Continuing Evolution after SGM Parker's passing

[MJS]

Not everyone is qualified to make the changes, if they were, Kenpo would still be in a pristine state, problem is, most think they're qualified, and I've seen plenty who shouldn't be teaching at all, but do.

Agreed! I guess I should have clarified my post a little better. What I was referring to was an individual person, doing it for their own benefit or the benefit of their school. I was making a slight ref. to the evil word crosstraining, without having to actually say it.

Let me give you an example. Are you going to let someone with a few years under their belt as a mechanic make major structural changes to your car's chassis and suspension, OR, given the oppurtunity and same price, will you take it to the engineer that designed your car, or worked as an apprentice with that engineer?

Definately the person that designed the car.

Mike

 

[Dark Kenpo Lord]

Agreed! I guess I should have clarified my post a little better. What I was referring to was an individual person, doing it for their own benefit or the benefit of their school. I was making a slight ref. to the evil word crosstraining, without having to actually say it.




Mike

It's not cross-training, it's Cross-REFERENCING LOL.

DarK LorD

 

[Dark Kenpo Lord]

Clyde! Why did I know this would draw you out of the closet?!? It's my contention that in fact that's exactly what Sullivan and LeRoux did. Refine the art. I think what you mean is practiced again and again. Refining is the process of removing impurities and imperfections to arrive at a finished result, or at least one you're satisfied with. We can argue all day long about what Sullivan and LeRoux knew when they developed the IKCA curriculum. Been down that road before, and we're both firmly entrenched in our positions. Remind me sometime to tell you why I hold the position they did know the system (and it's not just because they said they did, I'm not that gullible). BTW, whatever happened to your adamant stand on not posting anonymously? Are we not practicing what we're preaching? Surely not. (...and stop calling me shirley!)

Respects to you both,
Bill Parsons
Triangle Kenpo Institute

BTW, after another extensive conversation with Bill, he is the anomaly in the IKCA LOL. He actually understands what he's doing with the material, something I can't say for most.

DarK LorD

 

[Brian Jones]

I have been reading this with some interest. I am not sure if I can agree with your analogy. Are you saying that there is no possiblity that the apprentice can improve or innovate on an original design? What do you do when the "chief engineer" has passed? If you were flying across country would you want to fly in a plane designed by the Wright brothers, or the chiefengineers at Lockheed. Please know I am not comparing EPAK in any form as outdated. I am just questioning the analogy.

Brian Jones

 

[Dark Kenpo Lord]

I have been reading this with some interest. I am not sure if I can agree with your analogy. Are you saying that there is no possiblity that the apprentice can improve or innovate on an original design? What do you do when the "chief engineer" has passed? If you were flying across country would you want to fly in a plane designed by the Wright brothers, or the chiefengineers at Lockheed. Please know I am not comparing EPAK in any form as outdated. I am just questioning the analogy.

Brian Jones

Did you notice how I phrased the question? Not every engineer is qualified to make the changes, but spending many years with the engineer will at least give some credibility. Most of the high ranking guys in Kenpo (including myself) spent only a few hours with Mr. Parker due to locations around the country and globe, either flying in to take lessons for a couple of hours, or bringing him to them for a few hours each year. There are less than a handful that lived right around the corner, literally, from him, and spent as many hours with him each year than their own families, over many, many years.

DarK LorD

 

[Brian Jones]

Thanks for the clarification.

I agree that not everyone who is "evolving" Kenpo is doing so, or is qualified to do so. I also see some whom I think are doing just that. Time in the shop at the feet of the master is going to give creedence to what you have to do or say.

Brian Jones

 

[MJS]

It's not cross-training, it's Cross-REFERENCING LOL.

DarK LorD

:ultracool

Mike

 

[marshallbd]

Remind me sometime to tell you why I hold the position they did know the system (and it's not just because they said they did, I'm not that gullible).

Respects to you both,
Bill Parsons
Triangle Kenpo Institute

I sure would like to hear why....
Beau

 

[Kalicombat]

Quote:"That goes for the other footwork, transitions, stance changing, punches, kicks etc... They may not train every basic found in AK, but what they have chosen to teach is nearly identical to AK, but the ciricullum is indeed streamlined."

See, this is the point exactly. What they teach is a watered down version of EPAK. They didnt create anything. They took what they thought was important and discarded all the rest. I will put it out to you in an analogy the way I see it: 20 years ago, there were no Harley clones. none of the Japanese bike companies had a cruiser class bike with the exception of the Honda V-45 and V-65 Interceptors, and they were at best not Harley-Like in their appearance. Then the Japanese bike co's got the idea to make their version of a Harley. They worked at it for about 13 years and now they finaly got it down. To the untrained eye, alot of the cruiser Japanese bikes look like a Harley. Every wanna-be and his dog have a Vulcan, Roadstar, Intruder, etc.... and deck themselves out in leathers, bandanas, chain wallets, and the rest of the "biker" gear that they paid way too much for. They look the part. But, to those of us that know the difference, these guys are a joke. They are "posers", to borrow a word from my yute. The dont want to purchase a real Harley, dont want to make the commitment to own a Harley with all that it entails. They'd rather spend close to the same price to buy a replica that they neither have to mess with as far as maintanence nor tweak to get more horsepower and performance out of. They are happy accepting what some engineer decided was all of a Harley that was important enough to clone.

Same goes for the IKCA. They don the uniforms, with the Ebay bought flame patch on the right chest, red electrical tape announcing their rank, have pics of SGM Parker hanging in their schools, talk about the good old days in Pasadena, but they dont want to make the commitment to learn the entire EPAK system. They are content with medicority. I have heard, "those Ikca guys are good at point sparring", "they are creating spontaneity", "they dont need all the techniques", "their master form is awesome", yada, yada. I say SO WHAT. The true test of a system isnt the trophies, the beauty of its form, nor the half baked explanation of why they decided to rip the system apart. You show me these same sparring monsters with a broken bud bottle lodged in their grill and then well see how spontaneous their system is.

THe thing that the IKCA'ers are missing is that the time spent going through the system, learning all the material including basics, forms, sets, techs, saying, pledges, lingo, etc.... that is the most appropriate way to pay homage to SGM Parker. Not by hanging his image on their wall. Wearing their knots to the side. Just like the image of a Harley Rider can only be achieved through actually riding a Harley. You cant sit in a bar talking aobut how great Harley Davidson is and then walk around the corner and hop on your Vucan and scoot into the night. You cant say how great SGM Parkers' innovation to the MA world was, and then show your year and a half of expertise by knocking out the master form in 3 minutes, with your blackbelt wrapped around your waist.

All this debates filters down to one common denominator. THE BENJAMINS. Not that there is anything wrong with making a buck, but to water sometning down, to cheapen it, to add some Shaefer light to your keg of Heinekin so it can sell more pitchers is just not right in my book.

Im not going to change your opinion, and trust me, your not gonna change mine. Ill keep on doing things the way I see fit, and you do the same. There in lies the dicotomy in all this discussion, but hey, its fun to go back and forth, and I enjoy a good banter session as much as the next guy. Just dont be naive. I know some IKCA'ers, and Ive seen a few more but am not aquainted. Ive yet to see any that Id want watching my back. Im sure there are some real bad a$$ members, but I havent had the pleasure as of yet.

Yours in Kenpo,
Gary Catherman

 

[USKS1]

Gary,
Good discussion.
I understand your stand on EPAK, and as you said it's your opinion, and I can respect that.
I still hold my position also, there is nothing wrong with agreeing we disagree.

Like I said before my core system is Kajukenbo, and there is nothing watered down there.. I ride the Kajukenbo Harley to work every day, and it is a bumpy ride, but one I wouldn't trade for anything. Our Kenpo roots all run back to the same tree. I try to learn as much as I can from all the Hawaiian rooted systems. What can I say it is just my thing.

I find the IKCA material is a good addition to what I do, and what can I say I like Vic's ideas and always have a good time talking with him. He has treated me with nothing but respect and courtesy and that means something to me.
For me that is half the party, enjoying the company.

The IKCA works well for me as an addition to my core. Nuff said on that.

I see you live in Texas, and train Kali. If you ever get down near Austin, drop me a line, and we can get together, train, talk some story, burn some rattan, and maybe knock back a cold one or two.

Take care

Dean Goldade

www.kajukenbo-combatives.com

 

[dubljay]

After reading the posts here, and taking some time to organize my thoughts on this matter here is my oppinion.

The heart of AK lies in the rules and principles that are intended to keep people from leaving themselves open to attack. (i.e. the 180 rule, keeping hands at 180 degrees for to cover high and low ect, bracing anglels, angles of incodence, and the many more I am still discovering.)

The analyitical and "scientific" approach Mr. Parker brought to the arts allowed him to teach many people rules and then allowing them to tailor techniques using those rules to their individual body mechanics. I feel that some branches of Kenpo are nothing more than a particular person taking the base ideas that they modified to meet their own body and adding to them, then calling that something new. Thats all well and good, but if they don't teach their students the base ideas w/out the instructor's personal tailoring they are leaving potential gaps in their student's defenses, simply because no two people move in exactly the same way.

If the unmoddified rules are taught then no matter the name of techniques or how the forms look then in my unqualified opinion it is still AK.

It seems to me Mr. Parker's main concern was application in the street, keeping students safe when using their skills in real street combat. It is not the "hows" of his system but the "whys".

Again this is my less experienced and unqualified opinion.

-Josh-

 

[Dark Kenpo Lord]

Gary,
Good discussion.

I find the IKCA material is a good addition to what I do, and what can I say I like Vic's ideas and always have a good time talking with him. He has treated me with nothing but respect and courtesy and that means something to me.
For me that is half the party, enjoying the company.

The IKCA works well for me as an addition to my core. Nuff said on that.



Take care

Dean Goldade

www.kajukenbo-combatives.com

You see, that's the difference between staunch Ak'ers and the rest, we believe everything is in our core system and haven't the need to branch out other than to make the discovery that it was in Kenpo to begin with, we just didn't see it, or, didn't have a competent instructor to guide us that way. As I told MJS earlier, it's not cross-training, it's cross-REFERENCING. If you feel the need to branch out from your core system, something is lacking in either your understanding of your system, unqualified instructors, or an incomplete art, or, a combination of all the above.

DarK LorD

 

[Touch Of Death]

Why spend years trying to discover the, say, grapling aspects, of Kenpo, when a system such as BJJ is nothing but tested and refined grappling? Couldn't exploration in other arts be a tool for your kenpo discovery process?

 

[bdparsons]

First and foremost, what the IKCA teaches is not EPAK.

Mr. Catherman,

The IKCA has never claimed to teach EPAK. In fact they go out of their way to call what they teach "Chinese Kenpo" in deference to the terminology Ed Parker himself used originally.

Then, when EPAK was still in it's infancy relatively speaking, Mr. Sullivan and Leroux took the system that Ed Parker created, stripped it, condensed it, or as some may say, refined it, to pretty much what it was before SGM Parker put his flavor to it. Thus, undoing all the work that SGMParker put forth to create his system. Sullivan and Leroux didnt create anything except an association to blanket their stripped down version of what they knew at the time they broke off. Did they know the entire EPAK system as we know it today???? Different takes from opponents and proponents abound. It makes no difference to me weather they did or not, but they are not current in the EPAK system, what with having refined it to their 55 techniques, 2 or so sets, and one long form, I dont think they'd have continued to keep up with EPAK..

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I have a couple questions: At what time frame are you speaking of EPAK in its infancy? At what point did Sullivan and LeRoux decide to modify the system? Was it while EPAK was in its "infancy"? Surely you’re not speaking about the late 1980's, just a couple of years prior to Mr. Parker's death? Or is it that you think EPAK really didn't begin to "grow" until Mr. Parker died. Granted the dispute over what they knew and didn't know will not be resolved here, some have there take, and most are guessing and speculating. They themselves will admit they are not currently active or "current" in EPAK. (Although I am interested what you mean by "current" given the wide disparity of how EPAK is being taught nowadays.) Sullivan and LeRoux have chosen to walk a different path; it works for some, not for others. To conjecture whether they "would have continued to keep up with EPAK" is pointless, they chose not to a long time ago.

I cant seem to understand why they use SGM Parker references in their promotions, and his image on their website when they undid all that he created. If its a rose call it one, but if its something else entirely, dont call it a rose.

Undid, modified, improved upon is the debate this is degenerating into as opposed to the original intent of this thread. But whatever position you take, they learned from Mr. Parker and do their best to honor him. There is one point everyone who is down on the IKCA, including you fails to mention: Chuck Sullivan and Vic LeRoux did what they did with the full knowledge and support Mr. Parker. Don't know if that counts for anything in your book, but that's the first thing I considered when I thought about the IKCA, out of respect for Mr. Parker.

I will go so far as to say that it is my opinion, that the IKCA curriculum is no better or worse then Ed Hutchison’s Dragon Kenpo. Both are something completely different from EPAK, and neither should ever be represented as being EPAK, either by suggestion or out-and-out lies.

You know, up to this point you’ve been bordering on reasonable discourse, now you’re grasping at straws. Again, show me where the IKCA claims to be EPAK. By the way, who’s lying?

One final point. IF the IKCA was so adamant about wanting to condense the vast knowledge that they had ammassed to make it more user friendly and easily learned for the benefit of all the IKCA students of the future, why did they have to use the black gi, the tiger and dragon references, the similar but not exact patch as the IKKA crest, why did they use SGM Parker quotes in their ads, pics of SGM Parker and Mr. Sullivan in the 60's in their ads? Would they be the success today had they totally went forth with their own merit, not riding the coat tails of SGM Parker and the system he created? Highly Doubtful. Guess we'll never know.

Maybe because black gis are what they had been using for years; Maybe because they understood and agreed with the tiger and dragon representations? You’re right though there is such a striking similarity between the two patches, I can hardly tell them apart. Coattails, yeah, nobody else has done that. (Some call it giving credit where credit is due.)

See, this is the point exactly. What they teach is a watered down version of EPAK. They didn’t create anything. They took what they thought was important and discarded all the rest.

Always liked the phrase “watered-down” which is actually the process of adding to so as to make something stretch further or last longer. You’re right they didn’t “create” anything; they developed, some say refined something from existing material. The same way martial artists have been doing for centuries.

I will put it out to you in an analogy the way I see it: 20 years ago, there were no Harley clones. none of the Japanese bike companies had a cruiser class bike with the exception of the Honda V-45 and V-65 Interceptors, and they were at best not Harley-Like in their appearance. Then the Japanese bike co's got the idea to make their version of a Harley. They worked at it for about 13 years and now they finaly got it down. To the untrained eye, alot of the cruiser Japanese bikes look like a Harley. Every wanna-be and his dog have a Vulcan, Roadstar, Intruder, etc.... and deck themselves out in leathers, bandanas, chain wallets, and the rest of the "biker" gear that they paid way too much for. They look the part. But, to those of us that know the difference, these guys are a joke. They are "posers", to borrow a word from my yute. The dont want to purchase a real Harley, dont want to make the commitment to own a Harley with all that it entails. They'd rather spend close to the same price to buy a replica that they neither have to mess with as far as maintanence nor tweak to get more horsepower and performance out of. They are happy accepting what some engineer decided was all of a Harley that was important enough to clone.

Excellent analogy… Especially the part about maintenance and tweaking. If I’m not mistaken the reason that HD has struggled through the years is due to the dissatisfaction, especially among HD owners, with these very subjects. But then again there will always be the HD faithful, more power to them. The traditionalists if you will.

Same goes for the IKCA. They don the uniforms, with the Ebay bought flame patch on the right chest, red electrical tape announcing their rank, have pics of SGM Parker hanging in their schools, talk about the good old days in Pasadena, but they dont want to make the commitment to learn the entire EPAK system. They are content with medicority. I have heard, "those Ikca guys are good at point sparring", "they are creating spontaneity", "they dont need all the techniques", "their master form is awesome", yada, yada. I say SO WHAT. The true test of a system isnt the trophies, the beauty of its form, nor the half baked explanation of why they decided to rip the system apart. You show me these same sparring monsters with a broken bud bottle lodged in their grill and then well see how spontaneous their system is.

Oh, such slings and arrows! Arguments based on such broad assertions apply to any martial art, including EPAK. To assume that just because you study EPAK you will come out the upper end of your broken bottle encounter is naïve, as is assuming that just because someone studies the IKCA material they will not. (Be sure to get your insults straight though, the right side patch you’re referring to is the IKCA Championships participant patch. Not a flame to be found on it anywhere and I’ve yet to see one on eBay.)

Im not going to change your opinion, and trust me, your not gonna change mine. Ill keep on doing things the way I see fit, and you do the same…. Ive yet to see any (IKCAers) that Id want watching my back. Im sure there are some real bad a$$ members, but I havent had the pleasure as of yet.

I agree with you on the opinion thing; also agree that you obviously haven’t met the “right” IKCA people yet. Does that include the person you studied under to get your IKCA Orange Belt back in 1995? Does it also include the individual you’re listed under on Kenponet as getting your Kenpo Black Belt from, an IKCA Black Belt? Just what qualifies you to make such sweeping statements concerning the IKCA? Is it a full and complete knowledge of the IKCA system or just assumptions after a limited exposure?

You are listed as a Kenpo instructor on at least one site. Given such firm convictions and knowledge I'm curious as to who you study with and what qualifies you to be an instructor?

Bill Parsons
Triangle Kenpo Institute

 

[Dark Kenpo Lord]

Why spend years trying to discover the, say, grapling aspects, of Kenpo, when a system such as BJJ is nothing but tested and refined grappling? Couldn't exploration in other arts be a tool for your kenpo discovery process?

Did you even read my post? If you had, you'd see the answers to your questions.

DarK LorD

 

[GAB]

DarK LorD

Hi, Your instructor left EPAK, went his way, made some tapes, to preserve the teaching of EPAK (because there were none out there and Master Larry Tatum put them into stone, sort of).

The thought at or before his passing (SGMEP) in the mind of the originator was to make a leaner meaner (better) EPAK (or so I have read). Before that was implemented he died.

Many of the people that were around SGMEP at the same time and after MLT, were left with (evolving after MLT left) what they felt was where the
originator was going, (redefining again). Or tweaking the system to fit in.

So is that what they are doing, or what they did.

So as I see your statements, your "instructor" felt the AK system was as good as it was going to get, he set it into concrete, continued to teach based on what he put into the tapes at the time he made them.

Did LT do this so he could show what was being practiced at that very point in time, that he made the tapes? He put his name on the system, LTKKA and now that is what he teaches? Has MLT changed or refined since that time?

Would not it be fair to say that MLT should say, this is the system, I learned from SGMEP, I wanted to preserve it, I teach a system of AK that has not evolved since I left the system and started my own.

It is basically the system prior to SGMEP's death, MLT did not want to see it evolve, He learned it, did not want to change it, so this is what he now teaches. AK as taught by MLT.

Would that be a fair evaluation of the LTKKA? As taught by MLT and yourself?

How far apart would the MLT system and EPAK be if SGMEP had been able to carry on what he wanted to do (leaner and meaner or better)?

As different as it has gone with others, who might feel they really knew the true thoughts of SGMEP?:idunno:

Regards, Gary

 

[Dark Kenpo Lord]

DarK LorD

Hi, Your instructor left EPAK, went his way, made some tapes, to preserve the teaching of EPAK (because there were none out there and Master Larry Tatum put them into stone, sort of).

The thought at or before his passing (SGMEP) in the mind of the originator was to make a leaner meaner (better) EPAK (or so I have read). Before that was implemented he died.

Many of the people that were around SGMEP at the same time and after MLT, were left with (evolving after MLT left) what they felt was where the
originator was going, (redefining again). Or tweaking the system to fit in.

So is that what they are doing, or what they did.

So as I see your statements, your "instructor" felt the AK system was as good as it was going to get, he set it into concrete, continued to teach based on what he put into the tapes at the time he made them.

Did LT do this so he could show what was being practiced at that very point in time, that he made the tapes? He put his name on the system, LTKKA and now that is what he teaches? Has MLT changed or refined since that time?

Would not it be fair to say that MLT should say, this is the system, I learned from SGMEP, I wanted to preserve it, I teach a system of AK that has not evolved since I left the system and started my own.

It is basically the system prior to SGMEP's death, MLT did not want to see it evolve, He learned it, did not want to change it, so this is what he now teaches. AK as taught by MLT.

Would that be a fair evaluation of the LTKKA? As taught by MLT and yourself?

How far apart would the MLT system and EPAK be if SGMEP had been able to carry on what he wanted to do (leaner and meaner or better)?

As different as it has gone with others, who might feel they really knew the true thoughts of SGMEP?:idunno:

Regards, Gary

You're way off base Gary. He put the techniques on tape because no one else had, they are simply the blueprint for the system, and not all encompassing. They are as rudimentary and fundamental as it gets.

Parker put what he thought was important in the II books, but left much material out, either undiscovered at the time, or, left for discovery within the framework of the system by the individuals practicing it. Why Mr. Parker didn't do videos is beyond me, from what I've heard, he talked about doing it all the time and never got to it.

DarK LorD

 

[USKS1]

You see, that's the difference between staunch Ak'ers and the rest, we believe everything is in our core system and haven't the need to branch out other than to make the discovery that it was in Kenpo to begin with, we just didn't see it, or, didn't have a competent instructor to guide us that way. As I told MJS earlier, it's not cross-training, it's cross-REFERENCING. If you feel the need to branch out from your core system, something is lacking in either your understanding of your system, unqualified instructors, or an incomplete art, or, a combination of all the above.

DarK LorD

Sorry,
The reason I cross train is because I am interested in seeing what else is out there. I also cross train in the FMA, JKD, boxing and BJJ to better round out my personal style, not because I feel my base is lacking.

I hate to break the news to you but no single art has it all, not even your beloved American Kenpo. Theory is one thing, application is another.

If you want to test my theory here is a simple way.
- Go roll with the Gracies or Machados.. If you want to step it up to add your striking just ask, they will let you, but that opens the rules up for them too.

- Go bang sticks with the dog brothers.. They will let you do pretty much whatever you want, but remember they will do the same. Test your club defenses real time.. Obstruct that storm

- Go to one of the many MMA gyms and tell them you want to test your deadly art against one of their guys.. They will let you.

And yes, I do train in all the above.. That is part of the reason I make this example. I practice what I preach.

You live in California, probably right around the corner from most of these guys.

I have grown past looking for the "angle of the dangle" or the "nip of the tip" and way beyond cookie cutter techniques and scientific talk.

I look to round out my knowledge. The Kajukenbo / Kenpo arts I enjoy and call home, but I play in a lot of playgrounds.

The one thing I find really funny is all the know it alls who say they have trained for 20 or 30 years, and in reality only trained for 6 and repeated for 14.

You can be the biggest fish in the fishbowl, but once you get flushed out into the real world you may be in for a rude awakening.

That is my opinion. Take it or leave it.

 

[Dark Kenpo Lord]

Sorry,
The reason I cross train is because I am interested in seeing what else is out there. I also cross train in the FMA, JKD, boxing and BJJ to better round out my personal style, not because I feel my base is lacking.

I hate to break the news to you but no single art has it all, not even your beloved American Kenpo. Theory is one thing, application is another.

If you want to test my theory here is a simple way.
- Go roll with the Gracies or Machados.. If you want to step it up to add your striking just ask, they will let you, but that opens the rules up for them too.

- Go bang sticks with the dog brothers.. They will let you do pretty much whatever you want, but remember they will do the same. Test your club defenses real time.. Obstruct that storm

- Go to one of the many MMA gyms and tell them you want to test your deadly art against one of their guys.. They will let you.

And yes, I do train in all the above.. That is part of the reason I make this example. I practice what I preach.

You live in California, probably right around the corner from most of these guys.

I have grown past looking for the "angle of the dangle" or the "nip of the tip" and way beyond cookie cutter techniques and scientific talk.

I look to round out my knowledge. The Kajukenbo / Kenpo arts I enjoy and call home, but I play in a lot of playgrounds.

The one thing I find really funny is all the know it alls who say they have trained for 20 or 30 years, and in reality only trained for 6 and repeated for 14.

You can be the biggest fish in the fishbowl, but once you get flushed out into the real world you may be in for a rude awakening.

That is my opinion. Take it or leave it.

Seeing what else is out there how? Better round out your personal style, but your core is not lacking? An oxymoronic statement at best.

I don't swim in my own bowl, I go to the ocean where the water is deep and shark infested, and I take my place with the other sharks here in Calfornia, where some of the best sharks live and train. All those ideas you mentioned, other than the DogBros, I've done, a few times.

DarK LorD

 

[USKS1]

Seeing what else is out there how? Better round out your personal style, but your core is not lacking? An oxymoronic statement at best.

I don't swim in my own bowl, I go to the ocean where the water is deep and shark infested, and I take my place with the other sharks here in Calfornia, where some of the best sharks live and train. All those ideas you mentioned, other than the DogBros, I've done, a few times.

DarK LorD

Glad to hear you at least practice what you preach.

Like I said I cross train to keep sharp and current. If I am not explaining that well enough, then I guess I never will. I am done with that conversation.

If you ever get to Texas drop a line, It would be fun to work with you and share some knowledge.

My roots are in California also, San Jose. Moved to Texas about 10 years ago but still get out there every year or so. There are a lot of great people here, but I gotta say California is still the Mecca for martial arts. I miss it.

Keep up the hard training

Dean.