SAMPLE ISSUE - VOL.

Dedicated to Western Martial Arts and the warriors who study them.

Inside:
Extreme Self Protection...........pg 1 Irish StickFighting...........pg 3 Women Warriors...........pg 6 Personal Perspective...........pg 8 Mendoza Pugilism...........pg 10 Humor & Wiskey...........pg 13 Homemade Armour...........pg 15

Welcome to the very first issue of Live Steel Magazine. Our goal is to be able to give you the reader a chance to purchase a Western Martial Arts magazine dedicated solely to the arts. There will be no information about Ren Faires, or history about shoes, or details about medieval gardening. This is purely a fighters magazine. The time periods covered are from BC to the present. If it is Western Martial Arts, we will cover it, plain and simple. Hundreds of different styles from all over Europe and America. Do you make armor? Do you have a story about training? Do you want to promote your school? Let us know....if it has to do with Western Martial Arts, we will get it out there. Live Steel Magazine will be published quarterly in multiple formats - Paper, PDF, and as an E-zine.. All advertising must be submitted, proof approved and payed for no later than one month prior to printing. Live Steel Magazine is not responsible for any innacuracies or deletions that are in supplied ads.

This months contributing writers: Mark Hatmaker Wic Kanagie Scott Oisol Jessie Brock Ken Pfrenger Joe McLaughlin Contact: Live Steel Fight Academy 1200 East High Street, Suite 312, Pottstown, PA 19464 610-705-8705 theoldcelt2000@yahoo.com www.theoldcelt.com/fightschoolmain.html

The Medieval Horse Guild is a group of horsemen and horsewomen who occasionally cast off the trappings of modern life and cloak themselves in the pageantry of the Medieval Period. As a group they engage in a variety of activities ranging from the study of the techniques of horsemanship in the Middle Ages to participating in parades and battle recreations. Members are encouraged to make their own medieval costumes and armor as well as tack for their mounts that is appropriate to the period being portrayed.

For more info go to: www.horseguild.com or email: pagews@horseguild.com

What is Extreme Self-Protection (ESP)? ESP is an amalgam of Western disciplines: Western Boxing, Western Wrestling, and Western Empiricism. ESP promotes the idea that the martial arts of the east are not the only repositories of knowledge available on the planet. Western civilization has its own rich history of unarmed combat disciplines that in many ways are superior to the dogma of the Eastern traditions. ESP does not deny that there is much of value in these other disciplines, it merely suggests that the rich tapestry of Western combat arts has much to offer. Perhaps less so in the aesthetic sense but this is more than made up for by its pragmatic expression. What Western Arts comprise the ESP system? Pugilism forms the foundation of our striking system. Pugilism is the pre-Marquis de Queensbury form of boxing in which elbows, head-butts, gouging, hip throws and other such NHB tools were still legal. We've taken these tools from the legends of boxing's beginnings combined them with positional and entry concepts utilized in Western fencing, added a touch of the illegal punches found in Boombattle, and fire them with the advances made in the Sweet Science over the past 100 years. This combination of the early Pugilist's brutality, the Fencer's finesse, and the Boxer's conditioning and overwhelming scientific attack make for a solid striking base well suited to the ring, the octagon, or the streets.

Mark Hatmaker is the founder and head instructor of ESP. For more information got to: www.extremeselfprotection.com

HARD WIRING AND PALM STRIKES

by Mark Hatmaker 2004 Ask martial artists/self-defense coaches to make a choice between which body weapon is preferred in the street confrontation, the fist or the palm heel, the majority will answer, the palm heel. I, too, have a knee jerk intellectual reflex to answer that the palm heel is the preferred street tool of the two and yet closer examination reveals that the palm may not be the wisest tool. I know that this answer is anathema to most. People point to the fragile human hand with the delicate skeletal construct of its 26 bones. One can also point to the anecdotal information of Mike Tyson, (at the peak of his career) a professional boxer who throws punches for a living, breaking his hand upon impacting Mitch Greens skull in a street confrontation in Brooklyn as proof that the fist is not the way to go. These arguments are all compelling, but stay with me for a few paragraphs while I present the other side of the issue. Martial artists (particularly western combat practitioners) are aware of the truth of the maxim How you train is how you will fight. In other words, if you train

to shoot for takedowns, chances are that is the bias through which you will view confrontation. (A bias which I, myself, hold.) This maxim also teaches us that if we train with the closed fist the closed fist is what we will resort to in a self-defense situation. To be able to use the palm heel intelligently, one must train it assiduously with the majority of the striking training forgoing the fist so that in times of stress this tool may present itself. But I put it to you that this focused training of the palm heel may still not be enough to bring the palm heel out in confrontation. Another maxim of profound wisdom is Let your training be a reflection of the battlefield conditions. In other words, if the reality of the fight is one of clinched scuffling, then you had best emphasize that contingency in your training. Allow me to add to this maxim with one of my own devising (not that I can take credit for reflexive reactions) your training should be informed by your evolved neurophysiologic reactions. In other words, if stress triggers a particular ingrained response, it is wise to shape/craft that natural response rather than wagering that you can subvert millions of years of evolved reaction with a mere several hours of training tools that do not reflect the realities of the sympathetic nervous systems fight-or-flight responses. How does the above academic gobbledygook translate into a case against the conventional wisdom of palm heels? Lets look to human 1

stress reactions for a few clues and then to primatology. Healthy human infants are tested for a fight-or-flight response known as the Moro Reflex. The Moro Reflex is triggered when the infant feels that it is falling. Once this trigger is applied, the infant will throw his/her arms out wide with palms outstretched and then the hands will close into fists as if clutching at something. They, in fact, are clutching at something. This same reaction is seen in young primates and it is an evolved response that allows the infant primate to clutch at his/her mothers fur to prevent a fall. This reflex in humans is a holdover behavior echoing a physical strategy that once saved our young ancestors lives. This link may seem tenuous, and I can see that argument myself, but allow us to take an animal ethologists look at primates in battle. Many primatologists (the esteemed Frans de Waal, included) have documented that our primate relatives in physical confrontation close the fist to strike or close the fist to clutch at an object to strike with. The open palm is only seen in the occasional open handed swing at a rival. Now, I am not suggesting that because a chimpanzee without directed training is unable to throw an educated palm heel strike that we are unable to do so, but I do proffer this information as food for thought as we look at the next bit of data. If one examines their own personal experiences in confrontations and/or relies on security tapes of street confrontation or uses impartial bouncer/security 2

personnel accounts, the human animal, in stress situations, clinches the fist and falls back/regresses to the swing more often than not, even if trained to do otherwise. We may be able to keep our trained responses true to our training in the sportive atmosphere (not always even here, as MMA competition often shows that there is a Darwinian culling aspect to stylistic preferences) but the street/selfdefense environment is altogether different. In the street confrontation we have not chosen the time or place of the confrontation. We have not chosen the opponent. The stakes of life and limb are without a doubt much higher than in our sport matches. We have a myriad of variables working not for us, but against us. (I offer this argument not to discourage active intelligent training , on the contrary, I offer it to make sure that we direct our training in an intelligent manner to mimic ingrained reflexes). After much thought and research, I am of the opinion (as if one could not already see) that the palm heel is an excellent tool in a controlled match or in a street confrontation in which one is able to fire first or at least with some deliberation before launching. Clinching the fists is a very likely occurrence, and since that may indeed happen we should learn to roll the fist properly (I wont get into that here as I have already labored the point repeatedly in books and videos). We should also look to the palm as being effective (perhaps more effective) as a

swing/slap than as a straight palm heel weapon. Anyone who has ever worked a true palm heel workout knows that beyond straight shots, the wrist is torqued or folded to an uncomfortable degree when attempting hooks and/or uppercuts with the palm. When used in a swinging slap manner as one sees in Pancrase, the wrist is taken out of jeopardy (as is the fist) and one is left with a surprisingly effective tool that closely mimics evolved response. In conclusion, our training should dovetail with our fight-orflight responses. We should build intelligent structures on top of evolved instinct and strive not to subvert that which may not be subverted no matter our efforts. In the controlled arena of sportive combat the above discussion is useless. In the arena of the streets, it seems that our fists and roundhouse blows (open-handed or closed fists) are the striking legacy of our species. Rather than deny these facts, we should embrace the information and build upon that knowledge base to provide us with a strategy for constructing our best defense against the street predators of this world.

BATAIREACHT: THE ART OF IRISH STICK-FIGHTING

by John W. Hurley Special to The Wild Geese Today

the Gaelic Athletic Association. Like the "melee" of the Norman knight, hurling matches were originally meant, in part, to both imbue young warriors with a feeling for combat, and to aid them in their agility with sword and axe weaponry.

Part 1: The Faction-Fighting Irish

Dating its origins exactly, of course, is speculation, but what is certain is that the use of the stick as a weapon seems to have been considered -- by the Irish themselves - a quintessentially Irish characteristic. To buy John Hurley's book, click on the cover image The origins of the Irish martial art of Irish stick-fighting, colorfully and accurately portrayed in Martin Scorsese's Oscar-nominated film "The Gangs of New York," goes back millennia. Dating its origins exactly, of course, is speculation, but what is certain is that the use of the stick as a weapon seems to have been considered -- by the Irish themselves - a quintessentially Irish characteristic. This Irish fondness for the stick as a weapon also belies a cherished cultural preference, rather than a historical necessity, which dates from Ireland's ancient past. The Gaelic game of hurling, for example, was itself a form of martial arts training before it was tamed (only somewhat!) and standardized into a national sport by

these traditions were transplanted into 19th century America. Both Herbert Asbury (author of the "The Gangs of New York" book that inspired the film) and Martin Scorsese were likely unaware of these traditions, yet their historical existence was documented by Irish author William Carleton in his "Traits And Stories of The Irish Peasantry" and other works. Carleton lived from 1794 to 1869, and grew up near Clogher in County Tyrone. Through his writings, we can examine these traditions and see how accurately they were depicted in the film. Many accurate details made it into the film. For example, Irish factions always carried a symbol of their gang into battle on a pike. In Carleton's childhood, his faction symbol was a potato stuck on a pike, and this is depicted in the film with the Dead Rabbits carrying their rabbit on a kind of spear. One of Carleton's faction fighters wielding his "shillelagh." Brendan Gleeson's character is armed with one kind of the Irish club known as a Sail Eille or "Shillelagh" -- a "thonged cudgel." As Carleton and other Irish writers of his generation show in their stories, Irish faction fighters also used a variety of weapons besides shillelaghs -- everything from scythes, sickles, and flails to swords, brass knuckles, hobnailed boots, and guns. This variation is displayed in "Gangs of New York." I do wish Scorsese had included more authentic styles of Irish martial arts -- especially the various forms of Irish stick-fighting. But 3

Irish faction fighters use their shillelaghs on each other in an illustration from Carletons book. "Gangs" Film Shows Rites of Violence. Martin Scorsese's film "The Gangs of New York" has received both commercial success and critical acclaim, along with 10 Oscar nominations. Yet some IrishAmerican commentators and scholars have criticized it for its manipulations of history. With regards to certain details (such as the New York City Draft Riots), it is true that Scorsese took artistic license with places, dates, and events. But without question, the overall content of the movie depicted with remarkable accuracy the sufferings of the Irish immigrants of the 19th century. The film was unabashedly pro-Irish. Particularly well-portrayed in the film are some of the traditions of Irish faction fighting and how

he very clearly delineates the bloody nature of the struggles fought between the Catholic Irish and Protestant Americans in the 19th century. And that, after all, seems to have been his ultimate intention. -- JWH Fatalities often occurred in hurling matches, just as in the melee, and even at much later dates, such as the 19th century, some of the largest stick-fighting battles on record -involving whole villages - started out as a kind of hurling match known as a "Scuabin". The various arts of Irish stick-fighting reached their zenith in the first half of the 19th century, when Irish gangs were beginning to dominate New York's streets. These sorts of outbreaks, along with the generally chaotic nature of stick-fighting matches, aided in the demise of popular stick-fighting in Ireland. Stick-fighting matches usually occurred at fairs and on Pattern (or "Patron") Days, and involved two opposing gangs or "factions." These matches became known as "Faction Fights," and eventually Irish stick-fighting became strongly associated with them. At first encouraged by English authorities as a way of keeping the Irish divided, faction fighting was eventually outlawed as fatalities at matches increased and the size and political power of the factions grew. They encouraged lawlessness within the already largely lawless "underground" culture of the Gaelic Irish and aided in the empowerment of the network of Irish secret societies that came to dominate the life of the countryside. 4

In time, An Gorta Mor (The Irish Famine), the influence of the Catholic Church, and the rise of Fenianism (militant Irish republicanism) put an end to large-scale Faction Fighting, as more and more of the agrarian faction groups united and were absorbed into the Fenian organization in the latter half of the 19th century. Eventually, Irish Faction Fighting was outlawed. The last of the classic Faction Fights is often said to have taken place in 1887. But real stick-fighting faction feuds are known to have continued, even into the 20th century, in parts of Cork, Kerry, and Tipperary. Today there is an unfortunate reemergence of a kind of faction fighting in the almost daily battles in the streets of Ulster. Perhaps more remarkably, the Irish art of stick-fighting (Bataireacht in Irish) continues to this day in a style passed through generations of a branch of the Doyle family of Newfoundland, Canada. Called Uisce Beatha Bata Rince, the style is now being taught publicly for the first time by Glen Doyle, a well-known Canadian Kung Fu stylist, through his Cead Bua stick fighting club in Toronto.

Roman Catholics were prohibited from owning swords and other weapons; as a result Irishmen could only train for sword fighting with sticks. And they would need this training, as thousands of them prepared for service abroad, especially in the Irish Brigade, a semiautonomous unit of the French army, originally under the authority of the Jacobite King James II. Trained by their recruiters, these Irish soldiers (the famous "Wild Geese") would at least have some martial arts training before their entry into the Continent's armies. While certain styles of Irish stick-fighting are indeed meant as training for swordplay (the Bata Pionsa style, for example), there are problems with this theory. For example, Ireland has one of the oldest unbroken warrior traditions in Western Europe, and it thus seems unlikely that the Irish would have imported foreign fencing styles in the 17th century. Yet this theory seems to suggest that. This seems unlikely given both the ancient history of stickfighting in Ireland and the traditions of aboriginal Irish orders of knighthood, such as the Knights of The Red Branch of Ulster. These orders predate the Norman orders of chivalry by over 1,000 years, perhaps more, and many of the men fighting in the Irish Brigade were, in fact, hereditary Irish warriors descendant from this Gaelic warrior tradition. It seems unlikely, therefore, that such an ancient and conservative society, once dominated by a warrior aristocracy, would import and practice Continental fencing styles in

Part 2: The Origins of Faction Fighting

Faction Fighting's origins, like those of most martial arts, are obscured by myth. One theory has it that shillelagh fighting originated as a means of training for European-style swordplay. Under the early Penal Laws,

exclusion to all pre-existing, native Irish traditions. And certainly, if thousands of Irish soldiers a year could be smuggled in and out of Ireland, then obtaining illegal weaponry such as swords would have presented even fewer difficulties. The Irish god Dagda had a magical wooden "shillelagh" whose strike could either kill or restore to life, depending on the end of the stick used. Some contemporary writers attributed the origins of Faction Fighting to disputes over "Mayballs." These were hurling balls (or "sliotars") awarded to village youth groups by a village "Queen of The May" during Irish May Day (Beltaine) ceremonies. In some cases, competing youth groups may have fought for the prestige or honor of being awarded the Mayballs as recognition of their control or domination of a region. The combined practices of fighting at times of specific seasonal change (like May 1st), with wooden sticks, over symbols of fertility and fecundity (Mayballs), are all aspects of a once coherent, archaic Irish, cultural folk system. And it was from within this complex native Irish cultural matrix - part pagan folk belief, part sport, part politics and part paramilitarism -that I feel the Irish art of stickfighting was originally born. For generations, Irishmen have been raised on stories of warriors using sticks, swords, axes, and spears as their primary weapons, and there are numerous examples in Irish mythology and history, of the use of the stick as a weapon,

which reflect the ancient origins of Irish stick-fighting. Faction Fighting was an ancient Irish tradition of the old Gaelic Tuaths, which survived into the modern age. It was a system of group dueling used to settle disputes over territory, family, economic, political and or religious rights. In Irish mythology, hurling as stick fighting is used as sword training for young warriors, such as in the tale of the Boyhood Deeds of CuChullian. The day before The First Battle of Moytura, the Fir Bolg "Rua The Bloody" and his allies "the Twenty One Sons of Mil", challenge the youth of the Tuatha De Dannan to a fatal hurling match on the field of Magh Nia -- in a way not unlike that of a 19th century Irish Faction Fight. Irish faction fighters use their "shillelaghs" on each other in an illustration from Carleton's book. The Irish god Dagda had a magical wooden "shillelagh" whose strike could either kill or restore to life, depending on the end of the stick used. The qualifications of a would-be warrior of the F'anna, included a test where the warrior stood in a pit and had to fend off cast spears using a shield and a stick. It is hard to imagine that stories such as these -- which were the ancient Irish equivalent of film and television today -- had no effect on the traditions and mindset of Irish warriors. An example of this impact can be found in the novel "West In Donegal" (written by Seamus

MacGrianna), the character Tarlach Og O'Donnell imagines a faction fight he is witnessing as a kind of heroic re-enactment of the battle of Corr Sleive, which was fought between the O'Donnell clan and the English. And there is some evidence which suggest that the Fenians took their name from a nationalist faction called the Fianna. There are a number of aspects of Ireland's rich cultural heritage that have unfortunately been forgotten or ignored, left on the periphery of Irish popular culture. Centuries of deliberate and repressive warfare, famine, and forced migration have left many Irish people, even in Ireland, alienated from some of their own most fascinating and empowering cultural traditions. One of these seemingly forgotten traditions is the Irish art of Bataireacht or Stick-Fighting. John W. Hurley is the author of Irish Gangs And Stick-Fighting: In The Works Of William Carleton, and the soon to be published Shillelagh: The Story of The Irish Stick He is a researher and practitioner of Irish stick-fighting. For more information on the history of Irishstick-fighting,visit: www.JohnWHurley.com. The Irish god Dagda had a magical wooden "shillelagh" whose strike could either kill or restore to life, depending on the end of the stick used.

Women in Ancient Ireland by Jessie Mae Brock Over the course of history there has been much debate over the equality of women and our rights as human beings. History shows that many cultures hold women below men. Even in our own culture there is still inequality between men and women. Many women have had to fight desperately to overcome the stereo-type placed on us by our ancestors. However, not all cultures have always been this way. Ancient Irish history and legend portray women much differently than most cultures. This can be seen in many ways, from literature, to history and from mythology to religion. Ancient Irish society held women as equals, and many times they were considered deities in mythology and religion. However, this all changed with the introduction of Christianity to lreland. In ancient Ireland, men and women had their places, and it was accepted. For the most part women stayed at home; however, a woman could steer away from the homemaker path if she so chose. Those who chose the home life had no less importance in the family. Not only did a house-wife do the cooking, cleaning, making, and mending, it was also the responsibility of the wife to teach her children the way of war and how to f~ght. It was no less respectable or honorable to be a house-wife than it was for a woman to be a queen or warrior. There were many recorded 6

accounts of heroic women warriors and honorable queens. One such woman was Boudicca; she lived during the 1st century AD. She governed lands that were located in what is now East Anglia. She received this land when Prasutagus, her husband, died. He left half the lands to Boudicca and her daughters. The other half went to the Emperor Nero so that the Romans would no longer take land by force. Yet still the Romans stole the remaining lands, beat Queen Boudicca, and raped her daughters. Because of this, Boudicca was infuriated. She gathered people and weapons and within a short time they fought the Romans -and defeated them. Boudiccas army burned and pillaged Roman lands from Colchester to London. The fury of a Celtic people, led by an enraged queen, outmatched even the well-trained, organized Roman military. (Dew Internet) Men and women received the same education and, for the most part, had equal rights to land and property and were held as equals in the eyes of the law. The Brehon laws of ancient Ireland are quite specific regarding the relationship between husband and wife, dictating to his wife belongs the right to be consulted on every subject. The law goes on to safeguard the rights of the wife, stating quite clearly that the husband did not own his wife. It is only a contract that is between them. is how the law describes marriage. (Treasa Internet) Men and women had equal rights in all property and the consent of both parties was needed to dispose

of the property. Women also had the right to persue legal action if needed. The rights of women in Irish society included: Inherit property from families and spouses Retain the wealth that she brought into the marriage Take part in the military and political activities of the clan Divorce her husband under certain circumstances Engage in polygamy for almost any reason Seek recourse for rape or assault Face the same punishment as a man for the crime of homicide (Kirkley lnternet) In ancient Pagan mythology and legend, the female represented birth, death, creation, and fertility. Ancient Irish myths and religious beliefs suggest a matrifocused society, which is a society focused on women. Women were highly honored, female symbolism formed the most sacred images in the religious cosmos, and the relationship with motherhood was the central elements of the social fabric...the society was held together by common allegiance to the customs of the tribe loosely organized around thc traditions of the goddess (Condren 28). There are many tales of the mother goddess in many different cultures. Heres just one of the legends. Called Brighde by the

Irish, themother goddess was said to have created the oceans and rivers that flow all over the world. As one legend goes, Brighide was the daughter of Dagda and Danu, and when she was born, there was a tower of fire over her head that reached to the sky. This is one reason why Brighids element is fire (ONeil Internet). Brighid, the mother goddess, was worshiped as a creator life, thought not solely the creator as they believed in god. Brighid was known to be responsible for such things as a good harvest, birth, creativity, and prosperity. The goddess was often attributed in threes, the maiden, the mother and the crone. The three parts represents youth, aging, and death. This is directly related to the seasons as well; spring, autumn, and winter. This is just one of the ways that the female aspect is recognized in nature. This is also where the term Mother Earth comes from. She was seen in everything around the people - in the air, the earth, and the water. She was more than just a deity to them. She was the woman that the Celtic people depended on the most. (Kirkley Internet) What appears to have dismantled this society was the warrior culture of Christianity and its spread into Ireland. (Kirkley Internet) In 1171 Henry the Second invaded Ireland. It was thought among the northern Europeans at that time, that the Irish were barbarians, un-civilized and irreligious. Morals in Ireland had become corrupt, and religion almost extinct and his purpose was

to bring the barbarous nation within the fold of the faith and under church discipline. (Web Features International Internet) This is one reason why the English felt the need to invade Ireland with their cultures and religion, Christianity. However, the invaders did not completely over rule the Irish culture and beliefs, which would have been impossible. Instead, to gain some Irish approval, they adopted some of their beliefs, such as that of the Mother goddess. When the English invaded, Ireland came under the reign of Henry VIII, and the entire way of English life. All the laws (were) against Irish civilization, against marriage, fosterage and gossip, against the use of native literature and its language, against every phase and aspect of National life was re-enacted. (Web Features International Internet) So of course, the role and rights of women changed to the views of England as well. Women could no longer fight bravely next to their men, they were forced to be purely the caretakers. Not only did the English take from Ireland its culture and heritage, but during its invasion, Irelands sons and daughters were subject to torture and sometimes death. One such torture the Irish had to accept was directly connected to the disrespect of women. Prima Nocti was the right given to each first night of any land, to bed any Irish woman on the night of her wedding.

Today women are legally and technically considered equals among the men in our world. Unfortunately, considering the history of women, our rights and what we have had to do to get here, there has been a vast improvement. However our fight is never over, and if women could live in such conditions as they did in ancient Ireland and still be strong, if not stronger, then women today have no excuse not to.

Personal Perspective by Dan (Wic) Kanagie I would like to start this article by saying Hello and welcome to this first issue of Live Steel Magazine. I hope we both will learn and grow together in the rich history and culture of the Western Martial Arts. Next I would like to tell you about this article. This will be a recurring artide focused on the basic elements and philosophies of the fighting found in WMA. Although we will discuss some technique, it will only be those basic techniques that will help develop a new fighter or keep an experienced fighter going strong. While advanced techniques are fun and expand our arsenal and opportunities, it is the basics that hone our skills and in a very true sense, keep us alive. Statistically speaking, you win more fights with the basics then with any advanced technique. And those fighters who constantly practice the basics on a daily basis, are those who win on a regular basis. Now, with all that said, I would like to start with, arguably, the most basic element of fighting: control. Control covers a wide area, so I will break it down into three elements; (I ) self-control: Being in control of your body, mind, and spirit. ([ am not referring to any form of spirituality, but am referring to courage) (2) Weapon-control: Being in control of whatever weapon you are fighting with. If it be a sword, utilizing weight, balance edge vs. flat, and quillons to achieve the desired 8

result. (3) control of the fight / opponent: Making your opponent do or act in the manner you want for the desired outcome. For now I will discuss the first and most important element, selfcontrol. This is, in my belief, the most important thing to learn in martial arts. Think about it, if you can't control yourself, how do you expect to control anything else. Self-control, as I said earlier, is broken down into being control of you body, mind, and spirit. You must be in full control over all your muscles, your breathing, and strength. By practicing a certain move through repetitions you build muscle memory. And by using it in a chain drill of moves and counters, you learn the best application and time to use in that move. Be aware of and control you breathing. Proper breathing has two effects, stowing and exertion of power. When you breath in you take in oxygen which converts into energy. when you exhale forcefully with a strike you exert more power making the strike more damaging. Use muscle-specific exercises for targeting the specific muscle group that you use the most. If you are training sword and shield, you want to work the muscles in your shield arm, more so then if you were training rapier and dagger. A shield weights considerably more then a dagger. And the last thing you want to happen is your shield arm getting tired. On the flip side, is the ability to control how you hit when sparring. While I do believe that you should train in a realistic manner,

not every sparring session is about that. Especially when beginning, you must learn to do things slowly, without power. It is by slow repetitions that your body will learn and remember the techniques. The English Master of Defense, George Silver, in his book "Brief Instructions" talks about the four grounds. These are the first four components of the fight he chose to write abut, in their order of importance. They are Judgment, Distance, Time, Place. The first and most important in Judgment. By this Silver means: "To know when your opponent can reach you or not, and when you can reach him or not. To know, by this guard, what attacks he can do and when and how he can attack." . Also he says "when you first come into the field, take notice of everything. Take notice of the evenness of the ground, get into guard before your opponent comes within distance, stand so the sun is in his face, and always remember your governors." Most of what he tells you to do first is mental. Mental self-control is very important. Being aware of several things at once and having to be able to correctly guess what your opponent will do, can be very diff~cult at first. But like with most things, with practice you will get better. Another aspect is to instinctively act to something rather then react. When you react, your sub-conscience takes over, and puts you into a protective mode, sometimes a sort of paralysis. Your body, a lot so times, curls in to protect itself . But if you instinctively act, you calmly but quickly assess the danger and per-

form a counter. By sharpening both mind and body, through practice and exercise, you will instinctively know what to do. Courage is not the absence of fear. But the presence of fear, yet the willingness to continue. Fear can either drive us, or destroy us. I firmly believe in practicing in a realistic fashion, so when the real fight occurs, I'm fully prepared. Yes, sometimes injury does happen. But have you ever heard about a black belt going to a bar, get into a fight and get the crap kicked out of him? That's because he didn't train in a realistic fashion. The first punch that landed on him would have put him in a panic mode. He froze and couldn't remember what to do. Now, if you train realistically but safely, minor injuries occur, yes. But you now know how to fight through the pain. While it may hurt, you wont panic and freeze. By controlling the fear, you remain in control of your mind and body. Fear can do a number of other things to the body, that can aid in you loosing a fight. Your heart rate increases, which means you are pumping more oxygen-rich blood through yoursel This uses up your supply of oxygen, and oxygen is energy. Also you start to hyperventilate. By hyper-ventilating, you are taking short quick breaths. When you breath in this manner, you are not supplying enough energy producing oxygen into your system. You will get fatigued and tired that much faster. So by practicing slow repetitions in a realistic way, you will learn the proper selfcontrol needed. All of the best

fighters always know what is going on, not just around them, but within them also. By loosing control of just one part of yourself in a fight, can literally mean the difference between a win or a lose.

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The Pugilism of Daniel Mendoza by Ken Pfrenger If Jack Broughton is often credited as being the father of modern boxing then it is only fair that the great Daniel Mendoza be considered the father of scientific boxing. Daniel was not a large man, only 5' 7" tall and weighing in at a mere 160 lbs, yet in his prime he dominated the world of pugilism which at that time knew no rules concerning weight classes or matchmaking. Lets take a look at the man behind the legend...... Daniel Mendoza was born in 1763 in Whitechapel , London. Yes that is the same Whitechapel that would later become famous or infamous due to the Jack the Ripper murders over a century later. Without a doubt this rough area of London helped shape the young Daniel in his formative years. Although he was a Londoner through and through he was of Portugese descent as well as Jewish which made him unpopular with some members of the fancy [The fancy is the name given to the followers of boxing at this time. The word later became fan which most people tend to think of as coming from fanatic]. He also had a habit of hanging with whom some would consider the wrong crowd including the many gypsys that lived in the area. According to his memoirs his first fight in the public eye was in the street in front of his employers shop against an un-named porter in 1870 when Daniel was only 16 years of age. He wrote that after 10

three quarters of an hour that his opponent declared that he could no longer stand with the young

stop in Ireland. Squire Fitzgerald had made some remarks about the skill and ethnicity of Daniel which he soon regretted much to the satisfaction of the local Irish who got to watch a member of gentry soundly thrashed by a lowly jew from Whitechapel. It has been said that upon seeing this the local fighters started to adopt a more Mendoza like attitude(stance) and technique. Mendoza lost his title to Gentleman John Jackson who seems to have been poorly named, at least as far as his ring conduct is concerned. Jackson was 6' and weighed over 200 lbs. and demonstrated a mean streak even though he was relatively new to the science of boxing. Mendoza unlike the earlier fighters who had kept their hair shorn close to the head or shaved off completely, kept his hair long, infact he was know for his flowing locks. Jackson took advantage of this and wrapped his hand in Mendozas hair holding and punching him repeatedly for a 10 minute victory over the fallen hero of the lower classes. Oddly Jackson retired right after this fight to open a gym of his own. Mendoza retired as well but came back to the ring in 1806 for finacial reasons beating Harry Lee at the age of 41. Some 16 years later at the age of 57 he returned once again and was soundly thrashed by an innkeeper 5 years his junior named Tom Owen. Clearly the idea of a comeback in boxing well after your prime was not a George Foreman original! After this defeat he settled down for the rest of his

Mendoza. A young Richard Humphries was his second in this first fight. Mr Humphries was a constant throughout Mendoza's career, sometimes good and sometimes bad. Just one week later Mendoza found himself squared off against an opponent yet again...this time for money. Humphries was in his corner giving instruction in this one as well. Daniel had many other great fights including three memorable battles against his one time mentor, Richard Humphries in which he lost the first encounter but prevailed in the next two meetings. Upon the retirement of Big Ben Brain in 1794 Mendoza claimed the championship and solidified this claim by beating Bill Warr(Ward in some accounts). One of his more famous encounters was against a Squire Fitzgerald during a pugilistic tour

years as the landlord of the "Admiral Nelson" in Whitechapel. He died on Sept. 3, 1836 at the ripe old age of 73. So what was it that made Mendoza such a force in the world of pugilism? Surely he had physical attributes that were superior in many respects to those around him but would these attributes such as impeccable timing and measure be enough against the bruisers of the day? Without a doubt they helped but I am more inclined to think that his method of boxing had a great to do with it as well. Fortunately for us Daniel Mendoza wrote his method down before the turn of the 19th century. His method was also recorded by a number of other authors as well, not to mention his own writings plagerised repeatedly before the years of copyright infringement. So where did he learn to box? Clearly there is a case to be made for an amount of mentoring by RIchard Humphries who later became his greatest opponent yet in Mendozas second fight when the spectators yelled out advice to the young Daniel it was Humphries who called back...."There is no need of it, the lad knows more than all of us." Surely there must have been some early instruction in the basics or at least an understanding of the basic premise behind the science just as every young boy here in the USA knows the basics of football or baseball even if he has received no

coaching. So while he may have had some training from Humphries and others I do believe most of his ability and style were natural. This makes it a bit hard for us to emulate how he fought since the style was natural for him it does not mean that it will be natural for us. I have been researching the Mendoza method for several years now and have taught it to several people...some don't do well with it but others find that it clicks right away and go from no boxing skill to speak of to being downright hard to land a clean punch on all from the skills recorded by Mendoza and his chroniclers. So lets take a look at Mendozas style starting with his attitude or stance. Like many of the early recorded attitudes Mendozas was an inclining rather than a reclining stance....meaning he leaned forward rather than back or bolt upright that we see in some of the later classic styles of pugilism that were recorded in manuals. The reasoning behind the inclining stance is well explained by Captain Godfrey writing in 1740....to paraphrase...When a man wants to move something, he leans into it not away from it. Therefore if we are to punch with force in a forward direction we must assume

this attitude. So in assuming the attitude of Mendoza we must lean well forward. Our hands must be kept high, not high in a fixed position but held infront of the face so as to block the line directly from our opponents fist to our face. If our opponent is tall then our guard must be higher, if short, the opposite. Our arms three quarters of the way extended with the back of our knuckles pointing at our opponent, palms pointing to the sky at a 45 degree angle. Keep the hands far enough apart so that you can see between them yet close enough together to keep any offending fist from seeking it's target between them. You will find in this inclining attitude that your upper body is over your knees and you midsection is well back and that you head is slightly tucked between your shoulders. So why assume this attitude? A good question which I will try to answer....our inclining stance lends forward strength to our stance and lets us lean backward to a comfortable just beyond straight postion in order to get out of the way of punches. No need to bend over backward to avoid a blow, just stand upright. Our midsection is well back forcing our opponent to have to lean far forward and under our threatening arms in order to successfully land a blow there. Our extended hands 11

Other fighters had used this but none to the degree of effectiveness that Mendoza was known to have done. The aforementioned guard is now known as Mendoza's guard, named after it's most famous proponent. While he describes various ways to defend against the different punches most include throwing the head and body back while barring the mark [the pit of the stomach] with one of your arms and blocking the punch with the opposite, he writes that the best way to deal with a blow is to simply not be there when it is to arrive. Actively moving to avoid a blow is a very important and often overlooked aspect of Mendozas style. It only makes sense seeing that he was alot smaller than most of the fighters he faced. Another important point in his style and indeed in all of the early styles of pugilism is to not cross parry....meaning...if I throw a straight punch to your face with my left hand, you parry or block with your right hand. If you were to parry with your left hand you leave yourself open for a clean shot with my right or possibly even a throw to the floor which was a legal pugilistic technique up until the MoQ rules. Clearly we cannot go into full detail in this article but hopefully

this has sparked your interest enough to do a little research on your own concerning the topic. You will soon come to discover that yes, Daniel Mendoza should be considered the Father of Scientific boxing and deserves all of the accolades that have been given to him all of these years.

are halfway to the target and ready to attack at a moments notice. Our extended arms also close most lines of attack for the head, leaving us in a very fine defensive position. Like most of the boxers before the Marquees of Queensbury [MoQ] rules, Mendoza used a vertical fist when throwing punches [Vertical vs horizontal is a debate for another article]. So while his offensive technique may have resembled his fellow pugilist his aggressive defensive action are what he was to become known for. He used a block that very much resembles the bong sao block from wing chun kung fu which throws the elbow skyward deflecting a blow to the inside. He would often follow this deflection with a wicked backhanded blow to the eyes or bridge of the nose. This blow was known as the chopper. 12

Humor & Whiskey by Joe McLaughlin How do I know there is a God? Humor and Whisky. Oh, there are other good things in life to be sure, but the title of the column is Humor & Whisky, so thats what Im going to talk about. An astute reader might ask well, if this is a humor & whisky column, why are you talking about God? Well, smarta ... err, astute reader, its because God is pretty darn funny. Which God you might ask? Im not about to advocate any one God over another one, group of, Goddess, Tree Spirit, Greater Force, Blessed 4:20 Greenery or anything like that. Feel free to substitute the Object of Worship of Your Faith of Choice wherever I say God. I wouldnt want to catch a stray lightning bolt, be tossed to the lions, have pixies let the air out of my tires or a bunch of women that really need to shave picket my house, so youll never catch me advocating one Object of Worship over another. Getting back to the point, God is a pretty funny fellow. Why do I say so ? Because he always makes sure a good punch line gets executed in my life. If I run to practice strait from work and dont change my clothes, nothing will ever happen until someone points it out, and says dude, you want to change? Thats when my pants will split. You ever notice that you *never* split your pants in the privacy of your own home? Its always in front of a crowd. The quality of pants is directly proportional to how likely they are to split. Will

my 10 year old pants with the hole in the knee and the frayed cuffs split ? Of course not. I could fight all day in those, no worries. How about my 2 month old Slates ? Hmm, 10 rolls or 2 minutes with a shinai, and everyone gets to see if Joe is a boxer or briefs man. If I am practicing a move with someone, and they have learned it really well, as soon as the head instructor walks over and I have my student demonstrate, thats when either a) the student does something completly different than we practiced, often involving a hasty block to prevent bodilly harm. Sometimes its the head instructor that needs to toss the block. b) the student does it perfectly, timing it exactly so that I am either in mid blink or still telling the head instructor what weve been doing, the end result being that I get a new lump or bruise. Sometimes, I really want to whisper what the f@#% was that?!, but I dont waste my breath, because I know what the answer will be. I dunno man, my hand just moved or hey, youre the one showing me, you explain it or maybe even God told me to, you got a problem, take it up with her! You know how people tend to knock on wood if they just said something and they dont want it jinxed? We dont do that because it works, we do that because God wants a reminder to screw with us every now and then. It hears that knock, does the cosmic rewind on your conversation to see what it missed, and then gently nudges the

universe to point maximum chaos at the knocker. Is that a note of doubt I detect? Get in a crowd of people, and comment that hey, nobody has gotten hit in the balls lately and knock on some wood. God, thus alerted, sends down one nutcracker special, and within the next half hour, some poor guy will be trying to walk it off while his kidneys and his testes are having a disagreement on fluid dynamics, courtesy of a shot by a hickory waster. And yes, guys getting wacked in the nuts is almost always funny, unless it happens to you, in which case it is never funny. Never ever. Not even if a clown beans you with a football square on the stones. Now then, enough with theology and divine ball breaking, lets talk whisky. As this is the first issue, here is my background. I am strictly an amateur. I enjoy whisky (and whiskey), and have spent about 10 years trying different ones that I run across. I put a lot more thought into whisky than the casual drinker might, but I am nowhere near as refined as the ones who can tell you exactly what whisky is in a glass just by licking the outside of it. I also strongly recomend those little airplane sized bottles if you dont have access to a friend with something I review. Theyre relativly inexpensive and give a true taste. All that out of the way... This month Im focusing on The Macallan 12 years old. The current bottle I am drinking was a gift, so I do not know the exact price. Ive seen it as low as $28 and as high as $53 per bottle. 13

Per The Macallan website (http://shop.themacallan.com/inde x.html) they sell it across the pond for 30 pounds/bottle). The wide local price range on this is a bit odd, and I definitly recomend shopping around if you develop a liking for this. Per the box it came in, we have Rich in both dried fruit and sherry, with a subtle toffee sweetness and pleasant touch of spice flavour with a touch of sherry sweetness and wood. Quite frankly, I found the fruit to be fairly subtle, and the toffe taste was substantial. I found the toffee exceedingly well balanced with the wood taste, leaving a soft glow as an aftertaste. This one doesnt need much, if any, water ... a few drops per shot is about all I feel it needs. Most of the flavour on this one comes when you drink it, the aftertaste is fairly low-key. I tasted the sherry with the sip, but not afterwards. No bright ball of fire in your belly after drinking, but a very homey feel. This whisky is very easy to drink. Pros: spledidly balanced, warm aftertaste, complex without being fussy. Cons: can be expensive, not enough aftertaste for some Who would I give this as a gift to? any friend with an appriciation for whisky. Will I buy another bottle ? yes, I plan to always have a bottle of this in my bar, finances willing. Joe McLaughlin 8/12/04 joemick3@hotmail.com

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Making a shield boss: An introduction to armoring. by Scott Oisol This will be an on-going series in each issue. Armoring is a craft that can be very rewarding but also time consuming and frustrating. You must be patient and only go as fast as your skills allow. People too often give up on something to quickly when they try to do more than they can handle. For armoring, you must first develop simple skills such as hammer control, dishing, and planishing before you can attempt more difficult projects. This is why I have decided to demonstrate how to make a shield boss. It is a very simple project and usually most peoples first. In order to make a shield boss you are forced to practice the basic skills of hammer control, dishing, and planishing. Before you start any armoring at all, you must first have all of the needed tools and supplies. I try to use a minimal of tools and make or compensate for the ones I dont have. The only two power tools I suggest you use: are a drill and something to cut sheet metal, I use a jigsaw. You will need a hammer for dishing and planishing. I use a three pound cross peen hammer with a rounded head for dishing, and a small ball peen hammer with a polished head for planishing. For starters, a heavy ball peen

hammer can be substituted as a dishing hammer. You will also need a wooden or rubber hammer for making slight bends and dishes that dont require a marring hammer. To planish, you will also need something to planish over, like a railroad spike or a small dumbbell, and a vice to hold it. Files and sandpaper will also be needed to finish the pieces. Next, youll need to make a bowl in order to dish in. The bowl can be made by bowling out the top of a tree stump, or cutting off the bottom of an air tank, approximately 6 in diameter, and mounting it to something. I use and recommend bowling out a tree stump because it is easiest. This can be done a number of ways: drilling, hacking or shaving with a hatchet, burning, or any way that works for you. I have used a rounded hatchet and a drill for mine. For a dishing bowl, the bowl should be about 6 in diameter and 2 deep. Other miscellaneous tools needed are: a marker, ruler, cutting oil, compass or circular objects for tracing, metal cutting blades for metal cutting power tool, safety glasses, clamps, work gloves, and

drill bits. If you want to make a shield boss that will be used for sparring you will need at least 16g a u g e m i l d steel. I like use 14-gauge mild steel. And, for those of you who dont know, the lower the steel gauge, the thicker the steel. I purchase my steel in bulk from Koons Steel but you can buy smaller portions from Home Depot or Lowes. Once these tools and supplies have been acquired you are ready to make a shield boss. Using a compass or an 8 diameter circular object, trace a circle 8 in diameter on your steel. Next cut out the steel circle with your cutting power tool or hacksaw if y o u need t h e exercise. I clamp steel to a workbench to keep it steady when cutting. Pouring a little light oil on the steel where you are cutting may help cut go smoother. Dont forget safety glasses. I had to take several steel splinters to the eye before I

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learned this. If you do get a steel splinter in your eye, swab it out with a Q-tip and dont rub it! When the circle is cut out, bevel t h e edges with a file a n d sandpaper so to eliminate any jagged edges. Next trace a 6 circle with a marker in the middle of the steel circle. You will be dishing this area. Wear a glove on the hand that will be holding the steel for this part. Placing the steel over the bowl, begin dishing the boss by hammering along the inside edge of the 6 circle with your dishing hammer. As you hammer the edges of the steel will begin to fold and wrinkle. Using a wooden or rubber mallet, hammer the wrinkles out of the edge of the

steel as they appear. Continuing to dish inside the 6 circle, slowly working your way towards the middle. Once this is done, slightly hammer any areas that need it until the dished boss is roughly spherical and symmetrical. Now the boss is ready to be planished. Planishing is the pounding of the steel between two hard steel surfaces, in my case the railroad spike and the hammer, in order to hammer flat the dents caused by dishing while also work hardening the steel. First I recommend polishing the hammerhead and the object you will be planishing the steel on. Any spherical, raised device can be used to planish on. I use railroad spikes and dumbbells. Now place the device in the vice and hammer over the entire boss with hammer to flatten out the dents. Be sure that when you are hammering, the planishing device head is directly beneath wherever you hit with the hammer. You will notice that any uneven areas in the steel will be corrected this way and the boss will become much smoother. Once the boss has been planished to its desired smoothness, I

recommend going back and hammering flat the edges of the steel boss on a flat surface with the wooden mallet again. This is to ensure that boss will sit perfectly flat when placed on a shield. Now, depending on how many rivets or nuts you want to use to hold the boss onto your shield, mark where you want to drill your holes on rim of the boss. You will need at least two

holes and they must be at exact opposite ends of the boss. This is because the shield handle will be riveted through these holes. I usually drill four holes and use

bolts to hold the boss to the shield. Now drill your holes and dont worry about buying any special metal cutting drill bits, all drill bits are hardened so they will go

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through the mild steel. Once the holes are dilled, file any jagged edges and make sure that your bolts or rivets fit through them. When you are done this you have successfully constructed a shield boss. Now you have the option of sanding and polishing the steel. I usually dont because my steel is hot rolled and has a nice dark coating already on it. And unless you are making a decorative shield, dont worry about how pretty your shield looks in battle, but spatter some dirt and blood on there and make your opponents tremble!

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