Thoughts on Military Hand-To-Hand Training

Navy Harbor Patrol Boat

I've had permission from Billy Parker, currently stationed with U.S. Navy Harbor Patrol in Bahrain, to post part of our exchange on Martial Art training at a military level:
(Bill):
Hi,
I am extremely interested in your approach to joint locking. I believe what you guy's are doing is fantastic! I am in the military and currently overseas. I wanted to refine some of the locks that I have been teaching, but have gotten a lot more out of your videos than just refining. Where are you guy's located? And do you have more???
I teach my own system that I put together after I got frustrated with blind minded people. I am prior Taekwondo, Karate, and Aikijujutsu guy. However non of my instructors ever wanted to seem to be practical about their material. They just wanted to teach me everything. So I went along with that for the first 12 years off my life since I started. Now I have plugged and chucked a tone of stuff, and am trying to gain more practicality for real world application to the techniques. I have tossed a lot of the old methods and techniques. I teach military colleagues, so it has to work or not at all.
What do you think, do you have any more material floating around out there I can get my hands on?

(John @ Dojo Rat):
Much of the locking we do comes out of the Small-circle jujitsu system of Wally Jay and his son Leon Jay. My training partner trained with Leon Jay and George Dillman. We have somewhat reinterpeted it (locking) now through the softer internal arts like Tai Chi Chuan, where it is called Chin-Na.
You can look at other video's we have done by clicking on my video channel on youtube, or go through the archives at our website dojorat.blogspot.com.
Thanks for writing, let me know if you have other questions and you can find my e-mail dojorat@gmail.com at the website also.
Thanks, John @ dojorat
P.S.-- I was first trained in Tae Kwon Do, then Kenpo and Aikido, now mostly Tai Chi Chuan and Bagua -- but in the end, it's all the same!

(Bill):
So you said you participated in Kenpo, are you referring the Ed, Parker System? And also I really like what you said about
it's all the same. That is a statement that I have been preaching since I began doing Ju Jutsu after I quit practicing Taekwondo.
So I understand the importance of getting out there with an open mind, and then realized the similarity in all of the systems.
Thanks for the references, take care!
-Bill

(D.R.):
Hi Bill,
I'm an old hack now, pushin' 50. I got my TKD black belt in '84 (second two years later) and my third dan in Kenpo in 97 I think. It was a Hawaiian Kenpo style developed by Bill Ryusaki, I trained under his style in Washington state. I think Parker Kenpo is a better system, and I truely wish I had trained under his students.
Meanwhile, we have to fight with the system we have, not the system we would like to have (ha, I just had to throw a Donald Rumsfeld quote in there for you!)
I would like to hear more about your training with other military guys. Would you like to write up a short summary and send it to me? We could put it up on dojo rat if you are interested!

(Bill):
Training with the military has been a fun experience and an eye opener. Back in the United States at your
local Karate school the experience is I would say soft in most places. Here everything is made to be as
realistic as it can be. The Navy originally taught us basic JuJutsu based arm locking and wrist control. As
time has passed they moved into Mechanical Advantage Control Holds, or the MACH system. Again more
Jujutsu based technique. And then I have my background in both traditional Jujutsu and a little bit of Brazilian
that I have picked up from my colleagues here. But training with the military is a great way to learn real solid
skills because of both the serious atmosphere and the demand to make sure you don't mess up due to the
fact that I may actually have to use it a regular basis compared to back home where you may only have to
use it once in your life. But for us here we feel that Jujutsu is the most practical and most appropriate martial
art for us.
Back to the Kenpo, and I really like your Rumsfeld quote! Good stuff there! I have not had solid experience
in Kenpo, but when I am out of the military I am going to find a school and pick it up. I really enjoy the philosophy,
theory, and mechanics of the system. Ed Parker system is my favorite. I enjoy Jujutsu, and I like locking. But I
am ready to start something a little different and continue with the serious self defense systems. I am not a fan of
fighting in the ring or competition at all actually. The Japanese Kanji symbol for MARTIAL has two symbols together.
The first means to STOP and the other is CROSSED SPEARS. So in true essence of the original meaning, martial art
actually means to Stop conflict. Not the art of inducing it. It's not about the fight and it's not about fighting. It's about
being able to stop the fight and move on. That's why MMA cannot use traditional systems without mixing. Because
they are abiding by the opposite idea. MMA is not Martial Arts. Also that is a great theory on why Brazilian Jiujitsu is
so effective in the MMA cage, because it does not have the same background as the traditional asian methods whos aim
was to be hand in hand with justice. Bringing rightousness to fruition.
*Other thoughts: Opposite of popular belief, the martial arts are not purposed for the ring,
for glory, or for fame. If you partake of these ideals they immediately dilute who you are
and what you are capable of. Pulling your punch is one of the worst harms you could ever
do to yourself. In the military It's hard to conduct randori amongst ourselves well, because
we don't pull strikes. So that's why we train in other ways, much like the old way of Karate
during the Japanese occupation of Okinawa utilized the striking of stones, boards, bricks,
and tile. Long before it was turned to sport. Well, we still break today, but it's not the mind
that they used to have. It has a different purpose, and if you don't have proper focus and
character, your Karate will not be used the way it is meant. Much the reason Americans
generally say TKD and Karate don't work. As for the true philosophy of the martial way,
it works.
Thanks for writing me back!
Take care, Bill
--------------------
An interesting exchange!
Thank you Bill for your thoughts on Martial Arts in the military, and thank you for your service!

As requested I won't post Billy's military (.mil) e-mail address so there is no hassle for him, but if you would like to contact him please use this e-mail address navy_recon@yahoo.com

MTV Warns About Martial Law

Well, this ongoing theme of Martial Law coming to the United States just doesn't want to go away. In a previous post "Prelude To Martial Law?", we saw that the first of several Army Infantry Brigades has been assigned duty here in the United States. This is against the Civil War era Posse Commitatus Act and has never happened on American soil. This comes right in time for the most serious financial meltdown since The Great Depression and as a historic election is about to occur. Congressman Brad Sherman says on video that Congress was recently threatened with martial law.
Now I see that MTV is bringing this cautionary message to America's youth, and I think this is good.
Come on kids! Rock the vote and keep what's left of United States Democracy!

The Deadliest Man Alive

The British newspaper "Telegraph" has featured a three-minute snip of Floyd Webbs documentary on John Keehan, aka "Count Dante". It's a great little preview with action shots and historical background on the outlandish and carismatic Karate master. I am really bummed there is no embed included in the video so I can post it here directly, but here is the headline and the link for the video:

Cinelan Documentaries: The deadliest man alive
John Keehan, aka Count Dante, was the “crown prince of death” - a respected karate master, voodoo priest and martial arts promoter made famous through comic book ads offering the secret of the Dim Mak Death Touch.
--Video Link Here

And here is the link to Floyd Webbs website, "Searching For Count Dante"

** And for people who are wondering who the hell "Count Dante" was, and why he is promenently featured at the top of the Dojo Rat Blog, Here is "Of Dante and Dojo Rats"...

Low Pass - "Mopping The Eyebrow"

This is a technique taught to us by Tim Cartmell and is out of the Sun-style Bagua system.
The idea is to circle away from the power of the hook punch, striking at the face or eyes with the free hand. The opponent's punch is passed low and fed into your free arm. Try to root the person in and down, begining to turn his body with the arm drag. Then use the forearm to smash into the jaw and/or cheek, turning the head. This is the key; if the head turns, the body turns. Step to your rear and circle the opponent to the ground, with your knee smashing the ribs and your palm pushing his head into the ground. Many other options occur here.
You should start with a circle moving away from the power, circle the arm down and across, circle the opponent's head, and circle to your rear for the takedown. Circle, circle, circle.
This technique is called "Mopping The Eyebrow".

Thief Throws Down Challenge

Alleged Des Moines burglar challenges victim to fight; winner takes all
REGISTER STAFF REPORTS • October 8, 2008

A man who is alleged to have taken another man's property from his house in a recent burglary has challenged the victim of the crime to a fight, Des Moines police are reporting this morning. The winner takes all.
Seymour Gray, 66, of the 1100 block of 13th Street in Des Moines, told officers a man broke into his house last week and took two laptop computers, a desktop computer, a fax machine, VCR and some tools.
Gray said he knows who did it. He added that the man called one of his relatives and admitted taking the items from the house.
Police said in a report that the thief will give the property back only if the Gray challenges him to a fight. The alleged thief told police whoever wins would get the stuff.
The burglar has a 10-year age advantage. But that still puts him in his mid 50s.
No arrests have been reported. The case has been turned over to detectives for further investigation.

(D.R.)-- Who says there's no honor among thieves...

Chin Na Defense Against Grab

Here again are Dojo Rats Brown Dragon and Zacky Chan demonstrating a nice Chin na defense against a lapel grab. As described, this technique requires a training partner with flexable shoulders, or serious damage can occur.
This technique can also be found on page 135-136 of "Practical Chin Na", by Zhao Da Yuan and Tim Cartmell. The Chinese name for the technique is ""The Precious Pestle Is Quickly Turned". No kidding. I'm not sure Zac will like being refered to as a "precious pestle".
None-the-less, we perform the technique here pretty much as described in "Practical Chin Na", except we have a keg of beer in our Dojo. Be careful with your training partner on this one, as there is serious potential for damage to the shoulder and elbow.

The Power Of The Front Kick

Don't try this at home kids!
It just shows that the leg is more powerful than the brain that's using it...