Archive for year: 2010

During conversation, with Mr Norton on the way back from the ACT, it was interesting to hear how technical BJJ is compared to the other martial arts where there are only a finite number of techniques.  In BJJ there are literally thousands of them and the number is still growing.  Who would have ever thought this was going to happen when inventing this art?

I often tell people this is my back up art to what I already know.  In the true spirit of martial arts it’s all about seeking new challenges and ways.  All martial arts are challenging but BJJ can get quite intricate which requires the mind to be fully engaged.   If martial arts were that simple then there would be a lot more people doing them.  This is what separates us from the norm making us special in a certain way. 

Going back to grass roots is always an interesting thing.  Mr Norton and I were going over the basic knife hand block and back stance in a carpark one evening (Richard never forgets his routes).  Proof to students that Instructors do get around to discussing the simplest techniques.  Furthermore, I spent a whole 2 weeks with Richard going over and over a basic guard pass (lesson 101), picking up more and more detail of the technique each time.  IT'S LIKE A NEVER ENDING STORY! 

Kickboxing, when first coming on the scene, was quite primitive.  Getting on the floor today with Sensei Urquidez and Mr Norton will certainly convince anyone it is as technical as any other martial art, if not, more.  What makes masters of these arts is the way they do it effortlessly.   That takes time, dedication, enthusiasm and a lot of work.There's really no finishing line to cross in the martial arts.

Looking forward to seeing Mr John Will over the weekend.  Should do around 8 hours of training and 4 cups of coffees with him.
GA 

Just returned with Shihan Richard Norton from the ACT for a BJJ seminar on Saturday which turned out to be quite outstanding.  This was followed by a Karate Grading conducted by me, putting Damien Philpott’s students to the test, and they performed quite well.  We were very honoured by Richard who sat in at the grading.  Dinner afterwards with Richard and some of our Budoshinkai students at a nice Turkish restaurant.

Also came along was Steve Micakovski of United Kempo.  The next day we left the ACT and headed to Steve's full time school at Austral and met up with his father, Shihan Jordan Micakovski, where Richard put on a seminar for his students.  Jordan’s other son, Alex, is a movie car buff, who surprised us with his new toy, ‘Herbie the love bug’ car which he recently purchased.  a fictional character (an old Volkswagon vehicle), which was featured in several Disney motion pictures in the late '60's (you can look it up on Wikipedia).  

One thing I have particularly noticed about BJJ is the infinite web of moves and counters.  I relate this to our rules, regulations and laws in our society; if somebody finds a way to beat the system, the government comes up with a new regulation to counter.  That’s what happens in BJJ.  Everybody finds a way to beat a new move but there is somebody out there who is going to come up with a solution to counter it – ‘thus a new technique is born’.

Best wishes to Mr John Will and his family.  His son, Ronin, is in a serious condition in hospital.  Those who wish to read about his progress may do so by reading John's blogs.  These are tough times for John but I believe a positive outcome.
GA

The other night, I had an interesting question put to me by one of my Brown Belts about a concern not being able to get out of a rear choke put on by one of her male friends.  I said, "of course you couldn't because they already had the choke on, nor could've anybody else if on that tight."  That’s similar to saying, ‘how do you stop a punch when it is only a centimetre away from your face?’  You are not supposed to let it get that far, you react the moment you perceive the threat (or at least see it coming).  The same goes for the choke.

Self defence techniques are at their best when applied early.  You don't let the opponent take away all your escape options.  A technique’s effectiveness should not be judged solely on scenarios where your opponent is aware what's coming to them and they react accordingly, compromising the technique.

Many techniques are taught and practiced but not all are going to make it through the goal posts when it comes to the final crunch in a situation.  But all techniques need to be practiced to ensure the understanding of reaction and body motion.  A martial arts expert is a person who fully understands 'all' techniques and they are in a pretty good position to say what is or isn’t effective.  Sometimes techniques may seem fruitless or even trivial but we are in the business of examining all options. 

Techniques are only as good as the person practicing them.  Not all of them are going to be good for everybody in every situation.  That's why there are options.
GA

When I started the martial arts 35 years ago I didn’t know what I really wanted or what to expect.  There was very little to go on – no youtube, no media, no information but only a couple of magazines on the news stand to give some information if my chosen martial art was the correct choice.  In those days (especially being young) decisions were usually based on the locality of the school, price and whether the Instructor looked liked he knew what he was doing or you just got it by word of mouth.  Of course, today, people can now make more informed decisions because of advanced technology and global communication.

We’ve come a long way since then but there were stages during my martial arts training that I would’ve been ahead of times but soon everybody caught up and now doing what I was doing back then.  I remember one of my Instructors, in my 13th year of training, who absolutely fascinated me with what he was teaching me but I look back at it now and say ‘that’s old school’.  This is no different to the first computer on the market – how impressive was that!  If you look at it now, I would be too embarrassed to tell anyone of today’s generation that I ever owned one of those. Just to keep up with times I have to constantly refine and update my skills by cross training and working out with persons who are specialists in their fields eg Richard Norton and John Will; they are ahead of their times.

Martial arts schools can get very stale or stagnate in their training.  A good school’s programme has to constantly update and keep up with the times.  Your computer automatically does that with little messages on screen, ‘click for updates’.  It’s not necessarily about replacing techniques, it’s about updating! 

If an Instructor or school does not introduce new techniques, methods or skills, then the student does not have the opportunity to advance.  Wouldn’t it be nice if we can just hit a button to download updates.

On another note, another great weekend with Shihan Richard Norton for some more training.  It does get better and better.  The 43 degree heat may have kept some people away but not Damien who drove down from Canberra so I won't be taking any excuses from absentees please!  A big welcome to our new BJJ students, Alex and Pedro, to their first seminar. 

A special acknowledgement and thanks to Gary Davis, who is a 5th Dan in Japanese Jiu Jitsu, for organising a couple of seminars at the Burwood Police Citizens Youth Club which he manages. 

I will keep you updated.
GA

The net is like CB radio – time waster.  Back in the early ‘70’s I used to enjoy talking on CB radio (Citizen’s Band).  It was very popular in those days, speaking to strangers and making friends over the airways.  Many hours were spent talking about nothing and making up garbage.  I would stay up till 4 in the morning talking to anybody who I can find also staying up late.  My friends and I look back now and we think it was a waste of time ie no value and no productivity.  I think the mobile phone killed it.

I see Facebook and Forums much the same way.  Whilst most people are enjoying them right now, they will probably look back later and share the same opinion of what I think about CB radios back then ie zero value and zero productivity.  I say don’t waste your time.  There are 24 hours in the day.  Eight hours are for sleeping and the remaining 16 hours can be divided for grooming, work, eating, phone conversations, computer work, coffee, television etc.  Why waste those valuable hours on Facebook and Forums for something with no return.  Don't get me wrong, CB was great for travelling for information and in case of emergency (we didn't have mobile phones back then).  Facebook and Forums can also be good when used correctly but people do get carried away (I was guilty with CB radio).  This is not healthy.

If you are serious about martial arts you would need to give serious thought about time wasters.  Some of the greatest martial artists on earth never had to worry about CB radio, Facebook or Forums because they didn’t exist.  We wouldn’t have the likes of Chuck Norris, Richard Norton and John Will around if they spent their time on CB radio.

Technology is here to make our life easier and more advanced but not to eat away the precious hours you have left in the day.  In the case of martial arts, make the most of your time and use it productively by trying to learn as much as you can and be the best you can be.
GA