The Gathering of the Tribes, 2010 (10 Years and counting)

Well, the 10th annual Gathering of the Tribes has come and gone now leaving in its wake many smiles, achy bodies, bruises galore, sleep deprivation, and fond memories. This event has always strived to be a place for sharing ideas, and building community, as well as physical training…a place for finding/strengthening family. This year proved to be no different.



Our numbers have hovered, historically, in the twenties for attendance. We don’t do a lot of advertising. Mostly, you have to know someone who’s already here…and almost always we’ve communicated in some form or another prior to the Gathering at least a couple times. It wasn’t consciously planned, but just sort of evolved this way. Most years we get about thirty (plus) people who want to attend, but then, for one reason or another, are unable to. (Hence the twenty-ish) An attrition of 25-30% is pretty typical, which makes this year so different. Of the 42 people who signed up, we had 38 in attendance, and that’s not including families! There were more families and kids here this year than ever before...our property resembled a State Park with all the tents and campers present.





There were many first time faces to join the veteran Tribe members, and based on feedback I’ve received so far, it looks like everyone felt welcome.





I’m not going to do much in the way of review for the various training workshop because I wasn’t able to attend the majority of them…and other people have, or will, review them in their own posts.









The reason I wasn’t working on the mats/grass much was because I was kept very busy teaching the knife making classes. I was surprised and pleasantly overwhelmed by the response to the Bladesmithing offering this year. The people who participated in the class ranged from “almost no experience with power tools whatsoever,” to returning blade smiths from last year’s class (and everything in-between). Many of them started out with blanks I’d roughed out ahead to save time. A couple started from scratch with their own designs. All of them were unique.






They definitely kept me busy, but had such patience and dedication to their work that they turned out some very beautiful blades. I was truly touched that they would want take the time to try this. Joseph, Todd, Geoffrey, Jeff, Kym, Josh…thank you for allowing me to share this with you.

Another facet of the Gathering is recognition of achievements or services through out the year..some of them are humorous ribbing, others are genuine salutes. My good friend Bobbe made the revelation this past year, through some Ancestry research, that he is in fact, Dutch. My wife (being Dutch-Indo) and I decided to put together a little “welcome to Dutchdom” care package for him…which he will never forget. (…or forgive, most likely…) Along with this, he was issued Bunny Slippers (made by our own Tina Gray) in honor of his 2D self from the previous year.

Next, Jay welcomed new additions to the KSMA branch of the family. Jacob, Hannah, Amberly, Geoffrey, and Chuck (Sullivan), it’s good to have you on board. “Brotherhood” status was also conferred to Bobbe and Buzz.











Now we weren’t the only ones with recognition “machinations” going on here. Bobbe had his own devious plans in the works as well. With Edmonds Martial Arts, it’s rare to get publicly recognized for anything serious. (For instance, if you happen come to class with your fly down, Bobbe is likely to “publicly recognize” you loud enough for the neighboring counties to hear…repeatedly; but that’s not something you’re likely to hang on your wall.)





Well, this year, we at the Gathering were privileged to witness Bobbe taking a moment to be serious and recognize two outstanding people from his crew, publicly. Todd and Joseph were both granted Na-Guro for their excellence and dedication to training. If you don’t know Bobbe, you won’t be able to truly appreciate what this means…so take my word for it, it’s Something.




But wait, there’s more…

After this, we were supposed to be surprising Buzz with something…and I was (I thought) pretty much in charge of “organizing” everything. Little did I know that I wasn’t totally in the “loop”. Apparently the rest of them had plotted behind my back to surprise me. *insert sheepish grin here*





Well, they pulled it off. Buzz and Deb honored me with a beautiful Shadow Box that held one of my favorite phrases… “Life in Every Breath.” I was truly speechless. (Those of you who know me can shut up now…I can hear you laughing…) For the story on that phrase, email me or call me and I’ll share it with you…it was a turning point for me.





So, we’re back on the list of presentations that I am part of…Buzz’s surprise 60th birthday party. A bunch of us had been planning this for almost a year, lead by Mrs. Treachery herself, the Momma Pixie…Deb Smith. As a lead in, Bobbe (Pendekar Dutchboy) did a rather impromptu Roast of not only Buzz, but the majority of the Core Gathering Members. (My favorite was the bit about Buzz’s Anyo’s, or forms, being originally for defense against Velociraptors!)










Next we presented Buzz the “Guardian of the Tribe”, a special Kuntaw inspired blade…which was possible due to the whole Tribe coming together to make it happen. We also presented him a framed “card” signed by all the contributors. Happy Birthday, Maha Guru Buzz! (You can see more pics of the blade on this website.)





This ended the presentations for Saturday and now it was time for potluck feast. Per our historical offerings, Jeanne and I supplied the Grilled Chicken Sate. The Pinda Sauce was excellent! I think it lasted about 5 minutes. (I could be wrong…it might’ve been less) Food and merriment went on into the late hours with the Gathering core members doing a twilight podcast, 2-3 hours long, which it was later discovered, never recorded. (We revisited it the next evening and actually recorded one.)









The next day, there was one more presentation to be made. For his hard work and dedication to his studies in Pencak Silat Pertempuran (PSP) was my good friend, Sterling Heibeck, was awarded the rank of Pelatih. He will be teaching PSP at the Innovative Martial Arts dojo on Tuesday nights. If you’re interested in studying with him you can contact Sterling, or myself, (contact info is on our website) for more details.





There are a few unsung heroes of the Gathering who really need to be mentioned here as well…


Jeanne, my wife, should be nominated for Sainthood. Most would not believe how much effort she puts in before the weekend festivities. With me in school, working, as well as teaching classes, a majority of prepping the house for invasion was left to her. Add to that being a Den Mother to all of us heathens during the Gathering… *insert headshake here*… and the post war clean up after the event. (…and this isn’t even discussing the demon-possessed plumbing that decide to rear its ugly head during the Gathering…and the week after.) This is not an undertaking for the faint of heart. Jeanne, I love you…thank you for all your hard work and patience!


Amberly is very close friend, occasional student/workout partner, and incredible unsung hero during the weeks leading up to, and during, the Gathering. She came over numerous times to help prep the house, as well as assist with transportation to and from the Airport, Food prep, and just helping to keep things running smooth. Thank you Amberly!



Alicia, another friend of the family, came over to hang out and ended up helping out tremendously! You were awesome! Thank you for all your help. From photographing events, to helping with prepping and clean up…you totally rocked!





Tina, Deb…you’ve always stepped up unasked, and really made a difference. This has not gone unnoticed. Thank you for lightening the load. Tina, you did an absolutely fantastic job on designing the Logo for the Gathering!
I know there are people I’ve failed to mentioned…and for that please accept my apologies. Just know that everyone pulling together is what makes the Gathering a success year after year. Thank you.










After Sunday’s festivities wrap up in the afternoon, people generally begin to pack it in and head home. There are still numerous little classes going on the side here and there…but mostly, things are done, and the energy levels change to more of a relaxed sort.





Jeanne and I were fortunate to be able to spend a few days with some of our closest friends just chilling and relaxing…as well as spend some time getting to know some new friends a bit better outside the friendly chaos that is the Gathering. What a great way to be able to wind down an excellent event…












Richard Bach said, “The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.”







To those of you returning, it was great to see you all again…to catch up, strengthen our friendships, and reconnect. To those of you who are new…welcome to the Tribe. We look forward to seeing you again next year.


Peace and Safe Journeys…
Chuck Pippin - Innovative Martial Arts

Gathering Numbers

It appears that this year's gathering may be the biggest ever. Last count was over 40 participants.

Oh, the stories to be told...

The Gathering

Just a little over two weeks away from the 10th Gathering of the Tribes.

Loads of fun planned!

Looking forward to seeing the hooligans, old and new!

Enhance your brain

There is a new set of DVDs out which anyone with an interest in Pencak Silat will want to own.
Go here and order: Bambang Suwanda

Terry Steps Out

Terry Trahan visited Des Moines recently and shared concepts he teaches at his school in Denver, CO. This was Terry’s first public seminar and the beginning of something I foresee being the next step in instruction opportunity for him.

Terry started the day off with a short lecture about his way of thinking and application along with types of ambush and assaults. Along with those, Terry discussed the use of force continuum. He touched on the idea of de-escalation and how that starts with you.

I have fresh experience from a recent seminar on some of the conceptual knowledge that Terry was sharing and it is good to hear it again from another source. Terry added more terminology to my brain with some other ways to look at violence. These are

Frenzy Violence – either mass or individual
Fear Violence – quiet and reserved feel and the possibility to talk down.
Tantrum Violence – Boundary Testing, pay attention, don’t acknowledge
Criminal Violence – chest puffing, predation

The bulk of the physical aspects of the seminar were spent on a few entries repeated over and over to help make them feel integral with the body and situation.

Overall, I think Terry has come into his own and look forward to the future. I highly recommend any chance to train with him to enhance your understanding of your art.

I asked those in attendance to give their thoughts as well.


The Weasel Speaks: Terry Trahan’s Inaugural Seminar
This past weekend I attended the Inaugural seminar of my good friend Terry Trahan. I’ve known of Terry for almost 10 years, and been privileged to call him a friend for the past 5 or 6 years. When Jay Carstensen, of KSMA, told me he was going to bring Terry in for a seminar, I was all for attending and supporting it.
The focus of the seminar was surviving a violent encounter. Terry began with a general talk on violence. Topics included recognizing the different types of violence and triggers for those types of violence. He also addressed the body’s natural responses to violent intention directed at it. We discussed the force continuum, some of the legal and ethical implications, as well as figuring what is worth fighting for in each of us as individuals. We also discussed the importance of understanding motivations of the criminal mind. All of this, in my opinion, one of the most important, and under addressed, topics in martial art schools of any type.
After the 3rd cup (pot) of coffee, Terry was ready to start the physically interactive portion of the day. According to Terry, what he has to share is not martial arts, but survival tactics that he’s found to work across a broad spectrum of violent experiences. He teaches from experience and has dedicated himself to sharing this knowledge in hopes that it will help protect us and our loved ones. What he offers is “Vender Neutral” tactics to increase your ability to respond to ambush. He stresses the importance of finding something that works for you and then continuously drilling it until you don’t have to think about it. He provides a foundation to experiment and build from but leaves it up to us, and our existing training, to fine-tune it.
We covered both armed and unarmed adversaries and application concepts while Terry punctuated the idea that it’s the same basic core foundation…you don’t need 512 techniques to survive. You only need a couple tools that you know “really fucking well!” He drove this point home again and again during the day. While we did do variations, everything came back to core movements established early on.
Terry was also very conscientious about taking the time to adjust it for varying sizes and strengths. (We had some very small gals in attendance…with some very pointy elbows. Thanks Terry)
For myself, after having almost 2 decades of training in a variety of martial arts, I totally appreciated the repetition as well as the reduction of the number of things covered at the seminar. I’d rather cover 2 or 3 topics to the point of “beating a dead horse” than 20-30 topics and only touch on them. I’ll remember 2 or 3…and be able to apply them enough to continue applying them outside of the seminar. The second I leave an event like this, I’m already starting to forget things…unless we’ve drilled them ad-nauseum. During a conflict, the more options you have to consider, the more time it takes to decide what to use…this is not a point in your favor when milliseconds count.
Terry has grown unbelievably as a teacher and public speaker. His material is well thought out, and well presented. He is articulate, blunt, to the point, and will not feed you a line of bullshit. He believes in what he says, does, and has to offer. The tools he gives you have the potential to save your life. If you ever have the opportunity to attend his seminar, do yourself (and your students) a favor…GO!
Chuck




Terry offered more than just techniques for self-defense. He gave us information to help us better understand the reasoning behind some attacks and how attacks happen. With knowledge of the different types of violence: frenzied, fear, tantrum and criminal, we may be able to better adjust our response. In addition, he shared the OODA loop: observe, orient, decide, act and reminded us that we will be in a different spot in the loop as our attackers. Combining this information with actual training gave me a solid base to center the seminar. Terry is an excellent instructor, and I’m looking forward to what he will share in May at The Gathering.
Tina



Terry did a great job at this seminar! His info was important, invaluable and REAL! He conveyed the knowledge in a friendly way, yet expressed it in a way that really makes you think and react. I've always enjoyed his point of view, and respected his skills. Though I've "studied" martial arts for 20+ years, he still brings refreshing newness to self-defense. You can only hear so much before it’s just not NEW or is a re-hash of something you've already heard. It’s not too common to get info that is that "real" and ANYONE of ANY skill can understand and use. Not to spread the butter too thick, but there are seminars I will go to, and some I wont go to (free or not)! He's definitely a person every person should attend a seminar, regardless if you’re into martial arts or self defense or just don't want to be a victim. THE REALNESS aspect of it all, speaks mountains, regardless if you’re a climber. Not to mention, it was just plain FUN. Good people always help a seminar or any kind of training, physical or mental, but you MUST have a good trainer or leader to inspire you to want to learn and utilize the information shared.

Thanks for everything Terry! And to Jay, thanks for hosting and inviting us into your house & yard!!
Jake

I loved the seminar that Terry put together. For myself, the discussion regarding the four types of violence was a fresh perspective that I will keep with me in all of my future training. The experiences and knowledge that Terry shared during this weekend only further solidify the material he covered. Discussing the mentality of an attacker serves as a reminder that all of the training we do can only serve us if we are ourselves mentally prepared to meet that psychological demand and the reality of the brutality that may occur. I have always enjoyed Terry's approach to defense, as it is very straightforward, simple, and real.

And hot pockets rule. ;)
Amberly

It became abundantly clear that Terry Trahan doesn’t teach martial arts so much as methods for survival. This seminar raised my awareness of legal implications of using force, helped me to prepare a useable defense out of my own instinctive flinch reflex, and deepened my understanding of how to generate more power into my movements. Terry’s teaching method is very practical.
Tony

I enjoyed the seminar very much, and feel I got a lot out of it. It definitely put into perspective how fast an assault can happen and how little time you have to react to it. I learned about the different types of assault and how to deal with them. Ultimately it taught me to be aware of my surroundings and what someone is doing. And of course I learned how to defend myself against a knife attack. All of the knowledge I walked away with from this seminar I think is very helpful, though hopefully I'll never have to use it.
Hannah

Rory Miller Seminar - Ambushes and Thugs

Leave the Thumbs

The snow began in the late evening Friday. By Saturday morning at 4 a.m., there was about 5” on the ground, three of those a heavy slush on the road to plow through. In town, the roads were fair. Once I hit the highway south of town, I was in fading ruts and swerving across the lanes. I lost track of the times my plowing of snow caused me to slide at an angle down the road causing me the need to crank the wheel to maintain forward progress. My 45-minute drive took a little over an hour. Then it was Tony’s turn. Luckily he had the 4x4 and could go through the snow as opposed to pushing it. We were on the road to KC by 5:15 a.m. or so with a hope to be there by 9 a.m.. After an hour on the road, I could clearly see Tony’s knuckles breaking through. It was slow going, and we were a little late, but there.

The seminar was hosted by Eric Parsons and sponsored by YMAA Publishing and Eric and the YMAA representative were both gracious hosts.

When we walked into the gym, the group was already engaged in slow motion one-for-one exchanges to help with becoming more efficient. It was refreshing to see most people in street clothes, and the air was quite positive.

Rory Miller weaved in between people giving tips and recommendations. The principles of this exercise dealt with Movement, Pain, Damage and Shock. Slowing down and exploring options helps to see ways to gain efficiency in actions.

At one point, Rory added an unexpected element and had us cradle a focus mitt and pretend it was a one-month-old baby. That changed many people’s tactics.

After the slow motion exercises, Rory took center stage before a whiteboard and previewed his upcoming book with the work-in-progress title, “7.” The book is divided into seven distinct areas to consider when dealing with violence. These points an others were in a handout (which I got at the lunch break since we arrived late) highlighting what he wanted people to take home emphasizing this is not about martial arts or fighting, but about violence.

The first of the seven focuses on the ethical and legal aspects of any encounter. He stressed that our hobby deals with the creation of corpses and cripples. We must be prepared emotionally and morally to deal with that. These martial systems we practice predate the modern legal system in many ways. Rory encouraged all of us to be aware of state’s laws regarding self-defense.

The second category is understanding how and why violence happens. If you are unaware of what’s coming, it will most likely not have a pleasant outcome. He brought up the monkey dance, group monkey dance and predation all of which are detailed well in his current book.

Third was applying avoidance and the use of escape and evasion along with de-escalation. This follows what I have said for years; if you know of an area where bad things happen don’t be there. If you find yourself in a place like that, have a way to get out. If you do find yourself in a confrontation, do your best to de-escalate the situation. Talk calmly, rationally. If the bad guy wants your wallet, give it to him. You can replace the contents. You can’t bring back life.

Fourth is operant conditioning. As we don’t choose when and where bad things happen, we need to have a near-unconscious action to use when it does.

Next was dealing with the freeze. Rory emphasized the need to recognize it happening and to be able to tell yourself to do something and act on it. It may be a two-step process to break out of the freeze – do X, now do Y. No matter how much you practice something, the moment it happens you will most likely freeze. Rory had some good personal examples. He had gone through medical training for emergency situations but when it happened for real, his brain seized. He overcame it by telling himself to move and act. Then all the training kicked in.

The sixth subject he covered was the actual fight. Subcategories of this are you, the bad guy(s), the environment, and luck. All these factors come into play and should be considered along with dealing with the natural chemical cocktail flowing through your veins.

The final issue is the aftermath of any confrontation. You will need to accept what just happened (coming full circle to the ethical aspect in the first category) as well as legal issues. That natural chemical cocktail which rushed through your body can affect you more than you think. It is best to try and maintain your mental acuity as well as be ready for criminal or civil ramifications.

Rory’s next book will focus on these seven facets in much better detail than I am retelling it, so keep an eye out for that release.

In addition, Rory covered the OODA loop: Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act. The biggest concept to take away from this is that when you begin your loop, the person engaging you is already acting. They have already been through the loop. Rory pointed out that the moment and the chemical cocktail can’t prevent you from making the next choice and to pay attention for that.

After this discussion, we did a little infighting drill from a clinch. This evolved into blindfolded drills with one person sightless. They had to feel and figure out what the next move by the opponent would be. Once again these were done in super slow motion to really tap into the movements.

Next Rory began a discussion about the use of force continuum. This was an informative talk regarding the levels of action one has based on the situation. The first is presence. This is you coming into a situation and letting others know you are there. This alone could diffuse the circumstance. The next step would be some sort of verbal acknowledgment like, “HEY! Knock it off!” Following this could be some sort of touch such as at the elbow of the person to get them to see you are there or to gently guide them away.

From there it develops into forms of physical control from locks to handcuffs.

You often have some amount of control through the beginning of the situation, but this is when it goes past what Rory referred to as the “4/5 split.” At this point, things go from a controllable situation to one lacking control which can lead to injury. Serious physical control is fighting to regain order and most likely involves fighting hand-to-hand. The final level is deadly control and has tools that will cause bodily harm with death as a distinct option.

Rory discussed the when’s and where’s to each of these levels in the use of force continuum and mentioned again looking up state laws.

This conversation led into a discussion on self-defense as an affirmative defense. In other words, putting the justification of its use in the hands of the one claiming it. This means it is on you to give justification why you performed a crime-like action to defend yourself. One will have to take into account witnesses, as well as the brain can make up some wacky things it thinks it recalls seeing and hearing. You will need to show the bad guy

· Had intent in doing harm to you or the person you were helping.

· Had the means to harm you, and

· Had opportunity to commit and act against you.

In some states you also have to show preclusion. This is when you need to show that you exhausted every other means to avoid the confrontation and/or used the amount of force necessary and not more.

Next Rory touched on the post encounter action. The instant you can flee, DO and get to a safe place. After arriving at that location, it is imperative to check yourself to make sure you are not injured. This may seem like an odd comment, but the adrenalin of the confrontation may not let you feel the injury just yet. Once you have determined your situation medically, call 911 and report a crime has been committed on you. Say as little as possible until you speak with an attorney. When the police arrive, do as they say and don’t let them have to make a quick decision. They will do their job – let them. They will most likely use tactical questioning to get you to talk, calmly request that you will speak with them as soon as you have spoken with an attorney. Remember, they are rolling up with little information and will most likely be having their own chemical cocktail coursing through their system.

After lunch, we looked closer into Operant Conditioning (OC). Rory asked us what our “Oh shit!” response is to something coming at our face. Two-thirds of the room put both their hands up, most of the rest dropped their chins and raised a shoulder. A few simply didn’t know. Those who didn’t know just picked an option to try.

The ones who threw their hands up were given a drill that had them do a move like a waiter-stance supported with the rear hand. They then used that to enter on the neck of the assailant.

Those who dropped the shoulder were shown an elbow spear entry with the off hand covering the midsection and under arm of the elbow spear arm.

Both groups were shown drop stepping that produced a lunge-like entry into the opponent.

We did this form-like to get the feel for it and followed that up with an opponent. Throughout the remainder of the afternoon, we added elements to the practice. The first was to have someone stand behind us and swing a stick at us doing the drill. This was to sharpen our action and trigger the OC. After this exercise, we moved into multiple assailants - two on either side, one in front. The final drill of the day was an attack from behind. All of these are good practice in developing OC. Rory encouraged all of us to pick our own version and work it.

After a water break and having the door to the media room unlocked, we watched a few videos showing various aspects of the day regarding the monkey dance, the OODA loop (particularly where it didn’t break), and violence.

Rory discussed the common mental makeup of predators and how they view the world and people differently. He mentioned two types: Resource Predators and Process Predators. The Resource Predator wants something and sees you as an animal or object who has what he wants. Rory’s analogy was you are the soup can holding his soup. The Process Predator enjoys what he does. Both forms of predation are usually without witnesses and can use either a blitz attack or charm to attack their prey.

We wrapped up the day with an after action report by everyone. It was a good mix between technique and understanding of the main topic of violence, as well as by knowing what to do doesn’t mean you will do it.

Overall, I found the day to be an excellent compendium to Rory’s book, Meditations on Violence, and highly recommend attending any of his seminars.