Thursday, November 8, 2007
Dojo Rats Are Everywhere!
They're everywhere... basements, old buildings, garages, out in the woods. They're Dojo Rats! They scurry about in their unkempt ways, just below the radar and out of the public eye-- but boy, can they scratch and bite! And they generally have a ton of fun while they go about their business, their strength in the casual disarray of their activities.
I picked this video of Bobbe Edmonds for these reasons. These Dojo Rats are working on serious training in an informal setting, music in the background, and I'll bet there's a cooler of beer there somewhere.
Edmonds may just out-Dojo Rat me even. His website, "Thick As Thieves" -Lost In Space, Drunk As A Skunk--is hilarious. Here he describes his website:
"I am, in no particular order, an IT professional, a martial arts instructor, a beer connoisseur, and afflicted with Yellow Fever (i.e. I love Asian Chicks). This blog consists of Martial Arts, Sci Fi/Horror, Political Rants, Humor and the occasional DEEP THOUGHT. You will need a background in Lovecraft, Chili Peppers, MST3K, The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Kung Fu Fighting and Disco Music to understand what I’m doing here. And even then you will probably leave with your head spinning like that chick from the Exorcist."
The guy is a talented martial artist and is pretty damned funny also. On the video's I reviewed, his crew goes through some serious training, and has a blast doing it.
Go on over and check out Edmond's site: "Thick As Thieves", it's well worth the visit.
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2 comments:
Damn right we're everywhere.
But I prefer the term "Dojo Bum," courtesy of my late taiji instructor, John "Sifu Gumbo" Angelos.
As he explained it, a Dojo Bum is the martial arts world's equivalent of a beach bum, dive bum, surf bum, ski bum, etc. We're guys who live for martial arts and our daily jobs are a necessary evil we endure to support our hobby.
He was also inspired by Jack Kerouac's "The Dharma Bums," which is also my favorite Kerouac book.
I've trained in back yards, parks, the woods, garages, basements, you name it.
My JKD and Filipino Tribal Arts instructor used to jimmy the lock to the weight room of his apartment complex so we could practice there after hours.
Later, we took over a vacant apartment in his building for training. As long as we didn't trash the place, the landlord didn't care.
When I was 16, I bullshit my way into joining a karate club at a local college by pretending to be a student. Hey, $25 a semester was cheaper than the going rate of $40 a month at a commercial dojang. Money was a big consideration for a teenager working minimum wage.
When my instructor found out I didn't go to the college, he allowed me to stay. He was impressed by the lengths I went to to learn and I was close to my black belt anyway.
But warned me not to let one of the assistant instructors know because that instructor was a campus cop and I could have been arrested for trespassing.
I've also hooked up with other practitioners through the internet and through a local free newspaper. The latter is also how I met my wife, but that's another story.
So DR, keep spreading the word -
WE'RE EVERYWHERE!!!
H2H:
Here here, my brother!
I will tip a Friday night beer for you, Dojo Bum!
Cheers, D.R.
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