ISSUE #184      GUIDED CHAOS NEWS            follow us on Twitter @GuidedChaos

SAN FRANCISCO SEMINAR May 14-15    $50 DISCOUNT OFFER ENDS MAY 1ST!   The Fastest Way to Learn Internal Principles for Combat... FIRST GUIDED CHAOS SEMINAR IN SAN FRAN    "Those two days have introduced me personally to the path I have been searching for in Martial Arts." --Mick James, Unity Martial Arts Academy, United Kingdom (Black Belt Tai Chi Chuan, 1st Dan Kenjitsu Kia, CSSD instructor) SAN FRANCISCO POLICE ACADEMY GYM 350 AMBER DRIVE    --SAVE $50: Order before midnight May 1st   --Additional discount for law enforcement and military personnel   Seminar Reviews

AUSTRALIA SEMINAR REVIEWS

"It was brilliant. Both Al and Michael incredibly generous with their time and it was far more than everyone had hoped for and I'm sure we all had high expectations." READ FULL REVIEW --Alistair Horscroft, over 20 years MA experience    "Just finished at the Australian Seminar, body feels shattered but what an awesome event!" --Damian Heffernan Blitz Magazine will be doing a feature on GC in their June print edition...

NY MONDAY CLASS IS MOVING April 4th...   NEW LOCATION: WHITE PLAINS, NY [MAP] The NEW, super-intense Monday class: Starting April 4th, we move to the White Plains YWCA on 515 North Street, room 216 (use side entrance on right). Plenty of free parking. Taught by Masters Michael Watson and Matt Kovsky. Open to adult men and women of all skill levels. $25 per class or $65 per month. Class starts promptly at 7:30pm. Please come a few minutes early as the door is key pass-locked and we will have to come out to let you in. NOTE: If you do come late you can call the room phone at 914 949-6227 ext 216 so we'll come out to get you. For more information, email us at Attackproof.

HOW TO PREVENT A HIJACKING

JOHN PERKINS ON WNBC NEW YORK AFTER 9/11   An almost 10 year old clip from our vaults showing how to thwart terrorists and lunatics on airliners using makeshift weapons and hand-to-hand GC combatives.

DVD PRICE DROP--SAVE $20:   CONTACT FLOW WORKSHOP WITH GRANDMASTER TIM CARRON - $25.00  If you've ever had a private lesson with Grandmaster Tim Carron you know how unique and devastating his contact flow is. Follow along as John Perkins' top student works one-on-one with many of our black belts at a private Contact Flow Workshop we held in early 2009. Tim's precision, economy of motion and sensitivity are real eye-openers, and his personal expression of the art looks different than GC creator John Perkin's (even though the principles are the same) making this DVD an invaluable training tool for advanced practitioners. The reason we say this is because unless you've worked with him or at least have a strong foundation in Guided Chaos you won't really be able to appreciate what you're seeing. For you Wing Chun practitioners, you might be interested in knowing that Tim's contact flow has been said by non-GC practitioners to resemble "Wing Chun" on steroids--but it's not.

SOME MUSINGS ON THE TAI CHI-GC CONNECTION  Extracted and edited from the GC Forum  (Thanks to everyone for their excellent and thoughtful contributions)

"Recently I tried to found out more about the bio-mechanics involved in moving the body and generating power. I began to practice the Wu Style of Taijiquan because I found that it uses some of the same principles as Guided Chaos. The Wu style for example also uses single leg balance. I also tried to analyse (and practice) some basics of Xingyiquan and Baguazhang. Here also because of some similarities with Guided Chaos. Xingyiquan has some interesting movements for generating power, Baguazhang has an interesting way of moving. BTW, I'm not interested in the traditional way of practicing them, but only for some of their movements and drills. Regarding my practice and trials I have a question: In the Internal Martial Arts the way to generate power is mainly related to the Kwa/ Kua (hip). Regarding this I have a question. For example, if I do a drop step on the right foot and hit forward with the right hand/palm. I transfer all my weight on the right foot, but: a) I only sink the weight on the right foot and close the hip (Kwa/Kua) or b) I "extend" the right foot and open the hip (Kwa/Kua)? Is one of the above variations more correct or are both possible?" ========== Focusing on the hip distracts you from GC Body Unity principles. The body and all its joints act in fluid unison with one joint passing it's power along to the next in one continuous unbroken chain of power from the floor to the target. The whole body expands and contracts plyometrically like a spring, set in motion by the wave of Dropping Energy. Worrying what the hip is doing is akin to snapping a whip by grabbing it from the middle of the rope instead of the handle. If you're looking for a tai chi analogy you can look to the principle of "The 9 Peal Gates" which we explain comprehensively (from a GC perspective of course) in Attack Proof. A pure tai chi reference source would be the "Tai Chi Boxing Chronicles." --Matt Kovsky ============ "A while back, I was looking at Erle Montaigue's videos on YouTube. He emphasized a lot of "hip-shaking" in his interpretation of "fa-jing". I began experimenting with that. Adding little hip shakes and similar stuff to various movements did indeed seem to allow me to thwack the heavy bag harder--at certain distances, angles, etc. And there's the rub: not versatile enough to do what needs to be done, in the moment, anytime, anywhere. It's a technique, with limited applicability--and in the moment, the LAST thing you should be thinking about is whether it's an appropriate time to use a certain technique! No guarantee at any given moment that you'll be in a place that allows a hip shake or any sort of purposeful rotational motion. However, we always have gravity, and we always have our own skeletons. . . . Finally, what's your goal? Hitting a heavy bag harder, or doing more damage to people who are trying to damage you? You achieve the former mostly via body mechanics specifically optimized for that precise situation (i.e. the heavy bag situation, little to do with actual combat); you achieve the latter mostly via increasing your sensitivity, balance, looseness and body unity such that you can move with bad people fluidly and precisely, unavailable yet unavoidable. A bit of hand conditioning and tendon strengthening helps too. What helps more than anything though is contact flow in the right frame of mind with a variety of training partners." ============ "These days, there are lots of writers who attempt to "deflower" the Chinese internal arts to make them more satisfying to the rigidly logical and scientific Western mind. While such things may be fun to read and figure out (like a puzzle), and in some cases MAY help you arrive at a new/better intellectual understanding of some aspect of GC, one must wonder: 1) Is something being lost in the translation from poetic Chinese to pragmatic English? 2) Are the instructions teaching you to do what's needed in the moment in the chaos of combat, or are they teaching you a method optimized for a specific paradigm (e.g. getting maximum impact on an inanimate target directly in front of you at a given distance)? 3) Regardless of any perceived intellectual understanding, how is this helping your PRACTICE of GC? IMO, there are reasons (besides secrecy) why the original writings about internal martial arts were metaphoric and symbolic rather than direct. They are similar reasons to why for example in my blog, most of the later "tips and hints" are far less concrete than the earlier ones. The earlier ones are more "move your arm at this angle" whereas the later ones are more "move as though you're as light as a feather but with bowling balls tied to your feet" and stuff like that. There are reasons why the book Attack Proof doesn't spell everything out in a concrete, obvious fashion. John figured out long ago that the more effective way to prepare the body and mind to perform well in the chaos of combat is through intuitive/experiential learning methods, rather than intellectual/ replicative methods. That's why you have many extraordinarily skilled (proven in real combat) GC practitioners out there who could no more explain the subtleties of why GC works on and intellectual level than they could explain the physics of how bumblebees fly (or even if they COULD explain it, they would never bother to). They just did what John told them to do in terms of training, practice and mindset, and they got good. It really is that simple. Time spent trying to intellectually figure out some passage from a book or some obscure Chinese principle is usually better spent, from a training and development perspective, on the balance walks and other exercises--and especially on contact flow with right-minded training partners. That being said, were I to impugn your efforts at research and cross- disciplinary understanding, it would be a blatant case of the pot calling the kettle black! It's just that I've noticed over the years which pursuit has helped me more to improve my skills: reading more books, or getting more flow in." ============ "pg.100 Tai Chi Classics (1990) waysun liao:  Master Wong Chung-Yua wrote: "Regardless of your opponent's actions, the principle of your response remains the same.  Once this type of movement has become your own, you will understand internal power" Guided Chaos translation........"Do the Exercises" Why do we keep on trying to reinvent the wheel?  We as humans reach a pinnacle of understanding where the physical and mental realm should chime.  Recognize what you are and are not capable of, and go from there!  GC focuses on principles of movement from a human animal standpoint.  The greatest benefit is recognizing the simplicity of the exercises and how it economizes an already hectic and crazy life that we all pretty much live today.  The more we chase knowledge the quicker we get tired! I do not need to get shot to know that it will hurt, others have done this already.  Obsessive knowledge seekers can get lost in the sea of knowledge.  The principles are the same in all Martial Arts.......bigger, stronger, faster wins and the One law none of us can break is Gravity.......but understanding balance and movement can assist someone without these attributes. But most important, the majority of us are part-time martial artists. Yes we focus on the principles during our day, all day.  But most of us are not living a monastic life where we are dedicating 10hrs a day and are denied the normal privileges of life." DOES COMBAT TAI CHI ACTUALLY EXIST? FIND OUT: SEE OUR AD FURTHER DOWN THE PAGE

SCAMS AND MORE SCAMS!

SCAM:  On Line Subscriptions EMAIL THIS TO YOUR PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS [From Mercola.com] "Here's something you might not have known about AOL -- 80 percent of the company's profits come from subscribers, but 75 percent of those subscribers are paying for something they don't actually need." SCAM: Japanese Tsunami Charity Hurricane Katrina provided cover for the creation of over 4,000 scam charities to exploit your good will and cheat deserving victims. The Japanese Tsunami will provide another ruse to fool people. Don't give money to any organization you've never heard of. Also, newer charities may not be able to handle the global influx of money from a huge catastrophe. Check with the IRS on an organization's legitimacy. Be careful with direct solicitations by email, letter, or phone call. Emails may also contain viruses. Better to go to an organization's website directly by typing in the URL address. Some Legitimate Charities: • American Red Cross • AmeriCares • Save the Children • International Rescue Committees Scam: Tax Time Email Threats/Offers Criminals posing as IRS agents will flood the web with phishing scams trying to frighten you with the threat of an audit and/or monetary reward to get you to "use their services". They will ask you to enter private information or download files. All you need to know is that the IRS only contacts individuals via ordinary paper mail and never threatens or cajoles in its communications.

SIMPLE AWARENESS TOOLS FOR SAFEGUARDING YOUR LIFE,   YOUR HOME AND YOUR FAMILY:

1. BEST INTRO BOOK FOR LEARNING GUIDED CHAOS COMBATIVES (THE FIRST PART OF GUIDED CHAOS) FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE The GC Combatives Manual Available in 3 Formats: (Paperback / Kindle / eBook) GC COMBATIVES: COMBAT PROVEN / EASY-TO-LEARN THE PERFECT "HOW TO" MANUAL FOR: AVERAGE PEOPLE / SECURITY PROFESSIONALS / LAW ENFORCEMENT ANYONE WHO DOESN'T HAVE YEARS TO BECOME A GUIDED CHAOS "MASTER"!     2. DVDS, and especially the no-nonsense GC WEAPONS SERIES: Kill The Enemy, Companion Part 1, Military/Police Tactics, Guided Chaos Weapons Series      DOES COMBAT TAI CHI ACTUALLY EXIST?       PUT YOUR TAI CHI ON STEROIDS... with Guided Chaos internal principles    Adapt / Improvise / Survive       THE ATTACKPROOF COMPANION PART TWO (2 DVD SET) - $75.00 All the principles, in depth, with drills. THE ATTACKPROOF COMPANION PART THREE: IN THE EYE OF THE STORM (3 DVD SET-6 HOURS TOTAL) - $145.00 Applying the principles to free-form combat with Contact Flow. BUY BOTH AT 15% OFF THE REGULAR PRICE OF $220. SAVE $33! 15% OFF--THE ATTACKPROOF COMPANION PARTS TWO & THREE COMBO PACK - $187.00      HOW DO I PRACTICE ON MY OWN?  TRAIN ALL THE GC DRILLS SOLO... ...SET TO NATIVE AMERICAN MUSIC.  COMBAT CONDITIONING All the Guided Chaos drills back-to-back and non-stop on one DVD. No theory or extended explanations. Put it on, blast your stereo, follow along and work out--5 minutes, 20 minutes, an hour or longer--whatever you want-you decide! Also, many chapters end with a quick application demo of the skill just trained. Talk about practical!

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REAL FIGHTS ARE NEVER CHOREOGRAPHED...
YOUR SELF-DEFENSE SHOULDN'T BE EITHER.
Guided Chaos DVDs for the Spontaneous Edge
What your current training may be missing...
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 ...through watching videos put out by attackproof.com, and by
reading Attackproof, the book, I have learned real survival skills.
These skills have been learned...at an exponentially higher practical
yield-per-hour training rate than any other martial art classes or
seminar I've ever attended, or ever even heard rumor of.
--Matthew Shoener, Police Officer, Scranton, PA 

The Companion Video Part One is stupendous!
A godsend of detail for out-of-state practitioners.
--Mark from Chicago

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