An Observer

Last Saturday I went to observe combat hapkido founder John Pellegrini teach a seminar.

It had been awhile since I was in a traditional martial arts class, so it was an interesting experience. I had forgotten how complex the martial arts were until, John starting showing a series of moves.

As he counted off 1, 2, 3 I noticed that there were actually about 6 or 7 parts, thus making it difficult to follow, although he probably did make his version of hapkido simplier than the original.

John then proceeded to say that they use no stances, after which he stepped back into a stance. However, he did correct himself, saying that they just have the one stance.

I've always struggled with having to do 'things' before defending. (example: getting into a stance, bringing my hands up [which signals that I'm ready. So much for retaining the element of surprise. Oh well.]

Overall John did a great job of presenting his material and it was fun to watch.

Speaking of watching. Go check out what you missed at our 'Big Kuta seminar'.
Go to http://www.hikuta.com/DVD_BigKuta.html

All the best to you my friend!

Al Abidin
Cutting Edge Combat