I had a great trip out from NYC for the Gathering this November. I got into LA on Friday night and stayed at the Furama Hotel right next to Inosanto Academy. The next day I headed over there for DBMA class and was greeting by Guro Crafty with his son and nephew. When I went inside it was good to see Paul behind the desk as usual and C-Porn Star Dog, Brian Jungwiwattanaporn, by the Shooto ring. Brian and I had plans to hang out after class and it was good to see him for the first time in a year. I was anxious to see how he had progressed as well. We were training partners at the first DBMA Camp (July 2001) and have kept in touch ever since.
Just before class started Dogs Rog and Milt Tinkoff showed up as well. It was a great class. We started with The Prison Riot Drill Siniwali, worked on some 2 on 2 Knife Fighting strategies from Inosanto Blend, got an introduction to the Los Triques Single Stick Loop, and reviewed some material from The Rico. We finished with the Redondo Three Los Triques material. Pappy Dog showed up towards the end of class as well and at the Gathering the next day he would truly shine as a premiere Dog Brother fighter!
After class, Brian and I went to the Furama and I showed him some of my single stick fighting strategy for the next day. I had been working a lot of single stick this time since last November I was not happy with my single stick repertoire. Yes, I could hit people, but it was mostly light head shots that did no damage. I really wanted to change this.
That afternoon we headed up to Santa Monica with my girlfriend for dinner. Brian was feeling quite nervous. This was clearly the Gathering where he was under the most pressure of any DBMA fighter. Last November it was my time, this was his. We had a relaxing meal and made it an early night. Brian was ready!
The next day he and I teamed up for a 2 on 2 knife fight with Steve Feng of the LA Sayoc training group and Dog Bryan Lorentzen. We used the strategies that Guro Crafty had taught us with great success at first, but as the fight went on I took some terrible shots to the kidneys!
Next I tried something risky: a 3 on 1 knife fight where all participants were armed. I recruited Marc Scott to join us for this (a Shooto guy who took down his opponent in a duel that day without getting cut?. at first!) and I though they would have me down in a matter of seconds! Using Mass Attack strategies, I was able to keep on the move for about 30 seconds. After that they began targeting my head and I received several stabs to my face mask. After I got two cuts on my neck, I stopped the match. That was after about 60 seconds I think. Next time, I?ll remember to jump off the mat and run through the crowd after I get my first round of cuts in!
C-Porn Star and Pappy Dog started off their day together. It was quite a brawl. I was a bit surprised to see how hard they were going at it! While I went to get another stick for a match with Greg ?Junkyard Dog,? Chris ?True Dog,? lured him onto the mat for their first fights. I talked Steve Feng to get out there with me and we had a great fight.
During the fight he switch hands after a hard hand hit and continued fighting leftie. So I switched too for a while. When the fight was over and he removed his right glove, his ring finger had become a bloody pulp. He needed a trip to the hospital, so he ended up going with C-War Dog on his trip to the Emergency Room!
Dog Bryan Lorentzen and I fought double stick with big, thick, 31" sticks. During the fight, Bryan scored a solid Caveman to my mask which pushed the metal down onto my scalp. A couple of seconds after the shot, the blood started coming out. This ended my day, but gave me a lot to work with.
Last year, my emphasis was siniwali and lots of footwork. This effectively kept me out of range most of the time. This year, I tried to be more tactical and stay in close. This left me open for hard shots if I could not deflect them. I wanted to try something new and that is what a Gathering is for. Now I have to figure out a way to combine these two methods!
Seeing C-Porn Star and Pappy Dog fight that day were my highlights. Pappy was incredible. I loved his Roof to Headbutt technique! Truly classic! But this day was Brian?s. He was so nervous on Saturday, but when the time came, he fought beautifully without reserve. I felt so happy for him.
It was also good to see how strong the Pack is becoming:
Dog Bryan was quite a formidable presence towering over me and with hands of steel from 13 years of rockclimbing!
Dog Milt seriously held his own against Iron Dog (the most fearsome fighter there that day). What is it with you brothers? You?ll fight anyone!
Dog Rich and True Dog demonstrated their Bolo and Krabi games with much success.
After the fights, many of us headed out to a bar on the beach and drank and talked about our fights and how we can improve. Later we met Guro Crafty for dinner and had all you can eat Sushi. I jumped on the plane that night for my long ride back to NYC overnight and got there just in time for work.
Woof,
Russ
