INTERVIEW OF GORDON RICHIUSA ON Bifocal Reviews

Comment from the author: As many of you in the martial arts know, there are many who covet titles over self-improvement or enlightenment in the martial arts, and in many other societal endeavors. My new book SHIDOSHI:The Four Ways of the Corpse takes One word,SHIDOSHI and demonstrates how misinformation and disinformation both can have deadly results. I have given lectures regarding the "Power of Words" and the use of "Words as Weapons," both which deal, in part with the use of mis and disinformation. My new novel may stir some controversy, as it deals with the much used, often sought after title of Shidoshi and the generally maligned science (notice I did not say style or ryu)of martial arts known as Ninjitsu.
I will be appearing on Martial Arts Entertainment Radio in a near-future broadcast discussing the release of my novel, SHIDOSHI: The Four Ways of the Corpse. The book is NOW AVAILABLE through all the usual sources and is in both print and electronic form (for iPad and Kindle, for instance).
To view the press release

http://www.aegauthorsedge.com/press_releases/Richiusa,%20Gordon,%20Shidoshi-PR%20Final.pdf

Review of Shidoshi

My friend Russ Buchanan posted a review of my novel on his own blog. With his permission, I am adding it here. Thanks Russ.

http://russellbuchanan.wordpress.com/2010/11/28/shidoshi-the-four-ways-of-the-corpse/

Shidoshi:The Four Ways of the Corpse is now AVAILABLE!

The long awaited release of my magical/mystical suspense thriller SHIDOSHI: The Four Ways of the Corpse has finally occurred and is now available in print from a number of outlets. Within a week it should also be available in e-book form, for all you readers who prefer your fiction novels on your iPad or Kindle. When that happens, we will edit this post to include the electronic links. For now, you can purchase the book by clicking on the link below.
http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/Shidoshi.html

Legends And Legacies--Trailer

LEGENDS AND LEGACIES, a general interest entertainment magazine will cover a variety of personalities and historical figures. Everything from Oliver Stone, Mexico, the Dali Lama and Cher to Frank Dux and other martial arts, sports, entertainment and special interest legends will be covered. The martial arts legends segments will feature, along with Mr. Dux, Alfred Urquidez, Richard Vera and many other topics. The premier print column features a Frank Dux profile in Black Belt Magazine. Other print publications, such as Katana Magazine or radio broadcasts, such as Carson's Corner will carry similar stories in the near future. Below is trailer for the upcoming martial arts/video production...

Beyond Bloodsport

There has been an awful lot of speculation over the years about my relationship with Frank Dux, about whether Frank Dux was "for real" or whether the movie Bloodsport is realistic depiction of the underground kumite. As I have my upcoming novel, SHIDOSHI:The Four Ways of the Corpse about to be released, and these same "speculators" are sure to begin spinning their own, revisionist tales once again, I thought I would put a few things to rest. First, I worked for Frank Dux for several years as his head instructor at three of his studio locations. I instigated the "Special Skills" workshops program under his guidance. He awarded me a 6th degree black belt in Dux Ryu Ninjitsu, the main tree in the Koga Yamabushi Ninjitsu kai, from which many other ninjitsu practioners have sprung. Five Birds Martial Arts is closely related, and indebted to Dux Ryu for molding a fragmented set of beliefs into a workable, simple system. I know, first hand that his skills are superior, as I have worked out directly with him many, many times.
There are some things that I did NOT know, however. As I was working in the L.A. County Jails as a teacher at the time that I worked for Mister Dux, I witnessed a good deal of controversy that I did not want to understand, and I later found out that I was not supposed to understand. Frank Dux was working some covert operations, for government agencies, that he could not talk about, even with his closest friends. There were also many conflicts within the martial arts community, mostly by jealous competitors of Frank Dux, that made my association with him a difficult one. We parted company on friendly terms and I did not see Frank Dux for more than two decades until about a year ago, when I finished the above mentioned novel. I knew that people would believe that the conflict that is outlined in the book was actually based upon a real conflict between Frank Dux and myself. I contacted Frank and sent him a copy of the novel. He read it, reviewed it and approved the contents. This generous act on his part has opened the door for us to rekindle our old friendship. We have jointly decided to finish several projects that we began many years ago, but were put on hold for various reasons. Please stay turned for more about the True History of the Ninja, about the release of my novel SHIDOSHI:The Four Ways of the Corpse and about Frank Dux.
Below is a link to a recent interview with Frank Dux, where he is allowed to answer detractors and set his own record straight. My thanks to MMA Sports Expo for providing me with this link.
If it does not open on its own, please copy and paste the link below, into your browser. Wait a minute or two to allow to load, and watch an interesting interview with Frank Dux.
http://www.mmasportsexpo.com/videos/MMA_Show_7-22-10.mp4

Taikioku kata

The debate about whether "forms" have any value is a pointless one in my opinion. If you don't get anything out of an exercise, then don't do it. That is basic Go Tao Chi. It is especially true in today's technological world that a video record of our participation in any activity can be used to compare and mark progress. The older I get, the more I appreciate kata. I can compare my abilities and gauge the development of both my strengths and weaknesses. Taikioku means something like, "first cause." There are any number of variations on this basic theme (perhaps a kick in place of the punch or a different block) but always the First Cause or first form or first kata allow the student a chance to combine external images (like the "track being the shape of an "I" or a football goalpost on its side) with the verbal directions of the teacher and the internal feeling of doing things "right."

Sushi No Kon Sho

"The Universe Breathes both Hard and Soft."
In Five Birds Martial Arts we use a variety of weapons and in a variety of ways. In this video we see the "hard" end of the spectrum when it comes to the long staff. Sushi No Kon Sho (or any weapons form) is best learned from a skill and knowledgeable instructor. There are a number of excellent texts and videos to teach the basics, but there is no substitute for the immediate feedback that is inherent in a good, student-teacher arrangement. This is especially true in Martial Arts instruction, and even more so in weapons training. The great Okinawan master, Fumio Demura made this kata a classic for anyone interested in the use of weapons. The podcast above is for those interested in seeing the various ways that a "hard" kata can be interpreted. The ultimate value of this podcast will become more apparent when the Chinese Staff Set and the Five Birds two-person kata is also posted for comparison.

Saifa Kata

This video was made impromptu, at one of the sunrise experiences that Five Birds Martial Arts students often experienced. It shows the mixing of concepts and the application of Go-Tao-Chi principles.

Masters Hall of Fame Awards

This event took place at the Anaheim Plaza Hilton, across the street from Disneyland on June 19th, 2010. The Master of Ceremonies was Bo Svenson, star of the original Walking Tall film and there were plenty of guests on hand, including James Hong, martial arts film director/writer/producer and actor. His credits include the classic Seinfeld episode, The Chinese Restaurant and his voice as Ping in Kung Fu Panda (father to Jack Black's Panda).
Gordon was the ONLY nomination this year by famed martial arts family member, Alfred Urquidez who is also an Ambassador for the Masters Hall of Fame organization. Gordon received the additional honor of the Lifetime Achievement Award, a beautiful crystal trophy with a perfectly fitted globe at the top. Gordon was accompanied by his wife, Barbara and supported by Darlene Marcos, the cover artist for his upcoming novel, SHIDOSHI. Darlene counts herself as a former student of Gordon's as well as Alfred Urquidez.

Seinchin Kata

I first learned of Seinchin Kata, while studying Goju Ryu, as taught by Mike Eaves of Santa Barbara. It is the perfect kata for understanding the meaning of Goju ryu...the "hard-soft" style. Not only are there crisp movements with hard breathing in sanshin stance, but the double hand movements, 45 degree angles, the open hand blocks, soft breathing in one legged stances all demonstrate many "soft" concepts. This kata cannot be mastered from this video or by merely reading a book or having a "map."
To truly understand the value of this kata, you should learn from a skill instructor.

Tensho kata

Here is an example of a Five Birds Martial Arts training device, the Goju Kata Maps. The maps are utilized for students who "have already begun learning a kata." They are intended to help a student "remember what the teacher said." Each kata begins from a point of easy access, a visual concept that is "pictured" as the track of the movements. When a student sees that the katas are trying to teach concepts, in relation to one another (and not stagnant and separate movements or ideas) then they are on their way to true learning.

USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame

I attended an awards banquet at the Crowne Plaza in Los Angeles on Saturday, covering the event for Black Belt Magazine. Along with the other nominees, Frank Dux received a special award from the Hall of Heroes. It was a very moving awards banquet, with luminaries such as Bill "Superfoot" Wallace in attendance. You will be able to read my full report in a coming issue of Black Belt Magazine.

(l) Dr. Jim Thomas, (c) Bill Wallace, (r) Frank Dux

Kyudo--The Way of the Bow

Five Birds Martial Arts emphasizes that each student find some unique ways to learn martial arts concepts (and apply them). To this end, many students discover that the use of ancient and modern weaponry that may enhance the learning process. Most student learn, for this reason both the use of firearms and the use of some sort of manually operated projectile. Zen Archery is one of those ryus or "ways." Below is a combination of three videos. In the first section, a Five Birds Archery student (which is slightly different than either western or eastern forms of archery) watches a tournament as the art is demonstrated at the famous Kyudo (pronounced "Q-Dough") archery temple in Kyoto, Japan. In the second video below is Travis Richiusa, who was instructed to perform a forward roll (ukemi) with a bow and arrow in hand, then come up to his knee and shoot a lemon placed on a target. He had never tried this before and is only 9 years old at the time. You will see the results. The third and shortest section is a demonstration of CHI or KI power by Gordon Richiusa.

5 Birds Martial Arts

In response to years of prompting by my students and colleagues in the martial arts, I have decided to begin the arduous process of bringing the Five Birds Martial Arts Handbook to the general public. This will consist of previously published articles and produced video clips in addition to new materials. I pledge also to support any other link, site, school or individual who uses TRUTH in teaching martial arts for the sake of the student. I begin here with a simple logo alteration. The Go Tao Chi (sometimes known as Five Birds Tai Chi) logo, includes several smaller insignias. The kanji on the right and left are the Korean versions of the words HARD and SOFT. The five, interlocking rings above the "undefined" bird's left wing stands for Modern Ninjitsu. The phrase at the bottom says, "The Universe Breathes Both Hard and Soft." This is a Japanese, Zen proverb from which the name GoJu Ryu was derived.

Videos and other text will follow shortly after we launch this blog.

Below are some items that help us support Five Birds Martial Arts free information sharing.  The symbol and the proverb mentioned above are featured on useful items (stamps, mug and t-shirt. Your support is greatly appreciated.

create & buy custom products at Zazzle