What happens when two people practice Chi-Sao, what is the meaning of their practice and what the objectives? In this 3rd DVD, "Chi Sao from the base to an advanced level," Sifu Salvador SĂĄnchez addresses perhaps the most important aspect of Wing Chun: ChiSao, the soul of the system itself, which provides the practitioner with some special characteristics which are completely different from others, and gives him great virtues. This role deals with some aspects quite basic in principle, but as you delve into them, they'll be surprising to you. It is a very clear feature traditional Chinese culture; what it's very obvious at first glance, it nevertheless contains a second or third reading, which will surely change your approach, practice and understanding. We will discuss how to practice Chi Sao through our working drills and how to apply those drills, that ability in a sparring, linking certain concepts, perhaps not so much tied to traditional Kung Fu, such as biomechanics, structures, knowledge of physics, etc., in order to obtain better results in our practice.
REF.: • DVD/TAOWS3 All DVDs, wichi is produced by Budo International, si provided and alone in the formats DVD-5 or MPEG-2, in VCD, DivX or the like is however neves offered with a special holograma sticker. Besides our DVD is characteristed coverings by the hig quality in pressure and material. If this DVD and/or the DVD covering do not corespond to the requirements specified above, it concerns illegal pirat copy.
ORDERS: Budo international.com
"Two things are infinite: the Universe and human stupidity ... and I'm not sure about the Universe." Albert Einstein
E
tymology tells us that to educate, from Latin "educare", means "to guide from the outside", as well as "to take out what you have inside." Educating is the most noble and elevated profession; like being a doctor, it's rather a priesthood than a simple job. My grandfather was a master, and he was it in more ways than one. He even helped me with Latin, which was then a matter that we all had to study, although at that time it was depreciated as being something useless; but strangely enough, it has been one of the few things that have really helped me later in life (of course, infinitely more than all that string of nonsense and uselessness that they made me memorize). Having information doesn't mean to know; knowing how to use the data is what works, and using them wisely is what counts. In education, character is to be molded with painstaking care, like if you were cultivating a plant, trying to cut here and there every possible “wrong direction” with great care and affection, but mostly, irrigating and fertilizing the ground so that growth occurs. But “wrong direction”, respect to what? Every era, every culture has its taboo. Every Master will err if he is not able to perceive the confines of his ministry. A real good Master is not only aware of his own boundaries, but he also knows that his first achievement will be to not become, consciously or unconsciously and for the sake of his own defects, the castrator of what the student may have inside or give of self. However, the final goal is not the accumulated data, not even its functionality, because in the end, it's not only the results what counts in education; perhaps this could be so in a world that lived outwardly, however what it usually happens is that we individuals live in both directions, toward the outside and toward the inside, and certainly you can reach a great social success while remaining an absolute idiot, unhappy and hopeless. A Master should never forget that he is treating with unforeseeable material. It's obvious that for me, educating doesn't mean teaching data; educating is teaching to live. The Master will part from the strands that the pupil has, and his task is that of making these strands visible, polishing them and leading them to the best of the proposals that they can give birth. If the student later builds with them a chair or a cruise ship, it's up to him; and not only because freedom is a great thing, but especially because pretending to intervene otherwise will inevitably end in disaster. Transmitting our frustrations, pretending to cure ourselves in somebody else's body, has always the same price: Our own and others' misfortune. Therefore the Master, like a wise and loving father (or a mother), should get involved to the same extent in which he should practice detachment. Arduous task, indeed, but not without satisfaction, because there is no pleasure like seeing
"There ain't no more correction, no more respect." (Uncle John leaning on his walking stick)
flourishing what you planted; and even in a selfish way for he who loves knowledge and wisdom; as his magisterium suggests, teaching is the best way to learn. And speaking about that, they say that nothing teaches more than personal example. Well, this is false. Example doesn't teach by itself, rather it's something from which we can learn. The Master who believes this provision and tries to impost its reflection is wrong, because the students will notice what the Master kindly perceives, and they will interpret it according to their understanding and inclinations, and it's well known that what for some people is great, for others can be horrific. The wise respects the difference, because evolution only arises from it. But, where are the boundaries of teaching? Unfortunately, we have no accurate maps to delineate this border because we all have our own character, our strengths and weaknesses, our wants and goals. Knowing how to ride a horse does not mean being able to ride all the horses in the world. My dear friend, Colonel Ramos Alcaraz (requiescat in pace), a special Raid rider, hated riding dressage horses, because he said "they had more springs than a computer". To him, riding meant pace, trot, gallop and jump, that is, getting from one place to another on a horse, experiencing the joy of freedom, coming and going across the fields, being one with the noble beast, and so, making monkey shines on a horse was not only unnecessary, but also something that could even be dangerous, because while you thought you were ordering "ahead", the mount could be understanding "behind". It seems that in these things, as in many others, common sense is completely irreplaceable; same thing happens with humility. Filling up your head with things, data or assumptions (that's what opinions are), like if you were filling a container, will not help anyone to fulfill his or her destiny, to be better and freer, wiser, or happier. Knowledge is overrated as much as wisdom is undervalued. Getting to be simply impeccable in the noble task of education is extremely difficult without the right combination of commitment and detachment. Exceeding the limits or falling short is the most common outcome. There's no Master that has not been frustrated in his efforts, there's no teacher without disappointments. But we will always justify ourselves, because we are individuals and therefore we need to be the owners of our reflexes, we want to love each other, we want to be loved, to be respected. Humans are herd as well as individuals. The tribe, whatever the conception we may have about it, is essential in our lives and this principle is engraved in our genes. Although life is a personal experience, the social dimension of our being cannot be either overlooked or turn into a whole that enslaves us or postpones what is only ours. To Caesar what is Caesar's... Today, what they
call education is to associate data with an alleged and always false functionality; anyone who has graduate in the University knows this big lie. Experience and field work are what make the expert, the Master is brought up by time and the stubborn perseverance in understanding. They say that you only know something when you are able to teach it properly. This is the truth, rarely explained, about why the master needs the pupil. The emphasis is always put in the other direction. But it's in emptying ourselves, in contrasting ourselves trying to explain what we believe we dominate, when we do understand our limitations, it's the moment in which we discover our deficiencies and, sometimes, we even are amazed to find out that we knew more than what they taught us. And as the old Spanish saying goes: "A clever learns more from a fool than a fool from a clever." The sentimental assessments don't make good the exploited experiences. I value my military service as much as or more than anybody else, but not because it was good, but because I made something good out of this experience. For many of my colleagues it was quite the opposite. Setting it as a universal point is a tremendous presumption. With sentimentality you end up just kissing even the stick that has been hitting you, but for the true Master, ability is worth a thousand times more than strength. The stick cannot be an everyday means, but an exceptional resource. Pain freely inflicted (as it is almost always) does not support any justification, but it’s always a sign of the flaws and shortcomings in our magisterium. Today I regret few things of what I have lived so far, but I keep always in mind the day in which I spank my beloved she-dog Eleuteria, when I didn't know to teach her otherwise. Did she learn? Yeah ... but was it necessary? Or was it simply showing my disability? Only the infinite affection that I felt for her could compensate somehow the formation of her character, which in any case it was noble, dignified, courageous and infinitely sweet, because that was what she had inside her. Children are a sensitive matter; the fact that they are malleable doesn't mean that they can stand everything. Educating them requires wisdom, temperance and grace. The elder ones, although tougher, are but grown children, believe me, the rule cannot be very different. More flies are caught with honey than with vinegar!
Alfredo Tucci is Managing Director to BUDO INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING CO. e-mail: budo@budointernational.com
https://www.facebook.com/alfredo.tucci.5
3
Kyusho
Kyusho Collaboratives Integration of Kyusho into All Martial Styles
Pictured Left to Right: Anthony Rotella, Marshall Wolf, Mike Hebert, Evan Pantazi, Raffi Derderian, John Hagman and Cody Robyn.
Kali
Kali
Kyusho - Kali (Kali Perspective by Raffi Derderian) The Philippines has a long history of life and death combat. From ancient times to the modern day, the fighting arts of the Filipino archipelago have proven themselves time and again to be efficient, effective and extremely deadly forms of fighting. There are countless systems of Filipino martial arts spread throughout the thousands of islands in this region. Many are family arts and no “outsider” will likely ever learn them. Fortunately, many have also been made available to the rest of the world. The biggest misconception about the martial arts of the Philippines is that they are primarily weapons systems. Arnis, Escrima, and Kali are vast and very complete martial arts. The empty hands method of Kali fighting is truly unique and includes striking (often referred to as Panatukan, Sutukan, or Pakamot), kicking (Pananjakman, Sikaran), and of course grappling (Dumog). The Panatukan utilizes the fist, elbow, knuckles, shoulder, forearm, and head as tools for hitting. Boxing type punches are combined with slapping and poking, to make a devastating flurry of counter attacks. Many of the motions used in the empty hand range are derived from the weapons practice of Kali. They feel that the weapons training (single stick, double stick, staff, daga, and so on) enhance and energize the empty hands training. All of this works because of the amazing footwork that Kali practitioner's use. The combination of angular footwork, covering techniques, and unique angles of counter attacking are what makes the art truly effective. This footwork involves cutting off angles, many times moving to the outside of your opponent's range. When the footwork, which uses male and female triangles, is used properly used, it puts the Kali fighter in a temporary and safe position from which to launch a counter attack. Another term that is very familiar to Kali students is “gunting”. It literally means “scissor”. The scissor refers to the motion made with the hands (or weapons as the case may be) that is used in Kali practice. The gunting motion is used much of the time when practicing limb destructions. The study of Kyusho is the perfect complement to the practice of Kali fighting. Kali is a sophisticated method of dealing with punches and kicks in that it specifically targets the nerves of the attacking limb. So, a Kali practitioner sees an oncoming strike not as attack, but a target to destroy. So a fist will have a “bull's eye” on it, for example. This all comes back
“The biggest misconception about the martial arts of the Philippines is that they are primarily weapons systems.”
Kali
to the well-known concept of “defanging the snake”. This term is used much in all Kali practice, with and without weapons. The idea is that if you remove the fangs of a snake, he is rendered harmless. So where does Kyusho figure into all of this? Considering that much of the striking involved in Kali is targeting nerves, it a marriage made in heaven. Kali incorporates attacking the attack which will involve hitting the nerves on the arm. Hitting these points without the study of Kyusho is certainly effective. However, it all becomes enhanced when the student knows exactly where to hit, the best way to hit the point, and what result is possible. For our purposes now, the reference points we are using would be: 1) double outside (when you are completely on the outside of the attacking arm 2) outside/inside or “split” (when you have one arm outside and inside of the attack and 3) double inside (both arms on the inside of the attacking arm). When the Kali fighter is facing an oncoming punch (or kick later on) they will enter into the fray, as often as possible, with a limb destruction or strike. This technique, to repeat, is not intended to end the confrontation, but to remove the arm out of the equation. In the double outside response to a punch, a common counter is to parry with one hand while hitting the outside nerves along the triceps. They will also use a slicing motion to strike under the arm along the funny bone. The next step is to follow up with continued strikes to the outer arm and work towards the head/neck area. The many strikes on the limbs and nerves are excessive to say the least. Realistically, they understand that is impractical to hit the arm so many times in an actual fight. The practice is to create coordination, speed, timing and of course, targeting. In truth, one hit on the arm to put the presence of pain on the attacker would be more realistic, However, it is better to be over skilled than under.
The split technique involves the outside arm parrying or checking the attackers punch while the inside arm strikes at the target. One option is to strike directly into the neck or eyes. Many times, they hit the opponent's bicep on the way to the head. It might be a strike with a midknuckle (Kenpo calls it a Phoenix Eye). They might also strike with four knuckles or fingertips as well. Regardless, this type of precision counter attack is optimized with Kyusho knowledge.
Kali
Defending a punch with a double inside gunting will involve a cross body parry with a same side backhand to the bicep. The knuckles of the backhand are accentuated to really bite into the muscle. The follow up is to continue with strikes into the head and body using elbows, punching and so forth.
A one dimensional approach to this is to look at these limb destructions as a method of just inflicting injury and pain to your attacker on the way to causing more injury. The Kali practitioner armed with the knowledge of Kyusho can bring the Kali practice to a completely deeper perspective. A nerve hit to the arm now becomes something that could potentially end the confrontation. They would no longer see an attack with a bull's eye on it. Rather, they would see a limb with red dots all over it, like an acupuncture chart. Š Raffi Derderian2015 www.derderian-academy.com
Kyusho
Kyusho - Kali (Kyusho Perspective by Evan Pantazi) Kali is a great starting point for not only the Kyusho Collaborative efforts of the future, but also for someone working to just learn the science of Kyusho. It is because they have always stressed the arm paralyzing strikes and the bleed out targets for their bladed work. This makes the blending both natural in method and natural in its synthesis (as it is with all older styles of Martial Arts). From the Kyusho perspective the study begins with learning revival and restorations, but then develops mobile arm targeting as its Martial foundation. When you dissect an attack, besides a kicking action, all other attacks start with the arms, but the challenge is that the arms are the fastest moving parts of the body with the greatest range of motion and directional attack capability. So it is a very challenging section of training that should be integrated into every session, in so many variations. There are other ways to make this level a bit easier and one is in the skill of Arm Trapping. As Kali also focuses its early training foundation with the trapping of the arms to immobilize or position the attacker to facilitate further action and posturing, the fit with Kyusho is logical and natural. First it is a good idea that we look at the numerous Kyusho targets of the arm we could possibly attack. Looking at the anatomical image to the right, when we peel away the skin and muscle we can see the major nerves (yellow structures) we see a vast number of possible targets. As we see the long network of nerves on the inner arm we should also realize it is also the same amount of targets on the outer arm. But it is not just knowing where they lay, it is also vital to know how to best access them for severe pain, physical dysfunction (up to paralysis) and even altered states of consciousness.
“Kali is a great starting point for not only the Kyusho Collaborative efforts of the future, but also for someone working to just learn the science of Kyusho�
Kyusho
Once these targets are known and experienced, the next step is accessing them in more dynamic ways that resemble attacks, first planned and then spontaneously. Using the Kali Arm Traps, will help you minimize the mobility of the opponents arm so that your application of, or attack to the Kyusho Targets are easier to accomplish. The Kyusho Targets also work simultaneously within the actions of the Kali Trapping to weaken or disable the opponent instantly, so there is no hesitation or needing to apply two separate skills. This assures the practitioner a faster and more devastatingly assured result. The Kali Traps work from various angles both inside and outside the opponents' arm, as well as split with simultaneous inner and outer actions. The angles the trapping approaches from are perfect for also attacking with the correct trajectory, not just angle and direction. Trajectory is a vital point in Kyusho as the angle or direction on a nerve attack is not the full determining factor in making them work, you also need the depth of penetration past the skin, muscles and in between or against the bone structures. In conjunction you must use that trajectory correctly on the nerve structure to acutely and efficiently deliver the neurological overload to the central nerve system, brainstem and brain itself. With the Kali arm traps you are able to gain that correct depth with the action and flow of the trapping action as they are performed. With Kyusho and Kali combined, immobilization now takes on two forms, from the motion arresting trap of the arm to the paralyzing Kyusho attack forming a complete inner and outer anatomical control. With the Kali we are altering the motor functions of the body and the Kyusho is overloading the sensory functions and in turn stopping those motor functions. So as we trap the opponents' arms, they also stifle or limit further actions so it is easier to land a disabling Kyusho attack internally affecting the entire physiological function. A Kali practitioner looks at an attack such as a punch, not so much as an attack, but as an offered target to destroy by systematically immobilizing and attacking it. This is not too far off the Kyusho way of thinking except the structures we are targeting are internal as opposed to external. So by adding the more external art of Kali and the trapping, we are affecting even greater range in the human stasis.
“The Kali Traps work from various angles both inside and outside the opponents' arm, as well as split with simultaneous inner and outer actions. The angles the trapping approaches from are perfect for also attacking with the correct trajectory, not just angle and direction.�
Kyusho
Kyusho is a study of the human anatomy, not a Martial Art (although it can and has stood alone as one), however its use with or in a Martial Art is natural, and adds greater dimension. So therefore it can easily and effectively be integrated into any style of Martial Art, from Taekwondo to Wing Chun to Tai Chi and beyond. In prior DVD's on Kyusho we have shown Jujitsu, Joint Manipulation Arts, Karate, Wing Chun, Tiger Claw and several other styles. As Kyusho Practitioners we have always trained with many stylists from varying background all with the same goals of efficiency and incredible control Kyusho offers, it is a natural outcome. We hope to bring you many more of these collaborative efforts as all can benefit from the cross training with Other Masters and Style with Kyusho involved. In the next installment and Video we will be brining you the inherent or possible Kyusho Head Targets using the actions of the same arm traps as trained in this DVD and article‌ study these well and the next step will be even easier for you to learn and utilize. Š Evan Pantazi
Kyusho
Kali
Comprehensive or Integral Vovinam is simply going back to the Founder's true Vovinam. The goal of the founder was clearly and openly declared: "Harvesting effective techniques, assimilate their essence and transform them into Vovinam techniques", and indeed this concept still remains in force and is mandatory for all Vovinam Masters in the world. Vovinam is then a research concept to achieve a super effective style. However, today 90% of Vovinam teachers forget it and bend to a program too loaded, too fixed, too aesthetic and sometimes completely ineffective in numerous techniques. Comprehensive Vovinam is simply rediscovering the original essence of Master Nguyen Loc's art. For that, we have the principles, the basic techniques, and we just have to go back to work out the effective way of every technique and apply the founding principle. In this DVD, by the hand of Master Patrick Levet, we will study the basis of Integral Vovinam, threats and knife attacks, integral counterattacks, and defense against Dam Thang (direct fist) Dam Moc (hook punch), Dam Lao (javelin punch) as well as basic leg levers.
REF.: • DVD/VIET6
All DVDs, wichi is produced by Budo International, si provided and alone in the formats DVD-5 or MPEG-2, in VCD, DivX or the like is however neves offered with a special holograma sticker. Besides our DVD is characteristed coverings by the hig quality in pressure and material. If this DVD and/or the DVD covering do not corespond to the requirements specified above, it concerns illegal pirat copy.
ORDERS: Budo international.com
BUJUTSU... Why so many meanings? Many practitioners barely attribute the form found in this first ideogram to the military aspect. If we take into account the era - five hundred years ago in full period of intense warfare-, we can find an explanation for many things. If we consider only the appearance of the first ideogram, we see that its correct meaning, once dismembered, would be "stop the weapon", noting that its center - Tomeru - is credited with the force that drives the ideogram. That is, the top, which means weapon, is fed by the force from the center. This brings us to the time that everyone should know how to defend; chaos and strife among lords determined that an impending war could begin at any moment. So, when we see the meaning of this word - Bujutsu - couldn't we say "the art of stopping the weapon"? Yes, as its meaning essentially responds to the specific idea of ??the art of war.
Bugei
“Some masters and teachers in traditional schools have contacted me and together we have come to an interesting conclusion. Preserving something in the XXI century is not easy, nor cheap. Preserving means keeping the form the way it is, even if there are certain sequences which have been already overcome and are unrealistic for the times today.�
We can deeply say: In war, the mind is inherently clear and pure, but is obstructed by greed, hatred, stupidity and arrogance, by the five desires and by many types of deception. Therefore, the great masters of Haragei knew that those who dominate interrupt these feelings, that is, if the stains were discarded and minds could be made pure, we could interrupt the weapon of our opponent, of our enemy! The interior and the exterior must be in balance. Absorbing and dominating the external force of war was the most sacred practice of ancient warriors. "The ocean does not reject water" - that's why it became immense. "Mountains do not reject the earth" - and that's why they can become so big. This is the synthesis of the samurai courage: Face the moment, becoming part of it. Embracing war means that an enlightened ruler does not reject persons - hence, his people can become populous. For Haragei, the term "Bu" is the complete understanding of the war. Recognizing each feeling at the moment it arises. The means to do this is full consciousness. As soon as we understand the causes and nature of our feelings, they begin to transform. Some masters and teachers in traditional schools have contacted me and together we have come to an interesting conclusion. Preserving something in the XXI century is not easy, nor cheap. Preserving means keeping the form the way it is, even if there are certain sequences which have been already overcome and are unrealistic for the times today. Many are called traditional, and when we understand the technical synthesis, we find fragments of this or that and then vivid evidence for such. The word “preservation�, according to the dictionary, derivatives from preserve. Preservation. n, act to preserving. Ecol., care for and protect land, green spaces, wild plants, rivers, lakes, etc., with the animals, birds and fish, as well as ancient buildings, monuments and urban areas, which are often at risk due to the devastating human activity. For us, "preserving" means keeping even the way of thinking about the application of each Seiteigata. Obviously, we all take care of our own internal evolution and seek for
Bugei
perfection every day through disciplined thinking. But we are talking about martial heritage, which means that if we see it from a historical viewpoint, it should be as it is. Seen only as a martial art, everyone is free to practice and perform the techniques the way he or she deems most suitable and appropriate. Throughout history, the eastern man, in our referential case, the Japanese man - aware that his life was short, rugged, subject to suffering and a certain death, always formulated an idea called "Bujutsu" - arts of war (specifically, because the term applied to the character "Jutsu" refers to a specific art and it doesn't encompass everything). Recognizing - as today we also recognize it - that life is transient, he wanted to experience something immense and supreme, something that was not created by the mind or the feeling. He wanted to experience or discover the path of a transcendental world, completely different from this one, with its afflictions and tortures. Martial Arts have been strongly influenced by the beliefs of every era and of every country. In the case of Japan, the major influences have been Shintoism, Buddhism and Confucianism, which have nourished the hope of discovering that transcendental world by seeking and probing. Now is our turn, we are who must examine this matter in order to discover whether there is or not a reality (whose name doesn't matter) of an entirely different dimension. To penetrate so deeply, we must naturally realize that understanding at a verbal level is not enough because the description is never the thing described, the word is never the thing. We can penetrate the mystery - if it is a mystery what man has always tried to penetrate or take - summoning it, clinging to it, worshiping it, being fanatic about it, but this is not the motive desired or exalted in this text. The arts of war had their ascent in the Sengoku period, and their reflections can be seen even today. In this era, life was very superficial, empty, full of deceit and without much expression, so war imposed itself among the truths, each school or clan tried to invent, tried to give it a meaning. If the individual who invented a
Bugei
particular meaning and purpose was provided with some talent, his invention became very complex, although we can't forget that many arts underwent a reformulation of the Tokugawa period. This is the issue I want to draw attention to: everything is O.K., provided it is perfectly in order within us. Everyone knows his or her need. Everyone keeps the truth that is convenient. However, we must understand that preserving is beyond what is or is not perfect. There comes a special moment when we get rid of all the vanities and desires and we understand that in the true way, there's no need to share explanations. Understanding comes naturally and everything becomes apparent. This is the moment we called "Koushin" - bright feeling, the feeling that becomes illuminated, when we feel invaded by a deep understanding. It is a unique moment where everything falls to the ground: titles, politics, truths and lies; and what is left is barely the feeling of inner search, which is defined by the way, art, federation, group ... We discovered that is more than references. A great master and wise man said about the war: "It doesn't manifest itself on the way to this or that school. Nobody knows how it will come! "This means that all paths are right and all are wrong ... the genuineness of every form lies within the one that searches. It's the time in which we experience the stillness of the NOTHING. Nothing exists! Nothing resides! ... Nothing is! Maybe for the arts of war this is the true meditative state. Discovering whether the brain, with all its experiences, can be absolutely quiet. In this state I say, there is no cohesion, there is no duality, it only will "stand still". It's when the brain is active, yet in silence. A large dynamo in perfect working order, it hardly makes noise; only when there are problems, it makes noise... We waste our time looking for definitions of political truths, which separate the true meaning of the study. The search is not moved by monopolies, by unilateral truths... Each one seeks what he or she needs. It's natural that the existence itself, at such times, seems to us as being a panel tortured by multiple passions. But we often forget that the world is the world and we are we. Between the passenger and the train that transports him, there are unique and unmistakable differences. If the vehicle threatens disaster, it's possible that the traveler within becomes a point of calm, radiating rebalancing. This is the original sense!
Bugei
Master Shaolin Shi Yanti is a monk of the 34th generation of the Songshan Shaolin Temple and a direct disciple of Venerable Abbot Shi Yong Xin. In this his first work for Budo International, he presents the Luohan Shibashou, one of the older and most representative basic forms of empty hand of the Shaolin Temple. According to the book "Shaolin Quan Pu", in the Sui Dynasty, the Shaolin's warrior monks developed a series of simple movements, chosen according to the "18 Luohan statues", hence the name Luohan Shou Shi Ba (18 hands of Luohan). The style of this Taolu is particular and in its continuous movements can be clearly seen combinations of real and unreal movements, defense and counterattack, and a variety of hidden movements. The main hand techniques in this Taolu are those of the palms, and learning requires great agility and coordination, as well as mastering the positions Xubu, Dingbu, Gongbu and Mabu and their features.
REF.: • DVD/YANTI-1
All DVDs, wichi is produced by Budo International, si provided and alone in the formats DVD-5 or MPEG-2, in VCD, DivX or the like is however neves offered with a special holograma sticker. Besides our DVD is characteristed coverings by the hig quality in pressure and material. If this DVD and/or the DVD covering do not corespond to the requirements specified above, it concerns illegal pirat copy.
ORDERS: Budo international.com
In this DVD, G.M. Larry Tatum (10th Dan) develops techniques of the Kenpo program at the highest level. Particularly, some of his “favorites” like Flashing Mace, Parting Wings, Entwined Lance… Masterfully executed and based on the experience of the movement, G.M. Tatum incorporates his innovative teachings in these techniques that will help you add and complement your training in the Kenpo system. Besides, they provide the individual with the best choice for selfdefense, based on the logical and practical thinking, and place him in the path of understanding the art of Kenpo. These are the self-defense and fighting systems of the modern times we live in. They are designed so that the practitioner gets all the benefits that training these techniques can provide. This DVD has the support of Master Adolfo Luelmo (9th Dan), who goes on with a series of techniques performed in a smooth and strong way, for situations of extreme aggression, in which can be appreciated different states of the movement, in a logical and effective way. As a conclusion, Master Camacho Assisi (8th Dan), displays a technique that combines the strength of the arms and his expertise with legs.
REF.: • DVD/LARRY4
All DVDs, wichi is produced by Budo International, si provided and alone in the formats DVD-5 or MPEG-2, in VCD, DivX or the like is however neves offered with a special holograma sticker. Besides our DVD is characteristed coverings by the hig quality in pressure and material. If this DVD and/or the DVD covering do not corespond to the requirements specified above, it concerns illegal pirat copy.
ORDERS: Budo international.com
Shaolin Arts He belongs to that first exceptional generation after the opening up of the Shaolin Temple to the outside world. He participated in those first exhibitions outside of China that amazed the world and fomented the renovation in our days of the myth of the most famous Martial Arts temple. Shi Xing Hong was endearingly called “the machine� by his friends because his execution of the forms was of such incredible precision, speed, and power. The first time that I saw him he was a shy young man who ate the world up with the awakened eyes of someone living out a dr eam. Now he speaks correct English and teaches across half the planet. In this inter view, he speaks openly for the first time about his experience in Shaolin since he was a child, about Martial Arts, the philosophies of the temple, his life as a monk, and innumerable aspects that will allow us to know more about the truth of the Shaolin Temple. Always reluctant to be recorded, he has agreed at last to do an instructional piece on DVD with Budo International so that students of the style can enjoy his
teaching. For that, he has compiled the movements that make up the essence of the style and teaches them one by one, giving us the opportunity to understand the fundamentals that are the essence of the Shaolin warrior Arts. Alfredo Tucci
Shaolin “In 1989, when the Shaolin Temple decided to show itself to the world, I was one of the monks chosen to do Kung Fu exhibitions and to show what Shaolin Kung Fu is in other countries.�
Shaolin Arts
“When I was nine years old, my parents realized that I wasn’t a very good student, for that they thought about how they could improve my expectations about the future”
Interview Shi Xing Hong Budo International: Firstly, I would like to thank you for your presence once again in our magazine. Shi Xing Hong: You’re welcome. It’s an honor. Budo Int.: Let’s start at the beginning. At what age did you join the temple and why did you decide to do it? S.X.H.: I joined the temple when I was eleven years old. The city where I was born is very far from the temple, in the south of China; it takes two days by train to get to the temple. When I was nine years old, my parents realized that I wasn’t a very good student, for that they thought about how they could improve my expectations about the future, and they took the decision that they considered the best, which was to send me to the Shaolin Temple, because perhaps the fact of studying there could change my life, offer me a good future. So they took me to the Shaolin temple, but in those days in the temple, they didn’t accept people who were so young, and for that they didn’t allow me to join. They told me that I should study outside for two years, and my parents decided to send me to a
Shaolin Arts special school so I could train for those two years in order to later be able to be accepted in the temple. That’s what they did and I stayed in one of the schools that surrounded the temple back then. One day a Shaolin monk who went to the Kung Fu schools choosing children for the temple (for every hundred students, they chose fifteen), he noticed me and that’s how I joined at eleven years of age. My training since then was much more intense. We trained for six hours a day, even during the night! We practiced Kung Fu all the time. Budo Int.: When was the first time you traveled outside of China? S.X.H.: In 1989, when the Shaolin Temple decided to show itself to the world, I was one of the monks chosen to do Kung Fu exhibitions and to show what Shaolin Kung Fu is in other countries. The first time that I traveled far from China was in 1991; I traveled to Italy and Milan along with another five monks. That was the first time that people outside China were taught what Shaolin Kung Fu was. Budo Int.: It’s curious that your parents, living so far, decided to take you to Shaolin. How did they come to that conclusion? S.X.H.: Well, as I said before, I wasn’t a very good student, I was always failing and making errors in school, but, on the other hand, I liked Kung Fu a lot. Many people in my city practiced Kung Fu and in China everyone who practices Kung Fu
Shaolin Arts
dreams about going to that temple. My parents were sensitive to that and without a doubt it was my destiny, so I can say that I was very fortunate. Budo Int.: Had your father practiced Kung Fu previously? S.X.H.: He didn’t practice Kung Fu, however, he studied in the Chinese Opera. The training that one does in the Chinese Opera is very similar to Kung Fu, for that my father always liked Kung Fu. Budo Int.: You’ve told us that you were part of the first group that left the Shaolin Temple to do exhibitions around the world, in this way
beginning a new era for the temple. Some of those monks are now outside of the temple. What is the reason for this exile? S.X.H.: Our generation of monks descended from another generation. Throughout the history of Shaolin, there have been many generations, and each one has changed something with respect to the previous. We have been fortunate because we were in China when the country opened its doors in order to show the world our culture; at that time, the Shaolin Temple also opened up, also in order to show the world what Shaolin Kung Fu is. Our generation had the immense luck to travel to many countries around the world, and what
Shaolin Arts
we saw seemed fascinating to us, especially to see what life was like in other countries. For that, the members of the first team after leaving our country repeatedly to do the exhibitions decided to leave and look for their own future. Shaolin many times acts like a university, many p e o p l e l i v e t h e re , p r a c t i c e t h e re , m a k e themselves strong there, and then they leave. For example, among the people of my team, there were many options: some made films, others founded schools… others left to live in other countries. And though it is oneself who chooses the path to take for the future, you can always retur n in the case you have some problem with your experiences in “society.” You can always consult the master, and he will try to help you. Our generation has decided to leave, to leave the temple; even the masters who preceded our generation encouraged us to leave in order to try life on the exterior, to know society, to know the human being; if you close the door and stay there, you will never know what’s happening; you’ll be good at Kung Fu, but that won’t be good for you mind, nor for your heart. They say to us: “Travel, know the world, but if you have problems, come back.” Budo Int.: How many years did you stay in the temple? S.X.H.: 15 years from 9 to 26 years old Budo Int.: What do you believe characterizes Shaolin? On what is the difference with other monasteries based?
Shaolin
Shaolin Arts S.X.H.: Though the Shaolin Temple is now very famous, few people really know what this is due to. Everyone believes that it is for the Kung Fu, but it is Zen Buddhism that characterizes and gives force to Shaolin. Zen is what makes you have a clean mind, have an open heart, what helps you know yourself, discover your future, know who you are, and find yourself on your path in life. This has been the meaning of the temple through the centuries. Not only the Shaolin Temple has this; Zen is also sought in other temples, but the Shaolin Temple is without a doubt the reference in this area. This is what I am now doing by founding a federation, to make people understand that things mustn’t be used for the name that they have; names are not important, the important thing is the use of things in oneself; what you learn, what you achieve, that is what counts. You can learn to be stronger as a person in life. The strongest thing in Shaolin is Zen! Budo Int.: These things you are saying make me think about something. Are we Westerners sufficiently open-minded to practice Zen to the same extent as Wu? Or do you think that probably 75-80% of the people here look for the Wu, that is, Kung
“The first time that I traveled far from China was in 1991; I traveled to Italy and Milan along with another five monks. That was the first time that people outside China were taught what Shaolin Kung Fu was.�
Shaolin
Fu as a Martial Art and only around 20% or less look for Zen in the spiritual sense? What do you think is the percentage in Western societies? S.X.H.: I believe that people here in the West mostly follow their eyes. They want to see it all. Only if they see something powerful do they believe that that is the adequate choice. And though we all know that what comes to the eyes is not what we have to necessarily follow, the West follows it. For that do they lose themselves, because when they realize what path they have to follow in their trip through life, it is already late, they are ill. In the West,
when people see something attractive, they follow it. They never follow themselves! They follow the society. Later they wonder, “What have I been doing all of my life?” But very often it’s late, for that reason, during their time (of life) they don’t attain freedom (satori). Budo Int.: Well, that isn’t entirely fair! I don’t think it’s exclusively a problem of Westerners. What you have said is something perfectly applicable to the Chinese, Africans, or Americans. This seems to be a common “trip” for all human beings.
Shaolin Arts “Though the Shaolin Temple is now very famous, few people really know what this is due to. Everyone believes that it is for the Kung Fu, but it is Zen Buddhism that characterizes and gives force to Shaolin.”
“Not only the Shaolin Temple has this; Zen is also sought in other temples, but the Shaolin Temple is without a doubt the reference in this area.“
Shaolin S.X.H.: Yes, for everyone. For example, now one can see how the Chinese economy is opening up and developing very quickly. Everyone is chasing money, the economy, material things. Of course we human beings need that. It’s only that when people have achieved it they think about what they have lost. Budo Int.: In that case, tell us, from your experience in the West, what is the percentage of people who are interested in Zen? Would it be correct to say that only 10% are interested in Zen and the rest only in Martial Art? S.X.H.: Well, one can say that out of every ten people, eight look for Kung Fu and only two are seeking Zen. Budo Int.: Well, that’s 20%. You’re more optimistic than I am! S.X.H.: For the Westerner, the most important thing is to attain external power. But, one has to go step by step; a person must reach this power, but afterward he must reach more elevated goals, he must try to reach the highest level possible. Allow me to give an example: I can say that people who practice Shaolin can come to stop time when they meditate. For that, when they have to leave, they walk happily toward death. People, when they verify these kinds of achievement that we attain, ask themselves: Why are they able to do that? They seem not to understand that they could also do it! But they don’t look for it, and if you only concentrate on the material part, you will never be able to attain these achievements. Budo Int.: Please tell us a little about what you are going to teach on this first video for Budo International. S.X.H.: I’m very pleased to have done this video. And what I’m going to teach on this video is the first step that people have to learn in order to come to learn Shaolin Kung Fu. This first
Shaolin Arts
step consists of learning the eighteen basic movements. These eighteen movements of Shaolin Kung Fu are very important. If you learn these movements, later it will be very easy for you to learn the rest. If you know these basic movements, you can learn any form of Shaolin Kung Fu. I would like people to learn Kung Fu well. One mustn’t dedicate oneself only to the forms. They must practice what is really important, energy, chi, power. Budo Int.: You are teaching these eighteen movements, and these eighteen movements are related to the forms. They are a kind of line of combined movements, offensive and defensive. Do you also teach the reaction of the fighter?
S.X.H.: That’s right. From these movements a form comes out, what we call Kung Fu Chan; this form would be the first step to acquire other powers, other abilities, in order to get the unity, and when you achieve it, you feel the different energies. Budo Int.: Does this include something related to Chi Kung, or Ki Gong, etc.? S.X.H.: Well, you know that training each form, you need Chi Kung, you are prepared for this even if you don’t know that you are practicing Chi Kung; when you practice, you attain force in the muscles, and you have Chi Kung within. Of course, afterward, one has to learn how to attain chi through meditation. This is what we are now teaching, the
“I believe that people here in the West mostly follow their eyes. They want to see it all. Only if they see something powerful do they believe that that is the adequate choice.”
“From these movements a form comes out, what we call Kung Fu Chan; this form would be the first step to acquire other powers, other abilities, in order to get the unity, and when you achieve it, you feel the different energies.”
Shaolin
Shaolin Arts
“I believe that people here in the West mostly follow their eyes.” necessary exercise to first achieve having a comfortable body in order to later achieve greater development. Budo Int.: I was thinking about this association that you have created with some friends and that has become a European federation. Tell us something about this project. S.X.H.: In 2000 we had the idea for this federation, which was born in 2002. It’s a new federation that we call International Chan Wu Federation. In it, if someone wants to practice Chan (Zen), we have a master who teaches that. If someone wants to practice Shaolin Kung Fu, we have experts in Shaolin Kung Fu to teach him. If someone wants to practice Tai Chi, we have experts in Tai Chi to teach him. If someone wants to practice modern Wu Shu, we have experts in modern Wu Shu to teach him. If what you like is traditional Chinese medicine, we also have doctors specialized in traditional Chinese medicine. So, we have very specialized professionals. In our federation, you can find things like Zen and Wu that are in all Chinese Martial Arts. When we came to Europe in 2002, we tried to focus on what we could do for people, for their wellbeing, and the truth is that we have had a lot of success in these three years. Budo Int.: What changes have you noticed after the old leader of Shaolin passed away? And now you have a new person governing Shaolin. Of course, this is a new person with different characteristics. There are people who say there is political pressure on Shaolin. What is the position of your federation with respect to this?
Shaolin
Shaolin Arts S.X.H.: Well, as you know, our federation doesn’t need authorization from the Shaolin Temple. We don’t need anything from them. We do this by ourselves. And these federations are developed by our hands. And Shaolin Kung Fu is only a part of this. I am the representative of Shaolin Kung Fu. But in the federation there are many other things; it’s about Martial Arts from China. In the Shaolin Temple, they have their rules and their religion, but they are a kind of support for our federation. I don’t believe they can tell us that we can’t do something. Budo Int.: Is Shi De Yang in your federation? S.X.H.: Yes, he is a Zen Master, and that is one of the lines of the federation; he is teaching Zen. He is a monk and he teaches what one must achieve to be a monk. For example, if a student comes to me, I tell him that if at some moment in his life he wants to be a monk, I tell him to go to see Master Shi De Yang, because he will show him what the way is that must be followed to be a monk. Budo Int.: Thank you for your time and for sharing your vision with our readers. S.X.H.: Thank you for all the work you have done these past years; it is very much appreciated by all of us who come from the temple.
“We do this by ourselves. And these federations are developed by our hands. And Shaolin Kung Fu is only a part of this. I am the representative of Shaolin Kung Fu.”
Shaolin
“This form would be the first step to acquire other powers, other abilities, in order to get the unity, and when you achieve it, you feel the different energies.�
Shaolin Arts
“ When we came to Europe in 2002, we tried to focus on what we could do for people, for their well-being, and the truth is that we have had a lot of success in these three years.�
Shaolin
Video Download
"Perhaps one of the best theatrical performances regarding Martial topics "
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Avi Nardia
For more than 15 years I've been traveling world wide from Amzon Brazil to North Pole and Antratica to study - explore and intreduce Kapap - Krav Panim El Panim - Israeli Krav Maga. I've written before in one of my columns in the Budo Magazine how determinated and fearless Zulu warriors were and how they won over the british army refering to Zulu tribe as the best CQB combat fights .In my last visist in Africa I met Zulu and Masi and couple of more tribes to further explore and study from them.
Sensei on the roads - Hakuna Matata "It means no worries " - Its our problem free, philosophy... HAKUNA MATATA!" ("Hakuna matata" is a Swahili phrase; translated, it roughly means "No worries")
Avi Nardia
I
n Africa there is a saying "Until Lions write their own history, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter ". It's so very true. Africa has offered a lot to lern from both historicaly and emotionaly maybe best by described by - Desmond Tutu -” When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land.” It is difficult to understand the political background in Africa and everyone stand for his side of the story but from time to time I could feel that stress in the air. On the other side it has been a great travels and expirinece and I can only agree with - Leo Tolstoy - The two most powerful warriors are patience and time With time everything fall into place and the most important is education as The old African proverb says “If you educate a man you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman you educate a family”. Comming from a martial art background as a student and a teacher I understand that we are all teachers and educators first and last and we should all study from mistakes again by African prpverb own words - You always learn a lot more when you lose than when you win “. And I believe that Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors African proverb. We all study sailing in this sea of life as I said many times to my students that we cant stop the waves but learn to surf. Our goal is to raise the awarenes of Education in Martial art as said again Aiming is not hitting. (Swahili proverb) We want to “Hit” and know that we educate for the future and not only to “Aim” for Some short period of time - To get lost is to learn the way (African Proverb) and this is why Martial art way is to explore many time not knowing where we ar but always looking for the way to progress and move forward. I have learned a lot in Africa from animals and their behavior and how they had the best teachers called Evolution and Survival who were tough and from whome they have learned
Avi Nardia
that every mistake might be the last one. In this school only the best students stay and this made me think about Israel and roots of Israeli Martial art concept . Why is the Israeli martial art one of the best in the world and how we got to this in the first palce? The answer is very simple and comes from the pure life. We could not allowed mistakes as tought by evolution. Life doesnt forgive. If you loose you become part of the history and the predator or enemy win. As same as in animal world each day is a survival combat. By looking at animels in the nature and how the deer jump high in air as he sees lions hunting we can see a message in it saying to the hunter - dont even try me as Im healthy and young and strong and you will only get tired from running ...choose an on old or sick prey.� Its amazing to see how animals send messages to the predators how they don't plan to become
victims. When we teach self defense we also talk about human behaviour and how to send message of awarenes . Meeting tribes and admiring African nature reminded me of martial arts and how people always feel inferior and endangered by others and talk in a bad way about others just to prove they are good and invincible . Maybe its just part of the big Jungel we all live in. A great writer of our time Paulo Coelho said that - The warrior who trusts his path doesn't need to prove the other way is wrong - Paulo Coelho And to share some nice quates I was reflecting on while being in Africa A man who uses force is afraid of reasoning (Kenyan proverb)
Avi Nardia
Money can’t talk, yet it can make lies look true (South African Proverb) An empty tin makes a lot of noise (Kenya Proverb) The hen comes from the egg and the egg comes from the hen (South African Proverb) If you want to go quickly,go alone. If you want to go far, go together. (African Proverb) Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored - Aldous Huxley Genius is an African who dreams up snow - Vladimir Nabokov There Is No Greater Mistake than To Try To Leap an Abyss in Two Jumps - Benjamin Disraeli The biggest risk is not taking any risk By nature's kindly disposition most questions which it is beyond a man's power to answer do not occur to him at all - George Santayana Only the dead have seen the end of the war -George Santayana Habit is stronger than reason -George Santayana History is a pack of lies about events that never happened told by people who weren't there George Santayana The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time- Mark Twain - This is why in KAPAP we always teach how to live
Avi Nardia
“The darker the night, the brighter the stars, Fyodor Dostoyevsky we agree that for any good be also bad I 've taken my newly designed Kapap knife to Africa in order to test it ( called Fox 602 ) and find new ideas and ways how to use it. Before Africa it has been also in Australia and Arctic and Brazil Amazon. The idea of this knife you can find in my own life story. My father was a first genartion combat paratrooper – the background on his wings was red (as opposed to blue) signifying that he actually made combat drops. This is rare, since most paratroopers train but not actually deploy into combat in this fashion. As such, I grew up among the first paratroopers of the IDF, absorbing their culture, history, stories, and pictures from the old days. One picture I have never forgotten - the attached picture – is that of the platoon training knife fighting in the 1950’s, when KAPAP Krav Panim El Panim - Face to Face combat (FTF) was the
close combat system used in the IDF. As we redeveloped it and starting to reintroduce it throughuot the world to the civilian market, this picture kept popping up again and again in my mind as the whole start for KAPAP. The picture is that of my father, which I adapted into my logo, as I carry my father's memory and tradition. This shadow of the knife has followed me since I was a small kid. I remember how my father used the knife outdoors and indoors as a heavy duty knife. I enlisted in the army in 1980 and was challenged to go to war on 1982. I served in a war zone for two years as the knife was set on my military vest. As I left the army I gave it as present to a friend, a Lt. Colonel, and travelled to Japan to study almost 8 years Japanese Martial arts and become 6 Dan in Japanese swordsmanship and 7 Dan in Aiki Kenpo Jutsu. I have done different martial arts, but always see myself as a Combat and swordsmanship teacher.
Avi Nardia
My school of swordsmanship is that of giving life. When I started to teach Combat, I noticed that many teach how to kill with a knife and explain the knife in wrong way. You can kill with a stone... the knife is the most important tool for humans. We use it for our survival every day. By connecting my personal history, my way of life, and my principles, as well as a deep study of swordsmanship and knife fighting from the masters, I developed ideas as to what would constitute the ideal all around knife. Based on the origin of the knife, gotten from my father, and with my experiences as an Olympic fencing coach and knife fighting teacher, as well as Japanese swordsmanship, I started to design this knife which would be the base for a workshop we teach in KAPAP called "Only Knife", whereby the students need take ONLY a knife and go into the woods all by themselves and survive. The design of the knife had to be one that not only was effective as a weapon, but must encompass capabilities to allow one to build their own shelter, get their food, water, fire, and taking care for all their needs to survive. The idea is that with my Fighting knife you can not only kill but also save lives and survive. This is the main idea for this knife - to give life, not to take a life.
Avi Nardia
KICKING IN MARTIAL ARTS Front kick and side kick... FRONT KICK The front kick is one of the most simple and easy leg techniques to carry out. Since the beginning of its execution, in which we adopt a natural position in order to throw our kick, everything is quite simple. Obviously, it's easy provided we have previously practiced it and have come to know its general mechanism. It is also a bit faster than the side kick, although it usually has less power, mainly because the blow is purely muscular and it doesn't use the lever power that we can apply with the hip joint when we perform a side kick, for instance. Also, it takes up less space for the impact and therefore we can penetrate it through the dead spaces of the opponent's guard. Besides, it gives us the chance of fooling our adversary by starting an apparently front kick and, in the middle of the movement, or almost at the last moment, turn into a circular, side or inverted kick, depending on our own preparation and mastery.
The Raúl Gutiérrez Column
The RaĂşl GutiĂŠrrez Column As its very name implies, it's a front kick because it goes out directly from the front of the body, bending and raising the knee, and retracting our leg like a spring against the body; then we throw our foot forward, impacting either with the heel, the metatarsus or the whole sole. This will depend on the area where we want to impact and the height. This kick can be performed with the front foot to be used as a "jab" kick, and thus keep the opponent away. That is, like the jab in boxing, the straight kick with the front foot can be used as a leg testing, as clogging or to analyze the reactions of our adversary. It also can be performed directly with the rear leg for more power and penetration. There exist the so called "Mae Geri Keague", or percussion front kick, and the "Mae Geri Kekomi" or penetration front kick. In Kekomi, that is, from behind, this kick becomes more visible and takes longer to reach the opponent, but if we manage to carry it out it can be definitive. It's like a direct hit, usually aimed at the abdomen. The kick is simple in itself, but it is important to pay attention to the initial movement of flexing the knee and bringing it as close as possible to the body, for then using the "bounce" forward to hit at close range and with plenty of power. The fact of starting the movement elevating the knee first, is itself a provocation to the instinct of the opponent. In other words, at the beginning of this movement, this will make our opponent to have some sort of reaction and once we see that has made this, we run the most appropriate technique in trying to hit him. It is something of a feint. It's a kick easy to learn, it doesn't require much leg elongation unless it is used to attacking the head, and it can be applied in different ways, as mentioned earlier, as a "tap" or a "jab" to test the opponent or as a direct blow. It is always good to combine the kick with some few punches, either previously or immediately after, so that the slowness of the kick can be compensated by the combination of arms.
HOW TO BLOCK Blocking this kick is simple, depending on where we have set the body weight, whether in the rear foot or in the front foot. If we are leaning on the rear foot, we'll raise the knee with less support, that is, the front foot, deflecting the attack either inward or outward, or simply blocking it. It can also be blocked from behind,
but in this case we must accelerate our movement to avoid being late to block it.
HOW TO STRENGTHEN AND IMPROVE THIS KICK There are many training ways to improve this and other kicks. Reps in the air, in front of the mirror, paos, sand bags, trees, mittens, training in pairs, etc. An excellent exercise is that of pushing a companion who holds a training shield and resists our push, using only the leg, from the bending position to the extension of the leg, without ever reaching the hyperextension to avoid affecting the muscles, ligaments and especially the knee or the hip joint. Workout in gymnastics wall bars, with ankle weights. Tying the end of a rope to one leg and the other end to the gymnastics ladder at the knee height, then lift the knee of the free leg and perform kicks above the rope. Another good method is placing a bench or a chair in front of us and practice our kicks lifting the knee above this obstacle.
SIDE KICK In Fu-Shih Kenpo, the side kick is considered one of the most powerful leg techniques of the style, because of the strength driven from the hip and the use the full body weight. In the same way, and preceded by a good physical, mental and physiological training, it's the correction in its execution and the improvement through continuous and constant training, what will make us strong and efficient with it. The basic ways to achieve this technique are: 1) Also with the help of gymnastics wall bars, we can perform a series of maneuvers to refine and improve this kick. Gripping the wall bars and adopting the rider position (Kiba Dachi) we begin to practice leg lateral raises, in series of 12 or more repetitions, 3 times for each leg, increasing both the number of repetitions as well as the height of the elevations. 2) In the same position, make another series of side kicks at a discreet height. They are no more leg lifts, but actual side kicks. Minimum 3 repetitions per side increasing both the number of repetitions and the height of impact. Here for example we can move the left leg to the right leg and then kick with the right, later we shift the right to the left and kick with the left.
1) Leg frontal lifting (with both legs). Start at a prudent level and move up gradually in each set of repetitions... 12, 14, 16 etc... 3 or 4 repetitions on both sides.
Stretching
The RaĂşl GutiĂŠrrez Column 3) This same exercise can be done in reverse; that is, instead of shifting the left leg to the right, we move the right to left and kick with the right. In these exercises, we will always try to keep the height of the rider position while moving along. 4) Now instead of doing 12, 16 or 21 kicks per side, we execute one on each side on each repetition to balance both the height and the placement of the hip and body. 5) In the next exercise, we combine two side kicks on each side, at two different heights. For example we kick at the middle zone, then withdraw our leg without touching the ground and repeat the side kick in the upper zone. Then in another series we can kick the other way around, that is, first up and then to the middle zone. Then in next we can combine the different heights, like down-middle-up, middle-updown, and so on. 6) Then we can finish with lateral stretching exercises, supporting our foot on the wall bars and holding the position at least 30 seconds, and climbing one bar in each repetition until maximum height. 7) This can be done with any device similar to gymnastics wall bars, like a chair, a tree, a rope or simply grabbing the hand of a training partner. 8) The use of ankle weights will provide us both elasticity and the power to hold the leg at certain heights. 9) We should carry out the whole process of the aforementioned exercises in the air without support. 10) Training with medium and heavy sand bags, paos, targets, etc., is another way to increase our skills in kicking. 11) In this modality of lateral kicking, the knee is raised to the maximum pointing up and never down. It simultaneously serves as a crossed shield for our body. With this armor we protect ourselves and "shielded",
we can push the opponent and drop kicks or combinations while shifting. 12) In the air, we can move forward crossing our legs to gain kicking depth. Or kick jumping in what we call "combat kick"; a jump pushing with the rear leg and, logically, kicking with the front leg. In this way, we also get a clear increase in power by the body weight that adds to the impact.
HOW TO BLOCK A SIDE KICK Better not to block. It's preferable to dodge or try to deflect the attack. It's very strong; besides, a leg is much heavier and has much more power than an arm. But if there is no choice, all we can do is raise our knee as high as we can, so that this shield p ro t e c t s u s s o m e h o w. P ro b a b l y, w e w i l l f a l l backwards, but we will avoid that the kick reaches a more weak area.
HOW TO DEFLECT A SIDE KICK It should not be difficult if we react on time, since the sidekick doesn't cover a big impact zone, but only a centerline. Getting out of that center line should suffice. It's especially recommended to dodge diagonally forward, so as to place yourself to the side of the opponent and be able to counterattack. It's risky because we go in the opposite direction to the kick, but it's worth it if we have the speed to take an armed step and a kick our opponent back. With good reflexes, high speed reaction and entering with determination and energy, we can prevent the kick from being carried out to its fullest extent. To my taste, it's a very powerful and aesthetic kick... even pretty, I'd say! Both seen it live and in a photographic image performed by a good expert.
"In Fu-Shih Kenpo, the side kick is considered one of the most powerful leg techniques of the style."
2º) Levantamiento o Elevación lateral con ambas piernas. Comenzar a cualquier altura prudente e ir ascendiendo poco a poco en cada serie de repeticiones…12, 14, 16 etc… 3 o 4 repeticiones por ambos lados.
Fu-Shih Kenpo
2) Leg lateral lifting (with both legs). Start at a prudent level and move up gradually in each set of repetitions ... 12, 14, 16, etc... 3 or 4 repetitions on each side. 3) Lateral displacement shifting the right leg to the left, lifting the left knee and side kick. Same exercise but now crossing the left leg to gain depth and power of impact. Perform these same displacements with the right leg. 3 or 4 repetitions in series of 12, 14, 16, 18 or more, depending on own ability. The same exercise is performed, shifting backwards left to right, escaping an attack and then kicking with the left. Make series on both sides.
Grand Masters
Combat Hapkido IMITATION AND DISHONESTY by Grandmaster John Pellegrini
In the art world the issue of “authenticity” is essential to the study, classification and, ultimately, the value of any work of art. No respectable Museum would want to display a fake Rembrandt and no serious collector would pay millions for a fake Picasso. But it happens. The art world has been plagued by the commerce of forgeries for centuries. Motivated by the prospect of large sums of money, and, in many cases, also by ego, very talented individuals have produced paintings, sculptures, books, jewelry and other works of art in the exact style of famous artists, forged their signatures, and sold them as originals. The irony in all this is that the forgers are exceptionally gifted artists in their own right. Can you imagine painting a “Van Gogh” so good that it can fool professional art experts? Or producing an antique Roman coin or a Maya carving from the 14th century that can fool museum curators? Not many of us could do that. Those talented forgers could be respected and successful artists if they chose to create their own work, but they prefer to appropriate the fame and reputation of others by producing fakes.
A
similar problem has existed in the business world for a long time and it has led most countries to enact strong laws dealing with copyright, trademark and patent infringements. Most people know and understand why you cannot one day start making and selling t-shits with Nike or Mickey Mouse or Coca Cola logos. But it happens. Theft of intellectual property, pirated entertainment products, fake designer merchandise, and all manners of copyright violations, are rampant all over the World, costing society billions of dollars (and making billions for the criminals!). So, how does all that relate to the martial arts? It is undeniable that we encompass both areas: we create and produce “art” and, by marketing it to the public, we engage in business. And yes, we are also plagued by forgers, fakers and thieves.
“It is undeniable that we encompass both areas: we create and produce “art” and, by marketing it to the public, we engage in business. And yes, we are also plagued by forgers, fakers and thieves.”
Grand Masters And instead of vague and general assertions, I will offer examples from my personal experience. But before I do that I must clarify some extremely important points that have created confusion and misunderstandings in the martial arts for a long time. The first is the issue of “techniques”. No one can claim “authorship” of a punch, a kick or a joint-lock. Even if an instructor or a champion has modified or “improved” a certain punch, kick or joint-lock, those techniques cannot be copyrighted. Even if the instructor or the champion has integrated those punches, kicks and joint-locks into effective and creative combinations, they cannot be held to be the exclusive property of the individual. Anyone can use them and, in turn, modify them, improve them or declare them ineffective and openly criticize them. The same applies to the sequences of pre-arranged movements that in the martial arts we call “kata /hyung/ poomse/ patterns or forms”. They are openly practiced by millions of students around the World and they are considered part of public domain. Claiming ownership would be like trying to copyright a dance like Tango or the Waltz. However, as improbable as it may sound, there is at least one exception that I am aware of where a TaeKwonDo association in the USA has been successful in legally copyrighting their forms and preventing non-members and former members from teaching them. (I will let the readers judge the wisdom of that policy). In 1992 I founded my martial art style “Combat Hapkido”. I did not “invent” the approximately 300 techniques of the system. I learned them from the several hapkido teachers I studied with and they, in turn, learned them from their teachers or the Founder of hapkido who, in turn learned them from…. Well, you get the picture. You cannot copyright strikes, joint-locks and kicks or even the order in which they are presented in a syllabus. In fact you cannot copyright the words “karate” or “kempo” or “taekwondo” or “hapkido. But here is where it gets interesting. While I could not copyright the word “hapkido” (and nor I nor anyone else should be able to), I was perfectly within my right to copyright the name “Combat Hapkido” and trademark the logo of our organization. The name I invented for our system and the logo I designed for it, are my intellectual property and cannot be legally used or reproduced by anyone without our consent and proper compensation. Once again let me be clear, I did not copyright the techniques. Anyone can learn them and practice them. But if you want to teach them to the public, you cannot call them “Combat Hapkido” unless you are an instructor certified by
“Once again let me be clear, I did not copyright the techniques.”
Combat Hapkido “In 1992 I founded my martial art style “Combat Hapkido”. I did not “invent” the approximately 300 techniques of the system. I learned them from the several hapkido teachers I studied with and they, in turn, learned them from their teachers or the Founder of hapkido who, in turn learned them from…. Well, you get the picture.”
Combat Hapkido our organization (ICHF) and are a duly registered, active member of our organization. The reason for this is not only to protect our interest but also to protect the students from incompetent, dangerous and dishonest individuals. The ICHF, as a governing body and regulatory authority, insures quality control, proper procedures and high standards for our system and those entrusted with teaching it. I have accepted the fact that many would want to imitate our techniques (they really work!) our systems, our formula and our success. After all: “imitation is the greatest form of flattery”. And I am flattered. All of us in the martial arts have at one time openly and shamelessly strived to “imitate” our teachers, their methods, their attitudes, even down to their mannerism. We considered them ideal role models and we imitated them because we admired them. It was not our intention to “steal” their accomplishments, their contributions and their reputation. But the hard-won success and prestige of prominent martial artists has also always bred envy and a twisted sense of entitlement in many immature, dishonest and selfish individuals. So, I am sure that it will come as no surprise to our readers to learn now that over the last 23 years we have dealt with a considerable number of frauds, thieves and unethical individuals. And the problem continues to exist even now while I am writing this article. Let me give you some examples: 1. Instructors who have never trained in our system advertising and offering “Combat Hapkido” classes (maybe they bought one of our DVDs?). 2. Instructors illegally calling their system of self-defense “Combat Hapkido”, although it is totally different from the real one. 3. Instructors unknown to us claiming to be certified by our organization. 4. Instructors who are not members of the ICHF using our logo without our permission (sometimes even printing it on their brochures and certificates). 5. Former members claiming to be still affiliated and certified by us. 6. Instructors issuing false “Combat Hapkido” certificates to their students (outright fakes or photocopies of real ones). 7. Instructors forging my signature on their certificates issued to their students.
Grand Masters
Combat Hapkido 8. Individuals illegally duplicating our DVDs and selling them on the Internet. 9. Instructors applying to the ICHF for “recognition” of rank by submitting fake or clearly altered certificates from other martial arts organizations. 10. Individuals printing fake Combat Hapkido Black Belt Certificates and selling them blank on Ebay. Because we have experienced all of the above incidents, some multiple times, in different areas of the World, we have, in a sense, almost become used to them and learned to expect them and accept them as a normal part of business. Of course, when possible, we fight back by using all legal remedies, civil and criminal, and by publicly exposing those disgraceful losers. I also know that for most of us, ethical, respectful, humble, “real” martial artists, it is hard to believe that so many thieves and frauds are hiding in our midst because we (wrongly) assume that all martial artists live by a strict code of honor and follow a well defined set of moral principles. True martial artists should exhibit a conduct that is held up as a positive role model for the rest of society. Therefore, we wonder why some choose to forge, to cheat, to lie, to steal. What is their motivation for appropriating the work, the reputation and the creativity of others? Is it intellectual laziness, jealousy, plain greed, ego? Are they choosing dishonesty simply as a convenient shortcut to their selfish goals? Do they have a mental defect? Maybe it is a combination of some or all of those things. We should not waste our time “playing psychologists” to understand the motivations of dysfunctional individuals. Let's just always be aware that they are out there, hiding amongst us, and that, when we discover them, it is our duty to expose them and expel them from our community.
“So, I am sure that it will come as no surprise to our readers to learn now that over the last 23 years we have dealt with a considerable number of frauds, thieves and unethical individuals.”
In this DVD, Master Marco Morabito, with exclusive rights for Budo International, presents a preview of the Israeli Krav Maga Survival System. In this colossal work, the basic method and techniques of this discipline are illustrated in a clear and transparent manner. That is, no secrets, but in an extraordinary job that will take you to the very core of self-defense. The techniques are illustrated so that they are easily understood by all. A truly unique opportunity to approach selfdefense or improve your knowledge on the subject. The author is one of today’s top self-defense exponents worldwide and has to his credit an extensive experience both in the military field and in security companies; awarded several times in various countries and acclaimed by his courses and seminars around the world, he has become an international spokesperson for different combat and self-defense systems, little known but highly effective. He has learned and studied all over the world, from Japan to the US, via Poland, Spain, Cape Verde, Germany, Israel, France and Russia, a continued research in remote areas of the world, such as Siberia or the desert of Texas, without stopping at any point in his tireless search for new knowledge without ever stop asking questions. The Israeli Krav Maga Survival System is not a discipline or a set of rigid rules, but a method, a process of continuous and constant evolution. This makes it adaptable to any situation and circumstance and permeable to any changes, and then be able to take stock of its mistakes and use the experience as an opportunity to improve.
REF.: • KMISS-1
All DVDs, wichi is produced by Budo International, si provided and alone in the formats DVD-5 or MPEG-2, in VCD, DivX or the like is however neves offered with a special holograma sticker. Besides our DVD is characteristed coverings by the hig quality in pressure and material. If this DVD and/or the DVD covering do not corespond to the requirements specified above, it concerns illegal pirat copy.
ORDERS: Budo international.com
REF.: • DVD/SERAK-1
Pukulan Pencak Silat Serak is a very brutal and devastating Art. The Arts concept its to dominate and take over battleground and space, fast dominating space and engulfing opponents to prevent them from being able to use their weapons or body. Once space is acquired, the base and angle are taken to control opponents rotation or projection, rooting or uprooting is produced from the smallest expression of touch or angle and base position, this we call “Lengket” or sticky. Keeping very close to opponents when striking or using a weapon and putting opponents on “Slywa” or weightless stage of spinal and muscle misalignment. Once rooting takes place, the strike makes massive contact in the body that has no muscle or skeletal protection. “Sambuts” are finishes meaning something very hard to walk away from especially when compression of neck or spine, so finishing means its a done deal. The opposite of that is a “Buang” that stands for throws less devastating in the beginner levels but taught to learn mechanics that in later phases of development of the student or practioner can be modified to “Sambuts” for devastating throws. Compressing skeletal structure, weapons and body structures or striking, grapping defense and offence are all played and studied in our platforms. In this video there's a beginner “Pantjar” platform, also the “Jurus”, which are the playbooks of the system of Pukulan Pencak Silat Serak, are played here. This platform teaches where to be in position to attacker, the platform is 3 dimensional and teaches where opponents body's alignments are the weakest to point of contact the platform. It also teaches how to deal with multiple opponents and space needed, base angle and levers are all play here. Hope you enjoy my small offering into a vast large Art. “Hormat Terima Kasi”.
All DVDs, wichi is produced by Budo International, si provided and alone in the formats DVD-5 or MPEG-2, in VCD, DivX or the like is however neves offered with a special holograma sticker. Besides our DVD is characteristed coverings by the hig quality in pressure and material. If this DVD and/or the DVD covering do not corespond to the requirements specified above, it concerns illegal pirat copy.
ORDERS: Budo international.com
Police Self Defense
This second video follows another put out in 2003 by Budo International with the title: “Lieutenant-Colonel Raymond H. A. CARTER – European Police Self-Defense.” It comes complete with a presentation of technical elements developed by Juan Antonio RODRIQUEZ COQUE and Alfr edo PEREZ PEREZ, members of the “Madrid Fight Federation – Department of Police Self-Defense” and Raymond H. A. CARTER of the “Association Européenne des Polices” (European Police Association – AE-COPS), based on an analysis of the European penal laws, able to establish a conver gence of the judicial basis of a European “standard” related to the intervention of law enforcement and police agents in regards to “legitimate defense,” detention, and the protection of people having committed crimes.
“EUROPEAN POLICE SELF-DEFENSE” “INTERVENTION TECHNIQUES”
Police Self Defense
T
his video tries, in the first place, to respond to a specific question: Why a “European police” force? Two things must be verified here: on one hand, the development and the internationalization of crime more and more active that does not respect borders and that provokes nations by the spilling of innocent blood, and on the other hand, the necessity of implementing in the ever-widening European sphere a true police force that is adapted and competent at the European level to confront it, but whose existence can only depend on the establishing of a European penal law. Therefore, two major difficulties must be considered: 1. The questioning of a certain national sovereignty; 2. The absence, for the moment, of a European public order. If the majority tendency currently presented goes against the creation of a European police force, crime across borders—too often “faster than the law itself”—continues as active as ever, dangerous for peace and public safety. From here comes the need for the representative of public order to consider this difference between the action of the criminals through an internationalized criminality and the establishment of legal measures adapted and obtained questioning the national sovereignty and its attributes in respect to human rights in order to better fight this modern form of crime. This implies for the police and the gendarmes, therefore, anticipating at the national level with the installation of education and training that allow for the confrontation with this criminality in the best possible conditions, criminality that is often very violent, involving mafia structures, organized crime and terrorism, and that at two levels: At the TECHNICAL level through a standardization of techniques adapted and evolving in line with respect for human rights, and that are efficient, focused on public safety, protection, and the safeguarding of the law enforcement agents. At the ETHICAL level considering from here forward human rights and the jurisprudence developed within the European penal law. This double judicial and technical challenge must allow the law enforcement agent:
Police Self Defense
Police Self Defense To anticipate, as far as his action is concerned, what international aspects he can already integrate through certain acts of procedure (commission request…) realized in the framework of a “transborder” cooperation, for the integration of hand-to-hand defense techniques adapted to his own physical safety or of another in the sphere of his job within the future European police. To adapt oneself to the risks involved in the fight against crime by a better knowledge of the European penal law and its demands in terms of human rights, and to the right for a better knowledge of international crime, its violence and its diverse forms (aggression, blackmail…). The law enforcement agent must in this way act and react “before the law and by the law” with the objective of preventing all social danger and of guaranteeing public safety at the national and European levels, and even by extension, at the extra-European level. This implies an effective awareness of the risks incurred in the fight against crime, whatever forms and extensions it might have, and an anticipation of a specific adaptation in conformity with the national law through the principles and bases created from the European penal law and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Strasburg. This is the step that we want to begin through this second video. Once the European penal law is briefly presented, we will speak about the concept of “exception to the right of life” that could intervene, among others, in the case of legitimate defense. The European penal law that interests the 43 countries currently members of the European Board is an “international law of regional character,” composed of a collection of common penal norms to the diverse European states and in constant evolution, considering human rights, intangible and conditional, presented
objectively, and enumerated in the European Convention of Human Rights. The European Convention of Human Rights and its jurisprudence offers us interesting examples in so far as the evolving interpretation of the conventional rights goes through dynamic and constructive policies, most interestingly for our theme, among others, of the notion of legitimate defense of oneself and others. We stress in this purpose that the principle of proportionality is a fashionable notion in all the internal laws of civil rights as well as penal law “lato sensu.” This evidently includes the legitimate defense that must be proportional to the gravity of the aggression. This notion equally intervenes at the level of the sentence, which has to be proportional to the gravity of the crime of the delinquent, such as provisional detention. In the European law of human rights, proportionality can be considered as “the use of means that do not go beyond the necessary in function of the circumstances.” The analysis of the situation by the law enforcement agents and their response adapted to an urgent confrontation must often be extremely rapid and requires precise education and adapted training. In fact, the action of the law enforcement agents and the goal that they seek turns disproportional only when they go too far in the means utilized. The action must be realized “in strict measure to what the situation demands.” Therefore, we will easily understand the necessity of precise education and adapted training and following the nature of generating some automatisms that do not distort the adequate reaction admitted in the internal legal framework. Because, as in shooting, one can’t do anything because the action is very fast. Regular studies of concrete
“The European Convention of Human Rights and its jurisprudence offers us interesting examples in so far as the evolving interpretation of the conventional rights goes through dynamic and constructive policies.”
Police Self Defense cases constitute the best resource to refine the consideration of the situation that is going to induce the recourse to an action/reaction that can integrate with others in the legal framework regarding legitimate defense. The proportionality is, therefore, a notion evoking what is reasonable according to the data of the facts in the matter. It is in relation to “the national margin of appreciation” in the measure in which it is a corrective of this last. For its interference in the life of the citizens, the national authorities and their representatives benefit from a certain margin of maneuvering only for what is necessary for the objective that they are pursuing, because “it is necessary to see whether a just balance has been maintained between the demands of the general interest and the imperatives of the safeguard of individual’s rights.” So, as we have seen, it is in “the strict measure in which the situation demands it” that certain overdoing or disproportional actions necessary to confront or face precise circumstances, until arriving to “the exception to the right of life,” will be accepted by the judge who will not hold the law enforcement agent legally responsible for having acted in line with the law. The exception of the right to life. Article 2-2 of the ECHR says that death is not considered inflicted in violation of this article in the case that it would come from a recourse to force that became absolutely necessary in the framework of the obligation of the States and of its agents to protect human life as well as the people detained who they are responsible for. Therefore, one will do everything in order to avoid that the life of anyone detained is put in danger. And we know the determination of certain criminals to try to eliminate certain detainees that might be a danger to them before a judge. A very particular vigilance will also be necessary in the execution of this kind of risky mission.
According to the same article, there exists “a positive obligation to take preventative measures of a practical order to protect the individual whose life is threatened by the criminal actions of another.” Which, according to a decision of the ECHR of 1998, imposes on the authorities the implementation of concrete measures in order to prevent the materialization of sure and immediate risk of life. This also involves the law enforcement agent who anticipates all risk as “prevention”, and/or who acts in the face of known risks. The more he is educated and trained, the more effective his own safeguarding will be and his action realized to protect all individuals who are under his responsibility in the strict application of the law. Excluding capital punishment, article 22 of the ECHR recognizes three situations in which injury to the right of life can be justified: 1 – Defense against illegal violence. This is the “legitimate defense” that tends to assure the defense of any person against illegal and/or illegitimate violence. But this same article does not include the defense of assets. In the book already cited and that constitutes, so far as we know, the only book dealing with the European penal law, Jean PRADEL and Geert CORSTENS highlight that “it turns out to be doubtful, however, the point of knowing if this exception points only to the legitimate defense of the public authorities or if it can be extended to individuals. This point is opposed to the second opinion since they are, in fact, the national rights that justify the legitimate defense of the individuals in their mutual relations. The Court of Strasburg could intervene in this point at verifying that the penal code didn’t assure the victim concrete and effective
protection, and deducing violence from article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR).” It is important that the law enforcement agent knows the characteristics of legitimate defense, “justified fact” foreseen by the law, and the balance between aggression and defense, that is to say, the relative conditions of the attack and defense. The action of aggression, threatening life and physical safety, but also the physical freedom and/or robbery of the person must be directed against the person who is defending himself or another, and given that the danger is imminent. Aggression is not recognized as current when the danger is in the future or eventual, or if the danger has passed and the bad has been done. The action must be at the point of being realized (if an adversary comes and traps the neck of your jacket with one hand while the other prepares to strike you from behind, this criteria is flagrant), and must be unjust, that is, that it doesn’t result from a fault previously committed for which the right to legitimate defense is solicited, and that isn’t the consequence of the acting out of a responsibility or of exercising a right (if, while you execute an arrest, the person implicated tries to avoid your control by trying to strike you and that you dodge his attack before dominating him with a hand-tohand technique, there won’t be legitimate defense for this individual). The act of defense has to be necessary and the person attacked having no other measure at his disposal to face this aggression and escape the danger (though running away is possible, it is not an obligation for the attacked person who can defend himself and in this case, we are dealing with a question of fact). The act of defense has to be simultaneous, the defense reaction has to intervene immediately with respect to the aggression (a block or a dodge generally marks this simultaneity, the legislator declaring that an infraction committed in order to prevent a future danger or to get revenge for an act already done will not be justified with legitimate defense. However, the reality of combat often shows that various attacks happen when the person attacked defends himself with blocks and dodges before
“The act of defense has to be simultaneous, the defense reaction has to intervene immediately with respect to the aggression (a block or a dodge generally marks this simultaneity.”
striking in order to stop those repeated attacks. A person who is thus threatened by another attack after having received one could in this way be justified if he strikes “preventively” before this second attack in order to end the confrontation, at the risk of being injured or killed). The act of defense has to be proportional, any evident disproportion has to be avoided in the reaction (killing a man who slaps us, for example). It is preferable to “simply” dodge, what is easier said than done for a person who is not trained. This doesn’t exclude a greater bad caused by the defender on the aggressor (an individual who tries to strike us in the head with the handle of a pickax can find himself on the ground with a broken nose after our reaction and in this moment you benefit from legitimate defense). 2 – The regular detention and the prevention of escape of a person regularly detained. Death, in these cases, can only be the involuntary consequence of the use of force. The intention to kill would be in opposition to the sought objective of detaining someone in a regular way or of impeding escape. We highlight that article 2 of the ECHR does not recognize the prevention of crimes as an exception. In fact, it is only in the case that the prevention of a crime would only be on par with an exception admitted as legitimate defense (article 2-2, point A) that the police or the gendarme would be authorized to kill intentionally. In conclusion, the detention as well as the imprisonment have to be regular, which is to say, conforming to the demands of the ECHR. The detention techniques that we present you with will conform to the legal demands, the greatest concern of the law enforcement agent being the handing over of the criminal to the justice system in order to be judged.
3 – The repression of a riot or an insurrection. This constitutes the third exception and can also justify the use of force that might result in death. Article 2-c demands a regulation of the national law in order for it to be enacted. In all of these cases, it is good to remember and highlight the importance of the investigation that will have to establish and make evident that the use of the measure utilized in the abovementioned circumstances were justified so that the judge can free the law enforcement agent who has acted in conformity with the law of his responsibility.
THE INTERVENTION TECHNIQUES This video that accompanies another called “LieutenantColonel Raymond H. A. Carter – European Police SelfDefense” enters into the framework of a reflection that continues on its course, realized as of various years ago by the authors Juan Antonio RODRIQUEZ COQUE, Alfredo PEREZ PEREZ, and Raymond H. A. CARTER and their respective federations and associations concerning the necessity of finding a balance between “duty and right” of the police, the “duty” of serving public interest for public safety and peace, having to consider the “right” of all law enforcement agents of being able to guarantee their physical safety in the framework of their job while acting with full legitimacy in the strictest respect for the law of their country for the good of every citizen. The objective is to present you with a certain number of intervention and detention techniques, tested in the field of the fight against crime by the police in various countries and individually. It makes evident the necessity of a permanent vigilance on the part of the law enforcement agent who has to be capable of reacting immediately with speed and precision in the face of any kind of aggression against himself or another in order to control it with efficiency and neutralize it with total control of the aggressor, generally using the upper limbs (punches, elbows, weapons…) or inferior limbs (kicks, knees), the area of the head having to be avoided to the utmost. The knowledge of the self-defense techniques developed in the first aforementioned video, whose list is not exhaustive and that continues evolving, will
Police Self Defense
“It makes evident the necessity of a permanent vigilance on the part of the law enforcement agent who has to be capable of reacting immediately with speed and precision.�
Police Self Defense facilitate the study of these intervention techniques and their realization, among others when the police go in pairs, ideal to guarantee the safety of each one. This is reason why, as we know, the “gendarmes always go in pairs!” We insist on the necessity of the total control of the aggressor from the beginning of the attack until the immobilization of the aggressor for the cuffing and his transportation with utmost safety to a secure place because the risk of other aggressions (attempt by accomplices to free him…) continues while the criminal is not in a secure and protected place. This video also presents some “LICA” handcuffs conceived and created by Alain LICA, offering some interesting and effective techniques in the framework of criminal detention and that equally permits various declensions (handling a pepper gas container, adaptation of a stick for use as a police defense baton (tonfa), integration of a switchblade…). The inventor remains at the disposition of any practitioner for any complementary information. The repetition of these techniques, during the day as well as at night, must permit the automatic realization of the phases of cuffing and the leading off of the person in question. The law enforcement agent must never forget that he is responsible for his actions and that he might at any time be asked to explain them. Let’s go!
Sifu Salvador Sánchez
W i t h i n t h e l i n e o f i n t e r v i e w s t o W i n g Ts u n Masters, we wanted to know as many points of view as possible on the Art to which we have devoted much of our lives. I'm sure that this kind of interviews are particularly enriching for Wing Chun fans, as they offer them the opportunity to know other approaches, other concerns, new viewpoints and ideas that can serve them to study in depth what they do. Of course, we all agree that absolutely nobody is in possession of the whole truth!! But everybody has a small part of it...
La Columna del Wing Tsun. Sifu Salvador Sánchez qÉñí=~åÇ=mÜçíçëW=páÑì=p~äî~Ççê=p•åÅÜÉò
La Columna del Wing Tsun Interview with Sifu Tam Yiu Ming (Wing Tsun Kuen - Leung Ting Lineage) In my recent travels I've had the opportunity to meet excellent masters all over the world, and I must admit that all of them have provided me with something interesting. Something you may agree or not, but I think that reading this series of interviews can help Wing Chun practitioners from different lineages to better know and understand other members of their "martial family." Today I want to talk to you about a great WingTsun master of Grandmaster Leung Ting's lineage: Sifu Tam Yiu Ming, no doubt a TOP instructor who has been carrying out his activity for many years in Europe. His work has not gone unnoticed, there's no doubt... I have a great friendship and an excellent relationship with Sifu Rafa Alins and Sifu Bradford Wohlner, thanks to the brilliant initiative of the Department of WingTsun of the Spanish Federation of Olympic Wrestling and
Associated Disciplines (Federación Española de Luchas Olímpicas y Disciplinas Asociadas). Since its establishment, it has always called my attention the evolution of sifu Rafa Alins (whom I have known for many years because we both came from the same association) and the approach that he has given to his practice. Rafa is a person who loves what he does. He has made of WingTsun an authentic way of life. Everything in his life revolves around this profession. That's why when he and Sifu Bradford came to Spain to make a master class of WingTsun in the celebration of the International Day of WingTsun I felt really interested to see with who they were training now and how it was their approach. Undoubtedly, the level has risen enormously in recent years and this, along with the personal training, almost always has to do with the tutelage of a great master. I'm sure the sifu Tam Yiu Ming is. I would like to thank the Stockholm Wing Tsun Academy, Uppsala and Monterey, along with WT Concepts Academy, that allowed us to make this
Sifu Salvador Sánchez interview and made it possible for all Wing Chun practitioners to read about this "TOP" instructor that lives in London. For those who may not know him, Master Tam Yiu Ming was born in Hong Kong in 1963. He began studying Wing Chun in the 70's. Master Tam is a direct pupil of Grandmaster Cheng Chuen Fun and Grandmaster Leung Ting. Master Tam began his career as an instructor of Wing Tsun in the IWTA headquarters in Hong Kong, where he became the examiner responsible for all groups. During his time in Hong Kong he was selected to represent the IWTA for demonstrations and chosen "top instructor" because of his outstanding skill in applying the techniques. He currently resides in London where he is also a WT instructor. • Greetings and Welcome Sifu Tam. It is a great joy to greet you and would like to thank you for attending. • Thank you… • When did you start training Wing Tsun?
• I started training Ving Tsun at 10 years. When I was 20, I started training Wing Tsun at the IWTA headquarters in Hong Kong to continue my studies there. • Who was your master and for how long? • I have studied this style with three teachers. My first master was my primary school teacher, Mr. Wong, who taught me Ving Tsun for some years. My second master is GGM Cheng Chuen Fun, who is my Si-Fu. I've studied with him for over 30 years and I keep visiting him in Hong Kong each year to update my skills and continue my studies. Finally my third master was Grandmaster Leung Ting, who is my Si-Baak. I studied with him just over 25 years. • Which is your Shi-Fu’s best quality? • Different teachers have different methods, and I am no exception. Irrespective of the method that each instructor uses, there is a very important coincidence. A duly qualified teacher knows that for the study of Wing Tsun to be effective, it is essential to teach the students how to
La Columna del Wing Tsun relax in order to develop the elastic force. The master should teach the students how to perform the movements correctly, explaining the concepts, without inventing new ones that bear no resemblance to previous generations. These are the traditional methods. So I feel very fortunate to have had a very good teacher who took the time to teach me correctly according to traditional principles. However, there are of course different ways to teach and learn, through which you get to the same place. My Si-Fu prefers to teach through exercises of gloving or sparring, especially Jiui Da (chasing), instead of explaining. He believes that the sparring exercises will
guide the student to understand the meaning of concepts. But, of course, that depends on the student's ability to absorb and understand. The goal is that the student can see and think for himself after the training session and as a result of sparring exercises. I've always liked the way my Si-Fu presents his sparring exercises. 100% concentration is needed. You know, WT is a very fast style. Si-Fu Cheng Chue Fun doesn't require that the student spends too much time remembering the techniques, unless he is dealing with an instructor. Nevertheless, Cheng requires the student to work hard to master the techniques and achieve versatility in the
Sifu Salvador Sánchez applications. But for me, his best quality is that he is a very gentle and quiet master. He never mistreats his students, even when he has the right to show his strength. Si-Fu Cheng recalls constantly his students to save energy. • How would you describe yourself as a Wing Tsun instructor? • Before answering your question, I would like to tell you a story. While still a teenager, I was captivated by an old Kung Fu movie series, called Wong Hung Fay, set in the last
century. It was recorded between 1949 and 1970, a record in every respect. The hundred episodes of the series were shown in Hong Kong theaters and then on television during the 70. The series was about an expert fighter named Sifu Wong, who was a famous master of Hung Gar. Sifu Wong used moral philosophies of Confucius to educate his students. He wanted them to understand that the fight should only be used when there was no other choice. He was real tough but at the same time he was also very protective, and he always paid a loving attention to his
students. When Sifu Wong had no choice and was forced to fight, it was with benevolence and justice, and at the end he always forgave his enemies. This film represented faithfully the Chinese culture and showed the relationship of the very traditional master with his students, as well as the loyalty, discipline, patience and respect that students give to their master. The actor, Gwang Dak Hing, who played the character of Sifu Wong, perfectly reflected the sensitivity of the traditional master, so that image slid deep into my heart, where it still is today. To be honest, I know that, visually, I don't give the impression of being a Kung Fu master or instructor. Most people find it hard to believe that my job is that
of a master of Kung Fu. My body is light and I look more like a scholar than a man of action. I became a master after leaving a large organization. But I was still very young so I continued referring to myself as an instructor. But becoming a Master was my destiny and I have surprised many by showing my skills in combat. I am a traditional master and I keep some traditional customs such as selecting the right person to be a pupil. I am very strict in details when I teach the techniques. I have the patience to wait for a student to master the techniques before moving on to the next phase of his training. But teaching is not only the transmission of techniques or knowledge of the Wing
La columna del Wing Tsun. Sifu Salvador S nchez
La Columna del Wing Tsun Tsun system. There are other equally important issues to consider. For example, the state of mind of the students, their level of training and education, the flexibility of their body, and most importantly, their level of confidence and self-esteem. Teaching, therefore, is a very serious thing and it shouldn't be taken lightly. This is what I'm always working on as a master of Wing Tsun. • What do you like most about this Martial Art? • I like this Martial Art for many reasons, but mainly because of their different forms. My favorite forms are Chi-Sau and the Wooden Dummy, but what I like most is the part of Gwoh-Sau with Lat-Sau. Why? Because of the
way my body moves, the reactions based on tactile sensations, the possibility of applying simultaneously a lot of techniques. Wing Tsun is a circular system and I don't stop to experience the same thing over and over again. As I explained in my statement of Rule 3: The way you can interpret the opponent's movements and assess both the movements and the strength that the opponent is likely to use, comes from sensitivity, as you touch his hands, which not only allows you to detect this information, but also gives you the stimulus for the defense and the attack. What passive defensive moves should be used to dissolve the opponent's
Sifu Salvador SĂĄnchez attack? It depends on what combat moves can be felt with his faster reflex action. According to the WT motto, "tactics must be adjusted according to the opponent's action." This is the hardest thing to learn in WT, and it requires a lot of work to teach. Most p ro f e s s i o n a l s a re s t u c k i n t h i s p a r t . I t d e m a n d s tremendous amounts of patience. According to my teaching method, there are six stages. From the beginning, the student learns Poon-Sau to LatSau, within the first section. If you have the patience to learn well the early stages, you can definitely learn the rest of the system. I usually compare WT learning with learning
a language. It takes having a solid knowledge of grammar and vocabulary to achieve fluency and finally become a master of the language. • When did you start teaching WT? • I started teaching WT in 1987. My Si-Fu offered me the instructor assistant job. That was my training to become a full rights instructor and be able to teach. I didn't know if I wanted to be an instructor since what I really liked was to train over and over (sometimes I stayed training all night long until I realized it was daytime). I was very young, and I remember I was worried about whether I really had the capacity to teach and give lessons. But Si-
Fu encouraged me. Now, I can hardly believe that this has been my career for quite so long. • Have you practiced other Martial Arts? • Yes, I've practiced Hung Gar, an original Southern Shaolin style, before I started to study Wing Tsun. Later, I studied Taekwondo and reached the brown belt at the age of 15. I was fascinated with Bruce Lee's way of kicking. I used to mimic even his sounds, and still do to this day sometimes for fun. I have also studied internal styles Yee Koon and Ng Ga Tai Chi before becoming a WT instructor. Tai Chi was originally a fighting art, and its principles are very close to WT. Although I have focused mainly on WT, I continue to train Tai Chi to improve my understanding of the Martial Arts. • What are the advantages and disadvantages of Wing Tsun? • The advantages are that if you train intensively you can get to being able to use it in an actual fight within a short time. In addition WT, allows you to defend yourself in extremely confined spaces. If you practice the techniques of the system, chain punches, and you work hard, you may be able to defend yourself within one month. The reason is that one of the WT principles is that of using the shortest distance to your opponent. It is very difficult to defend yourself against chain punches. The disadvantage of WT appears when you are taken down to the ground. Actually, being on the ground is a
disadvantage for anyone, but this can be avoided by practicing hard footwork. Ground fighting is more common in Europe, where it's widely practiced now, and I also offer this type of training, but I don't mix it with traditional WT. • What makes your Wing Tsun different from the rest? • I still teach the principles and the way of the IWTA HQ, the main school of the Leung Ting lineage as well as the forms, the original sections of Chi-Sau. The only difference is that I have created my own way of teaching Gwoh-Sau (taking turns to attack) and Lat-Sau (free sparring starting contactless) sparring exercises. The reason I created my own program Lat Sau was to teach students to deal with the widest possible range of fighting situations. I also give students the option of focusing on the WT pure self-defense aspects. I teach them the self-defense legal aspects, anti-aggression strategies and how to avoid a fight. Personally, this is not what interests me most, but it's a quite important issue when it comes to teach selfdefense. • Do Wing Tsun students have to do sparring with practitioners of other Martial Arts? The technical part of the system is slow to learn but it's of no use if you don't put it into practice. What do you think about that?
• Look, if the legendary GGM Leung Jan and his best student, Chan Wah Shun, accepted challenges of different styles, we should also spar with other styles, don't you think? Of course, as long as we carry it out with mutual respect and to test ideas. Some of my students do it. For example, there's one who has been taking classes with me for ten years and he always tells me about his sparring experiences. I love to hear my students talking about it. I notice that the more they practice sparring, the more confident they are in their Wing Tsun. On the other hand, they also learn to appreciate other styles of Martial Arts. You're right. Learning the technical part of WT takes much longer than the simple defense. There is a saying about Kung Fu in Cantonese: "Yat Dam (first is self-confidence), Lik Yee (second is energy), Sam Kung Fu (third are techniques). If you don't have these three conditions, especially the techniques, you have to work very hard. Old Masters always used this saying as a guide to instruct their students. • Where is your school located? Do you accept anybody who asks you to be your pupil?
As you know, London is a very expensive city, so I've rented a training room in a gym for my group classes, seminars and graduations. Also I give private lessons at home. Most of those who seek learning from me, have known about me by the Internet or through my students. I interview each interested person before accepting someone new as a pupil. • Is there any advice you would like to give the students and masters of WT? • If you understand what Wing Tsun really is, and you manage to find a school that teaches traditional Wing Tsun, then be patient and be true to your school. Being successful in Wing Tsun depends on your attitude towards training, your skill and the patience and good guidance of your master. The time you devote to lear ning is paramount. Hence practicing regularly is very important. It is also important that students understand that you are instructing in a pure and classic way, following the methods of GGM Ip Man and the IWTA. It takes time and patience to learn well and teaching is programmed in such
a way that the techniques are repeated until they become a part of the natural reactions of the student. The student who learns the techniques the right way will be able to transmit his abilities when with time he becomes an instructor. Giving variety to the techniques, making them more "explosive" or "aggressive", makes that the emphasis is put more on the strength than in technical skill, and this sets aside the original teaching method that has been successful throughout the world. • Let's talk about technical aspects. What would you explain to a student in his first class? How would you try to convey to him what is Wing Tsun? • There are significant differences between the Martial Arts cultures in the west and in the east. Normally, Chinese Masters or instructors would not tell much to their students, especially in ancient times. They simply expected that their students would follow them without asking questions. For example, when I began learning Wing Tsun it was also normal to stand in the traditional Wing Tsun position while practicing the first two movements of the first form. We used to do this for about fifteen hours. It was also common not to ask the master questions too soon, but simply start doing the movements correctly, copying the master. You had to show your teacher how much you wanted to learn and how serious you were. I showed, and my Kung Fu brothers at the time called me "the Kung Fu addict". In fact, some of those who have come looking for me to be their Master, already had the passion of Kung Fu and they knew what Wing Tsun was before choosing to learn. But since I came to London to stay I had to adapt myself to the lifestyle of western people. They learn through asking questions. Then I understood for the first time what GGM Leung Ting had always told me about cultural differences between the west and China. For that reason, when I get new students that come for the first day, I always ask them some questions, of which the most important is: "What is your goal in studying WT?" If the answer is that they want to learn because they love it and they are interested not only to get in good
shape or for self-defense, then my next question is: "From where do you know about WT and what do you think of the system?" From their answers I determine if they can start studying WT. In most cases I have to explain to them that WT is much more than pure "fitness". This is the reason why I pay particular attention to the students I teach. I am very careful about it and so I can say that it is most often remain for many years studying with me. When I begin to teach a new student I focus on footwork and chain punches. I explain to him that balance is the foundation of WT. Without balance he cannot have good movement and good structure. And for the same reason, he needs to continue practicing the basic positions and relax until he feels he is lightweight from the waist up, but at the same time he feels that his weight descends down to the knees and the feet and contacts the ground. When facing an opponent, it must be always understood that the essence of WT is the theory of the center line. This teaches us that the shortest route between two points is a straight line. Therefore you have to maintain your guard on the opponent's centerline and, at the same time, you must keep your legs very closed as you move. We call it the "adduction stance." This position makes it easy for you to move forward very fast and enter into the space of your opponent, so that your hands can quickly reach him on the center line when you advance. I always explain that we must learn to move quickly. This is part of the foundation of the system. So the student has to focus on the movements of his feet and practice intensively. Without a good basis in terms of movement, the other techniques cannot be developed. The student would be like a rootless tree, and without roots branches cannot grow. • Thank you very much, MASTER It has been an honor to do this interview. Anyone interested in getting in touch with Master Tam Yiu Ming can do it in his Academy in London through the contact Sifu Salvador Sánchez
Master Tam Yiu Ming Tamyiuming@hotmail.com www.wingtjung.co.uk +44 07957561389
"What beautifies the desert is that it hides a well of water somewhere." Antoine de Saint-Exupery "What we know is a water drop; what we ignore is the ocean.� Isaac Newton Flow doesn't mean being sloppy; definitely, water is not so, for it doesn't leave any corner uncovered... it reaches everywhere! As asturian people say, "water has a very fine snout". Unhurried, coupling to the circumstances, water is a metaphor for the persistence and extreme adaptability. It's the paradigm of changing in the form without transforming the essence. Water catalyzes life; without water, the land dries and gets barren; and the fire, without a controller, spreads everywhere and the air, turned into a sandstorm, cannot carry the fertility of the clouds, or the force of the changes. Even iron is wrought by the use of fire in the forges! Water is the cradle of all life, the primary livelihood of both inanimate and animate beings, all of them "bags" of hotter and hotter waters, according to their degree of evolution, and adapted to a change that we accompany, of which we are part, and not guilty, as some would have us believe. The "terminal sin" is the JudeoChristian guilt of environmentalism. Water comforts us, cleanses us, and blesses us. Wet in the rivers of the moment, we swim, fight, wreck... Flowing, adapting to the barriers, going down, not opposing anything, water is the perfect analogy of humility, adaptation and not conflict. The water wins aimlessly; following its nature, it surrounds any obstacle and teaches us how to overcome, but with wisdom, free from wear and tear, without losing sight of the goal. What is a rock on the road, a mountain‌? Even trapped in between cliffs and narrow passages, water filters, or evaporates if such a thing is not possible; nothing stops its destination. It's been the river of life that has left in my shores these texts, which today I share in book format. And I say "it left" because all authorship is at least confusing, since we are all debtors of those before us, those who inspired and keep inspiring us, of the floating clouds of the collective unconscious, and even, who knows!, of the spirits and the consciousness around us. I can't teach anything because I don't know anything, but for those who wish to hear my poems, here I leave my sincere and truly felt thoughts, every time more felt and less thought, because mind is a deceptive device that sees what it wants to see and I’ve learned to be suspicious about it.