Matt Barnes' Kempo Page

I just updated the Mitose article. I've put in a couple details about Mitose's activities before he started the 'Official Self Defense Club'. The first update is regarding a newspaper article reporting Mitose's arrest on August 19th, 1941 for extortion, and the second part details his brief career in the Hawaiian Territorial Guard.

I've moved the blog to the front page, as that's what gets updated most frequently. I've also enabled the 'comments' function, so now you folks can comment on my posts. The pictures don't seem to want to load in the 'that was a weekend' post, but refresh once or twice and they will show. I'm not sure what the problem is. So, now that we're past the 'big event', I can get back to updating the history articles. I've got some really interesting info to add to the Mitose story, having to do with his 'I was a spy' comments at the trial. Stay tuned.

I just found some old notes I had written down after an 'instructors workout' years ago, and there it was, combination #88. It's certainly interesting. Again, if you have any combinations that aren't yet in the archive, please share.

As is obvious by my previous post, last weekend was the East Meets West seminar. I can't give a complete recap, as that would be more like an article, but here's some highlights:


Motobu Chosei, Soke and Inaba Hanshi. Period. Genuine articles.

Tokunaga Sensei and Sugiyama Sensei of the Jigen-ryu. Way to step in in the clutch for your teacher. People have been contacting me to express their thanks for your seminar section. Outstanding demo as well.

Professor Kimo Ferreira and his wife Kiko. It was great to see them, and Kiko did an amazing job as translator.

Spending the weekend with all of the above: Priceless.

Master Bill Chun, Jr., both during the seminar, and talking after.

And touching base with friends both new and old. Catching up with Marlon Wilson, my partner on my shodan test, Todd and Nelson from Connecticut, Gerry Green and the New York crew, Sigung Duncan, Ron Broughton and the Syracuse folks.

I hope to have a complete report in soon, but right now I'm just busy enjoying the aftermath.

This weekend is the East Meets West seminar, and I'm looking forward to it greatly. I'm trying to recover from a (stupid) back injury but will be there no matter what. Anyone else going? Has anyone been living under a rock and not heard of it? If you get a chance, please say hi - I'll be easy to find. Look for the young guy walking like an old man. By the way, if you are doing standing barbell bicep curls and you catch yourself breaking form to get 'just one more' and get away with it, don't go for another.

Once (or twice) upon a time there was a bulletin board trying to bring together Canadian and American martial artists. I never quite registered - until now. The CanAm Martial Arts board is up again, and it has among many other things, a Shaolin Kempo section. Please go and register and ask intelligent questions (and hopefully give intelligent answers). I think it's a promising place to address some of the questions I've been having, and I think I'll tend to pose them on their board. I'll be frequenting it, and I hope to see you there.

I've been on a fitness kick lately. I took a 'Physiology of Exercise' course this summer, and really wrapped my head around what I need to do for my own fitness needs. I adjusted my cardio, and picked up some weights. What consideration do you give fitness in your kempo practice, and teachers, what fitness elements do you include in class.

I've often thought of conditioning as a separate domain from the skillset that includes 'the fighting arts'. I include fitness in my classes, but I don't confuse that with the learned skill of kempo.

How do you see it? How do you do it?

With the advent of the technique archive, talk of 'standardization' has begun. Is this a good thing? On one side of the debate, there is the 'minimum standards' position, where anyone walking into any SK / SKK school would be able to expect certain things. On the other hand, I have the nagging fear that the ' minimum standards' will emphasize the 'minimum' at the expense of the 'standards'. I feel a small core curriculum is good. I fear that the point of nuance is being missed. I think diversity is healthy, and that not all folks want all things. Once upon a time, I was working with someone at an "instructor's meeting" on knife defenses, and my ideas (lifted from FMA) freaked them out. Needless to say, most folks there didn't want my input. The folks there wanted to standardize on the traditional 'cross block and wristlock' defenses they had been doing. If we're going to standardize, let's let it be a core to develop around.

I've just finished a class in 'Exercise Physiology', so the last couple weeks have been a flurry of lab reports and exams. I've gotten some really nice feedback on the site, and I hope to resume adding information - although lately it's been mostly catching up on sleep. On the bright side, it seems to have sparked some discussion on the shaolin kempo group on yahoo. It's a good place to discuss these kinds of items - check it out.