Spring 2010 classes

We have classes in Sunset Park Wed nights 7pm till 9pm, and on Sat mornings in Manhattan 10am till 12 midday, text me ph 718 930 0729 to RSVP.

In Memory of my Mother

Sat the 19th December my mother passed away after a 6 month  battle with kidney disease, she was a highly intelligent, highly motivated individual, with no political aspirations of her own she still managed to get embroiled in others battles , she lived life to its fullest , she smoked , she drank and she lived her life as hard as it possibly could.

 She was a whirlwind of emotion and energy, difficult to live with and hard to live without . My solution was to live half a world away to no avail , her effect on me has always been profound, she instilled in me a deep sense of pride and passion in whatever I undertook .

In her own life time she was an academic with a deep appreciation for the arts, literature, music and theater, the Times crossword was one of those passions. Even at the end of her journey she was still able to make a statement, that life without dignity or pride is not life, it is just existence, she decided it was her time and  left on her own  terms, she will be loved , she will be remembered and she will be missed.

 Non est vivere sed valere vita est

 ”Life is more than just being alive it’s a life well lived”

September Update

Its been a while since our last post, and a lot has happened in that time. As many of you may have gathered we did not hold our annual 911 seminar, we felt with the current climate the way it is, that it would be unfair to bring undue hardship to anyone by asking them to donate monies to charity. We will continue next year in a slightly different vein.
Its been a busy period for me, but a quiet period for others, its important during this busy times to take care of basics, as in not to overlook them, and when we have down time, its important to renew them and to re calibrate them, accuracy and consistency is in part based on the repeated application of technical knowledge in a physical format/medium.
I will be attending the NJ summer camp hosted by Jack Hoban this coming weekend and Im looking forward to seeing many old friends and some new faces….M

Women’s Self-Defense Seminar

We successfully conducted our first Women’s Self-Defense Seminar on March 14th at the 53rd St Dojo.  Approximately 25 women attended and many others stopped by to observe and donate.  In addition to Mark, a few brave dojo members were in attendance to play the role of attacker for the participants.

The day began with exercises in basic movement, followed by the application of that movement to various assault scenarios.  Each participant had a chance to demonstrate a technique in front of the class and this was definitely the most rewarding (and entertaining) part of the day.  Despite some initial trepidation, almost everyone managed to show an effective application of at least one technique.  Many of the participants surprised themselves and it was awesome to see their smiles when something worked for them.  Those “AHA!” moments keep us coming back to our training!  To supplement Mark’s instruction, many of the participants asked thoughtful questions and presented ideas that were explored during the course of the seminar.  The day was ended with some “helping others” training scenarios. 

This seminar managed to incorporate some of the basics of Budo Taijutsu and effective body movement into practical, real world assault situations.  It is our intent to conduct these seminars on a regular basis so that the training is fresh in the participant’s minds, ideas can be explored and skills can be built upon and further honed.  More to follow on that. 

Perhaps the biggest success of the day was that we raised $450 for Safe Horizon.  This NYC based organization offers counseling, case management, shelters and support programs for victims of assault and domestic abuse.  Their website is www.safehorizon.org. 

Sincere thanks go out to all involved –

• Mark our fearless instructor
• Brayner for the awesome training space
• The guys (particularly Dan) who donated their bodies
• Everyone who donated money
• Everyone who attended

See you next time!

Mike

Seminars-Mar09

March 14th we will host a introduction to women’s self defence techniques and their application, it will take place at the 53rd St Dojo from 12 -2pm, donations on the day will go to a women’s charity TBD by vote on the day, all are welcome, there will be some “crash test dummies” on hand to practice on ( male volunteers). Look forward to seeing everyone on the day, Regards Mark .