Helio Gracie passing

Hello All,

By now I am sure that you all are aware that Gracie Jiu-Jistu legend and founder Grand Master Helio Gracie has passed. For more information visit  www.gracieacademy.com.

Though I am not affiliated with the Gracie Jiu-Jistu I can fully recognize and appreciate the impact that Grand Master Gracie had on the Martial Arts world. He and his family intorduced the world to grappling. While others were before him and many have followed few have had the impact that this man had.

I can remember watching the UFC 1 in 1994 and being amazed @ Royce and the Gracie Jiu-Jistu style. It caused me to explore the cause of my own ignorance and recognize that I needed to train grappling as it did for many of us in Martial Arts.

Grand Master Gracie will be missed.

God Bless,

Shawn

My letter to the editor in the March ‘09 Black Belt

Well I have finally hit the bigtime… The letter is on page 126.  This is the letter that I submitted without the edits that Blackbelt made.  I would like to thanks Jeff Lopes and my Sifu Dave Hatch for helping me out with the editing of it. Also in the issue RKC Dr. Mark Cheung has a great Kettlebell article.  If you are interested in Kettlebells go out and grab the issue.

In response to the Steve Golden interview in the October 2008 issue, I have trained Jeet Kune Do since 1994 and am a full instructor under Sifu Paul Vunak—which means that the training that I have received falls under SiGung Dan Inosanto’s lineage.

When I see that the “original” JKD instructors have submitted an article, I read it with interest. Many times, I am frustrated that they take unjustified jabs at SiGung Inosanto, and this turns me off to their perspectives.

The Steve Golden interview was a great example of this. He was asked if Dan Inosanto was a great influence on Sijo Bruce. He said not anymore than any other student.

First, I am not sure why this is a relevant question in the article: nothing before or after even followed this train of thought. There was not one question regarding Sifu Ted Wong or Sifu Taky Kimura, only SiGung Inosanto. Second, I find it rather odd that when I looked on the opposite page, I saw that SiGung Inosanto had signed his JKD certificate. Now, I have students that I have certified as instructors and every one of them has had a pretty large influence on my training curriculum and training methods. Also, the other thing that I found ironic is that on the cover of the magazine there is Sijo Bruce with a pair of Kali/Escrima sticks. Wherever did that influence come from? Furthermore, who introduced Sijo Bruce to the football air shield that later became what we now today use as a kicking shield?

I am pointing this out because the inconsistencies in not only Steve Golden’s pejorative remarks, but also the inaccurate remarks that others in the “original JKD group”, about SiGung Inosanto are very evident.

What I would like to know is: why are they continuing to make negative comments toward him and his training methods? It sounds like bickering between siblings.

Please show some respect for a man who has made it possible for you to be around teaching what you have learned from Sijo Bruce. SiGung Inosanto has done so much to carry on Sijo Bruce’s legacy; it is disrespectful to regard him as anything other than a pioneer.  He makes every attempt to accurately demonstrate what Sijo Bruce wanted him to teach. In fact, in seminars when he teaches the Jun Fan Gung Fu/JKD portion, he goes through the curriculum from each year and shows us the progressions that Sijo Bruce went through and why he did it.

Regardless of whether or not you approve of the way the SiGung Dan Inosanto teaches JKD, it is easy to look back and say “well, this should have been done… or that should have been done.” But he was the Man that took on the challenge of spreading JKD, and all of us are reaping the benefits of his work.

Shawn Kitzman