The late night shows have been taking pot shots at the performance of the Russian Olympians.  We all know they did not fare as well as they'd wished during the Winter Games.  

Will they do better in the summer games with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on the national judo team?

They just might.  Putin has a strong judo background and has helped author a book on judo as well as an instructional DVD.  Judo was my first art, and I do have the English version of Putkin's Judo book in my martial art library.  It's a good addition to my resources.  I don't have the DVD yet.  I do like the recognition Judo receives because of Putkin's involvement.

Judo is a great art.  I enjoyed competing when younger, knowing how to fall saved me more than once, and I've used throws, chokes, and other skills learned from Judo in actual confrontations and fights.  Some of the things I teach and practice in Hapkido are the same as found in Judo.  Again, it's a great art, and any positive press it receives is a good thing.  I'm glad to see one of the world's leaders still actively engaged and continuing to put on a gi to practice and teach.

Check out the short clips of 57 year old Prime Minister Putin on the mat:

You can learn more about his book on Judo at Amazon:

Here's a little tip regarding the groin as a target from Loren W. Christensen's new book titled Fighting the Pain Resistant Attacker:  (Click on title to read my review on Amazon)

When a student gets whacked in the groin in class, he drops into fetal position and begins channeling Nancy Kerrigan: "Whyyyy?  Whyyyy?"  But in the street, striking an aggressor in the groin gets mixed results.  Sometimes he curls to the sidewalk in agony and sometimes he doesn't give the hit a passing thought.  The problem is that there is no way to tell by looking at someone as to how he will react to a groin hit.  The groin is a good target; just don't stop to watch for a reaction.  It's better to flow into a second, third, or however many techniques it takes to stop the threat.

Loren is right on with this advice.  Nothing is 100% guaranteed to stop your attacker, so never rely solely on one move to end an altercation.

I received this from a friend.  Please read the story, look at the pictures, and then read my comments at the end.

Seemingly unaware of the beast towering over it, the tiny rodent grabbed at scraps of meat thrown into the African Leopard's enclosure.  But instead of pouncing on the tiny intruder, the 12-year-old leopard, Sheena, kept her distance. After a few minutes, she tried to nudge the mouse away with her nose, but the determined little guy kept chewing away until he was full.

The extraordinary scene was captured by photography student, Casey Gutteridge, at the Santago Rare Leopard Project in Hertfordshire, England.  The19-year-old, photographing the leopard for a course project, was astounded by the mouse's behavior.

He said he had no idea where the mouse came from. He just appeared after the keeper had dropped in the meat for the leopard.  Taking no notice of the leopard, the mouse went straight over to the meat and started eating.  (Click on pictures for larger image)

Many people might look at these photographs and marvel at the courage of the mouse, and reflect on when you want something, you have to go for it, regardless of the obstacles and challenges you may face.  I agree.

However, I also look at these pictures and think of the martial artist, the warrior, the one with great skill and power.  The leopard could easily kill the mouse, but doesn’t.  The true spirit of warriorship, and the attitude those training in martial arts should have, is like that of the leopard.  We don’t need to prove we are more powerful.  We don’t need to flaunt our skills or abuse our training by being bullies.  We can show kindness and compassion because of our power.

Think about this and come up with your own examples and lessons.

Yours in Training - Alain

Please check out this interview with Aiki Productions Featured Martial Artist and author Lawrence A. Kane.  Lawrence was a guest on Dr. Helen Smith's show and they discussed the book "The Little Black Book of Violence: What Every Young Man Needs To Know About Fighting."

And yes, I obviously really liked this book.  That's my endorsement across the front cover, and on the back of the book. - Alain

Listen to interview now.

The first volume of the Achieving Kicking Excellence is now available from Aiki Productions!  It is available from Aiki Productions secure site, or from Amazon.  Volumes 2 and 3 will be available shortly.  Look what one reviewer had to say about volume 1:

5.0 out of 5 stars Straight ahead, little flash....all content., January 19, 2010 By K. Wilder (Seattle, WA USA)

Would you pay $49 to have a two-time world record holder for endurance high kicking certified by the Guinness Book of World Records come into your martial arts school and teach a seminar for a day? The answer surely is yes. And that's what makes Achieving Kicking Excellence with Shawn Kovacich such a value; you buy his time once and you have it forever. 

Click to read more ...

Not many posts lately here, but wanted to give a heads up that Aiki Productions will be releasing some new DVDs very soon. (Before Christmas) Stay tuned for more information!

Some great moves:

Sadly, I want to inform you that on June 10, 2009, Grandmaster, Chong Sung Kim, passed away in his home in San Gabriel, California. He was 78 years old. Grandmaster Kim was the Chairman of the Jang Mu Won Hapkido Association consisting of 5 schools in Southern California, and the Master Instructor at Kim’s Hapkido, Alhambra. He was a student of Young Sul Choi, the founder of Hapkido.

Services will be held June 16, 2009, 11 am, at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier

While I never personally trained under Grandmaster Kim, Chong-Sung, I am friends with instructors under him, and have trained at one of the schools in Southern California. If the quality of an instructor is reflected by the instructor's students, Grandmaster Kim is of the highest quality.

Hapkido has lost one of the pioneers. May thoughts go out to Grandmaster Kim's family, friends, and students.

Alain

Associated Press Writer= BANGKOK (AP) Actor David Carradine, a born seeker and cult idol who broke through as the willing student called "grasshopper" in the 1970s TV series "Kung Fu" and decades later as leader of an assassin squad in "Kill Bill," was found dead Thursday in Thailand. Police said he appeared to have hanged himself.

The officer responsible for investigating the death, Teerapop Luanseng, said the 72-year-old actor was staying at a suite at the luxury Swissotel Nai Lert Park Hotel.

"I can confirm that we found his body, naked, hanging in the closet," Teerapop said. He said police suspected suicide.

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"Simplified Tai Chi Chuan: Simplified 24 Postures with Applications and Standard 48 Postures" with Master Liang, Shou-Yu is an excellent DVD by YMAA for anyone who wishes to learn or better understand Tai Chi Chuan. Out of many Tai Chi instructional DVDs to choose from, this is a wise choice. 

The DVD starts out acknowledging there is a companion book that explains some aspects in greater detail. Then there is a short introduction that shares the philosophy and benefits of practicing Tai Chi Chuan. As the narrator explains, you see video of Master Liang performing Tai Chi Chuan movements and other scenes that compliment the narration. 

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