A Thousand Exits

Dan & Paco had an amazing time sitting with Anthony Brito to chat, catch up and discuss the great 2008 movie Redbelt and what a great chat it was! This is the first of an upcoming series on movie reviews produced here at Irstad Recordings. In this episode we delve deep into storytelling, the evolution of standards for Martial Arts Schools, the connection between handicaps limitations and Martial Arts training, and many more thought provoking topics! We want to thank Anthony Brito for his time, thoughts and inspiration. Anthony was our first guest back at the beginning of last year and due to the pandemic the only one so far to sit in person in our wonderful Studio (Irstad). Anthony was the most popular guest to date, and he’s a practitioner of Brazilian JiuJitsu and a wonderful human being. Note: towards the end we mention a group of Aikido practitioners that have devised amazingly honest drills to test and improve their skills and we describe some of the their drills with markers. We were referring to Aikido: Discussed and their approach to their Martial Art. At a different point in the chat we mentioned a system of wrestling developed by the people of Northern China (and Russia). We were actually referring to Mongolian Wrestling. Send us any questions or comments at info@athousandexits.com! Be safe everyone, bend your legs, plant your feet, relax and let’s go!

In this episode Dan & Paco got the pleasure and honor to chat with the amazing Li-Ping Chang! Li-Ping Chang is Dan’s first Wing Chun Teacher and an incredible source of wisdom for life and the Martial Arts Journey. We talked about how the Yin-Yang can become a guiding principle in training as well as Li’s fascinating life story. And of course, sound design is done by Dan at his studio Irstad Recordings in beautiful Peekskill, NY. Don’t forget to send us your comments and questions: info@athousandexits.com

Dan and Paco met (following social distancing rules!) after all these months of quarantine to record a brand new episode in beautiful Peekskill, NY literally outside Irstad Recordings. This is a different episode in that it was recorded outside. It was a gorgeous day and our listeners will be able to hear the birds singing in the background all through the informal conversation we had! We talked about what to focus on while doing Martial Arts Forms, training with and without physical contact, the various methods of learning new skills, Martial Arts evolution and much more. You'll also learn to say 'love' in sign language! We mentioned Rory Miller and his studies regarding not only Self Defense but also learning methodology. To learn more click here: https://www.chirontraining.com/ And we also mentioned the book "The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance" by W. Timothy Gallwey (https://theinnergame.com/inner-game-books/the-inner-game-of-tennis/). Stay tuned and don’t forget to send your questions to info@athousandexits.com!

The second part of our very special conversation on the influence our Fathers had in our lives and our Martial Arts Journey. The conversation included topics like the value of morality, never giving up and working hard while enjoying the now. There were multiple points of connection to Martial Arts History and lessons. This is a homage to our Fathers who left this world but left behind a lifelong of presence and lessons for us. In this Episode Paco adds a homage to his Father in Law Sewdat Mahadeo, too, who recently passed away 🙏🏽 Don’t forget to send us your comments, suggestions and questions: info@athousandexits.com “Fight one more round. When your feet are so tired that you have to shuffle back to the centre of the ring, fight one more round. When your arms are so tired that you can hardly lift your hands to come on guard, fight one more round. When your nose is bleeding and your eyes are black and you are so tired you wish your opponent would crack you one on the jaw and put you to sleep, fight one more round – remembering that the man who always fights one more round is never whipped.” ― James Corbett

Here’s the first part of our very emotional episode on the influence our Fathers had in our lives and our Martial Arts Journey. The conversation included topics like the value of morality, never giving up and working hard while enjoying the now. There were multiple points of connection to Martial Arts History and lessons. This is a homage to our Fathers who left this world but left behind a lifelong of presence and lessons for us.🙏🏽 Don’t forget to send us your comments, suggestions and questions: info@athousandexits.com “Fight one more round. When your feet are so tired that you have to shuffle back to the centre of the ring, fight one more round. When your arms are so tired that you can hardly lift your hands to come on guard, fight one more round. When your nose is bleeding and your eyes are black and you are so tired you wish your opponent would crack you one on the jaw and put you to sleep, fight one more round – remembering that the man who always fights one more round is never whipped.” ― James Corbett

We could not be happier and more honored to have met and recorded a Podcast Episode with the great Sensei Jaredd Wilson, who is the host of The Martial Thoughts Podcast (https://www.facebook.com/martialthoughts and https://thinkingmartial.blogspot.com/). This is one of the longest running and best established Martial Arts Podcasts in existence today, and its host is extremely knowledgeable in Aikido, History of the Martial Arts, Silat, Kenjutsu, and many other aspects of this fascinating endeavor. We talked about Martial Arts History, the ‘key’ to understanding Aikido, Wing Chun, the historical and social context of the various Martial Arts, Self-Defense, skill acquisition, advice on how to keep training through the quarantine and many many other topics. During the conversation Sensei Jaredd mentioned this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDs7RPboEO8&feature=youtu.be showing how traditional Karate is used in MMA. We also mentioned the Aikido: Discussed Podcast which is one of Paco's favorite Podcasts, and was also instrumental in getting us connected to Sensei Jaredd Wilson https://www.facebook.com/aikidodiscussed Also mentioned in the show: Rory Miller: https://www.chirontraining.com/ Marc MacYoung: http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/ Ellis Amdur’s Book “Words Of Power”: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C87YBWN/ Don't forget to send us questions, comments, feedback, suggestions at info@athousandexits.com!

This Episode was a special treat for us. We had David Wallace as a guest, a truly fascinating Martial Artist. David is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, Graduate of New York Medical College, and a New York State licensed Physical Therapist. David has a very rich background in Martial Arts which ranges from Karate, Boxing and Thai Boxing to Wing Chun (including Chu Shong Tin Wing Chun) , Xing Yi, Zhong Xin Dao/I Liq Chuan and others. (Please see a more detailed bio below) David took us deep into the deep meaning of Internal Martial Arts, how Martial Arts are connected to Healing (of oneself as well as others) and insights into many valuable principles of how the human body works. We agreed that when the quarantine is behind us David is invited to come up to Irstad Recordings to train with us and have another episode in which we can talk about insights from training together. Stay tuned! Here are some of the Teachers and Schools mentioned during this Episode for our Listeners who want to learn more: Chu Shong Tin - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chu_Shong-tin John Kaufman - Chu Shong Tin ‘Internal’ Wing Chun - https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Coach/Wing-Chun-Hong-Kong-School-253282574688192/ Zhong Xin Dao / I Liq Chuan - https://iliqchuan.com/ Steve Arboleda - Xing Yi and Bagua - http://www.chinatowninternalarts.com/ Nima King - Chu Shong Tin ‘Mindful’ Wing Chun - https://www.mindfulwingchun.online/p/nimaking Iain Abernethy Podcasts - https://www.iainabernethy.co.uk/audio Tim Cartmell - http://shenwu.com/ David's more detailed Bio: David is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, Graduate of New York Medical College, and a New York State licensed Physical Therapist. He is also preparing for his board certification as an orthopedic certified specialist. Being well versed in martial arts, weight training, and Pilates, David treats patients in a holistic manner; taking patient preference, presentation and personality into consideration. David has a well rounded background working surgical and non surgical orthopedic cases, and particularly enjoys working with martial artists in the rehab setting. Having graduated from the University of Vermont with a BA in Asian Studies, David is also conversant in Mandarin. David Martial Arts' experience ranges from Karate, Boxing and Thai Boxing to Wing Chun, Xing Yi, Zhong Xin Dao/I Liq Chuan and others. To be in touch with David, please follow his business Instagram page and his website https://stillnessinmotionpt.wordpress.com/about/ Don't forget to send us questions, comments, feedback, suggestions at info@athousandexits.com!

This Episode is another “AUA” Episode (“Ask Us Anything”) in which we delve deep into the topic of Martial Arts and self-exploration. We talk about our own teacher, George Lee, and explain his take on this topic. For people who want to know more, please visit wingchunworkgroup.com/ And we also mention Sifu Li-Ping Chang, who was Dan's first Teacher, and his amazing take on this. For people who want to know more about this teacher, visit his website www.wingchunkungfuforselfdefense.com/ and his YouTube channel www.youtube.com/user/wingchunkungfu4sd/ As we said in the show, we wanted to reproduce here Sifu Li-Ping Chang's complete response on the topic for your study: "First of all, I must say it's such an unusual question. No one has ever asked me this question before. Frankly I don't think most people think of martial arts as a path to personal enlightenment. To them, it's either about self-defense or becoming good fighters. So to even ask such a question shows depth. It is not an easy question to answer, but I will try my best to give you one from my perspective. When I began my training in Wing Chun Kung-fu many years ago, the first thing my teacher showed me was a drawing of the Yin/Yang symbol. He told me the only way to know the true meaning of being a martial artist is to understand and practice the philosophy of Yin/Yang. I had no idea what he was talking about at the time. In the beginning, it was a struggle trying to learn the drills which required a lot of coordination. My teacher used to say in order to do these drills well, my body and my mind must merge into one, just like the two halves of the same whole in the Yin/Yang symbol. I have to admit it wasn't easy to get the two to work together at first. The mind wanted to do something, but the body did something else instead. Once during our training, he asked me why I wanted to learn Wing Chun, I said I wanted to know how to fight. He kind of smiled and said, "if you want to be a bad ass, just get a gun." That statement stuck with me. Years later, I began to look seriously into the meaning of being a martial artist. After much contemplating, I discovered a "mind-body-spirit" connection. I mean, after years of dedicated training, we have finally reached the level of martial art fluency by blending the "Mind" and the "Body." Which simply means at a moment's notice, the body can do exactly what the mind wants without hesitations. Training in one's chosen art is like forging a sword. After countless hours of pounding, bending, rolling over and quenching the metal, you finally came up with a perfect weapon. It can cut through objects without breaking. It is rigid yet flexible, just like the symbol -- hard and soft at the same time. You finally achieved your goal. Now what? This is where the "spiritual" part comes in. What you do with this weapon is entirely up to you. You want to be a bad ass or a nice guy? The journey is all about self-discovery. The Yin/Yang symbol is composed of two opposing forces; however, they are not mutually exclusive. They are two halves of the same whole. They co-exist and complement each other. We see contrast. We also see harmony. Sometimes, forces opposite in nature rely on each other to exist. Being a expert martial artist possessing the skills to kill and being a kind person are not mutually exclusive. The key is maintaining "balance." That's what the symbol ultimately represents. Perhaps that is what we should all strive to achieve in life. And perhaps that is the enlightenment?" Bend your legs, plant your feet, relax, and let’s go!

We are so excited to have Anthony Brito at Irstand Recordings to train and record our Episode 3! Dan and Paco were blown away both training and speaking with Anthony. He’s an incredible practitioner of Brazilian JiuJitsu and a wonderful human being. We exchanged core concepts, basic drills, training insights and tips both for BJJ and Wing Chun and we were delighted with the wisdom and warrior mindset coming from Anthony as applied to everyday daily life, which is our focus here at A Thousand Exits. We could not be more thrilled with our first guest! Don't forget to send us questions, comments, feedback, suggestions at info@athousandexits.com!

From inside Irstad recordings in Peekskill, NY, welcome to A Thousand Exits, a podcast at the corner of martial arts and life’s journey. In this Bonus Episode Dan and Paco discuss training breakthroughs from training before recording our Episode 2 as well as how the name of the Podcast came about. Bend your legs, plant your feet, relax, and let’s go!

From inside Irstad recordings in Peekskill, NY, welcome to A Thousand Exits, a podcast at the corner of martial arts and life’s journey. We are blown away by the listeners’ comments and questions and want to encourage everyone to send us their questions (info@athousandexits.com). The listener interaction is definitely going to be lifeblood of this podcast! Episode 2 is an ‘AUA’ (Ask Us Anything) Episode, in which we answer some of your questions in depth, and specifically we talk in detail about training without the teacher with other people, both within and without your own system. In the Episode we mentioned Sifu Li-Ping Chang. For people who want to know more about this teacher, visit his website www.wingchunkungfuforselfdefense.com/ and his YouTube channel www.youtube.com/user/wingchunkungfu4sd/ In our episodes we often talk about our own teacher George Lee and for people who want to know more visit wingchunworkgroup.com/ Bend your legs, plant your feet, relax, and let’s go!

From inside Irstad recordings in Peekskill, NY, welcome to A Thousand Exits, a podcast at the corner of martial arts and life’s journey. Here, we share our insights into training and talk to those that have shaped our daily practice. We explore what the martial arts mean to us on a personal level and discuss their broader impact on society and culture. Our passion is the common person’s experience in the martial arts. Bend your legs, plant your feet, relax, and let’s go!