Gorilla Press #3 - Winter 2000

The criterion of adulthood does not consist in being a member of certain sects, groups, or nations, but in submitting to the spirit of one's own independence. - Jung

The world grows more beautiful each day, and what may happen, one cannot tell. The flowering will not end, and even the deepest, most distant valleys is blooming. Now, my poor heart, forget your pain. Now all things must change. - Ludwig Uhland

Jeff was unable to compete due to medical technicalities. He will be facing Chuck Liddell next month in UFC Japan. Once again, Robert Follis will be in his corner, and having watched Jeff train I can tell you Liddell is in for a really tough time.

All in all a great time. It was nice to see how with a very few exceptions, all the fighters there were smart, humble, and good sportsman.

A note from Matt: "I am happy to be part of anything Burton Richardson is involving himself with. Burt is one of the smartest, most athletic, and most genuine JKD Instructors in existence. He has always been a big help to me, and I am proud to call him a friend."

Here is an excerpt from Burtons website which you can visit at jkdunlimited.com

"We are very pleased to now have an official JKDU Advisory Board. We always learn from a variety of sources, but this is our current board of advisors. Each Advisor has helped us in the past, and has expressed an enthusiastic interest in continuing to help JKDU in the future. It is my hope that every JKDU member will be able to train with these fine instructors at some time in the future. If you are interested in hosting a seminar, or in setting private training, please use the contact information provided.

DAN INOSANTO Sifu/Guro Inosanto has been my martial arts guide since 1980. He leads by example, constantly training and investigating new martial arts procedures. He has a big heart, and has helped me personally in more ways than I can ever repay. Inosanto was Bruce Lee's training partner, yet remains humble and continues to train and teach almost every day. His academy is in Los Angeles, and he teaches seminars around the country and outside of the country about 48 weekends out of the year! You can contact the Inosanto Academy at 310-348-9944.

MATT THORNTON Matt is all about realistic training. He is very well read, not just on martial arts, but on philosophy as well. Matt is constantly researching by training and sparring with the best people that he can find. He trains regularly with Randy Couture and Dan Henderson, and often has various Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelts visit his school to train. He was a boxer before he started his martial arts training, and is training to fight in No Holds Barred events in the near future. Through his Straight Blast Gym, Matt has produced a number of NHB and submission grappling champions. Check out his website to get a feeling for his philosophy. Matt and I have been good friends for many years, and will continue to share information and support each other in the future. Matt's website is www.straightblastgym.com Drop him an e-mail welcoming him to the Advisory Board.

RANDY COUTURE Those students who came to Randy's seminar in Honolulu know why he is one of our advisors. First, Randy is one of the nicest guys you are going to meet anywhere. Second, he is a fantastic coach who can explain the details and pass on information in an understandable fashion. Third, he is an awesome fighter! The goal of JKDU is to produce complete martial artists, which is someone who is a great person, great fighter, and great teacher. Randy obviously fits that bill, and is helping all of us to improve. Randy has been on the United States National Greco Roman Wrestling team for 10 years! That is amazing in itself, but he has also won the Ultimate Fighting Championship 3 times, and was crowned the UFC Heavyweight World Champion after defeating Maurice Smith in Japan. We are very pleased to have Randy as an advisor, as he has helped us tremendously with our clinch and takedowns. Look for Randy to fight soon in an upcoming UFC. To contact Randy, call Performance Quest Training Center in Gresham, Oregon at 502-618-1312.

TONY BLAUER I am very pleased to announce that Tony Blauer is also an official JKDU Advisory Board member. Tony has been training for many years, and has developed a great understanding of the psychology of a street confrontation. Our main focus on martial arts at JKDU is to prepare for a street encounter, and Tony is pushing the envelope with his research into the mind and how it reacts under pressure. Tony has helped me to better understand the way that we can overcome fear and pressure to be able to perform well under great stress. I think that Tony will greatly influence the way we approach our mental training at JKDU, and everyone will benefit from his fabulous research. We thank Tony for sharing, and if you would like to contact Tony, go to his website at www.tonyblauer.com Drop him an e-mail to welcome him aboard.

I hope you can see that having a close working relationship with leaders such as these will be of great benefit to JKDU. One thing we know is that we can always improve, and to do that it is best to find experts in the various fields and learn from them. This is one of the main ideas that Bruce Lee espoused, and we must take full advantage of available resources if we want to be our best. - Burton Richardson

10/4/2000 Two week ago Brian Stromberg fought a NHB match in Yelm, Washington against the experienced and 285lb Gary Marshall. Brian won by submission in about 90 seconds. Look for Brian to compete NHB again soon.

Last Weekend, 10/1/2000, our Competition Team travelled to LA where they competed in Jean Jaques Machado's No Gi Submission Wrestling Tournement. The competition followed Abu Dhabi rules. Congrats to Nathen Quarry who swept the heavyweight intermediate division to take first place, and Travis Davison, who took second in his weight class, winning two matches by rear naked choke. Kress Matajacik, Rick Davison, Dan Cox, and Jesse Rice also competed in the beginers division and did well. Brian Stromburg, as well as Team Coaches Tom Oberhue, and Matt Thornton, where unable to compete due to injury, however they where on hand with the Team. The Competition Team is planning on making another showing in CA at a BJJ tourney in November. Updates and photos soon.