tactical flashlight techniques
Mood:  chatty
Topic: ebook and video

I was approached one day at a gas station by a security guard.  At a distance, he had confused me with a friend of his to whom I bore a remarkable similarity.  he and I got to talking and I found out he had no self defense training.   I was shocked.  I have been an itinerant student of the martial arts for over 20 years.  I was dumbfounded.  We shared a common concern.  What if he ran into violence on the job?  It got me to thinking.  This is the result of those thoughts. 

First of all, other than the empty hand, what does this guy have to work with?  Then it hit me, he wasn't allowed to carry a gun or even a pr-24, so I created an entire curriculum of striking, locking, throwing and other damaging activities based on common types of flashlights that a security guard might use at night. 

I drew my inspiration from ninjutsu stick technique, hwarang-do stick technique, Mike stone's and keith anderson's karate, and kenpo karate among other things. 

I have covered types of flashlights that can be used with my methods but I favor the small, but not-too-small, mini mag lite and the radioshack powerhouse.  the former takes only 2 double A batteries, the latter takes 5 D cells.  Both have their unique uses. 

I cover blocking, striking, and grappling with the flashlights.  I also cover some pressure point attacks, footwork and deceptive postures as well as speed (counter) attacks.  I cover weapons retention and defense against the weapon if it should ever be taken away.  

I will post some samples of the techniques at a later time. 

 

 

 

how to build your own step optical printer
Mood:  rushed
Topic: planning

I have some 600 foot super8mm film reels and some old and very fragile super 8mm film that I needed to transfer.  The majority of equipment for use in transferring this film either caused further damage with the claw or couldn't handle the size of reel I was working with.  then I saw a device on ebay that was simple and handmade.  I collected the materials and am beginning to build my own step optical printer. 

Step one is to build the wooden frames.  There are three of them.  The first is a freestanding frame to place a light source on.  It looks like an upside down T.  The light source is bracketed horizontally to the vertical piece of wood.  The second piece is also more or less of a T.  This one holds the reels, the filmgate and the filmguides.  The last piece is a basic box on which you place your camera. 

I am a bit behind, technologically speaking, so I am using an analog video camera to catch the images.  the film gate has been enlarged with a needle file so the whole image (including the sprocket hole) can be seen.  I will be building a fourth piece to this set up to hold the ground glass (which I have made as well) since I cannot catch an aerial image. 

The light source has a dimmer so I can adjust the amount of light being given off.  since the light source is a separate issue, I don't need to worry about the light burning up my celuloid. 

I am still working on a ratcheting mechanism so I can advance the film one frame at a time.  The model for my device simply used two inexpensive ratchet wrenches bolted to the center upright.  I am considering using the same until I can incorporate a small electric motor.   

I know this is an impractical and time consuming endeavor, but the pleasure I am deriving from it justifies the effort, time and cost. 

If anyone has questions or comments, please send them my way.  I will take pictures for future blogs.