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Traditional Martial Arts, Combat Sports and Self Defense Magazine. Free read & download. Online issue. 200 August - Year XXIV
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or students who begin training in a martial art,it's not always easy to distinguish real gold fromtinsel. Dust and straw go often hand in hand andseparate them is not only a hard work, but alsoan almost impossible task if we don't have somebasic coordinates to judge somebody, let alone
in a matter that often we completely ignore. The issue is nottrivial in a world that is full of counterfeiters, bungling,whippersnappers, bullies and liars, willing to take advantageof the naivety and ignorance of plain people.
Not less, and with no less guilt, are those who base theirdeception of others in their own self-deception, and goaround convinced that they are the reincarnation ofthundering Jupiter himself.
How do you know then whether or not someone is a trueMaster?
Some evidence to assess the true level and mastery of aperson are easy to find for anyone, others less so.Prominent amongst the first are those who characterize byacting in the negative way, i.e., a number of things that atrue Master would never do or say and which I shall try todevelop this text. You don't need any special knowledge todelete from your list to anyone who acts in this way. Thesecond ones, on the contrary, require significant experiencein the technical, philosophical and Martial ground, and willprobably be of little use to a student when selecting andrecognizing a true Master.
There is however a coincidental set of values ??andfeatures in all those worthy of the designation, which I havebeen able to widely confirm among the experts I've metover the years that I have been serving as director of thismagazine. I want my experience to serve those whohonestly want to know who they are dealing with, on anissue that certainly will take much time and energy in theirlives, and of which they can obtain tangible benefits if theyhave succeeded in choosing the right person.
Of course, humbleness is one of those features that everygreat Master possesses. But watch out! It doesn't mean thatthey don't have an ego. To become a master of whateverthing you must have an ego. Oh, yeah! And preferably ahuge ego! The persistence and bitterness of the one whoseeks perfection not only hide his great engine, hisdeficiencies, but also their inseparable counterpart, hisexcesses and claims that spur him on his ascent to finallyreach the end where others fail. What happens is that in hisevolution and practice he has polished himself in such away that his ego is no longer present and it doesn't botherhim or others any more.
Humbleness, sine qua non for any real teacher, showstwo things: First, that a real Master knows enough to knowthat he knows very little and no matter how much he canget to know, it will always be nothing compared to thevolume of his ignorance. Secondly: A real Master doesn'thave to prove anything outside or convince anyone ofanything, because he has the serenity and inner strengththat has overcome the initial uncertainty that devours thecommon man.
Consequently, if anyone goes around flattering himselfand blowing his own horn, he is not a truly great Master.Whatever the skills he might have acquired in his training,these can never replace the huge achievement thatunderlies humility. When someone praises himself, heautomatically degrades and disqualifies in the eyes of the
world, even in the world of fools, which unfortunately are notfew. Even the great Julius Caesar himself, who no doubtowned a phenomenal ego - well supported by veryexceptional achievements, I must say -, had the decency tospeak of himself in the third person... Well, maybe I havebeen too lenient, but if it was not for modesty, at least hehad the intelligence to do so.
Moreover, great Masters do not speak ill of anyone. No.Not that they are saints or autistic; if you ask them for theiropinion on something or someone, they'll give it to you andthey will be undoubtedly sincere, but they refrain fromcommenting on their own initiative on other people. Theyact that way not because they have self-imposed such acustom, but because they don't go around judging people,much less scorning and disdaining others to degrade themand stay above them.
Great Masters often appreciate the positive in others,because they understand the unique and unrepeatable valueof every being and that is often on what they naturally focus.Thus they act naturally in a constructive way, providing lovingand spontaneous brushstrokes in the canvas that each one ofus paint in our existence. Their suggestions open unusualdoors in the lives of others, because they value the whole andbecause they naturally live in a constant state of creativitybeyond the formal molds.
Having reached the root of whatever thing, onenecessarily understands the common origin of all beings;Perhaps that is why a great Master recognizes the virtue inthe difference and understands the place that everythinghas in the vineyard of the Lord, abstaining from theexclusivism that characterizes the fanatic, unable to see thesky but through the opening of the hole in which he is stuck.
But the flexibility of a great Master is broadmindedness andin no way lack of rigor. On the contrary, Mastery brings alongcrystalline accuracy and practical certainty, fearlessness andtotal economy. This combination is what allows him to be fluid,and what is fluid neither becomes obsessed nor is stuck in anysmallness, be it formally or personal.
A Master is self-assured and therefore he doesn't need tobe applauded or worshipped, so he will never exalt himselfor place himself higher than the others. He knows that thereare many more factors uniting us than separating us,because he has a wide and generous vision. The authoritythat derives from a Master is natural and simple, nevercontrived or pompous. It's not the habit or the tonsureswhat makes a monk, but his life. Therefore, a great Masterteaches by example, knowing for sure that it's the only thingthat leaves a real imprint on the other, the only thing that isnon-invasive and truly respectful of the world.
Everyone who walks strutting his conquests orachievements cannot be considered a great Master. Toreach Mastery you must exceed the formal technique leveland, once conquered, do without it. There are levels in thisway and no story in my opinion expresses better this rankthan the one about the hunter cats and the invincible mouseof the book "The Art of War", commented by SanchezQuarter and this humble servant of you readers.
Shoken, an expert in the art of sword, was constantlybothered by a large mouse that wouldn't let him sleep. Heinvited the best cats around and his home became acombat arena. The result was always the same: cats,terrified by the attacks of the mouse, ended up fleeingamong meows.
" The clearest proof of wisdom is a continuous joy."
Michel de MONTAIGNE.
F
Shoken decided to kill the mouse. He attacked him with his saber, but the mousedodged all the blows. He reinforced his thrusts, but the mouse was untouchable.Bathed in sweat, he finally gave up. One day he heard of a cat that was reputed to bethe best mouser in the province. When Shoken saw him, he lost all hope; it was black,old and had a sorry sight; but since he had nothing to lose, she took him to his room.The cat walked slowly, as if nothing happened and lay down. The mouse, confident,came up to take a look and when he saw the cat, he began to doubt. He moved closer,slightly scared. The cat caught him and pulled him out of the room.
That same night, the cats who had participated in the struggle against the mouse met inShoken's house and invited the old cat to preside over the assembly on Martial Arts.
A rooftop cat said: "I am the strongest, I have many techniques to catch mice; my clawsand my jumps are powerful and have a lot of tricks, but the mouse was not like the others." The black cat said, "The strength and technique are not enough to win, or are the goal ofthe art."
Then spoke a tabby cat: "I always train my ki and my breathing. I feed myself with vegetablesand rice soup; so my activity is strong. But I could not beatthat mouse. Why?". The old cat replied: "Your activityand your ki are strong, but you are weaker than themouse. If you are attached to your ki, it becomes anempty force. If your ki is too fast and short, youare only passionate; although you have a lot ki,you are weak because you rely too much onyourself.”
Then spoke a gray cat. He was not strong, butintelligent. He had overcome the techniques, buthe still had goals and a spirit of profit and had alsobeen forced to flee. The black cat said, "You aresmart and strong, but you couldn't win because youhad a goal and the mouse's intuition was stronger.You didn't know how to unify your strength, yourtechnique and your active conscience. I used allthree faculties unconsciously, naturally andautomatically all at once in a single instant. Thus I wasable to kill the mouse.
But - he continued - in a neighboring town I know acat that is even stronger than me. He is very oldand his hair is gray. He doesn't seem verystrong. He sleeps all day. He doesn't eatmeat or f ish; only rice soup ... andsometimes he drinks a little sake. He hasnever caught a single mouse, because allare afraid and run away from him. Oneday he entered a house that was full ofmice. All they fled quickly and changedhome. This cat could hunt them evensleeping. This gray cat is really verymysterious".
A true Master is natural and simple in hiscomplexity, but above all, he is always ahappy guy. And following with cats, as GatoPérez said in his song: “El que no tienefelicidad, ni es sabio... ni es ná”. (He who has nohappiness, is not wise or anything of the like).
3
Alfredo Tucci is Managing Director toBUDO INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING CO.e-mail: [email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/alfredo.tucci.5
His name has erupted with great forceon the international Martial Artspanorama, being on the cover of threeprinciple North American magazines andon seven editions of Budo International inEurope and Latin America.From where does this success come? In
the times of “Cross Fighting” the stylessuch as this Master has developedpossess a special attraction. Acomprehensive and practical summary tocreate complete fighters in the heart of awell-directed organization that concernsitself in a novel fashion with the evolutionof the students’ learning process.
I hadn’t had the pleasure of meetingMaster Harfouche until our meeting lastyear for the International School ofMartial Arts Hall of Fame; a pleasantexperience that I would like to share withyou. Dr. Harfouche is a serene man,extremely polite, sensitive and perceptive,al l of them qual it ies that mustundoubtedly be very useful in his work asa reverend. His image is not the typicalone of a religious man and no doubt hispractice of the Martial Arts’ disciplinesputs him in an exceptional position in thatenvironment. He affirms that the peoplewho undertake a religious life frequentlyabandon themselves, seeing their physical
Dr. Harfouche
Text: Burton Richardson.Photos: © www.budointernational.com
1001 Strangulations!
“The basic premiseof the choke for
self-defense is thatan unconsciousattacker is no
longer an attacker.You are not in
danger if you putthe aggressor to
sleep. As important and
valuable as striking is,
we must face thefact that a personhigh on drugs canwithstand an
incredible amountof impact”
“If you can keepoxygenated bloodfrom flowing to thebrain of yourattacker, he will fallasleep.
The best wayto do this isto close offthe blood
vessels thatrun on either
side of the neck”
bodies as secondary, a positionthat he in no way agrees with. Hisopen character and his humility(what is so rare among MartialArts Masters!) have allowed him tocontinue his studies with other
teachers and Masters, work thathis students benefit fromsince he immediatelyincorporates theseteachings into his ownrepertoire. This opencharacter and self -assuredness no doubtcomes from a specialcapacity for leadership,a calm sympathy withwhich it is easy toidentify with. Hisinstructional videos havebeen carefully elaboratedand are of greatusefulness for theimpassioned studentswho utilize them. On this
occasion, MasterHarfouche discusses one ofthe matters that has mostawakened interest amongtoday’s f ighters,strangulations, and as ishis custom, he has done acomplete andcomprehensible analysis.An exceptional job thatwill mark a before andafter in the study of thismaterial.
Alfredo Tucci
Dr. Harfouche
“An important part of Dr. Harfouche’sfighting approach relates to theapplication of a great variety ofchokes in a street situation”
Turn off the lights!Dr. Christian Harfouche, Grandmaster of
Shorite Ryu Tai Jutsu, has developed acomprehensive system of martial arts trainingcalled Full Body Boxing. His goal is to offeran expanded and complete approach to theself-defense riddle for traditional martialartists of all styles. He does not want to takestudents and teachers away from theiroriginal style of Martial Arts, but insteadcomplement what they are doing by givingthem another system to master. Animportant part of Dr. Harfouche’s fightingapproach relates to the application of a greatvariety of chokes in a street situation. Whilemost martial artists know what a choke is, Dr.Harfouche goes into great depth whenteaching and training the various ways to turnan opponent’s lights off. Here are some ofthe key concepts that the Grandmasterteaches.
Dr. Harfouche
The basic premise of the choke for self-defense is that anunconscious attacker is no longer an attacker. You are notin danger if you put the aggressor to sleep. As importantand valuable as striking is, we must face the fact that aperson high on drugs can withstand an incredible amount ofimpact. Even your best placed punches, kicks, elbows, andknee strikes may have little effect upon a person who isfeeling no pain. How would you feel if you got into a fight,landed a strong, perfectly placed kick, but the opponent didnot even flinch? I have a friend who went through such asituation.
My friend, named Levi, owns a store. He got a call oneevening from a worker saying that there was a young manacting very strangely and that he refused to leave. Levi, ablack belt with two decades in the Martial Arts, is verystrong. He went down to the business to sort the problemout. He found a 5’6” man who weighed approximately onehundred thirty-five pounds. Not a very imposingguy, especially since Levi weighs in at about twohundred thirty pounds. He tried to coax theman out of the premises, but the youngman suddenly attacked. Levi fired astrong kick directly to the groin of theattacker. Direct hit! To Levi’s surprise, ithad absolutely no effect on the smallman. As the aggressor continued tofight, Levi hit him hard with an elbow,breaking the man’s nose and closing hiseye. The guy shot in with a tackle. Levisprawled, pushing the man to the ground.Like a wild animal, the man grabbed Levi’s calfand bit him, causing a puncture wound rightthrough his jeans. Levi pushed
away and kicked, driving his shin right throughthe man’s collarbone. The guy stood up, hisshoulder drooping considerably from the brokencollarbone, but still fighting. Levi shoved him into the wall,delivered strong knees. Levi heard ribs breaking. The guydropped to his hands and knees to grab at Levi’s legs again.Levi kicked at him, his hard-toed boot landing on theassailant’s teeth. The assailant jumped up, teeth missing,and ran out of the store and up a nearby freeway off ramp.Fortunately, the police had just arrived and caught the manbefore he got into traffic. Levi and I talked about theincident the next day, and about the need to apply thechoke. It is the only technique that we can rely on when theopponent is feeling no pain. You can be sure that Levi now
Dr. Harfouche
trains chokes diligently as part of his routine. Can you imagine being inthat situation? What if the attacker was very large and strong? Ihope this story has motivated you to look deeper into chokingtechniques. If so, here are some of the points that Dr.Harfouche wants you to know.
Harfouche emphasizes that there are two basictypes of chokes: sealing the air or sealing offthe blood. Sealing the air means totake away the attacker’s ability toreceive oxygen into their lungs. Nooxygen in the lungs means nooxygen in the brain. This leads toa blissful state ofunconsciousness. There are twobasic ways of sealing the air.First is to close off the trachea(windpipe) so that air cannottravel to the lungs. This is oftenaccomplished by pressing theforearm hard against the front ofthe neck. As effective as thiscan be to cut off the air supply,though THIS IS NOTRECOMMENDED! There is abig problem with attackingthe trachea and that is that itcan break, swell up withblood, and keep oxygenfrom reaching the lungsfor a long period. Ifswell ing occurs, theattacker can die ofasphyxiation. If youapply a Martial Artstechnique to an
Dr. Harfouche
“if you ever findyourself in the
dreaded situation offighting an attackerwho is under theinfluence of drugs,
be sure to get to thatchoke, flip the switch,
and turn off the lights”
attacker and he dies, you will get to lots of practice applyingyour Martial Arts on the general population in your friendlyneighborhood prison. We don’t want to hurt anyone, and wedefinitely want to avoid incarceration. Stay away from thetrachea crush. Another way of sealing the air is to cover thenose and mouth, again preventing oxygen from entering thelungs. It is the old suffocation move. The problem with this isthat you must put your hand or arm over the mouth, which canresult in a nasty bite. This takes us to the preferable methodof applying a choke: sealing of the blood.
If you can keep oxygenated blood from flowing to the brainof your attacker, he will fall asleep. The best way to do this isto close off the blood vessels that run on either side of theneck. By closing off the supply line, you close off the supply.Back to blissful unconsciousness. This is the most mercifuland humane method of ending an attack. There are threebasic ways of achieving this. One is by using a bare armchoke, the next is by employing the clothing or other suitablematerial to do the job, and the third is using a combination ofthe two together.
The most common bare arm choke is the rear sleeper hold,also called the rear naked choke or the V-neck choke. Thekey to this move is to line up the inside of your elbow with theopponent’s trachea. When you constrict your arm, pressurewill increase on the sides of the neck, not on the trachea itself.If you get close to the choke, but feel that your forearm is onthe opponent’s trachea, simply slide your elbow over into thecorrect position. Dr. Harfouche’s program has many ways ofgetting to this position, along with several ways to finish thechoke. The Grandmaster finishes the choke in a standingposition or on the ground. He may use his free arm toreinforce the choke, or he sometimes uses the free hand tosecure the opponent’s arm while reinforcing the choke with hisneck and head. It is always good to have many options onyour choking technique in case one is countered or you findyourself in a situation where your favorite is just not available.
Using the lapel to choke is another very useful and efficientmethod of putting your opponent to sleep. The collar itselfcan be tightened and adjusted to put tremendous pressure onan opponent’s neck without endangering the trachea. Thecollar can also be used as a handle to improve the power of a
Dr. Harfouche
“Dr. Harfouchealso emphasizesthat the chokesshould not stand
alone. They are
integrated withthe striking.
It is easier to getto a choke position
against anopponent who is
dazed or off-balanced from
a strike”
forearm choke to the side of the neck. Many of Dr. Harfouche’s chokesutilize both the forearm and the cloth to get the job done. He applieslapel chokes from the front, side, back, from the top and from thebottom. In the street, anyone with a jacket or a solid shirt is susceptibleto a lapel choke. It is wise to have a wide variety ready to apply.
Dr. Harfouche also emphasizes that the chokes should not stand alone.They are integrated with the striking. It is easier to get to a chokeposition against an opponent who is dazed or off-balanced from a strike.Even if they are feeling no pain, a well placed strike may alter the balanceof an opponent enough to give you the opening you need to turn hislights out. Harfouche also uses hip throws, leg reaps, and othertakedowns that put you into position for a choke. You may secure a lapelgrab that you can use for a big throw, then as the opponent hits theground you turn that lapel grab into any number of choking techniques.You should be sure to practice getting to your chokes from striking,throwing, and grappling situations. If you need help with these concepts,Dr. Harfouche can help you.
Grandmaster Harfouche has put a great deal of information about awide variety of chokes on a beautiful DVD that I was pleased to view. Itincludes striking and throwing, standing chokes and ground chokes.There are also combinations where armbars and armlocks are appliedsimultaneously with the choke. If you aren’t sure what the “hangman’schoke” is or if you aren’t familiar with the “collar crucifix roll” or thedreaded “scissors of death”, check out Dr. Harfouche’s CHOKES ANDSTRANGULATIONS DVD. If you are interested in adding to yourtraditional system without taking away from it, I suggest you look into theFull Body Boxing program at www.victorioushands.com. And if youever find yourself in the dreaded situation of fighting an attacker who isunder the influence of drugs, be sure to get to that choke, flip the switch,and turn off the lights.
A LIGHT TO THE WORLDCompassion is the driving force behind this thirty-six year veteran of
the Martial Arts. In 2000, he personally fed 53,000 people anddistributed 34,000 pairs of Nike shoes to his community’s neediestfamilies. But the scope of his dream and vision does not end at home—itcontinues to reach a world in need. Philosopher, teacher, leader, andpioneer of Shorite Ryu Tai Jutsu (Victorious Hands Body Arts), one of themost appealing and comprehensive Martial Arts to hit the world sinceBruce Lee, Dr. Christian Harfouche is on a mission to bring victory topeople in every area of their lives.
Dr. Harfouche
“The mostcommon barearm choke is the rearsleeper hold,also called therear nakedchoke or the V-neck choke”
Dr. Harfouche
DVDs & videos
We all have often heard that eloquent phrase:"You defend yourself as you train." Likewise,Master Bruce Lee said in his martial philosophy,another phrase to be remembered: "I do not fearthe man who has practiced ten thousand differentkicks, I fear the man who has practiced one singlekick ten thousand times.” Bruce Lee could not havesaid it better himself, we know very well themessage of these words. The more we repeat thissame concept, the more effectively our body andmind will memorize the established movements.This thought is known as muscle memory.
Farang Combat
"I do not fear theman who haspracticed ten
thousand differentkicks,
I fear the man whohas practiced onesingle kick ten
thousand times”
ccording to the Oxford Dictionary, the word"memory" among its many meanings, referto the "power of keeping facts in theconscious mind and of being able to callthem back at will; preservation of past
experience for future use."Applying this concept to the case of our muscles
implies that our muscular system is credited with beingable to remember some physical activities that we havecarried out some time ago. This means that the mindlearns a new concept and transmits it to the muscles, inorder to begin the development of this so-called "musclememory". The process is assimilated and the musclesremember what the brain communicates them. Strictlyspeaking, muscle memory is the ability of our body tomake movements and exercises without even thinking. Aclear example for this is cycling.
A
Assimilating Master Lee's sentence andtaking by unquestionable the definition ofOxford Dictionary, we conclude that a workoutaimed to unwrap muscle memory, is substantialin the development of a martial artist. When ourdefense and sports training is carried out withthe purpose of developing this term, we have totake into account two main elements: thecollection of information and a constantpractice. "More is not necessarily better thanless." When we work to develop our musclememory, the collection of information in ourtraining should be conditioned; that is, the mostbasic possible. For example, how manytechniques we learn in our respective martialstyles of a particular section?This question leads me to relive special
moments with my first Master, who veryconvincingly illustrated my first martial stepswith inflections of neck attacks. Withunsurpassed skill, he indoctrinated me with 15
basic techniques. After two weeks of practice, Iwas struck by two of his best students. And tomy surprise, the fifteen techniques learnednever went into action; apparently they wereforgotten. With a timely hilarity, the Master toldme that I must choose two of the fifteenlearned techniques and practice them for anadditional week. Upon completion of the timegiven by the Master I was attacked again byhis best students and to my surprise, Imanaged to defend myself quickly. If we carrya heavy burden on our shoulders, the bodywon't be able to perform the movementspromptly. Conversely, if we carry a light load,our body will move more effectively. Whenapplied to our memory: the lesser theinformation, the better the retention.The Farang Combat has several
combinations of punches clustered in threedifferent areas, namely: Octagonal, Triangularand Circular. By accessing the so-calledOctagonal area, we find eight offensivecombinations along with eight movements,which develop speed and coordination in theindividual in an effective way.Contemplating the combinations modedubbed Triangular, we find threedisplacements configured in a defensiveway. The first shifting movement, called"Triangle drop", is a defensive movewhich aims rapprochementbetween the defender and theattacker, in order to establishdynamic projections. Thesecond movement called"Double Straight" produceslinear attacks in a run,seeking the opponent’sinstability. The third method,named "Hammer Kil l",integrates movements of 45degrees, attackingsurprisingly the body lowand high levels.We end citing again one of
the icons of popular culture inthe last third of the twentiethcentury and martial artistBruce Lee.
"In the chaos look forsimplicity and in discord look
for harmony".Bruce Lee
Farang Combat
The origins of the tonfa called also "tongwa, tuifa, tunkua, tuiha " are known torise in the old Chinese islands of Okinawawhere it was used, at first time, in anagrarian way as crank to turn grinders thegrain, then secondly, of a way warrior toallow the farmers, deprived of weapons bythe Japanese occupant, to fight against thesamurais of this period. Even if it continuesnowadays in the martial arts, with twowooden tonfas, in the practice of Kobudo, itwas only adopted, in the 1970s, with ametal then composite material, in the USAand since then, by numerous lawenforcement all over the world.
www.academielevinet.com
www.academielevinet.com
OPERATIONAL POLICE TONFAIts professional use was identif ied by
multiple naming going of the tonfa police tothe tonfa security including the professionaltonfa and the other similar names. There areso many different names as forms of tonfa.
From 2000s, hardly of his triple experienceof Captain of Police, Grand Master of martialarts and international expert of law
enforcement, the specialist of self-defenseand tactics of police Jacques Levinet,having led his own reflection on thesubject, developed a revolutionarymethod of the 21th century to pull all thetrue substance of this not lethalweapon. So thus was born OperationalTonfa Police or OTP which is, not anew name, but an unpublished and
successful process for an intermediateand complementary use with the handgunand the handcuffs. The OTP arouses fromnow on an interest growing up all over theworld.
ORIGINS
They base on the other inventionswhose Captain Levinet is the founder:
• SELF PRO KRAV or SPK – This self-defense, whichenjoys a success ringing in numerous countries, gaveat the top its originality by its concrete applications ofground. The defenses of the SPK are so many
www.academielevinet.com
www.academielevinet.com
supports which allowed OTP to assert itssuccess. The absence of flourishes and thepedagogy became the keys of the success ofthese two methods which give, both to thec iv i l ians and to the profess ionals , theways(means) to face(to deal with) in theattacks of the street• Real Operational System or Police ROS –
There is an interactive link of existence betweenthe Real Operational System, methodcompletes for law enforcement, and OTP whichis one of the module in the same way as theBOP (Operational Stick Police), the GTPI(Gestures and Techniques Police ofIntervention). The ROS evolves according to itsapplications of ground and the "feedback"realized regularly by the staff AJL (AcademyJacques Levinet). As it is the difficulties of thestreet that dominate in the OTP, the techniquepasses in the background and the narcissisticdemonstration is not current. The reality isimperative to the detriment of the whim to giveway to the operational.
• MALADJUSTMENT OF THE TRAININGS· The trainings in the tonfa are often
unsuitable, either due to the lack of time, or dueto the lack of skill, or by absence of training planwithout forgetting also the political lack of will togive itself the ways to make a success. Thesubsidy of a tonfa is not enough to return theoperational policeman, still needs it the after-sales service. In other words an initial trainingupstream and continuous downstream withrecycling’s and "feedback" regular. Reason whycaptain Levinet wanted everything reexamines.· The OTP trainings are longer than in the
majority of the cases with drastic cuts on thetechniques which do not work in the reality. Atraining plan was both structured on the plantechnical and legal. Absence of stereotypicalattacks, predefined attacks and defensessecured with the tonfa foams, of unfeasiblearmed seizures of hand on the ground. Nopassivity neither any playful training but norplace in the hard law of the street. The resultscame very quickly, the modification and theevolution of techniques have proved vital andthe tonfa became really operational in the fullsense of the word
SPECIFICITIES
The OTP enjoys a frame of use so that everyprofessional understands his utility, about is itsdepartment of use and its material subsidy. The
influence of the GTPI was an importing factorbecause law enforcement is, in most of thetime, supposed to intervene team there.
• The complementarity –The work of the OTPis never considered remotely but takes intoaccount all of the material of pressure given tohis users. An intervention can begin withbare hands, require the use of the tonfa, thehandcuffs and, in certain cases, thefirearm with dissuasion or with retort. Thepoliceman has to adapt himselfbecause he never knows when andhow ends a danger. With the OTP thekey, the way to put handcuffs and theputting in yoke can be concomitant in arandom order according to the risk.Certain parameters are inescapable asto unsheathe the tonfa before thehandgun and conversely to sheathe theweapon) fire before the tonfa exceptcase of immediate shooting of retort.From this perspective, the change of userhand of the tonfa is essential to get the
hands free to use, if necessary,handcuffs or firegun.
• The key points – In the form ofconcrete answers, for the only agents or inteam, and not of a purely theoreticalteaching.
Jacques Levinet
www.academielevinet.com
“The training plan ofthe OTP requires that
the certifiedinstructor AJL
dispenses the officialpedagogy with the
ethical and legislativereferences inherent toeach of the countries
concerned by thetraining.”
• The distance – It is dependent on the reaction in front of danger. Both we see it coming, andin this case, the defense will be remote and anticipated. We favor the indirect blockings to thedirect parades, with the length of the tonfa, thanks to dresses in wrist point, sword clocks and
tomahawk points. Let be our vigilance did not allow us tosee coming the attack and the defense will be unexpectedand very close. In this hypothesis we favor theconditioned reflex and the indirect blockings with thebody of the tonfa, thanks to dresses handle heel,sword heel and mini tomahawk. The distance thus
conditions the natural, innate and reflexivetechnique.
• The handles – The OTP does not limititself to the commonplace said dressessmall and big side ". It adapts them withregard to the missions what opens a radiusof action mattering in the interventions inreduced or closed environment. Theholding idol of the OTP is the minitomahawk which offers the opportunity to
change strong hand easily, tohang on and to push away butalso to lock a key with aputting in yoke of protection.The little and the big fork ofthe OTP in holding swordpoints and sword heelprotects against anyfortifying or downward
www.academielevinet.com
attack. Forks facil itate thedisarmament by lock-picking.The handle of the OTP does notonly serve to hold him but torespond, to pick, to lockand to exercise points ofpressure.
• Hands free –Thetechniques of the OTP authorizethe changes of hand for puttinghandcuffs or a use of fire gun. Itis necessary to possess a timebeforehand on the evolution ofthe situation. Either the retort isenough, or it is necessary toneutralize, to lead up, and tobring to the ground, to use jointlyhandcuffs, a palpation, a lifting, anda use of fire gun or a lock with theuse of tonfa. In brief the OTP neverreleases from the beginning to theend of the intervention. The keys oftwist and israeli are a remarkablehelp on the subject because they freeboth hands.
PROFESSIONAL PEDAGOGY
The training plan of the OTP requiresthat the certified instructor AJL dispenses the official pedagogy with theethical and legislative references inherent to each of the countriesconcerned by the training.
www.academielevinet.com
“The trainings in the tonfa areoften unsuitable, either due tothe lack of time, or due to thelack of skill, or by absence of
training plan withoutforgetting also the
political lack of will togive itself the ways to
make a success.”
• Law explanations – With the OTP, not useful to know articles of law on the self-defense. Thepoliceman or the soldier explains the technique used in the action so that it is in accordance with thelaw of its country. Not a simple reasoning but a demonstration way judicial reconstruction. Thetechnic used must assure, with a judge or with an immediate superior, the legitimacy of theintervention. The pedagogy of the OTP gives all the legal assets to reach following the example ofthe retorts there pricked in the body in holding wrist clocks, bends upward, to avoid anyinconvenient percussion with the face. In the same way the use of the gun is not synonymic ofshooting of retort but also release of a hostile environment or a protection for the agent and theindividual.
Jacques Levinet
• Specific terminology – With the OTP, the words area way to limit the responsibility. We never use the termof "strikes", synonym for aggression, but that of"retorts", equivalent to a defense. We speak to highand understandable voice in a professional frame. Thecontrol of the media and the cur iosi ty of thespectators, provided with their mobile phones photosand videos, oblige us a minimum of caution. Theintervention allies safety, protection and intervention inthe strictest respect for the law of the concernedcountry.
• Adaptation for the trainings -The legal criteria of theexcellent intervention are fitted to the country applicant.For example in the USA, the use of the firearm is lessbinding than in the European countries, where from lesstechnicality of OTP. On the other hand a capital gain forthe keys of pressure with putting in yoke of release andprotection.• Real situations –The OTP favors the teamwork by
exercises of Police (Protection, Connection andIntervention) with the tonfa of intervention in hardmaterial. Not of tonfa foam which do not sanction the
www.academielevinet.com
bad positions or the lack of control. What's the use thissecure training which will not be current in the street.
LABEL POLICE OTP
The OTP enjoys a significant aura thanks to thefollowing points.· Multilingual Programs - The TOP trainers of the AJL
are multilingual, for the greater part, (English, German,Italian, Spanish and Portuguese) to dispense a trainingdirect and understandable for all.· Label ROS - OTP - The program, the training plan,
the recycling, the feedback, the renewable certificate
every year, make of the label instructor ROS -OTP amuch appreciated quality criterion.· International Gratitude - The demonstrations
and the OTP seminaries of the founder, in everycorner of the world, aroused the enthusiasm bythe b igges t i n t e r na t i ona l expe r t s o f l awenforcement.
The Operational Tonfa Police is not an accessory ofdemonstration, such as nunchaku for example, but thebest not lethal weapon, of which Captain JacquesLevinet knew how to pull all the up to now unequalledprofessional efficiency.
Jacques Levinet
www.academielevinet.com
Sifu Paolo Cangelosi.Throughout the world, hisname is already a symbol ofMartial truth, of commitmentto his students, and of thepurest Kung Fu tradition. Hisvarious video series haveattracted students from alllatitudes in styles as diverseas Pa Kua, Tai Chi, Hung Gar,etc. However, thirty-threeyears of practice had to passbefore a work of his came outin the style that he mostdominates and enjoys, WingChun.
Sifu Cangelosi learned it inChina directly from hisMaster, Fu Han Tung. Hisstyle, beyond theparticularit ies of thetechniques that characterizeit, is designed through aspecial way of understandingKung Fu, always traditional,didactic, and extremelyprecise. Sifu Cangelosi hasprepared an exceptional videoin which he brings us moredeeply into his way ofunderstanding Wing Chun, acomplete project that includesits origins and philosophicaltraditions, its principles, and,of course, its technicalapplications.
Grand Masters
“At the beginning, mytraining was very
technical andphysical, but withtime the practicebecame more andmore interiorized. The study of the
applications throughthe principles ofinterception and
control helped me to understand the
meaning of thetranslation of itsname: “little idea”(“Sil Lim Tao”)”
Grand Masters
Wing Chun
I was only eleven years old and I was in thebasement of a building where I was going tostudy Kung Fu daily. A man was training infront of a cement column, attracting myattention with his symmetric movements andthe static position of his legs. His handexecuted a slow rotating movement,accompanied by a light vibration. It was myMaster, Fu Han Tung, and he was practicing aform from the Wing Chun style: Sil Lim Tao.I had begun to practice Martial Arts three
years earlier with Ju Jitsu and, just recently,Kung Fu.When I began to study Wing Chun, the first
months were dedicated to the practice of thebasic positions and their movements, theguard changes, and the fundamental fists. Inmy heart the hope of the expectant studentwas hiding, along with impatience, the desireto begin the form that my Master waspracticing that day as soon as possible.My experience in the practice of the style
grew and the more I began to appreciate itstechnical qualities. The execution of the firstform had fascinated me for the millimetreprecision of its techniques, its rhythm that
We must give special mention tothe re-creation of the myth of thecreation of the style,magnificently filmed. The two-hour video will satisfy the mostdemanding palates.
In the present article, we willlearn about some anecdotes thati l lustrate the experiences ofMaster Cangelosi during hislearning of Wing Chun and someconsiderations about this stylethat has more and more followersamong Kung Fu lovers every day.
Wing Chun
“Apart from thegeometric construction
of the techniques, my Master highlighted
the importance ofbreathing and the look,
which alwaysaccompanied each
gesture of expansion andcontraction of the form”
alternated slow movements with others that were veryfast and explosive, and for the energy that it wouldtransmit through its actions.All of that created in me a precise sensation aroused
by the “sense of the ancient and mysterious” typical ofthe tradition of the style. I was falling in love with WingChun.After some months, I saw the same form in the
Australian edition of a book on Wing Chun. I was proudto know that I was also studying what other Masters—
from another part of the world—were practicing andteaching.Soon after the success of the Bruce Lee films, I
recognized, in a photo, the actor in a Sil Lim Taoposture, so I understood that if everyone practiced thisform, then something was important in practicing it anddiscovering its secrets.At the beginning, my training was very technical and
physical, but with time the practice became more andmore interiorized. The study of the applications through
the principles of interception and control helped me tounderstand the meaning of the translation of its name:“little idea” (“Sil Lim Tao”).My Master uti l ized the cement column of the
basement to make me understand the concept of the“central line” and the “levels”, the reference coordinatesof the human body to bring out the useful targets andthe trajectories of action that must be used to executethe movements.In the center of the column a vertical l ine
corresponded to the central line of the my body, myarms had to act up and down the straight l inesfollowing its direction with techniques of attack anddefense, for only in this way would they become fasterand more efficient.Furthermore, the column was intercepted by three
imaginary horizontal l ines at three levels, whichcorresponded to the face, the solar plexus and thelower abdomen. Their intersection with the centralvertical line outlined six areas called “the 6 gates” or
“the 6 doors”, which were the targets ofreference that could be reached by straight orconvergent trajectories.Apart from the geometric construction of the
techniques, my Master highlighted theimportance of breathing and the look, whichalways accompanied each gesture ofexpansion and contraction of the form. Theinterior rhythm danced and flowed with thephysical part of the techniques, andmanifested a perfect energetic balance. In thisway, I began to realize that it was difficult toplace Wing Chun among the exterior styles.For that, my Master used to say that one couldalso easily practice at the age of 100.For ten years I grew with the exclusive
teaching of my Sifu, Fu Han Tung, without
knowing anything about what was happening in otherschools in the world. Meanwhile, my experience wasenriched with the knowledge of other Kung Fu stylesand other Martial Arts, but Wing Chun stood out for itsconcepts and principles of action apparently simple buttremendously effective. On my first trip to Hong Kong,25 years ago, I had the opportunity to see other peoplepracticing that style. I noticed that there weredifferences in the focus of the techniques and manyinterpretations of its applications, but the principles ofaction on which I worked with my Sifu were more orless the same. Despite the personalization of variousMasters, the soul of the style remained unaltered. Itrained in different schools, all of them following in theline of the Grand Master Yip Man, and I noticed thatsome things that I knew were not practiced. My Masterexplained to me that many techniques that I hadlearned came from one of the countries of origin of thestyle, and they were the technical heritage of the oldschools; furthermore, he gave an example of the use ofthe stone ball, the bamboo ring and other tools, whichwere being lost with the passage of time because themodern generations were abandoning the traditionaltraining methods.I remember a young Chinese boy who invited me to
practice “Chi Sao” with him, the sticky hands exercise.That is one of the technical sections that mostcharacterizes the Wing Chun method. Chi Sao is basedon work that maintains contact, developing the controlof the limbs through sensitivity and the ability to yield,intuiting the most minimum movement of the adversary,respecting and applying the key principles andmovements of the style: “an art in exercise”. My Mastertold me that to come into contract at short distancewith a good Wing Chun practitioner is like falling into aspider web. The young Chinese boy, whose name wasWilly, after having made contact with my arms,attacked me aggressively, forgetting all the principles ofthat exercise, without respecting any technical rule ofthe style. He threw a punch that didn’t reach its target,he lost his balance and fell forward, still trying to hit mein the genitals: he seemed like a child that wanted towin at all cost. Was that Chi Sao for him? Many people have confused ideas about that
exercise, they confuse it with free fighting, but really itis only a method to extrapolate some elements that areapplied successively in a free way.
Grand Masters
Grand Masters
“I was only eleven yearsold and I was in the
basement of a buildingwhere I was going tostudy Kung Fu daily.
A man was training infront of a cement
column, attracting myattention with his
symmetric movementsand the static position
of his legs. His hand executed a
slow rotatingmovement,
accompanied by alight vibration.
It was my Master”
Another technical area that characterizes Wing Chun involves the leg techniques.They always form a part of my memories: “to kick” was an integral part of my dailytraining. For me, in that period, to know how to throw a kick was to have themusculature of the legs elastic, to be fast and get any technique beyond the level ofthe face. When my Master spoke to me about the kicks in Wing Chun, I didn’t manage to
appreciate their technical value, but I noticed the total difference of focus of thosemovements. Those kicks had particular characteristics and, as in the arm techniques,they were in a straight line. When we execute a kick, the body can be placed frontallyor half-sideways. The position of the back and the pelvis remain together, or rather,the trunk doesn’t lean back and the hips do not move forward, allowing for thatcontinuity between arms and legs that characterizes this method.Often the kick doesn’t return, once launched it lowers to the ground with the leg
extended, and that in order to keep the adversary away. The loading is also, at times,minimum, in order to optimize the economy of the movement and make itunpredictable.Another characteristic is the combinations of the kicks taken to different height
levels, and between half-sideways and frontal kicks, often carried out with the sameleg. To throw kicks to the middle and low level, allows for the practice of acting in anefficient way without having to acquire extraordinary muscular elasticity and jointmobility, and furthermore, to be able to use the short distance. The defensetechniques with the legs that Wing Chun develops are very interesting: checks, blocksand controls.The “checks” deflect the adversary’s strike trajectory. The “blocks” interrupt the
action as it develops. The “controls” come into contact and they follow the technique,displacing it or stopping it.I remember an anecdote concerning the leg techniques in Wing Chun. As I already
told you, “to kick” was one of the practices that most fascinated me in Martial Arts. Itrained every day, throwing kicks into the air and at bags, with more than threethousand techniques, so after some years, I had reached an excellent level.One day my Master Fun Han Tong invited me to do a technical leg interchange with
him. At the beginning, I was a little blocked up, throwing kicks slowly and predictably,but later he incited me to pick up the rhythm, so I thought that it was an exam. Then Idid some more precise and faster techniques which easily got through his defense. Atthe end of the training session he congratulated me. Returning home, I felt amazing because I had a moment of exaltation, as if I had
gotten better than my Master, but at the same time I felt like I had lacked somerespect for him. Some weeks went by and the Sifu invited me a second time to do aleg fight with him. Thinking about the first experience, I asked him if it was going to bean exam or a training session. He answered: “…give your maximum effort!” Alwayswith the due control of the technique, I began to kick, but this time my strikes neverreached the target, and when the distanced decreased, my legs suffered the strikes ofhis unpredictable attacks. I couldn’t even lift my legs from the floor. That day Iunderstood many things. I learned to appreciate the techniques of Wing Chun, andmost of all, what it means “to be a Master”.These days, many practitioners limit this style to self-defense, but we can’t forget
everything that the old Masters created. Wing Chun is Kung Fu, and like all the
Wing Chun
traditional styles, it has its own technical programfull of history, meanings, symbols, and trainingmethods. All of that can’t be erased by a simpletechnique of “chain punches”. Thirty-three years have passed since I saw my
Master practicing in front of the column, yearsdedicated to study, research and practice to perfecta method that unites the old and the modern, thetraditional and scientific evolution, a method ofsuccession that respects and keeps alive the ethical,spiritual and technical values of what we call today
Wing Chun. I would like to remind the practitioners ofWing Chun that, despite the origins of the schoolsand the different currents, we are all seekingtechnical perfection and interior growth, which havealways represented a common stimulus for thepractitioners of Martial Arts. Nor can we forget themost precious teaching that the Art offers us: respectfor it and for all those who practice it with the heart.So, let’s not lose ourselves in sterile controversies ordestructive criticisms if we find along our path a WingChun a little different from ours…
Grand Masters
Wing Chun
“ I would like toremind the
practitioners ofWing Chun that,
despite theorigins of the
schools and thedifferent
currents, we are all seeking
technical perfectionand interior growth,which have always
represented acommon stimulus forthe practitioners of
Martial Arts”
Wing Tsun
Wing Tsun Universe (WTU)
IN THIS COLUMN WE MAKE ASMALL SUMMARY OF THESTRUCTURE OF THE WTU andexcerpts from three articles ofthe WTU.
Wing Tsun Universe
Founder: Si-Fu Alfred Johannes Neudorfer (GM of WTU)Si-Fu Rosa Ferrante Bannera (Si-Mo and Master of
WTU)
Founded: Wing Tsun Universe 16.09.2011Wing Tsun University 16.04.2012
The Movement WTU:
0 Outer Circle: WTU Black Book, WTU websites, SocialNetworks
1st Circle - Exoteric Circle WTU Wing logo, Guild Logo, Young Bloods LogoA) WTU Wing Tsun:
WTU FightWTU GuildWTU HealthWTU DrillWTU Young BloodsWTU ForcesWTU Veteranen LigaWTU vitahochdreiWTU SSS
B) WTU UNI: Thinking Center Courses of the WTU:TCC BasicTCC LotG (Leader of the Group)TCC Stage ITCC Stage IITCC Stage IIITCC Stage IV
C) WTU AMA: Arts and Martial Arts (AMA):8 Hain festivalsTravelingArt
2nd Circle - Mesoteric Circle: Fiz lez Lou LogoWTU Fiz lez Lou:
School of the moment
Science of Consciousness
Path with heart
WTU Esbate Tutorials
WTU BM Meetings
3rd Circle - Esoteric Circle: Secret Circle LogoFLL Secret Circle: 7
SC Tutorials
Tools, skills, principles,interactions in the WTU:Tools:13 solo Movements:Siu Nim Tao - 9 WaysChum Kiu - 4 WavesWooden Dummy - Double WavesBiuTze - TwisterLong Pole - Point workBard Cham Dao
Blade - Weapons paths2 Axes & Hammers 2Staff and SpearSword4 Ways of weapons
Snake of FireWings of the Eagle
and 21 Series Partner Movements
Qualities:AttentionElasticityBalanceSensitivityAdroitnessTimingIntentInsight / Tacit knowledgeClear thinking / insight
Principles:Allow ContactAccompany movementAvoid Distance
Interactions:Gravitational interactionWeak interactionStrong interactionMagnetic interaction
Fighting concepts:Fight concept: wave /
double waveFight concept: Twister /
Twister Double3 centers of human:Moving Center - WTU
Wing Tsun
Thinking Center - WTU UNIFeeling Center - WTU AMA
Some mottos of WingTsun Universe (WTU):1) We move people!2) Back to the roots!3) necessity creates
organs!4) r ight people, r ight
time, right place!
„The Science of Consciousness"Once upon a time there was a wise man, who had a
great number of students. Every now and then they askedhim where he had gotten his knowledge, and every timehe pointed to a golden chest, standing in the corner ofhis room. The day the man died his self-appointedsuccessors opened the chest and found a bookbound in leather. Only a single page in it waswritten on, and the more they tried, to understandit, the angrier and more disappointed theybecame: "When you see the difference betweenthe container and the content, you are on thepath to wisdom."
The Golden Chest – Quotefrom the "TRADITION"Basically we, the WTU, try to
improve the qualities of the threehuman centers: The Center of Motion, the Center of Emotion and the Center of Thinking and raise the intensity of
mutual connection being onlypossible on the basis of afundamental understanding of thetree centers.
The Center of Motion: It is not directly evidentwhich form of intelligence the Center of Motion cantake. Our difficulties in imagining the intelligence ofthe Center of Motion has it' s origin in our assumingthat it in any way resembles the Center of Mind'sform of intelligence. In fact they do not resembleeach other at all. The Center of Mind's intelligence islinked to the past and the future, which is no part ofthe Center of Motion's experience. However the onlything it is engaged with is the immediate present. Itis not interested in achieving something that lies inthe future or correcting something of the past. Thing'
s are on the other hand not registered in form ofmemories in the Center of Motion, like known in theCenter of Mind. For former the things, events areeither active or latent.
For this reason, we in the WTU sumarise the areasand the inputs that act as food to the Center ofMotion (GUILD, FIGHT, HEALTH, DRILL) as the socalled "School of the Instant".
The Center of Emotion: One can basically say,that in our modern world the intelligence of the
Wing Tsun Universe
Center of Emotion is the worst developed function. Ourfeelings are unstable and unreliable. We can do nothingunbiased in the end, not even think as we please, sincewe are not in control of our emotions.Most of the time we are occupied and full with
automated emotions like affection and aversion andspend a large part of our existence in emotionalstates, that are not constructive, like anger, doubt andfear. This lets us realize, how far we are from how
human beings should be – or let' s say think theyshould. We have been trained to live through suchstates entirely through our environment, their eligibilityf i rst and foremost coming from the emotionalequivalent to the instinctive reaction to pain andphysical discomfort. Our feelings are practically in astage of slavery.The actual function of a feeling, is to perceive things
as they really are. This does not happen by seeing,
hearing or knowing, but by participation (meaning thegetting involved with something).When we are ready to in this way participate, a
connection is created, based on awareness and notknowledge. Only then we start to be, what we truly are.For this reason everything related with community andcreative activity has got to do with the Center ofEmotion.
For this reason we in the WTU sumarise the areasand the inputs that act as food to the Center ofEmotion as "Art and Martial Art" and "WTU-Tantra".The general term in the WTU is "The Path of theHeart".The Center of Thinking: About the Center of
Thinking we, in our culture, think to know the mostabout. It is what separates us from the animal. Man
Wing Tsun Universe
has another relation towards time and space, being able to meditate on the pastand the future, and with an imagination, functioning independent of anysensory stimulus. That enables us to gain knowledge an animal could neveracquire. By abstract thinking we can visualize the world. Still – as long aswe are not forced to do so by outer difficulties, we spend our life in asort of dreamy state, while automatically forming images in our head.This process is mainly influenced by our physical awareness: By whatwe see, hear, touch, taste, smell but also by the overall state of ourbody, meaning we have different thoughts when we are feeling sickthan when healthy. Those dreams can also take shape of images every now and then.
Usually however, they appear as words, internal monologues andinternal dialogues. Gurdjieff called this process "formatting", whichmakes also clear, that in normal state we do not have an intellect,
but a mere formatting machine, an automat. This internaldialogue keeps our world running. Through this
process we use words regardless of theiractual meaning.
Wing Tsun Universe
This automatism is in a modernhuman being absolutely dominant.Nonetheless we can use thisineffective state of our Center ofThinking, as a first impulse forchange. You are actually able to tellthe Center of Thinking, different tothe Center of Motion and Emotion,something about transformation.The same formative mechanism,that imprisons us in our dreams,can help us: We can get it to formand maintain a non abstract ideal,an image of what we could be. Wecan thus become aware of theblindness of our state of mind. Thefirst step is the most crucial:Whenever a formative thoughtcomes up in us, putting an idea ofwork within reach, we should takethe according measures so it doesnot just remain an imagination, butrealize it. This function of the Center of
Thinking is the fundamental urge to"see". This function arises ourdemand for things to make sense.However we should not confusethis with discontentment. Theconsequence is that we no longerfollow a certain direction ofknowledge, just because we arealready accustomed to it.The overall field and the food for
this area of the Center of Thinking,we call the "Science of Awareness"in the WTU.
To achieve his or her aim, namelyhelping the practitioner, a navigatorutilizes every tool known to him orher. A human being has manydifferent layers, all influencing eachother, they can be mutuallysupporting or disturbing as well. Aholistic course of actionacknowledges and uses thiscircumstance. Normally we knowthree layers: the layer of motion andinstinct, the layer of emotion andartistry and the layer of mind andintellect. Still there are further ones,which have either through a lack ofpractice and usage – like a flaccidmuscle – fallen into oblivion, or arestill in an embryonal state.One could also call the learning
target of the practitioner as follows:To bring all the centers and layersof perception into a perfect, high-quality equilibrium.The relevant tools for that cover
techniques and exercises for un-conditioning of our thinking, andtools for reaching certain level ofconsciousness. The outer form ofthese tools changes according tothe requirements and theconditions and circumstances ofthe time. The automatic, arbitraryuse of these tools can lead to –when they are thought generallyapplicable – the degeneration of thelearning system.People like to copy what has
been taught and handed down tothem fragmentarily, or what theyhave watched elsewherethemselves, without knowing thenecessary coordinates. You cancompare it to a child, watching sickpeople always go to theapothecary, when in need for amedicament. One day, when thechild itself has a cold, it will also goto the apothecary. The door there isopen and the chemist just went inanother room, so the child takessome random pills and …Often people just follow phrases
designed for another culture andtime ("the more exotic the better").Or they study and try to learn withtools designated for theirancestors, a long time ago.These are the following tools,
which always have to be adaptedto the time, the circumstancesand the people themselves:1.) Visual, acoustic and other
sensations: Here music andjourneys, people get impulses fromare to be put here as well.2. ) Legends, analogies and
couched materials: This tools areconstructed in a way that they arenot supposed to instal l aconvict ion in the Center ofThinking, but a pattern or ablueprint, which should help theCenter of Thinking to "navigate" inanother way.
Wing Tsun Universe
3.) As addendum to regular human cognitive abilities certain objects are usedas symbols.4.) Through collaborative working and training a specific dynamic is
created – not based on emotion or indoctrination – and brought into flux.There are 7 kinds of exercises:1.) Exercises for the Center of Motion2.) Exercises for the Center of Thinking3.) Exercises for the Center of Emotion4.) Exercises for the Center of Motion & the Center of Thinking5.) Exercises for the Center of Motion & the Center of Emotion6.) Exercises for the Center of Motion & the Center of
Thinking & the Center of Emotion7.) Exercises for the Center of Motion & the Center of
Thinking & the Center of Emotion & automatisms
That way we provide every of the three "centers" withhigh-quality nutrition according to a certain recipe. Theimpulses resulting from that begin spreading in wavesand remove obstacles.Such a whole and complete human being has
individuality and "character". And that "character"has a will and only it has will – a power flowingthrough everything, but only a whole"character" can make use of that power.Observing the development of a human
with will, one realizes, he or she can get inconflict with the surrounding society. Sucha human will seem to his fellow man asauthoritarian, arrogant or not self-criticalenough, or else such a human being willbegin arranging oneself in the modernniveau, level of communication.
Wing Tsun Universe
This means: One has to speak the petty language of modernman, with it' s superficial and sophisticated intellectualmodulations. An aspect of this language is it' sineffectiveness. One is constantly forced to express everypoint he or she tries to make with numerous justifications. Inorder to be taken serious, one has to assure oneself, byconfirming and backing up what one tries to say with as manyquotes from so called authorities as possible.In the everyday life such behavior is reflected in referring to
something, that has been said in a newspaper or intelevision. People think they are educated and wellinformed, when they can parrot as many information aspossible. And they think, when many people have saidsomething before, or when it is shown on TV orwritten in a newspaper, it somehow has to betrue. Conformity is confused with educationand insight. If it is just someone' s personal
understanding, resulting from someone' sown comprehension, someones"character", someone' s access, a fact iscommonly seen as irrelevant, howevertrue it might be. Whatever can beexpressed complicated and long-winded, can be said easier and usuallymore accurate. Why that is not done?Because it alienates people. Because ittouches tabus. People rather stick toacted powerlessness and lackingkeenness.People are but a shadow of what
they could be, just as if a cursewould lie upon them. They are hurtand weakened deep down inside.Powerlessness predominates.People can no longer come back totheir roots to draw strength. Theytherefore have no longer quality orjust a distorted image of quality.
What do we intend in the WTU?We unfold "Quality" in our l ife."Quality" is always quality. "Quality"has something to do withauthenticity. It just takes differentshapes, and appears on the outsidein different clothes. That, which has"Quality" / authenticity in ourselves,exactly that is their original sourceand whatever comes in touch withit is "touched" by it!People who inspire us“: G. I.
Gurdjieff and Wing TsunIn this one, and the upcoming
articles we are going to introduce toyou "People who inspire us", theirwork, philosophies and ideas.Among those "People who inspire
us", you will find G. I. Gurdjieff.Some might ask, how exactly this"Teacher of Wisdom" can be linkedwith Wing Tsun. Firstly: Of coursenot all people we l ist as"inspirational to us", like on ourhomepage, necessarily correlatewith Wing Tsun per se.
They are people who, by theirteachings and their way to presentthemselves, have given significantimpulse to our lives. One might say,they all have one thing in common:Everyone of them cut his own path,regardless of what has been saidabout him or her, or what difficultiesthey encountered by doing so.Everyone had an individual layout
of the truth lying behind it al l .Neither was an imitator. And someof them, of course, were or still aresomewhat contended, as otherpeople feel the urge todisrespectfully comment on them,often having not even read one oftheir works or argumentations, orparroting what they have heardelsewhere. We should also considerthat real teachers often convey animage of themselves, which is likelyto frighten off people tooconditioned to their way of thinkingand daily routine, resulting insomething l ike a necessary
preselection. People unable todistinguish between shape andcontent, simply are not fit to takethat path.Anyway, G. I. Gurdjieff can very
wel l be associated with WingTsun. After he started his longjourney in the early 20th century,leaving his caucasian home, hewent to Moscow, Turkey,Germany and finally settled downin France (Fontainebleau nearParis, where he then was burried)which is a lso where heestablished his "Institute for theHarmonious Development ofMan" bringing along with him,what we today call Wing Tsun.In Russia, people started
practicing his techniques rightaway, in France he got no furtherthan presenting them to hisaudience. The time was not yet ripeand he began teaching the"Gurdjeff-Movements" instead. Butmore on that in later articles.
Wing Tsun Universe
All DVDs, wichi is produced by Budo International,si provided and alone in the formats DVD-5 orMPEG-2, in VCD, DivX or the like is however nevesoffered with a special holograma sticker. Besidesour DVD is characteristed coverings by the higquality in pressure and material. If this DVD and/orthe DVD covering do not corespond to therequirements specified above, it concerns illegalpirat copy.
REF.: • LAT-3REF.: • LAT-3
The main emphasis of this DVD is edged weapon. Knowing andunderstanding all the dangers associated with any edge weapon.The main theme in this DVD is establishing the priority.
The main emphasis of training with an edged weapon isknowing and understanding all the dangers
associated with this type of weapon. All the“What if’s”, and “Yeah buts”, are all great
for trial and error, and assumingpredictability. The serious danger ofedge weapons is real, and shouldbe treated as such. This meanswhere you should establishyour training priority to be asurvival tool, in the eventthis situation happens toyou. Let’s face it, you arethe one having to survive,not your trainer, helps youtrain your goals, not yourobjective. The trainingpriorities I use in Latosa-Escrima are as follows:reality, technique anddrills. Reality: This is theunderstanding of exactlywhat could happen and thedangers when using or goingagainst an edged weapon.
Techniques: These movementsare trying to give you a
generalization of possibilities, andprobabilities of what may happen.
Drills: Most drills are used to develop andenhance body movement skills used in the
technique application.
Budo international.comORDERS:
Legends are made, notborn. Great masters aredefined by the knowledgeand experience they haveacquired over the years
and their ability to share itwith the next generation.Their mastery of the artsis shaped by the mentorsthey have had and by therelationships they have
cultivated throughout theirtraining. It is these years
of inspiration andimpartation that give lifeand meaning to their own
individual styles.
GM GERMAN IN MEMORIAM
Recognized by many as amaster’s master, David
German is a legend in theMartial Arts community.This highly respected andinnovative grandmastercomes from a legacy of
great masters and a richhistory of Martial Arts
expertise. With over fifty years of
training and experience, heis one of the greatest
exponents of the MartialArts in the world today.
GM David German
erman’s roots in theMartial Arts run deep.His style was born inthe 1960s during aperiod characterized byrevision, restructuring,
and refinement in the Martial Arts. Hebegan his Martial Arts career trainingin jujutsu. After acquiring his blackbelt, he became a friend, partner, andprotégé of the late Edmund K.Parker, who revolutionized theMartial Arts in America. As a truepioneer and innovator, Parkerrefined and fine-tuned Kenpo,creating what became knownworldwide as AmericanKenpo.
In 1956, Parker opened his dojo inPasadena, California, and began tobuild a clientele of eager, dedicatedstudents. German was one of hisearliest disciples, working by his sidein designing and building his customtraining hall. His Pasadena studiobecame a home to German, andtraining and building with Parker gavehim the sense that he was an inherentpart of the Kenpo system. Not merelya student of the art, German wouldlater come to be recognized as one of“the originals” in American Kenpo.One of the things that made
Parker’s Kenpo system so successfulis that it fit in well with the Americanmindset. Parker challenged German
GM GERMAN IN MEMORIAM
G
to be himself and to think outside ofthe box. He constantly encouragedthe young black belt to cultivate hiscreativity and incorporate his owntechniques into the Kenpo system.Eventually, German would developmany of the codes of Kenpo andbecome the originator andchoreographer of Kenpo’s “formnumber four.” The two colleaguesmaintained a lifelong friendship andcollaboration, discussing systems,
refining techniques, and developinginnovations that would mold andshape the Martial Arts as we knowthem today.
The exchange of ideasParker encouraged his students
not to limit their knowledge of theMartial Arts to his instruction alone.German thrived on associatingwith some of the most prominentmovers and shakers in the MartialArts community. Years of trainingand exchanging ideas andtechniques with the legends of histime shaped his own philosophy ofthe arts and ignited a creativity inhim that became contagious tothose around him.
TAI karate
GM David German GM GERMAN IN MEMORIAM
Some things are caught, rather than taught. Itis often during the quiet times of conversationand exchange of ideas that imagination isstimulated. German once entertained the lateMas Oyama in his home in California. Heenjoyed the company of Oyama, the illustriousfounder of Kyokushin Karate, who wasfamous for his amazing strength andprowess in f ighting everything fromwrestlers to wild bulls. German championed the effectiveness
of classical Martial Arts by mixing themwith hardcore Grappling and Chin na. HisGrappling experience dated back to hisfriendship with “Judo” Gene LeBell, hailed bymany as the "toughest man alive." Heconveyed this expertise in Grappling toothers whose knowledge began with striking.His joint locks and arm bars spiced up the
late, great Al Thomas’ Budo Jujutsusystem. Years of training andcollaborating with Thomas deemedGerman the official heir of the BudoJujutsu system.
TAI Karate
A living legend
German continued to develop and expandhis own innovations in the arts. Fusing hisKenpo expertise with Grappling and Chin Na,he created a hybrid system known asTransition-Action-Incorporated Karate. TAIKarate (Kenpo) integrates the devastatingattacks of Kenpo with the painful joint-lockingtechniques of Jujutsu and Chin Na, masterfullyblending the arts together in a fluid transitionfrom striking to Grappling. The ancientChinese seizing and controlling art of Chin Naredirects and uses an attacker's force againsthimself. When Chin Na is combined with themyriad of stand up and ground fightingtechniques of TAI karate, the result is a highlyeffective self-defense system.German endeavored to pass on the
knowledge and expertise he had gained overthe years to others willing and able to run withit. His connection and friendship with Dr.Christian Harfouche began over three decades
“Parker challenged German tobe himself and to think outside
of the box. He constantlyencouraged the young black beltto cultivate his creativity andincorporate his own techniques
into the Kenpo system.”
ago in California when the young man’s entireconcept of the Martial Arts was transformed by thisgreat American master and his ground-breakingfighting style. Upon obtaining his 10th Dan in TAIkarate, Harfouche was named the official heir ofGerman’s system.Over the years, David German has served as a
bodyguard to many notable figures and trainedsuch celebrities as Wayne Newton. He hasconducted over one thousand Martial Artsdemonstrations in Las Vegas in such covetedvenues as the Tropicana Hotel. His own televisionshow, “The Art of Karate, By David German,” was a
source of education and information to multitudesin times past. This sixty-three year old mastercontinues to astound seminar audiences andstudents alike with his encyclopedic knowledge ofChin Na, his blistering hand speed, and his brilliantcreativity.
GM David German GM GERMAN IN MEMORIAM
TAI Karate
GM David German
GRANDMASTER DAVID GERMAN• 10th-degree black belt TAI karate• Kenpo master• Expert in Budo Jujutsu• Chin Na master• Expert in White-tiger Kung Fu• Expert in White-eyebrow Kung Fu• Expert in Grappling
BUDO PRESENTS!David German was a student of the late Ed Parker
and has thoroughly studied the relationships ofmartial movement in various arts such as Kenpo,Jujutsu, Aikido, and Chin na. In his new video,Kenpo: the TAI Way, he demonstrates and explainshow to incorporate transitional actions as he movesswiftly and efficiently from striking to Grappling.
GM GERMAN IN MEMORIAMRIP 2005
“TAI Karate (Kenpo)integrates the devastatingattacks of Kenpo with the
painful joint-lockingtechniques of Jujutsu
and Chin Na”
Attacks to body points
One of the hardest areas to work Kyusho on also happens to be thedeadliest, since nature provided substantial protection of the body cavityneeded to keep the organs from serious damage. This level ofinformation will take a lot of serious study to be workable at a level ofproficiency to enable the accurate and correct targeting in a realcombative situation. The protective anatomical structures are not onlysubstantial, but also highly mobile and quickly protected by the entirehuman structure. It can instantly be covered by the arms, legs, head andshoulder as well as the torso itself. Add this to other dynamics likemotion, excess weight, or muscle mass and you can easily see why thislevel will take far more time to be able to work adequately.
The torso is an intricate combination of bone, cartilage, tendons,muscle, fat and skin that was designed by nature to allow maximumadaptability and protection. The very existence of the individual countsheavily on this protection during the course of his or her lifetime,especially in rough situations where falling, jarring and purposeful attackcomes into play.
The skin itself is connected to the muscle structures by a thin and verypliable membrane. This allows any contact to be slipped or shifted so asto avoid a more direct and concentrated connection. Add possiblelayers of fat that act as even more shock absorption and you willunderstand just the first level of organ protection each physical beinghas. The nerves which all lay in between the above- mentionedanatomical structures will be harder to compress against a backstructure to cause the electrical impulse into the nervous system due tothe highly mobile surface.
Next comes the muscle of the torso, which not only enables movementand control, it also adds layers of padding for underlying structures insome areas. The pectoral, latissimus and abdominal muscles are verylarge and can even be strengthened, causing an increase in the depth ofthe tissue forming even more protective padding. When a muscle is
Evan Pantazi
“By striking thepoints on the side
and frontalaspects of thebody we have
greateraccessibility and
much lesspossibility forphysical andobservabledamage”
Kyusho
“The torso is anintricate
combination ofbone, cartilage,tendons, muscle,fat and skin thatwas designed bynature to allow
maximumadaptability and
protection”
tightened the density, and thus protective potential, increase many times as well. Not only does this action coverthe nerves and buffer the stress on the internal organs, but will not allow as easy a penetrating effect as the stressis shared by more surface tissue.
Cartilage and bone comprising the rib structure serve as an absorption and energy transference mechanism.The ribs are rounded and angled to disperse direct impact or compression much like the arch of a bridgedisperses weight to the bases. The hard bones are also connected to cartilage, which is pliable and adds evengreater shock absorption and transference of induced concussion.
Even the soft composition and pliability of the organs themselves will absorb, contour and adjust to protect thefunction. So add all of these exterior structural layers, the soft pliable movement of the body itself capable ofshifting, twisting and rolling to absorb impact, then add the mobility of the arm positions to move freely to allangles, the legs which can adjust distance or completely move the torso, and even the head that naturally movesto offset and maintain balance in body shifts, and you can see you are up against quite a bit.
All of this can be compensated for and serious internal damage can be administered by understanding theseobstacles and just a few key components. The proper study will bring these into the practitioners capabilities with
minimal effort, but lots of practice. Rather than conventional strength methods,the Kyusho practitioner learns the locations, angles and methods in whichwe can get past these layers to affect not only the related nerves, but alsothe actual source, or organ itself.
First we look at the tools required, as using the fist, palms, elbows, legsor feet will require sheer strength to battle these protective layers. By
Evan Pantazi
using single knuckles (many areusable and contained in thevarious Arts, but not widelyunderstood), f ingertips, wristbones, or certain parts of the foot,strength will no longer be the keyfactor. Also, by taking out thenecessity for strength, the rangeof motion needed, as well asvelocity, means the motion will beminimal, allowing less reactiontime for the opponent to use theirown mobility and body motion forprotection.
The nerves that send theimpulses from the brain to makethe organs actually work traveldown the spine with majorbranches exiting at each vertebraeand/or intercostal space (spacebetween the ribs) and throughoutthe entire torso. Not only doeseach nerve branch out along theribs and entire body, but they alsoinnervate (run throughout) eachinternal organ causing it tofunction continuously andefficiently. In each of theseintercostal spaces lay a vein,nerve and artery, as well as ouraccess route to the functioning ofthe organs. Also, as stated inprior sections, pressure points areareas where we can actually getbetween the protective layers andmanipulate a section of nervemore directly, and in turn, theinternal functions of the individual.Using special small tools orweapons to get to these points orlocations between muscles,tendons, and bones at the correctangle will weaken or affect thesource of the organs’ energy. Thisis also why the old Mastersworked the Makiwara, in order todevelop these calloused knucklesto further enhance the penetratingability.
The points of the back whichcorrespond to the acupuncturemeridians (Bladder Meridian) arethe most advanced for the KyushoPractitioner. They are consideredmore advanced since first the
individual’s skil l must also beadvanced to get to them inconflict, their direct connection tothe central nervous system as wellas the organs themselves. Butyou must be aware that thepossibil ity of severe and/orpermanent damage to theindividual is probable. Thesenerves exit out of the spine and bystriking them at the correct angle(each has a specific angle ofaccess), we can pinch themagainst a hard bony surfacecausing a strong nerve impulsedirectly into the central nervoussystem. But also possible is thephysical damage to the spineitself, making the complete bodystructure dysfunctional. Thesepoints, when struck correctly, willstop most of the energy fromreaching the organs and thuscause their failure.
By striking the points on theside and frontal aspects of thebody we have greater accessibilityand much less possibil ity forphysical and observable damage.However, they will cause pain,dysfunction, loss of body control,drop in blood pressure, as well asthe accompanying symptoms ofnausea and altered states ofconsciousness. These points willsend excess energy into the organand nervous system accountingfor many possible effects.
Any single point attackedcorrectly can end the conflict;however, multiple points wil lcause more dysfunction and havemuch greater effect. This wil laccount for many strange handpostures in ancient Kata, whichwere designated as blockingpositions in modern applicationand teaching. These postures canbe translated or made functionalin offensive manners as opposedto defensive in several ways:
By striking arm points prior tobody points, the nerve impulsetravels to the spine where itsimultaneously transmits it to the
Kyusho
brain through a process called convergence, and tovarious other areas in the body called divergence. Withhis divergence the nerves and corresponding organsbecome more sensitive and even agitated, so whenattacked through more direct means such as afocused strike to the organ or correspondingnerve, more dysfunction and systematicimpairment ensues.
Consequently, if you attack a body pointcorrectly you will send the impulse first to theorgan, then to the spine (unless a spinalpoint is attacked and the impulse transfersdirectly to the central nervous system priorto the organ), where it converges to the brainand facilitating many other parts of the bodyand head en route. So by one hand
attacking the body it weakens the head, neck, andarms for the other attack.
Or by striking multiple body points you will havemaximum effect on the organ and more
serious potential. By striking themsimultaneously, severedysfunction and failure areimminent (depending again onproper access and severity ofattack). As the body is verywell balanced by nature ithas the ability to shift excessenergetic input to otherareas for selfprotection/preservation. It isbilateral, meaning that
Evan Pantazi
everything on one side of the body and affected by thenerves on that side of the spine is also mirrored on theopposite side. So, say you attacked the liver via apressure point, it would affect the organ as well asconverge and diverge to other areas of the brainand body. But if you attacked two pointssimultaneously on both sides of the body,impulses will converge in between fromboth sides of the brain and nervoussystem.
With regard to the body points, cautionand common sense must prevail and sinceexperimentation can lead to severe healthissues we do not recommend you attemptthese. They are written here as historicalaccounts, informational interpretation onlyas to the possibilities and validation of
hand postures prevailing
in ancient Kata or fighting systems.On the front centerline of the body, there are several
potent points that are easily accessiblebetween the two abdominal sections, one
in particular will illustrate some of theprinciples mentioned. Let’s start
with the solar plexus, as most arefamiliar with it and most havebeen affected in this area intheir practices or activities.This point will make it difficultto breath as you are not onlyaccessing a nerve, but alsostriking the diaphragm as well.Struck straight in, this point isvery painful and debilitatingdue to muscle spasms of thediaphragm and local area
Kyusho
muscles. This concentration of muscletension also robs the strength from othermuscles and systematically weakens thewhole body structure. However, there iseven a more disruptive way to attack thispoint that causes sharper and escalatedpain and dysfunction. If you strike with asmall surface like a single knuckle downand in at a 45-degree angle, you send adirect impulse into the nervous system.If you use the full fist or even a palm youwil l not get the internal pain anddysfunction compared to using a singleknuckle or similar attack. The full fist willstay mostly on the higher surfaces of themuscles and ribs; this wil l cause atightening of the surrounding musclestructure, increasing the density andprotective ability. By using the singleknuckle you will hit the nerve with lesssurface area and send the impulsedirectly into the body cavity and internalorgan; bypassing the rib and muscleprotection, you will actually cause themuscles to release as opposed totensing, as when attacked broadly. Notonly wil l you get the symptomsmentioned above, but the pain will shootalso to the back, lower abdominalregions and legs. This will cause severepain, contraction of the diaphragmleading to problems with breathing, lossof bladder control, dysfunction of legmuscles and altered state ofconsciousness. So not only is thelocation of the target important, more sois the angle of attack and the weapon formaximum effect.
As powerful as that may sound, thistoo can be intensified by using armpoints prior to attacking the solar plexus.As stated earlier, the nerves in the armsend nerve impulses to the spine where itsimultaneously travels up to the brainand down throughout the spinal nerves.This activates and agitates the entirecentral nervous system and many of theperipheral nerves as well, doubling ortripling the effects.
This process works both ways as it willalso intensify all strikes and effects to thenerves of the head after the solar plexusstrike with the same facilitation process.So if you struck the opponent on ST-5,although the effects are impressive, therewill be a far greater effect after the nerveimpulse converged up the spine from thesolar plexus attack to the brain and sostimulated all the cranial nerves in theprocess.
Or, for a more dangerous method,combine it with another body point thatwil l cause even more seriousramifications and effects. Just on theside of the body at the same level of thesolar plexus is a point called Spleen-21at the midway point from front to back.This point should be struck straight intothe side with a small knuckle with a slighttwist to pinch the intercostal nerveagainst the rib. As the simultaneousstrikes will converge from 2 areas to thebrain and throughout the central andperipheral nervous system, it will alsoconverge to the organs themselves.
Now use any combination of thosecombinations such as the arms andmultiple body attacks and you canimagine the escalation factor. Forexample, if you are assaulted and youreply with a strike to the nerves of theoncoming arm, then advance to the bodyfor a double strike, it will be devastatingto the internal organs and the health ofthe individual.
Hindering the normal function of anorgan to cause failure or malfunction intime can cause toxicity, fatigue orimpaired function of several bodyfunctions. Left untreated (old medicineor even accessibility to it was rare andnot understood as necessary), moreserious long-term effects will transpire;this is the method most plausibly usedand responsible in the legends andstories of the “Delayed Death Touch”.
Once again, taking it into the source,not just on the surface.
Kyusho
Grand Masters
In the society of comfort, the old spirit of sacrificeof the pioneers is a little understood experience.However, the tempering and significance of thoseexperiences made the success of the Martial Artsthat are enjoyed today possible.
So the refrain goes, “From rich grandparents… poorgrandchildren!”
It is not, however, due to a lack in the Martialsystems, which have been able to become moresophisticated and to evolve positively, just as ourguest today on the cover tells us, Grand MasterKwang Sik Myung.
The error is founded on a vision of the world thatsinks its roots into concepts like rights (in detrimentto obligation or responsibility), peace, as the oppositeof war (when it is nothing but its absence!),definitively, of the “Universal goodness of all things,”instead of the vision of a warrior: permanently on thealert in a hostile world where peace is more a resultof his ability to re-channel tensions, not a result of“the natural state of things”. Therefore, it would bewell for one to live in a state of “infinite desire forpeace,” to become a knight, and prepare oneself forwar since it is the conscious warrior that is the onlytrue guarantor of peace, not the one who pursues itas a final objective, since in the end (and this is theparadox of things…), we always find that which werun from.
Hapkido
Today a warrior of the old style visits thesepages. A loyal heir of the tradition his Masterleft him, he shares with all of us in thisinterview the knowledge and experiences of aheroic time, the time of the pioneers, a mirrorin which we shouldn’t stop looking atourselves and how the world is going.
For that, I strongly suggest you listen withattention and respect his advice, withoutprejudices, because from the grand Mastersthere is always something to take advantageof that might not even be technical.Meanwhile, the lovers of Hapkido arefortunate for having the chance to train thetechniques that the Grand Master Kwang SikMyung has wanted to share with them first-hand through a video done expressly for thefollowers of this publication.
As you well know, this audio-visual initiativefrom Budo is based on the idea of being ableto have a quality learning vehicle to offset thelack of adequate attention that we deserve asa collective in the television mediums. Theseproducts are possible due to the kindness oftheir authors, but also to the interest of thestudents to be able to access material of hightechnical quality in their own homes, withoutthe need of traveling to other countries and inthis way to be able to choose their path, or tolearn from many more sources than waspossible in the past. Their prices are fixedaccording to demand, and as I often say, this,for good and for bad, is not soccer! So, wehave to adapt ourselves.
For us, it is always a joy to be able to relyon people of high quality such as the Masterwho visits us today, and in this way toculminate our destiny as world leaders in thesector’s communication mediums. For that,and let the record show, that we appreciateyour attention and monthly support in thisinitiative since it is you who make it possiblewith your passion, which is also ours, for theMartial Arts.
Alfredo Tucci
Grand Master Kwang Sik MyungLiving history of Hapki-do
President of the WorldHapkido Federation, GrandMaster Kwang Sik Myung is theheir of a very special legacy, aMartial discipline that helearned from the hands of itsfounder, Grand Master ChoiYong Sul.
Esteemed readers, today wehave on the cover and in thisarticle, one of the most impor-tant figures in Martial Arts andin all assurance, an unavoid-able reference if we are speak-ing about the world of Hapki-do: Grand Master Kwang SikMyung, 10th degree and presi-dent of the World HapkidoFederation. And this is not an
Hapkido
opinion or a trivial affirmation, in fact, the GM received the10th degree level from the very hand of his Grand Master, thefounder of this Art, Grand Master Choi Yong Sul. Our guest onthe cover this month is undoubtedly a very special person andof great human quality and sensitivity, but as is frequentamong traditional martial masters, with enormous character;he is a man of principles and with a Martial code of behavior.This is the result of a whole life of dedication to the Art. His lifechanged when in 1950 he found himself in the SuperiorSchool. He was initiated into what was then calledHapkiyukwonsul. That was the denomination that GrandMaster Choi Yong Sul gave to his Martial Art. An essential partof his training came at Taebaek mountain, where he lived amonastic life devoted to the practice of Ki, among other tech-niques. Afterward, he had to take the reins of his destiny andtoday he is the heir and president of the World HapkidoFederation.
Korean by birth, today and since some years ago, he lives inLos Angeles, California, from where he continues to strive in hisdestiny and obligation, which is nothing less than the spreadingof his Martial Art. In said task, he has achieved great success—always teaching in a traditional way—thanks to his persever-ance and also due to the great coverage in the best and most
prestigious magazines around the world; he haswritten numerous books and done variousdemonstrative videos which have been distrib-uted throughout a great number of countries.
As you will know, the 10th degree (or Dan) levelis only given by the founders or creators of aMartial Art. This distinction, unless they decide it,can not be handed over by anyone else. GrandMaster Choi Yong Sul only gave the 10th Dan toGM Myung. For those who aren’t alien to themartial traditions, that means that, in conse-quence, he was chosen by the founder as theheir to his legacy, that is, he was given the obli-gation to continue directing the Art of Hapkido inthe world.
Grand Master Myung is, as you might imagine,a great expert in Hapki-doka. The majority of thegrand masters in this beautiful Martial Art havebeen students of his and have been in the WorldHapkido Federation.
Grand Masters
GM Myung is everything oneexpects to find in a Grand Master,and what is rare since there arefew who exist; an upright man,dedicated in body and soul toHapkido, he never ceases to trav-el around the world giving semi-nars and teaching this beautifulArt. His dedication is only compa-rable to his enthusiasm, whichnever ceases to be amazing in aman of his age. As a person, he isa friend of his friends and a loverof his family, and he values loyaltyabove all else.
Today he comes to our pages indeserved recognition, and hedoes so willing to share all hisexperience and knowledge withus, reader friends, not onlythrough this interview, but alsowith an extremely interestinginstructional video project withwhich we are sure you will bepleased. It will help to make evenmore known many technicalaspects of the Art; not in vain hashis teaching methodology broughthim worldwide fame.
At the request of GM Myung, wewant to distinguish the meaning of
some terms used in the interview.For example: the Master never says“TRAINING” rather “PRACTICE,”because he believes that the firstword has a sportive connotation,while the second possesses apurely Martial meaning. For theGrand Master, Hapkido is a MartialArt in all its dimensions, NOT asport, and therefore he will alsospeak about “DISCIPLES” and notabout “STUDENTS”, etc…. The tra-ditional Masters, like our guesttoday, possess a very definedsense of their Arts that might sur-prise a Westerner; nonetheless, it isgood to remember that the strengthof the current Arts come from theirorigins and that the way of the war-rior is not the result of spontaneouscreation rather from a way of seeinglife. For that, don’t miss the follow-ing interview!
INTERVIEW
Budo International: How wasthe practice of Hapkido with GMChoi Yong Sul?GM Myung: Very hard, too hard!
He lived in Taegu, in South Korea,
and he came to teach us in Seoul.;sometimes we had to go there, andwe covered many kilometers to beable to learn, and that developed atrue spirit of sacrifice in us. Peopleseek the comfortable and many,many times quality doesn’t residenear comfort. He was truly very hard.
Budo Int.: What memories doyou have of that practice?GM Myung: The pain. It was
constantly painful! He alwaysmade us cry, he was very tough.Master Choi had a very strongcharacter and a great personalityand sometimes it seemed to methat he was going to break my armand he told me: “You have to havepatience,” and he squeezed evenharder. Sometimes I really thoughtI was going to die!
Budo Int.: Did you ever thinkabout abandoning it?GM Myung: No, never! Though
at times I thought I must be crazyto continue practicing. Now I amvery satisfied for having continuedforward, but at that time, I wasonly happy when I arrived home.
Hapkido
Budo Int.: What techniqueswere the most dangerous andwhich of them were the hardestto learn?GM Myung: Many techniques.
The majority of the techniques inHapkido can be very dangerous.
Budo Int.: In all these years,what was the most difficultmoment for you?GM Myung: Undoubtedly when
I retired to the mountains to learnwith the monks; that was verytough, it was very hard for me.
Budo Int.: Why did you makethe decision to retire to themountains?
GM Myung: Because, eventhough I had learned a lot, I wantedto have a higher level in my mind, itwas a fight with myself. I wantedmore and to practice more intensely.
Budo Int.: Did it take very longfor you to reach your objec-tives?GM Myung: I was in the
monastery a long time…, in theend, I felt as if I was part of a fam-ily there. They taught me to dogood Ki meditation and toimprove my technique. This is whymy religion is Hapkido.
Budo Int.: Would you recom-mend to your disciples that they
go through that same experi-ence?GM Myung: Of course, that is
why I am writing a book explainingmy experiences, though I alreadyhave eleven books written abouttechniques, this one is more cen-tered on meditation. If I die, I wantthis to be my legacy for my disci-ples.
Budo Int.: What does aHapkido practitioner need inorder to reach the mastery thatyou possess?GM Myung: First, he or she
must have humility and the spiritof sacrifice in order to be able togive everything without asking for
Grand Masters
anything in return. But especially, an open mind and a positive attitude. Otherwise, Hapkido wouldn’t exist,nor the World Federation.
Budo Int.: How and why are there so many Hapkido schools in Spain?GM Myung: In Hapkido, there are many “Kwan” schools. That is not any problem given that all of them
have the same principles. Everything begins with the first generation of Masters, and from there arise the fol-lowing generations, which, logically, go along creating schools; but it is here, and probably for a lack ofknowledge, where confusions arise. There is only one Hapkido! There are many different schools since, asyou all know, Hapkido is an Art and each one must express himself in his own way. Therefore, it doesn’t mat-ter how many “kwan” schools there are, what is truly important is that all of them are united where thefounder, GM Choi, put all his confidence, that is to say, in the world organization that he created, the WorldHapkido Federation.
Budo Int.: Why the request to mention theimportance of some terms?GM Myung: Hapkido is a true Martial Art,
NOT a sport. It is Art and science, with its ownprinciples and fundamental values such asrespect, humility, loyalty, and the love of one’scountry, of one’s parents, etc…., which areessential for the adequate practice.
Keep in mind that Hapkido, with the pressureof only one finger on a vital point of the body,can cause death, therefore, you will understandthe great importance that molding the charac-ter of one who receives these teachings has. Amartial artist “PRACTICES,” while an athlete“TRAINS”. From a true Art, one can’t try tomake a sport, with its rules and norms, since inthe street, unfortunately, there are no rules andno norms; however, one can have events wherethe martial artist (always when his master per-mits it) develops and shows his skills, but theseare two quite different things. The true martialartist has to leave his ego aside.
Budo Int.: How do you feel knowing thatyou are supported by so many disciplesfrom all the countries of the world?GM Myung: Very proud; they are all very dif-
ferent, but they have something in common:they work very hard and they know that theyare practicing a true Martial Art.
Budo Int.: How would you define Hapkido,in your own words?GM Myung: Hapkido is the path of harmony. Really, Hapkido is like the mother of all the Martial Arts. A
mother that has many children and Hapkido, being the most complete Art, is as if it had many and differentArts, combat and martial. It is like a hand, and each finger is an art: Karate, Muay Thai, Taekwondo, Kung Fu,Ki Gong, etc.
Budo Int.: Is Hapkido different now than it was when practiced at its beginnings?
Hapkido
Grand Masters
GM Myung: Of course, it has evolved and it has developed with the practiceand teaching. We have researched the way to purify it, and how to adapt it tothe new times. The situations of aggression are not the same now as theywere fifty years ago, nor is the mentality of the students. I always workin the direction of improving, not only the Martial Art in and of itself,but also, and no less importantly, the way that it can be taught bet-ter. Through time and after thousands of seminars in many coun-tries, I’ve been able to observe these necessities when theyarise and for that every year I make a new video in order toshow the improvements, as well as the new techniques.
Budo Int.: Do you think that this development can con-fuse Hapkido practitioners?GM Myung: No, certainly not. The techniques always have
the same fundamental principles, the same essence; theonly thing that changes is how they are practiced and thefocus. For example, the disciples in the United States, Spain,or Korea don’t have the same worries. The Koreans prefer thekicks because Korea is a country with a lot of mountains and thatmakes people have strong legs. In America, they prefer the punches.So, Hapkido has the same roots for everyone: the only thing thatchanges is the way in which it is taught, adapting itself to the social cir-cumstances, since the ways of aggression are different in each coun-try; but what never changes, nor will they ever change, are the funda-mental principles.
Hapkido
Budo Int.: What principles are you referring to?GM Myung: That of water, of harmony, and of the circle.
Budo Int.: What meaning do they have?GM Myung: The first one means that just like water can shape, wear down,
and even destroy rock, a small power can confront a greatpower.
A person smaller or weaker than another doesn’t needstrength to win because Hapkido utilizes pressure pointsin a way that allows one to injure easily.In its beginnings, Hapkido was only taught to mem-
bers of the nobility, the royal family, and to the monks,who were physically weaker than men who worked in the
countryside. It was a secret Martial Art and it taught onehow to confront adversaries successfully, stronger adver-
saries, or even against various adversaries at the same time. Itis easy to close the fist, but if you twist a finger, or even break it,
you can make an adversary go down. We teach these kinds oftechniques.The second refers to the human body having two energy currents: the
internal and the external. The external is easy to see: how you strike, howfast you can run, how high you can jump… All that is limited, we can test
it in the Olympic Games: the scores differ very little one from the other,but the internal energy has no limits.
Breathing has a lot to do with this and for that we do breathingexercises in every class. The Korean philosophy says that the uni-verse is immense and the human body is small, but man canequal the universe by joining with it. Just as the moon and thesun exist, the human body also has two parts that are called inKorean, Um and Yang.
Grand Masters
The year has four seasons, man has fourlimbs. There are 12 acupuncture lines likethe months of the year, and there are 365pressure points, like the days of the year.
The pressure points can be utilized in twoways: one can give life with them, or onecan take it away. In Hapkido, there are vari-ous ways of applying pressure; if you applypressure in a specific way you can cure, ifwhat you want is to do damage, aHapkidoca can numb, injure, and even kill.
The third principle is the circle and itspeaks of union. When a man and a womanunite, they form a family, they also make
their community and the world grow. Eachone of us forms a part of the whole in whichwe must try to make harmony and peaceprevalent.
Budo Int.: To finish, tell us whatHapkido represents to you?GM Myung.: Without a doubt, Hapkido is
my life and my religion, a way of life.
Budo Int.: Thank you for your wordsand we appreciate your wanting to shareyour knowledge with our readers.GM Myung: Thank you.
Hapkido
Grand Masters
“The Korean philosophy says thatthe universe is immense and the
human body is small, but man can equal the universe
by joining with it”
“Best Karate Kumite”. George Bierman Generallyspeaking, if you ask someone, “why are you inMartial Arts”, they will tell you it's because they wantto learn how to fight. You usually never hear themsay that they wanted to learn kata, weapons orwazas. I guess all of us have a little of that “I want to
be a tough guy” or you could be motivatedby a real need to protect yourself.
Whatever the reason, in this DVD Idiscuss Basic and Advanced
kumite techniques andconcepts that all of us should
know, whether you are anadvanced student or justbeginning, and somethings that have workedfor me over and over.Some can be used onthe street but I'm mainlyfocusing on tournamenttechniques. I can tell youover and over to keepyour hands up to protect
your face. Some of youmay do it and some may
not. Once you get hit in theface several times by not
doing it, you will. I began myMartial Arts training in 1973 and
this is a collection of proventechniques and strategies that have
worked well for me in competition to present day.I have combined strategies, footwork, techniquesand combinations that lead me to well over 2000tournament wins and a World Champion fighter inSt. Petersburg, Russia. They work!
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH, ESPAÑOL, ITALIANO, FRANÇAIS
REF.: • BIERMAN3REF.: • BIERMAN3
All DVDs, wichi is produced by BudoInternational, si provided and alone in theformats DVD-5 or MPEG-2, in VCD, DivXor the like is however neves offered with aspecial holograma sticker. Besides ourDVD is characteristed coverings by the higquality in pressure and material. If thisDVD and/or the DVD covering do notcorespond to the requirements specifiedabove, it concerns illegal pirat copy.
Budo international.comORDERS:
The DVD "Krav Maga Research and
Development" comes from the will of four
experts in Krav Maga and combat sports,
Christian Wilmouth and Faustino Hernandez,
Dan Zahdour and Jerome Lidoyne. To date, they
lead several clubs and a group of twenty
instructors and monitors from multiple
disciplines, from Krav Maga or
Boxing to the MMA, Mixed
Martial Arts. This work is not
intended to highlight a new
method or a specific
branch of Krav Maga, it
simply aims to present a
Krav Maga program that
focuses on the
importance of the
"content" and share their
experi
REF.: KMRED1
All DVDs, wichi is produced by Budo
International, si provided and alone in the
formats DVD-5 or MPEG-2, in VCD, DivX
or the like is however neves offered with a
special holograma sticker. Besides our
DVD is characteristed coverings by the hig
quality in pressure and material. If this
DVD and/or the DVD covering do not
corespond to the requirements specified
above, it concerns illegal pirat copy.
Budo international.comORDERS:
All DVDs, wichi is produced by BudoInternational, si provided and alone in theformats DVD-5 or MPEG-2, in VCD, DivX or thelike is however neves offered with a specialholograma sticker. Besides our DVD ischaracteristed coverings by the hig quality inpressure and material. If this DVD and/or theDVD covering do not corespond to therequirements specified above, it concerns illegalpirat copy.
REF.: • FUSHIH-2REF.: • FUSHIH-2
This new work on Fu-Shih Kenpo by Soke RaulGutierrez is centered on the traditional forms ofthe style, their applications and self defence. Wewill have a deeper insight into the form "The TigerDefends Himself", with each of the correspondingtechnical applications, the form "Tiger Teeth",
and a special work on weapons. Then theMaster will explain in detail the
extense series of advancetechniques on self defence,indicating the whys of certainmovements, the necesaryprecautions to take intoaccount, possible anglesand the variations thatcould be applied ineach technical group.The DVD completesitself with a series ofcombat techniquesfor competition andconditioning work.where MasterGutierrez explainshow to prepareoneself physicallywith the use ofweapons, arms and legconditioning, selfdefence preparation and
for combat. Without anydoubt this work is rich in
knowledge based on theexchange and coordination of
different styles and how to learnto respect the differences from each
source of works.
Budo international.comORDERS:
All DVDs, wichi is produced by Budo International,si provided and alone in the formats DVD-5 orMPEG-2, in VCD, DivX or the like is however nevesoffered with a special holograma sticker. Besidesour DVD is characteristed coverings by the higquality in pressure and material. If this DVD and/orthe DVD covering do not corespond to therequirements specified above, it concerns illegalpirat copy.
REF.: • KYUSHO 22REF.: • KYUSHO 22
The "Kyusho Tactical Control Program" (KTCP), was designedfor Subject control escalation with Legal, Medical and TacticalDeployment research, field-testing and coordination. The scopeof this program is for use by but not limited to, LawEnforcement, Security, Emergency Medical or Response, Coast
Guard, Military, Governmental Agencies, Body Guardsand Personal Security. This Basic Module is
comprised of one set of 12 primary targetsand integrated into 4 modules of
escalating force restraintcontinuums. There are several
weak structures in the humanbody that can be utilized by an
Agent to simply gain controlof a perpetrator moreefficiently thanconventional use of forcemethods. This would bein the protocol should asituation escalate pastthe verbal commandstage. These Kyusho(Vital) points are wherethe Agent can make useof internal systems of
physical control such as,Nerves, Tendon Structure
and natural Nerve Reflexesof the body. Not requiring
heavy force Fine or complexmotor control or even sight… all
of which is subject to failure andloss in high adrenaline states. This
information is dedicated to the Brave andResilient Members of these Agencies around
the world… Thank you for what you do!
Budo international.comORDERS:
WING CHUN GUNWING CHUN GUNWING CHUN GUNWING CHUN GUNGGGG FUFUFUFU::::
The Explosive Art of Close Range CombatThe Explosive Art of Close Range CombatThe Explosive Art of Close Range CombatThe Explosive Art of Close Range Combat
Sifu Randy Williams’ extensive collection of books
on Wing Chun in 6 volumes, the series contains the
history of Wing Chun, the theory and description
of all Wing Chun forms in detail, Volume 6 is
focused on instructing the system and provides
additional information about Wing Chun Combat
Theory from A to Z! This great work, originally
written in 1988 and newly revised and updated is a
must for the library of any serious student of the
art.
You can order the entire series as a set of 6 books,
or by individual volume, and the new DVDs can
also be ordered individually or in sets directly from
us through our website:
www.shop.crca.de
One Volume € 49,90
SingleWeapon DVD € 39,90
Biu Jitsu DVD € 25,90
DVD Set (all 5) € 149,90
The shipping & handling costs are not included for more
information please contact us:
Copyright © 1989 CRCA Enterprises
Publisher CRCA-Lopez / Mario Lopez,
Atroper Str. 56, 47226 Duisburg, Germany
E-Mail: [email protected]
Five brand new Wing Chun DVDs
1 DVD: “Bot” Jom Doh Basics
Complete “Bot” Jom Doh Form, 108 Motions,
Historical Information about the Wing Chun
Broadswords, Detailed Knife Blocking and
Striking Techniques, “Bot” Jom Doh
Footwork, Details of the footwork orientation
of the form, One-man “Bot” Jom Doh Drills
2 DVD set: “Bot” Jom Doh, Applications,
Drills, Concepts & Principles
Applications of the motions from the “Bot”
Jom Doh form, Knife vs. Knife, Knife vs.
Pole, Drills, Concepts and Principles,
Specially created Knife drills for the Wooden
Dummy, Detailed Knife Blocking and
Striking, Knife techniques as compared to
their empty-hand counterparts, Cutting
Principles
1 DVD: CRCA Wing Chun “Biu Jitsu”
Groundfighting
Contents: The concept of “Reverse
Engineering,” Chokes; Rear, Front Standing,
“Guillotine,” Head-and-Arm, Side-Mount
Shoulder Choke, and many other
Groundfighting drills and techniques.
2 DVD set: “Look Deem Boon” Gwun
Volume 1 ( 55 min. )
Content: Pole Details, Pole Drills, Pole
Footwork, Form Overview, “Look Deem
Boon” Gwun Form, 6 ½ Strikes of the Pole,
Applications: Pole vs. Pole
“Look Deem Boon” Gwun
Volume 2 (60 min.)
Heavybag Drills, Dummy Drills, Two Man
Drills, Form overview, Pole vs. Knife
Always with the Ochikara, "The Great Strength" (called e-bunto in the Shizen vernacular tongue) or secret wisdomof the ancient Miryoku Japanese shamans, as a backdrop, the author takes us into a world of genuine reflectionsthat are capable to move at once both the reader's heart and head, thus placing him continuously in front of theabyss of the invisible, as the true final frontier of personal and collective consciousness.
The spiritual taken not as religion, but as the study of the invisible, was the way of the ancient Miryoku sages toapproach the mystery in the framework of a culture as rich as unknown, to which the author has wholeheartedlydevoted.
Alfredo Tucci, Manager Director to Budo International Publishing Co. and author in the past 30 years of a largenumber of titles about the Warrior's Way, offers us a set of extraordinary and profound reflections, which can beread individually in no particular order. Each one of them opens up a window to us through which we can take alook at the most varied subjects from an unexpected angle, now dotted with humor now with forcefulness andgrandiosity, placing us in front of eternal matters with the view of the one who has just arrived and doesn't agreewith the common places in which everyone coincides.
We can affirm with conviction that no reader will be indifferent to this book; such is the strength and intensity ofits contents. Saying this is saying a lot in a world crowded with collective mangers, interested and behavioralideologies, manipulators and, in short, spurious interests and mediocrity. It is therefore a text for big souls andintelligent people who are ready to look at life and mystery with the freedom of the most restless and scrutinizingminds, without dogmas, without transient morals, without subterfuges...
All DVDs, wichi is produced byBudo International, si provided andalone in the formats DVD-5 orMPEG-2, in VCD, DivX or the like ishowever neves offered with aspecial holograma sticker. Besidesour DVD is characteristed coveringsby the hig quality in pressure andmaterial. If this DVD and/or the DVDcovering do not corespond to therequirements specified above, itconcerns illegal pirat copy.
REF.: • LEVIREF.: • LEVI8
Budo international.comORDERS:
