Gone to Guro Dan Inosanto Instructor Camp 3-10-3-15-10

Hello All,

I am really excited this morning!!! I am headed to my very first Instructor Camp @ Guro Dan Inosanto’s (www.inosanto.com) School in Marina Del Rey California. I will have a full report when I come back with pictures and stories.

Have a great week!!!

Shawn

Respect and Martial Arts

Hello All,

In this video Sensei Erik Paulson (www.erikpaulson.com) talks about respect and tradition in Martial Arts and MMA. I have trained in Martial Arts since 1992 and even though I trained in a style (Jeet Kune Do) that is very non traditional we placed a large emphasis on respect not only for Sijo Bruce Lee but for our fellow students as well.

One of the major knocks on MMA is that the fighters lack the respect and discipline that Martial Artists develope. I have personally seen this when training fighters and also in seminars. The reason for this I feel is the competitiveness of MMA and if you fight you need to establish your dominance right away. Trainers like Sensei Erik Paulson and Kru Greg Nelson teach this due to their Martial Arts backgrounds, also fighters like Lyoto Machida, Georges St Pierre show a high level of respect to their opponents.

Kru Greg Nelson has a saying that we use @ Synergy Martial Arts ” Practice with your partner not on your partner”. Being a good training partner is very important to the developement of your school, this is both for the Instructor and the student. If there is a high level of respect for one another this causes to seek to help out fellow students. When this happens the skill level of the school increases it is a win/win situation for everyone.

Watch this video and ask yourself how can you be a better training partner.

Shawn

Self-Defense Tips 3-7-10

Hello All,

I was having a conversation last week with someone and we were discussing self-defense sprays like Mace or Pepper Spray and my opinion of them. While I feel that they are good for certain situations they can also be a liability if not used correctly. So here is a list of self-defense tools that I feel can give a false sense of securtiy and the reasons why.

Sprays: There are any number of sprays that you can use Pepper Spray, Mace and I have even heard of Wasp Spray. While these are good if they are used indoors they can be very dangerous to the person if they are used outside. I have heard stories of people using them while facing up wind only to have the spray blow back in their face. Also it is very common for attackers to spray themselves so that they are immune to the sprays if they are used on them. My brother was a Corrections Officer for 3 years and he was instructed to use it sparingly for this reason.

Cell Phones: If you have trained with us you have heard me climb on my soapbox about the dangers of cell phones & awareness. First off they can be and quite often a HUGE distraction!!! When people get on their cell phone they forget that anything else is going on around them. How often have you heard someone having a pretty unappropriate conversation while in the grocery store. Also how often are you on the phone with someone and they loose their signal? If I am a bad guy I am gonna wait for you while you are on your phone and get you then, after I have abducted you I would throw your phone across the parking lot and get away. So just because you have a cell phone does not mean your safe.

Whistles or Noise Making Devices: While these can be helpful as they draw attention to you they may not do the trick so be prepared to shout something like FIRE very loudly or something that is a out of the norm.

Handguns: Ohhh boy I know that this may draw the ire of some people. But just because you own a hand gun DOES NOT mean that you are safe… Having a hand gun on your person when you are aware that you are going to be attacked can help you. But if your gun is in your car, gun safe, night stand with the trigger guard on chances are the attacker is going to get to you before you can get to your gun. Also when you pull a weapon it ups the ante and if MR. Bad Guy has a gun you know that he is gonna go for his.

Now don’t get me wrong all of the above are tools and have been used to defend someone when they were attacked but they should not be relied on soley for your only method of Self-Defense. When used in conjunction with good awareness and hand to hand Self-Defense skills they can be very vaulable in keeping someone safe.

I encourage you to seek out someone who you can learn hand to hand Self-Defense training from it is the only thing on the market that you can learn and use that cannot be taken away from you.

If you would

Filipino Martial Arts for MMA

Hello All,

I have a couple of sites that I visit on a regular basis and one of the sites I visit most often is Sensei Erik Paulson’s site (www.erikpaulson.com). I know me visiting Sensei Erik’s site is a big surprise huh??? lol

Today while visiting his site I ran across this video and had to laugh. One of my struggles while training Martial Arts has been to find the application for Self-Defense while still preserving the essence of the Art that I pulled it from. In 2002 I went out to California and trained with Sifu Paul Vunak (www.fighting.net) and he showed the kick destruction to us. It was so simple yet effective and it kept the essence of the Filipino Martial Arts (FMA).

So to see Sensei Erik showing it for MMA was awesome because I have often felt that it could be and should be used by MMA fighters. Also he brings up a great point in that you have to be careful when using the kick destruction because if you miss your opponent is close and if the kick is the entry for a combination you can be caught by the rest of the combo.

Also I feel that Sensei Erik probably teaches set ups and the hows and whys of combinations better than anyone else that I have come across. Really study this video there is A LOT of information in here that you can use for a long time!!!

Enjoy,

Shawn

Muay Thai kick and punch counters

Hello All,

This is sadly the last of the video series that Ajarn Chai (www.thaiboxing.com) did in the early 80’s. One thing that I would like to point out is that this video is not only a great training video but it is also is a historical piece as well. Ajarn Chai and Guro Dan (www.inosanto.com) put this video out in the early 80’s making it way ahead of the Muay Thai craze that MMA has lead to.

In my conversations with other Martial Artists that are not familiar with Muay Thai don’t realize that Ajarn Chai has worked tirelessly in his efforts to spread Muay Thai around the world. So if you are training Muay Thai please recognize Ajarn Chai as someone who has made it possible.

In this video Ajarn Chai shows kick and punch counters and focus mitt drills that are vital to not only Muay Thai but Martial Arts as well. I have attended many Ajarn Chai and in my opinion Ajarn Chai is one of the best focus mitt trainers out there!!! Watch his speed and accuracy while punching and kicking.

Enjoy this video it is a rare treat.

Shawn

Great Muay Thai Knee Drills and Clinch explanation

Hello All,

During my daily Youtube searching I found this video of Ajarn Chai (www.thaiboxing.com) showing a great long knee drill using the focus mitts. In my years training Muay Thai one of the most common errors that I have seen and made while training is the long knee this drill is perfect for training and understanding how to learn the range for the long knee. Also in this video is Ajarn Chai showing how to train your clinch and how aggressive clinching can be.

This whole video series is by far one of the best Muay Thai training videos that I have seen. Ajarn Chai and Guro Dan (www.inosanto.com) really hit the ball out of the park with this video. The funny thing is that this video is was shot in the early 80’s with out all the flash and fancy video techniques that we use today. Just great teaching and demonstration of how to use Muay Thai training techniques.

Enjoy!!!

Shawn

Need help with your footwork?

Hello All,

In this video Guro Rick Faye (www.mnkali.com) demonstrates a Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) drill called Abcedario. We at Synergy Martial Arts use Abcedario with single and double stick, single and double dagger, and stick and dagger. I find that it is a very useful drill when trained with the dagger to speed your reaction time up and it also forces you to use your footwork. If you have not trained Abcedario I highly suggest that you find an Instructor that is qualified to teach you this drill.

Enjoy,

Shawn

Filipino Martial Arts drills to help improve body mechanics

Hello All,

I have been training Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) since 1994 and I have always believed that training FMA is one of Martial Arts little known secrets for improving your skills. Many people who look at FMA often say how can swinging sticks make me a better Martial Artist? I have found that my understanding of timing, distance, footwork, rhythm and body mechanics.

In this video Sifu Rick Faye (www.mnkali.com) shows a double stick drill and also discusses how he feels that for his beginning students the body mechanics that these drills bring out are very important.

Enjoy this video these drills are very easy to duplicate. If you don’t have a pair of sticks go out and by a pair grab your training partner and try the drills out you will be surprised at what happens.

Want to improve your kickboxing/MMA? Sensei Erik Paulson shows you how

Hello All,

Upon my daily visit to Sensei Erik Paulson’s site (www.erikpaulson.com) this morning I came across this amazing video from a camp that he did in Jacksonville Florida. Before I go any farther I would like to thank Sensei Erik for posting all that he does on his site he gives away an amazing amount of information for free!!! I have gotten so much from his videos that he posts I am almost ashamed to say that other than signing up for his CSW Association and all that costs me is $75 for 12 months. And if you think that the stuff on the site is good you should see what you get as a member. Thanks again Sensei Erik.

The material from this video you could train for years and make huge improvements in your standup game. Sensei Erik breaks down technique and strategy like very few Instructors can and do.

So just in case you don’t believe me here is a list of things Sensei Erik shows in this video.

Jab — Chop Kick

Kick Counters
Long Teep
Short Teep
Stop Kick
Stomp Kick
Parry — Rear Knee
Split Entry — Heart Punch

Entries Off The Punch
Slip The Jab Outside — Body Lock.
Slip The Cross Outside — Body Lock.

Takedowns Off The Punch
Knee Tap
Hip Lift
Big Throw

Enjoy this video and get out there and train!!!

Shawn

Attention Guys!!!

Hello All,

I have a serious question for you. Are the woman (mom, sister, girlfriend, wife, daughter etc.) in your life safe when you are not around? Really think about that question as you are reading this post. Our Keep It Simple Self-Defense (KISS) program will teach the woman in your life how to be safe and escape an attack if it happens.

A Woman is the victim of a violent crime

EVERY 6 SECONDS!!!

Here’s how to make sure you are not that one.

“K.I.S.S.”

Keep It Simple Self-Defense Program especially designed for Women.

When you study the “K.I.S.S.” system…

• You will learn techniques you can use effectively after only one session.
• You will learn the mistakes that make 90% of all women a target.
• You will learn what your attacker wants and how NOT to give it to him.
• You will learn the four targets so simple yet devastatingly effective professional fighters are forbidden to use them in the ring.
• In one 30-second drill you will learn how to defeat stress and anxiety.
• You will learn how being closer is better and puts you at a greater advantage to defeat your assailant.
• You will learn why most martial arts are useless to women in self-defense situations.
• You will learn what to do if the attack starts or winds up on the ground and how to escape quickly.
• You will learn the concept of situational awareness.
• You will increase your self-confidence, self-awareness and self-image.
• You will develop your skills in a stress free environment that is comfortable and stresses teamwork.
• You will learn simple effective material that is easy to learn, perform and retain. No fancy moves that take you 20 minutes to understand and 20 years of training to pull off.
• No uniforms just comfortable training gear that you could wear outside.

Synergy Martial Arts Keep It Simple Self-Defense (K.I.S.S.) program is designed to empower women. We train you to become more aware (not afraid) of your surroundings so you can prevent an attack before it happens. If you are attacked we give you the tools to escape as quickly as possible.

Classes are Monday and Wednesday from 6-7pm @ Hamburg Fitness Center

Contact founder Shawn Kitzman @ 517-672-2386