Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
Before he became St. Louis Chief of Detectives in 1890, William Desmond plied his trade as a Detective with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. During February 1890, Detective Desmond’s persistent efforts to locate two confidence men paid off with the arrest of both men. “Kinch” Keegan and “Thatch” Grady were brother-in-laws and accomplices in several confidence games. On January
On July 7, 1939, Twentieth Century-Fox Films released the final Mr. Moto “B” film starring Peter Lorre as Inspector Kentaro Moto. Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation finds Mr. Moto accompanying the Queen of Sheba’s Crown from its discovery in an Egyptian archaeological site to a San Francisco museum. Mr. Moto suspects the arch criminal Metaxess, who authorities believed was dead, intends
During the Gilded Age and for several decades after, St. Louis had the distinction of being the largest city west of the Mississippi River. Pickpockets and thieves rode the rails to ply their illicit trade in the bustling metropolis. On September 21, 1901, hotel employees overpowered a sneak thief, who attempted to burglarize a room in the plush Southern Hotel.
The legendary Bruce Lee wrote an article for Black Belt magazine many years ago which challenged the efficiency and efficacy of kata, forms or pattern training. Ever since the publication of this article, many other martial artists have begun to challenge or question the need for forms training. Since I am dedicated to teaching self defense, you would think I
One of the best thing about the martial arts such as Taekwondo is the ability for fathers, mothers, children, grandchildren and other family members to train together. You develop a mutual interest you cannot replicate by sitting in the stands watching your children play baseball, soccer, etc. Besides training with all three of my kids and my wife, who trained
My oldest son Kenneth will turn 18 this week. It is hard for me to believe he is a grown man already. It seems like five years ago he was a little guy running around and climbing on everything. When he was less than a year old, he could hang out of his exersaucer and pick up his toys off
Monogram Pictures released So’s Your Aunt Emma! (1942) on April 17, 1942. Zasu Pitts stars as Aunt Emma Bates. In her youth, Aunt Emma was engaged to up-and-coming professional fighter Jim O’Banion. Her sister didn’t approve of the match, so they sent her on a trip to break up the couple. Aunt Emma regretted it and starts following the career
My second great-grandfather John Riley Deweese served as Welch Township Republican Committee Chairman in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri for most of his adult life. Besides holding party caucuses in his home, John Riley served as Road Commissioner in the 1910s. Residents mostly traversed the roads by horse and buggy. One of the mechanisms governments used to collect fees for road
This week my youngest son Caleb turns 16. I can’t believe it has been 16 years since I saw and held him for the first time. Caleb was the baby and waited until he had a good meal at Red Lobster before making his appearance in the world. When he was ready though, he didn’t wait around. He was born 40 minutes
Martial artists always created their arts to solve a problem. Judo was created when Dr. Jigoro Kano put his mind to solving the problem of how to train at 100 percent effort without getting someone injured by the crippling techniques of Japanese Ju-Jitsu. Helio Gracie created the basis for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by trying to solve the problem of how a