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TREADING THE TRACK OF
Ken Twaddell SAN Ho Chuan CHIN Nu. Pressure Point Expert. ©Marc Wickert : previously published in FIGHT TIMES magazine. At
ten-years-of-age, Ken Twaddell was sitting in a small-town picture theatre at
the Saturday afternoon matinee when a documentary on karate was shown before the
main feature. “I
was sitting there and they showed these karate practitioners smashing boards,
breaking tiles and doing multiple self-defence routines, and as a young boy, I
was thinking like ‘Wow. I want to do that!’” says Twaddell. Ken
had already been doing boxing for five years when, in 1964, he started Goju Kai
Karate under instructor, Merve Oakley, at Meadowbank in NSW. Ken
just went along for the first night and watched. He
was so impressed by the martial artists that night, that he remembers being
happy with the prospect of just becoming a green belt one day. Ken
regards his time under Merve Oakley to have been extremely rewarding, and
considers Merve to be an excellent instructor, very hard and very precise. “It
was a good foundation for my martial arts. Training with Merve made me
physically, mentally and emotionally strong.” In
1969 Ken travelled to Japan to train at Gogan Yamaguchi’s dojo, where the
classes were long and hard, six days a week. “We
did long warm-ups, and in the conditioning section of the class, we did 50
push-ups, 300 squats, 200 sit-ups and 400 side-twists. “Then
followed stretching with a partner, basic blocks, strikes and kicks, kata
training and free-sparring.” At
the time, if a blackbelt asked another student to spar with him, the student
could not refuse. Because Ken was the only westerner attending the classes, all
the blackbelts would line up to spar with him. “The sparring was full-contact, but after many blood welts, bruises and aching limbs, the experience paid off and I learnt to hold my own,” says Twaddell.
Ken
then took up Shotokan Karate with Frank Nowak for one year, before joining Myles
Carrol in 1974 at his Penrith dojo to study the Okinawan art of Uechi Ryu for
the next five years. At
the same time Ken also attended Kam Hock Hoe (Malayasian Ju-Jitsu) classes with
Terry Healy, and trained at the Lower Blue Mountains School of Ju-Jitsu with
instructor, Lynne Pendleberry. Ken
was forever looking to expand his knowledge of the various arts and to become a
better practitioner, so in 1979 he started with Tom Slaven at his Seven Hills
dojo, studying Kempo Jutsu, which later became Zen Chi Ryu. “Tom
was an extremely knowledgeable man and I learnt a lot from him. He was one of
the most proficient martial artists I’ve ever seen in my life. He held records
for ice-breaks and brick-breaks. “Tom
was such an extraordinary man, and was light-years ahead of his time. His
ability to look at something and make it work was unbelievable. “He
taught me to integrate different techniques and to use my mind a lot better,
because he was very much into inner strength and the power of the mind,”
recalls Twaddell. Under
Tom Slaven’s guidance, Ken opened up a number of his own dojos in the Blue
Mountains area. Originally he taught women’s self-defence classes, eventually
taking general classes.
In
1981 Twaddell took up yoga, and began teaching it in 1984;
he still incorporates it in his martial arts today. Ken
then moved to Queensland in 1985 and began training in Tao Te Ching (pronounced
Dao De Jing) Kung Fu, an integrated Tiger and Dragon system of non-classical
kung fu. “I
changed to kung fu because I liked the circular movements and also because I
felt more balanced with the hardness and softness in the body movements of kung
fu,” says Twaddell. In
1990 Ken began training in Qi Gong (Chi Kung) with Pam Timmers. “Qi
Gong is the traditional Chinese physical and psychological antidote to the
difficulties of daily life, and helps restore balance and promote longevity. “Qi
Gong is the basis of the power in Chinese martial arts and is the study of basic
techniques used in attacking vital points, in joint locking and other forms of
defence,” says Twaddell. Today
Ken Twaddell instructs in kung fu, yoga, full-contact karate and Thai boxing. He
also studies kung fu under Professor Gao and Eric Koh as part of his insatiable
desire to continue learning. 5th
Dan Shotokan Karate instructor, Bill Wakefield, recalls how Ken Twaddell’s
knowledge of pressure points was put to the test when they both travelled to
Japan last October to train in Ashihara Karate. One
morning during their stay in Japan, Bill and Ken were guests at Shihan Yuasa’s
home in Otsu, and Yuasa seemed skeptical of the effects of pressure-point
techniques, so Bill told Ken to demonstrate a pressure-point technique on Yuasa. “Ken
grabbed Shihan Yuasa in this pressure-point hold and Shihan went up on his toes,
the noise you heard was like a child screaming, and I said, ‘Let go of him,
Ken,’ and Ken said, ‘But I haven’t applied it hard yet.’ “Later
in the day, Yuasa was ringing up all his blackbelts, telling them they had to
attend a special class that night, and he had about forty of his blackbelts
going over to Ken, one at a time, and he’s making Ken apply a pressure-point
technique on each of his blackbelts, and they’re dropping like flies,” says
Wakefield. Bill says it was the funniest part of the tour, but the Japanese martial artists were so keen to learn more about the pressure-point techniques that Ken and Bill were taking the classes for them every night after that.
Over
the years, Ken has observed a transformation in the arts. “Martial
arts has changed a lot from when I first started studying it. There weren’t
many people in a class and you saw a lot come and go. It was very hard training
then,” reflects Twaddell. He
feels that martial arts today is going in the direction of realistic
self-defence, because more and more people want to be able to defend themselves
on the street. “There
will always be martial arts sporting tournaments and people interested in the
traditional arts, but in the next few years, I believe the majority of people
will attend classes so they can defend themselves against the increasing
violence in the street,” says Twaddell. Ken
has come up through the ranks the hard way and he believes this to be the best
way to learn. The
classes he takes today are made up of small groups of regulars, which he
attributes to the fact that his classes are hard, but the students who are
prepared to go the distance reap the benefits. “If
you’re going to work, you work. You’re at the training sessions for a short
time , so you may as well achieve as much as possible in that time. “I
was very fortunate to have trained with most of the best instructors in
Australia at the time, and enjoyed studying the arts overseas in Singapore, Hong
Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and Japan, which meant that I got a very good foundation,
but they all got their pound of flesh and sweat out of me,” says Twaddell.
KEN
TWADDELL Military Martial Arts Systems
Ken Twaddell with Carlos Navarro and Dan Inosanto
©
Marc Wickert, May
2, 2008 It’s
a sunny autumn day on this leafy avenue in Brisbane, Australia – Ken
Twaddell’s favorite time of year. We’re relaxing in a quaint coffee shop as
a young waitress floats from table to table, and locals take time out to chat
about the day. It seems ironic that one of Australia’s most knowledgeable
martial artists can sit here anonymously and just blend in like a chameleon. I
recall Geoff Thompson saying that the superior warrior becomes invisible because
he has confidence in his abilities and has nothing to prove. This is certainly
the case with Ken, who refers to himself as a ‘martial arts sticky beak’ and
is always interested in the different styles of combat being practiced. “I
see there’s a big trend in martial arts at the moment for realistic self
defense – hence the popularity of military martial arts and mixed martial
arts. And with today’s added violence, the threat of terrorism, and the fact
that eighty percent of today’s population has practiced some form of martial
arts, it’s all the more reason for people to study some form of realistic self
defense,” says Twaddell. He takes a sip from his mug of black coffee, then reflects. “And people need self confidence to feel free to travel, go anywhere, and to be able to protect themselves and their loved ones.”
Ken
Twaddell with Kevin Brennan and Larry Hartsel Ken
believes the ‘quick fix’ to self-defense is military martial arts. He also
favors no-holds-barred styles, such as traditional Muay Thai which uses head
butts, eye attacks, and lots of locks and takedowns, because the basis of these
arts is simplistic and they don’t take twenty years to master. Twaddell says
after students have trained in the military style of a martial art, they may
then choose to delve into the traditional form of that art. “I
had the good fortune to train in military close-quarter hand-to-hand combat with
Martin McCormak, who I also trained with in knife defense and Arnis De Mano.
Martin is a former member of the New Zealand SAS and is currently with army
intelligence. “He
taught me that by striking with a combination of ruthlessness and brutality to
the body’s vital points, it doesn’t matter what tactic is employed so long
as it is done quickly. So surprise and speed are the two chief elements of this
system. Your intention is to attack – not simply to defend. Each attack is
also a defense in this method of hand-to-hand combat. “Another
important aspect is not to follow your opponent to the ground. When you put him
down, just stomp. And if you do end up going to the ground, make sure you keep
trying to get into a position that will allow you to return to your feet.” Twaddell
says these unarmed combat methods have to be drilled repeatedly until they
become an instinctive response, and he stresses that simplicity is the key to
their being realistic under pressure.
Ken Twaddell with James De Mille
Much
of Ken’s study in military martial arts has been offshore. “I have really
enjoyed traveling overseas and observing martial arts for the past 20 years with
my globe-trotting friend Bill Wakefield. Although I have a strong passion for
hard styles, I have learnt that as you train hard you must balance it out with
internal methods. Internal training has helped fix or relieve most of my
injuries. I was fortunate to practice privately with Professor Gao Yun Tao in
Qigong and iron-body training.” Ken,
you’re also into Commando Krav Maga. “Yes.
My business and training partner, Lui Pirrone Cook, achieved his instructor’s
certificate under CKM founder Moni Aizik, and Lui is qualified to teach the
system. I spend a few hours a week going through that discipline with Lui. It is
a reality-based system that specializes in quick disengagements, using
simplistic techniques that consist of one to three moves, which are drilled over
and over in different scenarios and under high pressure to simulate the real
thing. “Krav
Maga was founded by Imi Lichtenfeld, and Moni Aizik was instructed by the
Israeli army to work with Lichtenfeld to make the system more effective and
efficient. The result was Commando Krav Maga. The key to CKM is to survive, then
depart. This is one of the differences between CKM and traditional Krav Maga.” What
was your involvement with Petier Harwyn? “I practiced Thai military boxing (military Muay Thai) with Petier Harwyn, who for eight years studied Buddhism and Muay Thai with the Buddhist monks in Thailand.”
Ken
Twaddell with Jan De Jong Do
you still work with Deane Lawler? “I’ve
done many treasured moments training with my friend and talented martial artist,
Deane Lawler. We have spent over 15 years analyzing and dissecting methods of
fighting and conditioning. Deane was the first person I saw practicing and
instructing mixed martial arts, which was during the mid 80s, and he still does
it. I helped Deane with his conditioning and body toughening for three world
arnis titles.” What
other styles have taken your fancy? “Another
martial art that I watched on a few occasions in Sydney, Brisbane and Las Vegas
was John Will’s Radix system for self defense, military, and law enforcement
application. “But
my passion lies with Military San Shou. I enjoy it and it suits my way of
training. San Shou was developed by the Chinese military, and there are three
versions of the art: military (unarmed combat), civilian (self-defense), and
sport (full contact fighting). San Shou uses four basic skills: Da (striking),
Ti (kicking), Shuai (throws), and Na (seizing). The strikes focus on vital
points. “And
I have been invited by Aaron Ellis to train with his group in Systema – a
Russian Special Forces system, which I’m looking forward to experiencing.” Ken
has also trained with and organized workshops for Terry Gibson (Progressive
Martial Arts), Dan Inosanto (Progressive Martial Arts), Carlos Navaros (Black
Eagle) and Rick Mitchel (Modern Arnis).
Ken Twaddell with Bill 'Superfoot' Wallace
Coming
soon to knucklepit.com: For
more on Ken Twaddell: http://www.knucklepit.com/mixed-martial-arts-up_the_road.htm.
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