Open Martial Arts Tournament

Join a the 2011 Open Martial Arts Championships in Belle Vernon, PA!

We are hosting at Belmar Middle School at 500 Perry St. Belle Vernon, PA 15012 - right off Route 201.

Join a the 2011 Open Martial Arts Championships in Belle Vernon, PA!

We are hosting at Belmar Middle School at 500 Perry St. Belle Vernon, PA 15012 - right off Route 201.

Registration at 9 AM, Masters' Division at 10:30 AM Black Belts and Color Belts to follow.

Concessions will be available (cash only) on site!

Moving Location

Manderino Martial Arts is moving location!

We have moved from our 215 Chess Street location to the Gabrielle Brothers Plaza in Belle Vernon, PA 15012.

I apologize for any current or future student upon whom this may press hardship. It is a move that is good for our school. Not only does it allow for more growth, but immediately we will experience a great growth in schoolmates!

We will be joining in the same location as Chon's Karate. Students will not only have the opportunity to train under Master Manderino, but also with our Grandmaster, Kwon Ho Chon!

Thank you for your patience, keep training, and hope to see you in the Dojang!

Color Belt Testing

Mandrino Martial Arts will close its Monongahela Studio for today! Friday. Classes resume Monday at its normal times, thru August. Master Manderino will be in Belle Vernon, PA to assist in the HQ color belt testing.

What is a Karate-ka?

Karate is more than punch this and kick that... It is about who you are. It is about an internal honesty, external integrity, and social honor, a courageous straight forwardness. In karate you become "karate-ka."

When we start our path in karate we are tempted for many motives. First we convince ourselves that, if nothing else, it is good exercise. Based on that, we hope that there is a real basis of self defense and that it is better to try to prepare for the day we hope never comes than be under prepared if we are faced with that violence in real life, face-to-face. Finally, we think it would be a cool, or fun, community/socializing thing to do.

But t here is more. We should, at least accept that all of these very human reasons are very valid and sound. Further, we should let this confluence of rationality lead us to an understand that, perhaps there is something bigger going on here. What else can i find as a reason, or that shares a confluence with thee things, that are good and true reasons? Ultimately, karate cultivates a sense of mystery in us. By default, it also fosters true humility in us. Humility to accept how little we have yet come on that path, and humility to accept the boldness planted and grown in our heart that urges us to press on and learn more of this mystery. This sense of mystery serves us in life. Not only in piety, but also in how we learn to see the world. Is our vision scientific, or naive? Is it reasonable, or universally skeptic?

Karate tolerates none of those positions. Perhaps that is why, so often, so few tolerate true karate teaching.

Join the Journey - Fall Opening!

WHAT: Our New FALL OPENING

WHEN: Sunday - Aug. 21, 2011 1:30 PM!

WHERE: Manderino Martial Arts. 215 Chess Street Monongahela, PA 15063.

SEE: A presentation and demonstration of martial arts for children and adults.

GET: A special offer. Show up with 6 or more people to sign-up for classes to receive a very special, discounted rate for each person!

Be there, and don't be late.

 Master Manderino and his students hope to see you then!

You think you know something about MMA, but you don't know this MMA: Manderino Martial Arts- Join the Journey.

Fall Opening

Welcome for our Back to School Fall Open House!

This Open House will feature demonstrations and presentations on our new courses, class structuring, and schedule- for both children and adults!

Our 2011 Fall Open House will be Sunday Aug. 21, 2011. Please stay posted or call the school for more details!

Tang Soo!

Upcoming Seminar

August 20th, 2011

Cherry's Karate will be hosting a form and self-defense seminar open to all ATF school students. The seminar will be taught in two sessions, both on that Saturday, August 20, 2011, with a break for food or drink which you may choose to pack and bring for yourself.

Grandmaster Chon will not only be present but will be the primary instructor of the seminar.

Please see your instructor for more details.

Upcoming Calendar Events

Friday, May 6th
       5 and 6 pm classes as normal.
        7pm class is canceled due to the Federation Black Belt Ceremony in Uniontown, PA

Thursday, May 12 - Wed. May 18
        All Classes are canceled for this week due to Master Christopher's wedding. Classes will resume, as normal at 5pm on Thursday, May 19th.

Saturday, June 4th
           10 AM - All Students Color Belt and Black Belt Pre-Test

Thank you, to all my students for your dedication and hardwork!

Train Hard.

Tang Soo!
- Sabunim Christopher

Benefits of Training

In the Modern Age we can often give self-defense a second... third.... last.... glance on the list of things that are important to us. Until it is too late and we need the skills that we didn't have.

Beyond the psychic (mental and emotional benefits) that martial arts offer, there are very real, pragmatic tools that freqeunt training imparts. Months of training can be necessary, at an intense rate. This isn't to say that there are not tools that can be learned in the course of a single seminar, or "tricks" of self-defense that cannot be learned in a moment. But fundamentlal tools take more, and only to basic proficiency in a short time. Sports coaches recognize this. This is true of all things. Otherwise continuous traiing would not be part of sports programs and most places employment would not demand continuing training and education.

2,3, or 5 years might seem like a long time to achieve a "Black Belt Status" in a school. In perspective it can also take 4 years to gain a starting Varsity position in most High School, or College programs. There are always execptional prodigies, but just like in high school sprot programs the advice is this: learning and drilling the fundamentals will never go away. And if you want to teach others, you have to work for perfection, where there is never an end. Even as a Master Instructor I think about how to refine my low blocks, center punchs, and hook kicks.

There are two reasons we pass over things: fear and pride. Don't let the timing scare you. And don't think yourself so perfect that you don't need training. Too often is it said "I don't want anything to do with fighting or dangerous situations so it doesn't apply to me" and "I think I can handle myself so I don't need training" until a fight descends upon you then it does apply to you and you do need the training.

New Classes

5:05 - Class : Childrean - T and Th        All - MWF
6:05 - Class : All Students
7:05 - Class : Adults - T and Th            All - MWF

Private Classes are available by appointment.

At-Home Lessons available by appointment. Please see our (service marks:) My Mobile Dojo and My Mobile Dojang page, and inquire by email or phone.

manderinomartialarts@gmail.com
724 - 610 - 5029

Evolution: Karate and Ground Game

I think it is a huge mistake to limit karate to being a "stand-up" art. I also think it is a shame of what American Karate looks like and what passes at excellence.

That being said. We mostly don't know any better- as a whole. To the majority of people, karate is like a mystified version of kickboxing- which we understanding " 'cuz it's like boxing with kicks in there, so it's better."
There is so much more to karate than this. There is the individualistic, systematic, and focused study of distance, position and balance. Footwork comes later to the game. Grants, we want to study these and grow through them evenly, all at once, but it doesn't mean that we only pick one to be really good at. If my footwork is GREAT, but my balance is mediocre, I will be a mediocre fighter.

Karate has a certain ground game of its own. How often have you seen "grapplers" in the UFC kick while on their side or back to an opponent trying to get in. This isn't just "some trick, it's karate. Sometimes you see a scissors leg take down. The initial response is, yeah, but that's pure BJJ. No, it's not. For just as long as judo banned these kinds of techniques in tournament, karate encouraged them (along with the standing leg take-down, front, back, and double leg sweep, and the knee-mount). Flying Arm-bar: It's the step-over, kick, armbar upside down.

Despite all of this, there is one thing I want to be clear on: Karate does not do movement of body on body on the ground. Now, this isn't to say that it cannot, it simply doesn't. In the future it is my hope to take an analysis of grappling from a tangsudo-ist's standpoint, but for now I will let this suffice. Karate doesn't because it presumes to not want it. Right or wrong, the art has a built in presumption that if something goes to the ground, it better not be you, and if it is, you better be on top, in control and finishing it.

Train right. Train hard.

"This is why I don't teach young kids well."

The title is a comment that my colleague and friend made. I would like to talk about the quote that spurred it. It was from a recent issue of the martial arts magazine flagship Black Belt Magazine. It reads as follows:

"As much as martial arts teachers who instruct children proclaim that the arts are for fun, fitness, entertainment or self-confidence, their essence is martial, military, life and death" (Simon Scher, Black Belt Magazine April 2011, p 73).

At first reading, I know exactly from where my colleague is coming. I have understood it and encountered it. But there is something that I think is very important in martial arts physical education that gymnastics, or other sports do not bring to the table.  It is especially suited for young people, and it is this. One of the key component in teaching young children is not only letting them, but verbally encouraging them to take on that "warrior-persona." It is a role-play, almost. But it is part of them. It is part of all of us.

As instructors, we are mentors. This is true for adults, but holds especially true for youth. It is one of our responsibilities to other in teaching them. We teach them how to encounter a fundamental aspect of humanity-fighting for truth and defense. But there is more to just encountering it at the moment when it is needed. We help them to understand it. It's the "grown-up" adults that need to understand the other aspects of it (that includes the parents of children; and our selves).

The martial arts provide freedom for and within oneself- freedom of movement, truth seeking, morality [one the the key components in karate's launch into the mainstream educational world; it's publicly fudned in the oriental countries], and self.

Instructing children is a gift for many. It is also, however, an acquired skill. Teaching children is part about making karate "fun." But this is too often confused. Karate is fun because instructors are suppose to give positive re-enforcement to kids in an overdose, NOT because they are gamekeepers or babysitters. Teaching children is also about letting them learn their own selves. Martial arts for kids (and often adults) demands a certain level of co-ordination. When it isn't there, naturally for children, instructors may wisely spend time to inventively organize drills to help children do the martial arts we wish to teach them.

Instructing kids isn't about laughter. Martial arts is very serious. There is life and death, even from "just playing around" irresponsibly. But martial arts is about positive emotional re-enforcement, basic skills acquisition, and treating them with respect as human beings. Anyone can do it, but they simply need to let themselves see it. As instructors we help them to do that, in ways their own minds can understand (sometimes by teaching them the "correct" mentality).

To my colleague, I hope you sparked your own insights through this reading, as I expect that you should with your tuned mind. I had originally intended to blog on the interior life of the warrior, and how it relates to training, but that will be for another day.

Train happy. Train hard.

Karate - Trips

Yesterday was a great day for trips. It was also a great day for weapons.

Like I've written, time and again, Karate is more than just kick and punch. It has alot of takedowns. Though, there is something specific about karate takedowsn that distinguish them from judo, catch-wrestling, or any grappling. Karate takedowns seek to end the fight with a strike, one, hard, swift strike. For the karate-ka the takedown isn't to continue the fight, it is to end it.

Now, that isn't to say that the karate-ka is out of options once he hits the ground. He has an entire aspect of groundfighting striking to conside. There is a sleu of techniques that consider one to be on his or her back. These are mostly kicking techniques, but effective nonetheless. Likewise, there is no rule in the All Ruling Handbook: Ultimate Guide to the Mystic Art of Karate that says the joint-locks and strikes used in stand up cannot be used from being on the ground.

As for the evolution of groundfighting and oriental martial arts, that is for another blog. Onto the nature and importance of tripping. The foundation for art of tripping is a single principle: place the opponent on the ground and retain the superior position.

In the karate mindset: standing is always superior to not-standing. There is another rule that comes into play, however: Being able to reach when you opponent cannot reach you is a superior position that must be used to the advantage (if the fight must continue). This is why I mentioned the groundwork of karate, above.

I've mentioned the principle that puts ground work right into karate curriculum, but there is one other thing to beware. Many people thing tripping is easy. It is not. You cannot strike the foot and you cannot collapse the knee with your leg. It won't work or you'll be trapped. That being said, there is one place that you can find great videos that detail correct examples. You Tube.

I am presenting this clip from the first karate kid movie. It's a movie? Sure is. But so many techniques from both forms and ippon kumite (one-step sparrings) use "takedown-finish" combinatinos, and you hardly see them applied. This movie just used them very well. Attacking an opponent on the ground is not easy ( as you see in the final fight), but it is easier to attack a rolling opponent than one trying to kick you in the face. I'll leave this with you to digest.

In addition to trips and takedowns, I teach striking while on the ground and I view it as an essential fighting mode. I also view learning how to stand up properly and not provoke an attack from your opponent while you are defenseless nearly as important as falling properly. But that is for another time.

Karate - A Mixed Martial Art

So what is a mixed martial art? I ask myself that question with humorous simplicity. "It's a blend of different martial arts, right?" But let's consider what that means: Boxing and Kickboxing, trained together, make you trained in mixed martial arts.

But wait, boxing and kickboxing are the same thing. I imagine that we would run into the same issue if we took a combination of Judo, Jiu-Jitsu, or Wrestling.  Okay, I'll give that. So let's try something a little more distinct. Take Western Boxing and the Chinese Wing Tsun. These are definitely different:

 Start watching at 14:20

Start anywhere ; )

Granted. These are distinct. But wait. If you say to Bob and Weave, you can't plant your feet in a solid stance and simultaneously make contact, if you are suppose to stay away and be light on your toes, bouncing around. So while these are definitely different martial art, they are not mixable.

Let's try another composition. Muay Thai and BJJ. A popular concoction. There are punches, elbows, knees, kicks, grabs, throws, takendowns, holds, joint locks, and chokes/strngulations all with some groundwork! This is a great mix. But, each one of those can takes years to master. So in order to gain proficeincy it is best to take a little from each, extend the time of training to master longer, but shorten the combined time for proficiency. We end up with a limited number of joint longs, escapes, strikes, and movement (footwork/groundwork). 

A friend of mine suggested: (Due to the limited number of arts and those which are "mixable") MMA is nothing more than a title for an introductory course of simple locks, groundwork, and some kicking and punching. I can't disagree too much. This really eliminates the "MMA" aspect to MMA.

But perhaps we should reconsider what art arts. The Traditional art of Karate considers striking, joint-locks, throws, breathing, meditation, breaking, weapons (each one individually), forms, and sparring, all their own distinct art form

 If we think of MMA broadly, it is a shame we don't treat the old MMA with the same respect.

I train MMA. I train Karate.

Train True. Train Hard.

Mahki: The Block

Karate will not be Karate until the block is more than a block; the punch is more than a punch; and the step is more than the step- without this, "karate" is only advanced boxing, with basic footwork.

Today I would like to write on what the block is. And what it is not. A block is the interception, attacking, bearing, and redirecting of another's attack on oneself. It is not a single movement of the body. As I type these words I hear the objections flooding my mind's ear: "But, Christopher, no one is saying that. There are any types of blocks, and each block can do everyone of those things!"

My inside-outside mahki is a movement of the body. But it's blocking power. This is more complicated. Have I brought my arm from below to upright? From a punch to vertical position? Did I start it at the hip or the solar plexus? Does it travel horizontally, or in a corkscrew? Am I pushing against the grain with it, or only side-breaking the attack?

If the above questions aren't making any sense for you, this post is for you.

When I am blocking, I am not simply engaging in an efficient motion or raw statistical data of what is effective or able to weather the best. When I am blocking I am living natural principles, learned studies of physics, even. A strait punch from a sunfist is push toward my chest. Do I intercept? Yes. But how? Do I receive, work against, or simply re-orient?

My example: The middle/inside-outside block twists the fore arm.

Now, as you execute your own, with your body, think about the translation of your WHOLE body. Am I receiving the blow, am I pushing against it, am I simply rolling it to the side?

 Try this experiment. snap the block as shown in this video, but step your whole, balanced body backwards. Then step your whole, and balanced body forward. Now execute it standing still (try "Sanchin Dachi" - "Hourglass Stance.") and feel your body leaning and its weight/power shifting through that blocking arm.

The first is one that drives the block inward, to where you want. The second pushes back. But, you must overcome their power. The last redirects the opponent's energy, but without your control once the arm is directed away from you. What is your intention? Which of the three blocks are you executing with your "inside-outside block?"


Train hard.

Footwork

Observe the footwork. Just observe it.

Now Observe this footwork.

What's the big difference? They are both bouncing. They are both inching their way to the attack. They both use first-strike and counter-strike methods. What's the deal, here?

The deal is the purpose of the bouncing. Bouncing does not make you a better fighter, or more agile. It DOES lock you into a predictable rhythm- this makes it possible for your opponent to gauge when you will be in the air and strike at that time, where you have only jump or flying attacks to utilize, at less power.

The purpose of the bouncing in the first clip is the kind that makes you light on your feet, and more mobile... but not more agile or effective.

The bouncing in the second clip is the kind that hides your footwork. When you use a proper bounce and stances you must retain your schooled footwork. How many steps are you taking, what kind? Where is your balance starting? Bouncing hides this fact. The drawback is that you are in the air 1/2 the time. If your opponent learns your rhythm and overcomes you by that, you need to stop bouncing. It's okay to do that, and you can still "win," if that is your goal. In a fight, bouncing can be dangerous due to the lack of rules on grappling. The footwork needs to be your principle concern in training. No bounce and learned footwork will beat out bounce with crazy footwork (by crazy I mean chaotic and undisciplined/uncontrolled). How do you secant the circle, dodge to counter, side step, switch in step, move in or out of range appropriately? Bouncing doesn't teach you that- it just looks athletic. Using a static stance- remaining on your toes, not on your heels!- can be more effective.

Bouncing right is a huge advantage. Don't get me wrong; it can increase your speed and hide telegraphs. Having said that: being in the right place and seen selectively is better than being unseen in all the wrong places at once.

Train hard. Train right.

Balanced

So, the form looks like more kick and punch, but let's take a moment to really look at what is happening. There are two principles at work in Bassai So/Sho

1. The Follow. The follow is what I used to describe the second hand of a two-handed technique that could've been done with one hand. The opening move, for example, could have been achieved with one hand. The second hand serves two purposes, one immediate, one distal. The immediate application is the hand re-enforcing the first. The distal application is understanding the hand to be in a position to strike through the opening made by the first. This is like following close enough behind a stock-car in the Daytona 500. The first makes the work and resistance converge and break on it. The second take quick advantage of the weakness of the opponent's defense that naturally occurs in the blocking of the first hand.

2. The Grapple. Karate has stand-up and take down grappling. Yes, it does. Here is an ideal instance of the stand-up type. In the last 1/4 of the form, the side punches end with a hand rotate and grab. The Grab initiates and maintains contact and adds "roping" power to the succeeding punch. Roping is the description of pulling one's opponent toward the attack you launch, using the body's natural rhythm and counter-balancing. This is often seen with Muay Thai Fighters:

Train Hard, Train Creative.

The New Karate

     I mentioned before, in my last post, that Karate is more than just Kick, Punch, Takedown (see previous clip).
What I didn't mention is why Karate is more than that. Karate, as a martial art, is principles. Karate is science and technique conjoined with spirituality.
     Before you raise too many questions or objections, let me explain what I mean. Starting with the most culturally controversial: spirituality- Karate is from the inner most parts of who you are. Like its running counterpart, Parkour, Karate is about pushing your own limits and finding your own freedom. Karate is not just about brutal survival, it is about living. It is a way of life. As Ginchin Funakoshi said: Karate begins with rei. Rei is the Japanese word for what many Christians would call "agape" a mutual respect of the lives of others. As we know in the West: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Without this, there is no hope. There is no "life after the fight" there is just fighting. Not true fighting, but reckless violence. This is not Karate, this is unprincipled behavior where one no longer has control of the self. Without yourself, what are you even fighting for?
      Secondly, Karate is technique. It is not simply choosing your target, or what to do, it is choosing your weapon, in accord with your intention, executing it rightly, and the most effective and efficient means of getting there (not in weighing one against the other in a computation, but finding that "place" where effeciacy and efficiency meet. This is art and technique. It requires practice, study, and determination- all conjoined with mental discipline. Here is where Karate is more than kick, punch, takedown on the physical level. Karate is toe kick, heel kick, blade kick, instep kick, inner foot kick, inverted kick, bahl of foot kick, two knuckle punch, sun fist, backfist, phoenix eye punch, hammer fist, knife hand, ridge hand, spear hand, one finger, two finger strikes, ox-jaw, palm, elbow tip, elbow smash, and continuing! What weapon do you use, and why and how? This is MUCH more than kick, punch. A wrongly executed instep kick to the wrong part of the body can destroy your foot. 
      Finally, Karate is also science. I do not mean "martial science of close-quarters combat survival." I mean study and implementation of the discoveries you find in you and in the storm of life. In yourself, if you cannot kick with your right leg because of a knee, ankle, or hip injury, you must know and work around that. In life, if your purpose is military, civilian, police, victim, rebel, etc. you have to act accordingly. In war you may be studying combat to take a life, but in peace you may need to restudy your actions to be in accord with a "live, and let live" principle. This is where I see the new Karate. I see the constant re-invention of Karate every decade in a new "ex-marine shares killing art" style. The fad in striking arts is elbows and knees. The muay thai style is popular because it is not only ancient but proves devastating. Krav Magna does much of the same work, but is re-invented in the modern era, and is revered because of its war proven effectiveness, so what's the difference? Techniques? Some. For the average laymen, perhaps kickboxing and hapkido may be the same as Krav Magna training. The difference: creative spin. Letting someone see how something is effective makes them a believer, which opens the door for learning. I see elbow blocks and strikes in many new "flow drill" and "gross motor strike" module systems for sale nowadays. I also knew about these for 10 years because I studied Tang Soo Do and utilized them as a green belt. Karate is being rebuilt from the ground up by fight survivors because there is not application of Karate in their lives.Here, Karate is more than kick, punch, by ingenuity. Only a teacher and student with creative minds truly take advantage of the extensive stand-up and striking art of Karate.I list Karate as both striking and stand-up for a reason, but that is for another post.

Don't re-invent the wheel. Train creatively, train traditionally, train hard.



   

Karate is More than Kick, Punch

     Karate is more than Kick, Punch.

    Consquently, it is also more than Kick, Punch, Takedown. Karate, as an art, is a number of things with the same name. In the broadest sense, Karate is the name for the conglomerate of weapon, empty hand, and partnered forms with individual techniques and demonstrable and repeatable pricniples associated with them. In the strict sense, karate refers only to the empty-hand fighting techniques, forms, and form-applications that have been handed down in a particular tradition.

     Many take to either one of thee two extremes, simply based on what they believe is the "right way for karate." But, its just a name. It's not what you are calling it, it's what you are doing that is your art. The name is just something for inter-human communication.

     Too often there is a sitting around of instructors and masters, alike, that simply make the assumption that the makers of the art took months of their life just decided on the most accurate and appropriate name for the arts they spawned or inspired. In the end, many names were simple utilitarian for communication. Shotokan for example: Shoto's School. Shoto was Funakoshi's nickname. Goju-ryu Karate: the Hard-Soft School of Karate. The name explained the primary distinction of the art, that there were both hard and soft techniques in this style of karate, and that was important.

     The real importance is the substance being taught. Many people view karate as the eastern form of boxing. But it is much more. Karate, as we know it, employs the techniques and pricniples of the Chinese, the form traditions, interpretations, and rhythms of Okinawa, the one-strike methodology of some Japanese martial arts (like Iaido). Even now, in the Americas and Europe, Karate also employs the dynamic movement of Western Boxing and Wrestling. Karate, itself, is a mixed-martial art, and it is high-time its practicioners realized that fact. Not simply realizing it by acknowledging it, but by accepting and practicing it.

    This is not to say that there is not more for karate-ka to learn. There is something to learn from Tai Chi Ch'uan, Judo, and Freestyle Wrestling, but it is important that karate-ka do not hold what valuable lessons and training they have learned and engaged through karate in contempt.

     Karate is Kick, Punch, Takedown.

    It is also so much more. Stay tuned.

Train hard. Train right.

Three-Step Sparring

Last night, Samdan Travis Morton had decided to grace our Dojang with his presence. At the same time, he brought a fantastic drill with him.

I have been familiar with the three and five -step sparring drills of the Okinawan Masters for a few years. I often saw value to them, but never had a chance to exercise anything remotely similar to them with anyone else. Samdan Morton offered such an opportunity.

Yesterday, he introduced a three-step drill. The three-step drill involved not only a striker and defender. Each step was seperated intermittently by an analysis. It was the opportunity of the defender to read the situation and positioning of the striker. The defender state his analysis, each time with less words, concise reasons, and greater certainty. It is the responsibility of the attacker to honestly and definitively decide and then slowly execute the technique.

This drills requires both honesty and determination. While the striker must have honesty in what he/she was giong to do, the defender also must honestly execute the block of what he had chosen. Due to the inherent risk of contact, the moves should be executed at half speed. Eventually the drill can be executed at higher speeds with quicker exchanges,. The drills, as is, is very well suited for both beginners and advanced students.

I found the timing, additionally amusing. I had just discussed the effects of such a drill with another Master friend of mine, for use of sparring with gear. This seems easily adapted and I will keep up posts if this happens in the future.

Train hard. Train smart.

What to Expect at Our School

This is a post concerning what to expect when you walk in the doors of a Dojang.

Our Dojang, as with other schools, is accepting of walk-in students. In our Dojang, expect to walk in and, if class is not in progress, to be greeted by the owner or an instructor.

If class is going on, please feel free to either sit and watch class to its finish, or join to try it out. If you arrive to the Dojang when class ahs begun, please prepare yourself accorind to the protocol below, bend your left knee and place your right knee on the ground and wait to be acknowledged. Once the instructor sees you, he will find a place for you in class at the next break in action (no more than a minute or two).

Preparing yourself to enter the Dojang:

When you enter the Dojang, you will enter the lobby area. It is acceptable to wear your shoes, here. What you will see in front of you is the Dojang training floor. The training floor is, in sense, a sacred space. It is set apart for training the mind and the body. Shoes are not permitted. The only exception are shoes which are specially made for being worn in the Dojang and have no other use, so that outside contagens and dirt are not trekked into the school.

If you have more questions please call the Dojang any time of the day or evening:
724-610-5029

GRAND OPENING

GRAND OPENING

Come visit us for our GRAND OPENING.

Instructors and Masters from the Asia Tang Soo Do Federation will be present to both witness and exhibit professional standards in Tang Soo Do.

We will also have our own Shihan Dan to demonstrate the Art of the Japanese Sword - Kenjutsu.

The event starts at 11:30 AM on January 15th, Saturday.

The Demonstrations will begin at Noon on that Day.

Steeler Game? No Issues: The event will be finished in plenty of time for your return to where ever to watch the game.

Don't Go Into the Tall Grass

Today's blogpost is insprired by the gooshy feeling-filled Jurassic Park III... which, odly seems better than Jurassic Park II, but it is yet incomplete.

As I watch I find myself using all of my prvious Jurassic Park Universe knowledge to try and yell out to the actors. "Don't go into the tall grass." This was Ian (Jeff Goldbloom)'s warning in the second movie. Granted, in this movie, the raptors are following Dr. Grant because the young Billy stole Raptor eggs, impulsively and in a misguided altruism. But there is a point to Ian's advice. Ian KNEW that only death waited in the long grass in the middle of the island. This leads to my first bit of advice: Don't go into the danger. If you go into danger, confusion will inevitably set in and luck will be the deciding factor.

Fighting, all fighting, revolves around the perception of conflict. This is not necessarily true or necessary conflict:

 But that's a different lesson. The reason I introduce conflict as the principle to fighitng is so that we may see the difference between entering conflict and entering danger. Entering danger is even different from confronting it. Entering danger is a submissive position, one that waits in both fear and timidity and in despair (there is not ope or magnanimity, but simply the desire to survive). Confronting danger takes the wisdom to identify it and the courage to do what is needed.

If you are afraid to punch or kick someone, you won't do well in a stand-up fight. If you meet the danger that such a thing could seriously hurt you or another and realize that it is the inevitable and necessary course of action to defend yourself or a loved one, you can not only survive, but live. Meeting a danger requires intellect, training, and preparation. Suriving has to do with luck.

Now, despite the cheesiness of some things in Jurassic Park Universe, there is one thing to learn, be a Grant, not an Ian. Meet a danger if it has to be there, don't simply survive it and try to wait it to pass by. YOu could end up like the lawyer in the first movie.

Train Hard and Often.

Be a Student of Inches

Tonight hosted Manderino Martial Arts first classes.

Stillkin Kenjutsu made their first appearance this evening with Shinan and his two student for tonight. It was fantastic to see thee three men go to it with bokken in hand. They often say that the art of sword is an art of inches, the difference between a lethal and non-lethal cuts.

At the same time though, so is striking: What is a difference between a head shot and a knock out? About the distance of your cheek to your jaw.

And is grappling, too (have you ever hear the difference between a choke and a strangulation: about an inch).

Martial arts, life, its all about the little inches. The winner of a 5 k is still the winner, even if the 2nd place person was 5 inches behind. And the second place person was still only second place. Does this mean you have to scrap for every inch? No, not in the sense that the 2nd place guy trips the one in 1st just to win it. But yes in the sense that the second place guy has to push to not be third, or to trive for 1st.

Tonight I learned that lesson. My first walk in came and went and I didn't even give out my card with my number, I was just caught unaware. We were in sight of my information and I forgot to give it. Luckily, for me, the guy took my number and the school name off the window. I suppose today my inches were hours beause it had been less than 24 that the phone number was put up.

To end with a happy note, four students came in for a trial class later on, as did a friend of that first guy. What an exciting day comapred to yesterday!

Train well. Train hard.

Safety and a First Night at the Dojang

When I was prearing to open the school, with lots of time in the pre-opening weekend, my fiance gave a very solid piece of advice. I'm proud of you. Don't be dissapointed when no one comes in on the first day.

No fanfare, no spot lights, no off the hook phone calls, the first evening came and went. But, on the plus side, I am most grateful I was able to amke it there. I woke up this morning and intended to go to my day job, then KABOOM, there was an xplosion in my head. My nose, my throat, my sinuses, chest, and ears were choc-full of bacteria inflammed. I started work then decided if I couldn't even focus on getting the books to the van, I probably couldn't focus on the road to safely drive. Like they teach you: safety first.

This brings me to my frequent post topic: Safety. Somethings are indispensible in your life. Your health and life, itself, are two of these. In you training, you need to push yourself, but if you can't do something, don't force it. Forcing is a concept we use for doing something a way you aren't suppose to be doing it.

The other invaluable piece of advice for training is preparation. Sure, this refers to warming up and stretching, but it also refers to your equipment. If you are going to spar, put in your mouthpiece, at the least. The largest bit of protection is worth more than smallest amount of rehabilitation or reconstruction. One roundhouse kick to the face gives a concussion, the other doesn't. The difference: the second kick had to contend a shock doctor.


Protect yourself. Train hard.

The Best Way to Defend the Head

Following the previous post, the question was posed: What did I think is the best way to defend the head?

I think the best kind of answer is not simply someone's individual opinion, but so as to not just ignore the question I will respond with the surest and true answer that works for everyone. Distance.  Whether you are putting yourself out of range, ducking, dodging, or simply too close, it is the best defense.  Distance is always the number one defense for anything.

There are, though, some more specific tactics that many may make work for them with a great efficiency. In any conflict there are a few things to always keep in your mind, or at least, be in harmony with them. 1. Objectives. 2. Targets. 3. Your weapons. Whatever fills these categories will determine a specific range of the multitude of tactic you may you to defend your head. If your objective is to cripple, and your target is the knee, and your weapon is the right hand, you will be relying on a distance of "too close," dodging, correct timing, and the obstruction of your head line with your attacking and off hand.

This brings me to the second best defense: positioning. Your position is the second greatest defense. If you are facing your opponent's back you are defending with heavenly fortitude. You have now cut out 95% of his arsenal, just by standing in the right place. That being considered, if your straight punch is accurate and striking his same side, he will not be using a cross on your other cheek if you've kept your correct positioning. You've simply made that distance too far, and the effort too great. Position is what I addressed in the last post, wherever your hands are, if they aren't obstructing the lines of attack that are most dangerous to you, you might as well save your energy and leave them down at your ribs or hips.

My third best defense for the head is the feign-to-win. You choose the target for him. This is a weapon of the mind-game. If you are drawing your opponent to your rib cage because you are purposely leaving it open, he ought to want it. When he takes the bait, take his head, or use a finishing strike to end the conflict. Just don't forget you are baiting him with it, get lazy, and then not be ready to counter, you got hit for nothing- and you gave it to him for free.

Train smart. Train hard.

Defending the Head: Three Most Common Mistakes

 Defending the head is of great importance in any fight. Without it you lose four of your five main sense organs, balance, and your greatest weapon: your brain.

When working a positive aspect of your stand-up game, it can help to read the road signs on the way to success. Road signs tell us what to do, but what to avoid on and off the road: the road bending, lane shifts, up coming traffic lights.

I have my top three choices of the most common- and most lethal- mistakes when defending the head.

1. Dropping your hands.
    It is important to defend your body. The liver, the spleen, the throat, et alia. It is also important to defend the head. To defend the body at the expense of the head is like cleaning your plumbing when your faucet is corroded and infected with disease. If your hands are down, you can't stop anything from hitting something that is up: your head. If you drop your hands even one inch, your head is done. Even a deflected blow can tear your eyes and knockout your teeth.

2. Holding your hands out.
    Hooks and haymakers are devastating. But even these punches can sneak inside the strongest side guards. If you keep your hands to defend your jaw line, cheek, and orbitals (the bone ridges holding your eye in place) you can keep from getting cut by a punch or knocked out from a temple shot. It does not, however, defend your face or chin. An open high guard with your hands at the side of your face doesn't even do well to defend your jawline- unless its on your face.

3. Defending the face.
     Your face is precious. Let's face it, for some, its the money maker, it might even be yours. If you'd like to keep your head, though, you've have to do it right. Keeping the hands in a closed high guard is fantastic to stop a strait, jab, or even upper cut if you have your elbows inside your shoulders. It is a poor choice for defending your head as a whole unit- or your body. If your hands cover your face, you cannot see beyond your gloves. On top of your self-blinding, you've sacrificed positional control of the sides of your head. You've left your head and neck (which is extremely vulnerable) open for any variety of attacks from hand, foot, weapon, bite, or even a long range headbutt.

Defend the head, but don't sacrifice a good position. Train hard.