Entries Tagged 'DVD/VCDs' ↓
October 14th, 2008 — DVD/VCDs
Cane and Kubotan (DVD)
Grand Master Steve DeMasco
Shaolin Kenpo System
Type of cane: Crook-necked cane and Kubotan
Skill level: Beginner to Advanced
Available from: Century Vision (on www.centurymartialarts.com)
My initial thoughts:
As I really didn’t know anything about Grand Master DeMasco, I was not sure what to expect from this DVD. I am often hesitant when it comes to Kung Fu as I have very little experience with Chinese styles. I can tell you this – I was pleasantly surprised with the contents of this DVD. Almost everything in this presentation is very practical. Even though the DVD is only about 44 minutes long, there is plenty for the viewer to learn.
What you get:
The first 90 seconds of the video are introductory in nature. There are a few clips from other DVDs in this series, followed by a few words on why the cane and kubotan are practical weapons with which to train. This is a brief and basic introduction that is not too long, nor too short.
The cane techniques are presented first. They range from fairly simple, basic techniques to more complex techniques that approach the advanced level. Of 15 techniques, or variations, I only found two that I thought were a little unrealistic for most people. Those two may be possible for someone who has trained extensively, but are less likely to succeed for the novice. The remaining techniques appear to be very good and should be learnable by most able-bodied people. They appear as techniques that would be useful in actual self-defense situations. You get techniques to use against various attacks ? single punch, two punch combination, front two-hand grab, two-hand grab from behind, headlock, rear choke, and a grab from the side. These techniques are pretty intuitive, have very good economy of motion and can be executed from either side of the body by reversing the attack. More so than any other cane DVD I have seen, DeMasco gives tips and tidbits with just about every technique. He explains distancing, body positioning, body dynamics, posturing, as well as how to train the more dangerous techniques with care and some of the results that certain strikes can have on the attacker.
After the cane techniques, DeMasco presents 6 or 7 kubotan techniques. These techniques are not complicated, but they are very good. You’ll find defenses for punching attacks, front two-hand choke, headlock, and defending from a seated position. Excellent material here and it is well presented. Could there be more? Of course. However, there is no waste in this section. Here, DeMasco explains the lethal potential of one of the techniques demonstrated, as well as giving tips on body position, posture, locking the spine and general comments about the legal concerns related to use of force in self-defense.
My concerns:
This DVD does not really do much to teach strikes, blocks, or stances. That said, most of the techniques are not very complicated and most viewers with a basic foundation in the martial arts should be able to figure these techniques out and make them work in real life. So, this is not a huge concern, but something the potential buyer should be aware of. That is pretty much the only concern I have for this very good DVD.
Overall:
The material on this DVD is excellent. Even still, I do not consider this DVD to contain a comprehensive picture of how to use the cane for self-defense (it is probably not possible to put a comprehensive picture on one DVD). The material covers both techniques and principles, giving the viewer plenty to learn both physically and conceptually. If someone were to master this material, he or she should be capable of defending himself or herself with the cane. I think this DVD should be useful for almost any able-bodied viewer, even a complete novice should be able to learn a great deal from this DVD. If you have already trained in some style of martial arts, you should have no trouble learning a lot from this DVD. So, if you?re interested in a handful of good cane and kubotan techniques, you should find them here.
And, in the $30 range, it is well worth the asking price.
I would like to thank David Doyle for loaning me his copy of this DVD for review purposes.
Respectfully submitted,
Stan Meador
3rd Degree Black Belt – Shotokan Karate
1st Degree Black Belt – Aikijitsu
October 14, 2008
Novo Hamburgo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Copyright 2008 by Donald Stanley Meador
June 17th, 2008 — DVD/VCDs
Cane for Self Defense (DVD)
Master Gordon Oster
Tai Karate (7th Degree Black Belt)
Type of cane: Crook-necked cane
Skill level: Intermediate to Advanced
Available from: Turtle Press (www.turtlepress.com)
My initial thoughts:
When I learned that Master Oster was a 7th degree black belt in Tai Karate, my expectations for this DVD actually increased. Tai Karate was founded by David German who trained in Kenpo under Ed Parker, as well as other styles (both Japanese and Chinese). That makes for quite a lineage. I balanced this with thoughts I had after seeing the promotional clip on the Turtle Press web site. The promo clip showed a few things that raised concerns in my mind, from a cane self defense point of view. The DVD is about 81 minutes long. The quality of the production is high. The material is filmed indoors in a nice looking training hall or dojo.
What you get:
Master Oster begins the instruction with a basic overview of why the cane is a good weapon choice, some basic explanations about the anatomy of the cane showing some demonstration of how these are used in self defense, and his preferences for cane selection. He then demonstrates the power that can be generated with the cane.
After this, Oster teaches his preferred stance for cane fighting. He then shows a few stances that will come naturally to those with previous martial arts training. Movement from stance to stance is also demonstrated. He sees timing and distance as being the key to control in cane self defense.
There is some instruction on effective targets on the human body that can be struck with the cane. Most of these will not surprise the viewer. And, they are good target choices.
Before teaching techniques with the cane, Oster gives us some instruction on warm-ups and stretching. These are vital to progression in martial ability and general wellness.
There is a brief clip of some simultaneous two cane twirling that he calls the ?Broken Rhythm Drill.? Oster explains that this is a difficult exercise that is a good work out. He warns that it is easy to hit oneself in the head while doing it. But, he doesn?t explain how one would go about learning this drill.
Cane kata 1 is then demonstrated. He performs the kata fairly slowly and after each move the application is shown. Much of this is explained in first person. However, the viewer cannot see all of the footwork, which makes it difficult to learn the kata. After this demonstration, the form is shown from the front and from the back. In these two views, one can see his feet, but there is no explanation of the movements at this point. It would take a lot of effort to learn this cane kata from this DVD instruction.
About 30 minutes into the training, we receive instruction in Self Defense techniques. These are divided into three categories: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced. In all, there are 37 techniques for self-defense with the cane. The DVD concludes with these techniques.
Basic Self Defense techniques with the cane. There are 10 techniques in this section. Of these, one explains the stance and shows various strikes from it, five show blocks with a few follow-ups from blocking, and four are basic strikes.
Intermediate Self Defense techniques with the cane. There are 17 techniques in this section. Many types of attacks are defended against in this section (front chokes, rear choke, wrist grabs, punches, kicks, headlocks, a knife slash and a cane grab). I like most of these techniques and think that many of them would be fairly useful in a real situation. I do feel the techniques would be better explained if Oster discussed the possible secondary attacks that one can expect from an attacker using these attacks and explaining how the technique takes these into account.
Advanced Self Defense techniques with the cane. There are 10 techniques in this section and they are each named (similar to a kenpo approach to naming individual techniques). In this section, Oster does mention some of the secondary attack possibilities of the attacker. I think these techniques are, overall, pretty good too. In some of these techniques, Oster addresses certain points in the technique at which one could alter the response, or even end the response. I thought some of these were actually the better direction to go with the technique. They probably are not combinations that I would put together, but that fact alone does not make them of any less value. I believe that most of the techniques presented are viable. There are a couple of trapping moves with the cane in this section and Oster introduces the ?stop hit? with the cane here.
In addition to the techniques present, the various elements of the techniques are very good. In this case, it may be that the sum of the parts is more than the whole. By this I mean that one can pull out the various elements of the techniques and train them outside the combinations as well as inside the combinations. There is a lot of good training material in these techniques for one who is willing to put forth the effort to learn it.
My concerns:
I think my biggest concern is that there is a lot of material on this DVD which is shown but not actually taught. The Broken Rhythm Drill and the kata are both shown, but I don?t get the impression that they were meant to actually be learned from the DVD. The effort just isn?t there to explain them sufficiently. I didn?t time them, but that may be 15 of the 80 minutes of the DVD.
Another concern is that some of the targets are said to be sufficient ?to drop the attacker,? but yet the actual severity of the potential damage/injury to the attacker is not addressed. Some of these techniques strike targets that a pretty dangerous to strike. For example: how much damage, even permanent damage, will result from dropping the attacker with a thrust to his throat. And, what potential legal ramifications come for such a defense? This depends on the level of threat of the attacker, but such was not stated. A little information in this regard would have been helpful.
Oster believes one of the keys to effective self defense with the cane is timing and distance. Several of the techniques position the defender in a range where the cane strike is with the middle of the shaft, rather than closer to the end of the cane. Striking with the shaft of the cane does not confer as much force to the target as would be conferred by striking closer to the tip. It is a matter of physics. I know that in reality we may not be able to strike with the optimal part of the cane, but training for proper distance will aid us in the time of need. We will do in reality what we practice in the training hall.
The cane kata has one part that really concerns me. There is a forward roll toward an opponent that is attacking with a cane/short stick. The technique demonstrates a response to an attack that the defender cannot know with certainty is coming. In the middle of the roll the attacker will determine his attack and the defender cannot read this during the roll. In the same technique, the defense shown is not sufficient to defeat the attacker and the defender must back roll away and deal with another attacker coming out of the back roll. It is just not wise to intentionally go to the ground against multiple weapon wielding attackers. And, kata training should always teach techniques and strategies that leave the defender in the position of advantage over the attacker. Anything else is training to put oneself in the position of disadvantage to a person who wants to harm us physically. This is just not wise.
Overall:
I wanted to like this DVD more than I do. I do like the techniques demonstrated in the self defense section. I believe they are viable and valuable for training and for self defense. And, there are some approaches that I had not considered before. Very stimulating, this self defense section. I don?t care for the cane kata for the above mentioned reasons. In the end, there is a lot of material on this DVD that I don?t find very useful. I don?t like to give negative reviews, but I also want the potential customer to be aware of what they?re paying for. If you are looking for some good self defense techniques with the cane you?ll find some here, but that is only about 50 of the 80 minutes on this DVD.
And, in the $25-30 range, I think a beginner can spend his or her money on more basic material that will serve him or her well. An intermediate to advanced level cane fighter might find use in the self defense techniques. For most people who don?t have aspirations to train with Master Oster personally, one?s money can probably be better spent elsewhere. If you do train with Master Oster, you will probably enjoy this DVD and can seek his instruction where it is not clearly given on this DVD.
I would like to thank David Doyle for loaning me his copy of this DVD for review purposes.
Respectfully submitted,
Stan Meador
3rd Degree Black Belt ? Shotokan Karate
1st Degree Black Belt – Aikijitsu
May 17, 2008
Novo Hamburgo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Copyright 2008 by Donald Stanley Meador
August 25th, 2007 — DVD/VCDs
Hanbo and Sword Cane (VHS/DVD)
Grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi
Type of cane: Straight Cane (Hanbo) and Sword Cane
Skill level: Intermediate to Advanced
Available from: Bujinkan Dojo (on www.ninjutsu.com)
My initial thoughts:
I like this DVD. This material was filmed around 1990, so we get to see Hatsumi performing when he was around 50 years old. He is definitely skilled with the hanbo and sword cane and the English subtitles explain the material he presents pretty well. The original VHS of this material was about 30 minutes. On DVD it has been combined with another set of material that was also originally on VHS and is said to have added footage. I am not reviewing the other set of material, only the material from the original VHS that is related to the hanbo and sword cane. The material is well filmed without a lot of high tech frills. You can clearly see the techniques and understand what is going on in them.
Continue reading →
August 23rd, 2007 — DVD/VCDs
Bian Gan – Walking Stick (VCD)
Song Xi Wu Dang Kung Fu
Type of staff: Bian Gan
Skill level: Beginner to Intermediate
Available from: Plum Publications (on www.plumpub.com) as a special order VCD
My initial thoughts:
I waited a while to get this VCD. I like the bian gan a lot and have several VCDs with forms using this weapon. For those who don’t know, the Chinese bian gan is roughly the equivalent of the Japanese jo. The bian gan in this VCD appears to be more of a hiking staff or walking staff, than a formal martial arts staff. I ordered this particular VCD because it has applications for most of the moves of the form. The VCD is about an hour long. The Song Xi sect of Wu Dang Kung Fu gives us an intermediate level form which has about 45 moves. Even if one does not want to learn the form, there are plenty of techniques and applications to keep one practicing for a long time. This is one of the few resources I know of that offers applications for using the bian gan. This is definitely a step up from seeing just a form with this weapon.
Continue reading →
June 15th, 2007 — DVD/VCDs
Hestitan – Key Chain (DVD)
Master Scott Rogers
Okinawan Kempo
Type of weapon: Hestitan Key Chain (could use a Kubotan too)
Skill level: Beginner
Available from: Century Vision (centuryvision.com)
My initial thoughts:
I like this DVD. Master Rogers knows pressure points and also has an ability to convey principles and knowledge well. The DVD is only 27 minutes long, at least the part that pertains to the Hestitan. In addition to being short, the DVD only covers 7-10 self defense techniques. That may seem to be a negative aspect of the DVD, but please read on. The DVD is professionally filmed and is of the highest quality.
June 15th, 2007 — DVD/VCDs
Walking Cane (Double VCD)
Four Gates Kung Fu
Type of cane: Fritz or Derby handle cane (upside down “L” or hammer head cane)
Skill level: Beginner to Intermediate
Available from: Plum Publications (on www.plumpub.com) as VCD # 838
My initial thoughts:
I like this set of VCDs. Each of these VCDs is slightly more than 50 minutes (about 105 minutes total). The Four Gates Kung Fu style gives us an extensive set of striking techniques. There is actually a cane form included here. Even if one does not want to learn the form, there are plenty of techniques and applications to keep one practicing for a very long time. I believe it will be difficult to find a more thorough treatment of striking and blocking with the cane.
June 11th, 2007 — DVD/VCDs
Walking Cane (DVD)
Guru George Santana
Diestro Escrima Systems
Type of cane: Crook-necked cane (slightly modified)
Skill level: Beginner to Intermediate
Available from: Kicks Video Productions (on www.eBay.com)
My initial thoughts:
I like this DVD. Guru Santana is definitely skilled with the walking cane and he explains the material he presents pretty well. The DVD is slightly less than 50 minutes, but he tells the viewer on several occasions that they can rewind the tape (DVD) if they missed the point. He wants to get as much information on the video as possible without wasting time repeating himself. This is to the customer?s benefit. The material is filmed outside and with apparently one camera. So, the lighting is not always perfect, but this never interferes with the viewer?s ability to see the cane in motion.
June 11th, 2007 — DVD/VCDs
Safe Escape Aikido vol. 2 (DVD)
Master Robert Liedke
Skill level: Intermediate to Advanced
Available from: Guinn Martial Arts (on www.guinnmartialarts.com)
My initial thoughts:
I was pleasantly surprised by this DVD. In an attempt to adapt aikido techniques for more realistic ?street? self-defense situations, Master Liedke developed Safe Escape Aikido. He is definitely a skilled and knowledgeable instructor. The DVD is 59 or 60 minutes long and has plenty to offer the viewer. The production quality is good and the details of the techniques are clearly shown.
