Lee Wedlake’s Karate Newsletter January 2013
What’s here? Recommended read, website updates, Ed Parker video, PKS and tai chi
Happy New Year to you all!
Did You Miss This?
I recently uploaded a seminar clip of Mr. Parker teaching zone theory at a seminar in the Chicago area in 1984. It’s in black and white, not great quality due to the technology available back then but it’s full of information. I have many hours of him teaching at my school and I will be feeding more clips to the site as time goes by.
More of my instructional videos will online soon at kenpotv.com. The trial membership is only $1 for a week and if you opt for the full access membership, that’s $45/month, cancel anytime. I’ve gotten lots of great feedback on the site and there are programs for beginners as well as experienced practitioners.
“To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.” – General George Washington
January Article is Up
I have posted the monthly article for Premium Subscribers. It’s entitled Random Inaccuracies and pertains to some things you may have been told over time that “just ain’t so”. An excerpt for each month’s article is always on my blog at www.leewedlake.blogspot.com.
Recommended Reading
Extreme Fear by Jeff Wells is a great read and I think it’s another “must” for us. There have been so many advances in neuroscience that tell us how our brains works that we now have evidence that what we were taught is valid. Not that we needed the “proof” but it’s nice to have, it suits the Western mind. One aspect he writes about is the necessity of overlearning a skill to improve survival probability. This is just what Mr. Parker taught us when he said “I want you to be over-skilled”. It’s an easy read, and re-read.
“Act like a man of thought – Think like a man of action.” – Thomas Mann
Progressive Kenpo Systems
In 1997 during one the first Viking Camps in Sweden, Graham Lelliott, Gary Ellis, Ingmar Johansson and myself decided we would form a loose association. Gary Ellis suggested we call it Progressive Kenpo Systems since we were all bringing the system forward. There are PKS schools in the US, Europe and Australia. We are not to be confused with a group in Texas using the same name. They are downline of John Sepulveda and Mike Pick. A list of our PKS schools is on my website, kenpotv.com/leewedlake.
The Way of the Warrior
Tim Walker in Florida sent this link to me. It’s a 40 minute BBC production on Bushido and pretty well done. They make the distinction between Iai-do and Iai-jutsu. It’s also pointed out that in home life in Japan people still sit on the floor, something we don’t do, and that it makes sense their techniques begin from there. (This is why I don’t agree that we teach a kenpo technique from the seated, kneeling position.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feikUTzXGbM&feature=share
“The test of a good teacher is not how many questions he can ask his pupils that they will answer readily, but how many questions he inspires them to ask him which he finds it hard to answer.” – Anon
iPhone and iPad app
I’m told that an app called Puffin will allow you to watch my KenpoTV on those devices. Thanks to Ed Bilski in Chicago for passing that on.
Tai Chi
My senior student in England is Gary Ellis. Gary teaches both Yang tai chi as well as his kenpo classes. His website has monthly articles posted by both my tai chi teacher, Tom Baeli, and myself. You can see it at www.garyellistaichi.co.uk . Last month I wrote an article about working with a weapon.
Until next month,
Lee Wedlake