Dragon Style Issue 3

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Volume 13 Issue 3

The Official News Magazine of the Jeet Kune Do Athletic Association

JKDAA 2013 Year in Review Edition

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Featured article

Sifu’s Corner...pg04

Featured article

The Power of Breath...pg08

The Dragon Style News Magazine is published bi-monthly by the Jeet Kune Do Athletics Association and is distributed by subscription only. Subscription opt in/ opt out and back issues are available online at JKDAthletics.com.

Founder and Publisher Sifu Harinder Singh Sabharwal

Featured article

Conceptos en acción...pg12

Editor Liz Fitzgerald Contributors

Featured article

Spreading the Word in Mexico...pg13

Featured article

Enter the Dragon...pg14

Featured article

DRAGONSTYLE Team

L.A. Days...pg16

Featured article

Action Strength...pg18

Featured article

Relentless MMA Seminar...pg22

Featured article

Hawaii Retreat...pg24

Hector Solis Adam Brady Francisco Vasquez Kyle McGahee Jay Cooper Arun Sharma Photo Credits Hector Solis Adam Brady Francisco Vasquez Kyle McGahee Jay Cooper Arun Sharma Liz Fitzgerald Advertising Sales Anshu Sabharwal Sifu Harinder Singh Sabharwal If you would like to submit an event for publication, please email details, images, and necessary contact information to our editor.

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Regular columns

Letter Fromthe Editor...pg03 JKDAA Regionals...pg28 2013 Training Schedule..pgBC

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

table of contents

Experience Defines Experience

I recently saw a fantastic TEDTalk about a relatively new theory. To sum it up, it says that I am far more than a mere genome , which basically differentiates me from you by a very tiny margin within the building blocks of life, and am rather what the speaker, Sebastian Seung, Computational Neuroscientist , referred to as a Connectome — the sum of the hundreds of millions of synaptic connections and exchanges that are constantly happening in my brain. In short, that while I was handed a certain hardware configuration, my memories, experiences, etc. actually change the functionality of that “standard issue” hardware and makes me who I am. The talk went on to explain how these translate into deeper consciousness and such, but I want to discuss this core idea: “I am my Connectome.”

Personally, I have always argued the case for experience defining everything, but here is a scientific theory that addresses this very thing. The statement may sound, off hand, almost like a statement of the obvious, but, how obvious is it, really? Have we really considered the total implications?

Consider this: by the time you were born you had already created a series of synaptic connections based on the experiences that you’d already had, such as life in the womb (let’s leave out the questions about when that life actually begins, please). From the first moment of consciousness, or sub-conscious interaction with the world within and outside our being, experiences are forming connections to which we will return time and time again as we build upon them, make reference to them, delete them, remake them, etc. throughout our lives. Each memory and experience creates countless such connections, and it is these connections that begin to help determined how future ones are made. What I mean is that the experience and memory of burning yourself on a hot stove, for example, creates pathways that we build on that will hopefully, unless you are a masochist, keep you, or at least minimize the likelihood, that you will choose to burn yourself on a hot stove again. If there came a time when that choice was made, the one to burn yourself on the stove, certain pathways would build upon, from, or replace the existing ones to record the new experience, creating a new set (or an edited set – whichever way you choose to look at it) of connections on which to build.

So, you might ask yourself right about now, what does this have to do with Martial Arts ?

Well, stop me if you’ve heard this one:

A White Belt walks into a dojo and… they have a huge amount of experience to draw from. It may or may not be Martial Arts experience, but it is life experience nonetheless, and it will define, color, and influence their training, their abilities, their perceptions, their perspectives, the things they learn, and the way they learn them, as well as those very things for everyone else around them.

Take, for example, a simple, middle punch . We’ve seen all kinds of deliveries for this basic technique, everything from the guided missile to the grab-a-glass-of-water, from the thumb-breaker to the thumb-stabber, each one a choice, whether conscious or not, based on experiences and their respective connections. The thing is that many instructors tend to see these as walls to be broken down rather than useful tools in the instruction of the individual. If I can make connections and relations between a new concept for a student and an existing one from their individual experience, I can create and build on new connections that are founded on deeper, more permanent ones, making the new ones stronger. That, of course, is a double-edged sword because, should I intentionally or not, build a connection that is not healthy for my student, then I have done a potentially long-term disservice to that person.

More exciting though, because we are all experienced in something, we can all learn from each other, regardless of rank. Our different backgrounds and histories give us a hugely varied perspective on each style we practice, and, as such, in being open to share our points of view and to listen and examine the points of view of our training partners, we can offer and be the recipients of brand new ways to look at, learn from, and work on the techniques, principles, and concepts of our chosen arts — on the mat and beyond.

For me, it additionally confirms another suspicion I’ve had for some time: that everything that we learn or do, whether new or old, is an interpretation of something we have already had an experience in, as, because in the act of living we build an ever expanding library of experiential reference, we can, consciously or sub-consciously, find a connection between the new information and one or more of the memories we already hold — however tenuous that connection might be.

Ironically, our experience also defines how tenuous that connection can be for us and the nature of the connection that is made. So, the difference in elasticity between a connection accepted by an engineer versus that accepted by a surrealist artist is, in all likelihood, completely different because the engineer’s experience is, in part, grounded in more measurable specifics than the surrealist’s. Where the engineer may look at a punch and arrive at a mathematical equation for the force that punch delivered, the surrealist may arrive at a fish and be just as satisfied and justified. In other words, it is my specific set of experiences and reconfiguration of the hardware that I was issued that leads me to whatever conclusions I reach at any given time.

Where have your experiences lead you? I’d love to hear.

Liz Fitzgerald, Editor

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SIFU’SCORNER As Interviewed by MyFMA.net

INTERVIEW OF SIFU HARINDER SINGH Interviewer is Thomas Ivers of MyFMA.net Transcription provided by Arun Sharma & Thomas Ivers of MyFMA.net

Q. Could you tell us about you and your martial arts background?

Sifu Singh: I grew up in India until I was about 4 years old. My dad was a sea captain. Martial arts wise, I have always been a Bruce Lee fan. I mean, pretty much like everybody else, I got into martial arts because of the influence of Bruce Lee and his movies, and I remember seeing Bruce Lee’s poster above my bed. He has been my inspiration ever since.

I started with Okinawan Karate when I was six years old. My mom put me in that art and I remained there until I was about nineteen. I was involved in point fighting, kata demonstrations, and used to teach that art in high school as a part time job.

Later in life in 2001, I really got into trouble. I was in very bad altercation while celebrating college graduation. We were celebrating at a beach in San Francisco, and a street fight broke out. About 25 guys showed up out of nowhere, locals, and here we were on the beach with our group having a bonfire. And you know, it was like a life and death situation. At that moment I started to wonder what happened to everything that I had learned, and everything that I had trained in because it didn't go down well. I had no understanding of how to use weapons or how to apply them, as well as understanding how to fight more than one opponent. When someone attacks you with a 2x4, you don't do an upper block because it will break your arm. I learned that the hard way. You were lucky to have ended up at the hospital with just a broken arm.

I started to ask questions to try and find the truth. There is a relationship between the strat-

egy of what you have to do, and I didn't know what to do in that situation. Then, you have to deal with the emotional part of it. How do you deal with emotions? How do you deal with fear? How do you deal with one of your best friends or roommates getting beaten up by 25-30 guys, and make the decision on how to help them? What do you do in these situations? So, that event caused me to ask questions that lead me to discovering issues surrounding the subject of fear. I wanted to find out what causes fear? Why do people panic? What is stress? How to deal with stress? How do masters do it?

That started my journey.

So, after the altercation in San Francisco, I started to research and I tried to find different teachers. I said to myself… well okay; let me try the guys who train the military. That’s how I found Paul Vunak. I trained with him for 8 to 9 years every day for thousands of hours. I also had an opportunity to train with Guro Dan Inosanto and other JKD factions such as Sifu Larry Hartsell’s group. Those were my main influences in Jeet Kune Do. They also introduced me to Kali, Wing Chun, and to using the arts relative to street fighting. I have also studied Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and so on.

Q. Do you happen to have any living heroes?

Sifu Singh: Living heroes? My parents, they are my heroes. They are the ones that sacrificed to get me here. But from a martial arts perspective, Guro Dan Inosanto is one of my living heroes. Guro Dan Inosanto is modern day martial arts encyclopedia. He is the original ‘app,’ you can say that. If there was a martial arts ‘application’ wherein we could take and transfer his intellect, and put in the ‘app’ into our brain, we would all be very lucky. His background is as a teacher. He was a history teacher previously and became full time martial arts instructor. You can see it when he teaches. It is very important, I believe, that stu-

dents understand the history of where something comes from and only then can they understand and see where it needs to go. If you don’t know where you come from, you can’t figure out where you want to go or figure out who you are. Guro Inosanto gives you that background.

He gives you the development, and tells you how Kali and Silat were developed and how the influence goes all the way back to Alexander “The Great.” You know, just being able to know something and be a part of it is quite amazing. If Dan Inosanto wasn’t like a professor, I don’t think America or the rest of the world would know much about the Filipino martial arts. He has been one of the main, if not the main, ambassadors of the art.

Q. Are you still doing the kettle bells?

Sifu Singh: Oh yes, absolutely! We have to everyday as martial artists.

It is your responsibility to be an athlete. I remember Guro Dan Inosanto telling me that Bruce Lee’s secret was 60% attribute and 40% technique. So when I develop the physical attributes, mental attributes, emotional attributes and so on… whatever I am doing such as defanging the snake, or defending against an opponent, whichever ways it ends up going, it always comes down to physical training.

Q. Can you tell us about your TED talk and obsessive thinking?

Sifu Singh: That goes back to the incident in San Francisco that I talked to you about. The talk that I gave at TED was pretty much about, ‘How to Quiet the Mind in 5 Minutes a Day.’ Let’s say a real fight of some sort breaks out and you are ‘up in your mind’ thinking and worrying about what is this guy going to do with me. That is in the future. Or you might be worried that the guy might hit you, or possibly he has already hit you, and you are mentally caught with, ‘he hit me and I can’t let him hit me again.’ Your brain is oper-

ating back in the past. Well, if you are thinking either in future or it the past, you can’t be in the present, and in the present moment is where the fight happens. The present moment is where the emotions happen.

So, the ability to be in the present moment, quiet the mind, and focus on the breath is important. This way you can give your mind the power to observe as it is supposed to. What I basically did was to take these principles from martial arts, the training we do, the breathing we do, and work in different aspects so we are ready to relax. I have taken this to the corporate world because regardless of whether you are doing martial arts, basketball, corporate meeting, sales meeting, or an interview, every single one of these things is in relationship between two people or an environment. At the end of the day, your ability to connect to the people and environment is what’s going to determine your success and your ability to connect to them and observe them correctly. It is going to come down to what is up in your head. You need to be in the present, right here, right now.

Q. What two arts or systems influenced you the most?

Sifu Singh: I would say that I teach JKD & Kali. That is what I teach. The core of what I teach is what we are, we are the Jeet Kune Do Athletic. But there are other influences that I’ve had because I tried to research as much as I can.

I’d have to say that Sifu Arnold Tyam was an influence. I am a Qi-Gong and Tai Chi disciple, 24th generation.

I went on to learn the Tai Chi after learning JKD. The JKD symbol is there on our wall, the Ying and Yang.

Having the ability to fight is one thing and having ability to heal is, I believe, an even greater skill. So, Tai Chi has definitely made things more alive.

And then there is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Marcel Louzado, a World Brazilian Jiu

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SIFU’SCORNER Jitsu Champion, was also my teacher. Being able to go to ground and be comfortable is also important these days. We are not dealing with just boxers or with just kickboxers anymore. We have guys watching the UFC just like they did in the old days with the WWF. We have to have the ability to go to the ground, be able to adapt , and be like water so that you don’t get stuck. Everybody is cross training. That is the model of fighting we are looking at. So Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is very important. BJJ teaches me how to move. It teaches me position. It also teaches me how to get out of those and get back up on my feet. It teaches me how to get out from underneath and how to hold somebody bigger.

We also incorporate the art of uninterrupted biting and eye gouging. Remember, we train for street. When I train military units, we focus on survival. For them there is no time to pass the guard. There is no time to ‘have a match.’ You have to get back up. So, we use Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as a technology, but instead of them doing armbars, triangles, and chokes, we have bites. We have 12 different bites, 12 different biting areas and that adds up to 144 different possibilities.

Q. Have worked on any movies of Hollywood?

Sifu Singh: No I haven’t had the opportunity yet but you know we have definitely been in discussions and you will see what future holds.

Q. I have seen you have been published in Black Belt and Martial Arts illustrated magazines, do you want to discuss on any of the articles?

Sifu Singh: Sure what a great honor to be in Black Belt Magazine, it is like Time magazine for us martial artists. Just being there is great and humbling experience. I wrote an article renamed to the ‘Roots of Combat and How JKD Became the Ultimate Martial Art.’

Basically, what I wanted to do was to chart Bruce Lee’s development of himself and Jeet Kune Do covering when he was alive and the development of JKD as it continues with Guro Dan Inosanto and Paul Vunak. It is very important to understand the singularity of JKD. It is a concept, so you can understand how

this Master Bruce Lee developed his thought process. A lot of people want to just emulate the movements of the teachers. The concepts and concept is similar to giving somebody a fish every single day. You give them a technique, or you can teach them how to fish and they can be self-sufficient. I think that is the beauty of the development of Jeet Kune Do.

Q. Is there anything that a beginning martial artist should work on?

Sifu Singh: It is very important to learn experiences instead of techniques. You can have a beginning martial artist come in and you teaching them a curriculum, but this is not good because they don’t know how to really do the curriculum. But if you start them using experiences, they will be like, ‘Oh this is what the pressure of the attack feels like.

They can then start to understand what they are doing and why they are doing it. So, I think it is very important for a beginning martial artist to properly experience the art.

Q. What do traditional martial arts concentrate too much on?

Sifu Singh: I think that when you look at traditional martial arts and reality based martial arts, they both are two different extremes. I feel that the best position is somewhere in the middle for traditional martial arts. Traditionalists have a great emphasis on discipline, focus, and development of the attribute.

Self-perfection is what we call it and in the reality-based martial arts the street fighting side are the techniques and drills performed for combat. No fancy katas, no punching in the air. The idea at the end of the day is to merge the two. You will then be in a much better place. But that being said, I think that the traditional martial artist needs to get out of their comfort zone, step out of the dojo and to experience what is really out there, be more of like scientist I suppose. Traditional martial artist get in the ring…and I will tell you because, I have done it. I was a traditional martial artist and got my ass kicked to learn the right way. The best thing to do is to go into a ring with a boxer and spend 40 hours in the ring. Then spend 40 hours in the ring with a kickboxer, then 40 hours in the ring with a grappler, then 40 hours with a Jiu Jitsu artist. You are going to have a different idea about fighting after spending 40 hours in the ring with a kali guy. Then, you will know

what it is and where you are.

I think that the problem is that people don’t want to look at the holes and weaknesses. You can practice your technique, and you can know the best techniques in the world, but if you haven’t had the experience having to pull these things off under pressure, it’s different.

Q. Are most of your seminars in the United States?

Sifu Singh: Yeah, most of them are in United States and Canada. Next year I will be going to India, the U.K., Italy, Germany, and soon it will open up in Europe, Asia and hopefully, Hong Kong as well.

Q. I noticed that you have seminars posted on the website so people can get touch in with you there?

Sifu Singh: Absolutely. Please go to our website and go to the section called ‘Courses.’ You can look at the courses and search according to subject matter or date.

Q. What city is your dojo located in?

Sifu Singh: I personally live in Silicon Valley, California, an area called Cupertino. I don’t have an actual gym, like you would see with a private training facility. I work with a lot of my students privately and semi-privately. I believe in relationships and don’t like to teach in large masses. That being said, I do like to conduct seminars to make sure that we continue to spread martial arts and Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do, as well as his combat fighting philosophy. This is actually more of his lifestyle philosophy.

So once a month, I do seminars somewhere or the other. I travel quite a bit.

Q. How can people reach you if they want to study with you and obtain training from you at the Jeet Kune Do Association?

Sifu Singh: The best way to reach me is to go to jkdatletics.com. If anybody is interested in training with me, for putting a program together, for training sessions, joining various programs, for law enforcement, or military, you can definitely visit jkdathletics.com. Also, on the JKD Athletics website, you will find certified instructors I work with across the globe from the United States, Canada, Mexico, UK, New Zealand and India. ©Copyright MyFMA.net and the JKD Athletic Association.

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Featured Article

POWER BREATH

pranayama is just the tool we need.

There are multiple pranayama techniques to relax or invigorate your body/mind described in Yoga. They are easily mastered and can have prompt and powerful effects. In all techniques of pranayama, emphasis is placed on the following factors: A settled and relaxed body position Sitting comfortably is suggested for pranayama practice. You may also stand, but it is recommended that beginners sit comfortably either on the floor or on the edge of a chair with the feet on the floor. You don't need to adopt any special position or Yoga asana, just make sure that your body is grounded, stable and comfortable.

The Power of the Breath Adam Brady In my previous article I presented a general overview of the science of Yoga and how it relates to our martial arts training. In this article I'll be focusing specifically on the practices of yogic breathing, known as pranayama. Dating back thousands of years to the ancient Vedas, pranayama is a science in and of itself. Used by legendary athletes such as Rickson Gracie, the Great Gama, and countless yogis throughout history, pranayama provides a powerful tool to substantially improve your performance in the martial arts and enhance your daily life. In the following paragraphs I'll be describing the theory behind pranayama, explaining the fundamental pranayama exercises, and instruction in their use.

One of the eight limbs of classical Yoga philosophy, pranayama is the process of regulating and managing our life-force energy through conscious breathing. For most people, breathing is an automatic function that receives little thought. Left on its own, the breath comes and goes and we don't really give it much attention unless something goes wrong (choking, asthma, asphyxiation, etc.). However, ancient yogis thousands of years ago chose to closely observe the natural cycles of breath in the laboratory of their bodies. Through those observations they discovered the profound connection between their breath, mental and emotional states, and the level of energy in their bodies.

They recognized that the breath contained a powerful quality they called "Prana", which essentially means life-force. Prana can also be found in the food we eat and other subtle means, but is most profoundly cultivated through the breath.

According to Yoga philosophy, we are each allotted a certain number of breaths in our lifetimes and when we exhale our last breath, our lives will end. Whether or not this is literally true can be debated, but the point is that we should make the most of our breathing. The more consciously and slowly we breathe, the more we are in the present moment and able to manage our mind, body, and spirit. When our breath is rushed or panicked, our physiology and even our personal reality takes on the same anxious and stressful quality. As martial artists, this is a state that we simply cannot afford.

We need the ability to control our mental, emotional, and physical states, and

A tall spine and good posture Try to keep your spine straight as correct posture helps to support the body and provide the structure and space needed for the diaphragm to move. If you slouch over, you constrict the diaphragm, and limit its ability to function effectively, cutting off the flow of prana through the body.

Use the diaphragm and breathe from the belly or abdomen Diaphragmatic breathing is natural breathing. If you observe a sleeping baby, you'll see its belly rise and fall with each breath. Most adults however, have forgotten how to breathe naturally and breathe shallow breaths from the chest. Take a moment right now and inhale deeply. If your collarbones and shoulders rise, you are breathing with your chest.

This type of breathing, while functional, is only filling the top portion of your lungs and greatly underutilizing your lung capacity. Now, breathe again, but place your hands on your belly and see if your breath can push your stomach outward (it helps to try this lying down). Keep your shoulders and collarbones still and allow your abdomen to rise and fall with the breath. With few exceptions, this

is the breathing in which nearly all pranayama exercises begin, so get practicing!

Nasal breathing and tongue placement With nearly all pranayama exercises, we breathe in and out through the nose. According to Yoga, mouth is for eating and speaking while the nose is meant for breathing.

Anatomically, we can see that breathing through the nose not only filters the air, but it warms it to body temperature as well. Mouth breathing also dries out the mouth and throat and draws airborne debris directly into the trachea and lungs.

Since the mouth it typically closed during pranayama, it is recommended to place the tip of the tongue against the small ridge directly behind the upper front two teeth. This spot is known as fire point and it is an energy meridian that helps to close an energetic circuit so the prana being cultivated doesn’t leak out of the body during practice. Placing the tongue at fire point also serves to relax the face, neck, and jaw.

Full, slow, deep breathing In most basic pranayama techniques (as in the belly breathing described above), we are retraining our body to use our lung capacity to its fullest. In "normal" breathing, we take in relatively little air (about 500 milliliters), while our lung's capacity is four to seven times as much. Therefore, in pranayama, we're really expanding our lung's potential. And when it comes to fighting (and general health and well being) that's a very good thing. As you practice the abdominal breathing, work to fill your lungs to capacity through the lower, middle and upper chambers. In doing this, you're teaching your body how to use all the available space your lungs have to offer.

Conscious attention to the flow of the breath

Effective pranayama isn't something you do half-heatedly. Performed correctly, pranayama techniques can almost take on the qualities of meditation. As Rickson Gracie puts it in the documentary, Choke, "Sometimes when I make my routines, I get in a very special stage of meditation, and this is beautiful because I'm able to exercise and totally clean my mind and keep myself in the present moment." So as we perform our pranayama exercises, it's vital to keep our attention on the flow of the breath, how it feels as it moves in and out of our bodies and how the process makes us feel.

Pranayama creates a feedback loop in which we become aware of the technique, how it makes us feel, and then make conscious choices to control the breath for optimum benefit.

(Incidentally, Rickson has been known to practice both the Kapalabhati and Bastrika techniques described below in addition to Bandhas or Yogic energy locks during his training.)

Now that we’ve established the basic breathing considerations, let’s explore a few of the most fundamental and classical pranayama exercises.

Note: While the exercises described below are safe to practice on your own, care should be taken to progress slowly and with awareness of how the techniques affect your body. In addition, if you suffer from untreated high blood pressure, eye or ear problems, or are pregnant, you should refrain from practicing the first two exercises (Kapalabhati and Bhastika). If at any time you feel uncomfortable, light headed or woozy, stop the exercise, breathe easily and then resume the exercise in a less intense manner. Also, since several of these exercises involve vigorous breathing, you may want preface your practice by blowing your nose to ensure your airway is clear.

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POWER BREATH

I. Kapalabhati – The Shining Breath In normal breathing, we focus on the inhalation, and then exhale passively. This is reversed in Kapalabhati by exhaling forcefully followed by passive inhalations.

Kapalabhati energizes the entire body by oxygenating the blood flow and creates an invigorating sensation. Sitting comfortably with an upright posture, draw a breath halfway into your lungs. Forcefully expel all the air from your lungs, pause briefly and then allow the lungs to fill naturally.

The movement should be coming from the diaphragm and you will hear the sound of the air being expelled from your nostrils.

The breathing cadence will be a count of one-two, with the emphasis on the exhalation. Perform this breath 10 times, and then allow your breathing to return to normal and observe the sensations in your body. Repeat these cycles of 10 breaths three to four times. Following the Kapal-

abhati technique, sit quietly and draw your attention to your head and try to notice the calming and clearing effects of the practice.

II. Bhastrika – The Bellows Breath or Breath of Fire Similar to Kapalabhati, Bastrika breathing is an invigorating breath that intensely fans the energetic fire of your body. In this technique, both the inhalations and exhalations are performed through the nostrils in rapid succession. Whereas in Kapalabhati there is a slight pause between the exhalation and inhalation, in Bastrika, there is none. Begin by practicing slow, deep abdominal breathing. Following a few deep breaths, exhale completely, and then begin vigorous and forceful exhalations followed by forceful inhalations at a rate of 1 second per cycle. Keep your neck and shoulders loose and relaxed, allowing the movement to come from the diaphragm.

Perform one round of 10 breaths and pause for 30 seconds and observe your body. Repeat the process for 20 repetitions and pause once again before completing a round of 30 repetitions.

Between each round allow your breathing to return to normal and witness the sensations in your body.

III. Nadi Shodhana – Channel Clearing Breath While the first two techniques were enlivening exercises, Nadi Shodhana has a quieting effect and can help calm a turbulent mind following a vigorous training session. It also serves to balance the left and right hemispheres of the body as well as clearing the subtle energetic pathways in the body. In addition, it can help relieve general stress and ease insom-

nia. Nadi Shodhana is also known as alternate nostril breathing. In this technique, we close off one of our nostrils with our finger while breathing through the other. It may seem like an unusual process, but the results are well worth it. Begin by forming your right hand into Mr. Spock’s familiar “Live Long and Prosper” gesture from Star Trek. Place the index and middle finger of your right hand against your forehead, between your eyebrows. Bring your left arm across your body so you can rest your right elbow on the opposite arm.

Now take a full breath and use your right thumb to close off the right nostril. Exhale through the left nostril, pause briefly and inhale through the left nostril. Now close the left nostril with the ring finger and pinky of the right hand while releasing the right thumb. Exhale through the right nostril, pause briefly, and inhale through the right. This completes one round.

Perform 5-7 rounds, taking time to pause and notice how your body feels following the technique.

IV. Ujjayi – Success Breath The most well-known and frequently used pranayama technique is the Ujjayi Breath. This is a calming and soothing breath regularly employed during Yoga practice which can cool and settle your mind and body following your training. This breath is also called the sounding breath because of the noticeable sound generated from the back of the throat as you breathe.

Begin by taking a full deep breath, open your mouth and exhale, making a “haaah” sound as if you were trying to fog up a mirror. Now inhale, maintaining the same sound at the back of your throat. Exhale again, this time with your mouth closed, directing the air through your nasal passages.

Continue to breathe with your mouth closed. The end result should sound like waves of the ocean rising and falling as you inhale and exhale. Ujjayi breathing can be practiced whenever you find yourself becoming aggravated or stressed. This technique has a calming effect on the body while helping the mind to focus.

V. The Healing Sound If you’ve ever watched Rickson Gracie spar, you’ve undoubtedly heard his very unique breathing pattern. It consists of an inhalation followed by several short exhalations while making a “Chwooo” sound with each controlled out breath. If you didn’t know better, you might think this was just an arbitrary sound that has no meaning. But actually, this sound has a very specific purpose. According to Chinese Taoism and Qi Gong practices, this “Chwooo” sound is a special healing sound that has a direct relationship to the kidney energy and how we process stress. It is said that making this sound helps to dispel fear and insecurity while creating an increased sense of tranquility, peace, gentleness and stillness. It’s no surprise then that during an intense sparring session Rickson is so calm and focused. As he breathes out with each “Chwooo,” he’s tuning his physiology away from the fight/flight response and toward a state of restful awareness from which he can more easily plan and execute his next move.

We can likewise utilize this technique in our training. During long-range sparring, working your ground game, or Action Strength training, keep your awareness on your breathing. Inhale evenly with an Ujjayi breath and make the “Chwooo” sound one to three times as you exhale, depending on your intensity level. Combining Ujjayi and the healing sound in this way reduces wear and tear on your body, helps you manage the fear and panic often associated with a streetfight, and keeps your awareness in the present moment.

Ultimately, this is the highest goal of all the pranayama techniques we’ve explored in this article – keeping your awareness in the present moment.

After all, fights aren’t won in the past

or the future. It is only by having a cool and focused mind, grounded in the present moment that we can overcome an attacker and defend ourselves, allowing our tools to respond on their own, at the perfect time. Breath control is of utmost importance during our training and in a fight because it helps us manage our inner state, which is where the fight is really won, or as Rickson explains again in Choke, "When you control your breath, you can actually control yourself mentally and physically. You can really understand your fears and your emotional stress."

Hopefully, through the course of this article, you’ve seen the power your breath has to manage your physical, mental and emotional states through the preceding pranayama techniques.

I encourage you to make them a regular part of your training. You’ll be happy you did.

“The process of breathing, if fully understood and experienced in its profound significance, could teach us more than all the philosophies of the world.”

- Lama Govinda Walk on.

(If you’re interested in video instruction on the techniques described above, please visit: http://youtu.be/ehvIhDA3hIk)

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CONCEPTOS ACCIÓN

SPREADING

Francisco Vasquez

El desarrollo y la variedad de las artes marciales han sido gracias al talento de personas que se han atrevido a ir mas alla de sus metodos y a aquellos que han traspasado las fronteras y han decidido dar el siguiente paso aun cuando esto parecia imposible.

Personas con hambre de conocimiento que se han dedicado a la investigacion para mejorar su entrenamiento, dedicandose a investigar la manera de incrementar la efectividad, velocidad, potencia, timing, etc., buscando los medios que puedan llevarlos a un nivel mas alto, no solo fisicamente, sino tambien mental y espiritual.

Al obtener conocimientos valiosos de inmediato se han dispuesto a ponerlos en practica, ya que ese es el verdadero poder de la sapiensia, el ser aplicable. ¿Donde buscar? La respuesta es sencilla, si queremos que el entrenamiento sea de interpretacion para la vida diaria, entonces es en la vida diaria donde podemos buscar para conseguirlo.

Utilicemos como ejemplo el concepto de ingenieria que es el conjunto de conocimientos y técnicas científicas aplicadas para la resolución de problemas. Es decir, es la actividad de transformar el conocimiento en algo práctico. ¿Como podemos usar la ingenieria en las artes marciales?

Cuando practicamos tecnica lo hacemos de la misma forma con todo tipo de oponente, pero la pregunta serìa ¿Funciona de la misma manera contra un oponente mas veloz que nosotros? ¿Contra uno mas bajito? ¿Contra uno con toda la adrenalina y dispuesto a hacernos pasar un mal rato?

Esto nos obligara a trabajar con otros factores que en la mayoria de las ocasiones no tomamos en cuenta.

Otra muestra funcional de ingenio es el trabajo de Action Strength de Sifu Harinder Singh Sabharwal quien tomò elementos de kettlebells, Gada, Tai chi, Indian Body Weight Exercises, y armò el programa de alto rendimiento con objetivos especificos para las artes marciales. Las cosas ya estaban ahí, el ingenio de Sifu Singh le dio una utilidad mas certera.

El concepto de ingenieria se ha transformado en accion.

Con tales ejemplos (y con buenas bases previas), emprendamos la busqueda para evolucionar, y, para poder evolucionar –en inicio- hay que adaptarse, tal como el agua lo hace.

Be Water my friend!

Hector Solis

MEXICO

It’s been a few years since I started traveling to Mexico with the purpose of teaching or sharing whatever little I know about martial arts. During this time, I’ve had the chance to meet great people, and learn a few things in the process. And even though at times it seems like the task at hand is not worth the trouble, there is those moments, those people that inspire you and keep you moving forward.

My last trip in August to Reynosa, Mexico to visit MMA Concepts Academy, just across the border from Texas, was one of those times when one feels greatly fulfilled. I’m more than glad to see the fruit of the hard work they have done all these years, not only in the betterment of technique, but more important, in the personal growth.

The leadership of Francisco Vazquez at his MMA Concepts Academy has been outstanding.

My last trip to Mexico was with the only purpose providing support for him and his students by being present at the promotion of one of his many talented students to the level of Apprentice Instructor. A secondary side purpose inadvertently turned up, and that was eating great food most of the day for most of my stay. It felt very much like visiting family. I may add that if I didn’t feel like I was among family, I would have very much thought twice (make that three times) about visiting a city like Reynosa, Mexico and all of it’s (ahem…) troubles.

The seminar was lead by Francisco himself. My role this time was more or a supervisor, advisor, and evaluator.

I’m sure that everyone in JKDAA would be proud, as I am, of the hard work and commitment found here despite the troubles that the people goes through every single day.

Here in California for example, if a car or motorcycle misfires we pay little or no attention. Back home in Central Mexico far away form any border cities, any small explosion of that sort would be consider fireworks and a sign for celebration. In a border cities such as Reynosa, the slightest sound or that sort would make you duck for cover. It has been a good thing being able to blend in though; yet for a city so close to the States, it’s very strange not being able to see any single American is sight. It is safe to say that tourism in this city is nonexistent. How the people and children are able to function, go to work, the market, to school hard to comprehend.

Still, live, training goes on. Talk about adapting…

I extend my gratitude to Francisco Vazques, his students, his family, and last but not least Sifu Singh for their support through the years. Indeed, together we are making a difference.

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ENTER

DRAGON

he did; he was the best martial artist of his time.

Hector Solis I don’t remember many movies from my childhood. There wasn’t much to see with the three channels we got on the 12” black and white TV anyway. Every now and then, I tagged along with the older cousins to the city and see a flick at the old movie theater. We saw some westerns, kung fu, drama, and one day, we saw Enter the Dragon. Nothing was ever the same. To this day, Enter the Dragon has stood the test of time for more than just the physical prowess of the protagonist.

The cast was the perfect blend. It wasn’t just the main character in the movie that made an unforgettable impression. Who can forget “The Black Bruce Lee” Jim Kelly.

He never shined more before or after Enter the Dragon. John Saxon, Robert Wall, Bolo Yeung, Pat Johnson, Shih Kien etc. came together perfectly.

Enter the Dragon set the standard for martial arts movie making. Bruce Lee became the Clint Eastwood of Kung Fu. His influence reached beyond just the practice of martial arts. He is also credited with influencing movie making in Hong Kong and then everywhere else. In an interview, his movie nemesis Bob Wall related a conversation he had with Bruce Lee during the filming of Enter The Dragon where Mir. Wall said to him something to the effect of “You got magic in a bottle”. Those involved in the making of Enter the Dragon knew they were witnessing something special before the movie was finished.

Every martial arts style benefited form it.

It’s ironic that those traditional martial artists who would criticized Bruce Lee the most were the same traditionalist that were flooded with students wanting to learn how to fight after seeing him on screen. This is a generalization of course but all of a sudden everyone wanted to be part of it one way or the other. It didn’t mater if it was karate, tae kwon do, judo, etc. A plethora of people wanted to be martial artist. I know I did.

Even today, if you ask the average person if they know what art Bruce Lee created, they would have no clue. They do know however, who Bruce Lee was, or is, what

It broke the racial divide. With the success of Enter the Dragon, Bruce accomplished more than just recognition as a martial artist. He also influenced how Asians were looked at in more than just films. As the story goes, the biggest barrier for him in Hollywood was not that he wasn’t being acknowledged as being talented. The biggest barrier was the fact that he was Asian trying to make in a discriminating world. It’s no surprise that a less talented (martial arts-wise) David Carradine took his place is the popular series Kung Fu. All that would change soon enough.

Jacky Chan, Jet Li and others would have had a harder time making it to stardom with out the hardships of Bruce Lee and the success of his work.

It opened the door for what now is mixed martial arts.

It’s true that mixed martial arts had been around before Bruce Lee arrived. But none of them did as much for the martial arts community as he did. If you look at the best mixed martial artist today, and take a look at Bruce Lee’s training philosophy, you would see that this is what he was talking about. Some say that those elite fighters of today look very Bruce like.

That my friends is a big compliment to say the least. For some of us, it is clear that we are just barely catching up. His was way ahead of his time. I would even venture to say that he was and is ahead of out time.

It inspired. Not too long ago, a documentary of Bruce Lee came out. I was so confused noticing that from the beginning there were not wellknown martial artist being interviewed. It was mostly Hollywood people from artists, actors or athletes on other respective fields. I hated it! But, eventually I got it.

Bruce Lee’s influence crossed many barriers, though a cross section of people. It was his struggles with

racial discrimination, his hard work as an athlete, his dedication as a martial artist and so on that made just about everyone admire and relate to him. It is inspiring that even after being told by his doctor that his martial arts carrier was pretty much over because of his back injury, he became the person we saw on Enter the Dragon.

And yes, we know among us someone who has overcome challenges like that. Again, inspiring. It is no wonder that today people look up to him even if they are not in the martial arts world.

You could say that he was famous

before he was famous. Enter the Dragon wasn’t Lee’s first movie. In fact, by the time he arrived in the States, he had already participated in several movie projects. He was well known as Kato. He appeared in Long Street. Plus he had already set boxoffice records with The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, and Way of the Dragon. Despite all that, Enter the Dragon was the one that made him an international star. This one was special.

When we saw Enter the Dragon, we knew he would be a Legend.

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L.A.DAYS

and discarded the classical mess, becoming truly formless.

I personally began to realize that certain principles that are ever-present in Jeet Kune Do (like economy of motion, always think of hitting, longest weapon to the closest target, and centerline control) had not been considered in chi sao. Chi sao had been a training drill, but as we rolled, I began to realize the roots of chi sao and its function in a fight.

Kyle McGahee JKD Athletics August 2013 Private Training Weekend As I stepped out of LAX and into the street, the sun hit me right in the face as if to say, ”Welcome to California, you forgot your shades.” On this particular trip, I was attending another intensive private training weekend in Southern California at the KB Warrior headquarters. This was my sixth trip in one year, flying from Georgia to California to train with Sifu and my fellow JKD Athletics members. As usual, I had a great time catching up with friends (who have quickly become like family) and training with some of the best martial artists in the world.

The focus of the weekend was chi sao and grappling, and how one related to the other. I had been introduced to chi sao as a training method for Wing Chun and Jun Fan trapping, but I had never considered its wrestling and grappling applications. I was interested in seeing how Sifu had blended the ranges.

Our guest instructor for the weekend was 3X world BJJ champion Professor Marcel Louzado. I had trained with him before during the previous years JKDAA grappling weekend, and I had such a great time then, that I decided I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to train with him again.

We began our weekend with some stick drills, specifically sumbrada, and then on to chi sao and its combative applications. As with all great instructors, Sifu Singh started us off with the basics and worked in with each of us, training us to feel energy and pressure and showing us where our openings were, working from trapping range into standing grappling and takedowns. Sifu presented these moves and techniques in a simple way, but began to challenge the way we had trained sumbrada and chi sao in the past. What was familiar about the drills quickly became unfamiliar as Sifu introduced new concepts of blending ranges and weapons into a seamless flow that I can only describe as both challenging and revolutionary. We may have started in sumbrada but eventually it became as if we had no limitations of a drill,

learning to balance and ride the energy of the boat rocking with the waves. It was exceptionally difficult at first as the ground was constantly moving and changing.

We proceeded to partner up and work our chi sao roll. We had talked about After lunch, we took to the sea. having base and balance before, Being my first time on a boat, I was- and even learned how to take an n’t sure what to expect. It was quite opponents base and balance. One the experience. I did not truly ap- thing I did not realize fully was preciate what people meant by this…you cannot take from an op“sea-legs” until that day. First, we ponent that which you do not have. found a spot in open water that was It took the proper mix of tension and far removed from land. It was iso- relaxation to balance myself and lated, yet peaceful. Then, we each roll with my partners. We each took took turns on the front of the boat turns fighting for centerline and with Sifu in a sumbrada pattern, sending each other for a swim. I had a blast, despite having some fear of sharks and open water. Realistically, it challenged me to focus on the task at hand.

We started out the next day on the ground, working specific half-guard passes and rolling with Sifu. He tightened up our individual games before we began to work with Professor Marcel. Once Marcel hit the mat, it was on. We began to move through various drills at an intense pace. His knowledge of jiu-jitsu is staggering, and it was nothing short of amazing to watch him roll with Sifu

Singh. We each got a chance to roll with Marcel and his assistant, Angel. Once you roll with someone on that level, you realize why they are truly a master of their art. During my roll with Marcel, I noticed that he was so smooth in each movement, almost like he was using no discernable strength. But at the same time, he felt completely immovable. It was surreal. And even though his skill is incredible and his knowledge is vast, he is completely humble and approachable. I thoroughly enjoyed his approach and thank him again for his contribution to our weekend.

In summary, my experience this weekend topped almost any other training experience I have had. I am always overwhelmed by the talent and knowledge that is found with each member of JKD Athletics. And Sifu Singh is always willing to bring in world class guest instructors to help develop and expand our knowledge, and allowing us to research our own experiences. This is what sets our training apart from all other styles. This is Jeet Kune Do.

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ACTIONSTRENGTH The 2013 Action Strength Certification proved the saying, “Age is just a number.”

It was great seeing so many familiar faces at this year’s certification weekend. It was also a pleasure seeing so many new faces this year. We had participants ranging in age from a bold 24 years in age all the way up to a few mighty 63 year old men. What a journey.

I was most impressed with the performances by both Ron “The Rock” Anderson and Joe Rob. Joe Rob is a 63 year old man in the coming back stage of Action Strength. Before starting Action Strength he could hardly walk or stand up straight. After a year of Action Strength, he was able to participate in certification; participating in all exercises, including Sifu’s Inferno.

Ron Anderson is a 63 year old former pro boxer, US Marine, fought in MMA, and was a national collegiate wrestler, and CPA. He started Action Strength only 9 months before Certification weekend and has seen massive improvements in strength, flexibility, weight loss, and overall health. “I’ve never hit the heavy bag harder in my life than I can right now…”

On the first day, Sifu Singh got down to business. He started out with the Gamma Challenge.

The Gamma Challenge is test of determination. To pass this, you must perform a total of 1500 Hindu Pushup and Hindu Squat repetitions in 30 minutes or less. The following participants were new faces this year and passed this challenge: Adnan Hatkic, Jeremiah Brownlee, Adam Imes, and Ron “The Rock” Anderson! It was truly an incredible feat to see.

Later that afternoon we were invited to watch Gavin Garringer and Trevis Chandler endeavor the Action Strength Black Belt test. This is the most brutal and proving challenge in Action Strength at this present time, proving both mind and body. It was amazing to be a part of that experience.

The next day many in our group attempted the Kettlebell Snatch Test. 100 snatches in 5 minutes or less with the 53 lb kettlebell. . There were many who participated in this test, but only

a few passed. Hector Solis, one of our top instructors in JKDAA showed up and showed off! He tested completely unprepared, swinging a bell that he has never tested with before. His mental strength in combination with his physical strength pushed him to new levels! Those who passed the Snatch Test: Hector Solis, Ron “The Rock” Anderson, Adnan Hatkic, and Adam Imes.

On Sunday we were graced with a lesson by Dr. Anshu Sabharwal. She taught us the importance of proper recovery and rehabilitation. We were able to see firsthand the benefits of ART (Active Release Technique.)

Sunday afternoon we were introduced to Sifu’s Inferno. A grueling relay that would make any professional athlete question their level of fitness. It is a relay of combined Action Strength exercises. In the Inferno you are forced to adapt to all the

L e e ’ s words… “You must be formless, shapeless, like water…”

This weekend truly inspired me. It proved to me that there are no limits, only plateaus. It proved to me that age is just a number. Action Strength meets us where we are and takes us to unbelievable heights.

Nick Ellis Level 2.5 Action Strength Instructor, Full Instructor Progressive Fighting Systems, Instructor Jeet Kune Do Athletic Association

different pressures and tensions of each exercise. The Inferno is relentless, with no rest, bringing the reality of Bruce

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ACTIONSTRENGTH AST Saved My Life

February, 1964, I split my right tibia.

That autumn, I caught a pass in every game in Freshman Football.

September, 1965, I broke my left tibia. Spring, 1966, I started on Varsity Lacrosse. November, 1966, I shattered my left humerus. Autumn, 1967, five months after getting out of a full-torso airplane cast, I started linebacker and offensive tackle on one of the best teams in Maryland.

In college Lacrosse, I was a “Headhunter” with dozens of knockouts and hundreds of big hits. I remember quite a few breaks, contusions, strains and sprains, but have no memory of any tears whatsoever.

In January, 2011, after six decades of play, work, stress, injury and neglect, I weighed 210, had love handles the size of footballs, and was well on my way down the slippery slope toward a wasting death, when I decided to rejuvenate, regenerate and rehabilitate myself. So, I joined a fancy health club with lots of mirrors, every conceivable machine and all amenities. Four months later, I was nowhere.

In June, I quit the health club and began Action Strength Training. In my first “workout” I did three Dands from my knees. They were shallow, and I thought I might eat floor.

Six Bhetaks made my knees creak and sciatic scream. If I had to use one word it would be “pathetic.” Two words: “miserably inadequate”. Improvement was slow for two months, then, in August, I received AST instruction from Singh at the DOM Bash on the Beach, dedicated myself, and became an AST Addict.

For two years I applied AST Breath, Posture and Intent principles to every waking moment as well as my workouts, taking time out for hernia and cataract surgeries,and to sort out compensations from many old injuries.

August, 2013, I attended the AST Seminar in Sunnyvale and learned more about movement in three days than my prior 63 years. Application of AST for three months removed many Chi blocks and allowed a Chiropractor to align my left knee, put the knee cap on track, and give me a three week treatment plan to hold it there. When I took time out for the knee, I was doing more than 100 Dands (from my feet) and 200 Bhetaks in every workout with a top set of 30/60.

I feel better than I have ever have.

Words cannot come close to describing the ecstasy I experience during and after AST, but maybe one can get a hint from the fact that,over the past two years, and especially the last three months, this Man has criedmore than a dozen times from Joy, where Pain could not squeeze even one tear from his eyes when he was just a Boy.

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RELENTLESSMMASEMINAR Jeet Kune Do & Kali for MMA and the Street Seminar at Relentless MMA

September 2013 saw Sifu Harinder Singh’s return to the Mideast coast for the first time in several years. He came to give a two day seminar hosted by Relentless MMA in Chantilly, Virginia, organized by Coach David Carter. The seminar was attended by members of Relentless MMA in Virginia, as well as members of the Maryland Jeet Kune Do Academy and TryUmph Martial Arts of Crofton, Maryland.

The two day seminar focused on the application of Jeet Kune Do and Kali in mixed martial arts competition, as well as utilizing mixed martial arts sparring for skill and tool development in Jeet Kune Do and Kali. While not sports, Jeet Kune Do and Kali can be thought of to be mixed martial arts in concept, as each art seeks to address all areas of combat, striking, clinching, and grappling, with Kali also adding the paradigm of armed combat. The sport of mixed martial arts provides a venue to learn to test and apply those skills in an alive environment, and so it is only natural that the Jeet Kune Do community adopt and adapt mixed martial arts to fit our needs. Since Jeet Kune Do is primarily a selfdefense art, and Kali utilizes weapons, aspects of combat that would not apply to ring fighting was also addressed.

The focus of the first day of the seminar was the Filipino martial art of Kali. Members of the Jeet Kune Do Athletic Association train in the art of Kali for two main reasons.

Firstly, learning to handle weapons is necessary for an selfdefense training. Secondly, training with weapons is an attribute enhancing activity not seen in many other martial arts systems.

Sifu Singh focused on utilizing stick and knife sparring to develop attributes for combat. Sparring against a stick wielding opponent at long range requires the practitioner to develop a greater sense of timing since the tip of the stick moves at a much greater rate of speed than an ordinary foot or fist. In addition, because of the greater range involved, concepts of footwork and angling are played out on a much larger stage, which allows practitioners to gain a better understanding of them . Several different techniques were taught, and emphasis was placed on applying those in an alive, sparring-based environment.

The second day of the seminar moved into empty-hand Jeet Kune Do concepts and techniques. Sifu Singh focused on applying Jeet Kune Do principles to entering on an opponent, before moving into the clinch and working takedowns.

Ground fighting was covered both for mixed martial arts competition as well as self-defense.

Both days of the course were sparring intensive. This offered the trainees the opportunity to do more than just learn a bunch of new techniques or tricks. By focusing on applying the new skills in an alive environment, the trainees had the opportunity to really integrate the techniques and principles into their own conceptual matrix.

Some of the trainees were accomplished competition fighters. Others had mil-

itary, law enforcement, or private security careers. For some, martial arts were a hobby. Regardless of their experience or motivation, everyone walked away from the seminar with something to help their own personal training.

Overall, the seminar was the perfect example of what sets the Jeet Kune Do Athletic Association apart from other organizations. Techniques and principles matter. They are of undeniable importance In martial arts training. More important than any of this though, is process. The method of alive training found in Sifu Singh’s Jeet Kune Do Athletic Association is what will set it apart and sets the standard for achieving ability in the martial arts.

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2013HAWAIIRETREAT 2013 JKDAA HAWAII RETREAT

I can remember reading about the 2012 JKDAA Hawaii Retreat, seeing the photos, and talking to John Riddle and Javier Mejia about their experience. I can also remember thinking, how awesome it would be to attend a future retreat. While I was fortunate to be able to attend the 2013 Hawaii experience, no amount of pre-trip investigation could adequately prepare me for what I was about to absorb.

The event took place on the beautiful island of Oahu. Our training officially started October 21 and concluded October 25. Several participants arrived early and stayed late to take in the beautiful tropical climate, the scenery, and additional training opportunities. Our group consisted of Sifu Singh, Dr. Anshu, Javier Mejia, Gaby Morales, Nancy Cao, Gavin Garringer, Clay Pratka, Beverly Holik, Kapena Kahapea, Kyle McGahee, Darrell Burton, Herschell Patel and myself. I could not have asked for a finer group of people to spend the week with. The enthusiasm, energy, cohesiveness, willingness to share, and camaraderie was present from beginning to end. Sifu has truly done an amazing job of assembling a group of instructors into a family we know as JKDAA. There were many highlights of the trip. Personally, one of my most memorable, was the daily history lesson we received from our martial artist friend and tour guide Kapena Kahapea.

Kapena grew up in Hawaii and knew the area like the back of his hand. He works as a tour guide on a daily basis and was more than qualified to serve as our chauffer. He showed up like clockwork, driving our van to meet up with the other instructors, ultimately taking us to all of our destinations throughout the week. Kapena has an amazing gift of storytelling, a tremendous handle on the history of Hawaii, and a unique personality, with just the right combination of wit and sense of humor.

The retreat was designed to serve multiple purposes; unite a group of instructors from different backgrounds, provide a surreal setting without the distractions we all confront daily, continue our training with emphasis on Wing Chun and Chi Sao, and finally, but perhaps most importantly, begin to fully understand and appreciate the concept of "quieting our mind". Sifu reintroduced this topic the very first day. Our goal was to spend five minutes, five times per day, taking any fleeting thought, capturing it, immediately letting it go, then refocusing on thinking about absolutely nothing. He coined the phrase "mind boxing" which proved to be very appropriate. I often found myself distracted by outside noise, the uniqueness of the environment, the replay in my mind of the last technique just taught, or the inevitable mind chatter that haunts us daily and clutters our thoughts.

Slowly, I learned to treat these distractions no different than the parry of the jab with the rear hand or the destruction of the Thai kick with the knee (sorry Anderson). I knew the thoughts would come, very similar to the reactions in a fight, but how I chose to deal with them dictated my success to

stay in the present moment, keep track of my breathing, stay relaxed, and quiet my mind--the exact same tools we are taught to utilize in a fight.

From the first to the last day of our journey, "mind boxing" was an important part of the experience. Sifu did a great job exposing us to different scenarios where we would apply our mind quieting skills. The multiple different settings, utilizing the beauty of the environment, created the canvas for the picture we were all about to paint. It is a gross injustice to think, I can begin to describe to the reader, the power of this experience as it applied to the variety of settings where we trained. Suffice it to say, "mind boxing", while driving to the next destination, with the crashing of the waves in the background, during the stillness of an Oahu sunset, on the grounds of a tranquil, sacred Temple, or during our personal time at the end of the day, all presented a unique and different feeling to assist our training.

At the end of each session, no matter where it took place, Sifu gave us each, individually, the opportunity to express how we felt and what we experienced during each five minute period. It is here we learned, as a group, that we shared a lot of the same frustrations, obstacles, distractions, techniques for success and inhibitors of progress as we openly talked about how we were individually affected.

I could spend time talking about the specifics of our training in Hawaii. Countering the straight blast, abecedario in the water, Siu Lim Tao at the Temple, Action Strength on the sand etc, etc. However, as you all know, techniques are best appreciated in a real setting. I would rather focus on what this trip meant to me and what I gained from the experience. For me, the 2013 JKDAA Hawaii Retreat represented many firsts. It was my first time in Oahu, my first to dive off tall cliffs, the first shark dive, my first kayaking excursion and last but not least, my first time to meet Kapena and Herschell.

I came home to Texas feeling blessed to be part of such a wonderful martial arts family. I reflected on how masterfully Sifu had assembled our trip from the selection of the location, to the incorporation of Kapena as our tour guide, to the many varied training locations, to the extracurricular ac-

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2013HAWAIIRETREAT tivities, to the end of the day dinners we shared.

Above all, I am grateful for the "mind boxing" lessons which have become part of my daily routine.

I strongly encourage everyone to consider attending the 2014 JKDAA Hawaii Retreat. You will not be disappointed.

Kirk D. Weicht

JKDAA Regionals

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JKDAAEASTCOAST

to an hour to wear off, I had to pass on this opportunity. However, one member of our group chose to get sprayed (thanks JB, for taking one for the team) In the end, I came away with a deep appreciation for the simple and direct effectiveness of this tool. As a force multiplier, pepper spray is a highly beneficial weapon that can be carried by women and men alike and is not to be underestimated.

Kyle McGahee It's been a little over a week since I attended the 2013 Jeet Kune Do Athletic Association East Coast Retreat in Boca Raton Florida. It was a four day martial arts seminar that consisted of Special Ops Kali, Military JKD, Collapsible Baton, Pepper Spray, and Simunation Reality Based Handgun instruction. An amazing learning opportunity, this program was without a doubt one of the best and most comprehensive martial arts training seminars I have ever attended. In this post I want to describe and recap my experience for the benefit of those who couldn't attend, but also to reabsorb the wealth of information and knowledge I received during those few short (albeit very intense) days. Here goes...

The retreat officially began on Friday morning at 8:00 am. I had unfortunately not been able to attend Sifu Singh's Tia Chi class the evening before, nonetheless, I was excited to begin training with my fellow members of the Jeet Kune Do Athletic Association. I had been on a hiatus from my JKD training for the last few years, but after attending the Action Strength certification in October of 2012, I realized just how much I had been missing my JKD roots and was eager to jump back into training. That morning we hit the ground running with Sgt. John Riddle, a 28 year veteran police officer with the West Palm Beach Police Department and Instructor at Progressive Self Defense Systems. John's program consisted of instruction in use of both the Collapsible Baton and Pepper Spray. The majority of the day was spent working with the baton - types of batons, how to carry, deploy, strike and defend; striking targets, and baton retention.

Drilling through multiple carry positions, opening techniques and strikes, we laid down the neuromuscular pathways that would help us to use the baton under pressure. I think we all had our eyes opened to the unmistakable effectiveness of this powerful impact weapon. It's small, concealable, easy to deploy, highly functional, and a great tool to add to any self defense tool bag.

After dinner we returned to learn about all the subtleties and applications of pepper spray as a self defense option. The discussion covered all the details of pepper spray usage: the active ingredient (oleoresin capsicum), the physical and psychological effects of use, different delivery systems, spray patterns and carry positions. We also explored the Tactical "L" as a pattern of movement to integrate during the deployment of the spray. We were then able to drill our deployment using training canisters against John's BOB training dummies, ensuring accurate targeting and spray patterns. Finally, to close out the night, John gave us the option of experiencing the effects of pepper spray firsthand. As I had no backup driver back to my hotel and the effects could take 45 minutes

Through all this, I can't speak highly enough of John's instruction. The thoroughness of these two courses, the detail of the information, plus his years of experience made for a very educational and entertaining learning experience. Not only did we get the technical knowledge, but we also received a unique perspective into situational awareness, the OODA Loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act), law enforcement, and the legal implications of using either of these tools to defend ourselves. John was the consummate professional who could both instruct from a theoretical perspective and demonstrate his skill forged through real life experience. I felt as if no stone was left unturned as his knowledge as a teacher was largely unparalleled to any instruction I have received in the past. I'm sure that my fellow classmates would agree that no one could have been more deserving of Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame's Instructor of the

Year award. Thanks John, for setting the bar so high.

With one day and two courses down, we returned Saturday morning to dig into the meat of Special Ops Kali with Sifu Singh. We began with a few Action Strength ground flows to warm us up and center our breathing.

Singh then began to detail out the theoretical framework for our JKD weapons curriculum. Building from the ground up, Singh broke out the self-preservation strategy (defang the snake), elaborated on the selfperfection training drills used to hone our attributes, and listed out the specific aspects of the weapons game such as footwork, zoning, weapons ranges, and striking angles. Once the theory was laid down, it was time to drill; Largo Mano, Numerada, Sumbrada, and light sparring - we trained through each drill and slowly began to merge them together one by one into a flow. By the time our lunch break rolled around, we were all ready for a breather, but it didn't last long, for as soon as we returned it was back to training, but this time with the blade. Hubud and the U Drill were integrated into the matrix; meeting the force, passing the force, riding the force; all were drilled repeatedly until we were able to merge the knife and stick together. As Saturday afternoon wound to a close, Singh called out the drills while we transitioned from one partner to the

next, sampling the energy of our fellow students. I found this to be an amazing exercise as 1) I had to manage my breathing during what turned out to be a 30-40 minute round of continuous drilling and sparring, and 2) with so much external activity and the drills being called out, it provided a unique opportunity for some profound mental stillness. I realized that there was not time for the ego to take over when a stick or knife was coming at me, I had to just BE in the moment. It was all great stuff and my mind was reeling...but there were still two more days to go.

Sunday morning began with more Action Strength but Singh wasted no time in moving us into the Military JKD applications. The theoretical map of the art continued to grow as we were introduced to the fundamental JKD concepts of primary and secondary attacks, the 5 ways of attack, the 3 phases of a fight; interception and destructions, the straight blast, and JKD trapping. Each principle was integrated out of a moving platform of footwork, the straight lead and Pak Sao; continually moving us closer to sparring with each drill.

Returning to the theory once again, Singh explained the various possible reactions to the blast and how to counter each one. More drills, more experience, more sweat.

Sifu Singh also explored the emotional dimension of the fight in great detail, looping back to the importance of breath control and how through a deeper understanding of the emotional and mental aspects of a fight we can learn to use our minds rather than be used by them, resulting in panic and defeat. Wrapping up the theory, Singh elaborated on the arts we could draw from for finishing/follow up arts and techniques.

Broken down into three levels, each group of techniques offered us multiple options along a practical use of force continuum.

Not one to let us get stuck in our

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clearing and searching rooms and buildings. John’s school features a ‘shoot house’ – a fabricated set of rooms, hallways, and functioning doors that allowed us to practice our movements and techniques in the most realistic setting possible. Each of us had the opportunity to make our way through individual rooms and doorways, buttonhook around tight turns, and crisscross an entry while working with a partner. The training was both insightful and practical, giving us real world tools and techniques that are used by law enforcement agencies under actual life or death situations.

heads for too long however, Singh ordered us to suit up with our gear and prepare for one last round of drills and sparring. This final round was the culmination of all we had worked on: Single Stick, Knife, Espada Y Daga, Eye Jabs, Jeet Teks, Straight Blasts, Trapping and more. Weaving drills together with sparring, we switched partners and ran through it once again.

When it was all over, soaked in sweat, Singh guided us through a breathing exercise to help slow down our mental activity after the high level of training intensity we had experienced.

By the end of the day I was exhausted, but more than satisfied with everything I had learned. I was especially fascinated by the map Sifu Singh had used to develop a sound theoretical framework for understanding JKD. As many of us know, while Jeet Kune Do is an incredible art that's both highly effective and great fun to train in, the intellectual understanding of the art is not without its challenges.

Singh's background allows him to look at Bruce Lee's theories and art through the eyes of a computer programmer and translate the 'program' into a tangible and workable outline for training and evolution in the martial arts. Coupled with his skill as an athlete and martial artist, Singh’s teaching ability places him firmly on the cutting edge of the martial arts frontier. He led an amazing program that was evenly paced, highly informative, fun and physi-

cally demanding. I look forward to my next opportunity to train with him and his highly skilled senior instructors, all of whom treated each of us like family throughout the entire weekend.

For most of us, the retreat ended Sunday evening after we received our certificates of completion along with a few well earned promotions for some of the JKDAA Instructors. But for four of us, we still had one more day of training to go...

Despite the fatigue I felt throughout my body I was still highly anticipating the final day of the retreat with John, who would lead us through a Simunation Reality Based Handgun Training Course. Far more than firing at paper targets in a shooting range, the Simu-

nation program involved active combat shooting drills and situational training to prepare the student for an actual high-stress handgun scenario.

The Simunation system utilizes paint marking cartridges fired at 430 feet per second which, when coupled with appropriate body protection allows trainees to fire at living, moving targets in realistic situations.

The Simunation classes are small, so the four of us received some incredibly personal instruction from John in handgun basics, drawing, clearing misfires, and active shooting drills. With each exercise we integrated the previous skill until we were able to fire on command, move, reload, and resume firing under various conditions. We were then introduced to the steps for

The culmination of our training was live scenario training in which each of us, suited up in protective gear and armed with fully loaded Simunation handguns had to defend ourselves against potentially armed and dangerous attackers. We each experienced two scenarios, one solo, the other as a team. In both cases adrenaline was running high as we tried to anticipate where an attack might come from and how best to respond, both tactically, legally, and ethically. To make matters worse, prior to the team scenario, John had

us sprint roughly 100 feet to further amp up our emot i o n a l content.

For those of us waiting outside to participate, the sounds of gunshots a n d yelling a d d e d yet another level of realism to the experience.

When it was all over, we were each debriefed on the scenarios and the choices we made. We also heard from the attackers and John who offered additional insights into our performance.

Overall, it was an incredible experience, one that I won’t soon forget. In fact, I’m looking forward to taking the next level of Simunation training with John in the future, as I’m convinced this type

of training provides the knowledge and practical experience that can save your life or that of your loved ones under pressure.

--So there you have it. At the end of this long and action packed retreat, I can say without hesitation, that the 2013 JKD Athletic Association East Coast retreat was an amazing martial arts training opportunity. From the quality of instruction to the specific curriculum, to the camaraderie of everyone participating, the entirety of the event was truly outstanding.

For those of you who might be interested in expanding your training, or those who might be looking to test the waters of the martial arts in a reality-based training program, I can’t recommend this course and those offered by the JKD Athletic Association highly enough.

I also can’t express my gratitude enough to all those who assisted me with my training – John, Singh, Brian, Gavin, Clay, Bev, JB, Kyle, Darrell, Vicki, Leigh, Kirk, Francisco and Anshu.

You guys are the best. See you soon!

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guest from Saskatchewan, Troy Ostapiw.

Friday arrived and all made their way to 5 Elements Dojo located in the South of the City for the first day of the retreat. After introductions and the weekend schedule being laid out it was time to hit the mats!

Causing a Stampede in Calgary - The Great Northern Retreat 2013 Jay Cooper Ju1y 12-14 2013 marked the second annual “JKDAA Great Northern Retreat” with Sifu Singh. The anticipation was high after the previous event, and Sifu Singh was especially pleased to be teaching in clement 20 degree weather as opposed to the -20 degree he endured stoically in November 2012.

There was significant disruption at the last minute due to Calgary experiencing a legitimate natural disaster, resulting in the entire City Centre and numerous outlying districts being flooded. The damage toll was extensive, leaving many people homeless and as a result the attendance at the seminar was understandably impacted. Nonetheless there were around 20 or so brave hearted souls who refused to the flood “dampen” their spirits, and put themselves through 24 intensive hours of training, giving them unparalleled exposure to the Military JKD and Spec-Ops Kali syllabus…and what training it was!

Sifu Jay Cooper picked up Sifu Singh from the airport on the Wednesday evening and the first evening was initially spent playing catch up with all the happenings. Jay was recovering from quadruple hernia surgery so was under strict instructions from Singh to take it easy….more on how much he listened to that in a moment Several hours later at 0100hrs Thursday morning, after watching countless gypsy bareknuckle fights, Singh and Jay were in the garage doing ‘MMA chi sao’ and slapping each other upside the head with palm strikes. Well in actuality it was Singh slapping Jay, but he DID have a headguard on and it was at his request so no sympathy there!

On the plus side both had learned the value of dipping your hands in “peterol” (or “gasoline” for those who do not speak gypsy/British English)…..if this confuses you ask Singh about it and he will gladly enlighten you Thursday was not part of the “Official” retreat, but Jay had arranged a surprise for Singh. Harry Smith Jr, (son of the legendary WWE wrestler “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith”) had agreed to teach a private lesson in Catch as Catch Can Wrestling.

Harry trains under the legendary Billy Robinson, and is a sparring partner for Erik Paulson and Josh Barnett. Anyone that can hang with those two guys clearly has something!

Harry certainly did not disappoint (more details on this is a future article) After a grueling two hours of training and some R&R it was time for yet more video footage (which may or may not have involved peterol) and the arrival of out of town

The first session was Spec-Op Kali and Singh took use through warm ups, flow drills before getting right into defanging the snake. These early drills were certainly about getting correct pressure - gloves were on and feeds were coming in with enthusiasm! There is nothing quite so motivating for footwork as having a kali stick whistling down to your head….

From here things moved to multiple attack drills, with Singh deftly illustrating the application by showing how to handle four motivated individuals - and believe me they were trying to hit him! This set the context for the numerada feeding we were delivering to each other - rather than making it a series of hits and counters (effectively a protracted manoe-mano) it is about dealing with multiple threats.

Sifu Singh then went over finer points of striking techniques, incorporating footwork, timing and giving us the range of abaniko’s, redondos and all the other good stuff we love so much!

Out went the sticks, in came the blades! Hubud drills (Incorporating U drills) with knives are always empowering and at times a little hair raising. Singh took us through some great variations and plays on these established drills, each one ramping up individual attributes to the Nth degree - combined they are incredibly powerful transformational tools.

After such intense drilling lunch was most welcome. One of our out of town vistors managed to earn him-

self a name that will live with him forever - John Israel selected a HUGE plate of pasta for his lunch item of choice. In terms of value for money it was a good call…..in terms of training on a full stomach probably less so! And so “Johnny Meatballs” was born After lunch Singh took us from drills to actual techniques. This is the genesis of the drills and really helped cement them in peoples minds.

Knowing what to do is one part of the equation; Knowing WHY is equally vital. Passes, cuts and disarms were all covered in a progressive fashion, allowing people to build on their previous success. Capping off all the exercises were sparring against multiple opponents in a numerada drill. It is one thing to practice multi-

ple hits against one person, and quite something else to execute the same techniques against a group swarming you. Everyone was hot, sweaty and pumped up by the time this had finished Numerada utilizing Espada e Daga was the next portion of the days training. Numerada is one of the most useful and active drills one can engage in, but without structure to the movements it can quickly become a free-for-all. Singh introduced a drill to us that developed flow, footwork, timing and mechanics in one sweet package. It was incredible to watch people with little to no prior experience starting to blossom through this training and it gave them a huge boost in confidence.

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We don’t do “passive” or “wait your turn” training in JKDAA! To round off the day Singh took the group through high pressure sparring, blending all the facets of the days training moving back between stick, knife, and finally both. This went on for 25 minutes. To put that in perspctive that would be a championship bout in the UFC

Singh took us through Military JKD.

To kick things off Singh took everyone through footwork drills, the cornerstones of JKD. Movement is so important to everything we do, and Singh made sure everyone was aware of that fact! Drawing on the JKD philosophy of “absorb what is useful”, he gave us directions to go home after training and look up masters of footwork on you tube. To those not in the know, one suggestion was quite a surprise…..

“you When

have finished doing everything wrong, what you have left is right…

Flow with the knife and guided relaxation rounded out the days training, bringing everyone back into a “normal“. An often overlooked aspect, especially in such a physical art as JKD, Singh took us through the importance of being present and in the moment. Sijo Lee was as much a philosopher as a fighter, with JKD being a vessel that he used on his journey to self discovery. Everyone left feeling energised, motivated and ready for the next day

”

Quote de Jour: “When you have finished doing everything wrong, what you have left is right…”

Day 2 Everyone was tired and sore after the first day, as much from the sheer volume of training as anything else, but there would be plenty of time for rest after the weekend was done! Today was a departure from the Spec-Op Kali syllabus and

After a footwork master class, Singh wasted no time moving straight into trapping, making sure form, pressure and intent were manifest throughout. Due to my surgery recovery I was excused from being the demo man for most of the weekend this left many others to feel the singular pleasure of one of Singh’s pak saos……I didn’t laugh at them much I promise

Compound trapping and counter trapping, as well as angle shifts and level changes were all covered off, again building on the success of the drills that had gone before.

Trapping is oft neglected and almost always misunderstood - many claiming to be “JKD” have omitted it altogether, claiming that Sijo Lee had too - a claim that is not actually backed up by the evidence, more by the fact that they were either not taught it or else lacked discipline or skill to functionalize it.

Watching Singh move you do not even notice that he breaks the Wing Chun structure - there is no point until AFTER the technique is finished that you see any break or pause in the flow. This is the essence of the “JKD Blend”. Trapping to knees, to kicks, to punches, to palms, to sweeps to throws….all taking place according to the energy of the opponent

and what window presents itself. This is the difference between having copper and tin, or having bronze - one is two distinct metals, the other a forged alloy stronger than either of it’s components.

After a short break Singh gathered us around for what - for me anyway - was perhaps the highlight of the weekend….The JKD Matrix I originally wrote at length on this, but will save that for Singh himself when he publishes it. Suffice it to say it is quite literally the key that unlocks the door; a Martial Arts Unified Theory of Everything - imagine the RAT and the Golden Goose but turbocharged - it really is a game changer Everyone was abuzz with excitement, and after a break for some food we entered the last part of the days training. After some Action Strength reenergizing, Singh brought out the concept of maintaining struc-

ture within MMA, using the Jeet Sao and Jeet Qu to intercept the wrestlers shoot prior to employing the standard sprawl. The fact Bruce Lee was doing this in 1963 gives you an idea of exactly how far ahead of his time Bruce was.

Singh introduced us to the correct application of the Straight Lead - one of the cornerstones of JKD, making sure that timing, footwork and application were all operating in unison.

This was integrated into the JKD arsenal, using it as the bridge for a flurry of techniques and also as a cover for our retreat from the affray.

Singh then took us through the nuances of the Jeet Tek (one Bruce’s personal favorites) - this blended beautifully with a follow up art such as savate, which had people kicking at a level they had never previously thought they could achieve.

All of these were drilled at speed and with contact and pressure, bringing

realism into the training. It is this that makes the difference between playing at combat and actually training for it.

Singh demonstrated a fantastic sense of awareness and intent playing the “buzzer” game - funny as it was to watch him buzz every time Justin, one of Calgary JKD’s Apprentice Instructors, made a move towards him, it was also a fascinating look at how high level performers possess and almost “sixth sense” of timing. The tales of Bruce being able to read your mind may be based in the real ability of reading the minutiae of body language After spending the last 30 minutes or so drilling and integrating the interceptions we had just done with the trapping from earlier, the day was complete - and everyone was exhausted but happy!

To finish the session off several video clips were shown, highlighting “real world” examples of the techniques… .and one from the movie “Snatch“ simply because I thought it was an awesome illustration of the curve step!

Day 3 The final day came around so quickly, and many people were amazed that they has already trained for a full 16 hours. With only 8 hours left to the weekend total of 24, everyone was psyched and determined to make it to the finish!

After an energetic Action Strength warm up, Singh took us through arguably JKD’s most famous technique - the Jik Chun Choi, or as most including myself prefer to call it the “Straight Blast”.

Many, and I include myself in this, have become comfortable with the blast to the point that sometimes we forget to give it the attention it deserves. I don’t mean in terms of ac-

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took a willing subject - in this case me! - and then performed the drill with a live blade. Singh is quite candid about how he does this drill with only a handful of people, and it was a supreme honor to be able to count myself among them.

It is no exaggeration to say that my life was literally in Singh’s hands.

Had he chosen to do so he could have easily cut me into pieces, which is one reason there HAS to be trust between the feeder and receiver.

Singh is someone I trust implicitly, which makes my role simpler because all I worry about is my response. The drill was only short (although it felt longer!) and it was exhilarating!

tual drilling or Pressure testing, rather I think of refinement and improvement.

Singh showed that even a solid tool such as the blast can be improved, especially with breaking the timing and rhythm down into more efficient patterns that simply a barrage of chain punches After taking us through a refinement of the basic technique of the blast punch, coupled with a more sophisticated footwork model, Singh had us blasting on the pads. If there was one overriding theme this weekend it was that of real drilling.

Not punching air, or line drilling or set patterns but real timing contact and energy…anything less just does not come up to scratch!

We then took the blast from isolation and integrated it with interceptions, traps and follow ups - this was the RAT but with far more polish! Even the smallest refinement mad and instant change to people’s performance, and they were so easily integrated into an existing skillset that it was barely noticed that things had changed….but change they had!

Resuming quickly we went with Spec-Ops Kali again, this time drilling techniques with contact. This was something I have

always done with my crew, because nothing can teach you to hit full contact other than hitting full contact! Singh drilled Loptik and Watik cadences, and we used them with Abaniko, Redondo and bacalao. All seamlessly integrated and done from flow. Again it cannot be stressed enough how important movement is to JKD - in life the only things that never move are dead…in combat doubly After well earned lunch break Singh took us through the Spec-Op Kali portion of the JKD Matrix, dealing with configurations, ranges and associated facets.

From here it was on to further refining the U-drill; this has always been a personal favourite of mine, and there is something very liberating and rewarding about reacting to the pressure this drill offers. If you can stay calm here, everything else is a lot easier!

The drill was refined and improved upon each step, inserting extra angles and feeds and traps - in terms of developing sensitivity and timing under pressure I consider this drill second to none.

At the end of the U Drill training Singh

After the drill Singh told everyone how someone was sliced open when he did this drill - which certainly raised a few eyebrows…it was perhaps as well he hadn’t told them this

prior to the demo it would have been a lot scarier to watch!

Singh again took the time to offer sage advice on the importance of realism in training - a message that just cannot be repeated enough.

The finale of the weekend was then reached, and again it was an embodiment of the overriding JKD principle of “Absorb what it useful, reject what is useless and add what is Yours” the participants were paired off and given time to put together a 2-3 minute demo, highlighting all they had done that weekend but with their own interpretation of how it should be assembled. This is always a fascinating exercise because I have never seen two look even remotely similar!

This set was no exception and the demos were all of an exceptionally high standard and I would be proud to put ANY of them on a demo reel

With Heather and Olga being the final pair up, the weekend was done!

24 hrs training in the bag - and perhaps the greatest weekend training anyone has ever done!

Certificates were handed out and farewells made - this is always the hardest part, and no one EVER wants the training to end. It is always a bittersweet parting, and the love and energy in the room was beyond measure.

Final Thoughts Every time I train with Singh he finds a way to amaze me. This weekend was no exception! From staying up til the wee small hours watching gypsy fights, drinking bourbon and doing "MMA chi sao" to training with Harry Smith - CACC Coach, pro Wrestling champ and NAGA Super Heavyweight Champ .....the great times are not just in the seminar, and I often learn more about life and myself away from the “formal“ settings - and I suspect this is not by accident This weekend also saw my promotion to Senior Instructor!!!! I was gob smacked! (that means "surprised" for any non UK folks). It was a real, unexpected honor - JKDAA Canadian Director AND Senior Instructor? Local boy does good!!!!

Singh dropped this on my toes at the very end of the day - there must have been some grit in the air from all the training because my eyes were watering a bit. This year represents 15 years of training in JKD for me, and what a way to commemorate that milestone!

Thanks to everyone who turned up and put the effort in - it was really appreciated, and without you guys turning up it would not be anything.

Singh was impressed with the energy and commitment you all showed this weekend - 24hrs training is not to be taken lightly and everyone excelled!

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JKDAACALGARY I always wish more people would actually take the time to train with us, but then my selfish voice kicks in and I say "Why? we just get more time training with one of the best in the world so why share it??" The difference is we are DOING martial arts; not playing at it or taking phys ed in pyjamas. JKD - especially JKD the way we train it - is not for everyone.

Some people are happy just going through the motions and taking something as a hobby, and truthfully there is nothing wrong with that at all. For me though, I want to be the best I can be and as my time is precious I do not want to waste any of it. That's why I train with Singh!

Singh does not court accolades nor admiration, but he deserves both in abundance. He truly is the embodiment of JKD in mind, body and spirit‌I’m just grateful he is letting me come along for the journey Remember, You want some? Come get some!!!!!

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2014

Apprentice and Phase One Instructor Curriculum Review and Testing Cupertino, CA

January 18-19, 2014:

Apprentice and Phase One Instructor Curriculum Review and Testing Orange County, California

February 8-9, 2014:

JKDAA Texas Retreat - Military JKD and Spec Ops Kali Certification El Campo, TX

March 7-9, 2014:

March 27, 2014: ILEETA cation Chicago, IL

April 12-13, 2014: pertino, CA

- JKD for Police and Law Enforcement Certifi-

Action Strength Intermediate Level Certification Cu-

JKDAA East Coast Retreat - Military JKD and Spec Ops Kali, Confined Space Combatives Boca Raton, FL

May 2-4, 2014:

August 21-24, 2014:

JKDAA Annual Martial Arts Expo Sunnyvale, CA

JKDAA Hawaii Retreat - “Be Like Water” Developing Combat Flow and Sensitivity Oahu, HI

October 20-24, 2014:

November 21-23, 2014:

JKDAA Calgary Stampede Retreat Calgary, Canada