Kyle Sloan

Knotty, Knotty: the Tie Fast Knot Tool

2011-11-07T19:32:00.005-06:00

I've gotten back into fishing as a hobby over the course of the past year or so.

I normally fish for bass, and as such there's really only two knots you have to know: the arbor knot (to secure line to the reel), and a terminal knot. I've used the clinch knot, improved clinch knot, palomar knot and uni-knot. The cool thing about the uni-knot is that it functions as an arbor knot, terminal knot and splice. Palomar is better suited for braid, as the clinch & improved clinch will sometimes slip because braid is very slippery.

November 1 marks the beginning of trout season on Oklahoma's Blue River. Now, trout fishing is a whole different gig especially fly fishing.

Fly fisherman have knots out the wazoo. There's the standard issue arbor knot to secure backing to the reel. Then there's Albright knot to secure the fly line to the backing. Then there's the nail knot to secure the leader to the fly line. Then there's another knot to splice the tippet to the leader. And finally, the terminal knot to secure the fly to the tippet.

Knots for bass fishing are a lot easier. I usually fish 14-17 pound monofilament line, which is pretty bulky and stiff in comparison to 6 pound fly tippet, which is very small, thin and very flexible.

The nail knot is.... well, a pain in the ass. And if you don't have tools, it's an exercise in frustration at best.

I picked up a gizmo called a "Tie Fast Knot Tool". It makes tying the nail knot easy. Oh, but wait: that little gizmo can be used for virtually all knots! When tying it as a terminal knot, it's called a 'Gryp Knot' (sounds fancy), but it works well with braid & mono & tippet. What's neat is that the loose end (also called the tag end) is secured by every coil of the knot. The harder you pull, the more it cinches down on itself.

There's also a king-size version available for a couple of dollars more. This might be nice for older folks with less dexterity in their hands. Or you own after you've been freezing in a stream for several hours. Average price is $8-$10. I think this is an awesome tool. I have two of them -- one for my trout kit, one for my bass gear. And if I should lose one, you can bet I will be running out to replace it ASAP.

Here's a good video on the tool:

Product Review: Hart Buzzbait

2011-10-09T09:46:00.000-05:00

Buzzbaits are one of those essential lures in a tackle box. As a topwater lure they are good producers at dawn & dusk, but I've watched my little brother pull over 20 bass from a pond between 11am and 3pm on a sunny day with one too.

Last week I was fishing a pond with a Hart Buzzbait. I've had this in my tackle box for a few months, but I've only used it about 5 different occasions. Much of the time I use a Lunker brand buzzbait with a black lead head and a black & blue skirt. This one is a white lead-head with a Hart white skirt with red trailer strands.

On the 2nd trip out with this bait, the factory skirt started sliding down the body and on to the hook. It refused to stay in place regardless of what I did. Every cast resulted in the skirt being halfway down the hook. OK, fine, put a Strike King skirt on which looks a lot better in the water. Problem solved.

Tonight, about the 5th trip out with this bait, the bottom of the blade comes off. The bottom pivot hole in the blade that the axle runs through is gone. Completely gone. This broke at the blade.

At $3.99 it's one of the cheapest buzzbaits at Bass Pro Shops. But come on. Really? 5 trips and it disintegrates into uselessness?

Empty Hand Versus Knife

2011-10-06T22:09:00.002-05:00

Let me start with this: If you play with knives, you're going to get cut. Period. I seriously doubt there is anyone reading this who hasn't been cut with a kitchen knife while performing some task of slicing, dicing, chopping, deboning, filleting, etc. in the kitchen. Paper cuts don't count :lol:

If you have an encounter against an attacker with a knife, you're going to get cut. Period. Get used to the idea. It will probably help keep you from going into shock when he cuts you for the first time.

In tonight's Aikido class I asked the 11 people (self included) who carried a knife on a regular basis. Answer: 3. Just a random factoid.

In some of the classes the past couple of weeks, we've focused on knives. Defensively, we looked at the responses in Aikido's Koryu-Dai-San and some empty-hand Filipino arts entries that feed nicely to Aikido terminations. Offensively, we also looked at tori (the good guy) holding a knife, and using it during Aikido release techniques and how it will work the same as it feeds to the 17 techniques of Randori-No-Kata.

In all of this, we've also looked at things from two sides -- what you don't want to get cut if you are empty handed, and understanding areas to cut if you have a knife. It's the same targets. It's the same lesson with a dose of reinforcement about why. It's a short lesson to know the juicy spots that are show stoppers. This isn't about scoring points in a tournament, this is about the real world.

In martial arts training, empty hand defense against a knife is a tough game -- even against an untrained opponent. The Filipino arts deal with knives as a core element, so they're more prepared. Aikido, Judo, Karate, Kung-Fu, BJJ, etc. are behind the curve on this aspect.

Empty hand defense against a guy skilled in using a knife.... well, hope you can find a bigger badder weapon for that empty hand. Knives are a messy, lethal business, and the best solution is having a black belt in run-fu. Seriously, if you can leave, GO! Even with something in your hands with a range advantage this is still a problematic puzzle, as any over-commitment on your part results in giving your partner an opening to enter and wreak havoc. It can result in a Mexican standoff where neither side engages, which ought to be plenty fine.

Maintaining eye contact and using this to control distance is one of the best bets. DO NOT watch the knife. You're going to get cut anyway, but watching the blade ensures it will be very, very bad when it happens. Do not reach for the opponent, as he will only proceed to cut whatever you've offered him (assuming he's got some level of skill).

It's also important to note that in an encounter outside the dojo, it is good to pay attention to small details. Grappling becomes highly problematic should your opponent produce a blade and start carving you like a Thanksgiving turkey. The knife clips visible on the outside of pants pockets should be a beacon of potential danger, but most people will not even notice them.

Random thoughts. Need to play with different attack options yet, especially the prison shank "sewing machine" attack. Need to look at the brain-mouth disconnect when the attacker is forced to speak to provide a moment to gain entry.

Don't be afraid to try something new

2011-08-31T21:26:00.002-05:00

As a fisherman, I try to expand my toolbox each trip out -- try something new.

One of my great fishing buddies (like most any fisherman) has a favorite "go to" bait for catching fish. His just happens to be a Berkley Powerbait worm, 7½ inches, black with chartreuse tail.

In the martial arts, we call this a tokui waza or favorite/favored technique.

In either case, I call it a crutch.

You have to get outside your comfort zone. You have to try something new if you're going to grow.

So, my buddy promised himself (to my great shock, as he is highly competitive) that he would not throw his favorite worm all year long. He's been trying spinner baits, and crank baits, and things he wouldn't have tried otherwise. And guess what? He's catching bigger fish this year.

Last weekend I opted for something new. I was watching a fishing show with Roland Martin -- one of the legends of the sport -- I had saved on my DVR from the Outdoor Network. He was talking about what a great bait the Senko worm is.

Now, I like going to Bass Pro Shops. So much in fact, my girlfriend calls me a Bass Pro Ho. I've helped customers find stuff the staff didn't know the location of. Let's just say I've spent a couple of hours there and leave it at that.

I was going to pick up a bag of Gary Yamamoto Senko worms, except they didn't come in the color nor the size I was looking for. I started throwing 7½ inch worms, but lately have been favoring the 10 inch Berkley Powerbait. I've got a few from Yum, and noticed their variety of Senko called a Dinger. They had it in a 7 inch, and I immediately went for Junebug color -- which has been a great producer where I fish.

My girlfriend's son, who turns 15 at the end of October, is pretty new to bass fishing. He fished a little in 2010, and has barely wet a hook in 2011. He caught his first two bass last weekend, and would have made three if he'd set the hook. He asked me, "Why Junebug? You know that works. Why not try something else?"

Dammit.

He had me. I was going to get out of my comfort zone by trying a different manufacturer and style of worm. Heck, let's go for the trifecta and choose a different color. I labored over a couple of choices, and ended up with Yum's Red Shad color.

I gotta say, it was quite a producer. I probably used half a bag of worms. I had a perch pull one completely off the hook in a series of machine gun taps. I had two other bass totally swallow the worm, hook and all well past the barb on one giant hit. Needless to say, I was quite impressed. I got out of my comfort zone, and look at the results.

To summarize, don't fall prey to the things that feel comfortable. We develop confidence in a martial arts technique or a fishing bait because it's created success for us in the past. We often skip many other great producers and keep doing the same old thing because it's worked in the past. Get out of your comfort zone, try something new. Heck, you might just end up with a new favorite!

Sometimes, shit happens.

2011-08-22T23:22:00.000-05:00

American society is fascinated, date I say obsessed, with assigning blame. We often want to blame other people. We rarely take stock of our role in an event. Sometimes, shit happens. Feces does occur naturally in the world, and sometimes we step in it.

I bring two examples to the discussion today.

First, a little example of horseplay and its results:

A little horseplay while on a cabling job with one of my friends with a new pair of Klein electrician scissors resulted in a nice, deep cut. Deep enough that my great doctor friend put four stitches in my lower right leg (sans anesthetic) later that night, at his house, in his kitchen, on the counter. Preventable? Abso-freaking-lutely. Did he feel really, really bad about it? Yes. But you know what? Shit happens. And I'm glad I have a really good friend to patch me up.

In the dojo, we sometimes run into accidents too. Our dojo's injury rate is quite low -- one trip to the ER in over 12 years, because one person needed stitches to close a separation in his foot after dropping a 215 pound man directly onto his foot. I'm pretty sure I didn't teach him to do the throw that way. Sometimes, shit happens.

Sometimes, we injure a training partner. Now, this is where I need to draw a line of distinction. In a "fight club" environment most folks would say, "whoopie doo, shit happens." Not much regard for their partner's well being.

But, in a real dojo, a real place where people train for education, we often feel bad about it. Really bad. Bad enough to stop training for a while, sometimes forever. We feel guilt. We feel shame. We feel embarrassment.

In some cases, maybe we apply a throw with too much power, at an incorrect angle. I can speak to this, as I've broken a training partner's leg in practice. Yes, I felt like shit, I felt guilty, ashamed, embarrassed, and contemplated quitting training. But I didn't. Sometimes, shit happens. That was the last week of December, 1999. I'm still training. But, I learned some important lessons from that event and haven't injured anyone since -- with that throw or any other.

Maybe our partner comes from a different dojo, a different system, and as such has quirks about how they do (or sometimes, sadly do not) submit, tap out, or signal submission. Some places just don't teach this, because, after all, tapping out (just like falling down) is for losers -- the real world doesn't give you a chance to tap out. Bat noise. We're in a dojo, not a bar, street fight, or zombie apocalypse. That's why we have pistols, rifles, knives and machetes. I'm pretty sure that when the zombie apocalypse occurs, shit will happen.

Maybe their training quirks get in the way. Maybe our own internal ego or desire to show things gets in the way. Sometimes we feel like there's something to prove -- Yeah, I can do this to you, even when you don't want me to. And when these two conditions line up... you guessed it, shit happens. And sometimes, bad shit happens, sometimes not. In either case, a partner is injured and the feelings of guilt and shame creep in.

To close, most accidents are preventable. My buddy screwing around has landed me with four stitches, coaching Judo for a couple of weeks while I heal, and relegated me to fishing from the bank rather than my float tube.

Sometimes shit happens. Those feelings of guilt, shame, embarrassment, etc., show that you are a real human being concerned about your partner's welfare. Learn from the event and keep training.

What's the purpose of martial arts?

2011-07-24T09:57:00.000-05:00

Having just finished a great seminar on the subject of the tactical application of Aikido, with an emphasis on law enforcement application, there's a few things running around in my head.

The first of which is what's the purpose of martial arts? Self defense. Period. Full stop. End of story. The martial arts are not a game, they are not a sport. They were invented as forms of self defense, and we should really remember that. Bad guys don't care about rules, or as a police officer your department's rules and regulations.

Bad guys don't follow the rules; if they did they wouldn't be in prison. Read that again and think about it.

The bad guys train to beat the good guys. Whether it's escaping while hand cuffed, running with leg irons, or fighting from a 5-point restraint, or stripping an officer's weapon from their holster, the bad guys are bad for a reason.

It has been said that 20% of the population causes 80% of the problems. As a martial artist, the 80% of the population with no combat training doesn't really concern me -- that's the sort of the thing that should be trivial to deal with. Of that 20%, even the first 10% ain't that bad. But, that last 10% of real bad animals, that's who you want to train against.

If you train against the worst case scenario, everything else is easy.

Dress To Survive, Not To Arrive

2011-02-01T16:01:00.000-06:00

I attended the annual Outdoor Expo back in 2008, and had the great fortune of meeting Peter Kummerfeldt,a nice chap with a knack for story telling and full of knowledge on survival. His website is www.outdoorsafe.com\.

During a portion of his lecture, Kummerfeldt described the worst case of frostbite he had ever personally witnessed. People dress to arrive, but not to survive. A lady was driving to work in Alaska, and became stranded. She walked many miles in the winter to get to help, wearing her knee-high boots and a mini-skirt. From the bottom of the mini-skirt to the top of the boots was pure frostbite. And bad.

I thought about that as I prepared for work this morning. Oklahoma is dealing with one of the worst blizzards in history. So far, in Oklahoma City, we received about a foot of snow, temperatures of 7 degrees and sustained winds of nearly 30 miles per hour. That puts the wind chill somewhere in the -20's.

I put my Toyota Tacoma in 4-wheel drive and headed south on one of Oklahoma City's "Emergency Snow Routes". These streets are supposed to receive attention first and frequently. The plows had not yet touched the first 1½ miles of road. I followed them for the next mile. In all, I counted over 20 vehicles that were stranded.

Now, do you have what you need in order to survive in your car, when it's 7 degrees outside, when you're probably wet from the snow trying to dig your car out?

Take stock of what you carry in your vehicle. It just might save your life.

A blanket, or even better, a sleeping bag. Water, snack bars, extra clothing (because wet clothes suck!), a fully-charged cell phone, flashlight with good batteries --- just some examples.

How do you view things?

2010-12-17T20:30:00.000-06:00

How do you view things?

It's an interesting question. In watching shows dealing with nature, be it survival or fishing or hunting, I've noticed a trend. People tend to fall into one of two categories.

The first category views the object as an enemy. Survivalists see things as "me versus Mother Nature". Some fisherman describe their approach to fishing more like Sun Tzu -- the fish is the enemy. They want to know their enemy, what makes them tick, etc.

The second category views life as a cooperative experience. Survivalists see a situation, and can relax knowing Mother Nature has provided more than an adequate amount of material for them to survive. Fisherman may think of things as relating to how their target fish might think, what they eat based on this time of year, water temperature, what their prey is doing, etc.

How do we view life?

Do we view things as a continuous struggle, fighting against everything, seeing everything as an enemy to be beaten?

Do we view things as a land of plenty, knowing there's no reason to get stressed?

Principles in the real world

2010-11-08T08:56:00.000-06:00

I took a little over a week off from the dojo. It's a rare event for me to miss 5 of my regular training session, but it can be good to have a break to process information.

One of the things that came to me when I first came back was the Judo principle of "Maximum efficiency, minimum effort".

In the martial arts, it isn't what you can add to an art that defines it. The art has been stripped to its bare essentials. All extraneous things have been removed. One must look at things and ask if we are doing things with maximum efficiency or not. And if not, it is highly unlikely that we can do so with minimum effort.

Here is an example of maximum efficiency. Zero excess motion. Excess motion is excess time. The process has been reduced to its barest essential movements.

I've gotten back into fishing recently. I bought two new rods & two new reels, as my existing gear dates back to my early teens. One of them is very nice, and will throw any lure of any weight with no effort. The other one... well, it's a little more finicky. It throws heavier things better. And, if I put too much "umpf" in the cast, the little baitcast reel resembles a bird's nest. If you're a baitcaster, you know what I mean. I've had to cut the line off the reel twice now. I'm trying to force things to happen rather than letting them happen.

Flyfishing is upon us, with trout season in Oklahoma just opening not even a week ago. Flyfishing is a much different concept and technique than baitcasting. The fly weighs virtually nothing -- perhaps the same as a tie from a loaf of bread. Even the largest of the flies I own would not even register as a single gram on my scale. One cannot control and demand the fly be cast somewhere in the stream. Rather, one must gently, slowly feed out line, coaxing the fly skillfully to a point. Interestingly, these large motions are not excess motion.

So, I've been trying to ask myself if I am being as efficient with my motion and energy as possible. I invite you to try it in your practice as well. You will probably find (as I have) that there is room for improvement. Don't limit this to your mat time practice either -- look at things you do daily and see if you can apply "maximum efficiency, minimum effort" elsewhere too.

September is National Preparedness Month

2010-09-02T21:41:00.002-05:00

Some of my posts have been leading up to this. September is National Preparedness Month.

And, as if on cue, here comes Mother Nature with Hurricane Earl.

A lot of preparedness, in my mind, involves playing the "What if?" game.

For example, when I lost power for three or four days a couple of years ago it was no big deal. I go camping, so sleeping bag & blankets to stay warm. Hot water heater is natural gas, so no loss of service. Food was no biggie, as there was plenty in the pantry. Water wasn't impacted but it easily could have been. I have two different Coleman stoves with plenty of fuel to cook, plus a charcoal grill, a gas grill and a smoker. Coleman lantern uses the same fuel as the stove, so there's light with candles as a backup. All in all, I was set.

What lessons did I learn?

First, a 550 gallon hot tub that is cranked to 104 degrees will stay above freezing with no power for days if left closed. The insulation on the tub itself and the cover are pretty amazing. But, in a long-term situation it would need to be drained. Make sure you drain your water hoses before storing them.

Food is less of a problem now, and I've added some bottled water to my stores just in case.

I need to add more Coleman fuel as a cooking & lighting source. And probably check my candle supply to see where I'm at. I have learned that beeswax candles are supposed to burn brighter, hotter and longer than their paraffin counterparts.

Tonight, we had a big cold front move through. Lots of rain, lots of lightning, high winds. What if I lost power? What's my plan?

What if it stayed off for a few days? Do I have everything I need?

Keep in mind, no electricity means you can't pump fuel at the gas station. You can't use an ATM card. You might not be able to cook, or have hot water. There's lots of things you probably don't even think about that will be all messed up.

As an exercise, just go throw the main breaker on your house for 24 hours. You'll see just how jacked up things can get. Shut off the water coming into the house. You can create a controlled survival situation, so when the real one happens you're already familiar with how life goes on.

Potable Water -- Plan Ahead

2010-08-16T18:06:00.004-05:00

We should take the opportunity to learn from the current disaster with flooding in Pakistan. Potable water is a very real problem. The average life expectancy of an adult in average conditions is about 3 days without water.

During a disaster, water is often contaminated. Looking to the past with Hurricane Katrina, and to the present with the situation in Pakistan, should serve to remind us that pure water is imperative in any survival preparation.

Many people use water pitchers are home, made by companies like Brita and Pur. Will these do the job?

Absolutely not. They tell you so, assuming you take the time to read the package. Both state they "are not intended to purify water", and "do not use with water that is microbiologically unsafe" or "of unknown quality".

They will not remove wilderness pathogens either -- things like Giardia or Cryptosporidium.

So, if you're trapped at home and need to purify water, grab some of the books I've mentioned here. Boiling is safe, assuming you have electricity or natural gas -- and if it's a disaster you'd be a fool to assume you will have essential services. Good old household bleach is even recommended by the CDC for purification.

You're not being paranoid thinking about the problems. You're safeguarding yourself, and your family, against a threat. Plan ahead.

Review: 98.6: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive!

2010-08-11T17:57:00.001-05:00

98.6: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive!
Written by Cody Lundin
ISBN 978-1-58685-234-4
MSRP $16.99
192 pages

My first exposure to Cody was on a new series on Discovery Channel entitled “Dual Survival”.

Cody pairs up with Dave Canterbury of the Pathfinder School, as Discovery drops two guys with very radically different approaches to survival into various locations across the globe.

The first show I saw was titled “Shipwrecked”, and I began wondering just who in the hell this hippie looking dude was walking around in the snow of Nova Scotia in shorts and only wool socks – no shoes.

As I started researching, I learned that Cody hasn't worn shoes but a couple of times in almost 20 years. He runs the Aboriginal Living Skills School in Prescott, Arizona.

98.6: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive! is a much different survival book. There's no mention of hunting, fishing, foraging, snares, skinning or cooking in the book. As a matter of fact, nearly half of the book, some 95 pages, is dedicated to the discussion of a personal survival kit. This is the most in-depth discussion of the subject matter I've seen in a book. Lundin explains his kit in detail, and gives insight into why he chose the items he did.

Lundin's writing style is interesting. It definitely keeps the reader's attention, which is exactly what he says he wants to do in the beginning of the book. There's a lot about the important of attitude and mindset, as is common with many survival books including others I've reviewed recently. This book is geared toward the idea of a short-term wilderness survival situation, where search and rescue personnel are conducting a search. In such cases, most folks are found within three days. Lundin does an excellent job with one of the keys of survival – body temperature. If you are hypothermic (too cold, freezing) or hyperthermic (too hot, like heat stroke) then you're in trouble already. Lundin explains methodologies for both scenarios on how to regulate body temperature.

I have to say, of all the wilderness survival books I've read this is the one I've enjoyed the most. That being said, I'm working on another of Lundin's books right now.

Review: Tom Brown's Field Guide to City and Suburban Survival

2010-08-10T21:40:00.000-05:00

Tom Brown's Field Guide to City and Suburban Survival
Written by Tom Brown, Jr., with Brandt Morgan
ISBN 978-0-425-09172-2
MSRP $15 US
272 pages, paperback

This book is the city-dweller's companion to the Wilderness Survival Guide.

Brown discusses a bit about the mental aspects of survival, which is one the key factors in making it through the bad scene. Brown continues with chapters on shelter, water, heat & light, food, crime, weather and disasters.

I liked this book a bit less than the Wilderness Survival Guide, and I think that's partially due to the fact that much of this stuff seems like common sense to me. I lived quite comfortably without electricity for a few days a couple of years ago when an ice storm crippled most of Oklahoma. And that's sort of what this book is about: survival in an urban environment.

Being an outdoor enthusiast, I have plenty of camping gear, sleeping bags, stoves and lanterns and fuel, food.... I was never overly concerned. But, for folks who don't enjoy the great outdoors this book offers insight in how to make it with what you have.

Review: Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival

2010-08-08T14:31:00.002-05:00

Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival
Written by Tom Brown, Jr., with Brandt Morgan
ISBN 978-0-425-10572-6
MSRP $15 US
288 pages, paperback

I enjoy the outdoors. It's best to be prepared for an emergency before it happens. And in this book, Tom Brown relays several different skills of wilderness survival.

Brown leads off with a chapter on Attitude, and this seems to the main characteristic of those who survive a bad deal in the woods versus those who didn't.

Brown continues with chapters on shelter, water, fire, plants, animals, cooking, fashioning tools and finishes with a chapter on cautions. Brown discusses each of these items in good detail, and explains things in an easy to understand fashion.

I borrowed a copy from my local library, and enjoyed it so much I bought my own. I just finished my third reading of it last week. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who spends a fair amount of time in the outdoors.

Get out there and move!

2010-08-03T21:54:00.002-05:00

Moving around & throwing with Cameron Siemens.

Oddly, I was doing some seoi-nage (shoulder throw), which is one of my worst techniques, this night.

Making Time Count

2010-07-22T21:48:00.001-05:00

We learn by repetition. Guys who have been around a lot longer than me say it takes 10,000 repetitions to know a throw and 100,000 repetitions to own the throw. There's a limited amount of time we're at the dojo each week, and we should make the most of it.

There are some things that we choose not to change, ranging from stretching to footsweep drill. So, the place to increase repetitions is to decrease the time between them.

The following numbers describe the total number of throws possible during the time allotted at the pace listed. This would be for both partners, since we take turns throwing each other. For the number of throws you would get as an individual, half the numbers listed.

If you perform one throw every 30 seconds:
that's 2 throws per minute
60 throws in 30 minutes of throwing
120 throws a week; 6,000 throws a year (attending class twice weekly)
180 throws a week; 9,000 throws a year (attending class three times weekly)

If you perform a throw every 15 seconds:
that's 4 throws per minute
120 throws in 30 minutes of throwing
240 throws a week; 12,000 throws a year (attending class twice weekly)
360 throws a week; 18,000 throws a year (attending class three times weekly)

If you perform a throw every 12 seconds:
that's 5 throws per minute
150 throws in 30 minutes of throwing
300 throws a week; 15,000 throws a year (attending class twice weekly)
450 throws a week; 22,500 throws a year (attending class three times weekly)

If you perform a throw every 10 seconds:
that's 6 throws per minute
180 throws in 30 minutes of throwing
360 throws a week; 18,000 throws a year (attending class twice weekly)
540 throws a week; 27,000 throws a year (attending class three times weekly)

So, simply increasing our pace results in 3,000 (worst case) to 9,000 (best case) throws annually.

Just something to think about.

Activity Via Passivity, Part II

2010-06-20T09:05:00.004-05:00

The whole idea of passive action boggles the mind. Here's another example of passive action which can result in a nice application of hand-throw (te waza) which can also be combined with a little bit of foot action for a bigger action.

The passive action of merely dropping the hand to make contact with uke's arm is capable of producing a throw. This allows tori to really sharpen his timing which will apply across all throwing applications, not just hand throws.

Space Blanket For Survival? Rethink and Evaluate.

2010-06-13T10:26:00.003-05:00

The mylar space blanket, sold by a variety of companies under a variety of names, has long been considered a staple for a pocket survival kit. Many people buy one, and never bother to look at it despite its incredibly low cost.

Mylar was originally developed by NASA in 1964 for the US Space Program. These blankets can reflect up to 97% of radiated heat -- perfect for a survival situation. It can be used as a body wrap in cold weather, or as a tarp or lean-to shelter in warmer climates.

But, have you ever opened one of these things?

The curtains in my living room are a little thin, and the afternoon and evening sun pours in the west windows into my living room. Not only does it drive the temperature inside the house up, it also creates a lot of glare on the TV. So, I decided to hang this from the windows to reflect the sunlight and related heat.

First, attempts to remove the blanket from the Coleman package were futile. I had to destroy the package to get the blanket out. In a survival situation, especially in the cold, you might lack dexterity and strength in your hands to tear the plastic package open. It's also possible that you might have only one hand, which would make the situation even worse.

Second, the blanket has more folds than one might imagine. A common size for these mylar blankets is 52 inches by 84 inches, or roughly 130 centimeters by 210 centimeters. This size is folded, over and over and over again to reduce its packaged size to about 3 inches by 5 inches. With both hands, it took at least two minutes to fully unfold the thing into a single flat sheet. Again, in a survival situation with reduced dexterity or an injured limb, this would be a difficult task.

Third, these are relatively fragile. While I did not experience any tears in my living room, I did watch a space blanket tear in half from a small puncture at an outdoor survival seminar. These are not known for toughness or puncture resistance. And, let's face it, it isn't like the wilderness is full of stuff that can create damage.

If you choose to pack one of these in a survival kit, you owe it to yourself to buy a spare and experiment with. There are alternatives to the standard mylar blanket available, including more durable models from Adventure Medical.

Smoked Meatloaf

2010-06-07T15:07:00.003-05:00

There's an old saying: Think outside the box.

Now, meatloaf with a serving of mashed potatoes can quite easily be one of the most wonderful meals. But, it's summer. I hate using the oven because it heats the house, and raises my electric bill further than the 100+ degree Oklahoma summers do.

I like grilling and smoking, so why not? A smoker is sort of like a big, charcoal oven with a little smoky flavor as a by-product.

Here's my recipe thus far. This is a very new deal, and is still being refined. This is the second time I've tried it. This recipe includes adjustments made from the initial run, but is by no means complete. Please feel free to share any ideas:

2.25 pounds of hamburger; I like 80/20 for the fat content. You can use a 96/4, but I find it to be a little dry.
1 pound of pork sausage, like Jimmy Dean or Owen's. Use the log, not the link.
3/4 cup of shredded carrot
1 large onion, finely chopped or shredded
2 large eggs
1 cup Panko Japanese bread crumbs (or bread crumbs, or ground croutons)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder (or fresh garlic, or roasted garlic)
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder (I used some chipotle, but any should work)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup New Mexico green chili (if you use canned, look for Hatch brand from New Mexico).

You should also drop the $2 for a disposable aluminum pan -- like a small turkey pan. I use this inside the smoker to reduce cleanup from all the fat dripping off, and it makes it easy to move to the oven for finishing if necessary.

To start, take your favorite loaf pan and line it completely with saran wrap. This should cover the bottom and sides. This is to prevent any potential reaction between the meat and the pan. And, it's very helpful to do this first, because mashing all the ingredients together only to discover you forgot to line the pan blows.

Wash you hands, get a big bowl. Combine everything, and use your hands to mash it all up and bring it together. Get messy, have fun, and mix thoroughly. Pack into your pre-lined loaf pan, knead it gently into the corners. Cover with saran wrap and let refrigerate overnight. These flavors need to be friends, so give them a chance.

Fire up the smoker. My Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn can take a good while to warm up to operating temperature. If possible, warm up to your selected cooking temperature. But, it's completely optional. Nobody will know if you don't.

Remove the top layer of saran wrap from your loaf pan. Take the disposable pan, place upside down on the loaf pan. Turn the whole thing upside down (or right side up depending on how you look at it). Remove the loaf pan -- which slides off easily thanks to the saran wrap lining. Remove saran wrap.

This will cook approximately 6 hours at 225, though a meat thermometer is a necessity. I shoot for 165 in the dead center of the loaf, and let it rest at least 15 minutes before slicing.

Activity Via Passivity

2010-05-06T21:34:00.002-05:00

This is an interesting idea that I explored during Aikido tonight.

In Judo, I often speak of active and passive grips. Active is the preferred method: the shoulder & arm is engaged in proactively seeking out information about our partner. The passive method, we set our grips and then relax our arms which results in dampening our data stream.

This is a Judo application, and in my opinion is easy for people to grasp. Once they understand the concept of turning off the shoulder, moving out to extended grips as in typical Aikido toshu-randori.

The concept is to take an active grip, hopefully as normal. From there, I intentionally turn this into a passive grip -- just turn your shoulder off and let your hand drop. The key is to time this action with uke's forward stepping action on the side you are affecting.

LA Police Gear 3-Day Assault Pack

2010-04-30T17:04:00.003-05:00

One of the guys at the dojo was showing me his new knife. Being a guy who likes sharp, shiny things I asked where he picked it up. He told me that LA Police Gear was having a sale, so, what's a guy to do? Of course I checked it out! I came out relatively unscathed, but picked up several items.

The final item, the LA Police Gear 3-Day Assault pack, was available only in black. For backpacking, not my first choice in color. I opted to go with the backordered olive drab color. About 3 weeks later I made an inquiry about the status of the backorder, and was able to change to the coyote tan color simply by asking. Well, fast forward another 5 weeks or so and the pack finally arrived.

So, let's get some of the preliminaries out of the way. Capacity is listed as 2,590 cubic inches (appx. 42 liters), weight is 3 pounds (1371 grams). Overall dimensions are 19" tall, 13" wide, 12" thick at the bottom, tapering to 9" thick at the top. Price? $29.99.

For $29.99, I wasn't expecting much. I figured this would be a cheaply made pack, most likely poorly balanced and questionable construction. At worst, I figured it would be tossed out if it died. I was wrong.

The material looks & feels like ballistic nylon -- inherently tough stuff. The bag sports a total of 4 compression straps (2 top, 2 bottom) to snug the pack down tightly -- a shifting load is neither quiet nor comfortable. The stitching work is pretty outstanding -- only a couple of loose threads to be trimmed, and there's more stitching than I'd ever, ever care to do.

The bag sports a lot of MOLLE attachment points. Each side sports 4 rows at 2 points wide, followed by 3 rows at 4 points wide. On the back panel, the upper compartment is 3 rows at 4 points while the lower panel is 3 rows at 6 points. The bottom of the bag also sports 3 rows at 5 points. LOTS of places to stick MOLLE-compatible pockets, pouches, canteens and other assorted goodies. Or, use carabiners to hang stuff. Or use cord to tie stuff on. You get the picture.

The main compartment has a sleeve for a hydration bladder, with options for left or right shoulder exit ports. The large zippers provide easy access. The pack is a panel loader, not a top loader. The zippers open about 2/3 of the length of the pack. There is also a small storage pouch inside the main pocket. The top & bottom exterior compartments contain no smaller pockets inside.

At 2590 cubic inches, this might be my new pack for the trail. I've been working on reducing gear weight, bulk and leaving stuff at home. This could be very doable as a 6 day summer pack. I think its size is inadequate for spring/fall backpacking where additional layers of clothing are required.

Clearing off the dust

2010-04-20T21:49:00.003-05:00

Wow. It's been a while since I last wrote. Compared to some of the guys blogs I follow (see on the right side of the page for the list), I feel like a total slacker.

I spent a good few weeks obsessing over backpacking gear. If you go back in time, you'll notice that my pack weight has dropped considerably in the past few years. Going from nearly 80 pounds to around 40 made the trip more enjoyable. I have been looking at gear options to make that more like 20 pounds. Note: all weights here include a week of food and 3 liters of water. Now, for someone who likes number crunching with spreadsheets, looking at various gear options is a lot of fun and quite often turns expensive. I wait, think, debate, nearly buy, back off, think, debate, nearly buy... I have trouble making decisions sometimes when it comes to spending money. Well, with a lead time of 6-8 weeks I wouldn't have the new bivy or tarp in time for the trip, so it will be fall or next year before I do anything crazy now.

In other news, the Kaze Uta Budo Kai video library is around 580 videos, and is rapidly closing in on the 100,000 views total mark. We're taking a brief breather and will be ramping up production again soon.

I've also recently started brewing beer again, which has been a lot of fun. I've introduced (read: drafted) my guitar sensei Rob into helping out. Brewing takes a couple of hours, and bottling a few weeks later takes a few hours. It's largely a little work with a lot of waiting in between. The Oktoberfest turned out nice, but needs a more pronounced malt flavor in my opinion. The Belgian Wit (Wheat) beer turned out remarkably -- very much like Blue Moon. In about 3 weeks I'll try to tell you about the Irish Stout that's brewing on my kitchen counter.

Shime-waza (choke) series

2010-02-16T21:51:00.002-06:00

One of our Judo students commented that we have several different arm bar series, but what about a choke series. Well, this is the result of that question. Good shime-waza has an almost artistic quality to it, with very precise application of technique.

Arm Bar Series

2010-02-15T17:17:00.002-06:00

There are several different series we use to build repetitions of various kansetsu-waza, or arm locking techniques. There are several available via the Kaze Uta Budo Kai YouTube channel, or via our forum where it's all nice and organized.

Here's my latest incarnation:

Ushiro Kesa Gatame

2010-02-12T17:31:00.002-06:00

Ushiro-kesa-gatame (aka, reverse kesa) is my favorite technique when it comes to holding folks down. The hold provides a large degree of control, especially of your partner's head and shoulders.

The second part I like about ushiro-kesa is that it's the doorway for the fellows affectionately call the Sloan Straightjacket.

Zen & The Art of Straight Razor Shaving

2010-01-25T20:01:00.004-06:00

Sometimes it's fun to look back on things we've written over the years. The following article was originally written as two articles for the Straight Razor Place website, where I'm happy to serve as one of the members of the mod squad. Straight Razor Place is the original, oldest group on the Internet, with its origin tracing back to a humble beginning as a Yahoo group. We outgrew Yahoo and launched a full-blown website, which now has over 20,000 members from all over the world. These were written about five years ago, and have been combined here into a single article. They are also part of the Straight Razor Place WIKI, and can be found in the Beginner's Section. Hopefully I haven't warped too many fragile minds with this.

Zen is a word with many interpretations. Its utterance almost immediately brings images of monks with their shaved heads in their saffron-colored robes sitting and chanting. Zen is quite difficult to explain, as its nature is almost oxymoronic. I will not attempt to explain Zen, but will explain one of its key concepts and how it relates to shaving, and in a bigger sense life.

The Basic Concept
A key concept in Zen is mushin, or no mind. The idea is when the mind is not focused upon any one thing it is able to freely perceive everything. We try to expand this idea through our entire body with total awareness and focus on everything, which we can only achieve by focusing on nothing. Remember how I said oxymorons? This statement seems to practically be in direct conflict with itself. Let's tie this to some real world stuff.

First, if you focus your vision on an object, really focus on it to discern every detail, you will find that your peripheral vision goes to practically nothing. However, if you allow yourself to look at the item with an open gaze, you can see the item and everything surrounding it. Think about how you look at mountains, the ocean, or anything scenic landscape.

Second, examine a scene from the movie The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise. Cruise's character, Captain Nathan Algren, is training to use the katana (samurai sword). During his one-on-one practice against a more skilled opponent, Algren is repeatedly beaten. His counterpart explains, "Mind sword. Mind face. Mind people watch. Too many mind. No mind." When Algren empties his mind is able to more clearly see his opponent's action and enjoys success.

Third, examine a scene with Chevy Chase from the move Caddyshack. "There is a force that makes things happen... and all you have to do is get in touch with it. Stop thinking... let things happen... and be the ball."

There is an old Zen story where a monk goes to a monastery to train with the master. Upon arrival, the master asks if the student has had breakfast. The student replies in the affirmative, to which the master responds, "Then wash your bowls." The master is not being gruff, but does demonstrate the odd and sometimes cryptic nature of Zen. The master is is telling the student to pay attention to the immediate present of his training.

What does this have to do with straight razor shaving? Everything and nothing ;)

When you make lather, just make lather. We aren't doing anything special. It's just rubbing a wet brush in some soap or cream to create nice, smelly bubbles.

When you strop, just strop. Feel and listen to what the razor is telling you. The suction on the strop as you draw the razor, the way the sound of the action changes, the way you can feel the edge improve.

When you shave, just shave. Did I say don't pay attention with all this empty-minded mumbo jumbo? No! The exact opposite. You pay strict attention, otherwise you get scars and laughs from spouses, friends and co-workers. We all know the importance of stretching the skin, maintaining razor angle, and all the other mechanics of shaving. Get past the mechanics, don't think -- just do. Be the shave!

The object is to so deeply submerse yourself in your actions that you become the action itself. Immerse yourself in the action, and not the mechanics of the action.

[Second Article]
Basic Concept, Expanded

We begin the education process with an initial learning phase. We are learning about how things work. This is the initial part of the learning curve.

In school, we all learned how to multiply. It's nothing more than addition, but initially there was a huge learning curve to overcome.
In martial arts we learn basic body positioning and fundamentals of execution.
In straight razor shaving, we learn how to strop, hold the razor, prep the beard. Think about how much we all read when we first started.
I read the manual and try to understand how a new piece of telephone test gear works, what it does, etc.

Once we overcome the initial hurdle, we move on to a doing phase. We're doing the actual thing we learned at this point, although probably not very well initially. We've got the basics, but we don't actually own the skill yet. We spend a long time here, polishing the skill and becoming better.

In school we do all the homework that kept us from playtime as a child doing multiplication tables.
In martial arts, we spend months (if not years) repeating basic concepts, doing the same old drills.
In straight razor shaving, we're putting the steel to our throats and actually shaving at this point. We're making pink soap less and less frequently at this point.
I'm using my test gear to troubleshoot phone service. I understand most of what I'm looking at, but sometimes ask one of the other guys what the test results mean.

After a long time in this phase, we have polished our skills to perfection. Only now can we perform at this Zen level.

What's two times two? You don't think about it in your head or write it on paper. Your brain screams "Four!" in a split second.
After many, many years at the dojo throwing skills and paradigms change. It's no longer this technique or that technique... there is no technique -- it's all the same. Often when engaged in high speed play, the brain decides what throw to perform in a split-second. Your training partner is flying through the air and your conscious mind is just now catching up to that fact. The throw came from out of nowhere, with no planning, no conscious engagement.
In straight razor shaving, we can strop without thinking about how to turn the razor, or not push too hard. Heck, we can think about other stuff like what shaving cream we will use today. The action is burned into our subconscious.
That cool tool... I don't even think about how to use it anymore. I turn the knobs and push the buttons and automatically interpret the results without thinking at all.

Let's recap:

How many weeks did you work on multiplication tables? I know that in 3rd grade, it seemed like forever even though it was only several weeks.
At our dojo we tell Judo students it takes 10,000 repetitions to know a throw, and 100,000 to own the throw. Sound far fetched? Unfortunately it isn't.
The straight razor... I can't speak to how long this takes. I've only been doing it for a year now :)
It took me about a year and a half to be extremely proficient in using that cool telephone testing tool, and now I can't even think about doing my job without it.

There's an old martial arts saying, "There are no short cuts because there is no end." It's about repetition. Plain and simple. There are no short cuts. Period. We have to develop the motor skills and coordination, and repetition is how it's done.

Think back to when you first learned to drive a car. It demanded your full attention. Now, it's a subconscious act. If you think I'm bluffing, how many red lights did you stop at on your way home, or how many lane changes did you make? You can't tell me, because your conscious mind is minimally involved. You probably travel the same route from home to work & back, to the store, etc. Once your subconscious knows the routes, it only needs minimal conscious involvement.

I have Judo throws that under normal practice circumstances feel very clunky, despite almost 13 [now 18] years of practice. However, if my subconscious chooses to execute that same throw under dynamic conditions it feels like absolutely nothing, which is what all throwing in the martial arts should feel like. Again, only when my conscious mind is turned off, my subconscious can drive and make the right decisions.

The true spirit of this Zen shaving concept is the same. Let the subconscious do, let the conscious mind go.

With the spirit of Zen we attempt to achieve the same thing: perfection without conscious involvement.

Mindfulness
Recently, our dojo had an all night training session. This is the first one we've done in the 14 years I've been a student there. It is called kangeiko (pronounced con-gay-koh or con-guy-koh), meaning winter training. Some facilities, such as the Kodokan Judo Center in Tokyo, simply expand their normal schedule. Some schools have a weekend retreat with a normal schedule. Some schools open all the doors and windows and turn off the heat, meaning you have to work hard to stay warm. We didn't go quite that crazy, but all night was pretty crazy. There's another one called shochugeiko (pronounced sho-choo-gay-koh for summer training.

We have our main training floor where all the martial arts take place. We also have a back room area where we have a small zendo -- a Zen dojo. We currently have three different schools meeting there, offering a taste of Tibetan, Vietnamese and Japanese meditation. Both spaces have their own energy, and they are pretty different. So, aside from the joys of training from 6pm to 7:30am pretty much non-stop, we also tried to incorporate concepts from Zen and meditation to our schedule. We practiced Aikido, Judo, Jyodo (Japanese Short Staff), Chi Gung (Chinese energy exercises), as well as sampling the different meditation groups. Each training session was 45 minutes, followed by a 15 minute break to grab water, tea, coffee, restroom, etc.

The main issue we tried to incorporate was mindfulness -- really paying attention to what we were doing on an elevated level. We didn't do a lot of teaching, nor much talking. Instead, we tried to work in as much silence as possible, while practicing at a very slow pace. The slowness of movement really amplifies the feelings of off-balance, tension, strength and many other things. With the objective of practice to be mindful, many of us came to new understandings of key concepts.

Now, what does being a martial arts junkie lunatic who trained all night have to do with shaving? Observe grasshopper.

Take each aspect of your shave, and really pay super-mega-close attention to every minute, tiny detail.

Stropping
As you strop, pay attention to the feel of the draw. How much pressure are you using? Could you use less? Should you use more? Listen to the sound of the blade as it moves across the leather. How does it sound? Is it smooth with a pleasant noise? Does it make a smooth sound or a scratchy sound?

Beard Prep
Lather up like normal. Now, did you use circles or strokes like a paintbrush? How much pressure did you use as you applied the soap or cream? How warm is the shaving soap/cream today? How watery or stiff is it? Close your eyes, inhale deeply and slowly, noting the very light scent.

Shaving
Perform your shave as normal, just pay close attention to every detail. How does your skin feel as you stretch it? How much tension are you using to stretch it? Could you use more? Could you get away with less? How does the razor feel as it moves across your face? How easily are those whiskers being cut? What sounds are being made by the razor as it does it work? Pay close attention to your grip, and how tight or loose it is. Feel the balance of the razor. How does it change if you open the handle more, or close it some? How is its balance affected by the tension in your grip. It's a precision instrument we're using, not some garden implement.

Cleanup
As you rinse your razor under the hot water, can you feel the temperature change of the steel? As you dry the razor, notice how the only resistance you feel as you draw the razor through the towel is caused by how hard you pinch the blade between the towel. Carefully examine your razor, the blade, the scales, the pivot pin. It's a real work of beauty, isn't it.

Do everything you normally do, but be mindful of each and every aspect of the entire process. The feel, the sound, the pressure or its absence, the smells... each of these things take on new life, add new depth to our shave. They have always been here talking to us... we just need to listen.

Pozole - Pork & Hominy Soup

2010-01-19T06:05:00.003-06:00

I was introduced to this dish by my high school Spanish teacher. Here's my latest evolution:

1 1/2 lbs pork shoulder
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon cumin powder
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
4 cups canned white hominy, drained and rinsed
3-5 cups pork broth, from cooking pork shoulder
1 cup canned diced green chilis
salt
2 whole fresh jalapenos, chopped (optional)

Place the pork in a big pot, cover with water. Add half the chopped onion, the 2 whole cloves of garlic, pepper, cumin & oregano. Bring to a boil over medium heat, cover, reduce heat & simmer for one hour.

Remove the pork (careful, it's hot!). Strain the broth, making certain you save it. Let the pork rest 10 minutes, then disassemble. You can cut it into cubes or shred it into bite-size chunks.

Sautee the remaining half onion and chopped garlic in olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add remaining spices, stir for one minute. Add the pork. Add the hominy (which you drained & rinsed). Add the canned green chilis & optional jalapeno. Add broth to the amount desired. Cook 1-1½ hours more.

How much broth? Well, I ended up using all but about 2 cups of the pork broth. Sometimes, you might need more than you made, in which case you can use chicken broth.

Favorite Musashi Quote

2010-01-19T06:04:00.000-06:00

The field of martial arts is particularly rife with flamboyant showmanship, with commercial popularization and profiteering on the part of both those who teach the science and those who study it. The result of this must be, as someone said, that 'amateuristic martial arts are a source of serious wounds.' - Miyamoto Musashi

Testing Gear & Skills

2010-01-18T11:56:00.002-06:00

Before heading out, I always test my gear. Everything.

The stove is fired up. Water is purified. Lighters are checked. Air mattress is inflated. You get the point. But sometimes, for one reason or another, gear fails to work in the field.

A few examples:
My Dad gave me a nice butane torch lighter. It works great around the house. Didn't work at all in Colorado. I suspect the elevation difference and pressure change to be the culprit.

SteriPEN worked great at home, and I was carrying a fresh set of lithium batteries. We drove nine hours and hiked for a couple more. We covered five kilometers before stopping for water, only to discover both units that were carried on the trip wouldn't function. Temperature? Elevation difference causing pressure issues with the bulb? Doesn't matter.

MSR MiniWorks EX water filter pumps like a dream at home. By a stream in Colorado, it was horrible. The stream water was clear. But pumping water for three guys ended up with water stops being an hour. No bueno.

But, all of this equipment worked perfectly fine at home. And there's no way to test how it will work at 7,000 to 10,000 feet more elevation. So redundancy must be built into systems.

So, here's a few low-tech things you can use as backups when your high-tech stuff gets 980'd.

Fire: strike anywhere matches carried in a waterproof container; mini Bic lighter, preferably with a clear fuel window; flint & steel (which is amazingly easy to do!)

Water: chlorine dioxide tablets; bringing water to a boil (current data suggests it is not necessary to boil for 5-10 minutes); unscented clorox bleach at 2 drops per liter.

New Friends & Thinking About Backpacking

2010-01-18T11:12:00.004-06:00

Saturday night, the wife and I attended a party hosted by one of her former co-workers. I met a fellow there who's going through a rough spot in his life: divorce. Yeah, been there, done that, it sucks. I'd actually met him at a Halloween party a couple of years ago but haven't had any contact with him since then.

He was commenting that he wasn't sure what he's going to do. He likes to go camping, but has no friends who like to do that, especially with his divorce looming on the horizon. Ummm... HELLO!?!?

He was commenting on a place in Colorado that was just beautiful and serene. Yeah, I've got a few of those places off the beaten path. We started talking about backpacking, unplugging from civilization and getting a dose of nature as a way to sort of center yourself, slow down, recharge your batteries. He looks at it very much the same way. SWEET!

So, then we started talking about backpacking. I like a leisurely pace, enjoy myself & the scenery as compared to a death march. As Lao-Tzu put it, "A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving." I was talking about taking two days to hike to a site, then stay a couple of days before hiking back, and he was beyond excited. I'm planning to introduce my new friend to my backpacking buddy and see what happens.

We chatted about GPS, the UTM coordinate system, National Geographic TOPO software for trip planning, gear... we could have talked all night except I had to go to work.

The downside to this is now I've got the bug pretty bad again. Work has been a bit tough as of late, and doesn't look to improve for some time with the number of projects in the works. One of our old Judo guys finally lost his 12 year battle with cancer a week ago. And seeing how this guy is operating with his divorce reminds me a lot of my own personal hell almost ten years ago.

OCD can be a blessing and a curse. I can tell you to the ounce how much weight I carried on my last trip, and the trip before that, and the next trip I'm about to take. Spreadsheets are great tools, and I've got that nailed down to calculate everything. This allows me to work up test loads to see about how changes in my systems affect finished weight. Scrutinizing every single thing (yes, EVERYTHING) that goes in your pack is one of the keys to cutting weight. The other key is buy lighter gear.

So, I went from an 80 pound pack in 2008 to a 40 pound pack in 2009. I have actually found a way to potentially cut that to 20 pounds for 2010 for about $250. I'm not sure how comfortable the new system would be, and it would obviously require a dry run or two before heading to the mountains for a week.

But not everything can be about cutting weight. The pendulum is also swinging back the other direction on a few things. You can cut weight to the point that if an item fails, the entire system fails. For example, a Wegner Swiss Army Evolution is a great little knife. But you aren't going to be able to use it in any sort of extreme emergency. And if you're two days out from the trailhead, in an area that is inaccessible to horses and potentially 4-wheelers... that's extreme. So, I went from a regular fixed blade all the way down to a tiny blade, but now I'm back to a hoss of fixed blade weighing over a pound. I'll accept that weight.

Our last trip out suffered failures of water purification equipment. By going light, I didn't have enough fuel to boil water for the duration of the trip. I carried no backup source of purification like chlorine dioxide tablets. Both my partner and I carried exactly the same device, which malfunctioned exactly the same way. As the Navy SEALs like to put it, "Two is one, one is none." That's more like having one, which ended up being none.

Part of me thinks I'll stick with my current system for another season before adjusting large components. But, cutting 5 pounds of weight simply by changing what pack I carry looks appetizing. Cutting a pound of weight simply by changing what mattress I sleep on looks kind of nice too. Cutting a pound of weight simply by changing my bivy looks pretty keen as well. Cutting a pound of weight simply by downsizing to a smaller tarp would be cool. Eight pounds of weight loss by changing four items looks pretty nice to me. But, time will tell.

Kangeiko, Day 3

2009-12-30T19:38:00.002-06:00

Day 3 saw a lot of new faces. We spent the morning session doing a brief review of the past two days' work, then added a couple of defense ideas against a punch.

The afternoon session... well, I wasn't there. I believe the defensive knife section of San Kata was the topic.

It's unlikely I'll make day 4. I started BBQ for a New Year's Eve party before 9am. I have three briskets on the smoker now, and will be moving them to the oven sometime in the morning. At that point, a slab of baby back ribs and a pork tenderloin will go on.

One brisket is for my parents, who keep me stocked in pecan wood for smoking.

One brisket is for a party I'm attending.

One will be taken to the dojo for the big Kangeiko finale and New Year's Eve drum beat. The pork tenderloin will join it, as Nick enjoys a good pork tenderloin.

The ribs, however, are all mine. :)

Windsong Dojo Kangeiko, Day 2

2009-12-29T23:28:00.002-06:00

I wish I could write in detail about what we did, but I'm currently on brain overload.

Morning session continued building on multiple attack work. I am enjoying the new approach we are taking to teaching multiple attack work. Thus far, we seem to be enjoying higher success rates compared with how we were teaching it (which wasn't bad at all!). We did deal with uke utilizing the second hand in the attacks, as well as swinging punches in an arc -- no jabs yet, just working from the shoulder.

Afternoon session covered the five remaining techniques of tachi-tai-tachi of Aikido Koryu-Dai-San.

Derek Hall has been snapping lots of photos, and I've been uploading them and tagging them on the Kaze Uta Budo Kai Facebook page.

Windsong Dojo Kangeiko, Day 1

2009-12-28T17:35:00.003-06:00

Well, day one is semi-officially in the books.

For the morning session, we looked at multiple attackers and how to work this into our training regime. We began with standard releases, tori picking which release to do, then having two attackers alternate sides.

From there, tori continued to work the release, footwork and all. Sometimes uke messes things up and grabs with the wrong hand. In reality, it doesn't matter all that much.

Then, we dealt with being grabbed simultaneously (or very near it) by attackers on each arm. The key is to forget one of them, then perform an under arm release (such as #5 or #7). Go slowly, as this practically guarantees a collision between the two ukes.

The next phase involved adding a hand. Just a simple hand change on tori's part.

Next, tori could employ a hand to the face. This was most frequently shomen-ate or gyaku-gamae-ate.

Finally, uke can bring his second hand into play.

Break for lunch at Ingrid's Deli, and in walks Sensei Strange. He joins six of us at the table and we discuss all matter of Aikido before heading back to the dojo.

For the afternoon session, we looked at the last three techniques of the sword-versus-sword section of Aikido's Koryu-Dai-San.

I'd write more, but Jack Bieler will be leading our Jodo class tonight on some nice sword-versus-sword stuff in Jodo. Class starts in 20 minutes. More tomorrow.

Jambalaya!

2009-12-23T23:34:00.003-06:00

With the alleged snow storm of the century moving it, I wanted some yummies tonight. Where can you have a tornado watch and a winter storm watch at same time besides Oklahoma?

Ingredients:
1 large green bell pepper
1 large red onion
5 ribs of celery
1 pound chicken
1 pound sausage (andouille is best, but smoked sausage will suffice)
1 pound shimp, 40-60 count
3 cups rice
9 cups chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons (plus or minus) cayenne pepper

Begin by exercising you knife skills. Dice the onion, pepper & celery. Quarter the sausage & chicken.

I prefer to cook the chicken & sausage in the pan then set aside.

In a large (5 quart size) pan, add a few tablespoons of olive oil. Sautee the onion, pepper & celery for 5 minutes. Add the rice, followed by slow incorporation of the chicken broth. Add the worchestershire sauce, along with the garlic powder & cayenne. Cook with the lid on over medium heat for 15 minutes.

Add the chicken & sausage, cook for 10 minutes. Rice should be al-dente at this point.

Add the shrimp, cook 6 minutes. Remove from heat.

Enjoy!

Risk taking & outdoor behavior

2009-12-20T09:54:00.004-06:00

A frequent item in the news last week was a trio of climbers who disappeared on Mt. Hood in Oregon. Mt. Hood claimed the lives of three climbers in 2006 as well. I love spending time outdoors and visiting remote places, and things like this weigh heavily on me. I would prefer that my friends and I remain nice and safe in the wilderness.

Lawrence Gonzales outlines several things in his book Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies and Why. This book is an amazing read, and is considered by many search and rescue folks to be like a bible. Our approach to things, what we do & how we do it, is based on these past experiences. These past experiences may include successes and failures. The human animal likes complex, complicated systems. Some enjoy risk taking. And sometimes we roll the dice and get away with it. When you get away with risky behavior, this will effect your decision making process on future events with no real understanding of the bad information.

For example, during my trip to the Pecos Wilderness in June 2009 we encountered a couple from Dallas along the trail. We were carrying 40 pound packs (down from near 80 the summer before). They were taking a dayhike to Katherine Lake. This is a 24 Km (15 miles) round trip. They carried no packs, no raingear, no navigation tools (map, compass, GPS), carried a small water bottle and wore cotton clothing. See anything wrong? Let's explore.

When cotton becomes wet, it pulls heat away from the body. Many search & rescue folks call cotton "death cloth". In many instances, you'd be better off to sit naked by a fire than wear your clothing by the fire. It's June. Showers in the mountains in summer months are quite common, yet neither carried raingear. Viola! Wet clothing. The trail was well marked; however, there are four junctions with other trails along the route. They had no means of determining how far it was back to camp. They had no light, so hiking in the dark would have been impossible. Which could mean a night, in the bush, with no shelter, no means of constructing an emergency shelter, no food, no sleeping bag, nada. Heck, they might not have even had a lighter to start a fire.

Now do you see anything wrong?

The latest incident on Mt. Hood is very similar from the information that has been released. Three experienced climbers take off for a 13 hour round trip to the summit. They were carrying ropes & helmets -- we know from pictures on a digital camera found with the only body recovered thus far. The current theory is the female of the group was somehow injured, one male stayed with her and the most experienced climber took off for help.

This is a sound course of action.

But, like the couple from Dallas, nobody expected anything to go wrong. They did not anticipate having to spend a night on the mountain, much less survive for a few days during an massive snowstorm that halted search & rescue efforts. They carried no PLB (personal locator beacon), which could have been rented at the lodge where they were staying. They carried no shovel for building a snow cave. It sounds as though they carried minimal gear to make a speedy assault on the mountain. Then, Mr. Murphy threw a monkey wrench into the works resulting in the tragic loss of three lives.

Multiple Attackers

2009-12-18T09:25:00.003-06:00

One of the things Aikido is known for is the way it deals with multiple attackers. We see it in Above The Law, Steven Seagal's debut movie as a star. Here's a little video of this idea in action:

And while it might look easy, it isn't.

In practice, go slow. This is quite possibly the hardest part, once the adrenaline starts to hit your system. After all, you just tossed that guy who attacked you for no reasons... and now he's getting back up from a shot that would keep most people down. The never-dying attacker.

Some key elements:

Keep moving! Stationary targets are easy to hit.
Use motion to put attackers in a line. They have to go through one of their own in order to reach you.
Use wrist & arm locks and head controls to use an attacker as a human shield.
Always look around to ensure you aren't attacked from the blind side.
In the real world, throw attackers into one another. Obviously we can't do this at the dojo, but it isn't all that hard to take it to the next level.
Did I mention keep moving?

Judo Randori -- Letting the subconscious drive

2009-11-22T11:25:00.003-06:00

Tuesday night, I had an absolutely delightful Judo randori session with Cameron Siemens. Now, any of my guys will tell you I rarely use ippon-seoi-nage. I'm a tall guy, it doesn't work well for me. Except Tuesday night, it was working well and doing it on its own without any thought on my part.

Thursday night I had another randori session with Cameron, the last five minutes or so of which was caught on tape. Interestingly, I tried to throw ippon-seoi-nage (since I was having such great success Tuesday) and it wouldn't work at all! Instead, hiza-guruma was coming out of me for some reason.

Over the past week, I've felt a few common errors with different players relative to kuzushi (off-balance). Saturday morning I had an idea about changing our teaching approach to the throws. I'm still assembling data for comparison. My spreadsheet has five different sections now, with probably a couple of more to go. I'll try to keep updates posted as I start my experiment in the coming weeks.

Wooden Weapon Maintenance

2009-11-18T19:27:00.002-06:00

I was reading on Kingfisher Woodworks site that they initially apply teak oil when they finish a weapon, and recommend oil for regular maintenance.

I got tired of looking at my first bokken leaning in the corner of my office this afternoon. I used various grits of sandpaper to remove some of the splintering from the use & abuse it took during the first 10 years or so of its life. I applied a generous coat of teak oil ($12.50 a quart, which will probably last forever and then some). I also applied teak oil to another, heavier bokken that is only a couple of years old.

Fast forward two days.

My original bokken took the oil very nicely. I gave it a very, very light sanding with some 800 grit paper -- just enough to rough any leftover oil up before applying another light coat. I put a small amount of oil on the rag and rubbed thoroughly, then a little more oil and more rubbing. I did this about 4 or 5 times. I let it sit for about 3 minutes and there was no excess to wipe off.

The second bokken I worked on didn't work out so nicely. I didn't wipe the excess off from the first application, figuring it would soak in. It didn't. I was left with huge spots that were sticky/tacky to the touch. Not nice. A more aggressive dose of 800 grit here, but just enough to get rid of the stickiness. I didn't reapply on this weapon as it's just a couple of years old.

I figure the original bokken could probably benefit from at least one more treatment, if not several more. Stay tuned.

I was curious if anyone performed any level of regular maintenance on their wooden weapons. If so, what is your routine? What products do you use & recommend? What would you recommend people not do?

Gettin' My Gumbo On

2009-11-01T10:12:00.002-06:00

I've been in the mood for gumbo... well, since the last batch I made a couple of weeks ago. One of the hallmarks of cajun cuisine is building layers of flavor. Today I experimented with a few changes to my gumbo game.

For starters, I am using more meat this time. I am doing a chicken, sausage and shrimp gumbo. Total weight of meat is 3.5 pounds. So a little more trinity and roux is required.

On the subject of the trinity, the produce available at Wal-Mart was simply atrocious. Most of the bell peppers should not have been available as they were starting to develop soft spots. I used two bell peppers and two poblano chili peppers. I also went with red onions this time instead of yellow.

On the subject of meat, since I was smoking a brisket for a Halloween party I chose to smoke a chicken. The smoked flavor of the chicken provided another great layer of flavor. I also opted to toss the chicken carcass in a pot of water with some celery & onion, salt and fresh black pepper and slowly cooked it all night for some nice homemade chicken stock.

On the subject of the roux, I opted for a dark roux. With increased portions and the lower thickening power of a darker roux, I went with 2 cups flour, 1 cup vegetable oil and 1 cup of bacon grease. Oh yes, layers of flavor. The downside is the darkness of the roux was almost overpowering to some of the more subtle flavors.

Overall, this is a bit more of an investment of time. Smoking the chicken is 3-4 hours and that's rushing things. The stock was an all-night affair. But, I have to say, it was noticeably tastier. I'm sure there will be another experiment in a couple of weeks.

It's Finally Here!!!

2009-10-22T22:11:00.002-05:00

The Kaze Uta Budo Kai (Windsong Budo Association) video project has finally made it's way to the public!

Over the past few months, the nature of the project has changed significantly. I've been frustrated about how things were not moving at all. And now, in just a few days, we have over 60 videos published here. There are probably another 200 or so in the queue to be uploaded right now. We're working on creating a monster repository of information the likes of which has never been done before in this arena.

So, kudos to everyone involved!

To Nick Lowry, the visionary with the plan
To Dave Rose, Glenn Billings & Damon Kornele -- The Mac Guys. I must admit, some things are easier on a Mac
To Cristian Lamson, my co-admin for input & feedback on layout, as well as video formats

Now, there's going to be a lot of actors on the screen in a bit. My big thanks to these people, for without skilled uke's we wouldn't really have much of a project to put out.

As a logical block of information is uploaded to YouTube, I will create posts on our forum in the appropriate forum and organize things in their correct sequence. Techniques will then be locked and posted as a sticky in order to preserve the order. In addition, the first series of dharma talks should be published this weekend (with a little quality assurance from Louise!). So, hang on folks... it's going to be a great ride!

Preparedness - Your PC

2009-10-19T19:13:00.002-05:00

Over the weekend I had the wonderful experience of a computer failure. Fortunately, it was only the power supply; the data on the hard drive was intact. So, here's a few things to think about:

Backup your data. It's simple. It takes a few minutes every now and then. Pictures, documents (like that resume you've grown over the years, with hours of editing), spreadsheets (like your checkbook register), source code, phone book list, browser bookmarks... the list goes on and on. Burn things to a CD or DVD, then make sure you can read it on a different machine! USB drives work well too.
Usernames & Passwords. I'm responsible for a lot of stuff here in the cloud of the Internet. Websites, forums, who knows how many e-mail accounts, Facebook, MySpace.... etc, etc, etc. I typically use different passwords on everything (smart). They're usually very ugly (smart). That makes them hard to remember (not so smart). I have gotten into the habit over the years of making a spreadsheet or a piece of paper with all that information, then locking it away in a small safe. Easy & secure.

So, what are some of the joys of a new system?

Well, let's see. Aside from starting with a clean slate on a faster machine, not a whole lot.

It's a sincere pain in the rear to first delete all the crap on a new PC you don't need. And, it seems many manufacturers don't include media if you need to format the system & reinstall from scratch. That means burning 12 CD's to create a backup set. Nice way to get acquainted with your new hardware.

Then you have to download & install stuff. Internet Explorer ran once, just long enough to download Firefox. There's all the security updates & multiple reboots, even on a new machine -- even Windows 7, due to be released later this week, has updates waiting for it I'm told.

Little things you take for granted, like that DB9 serial connection... well, that's tough. You have to find a USB-to-serial adapter, install it, configure it, test it, troubleshoot it, and somehow hope it works. Otherwise, things like your GPS can't be updated, nor information uploaded & downloaded.

I was using Microsoft Office, but I won't be paying for a new version of that now. Instead, check out OpenOffice. It's free and does everything I need. My resume will need some touch-up, as the import didn't go extremely well. Of course, if it weren't for crazy nested tables to make it look pretty it wouldn't matter.

Software that you've installed, well... this part sucked the most. National Geographic TOPO is kick ass software for being in the woods. The downside: copying all the data CD's to the new machine. For Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Missouri & Arkansas it was several hours of just copying.

Preparedness - The Home

2009-09-30T20:16:00.000-05:00

Oklahoma is known for a variety of weather in all seasons. One constant is we often have extreme weather: extreme heat in the summer, extreme cold in the winter, tornadoes, ice storms.

A couple of years ago we had a major ice storm that left much of the city without power. I was without electricity for three days. I know people who were without electrical service for over a week. Needless to say, the demand for hotel rooms was greater than the supply. I didn't really mind because I was prepared.

Can you handle a situation like this? Let's look at some critical factors:

Heat

Even if your heat is a natural gas furnace, your blower is electric. Loss of electrical power means loss of heat.
Dress in layers
Gloves or mittens
A good cap. The majority of body heat loss is via your noggin. Cover it up.
Extra blankets, sleeping bags
Fireplace.
- If you have one, make sure it's been serviced recently
- Know how to build a proper fire.
- Ensure you have the means to start a fire. Matches, kindling, etc. You aren't going to put a match under a huge log and have it catch. Fire has to grow and mature, so make sure you have the right materials on-hand.
- In a survival situation in the wilderness, when you think you have enough wood to last through the night, double it. You will burn more wood than you think, so plan ahead. Same rule applies for suburbia.

Water

Water delivery may be affected if storm duration is long enough.
Leave faucets dripping; running water is more difficult to freeze. Frozen pipes are no fun.
If your hot water tank is electric, loss of electric power means loss of hot water. You'll have to warm water by another means, so factor that in.
Disconnect water hoses outside and cover faucets to help prevent freezing.

Food

Ensure you have plenty of food on-hand BEFORE the storm arrives. You should have at least a 3-day supply of food set aside just for emergencies, rotated regularly. Buy food you like.
Don't forget about your pets
An old-fashioned manual can opener is a must have backup. Loss of electrical power means no working electrical can openers. The old military P-38 can openers are small & cheap. Many models of multitool (Swiss Army Knife, Gerber, etc.) have can opener functions. I've used a sterilized screwdriver and a hammer before.
Keep refrigerator & freeze doors closed to trap cold air
Monitor temperature of refrigerator & freezer to ensure food stays below 40 degrees F
A full refrigerator remains colder longer than a half-full or empty one. You can use bottled water to provide an additional thermal mass. Cheap & easy.
With a loss of electricity, make certain you have means to cook.
- Natural gas stove and/or oven
- Charcoal grill, used outside
- Gas or propane grill, used outside
- Camping stove, either propane or Coleman fuel, used outside
- Never use any of these devices indoors. Carbon Monoxide is odorless, tasteless and can kill.
- Whichever method(s) you choose, make sure you have more fuel than you think you need. Some tasks, such as heating water will deplete your fuel stores quicker.

Light

Candles -- Try using candles to determine how many you will need to provide adequate working light.
Flashlights -- I change batteries when I change them in my smoke alarm, during the daylight savings time updates
Spare Batteries
Lanterns -- Coleman fuel, propane, kerosene

Entertainment

Have something to pass the time. With no electricity, there's no TV or DVD.
If you have children, make sure to factor things in
Card games
Board games
Books
Puzzles
Story telling. It's rapidly becoming a lost art.

Tools

Deicer for sidewalks; de-icer, rock salt, kitty litter
Shovel for snow removal. Snow is useful for providing traction. Ice provides no traction.
If you have trees that can block your driveway, a chainsaw should be a requirement. My neighbors found this out the hard way when a tree fell and blocked their driveway, preventing them from leaving. A 2-cycle gas chainsaw is the only way to go. Electric chainsaws are nice for quick, simple tasks but electrical service may be affected.

Communications

When weather starts moving in, make sure your cell phone is fully charged
Ice storms can affect land line communications, including traditional land line, cable company and VoIP (Voice over IP). Broken limbs can fall on communication & electrical lines. Loss of electrical power means loss of DSL or cable modem service, and thereby a loss of VoIP.
Battery powered radio, with fresh batteries

Travel

The first question you need to ask is, "Do I really have to go?" Don't travel if it isn't 100% necessary.
Allow ample following distance.
- 2-seconds is the base following distance
- Add at least one additional second for visibility, light, road conditions, weather conditions
Make sure your car is prepared -- See my other blog post

Preparedness - The Car

2009-09-28T17:08:00.002-05:00

Oh, best intentions. I had planned to post a bit of stuff related to September being National Preparedness Month. This website gives you a place to start. Whether it be from a natural disaster (hurricane, tornado, flood, ice storm, etc.) or an accident (slipping off the road in icy conditions), most of us are woefully unprepared. It's a pretty simple fact.

At the Oklahoma Wildlife Expo, I sat in on a seminar for about an hour listening to Peter Kummerfeldt, owner of Outdoor Safe Inc.. His focus was on short-term survival, say three days or so. He said, "Most of us dress to arrive, but not to survive." He went on to tell a story of a woman who commuted 23 miles each day in Alaska, and slid off the road. She was wearing a miniskirt and knee-high boots. He stated her knees, which were totally unprotected, were the worst case of frostbite he had ever personally witnessed.

I'd say the vast majority of us own a car and use it daily. And I suspect most of us don't check things as often as we should, if ever. For example, I suspect the majority of folks here have a spare tire for their car, yet nobody checks the spare to verify its condition.

Here are a few things to think about:

Bi-Weekly

Check air in tires
Check oil level
Check coolant level
Check battery terminal connections for corrosion
Check all lights -- headlights, brake lights, turn signals, tag light
Windshield washer fluid. As we head toward winter, make sure you have winter-rated fluid that won't freeze.
Check your wiper blades.

Tools

Spare Tire
All tools to change tire -- jack, lug wrench, security tool for locking lugnuts if applicable
Jumper Cables
Flashlight with good batteries! Change these every time you change the batteries in your smoke detector at home. The easy thing to do is change batteries when you change your clocks for daylight savings time.
Spare fuses

Kit

Umbrella
Poncho or large, lawn-size trash bag. Nobody likes to change a flat tire, and you'd like to do it in the rain even less.
For winter conditions, a blanket, mylar space blanket, sleeping bag or some combination thereof. It's a much smarter idea to stay with your vehicle in some instances than to try to find help, especially if you aren't dressed properly. The car provides safety from the elements (precipitation, wind), as well as some margin of insulation.
A few energy bars. You never know how long you might be stuck.
Small first aid kit. You don't need a portable Emergency Room, but a few essentials would be a good idea.
Make sure your cell phone is fully charged before leaving home. A car charger might be very useful as well.
A whistle. It sounds like a simple and useless device. But, if you were hoarse from screaming (or from a cold), it provides an easy means of signalling and attracting attention.

Firestarters

2009-09-21T17:30:00.002-05:00

When I'm backpacking, I always carry a handful of essential items to start a fire. This is one area I don't cut corners. Here's a few ideas for the next time you're headed off trail. These are a few of my ideas, and is by no means to be considered exhaustive.

ALWAYS try your stuff before you leave home. This cannot be stressed enough. Verify your matches are good, your lighters work, etc.

There are several basic components to successfully starting a fire. We need something to create a spark, tinder for the spark to catch, and piles of wood. The piles should be arranged based on size, starting with small pencil size pieces of wood, working your way up to finger size and finally wrist size.

The spark (or initial application of fire) is the first element.

The trusty BIC lighter is fine, although it will likely go kaput if it gets wet. Make sure yours has a clear window to view the fuel level.

Strike-anywhere matches in a waterproof case are a great idea as a backup. You can apply a little clear nail polish to the match heads to help waterproof them if you wish.

Waterproof matches often require a specific striker surface (like the one on the box, just like a strike-on-box only match). This surface will likely go kaput if it gets wet.

The trusty flint-and-steel (actually, it's ferrocerium rod) throws nice sparks and works regardless of whether it's wet or not. The Fire Steel and BlastMatch are a couple of examples.

Fire can even be made from a soda can and a bar of chocolate or ice.

Tinder is the second element.

Perhaps the easiest dirty trick in the book is a vaseline soaked cotton ball. Just rub a cotton ball thoroughly with vaseline and store in a ziploc bag. Fluff well before applying your spark, and you have 3-5 minutes of fire.

Magnesium Firestarter. A staple in several of the survival kits on the market, a magnesium bar with a built-in ferrocerium rod. Just make sure you have a knife. Scrape the magnesium and carefully build a small pile of shavings. Throw a spark by using the knife against the ferro rod. A brief flare up, but enough to get other materials going.

Lint. Believe it or not, that lint in your pockets and in your clothes dryer makes a great firestarter. However, there's a lot of synthetics in our clothing today. Those synthetics may give off toxins when burned. Cotton lint works well.

Cattail down makes great tinder. Just open the cattail head and fluff well.

Dry hanging moss found in trees in mountain climates

Dry grasses, leaves & pine needles

A 9-volt battery and steel wool. The steel wool is touched to both the positive & negative terminals on the battery, and the current will actually catch the steel wool on fire.

These are just a few ideas.

Gather your wood and sort into piles. Now, we make fire.

Almost all methods of firebuilding use a similar method. Arrange your wood into a prescribed arrangement, build your tinder bundle, apply spark and gentle nurture the fire.

The arrangement of the wood is a key element. In the field, I like the teepee layout. It's just like it sounds. I push a stick into the ground, and use this to stack other finger-sized materials against. I make it about a 270-degree cone. This leaves a nice opening for me to place my tinder and throw the spark to it. The closed side of the cone shields the tinder from the wind as the fire catches. You can increase the wind-block by using larger logs to make a V-shaped block on the back of the teepee.

Katherine Lake: Take Two

2009-09-14T09:20:00.003-05:00

We left Oklahoma City at about 7:30am, stopping at McDonald’s on our way out of town for a bacon-egg-& cheese biscuit. We made pretty good time, aside from some construction in New Mexico that slowed things down significantly. We stopped at the Ranger Station in Pecos on our way in and asked about trail conditions, bears and any open hunting season. The nice girl at the station told us it had rained every afternoon and she had no real recent trail conditions report. Thus far, there had been no reports of bears on the trail all year. And we learned that archery season was open. Even worse, a hunter had gone missing in the wilderness and an active search & rescue operation was underway. These operations were based out of a different trailhead than we were hiking from. Nonetheless, it served as a potent reminder that Mother Nature, in all her beauty, is unforgiving.

Once we reached the trailhead, we made the final checks and adjustments to our packs and headed out. Both Chris and I were running about 35 pounds for this trip, mainly because the overnight lows were largely unknown. The forecast for Pecos, the nearest town situated at 6900 ft elevation, called for overnight lows in the mid 40’s. Lake Katherine was our target destination, sitting at 11,300.

I turned on my Garmin eTrex-H GPS, marked the location of the car and we launched our assault on the mountain. I was using the map and waypoints from our trip in June, and we were familiar with the terrain. We had great pictures of the first 9 kilometers of the trail, leaving only 3 kilometers of unknown terrain ahead of us.

The aspen trees were starting to change, with a brief hint of green starting to turn to yellow. I suspect in two to three weeks the area will be a magnificent palette of yellow and orange, standing against the whitish-grey trunks of the aspens, against a backdrop of evergreens.

We made excellent time along the trail. By 7 PM, we were 5 km into our assault. We passed a grand opportunity to refill our water stores at a spot 3 km into the trip. It was cool, though hiking at our pace we didn’t notice. Chris was probably halfway through his 3 liter Camelbak, while I was more like 2/3 of the way through mine. We dropped packs at a small stream crossing by where we camped last time.

The US Navy SEALs have a saying: two is one, one is none. Mission-critical gear demands backups. And what trip wouldn’t be complete without my dear old friend, Mr. Murphy. The SteriPEN is a battery-powered ultra-violet light system used to purify water. The UV light disrupts the DNA sequence of any virus or bacteria in the water. Since we were drinking from a running stream there was no sediment in the water. Water was pure & clear, and the SteriPEN provides a lightweight option to ensure it’s biologically safe.

Well… it seems that the units don’t like cool weather. It was in the 60’s, we had been hiking for two hours. Both units had been tested at home and worked perfectly – a phenomenon I had experienced before with my MSR MiniWorks EX filter. The units would turn on, but not function. New batteries made no difference whatsoever. Viewing the user’s manual, my unit was reporting a UV Lamp Failure less than 20 liters into its 10,000 liter lifespan. Shit.

It would seem that Murphy says two of the same device, bought at the same store on the same day, are the same as having one. And one had just turned into none. We had stoves, we could boil water to purify it. But, purifying water via boiling for 5 minutes left us facing a different problem – a lack of fuel. For dehydrated backpacking food, you simply bring 1 or 2 cups of water to a boil and dump it into the Ziploc bag. Purifying water means maintaining a boil for five minutes. My pot’s capacity is under a liter, meaning it would take 15 minutes of run-time on the stove once it reached boiling.

So, it’s 7:30PM. The trailhead is 5 kilometers away. It’s getting dark, you’re low on water with no means of purification. The forecast calls for rain. We chose to hit the abort button. I’m not entirely sure why Murphy is so opposed to us seeing Katherine Lake. In June, there was still snow on the ground and trails to Santa Fe Baldy peak, directly behind Katherine Lake, were impassable because of snow.

We began back down the mountain. We both hated to abort, but no need to be greedy in the wilderness.

In the name of reducing pack weight, I have minimized a lot of gear. For this trip, I left my AAA battery powered MiniMag flashlight at home. We don’t hike at night, a small LED light will be fine. Except now, we’re hiking at night, down the mountain. Thanks Murph.

Our progress was slow and tedious navigating the trail via LED lights. Steep descents were tedious. Rolling an ankle at this stage of the game would be exceedingly bad. Crossing steams was even more fun, especially when you have to balance on a log while shining your light to see where you’re going.

However, there was a supreme payoff. Once we crossed the stream the last time, we had to cross a large meadow. By this point, it is dark. And I do mean dark. Switching our lights off made each of us invisible to the other at a range of less than three feet. This maneuver also revealed stars the quantity of which I had not seen in some time. Camping at Stewart Lake was nice, though we had light pollution from the campfire and trees to obfuscate the view. Now, standing in a large open meadow, the view was amazing.

After taking in the splendor of the night sky for several minutes, we continued walking. A few minutes later, we could see lanterns providing light in the distance. Interestingly, in absolute darkness, light shines a very long way. It was much further to the lights at the group camp area of Holy Ghost campground than I would have thought. The folks were surprised to see people coming off the mountain so late. Believe me friend, we’d prefer not to.

Passing the group camp, we continued down the road. The camping for the trailhead is about 1 kilometer from the actual trail. This dedicated parking area makes it easier on people camping at the campground. As we approached the last bridge before the car, I caught some movement out of the corner of my eye. Remember, LED lights are not especially bright nor do they shine an exceptional distance. I changed from a slight zig-zag pattern to shine the light directly at where I saw the movement.

I have no recollection of exclaiming, “Oh fuck!” Chris says I did, and he knew something was horribly wrong based on my tone. He didn’t know exactly what that was yet. My tone was sufficient to trigger the release of adrenaline, the human body’s miracle drug. His visual acuity jumped. Audio processing went off the chart. Time lost all meaning.

Out of the bush along the road, not 20 feet ahead of us on the left, a skunk emerged. He began crossing the road, moving from left to right. We stood frozen, motionless. Then he turned, and began walking toward us. And then that walk turned into a run.

I began to step back, thinking about how badly this was going to suck. Was I about to have karmic retribution for the grizzly death of a skunk circa 1989?

Thoughts of being sprayed, then having to climb into my truck for the half hour drive to Santa Fe for a hotel did not appeal to me whatsoever. I briefly considered pulling the Springfield Armory XD .45ACP from Chris’s holster to dispatch the stinky spray machine that was less than 15 feet from us, and closing. But, being in a campground at night with an unknown, unlit backstop ruled this out immediately.

I backpedaled even faster, giving ground to the rodent. I had no conscious idea where the pavement was behind me or how far I had backed up. As I considered turning so that I could run, that decision would no longer matter. The skunk turned around as well.

Sometimes, things seem to occur in slow motion. The one thing I noted was the skunk’s tail was down as he turned around, and as long as it stayed that way we were safe. We gave more ground, noted the skunk’s departure on the right side of the road, and we waited.

After a few minutes and no further sign of our little friend, we continued walking toward the truck. About halfway to the truck we smelled the obvious discharge of a skunk. Were there multiple bogeys in the area?

We made it back to the truck at about 9:30PM. We had covered about 12 kilometers in five hours. We put the packs in the truck and drove to Santa Fe. This was enough fun for one night.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Over the hotel breakfast we reassessed our situation. My SteriPEN functioned normally in the hotel room on the original batteries, but still failed on the new batteries. We could not trust them to function. We decided small dayhikes were our best bet to salvage the trip. I had my 2 liter water bottle I take to the dojo, a one liter Nalgene bottle (things you find under the seat sometimes) and a one liter Aquafina bottle. We had 3 liter Camelbak bladders and a 1 liter Nalgene bottle on our packs. We could make this work.

At this point, I noticed that I had somehow forgotten to throw my Camelbak MULE daypack into the truck. Jeff Dunham, a funny comedian and ventriloquist, has a puppet named Walter. A crotchety old curmudgeon, Walter likes using the term dumb-ass. I hear Walter calling me a dumb-ass. How did I forget to put that in the truck?

We drove to Bandelier National Monument. We had visited this in 2008 after our trip to Colorado, though we had very few pictures. Well, we decided to fix that. I carried one liter of water, Chris carried the camera, and we hit the same route we took in 2008. The Main Loop Trail is 1.2 miles long, and we hit the Alcove House Trail which provides a half-mile walk to a 140 climb up four wooden ladders and carved stairs to a ceremonial cave site.

As we made our way back to the truck, thunderstorms loomed in the distance to the east. We debated what to do next. It was about 1:30 PM. We had thought about going to Mt. Wheeler, the highest peak in New Mexico near Taos. But, looking that direction showed lots of rain. We debated removing all camping gear from our backpacks and carrying only water, and launching another assault on Katherine Lake as a dayhike. But, my feet were not in the mood for about 25 kilometers in a single day. Ultimately, we chose to drive to Albuquerque and hole up for the night.

As we drove down I-25 into Albuquerque, we noticed an REI sporting goods store. Hell, why not shop. As I turned down the road for REI, I saw a sign for Sportsman’s Warehouse. We had one in Oklahoma City until about six months ago when the chain downsized in an effort to preserve cash. Oh, things were looking up.

After looking at the sales at both stores, we found a Hampton Inn and used the computer in the lobby to locate breakfast. Yeah, the hotel had a complimentary breakfast but I had something else in mind. In 2000 or 2001, I was introduced to what has to be the best breakfast burrito ever made. And it’s in Albuquerque. A chain that specializes in fried chicken and BBQ makes a killer breakfast burrito.

We made our way to Golden Pride, located on Juan Tabo on the east side of the city. The drive thru was about eight cars deep. When the lines are this long, you know the food is good. Menu item #9: scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, cheese and green chilies -- $3.89. Oh yes, give me two of those and a large coffee, two of those and large Diet Dr. Pepper for Chris, for the low low price of $19.99. No kidding.

The heft of the bag and the smell of fresh roasted New Mexico green chilies was pleasant. I found a parking lot, popped the lid on the coffee and set about on a trip down memory lane. I’ve tried to replicate this thing, unsuccessfully, several times. Maybe I wasn’t using enough green chilies. Maybe it was the freshly made tortillas that were the difference. I don’t know. I don’t care. I’m taking it all in, and enjoying every bite of it. These things are monsters too. Chris and I both had two of them, and 10 hours later we still weren’t especially hungry.

We made a couple of side stops before hitting the road back home. A large (sorry, Venti) Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks, a full tank of gas, and off to the races. The trip home was nice, lots of conversation about a variety of subjects. Things to improve for next time, different ideas & discussions about gear choices, backups, telling stories on ourselves. And, a day off work to write and catch up on domestic duties before saving Las Vegas from terrorists on Rainbow Six: Vegas Two.

Principles of Judo Nage-Waza Defined

2009-09-08T21:29:00.003-05:00

When you set out learning Judo, you think about doing a throw and set about to make that happen. This is well, fine and good. This is how we all do things for a long time.

At some point though, you have to step up to the next level. You're about to leave your comfort zone and find out just how solid the foundation is. Throwing without thought.

Anybody who has read a book about Judo can tell you there are three phases to a Judo throw: kuzushi (off balance), tsukuri (fitting) and kake (throwing). Now, tell me what you know about these three things. Three of the biggest principles in Judo, and even Kano's Kodokan Judo manages four entire paragraphs on the subject without really telling us a damn thing.

Where does each phase start? Where does each phase end? What's going on in each phase?

Now, read that again. Think about. How much do you really know about the subject? Because unless you can actually tell me about it, you haven't spent time studying it. Yeah, there's some cerebral stuff in Judo too.

Well, until about 1998 I knew as much as every other book reading Judoka. I had the great fortune of meeting a master Judoka named Rick Pollard, though everyone calls him Moose. Moose had stopped by and was giving us a lesson when he popped that question. "What are the three parts of a Judo throw?" The sound of the fans moving the hot air in the dojo was all there was to be heard. After a lengthy silence, I answered "kuzushi, tsukuri, and kake."

"Good. You been readin' your books. But what do you know about 'em?"

"Ummmm......."

Here's the lesson:

Kuzushi starts when you do something that causes your opponent to take a step that he would not normally have taken, to give you a moment in time to gain entry. For example, using your collar hand grip to pull uke’s shoulder in front of his foot, causing him to step.

Kuzushi ends when we start to make our entry, or start tsukuri.

Tsukuri stops at the execution point of the throw, at the point where we have gained control.

Kake begins at the point when you have control.

Kake ends when your opponent is on the ground.

Now, take a minute and read that a few times. Don't worry -- I'll wait.

After you learn the basics of your throwing, you set about to start applying throws in a random fashion. In other words, you have no agenda, nothing in mind when you go into the encounter. Your only interest is on kuzushi.

Then, something happens. There's an opening. Do you seize it, or let it pass by? If you seize it, what lives there? What throws are in that neighborhood? Are your feet right to do this throw, or that throw, or some other throw?

Things move entirely too fast for the conscious head to be involved whatsoever. These decisions are being made as a reflexive response to stimuli, and this brings us back to finding out how solid your foundation is. It also tells you what you need to work on. You may find throws coming out that you don't practice regularly, or throws you never practice on your off side. That's fine.

How long does it take to achieve this level of play? YEARS. There are no shortcuts friend. Get on the mat, take your falls and have some joyful practice.

Stretching & Flexibility

2009-09-02T18:23:00.002-05:00

So, one of my guys asks:

Kyle,

You are one of the more flexible people in the dojo.

Can you give us some tips / advice on stretching?

What did you do to help you increase your flexibility to the point it is now?

How long did it take (minutes per day and weeks, months, etc.)?

What positive benefits has your flexibility given you in your training of Judo, Aikido & Jyodo?

How long does it take to achieve gumby-like flexibility? It varies from person to person. I went at things at an easy pace, slowly gaining a little flexibility over two or three years.

How much time does it take to maintain? Honestly, the warm-ups at the beginning of class are typically adequate for maintenance. I do a little extra stretching a couple of times a week, but only a few minutes.

There are a few common mistakes people make with stretching.

Bouncing, also known as ballistic stretching. Yes, you can achieve rapid gains in flexibility with this method, but you run the risk of tearing muscle. Because of the bounce, by the time you feel any pain the damage is already done.

Stretching downward. We all want to get to where we can touch our nose to our knee in a seated stretch. While it's a nice milestone, it also builds a bad habit. We want to stretch long, not down. So, try to touch your nose to your toes. It won't reach, but you will feel a significant difference in your stretch.

Now, what are some things you can do to improve flexibility?

Stretch all aspects of your body from head to toe. Balanced stretching is key. Develop flexibility everywhere. Don't be like the bodybuilders who focus on their upper body only.

Hold your stretches for a longer duration. When I am running classes, I usually warm people up with an 8-10 count. For flexibility, you want to extend this to a 15, 20 or even a 30 count.

Stretch your fulll range of motion and hold position.

Taking a deep breath then releasing it will often buy you additional stretch when going toes-to-nose.

Pre-workout stretching helps identify issues with movement, and isn't so much for gaining flexibility. For best gains, stretch at the end of your workout when the muscle groups are tired.

Static, gravity-assisted stretching. If you think about the stretching you do while seated, like touching your nose to your toes, you can lie on the floor with your legs against the wall. Gravity will pull your legs down. But, be warned, you can easily over-stretch this way and be very sore.

Doing the splits looks cool, but it hasn't done much for my game. It might save me from a dastardly kouchi-gari in Judo, and it does stretch an odd little muscle set in your gluteus maximus, but otherwise serves no purpose I can find. But it looks cool.

I think flexibility also allows me to be softer. I'm not concerned with protecting myself, so I can really relax and get into things. If I had less flexibility in a specific area, I might hold back like when protecting an injury.

Like most of things with our martial arts, we are practicing aspects of life that most people don't. These things carry us forward into our later years in a very heightened state. Most people don't stretch, or work on maintaining their balance (much less improving it), or falling. These are "life skills" that will serve us well.

The Straightjacket

2009-08-28T15:11:00.004-05:00

For your viewing pleasure, the straight jacket. Video by Chris Wilson, Windsong Dojo member & founder of the Graplyrz website. It's a new thing he's experimenting with, so swing by & check it out. This video will be available on the Kaze Uta Budo Kai forum as well, and will be presented in higher video quality.

This was a nice piece of mischief I developed, and with the help of a few folks like Nick, Derek & Danny, have refined a bit over the years. The foundation of this drill is found in a set of drills we call the envelope series. This should be practiced as a series of controls. YOU control where uke can and cannot go. This is critical. If you do not have this level of control, you're going to have to work on it.

Enjoy the video.

A Neat Piece of History

2009-08-22T18:19:00.005-05:00

We recently became acquainted with J.W. Bode, who plays a little Aikido & Judo in Lawton, OK. We've made a couple of trips to Lawton, and his guys have made a couple of trips up to see us. It's a very nice relationship we have, and it's growing.

Today, we met one of JW's budo buddies from Enid, OK. Now, I only knew of a couple of guys doing Aikido in Enid and he wasn't one of them. Ron Anderson is a neat fellow. He and JW obviously have a great, very long friendship.

JW had laser copies of his Shodan certificate made. Rank certificates mere much simpler looking back in 1979. His has a couple of neat signatures: Kenji Tomiki & Hideo Ohba.

Wow.

EDIT: If case you'd like to contact JW, you can reach him via e-mail at bode_jw at yahoo.com.

Conditioning Drills With Your Partner

2009-08-14T17:54:00.003-05:00

As part of our normal warm-up routine, we incorporate a handful of crunches, reverse crunches and sometimes Judo push-ups (aka Hindu push-up, aka dive bomber).

Here are a few drills where you use your partner's body weight for a little extra kick:

Perform chest crawls, with your partner laying between your legs & grabbing your obi.

Perform shrimps, with your partner laying on the inside or outside of your leg & grabbing your obi. Use one leg, then have your partner change sides when you're worn out.

Pick your partner up in kata-guruma (aka fireman's carry). Lots of options here, but squats are one of my favorites.

With multiple partners (you need at least 3), form a line. Person one places his feet on person two's shoulders. Person two places his feet on person three's shoulders. You get the idea. Now, at the same time perform pushups.

A nice variant of the above is to form a geometric shape (triangle, square, pentagon, etc.) such that everyone has someone's feet on their shoulders.

Hopefully you'll find these useful, and possibly add some of your own.

Three Minute Drills

2009-08-06T21:25:00.002-05:00

My old buddy Sean Ashby was asking about some of the fun three minute drills I've been working on. He knows all of them -- he's only tucked them away somewhere in the deep recesses of that artistic mind.

In the last 1990's, Windsong Dojo had a large number of competitive Judoka. As such, as we were training for tournaments, the intensity knob got turned up to 11. Injuries are fairly commonplace in a training environment like this. It goes with the territory.

One of my favorite authors is Richard Marcinko (founder of SEAL Team 6). He pushed his guys harder than almost anyone. These are three of his "10 Commandments of SpecWar" I find appropriate to this sort of training:

I shall punish thy bodies, because the more though sweatest in training, the less thou bleedest in combat.

Indeed, if thou hurteth in thy efforts and thou suffer painful dings, then thou art Doing it Right.

Thou hast not to like it, thou hast just to do it.

Now, in 2000 we switched to a purely recreational club and our injury rate dropped to zero. Things that were normal, like broken toes and separated ribs, are a thing of the past. And this is a good thing. Some of the guys have been asking for a more intense workout, I suspect so they can feel good about skipping the P-90X routine when they get home. And, who am I to say no?

We have a bell with a three minute timer. It stays on pretty much the entire 1½ hours of class. Almost everything rotates around that bell. We trade partners on the bell. I try to keep lessons to one bell, never more than two. Etc., etc., etc.

So in the name of the good old days, here's a few of my favorites. Some of these seem fairly innocuous, while others seem simply sadistic. They are what they are. Crash pads are optional. They allow more falls, but lining your uke up to ensure he lands on the pad properly can detract from the drill.

Break people into groups of at least three, preferably four, possibly five. One person is tori, the rest are uke. All the ukes for a single file line. Tori names his throw, and throws every uke for three minutes. Uke is responsible for getting out of the landing zone as quickly as possible so that the next uke may land. The object of the game is high repetition.

Break into partners. One person is uke for the entire three minutes, then is tori the next three minutes. Name one throw to work on, and work as many as possible. This can be your tokui-waza, your least favorite throw or a current lesson concept. Again, high repetitions.

Break into partners. Partners will rotate roles as uke & tori. The object is to throw as quickly as possible, and to get up as quickly as possible. I typically run this as any throws are fair game, within dojo guidelines of course (i.e., no sutemi waza, no makikomi, etc.). People frequently find they can't make it the entire three minutes without stopping for air. That's fine.

How many falls can you do in three minutes? Pick any form of ukemi you like, and do it for three minutes. Forward rolls, back falls... doesn't matter. You'll want to rip the bell apart with your bare hands before three minutes is up.

Take any conditioning exercise, and work it for three minutes. Chest crawls, shrimps, reverse shrimps, salamanders, judo push-ups, crunches... yes, it's torture. Remember, these come from a competitive mindset. It will condition you.

Make it even more competitive by pitting partner pairs against each other in a race. How much ukemi can you do? Can you chest crawl further than I can in three minutes?

So, these are a few of my favorite things. I got out and tried a few of them with the P-90X guys and was surprised I can still hang with guys over 10 years younger than me.

If you try these, be warned you may trigger the human body into releasing natural growth hormone. You'll recognize it as reaching a state of exhaustion where you want to puke. I don't advocate actually barfing, but be warned this sort of insane bahavior can cause it. Now, if you really throw back to the old days... well, it would need to be 120 degrees in the dojo while you're wearing a double-weave judo gi to get in the right ballpark.

I wouldn't trade those days for anything.

BBQ Therapy

2009-08-01T16:26:00.002-05:00

I've been feeling a bit under the weather for the past week. At first, I thought it was from the Alabama trip -- maybe being exposed to some pollen or other allergen I'm not used to. Nope. My wife Kristen is fighting allergies, and a few of the guys at the dojo and others are dealing with the same malady.

Benadryl is nice, but it isn't getting the job done. I started Mucinex last night, fearing that this will turn into an upper respiratory infection -- at least a semi-annual event with me. I switched to Claritin this morning instead of Benadryl, since it's a non-drowsy 24 hour dosage.

Now, I can't remember if you're supposed to feed a cold & starve a fever, or if it's the other way around. It hardly matters. I like eating. It's nice outside, so I decided to fire up the Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn (with a convection plate from Horizon BBQ Smokers in Perry, OK) and have at it.

NOTE: You might find it helpful to review this previous blog for a more in-depth look at the topic.

My sensei & mentor Nick Lowry is often the recipient of some of my BBQ. He's a foodie like me, and gives me great feedback. We both approach food from a very similar viewpoint. I usually throw a pork tenderloin on whenever I smoke something, but today he gets some ribs as well. I've made good progress on my ribs, and I feel comfortable enough to let them out of the house for a fellow foodie to enjoy.

As usual, a little Royal Oak lump charcoal got things moving. I usually use a small amount of this to actually light some pecan wood. I have pecan in everything from say bratwurst size to forearm size at the elbow. Once the pecan is lit, I just feed it another piece or two every 60-90 minutes, depending on outside temperature & burn rate.

I cook my ribs using the 3-2-1 method: 3 hours on the smoke, followed by two hours wrapped in a double layer of aluminum foil with some apple juice, followed by one hour back on the smoke with no foil. The last half hour I baste every ten minutes with Head Country BBQ sauce (my current favorite) just to give them a little sweet gooey texture.

The pork tenderloin cooked for about 2½ hours on the smoke, followed by 1½ in foil, and it was done. It was actually a little more done than I would have preferred, but I'll get feedback from my favorite food critic to see if this was a good or bad thing.

Great trip to Alabama

2009-07-27T18:14:00.003-05:00

The last time I saw Frankie Canant was probably 1997, at our dojo in Oklahoma City while we were still located near I-40 and Meridian. We had a great time, ate a lot, told stories, played some guitar.... just some good male bonding, and there were quite a few folks making friends that weekend.

We were all part of the same organization. Frankie and a few other folks left around 2000 or so, and we left in late 2008. Since we have no fear of ruffling anyone's feathers about who we're hanging out with, we decided to make a trip to Birmingham, Alabama, for the American Tomiki Aikido Association's (ATAA) Spring gathering. Yes, it's summer now, but ask anyone who organizes a large event and they will tell you logistics are a real bitch. Figuring out how many people are coming is the first step, since that dictates the size of the venue you need. Then there's trying to get all the folks to settle on a common weekend... the list goes on and on.

So, Thursday morning I pick Nick Lowry (my sensei & mentor) up at his house and we drive to Hertz where he had reserved a rental for the trip. Initially it was 5 guys going, one of which had to fly because of family constraints. So, it was only going to be four guys driving. Another guy jumped in at the last minute, but Hertz said it would seat five comfortably.

It's a good thing all of us are multi-discipline guys, especially Judo guys. We're used to grappling and being extremely close to folks doesn't freak us out especially. I hate crowds, but this was like a controlled crowd.

Well, a Ford Explorer or equivalent was the rental. There was no Ford Explorer in the parking lot. We had a Nissan Xterra. Not exactly a roomy option for 5 guys, when the smallest guy is about 175 pounds. And it's 12 hours. Each way.

We had a pretty damn good time driving. Well, me and Nick did anyway -- we were in front (the advantage of being the oldest two, or perhaps the meanest two, or perhaps the only two who were going to be driving). There were stories told, pickup lines, horrible jokes -- you name it, we talked about it. We listened to a variety of different music. We made it through one disk of a Lewis Black book on CD, a CD of blues great Otha Turner, a mix CD. Entertained we were.

We arrived in Alabama about 9:30 pm, and headed for the rooms. Nick turned in, and the rest of us headed to the store, grabbed some beer, took a swim in the pool, and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning. Coming up on 40 in a few short months, I was seriously wondering why I had stayed up until 4 AM as Friday was in full swing. I missed the breakfast buffet at the hotel by a mere 15 minutes, and the coffee pretty much sucked. Bad karma.

We headed to Frankie's house for a late lunch. Now, the guy I last saw 10 years ago hasn't changed much. He had a better haircut then, but the flat-top does look nice. His sense of humor has not changed one bit. There was a lot of catching up to do. Over lunch, I met up with a guy I had met only once before -- Tim Cleghorn, the current President of the ATAA.

Way back in the mid-to-late 90's, I ran a listserve using majordomo on a dialup UNIX machine at my house. Tim had contributed a fair number of posts over the years, so I had good memories of our online discussions. Then Craig Boyett showed up later in the afternoon. Craig was one of Karl Geis' original ukes for the Fugakukai Films series, and authored Karl's original website. So, the story telling and catching up was in full tilt bozo mode as the time neared to head to the Bessemer YMCA.

A quick drive led us to the Y. We change out into our angry white pajamas, and moved some mats around, stretched out, and started into training. Jeff Duncan, of Full Circle Aikido in Killeen, Texas, was up first. I first met Jeff a few months ago, at an Aikido gathering in Austin organized by none other than Sensei Strange. Jeff and I got to play a bit, and we both got ramped up our play quite a bit and brought in things from various disciplines, and really sort of struck up a neat friendship.

Jeff noted the obvious defect of Aikido is a complete lack of a ground game. He had worked up a series using the techniques of the 17 (Ju Nana Hon Kata, or Randori No Kata) with tori on the ground, and uke in the dreaded "mount" position from Brazilian JuJitsu. I found his approach to be very fresh. I have seen release work performed with the feet, and various old-school JuJitsu pieces that resembled some Aikido techniques performed from the ground. However, performing the 17 from here got me a bit excited. Maybe it's my Judo background too. Maybe it was that Jeff was asking all of us Windsong Dojo guys to take his drill, and destroy it. Yeah, destroy it. Poke holes in it, show where it doesn't work with real grappling guys, and then let's take it and rebuild it, make it stronger, better.

This is an unusual approach. It's very mature. There's no ego involved as he asks us to poke holes in his theory. Most people are extremely ego-driven and will defend their idea to the last. I found Jeff's request and attitude to be simply delightful. After sleeping on it Friday night, I offered a couple of suggestions for tweaking it. Jeff seemed impressed enough that he made me share it with everyone late Saturday afternoon.

We worked on some toshu randori as well. Tim asked us to work it slightly different, in that one person was to be uke during the engagement. This differs from our normal approach; we play it like a game of catch, switching roles of uke & tori as we both try to allow a technique to manifest.

At the end of Saturday, I was honored to be asked, along with Nick & Craig, to sit with the board of the ATAA as we watched two students test for Shodan (1st degree black belt). It was very nice to see another system's approach to the material. They performed the techniques differently than I am used to, and I found it very exciting to watch them work. I think the thing that impressed me the most was how well the students maintained their hands in their center. The movements were nice, and the ukemi was nice as well.

We adjourned to Frankie's for dinner. His wife cooked lasagna for anyone that wanted to show up. Feeding over 20 folks is quite a chore. We sat around, drank a few beers, told a lot of really bad jokes, told a few stories on each other. It was as if a 10 year gap never occurred.

It's difficult to sum up the number of positive experiences from a trip like this. I'm very thankful. I'm thankful that Frankie invited all of us. I'm thankful that Nick made the trip possible for us. I'm thankful for Cameron, Cristian and Damon and how this trip improved our friendships. I'm thankful my wife Kristen understands my budo addiction and supports me often in my pursuit. I'm a really lucky guy.

Pick your poison - Ushiro-kesa-gatame

2009-07-16T21:32:00.005-05:00

Rather than working up lessons in Judo, I am taking the approach of letting the students dictate lesson time.

On the surface, I feel a bit lazy. I usually observe the class, float around and make corrections, and when I see a common thread with several people of things that need to be tweaked -- viola! It's lesson time! Allowing the students to quiz me for lesson time seems plain easy comparatively.

Tonight was truly a cakewalk, because the grappling question was on ushiro-kesa-gatame (reverse kesa). Now, since this is my tokui-waza (favorite technique) during grappling... well, it's like show & tell with your favorite toy.

There are several key elements I apply to this, which I will outline when holding from uke's left side:

Set your right hip into the pocket between the neck and the shoulder. Set it as close to the neck as possible.

If possible, have your hip displace uke's head -- push it sideways a little -- so that the head and the spine are not in alignment. This makes it very difficult for uke to generate power to escape.

If possible, slide your right leg slightly under uke's left shoulder. This makes it very difficult for uke to turn to his left.

Your right arm should be on the ground along uke's side. Your elbow should drive uke's arm upward so that it breaks the 90 degree plane relative to his side. In other words, uke should not look like he's a letter T, but more like a letter Y.

As you grip uke's left sleeve with your left hand, think about making the tensioning process like a screw. Your hand pulls back in a circular fashion, but your hip drives forward.

Weight should be on your little toes on your right foot, and big toe on your left foot. Your left knee should be in contact with the floor.

Ushiro-kesa-gatame also affords you two avenues when uke tries to escape. One of the principles of Kito-Ryu Jujitsu is any one entrance has two exits. So, uke can turn two directions (eventually, once you let him turn). This results in the ability to flow to kuzure-kamishiho-gatame (broken kamishiho) on uke's left side, which is typically my entrance position for ushiro-kesa. The other direction is a step over into tateshiho-gatame (or, even worse, the hold my fellows call the straightjacket).

So, as a teacher, sometimes it's easy for you to allow the class to dictate the lesson & ask the question. Students gain access to the knowledge they are seeking, and it encourages participation. Those who speak up get their questions answered.

Aikido release work... with a twist

2009-07-15T06:25:00.003-05:00

For the past ten years, we have worked on a form of Aikido developed by Karl Geis which he calls KiHara. It basically begins with a release movement, and then has a prescribed sequence of techniques from the Randori-no-kata, and some of the higher koryu kata, that follow.

An unintended side-effect of this process is that students are not terminating techniques. We've been training for techniques to not work, so if another one fails to work we just continue. As a Judo player, I find having a pocket full of kryptonite is useful. Knowing that Thor's hammer is in my pocket is pretty reassuring. And I think Aikido should have that same terminal ability.

After careful thought and consideration, we're going to turn back the clock to about 1999 with our training program. Stretching, ukemi, walking kata, releases, 17, then some chaining work. The Fugakukai currently uses the traditional 17, with 6 new variants Geis installed, for a total of 23 techniques.

As an idea, last night I had students experiment with something I had talked with J.W. Bode (a genuine bad boy from Lawton). Students do all the releases & 17 they know. Then you begin with a release, then perform every technique of the 17 (one at a time) after the release. So, #1 release, terminate with #1 of the 17 (shomen-ate). Then #1 release, terminate with #2 of the 17 (aigamae-ate). Then #1 release, terminate with #3 of the 17 (gyakugamae-ate). You get the idea.

We discovered some techniques are practically a gimme -- virtually no work required at all. Others demand grip changing, hand passing or other elements often encountered during toshu-randori.

So, if you find yourself looking for something new to play with, give it a spin and let me know what you think.

Shochugeiko Pictures

2009-07-11T05:02:00.001-05:00

Windsong Dojo Webmaster Sean Ashby has added some pictures from Shochugeiko. Photos by Dave Rose.

Photos from backpacking trip

2009-07-07T22:01:00.002-05:00

I've finally published about 50 or so photos from the trip on my Facebook account.

Facelift

2009-06-29T21:17:00.002-05:00

No, not me silly! My blog!

New template, and a few new features. Enjoy the slide show widget.

Shochugeiko Closeout

2009-06-28T12:11:00.002-05:00

Well, we finished. This was the most training I've ever done in over 16 years at the dojo. Making every class on the schedule, plus the extra training sessions with Nick Lowry Sensei, was deep.

Lots of cool things bubbled out. One of the neatest was putting pieces of a puzzle together regarding throwing paradigms. It has been said by Judo technicians way better than I that only two throws exist in Judo, uki-otoshi & sumi-otoshi. All other throws are variants of these two. Uki-otoshi is the first technique in Judo's Nage-no-kata. Judo's Goshin-Jutsu kata has an uki-otoshi balance break as the initial action of the first technique. In the original Tomiki Aikido, balance breaks were performed with a back step action first, and that's uki-otoshi as well. The thought lingering inside my head is why we see this as the initial, opening technique in 3 different katas from two different arts.

I've also decided, after playing with JW Bode, to continue working on some specific kaeshi-sutemi-waza in Judo. When you are thrown, often the chance exists to apply sutemi-waza as you are being thrown.

There's more stuff, but that's all I can put together right now.

Shochugeiko, Day 5

2009-06-26T20:18:00.002-05:00

Wow. The immersion thing is neat, but my powers of recall are shot.

Jack Bieler worked with us two sessions today (and one tomorrow) on some of the differences between classical koryu Shindo Muso Ryu Jyodo compared to the condensed Seitei No Kata Jyodo. Interesting.

JW Bode & George Spriggs from Lawton, OK, showed up today & provided some nice input. JW is a neat guy with a no-nonsense approach to Aikido, and has tailored it for his use in law enforcement. There are some nice variations on technique as well. As an aside, JW's Shodan certificate was signed by Kenji Tomiki himself.

A couple of our guys were working on a nice drill Sean Ashby laid on us in class the other night. It was really cool to see two sankyus working together in a cooperative exploration of possibilities. One of the guys shot the whole practice with a digital camera. I am hopeful the quality of the video is good, as this could be some very nice analysis/study.

I'm pretty cooked, having done 41 hours of classes this week. One more day to go.

Shochugeiko, Day 4

2009-06-25T22:06:00.002-05:00

I figured I would me more wasted, tired and brain fried after 35 hours of martial arts in only 4 days. I am tired, but sleeping like a brick every night has been nice. Wasted? Only after about 2PM or so. Brain Fried? Well... after the 3rd or 4th session a day things are getting hazy now.

The total immersion I'm doing is neat. My brain is so overloaded with information that the conscious mind can't even keep up. The subconscious, however, is chugging along just fine. While working with one of the crazoid guys who studies all 3 arts at the dojo (there are a small handful of us), I kept seeing things -- I knew a throw was present, and what form of throw it was, but has to process the specifics.

In Judo, we don't allow sutemi-waza (sacrifice throws) as part of our normal class. If your partner, and the black belt in charge of class agree to it then it's OK. Typically people don't even mess with sutemi-waza until after Shodan (1st degree black belt). I was a sutemi-waza machine today. I was pulling stuff out of my hat left and right.

By the end of the 4th session today, I was cooked. My brain wasn't processing anything now.

The last session was Judo. Four of the guys wanted to go all crazy and look at the old school routine from when we were a competitive program. I ran these fellows through the grinder. I was brutal to them. Period. No rest, yelling at them to perform drill after drill to wear them down & tire them out. Two of the guys decided after 15 minutes they'd had enough.

The other two... well now that they were nice & tired, and unable to really muscle (ikioi) any techniques it was time to get down to business. They traded throws as fast as they could for 3 minutes. I gave them a chance to catch their breath, then joined them for a fun 3 minutes each of throwing only one throw. Then it was 3 minutes of any one throw, with me joining in on the tossing rather than just taking falls.

DAMN! It was a lot of work, but a ton of fun to boot! It was a flashback to the good old days. If only it had been 120 degrees in the dojo it would have been perfect. Yes, in the old days it was that damn hot in the summer. No kidding. I wouldn't trade those days for anything. They were the best.

I had them work on two hold-downs & rapid fire escapes for 3 minutes each, then I asked them what they wanted to learn. They had no answer, then one of them said basics of grappling. There's nothing more advanced than the basics, and I began to lay my approach to grappling on them. The bottom guy makes space, the top guy controls a piece of the bottom guy, etc. etc. etc. We started looking at pins and how to really lock down on your partner.

The next thing I know, everyone in the class is standing around as I'm talking. So, I begin explaining the concepts of controlling uke by limiting options. When uke moves, it's because I wanted him to move, demonstrating how I open a hole and uke seizes the chance to move because of the extreme discomfort. We covered most of the major pins, looking at options to close avenues of escape.

The parting thought: standing work is the same. Moose gave the following lecture we affectionately call the litany of Judo:
Kuzushi starts when you do something that causes your opponent to take a step that he would not normally have taken, to give you a moment in time to gain entry. For example, using your collar hand grip to pull uke’s shoulder in front of his foot, causing him to step. Kuzushi ends when we start to make our entry, or start tsukuri. Tsukuri stops at the execution point of the throw, at the point where we have gained control. Kake begins at the point when you have control. Kake ends when your opponent is on the ground.

Shochugeiko, Day 3

2009-06-24T22:02:00.004-05:00

Well, I'm 26 hours of mat time in -- 3 out of 6 days in the books.

I'm a bit tired from not sleeping well last night. Falling asleep after midnight, and waking up 4 different times during the night before getting up at 5:15am isn't great. The upside is neat though. Being tired gets the conscious mind out of the way, and lets the subconscious do its thing.

We've been seeing some create stuff all three days so far. There's been a core group of folks at the special sessions, with others coming & going. Some folks headed home yesterday, and others are headed home tomorrow (Thursday). I think Friday will bring some new folks from Texas I haven't seen in a few years, and Saturday is hopefully going to be gigantic.

Am I A Lunatic?

2009-06-23T23:36:00.002-05:00

I took vacation this week to attend Shochugeiko, a summer intensive training with an Aikido emphasis.

My goal is to attend every class on the schedule. Not just the two extra sessions each day, but every single class. This amounts to some 45 hours or so of martial arts training in Aikido, Judo and Jyodo in only six days.

This seems a bit insane. I'm the only one crazy enough to even attempt it. Hmmm... perhaps this should be a clue. When Nick Lowry, owner & head instructor of Windsong Dojo, advised "pace yourself"... perhaps this should be a clue. Perhaps I should take a lesson from one who has been there and done that, but that would mean I couldn't experience it myself.

We're two days in at this point, and I'm still running strong. Not quite at the levels I would have in my earlier years, but for a guy coming up on 40 I'm happy thus far. Everyone is starting to suffer from the "cup runneth over" problem I think. We're all starting to suffer a little brain lock here and there, especially about some of the neater variants we're seeing.

I skipped out on a hot tub soak tonight to go do some bodywork on a friend who's been suffering from a migraine all day. Hopefully the ibuprofen will counter any ill effects of the longest day thus far. Wednesday will be a shorter day, and I'm going to enjoy a nice break over lunch.

Since the alarm clock goes off in a few short hours for a 6:30am Judo class, I'm off to bed.

Backpacking Trip 2009

2009-06-11T22:08:00.000-05:00

We started off with an 8 hour drive to Pecos, New Mexico, in a mini-van with far too many options. I own a Toyota Tacoma, and the Sienna mini-van probably had every bell & whistle Toyota could place on a vehicle. Keyless entry for side doors & rear doors, keyless closing, touch the door and it closes for you, backup cameras, and a cruise control system that uses laser to determine the distance between you & the vehicle in front of you, and automatically adjust your speed.

We ate breakfast at Jimmy’s Egg in Yukon, filled up in El Reno, and headed west on I-40. We were starting later than I had hoped, but this trip I chose to not care. I tried to let my philosophy for the trip be to simply enjoy where you are to the maximum, and don’t worry about the rest of it.

We drove through New Mexico for a long while, finally turning north and heading for a small town named Pecos. From there, it was onward for several miles until we reached the forest service road for Holy Ghost campground. This was a paved, decently maintained stretch of road that required patience & skill when you met a vehicle traveling the opposite direction. Once we reached the campground, we began searching for a spot to camp. All of the campsites near the front of campground were taken, as we arrived late Saturday afternoon. There were a handful of spots at the rear of the park near the group camping area.

There were two other groups of campers. The first was an older couple, in their late 60’s I’d guess, camping as far from the parking area as possible. We encountered them on two separate occasions as we were backpacking. They were day hiking, each carrying a positively tiny pack which I suspect contained water and some trail munchies, and perhaps a rain jacket. They were delightful and a wealth of first-hand information on the trail. The second couple was from Santa Fe. Jim and Juana had two dogs in tow, and had drawn the wrath of the ranger’s ticketbook for not having their dogs on a leash earlier in the day. The first dog was a golden retriever mix they had picked up at a rescue. I immediately knew the second dog was a border collie, allegedly mixed with something; the border collie was the dominant gene, from the hair to the stare, the obsessive-compulsive behavior was unmistakable. We had a pleasant chat around their campfire as they pointed us to an area at the top of the hill they noticed earlier in the day.

We carried our gear up the hill and setup camp. Jason strung his Hennessey Hammock between two trees right smack in the middle of the path, which hardly mattered since we were the last spot. Chris hiked further up a steep climb and setup his Clark Jungle Hammock between a couple of large fir trees. As the sole ground dweller this trip, I found a reasonably flat spot and began setting things up.

My ritual the remainder of the trip for camp was established this first night. First, unpack the entire bottom compartment of the Osprey Aether 70 pack. Begin by setting up the Black Diamond Lightsabre bivy, a tiny bare-bones shelter barely large enough to sleep in. Blow up the Big Agnes insulated air-core sleeping pad and stuff into the bivy, which is a trick in and of itself. Unpack the Snugpak Softie Elite sleeping bag, unzip and stuff in the bivy. Unpack the Coolmax liner and stuff inside the sleeping bag. Finally, deploy my fancy 11’x11’ tarp constructed of ripstop nylon in an A-frame fashion as a weather shield. The tarp allowed me to sleep with the bug mesh zipped up on the bivy, but leaving the weather shield unzipped a bit to prevent any condensation. It also served as a wind block, which will be important later.

I turned in early every night of the trip. I was typically in the sack well before the sun went down. I scored some amazing sleep in a few precious days, and even managed to dream almost every night. Now, to some people this sounds normal. It is an extremely rare occurrence for me to dream. I just don’t make it into the really deep sleep cycle often. I was so tired this trip I had little choice.

We woke up the next morning and packed everything away, reversing all the steps of setup. I enjoyed some Mountain House Granola with blueberries from a one quart Ziploc bag, and some Taster’s Choice instant coffee from their new single-serving packets. Real coffee… well, not in my book. But, it weighs next to nothing and the flavor is remarkably passable. We verified all our water stores were full up, secured our trash in the dumpster and encountered a forest service employee – absolutely perfect timing. The girl I had been discussing the trip with via e-mail had misinformed me about the location of public parking and access to the trailhead. Public parking was nearly a kilometer (0.62 miles) back toward the entrance. It used to be located at the end of the group camp ahead of us, but the forest service decided to relocate it as to disturb the campers a little less frequently. So, we loaded up, drove back, slung our packs and walked back toward where we just left. This extra walking gave us a chance to fine tune our packs a little for the walk ahead. My gear was already dialed in pretty tight and required virtually no adjustment.

We walked through the group camping area, down a quasi-paved stretch of road. As the pavement gave way to an unmaintained path we entered the Pecos Wilderness of the Santa Fe National Forest.

Our pacing for the trip was leisurely to say the least. Jason was a complete backpacking virgin, so Chris & I let him take point and set the pace. We stopped often to take pictures with a digital camera. There were places we shot video footage. We stopped every 45 minutes, dropped our packs and relaxed for 15 minutes before continuing. It was very relaxing compared to the virtual death march in absolutely horrid weather conditions the year before. The temperatures started off with lows in the mid 40’s, and highs near 70. Ideal for the moment, but that would all change.

We walked alongside Holy Ghost Creek for about five kilometers the first day. We crossed the stream several times, and took a large number of photos of the stream itself. Small waterfalls, rushing waters… it was simply serene.

About 3 kilometers in, we saw an absolutely beautiful part of the stream with a small waterfall over and around downed timber. Two different flat rocks extended into the stream. We chose to walk about 100 yards off the trail to more closely look at the sights, and took the opportunity to refill our water stores. The SteriPen uses ultra-violet (UV) light to disrupt the DNA strands of bacteria & viruses in water, rendering it safe to drink. It takes 90 seconds to purify one liter of water. I attached the pre-filter to a one liter Nalgene bottle. Simply dunk the bottle in the stream and fill. Then remove the filter assembly from its base, leaving the base attached to the bottle. Turn the SteriPen on by pushing the button, insert into the base and agitate water. Done!

It was at this point Jason suffered an equipment failure. He was using a neat water filter from Platypus. The system is gravity fed, and about as easy as it gets. It also has the option to fill the hydration bladder in your pack without removing it from the pack. I was a little jealous, because to refill my 3 liter Camelbak bladder I had to empty the top portion of my pack to remove the bladder. There is a 4 liter bag marked dirty, a line exiting the bag which attaches to the filter, which then has a line attaching it to another 4 liter bag marked clean. This is apparently the older design, which uses a Ziploc-type seal. The newer design uses the newer Ziploc slider-type seal, compared to the old squeeze ‘em together. Well, one of the seams on the clean bag inside his pack blew, and this means water all over everything inside the pack – clothes, food, sleeping bag. Good thing I had mentioned putting stuff in waterproof bags. In the end, he ended up putting the dirty bag in the pack, and sucking water through the filter. Nice comeback from a bad design.

It was still early when we made camp on the first day. It was near water, and ahead of us was a path Chris and I didn’t want to try to tired legs. The trail climbed almost 800 feet in just over half a mile, and the next water stop was well beyond that. Jason was suffering from unrealistic expectations as a result of summit fever. We all fall prey to it, but the two seasoned backpackers laid down the law and said no.

For supper, I ate a homebrewed concoction of shepherd’s pie. Half a packet of Mountain House Beef Stew, plus half a packed of Idahoan instant potatoes, combined with two cups of boiling water in a Ziploc bag and kneaded gently during 10 minutes of reconstitution. Tasty and filling.

Since we were in bear country, I tried to find a suitable tree for hanging our food. The guideline is at least 10 feet high, and a few feet out from the trunk of the tree. That just wasn’t going to happen. We settled for a tree near camp. You are supposed to bag anything and everything that smells: food, wet wipes, toothpaste, deodorant, soap.

Now, recall the lovely weather I mentioned. Well, it wouldn’t be a trip if it didn’t go to hell at some point. My sleeping bag is rated for comfort at 40, save your hiney at 30 degrees. This bag has been adequate for me at 30 degrees or even upper 20’s. I am a hot sleeper. By 11:30 PM, it was in the mid 20’s and dropping. We don’t know exactly how low the mercury dropped that night. Jason had a 15 degree goose down bag, and he woke up cold during the night. I woke up from the cold I can’t count how many times. Suddenly I began to question my clothing choices for the trip. I had planned for nice weather, so no long underwear at all. I had tossed in a pair of thick wool socks at the last minute, thinking they might help prevent blisters during our descent.

The next morning saw Backpacker’s Pantry offerings of breakfast cereal, a cinnamon granola with bananas. It was tasty enough I wouldn’t mind having it regularly. We crossed the little stream and began our uphill trek.

About halfway up the tortuous climb we encountered a natural scenic lookout. The view was simply breathtaking from a rock formation that overlooked the valley we just climbed out of. We took a nice rest break and a lot of pictures, then continued the march upward.

As we hiked up toward a meadow at the top of the climb, the leftovers of a big predator kill lay near the trail. Three partial legs of what appeared to be a very large deer, or possibly an elk, lay alongside the trail. The remainder of the carcass was nowhere to be seen or smelled. All three legs still had skin & meat intact on the section from the knee to the hoof. From the knee up were gnawed clean. One had been gnawed in half to get all the marrow out. There are two large predators in the area: bears and mountain lions. We looked around and recognized it as a perfect ambush site for a mountain lion. The slope above the trail and the underbrush would provide perfect concealment for a predator that can cover over 20 feet (about 7 meters) in a single leap. Mountain lions typically attack prey from behind at an oblique angle, going after the neck of its prey to ensure a quick kill. It could have been a bear, but my money goes on the big cat. Chris’ Springfield Armory XD .45ACP was now moved to full ready, a full magazine of 220 grain Speer jacketed hollow point with extra powder (+P) to do their dirtywork if need be.

I was introduced to the 220 JHP round during my days of competition handgun shooting. We nicknamed the rounds “flying ashtrays” due to the enormous cavity and gaping mouth on the hollow point. Shooting bowling pins off a sheet of plywood is not an easy task. The pins are set one foot in from the back edge of the plywood. The objective is to knock the pin off the plywood. Simply knocking the pin over doesn’t count. If the Speer round from a .45ACP made contact virtually anywhere on the pin, it was almost a sure thing the pin would go sailing off the board. It’s a rather nasty round.

As we finally reached the top of the climb, we were rewarded with a sprawling meadow. Lush green vegetation, wild flowers growing sporadically, aspens and firs – the phrase for the trip was coined here: some things you just have to see in person.

At the end of the meadow was the junction of Holy Ghost trail with Windsor Trail. We stopped and enjoyed Oscar-Meyer shelf stable bacon and some pepperoni on flour tortillas. My hat is off to the folks at Oscar-Meyer. Bacon is one of my favorite foods. I think it could be its own food group. Bacon makes almost everything better. Once we finished munching, we started walking again. As we rounded the first corner, large fir trees lined the path as if it were something from Lord of the Rings. Simply breathtaking.

We hiked the remainder of the day and encountered a few day hikers. I will admit their dainty packs looked appealing. This trip I carried just over 40 pounds, in a pack that fits very well. Last year was almost 80 pounds in a pack that didn’t fit me correctly. I was cruising along and didn’t mind it at all, but I was still a touch envious at times. As we chatted with several of them, they all told a sad story. Katherine Lake, which really drew us to the trip, still had snow on the ground. Santa Fe Baldy Peak, which we wanted to summit, was still socked in with snow. There was no way we were going to make that happen. Fortunately, Stewart Lake was on our map & itinerary as a trout fishing hole, so we headed there. We talked about it, and decided we could always strip our packs to nothing and do the run to Katherine Lake as a day hike, toting only water and a few emergency essentials. It was 4 kilometers each way, though there was a nasty stretch of steep climb.

Stewart Lake is situated a 10,276 feet of elevation. It was cold, and the wind was blowing and changing directions as we began scouting for places to camp. I went east, Jason went west, Chris took pictures and chatted with a couple of day hikers. I found a wide, flat spot with a few campers already there. A trio of young Texans from New Braunfels had been hiking in the area for over a week. They were quite a group. Tales of Ramen noodles, cold instant potatoes and instant oatmeal for breakfast (oh, just dump the packet in your mouth style) were just the beginnings. One of the trio had lost his air mattress to a leak, and had taken to just sleeping on the ground inside the tent with no insulation between him and the ground. They were equipped with zero degree bags, and were all cold the night before just like we were. They were already working on a huge fire for the night to stay warm, using an axe to chop a foot diameter dead tree into sizeable chunks for the fire. When using an axe, eye protection is a good idea. The leader of the crew had gotten a splinter in his eye earlier. He had to tell his friend how to pull the splinter out of his eye with a pair of tweezers. The closest place to even gain access to a vehicle in hopes of reaching a hospital was 10 kilometers away, and there was no way to make the trip safely in the dark. Mother Nature should not be taken lightly; she will kick your ass in a cold blooded fashion.

Jason managed to find the flattest piece of ground I’d seen yet, and we all set about setting up quickly in the nasty wind. I hadn’t even changed out of my shorts or rolled my sleeves down as the temperatures dipped into the 50’s. I was so tired I didn’t want to eat, but a hot meal would certainly help keep me warm through part of the night. I ate some of Mountain House’s Chili Mac, which was damned tasty. Chris wolfed down their Lasagna, which is remarkably tasty by any standard.

I donned my big wool socks with my ankle high socks on the outside. I pulled my convertible pants on over my shorts. Under Armor short sleeve shirt, rolled down the sleeves on my sole long sleeve shirt, and added my rain jacket. I put my hoodie on, then pulled the rain jacket’s hood up and settled in for what I expected to be a purely miserable night.

It wasn’t. I was toasty warm and slept like a log all night. It wasn’t nearly as cold as the night before. I was lucky enough to be just behind a small ridge and was shielded from the wind coming off the lake, and my tarp shedded almost any wind that made it past. Chris & Jason, however, were sleeping in hammocks and fully exposed to the winds.

I stumbled out of my bivy to discover Chris had packed his gear. This puzzled me. Perhaps he didn’t fare very well inside his hammock. But no, the situation was far worse. The migraine headache he’d been fighting the entire trip was now in full effect. He suspected smoke from the campfire was the trigger. The sky was grey and the winds were still swirling and cold. I suspected a weather system was trying to make it over the mountains just a few kilometers west of us. I made some extra coffee, knowing caffeine can sometimes work magic with migraines. I gave him a packet of Gatorade to add some electrolytes. We began packing up and getting off the mountain. A headache is bad, a migraine is worse, and when it’s affecting your vision to the point you can’t really see out of one eye…. well, it’s time to call it a day.

We descended the mountain making excellent time. Downhill does that. Last year’s trip from hell proved it. Two full days of ingress hiking to the destination was covered in under seven hours on the way out. We covered about ten kilometers in under five hours, still stopping to take pictures of things we missed before, and to let the throbbing in Chris’ head reside. We drove to Santa Fe and found a hotel, settled in and took our first shower in days.

We woke the next morning to rain -- lots of rain. Chris’ migraine might have been due to the pressure change of a monster weather system. The mountains we were on less than 24 hours before were now buried in the clouds. The clouds were literally laying on top of the mountains. We were all thankful to have called the trip when we did. Laying in a hammock or bivy riding out a monster rainstorm would suck to say the least. The trail conditions were bad on the descent with slippery rocks, and if they had been wet and mixed into mud it would have been simply treacherous.

We laid waste to the breakfast buffet, munching on bacon that was closer to ash than meat, dried out biscuits and coffee that was worse than my Taster’s Choice packets. We loaded up and headed for home.

While the trip may be over, it isn’t actually finished. We have well over 100 photos to download from the camera & sort through. There’s some video footage, and possibly editing all of that into a video and burning it to DVD. There’s a gear debrief, where we discuss what went right, what went wrong, what we did well, what we did poorly – a massive debrief to say the least. The lessons learned each year make the next trip more enjoyable.

Counting Down

2009-05-18T21:15:00.002-05:00

The backpacking trip is drawing close. All four of us met to discuss the trip and hash out some final details over the weekend.

This trip we're operating with an "every man for himself" plan. In the past, we've shared gear to reduce cost and cut weight. This is nice, but it leaves little redundancy. The Navy SEALs have a saying: two is one, one is none. So, with every man being self-sufficient, we'll have some nice overlap in the event of a gear failure.

I picked up a few things at REI's big annual sale. It was worth the trip to Dallas to cash in on some huge savings.

First item was a new pack. After trying on about 6 different packs from REI, Kelty, Gregory and Osprey, I ended up with an Osprey Aether 70. I brought it home and loaded it up, and have a little room left over. This is good, because it gives me room for additional gear in cooler weather.

Second item was some new shoes. I'm opting out of regular hiking boots this trip, and trying something the ultralight community does -- trail runners. Think of them as rugged tennis shoes. The Merrell Moab Ventilator was the winner, mainly because it comes in wide. They are pretty comfortable.

I picked up a few odds & ends as well, including a new pair of shorts, a long sleeve shirt and some backpacking food.

Tonight I took the loaded pack & met up with one of the guys going on the trip at Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge. We walked along a service road for a solid half hour, then turned around and walked back out because we started losing daylight. For an hour of walking, I felt really good. The Merrells are surprisingly cushy, much moreso than my regular hiking boots. The pack, which is loaded with everything except food at this point, rode very well. It was almost like carrying nothing. It weighs about half of what my pack did last year. I promised myself never to hump a 70 pound pack again, and I'm keeping my promise. Titanium stuff is cool, and I started weighing everything on a digital kitchen scale and logging it in an Excel spreadsheet. It's amazing at how much stuff I was carrying that wasn't fully necessary. I'm sure the pounds will creep up a little bit for some creature comforts, but I should still be under 40 pounds for the week including food & water.

An Awesome Judo Class

2009-04-28T21:39:00.002-05:00

I don't write often, but I'm so jazzed up I can't help it. We had an absolutely awesome Judo class tonight.

We started off with sode-tsurikomi-goshi. When we teach this throw, we have tori grip uke's sleeves at the ends, push one hand up, the other hand down, turn into uke and deliver a hip throw. Tonight, we worked on variation entries.

First, as uke steps forward with his right foot, just as his foot touches you want to use your sleeve grip to draw uke down the line of his feet. Simply connect the big toes of each foot, and draw the sleeve grip parallel to the floor down that line. This provides the kuzushi for the throw. Uke typically spins to recover balance. Drop your collar grip to uke's sleeve, step across and throw.

Second, as uke steps forward with his left foot, release your collar grip and turn your shoulder off. For example, if you hold your arm out in front of you, turn your shoulder off and your arm will fall to your side. Since uke is gripping this for his sleeve grip, it's a very subtle kuzushi. You can often finish with sode-tsurikomi-goshi, or ippon-seoi-nage, or several other throws.

Third, same setup as above. Now, windmill your arm as uke goes past and you can finish with a nice waki-gatame.

For grappling, we reviewed some stuff from last week dealing with the turtle. We don't review this sort of thing regularly. We're a recreational club with no cares to turtle. But, if people like to, here's how to break them of the habit :)

First drill: from uke's side, bridge weight into him. Reach under to secure the far arm, at the elbow, one of tori's hands on each side of the elbow. Pull the elbow toward you, then drive into uke to turn him over.

Second drill: from uke's side, tori threads his rear hand (farthest from the head) under uke's closest arm, then over uke's head, setting a quarter-nelson. Tori can supplement with his second hand. Pull uke's head in a turning motion, and he pops over.

Third drill: from uke's side, tori places his closest hand palm down on the same side of uke's head he's positioned on. Grab uke's belt at the far hip with the other hand. Pull on the diagonal of the far hip to the closest shoulder to roll uke over. Finish with a choke.

Fourth drill: from uke's side, tori places his top hand four fingers inside the collar at the back of uke's neck, leaving the elbow in-line with uke's spine. Tori threads the other hand under uke's arm and secures a four fingers inside grip on uke's opposite lapel. This should be as close to the other hand as possible. During this phase, tori's top (head) knee is up. Tori grips tightly and wrings the wrists, then brings the grip at uke's neck down to his side, rotating the grip 90 degrees. At this point, tori switches his knees so that the knee closest to uke's head is down and the other one is up. Uke will often submit here, but if not hunch the shoulders, then drive into uke.

Fifth drill: uke goes into a flat turtle, lying prone. Tori approaches from the side, setting a grip at the back of uke's collar, controlling uke's head. Tori steps over and is straddling uke. Tori reaches back with his free hand, grabs uke's pants at the knee, lifts uke's leg and slides his leg underneath. Tori switches hands, repeats on the other side. Tori bridges weight forward into a skydiving position. Position both hands together, elbows together on one side of uke's neck. Sweep hands across the floor. Reach under with your far hand, but do not grip. Bring the free hand over the top of the head, then sweep it back to the other side. Now, establish a deep grip. Bring the free hand over the top of the head (now on the opposite side of your grip), and apply a choke using a shearing action from the back of the arm & the lapel grip.

Five Weeks to Backpacking

2009-04-27T20:09:00.003-05:00

Looking at the calendar, I noticed we are now under five weeks from our big backpacking trip in June. While five weeks sounds like a lot, it really isn't. Printing maps, checking park regulations, ordering fishing licenses.... the list goes on and on.

Ordering things online is great. Online prices are often less than brick & mortar stores, and then there's bulk discounts of 10-20% for food items. That's fine, unless they backorder something. You have to order with enough lead time to account for those little gotcha's.

Also, if you're working out twice a week on walking... that's 10 walks to tune your gear. Not very much. I could walk at lunch as well, and may easily have to. Our weightlifting is on hold because I've developed a nice case of tendinitis in my right elbow, and tennis really aggravates it to boot.

I was tempted to buy a new pack for the trip, but tonight's poor service helped me change my mind. I know I would have been in for a case of buyer's remorse anyway. I'm sure I'll learn some things on this trip, and might be able to downsize my gear further. That new pack might be too big next time. I'm becoming a bit of a minimalist, a gram weenie, and a titanium fanatic. Only by weighing and examining each and every piece of gear do you start to realize how much crap you carry. So far, I've decided to leave out 7 pounds of stuff that would normally be in my pack.

I strapped on my old pack from a couple of years ago and tuned the suspension a bit. It's not quite the right size. It's probably a medium, and I'm at the top end of medium. Of course, if it were large, I'd be at the bottom end of that range. I have managed to cut my base pack weight significantly, weighing in at just under 22 pounds for everything except food, water, and fuel for the stove. I knocked out a one mile circuit through the neighborhood, and will tweak things a bit more.

I am seriously considering some new footwear for the trip, trading down into a trail runner -- basically a tennis shoe with aggressive tread -- from my larger GoreTex hiking boots. Studies show that one pound of weight carried on your feet is the same as five pounds of weight carried on your back. My doctor friend clued me in on things to look for in a shoe. Ah, the benefits of him going through a rotation with a podiatrist during residency. Basically, if you can grab the shoe by each end, then fold the toes back more than about 90 degrees, ditch it. If you can grab the toes and torsion the sole, spinning it left and right, ditch it. What support the shoe does not provide, your feet have to make up. I found it to be an interesting concept.

Spring Budo Gathering in Round Rock, TX

2009-04-19T16:17:00.002-05:00

Eric Pearson of KyuRyu Dojo was kind enough to invite a bunch of folks from different styles together for a couple of days of great budo. A lot of things are still a blur, possibly from the ibuprofen haze I'm exerpiencing.

We practiced at Round Rock Martial Arts, and got to work in two different spaces. The upstairs space has what appear to be either Zebra or Swain sportsmats in a typical 1 meter by 2 meter size. The downstairs area is a gymnastics area, and the super sprung floors that are commonplace. I find the top deck of mats to often be a little too squishy, and I don't much care for the carpet (I'm a huge fan of tight canvas covers) but the rebound from the sprung floor makes it truly enjoyable to perform radical ukemi.

We arrived and began suiting up, I saw someone I immediately recognized: Zdenek Matl Sensei. I attended a seminar in Arlington, TX, back in April of 2005. I was not surprised that Matl Sensei had continued to improve his execution and teaching of no impact Judo. It was a wonderful beginning to a great weekend, and several pages of notes.

As we played, the Aikido group led by Brendan Hussey Sensei began filing in. And then, as if from nowhere, came an entire group of ninja! John Hidalgo Sensei leads the Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu group at the dojo, and he brought plenty of students with him.

Brendan suggested a concept they call "riffing". It's like musicians jamming together, and produced some neat stuff. He asked Nick to lead things off, then John would take what Nick worked on and present a similar idea from their line of training, then Brendan would finish things off with a concept from their line of training. Needless to say, a lot of great information flowed. It was interesting to see different approaches to the same problems.

The thing I found most promising is the vibe of the room. In so many martial arts organizations, the politics and egos take over and really squelch a lot of useful information. Everyone tried to put their ego/prejudice/bias aside, and really had the "beginner's mind" or an "empty cup". This seems like such a rarity within a group of folks from the same association; to have folks from 7 different dojos and at least four unique ranking systems present... well, it's pretty damn rare.

Thanks to everyone who showed up and played! I'm looking forward to doing it again.

A peek at Jyodo (or Jodo if you prefer)

2009-03-28T13:55:00.003-05:00

So far as martial arts go, Jyodo is not very well known.

There are several things I like about Jyodo.

When you do kata for real, you get real kata. Now, it takes a while before you reach a skill level high enough to try to sincerely kill your partner every single time. But when you do, kata is very much alive and extremely adrenalizing. If you haven't had kata stimulate the adrenal response of the body, well... you aren't doing it for real.

Jyodo also instills an attention to detail and level of precision which feeds into your other martial arts practices. It is a finicky art. Having you hands wrong is one thing, but holding a four foot long magnifying glass for those mistakes will bring about change in your perspective.

In this photo, Jason Junkens of Autumn Wind Dojo is attacking with a gyakute-uchi strike while demonstrating 'Tachi Otoshi', the 8th kata technique of Seitei no Kata. As I block, you'll notice how exposed the right side of Jason's neck is. I can step with my left foot and attack the neck very quickly. You must be precise with action to draw the stick and place it properly to avoid the sword.

Gumbo

2009-02-22T09:16:00.002-06:00

One of my favorite things about weekend afternoons is a radio show on our local NPR station. They play a three hour show dedicated to the blues. I enjoy the blues. I prefer Delta blues to Chicago blues, but I digress.

Yesterday's show was focused on New Orleans, since fat Tuesday is next week. And that began my craving for gumbo. So what's a guy to do? Go to the store and make some!

Here's how I do mine. This should feed 4 folks one round, or 2 people twice. You will have plenty of leftover gumbo, but you will be out of rice. I like making fresh rice the next day rather than warming it up. Feel free to use other meats as well -- shrimp, crawfish, crab... it's what you're in the mood for.

Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 cup vegetable oil
1 - 1.5 pounds of chicken (breasts or tenders - it will be diced later)
1 pound of sausage (Andouille is best, but smoked sausage works fine)
2 onions
3 bell peppers
5 ribs of celery
1 cups uncooked white rice
1 49oz can Chicken broth (reserve two cups for rice)

The key element of a good gumbo is the roux (that's pronounced roo, like kangaroo). This brings a lot of flavor to the gumbo, and will also thicken it. There are 4-5 various stages of the roux, and these go by color. White doesn't do much for gumbo, but it's great for making sausage gravy. After white comes blond, then peanut butter, chocolate, brick. A darker roux brings more flavor, so being patient is very worthwhile.

The roux is also the trickiest part. If you burn it, you must start over. Just a few black flecks in the roux demonstrate you lost heat control, and you're done. It also demands constant stirring, and when you're dealing with Cajun napalm this isn't always pleasant. If it pops or you stir too hard and splash some on you... you know why it's Cajun napalm.

Enter a lesson from a great Judo player, and former chef, named Moose. Cook it in the oven. By making the roux in the oven, you have great temperature control. It also doesn't demand constant attention like the stove, which frees you up to perform all of your prep work. This cuts your production time significantly. Just whisk it every 10-15 minutes.

First, mix 1 cup of flour with 1 cup of vegetable oil in a 9x9 casserole dish. Put it in a 350 degree oven. Don't be in a hurry. This took a couple of hours to reach that nice chocolate stage. I would have went for a brick roux, but it was already late and I was way too hungry.

Meanwhile, get your knife & cutting board. Dice the onions, bell peppers & celery. I like to split the celery stalks lengthwise before dicing to achieve a more uniform size with the onions & peppers.

Once that's out of the way, season & cook your chicken. I usually use kosher salt, black pepper & garlic. For a boost of flavor, you could grill the chicken rather than cook it in a skillet. Move it aside to cool before dicing.

Cut the sausage in half lenthwise, then cut those in half lengthwise again. Dice these and cook until brown. Most of your smoked sausage could go right in the pot without this step. I like to cook it to get some of the fat rendered out and it adds a little flavor. When finished, move it aside to drain.

When the roux is done, it's time to mix it all together. First, place some vegetable oil in the pot and bring it up to temperature over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions, peppers and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes. Carefully add the roux. Stir and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the chicken & sausage. Add the broth, saving two cups for cooking the rice. Stir it all together and reduce heat. Simmer for 30 minutes.

In a small pan, add the 2 cups of chicken broth you reserved earlier. Bring to a boil, add the 1 cup of rice, reduce heat to low, cover and cook.

When the rice is done, place some in your bowl and ladle some gumbo in over the top. I like to let people serve themselves. Some folks like more liquid with their rice, others like less.

Inclement Weather

2009-01-31T14:27:00.002-06:00

Oklahoma dealt with some nice weather this week. Temperatures were below freezing for a couple of days straight, and when you have drizzle... well, it freezes instantly. Roads were coated with a thin sheet of ice, making travel dangerous if not impossible.

Monday night into Tuesday morning we were actually blessed to have a bunch of sleet fall. Blessed because its granular form actually provided traction.

The other thing that was fun was having great footprints to look at. I don't practice my tracking skills regularly, and this provided a wonderful opportunity. The interesting thing was what author Tom Brown refers to as pressure releases within a track. These give signs about weight distribution, weight carried and how the person was moving. With a little work I was able to analyze a few of my tracks and see exactly what he has written about.

If you'd like to learn more, I suggest searching for Tom Brown on Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. A noted outdoorsman, Brown has utilized his tracking skills in search and rescue, as well as fugitive manhunts. The movie The Hunted with Tommy Lee Jones & Benecio del Toro is an account of an incident where Brown tracked a fugutive.

Great Seminar This Weekend

2009-01-17T20:22:00.002-06:00

I had the distinct pleasure to take a day of vacation on Friday and travel with my sensei Nick Lowry to do a seminar. We traveled to Tahlequah , OK (Towel-eh-kwah) and Autumn Wind Dojo, owned & operated by Jason Junkens.

We worked on Judo Friday night, and started by looking at how people setup their various throwing techniques. At Jason's request, Nick set about with some excellent fine tuning. I ran the class through an abbreviated warm-up routine, and I worked on tuning their chest crawls & shrimps a little. Nick worked on expanding the basic de-ashi-harai footsweep drill to cover various things uke might do.

I stayed up visiting with Jason until about midnight. He shared a photo album he had assembled from his tour in Afghanistan with the Oklahoma National Guard.

Saturday we worked on Aikido. There were a couple of very minor tweaks with walking kata, and then we worked on some of the release work and kata work we've been playing with at Windsong Dojo. The ideas range from the traditional 17 kata, to the current 23 kata, the original Tomiki kata, some Ueshiba interpretations and finally a vertical balance disruption. Nick had me show off a neat randori drill I helped create that we call the empty cup drill.

The culinary highlight of the trip was a pizza place called "Sam & Ellas". Say it fast, sounds like salmonella. I'll definitely skip the latter, but if you're ever in Tahlequah make time for the first. It was some of the best pizza I've ever eaten. The mushroom caps were awesome, and there's a bread with the same spinach & artichoke & mozzerella topping. We had two different pizzas. I can't remember their menu names at the moment. One was a wonderful chicken & bacon experience, but the other was simply sinful. I believe it was called the soggy dog, pepperoni, mozzerella, another layer of each and some black olives. Some basil & oregano on top, very stringy gooey goodness. The restaurant has been featured in Southern Living magazine as well, and I will guarantee the next time I'm anywhere close to that neck of the woods I'll be eating there again.

Jason has a great group of folks and a nice dojo. If the Army doesn't mess up his schedule, Jason & some of his players will be joining us for the Budo Playday in March as well.

Windsong Dojo Budo Playday 3/20-22

2009-01-04T15:57:00.001-06:00

Posted by Nick Lowry, owner & head instructor of Windsong Dojo. Share the word!

All are invited to the first annual Windsong Dojo Budo Playday on March 20-22, 2009 where we have open minds on a open mat and all the Aikido, Judo and Jyodo you might want in a weekend -- all ranks and affilations are welcome!

(note that this is not clinic -- not a big "teachy preachy" deal -- we are here to Play and have a good time; share, grow, and get to know each other better -- there is no fee, but if you'd like to chip in small a mat fee, I would apprecaite it )
If you are commin in from out of town and wanna crash on the mat -- thats cool too--

Friday night mostly Judo from 6:00 til folks have had enough
Saturday morning and afternoon mostly Aikido from 10:00 AM and 2 PM respectively
probably have some sort of eats Satuday night
Sunday mostly Jyodo 10:00 AM til we all get tuckered out

Feel free to Spread the word to all and sundry who might like to come
if you have questions write me back or call me at (405) 943-6246
peace -- nick

Barbeque (BBQ, Q, Q's Your Daddy!)

2008-12-29T22:13:00.002-06:00

Barbecue is one of those things that almost everyone enjoys.

There's a lot of secrets in the BBQ community. Ask a top competitor for his recipe and he'll laugh. Well folks, there can't be secrets. You have to pass on what you've learned. Martial arts have taught me not to have secrets. If my partners know everything I do, then I have to get better. If I die and take my hard learned secrets wtih me, who benefits? Nobody.

So, fetch yourself a drink because you're going to be here while I deliver a dissertation on the subject.

Regional Differences
There are four epicenters in the BBQ universe: the Carolinas, Memphis, Kansas City, and Texas. What they cook, how they cook it, the sauces... it's all regional influence. I have a dear friend who moved to Atlanta, and he can't even get brisket at a BBQ place. So, these methods are from a guy in Oklahoma. For those of you who failed geography, that's between Texas and Kansas City, and west of Memphis a bit. Our Q influences are plenty.

The Equipment
You don't need a massive cooker to turn out great barbecue. I have about $500 invested in my barbecue pit, and that's on the very low end of a lot of professional models. But you can make perfectly tasty Q with a simple $35 Brinkmann Smoke-N-Grill from Academy. You just can't cook on the same scale. For the weekender with a small party, you're covered. If you're doing three briskets, some ribs and a couple of chickens at a time, well... you need a bigger rig. You could do two or three of those little Brinkmann things.

Now, if you wanna step up to the big league, the Oklahoma Joe's smoker at Academy is a great place to start. You might go one better an order a unit from Horizon Manufacturing in Perry, OK. They are the people who invented the Oklahoma Joe smoker, then sold the company to New Braunfels, which was bought by CharBroil. The prices are more expensive, but it's a higher quality unit with thicker steel.

There are a few things you need to do on a larger pit to tune it. On the OK Joes, order a convection plate from Horizon, and add a flexible 90 degree dryer elbow to extend the exhaust stack down to grate level. This will even out your cooking temperatures across the pit. I have about 10 degrees of variance from the firebox to the exhaust. Run the exhaust damper wide open, and control the temp with the firebox damper.

Whatever route you choose, pickup a thermometer you can install on the unit. It should be waterproof (or get a cover for the smoker). Get your drill, make a hole and mount the thermometer at grate level. Make sure you pay attention to clearance issues you might encounter with pans and grates, and how it might intrude into your cooking space. Don't use the cheesy "LOW-IDEAL-HIGH" thermometer. You want numbers, like 225.

If you're cooking brisket, pork butts or chicken pick up a programmable meat thermometer. This should have an insertable probe for the meat, that has a braided cord that plugs into a remote unit. This should be programmable for temperature as well.

The Heat
There are electric smokers. These would be very convenient, and maintain an even, steady temperature. But to me, that's cheating. Now, I usually have to get up every 1.5-2 hours when cooking, all night long. Electric would allow me to sleep right on through. But I'm not doing it.

See, anybody can cook on a gas grill. Not everybody can cook on charcoal. Set yourself apart. Quality charcoal (Kingsford or Royal Oak Lump) is the way to go. Get a charcoal chimney to start the coals and you'll never use lighter fluid again. I typically start with a full chimney of charcoal, and add wood to that. This makes a nice bunch of coals that I can keep feeding sticks to.

Smoke
You have to figure out what wood to use for smoke. With a small unit like a Brinkmann, you're going to use charcoal for heat and small chunks (say, tennis ball size) for smoke. Chunks work better than chips -- they last longer. Don't worry about soaking the wood. I was a soaker for a lot of years, and it just doesn't matter. With a larger rig like the OK Joes, you can just burn whole sticks that are about forearm size or smaller.

Wood choices include pecan, hickory, mesquite, apple, cherry, oak & maple. Don't use woods like cedar or pine, because they contain resins. Treated lumber is another no-no, as are elm and cypress. Wood should be well seasoned. Green wood can give your meat a bitter taste.

If you can't see smoke, don't worry -- it's still there. If you can see smoke, you'd prefer for it to be a bluish tint. Treat smoke like a spice. You want it to be good and accent the meat.

The Rub
For a good rub recipe to start with, google BRITU (best ribs in the universe). This gives you all the stuff you need to start. I skip the MSG, and bump the garlic, cumin & cayenne a bit. Play with the basic recipe, then tweak it to your tastes. Use kosher salt instead of table salt, unless you have a big salt lick in your yard. Also, note the BRITU rub gives some amounts in tablespoons (T in shorthand) and teaspoons (t in shorthand). Don't confuse the two. If you use tablespoons of cayenne pepper instead of teaspoons, you'll end up with some nuclear stuff that chili-heads like me enjoy, but sends everyone else running for the water, milk, beer, bread, sugar and anything else to try to put the fire out.

For ribs, a light coating (almost like a dusting) works. For brisket or a pork butt, apply generously to the meat. I don't put rub on the fat on briskets, as I see no point. I don't care about tasty fat, but my dogs might. Apply the rub to the meat about 2 hours before cooking. You can safely leave the meat on the counter and allow it to come up to room temperature with no problems.

Cooking Temperature
225. Enough said. Barbecue is a low & slow deal. Don't lift the lid to peek at it. That's why you have a meat probe thermometer. Every time you open the lid, expect a temperature drop of 25-50 degrees. Just leave it alone!

It's also important to understand the meat takes on no additional smokey flavor after it hits about 165. You can cheat & finish it off in the oven. Sacrilege, I know. But you won't notice the difference, and it frees up the smoker to make more Q!

Also, no matter how hungry people are, do not cut any meat for at least an hour after it finishes. I prefer 2-3 hours. This allows the juice to redistribute through the meat making it juicy. Cut it early, juice runs all over the cutting board, makes a mess.

Food Safety Temperatures
This would be a good time to mention things about food serving temps. Above 140, or under 40. Any food left between 40 & 140 needs to be eaten in under 4 hours. We're talking meat, not grandma's potato salad with lots of mayo on a sunny day in the park.

You can use an ice chest as a holding vessel. Ice chests keep cold stuf cold; well, they also keep hot stuff hot. Simply add 5-10 quarts of hot water & let it sit for about 10 minutes to pre-warm the chest. Dump & dry. Put a towel you never want to see again at the bottom. Place your Q from the smoker or oven inside, put newspapers or towels on top to act as insulation. Close the lid. I've kept brisket for about 6 hours in this fashion, and the meat was still too hot to handle.

Ribs
The main concept is 3-2-1: 3 hours cooked meat side up, then 2 hours cooked wrapped in a double layer of foil meat side down (with some apple juice), then 1 hour cooked meat side up without foil. The apple juice in the "2" part serves to steam the ribs, making them uber tender, while the "1" serves to firm the meat up a little bit. It is acceptable to baste with your favorite sauce the last half hour, say every 10 minutes or so. But, high sugar content sauce might burn and that would be bad, so monitor carefully. I like enough sauce to get the ribs nice and sticky, just as a good rib should be.

If you're cooking baby backs the numbers change a little. I have been buying full sides of pork ribs, then trimming them St. Louis style. Just google it or youtube. You'll find lots of videos showing how to cut 'em down. This basically makes a nice rack where all the ribs are close to the same size. Ribs are easy -- look for about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of exposed bone where the rib meat has contracted from cooking. You should be able to grab the bone (with tongs!) and twist it. You can also grab two bones & pull them apart, and if the meat cleanly tears you're good to go.

I do not prefer for my ribs to be FOTB -- fallin' off the bone. I prefer a rib to have a little pull to it. It sucks to take a bit off a rib, and be left holding bone with a ton of meat hanging out of your mouth.

Pork Butt
Pork butts are used for pulled pork. Rub, smoke until it hits about 165. Wrap in 2 layers of foil, cook to 200. If you can grab the bone in the shoulder and pull it out, the meat's done. Let it rest, then grab one of those disposable aluminum turkey trays you use at Thanksgiving. Remove the fat, grab a couple of forks and go to town. You can use your own sauce, or look up a Carolina style sauce. The Carolinas are known for pulled pork, though their sauce is very watery and a bit more vinegary compared to the sauce here in the midwest.

Chicken
I usually do my chickens "beer can" style. You can find holders at Wal-Mart & Home Depot that are basically a stand -- three legs to act as a base, plus a base the can sits in. The chicken is cooked vertically, which allows me to fit more on the smoker.

I usually use fryers from the local store in the 3-4 pound range. You can find roasting chickens weighing over 6 pounds. Both work.

I typically don't rub the chickens. Perhaps a sprig of rosemary tucked under the skin, and some salt & pepper. Drink half of the beer (we wouldn't want to waste it, right?) and place it in the holder. Now, grab a can opener and open the top of the can up. I use a church-key opener and just drive those triangle shapes into the lid until it's able to be tucked into the can. Place the chicken on the contraption, neck up until he's comfortable. Cut an onion and jam it in the neck to seal the bird. The concept is the aluminum can provides heat transfer, so the meat is cooking from inside and outside at the same time. The beer provides steam, which makes the meat juicy & tender. Cook until the breast is 170.

Brisket
In my mind, the holy grail of Q. My friends ate a lot of bad brisket over the years waiting for me to get this one right. They'll tell you it wasn't that bad, but to me it was because I knew what I was looking for. Buy packer cut briskets (with all the fat on), typically in a cryovac bag at Wal-Mart, Sam's, Homeland or your friendly retail establishment. You could go to your local butcher, but I don't know if the end result would be any better.

You want brisket in the 10-12 pound range. Larger than 12 pounds comes off large cows. Large cows are old cows, and large old cows are good for making hamburger. Grab the cryovac bag and see how easily the meat bends. Front to back, side to side, fold it on itself. If it bends easily, put it in the basket. If it doesn't, put it back.

Marinade? I've tried everything under the sun. Pouring Coke inside the cryovac bag, sealing with duct tape and letting it sit for days. Well folks, all that BS just isn't necessary. I haven't found a marinade yet that matters. I'm not saying they aren't out there, I'm just saying I haven't found it.

Injector? Lose it.

Cut open the cryovac bag and let the brisket drain for about 5 minutes in the sink. Put the brisket on the counter. Grab a sharp knife and trim the fat so it's maybe half an inch thick. Turn it over. Apply rub, generously. It's called rub for a reason. Rub it in there. Cover every part of exposed meat, and work it into the meat. Add more if you need to.

Insert your thermometer into the brisket, aiming for dead center of the thickest part. I usually insert it from the thickest end, straight down the middle. Once the smoker is hot (225, remember?) place the brisket fat side down. Smoke at 225 until the meat hits 170. Fat side down? Oh no! Oh yeah. You want the rub on the top, so the heat can make it happy, melt the sugars and let them ooze into the meat and make a nice bark. Trust me. Besides, this doesn't get your grates all messy.

It is common for the brisket to ramp up quickly to around 125 or so, then stall for... well, a damn long time. It's OK, it's normal, don't worry. At 170, pull the brisket off. Wrap it in two layers of heavy duty aluminum foil, place it fat side up in a 325 oven until the internal temp is 200-205. Some folks say 205 makes the brisket way too tender & it falls apart. My friends don't seem to mind.

Now, when you go to cut the meat (you did let it rest a couple of hours, right?) you must cut across the grain, not with the grain! Slice 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.

Sauce
I think sauce is a no-no. Good Q should stand on its own without sauce. Sauce might add to the flavor, but it's an accent not the main attraction.

If you boil your ribs, then dump a jar of sauce on them & cook them in the oven.... well, sure it's a tasty combination of meat and sauce. But how does the meat do on its own? Not very well.

My brisket needs no sauce. In fact, we haven't found a sauce that compliments the meat yet. A co-worker told me he had heard of brisket than required no sauce, but thought it was an urban legend like bigfoot. Friends, it ain't. It's perfectly possible and damn easy to do.

James Williams of Bugei

2008-12-26T07:28:00.002-06:00

James Williams of Bugei Trading Company was featured recently on Discovery Channel's "Time Warp", a show using high-speed cameras to capture action. Williams was cutting things with a katana, and it was most impressive. In this clip filmed in very high speed, Williams is cutting through a tatami mat in a practice known as tameshigiri.

The full episode is also available online.

Williams also has a great essay titled "Virtue of the Sword" in which he discusses warriors and their role in society.

Happy Holidays

2008-12-24T12:29:00.003-06:00

Well folks, have your choice of:

A Merry Christmas
Happy Hannukah
Kwanzaa
Festivus
Yule
Or your choice of something I missed

One thing I think we can all agree on: Have a safe & prosperous New Year!

Is Klitschko unstoppable?

2008-12-13T21:58:00.002-06:00

I just finished watching the Vladimir Klitschko vs. Hasim Rahman fight on HBO.

Vladimir (51-3, 45 KO's) is a fairly technical boxer. He's totally dominated in the past two fights on HBO that I've caught. Tonight, he beat Rahman (45-6-2, 36 KO's) by TKO with some nice technical boxing. He studied films of Rahman, but only of Rahman's best fights.

There are some who say Vladimir has a weak chin, and is highly selective of opponents. Rahman is one of the first fighters in a while who has that one-shot-stop power that can end a fight.

This brings up two questions.

First, is there anybody in heavyweight boxing that can compete with Vladimir?

Second, many of the EU countries have a similar approach to Judo. They actually have match footage and study it. Will the US ever catch up in this regard?

Utsuri-goshi drill

2008-12-11T21:31:00.002-06:00

We played with a fun drill I haven't done in years tonight. Utsuri-goshi is a neat counter, and this drill is really about learning to feel the flow of what's happening, as well as obtaining proper tsukuri under very dynamic conditions. It's important to note we're approaching this from a learning point of view. As a drill, we want to energize the throw enough that our partner has to deal with it. At the same time, we aren't trying to blast him for ippon.

Parter 1 begins by attempting a hip throw, utilizing his right hip.

Partner 2 rides the hip throw, and slips off while still facing the same direction as partner 1. Partner 2 then inserts his left hip and attempts a hip throw.

Partner 1 rides the hip throw, and slips off while still facing the same direction as partner 2. He's then back in original position and the drill repeats.

Trial by Fire with Tim Ferriss

2008-12-08T20:07:00.002-06:00

Last Thursday night when I got home from Judo, I couldn't fall asleep. I was channel surfing, waiting for my eyelids to grow heavy when I accidentally stumbled across a pilot for a show called, "Trial by Fire" on the History Channel. So far, it's been aired twice, both times on the same day. Hopefully the folks at History Channel will run it again.

The premise for the show is Tim Ferriss, a "life hacker" has only 5 days to learn a skill which typically takes upwards of 5-20 years to master. Tim takes various tasks, deconstructs them into their pieces to gain understanding, then reincorporates the parts.

The pilot: master yabusame, mounted Japanese archery. Full gallop, no hands, no safety gear, and hitting targets. Tim gains access to renowned masters of the various disciplines, including horseback riding and archery.

I stumbled across the final 15 minutes of the show, and crawled out of bed to set the DVR on our main TV. It was a very interesting look at this martial art.

Hopefully the History Channel will air this again. It was shot entirely in Japan, and was very well done.

A Hop In The Way-Back Machine

2008-12-04T22:05:00.004-06:00

The admins over at "Convocation of Combat Arts" (see link on the right sidebar, complete with my ugly mug) just added a photo feature.

Well, you gotta help populate it, right?

I dug through the library of photos and uploaded a handful. While most were taken within the past year or two, there's one that stands out and really captured some nice action. This photo was taken... well, original date unknown but it's probably circa 1993 or 1994 based on my hair. Once I got into Judo seriously in 1996'ish the hair went to a flat-top. Before that I grew it out for a year or more, and there's no hippie factor in the picture.

I'm throwing Sean Ashby (Windsong's webmaster) with gyaku-gamae-ate. The freeze action of his gi and obi (belt) flying up are a nice indicator of the action we had working.

Sean was my go-to guy when we were working on kata. He's a very accomplished guy in Aikido, Judo and Jyodo. There's something really magical about kata when we work together. It takes on a really unique life and intensity.

Cheesy Sausage Balls

2008-11-30T10:03:00.002-06:00

The holidays bring food, and lots of it. Lots of holiday parties, football watch parties and get togethers for various reasons. Here's an easy finger-food dish that folks really enjoy.

Ingredients:
16 ounce package of sausage
8 ounces of Bisquick powder
8 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese (finer is better)

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Use you hands, it's the only way. Next, roll the mixture into balls of uniform size. An ice cream scoop can work for this, but I've had mixed results because of the sausage. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes.

Tomatillo Sauce

2008-11-29T23:49:00.003-06:00

My favorite taqueria near the dojo has an absolutely incredible tomatillo sauce. It's easily the best tomatillo sauce I've ever eaten.

Mission: Create Tomatillo Sauce from scratch

Ingredients:
6 tomatillos, husked & rinsed
1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded & diced
8 sprigs cilantro, chopped

Put enough water to cover the tomatillos in a saucepan. Add a pinch of salt & bring to a boil. Boil for 8 minutes. While these are boiling you can do the knifework on the other ingredients and get the blender out.

When time is up, rinse in cold water & peel off the outer skin discarding the stems. Toss everything in the blender and hit the button. Don't go all insane with the puree' cycle -- you're looking for a smooth texture not liquified stuff.

Let it sit for 30 minutes and enjoy. Served with chips is good, on a grilled pork chop is even better.

The Envelope Series

2008-11-26T15:09:00.002-06:00

Maybe it was the dogs wanting to go out at 5am that woke me up to such a degree that falling back asleep was simply impossible. So, I decided to catch the 6:30am Judo class this morning.

The envelope series is a wonderful drill for teaching the top man about proper transitioning technique. Initially, most folks find it helpful to block the patterns in on a stationary uke. The series starting at kuzure-kesa-gatame on uke's right side, moving to mune-gatame, ushiro-kesa-gatame, kuzure-kamishiho-gatame, ura-kesa-gatame, kamishiho-gatame, and repeat the series in reverse down the other side. Think of it as starting at 9 o'clock, with the sequense to kamishiho-gatame getting you to high noon, then reversing the sequence to end at 3 o'clock.

After the beginning sequence is blocked in, uke starts to drive the movement. Tori becomes very passive, focusing on minimzing movement and keeping weight on uke during transitions. As uke drives toward tori, tori will slide out into chest-to-chest or flat position. As uke moves back to his back, tori slides into a side-to-side or sitting position. The sequence should provide a flat-side-flat-side-repeating series.

This is performed as a drill to teach fundamentals. With that being said, it can be utilized as a sincere osaekomi attack, and when performed properly is a pain in the nether-regions to escape. There is a particularly sweet choke that can be mounted as an escape, but I need more time to experiment with it before writing.

National Geographic TOPO! state series software

2008-11-26T07:54:00.001-06:00

Planning most of my backpacking adventures thus far goes something like this:

Research places on the Internet that sound interesting
Find someplace that looks appealing
Figure out what US Geologic Survey maps to order
Order maps, wait a week
Maps arrive
Manually figure waypoints
Enter into program to upload to GPS
Load waypoint list into Google Earth to view terrain

The frustrating part about the USGS maps is they are frequently old and out of date. Not a couple of years, but decades. The first trip we took, the map was edited in 1984. Not too bad. This last trip, the base map was last edited in the 1950's. Ouch. Granted, the topography probably hasn't changed much, but geesh.

Well, enter my latest toy. National Geographic has several software packages, one of which is called TOPO! and is typically purchased for a single state at a time. Downside? It's $100 per state.

A place I bought a map years ago sent me an e-mail, and there's a buy one get one free going on in November & December. Well, that's the kind of deal I can go for, and I did. Not only was the software on sale for $20 off retail, but because the order is over $75 it's free shipping. Print the coupon out, fill it out, mail it to National Geographic with your receipt and the UPC code from the box and they ship the free one to you.

The New Mexico edition is a total of 9 CD-ROM's, one for the program and eight for data. The program can automatically download updated software, but map updates are a manual process for a limited area. National Geographic also has a website for exchanging map information, which can download and interface directly into the software.

The install portion went flawlessly, though the system didn't play well when it downloaded it's software update. The processor went to 100% and stayed there, and the program could not be killed through task manager. Only a reboot fixed the issue. When I started the program after the reboot, it finished installing the update with no problems.

The interface is very simple to use. I read through the 84 page Adobe Acrobat manual, but for the most part it's largely unnecessary. The interface itself is very intuitive, but some of the advanced features (like elevation modeling) would be a little tricky to find.

The software can deal with two coordinate formats, latitude/longitude and UTM. If you're an outdoors person and don't use UTM, please visit with me about it. It's based on the metric system, and takes about 2 whole minutes to learn. And it's super simple to take GPS coordinates and translate them to the map to pinpoint your exact position. It's also easy to read the map, plot the coordinates and manually enter them into a program to upload to the GPS.

You can print your own maps, which eliminates the need to buy them from the USGS. The program can also talk directly to my GPS, which eliminates the need for two other programs I was using.

Probably the neatest feature is the 3-D fly through. The program can fly you along your route, with all the terrain in 3-D. You will have a good idea what the terrain looks like from this alone. But, the program also has the ability to generate a line graph showing elevation gain/loss over the entire route.

I'll still have to get my start by looking at things on the Internet about which sites to visit, but after that the planning process just became a lot more streamlined.

Introduction

2008-11-25T23:05:00.002-06:00

By day, I'm a telephone central office technician with a major CLEC. I work with transport (everything from POTS to fiber optic circuits), central office equipment installation and more record keeping than one can imagine.

My main hobby for the past.... well, more years than I prefer to remember, has been martial arts. I'm a student and instructor at Windsong Dojo in Oklahoma City. I'm one of the true addicts who trains in all three arts the school offers: Aikido (Tomiki lineage), Judo (1950's era Kodokan, compared to modern sport Judo), and Jyodo (Shindo Muso Ryu lineage). I deal with DNS, e-mail and phpBB forums for the dojo, but I'm certainly not the webmaster. I've helped in the past with instructional DVD's, and have some new projects in the works.

My wife Kristen and I have two dogs and two cats. A border collie named Jake (pound puppy), a German Shepherd named Sasha (a breed rescue dog), a russian blue named Romo (pound kitty), and a lovely cat named Alice (also a pound kitty).

I have too many hobbies, so none get as much time as it should. I suppose jack of all trades, master of none.

I like reading and prefer entertaining fiction, non-fiction, history and philosphy.

I am a bad boy in the kitchen. I am pretty fluent in everything from homemade yeast bread, to slow smoked BBQ, to spicy gumbo, wicked creme brulee', to evil meat sauces that simmer all day. I've met a few great folks who have cooked professionally and shared a few secrets with me (thanks Moose!). I am a true chili head. Should we go to the Mexican or Thai restaurant, don't try to keep up. I like it SPICY, like the great and powerful habanero spicy.

I like outdoor recreation too. Backpacking, fly fishing, hunting.