Hollywood Kettlebells

Nov 25, 2011

2011-11-25T15:54:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

First off, my humblest apologies for going so long without a post. It has been an insanely busy time since my last entry. So let's catch up!

First off, Gym Jones - Advanced Program Design and Theory.

I was honored to be among the first to complete this course. It was the perfect culmination of all the previous courses put together: training, programming, nutrition, research, case studies, recovery, intensity...you name it. In a culture where mediocrity has become the standard, and being prepared for less secures greater chances of contentment this course kicked some serious @$$. As you know from all of my other posts about my experiences at GJ, these guys and gals pull no punches, supply high level instruction and demand performance from their attendees. It is sheer joy to be around them. One's game has no choice but to step up. I personally hit three PRs while there, including box jump height and row times. I definitely push myself in my gym here in LA (ask my students), but there is no substitute for talented colleagues suffering together to surpass previously held limits. My experiences at the Gym constantly impress on a multitude of levels. The physical is what people see, but as they say on day one at GJ, "The mind is primary." Chew on that for a bit, or better yet go to SLC and see what it's all about for yourself. I recommend you bring your A-game, or you shall suffer appropriately.

Second - Renovations at Five Star Martial Arts.
We have been knee deep in renovations at the school for about a month now and it's finally winding down. We've added a second training room so now we can greatly expand our schedule. We added showers to the changing rooms and my strength and conditioning room has doubled in size. I will upload some pix once all the finishing touches are done. Stay tuned!

Third - Hunting!
My brother and I went elk hunting in southern Colorado a couple weeks back. It was a blast! Hiking around at 8500' stalking elk is no joke from a physical standpoint. I was never more thankful for my Gym Jones training than when I was knee deep in snow on a steep incline trying to catch up with a very clever bull elk. Suffice it to say he was on his game enough to laugh at us from a distance the whole way. Great time, however, and the training came in very handy in the practical application!

That's it for now gang. I've gotta head down to the school a bit this holiday weekend to get it more cleaned up. Prep my strength/conditioning room for the arrival of a lot of equipment and get my butt back into training!

Until the next time, keep the bar high!
jvs

The PR Club

2011-07-10T16:55:00.000-07:00

Those of you who train with me know the value with which I hold the knowledge I've gained at Gym Jones. My very willing Sunday group at Five Star Martial Arts has benefited greatly, although perhaps not with actual pleasure, from this knowledge. In addition to what I consider an impressively varied skill set in an assortment of martial arts (trapping, weaponry, striking, even some grappling) these guys have pushed their fitness past what many of them thought possible. I can safely call the Sunday group my "PR Club" (Personal Record, not Public Relations...) with no hesitation nor exaggeration.

Caleb Terray, a fellow RKC, sets new dead lift PRs practically weekly. He joined us a few months ago with extensive kettlebell experience but had never touched a bar before and now, at a mere 140# he's pulling 315. Kelvin Lee recently turned 50 and today did his first unassisted pistol (one-legged squat) on each leg. Not bad, old man! Peter Besson, everyone's favorite German, consistently lays it all out there. After his first beating on Triciclo del Diablo (Schwinn Air Dyne) he went out and BOUGHT ONE!

I'm very proud to have these guys come to me every week, especially when they know what's in store for them. It gives me hope that the Gym Jones work ethic and mentality will be welcome here in Los Angeles when the certification process is completed. It's very exciting to be surrounded by people willing to do the work!

Look for some pix in the coming weeks!

Good job gang!
jvs

2011-06-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Sorry this has taken so long to get up on the blog but please check out the Five Star Martial Arts promo video that was expertly shot and crafted by Five Star's own Josh Karchmer and his talented team from Level 4 TV!

ENJOY!

Until the next time, always be smarter than the kettlebell!
jvs

The Pentagon Channel, Pt. 2

2011-06-22T12:09:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone,

Yesterday's shoot for the Pentagon Channel went great. I had a terrific group of people helping me keep my thoughts straight while we worked our way through a considerable amount of material. Each segment will be 2:00 or shorter and will air on the channel's "For the New Guy" show. Air dates yet to be determined.

I ran through a handful of body weight exercises, some kettlebell exercises and even touched on some self-defense situations. In true Five Star Martial Arts fashion the kettlebell exercises were described in high detail and included some standards that I run my clients in LA through regularly: the Two-Handed Swing, One-Legged Dead Lift and Military Press. (The last one had to be included, no? HAHA!)

Body weight choices were demanding from a conditioning aspect with the Split Squat (repeating lunges switching lead leg mid-air) and strength/flexibility standpoint with the Pistol (one-legged squat). I even added some variations for those deployed where access to optimal gear or room to train may be limited (as you will see in the clips...).

For self-defense we kept it very simple, which is always the best way to go. Just a few basic, common attacks with simple movement, gross-motor skill responses. My good friend Leonard Stevens was gracious enough to join me as the ill-intentioned attacker for the self defense segments.

Again it was a real honor for me to do something for the troops and I had a lot of fun too!

Until next time, always be smarter than the kettlebell!
jvs

The Pentagon Channel

2011-06-20T18:56:00.000-07:00

Hey Gang,

Coming to you from Ft. Meade, MD this week. I was graciously invited by the Pentagon Channel to bring some kettlebell and body weight training to the "Fit to Fight" segments. It's an extreme honor for me to be able to give something back to the troops who serve us daily, though mostly from far off places we will never need to see ourselves. Their selflessness is awe inspiring to me and I am happy to bring them some high quality, challenging training in full force Five Star Martial Arts style!

We'll cover some KB basics a well as some body weight exercises for those who are stationed where training equipment is at a minimum. We'll also touch on some self-defense tactics that will be helpful to have in the arsenal should they be needed. In short we're gonna do a bit of everything!

Time for bed, I've got an early start tomorrow folks!

Until then, don't forget:
It doesn't have to be fun to be fun!

signing off,
jvs

Ottawa

2011-06-06T06:05:00.000-07:00

Coming to you from Ottawa this week folks. I'm up here meeting with some colleagues from the Ottawa Academy of Martial Arts. These guys have some outstanding facilities in the Ottawa area teaching Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, Kids martial arts and kettlebells. If you live in Ottawa and you don't know who they are, do yourself a favor and check them out. The level of instruction and training atmosphere at their gyms is second to none!

I've gotta run out the door to meet my friend Nick (from OAMA) for breakfast but I'll be checking in shortly!!

Until then, always be smarter than the kettlebell!
jvs

The Clean

2011-04-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

Hey Gang,

As you know I recently traveled around the country on an instructional workshop tour to promote my recently released book. Here's another clip from the tour, this time on the Clean which focuses on smooth execution and close elbow position. See how these facets will tie in to your training!

The Clean
Gym Jones
Salt Lake City, UT

Until next time, always be smarter than the kettlebell!

jvs

The Book Tour! - Part 2

2011-04-10T15:15:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

So the book tour ended a couple weeks back and I've been organizing all the footage, of which there is a LOT! I was lucky to meet a lot of terrific people at every spot. One very special treat was working with the swim team from Lehigh University in my home town of Bethlehem, PA. That was a real blast! In any event, for those of you who attended you have my thanks for your support. I hope you enjoyed yourselves and learned a lot. Like every teaching opportunity, I learned a lot as well!

Below, please check out the clip below from my workshop at Gym Jones in Salt Lake City, Utah. I love training with this group. They're hard working, incredibly knowledgeable yet still open minded. It's a pleasure and an honor to be around them.

Enjoy!

The Book Tour!

2011-03-11T06:59:00.001-08:00

Hey all,

So last weekend started the instructional workshop tour I'm doing to promote my new book, "The Martial Arts / Kettlebell Connection." I was at CrossFit Koncepts in Gaithersburg, MD and Condition Gym in Atlanta, GA last weekend to kick things off. It was great catching up with Mike Krivka in MD and finally meeting Delaine Ross in Atlanta. Many thanks to you both for hosting me!

This weekend I'm at Gym Jones in Salt Lake City and Otomi Martial Arts in Denver. I actually arrived at GJ yesterday and have already had some great interaction with Mark, Rob and Lisa. It's always a breath of fresh air to come to GJ, I really love what they do out here. (And what they're teaching me to do!) I'm looking forward to teaching here on Saturday. With attendees who have placed or won big BJJ tournaments, and guys who can dead lift well over double their body weight, I know the level in both strength training and martial arts will be through the roof. It's going to be a great challenge for me to impart worthwhile information to folks with this kind of experience!

Then I head to Denver where my friend Vic Spatola has set up a workshop at Otomi Martial Arts on Sunday. Vic is a talented martial artist and fitness professional. I'm really looking forward to catching up with him on this quickfire trip!

So any of you in or near SLC or Denver, please come on down and take part in the workshop. It will be very technical, so don't worry if you don't know how to use kettlebells. You will learn, and you will learn safely! And don't worry if you're not a martial artist, you will NOT get punched in the face! But you will see how closely linked kettlebell training is to martial arts. You will see how training kettlebells will not only improve your general fitness but simultaneously improve your combat sports performance.

Two for one deals are usually not worth it. This one is!!

MA/KB Connection - Los Angeles Workshop

2011-02-20T21:10:00.001-08:00

Hey folks,

So today was the first stop on my upcoming book tour for The Martial Arts / Kettlebell Connection, and it was a BLAST! Five Star Martial Arts was the spot for the kick off and I couldn't have asked for a better crowd. I had experienced jiu jitsu players, kickboxers, even a few guys who know how to swing a stick, AND I had some folks who'd never thrown a punch or shot a takedown in their life! It was a great cross section of society.

We covered some kettlebell fundamentals like the wall squat, dead lift, Turkish get up and even polished the clean for a few folks within reach of that challenging ballistic. Then it was time to tie it all together. How do these exercises improve martial arts performance? What elements of wall squat / dead lift posture are necessary for good clinch work or passing the guard? How will good elbow position from the clean improve my stick work? How does ground mobility and striking from the ground improve via the Turkish? It all came together nicely. I am happy to say even those with no martial arts experience gained an understanding of the concepts and practical applications. And that's not to mention the health and fitness gains that are (thankfully) unavoidable!

Find me on Facebook to see more pix as the tour progresses!

Upcoming locations in March 2011:
Washington, DC
Atlanta, GA
Salt Lake City, UT
Denver, CO
Bethlehem, PA
Chicago, IL

Join Look for a spot on the tour near you!

Until then, always be smarter than the kettlebell!

jvs

Book Tour Update and Online Preregistration

2011-02-09T14:24:00.000-08:00

Hey Gang,

So in case you missed the previous post, I will be doing an instructional workshop book tour for "The Martial Arts / Kettlebell Connection" starting here in LA on Feb 20 and going around the country throughout March. The cities will be Washington, DC, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Denver, Bethlehem, PA and Chicago. Please check my website for specific location info, and you can also preregister online! Just click here and you can choose a city and have all the paperwork out of the way!

I look forward to seeing you all somewhere on the tour!

Until then, always be smarter than the kettlebell!

jvs

KB instructional book tour dates are set!

2011-02-07T12:20:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

I am, without a doubt, my toughest critic. With that in mind, while there are some things that I wish I'd done slightly differently, I am overall very happy with my recently released book, The Martial Arts / Kettlebell Connection, published by Black Belt. For those of you new to this blog, the book is an in-depth look at using hard-style kettlebell training to improve both your general fitness and your martial arts performance. The book includes foundational exercises like the Swing and Turkish Get Up and other exercises like the Military Press, Snatch, Kossack and Windmill to name a few. Some double bell or one-legged exercises are included to help you round out your training and push you past your current limits. In addition to the exercises, the book has priceless information on how to properly recover after intense training, without which, your results will begin to diminish.

To promote the book I will be doing an instructional book tour around the country. I'll start here in LA on Sunday, Feb 20. The workshops will be three hours in duration during which I will cover a small variety of KB exercises and then explore the combative applications that are enhanced through the training. These workshops are appropriate for martial artists and kettlebell enthusiasts of all levels. And your martial art(s) of choice does not matter - kettlebells improve ALL martial arts performance!

The cost of the workshop is $100 and you get a signed copy of the book included. (If you've already bought a book I'll give you a T-shirt instead!)

Mark the dates in your area:

LOS ANGELES:
Sunday, Feb 20
9 - noon
Five Star Martial Arts

WASHINGTON, DC:
Saturday, March 5
9 - noon
CrossFit Koncepts

ATLANTA, GA:
Sunday, March 6
9 - noon
Condition Gym

SALT LAKE CITY, UT:
Saturday, March 12
9 - noon
Gym Jones

DENVER, CO:
Sunday, March 13
9 - noon
Otomi Martial Arts

BETHLEHEM, PA:
Saturday, March 26
9 - noon
Lehigh University

CHICAGO, IL:
Sunday, March 27
9 - noon
CrossFit Roselle

I hope to see you on the road.

Until then, always be smarter than the kettlebell!

jvs

2011 Here we come!

2011-01-07T21:32:00.000-08:00

Greetings all,

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year's! Suzanne and I enjoyed a very white Christmas in Vermont and a fun New Year's in Vegas. We enjoyed a LOT of (too much...) home made food in New England. A caloric intake which we unsuccessfully attempted to reconcile with some snowshoeing...

Suzanne was invited to the New Year's event at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Vegas so we got decked out and had a grand old time. Terrific restaurants and lots of fun at the Cosmopolitan.
Plus I got to meet Ray Leonard!!!

Anyway, the festivities are over and it's time to get back to work now! Sadly I am fighting a cold but hope to be back in full training mode some time next week.

So what's in store for 2011? First and foremost my book "The Martial Arts / Kettlebell Connection" should be on the shelves of your local book store any day now. I will be doing a bit of a promo tour for the book as well. It will be a 3-hour kettlebell/martial arts workshop with a copy of the book included with the price of attendance. Cities thus far are: LA, Bakersfield, Salt Lake City, Denver, Atlanta, Washington DC, Chicago and Bethlehem PA (Lehigh University). If you'd like to add your city to the tour or get information on a venue in your town please email me.

Also this year I plan on releasing a multi-part DVD series focusing on my All Range Kombat curriculum. All Range Kombat (ARK) develops elements of striking, grappling and weaponry in conjunction with a requisite level of fitness to be successful in your training. ARK's combative training is drawn from Filipino martial arts, silat, muay Thai, wing chun, jeet kune do and savate. The fitness portion of ARK comes from the Russian kettlebell and bodyweight exercises. ARK will get you ready for action!

That's it for now folks. I hope to see you on the tour!!

Until next time, always be smarter than the kettlebell!

jvs

Gym Jones Level 2 - Day 2

2010-12-06T07:48:00.001-08:00

Day 2 of the Gym Jones Intermediate course was an incredible experience. We took the tools and principles of diet, training and recovery that are taught in Fundamentals and reiterated in this weekend's course and put them together into actual training programs. I for one was not prepared for the mind-melt that occurred once I tried putting all the pieces together in a cohesive format that did not overload one energy system at the expense of the others. This is definitely going to take some practice, but it is great to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

There was, of course, some serious training involved in the weekend. You saw some pix in the previous post, here are some from the "Jonestown Sprint." 20 x Push Press @ 65#, 20 x Burpee Pullup, 10 x Push Press @ 65#, 10 Burpee Pullup done for time. Carolyn and I did our pullups on the rings to work around some shoulder and elbow issues. Not that pullups are easy for me, but when the support structure is swinging in the air they're definitely a bit more challenging! You can probably guess the hat came off after the first set of Burpee Pullups...

Carolyn is one strong lady!

Hat

...no hat

Mark Twight and Rob MacDonald did an outstanding job presenting such a depth of knowledge in a manner that is understandable. As I've said before, I highly recommend you check out their website and look through the material there, if you want to take your training and performance to the next level, it's invaluable!

On a final note to the folks in my kettlebell class. Be prepared!!

jvs
jvs

Gym Jones Level 2 - Day 1

2010-12-04T19:25:00.001-08:00

Not much of this in LA!

So while I've been in SLC for a few days, today started the actual Level 2 course at the gym. And it is awesome already. I am always impressed by the quality and variety of people who come to the gym to learn and train. All different walks of life, all different age groups, some from Europe and Canada, only a terrific environment could attract such a crowd.

Today's technical lift festivities included the Overhead Squat (always one of my favorites...), the Front Squat and the Power Clean. The brain matter was challenged with a thorough breakdown of the gym's approach to programming for a variety of end results. Truly great stuff. Well thought out and presented.

Given all the lifts we did on the bar, the day wrapped up with three different body weight exercises performed for :30/:30. :30 of work followed by :30 of active rest repeated 4x. The three exercises were "frog jumps," "split lunges" and "burpees." Again I thank the cold of the SLC winter for the outstanding contrast shower I enjoyed a few moments ago.

Anyway, I've got to study so enjoy the pix and look for some more info tomorrow!

jvs

And they say white men can't jump!?

Need I say it again!?

Gym Jones Level 2

2010-12-04T06:27:00.000-08:00

Coming to you from balmy Salt Lake City (pix coming soon).

You guessed it gang, I'm back at Gym Jones. What other possible reason could bring me to Salt Lake in the middle of winter!? I had the pleasure of sitting in on a Fundamentals workshop on Thurs/Fri. Great review of essential material. Today starts the Level 2 workshop for which I made the trip. I've got to head off to the gym but wanted to share some pix with you from last night's training session. Enjoy!

:30/:30 Push Press
(:30 work, :30 rest)
That's me in the background with 2 12k kettlebells.

This would be the :30 rest portion...

My training partner John Frieh holding an FLR on the rings
while I complete 25 box jumps onto a 24" box.
"I'm going as fast as I can John!" (oh, and we did this 3 times...)

More updates coming soon!!

jvs

Wing Chun

2010-11-07T19:14:00.000-08:00

Suzanne and me with Sifu Fong

In my experience training and teaching multiple martial arts, few are as misunderstood as Wing Chun. While a strict expression of Wing Chun's practical application leads one to believe it is necessary to utilize the classical hand trapping positions of the system, in truth it is the concepts of Wing Chun that set it apart from countless systems.

The center line runs down your body from head to groin equally separating right side from left. Every combative system on the planet is slave to this line, observing it, crossing it, controlling it, you name it. It doesn't matter if you're doing weaponry, grappling or striking. Why? Because every system is expressed with the human body and observance of the center line (or lack thereof) increases the chances for success or failure of any technique. Jab too far off line and you are open for a right hand. Off center elbow position in the Thai clinch will get you a weak defensive position and a knee to the ribs. You get the idea.

Despite every martial art being subject to the center line, the only art I've seen that goes out of its way to define and teach the importance is Wing Chun. Brought to the general public's attention by Bruce Lee in his films from the late 60s until his untimely death, the principles of Wing Chun will aid your training in any realm of combative study.

Lucky for me Guro Inosanto introduced me to Sifu Francis Fong about 15 years ago and I've been lucky enough to train with him over the years at his academy in Atlanta, GA. In my opinion Sifu Francis has taken JKD concepts to a whole new level. In addition to his jaw dropping hand speed, power and sensitivity drills like Chi Sao, Sifu Fong ties up, does takedowns, submissions and anything else you're likely to fight with. All because he applies the principles of Wing Chun to his understanding of the human body and the multiple combative systems he knows.

I get to Atlanta 3 or more times a year. I'm heading there tomorrow in fact for Sifu's Wing Chun Association Instructor Camp. Every time I train with Sifu Fong he gives me a new way to take concepts and apply them to my training in Wing Chun and every other art I train and teach. This approach does not give a handful of specific techniques, but rather opens the mind and allows for a deeper, broader understanding of combat. And in my opinion is priceless!

The Book, Two Decades, and The Upcoming!

2010-10-05T14:35:00.000-07:00

Hey Gang,

Apologies again for the long delay between posts.

THE BOOK:
I have finally reached a point where I think I am pretty much done with the book. At least the writing part. And I've gotta say I'm pretty happy with how it came out. Any of you who have written anything long form know that there are always things you wish you'd written differently or laid our better, etc, etc. But overall I'm very happy with the book and think the reader both experienced kettlebeller or novice will learn a lot from it.

Next on the stop for the book is the promotion. I am planning a kettlebell seminar / book tour for early next year. We were hoping to get the book out before Christmas, but it's looking more like an early January release. So with that in mind I'll be flying out to a number of cities across the country to promote the release and meet some new people. Hopefully I'll visit a town near you! So far the stops include:

Los Angeles - my facility, Salt Lake City - Gym Jones, Pennsylvania - Lehigh University, Chicago - TBD, Atlanta - Francis Fong Academy, Denver - TBD, Grand Junction - TBD, and Washington DC - Martial Arts Koncepts. These locations are not all confirmed yet, but it's looking good!

Aside from the book I have two articles coming out in Black Belt magazine on kettlebells as well. I cover some of the exercises in the book and add some other work as well. Look for those on your news stand soon!

TWO DECADES:
On a personal note I spent last weekend in Washington, DC at my 20 year college reunion. It's hard to believe I graduated from George Washington University twenty years ago, but it's true! I was lucky enough to get together with some great friends I hadn't seen in way too long. I also enjoyed seeing how much the city and campus had changed in the last 10 years (I attended my 10 year reunion too.) It's changed a LOT! Luckily one of my old watering holes, the Red Lion was still in operation. I enjoyed a little afternoon carbonated carbohydrate beverage and an oversalted but still quite tasty gyro sandwich. It was wonderful seeing the place after so many years. I also taught an All Range Kombat seminar while on the visit. It was great to see people going from fitness with the kettlebell to striking, to weaponry to grappling all in the same workshop. Rare as it is today, that kind of workshop would have been unheard of 20 years ago!

THE UPCOMING:
What's next? Well, on my immediate dance card are two articles for Martial Arts Illustrated (the UK's answer to Black Belt) and Irish Fighter. The articles for Europe will cover both the kettlebell and the All Range Kombat curriculum. Think of all the essentials you need from fitness with body weight (silat) and the kettlebell, impact/edge weaponry, striking/trapping, and ground attack/defense and you have All Range Kombat (ARK). It's a curriculum I've been working on for a while and am happy to say has reached a point of being presentable to folks. I'm looking forward to sharing it with the UK/Irish readership and spreading the word in person next April. Look for 2011 ARK seminar dates in the near future!

That's it for now folks, gotta get to writing!!

keep training!
jvs

Raging Tiger Martial Arts - Ontario, Canada 2010

2010-08-26T09:25:00.000-07:00

with Sean Tyler of Raging Tiger Martial Arts

Hey everyone,

Again my apologies for being MIA for so long. Between working on the book, teaching, and training I also made a recent trip to Canada to teach a Kali / Silat seminar at Raging Tiger Martial Arts. Suzanne and I first met Sean Tyler four years ago when he visited the Inosanto Academy to attend Guro Dan's Mixed Silat Camp. Sean has a laid back way about him that makes you comfortable right off the bat. Great guy and a hard worker - what a nice combination!

We've had some contact over the last few years and after opening his own school a year ago Sean asked me if I'd be able to come up and teach a workshop for them. Silat is hard to come by in many parts of North America but Sean is fascinated with the art and wanted some additional material for study. Suzanne and I both teach Guro Dan's Madjapahit silat and Steve Benitez's Satria Fighting Arts (formerly known as Walisongo Pencak Silat). And Suzanne actually has two instructional DVDs out covering the Madjapahit Silat. Steve's material is hard to come by outside of DVD, and Sean was especially interested in learning more of their impressive movement.

Open Kucin, the "playful cat" doesn't feel too playful at first!

If you've never done ground silat it can come as quite a shock to the system. The constant level changes require considerable leg strength. Plus because Steve's system starts on the ground the full body strength required to do the material is not to be underestimated. As many of my Toronto group found out on day 1 and felt even more on the morning of day 2! HAHA!

Satria / Walisongo has a lot of incredible flexibility
and strength building body weight exercises

Since the seminar was a mixed Kali / Silat workshop we also did a number of takedowns, locks and even a touch of weaponry. Everyone was game to learn and no one was shy to ask questions. That's something I really like in students. There's nothing better than getting your questions answered.

Kali and Silat are weaponry based systems,
destroying the limbs is step #1 even when without weapons.

Sticks hurt, move that leg!

I was happy to hear that the students who attended the seminar enjoyed themselves and learned a lot. There's nothing better for someone in my position to know that what they offer is well received.

That's it for now folks, look for the Martial Arts / Kettlebell Connection to be released in November! Now I'd better get back to work!!

keep at it!
jvs

Kettlebells for Warriors

2010-07-22T23:21:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, my good friend Mike Krivka is organizing a series of kettlebell workshops to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. He just did one in Pennsylvania and will be in Los Angeles on Aug 1. There are other workshops scheduled in other towns, so if you're not in So Cal, but would like to be included, please contact Mike and get the info.

Below the details for the LA workshop, thank you in advance for your support!!

Kettlebells For Warriors
Event Information

Date: Sunday August 01, 2010
Time: 10:00 am to 05:00 pm
Location: Inosanto Academy of Martial Arts
13348-13352 Beach Avenue
Marina Del Rey, CA90292
Admission: $150/person (100% tax deductible donation)

To Register For This Event: Contact Mike Krivka at 301/404-2571 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 301/404-2571 end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 301/404-2571 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or via email

Future KFW Events

August 07, 2010 - San Diego, CA
September 11, 2010 - Washington, DC

Additional Event Locations in Fall of 2010:
• October 2010 - Chicago, IL
• October 2010 - Atlanta, GA
• November 2010 - Dallas, TX
• November 2010 - Jacksonville, FL (Pending)
• December 2010 - Columbia, SC (Pending)
KFW Contact Information

Michael A. Krivka
KFW National Event Coordinator
email kettlebellsforwarriors@gmail.com or 301/404-2571

Richard "Army" Maguire
KFW Los Angeles, CA Event Coordinator
email army@agelesstrength.com or 310/387-5055

New Zealand Vacation!

2010-07-17T20:52:00.000-07:00

New Zealand Vacation Excursion!

It’s been a while since my last post mainly because I’ve been knee-deep in editing The Kettlebell / Martial Arts Connection. Between editing the book, training and teaching I’ve had very little time to post. Not to mention the vacation Suzanne and I took to New Zealand this past 10 days. Wow. It has been at least 5 years since our last trip with no martial arts attached to a trip. And what a joy that was!

Nothing says New Zealand quite like cappuccino, delicious mussels and hot chocolate!

We didn’t plan it very well, being busy like I said a moment ago. So we got a recommend on a travel agent from a friend. We told her what we wanted to do, she put together a trip on those points and we went. It was very uncharacteristic for us, but that’s how it had to go for this one. No time to do it any other way. We told her we’d like to see some wineries, go in a hot air balloon, hike in the forest and trek on a glacier. It was an AMAZING trip!

We landed in Christchurch last Friday. Our first of many great hotels was the Grand Chancellor Christchurch on Cashel St. Driving from the airport was fun…the steering wheel and the traffic are on the opposite side “down under.” Nice. Anyway, we made it to our hotel with no fender bender, checked in and got a request from our first excursion, the winery tour, to bump up from 2:30PM to 11:30. This was fine with us as we were a bit jetlagged and were happy to get the day started (and therefore finished) earlier. We visited four wineries with our very sweet guide Sally. I can't remember the name of the first place but it was wonderful. We also visited Pegasus Bay, Torlesse and Mud House. They were all outstanding, and with no food and no sleep we were sufficiently schnockered on 20 sips of wine!

Suzanne enjoying some tasty Gewurtzstraminer.

I’ve never been a white wine guy. My palette is not the most sensitive one in town, and I’ve always been a bit of a red wine snob. White wine is for cooking, right? ;-D Needless to say, these wineries made me a believer in white wine for drinking. Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Gewurtzstraminer were all absolutely wonderful. If I had to choose a favorite I’d say the Mud House Sauvignon Blanc, but they were all great.

Few things make me smile like good wine.

Upon returning to the hotel we had an early dinner at a wonderful restaurant recommended by the concierge called Sticky Fingers. Our first taste of those world famous New Zealand mussels and lamb did not go unnoticed. Sticky Fingers is a great little restaurant that if you’re in Christchurch I highly recommend you visit.

After that we were sadly informed that our balloon ride was canceled due to inclement weather so we crashed and woke up after a great night’s sleep to bop around Christchurch a bit. As it turned out the weather was fine, so the balloon ride probably could have gone as planned, but no such luck. The city of Christchurch itself is quite charming with a city centre that was easily accessible from our hotel. We found a favorite coffee shop / wifi locale called Coffee Culture around the corner from our hotel and made a quick habit of checking the email there while enjoying a nice cappuccino and hot chocolate.

After a couple days in Christchurch we made our way through the south island’s windy roads down to the ski resort of Queenstown. Full of skiers and snowboarders this time of year, to be honest, Queenstown reminded me of Park City, Utah. Aside from driving on the left and the accents, just about everything was familiar. It was sort of anti climactic in that way. Perhaps because we arrived after dark.

The next morning we left before sunrise on a tour to Milford Sound. This was undoubtedly the only down side to the trip. Though Milford Sound is visually striking, the tour from Queenstown is over 12 hours from start to finish. That’s WAY too long on a bus, especially when one guy a few seats up is snoring loudly the entire drive…BOTH DIRECTIONS. The upside to the day was our stop in Te Anau (spelling?) on the way to the Sound. The drive is about 5 hours each way from Queenstown so we stopped a few times on the way down. Naturally the tour company delivers you to specific businesses that I have to assume pay them for the delivery of a somewhat captive audience. Needless to say, Suzanne and I made our way across the street and she found an outstanding place for some tea, coffee and perhaps our tastiest breakfast of the trip, a toastie. What’s a

toastie, you ask? Imagine the most delicious grilled cheese sandwich you’ve ever had stuffed with a couple fried eggs and a thick slab of ham. Sound good? It tasted even better than it sounds!

Milford Sound was striking. We had a nice tour on the water, but the weather in the sound is rainy about 364 days a year…or something similarly wet. Our day was not the exception. Although our trip in general had outstanding weather, once we got into the Sound it was wet and overcast. So it goes. Worst of all we got back to Queenstown IN THE DARK AGAIN!

Our second day in Queenstown was much better. For starters we saw the surrounding area in the light of day. Wow! Thanks to our friend Kurt’s recommend we grabbed a tasty breakfast at Joe’s Garage and then headed out

for an amazing walk in the woods. Guided by Karen from New Zealand Guided Walks we did the Crichton

Loop. It was about a 5 hour hike through the hills just north of Queenstown along a beautiful river with incredible scenery and the remnants of golddigger life in the hills. I’m not talking Los Angeles golddiggers, I’m talking REAL golddiggers that went to the area during the NZ gold rush of the late 19^th century. We hiked through old camps, saw an old cabin built by Chinese gold surveyors and later rebuilt by a Kiwi in search of fortune. Karen was an incredible guide. Full of facts about the area, the plant and wildlife, she was a wealth of information. And then she broke out lunch!! Does this trip get any better?? Actually it did when we grabbed dinner at Flame. We had great mussels the whole trip, but the mussels at Flame were the best ones of the entire trip. The steak, ribs and rack of lamb were pretty darn good too!

The next day we headed north from Queenstown to the Franz Josef glacier. All of the drives on our trip were picturesque to say the least, but this one took the cake. Lake Hawea in particular was absolutely stunning. We stopped for a good 10 minutes to shoot pictures. Spoke with a local farmer on whose property we were shooting some pix. He was very nice and gave us some tips for stops along the way.

Upon arrival in Franz Josef we stayed at the lovely Glenfern Villas. We had our own little one-bedroom villa. Great little spot. The following day we did a tour with the Franz Josef Glacier Guides on the glacier itself. Our guide Cliff was a real character. He made a challenging job look effortless while keeping us laughing all the time. We spent six hours or so squeezing our way through lateral crevasses and around tunnels of blue ice. It was incredible. We were soaking wet by the end but had a blast and got some great pix. An excellent dinner that night at the Blue Ice Café consisted of a braised lamb shank for Suzanne and a Denver leg of venison for me. The meat in New Zealand is incredible, and there are some great chefs around the country, even in the small towns like Franz Josef.

The glacier was our last excursion, the next day we went on the sizable drive up to Nelson where we were booked at the Warwick House boutique hotel. The drive was pretty long, about 6 hours. We stopped along the way and met a great stone painter artist named William Steyn who does wonderful miniature paintings on river rocks. When we finally got to Nelson Nick, who owns the hotel with his wife Sally, gave us a recommend for dinner that would prove to be the finest meal we had on the entire trip. Nick and Sally bought the Warwick House, known as “the castle” to locals, about 7 years ago and after sizable remodeling opened up as a hotel. The house is an old Victorian house that was built in the late 1800s and saw several owners through the years. Currently Nick and Sally live there and have six rooms for guests. The “great room” of the house really deserves the name. It is stunning. Breakfast is served there with exquisite tea service (soooo glad I didn’t break anything!), and what a delicious breakfast Sally makes! (We also got a wonderful "dog fix" from their lovely lab Vicki. What a treat a day before coming home to our boy Scout!)

Speaking of meals, let me get back to the restaurant that Nick recommended. In case you don’t know, New Zealand has extensive industries in beef, lamb and venison farming. The New Zealanders actually farm deer. I’d never heard of it before this trip, but when you drive by fields with a few dozen deer enclosed in tall fences you’re a believer. Oh and before you ask, there are no natural predators to the animals on the islands. Indigenous wildlife on New Zealand is birds, and only birds. Cattle, sheep, and deer were all brought to the islands by various visiting cultures. And have they thrived! Ok, back to that dinner. If you are ever in Nelson, New Zealand you MUST go to Hopgood’s Restaurant and Bar on Trafalgar St. It was a truly stunning meal. We had a lot of great, I mean REALLY great food, on this trip. But Hopgood’s has it all: beautiful ambiance, great service, and of course OUTSTANDING food. We shared an appetizer of seared local scallops, Suzanne had a crispy duck salad and I had the pork belly. Dessert and a cheese selection were also delicious.

Today before our flight home, which is where I’m writing this post on the plane after finishing the latest fixes on the book manuscript, we bopped around Nelson. It’s a very pretty little town. Nick introduced us to the work of a very talented local artist named Lloyd Harwood. One of our stops during the day was at a local gallery that had some of his work on display. Great stuff!

Ironically the section of the kettlebell book I’ve been working on during the trip is about recovery.

RE-writing away on the book at Auckland airport this morning.

One of the “long term” recovery tools from intense training is to take a vacation. Oh how true that is! So that’s our adventure folks. I hope you enjoyed viewing the pix as much as we enjoyed living them!

Independence

2010-07-04T08:50:00.000-07:00

Holidays are spread sporadically throughout the year. Some of them, like Christmas are religious in nature and date back millennia, others are modern inventions. I will spare you my ranting opinion on these "Hallmark" holidays. Then there are those few that bypass religion and commerce and are days for us just to be thankful. I actually think "grateful" is a more appropriate word.

Here in America the Fourth of July or Independence Day, is one of those days. Long before the Greatest Generation could give our ancestors victory in the Pacific and Europe, an "army" of inexperienced, but determined, colonists took on one of the most powerful empires of the day. To say the odds were stacked against them is putting it nicely.

While the Revolutionary War has long left the collective consciousness of Americans, many of us do have family members or have friends of those who fought in World War II. My generation and younger ones owe these brave citizens a debt that can never be paid. Thanks to them we can live a life like they could never have imagined. But for them to be able and willing to put it all on the line, there had to be an example. The patriots of the Revolutionary War were just that. They could not possibly have known that America would become the incredibly powerful and successful country it has become, attracting people looking for a better life from all parts of the globe, yet they did it anyway.

I visited Fort Ticonderoga in New York a few years ago. Those of you who know me know I love history, so this was a great day for me. What surprised me, though was on my visit to Plymouth, England this past February with my wonderful UK host Mark Tucker, how similar the fort construction was between Ticonderoga and Plymouth. When we see things in a vacuum (Ft. Ticonderoga on its own) they have merit and hold our interest, but the understanding has no context. It might sound silly but the truth is the instant I saw the fort in Plymouth it hit home like never before that we really WERE a British colony that fought for and won our freedom from one of the super powers of the day. Amazing!

So on this day, like Veteran's Day and Memorial Day, I implore you to take a moment away from the fireworks and the watermelon and be grateful, recognize some gratitude deep down for the incredibly brave men and women who gave us the ability to be the greatest nation on earth.

Happy Independence Day!

Gym Jones Fundamentals - Day 3 and wrap up

2010-06-14T21:42:00.000-07:00

The Deadlift is so much fun!

Hey gang,

Today at GJ was challenging in a new way. In addition to a written test on material from the weekend course, we were all required to teach one of the primary lifts to the class and correct intentionally incorrect executions of said lift. I've been teaching martial arts since 1995 and I know my way around a lesson, but I've become so familiar with what I teach that I sort of do it unconsciously. Since I'm new to the power/Olympic lifting scene I didn't realize how much of a challenge it is to pass something on that is relatively new. Luckily I was able to draw on the teaching skills I've developed over the years and rough my way through it! We all got critiqued by Rob and Mark after teaching and the criticisms were all accurate and helpful. It was a very good way to evaluate approaches to teaching.

I'm sure I will post again on the experience during the next week or two, but let me say right now that this seminar was by far one of the most impressive instructional seminar I've ever attended. It combined theoretical and conceptual approaches with practical application like I've rarely seen before. Many seminars give out good information, others large volume, yet others are heavy on prac app. But the Gym Jones Fundamentals seminar worked on a finely balanced line shifting back and forth between pushing the brain and then the body and then the brain and then the body. The brain always comes first, as we know, and GJ subscribes to this belief as well.

One of Mark's modifications to the Front Squat

Mark and Rob are a terrific tandem teaching team, which is no small feat. Having taught a few workshops over the years with a partner, I can tell you it's not always easy, but these two make it look effortless. They are both fountains of information and more important, they walk the walk. I got my butt kicked by every single workout we did over the weekend, and I came to Salt Lake a mere two weeks after recertifying my RKC, which is 100 snatches with the 24kg bell in under 5:00. For those of you who don't know kettlebells, let me assure you it's not easy. Both Mark and Rob have done these workouts many times, so they're not just standing there with a whistle and a stop watch. This illicits respect from those in the heat of hard work, and it helps drive you forward.

Leading from the front.

Suffice it to say I HIGHLY recommend you check out the Gym Jones website, read what they say, check out their training methodology and psychology, and if you can, ATTEND A WORKSHOP! If strength and conditioning are your game, this is all that and much, much more!

keep at it folks, it never ends!

Gym Jones Fundamentals - Day 2

2010-06-13T19:54:00.000-07:00

In a word...wow.

I've had both my brain and my body blown away this weekend. This has been a truly punishing and enjoyable weekend! Dead lifts in the morning to find our 1 rep max followed shortly by the "Jonestown Crawl" which consists of 10 DLs at 115% bodyweight and 25x24" box jump, repeat 3 times against the clock... Let's just say the clock got the better of me today, but not next time!

In all seriousness, Mark and Rob are doing an amazing job outlining the simple but incredibly thorough and well thought out GJ format which includes some considerable technical iron moving as well as nutritional details and program design and many other aspects that make for complete training. They were kind enough to ask me to run the group through some basic kettlebells, so I gave folks the Italian/American version of Dr. Cheng's TGU as well as details on the two handed swing, clean and snatch. It was quite an honor and although most of the attendees had some KB knowledge, I hope I gave them some new details to mess around with.

Time for me to hit the sack!

It never ends folks, keep at it!

Gym Jones Fundamentals - Day 1

2010-06-12T21:56:00.000-07:00

Tailpipe

Today combined effort with elation. Mentally speaking, today was heavy. Mark and Rob laid out the "basic" Gym Jones approach for us and it is INCREDIBLY well thought out and presented. Essential info on the training mindset as well as nutrition and the always underestimated recovery. I am happy that many of my own theories have been corroborated by Mark's research and evidence, and the new material is completely mind blowing.

Physically speaking I'll readily admit I am still not functioning at 100% since those darned pull ups the other day, but it did not keep me from putting a bar in the air for my introduction to overhead squats. We also did a couple workouts. "Tailpipe" which consists of a 250m row at full speed while your partner holds two 24kg bells in the rack...for three cycles. Really gives new meaning to the RKC's "breathing behind the shield!" And at the end of the day we did "30/30 Push Presses." Doesn't sound too bad right? 30 seconds of push presses with 30 seconds of rest...oh wait...the rest is both dumbbells in the overhead position...yeah, that's really relaxing...I'm practically falling asleep now just thinking about it. Four minutes in total, counting our reps for each work round to check our numbers at the end of the four minutes. All of my students know I'm not one for cursing, but I was dropping some "F" bombs today, that's for sure!

Gotta hit the sack now, more of the same tomorrow!

keep at it,
jvs

A Quick Catch Up - Kenneth Jay and Gym Jones

2010-06-03T12:44:00.000-07:00

Kenneth Jay is unquestionably one of the smartest, most interested and talented instructors I've ever had the pleasure of working with. Kenneth was my team leader at my RKC two years ago and I recently had the good fortune of being an assistant instructor at the Denmark RKC where Kenneth is both organizer and one of the team leaders. Kenneth and I have become good friends since my RKC, he enjoys training martial arts with me and I enjoy training kettlebells with him. I'm very lucky to have Dr. Mark Cheng as my regular kettlebell coach, so while training kettlebells with Kenneth is always inspiring and educational, I can honestly say that my conversations with Kenneth more often than not leave me thinking. That is a good thing. The issues we discuss do not go to bed after the discussion is over, rather they rumble around my noggin making me consider new approaches to things I already understand pretty well. You can't ask for much more than that, can you?

Kenneth is the man who researched and developed the VO2 Max protocol with high speed snatching for the RKC community. I am at Gym Jones this weekend expanding my brain and brawn and was asked by some of my friends here to run them through the workout. They were all impressed and intend on adding it to their training regimen. That is not small praise from these folks who do serious work on a regular basis.

I've been meaning to write this short piece about my friend Kenneth since returning from Denmark, but with teaching responsibilities in LA, digging into the editing process on my book and traveling here to the great Salt Lake I have not had time. So here it is, folks if you are tired of the guessing game and want to take advantage of arguably the most empirical mind in the kettlebell community find Kenneth's site, follow him on Twitter and Facebook and just be around when his genius, which is concealed by genuine humility, shows itself. You will not be disappointed. I know I myself can't wait for his upcoming visit!

In other news, at the moment I am enduring the humiliation imposed upon myself by an exercise known as the "pull up." I remember doing them in grade school and high school on the "President's Physical Fitness Test," but I don't remember feeling like this afterwards... In a word - OUCH!!!

This is not how I'm used to using kettlebells...

I arrived in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, caught up with some friends and taught some kettlebells at Gym Jones shortly after arriving. Yesterday morning I took part in the regular Thursday morning workout that Mark runs for some of the local Brazilian jiu jitsu guys here in town. Don't be fooled by the fact that these guys are not from LA or Rio...they regularly place or win many of the large tournaments including the Pan Ams and the No Gi Worlds. They're for real. Anyway, Mark was kind enough to let me work in with them. It was a total blast! Wall squats, walking lunges (loaded and unloaded), dead lifts (with and without a 4" box), front squats with kettlebells dangling on bungee cords from each end and...yes you guessed it a descending pull up ladder that alternated with 30 second static ring holds (just keep your feet from touching the ground). 10 pull ups, 30 seconds on the rings, 9 pull ups, 30 seconds on the rings, 8 pull ups... Since I couldn't remember the last time I did a pull up I was not shocked at my ineptitude, but I gritted my way through it, like everything else I do. I was a little sore last night when I went to bed. Cut to this morning in bed...again I say...ouch... It must have been pretty funny watching me teach the Turkish Get Up this afternoon not being able to put my arm over my head! Anyway, it just goes to show you that even though I just passed my recertification for the RKC (100 snatches with the 24kg bell sub 5:00 with time to spare) I was a total wuss at pullups. Can you guess what I'm going to be working on next week in LA??

Anyway folks, it's just a reminder that the work never ends. It is a journey without destination. Time for bed, I'll be posting throughout the seminar weekend so stay tuned!!

Keep at it!
jvs

RKC DK 2010

2010-06-01T09:30:00.001-07:00

Hey Gang,

I'm back from lovely Denmark. Had a great time seeing Pavel, assisting Team Leader Geoff Neupert and of course hanging with the brilliant Kenneth Jay. Whenever I assist a group of talented and experienced instructors I learn a lot and this was no exception. Pavel was kind enough to have me run one of Dr. Cheng's workouts (in his absence due to a sequence of travel fiascos) and lead the Sunday morning recharge which had everyone moving!

Please check out the pix at my Facebook page

Gotta run, much to catch up on!

jvs

Balintawak Grand Master Nene Gaabucayan

2010-05-16T17:31:00.000-07:00

Balintawak Grandmaster Nene Gaabucayan

Suzanne and I met GM Nene a couple years ago. Guro Dan had him in for a demonstration at the Inosanto Academy. I actually was not in class that night and missed what Suzanne called "AMAZING!" GM Nene teaches a Filipino Martial Art called Balintawak. He is famous for his speed, accuracy and control of the single stick, and it is a well deserved reputation. Simply put, the man is incredible.

Shortly after meeting GM Nene, Suzanne and I did a few back yard lessons with him and his group, after which I traveled for seminars out of the country and our busy schedules kept us from training with him for about a year. Last November (I think) we got back on schedule with him. We do private lessons 2x/week and do our best to catch the Saturday group class in Burbank. His teaching method is very "Filipino," that is he does not have a school, but rather teaches privately and in small groups. Training with GM Nene has been an amazing experience. The lessons are constantly filled with challenges that he brings us to gradually, always pushing us to reach a new and higher level.

Suzanne ducking GM Nene's strike to the head

Balintawak is primarily known for the single stick, and GM Nene's understanding of it is nothing short of remarkable. His ability to defend, trap the hand/arm/and/or stick and disarm the stick at full speed is literally jaw dropping. But demo abilities aside, the Balintawak teaching method that GM Nene employs allows the student to tap into an incredibly steep learning curve. New students do not work together, but are fed by senior students and/or GM Nene, allowing the focus of study to remain relatively narrow thereby making improvements in ability startlingly rapid.

Me training with GM Nene in Burbank

Our lessons are a mixture of adrenaline dump, laughter and fried brains. It's a good time had by all!

keep at it folks, it never ends!
jvs

Quick Update

2010-05-09T16:16:00.000-07:00

Hey Folks,

Sorry for the long down time between posts. It's been really crazy here between teaching and getting the new school up and running with my buddy Shawn Williams. Please check out some pix from a recent self defense course I taught and the new school at my FB page.

For those of you in LA the new school is called Five Star Martial Arts and is located in the Harbor Building, 4201 Wilshire Bl, suite 105, where Crenshaw dead ends into Wilshire. We're still knee deep in construction mode, but will be functioning at 100% very soon. I will announce our grand opening, but until then, please come by and train!

Gotta run, keep training!
jvs

The Mundane

2010-04-20T16:54:00.000-07:00

20+ years ago I studied Aikido. I actually started while still in college in DC, but continued upon moving to LA. A friend of mine at the school in LA was a master of the Japanese tea ceremony. She was an incredibly precise and thoughtful woman. I have actually never seen the ceremony itself, but without going into detail she described its essence to me in the simplest of terms: "Imagine this is the first time you have met the person you are serving and the last time you will ever see them."

That simple shift of mindset is an amazingly powerful component to put in your life. I applied it this morning before the vet came over to put my dog Uptown out of his suffering. I made his meal like I do every morning, but naturally it had more impact today knowing it was his last. I brush my dogs' teeth a few times a week and even that benign activity had considerably more meaning this morning. Modern times move at a speed sometimes difficult to calculate, and while the tea ceremony dates back centuries, the nature of humans is to gloss over mundane, everyday activities. With so much on our minds we often forget the impact and importance of the stuff that makes up our week. A wise friend from my film biz years clued me in to the idea of a "date night" with my wife every week. It was one of the best suggestions I've ever gotten. With life going by at high speed, taking the time to spend an evening together with no other concerns is essential.

I adored Uptown. Like most Ridgebacks, he was the best combination of elite athlete and couch potato. When he wasn't being scared of something he would run in the park, lounge in the sun or just sleep at my feet. Awesome stuff to be sure. And yet he was the kookiest dog I've ever known. Ask anyone who knew him, they'll agree. He was scared of pretty much everything, but once people got to know him he was the sweetest boy around. As mentioned in previous posts, I got him around the time I got my life together and he was a constant in my life for nearly 14 years. Even in his kookiness, I knew what he was going to do, and somehow took comfort in it. Perhaps it was just the consistency of his behavior (as odd as it might be at times) that was comforting. I'm not sure, but having him around was really great. As much as I miss him, the time was right.

Love you boy. Thanks for so many great years of companionship.

It's Time

2010-04-19T14:59:00.000-07:00

The boy giving a sniff

A few months back I introduced you all to my dog Uptown. He's an odd one, but sweet as can be for an ornery old dude. My previous post was about his being diagnosed with prostate cancer, not something easily dealt with for canines. We put him on a medication that slowed the growth of the tumor and he's had a good eight months with no blood in his urine, which can be quite disconcerting I guarantee you.

Over the last month he's had an increasingly hard time having bowel movements. He would literally turn in an area for up to 10 minutes, ready and willing to go but not be able to do so. Apparently the size of the tumor has reached a level where it is impeding his ability to relieve himself. Nothing is more saddening than seeing your dog of 14 years not be able to relieve himself.

To look at him you'd think nothing is wrong. Having to put him down because he can't take a crap is pissing me off to no end. But I can't stand seeing him in such discomfort. I spoke with the vet this morning and he'll come over tomorrow afternoon to end my boy's suffering. I will be a basket case for sure.

To my friends who read this blog and have met Uptown over the years, I wanted to give you a head's up to our situation. Life goes on, that's for sure, but this is going to be a HUGE change for me. I've had this dog for a LONG time, pretty much got him when I got my life together. He's not only a great pet, but a landmark for what I've gone through. Dogs never have a clue how much they give to us. Even just being asleep in the room next to us is comforting, the least we can do is give them comfort when they need it and can't get it on their own.

Here are some pix of the boy. Enjoy.

He's one handsome dude.

With his younger buddy Scout before a hike.

Perhaps the greatest thing ever.

Sofie allowing Uptown a rare snuggle.

Goals - Part III

2010-04-09T20:04:00.001-07:00

Friday, April 9, 2010 - end of day

The Pan Ams in action

Part I is the commitment. Part II is the training. Part III is the execution. I have to say, deciding to compete in the Pan Ams was one of the best decisions I've made for my training in a long time. It forced me to focus my attention to the task at hand, get myself in the best possible shape I could be in for the day and then lay it all on the line when the time came. I can proudly say I did all of those things and have no regrets. I did not win the gold, or silver or bronze but I left everything I had on the mat.

One last swig before hitting the mat

I won my first fight by points. It was INCREDIBLY exhausting, even though I was in great shape. The nerves of competition are not to be underestimated. However, I did have a good break between fights and I felt really relaxed and ready for my second match. Unfortunately my second match was the end of the day for me. The guy beat me on points. I was never in danger of a submission, but he definitely got the better of me position wise. I had a half decent arm lock attempt in the last minute or so (which I would have needed to win), but he pulled out of it.

Prof. Shawn Williams imparting some words of wisdom to me.

In a nutshell, I had an absolute BLAST competing today. I never gave up, I pushed it to the last second and since I require it of myself it's all I ever expect of my students. I hope you enjoyed the pix!

Keep on track, keep training!
jvs

PS - for future reference, take your gi off BEFORE the medic ice wraps your hand! ;-D

Goals - Part II

2010-04-09T10:03:00.000-07:00

Friday, April 9, 2010 - Today's the day!

10AM

Got up at 9:30 this morning after a great night's sleep! I haven't been sleeping enough lately, just too busy. I was so wiped out yesterday when I got back from watching my friends compete in the afternoon I passed out for a good hour and a half solid. It was delicious! Then I got to bed early (10PM...early enough), and work up at 9:30. It's amazing what a good night's sleep will do for your overall physicality.

I've been busting my butt since my previous blog post training for the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Pan American Games tournament. There are many divisions so the tournament is spread out over four days - Thurs to Sun. Yesterday a few of my friends competed and I'm very proud of them all. People who never put their skills to the test are ignorant to the process of training for competition and therefore do not have the right to speak about those who do. It is very easy to say, "I would have done this or that, blah blah blah." But until you work to cut weight, train at competition intensity, get on the mat in front of the crowd and put it on the line, shut up. (Can you tell I'm in competition mode?)

I've been at a good weight for the last week. My division is 181 pounds with the gi on, that means about 176 or 177 without. I've been waking up at 173 for the last week. Since my division goes at 3PM I'll be fine even with the usual increase in weight during the course of the day. More important is that I FEEL GOOD. I've been working my conditioning (high rep, high speed snatches with the 16k), my strength (2 handed swings and Turkish Get Ups), my technique (Prof. Shawn Williams , my takedowns (Prof. Shawn Williams), and my intensity (east coast Italian American...). I'm ready.

I'll be back later with some pix, video (hopefully) and a recap of the day...stay tuned!

Goals - Part I

2010-03-26T09:38:00.000-07:00

It's essential to have goals in life and training. Right now I'm training for the upcoming Pan American BJJ tournament. It's been a LONG time since I last competed, and it's been really great having a schedule in mind, and a way to focus my training differently. "Fight shape" is different than just being "in shape." VERY different.

This is a short post because I have to get back to training, but stay tuned for future posts on how the tournament plays out!

keep training!
jvs

Thoughts on Maturity

2010-02-26T19:31:00.000-08:00

It is my contention that emotional maturity or a lack thereof is based on one thing and one thing only: personal responsibility. If you choose to take responsibility for your actions, you are an adult. If you do not, you are a child. Regardless of your age. Period. End of story.

There are countless paths to emotional maturity but my area of expertise is martial arts and one of the many wonderful things about martial arts training is it allows us, on a daily basis, to take responsibility for our actions. If you punch my face or kick my leg while we're training, it's not your fault, it's MY fault for not defending properly. In that moment I learn that I have control over my life (because if I defend myself better you won't be able to hit me), that I have much to work on (including humility because being hit in the face is never fun) and that the only way to accomplish those things is to get back to the grind. It's a wonderful, sometimes frustrating, and always illuminating voyage.

I've known many people both in and out of martial arts who choose not to take the mature approach. They blame others for the challenges in their lives or avoid issues that bring up emotional discomfort (often in personal relationships) preferring to avoid the discomfort and just let the issue "fade away." Newsflash - these things don't fade! Unless they're dealt with, they just lie dormant until a future date. In the end what these people do is their choice, naturally, and I'm not saying it's always easy to do the right thing, nor am I saying I have always done the right thing myself. But I can say with confidence that more times than not I have chosen the right path over that of comfort.

This practice of doing the "right" thing is not typically easy, especially when we're young in years. But as my friend Greg Nelson says, "Practice makes habit." If we do something repeatedly, it will become our habit, good or bad. If we consistently take the easy way out, that will become our habit. If we consistently make the harder choice to do the right thing, THAT will become our habit. Doing the right thing is not easy, but it is good and necessary for maturity, and I would sum up the concept with the appropriately tactless phrase, "sack up!" (For those more out of touch than me, this implies "grow a set of balls and be a man!")

Numbers are a universal language, so let's put an equation together for this conundrum. I submit that emotional maturity (hereafter referred to as "EM") is equal to the mere existence of your sack ("S") multiplied by the length of "Time" you have followed its suggested behavioral choices. So, in essence, EM=SxTime. Your sack needs to be present AND you need to listen to the direction it is guiding you, then the longer you listen and do the right thing, the more mature you become and the more naturally the right choices become your default setting.

So for those of you in a time of challenge at present (if not now, rest assured one will arrive soon), do yourself a favor and build the habit of choosing maturity over the fear of discomfort. You will be better for it, your friends will appreciate your newly adult-like behavior as well, and those who don't appreciate it will likely not be your friends for long as you will begin surrounding yourself with a higher caliber of friend in short order.

It's not hard, so just do it.

UK Tour 2010 - Part 2 (Vid and pix!!)

2010-02-22T11:25:00.000-08:00

Hey Folks,

Sorry I've been MIA from the blog while on this tour. It's been a whirlwind! I hope you were all able to follow along with my travels via Facebook. If you're not my FB friend yet, please add me. It's the best way to keep up with what's going on with Pacific Coast Martial Arts and Hollywood Kettlebells!

Anyway, the long and short of the trip is it was outstanding! I have a really great group of hosts in the UK. Some I met recently, others I've known for years. I would like to thank them all for their generosity during my recent trip. John Rosborough of Evolve Martial Arts in Derry, N. Ireland; Paul Devenny of Elite Martial Arts in Warrenpoint, N. Ierland; Mark Tucker of Combat Athletics Academy in Cornwall and Mark Hayes of the accurately named Sheffield Martial Arts Centre. I had a great time teaching for you all and look forward to future work together.

Again folks, please check my FB page, but here are a couple pix and clips in the mean time!

Keep at it!
jvs

Evolve Martial Arts - Derry, N. Ireland

Elite Martial Arts - Warrenpoint, N. Ireland

Combat Athletics Academy in Liskeard, Cornwall

Sheffield Martial Arts Centre

UK Tour 2010 - Part 1

2010-02-07T16:36:00.000-08:00

Hey Folks,

Checking in from balmy N. Ireland. BRRRRR!!!! Let's just say it's a bit chilly out there. Taught in Derry today for John Rosborough and his group at Evolve Martial arts in Derry. Had a good turnout and did some fun stuff ranging from Savate footwork, striking on the move, shooting the takedown under the punches and some Thai clinch work. Everyone who attended worked hard and made a good showing.

I'll update the blog as my tour progresses but please check my facebook page for pix from the different locations.

jvs

The Mind / Body Connection

2010-01-08T13:47:00.000-08:00

It is not news to say there is a connection between mind and body. When you're mentally tired, your physical output is taxed as well, and vice versa. Everyone knows this. Likewise, when you're mentally primed, you accomplish physical feats often otherwise outside your ability. In essence, the connection is undeniable.

I have a client who has serious mobility issues. His profession has exacerbated arthritis in his back and neck leaving him with numb hands and very frequent, debilitating back spasms. In addition to Yoga and chiropractic work, he started training with me about 4 months ago and was making great progress for a couple months. Numbness gone, back spasms gone, increased mobility in his neck. All was looking good and then he hit a wall. Not literally, but something happened and his back went out and he was down for a sizable chunk of time. I finally trained him again today and he's back in gear, but during those two months of down time he experienced pretty serious bouts of depression, from which he's still recovering.

One of the things I initially worked on with him was simply fixing his posture. It's amazing how few people stand with proper posture. What is proper posture? Ear, shoulder, hip, knee and ankle in a straight line perpendicular to the ground. Go ahead, check yourself out in the mirror, you're probably not standing properly either. If you're a martial artist or into combat sports you definitely round your shoulders forward. I know I was guilty of it too until Dr. Cheng started pointing it out to me (with somewhat maddening frequency...) last year. Now my default setting is good posture whenever not doing something that requires a different posture, which for me is basically martial arts training.

Next time you're out and about take a moment and check out how people walk and stand. You will be amazed how many people push their chins forward, round their shoulders, curve their back, etc. Start training yourself to default to good posture. It will do wonders for your body, which happens to be connected to your mind. If you stand with good posture, there is no way you can be depressed or look like a victim waiting to be mugged.

There's a famous story in the LE community we tell whenever we teach the concept and importance of "command presence" to cops. It's about a highway patrolman who had the good fortune to pull over a van full of political radicals armed to the teeth with firearms and small explosives. One cop, and a van full of bad guys. What happened? In their post-arrest interviews, the criminals said they saw the officer in the rear view mirror approaching the van, and apparently his posture, gait, crisply ironed uniform and sharp, spotless shoes and hat made this group think twice about taking on this lone officer! The effect that command presence has on others is not to be underestimated. Now think about what effect your own posture will have on you! Go ahead, stand tall. Like Dr. Cheng says, "I defy you to feel weak standing like that." It is simply not possible. Own your posture folks, it has as much to do with your physical stature as it does your mental outlook.

You don't have much control over how people act around you or to you, but something as simple as your posture can strongly affect your response to them. Control what you can, and make it move you to a place of strength and stability. This is a tumultuous time for a lot of people. Be as much of a rock as you can. My client said my willingness to go back to square one with him after such a long lay off was a big part of his willingness to start again. If you provide stability, others will feed off that stable energy and increase their own stability. It will be a wave of self confidence that you can take credit for. Good job!! Now go out and stand tall.

'til next time,
jvs

Kettlebells and Martial Arts

2009-12-09T22:21:00.000-08:00

As any of you who read this blog regularly know, I am a professional martial artist. I teach seven different arts as well as Hard Style kettlebells. I have clients in Europe and the continental US as well as my private clients here in LA. I run the Muay Thai program at Hollywood Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and I teach defensive tactics for the Operational Skills Group. It's what I do.

I am currently in the process of writing my first book, it's on Kettlebells as supplemental training for the martial artist and will be published by Black Belt Publications next fall. We did the photo shoot a few weeks ago and the first draft is almost done.

Writing this book has been an exciting challenge for me. It has forced me to draw on my journalism degree from college (FINALLY using it!) to get the writing process organized and completed in an efficient manner. I've also used my nearly 15 years of martial arts instruction to codify the information in a manner accessible to all level practitioners. And speaking about the photo shoot itself, performing 30 kettlebell exercises repeatedly for almost 8 hours was a physical challenge of the highest order. Many thanks to all of my instructors over the years (Guro Dan, Damon Caro, Chad Stahelski, Nicolas Saignac, Sifu Francis Fong, and Ajarn Chai), without their diligent instruction in both the technical aspects of training as well as the intestinal fortitude gained from very hard training, I would not have made it through that day!

Special thanks go to Dr. Mark Cheng, my kettlebell coach. Having access to one of the most discerning minds in the Hard Style community has dialed in my kettlebell training and allowed me to safely perform all of those exercises even as the gas tank was running low.

Many thanks to you all, I look forward to making you proud next fall!!

To everyone else:
Quit yackin' and start training!

jvs

Thoughts on Thankfulness

2009-11-25T16:18:00.000-08:00

Fall has always been my favorite time of year. Sept - Jan is a busy time in my family. Birthdays for me, my brother, father, mother and grandmother, not to mention my folks' anniversary (44 years this year...WOW!). Plus it's when my favorite fruit, the pomegranate, is in season and one of the greatest eating holidays in our (and probably your) family: Thanksgiving.

My experience this time of year is always months of really good stuff. Food. Wine. Cheer. Family. Friends. But it's only as good as it is because of many people we have to thank for past sacrifice. I consistently find myself with a depth of gratitude to the "greatest generation" that fought, died and won WWII. I've said it many times before, but their selflessness is always incredible to me. It gave the rest of us the ability to bitch that our cappuccino has to much foam, or our wi-fi is too slow, or whatever. Once in a while, generally on holidays like Thanksgiving, it's important to do just that. Give thanks for what we have. So in that spirit I would like to give thanks to:

My incredible wife Suzanne, the light of my life. I am a better man with you in my corner.

My parents who let me go my own way even when they disagreed with me.

My brother whose picture is in the dictionary next to "work ethic."

My martial arts instructor and idol, Guro Dan Inosanto who leads by example on a daily basis.

There is not enough room to list the collection of friends, colleagues and students who are near and dear to my heart. I don't want to risk hurting any feelings by inadvertently leaving someone out, so to any and all of you, I thank you for being in my life. Your example is not lost on me.

Now a suggestion. Take a moment. Get away from your iPhone. Close your web browser. Turn the PS3 off. And think about who is important in your life and why. You'll be happy you did and they'll appreciate the gesture as well.

Happy Thanksgiving folks. Enjoy it, but know WHY you enjoy it and the pumpkin pie will be that much tastier.

[PS - it is implied that the thanks I give to the greatest generation extends to today's armed forces, LEOs and all other first responders. They tackle the jobs that allow the rest of us to continue getting soft. Many thanks!!]

I'm parched, get me some Kool Aid - Part II

2009-11-14T07:57:00.000-08:00

Gym Jones, Salt Lake City, Utah

The mental flagellation continues. Naturally, I mean that in the best of all possible senses because it is self inflicted. Mark and Rob are not to blame for this mental overhaul. Rather it's our preconceived notions and beliefs about training and our constant (and inexplicable) agreeing to substandard results that the Gym Jones method eviscerates.

Our consumer based society is constantly bombarded with this gizmo, gadget or pill that will bring about never before seen results. Everyone is looking for the "silver bullet" as Rob told me yesterday, to make 20 years of laziness, poor diet and too much beer disappear in 10 days or your money back. Folks it doesn't exist.

Those of you who read my review of Marty Gallagher's "Purposeful Primitive" (or maybe actually read the book...) see the parallels between it and what I'm relaying from Gym Jones. The silver bullet is nothing you can buy with 3 easy payments. If it does exist, it is having the fortitude to get the work done, and done properly. Otherwise the results will not be what you'd hoped. It's complex but not complicated. There is a formula, and you need to know your goals in order for the formula to be accurate, but the hardest part about it is getting your @$$ to the gym and completing the task(s) for the day. Period.

Time's a wastin' folks. Get to work.

And, as always, enjoy.

I'm parched, get me some Kool Aid - Part I

2009-11-12T21:40:00.000-08:00

Gym Jones, Salt Lake City, UT

Hey Folks,

Coming to you from SLC where I will be teaching a martial arts workshop tomorrow night for the Bernales Institute of Martial Arts. This trip is a combination training and teaching jaunt. I've both shared and been illuminated. The collection of training powerhouses who come through the anonymous, unmarked doors of the gym is daunting and exhilarating at the same time.

To say my brain got some serious frying yesterday after arriving to town would be a gross understatement. It's not that Rob MacDonald, Gym Jones's answer to the Apple Genius Bar, was unloading copious amounts of information on me, but rather that the info was exceedingly potent and surprisingly minimal at the same time.

Those of you who know Gym Jones don't need explanation, those of you who do not, what do you remember from the movie 300? Abs and muscles of all kinds, right? Mark Twight, the former peerless alpinist and current strength and conditioning task master extraordinaire, was the man behind the making of those muscles. And while there was a lot of computer generated imagery in the movie, the muscles were real. How do they do it? What's the secret? Well, it's not as complex as you might think. In fact, as Mark says, it's quite simple, it's just about having a plan that makes sense and FOLLOWING THROUGH!

Day 1 was all Rob and information download. The schematic, if you will. Today was the practical application, picking Mark's brain, watching him run some BJJ competitors through the paces, which included lots of barbells overhead, one legged DLs, accelerated squats. It was brutal just to watch, but these guys never bitched. Considering two of them won gold at the no gi worlds last week, it's not surprising they don't question the method. Results have a way of quelling doubt.

As luck would have it the evening wrapped up with dinner with the Twights and Coach Dan John, "a national treasure," as Mrs. Twight so accurately puts it. If you've never been treated to being around Coach John, he's as much stand up comedian as he is encyclopedia of strength training. Go ahead and google him, you'll see what I mean.

Anyway folks, it's time to rest this brain. I've got a lot of training and teaching to do tomorrow, I'd better be ready!

Signing off,
jvs

Hotlanta???

2009-10-18T07:50:00.000-07:00

Coming to you from Atlanta, GA - Folks it was seriously brisk and breezy outside the Francis Fong Academy this weekend. Maybe it was the norm for locals, but for this New Jersey kid who has lived in So Cal for many years and is NOT used to a cold day, it was shall we say, BLUSTERY! Be that as it may, when the door to the Academy closed and the work began, it was SMOKIN'!! Why? Because we were all knee deep in the "Hard Style Fundamentals" workshop I was leading for my willing victims.

Covering the essentials of the HSL, DL, 2HSW and TGU, my victims were setting personal records left and right. Well, it was the first time most of them had touched a kettlebell, but still a PR is a PR, right? HAHA! In all seriousness, though, let me put it in perspective for you: one of the ladies had brought some "kettlebells" along with her. Although I don't think 5 and 10 pound bells really qualify as more than a love pendant or a paperweight, I used them to demonstrate bad form, so I do thank Claudia for having them handy.

In addition to the essential DL movement pattern and Dr. Cheng's HSL breakdown for optimal full body tension, everyone was swinging and Turkishing bells with great form. We kept the swing reps low enough to let them get in the groove without gassing too badly and everyone did great. In fact by the end of the workshop after classic KBLA high detail TGU instruction, all four women in attendance completed an unassisted Turkish on both the right and the left with an 8kg bell. I was VERY impressed. In addition to the ladies, we had every size, shape and age person there. Some folks overweight, some shredded muscle machines, some young, some old, but everyone performed exceedingly well. I was most impressed!

Special thanks to AKC instructor Eric Fronczak for bringing a nice assortment of kettlebells for those who did not have their own. And most important, many thanks Sifu Francis Fong and Simo Tracey Fong for bringing me to Hotlanta (on a very cold day) to share RKC Hard Style Fundamentals with them! Thank you!!

Keep training with supreme attention to detail folks, and be on the lookout for a KBLA affiliated workshop in your area! Please follow this blog as well as Dr. Cheng's KBLA blog or email me directly for all the info!!

Hollywood Kettlebells goes to Atlanta!!

2009-10-06T17:27:00.000-07:00

Hey Folks,

On Saturday, October 17th, I will be teaching a "Hard Style Fundamentals" workshop at the world famous Francis Fong Academy. I will be bringing all the attention to detail that makes kettlebell instruction via Kettlebells Los Angeles and her offshoots the premier kettlebell training for strength and conditioning as well as "pre"hab to resist injury as we continue moving through the years. And as those of you who follow this blog know, everything I do in kettlebells has some application to my martial arts practice. So, prepare to have your combative training enhanced as well as your overall health!

Space is limited, so please contact Tracey at the Francis Fong Academy as soon as possible to reserve your spot. Phone - (770) 416-7111.

I look forward to working you over soon! haha...sorta

See you there!

The Dynamic Duo - Mark Cheng and Kenneth Jay

2009-09-14T11:08:00.000-07:00

Hey Folks,

Yesterday I got to help out my good friends Dr. Mark Cheng, Team Leader, and Kenneth Jay, Master RKC, at a seminar they taught together at Kingston Heng's school in Irvine.

Dr. Cheng, is best known for his high detail instruction of the Turkish Get Up and Kenneth, the Dane of Pain, for his VO2 Max Protocol as outlined in his book: Viking Warrior Conditioning. Even just one of these guys teaching a seminar is a mountain of information and training. Having them together was a truly outstanding event!

Dr. Cheng combines his extensive knowledge of KB training with Gray Cook's FMS brilliance and Chinese medicine. Kenneth is equal parts jock and brainiac, putting his incredibly thorough conditioning theories to the test for Danish Olympians and mere mortals as well. Together they tackled the Turkish Get Up in H IGH DETAIL and the VO2 Max protocol. Everyone's TGU was amazingly improved in a very short time, and Kenneth ran the group through his VO2 Max protocol, giving priceless insights into how to improve one's training.

If you attended yesterday's workshop, you know what you got. (In fact you're probably feeling it today...) If you didn't, now you know what you missed. Don't miss the next one!

Medical Science

2009-09-01T23:35:00.001-07:00

Medical science and the constant evolutionary process it is on never cease to amaze me. A few years ago a friend told me about Prolo Therapy. This is relatively innocuous way to heal damaged connective tissue through fooling your body to work better. The concept is that since ligaments and tendons have notoriously poor blood flow, intentionally irritating them brings more blood to the area, and therefore more thorough healing. I have done Prolo therapy many times on many joints: knees, shoulders, a thumb and even a collarbone. It works great. Give it a go.

Today I was lucky enough to try an even more groundbreaking treatment: Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy. It works on the same concept as Prolo, but is much more powerful. The doctor draws your blood, spins it in a centrifuge to separate the platelets out, then injects the platelet concentrate into the injured area to trigger healing on an exponential level.

Having dealt with multiple and consistent pain issues in my left arm for the last 4 years that have forced me to adjust how I teach and how I train, I was really excited to try the PRPT. It was done today. My arm is a little sore, and now I have to baby myself for about a week and then ramp up slowly back to normal intensity training and see what happens. Stay posted!!

For more info on PRPT, please check out Dr. Steven Sampson's website at www.orthohealing.com

Uptown Update and BJJ brain smasher

2009-08-24T08:44:00.001-07:00

Hey Folks,

It's been a couple of blisteringly busy weeks folks, sorry for being remiss in posting.

Quick update on Uptown, the most shy dog in the land: he's doing alright. The medication has successfully eliminated the symptoms, so for now he's in the clear. Not sure how much time he's got left, but right now he's doing great. In fact, at this very moment, he's bugging me to feed him: giving me the two-pronged attack of the patented puppy look that only a 13 year old dog can muster and the raised paw, so he must be feeling fine!

In other news I attended a BJJ seminar taught by John Danaher at Shawn Williams' Hollywood BJJ academy yesterday. If you're into BJJ, I'm sure you already know of John, if not, you should. I feel blessed every day I get to train with Shawn, he is the most technical instructor I've ever met in my life, and getting to train with him regularly is a true gift...especially for those of us who are BJJ-challenged. John and Shawn came up together under Renzo Gracie. John is, without a doubt, one of the best BJJ instructors in the world. That bears repeating: IN THE WORLD. His ability to break down not only the aspects of the material he is explaining, but also the situations in which such a movement might be necessary and the variables to which it is restricted is unblievable. He's got a great sense of humor too, which is always a plus!

The seminar on Sunday was no gi, and focused on obtaining back control, retaining it and submitting your opponent from it. I've taught a lot of seminars over the last 15 years and attended even more. The instructor in me was thoroughly impressed, as I've already mentioned, but as a student I was even more impressed. Even though the techniques were new to me, only one of them was even the slightest bit challenging on first attempt. None of them was uncomfortable or made me think, "I'll never use this rolling." Every technique was high percentage. Even my buddy who took the seminar with me, who doesn't even train BJJ, was floored by how comfortable the movements were. THAT, my friends, is high quality instruction.

I don't think John teaches a lot of seminars, unfortunately, but if you're ever in NYC, do yourself a favor, go to Renzo Gracie's academy in the city and take a lesson from John. You will not be disappointed.

Happy training folks!

This man's best friend

2009-08-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

To say that my dog Uptown is shy is quite an understatement. Uptown is the most shy dog I've ever seen in my life. And just about everyone who meets him says the same thing. He's just a shy dude. I've had him since he was four months old and he's always been that way. Once he warms up to you (which usually takes a couple years), though, he's a really sweet natured animal who makes you laugh with his goofy personality.

I've never been a cat person. My apologies to all you cat lovers out there, but I don't get it. Call me crazy but I like a pet who's happy to see me even when it's not meal time. Aside from having four legs, dogs have as little in common with cats as people do... What better reason could there be to love a dog?? Unfortunately, they have a sadly short existence on the planet which, for me, marks various chapters in my life. The dogs we had growing up bring to mind some of the fondest memories I have, including the one where I was running down the driveway with Bruno (my husky mix) and he decided to change directions directly in front of me. I went flying face and knee first into the gravel driveway. I sulked back up to the house with a sore noggin and bloody knees the scars of which remind me of him fondly.

I've had Uptown since, well basically since I feel like I finally grew up. I ended the last destructive relationship of my life, got up, dusted myself off and trudged onward (with my really shy dog in tow). For those of you who know my wife Suzanne, when she first met Uptown and tried to pet him his skin literally crawled as her hand made contact with his back. Literally! I'm telling you, this dog is shy! And he's pretty cute so everyone always wants to pet him when they first meet him...much to his chagrin.
As much as I might long for the opposite, more often than not we outlive our pets. It is always hard when their time comes, especially if they've been a constant companion through a lot of life's turmoils. We tend to attach human characteristics to them, even though they deserve better. But I think that is one of the great connections between human and canine. It is not always a perfect fit, but when it's good, it's great. Dogs fulfill a certain aspect of our lives that can't be filled by any other creature. If you're a dog person, you know what I'm talking about. If you're a cat person...you have my sympathies.

My dad gave me this great book that Tim Russert wrote called "Big Russ and Me." It's about Russert's life, primarily focusing on lessons he learned from his father "Big Russ" and other influential people along the way. It's a terrific read and I highly recommend it. One of the most poignant pieces he writes about is loss. Recounting the story of a colleague's son's premature death, Russert humbly suggested to his friend that rather than focusing on the pain of the loss, being grateful for the time he had with his son. This is a powerful lesson for humans. We are painfully self-obsessed, especially these days and getting out of our own emotional way is the reason there are so many time honored methods for doing so: yoga, meditation, religious worship, psychotherapy. You name it, every culture offers some method be it cerebral, physical, or emotional.
You have probably guessed where I'm going with this post. It has absolutely nothing to do with Kettlebells, or martial arts, or diet, or conditioning. It is simply a thank you to my dog Uptown for being such a great buddy for the last 13 years. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer today and we're not sure how much time he has left, but it's probably not too much. It kills me to write these words, the sense of sadness and loss builds, but I am doing my best to be grateful for the many years of joy and laughs that he gave me. I guess in one way we really grew up together. I wish I could have more time with him but I know I will enjoy whatever time we have left together.

Balance

2009-07-17T14:25:00.000-07:00

Hey Folks,

I realize this blog is about all things iron and Russian. Those items rarely conjure up any imagery that is even remotely related to rest and relaxation. But the truth of the matter is that rest is as essential as hard training. Just like without hard training the body will never get strong, without rest the body will eventually give out. Rest is an essential part of the training cycle. Any serious competitor knows its importance, and if they don't they have probably suffered sub par performance due to over training.

So in that vein, my lovely wife and I have traveled across the country to visit my parents and my newly married brother for a last family get together before Frank starts his next deployment overseas.

Many of you know I am a strong proponent of the Warrior Diet. It really works great for me. Needless to say when I'm around my mom there is way too much food and drink to be thinking about fasting during the daylight hours. Where to begin with today's intake? I know not, but it doesn't matter. We plan on relaxing and enjoying this weekend to the fullest and then getting back to the grind stronger than when we left.

I wish you all a terrific weekend and we'll see you with iron in hand soon enough!

Discipline

2009-07-02T08:05:00.000-07:00

As a guy who started martial arts back in the mid-80s, nothing bugs me more than the lack of discipline that is so common among today's newer martial artists. Due to the vast assortment of arts available, these days you are not forced to start in a traditional Japanese, Korean or Chinese system that focuses on discipline like when I was a kid. There are countless arts from which to choose that focus more on combat and this lack of discipline is the starting point for many who train today and in my opinion is an enormous disservice to the student.

I love BJJ and MMA, but one of the biggest flaws with them is the general lack of discipline required to train in them. Luckily my BJJ instructor, Shawn Williams, bows the class in and out, requires his competitors to be respectful at tournaments, and has a standing rule of 100 pushups for any cursing while on the mat...not sure where he got that idea from.... My buddy Greg Nelson is also big on discipline. I think this is a great idea and wish more BJJ and MMA instructors would follow suit.

Ajarn Chai Sirisute, my Thai Boxing instructor who brought Muay Thai to America in 1968, has always said the most important aspect of Muay Thai is discipline. Not how to kick hard or knee powerfully, but DISCIPLINE! Why? For my students it is because martial arts are much more than martial, they are a path to self discovery. If all you learn how to do is fight, you are a time bomb waiting to go off when something doesn't go your way and you lose your cool. Unacceptable. Also you will probably burn out after a few years on a study that easily lasts longer than the average human life.

I know what it's like to see red on those days when you're tired and cranky and some idiot who thinks he's the only person in a hurry cuts you off. I get that. But as tempting as slapping him around might be, it is not only a dangerous decision (because he might be carrying a weapon) but it is also simply unacceptable behavior in a civilized society.

Sanctioned fighting (boxing, Muay Thai, MMA, etc) in civilized society spans a crevasse that no other sports do. It is OK, and ENCOURAGED to meet in a ring or cage and beat the tar out of each other with the express intention of knocking the other guy (or girl these days) out or making him/her quit. Anywhere else you did that you'd get arrested. So in the course of martial arts instruction we have to bridge a gap that is very challenging: teach people how to fight, but to do so within the strict parameters of the execution of sport or self defense. This is every coach and instructor's responsibility and to do otherwise is not only bad for the individual he is training but for society at large.

Most MMA fighters are decent guys who like to train and get in there to get it on. There is no denying, however, that a "thug mentality" is nurtured by the UFC and similar organizations here in the States. It makes for "good TV." (Not sure I agree with that as I ALWAYS fast forward through the BS on the TUF show to get to the fight.) I don't think the same thing applies in the Japanese organizations, this is not surprising given their much longer and different historical approach to martial arts training in general.

So for those of you new to martial arts, or those of you new to teaching, give this some serious thought. The only competition you really have is with yourself. Use your training to push yourself to make yourself a better fighter AND PERSON. The fighter will always be in there, but you don't walk around all day long fighting, you do however, spend most of your day interacting with people. Don't do it like a thug, do it like an adult.

Priorities

2009-06-22T09:08:00.001-07:00

Hey Folks,

As you know I've been on the Warrior Diet for about 3 weeks now. I cannot begin to tell you how incredible the results have been for me. I've had minor but nagging injuries on both sides of my body relegating my KB training to one relatively light training session per week. In addition I've been so busy with other business aspects that I've even fallen off the wagon with my 3x/week cardio. But despite all of that, I am burning fat and gaining muscle. Nothing else makes sense so I can only attribute it to the Warrior Diet.

I'm sure we all know people who train frequently and with intensity, yet their bodies stay the same. This is probably due to a few factors, not the least of which is the fact that their system has become accustomed to the training. Their training is not a shock to the system any more and the results have become less than impressive. "The Purposeful Primitive" outlines three forms of cardio training: steady state, burst interval and hybrid. Marty gives the reader these three options so through our training we can always keep the body guessing and never let it acclimate to the training method and stop delivering results. Once again I highly recommend you purchase "The Purposeful Primitive" and get what you want out of your training. Even if you're not into power lifting (I'm not), you can apply the concepts to your preferred activities (KBs and cardio for me).

Another big reason people don't get the results they're after is diet. As you undoubtedly know there are COUNTLESS diets around to try out. High protein, vegan, Zone, you name it. Like I said already, I've been on Ori Hofmekler's Warrior Diet for almost a month and the results speak for themselves. I would be impressed even if my training schedule were more normal, but given the fact that I've had to back off my training considerably due to injuries, I'm getting INCREDIBLE results. Bye bye love handles...FINALLY!

I HIGHLY recommend you check out Ori's website and purchase the book. Simply put, it works!

Keep training, but change some things and vastly increase your results!

Muay Thai classes in West Hollywood

2009-06-02T14:34:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

I know this is my kettlebell blog, but those of you who know me know that I also teach a variety of martial arts, including Muay Thai. Just this week I started a Muay Thai program at the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school I train at, Hollywood BJJ in West Hollywood. Classes are off to a roaring start and I want to spread the word!

(My buddy Nat McIntyre of Greg Nelson's Minnesota Martial
Arts Academy landing the KO shot in a recent fight.)

The classes will cover all aspects of Muay Thai: punching, kicking, elbowing, kneeing, clinch work, footwork and conditioning. The advanced classes are designed for those who are going to compete and consist primarily of offense/defense partner drills, clinch work and sparring.

Location info:
Hollywood Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
1106 N. La Cienega Blvd, #103
West Hollywood, CA 90069
310-360-0544

Class times:
Monday/Wednesday - 6:30PM
Tuesday/Thursday - 10:45AM
Tuesday/ Friday - 9:45AM (advanced class)
Saturday - 9:45AM

The program director for HBJJ is Bridget, feel free to contact her with any sign up questions you might have. Her email is director@hollywoodbjj.com

If you have any questions or concerns about the material or training regimen, please contact me at gurojohn@pacificcoastmartialarts.com

See you there!!

The Warrior Diet

2009-05-27T13:19:00.000-07:00

Part of the attractiveness of "The Purposeful Primitive" is that Marty Gallagher has done all the work for us. Well, I shouldn't say all the "work," he's done all the research. (You still have to do the work!) He learned from the Iron Masters, the Cardio Masters and the Nutritional Masters, then he codified everything and passed it on to us in easily digestible form. Thank you Mr. Gallagher!! If that doesn't make it clear than anyone interested in strength and/or fitness needs to read this book, I don't know what to add.

Today's blog is about nutrition. Let me start by saying that I've practiced a number of eating habits over the years and was even vegan for two years, but these days I "reward" my training hours by eating whatever I want. It's a great feeling! Marty outlines two equally efficient yet diametrically opposed nutritional paths. The Parillo Diet spearheaded by John Parillo and Ori Hofmekler's "Warrior Diet."

In a nutshell the Parillo Diet is eating many small meals throughout the day, the Warrior Diet is eating one large meal at the end of the day. As we know from the Marty's book, the human body is subject to "biological imperatives," do X and Y will happen, period. Both the Parillo and Warrior diets have plenty of science to back them up, so just take your pick and start imposing biological imperatives on your body. For me the choice was easy because my schedule doesn't really allow for many small meals, it's much easier for me to eat one big meal at the end of the day. So I am a new and ecstatic convert to the Warrior Diet.

It doesn't take a nutritionist to know that any benefit from a hard training session can be mimized or wasted by putting crappy fuel in the machine. Quality food is paramount to any fitness success, but what Ori Hofmekler makes clear in the Warrior Diet is that it's not just WHAT you eat, but WHEN you eat it. Speaking for myself, I have had a nagging injury that has prevented me from training at a high intensity for a couple weeks now. But even so, I've burned off fat simply through the use of the Warrior Diet. Noticeable fat loss in less than a week...you do the math.

The essence of the Warrior Diet system can be found at www.warriordiet.com complete with FAQs to answer all the typical questions than any of us might have. I highly recommend Ori's book on the subject as well.

Good eating folks!!

Purposeful Primitive

2009-05-17T10:04:00.001-07:00

I've been making my way slowly through Marty Gallagher's brilliant book, The Purposeful Primitive. For a low-tech guy like me, this book was an OUTSTANDING purchase. You don't need a bunch of equipment and the only gadget he espouses is a heart rate monitor.

Marty's background is in both power lifting and Olympic lifting. He is kind enough to break down 40 years of knowledge into the key elements for the reader, and half the time he's making you laugh out loud! He touches on lifting concepts (obviously) as well as how to train mentally.

Even more impressive to me, though, was the cardio and nutritional tips that Marty includes in the book. Given my kettlebell background, I wasn't looking to change the tools I use, but the cardio and nutrition info that Marty imparts has made an immediate impression on me and my body.

If you have hit a speed bump in your training, or are just interested in reading a well put together book, get The Purposeful Primitive, you won't be disappointed.

Erik Paulson and Greg Nelson

2009-05-04T23:43:00.000-07:00

I spent last Thursday to Sunday at Erik Paulson's CSW Camp in Fullerton, CA. Five hours of training a day (not including the 2 mile run first thing up...), boxing, kickboxing, clinch, takedowns, submissions, counters, you name it we did it!

Two of the biggest names in MMA today, I've been lucky enough to have known Erik and Greg for a long time. There is a reason these guys are two of the most successful and sought after coaches in MMA.

But a picture is worth a thousand words, so check this out: www.erikpaulson.com Scroll down and you can see some clips of Greg tossing me around...

A good time had by all!

2009-04-22T11:37:00.000-07:00

Greetings folks, sorry for the long absence, been very busy and out of town. All good problems, I assure you.

Suzanne and I just got back from Europe where we visited Switzerland and Italy. This year was our second year teaching in Florence, Italy with our dear friend Daniel Lonero and it was particularly special because we were graced by the presence of Sifu Francis Fong. Luckily for us, Sifu, one of the most gifted martial artists and instructors alive today, chose to join us in Florence. He'd always wanted to see Italy, and what better city to see with dear friends than Florence? (I know the Romans and Napolitanos will disagree with me...)

[Suzanne, me, Sifu Francis, and Daniel]

Anyway, as luck would have it, Sifu joined us for the trip and it was INCREDIBLE!! We had students from as far as Scotland, as close as Naples and some points in between as well. There isn't a much better time than eating Italian food, drinking Italian wine, and training martial arts. And this wasn't any better displayed than last week in Florence.

[My apologies to those of you who missed the group shot!]

Well, now it's back to the grind and so I must leave this post, but rest assured we're already planning next year's camp and it's going to be even better!

Thank you will never be enough

2009-03-27T15:37:00.001-07:00

I'd like to take a moment to thank a couple people who have helped me in countless ways throughout my life. My parents. Without them I would be nowhere. Period. I would not be the man I am today and I would undoubtedly not have accomplished half of what I've done thus far, nor have the drive I have to keep pushing.

They gave me the opportunity to grow throughout my life and never pushed me (too hard) in one direction or another. They let me and my brother to sort things out on our own and we're eternally grateful they did.

My folks and I disagree on some things but see eye to eye on wine, a strong work ethic and personal responsibility. "Originality is the ability to conceal your sources." But the truth is, they're the source. Thanks folks!

Semper Fi

2009-03-19T18:38:00.001-07:00

Greetings all,

Just a quick note to say thank you to the United States Marine Corps for all they do every day.

A few months ago I was privileged to assist training some members of the Corps in a special RKC Certification course for the 1st ANGLICO (Air Naval Gunfire Liason Company). I have always had a deep respect for Marines, but this day was pretty special for me. A good number of the troops had never touched a bell before, but they powered through the day without griping. A lesson many of us in the civilian world could take to heart as we whine about our latte being too cold or the DVR not recording "House." Like I mentioned in the post I put up immediately after their cert, it was a great chance to give back.

A couple days ago I received a really unexpected surprise from Lt. Col. Gann, the 1st ANGLICO's CO. A certificate of commendation thanking me for my efforts. Gentlemen, let me say it again: Thank you for all you do. You give me the ability to do what I want with my life. This was a rare opportunity for me to give something back to you all and it was truly my pleasure working with you all.

Sincerely,

John Spezzano, RKC

Education and Evolution in the age of Hard Style

2009-03-15T14:10:00.001-07:00

I've been actively training Russian Kettlebells in the "hard style" fashion for almost four years. There is a clip of me on youtube doing a Turkish Get Up with the 32kg bell, that's 70 pounds. Not an impossible goal, but no simple task for the novice kettlebeller to be sure. That clip is almost 2 years old, yet this morning I learned a LOT more on the TGU. Do I know the TGU? Sure. Do I teach the TGU well and safely? Sure. Are there more details to the TGU than I thought? Absolutely!

This morning's 7AM KBLA lineup was focused primarily on the TGU. Of the nearly 20 people who attend that class, the core regulars (about a dozen of us) are mostly RKCs or RKC candidates. The class is most definitely a wealth of expertise, be it personal training, health professionals, kettlebell instruction, martial arts, you name it we have a deep pool there Sunday mornings. The reason we keep coming back week after week, month after month, year after year at SEVEN AM ON A SUNDAY is because of classes like today's.

Dan Inosanto, my martial arts instructor and mentor for nearly 20 years says, "In martial arts you never 'arrive.'" Martial arts training is an ongoing process of self discovery, polishing of the movement and understanding of the variations. A good system of martial arts differs from its less impressive relatives by encouraging experimentation and having the ability to evolve. Such is the case with the RKC hard style system. It is in a constant state of evolution, as can be seen by attending a seminar or certification course and then seeing the same material a year (or months) later.

I'm sure everyone got something different from this morning's class. I got many things out of it but one physical application point and one concept really crowned the day for me. They are two points but are actually one and the same:

(1) I got a physical feel for the spots in the sequence where my lats shut off prematurely and I needed to fire them more. Two spots in particular: firing the bell side lat when I'm up on the elbow with the bell overhead, and firing the supporting side lat when the supporting arm gets fully extended. Activating the lats at these two points gave me noticeably greater stabilization and made the movement both more efficient and more safe.

(2) Gray Cook and his FMS have become big influences on the RKC community in general and KBLA's Dr. Cheng in particular. It would be impossible to define the FMS here and do it justice, better for you to visit Gray's site or buy his book and see what it's all about. Suffice it to say the conceptual gem I left this morning's class with was via Gray: "Don't build strength on dysfunction." Driven by a desire (the ego) to move a big bell higher and faster, we often use compensations that make up for poor movement. You might get the bell overhead, but are doing it in a way that is both unhealthy and unsafe. It is far better to build proper movement and range of motion. Then you can expect much greater results as shown in improved performance.

You can see how these concepts and application points are separate but run together.

----

The training session we did at the end of class was illuminating from a completely different perspective. We did a descending ladder of swings (10 left/10 right, 9/9, 8/8, etc) with a naked TGU in between each set. Having this many opportunities to work the TGU without a bell allowed me to really take my time, begin the process of imprinting the movement pattern changes on my muscle memory, AND most important for my clients: find better cues! I pride myself in being a very easy to understand instructor, whether I'm teaching KBs, martial arts or defensive tactics. Thanks to so many reps at a controlled pace, I was able to pinpoint spots where my clients have difficulty and come up with better cues. It's amazing what quality repetition will do for one's practice.

So to the newbie or the advanced novice, or the intermediate, or the advanced kettlebeller, remember this: "It's what you learn after you know it all that counts." (John Wooden)

Don't Tune Out

2009-03-01T16:34:00.000-08:00

Hey Folks,

Been teaching a lot of self defense the last couple months. Realized it might be good to remind everyone that bad people exist and can appear at any time into our world, possibly changing it for the worse permanently. In light of that, here are some key concepts to keep in mind:

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY! --Take responsibility for your own protection. No one cares more about your survival than you. In this climate as people lose their jobs and houses, the level of desperation could reach a fever pitch prompting normally sane people to do crazy stuff that they wouldn't have done 6 months ago. Remember, there are only enough police to write up the paperwork, so don't count on them to be there when you need them. I love cops, but most of them will be on the cell or at the donut shop when you need help. No one is with you 24/7 other than you, so get the skills to defend yourself and be prepared.

GET OFF THE PHONE!! --Stop texting, stop yacking. Pay attention to your surroundings, even if you're in a familiar place. The unaware are at a much higher risk than those who go through life "switched on." Look around the parking garage, have your keys in hand, PAY ATTENTION!!

GET MEAN! I sincerely hope it never happens to you, but there may come a time when talking is useless. Assuming running is not an option (loved ones, geographical disadvantages, etc) at that point you've got to go and go hard. That means you'd better get in touch with your inner bully and let him beat the tar out of whoever was threatening you or your loved ones. You don't have to be a professional fighter with perfect technique, just be a FIGHTER! Criminals don't want a "hard target," they're looking for a victim. Don't be one!!

Life is for Living

2009-01-26T21:30:00.000-08:00

My father-in-law passed away today at the age of 79. Of Peruvian descent, ten years ago he suffered a stroke and brain hemorrhage while on vacation in his country of birth. He was in a coma, and we had little hope he would get home alive, and if he did, he'd be physically disabled. Not only did he survive, but he walked his daughter down the aisle to me the day I married her.

I do not write this to be macabre, but rather to remind us all that life is finite, and must be lived to its fullest. It's very easy when we're young and healthy to presume that we will be that way forever. But the truth is we never know when our time is up. I first became fully aware of this when my cousin died after childbirth a few years ago. I didn't even know childbirth was risky! Her tragic death brought home to me the importance of taking responsibility for living the life I wanted to live. I want to go with no regrets. Death is part of life, it's in store for all of us. The lucky ones like my father-in-law don't have it drawn out like others, passing rapidly. Leaving the family to grieve, yes, but minimizing their own suffering in the process, which I feel is more important.

Sam Sheridan wrote an outstanding book about martial arts training called, "A Fighter's Heart." I can't remember the quote exactly, but in it he says something like, "we owe it to life to experience everything we can." I really love that, don't you?

Rest in peace Rudy.

Of Marines and Maintenance

2009-01-17T07:35:00.000-08:00

Greetings to you all. I spent Thursday down at Camp Pendleton with Pavel, Dr. Mark Cheng and an assortment of other RKC instructors giving KB training to about 60 members of the United States Marine Corps. Let me start by saying it was a true pleasure to give directly back to the troops that give us so much. We all get busy in our lives and if we're not catching a plane in an airport somewhere, many of us never see the men and women who risk it all so we can enjoy our chai lattes. It was a great feeling to give them valuable training that will help them be more physically fit and durable in combat, thereby giving them an added edge in getting home in one piece or helping an injured fellow Marine get back too. Truly a great experience. Thank you for your service gentlemen, it was an honor.

--

If the goal of training is operational readiness, there is no substitue for continued training. Over the course of any 3-day RKC certification class, a LOT of information is distributed and a LOT of reps of the exercises being taught are completed. There is no doubt that by the end of the 3 days your form will have improved significantly. But that's not the end. Just like martial arts, maintenance is required for true excellence. If you stop training because you know it all, it's the first step in forgetting everything. Guro Dan says in martial arts training "you never arrive." The same thing can be said for KBs or any physical activitiy that requires attention to detail and pushes you past your perceived limits.

But the importance of maintenance goes well beyond the physical. If you understand and accept the importance of maintenance in your training it will put your mind in the right place as well. Where that understanding is lost, arrogance thrives. When we start to think we know it all, we get what I call "instructoritis," that sense that now that we're an instructor the work is over or at least diminished. NOTHING could be further from the truth! Attaining instructor level in anything that requires sacrifice and hard work is an achievement, no doubt. But the real work starts AFTER that level has been attained. Staying current and keeping yourself honest about your training will let your level of understanding speak for itself. You won't need (or want) the title, you'll already have the goods.

Put up or...

2009-01-13T15:58:00.001-08:00

You know how the saying goes folks. Sooner or later we've gotta stop the talkin' and start the walkin'. With an instructor like Dan Inosanto who, at 72, still trains every day and teaches 4 days/week, his students have no excuses. But it's the benefits that make the difference, without the benefits, no one would do the work. Doesn't matter whether we're talking martial arts, kettlebells, you name it, if something required a lot of work and gave little back, chances are good we'd stop the work part pretty quickly.

My New Year's KB resolution to myself was to do a measly 100 swings/day with the 24kg bell. It's not really that much work, but it accomplishes the task of keeping bells close to my daily regimen. I realize I'm not the only busy guy out there, but I am REALLY busy these days. Between teaching, training, writing my book, organizing my curriculum for my DVDs, setting up my overseas and in-country seminars, it's a non-stop day every day. I'm not complaining, I'd much rather be busy than bored! My point is that it's easy to get sidetracked from foundational, important daily tasks and this resolution is helping me avoid that. The bell is right here by my desk, begging to be swung!

While we're in "motivation mode," let me add something about Sifu Francis, the man I wrote my last post about. He arrives on Friday and will, yet again, hit it out of the park this weekend at the Inosanto Academy. If you're a martial artist or athlete of any level, or just someone who enjoys observing the truly exceptional, I recommend you do not miss this weekend's seminar! One of Sifu Fong's best lines (and he has a lot) is, "There's no right or wrong, just consequence." No statement has ever been more accurate to martial arts in particular and life in general. This weekend, it won't be wrong for you to miss his workshop, but you alone will suffer the consequences.

I'll leave you with this thought:

"We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons."

-- Jim Rohn, Motivational Coach

There is no right or wrong...

2009-01-05T22:41:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! Hoping you had terrific holidays. It's time to get back to work now and get rid of those cookies that ended up on your hips! Let's move some iron!! The Hollywood Kettlebells class will be back in session starting this Wednesday. Come on comrades, let's get to it!!

In 2 weeks the Inosanto Academy will host my Wing Chun instructor, Sifu Francis Fong, for a weekend seminar. Jan 17/18 Sifu Fong will be doing what he does best, making everything make sense!! When I first met Sifu about 11 years ago, I was a hard core kickboxer and knew it all. I thought there was nothing this guy could show me. How about a little ignorance to keep you in the dark!

Sifu's approach to Wing Chun is unlike any other I've seen. For those of you who know anything about Bruce Lee, Sifu Fong is, in my opinion, truly doing JKD. When he moves, teaches, hits, you name it, he is truly using no way as way, no limitation as limitation. He is limited only by his imagination. You don't have to study Wing Chun to benefit from Sifu's teaching. His conceptual approach will help whatever martial art you study.

Sifu is like Guro Inosanto, you could make a book out of his sayings, and they're all good. One of my favorites is "There's no right or wrong...just consequence." If that piques your interest, come on by on the 17th, 18th or both days and see what he's all about.

If that doesn't pique your interest, I highly recommend you pull off the blinders.

Gotta love Hard Style!!

2008-12-30T23:33:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but Christmas and New Year's are a lot of fun. Tons of good food and drink. And I mean tons! As much fun as it is to "enjoy" the holidays, the return to fitness is always a challenge at the beginning of the year. After eating myself silly last week it was such a great feeling to swing some iron on Sunday with Dr. Cheng.

Call me simple, but I get so much out of just doing the swing properly...emphasis on PROPERLY. Done right, the swing is the perfect exercise. Like Pavel says, if you're having problems with your clean, do more swings, if you're having problems with your snatch, do more swings. The hard style swing is the fundamental exercise in the system for a reason. It teaches you so many things that you utilize in countless other exercises and taxes you fully while still being a very safe exercise. Take a couple weeks off of training and a set of 50 swings will make you cry for your mommy.

I've gotten a lot of emails over the last week from new students interested in joining the Wednesday morning class. I'm looking forward to meeting them all next Wed as we kick Hollywood back into gear Hard Style! So enjoy the remainder of the holidays and prepare yourself to get back to work on the 7th!

Happy New Year!

'Tis the Season

2008-12-23T19:05:00.001-08:00

Season's Greetings everyone. Blogging you from lovely Miami Beach, FL. Just finished a stellar evening walk on the beach with my beautiful wife and it reminded me again just how lucky I am.

The holidays are many things to many people. To me they're a great time to be thankful for what I have in my life, material possessions as well as family and friends. Take the holidays as an opportunity to tell your loved ones how much they mean to you and reconnect with those with whom you might have lost contact. It's nice to keep everyone OFF the back burner, because you never know when they might be gone for good. No one is here forever.

So with that in mind, Merry Christmas to all my Jesus loving friends and family, Happy Chanukkah to my Jewish friends and a bountiful Winter Solstice to my fellow atheists out there. I hope the season is everything you want it to be...and more!

Training the Trainer

2008-12-08T09:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had the benefit of teaching a handful of personal trainers. It's a rare thing for me to train other professionals. Outside the law enforcement community, the vast majority of the people I work with are either martial arts students or folks interested in training kettlebells, not folks who want to teach kettlebells, so it was a great opportunity for me to get SPECIFIC.

The goal of Joe's Gym is since KBs are gaining popularity, they want to make sure their in-house trainers have a solid grasp of KB fundamentals so their clients can avoid injury. Nothing could make me happier; getting specific is what I do. I like the challenge it poses and where normal teaching deepens my understanding, teaching with a high degree of specificity increases my understanding exponentially.

I have to say I was really impressed with the group. They were all interested, and while being a bit skeptical initially in the common "this is the new fad" mindset, they all worked hard and the KBs showed their value all on their own...as usual.

The part that impresse me the most was in the end of the workshop (part 2 is next weekend) I ran them through a 5-minute workout and they all took my advice to heart about not working to the point of fatigue in order to avoid injury. These are all high level athletes and experienced trainers, but a dose of humility is a good cure-all for everyone, and I was quite impressed that they caught on to the importance of leaving one good rep in the tank. I think it's a good sign for the health of their clients as well!

The Big Four-O

2008-11-28T11:04:00.000-08:00

Turning 40 tomorrow folks. Can't wait! I've gotta say, it's one of those things where you wish you knew then what you know now. I feel like not only am I in the best shape of my life, but I know better how to train properly to avoid injury, and when the inevitable injury does occur, I adjust my training, allowing the injury to heal quicker. Pretty cool when the brain and the brawn come together.

I remember growing up how 40 was the "over the hill" year. We actually threw an "over the hill" party for my aunt. But 40 ain't what it used to be. Heck, 40's the new 30 in my opinion. Lucky for me I have a great role model in Guro Dan Inosanto. The man is 72 and still trains and teaches every day. Gives the rest of us zero excuses.

So on that note I'm gonna go do some swings!

HKB New Location!!

2008-11-20T13:20:00.000-08:00

Hollywood Kettlebells has left the dirt and bugs of Griffith Park in the dust. This week we broke in our new location at Lake Hollywood Park, and it was MUCH better. I don't think that's really the name of the park, but that's what the locals call it. Please join us on Wednesday mornings for high quality RKC Hard Style Kettlebell instruction!

Here are the location details:

Google Map "3200 Canyon Lake Dr, LA, CA 90068" and get driving directions to that address. The park itself is a little down the hill from the "street view" that comes up in that google map page. If you click a few times on the "Canyon Lake Dr. NW" button on the street view image you'll see the park on the right.

If that's too confusing just email me at hollywoodkettlebells@gmail.com for the info.

Let's get it going!!

Congratulations Brock Lesnar, new UFC Heavyweight Champ!!

2008-11-17T15:52:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

My dear friend Greg Nelson is the toughest man alive. Period. He's fought in the ring, out of the ring, he even was the first to beat a rare type of cancer. The man's a legend. Check www.mmaacombatzone.com to see more about him.

Greg trains some of the best fighters in the country and the world. Nat McIntyre, Sean Sherk, and Brock Lesnar to name a few. This weekend Brock smashed his way through Randy Couture to win the UFC Heavyweight crown. Congratulations to Brock and Greg for a job well done. And a big congrats to Randy to getting in the cage with a man 15 years his junior and 50 pounds of muscle bigger!

I was in Minnesota this summer training with Greg and had the pleasure of meeting Brock at the school. What a great guy. Very down to earth, soft spoken and BIG! The man is humongous. Thank God he's on our side!

Anyway, big congrats guys. It was a lot of work and paid off well! Now we can look forward to seeing Brock smash the winner of the Mir/Minotauro fight!

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Sifu Francis Fong

2008-11-12T13:58:00.000-08:00

Twice a year I travel to Atlanta, GA, to train with one of the premier martial artists in the world, Sifu Francis Fong. Sifu Fong is, to use a cliche, the man.

He has been a long time friend of my primary instructor Guro Dan Inosanto and has, through his unique approach to Wing Chun, progressed the conceptual and training mindset of Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do further than anyone outside of Guro Dan.

Sifu Francis teaches Wing Chun. It is a very effective system at what it does: close range striking and trapping. Wing Chun also excels as an art for learning concepts that run throughout martial arts and the human body and this is Sifu's specialty: utilizing the Wing Chun system for learning about other arts and more important about yourself. To give you an example, Wing Chun is not known for its kicking, clinch, throwing, locking, ground fighting, etc but Sifu Francis does all of these things...very, very well. How is that possible except through a conceptual approach to training?

And in addition to hurting you in any number of ways, Sifu Francis is a healer as well. I've literally sat dumbfounded on numerous occasions while he has healed me...WITHOUT touching me. I'm serious. Now if you're half the skeptic I am, you need to see it to believe it. I know I did. But when I saw it and, better yet, felt it, I was in hook, line and sinker. I only hope I can pass on a fraction of what Sifu Francis has given me to my students.

The true gem of Sifu's teaching for me is that it is concept based. You can take anything Sifu teaches you and apply it not only to your Wing Chun, but also to any martial art or exercise system or physical/sporting activity that you take part in. This might sound like an impossible feat, but when you experience being moved without being touched, you'll believe. I cannot speak highly enough about what training with Sifu Francis has done for my martial arts and my life in general. It is true inspiration to be in his company.

Sifu will be teaching a weekend seminar at the Inosanto Academy in mid-January. I'll post another reminder prior, but until then, check out his website for more info.

Rules of Training

2008-10-29T06:46:00.000-07:00

There was an incident at the Sunday KBLA class a couple weeks back that prompted this post. This blog does not imply infractions by anyone in my class, but just so we're all on the same page here is what I expect from you, nothing less, nothing more: 1) Work hard and 2) Be polite. I adapted these rules from Bando master, Dr. Gyi, a true genius of combat, veteran of multiple wars since WWII, and outstanding instructor. Dr. Gyi's rules are: Don't be lazy and never be too proud to learn.

I've been teaching martial arts for almost 15 years. I started out a true hard ass. My instructors were world champion kickboxers and I was their punching bag. The training was as tough as it was priceless. I was a hard ass as a fighter so I started out a hard ass as a teacher. It has its benefits. If someone wants to fight in the ring, you can't coddle them. They have to realize what they're getting in to involves a lot of pain and blood, and its mostly theirs in the beginning. I think that method has its place, but most people do not want to fight in the ring. Most people simply want to move their bodies, get fit and have some idea about defending themselves, should such a situation arise.

Instructors are in a constant state of evolution, hence my move away from a total hard ass (but I've still got it if you want to see it...) to more mainstream instructor. I learn new things all the time, often from my students, and if I think they have value I pass them on in as easy to digest a manner as possible. My goals in teaching are to help you attain goals that make you a better person. Being able to kick well or move a kettlebell efficiently is fine, but the mental and emotional stamina these pursuits require can make the exercises transcend the physical and impact your life in a very positive manner if done properly. Greater self esteem, better understanding of yourself, seeing how limits are often mental are just a few.

The two rules again are: work hard and be polite. You'll be amazed at what you can accomplish if you really follow them.

Beware the international SPAM!

2008-10-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

Got my first dose of KB spam today. A "Mrs. Christine Cremas" emailed me about KB training for her daughter who will supposedly be visiting LA next month from Singapore. It sounds fishy, but I bit primarily because Dr. Cheng has a KB rep in Singapore and I assumed the referral came from him. That said, at this point I'm sure it's bogus. I didn't sign over any credit card info or anything, but I wanted you all to be aware of this email because after googling her name an RKC from San Fran's blog came up with the same letter.

Be forewarned!

jvs

The Pistol

2008-10-10T21:35:00.001-07:00

Without a doubt the hardest exercise for me in my 2 years of KB training has been the one-legged squat, otherwise known as the Pistol. Nevermind that this exercise is challenging enough that no bell is necessary to make it difficult. It's kicked my @$$ consistently since my first attempt.

Recently I had spotty success using an 8 Kilo bell. Believe it or not, a small bell acts as a nice counter-balance to help get back up. But no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't crank out even one mediocre rep. I've been reading Pavel's "Naked Warrior" lately. It's outstanding. Truly a collection of jewels like no other. Every exercise in the book is body weight only, which is of particular interest to me.

Anyway, Im not sure what happened, but Tuesday morning after I finished teaching some of my students I tried a pistol. I'll admit right off the bat that it felt completely different just lowering my body. I felt stronger, more balanced, more connected to the ground grabbing the floor with my foot, and when I hit bottom I just came back up, like I'd done it a million times. Unbelievable. I completed 2 on the right and 2 on the left and stood there in shock because I'd never come close to doing ONE before much less FOUR!

Personal Record (PR) for the week: 4 pistols, 2L/2R. Man that felt good!!!

now get to work!
jvs

Wow! Incredible response!!

2008-10-06T10:03:00.000-07:00

Greetings fellow KBers. This post is an addendum of sorts to the previous one about the benefit martial arts/kettlebell seminar for Mike Wise that took place yesterday. Suffice it to say I was completely blown away by the response. I received donations from people in and out of state who don't even know Mike. Heck, I received donations from out of state from people who don't even know ME! Plus we had 30 people attend the seminar, which was about 10 times what I was expecting. I really thought it would be just a handful of people, but Mike and the way he lives his life of generosity came back to him in full force yesterday. TRULY INCREDIBLE display people! Many thanks and well done!!

Many thanks also to my fellow instructors Damon Caro, Suzanne Spezzano and Dr. Mark Cheng for giving freely of their time and expertise in order to help a fellow instructor.

Once again, Mike has no idea what we concocted, so giving him the money will be the next challenge. Mike is generous to a fault and stubborn to a fault as well, especially when it comes to accepting help, so wish me luck that he doesn't kick my @$$ when I give him the dough. HAHA!!

way to go folks, you've restored my faith in humanity!

jvs

Benefit Seminar, Oct 5!!

2008-09-28T22:08:00.001-07:00

Hey All,

Quick note for those of you whose email addresses I do not have. Mike Wise, one of the finest people I know, is in a lot of discomfort and needs to have a second hip replacement surgery. The man gives in every way. To his students, to his friends and family, and to the community at large through work as a counselor and LAPD chaplain.

Mike would never ask for this help, it was my idea and I'm sure Mike will be furious and beat the hell out of me when he finds out, so please make the pain I'm about to endure worth the effort! ;-D If you cannot attend the seminar but would like to donate something just the same, please email me at hollywoodkettlebells@gmail.com.

Here's the info:

When: Sunday, Oct 5, from 10AM - 2PM.

Where: Inosanto Academy
13348 Beach Ave
Marina del Rey, CA, 90292.

How Much: $75 (it is a fundraiser, so if you can donate more, please do!)

Who's teaching:
Damon Caro will be teaching Panantukan and Trapping (if you haven't seen him, it's worth the price of admission just for his section, I know I'll be attending!)
Suzanne Spezzano will be teaching Silat.
John Spezzano (that's me) will be teaching Thai Clinch and empty handed Hubad
Dr. Mark Cheng will be teaching Hard Style Kettlebells

Seaside, CA went Hard Style!!

2008-09-28T16:13:00.000-07:00

So yesterday my good friend Bob Ingersoll had me up to Seaside to teach an introductory Kettlebell course for some people. I work with Bob in the Defensive Tactics world training military and law enforcement personnel around the country. Bob is equal parts bad ass and pot stirrer and both qualities were necessary yesterday. He kept us laughing with his antics and the group impressed me as a whole with their work ethic.

The attendees consisted of everyone from law enforcement to former body builders. I took a page out of Pavel and Doc's approach and ran with it. Wall squat, dead lift, swing, TGU and military press. Suffice it to say that we did enough dead lifts and swings to have them all cursing my name (probably tomorrow when they feel it). I used the TGU and MPs as a way to introduce grinds and give them a break from the cardio, then ran them through a minor swing circuit to make sure they didn't forget me too soon...!

Everyone did really well. I was soundly impressed, that's for sure. No whining, just work. That's the way I like it.

Good job Bob and Co! Hope to see you before the new year!

Acclimate - "a-c-c-l...."

2008-09-25T09:04:00.001-07:00

Acclimate. Merriam Webster defines the word acclimate as "to adapt to a new temperature, altitude, climate, environment, or situation." I think I was in 5th grade when I competed in the county spelling bee. I was always a pretty good speller. I can't remember the exact sequence of events, but I think I won my school bee and that got me to the next level. However it went, the lesson I learned had little to do with spelling. My mom will likely remember the evening in detail to this day (ha ha!), but the only thing I remember is the word "acclimate." The bane of my youth!! ;-D

In 5th grade I had no idea what the word acclimate meant, but it sounds petty simple, right? "a-c-c-l-a-m-a-t-e." DOH! If you've never been in a spelling bee or have missed the many recent films about them, contestants are allowed to ask for a definition of the word in question. If I'd asked what acclimate meant I might have noticed the similarity to the word "climate" and...ah, but I force myself to not live in the past...

Sorry for the circuitious route to this edition of the HKB blog. My point is if you want to know more about something you have to ASK QUESTIONS!! That doesn't necessarily mean that you will understand the answer, but at least you're on the right track. It never ceases to amaze me that at the Inosanto Academy where I am more often than not the most senior student in the class, I am the ONLY ONE asking questions!! No one is born knowing everything, accept it and get on with the day.

So, in a nutshell, no matter your pursuit, athletic, scholastic, spiritual, whatever it may be, ask questions. Some people get lost in the asking and never listen to the answer, but if you make it your practice to ask a question and process the answer, your learning curve will be MUCH steeper. The learning process is equal parts teacher and student. A good teacher can only do so much, the student has to do the work eventually. An exceptional student, however, can often make good instruction that much more efficient or compensate for subpar instruction because he/she knows the right questions to ask.

Chew on that.

jvs

Bell Choices

2008-09-24T20:58:00.000-07:00

Greetings all. I've had some queries on bell purchase from some of my Wednesday morning students. This post is for anyone considering bell purchase.

Suffice it to say that less is more with bells. I have a collection because I teach a lot of different people with different levels of strength, balance, flexibility, etc, but when I started training Hard Style with Dr. Cheng I bought one bell. That's right ONE, and I used that single bell for at over a year.

The 24 kg bell is standard issue for the average man whose goal is to leave other average men in the dust. Gentlemen if you have financial constraints, internal, as in too many credit cards, or external, as in your wife doesn't like Russians, and can only feasibly purchase one bell, go for the 24. You will never out grow it. If your finances will allow you to purchase 2 bells I would recommend you purchase a 16kg bell as well as a 24. A 16 will be easier for certain exercises at first but you will never truly outgrow it.

Ladies, strength and stamina depending, I recommend either the 18 lb or 12 kg kettlebell. The 18 pounder is a good starter and you will be able to do certain exercises with it for a long time, especially if you're petite. If funds are an issue, I'd recommend the bigger bell. Similar to the men with the 24, you can grow into it and you'll never, NEVER, not have use for it.

If it turns out you really dig bells (like me), eventually you'll have a small collection. Remember, less is more. I hope I've ingrained that concept in you all from the get-go. You can see what one exercise like the swing can do to you. We'll continue to add to the repertoire over time and you'll all be thrilled with the results. Perhaps some of you are already experiencing the results...other than the pain...

Lastly, remember to GREASE THE GROOVE!! Whenever you stand up from a seated position, hit a Hard Style Lock (HSL) at the top. A very talented friend of mine says, "Practice makes habit." What you practice is what you will do, time is limited for all of us so make sure you do that which serves you best. The more you can ingrain the HSL into your daily movement, the more naturally it will come out when you move bells, which means your goals will be reached sooner and most important, you will do it all with the utmost safety!

Go Hard Style!!

jvs

Finding The Line

2008-09-17T12:17:00.000-07:00

We all have a line. A line between not enough and too much. Between safe training and injury. Between pushing the limit and puking. The line is important, as essential as it can be elusive. Without knowing its location, injury is inevitable and results are often out of reach. But how do we find this line? My feeling has always been that you can't possibly know where the line is until you cross it. I might have stolen that saying from someone somewhere, but I can't remember. Sort of like "Originality is the ability to conceal your sources." (I stole that one for sure!) Anyway getting back to the thought for today, as a martial arts instructor for many years and a lifelong student of martial arts, I know a bit about pushing physical limits, both my own and those of my students. The main challenge in finding our personal limits is avoiding injury while not worrying about failure. When the mind and the body collide, one can become very unproductive. "I'd love to find this line and but if I don't cross it I'll never know where it is and if I cross it that means I've gone too far, but I can't find it without going too far and I can't go too far without going...too far, right?" (Sorry if that's confusing.) Or, "What if people see me not hit my snatch numbers or not successfully press the 32, or screw up the Turkish Get Up (TGU)?" Simply put, who cares??? If you did your best, (and I will add, only you know if you did) there are no regrets.

In order to find our personal work zone sometimes we're forced to go too far. I'm not saying learn the hard-style lock (HSL) on your first lesson and then snatch The Beast (106 lb KB) on the same day. That's suicidal...literally. I'm saying everyone's limits are different and they change from day to day. Some days you'll perform better than others. Peaks and valleys. Life's roller coaster is no different than athletic performance endeavors, KBs and martial arts in my case, and this is why martial arts and KB training transcend the mere physical and have the ability to help you develop mentally and spiritually as well.

Don't snatch the Beast on Day 1, when you push your limits, be smart about it. Work yourself into "the neighborhood" first and push it from there, you'll find out a lot about yourself every time you do. First and foremost you'll find that very often (if not all the time) you can go further than you thought. That's so key I'm going to repeat it: very often, if not all the time. you'll find YOU CAN GO FURTHER THAN YOU THOUGHT! (Successfully complete the RKC instructor course and no doubt will remain! haha!) The brain's influence on the physical body can be counterproductive when attempting such things. But do it anyway. Just get used to it and make it your practice. One of my first martial arts students became a very tough woman who initially hated sparring with me. I'd just tell her, "I know you're scared, now do it anyway." And she did. Week after week. And she got tough all on her own. Knowing that you can push yourself is one of the keys to success in any endeavor. This morning I ran my embryonic Hollywood Kettlebells class through a challenging swing workout. 6 sets, 30 sec/ea, 10 sec rest in between. FOCUS ON FORM. If the form goes in the tank STOP IMMEDIATELY!! One of the things I love most about KB training is that I constantly surprise myself with what I can do every Sunday morning. You can do the same thing. Just go for it. Heck, everyone in my class did it this very morning!!

I'm training a woman right now for her Level II Muay Thai test. [This consists of displaying a variety of striking techniques, as well performing as the pre-fight dance (the Wai Kru), and then completing two rounds on the Thai Pads (long hand held forearm pads used for practicing Muay Thai striking) where you need to land 60 kicks and 40 knees each round while the pad holder beats the crap out of you.] It's not easy. This woman, whose test is coming soon, trained with me this morning and surprised herself not only with how much she was able to do on the pads, but the bigger picture of how far she has come as a person through martial arts training. Martial arts are her vehicle for personal growth, as they are for many. Guro Inosanto always says we always train two arts, one for self preservation and one for self perfection. Needless to say, the self perfection one gets more face time as most people will never get in a fight in their life unless their job requires the occasional beat down or they compete in the ring/cage. How do we nurture self perfection? By constantly pushing our limits. Finding the line and crossing it again and again and again. Will injuries occur? Absolutely, as they do in any athletic endeavor. Should this slow us down? Absolutely not!

I suggest you give yourself a week of training where you constantly go one or two or even three steps past what you feel your limit may be and see how it goes. Don't go crazy and hurt yourself through stupidity, just push it a bit. See what pushing it feels like. If you like it, push it some more. Find out how far you can push it. Remember we can't know where the line is without crossing it, so be vigilant with regards to form and be determined to succeed and everything else will appear in the results. The best motivation is results. A woman I used to know years ago used to say, "Stop waitin' for the motivatin'!" Motivation is in the doing which leads to the results you are searching for. Go for it. Push yourself! Only you can make yourself do things beyond your limits. As coaches we can give you the guidance and the incentive, but in the end it's you and you alone. Make it happen! You'll be glad you did.

Good Job Joe!

2008-09-14T17:23:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Joe Chalakee for completing his final aspect of the RKC Instructor requirements. Joe joined us at KBLA about 6 or 8 months ago with some serious back issues. Like bed-ridden for days kind of back issues. Hard Style kettlebell training under Dr. Cheng turned this guy into a KB monster, in record time! If we had a KBLA poster child, it would be Joe.

The RKC snatch test numbers are decided by your weight. As luck would have it Joe is a big guy. His number is 74. That's a lot of snatches with a 24 kg KB. He was having some trouble hitting his numbers prior to the August RKC and was not successful at the weekend itself. This morning he kicked some serious Snatch Test butt!

We all end the test gassed, there's no way around that, and gassed he was, but he was also a "newly minted" RKC by the time he finished!

Way to go Joe!!!

jvs

Ah, the Snatch...part deux

2008-09-14T17:20:00.000-07:00

Not sure if that's how you spell "deux," but it'll...do. Get it? Anyway, as luck would have it, Doc had us work on the Snatch this morning. All those sets of low rep, high-quality form this week paid dividends immediately. I just felt more tuned in to the exercise. There is still plenty of fine tuning to do, undoubtedly, but it felt MUCH better this morning. Looking forward to more this week!

jvs

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

2008-09-13T20:36:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I posted an article on the RKC experience at the Inosanto Academy website. Please check it out when you get a chance.

jvs

9/11

2008-09-11T12:40:00.001-07:00

Seven years ago today was the day we, as a country, woke up to a violence and barbarism that we had heretofore either ignored or felt would never touch us personally. My dad worked in Manhattan back in those days, and he physically saw the second plane hit. For some reason, the phone lines weren't completely backed up and I was able to talk with him before he had to exit the city on foot. He made it out fine, unlike all too many in the towers.

On every day, but this day in particular, my thanks go out to all of the firemen, policemen, paramedics, and volunteers who gave their blood, sweat, tears and, too many of them on that day, their lives. We at KBLA are, in fact, blessed to have one of these heroes among our ranks. The one and only Dave O'Donnell, RKC, FDNY (retired). Strong as an ox and kind as a saint, Dave is one of a kind. I, for one, am eternally grateful to Dave and his colleagues for everything they gave on that shocking day, and what they continue to give every other day. Society would be a far worse place without men like Dave. Their successful execution of their duties allows the rest of us to kick back a bit and not worry so much. Thank you all!

humbled by your service,
John Spezzano

Ah, the snatch

2008-09-11T12:09:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Nikki Shlosser for recommending Steve Freides' article "The Party Line for Passing the RKC Snatch Test." I know, I know, I already passed the test. That doesn't mean the work is over, quite the contrary, becoming an instructor means greater responsibility has been hoisted upon our properly utilized shoulders. Just like martial arts, a black belt typically means the basics are engrained enough that real learning can now commence. So it is with the RKC.

Can I safely and effectively lead a group class? Absolutely. Can I help a private client reach his or her personal strength and fitness goals? Undoubtedly. So then that's it, right? No need for continuing education, right? WRONG! Now and evermore is the time to continue training. Keep honing my skill sets. Deepen my understanding of the exercises, their proper execution, their purpose and their corrective features for injuries. Not to mention working on the exercises I suck at, like the pistol and the snatch to name merely two.

Can I crank out snatches? Yes. I've overshot my RKC test numbers on a few occasions, including at the RKC test itself, sometimes through superior fitness, sometimes due to superior stubbornness. Either way, are they all perfect? Far from it. The work continues. Which leads me to the great article by Steve Freides on how to prepare for the RKC Snatch Test. Visit the Dragon Door website and you'll find countless helpful articles published by very knowledgeable people over the years, including this one by Mr. Freides.

Focusing on proper form while performing exercises is of paramount importance to the hard style, RKC methodology. Anything else will inevitably lead to injury. While avoiding injury is always in the back of my head, my main goal here is simply to bring my snatch as close to perfection as possible. Ah yes, "simple, but not easy." The rudimentary manner in which Mr. Freides breaks down his training regimen is outstanding. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to work on their snatch. Even if (maybe ESPECIALLY if) you're already an RKC, do yourself a favor and start from the beginning. ONE PERFECT REP. Emphasis on PERFECT. Be aware of everything. Heels, knees, glutes, abs, lats, taming the arc, locking the elbow and canting the wrist forward at the top, etc, etc, etc. Never looks that hard when someone good at snatching is hitting them, but there's a LOT going on. Pay attention to every detail and stop early enough to preserve good form. Good form will give you the numbers you want in the safest manner possible.

I'm enjoying it, I hope you do too.

jvs

What a day!

2008-09-10T15:13:00.000-07:00

Wow. Where to begin? This was initially going to be a post strictly about my inaugural Hollywood Kettlebells class in Griffith Park. Then when I got home I got some amazing news. But first the HKB maiden voyage!

I was honored to have eleven very willing victims this morning for the first HKB class in Griffith Park. We kept it simple and effective, in the RKC mold, and worked on the wall squat, hard style lock (HSL), dead lift (DL) and naked getup (NGU). Many people after their first hard style kettlebell workout leave somewhat deflated. Hopes of swinging, snatching, pressing or some other kettlebell juggling feat crushed by the need for proper form and safe training makes the novice girevik a bit sad at the end of the day. However, I'm confident most of them will be reminded of our time together tomorrow or Friday when they start their day. As Pavel would say, "Enjoy!"

There were a few more experienced novice kettlebellers there and I gladly put them through some work at the end of the day. Each one did 3 minutes that probably felt closer to 30! 3x30 second swing intervals (2-hand, switches, 2-hand) with 10 second rest periods. To the experienced girevik and the inexperienced non-beller, this would seem pretty simple. I think you all remember your first swing and how awful it was, then your form got better and it hurt less but tired you out more! Remember? I know I do. That's what it was for these lovely victims too. The other two got to experience Dr. Cheng's infamous Trifecta. The classic example is 30 sec snatch R, 30 sec snatch L, 30 sec clean R, 30 sec clean L, 60 sec swing (2-hand, switching, whatever just keep moving). I altered it a bit and had them pause a beat in the rack position of the clean in full HSL to avoid any temptation to rest and do bad form thereby risking injury. Needless to say, anyone who's done the Trifecta knows it's no joke. I told Spencer to look forward to the day he does it with the 24! ;-D Dare I say, "Enjoy!"?

Everyone did great this morning. It was nice to see people respond to the simplicity that KBs offer that is matched only by their efficiency. For me, it's the thing that keeps me coming back again and again, getting up at 5 on a Sunday morning to get to class on time. Simple, effective training that requires little gear or space, just a dedication to pushing yourself and focusing on the details. What more could one want in any type of training??

So my morning was very exciting. I've already received emails from people about how much they enjoyed class and are looking forward to next Wed. Some already feel the "love"... ;-D Shortly after returning from teaching I had to go train with my Dog "blood" Brother Nick Papadakis. Nick and I have a great time hitting eachother on a weekly basis and today was no different. Always great training with a great attitude with Nick. So as if my day weren't good enough already, when I got home from Nick's I had an email from Simo Paula Inosanto telling me I'd been promoted to Full Instructor! I can't tell you what a milestone in my life, and martial arts in particular, this is for me.

To those of you unfamiliar with Guro Dan Inosanto, he is the premier martial artist in the world, and I've been lucky enough to train at his Academy since 1992 and with him personally on a weekly basis since 1993. The process he and Simo put instructors through is multi-level, with approximately 5 years in each level, sometimes less but often more. Apprentice Instructor is the first level. Similar to any martial art that deals in belt ranks, Black Belt is not the end, but the beginning. Sort of like how school graduations are called "commencement" ceremonies. So it is with Apprentice Instructorship, it means you have the basics and now you can REALLY start to learn. Some Apprentices stick around for the 5 or so years and are promoted to Associate Instructor. Another 5 years or more and then they get to Senior Associate Instructor, after another 5 years comes the Full Instructorship if Guro and Simo think you're ready. To be honest, I was really floored. I knew I was up for it, but did not expect the promotion at all. It is an outstanding honor and responsibility I accept with absolute humility.

Some people burn out, or lose interest, that's life; but those who mistake a cursory understanding for true depth of knowledge miss the opportunity afforded them through continued training. The truth of the matter is that I still learn something new from Guro Dan every class I take with him every week I see him. That's the truth. Anyone who doubts it should train with the man every week for 16 years and see what they think then.

Now that you understand the process, hopefully it's clear why I'm so elated! What a day!

jvs

--
Pain is part of life, misery is optional.

- US Marines

Yet another Russian surprise

2008-09-08T13:54:00.000-07:00

It's not 100%, but it's a LOT better. I performed one press with bad form during the RKC Grad Workout. I knew it when it happened and have been feeling it in my shoulder ever since. It's been improving slowly but was still pretty sketchy for certain exercises when I went to Sunday's KBLA class. As luck would have it, Doc had us doing tons of presses, walking, stationary, you name it. Just about everything but the Bent Press. I was a little worried about my shoulder but figured I'd see how it went. Today, like magic, my shoulder feels much better, probably about 90%.

Like every Hard Style exercise I've seen, focusing on the details cannot be overstated. Firing the lat to raise AND lower the bell in a military press is ESSENTIAL. It takes the strain off your neck when you keep your shoulder tucked into its proper position. One bad rep can haunt you for a while, and we're all bound to get injured from time to time in any athletic activity, but I would never have thought that performing the exercise that I hurt myself on would be the exact exercise necessary to heal me. Go figure!

jvs

Surpass your expectations

2008-09-03T13:43:00.000-07:00

I remember a few months after starting KB training I could clean and easily press the 24kg bell, but had a mental block on snatching it. Anyone with any experience knows that if you can press a certain size bell, you can definitely snatch it. But wrapping my brain around it was the hard part, it just kinda freaked me out to think about pitching a 53 pound piece of metal over my head with velocity. Naturally when I finally quit talking myself out of it, it was no problem.

That's the thing I love about KBs. Every week, and I mean EVERY WEEK at the KBLA Sunday morning class I do something I didn't think I could do. Whether it's performing a single exercise like pressing or Turkishing the 32kg bell or teaching an exercise to the class, or maybe it's completing the devious circuit that Doc dreams up for us, whatever it may be, the commitment to the task at hand that hard style KBs require helps me perform feats (both physical and mental) I did not think I could do only mere moments prior.

I think that mindset is helpful in ways that have no relation to kettlebell training at all. Heck, we all know that life in general puts challenges in our way that might seem insurmountable. But if you instill in yourself the willingness to risk, and risk at 150% effort, you will know you've done your best. The book "The Four Agreements" is a must read, IMO, and one of the agreements is to always do your best. The author says your best might not be good enough some times, but if you know that you truly did your best, then you'll have no regrets.

If your spirit knows it can be attained, don't listen to your brain or your body tell you no. Push past your limits. Go for it and you will get it!

Thoughts on teaching...

2008-09-02T14:22:00.000-07:00

I realize this is a kettlebell blog, but bear with me for a moment.

Those of you who know me know I've taught a variety of martial arts under the Inosanto Academy banner since 1995. The method that Guro Dan Inosanto espouses when teaching and training multiple arts at once is, for lack of a better word: components. Like a stereo system (pre-iPod, that is), you could use a Sony receiver with a MacIntosh amplifier with Bose speakers. You weren't stuck with one manufacturer for every component. So it is with multiple martial arts training, not the current rage: MMA, which has become an established sport with accepted training methods, but rather the concept Bruce Lee started popularizing back in the 60s of removing the traditional blinders and feeling free to step outside one system and mix arts at will.

When you deal with martial arts in their conceptual or component-like capacity, they get stripped down to their essential qualities as they relate to their common denominator: the human body. It simplifies matters, I think, and in general makes them easier to teach and understand. Wing Chun - control the center line, Muay Thai - standing clinch, Kali - endless weaponry, etc. This does not mean that you have to teach and train only these aspects of the art, but it allows you, for example, to apply the Wing Chun principle of center line to your Thai clinch and your stick fighting. The three most definitely go together.

Over the years of teaching I've found that sticking to concepts is a more effective way to reach a wider variety of student, and the advanced student in particular because their foundation is already in place. On Sunday, Dr. Cheng handed me the reins at the KBLA Sunday morning class to teach the press. Some people had never pressed before, others were comfortable with it, still others were RKC colleagues of mine. Mixed levels, shall we say. However, sticking with the idea of concepts, I started with a broad foundation "keep a hard style lock," then added more detail with "fire the lat while pressing the bell up and also pulling the bell down," and finished with suggesting "white knuckle the other hand" thereby giving everyone at the variety of levels the opportunity to tap into an aspect of their press that needed work - myself included. Not one of those suggestions has anything SPECIFIC to do with the press itself, but they all stabilize the body to its maximum potential before performing the exercise to give the greatest chance of success with proper form. At no point did I say, "Get the bell overhead no matter what!!" Following those three suggestions, students of all levels could perform the press to the best of their ability and not hurt themselves, irrespective of whether the bell went skywards or not.

Another way to see this conceptual importance is the emphasis Pavel, Doc and all the experienced RKCs put on a good "hard style lock" (heretofore "HSL"). The importance of the HSL cannot be underestimated in regards to safety during training and a timely gaining of desired results. Having a solid HSL runs throughout every ballistic exercise in the RKC system and appears in many grinds as well. If you have the HSL dialed in, your understanding of new exercises will be exponentially quicker. Concepts don't get much more component-like than the HSL!

For those of you who teach, or are hoping to do so some day. I would recommend thinking conceptually when passing on the information. New students need specifics, but like Bruce Lee said so well and Guro Dan has continued to stress to us over the decades since Sifu Bruce's death, "Use no way as way and no limitation as limitation." Now, if your level of understanding is relatively shallow, you will perhaps not be able to tap into the concepts because the material itself is still so new. But as you progress and gain a depth of knowledge, do your best to teach specifics THROUGH concepts - especially with your advanced students. One of Guro Dan's first generation students felt that the only way to teach "no way as way" was to first have a WAY. Once they had the "way," then they could break free. In the end, a press is just a press, but at first, it's not...

Now get to work!

jvs

Enjoy another KBLA spinoff!!

2008-09-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

Greetings again,

For those of you who hate going east of Centinela, my friends Nikki Shlosser and Anton Summers from the Sunday morning KBLA group are starting their group class in Santa Monica on Tuesdays at 7PM. The class fee remains $20.

Santa Monica: Tuesdays at 7:00pm
RKC Instructors: Anton Summers and Nikki Shlosser
Location: Palisades at 7th Street
Heading north on 7th Street, just past Montana Ave. is Palisades. Take a left on Palisades, and park anywhere. We're at the park there in the middle of the street.

If Hollywood is too far, or 7AM is too much for a Sunday, now you've got a prime time week night opportunity to train kettlbells with knowledgeable and inspiring instructors. Enjoy!

jvs

Hard Style Hollywood!

2008-09-01T09:28:00.000-07:00

Greetings,

I'm John Spezzano and welcome to the inaugural post of the Hollywood Kettlebells Blog! This is the blog to read for "Hard Style" RKC kettlebell training in the Hollywood, Los Feliz, Silverlake, Hancock Park, Beverly Hills, and West Hollywood areas.

What is a kettlebell, you ask? Far and away the most efficient way to build muscle, burn fat and gain cardio-vascular endurance all at the same time. Born from 19th century Russian Strongmen, and reintroduced to the west by Pavel Tsatsouline, as a singular exercise kettlebells are without peer in the strength and conditioning world. Through corrective exercises, "Hard Style" kettlebell training also has unbelievable rehab and pre-hab qualities that will resolve nagging injuries and prevent future ones!

Our group class will set sail on Wednesday, Sept 10 at 9AM. Every Wednesday at 9 you can find us swinging, cleaning, snatching, and pressing Russian Kettlebells in Griffith Park at the Canyon Drive entrance. Canyon Drive is one block EAST of Bronson (between Beachwood and Western). Travel NORTH of Franklin on Canyon and you'll head straight into the park. On the left just past the entrance is our training area, 50 yards further into the park is plenty of parking on the right.

No experience is necessary to take part in the Wednesday morning class, it's open to all levels. Whether you own bells or are brand new, please join us. Class costs $20, if you own bells, please bring what you'll use, if not, I will have an assortment to choose from for your weekly dose of Russian iron.

Private instruction is available. Please contact me directly at hollywoodkettlebells@gmail.com for rates and info.

Check out my RKC Instructor page here.