Good talk on blocks

[Van Canna]

Darren Laur>>

A colleague, and friend of mine in the US, Dr John D Byrnes (PhD), wrote the following in his book “Before Conflict”:

“The more I studied the phenomenon of violence and its precursors, the more I realized that the word “violence” causes us to miss the mark. It generates a reactive response to a problem requiring a preventative approach.

Notice that I did not say proactive. One can be proactively reactive and that is not acceptable. We must prevent! ...........

Accordingly, I began to categorize this spectrum of anger with the term aggression.

As a much more encompassing term, aggression can be expressed in actions that range from slamming a door at the office to murdering a group of students at school.

More important, aggression is measurable, and if you can measure aggression, you can manage aggression. Aggression can be an angry finger pointed in the air – or on the trigger”

[Van Canna]

Darren Laur »

For me the term ``Peer Aggression`` encompasses non-verbal, verbal, and physical behaviour (such as assault, utter threat, criminal harassment) that can be used as a weapon at the emotional, psychological, and physical level.

It removes the trivialization and the politically correct baggage that the word ``bullying`` brings to this very important topic.

Peer Aggression can no longer be minimized or trivialized by students, parents, teachers and administrators.

We can no longer trivialize this aggressive behaviour without substantial objections, indignation, direct intervention, or outrage; and I believe that one way to accomplish this is to create a paradigm shift via semantics on this important issue.

Darren
www.personalprotectionsystems.ca

[Van Canna]

Suddenly Last Summer

I am awakened by soft voices that say there are some cherished past events in the recesses of my mind _ absent mindedly scattered in a fist full of memories, needing recall.

Am I really dreaming…. asleep and being shaken awake by the jaws of the past?

Well_ I am walking along this beautiful boulevard _ the calm ocean to my left …the sweet smell of the sea attacking my nostrils _ riding on the tail end of a gentle sea breeze.

I am prisoner of a sweet solitude with a gust of nostalgia for something beginning to take shape in my mind’s eyes.

What is that bright light coming at me? Oh yes, xenon beams of a powerful automobile that rip the darkness and cut the night in two that allows to be penetrated only to recompose itself as a dark mantle draping over my shoulders.

In the black lake of that sky_ stars resplendent and fleeing in a thousand sparkles _ as a suspended ocean where moon fragments frolic within its inviting waves_

Intermittent colored lights that interrupt the stillness _ intuit the Route of an airplane towards mysterious destinations_ riveting... indeed.

All around, spread out in obvious nonchalance, millions of stars gripping the blackness above _in silence_ with one, now and then, falling in a luminous tail probably out of fatigue. Death of a star...


Feeling the echo of my footsteps that ricochet in isolated quarters but with my breath becoming absorbed in a joyous chatter and music from a locale seemingly still live at this hour up ahead and to the right.

Wait _ I see a pier and a moored ship... you must get through a grassy field expanse to get to it… I see a conglomerate of buildings looming diagonally to the right _ walls and angles, swallowed by the night, seemingly familiar _

The music and the chatter unlock remembrances and ignite distracted emotions to a dance. Do I hear a bell?

But of course...it is George’s SummerFest...it all comes flooding in...So many years…so many people…so many friends…so many activities…what would we do without this yearly camp? Thompson Island_ Beverly college...Maritime Academy...

Oh…so that’s it…I am at the camp…thank goodness…thought I had missed it…as though someone, something had held me back forbidding my attendance and the opportunity to see, talk and share a drink with good friends, real friends, that’s what I have always been good at… separate the real friends from the false friends… and I am blessed to have so many…real friends, that is.

Ok…wait I am catching up with you guys by the bell…hey save me a drink of that sublime scotch...

~~

Damn… Where is everybody? I could have sworn this spot was full of life and laughter minutes ago. Where in hell did they all go?


Sudden bolts of lightning, thunder and heavy rain. Thank goodness the back door of the dining room is open …I run inside shivering… I flip the light switch…great…I smell coffee…at 2 AM? Somebody in there likes me.

Hey…who turned off the lights?

The black darkness hangs from the ceiling and lazily rocks in the silence that rebounds off my bones _ interrupted only by the noise of the incessant ticking of rain drops that bounce off the roof. Always loved the sound of the rain. The great embrace.

As an antique tribal rhythm _ the drumming caresses my temples…while finding myself lying on the cold floor I listen and wonder “what have I gotten into now”! How did I get down here? I am always getting into something...

“You must try these delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwiches Van”

Out of one corner of the room I see our old dear friend, Al Ford, coming towards me offering a sandwich with a smile.

“Hey Al…what’s up my good friend" ?

We were such goods friends….damn it… “Why did you have to leave us so early?” _

''Oh if you only knew Van... if you only knew!"

"Hey Al... remember the day we met by chance in Chinatown and you took me to your favorite restaurant?"

A glistening tear parts the uncertain moment sliding down my face… I look around…same dining room of so many gatherings of friends at the round tables…the usual walls…but some of the faces I cannot distinguish…oh well…

But wait…I am in the ‘party room’ how did I get here? The rain is relentless…I am alone…the party has ended…all have gone… the merry-go-round is still…its white horses are blind covered by sheets…enthusiasm and camaraderie choking into a dusty bin…the damn room is empty…

The smells of scotch and a good cigar have faded out along with the words_ the smiles_ the joy of life_

All that is left is the stale odor of this oppressive silence that taps the back of my head in the sound of this rain…

All have left the camp…many early on…the ones who cannot be late for the work that awaits the next day… others who are simply tired from the demanding training and are no longer twenty years old.

But you see…I know we shall meet again… and again _ more summers to come…

Suddenly last Summer...

[Van Canna]

WHAT WILL MATTER
By Michael Josephson

Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end.

There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours, or days.

All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to
someone else.

Your wealth, fame, and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.

It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.

Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally
disappear.

So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire.

The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.

It won't matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you
lived, at the end.

It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant
Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you
got, but what you gave.

What will matter is not your success, but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice
that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence, but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a
lasting loss when you're gone.

What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those
who loved you.

What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident. It's not a matter of
circumstance but of choice.

Choose to live a life that matters.

[Van Canna]

Badasses

I think the smart practitioner realizes that the way martial arts effectiveness has been sold over the years, and the particular individual's interpretation of what he has learned, has in many ways created some sort of invincibility illusions in some people.

I keep saying, it is my legal 'duty to warn' any student in my classes, that for the most part it is the type of assailant you will draw that determines your fate.

This article is an 'eye opener'

Most people who think they are badass have never been around true badasses. It is a dramatic wake-up call when it does happen. Egos are destroyed, assertions based on BS and conjecture are crushed, vomit starts spewing forth from bodies that are not prepared for the reality of life in the "blast lane."

People find that this stuff is not sexy, its not glamorous, and its not even fun all that often. It's just a hell of a lot of hard, uncompromising work and a willingness to constantly learn.

The guys with the freak CVs don't advertise. They don't have to. People in the game know them because they probably served with them.

[Van Canna]

MATT DELLINGER: You write in the magazine this week about the Aryan Brotherhood, a prison gang that prosecutors say may be the most murderous criminal organization in the United States. How did it become so powerful?

DAVID GRANN: Part of the reason for the gang’s success is that its members are simply incredibly cunning. The gang selects only the most violent and capable individuals to become “made” members—individuals who are, as one former gang member put it, “master manipulators.”

But I also think that the leaders have been able to operate for decades because so many of their crimes are done in the cloistered world of prison, where the public doesn’t see them, and where many of their victims are hardened cons.


The men in the Brand see themselves as part of another world, a sort of parallel society, where violence is justifiable. Is this a perception that they gain in prison, or was this the perception that got them into prison?

I think it’s mixed; in some cases, they come in violent and simply have that reinforced. But I do think that there are instances where individuals come in as bank robbers or drug dealers and, after being socialized in the violent, apartheid world of prisons and the gangs there, are transformed into conscienceless killers.

[Van Canna]

The author interviewed some gang hitmen, who practiced movements which sounded similar to Sayoc "Vital Templates."

THere are also numerous accounts of shivvings, shankings and strangulations.

Apparently, one is inducted into the gang based on performance in early fights. They're interested in people who are utterly vicious.

Another thing the article talked about was plans to create an external base/training center. This would include weight stacks, video rooms, and numerous other things, in addition to a "large parcel of land."

These guys are training for something, and it's not WWIII anymore. I also suspect that they're very aware of things like military combatives, and they probably research and practice them in addition to their own prison-brewed material.

These are the people who the Angels associate with. You could even go so far as to say that the Angels and the AB are all part of the same criminal network.

[Van Canna]

This is what's called a "Netwar" organization. I'm going to be writing some things about netwar at a later time, but what it refers to is new paradigms of organizational networking and communication, as well as means of disrupting enemy communications, as not only means to wage warfare or even central strategy, but strategy paramount to success in the modern day.

Organizations like AB are forged under such intense scrutiny, literally right under the noses of the guards, in Supermax prisons no less, that when they're in the outside world, with their intensely clannish cell structures and operational security techniques, normal law enforcement and even FBI have great difficulty tracking them or even monitoring their activities.

There's a trial concluding right now of 40-some AB bosses and related individuals. Many of them are being sentenced to death. This is going to mean a shakeup in their organizational structure, and a power vacuum inside and outside of the prison system. It's possible that there might be an increased level of violence among meth people on the outside.

[Van Canna]

Pulling your weapon

Minding your own business when out of nowhere in a public place, someone gets in your face with unprovoked Verbal threats of varying degrees like:


1. I'm going to kick your ass.
2. I'm going to break your fu&*ing neck.
3. Now I'm going to kill you!
4. I'm going to Fu#k you up


He has no weapon that you can see….but the fact is this is an armed confrontation simply by the fact you carry a weapon, be it a gun or knife.

The odds that it will be dislodged or taken from you during a fight are just too great.

Real fights are incredibly physical events, the gun or blade is not going to stay put.

If the bad guy gets it, the consequences could be fatal. Reason why you want to be very careful about closing your distance with an opponent you know nothing about...you have no guarantee of stopping an opponent with a good shot, especially if he is much bigger/heavier/stronger/adrenalized and or on drugs/liquor.

You quickly assess the fact that the potential opponent has the means, opportunity and intent to do serious damage…a very big and mean guy much younger than you_

The thought flashes ….if you do fight him both can get bloodied and …what if later you find out that he has AIDS or Hepatitis and he gave it to you?

So you have a ‘situation’ _ you think about your training in the dojo…and you realize you really haven’t been training and practicing the whole civilian spectrum: avoidance, de-escalation, empty hands, OC, improvised weapons and deadly force.

You also suddenly realize that you are an idiot because you carry a gun/knife and you don't carry a less than lethal weapon… you idiot… you know you are even a bigger idiot because you haven’t practiced weapon retention techniques.

A bigger idiot because you should have known that carrying just a gun or blade is setting yourself up for a huge fall. That carrying a less than lethal weapon will be part of your legal defense when you carry a gun… even if you don't use it.

There are plenty of witnesses and you realize you need to cover your a$$ legally. Because unfortunately we live in a society were even if you’re right and have done nothing wrong, you can still be punished in court.

And it also comes to you that even if you ‘brandish’ you can be legally charged.

This is probably the most likely, and the most dangerous situation someone carrying a concealed pistol can face.

[Van Canna]

Ayoob discusses this issue in "The Gravest Extreme:"

"When considering the oft-encountered legal rule that a punch or kick does not warrant armed defense, the practical man will do well to realize that these laws have been formulated by judges and legislators who spend their lives in the security of courtrooms and hearing chambers. It is a rare lawmaker who has ever witnessed or undergone a brutal physical assault.

Those Americans who have ... realize just how much damage can be done with hands and feet. A seasoned street-fighter, or even an amateur in the grip of a savage, murderous impulse, can puncture your eyeballs, crush your testicles, snap your windpipe, break your spine, and cave in your skull in less time than it takes for the scream to choke in your throat.

Mas
....

[Van Canna]

Speaking practically, one cannot determine whether a punch is aimed or jaw or eye socket, or the kick intended for shin or genitals, until the blow has landed.

The doctrine of 'no weapons against the weaponless' exists for the good reason that it may prevent gunmen from shooting down unarmed men on the pretext of a supposed assault by the latter.

At the same time, the present standard is unrealistic, and in need of alteration. Some states leave 'reasonable force' open to interpretation, and some of those who do proscribe the use of guns against fists waive the consideration when the assault is particularly savage--but here again, the intensity of the attack will seldom become apparent until potentially crippling damage has been done.

Can you take your chances with a 'no-gun-against-fist' law? Probably, although you'll have to go to a superior court for an acquittal if you're indicted.

I can't recommend that you violate the law as it stands in court precedent. I think I know what I'd do personally. And even if a supreme court didn't vindicate me, I wouldn't leave the court-house in a wheelchair."

Massad Ayoob, "The Gravest Extreme"

[Van Canna]

A seasoned street fighter, which most of us are not despite dreams of it from your three kata etc.,

A seasoned street-fighter, or even an amateur in the grip of a savage, murderous impulse, can puncture your eyeballs, crush your testicles, snap your windpipe, break your spine, and cave in your skull in less time than it takes for the scream to choke in your throat.

Mas Ayoob

[Van Canna]

Kuma-de »

Van Canna wrote:

Jim,
Can you explain more about the systema breathing mechanism?

Even when you have a dozen or so people on top of you and you cannot breathe; you must rest your mind and try to relax your body and allow it to mold in such a manner that you can take short breaths in bursts.

Once you get a pattern of breathing going then you relax more to allow more breath into your body.

You actually start getting hit while you are on the floor b/c this causes you to squirm and roll away from the person striking you. Then they add up to 3 or 4 people punching and kicking at you and you must deflect and avoid the attacks. All the while keeping your breathing going.

Then they put your back to a wall and strike you. Now you must again find that zone where you can twist and avoid/ or absorb the attack through breathing.

Finally you are allowed to stand and have one on one, 2 on one and by the end of the day; the entire class is wailing on you.

To keep the body supplied with O2 you must breathe naturally unless hit then we apply the breathing regimen subscribed to above.
Jim Prouty
New England Budo Center

[Van Canna]

Kuma-de »

the body is relaxed so that you can twist away from the attacker or absorb the strike. All the while breathing is full, controlled and relaxed. If one is struck you may hear an audible exhale a few times to regain mental & physical composure.

This is a natural reaction when one "loses his/her breath"; but in Systema they force the air out to get a natural inhale breath.

Maybe this will help:
(listen for the breathing)

A live demonstration of the use of weight, hands and breathing to control an opponent while on the ground. For future Toronto class and seminar information contact:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZexjISpEsLE

Jim Prouty
New England Budo Center

[Van Canna]

Ground work shows breathing aspect

Kuma-de »

Van, this clip on ground work shows many ways Systema varies from the karate piston striking. In the Matsumura we use the whipping strike like the white crane's wing.

Listen for the breathing in this one, it is a bit more prominent. Demetri is a MA instructor for the Canadian Armed Forces.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9Kl41uN-Dw

Jim Prouty
New England Budo Center