Agreed - I have actually said as much elsewhere and Hock echoed similar sentiments. Vu has a lot of inner demons he can't seem to control and until he does - and by this time who knows if he can - he will be a "what could have been" footnote
Bash at the Beach I assume the bash at the beach in Dana Point in late August is not going to happen. I haven't heard anything about cancellation and refunds. I guess I better check into it.
This only happen in MA. The reason is simple. Everybody want to be no 1 and nobody wants to be no 2. unfortunately if we put the whole earth population in one tournament, there will be only one winner from that tournament. After that person dies, the world will filled with plenty of losers.
Yes it is still going ahead, although obviously lots of the old DOM will not be going myself included My students all received their refunds, albeit it took a while. The Bash will probably still be an event worth attending from a purely training perspective if you are outside the PFS, but it will be nowhere near as good as last years
It is still going along in its own way, but the ranks have been devastated. Singh has his own association now (of which I am a proud member) and it doing a lot of seminars (one with me in Calgary in 2 weeks actually). From my perspective PFS was a good place to be at one time - but no longer; too much poison in the atmosphere
What now? Yeah, the instructors at my old school (I say old, I left just a couple of months ago) have flown all over the country to go to SEVERAL of Singh's seminars. One of the asst. instructors that left right after me is sticking with Vunak apparently.
The site looks very thin right now and I see a few other names have left the fold too So sad to see it dissolve this way
Not to by any means invalidate what took place, after reading the Bullshido debate I felt the need to add one data point: http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/crime/item/5779-restraining-orders-out-of-control In the debate on Bullshido it was repeatedly mentioned that because judges had agreed to give restraining orders that automatically meant wrong doing. Restraining orders are actually very easy to get. Too easy in fact and I have seen them abused first hand. That does not mean Mr. Vunak did not do anything to deserve having one out on him, but keep this in mind before you pass sentence on someone on the basis of a restraining order alone. As the article points out.
No one is - I've heard the voicemails, I've seen the emails; remember I am a Full Instructor in PFS and I live and breathed this org until it exploded Whilst I appreciate your advice in a general context, here it is redundant; did you see te videos? Did you read the emails that were posted? We are not talking generalities or he said/she said here old son! Those are court TRANSCRIPTS of the calls - so advising "caution" is pretty asinine. Vu was - and is - a tremendous fighter an technician; but he cannot shake his demons and now the man who has been with him for 30 years has gone...what does that tell you? There is so much more that could have been let out in public that hasn't been - that was a conscious decision. This was an ugly situation, but there is an old saying that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Vu never learned it seems
I guess I was not clear enough when I said that I was not in any way invalidating what happened or suggesting that it did not happen. Sorry for that. My point was just to say that a restraining order ALONE is not proof. I have looked at the situation with the information that was offered and that was enough for me. But I saw a mistake being made that just because two judges deemed the situation worthy of a restraining order that somehow meant it was evidence alone. When the reality is many restraining orders are given with no burden of proof at all. The article does a good job of articulating it. It was written by a lawyer who has had to deal with the abuse of restraining orders on behalf of his clients many times. Does that mean Paul Vunak is innocent? Nope. He admitted he did what he is accused of. Only pointing out that the legal system with regard to restraining orders should not be considered with the same weight as a conviction. Because the process is nowhere NEAR as clear. Particularly when you are dealing with Ex-Parte proceedings where the accused is not even present. The abuse and misuse of restraining orders is a pet peeve of mine. And people viewing their issuance as proof of guilt of wrongdoing can do a lot of damage to someone's reputation. Again, not that I feel that this situation did not warrant one. Cautioning people to do due diligence on it. You obviously have. More ignorant people would not of bothered.
I've been with PFS since 1998 and have witnessed a lot of changes. Honestly, I personally would prefer to kill this topic/thread because I feel as martial artists and as respectful individuals there is no need to bring out people's "dirty laundry" into public. Everyone has a right to their own opinion of course, but I don't think any good is gonna come from talking about PFS politics. I know that Cruse has always been a loyal friend to Vu, and I sincerely hope that they work out whatever the differences might be. There's a long history between them two, and I know I've learned a lot from both! He's a great asset to the PFS organization, and represents very professionally. And despite whatever we know or think we know about Vu's personal life, let's face it...the man has done amazing things for JKD and the JKD community. He's an awesome teacher, an extremely talented practitioner, and truly brought an entire new aspect to JKD in the 80's with his work with the SEAL Teams, DEA, and other elite agencies. I prefer to focus on that instead of the other b.s. that has nothing to do with us. Vu has a lot to teach, so take the good stuff and stay clear of the bad has been my policy. As far as Singh, he's always been very respectful and I consider him friend. We share a lot in common, and I wish him the best in his ventures. It was unfortunate to see his departure from PFS as well, as he brought a totally new dimension to PFS as well. I do stay in contact with him and consider him a friend. These are just my thoughts, and I hope it doesn't offend anyone here. In the meanwhile, Happy Holidays to everyone and may our paths be enlightening. All the Best!
Nik I was with you up to a point - Vu still can throw down and has a tremendous knowledge base. We all know of his "colourful" past and his stories of that time are both horrifying and amusing in equal measure....but this is completely different. You are disregarding violence and threats to women, threats to members, threats to friends of members - there is a lot of other stuff I will not mention here but it is all legally documented and the trail exists. You cannot ignore something of this magnitude. It's one thing to fall out and threaten to "kick your ass" personally (hell I've done that!) but it i something else entirely to lie, steal and cheat and target women and young guys because you lack the internal discipline to harness that rage. I have suspicions about a lot of the causes, but that is based on personal experience and a few tell tale signs - and I have no proof. Of threats, lies an deceit I have proof in spades - and I don't care how good someone is when they get to that level I cannot stay with them. I also notice the little "footnote" on fighting.net has gone down - I still have that saved. When PFS themselves air the laundry then they cannot complain when they get a receipt. This is not a dig at you Nik, because I think you are a decent guy. But just because it is unpleasant does not mean it should be removed; it is a matter of public record anyway and let's not forget that this is hardly the first time Vu has done something like this. Only difference now is the Internet is in full force and rumour becomes fact very quickly
I don't take it as a dig at me brother...I have nothing to do with it. And I understand that particular matters cannot be ignored nor do I ask them to be deleted from here. I ask that we not give TOO much effort into something that we cannot control. I've met Anshu (Singh's wife) several times, and she is truly a class act. I agree that nobody should have to go thru threats or harrassment, despite female, male or whatever. Don't take my post as I am defending anyone or any behavior. I am simply stating that there are bigger/better things in life to focus on then what someone else's mistakes are. Mostly, my intentions are to keep any other rumors about Cruse out of this. If anyone wants to discuss what their thoughts are on other matters, please feel free. If someone feels like they want to attempt to make a change...then call Vu and express it directly. It would have more effect than being upset on here. As for the "footnote," yes it's off, and I am glad. BTW...I did reach out to a few people in the business side and express my disliking of it. I don't think I made them do it, but hopefully they atleast considered it. Hannibal, I respect the fact that you've openly and respectfully expressed your opinions. I've watched this thread for a while and kinda stayed away from posting. Again, my only intentions here are to make sure that we don't get caught up in a "bitching-fest" or "gossip posts." As martial artists, it's our job to lead by example...OUR EXAMPLE! The events with Singh were very much out in the open, but Cruse's situation has been hush hush. So I ask that we respect that privacy.
