Professional Documents
Culture Documents
4 / 5. 2016
COVER STORY
28 SMALL-CIRCLE JUJITSU
Leon Jay is on a mission to grow the grappling art
founded by his father Wally Jay. This article will help you
understand the essential principles on which the art of
small-circle jujitsu depends. It also will teach you three
close-range techniques you can use for self-defense.
FEATURES
37 BUDDHIST MARTIAL ARTS OF CHINA
Built more than 1,000
years ago, Shaolin Temple
quickly became a nexus
of Buddhism-based self-
defense. Fast-forward
to the 21st century: The
Chinese monastery remains
a depository for historical
artifacts and displays
designed to educate
modern-day visitors like you.
42 CURE OR CURSE
In the February/March 2016
issue, Black Belt spoke
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out how being an Olympic
sport has effected judo and
taekwondo. For this issue,
we asked three authorities
to weigh in on the Games
vs. pankration, wrestling and
karate. Find out what Jim
Arvanitis, Mark Hatmaker and
Tokey Hill had to say.
50
Photo by Peter Lueders
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and services advertised in this magazine or the martial arts or other techniques discussed or illustrated in this magazine. The publisher expressly disclaims any and all liability relating to the manufacture, sale or use of such products and
services and the application of the techniques discussed or illustrated in this magazine. The purchase or use of some of the products, services or techniques advertised or discussed in this magazine may be illegal in some areas of the
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physician before using these products or services or applying these techniques.
BLACK BELT - APRIL/MAY 2016 - VOLUME 54 - NUMBER 3
CONTENTS
16
FIGHTBOOK
The martial arts world bids farewell to jeet
kune do icon Daniel Lee, who passed away in
December 2015. This soft-spoken Bruce Lee
student was also a boxing champ, a tai chi
instructor and a NASA engineer.
18
DESTINATIONS
Does your bucket list include a martial arts
sojourn in Southeast Asia? Find out what
LW·VOLNHWROHDUQbradal serey, aka Khmer
kickboxing, in Cambodia and how the
experience compares with learning muay Thai
in Thailand.
20
KARATE WAY
Dave Lowry begins this short course on
HIÀFLHQF\LQPRYHPHQWE\FRPSDULQJPDUWLDO
arts with using a serrated knife to slice a loaf
of French bread. Hint: If you want to be a
better karateka, cut it like a sushi chef would.
22
PAYCHECK
For this piece, a Black Belt columnist spoke
with ninjutsu pioneer Stephen K. Hayes,
novelist Barry Eisler, MMA journalist Jim
Genia and Shaolin disciple Matthew Polly.
:KDW·VWKHFRQQHFWLRQ"$OOKDYHPDQDJHGWR
make money writing about martial arts.
8 EDITOR’S NOTE
24
10 TIMES COMBATIVES
57 ESSENTIAL GEAR If you carry a knife for self-defense, you
need to read what combatives authority Kelly
62 BLACK BELT PAGES McCann has to say. His insights, which stem
from real-world experience, could keep you
66 FROM THE ARCHIVES alive — and out of jail.
26
FIT TO FIGHT
VOL. 54 NO. 3. BLACK BELT (ISSN 0277-
3066, USPS 985-820) is published bi-
monthly by Cruz Bay Publishing, Inc., an
Active Interest Media company. Advertising Most martial artists know that situational
DQG HGLWRULDO RIÀFHV DW $Q]D 'ULYH awareness is crucial to staying safe in public.
Unit E, Santa Clarita, California 91355.
7KH NQRZQ RIÀFH RI SXEOLFDWLRQ LV But did you know that being aware of your
Flatiron Pkwy, Boulder, CO 80301. Peri- surroundings necessarily requires you to
odicals postage paid at Boulder, CO and at
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Send address changes to Black Belt, P.O.
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not be responsible for unsolicited material. 60
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companied by a stamped, self-addressed COMPANY SPOTLIGHT
return envelope. Printed in the United For more than 17 years, a Wisconsin
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2016 by Black Belt Communications LLC, FRPSDQ\FDOOHG*UHDWPDWVKDVSURYLGHGÁRRU
an Active Interest Media Publication. All coverings designed to make your martial arts
ULJKWVUHVHUYHG5HSURGXFWLRQZLWKRXWSHU-
mission is strictly prohibited. training safer. Here is the great story.
VOLUME 54, NO. 3 APRIL/MAY 2016
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Floyd Burk, Mark Cheng, Antonio Graceffo, Mark
Hatmaker, Mark Jacobs, Dave Lowry, Kelly McCann,
Keith Vargo
F
or better or worse, we human beings are drawn to new things like moths
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Martial Arts World Bids Farewell to him a leg up in jeet kune do, which
incorporated elements of boxing and
Jeet Kune Do, Tai Chi Icon other arts at a time when few people
%
ǦǤ
December 2015 saw the passing of Daniel Lee, a renowned jeet kune do and tai chi considered by some to be the best box-
chuan practitioner. er/kickboxer to come out of the China-
Ǥ
by Mark Jacobs
Dz ǡdz
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L
ee’s life read like a novel that can space program to becoming Bruce =1 Ǧ
Ǥ
ǯ
Photo by Doug Churchill
verse martial arts background gave him Meanwhile, he earned a degree in Chi- the outer reaches of the solar system.
a style all his own. nese medicine. He did all this while But he was equally proud of his con-
“His style of movement was like holding down an engineering position tributions to the martial arts world,
what you’d see watching old-time at the California Institute of Technol- even traveling back to China several
boxers, not like most of the other JKD ogy’s famed Jet Propulsion Laboratory. years ago to teach a seminar at a JKD
guys,” Magda said. “Dan would put his Lee began working there in the early school. And when one of the Chinese
ϐ1Ǥ days of the space program and collabo- hosts sought to impress by punching
1 =ǡǡϐ
& % ϐ
him during a training session, the
jab. He also had a way of covering up that paved the way for men to land on octogenarian Lee showed he hadn’t
where he’d glue his hands to his head the moon. lost his touch — he deftly parried
and point his elbows out so punches “I remember one time when I was the blow and countered with a strike
would glance off his forearms. I call it little, I asked my mother where Dad that knocked the younger man’s
the ‘Dan Lee cover’ and still teach it to was that night, and she just said, ‘He’s glasses off his face.
my students.” working late,’” Robert Lee said. “Then I
turned on the TV and saw Surveyor 7 “THERE ARE TWO TYPES of mar-
DANIEL LEE’S INTEREST in both landing on the moon and realized he tial arts: the combative and the ar-
martial arts and Asian culture was far was in the lab monitoring the telemetry tistic,” said fellow JKD practitioner
ranging. He began studying tai chi in coming back from space.” Richard Bustillo. “The thing about
the mid-1960s, eventually opening a Daniel Lee was proud of the fact Dan is that he was like Bruce — he
school and becoming president of the some of the deep-space probes he could be combative but also beauti-
National Tai Chi Chuan Association.
1
ϐ
% ful in his movement.”
DESTINATIONS
I
stuck with it awhile, learning pat-
% ̈́ʹ ϐ- “No, they aren’t,” the bystanders
terns and stances, but I periodi- ers can train. They’re paid $20 to $25 argued. “They’re wearing Khmer-box-
cally go through phases in which 1 ǡ %ϐ ing shorts.”
traditional classes seem pointless, whenever the studio orders them to. A bell signaled the beginning of the
and one was beginning to hit me. I con- I quickly learned of the oddities that round, and the men began feeling
cluded that the students were practic- exist in Khmer kickboxing. For exam- each other out with kicks, punches,
ing strikes and blocks they could never ple, just before a match, I watched two elbows and knees. It looked exactly
ϐǤ%1 ϐ
& like muay Thai. The structure also
& 1
ϐ- version of wai khru, the symbolic dance was the same: five rounds with two-
ing, which fortunately is well-estab- that’s performed before muay Thai minute breaks.
lished in Cambodia. bouts. “That’s just like in Thailand,” I
said to a friend. EVEN THE RHYTHM mirrors muay
THE PHYSICAL PURSUIT that cap- “Absolutely not,” shouted several Ǥ
% % ϐ
Photo Courtesy of Antonio Graceffo
tured my attention was bradal serey, Khmers who happened to overhear. two rounds is by knockout. The judges,
aka Khmer kickboxing. I arranged to They were offended that I’d suggested as a rule, don’t record points scored in
%ǡ- that their national sport even slightly Ǥ ϐ
day, I went to a local TV studio to watch resembled a Thai sport. are slower, almost a warm-up. Rounds
some matches. That’s when I discov- ϐ three and four are when the bulk of the
ϐ stripped to the waist, barefoot and action takes place. Whoever wins those
under contract to a TV studio. Locals gloved, I said to my friend, “They’re
&
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told me the studios normally provide wearing muay Thai shorts.” unless he gets knocked out.
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n our neighborhood, there are arm muscles to do it. They look stiff ner there to watch him use a blade the
several families that come to our and awkward. In many cases, they’re right way. Notice how he handles the
house regularly for dinner. Some frightened. Most have never held a
&
ϐ
1
of them have children, and when sharp object. Very often, this will have ϐǤ ȋ ǯ &%ǡ &
the kids see me working in the kitch- ϐ Dz
dz
will be pointed at the end. If he’s from
en, they want to help. TV shows and 12 or 13 has ever done. Their posture western Japan, it’ll be rounded.) He
celebrity chefs have made cooking an is usually awful, and their cuts are ten- never “saws” the meat. He slices with
attractive activity, making them eager tative, small and ragged. one clean stroke as he pulls the blade
to learn. I’ve introduced several young It’s no coincidence you see this same toward him.
1 1
&
&
Ǥ ϐ behavior in the karate dojo. Don’t watch his hands, though. Pay
time they handle a knife or a Chinese attention to his posture. If you’ve been
cleaver, I watch their body language. BEGINNERS OFTEN ASSUME the same doing any kind of budo for very long,
These children have been raised stiff-legged stances. Their sense of their you’ll see similarities in the way the
playing video games and doing things body mechanics moves instantly up to itamae moves and the way good kara-
ϐ
Ǥ their shoulders. For all the work their teka move. The chef will always have
can see that when they handle a blade. lower bodies are doing, they might as &
% ϐ
' ǯ
All their focus goes into their hands. well be sitting in a chair. Their move-
Ǥ
' Ǥ
They understand instinctively that ments are spastic and uncoordinated initiation of movement comes from his
the muscles of the hand won’t do big — and largely ineffectual. hips. His elbows are close to his body
work, so they immediately hunch If you have a well-trained itamae, or so his arms move in coordination with
their shoulders and try to get their sushi chef, in your town, it’s worth din- his trunk.
1
strokes to make a complete slice. Try
side. Instead of using your shoulder tasks within Japanese society share it while keeping your elbow close to
to make the movement, use your hip. commonalities. When a Japanese cal- your side and relaxing your shoulder.
Remember that your hip is connected ligrapher makes a stroke with his ǯ Dz1
dz & Ǥ ǡ
to your hand. Your shoulder is not a brush, you’ll see his arm is connected it through the bread with a steady
source of power; it’s just a link. Your to his body exactly as we’ve been dis- %1Ǥǯ
ϐ
hips provide the power. Relax your
Ǥ ǯ ϐ knife goes right through, making a
shoulder and let hip movement do the manipulate the brush; he moves and clean stroke.
work. Try it, and you’ll be surprised writes from his hips while his shoul- If only the movements of karate were
how quickly and smoothly the blade ders are relaxed. I’m also not suggest- as easily mastered.
rips through the branch. ing that non-Japanese are automati-
The sushi chef moves the same way,
%
ϐ
%Ǥ % To purchase Dave Lowry’s books, visit
essentially, as a person who’s correctly good boxer understands precisely how amazon.com.
wielding a Japanese pruning saw — 1 1
Ǥ
We know
your risks.
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PAYCHECK
Zen and the Art of 1,000 Words tricity bill, I was prepared to hate him.
But Eisler proved friendly and ap-
With a deadline fast approaching, the need for 1,000 words on the business of proachable, turning our conversation
into a pleasant chat on topics of mu-
ZULWLQJDERXWPDUWLDODUWVDQGDFDVHRIZULWHUŚVEORFN,ƘQDOO\UHDOL]HGWKDWWKH
tual interest.
EHVWZD\WRDSSURDFKWKHFUHDWLRQRIWKLVFROXPQPLJKWEHWROHWRWKHUSHRSOH Following a stint in the CIA, Eisler
H[SODLQZKDWLWŚVOLNHWRZULWHUDWKHUWKDQH[SODLQLWP\VHOI found work in Japan, where he trained
E\0DUN-DFREV in judo at the Kodokan and spent his
Ǧ ϐ
I
t was Black Belt’s editor who pro- movies, but it’s good writing that can an assassin who just happened to have
posed a story on how martial art-
% ϐ 1 - once been a CIA agent and learned judo
ists can become martial arts writ- spire you,” he said. at the Kodokan.
ers. My initial response was, “Can Beginning as a martial artist who Obviously, Eisler is a believer in the
I say how you need to be a masochist kept a diary of his time training in Ja- importance of writing about things
who doesn’t want to make money?” pan, Hayes elected to turn his journal you know and things that interest you.
Undaunted by my pessimism, the edi- into a book. That’s not a bad way to get “I’m cognizant of wanting people to like
tor provided a couple of suggestions for started as a writer — concentrate on what I write, but it’s really the things
people to interview, starting with Ste- your own experience, which is a subject that I’m passionate about which end up
phen K. Hayes. you know well. in my work,” he said.
Hayes continued writing about nin- Running down the list of prepared
HAYES WAS THE FIRST American jutsu, supporting himself by penning questions I always create for an inter-
to train in ninjutsu in the 1970s af- a series of popular books published view — to avoid sounding like an idiot
ter reading about ninja warriors in a by Black Belt in the 1980s. He became — I asked Eisler about the challenges
James Bond novel and in the pages of the ultimate niche writer, focusing on
ϐ
Black Belt. Now the author of numerous a narrow specialty that almost no one ϐǤ 1
%ǡ
books on the subject, Hayes is quick to else had knowledge of. For a writer, are some of his favorite scenes to write.
admit that his life was changed by the this can be a positive and a negative. If Although details and authenticity are
writing of others. you’re one of the few people covering essential, he said, more important is
“They can do a lot with CGI in the a topic, you become the go-to person what the combatants are experiencing.
W
hen I wrote about knives He wound up serving time for doing
in my book Combatives what he believed was necessary to YOUR INTENT SHOULD always be to
for Street Survival, I was a protect himself. stop an attack, not to kill or wound.
subject-matter expert for Obviously, gratuitously injuring an at-
the defense in a homicide case in Vir- INTRODUCING A WEAPON into any tacker is never acceptable or lawful.
ginia. Here are the facts: confrontation is problematic. Many When you’re being judged after an
A young man was horsing around times, it’s viewed as an escalation of incident that compelled you to draw
with a much larger, older man who was violence instead of a legitimate means a weapon, intent is very important —
known to be a violent, ill-tempered 1
&Ǥ ǯ ϐ
it’s second only to the factual details
felon. The horseplay evolved into a far judge or jury to internalize the terror of the event. Your actions are the only
more serious confrontation, and the a person was experiencing when he or things that can be considered in deter-
larger man began to severely beat the she felt compelled to draw a weapon in mining your intent.
young man. Having knocked the small- self-defense. And then there’s the inevi- Why is all that important? Because it
er man down, he grabbed a plastic lawn table “Well, why didn’t he …?” and “Why translates to what you will do with your
chair and started hitting him with it. couldn’t they have …?” second-guessing knife, which translates to what tech-
The young man, in fear for his life — and rearview-mirror conjecturing. niques you need to know right down to
or, at least, a terrible beating — drew I’m not sure there’s a formulaic, reli- how you should hold it to achieve your
a folding knife and thrust it out repeat- able answer to when you can legally use goal, which is to defend yourself.
edly in an attempt to make the attacker a knife in self-defense. There certainly
Photo by Robert Reiff
back off. are many anecdotal, emotional and im- AS I SAID at the beginning of this col-
The larger man continued to attack, passioned answers to the question, but umn, it’s always contentious when
however, and the knife eventually do you really want to rely — truly rely people start arguing about the best
struck a lethal target. The young man — on the axiom “Better to be judged by ways to employ a knife. My opinion is
was found guilty of manslaughter. 12 than carried by six”? that it’s most important to consider
range and let that drive your tactics ϐ %
Ǥ
cus on the myriad other situations that
and techniques. For example, if you
%1 &
1
%%& Ǥ
%ǯ =ϐ is best for self-defense and if you’re un- Examples include multiple-attacker
your knife based on the situation and necessarily hamstringing yourself by
%ǯ
your attacker is at range, holding him committing to a purpose-built knife for your space against repeated attacks,
1
&
- one style or another. ϐ
%ǯ
sonable and best accomplished using choked (potentially to death) and car-
Western techniques such as snap cuts ǧ discussions, =
&
1
and slashes that are intended to pre- there are no perfect or absolute an- is deployed inside the vehicle or as you
vent him from closing. Ǥ
% & % enter your vehicle and you can’t escape.
ϐ ǡ unlocking your personal best perfor- As simple as a knife is, the situations
the attacker is right on top of you, er- mance under duress and achieving that
%
gonomics, range of motion, space avail-
%- aren’t. Yes, stabbing and slashing are
% ϐ
%
ety of techniques.
% 1
ǡ &
different approach. In situations like
% %
- you should do that — or use a better
these, the pikal technique makes more
1
& tactic — never is.
sense because it enables you to clear, not necessarily training knife on knife.
fend, trap and stab effectively. Although knife-on-knife situations are For information about Kelly McCann’s
Which, of course, means a change of possible, they’re improbable. As such, combatives course, which can be streamed
grip. That inevitably leads to arguments some portion of your training should fo- anytime, anywhere to your digital device,
against your changing grip once you’re cus on this, but it’s more important to fo- ϔ
Ǥ
ȀǤ
#AimFitness
FIT TO FIGHT
Train Your Brain to Be Situationally Aware phone user moved down a seat as if
courteously giving the man some room.
He never looked up from the screen.
Ŝ7KHRQO\ƘJKWV\RXWUXO\ZLQDUHWKHRQHV\RXGRQŚWKDYHŝŘ/HH&KLOG When the police arrived after the rob-
by Mark Hatmaker bery, the smartphone user had nothing
to offer in assistance. He had no idea
K
eeping that quote in mind, retreat from where you are to a place the robbery even happened.
along with the fact that crime that’s not here. The second example involves an in-
is a product of opportunity, He points to the numerous instances cident aboard a bus in San Francisco.
will take you a long way to- of car crashes related to smartphone The footage clearly shows all the pas-
ward being a “master of self-defense” in use but says that observation doesn’t sengers with their faces glued to their
that it simply removes as many oppor- go far enough. He’s cataloged an im- screens as a man got on board. The
tunities as possible from your behavior. pressive battery of incidents in which new rider then pulled out a gun and
That said, let me point to a bit of victims were chosen simply because brandished it — while no one noticed.
advice from a former CIA operative they were the animals at the watering The predator looked confused, put
named Jason Hanson, who says that the hole with their heads down, blind to away the weapon, seemed to think for
No. 1 tip he can offer to make people a their surroundings. a moment and then pulled it out again.
bit more like Jason Bourne is this: “Al- Lest anyone think that my use of the This time, he used it. The precious
ways be aware of your surroundings.” word “blind” goes too far, Hanson backs window of opportunity to avert the
Easier said than done, right? Well, he up his contention with copious exam- tragedy had been lost.
goes a bit further by offering what he ples of security-camera footage of peo- If you think, “I’m not that way — I’m
considers the most important thing you ple being blindsided in all sorts of pub- perfectly aware of my surroundings
can do to increase your awareness of lic spaces. The reason: Their eyes were even while I use this marvel of technol-
your surroundings: Don’t use a smart- glued to the screen of their cellphone. ogy,” you’re dismissing all the science
phone in public. that describes the way the human brain
TWO ASTONISHING examples come to functions. As researchers always tell us,
HANSON SAYS SPY CRAFT prohibits Ǥ ϐ&1
we simply do not multitask well.
the use of smartphones not just be- was robbed at gunpoint. The predator In a recent study of time-loss percep-
cause of the tracking potential but be- actually stood next to the smartphone tion, smartphone users were timed by
cause it encourages “absorption,” or a user during the robbery. The smart- hidden observers while they periodi-
cally checked their phones in a casual of Moby Dick and knocking off a page
ϐ
dining environment. When asked how or two before getting back to my fellow 500 burpees in a day, they usually com-
long they thought their interaction with Ǥ ' plete it, but when I ask them to wean
the phone had lasted, they consistently
ϐǡ Ǥ themselves off their smartphone for a
underestimated the time by 80 percent. few days, the failure rate is far higher.
Translation: Human beings generally BUT I ASSURE YOU that today’s lesson is
have no idea how long their attention not “Black Belt & ϐ IN A NUTSHELL, you can’t have it both
is actually lost, how long they are blind. kids today.” It’s about being situationally ways. You can’t be prepared operators
aware. Being blind to your dinner com- in the world who claim to value situ-
SIDE RANT: I’ve got a biased dog in this panions is one thing, but being blind to ational awareness and self-protection
ϐǤ '1 predators with weapons is another. and at the same time be checking ev-
my presence. I think it’s rude. It says Knowing that trained CIA person- ery ping and chime that emanates from
to the others who are present: “Yeah, nel are taught to drop the smartphone, that electronic leash.
you’re here, but this person who didn’t how can anyone think that lesser-
ǯ '
take the time to actually come out and trained citizens will be more resistant public, and they don’t surf the Web
meet with me is going to be my priority. to its temptations? there, either. By all means carry a
You’re my analog booty call.” I offer a challenge for those who are phone for the conveniences and safety
I see this behavior displayed even by brave: Leave your phone at home for 24 1 ǡ& ϐ
1Ǧ
folks I personally like. It appears to be hours. Be awake for a day. Be aware. top phone that is, well, a phone.
a cultural shift that I don’t get. It would 'ǡ &Ȅ1
%
ϐ
%
Ǥ
if you found being phoneless for a day ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mark Hatmaker is
a Knoxville, Tennessee-based trainer and the
akin to me stopping in the middle of a uncomfortable. It’s a testament to the founder of Extreme Self-Protection. extreme
conversation, pulling out a worn copy power of these devices that when I task selfprotection.com
%
%
%
is his son Leon. he taught. It illustrates a fundamental mechanical principle
Since he assumed the mantle of the small circle, Leon Jay of two-way action.
% ǯ
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1
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technician and, more important, a teacher who can convey off with him. Once each party had assumed a relaxed neu-
the superior mechanics for which the art is renowned. tral stance, Wally would ask the volunteer to punch him with
ǯ
either hand. As soon as the young man had raised his arm
% & % 1
1
%
%
ǣ a few inches, Wally would grasp the wrist with his match-
Ǣ
%
%Ǣ Ǧ
Ǧ ing hand (right for right, left for left) and rotate it outward.
Ǣ
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He’d place the palm of his other hand on the volunteer’s
11
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&ǡ
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Ǣ lifted with the wrist-holding hand with the intent of moving
ϐ
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taken place under Leon remains consistent with those prin-
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1 1Ǥ
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trial and error, and Leon has committed himself to conduct-
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Wally hoped his art would continue to evolve.
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at a seminar one time, and Remy Presas was teaching. One
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dent in the eye and then reassured him. ‘Yes, and I’m stealing
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In that spirit of sharing, Leon Jay and I present these three
1 % & ϐǦ
small-circle jujitsu defenses. We’d feel honored if you were cient. Not surprisingly, Leon is continuing that tradition.
Wally Jay was always searching for the most efficient way to overcome
resistance, and he found that various GTOs and other pressure points
could be incorporated into the system to make it more efficient.
60$//&,5&/(·635,0(',5(&7,9(
The techniques depicted and described in this article were selected because they highlight some key performance points and
principles taught in small-circle jujitsu.%HDULQPLQGWKDWWKHRYHUDOOVWUDWHJLFDLPRIWKHDUWLVWRFRQWUROWKHRSSRQHQW7KDWGRHVQ·W
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— John Mellon
a b c d
CLOSE-UPS: Leon Jay works the tendon with his knuckles (a), creating “rolling pressure” as he rubs it in a tight circular motion from the
triceps (b) to the elbow (c-d) to constantly stimulate the golgi tendon organ.
1 2
3 4
FINGER-LOCK CONTROL
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does two things: takes the slack out of the joint and compro- to resistance. No matter how tight or how painful a locking
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Ǥ
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tant concept to my father.
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particularly useful for law-enforcement and military person-
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It’s clear that Leon Jay is guiding small-circle jujitsu further
force vs. excessive force. The logic: If the worst should take along the strategic course his father envisioned. At the same
1
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&
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pain to prevent the assailant from adapting and resisting. because small-circle jujitsu wouldn’t exist without small-
circle judo. Judo was my father’s proving ground for jujitsu;
Strategic Approach it’s where he developed and pressure-tested many of his
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DVDs
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Shaolin Temple
Buddhist
Martial Arts
of China
STORY AND PHOTOS BY ROBERT W. YOUNG
ORIGINS
Around 495, a nondescript
Buddhist temple called
Shaolin was constructed in
Henan province in eastern
China. Thirteen years later,
an Indian monk named
Bodhiruchi arrived with
the intention of schooling
the locals in Dhyana, his
preferred form of Buddhism.
ARRIVAL
Some 30 years later,
another Indian monk
showed up at Shaolin. His
name was Bodhidharma.
(Tamo in Chinese, Daruma
in Japanese, Dalma in
Korean) [See: Bodhidharma
statue at Shaolin]
MEDITATION
For reasons that remain
contentious, Bodhidharma
retreated to a cave in the
nearby Song mountains,
where he supposedly spent
nine years meditating in
front of a wall. When he
descended to the temple,
he noted the poor condition
of the young monks and
decreed that physical
ϐ 1
1
ϐ Ǥ
TRAINING
Most of Bodhidharma’s
lessons focused on
meditation and yogic Bodhidharma has been immortalized in a statue that sits in meditation on the grounds of Shaolin.
exercises. Many claim he also
taught abdominal breathing
and chi development. around the world. Dhyana refer to as Shaolin kung FEARS
Buddhism evolved into fu. [See: Shaolin statues] The temple’s history
INFLUENCE Chan Buddhism (Zen purports that after
Over the ensuing centuries, in Japanese), and the LEGEND numerous victories over
Bodhidharma and Shaolin monastery produced a According to some enemies of all stripes,
Temple gained fame
ϐ& historians, all that happened the Chinese government
ϐ who practiced what we because Bodhidharma’s grew suspicious, and then
meditative teachings were fearful, of the monks and
merged with basic Indian %Ǥϐ
SOFT vs. HARD
Ǧ
prohibited them from
often used by monks on practicing their martial art
the road. Once perfected, at various times, and parts
kMost Chinese martial arts were developed within one the combination was of the compound were
of two great spiritual systems: Buddhism and Taoism. ϐ
Ǥ
burned on several occasions.
The “soft” schools originated in Taoist temples, the targeted traveling Shaolin
most famous being those in the Wudang Mountains. priests, they were SPECIFICS
The “hard” schools were taught in Buddhist monaster- reportedly repelled with %
ϐ
ies, beginning with the legendary Shaolin Temple. So ϐ
%Ǥ[See: anti-Buddhism campaigns
that laymen could help the country resist the Manchu
Shaolin weapons display] took place in China in
invasions of the 17thFHQWXU\WKHVHÀJKWLQJV\VWHPV
were allowed to spread beyond the temple walls.
— Adam G. Stoik
WARRIOR
MONKS?
& chi sao. 1 1
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Does Being an
Olympic Sport
Make a Martial Art
More Popular, or
Does It Lead to the
Decline of Tradition
and Technique?
In the February/March 2016 issue, we
interviewed several masters to discuss
the effect Olympic inclusion has had on
judo and taekwondo. Here, we pose a
similar set of questions to other experts
ϔ
pankration and karate if they’re ever
ȋȌǤ
— Editors
ART: WRESTLING
ADDED TO THE OLYMPICS: 708 B.C.
& some minds that — let’s face it — it
ǡ
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Ǧ
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%ǡ rules or not, if you aren’t prepared for
ǡ
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practiced as a martial art or warrior
ʹ ǯ͵ Ǥ
1Ǥ
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&
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pammachonȋDzǦ QUESTION: Do you think pankration
1
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11
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“When combatives are made complicated,
they’re no longer combatives,” said Kelly McCann,
a renowned combatives authority and Black Belt’s
2008 Self-Defense Instructor of the Year.
With that mandate to keep things uncompli-
cated, McCann described 10 tactics and tech-
niques that he teaches to all who attend his com-
If You’re New to Martial batives seminars. He has found they’re every bit
as useful to beginners as they are to black belts.
Arts, Kelly McCann Will
Teach You Right. 1
TACTIC: HOLLOW OUT
If You’re a Black Belt, He’ll TO AVOID A BLADE
Anyone who’s studied an art that includes re-
Help You Fine-Tune Your ality-based knife defense knows that hollowing
out — the act of thrusting your abdomen back-
Street Skills! ward when it’s targeted with a blade — makes
Part 1
a lot of sense. After all, why attempt a block and
risk a fail when you can move the part of your
body that’s under attack out of the path of the
edged weapon?
BY J. TORRES It’s because of this logic, this simplicity, that
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PETER LUEDERS McCann is a fan of the tactic. “When you hollow
out, not only do you throw your ass back, but
you also do it violently enough to make your
feet move a good 18 inches,” he said. “That will
put serious space — usually 24 to 30 inches —
between the knife and your body.”
At the same time, you need to move your arms
out of harm’s way, he said. “That’s why we teach
you to thrust your hands toward his face. If you
ϐ % ǡ
&Ǥdz
The tactic is every bit as useful against a
stick attack that’s aimed at your abdomen,
McCann said. “The trick with any weapon de-
fense is to not isolate the evasive movement.
In other words, you have to be ready to chain
a couple of moves together. If you hollow out
and the guy misses you, you know he’s going to
come back with another strike with the knife
or stick. What you don’t know is whether he’s
going to come back low again or go high to your
neck and face. Therefore, you need to be able
to switch between hollowing out and swaying
back without losing your balance or getting
your shoulders too far beyond your hips.”
In the combatives lexicon, “swaying back”
refers to leaning your upper body backward
without repositioning your feet. To make it
work, McCann said, you need to be in The whole idea is that once you start
a natural athletic stance, which means hitting him, there’s always something
your feet are shoulder-width apart
Ǥǯ % ϐ
from side to side and from front to %ϐ % Ǥdz
rear so you don’t fall when you tilt. Don’t get too hung up on targets, Mc-
“After you sway back, the obvious fol- Cann cautioned. “If your offside hand
low-up is a shin kick or groin kick, the hits his chest, it’s a check that keeps
idea being to eat the elephant in small you in touch with where he is. It’s a sig-
bites,” he added. “You need to make nal that you got your range right. You
your attacker understand that every can shove him and then go after his face
time he tries to stick you, he’s going pay ϐǤdz
a price.”
3
2 TACTIC: TARGET YOUR
TECHNIQUE: POUND AWAY
WITH THE HAMMERFIST
The same day a new student of self-
FOE’S FACE
Let’s face it (sorry) — the human mug is
an unusually sensitive part of the body.
1
defense is taught to punch, he or she We’re programmed to protect it, and
2
should be taught how easy it is to break we’re almost guaranteed to react vigor-
the bones of the hand when doing so. ously when a strike penetrates our de-
Rather than go into the relevant anat- fenses. Which is precisely why the face
omy lessons, combatives instructors
Ǥ
often will sing the praises of the ham- The best attacks to the face target
ϐ
& ǣ % ǡ
ǤDz ϐ
You’re tasked with beating on a door eye jab. You shoot it out with an open
as loudly as possible to get the atten- Ȅ%ϐ 1
tion of people on the other side — though you’re holding a grapefruit. One
would you punch the door with your thing it does is disrupt his vision. If he
&
&
ϐǫ can’t see you, he can’t hurt you. If his
%ǡ ϐ1 eyes are tearing up, that’s good for you
minimal danger to your bone structure and bad for him.
and guarantees maximum transfer of “It also makes him turn his head. In a
energy to the door. ϐǡ%ǯ%11
“And that’s true — with one exception,” be able to see you. If he can see you, he
McCann said. “You can’t do the hammer- can establish a base with his feet, legs
ϐǮǤǯǯ and shoulders and then counter. But if
call it when people do tiny strikes with you make him turn his face away from
their arms always bent, cycling their %ǡǯϐǤdz
arms in very small circles. They’re sacri- The other type of ocular attack is the
ϐ
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eye gouge, which often involves grab-
least 50 percent of the power that’s pos- bing an attacker’s head and digging in
Ǥ with your thumbs. “It differs from the
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der pulling back is what actually snaps Dz
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should be thrust toward your oppo- that gives him the opportunity to grab
nent’s face as you chamber your other you. He’ll probably bear-hug you and
ǡ Ǥ Dz
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cycle.’ You take your off-hand and at- you can’t reach his eyes. Then he’ll
1
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ϐ% ǯ
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other hand. Pull that through and im- all that because it lets you stay outside
mediately exchange hands in midair. and move around as you attack.”
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This monster of a text bears the subtitle The Complete Edition
ILJH\ZLP[»ZHJVTWPSH[PVUVMÄ]LJSHZZPJIVVRZMYVTRHYH[LSLNLUK
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World Karate Champion
• “I charge less than my competitors charge, and they teach is penetrating, such as a rush or deep lunge, it is not that easy.
nothing but groups,” J.T. Will says. “Eight dollars gives my You have to move just enough to avoid the blow and be close
students a private lesson, three groups and two sparring classes enough to turn quickly and pounce on him just as he or the
HDFKZHHN$QGWKHUHLVQ·WDQ\ERG\ZKRFDQ·WDIIRUGWKDW7KDW·V blow bypasses you.”
ZK\,·PYHU\VXFFHVVIXOμ • Hayward Nishioka is preparing to teach at Judo 78 Camp
• 5DLQERZ3XEOLFDWLRQV³SDUHQWFRPSDQ\RIBlack Belt, Karate .RGRNDQLQ6RXWKHUQ&DOLIRUQLD0HDQZKLOHLQ&RORUDGR'DQ
Illustrated and Fighting Stars — receives the Outstanding ,QRVDQWR0DUVKDOO+R·RDQG5HP\3UHVDVDUHJHWWLQJUHDG\
Achievement Award at the All-American Open Championships, WRKHDGOLQHDVSHFLDOWUDLQLQJHYHQWDW$VSHQ$FDGHP\RI
run by S. Henry Cho. 0DUWLDO$UWV
• :LVHZRUGVIURPchi kungPDVWHU/LO\6LRX´)LJKWLQJLVIRU • Why do martial arts beget variations? “The original teachings
FKLOGUHQ,WLVTXLWHHDV\IRURQHSHUVRQWRRYHUFRPHDQRWKHUE\ RIO Sensei0RULKHL8HVKLEDZHUHLQWHUSUHWHGDQGDSSOLHGE\
SXUHIRUFHEXWLWGRHVQRWPDNHDPDQVXSHULRUWRDQRWKHUVLPSO\ his various students, who emphasized in their own schools
EHFDXVHKHLVVWURQJHUDQGDEOHWRGHIHDWVRPHRQHZHDNHU&KL DVSHFWVRIKLVWHDFKLQJVZKLFKWKH\IHOWWREHPRVWPHDQLQJIXO
NXQJDLGVWKHPDUWLDODUWLVWLQJXLGLQJKLPDORQJWKHSDWKRIWKH DQGZRUWKZKLOHμVD\V+DUU\,VKLVDNDDQLQVWUXFWRURIaikido. “It
righteous and truly superior man. Let us use these arts to give one a was inevitable that each disciple would interpret the teachings
KHDOWK\OLIHDQGLQQHUKDSSLQHVVUDWKHUWKDQWRPDLPDQGGHVWUR\μ in his own way.”
• <RXFDQEX\DOLJKWZHLJKWXQLIRUPIURPtaekwondo pioneer • “We never talk about killing techniques,” says shorinji kempo
-KRRQ5KHHIRU instructor Ken Ohashi. “Killing somebody is the extreme
• 6SHFLDOH[FHUSWIURP%UXFH/HH·V)LJKWLQJ0HWKRG6NLOO opposite to our philosophy. It may be necessary to control
LQ7HFKQLTXHV “In jeet kune do,VLGHVWHSSLQJLVDGHIHQVLYH somebody, but it should never go beyond that. Shorinji kempo
VFLHQFHWRDYRLGDSXQFKRUDNLFN,IGRQHSURSHUO\LWLVDVDIH LVFRPPXQLFDWLRQ<RXFDQ·WFRPPXQLFDWHZLWKVRPHERG\RQFH
DQGYDOXDEOHPRYHPHQWIRUFRXQWHUDWWDFNLQJ7KHFULWHULRQRI KH·VGHDGμ
VLGHVWHSSLQJLVQRWWRDYRLGWKHRSSRQHQW·VRQUXVKEXWKLVEORZ,I
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