Dog Brothers Public Forum

I've had some brief exposure to the Dr. Gyi Letha Yoga techniques thought a Dog Brother training camp.    Restorative techniques aren't just for older guys, as they simply speed up recovery time.  While I enjoyed the material, such a regimen involves a regular ritual for results.   The solo stuff is more appealing as it's difficult to find a regular partner to do the partner activities, although it really is better when someone else helps out.  

An alternative method for increasing circulation is light aerobic exercise.  Thermally-induced vasodilation and vasocontriction  can be as easy as  alternating hot and cold water in the shower, ending on cold.   Apparently, this quick shower method is gaining popularity among pro athletes, although massage, ice and hot water treatments have been popular all along.

Although many cultures have a history with hot/cold water treatment,  the Scandinavian and Baltic people have been my exposure.  The coldest lake and hottest sauna I've ever experienced were in Finland. The Baltic (Latvians, Lithuanians) augment the hot/cold cycles with a birch (fine twigs) branch whipping.    And when I was young, I always thought the Latvian grandmothers kept that birch broom around to punish kids stealing candy ! Little did I know !

I've been doing this for only a couple of months, but wow, you feel fantastic afterwards.  I can't comment on the
boost to recovery from a workout thought.  As a bonus, you'll cut your gas bill for your hot water usage.  Plus, you may relive all of those summer camp memories of running out of hot water in the shower.


Gints Klimanis

I have a Filipino friend (trained in FMA) that was assaulted by a bum-looking guy with a fishing filet knife in the east side of the San Francisco Bay last year. He disarmed the sluggish intruder.  This was more of an assault than a knife fight. I've asked him if it's ok to post the details of his story, at least how he told me the story.

All corrections made, Milt.  Thanks for the quick response.

I don't think anyone dared to mess up your *wife's* chair.

Here are some suggestions for multiple man knife fights that I've
tested in my GFC sparring nights.  The additional distractions
give the knife fight a purpose other than a simple duel.

1) Four players on two teams.  Only one player on each
team has a knife.  Short knives work better here.  The
armed man assumes the job of protecting his unarmed buddy.

2) Three players: two unarmed vs. one armed.
A long knife works better here.

3) Serial attacker:  one knifer gets a new opponent
every ten seconds.

4) Armed+unarmed  vs.   2 armed/unarmed
In this case, you are defending yourself and an unengaging
buddy.  I haven't actually tried this combo yet.

5) Fighting around an obstacle, any type of fight.
Any knife combination.   In the past, I've dragged the
150 lb Green man dummy heavy bag into the middle of the
floor.

6) Home intruder:  single or team fighting to gain ground
I tried this in a one car garage with the home access being
a single door.   Defender(s) prevent the offender(s) from
gaining ground.   At the Gathering, add cones or heavy bags to
mark the path.

I'll write up some more when I get a chance,

Gints Klimanis

I've tried a couple of marker fights in the past .  
The main problem with markers is that
they don't reward slashes very well due to the small tip.
In short, markers simulate a very short blade quite well,
but the mess inhibits regular practice.
Also, the marker tip mashes quickly.   Marker/lipstick is
fine for recording some shots, but if the bout isn't stopped
after a couple of
slashes, many marks provide little information about
the timing and quality of the cuts.  "Whoah, dude,
you cut me 23 times vs. my 19.  You win."  A modern
training tool is a video camera, although it is difficult to tape
knife fights well because the action often too quick for video frame
rates, and you only have one viewing angle.

Why is there so much concern over making shots obvious?
I think Crafty & crew have done a fine job so far.
The fighters can feel the shots with some practice, once
they've learned to calm down.  
The duel would be totally different with real knives, let
along the remote possibility that an equal weapon duel
would take place.   Just hand each opponent a fencing
mask and a pair of light garden gloves so you can feel
cuts to the hands.   I would suggest having both
contestants handle a real blade immediately before
their first knife bout and debrief them individually afterwards.

Some newbies are unaccustomed to fighting with a
simulated blade.  So what?  It's great practice to learn
on a new opponent.   These guys are just circling
around trying to slash or "hook stab" or "jump thrust"
you in the face with pure
speed and reflexes, no variety or strategy.
Can you deal with them? As for "double kills", you just make
sure that *you* avoid them.  Sure, the "accomplished"
knife sparrer may receive more hits than they would
like.  I think that's better than watching two guys
circle around the whole round "looking for an opening"
because they are unable to make an opening.

I like the aluminum blades with
light "garden" gloves, primarily to protect from knuckle grating on
the opponents mask.   I think this could actually be reduced
to taping 2-3 finger joints.  Particular and
well-maintained blades should be used.   Once, I was
"stabbed"  by an well-targeted but unmaintained aluminum
blade in the torso.   I neglected to care for the skin break,
which broke into an itchy infection.  So, at my GFC sparring
activity, we use blades covered with the clear car door
protectors available from Kragen auto supplies.  This
suggestion was made by Bob Burgee at Edges2.  It's
harder to cover the shorter blades, so choose
models with rounder edges and sand off the burrs
before bouts. I use a Black&Decker Mouse electric sander.

Without hand padding, I will caution that one can
break hand bones, as I broke my thumb (distal phalanx)
cleanly during a Jacket vs. Edges2 Fighter
fight.  Although I have the bout on video, I am unable
to tell if my thumb broke from my opponent's knife
butt to my fist or from my finger poke to his helmet.
I though I broke/bent my nail during the fight.  After
the swelling subsided in three weeks, I finally had
the thumb x-rayed because it seemed a little crunchy.
Up until the doctor's visit, I really didn't think much
of not being able to close shirt buttons.


Happy slashing,

Gints Klimanis

After much shopping around, I bought an all-metal Spyderco Harpie in 1998 or so. The blade length is 2 3/4" and it easily fits in the billfold of my wallet,
thus enabling me to carry it anywhere.  I've practied taking out
the knife quickly and mostly have it down.  This blade is not a "fighting"
knife, but its serrated edges look nasty.  The natural steel color and
nasty-looking blade are excellent posturing attributes.

I haven't checked out "Choke", but it looked more like a collection of
fights.  Were there any good "behind the scenes" DVD extras?

We're still on the "off season", but send me your email so you can check out weapons sparring in your area.  I'm in Menlo Park, not too far south from Daly City.

http://home.att.net/~gints/GFC.htm

gints@att.net

Sincerely,

Gints Klimanis

As for "guest" posts, I think this is fine.  An improvement may be a reminder that a posting is performed as guest.  I'm a registered member of this site, but I've unintentionally posted as "guest" in the past.

Gints

This article, found by Ray Terry, is about news coverage on guns used in self-defense.  Some interesting events include the successful defenses by early teens.

Why People Fear Guns
By John R. Lott Jr.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,107274,00.html

"i can beat you and am willing to prove it at my own risk."
>are we back in elementary school? that is the most idiotic statement any grown man can say to another.

Leeland,

If you are the best, you can only know this by actually fighting others.  According to the articles posted by Eric "Top Dog" Knaus, Eric challenged many of the FMA schools.  

guest's quote at the top of this post is the essence of the Gathering, at least to me.  Others like to participate but only latch on to that sentiment rather than drive ot. Even more like to watch, and even more like to talk about it without ever having watched.  The Dog Brothers have sustained a unique event.

>martial arts is for self defense and personal evolution. not for infantile >challenge matches, that have no relevant benefits.
> if you've gone to any dogbrothers gathering you'll understand this

Gathering fighters challenge one another.  Many challenges are avoided or rejected.

Gints

El Cid,

Are you talking about sparring with heavy wood with no protective equipment?  If so, have you ever seen anyone do this type of sparring without any restrictions on blows?

Good article.  I always enjoy reading commentary on bare-knuckle boxing in print.  Most people laugh at the movie renditions of Brits boxing with palms up.  They are simply practicing a sport defined by strict rules that enable them to fight without gloves.  In no way does the sport demonstrate the most effective way to fight.  It's just a sport, just like today's boxing which attracts some of the top athletes in existence to fight in a highly constrained manner suitable for public viewing.  

As for "streetfighters", I'm a little surprised Lewis took the term to literally as I've always understood "street" as slang for activities outside a sanctioned environment, be they fighting or school.  

As for pro fighters, I'm not so sure he's talking about the usual lot of martial artists.  He specifically mentions his black belts as trained fighters.
I'm am quite sure he's not talking about the waddlers, slackers, talkers,
etc. that are most of the martial arts community.  

Regarding pro fighters, I think there is an issue with training.  Unless you practice your techniques under stress, how do you know if they work?
Will a trained boxer miraculously pull out kicking and groundfighting techniques needed to deal with a situation outside of the ring? A case in
point is Mike Tyson's recent exchage with Bob Sapp.  Tyson seemed willing to fight Sapp only under Queensbury rules.

Marc,

Nice article and pictures.  It's kinda weird to see real people (you and Benjamin) in print.  Anyway, I'm looking forward to more articles.  I found the Budo International at Barnes & Nobles, just as Russ did.

Hi Marc,

I emailed you the pix on Saturday.  If you didn't receive the 9MB attachment, please let me know.  The pix are grainy and dark, but there
is less motion blur.  Oh well.

Gints

I'm not sure of the source of the article. I may even grabbed it from this forum.

Man Stabbed with Swordfish in Fight

MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) -
A Florida fisherman was recovering on Friday after being stabbed with the
bill of a swordfish during a fight with another man, a sheriff's spokeswoman
said. Police arrested Frank Ashmus, 46, and Garth Spacek, 42, on Thursday
after the two fishermen allegedly started fighting near a dock in Madeira
Beach, a small city on Florida's Gulf Coast. Police said that after Spacek
hit Ashmus in the head with a beer bottle and left, Ashmus went to Spacek's
apartment and stabbed him in the abdomen with a sharp detached bill of a
swordfish. "We don't see this kind of thing very often," said Pinellas
County Sheriff spokeswoman Marianna Pasha. Both men were drunk, according to
police. Ashmus and Spacek were held without bond on charges of aggravated
battery. Spacek was in fair condition, Pasha said.

I guess I've been around in the martial arts long enough that I don't feel the need to explain what I do.  These days, it seems even worse due to
the conditioning by the cinema with choreographed martial arts scenes in major releases.  On the other side, there's Fight Club.  When it comes to
girlfriends, actually, I've learned that their interest is a qualifier in the
relationship.  If they're less than neutral to negative, they're out.
Most people don't think that this stickfighting was real.  I remember
hearing stories of this massive guy that wiped out everyone in a tournament in San Jose.  Now, in retrospect, I think they were talking
about Top Dog.  In the story, they didn't mention fighting with any
body armor.

I played one of my own fight footage while shopping for a TV at Good Guys.  I wanted to see if my stuff looks good on a big TV. Most people walked by with zero interest.  A few stopped and
watched for a bit.  The sales guy told me he heard about these
crazy guys in southern California on a top ten martial arts show.
(Yes, this is the one with you Dogs)  While watching rougly
the equivalent stickfighting, he commented that these crazy guys didn't
even wear helmets while stick fighting and blood was flying everywhere.  
He said that he though people died doing this and many ended up in the
hospital  When I told him that I participated at one of those events (July 2002) and that what he was seeing was training for such an event, he just shut up.  No more questions or comments.  Nada.  Zip. You can bet he augments the next telling with "Yeah, and one of those stick fighting guys was in here shopping for a TV."