Here is something that might be interesting to check out if you make it to CA. - Alain

Original source:
http://www.the-signal.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=48587&format=html

Martial Arts Museum a Reality
By Kristopher Daams(C) Signal Staff Writer

After several years of traveling exhibits, numerous meetings and a lot of
planning, the Martial Arts History Museum is scheduled to open to the
public next Saturday. Valencia resident Michael Matsuda, a martial arts buff and the museum's president, had seen his hopes of opening the museum in Santa Clarita rise
and fall, and his search for a location led him to the eastern San Fernando
Valley. But there were no good locations over the hill. Then the city's community
center building in Newhall changed ownership, and now Matsuda is scheduled
to open his museum there on June 2.

"We've been a traveling exhibit so everything is ready, but it's just not
out here right now," Matsuda said in the empty building on Thursday
afternoon. For the past several years the museum has been of a traveling nature,
hitting locations in Las Vegas and numerous others in Southern California.
All the items, save for pieces of armor for a samurai outfit and a lion's
head, are all in storage, some of it at his home in Valencia.

"This is a history museum," Matsuda said of the project, "not just a punch
and kick museum." He tried to get the city's old community center in the past, but a previous owner didn't support Matsuda's museum idea.

Then the place changed owners, and the new one liked the idea. He previously announced that he was going to house the museum in the San Fernando Valley; specifically, in the Los Angeles Council District
represented by Councilman Richard Alarcon, a proponent of the museum.

"(Los Angeles) Council members have control over properties," Matsuda said.
"We went out every day looking for a property and unfortunately, there was
nothing." Efforts to house the museum in Los Angeles areas with a larger Asian
population also fell through. Matsuda cited a lack of vision by those
council members "Unfortunately, it's very hard to get them to see the vision of what this
could do," Matsuda said. "This is a huge market. We're not looking just to
the martial arts, we're looking toward the entire Asian culture."

Matsuda studied judo in 1968. He hated it, he said, so he tried ju-jitsu.
He didn't like that either. Then he witnessed a guy in an all-black suit
doing kung fu, and has been practicing it since 1974.

He said the Martial Arts History Museum would likely have 70 items,
excluding hundreds more pictures and photos. The scope of the museum is
more than just the physical attacks that people associate with martial
arts, but the music, dance, art and everything else that came with it as
the art integrated itself into the American popular culture via film and
television. Matsuda said the lease for the place is good for no more than two years. He
hopes that after that, newly developed buildings in the downtown Newhall
area would be available for the museum.

An argument can even be made for a connection between martial arts and
oldtime Santa Clarita, Matsuda said, as the Chinese immigrants that
immigrated to California in the 19th century helped lay the railroad tracks
throughout the state. "We have railroad tracks here in Santa Clarita," Matsuda said. "Those
workers brought with them kung fu."

A grand opening ceremony for the museum is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on June 2.

5 Stars! The next best thing to being there, May 23, 2007
By L. A. Kane (Seattle, WA USA)
Top 1000 reviewer. Real Name.

This DVD is very nicely done. It is excellently produced, has decent music, good sound, a nice contrast between the white gis and the blue background, and outstanding camera angles so that viewers can easily tell what is going on. Burrese's instructions are clear, straightforward, and precise, making it easy to understand all the important points. The pacing is good too; just the right amount of explanation before each demonstration so that you will know what is going on but not be bored. These demonstrations take place at a variety of speeds from slow to fast so that viewers can get a good flavor of what it might be like to actually perform each technique.

The material is logically organized from simple to complex. It begins by describing the elbow and how to best attack it and then moves on to cover basic arm bars, variations to these basics, arm bars from escort positions (common to law enforcement and security applications), step under arm bars, arm breaks, crossed arms, armpit clamp, and ground fighting. Most importantly, all the important principles that make these techniques succeed are clearly explained so that you can apply them to any lock in any martial art, not only those demonstrated here. These include such things as getting off line, blocking, trapping, spinning, striking, using your whole body weight, taking an opponent's energy, and other factors that can help stop an opponent's follow-on technique(s) while simultaneously facilitating your ability to execute the techniques successfully. Viewers will understand the angle, direction, distance, and proper finish of each application well enough to be able to troubleshoot the techniques when you practice them with a partner.

While most practitioners think of arm bars as defensive techniques, I really like how these applications are demonstrated both defensively and offensively. They are shown from a variety of starting positions including from grabs and punches. The add-ons such as kicks, punches, using "found" objects like parked cars or walls, and finishing techniques add a nice progression to apply appropriate levels of force for controlling an opponent, causing pain, or damaging an adversary. Burrese moves well, explains clearly, demonstrates effectively, and ensures that viewers truly understand the materials.

While no DVD is a substitute for hands-on instruction, this one is so good that it's the next best thing to being there. This is solid, practical instruction. I am confident that the rest of the series is equally outstanding as well. Highly recommended!

Lawrence Kane Author of Martial Arts Instruction and Surviving Armed Assaults; co-author of The Way of Kata and The Way to Black Belt

While Aiki Productions is putting the finishing touches on Lock On Volume 3: Shoulder Locks, we have already started looking toward Lock On Volume 4. The fourth volume in this dynamic set will include: Neck Cranks, Chokes and Sleeper Holds, and Finger Locks. It is shaping up to be another valuable addtion to anyone's martial art DVD collection.

Stay tuned for more martial art news. Posts have been a little slow lately, but that will change in the near future with more information for your martial art lifestyle.

Alain

Lock On: Joint Locking Essentials Volume 3 - Shoulder Locks has finished filming and is in the editing stages. We expect the editing and cover design to be completed in May of 2007 and for the DVD to be released shortly after editing is complete.

The Lock On series has been recieving outstanding reviews and we believe once completed the five Lock On dvds will be one of the most complete resources for joint locks available. (If you have watched one of the first volumes, be sure to leave a review at amazon.com)

The third volume on shoulder locks includes numerous locks and variations exploiting the shoulder joint, just as the first two volumes did with the wrist and elbow.

Volumes 4 and 5 are in the works and will include head cranks/twists, chokes and sleepers, finger locks, come-a-long techniques, combination locks, and lock flow drills.

Thank you to everyone who has said such positive things about the first two volumes, and stay tuned for volume 3 to be released shortly!