2010 Master's Seminars

2010 "Gathering of the Masters"

What an event!! I hate that it's already come and gone. Yet, at the same time, I can't hardly wait for next year!

Thursday evening Grand Master Booth (from Australia) arrives to Pensacola. This is his first year coming to our weekend seminar event. I met him at another event several years back and he always drew a crowd with his Australian accent, hillirious disposition, and ways to make grown men curl up in the fetus position. We drove through Navaree and stopped to see a good buddy of mine and my Hapkido instructor. From there we drove to Valparaiso airport to pick up Grand Master Timmerman (from Canada). We drove to a local restaurant and enjoyed dinner as we caught up and talked about the upcoming weekend.

Friday morning and Grand Master Hwang (from Connecticut) arrives. He had injured his hand and didn't want to tell anyone. As if we're not going to notice he broke three fingers in five places. Not wanting to miss the seminar weekend, he came anyway and it seems every year I get something like this that reminds me the better side of martial arts with humble instructors. I take him to Crestview and we meet up with Grand Master's Timmerman, Booth, & Trudeau (from Tennessee) for lunch. Go home to freshen up and then to Gordon Martial Arts for a 4:30PM testing where Grand Masters Timmerman & Grand Master Hwang were to sit the panel.

Grand Master Hwang generally conducts a testing in 45 minutes or so. Sitting on the panel with him for a few testings, I figured I knew what was coming. As usual, I get a curve ball as the testing goes for 90 minutes for four people with two testing for first and two testing for second degree. Speaking of which, congratulations to Alberto Barbon & Richard Rounsaville for promotion to second degree. And congratulations to Bobby Jackson & Felicia Gordon for promotion to first degree.

After testing, Grand Master Hwang does a seminar on Taekwon-Do fundamentals. In the meantime, Grand Master McMurray (from Texas) and Master Janisse (from Oregon) have arrived. Injured hand and all, he does a 90 minute seminar giving the participants a chance to see one of the few ITF Pioneering Grand Masters in action. He complains about not being able to kick like he used too as we all sit there dumbfounded as the 67 year old kicks over his head without stretching or warming up. He sits for 90 minutes on a testing panel and then goes out on the floor and starts kicking like he's a teenager. It's amazing to watch.

A bunch of us head out to a Chinese Buffet (that's obligatory...right?) where everyone can chat and mingle.

Saturday morning rolls around and we're at the school at 8AM for meet & greet. Kuksool legend Chief Master Marlin Sims arrived early that morning from Georgia with his son. We do a few promotions and the session leaders sign the certificates so everyone gets a certificate of participation with all session leaders signatures. Something I haven't seen elsewhere and the participants seem to enjoy it. We do a group photo and Grand Master Timmerman is on at 9AM.

Grand Master Timmerman does his usual 3000 ways to make a grown man make little girl noises. I'm so glad I'm not the volunteer for him. I don't think Master Janisse either...more of a "voluntold" kinda thing. This year Grand Master Timmerman brought a small don bong to help accelerate the pain. Remember, it's better to give than receive. Can't wait for August in Canada with Gathering Of Grand Masters. If you haven't signed up, what are you waiting for?!

Grand Master Booth pulls out another version of don bong and does his session with everyone laughing as he showed many ways to make use of the weapon. If you don't laugh during his session, you need to check for a pulse. Never realized how funny it could be getting the pain slapped on. Sounds twisted. As an extra treat, we had the rare sighting of the "kickin chicken." Sorry, but you had to be here to appreciate why the sighting always makes the crowd go wild. He brought some copies of his new DVD and they're fantastic. If you haven't gotten a copy, I'd suggest you do so. External Link to DVD.

Lunch time at pizza place next door. Interesting to watch as strangers quickly become friends. By the looks of it, some deep conversations going on....

We come back to first rotating session with Master Trudeau doing cane and Master Janisse doing small joint manipulation. Master Trudeau has done this seminar all four years and it seems to always get a crowd. People are attracted to the cane.

Master Janisse does a painful clinic on small joint manipulation. We had some Crestview Police Dept's SWAT team there so I'm sure they were interested in this guy offering small joint drills. Let me tell you, it doesn't matter how big you are, if someone gets that pinky, it's gonna hurt. Pinky, index finger, middle finger, thumb lock, it all hurt.

Chief Master Marlin Simms decides to upstage everyone with a Power Point presentation. I was a bit skeptical at first. We're going to watch "how to throw knives?" You just throw it....right? Wrong, he gave a step by step breakdown of how many rotations at how many feet and how to make it go faster or slower. Then we go out side and he brought two huge knife throwing boards roughly 4' wide by 8' tall and about 4" thick. Pretty neat seminar and no one lost an eye!

Come back inside for second rotation with Master Kincade and Mr Longton doing sessions.

Master Kincade had a little of everything with sword and empty hand. I missed most of both of these sessions because I was helping Master Sims take down the throwing boards.

Mr Longton did a session on gun defense that always draws a crowd. I've been to gun disarming clinics that should be renamed to "how to get yourself shot." Longton does a first class session.

5PM and we close down for the day only to meet back at 7:30PM at Coach-N-Four for some great steak and chicken.

Sunday is the final day with Grand Master McMurray doing a seminar on rope/belt & knife. Everyone looks to be half glazed over but Grand Master McMurray has a way of bringing the best out of people. 30 minutes into it and everyone lively and ready to go. Using the belt makes a painful technique more painful. And the knife drill is always a crowd pleaser.

After that, we make the mad dash out the door to get Grand Master Timmerman, Grand Master McMurray, and Master Janisse to the airport in time to catch their flight. Head back and meet Grand Master Booth for lunch and we spend a few days together before he headed to the next location on Tuesday. During this time we discuss his upcoming seminar in Australia and he suggested I go back with Korean Martial Art Festival rather than Gathering of the Masters.

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Thank you to Mrs Griffith, Ms Mobley, and Mrs Holloway for taking such great pictures throughout the weekend!!

Some candids and pictures of the promotions