Another Hapkido Cane Review

This review was posted on selfdefenseforums.com as well as other forums:

HAPKIDO CANE: Big Stick Fighting from the Dojo to the Street, by that force of nature, Alain Burrese.

Available from http://www.burrese.com/Personal_Secu...e_Products.htm

The UPSIDE:

Once again Alain has created a quality product out of the strongest interests of his life, self defence and Hapkido. It is a two dvd set running close to 3 hours (the box says approximately 150 minutes but that is short) for only $59.95, a very good price. He has made excellent use of slow motion and angle repetition to teach the techniques without the endless slow motion repetitions from 95 separate and distinct angles used by others to pad out their product. I currently own a dvd on knife work that the cover says to be 55 minutes long and is really 35 minutes long, for the same price. Ptoooooeeee!

The Meat:
• 10 separate blocks are covered, many with 2 or 3 variations, and an excellent use of side stepping and body dynamics for power.
• 13 different ways to smoke someone with a cane plus variations.
• How to hook has half a dozen target variations and two combinations.
• 14 defences to clothing grabs are offered, and 7 responses to cane grabs, plus variations.
• 27 responses to a miscellany of bear hugs (front and back) head locks, rear chokes and fighting on the ground.
• Then comes Defences against a Punch. The first defence has 7 variations and in all, Alain covers 20 defences.
• Kicking defences cover front snap kick, side kick and roundhouse with 8 responses.
• Defending against a choke gets 4 choices with variations.
• And then he finishes with a discussion of how to use other stick like objects such as short sticks and umbrellas.

I have known Alain for many years and so I know he is a true gentleman and a committed martial artist. I am not surprised he is putting so much into a dvd set for such a low price. His knowledge of Hapkido and the Hapkido cane syllabus is prodigious.I think I know cane work because I teach it myself and have some 30 years experience in the martial arts but the volumes of experience Alain brings to his work amazes me. I guess we are competitors but in fact, I have no qualms about recommending his approach to anyone, though it is very different from my personal style.

The OFFSIDE:

While it is obvious to the trained eye that Alain has worked hard to make this expression of Hapkido practical, I believe that this dvd is more suited to someone who wants to learn Hapkido cane elements rather than a strict “wham bam” self defense methodology. And yet, it is much better than the other “cane as a weapon” dvds that are out there, that I have seen.

My limited point of view is self defence for seniors. I think some of the moves would be beyond a senior’s capabilities given their decrease in muscle mass and their unwillingness to practice. The majority of techniques, of course, are quite viable for the smaller or older student.

So if you are still young and looking for the edge in an sd situation, and want to learn some nasty Hapkido, this is an excellent investment in your future.

Ted T.

This comment came after the original post:

I had an opportunity to view this. It's a fine, fine product and I would likewise recommend it to anyone who is interested in hapkido or self defense in general. - Golok

Streetfighting Essentials Review

I just watched Alain Burrese's STREETFIGHTING ESSENTIALS - Combining Western Boxing and Hapkido into an Unstoppable Self-Defense System 2-DVD set and was very impressed at what I saw.

In his introduction, Mr Burrese explains that this set is for a basic set of essential techniques for self defense. He offers some good basic striking (hands and feet) combined with the goal to "streamline Hapkido into the bare essentials for the street, crossing the line into 'real' self defense." The hallmark of all of Mr Burrese's DVDs is thoroughness and systematic development of the material, and this set holds true to that as well.

As it stands, this set would be an ideal base to create a self defense core system "add-on" to another art (like Taekwondo or etc). There is a lot of room here to modify, adapt and fit it into what you do.

Students who want "more" could look to flesh this out in several ways, either through cross training or other sources. To be honest, this reminds me a lot of the basic few levels of "Combat Hapkido", with much of the same attitude, ideas, philosophy, and even techniques. Interested students who like this set would probably be happy to build further on it through Combat Hapkido (ICHF). Alternatively, students who wanted the more traditional side would find this a decent introduction to Traditional Hapkido as well (especially if they looked at Mr Burrese's other DVD offerings).

The set is made up of two disks, for a total of about 2 and a half hours of material. Each section is very thorough with a wide range of demonstrations, tips on performance and targets, and everything is tied together well. There are nice review sections at the end of each section which show all of the techniques in short order.

Interspaced throughout the disks are self defense scenarios showing Alain (and others) defending against attackers in realistic settings. The normal clothes and outdoor settings add a hint of realism and the responses are very well put together, very realistic.

The details:

Disk 1

Introduction - including a great bit on awareness and avoidance. The first 20 minutes covers a neutral stance, basic footwork/movement, positioning, blocks and slipping attacks. At the end of this section, there is a quick and easy review of the material covered. (This type of review follows each section and was very useful)

The next 36 minutes covered upper body strikes, ranging from basic jabs, crosses, hooks, and uppercuts to hammerfists, and knifehands to palm strikes, forearm strikes and elbows. All are demonstrated with careful attention to footwork, power generation, targeting and practicality.

The last 25 minutes of this disk covers a range of lower body strikes ranging from basic kicks (front, side, roundhouse) to practical ones like stomps, scoop kicks, and knees. There is also a short section on head butts and biting(!). Again, everything is demonstrated with careful attention to footwork, power generation, targeting and practicality.

Disk 2

The first 35 minutes of this disk shows breakaways, escapes, throws, and other ways to deal with a variety of attacks ranging from wrist grabs, sleev grabs, chokes, and lapel grabs to bearhugs, headlocks, nelsons and so on. Although there is only 1 or 2 technqiues shown for each category, it should be noted that all of the various techniques can be cross-applied to the other categories, making for a wide range of effective responses.

Jointlocks are not covered and he makes a reference that they are covered in a separate volume (although I would be more included to invest in Mr. Burrese's upcoming 5-volume set of Lock On joint lock instructional DVDs - excellent stuff.)

The next 20 minutes covers basic breakfalls and covers them well. I particularly enjoyed this section as it reminded me of almost exactly the same way I learned them in Korea. The next 10 minutes applies those falls in teaching sweeps, throws and takedowns.

The next section was the only disappointing section for me. The "Fighting on the Ground" section was only 7 minutes long and covered a ideas on getting back up, kicking from the ground and escaping from a simple mount. The main idea was to avoid going to the ground, which I agree with but would have liked to have seen some more in depth takedown defenses (especially against someone with half-decent takedown skills) and a few more technqiues to deal with being on the ground, e.g. escaping a guard or mount and getting back to your feet (or finishing on the ground). This section is the only part I wasn't completely satisfied with, but this is an area where you can get some supplemental material for to round out the system.

The final 8 minutes wraps up with a ideas on how to "combine the tools", showing some excellent combinations and scenarios. His basic principle is to finsh quickly and get out of there. He reiterates that this "doesn't cover everything - it's just a core of essential techniques."

All in all, this is an excellent resource with a lot of great ideas and material to consider. Traditional HKD students may not see a lot of "new material" in it but may enjoy some of the different striking involved as well the tips and ideas on applying/combining material for street self defense. For Combat Hapkido students, the same holds true although most of the physical material would have been covered by Green or Purple Belt in the ICHF curriculum.

This review was posted by Thomas Morrison at hapkidoforums.com and other places.

Hapkido Cane Review

Alain Burrese's Cane video is a very worthy investment. As a student of the cane for several years now, I have learned from several instructors and gone to other resources in print (books like Dr Kimm's) and video (ICHF, Canemasters, and others). The real value of this set is not so much for the novelty of the material but rather for its thoroughness. I saw some material that was "new" to me but generally I had seen most of it before.

Mr. Burrese has organized the material very well and each section builds more and more on the previous material. He does incorporate some "other" material in, most of which looks like it comes from Pugil Stick training and some stick fighting material. However, it blends well and fits the overall concepts well. His style of teaching inspires confidence and he addresses a lot of little concerns that come up after an extended period of study. For that, his insights are golden.

Overall, this reference DVD covers the cane very well. It should be noted that the material here is presented for the heavy, hardwood style cane and may differ from some of the Hapkido "lighter" cane styles. If you use the heavier Canemasters-style cane, or similar, this is a good set for you. This set is huge, with 2 DVDs and a running time of over 3 hours! The Production Quality is good, with a blue background and the people in white. Techniques are shown several times, slowly and with a clear explanation and then quickly in more realistic speed. For some, there are views from the top and side. Titles and chapters are clearly labeled in the index and it's very easy to skip to the precise section you want.

Disk 1 (1 hour 37 minutes) Contents:

Intro - Good intro that touches on practicality of the cane and some legal aspects. He promises to show material that is for the most part practical, and to supplement it with a little material that is artistic and flashy as well. He provides a quick lesson on cane anatomy and discusses the pros and cons of various canes, from Canemasters to cheap mail-order ones. He does leave out the common aluminum cane however.

Blocks (30 minutes)

Strikes (20 minutes) - includes whipping strikes, circular strikes and various other ways of striking, both from a "traditional Hapkido" point of view as well as other practical-if-not-so-pretty strikes. He addresses targeting strategies as well.

Hooks + Combos (10 minutes) - nice overview of ideas as well as hook-anatomy and the use of the hook.

Defense vs Grabs (37 minutes) - a couple techniques shown in various situations, including wrist grabs, sleeve grabs, lapel grabs, chokes, bear hugs, headlocks, and a few ground escapes. Overall, a nice overview of cane material with techniques that can apply across the various situations.

Disk 2 (1 hour 36 minutes) Contents:

Defense vs Punches (53 minutes) - 20 techniques + variations and what-if's.

Defense vs Kicks (14 minutes) - 2-3 techniques each for front, roundhouse and side kicks.

Chokes with the Cane (12 minutes) - various techniques of opportunity including use (introduction) of the half-shaft grip.

Defense vs Cane Grabs (12 minutes) from various types of grabs.

Application to other weapons and Conclusion (5 minutes) - Nice short review and application of the techniques to other weapons like sticks of various lengths or the unbreakable umbrella. There are a few recommendations on legal aspects and nice conclusion to the DVD.

The only areas where it could be considered "lacking" may be in the lack of defenses against other weapons. Also, the vast majority of the material is geared towards an able-bodied practitioner with little attention paid to the use of the cane by someone whose balance and physical skills warrant an actual need for a cane. As a student of Hapkido and of the cane, this is the set that I would recommend as the foundation set for the hardwood heavier cane that has become so popular of late. Everything a student needs to begin with is covered here and covered well. It will take a long time for a student to master what they learn from their instructor and everything on this set. At that point, they can look for some other supplemental material. But, for a one stop source of quality material for the cane, this is the resource to buy.

Posted on Hapkido Forums by Thomas Morrison
www.hapkidoforum.com

Shihan Dennis Dallas

I was glad to see this article about one of my instructors:

http://helenair.com/articles/2007/08/13/helena_top/a01081307_07.txt

Shihan Dallas once told me as I started teaching, "Remember that Character is more important that techniques."

Shihan Dallas is a very good man, an excellent instructor, and someone I am fortunate to have trained under and to know.

Alain