KDT Academy Blog

21st Century Training

2010-12-12T21:19:00.000+08:00

As the holiday and shopping season swings into full gear, I'd be the first to admit that I do enjoy shopping once a while. Spending quality time with my wife as we trek through the crowds in search for gifts that we feel is suitable for our families and friends is always tricky.

Personally, I tend to find stuff that I want to buy online as it's usually some esoteric item or simply not available in Malaysia.

For a number of years now, I have been purchasing instructional videos and I find them perfect for my learning style (if there really is one) and my pace of learning. I don't know of anyone who trains in martial arts not to own at least one DVD (or VHS back in the day) on the subject.

To this I can offer some time-tested advice:

Investing in a quality DVD set is like inviting the instructor into your living room and providing you a private seminar that you can watch over and over again. It is well worth the investment. You can rewind and re-watch each part in detail again and again until you understand the material, practice it on the mats and re-watch it for the missing details.
As there are a lot of DVD choices, be selective based on your current level and understanding of the material. It's a simple idea but some folks may be tempted to purchase a DVD set on some super-duper technique instructional that is highly dependent on the attributes of the athlete/instructor. While very impressive and entertaining, ask yourself honestly, whether YOU can do what the instructor is showing you and WILL you use it (based on your personality/ style of movement). E.g. You can get a DVD instructed by a high-level black belt, but if you haven't got the White Belt fundamentals right it's probably not the right time to look at the Black Belt level techniques DVD.
Some folks (like how I used to at the beginning) watched instructional DVDs for entertainment value. Well, guess what? You are supposed to try out the techniques that the instructor presents. At the next Open Mats session, grab a training partner and try 2 or 3 of the techniques again and again at all levels of speed and resistance. Try the technique with different levels of players to see what reactions you get. You don't have to worry about it working 100% perfectly. Simply get it into your arsenal of techniques and play with it and over time it will be a useful tool in your repertoire of skills.
I find that if you practice the techniques you can remember, it will be more useful than to use the ones that you have to write notes on simply because you don't have time to refer to your notes when you are sparring. Consequently, commit 2 or 3 techniques to memory when you watch the DVDs.
Don't be afraid of admitting you bought the wrong DVD title. Sometimes when watching a set you conclude that the presenter's style or content simply isn't for you. It's either too simple or too difficult. If possible look to change it or barter exchange it or simply sell it off. No point keeping it to collect dust.
If you particularly enjoy a presenter's style of teaching or techniques, keep an eye out for their new releases and communicate with them directly. They are human after all, and without feedback from their clients, they won't know whether they are reaching out to the right people or not.

As the Internet has become an indispensable facet of modern lifestyles, the CMD Program establishes its cutting edge presence too by now offering a series of virtual seminars with Rodney King that you can watch online. This is a pretty new concept and I think it's a fantastic way to learn directly from a great teacher.

The convenience of having world-wide access, low cost and access to the material at any time of day or night simply makes this very valuable. Best of all you don't have to worry about collecting dust as there is no physical material to "keep".

I am looking forwards to next year's training and I'll be doing some catch up on my personal training material and hope that in the short break that you will do the same.

Happy holidays!

2011: Maxing out with Crazy Monkey

2010-12-04T09:21:00.003+08:00

It's been some time since I have focused on a singular martial art system. In 2011, I will be focusing on CMD.

I've dedicated a large portion of my time, money and effort in learning whatever was available and I could access to. Mostly limited by time and finances back in the day, I reflect back on 30 years of martial arts and don't regret a single thing. I've learnt much from both the positive and negative experiences and now see the value in both. Fortunately, I've celebrated more than losing my temper. I can honestly recall only one incident.

Next year it will be the first time in a long time that I return to lead a singular martial art system on a full-time basis. Of course, it will be challenging, physically and emotionally but that is what makes the journey interesting. I have made this conscious choice and feel that whatever you are passionate about, delve headfirst into it and follow your heart. I've met many people, especially those in their 50's and 60's who have expressed pangs of regret that they didn't follow their passion instead ended up being a banker, lawyer, accountant or doctor. Those were the "professions of choice" that served as a launch pad to a better lifestyle back in the 1940's and 1950's. While they have financial security, they also have to live with the fact that they will carry an unfulfilled dream with them to their graves.

In your own experience, accept that along the way, not everyone will agree with your opinions but that doesn't matter. Remember that it's your personal journey and not theirs.

You will meet all kinds of people, mostly good, some strange, some bad, and a rare handful of exceptionally talented in what they do.

I used to believe that one's ability to fight was directly proportionate to the amount of mat time you put in. To some extent, I still do. There are some who defy this theory by sheer athleticism and natural talent. This attribute, I concluded, is unteachable.

I cannot teach someone who is 5 foot tall to become 6'3" no matter what kind of exercises or drills I teach them. That is a fixed condition. What I do instead is to teach a set of skills based on empirical evidence, functional skills that have been tried, tested and proven countless times over.

I've dabbled in several different types of martial arts, met interesting characters, from some who believe amassing a huge portfolio of certificates and belt ranks would somehow validate their character and amount to some credibility of their skill (or lack of).

The ones who most often cause friction are the ones who are very singular minded on their particular art, always insistent that their way is the best. Perhaps, in the ones I've met, you can always find the personality that is best described as "passive aggressive". While not the most pleasant, there are also the class bully, desperately making an impression on the "pecking order" of the club culture. There is the solo-artist, who by and large, minds his or her own business, gets on with their own thing and has little social interaction. Somewhat mysterious but always strikes me as hiding a darker secret behind the silence. A little creepy you could say. There's the social butterfly who makes it his business to know everyone else's'. In the rarity that you find any women, they tend to be "reminded" of their place in a mostly male-dominated activity. Often, sullenly accepted as part of the club but never a member of the "team". Then there's the technician who studies every minutiae of information and always has an answer for everything, correct or otherwise because they tend to overlook the inconvenience of rumours, hearsay and urban legends. Some are implausible and the rest are ridiculous!

Finally, there is the teacher themselves. Most are "trainers". They are the same as the fast-food burger flippers. They learn by rote, they teach by rote and the majority have no idea what they are doing.

I have passively observed classes where I made my presence known as a non-participant. The trainer who was leading the class kept looking back at me for something. Reassurance? Validation? An opinion? I don't really know, but all I could see was a lack of confidence and lack of belief in what he was showing. It seemed as if he was anticipating that I would jump up and shout, "he's wrong!" but of course, I know my place and did not behave rudely. I learnt that most of the time, saying nothing speaks a lot more than saying something. Perhaps an Oriental trait but an effective one nonetheless. Often, its not for a lack of vocabulary but an old saying sums it up succinctly, "there's no point singing opera to a herd of cattle", meaning that your words will neither be understood, appreciated or wanted. There are some who simply don't want to have a second opinion. These are of the belief that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". As a teacher, there lies the fault. So this particular chap was writhing uncomfortably while I passively observed his choice of words, his control of the space and the attention of the students. I paid attention to his technique, his demonstration and when it came time for his students to do the exercise, everything didn't work as it was supposed to. This was subsequently punctuated with a lot of "ahhhs" and "ummms". The space fillers represented his knowledge of teaching. He wanted to make a good impression but seemed more desperate, at that point, to have the answers to the students' inabilities and the meaning of life.

So, back to the present. You won't be surprised to discover that there is no "right answer". There is no ultimate technique. There is no ultimate martial art, hence the term "art" in "martial art". It has to be an expression of individuality, matched to your personality and attributes.

What you do in the martial arts does not define who you are, just as being an accountant doesn't mean that you have this label stuck to your forehead. You could work as an accountant but your passion is food and cooking.

What you accomplish in martial arts means nothing at the end of the day.

I recall being in a discussion about a famous instructor's passing. Not one word was said about his prowess on the mats. If anything, everyone nodded their heads in agreement that he was a kind and influential person. Not a peep about how he can kick butt or which trophy he has won. It doesn't matter when you are no longer on this earth.

Martial arts serves as a conduit to teach us to become better in our own way, be it through traditional weapon fighting, grappling, kicking shins or contest of ear pulling. Whatever floats your boat. You can choose to believe in invisible "chi" power or the power of shouting to induce a knockout. You can choose to challenge that belief. You can choose to believe what you have been taught as true and the only way (as all martial arts schools often do) because you really want to believe it or choose to believe that "no way is the only way" which is the contrast to the former. Really, there are limitless ways to express your martial art.

Learn the fundamentals from someone experienced and you can express that knowledge in your own light.

Like much else in life, choose your own path carefully. Do not be afraid of turning back to take the other road before venturing down a wrong one even further. It's never too late to change direction, and in fact, it often brings new opportunities and a renewed sense of energy.

The journey is yours to choose. Listen to your own inner voice. Let your body and mind test it out but ultimately ask yourself whether you are happy at this instance. If not, there are always other choices.

I wish you the best of what the future has to bring. Embrace change as it's the only constance in life.

Two sides of the same coin

2010-09-16T21:13:00.008+08:00

No! That's outrageous! What a joke! Unacceptable. You cannot change this. You must not change that. You're diluting the art! This is the crie de coeur that's happened recently. It seems that I have ruffled some feathers in the BJJ community with a recent article I wrote about the Monkey Jits program that is offered as part of the Crazy Monkey Defense program.

Let me elaborate to shed more light on this topic; firstly, what I offer via the Monkey Jits is the option for clients to take part in a competition or not. It is not mandatory for a client to participate in a competition in order to receive their next rank. Competing is an individual activity and has as many positive benefits as much as negative benefits. Secondly, I am not the one changing anything. If you read carefully, I'm just reporting on the words coming out from the mouths of two 8 degree BJJ Black & Red belts, and a host of other BJJ Black Belts. Thirdly, I am in no position to make any changes to BJJ. I'm just a beginner. What does Wikipedia say?

There have been few published guidelines or standards that determine when a practitioner is ready for promotion, with the criterion generally determined on an individual instructor and/or academy basis. Even the IBJJF, while maintaining an extensive graduation system that takes into account time-in-grade and membership standing, makes no mention of specific performance or skill requirements. When instructors or academies do comment on the criteria needed to achieve the next belt, the most widely accepted measures are:

The amount of technical and conceptual knowledge a practitioner can demonstrate, and;
Performance in grappling (randori) within the academy and/or competition.

Technical and conceptual knowledge is judged by the number of techniques a student can perform, and the level of skill with which they are performed in live grappling. This allows for smaller and older practitioners to be recognized for their knowledge though they may not be the strongest fighters in the school. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a distinctly individual sport, and practitioners are encouraged to adapt the techniques to make them work for their body type, strategic preferences, and level of athleticism. The ultimate criterion for promotion is the ability to execute the techniques successfully, rather than strict stylistic compliance.

Informal versus formalized testing

As noted above, the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu historically has had an informal approach to belt promotions, with one or more instructors subjectively agreeing that a given student is ready for the next rank. In recent years however, some academies have moved toward a more systematic, formalized testing approach. This is especially true for the lower ranks, where the decision to promote is arguably the least contentious.

One of the first instructors to publicly publish some of this formalized testing criterion was Roy Harris, who has formalized promotion tests, up to and including black belt.Formalized tests are generally based around the same elements as a normal promotion, that is, technical/conceptual knowledge and the ability to apply those techniques against a resisting opponent. Some tests however, take other aspects into account, such as a student's personal character or a basic knowledge regarding the history of the art.

Formalized testing may also contain conditions more familiar to traditional martial arts, such as testing fees and a required amount of pre-testing private lessons with the instructor.

Competitions

Students are generally encouraged to compete, as it can play an important and often times accelerating role in a practitioner's growth and overall speed of promotion. Competition allows an instructor to gauge a student's abilities while grappling with a fully resisting opponent, and it is not uncommon for a promotion to follow shortly after a good competition performance. In most academies it is not an essential prerequisite for promotion, but there are exceptions to this and in a minority of schools, competing is not only endorsed but required.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Jiu-Jitsu_ranking_system

Ah, the last line reads, "in most academies it is not an essential prerequisite for promotion, but there are exceptions to this and in a minority of schools, competing is not only endorsed but required."
So why the fuss? Perhaps it exactly due to the different cultures at different BJJ academies. Some are 100% competition, the majority are 50/50 or 90/10 competition and some are non-competitive at all (meaning that they don't compete in open events). I have decided to draw a line on the beach and choose a side. I'm Mac and you're PC. Both computers nonetheless but different OS :) At least its very clear where we stand so there are no delusions, lame justifications or excuses to do what we do.

There are some schools who only award ranks based on competition wins, such as Baret Yoshida's BJJ school among many others. I believe that he awards a new belt for every 10 podium wins, however; I may be mistaken so don't quote me on that. But as Wiki points out, this is a minority. This seems a great, easy way for the instructor to gauge a student's ability by testing them in an open competition format against all other students of the same level. That is a different can of worms there which I'll touch on later.

Before I continue, let's rewind the clock to the 1980's, more accurately in the late 80's to early 90's when I was competing in the USA on the A.A.U. Karate circuit. Representing the state of Hawaii at the time, I competed against some of the region's top competitors, national squad members included. If you don't know anything about sport karate, they have been trying to get it approved as an Olympic event since the 1950's, and still trying.

They have unified rules, standardized competition formats, scoring formats, approved clothing guidelines, etcetera all in accordance to Olympic event requirements. A typical AAU competition will see anything from 300 competitors up to 900 (at least that's the largest I've participated in) in a single day. There are so many divisions for every age, weight, belt category. There are so many officials and spectators and it's really a show! These would be the larger competitions that are sanctioned and will forge a path towards representing the national team and from there to compete against other nations in karate competitions. Then there are also the smaller events held almost every weekend where you can expect a minimum of 30 competitors in your division so there would be around 200 people at minimum.

You can participate in the individual sparring event (kumite), team sparring, individual forms (kata), team forms and rack up wins and a reputation. From there the stage is set for larger events until you are ready for the State, then Regional and finally the Nationals. You can see there are a lot of competitors in these events, some of whom are superb athletes, while others, you wonder if they wandered into the wrong event and everyone one in between.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

The competition team at my former dojo consisted of 6 or so guys who took part for fun and it was. The camaraderie, the travelling, the excitement, the special training sessions, the preparations, and all the events leading up to each tournament was loads of fun. The 6 guys represented only 2 or 3% of my former club membership. The rest were retirees, adults, military, law enforcement officers, college kids, high school kids who didn't participate at this level of competition but they were not ostracized, segregated, but belonged with the whole group and the part of the "team" even though they didn't attend our championships or cheered for us from the bleachers.

During training, despite our competition prowess and experience, there were a number of members in the club who should have been competing alongside as they were so good at what they did and more. They had the time and luxury to develop a more well-rounded game, different angles and combination set ups to trounce us easily and we learned from these individuals as much as from our main coach. These were the "unofficial" coaches who never competed, simply because their martial art meant something else to them at a very deep, personal level. They did not want to express that in an arena of 300 people. Some were military, some were working professionals (architects, businessmen and such) and I would hate to bump into them in a dark alleyway and be on their wrong sides. There was a simple elegance and refinement to their technique that was not present in most of the competitors'. The sense of timing and distance was spot on, but their skills was not lacking in any sense.

Back on the competition floor, I've witnessed poor sportsmanship more often than great sportsmanship. I've seen fathers publicly scold and beat their kids for losing a match and start fist fights with the referees over decisions. I've seen the crowds react and heckle questionable win decisions and have also been on the receiving end of the same due to favouritism and "pressure". Whether the event is in the USA or in Malaysia, the same traits emerge again and again. In the end, the negatives outweighed the positives. Even when you win legitimately, someone out there who is a sore loser will leave you with a scathing, sarcastic remark to darken your otherwise bright day. There are great, friendly competitors and there are lousy, insecure champions and everyone in between. Don't fool yourself with the romantic notion that all champions are pure, innocent and fight for freedom, justice and the truth. As we will see later on, there are plenty of former champions whose true colours are revealed after the public relations machines and managers have been withdrawn and they are left to their own devices.

In addition to karate, I've also competed in judo, fencing, and swimming. Over the years I feel that I've competed enough and I've enjoyed the run and now to pass on the experiences to the next generation.

Back to the present day.

But karate is NOT BJJ I hear you say. 100% correct. I was drawing the similarities of sport and competition training. Competitions all share the same or similar format, whether its judo, boxing, wrestling, ping pong, lawn bowls or darts, there are stages and rules, and all competitors will experience the rush and play by the rules as much as they can. But BJJ competition is not the same as a karate competition. That's right too. They are not the same but you think someone playing in a golf championship for a million bucks is going to feel any less stressed than someone going for the gold medal in synchronized swimming? You think a golfer trains any less than a someone going for 100 meter race in the nationals? Please grow up, competition is competition.

I've lost count of the number of competitions I've participated in, sanctioned, in house, regionals, state level, within the association, within the style, etc. Maybe 90, maybe more. I've competed in the UK, USA and in Malaysia. I don't remember them all but would it make any difference whether the event was a poker game competition or boxing match? Someone is going to lose and experience hurt (physical, emotional, financial, egoistical, confidence, etc.) and someone else will win. One day it's you and another day it'll be another person. That's the game. We will all win and lose on different levels. Some wins are great and definitive while others leave a bad taste in your mouth. Some losses are educational while others make you angry or regretful for taking part.

By allowing the individual's prerogative to compete, is the best option. By penalizing someone for not competing, I think is unfair. What if the person cannot compete (for whatever reason- personal, medical, financial, emotional, psychological, physical, etc.) and cannot be graded is a sure fire way to kill the art.

There are professional gamblers. They go about different casinos around the world and some casinos don't let them play or only let them play (compete) at very high stakes. If we apply the same principle, only competitive, high stakes gamblers should play poker. I don't think many people would agree. Poker is a fun game whether or not you gamble for money or clothes or gamble at all. Poker is played worldwide. Some do it professionally because that's their lives. They are good at it and make a living from it. Is it for me? No, I don't like it that much and more importantly I don't have the talent for poker. Doesn't mean I can't play it for fun and I wouldn't call myself a professional poker player. On a side note, there are lots of websites and magazines promoting poker as a sport and profession. Yeah, I was surprised too.

In Brazil, there are young, competitive blue and purple belts who submit black belts all the time. Do these black belts go and commit suicide after that or give their training partners a hug and thanks for a good roll and sharing a great technique. I think not! There are hundreds of black belts who don't compete but who regularly give champions a hard time on the mats. Where do you think BJJ competitors get constant training partners from? Only via competition or via their home gyms where it's ok to make a mistake and have someone correct you in a safe training environment?

Competition can come in many forms. It can be your best training buddy on the mats or facing the unknown in a tournament. It can manifest as an internal challenge to master a technique but above all, the fundamental reason for competition is to allow one to grow. This often doesn't end up this way though as we all have skeletons in the closet that sabotage our efforts to a greater or lesser degree.

Individuals who are centered and have been properly coached, both physically and psychologically to enter a competition arena with a positive attitude and leave with the same. How many do so? Unfortunately, not a lot. Most trainers understand the physical aspects of training but are clueless when it comes to the mental preparation, pre-competition, during the competition and post-competition de-briefing. That's one of the reasons why you often read about former sports superstars using drugs, BJJ stars using drugs, resorting to violence or involved in financial scams (motivated by greed) in bouts of depression (because they don't get the same "high" from being in front of thousands of fans so they do something else abusive to themselves or their spouses as a substitute). Are these the role models you want to have? Would you invite them to your home and trust them with your family, girlfriend, wife or kids?

My reason for this is because everyone trains in a martial art for personal reasons. If your desire is to become the next BJJ superstar competitor then absolutely, you will have to compete to showcase your skills. If you are training to enhance your skills as an undercover law enforcement or VIP protection detail, then staying out of the public eye is a great decision. I've had one of the European Royal family personal body guard come to train with us and in addition to a military career and responsibility as the Prince's personal bodyguard, he has his own family to look after.

Different motivations for different people; I hope you can appreciate how different people whose job may be to protect the lives of others or the casual hobbyist to learn some cool moves to impress their school friends or a girl down the street may want different things from learning martial arts. You cannot have a blanket policy for all. After all, the belt only means something to its wearer. It is a personal symbol of progression, advancement and growth. Some grow at a faster rate than others and not all are equal. Such is the law of Life. For example, it's not fair that someone like BJ Penn can achieve his black belt in 4.5 years while I was still stuck at blue belt in the same amount of time. No, it's not fair that BJ Penn can train 24/7, everyday with top level instructors as his lifestyle and circumstances affords him that lifestyle while I have to work and deal with business. However BJ Penn has the talent and athleticism and he has achieved what millions cannot. This is what makes him special but what of the non-BJ Penns in the world?

The can of worms
Many BJJ academies agree that a great way to evaluate a student is via competition. This becomes a double edged sword. On one hand an unscrupulous instructor can use competition as a bait to keep the students chasing the belt. He can deliberately "hold back" a student in white belt, for example and keep the individual competing there for many years to "test" them. Others call this sandbagging. It's like a Olympic Judo black belt competing as a BJJ white belt and keeps throwing everyone for the win. On the other hand, the student realises that his or her evaluation is based on the outcome of the tournament will resort to their main technique again and again until they specialise in only that singular technique but as we all know BJJ is beautiful because of the depth and breadth of the techniques. As an instructor, do you only want a student who is one-dimensional.

Some, not all, BJJ competitors only have an "on-off" switch. They are highly competitive and have an attitude about it. They strut when they win, but storm off, often yelling in frustration if they lose, even if its a friendly, in-house training roll. Every roll is as if it's life or death, even against total beginners or smaller, lighter people or the few women in the class. What gives? What's there to prove or are they using the roll as a vent for their problems at work or home?

Many competition based schools have a lot of students with bandaged elbows, knees, and neck injuries. Back injuries are common place too. Injuries costs and causes family members and spouses to worry, often the catalyst for arguments leading to other greater problems in "the real world". With every injury, I fail to see how that makes you a better competitor. It either meant that your partner did not respect the tap, the referee did not enforce the rules, or you failed to submit in time because you either did not recognize the submission was in completion or you were too proud to admit defeat.

I've injured people accidentally. I still feel bad about it and this was almost 4 years ago. I really felt that it could have been avoided but at the moment the individual did the wrong thing and the term was "spazzed out". Although it wasn't my fault, I still feel responsible. This is how injuries happen. It makes people feel bad even when you weren't the one who was injured. Some people laugh it off as if it is a hard-core, macho thing to do. Those are the ones I don't want to train with.

Some competitors are really bad teachers. Some people don't know how to communicate and have a real time expressing themselves verbally. They don't know how to show, lack the patience and vocabulary to teach someone to do what they do and I'm not the only one who thinks so. BJJ Black belt Stephen Kesting also advocates that top competitors do not necessarily make the best teachers. Can we agree that a few competitors are excellent teachers but most are not? It's no coincidence that the best teachers are the ones who have stopped competing. They have focused their energy into becoming better teachers.

So why do people compete if not for the shallow desire to "prove something" or to chase the next belt?

Competing is not the cheapest activity. For many in the South East Asian region, there is a lot of flights, hotels, and the risk of injury is high. Injuries may cost you time off work and no work means no pay in some cases.

Surely there must be more. Testing your technique? Facing your fears? We have to question what motivates us to compete. You have the answer inside yourself. You just have to face it.

So there are people who enjoy practicing and playing the martial arts for fun. It's something that appeals to their warrior archetype personality. It doesn't mean that you have to be rated in the top 10 BJJ players in the world to enjoy what BJJ has to offer. It simply means that this is person who enjoys this martial art. This person may not necessarily have to compete in the martial art to enjoy what the art has to offer. As an example, many people have heard of Chuck Norris, Dan Inosanto and Ed O'Niell (and a whole bunch of other celebrities). I believe they are also BJJ Black belts and I don't think they have any competition records.

For those who enjoy competitions, you can also have in-house competitions like these guys:

I don't think the larger white belt was having an easy time and the smaller blue belt definitely is fighting hard. This is a fun way to train and probably a lot more realistic for the smaller guy to train against a larger opponent in a fun, safe environment. You could say the smaller guy definitely is a blue belt or you could say the white belt was holding back his 100% strength and weight. Whatever, but they enjoyed the roll and no one got hurt. Everyone went home to talk about this event over dinner. Fun!

When we started BJJ in KL back in 2003, the only competitions were the ones we organized ourselves. People in the local BJJ scene are still far and few and remain scarce. Malaysians are just not used to nor accept the grappling scene. Most are uncomfortable with the close contact, the sweat and "roughness" but to me that's the currency you pay for developing skills on the ground. To date, I still don't think there are enough local participants to justify a competition although there are now close to 20 blue belts in the country. Maybe...?

More on competitiveness, I avoid this type of competition/competitor:

As the sport matures and becomes more accessible worldwide, naturally there will be a growth and different people will specialise in different areas of the sport. For example, in Judo there are specialists like Kashiwazaki who is known for his Judo Newaza while others like Russian Shota Khabarelli who uses a unique pickup throw and are known for them. Some judoka never practice the grappling or newaza aspect while others specialize in them and are all regarded part of the same family. There are probably a lot more judoka who do not compete because they recognise that they do not have the necessary skills, talent, or mindset for it.

I'd like to end this by sharing some links to other discussions and circular debates on a related subject of BJJ belt ranks as more food for thought:

http://www.thejiujitsufighter.com/2009/01/thoughts-on-jiu-jitsu-belt-progression.html
http://www.onthemat.com/articles/Progression_in_Brazilian_JiuJitsu_10_13_2005.html
http://thefightworkspodcast.com/2010/04/10/bjj-poll-should-the-ibjjf-mandate-belt-promotions-after-set-timeframes/
http://www.goodyearbjj.com/bjjblog/?p=13

I'm not trying to change anyone's minds about what I've said about Monkey Jits. It is what it is. I'm not trying to start anything new. I'm merely following what my teacher and his teacher are doing. We can all do our own thing.

Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up.

Jesse Jackson

Monkey Mayhem 2010 Malaysia

2010-08-20T00:09:00.000+08:00

It's that time of year again when Rodney King rolls into town to update the CMD crew and we get to play with new (and refine our old) techniques. Coming fresh off 2 annual training camps in the UK and USA, this will be his annual destination in Asia.

I reiterate again and again on how different the CMD program is and it's healthy approach to martial arts training. The way martial arts are presented via the CMD program is a lot healthier and deals not only with the functional aspects but also the element of FUN! It's healthy for the mind and the body!

We have a 3 day training camp coming up, covering all the fundamental skills of the CM program. Obviously we can't do everything in one weekend but I'm already excited about it and can't wait to start!

If you have already reserved your place I'll be seeing you on the mats this weekend.

Balance? Why balance?

2010-01-23T22:40:00.001+08:00

Balance, probably the universal element that is the most consistently attacked and defended and the reason for many wrestling traditions in all cultures. The metaphor for the skill in being able to unbalance an opponent, and for some to continue one step further to pin the opponent for a set time duration signifies a win, or in the case of a medieval battlefield, use the opportunity to spear or kill your downed enemy with your sword.

What makes it so challenging? What is the point of being in balance and unbalancing your training partner? Many cultures that once wielded a sword during their military history as the main weapon of choice needed these martial skills. However, times have changed, military weapons have since evolved but in hand-to-hand combat distance, the importance of being able to unbalance your opponent is still the key to victory, whether it is to execute a take down, throw or strike.

If you are on an medieval battlefield, armed with a sword, facing an adversary similarly armed, either your sword handling skills were superior or your entry and wrestling skills had to be dominant in order for you to survive.

If you were able to unbalance your opponent and throw him, his sword was pretty ineffective at that time, giving you a significant advantage and time to injure or kill your adversary as you had the superior fighting position leaving your adversary with no mobility and little defensive capabilities.

I suppose this is such a significant skill and posed such a tactical advantage that the skills of unbalancing (involving wrestling, throwing, grip fighting, positional movement) is seen in many cultures and throughout the history of time.

It can be considered primal but a skill that is very potent and alive today. Fortunately these skills did not go extinct with the sword and shield, spear and net, or matchlock rifle. Many cultures recognized the health and cultural benefits of wrestling and the fact that you could "symbolize" a win by throwing your opponent without having to shed blood, and you could do this repeatedly. Like many martial arts it also served as an outlet for men to express themselves in this uniquely masculine activity (not to say that women are excluded but honestly, the gentler sex makes up a small percentage in the functional martial arts in general) without actually causing any permanent harm.

Much of the same tactical dynamics are required in what we do in CMD, boxing, Monkey Jits, personal safety and so on. It is one of the 4 drivers in the CMD program so spend some time working on your balance through strengthening, being mindful and blindfolded drills as practice.

Just as we get back into the swing of things

2010-01-22T15:15:00.000+08:00

Another public holiday looms, and another, and another...

This start-stop training always plays havoc on motivation, momentum and team spirit.

The next break is coming on Monday 1st Feb, followed by (almost) a week off due to Chinese New Years and so on. I suppose for some this is part of the challenge, to focus on what needs to be done and have fun along the way.

Personally, I'm excited with the new training schedule and I'm looking at how to maximize training times with all the different programs that is offered.

Most of all, I'm really happy that the interest and population for the CM Program is strengthening and the skill level of the three CM teams are improving. With the introduction of more CM technical refinement, there is lots to play with this year to help you improve both your sparring and fitness, all presented in a healthy training environment of PLAY!

In the meantime, be sure to join the CMD Malaysia Fanpage on Facebook

The highlight this year as usual will be the visit and seminar with CMD Founder, Rodney King when he visits us in August this year. As usual, all CMD subscribers/ team members will be required to attend and this year will rock!

See you back on the mats.

Time to rest

2009-12-22T18:28:00.002+08:00

Reflect back on the events, experiences and information over the year.

Physically you need to allow it all to settle in and slowly be absorbed into your being. Mentally, you may need to create some space before adding new things. You can say "emptying the cup a little".

The body cannot change or grow if you constantly put it under pressure. See what happens to bodies when they rest too long, they grow uncontrollably and silently. We don't want that to happen so we train and learn and play and experience.

I can guarantee that we will have plenty of things to do and the training will become progressively harder. Mentally you will be taxed, pushed to the limits and there will be days when you question why you even come to the gym. If there was no rest, your beliefs will be well grounded in some truth, however, if you take some time to rest and reflect on what you have learned, the cycle and balance is preserved.

Happy holidays and I look forwards to a refreshed and rejuvenated group in two weeks' time.

2009 Wrap Up

2009-12-20T18:55:00.002+08:00

With the sad event for me this year, the passing of my mum, the invaluable assistance from the 4 CMD Journeymen maintained the energy and skill level of the class during my absence. In recognition of their dedication, unselfish attitude and team spirit I would like to formally and publically thank Patrick Pincon, Charles Wong, Mike Gong and Adrian Tan for their time and efforts.

It was a tough decision this year as there were so many people to choose from but when the dust settled, here was the two who took home the "W":

2009 CMD Most Improved CMD Male Monkey: Will Yap

2009 CMD Most Improved CMD Female Monkey: Sherry Koh

Keep up the fantastic training energy. I'm always keeping an eye out for the folks who are improving by leaps and bounds.
I'm going to have 50 CMDers on the mats in 2010. Will you be one of them and enjoy this life changing challenge?

Matiquette: A matter of hygiene, odours and common courtesy

2009-11-24T09:21:00.006+08:00

There are several items that are regularly used and comes into constant contact during the CMD workouts: gloves, tshirts and BJJ kimono.

This raises the matter of personal hygiene and exercising good habits pre-and post-workouts.

It goes without question that everyone stepping on the mats should have good personal hygiene and grooming habits. Taking a shower before a workout removes the grime and funk accumulated over the course of the day, even if you spend all day in an air-conditioned office, it is still much appreciated by your sparring partners when close physical contact is required (such as in a clinch or in the Monkey Jits).

Walking in and out of the gym (especially to the restroom) should be done with footwear. Walking about barefoot is a bad idea as you will definitely pick up bacteria on the way out and in the studio. The bacteria will get rubbed off on the mats and some unfortunate's face or hands will come into contact and spread it to everyone s/he spars with.

The most common forms of skin-contact infections in many gyms are ringworm and staph. I try to keep the mats disinfected but I can only do so much. The rest is down to good habits by you.

Please take a moment to educate yourself about these common skin infections. As with many contact infections, they can be quickly spread and often results in gym closure to disinfect everything. For the victim, recovery can take a few months and that means no training or coming into physical contact with anyone, including pets. Think I'm joking?

In severe cases, this may include surgery and hospitalization. This potentially painful and expensive experience can be easily prevented.

The most common item that comes into contact with your training partners are your boxing gloves and your hands.

For my gloves' interior I use something called colloidal silver spray. Unfortunately it is not available in Malaysia presently but I have found it to be most effective to kill the bacteria that causes the smell in the gloves. This also works great on workout clothing but it starts to become expensive when spraying down a BJJ uniform. One tip that works is to immediately wash the gi when you get home. If you leave it in a laundry basket overnight the bacteria starts to work its way into the fabric and stays there. Every subsequent time you sweat in it, you reactivate the bacteria and the gi becomes stinky again. Not a good way to train.

I recall an older Japanese gentleman who used to train BJJ with us before he was assigned to another country. Before every BJJ class, he would brush his teeth and clean his face and neck. Sometimes he would shower before changing into his gi. Now I know why. I'll let you folks figure it out but before you step onto the mats next time, give it a try. You might be pleasantly surprised at the results. It only takes 5 minutes of your time and instead of hanging out waiting for the next session, wash up before getting on the mats.

Now the problem with boxing gloves is that the soft foam interior is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. After you have done training, the accumulated sweat pools up and is soaked up by the foam. The leather exterior, while breathable, is effective in keeping moisture in and air out. Even if you put the gloves in direct sunlight, the UV and solar rays will never make it to the ends of the gloves where your fingertips reach. Throwing leather gloves in the washing machine will not be the solution either as they will end up getting soggy and will damage the leather.

There are products like glove dogs or activated charcoal pouches which act more like moisture absorbers but the trouble is that it leaves the bacteria inside the foam. This is similar to those who use a hair dryer on a cool setting but seriously who has the time to spend an hour to dry out the gloves without getting to the source of the stink (bacteria)? Even things like Febreeze will temporarily mask the smell and leave you hands saturated with chemicals. The best is to use a combination of the colloidal silver and (air) drying technique.

For the gloves' exterior I use Clorox disinfecting wipes. This is available in most supermarkets that I've been to and it's good stuff as it claims to kill flu and cold viruses too.

The next are your hands; cut, filed fingernails, clean hands will help you prevent the spread of germs. I have nail clippers and waterless disinfectant liquid in the gym. Please use it.

The final item(s) would be your clothing. Clean workout gear (including knee pads and underwear) is the standard operating procedure. Clean BJJ gi is a must. If it's stinky and used, sitting in a closed gym bag in the back of your car for a week = not acceptable. Don't be surprised if no one wants to spar with you that evening. The message you send to your training partners is if you can't even look after your gear, I won't have confidence in you not injuring me on a physical or bacterial level so thanks but no thanks.

I may have mentioned this before but it is also not acceptable to cut your fingernail just before a jiu jitsu class. The freshly cut edges of your nails will scratch and cut the skin of your training partner (ranging from invisible to visible lacerations) which accelerates the any skin infections found under your fingernails or on the mats or your clothing. Better to do this at home, file down the toe and fingernails a day or two before sparring. You will find that if you are consistent about this there will be no incidences of any infections.

Well that's it for now. Happy and safe training.

KDT Kimonos: Technical Fightgear #8 Blue Colour Kimono

2009-11-24T00:19:00.004+08:00

Model: Technical Fightgear Series #8 BLUE

Top
- Light weight single 400g weave fabric
- One piece jacket with no back seam
- Ripstop fabric collar
- Heavy Reinforced Seams
- Tailored Fit
- BJJ White belt with Black rank bar included

Bottom
- 8oz lightweight RIPSTOP cotton with heavy canvas contrasting gusset in grey
- Contrasting colour drawstring
- 3 Point loop system
- Heavy Reinforced Seams
- Tailored Fit

Sizes:
A1 (fits 165cm-170cm)
A2 (fits 170cm-175cm)
A3 (fits 175cm-180cm)

********************* CARE & WASHING INSTRUCTIONS *********************

First Washing

Wash in cold water. Never use hot water.
Hang or line dry.*
Never use chlorine bleach. Chlorine bleach will damage the fibers of the gi.

*It is always advised that you order your gi according to each brands' own sizing chart. If the uniform fits a little too large right out of the bag, a dryer -properly used- can be used make the gi, "shrink to fit".
To do this, we recommend first washing the gi in cold water and then placing it in the dryer at a low setting. Check on the kimono every 5-10 minutes until it has reached the desired size, and then hang dry for the duration.

Subsequent Washings

Wash in cold water.
Never use Chlorine bleach.
Hang or line dry.

Optional Suggestions for Blue uniforms

Prior to the first wash, soak the gi in the a sink or tub with 2-3 cups of white vinegar and water. Let it soak for 20-30 minutes, and then wash. This will help set the color in your gi and minimize its fading.
On future washes, use only a color safe detergent.

These guidelines and suggestions are provided as a service of KDT Academy and are meant as a helpful resource to maximize the return on the investment you have made in purchasing this new gi. KDT Academy cannot be held accountable for damage, shrinkage, fading of color, etc...that may result from the gi being washed in any fashion. As per our return policy, once washed, a gi is no longer eligible for return or exchange under any circumstances.

KDT Kimonos: Technical Fightgear #8 White Colour Kimono

2009-11-24T00:17:00.005+08:00

Model: Technical Fightgear Series #8 WHITE

Top
- Light weight single 400g weave fabric
- One piece jacket with no back seam
- Ripstop fabric collar
- Heavy Reinforced Seams
- Tailored Fit
- BJJ White belt with Black rank bar included

Bottom
- 8oz lightweight RIPSTOP cotton pants with heavy canvas contrasting gusset in grey
- Contrasting colour drawstring
- 3 Point loop system
- Heavy Reinforced Seams
- Tailored Fit

Sizes:
A1 (fits 165cm-170cm)
A2 (fits 170cm-175cm)
A3 (fits 175cm-180cm)

********************* CARE & WASHING INSTRUCTIONS *********************

First Washing

Wash in cold water. Never use hot water.
Hang or line dry.*
Never use chlorine bleach. Chlorine bleach will damage the fibers of the gi.

Subsequent Washings

Wash in cold water.
Never use Chlorine bleach.
Hang or line dry.

In memoriam

2009-11-22T15:30:00.003+08:00

At the end of the day, when you take your final breath, it is said that your entire life flashes before your eyes. And when you look back on your life's experiences, disappointments, accolades, and your spirit wanders among your family and friends, what would you like to hear about how people will remember you?

I'm not being morbid here because we will all meet that day eventually. It is a definite date and is something we cannot avoid. At best we can delay it for some time but that too becomes meaningless.

In my limited experience, I've had my share of losing loved ones to time and disease. It is never easy and the memories of good times erase away the bad ones.

I hope that the memories that we all leave behind are good ones, that people remember us for something that we have contributed positively in a small or big way.

So back to my question, how would you like to be remembered or when people talk about a certain topic, you are fondly remembered.

A ferocious fighter? As someone who only knows how to destroy? How about someone who was talented in a certain subject like cooking, music, architecture, something creative?

When we talk about fighters, boxers, in their prime or past their prime, there almost exists this contradiction, as if we were talking about two different people. That strikes me as kind of odd and almost rude. The person, in or past their prime is still the same person.

When we talk about talented, creative people, we also talk about what period of their lives were considered the pinnacle or what specific work marked the highlight of their careers, but it is recognized that they are or were very much part of that creative, positive force.

It is different when we remember things about people who gave, creative, talented in managing or dealing with people. Entertainers, actors, musicians, philanthropists, or creative people are usually viewed in a different light than those within a very niche social circle light athletes and fighters.

So, at the end of the day, your feeling which dictate your thoughts, in turn inspires action and the memories that are created by your actions becomes the fabric that people will collectively weave in your memory.

How would you like to be remembered?

Physical conditioning issues?

2009-10-27T10:49:00.003+08:00

Physical conditioning letting you down? Not enough endurance and stamina to stay in the game?

It seems pretty obvious, the correlation between what you eat and how you prepare yourself for the CM classes.

In a nutshell, you need to:

1. Eat and drink healthily
2. Lead a healthy lifestyle
3. Exercise regularly

Some are not doing that. There's no reason why you shouldn't. If you currently don't workout it will quickly become a bigger problem, not only for your waistline but for your health and the impact that has on people around you.

The classes offered at KDT is one option. Most people need to belong to a community, a tribe and they excel in a community powered environment. They need the support and encouragement of the group energy to spur them on. Others prefer the solitary swimming or jogging route. Nothing wrong with that either.

Whatever drives you, please do something about your health and fitness.

Be an example to yourself as to what you can personally achieve. Aim for your personal best.

The most common problem I see in my CM clients is that they don't breathe.

Here's the solution; breathe!

Specifically, breathe OUT. Concentrate on the EXHALE phase of your breathing. Breathe out when you punch, when you move your feet as you push, as you move your hips when doing Monkey Jits. The inhaling will take care of itself.

Make short, sharp exhales. Try it next time you're on the mats!

A matter of perspective?

2009-10-25T18:20:00.003+08:00

A series of questions:

What do people "see" when they learn that you practice a martial art?
Do more people get attracted to you because of your hobby or do they keep away from you?
Do they perceive you as a mild-mannered, butt-kicking 9-5'er or a mentally unstable sociopath who is on the brink of going postal?
Do you behave like a meathead on roid-rage, all hyper, aggressive, exhibiting neanderthal tendencies?
How do others in your social behave and act?
Do you talk about fights, fight culture and the hundreds of scenarios on how to beat up someone?
Do you get excited when you watch a fight in general public?
Do you egg on the participants and then later on fantasize about how you would have ended the fight?
Do you mentally size up random individuals in the street?
Do you size up their weight and reach then match it up to your own?
Do you feel there is nothing wrong by walking about in your daily life dressed in your fight clothes or uniforms with your belt?
Do your immediate friends display any of the above signs?
Do you start verbal arguments hoping that it will end up in a physical altercation so you can test out your "sweet" new move?
Do you feel that your martial arts empowers you to be more for the above reasons?

Monkey Jits @ KDT Academy

2009-10-20T09:13:00.004+08:00

Part of the CMD Program includes Monkey Jits, a range of fighting where close contact, grappling and wrestling comes into play.
Before I first started BJJ I used to wonder how to deal with people grabbing me, at my clothes or at my neck (like in the movies) and back then it was a case of "punch them to make them let go".

Then along came BJJ and now that has taught me to use the offending arm as the focus of my attack (at the elbow or shoulder) and as things progressed smoothly in BJJ with my arm-attack theory, the Monkey Jits program kind of turned things back to the beginning where I now have more options. I could attack the offending arm and I still can and probably should punch them until they let go or do both at the same time. Of course it didn't take me that long to figure that out but with each layer of information that I learned in BJJ I had to reframe it in a context that was applicable to what I needed to address questions about personal safety.

On the most part people learn BJJ for fun, sport, workout benefits or competition. For Monkey Jits, although they are very similar the competitiveness aspect is downplayed in the sense that when you "roll" (spar) you won't be rewarded with a medal or even if you "win" while practicing in the studio, it's still practice.

The winner is usually viewed as the person who successfully applies a submission or who gets the tap, however; I also consider the person who successfully defends and escapes a bad position to be a winner too.

As much as I can I try to find ways to get the class members to be in a win-win situation and not focusing on the tap.

As such the win may be achieved by both in the training format that I learned from Rigan Machado in the class drill and revision at the end in front of everyone. That's a really powerful way to instill and repeat the skills learned during class. The nervousness and having to remember and repeat the correct technique under pressure and in the limelight serves to replicate (for some) the pressures of competition without a competition.

In Monkey Jits, everyone's a winner.

Interested to join the CMD program?

2009-10-06T12:53:00.010+08:00

Make a date with CMD

I'm excited to meet you if you are interested to join our CMD class in the future. I apologize that we are currently unable to accept you as a new client at this moment in time but I will accept your membership application for our next intake in 2010.

Our next intakes will be in February and in September.

Why are there only 2 intakes in a year?
I have made a commitment to my existing clients, some of whom have been training with me for over 6 years, about a high standard, transparency and quality of instruction. I am keeping my promise to them.

While I would like to have more students, realistically I know from prior experience that the optimal number of clients per CM session is no more than 6 clients to every instructor or mentor.

In order to maintain this high standard we need to maintain this student: trainer ratio.

What happens in the next intake?
Please send me an email regarding your interest or add your name and email contact to this blog. I will reply VIA EMAIL with details on how you can join the CMD. Thank you for your patience.

In the meantime please visit the CMD YouTube videos or join the CMD International forum to keep up with the latest CM developments.

You can also join us online at KDT Academy on Facebook. Click on link to the right of this window.

Join Our Team
Click on the "Comments" link below. Spaces are provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Please write your first name, name [at]server.com and cellphone contact (Malaysian phone numbers only). I will contact you via email and we will progress from there. Thank you!

The Monkey Dance

2009-09-28T14:50:00.003+08:00

Extract of an article "The Rules" By Rory A. Miller

Remember the saying: "When two tigers fight, one is killed and one is maimed"? That's a lie. Like other mammals, when tigers, bears, dogs, etc. battle their own species, they have a built-in ritual combat to prevent injury. Deer go antler-to-antler, not antler-to-ribs. Humans are apes. Like most animals we have a ritual to establish social dominance or defend territory. It is nearly always non-lethal.

The Monkey Dance is a ritual, with specific steps
The dance, I believe, is innate. The steps may be cultural. In my culture:
1) Eye contact, hard stare.
2) Verbal challenge: "What you lookin' at?"
3) Close distance. Sometimes there is chest bumping.
4) Finger poke or two-handed push to the chest.
5) Dominant hand roundhouse punch.

A Canadian friend informs me that step 4 in his neck of the woods is knocking the other person's hat off. Like I said, steps may be cultural.

Need to get something off your chest?

A few points-
-The Monkey Dance is almost always a male thing. I honestly don't know the female equivalent either in humans or other animals.
-Most martial arts (and most adolescent combat fantasies) are based on this model. It is much easier to prevail in a scenario that is already genetically designed to be non-lethal.
-The Monkey Dance can almost always be circumvented by either lowering your eyes and apologizing or ignoring it entirely keeping extremely relaxed body language and treating the verbal challenge as a serious, thoughtful question.
-If you start the dance, you will probably not be able to stop. You have 50 million years of conditioning to overcome. I usually tell my students that you don't play the dance, the dance plays you.
-Most incidents are resolved by one of the parties backing down before violence starts. As Grossman pointed out in "On Killing" even major battles are far more often won by display than by combat.
-A professional can finish an encounter quickly by jumping steps. In other words, if the threat is on any step below four and you take physical, decisive action, he will be unprepared. His mind expects all of the steps to be done before things get physical.

That all goes out the window when attacked by a group. You're no longer a part of the contest to see who is the bigger monkey. The contest is between the members of the group and they will be competing on your body.

PREDATORY VIOLENCE

Though most martial arts train pretty well for the Monkey Dance, true predatory violence is another animal altogether. If a predator has targeted you, it is because he sees you as prey and he will stack everything in his favor. You will be smaller and weaker, injured or tired, distracted, unprepared. You will not see the first attack. You will not see the weapon. You will probably be injured before you are aware of being attacked. It will happen at a place and time of the predators choosing. Nothing will be in your favor. The initial assault will knock most people over the 175 BPM mark instantly, leaving only an uncontrolled, flailing berserk or a stumbling sprint as options.

This, in my opinion, is the basic presumption for true training in self-defense. Not one instructor in fifty understands that defending against the predatory attack is completely different than training for Monkey Dance violence.

CMD in MMA

2009-09-25T11:27:00.003+08:00

MMA Genesis - Lindenman from Larry Lindenman on Vimeo.

Who says CMD doesn't work in a cage? Doubt the effectiveness of a locked down structure? Think boxing is passé? Think again!

It's very interesting to see CM1 and CM2 in action. To see it being used intelligently against a game opponent who doesn't share the same knowledge or training. You can see that the CM trained competitor is so much safer, not a scratch on him, and he works his jab beautifully to set up the finish. I can provide the commentary but I think this video works best with the sound turned OFF.

About the competitor:
At the age of 46, he stepped into the cage for his first MMA fight in Chicago.
Larry Lindeman is a member of the Illinois State Police and he runs a narcotics task force. He is also a long time JKD/Kali practitioner under Dan Inosanto. As a matter of fact, through the 80's, if you went to an Inosanto seminar in the midwest, you would have met Larry since he was generally the assistant at all of them. He is also the first instructor of some noteable other JKD people, including some who do DVDs and appear in magazines. Larry, in part due to his job, has maintained a low public profile, but for those who know, are very aware of him. Considering his depth of background, and the fact he could easily coast on his own considerable knowledge, I thought it was really cool of him to embrace CM and BJJ so much.

After the competition Larry states,
"Used CM and never got touched. Actually hurt my finger and wrist hitting his face. CM works (period). His structure was sloppy and I kept a tight CM lockdown. I felt that I jabbed him 20 times. I remember seeing his face swell and bruise and thinking, "wow, I don't need to do anything but jab". He went down and turtled then grabbed my right wrist, over his right shoulder. I hit him with left hooks to the liver and ribs (felt like 20 times). I pried my right arm out and he tried to stand. Slapped on the rear naked choke, ripped him back, sank the hooks, and he tapped.

Wasn't really even breathing hard. What a friggn rush! Lot's of lessons.

1) Be conditioned. Work your ass off on the road and in the gym.
2) Manage stress the day before and the day of the fight. This is HUGE.
3) Manage nutrition prior to and day of the fight.
4) Six or seven guys from my gym fought. I had a team in the locker room and the camaraderie helped to manage nerves. Watching 3 of them win prior to me coming out was a big plus.
5) Seriously, the CM kept me from being hit, I felt his punches on my forearms and elbows, but never even flinched. CM puts you light years ahead of your competition.
6) I didn't even hear my walkout music, I was so focused. Didn't hear my coaches, when I was in the cage, either.
7) I had a plan, but modified it on advise from one of my coaches. I knew this guy hit hard and was a brawler. He also out weighted me by 22 pounds (I ate and drank a gallon of water prior to weight in, got up to 207. He cut from about 222 to 214). I was planning to stick and move and leg kick. My coach told me to just stick and move. He believed leg kicks in the first round, when the fighters are fresh, are not the best. Susceptible to takedowns and then you have to fight from your guard.
8) It was nice for Mike and his lady to come out to the fight. Great seeing him and getting the moral support. I had a bunch of my guys there too, so I had plenty of support...Of course if I lost, I'd be banned from this board and would have to retire from the job.

This trip started right here. I came on this board as a Kali / Jun Fan guy. Knew I had no ground game and looked for a school, based on information I got here, from Cecil, SN, and others. Took a CM seminar from Cecil and will unequivocally state, If I didn't work CM, this could have ended differently. I'm kind of blabbering, cause I'm still JACKED. "

********
This post was inspired by the post on CMD Forums by CMD Pro Trainer, Cecil Burch and it goes out to the guys who feel old and slow. Goes to show that when you hit 46 you can still be a shark in your ocean :) a nice, benevolent shark with big, sharp teeth
********

Jab game @ CMD

2009-09-16T17:39:00.003+08:00

There are a lot of similarities between the sword play (fencing) and CMD Jab sparring.
Attack angles, footwork, timing and skillful deployment of the punch, parries, body angling and shifting, etc. all come into play.

It's frustrating for the beginner to spot the subtleties that go into this drill/game but once they get the hang of it, the jab becomes a devastating weapon in their arsenal.

What does this mean?

It means that the athlete has to master the jab. The footwork that carries the punch to the target. The set up, the approach, the hips and timing. It's about mastery over the self.

What makes a sports car? The colour? The low, aggressive stance? The performance engine? All of the above! It's not just any one element that makes it what it is but the sum of the parts.

In developing the jab game within the CM program we deconstruct it in a way by building on what you can already do. Like a signpost, my role is to steer you towards a better, more effective jab (and other CM games). Counter-intuitive or not, your responsibility is now to play with the information provided and keep playing with it until you can use your jab at will.

In the sport of fencing the athlete is focused and active on one side of his body, in boxing, CM, all aspects of the body is used. For me this is what makes the CM program so intriguing and challenging at the same time.

Impenetrable wall and Rocking Side to Side

2009-09-04T12:08:00.006+08:00

CM1 (impenetrable wall of defense) and CM2 (rocking side to side)

This a great training drill to develop a solid boxing game CMD style!

Photo 1: CM1

Example 1: Right athlete (R) is feeding straight high line punches (jab & cross). Left athlete (L) is defending with CM1, hips squared up, matched heights, and maintaining a tight structure.

L is "sacrificing" his offensive capabilities for 100% defense leaving no gap in defense. In the CMD, we refer to this as "riding the storm" when R is trying to breach L's defense with a non-stop barrage of fast, accurate punches.

When we are being out-boxed, out-punched, out-scored, the best and most conservative response is to remain in a tight stance and present a hard exterior shell, almost as if you were inside a pill box so none of the punches can get in.

Of course as the defender you can't stay "riding the storm" for any extended period of time, rather it is a moment to prevent any more punches from getting through.

Once you have established the impenetrable wall you are aiming to start advancing (footwork) towards your training partner. The intention of this is to prevent your opponent from locking out their arms during their punches and to initiate your counter punching phase.

Doing the CM1 well and correctly is imperative for you to progress to the next phase of the stand up game. A solid CM1 defense gives you valuable space and time; two intangible commodities in the standup game. Of course, events happen so quickly that they become a fleeting moment so your task is to recognize its value once you have acquired it as you can lose it just as quickly. Recognition of the opportunity and timing of when to move to CM2 comes from sparring and flight-time spent wisely on the mats!

When L recognizes that R is not able to fully extend on his punches, he seizes the opportunity to initiate CM2, that is a side to side rocking movement powered with a timed level change and precise footwork.

In the following pictures you can see L moving to the outside of R's cross:

Photo 2: CM2

Photo 3: CM2

At the CM2 range, L has successfully freed up his arms from a 100% defense mode and because he has successfully moved to the outside of R's punches, L is now is a fantastic position to counter punch as R is in range now. Also L has the momentum on his side to chamber up his counter punches from the side to side rocking movement.

How often will I use CM1 and CM2 in sparring?
The majority of the time you will be spending in between CM1 and CM2 phases. Even if you specialise in a close, clinch game, breaching the distance to allow you to enter the clinch (CM3 and CM4) phase requires you not to get knocked out on the way in.

At the CM2 range it is also great to start your kicking combinations and set up your take downs for a ground game.

Want to learn more?
If you would like to find out more technical details on this and other drills, please give us a call or send an email to www.kdta.com and www.crazymonkeydefense.com.my

About the photos:
Photo credits: All rights reserved (c) 2009 Vince Choo
Photos taken during a live drill/training session and were not "posed".
CMD Athletes: Yap Will Lee and Rick Ali

Aut viam inveniam aut faciam

2009-08-19T14:34:00.017+08:00

Malaysia Today (2006)

Men's Health Malaysia (September 09)

Personal Money (July 09)

Men's Health Malaysia (July 09)

August Man Magazine (August)

Other articles and interviews coming: The Star (national newspaper publication) and Men's Health Malaysia November 09

Word
The success of any gym depends as much on the coach's personality and what the brand (gym name) says to its potential clients.

It's been a few years on the block now (counting to 11 years), and getting the word out about KDT Academy and its services is a full time occupation. In addition to printing out pamphlets, having a web presence, business cards and so on, the most dynamic communication tools remain in print (for now). The power of the internet via social networking platforms like Facebook, Blogger, Twitter are also powerful tools to have in your arsenal. If you're not already using them to get the word out about your service or product, you're missing out on a potential 20 million user market (for free at that!).

Getting the word out about your product or service
As noted marketing guru, Seth Godin, writes, make what you do remarkable, stand out from the crowd and be a Purple Cow! The risk is to be a "me too" product or service provider. KDT Academy is remarkable as we pioneered many unique fitness and combat sports programs, use a simple, client-friendly administrative system and offer a variety of programs that are affordable, fun and challenging. With programs like Fizfit Workouts, Kettlebell workouts, Crazy Monkey Defense and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, KDT Academy made its mark on the local fitness and combat sports scene by offering these on a full-time basis at a time when most, if not all others operated out of government middle schools or annexed to existing fitness centres, KDT Academy was in its' own dedicated, facility. The gym also set a benchmark for it innovation to management standards and steadily saw its programs grow consistently over time via word of mouth recommendations. This snowball effect resulted in the "problem" of having to turn-away clients as the gym did not have enough capacity for those numbers.

How did we get all those people on the mats? It was a combination of program uniqueness (my Purple Cow), gym location (upper middle to upper class area), marketing message (English medium) and I made the classes individually unique every time (read: physically challenging)!
I have had a number of full page, full colour national newspaper spreads, multi-page coverage in health and fitness magazines featuring my clients, trainers, myself or my coaches and in this post I'd like to share some ideas on how you can get the same done.

Steady, aim, fire!
Like a good journalist your message aimed at your target market must include the following categories: What, Where, When, How, Who.

Of course it will be a tremendous help to have the skills of a professional write, journalist or copy writer to assist in your project, failing which you will need to take time to carefully craft the exact verbal picture you want to be read.

In most cases, the publication will send its own photographer to your interview or to take a "few shots" of you and your activities.

In this post I'll just talk about print media (hardcopy) like magazines and newspapers.
There are the paid type and "free" type. Most of you I assume will be interested in the "free" category.

The breakdown: Approaching the publication
Some of my clients in the gym are freelance professional writers while others are indentured with many years experience. This is called "leveraging" the assets you have in your gym. Look around in your membership and see what talents your members bring in. Are they happy to help you promote the gym? Will it be a win-win situation for all involved?

This is probably the most crucial point; selecting which publication you want to appear in for many reasons. You will most likely attract the type of readers so be careful.

The magazines I selected are targeted at males, 25-45, married, professional, dual-income, educated with at least a university degree and computer literate (it's becoming increasingly harder to find those who aren't nowadays), concerned about personal health, fitness, diet, nutrition, grooming, personal safety, and are looking for personal challenges as well as for personal growth.

It's no surprise that most of my clients fit those demographics.

Maybe traditional marketing and soft selling does still work :)

We have contact...
I was fortunate to have the magazine and their staff writers or freelancers approach me about articles or that I proposed an interview opportunity with a personality.

I was asked my opinion as a personal fitness trainer about the applications of gym shoes which opened up the opportunity to pursue more ideas and articles as I already made contact with two of the staff writers and sub-editor.

Usually the editors will come up with the theme or purpose of the article that goes in hand with the theme they have for that months' publication.

Newspapers may be a lot less focused than a lifestyle magazine so make adjustments here and there.

Be the subject matter expert
There's no short cuts to this one. Know what you are going to talk or write about and write/talk about what you know. In this case many interviewers or publications can only base your credibility on first hand recommendation or certification that you carry. Most organizations provide such credentials (colleges, established vocational schools, industry-specific organizations, etc.) while others do not (CMD for example). With or without a paper credential reference, the most important thing about establishing your credibility about being regarded as an expert in your field is YOU! You need not "walk the talk" but of course it will be a tremendous help to know what you are talking about having experienced it first hand. E.g. If you plan to talk about a recipe for a dish, you best do to have some cooking experience.

The article may require you to elaborate on your background, your training, which organizations you are affiliated with and which organizations accredit your programs.

Focus on one to two (maximum) topics in the article to educate the reader precisely what it is that you do and offer and why they should or could also participate in.

Sometimes the wording may not be up to you (the editor holds the final say) so offering lead-in offers to invite the reader for free trials may not be possible or legal in your country so please check.

Cyberly yours...
More often than not, I use my website as a reference point to information and photos that may be used in the articles. I always try to use pictures of people from the gym. Not only do folks enjoy seeing themselves in the articles but they also get their friends and colleagues to see the same, thereby virally spreading the word about your gym and services. It's de rigeur to have your web domain clearly marked out.

So here are the few ideas to get you started out on. The rest (if there is sufficient interest from readers) and time (from my schedule) I'll continue with more bits of info.

Happy training!

More details: http://kdta.com/trainers.html

Aut viam inveniam aut faciam
"I will either find a way or make one"
http://www.yuni.com/library/latin.html

Online belts?

2009-08-17T15:46:00.007+08:00

I recently received a telephone call about sponsorships. A kid wanted to know whether we sponsor jiu jitsu fighters.

Well, here's my rant o'the day:

1. Jiu Jitsu "fighters" aren't fighters in the strictest sense of the word. They don't punch, strike or kick. They are specialists on positional movement, pins, controls and submissions via chokes and joint locks. You could say the title "doctor" applies to all in the medical field but just as there are medical doctors there are probably just as many academic doctors whom you can't consult for a health concern. They are not the same. Military people who go to war and shoot each other are fighters. They fight for survival. They fight so that you and I can enjoy our freedom. They fight for a cause.

People who sit behind a desk for 8 hours a day and train for 2 two nights a week are not fighters. They're enthusiasts who play the sport of jiu jitsu.

2. There are little to no jiu jitsu competitions in the country (Malaysia), at least not like how you expect what a sanctioned, ranked and rated jiu jitsu competition is like anyway. Rolling about in your living room with cousin Benny doesn't make you a competitor.

3. Sponsoring someone who hasn't been on the mats and trained against a live, fully-resisting opponent is never going to happen because they don't know what it is really like. You don't know side control until you've been under side control.

4. Getting a belt online doesn't qualify or certify you for sh*t. It's just a piece of paper and a bit of cloth you tie around your waist and you would be a fool to believe otherwise. Try downloading a degree from an online university to see how far you would get in any Fortune 500 corporation job interview. You will probably get the same results here.

5. Cheap things ain't good, and good things ain't cheap ~ that's my red neck impression for the year.

6. Getting certified online means you never know what a "tap" means.

7. The dictionary is the only place where Success comes before Work (not my quotation)

8. It's disrespectful to those who earned their belts through real mat time, not virtual "online" study time at 2:30am

9. True, you'll never get ringworm or mat burn but that's what makes you, you and me, me.

10. I don't have to pay RM32 per technique video streaming download in FLV or MP4 format. I get the whole thing for much less and it's sweaty and it's real.

/rant

Settling dust..

2009-08-17T14:57:00.004+08:00

It's been a week since Rodney was at the gym and his departure marks the last seminar event I will be hosting until next year.

What have I learned since our last contact?
The Monkey Jits is one aspect that I'm very interested in. As you can see in the Monkey Jits logo, my game is like the picture. The basic framework is there but there are lots of bits missing that would otherwise form a more complete picture. At the moment I'm still slowly digesting the chunks of information that I've gleaned over the years and it's exactly this stuff, the stuff of learning and growth, that keeps me motivated and pushes me to improve.

The Jits game is closely related to the ground game where strikes are employed and I enjoy the technicalities of this due to it's relative simplicity as much as the complexities of a straight-forwards submissions-only ground game.

On the CMD front, the vastness and depth of the stand-up game is constantly being refined to a point where there is no stasis. Things are always moving forwards as changes are initiated and techniques, strategies are improved on.

Sparring with Yuri CMD Advanced Trainer (Indonesia)

Enveloping the functional skills is the philosophy, the internal voice of reason that gives cause to the dedication and determination of the "why", nicely complementing the "how" of the CMD.

I have lots of things to work on personally, as well as for the group classes and this keeps things very interesting and fun to do.

For a while though it wasn't fun. There were simply too many things to work on, to learn, mistakes to overcome and to relearn new, and more effective habits. I was thinking the other day that we never really "break" old habits, just replace them with new ones. The old ones are still there, lurking in the depths of your mind, waiting for the next opportunity to re-appear and the constant struggle in knowing that we don't have to be dependent on them anymore, keeps training fresh and exciting. Having spent more time boxing, training Monkey Jits and teaching the same has definitely helped me to grow as a person, athlete and instructor/teacher.

Of course, the scope of my responsibilities span beyond the confines of the mats. I am also a mentor to some CMD Trainers, sharing my version of "the Journey" to provide a dollop of remedy here and there. Acting as a sounding board has it's merits and downsides too but I enjoy it all.

My responsibility also includes shaking up the dust lest it settles too quickly. Things are and always in change. I have to lead the way to show people how to embrace the change rather than to turn away in fear. It is a fearful thing, change, as much uncertainty that it brings it also carries with it opportunities.

The dust is like the bits of information that floats about your mind in a random, chaotic manner. There are no filing cabinets in your mind! The information floats about, some falling, some rising while other bits seem to hang in the air, defying gravity, all of it instantly responding to the slightest disturbance. The dust that finally settles to the ground can be trampled on, but with each step, other particles are stirred up and re-energized like memories carried in a box of old photographs. I love that!

Shake up the dust!

Rodney King CMD seminar 2009

2009-08-10T13:22:00.010+08:00

High calibre CMD seminar at KDT Academy with Rodney King

It was another inspiring, motivating, and technically fun seminar presented by CMD's Rodney King in KDT Academy. This marks Rodney's second visit to our shores and so we keep feeding him with great food and Puma shopping :)

Fun aside (and there were lots) I am confident in saying that everyone who attended told me that they had a great time, learned a boat load of tools to improve their game as well as the opportunity to see how it's supposed to be done!

It was great to see old friends and to make new ones, and as the CMD family grows world wide it is very cool to see that people are drawn to the CMD because of its honesty, functionality and philosophy.

I was very happy to have met James Woodfield-Jones, CMD Trainer Australia (W.A.), a super nice guy with fantastic stand up and ground game. James is the first Australian CMD Trainer and has a great attitude to match his technical skills. Really sharp and switched-on guy!

I'm always happy to see my old friend Adam Kayoom, CMD Trainer Thailand, and we need not be reminded of his athletic accomplishments as he is already a legend in the gym and a great guy with a fantastic sense of humour.

Both James and Adam were promoted this year to full Trainer and are fantastic ambassadors of CMD in the region. I'm really happy for them and I'm sure they're also really buzzed about the recognition and responsibility that comes with this.

Participation numbers this year was great, all in-house CMDers with regional CMD trainers, TnT coming from Jakarta, Singapore, Perth, Kuching, Bangkok and as usual the club culture, attitude and vibe was what makes this seminar successful!

Kudo's to Mike Gong, Adrian Tan, Patrick Pincon and Charles Wong on being promoted to CMD Blue and I am really happy that Rodney made this announcement.

I also wanted to extend my congratulations to Yuri (Indonesia CMD) on his Monkey Jits Purple belt!
and Rodney awarded a purple stripe for yours truly :) which was fantastic for me! I know Yuri couldn't be happier, and I'm also really happy about that, after all it has been 9 years since he's been at Blue belt which explains his solid Jits game.

Overall the past four days has been a blast, learning a load of CMD techniques and getting the all important feedback from top-notch training partners. I'm already looking towards next year's seminars and we're working on a surprise! Stay tuned!

Photos from the seminar are available in the CMD Member's Forums. Not a registered member yet? Sign up at your local CMD gym or get instant access online

Thinking thoughts

2009-07-28T17:18:00.004+08:00

I'm at a point of my training that I'm comfortable being able to drill certain aspects of my stand up game in my gym.

This allows for a lot of development, focusing on performance and using every training opportunity to experiment and improve. Of course I am not expecting huge leaps of technical improvement. Personally, I know it takes a lot of conscious effort to galvanize the techniques being practiced and making them into unconscious decisive techniques opposed to more opportunity and serendipitous strikes/ defenses.

Naturally I experience my share of frustrations, lack of understanding on how to set up certain punches, footwork, and angles (it's always the angles)... but I soldier on knowing that one day I'll get it all together in a smooth, seamless flow where I'm in a Zen-like state.

On an unrelated topic, I'm looking forwards to Rodney's visit next month as well as meeting and training with the other CM trainers from the region. I think this may be one of the largest CM events I've ever hosted and hope everything goes smoothly.

Sadly to say a few CMDers from the gym can't attend this year, even though I made it very clear that attendance is mandatory. What will the consequences be for withdrawing at the last moment I wonder....?

As a result I may have one or two spots left in the seminar and I still expect about 25-30 people on the mats then. If you are a CM student from any of the regional gyms please consider coming to KL's seminar as the material and exposure level will not be repeated in the other training locations : CMD, Monkey Jits, MMA material will be presented! Can't wait.

Another bump in the night

2009-07-23T10:33:00.002+08:00

My old buddy Charles is slamming it! Last night he was awarded his 4th stripe white CMD and he's back on track. Love to see his progression and his fantastic, helpful attitude on the mats. He's always a welcomed presence at KDT and has proven to be a super guy in the face of all challenges. Well done and congratulations! The next hurdle is nothing compared to what you've been through bro!

Progress in the right direction

2009-07-14T21:54:00.003+08:00

Last Monday I awarded some of my CMD beginners' their first CMD White stripe.

I feel they were awarded fairly in recognition of individual's progress and dedication, attitude and growth over the past 6 months or so and they are Will Yap, Sherry Koh and Rick Ali.

Here are some highlight videos of their progression.

Will Yap

Sherry Koh

Rick Ali

Congrats to you Crazy Monkeys and I look forwards to your continued progress!

CMD's Rodney King in Malaysia

2009-07-12T11:26:00.004+08:00

It's been a while since my last post but with all posts, I will try to share something significant.

The story of Rodney King is pretty inspiring. Those who have his book or know about his history can vouch for that.

For people who don't know Rodney they tell me of a certain aura the man carries with him, a distinct combination of confidence and cockiness. It's as if his personal space extends well beyond the norm and you find it difficult to breach it. Others tell me what a warm hearted, funny prankster this man from South Africa and how they love to hang out with him. The contrasting feedback is not unusual as Rodney is a complex individual who can walk the talk, preferring the latter.

In his past visit to Malaysia Rodney presented an awesome series of workshops to present his CMD program which is perhaps a reflection of his personality, which varies between great and hardcore. What is amazing perhaps is how he instills and inspires participants to a higher level of confidence and physical performance on the mats.

Concepts and techniques are broken down to easily digestible steps that a beginner can follow and repeat like a pro.

I'm looking forwards to training with Rodney again and picking his mind about coaching concepts, techniques and I'll post a report when it's done.

Rodney will be at KDT in the first week of August. It's going to be the biggest CM event with an expected turnout of 30 CMDers from the region.

The road ahead

2009-06-07T17:41:00.003+08:00

I'm trying hard to focus on the delivery and refinement of the CMD program and while the recent events is making it very difficult, thought not impossible, I have yet more things to add to the CM training menu.

One of the frequently asked questions is this: What should I concentrate on when I train at home by myself?

To help illustrate, here's a quick video of Mike Tyson working on the heavy bag

Take note of his guard and the following:

hands never drop
his hips always squared on to the bag
footwork and circling consistently
how he commits his weight into the punches and into the bag
how he recovers from all punching positions or slips back into balance

what else can you see and learn from the short video?

Of course, I'm using this video as a means to inspire not as an instructional so even if you could glean 1% of Mike Tyson's boxing skills that's a huge step up in the mental discipline that will beat any couch-potato lifestyle and a massive step towards your personal CM development.

The trick is now to focus on your existing strengths. Work with what you feel is your strongest aspect. See you back on the mats!

Drama at the hospital

2009-05-24T09:13:00.002+08:00

This past week has been dramatic filled with highs and lows, mostly lows with my mum being admitted to hospital after suffering multiple heart attacks. I spend most of the week shuttling to and from the intensive care unit and herding relatives who came from near and far. My mum's care and love has a pretty wide reach around the world. Most of our relatives have migrated to Australia so I think this incident must have contributed to the growth of the Australian economy by at least 1% in airline fares.

It's great to know that a small statured person has such a positive influence on so many people. In fact, it really has nothing to do with the person's physical size rather in the actions and deeds.

In the week that I have been away I placed 3 CM Journeymen in charge of the CMD program. They are very competent in their CM skills and as part of their Warrior's Journey they each take turns to present bits of information that has played an important role in their CMD progression.

It turns out that both sides, the presenters and the audience, enjoy the process and it gives me great satisfaction that they are all on the same wavelength. Congratulations and kudos to a great week!

An issue of confidence

2009-05-11T14:16:00.005+08:00

The notion of someone punching you in the head has always and remains a terrifying thought and it was partly because of this fear that led me to continually seek better ways to address this - head on.

Understanding the concepts that drive the CMD structure is what gives the user an immediate confidence boost because probably for the first time, he or she may feel that none of the opponent's punches are getting through. They are surviving the onslaught of combinations yet it is as simple as only keeping the hands attached to the head.

It is exactly with this type of training that leads to increasing self-confidence levels. A simple and highly effective technique which can be easily learned and allows for many levels of applications and plenty of room for further refinement.

Athletes are encouraged to make mistakes only on condition they learn from them. They are free to experiment to test the "feel" of the technique, tweak the timing and play with different energy levels to induce a different outcome every time. Through understanding how and why the CM structure works they also learn why and how it doesn't work. Through this they develop a feel of when they can use either to their advantage. By familiarizing themselves with both sides of the coin they are confident to be able to use either to their advantage.

In practical terms, we can use the following example.

Say we flip a coin, tails representing a solid T.E.S. while heads has a loose, open guard, used to lure and invite punches, one athlete will adopt the structure that is determined by chance while the other has no idea what will be done and will spar as they usually do. The coined athlete will play their game with the intention of using their T.E.S. and CM defense to their advantage. This kind of drill ties in neatly with the Fight Compass. See if you can spot which type of T.E.S. works best with the Fight Compass games.

Through these games and experiments, the athlete's understanding of the different components should increase their confidence levels.

As always, I welcome comments and suggestions. See you on the mats.

The CMD program is growing!

2009-04-26T19:58:00.003+08:00

It's been a great, fun few months. The CMD program is growing as interest and consciousness in a fun executive kickboxing / MMA grows locally.

Between Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu there are about 30 to 40 CMDers up and about. This is an encouraging sign because people are starting to recognize the value of the program beyond the physical benefits of the program.

What is Crazy Monkey Defense?
It is a question that is often asked and I'm afraid I don't have a singular, pat answer for it. The Crazy Monkey Defense is a combination of things; it is a group activity but the focus is on the individual performance and growth. It is physical but involves much intellectual strategy and mindset enhancement. It has contact sparring but it is done in a cooperative, giving and non-judgemental environment, where competition and being "dominant" is not the objective of how we define success, rather, when you walk out of the academy, how you physically feel matters as much as you emotionally feel.

The learning process and journey is not done alone and with the technical and emotional support from the coach, Journeymen and tribe, you should never feel alone or feel that you risk anything by not being able to do certain movements or techniques. There are plenty of people to support and provide information to keep you on track.

The program is structured in such a way that the only way is to improve and learn.

Perhaps it is time to inform your friends and let them experience the program too?

The new boys

2009-04-04T23:37:00.003+08:00

I've been using Twins Special gloves for a few years now, and they are great for what they do, lots of padding but after using my current pair for 3 years now, I've reluctantly decided to semi-retire them for a couple of reasons, one being that the center seam on the palm has split and there is a somewhat sharp edge which could cut or scratch my training partner, and secondly the sweatiness that has accumulated over 4-5 days of regular sweatage has made it even difficult for me to wear them (as the smell of sweat-marinated hands can last for a deadly few hours even after a thorough clean and shower).

So in comes my supplier with these new boys.

These are pretty awesome. Snug fit leather gloves made in a pro-boxing style with the all important breathable fabric palm and perforated thumb for additional heat and humidity breathability. It has a longer cuff that stretches midway down my forearm, at least 2 inches longer than the cuff on the Twins Special. This additional cuff forces me to keep my wrists straighter and has strangely improved my TES and CM structure as well as helping to align my arm a bit more. I like!

The King Professional is a lot more compact for a 12oz and has an overall sleeker profile than the Twins which is chunkier and bulkier in comparison. The Twins Specials are Muay Thai gloves while the King Professional is a Pro Boxing style.

You'll see me rocking them for the next couple of years no doubt (well, until they wear out or stink out)

Acceptance, Enjoyment and Enthusiasm

2009-03-22T14:34:00.004+08:00

These are the words for your next workout. This post will look at each in turn.

Acceptance: You may not completely understand or enjoy what you do in the class. You may think that you are ready for the "next level" however when you look inside yourself, rip off your public mask, you know that you are still on the first steps towards self-mastery.

Learn to accept and perform the tasks set out for you with no thought of like or dislike. Just apply yourself and do the best you can with quality work. Be present in the tasks and be responsible for your conscious participation.

I find that many people either give half-hearted attempts when participating or over-shoot the material in the classes. They are set out in a way to help you systematically, in a sequential progression to improving your mat performance.

Often athletes are not listening to the instructions provided and drift off in their own tangent, only to be frustrated that their version is not working out as planned. Here's the solution: accept the task forwarded to you with no judgment or preconceived notions of what you think you should be doing instead. Are you ready to do more challenging material? Maybe. Is the material being presented too challenging for you? Maybe.

Acceptance of the tasks and perform them with quality work helps to you engage the body and mind as one. As with walking, taking a step at a time, slowly but steadily walking towards your goal, you will encounter people and decisions along the way, but only those who are mindful and make careful decisions and walk purposefully will reach their destinations.

The Journeyman

2009-03-09T23:11:00.004+08:00

In the CMD program, there is a Rites of Passage, a Warrior's Journey that each one of us must experience and go through. As coaches, we naturally go through that, knowingly or not, but as athletes in the program we face our personal challenges, seek out a teacher, learn and complete the journey by facing our challenges in our re-born form and pass on that experience to the next generation.

This transition takes place when you are technically and mentally equipped to take on the challenges presented to you. This becomes your Rites of Passage and helps you to recognize that you have completed one phase of your personal travel along the CMD path.

It can be as rewarding and interesting as you make it or not but it will definitely be challenging on many levels. Fortunately, there will not be mountains to scale, oceans to swim or dragons to slay, but you might meet their equivalent in the form of time constraints, difficult communications or non-complying individuals.

Research and experience has taught us that athletes do best in an environment that has the training mapped out for them. They know what is required from stage to stage and that their progress is conceptualized around each individual. Look at any popular children's TV show and you will see a common thread: TMNT or Power Rangers for example. Each character possesses a different skill or power and with that an explicit or implied limitation to their skill. They are each different yet at a glance, seem remarkably similar. They share a uniform crest, symbol or uniform signifying teamwork and belonging. Often, their supplementary modes of transport or power allows them to be unified as one singular unit with discrete functions. Ask any 10 year old which is their favourite TNMT or Ben 10 character and you can learn not only about that character's attributes but also the aspirations and dreams of a 10 year old. Powerful stuff and the same stuff that dreams are made of.

Having said that, I will soon announce the Journeyman (J) phase for those who are ready, in my opinion, to take on this challenge, what it entails and why it is important. The Journeyman is to identify those who are on their personal journeys as described above. I will mark your Journeyman status next to your name on the KDTA.com website. We will talk more about it individually next time!

Live it!

Positively useful and productive

2009-03-02T16:50:00.002+08:00

My initial title for this post was going to be "Why I'm afraid of meeting people who do martial arts" but I scrapped the ideas because it wasn't going to be positive, entertaining or useful. Most of you can read my mind about what I would have written anyway.

Going by the last three ideals, I'll be making this year's blog posts focused on those three themes.

Let's take a look at what I mean by "positive"; Experiencing, promoting and showing others the values of being positive, having positive behaviour, being saturated in a positive environment and so on.

I was recently asked about how to handle negative energy. In one example, a client related how I would handle a situation where something bad happened to him and how badly he did during some martial arts sparring practice even though he experienced a lot of rage and anger resulting from the incident.

Nothing positive can come from any action or thought that has been fueled or determined by negative energy. His fruitless martial arts sparring performance was a direct reflection of his state of being. He was just expressing his anger in a physical dimension and was being angry at "anger". Possibly for revealing a weakness in his otherwise calm exterior. Using "anger" in a physical aspect is not going to leave you feeling good even if you succeed in achieving your goals because anger has just become validated and justified, but you will feel tired and unresolved.

One of the important concepts I learnt about anger or negative feelings is to recognize it (with consciousness, thereby be present), and let it be. Observe it as you would a park bench or a grain of rice that has fallen on the ground and it will quickly go away and not manifest itself into something else. This is hard for many people when they are not 'present'.

Related to this is that the body is a reflection of the mind's intentions. For example, if you are feeling angry, your physical actions and body language will 'speak' louder than words. If you become vocal during an angry time, the volume, pitch and choice of words will reflect your feelings just as when you are happy or sad.

The interesting thing about all this is that the brain cannot differentiate between what is 'real' and what you 'think' or 'believe' or for that matter, what you 'dream'. To the brain, these thoughts are as real as flying pink elephants in a dream. The body will reflect what you 'dream' too. Try to recall how many times you jolted awake from a scary dream, to find yourself with a racing heartbeat and sweaty palms or times when you dreamt of a sad incident to wake up finding yourself crying for real.

You can exercise control over what you choose to think and believe. Choose positively and be present.

A new beginning

2009-02-21T12:56:00.004+08:00

The batteries of holiday have eased off with not another one in sight for at least 2 months. A somewhat unsatisfactory exchange between productivity and rest. I'm sure for many it will bring a dreaded sigh of relief, as spending that much time relatives without the age-old excuse of work to avoid dinners and teas (to stave off the growing waistline) has become back in vogue.

Having said this, the gym has a new group of CMD athletes signing up, all eager with good intentions. A good number has decided to cross-train in both BJJ and the CMD.

As with all things, especially physical pursuits, the litmus test is not who is the toughest rather who can tough it out the longest! Who knows how long our interests can be sustained? After all, many folks who have achieved their blue belts in BJJ promptly decided to quit the sport in pursuit of other interests with family first and golf a close second. I've lost track of the faces over the years who join with fantastic energy and zest, only to succumb to the demands and realities of life. Is it really life taking over or do they allow it to take over their lives? I don't know. Only they know the answer to that.
I was somewhat surprised that there were so many people waiting to sign up for the CM program. Not only as clients but there are also 2 CMD trainers-in-training in Kota Kinabalu and we already know Albert is the other trainer in Kuching. That makes 4 CMD trainers in Malaysia. I'm sure there are others who are interested and I can think of a couple of suitable candidates.

The CM program has it down to a pat. The lessons are progressively taught to the beginners and its a great refresher for the more advanced crew to be gently reminded of basic components that they might have missed the first time round. The program encapsulates all the aspects of a solid personal defense system with the important focus on the client's needs all presented with a healthy outlook on why the training is done. I think this really sets CMD apart from other martial arts programs and I've been involved in a few. I didn't enjoy some martial arts because they espoused a paranoid view on life, as if we lived in a war-zone and had armed muggers and rapists ready to pounce from every dark corner while others had a great outlook and philosophy but sorely lacked in the functionality of what they taught (which lead to many inflated ego's and loud, voices). To each their own.

On a side note the official CM athlete shirts are ready and the ranking structure is in place. Refer to the website for the current CMD ranks.A warm welcome back to the mats and be prepared for a bunch of great training material coming your way.

Astride, aside... CM-concept MMA

2009-01-15T10:34:00.007+08:00

Tonight's theme was a review of the concepts learnt in last month's seminar conducted by Rodney King. Questions asked concerning takedowns (TD) and control after a successful TD.

Firstly, note the importance of a solid posture. Wrestling, BJJ and grappling arts in general keep their hands low in order to facilitate an easier control under or over the opponent's arms. They also bait for a head punch (and therefore must have sufficient "chin" to take a punch or two before shooting in for a TD).

Recognizing the importance of a solid T.E.S. we approach the same TD from a CM structure and use the penetration step and level change as PART of a punching combination as you would a kick from a punching combination. This means: fluidity, non-telegraphic, committed entry into a solid TD position. In the first picture, you can clearly see Rodney has a sumo squat position, head and back upright, and he's prepared to drive up, snatch the leg across and take my balance away.

Freestyle/Greco-Roman wrestling expert (& CMD member) Dr. Richard Salamone explains details on the nuances and options to complete a high single:

On the actual single leg technique:

After a successful TD:

1. Dealing with the legs.
2. Passing the guard
3. Controlling positions

Want to know how? Come to the classes. We have beginner's classes starting in Feb 09. Check out more info at www.kdta.com and www.crazymonkeydefense.com

Listen to your feet and keep your head down

2009-01-12T23:22:00.003+08:00

Couple of pointer's in tonight's CM session.

Aside from the conceptual framework presented, everyone did pretty well tonight and I'm happy with the progress. The kicker was the last quarter of the session where I noticed 2 things: T.E.S. wasn't being applied and there was a constant shuffling of feet on the mats.

Chin IN, head down, hands and head moving at all times (move the Bhindi), T-rex the arms when firing off punches. Yes, you will feel your traps (shoulder muscles on your upper back) firing up. Yes, now you can level change easier. Don't do what the guy above is doing... :P

Step into your punches, step to circle away and not shuffle the feet or drag the feet. Listen to what your feet and your training partner's feet are telling you. If you hear him dragging his feet, most likely he's getting tired and will end up crossing his legs eventually.

What everyone noticed immediately was that it felt "tighter" and much easier to defend from and to play a counter or offensive game. It also felt more balanced and general movement was better.

Rolling in Tawau

2009-01-04T10:56:00.006+08:00

My old karate buddy Paul Chin has been spreading the word about BJJ, all the way to the far reaches of Tawau, Sabah.

I felt like a secret agent, 5am woke up, 7am insertion (meaning: I drove to LCCT), caught the first flight out and landed in Tawau at 10.20. The flight was 2:45 and landed smoothly and I was greeted by Paul and his long-term student, Jackson.

It took all of 30 minutes to drive to town and it's just like any other small town in Malaysia, although this one is famous for its scuba diving spots (Sipadan, Mataking islands) and I was brought for a quick bite and for Paul to check into a local hotel.

I was surprised to discover a bowl of fishball noodles costs RM5.00, RM1.00 more expensive than Bangsar and Kuching was RM3.00 (I'll post more on my Studio 23 visit separately).

Seafood was cheap and fresh and Tawau reminded me like Kajang or Semenyih, large estates, huge plantations and lots of heavy construction companies littering the landscape.

I discovered that about 40% of the locals were illegals from Indonesia (Kalimantan) and Philippines who simply took a boat across or simply walked across the border, no passports, nothing.

It's a family affair

Anyway, this trip was going to be interesting as it will be the first time I present a 6-hour seminar and to border policemen. They have a monthly rotation work cycle, 1 month at the border followed by 1 month back in Tawau. When they are back on base they train, roll everyday and experiment with jiu jitsu.

I was pretty excited to show them some material from the Monkey Jitz program and the information was lapped up. No drama and everyone had a good grasp of the material presented.

Jackson has the responsibility to lead and teach the class so naturally he had the most questions concerning techniques and the issue of resuscitation cropped up. What to do if someone is choked out? One of the policemen volunteered to be choked out and I applied a rear naked choke. He was out within 3 to 4 seconds. I positioned him in the recovery posture and he woke up after another 3-4 seconds with a big smile on his face saying that it felt like going to sleep. People need to see that under controlled situations, there is no need to fear the unknown. Chokes need not be held for long periods to have an effect and the confidence comes in knowing that you can help your training partner recover from oxygen deprivation in a quick and safe manner.

Giving some pointers to Jackson

The seminar ended with a roll with everyone and some photos taken. I'll post more when Paul sends me some from his camera. Everyone had a really great attitude and respect for BJJ, and for that I think they owe that to the efforts of Jackson and Paul. Thank you again for making my seminar there so much easier.

Overall, the hosts were their usual hospitable selves and safely sent me to the airport after a dinner and I took the last flight out of Tawau. My only regret was that I didn't get to see much of the town as I got there early and left in the evening, spending all day on the mats. Perhaps another time I will make a social visit.

My flight back was delayed for 3 hours so I didn't get back home til 3am. Driving to the airport and back were both on empty roads. It felt like the highway was all mine. I expect the roads and airports will be packed for the rush back today as school restarts as do many office people on Monday.

After a restful night's sleep, here I am again, charged up for the week ahead and the restart of the gym tomorrow. See you back on the mats.

Rodney King: Malaysia Seminars

2008-12-09T09:05:00.008+08:00

Rodney in front of the CMD Malaysia HQ ... not :)

Crazy Monkey Defense Program Malaysia

With much anticipation, we're proud to host Rodney King's inaugural visit to Malaysia and to our little gym in KL.

Scheduled to present a series of seminars over 3 days, at time of posting one day has already been completed.

Good times

Seminar content
I will not disrespect the participants or Rodney by posting detailed information on what was taught during the seminars. In summary the CMD, Monkey Jits and MMA-CM style were presented. Some lucky folk also had the opportunity to squeeze in a couple of personal training sessions with Rodney asking specific and personalized drills for their personal development.

Beyond the mats
It's all about developing and personal growth. This is where the program truly shines above and beyond the lip-service most other martial arts schools give to buzz words like "develop self-confidence" or "perfection of character", etc. and they physically do the opposite. The CMD program provides the tools and links the principles with the physical, leaving all athletes feeling great physically and mentally. How does the program achieve this? Join the Trainer's program and you'll find out how you can help others feel great and earn an honest living too!

On location: Day 1
The seminars were spread over 3 days, day 1 presented the basic CMD in a nutshell over 2 hours. The current CM training (CM levels 1-4) was presented to a group of eager monkeys and a lot of training ensued. No injuries, cooperative partners, great drills and light sparring drove home the message of technique over attributes.

It's in the eyes....

On location: Day 2
Day 2 gave us a glimpse of the CMD's unique BJJ game, aptly known as Monkey Jits. Nothing fancy, all based on solid fundamental principles but with a twist!

The seminar started off with Rigan Machado's words, "Jiu Jitsu is not complicated. People make Jiu Jitsu complicated" and the seminar kicked off from there. The most simple and effective principles of opening the closed guard, passing and defending the guard, positional control and more were covered. We are left with a lot of material to practice with and I know that I'll be using this unique approach for the forseeable future.

Bad things are coming your way when your guard is passed

On location: Day 3
MMA gloves were strapped on and the principles behind the CM way of training MMA was presented. The progression from stand up, Monkey Jits and MMA were explained in detail.

Most impressive are the high level, high percentage techniques used to effectively control your fully resisting training partner practiced. It quickly became obvious that a high level of physical conditioning was required to train this way, which referenced back to the importance of the 4 drivers (those familiar with the CM program will understand what I mean).

The evils of being knee ridden are quickly revealed

Throughout the seminar there were lots of opportunities to ask questions and to clarify points. After each training session there was a debriefing and more detailed information about the benefits of the CMD program and why things are trained and practiced in a certain way. Rodney fielded all questions and tackled difficult ones as well with real life examples.

In addition we also managed to fit in a trainer's Q&A session for the 3 local trainers on the CMD program.

At the end of the seminar Rodney announced that Albert Lim was moved to a full CMD licensed Trainer and I was moved to Pro Trainer! How awesome is that?

I'm already giddy with the concepts, technical info and making plans for '09 to invite Rodney back to Malaysia. Thank you again!

Finally Rodney decided to retire his old Fairtex MMA gloves citing that they were worn out and smelly, proving the latter by shoving his stinky hand up my nose... and giving me the old gloves. I really hope there's some special meaning behind the presentation of the gloves like the passing of the torch ceremony at the Olympics or something similarly significant :) I'm sure there's something going on in his mind...

Looks familiar?

Most definitely bad for your health on and off Rodney's fists

Some comments from seminar participants:

Comment 1:

Firstly, let me congratulate you on a job well done. Thank you for the time and effort you put into coaching everyone in the CM programme, even though I have been out of it for the past year, it's retention value is still there and easy to pick up where I left off. What you've taught me on the mats, I take with me off the mats as well and I do see positive changes in everyone who has come and joined the CM programme. There is definitely a positive influence, the termendeous amount of feedback and commitment from you and the other trainers involved in CM is great, there lies the success factor of CM.

Overall, in my personal opinion, the retreat was a success and I would definitely do more seminars run by Rodney. I now know what I missed during the Singapore seminars.

Thank you and best regards,

F.

***********************
Comment 2:
***********************

It was actually my 1st ever BJJ experience. I liked Rodney's teaching, his material was very well presented, and I definitely took a lot home from it.

I would like to attend one again next year if you decide to get him to do a BJJ seminar, as my focus is purely on BJJ at the moment.

Thanks for bringing Rodney to KL. It was enjoyable.

J.

The big picture

2008-11-10T17:40:00.002+08:00

Where do you fit in the "big picture"?

In the confines of the gym, we can place ourselves (perceived or real) in a form of "pecking order" depending on the parameters - belt rank, skill, ability, knowledge, fitness, cooperation, etc. Aside from the "off days" we spend the majority of our time in a "on day" zone.

What drives us to have a need to know where we stand on this totem pole? By knowing our position does it make us more "qualified" or "experience" to discuss or demonstrate certain principles, skills or concepts? Or are we harboring thoughts on our personal limits, boundaries or marking our comfort zone?

The more steps we take out and away from the gym where do you stand? In a relationship with a loved one? At work? In a family dynamic? In the street with unknown people?

How do you define "YOU" ?

How are you defined? By what you can or cannot DO? KNOW? SPEAK? THINK? BELIEVE? POSSESS? If you had to describe yourself in a single word what would that be? Would that be the same as others describe you?

What is the purpose of all the practice we do? What do you mean by "BETTER"? Healthier? Fitter? Happier? Stronger? Pain free?

What are the desired goals for the practices we invest time, money and effort in?

How do we know that by doing what we do that we are positively contributing to the betterment of the people around you, have relationships with you or are impacted by you?

As we spend our daily lives watching, reading, interacting with events, people and things that interest us, how are we contributing to those same events, people and things in a positive, productive way?

I have often read the old cliche that "if you're not part of the solution then you're part of the problem". How do you know which side you're on? The solution for conformity? For individuality. Totally selfishness or total selflessness? For sure both sides will be working towards "their solution", I just need to know which one.

At the end of the day, the "big picture" view, the "forest and not the tree-view", what is the purpose of what we do?

My take; I'm doing what I do because I believe that I'm positively helping everyday people to learn and become healthier, stronger and independently expressive individuals by providing information and options.

It seems like in today's culture, health is an option. You choose to be healthy. You choose to be unhealthy. You choose to be fit. You choose to be a slob. You can choose the physically harder and more challenging way or the easier way by staying in your comfort zone. Everything is a choice and is a reflection of our mental health and well being. Having clarity of thought makes life a lot easier and clouding it with substances, legal or otherwise is not a smart thing to do.

The impact and message you send with your actions, in-action, abilities or lack of, knowledge or dearth of resounds and ripples across the waves of people you are in contact with.

For example, you bump into someone whom you haven't seen in a few months or years and they remark how "fit and healthy" you physically appear. They may head off after that and talk about you with another mutual friend. That person may be thinking to themselves about how they should also get in shape, eat healthier, finally quit smoking this year or get back into the gym.

People whom you meet regularly may remark on their observations of your current condition in comparison with their past experiences with you that you have "become" stronger, slimmer, fitter, more skilled, etc.

It all starts with a goal and your "big picture" but strangely the big picture is best digested in much smaller, mouth-sized bites, starting with the internal messages and drives; what I want to do and achieve, where I picture myself in 3, 5 and -10 years in the future. These goals give me the drive and desire to seek higher levels of achievement (in my scale) and they may not necessarily be timely (being on time is always good) but as long as the journey is enjoyable, let the good times ride.

I'm hoping with this post that I get to inspire this blog's visitors, and get you to question and think about these things even for a moment or two and to revive that spark that attracted you to the gym in the first place.

November kicks!

2008-11-07T15:34:00.003+08:00

Monkey climb

2008-10-29T23:17:00.003+08:00

One of the more difficult BJJ warm up drills is the Monkey climb. Your partner stands with his arms apart like a tree as you jump on and climb around his body without putting your feet on the ground, kinda like a monkey climbing around in a tree.

What this drill aims to develop is to teach the importance of moving your body as a unit, using correct grips and maintaining leg tension and keeping your weight up high above the standing partner's hip line.

This is a great total body workout and it's just as hard for your standing partner who needs to remain balanced and carry your constantly shifting weight. It's a great workout!

Time for reflection: karate evolution

2008-10-29T00:14:00.009+08:00

It's been sometime since I last wore my karate belt, almost 4 years if memory serves right.

A little history
Most of you are aware of my background in karate. After all KDT Academy was based on that but has since evolved. I had invested over 20 years learning what karate had to offer and came to the same conclusion, like many others, that to truly make karate effective you had to "own" it.

I had studied with individuals and joined organizations, each claiming to possess the secrets to the fastest, most effective punch. The "bestest" block or kick while others lay claim that only the Japanese possessed the pure waters of karate technique, proudly displaying the fact and lineage charts tracing their connection to a long list of dead, unknown masters. While others traced the historical origins via Okinawa, southern Chinese and even back to ancient Indian wrestling "gushti" and weaponry.

Who am I to listen and believe? Did I really want my own lineage chart too so I can lay claim of teaching "authentic" such and such style? Did it matter at the end of the day?

My quest continued by seeking affiliation with reputable Japanese organizations, searching out and inviting Japanese masters but it was still shrouded in mysticism and the elusive "answers will be revealed after you train harder" mentality. It was mental. 100's and 1000's of punches, kicks and blocks repeated ad nauseum. I remember having blisters on top of blisters on the soles of my feet. There wasn't a night that I didn't have welts and bruises covering my body. It was also during this time I witnessed and fell victim to the scourge of organization politics and in my naivete believed and trusted the wrong people. I left with a bitter taste, betrayed and felt used so I decided to take my leave from anything that had to do with large groups where people had vested interest in what they did, said and with whom they associated. Everyone seemed to be only interested in chasing rank, organizational status and to make a name for themselves. Sadly there was little to no interest in developing or refining what they already had.

Then I talked to one man who made a lot of sense, Vince Morris. It seemed that I broke the shell and was lost but he helped me to crawl out to see things as it is. To Sensei Morris I will be forever indebted for lighting the candle and leading me out of that dark room.

Along this way I sought out more information, and at the dawn of the information age and internet access, I was often online, logged into forums and feverishly on chat groups specializing in karate. People from all over the world were instantly connected and the sudden plethora of information, connections and networks suddenly became accessible.

Via this technology I was able to discern the authentic from the bogus, separate the valid from the poseurs and forge a path towards my answers.

This path strangely led me back to my boxing exposure I had in the mid 1980's and the quest to develop a more functional and effective defensive system I was reminded of Western boxing via the Crazy Monkey Defensive system, at that time was under the Street Tough World Alliance (S.Africa) and Straight Blast Gym (USA) but they soon parted ways and I was asked to choose a path. In retrospect I'm happy to have taken the CMD route as the program has grown organically and has fulfilled beyond my expectations. Rodney King, the creator of the program is a smart man.

I was looking for answers to effective punching, more effective
than that sport karate, and specifically effective ways to defend against effective punching. The old saying goes, "to learn how to defend against a punch, go learn and punch". A few of you will remember my searches included modern and esoteric sources, some were humorous while others were plain weird. Thank you for bearing with me.

In June 1997 Vince Morris wrote an article on effective ground fighting and when he visited my gym, we did a seminar on some ground fighting techniques which he had picked up from Mace Security International in the USA. Trouble was that the material he shared revolved around firearm retention and shooting from the sitting position when an armed officer is wrestled or tackled to the ground. I didn't have the answers to civilian situations and at that time had little or no knowledge of wrestling. That interest eventually led me to seeking out Sam Wee who taught me Brazilian Jiu Jitsu starting in 2003 where I learnt about the more effective aspects of wrestling and ground fighting from an art that specializes in it, much like my interest in the Crazy Monkey Defense Program.

In addition, I was informed that there was a fitness component required by Kissakikai instructors so I got my Personal Trainer's certification, First Aid and CPR certification and went above and beyond the scope of what is required for an instructor.

I suppose that Kissakikai is the vehicle to carryout the personal safety aspects of training while the individual components are impressively filled by the CMD and BJJ and that brings me to the present.

Here I stand, ranked but an inactive Kissakikai karate teacher, with a Trainer designation in CMD and a purple belt in BJJ and a certified fitness trainer. How strangely ironic, the original art which spurred my interest in seeking further information had made it better with the information and knowledge I have but I am inactive in it.

The questions remains; have I made it mine? Do I own my karate now?

And now after such a long absence I revisit the old karate links, the old websites, the old names I used to chat nightly with from all over the world and it seems that they are still talking about the things we used to 4 or 5 years ago. They are lost in cyberspace. I don't make contact nor do I interact with them. There's no point. I've moved on and do things they don't, can't and won't understand.

The only difference I see is that they now hold higher ranks under their own organization. It could be a true reflection on their skill or knowledge but I've always believed that karate or any martial art must be first hold above all else, effectiveness in technique. The philosophy and moral code comes a close second.

There is still a thin veil of arrogance associated with people who practice traditional martial arts. They believe that they know what there is to know and that their way is always the best way. Well, unless you can walk on water there's always someone out there who knows more, is stronger, faster and better in every imaginable way so the only thing, the most correct thing to do is to "own your karate". Whichever thing that your "karate" may be, make it truly yours. There are no regrets for doing the right thing.

Own it.

Get your kicks and medals here

2008-10-09T11:57:00.008+08:00

CMDP @ KDT

Another round of high-intensity kicking drills, footwork and integration into the punching game.

More details were practiced on pads, and kicks were shot out by the 100's. No kidding. It was a sweaty affair and all for the better. More to come.

There's really no better way to improve your kicking skills than to kick. Kick often and kick repeatedly. Kick the pads as you want to preserve your knees, hip joints and it's always very satisfying to have your technique validated by that "crack" of your shin hitting the pads.

In a few short sessions, I think the folks in the CM class caught the jist of the thigh kick. We'll do more other variations but the focus remains on:

preserving balance
maintaining a solid guard
keep the ability to defend and fire off punches as needed
squaring up the hips
kicking from a low level position

BJJ Program:

CMD Trainer-in-Training and BJJ blue belt, Albert almost did a hat trick in September's regional BJJ competitions. No wonder why he's so happy.

Medal count:
1. Singapore tally: Silver in division, Silver in Absolute
2. Australian Nationals: Gold in division
3. Bangkok Open: Gold in division

That's some major bling he brought back to the gym. Our little, out of the way, gym in the middle of nowhere. No black belt instructors. No sports ministry funding. No government support. All self-financed and it goes to show that with the right training some pretty impressive results can be achieved.

The secret to his success? I think its a combination of dedicated training, Fizfit workouts and good training partners in a healthy gym environment. You really don't need knuckle-dragging Neanderthal "fight" mentality to enjoy the sport or competition.

Albert will be opening his own training facility in Kuching, Sarawak next year so if you're in the region be sure to sign up for his training. His gym's website is www.studio23.my and check out his blog here

Beyond the physical

2008-09-30T16:21:00.006+08:00

I was thinking about the amount of time I've dedicated to learning martial arts and the benefits I derived from those activities.

Perhaps its me but of all the different types of martial arts I've participated in, none have been as physically demanding and rewarding as the current ones that I do; namely, boxing and Brazilian jiu jitsu / MMA.

Sure I remember thick welts and bruises all over my body and shins, blisters upon blisters on my feet from doing hundreds of repetitions in the various martial arts but they didn't push me as hard as boxing or BJJ does. Physically I feel a lot stronger and a lot more confident from learning these two disciplines. A close third would be Judo. It's no coincidence that they are all considered full contact sports like rugby so there's a fair share of injuries along the way.

Aside from a stronger body the martial arts, or having personal experience about being able to control and successfully apply a skill set on most situations permits me a higher sense of confidence, the sense of accomplishment that is seemingly otherwise beyond grasp due to factors beyond one's control (eg. the economy or an uncooperative employer), is very much achievable in BJJ or CMD. This sense of achievement and success, can be used as a personal yardstick, to see how much you can push yourself and how much you can achieve.

I'm pretty passionate about my kettlebell training however I often go days without touching/looking at them as a way to mentally reserve energy and strength for when I do pick them up. That's usually when I go pretty intense and work at what I'm trying to achieve that day.

It's a healthy way to train. Setting small, timely and achieveable goals in a healthy training environment. I have found a lot of personal satisfaction and sense of accomplishment and I'm sure you will too.

Realignment and rejuvenation

2008-09-21T18:01:00.002+08:00

One of the weekly places I visit is Touches De Siam, a licensed Thai massage therapy centre, I have almost every joint and tendon worked on to release fascia tension and realignment.

Usually beginning with the feet, the masseuse skillfully works on lengthening and aligning the musculature from the soles of the feet to the hip joint. They block off the blood flow at the hip momentarily then slowly release the pressure and you can feel the warmth returning to the leg after a few seconds. It's very relaxing. By now, my wife would be remarking that I'm snoring loudly as I would have been deeply relaxed, making the masseuse's job easier as I don't move about or tense the body part that she is working on.

An added benefit is that a skillful masseuse will also work on the meridians located along the body, helping to unblock areas where there is high tension (usually around the neck, shoulders and trapezius muscles) and for folks who workout using weight resistance a lot, around the rotator cuff and between the shoulder blades.

Using a combination of thumb pressure, pinching, elbow pressure, forearms, knees and heels, the masseuse selects the appropriate tool to work on different body parts. Sometimes it can get a little painful (especially around muscular or tendon areas) as injuries and tension has to be slowly worked away but the relief a thorough session provides can last as long as a week before I go in again.

Another benefit is that the masseuse will fold in the arms, legs or position the body in such a way that when pressure is applied, the posture provides a deep stretch, almost like yoga.

After a thorough leg massage involving meridian points, tendons and ligaments massage the hands and arms are pulled, rotated, stretched and pressed on all the stress points and large muscle groups. The same blood block is sometimes applied on the shoulders. It really feels great.

Working on the back is just a great feeling, with pressure applied on the muscles on either side of the spine. Here is where I can feel the joints and vertebrae pop and click back into position after a long week of conditioning, boxing, and BJJ.

In any case, for those who only work for strength and endurance, seriously consider a weekly massage session for the muscles and joints. It will do wonders for the workout and energy levels.

A weighty displacement

2008-09-14T14:43:00.004+08:00

So I've been working a little bit of technique here and there. Things like getting more weight in my "S-mount" (like the picture above), my baseball bat choke when people try to "pass" my guard (kinda baiting them) and other little things.

The top game requires a fair amount of sensitivity when placing weight on your training partner, and strangely the more "offset" that I sit on them the "heavier" it feels. Something I recently picked up was to S-mount perpendicular (90^o for everyone else) to my training partner, meaning that my hips are parallel to his spine. This means I can transfer most of my weight onto my partner's upper body and chest cavity, thus effectively pinning him down and permitting me plenty of time to work in a submission.

Honestly, I'm not good at maintaining the mount, usually going with my opponent's hip bridges and Upa escapes. I prefer playing guard but I feel that having a strong top game will also be necessary. By no means am I advocating you do what I do, rather, I have decided to work on my S-mount and Sitting mount instead of the regular full mount specifically for my BJJ sport game. When I'm playing to include strikes it's a different game with very different emphasis but I will transition to the submission aspects when I'm not striking from the mount. The weight placement will be very different.

It's really no fun when you're stuck on the bottom and the top guy is throwing strikes instead of slowly working in a submission, the panic button is punched pretty quickly!

The skills involved here are:
1. timing (when to apply your pin, hold, and when to "weigh" down)
2. weight placement (where to move the weight: belly, solar plexus, sternum, shoulder, etc.)
3. movement transition (moving your weight from one position to another seamlessly, i.e. not giving up your control or getting reversed) so this will mean a thorough understanding of pins and holds

I like to train with intention and deliberate techniques. I study my partner's reactions to my actions and baits. Somethings will work better than others and the ones which work most often are the ones I concentrate on and improve on them.

In the above, the scenarios include the ability to recognise whether I am able to apply a submission or effective strikes, or a combination of both.

It all comes down to weight!

Hardworking crew

2008-09-13T22:01:00.005+08:00

I enjoy working out and especially so when boxing or BJJ is involved.

No, I'm not training for anything in particular, but let me rephrase that; I'm training to keep myself in shape, to be a good training partner, to live and lead by example so others walking into the gym is happy and proud to say that "that's my coach".

Here's a quick video of Mike throwing some leather. I remember his first day working the pads and no, it didn't look anything like this:

How did he get to be sharp? Well, as the title of this thread indicates, hard work is a vital ingredient followed by patience, persistence and practice. These admirable and fleeting qualities

Here's another friend, Andy, who enjoys what life has to offer but he also finds a balance between working out and his other life. He's not in town consistently but when he is, he always makes it a point to come over to train and he trains hard! I'm happy to call him a friend.

As we roll towards the last quarter of 2008, I can sense the holiday mood seeping into many of the members and what they are looking forwards to, but there are a good 3-4 months ahead and maintaining the motivation to pursue the goals and objectives that we've set is paramount. We want to finish!

See you back on the mats!

Footprints in the sand

2008-09-12T10:57:00.004+08:00

It's a strange quest that we embark on, this martial arts journey; we enter this realm fully aware that we are chasing perishable skills, that are difficult to master, requiring not only dedicated-time in specificity training but also in the general physical preparedness to ready our bodies for the demands and rigours but also staring down our internal mental demon and chaining its collar every time we step on the mat.

It's akin to footprints in the sand, to mark our journey but as fresh as the last print you leave as the foot leaves the beach, the first and original steps have long faded away or washed clean by the ebb and tide of life. The memory long gone, leading to frustration. There are so many things going on with every step. The breeze, the tide, the debris floating in from thousands of miles away, the unknown inhabitants in the deep waters and the path ahead.

They forget what valuable lessons they learned on the first day they put on the gloves, the gi, the specific training clothes. The change from daily wear to special symbolic garments designed specially for that physical activity serves only to reinforce the notion that this is not a constant, daily activity for the majority. The metamorphosis of the everyday guy into a dojo fighter, "weekend warrior" and countless other titles is reinforced in all martial arts gyms.

We are informed, taught, scolded, encouraged and push ourselves because we aspire to that image of how we want to be seen and perceived by others. Sometimes this works, most times it doesn't as we face our real and very physical opponents. Sometimes our internal demon have the better of us and we stay at home in front of the TV instead of working out how to defeat it. The little voice tells us that it won tonight and we try hard to ignore it, and it's difficult.

In spite of the physical demands we are attracted to the mats like moths drawn to a naked flame. We risk getting our wings burnt, the sole method of flight, in hopes of becoming stronger, more confident and better. And are we?

It depends on your motivations for training. It depends on your training methodologies and trainers. Do your internal demons yield to the morbid fascination with paranoia or are you seeking higher understanding through higher levels of physical performance?

Reset and recall the first steps on your beach and try to remember why you stepped into the gym on that first and fateful day. Perhaps you will remember why you train and not be known as a weekend warrior.

New toys in the gym

2008-08-31T11:48:00.006+08:00

The new shipment of kettlebells have arrived (finally!) after the hiccups due to electricity rationing imposed by the Chinese government because of the recent Olympics and shipping delays caused a month long lag in the system.

Inside the crates, I ordered some Indian clubs of varying weights. Some call these Powerclubs or similar names and they are very interesting tools. In fact I was exposed to these a little before I found out about kettlebells and they share similar circular movements, both building grip strength, upper body and cardio.

We have done a couple of classes with the clubs and they provided a great, sweaty workout. New blisters, new techniques to learn which has revitalized the interest in working out (hard) again. New toys always have that effect on me.

Unfortunately, I don't plan on selling them but keep them for my personal training so I won't be entertaining any such requests.

Also, in light of this I've registered a new local URL: www.kettlebells.my which will lead you to my kettlebell website at KDT Athletics.com.

The site has been slightly tweaked to show the current kettlebell stock and prices. As always stock is limited and I'd like to keep my clients happy with the highest quality gear. Even the Mark II series are great this time and I'm very pleased with the quality as I'm sure you'll be too.

Swing by the gym and check them out. They're moving out fast!

Great! I got some good feedback

2008-08-10T00:24:00.004+08:00

So apparently the classes I led this week for the no-gi sessions were quite well received with several members telling me that they found the material I showed to be useful and very usable and improved their personal games.

I guess there's no better way to end of a busy week of coaching! Thanks for the feedback.

Note to self

2008-08-10T00:08:00.002+08:00

Fingernails can break and crack at the oddest angles.

So I was coaching a BJJ personal training class and teaching the student how to grip fight as I have done several times before. This time, like many others I had a cross lapel grip deep inside the collar when he executed a perfect grip release, two hand anchored at my wrist and a sharp backwards snap popping off my hand from the collar... and cracking off half my finger nail. I've had fingernails and toenails break in the past but usually only at the very ends of the nail, however; this time the nail caught on the lip where the lapel is stitched to the jacket and it cracked it like the top end of the nail.

I never realized that it could bleed so much but fortunately it looked a lot nastier than it hurt. I had to clip off the cracked half as it would end up interfering and getting snagged by something else.

I'll save you the grimace of looking at any photos of the broken nail but I would suppose it would send a village-ful of manicurists into a collective shock if they eyeballed it.

Note to self: when coaching grip fighting, don't hold on so bloody tight next time.

Thoughts and more

2008-08-06T00:01:00.002+08:00

It's been a busy month with interesting techniques being presented in the CMD classes and the ebb and tide of people drifting in and out of the classes. The looming thoughts and commitments to the CMD program is on my mind and I am concerned with the exodus of members due to other life responsibilities.

While I try to keep the program material on course and fresh with twists to the main course it is enough to retain the current membership but I'm not doing much to attract new clients (aside from Personal Training ones). Admittedly I've been focusing more on developing the PT clientele which is working out well now so I can't complain about the dwindling numbers in the group class. It works out to benefit the 8 people in the program now and I'm comfortable with this number.

We shall see what transpires over the remaining months of 2008.

On the BJJ front, I've been tasked with teaching the no-gi portion of this month's classes. It's not my forte as I've mostly focused on a gi game but enjoy no-gi for what it is anyway.

I continue with the study on hip movement, working the angles and position leading to positional counters and sweeps. I'm not looking for submissions as the typical mindset of most beginners is to look for submissions first and positions last.

I often play the mundane and drole elements of the game, finding or creating the angles, recognizing the opportunities and capitalizing on them. My training partners will think that I'm developing something new but there isn't really anything new, it's just a variation of some other variation of an existing principle. My game is based on positional control. It's fun, and I'd daresay it's more fun for me than getting a submission in some respects, although in BJJ, that is the objective but I'm quite happy playing from an inferior position and working my way out or allowing graduating levels of control to my opponent and see what happens from there. It's a fun game. I hope that when people attend my BJJ classes they can see that it is not only experimental but they have a say in what they want to drill or learn. For example, in this evening's class, I presented hip movement drills, moving around a standing partner to the back, getting an X-guard and some light resistance drills followed by a timed 3-person rolling drill which is spaced within 00:00:45, :30 and :20 second intervals. It's fun, mentally as challenging as physical and it develops a humbling experience for all involved.

With all the techniques in the CMD and BJJ programs, it can get a little overwhelming to think of the sheer range of techniques you get to learn in a month. Some of the material is repeated while there will always be modifications and variations adjusted to your individual abilities. Personally as a trainer I think you should put on your "me" hat sometimes and see the what and how's best improve your skills. I don't get nearly as many questions or post-lecture from the BJJ class than my CMD class. I should but I don't.

If you don't ask, you don't get. I can't mind read nor am I "holding back" any techniques. Folks, you are paying for these classes so the best way to improve is to initiate a series of questions. If you simply come in for the sparring then leave you will improve ever so slowly because the likelihood of you repeating the same mistakes will be very high until someone recognizes it and improves it.

Think about it for a minute. I am here to help you but I can only do that when you ask.

As always I am available to answer any questions you have about the classes I have presented this week. Email or post to this blog.

See you back on the mats.

Returns and the ABC drill

2008-07-10T10:19:00.005+08:00

(Azman's back on the right)

At the BJJ program we are happy to see the return of Mr. Azman, one of the first groups of blue belts awarded by Sam. It has taken some discipline to commit to a 2x weekly training schedule so I'm writing about it here to acknowledge his zeal and desire for continual improvement. Great to have you back on the mats.

On the CMD side, the class is going well with the members showing great improvements on all fronts. It's a slow, growing process but we are all slowly creeping to a better game and having fun along the way.

We're in the sparring phase of the month, with the next two weeks dedicated to sparring, boxing and MMA. One of the drills introduced is the ABC drill.

In groups of 3, each person is allocated an alphabet, eg. person 1 = A, person 2 = B, etc. in any random order.

In a group of 6, the sequence is repeated as above, so you have 2 people = A, 2 people = B, etc.

Everyone pairs up in a random order and spars as normal. When the coach calls out an alphabet, that person becomes the target and everyone can group up to spar with him. Eg. If I call out "B", everyone can go and spar "B" at the same time, even the other "B" person.

It's a lot of fun! When "Time" is called, the group separates back to their original partners for normal sparring.

This drill not only takes the serious edge off the sparring but it requires people to be mindful, remembering who is which alphabet, multiple opponent sparring, etc.

Rodney King seminar in Singapore

2008-06-17T09:52:00.003+08:00

I'm always happy to attend Rodney's seminars. This time however, a number of us were sidelined due to injury or illness of one kind or another. Nevertheless we went to Singapore and met up with old friends, met new ones and caught up with the news.

Here's a little montage of the photos I took during my Singapore weekend and it's to preface the main event - week long CMD Retreat this November. I've always enjoyed it and think that you will too.

Sparring drill training

2008-05-29T00:37:00.002+08:00

I've been observing the sparring classes and found that these drills will provide the tools to help each CMD athlete to the next level. I hope you enjoy learning about the drills as much as I have training them.

No mistakes, no progress

2008-05-28T12:11:00.002+08:00

Depending on how you read the title of this post, it could mean one thing but I mean something else.

Its to do with making mistakes at training. Its to do with dealing with the bad days and no-so-good days (or nights) in the gym. Its about learning and growing from those mistakes to become better.

The video shows the techniques require a lot more practice, a lot more awareness and control. It also shows the potential each one of these athletes have to grow. I'm interested in that. I'm interested in how to extract, develop and refine the unmined potential into reality. I'm interested in the process and with each person that achieves their level of "success" I'm looking to see how I can make the next process smoother, more efficient and more effective as a coach.

Back to the gym for more.

More CMD training

2008-05-27T09:36:00.002+08:00

More integrated martial arts training:

I'm painfully aware of the mistakes and lack of basic techniques that are not present in the videos which was why I recorded the training sessions in the first place so to serve as a reminder to drill and correct the errors.

If you see yourself in the video, look beyond the "hey! that's me" reaction, and see what needs to be done in order to improve your skills.

CMD Training: technique integration

2008-05-16T17:11:00.003+08:00

This is the highlight video clip of our latest CMD session of the techniques which I thought were ok. Of course there are still a lot of mistakes which can be fixed but this is a step in the right direction ~ technique wise. There's a lot of use of distance, sprawling, single leg takedowns from nice set ups, and overall blend of techniques in a continuous flow of techniques at different ranges and levels.

The feedback I have got from everyone who has been training like this (continuous sparring for 40 minutes) are:

1. It's a lot more exciting but difficult
2. Their self confidence levels have shot up and have no reservations about stand up, clinching, kicking or ground work
3. They are challenged by the integration of all the different aspects of sparring

The downside:
1. Endurance and stamina isn't up to par
2. Less hesitation
3. Being able to study and try out so many things sometimes lead them to do "no thing".

You can notice that the limited sparring rules include:

1. No elbow or knees
2. Person on the bottom is not allowed to punch
3. Kicks stay below the waist line
4. Contact is light and you must look after your partner at all times

As this is a regular training session and not the world championships, I enjoyed the session and it gave me a good buzz as a workout and it gave the group a great opportunity to try out a deeper aspect of their skills.

Let's see how the group looks in a few months' time.

Coaching BJJ

2008-05-10T08:45:00.002+08:00

Sam was away this week so I had the responsibility to coach this week's BJJ class. John Will is right, as a higher rank belt, I had to ensure that the techniques I taught were at that appropriate rank, more technical, easy to remember, high repetition and overall a fun class. This week 2 new members signed up so I'd like to welcome Sebastian from Canada and Khairil from KL. Welcome to the KDT BJJ Team guys!

Here'a quick recap of last Thursday's class:

See YOU on the mats soon

What for?

2008-05-01T00:39:00.005+08:00

I was informed by a very reputable source that in art of BJJ, up to the level of blue belt provided sufficient skill for your typical personal safety and self defense.

Ranks beyond blue belt in BJJ enables you to fight against other BJJ practitioners or to teach the skills of this art to others. By the time you reach black belt, you should be able to teach a wide scope of techniques with great detail but also to be able to execute the techniques under full resistance with great technical prowess. A true BJJ black belt can "walk the talk" as the saying goes. It's also no good to be fantastic at 3 techniques but can't teach them to anyone else. That's not only not helpful but selfish. It doesn't make the world a better place by only being able to focus on one's own personal skill development at the expense of someone else's. If you take stock on the "famous" BJJ black belts and take a popularity vote, I would bet that the most popular ones are famous because of their teaching skills over their competition record. It may happen that they have both but it's a rare combination. Having a black belt (or any rank for that matter) is not representative that they are good coaches.

What is a good coach? Someone who can see your potential and bring it out in you without you realizing it. A good coach makes it seem effortless and interesting at the same time.

These points serve as my guides on this journey. It's my 5th year on the mats, and I've enjoyed every single day of it.

I'm happy to report that my efforts have been recognized by John Will who awarded me with a purple belt recently. It's a great feeling knowing that I'm doing something positive, helping the people who come into the Academy and imparting skills which may save their lives, not only the personal safety but also in other areas such as health and wellness.

The belt itself doesn't do anything of course, it's just a strip of fabric, but to me it symbolizes a greater responsibility to do things "more-right" - be responsible and accountable for imparting the correct skills and be able to execute them "at will" (or is that at black belt level? ~ I forget). It's a symbol or contract with myself to be "purple belt level".

It doesn't mean that I'm a world-class BJJ competitor or grappler. I'm not interested in that but BJJ is a sport whose raison d'être is hinged on competition results for some people. While I enjoy sparring, it is not the "be-all" or "end-all". In fact I can think of a couple of white belts and a load of blue belts who can still kick my butt quite easily but again, this isn't the point.

Let me illustrate what I mean; My early BJJ lessons were intriguing, being able to corral your opponent into certain actions or being mostly correct when anticipating an opponent's next or possible movement holds me fascinated for hours. I remember one of my early lessons with a very talented grappler (Adam Kayoom) who was presenting a dissection of how a technique is performed, why and when to use it. I was captivated. It was fascinating to be able to predict precisely what would happen next. It was like magic and I wanted to do that too! I thought it was mind-reading at one point because of the uncanny ability to predict what and where the person would move and he surely did! It was almost scary!

This is the kind of skill I want. Almost Jedi-like (no, I'm not a sci-fi geek) but you know what I mean... it's finding order in chaos. Physical altercations are chaotic, and having the skills and knowledge to be able to remain calm is empowering. Being able to predict what the opponent's next move with a high probability of accuracy is even more empowering. That kind of confidence comes only from experience and skill.

Becoming a skilled coach. That's what for!

Bump

2008-04-28T16:12:00.005+08:00

Mental bump, physical bumps and colour bump.

I didn't mean this to sound like a video game or a nightmare but generally when things change (and in this case) for the better, it's like driving over a speed bump. It shakes up things and forces change. Change, if you have heard my mantra before, is inevitable but growth is optional. Some people change but refuse to grow (usually the fault of the ego) while for others change forces some people to soar high and excel. For the majority, they flit somewhere in between. In some circles this is also known as mediocre and none of us want to be in that category right?

The much anticipated visit from John Will to our gym in KL was attended by folks near and far. Special mention to Robert Bruce (battling jet-lag and driving down from Ipoh) and the BJJ Borneo crew (Allen, Genn, Enoch and Samuel) and of course the regular KDT crew is always what makes events like this special.

I like John Will. He's a down to earth, honest fellow who tells it like he sees it. I love listening to his stories and past experiences when he was going through the ranks and the little insights and nuggets of instruction from some of the world's top BJJ coaches (Rigan Machado, and the Machado brothers) which bumped his skill level and understanding literally over night.

I like the tight but explosive game he has and is something for me to emulate perhaps.

I like the fact that he's a professional coach. By that I mean he's a teacher's teacher. He cares about what he teaches and whom he teaches. That's a very important point for me. I've been to events where the course leader doesn't bother about learning about his audience, their names, or makes any attempt to establish any kind of relationship (aside from monetary) and they establish a one-way street of communication. They don't bother about wanting to learn where you're coming from or why you are interested in training. It's hugely disappointing for me to attend such events which is why I pick and choose the people I associate with. I feel that by associating with individuals who are great leaders, great technicians, great personalities, and who know how to bring out those attributes in me by coaching or showing me that by internalizing the lessons I can become better at what I do, I go for it.

I certainly don't want to be in the "mediocre" category and goodness knows there are already plenty of "average" trainers around. By virtue of association, learning from their knowledge, we are inspired and motivated by their success. I often catch myself thinking, "that's great and I want to be like that" during John's technique presentation, class lecture or setting the culture of his class.

Sharing his wealth of knowledge, troubleshooting solutions, technique mapping and teaching sequence, John imparted a lot about himself and what he does on and off the mats. He's human after all and it's great !

I won't disrespect the workshop participants by going over what was presented in the classes but they are great techniques and I'm looking forwards to practicing and integrating the techniques into my game.

If you are interested in what John had to teach us perhaps you will consider joining our next event and maybe you can experience that "bump" in your knowledge too.

More info: www.kdta.com

Interesting week

2008-04-23T23:46:00.008+08:00

This month we spent some time studying the 3-point cover, posting and over-hooking the arm, various take downs and self defense applications from that position.

This included tie ups and control positions for restraining an aggressor when striking is not appropriate.

While it is interesting, it is important to realise that it requires many hours of drills, live sparring to be able to execute these skills to a high level (lucky for boxing gloves) so the plan is to integrate more of this material this year.

Earlier this week, we did some exercises and drills to help the team learn about sprawling effectively and the various set ups and counters, leg positions for an effective sprawl. I understand that this is pretty new ground for many of the team but we've got to start somewhere.

We did basic clinching from the referee position and also for neck-tie position.

In addition to the self defense applications, we also covered striking without the comfort of boxing gloves, switching to grappling gloves for this study.

This week we looked at striking from a clinch, the high percentage striking methods including takedowns.

When put together it was a lot of fun for all involved. No injuries, just high intensity sparring and drills.

As we covered a fair amount of material I'll be going over the techniques again next month and adding details as we go along. This way for the people who have already done the techniques, they can improve their skills while for the newbie it's plenty enough to keep them busy.

Things to get: Headguard, shin pads and MMA gloves if you don't already have them.

6 hours of fun

2008-04-20T09:45:00.008+08:00

Yesterday, Albert had a special request; he wanted to hold a 6 hour open-mat session and wanted to do BJJ, CMD and hang out with the fellas from the gym. He wanted this instead of a traditional stag party and as it's his birthday today too, it was easy for me to make it happen. I didn't know what to get him for his birthday and he already knew what he wanted.

In my memory it was the longest, continual training session ever conducted at the gym. Not everyone trained or sparred for the entire 6 hours obviously but some came pretty close. There were marathon sparring sessions lasting up to 40 minutes, done almost back to back and that was impressive in itself. No doubt most of the fellas are feeling a little more than tired today.

This enthusiasm goes to show one thing, the gym is a tight knit community, attracting people from near and far, they do what they love and fitness and stamina-wise, they don't have any problems (obviously) so its just a matter of skill and mat-time (which they're dolloping on in heaps).

With the recent promotions in the BJJ program there are 3 new blue belts who are starting to grow into their new belts and it's a great thing to watch and be part of their progress. They're still a little nervous and jittery now but in a few month's time - watch out! I'm impressed by Rizan's "never-die" attitude, Patrick's uber flexible shoulders and Weeli's grit and determination to get a submission... simply awesome to watch them roll.
I also had a chance to conduct my CMD Focus Session with one of my team member and it went pretty well. The concepts helped the team member clarify and re-align the direction of training. I find that by just having a conversation with my CMD team members, they can "see" what they need to do in order to make the next advancement.

Of course, the combination of mat time and setting a mental strategy works best for individual success and that's what I'm after. I'm happy with their progress and the fact that each person on the team is willingly and openly helping other members on the team. We're going to have so much fun this year I'm pretty stoked about training the rest of this year.

Next week John Will rolls into KL for his 2nd visit and I'm looking forwards to his seminars. John is a fantastic, world-class coach and always puts his techniques and ideas across to all audiences. I'll be there to soak up his knowledge. Remember to bring your note books!

See you on the mats.

It feels so much better

2008-04-14T23:16:00.002+08:00

We're a few weeks into the closed CMD classes now and I have been working on addressing the specific needs of the members who have given me the feedback and/or information through the Focus Sessions that we've set up.

The classes were delivered on a co-creative basis (the group 50% and me 50%) so that everyone gets something out of it.

Tonight we did some basic wrestling pummel drills as an intro to the referee's position and as a warm up. Neck tie pummel drill, 3 point cover and related drills. Seems everyone was pretty happy with the material presented as we went over time by about 20 minutes as no one wanted to stop training.

I felt the class vibe was pretty good, intensive, technique driven and all this will serve to be a solid base for future sessions. I may need to revise the material again on Wednesday or next week's class.

I enjoyed the class atmosphere and the cooperation everyone put in to help each other. I also liked that they worked on material that was new, challenging and asked a bunch of great questions. It keeps me on my toes and that's always a good thing.

CMD Program updates

2008-04-01T09:41:00.009+08:00

Focus session, CMD Closed group, Personal training

I've been adding more things to the CMD program over the past few months, some required by the CMD program and other on my own initiative. I sincerely hope that feel that the CMD Program has been instrumental in boosting your self confidence, physical fitness, mental clarity and the ability to focus on the tasks at hand among other physical skills.

For the benefit of those who have not been in training regularly, here is a recap of the additional services that has been added to CMD Malaysia:

1. Starting in April 08, I will be allocating 45 - 60 minutes with each and everyone of you on a fortnightly basis (every 2 weeks) to talk about how the CMDP can be of further help to your personal development as an athlete, at work, at home, or if the circumstances are right we can talk about your personal game and what you need to work on. This is a communication session and NOT a personal training session and it will be FOCUSED on YOU!

As such it can be conducted anywhere in an informal setting like a coffeeshop or over lunch or even via Skype. This is offered to existing CMD members AT NO EXTRA COST. I understand that it is increasingly becoming more difficult for some of you to make a regular appearance in class due to work and family responsibilities but I don't want you to miss out on what has been happening in and out of the class setting or be misinformed from snippets here and there.

I would like to fix a time and day with each of you so that I can lock in my calendar for you. The 2 week window will also allow me to see each CMD member on a rotational basis so I can commit my time and energy in your development via the CMDP. There is no ulterior motive to this other than for me to see and understand you and your needs better and for me to develop my coaching skills on and off the mats. Remember, this is free, on my own time for you to get better. Appointments will be confirmed on a first-come, first-served basis and it will be on a 1-to-1 basis. These are the FOCUS sessions.

2. I still have not received the Needs Analysis from some of you and I seriously wonder why you would not be interested in telling me what you want from the classes instead letting me decide generically where the class should be. The opportunity for you to work on the areas YOU WANT and not what I want is the reason why you are in the program. My responsibility is to improve YOUR skills. Help me by helping yourselves. If you need another copy of the form I have attached it. You can email it back or bring it in on your next visit. It will only take 5 minutes of your time. If you need to update it, do so as and when you feel that your goals have progressed. If you feel that somethings are not going right, we can talk about it in the Focus sessions.

3. Last but not least, if you haven't viewed the KDTA.com website, I will inform you about a difficult decision I have made regarding the CMD program. It will probably put me in a financially precarious situation but I have decided to lock out any new CMD candidates from joining the group classes. The reason why I have done so is to allow myself to focus solely on your skill development, focus on improving and developing the necessary skills on and off the mats to enable you to perform at your peak in the gym, at work, at home and in your personal relationships.

Naturally I'm taking all the risks and here is where I need your assistance in committing to the CMD program. If you need bail out or quit or not show up for the month, you HAVE TO let me know so that I can make the necessary financial adjustments on my side. I'm not talking about stopping for a day or a week but if you plan to stop training PERMANENTLY for whatever reasons, please do me a huge favour and inform me and I will open up another place for someone else to join.

As always please direct any questions to me. I'm always excited to hear from you and will do my best to answer promptly.

Software issues

2008-03-28T23:30:00.003+08:00

I've been busy with writing our BJJ syllabus. Interested parties have been pressing me for it and I can't figure out what's wrong with the software. It keeps quitting as and when it feels like it. Obviously, this has been a very frustrating and time-wasting experience. Despite of the numerous notices I send the OS manufacturer, I don't expect things to be resolved until I upgrade to the new version.

The photos are done, the text needs to be written and the pictures arranged in a logical layout to allow ease of study and reference. Only problem is that the software doesn't want to cooperate. Hmmm....

Frustration is a pretty negative emotion but the strange thing is that I don't feel angry or frustrated about the consistent crashing of the word processor. I just take it in my stride. It's no big deal really.

What I've been doing during the "down" times is to figure out what I'm doing (or not) to cause the software to crash. So far, nothing out of the ordinary.

Perhaps it's a good time to go watch a movie? It's Friday night after all :)

Ground Arena

2008-03-11T09:32:00.006+08:00

It's an interesting study on how physics change a lot of things. The dynamics of a punch standing is so different from a punch in when kneeling.

The importance and use of the hips is only highlighted when you omit the use of that appendage. And so to compensate for the lack of hip power, other parts of the body has to be engaged in order to generate the force and the delivery of that force changes the technique.

Not that I'm any kind of ground and pound, MMA expert however when you apply the techniques it is quickly apparent what works and what doesn't.

Traditional boxing technique, footwork and hip movement dependent, is quickly neutralized on the ground. Instead of using too much arm power and movement, you learn to use your torso, generating force from leaning side to side. You can't level change but you can only move side-to-side.

You learn to pin your opponent down with your hand, always looking for ways to still your opponent and tire him out while the other delivers the force to soften him up.

And the list goes on.....

There are certain rules to adhere to when you hit the ground, whether you have the mount or under the mount, the rules help you weather the storm, reinforce your position and to quickly finish the job.

On the flip side, under the mount , there are even more rules to observe and principals to apply should you value your safety and well being. These are explored in class under strict safety guidelines.

To date I'm pretty happy with the direction of this year's training, having incorporated a lot more kicks (padwork), clinching and ground work in addition to the usual boxing drills. I'm going to pursue this avenue of study and see where this path leads to.

Onward with training.

Step up the training

2008-02-22T11:13:00.007+08:00

This year I have planned to increase the CMD training to include higher intensity to develop skill and exposure to clinching and ground work.

On one hand I'm excited about going back to doing some ground striking (been some time), on the other, I am conspicuously aware of the increased injury risks faced by all participants so I will be cautiously adding levels a layer at a time.

Some of my concerns include:
Smaller gloves, more techniques, more variables usually mean that : more injuries.

Just the other night we had our first splitter, a cut just below the eyebrow, during one of our clinch training sessions. Happened quickly, no pain, no and one noticed until the blood started coming out. Fortunately it was a minor laceration and was not deep but it still cost him a week off training and 3 stitches. Perhaps this is the preface of the shape to come or an omen to what the remaining 10 months has in store for us this year.

Participation requirements:

Be a good training partner. Noticed that I said, "training". Even during sparring, it is sparring and not a life-or-death fight, not a contest for the world championship title and certainly not war or a battle of any kind (well, except an internal one). It is not war or anything else but a sport. Keep things in perspective and don't make it personal. It's just a game.
Be properly and safely equipped. Gym rules: no gear? = no sparring. Simple as that.
Understand and look after your training tools. KEEP THEM CLEAN and in usable condition. The threat of microbial infection is just as dangerous (if not more) than getting a cut or concussion.
Gloves and mouth guards are required. Know the difference between competition gloves (less padding) and training gloves (more padding).
Headguards will help to prevent accidental injuries from head butts and cuts from accidental elbows.
Groin guards; need I say more?
Shin pads will help to reduce the impact on your partner, allowing them to continue training longer with you.
Do not go 100% full force or speed unless instructed. Do not change the rules of sparring unless indicated.
Do not feel obligated to spar when you are distracted, tired or not feeling confident. These usually lead to injuries which could have been simply prevented by sitting out one or two rounds. Resist the temptation or coercing by team mates to go "another round" when you know you shouldn't.
Respect your training partner at all times. He or she is putting their safety in your hands as much as you are in theirs. Don't suddenly decide to "step up" the training without getting everyone's acceptance first. It's not a one way street.

Remember, this is not the next UFC tryouts but to make training a little more varied, fun and realistic. See you on the mats.

BJJ is growing in Malaysia and its a good thing

2008-02-12T00:16:00.001+08:00

I think KDTA.com gets a lot of hits from netizens from all over the world (averaging 2500-3000 unique hits a month probably looking at our BJJ or CMD programs. Not bad for a martial arts website). The interest in the website may indicate the growing need for the type of service/activity KDT provides. This is a good thing and I'm happy this is growing.

In addition to the BJJ program at KDT, there are a few more BJJ groups in Malaysia that you need to know about, support and check out.

1. Borneo BJJ in Kota Kinabalu. They train at the YMCA Damai (above 7-11) in KK and is led by blue belt Allen Chong from John Will-Machado lineage.

2. Quico's BJJ group teaching out of Ding's Martial Arts in Kelana Jaya, P.J. (http://klbjj.blogspot.com/) representing Brutal BJJ Team (?). Quico (pronounced "Kiko") is a great fella from Portugal but as he's not familiar, Kelana Jaya isn't really KL, it's in PJ but he's still a great fella nonetheless.

3. Marcos Escobar a Team Brasa Black Belt recently started a BJJ class in Damansara Perdana (http://marcosescobar.blogspot.com/) which is a little further out and again, not in KL but in Selangor.

4. Robert Bruce runs a group up in Ipoh in Bernard Radin's kick boxing gym and we will be paying him a visit soon.

5. Coming soon! Our own Albert Lim will be starting his group over in Kuching, Sarawak, making that 2 BJJ groups over in E. Malaysia later this year.

I don't know /heard of any other BJJ groups but I hope that there will soon in the other more populous states.

With the interest and growth, it's important to note that correct technique must be practiced in order to reap the rewards of the time, money and effort invested in training. This is why we have invited John Will (Australasia's highest ranking BJJ Black Belt) to conduct a 2 day seminar this coming April (see: www.kdta.com for seminar details) so that all groups can participate and see how world-class BJJ should be performed.

I know representatives from most gyms will participate but others will shy away because they feel the seminar will be too "advanced" for them. Wrong! Listen, taking part in a seminar presented by a world-class trainer like John Will will boost your understanding of what BJJ training should be like. Not only will techniques be presented, taught and practiced but also the philosophy of how to be a good training partner, how to train and the mindset which will help improve your understanding of the concepts and principles be discussed among loads of other things which someone with over 15 years of BJJ training can only teach you.

It is excellent value for money and of the few opportunities I've had to learn from John Will, it's been positive all the way. He's a great communicator and teacher who observes and corrects mistakes, refines a good technique into a great technique and gives you the techniques appropriate FOR YOUR LEVEL.

I had the pleasure and opportunity to train with John Will in a week-long martial arts seminar in 2006, training and learning from him for 5 consecutive days, after which he visited us in KL and presented a 2 day seminar. This year we have the opportunity to invite him over again and I hope that you will join us in this open event and learn how BJJ should be like from a fantastic coach.

Here's a sample of his technique: Far armbar from knee ride

As he's coming to our door step, I don't understand why people make up all kinds of barriers and excuses not to take part then later complain about lack of highly skilled BJJ teachers around. Is this the Malaysian way?

Come on! Let's get a BJJ club in every major city in the country going and it can only happen starting with you!

Inaugural Borneo visit

2008-01-27T11:23:00.001+08:00

The photo above is the famous Mount Kinabalu (which was constantly shrouded in a blanket of clouds during my brief 2 day visit).

My inaugural visit to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah was a great experience. My host, Mr. Paul Chin of Alive Personal Defense, presumably happier now after years and years of trying to persuade me to visit his hometown, finally got to see Kate, Albert, (Big) Raj and myself on the shores of Sabah after an on-time Air Asia flight from KL- LCCT.

I noticed a couple of, ok at least 12 things, during my stay there:

It's really hot (could be seasonal or maybe because we're at sea level and near the beach)
There are a LOT of smokers in KK. Almost everyone (90%) smokes from what I saw! Did I mention the alcohol?
Food there is inexpensive and really fresh - especially the vegetables. Fruits are great.
I didn't detect any friction among the various races. People were laid back, very chilled out. It was great and felt really safe. I didn't see any "cub-chai" small CC motorcycles terrorizing the roads or pedestrians.
I didn't hear any mosques blaring out the prayers or sermons on the loudspeakers as you would in any part of KL.
The beach is 5 minutes away, the mountains 1.5 hours away.
There are loads of new development going on, new buildings, new malls, new homes. It's pretty busy.
The Pacific Sutera Harbour resort is a really nice hotel resort but the design of the rooms (in an enclosed space with all the room doors facing toward a central air well) can get pretty noisy.
There are loads of Korean and Taiwanese tourists (seasonal perhaps?) and generally a lot more visible tourists than in KL. Maybe because I was staying at the same hotel I noticed them a lot more than otherwise.
Locals are a lot friendlier and chatty than people in KL. Most people know each other as it's still a small city.
There are still hand-painted signboards (like KL in the 80's) in use in many shops
There are stilt houses perched on the waterfront in KK. Pretty nostalgic but I learnt they will soon be removed due to land reclamation and sanitary reasons (the still water under the houses looked pretty nasty)
White socks, black shoes and a blue gi IS an acceptable fashion statement in KK (refer to example above left). You can walk the streets of KK dressed like that and get "thumbs up" from impressed locals (who think you're heading to an important, official function to the state assembly representing your district as the village head from the interiors of Kalimantan)

Anyway, my visit was centered around the 2 nights of being the guest instructor at 2 different clubs: BJJ Borneo at the YMCA and Alive Personal Defense at Lintas Plaza.

BJJ Borneo club members

The turnout at the BJJ Borneo was pretty good but the training facility is a bit too small to accommodate the large number of people who turned up for the class.

The gym didn't have much air going in or out and they didn't have any fans or air conditioners which made training pretty uncomfortable and hot. But by the things look, the club will probably need to move to a larger facility soon as its obvious they can't fit everyone in at the same time on the mats.

Genn Lai (the "Man" from BJJ Borneo and Vice President) was a great guy to hang out with. Ever the entertainer and info-bank, spending a few minutes with the man, it was obvious he was a well known/recognized figure in KK.
Here you see him perched on the shoulders of Giant Raj and used as a weapon of sorts against Bert.

BJJ Borneo was really welcoming to our small entourage from KDT and we were treated with a lot of respect and warmth. I'm looking forward to a return visit as they are such a friendly, enthusiastic and eager group. It was great to train with them! They are ably led by Mr. Allen Chong, blue belt and the main coach under John Will.

After the training and a short roll with a few of the members, we adjourned to a nearby kopitiam for the Tuaran Mee (which is a soup-less Hong Kong style fried Yee mee). Pretty tasty and we all gulped it down.

The second night, I had the opportunity to teach 2 classes at Alive Personal Defense, owned and operated by Mr. Paul Chin, who so happened to be the chief instructor for Sabah Karate Association, the largest karate organization in Borneo.

A special mention goes to Mr. Jackson from SKA-Tawau (in the black gi pants) who drove 10 hours from Tawau to KK for my training sessions and to compete at the junior state karate competition at the same weekend.

The Alive Personal Defense group got their kettlebells on the day I got to KK too so the timing was just nice. I showed the group the basics of kettlebell lifting and after a 1.5 session, we changed up for the BJJ session.

Paul has a great facility going and he has it full time. I'm pretty sure that his dojo will go from strength to strength. In addition to providing Shotokan karate classes there, he teaches the Fizfit program and now will be introducing kettlebells and resistance bands training to KK as a trainer-in-training and distributor!
If you are ever in KK you will have somewhere to find eager BJJ players, kettlebells and get a great workout! I'm looking forward to my future visit.

Any less a champion?

2008-01-06T21:04:00.000+08:00

Welterweight boxer, Ricky Hatton lies on the canvas after being pummeled by Floyd Mayweather for 10 rounds in their WBC welterweight fight in Las Vegas, USA in 2007.

In preparation of this title challenge Hatton lost 18kg (40lbs) as he does with almost all his pro fights. He trains relentlessly and observes a strict diet during the training period leading up to his fight, afterwhich he returns to his pre-fight off season weight, 40lbs heavier.

The drastic yo-yo intensive lifestyle change from a world class professional athlete to a regular Joe, downing Guinness by the dozen, washing down fries and other deep fried foods leaves me wondering whether he's any less a champion.

He's stood and fought the best in his industry, putting aside all his life's worries in 10 rounds of hand-to-hand combat. He's made sacrifices to his lifestyle, and I can relate to that.

Running KDT is much in the same way. The academy is rolling into its 5th year and the momentum is making the snowball larger everyday. I'm not just talking about the daily physical training, but also the studying, class preparations, seminar attendance, event organization and so on takes its toll on the body and mind. Things that the "once or twice-a-week-member" does not see and probably have no idea about the background machinery.

Do I feel like Mr. Hatton, binging on Guinness and deep-fried foods during the off season? Sure thing!

I know I have the next 11.5 months of work set out for me. That's a hell of a long round in boxing terms but I set up the ring now I've got to get in it. I just hope I remember how to roll with the punches.

A lot of the times running the gym feels like the picture on the left. I manage to get off one set of escalators only to find there's another that needs to be climbed. It's all good though as there's always space for a breather on each floor and I know the levels are always taking me higher on the ladder of success (personal and professional).

This year, my plate's pretty full of things that require attention. I've got my personal goals as well as my professional aspirations some of which I'll reveal with you as we get along this year. Some of you who know me well will also know what I'll be busy with so I thank you in advance for your support.

Are you progressing?

2007-12-02T23:14:00.000+08:00

Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.

Arthur Ashe

The question of belt gradings and ranks in general has been on my mind lately.

I'm wondering if its my age showing but chasing the belt is not as important to me as it was, say, 20 or 25 years ago, when it served as a great motivator.

Somehow the adolescent mind draws it own conclusions that to possess, then seemingly, super-human abilities, poise, control, reflex, reactions and all the other admirable qualities which made up a martial artist was in the domain of the feared black belt.

That singular piece of cloth represented or endowed its wearer some awesome skill in personal confidence, strength, agility and cat-like reflexes. Or at least that was what I thought. Hollywood and dozens of martial arts magazines (oh, how I miss Fighting Arts International) reinforced that point. The culture at my old karate club evolved around who had it and who didn't. If you didn't have one, you wanted it and if you did have one, there was some mystical aura which surrounded and elevated you above the commoner. It distinctly marked your status as "above average" or something like that.

Fast forward 25 years later and here we are.

I have that piece of cloth hanging up on the wall. It hasn't made me better, smarter, more respected nor any of the characteristics which one thinks of when you speak of a "black belt".

What has made the difference in shaping my thoughts, my focus and physically was the process and journey it took for me to get there. A sword, it is said, is as strong as the fire it was forged in. By the hands of a skilled smith and expertly wielded by a master.

As the late Mr. Ashe succinctly put it, one must realize that it is the journey, the forging which allows the steel to be forged, the smithy to form the sword and the master to swish it about and lopping off bodily parts (that's what swords were designed to do no?)

Consider yourself a success. Whether or not you have been awarded the recognition with a piece of black cloth which you may (not not) wear ceremoniously a couple of days a week at a group meeting to denote pecking order.
If you had traveled well in your personal journey, took the necessary precautions and supplies, you should have reached milestone after milestone.

Where and when does your journey end? No one knows. I'm still on my journey 25 years on and the road has taken for a steep and narrow climb up hill. I'm not liking what I see yet I strangely feel compelled to continue to see where the road takes me.

I see traffic congestions, bad, crowded roads with poor weather and non-existent road signs ahead. I feel like pressing on because I know that the weather will let up, the traffic will clear and I will reach a point where the road smooths out and I will be able to see for miles ahead in beautiful weather. Soon.

Internally, in my mind, upstairs, I'm already there. I've become the sword which was expertly forged, smithed and wielded.
The rites of passage is familiar as I've learnt from lessons past in life and from the mats that the journey is internal. It has nothing to do with you stepping on the mats and throwing a thousand punches or performing 500 armbars. It starts with your mind engaging and your willingness to "jump in".

All those cliche's about the greatest journey starting with a single step is true but the first step started when you thought about it.

After all the journey, in whatever direction you take leads you in circles. This and all known planets are circular. We traverse and cross time zones, national borders and all forms of barriers from one side to the other. We walk in circles.

In the martial arts communities and subculture, its all about centering, balance and returning to the circle. Karma is circular. The ebb and flow of nature follows this form.

And as we begin as novices in the martial arts, we should end as novices in the martial arts to complete the circle (which we will ~ like it or not) because the more we know, the more we realize we don't know. So the point of all this is the journey as we progress, we learn, we change and we become.

What will the belt mean to you? What will it mean to you wife, girlfriend, parent or friend. How about a passer-by, a complete stranger who is unfamiliar with martial arts culture?

What will it mean to you in 1 year, 3 years, 10 years or 20 years' time?

Best training. Live the journey.

Rodney, Rigan and more

2007-11-12T11:26:00.000+08:00

The 2nd CMD Singapore '07 Retreat was a great success.

The group from KDT comprising of Albert, Ken Lee, Laurent, Mike, Raj, Tarbo and myself learnt a lot of new concepts as well as being able to polish up our boxing and grappling skills. With the calibre of teachers presenting the course, how could you not?

This year, Rodney King headed the Retreat and delivering the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu component was Rigan Machado, a legend in the grappling circles in his own right. There is now an agreement between these two fine teachers to combine their knowledge and form an affiliation. Great for us!

Rodney's sessions weren't as intense as last year, but the information provided was jam-packed as usual. His thoughts and perspective on what constitutes a healthy approach to martial arts training (essentially a skill which we ~ hopefully ~ never have to use for real) and how to extract the positive values from an essentially physically violent pastime into a life-enriching activity.

The daily sessions for the Retreat members comprised of 3 hourly blocks of evening training, covering aspects of boxing, wrestling and BJJ.

On the weekdays, Albert and I had the responsibility to wake up by 7am for a 2-hour, 8am Trainer's sessions every morning. While these sessions comprised of discussions (we were too tired to do anything more) they resulted in the most enjoyable component for me (as a trainer) to see how everyone else runs their gym and classes. I'm happy that I'm on track as it were so the delivery of the classes are similar to that in other CMD clubs worldwide.

Rodney eschews his opinion without pulling punches as usual. I respect that and share very similar views on how many "martial artists" have shot themselves in the foot. It is a dying industry, much to the chagrin of the "traditionalists" who find it increasingly difficult to attract and keep students in their dojo.

The way in which the CMD program is delivered is more akin to personal development and a physically intensive tool to connect the mind-body experience, however, I digress.

I won't detail the info of the training sessions in respect for the people who invested in the time and expense for attending the Retreat. It's only fair that if you want to know what went on you should come along and learn, and pay your dues like everyone else.

Needless to say, everyone was very taken by Rigan Machado who is a very cool guy. He's friendly, excellent sense of humour and has a vast (and I mean vast) knowledge of grappling skills (BJJ, wrestling, Judo, Sambo). He also has a load of funny stories so be sure to ask him about his Singapore Python experience.

Sandwiched between bouts of shopping and food-inspired visits to the numerous shopping malls, highlighted by late night talks, mini-counseling sessions the workouts and learning proved to be useful and practical.

Singapore's weather proved to be great (if you like rainy weather) but in this climate, warm, wet and breezy (it's an island after all) then be sure to book your place for next year.

It is anticipated to be 3x bigger next year as most of the N.American and Euro CMD contingent are saving up for it. Hope you can join us then also.

2007 CMD Singapore Retreat

2007-10-29T16:17:00.000+08:00

This week I will be heading for our annual CMD Trainers' Retreat in Singapore. It's always an exciting time with different coaches and athletes converging in a central location. Some of the other coaches from neighbouring countries have been feverishly emailing and SMSing me back and forth to seek accomodation, participation confirmation, gear acquisition and so on... all very exciting for this intense series of training.

As you can imagine, this year's participation from KDT is the largest so far with 7 or 8 members attending and everyone has been training hard to uphold pride and endurance as the days and nights are long after seeing the proposed schedule.

It is also very encouraging to note that more people are interested in the CMD and with their varied backgrounds in other martial arts, they have found it to be very effective. They cross train at other gyms and keep returning to KDT to continue their personal study.

Like the athletes who train with me, I also need to gain fresh insights, new coaching ideas and kick back to be the student every so often.

This years' CMD retreat has lined up Rodney King, the main coach, as well as 8th Degree BJJ Black Belt, Rigan Machado to conduct daily BJJ sessions, with the final day mixing the different combat ranged into a MMA game. This is going to be an awesome week!

Hope everyone will get their energy levels up, thinking caps on and gloves in the bag ready to go!

Best training!

Vince

Sowing the Seeds for Personal Growth

2007-09-27T09:47:00.000+08:00

Over the past few years, I've put in a lot of effort to develop the gym membership and individual members themselves. This is especially true for the CM and BJJ programs. Often assisting Sam's classes by coaching on the sidelines in BJJ or leading the class when Sam's away, the results of our combined efforts are rewarding.

As there are more blue belts gracing the mats at KDT nowadays, I've decided to talk less and train more. I've already informed a few of the more regular members about this so it should come as no surprise. After all, there are now so many more blue belts on the mats who are more than willing to help out the beginners compared with when I first started training.

This frame of mind has been a concern for a while and I need to do something for myself again. This doesn't mean that I will not be assisting the classes and so on, but as with all things, I feel that I've reached the point where I need to improve my jiu jitsu skills in order to better understand the sport so don't be surprised to find me less attentive to what you are doing as I'll be busy training for myself too.

The recent visit from Tarbo and his talented children highlighted the need for me to further simplify my communication ans skills transference abilities, to be able to teach an activity like jiu jitsu to a 6 and 8-year old without verbal communication (experientially) was an enlightening experience in "chicken and duck" talk but with very satisfying results.

It also highlighted the old adage that "to teach is to learn" and indeed, I learnt a lot about communication skills, my frustrations of breaking down techniques into bite sized components so that a child can follow and copy and generally snowballed the thought process of generally improving my overall mat skills.

Teaching the kids was actually a breeze as they are very talented and already very much into the ethos of physical activity. It's no wonder that they are champions and winners in their own right. Very much deserved and their talent shows on the competition arena where they excel.

I hope that with more focussed training, my mat, communication and coaching skills will be improved with time. I'm looking forwards to the results of this goal.

CMD Primates

2007-09-09T18:50:00.000+08:00

The CMD Malaysia shirts are finally here. In celebration, overdue CMD gradings are awarded in regconition of the following individuals' hard work and mat performance. Kudos to the following

Trainer-in-Training
Albert Lim

BLUE (ring):
Mike Gong
Laurent Alessio

White IIII:
Charles Wong
Leon Van Soest

White II:
Tommy Lim

White I:
Raj Ahmed

White:
Adrian Tan
Antoine Tanguy
Fidael Yusof
Juliane Block

Welcome aboard:
Yeap Hock Kar
James Ooi

Yes, some of the faces have disappeared for a while and I'm hoping that the situation remedies itself soon.

Exciting things are on the horizon for the CMD program. The nearest one coming is our Annual CMD Singapore Retreat in the first week of November. 5 members are already confirmed to attend this year's event and I'm hoping more will join before its too late.

BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU
On the BJJ front, I recently received my copy of Braulio Estima's DVD set on his guard game. It's an expose on his personal guard game which has taken him to the upper strata of BJJ Elites and he has successfully used it to secure the gold medal in the BJJ World Championships.

Whether or not you aspire to be a world champion guard player, I would say this DVD set is more suitable for someone with at least 2 year's BJJ experience in order to appreciate the complexities of his guard (but he makes it look soooo easy to do for which I'm envious!). Why 2 year's? Well a lot of movement and mobility skill and awareness is advanced for someone who can't tell their left from right, hand from leg and front to back, especially when rolling under pressure, upside down, etc. After a good 2 years of consistent training the DVD set will be great for someone wishing to explore the guard game.

Production quality (BJJ Tapes) is its usual high standard, good lighting and sound, although there are instances when he moves to a not-so-audible position but that is only for short instances and he moves frequently to afford alternative viewing angles.

There are lots of techniques which I've not been exposed to and I'm looking forward to trying them out on the mats, including Hook guard and numerous sweeps and submissions. Mr. Estima explains the details of each technique himself (no voice over translations) and it is easy to understand what he is saying at all times.

I'm pleased with my purchase and hope to explore the possibilities and plug in a few of the techniques in my game soon.

Congratulations

2007-07-20T22:31:00.000+08:00

It's always a great thing to have signs of progress. It's positive, it's a win-win for all and for others, something to aspire to.

Last night's BJJ class there was a grading where a bunch of people were awarded stripes and for 3 individuals, their blue belts.

Having coached and rolled with all involved, it's a great feeling to know that my efforts have also been rewarded and I have managed to help coach dedicated people to blue belt level. I'm as happy as the recipients. It's an awesome feeling of accomplishment for them and personal validation of my coaching.

It's come to the stage where the "training wheels" are now removed and now the new blues are responsible to develop their own game, strategies and technique. There are many analogies put out by very seasoned instructors of what each belt level should represent so its up to them to seek out the info they need to help them get better.

For me, its back to the drawing board to see how I can further improve and refine my coaching, technique, and mat presence. It's a great feeling!

Are you trying to annoy me?

2007-07-13T15:18:00.000+08:00

Here's a piece of my daily life. I get an email (or several) like this on a semi-regular basis, and thankfully not all at once. (All bold highlights are mine and spelling mistakes are the sender's) and I seriously wonder if someone is out there yanking my chain:

Email received by yours truly:

On **/**/07, ************ <*********@yahoo.com.my> wrote:

I have read through your website. I understood that you have trial lessons available. Please provide me further information. I am interested in combat arts that uses "sticks" and of course, pratical self defence. Please provide me a list of your classess, fees breakdown and time tables. As you mentioned in your website, students do enjoy other benefits as well. What are the benefits? Please reply. I do hope to start in August 07. Thanks
(name withheld)

My reply:

Hi

You can come in for 4 trial classes which are valid for any classes during a week.

Eg. You can try classes on Monday - Saturday (for a total of any 4 classes)

We don't train in anything which involves weapons, sticks, knives, etc.

You can see the classes provided in the website, fees and timetable.

I am no longer providing any benefits or discounts for college/uni students.

Thank you
Vince

to which the reply:

A big thank you for replying. I have browse through your web. I dont really understand your program. Please tell me what type of martial arts are you offering now?

And list the training day so I may visit it.

Thanks

********************

And so on and so on.

Logic dictates that if you start at Point A, follow any accompanying instructions, the written words will lead to you Point B, C, and so on.

To reiterate, "I have read through your website" leads me to believe that the writer has actually made the effort to do just that before writing that sentence. " Please provide me a list of your classess, fees breakdown and time tables" leaves me puzzled and confused. Did the website leave out all this important information to help with the reader's decision making process? Is someone yanking my chain???

"Please tell me what type of martial arts are you offering now?" I suppose the writer should feel honoured as I usually send this type of email to the trash folder. Not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed as they say.

If the reader had indeed read the website in its entirety, failing a total lack of reading comprehension (and I have met many of those), I don't understand how one can miss the programs being offered. Is the website vague or misleading? Is it not providing the information in a clear-cut manner? I'd love to hear from you about the website. I've received many positive comments about its layout, professional look (I used to be a pro website designer after all) and colour usage, etc. from people all over the world, but apparantly I have failed to read across to this one particular reader which has me perplexed!

The offending website is at: www.kdta.com

Click on it. Read the contents. See if any of the information is missing, lacking or misleading. Is the choice of language and words too obtuse or vague? Let me know. Please.