Saturday, October 22, 2011

Never Seen Florida

I've been here for two days and I still haven't seen any of. It's easy to joke with K: "Been to some of the coolest cities in the world but they all look like sweaty gyms."

Red-eye flight. Meet Rick Brumby, who is a thoroughly cool guy. Check into the hotel. Explore the grounds. Shower. Try to nap. Get up, go to the local police academy to teach Conflict Communications. Nargilah and late dinner with Dan G. Back to the hotel. Try to sleep. Up too early. Go to the business center to make copies. Meet Rick in the lobby. Return to the training center. Teach an introduction to violence. Teach part two of ConCom. Dinner. Hotel.

Too tired to write, but I don't want to sleep just yet.

Anyway, been in Florida for two days, haven't seen anything yet. Maybe tomorrow, or maybe I'll find a quiet place and write and drink coffee.

Working on the "Crisis Communication with the Mentally Ill" book. It will be too short for print, so expect an e-book fairly soon (finally). This one's disjointed, more a series of tactics than a coherent strategy. That's okay, I guess. Can't see all patterns at all times for all things. But it should help a lot of people.

The hotel has over three acres under glass with an a alligator lagoon and a small schooner. There is an artificial thunderstorm playing above my head right now. They tried to make the atrium like wild Florida, but air-conditioned and without mosquitos.

Good mix of martial artists today. Most had extensive experience. Lot's of sweat. Well, a little anyway. George Mattson showed up, and I did give him grief about his pink polo shirt... but he is one of the Old Dragons and it is an honor just to be in his presence. I also got to meet Phil Peplinski, who founded the original "Come Get You Some" website. He also really doesn't mind tangling it up and going for eyes. I'm not really sure what a cockle is, but it warmed the cockles of my heart.

The class ran long and just blended it in with the 'Violence' module of ConCom, and that worked pretty well. The information is pretty seamless. That feels good, it means that there is a skeleton underlying the words. It also means that there is a curriculum in here somewhere.

Have been getting pressure to set up a curriculum and create an instructor's class for this. Looking at a two-year date. I have quibbles and hesitations. The essence is teaching to think for yourself. The second that becomes dogmatic you have failed catastrophically. It is also teaching people to stand up, alone, in fear... something I feel is countert-intuitive to a world of Instructors and Senior Instructors and certifications...

But you know, being afraid of failure is one crappy excuse. It's also about facing fears, so that's something I just have to do. More later.

7 comments:

ush said...

Just give in and put the curriculum together...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQqq3e03EBQ

Kasey said...

Did you receive your uninterupted eye contact in the mail?

Anonymous said...

A cockle is a small edible sea crustacean.
" As she wheeled her Wheelbarrow, thru streets broad and Narrow, singing Cockles and mussles alive ,alive oh"

Molly malloy

Travis said...

A cockle is also a chamber of the heart- though no longer used as an "official" medical term and of dubious accuracy in it's etymology/ scientific basis.

Phil Peplinski said...

The pleasure was all mine finally meeting you. Had a great time, Thank you for tangling up with me I really enjoyed that. Next time if you allow some time in your schedule, I'll show you Florida.

Josh Kruschke said...

This comment doesn't go here. It actually goes two posts back.

Is a drop step really unatural or are we just trying to duplicate on a conscious something we do naturaly every day, i.e., walking?

I never understood the concept of always keeping you center of balance... balanced. I understand why you would want to keep it low for more stability, but you can't move effectively, balanced.

Walking is falling forward. It's pushing your center of gravity(balance) forward. What is the first step/action taken when we walk? It's not moving the foot. It's moving our center of gravity forward, i.e., we lean forward. Then we move our foot in the direction of movement, so it can catch us.

I used to play this game on my bed; where, I would try to fall forward with out putting my foot or hands forward to catch me.

Hmmm.... I think the drop step is ''unnatural" because some are taking the sequence of motion out out of order.

I think most marshal arts worry to mutch about feet placement.

Sorry, Rory, just need to get that written down.

Onto this post.

All work and no play make Rory a dull, dull boy....waite that doesn't work, when your work is your play.

Take Care, and don't work to hard,
Josh

Gahlord said...

I'd take your instructor class whether or not it had a certification or other marketing attached. Planning for unplanning, the strategy of no strategy, ? vs ? And all that.