Guest Post By Tom Venuto
www.BurnTheFat.com

What’s on the menu at the big fast food chains lately? Oddly enough, the answer is… “health food!” Even more incongruous, many are marketing their food for weight loss. Healthy weight loss food at Taco Bell and McDonalds? Is this a noble move to be applauded, is it a big corporate money grab, or is it a double edged sword?

Remember Jared Fogle, the Subway guy? He lost 245 pounds while eating at Subway regularly. He simply picked the lower calorie menu items.  Seeing an opportunity, the local store owner pitched Subway corporate with an idea. Before long, Jared was the company spokesperson in their nationwide advertising campaigns which became known as The Subway Diet.

Sales doubled to 8.2 billion. How much the increase came from the weight loss ads is unknown, but there’s little doubt that using weight loss as a marketing platform was a boon for the sandwich maker. Other fast food chains picked up the weight loss torch where Subway left off.

The latest is the Taco Bell Drive through diet, with their own skinny spokesperson: Christine! The ads, which are admittedly conservative, perhaps due to more stringent FTC laws, say Christine lost 54 lbs over 2 years by reducing her calories to 1250 a day, and choosing Taco Bell’s new lower calorie “Fresco” items.

These include “7 diet items with 150 to 240 calories and under 9 grams of fat.” For example, there’s a chicken soft taco with only 170 calories and 4 grams of fat.

For people who refuse to give up eating at fast food restaurants, this is arguably a positive thing. Take my brother for example, He’s not a total junk food junkie, but left to his own devices, he WILL make a beeline to Taco Bell and McDonalds.

I went to McDonalds with him a few months ago (I was dragged there), and he was about to order a bacon cheeseburger. I glanced at the menu and said, “That’s 790 calories!” I glanced down at his belly then continued, “Look, they have chicken wraps. Why don’t you have one of those?” Without questioning me, he agreed, apparently happy to get any McDonalds fix.

Right there at the counter they had the nutrition information sheets:

McDonald’s honey mustard grilled chicken wrap: 260 calories, 9 grams fat, 27 grams of carbs, 18 grams of protein.

That saved him 530 calories. Am I happy there was something with only 260 calories on the menu? Absolutely. Do I applaud the fast food restaurants for offering lower calorie choices? You bet. But the big question is: are these really “healthy choices?”

A few journalists and bloggers recently answered, “These fast food diet items are NOT healthy, they’re only ‘healthi-ER.’”

I think they’re both mistaken. I think this food is not healthy nor is it healthier. It’s only lower in calories. If you eat lower calorie food, that can help you lose weight and if you lose weight, that can improve your health. But what if your definition of healthy food includes nutrition, nutrient density and absence of artificial ingredients?

Let’s take a look at that very low calorie chicken wrap. Is it really healthier just because it’s got 1/3 the calories of a bacon cheeseburger?

Here’s the ingredients straight from McDonald’s website:

McDonald’s Grilled Chicken Breast Filet (wrap): Chicken breast filets with rib meat, water, seasoning (salt, sugar, food starch-modified, maltodextrin, spices, dextrose, autolyzed yeast extract, hydrolyzed [corn gluten, soy, wheat gluten] proteins, garlic powder, paprika, chicken fat, chicken broth, natural flavors (plant and animal source), caramel color, polysorbate 80, xanthan gum, onion powder, extractives of paprika), modified potato starch, and sodium phosphates. CONTAINS: SOY AND WHEAT. Prepared with Liquid Margarine: Liquid soybean oil, water, partially hydrogenated cottonseed and soybean oils, salt, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, soy lecithin, mono- and diglycerides, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservative), artificial flavor, citric acid, vitamin A palmitate, beta carotene (color). (and don’t forget the 800 mg of sodium).

HOLY CRAP! Shouldn’t chicken breast be just one ingredient… chicken breast?

This is not food. It’s more like what author Michael Pollan would call an “edible food-like substance.”

What about the honey mustard sauce? The first ingredient after water is… SUGAR!

The flour tortilla ingredients? Enriched bleached wheat flour, also made with vegetable shortening (may contain one or more of the following: hydrogenated soybean oil, soybean oil, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, hydrogenated cottonseed oil with mono- and diglycerides added), contains 2% or less of the following: sugar, leavening (sodium aluminum sulfate, calcium sulfate, sodium phosphate, baking soda, corn starch, monocalcium phosphate), salt, wheat gluten, dough conditioners, sodium metabisulfite, distilled monoglycerides.

Trans fats? Sugar? Aluminum? Stuff you can’t pronounce and have to look up to find out it’s preservatives and disinfectants?

Don’t confuse the issues: weight loss and health…. Calories and nutrition. There IS a difference, and that is what makes “healthy” fast food a double edged sword at best.

Some people, like my brother, simply aren’t going to give up fast food completely. If I can get him to make better bad choices, that could help him control his weight. If that works, then I’m pleased that the fast food restaurants have such choices to offer.

But if you wanted to make a good choice – a healthy choice – you’d forget about “driving through” anywhere on a regular basis. You’d shop for whole, fresh, natural real food, keep a well-stocked kitchen… and learn how to cook.

The Subway diet, the Drive Through diet, or the Weight Watchers approved McDonalds menu (yes its true, what a pair that is!) Don’t kid yourself – this is not only not healthy, it’s not healthier – it’s lower calorie junk food.

“Welcome to our restaurant sir. Would you like a large plate of dog poo or a small plate of dog poo?”

“No thank you, I will take neither. No matter what the serving size, crap is still crap.”

Train hard and expect success!

Tom Venuto, author of
Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle
www.BurnTheFat.com

Founder & CEO of
Burn The Fat Inner Circle

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is the author of the #1 best seller, Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle: Fat Burning Secrets of the World’s Best Bodybuilders and Fitness Models. Tom is a lifetime natural bodybuilder and fat loss expert who achieved an astonishing 3.7% body fat level without drugs or supplements. Discover how to increase your metabolism and burn stubborn body fat, find out which foods burn fat and which foods turn to fat, plus get a free fat loss report and mini course by visiting Tom’s site at: www.BurnTheFat.com

In these Modern days, with the Internet, Videos, DVD’s, Instant Communication, and fast travel, it is very easy to get where you want, and obtain the information you want.

New champion’s names are instantly passed around via the modern media methods…

You can buy magazines, videos of all the modern greats in action, and see just what they are like.

Somewhere to train?

Every City, Town, Village or Hamlet has Martial Arts Clubs on every corner.

No Sport’s or Leisure Centre these days would dream of opening without some form of Martial Art available for the local populace.

Tried Judo?

You can change to Karate – no problem.

Feel like something a bit different?

Well there’s always Tae Kwon Do.

Need something more?

Escrima, Kali, Vale Tudo, Kung Fu, etc, etc…

The choices are endless.

In fact we are saturated with a plethora of systems, and styles, from strict traditional to eclectic and modern…

We’ve never had it so good!

But, where did it all begin?.

Great Britain has, in fact, one of the oldest established Martial Arts communities in the Western World — Thanks to the Pioneers.

It is often a surprise to many followers of the Oriental martial arts to discover, that in fact, the UK has had Ju-Jitsu nearly HALF A CENTURY longer than Japan has had Karate.

Karate was introduced to Japan in the early 1920s…

Ju-Jitsu came to Britain in the 1880′s.

Yukio O’Tani, “Raku”, Uyenishi, and others brought Ju-Jitsu to these shores in the Victorian Era.

The traffic wasn’t just one way either – men like the late Ernest John Harrison, known forever as E.J.Harrison, were early travellers to Japan and the Far East and studied ethnic martial arts systems.

E.J. was in fact the very first Englishman to be awarded a Black Belt in any martial art. He was there from about 1880, at the time of the “Meigi Period”, the time of modernisation.

He wrote an excellent book titled, “The Fighting Spirit of Japan”. A superb read, in which he describes first hand accounts of actual Samurai Fights to the death. Fabulous stuff.

Men like the calibre of the late great George Hackenshmidt, added some Ju-Jutsu moves to their wrestling skills, to become even more formidable. In fact George is highly complimentary of Ju-Jitsu in all his writings.

In fact I have an original “Health & Strength” Annual for 1901, in which there are many adverts and articles about Ju-Jutsu, as well as great praise from the wrestlers as to its efficiency.

There are also many articles about “La Canne” (The Savate stick Combat), Self-Defence against “Hooligans”, and Robbers. Some quite good.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of “Sherlock Holmes”, had studied some Ju-Jitsu under one man who went to Japan to learn it – Barton Wright.

When he came back he added some Western Boxing & Wrestling, and re-named his art “Bartitsu”. In one book, Conan Doyle has Holmes defeat his enemy Moriati using Bartitsu.

The Late Captain McGlaglen, brother of the film star, Victor,  had many articles showing self-defence against the “Hun” or the “Kaiser’s men” – 1st World War Germans.

The ‘Bad’ guys wore German Army uniforms, with those spiked ‘coal scuttle’ type helmets.

McGlaglen though was one of the first ‘con-men’ in the Martial Arts. He claimed to be a “World Champion”, when in fact he was hardly above a good novice level.

BUT, the Army liked his stuff, he got to teach it as ‘Close Quarter Combat’ and it worked!

Not bad for a Novice eh?

Others like “Blind Jack Britton” were early Pioneers of the older styles: often very highly effective Ju-Jutsu’s.

Jack was blinded in a domestic accident – he had inadvertently ‘washed’ his face in Caustic Soda, and burned out his eyes. He still practised Ju-Jutsu though.

People like Bill Underwood, from Rochdale in Lancashire, who was a Master of several of the older systems. Especially the more secret forms of Ju-Jutsu.

Bill taught many “Special Forces” personnel, and when during the 2nd World War feelings were very anti-Japanese, he renamed his system “Defendu”, (ORIGINALLY Combato).

Bill awed everyone he taught.

What about Captain Fairbairn, inventor of the famous Commando knife The “Sykes-Fairburn”?

He was in Shanghai in the 1920′s & 30′s. Shanghai then was the roughest Port in the World.

If you went out alone in Shanghai at night (even during the sodding day sometimes), you were in danger of three things.. Viscious muggings (The native Chinese weren’t big fans of European people really ), being forced into the Opium Gambling Dens, or being hijacked to work on board ships. A bit like the old Press Gangs of the British Navy.

In fact so many people were press ganged this way that a word crept into the English langauge – Shanghaied – meaning kidnapped.

It was in these very dangerous and rough places and times that Fairburn ‘honed’ his combined combat talents.

A real Pioneer of ‘Cross Training’, he combined, western boxing & wrestling with Chinese Boxing to form his own ‘Eclectic Combat System’.

In his own words, he was involved in THOUSANDS of real encounters as a member of the Special Police Force of Shanghai.

He then came back to England to teach his stuff over here.

Karate?

Judo?

Ju-Jitsu?

Names like Frank Newton, Bill Woods, Pat Butler, Percy Longhurst, Vernon Bell, (who may in fact have been the very first UK Karate Black Belt). These people were learning and teaching the Martial Arts before most of us were even born.

The other main point about these earlier practitioners was the fact that hardly any of them either practised or taught the martial arts as anything other than for combative uses.

Judo was probably the first system to have any competition, but Karate, etc, was always taught for it’s combat purposes, and was often very brutal in it’s training.

Many of the older systems only became less effective ‘real’ arts due to the introduction of competitions (run as safely as possible) and younger and younger children.

These arts had to change, and become less ‘hard’ in order to attract more and more newcomers.

But some of the early competitions, etc, were very brutal indeed.

Coming into the latter half of the 20th Century, we saw a massive influx and renaissance in the martial arts.

The 1960s in particular was probably the first real era of the ‘home grown’ masters.

Prior to then, most of the top instructors, were in fact Orientals themselves…

Names like Kanazawa, Asano and Onoeda… were the household names then.

But Britain had started to grow it’s own champions.

Terry O’Neil, Andy Sherry, Steve ‘Stumpy’ Cattle, David ‘Ticky’ Donovan and many others.

In JUDO names like Dave Starbrook, Brian Jacks (Note from Rezbi: Who remembers Brian competing in Superstars? ) and Neil Adams, were real International Champs.

THEN the world saw BRUCE LEE.

Unless you were at least 15 years old in 1973, you simply cannot hope to understand – or even grasp slightly – the massive impact this one man had on not just the martial arts, but the whole fabric of society.

Not only on the martial arts fraternity, but also the general public.

The name of Bruce Lee, and with it KUNG FU, was perhaps the most earth shattering event I personally had witnessed up to that point in my life.

Magazines, books, newspaper articles, television, those awful dubbed Chinese Kung Fu films, everyone who hit, punched or kicked anyone in an assault was always guilty of a “Kung Fu” style attack.

It was everywhere. Even in the Pop Charts.

What other pastime could produce a number One Hit Record!?

Not Ice skating. Or Cricket, or, or, or — but yes…

“Everybody WAS Kung Fu Fighting” – Karl Douglas

The sheer impact it had on the martial arts world was unbelievable.

We even had an 8th Dan Karate master advertising “Kung Fu” CRISPS on television.

And, on the Saturday afternoon ‘wrestling’ on World of Sport, we even had a wrestler called Kung Fu.

Whose favourite kick (according to commentator Kent Walton), was a “Kung Fu Style Mule Kick”.

It was EVERYWHERE!

Clubs were springing up overnight. Masters appearing from nowhere.

Former brown belts at karate were going to the nearest China Towns (I was living near Manchester at this time and witnessed this on many occasions).

They went and bought Chinese style clothing and opened up clubs proclaiming their mastery in “Kung Fu”.

Thankfully, in time, real ‘masters’ emerged. And some form of sanity returned.

But for a few years Kung Fu ruled the world!

The real strange thing was that in most cases the Chinese themselves hardly ever used the term “Kung Fu”. They were more likely to call their stuff “Chuan Fa”, or similar terms.

Anyway Kung Fu ruled, and it was everywhere, and eventually (thankfully) the cowboys were ousted, and the genuine ones came in.

People like:

• Steve Babbs of the Lau Gar (I first saw Steve at Belle Vue about 1974??  I think)
• Alan Lamb (Wing Chun)
• Danny Connors (The late Danny Connors was originally a Karate-Ka who went to Japan to train, then turned a bit more into Kung Fu. Who else remembers the little club at the back of his Swan Street, Manchester Shop?).
• The Fabulous Steve Powell.(One of the first men to teach authentic Chinese Boxing to the Chinese, actually in China Town Manchester).
• Pete Consterdine. Not only a superb Karate-Ka, AND a Wing Chun student of Alan Lamb, Pete was the very first Full Contact Karate Champion of Europe).
• The AWESOME Steve Morris. Harder, Faster, Deeper was Steve’s motto. One of the few to go to Japan and train for his grades there. He went with the late, great, Gary Spiers, and trained under the legendary Gogen Yamaguchi of the Goju style).

Still with Karate, and Ju-Jitsu, who can forget the one-off himself, the late and very great Phil Milner 10th Dan.

I trained with Phil for quite a long time, and his sessions were the hardest I have ever know (I mention Phil a lot in my Book – Martial Arts, Muscles & Mayhem – New Breed Publishing).

Phil was eccentric – actually Phil was crazy – but very very hard.

He actually fought the legend Chuck Norris to a draw in the 70′s… ran barefoot from John O’Groats to Land’s End (in his Gi and a headband)for charity… knocked down houses with his hands feet and head and many other mad things.

But he trained harder than anyone else I have ever known.

There’s always Trevor Roberts, the “Bolton Iron Man”, and a great friend. He was a Junior Judo and Ju-Jitsu champ, fought internationally in Wrestling and Sambo, has worked the doors for well over 35 years, and knows his combat as well as any man living.

(I started in 1961, in both wrestling and boxing, graduating to Judo (BJC style), then Ju-Jutsu in 1964. I was more than fortunate to meet some of these pioneering GREATS.)

Those first three fabulous Thais, known to us in the 70′s as Woody, Toddy & Ken.

The impact these guys had on training was unbelievable.

Anyone else remember Toddy’s place over the Motorbike shop in Milnrow near Rochdale?

They made Thai what it is in the UK today, setting a fabulous standard for those who followed.

We eventually beat the Japanese in a World Championships in Karate, and in Judo.

We had our own home-grown champions (male and female) in EVERY Martial Art you could name.

Many are still around, now as veterans instructing the younger ones.

I could list another 100 names and still not mention all the great champions we have raised in these Islands.

Their contributions are priceless, and shouldn’t be forgotten. Because of these people, Britain stands proudly as having the highest standards in the Western world.

So next time you are at a seminar or tournament, and there’s some “old guy” there who your instructors are all proud to be seen with, it may just well be one of those fabulous Pioneers – the “Cream” of British Combat Arts.

Don’t let these people drift into forgotten obscurity — THE PIONEERS

Dave Turton 8th Dan, Head of the Self-Defence Federation

This particular article is important and timely, it is also likely to cause some controversy (once again). So firstly I am going to do something I don’t normally do, and that is ‘defend’ myself somewhat.

Normally I don’t ever feel the need to quantify and defend my writings and views, as they are no more than my own opinions based on my own experiences.

However, I just KNOW that I will be causing some degree of feedback with this article, so I am going to answer any criticisms I may receive first … the perfect pre-emptive strike.

I teach, speak and write from my own years experience in the combat arts, and I am a blunt Yorkshireman who says it like it is. For that I don’t apologise… I never set up deliberately to upset anyone… but I manage it anyway. “C’est La Vie”.

However I am going top give you some details about my background etc, for those of you who don’t know much about me, (and why should you?)

I started the combat arts in 1961 with both western boxing and wrestling whilst still at school, I boxed a couple of times for the school in 1963.

I started the martial arts with a combined Judo/Ju-Jutsu art in 1964, the year I left school. I have been involved in the combat arts since.

I hold 3 separate 8th Dan Grades, one 7th Dan and a couple of lower (3rd and 4th) Dan Grades in other styles.

I have studied ONLY those styles and methods that were/are best designed for realistic self-defence and street combat.

I have absolutely nothing against sport combat styles or ‘traditional’ training such as Katas etc.. They are just not for me personally. But I am full of admiration for anyone who trains hard and achieves a high level.

Any ‘reputation’I may or may not have achieved over these 45 years has been in the realistic styles, and I have been fortunate indeed to have had many ‘top’ names in the martial arts world come to me for tuition.

People of the quality as “Geoff Thompson” … “Jamie O’Keefe, and even “Bob Sykes”, have had tuition from me. What an honour and very humbling.

All I am trying to get across here is hopefully not a self-glorification (God forbid), but merely to show I do have some VALIDITY in my views and have a fair amount of experience in these fields.

Secondly, because the subject of Youth Knife Crime is so ingrained in our culture, with hardly a week going by without hearing about it, it needs what I believe to be a very honest and direct approach to dealing with knives on the street.

Although I have used the term ‘knives’ up to this point, let me say that the advice and any methods mentioned are also aimed at other ‘edged weapons’ which is actually a more accurate term. After all the actions, intent and results of being stabbed by a knife or a sharpened screwdriver are almost identical.

Thirdly this article is NOT a training article per se, instead I intend offering comments, advice and pointers that I genuinely feel are the best ways of dealing with the very serious problem of having to defend against a knife on the street.

RIGHT, let me start off by my first comment that may upset some readers…

90% of the techniques taught as workable knife defences are sheer garbage!

It wouldn’t be so bad if they were just garbage, but they are DANGEROUS garbage. Trying these ridiculous defences for real could get you killed, and that AIN’T funny.

I see so much that is good and also much that is bad in the martial arts… especially when discussing and/or teaching REALISTIC self-defence and self-protection.

BUT when it comes to knives I get really upset…

I constantly get DVD’s or articles from all kinds of sources asking me to look at their ‘knife defences’, and frankly there is so much tripe out there I feel awful answering them back.

So, what is the answer, if there even IS one? … Well the reason I mentioned at the start of this article that it isn’t a ‘how to do’ one, is that what is important in defending against knives isn’t the techniques used, but the PRINCIPLES that are applied.

Therefore let me start with my first bit of combined advice and observation…

“There are NO methods of defending against a knife that can guarantee your TOTAL safety”

I don’t care WHO the instructor is or what he or she tells you, the above statement is 100% FACT.

Play with water you will eventually get WET … Face knives (and other edged weapons) for real and you WILL/PROBABLY get harmed.

The sad impression we get is that if we practise a few simple little techniques, stick them into gradings done with no real intent and slightly choreographed then we are ready for the street. Knowing a blade is coming at you held by a friend who doesn’t actually WANT to kill you, and in many cases will co-operate with your ‘defences’ is not conducive to surviving the street blade.

You simply cannot mess about when dealing with a blade, and that is if you even get the CHANCE to deal with it.

There are a few instructors in the country who really do understand blades, and have produced some excellent work.  Alan Charlton for one does an excellent course.

The problem is two fold however in that because the principles and techniques of defending against blades are AND SHOULD BE quite simple, and of few numbers, many instructors ‘pad’ out their techniques with what my old instructor called “Unfunctional Bilge”… why I don’t know.

Better to have a few tried and tested methods and principles (the second being the most important) rather than a myriad of flashy techniques that may LOOK good, but are useless.

To get to the meat in this article, there is a list below of statements of FACT, these are true, later in the article there will be a few statements of fact that are in fact (sorry for the puns) not factual in fact! … get it?

• Knives do one or more of only THREE possible actions, the CUT, they STAB, and they TREATEN.
• A great majority of people cut or stabbed didn’t know they HAD been attacked with a knife. A blade is one of the FEW weapons that in fact can be used both OVERTLY and COVERTLY. But you can’t THREATEN someone with a knife COVERTLY. However you can be stabbed or cut without seeing it coming. This is a topic not covered enough.
• Knives are nearly always (in fact probably a high enough percentage to state 100%) used in the DOMINANT hand of the attacker. Very few people will secrete a knife somewhere where their DOMINANT hand can’t reach, and a right handed man will invariably hold and use the weapon in that hand.
• He or she has in fact TOLD you some facts that can aid in your defence ONLY if you see the knife BEFORE they stick it in you.
• A knife doesn’t have to cost £100 and be a ‘super-dooper Rambo Devil Blade’ or other such stupid tags … If it’s LONG enough it can stab you and if it’s SHARP enough it can cut you. You can stab someone to death with a bloody pencil, or cut them and they bleed to death with a broken credit card.
• “Twisty-Wristy” manipulative type defences are utter tripe, and should be banned and will simply NOT work in real situations. I can accept that for certain styles etc, in a grading situation that ‘demonstrating’ some form of weapon defences may (and only may) have some validity, but at least students should be told that these techniques are training moves, not ones that will work in reality.
• Controlling the knife is simply NOT as valid as controlling the person holding it… the focus is wrong and puts the emphasis on the wrong moves.
• Do it wrong in training you have a second chance. Do it wrong on the street and you could DIE

Dave Turton 8th Dan, Head of the Self-Defence Federation

“It Doesn’t Work!”

You hear this statement, or something very similar, often about martial arts or self-defence techniques.

Whether it’s from a competitor in a small ‘first-time’ competition, or someone who has done some self-defence training and had to ‘use’ it in a real situation, this statement must have been heard by training partners and instructors countless times.

I’ve heard this many times over my 40 plus years of instructing, never mind my nearly fifty years involved.

Let’s face it, we all expect our techniques, methods and principles to WORK when we put them to the test. So, what do we REALLY mean when we say “it doesn’t work”?

There are several factors that can influence a supposed ‘failure’ in applying techniques and methods.

I have listed some below with a short explanation on how we can turn what has become a negative into a positive.

• A lot of people would simply say a ‘Lack of Training’ as the main reason for techniques not to work as well as we would like. But I don’t believe that is true. For me the main reason is “Expectations”… We often expect more than we should from a move, and that is the fault of the Instructor and no one else. I have an expression “Minimal Guarantee versus Maximum Expectations”. Let me give you an illustration. Suppose you line up TEN young men aged 25 years of age:  All ten are 6ft tall and 90kgs. You hit each one with the same right cross. Now for the purpose of understanding ‘’Guarantee v Maximum Expectations’ lets assume the following.

1. All TEN men STAGGER back.
2. SIX of the ten then fall over.
3. THREE of the six who fall over are knocked out.

This breaks down as follows:

1. 100% stagger;
2. 60% fall down;
3. only 30% are K’O'd

Yet when we train and practice this Right Cross, our expectation would be 100% K.O.s. In truth our MINIMAL GUARANTEE is only 100% STAGGER. So that is what we EXPECT in reality. Anything else, the 60% fall down and the 30% K.O.s, are BONUSES. All your techniques should be trained this way …. Try and work out what you can GUARANTEE and work to that… NOT what you would like or expect. By being sure you get X RESULTS, you can plan your follow ups better. Then also if you get MORE than you can expect, that’s GREAT … but don’t work to LESS than you can guarantee

• The Opponent … Your opponent is actually more important than YOU in a real situation. By this I mean what he does or doesn’t do. How he responds/reacts or not is the main influence to what you do next. For example, suppose every time you use a power push on your training partner, he staggers back 3 steps. You have  to practise your ‘follow up’ to work with these distances. Then on the street in a real situation, ifyour opponent staggers back 5 steps or NONE … can you make your follow ups work when the initial results are different to those you have experienced in training. So allow for ‘failure’ in your training … It’s more important than you may think.

• Now comes TRAINING …. Or should I say the THREE most important aspects of training.

1. ADAPT … that is make the technique fit YOU – not you fit the techniques. By this I mean if you are 5ft 3 inches and fat, how can you do the moves the same way as your best friend who is 6ft 3 inches and slim? PERSONALISE the techniques in the same way we buy clothes. Make them fit you… If you are well over 6ft tall and your wife is under 5ft and you both drive the same car, what is the first thing you do? YES, adjust the seat … you are making the car fit YOU.
2. APPLY … It’s no good learning a technique, then not knowing how to apply it successfully. Half hearted applications produce half-hearted results. Work hard on applying your moves and techniques.
3. CREATE … In a real situation, you won’t know how your opponent will react to your initial move/s. So ask your training partner/s to vary their responses to your opening moves. This way you are better prepared to CREATE a new or different technique. It’s no good thinking “OOPS” now what do I do?

So often when you hear “It doesn’t work” , it’s other factors than just the technique which caused it to fail.

Plus, what do we consider a ‘failure’?

If you hit a guy and he staggers and falls but isn’t K.O’,d is that a failure or a different kind of success?

There are varying degrees of success. And provided you end up unscathed and home safely, it probably wasn’t a failure; it just didn’t give the degree of success you expected.

Finally though, look at yourself… are you applying yourself diligently to your training?

I remember talking to a former Mr Universe many years ago… The great BILL PEARL from the USA was at a show in Manchester, and I was one of the officials.

The question of training methods working came up, and although this was bodybuilding, not self-defence/martial arts, his comment runs just as true.

He said, “All my training methods work well… sadly many of my pupils don’t work as well”

Keep training.

Oh yeah, if you want to see more articles like this one, leave me your comments. What would you like to see me write about? Let me know and I’ll see what I can do.

Dave Turton 8th Dan SDF Head

P.S. This really is me, Dave Turton, not that wannabe, Rezbi, posing as me.

If you’re a skilled martial artist looking for instructor certification, click here.  Note: This is only for experienced martial artists with relevant backgrounds, and is an instructor ceritification: Not a martial arts grading.

March 2010. Please note: Street Talk will be placed on the SDF Website. ONLY Club Heads, Instructors, and Reps will continue to receive the newsletter through the post.

However, any member requesting a posted ‘hard copy’ will be more than welcome to receive it.

Welcome to this latest issue

This is the FIRST Issue for 2010, and quite a fair bit to write about this time, so here goes!
………..

NEW MEMBERS

I would like to welcome all those who have joined already this year, from the loyal clubs who regularly send in both NEW and RENEWED members year after year .. You are the backbone of the SDF.

Individuals:

Our Individual new members are always welcome, as usually they are martial artists of some experience and skill, thus increasing the ‘skill’ base of the SDF…

• Brad Ritchie (Progressive Conflict Management Systems)
• Jonny Figgis (A very strong member from Southern Ireland)
• Steve Harknett (3rd Dan Kempo Ju-Jitsu from Harlow in Essex)
• Gary Broocks (Shotokan Karate Black Belt from Bournmouth)
• Mickey Tulloch (great C.V. from Washington Tyne & Wear)
• Mike Hulme (Assistant Instructor at the famous Deisel Gym in London)
• Neil Wilson (Tony Blauer SPEAR System Instructor from Rayleigh in Essex)
• Julie Smethurst (Top Fitness & Self-Defence Coach from Bolton in Lancashire)
• Garry Smith (3rd Dan Ju-Jitsu Instructor from Sheffield, SouthYorkshire)
• Aaron St Omer (Via Top SDF Man Tony Gladwell in London)
• Daniel Meade Multi Skilled martial artist from Haringey, London)

As you can see, a vast range of skilled new members bringing more depth to the SDF.

Clubs:

It is always nice to get new clubs in the SDF. It’s more than new members; it’s a new venue and skill base for SDF’ers to visit.

From the end of 2009, we have had the pleasure of the following new clubs, who are very welcome indeed.

• Selby MMA (A mixed martial arts club run by Craig Lawrence .. top club, top instructor … based in Selby North Yorkshire)
• C.E.M.P.A. (A new and exciting venture by an old friend and long term SDF TKD Instructor Mark Richardson. Mark is based in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, and formulated a NEW Concept in his training skills)
• J.J. Kickboxing (top class Kickboxing and self-defence club run by John Rickaby 4th Dan .. based in Bishop Auckland County Durham. This club has produced regional and national champs)
• Sesku Academy a long time SDF member Adam Redfern runs this highly successful Thai Boxing Club in South Kirby (Nr Pontefract)… The club has recently moved into new premises and I went along to sort out the club joining the SDF and adding self-defence to its Boxing & Thai Boxing

That’s FOUR new clubs in THREE months … welcome all.

Events:

Not a great deal to report from around the SDF world … always the same at the start of a year.

However, Friday 5th march 2010 was a memorable evening. Andy Crittenden of ACMAC Doncaster hosted his second seminar with the legendary Catch Wrestling Coach Johnny Huskey.

I was delighted to attend this event and meet up with many old and new friends in the martial arts. Too many names to mention, but nice to see Neil Anderson and Steve Grey again after about 10 years… They are from Eckington and are top grappling men.

I shared my spectators slot with my old friend and long term SDF man Neil Hall. Neil runs the Caged Steel club in Dewsbury… top man indeed.

Without doubt Johny Huskey is the BEST Catch Wrestler and Coach I have seen in at least 25 years. If you missed it, you missed a great night.
He even stuck a painful arm lock on me… excellent stuff.

Also Andy is hosting a seminar with PHIL GLOVER at his Doncaster club.
Date: Sunday 25th April … 11am to 1.00pm.
Phil is the TOPS in Thai Style Kickboxing tuition, and the seminar fee is a PALTRY £10 !!!.

Grades:

It’s always great to hear of SDF members getting grades from other organisations or through our own network of high graded instructor.

First: Andy Crittenden & Ian Harrison.

I have been teaching both Andy & Ian privately every Tuesday morning for well over 7 years (Andy for 10).

They started with me as 5th Dan TKD for Andy & 3rd Dan Kickboxing for Ian.

Now they have both reached 3rd Dan in the SDF Self-Defence System, and well deserved it is.

Ian had a double as he also gained his 4th Dan in kickboxing as well. Well done you two

Speaking of Andy Crittenden, as most of you know his club in Doncaster (South Yorkshire) is where most of the SDF’s events, such as seminars, courses, gradings etc happen.

Well, after much fundraising etc, Andy has bought new mats for the club, it looks GREAT!

Action for Society:

Our new national charity is now in full swing, and I will be contacting SDF Reps, Heads etc with a view to holding out the old ‘begging bowl’.

This charity is a very worthwhile one indeed. So if any clubs or members want to help out raising funs for us, please contact us with your ideas or requests.

It can be as little as sticking a collection tin on your signing in desks, to organising actually collections through your club members or even for those of you who enjoy taking part in charity events, DO ONE FOR US!

Checkout our charity on its temporary website:
www.actionforsociety.org.uk
Charity Registration Number is: 1131918.

Odds & Sods:

We are now trying to organise the TENTH ANNIVERSARY EVENT for the SDF.

This will be at Andy’s Club in Doncaster over a Saturday & Sunday later this year.

We will be getting a couple of TOP CLASS Instructors, and there will be FOUR 2 hour sessions over the two days.

I will teach one each day and the guests will have one slot each for either the Saturday or the Sunday.

We also hope to book a room with a DJ and some grub (important) for a social get-together on the Saturday night for those who might be staying over or can make it home (sober??)

Tickets will be printed and sold as soon as we get dates and guests organised … we will be looking at costs around £80-£100 for this ONE OFF event.

Costs will include the 2 days training, and the FREE GRUB at the evening … (you pay for your own booze … sorry!)

Reports will be sent to the Martial Arts magazines. This cannot happen again so have a think about coming along.

Start asking and letting me know how many we can expect.

The rules are simple…

NO TICKET NO NOTHING! So watch out for developments, and let’s have your ideas, suggestions and approximate numbers coming.

I am considering adding a new page to the SDF website listing all the various Regional, National & International Champions (Past & Present) we have as SDF members.

We have an amazing collection of champs Juniors & Seniors from every known form of martial art, including boxing & wrestling as well.

People should KNOW the calibre of our members, especially as we are supposed to be a self-defence organisation NOT a competition body.
It will take some time to get the names listed, especially if we include PAST champs as well…

If we DO decide to go ahead with this extra page, I will be sending you a form to fill in listing your champions … anything from 1st to 3rd places will be listed.. (it could take ALL my available web page space Ha ha)

That’s it for this month … please send in your event reports and anything else you want included either on the news pages on the website or in this newsletter.

Dave Turton 8th Dan

If you’re a skilled martial artist looking for instructor certification, click here.  Note: This is only for experienced martial artists with relevant backgrounds, and is only an instructor ceritification: Not a martial arts grading.

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