“Thousands of years before Columbus and others ‘discovered’ America my Native people lived in cultured tribes throughout a brave and free land. Long before the white man set foot on North America, The Americans Indian hunted wild game with the bow and arrow and other weapons. Despite The United States attempts to destroy their unique traditions, Flames of knowledge still flicker in the hearts of Indian warriors.” 

DEDICATION.

As a young boy growing up in Oklahoma in the 40’s and 50’s, I was exposed to the elders of my people.  They were from another time and place, but they took me under their wing and exposed me too much information that would be lost by their passing.  I’m appreciative to my father, grandfather, uncles and close friends of the family for sharing their skills with me.   I honor each of them for the wisdom they were able to pass on to me.  Today, as I share this information, I feel fulfilled in bringing this knowledge back to life from my heritage.  I step forward and make available the unique fighting system of my American Indian people.  I will carry the spear in honor of all the fallen warriors that came before me.  Their spirit has entrusted me with the noble title of ‘Bas-po-Tushka’, the Knife Warrior.” 

Chapter One

The Awakening

I had been starring at the big clock on the wall for the last 30 minutes and I was oblivious to the chatter and excitement of my other classmates. I was not paying attention to Mrs. Campbell my 3^rd grade teacher, who was giving last minute instruction for the last day of school. When the bell rang to end the day my heart began to race. Not with anticipation, but with fear. I took my time getting my belonging together and walked out of the room. I slowly began to walk down the hall leading to the front door. All my friends were racing by to get home and play. School was out for the year and most of us had a long summer to look forward too. I was not looking that far ahead, it was the next fifteen minutes that I was concerned with. I was scared to death and didn’t want to go outside, but soon the principals would be locking the door and I had no choice but to leave the building. This had happened before, in fact almost everyday sense starting public school. 

I only lived three blocks from school but the daily trip seemed  to take an eternity. As I got halfway home, there he was, my adversary, my personal bully. He and a couple of his friends were waiting for me.  To this day I don’t remember his name but I will never forget him and the defining moment that he played in my life. He will never know that he was instrumental in who I am today. All I ever remember was the punch to my stomach and I would crumble to the ground and it was over for the day. I don’t think he ever hit me anywhere else during that whole year. He had found my weakness and for that summer, it was working for him. I didn’t know why he was picking on me, but I seem to get more than my share of schoolyard fights.

Growing up in Oklahoma in the 40’s and 50’s prejudices was alive and thriving against the Black’s. As a Native American we were not far behind and many times were lumped in with the blacks.  Being the only Indian family in a small town didn’t help matters much. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was experiencing prejudice almost everyday. After explaining to my mom (Ada Wilkerson from Achille, OK. Born May19-1927 died Dec 10, 1990) why I was often late getting home and scuff up, I told her what I was experiencing. There was really not much she could do except put her loving arms around me and give me comfort. Needless to say, she would always discourage me from fighting. She explained to me that fighting was not the Native way and in time my problems would go away. She sometime attempted to sooth my bruised ego by offering me an extra piece of pie or cake. The little extras must have helped because I put on some extra pounds that summer.

My problems did go away, but only because my adversary went away for the summer to California. So I had the whole summer to run and play at will without fear of getting beat up. I finely got the courage to asked my father for some wrestling and fighting tips. On weekend our family would travel great distances to participate in weekend gathering to worship and socialize. It was a time for me to try out my wrestling techniques with other cousins and friends.

Throughout the summer, I begin to gain more confidence in my fighting and wrestling ability and I had put on several pounds. The last month of the summer our whole family travel south to the cotton fields outside of Honey Grove, Texas to pick cotton. My dad would contract with the local farmer to live on the property and pick cotton. Out family actually lived in a broken down shack of a house with no electricity or running water. We would pick cotton from sunup to sundown. The long hours and demanding work was a character builder.  The long hard work built up my stamina and I grew stronger and more confidence as the weeks went buy. On Saturday we would go into town to buy clothing and meals for the next week. I was allotted a new pair of Levi’s and two t-shirts, socks and underwear. This was my new wardrobe to start the new school year. My brothers and sisters, I was the oldest of ten, looked forward to the weekly trips into town. It was such a treat to buy candy and pop and maybe see a movie. The long summer was almost over and the last week of August, out family broke camp and started for home.

The long trip home gave me time to ponder and think about what might happen when I encounter my adversary for the first time in the new school year. I went over many scenarios in my mind and for the first time, I realized that I was no longer scared. In fact, I looked forward to out first meeting. Out little one bedroom house looked like a palace. It felt comforting to sleep in my own bed. I was happy to run and play with my friends who I had not seen in six weeks.

My friends told me that my adversary was back in town. One evening after dinner I went down to the local malt shop to look for him. It was the gathering place for most of the kids in this little town.  As I entered into the shop, there he was with a group of his friends, laughing and having a good time. I don’t know where the courage came from, but I just walked up to his group of friends and challenge him to come outside. The basketball gymnasium was just across the street. I told him that I would meet him outside by the gym in a few minutes and I walked out the door. I can imagine what was happening now, when a fight is eminent, everyone stopped what they doing and gather to see the fight. I knew he was coming, because it would have been unforgivable to back down to an Indian.  I had only one friend along, but he was there only to watch. As the gang of boys crossed the street, my adrenaline began to pump. I was a little scared, but at the same time I was confidence. The fight didn’t last long and my new reputation as a street fighter was born that night.

Over the next few years the fighting didn’t stop, it only got worse. Now everybody wanted to fight the “Chief”. Little did I know that these events would begin to shape my destiny? Students of  the martial arts today are learning their art in the dojos in the 50’s, I was learning mine in the street. I was fighting for survival. As a student of hand-to-hand combat, I began to develop fighting techniques for real life situations. As a young boy, I quickly learned what worked for me. For the next 50 years, martial arts would be a part of my life. Eventually I would become the teacher, then The Master. 

Chapter Two

WHAT IS RED WARRIOR 

Red Warrior/Tushka-homa is a stand up fighting systems that emphasizes basis moves used for century by the American Indians Warriors. Only I, the creator knows where the base move (indigenous) ends and the modern day embellishment begins. I compared my Indian movements to our modem day sophisticated techniques; I realized they both had something in common.  Although hundreds of years apart, the basis ingredients for success was found in both fighting methods.  The fighting techniques that I developed as a young boy are similar to what is being taught even today. Major movement were similar and in many cases are identical.  Through the passage of time we were able to add the Major/Minor Concepts along with other hidden movements, thus becoming more sophisticated.

The American Indian Warriors employed a more basic and direct approach than our modern day Warriors and at the same time achieved the same lethal results. Red Warrior is a control system based on absolute movement that allows the practitioner to take his opponent down to the ground. Brute force must be replaced by finesse and control. Random assortments of strikes must be replaced by logical patterns of motion.  Hard blocks must be replaced by re-directing parries.  Your position relative to your opponent must be as choreographed as a dance.  Your counter-strikes must be absolute, allowing no chance for your opponent to rearm and gain control.

Red Warriors objectives are to (1) Establish a strong base, (2) Intercept, (3) Control, (4) Disarm, if there is a weapon, (5) takedown and finish out. Red Warrior is a system that the practitioner must execute the movements absolute precision and with a natural flow. To be successful, one should have speed, agility, athleticism, hand to eye coordination, timing, rhythm, flow, and above all, have a healthy respect for what can happen should you engage with an opponent that has a weapon. Above all, be true to yourself to know your limitation. You must have the ability to evaluate your opponent's skills so that you won't be overly matched.  Remember whenever you face an adversary or any obstacle in life, THERE IS ALWAYS AN OPTION. 

 

Chapter Three

 

WHERE DID RED WARRIOR COME FROM 

I have explored and documented the different types of weapons that were unique to the Native American Tribes of the 1800's and their application.  Unfortunately, The Americans Indian Tribes of North America were not given credit for their contribution to the martial arts world for they’re fighting skills. Its common knowledge that all forms of the martial arts studied in the United States today is imported. If you are a knowledgeable martial artist, you will know this statement to be painfully true.

My American Indian Fighting or Red Warrior is the only martial arts fighting system that can be traced to North American. There were no communication systems in place, therefore it is somewhat difficult to say what country was first in using a particular weapon. Weapons and tools were everywhere in the 1800's, and they were in the Americas. For thousand of years before Columbus and the white man set foot on North America, The Americans Indian hunted game with weapons and made war among themselves. No one knows for certain how and when the Americans Indians discovered the bow, but is well documented the bow was here when the first white men arrived. Tribes were often made up of many different clans. When disputes arose, they would strike a neighboring clan in the middle of the night. The fighting was brutal and required close hand to hand combat. The bow and arrow, knife, spear, war club and tomahawk where the weapons of choice. My initial emphasis in American Indian fighting systems has been focused on the knife.

 My people, the Choctaws in southeastern United States, used the blow gun to hunt for small game. They were skilled enough to kill small game at 80 to 100 ft with a dart. What we call Lacrosse today was largely derived from wrestling techniques used by American Indians.

  It's is no secret, that the United States systematically tried to destroy The American Indian people and its unique culture. There was no time for documentation of these weapons, tools and their uses. The Indians were just trying to survive their own anileation. In the short time they were here, they were considered legendary fighters who used a multitude of weapons, animal and the use of natural terrain to defeat their adversaries.

It’s a well-known fact that they were great straggliest in how they prepared for war, because they were always out numbered.  Nor did they have the weapons to match the solders repeating rifles. Many of our modern day general studied them and there approach to warfare. If we could only get General George Custard’s opinion today, we might consider The Americans Indians among the best by modern day standards. When one thinks of American Indians weapons, the bow and arrow are the first weapons that come to mind. The knife was the most important weapon of its day, because it served many purposes. It was a working tool that hung from ever Warriors belt and was used by the women to prepare clothing and meals. It is this weapon that we will explore first because of its practical application today.  I trust that you will gain a new application for the American Indian culture and a fighting system that is of your country.  

Chapter 4

Planting the Seed

Sometime in the late 80’s in a discussion with the late Grandmaster Edmond K Parker about the similarities of our two cultures, he asked me about Indian wrestling. He being full blood Hawaiian was curious about fighting techniques that I might have learned growing up as a young Indian boy. I told him I knew a few things but nothing of great significant. Later as I reflect back I realize that I dismissed his inquiry to quickly. For in reality I remembered much of the information that my dad, uncles, grandfathers and friend of the family on both sides had passed on to me. I would Indian wrestle with my brothers on a daily bases. On weekend our family would travel great distances to have weekend gathering to worship and socialize. It was a time for me to try out my wrestling techniques with other cousins and friends.

Until after Grandmaster Parkers death there was not a need to reach deep within the counters of my mind to dig out the information for I had much to learn from the masters of today. Through our discussion we surmised that our two heritages had many things in common. Our spiritual values, a deep devotion to family, how we held our elderly people in high esteem. How we cooked and prepared our meals, the use of elaborate costume and how we danced.

He told me of a conversation that he had with Elvis while spending some time at the singer home in Memphis. In that conversation Elvis had confessed to him about being ashamed of he was part Indian. It was not uncommon for a young boy that grew up in the south to be part Indian and sometime not even know it. If a family had Indian blood, it was not something to be talked about or even discussed. In reality, most were ashamed to admit it. After a long discussion, Ed convinced Elvis that being part Indian was something very special and to be proud of. From that day forward, Elvis spoke proudly about his Indian heritage. It was soon after that, Elvis being to wear the elaborate jumpsuits adorned with Native design on his concerts series.

During our conversation, Ed suggested that I do something about my Native Fighting heritage. I laughed, and told him, I was too busy trying to master his art of American Kenpo. Little did I know, but the Master had planted the seed. Senior Grandmaster Parker died in Dec of 1990.  

Sometime in the earliest 90’s and looking for some inspiration after Ed Parkers death, I contacted Grandmaster Remy Presas, the Father of Modern Arnis. I soon began training with him thru his seminars circuit and began to learn his system. We had a connection together, one that we did not discuss, but felt. It was the same connection that Master Parker and I had enjoyed. We both knew it stemmed for our unique culture and the experience that we both encounter growing up as your boys. After training with him for a few years, he asked me about my Native fighting art. He was always looking for new ideals to incorporate into his Modern Arnis. Whenever someone would show him something and he liked it, he would say “that’s Arnis now”.

He did what all the great master did by forever changing his art to make it better. If it meant borrowing something from another style, that was ok. When I showed him some of the Native techniques, he suggest the same thing that Parker did and that was for me to organizes what I knew and began to teach the Native way. He knew that I was one of Ed Parker’s Black Belts and told me that he was very gratefully to Ed. I asked him why, and he told me that when he came from the Philippines to American, it was Ed Parker who helped him get started in the seminar circuit. Ed went out of his way to suggest to others to train with Grandmaster Presas in his Native art. 

I got a call late one evening from Grandmaster Pressas and he asked me, if I could pick him up at the airport DFW. I said of course I would and after a late dinner at his hotel, he told me of his intentions to retire. I asked him did he have a protégé or someone in mind to take over his organization. He said he did not. I was shocked when he said he had no one in mind to take over. I knew for a fact that he had thousands of students across the United States. He said he didn’t have anyone that he could trust.

I asked him again, did he have anyone that he could begin introducing as his successor and enter into a business relationship to continue to reap some of the benefits of his labor over the years. He said he had none, and he  suggested that that person might be me. I could tell that he really was serious and was just feeling me out about the possibility. I replied that I was honored, but in my heart I knew I wasn’t qualified.  I was on a new journey and I politely declined. I know now, had he taken me under his wing, I could have been ready in a few years. Grandmaster Remy Presas died in Oct 2001. Through the suggestion of these two Grandmasters, I began formulating my Native Fighting system. 

Chapter Five

Life Principals 

Even thought I have made the martial arts my life study, I will  spends far more time in everyday life than my chosen endeavor. Therefore it is far more important to acquire and develop mine own  principals of life. These are my own set of personal laws. The integrity of these laws continue to shape my life and define what kind of person I will become. Your own set of personal laws will help you to  maneuver thru life and can influence those around you. It should be your goal to have a positive influence on the people that are closes to you. Like myself many of you did not have access to positive role models as we were growing up. Therefore it is necessary to acquire our set of laws as we make our way thru life. Some of us acquire them faster than others and therefore enjoy peace, harmony and success early in life. Some take longer, for we are a continuing work in progress as we travel thru life. These laws and principals will shape the lasting memories of us and our perception by the ones who follow. I sometime refer to this journey, The Movement of Life.

As I came to know the great martial arts masters, most of them had many things in common. Aside from their martial arts abilities, they possessed great character and integrity. In conversations when we were young, we were anxious to prove, sometime angry with a chip on our shoulders and quick to show the tiger within. There is now a sense of peace and calmness about them. They were soft spoken and humble. They exulted confidence and had a commanding present. They were successful in martial arts and life because they all had practice their own set of life laws on a daily basis. As I listen to them and their philosophies and read their teaching, they practices honesty, integrity and a sense of fair play. I have such admiration for these great men who were the masters of their endeavor, the martial arts, but more important they were masters of life.

It was therefore necessary for me to develop my own set of personal laws and I continue to refine them as I go thru life. Being Native American I know than I am different and come from a different place in time. Therefore my personal laws are somewhat broader in scope. There is room for some latitude in its interpretation. These laws are useful in the martial arts world as well.  These personal laws have served me well and I offer them to you only as a suggestion to develop your own set of personal laws or creeds as I have come to call them.

As I developed my Red Warrior/Achafa Tushkahoma  system of fighting, it was only natural for these creeds would serve as the cornerstone for the underling principal of my system. My set of personal laws are called the Seven Sacred Feathers. They serve a double purpose as the Red Warrior Creeds. 

The Creeds can be a useful guide in one's approach to finding peace and tranquility in our ever changing, modern world. Today we live in a society that has blurred the line between acceptable and unacceptable behavior. One just has to watch the provocative programming on television and admit honestly that we are a society out of control. The violence advocated by programs such as Wrestling and talk shows that describe in detail how we interact with one another are an embarrassment. Some of us are ashamed to be a part of the human race. We clearly have become a too tolerant society.

There are many shades of gray when we need clear and absolute answers to our problems. In your lifetime, if you can reflect back, you will notice that each generation pushes the boundaries of acceptable behavior a little further. As a result, we become disenchanted with the behavior of our young people. We only have to look in the mirror to find the problem, and therein also lies the solution.

I know you may question how much impact one person such as yourself can have. I assure you it can be monumental. If you can have a positive influence on  just one person, that person in turn will influence someone he or she encounters. First and foremost it begins in the home where you have a captive audience with your young children. As a parent of three, I strongly suggest you attempt to lay this foundation of values prior to the age of 6. We must pull back on the reins even harder than before, for we are clearly on a runaway stallion and have lost control. The basic value system practiced by the Native Americans prior to the 1800's are much more basic and absolute. Today,  we  long for the value system that was used by our parents and grandparents. Imagine what our world would be like if we could reach back in time and institute the value system of my Native people.

As you read The Seven Sacred Feathers, you must read between the lines and search for the answer. You may not see them at first, but keep searching. They are as clear as the driven snow. You must possess the courage and integrity to empower them in your life. You must trust these old values to make a difference. At times in your life you will stand out, but you must have the courage to walk alone for your convictions. Sometimes it is lonely, but at least when you lay down, you will be at peace.

"Enlighten men with wisdom, let them know of your honor and see your dignity. Leave them knowing that they were in the presence of someone who made a difference."  Chief Roman 

Seven Sacred Feathers

The Yellow Feather is the color of the sacred fire that gives life to all. It represents a Warrior decision to begin his journey into life with a noble cause. It is a time for him to reflect back on his life and his accomplishments. He begins to realize that whatever success that he had achieved up until that time, the spiritual essence is missing in his life. The Yellow Feather, the color of the sun represents a new birth and beginning. The Warrior must look to the east and greet the sun and ask the Great Spirit for guidance. It is a time to take charge of his own destiny, to reevaluate and to set new priorities. This new journey will have a profound effect on him and everyone that comes in contact with him. Throughout this new journey the Warrior will acquire knowledge and wisdom so that he can enlighten men along the way. They will come to know that you are a man of honor and integrity. If your heart is good, they will know that they were in the presence of someone who will make a difference.

The Orange Feather represents the end of a day's journey at sunset. The Warrior looks to the west as the brilliant yellow sun fades to bright orange. However this journey may have taken days, months or even years. This is a time to reflect and question your new path or if you must take a new direction tomorrow. As the Warrior faces the darkness of night and the impending dreams as he sleeps, perhaps a vision will come. The Dream Catcher will protect him from the forces of evil. Good dreams love the spider-like web. They travel softly across the threads and on through the center slipping into visions of good hunting, success in battle, happy memories and a rich abundant life for the dreamer's family. Bad dreams will be caught in the web and perished with the first light of day, never to bother the dreamer again. If the Warrior's heart was not good, none of this would be possible, and the Great Spirit would look the other way.

The Purple Feather represents the Warrior pure blood that flows thru his body. It cleanses and purifies the body and keeps him strong and healthy. He understands that his body is a sacred temple and its careful not to over indulge. The Warrior must posses a clear mind, so that he can see straight and make wise decisions. He respects all living creatures of Mother Earth and is careful not to kill for the sake of killing. The taking of life is not taken lightly. The Warrior gives honor to the animal that fills his belly and gives him nourishment. The healthy blood of a Nobel Warrior will give him the strength, not to be greater than his brother, but to fight his greatest enemy, himself.

The Blue Feather represents the Warrior as he looks to the Heavens and gives thanks to The Great Spirit. He has the respect and wisdom to acknowledge the greatness of all the Heavens. He is blessed to have the clear blue sky and deep blue waters to drink from. He is honored just to walk the earth this day and looks forward to tomorrow. Each new day gives the Warrior another chance to redeem himself and if necessary reinvent himself. Forever always changing to improve oneself for the better, yet knowing he will eventually run out of time and will fall short of perfection. Little does he know, but he has set the standards for the ones that follow him. If the Warrior's heart is good, he will leave his mark and make the world a better place. He did not just occupy space while he was here. He was a leader.

The Green Feather represents the Warrior that walks the forest and stares up at the great trees in wonder. The color of green represents life on Mother Earth. This garden of green will give him many things to sustain his life. It will give him the tools and weapons to make his life easer on earth. It will give him shelter in the harsh winters and cool shade from the hot summer sun. The trees will bare fruit to fill his belly and give his body nourishment. The Warrior will walk in the beauty and respect the thing that the Great Spirit has made. His ears will listen to The Great Spirit voice in the wind.

The Brown Feather represents The Mother Earth and all that she gives. We are here but a short time and we must tend and manage it with care. Let us learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock. It is not ours to own or possess. It is Mother Earth who will eventually possess all men. The Warrior has seen many winters and understands that the Mother Earth gives birth each and every day. Mother Earth provides the waters to nourish the trees and greenery that will intern fills the lungs of man with clean healthy air. The true Warrior knows that he himself is of Mother Earth and to desecrate it would bring disgrace upon him. The Warrior is in the autumn of his life, and knows many things. He has become a teacher of life and without fanfare, will enlighten all who will listen.

The Black Feather/Red Tip, is adorned by the warrior after many winters and has matured with age. He has acquired respect, wisdom and an abundance of knowledge. He is not afraid to step into darkness for he has come to know success and victory. He is a leader among the greatest of Warriors. He began his life journey as the young wolf, and now has become the Majestic Eagle. His spirit soars closer to the heavens. Therefore, he is in touch with the Great Spirit. He is at peace with himself. When his life fades, as the fading sunset, his spirit will go the heavens. He will face The Great Spirit without shame.  

Chapter Five

A MODERN DAY LOOK AT RED WARRIOR

By Dr. Bob Rose

 

All too often a conglomeration of techniques are thrown together and named as a new “system.”  True systems, like Tae Kwon Do, Jujitsu and Kenpo each have an underlying philosophy that unites different techniques.  Of course, all martial arts systems have commonalities so that the same technique may show up in several systems; but there should be differentiation from any other system to avoid duplication.

Red Warrior meets the criteria of underlying logic and being similar yet distinct from other systems.   But first, let’s see where Red Warrior came from. 

Appreciation for the system comes from knowing the Grandmaster, Adrian Roman, Martial Arts Hall of Fame member (“Chief” in the martial arts circles).

Chief is a full-blood Choctaw Indian.  He is an 9^th degree Kenpo black belt, who obtained his first black from one of Parker’s first generation black belts and went on to receive advanced rankings under Mr. Parker himself. 

But long before he studied boxing, Kenpo, Arnis and other martial arts Chief learned to fight from his father, uncles and other Choctaw tribesmen.  The influence of Native American fighting style was profound and enduring for Chief. 

Chapter Seven

THE INFLUENCE OF AMERICAN INDIAN COMBAT ON TUSHKA-HOMA 

American Indian warriors were, of course, experts with a wide variety of weapons including bow and arrow, hatchet, club, lance and eventually the rifle.  But, in close range situations the universal weapon was the knife.  Indians carried knives as universally as European knights carried swords or as modern day Englishmen carry umbrellas.  And they didn’t put their knives away when altercations arose! 

Knife fighting is dangerous, even lethal; and, most demanding in the case of the combatant who has lost his knife and faces an armed attacker with his bare hands.  It demands a unique approach, so different from most approaches that many martial artists simply throw up their hands and say there is no possible defense!  The American Indian could not take that attitude.  Among the Choctaw the Baspo-tushka (“knife warrior”) was a martial artist with skill as rigorously achieved as the Sumo of Japan or the San Shou master of China.  

Consider the unique demands of knife defense.  In fisticuffs, even among experts such as professional boxers, two men can pummel each other for thirty minutes and then have the decision made by a judge.  The same is true of wrestling, jujitsu and many other demanding hard-hitting systems.  In knife fighting one cut can be fatal – a judge is not required!  For this high-risk reason, the unarmed combatant had to consider his safety at every step, putting himself as much as possible out of harm’s way.  Paradoxically, he could not move too far from his assailant or he could not take the major step in self-protection – controlling the knife.   

The knife has other unique properties.  A club is dangerous only when moving with speed and force – a knife can maim by moving a fraction of an inch with very modest pressure.  Thus, where a slowed club can be grabbed anywhere, the knife – which must be controlled – demands careful and precise grasping or the person will lose a thumb or sever arteries in the arm. 

Time leads to fatigue and mistakes and is thus on the side of the knife-wielder; if the assaulted person is to be successful he must move quickly. 

The Indian facing a knife had to use a system that contained near-contradictions:  working close while staying out of harm’s way, working fast while showing extreme finesse.  (No wonder many modern martial artists simply choose not to deal with the whole issue!) 

The Red Warrior system has excellent knife defense techniques but even the other hand-to-hand defenses benefit from the discipline imposed by the knife.  Before summarizing the system let’s do something that always aids in definition: comparison and contrast with existing systems. 

Chapter Eight

Comparison/Contrast With Other Systems 

Like Kenpo, boxing, May Thai, kung fu and tae kwon do, Red Warrior/Achafa Tushkahoma  is a stand-up fighting system; but with less reliance of strikes, and the kicks that are used are used low and as assists rather than the major weapons.   Like jujitsu it use arm and leg locks; but, without going to the ground longer than necessary.  Like judo and the Chinese wrestling systems Red Warrior stays in close physical control but does not emphasize throwing to the assailant to the ground as an end itself. (He might get back up!) 

Like American Kenpo as developed by Mr. Edward Parker, Red Warrior is supremely logical.  Just as all mathematical systems throughout the world converge, the universal logical principals so well expounded by Mr. Parker are found in Red Warrior.  Marriage of gravity, economy of motion, the importance of base and all of the other logical principles are to be found. 

But despite Chief’s great admiration for his teacher, friend and mentor, Mr. Parker, and despite the influence of the American Kenpo system, Red Warrior is quite different than American Kenpo. 

First, as mentioned before, it does not rely as much on hard strikes.  It involves more contact.  And while it is complex, like American Kenpo it relies more on a modular concept. 

Consider a common debate in martial arts circles surrounding the simply vs. complex approach.  Kenpo techniques are complex and multi-strike on the grounds that another should back up every counterattack. Like ranks of archers, one volley is followed by another.  In American Kenpo the trained fighter is like the wise general who does not want to assume the initial volley of arrows did the trick.  The Kenpo fighter has a hand sword followed by a punch that is followed by a heel of palm that is followed by a claw to the face and so on.  

On the other side of the issue other artists, such as the Muy Thai people, believe that under the stress of an actual fight the very complexity of the technique will lead to its breakdown in application.  They, therefore, emphasize using a few key strikes in a variety of situations. 

Red Warrior takes the approach that both philosophies are correct!  The base system of a Tushka-homa technique may be very simple: the follow up “volleys” can be chosen from a variety of finish-out techniques.  Thus, once an armbar is quickly obtained five different finish-outs can be used depending on the practical demands of the situation.  We have 60 base techniques – but these can become 200! 

Chapter Nine

Summering the Principals behind Red Warrior/ Achafa Tushka-homa. 

THE ACHAFA TUSHKA-HOMA SYSTEM 

1.                 Stand-up Fighting.  While the “every fight goes to the ground” approach is not without value, we want to stay on our feet and when we fight on the ground it is to regain our feet.  Lying on your back may work well in tournaments. Lying on concrete and broken glass with your assailant’s friends standing around will not work. 

2.                 Forgiving. If an initial part of the defense is not done exactly right we have still zoned out of harms way. If the lead hand misses the parry the backhand is not far behind.  We strive to be perfect – we recognize that feet can slip in the mud, sweaty arms are hard to hold and even the strongest warrior has an off day. 

3.                 Constant control.  We stay close to our assailant and try to maintain control once it is achieved.  Rarely do we release and stand back in preparation for a strike.  Rarely do we drop the person to the ground unless we have significantly disabled him.   

4.                 Finesse vs. force.  Our locks are absolute and once set cause excruciating pain, and cannot be countered by brute force even if the assailant has four times our physical strength.  However, in order to obtain this level of control we have intricate handwork that looks simple but often takes hundreds of repetitions to achieve. 

As a side effect of finesse, we can vary the outcome of the painful lock. If, unfortunately, we need to be sure we have disabled the person who was attacking with possibly lethal intentions, we can break bones with a fraction of force.  If help arrives or there is some other reason to expect the aggression to stop we can release the person and the pain disappears with no lasting effect. 

5.                 Modularized.  Instead of teaching five separate techniques that differ only in finish-out we teach one technique and five finish-outs that can be used and combined as practicality demands.  

6.                 Discipline vs. athleticism.  Many systems, such as boxing, demand speed and power.   Good athletes will love the Red Warrior system. In addition, however, because Red Warrior works close, maintains control, and calls for precision, older and smaller people can learn it – IF they are willing to put in the time and effort required. 

7.       Flow.  While it may be of only aesthetic interest, Red Warrior can be recognized by its graceful flow.  Many martial arts systems have kata or forms based on smoothing out actual techniques to give them a dance-like quality.  All of the Red Warrior techniques look like brief kata because they flow so smoothly, smoothness that is the natural outcome of the demands for close and finesse full action. 

IN SHORT, this is a new system that not only honors the heritage of the original inhabitants of America but also provides a practical system of self-defense for a wide range of people.

    Chapter Ten

American Indian Fighting

In January of 2000, after reading countless articles by knife fighting experts, I began offering Bas-po-Tushka (Choctaw for “knife warrior”) knife defense training based on fighting concepts of my native people.  I felt compelled to move forward with what has been a long-time plan because of the misinformation that exists with regard to knife fighting.

I cringe when I read articles with techniques that advocate kicking a knife out of an attacker’s hand or attempt to block with one arm and then strike with the other.  In stylized photos those techniques may look effective – but they don’t work.

Other articles discuss fighting knife to knife; but how many law-abiding people carry an easily accessible fighting knife at all times?  If you have to carrying a knife at all times perhaps you are hanging out in the wrong part of town!  People who must, for whatever reason, carry a deadly weapon will probably prefer a gun.

For many reasons, it just more practical to learn to disarm an opponent who has a knife.  Any confrontation with a knife attacker carries grave danger but there are concepts, principles and techniques that will help you increase your odds for survival. 

Let me give some background on knife fighting and its importance to my people.  Then I’ll discuss some general principles and some solid knife-defense techniques.

The warfare strategies and weapons of the American Indians were not documented and in a short time there were here were forgotten but many of the techniques of warfare and self-defense were carried down in oral tradition from father to son. This is how I learned my art.

For American Indians the most common weapons were the bow and arrow, knife, spear, war club and tomahawk.  Today, I teach those seven weapons in my Dallas studio.  My initial emphasis in American Indian Fighting systems has been focused on the knife. Aside for the gun, it is the weapon that is most commonly encountered in our lives today.  If you are attacked there is about a 70% chance that your assailant will have a knife.  And most people fear a knife even more than a gun and are easily frightened into immobility. 

Healthy fear is certainly justified but it need not immobilize you: there is always an option for defense if you remember five basic principles and learn some sound techniques.  Above all, be true to yourself to know your limitation. You must have the ability to evaluate your opponent's skills so that you won't be overly matched.  The techniques I cover here are good for exercise purposes to improve those basic health factors as well as for actual use. 

Chapter Eleven 

Having researched how my Native People used the knife I needed to research how modern day experts use the knife to compare the two periods. I used the obvious scenarios of two fighters each having a knife to defend themselves. After all the research the glaring differences were obvious. Our fighting styles were different as night and day.

  Thru all the research, I found that almost all advocated that the fighter fight right side up with the knife in their right hand. When I say right side up, it means right leg in the forward position and the knife in the right hand. This is assuming that most are right handed. This position means that all the experts advocated having the knife in the front position. The general public and the so called knife experts grew up watching American movies and films. In the movies for more dramatics the fighter always fought knives to knife in the front hand or position.  I think this position is absolutely wrong and I will explain why.

Because we watched this movies and films the knife fighter came up with the knife tacked called “Defaneing the Snake” many systems were built around this philosophy. If you cut the hand holding the knife, the fight is over. If you find yourself in a knife fight, I can safely say that in most cases everything and your life is on the line. And it would be wise to bring all your abilities and weapons to the fight. You would not want to engage in this fight with just fighting on one leg, so why would you want to fight with one hand. If you are fighting right side up and your weapon in your right hand, your left hand in the back position is almost useless. You are requiring your right hand to act as a defensive hand and to deliver offensive movement at the same time. What is the left hand doing? Nothing, perhaps they’re leaving it free to cover the fatal wound that you’re likely to get. A Native American knife fighter will place the knife in the rear hand position to protect the weapon and use his front to fend, parry away and grab. If this hand is cut, and in most cases will, you are still in the fight and have a chance to win.  

 

Chapter Twelve 

For you to develop knife fighting skills and to eventually master them, one must possess many important elements, each just as important as the other.  To be a success one should have speed, agility, athleticism, hand to eye coordination, timing, rhythm, flow, and above all, have a healthy respect for what the blade can do. When in the hands of a worthy adversary, it can take your life in a heartbeat. Eventually, it will take great discipline to ignore the weapon and its destructive force, and focus on who and what controls the weapon.  Above all, be true to yourself to know your limitation. You must have the ability to evaluate your opponent's skills so that you won't be overly matched.  Remember whenever you face the blade or any obstacle in life, THERE IS ALWAYS AN OPTION providing you have invested in securing valuable information and training. 

In this chapter I will discuss some basis theories and principals so that we can lay a strong foundation upon which to build your knife fighting skills.  We don't think about foundations every day for it is taken for granted.  Think about it, everything you see and touch has foundation.  The chair you are sitting in as you read this material has foundation, the house that the chair sets in, the road you take to work, the tires on your automobile, etc., etc., they are all tangible foundations. The educational foundation you received in elementary school started out with the basic building blocks such as your ABCs, and the same principal can be applied while developing your knife fighting skills.

The most significant difference between my approach in defending against the blade begins from the ground up. 

A strong base is almost never mention by other knife expert. They would want to impress you with a lot fancy movement with the knife flaying there opponent. In most cases they teach you how to fight knife against knife. I don’t know about you but maybe they should stay out of area or situations that one has to carry a knife for protection. First of all if you are a law bidding citizens, it’s against the law. You don’t need a knife, take your opponent’s knife away. That will send a strong message to your attacker. I will teach you how to do that.

A strong base and knowing where to maneuver is foremost. I like to tell my people that I will give you a roadmap and teach you what to do when you get there. Feet must move first or at lease simultaneously. It is the solid base that lays the foundation for the sophisticate hands movements. My theory in Knife Fighting is  first Intercept, Control and then  Disarm  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to ascertain that if your don’t control who is yielding the knife, he will just keep swinging at you. How many times can you sidestep him before he gets lucky. I have seen and read many photo articles in martial arts magazine advocating blocks and attempted strikes. That is a receipt for failure and when dealing with a knife or gun it can be fatal. Because the knife or gun can take your life in a heartbeat, control of the weapon is foremost. This is where the strong base is important. Once you have control, what  say for instance your attacker arm strength is much more than you can handle. Providing you have a strong base and your arm is anchor close to your body, you’re probable going to be able to continue to have control. 

Chapter 13 

The martial arts system American Kenpo is a very structured and a precise system and takes great discipline to master. When creating the American Kenpo system, Grand Master Edmond K. Parker employed the clock principal to help maneuver the student into position to defend.  As an 8^th degree black belt in Master Parker American Kenpo, I can say without a doubt, it’s the cornerstone principal that so valuable in mastering Mr. Parker sophisticated system. He was a genius and will be truly missed. When defending against a straight right punch, He would asked you to step forward with your left foot to 1:00 O'clock into a left neutral bow while executing a left inward block to the outside of your opponents right arm.

 If done properly you were in perfect position to counter and neutralize your opponent's right punch and to initiate your own offensive weapons.  To step to 10 O'clock would create a different set of problems.  It would create a gap between you and your opponent so that you could not utilized the keep in touch theory, and would change the angle of entry of your block.  The angle of your block would now be uncomplimentary to your own body alignment, therefore loss of power and speed, two necessary elements to insure success.

When encountering a right punch, the worse case scenario could be getting hit with the punch, and possibly being knocked out. With a knife in the opponent’s hand the worse case scenario could be loss of life.  When defending against a knife the risk factor is greater, therefore the need to give yourself more latitude for margin of error. Therefore it is essential that you be more precise when you employ any defensive movement against the knife. It is for this reason that I use a modern day principal to help maneuver you through the self-defense techniques that you will see through out this book. If you were to stand in the middle of a circle and utilizing the clock principal, we would divide the circle into four equal sections running from 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock. We will henceforth refer to these four equal parts as quadrants.  Left front quadrant, right front quadrant, left rear quadrant and right rear quadrant. 

More times than not, these simple analogies assist the beginning student to understand a sophisticated movement must faster, therefore accelerating the learning process.  Preparation and a multitude of elements must be considered prior to initiation a course of action when engaging an opponent yielding a knife.  Your reaction time, size of your opponent, angle of entry, terrain and surrounding environment, what kind of lighting is available, just to name a few must be taken into account before countering your opponents initial attack.  Attention to details is crucial during your training because so much is at risk. There’s  no pressure on you in practices, but when it become a live situation you may not get a second chance.  Remember preparation is the key, drill what if situation so that you might familiarize yourself with probable scenarios and all available option to counter. Basic techniques should be drill over and over so that they become instinctive and reactionary.   Flamboyant movements are beautiful to watch, but I have found that simple basic techniques that have sound principle are the ones that you can put your trust in.  As a student and teacher of Mr. Parker American Kenpo,  I will now admit that some of the techniques that we practice are some what over sophisticated, but this is done to push the boundary and expand your knowledge.  You must have the wisdom and savvy to know where the fantasy ends and the real world begin

Chapter 14

Before we begin, I would like for you to consider this. If you had a knife in your hands, how many different ways could you deliver an attack to your opponent? We consider ourselves to be very sophisticated today, but in reality, we can not develop any more way to deliver a knife than our predecessors can’t. My Native American people had the same problem, but in their simplicity they really had the answer, keep it simple and basic. How many ways can you deliver the knife?

Now than you have had a moment to think about it, you will found that you can count them on one hand. Those movements are absolute and all others are just variations of the base move. We can take this base move and expand or add to what I refer to as Extensions, but I will cover those movements more in detail later.  I resurrected many of my American Indian  fighting methods, and compared them to our modem day sophisticated techniques, I realized they both had something in common.  Although hundreds of years apart the basis ingredients for success was found in both fighting methods.  Major movement was similar and in many cases was identical.  Through the passage of time we were able to add the minor movement to create the Major/Minor Concept along with other hidden movements, thus becoming more sophisticates.  The American Indians  employed a more basic and direct approach than our modem day Warriors and at the same time achieved the same lethal results. 

Chapter 15

I have divided the body and there target into five different areas, called the attack zones.  I have also assigned them a priory number in the sequence that you might see them firsthand in an encounter on the street.  

 Zone 1, is a straight thrust to the mid-section

  Zone 2, is a diagonal slash on the 1:30 to 7:30 0'clock line, assuming you are the attacker.

 Zone 3, is a diagonal slash on the 10:30 to 4:30 0’clock line, assuming you are the  attacker

 Zone 4, is an overhead attack using the 12:00 to 6:00 0’clock line

 Zone 5, is attacking all other exotic areas of the body. 

In the beginning the new student will feel the need to keep a healthy distance between him and the knife. Eventually the student will see the need to close this gap up and work closer to the opponent and the knife. Distance and improper angles create a whole new set of problems. The important use of leverage can be better employed when you can sense and feel your opponent’s movement. Whichever hand is controlling the opponent’s arm or wrist will be more effective when anchored closer to your body. Work this base for a few minutes and get comfortable with its movements and then I will share with you a numbers of disarms and options from there.  

Now that you’ve had a few minutes to practice the base move, lets introduce the disarms. You have just completed the base move and your left hand is securing your opponent’s right wrist.

 (1) Right hand grabs top of blade and disarms.

 (2) Right hand slaps top of blade and disarms.

(3) Right hand executes a heel of palm strike to back of opponent’s hand.

 (4) Execute a right inward elbow strike to back of opponent’s hand.

 (5) Force the top of the blade backwards against any portion of your body and disarm, forearm, hip, thigh etc. etc.

 (6) Switch you left wrist grab to a right and execute a left inward forearm strike to the back of your opponent’s elbow thus creating a hyper extension of the joint and forcing the disarm. There are many more but, this is enough to get you started. To defend against a left thrust to zone 1, just execute the above in reverse. Also, while performing all of the above techniques, you are operating on the outside. The next series of techniques when defending the same right front thrust, you will be working on the inside.

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