Me

The simplicity of the crossada

/ hsoi

In my Kali class tonight, we spent most of the time working on a technique called “crossada”. Basically “X”… “crossing”. There are many interpretations and approaches to it, and here are some videos that illustrate the concept. Note that what’s in these videos isn’t exactly what we were doing in class, just using the videos to illustrate the basic concept.

The key thing is to note the crossing motions done with the hands and/or weapons.

Note as well the variance of weapons: maybe two sticks, maybe one stick and empty hand, maybe sword and dagger, maybe stick and dagger. Whatever you actually see in their hands, imagine something else or nothing at all. In the end, the motions are basically the same. Consider the motions of the first video using just sticks. Now watch again but mentally put a knife in place of the stick and consider how that changes the impact of the exact same motions.

This is what I am loving about Kali: the simplicity. True simplicity. Your body gets trained to a single set of motions. If your hands are empty, the motions work. If you have a knife in one hand and nothing in the other, the same motions work. If you have one stick in one hand, or one stick in each hand, or a stick in one and knife in the other, the same motions work. You aren’t learning one thing for this weapon, then another thing for this weapon, then this other thing for empty hands, and so on. This allows you to not only get up to speed quickly, but it also gives you a broader spectrum to draw from. When I talked about cross-training, maybe you’d have to learn one thing for empty hands, then learn sword, then learn staff. That’s got the “bricks wide, bricks tall” problem I spoke of. But here with Kali (or Escrima or Arnis), you can just stack your bricks tall and you’ll get width for free (so to speak).

Granted I’m simplifying and I’m still a n00b at Kali. But I can see the simplicity and appreciate it, and it reinforces my decision to make the switch and study Kali. Good, good stuff.

To cross-train, or not

/ hsoi / 5 Comments

The big thing in martial arts these days (and many other places, but I’m talking martial arts) is to cross-train. I would say this has become prominent due to the rise of mixed-martial arts (MMA) which is all about cross-training.

The intent it this: you study one art, you may be limited in what you can do, thus you ought to train in another art to ensure you don’t have any weak areas or holes in your game. For instance, these days the classic MMA formula is: muay thai for striking, wrestling for takedowns (or maybe judo), and Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) for groundwork. The intent is that say, muay thai only covers striking (limited view I know, but go with me) but it’s really good at striking, so if you want to get your striking game you study that. But if that’s all you studied, what would happen if the fight ended up on the ground? Thus, you need to study BJJ to cover that aspect. The end result is you end up being a well-rounded fighter.

Then you get some arts, such as Kuk Sool, that claim to not need cross-training because they are a complete art. Speaking on Kuk Sool, I can say it is fairly complete but does lack in some areas. I know some Kuk Sool folk that have thrown down with BJJ guys and get p0wned; while concepts and principles are there, Kuk Sool’s curriculum just doesn’t emphasize the depth of what BJJ does on the ground. A Kuk Sool person may have enough ground skill to deal with a street fight or self-defense situation, but full-on ground fighting competition? Won’t happen.

But whatever the approach, be it a single art that claims comprehensiveness or you take multiple arts to gain the same broad spectrum of study, the end result and goal is the same of covering all the bases.

While this sounds great, is it always the best and right thing to do? I’d argue it depends upon your training goals.

Let’s say you have a pile of bricks with which to build your house. You can build in one of two directions: you can build up or out. You can stack all your bricks on top of each other. That would be like studying a single-focused art. You would get very good in that one aspect very quickly, but your house isn’t very wide and you would lack in those other areas. You could stack your bricks side by side. That would be like cross-training or studying a broad-focus/comprehensive art. You’d gain a lot of breadth of knowledge, but it’s not going to be very deep. Over time, you end up stacking your bricks in the other direction: if you stacked up, eventually you’ll stack out and build those stacks upwards as well; if you stacked out, you’ll add height to those stacks as time goes on. In the long run, the theory is that you’ll wind up at the same place, with a wide and tall stack of bricks. So the question then becomes: what do you want now? And are you willing to invest the time and effort to get to that same place way down the line? Again, it all depends upon your goals.

Furthermore, what is your learning style like? Do you need focus? Or can you deal with a lot of different concepts and techniques coming at you at once? Do you feel you can practice all of those well-enough, or might you be better just working on a few things at a time? Everyone varies on this. Know yourself and your learning style.

For me, Kuk Sool was a comprehensive approach. I like the art for that reason, because I do see the merits in being well-rounded. However, you have to mind that your training will allow you to build those wide stacks into tall stacks. Often the training at my dojang didn’t go that way: you’d have a 60 minute class with 15 minutes of warm-up, 15 minutes on forms, 15 minutes on breakfalls, then 15 minutes on techniques (or some breakdown like that). Sometimes you might have 45 minutes focused on something. But it would vary, especially depending upon the composition of the class in terms of students and their grade level. I often felt that I didn’t quite get the depth of study that I desired.

I left Kuk Sool and am now studying Kali, Silat, Jun Fan arts, Muay Thai, and western boxing. That still seems like a lot, but in many respects it’s all “stand-up” work. At my current school I could also study BJJ, but I opted against that because I want to focus a bit more on my stand-up. For you see, my cross-training isn’t just in empty-hand arts, but defensive firearms (especially handgunning) is a martial art for me as well. My cross-training blends firearms and empty-hand arts, and for me wanting to focus on my hand work is currently where my goals lie. Eventually I’ll dive into BJJ, but for now digesting the “stand-up” curriculum at my new school is certainly enough. I want to get up to speed with the stand-up stuff quickly. I’d like to build my new stack a little higher before I start building out.

To cross-train or not? That’s a personal matter. Don’t just cross-train because it’s trendy, but choose what approach you take based upon the goals that you have for yourself. Remember that martial arts are a personal journey, so make sure you’re on the journey that you want to take.

So what do you do?

/ hsoi

Caleb recounts how he just went to a concert and had to disarm himself. I’ve run into this same situation.

This is why we cannot be one-trick ponies, relying upon guns alone. To carry other weaponry such as a knife, collapsable baton, pepper spray (women will likely be able to get away with this more than men can) — a layered approach. But of course, even those may not be permissible given the venue. Thus all you are left with are your wits and your hands.

This is why it’s good to know how to use your empty hands.

But this is why it’s even better to know how to use your brain, keep your wits about you, be aware, and follow that first rule of self-defense: ABC — Always Be Cool. That seems to hold even moreso in a context like a concert, where cool is so much what it’s about.

What to do?

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

Here’s an interesting story.

Basically, petty crime occurring (someone grabs someone else’s duffel bag and runs off, victim shouts for help). A citizen with a concealed carry permit pulls over to help out, draws his gun on the criminal and says “Stop, Police.” and works to detail the thief. However, a second armed citizen sees what’s happening and thinks that is a crime going down so he too stops to intervene. Eventually the police show up and things get sorted out.

The intentions of both citizens are good. Frankly, having more people that are willing to be helpful and not stand for criminal behavior? That’s a good thing. But the first guy to identify himself as police? That’s not good. My hope there is the guy either gets let off or only lightly punished because he did not have criminal intent in what he was doing; it’s certainly not worthy of a felony charge.

It does demonstrate a real issue however: that things may not always be what they seem. There’s stories of a bad guy coming out of the store he just robbed and complaining to the by-standers in a manner to make those by-standers think he was the victim and thus they help the bad guy get away. Things aren’t always what they seem, and we have to be careful. I do have thoughts about what would happen if I was in a self-defense situation with many others around, and there were other “sheepdogs” in the mix as well. What could happen? Could signals get crossed? Could the chaos of the situation lead to unintended things happening? It’s a situation that I don’t have an answer to, but have wondered if there is something that could be done and thus taught in schools as a part of “training and tactics” to aid in such situations. I don’t know.

But me personally? I don’t think I would have gotten involved in such a situation. To me the question to answer is “is this worth dying for?”. Petty theft? I don’t think it’s worth dying for. Actually I should check that. I may have gotten involved (all depends upon the specifics of the situation), but to pull one’s gun… that has to answer affirmatively the “worth dying for” question.

My Story

I think about what happened to me just this past Saturday evening. The family and I had gone out to dinner, then over to the bookstore. We left the bookstore, heading across the parking lot to our car. I noticed a man and a woman walking through the parking lot on a path that would eventually intersect with us. They appeared to be having some sort of a fight, a little physical, a little heated verbal exchange, and they kept walking in our direction. They appeared intoxicated, and by their appearance possibly homeless. Wife saw them too and became concerned, I just looked at her and said to get herself and the kids to the car. I was certainly in code orange, but didn’t think this would be a problem… they appeared to just be a drunk couple having their own spat, but with that level of irrationality going on who knows. Better safe than sorry. I kept my eye on things while Wife got the kids and herself into the car. As I was going to get into the car, the woman crossed behind our car and shouted to me “Want to buy some DVD’s? Brand new!” I just gave a firm “no thank you”. She kept walking; in fact, she never stopped. My guess is the fight was over the DVD’s, or at least her saying that to us was no true offer of sale… just something to piss off her male companion. As we pulled out, we saw the man had sat himself down on the curb and looked sad and upset whereas the woman had kept on walking.

I don’t know what the story was, and frankly I don’t care. My concern was for the safety and well-being of my family. There was a brief moment where both Wife and I were concerned of a physical altercation as it looked like the man might have opted to hit or otherwise rough up the woman. If that had happened, I may have intervened but initially from a distance (e.g. verbal commands, getting Wife to dial 911). I couldn’t stand by to let someone get hurt like that, but on the same token I had to ensure I didn’t put myself or my wife and children in danger either. Exactly what I would have done, again, impossible to say… all depends upon the exact situation and how things would unfold. But my guiding principle is keeping my wife and children safe; all else is secondary. In the end the question remains: is it worth dying for?

The Spoetzl Brewery

/ hsoi

Today was a special day for a few reasons, and putting those reasons together gave me and my good buddy W a chance to do something that all good Texans must do at some point:

Visit the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, Texas. Makers of Shiner Bock and other Shiner-brand beers.

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After class…

/ hsoi

Just got back from another class. Tonight was Muay Thai/JKD technique work, and western boxing.

I am pooped. 😎 I am pumped.

Lots of people in class tonight, including at least 3 new folks. That was cool. It’s nice to get to know other people that start at about the same time as you as you become a “class” (like a graduating class) together, going through the same things, learning, getting hit, bruised, banged up together.

During the Muay Thai/JKD class, I realized how much I need to unlearn from what I did in the past. Changes in mechanics, how to approach things. Working to break the old paradigm, leave it behind. Don’t discard the knowledge, but allow myself to accept the new motions without the old stuff tripping me up.

I also found it interesting that for all I know, how much of it I don’t really know. That is, I know it in terms of having it memorized in my head, but not memorized in my muscles, if you will. So much of the Kuk Sool work was memorization and very little on practical application of what you had memorized. This was one of my problems with my practice. So while I’m here in class working, my brain recognizes a lot of angles, joint locks, throws, sweeps, but my body doesn’t know how to put them into play smoothly and dynamically. This is one reason why I left, and one reason why I started at this new school. Theory is good, but you need application of that theory to make it truly useful.

I shouldn’t paint the picture that I’m totally inept. Rather, the difference between my previous martial arts study and my current martial arts study is one of actual application and practice. So far every class I’ve taken at this new school, I’m coming home exhausted, sweaty, smelly, muscles are tired and sore the next day, I took a few shots, I have some bruises. There’s no cooperative dancing. Sure we’re learning, sure we’re doing drills, but it’s work. I like this.

Another thing I’m finding I like is the limited focus. In Kuk Sool, there’s such a broad curriculum that you dabble in little things all the time. Plus each class was a grand unknown as to what was to be worked. Here at Warrior’s Edge, the classes are well-defined as to what you will be doing. If you go Monday at 7:30 PM you will be doing western boxing, period. But note, that’s the only western boxing class all week. But so far, I’m liking that. It allows me to go to class to learn, then I go home and spend the week practicing the few things that I was taught. Come back next week, show what I learned, learn a little more. It seems to be a better fit for actual learning: the class is a class, meant for teaching, not to just come and “get a workout” (tho certainly you get that). At my old Kuk Sool school, I don’t think a lot of people there practiced outside of class (apart from ensuring stuff was memorized); thus, class time was practice time too. I think that detracted. Go to school to learn, then leave and do your homework.

Speaking of all that tho, after tonight’s MT/JKD class, I thought to myself that I might want to review some Kuk Sool techniques, such as Ki Bohn Soo. Keep the locks, angles, sweeps, and throws in my head.

Well, this post has been rather rambling. Just a lot of disjointed thoughts after tonight’s classes. I’m happy I made the switch.

Finally!

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

How serendipitous!

A bunch of things finally came together and today I introduced (at least my older 2) children to Magic: The Gathering.

I started playing M:TG in grad school. When I first arrived, I met a couple guys in the department and was immediately invited to an evening at their apartment where they introduced me to the game. This would have been when The Dark expansion pack was out. I remember that because I thought that expansion was really cool and I only wish I knew the game better at that point as I would have bought a lot more expansions of that set. 🙂  I played while I was in grad school through Revised Edition, Fourth Edition, The Dark, Fallen Empires, Homelands, Ice Age, Chronicles, and into Alliances. After leaving grad school however, I had no one to play with (Wife tried, just not her thing) and the cards ended up in the closet… hoping that one day I’d get to play them again. Or sell them and make a lot of money. 😉 And while most people kept wanting me to sell them, it was always my hope that I could actually play again because I did enjoy the game so much.

Just a few weeks ago, Linoge had a posting about the game, which brought back so many memories. As well, since M:TG’s explosion in popularity years ago, collectible card games became quite the thing. I’d say the most successful other has been Pokémon. While I tried to dodge that bullet for years, eventually my kids got into it (I think due to one Christmas with my nephews some years back). I never was that upset about it, as I always figured if they liked one collectible card game they might like another! Often our kids would get together with other kids and out would come the binders of Pokémon cards… sometimes tho I felt like they cared more about collecting than playing, but I eventually did see the kids play the game. Then one day, at the birthday part of one of Oldest’s friends and I see a lot of the other boys there with cards… and not just any, but M:TG cards! Certainly recent editions, but it was M:TG and it was cool to see kids were still into it. I think that sowed a seed back in Oldest’s head.

Then the serendipitous thing was last night. My good friend W is about to move out of Texas 😦 and in the midst of packing he and his wife are trying to get rid of things they don’t want to pack and/or move. One thing was a couple big boxes of W’s old Magic cards! He sold off all the cards worth money, but that’s OK as this is about playing, not money. He gave me a lot of cards, and his cards were heavy from Alliances and Ice Age, some Chronicles and other sets from around that time. My oldest 2 kids immediately were curious about “the cards” I was taking home, so last night when I got home I pulled out a rulebook, refreshed myself on it, and introduced older 2 kids to it today. Gave them a quick overview of the rules, then we played a game.

When I was introduced to the game, the way we played was the experienced players made some decks and let the newbies play with the new decks. We would play the games open-handed, so every player’s hand was face-up on the table. This allowed no surprises and many chances for instruction. We’d play games this way until the newbies felt comfortable, then we’d move to close-hand games and normal gameplay would commence. So this is what I did with my kiddos today, playing an open-hand game with some decks I had made… decks that I made probably 13-14 years ago, still in their boxes, waiting for the day when someone would play with them again.

I’m so happy that day finally came. 🙂

The kids enjoyed it, especially Daughter. I did my best to keep things moving and keep the action high, despite the slower nature of an instructional game (lots of pausing to explain things). I also did what I could to sow the seed in Oldest’s head that he’d want to check this out… before he went to bed last night I was flipping through the cards and came across Orcish Conscripts (click the link, see the card). I knew Oldest would enjoy the humor of the artwork, and even now he’s still asking me to see more Orc cards because well… Orc cards have a lot of humor in them. Whatever works, if it keeps them interested and wanting to play.

Of course, I’ve got tons of cards between mine and the ones W gave me, so I don’t expect we’ll be buying any time soon. Besides, after reading Linoge’s post all the new rules, other things to keep up with, bleah. I’ll worry about that later. I’m sure once the kids are well-versed I’ll want to do some sealed decks, and that will mean new cards, but that’s fine. I look forward to it.

Happy day for me.

I’ve decided on a snub nose

/ hsoi / 3 Comments

Another thing I got to do today was some snub nose revolver comparison.

I got to shoot a steel-frame snub and an “airweight” aluminum frame snub side-by-side. I would load them both up (5 rounds each), then I would shoot 5 rounds out of the steel-frame, then 5 rounds out of the aluminum-frame. Reload. This time I’d shoot 5 out of the aluminum then 5 out of the steel. Reload. 5 steel, 5 alumium. Reload, 5 aluminum, 5 steel. Lather, rinse, repeat until I was out of ammo. My intent was to see what I thought of the airweights, if I really wanted one.

No, I don’t. I want steel.

The 2 revolvers were almost identical. The main differences were the frame material (of course), and the airweight also had a different set of grips on it, with a Crimson Trace laser. I shot the same ammo out of both (Magtech 158 grain .38 Special, lead round nose). Thus, I was able to just compare how the 2 handled based upon their frame characteristics.

The recoil difference between the two? Really, there’s not that much difference, but there is a difference and it is noticeable. I don’t know how to describe it in a way that can really convey it in words — you have to feel it for yourself, which is why I wanted to do this. While I knew a lighter gun would produce more “felt recoil” I wanted to feel it for myself. So that said, again it’s not that much difference, but it’s there. The airweight “bites” or “snaps” or “stings” your hand just a bit more. I bet I could shoot the steel-frame all day and not care; my trigger finger would probably peed out first from dealing with the long heavy pull. But that airweight I’m sure would come to a point where my right hand will say “no mas.”  I’m sure if I was using +P ammo, I’d feel it even more and like it even less. The fact I would switch back and forth between the two guns, shooting one first then next cycle shooting the other first, I did get to feel that really they both do bite/snap/sting, but you just feel it less with the steel.

I also noticed that I did not shoot the airweight as well. The recoil was a bit harder to manage, so it was harder to get all shots on target. I’m sure with practice and getting used to the airweight I could improve. But to improve, that means you have to shoot it a lot, which then leads to your hand getting beat up, and the vicious circle. What good is a gun that you don’t want to shoot because it hurts and/or is no fun to shoot? If you’re not going to practice with it, why have it unless you’re a collector?

I don’t know the exact weight of these particular guns, but I can say that a S&W 640 is 23 oz. and a 642 is 15 oz: 8 oz difference. Half a pound, and yes that’s significant. You do feel that difference in the carry weight. I slipped the airweight into my front pant pocket and I couldn’t tell it was there. I put the steel into the pocket and I could feel the weight. Was it that much to concern myself with? No, because if you carry it often enough, you’ll get used it it and it won’t be that big a deal.

The thing is, these lightweight snubs are made for carry, and I mean that: for carry. The main design concern is carrying it, not shooting it. If you’re going to have the gun, if you’re going to carry the gun, then you need to be proficient with the gun and that means shooting it a lot. If the gun isn’t going to be any fun to shoot, or beats your hands up so much that you have to stop shooting before you get in enough practice… is that worthwhile? Maybe for some, but not for me.

So, I want steel.

Trouble is, it’s going to be hard to find steel.

I’ve decided what I want is:

  • all steel construction
  • J-frame snub-nose size, 2″ barrel max
  • no snag designs, in terms of how the sights are, and anything else on the frame or gun overall
    • Having a higher visibility front sight would be welcome, tho that can always be handled afterwards by a gunsmith
  • a “hammerless” design, such as the “centennial” frame with fully enclosed hammer or the “bodyguard” frame with the shrouded hammer. I think I’d prefer Centennial, but at this point either is fine.
  • Chambered for .38 Special +P
  • No frills, including integrated/internal locks. I want this as simple as possible.

Trouble is? Finding this will be quite difficult.

What does the market bear? Airweights. Any time I go out to stores, if there’s a snub geared towards carry it ends up being an airweight (e.g. S&W 642). If there’s one in steel, it’ll have an exposed hammer. Yes there are some new models, like the 640, but I can’t find them for sale. So, this is a bit frustrating. What’s my plan?

  • If I want something now, I’ll probably have to get an airweight (like the 642). Or I’ll have to get something like a 640, chambered in .357 Magnum. And then, I’ll probably have to order it… which would be OK since I’d like to have a model without a lock.
  • If I want what I truly want, I’m going to have to wait. Just keep looking at the stores, looking at the shows, searching online (e.g. Gunbroker), and then as soon as I see what I want, buying it.

Not a big deal. Just how it goes. At this point, I’m content to wait and get what I want (or as close as I can get to it).

On a quick side note, the Crimson Trace. Meh. Not for me. It’s nifty for sure, but then I feel you’re looking at the wrong things. It puts your eyes on the target and searching for the little red dot. It breaks proper sight picture, no looking at the front sight, and so on. It’s just another gadget that you have to maintain, that can fail when you need it most. Interesting for sure, but not a gadget I feel is a necessity. I guess if you never or rarely practice it might be useful, but I think it’s better to practice.

Another class – post mortem

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

Helped out with another Basic Pistol 1 class today.

There were 10 people in the class, 6 were female. Wide range of ages of folks too.

The class was good. People got to learn a lot, set a solid foundation, and try out a bunch of handguns to figure out what worked best for them. One of the best things about this course is the smorgasbord of handguns you get to shoot, because it helps you figure out what works right for you. The biggest issue is gun fit and being able to find a gun that fits you, thus you’ll be able to shoot well. You walk out of that class with the knowledge of how to be able to shop for a gun, how to buy ammo for it, and the basics of how to shoot it with good technique.

In today’s class, I happened to have my Springfield XD-9 Subcompact with me. I let people shoot it next to a full-sized XD-9 so they could compare and contrast. My point? I wanted them to see that you will shoot a large gun better than a small gun (all other things being equal, but for size). Larger guns have more frame to grip so you can get more  hand on them and better control them. Larger guns have a longer sight radius, so you can be more accurate. Larger guns are a little heavier, so they will absorb recoil better. This isn’t to say you can’t shoot a small gun well (more in a moment), but as a beginner you’ll find more success if you start out with a larger gun. Smaller guns are more concealable, but with the right strategy you can conceal a full sized gun without much problem.

On the small gun note, I actually did some shooting with my subcompact today and was quite pleased with the results. I don’t shoot that gun a lot, but because I’ve been improving my skills on the larger guns, all that came back down here. The only thing that wasn’t fun about shooting the subcompact was it has the factory sights: big fat front sight that fills up most of the rear notch (little light on the sides, harder to get things lined up), 3 white dots although I did black out the back 2 dots. I just like my Dawson Precision sights. Nevertheless, I was shooting some timed drills and did quite well because while I knew I had to shoot fast to make time I didn’t sacrifice good form for time… I didn’t rush just to get the shots off in time. I even recall a few times distinctly withholding the shot until I had the proper sight picture, my eyes focused on the front sight.

Speed is important, but I’d say accuracy is more important. No one cares about the first person to get the wrong answer, to miss, to screw up. Use good technique. Watch that front sight.

And I got to ride my motorcycle to and from the range. Gosh it’s hot out. 🙂  I’ve been having thoughts about selling my bike, but I enjoyed the ride too much today. I may not ride as much as I used to, but I think I’d be unhappy if I sold her.

Mmm… sausage

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

Just got back from Johnny G’s Butcher Block, where they processed my pigs from my last hunt.

Got about 30 lbs. of sausage made. Got their “regular” sausage, smoked. As soon as I got home I put one link in a frying pan to heat it up and finish cooking it (it’s about 75% cooked).

My my my.

That was tasty. I like that they season things well, flavorful but not so strong that it’s overpowering. It’s very well balanced. Then the smoke… it was just a perfect smoky flavor. Not too much, not too little. As soon as I opened the pouch I smelled the smoke. It was heavenly.

So far, I’m liking the service and end-product coming out of Johnny G’s. Satisfied customer, willing to keep going back.