Welcome to Modern Farang Mu Sul

May, 2005
Well our 6th Annual Warrior Quest is now part of the history books, and what an amazing experience it was. Before we get into that, there is also a ton of other news from the Modern Farang Mu Sul® family around the globe. Here are some updates:

FMS - WHQ: After several months of tedious planning and conducting several WQ6 meetings with our special committee, Inst. Stenson and I got a chance to get away and get in some much needed archery practice (Kung Sul). My youngest son Brandon joined us, and as always, it was a very pleasant and relaxing time. Other than myself, Inst. Stenson is one of our strongest archery proponents here at WHQ.

FMS-TVT Team Captain Marlon Sims recently applied for the next season of the TV show "The Ultimate Fighter", but was deemed "over qualified". Boy, what a huge mistake on their part. They missed one of the best fighters and most charismatic personalities that show could haver dreamed of. "Over Qualified"? Here we thought that they were looking for "the best unsigned fighters in the country". Apparently not. At any rate, Inst. Sims will keep on with his goals. To start with, he is scheduled to headline the next Full Contact - Mauy Thai fight card in New York City next month of June. This will be a tune up fight for him, getting him ready for the next NHB - Ring Of Combat IX in August. Inst. Anthony Spataro, Inst. Mike Iannone, Inst. Joseph Spataro and Inst. Ken Gibson are also slated to fight on that same card. This should be a rockin' good time! Watch out for FMS-Team Vale Tudo baby!!!

FMS Germany: Master Klaus Wachsmann is busy doing special Modern Farang Mu Sul® training sessions around Germany. Asst. Inst. Markus Hohne and Asst. Inst. Thomas Schneider recently coordinated some great training in Winterberg and Fredeburg. They also conducted color belt testing, and it was a great success. Congratulations to all the students on your new levels. Especially to Asst. Inst. Juergen Leusch on reaching his red belt level. He is not only a very loyal and dedicated student, assisting Master Wachsmann in so many areas, but he is a black belt in other Korean arts, and was on the Belgium national TKD team. He is a huge asset to Modern Farang Mu Sul®, and continues to prove his genuine commitment, humility and support. We are looking forward to next year's black belt test in Europe, and expect to see him and several others "crossing that bridge".

FMS - Hollister: Speaking of black belt tests, Master Schleeter and crew were invited to take part in Prof. James Muro's black belt testing in lovely Seaside, Ca. I was very honored to be invited as well, and joined them. The Hollister group preformed an awesome demo that included forms, kids self defense, grappling, and Master Schleeter doing and awesome self defense routine including the rare Dan Bong (Short Stick - "Bone Breaker"). Inst. Earl Boyd performed a beautiful sword form, and they also managed to coax me onto the mats. Master Schleeter assisted me in demonstrating some of the fantastic weapon skills of our art, such as drills and techniques examples of knife (dan gum sul), middle stick (jung bong sul), and stick and knife (jung bong dan gum sul).

After all the demonstrations came the promotions, followed by some serious food and fun. We got to spend some quality time with Prof. Muro, his lovely wife and family of Goshin Jitsu Chow-Hoon black belts. What a wonderfully warm group indeed. Prof. Muro also presented Master Schleeter and myself with a beautiful gift from the Philippines. It was a very unique, and quite large folding knife (replica of the ancient carraca knife). SIR, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

FMS Portugal: Inst. Nelson Pinto and the FMS Portugal have been busy with preliminary filming of "Projecto Alpha". I look forward to seeing the final version. I know it will be action packed. Good work Sir! Farang!!!

FMS - Puerto Rico : Master Vega and a good group of the Puerto Rico FMS family made their first visit here to San Francisco, WHQ, and of course WQ6. What a great time. While here we managed to squeeze in some great training at WHQ, WQ6, Black Belt Summit, and lots of sightseeing, including a trip to the wine country.

Huge thank you and congratulations to Master Vega and the black belts that came from PR (Inst. Nelson Cardona, Inst. Amalio Jimenez, Inst. Inocencio Molina, Inst. Edwin Hernandez and Inst. Ismael Roman) on doing an amazing showing at WQ6. Not to mention the very cool demo Master Vega performed. The self defense sets they displayed during the competition left the judges with but one choice. ALL 1st PLACE Winners! Congratulations!!!

Pics: 1-FMS-PR at WHQ-SF true brotherhood, 2- Master Vega working out w/Inst. McCalla, 3- Asst.Inst.Mike De Alba Jr. flying back kick, 4- FMS-PR at WHQ-SF

Pics: 1- Our for a cold drink and a little night life at an Irish Pub after class, 2- Walking across the majestic Golden Gate Bridge, 3- At the square in Sonoma, 4- Wine tasting w/Master James De Alba, 5- Amalio and Brenda in the vineyards, 6- Master Vega and Gimasoa at the square in Sonoma, 6- Farewell dinner at Le Colonial

FMS - Poland : Cheif Inst. Katarzyna Klepczyk and the Polish students were recently treated to an awesome 3 part seminar by Master Klaus Wachsmann of Germany, which included combative kicking, combative choking and sword basics. Inst. Mirek Guszczynski, Inst. Sebastian Dorobek and Asst. Inst. Pawel Ratynski (from Lodz) were all on hand to join in on the fun. They had lots of extra black belt training, and also did color belt testing. Congratulations to all the students on a job well done.

Pics: 1- FMS Seminar Wroclaw Poland, 2- Inst. Sebastian Dorobek, Master Klaus Wachsmann, Cheif Inst. Katarzyna Klepczy, and Inst. Mirek Guszczynski, 3- Master Wachsmann and the Wroclaw students after color belt testing

FMS Chicago: Inst. Jeremy Talbott is still recovering from a knee and ankle injury, but that has not stopped him or his sons from competing in some of the top tournaments in the country. His oldest son Sebastian has been working hard and is well on his way of capturing 3 National titles this year in traditional forms, creative forms and weapons. His youngest son Eli, was just bumped up to the next level of competition, moving from beginner to intermediate divisions where his biggest competition is, of all people, his older brother. However, he is doing well and could very well capture another National title for his 7-8 year old creative forms. Needless to say, Inst. Talbott is very proud of them both. Along with another one of the team members (Matt), they recently competed at the Federation of Latino American Martial Artists. They brought the crowd to their feet in applause after watching their performances. Good job gentlemen. Way to go!

FMS - WHQ: And now, it's time to talk about Warrior Quest. First and foremost, I would like to thank ALL of the AMAZING Modern Farang Mu Sul® family members who converged into San Francisco and Hollister to be part of our 6th Annual Warrior Quest. You are all AWESOME!!! This year was hands down the biggest and best tournament and black belt summit yet. The warm and fuzzy feelings were in abundance, as Farang In (FMS people) from all over took full advantage to hang out, train together, re-new and get caught up on friendships as well as make many new ones. This years' tournament was without a doubt the most well organized and well run event we have had to date. It would not have been possible without the tremendous support and commitment of our WQ committee and all our black belts and support staff. AWESOME JOB everyone.

Major Kudos to Inst. Kim Leith, Inst. Terry King, Inst. Earl Boyd, Inst. Stuart McCalla, and Justine De Alba for keeping things organized, flowing, and keeping cool under the pressure.

This tournament was extra special with the visit of our brothers from Puerto Rico. For Master Vega and company, this marks their first trip to WQ as well as their first trip to the West Coast. Now you know where your home away from home is, and will always be. FARANG!! Also making his first trip to WQ was Inst. Bobby Hudson from Michigan. Thank you soo much Sir! I hope you had as much fun as we did with you being here. Master Schleeter once again demonstrated his genuine love and commitment to all by sharing his all. Thank you for all your help, your school, your home, and your HOT TUB!!! Inst. Boyd, you are Superman!.... Amazing BBQ. I don't know how you did it all, even after a full day at the tournament. FARANG!!! I love you guys.

As always, this tournament could not have been possible without the tremendous help from our good friends and extended family. HUGE thank you to Prof. Carlos Navarro for not only coming, but unexpectedly, jumping into a ring and judging. What an honor. And where would we have been without: Grand Master Ruby Navarro, Prof. Bill Grossman, Simu Pati Grossman, Sensei Eric Reed, Sifu Rod Reape, Shihan Ferrol Arce, Sensei Anthony Corpus, Sifu John Nash, Master Jino Kang and Grand Master A. Mohamed. Words can never express my deepest gratitude. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. FARANG!

A very special thank you to my good friend Jose Luis Urista and the Mission High School wrestling team, for loaning us your mats. They were perfect!

The highlights of WQ6 were too many to go over. You had to be there. Some of the more memorable moments were, Asst. Inst. Alessandro Padovani repeating his first place wins in Knife Fighting and Stick Fighting. You were so much fun to watch, as you just dominated the field. WOW. Also repeating his first place win was Inst. Joseph Gumina in Black Belt Stand Up Fighting. Too cool for school. The self defense division was a complete show courtesy of the FMS Puerto Rico crew, who kept "one upping" each other. Just Awesome. The Masters Demonstrations were just as inspiring. Inst. Cassie Van Doren and Asst. Inst. Shana Merwin from Huntington Beach opened with beautiful empty hand into weapons routine. This was followed by another wonderful demo by Inst. Knight and the FMS Spokane team. Next came a powerful FMS-Team Vale Tudo demonstration by team captain Inst. Marlon Sims and Inst. Anthony Spataro that left the crowd cheering. Then came Master Dennis Vega who managed to throw around and lock up (quite painfully I might add) all the black belts from Puerto Rico. Awesome Sir! Master Jino Kang put on a fantastic Hapkido demo starting from empty hand self defense, to rope techniques, and ended with beautiful sword techniques. Next on hand was Grand Master A. Mohammed working his Sanuces Ryu magic on Sensei Reed. I didn't know Sensei could fall like that. (I don't think he was given a choice). And last was yours truly where I did a black belt form, followed by another demo with my two youngest sons Thomas and Brandon De Alba. They did a great job showing FMS Jung Bong Sul (middle stick tech). Inst. Joseph Gumina then assisted me in demonstrating more Jung Bong Sul drills and self defense techniques. Too much fun!

And who can forget the eventual clash of Inst. Chris Knight and Big Joe Brodman from Hollister in yet another battle in the heavy weight grappling division. This was their 3rd such meeting, and finally Inst. Knights quick and smooth technique prevailed. Only to be given another challenge by eventual 1st place winner Vince Trioa (also from Hollister). Surely one of the most technical, spirited and entertaining grappling competitions we've seen yet. Great job everyone. This has always been one of my goals with this tournament. That is to promote a competition that would provide the participants an arena to develop and hone greater and greater fighting skills on many diverse levels.

To all who were there in person or in spirit, THANK YOU SOO MUCH. It warms my heart to extremes hard to explain, just to see all your wonderful faces. I treasure the quality time I was able to spend with each and everyone of you. You are the reason why I do this, and it is soo worth it. I hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as I enjoyed you being here.

And now let me recognize and thank all for making the trip here to SF, and making WQ6 the incredibly memorable experience it was.

FARANG!!!

Master David Dehnert – WHQ-SF (via Los Angeles)
Chief Inst. Terry King – WHQ-SF
Head Inst. Kim Leith – WHQ-SF
Head Inst. John Stenson – WHQ-SF
Inst. Chris Mague – WHQ-SF
Inst. Joseph Gumina – WHQ-SF
Inst. Stuart Mc Calla – WHQ-SF
Inst. Jim Staley – WHQ-SF
Asst. Inst. Mike De Alba, Jr. – WHQ-SF
Asst. Inst. Marlon Sims – WHQ-SF
Asst. Inst. Mark Shekoyan – WHQ-SF
Asst. Inst. Alessandro Padovani – WHQ-SF (via Los Angeles)

Master Patrick Schleeter – FMS Hollister, CA
Inst. Beth Dudzik – FMS Hollister, CA
Inst. Earl Boyd – FMS Hollister, CA

Inst. Larry Saindon – FMS Huntington Beach, CA
Inst. Cassie Van Doren – FMS Huntington Beach, CA
Inst. Nicole Miller – FMS Huntington Beach, CA
Asst. Inst. Shana Merwin – FMS Huntington Beach, CA
Inst. John Merwin – Huntington Beach, CA

Asst. Inst. Jeff Winters – FMS Mt. Shasta, CA

Inst. Chris Knight – FMS Spokane, WA
Asst. Inst. Anne Knight – FMS Spokane, WA

Head Inst- Anthony Spataro – FMS Long Island, NY
Head Inst. Joseph Spataro – FMS Long Island, NY
Inst. Mike Iannone – FMS Long Island, NY
Inst. Patrick Brennan – FMS NYC, NY

Head Inst. Robert Hudson – FMS Bath, MI

Master Denis Vega – FMS Arecibo, PR
Inst. Nelson Cardona – FMS Arecibo, PR
Inst. Amalio Gimenez – FMS Arecibo, PR
Inst. Inocencio Molina – FMS Arecibo, PR
Inst. Ismael Roman – FMS Arecibo, PR
Inst. Edwin Hernandez – FMS Arecibo, PR

After the tournament, we all gathered at Master Schleeter's house in Hollister for a spectacular BBQ dinner cooked by none other than Inst. Boyd. He made enough food to feed a small army, and there was nothing left in the morning, so he had plenty of takers. Thank you soo much Sir. Music, drinks, Cubanskis and plenty of good conversation filled the rest of the evening. What an awesome time.

On Sunday we had our annual Black Belt Summit, but this year we added a twist. We included training portions for the many visiting FMS color belts. That was a great idea. After our normal morning run, I guided the whole group in meditation for an hour. Then came the physical training lead off by Inst. Gumina of SF, Inst. A. Spataro of NY, Master Vega of PR, Master Schleeter of Hollister, Inst. Stenson of WHQ, Asst. Inst. Padovani of WHQ and of course myself. What a truly amazing time. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by so many talented, humble and loyal people. It is an understatement when I say that I can't wait for next year. FARANG!!!

Birthday News: We are happy to announce the birthdays of our FMS Black Belts from all over the world, so all of you students will know exactly when you can show your gratitude and celebrate with your teachers. FMS Black Belt Birthdays for this month:
Inst. John Stenson May -01st, Inst. Nicole Miller May -14th and Cheif Inst. Terry King May-30th. Wishing you all the best. Remember, you are an inspiration to so many, and this is your special day!

Next month of June will be: Master Patrick Schleeter June -08th, Master David Dehnert June -14th and Master James De Alba June -21st.