Street Defensive Tactics

Xmas Breakup

A little late in posting our breakup gathering. Great last training for all who attended.

Merry Xmas everyone!

Congrats to Instructor Barry.

Barry graded in Melbourne today to Graduate Level 2. You would have seen him training regularly in class for this grading these past months.

It was a bit tricky for us as I have been training the SDT instructors on the new G curriculum for the past 12 months. This grading was based on the old G curriculum - the last one.

So we had to remind ourselves of the old techniques. Now we can switch back.

Well done Barry!

Perspective (No disturbing scenes - just noisy on the front line)

Surrounded by the trappings of modern life it's easy to lose perspective on what is important to you. If life by chance places you in the more extreme circumstances it can offer, those circumstances usually strip away the noise that passes for 'modern living' and makes it plain for you to realise what is important as well as appreciating life itself.

Seek to take time away from that modern life noise to realise this for yourself - hopefully not in such an extreme situation. Have been to the extremes myself which is why this caught my eye and so am able to better appreciate its message.

“Life is amazing!” An inspirational message of a soldier from the front line #warinukraine #shorts 📹: Roman Trokhymets via TikTok

Ancient History

Doing some cleaning up and found this old gem which I acquired at a church fete some 55+ years ago. The book is 116 years old!

And the photo of the 1969 SA State Judo squad was inside. I was also in the State Squad in the previous year. The Nationals were one month away where I pulled up third with injury after being on my way to becoming National champion. Such is life.

Comps were brutal. Apart from aches and bruises I vividly recall have burn blisters generally over the arms and legs as the traditional tatami straw mats we fought on were one grade softer than cement (it seemed).

These had hard ribbing across the surface which resulted in friction burns when the fight went to the ground (mats) - referred to as Ne Waza in Japanese. It was my area of strength.

After a competition the blisters made jumping into a hot bath to ease the muscle pain torture. Judo is a brutal sport with a high injury rate.

Our Head Instructor - Eyal Yanilov

Speaking to a few of you these past two weeks I was reminded that many of you have not seen our Head Instructor, Eyal Yanilov who is based in Kadima Israel (north of Tel Aviv).

It was intended that he would come to our school on his Australian visit last year but that didn't eventuate.

This is a photo I took last weekend when I had a catchup with him via Zoom to discuss the new KMG 2.0 curriculum. He was in Germany at the time giving an update to German instructors and students.

Happy Easter to SDT'ers from the USA

Am in Seattle then Yakima in the Rockies visiting family (daughters and grandkids). Easter is not as big here and certainly not a universal holiday across the country. Halloween is bigger.

Enjoy the break.

This was the beginning..

Cleaning up files on my PC and came across old training photos. I started in Judo way back in 1966. It’s not for everyone as it was quite brutal, and injuries were common.

The photo is of the 1968 SA Judo Squad and I always pose the question which one is me in the top row. The gentlemen with the moustache top right was Hans Hol, our Dutch instructor whose whole family was trained at the Kodokan (Judo HQ) in Japan.

To move up the grades in Judo we had to compete and to make the squad you had to place first or second in the state titles. I placed second in 1968 and was state champion in 1969 and so competed in the Nationals which happened to be in Adelaide that same year.

I was on my way to becoming Australian Champion, having beat the other state champions but was injured fighting someone who placed second from another state. But I still placed third on the Nationals. Bad injury. One week in hospital and three operations and that was the end of my budding Judo career.

Outdoor Striking Training

An extra weekend session at nearby Veale Gardens. Sole focus was on stance, footwork and adjustments required when striking on uneven, slippery (under a large pine tree with pine needles and cones everywhere) or on a slope, facing in any direction (uphill or downhill).

Not as simple as it seems was my point. That is, unless you have the skill of convincing your attacker to stop and move several metres away onto a flat ground surface because that is all you have trained on.

On that note. it was a favourite tactic of the great samurai Musashi to draw his opponents onto unfavorable ground in his many duels to the death.

KMG2.0 Instructor Update at SDT

Today's training with the KMG relatives (instructors) was a blast, ending with drinks at a nearby pub. Working security was one of my old students who had preliminary fights in the UFC.

Training at the back of SDT seemed real to patrons at the brewery restaurant across the road. They had their phones out filming us. I intended it to be a bit full-on. And we, unfortunately, scared off a young family who had parked their car right where we were training. They pretended their car was the next street over...it wasn't.

Some of the clothing being worn didn't survive though. :)

We had instructors over from Perth, Darwin, Canberra and Sydney.

Well the KMG relatives have arrived at SDT. Some of them blend in really well.