Kuntao ~ Silat ~ Kali Hawaii

Aloha KSK Crew ! Happy 2012 ! itʻs been a long year and finally I might  be ready to return home for more " Schooling ". This year has been hard with college and multiple injurys due to health issues, but i promissed myself and my ʻohana that we would return in 2012 healthy and ready to get busy once again. Even though I am still injured and a little weaker then I used to be ... Hahahaha, nooooo ! a bit more passive, I need to train again with my ʻohana joining me and get back to the roots of my beginings and get back into shape, so with that being said, I hope to see everyone soon and to the New School crew ... Youʻll love every minute of it, thats why we all come back in one way or another ! Be Safe, Train Hard ... A hui hou ! Chris.

Ah.... Here we are January 2012

We have some new entries & some returning players, hitting things hard at the beginning of the year. Seems we will be going into February with 12 adults training. Makes for good energy and a nice full experience in class. 30 to 40 minutes, the beginning of class, is specific strength & conditioning exercises including medicine ball, (we have up to 40 & 45 lbs.) weighted sled pulls, stair climb, gymnast rings, kettlebells plus more devious tortures to come. Stepping into the new DAMASOC djurus to finish off the 2 hour class. Awareness, Strength, Fitness, = Self Defense. Keep your head in the game even when your body is stressed. It's been a long 4 years but the class is filling up.

Live to Train & Train to Live

Dana

KSK Hawaii, a small group, yes it takes a certain kind of individual who can recognize the realities of training for violence. Many see the way working in forms, flailing around in the air stiking hard at imaginary targets. Forms have their place in the learning process but are limited in their installation of proper human response to violence. Many whine, and say stepping up the tempo, and really crashing into your training partner is ineffective and dangerous. Ah, dangerous. Isn't that what we are training for ? I know I am. I have some who have gone out of their way to say I am abusive as an instructor, and make things way too hard. I hope they find their way and the boogie man, the one that wants your money, or wants to rape your wife takes it easy on you while he doing his nastiness. These guys, many have been talented, have gone by the wayside because of silliness, not seriousness. These arts are a lifestyle and it takes a pair to raise it to the next level. If you want to dance, I know a school where they teach Zumba, have at it.

It's better to burn out, than fade away !

Major Principles of Unarmed Combat

Outside the arena of sporting events there is a zone of contact, in which we as aware individuals, know that criminal elements select & search for to gain the edge over their victim. When it comes to the confrontation we have to agree that the first rule is, “there aren’t any rules”.

1. Fight Direct & Dirty.

There can be nothing remotely mistaken about a confrontation on the street with a person with criminal intent. Playing fair, or having honor in combat will not help you to survive. Bricks, sticks, rocks, bottles, gouging, kicking, stomping, biting, will show your assailant that you aren’t skittish about being right there in the gutter with him. Be Direct. Hit first, fast & hard.

2. Vital Targets.

Watching many talk about fighting, I often hear the term, “that’s not a legal target”. I prefer to think of “those” targets as game enders. While not in a sporting event, we’ve already said there are no rules. Eyes, throat, testicles, fingers, toes, back of skull, and/or any other weak point that may present itself should be at the forefront of our offensive structure.

3. Attack the Attack

Defense is a loser’s strategy. Turn defense to offense upon entry, surprising an attacker with a crippling counter offensive. There is nothing more demoralizing than have you plan go to hell because your victim is more dirty, ready, and determined to win at any cost.

4. KISS (Keep it simple, stupid)

Nice fancy, flowery, & elaborate techniques are great for demonstrations & shows, but under fire quickly turn to dung. Simple sure structure & striking will deflect and destroy an attacker’s will and deter his resolve. Deliver your attack without mercy and with all your power.

5. Momentum

Delivering a single blow, and watching to see if it was effective will only let the tide turn on you. Initial entry should be followed by a ruthless series of techniques, delivered with controlled aggression until the attacker is rendered harmless. With more than one attacker, one should move from one to another quickly, giving them no time to set up strategy.

6. Expect Injury

No matter how strong you get, or special martial style you train, you will not have an invisible force field around you. You should be prepared to inhale pain, and work with injury. Criminal elements are not usually courageous, nor known for great combative skill, but they are usually tough & had some experience with street fighting. Never under estimate your attacker.

7. Stay off the Ground

Stay mobile, keep your balance, stay upright. This gives you the means of escape if the situation is not a winner for you. Understand that on the ground you are susceptible to the same dirty tactics you wish to use. If your attacker goes to the ground keep him there with brutal kicks & stomping techniques.

8. Awareness & Preparation

Training physically through scenarios should also be backed up with mental training. Running your mind over all “what ifs “ and injecting them into physical training will reinforce good conditioned responses. Staying alert, away from bad situations, will minimize contact with undesirables but when SHTF one should be able to rely on the physical/mental link to react.

To all the new members that were awaiting acknowledgement for your requests, please forgive the delay. I was not aware of the fact the site was not going to notify me of your requests. Thank you for your membership requests and all of you have been approved !  Please feel free to post a blog, search through the site and contact the instructors.

    Aloha and Thank You for stopping by our website here at KSK Hawai'i !

My name is Chris Kelau and I am currently 2nd Instructor here at KSK Hawai'i under the Teachings of Mr. Dana Mattos. I have trained in various Martial Arts systems in the past and finally found a home here at KSK Hawai'i. Training over the past year has been a challenge for me, but none the less it was worth every " Painful Moment ". As we move forward into the New Year and say good bye with the old, I would like to give a Mahalo to my Teacher and fellow peer's that have gave me the Knowledge and Training I needed in order to grow in this Art and hope that I can live up to the New Challenges ahead as I share my Knowledge of this Art away from    " The Home Den ".

   In the coming 2011 Year I hope to welcome New Members into our group and pass on the Knowledge to others as it was giving to me.

  Again I would like to give my Thanks to everyone in my KSK O'hana, and to the New Members ... " COME WITH AN OPEN MIND,STRONG WILL AND A SOUND HEART " and I shall Teach you with a " FIRM HAND " what you are looking for. 

Mahalo Nui,

 Chris Kelau

KSK Instructor, Hilo Hi  

                                           Hit The Switch – Don’t Be a Victim

                                                  A DAMASOHK Mindset

Developing a foundation for self- defense tactics all too often gets formed on an opinion developed from cinematic representations. This erroneous information is far from the realities of a violent attack in a street fight condition. These pre-formed opinions, worked into a strategy for self- defense are ill-informed at best, and downright dangerous.

Criminals routinely use deceptive strategies to try and exploit our patterns of daily life. They have no scruples and base these strategies in cunning and viciousness to achieve their goals. You should find yourself angered by people being bullied, beaten, robbed, and subjected to a myriad of senseless violent behavior. Injury and humiliation belongs to a victim because, on many occasions, victims unwittingly set themselves up by being unaware. You will often have onlookers who will egg the violence on to feed their need for violent entertainment, with no empathy for the victim. Point is…………….Be aware, don’t be a victim.

Reaching deep inside yourself, ( some don’t need to reach far ), and pulling up the anger it takes not to be a victim, is at the core of a self-defense strategy…………and more appropriately …… Self Offense ! To “Hit the Switch” is to take oneself from a rational, contemplating human being, to a snarling, cornered animal.This needs to happen as fast as hitting a switch. No victim woke up in the morning thinking they would be on the receiving end of events that would cause physical trauma or degradation to them or their family. This happens frequently because dirtbags never rest their plans on finding that unaware person, distracted by normal everyday activity. This should make most of you angry and indignant ! You need to tap these feelings to develop strategies to live your life by. You need to form and train tactics not only to defeat a violent attack with unrelenting physical resolve, but to also understand dirtbag strategies, and be able to see them forming around you, so as not to fall into a trap. Setting your awareness and physical training deep in this indignation, will greatly increase your chances of not being caught surprised and flat-footed by the wolves who would feed on you.

Being tactically aware of criminal indicators gives you the heads up that pre-fires your attitude and places your finger on the switch. This preparedness helps you to draw on your anger and not succumb to your fears.“Fight or Flight Response” has been discussed in many forums, at many levels. One does not have the luxury of flight when having to defend your family. Your fight response needs to be released with immediate, effective, and explosive ferocity in the face of trouble. You need to “Hit the Switch”

Bad guys are not hiding behind every door, and in every alleyway. Knowing this we must keep this dark part of ourselves leashed, until needed. By not walking around with our head in our ass, and observing and recognizing potential situations, will give your life a sense of peace. Peace in the fact you have lowered the percentages of you, and your family, feeling this kind of pain. Maintaining a comprehensive and tactical mindset to deal with criminal activity is simple responsibility on your part.

We need to understand not to go over the threshold of good sense, and use too much force in a situation where it isn’t warranted. This drops us into the same category as the dirtbags we prepare ourselves for. The more situationally aware you are, the easier it is to detect and check criminal behavior before it has a chance to manifest itself fully. If all we need to do to avoid confrontation and injury is step off the sidewalk, that’s easy and requires minimal effort. On the other hand, if physically attacked, we should already have our finger on the switch !

Instructor Dana Mattos

DAMASOHK System

Kuntao~Silat~Kali Hawaii

As you look at the website, it may look as if it got smaller and there are missing pages. I started using drop down menus, now main headings have connected pages streamlining the site. Play with it a bit and you'll find the content is still all there. See you at the workshop !

All too many times I see a person come in to the group with bright eyes, puffed up chest, feeling it is time for them to learn martial arts. Don't get me wrong, anytime is a good time to learn, yet you see people psyching themselves up just to go through the act of walking in the front door the first time. I applaud the effort, clap clap. Now you've made the decision, what happens at the first moment you experience pain. Do you cry & quit ?  Do you whine that your teacher was mean to you ?  Do you decide to go to a school that does not make you experience pain ?

Pain is the best teacher ! Pain is your friend, it let's you know you are still alive ! Pain let's you know where your mistakes and weaknesses are !

Pain comes in many forms : Self inflicted, you should be able to endure pain you give yourself through exercise. By your teachers hand, giving you valuable information. By your enemy, which hopefully you can avoid by receiving the prior examples. By injury , no one wants them but a fact of this kind of training !

We train in combat martial arts ! This is not for everyone ! If you seek a school to help your self disipline, to make you have higher self esteem, the need for better balance in your life, please don't come here. You should have these before coming to us, because we will try to beat those all out of you. Many have entered, few stay the course ! It's a hard road being slapped, kicked, punched, locked-up, thrown on the floor, stabbed, struck with sticks, jabbed, poked, and just standardly abused !Then standing up and having a good thought for your training partner is mandatory.

The by-product of all this, is we remain a small group consisting of slightly deranged addicts to pain, on a ever evolving course to perfect our delivery of pain on each other !

Come join us for a complimentary class !

For those of you who didn't know we are also recognized instructors in the World Combat Martial Arts Association ! There are some credentials at this school, be proud of what we are accomplishing.

http://wcmaa.homestead.com/WCMAA.html