Nebraska Hapkido Association

Movement, Range Control, and Positioning...

2010-07-20T18:34:00.002-05:00

Wim Demeere brought this to my attention with his last blog posting. While he was actually talking about some of the "interesting" techniques some competition fighters sometimes use, what really struck me was the movement, range control, and timing of Saenchai Sor Kingstar. In this first video, he is just doing some light sparring with a group of students after giving a seminar---watch how he not only controls the movement, but controls the other person.

Amazing range control. Really. Watch it again, and watch how he is almost always within range for the technique he is going to use, and almost always not in range at the time the other person throws their technique. (You should also watch the Sakuraba video on Wim's blog post, simply because he is a fun, fun fighter to watch.)

Next up---fast forward through about the first half of the first video shown below (the fight WILL eventually start), then watch the rest of it, and then the second video. Now, I am not a Muay Thai fighter, nor a ring fighter, so bear in mind I'm not saying I could beat the Japanese guy or anything---but what person put those two people in the ring together?! Seriously. Saenchai controls the fight almost completely. And watch how he does it---when he wants to kick, he does. When he is tired of that, he punches. When he wants a break, he takes one. In the entire fight, there are very, very few choices that are made by his opponent.

Saenchai vs Takemura Part 1
Saenchai vs Takemura Part 2

This isn't meant to be any sort of criticism of Takemura, by the way. He is just outclassed, and really, really got lucky that Saenchai doesn't seem to be the type of fighter who needs to destroy his opponents to prove anything.

Why am I talking about pro Muay Thai fighters on a Hapkido/Self-defense blog? Watch Saenchai's movement, timing, and structure---he is almost always where he needs to be for the technique he wants to perform at the time at which he can apply it.

That kind of timing/range control is worth watching.

NHA/NRA Introductory Pistol Course...

2010-06-27T19:19:00.015-05:00

Instructors for the NHA held an Introduction to Firearms course over the past weekend, including the curriculum for the NRA Basic Pistol course. Of the seven students in the class, three were actually experienced pistol shooters who wanted to take the NRA class, and the rest were new to handguns in various ways.

The class started at 9am on Saturday, where the students were introduced to the principles of firearms safety, nomenclature and function of various pistols, rules of gun safety, information about cartridges, and laws of safe gun handling.

See a theme here? :)

Students handled revolvers, single-action semi-automatic pistols, double-action semi-automatic pistols, and and various safe-action and striker-fired guns. They practiced their grip, stance, and trigger control with AirSoft handguns, and at the end of the first day, used gas-powered AirSoft guns (with slides that recoiled) in small mock-ups of a few stages such as might be seen at a USPSA action pistol match.

On Sunday, students went to the range, and those new to firearms worked with .22LR pistols, shooting at various distances, then got a chance to shoot a range of firearms in .38spl, 9mm, and .45acp. Experienced shooters participated in a series of handgun skill-building drills, including strong- and weak-hand-only shooting, quick reloads.

Here are some pictures from the weekend...

Fine, time to shoot things. First, some pictures of a couple of our experienced shooters here and there:

Practicing strong-hand only (targets were 3 inch dots at 7 yards):
	Weak-hand only (weak single hand recoil is different, if you have never done it before)...
Freestyle, and weak-hand only...
	Some different types of reloading drills...
Not bad form for single-hand shooting at speed!

...and then some pictures of our new shooters.

Started with basic .22LR pistols fairly close up...

Shooting in relays, observing the other shooters, and moving back to longer distances over time...

and lastly, people got a chance to fire a range of weapons in different calibers.

Class was a success--no one got shot, everyone had fun, and people learned about firearms!

Women's Self-Defense information...

2010-05-11T12:05:00.004-05:00

Looking around the Internet to see what kind of self-defense information is available to people, I came across the following, posted in February 2010 on The Survival Spot. My comments will be interspersed with the article.

Don’t Mess With Me: Self-Defense Tips and Tools:
http://www.survival-spot.com/survival-blog/don%E2%80%99t-mess-with-me-self-defense-tips-and-tools/

By: Sage Romano

I used to bartend at a rough-and-tumble, punk-rock dive bar whose patrons specialized in energetic brawls and other combative physical exertions. While a bouncer was often on hand to manage these situations in a far more intimidating manner than the average girl bartender could, I still found it necessary to adopt an attitude that let the rowdiest customers know that the smallest divergence from good manners and basic human decency would result in an ass-kicking they wouldn’t forget. And in the event that said attitude proved an insufficient deterrent to bad, bawdy, or ill-mannered behavior, I made sure I had some bite to back up my bark.

My biggest showstopper was a simple punch to the face. I was learning how to box at the time, and I relished any opportunity to use my pugilistic skills on deserving drunken fools who stepped out of line. A simple right cross to the bridge of the nose had a wonderfully dramatic and effective fallout, what with the blood burgeoning out of nostrils, the yelp of pain from the offending party, and the thrall of the witnesses (none of whom would ever, ever again think of being less than sweetness and light personified to every bartender they should encounter). This move was guaranteed to shut down any untoward behavior and generally keep peace in the bar for the rest of the night. While not every woman is comfortable throwing punches, we should all develop at least a basic knowledge of preventive and aggressive self-defense tactics.

The first thing that occurs to me is that she is lucky that she had backup in the form of bouncers nearby, and that she obviously worked in a pretty well-controlled bar. (Her description of “rough-and-tumble, punk-rock dive bar” notwithstanding.)

1) If you throw a punch at someone, you had better make sure you are able to follow it up. In this case, she seems to be saying that one simple punch in the nose not only stopped everything, but also kept the “peace in the bar for the rest of the night” which means that most people really weren't interested in fighting. The person that she punched apparently wasn’t, (merely being obnoxious) nor was anyone else—including the guy’s friends. She never had to follow up at all. The idea that this in any way actually relates to women’s self-defense is laughable, at best.

2) “I relished any opportunity to use my pugilistic skills on deserving drunken fools “ is a real indicator of someone who knows they can act with impunity, and without repercussions. This sort of attitude is extremely BAD in terms of self-defense, and her comment about how all women should develop at least a basic knowledge of preventive and aggressive self-defense tactics, while true, make it seem like her actions are a part of that—and they aren’t.

3) Her comment about how her attitude and manner told customers not to step out of line, or it would “result in an ass-kicking they wouldn’t forget” is either bad writing (due to overly flamboyant hyperbole) or really, really bad self-defense tactics. According to her our words, her best showstopper was merely a single punch to the face---which doesn’t correspond to any definition of “ass-kicking” I know of, unless it is on an elementary school playground. Most people actually engaged in a serious self-defense situation find that a simple punch to the nose might buy them a couple fractions of a second (and because of that, it can be a very effective SD technique) but it certainly doesn’t equate to escaping the situation safely.

Overall, just in the first several paragraphs she demonstrates that she doesn’t actually understand what self-defense is about—both in terms of tactics, and techniques.

The First Line
Prevention is the best and most effective self-defense tool; there are loads of simple, commonsense actions you can take to minimize the chance that you will be on the receiving end of a harassing or violent attack. The short version: do not look like a victim. What does a victim look like? Let’s try a little role-playing. Pretend you’re a mugger or rapist or pervert of some kind and you’re trolling for your next mark. Who is going to look more appealing to you? Note the self-assured woman striding down the sidewalk with a look of cool, determined confidence, holding her handbag snugly under her arm and her head high, her eyes actively observing the surrounding environs and taking stock of possible pitfalls and problems, such as you—the skeevy lowlife waiting to pounce. Now note your other victim option: she’s drunk, teetering on her stilettos, her purse dangling from her wrist as she staggers down the sidewalk, chatting on her cell phone about the ungodly number of Cosmopolitans she just consumed. Who’s the easy target here?

Don’t be stupid. Take note of your surroundings and behave accordingly. Avoid strangers offering help and favors. Keep your personal possessions close and untantalizing. Don’t distract yourself with phone calls or texts if you’re making your way through a less-than-fabulous part of town. Steer clear of anyone or anything that gives you the heebie-jeebies. Don’t try to navigate city streets (or any streets) alone when your faculties are compromised by any chemical concoctions. Let yourself be a little paranoid, trust your instincts, and remember that it’s always best to wear shoes you can actually move in. Not to say you have to trade in your Marc Jacobs pumps for a good pair of running shoes, but think of this next time you’re cruising Zappos.com.

Some good stuff here. The writing style is highly annoying to me, given the large amount of overly emotional descriptiveness going on (this person was an English or Philosophy major in college, wasn’t she?) but the basic information is good. Maybe the writing style works better on other people.

Be Ready for Anything
Okay, so you’ve got your big-girl, don’t-mess-with-this attitude on, you know where you’re going, and you know what you’re doing—you’re not being stupid. Sadly, this does not necessarily preclude the stupidity of others, and anyone who’s got a criminal yen for your purse or your person is a sandwich or two short of a picnic, meaning that sometimes you can’t avoid confrontations, despite your best efforts. In the unlikely and unfortunate event that you find yourself compromised, be ready with an arsenal of moves and/or tools to fend off your attacker and hopefully do some damage in the process.

[sigh] “Don’t-mess-with-this-attitude” --why do many people confuse assertiveness with aggressiveness? As a comment, many types of predators, particularly ones who focus on females, often take aggressive behavior as a challenge, one that they will focus on even more strongly. (And more violently.) Assertive behavior, on the other hand, does not set up a challenge, but tends to literally cause you be to dismissed by many attackers, who think either “not worth it” or “not a challenge to me.”

Several different tactics could have a mitigating effect on the situation. Good old-fashioned dirty-fighting maneuvers, such as eye gouging and hair pulling, can be wonderfully useful, but it never hurts to have some practiced moves on hand as well. A wide range of resources both on the Internet and in real life can guide you in your quest for these skills. Your community will certainly boast a martial-arts school of some kind; from tae kwon do to karate to judo, you don’t have to earn a black belt to have the kind of know-how it would take to stop an attacker from doing any real damage to you. In several states, there are Fear Adrenaline Stress Training (FAST) courses that condition you to respond confidently and deftly in such a situation. One such course, Model Mugging, offered in twenty-six states, hones these skills through role-playing.

The idea that Model Mugging would simply be described as “role-playing” is telling. Both FAST courses and Model Mugging use adrenaline-based scenario training to help students learn how to deal with emotionally-charged situations, and allow them to understand how their techniques actually work. Saying this is merely "role-playing" completely undervalues the effectiveness of the training.

There is also a BIG difference between this sort of thing and your neighborhood TKD school. Don’t get me wrong—you can certainly learn self-defense from a martial arts class, provided it is taught correctly. However, FAST and Model Mugging classes are focused on one thing, and one thing only---and they are very good at it. The self-defense training you can get from either of them will strongly overmatch any gotten from a similar amount of time in a martial arts class. (And this is from someone who teaches martial arts.)

The most obvious criminal-deterrent options, of course, are weapons. Nonlethal tools like Mace or pepper spray and Tasers can be effectual, but they’re best used in close quarters and you will run the risk of having your weapon turned on you. A firearm, while wholly intimidating, will almost always cause more problems than it solves; most self-defense authorities advise strongly against carrying a gun. A Kubotan key chain is a handy tool; otherwise known as the “instrument of attitude adjustment” by the LAPD, it’s a cylindrical, high-impact plastic rod with grooves for grip and a tapered end for hitting nerve-filled, bony places like the knuckles or solar plexus, or softer pressure points like the groin or neck. Its versatility can be daunting, though, so have a clear idea of how you’d use the Kubotan if you had to.

This entire section is just—wrong. Mace or pepper spray shouldn’t be used at close quarters, Tasers (as opposed to stun guns) are distance weapons also.

“You will run the risk of having your weapon turned on you.” Possible, yes, but according to statistics, highly unlikely. Even more unlikely if you have actually trained with your self-defense tools. I have yet to ever see any good statistics supporting that people’s weapons were “turned on” them, and yet many people keep parroting the same old thing.

“A firearm, while wholly intimidating, will almost always cause more problems than it solves; most self-defense authorities advise strongly against carrying a gun. “ And this says that the author has not researched her topic at all, and doesn’t understand the use of self-defense tools. Statistics have consistently and continually shown that people who defended themselves with firearms have a much higher success rate than people who did not. I agree that a gun is not useful much of the time—a firearm is a self-defense tool that is applicable and useful in a very narrow range of situations. That being said, in those situations it is by far the best tool currently available.

“Self-defense authorities advise” ---what SD authorities would this be? Because every single one I know, that actually knows about self-defense, has paid attention to the statistics on self-defense, and has experience with self-defense situations, says that given a committed, resolved person who took the time to train with it, a firearm is by far the most effective self-defense tool they could have for serious situations.

As for the Kubaton—either you are holding a stick in your hand when you hit someone (and a roll of quarters works just as well) or you have taken the time to train in other applications of said stick—and if you have that kind of time, why not train with something that extends your reach?

The simplest self-defense tool is the personal alarm, a device that can be carried on a keychain or a lanyard and that, when activated, emits a head-splitting, 120-decibel screech. The last thing any criminal wants is having attention called to his unsavory actions, and nothing gets people’s ears to perk up faster than an electronic scream that you could hear over the loudest speed-metal band. Though the personal alarm is passive and nonlethal, it’s a good means of distracting your villain, allowing you a chance to run away or bring someone to your rescue.

This is almost complete nonsense. How many people pay attention to car alarms anymore? When you hear a loud obnoxious noise outside, do you go find out what is going on? What is more likely to get your attention, screaming or yet another alarm? I also find that anything marketed as a self-defense tool that can be disabled by throwing it on the ground is ridiculous. In addition, how does “a really loud noise” stop an attacker?

Does the author have any statistics showing that a personal alarm is useful in stopping attackers? I confess I’ve never even heard of one situation in which it helped. (I suppose that means I’ll get emails with anecdotes from people who “heard from a friend” or something. [sigh])

A loud noise is not a defense system. Matter of fact, in many places, it will just annoy people more.

I have lived in San Francisco for almost eighteen years. I have walked the length and breadth of the city at all hours of the night, have ridden buses full of nefarious-looking folk, and lived alone in the Tenderloin for eight years. Touch wood, I haven’t once had any sort of violent encounter while navigating my life in the city. But I do not forget myself and my surroundings. I am aware at all times, with my headphones on or not, in three-inch heels or sneakers, on well-lit busy streets or in musty dark alleys. And I still know how to throw a mean right hook.

If you are wearing headphones and they are playing something, you are not aware. If you are walking in musty dark alleys, you are not making good choices. If you are walking “the length and breadth of the city at all hours of the night” you apparently are oblivious, or actively searching out trouble.

The fact that you “haven’t once had any sort of violent encounter” means nothing other than the odds never caught up with you. When they do, your “mean right hook” merely means the guy is going to be angrier when he hits you repeatedly.

People who are looking for self-defense information: Please, PLEASE make sure you look around and find self-defense instructors who know what they are talking about, who won’t give you wrong information, who will train you in the right tactics to keep yourself safe.

Nonsense like this---is just wrong. And it’ll get people hurt, who attempt to follow its advice.

Self-Defense Tactics...

2010-04-29T17:08:00.003-05:00

“Martial art” is not the same as “self-defense.”

There seems to be a common belief among martial artists that martial arts training makes you “know self-defense.” And on the other side, many non-martial artists who specialize in other tools seem to think that you can learn effective self-defense without learning any bare-hand technique used in martial arts classes.

It is amazing how wrong both of these people are.

Awhile ago, the NHA held a Close Quarters Tactics – Firearms (CQT) course at the dojang, working on defensive tactics at close quarters with an emphasis on the use of a firearm as a self-defense tool.

Students worked under assumptions of lethal force situations, distances of 5 feet or less (in many cases, from the clinch), and often versus weapons at these close ranges. Partner drills included passive and active resistance techniques, and the class ended with force-on-force training with AirSoft weapons. (First time you get shot 3 times in the torso and twice in the face mask of your helmet wakes you right up, particularly since the torso shots hurt.)

As students progressed, they quickly learned that many CQT situations aren’t “gun-solvable”---quite the contrary. Under these close quarters, immediately going for a weapon consequently immediately gets you killed. Throughout, the concept was taught that self-defense for this case means giving yourself space to access a better self-defense tool safely—which for this meant causing your attacker to either give you space in distance, or space in time, so you could access your firearm and apply it without getting killed in the meantime. Mostly, this means that CQT tactics often start with a serious amount of bare-hand technique, because you must create that space to work in.

For most people, it takes easily over one second to access and engage a target with a firearm from concealment. If you are 3 feet from an attacker who is actively engaging you, one second is about 0.8 seconds too long. Trying it means that your attacker (or attackers) gets in their first several attacks relatively unopposed—and if this is a lethal force situation, that means you are dead.

At these close quarters, it is necessary for the defender to stop/stun/off-balance/turn/jam/move their opponent in some way. Either creating enough space through distance (so the attacker can’t reach you before you access your firearm) or creating enough space in time (you have stunned/turned your attacker, and are currently jamming their weapon hand so they are temporarily unable to attack you) gives you the ability to access a better tool for lethal-force levels of self-defense.

Trying to access it without that space—gets you killed.

So how does this all relate to the beginning of this post?

I was discussing my CQT class with a fellow shooter after a competition one day, and it was interesting. When I first mentioned to fellow shooters that I was going to teach a CQT class, a number of people volunteered to help teach it—and I wondered what experience made them qualified to help teach?

This fellow shooter was one of them, and when we discussed what had actually occurred in the class, he stopped then said, “Oh, well, I didn’t think it was going to be a martial arts class, I thought it was going to be a shooting class.”

I had no idea what to say.

The entire point of the course was defensive tactics at close quarters—and while we assumed that we would have access to a concealed firearm, that was merely one of the tools that we had available to use. The entire point was to learn how to stay alive in close quarters lethal force situations—and thus knowing when the gun wasn’t the right initial choice was important.

It wasn’t a “martial arts class,” nor was it a “shooting class” – because describing it in that fashion loses the point completely!

Self-defense means doing what is necessary to keep yourself safe. Having tools to better enable you to do this is handy—but you have to be careful that you don’t turn every situation into a “this is a hammer, so everything is a nail” reaction. Thinking that a self-defense class is a martial arts class OR a shooting class means that the student isn’t thinking about realistic self-defense tactics, they are thinking about drills for specific tools. There isn’t anything wrong with this, UNLESS thinking in this fashion makes you practice drills that are unrealistic. At close quarters, if you don’t stop the attacker and create space, you will get killed. In most cases you can’t do that by starting off with drawing the gun.

Our CQT class is about tactics to keep you alive in lethal force situations. You will learn plenty of drills to help you access your firearm quickly, and engage targets accurately. But that certainly isn’t what the class is about, and if you ignore the parts of training that keep you alive until you can access your firearm—then it doesn’t matter how much you drill the “shooting part”.

Moving the Dojang...

2009-12-30T09:09:00.017-06:00

In November of 2006 we moved into our old dojang on 6th street, and somewhere in 2007 bought pads to put under our mats.
After everything was finished, the dojang looked pretty good, with the mirrors on one wall so everyone could observe their technique, plenty of mat space (for a small dojang, that is) and good pads underneath so people could take decent falls without injury.

We stayed here for two more years---and then, like the previous blog entry said, we bought a building. So this had to all be taken apart, moved, and set up in a dojang space of a different size and shape.

So, what did I do over the holidays? Well, first I packed up everything in the old dojang...

The movers came in and loaded everything into their truck, including rolling up the mats and taking them too.

When they finished, the dojang looked rather strange---it hasn't been empty like this in quite awhile. Completely a different place without weapons on tables, crash pads and kicking targets scattered around, and mats on the floor.

So then, it was all moved to the new building, and piled in a room, whereupon the fun started...

First item of business--placing the pads, cutting them to length, and filling in the gaps. (For the record, the progression shown in the next three pictures took approximately 7 hours to do...)

Next up, locking sections together with duct tape, so they wouldn't separate.

After that, I put the mats down over the pads, fitting the mats around the pole and making sure everything was even with no gaps.

Lastly, I placed some extra mats on the floor to the side, put extra equipment in off-mat areas so they are accessible--and here is our new dojang:

I note that my office is still almost completely packed in boxes, though I've got my computer running. At least the mats are finished, though. So---see everyone in class!

Changes for the New Year, 2010...

2009-12-26T17:33:00.005-06:00

Some big things are happening! Sabumnim and Dr. Howard have bought a building for their collective businesses, so the Hapkido dojang will be moving over the holiday break. We will start with an Open Practice day on January 2nd, and then regular Hapkido classes will commence on January 5th at the normal time---but in the new building, at 546 Avenue A in Plattsmouth. Step into the building, and walk down the hallway toward the back---you'll see the dojang space when you do.

We have also finally gotten around to re-vamping the Hapkido website, which has been in dire need of updating for quite some time. Some sections have disappeared, and the Women's Self-Defense and Firearms Training sections have been expanded. Students, please take a look around and find all my typos so I can get them fixed before anyone else notices...

In student news, we have a new black belt! Matt received his full black belt in class last month, making him the second student to ever receive a full 1st dan ranking from Sabumnim. Here are some video highlights from his test:

Four other students are in line to test for their next ranks toward the end of January, from green/blue to red/one stripe.

See you in class!

Ardi made the news!

2009-08-31T17:31:00.003-05:00

This past weekend, Ardi was shooting at the Illinois Sectional competition (USPSA) in Milan, IL, and managed to get herself interviewed on camera by a local news station.

Go to their website: http://www.kwqc.com/Global/story.asp?s=11015804 then click on the "Shootout Just For Fun" link to see the story.

Defensive Tactics 101 - Firearms Short Course

2009-08-09T17:38:00.003-05:00

On August 8th, 2009, the NHA held an "Introduction to Defensive Tactics - Firearms" class for students who were already safe, experienced shooters. It was very short, only about 3.5 hours, but gave the students the beginning basics regarding defensive tactics in general, plus specific uses of the handgun as a defensive tool. This wasn't the official full "DT 101 - Firearms" course that will be offered by the NHA, but it did contain some of the basics from it.

The course started with the standard introduction of the safety rules and range procedures, and went directly into the DT draw-and-fire sequence, including practice gauging the trigger reset requirements for quick followup shots.

Students then began working on quick transitions between targets, and later graduated to movement-while-shooting.

Throughout the initial "skill builder" drills, the students were continually told that speed was not the goal in this case---proper technique was the goal. Learning proper technique enables them to later (on their own) work the drills for greater speed.

After the basics of movement were practiced, moving off-line and to cover were discussed. Lastly, the students were given several defensive problems to solve, after which a discussion was held on effective use of cover, movement, and tactics.

Something that should be reiterated here:

This is a study of Defensive Tactics---not shooting tactics. We study Defensive Tactics to keep ourselves safe, and we learn the use of tools (such as firearms) for that purpose. Unsurprisingly, many common themes are found with various tools using this method. This wasn't a shooting class for self-defense, this was a self-defense class focused on using firearms as tools.

First: Awareness
If the student is aware of possible situations about to occur, then the likelihood of not being in it climbs sharply. In addition, awareness allows the student to be prepared for danger, and deploy tools as necessary for self-defense. One of our drills included finding out how far an criminal can move and attack in the time it takes the student to draw and fire two shots. If the student is aware and prepared (has the tool available and in-hand), the chance of surviving lethal-force situations climbs sharply.

Second: Movement
Once a self-defense situation has begun, the goal is to get to safety unharmed. As such, use of a firearm is merely use of a tool to enable the student to get to safety.

As such, immediately once the lethal-force situation has begun, the student needs to start moving to safety. If safety is not immediately available, the student needs to move to cover (localized safety). If cover is not available, the student needs to move away from the threat and create distance.

No matter what, in a self-defense situation (if the choice is possible) the student should be moving while drawing/shooting/defending.

Plenty of other concepts were discussed, and proper use of cover was mentioned (and the difference between cover and concealment), but the students weren't able to practice this much in the time allotted.

Overall, though, the students at the end (during the DT situation tests) gave a good accounting of themselves, shooting from retention, at distance, taking cover, moving, and keeping themselves safe.

At a future, time, we will hold another course that will include the second half of the DT 101 - Firearms course soon to be available from the NHA.

Open Gym today...

2009-07-25T14:43:00.002-05:00

For Open Practice today, several people decided they wanted to get out the crashpad, and work on some rolls for height and distance.

Here's some of what happened:

A good time was had by all.

Team NHA: Firearms Highlights

2009-07-15T15:47:00.005-05:00

Sabumnim and Ardi participated in the USPSA Great Plains/Iowa Sectional Match on July 12th, 2009. An action pistol match, the Sectional had 9 very complicated stages. Ardi did very well, placing 1st D-Class, and High Female for Production Division. Sabumnim won High Overall and Great Plains Champion for Production division.

Here are some highlights from the match:

Brandon's Last Day in class...

2009-06-08T14:22:00.002-05:00

Brandon went off to the military, so we made sure we sent him off right...

As is the custom, everyone got to perform one technique on him---then he got to perform a technique on everyone in return.

Good luck, Brandon.

Courtesy of Hecate's Crossroad:

2009-01-27T17:57:00.003-06:00

Something that people should read. Self-defense oriented.

Link with full entry:
http://hecatescrossroad.blogspot.com/2009/01/now-do-something-constructive.html

Important outtake in the middle:

A rangemaster at gun school who was also a sheriff's deputy once told me about a nurse who had serious ex-boyfriend problems. After responding to one of her 911 calls, he told her she should get a handgun. He offered to advise her on weapon selection and arrange for training.

She said she'd think about it, and asked her hospital colleagues what they thought. Thoroughly indoctrinated in pacifist attitudes, they were horrified and told her she should get a whistle instead. That was what she decided to do, and the deputy said he could not talk her out of it.

When her body was later found in the hospital parking lot, the whistle was still between her teeth. She had blown it until it filled up with blood as she died.

You are responsible for keeping yourself safe. No one else can or will do it for you. When the moment comes, it is entirely likely that you will be completely alone.

Most of "self-defense" occurs in your head---because that is the part that causes you to be aware, to stay out of potential situations, and when in one, to act and react appropriately.

Don't let yourself be over-ruled by what "people might think" or what society says is "acceptable behavior." Do what you need to be safe.

Read the whole of Hecate's post.

Response to Women's Self-Defense vs a Hook Punch, Part II...

2008-12-19T06:06:00.003-06:00

Awhile back, we posted a response video on YouTube regarding a defensive move vs. a hook punch. We got a video response to our response, and it is shown below. After viewing it, I sent the link to some of my students, from green belt to black belt, and asked for commentary.

Here is the response video:

And here is some commentary from them regarding what they saw:

Matt:

First, his movements were too complicated. In order to make the wind work, you have to see the punch coming and be ready to block, AND AT THE EXACT POINT OF IMPACT transition into a reverse pivot. This is very unlikely, because in an actual attack, it is highly unlikely the woman will see the punch coming until it is halfway there. I would like to see that tiny woman do the complete technique in a dark parking lot, including takedown, to Pete. [Sabum’s note: Pete is a member of our class who is large, very solid, very strong, and very tough. He is one of our test people for self-defense techniques. Saying “it would work on Pete” is a high compliment for self-defense techniques.]

Second, that technique is very one-dimensional, i.e. you have only one or two choices once you initiate the block and pivot. And after turning her back to her attacker, she ducks under his arm and then goes for the armbar takedown. The only other option after the block & pivot is to run away, which I would suggest instead of trying that unlikely armbar takedown. The NHA technique is superior because it is multi-dimensional. After the block, Ardi was "inside" of Sabumnim with all of his primary targets exposed, chiefly his face. Elbows and knees and kicks and reaps could all be applied at that point, followed up by takedowns (if necessary). The initial block also had a "stun" dimension to it unlike the wind.

In summary, the wind looks good on Youtube, and the principal of absorbing and transferring energy is correct, but I have serious doubts about its merits against a strong hook punch.

Travis:

The very last one they did confirmed what I felt could happen, she had a hard time controlling his arm, and I would say she never really did have control of the arm. Then her elbow strike hit his chest every time, and her hand was higher then the point of impact which is bad form (but not knowing her rank I don't put much thought into "Her" elbow strikes). But if the man is much taller than the women it could be hard to strike him in the face, and even if I strike Pete in the chest I don't think it would make a difference.

I think it’s a high level move based on timing, and not practical for lower level students. Working in class on defenses from linear attacks (punch, grab) when I was not allowed to move my feet, I once guided Pete's hand right into my own eye. I knew it was coming and my timing was off just a hair and I ended up with one arm on the inside of Pete's arm and one on the outside of his arm, instead of both arms outside pushing the attack safely away from my own face.

I view the hook punch defense like a baseball bat defense or club, if you are on the inside of the attack (face to face) they lose quite a bit of power.

Also just a thought, could you use his opening and turn it into a sacrifice throw, without taking too much of the force of the punch? [Sabum’s Note: Yep. Matter of fact, a number of throwing arts do precisely that. We actually have techniques such as that, also. However, for women’s self-defense we wouldn’t teach them, as they are low-percentage.]

Julie:

I've also watched the video several times and agree with Matt. The movements are entirely too complicated for a high percentage defensive technique. From a woman's perspective, I like to evaluate techniques based on "what can *I* do quickly, efficiently, and with as little risk to myself as possible." The technique that we use has more positive attributes than the response that Sabumnim received, as Matt pointed out. I would rarely think of a time that I would willingly turn my back on my attacker. My timing against punches is not perfect, and this technique is based on timing the pivot precisely so that the energy of the punch is absorbed and redistributed into the circle and the subsequent elbow.

Additionally, in a self defense situation against an unknown attacker, I would not willingly choose an offensive technique that leaves myself vulnerable, should it fail. The arm bar take-down (elbow break) that is chosen in the response video looks great, but if the guy is large and the placement of my arm is not precise, then I am simply going to be hanging off his arm while he turns and proceeds to wallop me. If, however, my mass is sufficient enough to take him down and I don't break the arm, I am now in a ground fighting situation. Most women are not adequately trained for that situation, and that tends to be an even more difficult situation to get quickly away to safety.

Oh, and prior to the arm bar, there is the small problem of simply lifting the attackers arm over my head to put myself in position for the arm bar. Now, I'll submit that if I time the initial move correctly, absorb the flow of the punch and transfer the energy of my spin into my elbow AND place the elbow precisely in the face of the guy, THEN I MIGHT be able to lift the arm to step under for the arm bar. HOWEVER, the take down/elbow break is dependent upon everything else being done precisely and with exquisite timing.

I like the technique that we initially learn much better. Yes, we are closing with the attacker, but we are placing ourselves in a position that allows us to have further options. Personally, I think I would prefer to block the arm (as Sabumnim and Ardi demonstrate), grab the wrist, throw the outside elbow once or twice (or three times :)) and then take out the leg in a fashion that leaves me standing and the attacker crying for mercy on the ground. I would most likely use a crumple throw in that situation. Although I love the axe kick, I know that for balance and stability, the crumple throw is more stable than the axe kick.

So, to sum up my long-winded response. I like our technique better because it is not overwhelmingly dependent upon timing, it does not force me to turn my back on my attacker, and I am not utilizing an offensive technique that is at times a low percentage technique that would leave me on the ground next to my attacker.

Sabum's Response:

One important thing to bear in mind here is that we aren't trying to compete--the point of this isn't "our technique is better that yours!" or anything like that. We aren't comparing arts, styles, or practitioners. What we are doing, hopefully, is comparing effectiveness of technique, for a given situation. In the videos below, I hope I clearly explain that what we are doing is critiquing the use of the technique, not any given person.

One thing (in addition to my commentary in the videos below) regarding the response we received: The circular movement shown is something that occurs in Hapkido, also. However, we tend to not use it vs a circular attack, particularly if we are moving to the inside. We do utilize it vs a linear attack, most often choosing to move ourselves to the attacker's outside in our rotation. Thus, the linear attack (once we deflect and move offline) has no force with which to impact us, and the outside movement makes followup techniques by the attacker extremely difficult. I may add a short video of what I mean by that in the next post here.

Here is the set of response videos we created:

Test...

2008-11-20T21:15:00.002-06:00

At the end of October, four students tested for their next rank---and passed! Joshua received his 9th gup, Pete his 7th gup, Ardena her 6th gup, and Travis earned his 4th gup.

(They are all a little bedraggled, because this picture of them with their new ranks was taken after class one evening.)

We've had several new white belts all join class at the beginning of this month---lately the white belts have outnumbered the rest of the class! In conjunction with her new rank, we've been having Ardena lead them through parts of the class lately, while Sabumnim walks around and whacks people with a stick...

In a few more weeks, several other students will be up for testing---and anyone is welcome to come and observe!

Response to Locks/Flow Drills Videos...

2008-10-31T14:38:00.004-05:00

This time, the videos we are responding to are similar to the following:

and also

<

There are a number of other lock/flow drills from Hapkido schools on YouTube, but these two are fairly good representatives of what you'll see.

So: In the first one, we see someone flowing quite well, moving easily, the other person being driven around by the locks...

...I wonder if it would have looked like that if the person doing the locks had been smaller than the attacker? Or if the attacker had been resisting at all? Go back and look at the motion again---see how the defender created force to use. How much is arm strength and size? How much is body movement?

In the second one, look at how the arm bar is applied---the defender puts their upper-body weight on the arm, and folds over at the waist. That is one way to drop your weight---but what does it do to your balance? What does it mean with regards to the size difference requirements between the attacker and the defender?

and then there was ours...

One of the reasons I continually harp on "drop into a cat stance" during the angle 2 lock isn't because I really need to see you settle into a static stance at the end of the movement. I do, however, need to have you rotate and drop your weight as you perform the lock--otherwise, it is just your arm strength vs your opponent's arm strength. (Remember, the point of stances is so that you can generate power by bodily movement without sacrificing balance and structure.)

We use our center to create force downward during an angle 2, forward then downward (using a front stance) during an arm bar, then rotationally and downward during the angle 1 throw at the end. If you step into a position, stop, then apply the lock/throw--all you are going to do is create a situation where it is your arm strength vs theirs.

That arm bar is a good example for that---if you step, stop, and then try to force the other person downward, they just aren't going to go if they have any strength/stature that is comparable to yours. If you use your upper body to force them down, you'd better be heavier than they are---and your balance had better be really good as you stand there with a resisting opponent with your knees straight and your body folded in half.

Or how about instead, driving their upper body forward with your body weight as you step forward, then roll their shoulder downward as you continue your movment into a low front stance, extending them past their balance point, and downward after they have no more support. Your balance is kept by the good stance, and you are able to move them using your center's movement, instead of your arm strength.

Everything comes from the center. Whether it is for a lock, a throw, punches, or kicks---all power comes from your center's movement. (Granted, it is more obvious to see this when performing a lock.)

When performing a technique, figure out where your center is---then figure out where it needs to go to create the force to apply your technique.

Roundup at the Roundabout Demonstration...

2008-10-26T18:54:00.002-05:00

Members of the NHA class performed an extended demonstration at the Roundup at the Roundabout on October 25th, 2008. Taking mats and a crash pad, students set up outdoors in the strip mall's parking lot at 10am and demonstrated various techniques until 2pm.

Luckily for us, the weather cooperated perfectly, and it was a wonderful sunny day for the Roundup. Lots of kids in costumes, various games and demonstrations, and people having fun.

The students gave a couple of formal demonstrations, and then spent the rest of the time beating each other up in true approved Hapkido fashion.

Here are some pictures and video from the time we spent out there:

Student's First USPSA Action Pistol Match...

2008-10-18T13:06:00.002-05:00

On October 5th, Ardi participated in her first ever Action Pistol match. 5 stages, with various types of draw, movement, reloading, and moving targets. In her division, she ended up 8th out of 13, which is excellent for a first-timer!

She's planning on participating in the November pistol match also, so check back later to see how she did!

Some things you see on YouTube...

2008-10-01T22:03:00.006-05:00

Comments from Sabumnim:
------------
Why is it that when you see videos of Hapkido (or many other martial arts) on YouTube, it makes you cringe? I know that Hapkido is a great art, and very useful for self-defense--and yet, often when I see Hapkido videos on YouTube, it makes me embarrassed for my art.

One of the things we are going to do to promote Hapkido as a viable, valuable self-defense art is create some video clips showing what our class considers useful techniques, and put them on YouTube. Not only will that tell the world about our school, but more importantly, hopefully work on changing some of the opinions that people must have about Hapkido after seeing some of the other videos available.

I realize this makes me sound as if I believe our school has a monopoly on Good Hapkido(tm), and that isn't how I feel. But I certainly do feel that there are a lot of martial arts schools out there who don't know what they are doing, yet still feel compelled to demonstrate their "abilities" for all the world to see.

A few days ago I was sent a link to this YouTube video, which is about a single defensive movement in response to a hook punch. As I watched it, I kept thinking "this person learned this move from someone who didn't understand it." The defensive strike's target is good, the basic idea is sound--but it is missing the details that actually make it effective. It is like learning a martial technique from a picture--your body might end up in the proper position, but the underlying structure and movement that make it work isn't there, because the picture didn't include the details that actually make the technique effective.

So, I and one of my students recorded some commentary and action regarding this specific technique. This isn't about self-defense in general, nor is it about applications or followup techniques--this video is only about a specific defense blocking a hook punch. That being said, it seemed important to make a distinction between a defense that will work, and one that won't. Feel free to watch both videos, and think critically about the difference in effectiveness. If you think I'm wrong, feel free to let me know.

Original Video:

Nebraska Hapkido Association Response:

I note also that the followup strike shown in the first video (the hammerfist strike to the nose) sounds really good---up until the point that you realize that you are trying to obliquely strike a small target on a person who is going to turn away just as you hit them. Hammerfist strikes are indeed useful at that point--but striking to the cheekbone or lower jaw (depending on how much their head is turned) is a much more useful strike because your chances of missing are much lower. If they are facing full front into you, by all means hit the nose---but certainly don't do it sideways, striking away from your attacker.

We might put together another video about that strike, too. We'll see.

Go Team NHA!

2008-09-21T18:10:00.004-05:00

Three people from the NHA class shot at the Steel Challenge Match at the Eastern Nebraska Gun Club today! Julie shot her second one of the year, and Ardi shot her first Steel Challenge match ever.
Steel matches are a little different from regular pistol matches--in steel matches (for three of the stages) you have an array of five steel targets, and you draw and hit each target once for time. Then you reload and holster, and do it again---four more times. Your slowest time is dropped, and your other times are all added together for your score for that stage. All stage times are added up, and the lowest number (the fastest overall time) wins.

In our case, a steel match also includes one or two other stages where it is still all steel, but there might be movement and such, and you only run it once. Still, the total time is your score. There happened to be five stages this time.

Here are some clips from the various stages for both Julie and Ardi:

Good Job!

More NHA Firearms...

2008-09-07T17:12:00.003-05:00

Ardi watched Sabumnim compete in the Weeping Water Gun Club 3-Gun match on 09/06/08 (and the less said about how he did, the better) and afterward, she took some shots with two of the precision rifles that competitors were using.

Ardi has never shot a rifle before, particularly not a rifle like either of these. Her targets? Bowling pins placed 200 yards away.

We teach her some shotgun, and pretty soon she'll be participating in 3-gun matches!

NHA Firearms - Ardi Shooting Her First Match...

2008-08-10T16:43:00.003-05:00

On August 9th, Ardi participated in her first shooting competition--the Rock Your Glock match held at the Izaak Walton range near Lincoln, NE. Here are two of the three stages she shot:

As you can see, she did very well, particularly for someone who just started shooting two months ago. 47 people shot in her division.

On the plates, she was one of only 21 people to clear them completely
On the "5-to-25" stage, she was 12th in least number of penalty seconds for the stage
On the "M" stage, she was 3rd in least number of penalty seconds for the stage

She didn't shoot quickly, but she shot extremely accurately. (And speed will come with repetition, as we all know.) For a first competition she turned in an outstanding performance, as several range officials mentioned throughout the day.

Good job!

And the results are....

2008-08-10T11:21:00.003-05:00

...they passed!

Congratulations to Pete, Ardi, Travis, Matt, and Julie for successfully passing their promotional testing and earning their new rank.
A particular note should be made:

The Nebraska Hapkido Association has been holding classes in Nebraska since 1997, and Julie has earned the first black belt that we have ever certified. This is Sabumnim Howard's first full, recognized black belt--and we hope to have many more students reach this milestone in the coming years.

Congratulations!

NHA Rank Test, July 19th

2008-07-20T14:11:00.005-05:00

Five people tested for their next rank on Saturday, July 19th.

Julie tested for 1st Dan Black Belt
Matt tested for 2nd Gup Red/1 Stripe
Travis tested for 5th Gup Blue Belt
Ardena tested for 7th Gup Green Belt
Pete tested for 8th Gup Yellow/Green Belt

The two high belts started their tests at 9am with advanced basics, and the rest of the students joined/began the test at 9:30. Testing was completed by noon.

Here is some video of a few of the various board breaks...

Students will find out officially if they passed on Thursday, July 24th.

Students Shooting Handguns...

2008-06-20T17:10:00.005-05:00

In Hapkido, a part of the curriculum is concerned with defense vs firearms. In my opinion, if you don't know how the things work (on a general level) your ability to handle them (from a self-defense perspective) drops sharply. As such, at least once a year I take my students (those who are interested) out and do a firearms familiarization class with them. They learn about handgun nomenclature, action types, revolvers vs semi-automatics, and we take several apart and see how they work.

We then cover the basics of stance, grip, trigger control, sighting, and breathing, and they work with AirSoft guns for awhile, continually demonstrating the ability to handle handguns safely and responsibly. After that, we head to the range, and they get a chance to do some shooting. All students (thus far) find it interesting, most (actually, all but one since I first started this) really enjoyed it, and several students have gotten hooked and eventually got their own handgun.

Lately, two of my students have come out shooting several times, and are interested in perhaps doing some competition shooting (USPSA-style). One in particular has been out shooting 6-or-so times in the last 3-4 weeks.

Bear in mind that she had never shot a handgun before we started a few weeks ago. Here is a little video of some of the things that she can do now...

Not too shabby for a beginner, hmm?

Michael Janich Self-Defense Concepts Seminar

2008-02-21T18:03:00.003-06:00

In February 2008, Sabumnim Howard went to a Michael Janich self-defense concepts seminar at the Millard Black Belt Academy, sponsored by the Security Solutions Group. Mr. Janich is a well-known (and well-respected) instructor of martial arts and self-defense concepts, particularly in the realm of knife work. Here is Sabumnim’s review of the seminar, his opinion of Mr. Janich and his training, and some commentary on concepts:

This particular seminar was an introduction to the basic concepts of Mr. Janich’s empty-hand self-defense system, which is based on gross body movement and as near-universal applicability as he can manage. We started (as most seminars do) with a discussion of safety, and effective practice. Finding partners, we started drills building basic movement and gross motor skills. After some discussion and practice of the basic concepts, an expansion to the use of small tactical flashlights was discussed and practiced. At the end of the evening, several questions from the participants led to some empty-hand vs knife work that clearly showed Mr. Janich’s understanding of the differences between knife dueling and knife self-defense situations.

Before this goes any farther, it should immediately be said that I solidly enjoyed the seminar. There are many reasons to enjoy a seminar, but in particular, one of my main criterion is that it needs to either 1) provide me with at least one good solid concept (not merely a technique) that I can use to more effectively teach self-defense, or 2) provide me with solid data showing that what I am currently teaching will be effective for my students, while hopefully giving me some new drills to use with my students. This seminar provided both.

In addition, Mr. Janich is not only an effective teacher (as opposed to merely an instructor) but his explanations and commentary were both engaging and humorous. (My description of it to my students was that he had a very Hapkido sense of humor---and if you are a Hapkidoist, you know exactly what that means.)

So: the first useful concept I received from the seminar: downward motion is more intuitive for gross motor skills than outward or upward motion. In specific, the idea of a downward hammerfist strike is much easier for people to learn and perform under stress than outward palmheel strikes, or upward palmheel strikes.

I'd actually been thinking about this for awhile, as out of everything I've ever taught someone for self-defense, a basic palm-heel strike seems about the most difficult for women to understand and execute—and I never could understand why. It certainly wasn't something that was going to work well under stress, and yet something was needed for initial arms-length striking and followup. Every other hand strike I could come up with was even worse, so I have been sticking with simple variations on a basic palmheel—but I didn't really like it. It was just that I had nothing better.

A downward palmstrike (outward and downward, not merely downward) however, makes excellent sense and is very easy for people to pick up—and just as easily, transitions to hammerfist strikes without any difficulty at all. Even a badly done hammerfist strike can be strong, and a well-done one takes only basic gross motor skills that are intuitive, and thus easily learned and easy to execute under stress.

Janich followed the palm-reach/hammerfist combination with additional strikes, and then discussed (and had us practice) transitioning to knee strikes.

This part also made me happy,because it matched both what I knew about effective basic self-defense, and what I teach. The opening block/deflection palmheel, to distance strikes, to knees is something my self-defense students learn from the beginning, so it was good to see that what I have been teaching matched knowledgeable self-defense expert's opinions and concepts.

Various finishes and disengaging motions were covered, in particular Mr. Janich's strong proclivity for breaking ankles—not his, the other guy's. As he said, if you break their ankle, it makes it difficult for them to get up and chase you. Unsurprisingly, I also enjoyed this part as the techniques he used for ankle breaks matched some of the low kicks we do in Hapkido—exactly both in form and in execution.

Next we got out the tactical flashlights (also known as “small metal sticks”) and practiced similar movements—which fed directly into the prior movement concepts. Mr. Janich's comment was that you want to be holding something that extends past your hand slightly so that when you hit something, you are hitting with something that has no nerves in it—so you can hit as hard as you like. With the flashlight held correctly, the earlier hammerfist was suddenly turned into a much stronger strike—but the movement and positioning stayed the same, and thus worked well for self-defense.

Mr. Janich made the comment that empty-hand and weapons use should be integrated, movement-wise, because it makes little sense to have to change to an entirely different type and manner of movement just because you are holding something different in your hand.

Towards the end of the evening, we spent some time working basic reactions to some standard knife strikes, including inside strikes and stabs. Here is where I got my second conceptual “Ah-Ha!” of the evening, when he discussed the difference between the way many people presented knife attacks, and what many knife attacks look like.

In real life, true deadly knife attacks are often not some duel-oriented, large-scale wild attack. Quite the contrary—most knife attacks are ferocious, direct-line repeated stabs to the midsection. Unfortunately, most martial arts don't practice defenses vs these types of attacks. (Possibly because they don't know them? This isn't saying that various arts don't have the defenses as part of the style—but I have run into plenty of instructors who would not know how to defend against realistic knife assaults.)

I should say here that in my Hapkido class, we don't practice defenses against those types of assaults for quite some time—so many of my students would not know how to defend against them at lower ranks, either. There is a rationale for that, which I'll probably talk about in the next article. Whether that rationale is actually rational, I'll have to think about. Currently, I teach knife defense as I was taught—we'll see if that order changes slightly after next month's article when I give it some thought.

The conceptual “Ah-Ha!' that occurred wasn't exactly in the blocking technique that Mr. Janich used, nor was it exactly in the movement after the block (which tied up the knife arm of the attacker)--but it did have to do with both of those things.

Repeated direct-line stabs are just hard to block—and if you can't block them against a knife, you are dead. The bad thing is that in practice, people don't really do direct-line stabs. After awhile, most people start doing upward swings that start low and swing full-arm upward into the stomach area. These are easier to block, and most people (even when blocking correctly) stand there for a few strikes, with their hands outstretched, blocking the upward swings, then move in and catch the arm and complete the technique.

Unfortunately, while the original block may have worked against a direct-line stab, the practice turns into something that won't. My conceptual moment occurred when I watched a couple of people who were otherwise skilled, initially have problems completing the control technique, but later do it easily (and congratulate themselves on their understanding) once the original attack had been modified into the upward swing. They weren't actually proficient yet at this (and Mr. Janich caught this, and worked with them on it) but it seemed so to them because they didn't understand the important difference.

The blocking technique Mr. Janich taught worked in both cases equally well. However, the followup to stop the remaining attacks and set the control technique worked only if your movement followed your block. In other words, blocking once, twice, three times merely by leaving your hands out there may have been effective on upward swings, but not on realistic direct-line attacks. The block may be used against multiple attacks—but it can't just sit there, as direct-line attacks will then either go above it, or attack your block.

So conceptually, something that had been bothering me suddenly had a solution, after watching Mr. Janich demonstrate a technique I knew, but with movement in such a way that it worked in a majority of situations, instead of merely in a specific one. Good stuff!

So, overall Pros and Cons of the seminar:

Cons:

We didn't trade partners nearly enough. In most seminars, if the instructor doesn't make people trade, they won't. I worked with the same partner for the entire evening, and I very much would have preferred to work with a variety of people and body types.
There could have been slightly more instructor supervision. Mr. Janich did a good job of trying to keep an eye on everyone, and I and my partner had Mr. Janich or one of his assistants come discuss things with us several times. That being said, my partner had very little experience with this type of movement, and it always works better with corrections coming from an instructor than from a partner (especially since he didn't know me from Bubba).
Personal Con: would have liked to do all of this at a higher level—either higher intensity training, or higher level of attack (either commitment-wise or proficiency-wise). However, this con doesn't really count, as this was advertised as a introduction-level seminar, open to anyone. As such, Mr. Janich had no choice in what level he could teach, and allow training-wise.

I should note that out of all of the Cons listed, the first one was the only one that really should be addressed in future seminars (in my opinion).

Pros (I'm actually going to have to limit this, because the true list is somewhat lengthy):

Mr. Janich has outstanding fundamental movement. Watching his fundamentals through the seminar was just fun, as his body movement, focus, and use of center was outstanding. The seminar was worth going to just to watch his demonstrations, because it was an excellent example of how fundamental movement principles are universally applicable.
He also has an excellent teaching manner—his instructions are clear, to the point, humorous (for those who appreciate dark humor), and engaging. Makes it easy to retain knowledge.
Good solid useful self-defense technique taught for the level of seminar. Again, the focus on gross body movements and integrated movement made it highly intuitive.
Excellent training area and equipment—the Millard Black Belt Academy hosted the seminar, and we were able to use their striking pads and nice soft floor area for practice. It worked well for the size of the seminar. (Large enough that we weren't crashing into each other, small enough that people had to retain at least a basic level of situational awareness during drills.)

Overall, a very good seminar. I told the sponsors (Chris and Thane from the Security Solutions Group) that if they ever invite Mr. Janich back to let me know, because I'll bring a number of my students next time. Good stuff for them to see and practice.

One last thing that impressed me about Mr. Janich:

About the middle of the seminar, he was talking about how a certain type of block was applicable in a number of situations, and had one of his assistants strike him. The assistant came forward (hard!) with an attack that was incorrect for the situation Mr. Janich had been discussing. Mr. Janich had been in the middle of still speaking as he started his block, and as such his attention was on the audience, not the attacker. So—he caught a good solid punch right in the face, striking his nose and his glasses. His assistant froze. Mr. Janich simply pulled his glasses off, inspected them, said mildly “You bent the frames,” bent them back, put them back on, and had the assistant hit him again.

No expression of anger or annoyance, no attempt to cover a mistake, no repercussions for the assistant (though I'm fairly sure he got made fun of later) just a brief pause while the glasses were fixed, and a continuation of the seminar. No comment about "you attacked me wrong" or anything of the sort.

THAT is professional. And shows both class, and self-control. You don't always see that, even in seminars with high-level instructors. Matter of fact, sometimes it is the high level ones that most can't handle being seen to make a mistake in front of people.

So: The seminar was enjoyable, and Mr. Janich was both fun to watch, and good to learn from. If he comes into your area, go. Whether you have seen the stuff he teaches or not, it'll still be a good time.

After the seminar, Mr. Janich was good enough to stand for a picture with me. Note: he doesn't know me from anybody, so don't take this picture as any sort of endorsement from him. I'm not one of his instructors, though I must admit I'm thinking about perhaps taking some of his knife training...

Blog Explanation

2008-02-21T17:35:00.001-06:00

Welcome to the blog site of the Nebraska Hapkido Association! Periodically, we’ll add new articles about the martial arts in general, ideas specific to Hapkido, or concepts relevant to self-defense. In addition, we’ll post links to seminars we find interesting, and videos or articles found elsewhere that we consider important.

On the right are links to the Nebraska Hapkido Association website in addition to the YouTube site for the NHA where we will slowly build our library of video clips discussing/explaining aspects of Hapkido. At the top right is an announcements area, which for the most part will simply give class meeting times. However, in cases of emergency, other announcements (such as class cancellations) will also be posted there.