I say I am ready for You, here I am

As you can see, it is based off Jeremiah 29:13.  This was the verse for my first TEC retreat.  Since then, it is the verse that I say often in life.  When I would go for time to pray with Jesus, I would say it when I get there, and when I leave.  For the longest time I had thought I was giving my whole heart to searching for His will for me.  That night in the chapel, it hit me, there was no way in the world I was doing that!  It is a hard thing to do.  Although I am better at it now, it still is difficult.  Remember, give your whole heart to searching for the Lord and He will not abandon you!

Fact: FMA is the Italian name for the sisters.  It stands for Figlie di Maria Ausiliatrice (Daughters of Mary Help of Christians) which was the name Don Bosco wanted for his Religious.  As noted before, in English speaking countries, they are referred to as Salesian Sisters.

This is the first of two writings that came from my hands a night or two (do not recall exactly) after my visit the the Salesian Sisters/FMA over Thanksgiving.  It is a psalm entitled “You Call For Me.”

Lord, you call for me. Help me to listen and to follow You.

Lord, whatever You want.
However You want.
Whenever You want.
Wherever You want.
However much You want.

Lord, you call for me. Help me to listen and to follow You.

My heart is racing
My soul leaps for joy
Your love is in me
In Your arms I belong

Lord, you call for me. Help me to listen and to follow You.

To be Your hands and feet
A beacon of light for the world
To walk hand in hand with You
Filled with such passion and love

Lord, you call for me. Help me to listen and to follow You.

Never has a joy like this entered me
Like a streaming rush of water
A chance to fill an empty hole
To be Your servant, Your bride

Lord, you call for me. Help me to listen and to follow You.

Lord, whatever You want.
However You want.
Whenever You want.
Wherever You want.
However much You want.

Lord, you call for me. Help me to listen and to follow You.

I look at it again and again wondering where it came from.  It is beautiful, which is hard for an artist to say of their own work.  I wish I could fill myself again with whatever feelings of greatness were in me at that moment.  I hope you enjoy!

Fact: In the USA, this religious order I am looking at is commonly known as the Salesian Sisters of Saint John Bosco.  More formally, they are called the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, FMA.

Hello All,

Sorry it’s been a while since I posted we have been very busy working on promoting our KISS Women’s Self-Defense program and we are making some very exciting progress. We will let you know more as we go along.

In this video Sensei Erik Paulson is demonstrating escapes from the clinch. We at Synergy Martial Arts feel that the clinch is one of the most widely adaptable positions in Martial Arts. When you play the clinch with someone has developed their clinch game to a high level it can be very tough to escape. Sensei Erik shows a couple of variations that chain together, chaining together escapes or variations of a technique is a very important skill set to develope.

Watch and enjoy this video and go implement them in your next clinch session.

Shawn

Temple University – IH 0952 ‘Mosaic II’
Video Essay – ‘perfection.’

For my final essay in the Temple Intellectual Heritage (Mosaic) sequence, I decided to venture out and test the waters of animation.  The piece was supposed to combine the concepts of the books and essays we’d read over the semester into one coherent whole.  The texts which influenced this were ‘The Iliad’, ‘The Prince’, ‘Vaccination Against Smallpox’, ‘Good Natured’, and ‘Utopia’ as well as several essays.

The essay focuses on the course’s theme of transcendence, taking a highly satirical look at popular notions of what it means to be physically and socially ‘perfect’.  The style is primarily ‘mockumentary’, aiming to act as an animated representation of a short piece examining perfection as a subject.

Overall, the piece suffers from a lack of time and resources (animated with ball-point pen on computer paper, shot on a consumer digital still camera with incandescent lighting, and drawn out in only two days) as well as my poor and rushed British accent.  Forgiving its very rough exterior (and nearly as-rough interior) I include this as a reference point for my hopeful improvements in the genre of animation.

Temple University – FMA 1142 ‘Media Arts II’
Final Project – ‘2 or 3′

For this assignment, the class was given free reign to create a short 3-5 minute video as a final project for the course.  With ‘taking a different look at religion/faith’ being my personal theme for the semester, I decided to venture out and do a more ambitious narrative piece for this project, with mixed final results.

Conceptually, the video focuses on the struggle of those ‘caught in between’ being strictly adherent to social principles of their faith and interacting with those of other faiths.  This was my first legitimate video shot with more than myself on crew, and with more than one actor on screen at once.

Overall, the short does come off quite heavy-handed, and suffers from a myriad of technical issues, although stylistically it’s a step forward from ‘Cuore di Troculatta’.

Thanks to the actors: Brian Neville, Kurt Ro, Tim Hopper, Wayne Peiffer, and Tom Lelache.  Also, thank you to my creative assistant (and saving grace of this project) Brian Lipko (http://brianlipko.wordpress.com).

Temple University – FMA 1142 ‘Media Arts II’
Midterm Project – ‘On My Walk Today’

This 3-to-5 minute short was created as a midterm project for Media Arts II at Temple University.  For this short specifically, the subject revolved around the idea of appreciating the world on a more intricate level.

The theme for the short came about from a long reflective walk I took during the Spring of my Freshman year at Temple.  I had taken mental note of a few different things I’d noticed as I walked around (and off) campus slowly, and later wrote it out into a short blog, and then an outline for this short.

The footage itself was shot in-and-around my hometown of Stratford, NJ, and focuses in on just a few of the things I saw that fascinated me.  ’On My Walk Today’ is easily the most well-received video I’ve created so far at Temple.

‘The Impressor’ – Infomercial Spoof
Comedy Short

This is a short infomercial spoof I created while studying at Sterling High School’s Video Production program, produced specifically as commercial ‘filler’ for a short cable access program our class created.  The idea was to highlight and lampoon the poor production and outlandish claims made in many infomercial spots.

Although it was shot on a Digital-8 camera and is one of the least-impressive videos I’ve made technically, what I’m proud of with this is the overall quality of the content.  Sending up the more awful/awkward genres of video and film (B-Movies, infomercials, On-Demand productions, and anything made by The Asylum) is one of my favourite past-times, and is hopefully a large part of the videos I place up here in the future.

‘Community. Challenges. Change. Christ in College’
Short Documentary Film (Produced at Temple University)

This was a (moderately) short documentary piece I put together both for a presentation at my church for a College Sunday, as well as for the Christian community ‘Crosswalk’ that I’m a part of on-campus.

The three sections loosely cover some of the important aspects of being Christian on a college campus: creating a sense of community, being challenged in faith, and changing and growing in faith.  It’s the first documentary piece I created while at Temple, and is hopefully not the last, as I am planning to revisit this piece later on.

The interviews were done with students from the Temple University CCO group ‘Crosswalk’ which is run by Tara Atchison.

Temple University – FMA 1141 ‘Media Arts I’
Final Project – ‘Cuore di Troculatta’

We were asked to create a 3-4 minute ‘dream/chase sequence’ video, using no music, covering a checklist of specific shot-types, and utilizing only one preset of dialogue through the entire piece.

This was my first serious and self-produced piece created at Temple.  It was shot on a Canon ZR800 MiniDV camera (including audio) with no other equipment apart from a tripod.  For the quality that it came out, that’s not too shabby (personally, anyway).  With the limitations we were given, it was a great experiment and a good first shot at producing a video short.

Thanks to Justin McGoldrick and Andrew Jones for lending their acting talents and for providing some visual and audio help with this project.