Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Dipprasad Pun: Lone Gurkha vs 30 Taliban

11/12/2013 10:55:00 AM  ,  No comments



'I had so many of them around me that I thought I was definitely going to die so I thought I'd kill as many of them as I could before they killed me.'
~Dipprasad Pun



WHO:  Corporal Dipprasad Pun, 31
WHAT:  Completely surrounded by Taliban, managed to thwart their efforts single-handedly in taking his checkpoint
WHERE:  Babaji in Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan
WHEN:  September 2010



'I thought I was going to die... so I tried to kill as many as I could': Hero Gurkha receives bravery medal from the Queen

By Daily Mail Reporter
UPDATED: 07:19 EST, 2 June 2011

  • Corporal Dipprasad Pun defeated more than 30 Taliban fighters single-handedly
  • Used the tripod of his machine gun to beat away a militant after running out of ammunition

A Gurkha soldier who single-handedly defeated more than 30 Taliban fighters has been awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross by the Queen.

Corporal Dipprasad Pun, 31, described how he was spurred on by the belief that he was going to die and so had nothing to lose in taking on the attackers who overran his checkpoint in Afghanistan.

His gallantry award is second only to the Victoria Cross - the highest honour for bravery in the face of the enemy.

Cpl Pun, from the 1st Battalion the Royal Gurkha Rifles, was presented with the CGC during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace, during which a number of other soldiers were recognised for their bravery.

Speaking after receiving the honour from the Queen, the Gurkha said: 'I'm very excited and happy to here in the Palace to receive the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross. This will be a great memory for the future.'

The soldier fired more than 400 rounds, launched 17 grenades and detonated a mine to thwart the Taliban assault on his checkpoint near Babaji in Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan, last September.

At one point, after exhausting all his ammunition, he had to use the tripod of his machine gun to beat away a militant who was climbing the walls of the compound.

After the ceremony, Cpl Pun was congratulated by investiture guests who queued up to shake his hand.

Speaking about the actions which earned him the CGC, he said: 'At that time I wasn't worried, there wasn't any choice but to fight. The Taliban were all around the checkpoint, I was alone.

'I had so many of them around me that I thought I was definitely going to die so I thought I'd kill as many of them as I could before they killed me.

'That incident happened in the middle of my tour and after that I thought nobody can kill us now - when we met the enemy I wasn't scared.

'I thought the Taliban did not have the capacity to fight with us.'

Cpl Pun, an acting sergeant during his Afghan deployment, was on sentry duty at the time of the attack when he heard a clinking noise outside the small base.

At first he thought it might be a donkey or a cow, but when he went to investigate he found two insurgents digging a trench to lay an improvised explosive device (IED) at the checkpoint's front gate.

He realised that he was completely surrounded and that the Taliban were about to launch a well-planned attempt to overrun the compound.

The enemy opened fire from all sides, destroying the sentry position where the soldier had been on duty minutes before.

 Defending the base from the roof, the Gurkha remained under continuous attack from rocket-propelled grenades and AK47s for more than a quarter of an hour.

 Most of the militants were about 50ft away from him, but at one point he turned around to see a 'huge' Taliban fighter looming over him.

 The soldier picked up his machine gun and fired a long burst at the man until he fell off the roof.

 When another insurgent tried to climb up to his position, the Gurkha attempted to shoot him with his SA80 rifle. But it did not work, either because it had jammed or because the magazine was empty.

 He first grabbed a sandbag but it had not been tied up and the contents fell to the floor.
Then he seized the metal tripod of his machine gun and threw it at the approaching Taliban militant, shouting in Nepali 'Marchu talai' ('I will kill you') and knocking him down.

 Two insurgents were still attacking by the time the heroic Gurkha had used up all his ammunition, but he set off a Claymore mine to repel them.

At this point his company commander, Major Shaun Chandler, arrived at the checkpoint, slapped him on the back and asked if he was OK.

In total he fired off 250 general purpose machine gun rounds, 180 SA80 rounds, six phosphorous grenades, six normal grenades, five underslung grenade launcher rounds and one Claymore mine.

 The only weapon he did not use was the traditional Kukri knife carried by Gurkhas because he did not have his with him at the time.

The married soldier, whose father and grandfather were also Gurkhas, is originally from the village of Bima in western Nepal but now lives in Ashford, Kent.

His medal citation said he saved the lives of three comrades at the checkpoint at that time and prevented the position being overrun.

 It read: 'Pun could never know how many enemies were attempting to overcome his position, but he sought them out from all angles despite the danger, consistently moving towards them to reach the best position of attack.'

Major General Nicholas Carter, who was commander of combined forces, including British troops, in southern Afghanistan during Cpl Pun's deployment, praised the soldier and those from the Mercian Regiment receiving gallantry awards today.

The senior officer, who received the Distinguished Service Order from the Queen for his leadership in the Middle East country, said: 'Their efforts have been tremendous. It was a privilege to have members of the 1st Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifles and the Mercian Regiment under my command.

'The Conspicuous Gallantry Cross does not get handed out lightly, it was a most remarkable achievement by that particular young Gurkha.'

 Copied from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/. 

For more info:


Other entries in this Gurkha/Kukri Spotlight series:




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Monday, November 11, 2013

Lieutenant Tul Bahadur Pun, VC

11/11/2013 10:57:00 AM  ,  No comments





The citation for Pun’s Victoria Cross declared: “Rifleman Pun’s courage and superb gallantry in the face of odds which meant almost certain death were most inspiring to all ranks and were beyond praise.”




WHO: Lieutenant Tul Bahadur Pun
WHAT: Pun charged into automatic fire directed straight at him to take the machine gun bunker and more brave deeds
WHERE: Burma
WHEN: June 23, 1944



Lieutenant Tul Bahadur Pun, VC

Lieutenant Tul Bahadur Pun, who died on April 20 aged 88, won the Victoria Cross while serving with the Second Chindit Expedition in Burma in 1944.


6:58PM BST 21 Apr 2011 Early in March that year the Second Chindit Expedition, a force of six brigades comprising some 9,000 men together with stores, was air-landed in Burma. The main objectives of the Expedition were twofold: first, to support the advance on Myitkyina by the American-led Chinese troops and to establish a strong position astride the Japanese lines of communication; and secondly, to impede the build-up of Japanese forces for an invasion of India by harassing them in the Mogaung area.

The Chindits were supplied by establishing a number of fortified bases with airstrips south of Myitkyina. These strongholds provoked a strong reaction from the Japanese, and some of them subsequently proved indefensible and had to be abandoned.

On May 27 the 77th Indian Brigade was ordered to capture the Japanese supply centre of Mogaung. After almost a month of savage fighting which had greatly depleted the brigade’s numbers, the 3rd Battalion 6th Gurkha Rifles was ordered to attack the railway bridge at Mogaung on June 23. As soon as the attack had been launched, the Japanese opened concentrated and sustained crossfire at close range from a position known as “The Red House” and from a strong bunker position 200 yards to the left of it.

Captain Allmand, in command of “B” company, went forward alone and charged a machine-gun nest, but he was mortally wounded. So intense was the fire that both the leading platoons of “B” Company, one of which was Rifleman Pun’s, were pinned to the ground. Pun’s section — apart from himself, the section commander and one rifleman — was wiped out.

The section commander led his two remaining riflemen in a charge on The Red House, but he was at once severely wounded. Pun and his comrade continued the charge — but the latter, too, fell badly wounded. Pun then seized the Bren gun and, firing from the hip as he ran, continued the charge on the heavily bunkered position. He charged alone in the face of a shattering concentration of automatic fire directed straight at him.

With the dawn coming up behind him, Pun made a perfect target for the Japanese. He had to cross 30 yards of open ground, ankle deep in mud, through shell holes and over fallen trees. Against all the odds, he reached The Red House and closed with the occupants.

Pun killed three of the enemy, put five more to flight, and captured two machine guns and much ammunition. He then gave accurate supporting fire from the bunker to the remnants of his platoon, enabling them to reach their objective. Among the lives saved by Pun’s action was that of Major James Lumley, father of the actress Joanna Lumley, who has become one of the Gurkha Welfare Trust’s staunchest supporters.

The citation for Pun’s Victoria Cross declared: “Rifleman Pun’s courage and superb gallantry in the face of odds which meant almost certain death were most inspiring to all ranks and were beyond praise.” Pun was invested with the Victoria Cross by the Viceroy, Field Marshal Viscount Wavell, at a special parade held at the Red Fort in Delhi on March 3 1945.

Tul Bahadur Pun was born on March 23 1923 at Banduk village in the Myagdit district of west Nepal. He enlisted in the Gurkha Brigade in west Nepal and, after completing his basic training, joined the 3rd Battalion 6th Gurkha Rifles for the Chindit Expedition.

After Independence in 1947, he transferred to the British Army and joined the 2nd/6th Gurkha Rifles, seeing action in Malaya and Hong Kong. He rose to be regimental sergeant major of his battalion and retired from the Army in May 1959 in the rank of honorary lieutenant.

Pun returned to Banduk village, where he farmed. Always concerned about the education of children, he opened two primary schools in the area. In 1986 his farm was washed away by floods, but he was able to resume his life on the land after a “benefit” football match in Kathmandu raised the necessary funds.

Pun came to England in 2007 and settled initially at Hounslow, west London, before, last year, moving the short distance to Chiswick. He attended many reunions of the VC and GC Association, supported many Gurkha charities and in 2009 was made a Freeman of the borough of Hounslow.

Pun, who presented his VC to his old regiment, died at Banduk, where he had gone to be present at the opening next month of a new secondary school.

He was twice married, and is survived by his second wife, Punisara, and by his two sons and eight daughters.




Copied from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries:




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For other entries in my Gurkha/Kukri series, please check out:



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Sunday, November 10, 2013

Happy 238th Birthday USMC and Happy Veteran's Day 2013!

11/10/2013 07:30:00 PM  ,  No comments

This morning, I had to drive my children to their enrichment activity. I passed by a car that I noticed had a USMC logo on it. I made a mental note of the location of this parked car and dropped my kids off.

Today is the 238th birthday of the Marines Corp. Tomorrow is Veteran's Day.

I went back home and wrote a note and went back out driving to the parked car with my note.







Closeup of the Note

I felt good after that, hopefully the owner of that car understood the sentiment, as a parent of a Marine.



Happy Birthday USMC!


Thank you to all the Veterans, Past, Present, and Future. This post is for you!

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Gichin Funakoshi: Creator of Shotokan Karate

11/10/2013 10:58:00 AM  , ,  No comments

Gichin Funakoshi: Creator of Shotokan Karate

by Richard Kim
Photo courtesy of Black Belt – July 29, 2013  

If there’s one man who can be credited with popularizing karate, it’s Gichin Funakoshi. Gichin Funakoshi was born in 1868 in Shuri, then the capital city of the island of Okinawa. He started practicing karate while in primary school but didn’t begin his mission of spreading it to the outside world until he was 53.

The story of Gichin Funakoshi’s early years is similar to that of many greats in karate. He began as a sickly, weak boy whose parents took him to a karate master named Yasutsune Itosu for training. Because of a doctor’s herbal remedies and Yasutsune Itosu’s instruction, Gishin Funakoshi soon blossomed. He became a good karate student and developed physical expertise and a disciplined mind.

Standout Student

Funakoshi gave the first public demonstration of karate in 1917 in Kyoto, Japan. When he moved to Japan five years later, he stayed with other Okinawans at a students’ dormitory in Tokyo. He lived in a small room alongside the entrance and would clean the dormitory during the day when the students were in class. At night, he would teach them karate. After a short time, he’d earned sufficient money to open a dojo.

Funakoshi started visiting the Shichi Tokudo, a barracks located on palace grounds, every other day to teach and was always accompanied by Hidenori Otsuka, one of his most brilliant students. In 1927 three senior students decided that the kata practice they had been focusing on was not enough. They introduced jiyu kumite (free fighting) in their training, so they created protective clothing and wore kendo masks to shield their faces against hard strikes. Funakoshi heard about these bouts and, when he could not discourage them — he considered them belittling to the art of karate — he stopped coming to the Shichi Tokudo.

Focus on Kata

Funakoshi always believed kata was the secret to becoming skilled in karate. When he moved to Japan, he brought 16 kata with him: five pinan and three naihanchi, along with kushanku dai, kushanku sho, seisan, patsai, wanshu, chinto, jutte and jion. He made students practice the pinan and naihanchi forms for at least three years before he allowed them to progress to the more advanced kata. The repetitious training paid off, though, because his students developed the most precise, exact karate taught anywhere.

Although he was sincere about teaching the art, Funakoshi had his share of critics who scorned his emphasis on kata and decried what they believed was “soft” karate that wasted too much time. Funakoshi just kept making his students concentrate on their kata.

Higher Goals

Funakoshi was always a humble man. He didn’t preach the humility of virtue but a basic humility of a man who is rooted in the true perspective of things, full of life and awareness. He lived at peace with himself and with his fellow man.

Whenever Gichin Funakoshi’s name is mentioned, it brings to mind the parable of “A Man of Tao and a Little Man.” As it’s told, a student once asked, “What is the difference between a man of Tao and a little man?”

The master replies: “It is simple. When the little man receives his first dan, he can hardly wait to run home and tell everyone he made his first dan. Upon receiving his second dan, he will climb to the roof and shout to the people. Upon receiving his third dan, he will jump in his automobile and parade through town with its horn blowing, telling everyone about it.”

The sensei continues: “When the man of Tao receives his first dan, he will bow his head in gratitude. Upon receiving his second dan, he will bow his head and his shoulders. Upon receiving his third dan, he will bow at the waist and quietly walk alongside the wall so people will not see him or notice him.”

Funakoshi was a man of Tao. He placed no emphasis on competitions, record breaking or championships. Instead, he emphasized self-perfection. He believed in the common decency and respect that one human being owes another. He was a master of masters.

Funakoshi died in 1957 at age 88, after humbly making a tremendous contribution to the art of karate.

 
For More Information:

This essay was excerpted from The Weaponless Warriors by Richard Kim.

 Copied from http://www.blackbeltmag.com/


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THE WISDOM OF ... Gichin Funakoshi

11/10/2013 10:56:00 AM  , , , ,  No comments



Today would've been the 145th birthday of Gichin Funakoshi. He's widely acknowledged as "The Father of Modern Karate". He founded Shotokan, which in all likelihood, is the most popular style of Karate. From the founder himself, here are his principles of Karate.





20 Guiding Principles of Karate

  1. Karate begins with courtesy and ends with courtesy.
  2. There is no first attack in karate.
  3. Karate is an aid to justice.
  4. First control yourself before attempting to control others.
  5. Spirit first, technique second.
  6. Always be ready to release your mind.
  7. Accidents arise from negligence.
  8. Do not think that karate training is only in the dojo.
  9. It will take your entire life to learn karate; there is no limit.
  10. Put your everyday living into karate and you will find "Myo" (subtle secrets).
  11. Karate is like boiling water. If you do not heat it constantly, it will cool.
  12. Do not think that you have to win, think rather that you do not have to lose.
  13. Victory depends on your ability to distinguish vulnerable points from invulnerable ones.
  14. The battle is according to how you move guarded and unguarded (move according to your opponent).
  15. Think of your hands and feet as swords.
  16. When you leave home, think that you have numerous opponents waiting for you. It is your behavior that invites trouble from them.
  17. Beginners must master low stance and posture, natural body positions are for the advanced.
  18. Practicing a kata is one thing, engaging in a real fight is another.
  19. Do not forget to correctly apply: strength and weakness of power, stretching and contraction of the body and slowness and speed of techniques.
  20. Always think and devise ways to live the 20 Principles every day.



Here are the 20 Guiding Principles of Karate with the Japanese characters and pronunciation:


1. Karate begins with courtesy and ends with courtesy.


2. There is no first attack in karate.


3. Karate is an aid to justice.


4. First control yourself before attempting to control others.


5. Spirit first, technique second.

 

6. Always be ready to release your mind.


7. Accidents arise from negligence.


8. Do not think that karate training is only in the dojo.


9. It will take your entire life to learn karate; there is no limit.


10. Put your everyday living into karate and you will find "Myo" (subtle secrets).


11. Karate is like boiling water. If you do not heat it constantly, it will cool.


12. Do not think that you have to win, think rather that you do not have to lose.


13. Victory depends on your ability to distinguish vulnerable points from invulnerable ones.


14. The battle is according to how you move guarded and unguarded (move according to your opponent).


15. Think of your hands and feet as swords.


16. When you leave home, think that you have numerous opponents waiting for you. It is your behavior that invites trouble from them.


17. Beginners must master low stance and posture, natural body positions are for the advanced.


18. Practicing a kata is one thing, engaging in a real fight is another.


19. Do not forget to correctly apply: strength and weakness of power, stretching and contraction of the body and slowness and speed of techniques.


20. Always think and devise ways to live the 20 Principles every day.







20 Guiding Principles in Japanese copied from http://www.funakoshikarateinternational.org/


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Happy 145th Birthday Gichin Funakoshi!!

11/10/2013 10:54:00 AM  , , ,  No comments


Considered the "Father of Modern Karate", today would've been Gichin Funakoshi's 145th birthday. He created Shotokan karate which is probably the most popular karate around.  In celebration of his birthday, check out these 2 videos of him. Amazing how video exists of him in action!

Enjoy!



Gichin Funakoshi - Historical Video Series





Gichin Funakoshi - 1924 Vintage Footage






  
Happy 145th Birthday Gichin Funakoshi!


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Saturday, November 09, 2013

Vunak's Top 50 Combat Secrets Ch. 45

11/09/2013 10:59:00 AM  , , , , , ,  No comments



Chapter 45 – Differentiating Emotions

Before we master the emotional dimension it is imperative that we understand the actual “end game”. First and foremost, no person on earth can control their feelings, that is one of man kinds biggest misnomers. Think about it… If you are walking your child across the street, and they get hit by a vehicle, is it possible to not be sad ? If you are walking down that same street, and that vehicle is chasing you and your child, is it possible not to feel fear ? So at the end of the day, none of us are in control of our feelings. What differentiates a warrior from the average person however, is how one reacts to their feelings. If the average person while walking their child is suddenly confronted with a violent speeding vehicle, there is a good chance their fear will debilitate them. Their reaction, instead of grabbing the child and evading the vehicle, would more resume a dear staring frozen in headlights. A warrior on the other hand, will feel the exact same fear as an average person. However, that “feeling”, not only will not debilitate them, that “feeling”, will actually improve their agility, and nimbleness. The so called, war hero, who does amazing things in battle, I can assure you feels the same fear, as his fellow soldiers. How they react to that fear, is what actually makes them a hero.

Now getting back to our original points, of differentiating, and processing emotions, and ascertaining an “end-game”. First and foremost, when we come to realize that everyone feels fear, everyone feels sadness, everyone feels anger, etc, etc… That actual knowledge becomes a tool for empowerment. While the average person, is bucking and fighting these emotions head on, the warrior, is excepting these feelings, allowing them to come in and be processed.

If you could indulge me for a moment, I would like to share with you another dangerous and common misnomer… Confusing, fear with panic. Panic is something we feel, when we are tired, angry and claustrophobic. A good example is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Imagine being exhausted, you are wrestling with somebody, that you really really want to beat, and you are in that moment struggling not to be on the bottom, typically what happens at this juncture, physiologically the heart rate sky rockets, we vascilate between hyper ventilating and holding our breath. And whatever drop of energy we had left in our body, we used up with “reckless disregard”. There is a very very simple answer to never panic again. We simply desensitize our selves(this is a Seal Team Six Technique I used to Call Stress Inoculation). Never ever again fear the bottom, simply embrace the bottom. Spend 50 hours on the bottom and your fear will be gone. As the biofeedback axiom goes, control follows awareness. Therefore the more we are aware of our feelings the more we can control our reaction to them. The more we are aware of panic, the more we can control our reaction to it. And I can tell you from 25 years of wrestling with the greatest Jiu-Jitsu proponents on planet earth, that all of these people have one thing in common, “the mastery of the reaction to their feelings”... The End Game !


Please check the Table of Contents for links to other chapters of this Online Book.


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Vunak's Top 50 Combat Secrets Ch. 44

11/09/2013 10:59:00 AM  , , , , ,  No comments



Chapter 44: The Emotional Dimension Part 1

Pardon the cliché, but I have saved the best for last. Before we can defeat somebody physically, we must defeat them emotionally. Before we defeat someone else’s emotions we must be in command of our own. Before we can be in command of our own emotions, we must be able to know, feel, differentiate and process them, period !

Now let us reverse engineer paragraph one. By starting to take the myriad of complicated emotions and reduce them to a simple 6. It is helpful before we do this to completely understand why. The six emotions that I am about to share with you absolutely, positively, must first and foremost be understood and differentiated. So here we go… Mad, Sad, Glad, Afraid, Ashamed, Hurt. (When one is in a street fight these 6 emotions are all thrown in one “soup”. The implications of this are, the anger you could have for somebody, could be amplifying your fear, and make you debilitated and you don’t even know why. Where the fear that you have in this fight, maybe due to simple adrenaline, and one is unable to process it properly due to physiology! Or it could mean that you have “Afraid”, enmeshed with “Mad”, and you are wondering why you are unable to turn on your killer Instinct !

I could go on, giving examples of what happens when people are out of touch with their feelings, 8 hours a day for a year and never repeat myself. That is how prevalent the problem is, both in a street fight and in life itself.)

Now getting back to our 6 emotions, lets take one at a time. Mad, we can pretty much relate too. Sad, most of us understand what Sad means. Glad, simply means happy. Afraid, is another word for Fear. Ashamed, is another word for Shame, Guilt, and perhaps Embarrassment. And Hurt, which tends to be a bit ambiguous for everybody. It has to do with loss. If you lose a loved one the pain you feel would actually lean more towards hurt than sad. Now that we know what the 6 simplified emotions are, and have done a differentiation. Let us now proceed to a rudimentary readers digest version of how to process these different emotions.

First and foremost, understand this… 99 out of 100 people do not know how to feel, differentiate, or process, all they do is stuff. Once we stuff one emotion on top of another, we create this “emotional toxic Lasagna”, which resembles a Volcano that could literally blow up at any time for any reason. Now let us get back to the proper way to deal with emotions, in lue of stuffing we process ! There is a formula that we use, just like Martial Arts, just like the R.A.T.

Here goes… When you_________________________I feel________________________________________.

This formula guarantees that you are not degrading, humiliating, or exacerbating the situation, it simply guarantees that you inform someone, that when they behave a certain way, this is how you feel. Eg, “Sam, when you raise your voice at me, I feel sad.” Or, “Judy, when you laugh at me, I feel hurt”, etc, etc… The next emotion to process is sad. When something typically makes us sad, we try to take our mind off of it with distractions. May, I humbly suggest, that you meditate on what is making you sad. Sit down, breath deeply, cry if you have too, and as you breath into the sadness, this “non resisting” energy will process the sadness away.

The next emotion, is glad. Which means happy, enjoy your sh!t eating grin. The next emotion Afraid, which means fear. Shine the light on your fear and it will disappear as quickly as darkness disappears when you shine the light on it. What ever your fear, face it, confront it, and embrace it. When I started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Rickson used to give me panic attacks, we would wrestle for a couple of hours straight, he would mount me in the 102 degree heat of California, and I used to panic. All I ever did was fight to get the hell off the bottom. Fight, fight, fight ! And then, eventually when he got me on the bottom, my resistance would turn to panic.

Answer… for the next 6 months, after bowing to Rickson and starting my wrestling, I simply started off by laying on my back. I embraced the position, that used to demoralize me. Indeed to this day, I prefer starting from my back. Fear is gone. The next emotion, ashamed. This is the same as shame, guilt and embarrassment. This means that you have judged your behavior, the behavior is in the past, and you have been unable to forgive yourself. Answer, just like fear, shame can not exist in the light. Whatever is in the deepest darkest bowels of your closet, bring them out, talk about them, and the light will disintegrate them. Our final emotion is Hurt. Hurt is a sadness caused from a loss. First and foremost we have to properly greave from this loss, and the second half of healthy grieving is to replace what was lost. This could include a puppy, a car, or a husband. In conclusion I realize by so rapidly changing course on the “combat “ index, and going from headbutts and elbows, to feeling feelings, might be a bit much for some of you. Indeed, I can picture a few of my New York buddies, with disgruntled looks, grabbing their crotch, simultaneously proclaiming, “Yo Vu, If I wanted Dr Phil I wooda, put on Oprah”… Forget about Oprah boys, she don’t got no ground game.


Please check the Table of Contents for links to other chapters of this Online Book.


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Vunak's Top 50 Combat Secrets Ch. 43

11/09/2013 10:57:00 AM  , , ,  No comments



Chapter 43 – The Curriculum

The first and most basic premise of business is to somehow differentiate yourself from the competition. This difference can manifest itself either in product or in customer service. In the martial art world, at the end of the day the way we differentiate our self is through our curriculum. Back in the late 70’s and early 80’s the students at Dan Inosanto’s Filipino Kali Academy were on the combat cutting edge for those times. Indeed, I would put that school up against any other school in the world. The reason for this has to do with the title of this weeks column, Curriculum. Dan Inosanto was teaching the very curriculum that he and Bruce developed(Jeet Kune Do). It is important to note that the curriculum by which we are referring is in constant flux. This curriculum evolves with time. As a part of this evolutionary process, Inosanto decided to bring Chai to the Kali Academy and add Thai Boxing to our curriculum. For many years the Kali Academy was the epicenter for sparring in Southern California. We invited folks from every walk of life to come into the school, glove up and at the end of the day test their “curriculum” against ours. These were indeed very fun days ! Our school began getting a reputation and business was good($$).

This curriculum took another leap in the early 80’s as we were the very first school in America to train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In those days it was unheard of to do seminars. If you owned a martial art school… and you invited another martial artist to come teach your students how to fight that would be akin to asking someone to fly in town and show you how to bang your wife properly. However, Dan Inosanto had another secret weapon that managed to sneak by their huge ego. The most unique and functional curriculum. Therefore in addition to having a successful school, everyone wanted Inosanto to come do a Seminar with them. Whoever was showing this unique curriculum had the students and had the Money. In the mid 80’s, after much discussion, Dan and I decided that the next logical way to spread this curriculum was in this unique medium called video. Subsequently I made the first Jeet Kune Do Instructional video set. And my career was launched… Not because I was some world champion fighter, or some super man, but simply I had a unique curriculum that people wanted. A few years later some top secret folks in our military got wind of this curriculum. I was then asked to move to Virginia and work with SEAL Team 6. The reason why things were so extraordinary…simply put, this curriculum could turn soldiers into fighters in a matter of days! It was not Paul Vunak that became famous, persay, but Bruce Lee’s curriculum taught by Paul Vunak.

The next evolution involved MMA and the integration of many of Bruce Lee’s and Dan Inosanto’s Techniques, performed out of MMA. Not only does this current contemporary curriculum contain Thai Boxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, but also has Wing Chun, Savate, Kali, and Kinomutai. I currently have many government agencies, MMA fighters, and Jiu-Jitsu fighters alike, all very enthusiastically flying to my home every weekend and the top 30 of my instructors are all making 6 figures. I say this in a matter of fact way as a humble person, that is truly gracious that I’ve been given this curriculum. Our latest endeavor with our club, Descendants of the Masters is to help our members create a similar business. Clearly the most efficient/JKD way to go about this is to stream my class to all of our members. And as we do so, I do not dictate, but I can only recommend what to do with my knowledge. If in all of your respective schools, you are teaching your students with your existing curriculum, you will have no way to differentiate yourself from your competition. Please allow me to humbly recommend, that you all empty your cups, so you may taste my cup of Tea !

And try teaching the curriculum that I teach. I promise you by doing so, you will decrease the drop out rate of your schools by roughly 500% and increase the rate of Adults by 100%. Most schools get students, that’s not the problem, however keeping students that is the problem. Not only is this curriculum the best bate to attract all the fish you will ever need, it is done with a functional and fun training method that keeps ones students getting better and better !


Please check the Table of Contents for links to other chapters of this Online Book.


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Friday, November 08, 2013

I met Donnie Yen at the 4th Annual New York Chinese Film Festival Nov7, 2013

11/08/2013 08:08:00 PM  , ,  No comments



Donnie Yen and Hostess of 4th Annual NY Chinese Film Festival
Sorry for the crappy pic via my phone camera - I was holding the phone in my left hand and my crappy video camera in my right hand and couldn't focus properly.

It is said that accumulating life experiences is more important than accumulating money. After all, money buys objects and objects are lifeless. But experiences will live on. You grow and learn with experiences. It allows one to be a storyteller - to let others know of the wonderful experience, and thereby, story to tell them.  Everyone loves a good story right?

Yesterday I had an experience that was pretty much a "once-in-a-lifetime experience" for me that I would like to relate to you.  I don't get to go out much. My life is the life of a 'Family Man'. I go to work and then go home to my wife and kids. I help with the dishes, check my children's homework and help/teach them what may be a stumbling block for them. On the weekends I am the 'Chauffeur', driving my kids to their various enrichment activities as well as do the laundry, go to Costco and groceries shopping. Now that my Life is put into perspective, I will share my Experience. 

My friend on Facebook, Rosemary, alerted me to the 4th Annual New York Chinese Film Festival. One of the Guests of Honor was Donnie Yen, arguably one of the top, if not THE top, Asian movie star currently. She kept nagging me to go. As she lives in Memphis, if circumstances permitted, she would've attended!

There were a few factors contributing on my decision to go or not:

  • Would Donnie Yen be there as advertised? If so, would it be the Opening Ceremony only? Tickets were going for $100 each... a bit steep for me and my situation
  • Would he be there during the showing of Ip Man 1 and/or his new movie, Special ID (aka Special Identity)?
  • Would my boss be OK with me taking the day off?
  • Would tickets still be available?
Rosemary convinced me despite Donnie being there or not, at least go to the movies and have a good time watching them. She agreed Opening Night was too much. 
I called the theater Monday to find out tickets availability for Thursday's showings. My conversation with the young woman that answered went as follows:


 Me:  "Hi, are there tickets still available for Thursday's showing of Special ID at 2pm?"
Young Woman (YW):  "Yes there is."
Me:  "How much are tickets?" (expecting it to be near-exorbitant like Opening Night)
YW:  "$14.50."
Me:  (Whew!) "Are there tickets also for Ip Man at 11am?"
YW:  (about 10 seconds of silence) "You mean Eye Pee Man?"
Me:  (Mental facepalm and sigh) "Why yes, Eye Pee Man."
YW:  "Yes and the price is $8 only because it's the matinee showing."
Me: "Thank you."

 LOL at Eye Pee Man! I wanted to go to the theater immediately and Chain Punch her in the mouth until she could say "Ip Man"!


 So I left work and walked over to the theater. It was a building that housed 25 theaters! 6 floors... an Applebee's restaurant as well as an arcade were on the lower levels and the theaters above. Bought the tickets for myself and my training partner J. I inquired about Donnie Yen's appearance or not. They didn't know but said there was a schedule up front. Went to the front to check and saw this:





WOOHOO! I didn't know that there would be a Q&A session, not One but Two! I was almost on Cloud Nine! I expected he was only going to be at the Opening Ceremony and resigned to the fact I would not be able to meet him. This was incredible! Yes, can you tell I don't get out much? I live the life of a Family Man and most of my time is spent on my family. We don't go to the movies due to the exorbitant ticket prices in NYC.

 I was weighing the idea of just going to see Special ID and not both Ip Man and Special ID. Glad I went to Ip Man since Donnie didn't stay for the Q&A after Special ID. 

 Come Thursday, both J. and I were at the theater expecting a long line. Slight disappointment as part of the line was for Thor 2! There wete no long lines. They let us into the theater at 10:30 as it started drizzling. 

 I already watched Ip Man 1 at home on DVD, so it was an awesome viewing on the big screen. There were maybe 25 people or so in the audience. When the movie was nearing its conclusion, there was a sudden influx of people, mostly the Journalists. The Hostess came in and announced the arrival of Donnie Yen!






About six or seven people asked Q's and I was going to be eighth and they ended it. I made the mistake of not sitting in the front row!!!  Lesson learned! Not that I would probably be able to go to another one of these. Learned plenty of lessons during this one.

*SIGH* story of my life … almost-won, wannbe, always-the-bridesmaid-never-the-bride (I guess that should be groomsman/groom for me LOL)
 

A few answers I remembered (hopefully correctly):
  • He said he had a lot of obstacles in making Special ID and he's not happy about it (think he meant he was not happy with how the film turned out as well as his experience making it) but he assured us that the action is very good.
  • He has been in the industry for 31 years!
  • He said he is a martial artist his whole life but he is a professional filmmaker. Looking to expand his range.
  • He has some nagging injuries. Doctor advised him to take it easy.
  • His most successful movie is Ip Man which forced him to make more period pieces.
  • However, he prefers the modern action movies like SPL (aka Sha Po Lang aka Kill Zone) and Flash Point).
  • He likes the MMA style. 
  • His favorite project by far is the upcoming Monkey King (Jan 31, 2014)
  • If you have questions after watching Special ID, contact me via my site.

No real chance for autographs although he signed one on his way out. I wanted a pic with him but he was leaving being escorted out. He did stop and about to take a picture with me when a woman intercepted me (she Jeet me! LOL at her Interception and at my Jeet Kune Do geek humor!) and his attention focused on her as it sounded like she was proposing a collaboration/project with him.

I was one foot away from him and asked my friend Rosemary’s question:
Q:  "When will Hollywood be ready for an Asian leading man?" 
A:  "Hopefully soon." 

Although I was supposed to frame the Q this way:  “This question is from one of your superfans… Rosemary, a fangirl from Memphis… “ - I got to ask one question and he answered and almost took a picture with me. 



Donnie Yen with a picture-perfect Suplex in Flash Point
More animated GIF's here:  http://www.stickgrappler.net/2013/07/flash-point-gif-set-3.html


 Donnie Yen, sir, if you are reading this, please know that you have a superfangirl by the name of Rosemary living in Memphis, Tennesee as well as a fan in me. I'm going to be making many more animated GIFs of you from your movies soon!

 Sir, continued success in Asia as well as the rest of the world! And regarding Hollywood (and a reply to my email) ...

 "Hopefully soon."





I also made some GIF sets from Special ID:





 For further info on Donnie Yen, please check out:



This post humbly dedicated to Donnie Yen and Rosemary!

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Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Heaven supporting some Gurkhas

11/08/2013 11:00:00 AM  ,  No comments

Lt-Col Heaven demonstrating a mortar to Sandhurst officer cadets in the 1950s

... Heaven recalled, "and up the hill came these two Gurkha companies with their kukris out. I have never seen such alarm and dismay in the German faces before or since, and there were very few of them left alive."


WHO:  Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Heaven
WHAT:  Supporting some Gurkhas
WHERE:   Near Bologna.
WHEN:  August 26, 1944


Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Heaven

Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Heaven, who has died aged 89, was the last officer-cadet to be awarded the Sword of Honour at the Royal Military Academy Woolwich before it closed in 1939, and was later awarded a Military Cross as a mountain battery commander in Italy.



6:19PM GMT 09 Mar 2009

In November 1943 Heaven landed at Naples with 479 Light Battery, which had 3.7in guns that split into eight pieces to be transported by mules. These (he recalled in his memoirs) were beautiful, placid, broad-backed beasts, which were drilled to prepare for action by standing in a circle looking outwards, with a smaller, pivot mule at the centre. The unit would march six days a week between dawn and around 6pm, halting every two hours for a 20-minute break. The animals would then be unloaded and watered, have their girths slackened and their hooves inspected for repair, if necessary, by the farrier sergeant using a portable anvil.

Though the battery trailed well behind the front-line troops as it marched north, it none the less amazed infantry battalions it passed by its average speed of five miles an hour and the way the animals held their heads down with their ears flopping backwards and forwards in a way that suggested a happy acceptance of their lot.

Heaven proved an efficient officer, refusing to allow the men to drink water before lunch because it made them drowsy, and not letting officers ride unless they were sick or checking the rear of the column. He was involved in several skirmishes with stragglers from the retreating German army before he earned his MC supporting some Gurkhas on August 26 1944, near Bologna.

The action took place on a hill that was the Gurkhas' headquarters, which had little more than one depleted company. As the brr-brr of German machine guns drew closer, Heaven agreed to start continuous firing, but finally had to turn to the Gurkha colonel, saying he could do no more to hold off the enemy. "At that moment we heard whoops and cries and shouts of joy," Heaven recalled, "and up the hill came these two Gurkha companies with their kukris out. I have never seen such alarm and dismay in the German faces before or since, and there were very few of them left alive."

 As a tiny Gurkha ran towards him, waving a kukri streaming with blood, the colonel said: "Don't worry, Richard, he is just telling you he has killed three German soldiers. He has been bloodied, it is the first time he has done it, and he is going to carve three notches on his kukri. And what a splendid warrior he is."


Excerpted from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/.
Other entries in this Gurkha/Kukri Spotlight series:




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Thursday, November 07, 2013

Lt-Col Donald Ramsay-Brown killed 2 Germans with a kukri

11/07/2013 10:59:00 AM  ,  No comments

Lieutenant-Colonel Donald Ramsay-Brown, 2nd from Left

In the face of heavy machine-gun fire and grenades at close range, he killed two Germans, including the No 1 of a machine-gun section, with a kukri.




WHO:  Lieutenant-Colonel Donald Ramsay-Brown
WHAT:
WHERE:  The high ground west and south-west of Medenine, Tunisia
WHEN:  March 14-16, 1943



Lt-Col Donald Ramsay-Brown

Lieutenant-Colonel Donald Ramsay-Brown, who has died aged 89, won two MCs in the African campaign while serving with the Gurkha Rifles.


12:01AM BST 19 Jul 2007

In October 1942 Ramsay-Brown, then a captain, was serving with the 1st Battalion 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (1/2 GR) in north Egypt. During the build-up to the Battle of El Alamein, he led patrols by day and night into No Man's Land on the Ruweisat Ridge. The enemy front line was wired, mined and highly organised but, at great risk, he brought back much valuable information.

On the night of October 10 Ramsay-Brown penetrated enemy minefields and reached their wire, only to find himself surrounded. He remained in observation and subsequently extricated his men safely. At the end of the month he led a patrol to a German strongpoint on the Ridge while the brigade was staging a dummy attack. He followed the wire for a considerable part of the front, shooting up the enemy with broadsides from his carriers.

He was awarded an MC; the citation paid tribute to his coolness and daring and stated that he had played a large part in the complete domination of the enemy in No Man's Land.

Donald Ramsay-Brown, the son of a missionary, was born at Chuddergent, Hyderabad, India on July 3 1917. He was educated at St George's Grammar School, Hyderabad, where his father was headmaster, and St Aloysius School, Vizagapatam. After Sandhurst he was attached to the 2nd Battalion the Duke of Wellington's Regiment, joining it in India in 1937. The following year he was posted to 1/2 GR and went with them as adjutant to Iraq and Persia before joining 4th Indian Division in Egypt.

During the period of March 13-17 1943 the task of the battalion was to hold the high ground west and south-west of Medenine, Tunisia. Much valuable information was obtained, due almost entirely to Ramsay-Brown, who organised and led the patrols.

On the night of March 14, while on patrol, he captured single-handedly two armed German sentries who had opened fire with automatics. Two nights later he led a silent attack against a strong enemy position in the hills. Half of the enemy were killed and the rest fled. In the face of heavy machine-gun fire and grenades at close range, he killed two Germans, including the No 1 of a machine-gun section, with a kukri. After this action, in which he was wounded, he was awarded a Bar to his MC.

Excerpted from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/.




 Other entries in this Gurkha Spotlight series:


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