PAWMA News Uniting and empowering a diverse community of women and girls in the .

Vol. 37 No. 1 Summer 2014 In Appreciation for Those Serving You

A Letter from our President, Sonya Richardson The Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists has been holding training camps for thirty-seven years. Behind the curtain, thirty-seven groups of organizers have brainstormed, created, re-shaped and turned the gears that move women and girls in their exploration and deepening of their relationship with the martial arts. A bow of gratitude to all who served on the PAWMA Board before us from conception to this day.

If you’ve ever been on a non-profit board, you understand those first few months of feeling like you’re jogging underwater. Simply stated, it takes a minute to plant one’s feet firmly, let alone run boldly on the road. Last year’s Board, small but mighty, was amazing. They not only left us breadcrumbs to find the path, but a host of thoroughly organized “how to’s” and a healthy fiscal purse to advance us forward. Please take a moment to literally read each Photo by Catrina Marchetti. name aloud in full appreciation: Roseanne Boudreau. Helen Yee. Patty O’Linger. Nikia Fenlin. Justine Simkins (continuing board member) and Michelle McVadon (Elder Counsel).

Inspired to serve, superhero capes in place, this year’s Board grew in number. We are Restita DeJesus (secretary), Marieta Delacruz, Margot Ernst (treasurer), Erin Huey, Judith Pile, Justine Simpkins, Nikki Smith (vice president), and myself, Sonya Richardson (president). We are honored Michelle McVadon will stay on as our Elder Counsel, a non-voting voice offering a broad historical perspective when needed. We have the good fortune of being a martial arts family that cherishes one another. A number of our founders continue to train and teach at camp, generously sharing their wisdom and telling stories about those first few years at annual gatherings. As the legend goes, they slept where they trained, on concrete slabs or dirt floors, heads pointing toward each other and feet out. PAWMA News • Vol. 37 No. 1 • Summer 2014 2

Perhaps that configuration facilitated nighttime conversation. Perhaps it warded off would be attackers. Ask a founder and get the full story. Returning to our roots by laying a tarp down on the ground and calling it housing may not meet the needs of our current membership. We opted for more comfortable digs and invite you to join us.

Our 37th annual PAWMA camp takes place September 19 – 22, 2014 and is themed “Diversity. Empowerment. Community.” We will return to the lovely Aldersgate Retreat Center in Turner, OR, one hour’s drive from Portland. It’s certainly not too late to sign up for camp. Your Board looks forward to meeting, assisting, and training with you.

Finding My Voice

By Ana L. Sheriff “Mommy wait for me over there!” my six year old son enthusiastically directed me to wait for him on the other side of the pool as he finished his first swimming event, towel in hand. His voice echoed across the 25 yards separating us. He was so loud. I felt so proud, but not just because he was about to come in first place in this event, but because his voice was full of confidence. So different from when I was six years old. Growing up in a small Mexican town, I was treated as a possession and not allowed to speak up for myself. Instead of earning first place ribbons like my son, I was hiding behind my mom’s apron learning to be invisible… and silent. A daily reminder would reach my ears: The place for girls was in the kitchen learning to become a wife by the ripe old age of 16 years. My traditional parents did not want my life to end at 16. So, at 12 years old they moved my two brothers and me to Los Angeles. There I was escaping this inevitable future to create a new destiny and searching for my own voice in a foreign land. I promptly realized that doing well in school allowed me to discover my talents, but it wouldn’t be until college where I would realize my independence. My true freedom and voice. On Sundays and every Sunday without fail, my family would walk a few miles to attend mass. It was my favorite day of the week, but not because of the extensive sermons on how to be a better Catholic. On the way to church for five magical minutes I got to stand outside the gate of a martial arts school observing through the bars on the window these mysterious and unfamiliar movements. Yet I was completely mesmerized by the patterns of the class; it fed me spiritually. This was my church! I felt free. I felt at home. But it was forbidden that I partake in such unlady-

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PAWMA News • Vol. 37 No. 1 • Summer 2014 3 like behavior. My destiny as a marital artist would not be in the cards for me for another six years. I feel like it was yesterday when I collided with my path. There I was dressed in my gi awaiting Professor Coleen F. Gragen to begin the class at Mills College. It was an easy decision to fulfill my P.E. college requirement with my first martial arts class. Finally, that little girl that would stand outside the gate was standing eagerly, first in the room 30 minutes prior to the start of classes. For six consecutive semesters, I signed up to take this class, no longer for credit, but for the sacredness that training became. The next logical step after graduation was to follow my teacher to her school. Training at Hand to Hand to this day has guided me to discover that with each and thrown, I become more whole. The lessons that my first teacher Professor Col bestowed upon me about using my voice, self-love, being present, and walking in peace are now carried on by current teacher Chief Instructor Sonya Richardson. As I hear my loud kiai echoing throughout the training hall, I come to the realization that I found my voice just like my son was allowed to do so at such a young age. And through its discovery, I yearn for the day when all other little girls in the world are able to find their own voice without oppression preventing them for being their own whole self.

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PAWMA News • Vol. 37 No. 1 • Summer 2014 4 Lim Po

By Prema Polit How do you remember to love? Every time you do this form double spear hand tiger claw, bent outside crescent kick each reminds you of what you love and who you love each breath reminds you of why you love this art and why this art loves you Take a moment to remember: This is not a struggle but a triumph This is a path that we walk on a moment that we relive again and again choosing to move forward choosing to love again and again that which is in front of us our hands, our fists our side drop stance our palm-heels pressing groundward

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PAWMA News • Vol. 37 No. 1 • Summer 2014 5 PAWMA Camp

By Nikki Smith, Vice President Register for the 37th Annual PAWMA Camp September 19 - 22 • Aldersgate Retreat Center, Turner, Oregon Diversity, Empowerment, Community

Join us and learn from these wonderful camp teachers Sifu Aarin Burch

Sifu Robin Dahlberg Shaolin

Michele Elefante Shorin-Ryu

Sensei Delina Fuchs Danzan Ryu Jujitsu

Shifu/Sensei Kore Grate Wu Chien Pai

Sifu Lynn Keslar Kajukenbo, Doce Pares Escrima

Dara Masi Shihan Hakkoryu

Lori O’Connell Sensei Can-Ryu-Jiu-Jitsu

Sifu Sana Shanti Taiji

Sifu Gin Yang Kajukenbo

Jamie Zimron Sensei

Classes cover a diversity of arts and styles, so there is something for everyone:

 From open and to guided meditation  How to break bones and how to tape injured joints  Weapons from bo to knife to bullwhip, and how to defend yourself against them all.  here’s even a movie stunt class!

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All this within the green and peaceful setting at the Aldersgate retreat center. We enjoyed the location so much last year we came back this year.

There are two social events planned, the demonstration followed by social time in the main hall on Saturday, and the bazaar and another get together on Sunday night after a whole camp class with Sifu Michelle McVadon. There will be lots of opportunity to meet women who share similar interests.

We are trying something new to facilitate social interaction and to improve inclusion for women & girls who are coming to camp for the first time or on their own. Every camp participant will be given a colored PAWMA silicone wrist band. Experienced campers and women who are travelling with a large group will receive a green band. First time campers or women travelling to camp alone may choose to wear a red wrist band. Everyone will be encouraged to make a special effort to welcome the women wearing these bands. Youth attendees (under 18) will wear a pink band. Board members will wear black bands and teachers will be given white ones. We hope you will enjoy the bands as a gift from PAWMA and will choose to wear them after camp.

Please join the PAWMA facebook page to receive information about PAWMA and the camp. There is also a PAWMA group that you can join to network with other members. This is a great way to contact women who are going to camp, so you can arrange rides if needed. The Aldersgate Retreat Center is an hour away from Portland airport. We tried to find a camp nearer to an airport, but the price was usually prohibitive, or the facility was too small. We are happy to help you organize transportation to and from camp.

PAWMA camp is an amazing weekend and each year the board endeavors to make it an even better experience. Join us at camp this year to see for yourself and bring your friends and class mates. Spread the word about PAWMA and about camp by becoming involved and organizing women’s events in your neighborhood, we can help!

See the PAWMA camp page for information and to register.

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PAWMA News • Vol. 37 No. 1 • Summer 2014 7 Respect, Responsibility & a Reunion

By Debbie Leung To honor and respect our teacher, Master Wen Mei Yu, her senior students reunited with her last April in sunny Malibu in Southern California. We traveled from Greece, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Minnesota, Washington State, and nearby Los Angeles areas. There was much laughter, joyful tears, practice, corrections, and good food. It also included discussion of Master Yu’s Jian Mei Internal Martial Arts School and the role of head instructor for those who lead her branch schools.

Getting together to honor Master Yu is a responsibility we gladly make room for in our lives. Her life has been difficult the last few years and our reunions Front – Lydia Tillianaki; Middle – Theresa Hoff, Master Yu, Debbie always raise her spirits. We want to Leung; Back – Doria Cook-Nelson, Annabelle Nye, Kore Grate, show her our appreciation for all that Janet Aalfs, Yiannis Zoumproulis. Photo courtesy of Debbie she has given us by reuniting with her Leung. regularly, and carrying on her skill and knowledge in our schools as accurately as we can.

Master Yu taught at a number of women’s training weekends beginning with PAWMA’s camps beginning in 1992 and NWMAF’s Special Training the following year. She received PAWMA’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992 and NWMAF’s Award of Excellence in 1993. To watch and listen to her talk about her life and the martial arts in an early interview and Photo courtesy of Debbie Leung. demo, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCXy5f7R3w0.

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Here are a few words from those who attended the reunion:

What an AMAZING weekend we had! The GIFT of having an AMAZING TEACHER! –Kore Grate, Minneapolis, MS

That was indeed a fabulous weekend with so many gifts from everyone. We worked truly well together sharing laughter, tears, beautiful movement, delicious food... deep gratitude. – Janet Aalfs, Easthampton, MA

What was memorable was gratitude, generosity, and joy exhibited as you all shared your stories of helping the less fortunate. As we continue integrated in the love of teaching and practicing, blessed by a teacher gifted with a big heart for her own mentors and her students, and with serious integrity passing on our gift of this art, we Jian Mei sisters have a bright future together. – Doria Cook-Nelson, Malibu, CA

It’s been a fabulous weekend honoring my taiqi/ master in Malibu, hanging with my taiqi/qigong sisters and practicing/getting corrections on the beach and in beautiful gardens. –Debbie Leung, Olympia, WA

Master Wen Mei Yu, a wonderful generous heart. – Lydia Tillianaki, Athens, Greece

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PAWMA News • Vol. 37 No. 1 • Summer 2014 9 FORM, FORMLESS

Poem dedicated to Master Wen Mei Yu by Janet E. Aalfs Bird of a Thousand Eyes, Levellers Press, 2010 My one small life is formed from more than a hundred million breaths. In, out I am still breathing. Even as I count Photo courtesy of Debbie Leung. the only breath is now.

This heart that is my only heart pulses without a break thousands of times a day whether I am grateful or not.

Thank you heart. Thank you breath.

Songbirds ecstatic, clouds swirl like feathers. Multiplying cell by cell I dissolve.

Gratitude is nothing, a breath nothing you can keep. Neither a heartbeat.

Neither this moment, formless, Photo courtesy of Debbie Leung. more powerful than all our lives. In one fleeting sigh a simple feeling washes through me. Hello Love, I recognize your face.

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PAWMA News • Vol. 37 No. 1 • Summer 2014 10 Laurie’s Journey to Black Belt

By Sunny Jones What takes seven years, five months, and seven days to accomplish? For some a bachelor’s degree or others a master’s degree. For kids, seven is the year most enter second grade, master addition and subtraction, and for some fortunate kids, seven is the age they enroll in their very first martial arts class. But that is a story for another time.

Today’s story is about a strong-spirited lady who allowed herself to achieve more than she ever expected possible. Seven years, five months, and seven days is the length of time it took my student, Laurie, to achieve her black belt.

Think back to the time you earned your black belt. For some, it was a while ago, for others it was in the recent past, and for other PAWMA members, it is in the soon to be future. Image or think back to the day you earned your black belt. How did you feel? What did it mean to you? Sunny Jones & Laurie Asmussen. Photo courtesy of Sunny Jones. Laurie started in the martial arts at the age of 54 on a cold, dark, and stormy night (okay it was just winter) on December 31, 2006. She started by just attending an eight-week self-defense course, given to her for Christmas by her daughter. After the eight weeks were up, I talked her into staying for another month, and then another month after that, and so on it continued.

When Laurie started in the martial arts she had no intention or goal of becoming a black belt. She simply kept coming and worked on one belt level at a time. When she earned one belt, she would re-evaluate her goals and decide if she wanted to attempt the next. Laurie, says it was somewhere around brown belt, when she actually allowed herself to ponder the possibility of becoming a black belt.

Like many, my road to black belt had many challenges, but I was 18, full of youth, and too stubborn to quit. Laurie’s road was also challenging, but for completely different reasons. While I was challenged by teenage angst and a lack of life experience to deal with male chauvinism, Laurie was challenged by being a more senior age than most in the class and a lack of limitless youthful energy. But Laurie put that aside and used her wisdom and life experiences to push her through. I remember Laurie once saying that when she first started taking classes, she was worried that the kids would laugh at her, but as she soon learned, they were happy to help her Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists 10

PAWMA News • Vol. 37 No. 1 • Summer 2014 11 and she greatly enjoyed being in class with them (today Laurie attends class with her three grandsons).

Laurie’s journey to black belt took the average amount of time for our school, which is impressive when you look at all the reasons that could have set her back. For example, when Laurie was a blue belt, I received a call saying that she had enjoyed her vacation and the zip-line tour through the jungle, but she had dislocated her shoulder upon landing and needed surgery. I told her not to worry, she still had a left arm, and this would only make her a better martial artist. So the next week and for the following six weeks, in came Laurie, right arm in a sling. This injury taught Laurie how to use her left arm to defend herself, which as her instructor I thought was great, but Laurie on the other hand now had to learn all her techniques on her non-dominant side. She didn’t know it then, but I was just preparing her for black belt early.

Laurie’s next challenge came around brown belt when she had surgery on her foot. A few weeks later, in hobbled Laurie with a boot on her foot. She didn’t let a big thing like an immobilized foot stop her. There she was dressed and lined up with the rest of the class. Sure she was seated in a chair, but there she was working her techniques and .

Laurie’s next major injury came just nine months before her black belt test when she damaged her ACL and needed surgery once again. This would have put an end of many students’ martial arts careers, but Laurie’s refused to let this stop her. I am sure she questioned her sanity, but honestly she didn’t miss a beat. Six weeks after surgery (and with doctor’s clearance) she was back in class. At this point, I am sure she was happy to be over that hurdle of surgery, but I don’t think she expected for it to cause an additional hurdle towards her black belt. After her knee surgery, Laurie’s movement was obviously limited. Her challenge for black belt was now to learn how to adapt and move with this limitation. A challenge, I know from personal experience that is not easy. I can only imagine it is even more daunting when you are staring at your upcoming black belt test. It took some time, and there was a period of mourning and grieving for the abilities she had lost. However, she came to me and said, “I have realized that it is more important to focus on what I can do, than to worry about what I can’t do.” From then on, there was no stopping Laurie.

During an interview for her black belt, I asked Laurie what being a black belt meant to her. I was surprised by her statement as I have always known Laurie to be strong, motivated, and successful. Her comment was, “I now know I can do anything outside of my comfort zone.” I would have never guessed this would have been Laurie’s response, but I completely understood it, as this was one of my takeaways from earning my black belt.

I am proud to announce that on June 7, 2014 at the age of 61, Laurie Asmussen earned her black belt at Flying Tiger Self Defense in Salt Lake City, Utah. For any underbelts looking at the daunting task of earning a black belt, I hope this story brings your encouragement and a feeling that you are not alone.

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PAWMA News • Vol. 37 No. 1 • Summer 2014 12 757

By Laurie Asmussen I call my journey 757. That is seven years, five months and seven days, and it is the time it took me to get to this point. I started this program in self-defense. I was given some self-defense lessons, and when I finished those it was either stop or go on. At that time, my daughter Lyndsay was taking lessons, so I continued on. At first, I felt like a klutz and couldn’t remember the moves.

The motto “inch by inch is a cinch, yard by yard is very hard” became my mantra. I couldn’t look at that black belt. I had to look at only the first tab, the second tab, third tab, the next belt, and so on. As I acquired each belt, the confidence level grew. It wasn’t until I reach Brown that I could begin thinking about that Black Belt. Of course, life gets in the way like four surgeries, being retired, losing my job, and finding another job; all that got in the way. But through perseverance, I am here. Also in my journey, I took on becoming a certified instructor as well. I found out that teaching is not as simple as Sifu Sunny makes it look. Photo courtesy of Laurie Asmussen.

Of course, none of this would be possible without Sifu Sunny, and my husband, Mike, who over the past years has been my human . I only drew blood once. In seven years, and I don’t think that is too bad. My grandsons also help keep me going. I want to be there when they get their Black Belts. Of course, thanks to all those that have had an affiliation with Flying Tigers in one fashion or another, they all helped me get to this point.

So after seven years, five months and seven days, I can say I am 61 years old and I am a Black Belt.

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PAWMA News • Vol. 37 No. 1 • Summer 2014 13 Martial Arts Women Support First Annual California Hakkoryu Event

By Melanie Fine After hosting many events over the decades such as Camp Suigetsu, the Jujitsu America Convention, and countless Gasshuku events in Denver and New York, it was time to take the show to California!

The Hakkoryu Martial Arts Federation (HMAF), directed by Shihan Dara Masi hosted the first annual West Coast Photo courtesy of Melanie Fine. Gasshuku (training seminar) from May 29- June 1, 2014. The event, held at the home of Dara Masi and Melanie Fine was supported by many of the leaders of our women’s martial arts community. They spent four days training, enjoying homemade meals prepared on-site, training in Dara and Melanie’s beautiful mountain dojo, swimming in their pool and hot tubbing. The group even went gold panning!

We were thrilled to be joined by Special Guest Instructor Jane Carr (Hachidan, 8th. degree Black Belt, AJJF Professor, RJA Shihan) , as well as members of other neighboring dojos such as the Okinawan Karate Club of SF, Hand to Hand of Oakland, Makoto Kai of Davis, and Chico Kodenkan.

Most inspirational was the support from the women’s martial arts community. Shihan Masi and Shihan Fine were touched to receive such support from community leaders and dojo cho like Kore Grate, Sonya Richardson, Amelia Jones, Michele Elefante, Deb Lee, Katie Murphy, Delina Fuchs, Sandra Smith, and Silke Schultz.

For more information on training events hosted by the Hakkoryu Martial Arts Federation in New York and California, go to www.HakkoryuMartialArtsFederation.com.

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PAWMA News • Vol. 37 No. 1 • Summer 2014 14 Lori O’Connell to Release Digital Edition of Her First Book

By Lori O’Connell Many of you know Lori O’Connell Sensei for her instructional book published by Tuttle, When the Fight Goes to the Ground, which was released last year, but this wasn’t her first. In 2007, she released a narrative non-fiction book, Weapons of Opportunity: One Woman’s Casual Crusade through the World of Dojos and Low Blows, in which she shares her training experiences, as well as her challenges in dealing with the long-standing traditions and conventions of the male-dominated world of martial arts. This out-of-print book is now available for purchase in an e-book format (check it out in her web store). Below is a sample chapter from her book.

Weapon #12: The Cup White, yellow, orange, green, blue, brown, black. The training process through belts is Photo courtesy of Lori O’Connell. systematic. You learn all the techniques of your level to the best of your ability. And when the Sensei deems you ready to test, you show your stuff, get your feedback, then in most cases, you put on the next colour belt and start learning all over again. At our dojo, for each belt test, you had to demonstrate not only the techniques of your level but all the levels leading up to it. In this way, students built up their stamina and reinforce previous techniques.

That was the way my training went, smooth and steady. That is, until I started getting ready for my brown belt test. That period was a lot more intense. The brown belt test can run as long as two and a half hours without break and the students are expected to have the stamina to keep up a hard pace throughout without faltering in their technique. So after having had my blue belt for nearly a year, our instructors started to push us harder in our training than ever before.

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We did drills like power throwing, during which we would repeatedly and be thrown by our partners without pause for several minutes. This was exhausting, especially with Alyssa’s encouragement.

“Come on! Harder, harder! What’s the matter? Can’t you keep up with me!” she would taunt, as we struggled through our last few throws.

Alyssa usually took part in drills to set a hard pace. It worked well on us. Ryan, Martin, Keegan and I were all pretty keen about our training and were happy to ramp it up a bit to get ready for the test ahead. When the instructor was leading the way, you felt a sense of pride in being able to keep up. And Alyssa was as fit as it gets.

I told Sean, my boyfriend at the time, what kind of stuff I was doing in my training. “It’s getting pretty intense with our tests coming up.” I stretched out my arms and back already stiff from the workout earlier that evening. “I hope I’ll be able to handle it.” Photo courtesy of Lori O’Connell. “Well, I don’t know anything about Jiu-jitsu except for what you’ve told me and I have no idea how good you are, but I can say that you’re in much better shape than when you started. You used to be kind of thin, but now you’ve some muscle mass,” he said, playfully squeezing my bicep. “Guess it’s from all the training.” Sean had known me for years having gone to the same high school. He was qualified to make that judgment. It felt good to hear.

In preparation for our brown belt tests, we were encouraged to train in the other classes in order to learn from the different teaching perspectives of the other and to train with different ukes, and to get in more hours of training. I visited the adult classes a number of times in the weeks leading up to the test. At the time, Hanna taught the class. She was a tiny woman in her early thirties who had her third degree black belt. She was even smaller than I was, which is hard to beat, but when she took a man down, it didn’t look like it was any more strain on her than it was for someone twice her size.

Hanna was a great role model for women martial artists. I was disappointed when she had to give it up to be more available for her family. She was married and had two young daughters. It was an understandable decision to make. Many women make the same decision when forced to choose between family and martial arts training. Somehow men don’t seem to have to make the same decision as often.

One day I was training in Hanna’s class with a rugged-looking guy named Larry, who was one belt level lower than me at the time. If you only looked at him, you might have taken him for a thug.

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He was an electrician, nine years older than me, with short-cropped hair and a full back of tattoos that extended all the way to his elbows. After I got to know him, I found out he was friendly and had a warm personality. But I didn’t know that when I first met him as a seventeen-year-old. When I first saw him, he seemed intimidating. The first time we trained together, he was respectful of my level of training. Little did I know what that respect would entail.

“You hit pretty hard,” he commented after I performed a hold escape on him for the first time. “And you can take the hits too.” He had seen me training before class with the brown belt candidates from my own class. It’s easier to train with people you’re familiar with because you all know each other well and know what to expect from each other as attackers and defenders. When it was Larry’s turn to use me as his uke, he hit me with the same amount of power and intensity as he’d seen me take before, and it was fine. That is, until we got to the groin strike. At the time, only men wore groin protection as it was generally accepted that women didn’t need it. When Larry’s strike hit home, I had a change in perspective.

Larry had taken me to the ground where he was to perform a series of standard strikes, including a hammer fist strike to the groin. He hit me in the groin, straight on the pelvic bone, with the same intensity he’d used everywhere else. Unfortunately, women didn’t wear groin protection at that time.

The pain was immediate and intense. My pelvic bone felt like it had been hit by a bat. I buckled and rolled, whimpering and trying to get my breath back.

After a minute or so, the pain subsided and Larry apologized profusely. The man whom I had originally thought was hard and intimidating was blushing red with embarrassment after having manhandled a teenage girl. I insisted it was okay; after all it was an accident. And he really hadn’t hit all that hard. No harder than he hit men who were wearing cups. But those cups are all the difference in the world. Strangely this was the first experience that I knew of at the club of a woman being struck painfully in the groin at our dojo.

I couldn’t imagine why it was so rare until I got to thinking. Generally men just didn’t hit women as hard as they did men, on any target, for fear of hurting them. My training had been different. I had encouraged my partners to hit harder so I would get the same level of intensity as the rest of my group. They were, of course, used to doing that with me and learned organically not to hit my unprotected groin. Larry, on the other hand, was not used to it at all and followed his regular training patterns, which lacked the necessary restraint required when it came to my pelvic bone. I can say with petty satisfaction that Larry shared my pain ten times over a couple of years later, when Mr. Hiscoe kicked him in the groin having forgotten that he had had a vasectomy two days prior. Even with the protection of his cup, the area was predictably sensitive so soon after the operation.

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Larry looked up at him from the ground, curled up in the fetal position and croaked a single word: “Why?”

Mr. Hiscoe had forgotten Larry’s warning about hitting him in the groin for the week after his operation. He felt terribly guilty about his slip up and felt the need to explain… to the whole class.

“I’m sorry about that,” he said to him before turning to the rest of the class. “You see, Larry had a vasectomy last week so we have to be careful about hitting him in the groin.” Mr. Hiscoe had meant well with his comments, but I could see Larry, still down on the mat, covering his face with his hand in embarrassment as it turned even redder than the time he hit me in the groin. The day after my own experience with pelvic punishment, I decided to buy my first cup. The Photo courtesy of Lori O’Connell. guy at the store called it a Jill, the female counterpart to the Jock. Gradually, the women of the club followed my lead. This had a very positive affect on cross-gender training at the club.

We hadn’t realized it before, but when people hold back on one strike, say to a woman’s groin, they tend to hold back everywhere else as well. By introducing the cup to women, men no longer felt it necessary to hold back. This had the effect of equalizing the training. That’s not to say that men and women always received the same intensity from their partners, but the change made it so that the reason for going easier was simply the uke’s preference.

I tended to go a bit harder on the women of the club than the men would though. One time I was training with Trudy, one of the adult class’s brown belts. She was a tough Australian woman who trained alongside her husband in the class. She had bright red hair and a slight physique. Slight and boney. I can attest to the fact having been on the receiving end of her hard, pointy elbows.

Trudy and I trained hard together, so when the club was making the transition to having women wear cups, I figured she would’ve been one of the first on board. One unfortunately hard kick to her groin revealed the truth of the matter.

She dropped to the floor and whimpered her complaint up at me in her Aussie accent, “No cup!” She took a week off after that, during which she bought one. Her husband Josh wouldn’t let me hear the end of it.

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“Because of you, I can’t have sex for three weeks!” Josh and Trudy were always that direct, no matter what the topic. They were the ones who always told the filthiest jokes. Nothing ever embarrassed them.

What is truly baffling is not the fact that women don’t realize the need for a cup. It’s that there are guys out there who think they can take a hit to the groin without protection. There was one in particular at a Jiu-jitsu conference a few of us attended.

In the change room, Josh was watching one of the conference participants getting ready. “Excuse me, I couldn’t help but notice that you don’t wear a cup.”

“Nah, I don’t really need one. I can take a shot to the groin,” he replied dismissively.

Josh grimaced in disbelief. “You better hope you don’t get paired up with Larry from our dojo. He hits pretty hard.”

And, of course, that’s exactly what happened. There are Chinese monks that have learned the technique of raising the testicles up into the scrotum so as to avoid the pain of a kick to the groin. Unfortunately, this guy wasn’t one of them.

Josh never warned Larry about the cupless wonder. Perhaps he should have said something. But then I don’t know if that would have made Larry more or less likely to go easy on him. When the two of them got paired up for the first technique, chance would have it that Larry’s first attack on him was a kick to the groin. He dropped like a stone. Buckled over on the ground with his head between his knees, he groaned loudly, re-evaluating his earlier statement. For all the bumps and bruises, the dojo fully made the transition and Mr. Hiscoe made cups mandatory for both men and women to the benefit of everyone who trained there. The effects of the change rippled through the years.

Much later down the line, a couple of visiting female black belts were watching Trudy and I train with the various men at our club. We were all doling out the same hard hits on each other like we always did, whether our partners were men or women. The visiting black belts were surprised at the intensity level of training of the women at our club because their own training seemed watered down in comparison. After class, the two women approached the guys to ask about our training.

“Do you always hit the women as hard as you do the men?” one of them asked. “Of course,” Larry replied. “They’d kick our butts if we didn’t!”

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PAWMA News • Vol. 37 No. 1 • Summer 2014 19 Celebrating Community – Making Connections

From Margot Ernst On July 12, 2014 the Oakland neighborhood where Hand to Hand Kajukenbo Self Defense Center has lived for over 30 years closed the streets to celebrate the local community. The streets were free of traffic for 7 hours on a 10 block route where people were encouraged to play, to exercise, and to get to know local businesses, community resources and organizations. The route was filled with dancing, strolling, bicycling, eating, and performing. Hand to Hand is located within the 10 block route and for the first time ever extended its training floor to the street and becoming visible in a new way to the community it has lived in for over 3 decades.

Hand to Hand’s Head Instructor, Sifu Sonya Richardson was joined throughout the day by waves of students excited to share their practice of kajukenbo and self-defense. As the day unfolded, students and teachers at Hand to Hand presented forms, punch attacks and grab arts, grappling, sparing, basics, and line drills unconfined by walls. People strolled and bicycled down San Pablo Avenue and our community grew as they stopped, smiled, took pictures, and inquired about our classes.

Many folks walked by and reminisced about the late Professor Colleen Gragen, Hand to Hand’s founder. Former students, friends, and parents of children who attended Destiny Arts (also founded by Professor Colleen) celebrated the schools growth and resilience. Professor Colleen would have loved and supported Love Our Neighborhood Day. It embodied values that she held dear, and that were pillars of the school she built – building community and empowering people – values that still hold true today and are reflected in Hand to Hand’s mission statement:

“To empower and positively transform individuals and communities to create a peaceful and just society through martial arts and self-defense.”

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PAWMA News • Vol. 37 No. 1 • Summer 2014 20 Preparation and Care of Wooden Weapons

By Delina Fuchs and Nerissa Freeman How much thought have you given to how to properly prepare and care for your wooden weapons? For example, your yawara stick (tenouchi), tanto, bokken, hanbo, jo, and bo transmit your ki and translate your arts and therefore deserve to be treated with care and respect. A responsible owner would never think of letting a sword become rusty or a let a gun sit unoiled. Likewise, you will find that properly choosing, sanding, oiling, and storing your wooden weapons will provide you with years of satisfying and reliable performance. Choosing a Quality Wooden Weapon

It is important to choose a weapon that will withstand years of practice, whether you use it only for solo or noncontact techniques or, for instance, you use a jo for regular kumikata (paired practice). Although recent impact tests have been done to reveal which very few hardwoods can best serve serious, daily weapons practitioners, the moderately graded oak woods are more than adequate if you use wooden weapons primarily for solo practice, and not on a daily basis.

Since most will not have the time or desire to make their own weapons, some simple guidelines will assure you the best possible choice for your level of usage:

 Purchase ready-made weapons from experienced practitioners or artisans who make their weapons with martial arts use in mind. Ask them how they choose their wood. This will tell you whether their choices are more aesthetic or utilitarian in nature.  You should generally stay away from vendors found in tourist traps and malls.  Choose a weapon free of knots in the wood.  Make sure the grain of the hardwood is as straight as possible.  Choose a weapon made of hardwood that is not so dense that it becomes brittle, and not so soft that it dents and warps easily. Some of the best woods for longer wooden weapons such as the hanbo, bokken, jo, bo, naginata, and yari are the Japanese white oak, white ash, purpleheart, and birch. Shorter weapons, such as the yawara stick and tanto, do not require the same qualities as longer weapons, so African Ebony, Coromandel Ebony, Osage Orange, and Honduras Rosewood are preferred although they can be difficult to find and somewhat expensive.

Initial Preparation of Wooden Weapon

Generally speaking, many martial artists do not care for their wooden weapons regularly, and as a result, find that these weapons don’t last. The most important thing you can do to assure longevity is to sand and oil your weapon properly upon first acquiring it.

We will begin with how to sand and oil your wooden weapons. You will need the following supplies:

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 Wooden weapon of choice.  Linseed Oil (art supply or some hardware stores) or Tung Oil (hardware stores). Linseed Oil is traditional, but Tung Oil will also work, and is also the main ingredient in Danish Oils (which also come in a variety of stains).  #220, #400, and #800 grit sandpapers. You may also use #1600 grit sandpaper as a final finish if desired.  Newspapers or cardboard over which to work.  Rags to wipe off oil, making sure to set aside dry rags.

Make sure you will be doing your work in a well-ventilated area. Begin with a piece of #220 sandpaper and sand along the grain of the wood. If you are working with a bokken or tanto, make sure to dry sand both the hilt and the blade. If you are sanding a bokken, be careful not to sand off the edges that already exist on the blade. If there is already a finish on the wood, work until you have removed it entirely; this will give you the opportunity to inspect the quality of the wood close up without the masking some finishes can present. Now, put some oil on a clean rag and rub it into the wood. Do not oil the hilt of a bokken or tanto (traditionally the oil from your hands will rub naturally into the hilts over time and helps to unify the weapon and the wielder). Do oil the entire length of the other wooden staves, including the bo, jo, hanbo, and yawara stick. Leave this oil on the weapon, and then put some oil on a piece of #400 sandpaper. Continue to wet sand the weapon with the oil and #400 sandpaper, making sure not to oil the hilt. Periodically wipe the weapon with a clean rag. Repeat the above wet sanding procedure with #800 sandpaper, and then with #1600 sandpaper if desired. Finish the process by wiping the weapon with a rag, damp with oil, and then with a clean, dry rag. Since a wooden weapon is an extension of its practitioner, it is important to be mindful during the entire process, making sure to manifest positive intention and focus during this process. The entire process should take only 30-60 minutes, depending on how much sanding is needed and desired. You’ll find that the end result is a weapon that is not just smooth, but a pleasure to use.

Yearly Maintenance

Delina has gotten away with using the same jo for over twenty years only because she initially took the time to prepare the wood carefully as above. However, taking time every year to smooth out dings, oil, and wet sand your weapon will prevent the splintering and cracking that occurs with the average oak weapons most of us use.

You will need the same supplies and set up as you used for preparation; then follow these simple steps. Use the #220 sandpaper to dry sand off any unsightly dings or chips that might have occurred during practice. Be sure to sand along the length and grain of the wood. You should not need to do any sanding on the hilt of a bokken or tanto since the oil of your hands should accumulate and no contact with other weapons is made on these parts. Then follow the wet

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PAWMA News • Vol. 37 No. 1 • Summer 2014 22 sanding procedure using #400, #800, and #1600 grit described above in the “Initial Preparation of Wooden Weapons” section.

Performing this maintenance will not only restore the weapon to its original luster, but it will provide the wood with much needed oil to prevent it from becoming brittle and allow it to maintain its strength. Storing Wooden Weapons Longer than 24 Inches

A quick story will illustrate the need for proper storage of your hanbo, jo, bokken, bo, naginata, or yari. A few years ago Delina leaned her jo up against the corner of a wall at the dojo. The following weekend in a typically hot, Chico summer, Chico Kodenkan was getting a much- needed steam cleaning of its tatami. The combination of the moisture and the heat created a warp in her jo along the length of it with a distinct lean towards the corner it was up against. It took her quite a long time to work the warp out of the jo some of which is not entirely gone. She learned her lesson that day. Don’t get lazy. Either lay your weapons down on the floor or put them up on a weapons rack when they are not in use, and you will be spared similar grief.

All in all, taking a little bit of time and care with the choice, preparation, maintenance, and storage of your wooden weapons will save you money and allow you to make the most out of your training with the many wooden weapons of the martial arts.

References: Cunningham, Don. Secret Weapons of Jujutsu. Aurora, Illinois: Budo Kai, Ltd. 2000. Goedkoop, James. Aikido Today Magazine (Issue #63; Vol 13, No. 3) May/June 1999 ed.

From the Editor:

Thank you to those who contributed, assisted, and took the time to write an article for this newsletter. If you are interested in writing an article for the upcoming newsletter, please email Newsletter Editor at [email protected]. The next submission deadline is October 1, 2014.

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