Meeting of Masters (Leicester Seminar) 25/03/2012

A short clip showing 3 masters all sharing their knowledge in their own individual martial arts. The arts are Rapid Arnis taught by Tuhon Pat O'Malley, Silat Sufian Bela Diri taught by Guru Maul Mornie and Snatan Shastarvidiya taught by Gurdev Nihang Nidar Singh.

One thing that strikes me is the way they grip a blade, I have used countless hours, after 1000 I have lost track of how many hours I have spent researching every martial art to find similarities and had the assumption that if you could find the same element in different styles, it would be the best solution. I suddenly discovered that not only the same solution could be universal but also mistakes, as for example the belief that the world or universe was composed by 5 elements, fire, water, earth, wind and either/or some other component. Having a grip with no thumb on a knife is IMO a bad idea, it has its place, but it should never be used as a standard grip or you will loose your blade and life fast.

Maul meets Santiago - 26th November 2008

I would love to try this with resistance and on a non compliant training partner, but there are 2 major problems, I probably can’t do it perfect and I have never seen any videos with a resisting opponent. Most of it can be explained easily with the standard response, the techniques are too dangerous to do with full speed and intent that will leave you with no chance to try it against an opposing training partner, sometimes it’s true but other times it’s possible to drill it with opposition. I find their techniques very interesting and like to watch their videos, but it lacks a demonstration against an opposing person, I have been told that the biggest problem with their seminars was the lack of realism, that it was flashy stuff with no combat value. I don’t like to judge other system by what other perceive as right or wrong, but the critique was from a very experienced high ranking FMA Grandmaster, I will go to a seminar if they are close to where I live to make my own judgement.

In a few seminars that I have attended curious to see and feel it had anything to offer, to improve my skills I had to listen to a similar argument, if you do it more than 5 times your are going to die, the man in front of me did not know that I have been smashed on that spot for hours training with the strongest man I know with bones of steel, I was amazed of how easy it is to scam people in martial art, I sometimes compare Martial Arts with New Age groups as many search for a spiritual component, believing that 5 minutes of meditation before and after training makes you more spiritual. What  is even worse are the no touch KO Kyusho practicioners, some of them lie and are hypocrites, they publicly state that they don’t believe no touch KO, but privately they believe it works and to avoid being ridiculed they need to lie.

I teach by asking everyone to constantly ask themselves what if something violent happened now, when they navigate around in public spaces and test what they feel is an acceptable moral response in a specific situation, this could be while being on a train and 3 loudmouth drunks enters the train and sit near you, or while having a drink in a bar see a big guy being intimidating by his body language, the list is endless creating scenarios at home is something most will not do as they have a hard time imagining various scenarios. By doing it while moving around in public spaces you get the scenarios that are closest to what you will encounter, as most people have a life that consist of routines the odds that something will happen where they spend most of their time in public spaces is very high. to what you will encounter, as most people have a life that consist of routines the odds that something will happen where they spend most of their time in public spaces is very high.