Review: Dog Brothers'- Tape#2 "Footwork"

Dave Fulton · Dec 20, 1999

This instructs you in the Pekiti-tisia footwork methods of: "side step", attacking triangle, reverse triangle, "saw tooth" (the two triangles combined), and "take off".

Overall, the instruction is very good, with regards to using footwork as a way to move your body out of the way of an incoming attack, or into position to attack.

The lectures on equipment and the various types of woods and rattans is interesting.

Strong Points: 1.)Excellent use of fight footage to help illustrate what is being taught. 2.)Teaches a key and often neglected element of fighting. Footwork is usually the first thing that goes out the window in a fight, and this tape seeks to correct that.

Weak Points: 1.)Although a lot of good stuff is taught, again there's more going on than is being explained to the viewer. It's important to watch Eric carefully to pick up on some details that he mentions in passing or not at all. 2.)Doesn't explain the role of footwork in generating power. 3.) They zoom in on Eric's feet too much during the instructional section. Although zooming in helps you to see what Eric does with his feet, they don't really give you a chance to see the affect of the footwork on his body position.

In general, another good tape for someone with some previous FMA training, who wants to go to this level of training.

FYI, I think The Dob Brothers' tapes were meant for experienced practicioners who want to go to this level of training, rather than beginners. If this is true, then some of the missing details I noticed might have been left out because they're assuming you know them already. Of course, maybe they just don't want to teach you EVERYTHING they know

Dave.

[This message has been edited by Dave Fulton (edited 20 December 1999).]

Fenris · Dec 20, 1999

Good review!

I don't disagree with your review but with one of the concepts taught in the tape when it comes to "stance." I do not agree with the "cat stance" that he adopts with all of his techniques, with the weight on the rear foot. If you watch the fights no one figths like that because its not a practical way to fight.

60/40 front/back is much better as an aggressive fighting stance and dropping the weight onto the back foot is better used in transition. Eric states that if you have one foot forward you'll get nailed. I think if you don't adopt an aggressive fighting stance you won't be able to deliver and will get creamed.

Jason

Dave Fulton · Dec 20, 1999

Thanks for the compliment Jason!

Regarding the "cat stance" that you refer to. I'd like to address it, since we (also being derived from Pekiti-tirsia) use it too.

As you said, the side step (which puts all the weight on the rear foot is transitional. It's not meant to be a stance that you fight from. It's actually a type of "footwork" or stepping method to get you out of the way quickly by moving you laterally. Also by totally unweighting the front foot, you are ready to explode in another direction.

Try this: Stand in a side step "stance" with all your weight on the rear foot. To explode from your side step, grind the ball of your unweighted foot the way you would if you were grinding out a cigarette; as your foot turns so that your toes point in the direction you want to go, drop your weight onto that foot and drive your body in that direction (without rising up) like a sprinter. This is how you do a basic or "single" take off from a basic "side step". You can do "double" take offs and take offs from other "stances" as you get better at it.

Anytime you put all your weight onto one foot, the potential for take off exists. In Pekiti-tirsia, all the weight is always on one foot or the other for this reason.

If you have the body mechanics to connect your strikes to your footwork, the "take off" becomes an element of generating power in your strikes.

Btw, these are examples of details that aren't explained in the tape.

Also, I don't remember the context in which Eric made the comment you refer to, but my teacher always warns against "locking out" my feet into a stance and being "flat-footed". He says that if you leave the leg there, it's going to get hit, and if I don't listen ... he hits it!

Perhaps this is what Eric meant as well?

HTH,

Sincerely,

Dave.

------------------
Full Contact Martial Arts Association.

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

[This message has been edited by Dave Fulton (edited 20 December 1999).]

[This message has been edited by Dave Fulton (edited 20 December 1999).]

Smoke · Dec 20, 1999

Dave, the reviews are fine but here's my q's
How long is each tape?
How many fights total and between segments?

K Williams · Dec 20, 1999

Smoke:

The Dog Brother Tapes are about 80 minutes each, with tons of fighting in each tape. Tape #6 is the scariest. Top Dog(Eric Knaus) goes up against a FMA guy with a 12' and 6' whip(latigo). Personally I think that that's when you either run or get a gun! I think the whip guy was holding his strikes though, because of the potential to cause very serious injuries. I might be wrong, but it looked that way to me.

------------------
K. Williams
kel620@aol.com
Modern Arnis Student

Smoke · Dec 21, 1999

K, that's actually the tape (#6) is what I want most from the first series.

K Williams · Dec 21, 1999

First series?? Is there a second series?

Dave Fulton · Dec 21, 1999

Smoke,

Someone already answered your first question so I touch on the second.

I didn't count the number of fights. If I'm following you on the "between segments", the answer is: they show fight footage in the beginning and at the end and throw them in during the teaching segments to help illustrate a point they're trying to make.

That's the best I can do, but will keep your questions in mind as I review future tapes.

KWilliams,

A second Dog Brothers series is in the editting stages, but no release date has been set that I know of. If I hear anything, I'll pass it along on this forum.

Dave.

Originally posted by Smoke:
Dave, the reviews are fine but here's my q's
How long is each tape?
How many fights total and between segments?

Smoke · Dec 22, 1999

Thanks Dave.

K, http://www.bloodsport.com has some info on the second series, the first 2 tapes are just about done.

Kev · Dec 21, 1999

Gotta love those Dog Bro. tapes!

I don't believe there were many(any?) complete fights. As was noted, they show a segment of a fight to illustrate a point..."If you see it taught.. you see it fought". I think 50%... or more of the Dog Bro tape consist of fights.

Yeah the baston vs whip fights were pretty awesome. Kinda illustrates the importance of timing.. huh?

That short whip was going craaack, craack, craack!!! Yeoow! I thought the baston vs tapada fights were pretty intense too. Kinda gets the old blood boiling when you see Top Dog close with a flying roof vs a monster #1 strike with the "tapada staff". When you see the bark fly off the big old stick, you know they mean business.

~Kev

p.s.- Don't hold your breath for the second series. I think Marc said they would be released "soon".... 2 or 3 yrs ago.

Fenris · Dec 22, 1999

Smoke, tape #6 is actually my least favourite tape from the series. #5's my favourite.

My criticism for tape #6 is that Dog Brothers are trained stick fighters but not masters in the other weapons they're representing. It has footage with the whip from the footwork tape which isn't a great match because once the stick closes in it wins.

My least favourite fight was the tapada which is a stick 1 meter long. The person only knew one strike which was a two handed over the shoulder strike. It was frustrating watching this person stand there and do the one technique or wait to do it and get pummeled by the person with doblete.

I'm not saying that nunchaku, two section or three section, tonfa or the bokken are great weapons and deserve more attention. It's just that these weapons were not used very effectively against the trained stick fighter.

Overall the tapes are for the beginner unless you're just watching the fights and interviews which happen to be excellent at the end of this tape.

Jason

Dave Fulton · Dec 22, 1999

Jason,

Can you tell us why you thought that the tapes were for beginners?

I ask because I think that tapes geared towards beginners should teach the basics in more detail than were covered in these tapes. Also, full-contact fighting is really beyond a beginner, because a person needs to develop some technique before they fight like that. It seemed to me that the angle of the tapes was "This is how you apply all that nifty stuff you've been learning".

Respectfully,

Dave Fulton

------------------
Full Contact Martial Arts Association.

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

Smoke · Dec 22, 1999

Okay, now I'm getting more curious about this tape.

How where the knife 'fights'?

I think it's interesting in that you can have them, how could you stop the bouts for instance with knives?

Fenris · Dec 23, 1999

The knife fights were fought well. Even though they used wooden sticks, they were aware that they were using edge weapons. The fighters didn't take stupid risks and were aware of each thrust. If someone got nailed with a combo they didn't keep fighting. Once, one of the guys got thrusted directly in the head and he just stopped. The commentary also mentions that they really adhered to closing in, getting a few shots and getting out before there could be retaliation. Instead of just trading shots, they utilized footwork and waited for better opportunities.

Dave,

I think the tapes are for beginners because the material that you learn would all be covered within the first couple of kali classes you took and would even be fleshed out a litle more in class. If a newbie who was physically fit, watched these tapes and trained hard, I don't think they would do well, because they wouldn't understand the overall concepts of Kali, but they would at least be armed with an arsenal and perhaps seek real training. Are there peopel out there who learn exclusively from videos and books?

The reason why I still watch them is because there is a reason why you are only taught so much. This is the really important stuff that you will use most often. I was sparring with my little brother last night (I'm back home for the holidays) and I didn't do too many facy things, I relied on basic shots. I kind of already knew that this would happen but its reinforced in the Dog Brothers's tape.

It puts your training into perspective and takes it closer to an actual fight and what that fight looks like with all of the chaos. It also showed me that I need to train harder when it comes to really consistent accuracy of shots no matter where my body is or what my feet are doing and to physically train harder for power.

JAson

Dave Fulton · Dec 24, 1999

Jason,

It's interesting that we interpetted the same things totally differently.

Originally posted by Fenris:

"..If a newbie who was physically fit, watched these tapes and trained hard, I don't think they would do well, because they wouldn't understand the overall concepts of Kali.."

and Fenris wrote:

"It puts your training into perspective and takes it closer to an actual fight and what that fight looks like with all of the chaos. It also showed me that I need to train harder when it comes to really consistent accuracy of shots no matter where my body is or what my feet are doing and to physically train harder for power."

JAson[/B]

I fealt the same way, which is one reason I thought the tapes were geared towards more advanced players. If I were making a tape to teach newbies, I'd want to leave them with a more indepth knowledge of the concepts. I took the tapes as a "You've seen this, and this, and this right!?! Ok, now here are the ones that really work and here's how to use them." I took the tapes to be intended as a wake up call to the FMA community in general.

As a side note, I thought I had a slight advantage (over most viewers) in watching these tapes because I'd seen almost all of it already. My teacher used to be one of Eric "Top Dog" Knaus' training partners in the pre-dog brothers days. Check out Tape#4. The guy that Eric talks about closing, trapping your stick/arm and just thrusting and thrusting is my guro (David Wink). You'll also see David Wink's name mentioned at the end of that tape where Eric thanks various people (like Tom Bisio, and Dave Wink) for their contributions to his growth.

Respectfully,

Dave Fulton

------------------
Full Contact Martial Arts Association.

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."