Woof All:
If you think about it for a moment, it is clear that doing what we do in
the American legal environment is no small trick. Not only in litigation
crazy America is our foundation a form of fighting that the early UFC turned
down for being “just too extreme”, but in order for me to dedicate my life
to the “Dog Brothers mission” it is necessary for me to earn my living at
it. I know, I know, it is not the craftiest of financial decisions I could
have made -- as I sometimes joke, “I used to be a lawyer, but then I went
for the big bucks in stick fighting.”-- but it is a life in which I believe
in what I do.
Pay attention, this is a guide to how things are organized around here:
The DOG BROTHERS (DB)/ The DOG BROTHERS TRIBE: “A band of sweaty, smelly,
psychopaths with sticks dedicated to higher consciousness through harder
contact”. © DBI. My role within the Dog Brothers is “The Guiding Force”.
The “Council of Elders” helps me make important decisions. The Council of
Elders is Benjamin "Lonely Dog" Rittiner, Mike "Dogzilla" Tibbitts, Philip "Sled Dog"
Gelinas, and me.
The Council of Elders (COE) is the body that after consultation with the Tribe,
confers membership in the DB Tribe. To become a member of the Tribe no
money is ever involved. It does not matter what your lineage is. Stating the
matter plainly, though a goodly percentage of the Dog Brothers Tribe trains
in Dog Brothers Martial Arts, the DB Tribe is a separate matter and having the
COE bestow membership in the Tribe helps make the point.
DOG BROTHERS MARTIAL ARTS INC. (DBMA Inc): DBI has been incorporated in California since
1988. DBI is the legal vehicle through which “Dog Brothers Gatherings of
the Pack are held”. This helps minimize the risk of legal liability for all
concerned—including me!
Indeed, for that very reason all my teaching and all my other martial art
professional activities I do not as Marc Denny, but as an employee of DBMA Inc.
This also applies to my wife Cindy Denny, who is in charge of Reality at
DBI. (I am in charge of everything else she informs me) Amongst other
things, “Reality” for includes our DVD and other product sales and the
websites. The “Magic Words” that open a “DB Gathering of the Pack” apply
to all dealings with DBMA Inc too: “No suing no one for no reason for nothing no
how no way. Only you are responsible for you, so protect yourself at all
times. California law applies.” © DBMA Inc
DOG BROTHERS MARTIAL ARTS (DBMA): I am the Head Instructor of DBMA, which
I founded in 1995. The mission statement of DBMA is “To walk as a warrior
for all your days” © DBI. Please be clear that although lots of DBs got
some or all of their training in DBMA, being involved with DBMA does not
make you a Dog Brother or a member of the DB Tribe. Please keep this clear
in your dealings with others.
As stated a moment ago in the previous section, all my DBMA activities are
as an employee of DBI. These activities include:
a) private and group classes;
b) seminars (to which it is agreed that California law applies);
c) The Dog Brothers Martial Arts Association (DBMA Ass'n) The DBMAA is for
everyone, particularly those without regular access to DBMA training. The
heart of the DBMAA is the DBMAA website—particularly its forum, where I can
be found most days. For more info
http://dogbrothers.com/join-dbmaa/ d) DBMA Training Groups (DBMA TG): Typically DBMA TGs are your
quintessential backyard groups. Each group has its own feel and its own mix
of interests be it "Real Contact Stick Fighting", “Kali Tudo”, or the “Die
Less Often” material. Each DBMA TG has a Group Leader (GL). A DBMA Group
Leader is someone who is training with me (or Guro Lonely Dog in Europe)
whom I have certified as a Group Leader. A group leader must train with me
at least once a year with a “Personal Training Program” (PTP) or by hosting
a seminar. (There are some additional requirements that will be discussed at
an appropriate moment). There is a secure forum for DBMA GLs where DBMA and
teaching DBMA can be discussed with privacy. GLs can post their lesson
plans for commentary by either GLs and/or me. Videos clips can be posted.
At random intervals, “Vid-lessons” are released. I am available to answer
questions on the forum. DBMA TGs have the support of DBI/DBMA/DBMAA e.g.
listing on the DBMA public site or on the public site forum. This can
greatly help in finding kindred spirits.
To summarize:
DB: The Dog Brothers
DBMA Inc: Dog Brothers Incorporated
DBMA: Dog Brothers Martial Arts
DBMAA: The Dog Brothers Martial Arts Association
DBMA TG: DBMA Training Group
DBMA TG GL: DBMA TG Group Leader
DBMA Ass'n: DBMA Association
The Adventure continues!
Marc F. Denny/Crafty Dog/Punong Guro Crafty
Guiding Force of the Dog Brothers
President Dog Brothers Inc.
Founder/Head Instructor Dog Brothers Martial Arts
