Martial Virtue

2009-04-20T11:12:00.010-04:00

Seminar with Guro Tony Marcial

United Modern Arnis recently hosted a 4 hour seminar with Guro Tony Marcial. The seminar was informative and great fun. It was good to see some familiar faces as well as some new ones.

After the training, Tonys students and United Modern Arnis students came back to my home for some good food and conversation. Here are some pics.

2008-12-15T11:40:00.003-05:00

TRAPPING

I was asked by a dedicated student recently about trapping. He wanted to know where to find a good DVD on the subject. We have, in our library, a some works that touch on trapping, and wooden dummy practice. We also include trapping in our classes as I have JKD in my background, however this student would like to do more, as well as do some research on his own. I recommended that he look for works by 3 or 4 people who I know are very good.

I have found that "trapping" is not all that different than "baiting" in modern arnis. In both there needs to be a close in terms of distance, intent, proper body position/footwork, flow, and a knowledge of body mechanics. In fact, is this really very different in any style that includes closing the gap? Well, of course there is the element of trapping in and of itself, whereas in some styles the close is simply to strike ballistically, and not necessarily to trap per say.

Having said the above, it should be apparent that there is an overlap, or connection in most styles. Most styles have their forte or area of specialization, but there will be an overlap/connection with many other styles.

I was once asked to teach a group of aikido students some of the knife work that we train in Filipino styles. They were shocked at the speed and movement of the practice. After the class, I put the knife down and asked them to disregard the outfit I was wearing and look at just the empty hand movement. I could see the light go on for them. They saw that the movements knife vs knife were the same empty handed. We then talked about the fact that it is all the same. Sometimes the only thing that changes is the intent.

Back to trapping; in boxing there is something called the fend, or parry. If we change the intent from simply slipping the punch or causing the other person to miss, to actually attempting to immobilize the attacking arm with forward pressure toward their center, we have trapping.

My intention here is not to discuss the different ways to set up or find a trap, it is simply to address the fact that trapping occurs, or can occur regardless of style. It is a very useful tool that will enhance ones ability exponentially.

Train well.

2008-10-26T15:02:00.004-04:00

I received this forward from a friend....

McCain Gets My Vote!
National Review Online ^ | October 24, 2008 | Charles Krauthammer
Posted on Friday, October 24, 2008 3:00:01 PM by RetiredArmy

I’m for the guy who can tell the lion from the lamb.
Contrarian that I am, I’m voting for John McCain. I’m not talking about bucking the polls or the media consensus that it’s over before it’s over. I’m talking about bucking the rush of wet-fingered conservatives leaping to Barack Obama before they’re left out in the cold without a single state dinner for the next four years.
I stand athwart the rush of conservative ship-jumpers of every stripe — neo (Ken Adelman), moderate (Colin Powell), genetic/ironic (Christopher Buckley) and socialist/atheist (Christopher Hitchens) — yelling “Stop!” I shall have no part of this motley crew. I will go down with the McCain ship. I’d rather lose an election than lose my bearings.

First, I’ll have no truck with the phony case ginned up to rationalize voting for the most liberal and inexperienced presidential nominee in living memory. The “erratic” temperament issue, for example. As if McCain’s risky and unsuccessful but in no way irrational attempt to tactically maneuver his way through the economic tsunami that came crashing down a month ago renders unfit for office a man who demonstrated the most admirable equanimity and courage in the face of unimaginable pressures as a prisoner of war, and who later steadily navigated innumerable challenges and setbacks, not the least of which was the collapse of his campaign just a year ago.

McCain the “erratic” is a cheap Obama talking point. The 40-year record testifies to McCain the stalwart.

Nor will I countenance the “dirty campaign” pretense. The double standard here is stunning. Obama ran a scurrilous Spanish-language ad falsely associating McCain with anti-Hispanic slurs. Another ad falsely claimed McCain supports “cutting Social Security benefits in half.” And for months Democrats insisted that McCain sought 100 years of war in Iraq.
McCain’s critics are offended that he raised the issue of William Ayers. What’s astonishing is that Obama was himself not offended by William Ayers.
Moreover, the most remarkable of all tactical choices of this election season is the attack that never was.
Out of extreme (and unnecessary) conscientiousness, McCain refused to raise the legitimate issue of Obama’s most egregious association — with the race-baiting Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Dirty campaigning, indeed.
The case for McCain is straightforward. The financial crisis has made us forget, or just blindly deny, how dangerous the world out there is. We have a generations-long struggle with Islamic jihadism. An apocalyptic, soon-to-be-nuclear Iran. A nuclear-armed Pakistan in danger of fragmentation. A rising Russia pushing the limits of revanchism. Plus the sure-to-come Falklands-like surprise popping out of nowhere.

Who do you want answering that phone at 3 a.m.? A man who’s been cramming on these issues for the last year, who’s never had to make an executive decision affecting so much as a city, let alone the world? A foreign-policy novice instinctively inclined to the flabbiest, most vaporous multilateralism (e.g., the Berlin Wall came down because of “a world that stands as one”), and who refers to the most deliberate act of war since Pearl Harbor as “the tragedy of 9/11,” a term more appropriate for a bus accident?
Or do you want a man who is the most prepared, most knowledgeable, most serious foreign-policy thinker in the United States Senate? A man who not only has the best instincts, but has the honor and the courage to, yes, put country first, as when he carried the lonely fight for the surge that turned Iraq from catastrophic defeat into achievable strategic victory?

There’s just no comparison. Obama’s own running mate warned this week that Obama’s youth and inexperience will invite a crisis — indeed a crisis “generated” precisely to test him. Can you be serious about national security and vote on November 4 to invite that test?
And how will he pass it? Well, how has he fared on the only two significant foreign policy tests he has faced since he’s been in the Senate? The first was the surge. Obama failed spectacularly. He not only opposed it. He tried to denigrate it, stop it, and — finally — deny its success.
The second test was Georgia, to which Obama responded instinctively with evenhanded moral equivalence, urging restraint on both sides. McCain did not have to consult his advisers to instantly identify the aggressor.

Today’s economic crisis, like every other in our history, will in time pass. But the barbarians will still be at the gates. Whom do you want on the parapet? I’m for the guy who can tell the lion from the lamb.

— Charles Krauthammer is a nationally syndicated columnist.

2008-10-24T13:39:00.004-04:00

I recieved this from a Viet Nam Veteran Friend.....

who is very well read, and educated.
I have also read the following in multiple places.

Did you know this?

Question: What is America 's first line of missile interceptor defense that protects the entire United States ?
Answer: 49th Missile Defense Battalion of Alaska National Guard.

Question: What is the ONLY National Guard unit on permanent active duty?
Answer: 49th Missile Defense Battalion of Alaska National Guard.

Question: Who is the Commander in Chief of the 49th Missile Defense Battalion of Alaska National Guard?
Answer: Governor Sarah Palin, Alaska

Question: What U.S. governor is routinely briefed on highly classified military issues, homeland security, and counter terrorism?
Answer: Governor Sarah Palin, Alaska

Question: What U.S. governor has a higher security clearance than either candidate of the Democrat Party, and John McCain as well?
Answer: Governor Sarah Palin, Alask.

According to the Washington Post, she first met with McCain in February, but nobody ever found out. This is a woman used to keeping secrets. She can be entrusted with our national security, because she already is. Now you know too, please, pass it on. Commander of the: 49th Missile Defense Battalion of Alaska National Guard

2008-10-20T11:29:00.004-04:00

More thoughts on the upcoming election

I have included the below link to the Mike Huckabee show with Joe "the plumber". This clip illustrates a few more reasons why I do not trust Barack Obama. I also consider his inexperience with only two or three years in the Senate. It was recently pointed out to me that someone close to me lives the life he does ""because of Unions", and Obama supports Unions. My question is, how do you know what Obama supports with so little time in the Senate and so little work, comparatively.

In answer to a comment to an earlier post; if there were any real relationships that were questionable with John McCain the Dems would have played it up in the liberal media. Neither party would let something like that go without releasing the hounds.
It comes down to trust and experience, and of course Faith. I have none of these in Barack Obama. I have some of these in John McCain.
Let me also repeat, I like Sarah Palin better than Joe Biden. What a good sport appearing on SNL. No Fear.

Check out this link, and the woman from Canada. Just copy and paste it:

http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?maven_referralObject=3155866&maven_referralPlaylistId=c985e69916535a2170b2b18ab0ab7eb60401f9bb&sRevUrl=http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/19/joe-plumber-discusses-life-changes-media-target/

2008-10-17T11:35:00.002-04:00

This From Fox News Bill O'Reilly

There is an interesting debate among Republicans. Some want Senator McCain to go scorched-earth Wednesday night against Barack Obama, hammering him on William Ayers, ACORN, and even Reverend Wright. People in this camp want a brawl.

Other Republicans believe that kind of exposition would hurt McCain, as the press would spin the attacks as desperation and racist, that kind of stuff. Remember, Independent voters, especially women, are the ones who will decide the race.

Already a group supporting McCain, but not associated with him, is letting it fly in a TV ad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barack Obama seems to have different values from most Americans. His supporters put up Cuban flags with the murderous leftist Che Guevara in Obama's campaign offices. Obama's campaign received $33,000 in illegal donations from Palestinians living in the Middle East. A top official of the terrorist group Hamas endorsed Obama's campaign. And who can forget these hateful sermons from Obama's pastor of over 20 years?

REV. JEREMIAH WRIGHT: God damn America.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our Country Deserves Better PAC is responsible for the content of this ad.

RelatedColumn Archive
Last Presidential Debate of 2008Presidential Election Home StretchHow About Some Fairness in the Campaign?John McCain Gets Angry, Kind ofPresidential Race Getting PersonalFull-page Talking Points Archive

Video
Watch Talking Points Watch Pinheads & Patriots Show Info
Airs M-F at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET
E-mail the Show: oreilly@foxnews.com Bill O'Reilly's Bio Talking Points Archive Interview Archive Signed Copies of 'The O'Reilly Factor' Book (END VIDEO CLIP)

Also, a full-page ad urging debate moderator Bob Schieffer to ask about Obama's income redistribution plan appeared today.

Now, "Talking Points" believes McCain should ask Obama about his past associations to define the issue. Clearly, that is why McCain feels a guy like Ayers, for example, is important.

But there's no doubt in my mind that McCain must make points on the economy if he hopes to win, and not complicated policy points. The senator needs to be somewhat emotional and dramatic. He needs to feel the pain Americans are feeling.

As for Barack Obama, he simply has to keep his composure and restate his points. All he has to do is prevent McCain from making him look foolish. A debate tie would be great news for Obama.

With two and a half weeks left in the race, John McCain needs to state one solid message, and that message should be that he will avenge the folks for the economic corruption both on Wall Street and in government. He will right the wrongs and deal with the betrayal people are feeling. That's it. That is the only thing that will turn things around for McCain.

"Talking Points" made that suggestion last week, but the McCain campaign did not respond. Since that time, however, a number of people at McCain events have told the senator face to face he needs to confront the villains.

Yes, Ayers is a villain, but that was a long time ago. Some current villains are still sitting in plush offices on Wall Street and Capitol Hill. Those are the people McCain should concentrate on.

And that's "The Memo."

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com

2008-10-16T22:32:00.002-04:00

The Upcoming Election

Just some quick thoughts. Most have probably been mentioned by someone at this point.

I think that it is vitally important to take into consideration the history, record, experience and character of an incumbent.
Barack Obama has some concerning relationships, ties, affiliations, or whatever one wants to call them. To attempt to persuade people that he had no idea that his pastor of 20 years held the ideas or beliefs that have been brought to the fore is insulting. How does ones relationship with his pastor of 20 years not affect someone at their core?
His acquaintance with a domestic terrorist is deeply concerning. There is so much that is deeply concerning, that to imagine that someone like him could be running this country is frightening.
I don't believe, for one minute, that he will support our second amendment rights. I believe that if he could, he would re write the Constitution.

John McCain has a long history of fighting for his country in. He has many years of experience in government.
I believe that he does support our second amendment rights and believes in the Constitution as it was intended and written.
He does not have, or at least it has not been brought to the fore, the types of concerning relationships that Obama has.

Whether you like them or not, one of them will be running our country. I trust what I know of John McCain much more than Barack Obama.
I also like Sarah Palin more than Joe Biden.

I believe that the safest, most experienced, most trustworthy person with the better record is John McCain.

Again, just some thoughts........

2008-08-15T13:44:00.002-04:00

United Modern Arnis recently hosted founder of Marcial Tirada Kali, Guro Tony Marcial. Guro Tony is very open, friendly, approachable, and very highly skilled. These were some of the comments from those in attendance.

Guro Tony covered footwork, body position, knife, single stick, empty hand, takedowns and groundwork.
He is very fast, and accurate, and has an ease in his teaching and explanations.

The seminar began with basic movement and footwork and built on that foundation. Once people were comfortable with the basics of Marcial Tirada Kali, Guro Tony built up to using footwork for speed, evasion and tactics. He then added stick work and knife work. After the standup portion Guro Tony move into takedowns, locks and controls.

After the seminar the group got together at the hosts (that's me) home for some good food, conversation and camaraderie. Like family, we look forward to haveing Guro Tony back soon.

2008-04-20T20:23:00.002-04:00

United Modern Arnis commercial

As mentioned in a previous post, we have finished the first four in a series of United Modern Arnis training/instructional DVD productions. Below is a "short" that we have produced as an introduction to United Modern Arnis. This is also one of what will be a series.
It is always good to work with a professional. The Producer/Director is Matt Lamphere who can be reached at www.mattlamphere.com or www.defensecraft.com.

2007-12-23T19:46:00.000-05:00

The First Series

We, at United Modern Arnis, have recently finished the first in a series of professional video productions with the invaluable help of Matt Lamphere. Matt can be found at http://www.defensecraft.com/ or http://www.mattlamphere.com/. Matt brought colleague Bill Bednarick and they made a great team.

It was a long two and a half days and could not have been completed without the dedication and commitment of students Steve Hartono, Chris Bender, Brett Barton, Andrea Ratulowski, Scott Reilly and Dave Williams, and of course, the support of my family who thought the whole process was way cool!

As long as the days were, it was a fun and rewarding experience.

The projects that we completed, or are in the editing phase, included Banda y Banda, Exploring Rompida, Disarms and Variations, and the Eight Empty Hand Anyos of Modern Arnis. The titles are still being worked out as the editing is being finished, and I have to write the credits. The projected date of completion is February 1st. I am very excited to see the finished product!

We have other projects planned and I am looking forward to working with Matt again. He was very organized and professional. There is much to be said for strategic alliances.

2007-11-30T15:54:00.000-05:00

What follows is an article written by Londale Theus about the OODA Loop.

THE OODA LOOP

aka the Boyd Cycle

The significance of the Observation-Orientation-Decision-Action cycle was first note during the mid 1970's by John Boyd, a young captain in the US Air Force assigned to study air to air combat during the Korean conflict.

American aviators were especially successful in Korea, achieving a 10 to 1 kill ration against their opponents. Why?

The first possibility John Boyd considered is that the Americans simply had better planes. But, as it turned out, by most measures of aircraft quality, the American F-86 was inferior to its Korean War opponent, the MiG-15. The MiG-15 could climb and accelerate faster and turn quicker than the F-86. Nevertheless, the F-86 had two advantages over the MiG-15. First, its pilot could see out better. Second, it had quick, high powered hydraulic controls, and the MiG did not. This meant that, although the MiG could perform many individual maneuver activities- turning, climbing, accelerating- better than the F-86, The F-86 could switch from one activity to another much more quickly than the MiG.

Using these two advantages, American pilots developed tactics that forced the MiG into a series of maneuvers. Because the pilot of the F-86 could see how the situation had changed and could switch faster to another activity, at each maneuver the F-86 gained a beat on its opponent. With each switch, therefore, the MIGs responses were less appropriate to the situation, until they were so inappropriate that the MiG was exposed to destruction. Often it appeared that the MiG pilot realized what was happening to him and panicked, which made the American pilot's job all the easier.

John Boyd then turned to ground combat to see if circumstances paralleled those of the air war over Korea. He found a similar pattern. ONE side presented the other with a sudden, unexpected challenge or series of challenges to which the other side could not adjust in a timely manner. As a result, the side with the slower response was defeated, and it often defeated at a small cost to the victor. Moreover, the losing side was frequently materially stronger than the winner and, in many cases, the same sort of panic and paralysis the MiG pilots had shown in Korea seemed to occur.

What do the winners in these cases have in common? John Boyd's answer is that they consistently went through the OODA Loop, sometimes called the Boyd Cycle, faster than their opponent and thereby gained a tremendous advantage. By the time their opponent acted, they were doing something different. With each cycle, the slower sides actions were less apt and they fell farther and farther behind. This is what happened in many of history's most decisive battles.

Hannibal went through the OODA Loop faster than the Romans and Cannae and won one of history's greatest tactical victories. The Germans beat the French in 1940 and the Japanese beat the British in Malaya in 1942 because they went through the OODA Loop faster than their opponents. In some of these cases, a single, sudden action was enough. In others, a series of Boyd Cycles was required. But in every case, the critical competition was in time and the faster side won.

Most athletes, amateur as well as professional, know from experience that this ability is often the key to victory.

To say that the Boyd Cycle is important is not to say that it is everything. In some real time competitions, material factors predominate. In sports, the ability to out hit, outrun, and outlast your opponent usually trumps over observing and orienting skills. Advantages similar to strength, foot speed, and stamina are provided in wartime by a nation's personnel pool and its industrial, technological and logistical base. As Napoleon Bonaparte observed, "God is on the side of the big battalions."

I would also add that in many real time competitions, frame of mind is extremely important. Winners have grit. In battle, grit means physical, moral, and intellectual courage. In sports, it means the will to win. Again, as Napoleon observed, "In war, the morale (mental) is to the material (physical) as the ratio of six to one."

In war, one of the most effective strategies combines offensive operations with defensive tactics. By this I mean taking a defensive position that threatens the base of your opponents, thereby forcing them to attack a prepared position or to withdraw ignominiously. If your opponents attack, they often expose themselves to destruction in the form of a well timed counter attack. As in war, it is easier to defend a given position than to attack it successfully. (by Dr. Fred Thompson)

I believe that the OODA Loop takes place in almost everything we do. Sometimes it is not a conscious act, but is there none the less.

Train smart, train well.

2007-09-24T10:38:00.000-04:00

Ok. Time to catch up. In the past 3 months my father in law passed away, a friend of our eldest daughter had 2 lung collapses in separate incidents, my wife and youngest daughter were in a car accident (no injuries), our middle daughter moved away to college, our eldest daughter was in an accident (with injuries), our middle daughter moved back from college to attend closer to home (we're good with that) and we're having to deal with an insurance company regarding one of the accidents. Neither of the accidents were our fault, the other people were cited. All this and both of us working and trying to run a business as well.

No pressure here. None.

I can see the light though. We are all healthy and whole. I am thankful for that.

On the educational side, I learned a few things in terms of spontaneous pneumothorax (collapsed lung not due to an injury). It has been statistically borne out that tall, thin body types who are first born are susceptible to having "blebs" or small blisters on the top of their lung fields, which tend to pop spontaneously. In addition, once there is one spont. pneumo., there is now a 25% greater chance of having a second one. If there is a second one, there is now a 50% chance of having a third. On the prevention side, there is procedure whereby they go in and "clip" the "blebs" and suture the area, apparently preventing a future spont. pneumo.. Interesting stuff.

On Labor Day weekend, I went to an annual camp called Water and Steel. It is a multi discipline martial arts camp on Raft Island on Puget Sound. It is hosted by Kelly Worden. Gorgeous area. I trained with some old friends and made some new ones. I met a producer/director and 3 stunt men from L.A.. What a great group of people. No chest beating, just great training at a very high level, some of the highest in the country. I have already e-mailed with the L.A. guys who have sent me pics of some of their work, and gave me a list of some of the movies that they were in, or produced and directed. I also met a great tattoo artist from Alberta, Canada named Bear Lamont. The bottom pic is of (from L. to R.) Myself, Bear, Dave (a friend who went with me). The middle pic is a group shot on the dock, where we trained a few times. The top pic is a shot from the same dock. You can just see Mt. Rainier on the horizon. I also had a BLAST, in general, but also with a group of Canadians who we shard a cabin with, and many who we trained with. The laughs were side splitting. I look forward to next year.

2007-08-06T12:03:00.000-04:00

PLEASE READ

A friend of mine was an M60 gunner in the Navey and served in the Persian Gulf. His then Master at Arms Cheif had a son who was about 9yrs old at the time. This young man is now in his mid 20's and a sniper with the 1-91st Airborne Cavalry. His name is Nick and in the above pic he is front row, third from the left. I believe his spotter is same row 2nd from the left. Partly beacuse of this connection, my friend has started a thread at the below link. He is sending MOAB's (mother of all boxes) regularly to help support these fine soldiers. I have the privilege of contributing. I could go into all the latest activities and missions here, but if you'll go to the site and read the thread, you can see for yourself. It is awesome to get up to date info. on what is going on over there that does not make the evening news. You can see pictures of the platoon and read what they are up to and where your contributions go. Every penny, or item, goes directly into supporting these guys. It is heartwhrenching to read when one of them is injured, or killed, which have both happened. They are on a 15 month deployment. I would encourage those interested in supporting our troups to go to this site and do so. If you can't figure it out, leave me a message and I'll guide you through.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=593882&page=1

2007-08-06T11:49:00.000-04:00

FUNNY, INTERESTING

(A FRIEND SENT THIS)

Don't know who wrote this - but it's GREAT !!! Maybe it's time for Bush to do just this - let's face it, he's pretty much finished as an effective President thanks to a 3% approval rated Congress that is doing everything it can to make life miserable - and a media that won't let up. Let me repeat that ... a 3% Congress !!

BUT, if he were to do this, he could go out 'in a blaze of glory', so to speak - and Americans would understand simply because we ALL LOVE a fighter - regardless of political affiliation. Look at Truman, he went out with lower poll ratings than Bush, but is respected to this day as one who "Walked the Talk".

Personally - I'd LOVE it if Bush did just this - but then, as in the closing statement ... we'd have Pelosi, and that scares me even more ...

Regardless, it's a GREAT read - the author makes some extremely poignant observations, so even if you hate Bush, it's absolutely worth reading the entire "speech".

The speech George W. Bush COULD give: Normally, I start these things out by saying "My Fellow Americans." Not doing it this time. If the polls are any indication, I don't know who more than half of you are anymore. I do know something terrible has happened, and that you're really not fellow Americans any longer. To all that are listening, you know "who you are", and to others, you also know "who you are not". I'll cut right to the chase here: I quit.

Now before anyone gets all in a lather about me quitting to avoid impeachment, or to avoid prosecution or something, let me assure you: There's been no breaking of laws or impeachable offenses in this office, contrary what the liberal blogs and biased media wish. The reason I'm quitting is simple. I'm fed up with you people. I'm fed up because you have no understanding of what's really going on in the world. Or of what's going on in this once-great nation of ours. And the majority of you are too damned lazy to do your homework and figure it out. Let's start local. You've been sold a bill of goods by politicians and the news media. Polls show that the majority of you think the economy is in the tank. And that's despite record numbers of homeowners, including record numbers of MINORITY homeowners. And while we're mentioning minorities, I'll point out that minority business ownership is at an all-time high. Our unemployment rate is as low as it ever was during the Clinton Administration. I've mentioned all those things before, but it doesn't seem to have sunk in, nor is it every reported by the media. Despite the shock to our economy of 9/11, the stock market has rebounded to record levels and more Americans than ever are participating in these markets. Meanwhile, all you can do is whine about gas prices, and most of you are too damn stupid to realize that gas prices are high because there's increased demand in other parts of the world, and because a small handful of noisy idiots are more worried about polar bears and beachfront property than your economic security. We face real threats in the world. Don't give me this blood for "oil" thing. If I were trading blood for oil I would've already seized Iraq's oil fields and let the rest of the country go to hell.

And don't give me this 'Bush Lied; People Died' crap either. If I were the liar you morons take me for, I could've easily had chemical weapons planted in Iraq so they could be 'discovered.' Duh!!

Instead, I owned up to the fact that the intelligence was faulty. Let me remind you that the rest of the world thought Saddam had the goods, same as me. Let me also remind you that regime change in Iraq was official US policy before I came into office. Some guy named ' Clinton ' established that policy. Bet you didn't know that, did you? Of course not, it's not in the 'fair' media's interest to report that FACT!! You idiots need to understand that we face a unique enemy. Back during the cold war, there were two major competing political and economic models squaring off. We won that war, but we did so because fundamentally, the Communists wanted to survive, just as we do. We were simply able to outspend and out-tech them. That's not the case this time. The soldiers of our new enemy don't care if they survive. In fact, they want to die. That'd be fine, as long as they weren't also committed to taking as many of you with them as they can. But they are.

They want to kill you and your loved ones. Most ironic, yet somewhat satisfying, is knowing that the Hollywood "types", who are the first to condemn our actions against these rabid fanatics, would be the first to be executed simply because of their 'licentious and adultrous behavior' which goes directly against the beliefs of these 'Jihadists' and their corrupted beliefs. And know this, the bastards are all over the globe. You should be grateful that they haven't gotten any more of us here in the United States since September 11. But you're not. That's because you've got no idea how hard a small number of intelligence, military, law enforcement, and homeland security people have worked to make sure of that. When this whole mess started, I warned you that this would be a long and difficult fight. I'm disappointed how many of you people think a long and difficult fight amounts to a single season of 'Survivor'. Instead, you've grown impatient. You're incapable of seeing things through the long lens of history, the way our enemies do. You think that wars should last a few months, a few years, tops, or 44-minutes of uninterrupted Law & Order to see the crime solved. Making matters worse, you actively support those who help the enemy. Every time you buy the New York Times, every time you send a donation to a cut-and-run Democrat's political campaign, well, dammit, you might just as well FedEx a grenade launcher to a Jihadist. It amounts to the same thing. In this day and age, it's easy enough to find the truth. It's all over the Internet. It just isn't on the pages of the New York Times or on NBC News. But even if it were, I doubt you'd be any smarter. Most of you would rather watch American Idol or Who Wants to be a Superhero. I could say more about your expectations that the government will always be there to bail you out, even if you're too stupid to leave a city that's below sea level and has a Category 5 hurricane approaching. I could say more about your insane belief that government, not your own wallet or hard work, is where the money comes from. But I've come to the conclusion that were I to do so, it would sail right over your heads So I quit.

I'm going back to Crawford. I've got an energy-efficient house down there (unlike Al Gore's who's yearly electric bill is over $30,000.00 !!!) and the capability to be fully self-sufficient. No one ever heard of Crawford before I got elected, and as soon as I'm done here pretty much no one will ever hear of it again. It is my sincerest wish that I die before the last pillars of America fall - so I don't have to watch as this great country fails. Oh, and by the way, Cheney's quitting too. That means Nancy Pelosi is your new President, with Harry Reid and his ilk right by her side.

You asked for it. Watch what she does carefully, because I still have a glimmer of hope that there are just enough of you remaining who are smart enough to turn this thing around in 2008. So that's it. God bless what's left of America . Some of you know who you are and what I mean. The rest of you, kiss off.

GW Bush

2007-07-20T21:55:00.000-04:00

REALITY BYTES

It has been a while. Some of what has transpired includes my father in law passing away, our eldest daughters boyfriend having a spontaneous pneumothorax (collapsed lung) the day after the funeral, and my lovely wife and youngest daughter sitting at a traffic light and being hit by a person who missed her turn. The mini van in which they were riding is probably totaled. We haven't heard for sure yet. Thankfully, no injuries. All within 2 weeks. I have found that God gives us grace often just when we need it, not a moment sooner sometimes.

Some humor; about a month ago, a friend at work was telling me how he will never get drunk and get on the computer and go to http://www.gunbroker.com/ again. He said that he had bought a Kimber model 1911. He showed it to me. Sweet. Of course he got it for a really great price. Well, he was telling me yesterday that he did it again. Unfortunately I didn't get to find out what he bought this time. Maybe the next day we are on duty I'll get to see. If you haven't been to that website, there are some great deals. Just be sure to stay sober. For now, enjoy this pic of a Kimber 1911 Grand Raptor II

On August 31st I'll be headed to Raft Island on beautiful Puget Sound for the 2007 Water and Steel camp hosted by Datu Kelly Worden. You can see some pictures of past camps on Raft Island at http://www.kellyworden.com/ . This is a great time to train, learn, relax, meet new people, make new friends and enjoy some of the most beautiful surroundings anywhere. You can train at your own pace, at your own level, or you can train with some of the highest level players in multiple styles with no pressure or chest beating. It is really a great time and Kelly is an awesome host, practitioner and teacher.

2007-06-11T10:59:00.000-04:00

PROMOTIONS AT THE HMAC

HILLIARD MARTIAL ARTS CENTER

Our youth aikido program had some recent promotions. Thank you to Bill Reed for doing such a great job with our youth!

A huge congratulations goes out to:

Tuesday 5/29 - SJMS Aikido for Children -Promoted to 13th kyu:

Liz

Chris

Will

Aaron
Claire

Kerry
Jaime

Felix
Alena

Nick
Jared

Coleman

Saturday 6/2/7 - HMAC Aikido for Children-
Promoted to 12th kyu
Melinda

Promoted to 13th kyu
Patrick

Tuesday 6/5/7 - HMAC Aikido for Teens

Promoted to 7th kyu (highest we go in kids classes)
Vito

Keep up the good work! You are awesome!

The HMAC staff.

2007-05-10T18:03:00.000-04:00

Sometimes earning a living gets in the way of living life

There has been alot happening. One child getting ready for college. Hosted a camp. Went on a cruise. Work. Work. To name a few.
I was at an aikido black belt test over the weekend. One of my students did a wonderful job. Another student gets much credit for meeting early in the morning, for about 6 weeks, to help prepare the candidate for his test. The camaraderie is humbling, and appreciated. It is good to see how some things can bring friends/ people together and strengthen the bond that forms when people train together. It doesn't have to be just physical training either.
Last month, at the camp I hosted, there were about 9 people who tested and the level of training and commitment to each other was readily apparent. Again, humbling. I think this is one reason that I do what I do.
Of course, there are instances of people bringing un necessary drama to a place where others do not want it. When it gets out of hand, the leader must lead in order to maintain the homeostasis (look that one up) of the group. That is one of my least favorite responsibilities, albeit necessary. And time moves on. I try to be careful how I spend mine.

2007-04-30T10:06:00.000-04:00

WHOA! TIME SURE FLIES.

It seems I've been slow on the blog lately. Things have been busy around here.
I'll give it some thought and post something soon. My, how it seems that time flies by so fast sometimes.

2007-02-08T14:08:00.000-05:00

For Your Consideration

I recently had the opportunity to compare two pistols, side by side. A Ruger .40 caliber (top pic) and a Taurus 24/7 9mm ( bottom pic and Pistol Of The Year in '05).

I was told by the Rangemaster that I may be surprised by the lack of noticeable difference in recoil between the two.

I first fired 25 rounds form the Taurus, taking particular notice of the recoil. Then I fired the same number of rounds from the Ruger. The difference in recoil wsa nearly un noticeable, just like the man said. Then I fired a bunch more rounds from both just because it's fun!

What I like about the Taurus is the grip. It is comfortabel in my hand and a pleasure to shoot. What I like about the Ruger is the control for a larger caliber pistol compared to a 9mm. Actually, I really like them both. I just happened to own the Taurus.

Please own responsibly.

2006-12-18T15:18:00.000-05:00

Good People

Most people understand that there is a difference between friendship, or commeraderie, and being seen with someone, or being able to say they "know" someone in an attempt to advance their position. Some reading this will understand it's meaning better than others.

Friendship, or commeraderie includes such things as trust, honesty, loyalty, integrity, caring and love. It is more important to surround ourselves with people who care about us than to try to make ourselves look good by using half truths, or outright lies, or by trying to make others look bad. People who do the later must be compensating for something and are missing the more important qualities mentioned earlier.

Those who have had people like this cross our paths are fortunate to have had them only cross our paths. Afterwrads, sometimes, there is a time of healing or forgiveness. This is when our strength of character grows. Sometimes it takes a little longer, but people of strong character will make this effort and become better people.

2006-11-26T19:23:00.000-05:00

GREAT Experience in Chicago!

On Nov. 18-21, I had the opportunity to assist in the training of members of the Illinois Tactical Officers Association at the largest tactical officers training event in the country. Kelly Worden invited me to attend along with Bob Anderson. We were to train these dedicated people in empty hand physical skills. This training, led by Kelly, included empty hand, baton, travel wrench, knife, body positioning, positional control, weapons deployment and retention, and using the environment, such as walls, to gain an advantage.

In attendance there were members of many Police Departments, Sheriff's, various SWAT teams, FBI, DEA, members of our Military, and others. The keynote speaker at the banquet was Brigadier General David L. Grange, retired from the US Army in 1999 after a unique and distinguished career. A few of his decorations include Three Silver Stars, The Bronze Star, and Two Purple Hearts. He has commanded or served in combat in the Rangers, Green Berets, Aviation, Infantry, and as a member of Delta Force. This just to name a very few.

There were people like John Holschen who served for more than 20 years in the Special Operations and Intelligence branches of the US Military; Henk Iverson who spent 3 years in a South African Military Unit which specialized in operating in small units tracking terrorists on foot, with the help of dogs, helicopters and motorcycles, during the South African Bush War. He also has experience and expertise in urban counter terrorism, hostage rescue, high-risk arrest, and VIP protection; Rudy Romero, a 32 1/2 year veteran of the LAPD as a SWAT Element Member and Crisis Negotiation Team among other qualifications; Mark Schlegel, co-founder of FTF Tactics and member of the L.A. County Sheriffs Department for 18 years and is now assigned to the Special Weapons Team.
These are but a few of the fine and dedicated people from around the country that were in attendance. In all there were approximately 700 Tactical Officers at this event.

One of the things that I think was appreciated was the fact that we were not trying to impart a particular "style" upon them. That is not what they need. What we did do was offer concepts and principles from varied styles such as modern arnis, RJKD, aikido, jujutsu, and boxing. Without pointing out any particular style, we worked on fluidity of movement and flow. Flowing from one range to another, gaining an attachment and transitioning from one level of force to another while trying to maintain positional control, especially the gun side, over the "bad guy", all while using various tools like a baton or stick, knife, or Travel Wrench.
Because we were not teaching a certain style, but movement, some of the comments that were made were about how "this is easy" or "I can do this" or "this is better than trying to learn a style". I was working with an FBI agent who mentioned how he had trained in another style previously, but that this way of learning was much easier and faster.

The humbling part, for me, was to see the large number of high level people, from so many different agencies, who refuse to rest on their laurels, but instead are committed to continue to improve themselves in any way they can in order to be one of the best at what they do, which is protect the citizenry of the United States.
I was honored to be a part of this.

It takes a colossal effort to plan, organize and effectively pull off such a huge event. It could not have been accomplished without the efforts of people like Chief Jeff Chudwin, Chuck Doll, Kathryn Bertrand, Lou Hayes and so many others.

It was a pleasure to meet and train with everyone who attended.
I would welcome the opportunity to do so again. (That is an understatement.)

2006-11-01T22:37:00.000-05:00

Does Aikido really work? I've heard it said that aikido is more like a dance than a martial art. I've also heard "that would never work", or "I've tried it and it doesn't work". My response, or at least my thought to these types of remarks is; how many times did you "try" it, or how many years have you practiced aikido.

Professional athletes of all types practice their sport, or "art" continuously. A good pitcher doesn't throw one or two, or even several pitches and say, "I tried it and can't do it", or "that doesn't work". An Olympic swimmer doesn't give up after swallowing some water, or losing a meet saying, "I can't do it. It doesn't work". It is constant and dedicated practice and effort that makes one good at their craft.

Perhaps aikido didn't work for them, or didn't work that time. It is quite a defeatist attitude that only briefly tries anything, or gives something a only a cursory look and then passes judgment. It's a darn good thing that people like Einstein didn't have that attitude. Most successful people have failed multiple times before finding success.

As a style, admittedly, aikido often takes longer to get comfortable with, or gain a good measure of proficiency at. But one should not necessarily think in terms of style. Differently people move differently. People learn differently and for different reasons. People are drawn to one style or another for various reasons. Are these styles really so very different? After all, there are only so many ways to move or manipulate a human body.

At the end of the day, when one puts the "style" mindset aside, it is all the same. Case in point; I was once asked to share some modern arnis to a group of aikido stylists. They were amused by the uniform that we wear in the arnis class, saying that it looked like a waiters outfit. Cute. I showed some basic knife movements at a decent speed, wearing my waiters outfit. After they picked up their jaws and finished using explicatives like "sweeeet", I explained how if they put my clothing aside, and just looked at the movement, that it was aikido. The very art that they practice and are so proud of, rightfully. I have been training in aikido for more than 16 years, and continue to do so. I also teach aikido, and modern arnis, so I can speak of them with some knowledge. Both styles are beautiful, and effective. Both styles also share some nearly identical movements.

The first time I was thrown into a breakfall by my aikido teacher, Frank Hreha, without knowing ahead of time, I was smiling before I hit the floor. I seem to remember thinking "sweeeet!", or something similar. I felt the same way the first time I was shown the floor by Remy A. Presas, the founder of Modern Arnis. That does not mean, however that one style is "better" than the other.

All styles are good, and have something to offer. They also all share some connection or common ground. The truth is Yes, aikido definitely works. It is beautiful, flowing, graceful, classy, dynamic and can be peaceful, or devastating. But to simply see it, or try it a few times and conclude that it doesn't work is not fair, and borders ignorance.

2006-10-27T20:17:00.000-04:00

Exploring Rompida

Ok. So I had this conversation with a friend and fellow modern arnis player. We were talking about rompida, and his belief is that the movement is always drawn from the center and only done with the hand turning from palm to the left, thumb and tip of the stick up for the dowward motion, to thumb and tip of the stick down, palm facing right, for the upward motion. All this for a right handed person. Whereas I don't believe this is wrong, I just don't believe it is complete.
One interesting note to this is the fact that both of us were taught by the founder of modern arnis, Remy A. Presas.
My position, and what I was taught, I was taught, is that rompida is not just done as above, but the movement can come from either side of the body as well. The movement can come from the right side with the palm facing left with thumb/ tip of the stick down ( as with a wing block), for the upward movement, to palm facing left with thumb/ tip of the stick up for the downward movement. It can also come from the left side with the thumb/ tip of the stick down, palm facing right for the upward movement ( like drawing a sword) to thumb/ tip of the stick up, palm facing left for the downward movement, again from a right handed perspective. This can be thought of as the inside or outside lines.
Rompida is different than the "up and down" movement of modern arnis in which the tip of the stick is always facing up, or nearly so, like poking up and cutting down.
After the conversation mentioned above, I did some research. I talked to people from different organizations and also read some descrpitions at various sites online. I also referd to Remys pink book. I have also watched people teach rompida at different times. As could have been expected, there were different versions. I can say, however, that most of the time, it was done as I was taught. After so many years of training in this particular "style", I was surprised to find that one of my friends who was also taught by Remy A. Presas, had a different take on rompida.
At the end of the day, I have to ask myself what makes the most sense, both anatomically and combatively. It just doesn't make good sense to think that this movement, or most any movement has to be this way or that. Combat is not static, and not everyone is right handed. What if there is no time to regain your center before a response is needed? In a general sense, perhaps, maybe it is usually a good idea to do certain things in a particular way. But I was taught a particular concept. I learned from the founder, and what I learned made sense then, and now. When teaching, I teach the way the style prescribes, and then I try to open minds by sharing a concept. I believe this helps to learn the flow.

2006-10-27T12:28:00.000-04:00

A new blog. This will be interesting. The idea is to be able to keep track of certain thoughts, a diary of sorts.
The content will be about martial arts, or martial culture and some other stuff, too. It will be honest. I'll write more soon.
Please make comments. I'll read them.