Floro Fighting Systems

Peter Cannon is my representative in Kuwait……….this is the story of his latest brush with destiny.

We were heading down the highway just near Jebil Ali when a truck swerved and we swerved to miss it but unfortunately the back end on one of the American trucks lost control.

I tried to correct the swerve of the vehicle three times before we eventually hit the plastic barriers that should be full of water but were instead full of sand.

There was a dip into the roadwork’s where I the vehicle fell in and then we rolled all the way up through the roadwork to the new concrete barriers.

Some guys who were working on the road then started trying to pull out the window so I stopped them and got myself loose from the wreckage. James and I smashed out the back windscreen just in case the car exploded but fortunately there was no leak!

So we grabbed the camping chairs and had a seat to wait for the Police and Ambulance…

At the hospital they did a number of x-rays and scans and found that my neck was broke in 3 places and that there was 4 fractures on the spine.. It was like C4, C6, C7 and T something to 8.

They had 2 options – either 10 weeks in traction or emergency surgery. I opted for the Op and the put in the 2 plates with 6 screws and took some bone from the hip and grafted the spine….

All good fun and now I almost back in action, just stiff and a bit sore… Peter.

This last week Floro Fighting Systems was involved with the Martial Arts Industry Supershow, held at Homebush (the Olympic site). This event was for those who own or run Martial Arts schools, with the purpose of giving them exposure to speakers who are experts in their fields whether on the business side or the martial side.

Pic 1. My Floro Fighting Exhibition Stand.

We had a nice little exhibition stand and we were asked to be a guest speaker which meant doing a seminar for the attendees. This opportunity was made possible for me by John Will and Fari Salievski.

A HUGE THANKS TO THEM BOTH!

With help of a few friends, we managed to present a professional looking booth. With the display of “edged weapons and shanks” as the main pull (it was either that or a bowl of lollies). It was amazing how many people were not even aware that a toothbrush could be converted into many configurations as a device used for creating harm.

Couple that with the running DVD next to it – we had a winning formula. I do have to confess that after 2 days, I did get rather sick of hearing my own voice playing in the background on the TV.

It would seem that the issue of knife defense is on every instructor’s mind, as I had the pleasure of speaking with many people from all genres of Martial Arts styles.

We also had a few visits from Law Enforcement agencies, both locally and interstate. They had heard that Floro Fighting Systems was instrumental in developing the Edged Weapon Defense Program for the NSW Police, so they wanted to “check it out”.

Pic 2. Scott and myself, going through some FFS material.

The seminar that I conducted was well attended. I tried to give a complete overview of FFS, but due to limited time; they was a lot of material I just couldn’t get through.

Another highlight of the show was that I finally got to meet Richard Norton. I’ve heard a lot of great things about this man………and they are all true.

I couldn’t help myself, so I ducked out of my stand to attend his seminar. Very impressive material! We chatted at the end of the day and he promised that we will get together again for a trade of ideas and he also seemed keen to include some FFS into his training.

I also met Julius Melegrito. A Filipino Martial Arts Master based in Nebraska. He has several successful schools; and we will certainly be pooling our resources to do a joint collaboration with our styles: he’s one of the funniest guys I’ve ever met. But then again, he is Filipino!

Pic 3. Surprise attack by John (Kato) Will.

It’s always great to catch up with Prof John Will. I was fortunate enough to be at a stand right next to him. So if he wasn’t sneaking up behind me trying to stab me…..we had great conversations.

It goes without saying that I also met up with a couple of John Will’s Back belts…..Steve Perceval and Geoff Aitken….great guys.

I hope that I will catch up with them at future seminars.

And who could forget George and his “twins”. They kept me entertained.

It was also a great opportunity to catch up with guys who have trained with me in the past, as well as meeting some Martial Artists for the first time……

The end result was great; we sold a lot of “The Essential Ray Floro DVD’s” as well as booking several FFS seminars in the near future. All in all it was a great SUCCESS!!!!

I would also like to thank a great friend of mine and FFS, Scott Hartog, who dropped everything for the weekend to help me out; and to eventually catch my dreaded flu…………sorry bout that!!!

Ray Floro

I have received a lot of positive feedback when I posted on my Essential Protective Gear.

So I though I would continue the series by showing you how I make my Sparring Knives….or “Boffers” as we prefer to call them.

The first image shows the items that make up our Boffer. It consists of a “Pool Noodle” foam cylinder (make sure you get the ones with the hole in the center. I bought a whole lot of noodles once only to notice that the centers were solid!?!?@###!!!

The other item is a plastic composite rod……it is also hollow. PVC rods are not recommended; as they can shatter into dangerous shards, which could potentially make it into a dangerous weapon. This particular rod is supplied to me by a friend John, who works in the “Hydraulics” industry.

The writing on the side of the rod is as follows:

26723 Vinidex MAXAIR Compressed Air Pipe S1 DN 25X3 5 SDR7 4 PN25.

I’m not sure how easy it is to get…….but if you cannot find it, Rattan cane which is light, can be a good substitute.

The lighter the sparring equipment the better, as you don’t want to translate the heavier weapons to “energy” when you are starting to hit hard and fast. The Rattan will only work for knives. If you try to do the same with sticks, it will hit too hard.

My philosophy on sparring is to wear minimal gear. We have found that by using our Boffers we can get away with just wearing helmet and gloves; there is no need for body armour.

Our preference for this is twofold:

1) It is a lot cheaper for my students, as they don’t have to outlay a lot for protective gear.

2) The lack of body armour means that there is still respect for the weapon.

(I have seen countless times were combatants are wearing so much armour, that all they concentrate on is striking their opponent as many times and as hard as possible – there is no attempt to defend any of the attacks, and it becomes a “caveman” event).

With minimal armour, you will need to develop effective defensive and counter attack skills. This is very important in a realistic scenario where “double kills” with weapons are a real possibility.

Other substitutes you can use for the “core” rod in your Boffer can be – cut down fishing rod blanks or cut down ski poles. The important factor is that they do not break or shatter into sharp objects, and that it is light in weight.

So the construction of the F.F.S. Boffer is as follows:

Image B1 – Cut the Blue Rod into a length of 250mm (this can be changed to suit your personal preference). Cut the foam Pool Noodle to length of about 150mm (again this can be changed).

Image B2 – Shows how much you should insert the Blue Rod into the Pool Noodle.

Note* Make sure you leave a gap of about 40mm from the tip of the pool noodle to the tip of the blue rod. (If you install the rod right up to the tip of the pool noodle, then expect injuries during sparring.)

Image B3 – Slice an off cut from a separate foam noodle, and stuff that in the gap you left at the tip of the Boffer. This will act as a cushion, and help absorb shock.

Image B4 – Now wrap the entire Boffer in gaff tape.

Note* It is important not to tape the Boffer tightly.

Make sure you just “pat down” the gaff tape on the surface.

I usually just put a single layer of tape on.

(If you bind it tightly it will more likely to injure your opponent during sparring.)

Notice that I tape the “blade” of the Boffer along its length rather than across.

Image B5 – I then finish the Boffer by taping Ice Hockey Grip Tape on the handle.

Image B6 – Voila……an F.F.S. Sparring Boffer!

Ray Floro

I wanted to find out more about Straight Razors used in fighting or defense.

As the book “Razor” proves, there are many accounts of the razor being utilized in combat?

There are or were very few sources which touch specifically on the subject. Bradley Steiner wrote a book called “Close Shaves” (Published 1989) dedicated solely on the use of the straight razor for fighting. There is also an excellent article written by James Keating on Razor use:

http://www.jamesakeating.com/maajak7a.html

I found Mr. Keating’s article the most informative, and coincidentally his theory on razor use; confirms evidence given at an exhibition held at the Kings Cross Library (Sydney, Australia).

Image R1

At the exhibition, was a photograph of the method the razor gangs used to hold the Straight Razor (See Image R1).
When I first saw this method, I thought it rather a strange and cumbersome way of holding the razor.

Image R2
However, Mr. Keating’s article points out the following (See Image R2 for his preferred grip, notice the similarities
to Image R1.

1. Razors are made of very brittle, breakable steel. It is very “glass-like” and breaks like a wine glass if impacted on any hard surface at all.
2. Due to the reasons above, the razor fighters have developed specialized grips and methods to use the razor and not have it fracture in the course of said usage.
3. Cuts, strokes and attacks are also structured around the grip and the nature of the delicate steel.
4. A razor has no locking mechanism. It’s all dexterity and know-how with a razor, screw up and break your weapon, ugh-oh! Allow the razor to accidentally close upon your fingers and again… ugh-oh! So, grip-use-design-purpose must meld together or disaster looms on every turn of events.
5. Razors are best suited to snipe, wound, terrorize and disfigure (scar). Not good for heavy cutting, amputations, beheadings or other such fantasy Bowie knife-like applications.
6. Today, men do not own, carry or shave with these devices. So, they no longer have that carte blanche ability to be carried. They are an antique device. They would be seen as would any other edged weapon.

Keating goes onto explain the justification of this grip………….he calls it the PINCH GRIP

Notice how the pinch grip is applied. Here is why. The razor having no lock what-so-ever to keep it in the open position must be held in this way to prevent closure. The grip also lends strength to the blade and frame.

A proper pinch-grip eliminates most of the weaknesses of the razors design. The handle is not important, the blade is.Keep it intact and functional. When people show you “alternative grips” for the razor; I do not doubt that a razor could be held in such a way.

What I doubt is that it would serve any functional purpose to hold a straight razor in such a fashion. There is really only one way to grasp the razor when using it as a weapon, and that is the way I am showing you.

So now you know what to do if you are confronted at the Ye Olde Barber Shoppe or whilst shaving at home with your trusty “cut-throat”…….

Ray Floro

I’m always asked. “What training equipment do you use”?

An excellent question, as I’ve virtually tried out every gear on the market.

But for the last decade, I have settled on “tools” that I could not do without. Here are my ESSENTIAL GEAR for training and teaching with my private students and instructors.

This gear allows us to go a bit harder amongst ourselves.

HELMET Fig 1 Nike Bauer 1500 Hockey Helmet w/ Cage

This is Bauer’s Cheapest model. I’ve tried all their models, and I have to say that the more expensive models have no significant advantage to this basic model. Maybe it does when you are a professional hockey player. But for the short time you have the helmet on in the training we do, there is no perceived benefits.

Do not overly tighten the adjustment screws. If you over tighten, then the stress points where the screws are will crack. The helmet will last longer when you just tighten it to the point that it’s just firming up, and just re-tighten regularly. AND if you’re going to do it this way, make sure you DO CHECK the screws, or else it will loosen and fall out. Never to be found.

Another tip is that I take off the chin strap. When sparring comes to grappling range, it’s better to have your helmet yanked off rather than your head yanked off because the chin strap is garroting you.

HELMET CAGE Fig 2 Bauer 500 Hockey Helmet Cage

When I’m buying helmets for students, I just normally buy it with the standard cage it comes with as a package (cheaper price is usually the reason).

But FOR MY PERSONAL USE, I just LOVE the Bauer 500 Hockey Cage. I like it so much that I have TWO spares. But the one I’ve been using, I’ve had for about 7 years….it has outlived about 4 helmets. I just transfer my cage to a new helmet.

This cage has been with me all over the world……..from teaching the US and Korean Special Forces in Korea, all around the USA, and all around Australia.

It is workhorse that cannot be broken or killed. I’ve told my wife that when I die, this cage will go on top of my casket.

I have tried cages where it is made out of “Perspex” type of material. At first glance, it is perfect, as some people can’t get used to looking through metal bars……..however, I’ve found that after a while, the plastic will be riddled with scratches, and in cold weather, it ALWAYS fogs up. Not my personal choice.

GLOVES Fig 3 Nike Bauer Vapor V Senior Hockey Gloves

Again, this is Bauer’s cheapest model. I’ve tried their most expensive, but found them too stiff and takes too long to break in. This model only takes two or three lessons, and your good to go.

I use Size 13’s as I found the bigger size gives me some indirect protection to my wrists and forearm. When you teach a few hours a day, you need all the protection you can get.

One of my guys bought the JUNIOR model, as it provides adequate protection, but is less cumbersome. In fact, next time I need to change my gloves over……I’ll be trying out this size.

These are my Essential Protective Gear…………I’ll be doing future blogs where I cover how I make my training knives and sticks……

I use a different setup for student seminars that works perfectly for the job required whilst keeping safety in mind.

More about that later…..

Ray Floro