Gathering of The Tribes - Spring Edition

An event that I look forward to at least twice a year is the Gathering of The Tribes at the Innovative Martial Arts Studio in Grand Rapids Michigan. I first heard of it from one of my students. He happened upon these rag tag weird Silat stylists somehow in his travels and somehow twisted my arm to go down and meet these outcasts. Well, let me say- I was glad i did. This 2-4 day camp has been quite informative as well as entertaining. the odd bunch of Silat, IMA< FMA< CMA practitioners have a great way of sharing their knowledge while leaving the ego baggage at the door.

I have attended 4 of these events so far and each one gets better than the previous one. This last Gathering comes at a time when I am at my lowest. I have been diagnosed with Polymyalia and have been suffering sore muscles and swelling of my hands now for almost a year. My ego, or should i say self esteem, has been in the basement.

What Is Polymyalgia Rheumatica?

Polymyalgia rheumatica is a rheumatic disorder associated with moderate-to-severe musculoskeletal pain and stiffness in the neck, shoulder, and hip area. Stiffness is most noticeable in the morning or after a period of inactivity, and typically lasts longer than 30 minutes. This disorder may develop rapidly; in some people it comes on literally overnight. But for most people, polymyalgia rheumatica develops more gradually.

The cause of polymyalgia rheumatica is not known. But it is associated with immune system problems, genetic factors, and an event, such as an infection, that triggers symptoms. The fact that polymyalgia rheumatica is rare in people under the age of 50 and becomes more common as age increases suggests that it may be linked to the aging process.

Polymyalgia rheumatica usually resolves within 1 to 2 years. The symptoms of polymyalgia rheumatica are quickly controlled by treatment with corticosteroids, but symptoms return if treatment is stopped too early. Corticosteroid treatment does not appear to influence the length of the disease.

Whether taken on a long-term basis for polymyalgia rheumatica or for a shorter period for giant cell arteritis, prednisone carries a risk of side effects. While long-term use and/or higher doses carry the greatest risk, people taking the drug at any dose or for any length of time should be aware of the potential side effects, which include:

fluid retention and weight gain
rounding of the face
delayed wound healing
bruising easily
diabetes
myopathy (muscle wasting)
glaucoma
increased blood pressure
decreased calcium absorption in the bones, which can lead to osteoporosis
irritation of the stomach
increase in infections
( sheesh- the side effects are almost worse than the disease!!!!)

What Is the Outlook?

Most people with polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis lead productive, active lives. The duration of drug treatment differs by patient. Once treatment is discontinued, polymyalgia may recur; but once again, symptoms respond rapidly to prednisone.

What I was told- "There is no known cause, there is no known cure- live with it"

Now, for a guy who has been very active over most of his adult life, this comes as a kick in the crotch.

So, on with the tirade. Normally we bring 6-12 students down for these gatherings- but, because i have not been active, my club has fallen to zero. The 4500 sq ft facility closed July 7th of last year. I had a hard time finding anyone to run the classes and cover for me while they were trying to find out what hit me. So, blow #2 to my ego.

I loaded up my van with sleeping bags, tents and stuff to allow the students that were coming a place to crash if they wanted to. As it were, only 2 came. Blow #3. Upon our arrival at 9 pm , there were a number of people milling about and swapping lies and stories and generally having a good time. As we unloaded we were met by Chuck and Mushtaq and we set up some folding chairs and jumped in to the fray. As if we were lot neighbors and were just coming over to share a six pack. The night was spent just talking and getting aquainted with some new faces and some old ones.

Carl was nowhere to be found (could it be that I scared him off with all the tricks and displays at the last gathering? NAW he didn't believe any of it anyway) which is unusual as he has been to the last couple of Gatherings with a gusto for info.

I was informed by Guru Mushtaq that Chuck AND Don were being secretly tested for rank in San Yun Do. So my eyes were open to look for the signs of quality that I look for in a senior Black Belt. Sharing, explaining, being approachable, leading by example, patience, and the ability to dissect and reassemble a new technique or concept to fit their own mindset. Hell, what did i have to watch for? These guys have shown that the past 2 years i have been coming. They take what is given and immediately go about helping their students to grasp what is being shown if the instructor is busy, and mind you , not missing a beat, a movement, or a key ingredient. This is easy


The night went well, the mosquitoes weren't too hungry and there wasn't a lot of wild goings on , so it was an early night.


The next morning we woke to a home cooked breakfast by Jeannie Chucks wife and camp cookie. People started to stir and more and more cars pulled up. The seminar started with a nice explanation of how things work body wise and how to prepare your body to do what you want it to do. This section was led by Cody Fielding who came all the way from San Francisco. Needless to say , I was hurting a bit before this was over but I did give it a go. A lot of what Cody was saying underscored what I have been teaching since day one.

Guru Mushtaq took the next session and had everybody moving and grooving to Silat and the "bring a friend along" idea. Mushtaq has a casual but poignant way of passing info along making it look like ballroom dancing til wham! you hit the floor. During his session , he hit on a common note that is in Kuntaw as well, so I stole one of his flows and added the treachery aspect , this made my session easy to run as he opened the door. It seemed to be well recieved.


Now, there have been some unique personalities that have attended these gatherings, but one now stands out to be matched. Guru Bobbe Edmonds ( who I had not met before) was setting the stage for sideline innuendos and comical hecklings that put an end to any possible edge that may have been suspected and toally disolved the event into a free for all. We laughed learned and had an enjoyable training session even tho all authority was out the window. Everyone was fair game.

It was a blast.

Grand Master Bobby Toboada arrived and we shared some oxygen, some stories of Tagalog differences, and i was surprised to find a very humble but dynamic man. He spoke softly but delivered a nasty blow, he showed us the dynamics of Balintawak and I stayed with the class as long as i could, but my hands swoll up to the point I couldn't hold on to a stick. In fact I almost let one fly during our striking drills. So, I bowed out and watched from the sidelines.


On Sunday we had to leave early due to a family matter- memorial day weekend and family matters. We folded up the chairs and the tent , put away the sleeping bags and loaded up the van. I had an interview to do with Dan Williams and Sterling Hiebeck---http://www.roxormedia.com/wordpress/?page_id=161. I had to miss Guro Bobbes session, but I am sure that my students will fill me in next class. But before we left, I spent some time with Guru Bobbe showing him some of the basic sibat/toya concepts from Kuntaw and he picked up on it very quickly. Parking lot seminars arealmost as good as in house seminars. One thing stuck out in my mind- I asked him if he wanted to learn some "hollywood techniques" he respectfully said no- he wanted the good stuff ( I like this guy). So we went back over it and I think he has it pretty good.

We said good bye to all and hit the road knowing - "We would be back"