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A newsletter for the membership of World Dragon Kenpo Schools of Self Defense.

If you practice Dragon Kenpo techniques with different opponents, you have probably noticed that you must adjust your stance and step to account for differences in the physique of the opponents. This is not unique to Dragon Kenpo but is an issue with any style that uses two person self-defense drills.

In our training group we make use of very basic kata from different styles of traditional karate to help the practitioners learn the feel of different body movements.

Students are first exposed to Taikyoku. Taikyoku is used in most Shotokai schools as a first form and to a lesser extent in some Shotokan schools. Taikyoku Shodan is characterized by its very simple I-shaped embusen (pattern on the floor), the use of only one punching technique and only one blocking technique, and the use of only one stance, an extremely long front stance. Most beginners find the stance to be counter-intuitive, but the idea is to get them thinking about new ways of moving, in this case, closing the distance rapidly.

After achieving fair mastery of Taikyoku, students are taught Kihon Kata, used by some Shorin Ryu schools. This is identical to Taikyoku except for one additional block and the use of much shorter stances. After students have worked Kihon Kata for a while, their long stances in Taikyoku usually improve. The idea is for them to understand that there are short steps and there are long steps.

In the next phase students learn Shito Ryu’s Ju-Ni no Kata. This is almost identical to Taikyoku except that the movements consist of a relatively short step on the blocks followed by a long “chasing” step on the punch. This allows students to combine the concepts from the previous two experiences.

Finally, students learn Shorin Ryu’s Fukygata Ichi. This kata provides a little more complexity. It uses a long step into a block followed by a short step on the punch. The idea is to close the distance quickly to allow fighting on the inside. This is the reverse pattern of Ju-Ni no Kata.

If students have been paying attention to their bodies, they should now have an appreciation for dealing with different distances and changing distances with both larger and smaller opponents, as well as opponents who may not follow the script for a certain technique.

First, I need to preface this article with its intent: it is meant to make the reader think; not to provide a step by step series of defenses or offenses. Perhaps if there is enough reader interest, we’ll do a series on the various uses of the stick.

I’m a big fan of traditional Martial Arts, but I refuse to become bound by the tradition (thanks to Mr. Parker for the basis of that statement). Along The Way, we often run into traditional weapons: Kama (sickle), Tonfa (well handle), Nunchaku (Rice Flail), and on and on. I enjoy working with each of these, and recently began the World Dragon Kenpo Nunchaku course. However, will any of these be practical in your average confrontation? Probably not – I say probably because you might be on your way to or from your class and happen to have said weapon handy.

That brings to me to what is practical; a stick. I am allowed to carry a stick anywhere I please. It can be a cane, a walking stick, a swagger stick (who carries those these days?), even a rolled up magazine. A “stick” can be anything rigid that you can grab hold of and use in a club like manner.

Aside from being used as a club, the stick can be used as leverage in locks such as a simple choke, or a complex figure four. A recent BB article pointed out how versatile the stick is in conjunction with JiuJitsu – imagine how that opens up Dragon Kenpo when applied to the techniques.

Scenario: You are walking down the street with your girlfriend, and some creep decides to rob you at knifepoint. You look around very quickly to take an assessment of the situation and notice a section of wood about 35 inches long lying on a garbage pile waiting to be picked up by the sanitation engineers. You grab the stick and go to work. Once you’ve done your business with Mr. Bad Guy, the cops show up and you make your statement. Are you in trouble for beating the fellow senseless with a pair of Tonfa? Nah, just a bit of trash you saw sticking out of a junk heap.

Comments, suggestions, and questions are most certainly welcome. E-mail them to:

I just wanted to thank you for putting together such a good online training program. It gives people who may not have the money or the resources the opportunity to train in the martial arts. I did get the opportunity to train in martial arts in high school and enjoyed it very much. However, I could never get into the politics involved with the school, and I quit after about a year. Your online program gives me the chance to train on my own in an affordable manner. Thank you and all who are involved for giving people such as me the opportunity to train in the martial arts. Hopefully one day I can say I am a black belt in Dragon Kenpo.

Welcome to your new school and thank you for your thoughts concerning World Dragon Kenpo and our program. Please let me know if you have any questions concerning advancement or promotion.

Politics are not part of our agenda; we're interested in helping people reach their goals. I have no doubt that you will reach your goal of becoming a World Dragon Kenpo Black Belt Instructor!

All throughout the martial arts world, black belts are discussing what should be kept and what should be eliminated. Bruce Lee made the philosophy “use what works, eliminate what doesn’t” the standard in modern martial arts. Black belts all over are using this philosophy as an excuse to get rid of anything they do not like or do not understand. Often times what is broken is not the technique, but the way the technique is taught. If the technique is sound, but the way it is being taught is broken, then you should consider fixing it.

Lee described kata as dancing and not practical for fighting purposes. While I do not completely agree with his view point, I do understand it and can appreciate what he is trying to express. Kata does not teach practical fighting techniques. You will almost never run into a situation on the street where you finish by thinking, “I am glad I learned that kata.”

Kata is more than just a dance, however. Kata is not just moving basics, but a moving meditation. Keeping your mind focused only on the now is such a critical skill to develop, and kata is one of the vehicles are martial artist has to develop it.

Kata is like the poetry of the style. Every move has a purpose, and even the most straightforward move may have a hidden meaning. Kata teaches you new applications and new ways of looking at the same old techniques. You see different techniques flow together, and you look into each move and discover what secrets are to be unlocked.

Now this may sound very pretentious, but I happen to believe martial arts teach us more than just how to fight. They teach us how to live, and kata is very much the “art” in the martial art. Eliminating that, especially without learning the true lessons, is like eliminating the soul of the art.

Closer to home, our Dragon Kenpo founder had a lot to say on the Yellow Belt tape about the high or upper block. Ed Hutchison's big complaint on the video is that your opposite hand is chambered at your waist. Ok, this is silly. If you don't like the hand being chambered, move it. He also feels your ribs are exposed. This can be partially countered by the other hand. The rest can be countered by performing the upper block the Ed Parker way, bringing the arm vertically up, twisting into a 45 degree angle framing the head as the fist reaches the eye brows. Also, this is more of a snapping block, it is not a block you lock in place and hold there.

To his credit, Hutchison did make the statement, "Almost anything is better than the upper block." In that, I agree. All of the other blocks are intercepting and redirecting. To me, they resemble more of hard or striking parries. The Upper Block is a BLOCK. It places an appendage between the weapon and the target. At the 45 degree angle, there is a little redirection, but you are basically shielding your head with your arm. Don't get me wrong, I would much rather be hit in the arm than the head. But I honestly prefer choice C - don't be there.

Upper Block simply gives martial artists another weapon in the arena of self defense. The Upper Block is great when that overhead club comes and you want to move in, instead of away. Step in with an upper block while you strike with the opposite hand. While the upper block may be used rarely; to eliminate it is to limit your choices.

I am not trying to say that you should hold on to tradition no matter what. And I am not suggesting that you keep doing what you have proven does not work. What I am saying is that you should analyze what is broken – the technique or the teaching. Both kata and upper blocks have their place in martial arts. They may not be centerpieces but they are important. And when taught correctly, they add on additional aspects to the martial art.

“Use what works, eliminate what doesn’t.” Just make sure you know how and why something does not work.

This was a military classic written in the 6^th Century B.C.; however, it still has many practical applications in modern society. Not merely for its war-like theme, but for the messages of common sense and wisdom. This book is mandatory reading for many military personnel around the world; however, with increasing frequency, the work has been studied by business leaders, managers, and sports coaches. There are messages of wisdom for all of us in this impressive documentary.

Via Wikipedia, I found several links that actually provide the book online. For this article, I used free audio files courtesy of Thoughtaudio.com, which are narrated by Mr. Michael Scott, to listen to the book. A link will be provided below, and I would encourage all of you to take advantage of this excellent literary resource. I will outline each chapter, and directly quote and/or paraphrase a few of the main ideas from each. Bold-faced areas emphasize important themes.

The art of war is the greatest affair of the State... It forms the basis of life and death. The art of war is governed by five constant factors: Moral law, heaven, earth, the commander, and method and discipline. He who knows them will be victorious; he who knows them not, will fail... Which of the two sovereigns is imbued with the moral law? Which of the two generals has the most ability? With whom lie the advantages derived from heaven and earth? On which side is discipline most rigorously enforced? Which army is stronger? On which side are officers and men more highly trained? In which army is there the greatest constancy of the reward and punishment? With the means of these seven principles, I can forecast victory or defeat.

All warfare is based upon deception. Hence, when able to attack, you must seem unable. When using our forces, you must seem inactive. When we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away. When far away, we must make him believe we are near. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder and crush him. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak so that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his leave, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. Attack him where he is not prepared. Appear where you are not expected… The general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes few calculations before the battle.

1000 ounces of silver per day is the cost of raising an army of 100,000 men. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your strength. If the campaign is protracted, the resources of the State will not be equal to the strain… Cleverness has never been associated with long delays. There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare. It is only one that is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war that can understand the profitable way of carrying it on…

Poverty of the State treasury causes an Army to be maintained by contributions from a distance. This causes people to become impoverished…

The captured soldiers should be kindly treated and kept. Using the conquered foe to augment one’s own strength. In war, the objective is victory, not lengthy campaigns. Thus, it may be known, the leader of armies is the arbiter of the people’s fate. The men of whom it depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in peril…

Take the enemy’s country whole and intact. To shatter and destroy it is not as good. It is better to capture an entire army, regiment, company rather than destroy it. To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence. Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting. The highest form of generalship is to balk the enemy’s plans, the next best is to prevent the junction of the enemy’s forces, the next is to attack the enemy’s army in field, and the worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities…

The skillful leader subdues the enemy’s troops without any fighting. He captures their cities without laying siege to them. He captures their kingdom without lengthy operations in the field…

It is the rule of war that if our forces are 10 to 1, to surround him. If 5 to 1, attack him, if twice as numerous, divide our army into two. If equally matched, we can offer battle. If slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid the enemy. If quite unequal in every way, we can flee from him. Hence, though an obstinate fight might be made by a small force, in the end it must be captured by the larger force…

By commanding the army to advance or retreat, being ignorant of the fact that it can’t obey. This is hobbling the army. To attempt to govern an army the same way he governs a kingdom, being ignorant of the conditions obtained in an army. This causes restlessness in the soldier’s minds. To employ the officers of his army, without discrimination through ignorance of the military principles of adaptation to circumstances. This shakes the confidence of the soldiers…

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of 100 battles. If you know yourself and not the enemy, for every victory gained, you also suffer a defeat. If you know neither yourself or your enemy, you will succumb in every battle.

The opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. One may know how to conquer without being able to do it…

The general who is skilled in defense hides in the most secret recesses of the Earth. He who is skilled in attack flashes forth from the top most heights of heaven… We have the ability to protect ourselves. On the other, a victory that is complete. A clever fighter not only wins, but wins with ease. He wins his battle by making no mistakes. Making no mistakes means establishing a certainty of victory. It means conquering an enemy that is already defeated. The skillful fighter puts himself into a position which makes defeat impossible. And does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy. He only seeks a battle after the victory has been won…

A victorious army opposed to a routed one is a pound’s weight placed in the scale against a single grain. The onrush of a conquering force is like the bursting up of pent-up waters into a chasm a 1000 fathoms deep.

Announcements and Reminders
If you are NOT attending the Tai Chi Seminar you can still begin training by ordering the dvd at www.dragonkenpo.us Members>Online Store....

Sept 8th-10th Tai Chi for Arthritis Instructor training seminar to be held at the YMCA in b-e-autiful Lake Geneva. Make your plans now....

Sept 23 Annual Banquet, Exams and Pool party also at the "Y". Contact Coach Pfeiffer for lodging information for both events.

The articles within this newsletter are the views of the writer and not necessarily the views shared by the World Dragon Kenpo Schools of Self Defense

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