Sunday, February 28, 2010
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Friday, February 19, 2010
Friday, December 25, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
MAL #1: Becoming A Master
What is a master? Thoughts come to mind of Bruce Lee or Morihei Ueshiba or even more mythical masters of legend. But what does it mean to become a master? Can you ever truly master a martial art? I hope that through this post we can look more fully into mastery and how to begin on the path.
Many people cringe at the word "master". To master something denotes having it all--as if you're done and there's nothing left to get from it. How lame would it be to dedicate years of study to something, only to reach the end and be done with it. I guess that's the beauty of this life. It's hard to master ANYTHING. Just when you think you've really got it all there's always another layer to peal back if you're willing to do the work and look.
Yet there does seem to be a certain class of person who deserves the title of master or at least hero. And maybe that's what we're really going after anyway. A hero. A person so ahead of the game that he can focus on bringing others up with him. Imagine that. A Martial Arts Hero. Even men like Lee and Ueshiba were constantly demonstrating their openness to learning more. They were always persuing something deeper than what they already had. Yet they have been a hero to thousands, if not millions. They've inspired people to achieve far more with their lives.
So what is a martial arts hero? What's our ideal? A martial arts hero is both a warrior and a scholar. A destroyer as well as a creator. He is both martial as well as an artist. He embodies both the yin and yang of life. When the chips are down he never gives up. He fights to the end. He will not stop. He knows the meaning of tenacity far more than the best dictionary. He is that person who you want on your side. Yet among all that fire and passion, among all that drive and courage, he is tempered by a softer, gentler side. He is "for" life. He does not kill to kill. He kills in order to bestow life. Why do hero's fight? To protect the lives of those whom they love. They feel a love for life and a compassion for others that goes beyond the fear of death. Every moment is to be valued, for every moment is the most precious. In fact, the martial arts hero understands that it's the only moment we've got. With the spirit of a true artist of life he feels gratitude for the life force coursing through his body. He is FULLY alive, in touch with himself. He lives openly, fearlessly.
In this day and age it's very easy for us to find role models to inspire us. We just have to turn on the tv. He's all over the media. The Last Samarai is a perfect example in my mind of the true martial arts hero. Even outside of movies dealing with the martial arts you find people with the spirit of a hero. Of course, these are fantastical examples. But what about someone who hits closer to home? Who in your life strikes you as a martial arts hero? Is it your instructor? Is it your brother or sister? Is it a close friend? Is it a mentor? What about you? Can YOU be your own best hero--your own best example of who you want to be (and are)? Can you pick up your journal and be impressed with the person who did so much and fought for so much? What about other people? Are you a hero to others? Do you strive to bring people up and to inspire them to live a higher life? Do you seek to get or to give in life?
My first exercise I would recommend is to write down 3 or 4 people who really inspire you. Then write a paragraph for each describing why. What do they bring to the world and to you yourself? Just having this awareness can help you to set your own values and ideals.
Through this blog I want to constantly look at this martial arts hero. I will take him as my guide. I want to zero in on him and dissect what makes him who he is. Then, using the information gleaned, I want to explore ways to integrate him into our own lives. The main three areas in which I'll explore the martial arts hero is in:
Many people cringe at the word "master". To master something denotes having it all--as if you're done and there's nothing left to get from it. How lame would it be to dedicate years of study to something, only to reach the end and be done with it. I guess that's the beauty of this life. It's hard to master ANYTHING. Just when you think you've really got it all there's always another layer to peal back if you're willing to do the work and look.
Yet there does seem to be a certain class of person who deserves the title of master or at least hero. And maybe that's what we're really going after anyway. A hero. A person so ahead of the game that he can focus on bringing others up with him. Imagine that. A Martial Arts Hero. Even men like Lee and Ueshiba were constantly demonstrating their openness to learning more. They were always persuing something deeper than what they already had. Yet they have been a hero to thousands, if not millions. They've inspired people to achieve far more with their lives.
So what is a martial arts hero? What's our ideal? A martial arts hero is both a warrior and a scholar. A destroyer as well as a creator. He is both martial as well as an artist. He embodies both the yin and yang of life. When the chips are down he never gives up. He fights to the end. He will not stop. He knows the meaning of tenacity far more than the best dictionary. He is that person who you want on your side. Yet among all that fire and passion, among all that drive and courage, he is tempered by a softer, gentler side. He is "for" life. He does not kill to kill. He kills in order to bestow life. Why do hero's fight? To protect the lives of those whom they love. They feel a love for life and a compassion for others that goes beyond the fear of death. Every moment is to be valued, for every moment is the most precious. In fact, the martial arts hero understands that it's the only moment we've got. With the spirit of a true artist of life he feels gratitude for the life force coursing through his body. He is FULLY alive, in touch with himself. He lives openly, fearlessly.
In this day and age it's very easy for us to find role models to inspire us. We just have to turn on the tv. He's all over the media. The Last Samarai is a perfect example in my mind of the true martial arts hero. Even outside of movies dealing with the martial arts you find people with the spirit of a hero. Of course, these are fantastical examples. But what about someone who hits closer to home? Who in your life strikes you as a martial arts hero? Is it your instructor? Is it your brother or sister? Is it a close friend? Is it a mentor? What about you? Can YOU be your own best hero--your own best example of who you want to be (and are)? Can you pick up your journal and be impressed with the person who did so much and fought for so much? What about other people? Are you a hero to others? Do you strive to bring people up and to inspire them to live a higher life? Do you seek to get or to give in life?
My first exercise I would recommend is to write down 3 or 4 people who really inspire you. Then write a paragraph for each describing why. What do they bring to the world and to you yourself? Just having this awareness can help you to set your own values and ideals.
Through this blog I want to constantly look at this martial arts hero. I will take him as my guide. I want to zero in on him and dissect what makes him who he is. Then, using the information gleaned, I want to explore ways to integrate him into our own lives. The main three areas in which I'll explore the martial arts hero is in:
- how he relates to himself (mind and body)
- how he relates to others
- how he relates to his environment and to the world
Through this exploration we'll discuss such topics as:
- Developing a warrior's attitude
- Developing a warrior's body through fitness and nutrition
- Finding our true Selves
- Being real with others and with the moment
- Respect and appreciation for others
- Honor and integrity
- Sharing our lives by living with Purpose
- Creating in life as well as Destroying in life
- Etc., etc., and lots more etc.
Will these posts benefit YOU? Are you a practicing martial artist? Do you love martial arts but for whatever reason are not training at the moment? Do you just love the martial arts ideals without any interest in training? Then yes, these posts are for you.
So now that we've defined our ideal--our "hero"--let's look at our own journey. How do we approach our own process of discovery and development? The martial arts are the perfect vehicle for growth and self-discovery. You reveal yourself on the training mat. It's life under a microscope and not only how you train is how you fight, it's how you live as well. In the dojo your fears, your insecurities, your ego, your strengths and weaknesses, your work ethic, how you relate with others--these are all pinpointed and given the opportunity to be examined and worked on.
In my next Martial Arts Life post we will go deeper into the path of mastery, contrasting it to some other paths that have been outlined for us by Aikido Sensie George Leonard in his book Mastery: The Keys To Success and Long-Term Fulfillment. Until then keep kickin' butt--your own especially.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Martial Arts--The Cure All?
Since returning to Boise for a little while I decided to open up the phone book and take a glance at what my beautiful hometown had to offer. I was pleasantly impressed by the amount of new schools available to people now, but what really caught my eye was one add in particular. It touted off a list of what their school gave to their students. Confidence! Discipline! Respect! Honesty! Integrity! That was just the beginning of the list. My question is--how do they instill these in their students.
It's not that I disbelieve that these can be offered through the martial arts. To the contrary. My skepticism comes in how this is accomplished. I guess I feel a bit disillusioned by the claims being thrown around. In your own experience, do the people in your classes seem to be more confident than those you meet day to day? Is there an air of respect and dignity that accompanies those who train that goes above the norm? What about honesty and integrity?
I was talking about this with a friend this morning. My experience has shown me that there are a lot of blanket claims thrown around in the martial arts world that may or may not actually have any meaning behind them. The important thing to learn from all this, however, is that SOMETHING draws people to the martial arts. What is it? What is it for you? Do you expect to gain more confidence as you move about in the world? Are you looking for discipline or a sense of respect? As an instructor, do you know what it is that brings your students in day after day? If you're not the instructor then are you making sure that your purposes are being met? You may have to take it upon yourself to find meaning and personal growth in the martial arts.
The question then is: How? How can you train in a way that you will become more confident in yourself in all aspects of your life? Or develop more respect or integrity--or whatever? It won't come from just learning katas and and new kicks year after year. In fact, there are two ingredients that are not only mandatory for your personal growth but will also guarantee it. Those two ingredients are: Intent and Focus. I'll end this here as sort of a bit of a rant. I actually plan on writing more on the topic of personal growth and the martial arts and even putting up podcasts on the subject. Until then I hope you'll take some time to think about these things yourself and maybe come up with your own answers.
It's not that I disbelieve that these can be offered through the martial arts. To the contrary. My skepticism comes in how this is accomplished. I guess I feel a bit disillusioned by the claims being thrown around. In your own experience, do the people in your classes seem to be more confident than those you meet day to day? Is there an air of respect and dignity that accompanies those who train that goes above the norm? What about honesty and integrity?
I was talking about this with a friend this morning. My experience has shown me that there are a lot of blanket claims thrown around in the martial arts world that may or may not actually have any meaning behind them. The important thing to learn from all this, however, is that SOMETHING draws people to the martial arts. What is it? What is it for you? Do you expect to gain more confidence as you move about in the world? Are you looking for discipline or a sense of respect? As an instructor, do you know what it is that brings your students in day after day? If you're not the instructor then are you making sure that your purposes are being met? You may have to take it upon yourself to find meaning and personal growth in the martial arts.
The question then is: How? How can you train in a way that you will become more confident in yourself in all aspects of your life? Or develop more respect or integrity--or whatever? It won't come from just learning katas and and new kicks year after year. In fact, there are two ingredients that are not only mandatory for your personal growth but will also guarantee it. Those two ingredients are: Intent and Focus. I'll end this here as sort of a bit of a rant. I actually plan on writing more on the topic of personal growth and the martial arts and even putting up podcasts on the subject. Until then I hope you'll take some time to think about these things yourself and maybe come up with your own answers.
Friday, October 16, 2009
First Things First--Why Are You Here?
What do you love about martial arts? Why do you train? What do you get out of devoting years to its study? Please tell me. I want to know. My goal with this blog is to explore the inner world of martial artists as well as the arts they practice. I don't want this blog to get big yet. I want it to be a laboratory. I want to share and I want to get feedback.
I am currently working on some videos and podcasts. I want to share them here as they're in their developmental phase and see what you have to say. What do you like? What could I do better? Do you have any stories or examples that might really expand what I write or talk about?
So what do you get out of this? Hopefully, the material that I share will be helpful to you in your own journey through the martial arts and through life. And I'd like this to be a way to connect my path with others' paths. Lets create something. Lets form a Mastermind group. Lets expand the martial arts world and leave our mark for our generation. As men we're meant to mark our territory. Let's make it a positive one. And for the women who join us, we need your feminine energy to bring life to our efforts. Without it we have nothing to fight for.
I am currently working on some videos and podcasts. I want to share them here as they're in their developmental phase and see what you have to say. What do you like? What could I do better? Do you have any stories or examples that might really expand what I write or talk about?
So what do you get out of this? Hopefully, the material that I share will be helpful to you in your own journey through the martial arts and through life. And I'd like this to be a way to connect my path with others' paths. Lets create something. Lets form a Mastermind group. Lets expand the martial arts world and leave our mark for our generation. As men we're meant to mark our territory. Let's make it a positive one. And for the women who join us, we need your feminine energy to bring life to our efforts. Without it we have nothing to fight for.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Welcome To My Journey
I'm here to welcome myself to the on-line world of martial artists and JKD enthusiasts in particular. Like most martial artists, I've learned so much that has benefitted my life through my study of the martial arts. And my two key instructors have been pivitol in my growth as a martial artist and as a human being. My goal since I became an instructor in Jeet Kune Do has been to give back through the vehicle of martial arts.
I didn't grow up on any mean streets. I didn't have to fight my way home from school everyday. I've never consigned myself to a life of meditation and pine nuts and learning fortune cookie quotes. I haven't even trained in the snow and ice until my feet bled. I grew up on a relatively tame street in Boise, Idaho. My last serious fight was in 8th grade in which I got put in Juvenile Detention for about a week for it and told that if I got in anymore fights I'd go back for at least 6 months. After that, if somebody wanted to fight I would only do it with gloves so I could claim it was sparring. I've never been to the Orient, though I did live and train in Australia for 2 years.
My interest in the martial arts began when I was very young, probably inspired by an instinctive defensive mechanism I was born with called being the youngest of 8 kids who for the most part were all fairly rowdy and not strangers to our police system. So I had to know something for survival in a family that, as one friend put it, "put the 'fun' in dysfunctional."
After a couple of years of mimicking books and imitating The Karate Kid my mother finally consented to enrolling me in Shotokan Karate under Sensie Joe Shuter when I was probably around 10. I trained 5 days a week--every day he was open. He was a phenomenal instructor who cared a lot about his students. His classes were small and half the time it was just him and I. He was very traditional in his approach to training. I still remember us spending an entire 2 1/2 hour class deep in our front stance throwing the reverse punch--hundreds of them! And he insisted on full power in every one. At one point he walked off and went outside. I thought, "What a punk. Just 'cause he's older he gets to leave me here tired as hell while he takes a break." Only later did I find out that he went outside to puke. We also sparred a lot on those days when it was just him and I. I think in all the years we trained together I hit him a handful of times. He hit me a handful of times at will. Those were fun times.
When Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story came out my brother in law ordered it on pay-per-view for me. I think it was less a loving gesture and more an easy babysitter. Nevertheless, I was hooked. My life became obsessed with Bruce Lee. I even remember praying that my mother would move us to California so I could train with one of the amazing instructors there (I was a kid, okay). My first book I ever saved up for and bought was Jeet Kune Do: The Textbook. Which, ironically, was written by the man who eventually became my Sifu. One day someone told me that the former Linda Lee actually lived in Boise, Idaho. So I looked her up and got in contact with her--not as creepy sounding when you're a kid. She told me that Chris Kent was moving down to Boise and would be opening a school here. Of course, I was at the very first class.
My official Jeet Kune Do training began when I was 13. I came to every class just as I had with Shotokan. I trained 5 hours a day, 5-6 days a week. I even continued training when I broke my wrist and I felt Sifu always admired that dedication, which is probably why him and I developed a very close bond. When I was as young as 16 he had me teaching classes when he went on seminars and he later had me take over his kid's class. These were very stretching experiences for me. There were people in some of the classes who could throw me around like a doll, so it was a very daunting experience to lead them in classes. Fortunately, Sifu had done an amazing job at creating a very familial feel to his classes and everybody was nothing but supportive. He also began sending private students to me, which really put me on the spot and sent me looking deeper into breaking down techniques and their application in order to avoid embarrassment in case a private student asked me anything about a technique.
This push into teaching private lessons probably brought most of the fire to my passion for studying and understanding martial arts, especially JKD, on a much deeper level. I started reading and analyzing on my own. This is probably also the beginning of my own path as an instructor. At 19 I moved to Australia and began teaching my roommates. I also trained with some fantastic instructors their, one in particular.
I returned at 21 and started teaching privately in Utah at 22. I found it very discouraging at times and finally gave up and moved to Austin, Texas. By this point my passion for teaching martial arts had started to wain and I found other interests. Until I met a girl named Mayra. She relit the fire under my butt and inspired me to try again at getting a group together. So that's what I did. Slowly but surely the group has grown and become a very capable, close-knit family. I've also taken up reading veraciously and exploring once again and doing everything I can to expand my understanding of the martial arts.
I'm currently back in Boise spending time with the family and working on some career ideas with my martial arts teaching, my two instructors helping me when needed. One thing that I've been wanting to contribute to the world of martial arts is a free on-line training series for those who, like I had when I was younger, may be left to books, videos, and themselves for instruction and training. I also want to explore with people the deeper, life-changing, aspects of martial arts training, for, as Bruce Lee said, "Jeet Kune Do is a technique for acquiring liberty; it is a work of enlightenment." (Tao of Jeet Kune Do)
I didn't grow up on any mean streets. I didn't have to fight my way home from school everyday. I've never consigned myself to a life of meditation and pine nuts and learning fortune cookie quotes. I haven't even trained in the snow and ice until my feet bled. I grew up on a relatively tame street in Boise, Idaho. My last serious fight was in 8th grade in which I got put in Juvenile Detention for about a week for it and told that if I got in anymore fights I'd go back for at least 6 months. After that, if somebody wanted to fight I would only do it with gloves so I could claim it was sparring. I've never been to the Orient, though I did live and train in Australia for 2 years.
My interest in the martial arts began when I was very young, probably inspired by an instinctive defensive mechanism I was born with called being the youngest of 8 kids who for the most part were all fairly rowdy and not strangers to our police system. So I had to know something for survival in a family that, as one friend put it, "put the 'fun' in dysfunctional."
After a couple of years of mimicking books and imitating The Karate Kid my mother finally consented to enrolling me in Shotokan Karate under Sensie Joe Shuter when I was probably around 10. I trained 5 days a week--every day he was open. He was a phenomenal instructor who cared a lot about his students. His classes were small and half the time it was just him and I. He was very traditional in his approach to training. I still remember us spending an entire 2 1/2 hour class deep in our front stance throwing the reverse punch--hundreds of them! And he insisted on full power in every one. At one point he walked off and went outside. I thought, "What a punk. Just 'cause he's older he gets to leave me here tired as hell while he takes a break." Only later did I find out that he went outside to puke. We also sparred a lot on those days when it was just him and I. I think in all the years we trained together I hit him a handful of times. He hit me a handful of times at will. Those were fun times.
When Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story came out my brother in law ordered it on pay-per-view for me. I think it was less a loving gesture and more an easy babysitter. Nevertheless, I was hooked. My life became obsessed with Bruce Lee. I even remember praying that my mother would move us to California so I could train with one of the amazing instructors there (I was a kid, okay). My first book I ever saved up for and bought was Jeet Kune Do: The Textbook. Which, ironically, was written by the man who eventually became my Sifu. One day someone told me that the former Linda Lee actually lived in Boise, Idaho. So I looked her up and got in contact with her--not as creepy sounding when you're a kid. She told me that Chris Kent was moving down to Boise and would be opening a school here. Of course, I was at the very first class.
My official Jeet Kune Do training began when I was 13. I came to every class just as I had with Shotokan. I trained 5 hours a day, 5-6 days a week. I even continued training when I broke my wrist and I felt Sifu always admired that dedication, which is probably why him and I developed a very close bond. When I was as young as 16 he had me teaching classes when he went on seminars and he later had me take over his kid's class. These were very stretching experiences for me. There were people in some of the classes who could throw me around like a doll, so it was a very daunting experience to lead them in classes. Fortunately, Sifu had done an amazing job at creating a very familial feel to his classes and everybody was nothing but supportive. He also began sending private students to me, which really put me on the spot and sent me looking deeper into breaking down techniques and their application in order to avoid embarrassment in case a private student asked me anything about a technique.
This push into teaching private lessons probably brought most of the fire to my passion for studying and understanding martial arts, especially JKD, on a much deeper level. I started reading and analyzing on my own. This is probably also the beginning of my own path as an instructor. At 19 I moved to Australia and began teaching my roommates. I also trained with some fantastic instructors their, one in particular.
I returned at 21 and started teaching privately in Utah at 22. I found it very discouraging at times and finally gave up and moved to Austin, Texas. By this point my passion for teaching martial arts had started to wain and I found other interests. Until I met a girl named Mayra. She relit the fire under my butt and inspired me to try again at getting a group together. So that's what I did. Slowly but surely the group has grown and become a very capable, close-knit family. I've also taken up reading veraciously and exploring once again and doing everything I can to expand my understanding of the martial arts.
I'm currently back in Boise spending time with the family and working on some career ideas with my martial arts teaching, my two instructors helping me when needed. One thing that I've been wanting to contribute to the world of martial arts is a free on-line training series for those who, like I had when I was younger, may be left to books, videos, and themselves for instruction and training. I also want to explore with people the deeper, life-changing, aspects of martial arts training, for, as Bruce Lee said, "Jeet Kune Do is a technique for acquiring liberty; it is a work of enlightenment." (Tao of Jeet Kune Do)
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