Sifu Lamar M. Davis II will travel to almost anywhere in the world to teach a seminar or series of seminars on the art and science of Hardcore Jeet Kune Do. This is a great way to get your personal hands on training started! If you are interested in hosting/sponsoring a seminar, it is quite easy to do. The important thing is to make sure that you can get enough attendance to cover the cost of the seminar and expenses. That is, unless it is no problem for you to pay for everything without the support of others. Some are more interested in getting the training for them selves than making money off a seminar.
Before getting started, it is important to understand the expense involved when sponsoring a seminar. Sifu Davis has a very reasonable fee for seminars compared to what others charge. For a one day seminar, which involves four hours of actual training time, the fee is $600.00. For a two day seminar, which involves eight hours of actual training time, the fee is $1,000.00. The fee is to be paid IN CASH ONLY in U.S. dollars! Besides the actual fee, all expenses are to be paid. Expenses include airfare, nice hotel room (King Bed/Non-Smoking/Internet Access) and three meals per day. You are expected to provide transportation to and from airport and events. Photos and video shoots are permitted, but Sifu Davis holds the rights to all photos and footage, and a copy of all photos and footage shot must be provided to him in DVD format at the earliest possible moment. If this sounds agreeable to you, then you move to the first step of getting everything set up for your event. Once planning gets under way and dates have been locked down, you will be expected to follow through with all details provided!
The first step is to contact Sifu Davis and inquire about available dates. Have several dates in mind before you call, just in case one or more of the dates selected are already taken. Please keep in mind that Sifu Davis is pre committed on the first and third Saturday of each month. Although a seminar can take place anytime, Saturday and Sunday afternoon events seem to be the best attended. It is also best to line up an event at least three months before the actual date of the event (unless, as stated earlier, you are not worried about depending on participation to meet expenses).
Please have a potential topic for the seminar in mind when you contact Sifu Davis. Some examples of potential topics could be:
Foundation Structure
Sil Lim Tao Form & Application
Footwork & Mobility
Upper Body Techniques
Lower Body Techniques
JKD Boxing Drills
Defensive Strategies & Tactics
Intercepting Fist/Stop Kicking
Basic Trapping Hands
Advanced Trapping Hands
Basic Energy Sensitivity Training
Advanced Energy/Sensitivity Training
Advanced Chi Sao
Entering Skills
The Straight Blast
Grappling/Counter Grappling (NOT Sport Material!)
Bruce Lee s Five Ways of Attack
Mook Jong Training (Must Provide Mook Jongs)
Strategies for Street Defense
You could also mix topics, but be aware that the more to be covered, the less detailed each area will be due to time restraints. Also, some of the above topics will need to be two day seminars in order to adequately cover the material.
Once the dates and seminar topic have been determined and locked down, the next step is promotion for the event. Be sure that you have pre determined a location for the seminar to be held. If you do not have your own school and really have no idea where to look, check with the hotel for available space for such events, or a local church, gym or fitness facility. If inquiring at a church, be sure to let them know that this art contains no teaching of eastern religion or mysticism, and that the seminar is pure self defense oriented. This could be an important factor in them determining whether or not they would allow the seminar to be held there. Sifu Davis is a Christian, and has a firm faith and belief in God! If they need to contact Sifu Davis with any questions, that is fine. Just have them email him at Sifu@HardcoreJKD.com . Be sure that the space available for the event is adequate, and be aware that some seminar topics will require more space for moving around. Ask Sifu Davis if in doubt as to the amount of space needed for a particular seminar topic. You will also need to factor in the renting of space if necessary.
For promotional assistance, Sifu Davis will promote the event on his websites, the Official Hardcore Jeet Kune Do Discussion Forum, and his Facebook pages, as well as the sending of several mass emails to everyone on his email list. Sifu Davis will also design an appropriate flyer for the event at no additional expense if you want him to. It will be up to you to promote the event in your area. If you are an Apprentice Instructor or Instructor Trainee in the Hardcore Jeet Kune Do Chinese Gung Fu Association, this is a great way to recruit future students/study group participants, and the main way to continue your personal instruction in Hardcore Jeet Kune Do!
There are Open Seminars and Closed Seminars. Open Seminars are open and available to anyone who wishes to attend. Closed Seminars are closed to a specific group, and not promoted or open to the public. If you are an established Instructor with enough students to support the event, you may opt for a Closed Seminar. You will need to decide this and let Sifu Davis know ASAP, as he will act accordingly with promotion for the event!
Any merchandise that the host or participants wish to purchase will need to be pre ordered. If you want seminar shirts for the event, design, sizes and quantities will need to be ordered well in advance, and pre paid for by U.S. Postal Money Order or by Paypal. If interested, please inquire about t-shirt designs available for your event. Minimum pre order is twenty-four shirts. Due to airline luggage restrictions, items will possibly need to be shipped in advance of the event, or limited to very few items.
The next step is to arrange airline reservations. Sifu Davis does not require First Class, but does require an aisle seat, so be sure that is part of your arrangements with the airline chosen. The airport that Sifu Davis will fly out of is Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport in Birmingham, Alabama. A morning departure time sometime after 8:00 is best. Sifu Davis does not like to be rushed with anything, and prefers to fly in the day before the event (Two Days Before If Foreign Country), then fly out the day after the last day of the event, sometime in the early to mid afternoon. Please keep these things in mind when setting up the flight reservation!
A Checklist for you to go by:
One Day Seminar Fee - $600.00
Two Day Seminar Fee - $1,000.00
Fee To Be Paid IN CASH
Dates & Times Set & Locked Down
Seminar Topic Selected
Location Selected
Open or Closed Seminar
Event Properly Promoted
Merchandise Pre-Ordered
Hotel Room Reserved (King Bed/Non-Smoking/Internet Access)
Airline Reservations Made
- Morning Departure at or after 8:00 A.M.
- Arrival the Day Before Event (Two Days Before If Foreign Country)
- Aisle Seats Arranged for All Flights
- Departure Day After Event (Mid Afternoon Preferred)
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY: All terms specified are requirements, not options! No exceptions to the rules! If you follow the guidelines provided, you should have a smooth, successful event that will go off like clockwork without a hitch! Remember, this is how Sifu Davis makes his living, so fees MUST be paid as specified and arranged! Sifu Davis WILL NOT travel to foreign countries where there is active political or religious turmoil, so please keep this in mind when considering sponsorship of an event!