Last month I felt the need to do something special to both celebrate and commemorate my 60th birthday and recent promotion to 10th Dan. Ive always been fascinated with the Kyokushinkai 100 man kumite (Hyaku Nin Kumite). This was Mas Oyamas invention and way of testing your strength in sparring. Perhaps this was his idea of a fun weekend. Anyway, if you are not familiar with this the concept is to spar one hundred matches full contact with no pads or protection. What a feat of physical and mental strength by any standard! You must feel like you were in a car accident the next day. From what I can determine the Kyokushinkai rules are a bit fuzzy. Its two-minute matches or if you knock your opponent out in ten seconds then thats the length of that match. Also, I understand you could do fifty matches one day and fifty matches the next. I thought if they [Kyokushinkai] practitioners can do 100 full contact matches, surely I could do fifty (50). I mentioned it to Alan Goldberg and he said, Youre crazy! Youre going to have a heart attack! John Desormeau, 7th dan ISKKF said, Why are you going to do this? implying that it was foolish. I said its a shugyo (austere training) and a personal goal. He said, Have you looked in the mirror lately? You are too old! You cant do it! The reason you are trying to do this is to prove to yourself that you are not sixty years old. Well he was probably right but he shouldnt have used the word cant. Because cant is not in my vocabulary. But hearing the words of wisdom from some senior people I decided to approach this as intelligently as possible. If thats possible since Im a martial arts guy and an old Marine. Perhaps this is an oxymoron.

In any case, my first thought was that cardiovascular conditioning is a factor and that perhaps Alan Goldberg had a point. I could have a heart attack even though Im no stranger to cardio vascular conditioning and in pretty good shape. The way to approach this was to design a training program to get me fully prepared to do this and minimize any risks. I started out working on the treadmill to make sure my cardio was up. The first day I noticed my heart rate at 157. It seemed this was a bit high and I was concerned about it. So I whipped open my Shorin Ryu Karate Training Manual and consulted the heart rate formula (220 Age X 70%). For me this calculated out to 112 bpm (220 60 X 70% = 112bpm). Damn! I was at 157, way over the limit. This concerned me. Could I be that out of shape? But undaunted the next day I got on the treadmill again. But this time realized what I had read the day before was not the heart rate indicator but the amount of fat calories burned. Guess I cant see either! Anyway that was a relief. Turns out the true reading fluctuated between 77 and 90 depending on what I was doing on the treadmill. This training is a bit boring so what you can do is either run, walk or lift weights while on the old mill. Actually, you can do punches in sets of one hundred with five pound weights, curls or combinations of curls and military presses. I prefer doing military presses or Arnolds with a rotation that works all three heads of the deltoid muscle. I can only do this for about 30 minutes. Its just too boring. So I split the cardio into two back-to-back sessions ensuring that I would get over an hour of sustained elevated (112 bpm) heart rate. The second cardio session consists of circuit training. I my case its running around wildly in the dojo with five-pound weights listening to Marine Corps running chants, Marine Corps Urrahh! Were runnin now. Were number one! Never quit. All the way! Marine Corps! Keep in mind I usually am alone when doing this lest any unwary onlookers think they are witnessing the ravings of a madman. After cardio the next thing to work on was strength and skill development. I have a kick-training regimen that works pretty well. First thing to do is to start off with leg stretching then range of motion kicking. Range of motion kicking is taking the four basic kicks such as front kick, round kick, sidekick and back kick and break the movements down into a four-count exercise. Chamber, extension, retract to chamber and then back down. This actually builds some flexibility and strengthens your kicks at the same time. You can also build up to using ankle weights when doing this exercise. Then its on to kicking the bag. I prefer a wave bag filled with water for round kick and back kick. The other kicks I use an old Everlast 70 lb bag. It creates a pocket when you kick it and just works better. After repetition training its wise to stretch out again. Next its on to the makiwara and punching the bag. My secret is to simply punch the wave bag with five-pound weights in my hands 2,000 times. Then its on to the makiwaras and some plyometric drills.

As you can see, the exercise regimen created included lots of cardio with resistance training incorporated. The rest of the training included simulating the 50-man kumite event. Basically, this included sparring multiple matches to build up to the fifty matches. We tried two different types of full contact. One with the bogu armor, which we used to do quite a bit of back in the day and some full contact with no armor. The bogu was good for conditioning and the full contact without armor was good for getting that macho feeling deep down inside. But I got hurt three weeks before the 50-Mman kumite from doing this. Got a rib separation but fortunately it healed up in time.

The day of the event everybody showed up including me! And we then got started. The first matches went well but by the time we were half way through I started to get a bit tired. By thirty-five matches my ribs started to cramp up even though I had hydrated properly (lots of Gatorade with salt in it). Just toughed out the cramps. Then I seemed to get a second wind. By the final matches I was spent and just drained of energy but determined to go out in a blaze of glory! We really got it on then and fought the last few matches with a great deal of ferocity. There is no question that I was tired at the end of the fifty matches. I felt I could have done more but decided to let common sense prevail and stopped at fifty matches. I proved what I set out to do. What I learned was that it can be done and that the right training and conditioning are essential. I survived the ordeal virtually unscathed. I sprained my right fist, hyper extended the ring finger of my left hand, got a few hematomas on my shins and forearms and took a few front kicks to the stomach from one of the guys who apparently had some Muay Thai training, got kicked in the head with a round kick by another black belt and took a few punches to the ribs and stomach. Other than that no one even touched me. Found out later the Muay Thai guy broke his foot on my shin. Sorry! And that my right had was actually broken.

That night, relishing in my personal victory, I slipped into the hot tub to help heal my wounds and boil away the pain while sipping some courvoisier. Alone with my thoughts I dreamed of ancient warriors and how they must have felt after a battle. And how it was to have defeated your enemies during the heat of combat! Was it foolish? I reflected. My conclusion, Hell no! Would I do it again? Ah! Maybe. It did take a week to recover. This type of kumite marathon is a bit extreme. Its not for everyone. Thats for sure. Its just good to know that one can live life to the fullest. A shugyo or austere training such as the 50-man kumite can give us a fuller appreciation of life and that when its over--Life is good! A video clip of the 50 Man Kumite will be on the website. www.worldbudokan.com

Valley of the Sun with a California Roll!

After barely having enough time to heal my wounds from the 50 Man Kumite it was time to head out again for another martial arts adventure. This time it was to the Wild Wild West. The first stop was Phoenix, Arizona known as the Valley of the Sun to visit my old friend Hanshi Rudy Crosswell. Rudy operates a dojo in Phoenix called the Arizona Budokan. He teaches Shito Ryu karate, Okinawa kobudo and swordsmanship. Rudy trained with Teruo Hayashi and Syogo Kuniba in the 1960s and 70s while stationed in Japan. He has a large traditional knowledge base and I was anxious to train with my old friend again. The first night we worked on swordsmanship. Hanshi Crosswell practices Shinkendo with Toshishiro Obata sensei so he was interested in having me teach the techniques of modern kendo as well as other sword techniques. The first night we worked on the various postures and strikes used in kendo as well as attacking methods and defensive techniques. We touched briefly on iaido or sword drawing kata. The session was finished with some kenjutsu. This consisted of a demonstration the kaishaku kata. This sword form is actually known as the suicide assistant kata. In this form the sword is drawn out slowly from the scabbard (saya) and held high above the head of the person who is committing seppuku or ritual suicide. At the critical moment, when the person slitting his belly can no longer stand the pain, the sword is brought down in a slicing arc thus beheading the suicide candidate. However, the kata performance dictates that the blade be stopped abruptly just before completing the full range of the cut. In this way a flap of skin is still left intact at the throat and the head will not be completely decapitated. The kata is performed in this way so that onlookers or witnesses will not be offended by a head rolling across the floor, which would be considered a breach of decorum. Gruesome I know! We finished this session with the Niten Ichi Ryu kata of Miyamoto Musashi. Musashis Niten Ichi Ryu style features itto or one sword kata as well as kata with two swords or nito style. The boldness and daring of Musashis style is reflected in his kata. Many of the forms feature rushing in while the opponent is attacking and cutting down against the opponent without blocking. Blocking is affected by using footwork to dodge the opponents cut and is a form oftaisabaki or angulation universal in the repertoire of martial arts principles. (See: The Eight Deadly Cuts of Miyamoto Musashi Vol.I, II & III www.yamazato-videos.com). In the subsequent training sessions that followed we also worked on the Nitan Bo. This is a form of combat using two sticks similar to escrima. We also had a Jujitsu class and a white crane karate class that included the niseishi kata. Many of the karate people attending the jujitsu seminar experienced a new threshold of pain. It was good to see the instant satori as it occurred. We concluded with a history lecture that emphasized the geopolitical relationships between the countries of East Asia and how these relationships affected martial arts development and diffusion in the region. Hanshi Rudy Crosswell will be releasing a new series of DVDs on Shito Ryu Karate and Okinawa Kobudo.

While in Phoenix, I got to meet and train with Sifu Jerry Cooke who attended our sword class. He is an excellent kung fu practitioner and really knows the Chinese arts in depth. He will also be coming out with some new DVDs on the Chinese arts. I am anxious to see these in that the Chinese martial arts are the basis for much of the karate that we practice today. And its always good to see the roots and relationship between the two arts. Look for them on Yamazatos website soon. www.yamazato-videos.com

On Saturday night we had a sushi and sake party at a local Japanese restaurant. Hanshi Crosswell speaks fluent Japanese and is well versed in Japanese customs and decorum. He and I always have a good repartee going on and always have a great time at these events. It was a special occasion in that we celebrated our birthdays as well. The dinner party was also attended by Grand Master John Pelligrini, Sensei Tim VanDenover and Sensei Dana Abbott. We toasted each other and with that bid one another farewell until our next meeting.

California Roll!

Next stop was Los Angles. I got to visit with Bob Wall at World Black Belts Headquarters in Tarzana. Bob was his usual jovial self and we chatted a bit about martial arts and his new AmberWatch program. This is a national child safety program that he has developed. Its great idea and a good thing for school owners to embrace. For more info on this you can go to www.worldblackbelt.com

I then headed over to Sensei Tony Calvinos dojo in Simi Valley. He is assisted by Sensei Becky Greennough. Tony is the promoter of Martial Oceans Cruises and is a practitioner of Hakutsuru Kenpo. In fact, we had a seminar at his school on white crane and reviewed the hakutsuru so & ton kata. These are basically sanchin kata derived from Yong Village, China. We also trained in the push hands drills associated with these kata and yakusoku kumite or sparring kata. The other kata we practiced included tensho, seisan, sanseiryu and niseishi. Later, Tony tested for his shodan in Hakutsuru Kenpo and passed with flying colors. Something else I found amusing there was the fact that they have a student who is a little Japanese boy about eight years old named Shuto. They asked his mother what his last name was and she said Uchi. So the kids name is Shuto Uchi. With the right set of kanji that translates as knife-hand [sword hand] strike. How cool is that? With a name like that Shuto was destined to be a karate man!

Tonys students practice their sparring with bogu or armor. This is a full contact system. I must say I was impressed with the sparring ability of his students. He has got some hard bangers and has produced some excellent fighters. Additionally, Hanshi Tony Raven teaches the judo program at his dojo. Hanshi Raven is a real treasure. He has been practicing judo for over sixty years and has a complete mastery of judo. He has also produced some superb students. As a complement to the judo program Sensei Paschal teaches Shorinji Ryu Jujitsu. His ground fighting skills are terrific. His students have picked up on these skills and demonstrated some excellent defenses while on the ground.

Sensei Tony Calvino has a Martial Oceans Cruise organized for 2008 with seminars and a tournament on the high seas. The 2008 cruise will leave out of San Diego and will visit ports in Mexico. The famed Martial Oceans Mondo Silente Dive Team will organize a dive trip in Cabo San Lucas as part of the cruise.

After the seminars we got to visit everyone at Black Belt Magazines offices. The luscious Cheryl Angelheart and the very attractive Judith Maich as well as Bob Young were diligently working away when we got there. Bob and I discussed my recent 50 Man Kumite ordeal and he said he would review the article I submitted about it. So look for this in an upcoming issue Black Belt.

The next day it was time to blast off again. It was time to leave busy LA and head back to the peace and serenity of the mountains of Tennessee and the honbu dojo.

White Crane & Southern Shaolin

I recently got some more info on southern white crane from Hanshi Rudy Crosswell. The info, which is in Chinese, tells the more recent history of the crane techniques and kata. The Nine Dragons mountain temple near the city of Fuzhou was the site where kata such as sanchin, seisan, sanseiryu, seiunchin and seipai were practiced. The Whooping crane master Ryuryu ko was a student at the temple when he was a young man. Later, he taught Higashionna Kanryo at his house in Fuzhou. Higashionna practiced kata such as sanchin as well as kakie or push hands and hojoundo. The hojoundo or supplemental exercises included the use of chi ishi (stones mounted on a stick), nigiri game (jars used to develop gripping strength) and ishi sashi (stone padlocks). Our next project is to produce a DVD (White Crane Speed & Evasion Vol 6) that will illustrate all of these training implements and how to use them. Push hands and makiwara as well as other training methods will also be included.

Okinawa Hakutsuru Kenpo Chart New! Patch

We recently received a new shipment of swords in from Asia. They are called The Lightening Cloud Katana. One style is the Master Sword and the other is the Warrior Spirit! These are real swords and are sharp (shinken). The Master Sword sells for $600.00.We have it on sale for $500.00. It is very attractive and is a high quality blade. It is manufactured using the Damascus style of folding the blade many times. The Warrior Spirit sells for $200 and is on sale at an introductory price of $150.00. It is a 440 stainless steel blade. I looked at both of these when they came in and I prefer theWarrior Spirit. I like the balance of this blade in particular. It is a good value for the money. [I grabbed one for myself and have used it to cut bamboo already.] If you are looking for a higher quality blade go with the Master Sword. Both are good swords and can be used for kata as well as cutting.

Top: Lightening Cloud Master Sword

Bottom: Lightening Cloud Warrior Spirit

News Notes

• Yamazato will be selling a new sword called The Lightening Cloud! Call 1-888-299-9262
• Sensei Dana Abbott has two new DVDs out on Sword! See below.
• ISKKF Summer Martial Arts Camp August 10^th, 11^th & 12^th 2007. The word is out! It will be bigger this year. Who will be the World Water Mellon Kumite Champion this year? Click on this! http://www.worldbudokan.com/video/ISKKFSummerCampMPEGPromo.htm

• Sensei Mutch Usera will be hosting Hanshi Alexander for a jujitsu seminar on June 9^th in Rapid City, South Dakota.
• Sensei Frank Williams is hosting his Hall of Fame and tournament on September 28th 30^th. This years HOF will be dedicated to Soke Mike Hancock. The event will be held at the Omni Hotel in downtown Charlotte, N.C. For more info contact him at sensei@universal-martial-arts.org
• Martial Oceans will be promoting another great cruise this year. On July 21^h 2008 the group will depart from San Diego and head for fun on the waves and enjoy Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. In addition to Great Martial Arts Training Mondo Silente Dive Team will be there as well. Looking for more people to dive with us! For more info Contact sensei Tony Calvino 1-877-773-2790. Register today!

New Titles from Yamazato Productions:

$29.95 each FREE SHIPPING! Call 1-888-299-YAMA (9262) or www.yamazato-videos.com

Photo Gallery:

Hanshi Alexander goes for the ankle lock during jujitsu class. Arm lock defense against Keita san

Explanation of naihanchi kata pressure point striking Hanshi Rudy Crosswell (L) & George celebrate 60! Sucks!

George w/ Dana Abbott & friends at Japanese Restaurant California Choppers Baby!

Left to right Maria,Cheryl Angelheart, Judith Maich & George George & Robert Young Editor of Black Belt

Sensei Tony Calvino & George Kelly Eastwood feeling a little spunky after a judo class.

George (L), Tony Calvino, Becky Greenbough & Pasquale Future Karate Master Shuto Uchi

My best to you in your martial arts endeavors. Time is your most important asset but it means nothing without good health. Stay strong! Stay healthy! Finally, anyone interested in membership in the Okinawa Hakutsuru Kenpo Association/Shorin Ryu Karate/Jujitsu/Sword or any of our other marital disciplines check out the new website and contact me. www.worldbudokan.com. Weve added quite a few articles that Im sure youll find interesting.

Sincerely,

George W. Alexander, 10^th Dan President

Okinawa Hakutsuru Kenpo Association

International Shorin Ryu Karate Kobudo Federation

Shorinji Ryu Jujitsu Federation

World Budokan Kendo Federation
Yamazato International
180 Yellow Jacket Drive
Reliance, TN USA 37369
Tel. 423-338-4972
Toll Free 1-888-299-YAMA (9262)
Fax 423-338-5651
www.yamazato-videos.com

www.worldbudokan.com

alexyama@mindspring.com