Thoughts about martial arts and the toughest of times

This is an abridged version of a note, that I recently emailed a young student, who has just been through an ordeal and had to rely solely on himself for the first time in his life. In that situation he reflected on how his martial arts training, at JRRMAS, has had an effect on his ability to deal with the stress of it all.
Him sharing his thoughts with me reminded me of why I’ve dedicated my adult life to teaching this stuff, in spite of all the hardships that, that entails.

“After reading your letter, I can appreciate that you now have a deeper level of understanding that one of the main ideas, in what we practice and teach at JRRMAS is to help one get through the toughest of times.
Once a practitioner recognizes that and contemplates it in their daily practice, than things really start to change. At JRRMAS the main purpose of training is to maintain (or develop) ‘robust health’, mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually and to train for those times of great pressure and crisis.
So consequently, we train to stay calm, first and foremost, as that will allow us to be balanced, centered and strong, to believe in our self, keep a clear head and act decisively, with compassion”

Sifu
“Martial Arts training doesn’t start until we confront ourselves”
Sifu

Internal Exercise Set – Part Two

The second installment of the Internal Exercise Set based on Master Haywards Twin Cities warm ups. This portion of the Set mainly involves stretching the neck, shoulders, arms and back.Lesson 1: Do these exercises daily!with proprioceptive awareness and proper alignmentwith 100 percent concentration on observing and adjustingand a relaxed muscular effortcelebrate when ever thing moves effortlessly and pain free!

Trouble uploading video to Studio Blog:(

Yep! I’ve thrown a few hours at the Studio Blog this morning….having tons of trouble’s uploading another video clip of the ‘internal warm ups’ I shot yesterday morning. So…..I’m going to go practice now!!
I’ll try again later….thanks for tuning in and thanks for your patience.

FYI – There is still time to sign up for the ‘Special Training Seminar’ I’m offering this coming Saturday 7/18 from 1-5 at the Studio. Fun time for all!!

Harvard Medical School’s Harvard Health Publication – “Simple life style changes can have enormous impact on our longevity and quality of life”

Harvard Health Publications July 2009
We all know aging is an inevitable process, yet most of us are eager to maintain our health and enjoy our life in the most vibrant, vigorous way possible. We want to age gracefully, while retaining our vitality, energy, and memory. The good news is that simple lifestyle changes can have an enormous impact on our longevity and quality of life (*).
One of the most important factors to aging gracefully is avoiding the onset of common medical conditions. From heart disease and stroke to Alzheimer’s disease to hearing and memory loss, sidestepping these conditions can add years to your life and life to your years. It’s important to know the steps you can take to prevent these conditions and other common threats to your good health.
But it’s not just physical ailments that can impact your health in your later years. Keeping a sharp mind and memory is equally important. As many as two-thirds of people age 50 and over notice greater difficulty remembering names, appointments, and other details. But research has shown that our brains can keep growing new neurons (brain cells) and making new connections throughout life. People who keep learning (*) and stay mentally active increase their odds of retaining good brain function as they age. The more you use your brain (*), the stronger it gets — and the longer it stays strong.
Lesson 1:

(*) Developing a daily martial arts practice
can have an enormous impact on our health
mentally and physically, our quality of life and overall happiness
To be effective, that practice should include:

whole body exercises (That especially includes the mind),

with proprioceptive awareness of principles,

for strengthening (especially legs) and stretching,

solo forms (especially T’ai-Chi, Bagua) and basics,

weapons forms and basics,

qigong and standing meditation
NOTE:
To be effective it’s imperative that practices are done with correct principles and concepts.
“The mind directs, the body follows” – Old Chinese Martial Arts saying
“Observe, then adjust according to principles” – Sifu
“When practicing, awareness of oneself is key” – Sifu

Always practice with a mental focus on observing oneself,

then, adjust according to correct internal and external principles and concepts,

Your goal is to practice with the correct spirit (inward feeling).

“Strive to be present and in the moment” – Sifu
Lesson 2:

Pay attention to injury management,

properly attend to injury and illnesses

adjust your practice,

so that you can do it daily!
Lesson 3:

*A note to those that are on the ‘path’ to Mastery:

Eventually, your daily practice will become a daily routine just like brushing your teeth and bathing. With personal hygiene, one learns to adjust around injuries and illness.

There are occasions when it may be impossible to do our daily hygiene, because of illness or injury, but, as soon as you are able to, you would immediately get back to the daily routine of bathing and brushing, right?
For those that are on the ‘path’ to Mastery, if there was an interruption to their daily practice, they would return to it as soon as they were able to. Now their art has been elevated to the same status in their personal life, as bathing and brushing! That’s a Master!!
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American Karate-Do – Self Defense Technique – The Lever

Studetns LS and SG practice the second Self-Defense Technique, The Lever. Lesson 1:This is an medium escalated version of the leverdefending against single lapel grab with a straight arm. There is a de-escalated version with no counter attack and a more escalated version with multiple counters ending in a take down or throwLesson 2:In a potential Self-Defense situationasses the amount of force you need to defend yourself with the use of force continuum in mind. It’s always better to avoid physical conflict whenever possible and to use the least amount of force necessary to subdue the attacker to allow you enough time to escape.

Modern Arnis – Slap off and re-grab drill

Sifu and JRRMAS staff member LS practice the Modern Arnis counter the counter, slap off and re-grab drillLesson 1:The attacker (LS) strikes with one of the 12 angles of attack, Sifu block, checks and counters the original attack,The attacker stops the counter with their ‘live hand’,either on the inside or the outside of the fore arm (Sifu’s)Then Sifu will either’slap off’ then….. re-counter from the same side or’re-grab’ then….. re-counter from the same side Lesson 2:A central theme in Modern Arnis is to ‘Counter the Counter’: ‘Tapi Tapi’…..infinitely….until you steal their time and achieve a superior body position, Until you find or create the opening allowing you to successfully Counter their Counter!Lesson 3:This is an excellent drill for skill acquisition!

American Karate-Do – Self Defense Technique – Crash of the Eagle

Students LS and SG practice Crash of the Eagle, a defense against a rear shoulder grab or push. This is first required self-defense technique for rank in the American Karate-Do system in it’s medium ‘escalated’ form with a single back fist/hammer fist counter attack. It’s more escalated form would have multiple counter attacks ending in a take down or throw.Lesson 1:In Crash of the Eagles ‘de-escalated’ form students first learn to step forward, turn quickly to face the attacker and with a descending elbow, break the hold (or regain balance from a push), then, withought countering, but with awareness, simply ……step away from the attacker with your hands up in front of your face, palms out, fingers spread, projecting a peaceful (but secretively defensive) hand position then to look for a means of escape……….then……ESCAPE!Lesson 2:The sole purpose of self-defense is to ESCAPE!