Episode 1169 - Martial Things with Adam Beckley
In this episode join Andrew in whistlekick’s Martial Things series. This week he sits down and chats with Adam Beckley with a plan to talk about……. nothing. No plan, just a conversation to see where it takes them.
Martial Things with Adam Beckley - Episode 1169
SUMMARY
In this conversation, Adam Beckley shares his journey through martial arts, focusing on his transition to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and the importance of tournaments in testing skills. He discusses the calming nature of BJJ compared to striking arts and emphasizes the significance of positive language in training. The dialogue explores the adaptability required in martial arts and the mental aspects of competition. In this conversation, Adam shares his journey in martial arts, emphasizing the importance of positivity, the evolution of his preferences from sparring to forms, and his exploration into weaponry. He discusses the significance of community engagement through the Holly Jolly Brawly tournament, which empowers youth and supports local charities. The dialogue highlights the personal connection to handmade weapons and the energy infused in them, showcasing the deeper meaning behind martial arts and community involvement.
TAKEAWAYS
Tournaments are the safest way to pressure test yourself.
You either win and learn or you learn.
Words are very powerful and they can wreak havoc.
I did my best with what I had at that moment.
You have to be in a certain space to apply techniques.
Being positive is crucial, especially in competitive environments.
Sparring offers excitement, but forms can be meditative.
The Eku weapon feels natural and familiar to Adam.
Making weapons locally adds a personal touch.
Community tournaments can empower youth and support charities.
It's important to give back to the community that supports you.
Handmade weapons carry a special energy and story.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction to Martial Things
02:51 Transitioning to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
06:00 The Role of Tournaments in Martial Arts
12:02 The Power of Positive Language in Training
21:44 The Power of Positivity in Martial Arts
22:34 Exploring Martial Arts Preferences: Sparring vs. Forms
25:01 The Journey into Weaponry: Discovering the Iku
27:34 The Art of Making Weapons: A Personal Journey
28:39 Community Impact: The Holly Jolly Brawly Tournament
36:15 Giving Back: Empowering Youth Through Martial Arts
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SHOW TRANSCRIPT
Andrew Adams (00:03.304)
Hey hey Adam, how are you?
Adam B (00:05.471)
Good, sorry, I'm a little late. I was brewing up cup of tea and time got away from me.
Andrew Adams (00:07.522)
no worries. I mean you Yeah, no no worries at all. No worries at all. How how are you tonight? Excellent.
Adam B (00:16.777)
Good, good. I just got done with a workout from Jiu Jitsu and stuff, so a little sweaty.
Andrew Adams (00:22.402)
Yeah. that that's okay. you know, I can't smell you through the computer, so you're fine. are you I I I f I forget if I had asked you this. Are you familiar with our Martial Things series?
Adam B (00:29.193)
Yeah,
Adam B (00:38.737)
I've heard a little, I've listened to a few episodes. You kind of just start at neutral and then kind of see where the conversation goes from there.
Andrew Adams (00:46.08)
Yeah, yeah. So Marshall things with Adam Beckley, who knows what we're gonna talk about, right? And and I I I I heard from people that they when we did after I did the first one, they really enjoyed the fact that it not that Jeremy or I and I really go in with a script of exactly what we're gonna talk about. We we know what the the topic is gonna be, but you know, we have a rough idea of where we're gonna go and
Adam B (00:51.229)
Right. Right.
Adam B (01:06.152)
Mm-hmm.
Andrew Adams (01:14.04)
People really seem to enjoy the raw nature of this kind of episode.
Adam B (01:18.899)
Yeah. Yeah.
Andrew Adams (01:20.78)
So if you're okay, we'll just we'll just keep going. Is that good? Yeah. I mean, so you just got back from Jiu Jitsu, you said. You're all sweaty and gross. You don't if you're just listening in the car you can't tell. but if you're watching maybe you can maybe you can see. I'm just I'm just kidding.
Adam B (01:30.099)
Yes. Yep.
Yeah.
Maybe a little bit, yeah. I wipe myself off so that way I'm camera ready. Well, I'm ready for my close-up, director.
Andrew Adams (01:42.638)
So I remember from our interview, which I I couldn't remember I couldn't tell you what the number was. Maybe you remember your own episode number.
Adam B (01:58.432)
Yeah, man, I should and I was gonna, you know, was gonna look it up today. If you're like, have a feeling he's gonna ask me and it slipped my mind entirely. But I am, I am on there somewhere. I'm thinking something.
Andrew Adams (02:02.798)
That's okay. But but I I remember from our chat that that that you didn't start in BJJ, right? You started training that mo you know w a lot more recently. What you know, you your training was in a lot of goju stuff. What made you decide to do the BJJ thing?
Adam B (02:19.102)
Yes.
Adam B (02:25.693)
So I had an interest in it even at an earlier time when I started getting into Aikijitsu. So Korokken Aikijitsu is a fusion, like a collective system of different elements. Like it had elements of Jujitsu in it, but it also had a lot of Aikido. So it was really popular during the era of Steven Seagal.
Like that style was really popular and it took off and really surged. And I really fell in love with Aikijitsu and elements of Aikido. Like I love the idea of Aikido, even though it gets so much hate. But that's, you know, that's for another point in the conversation, I guess.
You know, I wanted to be, when I first got into martial arts, I wanted to be able to adapt to each and every situation. Like if I did fall to the ground, what can I do? And I had a lot of standup striking experience. I had a lot of standup joint lock experience. But being able to work stuff on the ground was one of my weaker areas. So I wanted to, when I had the opportunity to explore that, I wanted to explore it. And when I first,
So when I first moved up North, so I started in Southern Vermont and it was in Routland County where I was training. And I think what I had done was kind of the opposite of what a lot of people do. When a lot of people start training, they start with like one style and they focus on just one thing. When I got into it, I wanted to do it all. Like it was so spread out of all the different things that I was focusing on and trying to explore that.
Andrew Adams (03:59.531)
Mm-hmm.
Adam B (04:12.775)
It was like a Jack of all trades, master of none type thing. And there were some things that I gravitate towards and I enjoy, like I really enjoy the striking and stuff. still, I'm sparring and working, know, striking, I'm still like, I still get that feeling of excitement, like you're waiting in line for a roller coaster ride at Disneyland. Whereas most people are nervous, I'm excited. I love it.
Andrew Adams (04:18.07)
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Andrew Adams (04:39.779)
Yeah.
Adam B (04:40.817)
I just have this thrill, this adrenaline rush, like, I can't wait. And it's such a thrill and I just love it. Jiu-Jitsu is like a little bit more opposite. I don't feel as stressed. It's more calm and relaxing. And I think because it's more close quarters, and that was the thing with what I really liked about the Aikijitsu style, was that was more close quarters and more joint lock based versus being able to have to punch or kick somebody. Because if I had to defend myself,
Andrew Adams (04:53.065)
interesting.
Andrew Adams (05:06.146)
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Adam B (05:08.927)
Maybe I don't want to, maybe depending on the situation, I might not want to use a punch or a kick on somebody. Maybe I want to, maybe I want to be able to just put them in a hold and let it be. So that way we can both walk away and be okay. No. So that always had really interested me even at a, at a very young age. And, you know, with, with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu,
Andrew Adams (05:23.086)
Mm.
Adam B (05:35.912)
where we were moving up north, moving in Morseville, and there was a gym in Morseville. And I was like, wow, this is really interesting because this is the one style, this is the one area that I'm kind of the weakest in. Like I can defend a little bit and do a few things. I got a few things here and there, a little bit of wrestling, but it wasn't as refined. Whereas Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is so focused on the ground.
Andrew Adams (06:00.887)
Mm-hmm.
Adam B (06:05.451)
So much of it is developed on the ground. And so I, for a few years, I had stopped looking into Aikijitsu, karate, all those arts for the longest time. And I just hyper-focused everything in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The longest, so I kind of did the opposite where I went from all these different things at one time to hyper-focusing to one thing for several years. And,
Andrew Adams (06:33.165)
Yeah.
Adam B (06:36.223)
And there was a time that I didn't know whether or not I could even do it. Because I was, I was looking to try and continue my training when I moved like with, with my traditional training and stuff when I had first moved up here. But, I had a, I had an injury with my back and I talked, we talked about this in the interview, but I wasn't sure if I could even continue to train because it was bad. I was having doctors tell me, know, you're going to have to get surgery. you know,
Andrew Adams (06:40.558)
Hmm.
Andrew Adams (06:53.506)
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yep.
Andrew Adams (06:57.666)
Yeah. Yeah.
Adam B (07:04.203)
this is going to be pain you're just going to have to deal with and even on my wedding day I could barely stand up straight I couldn't even walk a block and it was you know in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was the saving grace for me because while a lot of people say well I can't do this or that because of my back and stuff it actually strengthened my core
And with that coupled with chiropractic care and proper stretching and just building the strength and just moving, moving in unison, it fixed my back problems. Is my back still stiff? Do I still struggle with flexibilities here and there? Yes. But I can walk. I can carry a full grown man on my back now. I couldn't do that before. You know, I feel, you
Andrew Adams (07:41.25)
Hmm.
Andrew Adams (07:46.435)
Yeah, yeah.
Andrew Adams (07:51.266)
Yep. Yeah.
Adam B (07:56.094)
So yeah, focusing on those aspects and now kind of coming full circle with this in mind, I've kind of focused on trying to branch out and kind of incorporate everything again.
Andrew Adams (08:14.22)
Yeah. It's interesting you you saying that the BJJ brings you a little more peace and you didn't say the word Zen, but like Zen kind of like and I I think and I could be wrong, but and and listeners and viewers if correct me if I'm wrong, but I would I would have thought for people that didn't start out in BJJ that doing the new thing would actually make you less comfortable, that you would be you
that it would be a little more stressful to be doing that being close quarters and being further away, which is something you're more comfortable with. I I just and maybe it's because I have not done a ton of BJ J that I seem that I see it that way. But I'm I'm curious, listeners, if comment, you know, go go on the Facebook page or if you're watching on YouTube, go to YouTube and and tell me your thoughts. Cause I genuinely would like to know would you would people think BJ J would
Adam B (08:57.823)
Mm-hmm.
Andrew Adams (09:14.028)
be more stressful because it's right in close. I mean that in my head, that's where I would go. So that's interesting.
Adam B (09:20.531)
Yeah, it is. I think where I go back to it, if I were to look at it logically as to why it feels more, more calming for me is that with, with striking, you have several different zones you have to deal with. You know, there's a zoning range of diff, you know, you have to deal with the kicking zone, the elbow, knee zone, punching zone. There's a palm heel zone.
Andrew Adams (09:40.514)
Yeah, that's I mean that's true.
Andrew Adams (09:49.325)
Yep. Yeah.
Adam B (09:49.473)
Knife hands on they all vary slightly as far as measurements go But when you get into like the clinch and the grappling range It's almost It's almost another Playing field altogether. It's like going from a soccer field to the pool. I Guess would be moving my way of looking at it, right? because you have to have a certain range in order to throw strikes and
Andrew Adams (09:53.794)
Yep, yep.
Andrew Adams (10:11.191)
Yeah, yeah.
Adam B (10:18.334)
What I like to do every now and then with Jiu-Jitsu is I think sometimes it's easy to get in the habit of the sport aspects to where you think so much about the rules that you forget about the, you know, the old school, like incorporating striking elements every now and then. I like to keep incorporating the striking elements to make sure my Jiu-Jitsu is also...
not just, know, there's different variations of jujitsu, right? You do have your sport jujitsu aspect, just like you have your sport karate versus your self-defense karate, self-defense jujitsu, you have to be mindful of like, if a person is striking at you, when someone's striking at you, they can't strike and grapple at the same time. It's like a different gear entirely. You have to go from one gear to another. And some of the best fighters in the UFC, know, Habib, Nurgum Adolf,
Andrew Adams (10:54.094)
Mm-hmm.
Adam B (11:13.044)
And if I'm butchering your name, I'm sorry, please don't come knocking on my door. I don't mean any disrespect, but he did it so well where he transitioned that people couldn't catch it in time with his wrestling and striking. But there's a subtle difference and the really good fighters will shift it so smoothly that you don't notice it, but it's impossible to be in one zone and not be able to do things in the other. You have to be in a certain space. There has to be certain rules that are applied.
in order to apply said techniques, said theories. I think that's why...
Andrew Adams (11:46.358)
Yeah. Yeah. And and and you're right and and you're right, the best fighters can go amongst those in and out interchangeably without having it affect them.
Adam B (11:56.063)
Yes, they also control the they also control where the fight goes with the narrative goes. It's like having an argument. If we talk about like what superhero is better and we get an argument back and forth and like between Batman or or or Spider-Man and we go we have this we have this back and forth and back and forth and eventually it's like that debate somebody comes out on top in the debate because they're leading the bait in their favor.
Andrew Adams (12:02.382)
Mm-hmm.
Andrew Adams (12:25.998)
Yeah. Yep.
Adam B (12:26.078)
You know, the fight can be like that too. It's a lot like a science in a way. I kind of think of us as scientists versus like brutal barbarians. You know, we're like scientists. So.
Andrew Adams (12:30.03)
Yeah. No
Andrew Adams (12:39.148)
Yeah. So there's something else that I w that, you know, when again w we didn't prepare that I don't have a list in front of me of stuff, but the last time the last time we saw each other was at a tournament. and I don't remember during our discussion, which I did look it up, if you guys listening or watching want to check out Adam's episode, it's episode ten thirty four. So you can go you can go check out his his interview there where we talk about
Adam B (12:48.096)
Yeah, no worries.
Adam B (12:52.053)
Mm-hmm.
Adam B (13:01.876)
Nice.
Andrew Adams (13:08.438)
your your training and coming up. But one of the things that I I don't think we talked about much was tournaments during our interview. And we saw each other most recently at a tournament. And I know that you not only compete yourself, which I definitely want to talk about, but that you host tournaments as well and you attend others and you help it. And so I thought, you know what, we should chat a little bit about that because not everybody that does martial arts does tournaments. some some people are actively against tournaments.
I'm not a fan of any sort of closed mindedness, but let's let's talk about that. Like we saw each other at the the whistle kick championship you know a week ago.
Adam B (13:47.285)
Yeah. Yeah. So tournaments, I'm not one to say that tournaments are mandatory, but I do think it's a way to, it's probably the safest way to be able to pressure test yourself.
Adam B (14:07.976)
Otherwise, what's the alternative is getting in like an actual street fight, which in reality, you know, maybe in the movies and stuff, that's great and fantasy and all. But in reality, it's it's very dangerous, unpredictable. And then it's not so much that it's the aftermath after. You know, nobody talks about, you know, the movies that don't talk about like the court dates and the time you got to take off to make those court dates and all that. So.
Andrew Adams (14:25.034)
Yeah.
Andrew Adams (14:30.42)
Yeah, exactly.
Yeah.
Adam B (14:36.83)
tournaments are nice in a way where you can test your abilities in a controlled environment and pressure test yourself. And I'm always one where if I can, I try to get video and I don't review it the very moment after I try not to. I give myself a day or two and then I look at it and try to look at it logistically like, okay, what did I do well? What can I improve on?
Andrew Adams (14:55.02)
Mm-hmm.
Adam B (15:05.716)
What can I shift and what can I change? And thus the idea is it's a variation of pressure testing towards self-improvement. And the hope is, is I get a little bit better. And then you gotta weigh the variables, like, okay, what are the variables? Did I get enough sleep the night before? There's so many different variables. The temperature, the floor, the everything, everything.
Andrew Adams (15:32.033)
Yep. Yeah. Yeah.
Adam B (15:34.484)
You know, if you have any kind of lingering chronic pain that comes up, flares up or something, that can play a role. But, you know, taking that into consideration and just kind of pressure testing yourself.
Andrew Adams (15:40.62)
Yeah.
Andrew Adams (15:47.426)
Yeah, I I I couldn't agree more. I've I've for for those that are that are anti-tournaments and and and let I want to be clear, when I say anti-tournaments, they're usually against sparring tournaments. I I don't know many people that think kata tournaments or forums tournaments competitions are bad per se. And maybe they're out there and and I'm sure if you are out there, you're gonna at me and that's okay. You can reach me, Andrew at whistlekick.com.
but I look at it this way. First off, you're right. You outside of going out to the bar and picking a fight with people, it's gonna be difficult to to pressure test yourself, right? To see what what's gonna work and what's not. Now, there are there other ways to do it. Sure. You could sign up for the UFC, right? You can do like full contact fighting, right? That is another way, but most people
Adam B (16:43.924)
Mm-hmm.
Andrew Adams (16:46.506)
Are not interested in potentially getting injured to that degree. But one of the things that it does teach you is reading your opponent, right? That that split second, right? When when you're sparring someone, and yeah, they're gonna go for lightest touch because they're trying to show control and you don't want to hurt the person, but they're moving and trying to hit you. You're moving and trying to hit them, and the ability to read the other person.
You can't it it is a lot harder to do that if you don't practice it. And the more you practice something, we all know the more you practice something, the better you get at it. So going to competitions gives you more practice. Now, people can argue, well, you can do that in your school. You're you know, sparring with people in your school. Okay, A, that's great, awesome. Do that. That's low that's that's wonderful. But if you're always sparring the same people, sure it's gonna be easier.
Adam B (17:27.253)
Yes.
Andrew Adams (17:46.978)
But if you get attacked on the street, you're gonna be attacked by probably not your partner in class, right? It's gonna be someone you don't know. So when you go to a tournament, you're gonna be fighting someone you don't know. So, I mean, there's so many, I'm with you in terms of I don't think they should be mandatory in schools. but there are so many benefits to competing in tournaments that that I think you can't overlook that.
Adam B (17:58.26)
Yes.
Adam B (18:14.1)
Yeah, it can definitely be a way of self empowerment too. When you get out there and the key is like when my students that compete, I just tell them like, look, just do your best. Just do your very best. And at the end of the day, if you come up short and you don't get, as long as you can say, you know what, I did my best, but you don't want to have this be like, you know, I could have done better. That's the worst feeling.
Andrew Adams (18:18.573)
Hm.
Andrew Adams (18:41.56)
Yeah. Yep.
Adam B (18:42.688)
It's like, I did my best with what I had at that moment in time. Because it's just, it's not, and that's the other thing is like, even with the pressure testing, it is just a snapshot of who you are at that given moment. It is not an all encompassing.
collaboration of who you are as a martial artist. I think a lot of people need to realize that too. Like if you don't do well on a given day, it's okay. You know, best, the best of the best have lost at some point in time. And it's not necessarily losing. The L word I always like to use is learning. You either win and learn or you learn. And either way, you're learning.
Andrew Adams (19:12.664)
Mm-hmm.
Andrew Adams (19:21.398)
Or you learn
Adam B (19:26.184)
I don't like using like in my gym, I don't like using that word lose. Even when I say like if we're doing, if we're trying to do like a mock tournament bracket, like, okay, whoever doesn't win this match, the two that don't win this match are going to do the contenders match. Cause saying the word lose or saying loser is, is very like words are very powerful and they can really wreak havoc on your body.
Andrew Adams (19:26.284)
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Andrew Adams (19:30.947)
Mm.
Andrew Adams (19:43.67)
Mm.
Andrew Adams (19:52.662)
Yeah, no, that's great. I I never would have thought of that, but it makes it makes sense. And yeah, I I hope people listening take that to heart because it does words words have meaning and and whether you intend them to or not, people are gonna take them a certain way. And what's the difference between saying who didn't win and who lost? It's just perception. I love that.
Adam B (20:17.128)
Exactly. that just those words and stuff can do so much on the body. There was actually a study done and I can't quote it date and everything and who did the study, but they did a study with power lifters. And what they did was they covered the weights so they didn't know what the weights were. And what they did was they got each
each weight power lifters a PR record, what the PR was. And they said, all right, you're stand at the bar, didn't know what the weight was, they had it covered. So you're gonna tell yourself, you're gonna say it out loud, I am weak. I am no good, like negative, just saying it out loud. And then they lift the weight and they struggled to lift the weight. Then they left. And here's what happened. Here's what was interesting.
Andrew Adams (20:50.667)
Yep. Yep.
Adam B (21:12.042)
They put on more weight without the power lifters knowing. It's like, okay, coming up again a few minutes later, now you're gonna tell yourself, I am strong, I'm capable, I'm powerful. And wouldn't you know, Andrew, they lifted the weight clean because that saying those words and saying it out loud, it does something to the body. They were actually able to beat their PR because they use that power of positivity.
Andrew Adams (21:22.637)
Mm.
Andrew Adams (21:34.082)
Yeah.
Adam B (21:39.764)
which is so huge because the body just responds to that.
Andrew Adams (21:41.163)
Yeah. I love that. That's great.
Adam B (21:44.821)
So being positive, even when you... And I struggle with that a lot. Like even at the tournament, like I wish I had done better and I just, I gotta just keep telling myself like, look, you gotta stay positive, you know? Cause you did judging right before, you gotta take the positive with that. the judging, the way I judge, like I put a lot of energy into it. Probably more than a normal person. Like I get like...
Andrew Adams (22:09.302)
Yeah, yep, you absolutely do. Yep.
Adam B (22:13.656)
wrestling pro wrestling based style and I get that crowd yelling and it and it takes it takes a special kind of energy to do that and sometimes if I'm not careful I will overextend and and tie myself out as if I did a full-on fight because the amount of energy that I'm putting out there to the audience you know
Andrew Adams (22:28.654)
Yeah.
Andrew Adams (22:34.786)
Yeah. Now when you do enter tournaments, you enter for the the tournaments that have them, you enter sparring forms and weapons. What do you prefer? Of the three, what's your favorite?
Adam B (22:45.024)
Mm-hmm.
Adam B (22:50.91)
When I was younger and I start with start and training, I liked the fighting a lot more. And the reason why was when I started getting into martial arts, I didn't focus a lot on the forms like the end and going back to when I first started training, I wasn't able to get to an actual dojo or a training hall. So I was doing VHS tapes and I was taking notes on,
you know, taking down notes and recording different clips on movies and using that as my reference. So like forms, empty hand forms, kata, what have you, it didn't appeal to me because it's like I only have a finite amount of time because I felt.
You know, was in a current, that situation, that point in time when I was younger, I had to learn how to defend myself. So I had to focus on the essentials, I had to focus on the fighting aspects, for sure. And I think I had focused on it so much, I started to really enjoy it. And I think that's where my excitement comes from when I'm still sparring. So probably some past trauma there, but...
It's like when you're in that environment enough where it's scary, almost try to look for the humor in it. Otherwise, you'll fall apart. I think that's part of what I did as a young man. Now, as I'm older, I still enjoy the sparring aspects. I think there's definitely an art to figuring out how to create an opening and exposing it.
Andrew Adams (24:17.248)
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Adam B (24:34.002)
in finding where the chink in the armor is. I always really enjoy that. But I also have been starting to get into forms a lot more too, as I got an older, because it's almost like a form of meditation for me, for sure. Like I can tell a story through my body movement. I'm still tense a lot of times for some of my forms. I should be a little bit more relaxed. But there are certain like,
Andrew Adams (24:46.157)
Mm.
Adam B (25:01.096)
Now that I'm getting into the Iku a lot more, I've been doing the Iku for a few years. That's been wonderful. That's been really helpful. because with the style that I'm doing, I'm using, for references, I'm using Fumio Demura's Iku Kobunoh. And so his forms have been the way they move. They're very flow-like and water. And for whatever reason,
Andrew Adams (25:06.125)
Mm-hmm.
Andrew Adams (25:16.866)
Yep, yep.
Adam B (25:28.508)
when I started handling that and I've done work with the bow. That was like my first weapon. Done that for a number of years. And that was basically my only weapon ever focused on. And I was like, you know, I want to try the Iku. I'm curious about it. And there was just something about it. And the moment I touched it, it felt familiar, which is weird.
It felt like it is something that I held before and it felt natural. And normally for me nothing ever feels natural. Ever. But that, holding that and moving with it felt natural.
Andrew Adams (25:58.849)
Interesting.
Andrew Adams (26:06.347)
Now have you made your first eco yet?
Adam B (26:09.28)
Have not know I am I do have a parent that did though one of my girls that competed At the tournament before the one we were at She had an eq is definitely a lot heavier than mine because it's out of like an ash log And the dad the dad had kind of whittled it down everything, but I have not made an eq. Yeah, I am I'm looking into exploring that at some point. I am working on another
Andrew Adams (26:26.308)
wow, yeah.
Adam B (26:38.056)
I'm working on exploring another weapon, but it's very vague and trying to find forms and stuff of it on, which is the TZ Kumboh. So it's very similar to like, they also call it a hand bow. So it's about like six inches in length. You hold it and to go around like the middle finger or the ring finger, I guess in some cases is a rope. So you can, and I guess it used to be used for casting out fishing nets.
Andrew Adams (27:04.301)
How interesting.
Adam B (27:04.318)
and being able to reel them back in. there's, again, there's a lot of flow, so there's something to do with the water. seeing that, and I made a template not too long ago and just kind of flowed around with that. was like, man, this feels really cool. So that's another one I'm looking to explore a little bit too.
So I don't know, a lot to do with the water. I can't swim, so I don't know where it comes from,
Andrew Adams (27:29.493)
Really interest now can't swim. Where did that how did that come about?
Adam B (27:34.593)
that I can't swim. just think, I think I've always tried to and my wife is a wonderful swimmer. She's an expert swimmer for sure. Done lifeguarding for a number of years. And she's tried to teach me like, you just have to flow. But I think because I'm so dense, I have a tendency to sink a lot more. Like I just sink like a rock.
Andrew Adams (27:35.767)
Yeah, like like how how is it how was it you just never learn?
Andrew Adams (28:00.847)
Mm.
Adam B (28:01.493)
You know, I can, I can do a good doggy paddle. That's about it. I can get by with the doggy paddle, but if I was deep out and see like, I really are, you know, I, can like lay on my back and do, you know, like a good backstroke. I can do that. So that's something, but you're not going to see me do like deep diving or anything like that. I'm not going to be going on the Olympic swim team anytime soon to compete at the worlds, you know, you know,
Andrew Adams (28:14.574)
All right. I mean that that's that's that's that's doable, that's good.
Andrew Adams (28:23.576)
Wow and you're you're not gonna see me doing a triple Lindy either. So I mean that's that that's okay. So now what made you decide to get into making weapons in the first place?
Adam B (28:39.878)
I had noticed like there was a need and interest in doing doing cobedo for weaponry and. So back when I went to high school. I got a lot into woodworking. And when working industrial arts, that was awesome. That's what I did all through high school from 8th grade all the way to my senior year.
Absolutely loved it and it was nice because we could build a lot of our own projects and then it was like I was building like different pieces of furniture for my house because it's like okay, I Don't have this furniture in my room. I'll just build it you know, and it worked out great that way and and there was a time when I wanted to get into doing handcrafted furniture and It might be something else to do at some point. I'm still young. So there may be maybe I'll do I'll do woodworking as a profession
Andrew Adams (29:16.898)
Sure.
Andrew Adams (29:31.31)
Yeah.
Adam B (29:34.187)
But just looking into getting different weapons and stuff, and I remember ordering some staffs and looking into ordering staffs anyway. And my jaw hit the floor like a cartoon character when I saw how much the shipping was. It was more to ship a single staff than it was for the whole staff itself. I couldn't give you the exact number, but it was ridiculous. And I'm like, you've got to be kidding me.
Andrew Adams (29:55.928)
Yeah. Yep.
Adam B (30:02.752)
It's like, what am I gonna do? Because I run a small business. My main thing now is I'm a martial arts school owner and I run a school. And anyone who runs a school, it's like very few are like, I'm not like a millionaire or anything like that. So it's like, as a small business, every dollar counts. And so, I want to do this thing. My kids want to do this thing.
But how do I do it where it's least impactful financially? How can I get past the shipping? I thought, and I was like, well, I just make them. So I started making staffs and I started by getting like old boomsticks and stuff that were donated and made some from their rake handles.
Andrew Adams (30:51.448)
Mm-hmm.
Adam B (30:55.412)
because a lot of my kids were small enough where that was beneficial for them. didn't have to have a six foot length.
Andrew Adams (31:01.728)
Yeah, yeah. They're not gonna need a full size adult bow.
Adam B (31:04.22)
No, you're not. that's most of my students are younger kids. So I was like, yeah, I'll start with that. And we started exploring some other things. And I thought, well, gee, it would be really nice if there was someone who made weapons locally. So that way you didn't have to worry about, you know.
Andrew Adams (31:27.19)
Mm-hmm.
Adam B (31:30.758)
ordering something online and it's less it's less personable like and also not really you know this is you know one finish you have this finish or that finish you have you know one you know it's like ice cream but only having two flavors you think of chocolate vanilla that's it what if you want mint chocolate chip what if you want black raspberry right so i thought well what how cool would it be if if if i got into making you know
Andrew Adams (31:45.08)
Yeah. Yep. Yep.
Adam B (31:58.717)
Even if it was just stats, for instance, let's customize the color. you want a special pattern? We could definitely make that happen. Make it fully customizable for you. you want your initials on it? OK, you got it. Because I don't really know of any, to my knowledge, of anything that's out there that exists on a local level, unless you find someone to do it for you privately or unless you just make it yourself.
Andrew Adams (32:09.4)
Yeah.
Andrew Adams (32:23.67)
Yeah. Yeah, exactly. And I have some handmade weapons and I enjoy them more because they were and I and to be clear, I didn't make them. They were made for me. but I I cherish them more because they were handmade. Like my bow is is nice. It's nice. It it's fine. I mean I I I bought it.
From a website. I don't even remember. You know what? Here's I couldn't even tell you where I bought it from. Right? It just it it doesn't mean anything to me. But I know who made my Nunchuku. I know who made my comma. I know that my comma, the blades of them were from an old circular saw blade that I sourced because he was he said, Yeah, I do these and I make them out of circular saw blades. So I went to yard sales until I found.
crappy, junked up circular saw blades, and I bought them and I brought to him. And he, you know, they don't have the the teeth on it, right? I mean it's you c you can't tell that it was a circular saw blade, but I know that it was. And he used those and made the handles and he put the the the comma blades on the top and that's cool that I know that it was handmade for me. Like I I treat it differently because of that. And so I think that's really cool that's something that you have started doing.
Adam B (33:51.263)
And there's also, I think, a special energy that goes into it. When you know where it came from and you know the energy that went into it. Even more so if you're able to reuse items too that had a certain purpose. I'm actually making some walking sticks right now. And some of them are from an old shovel handle that my grandfather used to have from his farm. So I'm working on like,
Andrew Adams (34:07.704)
Mm-hmm.
Andrew Adams (34:16.829)
wow. Yeah, that's cool.
Adam B (34:20.394)
I'm working on sanding that down to get it nice and smooth. And I'm on the fence if I want to do a stain yet, or if I want to do a paint pattern or whatnot, but just working on converting it into a walking stick. But to know that there's a special energy into that. My grandfather who lived to be 102 and was chopping wood, even though 100, because he was a dairy farmer.
His secret was it you know he used in his youth he used to smoke and drink and everything else But then he stopped in his 30s or his 40s. He's like all I drink was water Yeah, like that's that's the only thing I drank water and And he was he was just such a great example of health He was such a hard-working man so to have something like that in You know that to know that there was a special energy that's attached to that
Andrew Adams (34:55.598)
Mm.
Andrew Adams (35:13.954)
Yeah, yeah.
Adam B (35:14.504)
is pretty cool and to be able to give it life again for someone else to be able to harness and use in the future.
Andrew Adams (35:21.216)
Mm-hmm. Yeah. Because that weapon will be able to tell a story, right? And the student that gets it, like if you hand you know, someone comes to you wanting a weapon that you would then handmake for them, like they have a story to tell. It's way different than I bought this from whatever dot com.
Adam B (35:41.812)
Yeah. Yeah. So I think there is a beauty to it when you go local in that way. And it's like, it definitely feels much more personable.
Andrew Adams (35:44.994)
That's really cool.
Andrew Adams (35:53.42)
Yep. Yep. And even if and and I say this for the people listening, even if it means you have to spend a little bit more, it's going to mean more. So you should be willing to if you need to pay a little more.
Adam B (36:04.338)
Mm-hmm, because it has more value to it.
Andrew Adams (36:07.272)
Absolutely. Absolutely. where do we go from here? Is there anything else we should chat about?
Adam B (36:15.974)
Well, we talked about promoting tournaments and with judging and stuff and promoting. So I talked about how.
Andrew Adams (36:20.941)
Yeah.
Adam B (36:29.866)
about how tournaments can be empowering and how there might be some people that are uncertain about competing and stuff. One thing that I've been doing, and this is going to be my fourth year doing this, and well, it does take a lot of energy to do. I'm happy to do it. And it seems to grow a little bit more every year. It started as an in-house tournament originally. But in December, we do a benefit tournament every year.
And it's called the Holly Jolly Brawly, now called the Holly Jolly Brawly Invitational because we opened it up to other schools. But the first year we just did one, it was just an in-house tournament where it was just two divisions. And now it's grown to seven divisions of competition. So anyone who, anyone who promotes tournaments is like, what is wrong with you? Why are you doing this? It's like, I want to be able to offer something for everybody. Basically.
Andrew Adams (37:07.116)
Okay.
Adam B (37:26.364)
If you're just starting out and you're a beginner and you're not ready to do point sparring yet, then you know there's going to be flag sparring, padded swords division, gi grappling, no gi grappling, weapons forms, empty hand forms, and point sparring. So.
Andrew Adams (37:42.368)
Mm-hmm. Now now I haven't I haven't been to the Holly Jolly Brawley yet. Yet. is is this prime is it a are there full adult divisions as well?
Adam B (37:48.34)
Yeah.
Adam B (37:55.017)
It is a youth only tournament. the reason why, and I've had some adults ask me, why don't you offer it for adults too? The reason why I have it as a youth only tournament, and adults of course are invited to help and stuff with judging, is that for kids, if they wanna be able to give back to their community and they wanna be able to help, there's very few ways that they can do it without the help of their parents. Unless that...
youth is mowing lawns all year or shoveling snow and they save the money and then they take that money and donate it. You know, or if they're 16 and then they can work a job. But other than that, if they're younger, it's hard for them to be able to contribute. So the special thing about this tournament is that it's a non-profit. Meaning that all the profit that we make from this we donate to charity. I don't keep a single cent of it.
And it's a way for kids to be able to come out, especially if they never competed before, to empower themselves. But know that it's not about winning or learning. It's about, that's it, you more use it, you know? It's not about winning or learning. It's about the fact that you just being here is helping this community.
Andrew Adams (39:06.574)
Good.
Yeah.
Adam B (39:20.874)
There's someone that's in need and it kind of connects back to my past where, know, I grew up and there were months where it was a really hard struggle. And, especially in like the winter months in December, December, the winter when it's cold and, know, with, with different utilities, with heat and whatnot.
It made things really tight. We were able to make it work, but it made money very tight for people, especially if people live in paycheck to paycheck and all it takes is just one missed paycheck. And then it throws everything for a loop. And, you know, I feel that kids deserve to have a holiday and stuff if they have like a wish list. And people deserve to have their pantry stock full and be able to have food. They shouldn't be starving, especially, you know, in Vermont.
I don't have all the stats in front of me, but there's a lot of stats that are, it's sad. And we look at the whole picture and like, you know, with the news and all the different horrors that are out there and it's like, it can be very overwhelming and feeling like what can I do for the grand picture? And the grand picture is so much bigger than ourselves. But if we hyper-focus it and say, what can I do in my community to start?
Andrew Adams (40:41.1)
Yeah. That's where it starts. Yeah.
Adam B (40:43.092)
Help a neighbor empower that neighbor and that neighbor will help another one and then you have this butterfly effect where it spreads and So like this tournament we we help two different organizations we help the the Harvard holiday project Which is run by Lottie Allen, which is a toy drive that helps with different families I think she helped over a hundred families last year
Andrew Adams (41:10.51)
That's great.
Adam B (41:11.008)
for Christmas to be able to get like a Christmas list and stuff and we get a wish list and it's not crazy things. It's not like, I want that new Nintendo Switch. It's not that, it's things like hunting supplies or, know, squish mellows, things like that. Stuff that's within reason. And we also are...
Andrew Adams (41:28.374)
Yeah, yeah.
Adam B (41:33.97)
are going to be helping the Harwick area food pantry, which helps in Caledonia and as well as in parts of Orleans as well. So like last year, they helped over 2,000 households with food deliveries and helping families that can go there to be able to get the help that they need.
Andrew Adams (41:42.84)
Mm-hmm. Love it.
Andrew Adams (41:56.815)
That's awesome. So it's a tournament with a cause, which is great because it helps the local community, which is your community. So of course you're gonna want to help that, you know.
Adam B (41:59.807)
Yeah.
Adam B (42:04.576)
Exactly. I think it's important to be able to, for us as martial artists, to be able to give back to the community that supports us. And it also is a way for us to be able to come together to show the community, like look at what we are able to do by being able to come together, especially by having it being invitational and having all these different schools be able to come together and...
Andrew Adams (42:19.022)
Mm-hmm.
Adam B (42:27.456)
You know, it helps to kind of drop those barriers. And I'm like, okay, we're coming together. We're doing this really awesome thing. We're empowering our youth, but we're also helping these people out. And what a great read at the of the year, right? Yeah.
Andrew Adams (42:38.274)
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. I love that. I love that. Yeah, and obviously people listening might listen to this in January, February, March, but it's in December. we're recording this in two thousand twenty six. So when is it this year?
Adam B (42:50.975)
Mm-hmm.
Adam B (42:55.152)
It's going to be December 5th. So I always try to shoot for the first Saturday of every December. The last year we had to do the second weekend in December, which was, which made it kind of tough because you got to compete with basketball, with basketball games and stuff. So there were certain venues I couldn't get, but despite that we had 56 competitors last year, which was great. Just, you know, with it being in December, it was wonderful. So.
Andrew Adams (42:57.25)
December fifth. So
Andrew Adams (43:17.388)
Wow. Great.
Andrew Adams (43:22.615)
Awesome.
Adam B (43:23.134)
I'm hoping that maybe we can get 60 this year. That's my goal. Yeah.
Andrew Adams (43:26.7)
Yeah, let's make it happen. Let's make it happen. Adam, I want to thank you for being here. We definitely talked about a bunch of martial things. if you are listening or watching, thank you for being here. Appreciate you. maybe something we said resonated and you want to let us know, as I said earlier, you can reach me at andrew at whistlekick.com. If you did or maybe we said something that you absolutely hate and you wanna chastise me for it, you can do that too.
Adam B (43:34.312)
Awesome. Yeah.
Adam B (43:55.36)
You
Andrew Adams (43:56.79)
I might not respond, but you can certainly send me the message. if you want to go to YouTube, check us out there. You can watch the videos. Even if you don't want to watch it, go to YouTube, subscribe because it really helps the algorithm. It if you like what we do, we being Whistlekick, if you like what Whistlekick does, going there and hitting subscribe.
Adam B (43:58.749)
Okay.
Andrew Adams (44:22.314)
actually boosts our numbers and the algorithms and it will show our videos to more people. So you really are helping out what we do. You can go to whistlekickmartial arts radio.com to find out about this episode and all of the other 1,168 other episodes that we've done. you can go to whistlekick.com to find out about the tournaments that we host, the events that we host around the country, the free training days and Marshall Summit, all that stuff you can find there. Maybe you want to
purchase something, but all of that stuff you can find at whistlekick.com. Am I missing anything? I probably am. And that's okay. Adam, thank you so much for being here. Yeah, this was a blast. And we should we should definitely do it again. and I know we'll see each other soon because we have events coming up. and so I look forward to that.
Adam B (45:02.292)
Yeah, thank you.
Adam B (45:13.653)
Nice one.
Andrew Adams (45:14.988)
Awesome. Thank you, Adam.
Adam B (45:16.843)
Thank you, have a good day.