[8LimbsScientist]

I dug up this email I got as part of a mailing list a long time ago. This guy is talking about what he has seen growing up as far as the origins of 52 Hand Blocks style. It has a lot of urban slang in it, so let me just include a few notes:

- 5 Percenter are a splinter group from the Nation of Islam.

- According to the 5 Percenters, men are referred to as Gods and women referred to as Earths.

Ok, here it goes, its kind of long:

Hey Tom I got your book, just started reading it. Your book is
excellent, you have a lot of good information about martial arts.
Freeing the afrikan mind chapter in your book I like the most. The
only thing I have to debate in your book is that guy Daniel marks
claim that the 52 hand blocks was invented in brooklyn.

Thats bullshit in my opinion. In my teens I use to hang out with a
lot of five percenters that was very good with 52 blocks. Many of
these individuals was from Jamiaca Queens that learn the style when
they was in Rickersland from this cat that was called mother dear.
This brother mother dear I was told was gay, but he was a killer with
the 52 blocks because he was the individual that invented the style a
GAY GUY! From what I was told when a new jack come, if mother dear
like him, that new jack had to freely give it up, or get ROCK" THE
HARD WAY. Not many cats from brooklyn want to talk about these facts
and truth about the true oriqinator of the style was a ass taker of
this Jailhouse rock style...Hahaha

Most older cats that been too jail and been in some shit on the
streets will tell you. that back in the days many of the brothers
that learn the real 52 blocks got rock first,(got they ass hit from
behind) by this big cat name mother dear!

They never tell you that because many back then had to keep playing
the hardcore roll, if brother on the outside knew that got punk,
(rape) they knew that get no respect. Soon a brother get free from
jail and back in the streets of they urban community if if found out
they got punk, that most likly got beat down bad, and god help you if
you was a God! Many in the hoods know this big Gay cat name mother
dear was the true oriqinator of the 52 jailhouse fighting style. Many
Gods use to tell me this cat mother dear was so nice with the 52
style that he could catch a person jab or punch and kiss at the same
time counterattack. The tale that been running around for years of
mother dear down fall in the hoods of NYC, is a New Jack terrified
that mother dear was going to try and rape him bum rush mother dear
out of fear while he was standing near a jail high balcony and mother
dear fall to his death!

Now as for the 52 blocks, brooklyn, queens, and the bronx... these
three NYC areas in my opinion and from the many brothers that Sifu
Rudy had me fight against to compare my skills with these cats, was
where the 52 style was best known on the getto streets for kickings
ass and beat downs!

Brooklyn cats was known for they aggressive fast crazy wild attacks,
these cats were mostly face hunters, always throwing wild blows to
the face trying to knock a person out, and most time they did,
because of they fast aggressive attack. Many brothers from queens
didn't like Brooklyn cats, because they was the kind of people that
if you beat one of they boys in a one on one fight in they hood, they
still jump your ass!

Queens Cats that was nice with the 52 blocks was these four five
percenters by the name, Justice, born God, Life, and understanding.
Queeens 52 blocks practitioners utilize more strategy, generally
queens 52 was more of counter fighters, they like to evade, redirect
and catch they opponents off balance then finish they opponent.
Queens cats were more of show men, when a queens cat fought using the
52 style that like to look good kicking your ass, and some queeens
cats was so nice with they hands that they would talk shit at the
same time kicking your ass.

The best 52 fighter I saw was this brother name Justice, I say
justice because I saw him beat down many Brooklyn cats that claim to
be nice with the 52 blocks as well I saw him beat down many martial
artist. You see Tom these fights back then help me realize and
learned about the mindset of hard-core fighting and the reality of
real fighting. to the point that looking at justice beat down so many
people open my eyes to see real fighting is truly unpredictable and
you have to learn how to change to circumstances. If you don't learn
how to change your techniques in a fight fast and quick, you learn
the hard way that fighting slow and unrealistic methods can be very
painful and dangerous to your health or your life. This is one
reason why I train my Ba Gua zhang realistic as hell!

Bronx 52 style in my opinion were more kickers, sweeps and grappling.
I say this because every God I saw and met from the bronx that fought
using the 52 always try to apply low kicks to attack the legs of they
opponent. I think the bronx 52 style use they legs more because of
all the hills they have to walk up in that area. Anyway Tom Maoshan
can give you more information about bronx 52 style of boxing...Hahaha

I forget this cat name Maoshan use to train Ba gua Zhang in the bronx
when I visit him teaching his Ba gua class, I think he was called big
butch. this guy was big as hell, and one thing for sure if he got his
hands on you, a person better know grappling or know they shit!

Tom in conclusion I can write a book of all the brothers I met in my
younger years that was good at the 52 style. The truth of the matter
in my opinion the 52 style did not come from Brooklyn. It truly
stated in Rikersland jail with Mother dear! Mother dear is like the
Tung Hai Chuan of the 52 blocks style. Later on when cats got out of
jail many from different neighborhood community stated to add they
own style characteristics to the 52 styles, a lot of this influencese
also came from brothers that knew the 52 style, taking moves from the
two Chinese shaw brothers movies MASTER KILLER AND MASTER KILLER(The
Thirty sixth Chamber) starting Gordon Liu.

Most of the 52 blocks techniques believe it or not have a lot of
martial techniques taking from these two Gordon Liu movies, and a lot
of Gods later put they own fighting mindset and gangster style
fighting influence to they 52 blocks style. Tom when you get time
rent Master Killer and also The Thirty sixth Chamber and you see just
what I'm talking about.

Back in the days all the five percenters use to love to look at
Gordon Liu Kung Fu movies, and Gordon Liu first movie Master Killer
was the top of the list for the Gods. The reason was because of the
knowledge the monks would drop in these movies. Thus later the five
percenters come with they own Mathematics of knowledge of self and
the world!

I truly believe the five percenters got most of they stuff from these
two movies as well a few other shaolin shaw brothers kung fu movies
that was dealing with not just fighting but seeking knowledge of self
and the code of WuDe. And there was a lot of kung fu movies out
around doing that time when the 52 style was invented, displaying the
martial arts training process from beginning to end.

I was told by brother Carl who been in and out of jail a few times,
who Sifu Rudy Curry Jr, can tell you was jamiaica Queens most fear
street fighter and knew 52 style as well,they use to play nothing but
kung fu moves. Most of the inmates was five percenters. Believe me
when I tell you I know of many brothers that want to jail,with they
famly giving name, and later came out Gods.(five percenter) Females
that wanted to be Gods with be called earths.(Queens) And I saw some
good hardcode thug out woman fighters too, that was good with the 52
style.

I one time saw this girl that was nice with her hands that beat the
shit out of this brother because he didn't know the days
Mathematics. You see what Daniel Marks didn't write in your book, is
the Gods and Earths had they own Mathematics. (knowledge of self and
the world) It was kind of like a Philosophy of life base on on some
metaphysical stuff, science, literature, geography, biology, earth
science, algebra, and geometry.

The bottom line in the hood if one claim to call themself God, they
had better know they shit! Individuals in the hood could not just
call themself God or Earth and be dumb! These Gods in Earths were
like the neighborhood philosophers and to be known as an God or earth
mean you got mad respect in your neighborhood as well other hoods in
NYC.

But the down fall was you better know todays Mathematics, it didn't
matter what hood you was from, if you didn't know your Mathematics,
then you would get challenge to fight hand to hand combat, thats when
the 52 style would come in to play because of your bad understanding
of the days Mathematics.

You see the Gods and Earth had a different Mathematic for each day of
the week, and if you didn't know the right Mathematics for that day,
then one of the gods or earth would challenge to fight you right on
the street!

You can be walking with your girl, and you may walk pass a God, that
knows you are a five percenter,and they walk up to you and say: GOD
WHAT'S TODAYS MATHEMATICS? If you know the Mathematics for that day,
they give you big time respect, but if you didn't most likly you
would get beat down. Man I tell shit was crazy back in these
day...Hahaha