"The frustrating part is explaining how flawless the system is."
"Last month I had the honor of hosting Guided Chaos' first seminar in Salem, OR, and it was unbelievable. I say this because if I was not already familiar with the system, and heard about a seminar
that improved the participants moving and hitting so drastically that
after two days, they were literally unrecognizable; I wouldn't
believe it. I have been training people in self defense for over twenty
years, and I have never witnessed anything like this. Al Ridenhour is a 10+. His
articulation and demonstration of the system practically made it
impossible not to understand. Not only have my guys not stopped talking
about the training, but they have a whole new level of desire to work on
the drills and get better.
 The
only frustrating part is explaining, in my opinion, how flawless the
system is. I remember shortly after the seminar, I was reflecting on the
training with my wife, who is also a martial artist, and summed it up
by saying, "If God ever needed a martial art, then Guided Chaos would be His only choice."
Lt. Daryl Tate
Defensive Tactics Coordinator
Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST)
Salem, OR
|
"For the past several months, I have been researching Guided Chaos. From my first viewing on You Tube, I was blown away to say the least. “These people,” I thought to myself, “are speaking my language.” So,
I bought my first DVD; and ever since then I have been charged to learn
more. Several DVD’s later; my desire to learn more about this art was
not satisfied. I was compelled to feel this system from a qualified
instructor. I checked the website, and although there was not an
instructor where I reside in Oregon, there was one in neighboring Idaho—Mr. Bob Miller.
I contacted Mr. Miller and explained to him how much I would like to
meet with him, and learn firsthand how Guided Chaos works. Not long
after our first conversation, Mr. Miller was going to be in town for a
couple of days on other business, so we planned two evening sessions.Leading up to our first session, I became even more engrossed in the system. The more I studied the DVD’s, and read the Attack Proof book,
the more I started to think that this was just another way of
expressing Wing Chun, one of many arts that I have studied. The contact
flow used in Guided Chaos is, at least visually, very similar to the way
I was taught chi sau. Then I purchased the Contact Flow Workshop DVD
with Grandmaster Tim Carron. This was almost the deciding factor that
Guided Chaos was Wing Chun done over. However, I could not shake the thought that there might be something different in the feeling and application of this art. I was right.
First
of all let me say that I have been a martial artist since I was a kid,
and have trained with many experts in various systems. With that said, training with Bob Miller was one of the most gratifying experiences in my martial arts career.
He started out explaining the whole idea around some of the major
principles of the system like body unity, looseness, balance, and
sensitivity to name a few. He asked if I had been practicing any of the
balancing exercises, which I had. He then asked me to demonstrate them,
and made some minor corrections that enabled me to perform the exercises
easier.
The
turning point for me came when he initiated me into the world of
contact flow. As an instructor in Wing Chun, I’d like to believe that my
sensitivity and balance are at a stellar level. But the second Mr.
Miller and I made contact—he was gone. I was touching his arms, but
barely. Every time I tried to move in, he was gone or he would gently
push me aside, causing me to lose my balance. No matter how much I
attempted to get a better read on him, the best I could do was to barely
touch him.For me, this was both frustrating and intriguing. My
frustration came from having a high level of chi sau ability. I was
always able to sense movements, even from people of a technically higher
ranking than I. Mr. Miller, however, had me going in circles at will. I
was intrigued because I wanted to know how he was doing it. How was he
able to manipulate me in ways no other martial artist has? I kept trying
to observe how he was moving, with the hopes that my, “Ah-Ha!” moment
would come, and my chi sau skill would shine through. I soon learned that, although it looks similar, contact flow is at a much deeper level than chi sau.
We
continued training into late evening, and went through a great deal of
material. When I got home, I could not resist the temptation to practice
what I had learned. Needless to say, I was up half the night trying to
ingrain the evening lesson.
The
following evening we spent considerable time doing slow contact flow.
Admittedly, when I first observed this on the DVD, I did not appreciate
the value. But like so many things, Mr. Miller changed my opinion. Doing
contact flow at a snail’s pace unlocked a door for me. After just a few
minutes, everything that he was saying became even clearer. The whole
idea about being rooted, taking balance, and using the lightest of
contact to feel the other’s movements, caused the, “Ah-Ha,” moment that I
was seeking the night before.
At
the end of our session, Mr. Miller left me wanting more. Mr. Miller not
only gave me a brand new vigor to learn this art, he accomplished
something that has never been done. He made me a better martial artist
in just two evenings.
Recently,
I have read some unfavorable comments about Guided Chaos. I refuse to
refer to these opinions as reviews because to review something, you must
fully experience it. For those individuals, I implore them to seek out a
qualified instructor, because there is only one way to fully appreciate
this art, and that is by feel."
Lt. Daryl Tate
Defensive Tactics Coordinator
Training Division
Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST), State of Oregon
