For some reason Chinese kung fu is full of many silly myths. I hear them often and I’d like to start addressing them here. 1) The Master Never Gets Hit and Can’t be Beaten Well, this is true if the master is never in a fight but only then. Can you imagine saying this about any other …
One day I was in my yard about to construct a huge portable screened in porch. It takes hours, is no fun, and I was not in the best of moods knowing the time and effort involved. As I was about to start I looked into the yard and saw a groundhog digging a new …
There has been a trend in America for several years regarding how things are taught and the responsibility of the teacher. I have had several students say to me, “This is not how I learn best, please adapt your teaching to me”. I understand this and have people very close to me that have learning …
Twice in the last month this topic has arisen again; the black sash. I know this is hard for some folks to fathom but having a black sash does not mean anything in Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu and, in fact, most styles of kung fu. I know there are teachers out there proclaiming that …
We get stuck in the ways we learn and the ways we teach. We do not realize that we limit ourselves by our expectations rather than seeing what is right there in front of us. I remember standing in the back of a hall after a lecture with a great Zen master. One of the …
Often when we are taught a martial art we are taught patterns and rhythms in our practice. We might do three blocks and then three punches with the idea being that after our blocks the opportunity arises for our strikes. It is thought of as a game of strategy, pugilistic chess, one trading off the …
The False Idea of an Offensive/Defensive Trade in a Fight Read More »
These past few years have been most interesting for me. My teacher of many decades, Dr Richard DeMartino, student and friend of D.T. Suzuki, died in January 2013. D.T. Suzuki once stated that no other Westerner truly grasped Zen other than Dr. DeMartino. There has been no greater influence on my life than him. He …
In my decades in the arts I have noticed a paradigm in training that many students encounter. This is the point where great doubt arises in their art and in their true abilities. This is the point in your study where you get tested outside of the normal confines of your style, in other words, …
Facing Failure in the Martial Arts: Crisis, Doubt and Reconstruction Read More »
On more than one occasion while speaking to individuals who have never attended my classes I have heard the comment, “Well, your school is known for brawling…”. I am always surprised to hear this because there is no brawling at all in my classes and it is not allowed. I expect respect and friendship between …
As I have previously stated believing in a technique and having that technique actually work are two different things. There is a line of thought in the so called ‘soft arts’ that one day the techniques will just blossom, like those cactus flowers that bloom every 30 years, and all will be revealed to you. …
Why I Have Problems with the Idea of Faith in the Martial Arts Read More »