Tag Archives: Kung Fu

Year in Review: 2023

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Each year I create a list of goals for every area of my life. Throughout the year I work my goals, track my progress, and commit to posting my top accomplishments. I hope to inspire others to do the same.

Writing

Novels

  • Signed publishing contract! I signed a contract with a publishing house and I’ll have a new novel out sometime next year. Top goal!!! More info once I’m allowed to publicly announce.
  • Wolves of Vengeance became a #9 Best Seller in free Occult Horror Top 100 Free Kindle Books. https://www.amazon.com/Wolves-Vengeance-David-North-Martino-ebook/dp/B00F3GU182/ Top 10, baby!
  • Participated in the 1st annual  Terrify your Tablet/Spook your Kindle promotion.
  • Another one of my novels made it through 1st cuts and the full manuscript was requested.

Short Stories

Writers of the Future Honorable Mention 2nd Quarter 2023
Writers of the Future honorable Mention 3rd quarter 2023
  • Earned two Honorable Mentions in the Writers of the Future Contest (see above). The top 10% of entrants get Honorable Mentions. https://www.writersofthefuture.com
  • I edited “Tracer” from a rejection with comments to an Honorable Mention.

Sharpen the Saw

  • Attended: The Novel: From First Draft to Bookshelf Workshop with Jonathan Maberry.
  • Attended: Writing and Selling Short Stories Workshop with Jonathan Maberry.

Martial Arts

Rank Promotions

Essential Filipino Martial Arts Level 3 Basic Instructor 2023
Pacific Archipelago Concepts Level 3 Basic Instructor 2023
Jun Fan/ Jeet Kune Do Level One
  • Promoted to PAC-FMA Level 3 Instructor under Guro W. Hock Hochheim 2023 (See Above).
  • Listed as a Level 3 Instructor on Website. ForceNecessary.com
  • Began official ranking in Bruce Lee’s Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do Concepts in the Sifu/Guro Inosanto Lineage.
  • Promoted to Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do (JKD) Level 1 under Sifu Raffi Derderian.

Seminars

14-Hour Combination Seminar in Inosanto Kali and Presas Family Arnis 2023
Drowning in JKD Seminar at Derderian Academy of Martial Arts
Two-Day Double Impact Jeet Kune Do and Filipino Kali Seminar with Guro Raffi and Sifu Kevin Seaman
Chris LaCava’s Beat ‘Em & Treat ‘Em Tour (2023) at Coach Jeff Burger’s K.I.C.K Karate in Salem, MA. Stockton Multi-Style Escrima Sword & Knife Seminar.

Martial Arts Classes

Martial Arts Home Training

  • Began training Patty in JKD at home.
  • Continued solo home training utilizing Mook Jong, wife as training partner, Bas Thai Boxing workout, and free-weights.

Co-Host: The House of Mystery Radio Show on NBC

  • As heard on NBC News Radio in Los Angeles/Riverside/San Bernardino/Palm. Springs/Seattle/Tacoma/Salt Lake City/Phoenix and online podcasts. https://www.alanrwarren.com/house-of-mystery-radioshow
  • Interviewed James Patterson. 309,672 podcast plays/downloads, 30k Youtube views.
  • Interviewed Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child – 5th most popular interview in 2023! 173,000 plays/downloads/airing with a 2.1 ratings marketshare in L.A. (252,000 estimated listeners)!
  • Co-hosted over 100 new episodes.

Martino Movie Reviews on NBC

Youtube & Social Media

Interviews

Interviewed by Dominick Izzo on Them’s fightin’ Words! podcast. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSDjS5a3Csw&t=1920s

My Martial Arts Channel & HDaveMI

  • Continued to make long form and short form martial arts instruction videos on Youtube channel and also on Reelz, Instagram, and Tiktok. https://www.youtube.com/@davidnorth-martino/videos
  • Began HDaveMI movie review and physical media channel.
  • Earned top 5% in Facebook rising creators.

Podcasts

  • Published 3 episodes of the Live Martial Podcast.
  • Had martial arts teachers reach out who want to be on the show. I hope to expand the show next year.

Family & Friends

  • Mother’s Day at North End Diner.
  • Helped family member move into new apartment.
  • Celebrated 28th Wedding Anniversary with dinner at Ted’s Montana Grill. 
  • Visited In-Laws for get-together.
  • Father’s Day at North End Diner. 
  • Celebrated 31st Anniversary of our first date.
  • Cat-sat for our neighbor’s cats.
  • Cracker Barrel Thanksgiving takeout.
  • Continued friendship with Alan R. Warren. 
  • Continued friendship through email and social media with my former English professor. 
  • Kept up friendships with writer friends, martial arts friends, high school & college. friends on social media.
  • Made new writing and martial arts friends.

Health

  • Annual Physical – besides an increase in weight (it’s all muscle) everything looks good!
  • Eye doctor appointments -everything stable.
  • Cleanings with hygienist and X-rays A+.
  • Two appointments for crown installation.

Cars

  • Patty’s car – inspection, oil change, tire rotation.
  • My car towed Breaks, rotters, oil change, fluids, new battery.
  • Installed Cover Craft Dashboard cover on my car.
  • Drove 100 miles to reset computer in my car after battery died.

House

  • Get new bedroom air cleaner replaced through warranty service. 
  • New chair for Diesel.
  • Replaced aging recliners.
  • Installed nest Protect Smokes and CO2 Alarms.
  • Installed throw rug with mat in living room.
  • Replaced patio door handle in living room.
  • Troubleshoot dishwasher wasn’t draining. Hose clogged. Cleared out and draining again.

Movies at Theater

  • IMAX: Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning: Part 1.
  • IMAX: Oppenheimer 15/70 70mm film.
  • 50th Anniversary of Enter the Dragon at the Bellingham Regal Cinema.

AV/Tech

  • Apple Store Providence Place Mall. Replaced Patty’s Airpods Pro under limited warranty. 
  • Upgraded to iPhone 14 pro.
  • Upgrade to Panasonic 4k blu-ray player.
  • Increased our collection of 4k and blu-ray discs.

That’s all I can remember for now. It’s been a fantastic year of personal and professional accomplishment! See you in 2024!

Old School Martial Arts…? But Why?

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Had a great conversation about martial arts with host Dominick Izzo on Them’s Fightin’ Words! Podcast We talk traditional vs. modern and even express our love of martial arts cinema. This is an episode you don’t want to miss! While you’re at it, subscribe to his channel!

Jun Fan Gung Fu: Seeking the Path of JKD 2 by Sifu Kevin Seaman

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Sifu Kevin Seaman has done it again with Jun Fan Gun Fu: Seeking the path of Jeet Kune Do 2. Like the first volume, Sifu Kevin presents a cornucopia of techniques, concepts and drills, which will be useful to practitioners of all martial arts disciplines.

I purchased this book directly from the author and have an inscribed and signed copy. I’ve been fortunate to attend seminars by and with Sifu Kevin, and with some instructors teaching under him. Although I’ve been practicing martial arts nearly 30 years, I’m just beginning to walk down the JKD path. I feel Sifu Kevin’s books are incredible travel guides for anyone’s journey into the art, science, and philosophy espoused by the incomparable Bruce Lee.

Although you can’t learn from a book alone, you can use this text, along with the first volume, to increase your knowledge, and guide your journey. This book can be used as a mnemonic for those who have been initiated. If you’ve had training in JKD, Sifu Kevin’s books can be used as a memory aid (I’m sure his books are much more organized than your notebook) where you can grab a technique, principle or drill, allowing you to work what you already know, getting expert coaching from the text as you do.

For those who go to seminars or have a teacher, you’ll be able to pull out things you’d like to work on and ask about the material, or to ask them to demonstrate. You can’t hunt down information that you don’t know exists.

The book can be used as an introduction to the principles of JKD, lighting a fire within you, pushing you to seek qualified instruction. And finally, for those who study fighting systems, and other styles of martial arts, you’ll be able to pull out drills and concepts that you can work into your respective martial art’s structure, enhancing your training.

This second volume not only builds on the physical foundations of the first, with topics like advanced footwork, defensive structure, and physical development, but also expounds on the principles, psychology, and philosophy of the well-rounded fighter and martial artist.

Sifu Kevin Seaman’s Jun Fan Gun Fu: Seeking the Path of Jeet Kune Do 2 is a worthy sequel to the first volume, a compressive reference guide, and highly recommended for all fighters and martial artists. You’ll find it a welcome addition to your martial arts library, and a working reference that won’t gather dust.

Review of Solo Training 3 50 and Older

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Solo Training 3 50 And Older is chock-full of information, drills, and exercise for the aging martial artist. Don’t let the title fool you; this book is great for any aging martial artist. I’m just hitting my mid-40s and I found the information in this book very helpful. I had the opportunity to borrow this book for free using my Prime Membership, and I’m glad that I did. If you find just one idea that you can put into use in your own training, then the time it took to read the book was worth it. I found plenty, and I was reminded of some drills and concepts that I had forgotten.

Christensen covers a wide range of subjects. He spends a good deal of time on resistance training—a very important aspect of solo training for any aging martial artist. He also covers proper diet, training your core, and speed training, among other topics.

This book is subtitled Karate, Kung Fu, and Taekwondo. That’s an important distinction. Christensen wrote the book with the traditional stand-up martial artist in mind. But even if you practice non-classical or reality based self-defense styles, I think you’ll get something out of it. Kata training is also covered. I’ve always felt that kata was best practiced at home anyway, leaving the time in class for drills and sparing that requires partners.

Chapter 14 gives you a fairly thorough look at “fight enders.” Just make sure you understand use of force laws before you employ them. But as we age, we don’t have time to mess around. If you’ve mostly focused on sports with rules, this is good information to know.

At the end of the book Christensen provides tons of drills that you can implement or modify to your liking. Inevitably a few reviewers will comment that anyone with an intermediate or advanced level of training could come up with the same or similar workouts. While that might be true, I just don’t see why anyone would want to reinvent the wheel. Christensen has done all the work for you in this volume, providing a template that you can modify to your heart’s desire. Since Christensen uses these workouts himself, you know they work. And that will save you time, and the trial and error of putting together your own workouts.

If you’re a student, you know you can’t improve enough by just training during class time. If you’re an instructor, you have to put in the time before or after class for your own improvement. This is a book that will help you to improve while reducing injury. It’s a welcome edition to any martial artist’s library. I know I’ll be adding a physical copy to mine.