AMOK! celebrated its 20th Anniversary in 2012, our best year ever. I am pleased to have so many good things to report. We launched the Combative Training website, transitioned to professional licensing, upgraded AMOK! Methodology, launched the Xtreme Combatives program, upgraded the Trainer’s Package, held over 40 hands-on training events, celebrated our 10th Thailand Camp, and solidified AMOK! Sundays. Yes indeed, this is the best AMOK! ever.
Download a .pdf of this page here.
Download a .pdf of this page here.
Combatives Training Videos and Community
It took 13 months of dedicated effort to build the Combatives Training website. Initial filming using a graduate film student was a disaster; many lessons learned about what not to do J. Jesse Harding did a fine job assisting but we had technical issues and had to scrap all of it. We made a second attempt when Koki was staying with me for training. Again we shot both courses and Koki did a fine job but we had problems with background noise that could not be filtered out so we scrapped it once again.
We made a third filming attempt while in Cambodia where this time Joe Howard was cameraman and Andrew Smith assisted. It was going excellently until I injured my hand in a demo for the military. In March, we returned home and made a fourth attempt. Joe filmed, Shawn Graham’s forearms turned to hamburger (thanks Shawn, great job), Andrew did an exhaustive Q&A, and then Joe edited the videos.
Now, subscribers simply open a course page and select a specific lesson that streams to their device. And what makes it simple for the user is the massive and complex technical back-end. Integrating the website with Wishlist for Subscriptions, Vimeo, ClickBank, Mailchimp, PayPal, and the Forum was a labyrinth of plug-ins, applications, and connections that give me a migraine when I think about it. Andrew and I helped with content and design, but the hundreds of hours of eye-blurring technical work fell on Joe who did an absolutely superb job. By the way, he did a fantastic job on the cool promo video especially when you consider that it is Joe’sfirst creative video editing project.
Between travelling and a short bout with Bell’s palsy, which affects my speech, shooting the first Focus courses was delayed until the fall and we’ve finally got a way around the bug that was also a culprit in the hold-up so those will be available very soon. As well, the entire site is undergoing design changes that will make it much more interesting to visit.
We’ve gotten lots of positive and inspiring feedback on the videos from Subscribers. People like that the two courses complement each other, they say the presentation is clear and easy to follow, and people tell us they are learning a lot. People comment that the videos help them prepare for hands-on classes by getting an initial preview and understanding of the material. They love the convenience of opening their phone when practicing and having the lesson at their fingertips, and at hands-on events, people tell us they enjoy the experience more because they don’t have to be overly concerned about taking good notes because they always have the ideal reference.
We’ve also gotten lots of positive and validating feedback from Trainers who say the videos provide clear guidelines with plenty of flexibility so they always know exactly how to proceed without being limited to it. Trainers also tell us their subscribing clients are better prepared for their hands-on instruction and because the most common contextual questions that typically arise have already been addressed in the video’s presentation it gives rise to the next set of “better” questions and speeds their grasp of the material.
The Community (the Forum and Facebook) is doing very well. Years ago when I had the IBFG forum, it was very active and so I expected the same type of activity from our new community. At first I didn’t understand why it was doing well but it didn’t have the kind of activity I expected, and then I learned it was because a great deal of what once were forum threads are now Facebook posts. Some things are more productive when discussed in a forum thread and those things still naturally find their way to the forum. A lot of would-be threads that are of a less technical nature instead find their way onto Facebook.
As well, Facebook permits us to easily post photos from events and for others to comment and the up-to-date nature and easy access/interface make it easier to use, and thus it is used more than the forum. It was only this year I learned how to make a folder of photos after an event (duh!) so now those will begin to populate the photos area. In general, the guys have been more active in posting photos from their workshops and workouts on their pages, and with sharing and commenting on each others’ posts. Keep up the good work gents!
Trainers, Licensing and the Directory
When I reflect on the Trainers and Instructors in AMOK!, I feel I must be the luckiest instructor on the planet and I am immensely proud of each of you. In AMOK! we say that “brotherhood is a verb” and I enjoy a feeling of deep satisfaction by the efforts and sacrifices our brothers make for one another – the ones I know of, I’m certain there are many more.
This has been both a challenging and rewarding year for Trainers and I want to thank you for your incredible support and the outstanding jobs you have done.
Because Trainers previously operated with my personal authorization, I could not get liability insurance unless I withdrew that authorization and legally licensed them in keeping with professional standards. I had no choice, it had to be done, and it had to be done immediately.
The timing couldn’t have been worse. With the new website/videos about to launch, I knew it would reflect poorly to newcomers who visit the Directory and find it empty; and it would disappoint the Trainers, all of whom worked hard for their listing. I knew I would lose the only regular monthly income I had after 20 years of work; and it would be very expensive for an attorney to put together all the legal documents. And I knew there was nothing to do but get on with it.
I made a video announcement on Facebook, because it was the fastest and fairest way for all the Trainers to get the update, and so people would know why our Directory suddenly had no Trainers listed.
Since every Trainer would each have specific and perhaps personal questions regarding the licensing process, the best way to answer them was individually and personally so I followed up with an email to ensure each Trainer had an open line of communication directly to me.
Fortunately, licensing wouldn’t affect the Trainers financially because they could all continue teaching and earning and all contractual obligations remained intact – they only had to temporarily suspend using the AMOK! logo in advertising during their transition and since very few advertised anyway, licensing was nothing more than a paperwork hoop we’d all have to jump through. A few who decided to go their own way handled their departure poorly, though that brief and unfortunate event passed with little fanfare.
Thanks to Andrew, the licensing process is transparent, fair, and seamless. The videos present the material and prospective Trainers must replicate each of those lessons hands-on for an AMOK! Instructor who uses Key Performance Indicators to coach them until they achieve a 100% Standard of Excellence rating which maintains the highest level of quality assurance. Then Trainers submit proof of insurance IF it is required where they live and sign the license agreement. Combined with the document-packed Trainer’s Toolkit that Andrew designed, we work continuously to improve the best Trainer package in the industry.
The Directory is repopulating and so far we have 24 licensed Trainers listed. Great job gents! I really appreciate the way you jumped right into getting sorted out. There’s still a handful of Trainers I am working to get with over the next few months to get you sorted out.
The upgraded Trainer’s program is indeed working well and Trainers and Instructors have begun teaching more workshops. Mattias Persson from Sweden is teaching AMOK! full time now with his own solid following in Scandinavia and Europe. Congratulations Matt, you are working very hard and it is paying off. Koki Wong has opened up southern California. Kristoffer Göransson in Sweden and Kim Hansen in Denmark made their public debuts. Alex Garduño is very active in Mexico, Shawn Graham has been teaching, and Greg Cruz is back on the scene. Keep up the good work gents; I’m proud to see you out there sharing skills.
Hands-on Events
Buried on the video project all spring and away most of the summer I scarcely worked the first eight months, but things picked up in the fall and we finished the year strongly with 41 Events by 8 Presenters in 9 countries. Below is a recap of the year.
In JAN, I was in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. In FEB, Andrew and Joe and I were in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. In MAR, I was in Sweden with Mattias. In MAY, Mattias was in Norway and Sweden. In JUN, Mattias was in Sweden and I was in Virginia and Rhode Island. In JUL, Kristoffer was in Stockholm, Sweden and I was in Mass four times. In AUG, we had the Anniversary Camp in Pattaya, Thailand. In SEP, Kim was in Denmark, Mattias was in Austria, Kristoffer was in Sweden and I was in Rhode Island, Maine, and three times in Mass. In OCT, Mattias was in Germany and twice in Austria; and Koki was in California twice, while I was in Spain and Sweden. In NOV, Kim was in Frederiksberg, Denmark; Mattias was in Germany; and I was in Rhode Island, Texas, California, and two times in Mass. In DEC, Kim was in Denmark, I was in Rhode Island and Mass.
I absolutely love doing workshops and hope to do them for another couple of decades. There’s a special excitement that comes with training in the workshop environment and interacting with a variety of people. It is always rewarding to forge relationships and work with people who return often, and I find it equally rewarding to work with newcomers who are typically blown away by the whole experience. Our thanks to everyone who attended, the hosts who organized, and the instructors who shared.
Annual Thailand Camp
Words fail to express the excitement of Thailand Camp. It is always my favorite time of year with so many guys from around the world coming together. There are so many good things to say it is hard to know where to start. After breakfast, we start each day by training for several hours, always fighting first and then presenting the latest upgrades and innovations. Training is typically followed by a swim in the pool with lunch, which is almost always followed by a foot or body massage (a whopping $6). There’s a bit of spare time in the afternoon for sightseeing or extra workouts and then we gather again about 7:30 for dinner. Half the nights we eat at “the Mexican” because the food is terrific, with a wide international selection, large portions, the best margaritas in town, they put up with 20 of us at a time, and give us separate checks with no hassle.
This year, we had over twenty guys attend to train and celebrate the 20th anniversary of AMOK! and the 10th anniversary of the Thailand camp. We began with three days of training where we covered refinements in content and upgrades in methodology, the triangles are easier to understand and the once-complicated roadmap to functionalism has been replaced with a much simpler format.
On the fourth day Ole and Wan Bruch (Asiatours.net) took us on a speedboat to Ko Samet Island for our AMOK! 20th Anniversary celebration. We started with a nice meal at picnic tables on the beach and then we took a swim is the beautiful warm tropical water. Gathering back on the beach, Ole and Wan presented us with a gift Thai whiskey for our celebration toast and that got the party going. We drank, swam, laughed, and had loads of fun all afternoon before boating back to the mainland. It was one of the most fun and memorable days I’ve spent in the ten years I’ve been going to Thailand.
The celebration day was followed by another three days of training (thanks to Shawn Graham for his excellent presentation), and by the end of camp, a few of the guys had earned their Trainer licenses and Paul Tsiavlis earned his Instructor license – great job gents!
AMOK! Spain 10th Anniversary Camp
Another highlight was Jose Maria Gutierrez’ training event and 10th anniversary celebration of AMOK! Spain. Every detail of the event was infused with Jose Maria’s characteristic panache. In addition to my presentations, we were treated to a doctor’s first-aid workshop and a knifemaker’s presentation. Trainer Kim Hansen made the trip from Denmark to train and celebrate with us. Jose Maria presented me with a beautiful custom 10th anniversary combat blade and then he presented one to the sole survivor of the dueling activity in the workshop! This was followed by a toast in AMOK! shotglasses around the AMOK! España Banner and after that we enjoyed a fine dinner at the local pub. I am always thankful for the brotherhood I share with Jose Maria and I am proud he represents AMOK!
AMOK! New England / Sundays
Last year I made a commitment to cut my travel and rebuild our New England network by teaching drive-to workshops again, developing Trainers, and developing the Sunday class. I’m happy to report that things are going excellently in all three areas.
Already we have commitments from ten martial arts schools for workshops in the first part of the upcoming year and I’m working to double that number by year’s end. It has been especially rewarding to reconnect with guys with whom I hadn’t had contact for some time and I look forward to seeing them on a much more regular basis again.
Some of the workshop hosts, all of who have previous training with me, are already working thru the material to become licensed Trainers and I’ve had a few guys coming to me privately who can’t make Sundays and don’t have a school.
AMOK! Sundays are going fantastic and I always look forward to Sunday class. Now that the group has working skill it permits me to approach activities that are difficult with untrained persons. The guys are seasoned and the group functions well as a unit. They understand methodology, the context and format of the activities, they understand their part in the activities, and they coach each other well. I am very pleased with their skill development and how much brotherhood they share, which of course, those two things are co-dependent.
AMOK! Sunday group has developed quite strongly because it is more than just Sundays. We meet 2 Sunday’s/month to train as a group but some guys meet up between classes to train AMOK! and they cross-train in other disciplines and activities. At my house we have Pasta & Methodology nights where after dinner we cover theory/methodology, and the guys come by my garage for coaching quite regularly. Sunday’s are working out as I envisioned and we’re all glad to have so many solid new brothers in AMOK!
Looking Ahead to 2013
Trainers
Trainers are the backbone of AMOK! so I will remain focused on developing them with our two-part process of coaching Trainers until they are skilled and licensed to teach, and then coaching them on the business end in order to do the teaching.
I am proud of the way the Trainers have stepped up to make the transition to professional licensing and we will continue working hard to help the rest of you get processed as quickly as possible. Making it easier for us to achieve that goal, besides me, Koki Wong, Andrew Smith, Paul Tsiavlis, and Mattias Persson are now authorized to process Trainers.
Upcoming Events
AMOK! enters the new year very strong with 24 events already on the calendar. So far I am scheduled for Hawaii, Amsterdam, Sweden, Thailand, Texas, and a bunch in New England. Mattias already has commitments and is waiting on dates in Sweden, Norway, Germany, Austria, and Ireland. Other Instructors and Trainers have commitments but no dates yet for workshops in the first part of the year. I fully expect in 2013, AMOK! will have more hands-on training opportunities than any previous year.
Website / Videos / Community
We’re working as hard as we can to implement new website upgrades. We are right around the corner of having the first Focus Courses available. Once the back-end is configured and the first two courses are up we will be able to produce them more regularly because the framework will be in place. We’re also going to be offering a $10/month-for-a-year payment option that gives increasing access every month with option to renew. We are also redesigning the homepage to have a lot more videos on it.
AMOK! New England / Sundays
Resourcing workshops throughout New England will remain a priority and I look forward to reconnecting with quite a few old contacts before I aim at new guys. On Sunday’s we’ll keep doing what has brought us so much success so far and continue finding ways to improve it. We have room for just a few more guys and I don’t expect those spots to remain open for very long. Starting this spring, right after AMOK! Sunday Combatives class from 10am-12, Greg Cruz will be teaching an ongoing Interactive Gunfighting class.
Thailand Camp AUG 11-17, 2013
Sawasdee Kup! Another amazing training adventure is on the horizon. The Thailand Camp seems to grab the spotlight for highlight event of the year, every year, and with good reason. Good friends and new friends gather from around the world to enjoy a week of training and camaraderie in paradise.
Already guys are asking if the dates are confirmed so they can save money by buying tickets early. We have already reserved the training room at the Sunshine Vista for Aug 11-17 so these dates are confirmed. August will be here before you know it so start planning from now. Please, remember to book your room thru our AMOK! Sister Wilawan Bruch at www.AsiaTours.net – you will save money and there are a host of other benefits. If you’ve never travelled before we’ll be happy to help you every step of the way. Kaaaaaaa.
Cruz may be offering his own Interactive Gunfighting Camp in Thailand this year and may do his at the same place, on the same days, for two hours every afternoon. That way people can take just the AMOK! training or just the IG training and we’ll work out a combined rate those who want both. Who is Cruz and what is Interactive Gunfighting?
In Association with Interactive Gunfighting
We are proud to be working in association with Gregory Cruz, founder of Interactive Gunfighting, a firearms instructor for over 20 years with extensive gunfighting experience. Having just retired from the military, Cruz is teaching firearms full time with an exciting selection of courses drawn directly from his experience in multiple combat engagements.
Presenting ammunition, Simunition, and Airsoft activities in parallel, Cruz’ curriculum places a heavy emphasis on Force-on-Force activities (shooting at each other) and jam-packed with his personal innovations, Interactive Gunfighting exemplifies the latest evolution in firearms training.
Cruz has been with AMOK! since early on (we go back 30 years) and he also lives in RI, which presents a rare opportunity for New Englanders to train with a veteran warrior decorated for valor who has lived an extraordinary life on the trigger.
Wrap up
Yes 2012 was in many ways our best year ever. Together we took some big steps forward and we’ll keep that momentum moving in 2013 by adding Focus and Specialty Courses to an updated website, hosting tons of hands-on workshops, enjoying an all-new format for Thailand Camp, by developing Trainers, and by working closely with Interactive Gunfighting. I look forward to training again with each and every one of you in the very near future and I wish you all a healthy, safe, and prosperous year.
Yours in training,
Tom Sotis
No comments:
Post a Comment