Iai-waza and a big stick
Topic: Cutting from the Wrist
Last night I went back to class and of course helped to teach the kids classes and moved onto some of my own stuff before class. I took one of the Chen swords that Loren had sent me and tried some iai-waza with it. This is where I made my rookie mistake for the evening. My first mistake was that I didn't fix my dogi after I had been doing ukemi with some of the students. The other rookie mistake was not taking the time to get familiar with the three foot knife I was swinging around. At one point I noticed a small peice of my higagi (the wrap over jacket) hanging loose. During one of the sword draws I was doing, I had nicked the jacket and because of the way it was sitting against me, it provided enough resistance for the blade to cut. This loosely translates as I need to pay more attention to my form ( as well as my jackets ) otherwise I am going to be an expert in sewing-fu.

Also last night during the Shinko-Ryu Kempo class, little old me was approached by my sensei and asked about my long staff forms. He had mentioned that he had not seen me do them in a while and wanted to see if my skills were up to par. I demonstrated both forms that I know and he was satisfied with my performance. Although I know I can make the most of every kata and make sure I show the instructor what he wants to see, there is always room for impovement. And I know from what I did last night what parts I have to improve on.

This weekend we are starting some basic cutting excersizes with the test blades from Orochi Shinken. I am going to video my cutting demo and get it out of the way so that way I can concentrate on some of the torture tests by some of my fellow kenshi.

This should be fun.

Regards,
Walt

Just when you thought it was safe
I got a great email from Loren Graves last night asking if I would take part in doing some art for his company...I of course accepted as you Loren is the consumate professional. I will be doing some design work based on cocepts that he has. Good stuff.

Migrains and deadlines ( sounds liek the name of a sitcom) have sidlined me for the last week so the training has not gone as smoothly as I would have liked. Which isn't a good thing as I have to take a JKD test this comming month and I am going to need all the practice that I can get. That week off is really oging to hurt but it would have hurt worse to participate with a nasty headache.

I have been working on the kodachi-waza for my sword work lately as this is the next step in the learning process I have with these types of weapons. The short sword presents different challenges in terms of range and speed of the draw ( iai-jutsu ). The other thing is that this is mainly a one handed weapon so attack dynamics differ from using the katana sword. All fun and games till you poke out your own eye.

I have also been trying to get some training in the use of the Kerambit, an indonesian weapon that resembles a tigers claw with a loop at one end. It is a very versitile tool as well as a weapon and I think I found one that I like and can get along with a trainer model that will allow practice and not chop my own eye out. I am really looking forward to using this weapon because of it's exotic feel and the fact that it takes some skill to employ correctly...

As was pointed out recently, nothing ever worth gaining was ever gained easily.

Regards,
Walt

Like a Hamster....Hey!
Topic: Training
I love to run. Some thing about chasing the horizon and watching the ground under you fade away is very theraputic. I especially like to run during the spring when it is not too hot and everything smells fresh. Very nice.

It being winter...and us getting hit with all sorts of snow lately...there is no place for me to hit the street where I live (sidewalks are covered). I live in a nice neighborhood but when you get to the main street, it is like everybody thinks they are driving for NASCAR. This is not someplace I want to be running in the street. The only thing left to do is pretend I am a hamster.

Treadmills are ok for those that just want a light jog or to simply walk. I like to run! So staying in one place while the same pad moves under me is like taking a horse that wants to run and running it in a circle over the same ground. I can feel that same restlessness as all I would rather do is hit the street.

So feeling very much like a gerbill, I ran a strong 3 miles (just about 19 minutes) and then stopped and shadowboxed for a bit. Once I knew the muscles were good and sore I jumped in the Jacuzzi and let the heat and bubbles pull out the knots.

I have been working the centerline lately in Jeet Kune Do. Trying to cut down the middle of my opponent with a strong offense. I have been using various drills and techniques to help me work this. Straight blast ( verticle chain punching ) drills have been good for working this concept. An example of this drill would be a jab, cross, hook combination followed by a centerline straightblast into the bags, mit or what have you. Something else I have been working on has been my footwork. Running is good for this, but I have also been suplimenting that with other things. Triangle drills from Kali done at a high rate of speed as well as some serious rope skipping has been the order of the day before. Now that my foot is repaired ( I had some minor surgery on my foot the other day), I can get back to doing this sort of stuff more frequently without feeling liek I am running on nails.

I am going to start some test cutting for the "Sword Project," this weekend. I am really looking forwad to seeing how people new to the sword try to handle it and what their cuts will look like.

Wish me Luck,
Walt

Topic: Training
I have been training really hard on working proper form with the katana sword the last few days in order to get ready for some heavy torture cutting in order to put the sample blades that Loren Graves from Orochi Sword Store has sent me through the ringer. He wanted a non-biased opinion of how the blades cut from some One outside of his group. I plan on putting these blades through as much torturous cutting as possible. Hopefully I don't blow out an arm doing this...

I ran quite a bit last night after I got done with my sword workout. My arms were dead from all the swinging so moving the legs a bit more, really balanced things out. Of course there is the obligatory soak in the Jacquzzi after all is said and done to make the muscles less twitchy afterward. My training for the next test in Jeet Kune Do is going well. I have several of the requirements that I need done and all I have to do is make sure that I am in shape enough to survive the test. The major problem I seem to be having is that I have a tendency to lean away from my opponent even when attacking. Bad form and posture that is going to get me cracked in the skull one of these days.

I have been playing around with some shadowboxing lately to help with the hand speed and vary the techniques that I am playing with in sparring. One of the techniques that I have been working vigorously is getting in close to work the uppercut. I noticed that infighting in the school is usually done by going to some sort of attack using the legs. I found a few times that throwing the uppercut in this range has been forcing the other guy to abandon the attack on this line and retreat to a safe distance. An uppercut combined with my own set of knee strikes might be used well in this range.

A friend from Kempo has asked me recently to help him with problems he has versus varied "styles" and how to address them during fighting. I offered that fighting the other person is not really the way that you want to train...and that in my opinion it was making the other guy fight you that often determined who wins or looses. If you don't stick to the other person's range as well as don't take the bait they give you and make sure they take all the bait you offer them, you should do just fine. But doing the same technique over and over again without adapting to the opponent and your environment/situation would get some one badly hurt in a real fight.

We'll see what happens in class tonight...

Regards,
Walt

All about the Steel: Part Two -> Practical Plus
Topic: The Shinken Reports
Along with the Practical Katana sword that I received from Orochi Shinken I also received a second package containing the Paul Chen Practical Plus Katana.

The sword arrived well packed using three foam spacers that wrapped tightly against the sword. The closed box served to compress the foam so that there was no play at all when the sword was jostled around in the box. I gave a good shake and a couple drops to see how tight it was and I still heard no rattle in the package...very professional packing.

I removed the sword from its protective bag and began to inspect the handle and scabbard (for anyone reading this who has Japanese sword expereince, you already know the quality and cut of most of these swords... These reviews are meant to inform anyone who might be interested in purchasing blades from Mr. Graves. I am going to refrain from using Japanese sword terminology unless it has no direct correlation in English. Those that are a part of the JSA community already know these terms and I would not want to confuse the first time consumer). The handle and scabbard were in prime condition with no defects apparrent. I removed the blade from the scabbard and took a good look at the handle. The fittings were tight as was the handle wrapping. There were no play in any of the fittings and the hand guard was tight (no latteral play). The blade collar was tight and fit well into the scabbard.

I gave the sword a couple of good swings and the handle gave no inidcation of rattle or play. The blade itself upon casual inspection had no defects and was straight. Although a slightly shorter blade, it had a more pronounced temper line upon the edge of the sword that stood out beyond the one on the standard practical model. The blade had a more uniform curve with no less on one part of the blade than another. The handguard was larger than on the practical as was the handle.

The sword seemed sturdy and survived it's trip well and I should be letting it bite into some targets very soon.

All about the steel: Part One -> Practical
Topic: The Shinken Reports
I recently have been working with Loren Graves of Orochi Shinken Sword Store in order to produce a "consumer report" documentary about the value of certain Japanese Styled swords. The intent of the documentary is to show the consumer what kind of sword one gets per the manufacturer and for the money. I also intend to put the spotlight on Mr. Graves as well to see what kind of proprieter the consumer was dealing with.

So far all my dealings with Mr. Graves has been more than professional. He has treated me and my dealings with him as a valued customer. All my questions regarding himself and his service have been answered promptly. So far as I can tell, His customer service is top notch.

I received the first set of swords in short order from Mr. Graves (His shipment arrived very quickly). I was actually surprised they arrived so fast from the left coast (as I am on the other side). They were expertly packed and when I checked for movement in the packages I heard the slight rattle of packing in one and nothing from the other.

Opening the packages there was no damage to either item and they arrived in pristine Condition.

The first sword that he sent was the Paul Chen Practical Katana. My first impressions were that the sword seemed sturdy and all of the handle wrapping and furniture seemed to be tightly bound with no play in any of the fittings. The handguard was firmly set and there was no lateral play. The blade collar seemed solid and fit it into the scabbard well. A few heavy swings showed the handle to be tightly set with no play. Eyeballing the set of the blade revealed it to be straight with no defects. The curve of the blade was more toward the end rather than the belly of the blade but it's ballance seemed to be ok. I was very satisfied with the way that this sword appeared and am looking forward to putting it through it's paces during cutting excersizes.

Ronin....By definition
The word ronin is kind of one of those tricky words that really doesn't translate well into English. It's basic definition refers to some one being thrown about by a stormy sea. That is why I chose that name for the name of this blogginess thing I am doing...beacue my martial arts training is a lot like being ronin.

The word usually refers to some one without a master or boss but I think it applies in this context as I seem to have many masters / boss'. Of course, the head honco at the school where I train ( Derderian Academy ) I consider my direct teacher as I am learning the most from him. I have been at the school for seven years now and I still get blasted in the head when I see something I didn't know being taught. Not just another technique based on a principle I already know...but a real live honest to goodness knowledge nugget that I can put in the brain files for use later.

At the present time in the Shinko Ryu I am currently working on our 5th form which has some interesting concepts in it. The most usefull surface principle that I have found so far has been the footwork that teaches movement around fallen enemies.

This is the point where I interject a bit of reality. Do I think I am a superman that will leave a samurai's full load of dead enemies in my wake that I will have to step over? No. But I do think that this knowledge is usefull if you are up against multiple attackers ( and you are either really good or really lucky).

The initial "body stepping" taught in the form is just a precept to teach moving over an object and transitioning into a defensive manuever. My humble oppinion is that this skill is valuable. For example say that you are fighting two people and you get a lucky sucker shot into one that drops one while the other rushes. Being able to "clear" the first opponent would be a usefull tool in this situation.

I am actually looking forward to seeing what else this new syllibus brings to light.

Riding the wave in the other direction I am also progressing in my training of JKD. I have my next test comming soon and it will be a precursor to my black sash test. Working on the new fighting principles that I have had to devise has not been that hard as I have done it a few times for my "Step" grade testing within the Shinko Ryu. What will really test my metal will be whether or not I remember precepts from all the levels...

Oh well, if it wasn't a challenge...it wouldn't be worth it...

Topic: Cutting from the Wrist
I have recently been talking to Loren Graves of Orochi Shinken Sword Store about testing some blades for him. He wanted me to try out some of his swords to see if they were true to the taglines that came with them (live blades, cutting sword, battle ready, etc...). After some lengthy conversations with him we have decided to do some torture testing with these blades.

I am going to be testing first trying kata and iai in order to test the common functionality of the blades. I also will be doing tamishigiri (cutting straw and bamboo targets) with the blades to test whether or not they are good to their names or just fancy overpriced wall hangers.

I have already ordered my cutting targets and have been practicing some iai in order to get ready. I have not been doing much tamishigiri with a katana sword lately as I have been working extensively trying to perfect my first cut (kata) with a kodachi. I have also been doing extensive target cutting with a knife. Mostly with the folder that I carry all the time and with my SOG desert dagger. I recently ordered a CRKT Hissatsu and I should be receiving that any day now. My goal is to be able to get through a large knot of a free hanging rope. As of yet I have only managed to put a good bite into it but have not been able to go through yet. Time to go practice more I guess...

Walt

Just like Tic Tacs
Topic: Training
Ah yes...nothing kills some ones training like a good migraine. This thing has been kicking my but for the last few days now and I think if it keeps up I am going to have to see a doctor for it. I use to get these all the time and then I started to drink massive amounts of coffee and they have held off for a while (caffine is a natural stimulant used to treat headaches...useless medical fact #243). I have been cutting the coffee back to one big cup and a small cup in the afternoon. The rest of the time I have been swallowing tea and water. The black tea I have been drinking has made me feel a lot better after having been drinking it steady ( a cup or two a day ) for the last few months. Now all I have to do is to finally kill these head aches and I should be all set.

I think my next Jeet Kune Do test is in April so I think I have some time to prepare for it. This test is the last one before the Black Sash test. Sifu Raffi has been talking about how the black sash is going to be a real ball breaker with lots of little barbs to take from us a bit at a time so by the end we should look like smoked dog crap. The level nine test (the one that I am taking soon) should be intense but I don't think will have a problem with it. Most of the material is self "inflicted" and as long as I am on my game I should do just fine.

One of the things that has been on the plate with some of the boys in the school is to get a second class of Filipino Kali going. The hard part is getting this idea past Guro Raffi. We used to have a second class but then once it was in full swing, we started to loose members for some reason. The class finally died when it droped to two members and for the last 3 years, our kali class consisted of 4-6 members with the average class size a consistant 3. This has changed in the last year as we have seen a huge upswing in the attendance. We now have 12 members with an average class of 8-10. Definately good stuff. Maybe if I continute to bug Guro Raffi I can get this party started.

Regards,
Walt

Disturbing behavior
Topic: Training
I wanted to begin to have an online journal of the training that I do from day to day. I have also crafted a website around the thought of dragging traditional martial arts into our modern age. There are plenty of traditional web sites and they have traditional methods and values on them. There are also to ultra modern "I want to be a real fighter" martial arts guy. In essence they want all the martial and none of the art. Fine by me.

What I would like is a site that has both. For example, I would like some of the forms that we do to progress into the modern age. They should be applied to the woman who gets her purse snatched in the parking lot. They should apply to the kid getting the pants beat from him on campus. They should apply to the police officer who gets tackled and now is in a fight to retain his side-arm.

Traditional martial arts don't lack applicablility, they just need to be applied in today's day and age. That is what I want this journal and it's attached web site to reflect. Hopefully I will succede...

Regards,
Walt