the rum soaked fist: internal martial arts forum

for all of the splashing hands people out there

i just saw this on youtube

a video of tiny...






Franklin

He seems a little top-heavy and tight around lower body to me.

Awesome find, Franklin. Great to finally see the big guy in action.

yeah

i had only seen pictures and heard stories

too bad it is a very short clip and does not show much



franklin

Franklin wrote:yeah

i had only seen pictures and heard stories

too bad it is a very short clip and does not show much



franklin

Hey Franklin,
I haven't heard the stories. Would you mind elaborating on that ?

TIA
CD

for a short bio of him you can check this page

http://www.littlenineheaven.com/lefiti.html

most of the stories i heard were about how he was a great fighter
also the stories about how people achieved black belt rank under him were pretty interesting (basically you had to be a good fighter)
and also that he was called "tiny" because he was very big (like 300 pounds)

He was Master McNiel's Splashing Hands teacher...

maybe Chris can chime in with more as he would know the most


I believe Tiny was also one of the founders of limalama


here is a video of the main founder of limalama
GrandMaster Tino Tuiolosega

you can see they were no joke


Franklin

The ones I've heard involve him dealing with challengers.

Supposedly one of his favorite things to do after laying the smack on someone who came to challenge him was to have his students carry the guy out back, splash him with bourbon, then call the paramedics and tell them some wino just got hit by a car.

Another one was the old "punch for a punch" contest. He would volunteer to take the challenger's best shot, which he would basically shrug off. Then he'd get all up in their face, grin and say "OK muthafucka, now it's my turn!"

Another quote I remember was: (holding up his left and right fists) "this one's the hospital, and this one's the morgue. Which one do you want?"

that is a most excellent find. thanks for postin. my brain is working on the sleep depravity of two month old twins and a two year old so the stories i can recollect are not coming quickly at all.
here is a quick little story from martialtalk.com
not from me. but sounds like the sories i've heard. hellofa guy i think
lando
"Yes I remember the rigerous training methods of the Haumea's school and the countless repetitions to gain perfection in some what simple applied technique. As to my comment that it was different back then, old school, that it was much harder, I remember that Tiny's method of teaching was some what brutal and a slow learner was quickly punished by a bamboo strike to the top of his head or a famous stiff kick between his legs that sent him gasping for breath in the corner of the room. There was rumor that he would take a newly ranked black belt out on a drinking binge before giving him his certificate and would quickly get him drunk with a pre-planned attack by other black belts that he was not in relation to just to test his ability to defend himself. You can see how this method of instruction can lead to liability suits and ultimately a schools closure. This is what I meant by ther term old school back in the late 60's and early 70's in the streets of L.A. Many of the schools were filled with street wise kids that knew already how to defend themselves and were looking for a mentor. It was a time of hard knocks and racism where Hispanics took to Lima Lama and Africian Americans formed BKF and Ed Parkers International was some what reserved for Parker students. What makes Haumea Lefiti's style so effective is the simplicity of what is taught and the overkill of repetition to gain long term memory retrieval "It is only by being lost in ones technique that one can learn the art of TRANSITION." It is nice to hear that the art is still being taught the old way and is so complete in Haumea's honor.

Your friend,

Merc"

that is a most excellent find. thanks for postin. my brain is working on the sleep depravity of two month old twins and a two year old so the stories i can recollect are not coming quickly at all.

wow i feel for you man... i am still working off the sleep deprivation from my son who is now 2 and a half... i think i calculated if i sleep for the next 3 years straight i should just about be caught up...

franklin

Franklin wrote:for a short bio of him you can check this page

http://www.littlenineheaven.com/lefiti.html

most of the stories i heard were about how he was a great fighter
also the stories about how people achieved black belt rank under him were pretty interesting (basically you had to be a good fighter)
and also that he was called "tiny" because he was very big (like 300 pounds)

He was Master McNiel's Splashing Hands teacher...

maybe Chris can chime in with more as he would know the most


I believe Tiny was also one of the founders of limalama


here is a video of the main founder of limalama
GrandMaster Tino Tuiolosega

you can see they were no joke


Franklin

Good stuff! Tino's soft hand deflecting and sticking movements are quite similar to what my Fukien White Crane teacher's. Probably the closest I have ever seen in any MA videos.

C.J. Wang

here is another vid with the same flavour
check the vid description to see the relationship with limalama




Franklin

Hey Franklin, thanks for the clip.

I have to say that although they are both from the same lineage, the Kenpo Kinetica guy is not nearly as skilled as Master Tino, and that their techniques and intents are qualitatively different.

Master Tino is receiving, sticking, and following the opponent's attacks with seemingly passive deflections that control and guard the centerline at the same time, something that my old White Crane teacher is very fond of doing. Those deflections work like snares by allowing the opponent to come at you first, but the more he attacks, the deeper he gets trapped. The intent Master Tino has is about becoming one with the opponent rather than atagonizing him. In my book, this falls into the realm of IMA.

Pay attention to how he blocks strikes with dropped elbow and open, relaxed fingers; in our system, we look for that as an indicator that the person is using "tendon and bone" strength rather than rigid muscle. At .54, there's also a fajin movement that is identical to some of the Southern CMA systems I have observed in Taiwan, namely Gold Eagle Boxing.

I am also willing to bet money that Master Tino must have studied some systems of Southern Chinese Kung Fu or been exposed to some pretty skilled SCMA pracitioners.

The Kinetica Kenpo guy, who uses some movements very similar to those of Master Tino's, is still very much doing what I call "block/hit/overkill" kenpo stuff. It is clear that the intent is to work against the opponent, push him away, and drop him as quickly as possible. The sticking, following, and joining qualities just aren't there. It surely gets the job done, but a bit crude and lessor skilled.

Sweet. Tons of taijiquan usage in Tino's vid. I swear I see Chen taiji's hidden hand punch in there too; not just the punch, but the preliminary movements as well.

Nice video, and good to see Lefiti first hand. He looks pretty smooth and powerful there.

Does anyone recognise what he is doing there? Is it some part of Splashing Hands? Or is it a Lima Lama sequence?