Here is something I got from Mushtaq's blog. Sometimes I play along.

You are The Wheel of Fortune

Good fortune and happiness but sometimes a species of
intoxication with success

The Wheel of Fortune is all about big things, luck, change, fortune. Almost always good fortune. You are lucky in all things that you do and happy with the things that come to you. Be careful that success does not go to your head however. Sometimes luck can change.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Fall Gathering of the Tribes

I recently attended a seminar in Michigan at one of my favorite places to visit, Innovative Martial Arts with my host, Chuck Pippin Sensei. I consider a trip to see him and his immediate and extended family a distinct pleasure and seriously consider it a home away from home.
Quick review:
Chuck and his partner in the MA, Don Young, woke us all up in the morning to some drills from San Yan Do and the sweat was soon flowing.
Following the duo was Brian “Buzz” Smith of Maralinka Kuntaw and let me tell you, if you have the opportunity to visit him in Northern Michigan or attend one of his seminars, do so. He presents his information coherently and concisely. Aside from the information, he is a ball of energy and his students were a blast to work out with as well.
After lunch we were treated to a bit of Silat Zulfikari with Guru Mushtaq Ali Shah. We focused on structure in movement built upon some of the concepts that Buzz had introduced to us earlier.
The only real bummer of the day was that the opening stuff was supposed to be presented by Sterling Heibeck, but he went off and had his appendix removed. He is doing well, so I am sure that next time he will be rearin’ to go. I know that he particularly missed the fireside chat that delved deep into the gully of geekdom! Next time, man.
Prior to that chat we had a wonderful potluck at Chuck and Jeannie’s and a good time was had by all. The fire was still being stoked at 2 AM and that is par for the course.
The next day was a quick review by Buzz before he headed home with his crew. Once again; good info and sweat.
After a long lunch break, Guru Mushtaq made sure that Tony and I were on the right path with our Silat Zulfikari. We tweaked jurus-jurus 1 through 8 and looked at a few more things needing improvement. I am looking forward to new and improved training videos on the horizon.
All in all, I came away with some good memories, new friends and a better understanding of areas I was looking for.
Now is the time to train.
Jay

PSP Keluarga

Keluarga 2006 was another excellent experience. We covered primarily Level 7 material from the Pencak Silat Pertempuran (PSP), http://www.combat-silat.net/
The group explored Juru Satu extensively as is and with pecuhan. We also looked at the Boar aspects of PSP, ales, and masukan as well as harimau perspectives. As usual, Guru Stark presented his material in a concise and easily understood way. (It’s almost as if things are purposely put together to reach a desired outcome.) I came away with a better appreciation and understanding of Combat Silat.

Special guest Guru Daniel Prasetya from the Inner Wave Pencak Silat Union, http://www.intiombak.com/index.html was very personable and shared his art freely. We went over finishing moves, and a few of the principles that Guru Prasetya teaches such as push-pull, cantilever, rolling and the group favorite, skin separation. Along with that, we also explored the use of the whip. It was about 4 feet long and there was much cracking.

It was a pleasure to see people from last year as well as make new acquaintances and I look forward to Keluarga 2007.

Jay

small seminar review

The Pencak Silat Zulfikari seminar was a success, in my opinion. We touched on principles of breathing and movement with an emphasis on conditioning.
On Saturday morning we started with various up and down movements that are applicable to fighting. In other words, movements to put one in a position to do more than just get a good workout; some of those exercises involved the use of a weighted ball. All placed importance on breathing and being breathed. The group also worked on footwork and its relationship to positioning and dance.
After lunch, we briefly returned to some of the morning exercises to get loose then we moved into screwing the opponent, or using small spirals to get to where we need to be.
Following this concept, we had a cursory look at some of the movements and techniques of piper, a South African knife art. It was most interesting in regard to the footwork and sticking with your opponent, as we integrated what we did in the morning into it.
We were all starting to feel it in our legs by the end of the day. We adjourned and went to dinner at The Cookry, an African restaurant in Des Moines run by a man from Sierra Leone. Good stuff.
Sunday morning brought a return to the weighted ball exercises to warm up. Following that we turned to the fimbo. This is the every day stick of the Masai of East Africa. There are some very interesting dynamics that go with this art and the use of the infinity symbol, or figure eight is prevalent. We did more sticking drills and soft work to familiarize our bodies to movements that most descendants of Northern Europeans lack.
After lunch, Sterling Heibeck covered gun retention and ways to safely hold on to your handgun. If you are interested, I can hook you up with him to have a seminar. He is quite knowledgeable of the art of the gun.
Chuck Pippin closed out the seminar with a clinic on kicking. He presented the material supremely as he has been doing that kind of thing since he was in the womb. He definitely helped me see things a little differently on the art of kicking. I hope to improve in that department based on the information he passed on.
Overall, it was a very good look at some of the concepts that will allow someone to practiced based on energy of the opponent rather than amassing a bucket of techniques. Aside from the working out, the galvanizing of friendships was a fringe benefit. It’s all about the brotherhood.