(yes, this is a copy of the same post I put at TFL...)
I just hobbled in from the car after driving back from Atlanta. I spent Saturday and
Sunday at the Bujinkan Atlanta Dojo attending a Kevin McClung Knife and Stick fighting class. Rich Lucibella talked me into going and I owe him a great deal of thanks.
This past weekend has revived my faith in commercial training. It seems that there are still worthwhile things going on in classroom settings. I have gotten spoiled in the past by a lot of good one-on-one or very small group training (HTH and Firearm) and been dissapointed in a lot of classroom/Dojo training I have participated in or observed.
Kevin McClung and Hilton Yam put on an excellent seminar which not only introduced the student to worthwhile concepts and techniques, but also allowed them to experiment with them in a safe but "all-out" manner. From student on student sessions with (sorta)padded sticks and fencing helemts to excersises with his infamous "E-Knife" which gives the sloppy student a good "zap" of electircity when he/she goofs up.
Students were encouraged to work safely, but realisticaly, as they got more familar with the techniques, the speed and force with which they were executed increased.
I am sure that at least some of the credit for the quality of the class should be given to Bud Malstrom. Many of the students were from his Bujinkan Atlanta Dojo. Bud is the kind ofteacher that obviously demands a lot from his students, but has infintely more to offer them than the "dance instructors" that are far too common in many American day-care center/dojos.
Hilton Yam moves smoother than lava and can problably do just about as much damage to someone who gets in his way. His ground fighting skills are examplary and his techniques polished but not "artsy". McClung has picked his AI very well. I look forward to working with Hilton again when I am in Florida later this spring.
As for Kevin McClung, the Mad Dog himself, I got to spend some time with him at Bud's
house last night after the seminar. In addition to being a good instructor and an obviously capable fighter, I found him to be a hell of good guy, too. Honestly, I had no idea who he was or what he was about. Except for an interest in his Mirage-X knives and Rich's praise for him, I probaably never would've gotten to know him, either. Again, I owe Rich a big thank-you. If someone takes my beachball, I want Kevin watchin' my back when I go to get it.
------------------
-Essayons
I just hobbled in from the car after driving back from Atlanta. I spent Saturday and
Sunday at the Bujinkan Atlanta Dojo attending a Kevin McClung Knife and Stick fighting class. Rich Lucibella talked me into going and I owe him a great deal of thanks.
This past weekend has revived my faith in commercial training. It seems that there are still worthwhile things going on in classroom settings. I have gotten spoiled in the past by a lot of good one-on-one or very small group training (HTH and Firearm) and been dissapointed in a lot of classroom/Dojo training I have participated in or observed.
Kevin McClung and Hilton Yam put on an excellent seminar which not only introduced the student to worthwhile concepts and techniques, but also allowed them to experiment with them in a safe but "all-out" manner. From student on student sessions with (sorta)padded sticks and fencing helemts to excersises with his infamous "E-Knife" which gives the sloppy student a good "zap" of electircity when he/she goofs up.
Students were encouraged to work safely, but realisticaly, as they got more familar with the techniques, the speed and force with which they were executed increased.
I am sure that at least some of the credit for the quality of the class should be given to Bud Malstrom. Many of the students were from his Bujinkan Atlanta Dojo. Bud is the kind ofteacher that obviously demands a lot from his students, but has infintely more to offer them than the "dance instructors" that are far too common in many American day-care center/dojos.
Hilton Yam moves smoother than lava and can problably do just about as much damage to someone who gets in his way. His ground fighting skills are examplary and his techniques polished but not "artsy". McClung has picked his AI very well. I look forward to working with Hilton again when I am in Florida later this spring.
As for Kevin McClung, the Mad Dog himself, I got to spend some time with him at Bud's
house last night after the seminar. In addition to being a good instructor and an obviously capable fighter, I found him to be a hell of good guy, too. Honestly, I had no idea who he was or what he was about. Except for an interest in his Mirage-X knives and Rich's praise for him, I probaably never would've gotten to know him, either. Again, I owe Rich a big thank-you. If someone takes my beachball, I want Kevin watchin' my back when I go to get it.
------------------
-Essayons