From: eskrima-digest-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To: eskrima-digest@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Subject: Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest V7 #250 Reply-To: eskrima@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Errors-To: eskrima-digest-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Precedence: Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest Wed, 17 May 2000 Vol 07 : Num 250 In this issue: eskrima: Gathering Report eskrima: I'm impressed! eskrima: Inosanto bio eskrima: My weapon of choice. eskrima: Re: The Kick [none] ========================================================================== Eskrima-Digest, serving the Internet since June 1994. 1100 members strong! Copyright 1994-2000: Ray Terry, the Martial Arts Resource, Inayan Eskrima Replying to this message will NOT unsubscribe you. To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe eskrima-digest" (no quotes) in the body (top line, left justified) of a plain text e-mail addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com. To send e-mail to this list use eskrima@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com See the Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) FAQ and online search the last five years worth of digest issues at http://www.MartialArtsResource.com Mabuhay ang eskrima! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Marc Denny" Date: Wed, 17 May 2000 00:36:36 -0700 Subject: eskrima: Gathering Report May 2000 Gathering Report: A Howl of Greeting to All: On Saturday May 6, we held our Spring Gathering of the Pack at its traditional location in Hermosa Beach. The weather was Southern California at its best for the 30 fighters who came from throughout the US, Canada, and Switzerland. The crowd was a bit smaller than usual (250?)- probably due to our inability to get our e-mail rolodex out of our old computer and into the new one which resulted in no e-mailing going out whatsoever. Brent "Earth Tribe Rhythms " Lewis, ably assisted by friend Richard Ramsey, again was the sonic backbone of the day on the Djembe drums. Yours truly, was Ringmaster and Ken Montijo served as "Master of Arms"-meaning he ran the equipment bag and chased down those who would have inadvertently wandered off with our gear at the end of a fight. One of the perennial challenges of the knife rounds with which we open the day is in getting something resembling realistic behavior. I have even waved a real tanto knife under people's noses during my opening talk to provide a visceral reminder of what it feels like to be in front of a knife. (This did work for a while) This time I decided to resort to our good friend "pain". All knife fights were to be done with the "Sharkee" knives, which are a hard plastic knife that I have enjoyed training with recently and which were kindly provided by Sharkee. (Attention naïve people! This is known as product placement!) Getting whacked or thrust with one of these definitely hurts more than a rattan dowel, and thus they are more likely to promote more realistic behavior. I also offered the possibility of going with aluminum training knives. With these the chance of a broken hand, rib, etc. goes up dramatically. The only fighters to go with the aluminum knives were, no surprise here, Salty Dog and Top Dog. Overall, I would say that this experiment was a success, and will be continued. The success includes the non-appearance of certain fighters who were there for my opening talk but did not actually step out on the field. (More on this below) I have not had a chance to watch the videos of the fights extensively yet, so my impressions of the day here are probably incomplete and I apologize for any lapses in my memory but these are the images that pop into my mind: The matter of size: C-Island Dog, as usual one of the smaller fighters out there, as usual never gave a thought to it. His opponents were of all sizes and his fights were of all weapons-single (he shifts often between left and right) double and four foot staff. C-Island also fought in a first generation mask all day, including his staff fight (as allowed, he used plastic wrestling ear guards underneath). C-Tricky Dog's student, first timer Filipino-sized Filipino Roy Seriosa in his first fight stepped out on the field with a well built man about my size. I kept my piece about my doubts (I'm guessing the disparity at about 50 pounds +) and about 20 seconds into the fight with his first shot Roy broke his opponent's hand and ended the fight. In his second fight he again broke his opponent's hand. Broken hands were a theme of the day. Reports are still coming in but I know of at least four already. The why of this is a matter of conjecture, but amongst the possibilities are big sticks, bigger fighters, and less defensive skills. With regard to stick size, a matter of recent interest here on the ED, it must be said that there were a couple of fighters with some of the lighter sticks we've seen in quite a while doing research, but more common was the larger stick. We've also been seeing the appearance of some of the biggest fighters we' ve seen so far at the last couple of Gatherings. The last one had a 300 pounder (semi-pro football) and this one had a 270 pounder, powerful newcomer Dan Christianson who consistently fought well, and at 7 fights showed fitness unusual in a big man. Dogzilla at 230 (the "Juggernaut" of DB#1) looked small next to him in their two fights. There was also a newcomer from the Santa Fe clan whose name eludes me, who looked like a bigger version of Salty Dog. Speaking of Salty Dog, Salty came in at a strong 235, his biggest ever which he credits to doing intense training with a personal trainer. Sleeping Dog, also of the Santa Fe clan, formerly a bit of a beanpole, came in at a new and improved 195. Concerning the matter of defensive skills, perhaps my only critique of the day is that as there are less and less of the early fencing masks still in play, and as the fencing helmets sold these days get sturdier and sturdier, it may be that some of the fighters coming up do not have the appreciation of the Original Dog Brothers as to the meaning of a shot to the head. I don 't wish to overstate the matter, and certainly we can and do have some TKOs even with these helmets, but it must be said that the helmets save their wearers from the consequences of many of the incoming bombs. This is not entirely a bad thing-- we do want everyone to go home with the IQ with which they came after all-but in many cases the fighters in question seem to lack awareness that they have taken full shots to the face on their way to a "win". In my correspondence with the fighters I will be addressing this point further. At the other end of the spectrum, there is also a growing trend on the part of SOME of the fighters to lighter and lighter gear. Dog James Kelly impressed by stepping out with baseball batting gloves. BE CLEAR ABOUT THIS, this IS going out with no hand protection! Why the glove then? A fencing mask is very much like a cheese grater and brushing against it during a fight could leave a hand a bloody mess. The batting gloves serve to protect against this. They offer NO protection from the impact of a stick shot. In this Dog James stepped into the rarified territory of Top Dog and Salty Dog, who also do this without elbow or knee protection, (and in Eric's case without shoes as well) and with 1st generation fencing masks so flimsy from years of battering that one suspects that if they were left our overnight they would disintegrate with the morning dew. There were two stick and knife fights. In these the knife was the aluminum training blade. Some of you may remember in the Dog Brothers videos that we showed some stick and knife fights but explained that we didn 't do them that often because so often someone would be willing to receive a shot from the dowel representing a knife in return for being able to clock someone with the stick. However, I think we may have found our answer. It seems that no one lightly accepts taking a good thrust or hack from an aluminum blade. The first was between True Dog and southpaw Sleeping Dog, and two fighters I can't remember without reviewing the tape further, one of whom was wearing football lineman gloves (these are quite light and leave the lower portion of the fingers completely uncovered) who had his thumb bloodied . Both of these were excellent fights and all four men are to be commended. Top and Salty were in fine form, and Salty has really dialed in his Krabi game. His clan benefits from his years of research. I also commend all the fighters for a high overall level of desire. Unlike some previous Gatherings, where some fighters had to be coaxed onto the field, we never had to say "Whose up! Get your gear on!" and things of that ilk. There were always at least two fighters chomping at the bit waiting to go next. However, it does appear that there may have been a couple of individuals who filled out fighter forms, stepped on the field for the opening talk, then did not fight, apparently in hope of scoring a "fighter's t-shirt". (By the way, anyone who actually did fight desiring a fighter's t-shirt should get in touch with Cindy.) I could go on and on, it was a great day. If I may close with a longwinded personal note: Its been 12 years since I first had the vision of the Dog Brothers. I saw the creation of something that would outlive Top, Salty and I, and the rest of the Original Dog Brothers as fighters. When Top and Salty were "retired" for a couple of years, I felt the responsibility of carrying the Dog Brothers fighting reputation to be a heavy one, and one that certainly lightened with their return! But they too are not immortal and I have wondered in recent years what would happen if all three of us were not there to set an example. Would it all fade away with us simply being a band of sweaty, smelly psychopaths who had our day in the sun? Or would something that would outlive us as fighters take root? The Dog Brothers are not about hierarchy and so I don't speak of it often, but there is a special category that we call "the first tier". The standard for it is kind of nebulous, but in the back of my mind I go back to when I was negotiating with Art Davie about the Dog Brothers vs. Fighters-to-be-named-later being a special event in the UFC (1992-3?), and then similarly with the WCC, (1993?) who at one point in the conversation wanted us to fight someone without any gear at all. (We were willing, and they reconsidered.) For me, "first tier" is those to whom the Dog Brothers would look to carry our flag in such a forum, who would answer the call, represent our fighting name well, and handle themselves like Dog Brothers in victory or defeat. At that time it was Top, Salty, Sled, and myself. And since then until very recently I have wondered who I could look to today with the skill, character, and integrity to step forward into such a pressure cooker should it be necessary. Of course this sort of thing is not necessary-understand that this is but a mental exercise in order to discern a certain essence. It was at the Santa Fe Closed Door Gathering that I realized that the answer to my question was there in front of me. Sleeping Dog was sitting there between fights with an happy expression on his face that told me he was "there". And I reflected on how his early fights had been tough (two broken hands) but how at one Gathering when my guys had not been willing to go with Big Erv at his rampaging peak, I had been able to turn to him to have someone to step forward, even though we both knew he was not ready for such a fight. Yet he persisted. This is the sort of thing I'm talking about. And in the last year he has turned into a helluva fighter. A southpaw whose movement is a weird blend of Top Dog stick and on top of a hidden base of Krabi Krabong he is truly Salty's child when it comes to the anti-grappling game as he is in his capability of standing in front of Top Dog and enjoying it. This is the sort of thing I'm talking about. Class in victory, and in the ever-rarer defeats. (Gotta work that stickgrappling a bit Jeff!) And as I thought further I realized in the Hermosa clan, there was True Dog, who fought at the NHB fights on the Indian reservation that I wrote about a couple of months back. The class, the joy in the combat, the skills, the willingness to come forward when called upon; it is all there. And so as I begin my sabbatical the chatter in my head is, well, not silenced, but substantially diminished. The Dog Brothers shall live. I don 't know if I'll fight again or not, but if I do it will be without the mental burden of being seen as a representative of the fighting rep of the Dog Brothers. The second wave is ready and I can be just an old man having a good time. And so, the mad merry adventure of life continues. Tomorrow I leave for Europe (seminar details on the seminar page of our website.) Woof, Marc "Crafty Dog" Denny Guiding Force of the Dog Brothers (as I get older, the titles get longer) - ------------------------------------- By the powers vested in us by us, the Dog Brothers' Council of Elders announces the following: Benjamin Rittiner of Switzerland is now "Dog" Benjamin Dog James Kelly is now "Candidate Mako Dog" Dog Shaun Owens is now a "Candidate Sneaky Dog" Dale "Candidate Island Dog" Franks is now Island Dog Loki "Candidate Tricky Dog" Jorgenson is now Tricky Dog So say we, Eric "Top Dog" Knaus Arlan "Salty Dog" Sanford Marc "Crafty Dog" Denny ------------------------------ From: "Marc Denny" Date: Wed, 17 May 2000 00:41:44 -0700 Subject: eskrima: I'm impressed! A Howl etc: > From: "BILL MCGRATH" > Date: Wed, 17 May 2000 00:19:36 -0400 > Subject: eskrima: Weapon philosophy and FMA Hot damn Bill! I'm impressed! Crafty ------------------------------ From: Patrick Davies Date: Wed, 17 May 2000 09:55:44 +0100 Subject: eskrima: Inosanto bio I couldn't see amongst the recent tirade any mention of Guro Inosanto's Biography. Ive ordered mine and by all accounts its rather good. Anyone read it yet? pat Aberdeen Martial Arts Group Email home * pat.caz@virgin.net Web site * www.amag.fsbusiness.co.uk ------------------------------ From: "Patrick Christian" Date: Wed, 17 May 2000 09:23:48 -0400 Subject: eskrima: My weapon of choice. Bill McGrath wrote: ..."Once you have made the decision to use a weapon to defend yourself or your loved ones, I really don't see any other distinction among weapons other than their level of effectiveness"... My reply: I've been trying to come up with a way to state exactly what you have. Kudos to you! The weapon I choose will be what I think is appropriate for the scenario. To me it makes no difference morally whether I use a gun or a knife or a set of keys. I have already decided how far I want to go to protect my loved-ones. That was the first and most important decision. The rest is situational. Patrick N. Christian Inayan School of Eskrima Lenoir City, TN www.inayaneskrima.com ------------------------------ From: Cplr50@aol.com Date: Wed, 17 May 2000 07:44:43 EDT Subject: eskrima: Re: The Kick In a message dated 05/16/2000 7:14:45 PM Eastern Daylight Time, eskrima-digest-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com writes: > RE: The Kick Could somebody be kind enought to post that "The Kick" address again.. it would seem that my delete button got the better of me during a hack and burn session in my e-mail box... Thanks Stone ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Wed, 17 May 2000 06:28:09 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [none] ------------------------------ End of Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest V7 #250 **************************************** To unsubscribe from the eskrima-digest send the command: unsubscribe eskrima-digest -or- unsubscribe eskrima-digest your.old@address in the BODY of an email (top line, left justified) addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com. Old digest issues are available via ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com. Copyright 1994-2000: Ray Terry and the Martial Arts Resource Standard disclaimers apply.