Flow In Groundfighting

You fellow Dojo Rats out there know that I'm a nut for flow drills. Give-and-take, a little rough, but at a pace where skills become drilled into our "reptile brain". I am also adverse to over-reliance on groundfighting, especially in a hostile or group environment, but we have to prepare for the possibility as many fights end up on the ground.
With that said, here's a great example of "flow" in groundfighting. Nice pace, nobody attempts a submission, lots to experiance and learn in a generally injury-free session.
In the heat of the "Bus Station Jujitsu" video, I thought we'd look at a little grappling.

Karate-ka Protest In Jakarta

Indonesian karate athletes stage rally in front of Malaysian Embassy

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Hundreds of Indonesian karate athletes staged a demonstration in front of the Malaysian embassy here on Wednesday, demanding a transparent legal process over a recent physical assault by four Malaysian police against Indonesian karate referee Donald Luther Kolopita in Kuala Lumpur.

The demonstrators were members of the Indonesian Karate Federation (FORKI), Inkai (Indonesian karate-do Institute), Inkado (Institude of Karate-do) and Wadokai Institute.

Some protesters carried a banner demanding Malaysia to apologize for the brutality conducted by its security personnel.

Secretary General of Inkai Hermawan Sulistyo, who is also known as a political observer, in the rally said the Malaysian Government must apologize officially to the Indonesian Government.

A number of Indonesian youths also joined the rally. A similar rally was also held in front of the Malaysian Consulate, in Pontianak, West Kalimantan.

In Friday night`s incident in Kuala Lumpur, karate referee Donald Luther Kalapita was physically assaulted by four Malaysian police officers without cause and later he had to be taken to a hospital for the injuries he had suffered.

Kolopita, an Indonesian referee who was in the neighboring country for a karate competition, said he was beaten up and kicked in a police car even while he was handcuffed. "I was helpless as I was hit and kicked in the pit of my stomach, chest and abdomen," he said upon his arrival at Soekarno Hatta airport on Monday.

On Tuesday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said nobody could force Malaysia to apologize for the incident in which the Malaysian police brutalized the Indonesian referee.

"About why they don`t apologize to Indonesia, you (journalists) can, of course, not force the Malaysian government or police to offer an apology in a case like this. Because, in my view, the readiness to apologize (for a wrong one has done) is really part of one`s personality," the President said after receiving Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato Syed Hamid Albar, Malaysian Police Chief Tan Sri Musa Hasan and Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia Zainal Abidin.

In protest against the brutality, Indonesia withdrew from the scheduled karate event.

The President said the Indonesian government appreciated the Malaysian government`s responsibility and commitment to legally process the case in the sense that sanctions would be imposed on whoever was guilty of wrongdoing.

"I certainly appreciate (Malaysia`s) commitment because, after all, it is a quite serious case, an inappropriate and excessive thing has happened. Therefore, I want the law and justice upheld. This is what I conveyed to the Malaysian foreign minister and police chief," he told the press after the meeting.

Jujitsu In Action

I'm trying this on a different video display, so we'll see how it works. Here is some Brazilian Jujitsu in action. The security guard at the Denver Greyhound station gets some guy on the run and chokes him out.
Two things about this:
1. The guy uses very effective techniques for the situation, he submits the guy and his back-up handcuffs him. Perfect use for this type of jujitsu.
2. it appears to me that the suspect actually goes out, unconscious. There are some serious liability issues here, if that's what happened. The only revival technique he attempts is slapping him on the back. There have been many cases where cops have done this to people, some of who never revived. I'm curious what others have to say.
--All in all, a skillful demonstration of Brazilian Jujitsu...

UPDATE: See Bob's post at Striking Thoughts, He has more detailed info on the Blood Choke.
--I still think a company may be open to liability issues anytime someone is Knocked out, even if it does less harm than beating the crap out of them...

UPDATE #2: Here's what Rick from "Kicks Boxes" had to say:
"I saw the video. It looks like the security guard put the choke on pretty deep.

To be honest, I've never had to revive someone from a choke. (In our class we're not to proud to "tap out" long before it goes that far.)

However, my guess is that the usual Energetic Revival wouldn't work very well in bringing someone back from a blood choke.

The "knockout" of a blood choke comes from the physically stopping bloodflow to the brain, while an Energetic Knockout comes from disrupting a person's chi energy.

I believe the best method for resuscitation from a choke can be found in Wally Jay's Small Circle JuJitsu book. On page 54 he demonstrates sitting an unconcious victim up with your knee between his/her shoulderblades and then pulling up from beneath the breast as you push forward with your knee. You then push back down as you straighten your leg.

I believe that this would help to restore circulation.

However, I think the security guard is in a rough spot here. If he starts doing an elaborate revival, he's likely to attract even more attention to the fact that the guy was "out." (I'm not sure that his use of force was warranted in this situation and I imagine that it wouldn't be in his best interest to make the knockout look any more obvious .)

He was probably just anxious to get that guy (semi-concious or not) away from the crowd.

Thanks for asking.

Respectfully,

Rick"

(D.R.): I learned the same "knee in the back, lifting to expand the chest" revival from Leon Jay, but that was more for when breathing had actually stopped. I'm not sure about the "Blood Choke" revival.

Movie Review: "Bounce"

Well, I just finished watching this, so I should write this review while it's fresh on my mind.
"Bounce" looked so good in this trailer, I went ahead and spent $12.99 to buy it on Amazon. Believe me, I'm not disappointed. "Bounce" is a collection of interviews and nightclub scenes with high-profile Bouncers in Manhattan and London, and is a fascinating study in human nature. The documentary ranges from the hopes and dreams of young and middle-aged toughs, who would otherwise probably be mob enforcers, to the musings of legendary British doorman Lenny "The Guv'ner" McLean. The men often appear to be caricatures of themselves, larger than life bravado that hides deep scars and some pathological character flaws. For instance, Jordan Moldonado revels in the raw violence, and is filmed encouraging his infant children to fight each other. As I said, pathological. Bouncer twins Frank and Mike Demaio finish each other's sentences and operate in a "hive" mentality. No doubt these guys are tough, but they are clumsey and have trouble tossing a football. In fact, the fight and gym scenes display no specialized fighting skills, just raw power, size and intimidation. Only one man, bouncer and women's make-up artist Homer Cook is a martial artist, and his demonstration of skill was marginal at best. Two stand-outs are the British men, Lenny McLean and Alan Crosley. McLean passed away shortly after his autobiography became a bestseller in England and his appearance in a Hollywood movie. McLean is the absolute picture of the proper British doorman, polite but ready to snap and kick ass. Crosley looks like he was in the Royal Marines, and quotes the Bible and Kipling while wielding a Bowie knife.
Perhaps the most endearing character is Terence "Black Prince" Buckley. Buckley still lives with his adoring Mom, has a fifteen-year-old son, and is the success story in the movie. Many scenes follow him as he prepares for an interview with security specialist Eric Mojica and hopes to land a job with his firm.
Bounce is a raunchy look at nightclub life and the guys that make the rules. For all their flaws, most of the guys are very likeable, and refer to themselves as "people persons". I really liked the show, and intend to pass it around to my fellow Dojo Rats, it's well worth the $12.99 I paid for it!

One Inch Punch Documentary

Here's an interesting documentary on the "one inch punch". Interestingly, this is the only punch where the bottom two knuckles in a vertical fist are used. I think the technique is basicly an extension of the "fa jin" in the internal arts.

Coming up next: my review of the documentary "Bounce" as detailed in a previous post. I'm watching it right now, and it's pretty amazing...

One For The Aikido Guys

Here's some Randori at Tim Cartmell's Shen Wu Dojo. Tim's system teaches the internal arts-- Bagua, Tai Chi Chuan and Hsing-Yi, as well as Brazilian Jujitsu. The pace at which they practice is excellent for learning and a generally injury-free training session.
Here is a fine example of flow work in stand-up grappling. After one or two attempted techniques, the opponent's hand is seized and Meynard begins to apply Sankyo. He reinforces it by barring across the tricep tendon (TW 11-12) and completes the takedown.

More On Animal Attacks

One of our fellow Dojo Rats commented on the Bear attack post:
Hand2Hand said...
Like I told another poster to this blog, not all self-defense situations involve humans or weapons. This article shows that.
I had to fight off a pit bull that attacked my new Rottweiler puppy last summer. If not for my training, I'd have been burying my dog.
It's just a shame that the laws about carrying weapons are so draconian in some parts of this country. Those laws don't deter criminals or wild animals - only law abiding citizens.
Thank God that man wasn't attacked by a bear in some state like Connecticut, New York or New Jersey. Otherwise, he'd be in a jail cell for carrying a weapon.
I guess lawmakers in those states would rather have honest citizens get killed than be able to defend themselves.

(D.R.) Well, I haven't wrestled an Aligator or swam with the Sharks, but I have had a few run-ins with animals.
I had to help an old girlfriend move back up from Delhi, California to Portland years ago. I had taken the Greyhound and hitch-hiked down. I found her house, packed her up and we were ready to come back. At the time, I was training for testing and tournament fights, so I took a long run through the Almond orchards one afternoon. As I ran by one farm, I kid you not, three big farm dogs came tearing up the road after me. At first I ran faster, but they kept coming and were closing in. All I could do was turn around and take a stance and let out a HUGE Ki-Ai, to show fighting spirit. The dogs skidded to a stop, and turned around yelping and ran back to their farm. Man, you should have seen me smile! I had the same experiance in a residential neighborhood years later, and the same thing happened.
Now, as far as big, big animals go, I have worked with cattle and horses without trouble. But one time, when I was younger I was building a cabin in the coast range of Oregon and a Bull Elk with two cow Elk came right up on me. My friend had a near goring by a Bull Elk a couple of years earlier, in rutting season they are known to chase people. I positioned myself near a tree, and I couldn't think of doing anything else but singing. So I started singing some song, which I can't even remember now. Well, music did soothe the savage beast and the three elk listened for a minute or so, then tromped off. Later I read that a guy in some Nordic country Ki-ai'ed so strongly, He made an attacking Moose feint. I guess singing worked ok for me. Now, here's a whole different type of animal attack:

Published: Sunday, August 19, 2007 | 1:04 AM ET
Canadian Press
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) - An Australian woman was killed by a pet camel given to her as a 60th birthday present after the animal apparently tried to have sex, police said Sunday.
The woman, whose name was not released, was killed Saturday at her family's sheep and cattle ranch near Mitchell, 600 kilometres west of the Queensland state capital Brisbane, state police Detective Senior Constable Craig Gregory said.
The 10-month-old male camel - weighing about 150 kilograms - knocked the woman to the ground, lay on top of her, then exhibited what police suspect was mating behaviour, Gregory said.
"I'd say it's probably been playing, or it may be even a sexual sort of thing," Gregory said, adding the camel almost suffocated the family's pet goat by straddling it on several occasions.
Camel expert Chris Hill said he had no doubt the camel's behaviour was sexual.
Hill, who has offered camel rides to tourists for 20 years, said young camels are not aggressive, but can be dangerous if treated as pets without discipline.

Sorry Rats, I couldn't resist...

Hell Of A Knife Fight!

Thanks to James Keating at Majak

Knife saves hunter from angry bear
Man wounds animal, escapes with cuts and broken limb

Elise Stolte
The Edmonton Journal


Friday, August 17, 2007


EDMONTON - A man armed with a machete-style hunting knife suffered serious injuries to his arms and a leg as he fought off an angry bear near Grande Prairie on Wednesday evening.
The man was checking an area for the upcoming deer hunt when he walked between the mother bear and her three cubs.
The encounter happened near a creek in a farm field near the agricultural hamlet of Grovedale, 20 kilometres south of Grande Prairie.
A man working outside heard cries for help and called the fire department around 9:30 p.m.
Grande Prairie RCMP Const. Leanne Beattie said the man stabbed the bear three times with the large hunting knife before it took off.
The man had bite marks and scratches and appeared to have at least one broken limb. "That's good condition, considering," Beattie said.
"He ended up unintentionally cutting between the mom and the cubs, and as a result, mom got a little upset and went after him."
Smith described the man as in his 30s, about six feet tall with an average build. He was a stranger to the area.
After the attack, the man walked almost a kilometre back to the road. Despite his injuries, "he seemed all right," said Grovedale volunteer fire Capt. Troy Smith.
By the time the man was put into an ambulance, it was too dark to search the bush for the bear, Beattie said. Several Fish and Wildlife officers returned to the field Thursday in search of the wounded animal.
Officials aren't certain if it was a black bear that attacked the man. Black bears are more common than other species in the area, Beattie said.

estolte@thejournal.canwest.com

© The Edmonton Journal 2007

The World Of The bouncer

Uh-oh... off on another kick. This time Bouncers. I never worked professionally, but one time I was doing security with some guys at a huge multi-keg and music party. My partner threw some poor guy through a plate glass window. I'd say he over-reacted. Of course, the cops came, because it was a rented public building, and it kinda put a damper on the whole party. Bouncers have tough, dangerous jobs, and mostly it is about control and keeping the peace.
I've written about this before, but I knew a guy that managed a nude dance bar in a rough neighborhood in Portland. One night, two young gangsters got into it with some locals and my manager friend and the owner grabbed the gangsters and "escorted" them out. In front of the bar, there was some shoving and bad talk. The older gangster told the other one "Do it, do it!" The kid pullde out a .32 pistol and shot my friend in the thigh. He was able to hang on to the guy and handcuff him to a street post until the cops came. Later in jail, a mistake was made, and they let the guy out by accident. They combed the streets and found him and re-arrested him later. My friend recovered and was just fine. Mind you, these guys (the owner and manager) had no fight training what-so-ever. Pretty risky stuff.
I am going to see if I can get this movie on NetFlicks, it looks pretty damned good.

"Bouncer"--

The Rat has returned! I'm back from my "Tour of duty" over at TDA Training, and had a blast. Thanks to Nathan and all the other guests!
I am however still recovering from the ordeal, and I think We'll just sit back, sip a cool one and watch a great short flick. This one is from British TV, it's called "Bouncer". There's some harsh language, but it is pretty good -- and has a suprise ending. Enjoy!

Ouch!

Whoa! What happened to Dojo Rat?
How do astronauts use a toilet in space?
If we didn't evolve from primates, then why do we have a tailbone?

For the answer to these and other important questions, go over to TDA Training, where I will be guest Blogging August 15-17... See ya there!

OK Fellow Rats, Lets Try Stillness

All you fellow Dojo Rats out there; if you are interested, let's try an experiment. While we all are all into active movement for our workouts, I have been fascinated by the Yi Quan system that holds static postures. My only experiance with this is from "Warriors of Stillness", by Jan Diepersloot, which gave me many good training tips. Formosa Neijia turned me on to this site, a guy who is in Bejing studying Yi Quan with some high-level masters. I love his writing and experiance in China. I have been holding combat postures off and on, but usually only for ten to fifteen minutes. These guys hold postures for thirty minutes on each side and then go to combat training. From what they say, you can't believe how energising the feeling is from this training. I have never pushed it that far, but I intend to give it a try. I would really like to hear from readers that are willing to try this or who have done it in the past. What is your "Breakthrough Point"? How long can you stand? The key is to relax as much as possible. We are not training fast-twitch muscles, it is the stabilizer muscles that this practice trains.
What do you think? Have you tried it? Come on, let us know!

Fake Kung Fu Monks Nabbed!

(image unrelated)

China: Bogus martial arts masters nabbed
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BEIJING -- A dozen Chinese teenagers have been caught in a failed plot to sneak into Canada by masquerading as kung fu masters from the famous Shaolin Temple, state media reported Friday.

The 12 had no martial arts experience but joined a team of genuine kung fu performers from a school in Henan province, also home to the 1,500-year-old temple, that was leaving for a tour of Canada, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

They had paid up to $90,000 each to a human smuggler, or "snakehead," and two coaches from the martial arts school who often accompany students on trips abroad, Xinhua said.

The teenagers, ages 17 to 19, had a one-day training session at a hotel on June 24 to learn the basics of the art of Chinese lion dancing, Xinhua said.

The group was stopped less than a week later while trying to enter Hong Kong after border guards' suspicions were aroused, but the report did not give any details.

Xinhua quoted a policeman in Changle, a city in eastern China's Fujian province from which the alleged bogus kung fu masters originally came, as saying the Shaolin Temple had been an innocent victim of the conspirators.

"The Shaolin Temple had nothing to do with it," Xinhua quoted the officer, identified by his surname, Wang, as saying.

The teens and the two coaches were detained and returned to Fujian for interrogation, the agency said. The snakehead was arrested Monday after six weeks on the run.

The Shaolin Temple has fought hard against those it sees as exploiting its name for martial arts schools, performances, movies and consumer products.

In recent years, it has set up a corporation, Henan Shaolin Temple Industrial Development Ltd., and trademarked the names "Shaolin" and "Shaolin Temple."

Let's All Take A Deep Breath...

Whew! After that last video We all need a cleansing, so let's relax and learn from Sam Masich a very simple self-massage that is used for high blood pressure and heart ailments. It looks like it would be great for getting rid of a tension headache.
Sam Mashich is one of the most talented martial artists I have had the pleasure to meet, and I hope to train with him again.
Over at Formosa Neijia, our friend Jose de Freitas has composed a lengthy and well-researched scientific study of the meridians and inherent bioelectricity. Please jump over and check it out, it fits well with the Qi Gong (chi-kung) theme of the day.
--Now, doesn't everybody feel better?

A New Low

Warning: Violence And Harsh Language

Well, once again I have surfed the primordial ooze of the Internet, and emerged with the fetid stink of a video that just won't wash off.
Why post this crap? Good question. I almost didn't. But just as the droppings of the Indonesian Civet Cat are made into the most expensive coffee in the world, we may find a simple truth in the garbage heap that is this fight. At least the fight between Ray and Jorge in the pervious post was run respectfully by the Kimbo Slice crew. This one has a title that says it all- "Felony Fights".
This is a shining example of what UFC has done to the martial arts. In it's exemplary brilliance it clearly shows how contemporary fighting systems have lost their dignity, composure and sense of righteousness. Young people watching and emulating this behavior today aquire martial skills while circumventing the aspects of self-development, cooperation and structure. Rather than peaceful Asian tones associated with meditation, these video's always use out-of-control head-banger anger music. Watching this video is experiancing the self-disgust of fascination with a car wreck. The UFC has brought about a sea change of martial innovation, much of it is simply for the worse.

Back To Bare-knuckle Boxing

Ray VS. Jorge: The Rematch
This fight is a rematch between Ray, who is running with the Kimbo Slice crew, and George (Jorge) who is listed as being trained by Eric "El Tigre" Castanos. I posted the video of their first fight several months back, but it has now been removed from YouTube and is no longer available. In the first fight Jorge, who is fifteen pounds lighter than Ray, won the fight with superior conditioning. He got the best of Ray, who simply couldn't continue further. I won't spoil the ending of this one...
Despite the nature of the fight, both fighters show respect and sportsmanship, with no animosity. Coming up next: A fight of a more violent nature...

Wing Chun Dummies

Traditional Techniques

Non-traditional MMA Wooden Dummy Workout

Bob over at "Striking Thoughts" and I have been trading ideas about the Wing Chun Dummy. The link to Striking Thoughts shows Bob giving his wall-mounted dummy a good thrashing. I really want to build one of these things, but it will be made of a log from my woods. I am thinking about mounting it on a car or truck coil spring embeded in concrete. This would give it just a little bit of movement to keep it lively. My training partner Corey has been to Ron Ogi's personal training room in his house in Hawaii. Ogi inherited some Dummies from James DeMile, a few of which were used by Bruce Lee. There was a variety of machines, custom built. Some had mechanical arms that you "broke" and then re-set. Some were very stiff, others moved like clown toys. All of them had a specific purpose, to train a specific technique or body part.
The first video above is a traditional use of the Dummy. The second is of a MMA fighter adapting the Dummy for his style of training. He is really working on leg conditioning. I think it would be great to just go nuts on one of these things!
There's a Blog out there, "woodendummycentral" by a guy in England. He hasn't posted since December, so I don't know if he called it quits. He does have a few good posts and links if you want to check it out.
UPDATE: The link above for woodendummycentral may no longer be active--D.R.

The Difference Between Sticky-Hands And Push-Hands

Freestyle Sticky-Hands

Freestyle Push-Hands

OK, I promise this is the last Emin Boztepe video I will put up, his ego is starting to get to me finally.
Here are some of the differences between Wing Chun Sticky-Hands and Tai Chi Chuan Push-Hands: Sticky-hands is mostly about hitting, Push-hands is mostly about grappling. This reflects the nature of both arts.
While it's somewhat inappropriate to criticize a master who could surely kick my ass, let's examine Emin's posture: Notice how he carries himself with a high center of gravity. He is strong and powerful, easily overwhelming his students. But notice how his root is light, and during the punching sequences he even arches his back and leans back slightly. If his hands weren't so fast, a good grappler would take advantage of his light root.
Now, not to compare with the great Emin, but the second video is me and my friend doing some push hands. Push Hands is much more of a grapling art. My friend has a much better root than myself, and uses it well. Some Tai Chi people are simply too rooted, and barely move, while I find myself moving around a little too much. I too, have to work on keeping my weight downside.
The other thing I see in Emin's Sticky Hands is this: His opponent's carry their elbows high and to the outside. Ron Ogi (Via James DeMile, via Bruce Lee) had us keep our elbows down and close to our centerline, with bridging arms extended. Once you raise your elbows to the outside, you loose your centerline protection. That's one way Emin dominates his opponents.
Ultimately, I don't see how a stronger root could fail a hitter. I think that is one thing that practicing Bagua stepping patterns may help improve; a solid yet mobile root, elusive yet with rooted hitting power.
I'll try to work on a sticky-hands video clip when all the crazy summer activity settles down.

August: Cute Hippie Chick Of The Month

Ah, yes; it's August and that means it's time for "Cute Hippie Chick Of The Month". Poor girl, these guys are so mean!
As always, the usual disclaimer is no offense intended to Hippies or cute people.