Rich Lamoureaux interview

by Tony Zurlis

TZ:  What are the primary arts you have studied?

RL:  Kung fu, Kali, Jeet Kune Do, Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai.  I did Muay Thai for 6 years before it was popular, but right now my two main focus arts are Jiu-Jitsu and Kali, maybe a little Silat, just for the entries.

TZ:  Which of these arts has had the most influence on you?

RL:  Probably the Jeet Kune Do from the principle standpoint, the concepts.  I’m able to take the other arts and put them into my own matrix or eclectic mix of training and also for the philosophy and the background for the other arts.

TZ:  What is the most important attribute an instructor can posses?

RL:  Patience, because everybody learns at a different level.  Along with being knowledgeable about your subject matter and being a good communicator.

TZ:  What is your teaching style?

RL:  Pretty, laid back?  There is a curriculum, but it’s flexible, it’s determined by which students turn out for the class.  I always try to show something new but my teaching is very nontraditional. 

TZ:  If you could have one thing in your “bag of tricks” what would that be?

RL:  Oh, a .45-well loaded with an extra clip. (Ha-Ha).  No, but really to be well rounded, because nowadays with all the “Reality Fighting” the U.F.C.’s.  They’re showing everybody all there is out there.  You just can’t be one art.  Adaptability.

TZ:  Do you agree or disagree with the concept of full-contact sparring?

RL:  If it’s is done progressively it’s O.K.  When people have problems with sparring, especially full contact, it’s because they aren’t prepared for it.  The mistake is made when people are trained in certain aspects, maybe called the A-B-C component, and then they jump to the Z component or sparring.  Using a progressive program would be healthy.

TZ:  What are your feelings about the future of Jeet Kune Do in the year 2000 and beyond?

RL:  There’s such a controversy right now because J.K.D. has never been able to develop a good system of organization, it’s going to get out there, but the general public is going to think of J.K.D as a regular system or style.  Because of all the conflict, they’re probably going to have more problems due to the segregation of all of the units.  People still won’t be able to distinguish what J.K.D. is.  So I don’t know, it’s going to depend on each instructor and the organization and what they do.

TZ:  What are your feelings on the J.K.D. family split?

RL:  Well it’s a problem, now there are 2 groups.  You got Dan’s (Inosanto) group and you got the other group (Nucleus).  From the organizational standpoint it looks bad, it looks like they don’t know what their doing.  But they you can kind of side with each group (theoretically).  One group is trying to create some kind of unification.  That sounds good but then Dan is trying to hold true to the real philosophy of J.K.D. as it was proposed by Bruce Lee.  Somewhere there’s got to be a happy medium or it doesn’t hold well for the future.  That’s something Ted Lucay always said that J.K.D and Kali are magnificent arts, but are two of the most poorly structured organizations he ever had to deal with.

TZ:  What is your training schedule like?

RL:  I have an intense training program.  Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday, its focus is around Jiu-Jitsu and I work a lot with students in Kali and J.K.D.  Sometimes I work with private students and sometimes I focus more on sparring and reflex training.  I normally train 5-6 days a week, every once a while I might get a day off, but then I’m teaching a seminar, so technically I’m always training.  I’d say 80% or my training is focused toward Jiu-Jitsu.  Over the years I’ve done everything but right now my weakness is the ground fighting so I need to concentrate on it.

TZ:  What do you want to come of your teaching?

RL:  I consider myself a Martial Arts researcher not just an instructor.  When I get into an art I research it thoroughly and try to work with as many different people teaching in the same style to get a better understanding of the art, as well as to improve my teaching ability.  It’s challenging to teach someone who is maybe not physically capable or may have a problem, another instructor didn’t want to address.  Teaching around handicaps and helping them learn to deal with life is rewarding.

TZ:  You wrote an article on “Sinawali” (Filipino double weapon’s method) that was published, and it drew some criticism?

RL:  It’s good because it keeps me in the magazines longer.  We just wrote an article on sparring/ground fighting with knives and it going to ruffle a lot of feathers.  The whole idea behind it is to show that as good as the grappling systems is, you introduce another-element and all the sudden a lot of your arm bars and chokes don’t function as well.  So I’m sure we’ll get a lot of criticism and controversy on that.  But that’s what’s going to sell magazines and they like me to write these articles.  But the criticism is not a big deal if you expect it.  And you should because a lot of times you are writing from your own opinion.  There’s always going to be people opposed on it.  No, it doesn’t affect me.

TZ:  Compare and contrast your stand up fighting art to the grappling system your teaching?

RL:  The stand up evolved around a lot of what I call the more positive directed arts.  Our stand up consists of Thai boxing and western boxing, our trapping consists of Wing Chun and Kali and Silat.  Very JKD on the stand-up.  The nucleus of the ground is Jiu-Jitsu, but there are a lot of other elements.  If I pick up something form Judo or Shoot wrestling I can work it in to what were doing.

TZ:  Who do you think has had the most influence on you, if anyone?  Who do you model yourself after in Jiu-Jitsu?

RL:  That’s hard to say because each guy I’ve worked with has a different approach to teaching.  Two of the best are Jacare, his real name is Romero Cavalcanti and Pedro Carvalho.  But as far as imposing a conditioning aspect, Wellington Megaton Diaz is the guy.  I tell people you learn techniques from a lot of instructors but from Megaton you learn how to train.  His has been a big influence on me.  The Gracies (Rickson and Renzo) I’ve worked with, there very patient and they can assess you to move you up a notch.

TZ:  How long do you think it takes the typical person to become proficient in Jiu-Jitsu?

RL:  If your asking from a stand point of self-defense probably 6-8 months if you use it against someone who doesn’t know anything.  For competition it might take a year or two just to get an understanding of positioning and the movement structure.

What separates Jiu-Jitsu from other grappling systems is the position orientation and that’s something that takes time, something you got to build into your body to be a natural reflex and that’s not easy.  It’s like a “body chi-sao” (Wing Chun sensitivity exercise).  It requires a lot of mat time and using the right moves at the right time.

TZ:  Thank you Rich.