Greg was diagnosed in April 2011 with Alpha-1, a genetic liver disorder. He passed away on July 23rd, 2012.

I liked Greg a great deal. We would sit and talk for extended periods of time, often without getting much in the way of training done. Nevertheless, that brought both of us great joy. He was just a pleasure to be around and I will miss him dearly. It’s especially sad when the “good ones” are taken early.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, his son, Guy, and fiance, Ruth.

For information, to raise awareness of, and to help fund research on Alpha-1, please visit:
http://www.alpha-1foundation.org/

RIP Brother.

1. WE TRAIN FIRST AND FOREMOST FOR STREET SELF-DEFENSE.

We train to be effective in the street environment, then make adjustments to the training for students who wish to enter sporting competitions. Not the other way around. Actually, we are not a competition oriented group, so there are no adjustments to be made. It’s wise to know this in advance.

Read an article on this subject

2. WE TRAIN WITH PROGRESSIVE RESISTANCE.

A real attacker is going to resist your effort 100%. If you want to learn how to fight, you have to practice fighting against someone who is fighting back. Progressive resistance allows everyone, regardless of experience, to do this in a safe, fun training environment.

Read an article on this subject

3. WE TRAIN AS COMPLETE SELF-DEFENSE ATHLETES:

We train to be prepared for almost any situation: all the ranges (standing, clinch, ground), multiple opponents, weaponry and a variety of environments. We want each student to actually train in as many self-defense scenarios as possible so that if a student gets into a bad situation they already have experience in that particular situation.

Read an article on this subject

4. HAVE FUN!
I am planning to train for the rest of my life, and I assume that my students will do the same. If we are going to spend this much time working on developing functional skills, we should be having fun doing it. If you are training for a competition, you have to grind and do a lot of very uncomfortable and painful training. If you are training for self-defense, you should work very hard at times, but it should not be a big grind. The training sessions should be so enjoyable that we look forward to each class. Our classes in Honolulu, Hawaii are held in a very relaxed but disciplined atmosphere. Lots of laughing and joking while training hard. As Bruce Lee said, “You should train seriously, but don’t seriously train.” Well said!

• Ryan Topping (5th Level Senior & Counsel of Elders)
• Brian Tomko * (Counsel of Elders)
• Curtis Blanton *(Counsel of Elders)
• Kyle Layman *
• Andrew Heiden *
• Michael Kerr *
• Lee Cecil *
• Greg Sholar (1960-2012)

* Inactive

Question: What is the best way for a person to learn Chinese Gung Fu?

Bruce Lee: By being himself.  The main thing is teaching a man to just do his thing, just be himself.  The individual is more important than the style.  If a person is awkward, he should not try to be agile.  I’m against trying to impose a style on a man.  This is an art, an expression of a man’s own self.

Do we need more than basics?

Question: I am training with a Chinese instructor who drills us again and again on basics – like side kicks, straight punching, etc.  When we spar, we are instructed to use only his chosen basic techniques, though sometimes we can use combinations and everything.  Do you not think we need variety?

Bruce Lee: The best techniques are the simple ones done correctly.  And in martial art, it is not how much you have learned, but how much you have absorbed in what you have learned (italics are mine).  As long as the basics are on meaningful means that will lead to the ultimate end of actual application in broken rhythm, they are never wasted.  Efficient basics are like the strong foundation of a house.  Of course, one must avoid basics that have the “aliveness” taken out of them and are “performed” in rhythmic routines.  Have patience, my friend.  I’m sure your teacher knows what he is doing.

On the need for belts in the martial arts

Question: Most proficient karate people have black belts.  Some really advanced masters have red belts.  You’ve been called a master of martial art, so what color belt do you have?

Bruce Lee: I don’t have any belt whatsoever.  That is just a certificate.  Unless you can really do it – that is, defend yourself successfully in a fight – that belt doesn’t mean anything.  I think it might be useful to hold your pants up, but that’s about it.

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110218/A_MEDIA03/110219876

It’s a violent world out there.  Does your training account for the 360 degree reality?

Also, look for some minor changes in the layout of the schedule to come soon.

DENVER, N.C. Lincoln County sheriff’s investigators charged a man with first-degree murder in a shooting that killed a 21-year-old Denver resident.

Investigators responding to a call about gunfire at Midtown Sundries early Sunday found Richard Miles lying in a parking lot with a gunshot wound. He died later.

The shooting followed an argument that involved several people, sheriff’s spokesman Rick Hensley said. The restaurant is on N.C. 73 near N.C. 16.

Jason Lee Eastridge, 24, of Mariposa Road was seen driving away in a white SUV, Hensley said, and was taken into custody at an address listed on the vehicle’s registration.

He was being held at the Lincoln County Jail pending court action.

Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/08/29/1652657/man-fatally-shot-in-restaurant.html#ixzz0y5NtzjKf

The point of this article is to merely show what happens in ‘real’ street situations.  I think oftentimes we tend to “romanticize” street violence or view it from the perspective of ego.  The reality is often different than how we sometimes see things.

In related news, a friend of mine (a martial arts instructor in LA) just posted today on his facebook page that he lost a student due to a road rage incident, in which he was shot and killed while riding in his car with his wife and two kids.

The moral of the story here folks is, don’t paint violence in a romantic light and think that “martial arts” is your answer to staying safe!  Going “hands on” in today’s world means that you will likely be shot and killed, or stabbed.  People don’t “fist fight” anymore (if they ever did).  Staying safe means “evade & escape”.  Street fights are always bad news.

What is more realistic is that you might find yourself dealing with a deranged individual with a knife while you are unarmed (without an equalizer and little chance of finding one before you’re hit). In such a scenario you’ll have to act immediately and may not always be able to create space, which is the commonly taught approach. You may also find yourself hit before you were even aware of the knife (more common when the assailant desire to kill rather than just intimidate).

Either way, you need to understand how to handle these situations and limit the number of times you’re cut, because let’s face it: you’re going to be cut in all likelihood. Survival is the key here as it is with all other self-defense situations. At CGMA, we have an excellent drill called “STAB” that will teach you to do just that!

The cool thing is that we can slip this into the standard training with little adjustment that needs to be made! A knife can come from anywhere at any time, standing, in the clinch or on the ground. It will change the dynamics of what you’re doing, but not necessarily how you do it (delivery systems remain constant). And only a few minutes here and there are required to provide the needed experience past the basic level of training. And it’s fun, did I mention that already?!