Wow.... What a month!
A workshop at Harris International in SD, Pavel's Tactical Strength Course, and now 1 more Hard Style Intensive at Harris International again this coming Sunday... and it's only the 10th of December!!!
If you live anywhere near San Diego or know anyone who operates out of Miramar MCAS, serves with SDPD or Sherriff's, or any other branch of LEO, fire or military, and you haven't yet gotten yourself or them to a Hard Style Russian kettlebell intensive workshop, then you're not only missing out, but you're downright depriving them of the kind of training technology that could save their lives.
Wanna give someone an unmatchable Christmas present? Give them a gift that can dramatically improve their quality of life and allow them to live with strength, vitality, and power! Get them out of the house for 4 hours this Sunday afternoon, and watch the results!
Due to unforeseen demand, I'm driving back down to SD on Sunday for another workshop at Harris International from 1-5pm.
Visit www.royharris.com for more information!
Monday, December 10, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
PERSONAL request for help
OK... I know the past couple of blog entries haven't been about kettlebells or anything hardcore or exciting, but the issues are near & dear to my heart, so please bear with me.
I know that people around the world read this blog. And so I pray to God that one of you has a friend or colleague in the Los Angeles area that speaks fluent Cantonese and English and can help Kate to communicate to Thai's mom about his insurance policies. For more info on what I'm talking about, please read the preceding blog post.
Please drop me a line by clicking on my picture to the right, and then clicking on Email in the contact section on the left. Or simply leave a comment.
If you were in Thai's shoes, you'd want your friends to rally the world for those you loved and left behind. If you were in my shoes, you'd run through Heaven & Hell to do just that.
Gratefully,
"Doc"
I know that people around the world read this blog. And so I pray to God that one of you has a friend or colleague in the Los Angeles area that speaks fluent Cantonese and English and can help Kate to communicate to Thai's mom about his insurance policies. For more info on what I'm talking about, please read the preceding blog post.
Please drop me a line by clicking on my picture to the right, and then clicking on Email in the contact section on the left. Or simply leave a comment.
If you were in Thai's shoes, you'd want your friends to rally the world for those you loved and left behind. If you were in my shoes, you'd run through Heaven & Hell to do just that.
Gratefully,
"Doc"
IN MEMORIAM... and fighting forward!
While I was in San Diego, I had the chance to catch up with a long-time friend from UCLA and former roomate, Dr. T.J. Desch-Obi. TJ's dear friend who I rarely get the chance to hang and spend time with, but someone who's influenced me greatly in my course of study in martial arts anthropology. He's an instructor of Capoeira Angola under Mestre Joao Grande, a purple belt under Rickson Gracie, a former translator for Helio Gracie, a Judo black belt, and a well-rounded martial artist. My moments with TJ are usually filled with laughter, sweat, and good training. He's a history professor at Baruch College in NYC, but we steal any opportunity to get together and vibe.
As good as my time was with TJ, I got a very sad message while I was down in SD.
Thai Sam, a friend of mine, was killed in an auto accident in Beijing. I met Thai while doing a couple of articles on Aikido's Matsuoka Haruo, the former top student of Steven Seagal. Like Matsuoka sensei, Thai was personable, generous, and highly skilled. We struck up a friendship and logged in some time together both off and on the mats. In addition to his high-tech, high-demand job, Thai was also the head instructor at South Bay Aikido. No matter how busy, he was never too aloof or conceited to shoot out a quick e-mail, asking how I was doing and just keeping in touch. I sorely regret all of the times I missed the chance to spend just a little more time with him training, hanging out, or whatever.
But the story doesn't stop there.
Thai was starting a family with his girlfriend Kate. She's due in February and now stuggling to make heads or tails out of her current situation. As much as I'm grieving the loss of a friend, I can't imagine what Kate's going through right now, but I do know that Thai was the kind of guy who was a real friend. If he knew you needed something, he'd do it for you himself. So while I try to do my best to suport Kate and help her get back on her feet and keep moving forward, please say a prayer for Thai and Kate. If any of you want to help contribute to Kate & their unborn child, drop me a line and let me know.
Much love,
"Doc"
As good as my time was with TJ, I got a very sad message while I was down in SD.
Thai Sam, a friend of mine, was killed in an auto accident in Beijing. I met Thai while doing a couple of articles on Aikido's Matsuoka Haruo, the former top student of Steven Seagal. Like Matsuoka sensei, Thai was personable, generous, and highly skilled. We struck up a friendship and logged in some time together both off and on the mats. In addition to his high-tech, high-demand job, Thai was also the head instructor at South Bay Aikido. No matter how busy, he was never too aloof or conceited to shoot out a quick e-mail, asking how I was doing and just keeping in touch. I sorely regret all of the times I missed the chance to spend just a little more time with him training, hanging out, or whatever.
But the story doesn't stop there.
Thai was starting a family with his girlfriend Kate. She's due in February and now stuggling to make heads or tails out of her current situation. As much as I'm grieving the loss of a friend, I can't imagine what Kate's going through right now, but I do know that Thai was the kind of guy who was a real friend. If he knew you needed something, he'd do it for you himself. So while I try to do my best to suport Kate and help her get back on her feet and keep moving forward, please say a prayer for Thai and Kate. If any of you want to help contribute to Kate & their unborn child, drop me a line and let me know.
Much love,
"Doc"
KB workshop at Harris International
I'm finally back in town from a week of intensive training at Prof. Roy Harris's academy in San Diego. For those of you who aren't familiar with Roy Harris, he's the BEST grappling instructor I have ever worked with. Until Guro Dan Inosanto introduced me to him, I NEVER EVER liked training on the ground. Every time I got on the ground to grapple, I always came away with some injury... some worse than others.
Now, I'm not only comfortable on the ground, but more competent as well. The real meaning of Jiu-Jitsu is "soft art", and while the rest of the grappling world is doing a strength and force based modern version of the art, Roy Harris is running in the opposite direction. His grappling is based on minimal effort, detailed understanding of leverage and stability principles and maximum results. If you haven't checked him out already, go visit www.royharris.com.
While I was down there for his Apprentice Instructors' course, I had the pleasure of giving a kettlebell training workshop, hosted by his academy. We didn't have much time to advertise this workshop, so I was pleasantly surprised when the workshop sold out and the floor was full of people swinging Russian iron. As the Harris Academy revolves around detailed, scientific instruction, the students and instructors who attended my workshop were all over the high level of detail presented on the swing, swing variants, my Turkish Get-Up progression (including the Naked Get-Up), and the quick intro to the clean. We had a few non-Academy members joining us as well, and they were quick to remark on the pleasure of having the opportunity to really learn how to properly execute KB exercises instead of just having one dropped in front of them and told to emulate an exercise after minimal instruction.
Due to the strong response from the attendees, I might very well be down in San Diego again for another intensive kettlebell workshop at the Harris Academy on Sunday, 12/16. Keep your eye on the DD forum and the Harris International forum for news on that!
Now, I'm not only comfortable on the ground, but more competent as well. The real meaning of Jiu-Jitsu is "soft art", and while the rest of the grappling world is doing a strength and force based modern version of the art, Roy Harris is running in the opposite direction. His grappling is based on minimal effort, detailed understanding of leverage and stability principles and maximum results. If you haven't checked him out already, go visit www.royharris.com.
While I was down there for his Apprentice Instructors' course, I had the pleasure of giving a kettlebell training workshop, hosted by his academy. We didn't have much time to advertise this workshop, so I was pleasantly surprised when the workshop sold out and the floor was full of people swinging Russian iron. As the Harris Academy revolves around detailed, scientific instruction, the students and instructors who attended my workshop were all over the high level of detail presented on the swing, swing variants, my Turkish Get-Up progression (including the Naked Get-Up), and the quick intro to the clean. We had a few non-Academy members joining us as well, and they were quick to remark on the pleasure of having the opportunity to really learn how to properly execute KB exercises instead of just having one dropped in front of them and told to emulate an exercise after minimal instruction.
Due to the strong response from the attendees, I might very well be down in San Diego again for another intensive kettlebell workshop at the Harris Academy on Sunday, 12/16. Keep your eye on the DD forum and the Harris International forum for news on that!
Monday, November 26, 2007
Do your homework!
The RKC invasion is a beautiful thing. But with all the throngs of people signing up for the instructor certification workshops, there are FAR too many who come without an inkling of the most requisite of tasks they must perform... the snatch test.
Read the bloody rules and now your numbers at the very least!!! The following page is text heavy, but there's nothing extraneous. Read it, re-read it, train it, know it, and DO IT!!!
RKC Certification Requirements
If you're an RKC candidate from the KBLA camp, you are expected to hit your snatch test numbers confidently 2 months before your certification. If you cannot hit them within 1 month of your cert date, you will be asked to reschedule your attendance.
The Russian Kettlebell Challenge instructor certification workshop is not for the unprepared. We want you to go with as much training as possible so that you can REALLY learn the finer points of the Level 1 RKC system from Pavel and the seniors in as much detail as possible. If you're still banging your forearm while cleaning or unable to pass your snatch test, then you need to prepare MORE before the RKC.
This is like going back to college. If you've done the reading before the lecture, you'll be able to appreciate the salient information that wasn't in the reading. If you didn't bother to prepare for the lecture, you'll be scrambling to jot down everything and really learning so much less than your more studious classmates.
Read the bloody rules and now your numbers at the very least!!! The following page is text heavy, but there's nothing extraneous. Read it, re-read it, train it, know it, and DO IT!!!
RKC Certification Requirements
If you're an RKC candidate from the KBLA camp, you are expected to hit your snatch test numbers confidently 2 months before your certification. If you cannot hit them within 1 month of your cert date, you will be asked to reschedule your attendance.
The Russian Kettlebell Challenge instructor certification workshop is not for the unprepared. We want you to go with as much training as possible so that you can REALLY learn the finer points of the Level 1 RKC system from Pavel and the seniors in as much detail as possible. If you're still banging your forearm while cleaning or unable to pass your snatch test, then you need to prepare MORE before the RKC.
This is like going back to college. If you've done the reading before the lecture, you'll be able to appreciate the salient information that wasn't in the reading. If you didn't bother to prepare for the lecture, you'll be scrambling to jot down everything and really learning so much less than your more studious classmates.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Inspiration
This guy, Buakaw Por Pramuk, is my inspiration when it comes to stand-up fighting.
And the song by Tupac Shakur, titled "Holla At Me" is one of my favorites in training music. As with many of Tupac's raps, the lyrics are rich with meaning.
And the song by Tupac Shakur, titled "Holla At Me" is one of my favorites in training music. As with many of Tupac's raps, the lyrics are rich with meaning.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Living in Mecca
Over the past few days, actually past few weeks, I've been reflecting on how to make improvements in my lifestyle... trying to see where I can make changes that will raise my quality of life and allow me to do more with less effort.
And this week, I realized that I'm barking up the wrong tree.
Speaking with Rannoch Donald, RKC, the head of Kettlebells Scotland, and with Guros John Spezzano, Mike Wise, and Jeff Imada, some of the senior instructors at the Inosanto Academy, I came to truly appreciate that I'm living in Mecca... so to speak. With all the resources that I have within arm's reach here and all the work that I've done to be able to access those resources, I'm a fool for every minute that I don't spend working diligently to be able to make the most of my opportunities. I see Pavel Tsatsouline, train with James Lin and Dan Inosanto, and have access to some of the best & brightest in every field that I've chosen to investigate or excel in almost every week.
While there are certain aspects of my lifestyle that I'm not thrilled about, particularly that my wife & son spend most of their week at least 45 minutes away (without traffic) because my wife's going through her residency, there's a silver lining to that cloud. While I've been more preoccupied lately with wanting to spend more time with my baby boy, I also realize that if we were to be living under the same roof right now, I wouldn't have the time to study, train, and do the kind of concentrated self-improvement that I'm focusing more on now.
To that end, I've decided to set a new goal or two for myself.
1. By 2007's end, to be able to press the 70 pounder again with my left hand, and to make the most of EVERY day in training with KBs in a grease the groove format,
2. To get the most out of my martial arts training opportunities- Inosanto JKD/Kali/Muay Thai/Silat, Roy Harris BJJ & Grappling, James Lin's Combat Shuai-Chiao, Harry Wong's Wang Shi-qing Yang style small frame form, and Gee Yung's Fut Ga & lion dance, as well as Krabi Krabong, etc.,
3. To make a bigger, better contribution to the 3 fields of endeavor that I'm involved with - martial arts, kettlebells, and medicine,
and 4. To stop thinking about what life is like on the other, "greener" side, and live more powerfully on my this side of the hill.
To live in Mecca, one has to recognize the gifts that God lays out before them. Instead of griping about how we wish we had other things or other resources, let's all make the most of ourselves with what we do have and show our appreciation for others that way.
And this week, I realized that I'm barking up the wrong tree.
Speaking with Rannoch Donald, RKC, the head of Kettlebells Scotland, and with Guros John Spezzano, Mike Wise, and Jeff Imada, some of the senior instructors at the Inosanto Academy, I came to truly appreciate that I'm living in Mecca... so to speak. With all the resources that I have within arm's reach here and all the work that I've done to be able to access those resources, I'm a fool for every minute that I don't spend working diligently to be able to make the most of my opportunities. I see Pavel Tsatsouline, train with James Lin and Dan Inosanto, and have access to some of the best & brightest in every field that I've chosen to investigate or excel in almost every week.
While there are certain aspects of my lifestyle that I'm not thrilled about, particularly that my wife & son spend most of their week at least 45 minutes away (without traffic) because my wife's going through her residency, there's a silver lining to that cloud. While I've been more preoccupied lately with wanting to spend more time with my baby boy, I also realize that if we were to be living under the same roof right now, I wouldn't have the time to study, train, and do the kind of concentrated self-improvement that I'm focusing more on now.
To that end, I've decided to set a new goal or two for myself.
1. By 2007's end, to be able to press the 70 pounder again with my left hand, and to make the most of EVERY day in training with KBs in a grease the groove format,
2. To get the most out of my martial arts training opportunities- Inosanto JKD/Kali/Muay Thai/Silat, Roy Harris BJJ & Grappling, James Lin's Combat Shuai-Chiao, Harry Wong's Wang Shi-qing Yang style small frame form, and Gee Yung's Fut Ga & lion dance, as well as Krabi Krabong, etc.,
3. To make a bigger, better contribution to the 3 fields of endeavor that I'm involved with - martial arts, kettlebells, and medicine,
and 4. To stop thinking about what life is like on the other, "greener" side, and live more powerfully on my this side of the hill.
To live in Mecca, one has to recognize the gifts that God lays out before them. Instead of griping about how we wish we had other things or other resources, let's all make the most of ourselves with what we do have and show our appreciation for others that way.
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