Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Stingray #12/S02E04: "Bring Me the Hand That Hit Me" (Jan 30, 1987)

Posting the twelth episode of the TV series, Stingray, to mirror the airdate from 31 years ago on this date of Jan 30, 1987.





Series Background

"Ray" is a shadowy character with a mysterious 'secret agent' past. People in trouble often come to him for help, since he has a lot of important and powerful contacts. He refuses to be paid for his services; however, those seeking his assistance must promise him a favor. Some time in the future, Ray will come to them and ask to collect on that favor, giving them some task that is often arduous and/or dangerous. The title of the show comes from the vintage Corvette Stingray that Ray drives.

"Stingray" attracted his clients by advertising a black 1965 Chevrolet Corvette "for barter only".

"Stingray's" real name and actual occupation are never revealed in any of the installments; throughout the series, any attempt any other character makes, in any installment, to track down his identity inevitably and invariably leads in the wrong direction and/or to a dead end.


Enjoy!



Episode Synopsis

A rather dimwitted garage worker and his criminal buddy steal $700,000 from a Mafioso who launders his money through the garage which he owns. The garage worker's sister is concerned that her brother is going to blow it: he doesn't seem to realize that quitting the day after you rob your boss and going crazy spending the money on coll stuff is a bad thing. She contacts Ray, who pretends to be another dimwitted crook and tries to get the two criminals out of trouble. The brother's buddy tries to double-cross them, and eventually despite Ray's best efforts to work things out, the sister is killed by the Mafioso Godfather. Her brother is left to mourn, as Ray warns him that he'll have to repay the favor his sister owed him.






Other episodes of Stingray posted:






For more information, please check:



Friday, January 26, 2018

RIP Karl Tanswell



News circulating this morning on Facebook that Karl Tanswell passed away.

From his LinkedIn:

"Karl Tanswell has been involved in Martial Arts and Combat sports most of his life . He is currently the Head Coach and Director of Sbg UK and the SBG Manchester Fight Team.

As a Mixed Martial Arts Coach he has developed Athletes who regularly compete on all the major promotions amassing many Titles on the way .

He is known as an innovator within MMA and has been involved from the early roots of the sports evolution. During that time he has researched and combined many concepts and is the developer of The STAB Program ( a edged weapons defence system) , The Essential Padman Seminar and online learning tool for Striking Coaches , Aretas Training and Management Company and SBG Manchester Gym.

In July 2007 Karl Tanswell became the third Instructor to receive his BJJ black belt from Matt Thornton. ..."









My sincerest condolences to his family, friends, students, and associates.

RIP Karl Tanswell

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Fight Quest S01E05: Pencak Silat



Posting a Fight Quest episode today which aired 10 years ago on this date!

Fight Quest is a television show on the Discovery Channel that followed Jimmy Smith and Doug Anderson as they travel around the world learning different styles of martial arts, spending five days training with notable masters of the styles they are studying, before exhibiting what they have learned in a final demonstration and/or fight.

Enjoy!



Country: Indonesia
City: Bandung
Martial Art/Style: Pencak Silat
Masters: Rita Suwanda, Dadang Gunawan
Synopsis: In the remote streets of Bandung, Jimmy and Doug learn the ancient fighting art known as Pencak-Silat. While training with one of Indonesia's toughest Silat masters, Doug injures his foot and has to decide whether to fight in his final battle or not.








In case you missed the other episodes in the Fight Quest series, you can find them here:



Wednesday, January 24, 2018

REVIEW: Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017)




Review

I watched Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017) last night. It starred Vince Vaughan, cast against type IMO, and written/directed by S. Craig Zahler, best known prior as the writer/director of Bone Tomahawk. Vaughan played a character who is hardcore, brutal and uncompromising. He had his own principles/rules/code and he never broke them even when it was prudent to do so for his own good as well as for his wife. His portrayal had this vibe which reminded me somewhat of Javier Bardem's Oscar-winning performance of Anton Chigurh in No Country For Old Men.

The movie is a throwback to the grindhouse prison/payback films of the 1970s. At a running time of 2:12, it may be a tad long and the beginning was slow but necessary IMO to establish his character.
It's very violent, so for those members with young stickgrapplers, best NOT to watch with them.

Good movie. Won't be for everyone.

Trivia

  • During a Q & A at TIFF, the producers commented that the destruction of the car was done by Vince Vaughn himself. The car parts were real and were set up in a way that Vaughn wouldn't hurt himself badly.
  • Vince Vaughn put on 15lbs of muscle and trained as a boxer for 3 months prior to walking on set. Vaughn himself stated that this made the fight choreography much easier to learn.
  • The prosthetic effects were made to look like the 70's style grind house effects.
  • Director S. Craig Zahler wrote this screenplay before writing Bone Tomahawk despite the latter being filmed first.
  • Upon first arriving at the prison, two separate prisoners make reference to a prison in Austria. They are most likely referring to Justice Center Leoben which has been recognized as one of the "nicest" prisons in the world due to its modern and luxurious architecture and furniture.


Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Stingray #11/S02E03: "Playback" (Jan 23, 1987)

Posteingthe tenth episode of the TV series, Stingray, to mirror the airdate from 31 years ago on this date of Jan 23, 1987.





Series Background

"Ray" is a shadowy character with a mysterious 'secret agent' past. People in trouble often come to him for help, since he has a lot of important and powerful contacts. He refuses to be paid for his services; however, those seeking his assistance must promise him a favor. Some time in the future, Ray will come to them and ask to collect on that favor, giving them some task that is often arduous and/or dangerous. The title of the show comes from the vintage Corvette Stingray that Ray drives.

"Stingray" attracted his clients by advertising a black 1965 Chevrolet Corvette "for barter only".

"Stingray's" real name and actual occupation are never revealed in any of the installments; throughout the series, any attempt any other character makes, in any installment, to track down his identity inevitably and invariably leads in the wrong direction and/or to a dead end.


Enjoy!



Episode Synopsis

Ray recreates a space isolation experiment to try and clear an old friend of murder charges which stem from the fact he was the sole survivor of the first experiment.






Other episodes of Stingray posted:






For more information, please check:



Thursday, January 18, 2018

Fight Quest S01E04: Boxing



Posting a Fight Quest episode today which aired 10 years ago on this date!

Fight Quest is a television show on the Discovery Channel that followed Jimmy Smith and Doug Anderson as they travel around the world learning different styles of martial arts, spending five days training with notable masters of the styles they are studying, before exhibiting what they have learned in a final demonstration and/or fight.

Enjoy!



Country: Mexico
City: Mexico City
Martial Art/Style: Boxing
Masters: Ignacio "Nacho" Beristáin, Tiburcio Garcia
Synopsis: Jimmy and Doug head to Mexico City to learn the rough and tumble world of Mexican Boxing. Training at over 10,000 feet above sea-level, Doug's stamina is tested to the max while Jimmy is overwhelmed by the fact that he has to train alongside Olympic champions.








In case you missed the other episodes in the Fight Quest series, you can find them here:



Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Stingray #10/S02E02: "Gemini" (January 16, 1987)

Posted the tenth episode of the TV series, Stingray, to mirror the airdate from 31 years ago on this date of Jan 16, 1987.





Series Background

"Ray" is a shadowy character with a mysterious 'secret agent' past. People in trouble often come to him for help, since he has a lot of important and powerful contacts. He refuses to be paid for his services; however, those seeking his assistance must promise him a favor. Some time in the future, Ray will come to them and ask to collect on that favor, giving them some task that is often arduous and/or dangerous. The title of the show comes from the vintage Corvette Stingray that Ray drives.

"Stingray" attracted his clients by advertising a black 1965 Chevrolet Corvette "for barter only".

"Stingray's" real name and actual occupation are never revealed in any of the installments; throughout the series, any attempt any other character makes, in any installment, to track down his identity inevitably and invariably leads in the wrong direction and/or to a dead end.


Enjoy!



Episode Synopsis

Women are mysteriously being murdered by a serial killer. Each of them advertised for help using an ad for a black Stingray Corvette, and the murderer drives around in a Stingray. One of Ray's former clients, a councilwoman, helps to bring him in. Ray pulls in a favor or two to get out of jail, and begins to investigate. He eventually finds out that an old friend from his mysterious past, Edward Benton, is trying to get revenge on him. During a mission in East Germany, Benton was left behind and imprisoned and tortured as a spy. Now he is seeking to even the score. Ray tracks him down and rather then let himself capture, Benton drives his car into a wall.






Other episodes of Stingray posted:






For more information, please check:



Thursday, January 11, 2018

Fight Quest S01E03: Kyokushin Karate



Posting a Fight Quest episode today which aired 10 years ago on this date!

Fight Quest is a television show on the Discovery Channel that followed Jimmy Smith and Doug Anderson as they travel around the world learning different styles of martial arts, spending five days training with notable masters of the styles they are studying, before exhibiting what they have learned in a final demonstration and/or fight.

Enjoy!



Country: Japan
City: Tokyo
Martial Art/Style: Kyokushin Karate
Masters: Yuzo Goda, Isamu Fukuda
Synopsis: Jimmy and Doug journey to Tokyo to learn the brutal bare-fisted fighting style known as Kyokushin Karate. After five days of intense training, Doug is injured and Jimmy exhausted, but both fighters must fight five black-belts - one after the other - in a tradition known as a "Kumite."








In case you missed the other episodes in the Fight Quest series, you can find them here:



Paladin Press - Logic of Force


Logic of Force

A Fighter's View of Blunt-Force Encounters

by James LaFond


SKU LF

Softcover
978-1-61004-695-4
74 pages, 5.5" x 8.5"
photos

DESCRIPTION

For four years, James LaFond conducted a study of violence in his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. Following up on The Logic of Steel, his highly regarded look into the reality of edged-weapon attacks, LaFond now presents The Logic of Force, a study of assaults featuring blunt weapons and unarmed attacks. 

The Logic of Force tells stories of people who were caught in these blunt-force attacks—victims, attackers, eyewitnesses, and Good Samaritans who bravely stepped in to break up the fights. Chronicled in the vernacular of the street, these stories are gritty, entertaining, and—most important for those interested in self-defense—educational. Violent men are painfully predictable, if we bother to pay attention. This study underscores the importance of tactical awareness—and the high cost exacted for not staying alert. Just in case you do end up in a dangerous situation, these accounts show you what will and will not work in a short, feral, winner-take-all brawl, as well as the disturbing range of blunt-force objects that can be used as improvised weapons to hurt you. 

One of the most violent cities in the world, Baltimore can teach all of us valuable lessons about avoiding or surviving violence. The Logic of Force teaches you how to live peacefully among the predators on your street.

AUTHOR BIO

James LaFond works as a night laborer in Baltimore, where he has been documenting the violent underside of the human population and the relationship of ordinary aggression to the hysteria of contemporary martial arts study since 1966. His wife, Cindy, pays the life insurance bill well in advance of the due date.





Index of Paladin Press site archived pages:


Stickgrappler's Note: I am guessing the Paladin site will be shut down at the end of the 2017 year and I'm archiving select Paladin Press pages to my blog to preserve an essential part of martial arts from 1970-2017. Archiving some of my favorite Paladin titles.

Paladin Press - The Fighting Edge

288 pages


DESCRIPTION

The Fighting Edge James LaFond has been training in various U.S., European, Korean, Chinese and Filipino martial arts for 25 years. He is also a veteran boxer and a laborer in one of America's toughest cities. He knows that the martial arts do not present all the realities of real combat and that 30 seconds on the sidewalk is worth three years in the dojo. In this book he explores the practical value, study and application of the martial arts in relation to real violence. What is it like to be in a real fight against deranged, drunk or drugged opponents? What is it like to be punched in the head? What do you do if your attacker is armed and you're not? What about the claims of various martial arts - are they valid? Which martial art is better for real fighting? Reading this book will help you maximize your training and become a better, smarter fighter.

AUTHOR BIO

James LaFond works as a night laborer in Baltimore, where he has been documenting the violent underside of the human population and the relationship of ordinary aggression to the hysteria of contemporary martial arts study since 1966. His wife, Cindy, pays the life insurance bill well in advance of the due date.





Index of Paladin Press site archived pages:


Stickgrappler's Note: I am guessing the Paladin site will be shut down at the end of the 2017 year and I'm archiving select Paladin Press pages to my blog to preserve an essential part of martial arts from 1970-2017. Archiving some of my favorite Paladin titles.

Paladin Press - The Logic of Steel

The Logic of Steel

A Fighter's View of Blade and Shank Encounters

by James LaFond

246 pages
photos

DESCRIPTION

The Logic of Steel is not about the art of knife fighting. Its sole purpose is to illustrate the cold, hard, logical nature and dynamics of real-world edged-weapon encounters as experienced by author James LaFond and more than 90 other people who have found themselves suddenly caught up in a knife fight. 

For the past five years James LaFond has been assembling and analyzing data about violence in his Baltimore, Maryland, neighborhood and elsewhere. Here he offers a comprehensive analysis of more than 250 acts of violence that involved the use of an edged weapon, as told from the perspective of the attackers, eyewitnesses, and victims. The action is broken down by weapon type (razors, folders, butchers, balisongs, switchblades, sickles, swords, and improvised slasher/stabbers) and use patterns. The circumstances, motivation, and mechanics of real blade and shank fights are illuminated through the use of gripping (and often comical) first-person accounts, photographs, and hard statistics. Also discussed are the psychology, injury patterns, and legal ramifications of knife fighting, as well as invaluable tips on how to prevent clinches and floor fights from escalating into knife fights, how to survive unarmed against an armed assailant, how to dress for success against a knife fighter, and how to live to fight another day by successfully running away from an armed attacker. 

If you want to be able to spot a knifer—and predict his behavior—before it's too late, The Logic of Steel is a must read.

AUTHOR BIO

James LaFond lives, works, and writes in Baltimore, Maryland. He has somehow survived 21 boxing matches and 618 stick fights. If you would like to beat James with a stick, you may find contact information for him at www.jameslafond.com . For related articles, go to this website and click on Harm City.





Index of Paladin Press site archived pages:


Stickgrappler's Note: I am guessing the Paladin site will be shut down at the end of the 2017 year and I'm archiving select Paladin Press pages to my blog to preserve an essential part of martial arts from 1970-2017. Archiving some of my favorite Paladin titles.

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Paladin Press - Master of Defence


Master of Defence

The Works of George Silver

by Paul Wagner

SKU MASTD2
Softcover
978-1-58160-723-9
352 pages, 8.5" x 11"
photos, illust.

DESCRIPTION

George Silver's Paradoxes of Defence (1599) and Brief Instructions upon my Paradoxes of Defence (ca. 1605) are probably the most important works ever written on the Western martial tradition. Silver straddles the medieval and Renaissance worlds, summing up the collective experience of centuries of European warcraft, while presenting a fighting style that ensures victory in the urban battlefield of single combat, street brawls and honorable duels. Silver presents a complete integrated fencing system applicable to a wide variety of weapons, but more importantly provides a theoretical framework of universal principles by which to judge any technique, theory or strategy. He teaches how to identify the flaws of any enemy's fighting style, exploit his weaknesses and overcome him while remaining secure and safe, using the traditional "True Fight" of the English knightly class.

In addition to presenting Silver's original works, author Paul Wagner and other scholars examine Silver's contributions, putting the Master and his legacy in context. Master of Defence is a necessity for any student of Western fencing or swordsmanship, Western or Asian martial arts, Shakespearean or Renaissance studies, English military history, medieval reenactment or professional fight choreography.

AUTHOR BIO

Paul Wagner is a founding member of the Stoccata School of Defence (www.stoccata.org ), where he teaches classes and courses on various English weapons – shortsword, sword and buckler, longsword, quarterstaff, backsword and rapier – as well as German sword and buckler and medieval sword and big shield.

CHAPTER LIST

BOOK CHAPTER LIST 
1) A Brief Background to the Works of George Silver by Stephen Hand 
2) Silver's Armoury by Paul Wagner 
3) Silver's Principles and Practice by Mark Hillyard 
4) The Untrue Weapon by Paul Wagner and Stephen Hand 
5) Silver and the Fights in Shakespeare by Paul Wagner 
6) An Elizabethan Book of Five Rings by Paul Wagner 
7) Paradoxes of Defense by George Silver 
8) Brief Instructions Upon my Paradoxes of Defense by George Silver




Index of Paladin Press site archived pages:


Stickgrappler's Note: I am guessing the Paladin site will be shut down at the end of the 2017 year and I'm archiving select Paladin Press pages to my blog to preserve an essential part of martial arts from 1970-2017. Archiving some of my favorite Paladin titles.

Paladin Press - Masters of Medieval and Renaissance Martial Arts



Masters of Medieval and Renaissance Martial Arts

Rediscovering The Western Combat Heritage

by John Clements

SKU MMR
Softcover
978-1-58160-668-3
396 pages, 8.5" x 11"
illust.


DESCRIPTION

More than a dozen of the most respected names in medieval and Renaissance scholarship have come together to present a variety of fighting lore from the rich heritage of the European fight masters, circa 1350 to 1675.

The list of legendary fighters and instructors contained within these pages reads like a combat honor roll and includes Johannes Liechtenauer, Fiore dei Liberi, Giacomo di Grassi, Henry de Sainct Didier, Joseph Swetnam and Hugues Wittenwiller. Historical documents translated and analyzed include Das Solothurner Fechtbuch, Le Jeu de la Hache, and the Gladiatoria.

Because study of this martial literature requires one to be both scholar and fighter, the translators and interpreters featured in this book are all researchers and/or martial artists – thus serious students of the emerging field of historical fencing studies. These contributions from Dr. Sydney Anglo, John Clements, David Lindholm, Brian Hunt, Grzegorz Zabinski, Gene Tausk, Stacy Clifford and other modern scholars bring to life the words and fighting techniques of the masters of long ago.

This rediscovery of combat skills that have been proven over the centuries will breathe new life into the study of medieval and Renaissance martial arts and preserve this knowledge for generations to come.

AUTHOR BIO

John Clements has practiced cut-and-thrust swordsmanship for almost 20 years and trains regularly in long-sword, sword and shield, sword and buckler, sword and dagger, medieval spear, and rapier and dagger methods. He lectures on historical weaponry and is an ardent promoter of contact-weapon sparring with historical replica swords.




Index of Paladin Press site archived pages:


Stickgrappler's Note: I am guessing the Paladin site will be shut down at the end of the year and I'm archiving select Paladin Press pages to my blog to preserve an essential part of martial arts from 1970-2017. Archiving some of my favorite Paladin titles.

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