People study martial arts for many reasons, sometimes all the wrong reasons. For example, I have had potential students come to my dojo with a belligerent and cocky attitude. When I ask why they want to study my art, their response has indicated to me that their goal is to learn to fight, which is the antithesis of the philosophy I hope to instill: I want them to know how to defend themselves if necessary, but to avoid fighting whenever possible because they will have nothing to prove by fighting.

- Chuck Norris, "The Secret Power Within: Zen Solutions to Real Problems"

It is not enough to read about the path of the warrior, or to read about martial arts. Nor does it do you much good just watching videos or movies on martial arts. You must take that first step and commit yourself to training and actually do it, actually follow the path.

"A knowledge of the path cannot be substituted for putting one foot in front of the other." - M.C. Richards (as quoted in "Wisdom of the Peaceful Warrior")

This is an anouncement regarding an upcoming seminar by Alain Burrese in Boise, ID. If you enjoy the Lock On dvds, check out Alain live:


It's that time of year again and we are gearing up for
the 5th Annual Seminar. This year will feature more
of the excellent grappling techniques we have covered
in years past as well as cane work and striking, and
other topics.

Any of you who have been before know what we have a
great time and that Alain runs an awesome seminar!

The cost is the same as always: $50. If you are
coming as a group call me and we may be able to work
out a group pricing deal.

The Date is 14 April 2007

The venue is the same this year. If you don't
remember, I'll be glad to send you a map with
directions when you register.

Registration begins at 8:30 and we will get started
around 9

Lunch at 11:30
Seminar resumes at 1 PM

This year, we're going to shoot for a 4 PM end time,
to leave a little more room for participants to go
over specific questions with Alain or buy a book or
training DVD!


Remember:
14 April 2007
Boise, Idaho
9 AM - 5 PM
$50 per individual with group rates available!

Any questions, comments, or advanced book/DVD orders,
call me:

Danny Rowell
Kantan Kyo Jujutsu
208.841.2745
paxbaculum@yahoo.com

This review was posted on Amazon for both Lock On vols 1 and 2:

5 Stars Master Alain Burrese Does It Again!, March 10, 2007
Reviewer: Melinda Kidder (Columbia, MO USA) - See all my reviews

One thing I've personally enjoyed about all of Burrese's body of work is his no-nonsense way of presentation. From Hard Won Wisdom to Hapkido Hoshinsul, From Street Fighting Essentials to the new Lock On Series, Burrese simply knows self defense.

I was excited to receive the evaluation copy of Master Burrese's new Lock On series of Hapkido Instructional DVDs. As usual, there was no let down.

Throughout, Burrese keeps safety in mind. He reminds the viewer that respect for one's training partner is key. Many instructors forget this point, which could cause problems during practice.

Another bonus of Burrese's work is that he packs as much information as possible into one DVD. Unlike other production companies which use fillers like promos for their other products, Burrese and Aiki Productions cram as much knowledge into each DVD as possible. As always, you get the biggest bang for your buck.

The Lock On Series isn't simply for the novice practitioner. Even the seasoned Hapkidoin will find great material here as well as a good reference source. The novice will find clear, precision instruction on basics, controlling and finishing techniques. The expert will find an invaluable reference on fundamental and advanced techniques and tweaks.

When watching Burrese in action, you'll notice his flow and control. Flowing, making a technique fluid and not choppy or hopping around trying to make it work, is essential in Hapkido. Burrese embodies that concept. He emphasizes proper footwork, an oft forgotten key, and whole body technique. He takes time to explain mechanics, a must for Hapkido.

This isnt a simple run-down of locking techniques. This IS a Master Instructor taking the time to show you step-by-step guidance towards mastery.

Kudos to Aiki Productions on clear video and audio quality. Audio quality is often lacking with many manufacturers. Aiki does an excellent job here with that as well as the graphical interface of the DVD.

Melinda Kidder, Owner
Chajonshim Martial Arts Supply

Here is another review that was posted on Amazon:

5 Stars Excellent "Instructional" Hapkido DVD, March 8, 2007
Reviewer: Thomas O. Morrison (Ogdensburg, NY United States) - See all my reviews

The second volume of "Lock On" focuses on "Armbars and Elbow Techniques" and follows a similar format to the first and has the same high production values and ease of access through its chaptering system.

This volume comes off as a bit quicker paced than the first and has more variations to these locks. Again the emphasis is not so much on all the myriad parts of Hapkido, but rather on these specific locks, and to a lesser extant, the footwork, strikes, positioning that go with the locks and their variations. This volume goes a bit deeper in this than the first one does and is very much "concept" based instead of rote technique based. It's clear that Mr. Burrese encourages experimentation and creative application of the techniques past the fundamental level of understanding.

The DVD runs a total of 83 minutes and starts off with a brief introduction and then an explanation/examination of the elbow joint. From there various locks are explored, including a basic (standing) Armbar, variations thereof (including some cool techniques using a knee to create the Armbar), Armbar Escorts, Step Under Armbars, Armbreaks, Crossed Arm (elbow) Techniques, Elbow Clamps, and some very basic "Ground Fighting" (really just a few finishing techniques on the ground). For each category, the basic lock is explored in a fairly static sense and in a dynamic sense. From there, helpful and clear pointers are added and then variations in footwork and positioning are added. Various situations are shown, ranging from same side wrist grabs and punch defenses to using it offensively.

During the narration, Mr. Burrese adds in notations on effectiveness for self defense or for demonstrations, making it clear that some techniques are more for show and others aren't. He makes several references to levels of force and although he never goes into a great depth on it does give enough information for experienced practitioners to pick up on and understand. He is also very clear about showing that these are just one small element of Hapkido and that including the strikes, falls, breathing and other elements of the curriculum are necessary to understand and learn the art as a whole.

As an instructor, this is an excellent reference DVD. His clear narration and obvious experience provides a great model to follow when teaching and puts words to a lot of the "little tips" you show and teach but maybe never really explained verbally (I love how he handled the whole "anchoring" concept). This is truly an "instructional" DVD instead of a demonstration one. The focus is on teaching the material and providing ways to take the concepts and run with them.

For a student learning Hapkido, especially one that plans to someday instruct, this is a very valuable resource and well worth the money. I'd rather see someone buy high quality instructional DVDs like this set instead of having to buy lots of cheaper ones and try to get past the "demo" flavor and self-promotion that is often seen. I heard there may be a few more in the set covering other locks, I'll be happy to buy them and will appreciate them in my collection.

Overall, high quality instructional DVD that I highly recommend to students and instructors alike.

Here is a review that was posted on Amazon for Lock On: Joint Locking Essentials vol 1 Wrist Locks:

5 Stars! High Quality Reference that Delivers What it Promises, March 5, 2007
Reviewer: Thomas O. Morrison (Ogdensburg, NY United States)

With so many martial arts videos and resources out there, the bar has been set pretty high for new material. Alain Burrese sets the standard even higher. This first "Lock On" DVD is a good example of providing a lot of material in a quality manner at a fair price. The DVD runs 87 minutes of solid content.

The "Lock On" project is a very ambitious one. It seems to be designed to focus on Hapkido joint locks without having to get too deep into the striking aspect, the footwork aspect, falls, breathing, finishes and so on. Granted, there has to be some of this to make the locks work out of "isolation" but the 1st video sets a good model.

The DVD is arranged clearly into several chapters, making it very easy to reference and skip around. It starts with a nice exploration of the wrist and some great insight on why wrist locks work the way they do. From there are sections on various locks, including the outer wrist lock, inner wrist lock, overhand outer wrist lock, reverse handshake, standing center lock, s-lock, and the faucet lock.

In each section the lock is explored in a general static sense, with attention paid to the mechanics, then it's shown more dynamically in a variety of situations (like lapel grab, same side wrist grab, etc) with several variations depending on footwork and attacker's intent. Key elements such as footwork, posture, and even finishes are explored to a degree necessary for the technique but not to distraction.

Most of the variations are the old tried and true ones but there were some original ones I really liked as well. There are a few variations I didn't personally care for, such as the jumping locks and the deep crouches, but the mechanics were interesting to see even then. Also, I had never learned the "faucet lock" before but seeing the application of it in the clinch makes me curious about it and I'll try it out on someone soon.

Overall, the production values are very good, with clear photography, good angles and very good verbal descriptions. Attention is paid to more than just the lock, getting into how to shift weight, use the whole body and proper mechanics without getting too abstract and while trying to keep the focus on the locks. The video doesn't pretend to be an "end-all be-all" representation of Hapkido and it sticks closely to its clearly stated goals of exploring wrist locks. There seems to be elements from different Hapkido traditions represented in the variations and this makes it very educational for students of the art.

On a similar note, I like how the material is presented with a stark lack of propaganda that sometimes can be seen in Hapkido videos. He doesn't go overboard in extolling the virtues of the art or in specific lineages and/or purity. The material is presented as its own justification for learning it. I look forward to the second volume and would be interested to see other elements of Hapkido explored in similar ways (e.g. breakfalls, strikes, footwork, etc).

At first glance, people might assume this is "just" a reference for new Hapkido practitioners. This isn't true. The way this DVD is presented makes it a great resource for all levels. For a new HKD student (or even for a student who learns joint locks as part of a Taekwondo Hoshinsool program) this is a nice supplement to classroom instruction on how a lock works and how to do it. For a "new" instructor this provides an excellent resource on how to teach locks and focus on how to "get everything right". For a senior or master instructor, aside from the solid instructional reference, there are enough little variations and ideas to make it worthwhile as well. Best of all, by not being "kwan-specific" it can serve as a great tool for all Hapkido kwans and Hapkido-based arts as well as for those school who use Hapkido or Hapkido elements in their self defense programs (like many TKD schools do).

Overall, I highly recommend this volume for students and instructors alike. The price is fairly average for martial arts videos but it packs a lot more material in than most others do. There is a lot of general reference that is usable by all levels and enough "extra" that will interest seasoned instructors as well.

I'm reading Dan Millman's new book Wisdom of the Peaceful Warrior. I have always enjoyed Dan's books, and I'm enjoying this one as well. This passage made me think of Bruce Lee's interview where he tells the viewer to "Be Water."

In Dan's first book, Way of the Peaceful Warrior, Socrates tells Dan, "Only the supremely wise and the ignorant do not alter." This is what Dan writes about that exchange in his new book:

"When Socrates quoted that old Confucian proverb, he meant that the ignorant are like stones and the wise are like water. Stones do not change; they only break or wear down over time. Yet water remains the same as it adapts perfectly to the shape of its container; even when moving from ice to liquid to gas, its essential nature remains."

Think about this when you are dealing with change, and accept it. We must all learn the inevitability of change and the wisdom of flexibility and acceptance, since nothing stays the same.

When dealing with martial arts, water is a very important principle and has many applications. See how many you can think of.

Remember Bruce Lee's advice and "Be water, my friend."

Yours in Training,
Alain