BEST EVER??

THAT’S WHAT THEY SAY

 

That’s what James Ogle said, that’s what most people said.  Read what Debbie Honeycutt said:

“Dragons:

  Thank you for the wonderful hospitality Saturday. You are awesome hosts!  You have a great training facility and it was a day chock full of teaching, learning, practicing and doing. The plan was there and we worked the plan! Everyone went home tired and happy, with that first-place feeling all round, as usual. Special thanks to those masters who traveled ... and those Dragons that went out of their way to make everyone welcome. Ms. Reece it was certainly an honor to work with you, too! Leon -- prayers continue with you as you heal. 

The Honeycutts”

 

   The ICA Jam returned to its place of origin, the Red Dragon Dojo. It had been a few years and it was all we hoped for. We had to work around proms, baseball games, graduations, changing our date (to help of old friend Kelly out as we had the same Saturday planned), tournaments and travel distance. We had a crowd, we had our day, we rallied the troops.
 

   Was it the best ever? I would have to say under the circumstances yes. Even in the face of a lot of competition from other activities, seminars and tournaments we persevered. I should have worried, but anymore, I am ok with just who ever shows up, so long as we have a good training day. I don’t have a list of who didn’t show, just a memory of who did. I don’t take it personally when people stay away, although I know for some, it is personal. I am out and beyond all that now, so who cares anyhow.

 

 

PROMOTIONS
 

   To start the day, I promoted Jason Anzur to Shichi-dan in Isshin-ryu. He deserved the Isshin-ryu rank, as he worked for 17 years on it. He is a superior student, teacher and my right arm. I am more impressed with his teaching ability than anything else. Before all his injuries, he was a very tough competitor. Now he is restricted to being a tough trainer and excellent teacher. Not a bad claim to fame. He will now continue working hard on his MI-6 (Master Instructor 6^th Grade) in Dragon Sen-I Jutsu.

 

Next, was rank given in Sen-I Jutsu.

Butch Hill, my senior student, was awarded SM-9 (Senior Master 9^th Grade).

 

James Ogle was awarded MI-8 (Master Instructor 8^th Grade)

 

Joe Laney was also awarded MI-8.
 

   Ogle and Laney will be awarded their SM-9 rank later so as to give Butch Hill time in grade over them. Just a formality, but what they, as well as myself, wanted for Butch.
 

   If you are curious about how this rank happened, or how it is justified, read the info online under: “Dragon- Sen-I Jutsu”. These men and eventually others, will build their own individual style of Sen-I Jutsu. Mine is “Red Dragon”. It was meant all along to be shared so the concept of cross training could take many forms, according to the “trained” individuals teaching it. Sen-I Jutsu is like saying Karate. How many styles of karate are there? Example: Master Miagi took Naha-ryu and made it into his own Go-Ju ryu. There are four styles of Shorin-ryu.  Bruce Lee took Gung Fu(not Kung fu) and developed it into Jeet kune do. Heard of Gichin Funakoshi, “the father of Modern Karate”? His style was revamped by Master Otsuka when he developed Wado-ryu. That is how modern Otsuka thought it was. Jujitsu has 227 styles. Yet according to some in this day and age, we haven’t the right to evolve from our own experience and knowledge.
 

   Sen-I Jutsu will have only the thumb print of the individual Master. We will only be connected through philosophy not necessarily techniques. As long as striking, jujitsu, and any other street worthy martial arts are being taught by a proven instructor, who am I to say which approach is wrong or right. I know what is right for me. As far as promotions in Sen-I Jutsu are concerned, I am a training Peer only. I promote and position worthy people to create and recreate because I do not wish to have innovative, experienced, working masters, paralyzed in their training by traditional thinking and repetitious forms of predetermined variety. They cannot perpetuate their ideas and innovations under the collar of a one dimensional promotion system.  With the security of that independence, they have no one but their students to answer to. Not me! These three men are the epitome of the type of martial artist, who are just maverick enough to break away form the herd of sameness. I have also learned a great deal from them. If anyone believes them to be promoted beyond their abilities, I beg you to come to a Jam. Better yet; lets arrange a seminar. You give your best shot for three hours and let them give theirs. Then come back tomorrow and do the same thing. Let’s see who is repeating themselves by day two.
 

   Our Sen-I is a co-op of individualist. If this sounds like a contradiction in terms it is. This is what makes it work.
 

   I also am having my Dragon Sen-I Jutsu certificate re-signed. As I said, it was originally treated like the signing of a consolation prize, by those who found me unworthy of my Isshin-ryu Ju-dan. Those names I am anxious to erase from my certificate. I have erased them from my 8^th and 9^th dan certificates by returning them. Not all the names just some of them… I did not have my 9^th dan Isshin-ryu re done, as I am happy with the 8^th dan certificates I have from Master Don Nagle  and Master Toby Cooling. My Judan is currently in a drawer. It too will be resigned if need be. Ok, enough about rank…

 

 

ACTIVITIES OF THE DAY
 

 

   We had two rooms to train in and we took full advantage of both. I took half for striking (boxing, kick boxing, drills, combinations and a couple of clinch attacks. We worked very hard and after about two hours, were ready to swap with the other room. The other room had Butch, James, Joe and Pete with a split group. One group was going through escapes from the floor, clinch fighting and an assortment of drill and techniques. They would teach, then let the people work with each other.
 

   After we came back from lunch, we formed four teams. Cas Cox and Ron Honeycutt were responsible for the team fighting. We had a ref and four judges. The fight was one minute and a half. On the Ref’s orders, you would kick box for 30 seconds. He would then call “clinch” and you would clinch fight for 30 seconds. He then had you drop to your knees facing each other and grapple for 30 seconds. The big gloves and the rest of the equipment was bulky, but it made for better techniques and safety. After each fight the Ref would walk around and quietly ask each judge who demonstrated the best three disciplines. He then told the scorekeeper and the team got a point. No one knew if they won or lost. It was a not a loser’s day. Every one deserved to feel like a winner. This is hard stuff and it takes hard dedicated people to do it. In all the hard rough stuff we had but one injury. It was a freak accident. As Leon was being taken down out of the clinch, he twisted his ankle and knee. It is an injury that is going to take some time to figure out the extent of. I will keep a post going on the ICA news.
 

   Lots to write about, lots to work on. Our new dojo name is Red Dragon MMA. Monday night MMA class will be “The Red Dragon Fight Club”. New t-shirts, new patches, new web page, and new students (about 35 so far).
 

   Thanks again to everyone for a great Saturday…..and an old time Jam. Also don’t forget Kelly’s tournament May 8^th and Tony Williams tournament June 12.