James Williams

[clash1977]

Anyone here seen the dvd "An Explanation of the System of Strategy" ? It was my first time to see any of Jame's material, its great stuff. A lot of ideas and training drills for tactical purposes. Just an all together good dvd, very practical approach. Good friend lives close by to his school in Cali. If I am ever in the area would love to train some with him. Anyone here had the privelage of training with James ?

Regards, Daniel

 

[Brian King]

Hey Daniel
San Diego is home to a lot of good Systema training. Both James Williams http://www.dojoofthefourwinds.com/instructor.html and Ken Good http://sandiegoaikido.com/systema.asp teach there and I have the pleasure of calling both friends having trained with both many times. Thanks for the review on the DVD. I have not yet seen it. When you visit your friend I can highly recommend that you visit James and/or Ken, like I said lots of good training going on there.

Regards
Brian King

 

[clash1977]

Hello Brian,

Thank you for the information on those two teachers. I definately will check them out if I get the chance to make it out West.

James has a very sensible and practical approach to teaching. His dvd gives some great insight. I would love to work out with him personally. I have heard many good things about Ken as well, and wasnt aware he was in the San Diego area also. Him and Sonny Puzikas have done seminars together?

Thanks again for the info, definately will look in to those two teachers!

Regards, Daniel

 

[harold]

I have The System of Strategy DVD as well as a Navy Seal DVD set produced several years ago when Ken Good had a company called Combative Concepts.James Williams was in those DVDS too. I really like the way he teaches,he explains things in a very clear manner.

 

[clash1977]

Hi Harold,

James definately is a great instructor, from the dvd material I have seen. I havent seen any of Ken's work. Do you know if those dvd's you mentioned are still available? Definately would like to check those out.

Regards, Daniel

 

[harold]

You may be able to find them via a google search. They were a set with 4 dvds included as I recall. One was hand to hand the second was Seal knife, and there was also a dvd with Seal sniping techniques, and the fourth was Seal CQB The package had the Seal Trident logo on the front.

 

[Brian King]

Clash1977 wrote:

"Him and Sonny Puzikas have done seminars together?"

Yup they did at least one seminar together in Florida. They also have done numerous instructional courses together for law enforcement and military units when they were both working for the same firm.

"Do you know if those dvd's you mentioned are still available?"

You do see them now and then on Ebay. Kens work has advanced so far beyond what those old videos show as to make them almost obsolete. The work is good but very basic to what is now being offered by training with these guys (either Ken and James) in my opinion.

Regards
Brian King

 

[clash1977]

I was thinking that Ken and Sonny did a seminar in Florida some time back. That would have been quite of an experience. I have always enjoyed seeing Sonny's work, very straight to the point.

I was curious if those older dvd's were Systema influenced. James newer work is definately that. He also shows some empty hand work derived from sword movements, "Cutting down the Opponent". All very fluid and all very practical work. He has a new dvd out showing knife work. I will definately have to look in to that one as well.

 

[Brian King]

Clash1977 wrote:

"I have always enjoyed seeing Sonny's work, very straight to the point."

+1 on that. He is a lot of fun to work with.
Speaking of Sonny he has been busy lately. He just finished doing some work for the new Spike channel series "Deadlist Warriors" episode 6

http://www.spike.com/blog/spike-green-lights/69588

With the series “Deadliest Warrior,” Spike TV will settle once and for all the age-old bar bet of who is history’s ultimate fighting machine. Each week, this original, action-packed yet historical narrative series will pit two of the most feared warriors civilization has ever known against one another. Who would come out the victor in a battle of Genghis Kahn’s Mongol Barbarians versus Viking warriors or Roman gladiators against Japanese samurai? Utilizing the latest in CGI technology, Spike TV will enlist experts on these warriors to provide insight into what made these feared combatants tick and analyze everything from their weaponry to their unique skills of destruction. Each episode will culminate when the two legends of the battlefield go head-to-head in a final fight that will produce the deadliest warrior.

Nine one-hour episodes of “Deadliest Warrior” will be produced by Morningstar Entertainment (“Battleground: The Art of War,” “Manhunters – Fugitive Task Force”) with Gary Tarpanian and Paninee Theeranuntawat serving as executive producers.

And has also been working on the movie “Sinners and Saints”.

Regards
Brian King

 

[clash1977]

Thanks Brian for letting me in on that! I will definately be looking Sonny in the episodes on Spike. Sounds like it will be a very interesting program!
Will Sonny be directing or playing a part in the movie "Sinner and Saints"?

Hopefully starting a new job will be leading to more spare time on my hands. If Sonny still teaches in Texas, I was hoping to make a trip there in the future to train. One of nearest Systema teachers in the south, close to MS, my home. Keep me updated on Sonny's work!

Regards, Daniel

 

[lcohen1]

I haven't seen those old SEAL videos (CQD, Empty Hand, Knife, Sniper) for sale anywhere for years. They are old material also. I'm the one on the cover of the Knife video, getting his throat cut. I'm also the other instructor (with James Williams) on the Knife video.

I'm still in regular touch with both James Williams and Ken Good. They both have moved light years beyond those old videos. They have both moved in different directions - James primarily with Nami Ryu, his samurai based weapons art, and Ken with Martin Wheeler in Systema.

 

[Brian King]

Just a quick update, James Williams was recently chosen by Black Belt Magazine as the 2015 Weapons Instructor of the Year.

Links for James Williams
http://www.systemofstrategy.com
Dojo of the Four Winds

 

[Chris Parker]

One must assume that that's more to do with his "Nami Ryu Heiho", rather than his Systema, of course…

 

[Brian King]

One must assume that that's more to do with his "Nami Ryu Heiho", rather than his Systema, of course…

Although both Systema and Nami Ryu are weapons based arts, and I have no idea of the criteria that Black Belt mag uses when selecting there awardees, I would agree that it is a safe assumption that the award is for his work spreading the Nami Ryu art. It could be just as easily argued that it is awarded for his more than five decades of weapons instruction, combined with his weapons research and development, and abilities to instruct others to a high level of competency. I personally do not know exactly why it was awarded but I did want to publically acknowledge the award and to offer congratulations to Mr. Williams.

Regards
Brian King