Bouncer chronicles- How to hire a bouncer

When I was running my nightclub in the 70s and 80s we often started our after work play around 3am.  My shift started at 6pm where we prepped the night and began to get busy at 9pm. If you came after 10 you probably waited in line at the door for at least a half an hour.

There were always two bouncers at the door.  I was the manager and third bouncer most nights and backed the guys up and took charge if things started to get heated there. We had last call about 1:30 am and had all drinks off the tables at 2.  The music was done and people started heading home or sometimes congregated at a local all night diner for some late/early breakfast.

The nightclub crew’s night then began.  We mixed drinks for ourselves and often times played cards or pool for a few hours before we headed home.  By this time it was 4 or 5 am and the only place open was the gas station across the street where we would fill up the car for the 30 minute drive back to Norwich.

Having stopped at the gas station many times we often would chat up the attendant who did not see many people stopping in at this late hour.  It was a local eighteen year old named Gary who was always asking questions about the bar and wanted to know all the details.  He was interested in the bar fights and were were happy to tell him all about them.

One night as we were gassing up there were a couple of bikers hassling him at one of the pumps.  These were big biker guys with the hard look you would expect.  I heard that they had gotten gas and ridden off a few nights before and never paid.  They were back for more and thought they might intimidate this teenager and take advantage with their local toughguy big rep.

My brother and I started to walk towards them to offer Gary some backup, but, before we knew what happened he waded into them.  Gary who was an all state wrestler pounded them, tossed them and sent the home with a verbal spanking to never come back.  This all happened in a minute and there was never a need for any help.

After the bikers left Gary came over to us.  I only had two questions.  One, are you ok, and two do you want a job as a bouncer where you can get paid to fight and meet girls too?

I have been friends with Gary for over fourty years.  After high school he joined the marines and while stationed in Okinawa went in to become an accomplished back belt and judo competitor.  I even taught him some karate for a few years.

I think I will have to get more bouncer stories from him as we reminisce over the old days.

Special "K"

                             Special K

Karissa Choquette came into her first introductory class with a port in her chest for her chemotherapy treatment.  Her Mom only asked that partners take care not to damage it during training because it had to stay in during her chemo treatments for her cancer.

Karissa trained alongside all the teens and adults in each class with no worries about whatever special needs she might need or be entitled to because of her condition.

Her training was always enthusiastic and the smile on her face was always there.  For a long time, no one even knew of her medical condition and we always treated her just like all the other students.

As her training progressed she really connected with many of the students instructors and teens in the school.  It was a pleasure to see how great she did.  Karissa was able to go through the rigorous Black Belt training and achieved first dan in Tang Soo Do.  The support the entire school showed was outstanding

Thanks for letting us teach you Special K!

Master B

Grandmaster Nick Cerio

 Back in the 80’s we ventured out on the tournament trail across New England in the pursuit of higher levels of karate competition.  The karate king of Rhode Island, Grandmaster Nick Cerio, had the largest contingent of students and ran the biggest tournaments.  Being a student of Mr. Cheezic opened a lot of doors for us so GM Cerio welcomed us with open arms.

Over the years we spent a lot of time together and got very friendly.  One of my fondest memories is having a dinner that lasted late into the night with Mr. Cheezic, Nick Cerio and Chuck Merriman.  Oh the stories that they told.  What rich history.

Our Black Belt Hero.

This video may be disturbing and contains violence 

Tom Castonguay and his mom Chris began karate back in the 80's.  Tom was about ten.  His Mom watched in the back intently until one day one of the Black Belts asked if she wanted to join.   They have both achieved the rank of 2nd dan.

Tom, or TC as I call him was a quiet boy who always showed up and dedicated himself to martial arts.  After getting his Black Belt he and his mother, both became instructors in the school.  Once Tom became a young adult and graduated from high school, he decided to follow his passion for the military and joined the army where he excelled.  He aways mentioned how our karate school's demand for excellence and hard training prepared him for life as a military man.  He went on to serve for several years and was involved in the gulf war.

After leaving the military he followed his next dream of becoming a sheriff in Austin, Texas where he married a lovely woman and is the father of two girls.  He is a seasoned police officer and I have stayed in touch with him over the years.  Recently when I was touching base with Tom, I asked how things were going and he said he has a tough year.  I thought he was referencing the pandemic until he sent me this clip.

This video is actual body cam video of him responding to a distress call involving a woman and child.  He was wounded in this shootout so be prepared.  In the future we plan to host him in a seminar on how our martial arts program prepared him for life.  After a long discussion my favorite comment from him was "your martial arts program takes sheep and makes them sheep dogs".   Think about it, this is a powerful statement.  

I plan to do another post dissecting this video and how we can learn from it.  I look forward to the presentation of this Black Belt hero!

Master B
 

Grandmaster Ed Parker

Grandmaster Ed Parker, founder of American Kempo was a legend in the martial arts world.

This is my day with the Grandmaster.

Several years ago I attended a KRANE tournament hosted by Tony Cogliandro up in the Boston area.  Tony had been training with Ed Parker for a few years and hosted him as a special guest.  Parker was to be a judge in my black belt rings that day.  As usual at that time I had a pretty good day and was able to chat with him after the event.  As you might think he was heavily in demand.  We took this photo and we went our separate ways.

Over the course of the year Master Parker traveled all over the world teaching and meeting thousands of new people.  It was again time for Tony’s event and I was looking forward to attending. As soon as I entered the gym I turned to see Master Parker was again in attendance.  He walked over to me, shook my hand and said “Hi Mike, competing again this year?”

I was floored.  With all the people he knows and meets every year he remembers my name!  I was stunned and honored with that moment.  It was then I decided to attend his long running and prestigious event in Long Beach, California.

The internationals had been a who’s who event over the decades even having a famous Bruce Lee demo there a few years before.  The afternoon before I went to sign up with one of his daughters.  In New England a tournament was about 40.00 with extra events being about 10.00 additional per event.  The internationals were 80.00 per event, two events 160.00, wow!  When I mentioned our sliding scale to the Parker daughter she just laughed, she said you are not in Connecticut anymore!

I wanted to pay my respects to Master Parker (in Cali they called him Mr. Parker).  I was escorted into a private back room where he sat on a throne like chair taking audiences.  Very regal indeed.

I did take first place in weapons there and met Professor Toro Tanaka who was standing at the edge of my ring when I was competing.  Only about 3,000 competitors that day.

A memorable day with the Grandmaster.

Have some fun

 

Several years ago a local nursing home was creating an ad campaign to show the vitality of their patrons. They chose our school to do some fun shots that ended up in several of their ads  This was one of many great photos.  The lady “breaking” the board was a hot ticket.   She asked if I would take her on a date and I told her I was married. 

She replied “I don’t care”!

Bouncer Chronicles - 5- Listen to the jungle sounds

Listen to the jungle sounds.

It was three months since we opened Michael's Place.  We had gotten the kinks out and the nightclub was really cooking.  We were off to a great start.  Anyone who did not arrive before 9 pm usually had to wait in line to get in, we were that kind of busy.

Being a new club we had the drinks flowing, the music blasting  and the crowd was revved up.  Week after week we had picked up steam and business did not seem like it could not get any better.  The dress code was keeping the clientele civilized and we met so many nice people.  And just then my college roommate who was also bartending jinxed us.

"You know we have been open for three months and we have not had even one fight yet"

 And then it just exploded.  Across the room a crowd of patrons had come together in a close group.  With the darkly lit atmosphere and the loud music we had not seen the conditions change.  The crowd in that area appeared to sway back and forth kind of like a school of fish darting back and forth.  We then noticed the animated movement, then the fists started flying.

By the time we had made our way over it was a full out brawl.  Five or more people were exchanging blows and people had stepped back from the melee.  We started ripping people apart and throwing them to the ground.  As soon as we did that the action stopped.  That was our baptism into bouncing at the new bar.  This was always followed by an after action meeting on how we could have done it better.

The key takeaway.  Keep scanning your environment for a change in the rhythm.  Just like in the jungle, when it gets quiet a predator is near.

Stay safe!

Mike Bogdanski

My Olympics

 No I never went to the olympics! 

 

Watching the Olympics this summer made me reminisce on my international competition days.  In the early 90’s we traveled to Tatabanya, Hungary to compete with teams from several countries.  I was lucky enough to win several medals and world cups that day.

The best part was not just the tournament, but the sightseeing of Budapest and Vienna.  The very best part was meeting new friends from Australia and our long friendship and travel there. I competed in several events with Australian team member

Robby Jameson.  On our departure he said to me-come to Australia and we will show you a good time!

8 Hour martial arts show

The Asian world of self defense

Eight hours of martial arts notables in the historic Felt Forum in Madison Square Garden in New York City.  This was one of the showcase bouts available.  I still have the brochure from the event and will post more information.  This was put on by legend Aaron Banks.

Grandmaster Estioko- Tang Soo Do legend

https://youtu.be/uLwBy1BCt98

Sun Tzu- The art of war

 

Roldan

        Roldan

Just like you might use the name "Cher", "Bono" or "Elvis, this late great martial artist is Wilfredo Roldan, martial arts Grandmaster.

His experiences and resume are a mile long and you can google him for his bio.  Here is a link that mentions just a few of his many accomplishments.

I was sad to hear of his recent passing.  He seemed perpetual to me, always full of motion, energy and, life.  I often saw his Facebook posts, photos of his seminars and travel, and often his acting gigs (usually/ always in the NYC area). To me, he was one of the greatest martial artists I have ever known.

Being lifelong friends with the famous Goju Grandmaster Chuck Merriman, I had the great privilege of spending many days with him over the years and he would share stories of many of his friends.  This day would be a personal insight to the notoriety of Roldan.

They were the pioneers in the New York City martial arts days.  They trained many days in the dojo of the unique Grandmaster, Peter Urban, and lived to tell about it.  This is the story of one night in New York.

Roldan had a unique sense of humor.  One night when they were done training they were waiting for the elevator to take them back down to the street so they could make their way home.  Roldan mentioned to Chuck,  one of these nights when we get in the freight elevator (with not much light) I will throw myself down on the floor, scream like I was falling down the shaft and make everyone have a fright, then a big laugh.

The next night a big group of the students walked toward the elevator.  Roldan ran ahead, whipped open the door and jumped in.  He made a huge scream and made sounds that made it seem real.

Only, it was.

While they were in the class someone had moved the elevator back down and Roldan did fall down the shaft and was injured with some broken limbs.  So much for the joke!

It was not long after that I attended several tournaments and got to know Roldan pretty well.  He was a great competitor and friend and we always hit it off.  One day we were competing at Charlie Ferraro's tournament and Roldan and I were lined up to do weapons forms.  I competed and then he followed.  After his performance, one of the judges asked him if he knew he had to do a traditional form.  He says "I did,  My form has a tradition of three years"!

Oh Roldan we will miss you.  Another great one gone

Mike Bogdanski

Neal Hoffler- “Worlds Most Dangerous Man”

Neal "Hop" Hoffler is one of the toughest men I have ever met.
 

Here we are competing at the Vermont nationals in Rutland.  Master Hoffler is my senior in TSD and always was there to help "train" us when were were hot on the tournament circuit and striving to become champions.

Master Hoffler grew up on the streets of Waterbury, Connecticut and learned how to fight way before coming in to learn martial arts.  His reputation in town was unparalleled.  

While Steve Best, Doug Peoples and Karen Harvey and I were blazing the tournament circuit and sponsoring our own tournament we thought it would be a great idea to bring a group out for a senior team match.  Master Jeff Goldberg, Master Hoffler, Clarence von Wilder and Tony Molina brought it that day in Meriden.  It was great to see them (our teachers) banging it out on the gym floor.

It was the start of a small resurgence.  In a few months Jeff and we sparred in New Haven against New England Patriot Andre Tippett.  Master Hoffler sparred in Maine and after sweeping an opponent to the ground football kicked his head.  It was a scary moment.  Master Hoffler carried a lot of street fight in his point sparring.

Master Hoffler used to get us ready before our matches.  We would stand against a wall, all geared up to go, and Master Hoffler would just beat on us for a few minutes while we absorbed the punishment.  He then told us "No one can fight you any harder than I just did, now get out there and win".

Thank you to Tang Soo Do pioneer Neal "Hop" Hoffler for showing us how to be tough and humble at the same time.  We needed strong mentors and I will always grateful.

Mike Bogdanski

A Tribute

 Tribute- a definition.

An act, statement, or gift that is intended to show gratitude, respect, or admiration.

The dedication in this book reads;

To Kwan Jang Nim Mike Bogdanski and SBN Kristin Duethorn who show that true leadership has no gender.

To Master Bogdanski, with appreciation for all I have learned and gained from you.

Gary Powell, author.

Description:

An exciting new book exploring why we have not seen the enduring changes that were once optimistically anticipated. Each chapter tackles an important question around gender and leadership, such as 'Why do leader stereotypes emphasize masculinity?', 'Why are there so few women in top management positions?' and 'Why do (some) men in top management feel free to sexually harass women?'.  

Leading international scholar in the field, Gary N. Powell explores cutting-edge topics including; the appropriate role of masculinity in leadership,  the ever-so-small numbers of female CEOs,  and sexual harassment by men in power such as Harvey Weinstein and the resulting #MeToo movement. 

With suggestions of practical steps that would work toward achieving a workplace in which all employees can reach their leadership potential regardless of their gender, Gender and Leadership is an important read for students and faculty members alike across the social sciences and humanities.

Thank you to our student Gary Powell for the kind words and extraordinary honor to be mentioned in this regard.  I am deeply touched by this recognition and always hope we as modern martial artists live up to this great ideal.

KJN Bogdanski

De- Stress

De-stress your kids 

(and yourself)

If you haven’t felt any stress during this pandemic then you must be superhuman.  This time in our lives will be recorded as one of the most emotionally draining ever.  The shift of our culture, the change in our daily routines, and social isolation all contribute to the stress families are feeling.  We may not be able to totally remove stress but surely can take steps to reduce it.  Here are a few suggestions.

Step 1 - Healthy eating.  Your body is your temple.  You have all heard this mantra about food.  Imagine you owned a million-dollar racehorse.  You probably wouldn't feed it candy and cookies all day.  Fruit and vegetables are definitely the prescriptions for fueling the body for energy and clarity.  Prime your body for good health and immunity from disease by eating fresh fruits and veggies.

Step 2 - Exercise.  Your kids don’t need the Marine Corp workout but they need to move.  Climbing trees, throwing a ball, walking through the woods are all great spring activities.  Since we are closed at our martial arts school we have been doing classes on zoom.  Parents are quite happy their kids have this regular routine of exercise and healthy interaction.  

Step 3 - Reduce electronics.  Being social creatures we have turned more to Facebook and Instagram to get our social fix and see what is going on in the world.  It's natural to keep up with your friends and relatives but please don’t overdo it.  If you or your kids spend too much time on Facebook there is a tool built into the app that can help you l imit your time.   Go to the settings page on either app and select either “Your Time on Facebook” or “Your Activity on Instagram.”  At the top is a dashboard showing average time spent on the app you are using.  Underneath is the option to set up a daily reminder that will send an alert when you have reached the time limit you have allowed yourself.

Step 4 - Talk about it.  In these circumstances, kids can easily pick up on the climate of fear through the media or conversations in your household.  Information is knowledge and it is best to talk about the pandemic in age-appropriate language to reassure your children they are staying safe.  In our martial arts program, we teach students how to deal with stress in a self-defense confrontation.  The first step is to address fear.  We use the acronym F.E.A.R. - false expectations appearing real.  Kids need to realize that their life is mostly not at risk.

Step 5 - Take a breath.  When we get anxious we change the way we breathe.  Quest martial arts classes begin and end with an exercise that teaches us to focus, maintain inner calm and develop mental clarity by taking slow deep breaths.  The breathing is done by breathing slowly in through our nose and out through our mouth. Breathing techniques and methods are directly related to reducing or increasing stress.

Step 6 - Sleep. A tired child is easily frustrated by simple, daily tasks. Here is a basic rule of thumb: 6- to 12-year-olds need 9 to 12 hours/day and 13- to 18-year-olds need 8 to 10 hours/day.  Dear parents, you know how irritable you can be if you are sleep deprived.  Adults that are sleep deprived exhibit the same symptoms as people that have had several alcoholic drinks.

Step 7- Sharpen the saw.  This is a concept from the book, “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey.  Two people are chopping wood.  One worker takes a break every hour while the other works furiously at the task.  At the end of the day, the person who took the break had a substantially greater pile.  The worker who had less wood asked his friend, “How in the world did you end up with more wood cut than me?” he asked curiously.  His friend responded, ``You didn’t notice that every time I stopped to rest I sharpened my saw.”  Take a break and just do something that makes you happy!

 Master Bogdanski

My Day with the Grandmaster- Robert E. Beaudoin

Grandmaster Robert E. Beaudoin,

I first met Master Beaudoin in the mid seventies. We attended his tournament in Waterbury, Connecticut. We had a sort of “rival” Tsd school that competed there and we always matched up against his guys.  Grandmaster Hwang Kee was in attendance and even awarded me my first place trophy When I won in Black Belt breaking competition.

Many years were to pass until we met again.  We attended the 50th anniversary of that tournament and reminisced.

A year later I was at the airport to fly to D.C. to attend the 50th anniversary of Grandmaster Jenkins tenure in Tang Soo Do.  Grandmaster B was in the waiting area preparing to board and would be attending the event (he was Kjn Jenkins original teacher).  We chatted and made some small talk and soon departed for the short flight.

Upon arrival in Reagan airport my wife and I saw him standing by the luggage area by himself.  He was arranging transportation. We then asked if he wanted to accompany me and and my wife on a day touring the city, and with a resounding , yes, we were to have him to ourselves all day. (We visited the newseum)

He was fun, kind, gentle, thoughtful and a true gentleman as you would expect.   My wife loved him and we had one of the very best days ever.  Thank you for the gift of your time and wisdom Grandmaster Beaudoin. It was a great day in my personal Tang Doo Do history moments.

MB

#tangsoodo
#worldtangsoodo

The 8th Wonder of the World

Kevin Thompson
Has been called the 8th wonder of the world.

Devoting his whole life to martial arts Kevin changed the world, just ask anyone that spent time with him.

When I was competing heavily in the 80’s Kevin and I competed in the black belt weapons category many times in the A rated national tournaments.  Even though I was hoping to win I mostly was in awe of his performances in weapons, forms and sparring.

He was known as a triple threat and often won first place in forms weapons and sparring and grand championships with his performances.  One of the greatest matches ever was Kevin versus Steve “nasty’ Anderson.  Nasty was twice as big, equally powerful and fast (the days heavyweight winner) versus Kevin, the lightweight winner.  For sure it was a David and Goliath day.  Kevin took it to Nasty, and with no fear and no reservation beat Nasty to win the Grand championship that day.

I loved his intensity but I more admired what a gentleman he was. Ever polite and respectful I can hear his voice;

‘Honorable Masters and Grandmasters of the martial arts”, my name is Kevin Thompson.
Initially he lived in the shadow of his teacher and was called Little KA but soon surpassed his teacher in every way.

Gone but not forgotten.  He was one of the best modern martial artists ever and deserved the title.
The 8th wonder of the world!

The Babe!

Not Babe Ruth but Babe Didrikson Zaharias.

Born in Texas in poverty.
Decided she was going to be great in sports
She had the kind of will that makes a champion.

She asked a coach about throwing a javelin.  He showed her the basic technique.  She beat the American record on her first throw.

She was all American in tennis, golf, swimming  softball and basketball.she was national champion and an Olympian winning two medals
She went on to break records in golf.

At the peak of her career she was diagnosed with cancer and told by her Doctor she would probably not survive the operation.

She survived and a year and a half later win the national golf championship.

Develop your mental toughness through martial arts training!

"Get" a Black Belt or "Be" A Black Belt?

Getting a black belt and being a black belt are definitely two different things.

Like driving to the prom and staying in the car

Like getting a driver license and never driving.

Like cooking dinner and not eating

The first day you get your belt it doesn’t even feel right.  It takes time to feel like it is really yours and you deserve it.

I awarded a black belt to a student once whe never even came back to one class to wear it.’’

Did they get a black belt or become a black belt?

I once quit karate

I once quit karate.

I began karate when I was 16 years old. I was at the rank of yellow belt and trained twice per week and really enjoying the classes. It was a dream come true for me to find my salvation in karate training. I was getting stronger, learning self defenses and slowly building my confidence.  This training was everything I had hoped for.

It was summer, June I think when I was doing some work in my car to install a new 8 track (you remember those don’t you?). I had contorted my body to get under the dashboard when I twisted the wrong way and threw out my back. Pain shot down into my lower back so badly I was now unable to extricate myself from this position. I tried, i squirmed, I pushed and I pulled but this condition was getting worse by the minute.

Just then my Father came walking into the garage. I yelled to him I need some help and he grabbed me by the ankles and pulled me out. With this help I was able to get to a crooked but standing position and limp back into the house.  Racked with pain I was barely able to move. For the time being, karate training was over.

My back recovered but I still had not returned to class.  One day in August, I was walking through the local department store and ran into my teacher, Sensei Joe DeGuzman.  He asked how I was and I told him what happened to my back.  His next question was “when are you coming back to karate?”  I said previously that I had quit karate but that was not true. I only took a short break.

My answer- Tuesday.
Now you know when I see our students that have not been training I always ask the same question.
When are you coming back to karate.  It is a question that changed my life.

Kjn