Deadliest Warrior Nick Hughes Interview — The Final Interview
Self-defense training and personal protection expert and former French Legionnaire Nick Hughes shares some more of this thoughts on , combatives, and martial arts in our final chapter of what has proved to be a rewarding as well as informative interview.
Can you really teach someone how not to be chosen as a victim?
We do it in bodyguarding all the time. If I’m taking a client into some hot spot, then we might lower their profile by leaving the expensive jewelry at home, staying out of the five star hotels, dressing like a local etc. Conversely, maybe I’ll beef up their profile and make them look like a hard target.
We can also do it with our houses and cars right? If a house has motion lights, alarms, solid doors and good locks etc criminals are going to pick an easier target. If our car is parked where it’s well lit, valuables are hidden and it’s locked and alarmed crooks will go for the easier pickings the next space over.
SIVA, or how most crime happens
S stands for “selection” which is all about the criminal choosing his target. Doesn’t matter if it’s the right house to rob, the model of car to steal or the person to mug. He must choose a victim first.
I comes next which stands for “isolation.” Criminals don’t like witnesses so they follow you out of the mall, out of the club, and get you away from the safety of the herd.
V is next which stands for “verbal” which is the classic criminal “interview” where they use dialogue to get close enough to launch their attack or, in the case of sexual assault, to shock the victim.
A is last which is the “attack” itself.
Given the recent surge in rape and other sexual assaults this year, what do you think about women’s self-defense training?
There’s better stuff out there now. We’ve come a long way in figuring out how to get people’s heads wrapped around violence and how to deal with it and physical techniques on their own are no longer enough. Marcus Wynne is absolutely mind-blowing for example in the stuff he’s doing…100 years ago they’d have burned him at the stake if they’d seen his material in action.
Any thoughts about your experience on Deadliest Warrior?
I have a couple of grumbles but overall that was an absolutely great experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything. Anytime someone pays you to shoot their ammunition it’s a good day. My only real complaint is that I thought it would be a little more like the Olympics: i.e., here’s the event, compete and may the best man win. Unfortunately it’s a tad more subjective than that but still great fun.
To give you an example they favored the Gurkha’s knife over mine because it was bigger. The doctor claimed with mine you’d have to be more accurate. They seemed to neglect the I was, in the doctor’s words, more accurate and that my blade was moving nearly twice the speed of the Gurkha’s Kukri. I think they got a tad overawed by the Kukri’s reputation rather than its performance.
Still, I don’t think anyone actually watching the show thinks because the panel decided to give it to one team or another that that’s how it would shake out in the real world.
I was pleasantly surprised to see how many of the guys did martial arts. I got to hang out with “Mack” [Machowicz] who Black Belt did a recent article on and pick his brains a little. He’s an awesome guy, very humble and obviously a good martial artist. Geoff Demoulin, the science guy used to train in Ishin-ryu. My counterpart Rastra the Gurkha was a Tae Kwan Do fifth degree. I also met Luke La Fontaine who’s a choreographer and stuntman in Hollywood He’s also a brilliant martial artist who starred in the original Karate Kid among other things.
What are your thoughts about the mania for UFC?
I’m going to answer this in two parts again if that’s ok because I think it’s a bit of a double edged sword. First, I’ll address the art and organization itself and then I’ll give you my thoughts on the attitude that brings them down in my eyes.
On the subject of the actual fights and the organization, etc., I think that is, by and large, a good thing. Along with its forerunner, the early UFC sans weight classes, it has opened people’s eyes to the fact that your deadly kicking art isn’t that deadly and that you’re going to have to learn how to fight at all ranges. I think it’s also been good for school owners’ by raising [the public] awareness of martial arts in general.
On the flip side, I’m less enamored with the overall attitude that I bump up against on many martial arts forums that seems to be fairly pervasive amongst a lot of the MMA practitioners and fans. Before I tackle that let me preface this by saying I admire anyone who trains like a fiend in any discipline and puts it on the line whether that be running, boxing, athletics or formula one driving. If you’re willing to get off the couch and go compete against others I think you’re a badass. I also have my Krav Maga school in my mate’s MMA school and I helped train some of the guys for the early UFC contests so I like and admire guys who practice MMA.
My gripe is that my sentiments aren’t usually reciprocated by the other side. This might be a generalization but the overall consensus seems to be that anyone doing combatives is an overweight camo wearing clown who thinks every fight can be won with an eye gouge; that traditional martial arts don’t work; that they invented the concept of mixed martial arts and that anyone who lists bouncing as part of his resume doesn’t know anything about real fighting because knocking out drunks is easy. Let me address those issues one by one, and again, my apologies to the MMA practitioners who don’t fall into the critical mass.
First, while there are undoubtedly some obese camo wearing fools out there who are living in a dream world who figure fights are easy they are, in my opinion, the exception and not the rule. Dennis Martin in the UK is in his sixties and could leave a lot of twenty year olds in the dust. Kelly McCann has never looked like he’s got an ounce of extra body weight any time I’ve ever seen him. I’m not overweight, none of my students, after they’ve been with me for more than 3 months, are overweight. Lee Morrison in the UK is a machine and none of the above guys has ever said fighting is easy. A ton of my guys train in cross fit when they’re not in class with me and a bunch more are into long distance running etc as add-ons to their training.
Second, as for the fact traditional martial arts don’t work…please. Look, if you think traditional martial arts are what you see in the local McDojo then yes, I agree with you. They probably won’t pass the acid test in a real do but please don’t make the mistake that they’re accurate representations of traditional martial arts. What exactly do you think we were knocking out all comers with when working security for all those years? If you believe the hype of some of the MMA crowd today nobody must have known how to fight before they came along. (Sadly there’s some other instructors with this same naïve attitude outside of MMA circles). Bob Jones, his army of black belts, Gary Spiers, Terry O’Neill, Gavin Mulholland…people like Richard Mrofka etc…all worked doors and dropped all comers with traditional martial arts techniques. As my mate Gavin says “what doesn’t work in [Traditional Martial Arts]? The groin kicks, the roundhouse kicks, the punches, the head-butts, the elbows? What exactly?” There’s probably close on 500 people I’ve knocked out over thirty-plus years of security who you’d have a hard time convincing that traditional martial arts didn’t work.
One of the biggest fights I was ever in was against 18 or so guys in London. I’m happy to mention this one because it can be validated by anyone who wants to track down the Metropolitan Police Constable called Ridley who’s Met Police badge number was #666 (yes, his nickname amongst fellow officers was the beast) who was working out of the Kentish Town police department. He witnessed the entire brawl from start to finish. I sent 3 of them to hospital, injured the rest and didn’t get a mark on me despite the bulk of them being armed (much to the chagrin of the detectives who were having trouble charging the ones they caught with anything due to the fact I had no injuries). I used TMA to do that and people try and tell me it’s ineffective!
Third, as for the fact they invented this concept of striking arts mixed with grappling arts…not so. Look back to the ancient Greeks and Pankration. Look back to Bruce Lee’s book “The Tao of Jeet Kune Do.” Look back to early Zen Do Kai when we were sparring full contact, semi-contact on the ground and standing up. If you don’t believe me there’s a picture of me on facebook and one of the forums where I’m grounding and pounding one of my brown belts and I’m wearing a gi and it’s in the late seventies. All they’ve done differently is televised it and got some sponsors
Fourth, as for the idea that bouncing isn’t that hard as all you’re doing is bashing drunks let me submit the following: One, not everyone we fight is drunk. What about the five guys who roll up to the door who are looking to come inside and begin drinking. They’re not drunk and I’ve just turned them down and the fight is on. What about the guy who’s had one or two drinks and starts causing trouble? He’s not drunk. What about the drunk guy I throw out who comes back the next night with five of his buddies all stone cold sober and armed to the teeth? He’s not drunk. The idea that all we do is whack someone so inebriated they can hardly stand is a complete fallacy.
How about this? Google how many bouncers die every year and then compare that to deaths in the UFC and tell me which one is more dangerous. I counted 700 bouncers who’d died when I looked once.
I’ve boxed professionally, I’ve competed in Judo competitions, Kick boxing matches and shooting matches. I have never been scared entering anyone of those events…ever. I actually think they’re fun. I have, on the other hand, been absolutely terrified working security.
I had a kid telling me one night that I should make my training “realistic” by training the way he did in the MMA. Really? Let me ask you to ponder this. Imagine Dana White changed the UFC and introduced a bunch of UK soccer hooligans to stand around inside the octagon wearing steel toed boots and drinking beer. Their job is to run over and kick anyone in the head as hard as they can who ends up on the floor. How would that change the way UFC fights would look? Would you see anyone voluntarily take anyone to the ground ever again? That’s the environment I used to work in.
Imagine boxing rules changed and title fights were determined by a thirty second bare knuckle match. Would it change the way boxers train? You bet. It would look a lot like the way we train.
As for claims UFC action is the closest thing to a real fight I think it’s about as far removed as you can get. There’s no element of surprise, you actually know weeks or months in advance who you’re up against. Your opponent will weigh the same as you. He won’t be carrying any weapons or bringing his mates with him. You know what rules he’s going to fight by and there will be doctors in attendance to help in the event of an injury and a ref to make sure everyone abides by the rules. How is any of that remotely connected to what happens outside? I’ve been stabbed and slashed 13 times during my career and shot at…I’m not aware of any MMA guys that have to contend with that in the ring.
Again, I’m not dogging what they do. I can’t say enough how much respect I have for the level of training they do and their willingness to compete. I just wish it was a two- way street.
GKZ: Thanks, it’s been a pleasure interviewing you.
Deadliest Warrior Nick Hughes Interview — The Final Interview
Self-defense training and personal protection expert and former French Legionnaire Nick Hughes shares some more of this thoughts on , combatives, and martial arts in our final chapter of what has proved to be a rewarding as well as informative interview.
Can you really teach someone how not to be chosen as a victim?
We do it in bodyguarding all the time. If I’m taking a client into some hot spot, then we might lower their profile by leaving the expensive jewelry at home, staying out of the five star hotels, dressing like a local etc. Conversely, maybe I’ll beef up their profile and make them look like a hard target.
We can also do it with our houses and cars right? If a house has motion lights, alarms, solid doors and good locks etc criminals are going to pick an easier target. If our car is parked where it’s well lit, valuables are hidden and it’s locked and alarmed crooks will go for the easier pickings the next space over.
SIVA, or how most crime happens
S stands for “selection” which is all about the criminal choosing his target. Doesn’t matter if it’s the right house to rob, the model of car to steal or the person to mug. He must choose a victim first.
I comes next which stands for “isolation.” Criminals don’t like witnesses so they follow you out of the mall, out of the club, and get you away from the safety of the herd.
V is next which stands for “verbal” which is the classic criminal “interview” where they use dialogue to get close enough to launch their attack or, in the case of sexual assault, to shock the victim.
A is last which is the “attack” itself.
Given the recent surge in rape and other sexual assaults this year, what do you think about women’s self-defense training?
There’s better stuff out there now. We’ve come a long way in figuring out how to get people’s heads wrapped around violence and how to deal with it and physical techniques on their own are no longer enough. Marcus Wynne is absolutely mind-blowing for example in the stuff he’s doing…100 years ago they’d have burned him at the stake if they’d seen his material in action.
Any thoughts about your experience on Deadliest Warrior?
I have a couple of grumbles but overall that was an absolutely great experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything. Anytime someone pays you to shoot their ammunition it’s a good day. My only real complaint is that I thought it would be a little more like the Olympics: i.e., here’s the event, compete and may the best man win. Unfortunately it’s a tad more subjective than that but still great fun.
To give you an example they favored the Gurkha’s knife over mine because it was bigger. The doctor claimed with mine you’d have to be more accurate. They seemed to neglect the I was, in the doctor’s words, more accurate and that my blade was moving nearly twice the speed of the Gurkha’s Kukri. I think they got a tad overawed by the Kukri’s reputation rather than its performance.
Still, I don’t think anyone actually watching the show thinks because the panel decided to give it to one team or another that that’s how it would shake out in the real world.
I was pleasantly surprised to see how many of the guys did martial arts. I got to hang out with “Mack” [Machowicz] who Black Belt did a recent article on and pick his brains a little. He’s an awesome guy, very humble and obviously a good martial artist. Geoff Demoulin, the science guy used to train in Ishin-ryu. My counterpart Rastra the Gurkha was a Tae Kwan Do fifth degree. I also met Luke La Fontaine who’s a choreographer and stuntman in Hollywood He’s also a brilliant martial artist who starred in the original Karate Kid among other things.
What are your thoughts about the mania for UFC?
I’m going to answer this in two parts again if that’s ok because I think it’s a bit of a double edged sword. First, I’ll address the art and organization itself and then I’ll give you my thoughts on the attitude that brings them down in my eyes.
On the subject of the actual fights and the organization, etc., I think that is, by and large, a good thing. Along with its forerunner, the early UFC sans weight classes, it has opened people’s eyes to the fact that your deadly kicking art isn’t that deadly and that you’re going to have to learn how to fight at all ranges. I think it’s also been good for school owners’ by raising [the public] awareness of martial arts in general.
On the flip side, I’m less enamored with the overall attitude that I bump up against on many martial arts forums that seems to be fairly pervasive amongst a lot of the MMA practitioners and fans. Before I tackle that let me preface this by saying I admire anyone who trains like a fiend in any discipline and puts it on the line whether that be running, boxing, athletics or formula one driving. If you’re willing to get off the couch and go compete against others I think you’re a badass. I also have my Krav Maga school in my mate’s MMA school and I helped train some of the guys for the early UFC contests so I like and admire guys who practice MMA.
My gripe is that my sentiments aren’t usually reciprocated by the other side. This might be a generalization but the overall consensus seems to be that anyone doing combatives is an overweight camo wearing clown who thinks every fight can be won with an eye gouge; that traditional martial arts don’t work; that they invented the concept of mixed martial arts and that anyone who lists bouncing as part of his resume doesn’t know anything about real fighting because knocking out drunks is easy. Let me address those issues one by one, and again, my apologies to the MMA practitioners who don’t fall into the critical mass.
First, while there are undoubtedly some obese camo wearing fools out there who are living in a dream world who figure fights are easy they are, in my opinion, the exception and not the rule. Dennis Martin in the UK is in his sixties and could leave a lot of twenty year olds in the dust. Kelly McCann has never looked like he’s got an ounce of extra body weight any time I’ve ever seen him. I’m not overweight, none of my students, after they’ve been with me for more than 3 months, are overweight. Lee Morrison in the UK is a machine and none of the above guys has ever said fighting is easy. A ton of my guys train in cross fit when they’re not in class with me and a bunch more are into long distance running etc as add-ons to their training.
Second, as for the fact traditional martial arts don’t work…please. Look, if you think traditional martial arts are what you see in the local McDojo then yes, I agree with you. They probably won’t pass the acid test in a real do but please don’t make the mistake that they’re accurate representations of traditional martial arts. What exactly do you think we were knocking out all comers with when working security for all those years? If you believe the hype of some of the MMA crowd today nobody must have known how to fight before they came along. (Sadly there’s some other instructors with this same naïve attitude outside of MMA circles). Bob Jones, his army of black belts, Gary Spiers, Terry O’Neill, Gavin Mulholland…people like Richard Mrofka etc…all worked doors and dropped all comers with traditional martial arts techniques. As my mate Gavin says “what doesn’t work in [Traditional Martial Arts]? The groin kicks, the roundhouse kicks, the punches, the head-butts, the elbows? What exactly?” There’s probably close on 500 people I’ve knocked out over thirty-plus years of security who you’d have a hard time convincing that traditional martial arts didn’t work.
One of the biggest fights I was ever in was against 18 or so guys in London. I’m happy to mention this one because it can be validated by anyone who wants to track down the Metropolitan Police Constable called Ridley who’s Met Police badge number was #666 (yes, his nickname amongst fellow officers was the beast) who was working out of the Kentish Town police department. He witnessed the entire brawl from start to finish. I sent 3 of them to hospital, injured the rest and didn’t get a mark on me despite the bulk of them being armed (much to the chagrin of the detectives who were having trouble charging the ones they caught with anything due to the fact I had no injuries). I used TMA to do that and people try and tell me it’s ineffective!
Third, as for the fact they invented this concept of striking arts mixed with grappling arts…not so. Look back to the ancient Greeks and Pankration. Look back to Bruce Lee’s book “The Tao of Jeet Kune Do.” Look back to early Zen Do Kai when we were sparring full contact, semi-contact on the ground and standing up. If you don’t believe me there’s a picture of me on facebook and one of the forums where I’m grounding and pounding one of my brown belts and I’m wearing a gi and it’s in the late seventies. All they’ve done differently is televised it and got some sponsors
Fourth, as for the idea that bouncing isn’t that hard as all you’re doing is bashing drunks let me submit the following: One, not everyone we fight is drunk. What about the five guys who roll up to the door who are looking to come inside and begin drinking. They’re not drunk and I’ve just turned them down and the fight is on. What about the guy who’s had one or two drinks and starts causing trouble? He’s not drunk. What about the drunk guy I throw out who comes back the next night with five of his buddies all stone cold sober and armed to the teeth? He’s not drunk. The idea that all we do is whack someone so inebriated they can hardly stand is a complete fallacy.
How about this? Google how many bouncers die every year and then compare that to deaths in the UFC and tell me which one is more dangerous. I counted 700 bouncers who’d died when I looked once.
I’ve boxed professionally, I’ve competed in Judo competitions, Kick boxing matches and shooting matches. I have never been scared entering anyone of those events…ever. I actually think they’re fun. I have, on the other hand, been absolutely terrified working security.
I had a kid telling me one night that I should make my training “realistic” by training the way he did in the MMA. Really? Let me ask you to ponder this. Imagine Dana White changed the UFC and introduced a bunch of UK soccer hooligans to stand around inside the octagon wearing steel toed boots and drinking beer. Their job is to run over and kick anyone in the head as hard as they can who ends up on the floor. How would that change the way UFC fights would look? Would you see anyone voluntarily take anyone to the ground ever again? That’s the environment I used to work in.
Imagine boxing rules changed and title fights were determined by a thirty second bare knuckle match. Would it change the way boxers train? You bet. It would look a lot like the way we train.
As for claims UFC action is the closest thing to a real fight I think it’s about as far removed as you can get. There’s no element of surprise, you actually know weeks or months in advance who you’re up against. Your opponent will weigh the same as you. He won’t be carrying any weapons or bringing his mates with him. You know what rules he’s going to fight by and there will be doctors in attendance to help in the event of an injury and a ref to make sure everyone abides by the rules. How is any of that remotely connected to what happens outside? I’ve been stabbed and slashed 13 times during my career and shot at…I’m not aware of any MMA guys that have to contend with that in the ring.
Again, I’m not dogging what they do. I can’t say enough how much respect I have for the level of training they do and their willingness to compete. I just wish it was a two- way street.
GKZ: Thanks, it’s been a pleasure interviewing you.
Self Defense and Smart Phones
Did you ever consider smart phones as part of your self-defense training?
Nearly everyone has a smart phone. They are ubiquitous. They are legal in every state. (At least the last time I checked. Stay tuned for further government interference.) Indeed, some people seem joined to the hip with their smart phones.
They are convenient to carry. They are affordable.
And there’s no doubt that they are useful. You can find your favorite restaurants; where the latest movie is playing; messages in your e-mail inbox. The list goes on and on.
But what do smart phones have to do with self defense training?
Sure, you can always use them to call 911.
That’s obvious. Right?
What else?
Some so-called self-defense experts say you should use your smart phone as a weapon with which to bludgeon your opponent.
How wise is that advice?
True, it may repel your opponent, at least for the short term. But I wouldn’t count on it. It’s going to take more than that to make a vicious criminal cut and run. Worse, you risk destroying your only line of communication to the outside world. What if you can’t outrun or evade your attacker long enough to reach safety?
Instead of thinking of your smart phone primarily as a physical weapon, here is an alternate suggestion to make maximize its defensive capabilities.
I recently came across My Mobile Witness. It’s a free mobile phone service that allows you to snap a picture of a person, place or event and send it to a digital data bank that can be accessed only by law enforcement. That way you and law enforcement have a record of the situation that’s giving you cause for concern.
Clearly it’s useful for real-estate professional, social workers, and healthcare providers who must often go into unfamiliar or isolated buildings and neighborhoods and deal with strangers.
And I suspect it would be particularly valuable for college students, especially co-eds, who may find themselves in uncomfortable situations at frat houses or on Spring Break and the like.
They certainly should be a part of every woman’s self-defense training. Ditto for men.
Whenever in doubt about your physical safety or that of others, call 911 immediately. Don’t underestimate the dangerousness of the situation. Don’t try to be a hero. Let the law enforcement professionals take care of it.
Still, it’s one more tool to consider in your self-defense arsenal. I can’t say that I’ve used it and can report on its effectiveness first hand, but I’m going to let my friends know about it. Definitely worth serious consideration.
Action Martial Arts Magazine Trade Show 2012
Adult martial artists who take self-defense training and combatives seriously had ample opportunity to meet some of the country’s best self-defense and combatives experts and watch them demonstrate their self-defense techniques at the Action Martial Arts Magazine Hall of Honors Trade Show Saturday at the Tropicana Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The gloomy, gray skies and drizzle did not deter hundreds from attending.
Here are just a few highlights from the day’s events….
Grandmaster John Pelligrini, founder and president of the International Combat Hapkido Federation, demonstrated once again why Combat Hapkido is such an effective reality-based martial art.
He pointed out that martial arts must always be based on common sense. Common sense tells you that even the best self-defense techniques will not work on occasion. The problem of failure will always be with us. Sometimes it is the fault of the martial artist. Sometimes it is the skill of your opponent. Sometimes it is circumstances beyond your control that thwart the execution of a technique.
Regardless, each technique must be designed so that there is a Plan B, that is, an alternate technique that will flow more or less naturally from the failed technique. GM Pelligrini, for example, addressed this issue with respect to the basic straight-arm bar technique.
**
Soke Michael DiPasquale also gave an excellent demonstration illustrating the importance of joint-manipulation techniques as a means of controlling and ultimately defeating your attacker. Soke DiPasquale continues to be an advocate for Dr. Philip A. DeFina’s International Brain Research Foundation, Inc. Indeed, his booth served to bring attention not to himself but to the fine work done by Dr. DeFina.
**
Shihan Gary Alexander, founder of the International Association of Martial Arts/Artists and Black Belt Hall of Famer, explained his version of combat karate. Among other useful points, he warned, as do so many experienced martial artists, about the dangers of going to the ground. He said that you want to put your attacker on the ground before he does the same to you.
**
Hanshi George Alexander has moved his headquarters to Philmont, New York. Be on the lookout for his August 2012 Martial Arts Summer Camp.
**
Phil Morris, who starred in the original (and best ever) Mission Impossible series was on hand, looking trim, fit and acting like a real gentlemanly class act.
**
Hank Garrett, the famous actor and comedian, whose performance as Officer Nicholson on Car 54, Where Are You? was unforgettable, was at the show and celebrating more than 50 years as an active martial artist. Like Soke Michael DiPasquale, he is also active in helping veterans.
**
Stay tuned as Adult Martial Artist offers more breaking-news stories from the Action Martial Arts Magazine’s Hall of Honors Trade Show.
Combatives, Hard-Core Aikido, Confucius and Haywire
Combatives expert Michael Janich writes in Black Belt Magazine about the influence and contributions of legendary Vietnam veteran and Hwa Rang Do practitioner Michael Echanis. A contributor to Soldier of Fortune and profiled, if I recollect correctly, in Black Belt Magazine, Echanis is today recognized as a pioneer in hard-core combatives training. Black Belt Magazine recently published The Complete Michael D. Echanis Collection: The Special Forces/Hand-to-Hand Combat/Special Tactics Series, originally published as three separate volumes.
Speaking about combatives, Grandmaster John Pellegrini, founder of the International Combat Hapkido Federation offers readers a short demonstration of Combat Hapkido’s weapons disarms, specifically long firearm self-defense techniques.
Who says Aikido has to be a gentle art? Take a look at this young woman giving an impressive demonstration of aikido tailored for self-defense training. She clearly shows the connection between aikido and daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu.
Law Enforcement Officer Ross Torquato questions the viability of Mixed Martial Arts training for police officers in a PoliceOne.com article, Is Training in Mixed Martial Arts the Right Thing for Your Officers? MMA, argues Torquato, is just too complex to be practicable for police officers. “The physical skills,” he says “needed to win must be simple, based on gross motor movements, learnable in an eight-hour session once a year, and practiced for about ten repetitions.”
Haywire, a film by Steven Soderberg is scheduled for release tomorrow. The action-adventure romp stars MMA champion Gina Carano as covert-operations professional. She’s backed by an impressive cast, including Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum, and Michal Fassbender. The New York Times panned the movie, calling the plot “almost defiantly preposterous and uninteresting.”
Insight from Confucius:
“One who wants something will find a way; one who doesn’t, will find an excuse” Confucius
(Thanks to Master Al Medina, Chief Instructor and Owner of the Bronx Combat Hapkido Club for this quotation. Want to learn real self-defense techniques that work? Check out his school.)
Aiki-Daito Ryu Jujitsu Documentary, Collision Course, Simpler Situational Awareness
Self-defense Training and Combatives: The Legacy of Daito-ryu Aiki-Jujutsu
Self-defense training. Combatives. Call it what you will. Each is indebted to the tradition of aiki-daito ryu jujitsu. Guillaume Erard has collaborated with Olivier Gaurin and Meguma Fukuda last year to produce a documentary entitled Introduction to Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu with Kobayashi Kiyohiro Sensei. A theme of the film is how training in daito-ryu can complement and complete contemporary aikido training. See for yourself:
I can’t recommend Guillaume Erard’s Life in Japan and Aikido Practice too highly. If you’re going to do your martial arts training in Japan, then this site is invaluable and must and his The Traveling Aikidoka’s Guide to Practice at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo is must reading. But even if you’re not, Life in Japan and Aikido Practice is a thoughtful martial arts site executed with a lot of class and style. Unpretentious and informative, its pages host dozens of interviews, videos, pictures, articles, and events. Makes me want to reach for my passport.
••••
Collision Course Combatives
Target Focus Training’s Master Instructor, Chris Ranck-Buhr says you should Collide with Abandon: “Don’t hit. Don’t strike. Collide… You need to think in terms of colliding with the man to break him. A full-bodied, all-bets-off, total commitment of your entire self to crashing through something not rated for that traffic…It’s the only way to make injury the most likely outcome.” Definitely a precept worth taking to heart.
•••
Are You Switched On or Off?
The Paladin Press blog has a short but thoughtful article on situational awareness, Switched On or Switched Off, by retired law enforcement officer and handgun authority Dave Spaulding. Many of us (including me) have advocated using situational awareness models such as Jeff Cooper’s Color Codes or John Boyd’s OODA loop. But Spaulding, while praising the excellence of such models, suggests something simpler: Just ask yourself whether or not you’re switched on or switched off. Worth reading.
Until next time…Train hard, stay safe, live well.
Bruce Lee’s Tao of Jeet June Do: The Expanded Edition (Part 2)
THE NEW EDITION: WHY YOU WANT IT ON YOUR BOOKSHELF
Black Belt Magazine’s expanded edition of Bruce Lee’s Tao of Jeet Kune Do offers numerous improvements over the original edition:
- Digitally enhanced hand-drawn illustrations from Bruce Lee’s notebooks make it easier to understand the principles as well as the techniques of JKD.
- Sidebars offer quotes from Lee that serve to illuminate his philosophy and practice of the martial arts.
- Short commentaries provide invaluable insights from those who knew Bruce Lee well including his widow Linda Lee, his daughter Shannon Lee, Diana Lee Inosanto (daughter of Bruce Lee’s close friend and disciple, the ever popular Dan Inosanto), Yori Nakamura and Richard S. Bustillo.
HOW TAO OF JEET KUNE DO MAKES YOU BETTER A MARTIAL ARTIST
The Tao of Jeet Kune Do will not turn you into an overnight martial arts master. As Bruce Lee himself pointed out, “the martial arts are based upon understanding, hard work and a total comprehension of skills. Power training and the use of force are easy, but total comprehension of all of the skills of the martial arts is very difficult to achieve.”
Yes, Bruce Lee’s private notebooks will teach you the basic concepts and principles behind the art of Jeet Kune Do.
But it will teach you so much more.
“The Tao of Jeet Kune Do has no real ending. It serves,” as editor Gilbert L. Johnson observes, “instead as a beginning.”
THE TAO OF JEET KUNE DO: A STATE OF MIND
The Tao of Jeet Kune Do will teach you why mindset is just as important as technique, why philosophy without practice is useless and practice without philosophy is blind. JKD is ultimately a way of thinking not just about the martial arts but about life as a whole. It is not a mere compilation of techniques but a path to self-development and personal growth. Yes, it is about bujutsu but even more importantly about budo.
Jeet Kune Do is the enlightenment. It is a way of life, a movement toward willpower and control, though it ought to be enlightened by intuition.
Bruce Lee brought philosophical depth and breadth of vision to the martial arts. He roused martial artists from their dogmatic slumbers and blind adherence to empty traditions.
He read widely. He knew his Confucius, Lao Tzu and Buddha. He read widely in modern and contemporary philosophers such as Spinoza and Krishnamurti. He reflected carefully on what he read and made it his own. His philosophy and his practice of the martial arts formed an integral whole.
Like the notebooks of Aristotle, Leonardo DaVinci and Nietzsche, Bruce Lee’s notes will always be subject to interpretation and reinterpretation and even misinterpretation.
So, too, the writings of martial arts masters like Miyamoto Musashi and Sun Tzu.
As Gilbert L. Johnson points out, “There is no right way to read the Tao of Jeet Kune Do. The divisions of the books are meant only to facilitate, not dictate, understanding the message of the book.”
Linda Lee, makes a similar point when she says the Tao of Jeet Kune Do was intended to be “a record of one man’s way of thinking and as a guide, not a set of instructions.”
The bottom line?
There will never be a definitive, once-and-for-all interpretation of any of the Tao of Jeet Kune Do.
It is hard to imagine that Bruce Lee would have wanted it any other way.
WHY EVERYONE SHOULD READ THE TAO OF JEET KUNE DO
If you are a veteran adult martial artist, then you already know why every martial artist should read the Tao of Jeet Kune Do. Precisely because there will never be a definitive interpretation, Bruce Lee’s work will serve to refresh and reinvigorate your martial arts perspective and practice.
If you are beginning adult martial artist, then Tao of Jeet Kune Do is even more of a must read. The sooner you read it, the better a martial artist you will be. You’ll find it will help to separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to martial arts and self-defense training.
Wherever you are in the martial arts community, whatever your martial passion, you want to get your copy of the expanded edition of Bruce Lee’s Tao of Jeet Kune Do.
And, don’t forget…
Absorb what is useful, discard the rest.
The Main Event
Action Martial Arts Magazine Trade Show 2012
Adult martial artists who take self-defense training and combatives seriously had ample opportunity to meet some of the country’s best self-defense and combatives experts and watch them demonstrate their self-defense techniques at the Action Martial Arts Magazine Hall of Honors Trade Show Saturday at the Tropicana Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The gloomy, gray skies and drizzle did not deter hundreds from attending.
Here are just a few highlights from the day’s events….
Grandmaster John Pelligrini, founder and president of the International Combat Hapkido Federation, demonstrated once again why Combat Hapkido is such an effective reality-based martial art.
He pointed out that martial arts must always be based on common sense. Common sense tells you that even the best self-defense techniques will not work on occasion. The problem of failure will always be with us. Sometimes it is the fault of the martial artist. Sometimes it is the skill of your opponent. Sometimes it is circumstances beyond your control that thwart the execution of a technique.
Regardless, each technique must be designed so that there is a Plan B, that is, an alternate technique that will flow more or less naturally from the failed technique. GM Pelligrini, for example, addressed this issue with respect to the basic straight-arm bar technique.
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Soke Michael DiPasquale also gave an excellent demonstration illustrating the importance of joint-manipulation techniques as a means of controlling and ultimately defeating your attacker. Soke DiPasquale continues to be an advocate for Dr. Philip A. DeFina’s International Brain Research Foundation, Inc. Indeed, his booth served to bring attention not to himself but to the fine work done by Dr. DeFina.
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Shihan Gary Alexander, founder of the International Association of Martial Arts/Artists and Black Belt Hall of Famer, explained his version of combat karate. Among other useful points, he warned, as do so many experienced martial artists, about the dangers of going to the ground. He said that you want to put your attacker on the ground before he does the same to you.
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Hanshi George Alexander has moved his headquarters to Philmont, New York. Be on the lookout for his August 2012 Martial Arts Summer Camp.
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Phil Morris, who starred in the original (and best ever) Mission Impossible series was on hand, looking trim, fit and acting like a real gentlemanly class act.
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Hank Garrett, the famous actor and comedian, whose performance as Officer Nicholson on Car 54, Where Are You? was unforgettable, was at the show and celebrating more than 50 years as an active martial artist. Like Soke Michael DiPasquale, he is also active in helping veterans.
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Stay tuned as Adult Martial Artist offers more breaking-news stories from the Action Martial Arts Magazine’s Hall of Honors Trade Show.
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