I love sticks...(and,yes,stones aren't too bad either)!

Please read the Disclaimer;posted on Sept. 11, 2007......I was working on stick-fighting (Arnis/Kali) last night...love this stuff! Opened with double sticks: advancing & retreating on entry 3...then advancing & retreating with Sinawali Heaven 6...did just great! We next defended vs. single stick on angles 1 thru 5....this is where it really comes alive: you must ZONE using female (or male) triangle...as you look to DEFANG THE SNAKE by hitting foe's hand (he might drop his weapon= fight over with no further damage)....as you CHECK opp. stick hand with your "live"hand (just in case you missed when defanging the snake to avoid getting hit in the face with his stick)...DO THIS ALL AT ONCE! Then end it with your own labtik,witik,abaniko or redondo!!! If you can grab hold of his stick...you might STRIP it from his grasp with the butt-end (punyo) of your stick by going over & counter-clockwise OR by going under & clockwise (like Hubud)...this is for the stick in your R hand(reverse with stick in L hand) and you should practice it with BOTH hands in case the use of one hand is lost in combat! Finally...if you are real BAD(meaning "highly skilled")..."snake" with your "live" hand, lock his wrist & crush it with your own stick in a "triangle-type" joint lock...to either walk him where you want him to go or slam him to the ground & finish the fight! I just luv it...and ,on the street, EVERYTHING is a stick!!! I welcome comments...have a very nice weekend,folks!

Those French!!!

Had a lesson in Savate....the French art of fist & foot fighting...last night. Those French....always doing things differently...and OUTRAGEOUSLY so! Just kidding...the fold of the knee prior to kicking is different, so the kick's delivery is different. My legs are too tight anyway...need to stretch more! It was FUN, and I got to work with not 1, but 2 nice-looking women martial artists,since there was an odd number in the class....so how cool is that!!! I practiced stick-fighting too & will have more to say on that later today (as I am just about out the door now). I LOVE playing around with sticks....(BAD BOY)!

submitted...not yet ready to surrender!

Me...trapped in a corner & unprotected...(reality bites sometimes) LOL

Rest in Peace..........

At Jun Fan kickboxing class last night, my sifu informed the class that Larry Hartsell just passed away. I checked the facts on Wikipedia & found that Mr. Hartsell died on Aug. 21,2007 at age of 67. Mr. Hartsell earned black belts in Judo & Kenpo Karate before serving in the US Army in Vietnam. Upon his discharge, he studied under Bruce Lee and Dan Inosanto. He added many grappling concepts & techniques to the Jun Fan Jeet Kun Do curriculum and founded the Jun Fan JKD Grappling Association. Bruce Lee was small but FAST & excelled in Wing Chun and Western Boxing...Dan Inosanto is also of a slight build,very fast & with expertise in Filipino Martial Arts. Mr. Hartsell was built solid & powerful, with a Judo & Wrestling background (he worked a lot with wrestler/stunt man Gene LeBell & "small-circle ju-jitsu" master Wally Jay to refine his grappling technique) and he added a new dimension for larger,stronger (and perhaps slower) fighters to enter past kicking/punching & trapping ranges to use grappling skills. This was before BJJ & UFC-type MMA became popular! I have personally benefited from 2 of his books: JKD: Entering to Trapping to Grappling and JKD: Counterattack: Grappling Counters & Reversals. I never met the man,however my instructor did train with Mr.Hartsell at the Inosanto Academy in California. Hartsell's grappling concepts have evolved along with the rest of JKD over the years. Mr. Larry Hartsell will be missed in the worldwide Jun Fan JKD community....may he rest in peace.

Power punching...just like Marciano

I was just watching Rocky Marciano KO Jersey Joe Walcott with a perfect right cross on youTube...to see it:(http://www.youtube.com/sto9joe):on my youTube channel, click on "Playlists", click on "two and a half men" & go to page 5 (whew)! To crack like Marciano did, you need to master 3 things: range/ moving body weight/ structure of punch. (A) Range : you have to know (from endless practice) the exact distance you are from your opponent where you will hit with maximum power (taking into account the length of your arms,the depth of your stride when you shift weight). Too far away: you will reach with your punch,lose structure & bleed off power from your weight shift! Too close: your punch becomes a PUSH (now a push can be GREAT on the street: if you pin his foot with yours to anchor his base while you push his COG outside of that base: he falls down much easier! This would be a FOUL in the boxing ring,however). (B) moving your body weight: you have to get your body weight moving into the blow (Rocky stepped toward Walcott with his left foot as he brought over the right cross). You deliver the shot AS your weight moves forward; NOT step forward,then punch after your weight has already shifted! To accelerate power while punching: rotate hips counter-clockwise with a right cross (clockwise with a left hook) as you pivot on your right foot (pivot on left foot with a left hook): the action is like grinding out a cigarette on the floor! This adds even more body weight & momentum behind your KO blow. (C) Structure of the punch: you have to KNOW how to punch so the bones are aligned properly,the muscles & ligaments can drive the skeleton & absorb the impact of the punch so you hurt him without getting hurt yourself! Example: range & momentum are perfect; but your fist is only half-closed, or your wrist is bent upon impact: you don't get optimal power transfer into your opponent AND your risk of breaking your hand /wrist increases! THEORY is great; however this MUST be practiced countless times on the bag, on focus mitts, in sparring. Stepping into range is key the way I see it: your opponent is going to be in constant motion & you have to "know" (in a muscle-memory way, not merely an academic way) how to move in & punch him out: just like Marciano did to Jersey Joe! I welcome any information I might have missed; you may teach me a thing or two! Peace...Respect...Blessings to all--------joe (Practice with care!...read the disclaimer, posted on 9/11/07)

praying for..........?

Go a few rounds?

This is me...ready to dodge, dip, dive, duck &.........dodge! LOL

Madonna...sneaking off to the kitchen to beg a treat!

Hoping for a hot dog!

Madonna,my 14 year old chihuahua

Sydney, my 9 year old beagle