Relativity in a bubble

One day I was spending time in the woods, minding my own business so to speak. I heard something move up the hill and, assuming a person had taken a dog out, thought: "Never have a chance to be on your own". I was surprised though when two deers showed up from behind the bushes; they stopped and started staring at me apparently with interest.

I talked quietly to them just to keep them involved until I had my camera ready, but soon as I did the deers darted into the woods as if they sensed I was about to target them. I guess that's the animal way; luckily I did manage to film a short clip of them, which by the way made me wonder how they're able to run upon the terrain without breaking their legs.

The next thing that came to my mind was: what if the deers had attacked me instead? In spite of not being beasts of prey they probably would have killed me, you know they have the hooves and the muscularity, not to mention the fact that they are wild. Savage if you will.

There was another time when I happened to discuss fox in a henhouse-type of situation with a friend of mine. He said that it cannot be difficult to kill such a small predator when it comes to that, with bare hands that would be. So I gave him another example just for the comparison: domestic cat. What if one went crazy and wanted to hurt you in every way possible; they've got the claws and the teeth plus they're faster than most humans - a person would most likely end up visiting a doctor, if not something worse. What about a dog then, one that weighs, say, 30 kg or so? It's not even that much, but remember they used to be wolves - so what would a canine do in case he/she decides it is time to take your life? What would you do?

In museums we shelter the preserved bodies of animals with plexiglass in order to keep people from touching them, while in reality we use similar cover that's put around us for we do not want to be touched. For most people Nature and its beings have become symbols that have very little to do with any understanding of their true power. Life may be a form of story-telling, yet it's not a Disney movie. They say that a bubble is round because it is the most energy-efficient configuration; on the other hand we must not always rely on economy in search of strength and wisdom. To improve one must get tired. Break some tissue.

Kaitsenko must die

There are exactly two kinds of men in the world. More than 99% of them are what I call hunter-breeders, in other words ones that pursue success in order to gain benefit such as status in community, which in turn may provide to them a variety of possibilities. They are traders of some sort while to the rest the hunt itself is a sacred act.

The ultimate meaning lies not in any achievement which we compare with those of others as such glory has a tendency of depending on the circumstances anyway. For example, Set-Angya was all but victorious in his final fight, yet beyond comparison. In addition to that I recommend all take a look at Helio Gracie's description of the bout he had against Masahiko Kimura in 1951; sometimes result and outcome may be two things totally different.

Among the Kiowa the greatest honour for a man was to be one of those called the Crazy Dogs. So we must begin by asking what a dog is, or what they used to be in the early days. Companions in hunt and combat, protectors of the community - in fact wolves which chose to live with humans. No wonder then that the soldiers of old searched to embrace both the ferocity and the loyalty of the animal; it is also notable that groups of men possibly learnt their hunting tactics from packs of wolves.

It is essential for a warrior, who may not be merely a regular fighting man but one standing amongst very few, to own the beast-like nature of a primitive canine. In the end of the day it's not about victory or loss but the very essence of the individual, just like there are breeds of dogs remaining today in areas like Lapland or Alaska which are not altogether tame. The craziness however does aid one in any sort of struggle should it be a question of an armed assailant, forces of Nature or just trouble in everyday life. Sometimes it's better to go for the scent than rely on superficial observation and keep playing by the common rules people use for binding themselves with.

I feel there is a strong bond between myself and animals, which I believe has helped me a lot in my training of combat skills - not only while technically adapting some manners of moving or whatever, but through perception as well. There might be forms of collective consciousness for species, and if so, the beasts have definitely shared their qualities with me. As for combat skills in general, the secret of the weapon, or the way of becoming one, is to never pass the cottonwood tree.

Battleground Valhalla Rising part II

After writing the previous text I still want to take a closer look at some of the details of what took place in the Valhalla Nordic Championship match between "The Rebel" StarBuck and myself at Power Expo 2018.

Photo by Marko Simonen

As people are often eager to say things concerning pro wrestling matches or techniques, I would first like them to understand what the holds are about. The one we see here in the photo for example you can utilize as a joint lock but the primary use is gaining control over the opponent and moving him or making him move himself as an attempt to get out. If you want to make it tight instead and really put on loads of pressure there's a fair chance he might be able to bend the arm just a little bit and, by doing so, dig the tip of his elbow into your muscles even hitting some pressure points. Of course there are ways to attack the joint in an explosive manner thus fracturing parts of it, but as sportsmen we are not there to cause severe damage to one another. To hurt and to injure are two different matters.

Photo by Marko Simonen

I am not the easiest person to move around even for somebody larger than myself, but I just mentioned explosivity so I thought I must say a few words about this photo. StarBuck lands a devastating clothesline on me and you can clearly see that he takes my feet off the mat. In several occasions I have seen wrestlers who do not fully comprehend the nature of this move when they should if not master the art then at least handle the basics. Any blow is similar to a hold or a lock in the sense that everything is about creating pressure: in a case like the one above, superkick or whatever this is only done more rapidly than while grappling. Be quick, hit the target in the right place and know how to direct your bodyweight through an this is what the results will look like. Do not settle for less.

Photo by Marko Simonen

This particular throw reminds me of British wrestling and matches like the ones between The Dynamite Kid and Mark "Rollerball" Rocco. If you're there to pin the opponent, then you must first bring him to the mat. Use all the force and speed you want but take him down instead of lifting him upwards - see what I mean? One strength that I have is knowing there is a time and place for everything, the other is a variety of techniques that may surprise the opponent. Old school, hybrid style or conventional martial arts - any tool is useful as long as one knows how to make it work. Too many people rely on what they see happening around them on a daily basis, so in the long run the outcome will look like a brick wall. Why not build a structure of natural stones for a change, give the world a little bit more to study.

Photo by Marko Simonen

Sometimes going directly towards the mat is not enough, and we must increase the power of the impacts. Throwing the opponent literally across the ring is a tempting idea, but he or she might have plans diverse from the ones in your mind after which you suddenly find yourself in a very unfavorable situation. This happens a lot of times when somebody tries to position the other person on top of the turnbuckle, but in the match at Power Expo StarBuck was clever enough to let me climb up there in order to make my move - I could have used a missile dropkick or even a clothesline-type of maneuver - before executing his counter-strike. Successful strategy comes with experience and The Rebel has not only one of the longest careers but also an exquisite set of know-how plus the means of accomplishment.

Photo by Marko Simonen

Sleeper hold is still one of the most powerful and straight-forward techniques in wrestling today and you don't even have to take my word for it. One part of the perception is that you know how to fight back when been put in it, although the main goal of course it simply to make it to the ropes. However, not that I'm not merely blocking the movement of StarBuck's hand - I'm trying to place it to the side which would allow me to move my body more and escape the hold by pulling my head down at the same time. If we lived in a perfect world (from my point of view) the result might also be that I'd twist his forearm into an upper wrist lock, but let us keep that rope break and the referee in mind for a start. There's nothing wrong in recognizing an opportunity, just remember that there's no time for fantasizing in the ring.

Photo by Marko Simonen

The whole body is a weapon, the whole body is a target - this is how I was taught. In the photo I've been able to push my head backwards and into StarBuck's face so that he's lost his balance without letting go of my neck though. Therefore I've simply rolled across and turned his hold into a pin attempt, or made his weapon mine so to speak, the game plan being that the referee starts the count as he sees StarBuck's shoulders on the mat which would force The Rebel to let go immediately. With such moves that come unexpectedly there is a danger that you might actually tighten the opponent's hold by twisting your body in a peculiar manner, but then again we are supposed to be athletes to begin with and agility does come with the territory. Over the years people may even have noticed that my neck muscles possess strength that's exceptional to say the least.

Photo by Marko Simonen

What makes professional wrestling an art that is similar to the Wudang styles of fighting or Bushido is the fact that everything cannot always be measured by success, or the superficial meaning of the term. Learning is important even to veterans like The Rebel and myself, vision is one of the most significant things considering one's career and having the right kind of attitude is essential as the very basis of it all. I've only shared a few thoughts about a single match but hopefully that may help some individuals understand the depth that is everyday life to StarBuck and his true disciples. The question I once asked was "are you wrestlers or people you pretend to be wrestlers?" I have chosen my side, and the battle rages on.

Photo by Marko Simonen

Battleground Valhalla Rising

Photo by Marko Simonen

We often end up hearing opinions about pro wrestling that are presented by people who have no interest to see the action in the first place and, in addition to that, seem to find the very art more or less worthless. As the perception of such critics equals zero - anybody may notice the contradiction in justifying their condemnation with a lack of knowledge - I am happy to have this opportunity to point out a few factors essential in professional wrestling to people open-minded enough to accept this sort of information. If there is expertise in the text or not, you be the judge of that. However, I will take examples from the match I had against "The Rebel" StarBuck for the Valhalla Nordic Championship at Power Expo in Lahti, Finland 27th of May 2018.

Photo by Timo Muilu

First of all you can see a hold that does look simple but there are indeed various ways to apply it, meaning one has several methods of increasing the pressure. StarBuck chooses to crank the neck by pulling the upper part of my head to the side, for if his hands were any lower I could use my jawbone to break his grip. He also makes me arch my back a little bit; the position is far from optimal for me to utilize muscle strength other than that in my arms, so I'm mainly moving my legs and waist area to change the layout.

Photo by Timo Muilu

The headlock here is slightly different from the typical one because of the grip: there is a twisting motion which enables me to drive the sharp bone in the forearm into the tender part of StarBuck's face right under his cheekbone. When one grabs his/her own wrist simply from underneath without going spiral-like as mentioned the result is having soft tissue/flat surface against the area where the opponent's nerve pressure points should be attacked... Also notice how I lean forwards in order to stop StarBuck from standing up after which he could easily lift me and then land me hard in numerous ways.

Photo by Timo Muilu

In the next picture there's basically a combination of the previous situations with StarBuck once again having gained the upper hand. It is clear how he pushes my head deeper into the hold so the pressure is coming to me from three sides - not to mention the position he's put my legs in; due to that the route I would have to take to execute most of the counter-moves is as long as possible. Yet I must stress that the extremely powerful nature of StarBuck's chin lock is not simply about the strength of his arm, but the weight and the movement of his body PLUS the strength of his arm (actually both of them to be precise).

Photo by Marko Simonen

Some people love to proclaim that pro wrestling is not a combat art or that it has nothing to do with sports to begin with. Once you take a look at what's being done to my body it is easy to comprehend how important it's for us as wrestlers to be both strong and flexible: the more tense your muscles are the more damage the impacts will do to you, and while being aware of that we must at the same time remember that what we do is not ballet either. My training - at the gym or so - is very similar to what's practiced in other fighting skills so I assume that it has a lot to do with having been able to avoid serious injuries. If you want to have more room for your body to dance around I suggest you go functional at least from time to time.

Photo by Timo Muilu

I find the next hold very interesting for I first had StarBuck in a hammerlock which he was able to resist by turning to the side instead of lying face down and trying to move away (it was thus more difficult for me to actually manipulate his shoulder). There's a way of putting on even more pressure in that position by locking the opponent's elbow between your knees and then applying a crushing wrist lock, but since I'm a professional I'm not there to injure the adversary but to pin him - so in the photo I do use my legs to trap StarBuck's hand behind his back while catching his other arm to get the leverage to roll him until his shoulders hit the mat. Keeping him there long enough is a different story though.

Photo by Marko Simonen

StarBuck going for an extra gear in order to keep the title. As Yukio Mishima said: "I had no taste for defeat - much less victory - without a fight." In matches like the one in question the wrestlers are obligated to find the mode which allows them to not only offer the spectators an experience worth the trouble of being there, but to show them something they did not expect to witness. When the battle is in one's heart it affects the mind in a manner which turns it into a weapon, and the rest is not history but a mystery rather... There's something supernatural in the way that the Sport of Kings is able to change the physical realm.

Photo by Marko Simonen

Finding the submission force

Last Saturday at Wrestling Show Live I, once again, had a match against Ricky Vendetta, and this time the stipulation was that either wrestler can only win by submission - an idea I felt very comfortable with. Since technical wrestling, especially when it takes place on the mat, is really my area more than that of anyone else in FCF, I now want to take a closer look at some moments in time during the bout.

Submission holds, unlike one might expect, are not about strength - there's nothing wrong with being strong but let me quarantee that once you catch the opponent the most effecient way to deal with the situation is not to squeeze as hard as you can. In the picture above I've taken Ricky down and I'm going for the hold; my approach is almost Baguazhang-like as I direct his arm with a slight touch. It's all manipulation: instead of wasting time and energy I make him move the way I want and, feeling at ease, wait for the opportunity to come and then complete the strike.





The picture of the double wrist lock is a very important one for many people have problems understanding the hold in the first place. It's a powerful hook but can also be problematic when one doesn't have a proper background for utilizing it. See, I'm not bending over to reach the wrist but bringing Ricky's elbow up so his hand is being pulled closer... I'm maintaining a strong upright position, gaining control and making the opponent bend in order to find some way to get out of the situation he's been put in.



In the next picture Ricky is using no other hold than Indian death lock. If you take a look at the expression on my face you can tell I'm not actually happy with his decision, but I do find it satisfying when wrestlers have the brains to use old tricks that happen to be better than most of the new ones. You can clearly see how easy it is for Ricky to twist my arms and increase the amount of pressure while he indeed remains in a position most natural. However, as for the match I prefer luring the opponent into a trap instead of preparing the hold one step at a time (as Ricky did). Don't give the enemy any extra time but choose to turn his advance into a fall.

Drop toe hold is a simple move but more difficult to execute than one might assume. I just want to point out what I'm doing and how tight this particular technique should be: it's definetely a hold rather than a kick - and sure to take the opponent down. The key lies in floating to the side in one fluid and explosive move, obvious in my case.



Upper wrist lock is another catch-wrestling technique that is in fact far from a mere control hold. Opponents often bring the arm in themselves, trying to push you farther away, so this is a very common lock you see technicians use. It's possible to escape it by stretching your arm out - again, not so much with strength but by putting the body behind it. Then again, there's a countermove for that but I'm not in the ring to cause severe damage. Intense as wrestling matches can be, there's a difference between hurting the opponent and injuring him/her.

What we see next is one of the best neck cranks. I've got my arm spiraled around Ricky's head, his chin being the handle. I'm using the weight of my body to push him downwards, adding one more direction in it, and my legs to prevent him from rolling along with the pressure. It's an extremely tight hold - like a screw cap - especially when you're able to flow into it straight from the previous situation. In the match my hand actually slipped a little bit while doing the transfer so this didn't become the finish that time.

People often regard spinning head scissors as a high impact maneuver, but it's really just the ground fighting technique modified. Imagine that the wall/ceiling at the back is the floor, and you'll know what I'm talking about - also, what I'm doing looks like an attack: the hold itself is very solid, my legs placed perfectly for applying pressure and instead of swaying my upper body down towards the mat I'm pushing myself up and spinning around in an aggressive manner. This of course is what creates the high impact. So, whether you're attacking or countering, always keep in mind that it is you who must dominate the opponent and not the other way around.

People who practice any form of combat skills are probably familiar with the plead "show me something". Then, under conditions most friendly, you put them in grovit or sleeper hold, they feel the pressure and, in excitement, go show it to the next person etc. This has very little to do with martial arts. The measure of prowess is not the capacity of strangling someone who's not fighting back but one being able to have the opponent in a hold to begin with. That's why the picture of Ricky landing me on my head: in wrestling we go for the high impacts as set-ups for phases to follow. The combination of raw power and poetry in motion is, among other things, what makes our art the most spectacular sport in the world. Anything can - and will - happen.

(Photos by Marko Simonen.)

The Ryuken time

Since I was defeated by my ex-student and team partner Ricky Vendetta at the Winter War wrestling show last Saturday, I decided to point out a few details of what happened that evening. I guess in the end of the day it was the heat of the challenge that gave Ricky the extra edge to overcome the serenity I hold as strength thanks to my experience - to Ricky it was not just another match, whereas I've been in the very situation many times before. So I can now look at it as a chance to re-learn some of the martial art teachings I haven't had my mind set on recently.


Instead of a typical lock up I chose to apply: a bit of Dumog kind of approach for starters. See how I claim the arm, and note the strong stance - clearly different from that of Ricky's.

You might think one prefers to stand taller than the opponent, but I'm going lower istead. I want to make sure he doesn't pull me over, and I can see the influence of Japanese swordmanship there as well.

When there's not much distance the front kick is sometimes either a "scrape" or simply weak. Not in my case. I bring the knee high up and drive the foot forwards in a stomp-like manner. This I learned from the ninjas of Togakure ryu.

They often expect the clinch but one can also go reverse: "The dragon whips with its tail", said Bruce Lee.

I thought Ricky Vendetta couldn't surprise me in the ring but he did (well at least he's standing outside). An intelligent move to first retreat and then quickly strike while I'm feeling confident.

A variation of chin lock where he's grabbing the beard - and why wouldn't he? As long as any body part may work as a handle one must use it, and Ricky is not a stupid wrestler.

Nothing much to do in a position like that, as you're supposed to go down anyway. One must simply take the blow and come back with a game plan to ensure it's the opponent who goes down the next time.



Ricky going for submission. Good for him, but then again he's not The Original Constrictor. The hold is not nearly as tight it could be, so I didn't have that much trouble getting my foot on the rope. He should have paid more attention when I taught him how it's done in catch-as-catch-can.

Speaking of which, here's a nice photo of my half-hatch suplex. I've got the opponent hooked in two different ways and I take him off balance by pulling to the one direction that's "empty" - it is the rotating move that makes him light and allows me to gain control over the head and the arm immediately after hitting the mat.

Ricky may beat me in strength, but never in speed and agility. Not only can I avoid his attack, but also turn the situation into an instant counter-strike.

Didn't quite get him this time - there should be more weight behind the kick, and that's done by floating in the air so that you can really have yourself in the right position. Do take the time required and never rush into the next phase, just rely on the rhythm of the situation and do what's necessary.



The outcome of a single move poorly executed. Anybody can make a mistake, but the price of that may very easily be losing the bout; see that he's not just bringing me to the mat, he's tossing me across the ring - I'm literally about to land on my neck with the force of the move behind the crash.

My Muay Thai coach told me: "Always make sure you get the last point." He meant the rounds, but since we don't have them it's one piece of advice that concerns every situation to me. Not only in combat arts, but in life is the way I see it. In this particular case I want the opponent to land heavily...

... and myself to land heavily on him. See, Ricky Vendetta wasn't the only person in the ring with the fire of battle.

A significant part of our fine art is that anything can happen. The rules and the actual fighting style in pro wrestling serve the element of unpredictability, so it's a huge emotional experience for the spectator when the person doesn't know whether to expect the unexpected or even something beyond belief. Yet it only takes that 3 count to lose, which means that eiher participant might be the better one at least for the number of seconds required. Hybris goes before a fall.

It was the same with the Championship match as well. Valentine and King Kong Karhula are both excellent wrestlers, but while watching the bout I was certain that the latter would take the title due to the pure determination so clearly visible in him. Sometimes it's good to be wrong - it gives you more.







The Tao equation

A Chinese friend of mine once said that the universe is like a baby inside the Great Mother.

Before birth there is the darkness of the womb - as a primordeal state. That must not be regarded as negative although it tends to be light that we yearn for in both everyday life and questions of ethics. For the unborn there are no choices to be made, none that could lead to an ill outcome. However, this leaves us with the problem of evil: is is not then, concidering the nature of things, dependent on circumstances or one's actions?

Let us think of a fetus as the universe in its state right after the very origin. In that case the Big Bang would be the conception and the birth the beginning of the cosmos as we know it, following the furnace of chaos during the first few moments of existence. And like the human being, the universe also grows, ages, changes and ultimately dies. Through the process of corrosion there will be nothing left of the body/matter except atoms, which too will decompose into energy as aeons pass. The theory suggests that the universe will have its end in a void of complete blackness (I for my part find this only being partially correct).

Stephen Hawking has pointed out that before the Big Bang time itself cannot have existed, which should mean that there has been no time for anything else to exist either. The time-dimension on the other hand is merely one part of the universe's continuity as another direction in it. So the mistake Hawking makes is that he looks at the world from the human point of view whereas the universe, or the forces behind it, have a perspective of their own (very much so). The cosmos, huge as it is, does remain relative for there are boundaries for it, and beyond those lies what we call nothingness, or wuji. The absolute can only be found in zero, yet its true nature lies beyond comprehension. We may know of it the way we gain knowledge about black holes: by making conclusions based on the phenomena we are able to observe. Thinking of the fetus metafore again me could say that the womb was there before the conception.

Mathematics really is a code of symbols descibing reality. There is an endless amount of numbers on both sides of zero, going all the way to infinity. But no measure of greatness counts when compared to what really is the core: any numerical value, infinity included, times zero is same as nothing. Zero marks the absolute.

We know by now that good and bad as concepts are relative, and thus come to understand the meaning of yin/yang. The two as words used to stand for hillsides, one set in the sunlight while the shadow is cast upon the other. With the sun moving the "yin" would of course become the "yang" and vice versa. This is the relativity that works in all reality, and speaking of ethics we must remember that sometimes there are no "good" choices; one just has to pick what he or she finds likely to be "less bad". Then again the difference between right and wrong stays clear in every case, at least as long as we have the strength to be honest to ourselves - there is always the path we should tread upon and not stray.

So should the concepts of right and wrong be seen as two opposite poles equal to each other? It's most easy to answer once we've studied the relation between true and false: there can certainly be truth without any existence of falsity, but at the same time falsity only emerges from absence of truth. This is exactly the same as the power ratio of God and Satan, the latter being a (distorted) mirror image of the whole - no more than a reflection. Therefore I dare to say that, dispite of any circumstances or what things may appear to be like, justice will prevail - over the course of billions and billions of years the corrosion is only for the false. What is True keeps growing from every little bud of it instead, infinitely.

Buddha, mankind and the cosmos - not the same, but similar.