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Monographs

Psychic Self-Defense

This is a brief monograph or article (about 15-25 pages depending on how you space your lines). However, it is quite comprehensive – on how to deal with Psychic or “Occult” Attack.

As a bodyguard I have found the feeling or sense of fear in the person being attacked – or the attacker — is just as important as an actual attack. Fear is not just “the mind killer” as Frank Herbert wrote in “Dune”, it is also a way to weaken your immune system and generate a victim mentality. So in these last months of 2011 — building toward 2012- it seems this sort of thing – attacks by Ritual Magic and Occult Means – are becoming more popular than ever.

Economically people are feeling disempowered – and they ARE. Because of this the population has a bigger excuse to become more violent. And it is bound to do so. In doing so people will also resort to other means to feel “Empowered”. Because I have been called in to deal with this sort of thing as well as physical threat I decided to write an overview of defenses for Psychic Attack. This brief but effective text is intended to give useful tools to those who feel they are under psychic or occult attack.

The text ranges from techniques used to counter the effects of the use of an effigy or “voodoo doll” (i.e. “Sympathetic Magic”) all the way up to how to approach full fledged Demon Possession. Normally I have not written of things of this nature on the web but with the recent popularity of “Zombies” and the like, there is another, more real aspect. And that is the aspect of psychological or psychic warfare. And that in essence is what this text is about.

I’ll send this text as a file from computer to computer.

Price is $16

DVDs

Training the Leg

Training the leg

This is a survey of ways to train the legs and feet drawing from Traditions of the East and West, as well as old and new material. There are specific exercises involving retraining the bottom of the feet, the alignment of the leg bones in conjunction with that, and then evolving to the use of the squat and release of the hip joints with the strengthening of the quadriceps. Concepts range from restructuring the sole of the foot through specific pressure training on jack stands, to working with the hip rotation of Tai chi all the way to how to strengthen the hips for high kicking as well as low kicking and lunging and jumping. I have not seen anything on leg training anywhere as comprehensive as this …

Price is $25

Hsing-I Animals of Chang Chuen-feng

Thunderbird

In this DVD Hal Mosher and I look over the Hsing-I Animals of Chang Chuen-feng and we go over applications for all twelve animal forms of Chang Chuen-feng (including the linking form or “13th Animal known as “The Phoenix” or “Red Bird of Fortune”).

Price is $45

Advanced Hsing-I
Dragon and Chicken -Various Masters

Hsing-i dragon

Here are the various articulations and applications of these two Hsing-I animals. The animals are the most demanding and technically advanced forms of Hsing-I. These are from the Shansi-Hopei Tradition but include variations from Chen Pan-ling, Chang Chuen-feng and Li Shou-tien (Rose Li). To my knowledge no one else has compared these variations and clearly marked them as to lineage and application on a dvd.

Running time is 35 minutes.
Price is $35

Advanced Hsing-I – Tai
(in the tradition of Chang Chuen-feng)

Hsing-i tai

The Tai is the animal of Hsing-I – usually considered to be a bird – which I was taught as the response to Western Boxing techniques. As such in the culture of the U.S. – at this period of time, with the popularity of MMA – I believe it is very important and answers needs regarding how to protect the head against “head hunters” and how to hit the head with non-gloved techniques.

Running time is 20 minutes.
Price is $20

Chen Pan-ling’s Ba-gua in three variations

Chen ba-gua

Updated 2010 to clarify his original forms as opposed to the new modified forms taught by his son Chen Yun-ching (see his website). This DVD shows how I learned the Eight Circle Changes of Chen Pan-ling from his younger son -in large willowy movements and then from his older son – in quick jabbing and small circle actions. I also show Wang Shu-chin’s variations of these forms and applications for all these forms.

Running time is 35 minutes.
Price is $35

Hatha Yoga Routine
accented for martial arts

This is a precise and clear 25-minute routine with sound cues so you can follow along until you have it memorized. The Basic Asanas covered are Forward Bend, Cobra, Shoulder Stand, Boat, Plough, Bow and Thunderbolt Posture. There then follows the more difficult variation of the Sun Salutation as done in the Indian Wrestling Tradition with a special anterior spinal isometric. Unlike many modern Hatha Yoga teachings I emphasize resting between the positions for at least one minute and holding them for at least one minute. I am fully aware one can do these postures for hours but am thinking of people who have no time to waste. One minute is the standard time for a full muscular release. Less than that gives a mere bouncy stretch in which the heat produced in the joints is insufficient to increase the range of the stretch. There are also some helpful variations on some of the positions shown and the split of the legs is added to the Forward Bend to assist anyone with low back problems.

Running time is 25 minutes.
Price is $25

Hsing-I Staff

In this DVD I go over the use of the six foot staff with the Five Fists of Hsing-I according to Hung I-mien. The sliding grip is the chief feature and the footwork matches the Five Fists empty hand forms. The genius of the application is in using a feint before each strike with the addition of the sliding thrust which is very difficult to “read” in battle and also gives you some basic techniques with a spear. As this is a small amount of footage but informative just let me know if you wanted added to any other DVD.

Running time is 10 minutes.
Price is $10

The Ba-Sho (and Five Fists)

The “Ba-sho” or “Eight Hands” is an ancillary set of movements taught often after the Five Fists or “Elements” of Hsing-I–have been mastered. These are the Ba-sho of Chang Chuen-feng and they are attributed to General Yueh Fei as are the Five Fists and also The Eagle Claw System. One could say the Ba-sho are the link between Hsing-I and Eagle Claw. The DVD shows application drills for the Five Fists and the Ba-sho. If you are interested in Hsing-I as a complete system or curriculum the Five Fists and Ba-sho are the foundation. Then the linking sets and animals are learned. I intend on releasing the whole system of Chang Chuen-feng’s Hsing-I on DVD so that the knowledge will be available to those interested.

Running time is 25 minutes.
Price is $25

The Shepherds Way

This is an overview of the three ancient weapons which were transferred from Shepherd to Infantryman; The Mace, The Staff and The Cloak. As a study of the basic angles of attack and the use of a weapon in each hand this dvd should not only be interesting but should provide plenty of ideas on applications for drills as well as “can-opening” katas and related martial forms. Demonstrated are derived applications from Hsing-I and Ba-gua and of course necessity. War and Gladitorial re-enactors should find this dvd very helpful too. My idea was to look at the most common and ancient tools that became weapons and these appear to be them and as such they demonstrate certain core ideas on attacking and defending angles, feinting, distraction and of course hitting.

Running time is about 20 minutes.
Price is $20

Wisdom of the Body I

Being the full developmental sequence of exercise Allen and Victoire Slakey devised together for anyone of any age to rediscover their own body. The sequence can be done as a warm up or more intensely as a conditioning protocol for any athletic protocol. Allen says, “This is what I wished I had known BEFORE I studied martial arts.”

Running time is about 30 minutes.
Price is $30

Tai Chi Chuan-Applications of the Short Yang Form

Applications for practically all the movements of the short yang form save one or two (depending on your points of reference). These applications are a result of conversation and many years of work- outs with Hal Mosher. Hal and I go through many of the applications which you will find are effective and give concrete substance to the forms which much of the time has been made so subtle as to lose rather than gain in essence….

Running time is about 30 minutes.
Price is $32
plus shipping from here in France.
(the older dvds are shipped from within the US).

Celtic Wrestling

Reviews the techniques of Sleeper, Facelock in variations, double bar arm, arm crank, scissor and toe hold with some others…these being some of the techniques taught by Tim Geoghegan one of the “old-timers” of wrestling and “the strong man of Leitrim”…Tim was not only a professional strong man in a circus he wrestled-touring the world including considerable time at the Riley gym in Wigan, England.

Running time is about 1 hour 10 minutes.
Price is $64
plus shipping from here in France.
(the older dvds are shipped from within the US).

Hsing-I Basics and Tactical Drills

This dvd covers the basic type of movement-from the legs up- which characterizes the Five main movements of Hsing I and includes exercises to do with a partner and drills which enhance your ability to read an opponent. The emphasis is on how to use the first movement of Hsing-I -”Splittng” to create an opening on an opponent. The footage was edited from the Atlanta workshop of 2008. This dvd is an excellent place to start if you are beginning Hsing-I training.

Running time is about 25 minutes.
Price is $24
plus shipping from here in France.
(the older dvds are shipped from within the US).

The Hoplite-Shield and Spear

I was finally able to make time during my last visit to the US to meet up with my old Hoplite student John Moulton and we were able to record these sequences showing basic movement of spear and shield independently and then, how to use them both together. The detail on how the shields were locked in the old days is- to my knowledge- a first time discovery. I know of no historian who has shown how the “shield lock” mentioned by the Greeks was actually done! This dvd is a perfect complement to the article I did on Hoplite Warfare for Barry Molloy’s book/anthology “The Cutting Edge”.

Price is $35
plus shipping from here in France.
(the older dvds are shipped from within the US).

Advanced Hsing I – The Swallow and the Monkey

This dvd covers these two animals from the twelve animal section of Hsing-I. The animals are considered to be the advanced form work of Hsing-I. This dvd covers the movements/form and the primary applications which you can work on with a training partner. The Swallow includes both empty hand applications and some usage of the Battle Hammer or mace. The historic evidence as far as I can see indicates the Swallow form probably came from India originally and was brought into Hsing-I. The same could be the case for the Monkey though I cannot find physical evidence for it. The Monkey part of the dvd pays particular attention to the layout of the movements from a distance so the student/trainee can see the layout of the angles of the form. Applications are clearly shown and done slow enough for a student to see clearly how to do them. These forms add challenges to the serious student of Hsing-I in that they include low squats and Monkey works on fast body rotation and the front lunge. (Advanced Hsing -I includes jumping, squatting and lunging-none of which are done with the five “mother” fists or core movements).

Running time is about 40 minutes.
Price is $35
plus shipping from here in France.
(the older dvds are shipped from within the US).

Hsing-I; Various Teachers Various Steps

This is nearly every variation of the “Five Fists” of Five Elements I have learned over the last 30 plus years from several teachers. My emphasis these days is on application so I have sample applications for nearly every variation and some application drills demonstrated as well. There are also examples of the varied steps of Hsing-I and how stamping is used (now popularly called “Fa Jing”) and how it is meshed with other kinds of stepping. To my knowledge there is no other DVD available on the Five Fists with the same amount of information on both form and application. Teachers variations include Yuan Tao, Hung I-mien, Chen Pan-ling and others.

Running time is 46 minutes.
Price is $45
plus shipping from here in France.
(the older dvds are shipped from within the US).

Ba-gua Various Masters on the Circle

This is my 30 year plus experience with both form and application on the Ba-gua circle with the eight “Mother” or Circular Changes. The Masters variations demonstrated include Chen Pan-ling, Wang Su-chin, Sun Lu-tang, Gao I-sheng and others. Often in this DVD I demonstrate more than one application for a single movement so many of you interested in Ba-gua application will find this very interesting. Now split into 2 DVD’s.

Ba-gua Various Masters I
Includes Circle Palm Changes 1-5.
Running time is 52 minutes.
Price is $45

Ba-gua Various Masters II
Includes Circle Palm Changes 6-8.
Running time is 26 minutes.
Price is $25

Sword, Cloak and Cup

This is a two day INTRODUCTORY intensive on the use of the sword, the cloak and the cup which was taught to one of my visiting students Moria. Included are the basic strokes of the old saber (not sport fencing) and how to do drills to become skillful at combining the whipping of the cloak with the use of the saber as well as the use of the cup (whether with water or poison). Students of Rensaissance Swordsmanship or Society for Creative Anachronism members will find this very fascinating and also very fun. I basically taped Moria’s private lessons for two days “warts and all”. We had wonderful weather and beautiful locations in the rolling hills of Brittany and even managed to do some of the training at the ancient Chapel of the Seven Saints which is in part and ancient Druid stone work here in Brittany. Besides the sword work we also worked on The Amazon Dance-my condensed self defense choreography designed for females. All the basics of this very lethal “dance” are on this DVD.

Running time is 1 hour and 4 minutes
Price is $65
plus shipping from here in France.
(the older dvds are shipped from within the US).

Chen Pan-ling Ba Gua / Hsing I

Video Companion to the Pa Kua and Hsing I Texts of Chen Pan-Ling

This video covers the instruction of both Ba Gua Zhang (Pa Kua Chang) and Hsing I Chuan (Xing Yi Quan), two “internal” Chinese Martial Art styles. The forms shown can also be found in the two accompanying books, “Pa-kua”, and “Hsing-I”.

Price is $29.95

See current accompanying Books: Hsing I and Pa-kua.

Survey of the Hsing-I of Chang Chuen Feng (Xing Yi System)

Functions / Fighting Applications
This overview was originally done for students who had already learned the five fists, from other systems. This is from the same style that Allen teaches at Physical Training Traditions. It includes ways of training the 5 fists, two linking forms, eight hands and all the animals. Only one fist is shown but the principles demonstrated are applicable to all the five fists.

Price is $29.95

Yogas from Egypt

The postures of this little known form of Yoga are excellent for developing the spine and its anatomical emphasis is on the shoulder blades and brachial plexus (base of the neck). The breath holding and bending has commonalities with some of the ancient Persian Yogas as well. These forms are fantastic for wrestlers. (about one hour).

Price is $35

Books

The Cutting Edge

The Cutting Edge

Allen’s latest released writing is on Hoplite Warfare and is Chapter 6 of “The Cutting Edge” compiled by Barry Molloy available from Nonsuch Publishing Service:
The Mill, Brimscombe Port,
Stround, Gloucestershire GL5 2QG
email: sales@tempus-publishing.com

Walking the I-ching

Walking the I Ching

By Allen Pittman.
Available from North Atlantic Press

• View their blog post.

Gao System 64 Linear Tactics • After Creation Stage
This book is the first English exposé with the forms and their shamanistic, trans-cultural connections. Allen is a lineage holder in the system and believes it is time this particular information is released to the public due to the exigencies present at this point in history.

Pa-kua

Pa-Kua Book

By Allen Pittman & Robert Smith
*** Now translated into the Russian language & available in Russia from Phoenix Publishers ***

“The covers were changed and some clueless chap was put on the front-I don’t know why.” — Allen

“An excellent pictorial presentation of the art.” — John FD. Gilbey, author of Secret Fighting Arts of the World

Highly effective for both fighting and health, this form of Pa-Kua (Ba Gua Zhang) was condensed by Chen Pan-ling from a variety of sources before the Communist Revolution. Chen held a panel in the 1940′s and, with the help of 20+ experts, created a curriculum of Chinese Martial Arts. Although most was lost in the Revolution, this form of Ba Gua summarizes his research. The text introduces the theory and form behind the art.

Available from the publishers.
See current accompanying DVD: Chen Pan-ling Ba Gua / Hsing I.

Hsing I

Hsing - I Book

By Allen Pittman & Robert Smith
***Now translated into the Russian language & available in Russia from Phoenix Publishers***

“the covers were changed and some clueless chap was put on the front-I don’t know why” — Allen

“A welcome addition to books on the ‘soft’ arts by a recognized international expert on hand-to-hand combat.” — The Washington Post Magazine

Highly effective for both fighting and health, this form of Hsing I (Xing Yi Quan) was condensed by Chen Pan-ling from a variety of sources before the Communist Revolution. Chen held a panel in the 1940′s and, with the help of 20+ experts, created a curriculum of Chinese Martial Arts. Although most was lost in the Revolution, this form of Hsing I summarizes his research. The text introduces the theory and form behind the art.

Available from the publishers.
See current accompanying DVD: Chen Pan-ling Ba Gua / Hsing I.

Commentaries on Agrippa

By Allen Pittman

Available from the publishers.

Secondary Floor Work (face up) and Egyptian Yoga

Their Meaning and Importance

— by Allen Pittman

In both the texts of Gao and his student, Chang Chuen-feng, the symbol of the tree is emphasized. The tree has value, both as practical training, and as an esoteric teaching method. It’s a transcultural symbol which occurs in many religious traditions.

In some of the most ancient Central Asian traditions of Shamanism, the Evergreen tree is what one enters in meditation to commune with other beings throughout time and space (see Dr. Charles Muses’ “Shamanic Lion Path”).

In Ba Gua the tree is the center of one’s circle-walking exercise. It can also serve as a reference point for practicing tactics. This is probably how the “wooden-man” exercises common to many Chinese boxing methods evolved. A tree is particularly useful for working on techniques using the shoulders and hips, though I do not advocate striking one with the hands or feet. The Indian wrestler Gama, one of the greatest known wrestlers of all time, belted himself to a tree each morning and practiced isometric lifting. He said men were easy to lift after trying to do that!

The circle-walking exercise around the tree occupies the later third of the system of Gao. The tree is also a handy mnemonic device in Ba Gua. In Gao’s text it is the roots of the tree that are the twenty-four “Heavenly Gates” or beginners’ exercises. The trunk represents the sixty-four tactics. The branches or fruits and flowers of the tree are the “Eight Mother Palms” or “Eight Changes.”

This way of remembering is reminiscent of the schools of the Druids of Ireland who taught among the Oak groves. Father Simeon, of St. Isaac of Syria skete in Wisconsin (a Russian Orthodox Monastery) once told me of one of his teachers who had said, “Practice praying to a tree for awhile – then try God.”

Because of the dearness and importance of the trees I put below a quote from Edmund Bordeaux Szekely’s The Essene Teachings of Zarathustra,page 21. This quote is relevant to both Ba-gua and life on Earth in general.

THE CULT OF BROTHER TREE

“Another very interesting cult in the Avestas is the cult of ‘Brother Tree’. According to Zoroaster, men and trees are brethren and cannot live and develop fully without one another. He asserts that the tree is the most perfect form of life in the vegetable kingdom, and that likewise man represents the highest degree of evolution attained in the animal kingdom.

The highest form of food on this planet is the product of trees-their fruits-and man, as the highest in the animal kingdom, should be nourished by such food. The symbiosis of men and trees furnishes the most harmonious environment for human health and longevity.

“A tree is the Law itself” declares the Avestas, meaning by this the life of a tree is in complete harmony with the forces and laws of nature. The metabolism of a tree is the most perfect natural manifestation of life itself. Besides yielding the most perfect food for man, trees maintain the fertility and vitality of the soil; they protect the earth from desiccation by sun and wind; they preserve the life-giving moisture of the top-soil with their periodic carpet of fallen leaves and fruit; their roots drain away any excess of humidity and thereby maintain the perfect precondition of life-a rich and healthy soil.

Several of the Avestic hymns glorify the tree as the brother of man, and according to these it is a crime to cut down a tree without planting at least two others in its place. According to the Avestas a Zoroastrian father must plant a tree at the birth of his child and again on his anniversary. When the child becomes twenty-one years old, the father must give the trees he has planted and the land they stand on to the child as his inheritance, so that he may enjoy the necessary food and land-small in extent thought this may be-which will provide the basic needs of his life. This teaching is a late survival from the ancient heliolithic tradition concerning our primitive ancestor, known as Homo Sapiens Sylvanus, who dwelt in the forests. This tradition is confirmed by the work of Darwin, Lamarck, Cuvier and other scientists of the modern age.”

Single Palm Change: Bagua’s Core Movement

Article with Pictures is a series of jpg images. — by Allen Pittman

Links between Hung I-Mien, Wang Su – Chin and Chang Chuen-Feng

Allen’s Notes to the essay below — by Allen Pittman

Ba Gua Lineages

Wang Shujin or Chen Panling?
Informative piece on Ba Gua Lineages — by Marnix Wells, PhD

Ba Gua Circle-Walking

The Tree in The Training of The Circle — by Allen Pittman

Trees in Ba Gua

Their Meaning and Importance. — by Allen Pittman

Traditional Indian Dance and Ba gua zhang

Allen discusses the intriguing connections between the two, as well as the connections to other martial arts. — by Allen Pittman

• All photographs courtesy of Allen Pittman
• Published in the Journal of Martial Arts, Volume 6 Number 2, 1997

W. Fairbairn with Bonesetter and Jujutsu expert, Professor Okada. Shanghai, 1908.

When I was eight, my father had a commando knife that fascinated me.
I later learned it was called the “Fairbairn-Sykes Commando Knife.” In my twenties, while studying Chinese boxing with Robert W. Smith, Smith mentioned “knife and gunners” and W. E. Fairbairn. Around the same time, a friend told me he had found one of Fairbairn’s original books. My interest piqued, I ended up at the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and eventually Pennsylvania State University, with archivist John Heppell. Mr. Heppell had been put in charge of ordering the Yeaton family papers, which contained correspondence from W. E. Fairbairn to Lt. Samuel Yeaton of the Third Raider Marines. Lt. Yeaton had died, but his younger brother, Kelly, a retired professor of drama, was still alive. He and his wife, Ruth, were kind enough to meet me and discuss Fairbairn, his knife, and other subjects of interest. Kelly had written a detailed unpublished book (1933) on the origins of the Fairbairn-Sykes Commando Knife. After my visit with the Yeatons, I went to England to visit Dorothea Fairbairn, W. E. Fairbairn’s daughter.

Fairbairn's certificate recording his second degree ranking from the Kodokan, Tokyo, signed by Kano Jigoro on February 18, 1931.

William Ewart Fairbairn was born in Hertfordshire, England, on February 28, 1885. He was named after Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone. His family, whom his daughter describes as “hot-footed liberals,” saw their fourth child join the Royal Marines at age fifteen and a half and sail to Korea. During the six and a half years of service, he altered uniforms. “He was cleaver with his hands …” his daughter recalls (Fairbarn, 1994). He turned the uniforms inside out resewing them and making enough money to buy his commission (i.e., discharge, an orthodox practice at the time). He returned to England and married. It was 1907 and the military was not a desirable career for a man wanting to marry, so he bought his commission and went to Shanghai, joining the municipal police as a constable. Beaten to unconsciousness during one of his rounds in the brothel district (it was not unusual for policemen to be brought in unconscious, draped across a rickshaw), he awoke in a hospital room seeing a placard on his bed table that said, “Professor Okada, Jujutsu and Bonesetting.” He began a three-and-a-half year study with Prof. Okada.

In 1910, Fairbairn was promoted to sergeant and musketry and drill instructor. Over the next ten years, he responded personally to many armed encounters. During this period, he also began studying “Chinese boxing” under Cui Jingdong, instructor to the Dowager Empress’ retainers (Fairbairn, 1931, intro.). Cui was likely a student of famed bagua master Yin Fu, who was a personal bodyguard to the empress (Smith, 1967:17). The Cui and Yin connection is tentative, but certainly both men were close enough to the empress to provide information on court goings-on and news from outside the court. Deacon (1974:64) states the eunuchs (of whom some were bodyguards) had more influence at this time than many government officials. He also says a primary function of the Chinese intelligence service at this time was the retrieval of antiques stolen from the palace. Yin’s bagua teacher, Dong Haiquan, spent considerable time doing this. Because of this link between eunuchs, boxers, intelligence agents, and antiques, it is safe to surmise Fairbairn had a considerable link through Cui to Chinese intelligence practices and information. It is interesting to note the clandestine weaponry used by boxers of this period and illustrated in Wan Laisheng’s Essential Focus of Martial Arts bears striking similarities to some of the weapons Fairbairn later designed for the Commandos.

In 1918, Fairbairn began studying at the Kodokan. He received his shodan (first degree black belt) in 1926 and his nidan (second degree) in 1931. Both certificates were signed by Kano Jigoro, the founder of judo. He was not the first Caucasian to receive a black belt in judo (E. J. Harrison had started at the Kodokan in 1904).

In 1925 with the mob violence of Shanghai escalating and police losses increasing, Fairbairn was asked to restore order by any means necessary. With characteristic initiative, he began developing the Temporary Reserve Unit (later simply termed Reserve Unit), which pioneered most SWAT techniques used today.

From 1932 to 1937, Chinese-Japanese hostilities escalated. In 1935, Fairbairn was promoted to assistant commissioner of the Shanghai Municipal Police (SMP). North-China Daily News press accounts show a busy time. Often criminals would go from one concession or area of Shanghai to another falling under different legal jurisdictions. When pursuit became necessary, Fairbairn was often seen manning the machine gun on top of one of his armored vans. Sometimes he even shot up at Japanese aircraft, which flew overhead often gunning down civilians.

Fairbairn stayed alive and learned. He marked SMP bullets so they could be traced. He taught his men to move in a crouch, noting that it was an instinctive position when under threat. What brought the practicality of the matter to light was a clothesline strung across an alley. He developed a method to teach men to shoot instinctively and corded pistols to epaulets for retrieval in the dark. He taught his men how to run along roof tops and scale walls with a single beam. Sikhs were brought in to teach stick fighting (lathe) and Shandong martial artists were employed to teach knife techniques. He cross referenced daily experiences in police work with his studies and developed techniques and tools of his own. Over a thirty-year period, he developed the first bulletproof vest and a system of teaching one of the first multinational police forces with officers from around the world: China, Russia, India, Japan, Europe, United States, Canada, and Australia. Ammunition was monitored and its performance recorded, and daily accounts of equipment usage and maintenance were kept. Pistols were modified: the sights enlarged and chrome plated for night vision, trigger guards were removed for faster action (but not for general issue), handles were grooved for a better grip, and concealed holsters for pistols and knives were designed. He and his Russian armorer, Solntseff, also experimented with using dogs, Great Danes, for police work. The dogs worked well, but a culture gap intervened—the Chinese policemen would not work with them. The idea was scrapped but others were not. Among these, a mock opium den for police to train in—a step would give way sending them rolling into the dark while lights flashed and shots rang out. The new recruit had to orient and shoot in the dark. This exercise and others were later transferred to the Commandos, other special units, and later to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS; the precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency). The skill of falling down stairs was a Fairbairn specialty and he sometimes did it in local plays. He taught the technique to Douglas Fairbanks, who wrote the preface to Fairbairn’s book, Scientific Self Defense.

Christmas greeting card signed from W. E. Fairbairn, Shanghai Municipal Police.

As a major international port, Shanghai was one of the toughest cities in the world. New arrivals came in needing neither a visa nor passport and many carried on illegal trade. Silk and tea were the chief exports and opium, one of Shanghai’s biggest businesses, was legal as long as it was kept on ships. Several organized crime rings bought and sold it fueling Shanghai’s incredibly violent economy. Fairbairn said that Shanghai police fired more rounds in one month than their Chicago counterparts did in a year. The Shanghai police also had to study a language in addition to their native tongue. If they did not, they were released from the force. Fairbairn considered fluent communication to be essential and had among his many teachers a tutor for Shanghaiese. Having little formal education, he developed remarkable skill in finding experts in any field of study he needed access to. Necessity urged him to constantly improve his awareness. He was always armed, carried a bulletproof vest in his car, and during the “troubles” of 1937, kept a machine gun in the hallway, and would coat his stomach with olive oil if he went to a social function that necessitated toasts.

One day after work he met a Japanese ship’s captain for tea. He and the captain, a fellow judoka, exchanged pleasantries that were suddenly punctuated by screams and gunfire. Afterward, Fairbairn found his way to the source of the commotion: nearby, along the docks, and underneath a shed were 150 Chinese men, women, and children tied and blindfolded. Fairbairn turned to the captain and asked what the problem was. The captain indicated they would be shot. Fairbairn’s reply was suitably to the point, “If you change your mind, you know where to find me … and I certainly know where to find you.” He returned to the police station where he received a telephone call, “Come at once. You can take them.” Among those saved were several pregnant women, one with eighty bayonet wounds and others with knife and gunshot wounds (Fairbairn, 1994).

Often bringing work home (his house was in the police compound), he still succeeded in teaching his daughter how to grow silk worms and draw the silk, build an ant farm, and take her to watch the making of bulletproof vests and the work in the armory. He also showed her a confiscated rigged roulette wheel. However, “He despised gambling,” his daughter recalls.

His living mode in an international city was to play the cosmopolitan citizen to the full. His response to the comment of a Chinese mill owner friend that no foreigner could breed fan-tail gold fish was the spur to start breeding them and to display them in the police compound’s Japanese style garden. His daughter recalls him doing a bonsai experiment with a morning glory, growing it to the size of a soup plate. He socialized with people from the many concessions of Shanghai: French, German, Russian, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, etc. with games ranging from bridge to mahjong. Mr. Y. Miura, the Consular General of Japan, in his capacity as President of the Shanghai Branch of the Butoku-kai, would eventually recognize Fairbairn for his “… keenness … initiative … open heartedness and generosity” (Fairbairn, 1994). Representatives from other countries also praised him and he became one of the few men in Shanghai respected by every country.

In his life, Mr. Fairbairn built bridges to people from every country and his own officers often came to him for advice on personal matters. He even had a fund for prisoners returning home from Shanghai so they would return in a new suit and money in their pocket ready for a fresh start. Once, one of his Chinese friends had a wife who went missing. Fairbairn mounted a search for and found her, preventing a family scandal. He had the gift of being able to cope with life in its multiplicity. “He was strict in temperament, but kind,” his daughter recalls, “… he never swore, believing it was unnecessary and undignified. Once he walked out on dinner with some American officers whose conversation was unpalatable. They sent a messenger to ask why, he told them and they apologized” (Fairbairn, 1994).

After he retired from the Shanghai bustle as assistant police commissioner, he returned to England. With his friend, Eric Anthony Sykes, he applied to the Government War Office. At the time, the Special Operations Executive branch had just started Aston House in Hertfordshire (a training center for intelligence officers) and they were looking for staff. Fairbairn looked at the new prospectus for the officers and told them he knew what they needed. Both he and E. A. Sykes were appointed instructors. So began the vision of Lt. Col. Dudley Clark [1]—his “Commandos,” whom Churchill called “Hunter Class Soldiers,” began their training in Scotland running up Ben Nevis Mountain; practicing amphibious landings along the rocky coast; studying demolition work; living off the land; and studying empty-hand fighting, knife fighting, and instinctive shooting with Fairbairn and Sykes. In Scotland’s mountain cold, they learned survival from the mountain hunters, or “Ghillies,” who advised them to dip their kilts in the water so they would ice up for additional insulation.

Later, this rugged coastal training would be given to U.S. soldiers by Fairbairn’s Irish right-hand man, Pat O’Neill, whose men were to show incredible speed and stealth in their amphibious landings, breaking the records of other divisions and doing so in the dark. A naval ensign wrote, “The best Army division averages about one minute per platoon load from the first man over to the time the boat pulled away. The Marines did it in fifty-two seconds, which was the best we had seen till then. But these guys did it in thirty five seconds, with absolute silence, a minimum of commands, and carrying full combat loads” (Aldeman and Watson, 1966:93).

Fairbairn was sent to Canada and the U.S. He trained the first OSS group from 1942-1945. According to OSS history, “His ability is handling men (and women) as well as weapons made him one of the most popular members of the S&T staff. … In passing it should be mentioned that Major Fairbairn played a large part in the building of the programs … not only by his unquestioned knowledge and skill in the fine arts of individual attack and self defense, but also by his personality which helped to build the morale of paramilitary instructors to a very high level. … His temporary loan period extended into an almost permanent stay. He was constantly used in the training program, and he helped to build a large cadre of competent instructors” (Stafford, 1987:72). Fairbairn’s way of teaching and his quiet intensity were remarkable. In Knights of the Floating Silk, Langelaan described him as follows: “Off duty his conversation was limited to two words; yes and no. I never once saw him pick up a newspaper or a book. All his interest, all his knowledge, all his intelligence, and he was intelligent, concentrated on one subject and one subject only—fighting” (Stafford, 1987:68). Other trainees found him ” … vain, domineering and egotistical” (Stafford, 1987:70). However Fairbairn was viewed, his teaching was effective. According to Thomas Powers, ” lt put a man in the right frame of mind. … It gave him a bearing of confidence, and it let him know the nature of the business in which he was engaged” (Stafford, 1987:71).

Lecture

The following is a re-created Fairbairn lecture, which gathers together main ideas from his books and personal accounts. Frank Gleason (1933), one of the early OSS demolitions men, remembers a room full of eager and young recruits. “We knew Fairbairn knew what he was doing.” After being introduced, Fairbairn, a white-headed slender fellow standing 5′ 11″ with bright blue eyes walks to the podium and in a British accent addresses the recruits, “The skills you will be trained in are not to be confounded with Japanese jujutsu, Chinese ‘boxing’ or any known method of self-defense. Some of the tactics we use are combinations of these arts. Most of what we teach is entirely original. Our system is drastic and unpleasant. It must be realized when you are dealing with an enemy that wants to eliminate you and your nation that there is no room for scruples. In war, your attack can only have two objectives: to kill or capture your enemy. To capture him, you will need to disable him. We advise you to master ten techniques. This means the movements must be quick and automatic. Every movement should off balance your enemy or allow you to evade him so you can strike or grasp. You will get no extra points for injuring your partner. Begin slowly and increase speed as you grow accustomed to the movements. Later use your ‘beef’ on the practice dummy. Today, we will look at hand blows and where to hit. May I have a volunteer?”

Fairbairn taught men of the Destroyer Command and the U.S. Marines in 1942. Two years later he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and, in April 1945, he was awarded the Legion of Destroyer Command and the U.S. Marine Merit Medal. He captivated President Truman with his tales and tools causing nail biting among aides and bodyguards who waited impatiently, for several hours, outside the closed doors of the Oval Office. He participated in panel lectures on China at Georgetown University in 1945 and wrote several books including Defundu (1926), Scientific Self-Defense, Get Tough (1931; now reprinted), Shooting to Live (1942; with E.A. Sykes), All In Fighting (1942), and Self-Defense for Women (with his daughter). He also assisted in training films for the OSS and received the Legion of Merit, Degree of Officer (1946). He was one of the few men who worked for three governments: U.S., Canada, and England.

After the War, he returned to England and continued to teach making trips to teach police in Cyprus (1956) and Singapore (1952). He died June 20, 1960 at his home in Lancing, West Sussex, England. He left a son, now deceased, and a daughter without whom this article could not have been written. His notable students included Ian Fleming of James Bond fame and Richard Donovan, first head of C.l.A.

The London lad with hope became both a father and a citizen of the world. W. E. Fairbairn was a stern but kind teacher to hundreds of people of every race and an admirable pioneer in the study of Asian martial arts.

Technical Section

The following are a sample of Fairbairn’s techniques. Opponent size figures in heavily with some of these techniques; however the reader can get a sense of what was being taught around 1933. The names given are my own. Some of the techniques are from his books, others from private manuscripts.

The Outside Twist

Fairbairn preferred recruiting from Shandong Province and this particular technique is very close to the basic chinna taught there.

With his right hand, A (in the white shirt) grabs B's left thumb behind the knuckles, fingers on the inside (or heel) of the hand.

A turns and bends B's hand obliquely to the left.

To augment the movement, A passes his left hand under B's left upper arm and hooks B's wrist.

The “Water Pump”

With his left hand, palm down, A grabs B's left wrist.

A lifts B's left wrist up, twisting it and reaches over B's left shoulder with his right hand to hold the back of B's occiput.

A pumps B's left arm clown over his own right.

Lapel Come Along

Often found in old jujutsu books, the problem here is an opponent with very long arms.

Using the same opening movement as the Water Pump, A reaches across B's chest with his right hand to grasp the lapel or shirt well up on B's right chest. A twists B's wrist at the same time, twisting B's arm and pushing him away with his right grip.

Pull and Raise

A technique from the letters of Lt. Col. Sam Yeaton.

With his right hand, A raises B's left wrist up and out to the side.

A slaps B's occiput while keeping upward torque on B's arm, bringing B's head down.

A raises his left knee to meet B's descending face.

Turn Away Arm Lock

This movement known around the world and popular among the ancient Greeks can be used with some deviation as a throw to either side. The use of the elbow at first seems to deprive the practitioner of control, but on the receiving end it seems to make no difference.

With his right hand, A grabs B's right wrist.

Adjusting his feet, A turns rightward, lifts B's right arm up and over his left shoulder.

A continues the movement, pulling B's arm down and uses his own left elbow to push B away, augmenting the lock.

Wrist Come Along

This is a simple wrist compression. This technique from Fairbairn’s All In Fighting can also begin by holding your opponent’s thumb (your own palm must be up).

With his right hand, A takes B's left wrist.

A adjusts his feet to stand beside B.

A hooks B's left elbow with his right hand bracing it against his body, and takes B's left hand with his own left hand, pressing B's palm in and compressing the wrist.

Head Hold

Technique No. 1711 in All In Fighting is shown here. It can be applied around the neck or head.

A and B at close range. Notice A's right hand grasps B's right elbow preventing B from using his right hand.

With his left forearm, A hits B's neck (not shown) wrapping his left arm around the base of B's skull.

Continuing the movement of his left arm, A pulls B's right elbow and turns rightward and downward, throwing B down.

Acknowledgement

Special thanks to Dorthea Fairbairn for a wonderful but too short afternoon; Prof. Kelly Yeaton and his wife Ruth for a tour of his armory; Colin Fisher for driving me the length of England; Paul Cote for arranging the visits to Prof. Yeaton; Peter Robins for additional grist; Frank Gleason for demolitions; and Harry Johnston for assisting in the photo sequences.

Note

[1] Clark was a staff officer at the War Office in Whitehall outside of London. On the evening of June 4, 1940, he was inspired to write a one page outline after receiving the news of the British withdrawal from Dunkirk. This outline contained the “Commando” idea. The next morning he gave this page to Sir John Dill, Chief of the Imperial General Staff. Dill gave the outline to Churchill who approved it. Dill then appointed Clark the task of implementing it (Miller, 1981: 20-21).

Bibliography

• Aldeman, R., & Walton, G. (1966). The devil’s brigade. Radnor, PA:
  Chilton Publications.
• Cassidy, W. (1983). History of the schools and training branch. San Francisco: Kingfisher Press.
• Cassidy, W. (April 1979). Shanghai Experiments. Soldier of Fortune.
• Cassidy,, W. (September 1979). Fairbairn in Shanghai. Soldier of Fortune.
• Deacon, R. (1974). A history of the Chinese secret service. New York: Taplinger.
• Dear, i. (1987). Ten commando 1942-1945. London: St. Martin’s Press.
• Fairbairn, D. (1994). Personal interviews conducted in Worthing, W. Sussex.
• Fairbairn, W. (1942a). Ail-in fighting. London: Faber and Faber Ltd.
• Fairbairn, W. (1942b). Get tough!—How- to win hand to hand fighting as taught to the British commandos and the U.S. armed forces. New York: Appleton Century.
• Fairbairn, W. (1931). Scientific self defense. New York: D. Appleton and Co.
• Gleason, F. (June 1933). Personal interview conducted in Atlanta, GA.
• Miller, R. (1981). The commandos. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books.
• National Archives. (1993). Records of the Shanghai municipal police
  1894-1949. Special Branch files. Washington, DC: National Archives.
• Sargeant, H. (1990). Shanghai: Collision point of cultures 1918-1939.
  London: Jonathan Cape Ltd.
• Smith, R. (1967). Pa-kua: Chinese boxing for fitness and self-defense. Tokyo:
  Kodansha International, Ltd.
• Stafford, D. (1987). Camp x. New York: Dodd, Mead and Co.
• Thompson, L. (April 1990). Fairbairn story of “world’s toughest cop.”
  Peterson’s Handguns.
• Wan, L. (1929). Wu-shu hui tsung (Essential focus of Chinese martial arts).
  Beijing. Peking Agricultural College.
• Yeaton, K. (1933). Pre-Classic: A Shanghai fighting knife. Unpublished. 13pp.

Initiation

Allen working on the Amazon Dance with Gwyneth Bragdon at the Mask Theater.

My work is mainly Body Defined. I have been called “The Physicalist”.  Martial arts training, therapeutic protocols and theatrical events  can all have healing qualities. I build my work with healing qualities in mind around Initiation or Rites of Passage. The “Passage” I speak of is into Life and Humanity.The contrast of Life and Death are where we all exist. We live in this plane of contrast.To know this intellectually is not the same as Feeling it and Understanding it. My work is to create Feeling and Understanding of the plane of contrast which stands where Life and Death overlap.

For me this means my job is to create a space and a time for my students – or audience – and protect it – so they can get a first hand experience of the Processing of their own Negative Emotions.  This is done by allowing them to understand their Subconscious or Unconscious is a kind of magnet. Because of this particular law of attraction one’s state of being creates one’s environment. Hence the present state of human society on planet earth.

My work – in it’s ideal form – shines a light on that idea – that a State of Being Creates an Environment. And I protect the space for people to feel this. And this relates also to my philosophy of being a bodyguard or “Protector of Space”.

Raising the Shadow

At entrance to the most ancient part of the Chapel of the Seven Saints in Brittany, France.

My work Raises The Shadow – that is – raises the individual’s Psychological Shadow up – in high profile – so it may be clearly defined, understood and therefore, dissolved. This is a lifetime process but can be glimpsed in moments – in training – and in performing. Like Finn’s tasting of the Salmon in the old Celtic myth – sometimes a taste is all you need to understand…then your Life’s meanings can unfold…

I prefer to do this through combining martial arts training with yoga and certain esoteric exercises. This can also be done through a dramatic performance or theatrical display. Sometimes this type of shadow display is called a “Mystery Drama”. I use my knowledge of ancient tradition to create modern mystery plays and physical training protocols. Though the human constitution has changed little in the last few thousand years – it has changed some. So I believe the ancient teachings have to be harvested anew and put in new wine skins.  Moreover some Tradition has fossilized and lost it’s meaning and it’s life. So it has to be resurrected and that is a process I am only now beginning to understand.

Resurrection

Teaching in Brest, Brittany at the Wu-shu school.

My interest in the preservation of martial and yogic tradition (which includes medicine) – much of which lies in oral tradition, myth and faery tale in all cultures causes me to collect and apply them in new ways.

This is what makes my work go beyond Initiation into Resurrection.  I am interested in the process of the resurrection of things dead. But be clear I am NOT simply interested in collecting dead things and seeing if I can “make them work” like Frankenstein’s monster. No. I am interested in how to bring living meaning to what has gone before me. This is done by trying to understand ancient and modern intents and motivations and reapply these as living forces which can assist humanity now and even more so in the future. So for me – genuine Resurrection Art feels the future.

My work is oriented toward individual empowerment.  Part of the paradox of individual empowerment is in the realization that real understanding of self is arrived at through group work which demonstrates interdependence. This means a friend, a training partner – or a community of elders – and hopefully “all of the above” — is a gift – whether on stage – or off – for us to awaken our sleeping human potential. This is why I believe in group work as well as individual work. This is also why I have faith in Theater and the performing arts as well as the old schools of individual initiations found in martial arts and yogas and other schools of the past.

Much violence is generated in a false sense of separateness. We think we are unique and our personal Myth of Specialness keeps us separate and helps frame us as victims.  As the human being is further defined in our history we find the human is a social being and needs others. Friendship is Alchemy. Sometimes even Ecstasy. This interdependence of Fellowship – once understood – also helps dissolve or harness the shadows in oneself which inevitably lead down into violence toward both others and self. As we realize this interdependence we can align our shadows properly – to our feet- our way of life – and keep them where we can feel them – as Peter Pan finally – in the end — did – and walk into the light. And while we are there – in the light – we can understand and resurrect those ancient things, those dead things and give them a new life…

So I call my essential work “Scyalline” or “Shadow Alignment” (from the Greek).

If you wish to contact me my email is apittman@ellijay.com

An Introduction

The Amazon Way grew out of my Hoplite research (1998-2006) and combines both Eastern and Western Approaches. It is chiefly concerned with the most efficient way to teach women to fight without them being intimidated by the teacher (whether they are male or female). Because it is geared directly to women it’s teaching methods (pedagogy) are different than a typical “Marital Arts School” but the focus in the training is purely on how quickly to give the women actual fighting skills without anyone being hurt. There is little to no emphasis on form and a strong emphasis on contact dance which is then intensified into actual martial techniques. When I researched possible Rites of Passage for Women I talked with PhD Pam Chubbuck, who enlightened me as to the fact one out of three women have been sexually abused in the U.S. I initially doubted this. She told me she did too. But then she interviewed 1000 women for her PhD Thesis and found it -to her amazement (and mine) to be correct. This was a further influence in my field of “teaching women to fight”. How can I help women get their courage? I asked myself. “How can they be shown they CAN defend themselves?? So when the dust settled and I finished all my stewing I had a new very articulate pedagogy and a handful of extremely lethal techniques mainly centered around the toe-hold of wrestling…a maneuver nearly any woman can be taught. And it can work on very large men—even if executed by small women— if done properly. So I took the central choreography from a fencers position of engagement-like a handshake- and a wrestler ducking maneuver and created a rhythmic dance done to a drum or literally “with bells on their ankles”…the rhythmic sound allows much faster learning; in fact it may cut the learning time in half. I worked on this system with high school girls-and their mothers— then with a troop of young women—and it does work. The idea is women work with women until they are comfortable and then you bring men in to participate. And the men learn a lot from this too! Now if I can just find women who want to teach it to other women—that is my objective-to train teachers. The need is great. The “Amazon Way booklet“ is my handout for orientation to the women who are interested in the “Amazon Way.”

Videos

Chesel’s Amazon Dialogues

Watch this video on YouTube.

Amazon Dance Research One

Watch this video on YouTube.

Links

Amazon Dance Theatre at The MASK Center

Is a revolutionary new system of exercise that realigns body and mind…

It is the alliance of energy psychology with the most comprehensive physical training available.

What is it?

The Wisdom of the Body is a comprehensive system of exercise that promotes body-mind-spirit alignment and uses the archetypes of the Healer, the Warrior, the Sage and the Poet. The guiding principle is self-empowerment through deliberate focus on appropriate movement.

How does it work?

The Body

Wisdom of the Body is a unique choreography based on the developmental stages of the human being from babyhood to old age and on a gentle and thorough activation of the whole body through the spine.

There are appropriate levels of difficulty and intensity depending on the practitioner.

The Mind

These are protocols adapted from integral psychology and authentic wisdom schools that weave through the sequence of physical movements in increasing levels of complexity for mental and emotional integration : from the innocence and powerlessness of infancy to the power of adulthood to the surrender and transcendence of old age.

The Spirit

This is the wisdom of Inquiry, appropriate resolve and coherence practices which are tuned to the ever-present body. The spiritual nature of Being is grounded through benevolent recognition and appreciation of the body.

Who is it for?

There are 6 main branches in Wisdom of the Body:

• Exercise – for adults
• Training – for high level sports and physical arts practitioners
• Security – for ultimate self defense
• Health – for senior citizens, persons in rehab or people with mental or physical challenges
• Education – for young people and children
• Expression – for the performing arts

Exercise

For adults of all ages.

As an exercise regimen for adults, Wisdom of the Body will give you a complete workout appropriate to your fitness level and fitness goals while helping you align your thoughts and emotions to happiness.

As we follow the developmental sequence of the body from infancy to old age, we also retrace and pre-pave the neural pathways and this allows for safe neurological, muscular and emotional integration.

The deeper levels of concentration and relaxation allow for profound awakening and presence practices.

Globally, it has elements of yoga, shamanism, martial arts and just pure fun so that you do not only sweat, but also enjoy and relax!

Training

For high level sports and martial arts conditioning.

Wisdom of the Body is the most complete training system that we know of. It can be used as a comprehensive warm up or conditioning protocol for any sport or high level physical discipline.

It addresses and adjusts the mental and emotional energies to spearhead breakthroughs in performance. It can also be used as a diagnostic tool to uncover weaknesses in specific muscle-chains or other areas.

It is also a precious companion to the ageing athlete, allowing for the blossoming of subtle energies whilst cultivating physical excellence.

Security

For ultimate self defense.

Wisdom of the Body includes an empowering martial arts sequence called “The Amazon Dance” which is the most practical set of movements one can use against an armed opponent.

This unique choreography was first designed to respectfully and efficaciously teach the quintessence of survival fight-or-flight tactical response skills to women, but a lot of men need these skills too!

The impact of this training is profound because you learn to recognize and then harness the power of your instincts, to enroll the reptilian brain in the cultivation of courage, discernment and serenity.

The existential (life and death) dimension of this training builds awareness, decisiveness and clarity of action and psychologically takes you into the heart of human mythology in order to integrate the archetype of the Warrior.

Education

For young people and children.

Wisdom of the Body is the ultimate integrated psycho- physical education system. Children, be they poets or warriors, will have a blast doing movements that are both playful and that help to develop and hone their natural abilities: coordination, balance, flexibility, strength, responsiveness, concentration and relaxation.

The integration of mental and physical movement disciplines will give young people and children solid training and self-confidence which is essential to their happy and harmonious development. The concentration and metaphor practices will guide them to explore and expand the more subtle dimensions while feeling completely grounded.

There are special protocols appropriate for the different age groups culminating in initiation programs for teenagers.

Expression

For the performing arts.

Wisdom of the Body offers an extraordinary catalogue of movements which explores the pathways between physiology, posture, emotion, intent and culture.

It is a fascinating in-depth study of body language in its universal, historical and local dimensions: the individual, personal and subjective aspects of movement are experienced with a clear sense of the influences of contexts: be they natural or cultural.

Students of theater have said this system should be compulsory in their curriculum.

Video

Wisdom of the Body conditioning

Watch this video on YouTube.

Scythian Way-Sun Salutation

Watch this video on YouTube.

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Approach to Students

Physical Training Traditions (PTT) exists to research, teach, promote and preserve various types of physical training from around the world.

The arts which form the core of our curriculum begin with basic body conditioning and extend into the branches of traditional martial arts, yogas and healing modalities from around the world and also “reconstructed” arts.

The qualifications of the teachers (some come to study and some to share, and some to teach professionally) involved in PTT include at least 10 years instruction under a genuine and authentic tradition as well as other work in arts of healing and training. By “genuine and authentic” I mean having learned in the apprenticeship mode under a teacher who can prove they actually carry a lineage of teaching form a distinct history and teacher. I do not include here “teachers” who have invented their own arts though there is a place for that too. PTT does not teach “mixed martial arts”. It teaches very specific traditions that are time- honored and have proved themselves in battle and personal self defense. It does not teach “sport karate” or “kickboxing” or combat arts designed for the competitive ring. There are students from these disciplines involved in the classes as are police and even at times monks and other clerics. I emphasize both the philosophical and tactical aspects of the arts but put the tactical aspects first in the training. Once the student has a “handle” on the tactical aspect-that is they can do drills with a partner with some understanding-I then begin to introduce the philosophical, religious and esoteric ideas which stand behind any Way of Power which eventually can lead to a genuine Understanding of a given Art. But I must emphasize here, from the craftsman’s point of view-these arts are not arts of form they are TACTILE RESPONSE ARTS. The forms reflect physical applications which come out of physical responses which are trained.

Many teachers, particularly in the Chinese Martial Arts teach “form only” or “form mainly”. Unfortunately, this has resulted in a great deal of frustration and illusion about how these arts work and why they work. Many times students in the Chinese tradition are put on what I call “the ten year program”. In other words the teaching is spread out to fill ten years. Often students are never shown applications or applications are held back so the teacher can maintain the tactical “upper hand”. This is still the rule rather than the exception. It allows the teachers to maintain mediocre skill and still control the students in the class by physical threat. While this may work with the glandular system of adolescents, for thinking adults who no longer need the boot camp mentality- genuine applications must be taught and drilled with other mature adults who are kind and gracious enough to tolerate the process without abusing one another. A popular student control method is to hit the student or otherwise abuse them if they ask a tactical question-the make them do the form again over and over, without really answering the question. Many reading this have encountered this as I have. I stand against this. I believe a real martial art can actually be taught clearly without student abuse. This does NOT mean the applications will not “hurt”! Nor does it mean the study of martial arts needs to be abusive. It means the hands-on applications can be tempered so the student can feel it and understand it but have no hard-core damage. Sting yes, pinch, hurt, bump but no “venting one’s spleen” on another person please! And again here, unless the teacher is vigilant- an element of abuse can be introduced by themselves or a student. Now if there is a bully in the class then obviously he has to be gotten rid of…

It is interesting that the Chinese martial arts, as they have become diluted, especially Tai Chi Chuan, have also become popular in the U.S. While teachers lecture about “health” the students often never even learns to step out of the way of a punch! I’m not sure how “healthy” that is. I have found these “practitioners” can talk the most abstruse theory though! Particularly about the concept of “Chi” or “air – energy”… It is an old problem which the better Chinese teachers I had called “Speaking-Talk Boxing”.

Students at PTT tend to come from the ages between 15 and 50. I encourage the younger students to work harder on both reading material connected to history and psychology as well as physical conditioning – especially up to the age of 25 while the brain is still finding the skeleton and the joints of the body ossify. After that the forces of life, relationships, careers and other things, filter in and training and study has to be relegated to a more limited time. I also encourage students to move on if the training does not seem to suit them. I have sent a student who wanted anxiously to learn knife techniques- which at that time I taught later- in the curriculum-to an Escrima (Philippine martial art) teacher- because he had that need. Several younger students who have come to me wanting to be more acrobatic- I sent to a Capoiera (Brazilian martial art) class. This for me, is karmic. Personality is highly individualized and one must find the food one needs. And I believe if the teacher is not a “match” one should move on! Don’t waste time! Life is precious! I have students that come every week, every month, twice a year, every few years…most keep in touch and I consider my students my friends and my peers. I do not run a school with a pyramid social structure. Any student can speak with me- at pretty much- any time. The students do not have to speak to a senior student or “older brother” student to talk to me. Technically speaking an advanced student is more advanced because he/she are further in the curriculum. I do not include age and maturity level here. The technical aspect has to be hierarchical and pyramidical. You cannot learn poetry without knowing the alphabet! This however, does not reflect skill or understanding. Some students, having long preparation from various disciplines- pick up the material I teach very fast and move quickly upwards, through the curriculum. I am grateful for these students as the traditions need all the help they can get! It is up to the carriers of the Traditions, whether Martial or Philosophical – to prevent students from needing to “re-invent the wheel”! I believe the teacher does not need to deliberately place obstacles in the students’ way—the student brings them along with them and they are entirely built in to the psychology of the student! It is as sure as your airport baggage which “should be with you at all times” etc! If I teach carpentry I have to deal with specific tools and the impartation of specific skills to hammer a nail, cut wood, construct and build wisely. The physical skills of martial arts are no different. Personality enters into the teacher-student equation but for me is secondary to simply getting the ideas across and the skills with them. I believe it is wisest to interfere as little as possible in the lives of students. The freedom of their Will or Soul is sacred and to me inviolate. If they ask for advice I give it, or if they seem to be hurting themselves I say so. Otherwise I make every attempt to teach them as though they are an arrow with an inherent trajectory which neither of us may be clear about! Hopefully, with time a clear direction can be discovered through training and questioning and observing and interpreting the phenomena of life and personhood. But how little we know of ourselves! So we must look and train and try to understand ourselves and hopefully others too…

Students are encouraged to learn quickly and easily and also encouraged to teach and explore. I teach with the intent of producing happier students, good practitioners and good teachers. And I “let them go” but I do like to keep in touch with them because I get pleasure when I hear of their successes in life.

Physical Training Traditions

The Wisdom of the Body

The Amazon Dance

Allen Pittman has dedicated his life to the study of the Human Body as the enlightenment vehicle. He has apprenticed with Wisdom teachers around the world in medicine, martial arts and yoga. His main studies have combined the Warrior and the Healer. His medical education includes working with third degree burn patients to creating therapeutic protocols for brain injured patients. He has been actively involved since the age of eighteen in therapeutic protocols.

For ten years he worked extensively with children and teens in the Waldorf School movement using the work of Bothmer as a touchstone. At present he works with both children and adults in the creation of a new type of physical training which cross references developmental and integrative psychology with physical exercise progressions. This system he calls “The Wisdom of the Body”. The system weaves together individual history, world history and existential initiation into protocol of movement combining animal insights with Rites of Passage.

Allen has been the security coordinator and sometime personal escort/bodyguard for celebrities who participated in The Mythic Journeys Conferences (in conjunction with the Joseph Campbell foundation) and has participated on panels on Youth and Initiation as well as on The Meaning of the Scar. He has been at various times the bodyguard to H.H.the Dalai Lama, Ralph Nader, Andrew Young and Deepak Chopra. He is registered as a Vatican Researcher and has gone through both initiation and transmission of teaching by the Ganden Tipa (the highest official scholar of Tibet in the Yellow Hat or Gelugpa Order) in the highest yoga tantra. He has also been directly initiated by H.H. The Dalai Lama. Allens studies of Christianity began at the age of five as he was groomed as a missionary by the Plymouth Brethren from the ages of 5-18. He is a Chevalier in the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem and one of the initiates of a Taoist bodyguard system derived from the Book of Changes called Gao Ba-gua which he has practiced for nearly 30 years. Allen also has an essay with the University of Dublin on Hoplite (Greek) shield and spear fighting. His quests have carried him around the world – from the U.S. to India to Asia where he lived with a Chinese teacher, across to South Africa among the Zulu where he has studied stick and shield fighting. Allen now lives – when not traveling -  in the Blue Ridge Mountain of North Georgia where he teaches and continues to research the traditions and esoteric lore of the East and West.

Allen can be reached at apittman@ellijay.com

Ba Gua bears the earmarks of a bodyguard’s art – the extensive variety of movements of a covering defensive nature, the combined turning & pushing with specialized stepping & ways to insinuate one’s body between two people all indicate a system designed to protect a third party.

Guarding Ba Gua

Some Ba Gua practitioners in history, particularly during the Ching dynasty, have been bodyguards for heads of state. During the Ching, Tibetan Buddhism was the National Religion of China so it is known that High Lamas were likely protected by guards of that nature. There is also a guard tradition in Tibetan Buddhism.

Guarding Tibetan Buddhism

Allen’s involvement in Tibetan Buddhism & its medicine led him into studying the nature of monastic discipline & security. He was requested to assist with security at the Loseling Institute, the North American seat of Drepung Monastery (the “Oxford” of Tibet). He assisted with security as “Geku” or “disciplinarian” at the Loseling Institute for ten years ending in 2001.

At 18 Allen worked as a Physical Therapy Tech and Orthopedic tech for one year at the Athens Regional Medical Center. He worked in orthopedics, burn, psychiatric and pediatric wards sometimes substituting for a five man crew. In 1980 he attended the British School of Osteopathy in London. His two years with his main Chinese boxing teacher in Taiwan included his assisting him in “Bone Setting” or physical therapy related techniques of the Chinese. In 1991 Allen was licensed in the U.S. under the Florida Board of Examiners as a Massage Therapist. For ten years he was a Massage Therapist on-call for the Buckhead Athletic Club and their in-house Hatha Yoga teacher. During this time he also developed an exercise protocol for St. Joseph’s Hospital Wellness Center oriented toward rehabilitation of stroke and head injury patients.

Allen is also a certified Red Cross rescuer and has certifications in both Unani Herbal Medicine (Greek-Arabic Tradition) and Aromatherapy and has studied with the Tibetan Physician-Herbalists Dr. Pema Dorjee (Physician to the Dalai Lama) and Dr. Barry Clark. At present Allen is working on protocols specifically for Post Traumatic Stress disorder
involving both physical movement (Wisdom of the Body format) and mental “Journeying” protocol.

Allen with Chen Yun-ching in Atlanta in 2006 - After 22 years since his first lesson with him.

Allen began his training with the ways of the East under Lawrence Huff and Peter Fabian in Tae Kwon Do or Korean Karate at the age of twelve. At fifteen (1975) he began studying the Nei Chia arts (or “Inner Family Arts”) of China including Ba-gua (a bodyguards art), Hsing-I (an infantry art) and Tai Chi (also a bodyguards art) with R.W. Smith. He also began studying with Rose Li in 1978 while visiting family in England. His studies continued as he went to Taiwan at the age of 24 and later, 26 to be a live-in student with Hung I-mien (the senior student of Chang Chuen-feng, who brought a full Nei chia curriculum from Shanghai during the time of the Communist Revolution). During this time Allen also studied with the sons of Chen Pan-ling a well known Chinese Boxing historian and scholar and Wu Shao-lin, a teacher from the Ching Tao Guo- Shu Guan or “National Art Academy”. After returning to the U.S. Allen began teaching in Atlanta and occasionally leading the classes for R. Smith in Washington, D.C. At 27 Allen met Irish strong man and wrestler Tim Geogheagan and began to study things connected to the Ways of the East and West, particularly Celtic Wrestling and Indian Yoga. He also worked with Tim on various “bone-setting” techniques similar to what he learned in Taiwan and other manual therapies.

This went on for ten years. During this period he cross referenced Judo, Fencing and other kinds of training both mental and physical. He has dabbled in Aikido and from the late 1980′s has trained in a variety of weapons in and out of armor from the traditions of both East and West (including Fencing at the Atlanta Fencing Club and traveling to New York to work with Maestro Martinez on the Spanish Rapier). At 35 while continuing to teach regular martial arts classes in these arts, he began working in physical education at the Waldorf (Middle) School of Atlanta working specifically with the ancient Greek Pentathlon concepts oriented toward ten year olds. From this he designed an expanded P.E. curriculum for ages 7-12. He has also worked with a Waldorf High School (Academe of the Oaks) on a curriculum which combines fencing with staffs according to various traditions, concluding the 12th grade curriculum with the training of the English Long Bow. At present Allen is working on several books and divides his time between teaching, lecturing and continuing to research the paths of the body-mind nexus.

U.S.

February 18th

Ellijay, Georgia (Saturday 10-5pm)
Question and Answer Session at Allen’s house contact him for details and directions -
apittman@ellijay.com

February 21st

Full Moon Question and Answer
Ellijay, GA

February 25th

Decatur, Georgia (Sat am)
Hsing-I with Tom Karls and Allen Carroll
contact Allen Carroll at
HsingI@comcast.net

March 2-4

Ellijay, Georgia (Friday to Sunday)
Special brain-storming sessions for working with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder using methods from yoga systems and martial arts. If you are interested in these please contact Allen at
apittman@ellijay.com

March 8-11

New York State/Newburg (Thursday-Sunday)
Hsing-I Sessions contact
Robert Hoffman at
omegataichi@yahoo.com

March 19

Question and Answer (new moon on 22nd)
Ellijay,Georgia

EUROPE

April 6-May 10

ZURICH, Switzerland
April 22 Wisdom of the Body workshop levels 1 and 2.
April 22nd. Talk at Theosophical Society. The topic is “Psychic Self-Defense”.
April 28,29 Yoga Workshop cross referencing the schools of India, Persia and Egypt.
May 5th Hsing-I Workshop
May 6th Gao Ba-gua Workshop
contact Stefan Marcec at info@internalwork.ch

May 10-25

BREST, France (Brittany)
May 19-20 Wisdom of the Body and the Ba-gua of Cheng Pan-ling.
Emphasis on Celtic Elements of martial arts, Scythians and Scythianos. Hopefully we will cross reference the standing techniques of Gouran (the native wrestling of Brittany and cousin to Cornish wrestling) with some of the Celtic Wrestling of Tim Geoghegan.
contact Erwan at ercloarec@gmail.com

May 26,27

LONDON, England
Wisdom of the Body
Amazon Dance- Advanced Course
We will use the floor work of first level of Wisdom of the Body as the warm up passing through the standing Egyptian Yoga and onto the third section or Amazon Dance. Emphasis in this workshop will be on the Amazon Dance and how a small person can defend themselves against a larger stronger person. All Skill levels will have fun at this workshop and are welcome. My objective is to see to it the participants have more insight into their own body and have fun in doing so as well! For more information on the Amazon Dance and it’s implications see it on this website under “My Approach”.
contact Andrew at reband@btinternet.com

June 2,3

THE LAKES (Cumbria), England
Wisdom of the Body
All Three Levels
private classes on Ba-gua/Hsing-I or -according to questions- and possible advanced work from the 4th to the 8th on these arts with senior students of various teachers. During this time Allen may also team up with Mark Olly at The Door gathering to discuss some of the Arthurian and Celtic aspects of Martial Arts as well as Yoga.

contact John at spiralmyth@lineone.net
and Mark at
mark-olly@hotmail.co.uk

U.S.

August 17,18,19

ELLIJAY, Georgia
The Gao Ba-gua System; detail and analysis
contact Allen at
apittman@ellijay.com

EUROPE

September 22,23

OSLO, Norway
Hsing-I Seminar
contact Oyvind Indergaard at
oyvindjinn@hotmail.com

September 29-30

PARIS, France
Wisdom of the Body and Hsing-I seminar
contact Erwan Cloarec
ercloarec@gmail.com or contact
Luce Condamine at
//lucecondamine.free.fr/

October 6,7

VICENZA, Italy
contact Luigi Zanini for information
l.zanini@libero.it

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Blue Snake Books

Blue Snake Books is presently the largest publisher of internal and historical martial arts books in the world.

North Atlantic Books

North Atlantic Books is a leading publisher of alternative health, raw foods, martial arts, and spiritual titles.

EDGEWORK – Crisis Intervention Resources

Edgework is the site for Ellis Amdur and his Crises Intervention Work. Ellis is not only a licensed teacher from Japan of Araki-Ryu (a traditional school of Japanese Swordsmanship) but also Toda-Ha Buko-Ryu (the traditional school of the glaive). In “Real Life” he is also a specialist in designing protocols and techniques of change which involve criminal youth. Because of his vast experience and penetrating insight he is actually a kind of Wisdom Teacher-hard to find these days— in both martial arts and the Why’s and Wherefores of criminal behavior. He understands the role of Rites of Passage for youth and also clearly understands the human dynamics which lead to violence.

Mythic Journeys

For those interested in the meaning of myths and tales and the psychology of spirituality…it has also morphed some of it’s aspects into the Mythic Imagination Institute…

Stav International

Literally translated, “Stav” means “knowledge of the rune staves,” and is a traditional European mind/body/spirit training system. Stav is the physical culture system of the Vikings. Ivar Hafskjold takes the site-visitor into the depths of this ancient martial and yogic system of the West.

IHS

The International Hoplology Society (IHS) is dedicated to the study of the evolution and development of human combative behavior. IHS is continuing the weapon research of Donn Draeger through its director, Hunter Armstrong, who has also advised Stephen Pressfield for his best selling historic novel of the Spartans “Gates of Fire”.

Narthaki Online

Classical Indian Dance Directory. Your gateway to the world of traditional Indian Dance.

MARTINEZ ACADEMY OF ARMS

“The Martinez Academy of Arms is a unique school that preserves the tradition of fencing as the study of the sword in its realistic application in personal combat. Entering the Academy, one steps into another era and finds a serious group of practitioners dedicated to the art of the sword.” Some years ago Allen began to study Spanish Rapier with the Maestro and his wife, finding the teaching as well as the company to be first-rate.

Visioneering International

Visioneering is a High-Tech Production and Communications Company with two major divisions: Corporate and Cultural. They work with Special Events, Exhibitions, and Production of Film, Video and Multimedia Shows.

EarthKeepers

Tom BlueWolf’s Informative and Inspiring Site
“Earthkeepers & Company is a non-profit organization founded in 1969 with a focus on environmental integrity, community relations, tribal values, and global peace. EarthKeepers is dedicated to educating people of all ages on the importance of our relationship with Mother Earth and one another.” Tom is a synthesizer of traditions and is actively creating a bridge through time for those in this era to taste some of the ancient ways while at the same time raising ecological awareness.

iscce@comcast.net

3 Rivers Archery

“World’s Largest Traditional – Primitive Archery Supplier”

Dr. Barry Clark – Tibetan Physician

Catecories

Common

Allen’s Review

– by Allen Pittman

The Close Combat Files of Col. Rex Applegate

By Col. Rex Applegate and Maj. Chuck Nelson. Published by Paladin Press. (Look inside)

“The Close Combat Files of Col. Rex Applegate” is a nice sized book (8 3/4 x 11 3/4 inches) with large, easy-to-read print, and a clear layout. In many ways it reflects the clear, simple and direct approach of the author and his generation. For historians there are ample and clear photos and reproductions of the old type-written files of Col. Applegate. The atmosphere of WWII exudes from the photos and the text reflects the urgency of the time. Most of the information is not new and will be familiar to those who are already in the vineyard of the “Knife and Gunners.” The bulk of the information is in other books-particularly those of W.E. Fairbairn – who was a main teacher of Applegate. The first hand accounts of teaching methods using simplicity, brevity and intensity with informality are fascinating and worth the perusal of anyone interested in the teaching process.

The implementation and evolvement of ‘point shooting’ skills as espoused by Col. Applegate (Sykes, Fairbairn and others) is noteworthy in that the technique has withstood the test of time and evolving technology. The empty hand and knife techniques show a much smaller experience base and reflect an uneven knowledge. (Self-defense teacher, Charlie Nelson of New York (now in Arkansas?) who carries some of the old Fairbairn / O’Neil methods has improved and elaborated on much of this old material improving it significantly – Charlie uses grabbing and off-balancing while striking simultaneously like some of the old Chinese boxing). The lack of sophistication on empty hand comes as no surprise. In war the gun comes first.

Most surprising to the reviewer was the cover of the book which depicts Col. Applegate holding a knife in a palm-up position. The one position which exposes the arteries of the wrist. In fencing this is taught as the French grip. A hard stroke down on the blade at about thirty degrees will disarm the man of his weapon. It is a weak grip and a dangerous position anatomically. Moreover Fairbairn himself according to his students (Samuel Yeaton and others) said to use the knife like a painter’s brush – palm down or to the side). Applegate’s empty hand parries off a knife attack, bringing him inside the guard, and seems to assume that the adversary will not use the other hand. I would attribute this to the concentration on weaponry. Some of his other techniques – like pushing the shoulder of the adversary to spin behind him – are very savvy. Speed of learning in WWII was very important. It is much easier and faster to teach someone what to do with their hands – there’s several times more brain tissue for the hands than the feet. As someone practices these movements, their feet will usually adjust for the hand position. This seems to be the way both Fairbairn and Applegate taught – concentration on the hands. This however, neglects subtleties of balance which are often lost in this speed learning process. When Samuel Yeaton was studying with Fairbairn in Shanghai he sent a letter to his brother Charles saying, “…most Chinese boxing is ritual anyway…” the Chinese start with the feet and the process of learning root. To knife and gunners this would have seemed a waste of time indeed. Learning quickly was everything.

The editor’s notes of vital or killing points initialed “B.N.” on pages 179 and 180 are particularly ill-advised. “Dim-mak” (Southern-Cantonese) is more correctly “Tien Shue or Dian Xue” (Northern-Mandarin) as the art came out of North China. The art cannot be reliably traced to Chang San-feng (he is legendary) nor is his “kidney 15” point correct. The point he espouses is “Ren 7.” “Kidney 15” is one thumb measure to the outside of “Ren 7.” Kidney 15 is not a killing point – it is used in acupuncture for constipation. Moreover if you can hit this low why not hit or grab the testicles as Fairbairn originally taught?

According to R.W. Smith in his Chinese Boxing, the art of hitting vital points is basically extinct – though he did learn some points of one tradition. It was practiced by five different families in five variations. It is debatable whether it depended on time or target or both or if it is primarily based on esoteric-ritual, hypnosis, etc…

It may not be dependant on acupuncture points at all. Modern texts attempting to reconstruct it are mainly based on reverse engineering acupuncture texts a la “If this heals them – then this hurts them.” The points themselves may only be linked to acupuncture indirectly. The vital points actually listed by Applegate are the same as listed by Fairbairn and they can be found in most martial arts texts.

The reviewer was surprised this misinformation got in to an otherwise clear and factual text. These minor details aside – for WWII Buffs and historians of all kinds including the arm-chair variety this book is a must. As a study of the necessities of history it is enlightening. It is also an appropriate memorial to the experiences of the recently deceased Col. Applegate.

I finally managed to get some quality time in on my last visit to Johannesberg with Baf, a Zulu stick fighting teacher who thank the gods was gentle but strong as an ox. Baf told me to watch his face as we fenced at half speed-”You will know I will not hurt you by my face”, he said. It was very frightening initially as the mace end is weighted and the additional torque as a result is something that could cleave a brick. Baf kept finding my rear leg- knee and in a matter of minutes it hurt like a son of a …he pretty much “Baffed” me from one end of the courtyard to the other! but still what a complex and sophisticated art! with both changing grips on the mace, use of the mace spike and either end of the pole which holds a shield which protects the hand. I hope to get some pics of Baf but til then below is a jpg of what the practice weapons look like compared to other culture’s weapons. For reference remember the Scottish Claymore or two handed sword shown is about five feet in length from butt to tip.

Left to Right:
1. Middle sized metal shield
2. Zulu staff and shield (from the back)
3. Armor- Piercing Spear
4. Greek Hoplite spear
5. English Long Bow
6. Scot Claymore
7. Spanish Rapier (Circa 1500)
8. Zulu Mace
9. Khyber Knife (Afghanistan)
10. Kukri (Nepal/Burma/Thrac)
11. Masai hand club
12. Tibetan Battle Hammer (Dorje)

Detail on the Zulu Shield

…and the Zulu use a “Punch Grip” like the Romans…but with a much lighter shield… once the hand is closed into a fist you can ram the thing forward a bit like a light buckler but with the drag of the long stick, behind the shield gives you a very large surface area to deflect with and which allows you to hit to the opponents eyes and crotch alternately as well as pin his/her weapon or his body…

Baf

Baf

The view from Capetown, South Africa

While spending time in Johannesburg, I taught the students of Jerry Smith, skilled in several forms of Chinese Boxing, and was also, like me, a fellow book addict, researcher of Sufism and various other esoterica and very knowledgeable about yoga as well. His bullshit detector works well and we had a lot to catch up on as regards teachers and training in South Africa and the U.S.

Jerry, like many good teachers, has a wide range of ages in his students, I’d say from their 20′s to their 70′s. They treated me kindly, I enjoyed teaching them, and look forward to seeing them in the future.

Jerry took his wife, Hasina, and I out to Krugersderp (sp?) Game Reserve for a day. Upon entering the gate, I read the clause (claws?) on our ticket, “The management is not responsible for any damage, injury or loss of any nature sustained by a visitor.” Seems a camera-happy Japanese man left his car to wave his hands and get the attention of a lethargic lion who took note of him and ate him. With this in mind, Hasina rolled her window up and we entered a 30′ gate. I quickly recalled a cat can jump two to three times its body length.

We followed the winding pavement into the tall amber grass and as I could not see a lion, I looked at the amber waves of grass and realized that it was exactly the same color as a lion and, as a result, I could be looking at a lion and not even know it. I contemplated the meaning of a flat tire under such conditions, then I wondered, ‘What if the car goes dead? Recalling Livingston’s description of the beauty of a tiger’s face – as it bit into his shoulder – I wondered why a lion has no stripes. We could not see anything but I was quite sure anything could see us. I imagined the car looking like a mobile sardine can. The car bumped over a hunk of dung that could have been made by four cows and we continued over the grassy plain.

I noticed two large gray stones and as we neared them, they turned into two rhinos. It is not like TV. The space and the feeling of vulnerability become amplified. Realizing a rhino can outrun a man does not help. Moreover they can pierce a car with their horn and flip it over. Even more insulting you cannot sneak up behind them as they are powerfully retromingent. I was glad the rhinos were grazing and not moving.

Along with these idle terrors were mixed views of springboks, small, graceful animals who, it seems, contradict the “only the strong survive” philosophy perpetrated by Darwin from a rather economical perspective. There were also large impala, antelope and gazelles. I could imagine walking over the Velt (Afrikaans for “field” sounds like “felt”) and viewing the whole spectacle on foot. Hair raising. On lions, I recall the Christians in the coliseum scoring low, though the prophet Daniel did well with them as did Born Free‘s Joy Davidman.

While at the British Museum, I looked at a copy of engravings of St. Jerome with his wonderfully content lion loafing in varied locations in his study (probably following the sun spot). The Zulus say there used to be three big cats (perhaps this is the Nemean Lion of Hercules?). The lion, the tiger and another I have not found a description of except in records of gigantism in ancient times – the 25′ Saber Tooth Tiger. Be grateful for small mercies I say.

As we left the game reserve, there was a lioness in a pen with her cub – for us tourists who saw no lions on the plains. The lioness was 5-6′ in length and I noticed just behind and below her was a large stone behind which a large tail flicked at flies. Old Simbha keeping a low profile.

So a renewed respect for the wild and the odd awareness that the small lithe and graceful Springbok coexists on the same plain as the lion.

The view from Capetown, South Africa

Capetown, its library still smacking of the old British empire but now, since the very necessary deregulation and abolishment of apartheid, dotted through it’s tree lined park with beggars, vendors and drunks. The old buildings here have a beauty similar to those in Singapore-but not as clean. I was not aware of just how old Capetown is. It goes back several hundred years, well past the times of the British Empire.

Table Mountain rises sheer and rocky from it’s grassy base and it forms a ridge which seems to wander all over the Cape. It is really not one mountain but several adjoining a ridge.

The coast here at Capetown reminds me also of the mountains around Hong kong. But there are few skyscrapers-so it does not have Hong Kong’s cluttered feeling. Overall I’d say the Cape landscape is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. My cousin Pearl, an alacritous blue eyed, seventy year old lady, who gives the impression of being around forty, took me all around the Cape to all the scenic spots and I managed a water color post card or two and saw the haunts of my great uncle Harry, an old missionary hero of mine who followed in the steps of Livingston and Crawford.

The water around the Cape is a lovely blue-green and the beaches are white. In the bright sun shine the beach dazzles the eyes.

Pearl and I had a lovely lunch at a restaurant at Cape Point. After we took the tram to the top and took some pictures, we came down to get in the car to drive the rest of the way down only to be delayed by a troop of about a dozen baboons. One car had pulled over to the side of the road to watch and a very large, about 80 lb baboon sat on the hood watching sagely through the windshield at his watchers. I wondered what the baboon thought of the people. I noticed the driver had kept his windows up. I do not know if the passengers of the car were aware the placid old fellow watching them could pull their arms out of socket. Or as one fellow put it after being put in the ring with a sixty pound chimp, “That’s the first time I’ve ever been hooked in the jaw and kicked in the ass at the same time!”

Those baboons have some very interesting muscle attachments in their arms since they are knuckle walkers and have forearms about a half time longer than humans. I once saw a chimp on TV throw an electric typewriter across a room with two fingers. At the time those typewriters weighed about twenty pounds!

Jacob & Knowledge Show Traditional Zulu Stick-Fighting Techniques

I also rendezvoused (sp?) with my friend E. who showed me some footage of the Zulu stick fighting and other martial arts in S. Africa. He was able to show me some of the basic movements and mentioned care was to be taken when studying with the Zulu, since one fourth of the Zulu population now has AIDS according to some estimates. E. also mentioned his teacher, H. who sounded such a character, I requested E. to introduce me. He did, and I spent an informative evening with an older fellow who traced his techniques to a man named Burnett who had studied with my biographical target, W.E. Fairbairn!

So I saw some things that impressed me and from what I saw I would guess what Fairbairn taught personally was often different than what he taught in his texts. It’s amazing what you cannot get in a book! What H. can do with a knife is also impressive, seems he was picked on as a child in school and at that time school was rough. H. learned the knife was an equalizer and he got good with it. Later he cross referenced it with what he learned from Burnett and Judo and the smoothness he had acquired from being a professional dance teacher give him an uncanny grace and economy.

So this lean, lithe, hawk-like man used the language I knew well with his students, “Too tense, shorter movements, don’t think- just do, etc.” The waist, footwork and economy are all optimized. His few carefully selected students are good fellows too, keeping their sense of humor while refraining from nonsense. After class H., E. and I chatted, H.’s comments on most martial arts were simple and profound, “They waste too much movement and complicate things far too much,” he summarized. I was so impressed with the gliding feet and ease of technique I told Harry I wanted to see him next year. So hopefully more on this “Falcon of Capetown” next year.

Chi / Qi – My Perspective

– by Allen Pittman

Chi – Chi – Qi

Several students have asked me what I think about Chi First I would like to say that I do believe in Chi and have experienced it first hand. Having said that, I feel obligated to make clear much of what is described in the mass media as “Chi” I believe to be heavily dependant on Auto-Suggestion. Below are the aspects of what I understand Chi to be.

According to Chinese Culture

The character from the Chinese (Pre-Communist Era [before 1956] characters i.e. C(Q)hing dynasty) depicts vapor coming up from a steaming bowl of rice. From this we can safely relate Chi to the production of heat in the body and that also pressure, or perhaps a feeling of expansion. The same implication is given as air pressure or pneumatic force, like the inflating of a balloon, or the action of a steam piston, or the whistling of a tea-kettle. In the body, the deep inflation of the diaphragm as it pushes the belly out is called “Chi” as is nearly any variety of tingling sensation.

In essence, the REAL CHI creates heat and pressure. It is most easily experienced in forms of reverse breathing and what is popularly known in Yoga as Pranayama and Kumbaka. A few rounds of Tai Chi Chuan will get you sweating too! And a little is good. But too much sweating depletes the kidneys as well as the whole system of water and salt, so care must be taken to replace it. In spite of this, the old timers practiced for hours until they were to the point of fainting! That includes the Tai Chi practitioners too! There is no substitute for hard, arduous training. The main thing is to know when to let up – and how to nurture your self. That is the whole yang (active) and yin (nurturing/nourishing) cycle. Without discovering your own personal, “Golden Mean” you can easily hurt yourself…

The problem with this “tingling” business is it could also just be a limb has gone to sleep or a nerve is being compressed!

I know of a yoga teacher in Taiwan who had a growth on his tongue. He said it was because “the Yoga has made the Chi very strong.” Well I hope the growth was not cancerous!

So you see, the term can be used to explain anything abnormal or subtle. Clairvoyance, astral projection, phenomena associated with various meditation states can all be due to Chi. In some ways this is just another way of saying, “We cannot explain this rationally so we will defer to an ancient paradigm.”

Chi, like many other things in Traditional Chinese Culture is based- not on experimental double-blind lab studies-but on empirical observation over a period of time. Hung I-mien, my Gao Ba Gua teacher, used to say, “The Chi will change the tendons of the body as you practice Ba Gua – just watch your deltoids when they begin to form deep dimples, that is a function of Chi as is the ability to inhale and tense the abdomen against punches.” What he did not say was any exercise that repeatedly raises the arms develops definition in the deltoids and any deep breathing exercise will give one a good strong abdomen!

In Chinese/Taoist Yoga the Chi is mixed with Ch(J)ing. That is the air from deep breathing and its associated energies and pressures is mixed – in the abdomen, with an essence from the kidneys (testosterone?). Without Ching or ‘sperm essence,’ the Chi cannot transform the tissue of the body. With women the essence is related to the ovaries and their energy.

The result of the fusion of Chi and Ching is a strengthening and thickening of the internal organs and connective tissue and membranes (including the organ bags and joint capsules).

The emphasis in Traditional Chinese Medicine on keeping an amount of sperm in the body (there are several versions of sperm loss time-tables) has not imported very well to America! In spite of the fact the Chinese, Hindu and Tibetan traditions all carry this idea. All these older traditions see sperm as concentrated blood. The ratio given by Indian Yoga is 60 drops of blood equals one drop of sperm. So a man’s ejaculation was seen as paralleling a woman’s period only amplified by a factor of about 60 times!

Women too were encouraged to restrain their period through exercises using muscular contractions of the pelvis, vegetarianism and physical exercise – usually some kind of Gong-fu or daily physical exercise regimen-could be as simple as running and jumping or other Lightness Skills.

The difference between sperm and blood is distinct – one has spinal fluid in it – which is normally circulated in the brain through the spinal canal. This is distinct from the lesser- potent blood, which is circulated through the veins and arteries.

All of these ideas of retaining and transforming physical juice and mental discipline were directed toward longevity. The life span hoped for was 120 years old. Did it work? Well there are some pretty old people surviving in the mountains of Chung Nan to this day. I don’t know how old some of them are and in Chinese culture they are not beyond lies! If you wish to read about these folk try Bill Porters’ “Road To Heaven”. Bill’s mentor was John Blofeld and his tour with the Taoists-before Mao-is captured in his text, “The Secret and Sublime”.

Chi and Autosuggestion

The base of the brain scans and screens input from the body. This is called the Reticular Activating System. When you say to someone, “Feel the Chi in your fingertips” – well their brain is going to scan that area on your command – and it will tingle. The Chinese see that as evidence of “Chi”. I see it as the electrical scanning mechanism of the Reticular Activating System.

Under hypnosis things get more intense. You can hypnotize someone and say, “;Your hand is burning” and blisters will appear on the skin! Actual burn blisters. So human chemistry is responsive to visualization and command. To what limit I don’t know. But at this simple stage things are already pretty weird. The body is actually creating a chemistry which, being based on a mental construct, produces the visualized effect. The Chinese would call this “Chi” too. And several cultures have taken this training to its logical conclusion in particular the Tibetans with their multi-template Tantric meditations.

Now if you add to these phenomena, laying on a bed of nails like a Hindu fakir, or breaking bricks, like a Gung-fu master, then you have a sense of the whole circus of Chi. All of these things can be faked too, which makes it very complicated. Any bed of nails can be laid on if it has enough nails in it! It is just a matter of weight distribution! Try laying on a single spike and see how you do! Any brick can be broken if it’s the right size. Try a round creek stone! So some of this is simple physics. When you get to breaking a single brick half way down a stack of twelve then there is something else going on…If it is not faked! A very fine sense of impact and projected vectors, which the human body can certainly develop.

My Conclusion

So is there Chi? Yes, certainly. Tibetans can melt iced sheets placed on their bodies on mountain ledges in the winter! And some Chinese boxers can inflate their limbs almost like bicycle inner tubes! And yes, if you practice your forms with breath and intention over a long period of time with some semen retetion technique the texture of your body will change-the protein and vitamin E in the sperm has to go somewhere! You will see it in the skin and musculature particularly. Both become much more elastic. But if someone charges you some high price to breathe deep and wave your hands around know that anything like that will make you feel a little tingly for whatever reason!

Tara Who Saves From The Eight Great Fears

– by Candragomin (7th century, Bengal, India)

Homage to the Venerable Arya-Tara!

1. All gods and asuras pay homage at Your feet.. You look with compassion on beings in ill migrations. Tara, Who’s left off all that is unfitting! I, Candragupta, shall write a praise to you.
2. Paws red with blood of elephants it’s slain, the lion sees the traveler and advances. If on the way one thinks of you, it enters a forest extremely hard to cross.
3. Spurred by the noise of swarms of millions of bees circling his cheeks, which rut-fluid stains all over Not pausing a moment, on his way to kill- If one salutes You, Tara, he’s subdued.
4. Kindled by fierce wind as of the Age of Destruction, fire is blazing up as vast as the sky; Should some citizen call upon Your name, Then immediately it is extinguished.
5. In a constricted, tortuous, cave-like valley, The mighty serpent spots the traveler and darts up the path; but to remember Tara Puts down its pride and turns it back again.
6. Robbers brandishing various sharp weapons See the traveler and advance upon her; But by the power of thinking of Venerable Tara, In no great time she safely reaches home.
7. A lord of the earth, who’s skilled at making wishes daily fulfilled, has one bound in prison; But think of worshipful Tara, and in a moment the unbearable shackles will be in a hundred pieces.
8. One’s ship is broken amidst an ocean whose commotion towers up high as the Brahma heavens, By fish and sea-monsters of terrifying forms; But thinking of Tara, one finds security.
9. Tawny – haired vetala demons, their bodies like kohl, Lean and hungry, held together by prominent sinews delighting in slaying human beings, Will be subdued if one remembers You.
10. Through the merit that I have gained here thinking of Her victorious over the Maras who in this way saves from the eight fears, May She be known to all the entire world!

The Praise of Arya – Tara Who Saves from the Eight Great Fears, by the Venerable Master Sri-Candragomin, is complete.

With altered punctuation, From “In Praise of Tara” by Martin Willson, Wisdom Publications 1986

then flying to London to visit the Templar chapel underneath Parliament- , -driving up into Scotlandto Bannockburn Battlefield where it is said the Templars were seen in the Battle assisting Robert the Bruce…

To Rosslyn Chapel

to visit the St. Clair/Sinclair crypt…

and making my way across to Paris and then to Chartre Cathedral where the labyrinth is…

…from there on through Switzerland to the Geotheanum where the work of Rudolph Steiner is preserved- he wrote a fascinating text on the “Templars and the Mexican Mysteries”.

and onward to Rome to visit with the Vatican Museum and library and the Jesuits and do some research in the Vatican library.

From there I went to Palermo, Sicily and from Sicily to the island of Ustica – where Cathiginian Mercenaries were imprisoned…

and then on to Barcelona, where it snowed!

with a train to A Coruna where the oldest lighthouse in the world is…and whose symbol is a skull and bones (Templars!) underneath a lighthouse….

and ending in Santiago De Compestello.

where it is debated is the tomb of Jesus’ disciple James? His brother? His son? Or Santiago, the defender of the Spaniards against the Moors? At any rate the Cathedral is packed with influences from all over Europe and it is the capstone of one of the three sacred pilgrimages of Christianity which are:
1. Rome
2. Jerusalem
3. Santiago de Compestello

the plaza at Santiago d-C.

inside the room behind the figure of Christ…which overlooks the congregation-which allows you to look over the shoulder of Christ at the people during mass…a real consciousness exercise!

The trip was a five month journey of six countries. I read and researched as I traveled and I came to feel some of the atmospheres and energies of these sacred places. Along with this and over the years since then, I have given four lectures at the Atlanta Theosophical Society-all related to the Templars. The first lecture was on the original founders, the second lecture was on The Green Man or “khidr” also known as Cernunnos as depicted here at Rostherne Chapel in England…

the cemetery at the Chapel-a Celtic Cross

The third lecture at the Theos. Society was on “Middle Eastern Influences” in history and at present and was a look at both cultural and economic issues that have involved the U.S. in the Middle East. The fourth lecture- unexpectedly -was assigned to me by the society; to speak on “Ley Lines” and strangely, this lecture tied all the others together and pointed to the whole science behind the construction of the Cathedrals in Europe during the middle ages. These lectures are available on DVD and listed under products. The Templars were and are (as there are several groups at present who have taken on some of the intent of the old Order) a fascinating group and due to their martial-spiritual nature, well worth study by any serious martial arts/religious scholar…