16/03/2006 In People by andy
I am not a violent person. Despite my skill at making others want to hit me, it has always been more my style to ignore insults and walk away from physical confrontations. My quick wit has been a tremendous advantage to me in talking my way out of potential trouble. However a few years ago, I found myself preparing to be (painfully) thrown out of a pub by some very large men who worked there. These men were smart enough to see that, if they did not intervene with what was happening in our corner of the bar, someone would have ended up hospitalized.
Luckily, no punches had to be thrown. The “other party” (oddly, a friend of one of my mentors) apologized, and we all went on drinking and having a good time. As the evening continued, it was obvious that he could tell I would not have hesitated to fight him had he not spoken up when he did. And I wouldn’t have: he had been trying to make an ass of Bryan sparks.
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18/04/2006 In Check It Out by andy
This page is for referrals to products I recommend. I do not make recommendations for things I do not personally enjoy owning and using. In some cases, I may receive a commission if you choose to buy through my links, but I’m not just posting random links for money - you can rest assured that anything on this page is the best I have found.
Elastic Steel
Paul Zaichik has some great products for improving strength, balance, and flexibility. Each one gives you a specific routine designed to get the most out of the body’s natural reflexes. Teach your nervous system to relax and allow your body to “stretch” deeper with less effort. Build real, solid strength without having to go to a gym. Paul is not just some random personal trainer selling internet workout programs; he’s a martial artist and gymnast, and he has some very impressive movement.
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08/06/2006 In Learning / Teaching by andy
So, what’s the big deal about patricide? It seems to come up a lot in literature. When the Olympian gods overthrew the titans in greek mythology, it was Zeus who made the victory decisive by murdering his own father, Cronus (who, incidentally, had also murdered his own father). I’m pretty sure there’s a few patricide stories in the Bible (it’s practically a how-to manual for all-around wickedness), but I can’t think of any off the top of my head. Some primitive cultures had coming-of-age rituals in which the sons would act out battles with their fathers and uncles before learning the secrets of the tribe. In American courts, murdering one’s father has become nearly acceptable behavior, provided he did something abusive to the child at some point.
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08/06/2006 In People by andy
note: Some people didn’t understand this article the first time around and took parts of it as an attack on my teacher - a man whom I greatly admire. I have attempted to abate this somewhat by narrowing the focus of this article and dealing with tangential issues in separate posts. Some of the content originally included here has been moved, but I have not significantly altered my general tone or message. Please understand that I am a little sarcastic sometimes, and my humor is extremely dry. There is no venom here; just an honest look at a man few people really understand.
Mits Uchida is the founder and head instructor of the “United States Taido Association.” Much has been made in recent months over my apparent falling out with him (due in large part to misinterpretations of the first incarnation of this article), but I maintain that this is essentially one-sided. Though I cannot support certain aspects of the way he runs his business, I have a deep respect for his abilities, talents, and accomplishments.
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08/06/2006 In Experiments / Ideas, Taido/Blog by andy
As I mentioned in my top 11 article, one of my favorite aspects of my Taido experience has been the opportunity to participate as a member of an international community. There are people all over the world that share my passion for Taido, and I’ve really enjoyed meeting so many of them. There are plenty of others whom I have not yet had a chance to meet, but I hope to get around to it.
It’s one of my goals for the next couple of years is to visit every country where people are practicing Taido. My reason for wanting to do this is to learn more about how Taido is practiced and what kind of people practice it. The more I can learn about the people who do Taido and the practices in which they engage, the better I can understand what Taido actually is and, more importantly, where it’s going. It’ll give me a chance to influence this evolution as well.
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20/07/2006 In Event Log by andy
Unless there’s a damn good reason not to (like our 30th Anniversary Tournament last year), American Taido hosts a yearly practice excursion sometime during the summer. We load up the cars, stock up on beer, and drive the entire school to the beach for three days of practicing and partying together. Year after year, summer camp is one of the most exciting and fun events for American Taido teachers and students. I love summer camp.
My family skipped camp for our first few years in Taido, but I have great memories of each camp I attended. At my first summer camp in 1988, Bryan and I fed potato chips to alligators from the back porch. Later that evening, Mitsuaki and I had a joint birthday party.
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25/07/2006 In Archives / Info, Georgia Tech Taido by andy
Profile
Head instructor - Bryan Sparks - 3dan
also
- Laura Sparks - shodan
- Shelley Matthews - shodan
- Bolot Kerimbaev - shodan
URL - defunct
Phone - nope
Schedule - Course info page @ GT Campus Recreation Center
History
1984
- Andy Fossett begins practicing Taido.
1986
- Bryan Sparks begins practicing Taido.
1992
- Andy tests for black belt.
1993
- Bryan tests for black belt.
- US Taido sends its fourth team to Japan for the first world championships, including its first children’s team. The delegation includes Andy and Bryan as the two youngest competitors in the adult division. They make many Taido friends from various countries.
1995
- Andy and Bryan begin experimenting with new Techniques and practice methods outside of the honbu dojo on a weekly basis. None of their raining partners from that period will ever look at stairs the same way again.
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15/11/2006 In Miscellany by andy
With Thanksgiving next week, the winter holiday season is fast upon us. Every year around this time, I’m forced to wrestle with what I feel is a very stressful and difficult aspect of social membership in America - the giving of gifts.
I am terrible at gift-giving, and if I thought I could get away with it, I would boycott the holidays wholesale. The sad reality is that escaping the holidays is near-impossible; even in years when I’ve done my best to let friends and family know that I wasn’t planning to participate in the consumption frenzy, somebody always manages not to get the memo, and I’m stuck feeling guilty. The alternative, embracing the madness in the spirit of goodwill, just serves to remind me that I have absolutely no skill at choosing quality gifts for even my closest friends.
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19/11/2006 In Event Log, Georgia Tech Taido by andy
Ten years isn’t an especially long time. It’s about long enough for a mere two billion tons of sediment to be eroded from the Grand Canyon - widening it just a few inches. Ten years ago, the internet was “new” (to most folks), mobile phones were exorbitant, and I knew everything there was worth knowing. At least some things never change.
Also ten years ago, Bryan finished high school and enrolled at Georgia Tech. As a result of my continuing need to be in charge of something, I conned him into helping me start a Taido class. Originally just an excuse to gratify my fragile ego, the class began to look more and more like a legitimate martial arts club when we came to notice certain students actually attempting to learn what Taido was all about. Some of those students are still with us.
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04/01/2007 In Archives / Info by andy
What follows is a list of black belts who are or were members of the United States Taido Association between 1984 and 2007. While I do have some knowledge of affairs outside this timeframe, I feel it best not to comment on those I don’t know personally. To the best of my knowledge, this list is complete and accurate, and it is included as a part of this site for informational/archival purposes only. This list exists as a reference for those interested in the history of American Taido.
The names under each dan-level heading are alphabetized by first name. Some exceptional cases may include additional information. Where possible, I have included the years of starting Taido and each promotion from shodan in parentheses.
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