Animal List BBQ

Last weekend I had the incredible experience of attending the 5th Animal List BBQ at Marc MacYoung and Dianna Gordon's place in Castle Rock, CO. This event has grown into a large martial art family gathering. The weekend is full of martial art classes, demonstrations, great food and drink, friendship and genuine caring, concern and love for fellow martial artists, friends and families.

The greatest thing about this weekend was how so many people from different styles, systems, and martial arts can come together with no egos, no rank structures and no one-upmanship. Everyone was there to share, learn, and have a great time.

Besides teaching a cane class, I helped with a couple scenario trainings as a woofer and attended other classes to pick up some skills from different arts than I practice. This is what martial arts should be about. Weekends like this, shared with other excellent martial artists and instructors, make me extremely glad to be a martial artist, and honored to be in such a group that meets every year.

A couple of the most important classes last weekend regarding attacking back were the scenario training classes, where participants got a little taste of what it is like to experience the adrenal dump under stress. If you are not familiar with this kind of training, it is worth checking out. Peyton Quinn's RMCAT, Bill Kipp's FAST DEFENSE, and Model Mugging are resources to learn more. This kind of training is a real eye opener for many who go through it.

Alain