"mid life crisis training tour"

Yes, I am now 43 and thoughts of buying a motorcycle or moving away to become a hermit in the woods (the kind who dresses in combat gear, grows his hair, lives of the land and carries a gun around) and my daughter can tell here friends, "lets go visit my crazy dad in the woods" are still things I want to do someday, although my wife is ok with the motorcycle living in the woods is something she is not fond of. However after training in the Martial Arts for about 36 years years I feel it's time to go on an adventure...so my "Mid life crisis training tour" will be in April.

Having grown up in the 70's and 80's during the Kung-Fu and Ninja craze I have read about so many Martial Artist, most who live in the U.S. Magazines like Black Belt  (I have almost every issue right back to the 70's) I have dreamed of training with all the people I have read about and admired for so many years. Most of the people I will train with when I go away, the students of today (the  ones younger then me) may have no idea who they are, but they have been a huge part in my Martial Arts training over the years, maybe not so much learning from them directly but reading there books and watching there videos.

So I decided I am going to just pack my gym bag and hit the road for California, to go to the "mecca"  of Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do. The Inosanto Academy is home to the highest authority for Bruce Lee's martial art, Jun Fan Gung-Fu/Jeet Kune Do, athought this is not where I will start my journey.

 It really started in February, I got to meet a fellow J.K.D instructor from Newfoundland Sifu Dennis White who was here in Halifax He taught a great class at my club and after we had great talks over supper about J.K.D, with another great friend Roger Stone.

Also in Feb we had the privilege of hosting Kyoshi Alain Sailly and 8th Dan from France. We had a great seminar and a few of my senior students where promoted to Black Belt and I was surprised to receive my 5th Dan, something that has taking me about 35 years to get. Also in Feb I got to train with a great Muay Thai instructor named Tony Doolin who is from the U.K.

At the end of March I will be going to T.O with my J.K.D instructor Rob Doley and my student Scott Roper to train with the legendary Guro Dan Inosanto and one week after that I will be heading to his academy for almost two weeks of training.

"Leaving on a jet plane" to L.A California. going to arrive and head to Fullerton Cal. to the home of one of the top submission grappling instructors and M.M.A coaches in the World. Erik Paulson  and his Combat Submission Academy. There I plan of taking part in not only training, but going to train with  Richard Sylla who is France's top Savate instructor and also training with fighters from Belgium, that will be a huge day of training.

Then heading back to L.A for a week of semi-private training at the Inosanto Academy with Professor Salem Assli who is another top Savate instructor and a full instructor under Dan Inosanto. Also through the week I will be attending Guro Dan Inosanto's classes on Tue and Thur nights.

During the weeknights I am going to head out to train with B.J.J pioneer Eddie Bravo, U.F.C great Titio Ortiz
the founder of modern Kickboxing Benny "The jet" Urquidez, and of course the famous Bas Rutten.

The weekend of April 14 will be another exciting experience, as I will be spending three days with the father of American Ninjutsu, Steven K Hayes. He started the 80's Ninja "boom" and is someone I have wanted to train with since 1983.

After that it's back to the Inosanto Academy for more training both day and night, I will also get to train with 5 time World Kickboxing champion Kathy Long who also has fought M.M.A.

So I am going to sleep maybe 4 or 5 hours a night and spend the rest of the time meeting people and training, of course when I get back I got to work three days of 12 hours shifts so that will suck but it will be worth it for sure.

So be sure to check out my blog for stories from when I am away and also check out my U tube page for great videos of training. The next adventure if I can get my wife to go along with it will be finding a spot in the woods to build a camp..  :)

Thanks and see you on the mats ..