Do yourself a favor and keep fit, keep active, and exercise. Brain health can be robust if you use your body, which uses the brain. Check this article for details.

Below is a video of Guru Bruno Cruicchi doing the first Juru ( form or motion of many motions ) of Raja Sterlak Silat. He learned this art in Malaysia. 

In a detailed class on position, leverage, footwork, angulation, breathing, natural weapons, and application, Guru Santiago Dobles shows Guru Bruno Cruicchi how specific footwork of PENCAK SILAT CIMANDE GERAK SATRIA SHAKTI can be effective in combat. The law of gravity and cement always applies.

Professor Bruno Cruicchi gave a seminar in the weapon and empty hand arts of Venezuela on Sunday, July 13, 2008. This workshop was organized by Guru Tony Torre of the Miami Arnis Group, ( http://miamiarnisgroup.com/ ) and took place on Miami Beach overlooking Biscayne Bay. It’s nice to train with talented people who are also good friends, surrounded by palm trees, balmy weather, ocean, sail boats, and incredible scenery.

Don’t miss what me the best strength and conditioning workshop of the year! Go HERE and sign up NOW!

When: October 25-26 (Saturday and Sunday)

Where: Las Vegas, NV

Bonus: Free DVD of the workshop, free Lifeline USA Power Pushup 2 and Jungle Gym,  Retail value $259.95! Yours free for attending the workshop. Moreover 10% of your registration fee will go to help kids with cancer.

Dr. Harold Koning and Professor Bruno Cruicchi know how to live life on the edge!

Tropical Thunder punctuated the atmosphere in the small patch of jungle in the western suburb of Ft. Lauderdale. Bruno Cruicchi and I were visiting Dr. Harold Koning, an old friend, and fellow silat practitioner. Guru Harold’s resume, taken from online sources, reads like this -

"Harold Koning, Ph.D., MSW, M.Ed., C.Ht., is  the founder of Dynamic Wellness Strategies.  He is a Life, Wellness and Career Coach.  His background is in Social Psychology, Clinical Hypnotherapy, Qi Gong.  Dr. Koning has 22 years of international experience as a seminar leader, motivational speaker, and trainer of trainers.  His motto:  "I practice what I teach."

He has a work and research history in Europe, the Caribbean, South America and the United States.  Dr. Koning has been featured in the book, "Turning Dreams Into Success", and has produced his first CD titled, "Stress Repair".

In addition, Guru Harold is a former boxer, kickboxer, black belt in Dutch Kenpo, and practitioner of Mustika Kwitang Silat. His fitness level and conditioning would put a high school athlete to shame. He is skilled in native Surinamese-African dance, as well as being a gifted musician with a specialty in percussion and Flamenco guitar. He speaks English, Spanish, Dutch, varieties of Creole, and a few more languages. He never stops learning, training, or teaching. He just never stops. His musical instruments are as heavily used as his heavy bag, weights, jump rope, blades, and bicycle.

The conversation moved through martial arts to healing, spirituality, culture, travel, language, weaponry, meditation, stress relief, fitness, street life, music, dance, sociology and magic. Demonstrations of blade work, elevation change, footwork, impact weapons, acupuncture points, base distruption, and energy attacks were part of the flow of communication. What was normal to us would be mysterious to outsiders. It’s days like these that you feel good to be alive.

Both Harold Koning and Bruno Cruicchi will be part of the Miami Pencak Silat group. Stay tuned for much more to come.

To contact Dr. Harold Koning, go to his webpage at - http://mind-bodystrategies.com/

It was a humid morning in Tropical Paradise. Three members of the Miami Silat Group were meeting at a park to practice, train, exchange, and most importantly, laugh. Bruno Cruicchi was up first. His silat was Raja Sterlak that he learned in the far east during one of his many adventures. I described Bruno in the following paragraph for Marc Denny of the Dogbrothers, who had invited him to teach the legendary warriors of rattan.

"Bruno Cruicchi has been doing martial arts for over 40 years. He is Italian/Armenian and born in Cairo. He lives in Caracas, Venezuela, and Miami, Florida. We met through a silat email list several years ago and have been friends ever since. He is the mentor to our Miami based training group. He teaches many arts but focuses on the Venezeulan ones with our group. Personally he and I discuss blade and silat. His training is in Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Indonesian, Venezuelan, Chinese, Indian and Euro or Western arts. His primary focus is Venezuelan, Filipino, Indo, and TaiChi (Chen). His is a textbook of international travel, martial arts, styles and people. He knew Don Draeger and lives a similar lifestyle. He can root out the oddest sources of martial arts from Stick Lickin’ in the Islands to Portuguese Staffwork, to African Testa. He can give you an outline and a story about the instructor as well. Bruno makes his living as a linguist and speak 8 languages fluently,,, probably many more if pushed. He can start with the story of training in Indian Weaponry with his Silat instructor, or his entry into a French LaCanne Tournament using Venezuelan methods or his honeymoon trip to Paris and his meeting with the Adityo Hanafi of the Sumatran Tiger Silat Clan,,,,,… but you will have to buy the coffee or beer,… It will be a long night and you will tire before him. He is of course,.. The International Man of Mystery."

Next up was Santiago Dobles. Musician, healer, writer, and Silat man. Santi expounded on the use of Tiga, Sliwa, Djuru, Langkah, Sambut. Then we expanded into the use of Pisau, and Tongkat. Santi’s expertise does not end there. You might like his music. His guitar abilities are other-wordly. Go to www.myspace.com/santiagodobles and listen to "Black Sail". I asked him how he wrote this and when. He told me, " I just basically hit the record button and played!"

The subject matter ranged from biomechanics to concrete conflict, prison systems, yoga, palero, Djinn, Southeast Asian politics, and Indian Martial Arts. We had viewers of course. The occasional jogger, hiker, or group of summer camp bound children. There were of course the elements that make life in paradise interesting. We were viewed from afar by a team of Trustee’s doing lawn work. They seemed to be interested in the Cimande Silat and application of langkah via sapu, beset, kenjit, and puter kepala. You have to ask yourself, "Where are all the new 52 Blocks techniques coming from?".  Also in the mix of fans were our favorite reptiles. At least six to ten Iguanas decided to close in and see what was going on with the humans.

I have to say,…. Life in Paradise is never boring!

For further information on Silat in Miami,.. go to,..SILAT

In the shadowing background, Santiago Dobles and Tom Furman discuss the finer points of blade survival, applications of force, angles, and levers. Students and guest instructors hone their skills in combat. The minds are prepared, the passage is fire, and the disciples are elevated in their awareness and power. Remember, MARTIAL means WAR.

Here is a link to an article by Glenn Hairston on Tai Chi. He is known for his law enforcement career and DVD, Internal Damage.

LINK