A Day of Service

This evening I will be addressing Alfred Urquidez's karate students in Mission Hills. Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on this National Day of Service, and his example of the power of non-violence will be at the core of my comments. I want to acknowledge, also that non-violence has proven to be one of the most powerful tools of change for the better, the world has ever known, and is at the core of the Five Principles and Defense Awareness, which is their byproduct. Please view the federally funded video about Dr. King's message in the short video below.

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."