Nov 21 Dennis Jones – Street Philosophy…

This interview was recorded in September 2005.

Steve Rowe talks to Shi kon Martial Artist and night club doorman Dennis Jones

SR Dennis, we’ve been writing ‘Samurai on the Door’ for about 18 months and there’s been a lot of interest in the vivid descriptions you’ve given of some of your encounters!  Many readers found the stories very interesting but it wasn’t just the violence involved, it was the fact that you outlined a ‘street philosophy’ that had evolved from your martial arts.

DJ  As you know Steve, what I’ve ‘outlined’ isn’t new, human emotions are the same as they’ve always been – and that’s what drives all techniques.  Some readers might find them boring, because it doesn’t relate to their lives in any way.  Others might question the validity or truthfulness of the stories.  But on a serious note Steve, there’s been no lying, that’s the one thing I can’t be criticized for, I just don’t ‘do’ fantasy.

SR What we’re doing in MAI is close to your heart and yet you don’t earn a living from martial arts.  I know that you’ve had about 10 students since 1983 and have only graded 4 to black belt.  For years you were training and heavily involved in doorwork but there wasn’t a murmur about you having a club, why is that?

DJ  I played around with the idea but never gave it much thought, the main thing that stopped me was thinking of what Bruce Lee said in Tao of Jeet Kune Do: ‘All vague notions must fall before a pupil can call himself a master’… You don’t need to be a master to teach but I had too many ‘vague notions’ and these had to be sorted out first.  I didn’t want to be regurgitating the early to mid seventies karate that I had been taught. My door work gave me a totally different approach to ‘fighting’.  I also think that a lot of what martial artists say is coloured by business – and I needed to keep out of that.  I wanted to develop based on what I was doing and not be shaped and moulded by financial considerations.

SR  I met you for the first time when I interviewed you for the February 2003 edition of MAI, I was surprised when you went through some of your techniques.   You were explaining how you deal with people and what surprised me was that what you did complied exactly my Shi Kon eight principles…

DJ How can I forget that evening – in a way, you provided me a media with which I could express myself.

SR You had discovered my eight principles through your fighting experiences.  It was great for me listening to your ‘turn of phrase’ describing what is in my opinion, the ‘root’ of all martial arts.

I think it’s incredible that we had both made a 30yrs plus journey in totally separate worlds, but both rooted in the practicality of security work.  I had studied the root principles to be able teach them and you had literally trained in what had in your experience, worked on the door.  We had also both trained in karate and tai chi and I’m sure that this, plus practical experience helped us to come to the same conclusions. It was a delight for me to see someone with your experience using the principles to such good effect on a nightly basis.

DJ  I believe I said at the end of it all, something like, ‘…get in line with him and follow through matching his movements; drop a little, turn on a curve and go opposite to him. Now give him your best shot and hit him with your right hand and you exclaimed “that’s exactly it!  It’s exactly in accordance with the principles!”

To be honest, I’ve never shot or killed anybody.  I’ve never stabbed anybody with a knife or been in action where people around me are being shot and dropping like flies.  Both my father and grandfather went through that experience in service to our country, but I didn’t. I’ve seen and been involved in stabbings, beatings with blunt weapons and many street fights and that’s what I’m familiar with.  I’ve seen enough to know that it isn’t pleasant and I know enough to avoid it…  To be fair you’ve never edited what I’ve had to say in our articles.

SR  Except the odd swear words! (Laughs)

DJ  (Laughing) Erm….  oh yeah…  maybe a bit then!

In my opinion, I don’t have my own ‘philosophy’ or ‘method’ of fighting.  The philosophy I use belongs to others and the fighting techniques I use existed long before I drew breath.  I have never ‘mind reasoned’ or ‘rationalized’ fighting principles based on guess work.  Everything I do is based on what I’ve seen and what I’ve done.  Pragmatism is my guide and I’ve observed that we all have the same type of reactions when we’re really frightened.

It was simple and my reasoning is this.  Someone is in front of me and I’ve got to deal with him.  At this moment the philosophical and moral ‘thought process’ is over with (I’m not a bully and I’ve put up with far more abuse than most people would).  The decision is made and I’m going to hit him.  I need to do it really hard, making sure he thinks twice about having another go at me at a later date.  Then I need to hit him where it will hurt the most and be on target.  I need to make sure my emotions don’t make me weak.  These four aspects are intertwined – two on the mind and two on the actual ‘doing’.  Irrespective of what martial art you may practice, it will be the same for you as it has been for me.  You can’t theorize or try second guessing how to stop someone in their tracks, just either do it – or find out how to do it and then practice, going through the motions repeatedly and mindfully!

SR It’s that dark place, that world of rapid breathing; manic heart beats and fears that puts us back to our primitive state.  This is where your expertise really helps, many readers may have had the odd ‘confrontation’ – but you’ve had to do it again and again, week after week, month after month, year after year, for 25 years against all manner of opponents armed and unarmed.  This is what draws the readers back to this column month after month.

DJ About 27 years ago I remember reading this: ‘…we fear first and know that we fear afterwards’. This built-in fear is a painful feeling in our primitive mind.  We ‘sense’ something dangerous that produces the fear and it is only afterwards that we realise it has occurred.  But, fear is rarely useful in civilized human life. Caution should take its place.

SR  This is why your experience is so useful, learning how to deal with that fear and the ‘adrenaline dump’ from someone that has had to make that journey on a regular basis is invaluable.

Thank you Dennis.

DJ  Thank you Steve.

Footnote:  I’ve worked and trained people in the ‘frontline’ security industry for 34 years, because of the environment that Dennis has had to function in for 25 years, he has had to ‘deal with’ more people on a regular basis than anyone I’ve known.  The fact that he has managed to survive relatively unscathed and not convicted is a credit to his power and strategy.

The one thing that really comes across from Dennis is the simplicity of his approach; he knows exactly what works and how to use it.  Whilst everyone else is suffering from ‘technique log jam’ Dennis is a fresh cool breeze in the Martial Arts.  I would urge anyone from any system to train with him.  He utilises the eight principles very effectively and what he teaches can be used as a practical ‘bolt on’ to any martial art.

As you can tell from these articles, he is not a ‘business man’ and is not ‘packaged’ like many on the seminar circuit.  I’m recording the conversations in this magazine because I feel that what he has to say is important as well as entertaining.

If you get the chance – and there aren’t many, train and talk with him.

Steve Rowe

Steve Rowe is a highly successful Martial Arts instructor - an International Neigong, Qigong and Tai Chi Teacher and an 8th Dan Karate with many other senior dan grades in other martial disciplines.

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