IN MEMORY OF: Howard Williams

Been jammed with Real Life. Belated postings of the passings of 2 original Bruce Lee students.  


First-Generation Bruce Lee Student and Jeet Kune Do Instructor Howard Williams Passes Away  

Written By Robert W. Young – April 5, 2012

The staff of Black Belt was told that on April 2, 2012, first-generation Bruce Lee student Howard Williams passed away. The cause of death is being reported as a heart attack. Williams took up jeet kune do when he was 15 or 16. He studied under Bruce Lee and James Lee in Oakland, California, for five years. Williams kept a low profile in the ensuing years until Dr. Jerry Beasley, having noticed increasing interest in “original JKD,” organized the a jeet kune do training camp in Radford, Virginia, in 1993.

Read more at http://www.blackbeltmag.com/daily/martial-arts-masters/bruce-lee/first-generation-bruce-lee-student-and-jeet-kune-do-instructor-howard-williams-passes-away/

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Here are 2 clips of Williams sifu:

  

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For more background and an interview, check out Paul Bax's site: http://www.thejkdbrotherhood.com/history-of-jkd/JKD-Brotherhood/JKD-Brotherhood/howard-williams.html

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My belated condolences to the family of Williams sifu as well as to his friends and students.

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The Vanishing Flame: Burma - Saturday June 16, 2012

For those that missed the October 1, 2011 show or the Muay Thaimes Spring 2012 article, you are in luck!

Check out the trailer:

https://vimeo.com/43157742

The Vanishing Flame: Burma
A film presentation and discussion devoted to Burmese Martial Tradition 

Saturday, June 16th at 2pm 

Anthology Film Archives 

32 Second Avenue (at 2nd St.) 

New York, NY 10003 

Admission:  $10

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SEMINAR: Dr. Gyi - Friday June 15, 2012 - Manhattan NY

Email vanishingflame@gmail.com for a pdf with Seminar Information or to request a hardcopy snailmailing.

I was originally greenlighted over tonight's dinner, but after we got home, my wife changed her mind... UGH. Such is life of a Family Man. I have 2 weeks to try to change her mind. She had plans for that night and had bought tickets already for the event.

*Crosses fingers*

Wish me luck!

p.s. Dr. Gyi will be at the Vanishing Flame - Burma show on the next day. See my next post for details.

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Muay Thaimes: Burmese Lethwei: The Ancient Art of Bare Knuckle Fighting by Vincent Giordano

For those that missed or couldn't attend The Vanishing Flame:  Burma last year October 1, 2011, check out Muay Thaimes (Spring 2012 issue, Volume VI Number 1, pgs 72-79) for the article "Burmese Lethwei:  The Ancient Art of Bare Knuckle Fighting by Vincent Giordano".

Check this passage out from page 76:

"Lethwei fighters can use fists, palm strikes, throws, knees, elbows, kicks, head butts and some joint manipulations during a match. A groin shot is considered legal in the old system rules, since the fighter wore a cup and was told to protect himself just like he would protect his throat or head. In the modern fight arena, we see the groin shot frowned upon. There are generally warnings, before any disqualifications. No gouging or hair pulling or fish hooking is permitted, though they were legal in the ancient variant of the sport."
 

The article is a great overview of Burmese Lethwei!

If you cannot find this issue and want more information on the Burmese Bare Knuckle Fighting, check out my next post!

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In Memory Of: Jerry Poteet

It is with deep sadness that I report that JKD legend Jerry Poteet has passed away. Another of Bruce Lee's original students has joined him training and trapping in Heaven. I fondly recall buying the early VHS series he had and working the material.

My deepest condolences to his loved ones and students.





For more information:

http://www.jerrypoteet.com/jerry-bio.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Poteet

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BOOKS: "The Principles of Unarmed Combat" by Mark Jacobs

At last month's The Vanishing Flame:  Burma event, I had the privilege and honor of meeting Mark Jacobs. Mark currently is a contributing editor as well as writing the monthly column "Far East" for Black Belt magazine. He had no ride to Connecticut and I volunteered to drive him.


Prior to our face-to-face meeting, we had exchanged a few emails when he was researching Phil Dunlap for his column. He came across my old archives in his internet searches and got some background on Phil. After his initial email, I thought his name rang a bell and I wasn't sure if he was the author of an article that appeared in the magazine Men's Fitness about the Dog Brothers. I asked him about it and it turns out that was his article.


Mark has a new book out, The Principles of Unarmed Combat. Copying the description from the publisher's site:

In The Principles of Unarmed Combat, Black Belt Magazine columnist Mark Jacobs breaks down the essential skills of empty-handed martial arts. Whether you train to win in the ring or survive on the street, this book will show you why some fighting skills work and why some don’t. Plus you’ll learn how to troubleshoot problem areas in your training, no matter what style you practice. 

Mark Jacobs has interviewed doctors and physicists, analyzed key scientific studies and synthesized the best available information about how to make martial arts work better. The result is a comprehensive, heavily researched guide to everything you should know about striking and grappling, offense and defense, and even the mental aspects of training. 

The Principles of Unarmed Combat is made up of over 50 chapters, organized into 10 information packed sections. You’ll get all of the topics you’d expect to find in a comprehensive guide to the fighting arts: posture, footwork, positioning, striking, kicking, takedowns and groundfighting. But unlike most how-to books, you’ll also get hard-to-find insider information on advanced topics like transitioning, fighting from the clinch, pain compliance, fight psychology, real world defense strategies and the dark side of sport fighting.

Mark Jacobs has combined his decades in the martial arts with his skills as a professional journalist to create one of the most comprehensive books ever written on the skills, techniques, strategies and tactics of unarmed combat. 

On the drive down, my training partner was napping as the event finished at 12 midnight, and his car was at my house and he would have to be awake to drive home. As a precaution, I drank a Red Bull AND a Coke Zero prior to the drive home. I was pretty sure I would not fall asleep at the wheel, but you never know. Thank goodness Mark was awake and in a chatty mood. There was one stretch where there were no lamps and it was raining pretty hard. We chatted on various topics including MMA and but of course martial arts. Everyone made it home safe. 


He offered to pay for gas and I could not and would not accept his kind offer. He had his publisher send me a review copy of his book. The book finally arrived and I will start reading it tomorrow. My review is forthcoming. Although I consider Mark a friend, my review will be objective. At a little over 350 pages and 50 chapters or so, I don't know when I will finish reading and post a review LOL.




Ordering Info


http://www.turtlepress.com/The_Principles_of_Unarmed_Combat_p/342.html

Check the link out for some sample pages as well as a Table of Contents and brief bio on Mark. Looks like Turtle has free shipping! 

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Rickson Gracie: "You have to be able to live in your worst nightmare."

In the current issue of Black Belt magazine, I read an article on Rickson Gracie and his combat psychology. I typed up one part of the article for my personal notes and also to share with you. IMO, this quote is very powerful and pure gold!

I liked the writing style of the author and cannot wait for the book to be published. Although I have many books on my To Read list, when this book is available, it will jump to the top of my list! In all likelihood, I won't have a chance to train with Rickson Gracie, let alone the other 9 masters in the book, but from the article, it is clear that the author was able to get into the minds of the masters. Rickson IMO is a throwback to the warriors of old... part warrior and part philosopher. Showing my age here, but to paraphrase the old E.F. Hutton commercial, "When Rickson Gracie speaks, I listen!"

How many of us are mentally tough enough to put ourselves in a place/situation that we know will test and challenge us? It is easy to be complacent and always look to do what you are strongest or feel the most comfortable doing, but can you do as Rickson advises? Is your ego/confidence fragile? Are you mentally tough?

... Gracie talked about the importance of regular jiu-jitsu training and being put in uncomfortable situations.

"Where there's discomfort, there's fear," he said. "In these very tough positions, you're in a little piece of hell. And through this daily suffering, you learn to survive in these situations. You have to find comfort in uncomfortable situations. You have to be able to live in your worst nightmare. Jiu-jitsu puts you completely in the moment where you must have complete focus on finding a solution to the problem. This trains the mind to build that focus, to increase your awareness, your capacity to solve problems. Sometimes, you don't have to win. You cannot win. But that has nothing to do with losing."

Source
"Live In Your Worst Nightmare - The Fighting Wisdom of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Master Rickson Gracie"
by Steven Abood
Black Belt
January 2012
pg 65


Note

Rickson is one of 10 masters author Steven Abood interviewed and is writing about in his upcoming book "Ten Jiu-jitsu Masters". It's a book that chronicles the life stories and life lessons he learned form a decade of training under the greatest masters of our time. Abood posts as "FatBuddha" on http://www.mixedmartialarts.com.

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11/11/11 11:11pm/Happy Veteran's Day/Jan 2012 Black Belt magazine heads-up

Just missed posting on this magical date and time. LOL @ me

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To all veterans, Happy Veteran's Day!

This one is for you Grandpa. He served America during World War 2.


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Check out the Jan 2012 Black Belt magazine, there's an interesting column by Mark Jacobs called Far East... this month's profile/column is on Master Zulfi Ahmed. He learned bando from a Pakistani master as well as Dr. Gyi. Talks about his childhood and traveling all over learning many other styles including Kushti.

This issue of Black Belt Magazine also contains:

 - 2 MMA Champions...2 MMA Organizations...1 Exclusive Interview (UFC Lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and Bellator Lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez)

 - Go Inside the Mind of BJJ Legend Rickson Gracie - article by Steven Abood - this was pretty interesting. Love these types of articles where the author/interviewer are able to get into the minds of their subjects, in this specific instance, the great Rickson Gracie!

 - Learn to Develop More Explosive Karate Kicks and Punches - Live In Training: Chinese Martial Arts Done Right in Northern California - about Dr. Yang Jwing-ming.


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For more information on Master Zulfi, please check out his site:

http://bushiban.com/

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IN MEMORY OF: Smokin' Joe Frazier (January 12, 1944 – November 7, 2011)

Copied and pasted from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/08/sports/joe-frazier-ex-heavyweight-champ-dies-at-67.html:

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November 7, 2011

Joe Frazier, Ex-Heavyweight Champ, Dies at 67

By RICHARD GOLDSTEIN

Joe Frazier won the undisputed heavyweight title with a 15-round decision over Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden in March 1971, in an extravaganza known as the Fight of the Century.

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Joe Frazier, the former heavyweight champion whose furious and intensely personal fights with a taunting Muhammad Ali endure as an epic rivalry in boxing history, died Monday night at his home in Philadelphia. He was 67.

His business representative, Leslie Wolff, said the cause was liver cancer. An announcement over the weekend that Frazier had received the diagnosis in late September and had been moved to hospice care early this month prompted an outpouring of tributes and messages of support.

Known as Smokin’ Joe, Frazier stalked his opponents around the ring with a crouching, relentless attack — his head low and bobbing, his broad, powerful shoulders hunched — as he bore down on them with an onslaught of withering jabs and crushing body blows, setting them up for his devastating left hook.

It was an overpowering modus operandi that led to versions of the heavyweight crown from 1968 to 1973. Frazier won 32 fights in all, 27 by knockouts, losing four times — twice to Ali in furious bouts and twice to George Foreman. He also recorded one draw.

A slugger who weathered repeated blows to the head while he delivered punishment, Frazier proved a formidable figure. But his career was defined by his rivalry with Ali, who ridiculed him as a black man in the guise of a Great White Hope. Frazier detested him.

Ali vs. Frazier was a study in contrasts. Ali: tall and handsome, a wit given to spouting poetry, a magnetic figure who drew adulation and denigration alike, the one for his prowess and outsize personality, the other for his antiwar views and Black Power embrace of Islam. Frazier: a bull-like man of few words with a blue-collar image and a glowering visage who in so many ways could be on an equal footing with his rival only in the ring.

Ali proclaimed, “I am the greatest” and he preened how he could “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” Frazier had no inclination for oratorical bravado. “Work is the only meanin’ I’ve ever known,” he told Playboy in 1973. “Like the man in the song says, I just gotta keep on keepin’ on.”

Frazier won the undisputed heavyweight title with a 15-round decision over Ali at Madison Square Garden in March 1971, in an extravaganza known as the Fight of the Century. Ali scored a 12-round decision over Frazier at the Garden in a nontitle bout in January 1974. Then came the Thrilla in Manila championship bout, in October 1975, regarded as one of the greatest fights in boxing history. It ended when a battered Frazier, one eye swollen shut, did not come out to face Ali for the 15th round.

The Ali-Frazier battles played out at a time when the heavyweight boxing champion was far more celebrated than he is today, a figure who could stand alone in the spotlight a decade before an alphabet soup of boxing sanctioning bodies arose, making it difficult for the average fan to figure out just who held what title.

The rivalry was also given a political and social cast. Many viewed the Ali-Frazier matches as a snapshot of the struggles of the 1960s. Ali, an adherent of the Nation of Islam who had changed his name from Cassius Clay, came to represent rising black anger in America and opposition to the Vietnam War. Frazier voiced no political views, but he was nonetheless depicted, to his consternation, as the favorite of the establishment. Ali called him ignorant, likened him to a gorilla and said his black supporters were Uncle Toms.

“Frazier had become the white man’s fighter, Mr. Charley was rooting for Frazier, and that meant blacks were boycotting him in their heart,” Norman Mailer wrote in Life magazine after the first Ali-Frazier bout.

Frazier, wrote Mailer, was “twice as black as Clay and half as handsome,” with “the rugged decent life-worked face of a man who had labored in the pits all his life.”

Frazier could never match Ali’s charisma or his gift for the provocative quote. He was essentially a man devoted to a brutal craft, willing to give countless hours to his spartan training-camp routine and unsparing of his body inside the ring.

“The way I fight, it’s not me beatin’ the man: I make the man whip himself,” Frazier told Playboy. “Because I stay close to him. He can’t get out the way.” He added: “Before he knows it — whew! — he’s tired. And he can’t pick up his second wind because I’m right back on him again.”

In his autobiography, “Smokin’ Joe,” written with Phil Berger, Frazier said his first trainer, Yank Durham, had given him his nickname. It was, he said, “a name that had come from what Yank used to say in the dressing room before sending me out to fight: ‘Go out there, goddammit, and make smoke come from those gloves.’ “

Foreman knocked out Frazier twice but said he had never lost his respect for him. “Joe Frazier would come out smoking,” Foreman told ESPN. “If you hit him, he liked it. If you knocked him down, you only made him mad.”

Durham said he saw a fire always smoldering in Frazier. “I’ve had plenty of other boxers with more raw talent,” he told The New York Times Magazine in 1970, “but none with more dedication and strength.”
Ali himself was conciliatory when Frazier’s battle with cancer became publicly known. “My family and I are keeping Joe and his family in our daily prayers,” Ali said in his statement over the weekend. “Joe has a lot of friends pulling for him, and I’m one of them.”

And when word reached him that Frazier had died, Ali, in another statement, said: “The world has lost a great champion. I will always remember Joe with respect and admiration.”

Billy Joe Frazier was born on Jan. 12, 1944, in Laurel Bay, S.C., the youngest of 12 children. His father, Rubin, and his mother, Dolly, worked in the fields, and the youngster known as Billy Boy dropped out of school at 13. He dreamed of becoming a boxing champion, throwing his first punches at burlap sacks he stuffed with moss and leaves, pretending to be Joe Louis or Ezzard Charles or Archie Moore.

At 15, Frazier went to New York to live with a brother. A year later he moved to Philadelphia, taking a job in a slaughterhouse. At times he battered sides of beef, using them as a punching bag to work out, the kind of scene used by Slyvester Stallone in the film “Rocky,” though Stallone said that he drew on the life of the heavyweight contender Chuck Wepner in developing the Rocky character.

Durham discovered Frazier boxing to lose weight at a Police Athletic League gym in Philadelphia. Under Durham’s guidance, Frazier captured a Golden Gloves championship and won the heavyweight gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

He turned pro in August 1965, with financial backing from businessmen calling themselves the Cloverlay Group (from cloverleaf, for good luck, and overlay, a betting term signifying good odds). He won his first 11 bouts by knockouts. By winter 1968, his record was 21-0.

A year before Frazier’s pro debut, Cassius Clay won the heavyweight championship in a huge upset of Sonny Liston. Soon afterward, affirming his rumored membership in the Nation of Islam, he became Muhammad Ali. In April 1967, having proclaimed, “I ain’t got nothing against them Vietcong,” Ali refused to be drafted, claiming conscientious objector status. Boxing commissions stripped him of his title, and he was convicted of evading the draft.

An eight-man elimination tournament was held to determine a World Boxing Association champion to replace Ali. Frazier refused to participate when his financial backers objected to the contract terms for the tournament, and Jimmy Ellis took the crown.

But in March 1968, Frazier won the version of the heavyweight title recognized by New York and a few other states, defeating Buster Mathis with an 11th-round technical knockout. He took the W.B.A. title in February 1970, stopping Ellis, who did not come out for the fifth round.

In the summer of 1970, Ali won a court battle to regain his boxing license, then knocked out the contenders Jerry Quarry and Oscar Bonavena. The stage was set for an Ali-Frazier showdown, a matchup of unbeaten fighters, on March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden.

Each man was guaranteed $2.5 million, the biggest boxing payday ever. Frank Sinatra was at ringside taking photos for Life magazine. The former heavyweight champion Joe Louis received a huge ovation. Hubert H. Humphrey, back in the Senate after serving as vice president, sat two rows in front of the Irish political activist Bernadette Devlin, who shouted, “Ali, Ali,” her left fist held high. An estimated 300 million watched on television worldwide, and the gate of $1.35 million set a record for an indoor bout.

Frazier, at 5 feet 11 1/2 inches and 205 pounds, gave up three inches in height and nearly seven inches in reach to Ali, but he was a 6-to-5 betting favorite. Just before the fighters received their instructions from the referee, Ali, displaying his arrogance of old, twice touched Frazier’s shoulders as he whirled around the ring. Frazier just glared at him.

Frazier wore Ali down with blows to the body while moving underneath Ali’s jabs. In the 15th round, Frazier unleashed his famed left hook, catching Ali on the jaw and flooring him for a count of 4, only the third time Ali had been knocked down. Ali held on, but Frazier won a unanimous decision.

Frazier declared, “I always knew who the champ was.”

Frazier continued to bristle over Ali’s taunting. “I’ve seen pictures of him in cars with white guys, huggin’ ‘em and havin’ fun,” Frazier told Sport magazine two months after the fight. “Then he go call me an Uncle Tom. Don’t say, ‘I hate the white man,’ then go to the white man for help.”

For Frazier, 1971 was truly triumphant. He bought a 368-acre estate called Brewton Plantation near his boyhood home and became the first black man since Reconstruction to address the South Carolina Legislature. Ali gained vindication in June 1971 when the United States Supreme Court overturned his conviction for draft evasion.

Frazier defended his title against two journeymen, Terry Daniels and Ron Stander, but Foreman took his championship away on Jan. 22, 1973, knocking him down six times in their bout in Kingston, Jamaica, before the referee stopped the fight in the second round.

Frazier met Ali again in a nontitle bout at the Garden on Jan. 28, 1974. Frazier kept boring in and complained that Ali was holding in the clinches, but Ali scored with flurries of punches and won a unanimous 12-round decision.

Ali won back the heavyweight title in October 1974, knocking out Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire — the celebrated Rumble in the Jungle. Frazier went on to knock out Quarry and Ellis, setting up his third match, and second title fight, with Ali: the Thrilla in Manila, on Oct. 1, 1975.

In what became the most brutal Ali-Frazier battle, the fight was held at the Philippine Coliseum at Quezon City, outside the country’s capital, Manila. The conditions were sweltering, with hot lights overpowering the air-conditioning.

Ali, almost a 2-to-1 betting favorite in the United States, won the early rounds, largely remaining flat-footed in place of his familiar dancing style. Before Round 3 he blew kisses to President Ferdinand Marcos and his wife, Imelda, in the crowd of about 25,000.

But in the fourth round, Ali’s pace slowed while Frazier began to gain momentum. Chants of “Frazier, Frazier” filled the arena by the fifth round, and the crowd seemed to favor him as the fight moved along, a contrast to Ali’s usually enjoying the fans’ plaudits.

Frazier took command in the middle rounds. Then Ali came back on weary legs, unleashing a flurry of punches to Frazier’s face in the 12th round. He knocked out Frazier’s mouthpiece in the 13th round, then sent him stumbling backward with a straight right hand.

Ali jolted Frazier with left-right combinations late in the 14th round. Frazier had already lost most of the vision in his left eye from a cataract, and his right eye was puffed and shut from Ali’s blows.
Eddie Futch, a renowned trainer working Frazier’s corner, asked the referee to end the bout. When it was stopped, Ali was ahead on the scorecards of the referee and two judges. “It’s the closest I’ve come to death,” Ali said.

Frazier returned to the ring nine months later, in June 1976, to face Foreman at Nassau Coliseum on Long Island. Foreman stopped him on a technical knockout in the fifth round. Frazier then announced his retirement. He was 32.

He later managed his eldest son, Marvis, a heavyweight. In December 1981 he returned to the ring to fight a journeyman named Jumbo Cummings, fought to a draw, then retired for good, tending to investments from his home in Philadelphia.

Both Frazier and Ali had daughters who took up boxing, and in June 2001 it was Ali-Frazier IV when Frazier’s daughter Jacqui Frazier-Lyde fought Ali’s daughter Laila Ali at a casino in Vernon, N.Y. Like their fathers in their first fight, both were unbeaten. Laila Ali won on a decision. Joe Frazier was in the crowd of 6,500, but Muhammad Ali, impaired by Parkinson’s syndrome, was not.

In addition to his son Marvis and his daughter Jacqui, Frazier is survived by his sons Hector, Joseph Rubin, Joseph Jordan, Brandon Marcus and Derek Dennis; his daughters Weatta, Jo-Netta, Renae and Natasha, and a sister. His marriage to his wife, Florence, ended in divorce.

Long after his fighting days were over, Frazier retained his enmity for Ali. But in March 2001, the 30th anniversary of the first Ali-Frazier bout, Ali told The New York Times: “I said a lot of things in the heat of the moment that I shouldn’t have said. Called him names I shouldn’t have called him. I apologize for that. I’m sorry. It was all meant to promote the fight.”

Asked for a response, Frazier said: “We have to embrace each other. It’s time to talk and get together. Life’s too short.”

Fascination with the Ali-Frazier saga has endured.

After a 2008 presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain, the Republican media consultant Stuart Stevens said that McCain should concentrate on selling himself to America rather than criticizing Obama. Stevens’s prescription: “More Ali and less Joe Frazier.”

Frazier’s true feelings toward Ali in his final years seemed murky.

The 2009 British documentary “Thrilla in Manila,” shown in the United States on HBO, depicted Frazier watching a film of the fight from his apartment above the gym he ran in Philadelphia.

“He’s a good-time guy,” John Dower, the director of “Thrilla in Manila,” told The Times. “But he’s angry about Ali.”

In March 2011, however, on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the first Ali-Frazier fight, Frazier said he was willing to put the enmity behind him.

“I forgave him for all the accusations he made over the years,” The Daily News quoted Frazier as saying. “I hope he’s doing fine. I’d love to see him.”

But as Frazier once told The Times: “Ali always said I would be nothing without him. But who would he have been without me?”

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Some links:

• Official site
• Boxing record at BoxRec
• Wiki page

RIP Champ

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The Vanishing Flame: Burma - Saturday, October 1, 2011

Been jammed at home, been wanting to put this up earlier...

Copied from Real Art's The Vanishing Flame: Burma Facebook page:

One Night only, Saturday, October 1, 2011

RAW Teaser from Vanishing Flame on Vimeo.

... The Vanishing Flame series by filmmaker Vincent Giordano is a twenty-year investigative journey into the hidden martial traditions of Southeast Asia and India. This special presentation focuses on the martial traditions of Burma exploring the rich ethnic diversity and cultural heritage woven within the ancient martial traditions.

The evening will include a series of short films, followed by a live discussion with a panel of experts highlighting not only the physical techniques but also the deeply spiritual roots of the traditional martial arts.

Special Guests:
Burmese Grandmaster Maung Gyi, Ph.D.
Master Zulfi Ahmed
Master Mary Mester
Camus Celli

"Perhaps most interesting was his piece on the rare Tiger Spirit Dancers Of Myanmar (formerly Burma) engaging in a ritual that supposedly infuses them with the spirit of the beast. The practice is becoming increasingly rare because it's frowned on by the country's authoritarian rulers…the footage made for a unique, colorful look into a nearly extinct cultural tradition."- Mark Jacobs, Black Belt Magazine

(2011, Burma/USA, 70 mins)

Please visit Real Art's The Vanishing Flame: Burma Facebook page or http://www.realartways.org/ for directions or more info.

The special guests should make this night an especially memorable event... a Who's Who of Bando and the Martial Arts in general. Couldn't make the previous event, trying to make it to his one. Enjoy!

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The Vanishing Flame: A Filmmaker’s Journey to Document the Endangered Martial Arts of Asia

Screening and Live Event hosted by The Museum of the Moving Image

Sunday, March 20, 1:00 p.m.

35 Avenue at 37 Street
Astoria, NY 11106

Over the past two decades, New York filmmaker Vincent Giordano has traveled throughout Southeast Asia documenting martial arts masters whose unique styles and practices are on the verge of extinction. This journey has taken him to India, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

Giordano will talk about his journey and mission with Warrington Hudlin, Museum trustee and Fist and Sword series curator. The program will include rare public appearances by some very special surprise guests, and the talk will be highlighted by the screening of Giordano’s footage of endangered Asian martial arts and their last master practitioners.

Following the screening, Vincent Giordano will participate in a DVD-signing in the Museum Store.

Free with Museum admission.

This is an exciting opportunity to meet Vincent Giordano and learn more about his research projects into the dying Southeast Asian martial arts. If you are a member of the Vanishing Flame emailing list, you know about the upcoming book, The Vanishing Flame. For those that don't, the book will be about the dying bareknuckle arts of Southeast Asia. Vincent Giordano has shared some of his research via his detailed email accounts of his trips as well as footage of various styles/arts/fights on dvd to list members only. The Village of the Keris dvd which I reviewed here was a commercial dvd. The members only dvd's are not sold as commercial dvd's, therefore, it's usually no-frills but each dvd are nominally priced compared to commercial dvd's.

Wonder who the surprise guests will be? This may be a veritable Who's Who in attendance. I am so psyched! Anyone going?





Copied from http://www.movingimage.us/visit/calendar/2011/03/20/detail/the-vanishing-flame-a-filmmakers-journey-to-document-the-endangered-martial-arts-of-asia

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REVIEW: “Village of the Keris” DVD

When I think “Thailand martial arts”, Muay Thai, Krabi Krabong and the various bareknuckle styles comes to mind. Little did I know that in the Southern region of Thailand, Silat is practiced instead of the indigenous Thai arts. In the “Village of the Keris” DVD, some of the Sila (Thai Silat) as practiced in Southern Thailand are demonstrated from the various lineages.

The meat of the DVD has Guru Atabu instructing on the making of the Keris as well as a form and application. Like Muay Thai’s 1-2-Round Kick, the “Village of the Keris” DVD is a good combination of overview, history, and technique. Excellent production values and good information makes this a good DVD. I highly recommend the “Village of the Keris” DVD to anyone with interest in Silat, Keris, Thai arts, as well as to any martial artists who contemplate travelling to different countries to train from the source.

For ordering, please go to http://www.thaikris.com/.

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IN MEMORY OF: Ted Wong

It is with deep sadness that I post of the passing of Sifu Ted Wong. My sincerest condolences to the Wong family and his students. The JKD Community has a suffered a great loss, and if I may be so bold, indeed, the Martial Arts Community has suffered a great loss.

An Intercepting Fist (2008) - a film by Annette Lee




www.brucelee.com's Remembering Bruce Lee - Shannon Lee and Ted Wong





I have not had many opportunities to formally train but of all the instructors I've wanted to train with, I wanted to learn from Sifu Ted Wong. One of my training partners, T, was fortunate to have had a private lesson with Wong Sifu some years ago.

Wong Sifu, may you rest in peace.

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Other posts on Wong sifu:

• (2013) Ted Wong would've been 76 years old today! (Bruce Lee's Fighting Method Full Video
• IN MEMORY OF: Ted Wong (November 5, 1937 – November 24, 2010)(2013 - posted an interview)

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BOOKS: Way of the Ancient Healer by Virgil Mayor Apostol

Way of the Ancient Healer: Sacred Teachings from the Philippine Ancestral 

Traditions by Virgil Mayor Apostol (North Atlantic Books)

...
Way of the Ancient Healer provides an overview of the rich tradition of
Filipino healing practices, discussing their world influences and role
in daily life. Enhanced with over 300 photographs and illustrations,
the book gives readers a rare look at modern-day Filipino healing
rituals, including personal examples from author Virgil Apostol's
own experiences with shamanic healing and dream interpretation.
...

Please visit for more details:
 
http://www.rumsua.org/Other_Literary_Works.php#ancient_healer

Book is due out 12/28/10... this should be a good book. Not many, 

if any at all, books on Hilot and the Filipino Healing methods. 

Forthcoming review. My thanks to my good friend P. for the heads-up

on this book. 

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LINKS: Rumsua.org - Filipino Healing traditions

http://www.rumsua.org/

My thanks to my friend good P. for the heads-up on this site. I've always been curious about Hilot,

the Filipino Healing Art, when I first read about it years ago on the now defunct Eskrima Digest. 

There is an 1980's or 1990's article profiling Sam Tendecia in either Inside Kung Fu or Inside 

Karate. If I recall correctly it mentioned that Dan Inosanto had an injury that Sam Tendecia cured 

using Hilot methods.

Lots of information/articles on the Filipino Healing traditions at Virgil Apostol's site. Please visit it

and check it out. I will be later! 

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Filipino Martial Arts: From Kali and Escrima to Boxing

October is Filipino American History Month
Upcoming Event—October 27, 2010
Filipino Martial Arts: From Kali and Escrima to Boxing

The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program and the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) present a screening of the documentary film, The Great Pinoy Boxing Era (Corky Pasquil and Agrafino Edralin) and hosts a panel discussion and demonstration on Filipino martial arts. The Great Pinoy Boxing Era is an insightful portrayal of the Filipino men who came to the U.S. not only as farm laborers but also as prize-winning boxers during the 1920s and 1930s. The film will be followed by a presentation from Professor Linda España-Maram along with presentations and demonstrations by internationally renowned martial artists Dan Inosanto and Rosie Abriam. Gem Daus of the University of Maryland-College Park will serve as moderator.

For those unable to attend the event, a live broadcast will be streamed on the day here.

When: Wednesday, October 27, 2010, 6:30—8:30 p.m.
Where: Carmichael Auditorium, National Museum of American History

 More info here:


http://apanews.si.edu/2010/09/27/the-great-pinoy-boxing-era-showing/

Here is the whole panel discussion... let it load up... about the 1 hour mark, Guro Inosanto puts on a 25 minutes Filipino Martial Arts demo. Simply amazing!



Check out:

http://www.mybarong.com/great-pinoy-boxing-high-bandwidth-version-art-1082.html

for the documentary film, The Great Pinoy Boxing Era.




My thanks to Terry Crutcher for the heads up!

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BOOKS: Americane: The Grasso / Morale Method of Personal Defense

A practical guide for Personal Defense with a walking stick written by Ralph Grasso and Joshua Morale. It's 61 pages and can be purchased here:

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/americane-the-grasso-morale-method-of-personal-defense/13513616

I will be purchasing this and a review is forthcoming. If you frequent the various Martial Arts forums, Ralph Grasso should be no stranger. He was a student of the late Carl Cestari as well as Amante 'Mat' Marinas and others. I expect the book to be good. The material will be simple and straightforward. I cannot wait to read the book!

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Dog Brothers on Pay-Per-View Monday, October 18, 2010

Great news... the Dog Brothers will be on PPV!

Cut and pasted from http://www.indemand.com/product/view/200437:

Stick Fights: Dog Bros' Cruel Combat
PPV Premiere: Monday, October 18, 2010

Dog Brothers Martial Arts (DBMA) presents its legendary Stick Fighting Battles for the 1st time ever on Pay Per View! Using its unique, “system of many styles”, DBMA combines Filipino & Indonesian Martial Arts and Dog Brother’s Grappling & Stick-Grappling, with some of the more traditional martial arts including Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, and Akido. Watch these Extraordinary & Explosive “never before broadcast” bouts that take MMA to the highest level of Combat!

Running Time: 0:58
Rating: TV-14 (L,V)

Spread the word!

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IN MEMORY OF: Master Christopher "Topher" Ricketts (1955-2010)

Another terrible loss to the FMA Community. Yesterday Master Christopher "Topher" Ricketts of Bakbakan International passed away after a battle with cancer. He was only 55 years of age. He was one of the founders of Bakbakan, and also one of Antonio "Tatang" Illustrisimo's students, having studied under him along with Tony Diego, Yuli Romo and Edgar Sulite.


http://www.myfma.net/forum/topics/master-christopher-ricketts


My sincerest condolences to the Ricketts family as well as to the members of Bakbakan International and the Kalis Illustrisimo family.


Here is a videoclip of Master Ricketts and Tatang:

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IN MEMORY OF: GM Ben Largusa (1926-2010)

It is with sadness that I report that the Filipino Martial Arts community has lost another, GM Ben Largusa.

Image from Dan Inosanto's The Filipino Martial Arts book.

Copied and pasted from http://www.villabrillelargusakali.com/:

Grandmaster Ben Largusa was the first man to bring the Kali into the United States public arena. At the 1964 Ed Parker International Karate Championships held in Long Beach, California, he gave America its first demonstration of Kali. Also in attendance were numerous martial artists from around the world, including Bruce Lee, Dan Inosanto, and Jhoon Rhee.

Born on Kauai, Hawaii in 1926, Grandmaster Largusa’s first exposure to Kali came when as a toddler, he watched the Filipino men in his hometown of Kilauea, Kauai, Hawaii practice with the sticks.

Although his Filipino Martial Arts training began under his father who exposed him to the basics of Kali, his first formal instruction came from Master Augustine, an Eskrimador. In 1945, his study in the art came to a temporary halt when he joined the United States Army. While in the service, he trained in a variety of styles including judo and boxing.

When he returned to Kauai in 1951, he was fortunate enough to become a student of Grandmaster Floro Villabrille. At 25 years old, Largusa trained one on one with Villabrille, who was still in his prime at 39 years old, for 7 unbroken years. At the onset of his training, Grandmaster Villabrille had him promise to never teach anyone else other than his own sons the deadly art of Kali. At the time, few people had ever heard of Kali. It was a closely guarded secret that was passed on from teacher to student and father to son. Only the students deemed loyal were taught the art and it was never taught to non-Filipinos. He left for mainland in 1958 but remained in close touch with Villabrille and trained with him whenever the opportunity arose.

Largusa’s genius became apparent when he systemized and broke-down Villabrille’s fighting techniques, and put into place theories and philosophies that comprise the art. He explains that Villabrille “was greatest influence in my life because he opened my eyes to many things, allowing me to observe, analyze and finally modify things for the better.” It is for this reason that the art is known today as the Villabrille-Largusa Kali System. As the years passed, he saw the need to perpetuate Villabrille’s teachings and to promote a part of the Filipino heritage. With Villabrille’s blessing, he began teaching a select group of students privately in his home in South San Francisco, California in 1969. The first generation included his sons Lindsey Largusa and Jerry Largusa, Greg Lontayao, Mel Lopez, Tony Lamadora, Greg Rojas, Kaohu Cummings, Ted Fidel and Rick Reyes. As Floro Villabrille’s foremost student, Ben Largusa was personally chosen as his successor to the Villabrille Kali System. In 1972, Villabrille bestowed upon Largusa the rank of Tuhan (Master) of the Villabrille Kali System.

In 1973, the Largusa School of Kali, in South San Francisco, California, was formally opened. It was the first school to teach Kali to the public. Later that year, the Kali Association of America was formed as the governing body of the Villabrille-Largusa Kali System of which all member schools fall under.

In 1981, Grandmaster Villabrille presented Tuhan Ben Largusa the Conveyance of Life Interest, which gives him the exclusive right, license and authority to continue to use the name of the Floro Villabrille School of Kali in perpetuating and promoting the Villabrille-Largusa Kali System.

Upon Grandmaster Villabrille’s death in 1992, Tuhan Ben Largusa succeeded him as Grandmaster of the Villabrille-Largusa Kali System. In 1994, Largusa named Professor Mel Lopez as his successor and bestowed upon him the rank of Tuhan (Master) of the Villabrille-Largusa Kali System. In keeping with Grandmaster Villabrille’s wishes, the Villabrille-Largusa Kali System has only one Grandmaster and one Master.

Grandmaster Ben T. Largusa entered eternal rest on October 3, 2010. He is preceded in death by his son, Lane and is survived by his wife, Philomena, daughter, Lois and sons, Jerry and Lindsey.

 If you wish to leave your condolences, please post here:

http://www.villabrillelargusakali.com/?page_id=318

My sincerest condolences to the Largusa family and to the rest of the Villabrille-Largusa Kali System practitioners.

RIP Manong Largusa.

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Burglars Said to Have Picked Houses Based on Facebook Updates

In a previous post, I wrote about Why I Won't Use My Real Name on the Internet. This is a short followup of something that was reported in the New York Times recently. In this day and age of the Internet, Identity Theft, Privacy and Cyber Security, I hope this site's readers will use a little common sense when they are interacting on social networking sites such as Facebook.

Cut and pasted from http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/12/burglars-picked-houses-based-on-facebook-updates/

September 12, 2010, 10:24 am

Burglars Said to Have Picked Houses Based on Facebook Updates
By NICK BILTON
Illustration by Nick Bilton/The New York Times

If you plan to log into your Facebook account and announce to the world that you’re heading to the beach for the weekend, you might want to append the status update with a warning that your home is under 24-hour surveillance, you have a 140-pound Rottweiler who hasn’t eaten in a week and that you own a really good alarm system.

If you don’t, you personal belongings could be fodder for some tech-savvy burglars.

According to New Hampshire’s WMUR Channel 9 News, three local men, Mario Rojas, Leonardo Barroso and Victor Rodriguez, have burglarized more than 18 homes in the Nashua area of New Hampshire simply by checking status updates on Facebook and then pillaging the houses of victims who announced on the social network that they were not home.

Nashua PD via WMUR Channel 9 News. From left to right, Mario Rojas, Leonardo Barroso, Victor Rodriguez.According to the news outlet, police said they had recovered from $100,000 to  $200,000 worth of stolen property as a result of the investigation.

According to local police, investigators tracked down the burglars by listening for the sound of a specific kind of fireworks stolen from a home. When they heard it, they said, they arrested the suspects and their loot.

A Web site called Please Rob Me had noted when people informed the world they weren’t home by their status updates and check-ins on some location-based social networks. But the site has since shut down, noting that the site’s founders are “satisfied with the attention we’ve gotten for an issue that we deeply care about.”

Ron Dickerson, captain of Nashua’s Police Department, told the local news that people need to “be careful of what you post on these social networking sites.”

Be wise and stay safe!

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Why I Won't Use My Real Name on the Internet

In the current landscape of the Internet, social networking is huge be it Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Classmates, Linked, etc. Most people who frequent the social networking sites or utilize their services/benefits use their real name. After all, these sites/services help you to find lost friends/relatives/classmates, find jobs, etc. It is in your best interest to use your real name.

With that said, however, there are a few reasons why I don't use my real name on the 'Net. It doesn't matter if it's a martial arts forum, a self-defense forum, or a social networking site.

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UFC 116 - Lesnar X Carwin - the most anticipated heavyweight fight ever

Last night was the UFC Heavyweight Championship unification bout between reigning champion Brock Lesnar and Interim Champion Shane Carwin. This match was fireworks from the start.

3 gif's I made. If they don't show up, please let me know. First 2 shows Shane in action. Last one is Shane just before round 2 starts looking at Brock.


 

I rooted for Shane. I felt Carwin should've paced himself better instead of going 100% in each and every punch he threw in round 1. He was noticeably tired.Carwin tapped to Lesnar's choke in round 2. Lesnar was able to weather the storm of Carwin's onslaught in round 1. Lesnar showed some groundfighting skills in round 2.

Much respect to both Lesnar and Carwin.

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Some new changes to the site...

Please accept my sincerest apologies on how long it's taking me to revamp the site's looks. Once it is halfway decent looking, I will be adding new content. Or maybe not. I'm not sure. Please bear with me. Some changes I've accomplished so far:

Sidebar Looks Misaligned in Internet Explorer

I'm using Firefox at home and the site looks ok. I checked this site using Internet Explorer and *gasp*, the sidebar is below the main body. Regardless, this current template is temporary, until I have time to really learn and mess with CSS and design the way I want the site to look. Yet more steps in my sojourn. So my apologies to any readers checking this site on via Internet Explorer.

Compact Header

Probably the first noticeable change is a smaller header. Moved the items around to make the header a little more compact. That reminds me, I need to make a banner of it in case there may be link exchange requests.

Added a Search Box

This temporary template had no search box, I added one to my sidebar. Was easy enough.

No More Blogger Navbar

Got rid of the blogger navbar on top. That too was easy fix.

Added an Animated Favicon

Added a "favicon" which is animated. For those that don't know what a favicon is, look at any webpage in the URL section of your browser. For example, if you are on Google's page, you will see a "G" right next to "http://www.google.com". If you were in any webpage in Internet Explorer that didn't change their favicon, you would see the blue "e". For Blogger, it's an orange rounded square with a white "B" in it. This was a tad harder, but also easy enough. I used http://www.html-kit.com which was easy to use.

Upcoming Changes

Want to Add the Blogumus Flash Cloud for Labels

Added Blogumus instead of the Labels listed straight down the sidebar. The preview worked. When I saved the change and went to view the site, it didn't work. Need to figure out the glitch. It will take up less space, but may be a nuisance to click on the right label you want. We will see... I may keep it or not, it will depend on the feedback. Also, I may have way too many labels and need to tighten up on them. Again we will see.

Navbar

Also working on populating my navbar below the header, which starts with "Home". Possible and probable categories will be:

1. About (something about me, the site, and a FAQ)
2. Contact (how to contact me via email or contact form)
3. Subscribe (subscribe by email or RSS when new posts are published)
4. Articles (martial arts and self-defense articles written by me or others)
5. Reviews (instructional, movies, books, etc -- some by me, some by others)
6. Links (i have a lot of links I want to put up, but i need to think up a way to make it presentable and not one looooong page of links

Last But Not Least

I will be trying my hand at writing some self-defense related articles. I will be archiving great articles I've come across. Also, lots of reviews to put up, both mine and reviews written by others. And I will be moving my original archives over to this site. It's been a long time coming.

My apologies to you all. Please bear with me. Thank you.

Very truly yours in the martial arts and self-defense,

~sg

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Revamp of site in progress

Frustrating, very frustrating. Thought I resolved my computer issues (first malware, then malware again, malware yet again, and lately then no digital signal sent to the monitor)

Wanted to revamp the site and 'open for public' all in one go, but with the computer issues, please forgive the appearance while the site is under ongoing construction.

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Army's new DVD - Techniques for Light Indian Club Swinging

My friend Army has a new DVD either out or about to be available. It deals specifically with light Indian clubs . It is 90 minutes long. I will be ordering it shortly and post a review. I have a backlog of reviews I intend to post

If you are interested, please check out Army's site:

http://www.agelesstrength.com 

Good luck in your training and enjoy! 

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LINKS: General Amnat Pooksrisuk Thai Martial Arts

http://amnatpooksrisuk.com/index.html

Awesome! General Pooksriruk has his site up and running. I was able to attend one of his Thai Bareknuckle Boxing seminars a few years ago. It was a blast. He was one of the instructors to Tony Jaa. Always interested in checking out Bareknuckle Boxing in its various forms as I feel it's closer to my needs of self-defense. There are some distinctions between Western Boxing as it's a sport with gloves and Muay Thai as well. Bareknuckle Boxing techniques takes into account the lack of gloves to protect your hands. Therefore techniques as well as targets will differ. This is a fascinating area of study for me.

If you are interested in the Thai Arts, please check out General Pooksriruk.

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Battle Scarf - Functional Item and Improvised Weapon

I was catching up with reading the forums and sites, and while at Pete Kautz's site, Alliance Martial Arts, I found out about the Battle Scarf. It seems like it is a great everyday functional item which can definitely be used as an Improvised Weapon for self-defense. Too bad Spring is upon me as Winter just passed, but I will be ordering one soon to check out. For anyone who doubts the power of Flexible Weapons, the Youtube clip above should help change your thinking. The power of Flexible Weapons with the breaking of cinder blocks with just a Poland Springs bottled water is awesome!


Pete Kautz has written a great review on the Battle Scarf. Read it here:

http://www.alliancemartialarts.com/battlescarf%20review.htm



For another review, please check this link:

http://tacticaledgecombatives.blogspot.com/2010/01/big-jays-battlescarf.html



If you are interested, please check out:

http://www.battlescarf.com/



In full disclosure, I am not affiliated in any way, shape or form to Battle Scarf, Pete Kautz/Alliance Martial Arts or Tactical Edge Combatives.


If you get a Battle Scarf, please let me know your thoughts and experiences with it.

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EBOOKS: Safety Response: The Essential Guide to your Personal Safety by Aran Dharmeratnam

This informative manual addresses subjects such as awareness and aggression disengagement. It covers avoidance, the different forms of hostility including less discussed forms such as spatial aggression and distance based aggression. It also looks at some of the physical tactics that predatory aggressors use such as the various grabs, use of projectiles, intimidation and set ups. Plus there are numerous insights into concepts that people can use to avoid trouble such as: tactical dialogue, reading the aggression triggers and reserved tactics. These insights are very useful for both men and women interested in self defence and awareness training.

I bought this ebook about a half year ago. I was interested in Aran's book as he has a Law and Criminology degree. Wanted to check out his perspectives given is formal education on self-defense. Recently, I started reading it and am half-done. I like what I've read so far. Full review shortly. Please check out if you are interested:

http://www.globalkick.com/safetyresponse.html

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LINKS: Hertao Self-Defense and MMA Blog

A friend of mine was teaching in Louisiana when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. For those that don't know about Katrina, in the history of the United States, it was one of the five deadliest hurricanes to hit America as well as being the costliest with respect to damages incurred.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina

I didn't know that Katrina wiped out his business. Living through the rampant crime must have been very difficult. He emailed me recently to let me know of his new site as well as his new ebook. He gave me a copy of the ebook for review. I will be reading soon. The review is forthcoming after I get through the backlog of books on my to-read list as well as writing the reviews.

I will be catching up with him via emails as well as reading the articles on his site and blog posts

http://www.hertao.com/

If you want to check out his ebook:

http://www.hertao.com/selfdefense/self-defense-ebook

Can you imagine living in an environment that was a natural disaster and having to deal with crime and safety daily? This is what he went through after Hurricane Katrina. Perhaps he will share some of his experiences and insights.

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Upcoming changes to the site

First off, please update your bookmarks. My site's URL is officially:

http://www.stickgrappler.net

The URL took effect about a month ago. I have not been posting as of late. I am somewhat of a perfectionist. I wanted to revamp my site prior to the URL going live but I didn't master the CSS/HTML enough to give my site a facelift (yet). Also, I am not satisfied with the interim design and my ultimate design I've not accomplished yet given my crappy CSS/HTML understanding.

The first step I took is accomplished, stickgrappler.net is now a reality for me. If not for Blogger adding in some key features I've always wanted implemented (read more link and pages), and the easy registration of the domain name, stickgrappler.net probably would've still languished in the back of my mind.

I will make small and gradual changes instead of the all-sweeping-one-fell-swoop-massive-facelift I wanted to do initially. Baby steps, baby steps... Stupid perfectionist in me got in the way of posting. What is more importand? Posting or looking good? (That was a rhetorical question by the way)

Whatever I come up with on the new look of the site, may or may not be the 'final'. I will play with various elements I want to change and see where that takes me.

I will be writing articles for the site, doing martial arts dvd/book reviews, interviews, posting articles/information I think is useful for you the reader, movie and maybe TV reviews, making more animated gif's and the proverbial 'a whole lot more'.


I want to thank you, my readers, in advance for your patience and visits!

I remain very truly yours in the martial arts and self-defense,

~Stickgrappler 

p.s. it looks like the 'read more' function is not working with this template... UGH

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Facebook "Friend-zy"

Sometime last year, I decided to sign up on Facebook. I wanted to check out the buzz surrounding it and experience the social networking phenomenon firsthand. I must admit I was caught up in what i call the Facebook Friend-zy.

Facebook is a powerful social networking tool. It reminds you of birthdays, it allows you to send in effect a "blast email" informing all your friends of some upcoming event, it lets you put up pictures, it lets you post links to interesting sites you found, and it even helps you track down long-lost friends. I was able to find 2 friends I've lost contact with who reside in Croatia and Germany!

I sent out many friend requests. I found first the friends I knew, then i went to check out my friends' friends and so on and so on. After awhile, I looked at my friends list and realize there were people there that I didn't really know. There were some friends I only know as their forum nicknames and not their real names.

And then I started having virus/malware problems on my computer and it was difficult to get anything done. I was very, very frustrated with the virus.I lost contact with my friends via Facebook.

As I am slowly getting some time on the net, I don't know if I will be on Facebook all that much. It is so powerful and lets me catch up on the events in my friends' lives that it takes up a lot of time! I apologize in advance to my Facebook Friends if I'm not on much. It's been probably half a year or close to it since I was last on. What free time I have I will be devoting to this site. If I get a chance, I will stop by Facebook and say hi. So for whatever this is worth, I'm "Stick Grappler" on Facebook.

Now I wonder if I should check out Twitter? LOL I'm kidding!


P.S. Sorry to my Facebook Friends, Jan 1 is not my birthday as I listed on my Facebook... I will explain in a future article about the false birth date.

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A Word About My Reviews

I have to get this off my chest. In the interest of full disclosure, my reviews will be from the point of view of a beginner. We are all of varying skill levels, experiences and understanding in the martial arts. What you may find not useful to you, I may find merit in. Vice versa, I may find something I don't like and you would like.



I view myself as a beginner in the martial arts. I am not being humble, just honest with you. Although, I have a strong interest in the martial arts since I was a kid, I have not practiced since I was a kid until present. I was in and out. If I did keep it up, I can probably be called an 'expert' given my time put into the martial arts. But alas, I am far from an expert, maybe a knowledgeable beginner. My main areas of focus are the Self-Defense, Filipino Martial Arts and Jeet Kune Do Concepts. My secondary areas are Wing Chun Kuen, Muay Thai, Boxing and Tai Chi. And although I won't list them, there are a few more styles/systems/arts I am into which I have but an inkling of knowledge/experience in. It is from this background, this "lens" if you will, that I will be reviewing.




I dread writing reviews. So far, my site doesn't have many reviews.Whatever reviews I do have on the site are generally if I liked it or not. I am not a writer. I struggle with composing what I want to write when I care about what I write. Most times, I post on forums and those writings tend to be during a break in the workday. My concentration is mainly on work, but I divert some attention to posting when there may be a lull. Those posts tend to be quickies, that is, I was not out to write an article, just expressing my thoughts briefly. My reviews will be thought-out and not a quickie.

What will my reviews entail? I don't have a set format yet. It will include any combination of the following:

• Whether I liked it or not
• Things I didn't know
• Has it changed my view on anything
• Is the author right or wrong 
• Favorite quotes
• What was my take-away from it
• A link(s) to other reviews on the net

Also, reviews are tricky in that I will be reviewing some of my friend's products. I will not lie to you, that's not who I am. I will write out explicitly that it is a friend's product I am reviewing. However, please know that, even though it is my friend's product, I have purchased it. I did not receive it free. I will write an objective review.  I and my site are not out to sell you anything. You will not see Google Sense Ads here. I will not have anything for sale here.  This site is not out to "pimp" my friend's products.

Now that that is out-of-the-way, are you ready for some reviews?

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Catchup I

Hello all:

My last post was in September of 2009. Since then, my home computer system has been plagued with viruses, malware, spyware and something newer called scareware (some sort of malware scaring you into buying their antivirus product). My wife and kids have been on the computer more and I don't know how our system got infected. Actually, I know partially why... I run Windows Vista at home, and Windows is infamous for having a lot of holes which hackers exploit. Total frustration spending time cleaning my system, reinstalling programs etc.

Although I have not been actively posting, I've been trying to learn some CSS and HTML and blogging in general. I will be in the process of upgrading my site. Changes are coming, and hopefully better and easier for you to navigate and check out. I've noticed my site received some spamming comments. My apologies for that. I've deleted them, and have decided that I will moderate my comments, that is, you post a comment, I will have to approve it, and your comment will be posted. This will prevent the spammers from posting.

Many events transpired since my 'absence' which I will post about in a future "Catchup 2" entry. One of the events which necessitated action on my part was the closing of the free webhosting Geocities. Some of you may know, I have a site hosted on Tripod, also a free webhost. I do not know if Tripod intends to shut down or not, but there's been something in the back of my mind that I've never gotten around to:  porting over my tripod site over to here. My original intent was to build a separate site housing the archives I set up on Tripod. However, I may just merge the archives with this site here. Regardless, check out my old archives at:

http://stickgrappler.tripod.com

Blogger has implemented some changes which I've always wanted, and my vision of what and how my site should look like is slowly becoming a reality. Stick (no pun intended) around for the upcoming changes. I think it will be to your liking.

As always, I remain very truly yours in the Martial Arts,

~Stickgrappler

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