CAMA Seminar Review:
As promised, now that I’ve had time to finish my notes and reflect on the weekend, here’s a review of the seminar hosted by Jesse Dwire at Dragon Phoenix Martial Arts. The guest instructor was Hanshi Vincent Anthony, with his assistants Shihan Cutter and Mr. Vanderpoel. Thanks to them for a great weekend, and thanks to Jesse (and family) for the hospitality.
It was a long and comprehensive seminar, with training from 8:30 – 6:30 on Saturday and 9:30-3:30 on Sunday. There were breaks between some classes and lunch breaks both days, but the training hours still added up to about 14 hours of training. Not a bad way to spend a weekend. It was especially great to see so many friends and to work with so many nice folks. Thanks to all my training partners.
The topics reflected Hanshi Anthony’s art of Aiki-bujutsu, but seemed like a great list of basic skills that are often weak in kempo styles. We started the morning with power punching, followed it with Iai-jutsu, took a lunch break, then came back for nage-waza (throwing), kansetsu waza (joint locks) and finished the day with shimewaza (chokes/strangles). Sunday began with kime and kyoshu jutsu(focus and vital point striking), and ended with a black belt class.
I’ll spare you a lengthy list of what we worked on, but the presenters stuck to the topics at hand. For the dynamic punching class we worked on the technique used in their art for punching, at great length and very specifically. It was not a seminar for those with a short attention span, and I was happy to have it that way.
The concepts were not groundbreaking – hip throws, kotegaeshi, sankyo, nikkyo, basic breakfalls, and so on, but the persistence on working until you get it right was refreshing at a seminar. Same with the chokes. Just work them, and work them correctly. Specific details, time to work the details.
The theme carried through all of the workshops, and I walked away with sharpened up skills in all of the listed areas.
Finally, the black belt class arrived. It was a microcosm of their teaching style at their home school, and it was classic Japanese style. I was pretty much toast at this point (fatigue does wonders for your technique…) Strict, no-nonsense, repetition of the basics, and attention to detail. Hanshi Anthony gave a lecture partway through which really encapsulated his views on why he trains and teaches the way he does. I found myself in agreement (mostly) and doing some real soul searching regarding how (and who) I teach. His art will be transmitted to Shihan Cutter, and Shihan Cutter will be able to know and do everything that makes up Aiki-bujutsu. The students will know what to expect, because his school forbids compliance with technique when training, so they work techniques to move, control, and so on, without ‘help’ from uke. We did a lot of contact, from chest punches to rib punches to knees to the thighs. Was it ‘ouch’? Sure, but it was controlled, and it made the techniques work because it made uke move. His primary goal is to have students who know their techniques will work, because they have made them work. He is the enemy of false confidence.
Matt,
thank you for the write up. It was a great weekend and the precision on technique was crucial. As my years owning a commercial school continue to increase (over a decade) things within me have changed. My teachers teachings did not change but I did. I moved away from how I originally taught because I was different in my own arts. This seminar has brought me back to my roots, it has opened my eyes to the way I once taught and the way I would like to go back to again. With one exception teaching the way I used to but with the new knowledge that I posess.
The next ledge I wust walk up to is the one that Matt and I have been discussing for years, the one that people without schools or who have an extremely small school base can jump off of easier than those who have larger schools. The style that I teach and many of those reading this do is an effective time tested style. Brass tactic basics which reflect more of a ring (kickboxing) style of training. This is hard hitting and cardio workout. depending on the instructor would then depend on where your depth continues. In the standard curriculum of Combo’s and forms you see little ju jitsu or throws. Those are within the Self-defense and Kempos but depending on the instructor would depend on the depth of these concepts. When it comes down to Combos you do not see a Leg hawk until brown belt – and a hip throw or reverse hip throw until the upper 40 combos – so what are we now 4th degree black belts when we really work that? Hanshi Anthony and other styles say (paraphrasing) there are no adv. techniques just advanced practictioners. This is something that I need to remedy over the next decade of my teachings – how? well that is to be seen, but I know the written process has started.
you guys didn’t video tape the seminar did ya???
Would love to see it!
I didn’t (it wasn’t my place) but I don’t think anyone did. It would have been an awfully long tape (about 14 hours). I do want one of the group pix from the end.
Well Matt if you were on facebook you wouldve seen it already. hahaah
Hanshi does not allow video tapeing