Personal Narrative: The 52 Blocks

“ Thus; began the Survival style, the “52 Building Blocks” better known in the streets as 52 Blocks, Jail house rock, Jail house boxing, Comstock, 52hands, Etc.
(Most of the younger freedom fighters were trained by those released from Jail, or the martial arts instructors from the community-Alternatively, from both)

The 52 Initiation
When these brothers were released From Jail they began teaching the younger brothers in the Knowledge of themselves and the Twine style of Boxing called 52 Blocks, they taught them in the schoolyards, the parks and in the neighborhoods. They would form a Cipher, which is a circle (made by a group of people), and begin with ‘The Day’s Mathematics’ and enter into their, ‘120 Lessons.
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IMAGE # 58 PIC OF THE GREAT KABAR ALLAH.JPG)
The Great Kabar Allah

After that brother had spoken in peace, then another brother’s turn was next; to add on and continue (build) until the whole Cipher was complete and everyone had spoken. After that God had finished building (speaking) another God would step into the center of the ring, or circle they formed; and start Twinning, which is called Twirling, or Creasing and then show another technique called police cuffing (When your hands are cuffed behind your back or head).
Now, the second God brother would enter the Cipher Twinning as well, and the two would go at it, like ‘Free-style’-‘Break-dancing’ (The youth Cipher would take turns slap boxing). This conveys the same principle of the 52 cards game, when they let it fall ‘Build-or-Destroy.’ Minus the absence of music, you can trace this introduction to Capoeira’s Roda training. It was the Culture of the Youths, the ‘Funk Generation,’ that gave birth to their life style: The style of music, the 3-step dance (A kind of Black Gangster Hustle), Hip-Hop, as well Break dancing, everything accommodating their lingo and image. The famous “B-Boy” posture is originally the way the Black Gods held their square while engaging someone. Their Culture (I-God) shaped and molded them, from their style of clothing to their 52 style of fighting. In the summer, you would see it all go down, at the ‘52-block party’. DJ’s would battle, rappers would verse, and the Break-dancers would break it down, “52” style. A more serious crowd would perform the three steps Hustle, Aw’ now that was beautiful and…smooth. The brothers and sisters would twirl and twine to the beat, (Meaning wrap the girl around in their arm and show a waving of their hand over their hair/head resembling the famous 52 Block) and other moves that could be read into splendid techniques, demonstrating the hidden styles of the 52? These dances were performed to the beat of a warriors drum; you would hear it in the music “Love is the Message” or “Dirty Low Down.” The brothers would get down (low) and dirty in the freestyle. In addition, when they played T>E>E>, Trans Europe Express, it was on, such grace, skill and excitement; that was the music with the message in the 70’s.

The 5% were everywhere and ruled all the school areas and the 52 way of fighting were at its apex. Some of the brothers would dazzle, and damn near hypnotize or blind you with their movements alone. Such was the God Rondu-52-Allah, the enlightener. He had the strangest moves with little short steps, accompanied by fast circling hands, slips and dodges. His 52 style of boxing showed he had learned while confined in a small tight space. The Lord El Byheem was very compelling to watch as he demonstrated his 52 blocks. While he was engaged in fighting an opponent, he would simultaneously hold a conversation with bystanders, then once his opponent was distracted, within seconds he would be knocked out. Big Kabar Allah was a very powerful brother, every time you saw him he was shadow boxing and doing 52 moves, he was incredibly strong loved to box and was a knock out artist. Black Barsheem from park place in Brooklyn was another astute brother, learned in the martial arts and vicious with his 52. The God, named Wonderful had an incredible back hand strike. Dushon from Howard Houses, he fought using the brim-techniques of his hat. Shabar with his 52 Buddha hands, Shabey from Pink Houses and King Saladeen were all renowned in the community for their 52. And Allah u Akbar (Champ) an exponent of the 52 and leader of the Tomahawks was one of the bravest, fearless most intelligent brothers for his time.

Outside the Black Gods, the one punch knockout artist and street fighters, was big gangster Blue; witnesses testify he literally with one punch knocked his opponents out of their shoes. Another master of the 52 blocks was Humble Herman’ with just his bare knuckles he can cut like a razor. Others were Chino, Big Row, Butter, Glass, Kato, Cat-lack, Bolt-right, Eric Tweedy and the infamous “Mother Dear.” Furthermore, there was a rumor of two Chinese brothers who learned the 52 blocks and fought the CO’s, at Rikers Island, and it is said they broke the arms of many Officers. These are just some of the people and the stories in the days when 52 reigned supreme.

There are as many stories on the origins of jailhouse boxing, Stato and the 52blocks etc. as they are 52 practitioners. Moreover, this is not only our stories, but nonetheless our History. As each man is his own style-each man has his own story to tell.
This is my story, my experience-

Dialogue VII
“In a Day of 52”

When I was a young man, in the early 70’s, I worked for a Youth Corp.

organization in Brooklyn. A lot of good brothers and sister worked there, mostly the 5%, our job was to clean up Lincoln terrace park; you would see the brothers demonstrating 52 for fun.
At that time I was learning the ‘120 lessons’ (of the Gods and Earths Nation) by word of mouth from brothers named the Pure Mathematics, Jameek Marcey, Ubeka, El (Radar) Rayheem, brown seed Messiah, Universal Zig Zag Zig and Shabazz. Some of them were part of a three cards Monty crew. They also had knowledge of the 52 blocks and other lucrative skills.
Shabazz was my age, he would show me his 52, and tell me, “This is the Fathers Twine or way of fighting” (Demonstrating). When we would play fight, I was good with my kicks (From the previous training in karate), so they would say, “Do not use your kicks, unless you have to, ‘when you are outnumbered or cannot win.” “Do not kick, only use your hands like this (Demonstrating) and do pushups to make them strong.” (When I used my kicks, I never had a problem, not even in Jail, Later the God told me “Yes your right, 52 uses kicks,-but if we allowed you to kick, you’ve have kicked all of our

ass’s")
I can recall different moves learned from various brothers; and though I was unable to beat these brothers in the boxing practice of ‘52 slap hands’ or the ‘52 body blows,’ I could draw well (I was an artist and had won many school awards for drawing), therefore; I utilized my artistic skills to draw all the moves and techniques. When I went home, I studied and practiced everything I had drawn and practiced the moves in the mirror (In addition, took it to the martial arts). Back in those days, not many people took 52 serious, those that were good; they were good, but only for themselves, not as a martial artist. Just because they could fight well, did not qualify them as good teachers. I was intrigued by the 52 hands, trained the 52 like an art, and studied the 52 defense and the 52 for offense, especially with the FOA brothers.
Shabazz would demonstrate for me, “Hold your hands like this and shuffle your hands like that,” I’d say gesturing, “Why you move em’ (your hands) like that back and forth?” (Waving, trying to be a sarcastic smart ass) Shabazz say, “To confuse and blind your enemy,” Then he would fake high, and strike low, hitting me in the stomach. Jameek on the side listening comes over and states, “That’s the way you shuffle the cards-ya know,”“Red card you lose, black card you-What-win.” Then (Pop) he tags Shabazz and I on the head. Jameek Marcey was a master at 3-cards Monty and learned the game and Jail boxing from an old timer while in prison, to keep the Goons, Booty Bandits and CO’s off his tail (The 3-cards Monty-that was the Hustle of the day, minus the numbers game and some other quick cons). Jameek was older than us; he taught us how to play 3-cards and was real slick with his 52.
He showed us some tricks in the 52 and some tricks with the cards. “My name is Jameek Marcey; I do it this way,” “Keep your eyes on the squirrel-you can take the world,” “Only a blind man can’t see-where he holds the key.” Then he perform a (52) trick touching his elbow and then touch his shoe (Taking his eyes off the cards to distract us) and say, “Where the black card at?” we point to a card and he show us the red card, “You lose try again.”
I asked Shabazz, “Why you call it the Father’s Twine and Jameek, he be saying it’s 52.”
Jameek listening stated, “Don’t twist the ‘Twang,’ when the cards are the same-cause this is how it came, put together in the game.” Jameek always had a rhyme for everything-meaning the Twine or the 52 are the same just combinations of blocks and strikes called by different titles.
Shabazz added on by saying, “The Father Allah used to build with his hands like that, (demonstrating) moving them this way, always on the ‘defense.’ You build from the block, you build from the square, understand.” Shabazz then take the cards and tell me, “Stand on your square” (My arms folded across my chest-in B-boy posture). He shows me a card or picks a card from the deck and say to me, “Build” (From the cards number or symbol/letter). If I messed up or took too long to answer, he’d hit me, and say, “You didn’t study your lessons?” I say, “Yea I studied, I know my lessons.” He then show another card or throw another blow and say, “Block, Block, Block”, as he threw punches.-“This is the 52 Building blocks,” he said Jameek show him this way.
The 52 Blocks was techniques to practice while growing up in Brownsville. I wanted to be good enough to stand my ground. When we started learning 52, one day we heard that, Champ/Akbar’s (post leader of the Tomahawks) younger brother Powerful, who was our age, was knocking everybody he fought with unconscious with his 52Blocks. It was rumored that he had only learned ten of the 52 moves. I searched to learn the whole 52 techniques, just to find out such a thing does not exist. There are thousands of moves and thousands of techniques in the 52-“For every man is his own 52.”
(Although there was a group of said brothers, that tried to tag a number for every move?)