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Life Long Learning Through Self-Discovery

 

 

Jeet Kune Do 70 years before Bruce Lee?
The Innovative Barton Wright
 

Trends in America
Emilio Garcia's CFS

The next big thing
Afro-Caribbean Martial Arts

A practical approach to MMA
American Zen Protocols

Deep your awareness

Issue 1

Volume 1

Summer 2007

WWW.UltimateKarateUSA.com

1950 3rd Avenue (corner of 107th)

New York, NY 10029

(212) 426-4666
Contents

 

American Karate

 

Schools across America are evolving in terms of techniques and structure. See how the modern American karate dojo’s stack up to traditional schools.

 

Combat Fighting Systems


Emilio Garcia a top New York City MMA and reality combat instructor speaks about his unique system of martial arts.

 

 

Issue 1

Volume 1

Summer 2007

WWW.UltimateKarateUSA.com

1950 3rd Avenue (corner of 107th)

New York, NY 10029

(212) 426-4666

Contents

 

American Karate

Schools across America are evolving in terms of techniques and structure. See how the modern American karate dojo’s stack up to traditional schools.

 

Combat Fighting Systems

Emilio Garcia a top New York City MMA and reality combat instructor speaks about his unique system of martial arts.

 

Cover Story

Discover the Art of Bartitsu

Bartitsu as developed by the great Baron Wright in 1898 has a philosophy that bears an uncanny similarity to Bruce Lee’s JKD.


 

Latin American Martial Arts
Martial arts developed in the Caribbean of African origin. Learn about Ag’ya the Martinique cousin of Capoeira, Cocobale a Puerto Rican stick fighting art, and Kalinda a Trinidadian stick fighting art.

 

American Zen Protocols

Learn an innovative way to drop into a deep Zen state of awareness !!! Uptown Meditation Director Stan Koehler takes Zen to the streets.

 

 

 

^Contents Page^

American Karate

Karate Schools Keeping

With The Times.

 

   

In today’s world of martial arts particularly in America trends come and go. Products, styles, methods, and uniforms seem to be changed as often as the weather. Americans eager to learn, or teach the next big thing continue to scan over the various magazines and catalogues, gorging themselves on their fix of another ounce of “trend”.
 

These days Mixed Martial Arts or MMA are all the rage. Ultimate Fighting, Pride and many other events have spurred interest in this new field of martial arts which has taken center stage. Consequentially many of today’s karate schools here in the United States have begun to move the way of mixed martial arts.

 

It is not unusual to find the average Goju dojo, or Tae Kwon Do school now offering classes in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu or Muay Thai. In fact if one does a quick scan of local schools it will be unusual to find a karate school that does not offer at least grappling into its curriculum. Stick fighting and other forms of Filipino martial arts have also heavily influenced the karate of America.

Not to be outdone by MMA, military or “reality combat” classes have been injected into the American karate scene. Krav Maga, Combat this and combat that have become synonymous with many American karate schools.

 

What does this mean this current trend of adding systems, styles and beliefs into the curriculum of traditional karate? Some say it’s healthy for business to stay with the times. Many professional billing companies speak about becoming a large school with large student base. They see karate in the way Apple Computer sees its cut of the personal computer industry. While this is the growing popular approach I feel that this approach can be deadly to many students looking for a good martial arts program. For example if a young teen watches MMA events on TV, he may not have access to a legitimate MMA gym. What he will have access to is a local karate school. This young, budding student will enter this school wanting to learn grappling. Now the owner of this gym, a savvy business man, with a black belt and a smile, coolly says that he offers grappling and would offer what the student needs. The student says he wants to become a cage fighter one day, and the karate instructor says that he can offer him this goal if he signs a black belt 3 year contract. The suave karate instructor knows all the buzz words. “wouldn’t you like to achieve your goal?”, “we call this an agreement”, and so forth and the young cage fighter leaves not with a pair of leather grappling gloves, but a crisp $10.00 gi and a $300 missing from his personal account.

 

It takes this youngster about two weeks to see the limitations of this so called “agreement”. Not only is the grappling program extremely limited but also dangerous. Many of the techniques are taught improperly and students don't know how to properly execute them. You see dear readers, it turns out that this smooth karate instructor actually is no grappling instructor (surprise, surprise) it turns out that while he is certified to teach karate, his grappling experience was honed by him purchasing his $499.99 “you too can add grappling to your dojo” program. With a few hours of viewing its high quality DVD and accompanied booklet from a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu black belt, the karate instructor is ready to update his website and add new flyers promoting its new addition to the black belt club.
 

I believe that it is a good thing to stay open minded and to add to your curriculum in order to round out your program. I also think that teaching other martial arts requires years of training to integrate into the scene. You cannot learn grappling in 6 months and expect to teach it legitimately. Don't believe me? Ask yourself this question. Can a Judo man watch a tae kwon do video and in a few evenings teach authentic Olympic TKD? I didn’t think so.

 

 

^Contents Page^

Cover Story

B a r t i t s u

Jeet Kune Do 100 years too soon
 

I knew the title on the cover of this magazine would catch your attention. I’d like to first take the opportunity to clarify that Bartitsu a one hundred and ten year old English martial art has nothing to do with what we call Jeet Kune Do. No, JKD was developed by Bruce Lee, in the 60’s by experimenting with different martial arts and adding them into one complete system of defense. Many credit the great Bruce Lee as the first to add western martial arts with eastern arts and codify them into one complete system.

 

But here is where the controversy begins. Was Bruce the first? The year was about 1898 and the man was named Barton Wright. He hailed from England and just returned from his long stay in Japan. While in Japan Mr. Wright studied classical Jujitsu. Although he felt covered in terms of close range combat from the jujitsu, he also felt that what he had learned was incomplete.

 

Upon his return to England Barton Wright added English boxing, and French kickboxing, to his jujitsu. He added English wrestling and Judo to round it all off. In addition he added stick fighting skills, and a healthy dose of street fighting tactics. His Bartitsu, had tech in all four ranges like Jeet Kune Do and focused on the practicality of a street fight.

 

Barton Wright said in 1904 “Under Bartitsu is included boxing, or the use of the fist as a hitting medium, the use of the feet both in an offensive and defensive sense, the use of the walking stick as a means of self-defense. Judo and jujitsu, which were secret styles of Japanese wrestling, he would call close play as applied to self-defense. In order to ensure as far as it was possible immunity against injury in cowardly attacks or quarrels, they must understand boxing in order to thoroughly appreciate the danger and rapidity of a well-directed blow, and the particular parts of the body which were scientifically attacked. The same, of course, applied to the use of the foot or the stick. Judo and jujitsu were not designed as primary means of attack and defense against a boxer or a man who kicks you, but were only to be used after coming to close quarters, and in order to get to close quarters it was absolutely necessary to understand boxing and the use of the foot.”

 

Bartitsu is now over 100 years old. Perhaps Barton Wright deserves to be held in just as high esteem as Bruce Lee. While it’s tough to argue just how big the impact Master. Lee had on the martial arts world we might consider adding Barton Wright’s photo in every MMA and JKD school, right next to Bruce. Barton Wright was truly ahead of his time.

 

Bartitsu Con’t: Let’s examine this phenomenon from a techniques stand point.

Take a sample of some of Bartitu’s premiere techniques and compare them to JKD.

Bartitsu lead leg side kick

1904

Bruce Lee executing his lead leg side-kick

1970

Bartitsu Straight Lead

(Early 20th Century)

Ted Wong demonstrating the JKD straight lead

Barron Wright trapping range-lock

Dan Inosanto and a JKD technique

 

 

 

^Contents Page^

CFS A Practical Approach to Mixed Martial Arts

(Renowned martial arts instructor Emilio Garcia offers his unique approach to MMA in New York City)

 

We believe that fights are won in the gym “A pint of sweat saves a gallon of blood.”                                 

General George S. Patton
 

We train in many arts and styles. We blend them together with the seamless application of tactics and strategies in all ranges of combat. We are open to everything and are attached to nothing. Our goal is to offer cutting edge training in self defense, Combat martial arts and physical fitness. These classes combine many disciplines, especially Western wrestling of yesterday. Learn the 90% ‘rs Shoots, Clinch, Takedowns Riding, Control, Positioning, Leveraging, Submissions and How to get back up!

Mixed Martial Arts
 

These classes are just that mixed. They are more then mindless cross-training. These classes combine information and concepts to provide a more streamlined and intelligent base for No Holds Barred Fighting. (NHB) These classes are real world self-defense courses. They are broken down into four major areas.
 

Unarmed Combatives

Knife Combatives

SDMS / Impact Weapons Combatives

Gun / Counter Gun Combatives
 

These classes go hand in hand with the CQC training.

They combine the sheer brutality, finesse and conditioning of the previously mentioned arts along with CQC’s real world approach toward self defense to

“Bridge the Gap” Between Sport & Street.

 

Submission Wrestling is an exciting combination of both Eastern & Western grappling arts. It blends together the arts of Judo, Freestyle Wrestling, Greco-Roman Wrestling, Shoot-wrestling, sambo, Catch-as-catch-can, and no -gi Grappling

 

For more information about joining CFS contact Emilio Garcia at
Info@combatfightingsystems.com

Emilio Garcia

 

 

 

 

^Contents Page^

African-Caribbean Martial Arts

About to set the world on fire

 

When you think martial arts the average person thinks about Japan and Ju-jitsu or Karate. Some envision the kung fu masters of Shaolin or Tae Kwon Do fighters. But what if I said the word Ladja or Kalinda? What if I said that one of the worlds most powerful martial traditions hailed from the Caribbean Islands? Yes you heard that right, I said Caribbean, that beautiful, hot, exotic stretch of Islands that most think of as being a top vacation spot. The Caribbean years ago offered an amazingly rich martial tradition.

 

The Caribbean’s first inhabitants the Taino and Carib Indians had warrior traditions like many other Native Indians. Arrows, hatchets, and their most prided weapon the macana a war club, was used to battle. The Martial Arts of the Caribbean would later be brought to an amazing level when the African’s were brought to the Islands to replace the depleted Indians who were enslaved by the Spanish, and Portuguese. These slaves brought with them many martial traditions from Africa, which were refined on the Caribbean plantations.
 

In Brazil Capoeira was developed from original African dances from the Congo region. But the same style that was developed into Capoeira also influenced similar styles on the Islands of Martinique, Cuba and possibly others. In Martinique the martial arts dance was called originally Ag’ya and later called ladja. This dance looked very similar to capoeira only with a very different type of “ginga” or dance step. The dance step was very fast and complicated and offered some of the most uniquely effective fighting footwork ever devised. Coupled with this foot work were fast action kicks, and devastating, swinging type punches that easily knocked out teeth upon impact. When fighters got too close to kick or punch, judo type throws would ensue with some ground fighting.
 

In Puerto Rico, and Trinidad a stick fighting tradition was developed that like ladja and capoeira was infused with dance. These stick fighting traditions called Kalinda in Trinidad and Cocobale in Puerto Rico were similar to the Filipino stick fighting arts only with much more complicated footwork, which separated the African styles from its Filipino counterparts. The art was a sight to see both beautiful to watch and extremely dangerous to any whom opposed.

 

In recent years many of the stick and empty hand styles that were brought over by the African slave warriors have been preserved in other aspects of martial tradition. Many Caribbean’s have added their warrior traditions and infused them with boxing. Kid Galivan, former world boxing champions during the 1950’s took machete techniques he learned as a boy on the sugar plantations and embedded them in his boxing style. In fact his patented “bola punch” rocked even the great Sugar Ray Robinson who later wrote, that Galivan was the toughest fighter he ever fought.
 

Many researches of African and Caribbean descent are now making the rounds of restoring and bringing to light the arts of the Caribbean. With the help of these people, the Caribbean martial arts, as well as the arts of Africa will be just as famous as anything from the Far East.

 

Modern day Ladja Fighters on the Island of Martinique

Kalinda stick fighters on the Island of Martinique

A late 1800’s drawing showing Kalinda practice.
 

For more information about learning the Afro-Caribbean martial arts contact Maestro Richard Garcia at (212) 426-4666. Richard Garcia is the president and founder of the Afro-Caribbean Artes de Combate Federation.
 

 

 

 

^Contents Page^

American Zen

A New Protocol for the Modern Practitioner

of this Ancient Art

 

Meditation is thousands of years old and for centuries has helped people deal with stress and internal suffering. Zen which originated China, spreading to Japan and amongst other things practiced by the Samurai class, traditionally took many years to get to a point where one could hold a state of witnessing rather than ego identification. Rinzai Zen Master Jun Po Dennis Kelly, using classical Zen training along with modern neuro-linguistic discoveries created protocols that allow individuals to experience a deep meditative awareness without spending extensive time in a monastery. It is a process by which an individual with little or no meditative practice is able to experience what the world is like without the filter of ego mind. From this deeper state, the student gains insight into his or her self. This awareness does not replace a meditation practice but rather forms the basis for a sitting practice. Holding this state of awareness changes the quality of the martial arts experience.
 

This universal experience brings insight into a fundamental reality concerning the meaning or the importance of things. Some say that the first Zen patriarch, Bodhidharma was asked by the Emperor Wu, “what is the meaning of the Sacred Scriptures?’. Bodhidharma’s reply was “Nothing is sacred; everything is sacred.” By extension we might realize, nothing is important; everything is important. If this is so, why as martial artists do we bother to compete and work out? The conversation below speaks to this question.

 

A Zen Do conversation

 

We have a conversation between two of our martial arts students, Kris and Jonathan, and our meditation/psychic self-defense teacher, Stan. It takes place on a Sunday afternoon at our Zen do in Spanish Harlem. Kris is 18 yrs old. His family comes from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. He’s a full time student at Borough of Manhattan Community College and grew up in West Harlem. He is also in our cage fighting program. Jonathan is Puerto Rican, grew up in the South Bronx. He is 19, going to BMCC and one of our senior students. Stan is White, a Zen practitioner, ordained in the Rinzai tradition and 64 years old. He directs the meditation and psychic self defense program at the Uptown Meditation Center.

 

Stan is sitting at his desk. Kris comes walking into the office after working out with another student Jonathan.

 

Stan: Hi Kris, how’s the workout?

 

Kris: I’m doing alright; I finally got that new wrist lock that Sensei showed me. But I did mess up Jonathan a little bit. Hey Stan I do have a couple of questions about some of the thing you were telling me yesterday.

 

Stan; Sounds good, wassup?

 

Kris: Well, I think I understand the first protocol. You said it was based on the fact that there are two different ‘me’s’ that are here. The first is the regular, day to day me; the ‘me’ that wants things.

 

Stan: Yeah, that ‘you’ that feels like it sits behind your eyes and directs things.
 

Kris: And you call that the ego or ego-mind? In my psych class I’ve been learning about Freud and he talks about ego and super ego and id. Is this the same as what you’re talking about?
 

Stan: No, Freud created a different system. Our concept of ego-mind predates Freud by thousands of years. But notice as you inquire into ego mind, if you look closely it’s made up of words.

 

Kris: Yeah, it’s like a flow of words or a stream of consciousness.
 

Stan: Exactly, but there is something more basic witnessing things

 

Kris: Yeah, when I stop the words I just sort of witness everything. But there is no me that is witnessing, it just is.

 

Stan: And what’s that like? I think you called the state No Name when you first experienced it last week.
 

Kris: Open, peaceful vast, no racism, things are just there and all the same. Nothing can describe it
 

Stan: That’s because the awareness is beyond words. Who are you in that state, in No Name?

 

Kris: I don’t know. There are no words so there is no way to think of myself. I just witness. Nothings important, it’s all the same.

 

Jonathan comes into the office and walks up behind Kris and lightly smacks him in the head
 

Jonathan: (Laughing) so dawg, makes no difference if I kick your ass.

 

Kris: (Grabbing Jonathan’s wrist and twisting it forcing Jonathan to the floor) Get the hell out of here – you wish man (Jonathan and Kris begin grappling on the floor, Kris moving to lock up the wrist.)
 

Stan: Yes, it’s interesting. Ultimately nothing has meaning – which gives us the freedom to make important, or meaningful, whatever we chose to.

 

(By this point Kris has lost the wrist but has Jonathan in a half guard trying for a kimura, while Jonathan is rubbing his elbow against Kris’ face.)

 

Jonathan (gasping) Messing up Monster Boy has real meaning.

 

Kris (finally getting his kimura; laughing as Jonathan taps) So that’s some meaning for you.

 

Stan: Would you guys like a Fresca?

 

Kris and Jonathan get up, and pull up a couple of chairs. Stan hands them a couple of sodas from a small refrigerator near his desk.
 

Stan: So Kris - what was your question?
 

Kris: Well you showed me - and I’m still not sure what happened - how to go into No Name - using the bell. But how do I get there by myself? I need to learn how to fight from state - or go there the next time the cops harass me.
 

Stan: Jonathan, you’re able to do that. Tell Kris wassup.

 

Jonathan: It’s nothing dawg, just practice. Just try it, fifteen minutes a day practice. It comes real easy. See that state is always there. You don’t go nowhere, you just stop putting words between you and It.
 

Kris: You make it sound so easy.
 

Stan: It is, and you guys need to get some studying done before class tomorrow. And both of you be careful of the words. The most important thing is accessing the experience. Whatever we are saying about It is inaccurate. But then does it make any difference?


 

For more information about these Zen protocols or the Uptown Meditation Center contact Stan Koehler at (212) 426-5444.

Also check out the Uptown Meditation Center website at www.peaceonthestreet.com

 

 

 

Upcoming Issues:
 

  • Barrio 52: A style of boxing and jujitsu bred from the streets and prisons of New York set to take the MMA world by storm.

 

  • Lock flow drills: 3 new locking sets that are sure to add to any grappling fighter’s repertoire.

 

  • Knife defense: how to use proper equalizers in order to survive.

 

  • The Depasquale Family: America’s first family of Jujitsu! Learn about their story.

 

  • Fighter Health & Nutrition: Each month we will give new information about how a fighter can maintain optimal performance through diet and exercise.

 

  • Fight Gear: Every month we will showcase new gear that will aid every fighter.

 

  • Fighter Profile: We will profile both up and coming and established fighters.

 

  • Movie Review: Each month we will give a martial arts movie review.

 

That’s it for our first edition of the Ultimate Martial Arts Magazine.

 

We’d love feedback, if you have any please send to Ultimate Martial Arts Magazine 1950 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10029 suite 3.

 

You can also email us at UMAMAGAZINE@HOTMAIL.COM