Walking as Warriors for All our Days
by PG Crafty Dog/Marc F. Denny
Recently I happened to run across a "Rambling Rumination" I wrote many years ago (15?) titled "The Tao of the Dog and the Why of Dog Brothers Martial Arts"
http://dogbrothers.com/the-tao-of-the-dog-the-why-of-dog-brothers-martial-arts/ Though the essence articulated therein remains with a consistency of which I confess to being rather proud, there have been important evolutions since then.
The focus on Real Contact Stick Fighting has expanded to more fully express what brought me to the Filipino Martial Arts (which we here at DBMA call "Kali")-- as expressed in Guro Dan Inosanto's book "The Filipino Martial Arts". The book began with wonderful stories of old Filipino masters, Manong John Lacoste in particular, who "walked as a warriors for all their days".
Just like Kali, DBMA now has three distinct areas:
1) Weapons-- Real Contact Stick Fighting
2) Empty Hand -- "Kali Tudo" (tm)
3) Street--the interface of gun, knife, and empty hand that we call "Die Less Often" (tm)
These three areas are guided by my understanding of "the Dog Brothers Philosophy" so that just like Manong Lacoste and the other Filipino masters who handed down the Art to us we too can walk as warriors for all our days.
By definition this is a continuous path; there is no "I used to do that when I was younger" or "I'm too old and too busy for that now" -- it is who we are and what we do.
If this is who you are and what you do, then in our service to you on your path we offer the following:
FIRST:
DVDs and Downloads: When we began there were no DVDs, there were VHS videos. The internet was unknown to most. The instructional video market existed through advertising in the magazines with Panther Productions being the dominant force.
Then, as now, those offering their videos were faced with the difficult conundrum of how to price their product in a small market? High prices meant fewer sales, and given the size of the market low prices could only stimulate sales but so much.
At Dog Brothers Martial Arts our solution was this:
First, to offer a superior product. Instead of a 35-40 minute poorly shot and poorly edited video of a teacher teeing off on his cooperative students in front of a rice paper panel, we shot professionally and "what we taught we showed fought." The length of each video was invariably well over one hour, with 70 or 80 minutes being quite common. The content was not limited to things physical-- the psychological, the emotional, and in a sense, the spiritual aspects were part of the mix.
Second, we kept our prices as low as we could. We wanted you to get a lot of "bang for their buck" and to know that if something has the name DBMA on it you can rest assured that it is a serious offering that respects the value of your time and money-- and will be something to which you return as time goes by and find things you may not have noticed the first time around. We believe this is why all our offerings, old and new, continue to sell-- even our first series, which came out in 1993!
We believe this is why we last and grow while others fade away.
In continuation of this philosophy, with the declines over the years in the cost of cameras and edit technology, and the fact that with the advent of downloading meaning that we no longer have to make DVD masters and bear the cost of carrying inventory (not to worry we still will be offering in the DVD format!) we are now able to lower our prices across the board.
Basically, what previously sold for $40 will now sell for $30.
SECOND:
The second thing DBMA offers you is the "Dog Brothers Martial Arts Association", which is now a major focus for me
http://dogbrothers.com/join-dbmaa/ The DBMA Ass'n is a wonderful vehicle to deepen in your understanding and growth in DBMA, particularly if you find yourself without a local DBMA school, instructor, or Training Group.
With the Ass'n, much of the content from the public DVDs / downloads that is available to the public is automatically available as is all new material released to the public. Exclusive "members only" content is also included. This material is intended to serve as a "force multiplier" for your training.
I am on the forum virtually every day and our members are an varied and interesting group who bring much to bear to the value of the Ass'n. There are many more things, but mostly what I would say is "Give the Ass'n a try for two months and we will have you hooked!"
THIRD:
Seminars, Training Camps, etc: There is nothing like hands on interaction to synergize with the training you do via the Association and the downloads/DVDs!
FOURTH:
Personal Training with me. Come to Los Angeles (Hermosa Beach) and work directly with me. Hermosa Beach is a very pleasant part of Los Angeles and many people bring family members along and make a family vacation out of it. The year round climate in Los Angeles is quite pleasant and can make for a very agreeable change during winter for those of you who live in colder climes. Please do NOT feel you must be advanced for this training to be worth your time or mine! I greatly enjoy helping real people become real in their skills in short order. Please do NOT feel I teach only fighters! Remember, DBMA is about our "Walking as Warriors For All Our Days"!
The beginning of a new year is a good time to begin new Adventures so that at the end of the year you can look back and see just how far you have travelled. The longest journey begins with the first step.
The Adventure continues,
PG Crafty/Marc
