I would agree with that. I don't necessarily think however that it would be best to say that you have something for self defense though. If asked why I carry a knife (and as a side note my EDC is either my Rajah II or my Espada XL from Cold Steel) it's simply because it's a versatile tool which can come in handy in any number of both everyday and emergency situations. If asked for examples I can give them. I would never jump straight to "Oh, I carry this six inch Kukri style folding knife just in case I have to chop someones head off in an act of self-defense". I guess basically what my feeling on it is that while saying nothing may not be your best option, clearly full disclosure isn't either. I've always said just enough to keep the officer happy. The less I say, the less that can be misunderstood.

Cool. I thought that was what you were saying, but I wasn't sure. Thanks for the treat.

Oh, and also, it can get even worse though than just being something as simple as intent that changes something from a tool to an illegal weapon. I believe it was in People v. Grubb that it was ruled that the people do not even need to be able to show that your intent is to use it in an illegal manner, but that you can defend yourself by being able to demonstrate your ability and intent to use an item in it's intended manner. Sounds a little like guilty until proven innocent to me. But again, I don't have a background in the law.

I hope you don't mind me dropping this in here. I know the conversation was... quite some time ago, but I think this might be relevant. In People v. Fannin it is shown that intent can make a legal tool an illegal weapon. Johnny Fannin was found in possession of a chain with a lock on the end, and though he would later claim to use it as a bike lock, when asked by the officer what it was for he said it was for self-defense. The court ruled that this showed intent to use it as a weapon, and as one which is illegal under CA law. Now I don't have a background in law so I could be missing something, or even what you were saying in your post, but it does seem to me at least that this shows that it can come down to intent.

Now that I think of it, I'm kind of sad that Ashida Kim didn't make the list.

I thought I was going to die when I got to Manny "The Hialeah Kid" Reyes, Jr. Thanks for sharing this.

No joke. They didn't even take my DBMA DVDs to go with it. At least if they had done that it would make sense.

Thank you for the advice.

I'm wondering, is anyone planning on going out there from the Hemet area that might be interested in carpooling? As much as I want to I'm not going to be able to fight this year, got home from the in-laws to find my place had been robbed, but would love to at least be able to watch a few fights.

BTW what kind of crack head steals a fencing mask, some gloves, and a bunch of sticks?

That's probably true most of the time, but there is always the chance that you will come across a fat guy like me that jogs a 5k three times a week. I'm talking about the cardio part of course.

Yeah, I kind of figured it was too early for it to be up. I'm just excited about it because I've been training with the various DBMA videos, as well as some others in various arts as much and as hard as I can for a while now and really want to get out there and do this for real. I've even been able to find a couple of guys that have been willing to train with me and do some sparring, though just with padded sticks so that kind of stinks. And even though I realize it's a very real possibility (read probability) that I'll get rolled pretty good, I'm strangely OK with that as long as I'm able to learn something from the experience. Either way though I'm going to be there this year. I don't care if I have to walk my happy butt to get there. Looking forward to meeting as many of you guys as I can in person.

This may be a dumb question, but do you know when you will have the registration form available? Or is it already up and I'm just looking in the wrong place?

I can't wait for the DVD. I didn't get to see it when it was on PPV, so I am looking forward to buying it.

Just watched it again, I have it on my DVR, and Dr. Michael Addis is the one I was talking about.  It just really irritates me. Almost as much as the martial artists that want to say that the Dog Brothers are just brawlers with sticks, that can't correctly use the techniques of the style but refuse to step up at a gathering and prove it. I mean I've never fought at one of The Gatherings of the Pack, mainly for lack of transportation, but even I understand that if my back was against the wall I'd rather have even someone that got thoroughly destroyed in their one and only fight at a gathering than just about anyone else with me. Anyway, I'm starting to get off topic so I'll stop there. It is a really great documentary though and I recommend it to anyone that wants to get a bit of a better understanding of the Dog Brothers but is unable/unwilling to get to a gathering. I especially enjoyed that they didn't really "center" it around any one person. It was nice seeing the different people that show up to fight.

I've watched this a few times, and I have to say that the one guy on it that is talking about how stuff like the Dog Brothers causes people to be more violent really makes me mad. How does he not understand that competitions of physical strength have been a part of masculine development since recorded history. Good show either way though.

OK, this one is kind of long, but worth it. I have done my best to edit it for language. It's best if you read all three judges reactions. Anyway, here goes.

For those of you who have lived in Texas, you know how true this is. They actually have a Chili Cook-off about the time Halloween comes around. It takes up a major portion of the parking lot at the city park. The notes are from an inexperienced Chili taster named Frank, who was visiting from Canada. Frank: "Recently, I was honoured to be selected as a judge at a chili cook-off. The original person called in sick at the last moment and I happened to be standing there at the judge's table asking for directions to the Coors Light truck, when the call came in. I was assured by the other two judges (Native Texans) that the chili wouldn't be all that spicy and, besides, they told me I could have free beer during the tasting, so I accepted." Here are the scorecards from the event:


Chili 1 - Mike's Maniac Mobster Monster Chili

Judge 1 -- A little too heavy on the tomato. Amusing kick.
Judge 2 -- Nice, smooth tomato flavour. Very mild.
Judge 3 -- (Frank) Holy crap! What the hell is this stuff? You could
remove dried paint from your driveway. Took me two beers to put the flames out. I hope that's the worst one. These Texans are crazy.

Chili 2 - Arthur's Afterburner Chili

Judge 1 -- Smoky, with a hint of pork. Slight jalapeno tang.
Judge 2 -- Exciting BBQ flavour, needs more peppers to be taken seriously.
Judge 3 -- Keep this out of the reach of children. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to taste besides pain. I had to wave off two people who wanted to give me the Heimlich maneuver. They had to rush in more beer when they saw the look on my face.

Chili 3 - Fred's Famous Burn Down the Barn Chili

Judge 1 -- Excellent firehouse chili. Great kick. Needs more beans.
Judge 2 -- A beanless chili, a bit salty, good use of peppers.
Judge 3 -- Call the EPA. I've located a uranium spill. My nose feels like I have been snorting Drano. Everyone knows the routine by now. Get me more beer before I ignite. Barmaid pounded me on the back, now my backbone is in the front part of my chest. I'm getting crap-faced from all of the beer.

Chili 4 - Bubba's Black Magic

Judge 1 -- Black bean chili with almost no spice. Disappointing.
Judge 2 -- Hint of lime in the black beans. Good side dish for fish or other mild foods, not much of a chili.
Judge 3 -- I felt something scraping across my tongue, but was unable to taste it. Is it possible to burn out taste buds? Sally, the barmaid, was standing behind me with fresh refills. That 300-lb. chick is starting to look HOT...just like this is nuclear waste I'm eating! Is chili an aphrodisiac?

Chili 5 - Linda's Legal Lip Remover

Judge 1 -- Meaty, strong chili. Cayenne peppers freshly ground, adding considerable kick. Very impressive.
Judge 2 -- Chili using shredded beef, could use more tomato. Must admit the cayenne peppers make a strong statement.
Judge 3 -- My ears are ringing, sweat is pouring off my forehead and I can no longer focus my eyes. I farted and four people behind me needed paramedics. The contestant seemed offended when I told her that her chili had given me brain damage. Sally saved my tongue from bleeding by pouring beer directly on it from the pitcher. I wonder if I'm burning my lips off. It really pisses me off that the other judges asked me to stop screaming. Screw those rednecks.

Chili 6 - Vera's Very Vegetarian Variety

Judge 1 -- Thin yet bold vegetarian variety chili. Good balance of spices and peppers.
Judge 2 -- The best yet. Aggressive use of peppers, onions, and garlic. Superb.
Judge 3 -- My intestines are now a straight pipe filled with gaseous, sulphuric flames. I crapped myself when I farted and I'm worried it will eat through the chair. No one seems inclined to stand behind me except Sally. She must be kinkier than I thought. Can't feel my lips anymore. I need to wipe my butt with a snow cone.

Chili 7 - Susan's Screaming Sensation Chili

Judge 1 -- A mediocre chili with too much reliance on canned peppers.
Judge 2 -- Ho hum, tastes as if the chef literally threw in a can of chili peppers at the last moment. I should take note that I am worried about Judge 3. He appears to be in a bit of distress as he is cursing uncontrollably.
Judge 3 -- You could put a grenade in my mouth, pull the pin, and I wouldn't feel a thing. I've lost sight in one eye, and the world sounds like it is made of rushing water. My shirt is covered with chili which slid unnoticed out of my mouth. My pants are full of lava like crap to match my shirt. At least during the autopsy, they'll know what killed me. I've decided to stop breathing, it's too painful. Screw it; I'm not getting any oxygen anyway. If I need air, I'll just suck it in through the 4-inch hole in my stomach!

Chili 8 - Tommy's Toe-Nail Curling Chili

Judge 1 -- The perfect ending, this is a nice blend chili. Not too bold but spicy enough to declare its existence.
Judge 2 -- This final entry is a good, balanced chili. Neither mild nor hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when Judge 3 farted, passed out, fell over and pulled the chili pot down on top of himself. Not sure if he's going to make it. Poor fella, wonder how he'd have reacted to really hot chili!

Interesting thread here, I'm glad it was brought up. I've used the JKD straight blast a few times in fights I've been in. In my little bit of experience I have found it to be a great counter to the wild, and rapid looping punches you tend to see from a lot of street punks. It's seems that it is great at putting people off balance to set up a stronger attack. Especially when directed at the nose, which I've decided only exist to be a target right in the middle of your face. I usually like to use it to work into a Thai clinch and throw a couple of knees and elbows. With all of this said, as was already pointed out, I would be cautious about using it against a fighter which can work with angles. I'm not saying it wouldn't work. I'm just saying I don't want to be the person that first finds out if it does or not. 

This is some really great advice. Thank you all again so much. It's great that a group of people who have been doing this for some time can still remember what it was like the first time and help support someone new.

Califkali, I checked your profile but you have your email hidden. I sent you a pm instead.

Thank you all again for your help.

Wow, I didn't know that. Another question I have, since I haven't been able to watch all the DBMA dvds I have yet, is whether or not there had been a dog brothers dvd that focuses on grappling. If so, which one? And if not is there any video series that you would recommend to help build a ground game? Like I said though, I'm pretty sure I have all of the instructional DVDs except for maybe one or two.

Thanks for the advice Guide Dog. I was doing some fighting with the padded sticks as well for about three years, but I ended up running out of people willing to fight. I guess even with the nice padded sticks it's a little too much for most people. With all that said, what gear should I bring with me? I know the type of fencing mask I need. That's a question that I have found answered many times in many places. But should I bring gloves as well? What kind would you recommend? I'm really hoping to be able to make it out this September. Even though I don't have a lot of training in martial arts it's something I really want to do and am really looking forward to. Thanks again to you and anyone else that can offer any advice.

Hello all. I have a question for the folks here that have experience fighting at the Gathering. I really would love to be able to fight at the Gathering of the Pack, but have thus far been unable to find any kind of quality training. It's always been a matter of simply being out of reach as far as  distance goes, or it costing more than I can afford right now. I do however have just about all of the DBMA instructional DVDs and was wondering if it would actually be possible to, at least on a limited level, prepare by solo training with the videos. I do have a little bit of a background in martial arts. I was even able to train with Guro Griffin for a short time. Most of what I know though has come from study I have done on my own and what I guess you would call "real world experience". Anyway, what are your thoughts on this?

Sounds great. I'd love to get out there and train, but I live in Hemet and until I get my current situation with my car worked out I just won't be able to make it. Good luck though. And I hope in the future I can come out and train with you.