Rossi Academy of Self Defense – The earliest days!
The first day I walked into the Rossi Academy was April 26, 1970. 18 and cocky
with a boxing background – I was all that. 4 hours later I limped (almost crawled) away with a newfound respect of what real
street fighting was. I made up my mind then and there – Than NO ONE would beat me that bad without me learning something from him! Lesson # 1 was over – I immediately sucked it up. Two days after lesson # 1, I limped back to sign up!
I soon found out that
Joe Rossi was not a very educated man and NOT a very good instructor. He could perform the techniques and dismember anyone in
front of him, but he could never explain or break down how he came to his conclusion. He’d yell at us and say, “I just showed
you this 3 times – Why don’t you get it?”
Thus a bond started with 4 of us that took on the tasks of teaching ourselves Filipino
Kun Tao. Pete Bosco, Frank Burnham, Warren Barry and I made a pact that none of us would ever miss a class no matter how sick
we were. All 4 of us were needed to decipher Mr. Rossi’s techniques so we could all progress to the next level. Taking
turns – One would concentrate on his footwork, one would take his hips (especially for takedowns) one would take angles, and the other
would take his hands and centerline. Invariably many questions were asked of Mr. Rossi. If any of us asked questions,
(we asked a lot of questions). Then the 4 became 3 watching his techniques because one of us was up on the mat, getting beat
half to death – just because we questioned his methods.
We all despised his teaching methods – We found out later, that this
method of learning made us all much better instructors! An incorrect move during class was immediately noticed by me and corrected
before you get into bad habits!
Four hour lessons, 5 (sometimes 6) days a week, took commitment, dedication and the shear will to learn. It also enraged Mr. Rossi. In the beginning he thought we were all stupid. Then after many months of this type of learning
– He could see a very select few excel in his art. Old School was here to stay.
The unfortunate part of his teachings – Some people found a way to actually manipulate Mr. Rossi by flooding him with numerous compliments
and boasting about his accomplishments.
Over the first few years, the very select few committed and dedicated students had a new era
of Kuntaoist to deal with; the manipulative ones. It was noticeable to all involved in our weekly lessons. The manipulative ones would
show up sporadically and received rank along with the tried and true and they clearly didn’t deserve it! But don’t bring it
up to Mr. Rossi, or he would just turn up the punishment on us.
When prospective students came into the school – Mr. Rossi well
knew who to call on – His tried and true! He used us exclusively to show them the brutal, graceful and extremely effective art
that he teaches. He NEVER ONCE called on the manipulative ones!
As I progressed in rank and Mr. Rossi had me lead a class,
it was my turn to weed out the students that were not committed and of course the manipulative ones!
I would turn up the
intensity to almost torture level on the warm up exercises. I led and performed these exercises right along with the class,
so no one had an excuse that I was not participating 100%! I added the usual rolls at the beginning of the class and also added50 throws each as another warm up exercise. Five days a week x 50 = 250 throws a week! We rarely had to have
a class of just takedowns and moved on to the all important combat phase of: “IN-FIGHTING.”
My method of teaching proved that
the manipulative few came even less often and the Rossi Academy did grow!
There are still a very few (tried and true) first generation
black belts and also a very few second generation black belts out there to learn from. You must seek out the instructor you
think is best for you!
You must always ask questions, but more important you must always test yourself! Once an accomplished
Kuntao instructor sees your commitment, you will see a smirk from him. He immediately recognized that old school commitment
you portray. He will now teach you as much as you can absorb!
Unlike other arts that teach a learned skill – Kun Tao gives you
the ability to create your own “developed” skills. Ingraining forever “Street Survival Instincts”
There are a number of the manipulative
few out there! Please don’t be fooled by the ones that stick their thumbs in their belt and tell you it’s an honor to learn
from them!
Seek the Kun Tao instructor that has evolved from the ranks, (you will recognize him) because he earned his stripes
and has tested his own limits in this brutal, graceful and very effective art.
Mel HeBert