jackstrappette's blog

Looks like Shun Shifu's idea for free online Kung Fu was truely a great idea! Theres over 50 people listed there! That means alot more people showing and having an interest in Shou Shu! Its always great to see a good idea start to really take off when theres plenty of people interested to try it out. Its always a good day when the art of Shou Shu is noticably beginning to expand! You've done a great thing there Shun Shifu! Keep on with the push!
-Jack

The last guy that i found out here that claimed to be a Shifu from California vanished and moved on, can't say Im sorry because he didn't seem to have what Shifu Sefraph did even though he claimed to be a 5th degree.
I ran across another guy who studied the Russian Martial Arts, I've been training with him off and on for the past couple of months. I was surprised to find that there is a considerable amount of motion in the Russian system that is alot like that in Shou Shu...however they seem to be lacking alot of the power thats found in Shou Shu stances. I do feel that its helping me with my flow, and mixing it with proper Shou Shu stances is developing the power it should have.
Has anyone here examined the Russian Martial Arts system? If so I would like to hear their input on the similarities. Thanks!
-Jack

Hey everyone! Glad that I can get back on the sight again! Once again like that last time I was here...thanks for all the advice and training tips. It really paid off! The shed me and my buddies used for awhile to simulate obsticles for working with movement and awareness was a big success. Not to mention all the added training of being the aggresser and focusing on the mind of the beast....it makes a great difference.

I took the advice that I was given here on the sight and "built" an urban training ground. It represents the terrain one might find in a bar or club, being that I figure if I can move and fight well through that type of crowded environment...its a good start.

I'm using a guys 12' x 30' shed. I only have two people currently to work as "multiple" opponents. Milk crates and plywood represent tables and chairs...and one of my friends who doesn't want to be in harms way managed to fine me a few manaquins to represent innocent people. I got one guy attacking me through this little "maze" while the other one throughs dodge balls at me that I have to either dodge or block properly. I run the course a time or two then step outside while the other two move things around and try it again. Its about the best I can do with only a couple of people....I may have a couple more guys to help by the weekend.

I really appreciate all the advice....if anyone has anymore ideas, feel free to shoot them my way.

-Jack

I was wondering if anyone on the sight here had any ideas on how to train against multiple opponents when you don't have more than a couple of people to train with. I seem to have come to a point where this is going to be very important fo me. I understand completely about how important it is to keep moving in a fight, especially when you have more than one opponent, my late shifu Brad Sefraph was very adament about that. He could fight a number of opponents and seemingly never get hit....he generally seemed to "walk" through them like they weren't even there....I however, seem to get hit from time to time.

For a while I've simply done my thing and just taken the hit when I failed to block properly or was unaware of an opponent's movement. A confrontation I had a couple of weeks ago (apparently if you knock a guy out for punching a woman....his ten friends step forward with a vengence) brought a bloody grip back on reality. I think about 8 of these guys pulled a knife, suddenly taking a hit in the abs was no longer an acceptable practice. I can say I won simply because I'm still alive...but only after a number of stitches, lost time from work, and an awareness of my weaknesses.

I have a pretty good understanding of cutting the circle and breaking the circle....what I lack more than anything is the number of people necessary to practice those types of drills. Does anyone have any advice they can give me about training against multiple opponents when you don't have that many training parteners? All the techniques and random motion visualization training can't give an accurate training probability to the random movement and actions of potential opponents.

Thank you for any and all advice....

-Jake

Sorry I haven't been on the sight in a while. My computer got a "Blue Screen of Death". :) I'm still not sure what that means...but I do know that it cost almost as much to fix as it would have to buy a new darn computer! Well, its fixed...so I hope I get the chance to use it more and visit the sight. It looks like you all have had alot going on since the last time I was able to log on.

I have a question...and I hope someone can help me out.....

I still don't have a school to train at, but I met a man a couple of weeks ago that claims to have studied with Dashifu Moore. He says hes a 5th degree...and at this point I have no reason to dought him based on the few things hes said and has shown me. He says he studied with Dashifu Al Moore in the California valley about 30 years ago, but he wont say for how long or exactly where. His name is Shifu Darick Morgan. Is there anyone here on the sight who knows him or has heard of him? If you have....I'd really like to know. I told him about the sight, but apparently he has no use for computers.

If anybody knows him....please let me know.

Thanks,

Jack-

Sorry Everyone!

... about the origin of Shou Shu. Shifu Sefraph used to tell me that Shou Shu, until you reached black, was more of a principle art. He said that after black it became pure beast forms and that the pure beast had their own lineage and origins. He told me that Mongoose was all but extinct...that his Da Shifu had basically brought it back from the brink of non-existence and that the Da Shifu was the true lineage of modern Shou Shu. How accurate is that? Brad told me that the Da Shifu all but created the Shou Shu he knew. If thats so, does the origin of the modern Shou Shu belong to the Da Shifu? Just thinking about that is really amazing, a person in this day and age who put Shou Shu back together again....and basically created Mongoose. Pardon my words...but that makes for one hell of a man to be able to do that!

What Shou Shu Has Done For Me....

Hi everybody! My name is Jack Strappette, and I'm new to the sight. I'm from Petoskey MI. At least thats where I've been for a number of years. I'm looking forward to getting the chance to talk to people about Shou Shu. The man that was teaching me until a few years ago is the only one I ever met that knew anything about Shou Shu. Now I've stumbeled accross a sight with a whole bunch of people who study Shou Shu! Its excitting to me cause I would like to learn alot more, and from just taking a glance at the sight it appears that theres alot more to learn than I may have had any idea. I look forward to becoming more involved with the sight and those who use it. I'd like to say thanks to Shun Shifu Weaver for giving me the chance to get to meet people practicing an art that I feel is one of the best ( if not the best ) art there is.

Thanks! -Jack