Northwest Connection Edition 1

“To Bring Pacific Northwest Martial Artists Together As One Family, Regardless Of Style,

M AY 2010

Issue # - Such excitement to come! We are proud to offer this avenue for ANY and ALL NW Martial Artists to share and learn from one another.

This is the premier, and only, place you can get infor-mation about NW Martial Arts schools, seminars, classes, events, products and more!

We are here for YOU, the NW Martial Artist. What-ever we can do to help, please feel free to let us know. We are growing and learning as we go and any and all insight is more than welcome—

“NW Connection”

Welcome to our FIRST issue!

I SSUE #1

NW Connection “Networking For Northwest Martial Artists”

BUSINESS NAME

Attack The Attacker

Police Attack

Strength Of Spirit

Leg Takedowns

“The Cage”

Historical Context

MA Enhancement Seminar

CrossFit & Kung Fu

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

INSIDE:

ARTICLES

SEMINARS

SCHOOLS

PRODUCTS

SERVICES

AND MUCH MORE!!

Martial Arts Enhancement Seminar—A Success!!


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Multiple Pages!!

Rates Start As Low As $16!

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For information, contact Trent Junker at (503) 839-6359 or [email protected]

Disclaimer: Do not attempt any techniques discussed or illustrated herein without the assistance of a professional trainer/instructor. Northwest Connection assumes no liability for the safety of any information, techniques or ideas herein. Northwest Connection

assumes no liability for the accuracy of content, as articles are submitted by individual sources outside of Northwest Connection and are taken on good faith. Northwest Connection does not endorse any information herein, unless specifically stated otherwise.

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takes to dedicate oneself to a separate condi-

tioning program? I'd argue that if you want

to train over the long haul, you must pursue

fitness outside the narrow scope of martial

arts. The questions then are, ―What is that

magic fitness program?‖ or possibly, ―Can

you point me towards the nearest Kung Fu

farm?‖

Intensity Yields Results

Luckily, we can steal the

idea of intensity from farm

work and pack it into a short

workout format. Fitness

research tells us that inten-

sity yields results (http://

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

pubmed/8897392). While

using the ellipitcal for an

hour will have some impact

on the body, doing eight

rounds of all out sprints for

twenty seconds and resting

ten seconds in between each

sprint will accomplish a whole lot more and

will take you 56 less minutes to execute. So

why isn't everyone engaging in intense, short

bursts of exercise if it's so effective? Because

it's hard, hard work – just like farming.

The martial community values the power of

hard work; likewise, the CrossFit credo ―Our

workout is your warm-up‖ speaks to their

affinity for the spiritual benefits of intensive

training. CrossFit is a flavor of hard work

that won't just make you sweat for sweats'

sake but will both help keep one injury free

and function to improve one's overall power,

strength, speed, agility and flexibility –

which, along with mental and physical stam-

ina are certainly tools that martial artist of all

stripes can always use more of (especially

when going toe-to-toe with the combatant

200 lb. opponent who has been training like

a farmer themselves)!

Interested in learning more about CrossFit?

It is an ―open source model‖ and there is a

vast amount of shared information available

online @ www.crossfit.com

The Westside Academy of Kung Fu and

CrossFit Hillsdale also welcomes drop-in

students:

Lara Jones and Sifu Wally Jones

1509 SW Sunset Blvd.

Portland OR 97239

503-432-7450

www.WestsideAKF.com.

Consider this statement: all other things

being equal, in a confrontation between two

equally skilled martial artist the bigger,

stronger, the better conditioned athlete will

more often come out the winner.

In November of this past year, after having

trained under his teacher Sifu Kyle Alexan-

der for nearly a decade Sifu Wally Jones

branched out from The Academy of Kung Fu

in SE Portland to open his own school in SW

Hillsdale under the name, Westside Acad-

emy of Kung Fu and CrossFit Hillsdale. In

putting together this unique combination of

movement arts programs, some common

questions might be, ―What exactly is Cross-

Fit?‖ or Why combine Martial Arts and

CrossFit?

The short answer to the first question

[according to Wikipedia] is that ―CrossFit is

a popular strength and conditioning fitness

methodology that promotes broad and gen-

eral overall physical fitness. CrossFit athletes

run, row, skip, climb rope and carry odd

objects. They frequently move large loads

long distances quickly, using powerlifting

and Olympic weightlifting techniques.

CrossFit athletes also use dumbells, gymnas-

tics rings, pull-up bars, and many body

weight exercises. CrossFit is used in nearly

1,700 gyms worldwide and by many fire

departments, law enforcement agencies and

military organizations including the Cana-

dian Forces, the United States Marine Corps,

and the Royal Danish Life Guards.‖

There are currently only a handful of Cross-

Fit gyms in the United States that run regular

Martial Arts program(s) in combination with

CrossFit classes. The inspiration for Sifu

Jones to take on this endeavor lies in the fact

that CrossFit Portland (one of the most pre-

eminent CrossFit affiliates in all of the Norh-

west) got their start running classes out of his

teacher's school in SE Portland. Students of

the Academy of Kung Fu have utilized

CrossFit movements as a key conditioning

component of their training for several years

now.

What follows are a number of Sifu

Wally's thoughts surrounding the ques-

tion of why combined CrossFit and mar-

tial arts training can function to compli-

ment one another:

Injury Prevention

Think of all the actions a well rounded mar-

tial artist must be able to execute. Three

broad domains of competence are: throwing,

striking and wrestling. All three of these

areas require not just a toolbox of techniques

and the knowledge to apply those techniques

in the right sequence at the right time, but

also require a body that is capable of execut-

ing techniques without sustaining injury.

How do work to we prevent injury? We

condition our bodies. How do we condition

our bodies? Push ups? Sit ups? Yes... but

more is needed. In practice, we can align

ourselves perfectly before executing a throw.

In application, against a resisting partner, it

becomes more difficult. Things do not al-

ways go as planned. Research shows that

―core strength and functional movement

enhancement programs to prevent injuries in

workers whose work involves awkward

positions is warranted.‖ (http://

www.occupmed.com/content/2/1/3) At-

tempting to throw an overly-zealous, actively

-resisting 200 pound opponent often prove

awkward, if not potentially dangerous even

in a controlled environment.

Functional Movement

Ask anyone in the fitness industry what the

phrase ―functional fitness‖ means and they'll

immediately attempt to sell you on their

specialty. Here's the official definition:

something the human body is biomechani-

cally designed to do in the natural world.

Okay, so what does that mean? Lift, throw,

carry, run, jump, etc. Take the life of a hard-

working farmer 200 years ago as an example

of someone who engaged in these types of

activities all day long. They lift, they throw,

they carry. What is the physical consequence

of a life involving this kind of activity?

Physical competence. When someone works

their body that hard over a lifetime the body

responds by functioning more efficiently.

We're not farmers anymore (at least most of

us aren't) and we want to have time to train

martial arts. Can we all afford the time it

Why Martial Arts and CrossFit?

“NW Connection” ISSUE #1


followed and watched by Seattle Po-

lice. Eventually, as the WTO was pre-

paring to come to Seattle in 1999, the

FBI joined in the surveillance.

Later, we filed a lawsuit in federal

court, demanding 11 million dollars

each in damages and an apology from

the police chief and the mayor on local

television,…from their knees.

In December, 2000, on the one-year

anniversary of the WTO protests, I

was arrested while eating my lunch at

Seattle Vocational Institute (I was a

student there at the time). I was ar-

rested by six riot cops in full body

armor and three plainclothes detec-

tives. One of them said to me, "keep

your feet on the ground, Mr. Lewis,

we know you're a karate expert" as he

put his boot on my foot. They claimed

that I had sent an email threatening the

mayor's life. Like the last arrest, the

King County Prosecutor saw this

charge was groundless and even said

this to my attorney. The only "threat"

from me received by former Mayor

Schell was the subpoena to appear that

my attorneys sent to him and the po-

lice chief Gil Kerlikowski regarding

our lawsuit, which happened a few

days before my arrest. I was released

on bail on my 30th birthday. No

charges were ever filed in this case.

In 2003, a concerned citizen (who

wished to remain anon.) contacted me

and showed us a document obtained

during a mid-afternoon meeting of the

'liberal' Seattle City Council. The

meeting was a formal request from the

Seattle Police to put certain individu-

als under surveillance and to renew

surveillance placed upon 'suspects' the

year prior. I was on that list.

Cont….

"They say 'karate means empty hand,

so it's perfect for the poor man" – hip-

hop duo dead prez; "Psychology";

from their debut album "Let's Get

Free".

In September of 1998, a group of

friends and myself were working out

in the grass of a local school in what

was considered an "economically de-

pressed" area of Seattle when we

heard a loud crash.

When we got there, we saw that a

small car had slammed into a tele-

phone pole and a teenager was trapped

inside. Despite the smoke pouring

from the engine and the broken glass

on the ground we ran over to help. My

co-defendant, Kenyatto Amen-Allah

(aka Moorpheus of the hip-hop duo

dRED.i), climbed into the back seat to

release the front passenger-side seat,

so that the young man could breathe.

An older man reached in with his

hunting knife and cut the seat belt to

help the victim breathe. The dashboard

was crushing his chest, he was bleed-

ing profusely, and going into shock.

First, the paramedics came and then

the police. By now there was a large

crowd gathered, a mostly black crowd

(like us). The paramedics told us to get

out of the way, which we did. Then a

white cop (later identified as Ofc.

Ronald Martin) ran up on my co-

defendant, picked him up off the

ground, and slammed him on the hood

of the crashed car. The crowd started

shouting "he didn't do anything", and

"he was trying to help". The cop's

black partner, an Ofc. Gregory Wil-

liams, came over to me very calmly

and professionally to ask what hap-

pened, and I told him. Ofc. Martin let

go of my friend after I explained the

situation to them, but then decides to

run after him again , this time scream-

ing, "The next time I tell you to do

something, you do it!". I walked up

alongside him as he was chasing my

friend and asked him, "What are you,

deaf? I just told you what happened!"

He responded by attempting to strike

me in the throat with a straight-lead v-

strike (the 'v' is the area between the

thumb and first-finger). No warning,

no commands, just a slightly tele-

graphed movement in front of a

trained eye, just before he launched

the assault. As any martial artist or

defense tactics instructor will tell you,

this is a technique that can easily inca-

pacitate or kill an opponent.

In that instant my 29 years of martial

arts training, 10 years of ring experi-

ence, 13 years employment as night-

club security, and over 43 street fights

since the first grade kicked in. Accord-

ing to the police report filed by Ofc

Martin, obtained during the discovery

phase of my criminal trial, he received

"numerous punched and kicks to the

head". It took three officers to take me

to the ground, and one of them, Ofc

Williams, unfortunately found himself

caught in the constricting grip of a

Brazilian Jujitsu-type Triangle choke.

Once he asked me to "please turn

over", I released him and complied.

In the east precinct lock-up, Ofc. Mar-

tin paid me a visit to issue threats: "I'm

bigger than you and stronger than you;

I'll slap you down and knock you out!"

According to him, from now on every

time I am stopped a red flag goes up

next to my name on their computer

system warning whoever stops me that

I assault cops and that they will ap-

proach me with guns drawn. Those

statements, along with his courtroom

behavior (screaming at our attorneys

and the judge) and the facts of the case

(especially the testimony of prosecu-

tion witnesses, black and white, who

told the court one after the other that

"the police were out of control", lead-

ing the jury to find us 'not guilty' of

assaulting an officer and obstruction

of justice. After our stunning "win" at

the criminal trial, we were regularly

A Personal Debriefing: How I Survived Police Terrorism and Lived to Tell About It.



solutions to this problem.

Most recently, Port of Seattle Police

officers have been put under investiga-

tion for circulating sexist, racist, and

homophobic pictures via email using

the Port's computer network. In addi-

tion, a 17 year old died in the custody

of the King County Juvenile Detention

Facility. And all of this comes on the

heels of sexual assault convictions of a

Washington State Trooper, numerous

shootings of youth of color, and the

arrest of DJ DV One and emcee Rajnii

Eddins on bogus charges. Needless to

say, it is way past time for real civilian

oversight and real penalties for police

officers who violate the human rights

of those they come into contact with.

Sensei Gregory C. Lewis

Seattle, Washington

The lawsuit wasn't "won" exactly. We

had a hung jury. The lawyers attrib-

uted that to our civil trial happening

shortly after 9/11. The city finally did

settle with us for $50,000 each, plus

attorney's fees. Officer Martin was not

fired or charged with any crime, and at

the time of this writing still works for

the Seattle Police Department.

I call it a small 'v' victory. The city has

increased their liability insurance with

federal grant money, so they have

greater financial resources to either

fight victims in court or settle when

new incidents occur and the victims or

their families sue. Interestingly, it is

only the firefighters and paramedics

that I have seen running t.v. commer-

cials for levy campaigns to raise addi-

tional funds for their critical services.

This is one small example of putting

social order and control over public

safety.

This pattern serves to give fuel to right

-wing arguments against paying vic-

tims of this type of violent crime, cit-

ing tax increases on small businesses;

who pay for police, firefighters, and

paramedics with the quarterly business

and occupations tax, collected with

every sale of dine-in/take out, deli

foods, classes or services, entertain-

ment, or any merchandise. But, in Se-

attle, the liberal brand of fascism is

more friendly and astute: public rela-

tions efforts such as community polic-

ing initiatives, block watch parties,

and the Office for Professional Ac-

countability (OPA) have helped to

muffle critics on both the right and

left, while fostering more confusion

than clarity amongst those seeking real

Continued: A Personal Debriefing: How I Survived Police Terrorism and Lived to Tell About It.


It is a martial arts maxim that the true

opponent or competition lies in one-

self. To improve on a past perform-

ance, to learn a new skill, to find that

one can push past an old boundary;

this is real value in martial practice.

To persist through fatigue when you

want to quit, to conquer a fear, to mas-

ter a difficult exercise; these triumphs

strengthen the spirit as well as the

body.

Pain is one of our most powerful

teachers. One learns that real pain

isn't as bad as imagined pain; the

reality is easier to overcome than the

fear. If quitting an endeavor when-

ever it gets uncomfortable becomes

habitual, it grows less possible to

break through the imagined limits we

impose on ourselves and tap into the

deeper reserves of strength that lie

within us.

The spirit is forged by persevering in

the face of adversity, and this type of

character trait serves one in every as-

pect of life, not just in the training

hall. This is the transcendent quality

of sport. The allure of someone like

"Rocky". Somehow, in the face of

overwhelming odds, or even sure de-

feat, we reach beyond ourselves, be-

yond the limits of normal possibility,

and rise to meet our challenges. It is

this quality of going beyond that ex-

presses enlightenment and strength of

spirit. Will supersedes skill.

As Kung-Fu practitioners, we realize

the key to attainment is effort, and that

having an idea about something is not

the same as knowing about it. The

martial arts provide a context for in-

tentionally developing this type of

fortitude, and because the arena is

physical the lesson goes deeper than

the intellect and is learned in the heart.

The heart feeds the spirit, and will

allow one to achieve goals envisioned

by the self. These are not just fancy

words; these are words that hold true

meaning in spiritual development as it

pertains to the Martial Arts. Professor Tim Gagnier

8th Degree Black Belt-Kajukenbo instructor

in Yamhill, OR

Strength Of Spirit Through Martial Arts


self and your family safe are now much

higher.

So, how do you train this? Great question.

The main key here is to accept the possible

and face it. It is possible for you to get hit,

stabbed, etc. If you refuse to accept that fact,

you will be fighting fear forever. Once you

are in a situation it is often too late to talk

your way out or to get away. At this point,

accept the fact that you are being attacked

and do everything you can to protect yourself

and your loved ones. Know that you may get

injured during the encounter, possibly quite

severely, but if you do nothing it will be

much worse. So your choice is to attack and

maybe get hurt, or do nothing and definitely

get hurt. I, personally, like the first choice

better. You need to do everything you can to

increase your chances.

Here is also a drill that can help in training

this mindset, though not perfect since it is

still a ―dojo drill‖. Stand normal (no fancy

stances) and face a training partner. Have

your partner attempt to strike you in the face.

Strikes at the face work best for this drill, as

most of us are more afraid to get hit in the

face than anywhere else. As your opponent

strikes towards you, slightly slip along the

outside of the strike. Do not retreat and do

not dodge completely away from it. Stay as

close as you can and advance towards your

opponent along the outside line (along the

outside of the opponent‘s body). Start slowly

until you get the movements down and then

slowly increase the speed of the strike and

change the method of striking. Forget about

getting hit, but think rather about staying

close to your opponent to be able to hit him.

As you advance in this training, you can start

to practice attacks to your opponent after

slipping the strike.

Once you are pretty good at the drill, start

using this idea in your training and try to

strike your opponent before he has a chance

to strike you. Practice advancing your train-

ing partner at different angles, on the inside

and the outside, while they are trying to strike

at you. You will find that you feel less afraid

of being hit than before, which is a huge first

step in ―Embracing Your Opponent‖.

Good luck with your training and remember

that we train not to fight, but to keep our-

selves and loved ones safe from the society

which we have created.

Sifu Trent Junker


in Portland, OR

―Last week, upon leaving the movie theater

with his wife, Mike was attacked by an un-

known thug. While walking down the street,

Mike (an accomplished Martial Artist with

many years of training) and his wife, were

chatting about the great new movie they just

saw. It had been quite a long time since they

had last got to go out by themselves, since

they now had children. Both were on an

emotional high, totally entranced with each

other. All of sudden, a stranger creeps out

from behind the dumpster near their car de-

manding money and the keys to the car.

Mike, totally surprised, looked into this

man‘s eyes and started to feel fear overcome

him. Mike has had very few encounters in

the street. All of his training was in the dojo,

and none of the guys there ever looked so

sinister as this man. Mike began to question

his own skills and wondered if he could keep

himself and his wife safe from this criminal.

Mike‘s hesitation and fear gave the criminal

enough time to strike out and hit Mike in the

face, enough to stun him for the following

blows. When all was done, the car and his

wallet were gone, Mike was severely beaten

and his wife was injured from trying to help

her husband.‖

That was an all too familiar scenario for

many people out there. It doesn‘t matter how

much Martial Arts training you have had or

what level of Black Belt you are, if you let

fear overcome you, and you hesitate, your

chances of success in a situation such as that

are very slim. So what could Mike have done

differently? If you have ever been attacked, I

am sure you have asked yourself that ques-

tion also. What could you have done differ-

ently?

Before answering that question, let me say

some things. First off, nothing is ever guar-

anteed. When it comes to street fights/real

self defense situations, there are too many

variables to have all of the answers for each

and every time. We can train with many

different styles and teachers. We can train in

different environments. We can train in

single person attacks and multi man situa-

tions. We can even spar daily, including full

contact competition. The missing key in all

of those activities is the training of the mind

for a street encounter. Encounters in the

street are MUCH different than any dojo

training. The opponent is not just ―playing a

game‖ with you. He is not concerned about

your safety or how he looks to the instructor.

There are no judges to help you if you are

overwhelmed and there is no concern about

how many stripes you have on your Black

Belt. This attacker does not care about you.

He has a goal in mind and you are in the way.

He will not stop because you are bleeding, he

may even fight you harder. You are just

another person that has what he wants. I also

want to say that the ideas presented here are

not full proof and do not guarantee your

safety. Every principle must be adapted to

the given situation and may not fit the situa-

tion you face. What I am about to discuss is

a mindset that is helpful in all situations and

is something that can be applied most of the

time. There are times, however, when it is

not the best choice.

In Kajukenbo, we refer to it as ―Attacking

The Attacker‖. I also refer to it as

―Embracing Your Opponent‖. When you are

confronted you don‘t usually have time for

fear. Does that mean you should not be

afraid? NO! Fear is a natural response that is

necessary in life. Anyone who says they fear

nothing is lying. Even the greatest warriors

of the animal kingdom feel fear. If a fero-

cious lion senses that something is wrong, he

will not hang around to be courageous. The

lion will flee immediately. Can any of you

defeat a lion? I highly doubt it, unless you

are armed with a gun or similar ―equalizer‖.

It is what we do with that fear that matters. If

you are attacked on the street I would hope

that you are afraid, because as I said already,

the stripes on your Black Belt mean nothing

to the attacker. You can still be injured, even

if you succeed in stopping the attack. That is

enough reason to be afraid already, without

bringing in weapons or the presence of your

family. So, yes, be afraid!

So if you are afraid, what should you do with

that? Fear needs to be put aside while you

allow yourself to take care of the situation at

hand. When you are attacked you need to

embrace the situation. Don‘t hesitate and

wait for the attacker to assault you. As soon

as you know this is a situation you must face,

ATTACK! You take control of the situation

and attack your attacker before he has a

chance. Push that fear aside long enough to

regain safety. Understand that if you are in a

fight the chances of you being hit also are

very high. Accept that and embrace it. Go to

your attacker and neutralize the situation as

quickly as possible. Do not spend your time

waiting for him and wondering what to do.

When he makes that move toward you, attack

him. Most people will not expect this, espe-

cially an experienced criminal. They are

used to using fear and intimidation to get

what they want. No one has ever turned the

tables and come after them. That is your big

opening. The element of surprise is now on

your side and your chances of keeping your-

Attack The Attacker



leg. Defender drops the weight with

the defender's right knee and upper

shin to the right upper calf of the at-

tacker. This is pretty painful.

Defender ducks steps with left back

behind attacker's right leg. Defender

shifts to right cat to horizontal clock

4:30. Defender executes a right heel

strike to Attacker's right inside ankle

Spleen-6 continuing the movement to

a right forward stance facing

3:00. This kicks drags the attacker's

leg out to 9:00. Defender shifts to put

a left knee on the attacker's right calf.

There are many, many more I have

been exposed to. I do not see this part

of the science anymore. I practice this

as this is not only devastating but so

odd and unexpected that it is effec-

tive. I am sixty-one and I can't run

away anymore. I have to fight and I

will fight smart and dirty.

Professor Brian Baxter


in Seattle, Washington

Pull the Rug Out from Underneath

Them!!

There are a few things that have been

ignored and one is the leg takedowns

and or disables. Many systems have

this concept of undermining the foun-

dation and the one that sticks out from

the rest is Baguazheng. Good Baguaz-

heng empty hand to hand are all over

the feet, stepping on the edges, slice

kicking the ankles, tripping, banging

the lower legs to get the attacker in a

vulnerable position to neutralize the

attack. What has been ignored in

close quarter combat is disabling the

foundation. Without a root you cannot

wage stand up war.

In Baguazheng there is an "L" step

whereby the right front is pigeon toed

in and when looking down the two

feet form an "L". This is to left step

on a piece of the attacker's left toes

and the right pigeon is behind the at-

tacker's right heel. Then slam bend

the defender's right knee into just be-

low the attacker's knee. This will

throw the attacker back on the ground.

I have seen the same thing in Tracy's

Kenpo and also have seen a sudden

front right stomp to the attacker's left

front leg on the inside. The stomping

foot scraps down the attacker's leg

then the stomp drives the point of the

defender's knee right into that tender

area just below the knee on the inside

to takedown. Leave it to Kajukenbo to

come up with the nasty stuff that is

hard to uke.

There would be many ways to enter to

defend against a punch combination

but I will just mention the leg take-

downs and disables. Left foot out

forty five. Right knee of the defender

is close to the outside of the attacker's

right leg. Defender shifts ninety de-

grees to the right into a right cat bang-

ing on the outside back of the at-

tacker's right leg. This buckles the

Leg Takedowns


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“The Cage” In Connection With Alive MMA Of Portland, OR


Why MMA?

People are drawn to the martial arts for

all kinds of reasons, for instance, to get

in shape and become more coordinated,

to make friends, to enjoy physically en-

gaged play, to learn relaxation under

conditions of stress, and because they

want to identify themselves with the

image of the art. Presumably, though,

people also practice martial arts, instead

of, say, dance or soccer, because there is

some relationship between what they

practice and an enhanced ability to nego-

tiate physical conflict. If that‘s true,

then it‘s important to consider ways to

evaluate what in martial arts is effective,

in short, what works.

Mixed Martial Arts competition, MMA,

was born of this consideration. Before

MMA, there was very little general

agreement about what works in unarmed

combat. Some people argued that profi-

ciency in the striking arts alone was

enough to defeat opponents. Some dis-

ciplines now considered vital, for in-

stance Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, were little

practiced and barely known or consid-

ered. Wrestling was often not even

thought of as a martial art nor really a

means of self-defense.

MMA is an avenue through which our

ideas about fighting can be tested. It is,

in my opinion, such a good way to test

martial arts assertions, that a stable un-

derstanding of what works has become

very broadly established. Better yet,

those broad understandings are com-

monly subject to dispute and very physi-

cal proof.

It is now, for example, pretty well under-

stood that even a very talented athlete, if

he is not well versed in a grappling art

(wrestling, jiu jitsu, judo, sambo, or the

like), quickly becomes helpless in the

grasp of a moderately skilled grap-

pler. Turns out, it‘s kind of like playing

water polo against someone who can‘t

swim. It‘s now pretty clear that to be

competitive a fighter needs to be compe-

tent on his or her feet, in the clinch, and

on the ground.

It‘s also the case that even one success-

ful athlete can prove the potential valid-

ity of a whole discipline. Lyoto Ma-

chida, for example, has proven that it is

at least possible to employ Karate suc-

cessfully against the very best fighters in

the world. Before Machida, Karate ex-

perts had disproportionately met with

very poor results in the cage, and some

people argued that it was really more of

a cultural practice, like Aikido, rather

than an effective means of preparing

people to fight.

Even more usefully, we can consider

what is different about Machida from the

less successful representatives of Ka-

rate. Is it the case that his physical at-

tributes are simply superior? Or is it the

fact that his training emphasizes the tim-

ing, motion, and energy of spontaneous

resistance, what martial arts pioneer,

Matt Thornton, termed ―Aliveness.‖ I

would say the difference is that Machida

trains ―Alive,‖ against spontaneously

resisting sparring partners, as opposed to

―sparring‖ against choreographed or

ineffective attacks..

In the absence of a means to test our

claims, martial artists are at liberty to

claim that any manner of fanciful tech-

niques will work. The sensei or sifu or

whatever he wants to be called can mys-

tify the process of fighting, elevate him-

self as a master of this mysterious art,

and sell these assertions in an environ-

ment where skeptical questioning is for-

bidden, not thought of, or just not

done. This is a very effective way to sell

people an image they want to have of

themselves, but I see no evidence that it

prepares them for fighting.

I am very grateful for MMA and for

realistically designed competitions of all

sorts. I want to be held accountable as a

coach and as a gym owner. I want there

to be a check on wild claims I, or my

competitors, might be tempted to

make. Self-deception and delusion are

common enough without appealing to

them as a business model.

A scientist who makes claims is ex-

pected to provide evidence. Medicine

for sale is held to a standard of

proof. Even manufacturers of lipstick

are required to uphold product standards

in the public interest. Likewise, martial

artists have the opportunity to prove that

what they do, and, perhaps most cru-

cially, that what they offer in the market-

place to teach, actually works against

competent resistance.

Martial artists in the marketplace of

ideas don‘t have to prove that what they

do works, but, if they don‘t, I think it‘s

quite fair to point out the lack of evi-

dence for their claims. In any case, peo-

ple are getting the message and the mar-

ket is shifting pretty dramatically.

McDojo‘s are in decline, but MMA-

accountable arts are growing briskly. In

fact, MMA is the fastest growing sport

in the world.

Of course, effectiveness or, put differ-

ently, accountability to the truth in what

we teach, may not be the most important

factor that draws people to the martial

arts. In fact, I think the most important

motivation should be health and lifelong

fitness. This is testable too. The results

are as evident as our bodies are visible.

You can see what people look like after

training for even a fairly short time. Do

they get in great shape? Do they move

toward a healthy equilibrium

weight? Are they injured at a greater

rate than other athletes? Do they learn to

relax and function under conditions of

stress? Does the training move them

to develop empathy, social intelli-

gence, human comradery, and


“The Cage” In Connection With Alive MMA Of Portland, OR


playfulness, or does it make them ag-

gressive, anti-social, and paranoid.

Of these, the fear of pain and injury are

probably the greatest dissuasions from

MMA, and certainly, at the highest lev-

els, MMA is practiced as an extremely

high impact form of aerobics. Fortu-

nately, one does not need to train two or

three times a day at the edge of what is

physically possible and fight against the

very best in the world, to enjoy the bene-

fits of learning arts that hold up to that

level of athletic scrutiny. For most

MMA athletes, the rate of serious injury

is low, much lower than in Boxing,

cheerleading, skiing, or equestrian

sports, surprisingly enough. The danger

of being beaten in mixed martial arts, is

much more that of humiliation than

physical injury. Of course, MMA is an

athletic contest, and there still is a risk of

injury, primarily concussions and joint

injuries.

These can be reduced by training relaxed

and in an environment of concern for

each other. We‗ve come a long way as a

sport in learning to train accountably at

lighter levels of contact. You can really

get pretty good in training without get-

ting injured or banged around. Fighting

is still fighting, and it can only be made

so safe. Knowing this, it‘s a coach‘s

responsibility to keep the training as safe

as it can reasonably be so that a fighter

has the preparation that is the best way

to avoid injury in live rounds. Again, a

reasonable person can train and get

pretty good without fighting, himself,

but isn‘t it good to know that he could

fight if it came to that? And isn‘t it even

better if he is taught verbal self-defense

and assertiveness, as well as the security

in himself to base his worth on his whole

life‘s authenticity rather than street

fights? And isn‘t it really best if he is

prepared, when a fight can‘t be avoided,

to restrain or arrest an aggressor with the

least force and damage necessary?

Indeed, it seems to me that combat ath-

letics can be taught in a way that is not

only healthy, honest, and fun but that

also fosters a sense of oneself as a part

of a community with an enhanced ability

to watch out for each other and contrib-

ute to the good of all. Honestly, that‘s

my idea of a good time. Health. Truth.

Contribution, Community. These are

what draw me to live my life in Mixed

Martial Arts .

Bill Bradley

Alive MMA Brazilian Top Team Jiu-

Jitsu

5607 SE Woodstock Blvd. Portland, OR 97206

(503) 740-3004


suited to an environment that no longer

exists. Japanese martial artists often

train to fight from the seated seiza posi-

tion. What environment are they train-

ing for? In this country, seiza is a cul-

tural import which does not exist out-

side the dojo. Nowadays, we value seiza

as a training tool, not so much for its

practical applications. But is that how

these techniques were originally in-

tended? It appears that martial arts tech-

niques tend to originate as practical

applications, and only later evolve into

abstract training tools. How many tech-

niques have undergone this transforma-

tion because they are dependent on cir-

cumstances which no longer exist? It is

not wrong to preserve those techniques

for the sake of tradition or for training

purposes, but it is of utmost importance

that we do so consciously. In any case,

we must understand their intended us-

age within their intended environment.

History is an invaluable tool to the mod-

ern martial artist. The modern world

offers few opportunities to exercise the

full combative potential of martial arts,

so it can be difficult to evaluate a mar-

tial art without investing a huge amount

of time and effort. Historical context

can reduce the amount of faith that a

martial art demands of its students by

helping to determine what has origi-

nated in a martially pure environment

and which techniques are dependent on

those environments. Western martial

artists are often forced to develop schol-

arly approaches, and we are better off

for it. Scholarship has often been con-

sidered indispensable to martial arts. In

traditional Chinese culture, for example,

the literary (wen 文) and the martial (wu

武) were considered complementary. I

encourage all martial artists to follow

this example, and to discover the benefi-

cial effects that scholarship can have on

the physical practice of martial arts.

Michael Heveran

Portland, Oregon

―As a student of Western European

swordsmanship, I am constantly ex-

posed to historical details. Class time is

often spent discussing the details of

combat as it was hundreds of years in

the past. During one such lesson, I was

given an introduction to the Great Chain

of Being, a Western European philoso-

phical construct and prevalent world-

view among educated men during the

Renaissance. This took place during a

class devoted to the system of Girard

Thibault d‘Anvers (1574-1629), a Dutch

swordsman whose system of rapier

combat was preserved in a lavishly il-

lustrated manual entitled Academie de

l'Espée.

Western martial arts such as this are

dead traditions; they don‘t have the lux-

ury of a continuous lineage of masters

to pass down the art. As a result, West-

ern martial artists are forced to rely

upon primary source texts, often in the

form of manuals written by the masters

themselves, to reconstruct their martial

art. It is often the case that an author

takes certain knowledge for granted, so

modern readers, several hundred years

removed from the time of writing, are

on their own to discover what the author

already expected them to know. Histori-

cal context like the Great Chain of Be-

ing can contribute to well-rounded and

verifiable interpretations.

However, most martial arts don‘t suffer

from this handicap. For those of us who

practice living traditions, how relevant

is historical context? If martial artists

can‘t remove themselves from the pre-

sent day, and they are only concerned

with how to improve their own practice,

then does it really matter to a modern

martial artist how a martial art was prac-

ticed when it was first formulated?

Don‘t we study the traditional martial

arts of foreign cultures precisely be-

cause their effectiveness is independent

of time and culture?

Historical context can be a way of es-

tablishing legitimacy. The koryu bujutsu

of Japan, for example, are respected for

preserving the unadulterated battlefield

practices of the samurai. Many martial

arts claim legitimacy through their age,

or through connections to other famous

practitioners such as Shaolin monks.

Even Taekwondo, a martial art whose

current form is only about half a century

in age, is often claimed to drawn upon a

millennia-length Korean martial tradi-

tion.

Many of these claims of legitimacy are

dubious at best. It may be surprising to

learn how young most extant martial

arts really are. The martial arts of the

Shaolin temple are often recognized as

some of the oldest in the world, yet they

cannot be reliably traced back before the

16th century. Similarly, most Japanese

budo date no earlier than the relatively

peaceful Edo period (1603-1868), if not

modernized outright during the cultural

upheavals of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Even among the oldest martial arts, and

even among those which have resisted

the temptation to become competitive

sports, there appear to be few which

have not experienced drastic change in

the last two centuries. Can we really say

that these arts still represent ancient

traditions? If not, does that undermine

the authenticity of their methods?

In each of these claims there lies a sub-

tle rejection of modernity, a belief that

most martial arts lose their purity as

they are exposed to modernizing influ-

ences. Older is better, if we take these

claims at face value. But it‘s not so sim-

ple. It is the responsibility of the martial

artist to assess these claims. It‘s not

enough to know the age of a martial art;

it‘s more important to understand the

environment in which it was developed.

Those arts which developed under a

strict and unforgiving martial environ-

ment will be the most likely to be effec-

tive. Even beyond the one-dimensional

assessment of ―effective‖ versus

―ineffective,‖ we can find huge varia-

tion in martial arts. A martial art devel-

oped for use in a formal dueling envi-

ronment would be very different than

one intended for use on the battlefield,

even if both are considered effective.

Some physical techniques are cultural

relics in and of themselves, perhaps best

The Role Of Historical Context In The Martial Arts



This was the first Annual MAES.

The goal of this seminar was to

bring Martial Artists of various

backgrounds and methods together

to share their perspectives. The

instructors were, from start to end,

Guro Ben Fowler (Arnis), Sensei

Stan Miller (Small Circle JuJitsu),

Rob Bascue Sensei (Bujinkan

Budo TaiJutsu) and Guro Steven

Plinck (Silat).

The seminar was a huge success in

that everyone had a great time,

there were no ego issues and peo-

ple from many different Martial

Arts were there to learn. There

were individuals from White Belt,

all the way up to 8th Degree Black

Belt participating and training to-

gether.

Each instructor taught very appli-

cable and effective techniques and

methods. The common theme

definitely appeared to be that Posi-

tion is one of the most important

aspects to consider—over speed

and technical skill. Everyone also

really focused on translating our

individual skills to real life self

defense situations.

I was very impressed with the level

of skill demonstrated by these four

men and I was equally impressed

by their willingness to share and

everyone‘s willingness to learn.

I look forward to next year‘s event

and I hope to see many new faces

there. The date is not set, but it

will probably be in March again.

Thank you, once again, to Guro

Ben Fowler, Sensei Stan Miller,

Rob Bascue Sensei and Guro Ste-

ven Plinck.

Sifu Trent Junker

R.O.T.T. Kajukenbo

Martial Arts Enhancement Seminar, 2010


Top to bottom, left to right: Group photo with Guro Ben Fowler, group photo

with Sensei Stan Miller, group photo with Rob Bascue Sensei, group photo with

Guro Steven Plinck, Guro Ben Fowler instructing, Sensei Stan Miller correcting

participants, Rob Bascue Sensei demonstrating a technique, two participants

practicing knife work taught by Guro Steven Plinck.

Cover Photo—Guro Steven Plinck demonstrating on Professor Tim Gagnier


We look forward to bringing you

the 4th Annual ―NW Kajukenbo

Family‖ Seminar. This year‘s

event will be held sometime be-

tween mid October and early No-

vember—date TBA.

As a recap, the first one was held

in October of 2007. That year we

featured many great instructors,

including GrandMaster Al Dacascos,

Professor Gerry Scott, Professor Brian

Baxter, Professor Tim Gagnier,

Sigung Frank Mateo, Sigung Jay Bur-

key, Sigung Gray Cassidy, Sifu Wade

Yamauchi, Sifu Steve Miller, and Sifu

Virgil Royer. This was a very suc-

cessful start to such a great event.

The November of 2008 seminar fea-

tured Professor Sid Lopez, Professor

Brian Baxter, Professor Bryan Davies,

Professor Tim Gagnier, Sigung Rick

Fernandez, Sigung Jay Burkey, Sigung

Gray Cassidy, Sifu Dave Huffaker,

Sifu Wade Yamauchi, and Kevin Jack-

son. We had some surprise visits,

including GM Emil Bautista & crew

and Professor Patricia Tyrrell.

In November we held the 3rd Annual

at a new location—the home school of

Professor Tim Gagnier and Sifu Becky

Gagnier. This gave an even greater

feel of ―Ohana‖ to the event. We ate

dinner in their personal kitchen,

trained on their property and relaxed

and visited in their home. This event

featured Professor Sid Lopez, Profes-

sor Jay Burkey, Professor Tim Gag-

nier, Professor Brian Baxter, Professor

Bryan Davies, Professor Frank Mateo,

Sigung Gray Cassidy, Sifu Kevin

Jackson, Sifu Sharon Britian, Sifu

Steve Larson, and Sifu Jerry Weldon.

If you are a NW area Kajukenbo in-

structor, please contact me to get a

teaching spot at this year‘s event.

Sifu Trent Junker

R.O.T.T. Kajukenbo

“NW Kajukenbo Family” Seminar IV, 2010


Top to bottom, left to right: GM Al Dacascos demonstrating on Professor Frank

Mateo, participants training-2007(Trent & Wade), group photo of 2008 event,

participants training-2008 (Mike & Mike), break time-2009 in Professor Tim/

Sifu Becky‘s home, Sifu Steve Larson demonstrating a technique on Sifu Becky

Gagnier, participants listening to instruction, Professor Tim Gagnier instructing

knife defense on Sifu Trent Junker.


Sifu John Hopper Kajukenbo Tum Pai/Tai Chi Chuan

604 E. Main St. Suite 101

Battle Ground, WA 98604 360-241-0461

www.hopperskungfu.com

Alan Nibler Vancouver, WA

(971) 212-2056 Instructing Kajukenbo, Private and Group Lessons Available.

Lakan Arnis Guro Ben Fowler

(503) 730-1793

www.lakanarnis.com

Realm Of The Tiger Kajukenbo Sifu Trent Junker

(503) 839-6359

Portland, OR Specializing in Kajukenbo and ―street‖ based training

Kajukenbo Self Defense Academy Professor Tim Gagnier (503) 320-0438

Yamhill, OR

American Self Defense Academy Sifu Steve Miller

(503) 547-9543 Newberg, OR

Portland Eskabo Da’an Professor Mike Morrell (503) 381-9145

Portland, OR

Filipino Arts

Fists for life Kenpo Self Defense in Harmony with health and Fitness

Located in SE PDX contact 503- 208- 3099 or email [email protected]

Alive MMA 5607 SE Woodstock Blvd., Portland, OR 97206

(503) 740-3004

Our goal is to provide an environment where all people-of any background,

experience & fitness level-can learn and train in the combat sports that comprise Mixed Martial Arts-the core of which can be: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,

Wrestling, Judo, Boxing, Karate, and Muay Thai

Sensei Gregory C. Lewis'

21st Century Martial Arts of Seattle

http://www. karatemeansemptyhand.com

Westside Academy of Kung Fu and CrossFit Hillsdale 1509 SW Sunset Blvd. Suite B-1(facing Cheltenham Street)

Portland, OR 97239 503-432-7450

[email protected]

www.westsideakf.com Westside Academy of Kung Fu teaches Mo Duk Pai Kung Fu, a martial

style that emphasizes ethics, practicality and teaching. CrossFit Hillsdale

teaches functional fitness with an emphasis gradual progress and real world results. Our mission is to provide students with quality instruction, love of

learning, and open appreciation for all movement arts.

Academy of Kung Fu

Teaching Kajukenbo Tum Pai 1236 14th Ave

Longview, WA 98632

360-577-8323 Email – [email protected]

www.longviewkungfu.com

School & Business Listings


mailto:[email protected]

http://www.westsideakf.com/

http://[email protected]/


4th Annual Mt. St. Helens Open

Martial Arts Tournament

July 24th, 2010 Mark Morris High School 1602 Mark Morris Ct. Longview, WA Registration starts at 8am, competition starts at 10am

[email protected]

(360) 577-8323

Event Listings



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Rates Start As Low As $16!

Let Us Put YOUR Product/Service In The Hands Of Thousands Of Prospective Customers/Clients

Now Is Your Chance To Get In These Pages For

SUPER Great Rates!

For information, contact Trent Junker at (503) 839-6359 or [email protected]

Disclaimer: Do not attempt any techniques discussed or illustrated herein without the assistance of a professional trainer/instructor. Northwest Connection assumes no liability for the safety of any information, techniques or ideas herein. Northwest Connection

assumes no liability for the accuracy of content, as articles are submitted by individual sources outside of Northwest Connection and are taken on good faith. Northwest Connection does not endorse any information herein, unless specifically stated otherwise.

Northwest Connection operates under the assumption that all articles are submitted by the original author and makes every attempt not to infringe on any copyrighted material, written or photographic. All information herein is property of Northwest Connec-

tion and/or the stated author. Reproduction for any purpose is forbidden without the written consent of Northwest Connection and/or stated author. Any questions can be directed to [email protected]. TJ2010

Northwest Connection Edition 1

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