This was our best camp ever.

One reason for each year being better than the last is because we understand better and better how to run a successful camp. This one was smaller than some of our previous camps, but it was very intense and was much enjoyed by the participants.

Also, the usual drop off you get from Saturday to Sunday was less than usual. Most people who made the Saturday class made the Sunday class, and enthusiasm was high until the final moments when signed attendance certificates were passed out.

Even Friday night, usually a light attended night, was well attended. Guests, Professor Caserez of Manabi Masho Jujitsu, and Master Scott Sonnon of the Russian ROSS system, were excellent in what they taught, in conjunction with Professor Lansdale's teachings, coordinated well, each overlapping the other, but with each instructor bringing new views and methods to the party.

Professor Lansdale's main contributions were his somewhat eerie balance disruptions and speed striking, which unlike some proponents of the method, were not merely bumps and flicks, but were hard and fast to both weak points and vital points. He also demonstrated light brown outs with light strikes to specific but easy to reach points on the body.

Professor Caserez's main focus was finger locks, chokes and simultaneous striking. He also demonstrated his throwing prowess, primarily in the use of reversals to Judo / Jujitsu attacks. All students were in agreement that his chokes were the best they had seen, and Professor Lansdale has incorporated Professor C's choking methods into SHEN CHUAN, maintaining SHEN CHUAN'S constant goal of improvement.

Injuries do happen. You do anything athletic for a time, tennis, touch football, baseball, running, etc., there's a good chance some type of injury will occur. No sport or self-defense system can definitely promise to be injury free. 

And think about this. This is a self-defense system. We try not to push it over into the Combat Range because we know most of our students, and ourselves included, are working folks. 

Students want to have fun, learn self-defense, and you can be serious about that without having to prove your up for the Ultimate Fighting Championships. 

On the other hand, most of what we teach isn't a sport. There are some sport aspects to Streetboxing, but injuries mostly minor, can occur. 

Know what you're getting yourself into. You're in class to either spar, or learn what causes pain and injury. If you just want exercise, take Kickbox Aerobics or dance. And guess what? You can have an injury there as well.

Now, let's talk about the nature of pain. 

Fingers are a good example, one of the more sensitive areas on your body. 

You can actually break an opponent's finger and end up with a harder fight. An adrenaline rush can cause your opponent to over ride this pain, and at least temporarily, become more dangerous. 

Pain control and compliance is another dog altogether. You put a finger lock on someone, tease them with pain, they're more likely to be controlled because their body wants to avoid injury. It's odd, but that's the way it works. You'll respond more to controlled pain than to an intense break. Unless, of course, that break is your neck or the legs you stand on. But you get the idea. 

   Pain compliance works. 

   Most of the time. 

Not all. Some people would gnaw their arm off in a fight if they thought it would help them win. One difference between us and the worst of our possible attackers is that we have a reverence for life. This is wonderful in all respects. Except a down and dirty fight. It'll get you killed. 

Remember this, however. In a real fight the first respect for life you show is to yourself. You didn't start it. You don't want to do more than is necessary, but to not defend yourself is to show a disrespect for your life. 

Sometimes pure will is more important than technique, strength, what have you. If you have them all, then you're aces. 

Rank, for example, is important and should be respected. But being a black belt does not give you a magic get out of a fight free card. 

You get into it, if for some reason you're unable to wrap it up in a few seconds, you may suffer injury. The odds are on your side if you've trained, but as the Japanese say, even monkeys fall out of trees. 

 Other reasons to stay out of situations: 
   You may well be better, but he may be lucky that day. 
   He may have a weapon. 
   You may hit him ten to one, and he may just be tough enough to take it. 
   He may be on drugs, and not feel the pain. 
   He may just have your number; his style of fighting works against yours. (A reason for cross training.) 
   He may have friends around the corner. 
   He may be loony as a six-day bike racer and have the strength of ten men on steroids. 
   He just may not care if he lives or dies. 
   You may be overconfident. 
   You may be overly merciful when you shouldn't be. You may give him an inch, and he may take your life. 
   You may not be confident enough. 
   You could be tired, sick, distracted, depressed. 
   He could actually be a martial artist and better than you. 

Any number of factors can slip in and alter the abilities of anyone. And I do mean anyone. You can judge this by your own performance in the dojo. 

Ever have one of those nights where you can do no wrong? You're on top of everything. Ever have nights when you can do no right? Ever have nights when you can do no wrong, except once and that once would have been enough to be terminal on the street? 

Ever underestimated a lower rank, or the ego of your partner, only to realize too late that you shouldn't have? 

Ever done everything wrong, and then had one sudden good moment where you could have beaten anyone? 

These are lessons. Learn them in the dojo, among friends. That way, you may not have to learn them the hard way on the street. 

But, as they also say, sometimes the bear wins. And if so, just hope he wins and leaves you a survivor. Gnawed, broken maybe, but alive. Surviving is a form of winning, and all out fighting may not allow you to defeat your opponent in a satisfactory way, but perhaps it will allow you to survive. 

This brings us back to pain. 

Pain helps you learn to cope with all this. 

It makes you understand the technique. It makes you humble. It teaches you to develop inner strength. It actually teaches you, in a strange way, to share. Think about that one. 

Pain is important. 

As Professor Wally Jay says, "PAIN MAKES BELIEVERS". 

And as I say, "it hurts because it works." 

No one is too good or too cool to learn this lesson. And that certainly includes me. 

This is a little outside of the rest of the article, but I want to talk briefly about ego. This is a tough one. I wouldn't give you ten cents for someone without an ego, but that's not the same as egotistical. 

Remember, in class, you're working with friends. If you've got a neck crank on someone, or a choke, and you feel it may be too much, it's up to you to judge. Your "opponent" when in a head crank or choke may not really know how well it's applied. I'm not saying fake it, I'm saying if it looks like it's between you proving your point and hurting your partner, back off. Don't let ego rule you, or you'll end up with an injury. There's a difference in pain and injury. It's better to be a little disappointed and have to let go of a good technique than it is to harm a partner who may not really understand how well it's applied. Head cranks and chokes are prime examples. A good blood choke often fools the opponent into thinking they're okay; they have movement, may feel on cloud nine even, but they don't know the euphoria, fear, adrenaline rush they may be experiencing, is associated with lack of blood to the brain. 

So, again. Make the technique work, but be careful. It's up to you to take care of your partner, and it's up to the partner to watch out for themselves. The best thing to do is simple. Check your ego at the door. 

December 8, 2001: Black Belt Meeting (one day, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 1 hour lunch) No Charge
   All Shihans need to be present at 9:30 a.m. for a brief meeting.

February, 2002: Combat Hapkido Camp in Deer Park. Professor would like a minimum of ten LSDS students to attend this event. Fee not known at this time.

April, 2002: Two-day camp with Professor Lansdale and Guro Mike's Instructor. This will count as a black belt meeting, as some of the black belts will participate in the instruction. $40 for both days

August, 2002: Black Belt Meeting (one day event). Highlighting Professor Lansdale and Shihan Richard Metteauer. No Charge

October, 2002: Camp Lansdale #6 with Professor Lansdale, Grandmaster Chuck Sullivan, as well as highlighting our Soke Dai, Shihan Coy Harry. There may also be a few other Kenpo instructors on hand. $100 for two days, one night.

December, 2002: Possible Rank Camp. $20

2003: Camp Lansdale #7 - All Shen Chuan.

"I know this seems like a lot now, a week after Camp, but it's actually spaced out enough that by the time it arrives, we will all look forward to it."... Professor Lansdale

I usually leave my political views to political forums, or I jokingly love to take the opposite view of almost anyone's political view because, quite frankly, it amuses me. My personal views are primarily moderate, with liberal leanings in some areas, and conservative leanings in others.

The events of September 11th, however, call for nothing less than full support of military action in Afghanistan. If you have other views, I respect those, and I believe in your right to express them. I was opposed to the Vietnam war, and wasn't always given that right. I'm still opposed to it and think that it was a terrible mistake. Not because wars shouldn't be fought sometimes, but because I felt that particular war shouldn't have been fought at all. If you have other views, great. That's your prerogative.

But this war is very much like what we train for in a street fight. They came to us, and they threaten to come again. This is personal. We should avoid rules. We should do what is necessary. No restrictions. The terrorists, who are financed by other countries, supported by other organizations, have to be taken out and destroyed. Not only militarily, but economically, and politically.

As in a street fight, you can't stop and try to discuss the situation, unless it is to deceive. Example: "Look, a naked woman." Then a poke to the eye. Same here. Whatever it takes.

No rules because they have none. We can't worry about their holy days or their religious concerns anymore than they might worry about ours. Whatever they be. Or, for that matter atheistic views. They are all points of view. In this country we are allowed that. They don't care about any of those views, so the idea of worrying about theirs in this case is ridiculous. I realize some of it is a game to keep Arabic nations supporting us happy. But just how much support are they really supplying. No one's religion or views should supercede our right to protection.

You can't put a street fighter in a ring and say "do what you do", but tell his opponent (us), "now you must abide by the rules of the game. No eye pokes. No low blows. No hitting to the back. In fact, no punching to the head or stomping the feet or bending the fingers or using vital points or nerve strikes, no clapping over the ears. And by the way, today's Christmas and he's a Christian, so you can't hit him at all."

Muslim, Christian, Atheist, Hindu or Buddhist. You mess with our rights, put us in a self-defense situation, then you best be ready to take attacks high and low and from anywhere at anytime.

There's only one law here. The law of survival, and the terrorists have evoked it.

We will endure.

Professor Joe Lansdale

Shihan Worsham is considered one of the systems finest technicians and is one of three students in the system that hold the rank of fourth Dan, which in Shen Chuan is considered Shihan, or Master Instructor rank, though the certification of Shihan is given separate of rank. Only the founder of the system, and Shihan Coy Harry and Shihan Eugene Frizzell, hold higher ranks.

This interview will give Shihan Billy Jack's view of the early days of Shen Chuan, (early considering it's brief existence) up to the present.

SHIHAN BILLY JACK WORSHAM INTERVIEW - PART I:

Question: This first question is kind of multi-task, but should give us, the readers, an overall view of your martial arts experience. How and when did you become involved in the martial arts? Wasn't it through boxing with your father? What arts did you study? Could you give us your background and how you finally became involved in Shen Chuan, and what branch is your branch of Shen Chuan, and have you studied the other divisions?

Answer: To answer the first part, yes, it was my dad that first introduced me to martial arts. More than once in my life. I don't remember how old I was, but I remember having trouble with a couple of larger boys in school. Of course everyone was larger than me. At thirty-four, I'm still only 5'6" and 145 lbs. I told my dad that famous line about "having a friend" that was getting picked on and asked what he would do. Since he had been a boxer in high school and college, I figured he would know. He saw right through my ruse however. He told me to show my "friend" these moves, and began to teach me some boxing. He showed me the basics and then let me go at it. We never formally worked out, but if I needed to know the mechanics of something, or if he saw me ingraining a bad habit we would work it out. But more than anything physical, I thank my dad for teaching me the pitbull mindset. His advice in this situation; if pushed to become physical, take the biggest of the two and beat that sucker to the ground. I did, and it worked. I earned my "rabid Chihuahua" reputation that day.

He also taught me responsible handgun and knife handling in my early teenage years. I actually knew defensive firearm handling before I learned defensive hand-to-hand.

After high school, in 1985, I entered college at Stephen F. Austin State University and the R.O.T.C. program there. I was intrigued with the hand to hand course, and asked the instructor for some private training. I did this for a couple of semesters. Interesting learning period.

In 1988, dad called and asked if I wanted to take Taekwondo with him. We started the class, and remained for seven months, until both of our lives called us away from the study.

In 1994 I once again began studying Taekwondo, but under Sabonim Richard Metteauer. I advanced to the rank of 6th grade Green Belt in the summer of 1995. This is where I first met Professor Lansdale, and I guess that leads to the next part of your question. How I become involved in Shen Chuan.

Joe would come to our TKD class to teach us close in self-defense from time to time. Richard was going to close down shop in the near future, and Joe asked me to come to his class and check it out. I did, and could not believe what I saw. I was looking at the training I had wanted all of my life. Quick. Precise. Incapacitating. Deadly if necessary. Sign me up.

At this time the system was called Matsukaze Budo. I won't go into that. See Shihan Harry's and Shihan Frizzell's earlier articles for that. I attained a 3rd Kyu Brown Belt in this system in 1996.

When the Professor went out on his own to form Shen Chuan, Martial Science, I went with him.

What was the last part of the question? Oh, my branch of Shen Chuan, Martial Science is the hub of the system; Shen Chuan. Shen Chuan, Martial Science is the overall system, the umbrella, under which all of the branch systems exist. The hub, Shen Chuan, is the actual meat and potatoes system. This is the branch in which I am ranked 4th Dan. I have also been ranked 3rd Dan in the Aikijitsu Division of Shen Chuan. This division no longer exists, as it was the precursor to the current Aikibujitsu Division headed by Shihan Coy Harry.

What is it about Shen Chuan that suits you best? There are many different facets that make Shen Chuan suit me. The first is just that, it suits me. Unlike other systems, Shen Chuan is designed to fit the student, not the other way around. Being a system of concepts and principles allows what is being taught to conform to all students with different attributes. Secondly, Shen Chuan is well rounded. Locks. Striking. Balance. Flow. Throws. Kicks. We learn it all, we use it all, to varying degrees. Also, at the core, Shen Chuan is a striking system. From the basic east Texas whoop-ass learned on day one up to the ghost-like striking in the upper levels. I like to strike. Shen Chuan is striking (pun intended).

What other martial arts appeal to you, and how, or do they integrate with Shen Chuan? All of them. If I were 19 and a multi-millionaire, I would spend all of my time studying different arts. At the top of my list would probably be our StickBoxing Division. In the early days, Shihans Eugene and Coy would go to all of the Arnis seminars they could. They would bring it back to us and we would train. If you've never seen those two go full tilt with sticks, you've missed an awesome sight. As Shen Chuan, Martial Science grew, Shihan Eugene became head of the StickBoxing division. He took the arnis, escrima, kali, etc. and put a Shen Chuan flavor to it. It became tighter, less showy, more relaxed and deadlier. If I ever get the time...

Shihan Coy's Aikibujitsu is up there also. But thankfully, Shihan Coy gives it to me during our Shen Chuan class. Literally. So I am getting hands on Aikibujitsu at every class. And so is all of the regular Shen Chuan students if they'll take note. They may not recognize it yet, but it is there.

Others that come to mind are Professor Jay and Small Circle Jujitsu, George Dillman, or maybe those Israeli guys we saw in Florida. Mmmmm, maybe not. I'm getting too old for that. Most of these have already been integrated into Shen Chuan. The next time you holler for mommy during a bent wristlock, thank Wally Jay for the small circle concept and Professor Lansdale for expounding on it. The next time you wake up on your feet, grinning like a boob for no apparent reason, thank George Dillman, Rick Moneymaker and Professor Lansdale on the application of pressure points. It's all in there. These are just a few examples.

Although Eugene Frizzell is the Senior student of Shen Chuan, and Coy Harry is the inheritor of the system, you are in line as the main man behind Shihan Harry to maintain the Nacogdoches headquarter school. What exactly is your job? God forbid that something should happen to the Professor and Shihan Coy at the same time, it would be up to me to either become the successor, name a successor or train someone to become the eventual successor. As I said, God forbid such a thing. I still have a lot of sponging I want to do off of these guys! That of course would be worse case scenario. In the immediate future, however, my job will be to hold down the fort. As the school grows, the Professor and Coy, or Eugene may be called out of town for seminars and such. It is our hope to spread Shen Chuan far and wide. And this will involve travel for them. Then there is the Professor's eventual retirement, say when he is 80 or 90. The hometown crew will have to look at my ugly mug while they are gone.