Comba Tai bullshido in the DC area?

**crumpy** · Posted On: 12/12/2007 9:59am

Yes my friends Comba Tai is now being offered at the Claude Moore Park Center in Sterling, VA. I did a little research on Comba Tai and found this thread, http://www.bullshido.net/forums/show...ighlight=comba. With the entire mythical BS that goes with this art I was pretty sure this class was Bullshido. I watched the class from a distance since I was not allowed to enter the training room without signing up for the class.

At this point could tell the skills of the students were lacking, but this could be just because it is new. The instructor was not demonstrating anything really so I can not judge his skills. I inquired about the instructor name, but was told I would have to sign up for the class. I asked if it would be possible to talk to the instructor or leave a message for him. I then told that was not possible unless I signed up for the class.

I called the center last night and today and again was told they could not give me that information. I don't know if the people are just lazy, not supposed to release that information, or just don't know. After calling several times I was transferred somewhere to leave a voice mail for a manager.

There are several Martial Arts classes ran out of this center. There is an ITF TKD class, WTF TKD class, and a generic karate class. All these classes run around $30 a month for 2 classes a week. This class is $86 for the same amount of training.

I find it weird that you can not leave a message for this guy, or even find out his name. Hopefully I will have his name today. None of the flyers or ads has his name either or any contact information for him either, just the number for the center and the class ID number.

I was hoping that someone here from the NoVA area might have some information on this guy.

**variance** · Posted On: 12/12/2007 2:32pm

Originally Posted by crumpy

Yes my friends Comba Tai is now being offered at the Claude Moore Park Center in Sterling, VA. I did a little research on Comba Tai and found this thread, http://www.bullshido.net/forums/show...ighlight=comba. With the entire mythical BS that goes with this art I was pretty sure this class was Bullshido. I watched the class from a distance since I was not allowed to enter the training room without signing up for the class.

At this point could tell the skills of the students were lacking, but this could be just because it is new. The instructor was not demonstrating anything really so I can not judge his skills. I inquired about the instructor name, but was told I would have to sign up for the class. I asked if it would be possible to talk to the instructor or leave a message for him. I then told that was not possible unless I signed up for the class.

I called the center last night and today and again was told they could not give me that information. I don't know if the people are just lazy, not supposed to release that information, or just don't know. After calling several times I was transferred somewhere to leave a voice mail for a manager.

There are several Martial Arts classes ran out of this center. There is an ITF TKD class, WTF TKD class, and a generic karate class. All these classes run around $30 a month for 2 classes a week. This class is $86 for the same amount of training.

I find it weird that you can not leave a message for this guy, or even find out his name. Hopefully I will have his name today. None of the flyers or ads has his name either or any contact information for him either, just the number for the center and the class ID number.

I was hoping that someone here from the NoVA area might have some information on this guy.

It is because you are whitey trying to steal the black man's art.

**crumpy** · Posted On: 12/12/2007 3:41pm

Originally Posted by variance

It is because you are whitey trying to steal the black man's art.

Oh ok that explains it. The more I research the more it sounds like a cult.

**crumpy** · Posted On: 12/12/2007 9:08pm

Instructor's name is Jai Harvey

**Don Gwinn** · Posted On: 12/13/2007 12:07pm

No, they have white students and instructors.

The interesting thing about Comba-Tai is that there are legitimate skills there. It's only if you get the high-level people talking about history or religion as it relates to the art that you begin to get the creeps. They're an interesting blend of positives and mysteries. I still haven't completely made up my mind what I think of them, to be honest.

Their promised book of Comba-Tai still hasn't been published. There is a terrible weight-loss book out there by Soke Mylemu Jones, though, and I have that. They've been putting videos on the web here and there, too, but pretty random stuff. A couple of the ones at YouTube are literally film of people listening to the cameraman explain that he can't work the camera.
The others are short clips from a Hall of Fame ceremony where Jones, his partner Parham, and Richard Steele were inducted this year.

I don't know that I would say "cult" without a lot more evidence. It certainly has an uncomfortable level of hero-worship, but I haven't found evidence that people are being forced to join or stay, for instance.

**variance** · Posted On: 12/13/2007 1:05pm

Originally Posted by KRINGUS

No, they have white students and instructors.

The interesting thing about Comba-Tai is that there are legitimate skills there. It's only if you get the high-level people talking about history or religion as it relates to the art that you begin to get the creeps. They're an interesting blend of positives and mysteries. I still haven't completely made up my mind what I think of them, to be honest.

Their promised book of Comba-Tai still hasn't been published. There is a terrible weight-loss book out there by Soke Mylemu Jones, though, and I have that. They've been putting videos on the web here and there, too, but pretty random stuff. A couple of the ones at YouTube are literally film of people listening to the cameraman explain that he can't work the camera.
The others are short clips from a Hall of Fame ceremony where Jones, his partner Parham, and Richard Steele were inducted this year.

I don't know that I would say "cult" without a lot more evidence. It certainly has an uncomfortable level of hero-worship, but I haven't found evidence that people are being forced to join or stay, for instance.

legitimate skills?
what differentiates their MA from anything else?

They looked like generic kenpo/krotty with a innovative and imaginative history.

**Don Gwinn** · Posted On: 12/13/2007 2:26pm

Jones apparently blended judo, boxing, and karate. He claims to teach Geziret al Malik, an East African throwing/wrestling art, as well, and that Geziret al Malik is the core of Comba-Tai. We never were able to find out much about Geziret al Malik or how much Jones really knows or teaches it last time around.

Several successful professional fighters and coaches vouched for both Jones and Parham last time, including John Dixon. I'm trying to think of the name of the coach, but it's not coming to me. He responded to me on The Underground, where I don't have search privileges, but I bet it was reposted here in that mega-thread. The bottom line is that even if you throw Jones' claimed competition history out the window as unprovable, you still have people like Dixon and Steele who know the fight game and say that Jones can train good fighters. Richard Steele is a boxing referee who goes way back, and Comba-Tai is taught at his gym in Vegas.

Throw out the Afro-centric history and the ostentatious titles and the worship and adulation of his followers, and you still have evidence that these people can fight and train fighters.

Of course, before you decide whether it's bullshit, you'd have to throw all those things back in, and there's the rub.

**Don Gwinn** · Posted On: 12/13/2007 2:32pm

Here it is:
http://www.bullshido.net/forums/show...ch#post1318779

Originally Posted by Don Gwinn

On the other hand, so far Master Parham's fighting and training credentials are checking out. Adam "Bar None" Guerra responded to my call for information at The Underground and vouched for Parham's fighting ability. He didn't know much about Comba-Tai except that Parham has been studying it a long time, but he did say that Parham is a good boxer with good hands and someone you could learn from. Guerra's a coach himself now and knows his stuff, so that's another check in the plus column with me. Mr. Guerra confirmed that Mr. Parham and Big John Dixson are close friends. He couldn't really tell me how much Comba-Tai John Dixson studied.
He summed up by describing Mr. Parham as "a cross-trainer" and a "highly skilled guy, for sure."

This is the original thread on mma.tv where Guerra and Dixon posted:
http://www.mma.tv/tuf/index.cfm?ac=L...19&FID=1&pc=12