Is the full documentary for sale yet?

Or will it just go on the web for free?

There a documentary for sale titled break the glass. It is very imformative it features a few people who still practice the art. If you pay attention you will see quite a few techinques.
fwape.com

I'm in. Anyone want to split?
Also, what does Fwape stand for? How is it pronounced?

Also, what does Fwape stand for? How is it pronounced?
I think it's "fwap" which is the sound when you get hit with one of the 52 blocks :tongue5:

This is from the site:


FWAPE is spearheaded by Mr. Daniel Marks, who has studying martial arts, including boxing, karate, jiujitsu and kali, for over 30 years. Mr. Marks, who possesses a Black Belt in karate, first heard of 52 Backs from fellow officers at the beginning of his decade-long military career in the 1980s and was intrigued by the genre but found that information and tutelage was scarce. After giving his all in the Army, in 1993 Mr. Marks moved to New York, pursuing a social work track and working a group home as well as completing a degree in Computer Science. A that point, he has been researching the culture and its connectors more intently, meeting with practitioners and recording their narratives piecing together the puzzle that is Black Martial Culture. Mr. Marks supports his passion and his research with earnings from his own LLC as well as his position within the field of high end IT technology and computer applications. http://fwape.com/bio.php


As beautiful and sleek as it is deadly, 52 Blocks merits special conservation efforts as the United States’ only existing native martial culture, as it is indeed, the jazz of the martial arts world. Across the African diaspora, there are manifestations of African-derived warrior-dances, capoeira in brazil, mani in Cuba, ladja in Martinique, pinge in Haiti- yet the US offshoot has remained esoteric, because it was suppressed throughout slavery, Reconstruction and Jim Crow and then obscured in the criminal justice system. http://fwape.com/non_member_index.php

I've been corresponding with Daniel off and on for a few years now. Haven't seen "Break the Glass" yet but going by what I know of his work it will certainly be an authoritative study of the culture surrounding the 52s.

My understanding is that he and his colleagues (all "old school", early '80s 52 practitioners) want to use the 52 Blocks and associated physical training programs as a kind of outreach to steer urban African-American kids away from gangs and drugs.

I purchased the dvd and it was excellent. I'm from NY and the dvd put pieces of a puzzle together for me. We use to do those techniques and not know that there was a system out there. Once again it put pieces of puzzle together for me. For those that want a preview go on you tube and type in 52 blocks.

What he is doing looks a bit wing chunnish with some boxing and a lot of elbow covers.

I've actually met and played with the gentleman in these video. Your eye doesn't lie -- he has trained boxing and _ing _un, and he favors a Crazy Monkey(tm) style guard (which is actually very common in bare-knuckle boxing circles). I can't comment on his JHR/52 because he didn't mentioned it to me, but I can say that most of his training these days in in taiji (Yang in the William CC Chen lineage), xingi and bagua.

Being a native of Brooklyn N.Y. I can say for certain that the 52 hand blocks fighting technique is a real one. As a youngster growing up in the Pink Houses, we would slap box damn near daily. It was something that us young men did for entertainment and as a way to develop good hands. What we were doing was a variation of 52 as it was brought back to the neighborhoods by persons who had gone to prison. What was interesting about 52 or Slap Boxing was that, it was very much about your own style. My father being a boxing junkie would tell me all the time. Boy you better put those fingers away in a closed fist or they will be broken. Damn, I even tell my own son this, when he is training. LOL!

In any case, it's difficult to say what 52 actually is in terms of a particular style. Back in those days guys were doing all sorts of things with 52 or Slapboxing. As I read in a previous post you definitely saw guys using the Peek a Boo style, you saw a technique similar to the Philly SHELL (a la B-HOP), guys would step on the lead foot or shoot a low kick and follow with strike. You most definitely saw the movements and fluidity of Ali. Needless to say, the guys who were good at Slap boxing would knock a mofo out. I was young and slap boxing pretty much settled most of the youngings beef. So, I can't say I used 52 to protect myself in a fight. Although, it did help my hand game later in life when my altercations became true to life.

There is a saying in the bing. If, you are not nice with your Hands it's a wrap, it's over. There are guys that are good with razor's and shanks. But even these guys get caught without them. Jail House Rocks, Slap Boxing or 52 hand blocks. Call it what you like, but the technique encompass boxing, kicks, different ways of blocking, and other personal customizations.


What you wrote brings back memories. Im from LI and slapboxing was like a rite of passage to manhood. I remember the debate was if we could use it in a real scrap I felt one could as long as they kept composure. Check out the Break the glass video.

52s has been discussed here, several times, its authenticity has been questioned. I really think as the hip hop culture became more mainstream urban legends were also formed. So we take uprockin from the days of Zulu Kings and Dynamite Rockers and add a backstory linking it to some secret prison fighting art.


Zab vs Floyd round 5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=din0rds-EfI

And your point is?

Black people boxing doesn't equal mythical prison fighting art, especially when the boxing resembles the stuff in the "52's" vids about as much as my bank account resemble's Floyd's.

All I see there is boxing bud. This white boy from England was taught to duck and slip and block and parry just like those black boys from the Bronx. I'm just a lot shitter at it.

Zab vs Floyd round 5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=din0rds-EfI
The link means what?

What you wrote brings back memories. Im from LI and slapboxing was like a rite of passage to manhood. I remember the debate was if we could use it in a real scrap I felt one could as long as they kept composure. Check out the Break the glass video.
How long is Break the Glass?

As for the Zab vs PBF video, you can catch Zab miming or "actually doing" the 52 guard starting around 2:00. I put up the quotes because it's impossible to say what actual means in this context -- aka has Zab ever learned in a structured way a martial art that we perceive as what is shown in the BtG video, and has he ever used it for fighting. Maybe actual is simply having seen it somewhere around the block and picked it up just for fun.

That was a good round for Zab, also.

And your point is?

Black people boxing doesn't equal mythical prison fighting art, especially when the boxing resembles the stuff in the "52's" vids about as much as my bank account resemble's Floyd's.

All I see there is boxing bud. This white boy from England was taught to duck and slip and block and parry just like those black boys from the Bronx. I'm just a lot shitter at it.


My point is if you wanted to see a clip of the 52 in action watch Zab in round 5 of the fight homie. Watch the hand movements in the fight watch the hand movements in the clips. Watch the expression on Floyd's face and the confusion in his eyes. That wasnt black boys boxing that was Zab doing a small portion of the 52 in the ring.

Righto, but what was he doing when actual punches were coming in? "52 blocks" would imply some usefulness in actually mitigating blows, but he reverted to slipping and covering, just like any other boxer would.

I see that you have studied a few stlyes so Ill ask you a question. Do you mix up styles you've learned while fighting?

How long is Break the Glass?

As for the Zab vs PBF video, you can catch Zab miming or "actually doing" the 52 guard starting around 2:00. I put up the quotes because it's impossible to say what actual means in this context -- aka has Zab ever learned in a structured way a martial art that we perceive as what is shown in the BtG video, and has he ever used it for fighting. Maybe actual is simply having seen it somewhere around the block and picked it up just for fun.

That was a good round for Zab, also.

The video is 2:22 long. As far a Zab knowing the 52 I heard he does. As far as how he was taught and if he ever used it in a scrap I dont know.