I. Congratulations
II. Upcoming Seminars
III. iPad app sale and news
IV. Cancellation of instructor course
V. New articles on www.royharris.com
VI. New articles on www.myjourneyinchrist.com
VII. Two very memorable days

I. Congratulations

- Congratulations to Harris International Instructor Per Christian Andresen for winning the gold medal in the 88.3kg master’s brown belt division, as well as winning the gold medal in the brown belt open weight class division at the Danish BJJ Open. Per Christian is one of our distinguished instructors from Trondheim, Norway. He and his students do well in many of the Scandinavian and European BJJ tournaments.

- Congratulations to Harris International Instructor Sheila Bird for her recent interview on Osss Podcast. Here it is:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/osss-podcast/id488469433

http://ossspodcast.podbean.com/2011/12/15/sheila-bird-lovato-jr-on-osss-podcast/

Here is another article on Sheila:

http://topmmanews.com/2012/02/16/canadian-female-mma-rankings-february-2012/

Sheila has been a Harris International Black Belt since May of 2009. Here is where you can find more info on Sheila: http://www.sheilabird.ca/

- Congratulations to Harris International Instructor Phil Palmejar on the grand opening of his P5 Academy on Saturday, February 18. Even though Sensei Phil has been open for many months now, this past Saturday was his grand opening. It was a great event – food and all. During the grand opening, I taught a seminar on Trapping for the Kickboxing Structure. Ms. Penny Thomas was also in attendance. She taught a phenomenal BJJ seminar on guard work! To learn more about Sensei Phil and his academy, please click here: http://p5academy.com/

II. Upcoming seminars

- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu seminar, March 3-4 in London, Ontario, Canada
- Apprentice Grappling Instructor Course, March 28-April 1 in Middletown, Connecticut
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu seminar, April 7 at Spa City BJJ in Saratoga Springs, New York
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu seminar & private training, April 14-17 in Trondheim, Norway
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu seminar, April 21-22 in Erie, Pennsylvania
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu seminar, April 28 in Naples, Florida
- Jeet Kune Do, Level 1, Instructor Course, May 7-11 in Carpentersville, Illinois
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu seminar, May 12 in Carpentersville, Illinois
- Jeet Kune Do, Level 2, Instructor Course, May 14-18 in Carpentersville, Illinois
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu private training, May 20-31 in Southeast Asia

III. iPad app sale and news

Beginning on Tuesday, February 21, 2012, I will have a sale on all of my iPad apps. Here is where you can find them:

- Arm Locks Volume 2

- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 101 Volume 1

- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 101 Volume 2

- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Over 40

- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu – Pressure Seminar

- Harris Jiu Jitsu Volume 103 – Grip Fighting

- Minnesota and Vermont Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Seminars

- Takedowns from the Knees, for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Beginning in late March / early April 2012, we will have two additional iPad apps:

- The Erie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Seminar
The seminar focused on sweeps from the guard and training methods unique to obtaining a sweep.

- The R.A.T. Counter Seminar
The seminar focused on counters to destructions, the entry, headbutts / knees / elbows, clinchwork and six count Sumbrada. You’ll be surprised by, and learn a lot from, this material.

I look forward to presenting these new apps to you!

IV. Cancellation of Instructor Course

Unfortunately, the March 3rd and 4th Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Instructor Course in San Diego, CA has been cancelled due to lack of interest.

V. New articles on www.royharris.com

- The Success Principles, Part One

- Awareness Training, Part Three

- A Glimpse of the Associate Grappling Instructor’s Course

- Apprentice Grappling Instructor Course

- Awareness Training, Part Two

- Awareness Training, Part One

- My New Golf Game

VI. New articles on www.myjourneyinchrist.com

My Articles

- Responding to Skeptics

- What Do You Bring to the Table?

Writings of others

- Why O Why Did We Adopt a Stripper

- From Shame to Hope, and Buying a Van with Cash

- When Suffering Blindsides the Minister

- Linsanity vs. Tebowmania

- Learning the Importance of Thrift

- What do we do in the Meantime

- Has Christianity Failed You

Video

- Lingerie Model Ends Her Career

VII. Two very memorable days

The last two Thursdays I had the privilege of having lunch with Guro Dan Inosanto and Mr. Daniel Lonero. It was a great time! After lunch, we did some Kalis Ilustrisimo and pummeling training.

Then, after training with Guro and Mr. Lonero, I went over to Dr. Mark Cheng’s place and did some Jiu Jitsu training with he and  Mr. Kingston Heng, Kung Fu Extraordinaire and RKC. It was a great time!

After the Jiu Jitsu training, I was very fortunate to have Dr. Cheng work on my weak and painful left shoulder. He not only increased the range of motion in my shoulder, but he also got rid of all the pain. Then, he continued working his magic by giving me all my strength back in my left hand – all within the space of about 20 minutes. It was amazing!

Later that night, Dr. Cheng’s wife Courtney (who just so happens to be an M.D.) worked on me as well. I have been experiencing four to six panic attacks during the night time hours – since October. In just two “manual” treatments, she fixed the problem. No more attacks: Woo-hoo! After struggling with this for four months (meaning I was only sleeping one to two hours each night), I was now able to sleep eleven hours at one time and in my own bed. It felt great! Thank you Dr. Courtney Cheng!

Well, that about wraps things up for February!

Talk with you next month,

Roy Harris

As I got older and became more involved in my work, I played less and less. Still, I was able to keep my scores in the low to middle 70′s for many years. Granted, there were a few years where my scores leaked into the 80′s, but fortunately for me I was able to regain my form and get my game back down into the 70′s.

Recently, I took a few private lessons to change my swing. The new swing is still a work in progress. However, what has helped me the most was the change in mindset when I play. I’d like to share them with you to help you lower your scores:

Mindset #1 – From tee to green, the game is about accuracy, not distance. In other words, I’ll gladly take out my four iron and hit it off of the tee box when I encounter a narrow par 4 or par 5. As a matter of fact, I’ll hit four iron + four iron + pitching wedge to give myself a chance at birdie on these par 5′s. Of course, my playing partners sometimes shake their heads or call me names when I do this. However, at the end of the round when we’re adding up scores, they tend to be a bit quiet. So, play for accuracy from tee to green! If this means you have to take one more club and swing easier, then so be it. If this means you hit an iron off of every tee box, then so be it. Let your partners laugh at you and call you names. Wait until you’re at the 19th hole and are tallying up the scores!

Mindset #2 – From 100 yards in, the game is all about distance control, not accuracy. So, forget about your alignment for a few months. Focus on placing the ball pin high or just below the hole so you’ll have an uphill put that breaks towards your heels.

Mindset #3 – Always swing within yourself. What does that mean? It means to swing the club so that you’ll always remain in balance. It also means to swing each club with only 60-70% speed and power. While you may not hit your normal distances all of the time, you will be accurate more often because you’ll hit the ball in the center of the club more often.

Mindset #4 – When practicing at home or at the driving range, practice your basics. What are your basics? Here they are:

1. Set up
2. Alignment
3. Balance
4. Good tempo
5. Solid contact

Notice I said nothing about ball flight or distance. This is by design. These elements will help you to become more consistent on the golf course.

***With these four mindsets, plus one more I didn’t mention, I was able to take four to seven strokes off of my game in less than 60 days!

One final note:

Growing up as a kid, I had an uncle who played golf with me from time to time. From driver to pitching wedge, he would hit a 10 to 30 yard slice. It was fun to watch him get up to the first tee box and aim 30 yard left of the fairway. People always thought it was strange. He would hit the ball and sure enough, it would end up in the fairway much of the time. Long story short, he shot in the middle 80′s. Every now and then, he would shoot in the high 70′s.

I wrote all of that to say this:

The curvature of your ball has nothing to do with the scores you shoot. The biggest factors in the scores you shoot are mindset and solid contact. If you focus your practice sessions on these two aspects of the game, your scores will lower.

Hit ‘em straight,

Roy

In the past few years, I have talked with many of you about how much “The Success Principles” book has helped me. Well, to give you a glimpse of what I’ve been talking about, I thought I would share with some of you the 21-day Success Principles FREE Private Mentorship Course I received from Mr. Jack Canfield. Read and Enjoy! Let me know WHEN they make a positive impact on your life!

Roy Harris

P.S. For you to find out if they do in fact work, you’ll have to put them into consistent action for an extended period of time. So roll up your sleeves and give it a try. I promise you, you won’t be disappointed!

—

Dear Roy,

Welcome to the first email you’ll receive as part of the 21-day Success Principles FREE Private Mentorship Course — filled with success strategies that can help you get from where you are now to where you want to be. Each day you’ll receive an email just like this one. Some – like today’s — will include links to a downloadable form or other activity to complete. Others will include the link to an audio lesson from Jack Canfield designed to increase the progress you’re making on your success journey. As you read each day’s message, be sure to have your copy of The Success Principles book nearby. We’ll be referring to various chapters and exercises in the book that will enhance your Mentorship Program.

And now — with a heartfelt welcome from Jack Canfield and Janet Switzer — let’s get started with today’s Mentorship Message… Principle #1:

TAKE 100% RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR LIFE

As human beings, we often believe we don’t have enough money, romance, success or joy in our lives. But what we need to understand is that greatness exists in all of us. It’s simply a matter of pulling that greatness out of ourselves and using it to get us from where we are now…to where we want to be.

While many people believe they are entitled to live a great life, top achievers we’ve met over the years know they must take 100% responsibility for achieving the lifestyle, relationships, financial freedom and opportunities they experience in their lives.

This isn’t always easy. But one way to start taking more responsibility is to begin responding differently to the events that occur in your life. Remember the formula from Principle #1 of The Success Principles book?

E + R = O

Event + Response = Outcome. That’s right…you can actually change the outcomes in your life — and get better ones — simply by responding differently to challenges and opportunities that occur.

Listen now as Jack walks you through how to respond differently using the E+R=O formula. Click on this audio link now and wait a few moments for today’s audio lesson to start playing:

http://www.thesuccessprinciples.com/media/JC_audio_1.wma

Taking 100% responsibility is what successful people do. And it’s the first step YOU must take on your new Success Principles journey.

We’ll see you tomorrow with another mentorship message.

In friendship,

Jack Canfield and Janet Switzer

—

Dear Roy,

It’s Jack Canfield here again with another important segment of The Success Principles Private Mentorship Program. In Principle #26: Acknowledge Your Positive Past, I said that research shows over and over again the more you acknowledge your past successes, the more confident you’ll become in taking on new challenges and successfully accomplishing them.

That’s what successful people do.

They confidently seek out and accept new opportunities for advancement because they have the confidence of a lifetime of much smaller achievements.

Have YOU made a list of the successes you’ve achieved in your life? If not, turn to page 197 of The Success Principles now and begin by dividing your life into three parts. Then jot down what YOU learned over the three stages of your life.

You’ll discover you know more about success than you previously thought. Be sure to keep this list and refer back to it whenever you need to remind yourself about your ability to achieve success at any endeavor.

We’ll see you tomorrow with another mentorship message.

In friendship,

Jack Canfield and Janet Switzer

—

Dear Roy,

It’s Jack Canfield here again with another important segment of The Success Principles Private Mentorship Program. Have you ever thought that maybe — just maybe — you’re here on this planet for a much larger purpose than the role you’re fulfilling now? Have you ever really discovered what your unique purpose is? Or thought about what career counselors call your “right livelihood”?

In Principle #2 of The Success Principles book — “Be Clear Why You’re Here” — I write that successful people take the time to understand their life’s mission and to determine what they’re here to do. They then pursue that role with passion and enthusiasm.

Have you completed the Life Purpose Exercise on page 23? If not, do so now:

1. List two of your unique personal qualities such as “enthusiasm” and “creativity.”
2. List one or two ways you enjoy expressing those qualities when interacting with others, such as “to support” and “to inspire.”
3. Assume the world is perfect. Describe it as you see it — what are people doing, how are they interacting, what does it feel like?
4. Combine your three answers above into a single statement such as: “My purpose is to use my creativity and enthusiasm to support and inspire others to freely express their talents in a harmonious and loving way.”

You needn’t make it poetic or flowery. Just use words that are important and inspiring to you in describing what you believe is your unique role in the Universe.

This exercise will be important in completing many future Mentorship modules. But first — in tomorrow’s message — we’ll look once more at the past, completing it before moving on to embrace the future.

In friendship,

Jack Canfield and Janet Switzer

—

Dear Roy,

By now, you’ve made great strides towards becoming more successful. In today’s important segment of The Success Principles Private Mentorship Program, we’ll look at completing the past so we can embrace an even more exciting future. One of the activities we recommend for all success students is to clean up your incompletes and your messes — so you can actually make room for more opportunity and abundance to come into your life. You can read more about why this strategy works in Principle #28 of The Success Principles book (page 208). But listen first to what Jack Canfield has to say in today’s audio lesson, which can be heard by clicking below:

http://www.thesuccessprinciples.com/media/JC_audio_2.wma

We know of countless people who have experienced new romantic relationships, increased business, and enjoyed better physical health and other amazing benefits, simply because they took time to “clean out the old” from their file drawers, garage shelves, clothes closets — and heart and mind.

You can, too. Listen now to Jack and our list of 25 areas you should target for clean-up before moving forward.

We’ll see you tomorrow with another mentorship message.

In friendship,

Jack Canfield and Janet Switzer

—

Well, that is a small glimpse of the program I received. I share the others parts with you soon.

Roy Harris

I. THIS COURSE IS ABOUT YOU

A. The Apprentice level course laid a foundation for you, your students and our association. It taught you the basics of grappling, some basic guidelines and principles, some basic techniques, as well as how to present to a varied group clientele. This associate course will not be about your students or the association. Instead, the focus will be on each of you!

B. Attendance at the Apprentice level course, the requirements to stay in touch and pay your yearly association dues were all a test. How so? Well, I knew that some people would take the course JUST so they could get their hands on my instructional manual. So, I purposely hid some very obvious things right inside the manual. This is why several who’ve taken the Associate Instructor Course have referred the instructor’s manual as, “The Harris Code” after they were given the keys to unlock what was written on its pages! Once you learn this key, you’ll be glad you remained a part of our association!

C. The Associate level course will help you develop specific parts of your game. In other words, this course was not designed to help you to become a better instructor. Rather, the focus of this course will be to help you become a better practitioner.

II. PHYSICAL TESTING

A. I told you about these in the Apprentice Level Course. Now you have to pass this exam! The test is not THAT hard, but it will require effort on your part. So make sure you prepare!

III. REVIEW OF SOME OF THE BASICS

A. 48 fundamental movements – explained and demonstrated. Yes, this list has expanded beyond what you had previously learned.

B. Techniques – their mechanics, the purpose for teaching and learning them. For example, many ask, “Why do we teach the basic upa (bridge and roll) technique to beginners?” We teach this technique to beginners for several important reasons. Here are two:

1. To help the student develop the habit of paying attention to detail. They will need this skill as their belt color becomes darker. Why? Because this is the entry point into the development of the four physical attributes of maturity – the four attributes that counter the youthful attributes of Speed, Power, Explosiveness, Endurance.

2. To teach the student the most basic and important movement of all: THE BRIDGE! All too often, beginning level students develop lazy habits by focusing exclusively on shrimping / snakey type movements. As a result, most tend to want to replace the guard rather than go to their knees. Well, with the advent of wrestlers into the grappling game, and with the plethora of instructional DVDs out there, pulling guard is much more difficult these days than it used to be 20 years ago when I was coming up through the ranks. Additionally, since all of your escapes begin with a bridge, and since 85-90% of your submissions end with a bridging type movement, it is imperative that a student learns from day one that they need to learn to bridge with their hips.

Several years ago, I gave a purple belt test to one of my students. It was a memorable test because this one student did what I had asked him to do. I told him that he could not do enough bridges and rolls between now and the date of his test. Long story short, when it came time for his purple belt test, no one could hold him down – not even the brown belt who outweighed him and was assisting with the exam could hold him down.

So, since the bridge is one of three UNSTOPPABLE movements, it needs to be trained and developed!

IV. TRAINING METHODS

A. Ten training methods to challenge you (mentally and physically) and keep you on your toes.

V. COUNTERS TO THE POSITIONAL BASICS (with good timing)

A. Counter the bridge and roll escapes
B. Counter the elbow/knee escapes
C. Counter the go to the knees escapes.
D. Counter the basic under the leg escape.
E. Counter the basic over the leg escape.
F. And more….

VI. SUBMISSION ESCAPES

A. Multiple escapes to arm locks, chokes and leg locks.

VII. TIMING and AWARENESS

A. Making the effort to define them (for the student, the instructor/coach)
B. How to train them

VIII. YOU’RE GONNA LOVE THIS SECTION. I can’t say what it is here.

IX. POSITIONING

A. What is it? Trust me, there’s a lot more to positioning than JUST the major positions (i.e. mount, side mount, guard, knee on belly, north and south, etc…) and the minor positions (i.e. the in-between control positions).

X. EXTRAS

A. Unlocking THE HARRIS CODE (What is contained in your manual that most do not see).
B. A list of all the new HARRIS JIU JITSU INSTRUCTIONALS.
C. Eleven-hundred and nine (1109) areas to train in Jiu Jitsu.
D. Some of my recent discoveries.
E. A DVD of our time training together.
F. A LITTLE MORE……

I look forward to sharing all of this info with you!

Roy Harris

My answer: Yes, the exercises are similar. The only difference is that I am asking students to be aware in the moment, rather than at the end of the day. Here’s why I’ve asked students to do this:

At the end of the day, many of us will pick a moment in time when we remember the most information – because this was a point in time when we were “aware”, and that is good. However, the moments we were unaware – where, for example, we were FOCUSED on an important text message from a friend or family member on our cell phone (i.e. we had partial tunnel vision and auditory exclusion) and then someone tapped us on the shoulder and surprised us – many of us will not pick these moments because our memories will be “fuzzy” and best. Plus, we have no way of verifying or validating what we remembered or missed.

The reason I am asking people to be aware in the moment, and have a friend record the event on tape, is because one’s true level of awareness can be evaluated at the end of the day – today, tomorrow, next week and next year. In other words, if there was something we DID pick up on, the tape will show it. If there was something we DID NOT pick up on, the tape will show this as well.

Unfortunately, I don’t believe our memories can accomplish the same objectives as a camcorder and a friend.

Does that make sense?

Good training to you,

Roy Harris

—

Follow up remark: Makes perfect sense. I think the exercises I was doing before you enlightened me just helped get in the habit of CONSTANTLY evaluating and assessing my surroundings. Obviously, it’s not perfect but I think it did give me a mindset of consciously recognizing moments. But I will definitely work on it your way as well….it can only help. BTW….can’t wait to train with you again!

Thanks Sifu!!!

—

Here’s another exercise:

EXERCISE SIX

Get a training partner. Both of you put on your boxing gloves, mouth pieces and groin protectors (if both of you are males). Spar with your partner, lightly (30% speed and power). Keep the sparring to four simple tools: 2 pre-determined punches and 2 pre-determined kicks. I recommend a jab and a cross, and a lead leg round kick and rear leg round kick.

Here’s how the sparring should go:

Week one

Each round should be two minutes long.
Rounds 1-3, you’ll cast your “clear” vision wherever you want.
Rounds 4-6, you’ll cast your “clear” vision on his lead knee or foot.
Rounds 7-9, you’ll cast your “clear” vision ten feet to the left.

Rounds 1-3 will be like your normal sparring. In other words, you’ll look wherever you want.

Rounds 4-6 will be different. All you’ll be able to do is stare at your training partner’s lead knee or foot. This will force you to use you “blurry” vision to see the rest of his body. By using your blurry vision to watch your training partner, you will develop more confidence with it.

Rounds 7-9 will be the most difficult. Instead of using your eyes the way you want to, you will be forced to keep your eyes at least 10 feet away from your training partner. This will force you to FOCUS on your blurry vision. With time, you will feel more and more confident using your blurry vision. Additionally, you will see more and more details with it!

Week two

Each round should be two minutes long.
Rounds 1-6, you’ll cast your “clear” vision on his lead knee or foot.
Rounds 7-9, you’ll cast your “clear” vision ten feet to the left.

Week three

Each round should be two minutes long.
Rounds 1-9, you’ll cast your “clear” vision on his lead knee or foot.

As your training progresses, increase the intensity 40%, 70% and 90% speed and power.

Next, lower the intensity back to 30% and add more tools (e.g. Two more punches, two more kicks and an entry and a takedown or throw – as well as the defenses to these additional techniques).

Next, increase the intensity (40%, 70% and 90% speed and power) with these additional tools.

The goal of this training is to develop the higher levels awareness. Remember, the lower levels of awareness involve focus / attention (i.e. the use of your clear vision).

Give these six drills a try (over the course of 90 days) and let me know what you discover. I am positive your awareness levels will increase two-fold!

Good training to you,

Roy Harris

This course will lay a solid foundation. Once an individual has (a) obtained the Apprentice Level Instructorship and (b) the required time and experience, he or she will be eligible to take higher levels of instructorship. (e.g. Associate, Advanced, Senior and Master instructor’s courses) At each new level, there will be another course and additional training resources.

To qualify for attendance this course, you must have:

1. Character:

• Honesty
• Loyalty
• Integrity
• Perseverance
• Patience

2. A sincere desire to teach and help their students:

• A written letter of your intent to be an instructor and why
• Three written letters from members of the community

3. A willingness to be re-certified:

• Every 12 to 18 months through continued training (Privates, on-line resource, etc.).

4. One year of certifiable grappling experience:

• A written letter from your grappling coach(es)

5. A sincere desire to always learn more:

• You will be required to pursue follow up training with me and other instructors

6. Base line grappling skills

• General awareness of the overall grappling game.
• General attribute development (balance, coordination, endurance, timing, etc.)
• Base line teaching skills – An understanding of how people learn
• Baseline writing skills
• Baseline speaking skills

7. Physical training

Push-ups (have the ability to perform thirty push-ups)
Jump squats (have the ability to perform twenty jump squats)
Crunches (have the ability to do perform crunches)
Running (have the ability to run two miles in less than 20 minutes)

To begin the process, you must submit to me:

1. A letter of your intent to join the Harris International Grappling Association,
2. Three (3) letters of recommendation from members of your community (students, teachers, supervisors, clergy, etc.).
3. Your $200 deposit.

In your letter of intent to join the association, I would like to know two things: A) “Why you want to join my association?”, and B) “What skills and/or experiences can you bring to the association?” I want this association to benefit everyone that is a part of it!

The next course is March 28 through April 1, 2012 in Middletown, Connecticut

I must receive your letters of interest and recommendation, as well as $200, non-refundable, deposit at least one month in advance of the date of instruction for the week long course. No exceptions, so please do not ask! If you are planning on taking the course privately or semi-privately, your non-refundable deposit must be half of the cost of the course.

NOTE: If you want to take the course semi-privately, you will be responsible for finding AND securing one to three other people to train with you. If these other people back out of the training at the last minute, you will be charged the cost of taking the course privately. So, if you are considering taking the course with a few other people, then I highly suggest you get them to give you a deposit beforehand. This is the only way to get people to make a commitment and keep their commitment. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had people promise me they would come to the course, only at the last minute to tell me that something else came up and they were unable to take the course. So, because they had nothing to lose, they easily walked away from attending the course and left others (those who really wanted to take the course) in a bind. So remember, taking the course through semi-private lessons is your responsibility. Choose wisely whom you want to train with.

If you are serious about taking your skills to the next level, as well as learning how to present good information to your students in an efficient and effective manner, this course is for you!

The one week course will usually be held Saturday through Wednesday. Every now and then it will be Wednesday through Sunday. The course will begin at 9am and end around 4:30pm each day. The cost of the week long course will be $500 and includes an instructional manual.

The weekend private or semi-private training will require you to train a minimum of two weekends. The course will begin at noon on Saturday and will end whenever we finish our objectives for the day. These weekends will be scheduled around my current seminar schedule. The cost of the two weekend course will be as follows:

$3500 to take the course privately (one-on-one)
$2000 to take the course semi-privately with up to three other people

If you are interested in taking this course, please look at the seminar schedule for this year. It will give you the days, times and location for the next course. You can find that here.

If you have questions or concerns, please e-mail me. I am here to help!

Sincerely,

Roy Harris

P.S. There are some things you should know about me and my organization before beginning the application process:

1. I am not interested in having the largest grappling association in the world! I am interested in having quality people by my side!

2. I believe that by setting a standard, maintaining a standard and enforcing that standard, an association can grow. Quality is what matters most!

3. I am interested in having a group of instructors who truly care about their students. To me, the sign of a GREAT INSTRUCTOR is someone who desires his students to one day become better than himself. A great instructor, in my mind, cares deeply about those he teaches!

4. Character is more important to me than ability. If you are sincere, honest, straightforward, humble, disciplined, diligent and loyal, then I would like for you to be a part of my team. I can over look a person who is temporarily uncoordinated and inexperienced. I can do that because I can help him (or her) to become coordinated and experienced! However, I can not (AND WILL NOT) overlook insincerity, dishonesty, deception, arrogance, laziness and non-commitment. If you make application with me, I will expect you to be an example to the rest of the association as well as your students!

EXERCISE ONE

Walk up and down the mall. Find a single male, or a group of males, who are sitting around, standing around and just “hanging out”. Take a few minutes to find a good observation point. When you have found a good observation point, pay attention to the people and things they pay attention to. Whatever they pay attention to, answer the questions, “Why are they sitting where there are sitting? And why are they watching this thing, person, or group of people?” Make the effort to come up with at least three reasons (from your perspective) why they are sitting where they are sitting, and why they are watching the thing, person, or group of people.

For example, you see a guy sitting outside of Victoria’s Secrets. Answer a few simple questions: Why may he be sitting there? Is he waiting for his girlfriend or wife to finish shopping inside the store? Is he waiting for his wife or girlfriend to get off of work? Is he is simply enjoying some eye candy? Is he a pervert? Is he looking for prey? Is he looking to establish eye contact with anyone? Does he look tired or physically challenged and JUST SO HAPPEN to sit down at this location? Does he look nervous? Is he doing anything with his eyes? Where is his chest pointing: At the store or away from the store? Where is his attention focused? What is he doing with his hands? What is he doing with his feet? What is he doing with his mouth and lips? What does his breathing look like? Shallow? Relaxed? Heavy? Anxious? Is he well dressed? The answers to these questions will give you a “gut feeling” as to what he MIGHT be doing there.

EXERCISE TWO

Walk up and down the mall. Find a male or female and observe them for two to five minutes. Then answer the following questions:

In terms of clothing and jewelry, how much is the person wearing? $100? $400? $1000? $30,000? (Obviously, I have done this in US currency…..but you can do this in your own currency.)

Observe their shoes, socks, booties, pantyhose, pants, skirt, belt, blouse, shirt, sweater, jacket, watch, brow / nose / lip / ear / neck / forearm / wrist / finger / belly / toe jewelry, eye wear, hair style/cut and anything else of value. Total everything up and see what kind of number you come up with! If you have no idea what something might cost, write a description of what you saw, go home and look it up on google. Use the Google images to help you find what you are looking for.

Here is an example:

I performed a search for Breitling watches on www.google.com. When the search results came in, I click on the link in the upper left hand corner of the page that said “Images.” Here were my results:

Breitling watches

By the way, Breitling is my favorite kind of watch

Once you have done this with one person, do it again with three or four more people.

EXERCISE THREE

Walk up and down the mall. Find someone your own gender. Follow them as they shop. Surveil them for at least 20 minutes. Feel the surge! Pay attention to what is happening inside your mind and heart.

If you really want to up the ante a little, surveil a security officer for 20 minutes or longer. Pay attention to the things he or she pays attention to.

If you really want to make things fun and interesting, after you have surveilled the security officer for 20 minutes, approach him or her and tell them you have a couple of questions. Tell them, “Did you know I have been watching you for the past 20 minutes?” Regardless of what they do or don’t say, watch their reactions.

If you get the courage to do this, I’d love to hear what happened

If you really want to FEEL SOMETHING UNIQUE, do the following:

1. Find a police officer that’s taking a break.
2. Sit in your car and watch them.
3. When they get up to leave, follow them.
4. Drive where they drive for the next 10 to 20 minutes.
5. If they end up going to another public location within the time frame that you are watching them, wait for them to get out of their car and begin walking away. Get out of your car and walk right up to them and say, “Good morning officer. How’s your day going?” Regardless of what is said, pay attention to (a) what’s going on inside of you, and (b) the facial expressions of the police officer.

EXERCISE FOUR

Perform all three of the above exercises with one extra person. Have that person bring a camcorder to every location. Have them film everything you do. When you have completed these exercises, go home and watch yourself observing others. Pay attention to your movements (head, arms and legs) and facial expressions.

Now, some of you may be thinking, “What am I supposed to learn with these exercises?” Well, complete them first AND THEN I will tell you. Should you, or any member of your IM Force, be caught or detained, the government will disavow any knowledge of, connection with, or responsibility

Good luck!

Roy Harris

——-

Just for fun, here is a fifth exercise to help you hone your observational skills:

EXERCISE FIVE

Get a camcorder, a tripod, and ask a friend to help you. This exercise will take about ten to fifteen minutes of your time.

Write the following questions on a piece of paper. Do not let your friend see these questions:

1. What is your full name (first, middle and last)?
2. What is your date of birth?
3. What is your mother’s middle name?
4. What kind of work did / does your father do?
5. Can you tell me a little about your upbringing?
6. What is your telephone number?
7. What is your favorite color?
8. Have you ever lived in another state, or country?
9. Do you have any brothers or sisters? What are their names?
10. What is the name of your favorite restaurant?

Once you get these questions on paper, ask your friend to sit down in a chair that faces the camcorder. Tell him you are going to ask him a few questions. Ask him to lie whenever he feels like it. While you are interviewing him, make sure the camcorder is recording everything he says and does from the waist up.

Here is how your interview should go:

“Hey Jim (or whatever your friend’s name is). How are you doing today? Can you do me a favor and answer a few questions? Cool. Thanks!

“To start, what is your full name? Can you give me your middle name first, your last name second, and your first name last? (Remember his middle name. Pick a name that is similar and remember it. For example, if he said his middle name was “Andrew”, remember both Andrew and Alex. You’ll need this later.)

“On what day were you born? Not your date of birth, but specifically, what day were you born? Do you know that?

“Now, what’s your mother’s middle name? Why is that name special?

“Hmm….that’s interesting.

“What kind of work did / does your father do?

“Can you tell me a little about your upbringing? What street did you live on? What was your neighborhood like? What are your fondest memories of the house you lives in? Etc… (Remember one small detail for later)

“Do you know your fax number at work? (Remember this number)

“What was your favorite color in elementary school? What’s your favorite color now?

“Have you ever lived in another state, or country?”

When he begins to tell you whatever he is going to tell you, interrupt him and ask him the following question:

“I’m sorry, I forgot to write down your middle name. Did you tell me it was Alex? (Pick a name that is CLOSE to what your friend said. Whatever he tells you, argue with him for a couple of seconds that you’re sure you heard him say “Alex.” When he begins to defend himself, interrupt him again and ask him about a detail in the story he told about his upbringing.)”

“Do you have any brothers or sisters? If so, what are their names?” (As he begins to tell you about them, interrupt him and tell him something about his appearance. Tell him, “Man, those shoes need some shining.” Or, Those pants look like they have a razor sharp crease in them.” When he begins to engage you in conversation, or you see his mind is active, ask him to repeat his work fax number.)

Tell him, I only have one more question. Are you ready for it? OK. Here goes:

“What’s your favorite restaurant?”

When you finish the interview, ask him to tell you the correct answers to all ten questions. Then, review the tape over and over again. Watch for the small signs of deception in the face, sides and top of the head, shoulders, elbows, hands, upper torso, hips and legs. Watch the tape in slow motion. Watch it a minimum of 40 times.

You will learn a lot about deception by completing this exercise. While your friends’ movements and mannerisms will not apply to everyone, they will give you some general guidelines

Next, change roles. Have your friend do the same thing to you. But this time, have him write out an entirely different set of unrelated questions and interruptions.

Enjoy!

Roy Harris

Enjoy!

——-

Question: Roy, I’m hoping that you (and anyone else who is willing) could help me out with some advice. I know you have a lot of experience beyond BJJ and a lot of it is in the realm of self-protection, awareness, etc, so I am coming to you with this.

My son is now 14 months old. At some point in the future (at an appropriate age) I am going to want to begin teaching him principles of awareness, how to prevent abductions, what to do if an abduction occurs, what/who/where is ‘safe’ and what is not, etc. I want to do this tactfully and without making him afraid, but at the same time, as he gets older I would like to teach him how to be aware of his surroundings and keep himself safe.

I was wondering if you could pass along any advice, tips, resources, etc. that you may have, and if you would be willing to share any information that I could pass along to him? I really appreciate any help that you can give me.

My response: Awareness is a great attribute to develop. It is the father of three children: Timing, Distancing and Sensitivity. Awareness, timing, distancing and sensitivity are the “mature” attributes to develop, unlike the “immature” counterparts of speed, power, explosiveness and endurance.

Developing awareness will put a person years ahead of others who are stuck in the speed, power, explosiveness and endurance mindset! It is THE key to true martial training. It has been THE key element that has helped me become who I am as an instructor and a practitioner!

Here is the main key to awareness that is overlooked by most:

Give yourself an education in the obvious!

What exactly does that mean? Well, start by answering simple questions about yourself that you have probably never considered before. Here are a few questions to get your started:

1. When you scratch your head, which fingers do you use? Your index? Middle finger? Ring finger? Baby finger? A combination of two or three fingers? Or, do you even use your fingers? I ask because some people use their hand or wrist.

2. When you scratch your head, do you use a back and forth type of motion, or do you use an up and down motion? Or, do you use a circular motion?

3. When you scratch your head, do you scratch until the itch is gone, or until your head feels good?

4. When you scratch your head, do you stare at a specific reference point, or do you move your eyes around?

5. When you scratch your head, do you think about the scratching, or do you do it by feel? And, if someone is talking to you, do you continue LISTENING to them, or do you tone it down a notch and HEAR them – while you focus on the scratching? (NOTE: There IS a difference between listening to a person and hearing what they have to say. I have argued this point with several of my female friends who seemed to think that listening and hearing were one in the same.)

6. When you finish scratching your head, do you put your hand back where it was, or do you look at your hand/fingers? Or, do you smell your hand/fingers?

While this series of questions was simple and straight to the point, I doubt most of you reading this post have ever asked yourself these questions.

Why is it important to pay attention to such detail? Because by getting into the habit of paying attention to the smallest of details, you begin the process of becoming more aware of your world – and your habits within the world. If you can get in the habit of doing this with yourself, you can do this with others. And, if you do it with others, you can learn SO MUCH about them by watching their behaviors.

Remember, most things begins in the mind. Thoughts that are dwelled upon usually turn into emotions. Emotions can sometimes (or many times) turn into actions. Actions, over a period of time, will turn into habits. Habits, over a period of time, will turn into behaviors. A habitual series of behaviors becomes a lifestyle, and a lifestyle tells others who you really are!

By watching the behaviors of others, you can learn a lot about others (and yourself). By watching a person’s movements, over time, you can tell a lot about what’s on their mind and heart. By watching a person’s eye movements, listening to their speech patterns, as well as how they treat others, you can learn SO MUCH about what’s going on inside their mind and heart.

While there is certainly a lot of wiggle room for interpretation on many of these things, the bottom line is this:

Over time, it becomes increasingly difficult to deceive those who have made it a habit of paying attention to the minutiae of your movement patterns (eyes, shoulders, hands, knees, etc…) and behavior!

Several years ago, I was hired by “a company” to participate in a series of “interesting” endeavors. I was asked to observe and report the patterns and behaviors of a certain group of people. However, before I was given this job, I was asked to demonstrate my abilities. They put a person in front of me, had me talk with them for five minutes, and then make an assessment of that person. At the end of my encounter, I gave the person who would eventually become my boss an open and honest evaluation of the person who had sat in front of me. They asked me how I knew such information. I told him, “I wouldn’t say I KNEW the information. Rather, I just reported what I saw.” He hired me on the spot!

So, I’ve told you all of this to encourage you to begin with the basics of developing awareness. Start with the simple things that you do each and every day of your life. Next, begin to apply what you have observed with close friends or family members. Over the course of three to five years, you will have accumulated enough information to more fully understand awareness.

With regard to teaching awareness to your kid, start with the basics:

1. Remain “alert” whenever you are away from home.
2. Never assume anything.
3. Distance is one of your most important tools.
4. When someone or a circumstance, makes you feel uncomfortable, leave immediately.
5. Pay special attention to people who watch you or others.
6. Always try to use the “buddy system.”

I hope I have given you some food for thought. I will answer any “basic” questions you have about awareness.

Now, I have written about awareness for years. It is just now that people are waking up to this important area of training. However, it is not a training method for the beginner or the undisciplined. It takes time and concerted effort to develop it into an extremely high level.

So, I am sharing this post with all of you to “inspire” some of you to begin the journey

Good awareness training to you,

Roy

——-

Others’ comments:

• “Great post Mr. Harris. This is a fascinating topic.”

• “Mr. Harris, I just sent this thread to my students as a ‘must read’. Also, was there someone who mentored you as you began this process of developing your awareness? How did you start upon this road?”

• “Mr. Harris, maybe a book or two for reading?”

• “Mr. Harris, I wonder where you would put the concept of ‘attention’ in the awareness frame. As a psychology major, I am for the time being doing research on attention, and it kind of sticks together. As I have seen Roy in action, and was very impressed with his skills, I am curious about the awareness, and how to train it.”

——-

My response: To all, my fascination with people, their verbal and non-verbal communications, began as a defense mechanism many years ago. After being hurt (emotionally) by a group of people I considered “friends”, I went into what some called, “The Bat Cave.” While moaping around in the Bat Cave, I became shy, introverted, and highly observant. I mean, I paid attention to the smallest of details with people.

Because I felt betrayed by this group of friends, I began to watch for signs (“the precursors”) that would indicate someone wasn’t being upfront with me. In other words, to protect myself from future harm, I began watching people and their habits, as well as listening to their words, so I could give myself a head start on dealing with some of the uncomfortable topics of life. Many years later, I began to read some interesting books on the subject. Here is a short list of books I have read over the past two decades:

1. Emotions Revealed, Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication and Emotional Life, First and Second Editions by Paul Ekman

2. Unmasking the Face by Paul Ekman and Wallace V. Friesen **

3. Telling Lies: Clues to Deceit in the Marketplace, Politics, and Marriage; First, Second and Third Editions by Paul Ekman **

4. The Art of Speed Reading People by Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger

5. Reading People: How to Understand People and Predict Their Behavior — Anytime, Anyplace by Wendy Patrick Mazzarella and Jo-Ellan Dimitrius

6. The Secret Language of Business: How to Read Anyone in 3 Seconds or Less by Kevin Hogan

7. Everything Body Language Book: Decipher signals, see the signs and read people’s emotions—without a word! by Shelly Hagen

8. Body Language 101: The Ultimate Guide to Knowing When People Are Lying, How They Are Feeling, What They Are Thinking, and More by David Lambert

** My two favorite books!

After watching, observing and listening to people for more than two decades, I have noticed several “common denominators” in speech and movements patterns. I have also noticed how certain movements have the potential to predict certain behaviors, thoughts or expressions. Here’s a very simple example:

When I teach seminars, I can usually tell when a person has a question formulating in their mind. I am sure some of you have seen me when I will look at a person and ask, “You have a question?”, before they raised their hand or expressed what was going on inside of their grey matter.

Later on in my experience, I began to search out the nooks and crannies of the topic by delving deeper into the topic of awareness. I paid attention to the smallest of detail, as well as “observed” and “memorized” the patterns I saw.

An interesting habit that I have had for decades is my habit of observing the smallest of details. I have done this with the following subjects:

1. People; their habits of speech, movement patterns, gestures, postures, etc…
2. Mathematics.
3. Spanish.
4. Basketball.
5. Christianity (the phenomenal, not-so-phenomenal, the related, the not-so-related, etc..).
6. Music.
7. Golf.
8. Billiards.
9. Life in general.

Finally, I began to look at the “big picture” and develop the higher levels of awareness!

——-

My Comment: Mr. Sobe, I believe that “attention” or “focus” is a part of awareness, but it is a very low level of awareness development. Allow me to explain:

“Being aware” involves focusing one’s attention on something for an extended period of time. The purpose for this extended period of focus (“attention”) is four-fold:

1. To see if a person can gain a different perspective.
2. To understand the subject more thoroughly.
3. To develop a more intimate knowledge of the subject.
4. To see if a person can discover something new.

While attention to detail (focus) is an important part of becoming aware of one topic / thing, true awareness is the ability to remain aware to several things / people / circumstances simultaneously. In other words, true awareness involves “blurring one’s senses” for the express purpose of remaining aware to two or more things / people / circumstances simultaneously.

For example, if I were forced to fight three guys at the same time, I would NOT focus my attention on any one thing / person / movement / circumstance. Rather, I would allow my senses (vision, hearing, etc…) “to expand” so that I could remain aware of all three assailants (their thoughts and actions) simultaneously. This is not an easy thing to do. It would take a considerable amount of training to be able to consistently and effectively deal with three assailants simultaneously. It is not impossible, but the training required to accomplish this is not something a beginning level student could do – partly because of their INABILITY to NOT focus.

So, while attention IS a part of the process of becoming aware of one thing, it is a lower level of awareness development. The higher levels of awareness development DO NOT involve involve concentrated efforts of attention. Rather, they involve allowing one’s senses to expand so that the awareness of several things / persons / movements / circumstances can occur simultaneously.

Does that make sense?

——-

My Comment: Guys, below is a test of your current level of awareness for the most important person in your life. Are you ready? Here we go:

1. What is your wife’s favorite color?
2. What is your wife’s favorite kind of music?
3. What is your wife’s favorite song?
4. What is your wife’s favorite food?
5. What is your wife’s favorite drink?
6. What is your wife’s favorite dessert?
7. What is your wife’s favorite restaurant?
8. What is your wife’s favorite type of movie?
9. What is your wife’s all time favorite movie?
10. What is your wife’s favorite flower? Does she like flowers?
11. What is your wife’s favorite animal? Does she like animals?
12. What is your wife’s favorite activity / hobby?
13. What is your wife’s favorite brand of shoes?
14. At what stores does your wife frequently shop (for fun)?
15. What size clothes (blouse, skirt, belt and shoes) does your wife wear?
16. What is your wife’s favorite perfume?
17. What is your wife’s dream vacation?
18. What habit of yours drives your wife bonkers?
19. On a scale of 1 to 10, what number would your wife give your current relationship? If her choice of number was less than 10, what could you do to bump that number up to 10?
20. Finally, without looking at her, or a picture of her, what color are your wife’s eyes?

NOTE: For those guys who are unmarried, you can substitute the word “wife” for the word “girlfriend”.

For those of you who are married, your wife is the most important person in your life. She is also your most important asset! Knowing the answers to the above listed questions SHOULD INSPIRE you to do something about them

I hope this thread has encouraged some of you you to raise your level of awareness to those who are most important in your life!

Sincerely,

Roy Harris

——-

Others comments:

“Wow, great insight sir. Truly fascinating material. Thank you for the inspiration and knowledge.”

“Awesome stuff, Mr. Harris. Thank you for sharing!”

“Very interesting.”

“My current level of awareness:

1. Wrong!
2. Wrong!
3. Wrong!

“I gave up at that point. I think she is lying to me just so I owe her favors, though . . .”

——-

My response: Ask your lady those questions. You need to know the answers to those questions (and you need to do something about the info). If your lady asks why you want to know that stuff, tell her how important she is to you. Tell her you’d like to be able to surprise her from time to time with unexpected acts kindness and thoughtfulness.

If she pushes the envelope and asks, “Well how come you weren’t interested in this information before?” Tell her, “Because I’m a changed man!”

Roy

——-

Other’s comments: Mr. Harris, thanks! I will definitely look into some of those resources. I am both happy and sad to read about your journey into awareness…sad to hear it was borne out of bad experiences, but happy to hear that it brought about a wonderful and positive skill for you (and selfishly, it certainly has benefited all of us who know you and train with you!).

PS – I read my wife the questions aloud and then tried to answer them and let her score my answers. My accuracy was around 2/3…so I have plenty of room to improve (and certainly, more questions to ask!).

——-

More of my writings:

How and where a person chooses to focus his or her attention, over an extended period of time, says a lot about WHO THEY ARE as a person. For example, observe the following, over a period of six months, and you can tell a lot about a person’s life:

I. What does a person do with the time they have been given?
II. What activities do they habitually involve themselves in?
III. Where does this person spend their mental and emotional energies?
IV. Where does this person spend their money (and other tangible resources)?
V. What kind of people have they chosen as friends?
VI. How do they treat their chosen friends?
VII. How do they interact with authority figures (parents, employers, police, etc…)?
VIII. How do they treat others who are less skilled, less knowledgeable or less fortunate than themselves?
IX. What does their vehicle, clothes and hygiene say about them?
X. What is their daily/weekly/monthly manner of speech? Complimentary? Positive? Upbeat? Uplifting? Encouraging? Funny? Whiny? Complaining? Negative? Cynical? Full of excuses? Self-absorbed? Profound? Intriguing?

The answers to these ten questions demonstrate where a person CHOOSES to spend valuable resources (i.e. mind, heart, time, energy, money, speech, etc…). Read that sentence again! Notice I wrote, “…where a person CHOOSES to spend…” All of the above are CHOICES!

Allow me to make a few important points:

1. Life is but a series of choices. All of these choices have consequences attached to them.
2. You can control your daily choices, but you cannot control the consequences of your choices.
3. Much of what you have in your current life is the result of the choices you have made over the past five to ten years. (Obviously, no one chooses a life threatening illness or disease. So I am not talking about such things.)

By CHOOSING to (a) observe where YOU make choices in your own life (as well as paying attention to the intent of your heart as you make those choice), and (b) by acknowledging the fact that other people are not like you, ONLY THEN can you begin to observe (and possibly understand) where (and sometimes “why”) others CHOOSE to spend their valuable resources the way they do!

THESE are your first step to becoming AWARE!!

In short, there are five mountains of awareness to be climbed and conquered. The first two are the most important:

1. Awareness to self – the biggest of all the mountains!
2. Awareness to someone other than yourself – this is a big mountain, but not as big as the first mountain.

You have your mission. I challenge you to begin this day!

Good luck!

——-

Well, that about wraps things up for part one of this dialogue. Have you learned anything? Made any interesting observations? I hope you have.

Part two will follow soon.

Roy Harris

• Jeff Baldwin
• Brian Bird
• Sheila Bird
• Israel Camacho
• Dr. Mark Cheng - Kettlebells
• Dr. Mark Cheng - Chung Hua Institute
• Roy Dean
• Nik Farooqui
• Adam La Clair
• Trent Lewis
• Rich Marten
• Lee Mein
• Mike Moeller
• Richard North
• Phil Palmejar
• Rob Parmakovski - Academy
• Preston Rawlings
• Mike Rooney
• Kyle Saunders
• Bryan Stoops
• August Wallén
• Brian Whitaker
• Chris Wright-Martell

Black Belts (18 total)

Kyle Saunders (New York) – 2nd degree black belt
Roy Dean (Oregon) – 2nd degree black belt
Brian Bird (Canada) – 2nd degree black belt
Jeff Clark (California) – 2nd degree black belt

Trent Lewis (Florida) – 1st degree black belt
Darin Goo (Hawaii) – 1st degree black belt
Louie Cercedez (California) – 1st degree black belt
Michael Rooney (Pennsylvania) – 1st degree black belt
Kevin Jones (Arizona) – 1st degree black belt
Jeff Baldwin (California) – 1st degree black belt
Darby Darrow (California) – 1st degree black belt
Matt Stansell (California)  – 1st degree black belt
Sheila Bird (Canada) – 1st degree black belt
Richard Martens (Canada) – 1st degree black belt
Karol Matuszczak (Poland) – 1st degree black belt
Slawomir Barczak (Poland) – 1st degree black belt
August Wallén (Sweden) – 1st degree black belt
Michael Cusi (California) – 1st degree black belt (*NLA)
Eric Cady (New York) - 1st degree black belt (*NLA)

*NLA – No Longer Affiliated

Brown Belts (22 total)

Keith Blackburn (California)
Justin Thomas (California)
Anthony Libo-on (California)
Don Partch  (California)
Phil Palmejar (California)
PJ Raagas (California)
John Le (California)
Brad Hirakawa (California)
Jason Lambert (California)
Richard North (California)
Chuck Brenkus (California)
Brian Whitaker  (California)
Kent McIntyre (California)
Luke Pomerantz (California)
Dan Buchwald (Canada)
Brad Cardinal (Canada)
Lee Mein (Canada)
Nick Ring (Canada)
Chris Wright-Martell (Connecticut)
Per Christian Andresen (Norway)
Rafal Skymanski (Poland)

Purple Belts (61 total)

Paul Vunak (California)
Jerome Gage (Arizona)
Matt Alin (California)
Ernie Mendes (California)
Aaron Stine (California)
Dustin Bortin (California)
Matt Peters (California)
Jaime Reynoso (California)
Ernie Kwok (California)
Preston Rawlings (California)
Quinn Deveraux (California)
Manny Rodriguez (California)
Mark Wilhelm (California)
Robert Joe (California)
Tim Brennan (California)
Mars Cheung  (California)
Susan Gross (California)
Alicia Anthony (California)
Sean Inniss (California)
Jim Perondi (California)
Michael Landis (California)
Richard North Jr. (California)
Steve Bergeron (Canada)
Cedric Cobban (Canada)
Gyno deBaat (Canada)
Grant Guenther (Canada)
Chris Lemky (Canada)
Dean Meyers (Canada)
Blair Svoboda (Canada)
John Louro (Canada)
Justin Tavernini (Canada)
Troy Thompson (Canada)
Gonzalo Moral (Chile)
Josh Souza (Connecticut)
Jose Pacheco (Connecticut)
Jordan Lawrence (Connecticut)
Marcel Hütte (Germany)
Israel Camacho (Mexico)
Erlend Hunstad (Norway)
Ingrid Lian (Norway)
Rick Ellis (Oregon)
Anthony Treas (Oregon)
Jimmy DaSilva (Oregon)
Scott McCausland (Pennsylvania)
John Bruno (Pennsylvania)
Nola Hessom (Pennsylvania)
Michal Zulkowski (Poland)
Mariusz Andler (Poland)
Jakub Borkowski (Poland)
Michal Adamczak (Poland)
Lukasz Bartosz (Poland)
Wojciech Janc (Poland)
Grzegorz Jarzabek (Poland)
Piotr Kowalewski (Poland)
Andrzej Stolzmann (Poland)
Maciej Studzinski (Poland)
Rafal Szymanski  (Poland)
Wojciech Zaradzki (Poland)
Pawel Grzadzielski (Poland)
Joachim Lundgren (Sweden)
Joakim Engberg (Sweden)
Mike Gunlaggasson (Texas)

Blue Belts (268 total)

Dr. Mark Cheng (California)
Ricardo Ramirez (California)
Daniel Maryanovsky (California)
Shaun Thiesen (California)
Brett Garrett (California)
John Urrea (California)
Mr. Kris Adams (California)
Steve Michael (California)
Paul De Guzman (California)
John Laird (California)
Alex Chen (California)
Joshua Baria (California)
Vincent Colcol (California)
Craig Bell (California)
Jason Bell (California)
Robert Mathurin (California)
Randy Younis (California)
Raquel Regno (California)
Rene Raagas (California)
Roger Cristobal (California)
Daniel Birch (California)
Craig Macdonald (California)
Al Lowrimore (California)
Tom Moon (California)
Larry Hogueisson (California)
Alan Beck (California)
Rafael Huerta (California)
Taryn Loveman (California)
Jesse Lopez (California)
Mike Moeller (California)
Robert Landis  (California)
Brent Spooner  (California)
Mike Regala (California)
David McKinnon (California)
Mike Rhoten (California)
Danny Jo (California)
Kellen Harris (California)
Charles Grant (California)
Doug Tran (California)
Eddie Sanchez (California)
James Dutkowski (California)
James Brown (California)
Jeff Clancy (California)
Marlon Gallimore (California)
Mike Caputto (California)
Pat Compton (California)
Eric Rivard (California)
Johnny Hughes (California)
Christie Phillips (California)
Ryan Grandon (California)
David Bonney (California)
Russ Whitaker (California)
Alex Stanich (California)
Heather Fox (California)
Angel Carbajal (California)
Luis Manzo (California)
Charles Zepeda (California)
Brett Garrett (California)
Jeremy Bruins (Canada)
David Couturier (Canada)
Julius Litorco (Canada)
Shantel Beach (Canada)
Brice Willis (Canada)
Chi Luu (Canada)
John Nguyen (Canada)
Adrien Clapa (Canada)
Jeremy McGee (Canada)
Sergio Pichardo (Canada)
Jay Yaskiw (Canada)
Charles Bureau (Canada)
Benoit Sinave (Canada)
Justin Glavish (Canada)
Kelly Sigethy (Canada)
Mark Young (Canada)
Matt Klassen (Canada)
Bart Ludwig (Canada)
Dave Clark (Canada)
Brian Hamm (Canada)
Frank Machl (Canada)
Kyle Coleman (Canada)
Alex Yuen (Canada)
Michael Hwang (Canada)
Rob Mehra (Canada)
Vincent Lemaire-Dugre (Canada)
Noah Yepes (Canada)
Szymon “RAMBO” Rusnak (Canada)
Matt “ZAP” Felczak (Canada)
Connor Healy (Canada)
Adrian Hook (Canada)
Jody “WILD” Wadsworth (Canada)
Michael “SLICK” Richardson (Canada)
Daryl “STORM” Bonar (Canada)
Tim “Shady” Smith (Canada)
Christian Lebeau Jacob (Canada)
Audré Kieffer (Canada)
Sebastian Alberts (Canada)
Neil Berry (Canada)
Andre Crop Eared Wolf (Canada)
Paul Sukys (Canada)
Fabian Cortez (Canada)
Jason Celik (Canada)
Ryan Iwasiw (Canada)
Marsha Burnett (Canada)
Chris Bray (Canada)
Les Selvon (Canada)
Doug McComb (Canada)
Lee Allen (Canada)
Lynn Villiger (Canada)
Willie Elman (Canada)
Deen Meyers (Canada)
Shane Landstrom (Canada)
Troy Thompson (Canada)
Jeff Moberg (Canada)
Matt Relf (Canada)
Lesley Buckton (Canada)
Kendall Buckton (Canada)
Ron Weibe (Canada)
Marion Weibe (Canada)
Kayla Weibe (Canada)
Braydon Reinbold (Canada)
Kyle Simpson (Connecticut)
Clint Galamgam (Connecticut)
Drew Violette (Connecticut)
Simon Davis-Millis (Connecticut)
Scott Hoffman (Connecticut)
Eric Roy (Connecticut)
Ralph Purificato Jr. (Connecticut)
Ian McMahon (Connecticut)
Mr. Jamie Papciak (Connecticut)
Mr. Aaron Diamond (Connecticut)
Meagin Sheehan  (Connecticut)
Zack Betta  (Connecticut)
John Raba (Connecticut)
Ryan Fennessy (Connecticut)
Jeremy Hamel (Connecticut)
Ed Hart (Florida)
Joshua Frye (Florida)
Wayne Leinen Jr. (Florida)
Ron Lazarto (Florida)
Philipp Krieger (Germany)
Andreas Biedermann (Germany)
Franco DeLeonardis (Germany)
Christian Dietz (Germany)
Sezai Senel (Germany)
Johannes Wiet (Germany)
Joachim Deeken (Germany)
Michael Zaternini (Germany)
Kai Demel (Germany)
Alexander Stock (Germany)
Marc Molzberg (Germany)
Kai Schröder (Germany)
Shane Geary (Ireland)
Damien Walker (Ireland)
Lee Hyung-Keun (Korea)
Kevin Emmons (Maine)
Seamus Walsh (Maine)
Jorge Lopez (Mexico)
Roberto Macias (Mexico)
Gerardo Perez (Mexico)
Alonso Perez (Mexico)
Edgar Millan (Mexico)
Mr. Anthony Patalano (New York)
Kevin Sincerbox (New York)
Ola Niklas Strømshoved
Martin Nordaas
Andreas Bjørgulv Nore (Norway)
Eivind Kjønsvik (Norway)
Jon Fredrik Andresen (Norway)
Mikael Olsen (Norway)
Sondre Sklett (Norway)
Bjørn Hummelsund (Norway)
Lasse Karlsen (Norway)
Andreas Espetvedt (Norway)
Per Eklund (Norway)
Jørgen Ørevik (Norway)
Markus Jagersten (Norway)
Georg Knutsen (Norway)
Jørgen Tronsmed (Norway)
Ole Martin Asak (Norway)
Magnus Berg Johnsen (Norway)
Tor Erik Leistad (Norway)
Knut Auganes (Norway)
Reiel Pedersen (Norway)
Even Lund (Norway)
Morten Iversen (Norway)
Jomel Engtrø (Norway)
Håkon Svendsen (Norway)
Joachim Vilhelmsson (Norway)
Lasse Henriksen (Norway)
Stig Strøm (Norway)
Magnus Lyngbakken (Norway)
Thomas Johannessen (Norway)
Tom Dukefoss (Norway)
Christopher Nødseth (Norway)
Anders Wiggen (Norway)
Jeff Schauland (Oregon)
Nathan Pietsch (Oregon)
Cosmo Bowie (Oregon)
Ron Smyth (Oregon)
Donald Bowerman (Oregon)
TJ Brodeur (Oregon)
Len Lombardo (Pennsylvania)
Ron Dombkowski (Pennsylvania)
Kevin Komisarski (Pennsylvania)
Sean O’Reilly (Pennsylvania)
Chris Seaman (Pennsylvania)
Mr. Shawn Gray (Pennsylvania)
Scott McCausland (Pennsylvania)
Michal Wisniewski (Poland)
Vibysztot Piechota (Poland)
Piotr Witkowski (Poland)
Pawel Procaj (Poland)
Lukasz Sajewski (Poland)
Maciej Krol (Poland)
Marcin Pionke (Poland)
Adam Krupowicz (Poland)
Szymon Antoniewicz (Poland)
Lukasz Baginski (Poland)
Bartosz Bielinski (Poland)
Robert Bledowski (Poland)
Przemyslaw Budny (Poland)
Leszek Chybowski (Poland)
Radoslaw Cilski (Poland)
Boguslaw Dawiec (Poland)
Tomasz Fiuk (Poland)
Jaroslaw Frankowski (Poland)
Maciej Glabus (Poland)
Adam Górny (Poland)
Maciej Grobelny (Poland)
Pawel Grzadzielski (Poland)
Piotr Ignaczak (Poland)
Grzegorz Jakubek (Poland)
Patryk Jankiewicz (Poland)
Pawel Kudlinski (Poland)
Krzysztof Kulak (Poland)
Agnieszka Koczur (Poland)
Robert Kosmider (Poland)
Marcin Kowacki (Poland)
Marcin Leszczyna (Poland)
Bartosz Ludwiczak (Poland)
Krzysztof Macionczyk (Poland)
Krzysztof Mila (Poland)
Joanna Matusiak (Poland)
Andrzej Nawrocki (Poland)
Sebastian Olchawa (Poland)
Marcin Polonius (Poland)
Jacek Przygocki (Poland)
Jakub Rutkowski (Poland)
Jakub Sluszczak (Poland)
Slawomir Szamota (Poland)
Grzegorz Szymanski (Poland)
Pawel Szymanski (Poland)
Robert Trzcionka  (Poland)
Dariusz Urbanczyk (Poland)
Maksymilian Wisniewski (Poland)
Pawel Witek (Poland)
Kamil Wtorkowski (Poland)
Leszek Zielinski (Poland)
Marcin Zwolinski (Poland)
Marko Ervasti (Sweden)
Martin Janson (Sweden)
Anders Heydorn (Sweden)
Mr. John Shanks (Vermont)
Darren O’Meara (Vermont)
Dave Parker (Vermont)
John Fox (Vermont)
Ryan McCue (Vermont)
Katie Gudmundsen (Vermont)
Adam LaClair (Vermont)

If you have questions, comments or would like to be added to this list (because I have not yet added your name), please email me

Roy