Jamie Seabrook - American Kenpo Karate

January 2012 Belt Promotions

2012-01-31T06:26:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the following students who were promoted to their new belt ranks at my school this month:

Michael R: Advanced White
Konrad M: Advanced White
Noelle M: Advanced White
Harrison F: Yellow
Mackenzie F: Yellow
Chloe G: Yellow
Tom G: Yellow
Ethan B: Orange
Maxim F: Advanced Orange
Joseph L: Purple
Michael L: Purple
Christofer L: Purple
Miles B: Purple

Great work all of you!!

Royce Gracie Seminar, London, Ontario

2012-01-27T08:09:00.001-08:00

Hi Everyone,

On May 5th, 2012, my good friend Simon Sherbourne is bringing UFC legend Royce Gracie to London, Ontario, at Wilfrid Jury Public School to conduct a seminar from 12-3 pm. I have had the opportunity of working with Royce before, and all I can say is that you are in for some of the best training in your life.

If you are interested in participating in this seminar, a money order in the amount of $165 Canadian can be made out to: Arts of Budo Inc.

The mailing address for the money order is:

M. L. Sherbourne C/O Arts of Budo Inc.
48 Northcrest Dr.
London, ON.
N5X 3V8

If you have any questions about the event, please contact Simon Sherbourne at:

wkkjf.budo@gmail.com

My 2011 Martial Arts Training Log

2012-01-01T05:09:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope all of you had a great holiday season and that 2012 brings you more blessings than you've ever experienced in your life.

To kick-start 2012, I am going to post my entire 2011 martial arts training log. For several years now, I have been trying to motivate my students to log everything that they practice on a daily basis. The advantage of doing so is that it motivates one to push their training to new heights, and to ensure that each person has not neglected certain aspects of his/her training routine. I know that at least a couple of my black belts have been logging their training routines for some time as well.

Here is my training log:

Days that I practiced martial arts: 339/365
Days that I taught martial arts: 211/365
Total number of classes that I taught: 576
Days that I sparred against a quality black belt: 63
Days that I worked on SPK Knife Drills – 35
Days that I worked on kickboxing pad drills: 52
Days of weight training: 91
Pushups – 3575
Sit-ups – 3655
Biking to and from work (22 km): 23.5
Yellow Belt Freestyle Techniques: 13
Orange Freestyle Techniques: 4
Blocking Set 1 – 121
Blocking Set 2 – 46
Kicking Set 1 – 61
Kicking Set 2 – 12
Finger Set 1 – 102
Finger Set 2 – 12
Coordination Set 1 – 43
Coordination Set 2 – 12
Striking Set 1 – 30
Striking Set 2 – 13
Stance Set 1 – 103
Stance Set 2 – 42
Two Man Set – 12
Staff Set – 13
Short Form 1 – 104
Short Form 2 – 134
Short Form 3 – 100
Long Form 1 – 55
Long Form 2 – 62
Long Form 3 - 26
Long Form 4 – 17
Long Form 5 – 12
Long Form 6 – 12
Long Form 7 – 12
Long Form 8 – 12
Random Kenpo Techniques (separate from techniques below)– 4657
10 Yellow Techniques – 12
12 Orange Techniques – 12
12 Purple Techniques – 12
16 Blue Techniques – 12
20 Green Techniques – 12
20 3rd Degree Brown Techniques – 12
20 2nd Degree Brown Techniques – 12
20 1st Degree Brown Techniques – 12
20 1st Degree Black Techniques – 12
Orange Belt technique extensions – 12
Purple Belt technique extensions – 12
Blue Belt technique extensions - 12
Green Belt technique extensions - 12
Brown Belt technique extensions (CKF curriculum)- 12
Anyo Isa – 12
Anyo Dalawa – 12
Anyo Tatlo – 12
Anyo Apat – 12
12 Basic Strikes – 39
12 Basic Defenses – 15
Tapi Tapi (block, check, counter, check counter): 9
Six-count drill - 16
Trapping Hands – 5
Figure eight – 4
Reverse Figure eight – 36
Single Sinawali – 4
Double Sinawali – 3
Reverse Sinawali - 1
Single Stick Sparring – 3
Redonda - 3
Tiger and Crane – 3
Book Set – 2
Cross Path 1 – 7
Long Fist 1 – 1
Long Fist 2 – 4
Roaring Tiger - 3
Breathing Law 1 - 10
Single Dragon Short Stick - 7
Double Dragon Short Stick – 2
Wandering Dragon Staff - 9
Orr Fai Do Fa – 35
Tonfa Set 1 (NBD) – 6
Tonfa Set 2 – 1
Bando Knife Form - 8

Morgan Seabrook: 2nd Degree Brown Belt Promotion

2011-12-26T05:42:00.001-08:00

This is a video of my daughter, Morgan, who was promoted to 2nd Degree Brown Belt in our children's system in American Kenpo on November 12, 2011. Thank you so much Vince Brock for making this video!!

I promoted Morgan after a 3-hour kickboxing seminar that I taught in Sarnia, Ontario, and that Morgan participated in. Morgan has been training with me for 6 years come January 2012 and must wait one more year before being eligible to test for 1st Degree Brown Belt, and then another year thereafter before being ready to grade for Junior Black Belt.

I am so very proud of her!! She's got some incredible skills.

Pictures from my Kickboxing Seminar

2011-12-26T04:46:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are all enjoying this holiday season. My family had a great Christmas, and I am looking forward to spending the next week with them and just hanging out. We will probably all hit a movie, Chantel and I will having a date night, and we will likely all to do some Boxing Day shopping today.

Anyhow, my friend and student, Vince Brock, sent me a bunch of pictures that he took from the recent kickboxing seminar that I taught in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, at the Dynamic Academy of Martial Arts school. I have uploaded a few here for your viewing.

Hope you all have a very happy new year!

2011 Belt Promotions

2011-12-13T07:49:00.001-08:00

The following, partly for my interest but also for that of my students, shows a list of all belt promotions throughout 2011 for my Kenpo Karate students. Note that I have only included students who are still actively training with me.

January

Maia G: Advanced Orange

February

Miles B: Advanced White
Luke N: Yellow
Hannah M: Yellow
Chloe B: Orange
Claire H: Purple
Justin F: Advanced Purple

March

Jennifer B: Advanced White
Joseph L: Advanced White
Michael L: Advanced White
Christofer L: Advanced White
Maxime F: Yellow
Reese W: Advanced Orange
Feras A: Purple
Madison S: Purple
Neal F: Blue
Josh G: Blue

April

Joseph L: Yellow
Michael L: Yellow
Christofer L: Yellow
Miles B: Yellow
Luke N: Advanced Yellow
Tyler B: Orange
Vince B: Orange
Chris H: Purple
Jacob C: Advanced Purple
Serenah J: 3rd Degree Brown (Children's)

May

Ethan B: Advanced White
Jacob K: Advanced White
Maxime F: Advanced Yellow
Miles B: Advanced Yellow
Chloe B: Advanced Orange
Madison S: Advanced Purple

June

Hannah M: Advanced Yellow
Timothy B: Orange
Reese W: Purple
Maia G: Purple

July

Jennifer B: Orange
Vince B: Advanced Orange
Micah W: 3rd Degree Brown (Children's)
Chris N: 2nd Degree Brown
Dana B: 2nd Degree Brown

August

Ethan B: Yellow
Miles B: Orange
Maxime F: Orange
Joseph L: Orange
Michael L: Orange
Luke N: Orange
Christofer L: Orange
Jennifer B: Advanced Orange
Chloe B: Purple
Claire H: Advanced Purple
Reese W: Advanced Purple
Justin F: Blue

September

Darren W: Green

October

Jacob K: Yellow
Ethan B: Advanced Yellow
Hannah M: Orange
Miles B: Advanced Orange
Tyler B: Advanced Orange
Jennifer B: Purple
Tiffany B: Purple
Chloe B: Advanced Purple
Ross F: Advanced Blue
Neal F: Green
Josh G: Green

November

Chloe G: Advanced White
Tom G: Advanced White
Adam G: Advanced White
Timothy B: Advanced Orange
Joseph L: Advanced Orange
Michael L: Advanced Orange
Christofer L: Advanced Orange
Luke N: Advanced Orange
Vince B: Purple
Gavin M: Advanced Purple
Maia G: Advanced Purple
Justin F: Advanced Blue
Morgan S: 2nd Degree Brown (Children's)

December

Nina D: Advanced White
Mackenzie F: Advanced White
Harrison F: Advanced White
Jacob C: Blue
Crystal A: 3rd Degree Brown
Michael G: 2nd Degree Brown (Children's)

Code Words for Self-Defense Techniques

2011-11-29T09:55:00.000-08:00

As one is learning the American Kenpo system, it can get challenging remembering all of the names of the self-defense techniques. Below you will find a list of code words and their definitions to help you in remembering the names of techniques:

Sword - chop
Destruction or Destructive - left side
Hammer - bottom of fist
Branch - leg
Storm - club
Mace - fist / punch
Kimono - shirt
Salute - heel palm
Talon, Falcon, Eagle - grab
Gift - handshake
Feathers - hair
Wing - elbow
Leaves - fingers
Ram - tackle or front of fist
Shield - block
Twig - arm
Pendulum - blocking arm that turns into a strike or block
Fan - parry
Lance - knife
Darkness - from behind or an unknown area
Rod - gun

Happy Birthday Madison!!

2011-11-18T10:50:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow my beautiful daughter, Madison, turns 7 years old! We are having a big party at our house, jam-packed with lots of kids. Chantel, as always, has done tons of preparation work. Happy Birthday Maddie! I love you!!

Dana Broadhead Wins At WKC World Championships in Spain!

2011-11-04T10:20:00.001-07:00

Dana Broadhead's success continues. Dana just won the Gold medal in Women's Soft Style Forms and the Bronze medal in Traditional Weapons at the 2011 WKC World Championships in Spain. In her forms division, Dana did Long Form 4, and in her weapons division, she performed a Kung Fu form called Orr Fai Do Fa. Dana is a 2nd Degree Brown Belt in American Kenpo Karate and is member of the Chinese Karate Federation. Way to go Dana!!!!

Purple Belt Promotion

2011-10-26T10:08:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo of Tiffany, myself and Jenn, after promoting them to Purple Belt in American Kenpo last Thursday night. Tiffany and Jenn do one-hour semi-private lessons with me out of my home every Thursday evening. The two of them have really improved, and are definitely two of my most dedicated students. The week prior to their testing, they did one hour straight of kickboxing pad drills, and for their testing, they did forms, sets, techniques and sparring.

Pictures from my Modern Arnis Seminars

2011-10-26T09:57:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of photos that were taken from last Friday's Modern Arnis seminars that I taught at Family Karate Centres in London, Ontario. It was a great night with some very dedicated participants.

Summary of Modern Arnis Seminars

2011-10-22T05:26:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much to everyone who came out to my seminars last night at Family Karate Centres in London, Ontario.

The children's seminar ran from 6-7 pm. In that seminar, I taught the 12 basic strikes with the stick, and the 12 basic defenses (block, check, counter) when stick on stick. I also taught how to counter a club attack with an arm lock take-down, and a give-and-take figure 8 drill with a partner.

In the adult seminar, in addition to the topics above, I also taught a tapi tapi drill, single stick sparring, joint locks and spinning throws, and visidario with a rapid fire attack.

The seminars went very well and were well attended.

Jamie Seabrook Sparring Seminar

2011-10-04T12:54:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, November 12th, I will be conducting an intense sparring seminar from 1-4 pm at the Dynamic Academy Of Martial Arts, at the Bluewater Funpark Plaza in Sarnia, Ontario, located at 1886 London Line. The cost of the seminar is $35 plus HST. Sparring gear, including boots, gloves, headgear, mouth-guard and groin protection are mandatory for this seminar.

We will be covering hand and foot techniques, sparring strategies, foot maneuvers, pad drills, partner work, and actual fighting. Be prepared to work and improve.

The seminar will be hosted by Rob Broad, a 6th Degree American Kenpo Karate Black Belt. For more information on registration, please call 519-344-3221.

Hope to see you there.

Jamie Seabrook Modern Arnis Seminars

2011-10-04T12:26:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

For those who are interested, I will be conducting two Modern Arnis seminars on Friday, October 21st at Family Karate Centres at 405 - 3 Wharncliffe Road in London, Ontario. The kids seminar will run from 6-7 pm and the topic will be striking and defending with a single stick. The adult seminar will run from 7:15-8:45 pm and will consist of locking and flow drills, and angles of attack.

The cost of the kids seminar is $25 if you already have a stick, or $35 which will include a foam stick with your registration. The adult seminar fee is $40, which includes the cost of a wooden stick.

For more information on registration, please call 519-432-5425.

Dana Broadhead - Ontario Grand Nationals

2011-09-30T14:37:00.000-07:00

Congratulations goes out to Dana Broadhead, who is a 2nd Degree Brown Belt under me in American Kenpo, with these fantastic results at the Ontario Grand Nationals in London, Ontario, Canada, on September 26:

1st place in 30-39 year old Advanced Sparring
2nd place in Advanced Sparring
2nd place in 30-39 year old Advanced Kata (Forms)
3rd place in Advanced Kata (Forms)
3rd place in Advanced Weapons

Way to go Dana!

Summary of Sean Kelley Seminars

2011-09-18T04:17:00.000-07:00

Last night I just got back from Bradford, Pennsylvania after attending 2 seminars taught by Senior Professor Sean Kelley. My good friends and students, Matt Trejo and Brennan Weatherhead also came with me.

The first seminar was "Speak with a knife, Part 2." In this seminar, we reviewed the striking angles and attacks that were taught in Mr. Kelley's knife seminar back in May, and then added in some knife on knife drills, as well as an empty hand vs. knife drill with a disarm.

In the second seminar, Mr. Kelley taught on the "What-if" and "Formulation" stages of Kenpo. In this seminar, we worked on Snapping Twig, Shield and Mace, as well as Twirling Hammers. He also showed how to blend Shield and Mace with Twirling Hammers while aggressively moving forward.

The day was then topped off with sparring. There were some great fights, and I always love closing the day off with a few fights.

10-Year Wedding Anniversary

2011-09-09T06:55:00.000-07:00

Chantel and I just celebrated our 10-year wedding anniversary on August 25th. In celebration of our anniversary, we had the opportunity to travel to Mexico for 8 nights, just the two of us. We stayed at the Ocean Coral & Turquesa in Puerto Morelos. The weather was perfect, ranging from 85 to 93 Fahrenheit each day. I will never forget this trip, and the awesome time that Chantel and I shared. Above are a couple of photos.

September 9, 1985

2011-09-09T06:40:00.000-07:00

It was on this day 26 years ago that I took my first lesson in Kenpo Karate in London, Ontario. I was 10 years of age at the time. I am thankful to all of my teachers who have helped me grow into a better martial artist, and no matter what rank I hold today, or no matter what influence I have had on students since opening my fist Kenpo Karate school in 1995, I will always be a student.

Happy Birthday Chantel :)

2011-08-22T06:10:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take the time to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my amazing wife Chantel. I love you more and more every day Chantel. Thanks so much for being the best wife and friend that anyone could ever ask for. You have made my life so complete. Maddie, Morgan and myself have such a better life because of YOU!! I love you honey.

Sean Kelley Seminars - Sept 16-18th, Bradford, PA

2011-08-15T08:01:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

If at all possible, don't miss this great opportunity to train with the Chinese Karate Federation (CKF) President, Sean P. Kelley, in Bradford, Pennsylvania, September 16-18th. The seminars are being held at Michael Miller's Dojo. The cost of the event is only $50 for all non-Miller dojo students.

CLASSES AND TOPICS:

Friday, Sept. 16 (6:00-7:00pm): Adult Class
Topic: Returning the Storm

Saturday, Sept. 17 (10:00am-11:00am) Children's class
Topic: “Buddy Day” Karate Class with a Kenpo Legend

Saturday, Sept. 17 (1:00 – 2:00pm) Adult Class
Topic: Speak with a Knife: Part 2 (bring practice knives)

Saturday, Sept. 17 (2:30 – 4:00pm) Adult Class
Topic: The “What if” and Formulation Phases of Kenpo

4:00 to 4:30pm Open sparring (Adult blue belts and up only)

Special Sunday:

Brown and Black belt class 11:00am – 1:00pm

Topic: The following techniques:

Intercepting the Ram
Deceptive Panther
Destructive Fans
Unfurling Crane
Grasping Eagles
Parting of the Snakes
Thrusting Lance

Chris Newsome and Dana Broadhead: 2nd Degree Brown Belt Promotion

2011-08-15T07:30:00.000-07:00

On July 27th, Chris Newsome and Dana Broadhead were both promoted to 2nd Degree Brown Belt in American Kenpo Karate. The testing was 2 hours in duration, and consisted of forms, sets, self-defense techniques, and sparring. Both of these students were phenomenal and put forth an outstanding effort.

At my school, all Brown belts and higher participate in the testing to enhance their skills, although only those being graded receive rank. Attached are a few photos from the event.

Summary of Seminars

2011-07-19T09:32:00.001-07:00

I wanted to take the time to thank everyone who attended my martial art seminars on July 15th. The seminars were well attended and I even had three black belts out from different schools, which is always exciting.

In the first seminar I taught a Kung Fu form called Gowcha Ch'aun Yut Lo (Cross Attack 1). The second seminar consisted of basic and advanced Kenpo grafting techniques with a lot of hands-on body work. Although we didn't end up taking a group photo for each seminar, we did manage to take a photo of several of us. I have also provided links to a few videos from the seminars:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC284jMRmaU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNlJCLZLQoc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=samKQGu8SoA

Jamie

Happy Birthday Morgan!

2011-06-26T09:46:00.001-07:00

Today is Morgan's 9th birthday. It seems like yesterday when she was born. I have such an amazing family, and wanted to share a few photos of her. Happy Birthday Morgan!

Jamie Seabrook Martial Art Seminars

2011-06-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

On Friday, July 15th, I will be conducting two martial art seminars in London, Ontario, at the Berkshire Club, 500 Berkshire Drive.

The first seminar will run from 5:30-6:30 pm and will be open to students of all ages. In this seminar, I will be teaching a special Kung Fu Form called Gowcha Ch'aun Yut Lo (Cross Attack I). This form is the first in the Black Dragon System of Kung Fu, of which I also hold a black belt. The seminar will be beneficial to everyone, regardless of rank.

The second seminar will run from 6:35-8:05 pm and will be open to adults only. This seminar will focus on American Kenpo self-defense techniques and, particularly, advanced grafting. The seminar will be "hands on," working on live bodies utilizing consistent partner work.

The cost of the first seminar is $15, and the cost of the second seminar is $20. Adults have the option of attending both seminars for just $30.

I hope to see you there.

Madison Seabrook Tournament Competition

2011-05-29T16:24:00.000-07:00

Today my youngest daughter, Madison (age 6), competed in her first ever martial arts tournament. The Crispin Shiai was held in Georgetown, Ontario, and Madison had approximately 10-20 competitors in each of her divisions. Madison won 1st place in the self-defense technique division, and performed the American Kenpo techniques 'Delayed Sword," 'Five Swords,' and 'Obscure Wing' on me. Wow, does she hit hard!

Madison also won 3rd place in sparring, by winning 2 out of 3 of her fights, and landed some really hard roundhouse kicks and punches to the body. Madison also won
5th place in her forms and weapons divisions. I was really proud of her, and it was great to see so much of her hard work come out in the demonstration of her skills. I have attached a picture of her with all of her trophies.

Great Time in Bradford, PA, for CKF Seminars

2011-05-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, May 21st, myself and seven of my students attended the Bradford, PA, CKF seminars hosted by Michael Miller. The seminars were taught by CKF President, Sean P. Kelley.

Mr. Kelley's first seminar was called "Speak with a Knife." In this seminar, we learned a 6-count knife drill, and learned how to change the pattern of the count through spontaneity and counting by our partner. We also reviewed the American Kenpo self-defense technique, "Glancing Lance" and Mr. Kelley showed how the traditional (and often current) way this technique is taught is faulty. We thus learned a more practical and innovative way to make this technique work.

In the second seminar, Mr. Kelley taught an awesome kickboxing session, where we did lots of partner work utilizing the hands and the feet.

The day finished with an open sparring session which was loads of fun (and hard work). I had the opportunity once again to fight against Michael Miller and his amazing student (and MMA fighter), Matt Morris. I also fought against Beth Allen. My other students had loads of fights as well.

It was a great day, and the seminars were incredible. Michael Miller, as always, hosted another amazing CKF event.

The next CKF event in Bradford will be in September, and Mr. Kelley will be coming back for his 3rd annual CKF event in London, Ontario in November.

World Karate & Kickboxing Council (WKC) National Team Tryouts

2011-05-23T14:25:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Dana Broadhead, a 3rd Degree Brown Belt in American Kenpo Karate at my school, competed at the WKC Canadian Championships in Ottawa, Ontario. I am pleased to announce that Dana won 1st place in the Women’s 18+ Chinese/soft style forms division with Long Form 4, and 3rd place in the Women’s 18+ traditional weapons division with Tonfa Set 1. Dana has thus qualified for the Canadian team in both divisions, with the World Championships being held in Cadiz, Spain, October 31-November 5, 2011.

Luke’s Grade 1 Speech on Kenpo Karate

2011-05-16T08:16:00.000-07:00

Below you find a link to a simply awesome speech given by one of my youngest students, Luke. His vocabulary and ability to memorize is incredible. I am so proud of him! ENJOY!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJRkAbhqlQQ&feature=share

Amazing Vacation!!

2011-05-09T07:57:00.001-07:00

I just got back yesterday from an amazing vacation with my family in Florida. The weather was awesome! We were gone for a full two weeks, and spent much of our time swimming and hanging out by the pool. We also spent a full day at Disney World (Magic Kingdom). I really liked Splash Mountain and Space Mountain (although, admittedly, the latter freaked me out!!).

It was awesome spending so much time with my beautiful wife, Chantel, and my lovely daughters, Morgan and Madison. I swear Chantel gets more gorgeous by the day!! My father-in-law, Glenn, also came with us, as did some very close friends of ours (the Baker’s).

Two hilarious things that I will remember about my daughters on this trip were: (1) Madison doing the Macarena for 30 cents in front of everyone at the pool; and (2) Morgan was laughing hysterically on Splash Mountain thinking that Justin was so scared on the ride for the first time!!

As this is a Kenpo blog, I should also mention that I had plenty of free time to train hard. Here is what I did over the past 2 weeks:

446 self-defense techniques (including the entire system with extensions), taught 3 private lessons, Blocking Set 1 (4X), Blocking Set 2 (4X), Kicking Set 1 (2X), Kicking Set 2 (2X), Coordination Set 1, Coordination Set 2, Finger Set 1 (4X), Finger Set 2 (2X), Striking Set 1 (2X), Striking Set 2 (2X), Stance Set 1 (3X), Stance Set 2 (3X), Staff Set, Short Form 1 (5X), Short Form 2 (3X), Short Form 3 (2X), Long Form 1 (2X), Long Form 2 (2X), Long Form 3, Long Form 4 (3X), Long Form 5, Long Form 6, Long Form 8, Book Set, Tiger and Crane (2X), Breathing Law (2X), 6 days of weight training, 380 pushups, and 380 sit-ups.

Longe Hun Gwan (Wandering Dragon Staff)

2011-04-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

About one year ago, I decided that I wanted to put up a wide variety of weapons forms on youtube for people to see. Since that time, I have put up 2 tonfa forms, 1 single stick form, 1 double stick form, 1 long staff (bo) form, and 1 double knife form. About 3 years ago, I also put up a saber form.

Last night, Chantel taped me performing another long staff form, called "Longe Hun Gwan" (Wandering Dragon Staff). Longe Hun Gwan is part of the Black Dragon System of Kung Fu, of which I am also a black belt. I am thankful to have learned this form from my former Kung Fu instructor, martial arts legend, Paul Chau. The link to the form can be found here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B8GdyTBZeQ

Great Time at 4th Annual Kenpo Karate Boot Camp

2011-04-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

On March 20th, I had the opportunity of teaching three American Kenpo seminars at the 4th Annual Dynamic Academy of Martial Arts Boot Camp in Sarnia, Ontario, hosted by 6th Degree Black Belt, Rob Broad. Matt Trejo, one of my 3rd Degree Black Belts, was also a guest instructor at the camp. In my first seminar, I showed how Dance of Death, Thundering Hammers and Sleeper are family related techniques and how the what-if phase of training can be used to determine which technique should be used in a given situation. In my second seminar, I taught Short Form 3, and demonstrated the opposites and reverses throughout the form when executing the techniques. In my final seminar, I helped students improve their kickboxing skills by working various pad drill combinations. The last part of the seminar finished with some continuous fighting.

I was also very impressed by the dedication and talent of Rob Broad’s students, and Matt Trejo did a phenomenal job in showing how Striking Set 1 could be utilized in more practical, fighting applications. Rob Broad’s classes on Short Form 2 and weaponry were also very exciting.

Above are a couple of pictures from the event.

Sean Kelley Seminars in Bradford, PA

2011-03-07T11:23:00.000-08:00

Are you ready to take your martial art skills to the next level? If so, you will not want to miss the following Sean Kelley seminars hosted by my good friend, Michael Miller, May 20-21, 2011, in Bradford, Pennsylvania:

Friday, May 20 (6:00-7:30pm) Storm Techniques
Saturday, May 21 (1:00 – 2:30pm) Knife class
Saturday, May 21 (3:00 – 4:00pm) Kickboxing
Saturday, May 21 (4:00 - 4:30pm) Open sparring

The cost for all students traveling to this event is only $50. Checks can be made out to "Miller's Dojo."

Be there!

Summary of Last Weekend’s Kenpo Karate Seminars

2011-02-02T11:01:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who came out to my seminars last Friday night. In the first seminar, I taught the children Short Form 2. In the adult seminar, I focused on evolving techniques beginning with single-person attacks, and how those same techniques are then used subsequently in two-man attack scenarios. In the first seminar, I focused on proper utilization of the power principles, namely - torque, marriage of gravity, and backup mass. In the second seminar, the vast majority of the time was spent working the techniques on partners, and learning how to understand the moves in the ideal phase, what-if phase, and the formulation phase. Both of the seminars were well attended. Above are a couple of photos from the event.

Dynamic Academy of Martial Arts 4th Annual Boot Camp

2011-01-31T06:34:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to let all of you know about an exciting martial arts boot camp being held in Sarnia, Ontario the weekend of March 18-20th. The training camp will be held at the Dynamic Academy of Martial Arts, 1886 London Line. This boot camp will consist of 15 hours of training over the course of three days, and if you pre-register by March 1st, the cost is only $125 ($140 after that date). I have been asked to be one of the camp’s instructors, along with several other American Kenpo Karate experts. The seminar topics for the camp are very diverse, giving each participant the exposure to many different facets of training. The seminar topics (and instructors) are as follows:

A. JEFF DUKES (9th Degree Shinja Ryu; 8th Degree American Kenpo)

(1) Transitional Stance Changing and the Universal Kenpo Patch

(2) Understanding Linear and Circular Motion

(3) Reality Street Self Defense: What Works and What Doesn't?

B. JAMIE SEABROOK (6th Degree American Kenpo Black Belt)

(1) Kickboxing (bring boxing gloves/hand gear & t-shirt)

(2) Family Related Self-Defense Techniques

(3) Short Form 3: Opposites, Reverses, and Mirror Mechanics

C. JASON ARNOLD (5th Degree American Kenpo Black Belt)

(1) Lock flows, Sensitivity and Energy Drills

(2) Kenpo from the Ground Perspective

(3) Kenpo Knife Work

D. Rob Broad (5th Degree American Kenpo Black Belt)

(1) Belt Defenses

(2) Short Stick Techniques

To register, please call 519-344-3221 or email: info@dynamickenpo.ca

Bowing in the Martial Arts

2011-01-11T09:52:00.000-08:00

One of my students asked me the purpose behind bowing in the martial arts. Although I could give many answers to this, I would like to give my own slant on the purpose and meaning behind bowing. Please note that there are some traditions that I choose to follow, and others not; many of the traditions that I do not follow (or ask my students to follow) have to do with my Christian faith.

One of the most common traditions in martial arts training is to bow before entering and leaving the dojo (training area). By bowing, we are not worshipping the area, but rather are showing respect to the area in which we are to train, and are showing that we don’t take our training lightly. In some schools, thousands upon thousands of classes have been taught in that particular training area, and some highly skilled black belts have been produced in that very setting. By bowing, we show respect to the instructor(s) of the school, to fellow classmates, and to the knowledge that one is about to or has already acquired.

Another common tradition in martial arts is bowing to your opponent when engaging in sparring, or when practicing techniques. By bowing, we are demonstrating that we value the person that we are working with, and that the purpose of the fight or technique is to mutually improve one another’s skills. We often will bow to the referee as well, to acknowledge that the referee is in charge of conducting the fight and ensuring fairness, and that the referee may see things that we did not when engaged in our fight. A similar tradition is followed when being evaluated by several judges in a tournament forms/kata competition.

We also bow when commencing and finishing each class. The bow shows mutual respect in that students are thankful for the knowledge they have acquired (or are about to acquire) from the instructor, they honor the martial art that they are learning, and the instructor is thankful to have students committed to his/her teaching methods.

All of these traditions are beneficial in my opinion because they instill discipline, humility, courtesy, and respect for the system of American Kenpo, as well as for teachers and fellow students. There are times, however, where I believe that bowing can be misused. For example, at some schools students must find the head instructor before doing anything else and immediately bow to him (even if he is in his own office). Often, the bow is not reciprocated from instructor to student. That’s called pride, and it makes the head instructor out to be almost godlike.

Some Japanese/Okinawan martial art schools even have students shout out at the beginning of class “Onegaishimasu” which translated means, “Teach me, I beg of you.” Beg? Really? Tell me that won’t inflate an instructor’s ego. Don’t get me wrong; it’s important to respect and honor one’s instructor. But we need to be careful not to put the individual on a pedestal. It’s very possible for an instructor to be espousing perseverance and self-control, for example, while also having a very difficult time with anger management and fidelity. The reality is that the instructor may not be practicing what he preaches.

As a third example, some instructors insist that their students call them “Master.” Again, I am all for “Mr.,” “Mrs.,” “Mam,” and “Sir.” Those words are ones we should all use more. But insisting or better yet correcting a student for calling him “Mr. Smith” versus “Master Smith” is called pride. Interestingly, in the Chinese Karate Federation (CKF), one is not even considered a “Master” until one has obtained the rank of 9th Degree Black Belt (an “Associate Master” is an 8th Degree Black Belt). Today, I see all kinds of “Masters” with lower-ranked black belts, or who have high-ranking black belts with amateur skills at best. For the record, my students refer to me as “Mr. Seabrook” and always will. My master died a brutal death on a Cross for me 2000 years ago.

Jamie Seabrook American Kenpo Karate Seminars

2011-01-02T05:17:00.000-08:00

On Friday, January 28th, I will be teaching two seminars at the Berkshire Club in London, Ontario. The first seminar will be for children, and I will be teaching the American Kenpo Karate Purple Belt form, Short Form 2. The children’s seminar will run from 6:00-7:00 pm and the cost of the seminar is $15. The second seminar will be for adults and will run from 7:00-8:30 pm. The adult seminar will focus on evolving techniques in the American Kenpo Karate system. Specifically, I will show how self-defence techniques that were taught earlier in the American Kenpo curriculum are utilized later in the system when dealing with multiple attackers. The cost of the adult seminar is $25. Everyone is welcome to attend this event. I hope to see you there.

My 2010 Logged Training Time

2011-01-01T07:22:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Happy New Year!!

Below is a list of what I accomplished in 2010 in terms of my training routine. Each year I try to excel what I did, but it's never easy.

Days Practiced Martial Arts (minimum of 1 hour time): 344
Total number of days I taught martial arts: 197
Total number of classes that I taught: 523
Number of days devoted to sparring: 65
Total number of random techniques – 3741
Pushups – 29,440
Sit-ups – 29,440
Blocking Set 1 – 157
Blocking Set 2 – 87
Kicking Set 1 – 76
Kicking Set 2 – 19
Finger Set 1 – 85
Finger Set 2 – 25
Coordination Set 1 – 29
Coordination Set 2 – 15
Striking Set 1 – 18
Striking Set 2 – 16
Stance Set 1 – 100
Stance Set 2 – 63
Two Man Set – 7
Staff Set – 16
Short Form 1 – 166
Short Form 2 – 131
Short Form 3 – 80
Long Form 1 – 61
Long Form 2 – 56
Long Form 3 - 40
Long Form 4 – 26
Long Form 5 – 15
Long Form 6 – 18
Long Form 7 – 12
Long Form 8 – 25
10 Yellow Techniques – 12
12 Orange Techniques – 12
12 Purple Techniques – 12
16 Blue Techniques – 12
20 Green Techniques – 12
20 3rd Degree Brown Techniques – 12
20 2nd Degree Brown Techniques – 12
20 1st Degree Brown Techniques – 10
20 1st Degree Black Techniques – 5
2nd Degree Black Techniques (Orange ext) – 12
3rd Degree Black Techniques (Purple ext) – 12
4th Degree Black Techniques (37 Blue-Green ext) – 12
5th Degree Black Techniques (36 Brown ext) - 12
Anyo Isa – 11
Anyo Dalawa – 11
Anyo Tatlo – 11
Anyo Apat – 11
Trapping Hands - 2
Tiger and Crane – 18
Book Set – 2
Cross Path 1 – 19
Long Fist 1 – 17
Long Fist 2 - 14
Breathing Law 1 - 35
Single Dragon Short Stick - 38
Double Dragon Short Stick – 18
Wandering Dragon Staff - 8
Tonfa Set 1 (NBD) – 27
Tonfa Set 2 – 6
Bando Knife Form - 2
12 Basic Strikes – 1
Figure eight – 1
Six-count drill - 2

Kenpo Karate Staff Set

2010-12-27T05:50:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

I trust that you all had a very Merry Christmas, or if you don't celebrate Christmas, a happy holiday with your family. I will get back to answering questions on my blog in the new year, but for now, I would like to post a video of me performing the American Kenpo Karate Staff Set. The video was taped by Chantel on December 23rd of this year, so it is "hot off the press". God Bless!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfpHetiZ_Bg

When to Train

2010-12-17T04:43:00.000-08:00

In my next few blogs, I will be answering questions that people have posed to me regarding Kenpo Karate or the martial arts more generally.

Here is a question I was just asked: “When is the best time of day to train outside of class?”

Let me first say that I believe the key to training is to train consistently. So often today people have such a hard time devoting huge blocks of time to exercise because they have so much other work that needs to get done. I think it’s best to try to find a time (however short or long that may be) when you know you are most likely to follow through on your commitment to train. For example, if you have a hard time sticking to an early morning workout (that’s me), how about taking your lunch hour and devoting that time to your training? For instance, if I am not teaching Kenpo over my lunch hour, I usually take that time to work on my forms, sets, self-defence techniques, weaponry, stretching, and push-ups and sit-ups. Other times, I use that hour of opportunity to go the gym. I usually spend at least 30 minutes on cardio machines, and then finish the workout with some weight training. I also recommend pad training and sparring to work on one’s cardiovascular training if possible. Indeed, working out over my lunch hour has become so routine to me over the years that I now have a hard time refocusing in the afternoon without it. As a martial arts instructor, of course, I also workout in the evenings as well, either through training with my students, or spending some time alone to train.

It is also important to consider that each individual is different. For example, some people have a difficult time falling asleep at night if they workout too late. This happens to me only on occasions where I have put my body through a very intensive workout and my body feels too tense and sore. Typically, however, a hot shower and some relax time unwinding with my wife allows my body and mind the time to relax and get back to its normal state. Conversely, there is also some evidence that working out in the morning can improve sleep patterns. The evidence for this finding is not overwhelming, however, and it may be that the reason for their better sleep patterns has less to do with their morning workout and more to do with the fact that these individuals have better mental health, wake up earlier than most people to be able to get their workout in, and eat more healthy foods throughout the day.

Lastly, although I believe it is possible to over-train one’s body (we all need days of rest), to be the best you can be you have to learn to practice even when you don’t feel like it. Mediocrity in whatever one does in life results from only practicing when you are in the mood. Hence, learning to discipline one’s mind by programming the brain to develop strong work habits and to persevere is something that we should all continue to strive for. Nobody gets to the top of what they do by only training when they feel like it.

My Family Tree of Black Belts

2010-12-04T14:54:00.000-08:00

This January will mark 16 years straight of running my Kenpo Karate school here in London, Ontario. We have changed locations a few times, but have happily found our home at the Berkshire Club, at 500 Berkshire Drive, over the past several years. In addition, this January will mark my 26th year of training in the art of Kenpo Karate. Our school has never been stronger, thanks to the help of God, my wife, my black belt and brown belt assistants, and of course, my dedicated students.

In case some are unaware, there is a valuable resource on the internet which keeps track of all the students I have ever promoted to black belt. It can be found here:

http://www.kenponet.com/flame/tree/s/jamie_seabrook.html

As can be seen, I have promoted 21 students to black belt level over the course of almost 16 years. Of the 21, the following 6 black belts continue to train with me to this day: Craig Cote (3rd Degree Black Belt), John McDonald (2nd Degree Black Belt), Matt Trejo (3rd Degree Black Belt), Alexa Vreman (2nd Degree Black Belt), Ryan Welsh (1st Degree Black Belt), and Evan Wiley (3rd Degree Black Belt). I have also recently welcomed 3 other black belts from different schools that have joined my school over the past month, all of whom may eventually test for black belt level and higher in American Kenpo.

Just over 2 years ago, I made a change in my lineage and decided to follow the direction of the Chinese Karate Federation (CKF) under the tutelage of CKF President, Sean P. Kelley. In addition to his tremendous knowledge of the Kenpo Karate system, Mr. Kelley is a strong leader, and someone in whom I have developed a very close friendship. Unlike many Kenpo organizations, in the CKF the focus is not on one person, but rather the gathering or alliance of some of the best Kenpo Karate practitioners and martial artists on the globe. Moreover, the CKF is about refining and evolving our skills in ways that move beyond the academic stage of training into the more combative realm. Too many black belts today think they “have arrived” upon obtaining a black belt. The reality is that one’s training is just beginning.

CKF Kickboxing and Use of the High-Wide Kneel Stance

2010-12-02T18:45:00.000-08:00

One of the great things about being part of the Chinese Karate Federation (CKF) is that amount of time we spend working on Kickboxing. Over the past two years, I have had the pleasure of participating in four Kickboxing seminars taught by CKF President Sean P. Kelley (7th Degree American Kenpo Karate, 5th Degree in Joe Lewis’ American Karate Systems), and one seminar on kicking techniques as taught by Bill “Superfoot” Wallace (10th Degree Black Belt), who is also a CKF Board Member. I have also had the honor of teaching a Kickboxing seminar in Bradford, Pennsylvania at one of the CKF events. Most of these seminars finish with some hands-on sparring with lots of opponents before we call it a day.

A key rule that we emphasize in the CKF when working on Kickboxing is to “face our work” by use of high-wide kneel stance. In this stance, the rear foot is positioned on the ground as a bracing angle, allowing the foot to be launched quickly from that location. In essence, the foot is like an aircraft getting reading to take off, positioning itself as a catapult carrying its mass in a forward position. The value of this position is that it aids in the force of a strike when hitting a target. Moreover, by proper use of economy of motion, it eliminates the “and then” by not forcing you to waste energy and time. A good fighter knows this. Indeed, “position” is one of the eight considerations of combat in American Kenpo.

Interestingly enough, the vast majority of Kenpo Karate practitioners do not face their work when they do their Kenpo (I used to be in this boat as well). This can be detected by the posture that people take when preparing to spar or execute self-defense techniques. Just prior to the act of engagement, most Kenpo Karate practitioners will use the neutral bow stance, which the law of physics show is an improper position. In short, learn to face your work!

Summary of Sean Kelley Seminars in London, Ontario

2010-11-22T09:30:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, Sean Kelley conducted three Kenpo Karate seminars in London, Ontario. In the first seminar, Mr. Kelley taught the self-defense techniques “Obstructing the Storm” and “Capturing the Storm” and broke each of these club self-defenses down with a lot of detail. He also taught various lock and flow drills, as well as some give-and-take drills utilizing Wing Chun Kung Fu. In the second seminar, Mr. Kelley spent 2 hours on the self-defense technique “Glancing Lance” and showed how the common way this technique is taught is flawed and dangerous. Instead, Mr. Kelley provided a more realistic way of making Glancing Lance work. Finally, in the third seminar, Mr. Kelley taught on kickboxing. Students had the opportunity to work various punch, kick, punch-kick, kick-punch, and footwork maneuvers on partners. A special thanks also goes out to Steve Beecroft for allowing me to conduct the seminars at his school. Below are a couple of photos from the event:

2010-11-06T14:03:00.000-07:00

Congratulations goes out to Dana Broadhead, a 3rd Degree Brown Belt under me in American Kenpo Karate, who just won the Gold Medal in Women's Chinese Forms at the 2010 World Karate & Kickboxing Council World Championships in Albufeira, Portugal. Dana performed the American Kenpo form, "Long Form 3".

Jamie Seabrook
Chinese Karate Federation (CKF)
www.jamieseabrook.com

Sean Kelley Seminars in London, Ontario, Nov 12-13th

2010-09-25T07:59:00.000-07:00

Sean Kelley Seminars in London, Ontario, Nov 12-13th

Hi Everyone,

This is to inform you that I will be having my instructor, CKF President Sean Kelley, come teach seminars in London, Ontario the weekend of November 12-13th. The seminar registration package is attached to this email. As can be seen below, participants save a lot of money if pre-registered by October 22nd. Since the Berkshire Club has been previously booked for a wedding, the seminars will take place at the Spiritual Martial Arts Center, 186 King Street (Park Tower, basement level) in downtown, London, Ontario. The seminars are open to all styles of martial arts, and to people with all levels of experience. The seminar topics are as follows:

Friday, November 12th

6:30-8:00 pm – Club Self Defense Techniques

Saturday, November 13th

10:00-10:45 am – Kids Self-Defense

11:00 -12:00 – Glancing Lance (Knife self-defense technique)

12:15 pm – 1:45 pm – Kickboxing (t-shirt only and bring gear)

Fees:

$25 for 1 adult seminar (by Oct 22nd or $30 after Oct 22nd)

$40 for 2 adult seminars (by Oct 22nd or $50 after Oct 22nd)

$50 for ALL 3 adult seminars (by Oct 22nd or $65 after Oct 22nd)

$15 for children’s seminar (by Oct 22nd or $20 after Oct 22nd)

(Note: Child blue belts and higher can attend the child or adult seminars, or all 4 for just $55 by Oct 22nd!)

Hope to see you all there!

Jamie Seabrook
CKF Canadian Representative

www.jamieseabrook.com

My New Red Belt

2010-09-17T08:35:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, on Saturday, September 11, 2010, Mr. Kelley presented me and my good friend Kevin Kuliga with a new red belt for each of our ranks. For those wondering, I am still a 6th Degree Black Belt in American Kenpo Karate, but all CKF black belts who are 5th Degree and higher are going to be wearing red belts with the corresponding black bar and number of stripes (to show the reverse of what is typically done in American Kenpo – a red bar and red stripes on a black belt). To be awarded this new belt from Mr. Kelley was a big honor, as we want to be different in the CKF, especially considering how the typical black belt has been so devalued in recent times as people jump through the dan ranks like candy. For more information about the history of the Red Belt, please see Bill Larson’s article at:

http://chinesekaratefederation.com/2010/06/the-history-of-the-red-belt-or-red-sash/

Summary of the CKF Seminars in Bradford, PA, September 2010

2010-09-17T08:34:00.000-07:00

I have said this before, and I will likely say it again – Sean Kelley’s seminars just get better and better. Mr. Kelley taught Short Form 2 and Long Form 2, as well as the “what-if” phase of Kenpo on the Friday night. Mr. Kelley taught the theme of Long Form 2, how and why the universal block breaks the order of the inward, outward, upward and downward sequence, how Kenpo is taught as a category completion system as evidenced by the single and dual setups through the dictionary forms, and how Kenpo is a study of motion. He also showed how the basics from the isolations at the end of Long Form 1 are contained in Long Form 2. Although we typically use a neutral bow when striking with the front hand, and a forward bow when striking with the rear hand, Mr. Kelley explained how it is not necessary to move to a forward bow when executing the eye pokes since the target is soft anyway. Also, understanding the timing separation of “distance with rotation” and then “rotation with distance” in Long Form 2 is a critical aspect to the form.

On the Saturday, Mr. Kelley taught seminars on the Storm (club) techniques and on kickboxing. He taught Evading the Storm and Checking the Storm, and showed how Checking the Storm really teaches what not to do, and why Evading the Storm is a much more logical and practical technique. The kickboxing class including hand drills, kicking techniques, leg sweeps, leg buckles, and pad drills. Matt Trejo, John McDonald and I were all there for the seminars and had a fantastic time.

Jamie Seabrook - Double Dragon Short Stick 1

2010-08-27T12:49:00.000-07:00

New Videos and UFC 118 Predictions

As mentioned over several blogs, I am in the process of putting up several weapons forms on you tube. Here is my most recent video of me performing ‘Double Dragon Short Stick 1” (Surng Longe Doon Gwan Yut Lo), a Green Belt Weapons Form in the Black Dragon System of Kung Fu, of which I am also a Black Belt:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHBc7iVJdNI

In addition, here is another video of me sparring with Chris Newsome, one of my Green Belts in American Kenpo Karate, who will be promoted to 3rd Degree Brown Belt in the next few weeks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkAebtq2loA

As for UFC 118, there are really three big fights that I am interested in. In the main event, I predict we will see a much better and more prepared challenger in BJ Penn, and that he will regain the title that he lost from Frankie Edgar in his last fight. I think the fight will be a close one, however, as Edgar wants to prove that he can beat Penn again. In retrospect, I truly don’t feel like Edgar did enough to win the title in their last fight, but that is what can happen when fights go the distance and to the score cards. In the semi-main event, I predict Randy Couture will beat James Toney, especially if the fight goes into the second or third round. Clearly, Couture is going to want to take Toney down to negate Toney’s stand-up boxing strikes. At the same time, Couture needs to be very careful in that first round not to get clipped hard by one or several of Toney’s KO shots. Finally, despite the tremendous success of Kenny Florian, I think that Gary Maynard will beat Florian, most likely on the ground or possibly by decision.

Sean Kelley Seminars in Bradford, Pennsylvania

2010-08-08T13:55:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone. I wanted to let all of you know about some awesome Kenpo Karate seminars being taught by Senior Professor Sean Kelley, 7th Degree American Kenpo Karate Black Belt, held in Bradford, Pennsylvania September 10-11th, 2010. The seminars will be run at Michael Miller’s Kenpo Karate Dojo, 443 East Main Street.

The seminar topics are as follows:

Friday, September 10th

5:00-6:00 pm – Long Form 2

6:30-8:00 pm – “What If” Phase of Kenpo

Saturday, September 11th

1:00-3:00 pm – Storm Techniques (Ideal Phase – “Real Deal” Phase)

(Checking, Evading, Calming, Obstructing, Defying)

3:30-4:30 pm – Kickboxing (ghi pants & t-shirt only, bring boxing gloves)

The cost for this weekend of training is only $50 U.S.

Payments can be made to Michael Miller at:

443 East Main Street, Bradford, Pa 16701

Update from the 2010 Power Nationals

2010-08-04T11:01:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone. I am finally getting back to you about the results from the 2010 Power Nationals held in London, Ontario. It’s been a busy couple of weeks. My family and I went camping in Prospect Hill, and we camped there for 8 nights straight. It was a great time. Morgan and Maddie had lots of independence, met lots of friends, caught tons of crayfish, went swimming, and had lots of marshmallows over the fire. Chantel and I also got lots of husband-wife time, which was really great.

The tournament went very well, despite the fact that there was no air conditioning in the building, making it extremely hot. There were not many competitors in my 35+ Black Belt division (3 in Traditional Forms, 3 in Traditional Weapons, and 3 in Sparring). I ended up taking 1st place in forms and weapons, and 2nd place in sparring. I lost 3-2 in the final match and then they stopped the fight because the 2-minute time limit expired. It wasn’t the way I wanted to lose, but hey, those were the rules. I think from now on I will only compete in full-contact, continuous fighting. I might even consider a cage match if the event is held close enough. My students who competed at the Power Nationals also did very well: Ethan, 1st in Fighting; Ryan Welsh, 1st in Fighting; Reese, 2nd in Fighting; Micah, 2nd in Forms; Mark Abram, 3rd in Fighting; and Dana Broadhead, 3rd in Weapons. Way to go all of you!!

Training for the 2010 Power Nationals

2010-07-05T11:20:00.001-07:00

It has been almost 4 years since I competed at the 2006 LTKKA World Kenpo Karate Championships in Baltimore, Maryland. Come July 17th 2010, I will be entering my next competition at the 2010 Power Nationals Martial Arts Challenge. This tournament is being held in my hometown of London, Ontario, and I had the opportunity of competing at this same tournament back in 2004 against Kyoshi Christopher DiLiberto, an 8th Degree Karate master from Ancaster, Ontario. This time I will be in the 35+ black belt division, and I will be entering sparring, forms, and weaponry. For sparring preparation, I have been fighting at least two times per week with my highest ranked black belt, Matt Trejo, who is a 3rd Degree American Kenpo Karate black belt. I am also fighting several other of my black belts, and have been working full-contact kickboxing pad drills incorporating hands, kicks, and elbows every week. For forms, I am going to perform the Hung Gar Kung Fu form, Tiger and Crane (Fu Hok Surng Ying) which requires a tremendous amount of endurance and skill to perform start to finish. For weapons, I have decided to perform the highest level of American Kenpo Karate’s forms, Long Form 8, which is performed with two knives. Although not flashy when compared to other weapons forms that I know, it is definitely the biggest challenge for me, and is requiring a lot of time to prepare and train for. I had my friend Jacob Katz make me the training knives so as to give more realism to the form. I am looking forward to this competition, as the Power Nationals has always brought out some top notch competitors, so training for this event has really “kept me on my toes” so to speak. I will do a post-blog of the event once the competition is over.

CKF Event & Tournament Results

2010-05-24T08:32:00.001-07:00

Yesterday myself, John McDonald, Matt Trejo, and Chris Newsome attended the Chinese Karate Federation (CKF) event held at Michael Miller's Dojo in Bradford, Pennsylvania. The training included two seminars taught by Mr. Sean Kelley, 7th Degree American Kenpo Black Belt and President of the CKF. Mr. Kelley taught the technique, "The Pincher" (or what some teach today as "the Grasp of Death"), as well as "Thrusting Lance" for his first seminar on trouble techniques. His method of teaching "Thrusting Lance" was much more practical in my opinion than the "old school" version commonly taught in the Kenpo system, the latter of which you are to shuffle in to grab the opponent's groin, thereby losing control of the knife. In his second seminar, Mr. Kelley taught kickboxing drills on "live bodies" utilizing various hand techniques, kicking techniques, and foot maneuvers. We then finished the day with some great sparring with Michael Miller and several of his advanced students.

Also yesterday, Dana Broadhead, an American Kenpo Green Belt student of mine, made the Canadian Team by winning 2nd place at the World Kickboxing Council (WKC) Canadian Qualifiers in Ottawa, Ontario in 18+ Chinese Forms (performing Long Form 3). The WKC World Championships are being held in Portugal in November of this year. Way to go Dana!!

Two New Weapons Forms

2010-05-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

Two New Weapons Forms

The following two videos of me performing Tonfa Set 1 and Tonfa Set 2 were recently posted on you tube. The first tonfa form is a required form in the Black Dragon System of Kung Fu. The second tonfa form, interestingly enough, was actually a created form that a black belt candidate performed as part of a black belt grading at the Kenpo school that I was at back in the 1980s. I have always liked the form, and there are many people who do not know the history of this form that continue to practice it today, but I was there. I hope you enjoy them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqMH-wYQ0cA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6qsjOSmTvk&feature=related

Also, as a quick follow-up to my UFC 112 predictions, I was glad to see that Matt beat Renzo, although I was surprised that the fight did not go to the ground. Matt fought a very strategic fight, and I was surprised that Renzo made no adjustment to all of the roundhouse kicks to the leg that Matt was giving him. I knew that if Renzo continued to allow Matt to dominate with all of those leg kicks, it was just a matter of time before Matt would take him out. In any case, hats off to Renzo for getting in the ring with Matt. Renzo is a true legend.

I was wrong in my prediction of the Penn-Edgar fight. Edgar fought an amazing fight and I didn't think his footwork and speed would last an entire five rounds against Penn. To be honest, however, I didn't think that Edgar did enough to "beat the champ". In my eyes, to take the title away from the champion, there should be NO DOUBT who the winner is.

As for the Silva-Maia fight, that was just outright disappointing; sure, Silva got the win, but I thought the way that Silva conducted himself in the ring was very unsportsmanlike. Silva should have ended the fight very early (which he clearly could have). It will be interesting to see who the UFC matches Silva up against next.

Tournament Results

2010-04-20T13:04:00.001-07:00

I wanted to take the time to congratulate a couple of my students who competed at the World Karate & Kickboxing Council (WKC) Provincial Tryouts this past weekend. Ryan Welsh, one of my Junior Black Belts in American Kenpo, won 2nd place in Chinese style black belt forms, 3rd place in sparring, and 3rd place in weaponry. Also, Dana Broadhead, who is a Green Belt at my school, won 2nd place in advanced Chinese forms and 3rd place in sparring. Both Ryan and Dana thus qualified for the WKC National Team Tryouts which will take place May 21-23, 2010 in Ottawa, Ontario.

UFC 112 Predictions

2010-04-08T11:37:00.001-07:00

I am really looking forward to the UFC event in 2 days. I am have been a long-time fan of Matt Hughes, as I respect his fighting skill, tenacity, strength, but most of all, his faith in Jesus Christ. I have followed his career for quite some time, and have kept my oldest daughter Morgan (age 7) informed of who he is fighting at a given event. Of particular interest (for me at least) is his opponent at UFC 112 – Renzo Gracie. Interestingly, I am also a long-time fan of the Gracie’s, and have trained with Renzo’s cousin Royce in 2008, and will likely be training with Royce again next month. While this should be an interesting fight, I see Matt winning this fight with Renzo for a couple of reasons. First, Matt has been in the ring with so many amazing fighters, including the likes of B.J. Penn (2x), Georges St- Pierre (3x), Matt Serra (who is actually a student under Renzo), and Thiago Alves to name a few. By contrast, although Renzo has also fought many great fighters, he hasn’t fought in competition for over 3 years. That stated, he did get a big victory over Frank Shamrock in February 2007, and has won his last three fights in a row. Nonetheless, Matt has fought 7 times since 2006 (all of which have been against top notch fighters), compared to only 3 fights since 2006 for Renzo. Second, although Renzo is extremely skilled on the ground and is also a great striker, I don’t see him beating Matt on the ground, as Matt is very strong, and his “ground-and-pound” game I think will be too much for Renzo. I see Matt winning this fight by submission, TKO, or possibly even by decision. In any case, Renzo and Matt are both great guys and very well spoken so it should be an interesting fight.

In the lightweight title fight, B.J. Penn will square off against Frank Edgar. Frank is 11-1, is a great fighter and is also well spoken, and has won his last 3 fights including a victory over Sean Sherk (who B.J. also beat). B.J., in my opinion, has fought much better fighters than Frank including the likes of Diego Sanchez, Kenny Florian, Georges St-Pierre (2x), Matt Hughes (2x), Renzo Gracie, Lyoto Machida, and Matt Serra. B.J has never looked better in my eyes, he is in the best shape of his life, and his hand skills are one of the best I have seen in the UFC. When he fought against Diego Sanchez, Diego tried to psyche him out in the “stare down” but B.J. has fought against way too many good fighters to ever be intimidated, and about 1-minute into the first round dropped Diego with a vicious punch to the head. In addition, B.J. has tremendous ground skills, and is a great kicker. I have always admired how B.J. stays so calm during fights, and how good of a counter-striker he can be. I can’t see Frank winning this fight, and predict B.J. will win by TKO or submission if the fight ends up on the ground.

In the main event, with the middle-weight title on the line, I see Anderson Silva taking Damien Maia out relatively early in this fight. Anderson is lightning fast, has great hands and kicks, and is very accurate on his shots with tremendous knockout power. Although Demian has got a great ground game with excellent submission holds, and clearly wants to get Anderson on the ground, I believe that Anderson’s stand-up fighting will be too much for Demian and I can’t see this fight going more than 2 or 3 rounds. As great as Demian is, I believe that Anderson Silva is another class of fighters when compared to Demian Maia.

I am going to take Morgan out to watch this UFC with me. Although she’s young to be watching such fights, she’s seen me fighting full-contact since she was a baby so it’s just a fun time with daddy for her. Who knows, I might even get her some ice cream after….

Weapons Forms

2010-04-03T05:54:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last blog, I plan on putting some new weapons videos up on youtube over the next several months. Most of the weapons forms that I post will come from my Kung Fu training, although I also plan on posting the American Kenpo Karate Staff Set, Long Form 7 (performed with two clubs), and Long Form 8 (performed with two knives). This new video clip was taped on April 1, 2010. In it, you will see me performing a beginner Kung Fu Weapons Form called 'Single Dragon Short Stick 1'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iHq2sGm4uQ

Have a blessed Easter weekend.

Jamie Seabrook
www.jamieseabrook.com

Some Big Upcoming Events

2010-03-20T16:03:00.000-07:00

Sorry for my long delay in writing on my blog. I have been very busy in life. In martial arts, I have been training harder than I ever have. I have not missed a single day yet in 2010 of putting in some hard, consistent training (some of the days as long as 4 hours of training time). I have also been teaching a lot more than normal, particularly in the quantity of private lessons. I also hope to have some new weapons video clips of me up on YouTube soon, particularly once I am satisfied with how I am moving with them.

In the meantime, I wanted to let you know about a few big events that are happening soon that I highly recommend:

(1) May 8-9: A long-time friend and fellow tournament competitor of mine, Simon Sherbourne, will be hosting a seminar with UFC legend Royce Gracie in London, Ontario, at Wilfred Jury Public School. I had the opportunity of training with Royce Gracie at Simon’s first event in 2008, and it was one of the best jiu-jitsu seminars I have ever attended. For more information about this event, or to register, please email Martha Sherbourne at: wkkjf.budo@gmail.com

(2) May 14-15 Break Thru Event 2010: This event will feature “dynamic, live international speakers and worship artists impacting an amazing multi-generational audience”. The keynote speaker is Nick Vujicic, a man born without arms or legs. Nick has traveled to over 19 nations sharing his testimony and his faith in Jesus Christ. The event will take place at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, and I am honored to be one of the speakers and presenters at the event. For more information, please see the following website: http://www.heartpointministries.ca/Who'sComing.html

(3) May 21-23: My good friend Michael Miller will be hosting CKF President Sean Kelley for some Kenpo Karate seminars at his school in Bradford, Pennsylvania. I will be there and will be bringing some of my advanced students with me. The training and knowledge gained at these events is incredible. For more information about the event, or to register, please contact Michael Miller by phone at: 814-368-3725.

(4) November 5-6: I will be bringing my instructor, and CKF President, Sean Kelley to my school in London, Ontario to conduct Kenpo Karate seminars. This event is open to all martial artists of all styles. For more information, or to register, please email me at: jamieseabrook@live.ca or contact me by phone at: 519-472-6321

Martial Arts Training Log

2010-01-27T10:29:00.001-08:00

Martial Arts Training Log

For the past 5+ years, I have been keeping a daily log of everything that I practice in the martial arts. Doing so has motivated me to take my training to new levels, and ensures that my training regime is balanced, yet difficult. I highly recommend that all martial artists do the same. Below is a list of my training activity in 2009:

Days Practiced: 321

Taught Kenpo (days): 160

Total # of Classes Taught: 480

Sparring (days) – 51

Open Techniques – 1625

Pushups – 25,280

Sit-ups – 25,280

Blocking Set 1 – 129
Blocking Set 2 – 101

Kicking Set 1 – 100

Kicking Set 2– 14

Finger Set 1 – 104

Finger Set 2 – 14

Coordination Set 1 – 18

Coordination Set 2 – 10

Striking Set 1 – 25

Striking Set 2 – 19

Stance Set 1 – 110

Stance Set 2 – 101

Two Man Set – 3

Staff Set – 5

Short Form 1 – 124

Short Form 2 – 100

Short Form 3 – 57

Long Form 1 – 25

Long Form 2 – 15

Long Form 3 - 14

Long Form 4 – 16

Long Form 5 – 12

Long Form 6 – 11

Long Form 7 – 11

Long Form 8 – 12

Tiger and Crane – 4

Book Set –

10 Yellow Techniques – 12

24 Orange Techniques – 12

24 Purple Techniques – 12

24 Blue Techniques – 12

24 Green Techniques – 12

24 3rd Degree Brown Techniques – 12

24 2nd Degree Brown Techniques – 12

24 1st Degree Brown Techniques – 12

24 1st Degree Black Techniques – 12

24 2nd Degree Black Techniques – 12

24 3rd Degree Black Techniques – 12

Anyo Isa – 14

Anyo Dalawa – 15

Anyo Tatlo – 14

Anyo Apat – 12

Redonda – 1

Single Sinawali – 2

Double Sinawali – 1

Cross Attack 1 – 11

Long Fist 1 - 4

Single Dragon Short Stick - 2

Double Dragon Short Stick – 6

Wandering Dragon Staff - 5

Orr Fai Do Fa – 4

Tonfa Set 1 (Kenpo) – 4

Tonfa Set 2 (Kung Fu) – 1

12 Basic Strikes – 7

12 Basic Defenses – 4

Figure eight – 1

Reverse Figure eight – 1

Banda y banda – 2

Rompida - 2

Abanico – 2

Six-count drill - 3

Single Stick Sparring - 2

Another Kenpo Karate Demonstration

2009-12-08T14:37:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, two of my black belts (Matt Trejo and John McDonald) and I put on a 30-minute Kenpo Karate demonstration at the Bellamere Winery & Event Centre. The demonstration was received very well, as we showed the various aspects of Kenpo Karate training. Matt Trejo performed Short Form 1-3, Long Form 1, Long Form 6 and Stance Set 2, while John McDonald performed Short Form 1, Kicking Set 2, Long Form 2, Long Form 3, Finger Set 2, and Coordination Set 1. I performed a Kung Fu Saber form called Orr Fai Do Fa, and performed the 20 self-defense techniques on Matt, first slowly and then at street speed. We had a lot of questions from the audience after the demonstration as they were very intrigued by the performance. To top it all off, we all got to hang out, have some great food.

A Great Weekend of Kenpo Karate Seminars

2009-12-08T14:34:00.000-08:00

On Friday, November 27th and Saturday, November 28th, Chinese Karate Federation (CKF) President Sean Kelley conducted seminars at my Kenpo School in London, Ontario, Canada. The Friday night adult seminar consisted of links and parallels of self defense techniques, and the Saturday seminars included knife self-defense, as well as kickboxing. Mr. Kelley also taught a kids self-defense seminar on the Saturday morning. I had a long of fun working directly with Mr. Kelley on his kickboxing drills, and was very inspired by his tremendous teaching ability, and kickboxing skills.

Congratulations to My Awesome Students!

2009-12-02T04:52:00.002-08:00

This blog is overdue, but I wanted to take the time to wait until some videos were posted on You Tube. On Friday, November 13th, the following students were promoted by me: Matt Trejo to 3rd Degree Black Belt; Alexa Vreman to 2nd Degree Black Belt; Ryan Welsh to Junior Black Belt; and Chris Newsome to Green Belt. All four of them were amazing, and really set the bar for future up-and-coming students. Here are a few videos worth watching:

Jamie Seabrook vs. Matt Trejo (continuous stand-up fighting):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3i66Uw643Q

Matt Trejo, Long Form 6:

http://www.youtube.com/user/KenpoNewsome#p/a/u/0/6w4MVtTpmIo

Alexa Vreman, Long Form 5:

http://www.youtube.com/user/KenpoNewsome#p/a/u/1/ru3RXKxeXiU

Ryan Welsh, Long Form 4:

http://www.youtube.com/user/KenpoNewsome#p/u/3/Y9-QKRkuChg

Chris Newsome, Short Form 3:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZd5Uzb386o

Toronto Canada Martial Arts Demonstration

2009-12-02T04:52:00.001-08:00

On Friday, November 20th, John McDonald (one of my 2nd Degree Black Belts) and I performed a 30-minute martial arts demonstration in Concord, Ontario at Dave & Buster's. I performed the following Kung Fu weapons forms: Single Dragon Short Stick 1, Double Dragon Short Stick 1, Single Tonfa Set 1, Orr Fai Do Fa (Saber), as well as the 5th Degree American Kenpo Karate form, Long Form 8 (double knives). I also performed the following techniques once slowly, and once at street speed on John: Sleeper, Spiraling Twig, Thundering Hammers, The Back Breaker, and Dance of Death with extension. John performed the following Kenpo Karate sets and forms: Blocking Set 1 & 2, Short Form 1, Long Forms 1-3, Kicking Set 2, Finger Set 1 & 2, Coordination Set 1, Striking Set 1, and Stance Set 2. That is quite a bit of material to perform in 30 minutes so it was pretty intense and the audience seemed to really like it. I even had an old friend who lives in the Toronto area who I had not seen in over 10 years come out to watch. It was great to hang out with John, who is a great friend of mine, student, and fellow brother in Jesus Christ.

SEAN KELLEY SEMINARS, LONDON ONTARIO

2009-09-24T05:12:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

This post is to inform you that I will be bringing CKF President Sean Kelley to London, Ontario November 27-28th.

Seminar topics are as follows:

Friday, November 27th:

6:30-8:00pm Links and Parallels of Kenpo Self-Defense Techniques

Saturday, November 28th:

9:00-10:00am Kids Self-Defense

10:15-11:15am Kenpo Knife Self-Defense Techniques

11:30am1:00pm Kickboxing

I have also made the fees (in Canadian dollars) very reasonable.

The pre-registration fees are as follows:

$30 for 1 adult seminar

$50 for 2 adult seminars

$65 for ALL 3 ADULT SEMINARS! (or $80 at the door)

$20 for kids seminar

INSTRUCTORS - bring 5 adult students to all 3 seminars, and you get in for FREE!

For more information, you can contact me at:
jamieseabrook3@hotmail.com

To register for the event, please make all cheques payable to:

Jamie Seabrook
1053 Wembley Road
London, Ontario, Canada
N6H 3X5

A Great Weekend of Martial Arts Training

2009-09-22T13:36:00.000-07:00

I just got back on Sunday from yet another awesome event hosted by my good friend, Michael Miller, from Bradford, Pennsylvania. I went to Bradford on the Saturday with three of my students: Matt Trejo (2nd Degree Black Belt); John McDonald (2nd Degree Black Belt); and Chris Newsome (Blue Belt). All of us had a blast.

The day started out with a 90-minute seminar by Sean Kelley on Links and Parallels of self-defense techniques. We warmed up by going through Short Form 2 a couple of times, and then got into Circling Wing. We grafted Circling Wing into Crossing Talon. We also went through Five Swords with the extension, and Mr. Kelley paralleled this technique to Lone Kimono.

In the second seminar, Bill “Superfoot” Wallace taught us how to create openings in sparring using kicking techniques (primarily, the lead leg roundhouse kick, hook kick, and side kick). Mr. Wallace taught us important footwork drills so as to not telegraph the kicks before executing them. We also worked the lead hand jab in various ways. The seminar went for two hours, so it was great workout.

The last seminar on the Saturday was with Sean Kelley, and we had the opportunity to work various “problem techniques”. Mr. Kelley went through Spreading Branch and also showed a neat graft from Shielding Hammer into Spreading Branch. We also went through Circle of Doom, and Mr. Kelley finished by showing a category completion of motion between Falcons of Force and Spiraling Twig.

After a great day of training, we all went out to the Beefeaters for a great dinner and chat. We stayed there right until close, and then Matt, John, Chris and I finished the night by watching the UFC at a bowling alley of all places.

Keep posted for the next big CKF event in London, Ontario, November 27-28th. At this event Mr. Sean Kelley will be teaching 3 adult seminars, and 1 child seminar. More information to follow soon!

Historic Martial Arts Event

2009-08-11T07:45:00.000-07:00

On September 19-20th, my good friend and fellow CKF black belt Mike Miller is hosting two of the most talented instructors in the world at his school in Bradford, Pennsylvania. Mr. Sean Kelley, who is a 7th Degree American Kenpo Karate Black Belt, and President of the Chinese Karate Federation, will be conducting seminars on parallels and links of self-defense techniques, problem self-defense techniques, and knife techniques. In addition, Bill “Superfoot” Wallace, a 10th degree black belt, and retired undefeated Professional Karate Association Middleweight World Champion, will be conducting a seminar on kicking techniques. I will be attending this event, as will a few of my students.

The schedule for the event is as follows:

Saturday, September 19, 2009:

10:00-11:00am “Superfoot” Child Class

11:30am-12:30pm (Lunch break)

1:00-2:30pm Mr. Kelley (Parallels and Links)

3:00-5:00pm Mr. Wallace (Kicking techniques)

5:15-6:45pm Mr. Kelley (Trouble Techniques)

Sunday, September 20, 2009

11:00 – 12:00pm BBC Class (then lunch) (Knife techniques part 2)

The price for this event is very affordable:

$100.00 (Miller’s Dojo Adult students)

$60.00 (non-Miller’s Dojo students)

$35.00 (child class)

To register for this event, you can send a cheque or money order to Michael Miller:

443 East Main Street

Bradford, PA 1670

Recap From My Sparring Seminar

2009-08-11T07:40:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, August 5, 2009, I conducted a special sparring seminar in London, Ontario, with the aim to improve students’ knowledge on how to bridge the gap between freestyle and street self-defense. Utilizing the equation formula, I taught how one could prefix, suffix, insert, delete, alter, adjust, regulate, and/or rearrange a given sequence of sparring moves and adapt it as necessary to fit a street self-defense encounter. On a personal level, and as I have noted elsewhere (http://jamieseabrook.blogspot.com/search?q=equation+formula+kenpo), I believe that the equation formula is important for students to learn and develop, but not too early in one’s training, since it can bring confusion to the already large quantity of material that beginners have to learn. Fortunately, I was able to cover the equation formula with much detail given that all but two of the seminar participants were in advanced levels of learning. Seminar participants included: Craig Cote, Chris Harvey, Jacob Katz, John McDonald, Chris Newsome, Rick Robson, Paul Tohat, Matt Trejo, and Evan Wiley.

For the first two hours of the seminar, I taught the Kenpo Karate Yellow Belt, Orange Belt, and Purple Belt Freestyle techniques, and had participants do the techniques on partners with varying degrees of contact. During the last 30 minutes, I had all of the seminar participants “put their theory into action”, as each participant had the opportunity to fight against one another utilizing all of the skills they had learned during the seminar.

UFC Fight Results

2009-05-26T07:57:00.001-07:00

First, let me say I am not a die-hard UFC fan. I typically watch the events around 3 times per year, depending upon who is fighting.

Lastnight my wife and I rented the UFC at our home, as I was particularly interested in the Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra fight, as well as the Lyoto Machida vs. Rashad Evans fight. Matt Hughes is a Christian brother, and I admire his work ethic and strong familiy and Christian values. I also read his blog occassionaly.

The fight basically went as I expected. I thought Serra would try to keep the fight stand-up and utilize his fast, powerful hands that he used to demonstrate his knockout power over George St. Pierre. To be honest, Matt Hughes didn't seem very fast in his stand-up game, and was a little heavy on his feet, but a lot of that had to do with the unintentional headbutt he received early in Round 1 which dazed him considerably. In any event, Matt Hughes did what he had to do, and that was get in and tie up Serra. Hughes is very strong and his "ground and pound game" showed that. Hughes showed a lot of heart in his victory, especially after being so hurt in that first round. In all honesty, I wasn't sure which way the decision would go, but I was very glad to see Hughes win.

As for the Machida-Evans fight, all I can say is wow. I expected Machida to win, but yikes, his knockout power is just unbelievable. Particularly impressive for me was his fast and powerful roundhouse kicks, and his ability to "pour it on" once he has his opponent (in this case Evans) in trouble. Machida's ability to stay relaxed and calm during the fight is obvious, as is his great timing. So much for Karate guys not being able to dominate the UFC!

2009-05-19T17:03:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to take the time to thank my good friend Mike Miller for hosting such an amazing Kenpo Karate event in Bradford, Pennsylvania this past weekend. Myself, Matt Trejo, and Chris talked about the event for the 4.5 hour ride home back to Canada yesterday! I have attached a picture for your viewing.

It was great to finally meet and train with David Stanley. The very large line drill working such techniques as Delayed Sword, Sword of Destruction, Five Swords (extension), Snapping Twig (extension), and Leaping Crane (extension) was so much fun, as was David's teaching on Shield & Mace. David is such a great man, and it was awesome hanging out with him as well. Sean Kelley put on probably two of my favorite seminars....EVER! His seminars incoporated links and parallels to SO MANY self-defense techniques, and we are still talking about his NASTY and "SICK" ending to Crossing Talon!! (gonna work it in my next teaching class, LOL). Working Entiwned Lance was awesome as well, and its great Mr. Kelley was working a fake knife on that last drill with Matt Trejo!!!

It was also great to see some of my long-time friends, such as Kevin Kuliga and Bill Larson. Those guys are just awesome to train and hang out with, and thanks Bill for your cool patch!

The CKF isn't just alive and well, it's growing and getting better and better!

Jamie Seabrook
Chinese Karate Federation
www.jamieseabrook.com

CKF Event at Miller's Dojo, May 15-17, 2009

2009-04-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

CKF Event at Miller's Dojo, May 15-17, 2009

Professor Sean Kelley (CKF President, 7th Degree American Kenpo Black Belt)

David Stanley (Elvis Presley's step-brother, 4th Degree American Kenpo Black Belt)

Professor Sean Kelley and David Stanley Seminar Schedule:

Friday, May 15, 2009:

6:00-8:00pm (Open House)

Saturday, May 16, 2009:

10:00-11:00am Mr. Kelley Child Class (Kenpo Games)

11:30am-12:30pm (Lunch break)

1:00-2:30pm Mr. Stanley (Kenpo Dynamics pt. 1)

2:45-4:15pm Mr. Kelley (Parallels and Links)

4:30-6:00pm Mr. Stanley (Kenpo Dynamics pt. 2)

6:00 – 7:00pm Mr. Kelley (Kickboxing)

Sunday, May 17, 2009:

11:00 – 12:00pm BBC Class (then lunch) (Knife techniques)

Price: $60.00 (non-Miller’s Dojo students)

$100.00 (Miller’s Dojo Adult students)

$30.00 (child class)

Send check or money order to Michael Miller, 443 East Main Street, Bradford, PA, 16701

Cash only at the door!

Glancing Salute - Orange Belt Technique

2009-01-08T05:12:00.001-08:00

Glancing Salute

Orange Belt Technique

Glancing Salute is for a right cross push to our right shoulder. As we borrow force form the opponent’s push, we step in with our left foot toward 11 o’clock into a left neutral bow while simultaneously pinning the opponent’s right wrist with our right arm and breaking the opponent’s elbow with a left inward vertical forearm strike. What this does (in addition to causing an injury) is control the opponent’s width, thereby disabling the opponent from being able to pivot and punch us with his left arm. Our left leg should also be checking the opponent’s right left, thus creating an angle of disturbance for our opponent. We then pivot into a right forward bow as we check the opponent’s right arm down and into his groin to prevent that arm from re-orbiting up into our face as we execute a right glancing heel palm strike to the right side of the opponent’s face (the latter is the reason why the technique is called “Glancing Salute”). The heel palm strikes the target and follows through, thereby enabling us hook our right hand around the opponent’s neck, pull the head down, execute a right knee to the stomach, and then land forward into a right neutral bow or wide kneel stance as we finish the opponent with a right inward elbow to the face.

One should note that this technique also works effectively by taking an angle of least resistance by stepping back with our right foot as we are shoved hard by the opponent. By doing so, it also sets up the possibility of other techniques, such as Flashing Mace for instance.

Testimonial written by Senior Prof. Sean Kelley

2008-11-03T09:37:00.000-08:00

Testimonial written by Senior Prof. Sean Kelley

As President of the Chinese Karate Federation I have had the pleasure to meet many great people in the martial arts as I have become an International instructor teaching seminars and giving lectures to thousands of martial artists from as young as 4 up to the age of pure wisdom.

I have received testimonials from such legends as Kickboxing Champions Bill 'Superfoot' Wallace and Joe Lewis honoring my position in the martial arts world. I was on cloud nine when noticed by these awesome men for my passion to share what has become my career. I will never forget Joe Lewis's words: 'Sean, you're a true leader and a great teacher.'

I was even more honored to have been part of the last generation to work with SGM Ed Parker and the youngest to be featured in the book The Journey written by Joe Hyams and Tom Bleecker.

This is a testimony for Jamie Seabrook, a man I first met at Las Vegas seminar where I began a long time friendship with him. He is a man of honor, dignity, and above all one who leads by example to his students.

Having Jamie Seabrook as a member of the Chinese Karate Federation and as our Canadian Representative proves he's a man of true pride and can bring professionalism to his community. What makes him unique is that he is still in search of the science of Kenpo to offer the advanced stages of Kenpo to his loyal Black Belts who are now ready to go from the academic stage to the combative stage as we have united our efforts under the 'Alliance' of such Kenpo Legends as GM Dave Hebler, Master Rainer Schulte, and Senior Teaching Black Belt GM Michael Robert Pick.

We welcome Professor Seabrook and all his students into the family of the CKF and look forward to many years of friendship. Our Federation is proud to have those involved with us who take care of business by lending a hand to those who seek guidance as a code of being a true Black Belt with strong ethics and morals.

Sean P.Kelley
CKF President
7th Degree Black Belt

Sean Kelley & Jamie Seabrook Seminars

2008-10-29T06:29:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

My new instructor, Senior Professor Sean Kelley, President of the Chinese Karate Federation (CKF) and 7th Degree American Kenpo Karate Black Belt, and myself are teaming up teaching seminars in Bradford, Pennsylvania on December 5-6th at Mr. Mike Miller's Kenpo Karate Dojo.

The cost is only $50 for students that do not attend my or Mr. Miller's dojo!! Cost of the kids seminar is just $30!

Here is the agenda of the seminars:

Friday, December 5, 2008:

6:00-7:30pm Mr. Kelley (Kenpo Basics)

Saturday, December 6, 2008:

10:00-11:00am Mr. Kelley Child Class (Say No to Bullies)

11:30am-12:30pm (Lunch break)

1:30-3:00pm Mr. Seabrook (Sparring Strategies)

3:30-5:00pm Mr. Kelley (Trouble Techniques)

5:30-6:30pm Mr. Seabrook (Sparring Drills)

If anyone is interested in coming, you can send a check or money order to Mike Miller at:

443 East Main Street
Bradford, Pa 16701

Only cash will be accepted at the door.

Hope to see you there!

Have you "fireproofed" your marriage?

2008-10-11T07:02:00.000-07:00

Have you "fireproofed" your marriage?

Last weekend my beautiful wife Chantel and I drove about 90 minutes across the border from Canada to the United States to watch a Christian movie about marriage called Fireproof. The movie was not being played anywhere in Ontario. Briefly, the plot is about a firefighter who's motto at work is "never leave your partner behind", although that was precisely what he was planning to do with his wife and marriage. Make no mistake about it, whether your marriage is "rock solid", or seems as cold as a terrible winter storm, this is a must see movie. Moreover, one of the most amazing things about the movie was that it was actually made on a budget of just $500,000 and that the cast are all volunteers, including Kirk Cameron, whom many of who will remember from 'Growing Pains'. I know, I know, low budget movies, no thanks. Hold your horses. While the movie was played on just 839 screens two weeks ago, it was strong enough to hit number 4 at the box office, and stayed in the top 10 at the box office last weekend.

All marriages need to grow. Marriage is an opportunity to learn love and is a call to servanthood and friendship. Marriage is a way of life, not an event. How important is your spouse in your life? Does it show in your everyday actions? Do you choose to travel regularly to business or work-related events, while constantly leaving your spouse (and often kids) behind? You're spouse needs you. It's time to fire up the romance, not as an event, but all the time.

Chantel and I have been married over 7 years now, and I can happily tell the world that once Jesus Christ became the CENTER of our home and marriage, wow, has our marriage exploded. Our marriage is absolutely awesome, and has been getting stronger year by year, month by month, week by week, and day by day. But, trials will come, and some of them will come hard. So we, as do every other married couple, need to fireproof our marriage. But how? By trying harder? No, that won't work as eventually circumstances will get the better of us, and we will be worn out and battle torn. By Jesus Christ.

For those of you who are in very shaky marriages, perhaps you have even discussed divorce, don't give up. But, you ask, "how can I love someone who treats me horribly and doesn't love me in return? I deserve better than that, as nobody deserves to be treated that way".

That's not how Jesus replied. He did not give up. Look at what He said to God The Father about those who were crucifying Him, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)

God comes first, and your spouse comes second, and work comes later down the list.....

Bless you marriage by going to see this movie.

For more information, please see:

http://fireproofyourmarriage.com/

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/10/christian.fireproof.success.ap/index.html

God Bless Everyone.

Dana Broadhead Wins at Ontario Grand Nationals

2008-10-09T05:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, one of my adult students competed at the Ontario Grand Nationals open martial arts tournament held in London, Ontario, Canada. Dana Broadhead, an Advanced Orange Belt in American Kenpo Karate, who has been training at my school for precisely one year now, won 1st place in sparring, and 3rd place in forms, the latter of which she performed Long Form 1. The Ontario Grand Nationals is also a AAA rated tournament, so the competition level is very high. Her sparring title comes with a lot of hard work, as Dana has continuously fought against my school's tough and experienced sparring partners in continuous fighting, many of which are lot taller and bigger than her.

On behalf of Jamie Seabrook's Kenpo Karate, a proud member of the Chinese Karate Federation, we are all very proud of you Dana!

Thank you for setting such a great example for the children and adults alike at our school.

Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu Seminar

2008-09-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu Seminar

Yesterday, myself and six of my students had the opportunity of training with Royce Gracie for 3 hours at a seminar he conducted in London, Ontario. Royce began by teaching a self defence technique against a two-armed choke, where we step in with our dominant right side and catch the opponent with a right upward elbow, and then proceed to wrap our right arm around the opponent's neck, and then finish with throwing our opponent over our hip. We then learned how to get inside on a right hand punch, and proceed again with another hip throw. We also worked on the clinch and how to get your opponent off balance to take the him to the ground. Should we be on our back with our opponent on top of us, Royce showed how to best apply the triangle choke, how to get the shoulder kimora lock in, and how to flip our opponent off of us while we stay on top of them, all from the guard position, respectively.

All I can say is what a trained technician in the art of Jiu-Jitsu. For me, I get more out of someone like Royce Gracie then just someone who is big and strong, that likes to fight, that has way less skill, but can knock people out. Royce is a fighting legend, and his skill ranks up there with the very best in the world of martial arts. This guy has fought just about everyone under the sun, and time and time again Gracie Jiu Jitsu has prevailed.

I highly recommend taking a seminar with Royce if you get the chance and to see how the movements fit into American Kenpo Karate. Like Kenpo, not all Jiu-Jitsu is necessarily "created equal" and the Gracie's are truly in a league of their own.

Jamie Seabrook’s Kenpo Karate School Joins the Kenpo Karate “Alliance”

2008-09-17T16:35:00.000-07:00

Jamie Seabrook’s Kenpo Karate School Joins the Kenpo Karate “Alliance”

It is with great honor and excitement to tell the world that myself, and my Kenpo Karate School in London, Ontario, Canada, are now a chartered school of the Chinese Karate Federation (CKF), headed by Senior Professor, 7th Degree Black Belt Sean Kelley. The CKF is part of a Kenpo Alliance, with ties directly to such greats as Grandmaster Michael Robert Pick and Grandmaster Dave Hebler (both 10th Degree Black Belts in American Kenpo Karate), Tony Cogliandro (9th Degree Kenpo Karate Black Belt), Rainer Schulte (8th Degree Kenpo Karate Black Belt), and kickboxing legends Bill "Superfoot" Wallace and Joe Lewis.

The decision to join the Alliance is for the betterment of myself and my students. I am confident that this brotherhood of dedicated Kenpoists, who commit themselves to hard work, training, and ethics, will push Kenpo Karate forward. My students will also have the opportunity to become personal members of the CKF. Benefits of membership include top level Kenpo Karate training, cross training in other disciplines, networking, belt certification, and retail discounts.

Kenpo Salute,

Jamie Seabrook
www.jamieseabrook.com

Two Man Set

2008-09-12T18:49:00.000-07:00

Two Man Set

On Friday, October 24th, 2008, from 6:00-8:30 pm, I will be conducting a seminar at the Berkshire Club in London, Ontario teaching Kenpo Karate's Two Man Set. This set will improve your coordination, timing, agility, fluidity, and footwork. It will also provide you with a vast array of striking techniques, both with the closed fist, and the open hand, and will show how to take advantage of target availability when using these weapons. The set is done with a partner, and therefore, will require consistent contact and partner work. No experience with this set is necessary for participation.

The cost of the seminar is $25 by October 17th, as there will be no registration after that date or at the door.

For more information, or to register, please email me at:

jamieseabrook3@hotmail.com

Jamie Seabrook

Kenpo Continuum

2008-09-05T15:25:00.001-07:00

Kenpo Continuum

I wanted to take the time to endorse the book "Kenpo Continuum: The Continuing Historical Studies of the Kenpo Community in America and Throughout the World". I am honored to be one of many Kenpo Karate black belts featured in that book, and Amy Long should be proud of her dedication and perseverance in putting this book together. The book contains biographies of such Kenpo Karate notables as Jason Arnold, Steve Arsenault, Ron Chapel, Brian Duffy, Tony Dunne, Rich Hale, Gil Hibben, Ingmar Johansson, Walter Justice, Tom Kelly, Patrick Kennedy, Mike Lambert, Kevin Mills, Joe Palanzo, Ted Sumner, and many others. In addition, Ed Parker Jr. wrote the "Forward" and did the art work, which looks simply awesome. The book has also received endorsements from such Kenpo greats as Lee Wedlake, Dennis Conatser, Stephen Labounty, and Bob White.

The book is essentially a follow-up to "The Journey", and includes black belts from many different lineages. To order the book, you can visit Amy Long’s website at:

http://www.sacramentokenpokarate.com/kenpocontinuum.html

Summary of Black Belt Testing

2008-08-19T15:03:00.001-07:00

On August 15, 2008, I conducted a large black belt grading for several of my long-time students. Rick Robson and Kurtis Cote were promoted to 1st Degree Black Belt (Junior Instructor), and Brent Fowler, John McDonald, Evan Wiley, Jesse Toth, Craig Cote, and Janel Cote were promoted to 2nd Degree Black Belt (Assistant Instructor). Rick Robson and Kurtis Cote became my 19th and 20th black belts I have promoted since opening my Kenpo Karate school in 1995. The test was 2 ½ hours in duration and consisted of forms, sets, self-defense techniques, and continuous sparring. Myself, and two of my other 2nd Degree black belts, Matt Trejo and Scott Southwell, sat on the testing panel.

Each of the candidates made very unique contributions to the testing. Brent Fowler and Evan Wiley’s self-defense techniques and sparring matches still have people talking. Rick Robson and Janel Cote’s improvement and tenacity in only one year’s time was evident. Rick Robson is truly a force to reckon with in sparring. Janel and her brother Craig performed a virtually flawless Coordination Set 2, not to mention Janel’s amazing Long Form 2. Craig Cote also demonstrated how deadly Kenpo Karate kicks can be during fighting. Kurtis Cote’s power almost made the whole building shake, and his sparring ability was noted many times by others. John McDonald helped set the standard for how Kenpo forms and sets should look with his impressive basics, fluidity, balance, speed, and power. John’s techniques were also close to flawless. Jesse Toth’s determination and focus during the test was just unbelievable. Particularly noteworthy were Jesse’s strong sets, forms, and sparring fights.

For more information about our school, please visit:

www.jamieseabrook.com

Memory Lane

2008-08-12T09:12:00.001-07:00

While I don’t recall the dates of most of my black belt tests throughout the years, I do remember the date of my 1st degree black belt test in Kenpo Karate. It was on this day, August 11th, of 1990 (18 years ago). The test consisted of forms, techniques, sparring, and weaponry. I tested with three other candidates, one of which owns his own school in London, Ontario as well.

The test was between 2-3 hours long, and I am fortunate to have the test on videotape. I was 15 at the time, almost 16. I was pretty happy with my performance that day, as I had trained very hard for it.

I remember going home that night feeling like a "million bucks". I went for a walk that night by myself throughout the subdivision where I grew up in London Canada feeling like my journey was just beginning, as I knew that Kenpo would be with me for life.

Having spent what will be 24 years in Kenpo Karate come this January 2009, the journey just gets better. I have been blessed with such dedicated and loyal students, many of whom have been with me for years. I have also had the privilege of being my daughter’s instructor (Morgan) for more than 2 ½ years. Most recently, Madison (my youngest daughter) has joined in on the action. While I will never force my daughters into remaining in Kenpo, I do hope that they may develop the passion that I have for Kenpo Karate, so that one day they too will be able to look back on the day when they obtained their black belt.

Silvio Scarcella Tournament Results

2008-07-29T10:24:00.001-07:00

Silvio Scarcella Tournament Results

I have another outstanding report to give regarding Silvio Scarcella. On July 26th, Silvio competed at the NBL Empire Open in Syracuse, New York and won the Kempo/Kenpo Division. Silvio then went on to the Grand Finals and won the Grands performing Long Form 6. I taught Silvio Long Form 6 two years ago and he has been competing with the Form ever since. What a great representation of American Kenpo!

Overall, Silvio ended up taking 4 first place trophies, 2 second place trophies, and 1 third place trophy.

Way to go Silvio!

Training Solo Outdoors is a Blessing

2008-07-28T17:09:00.000-07:00

Today I was on a mission. I was set to go through, perhaps the for the first time in my Kenpo life, the entire Kenpo Karate system from White through 5th Degree Black Belt, full-out, in one long training session. I gave it my all. It was 27 Celsius (about 80 Farenheight) so the weather was picture perfect.

I didn’t get through everything, as I need to conserve some energy for my Kenpo Karate classes I will be teaching tonight. As it turned out, I got through the following:

Blocking Set 1 & 2, Kicking Set 1 & 2, Finger Set 1 & 2, Coordination Set 1 & 2, Stance Set 1 & 2, Striking Set 1 & 2, Short Form 1, Short Form 2, Short Form 3, Long Form 1, Long Form 2, the 10 Yellow Belt techniques, the 24 Orange Belt techniques including the extensions, the 24 Purple Belt techniques including the extensions, and the 24 Blue Belt techniques including the extensions.

I was really determined to do it all in one day. But now, before the clock strikes midnight, I still have the following remaining: Long Forms 3-8, the Two Man Set, the 24 Green techniques including the extensions, the 24 3rd Brown techniques and the 24 2nd Brown techniques. In all honesty, I doubt I will be able to get through it all. Nonetheless, it was a great workout, and I feel awesome.

In my opinion, there is nothing like training solo in the outdoors. It gives you a chance to escape from the pressures and stress of everyday life, and to channel your energy and direction towards exercising with a purpose. Being able to do all of this is such a privilege that I do not want to take for granted. I am so blessed to be able to walk, breath, see, and train as I do. All of my God-given talent in Kenpo I give back to the Glory of the one true God, manifested in Three Persons of the Divine Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Thank you Father for this tremendous blessing and ministry in my life. Without You, I can do nothing. But with You, all things are possible, because I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength. Thank you for your precious Holy Spirit who ministers to me day and night, even when I am not listening. Amen.

Jamie Seabrook Club Defence Seminar

2008-07-27T12:28:00.001-07:00

Jamie Seabrook Club Defence Seminar

Scott Southwell's Kenpo Karate School will be having Jamie Seabrook conduct a seminar on Sept 5th 2008 from 6:30-8:30pm at Riverside United Church in London Ont.

Topic: "The How's and Why's of Club Defence"

Seminar cost is only $20, please bring your own club.

For more information or to pre-register call Scott Southwell at 519-641-4872 or email scottsouthwell6@hotmail.com

Royce Gracie Seminar - London, Ontario

2008-07-19T11:03:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends,

A long time friend of mine, Simon Sherbourne, will be bringing the legend, Royce Gracie, to London, Ontario for a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Seminar on September 27th from 1-4pm at Fanshawe College. Royce Gracie was the tournament winner of UFC 1, UFC 2, and UFC 4. This will be a no uniform (ghi) event, so please wear your shorts and t-shirt only. I will be attending the seminar, as will several of my students from Jamie Seabrook’s Kenpo Karate.

The Fight Network will be at the seminar as well to take some video clips for news purposes, and will be conducting an interview with Royce Gracie for their program called "One on One" which features top fighters from around the world.
Pre-registration for this awesome event is $125 (money order only) by August 30th, or $150 at the door. Please note, however, that there are limited spots available for participants so do register early!

For more information, please go to:
http://www.wkkjf.com/seminars.htm

Logging Your Training Routine

2008-07-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

On several occasions, you may have read or heard about the importance that I give to logging your training routine. Doing so will not only motivate you to train frequently, but will also ensure that you are balancing out your training material with respect to the forms, sets, and self-defense techniques that you know. I also recommend that you keep track of how many days per month you are devoting to sparring, and perhaps how many of those days were against opponents that bring out the best in you.

Recently one of my Yellow Belts, Alan Russette, created a "training tracker" in Excel format. This spreadsheet provides a day to day and month to month log of all of the Kenpo Karate material required for promotion from White belt through Black belt. Each time you practice a given form, set, and/or technique you simply record the number of times that you did it, and on what day. The excel spreadsheet will then give you a total for the month, as well as an average.
If you would like to have a copy of the Excel spreadsheet, you can email him at:

kb260@yahoo.com

Silvio Scarcella Tournament Results

2008-07-04T05:51:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to take the time to congratulate one of my long distance students, Silvio Scarcella, for his unbelievable success at the NBL tournament in Chicago this past weekend (which is why he wasn't at the Kenpo Karate Boot Camp in Sarnia, Ontario).

Silvio won 1st place in six events (including Kempo/Kenpo and soft divisions). He also won two 2nds, and one 3rd. In the grand finals, Silvio performed Long Form 6 and lost by a show of hands (3 to 2), after an initial tie.

Way to go Silvio!

Jamie Seabrook

Summary of Dynamic Kenpo Karate Boot Camp

2008-06-30T13:46:00.000-07:00

A big thank you goes out to Associate Professor, Rob Broad, for putting on an awesome Kenpo Karate camp in Sarnia, Ontario this past weekend. The students received 15 hours of instruction over the course of 3 days, and the training was intense. If you did not make it out, you won’t want to miss this one next year. Jason Arnold, Pat Robinson, Rob Broad, and Scott Southwell did a great job with their teaching. Pretty much everything was covered – sets, techniques, groundwork, sparring, weaponry, you name it.

On the Saturday, I taught 3 seminars, all approximately one hour in length. The first one was a sparring session. In this seminar I worked on sparring combinations for both continuous and point sparring, as well as how to create openings against your opponent. I also gave several strategies of how to fight against aggressive fighters, counter-fighters, as well as runners. In my second seminar, I taught the students Stance Set 2, most of which it was their first time learning it. By the end of the summer, everyone got up and performed it!

In the last seminar, something extraordinary happened. Jason Arnold (5th Degree American Kenpo Karate Black Belt) and I did a joint tag-team seminar. Jason and I have known each other for almost 20 years now. The two of us taught at a local camp together back in 1999, have been at a few seminars together over the years, and trained at the same Kenpo school briefly back in 1991. We have actually had differences over the years, although mutual admiration for one another’s dedication to the martial arts.

This past weekend everything changed. Jason and I became friends, let go of all past differences, and together put on a joint seminar which I hear some students are still talking about. Essentially, I taught the base technique (ideal phase) of various self-defense scenarios, while Jason showed how they parallel other self-defense techniques in the system, as well as some nice insertions. First, I started by teaching Evading the Storm, and Jason then showed how this technique is basically the same as Attacking Mace. The students learned how, given a change in the nature of the attack, Attacking Mace could also be applied for an overhead club attack. Second, I taught the technique Defying the Storm. After learning the technique with detail, Jason taught how you can disarm the club should the opponent block the inward elbow strike to the head, and then continue on as normal with the ending of Defying the Storm. Finally, I finished by teaching the Back Breaker, and Jason followed by showing its similarity to Brushing the Storm and even how the Back Breaker could be performed off of an overhead club attack coming from 3 o’clock as in Brushing the Storm.

To top of the day, Rob’s mother made enough food to feed about two dozen hungry lions, which each participant received as part of their Kenpo camp package.

Dynamic Kenpo Karate Boot Camp = Success. Can’t wait for next year.

Short Form 2

2008-06-27T07:18:00.000-07:00

Short Form 2 teaches the three power principles – torque, marriage of gravity, and back-up mass. Unlike Short Form 1 and Long Form 1, we now begin advancing towards our opponent while blocking and countering with a strike. The first move (on both sides) involving the inward block and handsword is the start of Five Swords, as well as Delayed Sword without the kick. It is also the first form employing a block and immediate strike with the same hand. By doing so, Kenpoists learn the principle, "Block with cock to get travel for your knife hand."

Short Form 2 also gives students their first introduction to 45-degree angles and the "V" step. One application of the "cup and saucer" move as you pull back to the cat stance is that an opponent has you in a rear bear hug with your arms free. Your response is to step behind the opponent’s leg, thus off balancing the attacker and taking him off the line similar to the technique "Crashing Wings." It also teaches students the full range of motion prior to the simultaneous block and punch. There are a few reasons why a neutral (and not a forward) bow is employed when doing the simultaneous block and punch towards 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock: (i) it shows how to use back-up mass to get power (ii) it gives a foundation for more advanced self-defense techniques (e.g., "Shield and Mace") (iii) it shows how you don’t have to pivot to a forward bow to get power (thus differentiating between what was shown in Long Form 1, or such techniques as "Crashing Wings" and "Crushing Hammer"). The technique "Thrusting Salute" is also contained in the form in the downward block and heel palm sequence (with the exception of the kick). In the last move of the form, where we employ an extended outward block followed by a horizontal snapping half-fist strike to the throat area, I see a lot of people do this movement while staying in a neutral bow. The problem with this is that your half-fist has very little reach, not to mention that your strike will lack power because if you have not incorporated hip rotation into the strike. Hence, I highly recommend moving from a neutral bow as you do the extended outward block, to a forward bow as you execute the half-fist strike, and then back to the neutral bow as you draw the half-fist back. Short Form 2 is required for promotion to purple belt.

Reference: Seabrook J. American Kenpo Mastery: A Guide for Students and Instructors. Lincoln: iUniverse Inc, 2006

2008-06-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

Dynamic Kenpo Karate Boot Camp

June 27-29th

199 Queen Street
Sarnia, Ontario, Canada

Instructors:

Jamie Seabrook, 6th Degree Black Belt
Jason Arnold, 5th Degree Black Belt
Rob Broad, 5th Degree Black Belt
Pat Robinson, 3rd Degree Black Belt
Scott Southwell, 2nd Degree Black Belt

Cost is $165 in Canadian funds.

Your Teen/Adult Camp fee includes a meal Saturday night.

Guests and children attending the camp are $10.00 for the banquet.

Instructors and school owners, bring 5 teen/adults to the camp and you get the for free!!

To register, please contact Rob Broad at: rob@dynamickenpo.ca or by phone at:

519-402-9066

2008-02-28T11:09:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends, I just wanted to take the time to invite all of you to an awesome Kenpo Karate Camp being held in North Wales, Pennsylvania, April 11-13th, 2008. The camp price is only $125 if you pre-register by March 5th or $139 after that date!!!

Instructors:

Tony Cogliandro, Rainer Schulte, Sean Kelley, Jamie Seabrook, Vincent Anfuso, Lee Epperson, and Mark Schiffman.

Host: Michael C. Corsello 2nd Dan/PA State Rep. for The Chinese Karate Federation
Location: Corsello’s Kenpo Karate
1200 Welsh Road
North Wales, PA
19454 (215)
412-5579 or corsmike15@yahoo.com

Classes:

Friday: Jamie Seabrook/ Kids class $15.00 (CKF members $10.00) 5pm
Vincent Anfuso Intro to 12 points. Special class price $30.00 (CKF members $20.00)
7pm – 9pm

Saturday: 8:30 am Check in.
9:30 am Lee Epperson Kenpo / Jiu-Jitsu
11:00 am Sean Kelley Links and Parallels part 1.
12:30 pm Lunch
1:30 pm Mark Schiffman Techniques to takedowns and throws
3:00 pm Jamie Seabrook sparring to win class (bring your own equipment)

Sunday:
9:00 am Rainer Schulte Power vs. Speed
10:30 a.m. Sean Kelley Links and Parallels
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Vincent Anfuso Kenpo 12 points part 2.
3:00 Tony Cogliandro Simplifying Kenpo

Roundhouse Kicks to the Back of the Opponent’s Knee

2008-02-01T08:56:00.001-08:00

Roundhouse Kicks to the Back of the Opponent’s Knee

In a real confrontation, a roundhouse kick to the back of the opponent’s knee can be devastating. One of the most important aspects of this kick is the incorporation of our entire body into the kick so that the focus in on driving that kick right through the back of the attacker’s knee. Also, our weapon for the kick need not be the instep of the foot only, but rather the instep of the foot right up the shin bone. This works contrary to much of what we see in Kenpo with the focus being on snapping the roundhouse kick out and back from the target, chambering the leg prior both prior to, as well as after the execution of the kick, and with emphasis placed on kicking specifically with the instep.

Since most people are right-handed, and for the most part, tend to fight with their left side forward, let’s assume that we are in a left neutral bow stance facing our opponent, who in turn also has his left leg forward. We first step into the action by dropping our height slightly, then by utilizing torque, we pivot our hips and shoulders into the roundhouse kick to the back of the opponent’s lead leg to generate maximum power. Also, similar to Reversing Mace and Repeating Mace (although in these techniques our right side is forward when executing the kicks), we should be kicking downward to drop the opponent.

As simple as this sounds, try the dynamics of this kick out slowly with a partner, but have a knack for detail, ensuring that your body mechanics are "sound". Once you are satisfied with your movement, execute the kicks full-out on a kicking shield.

Kenpo Karate Seminar Invitation‏

2008-01-02T12:13:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends,

As the cost of bringing in some Kenpoists can be very expensive, and in some cases, not very realistic, throughout 2008 I would like to give more people the opportunity to improve their knowledge and skill in the system.

To do this, I will offer one kids seminar, one adult beginner-intermediate seminar, and one instructor seminar for no cost. The only thing I ask is that hotel and transportation for two be provided. My common seminar topics include, but are not limited to the following:

- Analytic Breakdown of Base Techniques
- Kenpo Extensions- Sets (1 & 2)
- Long Form 5, 6, 7, or 8
- Kenpo or traditional weaponry
- Sparring Strategies for Continuous and/or Point
-Fighting

For more information, please visit my website at:

www.jamieseabrook.com

or send me an email at:

jamieseabrook3@hotmail.com

God's Blessings for the New Year!

Sexual Intercourse and Athletic Performance

2007-10-03T16:08:00.000-07:00

While many people hold their own views and opinions on this subject, I anticipate that most responses are based on mere opinions, gathered from personal experience or more likely superstition. Muhammad Ali, for example, was known to abstain from sex (or at least he said that he did) for several weeks before a big boxing fight believing that sexual intercourse zapped him of his energy and focus needed the day of the fight.

One argument for abstaining from sexual intercourse the night before an enduring athletic workout is that being sexually frustrated can lead to increased aggression. Evidence, however, suggests that sexual intercourse the night before an event does not alter physiological testing results, the latter of which was measured by strength and endurance of the palmar flexing muscles (1). Similarly, a randomized crossover study found that oxygen pulse, maximal aerobic power, and double product were not significantly affected by sexual intercourse 12 hours prior to the athletic performance (2). This should not come as a surprise given that the sexual intercourse only burns approximately 250 calories per hour, or a little over 4 calories per minute (3). So unless you are having sex that lasts for hours, the reality is that you are not burning a truckload of calories, contrary to what many people believe. Moreover, if you are having sex for hours on end, chances are your performance will be affected the next day - but by way of fatigue, and not the fact that you had sex the night before.

It is also possible that sexual activity the night before a major competition can be beneficial both psychologically and physiologically. If one has a tendency to be anxious, and thereby not be able to get a good night sleep the night before an event, sexual intercourse may help one relax, get a better night sleep, and therefore allow one to be more mentally and physically prepared the following day. It should also be noted that the linkage between sexual activity and athletic performance is not a clear one. For instance, other covariates such as diet and stress also factor into the equation with respect to athletic performance.

In short, little evidence exists that sexual intercourse the night before an event can produce negative outcomes in terms of one’s athletic performance the following day.

References

McGlone S, Shrier I. Does Sex the Night Before Competition Decrease Performance? Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine 2000; 10(4):233-4.

Boone T, Gilmore S. Effects of sexual intercourse on maximal aerobic power, oxygen pulse, and double product in male sedentary subjects. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 1995; 35:214–217.

Mirkin G. Sex before competition. Report #6750. Mar. 10, 1996. http://drmirkin.com/archive/6750.html

High-Ranking Black Belts That Don’t Spar

2007-08-28T13:25:00.001-07:00

In American Kenpo Karate, as in other arts, there are many high-ranking black belts that simply do not spar. They are full of knowledge and skill, and can make their self-defense techniques look virtually flawless with minimal effort, but yet they are missing a critical component to their training - having someone stare straight back at them, while trying to hit them with whatever possible. They hold 7th degree black belts and higher, yet the last time they have slapped on the gear against a notable opponent was, say, 10-20 years ago.

Many people believe that continuous sparring is simply about two people trying to hurt each other, and because one has progressed to some supposed level of mastery, he/she is beyond that level of training due to age, knowledge, and skills acquired. I don’t buy it. The true warrior, in my eyes, is one that puts his whole body and heart into his training regime, of which sparring cannot be neglected. The higher the rank, the greater should be the level of one’s commitment.

While one must be in top physical shape to engage in full-contact sparring (particularly against good quality opponents), the reality is that continuous sparring is just as much a mental game as it is physical. Indeed, much of a fight is devoted to strategy, and learning how to adapt your fighting style to fit the situation, which is based in large part on how your opponent fights. Much of that “mental game” is lost when one’s training routine is based almost exclusively on demonstrating self-defense techniques on a partner for which the attack is already predetermined. Furthermore, in addition to the use of punching and kicking techniques, continuous fighting allows for use of takedowns, and possibly ground-fighting with submissions. Again, this sense of realism is lost when high-ranking black belts stick to just teaching, practicing forms, weaponry, or choreographed self-defense techniques.

While martial arts is clearly more than just learning how to fight, I don’t think black belts should lose sight of the fact that martial arts is, in turn, also a lot more than being able to pull off a victory in forms at a tournament, or being able to dazzle the audience with one’s speed while executing choreographed self-defense techniques.

Which gets back to the title of this blog. Why don’t most high-ranking black belts spar on a regular basis, let alone hardly ever?

Online Shopping Can Save and Make You Money

2007-08-23T13:04:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take a few minutes to let you know about an amazing Money Saving Program that my wife has recently become part of.

The Program is called My Power Mall and it is a new way to Save money while you shop, earn huge rebates, and even make commission from the purchases your friends make. To learn more watch the five minute video presentation at www.Power2ChangeLives.com

Did you know that 97% of the people who try a home-based Business Opportunity fail to create the financial freedom they dream of? MLM and Affiliate programs to provide real income opportunities for the majority of people that try. Whether you’re part of the 97% or the 3% you’ll want to find out what MY POWER MALL has to offer.

The program is completely free to join and there are never any costs. All you do is do what you are already doing, except you get to make money doing it!

Street Fighting or Personal Growth?

2007-08-16T11:17:00.000-07:00

Someone asked an interesting question today. The person stated that given that we are more apt to obtain a lifestyle disease than we are to be violently attacked on the street, why is there so much emphasis on street self-defense and not much in the way of lifestyle modification?

I will answer that from my perspective, although I am confident that much of what I state can be applied generally. First, in my early days of training back in 1985, and probably continuing on through the lower ranks of black belt, I was fascinated with the street-fighting applications of movement contained in American Kenpo. I wanted to learn how to be a "fighting machine", and I was confident that through proper instruction in American Kenpo, I could get there.

As I continue to grow, mature, and develop in my Christian walk, as well as my relationship with my wife and two daughters, my perspectives on life have changed. That doesn’t mean I don’t love fighting full contact because I do it all of the time. It also doesn’t mean that I don’t love "working" what I believe are the most practical self-defense techniques known to man, which I believe are contained in American Kenpo. In fact, I love sparring and self-defense techniques more than I ever have. What it means, however, is that my character has changed. I don’t need Kenpo to prove to myself that I can fight; I need Kenpo for personal growth.

Through a stringent daily Kenpo Karate plan, I am exercising more than I ever have in my life, both in terms of frequency and duration. Doing so allows me to stay in the best shape that I possibly can, and gives me the mental focus to tackle all other areas of my life. It helps me grow spiritually in my relationship with Christ. It helps me focus my attention on my wife’s needs and desires in our marriage. It also helps me be a better father and "kid" with my two daughters.

Additionally, I also use Kenpo Karate as a tool to help others. Through Kenpo, I teach my students that with diligent practice, they too can achieve what they want in life by learning the acquired discipline, focus, and perseverance. I also teach them that association breed’s similarity, and thus the people that we choose to hang around are the same ones that we will most likely end up being like. So, for example, if we choose to hang around people that love bars, drinking, and smoking, the probability rises that we will have to fight given the location and atmosphere of these places. Conversely, if we hang around people who love to exercise, that say no to substance abuse, avoid bars and strip clubs, in most likelihood, we won’t ever be in a situation where we have to engage in a real fight.

Question: what are you taking martial arts for?

Blinding Sacrifice

2007-08-13T13:26:00.000-07:00

3rd Degree Brown Belt Technique

Blinding Sacrifice works as a defense for an attempted two-hand front choke. It is related to Parting Wings and Thrusting Wedge, all three of which are contained in Long Form 3.

As the attempted choke comes at us, we immediately step in with our right foot to 12 o’clock while thrusting our forearms forward as we wedge the inside of our opponent’s arms. As we do this, our fingers attack the opponent’s eyes. We then continue the circle of our arms and clear the opponent’s arms out of the way, while delivering a double underhand groin shot with our claw hands. In anticipation of the opponent’s head coming forward as we grab and pull the groin, we should have our head in position to deliver the head but.

The next part of the technique is the “sacrifice”, the term used in Kenpo techniques when we have to break a rule. As we draw our arms behind the opponent’s back, our arms are lower and underneath of the opponent’s, thus breaking the rule of keeping our arms above our opponent’s. We do this, however, to execute double back fist strikes to our opponent’s kidneys (making sure to use back-up mass when doing so), as we pull back to the cat stance with two vertical outward blocks, which in this case are really checks. We then step back in and deliver a four-finger slice to the opponent’s eyes, finishing with two thumb strikes. As the opponent’s arms come up from the eyes strikes, we then frictionally pull the opponent’s arms down to cancel his height zone (putting weight on the opponent’s feet), and immediately circle our arms back up for two inverted roundhouse punches to the opponent’s temples. We then collapse our two forearms so as to attack the jaw on both sides of the opponent’s face (some versions teach this move as a brace with the left hand, while letting the right forearm go for the jaw break). We finish the technique by grabbing the top of the opponent’s head with both hands and delivering a right knee strike to the opponent’s face, while landing with a right foot stop to the opponent’s right instep and foot. Note that it is possible to execute the knee to the face with the rear (left) leg, however, it is done with the front knee for category completion purposes.

ECKS London, Ontario, Canada Kenpo Karate Training Camp!!!!!

2007-08-02T12:54:00.001-07:00

This is a quick reminder that the ECKS training camp will be held in London, Ontario, Canada from August 17-19th at Paul Dawdy’s Olympic Karate, 425 First Street. The ECKS camp is open to Kenpoists from ALL backgrounds and lineages. Seminar instructors include Steve Arsenault (8th Degree American Kenpo Karate Black Belt), Jamie Seabrook (6th Degree American Kenpo Karate Black Belt), Jason Arnold (5th Degree American Kenpo Karate Black Belt), Paul Dawdy (5th Degree American Kenpo Karate Black Belt), and Pat Robinson (4th Degree American Kenpo Karate Black Belt). Topics include Orange, Purple, Blue, and Green belt technique extensions, position recognition and family groupings, mental attributes, environment and target availability, Kenpo forms and sets, and Modern Arnis applications.

Below is the agenda for the Kenpo Karate camp:

August 17
7:00pm Environment of Kenpo-Seabrook
8:00pm Kenpo Advanced Extensions 2nd Black-Arsenault
9:00pm Kenpo Requests-Arsenault

August 18
2:00pm Arnis Applications-Dawdy
3:00pm Kenpo Advanced Extensions 3rd Black-Arsenault
4:00pm Position Recognition/Groupings-Arnold
5:00pm Mental Attributes and Set-Robinson
6:00pm Kenpo Forms Requests-Arsenault

August 19
9:00am Kids Seminar!
10:00am Kenpo Advanced Extensions 4th Black-Arsenault
11:00am Kenpo Sets and Forms Requests-Arsenault

Kids Seminar $20
Teen Camp $99
Adult Camp $150
After August 1st Please Add $20
Family Discount 25% OFF each additional family member!

To register, call Steve Arsenault at: 1-508-998-3937

Hotel Information:
Delta London Armouries
325 Dundas St
London, Ontario
519-679-6111

Airport Inn & Suites
2230 Dundas St
London, Ontario
519-457-1200

Cancer

2007-07-25T11:31:00.001-07:00

Today my heart is broken and my eyes are frequently filled with tears. Early this morning I lost my favorite uncle in his battle with colon cancer. I have a hard time writing this, but I know that God wants me to and I am going to answer His call.

For the past 17 months, I have known that Carmen's time here on earth was limited. I knew how much he wanted to spend what limited time he had left with his wife and beautiful children. He did that. And while his pain is gone, he is still so deeply missed.

When terminal illness or tragic accidents occur in life, we often run through a varied amount of emotions. Why did this have to happen? Why didn't God intervene? How will I go on in life?

About a week ago, I had a one-on-one talk with Carmen as he lay in his bed in the hospital. I told him how much I love him, and that although I can't understand why some things happen in life, that I wanted him to know that he is so loved by God. I told him that I needed to know with certainty that he would be my neighbor in heaven. He told me how much he wanted that and how much he wanted to reunite with all of his other loved ones soon again. I told him that by putting his faith in Jesus Christ as Lord, that God guarantees eternal life, and would remove all sins immediately. After asking me a few questions regarding faith, he did that! We then hugged me for what seemed like eternity and kissed me over and over on the cheek.

I want the world to know that cancer is not too great for God. No matter what you are going through, you don't have to go through it alone. The Bible states in Proverbs 18:24 that, "there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother"; that friend is Jesus, who won't leave you nor forsake you.

Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God.

- Notice that we are ALL on the same playing field…we are not good enough without Christ

Romans 5:8 - But God Commendeth His Love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us

Romans 10:9-10 - That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.

Romans 10:13 - For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved

Acts 4:12 - Neither is there Salvation in any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Should Junior Black Belts Be Able to Judge Adults in Tournaments?

2007-07-24T09:32:00.001-07:00

Most martial arts schools have a Junior Black Belt program. That is, once a student has learned the appropriate amount of material in a children's curriculum, he/she is able to advance to a Junior Black Belt rank. From that time on, the student will have to continue to train persistently until one is physically and mentally prepared to earn a 1st Degree Black Belt, as subjectively determined by one's instructor. In my school, it typically takes another 2 years for a student to move from a Junior Black Belt rank to 1st Degree Black Belt. Such a student typically needs to be 16 years of age, be able to compete physically in sparring with an adult of any size, and have spent many years dedicated to the art of Kenpo Karate.

One of the key factors that differentiate a Junior Black Belt from a 1st Degree Black Belt is age. In my opinion, awarding a 1st Degree Black Belt or above to a child or a young adolescent gives children a false sense of security, which is often accompanied by a large ego. The child looks at his/her rank and assumes that because of the rank, they are in a position of authority over adults. The reality, however, is that virtually any adult with no martial arts experience could toss little Johnny like a beach ball if he ever decided to attack a child.

The commercialization of martial arts continues to explode. About a year ago, I showed up to judge at a local martial arts tournament. As soon as I stepped in the door, my body froze as I saw many kids running around with full black belts on. Some adolescents were as young as 13 with 3rd Degree Black Belts. Later that day, I saw a Junior Black Belt (probably around the age of 10 or 11) judging in the adult Brown Belt divisions. I truly feel that this is just so wrong. Adults should be taught and judged by adults. This is not a humility issue that I am struggling with here; this has to do with standards. Even if in a rare situation where I feel that a Junior Black Belt has acquired the appropriate amount of knowledge to judge in a tournament relative to his/her adult competitors, it still gives these Junior Black Belts the wrong message. It tells them that they are in positions of authority over adults because of the rank that is tied around their waste.

I recommend that Junior Black Belts that are interested in judging be allowed to evaluate the children's divisions. To judge the adult divisions, however, I strongly encourage one to be at least 16 years of age, and holding the rank of 1st Degree Black Belt or higher.

Matt Hughes

2007-07-23T17:06:00.001-07:00

If you are a UFC fan, you know who I am talking about – the 9-time UFC Welterweight champion. But more impressive than a 43-5 win-loss record in mixed martial arts, with victories over the likes of such greats as BJ Penn, Royce Gracie, and Georges St. Pierre, is the fact that Matt has touched the lives of so many fans around the globe.

Every week Matt writes on his blog which is updated on his website. While one might expect blogs about his training regimen, and how he plans to knockout any of his upcoming opponents, in reality, you won’t find this. What you will find is Matt’s humility and open devotion to the Lord and how God has personally changed him. You will find a Matt who is not hesitant about sharing his vulnerabilities in life, and how he is devoted to overcome them with God’s help. You will find a Matt who takes the time to write about how important family is to him, and how God has richly blessed him in so many ways.

I highly recommend all of you to visit Matt’s blogs regularly at the following website address:

http://www.matt-hughes.com/blog.html