My resignation letter to the Mataw Guro Association

Earlier today I sent the following letter to the Mataw Guro Association, tendering my resignation from that organization.  As the long time followers of this blog know I was a charter member of the 10 Mataw Guro inductees in 2010.  I was quite proud and pleased to be recognized as a teacher of the FMA.  I believed that the subsequent organization would be a viable umbrella group that stressed the basics of FMA and prepared new students to the FMA with a strong foundation that they could take into any specific system/style as they continued their studies.  That was the promise made at the first MGA Gathering and organizational meeting.  That promise has not been kept and I have decided to sever my relationship with the organization. My letter follows:

An Open Letter to ALL MGA Members

Please be advised that I WILL NOT be attending the 2013 MGA Gathering.
Several things have led me to this decision:

1. My understanding of what the MGA was supposed to be and what it has morphed
into between 2010 and 2013 are very far apart philosophically.

2.  My critique of MGA policies have gone unanswered.  My expectation was that as
equals within the organization that ideas would be exchanged and debated.  When that
does not happen, there is little to no opportunity for growth and development either as
individuals or as a collective group.

3.  There is a persistent and pervasive undercurrent of ethnocentric xenophobic behavior
within the leadership ranks of the MGA which I simply can not understand and will not be
a party to for any reason.

4.  The MGA Board of Directors is totally non-functional.  The BoD members have refused
to meet and discuss policies and other matters related to the business of the MGA.  I hereby
formally resign my position as a member of that board, effective today, July 12, 2013 at 5pm,
EDST.

5.  I am also tendering my resignation from the MG Association, effective today, July 12, 2013,
effective at 5pm EDST, so that PMG Lou Lledo will have time to name a person to serve out the
remainder of my 2 year appointment as a member of the BoD.

I shall not be using the MG designation after 5 pm EDST today and any communications that any
member of the MGA might wish to have with me should use the title "Dr."  or "Professor" since
both are earned titles and not associated with the MGA in any manner.  I will retain the "MG"
as part of my professional resume since it was awarded prior to the formal organizational structure
of the MGA.

Good bye to all.

Respectfully,

Dr. Jerome Barber,
Grand Master, Datu, Principal Teacher,
INDEPENDENT Escrima-Kenpo-Arnis Associates

Professor Park and the Gathering of Eagles

Author	Michael D. Park
E-mail	michael.d.park@verizon.net
URL	http://www.KempoKarateofPlano.com
Comment	I met and trained with Dr. Barber at the Gathering of Eagles / Kenpo Hall of Fame. I found him to be an honest representative of authentic technique and one of the few that impressed me with a solid tactical understanding and complimentary philosophy. He is a humble, effective and accomplished teacher of martial-arts. ----------------------------------------------------------- I just met Professor Park at the 2013 Gathering of Eagles in Chicago, last weekend, through a mutual friend Master John Bain.  We were able to attend one another's seminars, which ran 90 minutes each and it gave us an opportunity to compare notes and ideas about personal self-defense tactics and techniques.  All three of us share a Kenpo/Kempo background, but have introduced elements from several other styles within our presentations. Professor Park and Master Bain are "old school" trained and their ideas and philosophies are quite similar to my own.  For instance, in training our students, the student is shown the technique, run through several repetitions and then given an opportunity to practice against new partners, critiqued and only then allowed to ask questions.  Then we explain  the details and give a possible variation if necessary.  We expect our students to execute the techniques correctly in practice and "short-cutting" is not an option available to our students because we know that under the stress of an actual street confrontation our students will not be able to perform the technique at 100% efficiency, therefore getting it right in practice means the student has an 85 to 90%  chance of making the techniques work in the street, where it will count the most and there are no 'do-overs'. I want to thank Professor Park for his kind words and I am looking forward to working with him again in the near future. Sincerely, Jerome Barber, Ed. D.

Master Teacher: An Expository Essay in Leadership

            It is my belief that a Master Teacher is someone who knows, understands and is very dedicated to the art and science of teaching.  A Master Teacher goes well beyond simply presenting information or training regimes to his/her students. Transmitting information or transferring knowledge is an important and necessary activity that must  happen with every new generation whether it is in a formal educational setting, an apprenticeship program, a job training program or martial arts academy.  There are some subtle yet significant differences between a trainer, a coach and a teacher.  The main difference is that a teacher educates his/her students for both the current moment and a future time which neither can fully anticipate or predict.  Trainers and coaches are usually concerned with preparing their people for the immediate short term successes of the times, here and now, without any real concerns about the long term future.  The Master Teacher educates his/her students by giving them both the physical and intellectual tools that they will need to make their own informed decisions about what directions to take in life.

            The life lessons that a Master Teacher provides to his/her students are not always obvious nor immediately understood by the students.  These lessons are realized and utilized later in life and in ways that neither the student nor the Master Teacher could have fully anticipated in advance.  One of the most important components of these life lessons centers on making the students independent from the tyranny of conformity and seeking the lowest common denominator as an acceptable standard of social existence.

            Those students who have learned to think for themselves, ask critical questions and research the possibilities and alternatives for themselves.  They will usually find alternatives to the standardized, generally accepted societal answers that give so much comfort to those people who are willing to accept the opinions of the so-called ‘experts’.  Those simplistic, canned, oft-recited statements that serve as the correct answers to our social and political problems are actually mental, social, intellectual and emotional blindness.  This type of socio-emotional blindness allows the emotionally insecure to escape taking responsibility for their own behaviors and ideas. 

We can see it so clearly in the martial arts when students cite the opinions of their instructors as hard and fast facts, beyond any need for questioning.  We can see it in instructors who refuse to get involved in calling into question the moral or ethical shortcomings of other instructors, because they do not want to get involved!  They were the people, who as students, followed the party-line and faithfully quoted their own instructors, word for word, idea after idea, until they were given their black belts.  We can see it in so-called martial artists who will jump from system to system and instructor to instructor until they find someone who promote them based on how much money they were willing to pay for those promotions.

             Master Teachers are the bane of every dictatorial minded person and their emotionally weak true believers in public as well as private life.  We can find those dictatorial personalities in every area of human activity including the martial arts. The Master Teachers are there as well and they offer a viable alternative to this conformist malady.

            Teaching is both an art and a science.  It is a learnable craft and there are formal institutions established for the express purpose training people in the art and science of teaching.  In the USA, we have teacher education colleges as well as teacher education programs in some larger colleges and universities.  There is no such equivalent in the martial arts systems as they are taught in the USA.  In fact most current martial arts instructors in the USA have never had a formal instructional training program made available to them.  For most martial arts school owners-operators they opened their schools with little to no formal training in the art of teaching.  They are engaged in on-the-job-training with their paying customers as their students.  It is very difficult for these instructors – owners – operators to move beyond being someone who coaches or instructs martial art students to the status of Master Teacher.  Set all the titles aside and simply look at what these coach-instructors are actually doing.  They are providing guidance and instruction in acquisition of physical movements and skills.  Punching, kicking, rolling, tumbling, grappling and weapons manipulations are physical skills or exercises for the body.  Beyond the cultural courtesies of bowing, training barefooted, learning some words and expressions, counting in another language, what life lessons are being taught by most martial arts coaches/instructors? 

This does not mean that all these coach-instructors are not skilled teaching professionals.  A good number of them are accomplished trainers with students who have earned many awards and lots of well-deserved accolades.  The problem is that these coach-instructors are focused almost exclusively on the development of physical skills in their students.

            Most of the coach-instructors teach what they were taught and in the very same manner in which they were taught.  They do not know how to develop a curriculum or lesson plan.  The do not have instructional alternatives for their students – they use a “one size fits all” approach and if a student is not successful within the confines of their program it is the student’s fault – the student is ‘defective’, has a ‘flaw’, lacks ‘heart’ or is not motivated for success within ‘our championship black belt dojo program’.  Coach- instructors are primarily technicians who are focused on physical skills development.  They are not well versed in character development nor have they mastered the critical principles of teaching and learning beyond the physical realm.

            Coach-instructors are generally at the center of attention while their student- trainees are interchangeable, disposable and continually replaced.  After all is said and done, the “magic” of success resides with the coach-instructor, not the student-trainee who went on the floor and performed in the competition with student-trainees of other coach-instructors.  The student-trainees will come and go while the coach-instructor will remain in place over a long period of time.  In the end it is all about the coach-instructor and what they were able to accomplish with their student-trainees in competitions.  Within the martial arts world there are a large number of coach-instructors who establish the training regimes and schemes that their student-trainees followed in the quest for championship medals and recognition.  We have to recognize and appreciate that it is the coach-instructors who have pushed their student-trainees through the physical training programs that focused on winning at the tournaments.  Their teaching methods were centered on providing the correct mechanical and technical skills development needed to win medals, but they did not intentionally work on helping their student-trainees to understand how those skills could be blended into other aspects of lives in society.

            Master Teachers are skilled people help their students to move beyond the mechanical and physical skills development.  They use the lessons taught in the present to prepare their students for future situations both inside and outside of the martial arts.  Master Teachers understand that they are involved in a ‘performance art’ which can be improved on and further perfected through practice and experience.  They are inclined to critically evaluate their own performances as teachers just as they will evaluate the accomplishments of their students.  Master Teachers demonstrate the importance of continual learning and the lifelong pursuit of knowledge through their active behavior on a daily basis.  They lead by example while clearly demonstrating to their students that they know, understand and live the maxim:

                  “Proper prior preparation prevents piss poor performances.” 

            Master Teachers place their emphasis on the intellectual, emotional, and physical development of their students.  They are not seeking the limelight; they do not need to be viewed as legends in their own time.  They understand that success is only possible if one has also failed from time to time and learned from those experiences.  As with coach- instructors, the students of Master Teachers come and go over time, the major difference is that Master Teachers encourage their students to learn the lessons well, and then move on, continuing to learn as they grow.  The Master Teacher is an educator, even if they are not working in a formal educational institution.  They bring out the very best in their students and prepare them for life in the future. 

            As a student I had the benefit of learning from and being under the guidance of a number of people whom I consider to be Master Teachers.  They were people who in some cases I sought out and in other cases I was assigned to them by some means without any input from myself.  I want to acknowledge and thank, Mrs. Whetstone, Mr. Harry Whitesides, Dr. Harry Randles, Dr. Sidney Willhelm, Sifu Don Zanghi, GM Tom Bolden, Ama Guro Billy Bryant, Gat Puno Abundio Baet, PG Eddie Lastra and MG Roberto Torres.

            Master teachers are leaders.  They lead by example and inspire others to accept the challenges of studying, learning and teaching.  They were teaching role models who presented learning as a lifelong pursuit and sharing as an ethereal gift to those who are able to accept it.  They are educators in mind and spirit who share a common bond even when they have never met or talk with one another because the gift of knowledge that they gave lives on through their students as well as their student’s students.

            No one can legitimately claim to be a Master Teacher.  It is not a title that one can confer on himself or herself.  The title is earned over time and comes from the accomplishments of your students as seen and understood by people totally outside of your sphere of influence.  A number of people have tried to claim the title, but they never accepted the responsibilities that always come with the designation, Master Teacher.  We all know a true Master Teacher when we meet him/her.  They never have to tell anyone that they are Master Teachers and they will not use that title to describe themselves.

Jerome Barber, Ed. D.,  
Grand Master and  Principal Teacher, 
Independent Escrima-Kenpo -Arnis Associates, 
Hamburg, New York.
 April 12, 2013

White Collar vs. Blue Collar Instruction in the FMA

I read this reply by the author listed below on <myfma.net> and as I read through the whole post and comments sections I was amazed that there is a FMA instructor who uses the white collar approach to teaching FMA!

Just going through the motions?  Whoa!  Gotta take some time to really think about this one, but at the same time I couldn't just close out the site and walk away.

Edward Talib on April 30, 2013 at 12:50pm

By White collar I mean, a laid by back approach, just going through the motions with little to no resistance. By Blue I meant working against a moderate level somewhat of resistance. I hope that helps clarify.

Modern Arnis HoF - A Honor and an Oversight

On March 22, 2013, there was an announcement of the martialtalk.com Modern Arnis forum:

Remy Presas Memorial Training Camp & Black Belt Hall of Fame - Philadelphia 2013

I wanted to announce that John Bryant, recently deceased, is going to be posthumously inducted into the BB Hall of Fame this summer in Philadelphia. This is a wonderful way to honor him. He founded the first Modern Arnis school in the United States and was the first instructor of Tim Hartman.

Yours,
Dan Anderson 

 

I find that announcement to be a bit curious because John Bryant had not been involved in training or instructing in Modern Arnis or any other martial arts since about 1988 until his death a few weeks earlier in 2013.  There are a number of other people who I think would have been better choices for induction because they have been continuously active in Modern Arnis for at least 2 decades and taken a number of their students to Lakan Isa / 1st degree black belt and higher.

 

Awarding John with a posthumous induction is a wonderful gesture and I won't argue against it for 2 reasons, 1. John was a friend and classmate of mine at Fight Back Institute in Buffalo and 2. one should never speak ill of the deceased.  From my perspective, John's teacher, Sifu Don Zanghi should be inducted into the MA Hall of Fame.  It was Sifu Don who brought Professor Presas to Buffalo, it was Sifu Don who was the first certified Modern Arnis Instructor in the Buffalo area, it was Sifu Don who attended the 2 week long Modern Arnis training camps, then the week long camps before they devolved into weekend events.  Without Sifu Don Zanghi, Professor Remy Presas would not have gotten to Buffalo in 1980, 5 years before John Bryant opened his "Filipino Karate Academy", after leaving FBI before he had earned his black belt in either Tracy Kenpo or Modern Arnis.

 

If Sifu Don Zanghi had not worked closely with Professor Remy Presas, it is possible that the following people in the Buffalo area might never have become involved in or gave instruction in Modern Arnis, Guro David Battaglia, Master Bill Adams, Master Ernie Delts, Sensei Dan Carr, Sensei Gary Castanza, Lakan John Bryant, Lakan Jeff Rech, Lakan Tim Unger, Lakan John Bryant, Dayang Tammy Wilson, Lakan David Smith, Datu tim hartman, Master Tim Kashino, Master Richard Curren, Master Paul Martin, Master Keith Roosa, Lakan Tom Verga, Lakan James "Buddy" Antonio, and myself.  All of the aforementioned people were associated with Sifu Don, either directly as students or indirectly as people who trained with him and Professor from time to time in the Modern Arnis system.

 

It is an incredible irony that the man who founded the first and arguably the most productive Modern Arnis program in the Western New York region, including Buffalo and Niagara Falls would be overlooked in favor of a student of his, whose school was only open for 3 to 4 years and who produced only two black belt students, Dayang Wilson and Lakan Smith.

 

Others may have a different opinion but when all of the facts are considered, I believe that Sifu Don Zanghi should be recognized by the selectors at the Modern Arnis Hall of Fame on the basis of fairness and documented achievements in terms of promoting and promulgating the growth of Modern Arnis during the first 15 years of Professor Presas' 25 year teaching career in the USA. 

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Jerome Barber, Ed. D.

Grand Master, Datu & Principal Teacher,

Independent Escrima-Kenpo-Arnis Associates

       

4th Annual Mataw Guro Association Gathering

 

Hello to Everyone,

I just received the following information from Sifu Dale Yeager,
regarding the Mataw Guro Association Gathering that he will host on July
17 & 28, 2013 just outside of Philadelphia, in Phoenix, PA.

Sifu Yeager has changed the date for Gathering from June to July and
wanted to update everyone about the change. Below you will find all of
the pertinant information regarding the Gathering. It will be hard to
beat the price quoted for this event and the there are some highly
skilled and talented people who will be attending the gathering.

Sincerely,

Jerome Barber, Ed. D.
-----------------------

From: Dale Yeager <daleyeager@live.com
Subject: MGA Gathering Offical Date 2013

PLEASE READ AND FORWARD to OTHERS:

4TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL MATAW-GURO GATHERING 2013

LOCATION: KUNTAO Martial Arts Club

400 Franklin Ave Suite 115, Phoenixville, PA 19460
www.kuntaomac.com

[We are 45 minutes from the Philadelphia airport, and approx. 2 hours
from NYC or Washington DC.]

TRANSPORTATION:
•Preferred airport Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
Transportation from the PHL Airport
•AAA Airport One Direct, (215) 677-3544 http://www.aairport1.com/
•GO Airport Shuttle Service
http://goairportshuttle.com/philadelphia_airport_shuttle#

HOTELS:
French Creek Inn, 2 Ridge Road, Phoenixville, PA 19460
(610) 935-3838 http://www.frenchcreekinn.net/

Courtyard Philadelphia Valley Forge/Collegeville, 600 Campus Drive,
Collegeville, PA 19426
(800) 321-2211
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/PHLVG-Courtyard-Philadelphia-Valley-Forge-Collegeville

Additional hotels are available in King of Prussia, PA which is 15
minutes away for the location.
-------------------------------------------------------------

DATE: JULY 27-28
FEES: $50 per person donation for MGA members.
Non-members $75 per person donation.

Host: Dale Yeager, CEO,
daleyeager@live.com
SERAPH; DIRECT: 866-468-7962 ext 801
SKYPE: seraphdaleyeager
Facsimile: 702-995-8251

John Bryant, Arnis Senior and Friend, Lost but Remembered

I have just read the following news post on another forum:

John Bryant, R.I.P.

 

John Bryant passed away today at 1:00 pm. I have been in communication with John over the last 3-4 years and did know about his condition for some time. He had colon cancer. He was nothing but a role model for anyone undergoing cancer, unflappingly upbeat and positive throughout.

For those of you who didn't know John, he was one of the pioneers of Modern Arnis in the Buffalo area. I believe he first met Remy Presas while being a student of Donald Zangi (a classmate of Jerome barber and a number of others). Two points of historical value:
1. John founded the first Modern Arnis only school, definitely in Buffalo but I think the entire United States and
2. He was Tim Hartman's first instructor. I met Tim at John's school while Tim was a brown belt.

John and I reconnected roughly 5 years ago and we relived old times with RP and Modern Arnis. He was interested in the development of the art while no longer practicing it in present time.

John, thanks for your friendship and contribution to the art. I do not mourn your passing but instead feel honored to be your friend and confidant.

Rest well, warrior.

Yours,
Dan Anderson

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Instructor John Bryant was a friend and classmate of mine who left the Buffalo area around 1986, never to return, even for a brief visit with family and friends who remained behind in our fair "City of Good Neighbors".  As mentioned in the post above, did own and operate the only dedicated Modern Arnis school in the Buffalo NY area for a number of years, 1984 - 1987.  He broke with our instructor Sifu Don Zanghi in 1984 to open his "Filipino Karate Academy" with some help and encouragement from Professor Remy Presas, the GM of Modern Arnis.

 

There was thereafter some bad blood between Sifu Zanghi, who was the person who brought the art to the Western New York Area and served as the first Modern Arnis Representative in Buffalo, and

John Bryant, who had actually attained only brown belt under Sifu Zanghi at the time he broke off  to open his own school.  Sifu Zanghi had produced several black belt students by that time, notably Guro David Battaglia and Craig Petricolla.  To John's credit he subsequently produced 3 black belt students, David Smith, Dr. Jorden Yee and the first NYS female black belt holder, Ms. Tammy Wilson.

 

John and I remained friends throughout the years before he left Buffalo and I regret that he chose to cut himself off from the people in Buffalo who were his friends and associates prior to moving to Arizonia and becoming a dedicated member of the Church of Sceintology.  Even though I would disagree with Dan about the use of the term "warrior", I would never begrudge credit that he is due for opening the first dedicated Modern Arnis instructional program in the WNY area and producing the first female Arnis black belt student in NYS.  Those are his achievments that should be recognized and celebrated .  He also inspired the creation of the Modern Arnis "H Pattern" anyo that was used to teach students how to transition through the system stances and avoid being trapped in a single spot while sparring.  I still use the "H Pattern from time to time when I have a student who seems unable to transition smoothly when sparring or defending against multiple opponents in our empty hand drills. 

 

I want to thank Dan Anderson for sharing the news with us regarding John Bryant's passing... he will be missed.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jerome Barber, Ed. D.

Independent Escrima-Kenpo-Arnis Associates

Martial Arts Sympoium - Manchester, NH

I want to announce that my good friend Terry Dow will be hosting a martial arts symposium and team fighting match next month in Manchester, NH.  The details are below:

MARTIAL ARTS SYMPOSIUM
March 9 and 10, 2013, Manchester, NH
Featuring:
“Superfoot” Bill Wallace, Soke Michael DePasquale, Hanshi Bruce Juchnik, Shihan Walt Lysak, Kyoshi Brent Crisic, Renshi Jeff Driscoll, Guro Carlito Bonjoc, Master Danny Dring, Guru Bernard Langan, Master Jesse D’Wire

Contact: Terry Dow  -  email:  Terry@TTSNH.com
The Training Station - Terry Dow's Academy of Martial Arts
200 Elm St  (Big White Building next to Dunkin Donuts)
Manchester, NH 03101
(603) 591-6546

2 Full Days of Training - March 9th-10th
Training Hours: Sat 9:00am-4:00pm, Sun 9:00am-3:00pm
$189 Full Weekend of Training
$55 Banquet with Team vs. Team Fights,

HYBRID FIGHTING TOURNAMENT:
Sun 12:00 noon presented by Terry Dow
Event to be held in the Armory Room at the Radisson
700 Elm St. Manchester NH
$30 symposium participants, $45 non participant’s $20 spectators

Room blocks available for the symposium
Sign up with a chartered school or contact Terry Dow, 603 591 6546; check out our facebook page!

Gateway To The West Martial Arts Seminar Benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project

GM Tom Bolden Interview