Hi,my name is Matt.I own and run Modern Samurai martial arts academy. I will be delivering a workshop on Saturday afternoon at the upcoming UK event. I look forward to meeting some of you then. In the meantime does anyone have any questions or topics they would like covered at the talk? Or any questions that I could answer now?

Matt,

Self defense is very important and sometimes overlooked in preparation for over land motorcycle journeys.

Are you a real Samurai?

I grew up in Japan, ages 11-15 back in the fifties, joined a Japanese Boy Scout troop studied an early form of JKA karate and self defense was imbedded in my being.

The Emperor of Japan sent along a real Samurai warrior to our Flagstaff ranch when a Buddhist nun and a group of 40 pacifists stayed with us....

They had carried a flame lit from the eternally burning flame at Hiroshima (ignited by the A bomb dropped there by the USA 1945) to be extinguished close to the mines on the Navajo Nation where the uranium to build the bomb was found.

They walked the flame over the four islands of Japan, flew it to Pearl Harbor (site of the Arizona - a battle ship destroyed during the raid on Pearl Harbor prior to WWII,) then flew it to Seattle and then walked it from Seattle to the United Nations building in New York , where the Buddhist nun made a speech denouncing atomic warfare and then flew the flame to Flagstaff and our ranch.

I learned much from the Samurai warrior and from the Navajo warrior who was dispatched by the tribal elders meet the Samurai at the Sky Harbor Airport and be with him during his visit to Arizona. The Buddhist nun, the Samurai and the group did stay at our ranch for several days and with the elders of the Navajo and Hopi nations did extinguist the flame at the Peabody mines.

It seems some nations, like some people lack the discipline necessary to learn the ethics of using force to overcome opponents. I thought long and hard about how I was going to protect myself and my wife rosa del desierto while riding two motorcycles through Mexico, Central America , South America, Europe and into Asia.

My answer was, have a plan and hand signals.
And, if necessary use a form of Zulu stick fighting. I cut two 17 inch (43 centimeter) hardwood broom handles and slipped/hid them under tail bag straps. Rosa - was instructed - on my hand signal to ride for help - immediately - even if she was unaware of danger. I, taking off in an opposite direction would attempt to escape, or if escape was impossible, lay the bike down and make a stand.

If the threat was more than one person, and a té a té (talking was possible,) I would exhibit my boludometro (a small black plastic box with a dial with the numbers 1 -5 - and the needle indicating the numbers controlled by my finger out of sight under the box) as a distraction - I would ask if I could measure the boludess of the attacking individuals with my boludometro - very effective in all of South America as a distraction. Once the number indicating the boludess of the person was established, I would press a button also out of sight under the box and a buzzer would sound.

Proceeding to do my measurements - only after I delayed long enough for the fictitious satellite connection to be secured. Generally the bandidos - and this "trick" worked 2 times very effectively, high up in the Andes of Peru and again in southern Colombia, would begin to laugh - at which point I would explain that there are so many boludos in Buenos Aires (where I live) that it was impossible to test my boludometro there. This triggered more laughter.

Once I had the group laughing and each pointing to another saying check him check him, I knew employing my Zulu stick fighting technique would not be necessary. I would ask the simple question - are you going to rob me or kill me? So caught off guard, I would say, well if not, I will be on my way. And take off.

On the other hand, if I was physically attacked....and yes my other hand was very near my Zulu fighting sticks hidden under the straps of my tail bag, if talking was not possible - I would drop the boludometro, arm myself with my Zulu fighting sticks and unlike the Zulu who primarily use one stick for defense, and the other for offense, I would just beat the attackers on or about the head, arms, legs back, chest or what ever target could be attacked without myself being harmed. I only had one real fight against two attackers - in Argentina and after three or four whacks from my 2 Zulu fighting sticks they retreated - all they had were knives.

Of course, as soon as she was out of danger rosa would try to call for help with her cell phone, this was not always possible for our South American routes were more often than not without coverage. We always knew where and how to meet up.

Matt, we would attend your workshop if we could, you are invited to visit us at our ranch or in Buenos Aires... - we will be here in Flagstaff until November then we return to Buenos Aires

Please feel free to critique our self defense plans. thanks

Eat , Drink and attend Matt's workshop or make two Zulu fighting sticks...
xfiltrate

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