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Houston Stick Fighting Association HSFA Insider Houston’s Martial Arts News Source Every Issue is Filled With Martial Arts Insights Summer 2016 Editorials & Personal Perspectives Training Tips Instructor Spotlight School Spotlight Events Aliveness “…stick with the progress, and matches and in the battlefields form the same technique over do not go backward. Stay and of World War Two. The Bolo and over again but with in- walk forward not backward.” – Battalion used their blades to creasing speed and power with GM Leo Giron. great effect against the Japa- each repetition. After you be- nese invaders much like their come comfortable with that, What makes the Filipino mar- ancestors had done against you can make the drill free tial arts so popular with law invaders for hundreds of years form by combining multiple enforcement, military person- before. These masters were techniques together or by add- al, and civilians looking for an able to pass down their tech- ing different angles of attack. effective self-defense system? niques to a new generation of Finally, your pressure testing One answer is aliveness. Alive- students firsthand just as their can take the form of hard spar- ness is the concept of continu- masters had done for them. ring matches. These matches ing to update and modernize The long history of struggle will offer you the most insight your art so that it fits your has kept the Filipino arts from into your arts ability to func- current needs and environ- becoming stagnant and kept tion practically, outside of true ment. Aliveness means your them moving forward and life and death situations. art continues to grow like a alive. living organism, evolving with It’s important that you find the Volume 1, Issue 2 the times and meeting the new Outside of deadly challenge right balance between the challenges you may face. matches and battlefields there force needed to successfully Inside this issue: are other ways for us to contin- test a technique and the A major factor in the aliveness ue to keep our arts alive. One amount of protection needed of Filipino martial arts is its of the most effective methods to keep everyone as safe as School Spotlight 2 closeness to real world applica- used for aliveness is pressure possible. After you have been tions and to its founders. Many testing. All we need for pres- through these matches, you Carenza as Meditation 2 fighting arts of the past were sure testing is some protective will gain new insight into your canonized, stopped evolving, gear and a willing partner, and arts methodology and struc- and became effectively dead we can put our techniques to ture. When your students and The Connection Between 3 arts. The founders of these the Brain and the Body the test. An uncooperative training partners ask you, dead arts may have died centu- training partner can teach you “Why do it this way?” instead Filipino Spear (Sibat) 3 ries ago and the firsthand more about a technique in one of relying only on secondhand knowledge of their arts real session then months or years knowledge to answer, you can world applications died with of just going through the mo- tell them from experience why. Arm and Wrist Alignment 4 them. In the Filipino martial in Sword Strikes tions. For someone who is new For me, that’s worth the effort arts we have the advantage of to pressure testing there is a of keeping it alive. Instructor Spotlight 5 being historically very close to natural progression for you to those masters who used their follow. First, you simply per- - Billy Atwood, Davis Martial arts in both deadly challenge Arts Hipcore’s Fitness Corner 6 Page 2 School Spotlight — North American Self Defense Institute Curt Doyle offers instruction in offered Tuesday Seito Ryu karate, Japanese Ju and Thursday evenings from 8- HSFA Insider Jitsu, Combat Submission Wres- 9:30 at 12218 Jones Rd, Houston tling, Indonesian Silat, Filipino Texas, 77070, with private les- Kali/Arnis/Escrima, Tae Kwon sons throughout the day. Do, the 5 Animal Styles of Kung Fu, Wing Chun Kung Fu, and For more information, call 281- Muay Thai Kickboxing is offered. 236-5676 or email [email protected]. Group classes are Monday and Wednesday evenings from 7- 9pm at 4963 Louetta Rd. Spring Texas, 77379. Classes are also Volume 1, Issue 2 Carenza as Meditation Before my journey started in my Kali with meditation. Caren- nent moving in unpredictable Kali I practiced a few forms of za is a free flow of footwork, patterns. This combination internal martial arts namely, Tai strikes, and relaxed movement. carenza meditation has evolved “I simply add Chi and Qiqong. I focused on I simply add the mindset of my kali as well as my standing the mindset of Qiqong as I was fascinated by being in the moment and allow- Qiqong. the concept of moving medita- ing the body to move based on being in the tion. I studied many types and continual practice of the basics. I practice daily sometimes mul- moment...” practiced for years becoming a tiple sessions during the day. big fan of standing Qiqong as Start each carenza with slow Most of all, stay relaxed and well as the classic Ba Duan Jin. movement and a emphasis on have fun as you move. The ben- relaxed breathing. Then gradu- efits will manifest in many ways! Now that Kali has become a ally pick up speed to where you major focus of my daily training, are flowing with attacks and - Doug “Hipcore” Hardeman, I have found a way to combine blocks. I like to picture a oppo- Hipcore Fitness Training Learn To Play As I looked back, she'd never One day I was sitting in Leo came down point first in her stopped the motion. I'm not train, our system has to be Gaje's home with his family. He hand. At the time, we weren't quite sure to this day, how she played with. We have to practice was in the kitchen and I was using training blades that we caught the knife, but my eyes constantly, not just in the gym. sitting on the couch watching have today. A training knife was were good back then and I saw We have to use our feet as a sec- one of his young daughters play- floppy rubber or a short stick, the point make contact with her ond set of hands and our weap- ing with a Balisong knife. His and we normally just went slow palm. Somehow she'd snagged ons as just another joint attached son kept asking me if I wanted to as we trained with our Manila the knife by the blade and limb to our arms. We have to learn their language, and I folders, sometimes putting elec- flipped it again. This was maybe close cabinet doors with our feet thought, "Shut up kid. I'm trical tape along the edge. 1984 or 1985...possibly 1983. I or turn on light switches with watching this." Not that it made any difference can't remember the exact year our toes as we carry the groceries in. She was twirling it around and that is. The edges just sliced Leo moved himself, his family through the tape. As the point and a couple of his guys, to Hou- throwing it up in the air closed Our movements have to be de- came straight into the palm of ston. and catching it as it fell, open, veloped to the point where every her hand, I started looking for a tossing it from hand to hand, move we make with our bodies is phone to call 911. The knife was I've always been curious about under her arms and every now completely natural and flows and then slicing or stabbing. I falling fast, and those Manila this little girls skills today, re- membering what she was like into whatever we are doing. Our was amazed at the skill this little folders had some weight behind with a deadly weapon as a small bodies have to play. girl...maybe 8 or 9 years them, but then I heard the click- ing of the knife again. child. To develop this skill as an old...had with a knife. Then, as - Curt Doyle adult, in whatever martial art we she threw it up to catch it, it Page 3 The Connection Between the Brain and Body In addition to training your true. Think of the brain as a jelly- that is not prone to always fight body, martial practices train your fish, with the central oval part or flight mode. Mindful move- HSFA Insider brain as well. Repetitive move- located in your head and the ments and breathing also sup- ments coordinated with breath- tendrils branching down as port the building of a steady ing and awareness strengthens nerves do down the body. Bruce nervous system that can process neural connections, which ena- Lee once said, "Be like water...," incoming streams of information bles one to activate the brain in implies that a fighter must keep quickly. Additional health bene- ways one otherwise wouldn't. the nervous system calm yet fits include: better blood circula- This shows itself when you're fluid, able to adapt and change to tion, reduce inflammation, opti- training allows you to move any stimuli. In order to move like mal digestion and quicker recov- freely without thinking. This water, one must move the entire ery times to name a few. Our offers a martial artist a great body as one unit, stimulating the bodies are composed of approxi- benefit when placed in a stressful brain in all parts of the body.