Great Weekend of Training

I just returned from the 11th Annual Camp Lansdale. It was a great weekend of training with a lot of different martial artists. Professor Lansdale is the most open minded Grandmaster that you will find. He believes that everyone has something to teach him and his school.

I have trained with other Grandmasters and they would not lower themselves to be taught by a lower ranked person. I have actually heard one system founder state that it was beneath him to train with anyone of less rank them he was. That implies that you know all and cannot be taught anything else. I personally find that everyone I meet has a lesson or skill to teach me, while i am not a Grandmaster by any means, the day I stop learning from anyone, is the day I am through with life.

Camp Lansdale had Mike Casto, Mike Billings, and Brandon Jones teach from their respective styles. Mike Casto is a great stick and knife man. His Silat is incredible and street ready. I recommend anyone in the Louisville Ky area to seek him out. His kerambit section this weekend was the best application of the tool I have trained in.

Mike Billings has trained in Shen Chuan and been at pretty much every camp in the last five years. he is one of the best Kenpo guys that i have ever worked with. He is following in the footsteps of Grandmaster Chuck Sullivan, the head of Ed Parker Kenpo. He is a great instructor and guy. He is in Austin Texas and is worth looking up.

I met Sifu Brandon Jones for the first time this weekend. He is a practitioner of Seven star Preying Mantis. I was very impressed with his skill. I have met a lot of Kung Fu people in the past, but was wowed by his incredible knowledge and skill. He was an encyclopedia of knowledge of the art and background. He also explained what the katas actually taught, versus the old "we just do it this way." He is a great instructor and all around good guy. I hope to train with him more in the future. I loved the techniques he taught over the weekend. His school is located down the road in Tyler, Texas.

Joe lansdale has influenced a lot of today's martial arts Grandmasters from Grandmaster Pelligrini of Combat Hapkido to Grandmaster Chuck Sullivan of Ed Parker's Kenpo. if you ever get a chance to work with him, jump on it.

That is enough for now.

Paul