Seminars

"If you think you are too good to attend a seminar...then just quit Martial Arts right now, you don't deserve to be training."

Bold statement but very true, this was said at a seminar that I attended a long time ago by World Shootfighting champion and very early M.M.A fighter Bart Vale, and he is right.

After just hosting one of the best seminars ever with Kyoshi Alain Sailly an 8th Dan from France, I thought what a great topic for my first blog. Seminars!!!

Over the years I have attend a lot of seminars, with some of the top instructors in the world and also many local instructors from our province. Why a seminar?. Well you get to learn new techniques from instructors who usually have more experience then you in the art they are teaching. You get to meet new people who love Martial Arts, it may be a way to help promote your school or hosting a seminar can help bring in a little more money in for your club...but that usually does not happen and some times you lose money to...I know that for a fact. So having attended and also hosted so many seminars over the years, and also taught quite a few myself for many clubs. I thought I would post most of the ones I have been to and a little about them, keep in mind the list only includes instructors that came here from out of province...

Dan Inosanto: My first seminar was in 1993 in New Brunswick, If you are going to take a seminar for the first time, why not with one of the greatest Martial Artist in the world. I drove from Halifax with three of my students at the time and took part in a two day seminar. Amazing the impact the seminar had on me. At the time I was only certified in and  teaching traditional Japanese Jujitsu, although I had did amateur kickboxing for ten years as well. It opened my mind to cross training, learning different styles and using what works for you. I also got to be the throwing dummy for one technique, something that would happen at every seminar I attended. I also got to meet (for about 5 seconds) my current instructor at the time Rob Doley as well as many other great people. That seminar has had a lasting impact on my teaching and progression as a Martial Artist.

I would go on to attend another seminar with him many years later and also this March I will again train with him. In April I will be going to his Academy in California for two weeks of training with him and many of the people I have read about for years.

Tom Sharky, in 1994: A 5th Dan Black Belt in World Jujitsu, a Toronto S.W.AT team instructor and a very tough guy. First seminar where I was used as the "training dummy" for the whole thing. He kneed me full contact in the chest and knocked the wind right out of me, after that I felt that every time he demonstrated a technique I was defending my life.

Bart Vale in 1995: World Shootfighting Champion, early M.M.A fighter and was happy to tell everyone he knocked out Ken Shamrock. Good seminar, introduced me to Submission fighting and Muay Thai, both I would go on to study at length.

Salem Assli in 1995 and again in 1996: A top French Savate instructor and also a top instructor in Jeet Kune Do under Dan Inosanto. A great seminar held in Dartmouth and open my eyes to the many aspects of Kickboxing, also I would become an apprentice instructor in Jeet Kune Do under the Inosanto family tree.
In April I will be training with him again for two weeks as well as France's Top Savate instructor and members of the Belgium Savate team.

Ron Beer in 1997: Founder of Shootwrestling Canada and a pioneer for submission grappling in Canada. Ron came to my club and did a coaching clinic. We even had Judo instructors take part in it. At that time, his program was the best submission course as far as teaching and learning on the market. I would take his course and introduce Submission grappling to different parts of the province and help other clubs establish grappling programs. It did fade out after  few years but his program and way of teaching is still a huge part of what we do.

Jean-Yves Theriault 1997: The first time I meet 23 Time World Kickboxing champion he taught a seminar in Lower Sackville, it was a great workout and the first time I meet an amazing person who would come to teach at our club many, many times over the years (I will not post every time he was here) and become friends with all of us. He taught the largest Kickboxing seminar ever in Nova Scotia along with Rob Doley and has been a great help to our Kickboxing program.

John Pellegrini: The founder of Combat Hapkido has been to Halifax four times over the years. All four times I have attended his seminars and was used as the throwing dummy many times. I guess we made a connection as after the second seminar he used to take my wife and I out for dinner when he was here. Also one time he made a bold statement at a Hapkido seminar, "if you are going to train anywhere..train with Ray" much to the shock of the Hapkido students..."but first train in Hapkido" not the best cover up :)

Wayne Thibeault: A high ranking Jujitsu instructor from New Brunswick. For a small guy he could easily take you out. Great energy and has lots of knowledge that he shares freely. He has been to my club a few times over the years.

Rob Doley: What can I say..my instructor for Jeet Kune Do, Jun Fan Gung-Fu, Filipino Martial Arts and Muay Thai Kickboxing. Rob has been a great friend to our club for many, many years. He is one of the best instructors I have ever trained with and being a student of his and having him oversee some of our programs at the club makes it all that much more exciting. Going to train with him and Guro Dan Inosanto again in March...

John Therien: Now a 9th Dan in Jujitsu he is an amazing instructor. One of the nicest Martial Artist I meet and very inspiring.  Of course his two good friends are Jean-Yves and Alain Sailly so how could you not be as great as those guys.

Robert Kranstz: A 7th Dan in Jujitsu Robert is a mix between John Wayne and a grandfather that can beat the crap out of you no matter how big you are (helps that he worked in a maximum security prison). He has been to our club many times over the years and has been a huge help to myself and our Jujitsu program. Very respected by me..

Dan Severn: U.F.C hall of fame and the "beast", his seminar was excellent, he was very good at teaching and had so many amazing stories.

Tatsuo Suzuki: The highest ranking Wado-Ryu Karate instructor in the world (I think), doesn't matter when you are still teaching in your 80's and have been training all your life...you are the best. Had the honer of having supper with him and taking Martial Arts and also I had a copy of Black Belt magazine from Jan 1969 (my birthday). He was on the cover so he signed it for me. I brought some of my students to the seminar and he had me do the warm up, first time I was ever scared teaching as he watched every move I made. It was am amazing seminar. R.I.P Suzuki Sensei

Jeramey Horn: A former U.F.C fighter and has had more fights then anyone I think.. he taught a great seminar and was easy to talk to. Spent a lot of time with myself and Steve Greencorn one of our club instructors.

Phil Porter: 10th Dan in Judo and the pioneer for Judo in the U.S. At 80 something, he taught at our club and did a lot of talking...lol, but his knowledge for sport Judo was so great he tried to share it all. I must say three of the techniques he taught where used in a U.F.C event that night on T.V and I never saw hem before until he showed them that day. R.I.P Porter Sensei

Royce Gracie: He taught a seminar here once and then my club hosted him here twice. A legend in the world of Martial Arts and a good teacher as far as putting techniques together and teaching new people.

Edgard Lucke: A B.J.J instructor from Brazil who now lives in New Brunswick. A excellent teacher and has a ton of knowledge, we enjoyed his training so much our B.J.J program is now under his direction. He visits the club as much as he can to teach.

Rowen Cunningham: a B.J.J Black Belt who's seminar I took just this year. A great teacher who is very patient with people when learning, I highly recommended his seminars. 

Alain Sailly: 8th Dan in Jujitsu and an inspiration for this blog. One of the nicest people I have ever meet, amazing when preforming techniques and can't wait to have him back again. Some people you meet are you are instantly friends with..he is one of them.

So that's my list, I have had a lot of local people as well teach at my club and all are still my friends and I look up to them. I hope if anything, you take a seminar from one of the above amazing people or take a seminar in another style other then your own, maybe you will be inspired to train in that system, it has helped me grow as a Martial Artist in more way then I could have imagined.........