Makin' it easy for Dave. Vid Rev: Vee Arnis Jutsu #5

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with David James. This 90 min tape from ESPY-TV goes directly into techniques. Basic Breakdown is Elevator/Staircase scenarios and techniques and Self Defense techniques.

Elevator/Staircase Scenarios are first

6 scenarios in an Elevator which cover shoves, a knife to the throat, multiple opponents, and an ambush.

5 scenarios concerning fighting on stairs with or without bannisters, going up or down the stairs, and with one multiple opponent scenario.

Self Defense Techniques, filmed in the Vee Arnis Jitsu school can be broken down into 3 sections, Defense Against a Boxer, Close Range Techniques, What ifs/takedowns.

James dons some FIST gear and shows the ready position for self defense and mainly goes into keeping the distance away and closing in on a punching attack, mostly jabs, hooks, crosses while demonstrating the back leg knee stomp kick.

Close range techniques covers closing the distance and your attacker decides to tackle or move with you.

What ifs shows some more street oriented takedowns to the ground as well as how to clinch, using hair to take a person down.

The ending for this tape is the intro for the knife defense tape.

What I liked about the tape was it's food for thought in the elevator/stairs scenarios where a knife would be hard to deploy.

However, this tape assumes you know techniques like locks, basic strikes, kicks. It has the same flavor as a kenpo tape I saw where you are shown many options which are explained so fast that it gets confusing.

Okay, we can joke about Paul Vunak's emotional style of teaching. Well, James is rather...more energetic and emotional. Good for relaying the message but can get on your nerves after a bit. For this forum, there is the familiar treatise on combat training vs traditional training, cross training, being skilled in all ranges etc. James repeats this while emphasizing that boxing is the preferred street art and knives the weapon of choice.

If you want less emotion, watch Tony Blauer. A defensive tactics instructor I talked to felt that James is competent but that some of the methods taught did not really apply for the LEO crowd.

Dave, chime in any time.
smile.gif

 
If you ever get to meet David James, he's great. An intense and very skilled and knowledgeable character.

Jason
 
Jason, I liked that knife article he did in one of the tactical knife rags. But I'm not sure about training under him directly. Then again a lot of tapes are either for beginners or teaching under the converted.

Do you train under him?



[This message has been edited by Smoke (edited 18 December 1999).]
 
SO WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU GOT HIT INDA FACE HUH? I MEAN REAL HARD!! GET REAL YOU THINK YOU CAN TAKE ON A BOXER?? THEY GET HIT INDA FACE EVERY DAY !!!

Actually I found David James to be soothing, but then no one's ever accused me of being "laid back" either.

I have tapes five and six. Really looking forward to Dave's review of the whole series.

Smoke: Boy, you are a tough act to follow. Excellent attention to detail.

For me I found the elevator and stairway scenarios very well thought out. I didn't have a hard time following the techniques at all. Simple and direct but "chained" in a very intelligent manner. Complete beguinners may have a problem, but that's about it.

The only question mark for me was in his boxing defenses. Great if you can maintain the distance, but otherwise. . .? Weren't we all told to keep away and kick low? Mr. James's stance is more fluid and his hands are kept high but I suspect that non-boxers (Karateka,
Judoka, BJJ's) would probably benefit more by getting some elementary boxing skills before closing or widening the boxing range; And of course if one likes the exotic (translation: what the other fellow doesn't know) There's Kali,Silat,Wing Chun and some Kung Fu styles that operate very well at that range. Perhaps it's nitpicking but why does he do the shielding open hand? Palms are not focus mitt gloves.
Why not fists closed, thumb side upward in a(think of a steering wheel) 4 and 7 o'clock position? Or Shuto out position? I guess the assumption is that if the opponent is larger it'll hurt less or that open palm present a greater surface area and are therefore better
barriers.

Damn it, I am nitpicking. This is a wonderful
tape with good "real steet" scenarios taught by a very skilled fighter.


[This message has been edited by J_Ringo (edited 18 December 1999).]
 
Ringo, thanks.
You know, you could review Tape 6.
wink.gif


I'll try and be brief, Raul Ortiz of the Mantis tape I saw (BTW, Fenris was right about the Hobbit as being wicked for this style) is like James.

I'm not denigrating their skills but what they DON'T say is interesting. Both are actually perpetuating a few stereotypes.

1) NYC is dangerous, every square inch, above and below. Everywhere else is a warm happy haven with no crime.

2) Boxing is evil. Are we talking about defeating specific attacks? Do we assume all boxers are criminals? I don't.

3) "I talk to you from experience". Hmm, that's a little vague. I guess some of those old master never saw fighting, never lived in poverty, never saw war.

4) "Martial Artists are idiots". Hmm, I don't think any martial artist I know or met underestimates a good punch. Most of the ones I met are afraid of a Mike Tyson and they all watch boxing more than the UFC.

And for the famous "95% of all fights end up on the ground" here's Tony Blauer's take "95% goes to the ground but 100% started standing up".

I'll go further, someone had to be awake.LOL
 
Ringo, thanks.

You know, you could review Tape 6.
wink.gif


I'll try and be brief, Raul Ortiz of the Mantis tape I saw (BTW, Fenris was right about the Hobbit as being wicked for this style) is like James.

I'm not denigrating their skills but what they DON'T say is interesting. Both are actually perpetuating a few stereotypes.

1) NYC is dangerous, every square inch, above and below. Everywhere else is a warm happy haven with no crime.

2) Boxing is evil. Are we talking about defeating specific attacks? Do we assume all boxers are criminals? I don't.

3) "I talk to you from experience". Hmm, that's a little vague. I guess some of those old master never saw fighting, never lived in poverty, never saw war.

4) "Martial Artists are idiots". Hmm, I don't think any martial artist I know or met underestimates a good punch. Most of the ones I met are afraid of a Mike Tyson and they all watch boxing more than the UFC.

And for the famous "95% of all fights end up on the ground" here's Tony Blauer's take "95% goes to the ground but 100% started standing up".

I'll go further, someone had to be awake.LOL
 
I do not study under David James anymore because I wanted to learn Kali, all of kali and only kali, not Muay Thai, Arnis and Vee-Jitsu, but the training there was excellent.

I've seen some of the videos and Professor James may not seem eloquent in them and can come off with an attitude but let me assure you he is the real deal. He is highly skilled in boxing/kickboxing, jiu-jitsu and arnis. He is very physically fit and extremely tough. He has a lot of experience in the dojo and the streets. As a fighter he is amazing, but as an inspirational instructor he is second to none.

His style of teaching is tough but he doesn't hurt his students emotionally or physically. He makes you work really hard (1000 situps, 100's of push ups, 1000s of jumping jacks, 100s of squats, miles of running and continuous drilling of technique in Arnis and jiujitsu and two hours of hard work on a the heavy bag is often one of the normal 3hr workouts MWF) but it's worth it.

Professor James is enthusiastic but teaches control as well as aggression.

What some people may not see however, is that the whole system of Vee-Arnis-Jitsu is a science. He may look like a tough guy from Brooklyn but when it comes to martial arts, he has an amazing intellect. He is constantly refining and researching to make his art very effective. If you want an example of this, get a hold of his mugging tapes, I think there are 9 of them and see the progression of how technique #1 flows into techniqe #2 when the Bad Guy escalates or if you screw up it will go to technique #3, etc. It starts from a simple grab from a mugger all the way to if he bear hugged you or grabbed you with two hands, or came from behind to choke etc.

The techniques are great and really work. I'm a small guy but learned that these techniques were very effective against my much larger and stronger training partners.

Hope this sheds some light,

Jason Yang
 
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