New Years resolution

[Brian King]

New Years Resolution

So far so good! My main New Years resolution for 2007 is to attend between 24 and 30 martial arts seminars this year. The majority will be Systema seminars but I also enjoy and learn a lot by attending seminars hosted by other martial art systems. (If you know of or are hosting an open seminar please feel free in sending me info, I will be most grateful)

In this thread I am hoping to offer very brief reviews of the seminars that I attend during 2007. I am a slow writer with little free time so this will is also part of the challenge of my New Years resolution.

1) So far I have been able to travel down to California to attend a Systema seminar hosted by Norcal Systema (http://norcalsystema.com/ ) featuring Martin Wheeler. It was held in Alameda California outdoors on a beautiful Saturday afternoon under a large metal roof over a flat cement deck. The open air pavilion provided a beautiful combination view of blue water and blue skies. The seminar was attended by people from many martial arts and as far away as L.A. Martin covered striking (mostly stand up but with some ground work also thrown in) from movement paying particular attention to connection. This was not my first attendance of a Norcal hosted event and certainly will not be my last (especially as I heard that they are hosting Vladimir Vasiliev in 2008)

2) On Jan 19th -21st my school hosted Emmanuel Manolakakis for a Systema blade seminar. Review here http://martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=722446#post722446

3) Then on Jan 26th I was able to travel to Montreal to attend a two day Systema event hosted by Kevin Secours http://www.montrealsystema.com/ . He brought in Vladimir Vasiliev to teach on Saturday and Martin Wheeler to teach on Sunday. On Saturday Vladimir covered striking (standing and on the ground) and takedowns. This seminar was well attended by many experienced martial artists as well as those practicing Systema. Hitting and receiving hits while standing and while falling and while on the ground as well as when getting off the ground even while against walls all made for a bruising good time and much loud breathing was heard with the laughter and grunting noises common to working on strikes. On Sunday Martin covered falls and rolls for the first hour and a half (all on a hardwood floor) which made for a great warm up and body limbering session which was quickly progressed into gun and knife work. This was a very bruising and relaxing weekend all told and all in all very enjoyable. Montreal is a beautiful city with lots to do and I was able to parley the weekend into a four day weekend staying for an additional couple of days to relax and recharge which is something I do not get to do enough while at home.

4) Last weekend I was able to attend the Saturday portion (02/03/07) of a two day Modern Arnis seminar taught by Remy Presas Jr. It was a fun and interesting day with Remy teaching joint locks to takedowns switching back and forth rapidly from empty hand to sticks demonstrating the same principles whether empty hand or empty hand vs. stick or stick vs. empty hand or stick vs. stick, all were done alive from movement. Remy was also gracious to allow several other Arnis instructors to teach an hour block of instruction each. The first was Ken Smith Jr. who taught an hour long knife segment showing many of the same principles that Remy had been demonstrating. Ken is a great instructor, very deep in his knowledge and moves very well. Two other instructors also taught this day with Remy demonstrating and teaching blocks of instruction between these other instructors deepening the understanding of the principles being taught. I have very limited experience in the Filipino arts and this group of instructors and seminar participants was very gracious and understanding and willing to work with me while working with-in their patterns, they made the trip to their city and the time spent most enjoyable. My many thanks and deep appreciation to them.

 

[Brian King]

5)Tim Cartmell seminar review

On February 10th and 11th Tim Cartmell (http://www.shenwu.com/ ) was hosted by Jake Burroughs (http://threeharmonies.com/ ) to the Seattle area. Jake is a relative newcomer to our area but not to martial arts and our area has already benefited from his relocating here. This was Tim’s second appearance out here to the Pacific Northwest (that I know of). Like the first seminar this one was divided into four segments of about three hours each. The first segment Tim covered Shen Wu grappling and counters drawing from his latest DVD on standing grappling. We covered work using leverage and posture to escape and counter common attacks such as head locks and guillotines and chokes. I was not able this time to attend the second segment which covered BJJ. I heard it was a great class during which Tim had the participants learning what he calls ground proofing. Kind of grappling for non grapplers and how to survive and escape ground encounters.

Sunday both sessions three and four covered 13 postures of Taiji. Tim did a great job demystifying the theories and principles of Taiji, explaining concepts such as Peng, Liu, Ji, An, and others as Tim had us working in pairs using easy to moderate to hard resistance as we learned to use the theories from movement and on increasingly resistant training partners. Later in the day he had us form two lines facing each other (centered in about a five foot section of mat) doing a push hand drill/competition trying to ‘push’ your opponent back across the line behind him. After a few minutes one line of participants would shift to the right so that all had new opponents and the drill continued, we switched three or four times. At the end of the day Tim formed a circle of belts on the mat about ten or twelve feet in diameter and had two people facing each other in the center. The idea was to push or pull the other so that they either stepped out of the ring or made contact with the ground to decide the winner. We were not allowed to use our legs to unbalance our opponent or make any contact with our opponents’ legs or their head or neck. We were also unable to use throws or trips or lifts. The winner stayed in the ring and faced the next opponent and stayed as long as he continued to win. The contests were not pretty but it was very fun and a great end to the weekends training. Tim has a wealth of martial knowledge and is able to share it with both humor and skill.

Brian

 

[Brian King]

6) Friday March 9th- Al McLuckie & Martin Wheeler @ LongmontColorado (Pre Vlad)
It is not easy to write reviews of Systema seminars, so much information is given, in movement and in theory and then in practice and application with so much of it personal and unique to the person receiving the lessons. Fifty people could all be getting fifty different lessons from a single drill. Many of the lessons are discovering movement or a particular feeling of a movement and to then try to put the experience into words is indeed daunting.

I have to admit when I showed up and was given a stick that I mentally groaned a bit. Heaven and Earth and all the different versions of those number drill things 6,8, 10, 12, that I have been briefly exposed to in my past flashed through my brain. Fun stuff but I was looking forward to Systema. Sigh oh well, might as well make the best of it was my initial thinking Then Al had us moving and working. No you must attack from this angle and respond this way drills. No hubot (I am not sure of the term) drills. Just work. It was nice to see and to get moving. My appreciation to Al for the class and all the work he put into it and for Brad giving me the opportunity to finally experience some of Al’s work and teaching style. I highly recommend that others take the opportunity to experience for themselves if they ever get the chance to work with Al.

Martins seminar was as usual great. I hadn’t really thought about breaking up the work into standing /ground and the work in-between. I will be giving this idea much more thought and exploration while doing the work. Martins’ drills to explore the transition points were eye opening and not as easy as he made it look. Every time I attend one of Martins classes I see more and more connection and continuity to the ideas that he presents and the ways to explore these. The mirroring and the connecting, the rolling as a means of movement and of feeling, the continuous movement all are so connected. I am seeing them and it more and more. Others likely see it all right away and it has taken me many repeated lessons for it to finally start to sink in. Now to own them while at the same time not be slaved to it. All the knife drills and the work were excellent and the one leg drills very eye opening and have already improved my movement skills lol such as they are.


March 10th & 11th Vladimir Vasiliev @Longmont Colorado
What a great and full weekend this was. This seminar was all about contact with two full days of sparring and wrestling. Lots of bruising lessons hopefully learned. My thanks to Brad Scornavacco www.russiansystem.com for again hosting Vladimir for the second time in three years, I know how much work goes into hosting a large seminar and this one went to off without a noticeable hitch. One of the big lessons for me during this weekend was feeling how wrestling can be used to cleanse the body of aches and pains due to strikes and other contacts. Another lesson, one that I have been continuing working on but was again reinforced many times this weekend was the need for patience and the need to develop the skill to focus on the opponents second movement not necessarily the first.

Brian King

 

[Brian King]

7) March 24th Vali Majd @ Gibsons Aikido BC

What a great weekend this turned out to be. I was only able to attend one day of a two day seminar but wow what a great day it was. It started with a four hour drive through some of our most majestic landscapes, wide rolling green valleys, snow covered Cascades, with a calming (LOL except for the old but always appreciated “would you come with me gentlemen” authority laden voice of a crew member only to find out he is a fellow martial artist and knows our destination gag LOL turned out he trains at the dojo that we will be visiting, and just the weekend before he was in our building attending an Aikido event held next door LOL) ferry ride thru grey cold waters dotted with snow tipped forested islands on our way to Gibson Island BC to attend one day of a two day Systema seminar being instructed by Vali Majd http://pacificcoastsystema.com/ . Vali was being hosted by Gibsons Aikido http://www.gibsonsaikido.com/aboutus.html .
While Allen Wynne’s school is primarily an Aikido dojo the interior walls show the character of a hard working honest Systema study group. The building is a metal Quonset hut rebuilt by Allen with many thousands of bolts, each with their own lesson and memories I am sure. The day’s lessons (at least for me) consisted of primarily communicating and transitioning. I am just beginning to understand the outlook and feel of striking as a form of communication and the transition from ground to standing to ground merely a continuation of the communication.
This was one of the better seminars that I have attended in a very long time. About a dozen participants with mixed experienced with about four females training hard and honestly. I only mention the females because of how impressed I was with their work ethics-hard and honest. This seminar had a lot of striking and the females were giving and taking as well if not better than the guys and the guys were training hard.
This was such an enjoyable day for me. Eight hour drive through some really scenic country (Thank you Alexey for doing all of the driving) a couple of calming ferry crossings over beautiful waters and quick and easy border crossings with a six hour intermission training with old and new friends. Some days life is really good…other days it is really great.

 

[Brian King]

8) March 31st Kaizen Taki @ BellevueWashington

A great seminar taught by our own Kaizen Taki http://systemanw.com/ covering hand to hand combat, specifically combative behavior influences on Physical and Psychological form in Systema training and was a continuation of a seminar Kaizen taught on March 10th (LOL sometimes five hours is just not enough time LOL). I was in Colorado that weekend so really appreciated the chance to hear and feel Kaizens’ thoughts on the topic. Systema by its very nature is a ‘body’ learning system yet Kaizen is developing a unique ability to engage participant’s brains as well as their bodies in the learning processes. Not only a very enjoyable seminar but one with much ‘food’ for thought.

Brian

 

[Brian King]

LOL As I figured the writing is taking even longer than the doing. I find my self so far behind that the reviews seem kind of pointless now. I think that I am even forgetting a seminar but for the life of me I can not remember. May was a busy month and June was as well.

9) April 21st-22nd (Combat Hapkido)
ICHF Personal protection Conference
http://martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46123
This was a seminar held in Colorado that I attended. Nice group of Gentleman instructors and a fun seminar. This one was a little frustrating in that they do not often switch partners, meaning if you get stuck with a talker (someone that wants to talk about training more than actually training) you are stuck with him for the duration of that block of instruction (1-1.5 hours). A couple of times of this was very frustrating as I came a long distance to train and prefer to do the work than talk about the work and was the major deciding factor to skip another Combat Hapkido seminar taught by these same folks in the Midwest. I did have one fun segment with a young man during the flashlight section and we were able to do a little work. The instructors all taught with humor and seemed to know their material. I am afraid that during the pressure point and locking parts of the seminar I did not make a good training partner as I was termed ‘unresponsive’ by even the grand master teaching the subjects as the pain was more annoying than anything else to me. All in all I am glad that I went and if they ever started to switch partners more often I would consider attending another as I enjoyed working with the various instructors during little side bars as I would ask to feel the techniques being taught anytime that they came near LOL even if I had to cross the room to be ‘near’. They hosted Bapak Willem de Thouars for one section of an hour and half that I found very fun and interesting work. Was able to meet briefly but unfortunately did not get a chance to work with Drac of MT

10) May 9th-May 11th
Systema Accelerator Intensive Seminar
http://russianmartialart.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2963
This was one intense and informative seminar. Likely it will be the best seminar of the year for me, the first day especially. Many eye opening and mind expanding moments with a chance to train for three very hard days with my teacher and 30 other students from around the world. Usually Vladimir’s seminars have 100 or more participants and the fact that they restricted this seminar to 30 people meant that we got so much attention and work directly applied to give us each what we needed to make a noticeable jump in improvement.

11) May 12th and 13th
Systema Comprehensive Seminar
http://russianmartialart.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2975
http://russianmartialart.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=15
This was a fun seminar held right on the heels of the accelerator seminar. Many friends from around the world joined together to improve ourselves and each other. One thing of interest to me was the noticeable difference between those that attended the accelerator seminar and those coming to Toronto for this seminar. How the recent attendees seemed so much more excitable, loud even than the others. The difference in the ‘work’ of the groups even by those with much Systema experience was very noticeable.

12) Saturday May 19th (Many different arts under one roof)
5th annual Martial University
http://www.westseattlekarate.com/martialu.shtml
Our friend Kris Wilder every year holds this event. This was my second or third time attending this event. Lots of good people attending and lots of instructors teaching sections of their arts. I mostly did the Kung-fu and chin na sections. During the sword cutting demo (lots of talking blah blah blah) that went way over the allotted time I found myself in another room with many of the featured instructors BS’ing and enjoyed reconnecting with many of them and meeting some of the others. A good group of people. I also enjoyed the guy who was busting river rocks with his hands for his class and was surprised when my friend and fellow Systema instructor Curt was one of the ones to volunteer to give it a try and was able to bust a rock on his first try. The guy busting rocks was a gentleman and very funny during the BS session. I will be going back and will continue to support this event.

13) May 25th-May 27th (Systema)
Application of movement
Alex Kostic
http://martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48276
We brought out Alex all the way from Serbia for this event. It took him 24 hours to travel here and LOL he was in the mood to do some work when he arrived. This was a seminar that focused on movement and fisticuffs ala Alex and he did not disappoint. Not many philosophers can also fight and not many of those can teach others how to fight while giving lessons on thinking and living. Alex holds training camps in his beautiful mountains in Belgrade and seminars around the world and I can whole heartedly recommend looking him up and traveling to get the chance to train with this man.

14) June 2nd -3rd (Systema)
Jim King
http://norcalsystema.com/
What can I say, the guys down at NorCal Systema always hold a fine event and train hard and honestly and this seminar was no exception. I have been down there at least half a dozen times and the seminars just seem to get better and better. I was excited when they announced that they were able to get Jim king to teach a weekend seminar. Jim has been out of circulation doing the work overseas and off the teaching circuit. Jim did not disappoint and this seminar was chocked full of information and hard honest work with lots of contact. I really enjoyed the work taught and felt and have a lot of new material to work with.

15) June 22nd -24th (Pencak Silat)
Steven Plinck
http://www.pencaksilat.com/
Silat Seminar
http://martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49450

This was a fun seminar with a good group of people taught by an instructor that not only knows his stuff but can teach it as well. I saw and was able to play with a Silat briefly during a seminar earlier this year and was anxious to once again ‘taste’ this work. Guru Plinck did not keep me waiting for long and we were able to get started Friday night. This seminar was held in Kelso Washington a small town about 120 miles from my home and I not only had to work Friday but had to work Friday night and Sunday night as well in addition to the seminar, so with the two hour drive each way each night I was in for a sleep deprived work filled weekend, but that is nothing new and I am grateful that I was able to combine work and training with out having to choose between the two. We trained outdoors at Guru Plincks home and I really enjoyed it and the weather. His property joins with a national forest so there were lots of green trees all around and many animals. His home has become an orphanage for unwanted mistreated lost animals with cats (‘gimpy’ was my favorite although the old timer ‘bones’ was a close second) horses, goats, dogs (I am glad that they fed ‘tank’ the pit bull a sacrificial Chevy bumper before I drove up in my Dodge) and ‘dark wing the duck’ that gave me the creeps the whole weekend. We played all weekend often with Guru Plinck reminding us what must be one of his favorite principles of base, angle and leverage while we swept our partners or while we intercepted our partners or disappeared below and worked low lines and knees. They feed me well at this seminar (always a plus) filling me full of Indonesian food which was a first for me but hopefully not the last. I really enjoyed this food; it reminded me of Indian in that while it was familiar it was also exotic in the differences at the same time. I was also able to meet and do a little work with Tellner and his wife of MT and that was enjoyable. I am not a Silat practitioner and am not interested in switching to this fascinating art from my own yet knowing this Guru Plinck shared openly and freely with me often giving little side bars of information and his group was always friendly and giving of thier time and knowledge. There was only one partner that seemed to be more interested in talking and explaining the practice rather than actually doing the work (a major frustration of mine as I learn by doing and feeling and wish people would either shut up and train or at least talk and train at the same time) but he was a nice guy and meant well and I was able to avoid him the rest of the seminar so no harm done. I am looking forward to training with this group again someday in the future.

 

[Brian King]

This weekend was looking like it was going to be a frustrating weekend for me. There was a Systema seminar being held up in B.C. Canada on Gibson Island and I really wanted to go attend, instead I had to work both Saturday and Sunday. Making lemonade out of lemons while still unable to attend the event I wanted too, I was able to attend two other seminar/workshops this weekend. On Saturday I attended an Isshinryu fundraiser and on Sunday I attended a Bagua Zhang workshop so the weekend was not all work and no play after all.

15) I was able to attend an ‘local’ Isshinryu fund raiser on June 30th 2007
http://www.kellyworden.com/isshinryufundrasier.html
The seminar was being hosted by a Silat school in TacomaWashington www.poekoelantacoma.com
and was well attended with people from many different martial art styles. It is in a cool area of the city called antique alley which is a pedestrian friendly area with numerous antique stores and small shops. Mr. Worden started off the training leading a number of exercises using his ‘travel wrench’ combined with empty hand work. The work shown was simple and we were all able to build upon it and flow with ease after just a little bit of work. Then Justine taught a section of instruction featuring her style of Silat. Her work soon had us sweating and working low to the ground doing some takedowns and attacks from the ground. She went thru and showed that many of the ‘Karate’ style kicks people do we could also do while moving about on the ground. I enjoyed the way she would have both the ‘attacker and defender’ roles worked on against the air, with us doing both movement sequences first then pairing up and doing them with a partner. This was very fun work and I really enjoyed it. I had to leave after her section of instruction but I am sure that the rest of the seminar went well. I was sorry to have to leave when I did but happy that I got to experience Kelly and Justine’s work and instruction (the main reason for me attending this event) and it was a good way to spend a few hours.

16) I was invited and able to attend a Bagua Zhang workshop organized by my friend Dennis Mace on July 1st 2007. The instructor Mr. David Meikle is one of Dennis’s senior classmates from Vancouver. This workshop was held at a BJJ school that I did not even know about and I plan on going back to check out the training there. The class was small which allowed a lot of hands on work with both Dennis and David and I enjoyed the work. It had the added bonus of being just a few miles from where I had to go to work so it all worked out time and travel wise. We did some warm-ups that combined arm movements and trunk twisting and we then later used these same movements in applications. All in all a enjoyable break from another working weekend.

 

[Brian King]

Woo hoo
In the very early part of February I tore the meniscus in one of my knees making the training range from irritating to painful including nearly all the seminar’s above. On Aug 2nd I had it surgically repaired, I was back to work on the 7th (70 hour weeks with day job, a night job as well) and back to teaching on the 8th. I have taught and trained nearly every night since then LOL doing mostly kicking and knee work. I am so happy by the speedy recovery. The breathing and dowsing things learned in Systema seem to have made a huge difference in down time and range of motion. I was concerned having the operation as they said at least six weeks recovery time was needed and I had already signed up for and paid for two upcoming training camps. Kelly Worden’s Water and Steel event and James Keating’s River of Steel event and both are fast approaching and would be with in the recovery window the surgeons had painted. We have a water training event this weekend and that will be a good test for me. All in all I am so very pleased and SO looking forward to once again be able to train whole. It has been awhile. I gained fifteen pounds of lard during the time between the injury and now so have lots of work to do getting both my knee and myself back into things but who cares. I can train again with out wondering if I the pain I just felt did additional or permanent damage. Woo hoo

Brian King

 

[whitetiger2001]

It;s simple, to be able to afford to get back into a dojo and start training again except for the what I can do in my back yard

 

[Brian King]

8/11-8/12/07 I had the opportunity to observe a few hours each day of a Daito Ryu Roppokai seminar taught by Howard Popkin Senseihttp://www.popkinbrognaselfdefense.com/index.htm
The seminar was hosted and held at Aikido Eastside http://aikieast.com/
I enjoyed the work that I saw and enjoyed Sensei Popkin’s style. He taught both with humor and honesty and great skill. He showed the work fast then slowed it way down so that the students could get a better handle on details and concepts that he was showing. As the students were applying the lessons he would walk around making the little corrections needed and then also showing the little changes to the techniques to make the same movement and technique into an old school variation putting the opponent into position for multiple breaks and held with-in range and off balance for close in weapons finishing work. The students, Aikido-ka from the area and Canada were enthusiastic and skilled as they explored both the similarities and the differences between their chosen arts and the material that Sensei Popkin provided. Sensei Popkin represented himself and his teacher (Okamoto Sensei) and their art very highly. I can highly recommend training with Sensei Popkin if ever have the opportunity.

Brian King

 

[Brian King]

18) 08/26/07 Fighting in the Water http://1001.netclime.net/1_5/M/L/5/Water%20Fighting%20Flyer.pdf
A cut and paste from an email I sent to a friend and fellow martial artist a few months ago after he asked about the training. Forgive me please, I get lazy and am cheating trying to get caught up on seminar reviews.

Well, the water was f’n cold seeing as it is a snow and glacier river. We were just a couple of miles above the Snoqualmie Falls and found a nice spot with all kinds of fist and soft ball sized rocks to do our work on. A new type of massage, most would not guess that a river rock massage would feel so good, was discovered as we rolled and fell along the rivers edge to loosen up and feel the different environment. Then we worked in the water first learning how to slide into and float into the water. A little rolling (front and back rolls in the water to get used to it and then of course push-ups and other partnered work to learn about fear and tension. And of course we had a little hand 2 hand work in the water. It was a good day and people were very hungry after the training. I had a couple of observations. Once when we were doing the table drill (for lack of anything else to call it), this drill your partner gets on his hands and knees in the water and you dunk him under and lift him out of the water at your leisure, getting him used to the panic and the greed and fear that one might find. I had two people working me (I have done this drill before so need a little extra to get the fear effect LOL) but the fascinating thing was my knee. It had been operated on just a couple of weeks prior to this event and kneeling on fist sized rocks caused it some pain and it was interesting to note how that pain transferred into instant tension and fear. It sounds odd but it really was interesting for me. The other observation was one I noted before, the advantage that ‘normal’ sized people have over those skinny people or people with bulging muscles. They get so cold and shaky that they soon can not do the work well at all and only want to get out of the water while I was just getting comfortable. My new tactic when threatened by either skinny people or those in shape (and dogs as well) is to head for the water and drown them LOLSome photos one of the students took are herehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/girlgone/1245570885/in/photostream/It was a nice test for me as I had the Water and Steel training event a week later with Datu Kelly Worden and I was wondering how the knee might hold up. It was fine and I am very pleased. This week I am heading off to the Riddle of Steel ’07 event with James Keating. It is up in Hells Canyon and should be a good time.All these guys and their knives *grin. It has been interesting so far working with them.

19) 08/30-09/03 Water & Steel http://www.kellyworden.com/
Datu Kelly Worden is a capable knife fighter and instructor. The smoothness of the camp details made it obvious that this is like the 27th consecutive running of this week long training camp.


20) 09/14-09/16 Riddle of Steel
http://www.jamesakeating.com/
Although a bit eccentric Master at Arms James Keating is an able instructor and capable knife guy. The sessions started at 6:30 am and went till dark (one training session after dark) He would after the session tell us when the next session was starting which thankfully allowed me to explore the surrounding countryside. I have not had the experience in that area of our state and high desert country is very interesting. We were five hours by jet boat up the Snake River</SPAN> in Hells Canyon and once you left the campground (cabins and lodge) and got back into the hills I found it were very easy to be alone and explore both the country and my own psyche. I was more able to understand some of Konstantin’s (A Systema instructor out of Moscow a former major in the GRU with a PHD in psychology specializing in combat psychology) explanations of how terrain effects people psyche. That area has many hills and valleys and seems to just go on and on. The hills might be just naked rock scraped clean by glaciers and wind to others that had very short sparse brown grass and some kind of cactus that only grows a few inches high but spread out and stunted lonely trees here and there. Our mountains and hills here (around Seattle area) are covered with trees and seem to blur into each other contrast with those in that area. It feels larger there and seems like you can see and feel for a long distance by seeing hillside to hillside and into the valley. In truth you can see far but there is much that is hidden from sight that might be close. I found hiking in that country to be a little addictive with wanting to see what is around the next bend or over the next hill. Did not see any snakes or cougars/bears nor did I find any sign of them but LOL I am no scout LOL. I did see deer and those mountain sheep/goat things. Also smelled sign of skunks and saw sign of rabbits. I went out at around midnight and walked the hills a bit with no flashlight and found that interesting with only one run in with a desert creature. I think it was a rabbit as it made a racket in the short grass then stopped very quickly. No moon out but lots of stars but I still could not see what it was. At the first noise my heart did jump a bit LOL. I am looking forward to being able to more fully explore that country in the near future.

21) 10/07/07 & 10/14/07 Applied Martial Theory from the Chinese Martial arts with Mike Martello!
www.wutang.be
Mike Martello traveled from Antwerp Belgium to teach this seminar hosted by Jake Burroughs http://threeharmonies.com/
Mike is not a physically large man but is a giant in his knowledge of the Chinese martial arts and his willingness to share that knowledge. I was only able to train for four of the ten sessions (taught over two weekends) available for training and I enjoyed myself tremendously. Mikes teaching style allowed us to explore his teachings and work freely and to discover the principles he was sharing for ourselves. He showed individual attention to all of the participants no matter their understanding and worked with all. This was some fun training and I can recommend training with Mike if you are ever given the opportunity. Many thanks I give to both Jake and Mike and my various training partners at this event for giving me the opportunity to train and learn with them.



22) 10/13/07 Working Inside seminar http://1001.netclime.net/1_5/2c6/1b8/07e/Working%20Inside.pdf
Seminar instructed by Kaizen Taki of Systema Northwest. This seminar is the first of a very deep subject that of being able to work inside of your opponent and of course of yourself. This seminar focused on using the fist to penetrate physical structure and the different sources for getting inside. There never seems to be enough time and this subject really needs to be studied in depth. I have been amazed at how many experienced well known martial artists do not know how to work inside and how it effects negatively their ability to do the work.


23)11/02/07-11/05/07 Gunpoint Supremacy
http://www.systema.us/seminars.php
Last weekend I was able to attend spend four days in Arizona (beautiful in November) taking part in a seminar taught by Major Konstantin Komarov from Moscow Russia called Gunpoint Supremacy. Here are a few words that I posted over on the Russian Martial Arts forum http://www.russianmartialart.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3283

As with all of the seminars that I have been able to attend in Phoenix this one highlighted Kwan's professionalism and willingness to go way above and beyond providing unique training experiences. From a beautiful gym and translation to hay bales with hay bale transportation specialists to vehicle and driver (thank you Yuri) for demonstrating movement and gun work (both airsoft and live gun work) in and around a vehicle both parked and moving.
Kwan and his support team did a great job, often filming in the line of fire, constantly policing the rounds (keeping the public gym staff happy (ish)), providing food and drink during the training days maximizing the training time available and helping to organize and taking care of the many details of the Saturday night pool party. From the first moment to the last things from on the floor seemed to be running painfully smoothly and per plan and made it possible for the students to concentrate on learning the many lessons being taught over the weekend.

The subjects taught at this seminar are such a major component of Systema and Konstantin is such a professional instructor and really knows all this material inside and out that every word and action demonstrated at this one in a life time event provided vital clues and inspirations needed for our work to progress. As with all subjects taught at Systema seminars there are always many levels of instruction and material presented that not only cover the subject matter but often relate to so much more. Konstantin covered this subject from the physical to the psyche of not only the individual but to the partner/opponent to the group. Getting used to having the weapon against us, close to the body with nothing between it and our skin was very interesting to me, both my own reactions with in and the reactions of others that I observed. Learning how to add or remove tension from and to parts of my body to maintain control and knowledge of the firearm during both the many individual movement and retention drills provided much insight that already has changed some of the ways I approach my work and not only as it relates to firearms work. Konstantin not only provided and laid out the exact way to approach and learn this type of work but he showed how to teach it as well. His teaching methodology which he so gracefully demonstrated over and over again is the main lesson that I am taking from this seminar. His willingness to as often as needed step back the drills so that people could keep up with the understanding and be able to perform the drills to a satisfactory level while giving those with a deeper understanding the individual attention needed to challenge them and their understandings. The deliberate Q & A sessions both during and after the class times provided us with a chance to clarify some material and to seek better understanding, this understanding we were then able to put into practice right away and to test for ourselves and make the work our own. Konstantin demonstrated over and over his immense understanding and calming patience both while using the firearms but also while giving individuals the attention and observations that they needed.

Have you ever been on a boat or train for a considerable amount of time? Do you recognize that feeling in your body when you regain solid footing yet still feel as if you are still in motion? Sunday night while decompressing at the hotel remarkably I had that very same feeling as my body and psyche adjusted. Even now days later I am exploring new understanding. Some of the drills that Konstantin had us doing tuned our bodies into receiving clearly signals that our partners subconsciously feed us, for instance taking hits from the gas powered guns as very close range and not being allowed to move even though after just a few hits our bodies screamed at us to move as we had to point to where the hits were going to hit and then point to where they actually hit. I can attest to the screaming of the body and the being able to not only call where the hit is going to happen but WHEN the hit is going to occur as well. I had decided before the seminar to work on this very aspect of our work as well as work on fear and pain management, to work calming my psyche, and to work on not feeling sorry for or too empathic with my partners. Towards this end I wore only a short sleeved t-shirt, minimal eye protection and my everyday jeans and shoes while working with a painfully powerful gas operated high end hand gun. It was this very rewarding albeit painful plan that gave me immense insight and understanding along with the attention Konstantin gave me and my partner I think that counted for the unusual body awareness feelings that have lasted so long. The seminar is over the many bruises and wounds heal and fade yet the feelings and lessons continue.

I owe an immense thank you to Konstantin and Kwan for allowing me to share in the unique yet SO needed training. I am looking forward to August and the immersion training and the opportunities to once again train with both more than ever now.

There is still time and I think space for those on the fence to attend this training still as Fighthouse is hosting Konstantin this very weekend and there is so much being taught that is a critical part of Systema that every opportunity should be made to attend this training.

Thanks again for all those that helped me (read shot me over and over again LOL) and especially to Konstantin for his kindness and understanding and willingness. You have changed the way that I learn and teach. Thank you sir, see you in August!


24) 11/10/07 Working Inside-2
http://1001.netclime.net/1_5/36a/058/286/Working%20Inside%202.pdf
Seminar taught by Kaizen Taki of Systema Northwest. This is part 2 of a continuing education on the specifics of working inside of an opponent. This seminar focused on working at the nerve level, stimulating your opponent to move by stimulating their nerves rather than the usual biomechanical or pain methods. I found this a very interesting seminar and timely topic and only wish there was much more time available to study this subject in depth.

 

[Brian King]

25th seminar attended this year on 11/17/2007
http://1001.netclime.net/1_5/36a/058/286/Applications%20of%20Punching.pdf
I had the privilege to attend a punching/cleansing seminar taught by our own Kaizen Taki hosted by Aikido Heiwa http://www.christianaikido.com/
This is a beautiful Aikido dojo in Lynnwood Washington that also has a small but active Systema study group amongst its students and instructors. This was the second seminar that they have sponsored and I really enjoy working with them. They are new to many of the concepts but enthusiastic and brave, learning as they work honestly on their personal fears and ego. This seminar was no different in that aspect. In the beginning the hits were tentative and the permission shallow, but by the end of the seminar the students were hitting each other deeply and solid and then dealing with the consequences and the lessons that the striking teaches. I was reminded how there is always at least three views to conflict/ resolutions. The personal view or first person view, the other persons view and then also the group view. It is interesting to see and explore these dynamics even while learning and teaching other aspects. All of the students had a chance to work on their fear, to work on giving permission to receive pain, accepting permission to give extreme pain to another and to experience the freedom that confronting and exploring emotions and feelings brings. Some students were moved to tears and this is not a rare occurrence when doing deep body work having seen it often, but, I still marvel at the healing and freeing that takes place with this work. This work shows people as humans. Much of martial arts and combat is designed to de-humanize your opponent, to hide them behind padding, to think of them as evil or less than yourself, to work hitting things (bags and pads) that are not human in order to learn to hit humans (an act that is hard to accomplish for many), the work we do is opposite of that methodology working with a person unprotected in front of you, seeing the fear and the anger in their soul as they work on the lessons, seeing the strength as they learn to deal with the many emotions and memories that this deep body work brings to the surface while allowing others to feel and experience your own pain and fear. I am so grateful for the honesty that people show as they explore and share their humanity together with us as we sweat and bruise together.

 

[Brian King]

26. November 30th, I was able to attend the defensive folder tactical knife course taught by InsightsTrainingCenter. https://www.insightstraining.com/us/default.asp This 10 hour course is part one of their folding knife curriculum. Insights is one of the premier firearms academies in the US but they also have incorporated unarmed and knife as well as vehicle work into their training but rather than separate sections they have managed to combine all the different aspects of combat into a smooth logical course of study. It was an interesting course learning blade from a tool centric point of view.

27. December 2nd Jake Burroughs http://threeharmonies.com/ had once again hosted Tim Cartmell http://www.shenwu.com/ for a three day seminar. I was only able to attend one day (the clinch clinic) and had to leave for work before it was finished.

28. December 8th our last seminar for the year taught by Kaizen Taki covering some aspects of Systema blade work. This was a very technical seminar and enjoyable. I usually prefer the cut and slash, slice and dice type of work and this seminar dealt with psychological aspects of using blades and then it also interestingly dealt with how to use the blade to manipulate a person’s nervous system. This was interesting work for both self defense and healing.

It has been an interesting year with many lessons learned and many interesting people met. I was able to attend the number of seminars that I had made my resolution to attend even with having to have knee surgery and LOL forgetting a couple of seminars before I had a chance to write them up, jeez I write slow and am getting old timers memory.

2008 my main training resolution is to satisfy my craving and need to get back into the outdoors and reconnect with the wilderness.

Brian King

 

[Carol]

That is one heck of a lot of seminars! Great for you for doing all of that!

 

[Ceicei]

Good luck and enjoy your seminars during 2008.

- Ceicei

 

[Brian King]

29) LOL I knew I forgot a couple of seminars, nothing personal, just getting old LOL One week after working 70+ hours I caught the redeye flight just making the Saturday and Sunday 10/20 and 10/21 portions of a three day event in Charlotte hosted by Mark Jakabcsin of http://www.palmettosystema.com/ taught by Vladimir Vasiliev http://russianmartialart.com/ This was a great seminar with load and loads of working against multiple opponents standing and on the ground and in-between. This was a truly enjoyable seminar with lots of familiar faces from the east coast and the Washington D.C. area as both areas had many people travel to this seminar. This seminar had lots of honest work and much laughter that seems to go hand in hand with working honestly. I never got around to writing up my thoughts as it was a crazy busy few weeks with tons of new information that literally has my head spending with new ideas, even today months later.

Thanks ladies for the kind words and thoughts.

Warmest regards
Brian King

*thanks for the reminder

 

[JadeDragon3]

Brian....
I don't know if this is to far for you to travel but this school here has seminars all the time. I have been to a few of them here and they were all very good. Some of the topics that they covered were Chin Na, Tai Chi, Ba Qua, Wu Shu basics, Escrima, Muey Thai, and Hsing I Chuan. Check out thier web site. I would suggest calling them for any info on upcoming seminars. They are open to anyone that wants to attend but they tend to not advertise them on thier site. Tell them that Mark Reed in Lexington Kentucky told you about thier seminars. The owner knows me (he is good friend with my teacher, John Dufresne). Sijo Rusty Gray is the owner and is the one that knows me the best there.

Sincerely
Mark Reed

http://www.kungfusites.com/gdmaa/in...8FAFC0F1AB057&jsessionid=5c30d6c6acd6$7D$7D$A

 

[Brian King]

I have been to Lexington and further to train, but I am afraid that you are a little late for me Mark. My resolution for 2007 was to attend 25-30 seminars and I did so. My resolutions (training goals) for 2008 and 2009 have already been set and are much different than the 2007 resolutions and do not include many martial arts seminars (other than some firearm training in 2009), perhaps in 2010 things will be different. I have not yet set my training goals for that year. Good luck to you and your schools training and seminars and thanks again for the link and the invite.

Warmest regards
Brian King