EBOOKS: American Combat Judo by Bernard J. Cosneck

Kirk Lawson did it again! He transcribed another classic book. Check out http://stores.lulu.com/lawson. Paladin Press reprinted the book but from my understanding there's 2 editions... the older one from 1940's and a newer one from after the War, in the 1950's. The newer edition doesn't have at the very least, the eye gouge. I'm not sure what else is not in the the 1950's that was in the older edition. Regardless, Kirk Lawson has available as a free pdf download the 1940's edition. As always, if you want the 'dead tree' version, you can order it from him to support his work in transcribing out-of-print martial arts manuals.

As a student at the University of Illinois, "Barney" Cosneck won two Big Ten wrestling championships. Later he served as Judo instructor in the armed forces, where he co-authored "How to Fight Tough" with Jack Dempsey. In "American Combat Judo" he has adapted the best of Japanese ju jitsu, French foot fighting, Chinese boxing and American wrestling to produce simple but effective techniques for defense and counterattack.

Authored in 1944 and illustrated with 188 photo sequences, this book, considered one of the cornerstones of American WWII era "Combatives" is a unique window into self defense theory and the early evolution of combined martial systems.

http://www.lulu.com/items/volume_64/6411000/6411686/1/print/American_Combat_Judo_by_Cosneck.pdf

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IN MEMORY OF: TapouT co-founder, MMA sponsor dies in car crash

Back in November 2008, TapouT founder Charles “Mask” Lewis Jr was honored as Innovator of the year at the 6th annual Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards held Wednesday night at the Riverside Convention Center.

Before TapouT became the empire that boasts multi-million dollar sales, sponsored fighters and a reality show. Charles “Mask” Lewis Jr and the rest of the TapouT crew started with just few different color t-shirts with the famous TapouT logo, sold them at the Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournaments in southern California and a few years later they are in a number of different stores.

Sadly Mask passed away yesterday.

TapouT co-founder, MMA sponsor dies in car crash
FOXSports.com
March 11, 2009, 9:28 PM EST

The mixed martial arts community lost one of its biggest personalities early Wednesday morning in a car crash in Costa Mesa, Calif.

Charles "Mask" Lewis, the 45-year-old co-founder of the TapouT apparel company, died when he lost control of his Ferrari and hit a lamp pole. Lewis was pronounced dead at the scene.

In a statement on its Web site, TapouT said, "It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we must regretfully confirm the passing of our beloved friend, brother and co-founder Charles 'Mask' Lewis following a car accident that occurred last night. ... Many thanks to all for the outpouring of blessings and well-wishes during this incredibly difficult time."

The Los Angeles Times reported that a Newport Beach Police Department officer witnessed the crash and saw Lewis' red Ferrari and a white Porsche spinning out of control just before 1 a.m. Wednesday. The Ferrari then hit the curb and collided into a pole.

"It was terrible," Newport Beach Lt. Craig Fox told the Times. "It was extensive damage to the vehicle."

A woman in the Ferrari was ejected from the vehicle and was in stable condition at a local hospital. Police haven't determined if she was the driver or passenger of the Ferrari, according to the Times.

Police later arrested the driver of the Porsche, Jeffrey David Kirby, and charged him with gross vehicular manslaughter. He was being held on $1 million bail.

There was a 50-mph limit on the road, but police believe both cars were traveling well above that limit, according to a report on KTLA.com.

The Newport Beach Police Department told FOXSports.com that Lewis' car was a 2004 Modena Ferrari. That Modena can reach speeds of more than 180 mph and retails for almost $200,000.

Lewis and Dan "Punkass" Caldwell founded TapouT in 1997 as a clothing and MMA gear retailer. In addition to retail, the private company also signed deals with fighters, including Kimbo Slice, and is a sponsor of fight events.

My sincerest condolences to family and friends of Charles Lewis.

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THIS DATE IN HISTORY: March 10, 1876

photo borrowed from wiki.

1876 - Alexander Graham Bell makes the first successful telephone call by saying "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you."

Wow! The telephone has come a long way. We now have cellular phones that have GPS, the ability to surf the Internet, take pictures, play music & videos/movies. Just imagine that. I'm sure Alexander Bell didn't envision that ages ago.

Also Chuck Norris was born in 1940 on this date, as well as Sharon Stone (1958) and Osama Bin Laden (1957).

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UFC 96 -- Rampage vs the Dean of Mean

Just wanted to post a quickie... going on record as saying Rampage by KO in the 2nd round.

Been busy at home, haven't posted UFC 95 results/fight card yet... wanted to post the UFC 96 fight card and my predictions but won't have time to do that :-(

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THIS DATE IN HISTORY: March 2, 1959

From my last entry on The Greatest (Muhammad Ali) to this entry on another "greatest" -- possibly the greatest jazz album of all time.



Cut and pasted from wiki:

Kind of Blue is a studio album by American jazz musician Miles Davis, released August 17, 1959 on Columbia Records, in both mono and stereo. Recording sessions for the album took place at Columbia's 30th Street Studio in New York City on March 2 and April 22 of 1959. Following the inclusion of pianist Bill Evans into his sextet, Davis followed up on the modal experimentations of his Milestones album and the '58 Sessions. The album is based entirely on modality in contrast to his earlier work with the hard bop style of jazz and its complex chord progression and improvisation.

Though precise figures have been disputed, Kind of Blue has been cited by many music writers as Davis' best-selling album, as well as the best-selling jazz record of all time. On October 7, 2008, the album was certified quadruple platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America. It has also been regarded by many critics as the greatest jazz album of all time and ranks at or near the top of several "best album" lists in disparate genres. The album's influence on music, ranging from jazz to rock and classical music, has led critics to acknowledge it as one of the most influential albums of all time. In 2002, Kind of Blue was one of 50 recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry. In 2003, the album was ranked number 12 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. On September 30, 2008, a box set edition of Kind of Blue was issued by Legacy Records in honor of the album's fiftieth anniversary.

Click the wiki link for more info on this album from the background of the recordings, to the reception and influence within jazz and outside of jazz.

Reading about Miles Davis and the album KIND OF BLUE reminded me somewhat of Bruce Lee and his philosophy, experiences and 'style'.

I posted a link to Miles Davis' SO WHAT off the KIND OF BLUE album in a previous blog entry: My all-time favorite jazz songs. Enjoy!

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THIS DATE IN HISTORY: February 25, 1964

http://link.history.com/services/link/bcpid1184539009/bclid1201016459/bctid1201080191

Clay knocks out Liston

On February 25, 1964, 22-year-old Cassius Clay shocks the odds-makers by dethroning world heavyweight boxing champ Sonny Liston in a seventh-round technical knockout. The dreaded Liston, who had twice demolished former champ Floyd Patterson in one round, was an 8-to-1 favorite. However, Clay predicted victory, boasting that he would "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" and knock out Liston in the eighth round. The fleet-footed and loquacious youngster needed less time to make good on his claim--Liston, complaining of an injured shoulder, failed to answer the seventh-round bell. A few moments later, a new heavyweight champion was proclaimed.

Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. was born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1942. He started boxing when he was 12 and by age 18 had amassed a record of over 100 wins in amateur competition. In 1959, he won the International Golden Gloves heavyweight title and in 1960 a gold medal in the light heavyweight category at the Summer Olympic Games in Rome. Clay turned professional after the Olympics and went undefeated in his first 19 bouts, earning him the right to challenge Sonny Liston, who had defeated Floyd Patterson in 1962 to win the heavyweight title.

On February 25, 1964, a crowd of 8,300 spectators gathered at the Convention Hall arena in Miami Beach to see if Cassius Clay, who was nicknamed the "Louisville Lip," could put his money where his mouth was. The underdog proved no bragging fraud, and he danced and backpedaled away from Liston's powerful swings while delivering quick and punishing jabs to Liston's head. Liston hurt his shoulder in the first round, injuring some muscles as he swung for and missed his elusive target. By the time he decided to discontinue the bout between the sixth and seventh rounds, he and Clay were about equal in points. A few conjectured that Liston faked the injury and threw the fight, but there was no real evidence, such as a significant change in bidding odds just before the bout, to support this claim.

To celebrate winning the world heavyweight title, Clay went to a private party at a Miami hotel that was attended by his friend Malcolm X, an outspoken leader of the African American Muslim group known as the Nation of Islam. Two days later, a markedly more restrained Clay announced he was joining the Nation of Islam and defended the organization's concept of racial segregation while speaking of the importance of the Muslim religion in his life. Later that year, Clay, who was the descendant of a runaway Kentucky slave, rejected the name originally given to his family by a slave owner and took the Muslim name of Muhammad Ali.

Muhammad Ali would go on to become one of the 20th century's greatest sporting figures, as much for his social and political influence as his prowess in his chosen sport. After successfully defending his title nine times, it was stripped from him in 1967 after he refused induction into the U.S. Army on the grounds that he was a Muslim minister and therefore a conscientious objector. That year, he was sentenced to five years in prison for violating the Selective Service Act but was allowed to remain free as he appealed the decision. His popularity plummeted, but many across the world applauded his bold stand against the Vietnam War.

In 1970, he was allowed to return to the boxing ring, and the next year the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Ali's draft evasion conviction. In 1974, he regained the heavyweight title in a match against George Foreman in Zaire and successfully defended it in a brutal 15-round contest against Joe Frazier in the Philippines in the following year. In 1978, he lost the title to Leon Spinks but later that year defeated Spinks in a rematch, making him the first boxer to win the heavyweight title three times. He retired in 1979 but returned to the ring twice in the early 1980s. In 1984, Ali was diagnosed with pugilistic Parkinson's syndrome and has suffered a slow decline of his motor functions ever since. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1996, he lit the Olympic flame at the opening ceremonies of the Summer Games in Atlanta, Georgia. Ali's daughter, Laila, made her boxing debut in 1999.

At a White House ceremony in November 2005, Ali was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Also on this date in 1836, Samuel Colt patented his revolver.


Cut and pasted from: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=VideoArticle&displayDate=09/19

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VIDCLIP: Practical uses of Nunchuku ;-)

Well not youtube, but I labelled this post as such. Sincerest thanks to Spladdle member Ausgepicht for posting this!

Related video - check out http://stickgrappler.blogspot.com/2008/11/bruce-lee-playing-table-tennis-with.html for a video of Bruce Lee (impersonator) playing table tennis with a pair of nunchuku.

Enjoy!

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Muhammad Ali -- My daughter's school project

My oldest daughter's guidance project due today. The theme is Black History month. Her group was assigned Muhammad Ali. Great fun working with her on her project!



Came across some sites:

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

http://www.ali.com/

http://www.alicenter.org/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.time.com/time/time100/heroes/profile/ali01.html

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/muhammad_ali.html

Truly The Greatest!

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EBOOKS: Edwin Haislet's BOXING

DL the free pdf here:

Kirk Lawson's Lulu storefront

Edwin Haislet's BOXING is one of the best all-around instructional books out there on boxing. Haislet's section on Ring Generalship is pure mint! If you didn't know already, Bruce Lee's notes on boxing was taken primarily from Haislet's book. But I think you knew that already. With this pdf (which is an OCR), it will allow me to proceed with the project I had in mind some time ago, the Deconstruction of the Tao of Jeet Kune Do.

Once again, Kirk Lawson, has done a great service for the martial arts community. My hat's off to you good sir, Mr. Lawson! I, and the rest of the Martial Arts community, are deeply indebted to your untiringly efforts at transcribing yet again, another rare/out-of-print book and your generosity in sharing! BTW, if you want to buy the 'dead tree' version as Kirk Lawson calls it, he is asking only a nominal fee for it.

Check it out!

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EZINES: Stickfighter Magazine

Check out http://www.stickfightermagazine.com. Stickfighter Magazine is back. According to the publisher, the best way to view the magazine is through the DNL option. It may make some readers hesitant, as you have to dl a DNL viewer which is a *.exe file. One worries about viruses. Also, the publisher has included the more common pdf format, however, it supposedly is not as fully featured as the DNL version.

The Magazine's mission:



Images borrowed from Stickfighter Magazine's website.

Enjoy!

Mabuhay ang eskrima!

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Back from Canada / Granny's funeral services

Back from Canada and Granny's funeral services. Landed Saturday 6AM... got home about 8AM. The usual wait time was passing through Customs and waiting for our luggage. Hard to sleep on airplane due to cramped seats... even worst was an infant crying all throughout the flight and the mother not helping any by yelling at her baby.

Home Sweet Home! After getting the kids changed into their PJ's, tucked them in. I hit the sack shortly. Slept like from 8:30AM to 1PM. Wife woke me up, to go pick up some homework that our oldest would have gotten if she went to class that Saturday at 9AM. Also did groceries shopping. Next up was uneventful laundry lol. Saturday night, sleep time, slept like a log.

All but 1 cousin and his family, and an aunt and her 2 sons, were present for Granny's funeral services. They didn't remember to renew their passports. My dad (the oldest son), my 3 uncles, and an aunt was there. My Granny's brother was also there. Flew in 2 days before me. All told, 33 relatives were there. There were maybe about 30 friends there too.

Tried to man-up, but couldn't. I couldn't hold back some tears periodically during the services. Unlike my uncles and cousins who lived with her, I didn't get to see Granny much, other than the summer vacations. As I am the only son of her oldest son, and she loved boys, I would like to imagine that I was one of her favorite grandchildren, but I'm sure she loved each and every one of her grandchildren with favoritism towards the boys. I loved her more than people can imagine despite us physically being apart and despite me not being in constant contact with her. That may sound weird somehow. Anyway, she was my last surviving grandparent, as my maternal grandparents passed away more than 5 years ago.

Granny, may you rest in peace.

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EZINES: Martial Arts Monthly

(image borrowed from Martial Arts Monthly)

This new ezine just released their first issue. Free pdf DL.

Cut and pasted from their front page:

Welcome

The goal of Martial Arts Monthly is to promote the evolution of Martial Arts while preserving the traditional aspects and teachings from all styles and systems. We are currently gathering contributions for our first publication to be released in January, don't wait though, sign up now by using the "subscribe" link at the top of the page, and if you're interested in contributing articles or submitting photos for our publication, please see the "contribute" tab above!

Forums

We will soon be introducing a discussion forum for practitioners of all arts to discuss the arts! Check back soon!!!

About the MAM E-Zine

We are excited to be a sub-division of Imperial Dragon Enterprises and a partner of the planned/coming soon Worldwide Martial Arts Association!

Enjoy!

Martial Arts Monthly

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:-( With every passing second, every passing minute, ...

With every passing second, every passing minute, every passing hour, every passing day, every passing week, every passing month, every passing year, we are that much closer to Death. We all age. As I get older, my children get older. As I get older, my elders get older. The one sure constant in Life is Death.

My paternal grandmother passed away this morning 1AM. She was 92. Life did not cheat her. My grandfather passed away when my father was about 10 or so. She went on to raise my father and my 3 uncles and also my 2 aunts by herself. As you can imagine, life was not easy for her. She was energetic, so full of life. She had to be. She was frugal by necessity raising 6 kids by herself. She had only 2 outfits, wore 1 for the day, and when the day was over, washed it and let it dry. She would wear her 2nd outfit the next day. And the cycle repeats ad infinitum. Old-school. She even ran a storefront, able to parlay what little profits she had to buy real estate. She provided for her family and if I do say so myself, was pretty successful given the hardships that Life threw her way. She didn't care what others thought or said of her, she knew what she had to do to survive, in order to raise her family. I am reminded of the Frank Sinatra song, "My Way":

And now, the end is near;
And so I face the final curtain.
My friend, I'll say it clear,
Ill state my case, of which I'm certain.

I've lived a life that's full.
I've traveled each and every highway;
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Regrets, I've had a few;
But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption.

I planned each charted course;
Each careful step along the byway,
But more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew.
But through it all, when there was doubt,
I ate it up and spit it out.
I faced it all and I stood tall;
And did it my way.

I've loved, I've laughed and cried.
I've had my fill; my share of losing.
And now, as tears subside,
I find it all so amusing.

To think I did all that;
And may I say - not in a shy way,
No, oh no not me,
I did it my way.

For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught.
To say the things he truly feels;
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows I took the blows -
And did it my way!

As she got older, I made it a point to take our family summer vacations and fly up to see her. We got to see her 3x in the past 7 years. We last saw her this summer of 2008. I am so glad my kids got to spend time with their great-grandmother and she had chances to spend time with my children.



Granny, you will be missed, may you rest in peace.

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UFC Fight Night 17 - Lauzon vs Stephens fight card

I’ve heard of only a few of the fighters, but don’t really know them. So no predictions from me LOL

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Date Time: Feb-7-2009 9:00 PM ET/PT
Event Type: UFC Fight Night
Location: Sun Dome, Florida

Description: The Ultimate Fighting Championship® travels to Tampa for the first time for UFC® Fight Night™ at the Sun Dome on February 7th.

In the main event, rising lightweight star Joe “J-Lau” Lauzon will look to propel himself into title contention when he squares off against Jeremy Stephens coming off a stellar knockout win.

Plus, The Ultimate Fighter series is well represented when season six winner Mac Danzig faces Josh “The Dentist” Neer, and Derek Downey takes on unbeaten Nick Catone.

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Joe "J-Lau" Lauzon Vs. Jeremy "Lil' Heathen" Stephens

Name: Joe Lauzon
Height: 5' 10" (178 cm)
Weight: 155 (70 kg)
Record: 16-4-0

Name: Jeremy Stephens
Height: 5' 9" (175 cm)
Weight: 155 (70 kg)
Record: 16-3-0

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Cain Velasquez Vs. Denis "The Menace" Stojnic

Name: Cain Velasquez
Height: 6' 1" (185 cm)
Weight: 240 (109 kg)
Record: 4-0-0

Name: Denis Stojnic
Height: 5' 11" (180 cm)
Weight: 235 (107 kg)
Record: 12-1-0

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Mac Danzig Vs. Josh "The Dentist " Neer

Name: Mac Danzig
Height: 5' 8" (173 cm)
Weight: 155 (70 kg)
Record: 19-5-1

Name: Josh Neer
Height: 5' 11" (180 cm)
Weight: 155 (70 kg)
Record: 24-7-1

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Luigi Fioravanti Vs. Anthony "Rumble" Johnson

Name: Luigi Fioravanti
Height: 5' 8" (173 cm)
Weight: 170 (77 kg)
Record: 13-4-0

Name: Anthony Johnson
Height: 6' 2" (188 cm)
Weight: 170 (77 kg)
Record: 6-2-0

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Kurt "Batman" Pellegrino Vs. Rob "The Saint" Emerson

Name: Kurt Pellegrino
Height: 5' 8" (173 cm)
Weight: 155 (70 kg)
Record: 18-4-0

Name: Rob Emerson
Height: 5' 9" (175 cm)
Weight: 155 (70 kg)
Record: 10-6-1

May not be broadcast.

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Dan Miller Vs. Jake Rosholt

Name: Dan Miller
Height: 6' 1" (185 cm)
Weight: 185 (84 kg)
Record: 11-1-1

Name: Jake Rosholt
Height: 6' 1" (185 cm)
Weight: 185 (84 kg)
Record: 5-0-0

May not be broadcast.

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Matt "The Real One" Grice Vs. Matt Veach

Name: Matt Grice
Height: 5' 8" (173 cm)
Weight: 155 (70 kg)
Record: 10-1-0

Name: Matt Veach
Height: 5' 7" (170 cm)
Weight: 155 (70 kg)
Record: 10-0-0


May not be broadcast.

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Gleison Tibau Vs. Rich "No Love" Clementi

Name: Gleison Tibau
Height: 5' 10" (178 cm)
Weight: 155 (70 kg)
Record: 27-5-0

Name: Rich Clementi
Height: 5' 9" (175 cm)
Weight: 155 (70 kg)
Record: 40-13-1


May not be broadcast.

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Nick Catone Vs. Derek "The Gentleman" Downey

Name: Nick Catone
Height: 6' 0" (183 cm)
Weight: 185 (84 kg)
Record: 6-0-0

Name: Derek Downey
Height: 5' 11" (180 cm)
Weight: 185 (84 kg)
Record: 10-3-0


May not be broadcast.

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Steve "Hollywood" Bruno Vs. Matt Riddle

Name: Steve Bruno
Height: 5' 10" (178 cm)
Weight: 170 (77 kg)
Record: 13-4-0

Name: Matt Riddle
Height: 6' 1" (185 cm)
Weight: 170 (77 kg)
Record: 1-0-0


May not be broadcast.

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EZINES: Combat

Combat magazine's ezine is like Fighters, Tae Kwon Do & Korean Martial Arts, and Traditional Karate's ezines. It digitizes some of their articles and puts it up on this site:

http://www.combatmag.co.uk/

It regularly has articles on JKD, FMA, Systema, etc. You need to register on the site and can dl as a free pdf. Just know that it's not the full print magazine. If you want the full magazine, buy it.

Enjoy!

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EZINES: Traditional Karate

Traditional Karate magazine's ezine is like Fighters and Tae Kwon Do & Korean Martial Arts ezines. It's not in the strictest definition of "ezine", but it digitizes some of their articles and puts it up on this site:

www.karatemag.co.uk

You need to register on the site and can dl as a free pdf. Just know that it's not the full print magazine. If you want the full magazine, buy it.

Enjoy!

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EZINES: Tae Kwon Do and Korean Martial Arts

Like Fighters, Tae Kwon Do, is not in the strictest definition of "ezine", but the print magazine, Tae Kwon Do, digitizes some of their articles and puts it up on this site:

www.taekwondomag.co.uk

You need to register on the site. You can dl as a free pdf, but again, it's not the full print magazine. If you want the full magazine, buy it.

Enjoy!

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EZINES: Fighters

Not in the strictest definition of "ezine", but the print magazine, Fighters, digitizes some of their articles and puts it up on this site:

www.fightersmag.co.uk

You need to register on the site. You can dl as a free pdf, but again, it's not the full print magazine. If you want the full magazine, buy it.

Enjoy!

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Ground Hog saw its shadow / Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Yesterday, it was Ground Hog's Day and it saw its shadow... 6 more weeks of winter :-( As if on cue, it snowed today LOL

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EZINES: World of Martial Arts (published by Oak eBooks)

Oak eBooks publishes 3 ezines, one of which is: World of Martial Arts.

There are 5 issues so far, with the recent issue published this month. As with most ezines, it's a free pdf download. Mainly about the Western Martial Arts, Medieval Martial Arts and Stav.

Enjoy!

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