Things you don't see every day 2...

Here are a few pictures of things you don't see every day:

Things you don't see everyday 3...

Here are a few more pictures of things you definitely don't see every day:

Things you don't see everyday 4...

Here are a few more pics of things you don't see every day:


These are carvings out of fruit.





Yes, this woman is collecting Elephant poop!

H.I. August 2005 Update

1) I just returned from teaching the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Summer Camp near Gdansk, Poland. It was a wonderful eight days of training. I handed out 32 instructional DVD's to those who attended this event and even got a chance to share a few funny and heart-warming stories about my experiences in Poland.

NOTE: I have been teaching Brazilian Jiu Jitsu seminars in Poland longer than I have in any other European country. And, while many other well-known Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belts have taught seminars in Poland once or twice, I feel very fortunate to have taught one to two seminars each and every year since 1999. This was all possible thanks to the efforts Karol Matuszczak, summer camp coordinator and Harris International Grappling Instructor!

During my eight days, I got a chance to train seminar attendees twice a day: Once in the morning and once in the evening. I also got a chance to train several privately, as well as roll with many of them.

I would like to congratulate the following people for taking and passing their blue belt examination at the Summer Camp:

Wojciech Zaradzki
Maksymilian Wisniewski
Pawel Grzadzielski
Adam Górny
Lukasz Baginski
Leszek Zielinski
Dariusz Urbanczyk
Sebastian Olchawa
Agnieszka Koczur
Jakub Sluszczak
Krzysztof Kulak

I would also like to congratulate Mr. Rafal Szymanski for taking and passing his purple belt examination.

2) Congratulations to Mr. Jason Lambert and Mr. Chuck Brenkus for taking and passing their brown belt examination in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu! Both of these "gentle" men are strong, athletic and talented. Both of them passed their examination with flying colors. I am proud of their accomplishments and am even more proud to have both of them on my team!

3) Congratulations to Mr. Jeff Clark for taking and passing his black belt examination in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Over the past few years, Mr. Jeff Clark's Jiu Jitsu skills have come a long way. I am very proud to have him on my team, as well as promote him to black belt! One last comment: Mr. Clark really took a bite out of his black belt examination. He brought three purple belts with him for the examination. All three of them were very technical, but one of them was a giant: Mr. Chuck Brenkus! Yes, he's the same Chuck Brenkus that tested for his brown belt just three weeks later. Remember, my black belt examinations are tough. First, there's the technical examination. Then, there's the teaching examination. Then, there's the performance examination. And finally, there the "Lemme see your heart" examination (where three students, and myself, kick his butt). I am very proud to say that Jeff Clark passed his examination with flying colors!

4) Congratulations to Mr. Nick Ring for winning his Super brawl fight against Mr. Kimo Woelfel via rear naked choke in round one.

5) Congratulations to Mr. Jason Lambert for winning his recent MMA fight against Mr. Marvin Eastman.

6) The First Annual Harris International Instructor’s Conference, held July 15-17, 2005, was a complete success! There were 26 instructors in attendance.

During the three-day conference, I taught a series of escapes from straight arm locks, bent arm locks, straight ankle locks and knee bars, heel hooks and rear chokes. I also taught a two hour course on the use of Kettlebells. And, I finished the conference by teaching my own unique blend of wrestling and Judo.

All who attended the conference had a great time training and spending time with other instructors (whom they only knew by their screen name). Each of them look forward to the Second Annual Harris International Instructor’s Conference to be held in Honolulu, Hawaii, July 14, 15 and 16, 2006. We already have a training facility booked and have begun researching hotels. Instructors: Make plans to attend this event! I learned a lot from the first event, and, I promise this next event will be even better!

Additionally, the Third Annual Harris International Instructor’s Conference is set for July 13, 14 and 15, 2007. This one will be held in Galway, Ireland. This will be our first European Conference! I chose Ireland because of the lush green countryside, the friendly people and the cheap access to many of the surrounding European countries. For example, I was just in Ireland this past June and saw flights to Scotland, England, Italy, France and Germany for less than $100. Heck, one of the guys who flew from London, England paid $25 for his ticket. That's pretty much unheard of here in the US.

7) Speaking of Harris International Grappling Instructors: In mid-July, I taught the last publicly available Apprentice Level Grappling Instructor's Course. There were eight (8) people in attendance:

Melvin Luna (Puerto Rico)
Ingrid Lian (Norway)
Erlend Hunstad (who took the course a second time - from Norway)
Mars Cheung (San Diego)
Michael Moeller (from San Diego but now in Korea)
Ramon Gallo (San Diego)
Trevor Kennedy (Minnesota)
Philip Palmejar (San Diego)
Braydon Reinbold (Alberta, Canada)

I'd like to congratulate each of these new instructors on taking and passing the course of instruction! I am very proud of each of you!

For those of you who are still interested in taking the Apprentice Level Grappling Instructor's Course, the course is still available. However, it is only available through private training of groups of two or four people. For more information, please contact me at royharris@runbox.com.

8) As some of you know, I have been training, privately, in Russian Kettlebells with Mr. Pavel Tsatsouline since March of this year. Well, I just wanted to give you an update on my training: It is going very well. I have noticed a HUGE increase in core strength. And, the problems I have had with my lower back and the "clicking" that always seemed to happen in my shoulders; well, they're all gone! My lower back feels stronger than ever and my shoulders no longer click at that certain angle. Who would have thought an ugly iron ball with a handle on it could make such a difference? Thank you Mr. Tsatsouline!!

I am now a firm believer in Kettlebells. If you have a chance to train with them, I highly encourage it!

9) Recently, I have purchased some new software and video production equipment to take my video producing skills to the next level. I have also been training hard to developing my editing skills. I plan to produce the highest quality instructionals over the next three years. The topics will vary: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Jeet Kune Do Concepts, Filipino Martial Arts, Mixed Martial Arts, Self-Defense and Law Enforcement Defensive Tactics. I know I have talked about this before, but this time, I am ready for action. I will have at least four new DVD ready for Christmas. However, I have written outlines for 24 new instructionals!

10) Recently, I had some unique experiences in the game of golf. On Sunday, July 17, I played on the Cingular Wireless Golf Team for a Fund Raising Event at East Lake Country Club. Our team played in a best ball tournament and won by several strokes! Our combined effort produced an unbelievable fifteen strokes under par. My driver was on on that day! I was bombing them straight down the fairway for most of the day. On the 18th hole, a 510 yard, Par 5, I cracked a 305 yard drive down the middle of the fairway. I took out my five iron, took an easy swing and put my 205 yard shot within ten feet of the cup. We drained the putt for an eagle! Woo-hoo! It was a lot of fun playing at this event.........and it was even more fun winning it.

Plus, on Saturday, August 6, something very unique happened: I got my first hole-in-one! I have been playing golf for 40 years. I have had well over 40 shots that have JUST missed the cup by one or two inches. And, I thought this shot was going to do the same. Here's what happened:

I was on the third hole at Torrey Pines Golf Course - The North Course. The hole is a straight forward 129 yard par three. I was going to use my wedge like I always do, but something inside me said, "Use an easy 9 iron." So, I took out the 9 iron and swung easy. It went right online with the pin! I remember thinking, "This should be close." Well, the ball landed eight feet past the hole and drew backwards. I saw the ball move towards the hole and then saw it stop right at the hole. I waited a second or two and then (in a very pout-full manner) walked off to the cart, thinking I had once again been robbed of a hole-in-one. A few seconds after I had begun walking towards my cart, one of the girls I was playing with exclaimed, "It went in, it went in!" Because this girl is always messin' with me, I thought she was joking. I looked at the hole very quickly and then kept walking towards my cart. And then it hit me, "Hey, where's the ball? It was just there a minute ago. I looked again and did not see the ball. Finally, my whole group started jumping up and down about the hole-in-one! We made such a racket, the group in front of us walked off of the tee-box and ran over to the green. One guy looked into the hole and gave me a thumbs up sign! It was a very memorable moment (August 6, 2006, 7:31am, Torrey Pines Golf Course, hole #3) !!

11) I am in the process of making final arrangements for Manong Romy Macapagal's second visit to the US. He will be here in mid-October. He will teach a series of seminars at the Harris Academy, the Inosanto Academy in Marina del Rey, California and the Modern Self-Defense Academy in Middletown, Connecticut. I will have more details about his Kalis Ilustrisimo Seminars for you in the coming weeks.

12) The Harris International Store is now back online. And, there will be a sale on all instructionals this weekend!

13) My seminar schedule for the rest of the year is as follows:

September 16-20 Jakarta, Indonesia
September 23-25 Minneapolis, Minnesota
October 1-8 Trondheim, Norway
November 4-7 Melbourne, Australia
November 11-13 Calgary, Alberta, Canada
November 19-20 Frankfurt, Germany

NOTE: These are all Brazilian Jiu Jitsu seminars.

14) To all who attend the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu seminar in Brighton, England, I will give you a BJJ 201 DVD free of charge. I did this in Poland and Ireland recently and the attendees enjoyed the DVD. I think you will too!!!

15) I was recently hired by the DEA, Quantico to teach a two-day defensive tactics course at the local DEA office. I taught the course August 24 and 25. There were 35 agents in attendance. All who attended has a great time during the two day course.

16) I have begun writing more often these days. I am working hard on finishing the book I began writing some time ago. I plan to finish the book and have it published in 2006. As I get closer to finishing it, I will give you more details on it!

17) A Crazy DVD sale! During the month of August, I will make the following offer on all DVD orders for BJJ 101. Send me a check or money order for $10 and BJJ 101 DVD is yours!

18) Wednesdays are still $50 private lesson days. If you want to get some extra training in, privately that is, then set up a 50 minute private lesson on Wednesday morning between 8am and 12pm.

19) I taught a one day Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Workshop in Haywards Heath, England. The workshop was hosted by Mr. Rupert Bancroft, a Harris International Apprentice Level Grappling Instructor. The seminar was a complete success! There were 15 people in attendance, each of whom received a free copy of the BJJ 201 DVD, Intermediate Level Jiu Jitsu Training.

While I was there in England, I got a chance to take the tube from London to Paris. I spent an entire day in Paris. What a day that was! There was much to remember: Even a memorable event that involved an upset digestive tract, 5 Euro to pay for a toilet, no toilet paper, three serviettes and the will to improvise and over come. More on this in my next update : )

20) Mr. Pavel Tsatsouline and Mr. Steve Cotter will conduct a two-day Russian Kettlebell Workshop on November 5 and 6, 2005 at Harris International (8250 Camino Santa Fe, Suite J, San Diego, CA 92121). There will be six hours of kettlebell training each day. The focus of the training will be on training methods specific to martial artists. If you would like to receive a brochure on the specifics of this seminar, please e-mail me at royharris@runbox.com.

21) I taught a one-day Kalis Ilustrisimo Seminar at Sifu Dan Inosanto’s Academy in Marina del Rey, CA on Thursday, August 25, from 7pm to 9pm. The seminar was a complete success. There were 45 students in attendance. Whew! The place was packed!!!!

I'd like to personally thank Sifu Dan Inosanto for providing me with an opportunity to share what I have learned from Manong Romy Macapagal and Manong Tony Diego.

Next, I would like to thank Mr. Dale Lowrimore and Ms. Susan Gross for accompanying me to the seminar, helping me teach and helping me demonstrate the art to these student (many of whom have never held a stick or sword in their hands before).

Finally, to all of you who attended the seminar this evening, thank you for giving me your undivided attention for a little over two hours. I enjoyed sharing with you! (also, since I only printed 36 copies of the booklet & CD-ROM, and a few of you went home without a copy, I will bring at least 10 more copies with me when I visit Sifu on Tuesday). I want to make sure each of you gets a copy of this informative booklet and CD

22) I have a new website that will be going up next month. This website will focus on displaying free instructional videos. I have pulled my hair out with my current website. I have not been able to upload my instructional videos on my own website for some unknown and unexplainable reason. I have asked for help, but I am tired of waiting. So, I am choosing to have someone else design another “temporary” website so I can upload my own content. So much for the ease of use that the “Mambo CMS” says they offer.

The new website will, hopefully, be temporary. Next year, I hope to find someone to resolve all the issues with the current version of RoyHarris.com.

23) Recently, I was asked to become a contributing author for an up-coming European martial arts magazine. I will have more news for you as they get closer to print.

Well, that about wraps things up for early August.

Good training to all of you,

Roy Harris

Harris International Grappling Instructor Conference: San Diego, CA July 2005

Here is a picture of those who attended the July 2005 Harris International Grappling Instructor's Conference:

From left to right standing: Adam, Jan, Al, Susan, Jeff, Mia, John, Per, Ken, Janet, Amanda, Roy.

From left to right middle row: Me, Richard, Brad, Mars, Erlend, Don, Manny, Israel.

From left to right kneeling: Kayla, Chris, Forrest, Quinn, Michio, Jeff, Preston, Larry, Ingrid.

Got some time on your hands? Try This...

The other day, a friend of mine sent this link to me. I clicked on the link and started to play this little game. Before I knew it, 20 minutes had passed.

Take your best shot at The Trajectory Analysis Simulation:

http://www.widro.com/throwpaper.html

Interesting (Maybe Useless) Facts....

1. Money isn't made out of paper, it's made out of cotton.

2. The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper.

3. The dot over the letter i is called a "tittle".

4. A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.

5. Susan Lucci is the daughter of Phyllis Diller.

6. 40% of McDonald's profits come from the sales of Happy Meals.

7. 315 entries in Webster's 1996 Dictionary were misspelled.

8. The 'spot' on 7UP comes from its inventor, who had red eyes. He was albino.

9. On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily.

10 Warren Beatty and Shirley MacLaine are brother and sister.

11. Chocolate affects a dog's heart and nervous system; a few ounces will kill a small sized dog.

12. Orcas (killer whales) kill sharks by torpedoing up into the shark's stomach from underneath, causing the shark to explode.

13. Most lipstick contains fish scales.

16. Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn't wear pants.

15. Ketchup was sold in the 1830's as medicine.

16. Upper and lower case letters are named 'upper' and 'lower' because in the time when all original print had to be set in individual letters, the 'upper case' letters were stored in the case on top of the case that stored the smaller, 'lower case' letters.

17. Leonardo da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time ... hence, multi-tasking was invented.)

18. Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood.

19. There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos.

20. The name "Wendy" was made up for the book Peter Pan; there was never a recorded Wendy before!

21. There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with: orange, purple, and silver!

22. Leonardo Da Vinci invented scissors. Also, it took him 10 years to paint Mona Lisa's lips.

23. A tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion will make it instantly go mad and sting itself to death.

24. The mask used by Michael Myers in the original "Halloween" was a Captain Kirk mask painted white.

25. If you have three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar (good to know.)

26. By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you can't sink in quicksand (and you thought this list was completely useless.)

27. The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law, which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything thicker than your thumb

28. The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At that time, the most known player on the market was the Victrola, so they called themselves Motorola.

29. Celery has negative calories! It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with. It's the same with apples!

30. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying!

31. The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher.

32. Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from Public Libraries.

33. Astronauts are not allowed to eat beans before they go into space because passing wind in a space suit damages it. (Families taking long car trips should adopt this same policy).

Author Unknown