Jessie Burke: Duelist, Entrepreneur, Mom

Jessie Burke picked up her first foil at 13 and lived fencing.  Specializing in epee (the closest form of fencing to dueling), Jessie studied with great masters and carved out her place on the strip in international competition.   As far as we know, she’s the only friend of AUX with her own sports hero trading card.  Jessie has moved on from the competition circuit and now runs a little hotspot, Posies Cafe.  Posies has gradually become a focal point for art, music and community in Portland,  Oregon.  We asked her a few questions to get a sense of what it’s like to be a business owner, mom, and world class fencer.

Are there similarities between running a small business and fencing?

– The only similarities I find are the mindset.  When you’re learning a sport and seem to have a knack for it, you are determined to train, study, and work through the steep learning curve to succeed.  I find myself in the same place that I was when I was 13 yrs old, sort of making my way through the fog that is mastering something new, organizing the new information, and putting it into practice and seeing how it goes in the real world.

What are some of the challenges of making Posies into a centerpiece for the community?

– People are always watching the new kid on the block, and while those folks that are of like minds to me are quick to join in with my vision, those that are suspicious have to be won over.  It is for that reason that our mission is that “Everyone is welcome,” and every is to be treated kindly.  I’ve found that people will always be the greatest challenge, and winning them over can often just be a game of finding a way to make them feel special.

Has your daughter, Anouk, been giving her first fencing lesson yet?

– I’m really hesitant to let Anouk fence in the real world (I didn’t have the most functional training environment, so I’m pretty protective of her).  She has had her first light sabre lesson, though, where I taught her to stop attacking my weapon and actually try to hit me (something that drives all fencers crazy in the movies… so much blade work and no actual effort to hit the target, which is the actual objective)

Are there things about the fencing world you would like to see change?

– I would like to see our federation strengthened and organized into an entity that can actually support its athletes.  I would love to see training environments that didn’t burn kids out, but fostered their enthusiasm for the sport, and made them want to stay competitive during and after college.  I would like to see athletes be able to train and travel to compete without the anxiety of financial pressures. And more than anything else, I would like to see a sense of camaraderie between the athletes on all squads throughout the season that are competing on the US team for many of the same spots.

Could you please give us and our readers some sword handling advice?

– Counter-offensiveness is the way to go… pressure your opponent to the edge of the strip/mat until they are out of their comfort zone, continue to pressure them until they make the mistake you are waiting for (your window of opportunity), and attack! Attack into their mistake, because fencing (at least epee) is won by the person who makes the fewest mistakes.

Follow Jessie’s adventures and get updates on events at Posies:

http://www.facebook.com/posiescafe

http://twitter.com/posiescafe

What is Aikido?

Here’s a list of some quality reading materials that express the technical, philosophical, and artistic wealth of Morihei Ueshiba’s incredible creation: Aikido.

Getting Started:

Budo: Teachings of the Founder of Aikido by Morihei Ueshiba

Budo Training in Aikido by Morihei Ueshiba

There are other works by O-Sensei, mostly compiled and translated by John Stevens.  These two books represent the closest thing to Ueshiba writing on his own.  A look into the deep technical and cultural history of Aikido.

Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere by A. Westbrook and O. Ratti

Originally published in 1970, this book has served as a manual for generations of Aikidoka.  O. Ratti’s illustrations are constantly being reused and are some of the best in any martial text.  Read it on a train if you’d like to find a stranger to talk to about Aikido.

Aikido Exercises for Teaching and Training by C. M. Shifflet

This work does a great job of humanizing Aikido.  The humor and clever analogies are worth stealing for your on the mat teaching time.  Definitely a “ki” book, but not so much as to turn off the more technically inclined.

Books by O’Sensei’s Direct Students:

Aikido by Doshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba

The founder’s son and grandson are seen in the classic work from the Aikikai.  Each generation creates new texts, but don’t seem to improve much on the original.  The Doshu’s Aikido was marvelously circular and full of character.

This is Aikido by Koichi Tohei

Tohei was the chief instructor of the Aikikai at the time of O-Sensei’s passing in 1969.  This book is a snapshot of his method of teaching Aikido before transitioning to the nearly exclusive focus on “ki” characteristic of the Ki no Kenkyukai.  Tohei does a great job of interpreting O’Sensei’s message for English-speaking readers.

Takemusu Aikido (Vol. 1-6) by Morihiro Saito

Saito Sensei spent a great deal of time with O-Sensei, training at his home in Iwama, and is one of Aikido’s greatest technicians.  The sheer number of techniques this man knew, coupled with his profound understanding of “kokyu”, is awe-inspiring.  Some fascinating variations to add to your repertoire.

Aikido Shugyo by Gozo Shioda

Rather than a technical manual, this book is a personal history of one of Aikido’s early champions.  Shioda’s Aikido is well-known for its power and precision.  His organization the Yoshinkai has been a major player in the Aikido scene since 1955. Readers can see how his attitudes developed over his long career.

Zen and Aikido by Shigeo Kamada and Kenji Shimzu

Many Aikidoists have felt a strong connection between Aikido (often all martial art) and Zen, and this book has one of the best discussions on the subject.

Other Valuable Reading:

Aikido Journal Backissue Collection, Edited by Stanley Pranin

Aikido Journal has evolved from a newsletter, to a gorgeous print magazine, to important online resource for Aikidoka worldwide.  Almost every important figure in Aikido history is either featured on interviewed in this collection.

Dueling with O-Sensei by Ellis Amdur

Amdur loves being a hater, and his collection of essays is entertaining and enlightening.  Not exactly an Aikidoka, Amdur falls in mostly with the Koryu crowd.  The primary work of one of Aikido’s badboyz.

We hope you can find them all in affordable editions.  Enjoy!

Books for the Great American Pugilist

Legends of the martial arts are woven into American history. From the famous wrestling match against the town bully involving Abraham Lincoln, to the movement founded by Bruce Lee, Americans have always prided themselves on their martial champions. Like most areas of the martial arts, there are few books that stand out as truly noteworthy on this subject.

Here is a list of some of the books that we believe qualify as factual, fascinating, and American. Some will teach you to box like a champion, and others will illuminate what it is in all of us that gives life to our enthrallment with martial media. They are all worth a look to get an idea of the scope of martial America.

Championship Fighting: Explosive Punching and Aggressive Defense by Jack Dempsey

Jack Dempsey was boxing’s heavyweight champion from 1919-1926. Many martial artists compare Dempsey’s theory to that of the “internal” martial arts. Due to the extreme rarity of this book and high cost of even late editions, our link leads to a pdf of the entire volume (magnificent illustrations included). Share this with a dojomate and they’ll be eternally grateful.

Kill or Get Killed by Major Rex Applegate

The newest edition restores all of the original violence and racial undertones of the original manuscript (mostly an expression of distaste for the Japanese that many held during WWII), placing it back in its correct historical context. Applegate’s techniques are simple, direct, and not nice. A combat manual for the Inglourious Basterd in all of us.

Knife and Tomahawk Throwing by Harry McEvoy

Japan may have its shuriken flinging ninja, but these guys hurl heavy chunks of steel with vaudevillian skill. This brilliant little book is filled with tales of legendary knife and ‘hawk throwers, both Native and North American. You might trading in your flimsy nine inch “floaters” for custom cut set of 13 ouncers at the end of this one.

The Straight Lead by Teri Tom

There are several books “written” by Bruce Lee. Unfortunately they are all extrapolated from his notes posthumously without his permission. As an alternative, Teri Tom’s book makes clear Lee’s unique ability to synergize east and west. This single technique, the “straight lead,” is perhaps Lee’s most significant technical contribution to the canon of global martial arts.

Warrior Dreams: The Martial Arts and the American Imagination by John Donohue

This book is written to the true academic standard, and is not available on commercial bookshelves. Donohue rings the gong on what it is in the American psyche that draws us to the eastern ways. A work of serious anthropology, this is a great citation for a master’s thesis or doctoral paper.

No Holds Barred by Clyde Gentry

There are things to love about Mixed Martial Arts, and plenty to hate. Gentry’s account of the birth of the sport in the United States is balanced and engaging. MMA has a permanent place in the American landscape, and this primer will illuminate just how it got that way.

It’s difficult to define any martial art as American (some might even argue it’s handgun marksmanship that is the truest American martial art), since the arts are as old as civilization and the United States is still so young. These books are a good place to start when trying to sort out how the old martial traditions have been transformed by the American spirit of individualism, showmanship, and pragmatism.