During last night’s class, I focused some of our time on perception drills.  A simple definition of perception would read something like Sang H. Kim’s definition in Ultimate Fitness Through Martial Arts, “perception is the ongoing cerebral process of organizing and giving meaning to sensory input.”  (It was reading the perception chapter in this book yesterday that prompted me to include the drills in last night’s class, and thus write this short article.  It’s a book I recommend for any martial artist.)  Perception is important because the responses we make to the world around us are determined by our perception of events and situations we encounter.  I agree with Kim that effective and efficient responses in both learning and performance are dependant on perception.

Perception varies between individuals, and like the old saying goes, a person’s perception is their reality.  It can be lessened by fatigue, emotion, inattention to detail, preoccupation with something else, or lack of mental conditioning or training.  Therefore, it makes sense to include perception training in your martial studies. 

Essentially, perception is the first step toward action.  Before you respond to an incoming attack or some event, you must first perceive that a response is necessary.  Your brain must organize and respond to hundreds of minute details.  The higher your perception, the better you can focus on various aspects of your opponent’s actions, giving an advantage in responding quickly and accurately.  There are a number of drills that will help you improve your perception.  Kim’s book above describes a number of them, some of which I taught in class.  Here are a few of the drills we worked on.

Jumping Spin

Standing straight, raise one arm up in the air.  Jump up and spin around toward the raised arm and come all the way around to where you are facing front again.  Try to land in the exact spot where you began.  Make jumps going both ways.  This helps with spatial perception and balance.  It can help you understand your body’s relationship to your environment while in motion.

Standing Spin

Spin around 15 times in a circle and then immediately walk in a straight line.  My class tried to walk down one lane of our mats.  Most everyone crossed over into another lane.  This drill too helps with spatial perception, coordination, and balance.  It can help lessen dizziness and help recovery during spinning techniques.

Blind Retrieval Drill

Close your eyes and throw a small object, we used rubber training knives, out in front of you.  (Make sure you have a safe area for this)  Without opening your eyes, walk forward and retrieve the object.  This drill can help improve distance perception through sound.  Judging by sound can be helpful if attacked in the dark.  We noticed that with several attempts, students started getting better at this.

Forms practice with eyes closed

This is a drill I do quite often.  We execute our forms, or other combinations of kicks and strikes with our eyes closed.  This again helps improve spatial perception, coordination, and balance.  I point out that sometimes a student should focus on moving in a straight line, if the techniques call for such movement.  Other times, I ask them to focus on ensuring the techniques are performed at the correct height and so on.  As students advance, they can focus on more than just one element at a time. 

Other drills found in Kim’s book include target response drills, counter attack response drills, dodge ball, night tag, and chalk sparring.  I’m sure with a little creativity, you can expand on these and come up with some of your own.  Perception drills can add variety and a bit of fun to your training.  They are good for adults and children, and can provide some valuable lessons regarding how we perceive things as well as improve our balance and coordination.  It’s also important to take a moment and address how the drills apply to sparring or self-defense applications.  After all, we are practicing martial arts, and perception is one component of the whole. 

Review of "Lock On: Joint Locking Essentials: The Comprehensive Guide To Joint Locks - Volume I Wrist Locks" with Alain Burrese.

I have know of Alain Burrese as a Hapkido practitioner for years but have never had the honor of watching him train. He is one of the core members of modern warriors active in martial arts who are consistently training and teaching (akin to Shawn Kovacich). His consistency, in my opinion, is the benchmark of credibility. During the near decade when I was a defensive/control tactics instructor for a municipal police department the fundamentals of wrist locks were foundational principles necessary to controlling a subject during the contact of actual physical arrest. These principles were more difficult to teach to individuals in medium and large groups because of the small movement techniques involved. In short, the student needed to be up close and personal if not being actively used as a uke. Alain's instructional does exactly that. It focuses on the movement at both within personal space and from a distance outside of that. Using standard half speed and half power movements the student is taught the basics of wrist locks. This video instructs on the core basics. However, it is the core basics that all law enforcement officers need to master. Anything beyond that is useful, but not necessary toward effecting an arrest. I cannot stress this statement enough: This IS the instructional video to start with to give anyone, particularly LEO's, the confidence necessary to gain control of a resisting or potentially violent subject. Volume I chapters consist of: 1. Introduction; 2. Explanation of the wrist; 3. Outer wrist lock; 4. Inner wrist lock; 5. Overhand outer wrist lock; 6. Reverse handshake; 7. Standing center lock; 8. "S" locks; 9. Faucet lock; and 10. Conclusion. I wish I had this DVD when I was a police officer. I am glad that I own it now and recommend this important video to all law enforcement officers desiring to improve their skills and by default their own personal safety on the job. Absolute five star rating. Well done.

Jeffrey Hauck, JD, CPO, CII
Licensed Private Detective

I've always liked the information Thomas Kurz provides, and I've included training suggestions from him into my own routines.  Here is a description of an interview he did recently, with a link at the end to go listen to the recording.  Check it out - Alain

By Thomas Kurz:

On August 11 I was interviewed by Alex Haddox for his podcast. He interviewed me on the subject of training and flexibility for self-defense. His main question was, "How should people train in order to best prepare for an explosive criminal attack? (We are all used to warming up [before m.a. practice], but
on the street you cannot; you just have to move)."

Alex was especially interested in the use of high, or full range, kicks in self-defense. That's understandable--many people practice martial arts, for example, taekwondo, that favor use of high kicks.  These people spend a lot of training time on stretching for kicking, and on practicing high kicks, but throwing those kicks high and hard without a warm-up and pre-stretching is difficult for them. You may say, no problem, just kick low and hard. That is a very sensible advice, but ... those people spend most of their practice time on the high kicks, they have technical and tactical habits based on the use of high kicks. And because of errors in their training, their use of those high kicks depends on being well
warmed-up. We talked about improving their training, so in self-defense they can use the weapons (kicks) they are most familiar with.

I didn't go into the issue of instinctively applying one's favorite techniques, whatever they are--chokes, elbows, head-butts, kicks, knife cuts, punches, stick strikes, wrestling throws--in a hostile encounter, sudden or not, and how that instinctive application is related to confidence in the technique, and how to develop that confidence.

In this interview I talked only of the technical and conditioning aspects of training people from strike-and-kick m.a. for self-defense.

Listen to the interview!

Read this quote in the September, 2010, issue of Black Belt Magazine.  Gives us all something to think about.

"Only by cultivating a receptive state of mind, without preconceived ideas or thoughts, can one master the secret art of reacting spontaneously and naturally without hesitation and without purposeless resistance.

- The Esoteric Principles of Professor H.S. Okazaki

I had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of "A Sudden Dawn," the martial arts novel by Goran Powell, and I found it to be an exceptionally enjoyable read. It's an epic historical novel that brings the legend of Da Mo, the Buddhist monk that brought Buddhism to China and established the Shaolin Temple as the birthplace of Zen and the martial arts, to life in a superbly crafted action adventure.

I eagerly turned each page to see how the adventure would unfold, while at the same time was glad the book was fairly long because I did not want the story to end. Powell's interpretation of the legendary characters weaves fact and fiction together in a manner that is easy to believe the entire story is actually true and not just a novel. It really is a fascinating tale of the mythical origins of the martial art known to many as kung fu.

I shared the book with one of my top students and he told me he couldn't put it down and enjoyed the book immensely. He particularly enjoyed the philosophy and lessons found within the story. The main character is a teacher after all, and the lessons he teaches those within the pages of the book are equally applicable in our modern times. I personally really enjoyed those parts of the book as well.

I don't know any martial artist that wouldn't enjoy this adventure, and I'm sure many who don't practice the arts, but like good historical action novels will also read this book and connect with the genuine characters and be captivated throughout the entire tale.

I'd like to share here the endorsement I provided for the novel.

Goran Powell brings the legend of Da Mo and the Shaolin Temple to life in this sweeping epic tale that is exceptionally well-paced and engaging to the very end. "A Sudden Dawn" is an adventurous story that blends history, myth, and legend into a remarkable and enjoyable tale that is seamlessly woven into a fascinating and moving book. As a martial artist and someone who's studied Asian ways for over 20 years, I found "A Sudden Dawn" to have just the right mix of martial arts action, history, romance, and philosophy to engage and entertain throughout the entire text. It is a gripping story that I didn't want to finish. Powell's interpretation of these legendary characters draws you into the story from the first page and takes you along for an incredible adventure spanning the Asian continent. It's one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a long time.

Continuing with my theme that martial artists need to eat healthy and stay in good shape, here is a short article on how to shop for healthy fare by shopping the perimeter of the supermarket.

When I was in the military, protecting the perimeter was important, critically vital to be more precise.  Now, when entering a supermarket, the perimeter is equally important, but for far different reasons.  If you want to load your shopping cart with foods that are healthy and will nourish your body and assist you with your health and fitness goals, not to mention provide more nutritional bang for your buck, stick to shopping the perimeter and spend little time in the middle isles.

Generally, the healthiest foods are found along the walls.  Let’s look at what we find circling the perimeter of most supermarkets.  The produce section, dairy case, meats and seafood are all normally found in the outlying regions of the market, while the inner isles tend to be dominated by things that come in boxes, bags, and cans.  The more you can stick to fresh fruits and vegetables, low fat dairy products, and lean cuts of meat and seafood, the better.  And healthier!  The more you avoid the highly processed foods made with corn and soy by-products and chemicals that should be restricted to a chemistry lab, the better.  And healthier!

Of the nutritious items you can load your cart with along the walls, nothing beats a variety of healthy fruits and vegetables.  I’ve read different statistics, but all of them indicate that the majority of Americans consume less than the recommended amount of produce each day.  It’s suggested that eating five servings of fruit and vegetables each day can lower the risks of coronary heart disease and stroke by twenty percent, versus those who eat three or fewer servings per day.  A Harvard study of 110,000 men and women found that those who ate eight or more servings of fruit and vegetables a day were thirty percent less likely to have a heart attack or stroke than those who ate less than one and a half servings a day.  Besides these benefits, eating more fruits and vegetables can lower your blood pressure, protect you eyes, and help you gain a more lean body.  You may also find the essential antioxidants found in certain vegetables and nuts may help protect you from other sicknesses as well. 

Just look at some of the nutritious and delicious foods you can find in the produce section:  Romaine, Arugula, Watercress, Bok Choy, Endive, Spinich, Mustard Greens, Kohlrabi, Apples, Artichokes, Bananas, Beets, Bell Peppers, Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Garic, Eggplant, Kiwi, Onions, Lemons, Mangos, Pomegranates, Peaches, Pears, Watermelon, Berries of all kinds, Zucchini, Squash, Tomatoes, Potatoes, Mushrooms, Green Beans, Grapes, Cabbage, and much much more.

Once your cart is filled with a variety of colorful and tasty fruits and vegetables, you can finish your trip around the perimeter by selecting a few choice cuts of lean meats and seafood from the meat department.  Be sure to select fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, but low in contaminants such as mercury.  Wild Alaskan Salmon is one of the better selections, and there are many tasty ways to prepare this fish.

In the dairy case, look for lower fat yogurts, skim milk, and lower fat cheeses This is where you’ll find your eggs too, and newer studies have shown they are not as taboo as once believed.  Eggs are a good source of protein and can belong in a healthy diet. 

Sure, you’ll venture into the center isles for certain foods that you can’t live without.  But if you spend most of your time, and most of your money, purchasing items found around the perimeter, you’ll find you are eating much healthier and you’ll gain all the benefits that come with such a diet.  

As martial artists, we need to stay in good shape.  Besides exercise and training, what we consume is vitally important.  Here is a short bit on adopting a new food attitude for healthy eating.

Recently I read David Zinczenko and Matt Golulding’s popular book “Eat This Not That: Restaurant Survival Guide.”  I think it is a great book, but I have to admit, sometimes the selections on the “Not That” side looked awfully good and tempting.  There is a reason why people eat so much unhealthy food, it tastes good.  And frankly, I understand why some people don’t care as much for the healthier options.  But it does not have to be this way!  You can choose to look at healthy foods in a new light and change how you view food. Adopt a food attitude of enjoying healthy quality foods.

First, everyone should educate themselves about good nutrition.  And parents, you must teach your children about good nutrition as well.  And remember, kids learn more from watching what you do (and eat) than they do from what you tell them.  So eating healthy is the best way to teach your children to do the same.

Next, make a commitment to enjoy healthy foods.  Notice I’m not saying to only commit to eating healthy foods, but to enjoy healthy foods.  You can enjoy lower-fat fares, foods with less sugar, salt, white flour, and the tons of additives being put into foods these days.  Enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables.  Enjoy lower fat cuts of meat.  Enjoy the healthier selections at your favorite restaurant as found in Zinczenko’s series of “Eat This” books.

So how do you actually do this?  It’s all in your focus.  Rather than focus on what you might be missing when you select healthier foods, focus on the positive aspects of what you are eating.  View healthy foods as desirable food that fuels and nourishes your body and besides making you feel better, helps you achieve maximum performance.  You’ll only reach your peak by consuming the foods that will assist you in getting there.  Be proud of yourself for selection nourishing foods and skipping those that do nothing more than satisfy taste buds and pack pounds on around your middle.  Focus on the great fresh taste of healthy foods.  Sure, they may taste different, but they also taste good. 

You can actually train your body to crave healthier foods.  That’s right, after a while, you will want the healthier choices.  Sure, you may still want some of the others now and then, but you will probably find that when you to select those foods, if you eat too much, you won’t feel good later.  Remember that bad feeling the next time you are tempted to spurge again.  Does this mean you can never eat certain foods?  No!  I’m all for eating whatever you really like, but if it is a food that you know is not healthy, limit it.  That’s all.  Small helpings once in a while are okay.  (Although the more you eat healthy, the less you’ll crave the fat and salt laden stuff)

Adopt a new food attitude and you’ll be on your way to a healthier diet, a healthier lifestyle, and a healthier you.

“Drop and give me fifty, Burrese, you do one hundred.”  I still remember those days as a student in the 2^nd Infantry Division Scout Sniper School fondly.  Funny how time makes hardships seem less tough, and you can look back, clouded with nostalgia, and forget the pain you endured.  Actually, the pushups I performed during sniper school were a small amount of the pushups I performed while in the military.  From basic training until I got out, pushups and their variations were used extensively during the Army’s physical training sessions.  I’m no longer in the military, but I’m still doing them, and if you want a great exercise that doesn’t take any equipment and that you can do anywhere, I recommend you do them too.

The prime movers in the push-up are the shoulders, the chest (pectoralis major), and back part of the arms (triceps).  The pec minor is also involved to a certain degree.  Combine push-ups with pull ups and sprints and you have a simple exercise program.  I mention this because I remember a fellow soldier in the 82^nd Airborne Division when I was there that swore by push-ups, pull-ups and running (including a lot of sprints).  The guy was in fantastic shape, so his simple program seemed to work for him.  I’m not recommending that’s all you do, but if all you did was these three things it would be a lot better than nothing, and if you are short on time, on vacation in places you can’t get to a gym, and so forth, these simple exercises will keep you in shape and don’t take that much time.

Getting back to push-ups, there are a number of variations that make the exercise harder and more interesting.  You can vary your routine to combat boredom, hit muscles from different angles, and increase intensity.

The Military Push-Up:

This basic push-up works the chest, shoulders, and triceps.  It’s performed by lying face down with your hands flat on the floor just outside and slightly in front of your shoulders, your fingers spread and pointing forward.  Lift yourself off the floor by straightening your arms so that only your hands and toes are in contact with the floor, keeping the heels together.  Your body should form a rigid line.  Your head should be up.  Lower yourself to the floor by bending your elbows.  Keep your body rigid.  Don’t rest on the ground, just barely touch your chest and straighten your arms and push your body back up.  During Army PT (Physical Training) tests, we would have someone grading our push-ups to ensure we went all the way down and came all the way up.

Variations:

The vary the basic military push-up, try them with your feet up on a bench or chair.  To make them easier, do them on your knees rather than your toes.  Try going deeper by doing push-ups with your hands on chairs, so that you lower yourself between the chairs.  Make this movement even more difficult by raising your feet as well.  To put a greater stretch on the chest muscles try a wide hand position.  Hit the triceps harder by using a close hand position, such as placing your hands in a diamond position and lowering your chest into the diamond.  Once in a while try plyometric push-ups by exploding up so your hands come off the ground.  Try coming off the ground high enough to clap your hands together for an advanced variation of the plyometric push-up.  (Note – due to the powerful nature of plyometric exercise, you have a greater risk of injury.  Plyometrics should probably be performed no more than once per week and only for a duration of up to four weeks at any one time.  Don’t attempt plyometrics unless you’ve been training for at least six months.)  Fingertip pushups can be great for developing hand and wrist strength.  In Korea, we used to do fingertip pushups before every Hapkido class, since strong hands and wrists are essential for training in the Korean art of self-defense.  Another advanced push-up is the one-arm push-up.  These require spreading your feet and maintaining balance as one arm does all the pushing.  Keep your free arm behind your back until its turn.  If you need some motivation, pull out a DVD of “Rocky” and watch Sly Stallone pump them out.

Conclusion:

Push-ups have been a mainstay of military and martial art workouts for ages.  This is for a good reason, they are effective!  They take very little space, require no equipment, and build muscle and strength in the upper torso.  If you aren’t doing push-ups as part of your exercise program, you should.  If you can’t do at least fifty or more, get to pushing!

Thanks to www.centerlinemartialarts.com where we found the push up picture. 

Great!

I'm a real fan of joint locks. I used them on the street as a cop for 25 years and I have taught them for over 45 years as a martial arts instructor. To those who say that joint locks don't work on the street, I say: Apparently yours don't, but mine have and I know that Alain Burrese's do, too. 

Alain teaches and demonstrates each of his techniques in a clear and understandable way. There is no wasted verbiage and no wasted time as he carefully outlines not only how to do the techniques but explains why they hurt. In some, he shows how easy it would be to break the joint. 

I knew many of the techniques Alain shows. With those I did know, I learned new nuances that made the familiar technique hurt even more. The ones I didn't know, Alain explained the steps so well that I was able to stand up and apply the move perfectly the first time. That's how well-taught these techniques are. 

I highly recommend this DVD to add some new twists to techniques that might be familiar to you and to learn new ones that will have a street attacker kissing the concrete. 

Loren W. Christensen, 8th dan, author of many martial arts books.

As people prepare to travel this holiday weekend, I thought I’d share a few travel guidelines and concerns regarding staying safe while traveling.  And regardless if it is a holiday weekend or not, travel safety tips are always important in all of our efforts to stay safe.

First of all, remember that travel security requires an investment of time and effort.  Depending on a variety of factors such as where you are traveling, who you are traveling with, and your already established travel habits, the amount of time and effort will vary.  But just the fact that you are reading this means you are willing to gain information and knowledge on remaining safe, and that’s a great start.  This is a large topic, there are books written on traveling safe.  For purposes here, I just want to share a few tips that hopefully will make your weekend safer and more enjoyable, and that will help everyone increase their travel awareness for any traveling they do throughout the year.

One important tip is to familiarize yourself with your travel destination.  You can read guide books, web sites, local newspapers (print and on-line), listen to local radio news on-line, or chat with people on Internet forums.  Ask people, especially friends and colleagues, for insights about your travel destination.  If traveling to a foreign country, check out travel warnings from the government.  (U.S. Department of State issues travel warnings recorded on the phone or on their website)

Another important consideration is to remember your basic awareness skills that keep you safe wherever you are.  Yes, vacations are a time to relax and recharge.  But don’t let your guard down on vacation.  Be as alert as you would be if traveling on business.  I’m not trying to ruin your vacation by telling you to be paranoid, just pay attention to what’s going on around you.  Not only will you be better prepared to notice potential danger, you will recognize more good things to experience and being aware can make an average vacation great.

Make sure your cell phone will work in the location you will be visiting.  I know you might want to just get away from it all.  I’m not saying you have to answer your phone if someone calls.  But it is a good idea to have a phone handy for emergencies.  So make sure it will operate at your destination.  This is more important for those people who will travel to a foreign destination.  So check it out before you travel.

Don’t telegraph that you are a stranger in town.  This can lower your vulnerability by not looking like an easy target.  On a similar topic, don’t display your wealth.  Keep expensive jewelry, large amounts of cash, etc. out of view.  Better yet, leave it at home.  It’s also a good idea to separate your credit cards and ID, and not have them all together.  If you lose your wallet, by accident or theft, you have not lost everything. 

Make safety, rather than price, your prime consideration when selecting a hotel.  Don’t be afraid to switch hotels if you feel something is wrong.  Know the layout of your hotel, especially the fire exits. 

Obviously, don’t walk down dark alleys or empty streets.  Remember to stay where there are lights and people.  Be careful not to drink to excess unless you are with people you trust.  (Even then, I caution you not to drink to excess) 

And finally, the most important tip I can provide for most Americans about to celebrate the 4^th of July, and this tip is also something everyone should follow every day of the year, not just on the holiday.  Wear your seat belt when driving.  It’s proven that seat belts save lives.  And Never, Never, Never, Drink and Drive!

Have a fantastic and safe holiday weekend!