Book of the Month "Jeet Kune Do - The Art and Philosophy of Bruce Lee" by Dan Inosanto This is an illustrated book written by Dan Inosanto that provides background information about the evolution of Bruce Lee's martial arts. The names of the chapters tell the story: (1) Wing Chun - the Nucleus, (2) Jun Fan - Liberation, (3) Jeet Kune Do - Freedom, (4) The Way of JKD, (5) Beyond Bruce Lee, (6) The JKD Family Tree, and (7) JKD Terminology. This book is out of print, but if you're lucky you can find it on the internet or in a used book store. Thai Boxing Seminar !!! Ajarn Chai Sirisute On September 13 and 14 Ajarn Chai Sirisute is teaching a seminar on Thai Boxing. The seminar will be hosted at the Hun School. We Have a Winner... Ben Brophy in Charge Mary Jo Colli Gets the Choke Mike Wolfert in Action Taking a Break Congratulations! On August 2 over 800 competitors got together in Wildwood New Jersey for the NAGA (North American Grappling Association) Battle at the Beach competition. PAMA had three representatives at the competition: Ben Brophy, Mary Jo Colli, and Mike Wolfert. Ben took first place in the No Gi Novice Heavy Weight competition. Mary Jo took first place in the No Gi Women's Beginner Light Weight competition. Mike competed in the No Gi Novice Middle Weight competition but didn't place. Congratulations to all of them for competing.

Instructor of the Month Name: Stephen Lidz Martial Arts Experience: I had brief exposure to Okinawan Isshinryu karate (6 months). Occupation: Underwriter for a large insurance company in New York. Steve is an assistant instructor at PAMA. Feel free to ask him questions. He is very friendly and will laugh at even your worst jokes. He has good memory and can probably figure out which drill you have a question about even if you forgot what it is exactly and can vaguely describe it to him. How did you get into martial arts? Where did you get the interest? As a kid I loved to watch Kung Fu movies, but as my parents were pacifists and didn't appreciate the spiritual aspects of the martial arts, I never got the opportunity to train. It wasn't until I had children and started looking for martial arts schools for them, that I realized I was the one who wanted to learn. How did you hear about PAMA? What influenced you to join PAMA? When I was looking for a martial arts school all I could find initially were schools teaching Tae Kwon Do. I knew even then, however, that I wanted to learn another art. I had seen the advertising for PAMA in a martial arts magazine, and decided to check it out. When I visited PAMA I was energized, I knew the school offered everything that I was interested in. What is your impression of PAMA today? What do you like most about PAMA? I am still energized about PAMA. The attitude of everyone is positive, and encouraging. Also, the curriculum is so diverse that it is hard to believe that I could ever feel that I've learned everything the school has to offer. I think what I like most about PAMA is the flexibility to adjust your training to fit your interests and needs. What are your goals you hope to achieve through PAMA? When I first came to PAMA, my main goal was to lose weight and improve my fitness. While I've managed to lose weight and keep it off, improving my fitness is a never ending battle. I have also found that coming to PAMA has helped me in my job. The hard physical training along with the diverse background of the other students at PAMA help me maintain a perspective that I truly value. Ultimately, I hope I can become a better martial artist. I know at PAMA I can keep pushing myself to improve and get the direction I need. What advice would you give students based on your experience as a student and instructor? Be patient and try not to get frustrated. Some things are easier for some people than for others, but it doesn't mean you can't learn, it just may take a little longer. I remember being frustrated with Kali after my first class, but I stayed with it, and now I love it. Which aspects of PAMA training could you offer help to students? I would like to think that I can help someone with both Jun Fan and Kali. Buddha Says... "Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful." - Buddha (source) (Editor's note: I think this month's Buddha is half Jewish) All the Way from Spain Pedro Coloma Maestre If you've seen this guy at PAMA at odd hours of the day and night looking like he just woke up, then don't be alarmed. His name is Pedro Coloma Maestre and he was visiting PAMA from far away Spain. Pedro came from a peaceful fishing town on the Mediterranean Sea in the south of Spain called Cartagena, where he owns a local bar and a martial arts school. He heard about the art of Silat and came to Princeton New Jersey for fifteen days to take the Silat classes that you all enjoy every day and learn Silat through private lessons from Rick Tucci himself. Pedro hopes to one day invite Sifu Rick Tucci to Spain to offer a seminar in the art of Silat. Pedro currently offers Shito Ryu Karate, kick boxing, and boxing classes at his "Academia Sugar", inspired after the American boxer Sugar Ray. We hope to see you again sometime Pedro. And spread the word about PAMA.