KI Fighting Concepts DVD New Releases

Inside Kung-Fu
“Making the Chi Sau Connection Part 1”
By Joseph Simonet
October 2003
Pg 30-34, 67-68

Sensitivity in chi sau is all about sensing your opponent’s intent through physical feedback and pressure. PART 1

Chi sau is a dynamic, energy-based training exercise that teaches its practitioners the critical elements of structure and sensitivity in close-range fighting. After more than 30 years of training in many systems of martial arts, chi sau continues to be one of the most important training methods in my curriculum. How-ever, writing a meaningful article about chi sau, unlike teaching it first-hand, presents two major challenges.
First, how do I compress 20 years of chi sau training into a few thousands words? The best way for you to understand my teaching is for you t understand me. In short, I write the way I teach, I teach the way I train, I train the way I fight, and I fight to win. With that in mind, this two-part article will focus on the functional structure provided by chi sau training with the goal of practical application in a fight.
The second challenge is making my instruction relevant to everyone reading this. Whether you have been training in the martial arts for 30 years or 30 days, your personal skills and abilities hopefully will be enhanced by what is offered here. And so I have decided to focus on some of the misunderstood aspects of chi sau training and two specialized exercises that form both excellent precursors to chi sau training and useful supplemental exercises for experienced sticky hands practitioners.

Penetrating Hands
Chi sau, or “sticky hands,” is a highly developed training method that is integral to the study of wing chun gung-fu. It is designed to teach practitioners how to quickly and efficiently pierce an opponent’s defenses - and maintain their own - while fighting at contact distance. Although it is often described as a “sensitivity” exercise, this term can be misleading. If your concept of sensitivity is petting a puppy or taking an anger management class, you’re missing the point. Sensitivity in chi sau is all about sensing your opponent’s intent through physical feedback and pressure - Feeling what he is trying to do before you see it.
To achieve this type of feedback, you must make contact. Therefore, the first step in understanding chi sau is under standing the commitment to contact-range fighting. When boxers close the gap and their arms are entangled in a clinch, the referee separates the fighters to allow the fight to continue. Real fights don’t have the luxury, so chi sau practitioners learn to use contact-distance clashes and entangled arms as the foundation of much of their fighting skill. In fact, this type of engagement is precisely the situation in which a well schooled student of chi sau will have a clear tactical advantage and power superiority over fighters from other systems.

The 4 Ranges of Combat
Generally speaking, there are four ranges of unarmed combat - kicking, punching, trapping, and grappling. Chi sau deals exclusively with trapping rang, which can be simplistically defined as the distance at which elbows strikes are most valuable and effective. A more colorful definition of trapping range would be the distance at which knees, elbows, and attitude wreak havoc - the true “in your face” range of close combat. At this range, visual perception - the ability to determine an attacker’s intent by sight - is not fast enough to fight effectively. You are literally so close that your opponent can hit you before you can react.
However, by making contact with him and “feeling” his intent, you can determine it instantly. This “fighting by Braille” approach will allow you to dominate and destroy most average opponents at close range. It is also the one element that is most often missing from the skill sets of most beginning and advanced martial artists of other styles.
Structurally, there are three fundamental arm positions in chi sau: bong sau (wing hand), taun sau (palm up), and fook sau (bridging hand). These are demonstrated in photos 1-3. The unique and often misunderstood aspect of these three positions is their ability to function in multiple ways. They can be used in singular actions as blocks, attachments, and a means of deflecting incoming attacks. At a more advanced level, they can also be utilized in conjunction with other simultaneous actions and as reactive mechanisms. For example, in photos 4 and 5 the taun sau is used in conjunction with a left straight punch to effectively block and counter strike the attacker’s left hook. When considered alone, the specific qualities of the taun sau as a block are clearly seen. When considered with the straight punch, its function as part of simultaneous, coordinated actions is also clear.

Pulling the Trigger
A higher-level application of the taun sau allows it to function as a reactive mechanism or “trigger.” In chi sau training, the taun sau is used as an attachment to “stick” to a partner’s opposite hand, as shown in photo 6. The remaining photos of this sequence demonstrate single sticking hands, or doan chi, as well as the deflecting and triggering qualities of the taun sau. The person on the left (“A”) is attached with a fook sau to the person on the right (“B”), who is in a taun sau position (Photo 6). When “A” throws a left straight punch, “B” senses the incoming attack and maintains adhesion with the attacker’s wrist (Photo 7). This deflects the punch outward and opens “A’s” centerline for an immediate palm heel strike with the same hand (Photo 8). Note that during the palm strike, “B” maintains contact with “A’s” left arm so he can continue to detect, deflect, and counter-attack based on feel and sensitivity.
Even with the benefit of competent firsthand instruction, learning chi sau can be a trying experience. To become an accomplished sticky hands player, you will ultimately have to endure months of frustration, pain, exhausted, aching shoulders, and getting slapped around by more experienced practitioners. However, to make this process less arduous and speed your progress, I have developed a series of training drills as a precursor to actual sticky hands practice. Performed properly, these drills will prepare you physically for chi sau training and also give you a means of solo practice that you can continue to use when training with out a partner.

The Inner Tube Drill
This is a unique and extremely valuable training method, which teaches proper sticking alignment and structure to develop a “feel” for sticking. More importantly, it develops the strength and endurance necessary for quality sticking skill.
The inner tube drill is illustrated in photos 9-12. To perform this drill, the person on the left (“A”) places his right foot forward with 60 percent of his weight on the lead foot. His arms are held palm up with the elbows bent and the inner edges of the arms touching from the elbows the edges of the hands. Both elbows are approximately one-fist distance out from the center of the body. This is the double taun sau. The forward weight distribution and lean creates an aggressive body structure and forward “load.” This posture is also the foundation for straight punching with closing footwork.
The person on the right (“B”) in photo 9 assumes the same body position and the same forward load, however, his hands are placed in a double fook sau position - loosely curled with the insides of his wrists contacting the outside of “A’s” wrists.
From the double taun sau position “A” folds his hands together to a palm-to-palm position while applying smooth forward energy against “B’s” resistance (photo 10). Continuing to roll his hands, “A” goes from palm down to palm out, until the backs of his hands touch and his elbows rise slightly (photo 11). This is the double bong sau position. “A” then reverses this process to return to the starting position (photo 12) “A” repeats this action - double taun sau to double bong sau - over and over against the constant pressure of “B’s” resistance.
Not the “B’s” double fook sau is the connecting bridge between the two partners. As “A” rolls from taun sau to bong sau and provides forward pressure, “B” maintains contact and “rides” the movement and pressure of “A’s” double bong sau.
If you do not have training partner, you can practice this motion with its namesake - and inner tube. Purchase an inner tube from any local bike shop. The size of the tube you choose will depend upon you physique and strength. You may have to try several different sizes before you find one that is just right.
The solo inner tube drill is demonstrated in photos 13-16. Place the inner tube over your body so it is wrapped around your upper back. Hold the front of the tube with your thumbs with your arms in the double taun sau position. Now perform the drill as you would with a partner, using the elasticity of the tube to provide resistance (photos 14-16).
Serious practitioners of chi sau must develop their deltoids, triceps, and lattisimus dorsi to become proficient at sticking. My students perform 500 repetitions of this drill at least three times per week. After three months of this training, they typically will develop the specific strength and form to progress to chi sau training.

Bong Sau Drill
The bong sau drill is another excellent exercise that develops the skills and strength to be proficient at sticking. The body structure, forward load pressure, and arm positions are identical to the inner tube drill; however, in this drill, the practitioner learns to move his arms independently rather than in tandem.
In the bong sau drill, the partner in the double fook sau position is the proactive player. This drill illustrated in photos 17-21. From the same double taun sau/double fook sau starting position, the person on the left (“A”) throws a right straight punch at the chin of the partner on the right (“B”). As “B” senses “A’s” punch, he rolls his left arm into a bong sau position, maintaining contact with “A’s” arm and deflecting the punch upward (Photo 19). “A” then throws a left straight punch. “B” senses her punch and responds with a right bong sau (photo 21).
Continue this pattern, alternating left and right sides for many hundreds of repetitions. As you progress, you can also mix and match right and left punches and vary the speed and energy of your strikes to challenge your partner. Performed properly, this exercise can become quite lively and serve as preparation for actual chi sau training.
These drills are an excellent way to develop the proper structure and specific skill and strength necessary to practice chi sau. By first learning and practicing these, you can avoid many of the common mistakes made in chi sau practice and will achieve proficiency much more quickly. Even experienced chi sau players will find these drills a useful supplement to their current training, as well as a means of practicing their skills when a training partner is not available.

(In part 2 of this article, the author discusses how to expand the skills developed with these drills into actual chi sau practice with a partner.)

Addy Hernandez Women of the Year

Inside Kung-Fu
“Legacy of Their Own”
By Dave Cater
February 2008
Pg. 26-31

THE LATEST CLASS OF IKF HALL OF FAME HONOREES HAS CARVED THEIR OWN MARTIAL ARTS NICHE.

No year in recent martial arts history has robbed us of so many great names. From Lily to Larry, David to Daniel, Madame Yu to Bong Soo, they dropped like fallen warriors so quickly we barely had time to mourn one before the next was taken from us. One moment we were talking to them, and the next minute we were talking about them.
And these weren’t your garden-variety marital artists, either; rather, they were legends in their own time – masters and sifu and sensei that spent lifetimes accomplishing great things and creating a better world through martial arts.
If there’s any consolation, it’s the realization that this year’s group of Inside Kung-Fu Hall of Fame recipients is just as noteworthy for their martial arts accomplishments, “Man of the Year” Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming and “Woman of the Year” Addy Hernandez have been industry leaders for years, while “Instructor of the Year” Adriano Emperado remains one of the most-respected teachers of his generation.
In 2007 alone, “Competitor of the Year” Jonathan Wang emerged as a force with which to be reckoned on the open circuit, while the great Randy Couture shocked Gabriel Gonzaga and Gather Time to capture “Grappler of the Year” honors. And finally, long overdue “Writer of the Year” honors go to John Steven Soet, who has chronicled the lives and legacies of these past and present legends.

PREVIOUS WINNERS

2007 2005 2003 2001 1999
Jerry Poteet Nick Gracenin Dennis Brown Hawkins Cheung Wesley Snipes
Hui Liu Lily Lau Graciela Casillas Wang Jurong Lucia Rijker
Doc-Fai Wong Richard Lee Glenn C. Hart Tak Wah Eng Pui Chan
Seming Ma Elaina Maxwell Team Evergreen Jeanne Chinn Cung Le
Jennifer Tijong Collin Lee David Tadman Pat Rice Burt Richardson
Jose Paman Terry Wilson Gerald Okamura Ric Meyers Jackie Chan
Matt Hughes Ronaldo “Jacare” Xande Ribeiro Mark Kerr Shannon Lee
de Souza Kazuyoshi Ishii

2006 2004 2002 2000 1998
John S.S. Leong Henry Look Donnie Yen William C.C. Chen Chuck Norris
Ming Qui Wei Qi He Michiko Nishiwaki S.L. Martin Michelle Yeoh
Tiffany Reyes Carter Williams Lu Xiaoling Mimi Chan Huang, Chien-Liang
Samara Simmerman Tiffany Chen Ziyi Zhang Wallid Ismail Maurice Smith
Jimmy Wong Angie Rivera Travis Wong Anita Lopez
Jose Fraguas Jeff Chinn Jou, Tsung Hwa Martha Burr
Dean Lister Scott Coker Robert Dreeben Gene LeBell
Tito Ortiz Century Martial Arts


MAN OF THE YEAR > DR. YANG, JWING-MING<
He has been a martial arts and publishing giant for more than three decades. With Yang’s Martial Arts Academy (YMAA) schools dotting every corner of the world, and senior instructors creating equally large names for themselves, Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming could have easily called it quits, proclaimed a “job very well done” and quietly disappeared into the martial arts fabric.
No one would have blamed Dr. Yang for letting someone else handle the kung-fu reins. All the white crane and tai chi master has done since coming to America in 1974 is establish 50 schools in more than 16 countries, written more than 30 books and produced over 40 DVDs. That’s a lifetime of service for even the heartiest of martial arts souls.
But for the man whom Inside Kung-Fu called “one of the 100 people who have made the greatest impact in martial arts in the past 100 years,” going quietly into that good night was never his style. Nope. For the man who earned a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Purdue University there were still plenty of goals to meet and promises to keep.
One such promise, made to the late, great tai chi master Jou, Tsung-Hwa, involved establishing a full-time martial arts retreat where young students with a desire to learn both the physical and spiritual aspects of Chinese martial arts could study day and night without the pressures of work or family.
For Dr. Yang, 60, his dream has turned into the YMAA Retreat Center, which sits on 240 acres of remote woodlands in Northern California, isolated from the distractions of modern society. The Center’s established infrastructure includes a solar array for sustainable, off-the-grid power; a spring-fed well; and facilities for living and training. Far from his home in Massachusetts, this quiet place in the forest is entirely dedicated to what Dr. Yang describes as his final mission: to transmit his complete knowledge to the next generation of teachers and preserve the Chinese martial and healing arts.
“Today’s martial arts society, all they teach is martial arts. But part of martial arts training is morality—they ignore it completely,” Dr. Yang said in a recent IKF interview. “It’s a kind of self-discipline, and it’s disappearing. So I need to use martial arts as an educational tool. To teach a new generation about what is morality. Morality is not only to yourself, but also to the people. It’s a mutual relationship. These kinds of things are disappearing.
For 35 years, Dr. Yang has taught the benefits of Chinese culture and popularized traditional martial arts throughout the world. He is in a unique position: Carrying the legacy of the generation of the old masters and possessing a keen understanding of a new generation, he has dedicated his life to bridging the East and the West, and researching the ancient arts with a modern scientific perspective.
Soon he will marry the two philosophies and hope for the birth of a new generation of old-generation practitioners. Dr. Yang’s legacy was solid long before he adopted the Retreat project. This just adds fuel to his already-glowing legacy.

WOMAN OF THE YEAR > ADDY HERNANDEZ<
Not since the days of the legendary Graciela Casillas has a female practitioner so captured our hearts and minds. Beautiful and deadly, Hernandez has taken the martial arts world by storm. A combination of fitness and function, Addy is earning the respect of her peers with a no-nonsense attitude built by years of dogged commitment and training.
An Inside Kung-Fu columnist and Unique Publications DVD author, Hernandez began her martial arts training in 1994 under KI Fighting Concepts founder (an IKF columnist) Joseph Simonet. Training in both kenpo karate and Filipino stickfighting, Addy also found time to study Yang-style tai chi and meditation.
The grueling years of early mornings and late nights paid off with multiple black belts in myriad styles. Today, Hernandez holds fourth-degree black belts in KI Fighting Concepts and doce pares; a third-degree black belt in Tracy’s Kenpo karate; and a second-degree black belt in escrido. She also is a certified instructor in Yang-style tai chi.
Hernandez continues to expand her knowledge and abilities by stretching her mental, physical and philosophical boundaries.
She promotes, organizes and teaches at Wind and Rock, one of the fastest-growing, most highly acclaimed martial arts training camps in the country. She has also been an active participant in Simonet’s many public appearances and seminars coast to coast. She also has appeared on two Inside Kung-Fu covers in the past three years.
Most martial artists would be content to rest on these lofty laurels. But Hernandez, who also teaches yoga and runs marathons, insists she’s just beginning.
“I can honestly say I’ve barely scratched the surface in my training,” Addy explained. “The more I learn, the more I want to learn. It’s as if each martial arts door leads to another.”
The secret, she insists, is to remain balanced and maintain a solid focus on the goal at hand.
“Finding balance and peace in one’s life is all about making the right choices,” she notes. “I am convinced that I can make positive choices, which will almost always produce harmonious results. Certainly, life confronts us with many challenges and sometimes seemingly insurmountable obstacles. I am, however, a believer in the old adage, ‘chance favors the prepared mind.’”
When the time came, Hernandez was prepared for her latest challenge—a DVD for Unique Publications called, “A Cut Above.” The DVD illuminates what can happen when a blade finds its way into the hands of a skilled practitioner.
While Addy Hernandez is a relative newcomer to the world of martial arts, she is anything but a neophyte. Combing the drive of a beginner with the desire of a hardened veteran, Hernandez will only get better, stronger and more polished in the decades to come.

>ADRIANO EMPERADO< INSTRUCTOR OF THE YEAR
He spends much of his time in a wheelchair these days, but few sifu stand taller in the martial arts world that the incomparable Adriano Emperado. For nearly 60 years, the name Emperado has meant martial arts supremacy; the style of kajukenbo a living, breathing testament to the greatness of so many before him.
Today, Emperado’s kajukenbo is famous throughout the world for its tough-as-nails fighting foundation. Not surprising, actually, considering his rough-and-tumble Hawaiian background and training under the great warrior himself, William K.S. Chow.
Born in Honolulu’s turbulent Palama section in 1926, Emperado spent his formative years in boxing, escrima and judo before joining Chow and eventually becoming “Thunderbolt’s” first black belt.
Emperado opened his first kajukenbo school in 1950 and charged students just $2 per month. The workouts there were legendary; in fact, it is said that class was not over until there was blood on the floor. “You have to experience pain before you can give it,” Emperado said in a 1994 IKF interview. “You have to know what your technique can do.”
Great techniques performed by a great technician proved a perfect combination. Emperado’s fame led to key assignments in law enforcement: 14 years as a harbor policeman; a year with the Hawaii Attorney General’s office; and bodyguard for the governor. Soon, Emperado’s Kajukenbo Self Defense Institute of Hawaii was the largest chain of karate schools in the islands. Emperado brought his skills, as well as several other Chow disciples to America, when he moved to the Mainland in 1969.
For the past 30-plus years, Emperado’s kajukenbo has become a thriving martial art and one of the most-influential styles in the world. Once a year, 3,000 strong gather to pay tribute to their grandmaster. While he sits, they stand and honor one of the greats of all time.

>JONATHAN WANG< COMEPETITOR OF THE YEAR
Had it not been for politics—and a strong addition to a form—Jonathan Wang might be preparing for his coming-out party. As it is, he will have to remain one of America’s best-kept martial arts secrets. Wang was primed and ready to make the Beijing Olympics his personal kung-fu playground while showing the world that Americans indeed can compete on a world stage. And what better stage than the Olympic Games, in the birthplace of kung-fu, doing what he loves best.
Sadly, as they say the best-laid plans of mice and men, as well as those unsuspecting athletes, often go awry. Beijing’s inability to push its home sport into the mix, combined with the addition of “Dan du” movements, which make tai chi more gymnastic, was more than Wang could overcome. For Wang, who runs the Beijing Tai-Chi & Kung Fu Academy in Santa Monica, Calif., the most he can hope for now is the personal pride that comes from being one of the best in the world.
His international results over the past year tell an amazing story of success at every level. Wang enjoyed arguably the greatest single year of competitive kung-fu in Western Chinese martial arts history. Son of the world-renowned tai chi master Daniel Y. Wang, the 35-year-old Jonathan Wang collected an astounding 75 gold medals participating in some of the world’s most-prestigious events.
Among his crowning achievements were Internal Grand Champion honors at the 2nd International Traditional, Kung Fu & Wushu Tournament; Internal Grand Champion at the USAWKF National Tournament; Internal Grand Champion at the 10th Annual Dallas Taiji Legacy; Internal Grand Champion at the Dan Diego Grand Nationals International Martial Arts Competition; and International Grand Champion at the Hong Kong 10th Annual Reunification Tournament.
Wang, however, won’t let something like an Olympic snub keep him from learning and growing. A licensed acupuncturist and holder of a master’s in Oriental Medicine, Wang plans to continue training in Beijing several times a year. Which only goes to show that Jonathan Wang does not need the glory of Olympic Gold to prove his worth in the world of kung-fu.

>RANDY COUTURE< GRAPPLER OF THE YEAR
He clips the “wings” of the fleetest, strips power from the strongest and makes mere athletes yearn for yesteryear. He’s not only nasty, ruthless and impartial, he may be the most hated man on the planet. He is Father Time.
But not even Father Time can handle UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture, because a regular fighter Randy Couture is not. He’s indifferent to reputations and welcomes seemingly insurmountable challenges, which is why he looked Father Time square in the eyes recently and submitted him—once again. Defying age, predictions and the odds, Couture, 44, scored a convincing TKO over Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 74 in late August and retained his heavyweight title.
“I am not really here for titles,” said Couture. “The hardware is nice and the title is icing on the cake, but it’s more about performance.”
That impressive performance followed his heavyweight title-clinching victory of Tim Sylvia last March.
“Not bad for an old man,” said Couture, immediately after the Sylvia fight. Not bad, indeed.
“He’s [Couture] a unique individual,” said Dana White, UFC president. “You do not see many competing at 44. He’s a freak of nature. He’s an incredible athlete, fighter and human being. I have nothing but respect for Randy Couture.”
The Couture freight train doesn’t show any signs of slowing, prompting some to wonder how long he’ll fight and speculate as to whom can take away the crown.
“Do I think I’ll still be fighting when I’m 50?” said Couture. “No.” White feels otherwise.
“Yes, I honestly do,” he said. “The guy is a freak. He’s an amazing fighter and a monster.”
Although the UFC heavyweight division has beefed up recently, White isn’t sure anyone poses a threat, although he says there could be some “good match-ups” for Couture. When asked whom he sees, Couture uttered the “F” word, as in Fedor Emelianenko.
“I want to fight the best guy in the world,” he said. “And Fedor is the best in the heavyweight division. Bring him on.”
If and when that happens, don’t be surprised if Couture again beats two opponents on the same night—Fedor Emelianenko and …Father Time.

>JOHN STEVEN SOET< WRITER OF THE YEAR
John S. Soet entered the world of martial arts at the age of 16 as a student of the legendary Chuck Norris. Eventually, he earned black belts in shotokan and hapkido, and studied various other arts for more than 20 years. At the same time, he pursued a career in film, journalism and television, earning a bachelor’s in communications from Loyola University and a master’s in professional writing from the University of Southern California.
In the early years of his film career, he was able to work in such exotic locations as Hong Kong and Manila, and directed a series of low-budget films. Among his accomplishments are Fire in the Night (featuring martial arts legend Graciela Casillas), Eliminator Woman (with Karen Sheperd, Jerry Trimble and Michele Qissi), and Southern Fired Shakespeare, which own the gold medal for Best Short subject at the Houston Film festival (the same award previous won by both Steven Spielberg for Amblin and George Lucas for THX1138).
In 1987, he took on a new challenge as editor of Inside Karate magazine, and served in that position for the next 11 years. During his tenure, he was instrumental in launching several new magazines, including Master Series and Inside Martial Arts. He also authored Martial Arts Around the World I and II. In 1998, he was aksed to head up Unique Publications’ video department. Within four years, he expanded the library from less than 300 to nearly 700 videos, making Unique Publications the world’s largest producer of martial arts video.
Today, Soet remains one of the most respected voices in martial arts, a published author many times over and a long-overdue choice as “Writer of the Year.”

Cross Training

Inside Kung-Fu
“Building a Martial Arts Bridge”
By Michael Janich
July 2001
Pg. 91-94, 96, 101

Cross-training in different arts can be an excellent way of broadening your knowledge and rounding your skills.

People study and practice the martial arts for many reasons. Some do it for fitness, others do it for sport, and still others do it to learn to defend themselves. To satisfy these basic needs, just about any singular martial art will do. But among martial artists interested in developing their fighting skills to the highest possible level, it is rare to see someone who trains in a single art.
Cross-training in different arts can be an excellent way of broadening your knowledge and rounding out your skills. However, too many martial artists approach it from the perspective of amassing technique rather than increasing their understanding. If a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing, a lot of knowledge, without proper understanding of that knowledge, can be extremely dangerous.

A Different Approach
One martial artist who has taken a distinctly different approach to cross-training is Joseph Simonet, founder of KI Fighting Concepts in Wenatchee, Wash. Rather than accumulating techniques from different styles or attempting to blend arts artificially, he has focused on distilling and extracting the key concepts of the arts. By integrating the arts at the conceptual level, the result is a powerful synthesis of technique that truly transcends the limits of the parent arts.
According to Simonet, “The various martial arts of world are kind of like islands – each reaching above the water and striving for its own identity. Most people who train in different arts and try to combine them into a single expression take the approach of building bridges between the islands. They link the arts artificially.
“For example, you might have someone who practices kenpo and jiu-jitsu to get a well-rounded education in the striking and grappling arts,” he notes. “However, when he fights, he kicks and strikes until he closes the distance so he can grapple. He’s doing kenpo then jiu-jitsu, but he’s not integrating the arts.”
“The key to learning,” Simonet continues, “is diligent study. The key to understanding is relating to different bodies of knowledge and recognizing the similarities that link them naturally. Rather than building bridges between the islands, I take the opposite approach – I drain the ocean of misunderstanding to reveal common ground. Now instead of islands, I have a mountain range.”
Simonet’s approach to the arts is more than just a clever metaphor. He is a 7th-degree black belt in Tracy’s kenpo karate, a 2nd-degree in the tongkat serak style of Indonesian pentjak silat, a 2nd-degree in doce pares eskrima and eskrido, a certified instructor of Yang style taijiquan, and a black sash-level practitioner of wing chun gung-fu. When asked about any one of these individual arts, Simonet can demonstrate and teach it perfectly in its pure form. But when he fights, he instantly and effortlessly flows from one art to the other, often integrating the principles of different arts into a single dynamic expression. In other words, when Simonet fights, his feet are firmly on common ground.

The Key To Mastery
Watching Simonet’s beginning students work through portions of the KI Fighting Concepts curriculum, it was easy to pick out specific elements of Simonet’s parent arts. As one group practices chi sao from wing chun and hubud drills from the Filipino arts, another group is working on traditional silat footwork patterns. However, when his advanced students took the floor, the similarities seemed to dissolve, revealing a unique and tremendously effective hybrid – a result of integrating concept instead of technique.
As Simonet explains, “Each of the traditional arts has one or more unique elements that are the key to its function. By learning an art in its original form, you can discover these elements and develop a thorough understanding of them. Once you’ve done this, you are free to extract those elements and integrate them with the functional aspects of another style or system. This is the approach that I’ve taken in my study and my teaching of the arts. In other words, I’ve paid my dues in the traditional arts so my students don’t have to.”
It may seem that such a conceptual approach to the fighting arts would sacrifice form and structure; however, this is not the case. In Simonet’s words, “Form determines function. They are synonymous. Once you know why something from a traditional art works by learning and understanding its form, you can blend the concept behind that form into your overall expression of the arts. This conceptual integration, combined with an understanding of the importance of physical attributes, can ultimately yield a form that is structurally superior to that of other arts. And that is the goal of KI Fighting Concepts.”
The heart of Simonet’s “conceptual blending” of the arts is his integration of wing chun gung-fu and pentjak silat serak. Wing chun is known for its watertight close-range defenses and structure of simultaneous attack and defense. Serak is renowned for its explosive forward energy and simultaneous upper and lower body attacks. Through his mastery of both arts, Simonet discovered the common ground between their two structures.
For example, the hand position of the supported punch of serak is similar to the wing chun bong sao (wing block) /wu hand (warding or guarding hand) position. Against a straight-line punch, a wing chun practitioner might move off centerline, deflect with the bong sao and then simultaneously grab with the wu hand while countering with a backfist. Against the same attack, a serak stylists might duck low, explode forward while pinning the attacker’s foot with his lead foot, and strike at an upward angle with the supported punch.
Simonet’s version of these techniques integrates the forward energy and supported hand position of serak, the structural strength of wing chun’s bong sao, and the idea that hitting is always better than blocking.

Wing Chun vs. Serak
As the attacker punches, Simonet explodes forward, trapping with his lead foot as his supported bong sao simultaneously deflects the incoming punch and strikes full force into his opponent’s face. The structure of the supported bong sao protects the head extremely well (much like a “frame” in Russian sambo) and, when combined with full-body commitment (and the fact that the opponent is anchored in place by the foot trap), ensures the maximum transfer of force into the striking target. The timing of this technique is also geared toward intercepting – the ultimate goal and highest level of technique in jeet kune do.
This technique also provides an effective defense against trapping techniques such as the pak sau/punch. For example, against a straight punch a wing chun or jeet kune do practitioner might deflect the punch with an inward slap block (pak sau) and counter with a punch of his own. One KI Fighting Concepts counter to this popular defense would be to use the impact of the pak sau to rotate the punching arm into a bong sau position and immediately support it with the guarding hand. This two-handed structure, which is also reminiscent of the roll back and press in taiji, will easily defeat even the strongest counterpunch and pave the way for a variety of immediate counters.
This technique is only one example of Simonet’s ability to integrate various fighting styles into hybrid expressions that are actually structurally superior to the parent arts. In Simonet’s words, “The ‘KI’ in KI Fighting Concepts stands for ‘Karate Innovations.’ It’s all about elevating the level of our art through constant analysis and evolution. Our school motto probably says it best: ‘KI Fighting Concepts – Where innovation transcends tradition.’”

What the Critics Say
Simonet’s indomitable spirit of innovation has earned him a dedicated following among reality-based martial artists. However, it has also prompted some serious criticism from traditionalists, including some of his former instructors. Like his expression of the arts, Simonet’s response to this criticism is well-reasoned and thoroughly researched.
“Some people consider my methods a form of betrayal,” he explains, “However, this type of innovations actually perfectly in line with the strongest traditions of the fighting arts. Every one of the arts we enjoy today started with the thoughts and analysis of a human mind. For example, kyokushinkai karate is an expression of the brilliant thoughts and research of Mas Oyama. If you want to preserve that tradition, fine. Learn to fight like he did. If you want to learn to fight better, learn to think like he did.”
Simonet operates his well-equipped KI Fighting Concepts school with the help of his assistant and protégé Addy Hernandez. Hernandez is a holder of multiple black belts and to date is the only person to earn a black-belt ranking in the demanding KI Fighting Concepts curriculum. She is also a strong believer in putting theory into practice and has applied her skills very successfully as a full-contact kickboxing competitor.
Simonet and Hernandez have a dedicated following of more than 150 students. They also travel frequently and maintain an active seminar schedule at locations nationwide. However, to make their unique expression of the fighting arts available to more martial artists, they have organized the “Wind and Rock” training camp at picturesque Lake Chelan in Washington state.
Based on the tremendous success of the first camp held in July 2000, it will become an annual even that will set the standard for all other seminar camps. In addition to Simonet and Hernandez, Wind and Rock 2001 will feature noted jeet kune do instructor Burton Richardson and doce pares eskrima master Chris Petrilli.
No matter how you look at it, all martial arts traditions began with innovation – the commitment of one person to do things differently to achieve a higher goal. If that spirit of innovation is the height of martial tradition, that tradition is alive and well in Joseph Simonet and KI Fighting Concepts.

KI Fighting Concepts

Inside Kung-Fu
“Joseph Simonet’s KI Fighting Concepts”
?
April 2000

Discover the ultimate training method from the martial art
that is more Jeet Kune Do than Jeet Kune Do:
Joseph Simonet’s KI Fighting Concepts

Sifu Joseph Simonet has devoted his life to mastering a variety of traditional martial arts. After nearly 30 years of experience in the martial arts, he is a Master Instructor of kenpo karate (9th degree black belt) and a certified instructor of Tongkat Serak pentjak silat (2nd degree black belt guru dua hitam), Doce Pares escrima (2nd degree black belt), Eskrido (2nd degree black belt), Yang-style taijiquan and wing chun gung fu.
Through his mastery of these arts, Simonet has realized the values of these various styles; but more importantly, he has realized their shortcomings, both as individual fighting arts and as they apply to people of various abilities, skill levels and body types. This realization led him to develop KI Fighting Concepts: An American Martial Art.
Mirroring Bruce Lee’s original Jeet Kune Do, KI Fighting Concepts draws from all sources and strives for development without boundaries. But unlike modern Jeet Kune Do and most of the other eclectic fighting arts practiced today, KI Fighting Concepts is not merely a combination or haphazard complication of martial arts techniques. Because Simonet has taken the time to understand and master the traditional martial arts in their pure forms, he knows what elements are worth keeps and which should be discarded. He also knows better than anyone that no one martial art is best and that self-development and self-perfection can only come by focusing on the needs of the individual. KI Fighting Concepts is therefore a synthesis of the physical primciples and fighting strategies common to all fighting arts that uses these elements as a foundation to develop the individual fighter. In today’s martial arts world, KI Fighting Concepts is more Jeet Kune Do than Jeet Kune Do.

“There is no substitute for a tough and intelligent approach to training. I personally recommend and endorse this training method and feel that it will give you the edge you need on today’s streets”. Pentjak Silat Grandmaster Ma Ha Guru Victor deThouras

The training methods of KI Fighting Concepts, like the art itself, are intensely progressive and unique. They also make extensive use of the most versatile and effective martial arts training aid ever developed: the mook jong. The mook jong, or wooden dummy, consists of a central body, several protruding arms and, in some cases, an extended leg. It is mounted on a shock-absorbing frame that allows it to provide almost human reactions while easily withstanding the most powerful strikes. Its unique design allows a fighter to practice full-power blocks, strikes and kicks with the same realism as training with a partner, but unlike a training partner, it is never tired, sick, bored or injured. When combined with the proper mind-set and form, this simple device allows the martial artist to train in virtually any technique with tremendous realism and bone-breaking power. It is the ultimate training aid for the ultimate martial artist.
Although the mook jong is usually associated with the practice of wing chun gung fu, its usefulness extends to all martial arts styles. Through his decades of experience, Sifu Simonet learned to use wooden dummy training to perfect his practice of all these arts and ultimately forged them into an explosive synthesis called the “Slam Set.”

“This is the way Bruce Lee would be training with the mook jong if he were alive today.” Grandmaster Al Tracy, Tracy’s Kenpo

Simply put, the Slam Set is the most highly evolved wooden dummy form ever developed. Drawing from his extensive knowledge of the martial arts and countless hard-core fighting experiences, Simonet developed the Slam Set to provide combat-orientated martial artists with everything they need to know to be effective in a real fight in one explosive form. However, the Slam Set is not merely combination of techniques from different styles. Like KI Fighting Concepts, it is the key to understanding the common principles and movement patterns of all martial arts.
Together, KI Fighting Concepts and the Slam Set form a scientific approach to personal combat that enables the practitioner to understand the core principles of the martial arts and use them to perfect his (or her) fighting skills. This approach also allows a fighter to train with proper and complete technique, as well as full power. The result is a highly accelerated method that integrates skill training with physical conditioning to produce astonishing results in a very short period of time.
Until recently, this training method was only shared with an elite group of Sifu Simonet’s private students. However, thanks to a new Paladin video production, the secrets of the Slam Set are now available to you. In the professionally produced two-tape set The Mook Jong Slam Set – Dynamic Wooden Dummy Training for All Martial Artists, Simonet takes you step by step through the movements of the Slam Set and explains their underlying principles and traditional origins. He then puts theory into hard-core practice and teaches you how to apply these movements to destroy a typical street attacker in a matter of seconds. Whether you own a wooden dummy or not, the dozens of explosive fighting applications shown in this set and the insight into the core principles of realistic fighting are more than worth the price of these videos.
Joseph Simonet has devoted his life to the mastery, analysis, and synthesis of the martial arts for one simple reason: so you don’t have to. Don’t miss this opportunity to let him teach you the underlying secrets of the fighting arts and lead you toward personal perfection. The key to discovery in the martial arts is self-discovery. Let the Slam Set show you what you’ve been missing. More training at kifightingconcepts.net

Silat Secrets

Black Belt Magazine
September 2003
“Divining the Secrets of Silat”
Joseph Simonet Finds that Innovation Is the Key to Preserving the Ancient Indonesian Art
Pg. 83-85
By: Michael Janich

The Indonesian martial art of pentjake silat serek is one of the most fascinating yet under appreciated fighting systems ever created. It was purportedly developed by a member of the reclusive Badui tribe of tury. Originally known by his Badui names Aliya Hasan and Grat Zapah, he’s more commonly referred to as “Pak Serak.”
Unlike most founder of martial arts who are credited with possessing great physical prowess, Pak Serak was physically challenged. Standing a mere 5 feet tall, he suffered from two birth defects: an underdeveloped arm that was considerably shorter than normal and a clubfoot. Despite his disabilities, he actively pursued the study of pentjak silat and combined a knowledge of several styles with his own perspective to give birth to the serak system. He later passed his art down to Mas Djut, who adapted its techniques for use by people who were not physically challenged.
During the ensuing two centuries, serak remained secretive. Even though some of its most prominent instructors settled in the United States and openly taught derivative forms of it to the public, true serak had been taught to only a handful of advanced practitioners. Sadly, when those practitioners attempted to share their skills with others, they were disowned—and often discredited by their own instructors as part of a desperate effort to cling to outdated traditions.
Fortunately, one American martial artist chose to break this cycle and transcend tradition. The result of his bold and innovative effort is the martial science he calls “silat concepts.”

INSPIRATION FOR CHANGE
The man who founded silat concepts is Joseph Simonet. A veteran martial artist with more than 30 years of experience, he’s earned advanced teaching credentials in kenpo karate, doce pares escrima, eskrido and Yang-style tai chi chuan. He also holds a black sash in wing chun kung fu and a second-degree black belt in pentjak silat tongkat serak.
Simonet’s inspiration for the creation of silat concepts started several years after he began his formal study of serak. After comparing his instructor’s expression of it with that of experienced practitioners from another lineage, he noticed a significant disparity with respect to the finesse and precision of his line. When his questions regarding the variations went unanswered, he took it upon himself to explore the other lineage to perfect his own understanding and expression of the art.
Simonet’s methodology was simple, yet painstaking. He first assembled all the reference materials he had collected during his years of silat study: books, magazine articles, handwritten notes and hours of videotape. Then, with help from his senior students and other noted martial artists, he began an in-depth analysis of the structure, movements and techniques of traditional serak and its derivative forms.
He also compared the instructional methods of various senior practitioners—first to find differences between one man and another, and then to find changes in the way each man executed his moves at various times in his life. Alone the way, he noted inconsistencies, deliberate changes and simple errors. Throughout the process, he remained focused on the martial function of serak, methodically reducing it to the fundamentals of physical and anatomical structure, leverage and angles.

GOING PUBLIC
Simonet distilled serak into a true martial science that focused exclusively on the functional elements of the system. Like any good scientist, he then sought to validate his research through experimentation and comparison to similar bodies of knowledge. To do that, he turned to senior practitioners of the art and its variations. They not only validated his conclusions, but also encouraged him to continue his efforts and share his brand of silat with the public.
The final phase of Simonet’s research was to examine the art from the perspective of its founder. By simulating the physical disabilities of Pak Serak, he envisioned how the art had enabled him to overcome his limitations. Then, like Mas Djut, Simonet applied those lessons to an able-bodied person. However, unlike Mas Djut, who seemed to have focused primarily on giving serak bilateral symmetry, Simonet sought to take full advantage of all four limbs and further enhance the martial application of serak.
He called the result of his research “silat concepts” and shared it openly through a two-volume instructional video. His intent was to honor the art’s lineage and ensure its continuation. Rather than receiving praise from his instructors for getting unprecedented exposure for the art, he was criticized and ultimately removed from most versions of the serak family tree.
While Simont’s serak elders attempted to deny his very existence, his newfound students and followers praised his efforts and clamored for more. “Although I was very disappointed when I was purged from the lineage of traditional serak, I was extremely encouraged by the positive feedback I received from my students and those who viewed by videos,” Simonet says.
“Probably the most gratifying feedback I received was from active students of several different styles of silat. They commented that my silat instruction was the most organized and lucid they had ever seen. Compared to the traditional follow-the-leader approach, they said, my explanation and analysis of the art made it much easier to learn.”
Simonet claims his ability to teach silat concepts in a clear and concise way stemmed from his analysis of the parent art and his ability to cross-reference it with other styles. “Although I learned silat in the traditional manner—through pure mimicry and trial-and-error application—my real understanding of it came through objective observation and research,” he says. “To be honest, the most important things I learned about silat were never part of my formal instructions in the art.”

SUPERSTRUCTURE
Although silat concepts shares some elements with its predecessor, it transcends the traditional form of the art in several significant ways. Like traditional serak, silat concepts is built on a foundation constructed of the 18 juru (hand forms). However, they’ve been modified to emphasize silat concepts’ enhanced structure.
Those forms are important because they provide a convenient and easily referenced institutional memory of the movements and structure of the system. Once they’re learned, the significance of their movements is revealed to the student through the practice of selected sambut, or techniques. However, rather than focusing on rote technique, students are taught how to identify the physiological potential of them to form their own techniques.
“The juru provide an alphabet for the language of combat,” Simonet says. “But rather than emerely copying the classic writings of our ancestors, silat concepts is a course in creative expression with a focus on modern issues—specifically, practical self-defense.”

FANCY FOOTWORK
Another unique phase of training in silat concepts is its approach to langkha (footwork patterns). Traditional serak requires a student to devote years to learning patterns that emphasize 45-and 90-degree angles. These angles make the execution of techniques more difficult and less efficient; they were used primarily to create an impression of weakness during the elaborate stalking ritual that preceded traditional fights in Indonesia. Because the true application of silat techniques is based on the angles of an equilateral triangle, the footwork of silat concepts focuses on the powerful dynamics of this platform.
Perhaps the most significant improvement Simonet made involves two-hand supported techniques. “The use of the supporting hand was probably critical to Pak Serak’s ability to overcome his physical limitations,” Simonet says. “However, in traditional serak, its role is largely symbolic or limited to a sectoring function much like the wu hand of wing chun.
“By taking full advantage of the supported hand positions in the juru, I’ve supercharged the hand techniques of the art, doubling the power of the offensive techniques and creating watertight defensive frames. Most important, I’ve drawn from my knowledge of wing chun and applied the concept of simultaneous attack and defense to silat structures.
“For example, I used the bong sao (wing-hand block) to create a hybrid corkscrew punch that offers both attack and defense in a single movement.” Curiously, this technique, which was never part of traditional serak, has been adopted by Simonet’s former branch of silat and is now taught as an element of that art.

IMPROVING ON TRADITION
Simonet’s silat concepts is not just another attempt to create a new art. Rather, it’s an objective approach to understanding a functional yet often overlooked traditional style. It’s also a means for all martial artists to experience and appreciate the Indonesian arts.
“Silat concepts is a complete and functional martial science, but I don’t expect people to abandon their current arts to study it,” Simonet says. “If a judo player who trains in silat concepts adopts our principles of angles and unbalancing, he may use silat to make his judo better. A wing chun practitioner might use our reinforced hand positions to strengthen his close-range blocks and punches. In this way, I hope to use it to promote a widespread appreciation of silat and motivate more people to explore the traditional Indonesian arts.”
It’s important to understand that silat concepts is not traditional serak, nor does it claim to be. It also does not adhere to many of that arts ancient practices. However, it does follow the most important tradition of serak, as established by its founder: overcoming adversity through research and diligent effort to develop an effective fighting system that matches the practitioner’s needs and attributes.

About the author: Michael Janich is a free-lance writer based in Boulder, Colorado. He has more than 29 years of martial arts experience and is one of America’s best—known knife-fighting experts. For more information about silat concepts, call Joseph Simonet at (509) 662-7983 or visit http://www.kifightingconcepts.com.

Supported Elbow Frame

Grappling
“Weapons of Mass Destruction”
By Joseph Simonet
January 2006
Pg 88-90, 127

If you are an MMA Fighter who wants a weapon that is versatile, simple and powerful, consider the Supported Elbow Frame.

I have trained in the martial arts since 1972. From the very beginning, my interest and/or motivation was to be able to defend myself and become a functional fighter. My journey of 30-plus years has been filled with highs, lows, injuries and triumphs.
Anyone who pursues the truth in the fighting arts ultimately will get his ego crushed and his hat handed to him on a regular basis. The karmic freight train is coming around the bend, and it’s coming for you.
I have experienced countless “reality bites” moments. One such moment occurred November 12, 1993 at McNichols Arena in Denver, Colorado. I found myself ringside at the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Being a veteran martial artist and holder of multiple black belts offered little solace as I stared into the face of reality.
“Oh, (bleep), I have to learn the ground”.
There I was, nearly 40, and immediately desperate to gain knowledge of the ground. My first opportunity was with the local high school wrestling team. I was allowed to train with the varsity heavyweights. It was a humble beginning as my pursuit of knowledge took yet another turn.
Since that fateful day, my training has become more refined and focused. My system of training has been organized into what I call “The Art and Science of Mook Jong” (ASMJ, wooden dummy training).
5 Ranges
It is widely accepted there are five ranges of unarmed combat: kicking, punching, trapping, clinch and grappling. “The Art and Science of Mook Jong” focuses on trapping and/or clinching range. The movements I utilize are essential ingredients distilled and extracted from preeminent martial arts systems such as kenpo karate, wing chun, silat, doce pares, tai chi, boxing and an eclectic ground game. I have discarded 90 percent of the techniques and training these arts had to offer. I felt most of the material just did not hold up in real fighting.
“The Art and Science of Mook Jong” is powered by a superior attitude. In the stand-up game, superior attitude defeats superior techniques. However, it is only when you add conditioning to the attitude and technique methodology that real success can be achieved.

The Supported Elbow Frame
The supported elbow frame is one of the most significant and essential weapons in the ASMJ arsenal. All MMA practitioners should train and utilize this weapon because of its versatility, simplicity, and power.
To create a supported elbow frame (1-4), start in a left lead, with your body leaning forward. Thrust your left elbow up until it is pointed into your opponent’s centerline. Cover your left ear with the palm of your hand. As this is happening, your right hand creates a frame by attaching to your left inside forearm near the elbow. This is the basic supported elbow frame.
It is imperative to established a lower art base. When executing the supported elbow, sink your base as you move forward to prepare for absorbing a powerful strike, such as a head-high roundhouse kick or a huge over hand punch.

Surviving the Big Punch
Distance is one key to using the supported elbow to survive the big punch. This forces my opponent to bridge the gap and commit to a big bomb. While standing just outside of punch range, I have allowed myself time to react to a big right hand (5-6).
As my opponent loads for the punch, I begin to sink my weight and move forward into his centerline. By creating the supported elbow frame, I have protected my head, neck and face, while solidifying my base. When my opponent makes contact, he is not prepared to hit such a solid target, which in turn disrupts his timing and base.
My left elbow also acts as an attack as I drive the point into his oncoming shoulder (7). Note my body position and/or base. I have successfully absorbed the big punch, bridged the gap, and disrupted his base, while attacking with an elbow point by entering into trapping range.

Wrap, Trap, Attack
After blocking his right punch, my left hand now circles counterclockwise to trap my opponent’s right arm above the elbow, while simultaneously striking his jaw with my right elbow (8). My left hand now attaches to my right biceps, which creates another support, adds striking power and hyperextends his right arm. I follow with a standing armbar on his right arm as I crash down on his collarbone or jaw (9).
I then hook my right hand around his neck as I jerk him into a right knew to the race, while still locking his right arm (10). I release my opponent’s left arm and proceed into a guillotine (11-13). I finish by sitting and falling back into guard position as I plant his face into the mat.
In developing fighting skills, simplicity and versatility of technique weighs heavy on value. It only makes sense to develop muscle memory and skill sets that work at all ranges.

Supported Elbow When Mounted
This next example begins from the mounted position. The attacker throws a big right punch. The defender on the bottom (14-15) prepares for impact with a supported left elbow frame. Once the punch is deflected and jammed (16), the defender wraps his opponent’s right arm with his left arm. Notice, this is exactly what was demonstrated in the stand-up version.
After wrapping the right arm, the defender strikes with his right hand and then reverses position. Note, the defender’s elbowlock and right hand position (17-18). If his opponent extends his hips to free up pressure on his face, he only adds more tension to his left elbow. The defender now applies more pressure, stretching the elbow joint and punishing the face (19). When tension reaches its peak, the defender releases his right hand for a downward elbow cut to the face (20).

Prevent the Rear Choke
When you find yourself mounted from the rear and your opponent is moving in for the kill (choke), the supported elbow frame may just save you from defeat. I can use the elbow frame to block my attacker’s attempts to put me in a choke. Essentially, I am tucking my chin, locking my arms, supporting my heard forward, and buying time.
Next, the attacker briefly aborts the choke attempt and decides to strike. I simply reverse my elbow position to my left side and block his strike. As a follow-up, I grab his left arm, extend it over my right shoulder and apply pressure with my head and body.

Developing Training Drills
Now that we have demonstrated the technical value of the supported elbow frame, let’s establish functional training drills as well. Begin by facing off in a fighting position wearing focus mitts or gloves. Have your partner throw big punches to your head as you counter with the supported elbow frame. This should be done on both sides. Add intensity and realism to the attacks as you get more comfortable with this drill. In other words, try to take his head off with huge powerful attacks. Make it real.
To follow up, feel free to add tie-ups with knew attacks. Be creative and intense.

Sticking and Contact Drills
Sensitivity drills are extremely important in “The Art and Science of Mook Jong.” Body contact is a key component in learning to listen to my opponent’s intent. For example, the next photo sequence will demonstrate a training drill guaranteed to develop muscle memory and body awareness.
Face off with a partner and begin the drill with your partner’s right punch and your left supported elbow frame counter. Now, wrap your partner’s right arm as you strike with your right hand while applying a lock with your left arm. Hook behind his head and applying a follow-up right knew to his midsection.
After your knee strike, plant your right foot back and let go of the lock. While this is happening, your partner throws a left punch. Repeat the same counter-sequence on the left side. This pattern should be repeated from side to side. To attain a higher and more intense level of training, include heavier contract that continues for the equivalent of two-minute rounds.
Linking drills is a challenging, essential aspect of sensitivity training. Repetition and body sticking will enhance every fighter’s skill level. After excusing the left knee, step forward with the same leg and begin the pummeling drill. Make sure to repeat on each side.

Skills Box
By now you should have gained a new insight and greater appreciation for the supported elbow frame. You will find its function to be an essential tool in your fighting skills box. When in doubt, train harder.

Sinawali

Filipino Martial Arts
“Sinawali: The Mechanics of Martial Motion”
By Michael Janich
July 2003
Pg. 54-61

Sinawali is a template for learning proper movement. It’s like the paint-by-numbers approach to artwork.

Sinawali, or double-stick training, is a practice familiar to many Filipino martial arts. In its most common form, two eskrimadors, each armed with two sticks, face each other and simultaneously perform an identical series of prescribed strikes, hitting their sticks together in various rote patterns and rhythms. Meaning, “to weave,” sinawali gets its name from the intricate, intertwining patterns of the sticks as they are wielded in these drills.

Although sinawali is practiced in many Filipino martial arts forms, most of this practice usually consists of simple mechanical repetition. At a basic level, this type of training is an extremely efficient way of developing form and programming motor skills. However, to the advanced practitioner, these amazing drills offer a much higher level of skill development and a true understanding of physical movement.
Joseph Simonet has spent years analyzing and refining sinawali drills to extract their deeper meanings. The founder of KI Fighting Concepts, a concept-based martial training institute in Wenatchee, Wash., Simonet has instructor-level ranking in kenpo karate, Indonesian pentjak silat, wing chun gung-fu, Yang style taijiquan, doce pares eskrima and eskrido. With more than 30 years of martial arts training to draw from, Simonet still considers sinawali drills a critical step in his eclectic KI Fighting Concepts curriculum.
“Like any form,” Simonet explains, “sinawali drills are designed to be a dictionary of motion – a means of learning and refining specific movements through structured repetition. As a learning process, they are excellent. But like any form, we need to remember that the material learned is what’s important, not the process.”

Mechanical, But Effective
Even at the basic level of mechanical repetition, sinawali training offers a number of significant benefits. First, because the student must move weapons in addition to his limbs, the paths of the movements are more visible and therefore more easily learned and corrected. The weight of the sticks also provides a form of resistance that helps the practitioner develop strength in the appropriate muscle groups while at the same time programming motor memory.
Since most people have a dominant side, training with matched weapons allows the weak side to “copy” the movements of the strong side, balancing the body and promoting the rapid development of weak-side skills and strength.
By working with longer weapons and striking stick to stick, beginning eskrimadors can train safely and develop their reflexes progressively by maintaining a long-range distance relationship with their partner. Once the basic patterns have been learned and the students are hitting consistently, they can increase both the speed and power of their hits, ultimately achieving full-power, full-speed hits in rapid succession with their partner. In the process, the also learn the importance of weapon grip and impact-shock management – critical but often-overlooked aspects of real-world weapon use.

Express Yourself
Although basic sinawali training offers a number of significant benefits to the novice, the real value of these drills lies in the root movements – and the practitioner’s ability to understand and creatively express these movements.
“The key to mastering any martial art form is the ability to appreciate and apply the physiological potential o fits movements,” Simonet explains. “This does not mean accepting and mimicking the one or two applications your instructor taught you. It means experimenting and looking deeper into the dynamics of the motion to extract its full potential.”
Simonet’s approach to sinawali training is a direct reflection of his Filipino martial arts lineage, which starts with his primary instructor, doce pares eighth-degree black belt Christopher Petrilli, and extends to Petrilli’s instructor, legendary doce pares grandmaster Cacoy Cañete. Both Petrilli and Cañete take a unique approach to sinawali, emphasizing the extreme close-range applications of this normally long-range style of training. The result is a higher evolution of the basic body mechanics of sinawaali that emphasizes unconventional strikes, particularly ones that take advantage of the punyo, or butt end of the stick.
For example, most Filipino martial arts practitioners of are familiar with Heaven Siz, a basic six-count sinawali pattern that consists of a right angle 1, left angle 1, right angle 2, left angle 2, right angle 2, and left angle 1. In its standard form, all strikes are executed with a full stroke, hitting with the long end of the stick.

Close-Range Tactics
A more advanced version of this drill emphasizes close-range tactics and the use of the punyo as well as the main body of the stick. In this drill, the first and fourth strikes are executed almost like a hook punch – following the same downward diagonal angle, but with the stick tip down and across the body and striking with the face of the punyo just beyond the knuckles of the hand. The third and sixth strikes are also designed for close-quarter use and are delivered with the bottom end of the punyo. This is represented in partner training by striking wrist to wrist.
With one subtle addition, an even more advanced eight-count pattern can be created. After the first and fourth strikes of the above pattern, a close-range abaniko (fanning) strike is added, rotating immediately out of the punyo punch and striking with the long end of the stick.
The above variations of Heaven Six add two unorthodox but highly effective strikes to the practitioner’s arsenal: a downward smashing strike with the long end of the stick held horizontally and the obvious punyo-style punch. In application, these unusual strikes are devastating, hitting with amazing force from unexpected angles. These strikes also promote the concept of striking rapidly with alternate ends of the stick. This is a trademark of Simonet’s unique brand of stickfighting.
“To appreciate the full physiological potential of a motion, you need to look at the entire movement not just the strike,” Simonet notes. “In the case of sinawali patterns, the positioning of the hand as it chambers and prepares for a strike is often a structurally powerful and very useful movement. Rather than wasting it, we take advantage of it and make it into another hit.”

Long and Short of It
To further refine the ability to hit alternately with both the punyo and long end of the stick, Simonet uses yet another unique drill. In this drill, the practitioners begin with the sticks in their right hands crossed diagonally in front of them, chambered near their left shoulders. On the first count, they strike with an angle 2 backhand with the long end of the stick. Rebounding from this strike, they punch forward and upward with the punyo of the stick for count two. Chambering near their left shoulders again, on count three they strike wrist to wrist, simulating and angle 2 punyo strike. Chambering across the body yet again, they strike with a full angle 2 stroke for count four. The follow through of this strike leaves them chambered near their right shoulders for an angle 1 strike with the long end of the stick (count 5). On count six, they rebound and punch upward and to the right with the punyo of the stick, chambering near their right shoulders again. Count seven is an angle 1 strike with the bottom of the punyo, simulated by striking wrist to wrist. Chambering once again at the right shoulder, both partners strike with a full angle 1 stroke (count eight) that follows through to chamber at the left shoulder, where they are ready to start the drill again.
This drill may be performed with a single stick, as described here, or by alternating hands with two sticks. With practice, the eskrimador learns to rapidly alternate between punyo punches, strikes with the long end of the stick, and strikes or hooking actions with the bottom of the punyo.
In a close-range encounter, a simple backhand angle 2 strike to the head with the stick can now be instantly followed with a punyo punch to the throat, a backhand punyo strike to the side of the neck, and another full-stroke angle 2 strike to the head in just fractions of a second. Any blocks that an opponent may be able to insert to foil this flow are immediately “removed” by hooking the blocking hand with the punyo and pulling it our of the way. When fighting with single sticks, the non-weapon, or “live” hand continues the same patterns of movement as when armed with the stick, but now its function is that of tapping and clearing the opponent’s limbs. When combined with hooks with the punyo, the result is an extremely sophisticated and brutally effective system of close-quarter trapping, all based directly on sinawali movement patterns.
These are only a few examples of the advanced sinawali patterns that form the core of Simonet’s KI Fighting Concepts stickfighting curriculum. His entire program of instruction includes more than 100 sinawali patterns and variations, each of which this author designed to ingrain a specific set of body mechanics and motor memory. In addition to the drills themselves, Simonet’s teaching and practice of sinawali also requires that students be able to instantly flow from one drill to another. The motions required for these transitions offer yet another spectrum of movements and promote spontaneity and quick reflexes that go far beyond the rote memorization and mechanical execution of basic sinawali.
“Like any prescribed form,” Simonet says, “sinawali is a template for learning proper movement. It’s like the paint-by-numbers approach to artwork. By following someone else’s color pattern and brush strokes, you learn the mechanics of painting. Once you’re comfortable with them, you paint your own picture. Just as two people given the same paints and brushes will paint two different pictures, two martial artists will find different meanings in the movements of sinawali. Like any other true art form, in the martial arts, personal expression is the ultimate goal.”

Cardio Kickboxing

Self Defense
“Get Your Kicks”
By Addy Hernandez


10 Ways to translate cardio-kickboxing into real self-defense moves!
The combination of cardio fitness and the martial arts has been a boon to the martial arts industry. The popularity of programs such as Billy Blanks’ TaeBo has greatly promoted public awareness and participation. Unfortunately, despite the positive aspects of the martial-arts fitness trend, it has also produced some potentially dangerous side effects.
If you watch any of the infomercials for martial-arts fitness systems, you will invariably see interviews with people who have successfully gotten into shape and the compulsory before-and-after photos testifying to improved health and confidence. However, you’ll sometimes also hear comments like, “Thanks to this program, I can now take care of myself in a self-defense situation.” Although it is encouraging to see how these programs can increase a person’s self-confidence, there is a tremendous difference between confidence in one’s actual self-defense abilities and false confidence in the movements of an exercise program that only resemble an actual fighting technique.
As an instructor of both cardio-kickboxing and a variety of application-oriented fighting arts, I have found that the best way to maximize your fitness benefits without compromising your defensive skills is to base your exercise routines on real fighting techniques. This way your training is consistent and you can use the exact same motor skills for both activities. This synergy also helps refine both the form and the resulting function of your technique. By relating all your movements to realistic defensive techniques, you will also find it much easier to stay focused and motivated in your fitness training.
To develop the cardio-kickboxing programs that I teach, I followed 10 simple rules that maintained the self-defense orientation of these fitness routines. Although the routines you practice may be very different, in most cases, they still contain the roots of functional self-defense techniques. By applying these same guidelines to your martial-arts fitness practice, you can find the “fight within the fitness” of your routines and use cardio-kickboxing to greatly enhance your defensive skills.

1 Adapt your punching motions to practical self-defense strikes. Punching with full power on the street is a dangerous proposition. Unless you train your fists and wrists to punch without the support of hand wraps and boxing gloves, you are better off using more practical striking surfaces. Using the same movements of your standard jab, cross, hook and uppercut in your fitness routines, substitute palm-heel strikes, web-hand strikes and finger jabs for fists. This will allow you to practice the same striking combinations while ingraining the habit of hitting with practical tools.

2 Focus on practical movements that can be done in regular clothing. Although you shouldn’t completely discard high kicks and other fun movements, try to alter your routines to emphasize practical movements that do not require an extensive warm-up or exceptionally loose clothing to perform. This will get you used to operating within normal ranges of motion and keep you focused on practical techniques. As you begin to understand the defensive applications of these movements, you will begin to appreciate them more and be less concerned with doing the flashy, fun, yet impractical movements found in many martial-arts fitness programs.

3 Delete meaningless movements that develop bad habits. Developing cardiovascular fitness obviously requires that you move constantly. However, make a point of identifying the difference between functional fighting movement and meaningless jumping around. By using real fighting footwork as the basis for all your routines, you will ultimately develop better balance and more power in your strikes.

4 Add other useful motions to your routines. Most cardio-kickboxing routines focus on punches and kicks. Don’t be afraid to add elbows, knees, hammerfists, blocks, parries, grabs, locks and any other useful movements to your routines. This not only rounds out your routines by providing different types and ranges of motion, it provides a whole new arsenal of fighting techniques.

5 Feel free to alter your fitness routines to emphasize realistic street techniques. Most martial-arts fitness routines are designed to be challenging and fun, but they do little to ingrain practical fighting skills. By practicing combinations that follow the flow of realistic defensive techniques, you develop better motor memory and functional conditioned reflexes. To do this, you may have to alter your performance of the routine and do things differently than the rest of the students in your class. Don’t worry about it. Focus on your personal goals and make your training relevant to your needs.

6 Understand that form and function are synonymous. Don’t be content performing sloppy or half-hearted techniques. Every movement is important and that good form is the only way to achieve real power. Visualizing strikes on an opponent is an excellent way to motivate yourself and give meaning to the movements of your routine.

7 Incorporate wind sprints into your routine to simulate running away after defending against an attack. Since realistic self-defense is usually about capacitating an attacker to create an opening for you to escape, make that part of your training. Rather than just hopping in place to maintain your heart rate between segments of a workout, break out of line and run a short sprint to the front or rear of the room, then return to your spot. This adds another element of cardiovascular fitness to your training and is more meaningful than useless, impractical footwork patterns. If you feel uncomfortable about doing this, talk to the instructor about it before class and position yourself near the edge of the group so you have a clear area to run in.

8 Integrate practical verbal skills to power movements and develop breathing rhythms. Both cardio training and self-defense techniques require breath control. If you incorporate verbal commands into your routines, you will learn to exhale at appropriate times, creating greater power in your techniques while developing a good breathing rhythm. If you can get your entire workout group to join in, you can create a powerful group dynamic that keeps energy levels high and inspires individual self-confidence.

9 Use focus pads in your training to give students the feel of hitting something for real. After you developed good technique, learn to appreciate that power by actually hitting something. Focus pads are excellent tools for this because they allow you and your training partner to stay in motion and maintain a high pulse rate. If you cannot make this training part of your normal group workout, try to identify other students in your class who share your self-defense goals and arrange to practice with them outside of class.

10 Learn to identify, recognize, and harness the physiological potential of every movement. This is perhaps the most important—yet least understood—aspect of martial-arts fitness training. The movements of cardio-kickboxing are physical motions that generate force along specific lines and vectors. Although the defensive applications of these movements are often expressed in a very simplistic way—usually a punch, strike or kick—every movement actually offers a multitude of applications. The key to discovering these is the ability to analyze and appreciate all aspects of the motion.
For example, a hook punch is normally thought of only as a close-range strike with the fist. In addition to this simplistic interpretation, you can vary the striking surface to include the palm or fingertips. By retracting the fist, you can also use the same body dynamics to deliver a horizontal elbow strike. In a defensive role, the motion of the hook can be applied with palm to deflect an incoming grab or punch, much like a brush block. Against a wrist grab, the hook motion works against the weakest portion of the attacker’s grip and can provide an easy escape. Finally, when applied against a one- or two-hand front choke, a simple hook thrown over the attacker’s arms creates a powerful shearing force that can easily break the hold. This motion also coils the body for a return hammerfist or back elbow while simultaneously pull the attacker into the oncoming blow.
Another good example is the forward knee thrust. To hit with power, pus off the supporting leg and swing the hips forward to add momentum to the strike. Taking this same motion and applying it to a common ground attack like the mounted position, the same movements can be used to buck an attacker off of you. Even if you don’t launch him completely off, the movement will at least drive him forward. This forces him to place more weight on his hands and makes it easier for you to escape.
The benefits of martial-arts fitness programs go far beyond getting in shape and losing a few pounds. With the proper mindset and the willingness to alter your technique to emphasize practical function, you can use your martial-arts fitness routines to develop extremely powerful movement patterns that have direct defensive application. By training hard and having the courage to kickbox to a slightly different drummer, you’ll find plenty of fight within the fitness of cardio martial arts.

Addy Hernandez is a black belt in the KI Fighting Concepts curriculum. She also holds black belts in kenpo karate, Yang-style taijiquan, Doce Pares Escrima, and escrido, as well as an instructor rank in yoga. She can be contacted at KI Fighting Concepts by calling (509) 662-7983 or visiting www.kifightingconcepts.com.

THE ARGUMENT OF MOVEMENT:
DEFEND, NEUTRALIZE, ANNIHILATE
High-Intensity Partner Training
For Real Combat
With Joseph Simonet
Best-selling Paladin author and lifelong martial artist Joseph Simonet distills literally decades of research in the fighting arts into a combative form that has hard-core street application in every movement, transition and technique. Building on the functional, universal lines developed in his Mook Jong Slam Set program, Simonet’s Argument of Movement takes individual training to the next, necessary step: a two-person, full-contact drill that is easy to learn, combines the best elements of the most effective combat arts currently known and has application for any fighting situation you may find instant, disrupting your opponent’s rhythm and keeping him so off-balance that he’ll have no time to react. Simonet also provides vital instruction on the supported elbow frame, an all-purpose defense that allows you to take even the strongest of blows without injury.
If you’re at al interested in keeping your fighting skills sharp enough to get you out of a jam, you need this ultimate combat form. For information purposes only. Color, approx. 190 min. total.


THE ARGUMENT OF MOVEMENT,
PART TWO: THE SKILL SETS
High-Intensity Flow Drills
For Real Combat
With Joseph Simonet
And Addy Hernandez
If you want to fight, and fight well, you need to perform the right movements so quickly and fluidly that you don’t have to think about how to put them together: you just do it. In this fast-paced video production from Paladin Press, best-selling author Joseph Simonet teaches you the 10 flow drills every competent fighter needs to know to keep his skills at the highest level possible. He starts with the foundational drill of hubud, showing the most combat-effectiveway to perform it and why so many martial artists get it wrong. From there he progresses to other drills, such as his Chi Sau, Silat Sensitivity and Gan Sau drills, teaching you how to burn them into your muscle memory and extract their true combative applications. Simonet also shows you how each drill can be linked to any other, simulating and chaos of a real fight.
Building your fighting skills takes time: this video shows you how to do it efficiently and effectively. For information purposes only. Color, approx. 160 min. total.

Joseph Simonet

Stan Witz’s USA Competitor
“KI Fighting Concepts Meet Your Head Instructor Joseph Simonet”
By Stan Witz

Joseph Simonet began his martial arts training in the early 1970’s in the study of traditional Japanese Karate. During this time, Joseph was an avid weight lifter and power lifter. In 1973, Mr. Simonet began training in Tracy’s Kenpo Karate. At the age of 21, Mr. Simonet was managing a martial arts studio in Kirkland, WA. With an open mind and an insatiable thirst for knowledge, Mr. Simonet spent the rest of the 1970’s exploring the art of Goju-Ryu, Tae Kwon Do, and Hung-Gar Kung Fu. Mr. Simonet started teaching his Karate Innovations in Seattle, WA during the 1980’s. It was the early 80’s when Mr. Simonet discovered Filipino Kali Escrima and Wind Chun Gung Fu. During this time there was an explosion of Martial Arts seminar and workshop opportunities. Mr. Simonet participated in many such seminars including, but not limited to, Jeet Jung Do (JKD), Savate, Tai Chi, Silat, Muay Thai, and Arnis. It was during this time that KI Fighting Concepts emerged. In the 1990’s Mr. Simonet began his training in Pentjak Silat Tongkat Serak, Yan Style Tai Chi, and Doce Pares. Mr. Simonet is an 8th degree black belt in Tracy’s Kenpo Karate. He has attained 2nd degree level in Grand Masters Cocoy Canete’s Escrido and 4th level black belt under Chris Petrilli in Doce Pares. Mr. Simonet is a certified instructor in Yang Style Tai Chi under Dr. John Candea and a Guru with a 2nd degree black belt in Pentjak Silat Serak. He reached black sash level in Wing Chun Gung Fu during the late 1980’s. Mr. Simonet is also the author of some Paladin Press videos such as “The Mook Jong Slam Set” series, “Silat Concepts”, Advanced Silat Concepts “Beyond Kenpo”, “Ultimate Sinawali”, “Wind and Rock Training Camp II”, and “The Essence of Wing Chun”. Mr. Simonet has also began his own production company and is involved with making, editing, and producing martial arts videos. Mr. Simonet’s video can be purchased on his website: www.kifightingconcpets.com. Mr. Simonet is highly publicized, nationally acclaimed martial artist. He makes frequent appearances on national magazine such as “Inside Kung Fu Magazine”, “Black Belt Magazine”, “Martial Arts Training Magazine”, “Masters of the Filipino Arts Magazine”, and “Terrorist Survival Guide Magazine”. Mr. Simonet has also been featured on two unprecedented convers of Paladin-Press Catalog. Mr. Simonet has made many public appearances and seminars coast to coast. Between 1999 and 2000 Mr. Simonet created a new hybrid system called American Wing-Chun Silate (A.W.C.S.) This system evolved from non-classical Wing-Chun, Classical Wing-Chun and Pentjak Silat Serak. Joseph Simonet is the founder and head instructor of KI Fighting Concepts.

INTERVIEW WITH JOSEPH SIMONET
(BY STAN WITZ)
Stan Witz: When and why did you get involved in the Martial Arts?
Joseph Simonet: I started training in 1972 in a traditional Japanese style. I was 18 years old. Like many young men I wanted to be physically an mentally tough. I felt Martial Arts would help me be stronger…I was right.
SW: Thirty plus years of training is quite impressive, what kept you motivated?
JS: Thirty years sounds like a long time when you’re young, yet I feel like I’m just getting started. I’ve met and trained with Masters who have trained and taught for over 60 years. Martial Arts for me is a lifelong pursuit, it is my life. As far as staying motivated, I am forever the student. Like everything else Martial Arts are evolving rapidly. I call this phenomena “accelerating towards center”. Motivation is not an issue for me, learning, growing, and embracing the spirit of the beginner, that’s what the arts are all about.
SW: What Martial Art or Arts do you personally train and teach?
JS: I integrate multiple styles into a system I call K.I. Fighting Concepts (KIFC). KIFC mainly consists of elements from Tracy’s Kenpo, Wing-Chun, Pentjak Silat, Doce Pares, Tai-Chi, Boxing, and Grappling.
SW: Which of these arts is the most valuable and/or more practical for you?
JS: At this point I cannot qualify one art being batter or more valuable than another. It is the integration of these arts; the synergistic whole that creates a value beyond any one or limited approach.
SW: You have had many teachers, which of these have had the biggest impact on you?
JS: I have had many teachers and I hope to have many more. Every teacher I’ve studied with has given me priceless gifts of knowledge. To name every teacher I’ve had would take too long to be practical. However, I will say that the teacher I’ve had the longest time is Grand Master Al Tracy, my Kenpo instructor since 1973. Currently I’m training with Chris Petrilli (Doce Pares) and Matt Hume (Pankration)
SW: What is your take on traditional Martial Arts vs. no holds barred fighting (NHB)?
JS: Frankly, I see a need for both expressions of training. There is something for everyone. Ninety-nine percent of fighting technique is derived from the traditional arts. No holds barred fighters have refined and integrated traditional movement that makes it an exciting and brutal sport. I personally train both traditional and NHB.
SW: In your opinion, where do women fit into the Martial Arts world?
JS: Right where they should be, out in front. The explosion of women’s participation in sports and in all aspect of our culture is extraordinary. Through our history women have been suppressed and often ignored. The ultimate tragedy has lost 51% of it’s intellect and creative genius. It’s now the decade of women. Let’s go!!
SW: Tell us about your partner Addy Hernandez?
JS: In my opinion, Addy is the quintessential Martial Artist. She is the embodiment of femininity and power. Addy has a balanced sense of who she is, someone very comfortable in her own skin. Her Martial Arts skill is exceptional. She has fought full contact in the ring and she also teaches Tai-Chi. I believe Addy has a long and successful career ahead of her.
SW: Where do you envision Martial Arts in 10 to 20 years from now?
JS: I hope and believe Martial Arts will continue to evolve to a higher level. Practitioners will balance their study with the art and science of movement. Martial artist will be establishing interrelationship between the content and conclusion of all disciplines. Through trail and error, integrations and communication, the Martial Arts will indeed survive and flourish.
SW: Is Martial Arts your only means of making a living?
JS: Yes, Addy and I own and operate KI Fighting Concepts school in Wenatchee, WA. We currently have about 150 students. We also sell instructional videos on our web site (www.kifightingconcepts.com). We have ongoing projects with Paladin Press and we do seminars all over the U.S.
SW: What do you and Addy teach in your seminars?
JS: We derive our seminar material from many Martial Arts systems. Each seminar we teach is different. Depending upon the interest, skill level, and energy of the participants, we create our seminars as they are happening. This spontaneity keeps our work fresh and alive.
SW: I understand you have an annual summer camp, tell us about it.
JS: Our camp is called “Wind and Rock” training camp. It is located in Lake Chelan, WA. This is our fourth year. The training site is in the mountains about 3000 ft. elevation. Each year Addy and I invite world class instructors. Paladin-Press made a three tape series on one of our camps. You can purchase those tapes and find info about our camp on our web site. Check it out.
SW: Do you have any advice to young and/or new Martial Artists?
JS: Stick to it, and don’t give up. In Martial Arts, as in life, you are often given many hardships to test your will and character. After you have obtained your black belt, seek out many different teachers, systems, and points of view. A sustained effort will bring rewards. When you are down and out, or frustrated, plow ahead and keep going. “When in doubt, train”.