Six harmonies and the power of destructive intent.

'Kung-fu' (the contemporary term for any traditional martial art from China), is simply, 'applied human physics'. There is no secret, 'way', or, 'mysterious technique'. No. Everything in kung-fu can be explained with good old fashioned science and logic. Granted, it may APPEAR to be magical, superhuman, and even supernatural at times, but kung-fu is nothing more, and nothing less, than, 'applied human physics'.

Essentially, we're big bags of water floating around a skeleton. Some parts of our body are denser than other parts, some parts more elastic, and some parts are as soft as dough. It's our skeletal structure and our elaborate system of tendons, ligaments and muscles that makes it possible to be a human weapon. Look at a tiger for example, they are nature's perfect predator, a true killing machine from nose to tail. A tiger is so perfectly designed for killing, that it has a set of floating vertebrae, razor sharp fangs, claws, and even a tail for counter balance! We, on the other hand, are probably one of the most pathetic and helpless species of mammals on the PLANET. As far as I'm concerned, there is a huge chunk of information missing in the story of human evolution, because basically, a medium sized dog can best the average human when I comes to combat. We're hopelessly, and strangely, inept at combat as a species. We have no claws, no huge incisors, and no thick hide to cover our easily torn skin. Usually, from my experience of having to engage in combat with humans on a sometimes daily/nightly basis (try working in a nightclub if you want to get some real life, 'combat', experience, you won't be disappointed, promise...), people usually close their eyes, put their heads down, and swing their arms like two meaty helicopter blades, and when that fails, they latch onto each other, hold their breaths, and squeeze each other until one, or both, of them runs out of gas. It's a sad, yet thoroughly entertaining, display of ridiculousness.

If not for our big juicy brains, which allows us ways of compensating for our wretched natural fighting ability, we'd be eating the leftovers of larger predators and hanging out by the edge of a forest or jungle somewhere huddled up in big groups waiting to be killed. Plain and simple. Yet, somebody in ancient India figured something out. They then took what they learned, and went to China. The man responsible for bringing this bizarre human, 'technology', to China via India, is know as, 'Bodhidharma'. He was a prince from southern India who was the patriarch of what is now, commonly known as, 'Zen', Buddhism. I will not go into the details of his history, Zen, or the endless amounts of topics concerning him, as there are books upon books written on these subjects. I will, however, point out that he brought a set of yoga based health exercises with him that he taught to the monks of the Shaolin temple. Now, a small amount of background is needed on the Shaolin monks if my point is to made crystal clear. The Shaolin monks, as much as people would love to believe, were not a bunch of saints. Yes, a few were, and these days, generally speaking, are good guys. But this was NOT true in ancient China (actually, up until 1911 if you ask me). In ancient China, if you were a murderer, a rapist, a thief or any other sort of wicked bastard, there was a loophole you could dive through to escape persecution. You could join a Buddhist, or Daoist, monastery and be completely exempt of any, and all, punishment. What? Yes. The thinking behind this is as follows: When one joins a temple, of any kind, you become a new person. You change your name, shave your head (or grow your hair out if you're a Daoist), you get a new name, and PRESTO! No more criminal. He, or she, ceases to exist! It was just that easy. In the China of old, pre-gunpowder, knowing martial arts was essential for self defense and even survival. There was no such thing as police in rural China. You hired a bunch of kung-fu bad asses to hang out in your village and stomp the guano out of anyone who messed with your tribe. You needed people like that to protect you, because there were guys just as skilled waiting on the edges of society for an unsuspecting caravan, or villager, to wade away from the safety of their protectors. Every once and a while, they'd go to far and get hunted down by bounty hunters, a vengeful family member, or even the government, and have to take flight. When they had run out of places to hide, they'd, inevitably, have to get, 'holy', and become monks. So you ended having these massive, untaxable, 'holy', refugee camps full of some of the nastiest bastards to have ever walked the earth.

Basically, monks have not a whole lot to do other than chant, read, eat, sleep, meditate, pool their mental resources and combat experience, all day long. It was like a meeting place for evil geniuses. This is why, today, Shaolin martial arts remain one of the hugest, elaborate, and most extensive systems of martial arts, and, can be attributed to being the, 'mother', of hundreds of styles still practiced to this day. Not to mention, the Shaolin monastery is somewhere between 2,500-5,000 years old. So, as you can see, they've had some time to think about it. Just a little bit. So, aside from being a cesspool of badmen, the Shaolin monks had one particular weapon that permanently altered the face of ALL Asian martial arts systems. This thing was Bodhidharma's, 'muscle/brain/tendon/sinew/bone washing classic'. It was/is simply a set of yogic health exercises that completely transforms the human body, inside and out. He taught these exercises to the monks of Shaolin because he found that they were unable to meditate for long periods of time due to weak physiques, and a lack of general health. The exercises utilized dynamic muscle stretching and strengthening, and by doing so, cleansing and purifying the human body all the way down to the bone marrow by simply promoting proper blood flow and in turn, cleansing the body of toxins. Plain and simple. Now, the wicked monks of old found that these healing techniques could be applied to combat. As they say, 'he/she who giveth life, can taketh away'. Who better knows a way to end a human life than a doctor? Exactly. So, they played with these concepts, applied them to their furious arsenal of techniques and lifetimes of combat experience, and developed an unrivaled system of whoop ass that is still holding it down to this day.

One of the things they figured out, is that the human body, when bent and tweaked just the right way, is capable of delivering, and even withstanding, a single strike so powerful that it can end a human life. This method, or theory, is called the, 'six harmonies'. Six harmonies? Yes. Six harmonies. Allow me to enlighten you. There are three, external, 'harmonies', and three, internal, 'harmonies'.

'San Wai He' ('Three External/Outside Harmonies'):

1- Shoulders and hips.

2- Elbows and knees.

3- Hands and feet.

'San Nei He' ('Three Internal/Inside Harmonies):

1- Thought/understanding/comprehension.

2- Intent/mental projection.

3- Breath/energy.

The basic idea behind the six harmonies principle is that if you have your body perfectly aligned, understand what you're doing, are able to coordinate your entire muscular/skeletal system, are able to project your thought, or, 'intent', beyond the actual striking area, AND, time it with your breathing, you are able to deliver a fatal, or at least crippling, blow. Phew! Seems like a lot of work! Well, yes, it is an extremely difficult set of concepts to even grasp, let alone apply! But, like anything else, with practice, it can be done, even effortlessly, at that. Once it is learned, it's like riding a bike, you may get a little rusty, but after a hundred feet or more, you're back on the saddle like you never got off. Another interesting point about this system, is that it only gets more and more powerful the longer you practice/apply it. I've seen ninety pound withered old toothless Chinese men launch 250 pound brutes sixteen feet backwards with a simple pat on the chest. As a matter of fact, I've had it done to me personally. While it seems magical, it can be explained, learned, and applied.

First, let me break down the three, 'external', harmonies. When your hips and shoulders are lined up properly, you've got a base structure for your skeletal system that allows from maximum reinforcement, shock absorption, and power distribution. The same goes for you elbows and knees. When you have these parts of your body lined up, you now have a way of further distributing force. Furthermore, when you coordinate your hands and feet with these two things, you've just made a perfect tool for applying human, 'physics'. When issuing a strike, one must first initiate the technique from the ankle, through the calf, leg, hip, shoulder, elbow, and finally, the hand. This is taking advantage of your entire body. Most people, at best, even when properly trained, strike from the shoulder. Some are able to distribute power from the hip, but I seldom ever see this. I would say that most street fighters strike from the elbow, and even worse, the hand. How much does your arm, shoulder or hand weigh? Not that much. Basically, when you strike this way, you're hitting someone with about as much force as the particular point of origin (i.e: the actual limb its self), weighs, whether it be the shoulder, elbow, or hand. When you figure out how to coordinate a strike all the way from your ankle, you are now issuing a strike that weighs as much as you do (however much you weigh, even if it is ninety pounds, I would NOT want to get hit in the face, or anywhere else on my body, for that matter, with a ninety pound weight at one hundred miles per hour!). That, on top of velocity, makes for an astonishing amount of destructive force.

The the three internal harmonies are not as perplexing as they seem, yet are hard to grasp if not explained properly. I learned them in Chinese, even with my toddler-like level of comprehension and expression, which didn't make it any easier, I was able to, 'get it'. The first thing you have to grasp is what you are actually doing, how to align your body, articulate the proper coordination and visualize. Simple enough? The second part is nothing more than follow through, like a baseball bat. You don't hit the ball, you hit way past the ball, making it possible to send it hundreds of feet into the air. Aiming at the ball its self allows for a very small amount of power distribution, and seldom sends the ball very far from it's point of impact. This is called, 'intent', as far the six harmonies are concerned. When you strike something, you don't think about striking the surface of the target, you literally, 'aim', several feet behind it, or more if so desired. Someone who has large muscles, iron robe techniques, or just good old fashioned conditioning will dust off a surface strike like a gnat. However, when you apply this method of, 'follow through', or, 'intent', all the muscles in the world can't stop the destructive properties of this particular method of, 'thinking'. The final part is simply, 'breath'. Energy, and life, begins with breathing. You stop breathing, you die. Plain and simple. Energy enters the body when you inhale, and exits the body when you exhale. When you time your strike with your exhale, you are able to channel all of your, 'energy', through a single part of your body perfectly. This is how a tiny little old man is able to launch a football player like a rag doll in a, seemingly, 'magical', manner.

So, with the understanding of the physics of your body, proper muscular/skeletal coordination, follow through, or, 'intent', and proper breathing, you too, can use and apply the, 'six harmonies', of Chinese martial arts. It's not rocket science, it is, simply, 'applied human physics'.

Tumbling fists, leaping feet and the guest people.

To even begin to understand the development, variations and flavor of different Chinese martial arts systems, one must first understand something about the vast, and often times, perplexing, variations of China, and the Chinese people in general. When someone says, 'I am Chinese', I immediately ask what province they are from, then what city, and then I ask if that's where their parents are originally from (as Chinese are not only immigrants in solely foreign countries, but also, and commonly, their own). As outsiders (to China), we think of China as just, 'China'. To me? China is massive, and made up of twenty seven provinces, three of them being SAR's (Special Autonomous Regions, i.e: Tibet, Guangxi, and Inner Mongolia, being primarily ruled, and at one time, primarily inhabited by non Han Chinese, who make up 98% of the Chinese population worldwide). I have been to every province except for Yunan, Ji Ling (which borders North Korea... ahem), and Inner Mongolia. China is bewildering, strange and cannot be classified strictly as a single country. It would be like saying Europe and the eastern block countries are just one country. That's ridiculous right? Exactly. China has THOUSANDS of dialects, and with each dialect comes a completely different way of thinking, history, and even culture, that changes by the kilometer! You could travel to another village, maybe just three kilometers away, and not be able to comprehend anything they are saying due to the enormous linguistic variation caused by such a small amount of geographical separation. China is physically, a very large place, larger than the United States I believe (although I am not 100 percent sure, I believe this is true), and has almost every kind of climate and terrain you can imagine. One thing that greatly effects the enormity of cultural variables, is that China is tremendously mountainous. Not only that, once you get past the central mountains, you have this forbidding expanse of desert that seems to stretch on forever, and THEN, another massive chunk of mountains once you get to Tibet. Geographically, China is a rough place to live, harvest and migrate. Somehow, Chinese people always make the best of it, work with what they have and plod on without complaint (well, most of the time anyway). My second master once told me, 'You are born, you go to school if you can, you work, you have a family, and then you die. You DON'T ask questions! THIS, is the Chinese way'. I got that, but it wasn't until I spent two and half years of my life in China that I truly began to even understand what he meant by this.

When I meet Chinese people for the first time, I immediately tell them I am Shanghaiese. This way, they can instantly identify my Chinese cultural experiences, what I've seen on an everyday basis, what kind of climate I was used to, what kind of food I ate on a regular basis, what kind of political climate surrounded me, how I relate to China historically, general stereotypes about people from my particular region, and most importantly, if they like me or not. Chinese people hate Chinese people. Basically, if you're not from their village, you can go straight to hell. When I tell someone I am Shanghaiese, and THEY, are Shanghaiese? It's like meeting a long lost relative. We both leap up and down, hug, throw out a few Shanghaiese greetings (in the very strange Shanghaiese dialect that has to be heard to be appreciated in it's unadulterated and bizarre glory), and beam like idiots who have just won the lottery. This is especially true in San Francisco (and the United States as a whole), where, 80 percent of the population is Cantonese, and even then, usually from the Tai Shan (Toi San) province. In New York, most of the Chinese are Fujianese, and in Paris, Wangzhounese. This is why most Americans think Cantonese is the major dialect of China, when in FACT, only two percent of the Chinese population in China speaks Cantonese (although many are familiar with Cantonese due to popular Chinese and Hong Kong cinema and music)! As you can see, being Chinese, is a broad, and foolishly generalized statement. Yes, Chinese people are just, 'Chinese', to westerners, but never to a child, or descendant, of the ancient, and tremendously varied, 'Middle Kingdom'.

So, as you can see, as diverse as Chinese people can be, so to, can their martial arts be, as well. Generally, most people agree that there are three major geographical/cultural, 'schools', of Chinese martial arts. This is true in a very, very broad sense of things, but it goes so much deeper than that. I will first, touch upon the popular, generalized, contemporary opinions of Chinese martial arts. The three major, 'schools', are:

Northern: Martial arts from the north east of China, generally from the Shandong, Henan, and Hebei provinces. These styles are usually very low framed (meaning, low stances), utilizing nearly acrobatic footwork, lots of high and aerial kicks, and large exaggerated arm movements (sometimes called long fist, or, big circle styles). These styles were generally developed for the battlefield. Some famous northern styles are: Shaolin, Praying Mantis, Lost Track Boxing, Monkey, Ba Gua, Black Tiger, White Ape, and Ba Ji.

Southern: Martial arts from the Fujian, and Guangdong, (a.k.a: 'Canton', also including Hong Kong) provinces. Characterized by having less kicks than their northern counterparts, usually being higher framed, upright, and favoring hand techniques over high/aerial kicks and often times utilizing smaller, less exaggerated movements ('small circle', and/or, 'short power', systems, as they are sometimes called). These styles were usually developed for city, mountain, and even boat, combat. Some famous southern styles are: Tiger Crane, Wing Chun (or, 'Yong Chun', in Mandarin), Choy Lei Fut, Five Families, Fut Gar and White Crane.

Hakka: 'Hakka', means, 'guest people', in Chinese ('Ke Jia', in Mandarin). These people are believed to be, originally, from the south western parts of China, although this is disputed, and to honest, no one really knows for sure. They have their own dialect, and are prominent in Guangdong, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, and even the United States. Their styles are, in my opinion, the strangest of all of the Chinese styles. They tend to be very upright (high framed), are almost completely made up of hand techniques, use strange shuffling, and/or hopping, footwork. They are famous for, 'short power', techniques, and being, aesthetically, the strangest of all Chinese styles. They were also developed for mountain and city combat. Some famous Hakka styles are: White Tiger, Dragon, White Eyebrow, Iron Ox, and Bamboo Forest Praying Mantis.

Now, this is so general, it's borderline ridiculous. As westerners, we only know what we're exposed to. Who are the people who have migrated to the United States (and other western countries)? Malaysian Chinese, Southern Chinese, North Eastern Chinese, and Hakka Chinese. Hence, we believe that these are the only styles that exist. When, in FACT, there are so many other styles, groups of styles and completely random systems that we have never even heard of. I personally teach/practice a style that is only taught by three other people, openly, to my knowledge, in the entire WORLD! It's a northern style, but only by geographical default, and is, in fact, a system that cannot truly be classified as, 'Northern', due it being a style of Ba Gua (A style of martial arts that utilizes circle walking as a training method, unusual footwork that allows you to get behind your opponent almost effortlessly, using almost no closed fist strikes, and is also being the style that spawned/inspired Aikido). We often neglect the central, and southwestern regions of China, where epically profound styles such as Ta Ji, E Mei (or, 'O Mei', as it is sometimes called), Hop Gar (which is from Tibet I believe), and Tong Bei. While these styles are popular and well know in the West, they cannot be classified into the general groups of, Southern, Northern, and Hakka. Geographically, it would be completely incorrect.

This leads me to another point. No one can say that southern styles are all completely high framed, hand dominant, and are without acrobatic kicks and footwork. At the same time, you cannot say that all northern styles are low to the ground, use huge exaggerated arm movements exclusively, and use tons of kicking techniques over hand attacks. That would a foolishly generalized, and even, ridiculous statement to say the least. There is a style from the southern province of Fujian called, 'Dog Style', that is fought while laying on your back, and uses almost primarily, locks, sweeps and traps with the legs! Seven star mantis (a northern style) has kicks, but is definitely a hand oriented combat system. So, as you can see, these broad generalizations tend to fall far from the mark with certain styles. As far as Hakka styles go, I have only had major exposure to two (and am currently teaching them), and have only briefly been shown a few elements from another. Hakka styles are much easier to characterize in a general sense as they all seem to stem from one system, and are all, 'cousin', styles in my opinion. Many of the stances, footwork, and hand techniques are almost interchangeable. My current master teaches White Eyebrow and Dragon, and the primary foundation posture/stance is identical. Yes, the energies, mindset, ideas and methods of attack are very different, but the general structure of the two styles compliment each other marvelously. In my eyes, it is obvious that they really are, 'cousin', systems.

Another interesting point is that many of the so called, 'northern', systems are tremendously popular in the south! Just as Taiji is most popular in the northeast (even though it was created in central China), southern styles dominate the western world, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. But, for the laymen, and in a folklorish sort of way, I suppose there is nothing wrong with calling a style, 'northern', or, 'southern'. It's really more about where it was created, propagated and developed, more than anything else. It is true, however, that the north is more vast and expansive and better suited for leaps, bounds and dynamic footwork. This sort of terrain allows for huge, exaggerated arm movements that would be used most practically against attackers of horseback, i.e: Mongolian invaders. It is also true that southern China is hilly, mountainous, urban and where it is not so heavily populated, covered with dense forests and jungles. The Hakka have lived in southern China for a long time, and have adapted their techniques to fit their environment, having just been mountain people themselves before their mysterious migration east and beyond. Having a style that relied on hand techniques in crowded, less navigable terrain like cities, mountains, jungle and even boats, would make a lot more sense than having an arsenal of jump kicks (which were originally developed to take people off of their horses, not for street combat!). But, there are always styles that break the stereotypes imposed by the old term, 'Northern feet, southern hands', whether they were created by a northern, southern, or Hakka Chinese, every style is as unique as any one culture, dialect or individual person. So yes, technically, it would be correct to label a particular style this way, but foolish to characterize a style's techniques based purely on geography. The old kung-fu expression: 'Southern hands, northern feet', isn't always as true as it seems.

Lien quan, bu lien gong, dao lao yi chang kong!

"Lien quan, bu lien gong, dao lao yi chang kong".

Literally translated: "Practice fist (another way of saying: 'style', or, 'system', in Chinese), no practice skill, arrive at old age, the one thing you will have is empty (or, 'nothing', while this is not the usual word for, 'nothing', it means just that in this instance)"

More elaborately translated: "Practicing (or, learning) a style's superficial, or, 'surface', elements (just the forms/routines, the showy aspects, and the parts that are not physically, and/or mentally demanding), without practicing the hard, unpleasant, or, 'bitter' (as painful training is often referred to by the Chinese, and appropriately so), aspects of martial arts training, will leave you with no real ability, skill, or power, at the end of your life/training".

Quick and easy? It translates like this: "Practicing martial arts without ever practicing (or embracing) the essential painful/difficult/boring basic parts of training, is a total waste of time".

I have had three different masters who independently used this phrase over and over again. As a matter of fact, I have it written in Chinese on a post it note and folded up neatly in my wallet. It's just that serious.

These days, students are usually rushed into the complicated and challenging forms that a student from forty or more years ago would learn after a few YEARS of practice, not the first WEEK. Today, students learn a handful of sets (routines/forms) in the span of a year! Why am I so shocked by this? Allow me to enlighten you. Traditionally, Chinese martial arts are broken down into three major groups of techniques (excluding weapons):

-Footwork (or, 'Bu Fa', in Mandarin): Basic stepping patterns, kicks, and static stance training (a single stance would be held for an hour or more at times!).

-Body movement/coordination (or, 'Shen Fa'): Using the body in coordination with footwork, aligning the shoulders, hips and spine for maximum structural integrity.

-Hand techniques (or, 'Shou Fa'): Grabbing, locking, striking, pushing/pulling etc.

Usually, the modern day student learns the hand techniques first (especially in the west), rarely the body movement skills, and usually touches upon the footwork to a very small degree. As westerners, we're traditionally a society of boxers and wrestlers. The last thing we think about when we're about to get into a fight is our opponent's footwork. We put our hands up, straighten our legs and hammer each other about the face and head until one person falls. When one, or both, of the combatants is inept (which is nine times out of ten!), it goes to the ground. This is usually because one (or the pair) does not want to be hit anymore, and when you engage in a grappling/wrestling situation, it immediately (and greatly) lessens the chance of this happening. It is very difficult, without proper training, to land powerful blows on someone when they're holding onto you. Striking works best from a distance, wrestling cancels that out. Another aspect of this is purely psychological. Humans are attracted to movement, the hands are incredibly fast, we use them all the time, and, without them, we are basically helpless. A person naturally takes to hand techniques because they are something that seems practical, and immediately, useful (and, at first, superficially, are, against an average opponent). When someone says, 'hey, let me see your kung-fu', the first thing someone usually does is wave their arms around, shoot off some punches or hand patterns. No one ever hops about, shuffles around and then drops into stances. That's not something that the human mind finds interesting, or can even comprehend, functionally speaking, without some sort of real understanding/training. Most people would laugh at you and roll their eyes.

Traditionally, footwork was the first thing you learned and practiced for years. You would have had to have mastered stances and stepping patterns until they were second nature. Then, and only then, you would move on to learning how to coordinate your torso, shoulders and hips along with your footwork. Once that was mastered, you'd finally begin to develop your hand techniques. There are seven places on the human body you can use as a striking instrument:

-Head

-Hands

-Feet

-Elbows

-Knees

-Shoulders

-Hips

These are called the, 'seven stars', of kung-fu. As you can see, learning only hand techniques gives you only two of these weapons (unless you're brave enough to try and head but someone) with which you can properly use! Mastering footwork and body mechanics allows you to fully utilize all of your natural weapons. Yet, most people find footwork and body mechanics drills boring, tedious, and unrewarding. Little do they know that without practicing all of the three arenas of skills in balance, they are practicing emptily, and incompletely. One who only uses their hands when striking has about as much force as their arm weighs collectively, maybe fifteen pounds (give or take). One who can distribute their force from their heel, through their legs, hips, torso, shoulders, arms and finally, hands, is unleashing their entire body weight in force through a single, devastating, strike. This can be applied, and used, with any of the, 'seven stars', when all three areas of skill have been learned.

In my early training, I learned maybe five forms/routines in seven years. They were often times short, except for maybe two, and could be performed in less than forty five seconds (yet, it took me seven years to learn them!). The first thing I learned was stances, footwork drills and kicks. We'd do these things over and over again, my legs burning with white hot fire, my knees buckling without warning. After my first class, I had to slowly lower myself onto a toilet seat with my hands due to the unbelievable agony that had overtaken my lower body. It was completely impossible to stand up without using my arms to lift myself. Yes, it was hard and boring training, but having seen the intoxicating beauty of my older brother's and sister's skill, it seemed like a small price to pay for such astoundingly incredible ability. Of course, we did do punches and other hand techniques, but they were not the main focus of our early training, that was much further down the road, the footwork came first, and without question.

One thing I find shocking, is that students ASK their teachers to learn certain things, as if they are masters themselves, as if they know what's good for them, as if they have ANY idea of what martial arts training 'should' be. I remember asking my first teacher to show me some more movements in a routine I was learning one day. He gave me one of the most frighteningly dirty looks of all time. I was unaware that this was extremely rude, frowned upon, and just NOT done. He made me practice what I had learned already for six months, even though the form was only five motions from being complete. I also learned that you do NOT get to chose what you learn next. That would be like telling a doctor what surgery you need, or asking a chef in a Japanese restaurant to cook one of your favorite French dishes, and how to do it. It's just not done. They know what's good for you, and until you study/practice for 'x' amount of years, you most certainly, do NOT.

Most masters have to put, 'asses in the seats'. Martial arts practice is usually nothing more than an alternative method of fitness to most people in modern times, nothing more, nothing less. It's a business, we're capitalists, that's just the way things work. Adapt to the demands of the people, or become extinct like the dinosaurs. They can't stay in business doing boring, painful, repetitive exercises for years on end. People want change, they want to learn new things, they want to say, 'look what I learned today'! Not, 'I've been doing these five god damned drills for three years straight, I hate this shit, why am I paying this guy again'? People want to leap about, wave their arms, make fools of themselves and never develop true and tangible skill. And that's fine. It looks great to a non-practitioner, and it does make someone, 'feel', like they are learning martial arts to some degree. It boosts their self esteem, confidence, and yes, you do get some sort of health/self defense benefits from this, nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong with dance and yoga either, because, basically, that's the equivalent to what you're doing. Hopefully, later on down the line, they'll see that what they have learned is empty, superficial (and basically useless), and want to, 'eat bitter' (training hard, and properly), solidifying the formerly useless handfuls of techniques they have learned into a weapon of iron that will stay with them for the rest of their lives, growing stronger and stronger every day, nurturing mind, body and soul, never leaving them, 'empty'.

This is what is meant by this age old adage, 'Lien quan, bu lien gong, dao lao yi chang kong'.

The Scholar Warrior

At one time, the study of Chinese martial arts was a privilege bestowed upon a chosen few. These people were generals, monks, aristocrats, bandit warlords, land owners, and a few of their select family members. Whether they were religious, rich, military men, criminals or otherwise, they all had one thing in common that amplified their study of traditional martial arts. They were all known as, 'scholar warriors'. In today's modern society, the thought of a Marine, mixed martial artist or triad overlord being anything but a thick headed brute seems almost laughable. At the same time, imagining one of the members of the British royal family, a head of a corporation or priest being able to take out five attackers bare handed with ease, seems equally ridiculous. This may be true today (in a general, stereotypical sense), but could be nothing farther from the truth, as far as Chinese history is concerned. While it is not completely a completely, 'dead', concept, those who live by, and uphold, the term, 'scholar warrior', are nearly extinct.

What IS a, 'scholar warrior'? The two terms seem apparently contradictory when placed next to each other. Almost as conflicting as the term, 'martial art'. When someone of a privileged station was lucky enough to be able to study martial arts, it was not unlike entering a lifelong collegiate study of many different varying majors. Aside from everyday, grueling, martial arts practice, they were expected to study a wide variety of, 'soft', arts to improve their demanding physical routines in a mental, spiritual, and even emotional spectrum. While martial arts, are, obviously, 'hard', your understanding of, 'hard', is extremely limited if you do not understand, 'soft'. While I could write a book on the principles of, 'soft', and, 'hard' (many already have, and have been doing so, for the last 5,000 years!), I will only touch upon it lightly here. If one were to remain tense, high speed and aggressive at all times, your body, and mind, would, literally, collapse on themselves. Someone that understood re-directive techniques, suppleness, and how to, 'relax' (mentally, as well as physically), would, inevitably be able to defeat you in number of different ways. At the same time, one who is constantly relaxed, has no, 'power' (so to speak), and no initiative, would be about as useful as a slug, as far as conflict resolution (martially or otherwise) is concerned. Someone who was aggressive, would just trample them, mentally and/or physically speaking. Being in the middle of these two principles is what the scholar warrior desired more than anything else. Bread that is not cooked long enough is soft, chewy, bad tasting and inedible. Yet, the same bread, cooked for to long, becomes burnt, impossible to even bite, and is about as suitable for food as a paper weight. While some prefer softer breads than others, and some people enjoy a stiffer crust than the next person, in the end, a good bread must have BOTH the qualities of, 'hard, AND, 'soft'.

The idea of, 'hard', training, is, in my mind, obvious. Hitting rocks, muscle burning exercises, cardiovascular, sparring, endless, painful conditioning, and so on. What is, 'soft', training? Soft training is found within martial practice, this is true. But, TRUE, soft training is found in things like calligraphy, poetry, painting, sculpture, music, medicine, studying/writing philosophy, tea ceremonies, flower arrangement, and even gardening. Generals, monks, noblemen/women, and even warlords, were often times, experts in many, in not ALL, of these fields. The same was true for government officials, actors and other educated people. They understood that mastery of their bodies through rigorous physical, and mental, martial practice would vastly improve their intellectual aptitude beyond pure book study and debate. Where the ancient martial artist is concerned, aside from being, apparently, 'superhuman', warriors, they were poets, artists, historians, philosophers and talented musicians, more often than not. One who only studies war, can only see the world in a one hundred and eight degree perspective (if that!), while one who studies the intellectual arts can see the universe in its three hundred and sixty degrees of glorious beauty. When one understands the abstract concepts of artistic expression and philosophy, they are able to execute these things in combat on a subconscious level. They can think creatively, utilize tremendous patience, intellectually dominate their opponent, and find an unseen method of victory that would be impossible for a brutish brawler to even begin to comprehend.

My ba gua zhang (eight triagrams palm) instructor used to say, 'without culture, your intelligence is limited, and you are destined to be an idiot'. He always told me that the true principles of his peculiar system of martial arts were to be found in calligraphy, painting and music. He himself was an expert calligraphist, painter, Chinese medicine practitioner, philosopher, and Chinese flute player. Yet, at the same time, he is/was one of the most dangerous people I have ever met. I'd often find him slapping the sides of trees with his bare hands with incredible force as I approached him in the quiet secluded grove where we practiced in old Shanghai. His proportionally large hands were like thick pads of orangey leather, more akin to a bear, or a tiger, than a sixty one year old Chinese man. However, you could see in his incredibly fluid motions that went from slow to fast, with no disruption of flow or jerkiness whatsoever, that he had truly mastered some these, 'soft', arts. While he was a poor laborer from a tiny village in northern Jiang Su province who spent most of his life in Shanghai driving trucks and forklifts, not even being able to speak any of the three dialects he learned with any sort of total or complete fluency (he spoke a weird combination of Mandarin, Shanghaiese and whatever his village dialect was called. Often times, I'd have to ask the Shanghaiese students what he just said, and even THEY would shrug, shake their heads and smile. Eventually, all of us, collectively, were usually able to piece together his strange, and completely unique, dialect over time), he is, in the truest sense, a living example of the, 'scholar warrior'.

Today, we cannot afford the luxury of an all encompassing martial education that our warrior ancestors were so fortunate to have. We must put food on our tables, and in order to do this, study from the age of five until our twenties (usually), just to answer the demands of basic modern day living. One who is able to study martial arts on a daily basis is a rare person indeed. Even three, one hour classes a week makes someone a, 'full time', martial artist by today's standards. There is nothing wrong with this, I encourage ANYONE and EVERYONE to study martial arts, whether it is for fun, a hobby, health, self defense, or even just out of curiosity. I myself had made a decision a long time ago to dedicate my life to Chinese martial arts on an epic scale. I knew the moment I walked into my first kung-fu school that I wanted to study, practice and teach Chinese martial arts for the rest of my life, or die trying.

About eight years ago, my tremendously supportive mother (who has always supported my study and passion for martial arts, bless her heart) and I were in a discussion one day and she said, 'You know, there is more to life than kung-fu'! I immediately replied, 'No, there ISN'T'! And at the moment, she understood that it was my true passion, my purpose, and my way of life. I have suffered tremendously in many different ways, but I do not regret it, for I cannot imagine any other way. Yes, I have been homeless, lost a girlfriend here and there, strained my friendships, refused incredible opportunities to make huge amounts of money, and even now, struggle daily just to survive because of my dedication, but I would rather be dead than give up practicing Chinese martial arts. With my choice in lifestyle, I am able to study philosophy, practice illustration, calligraphy, painting, and create/play music, if I so desire, for hours on end on a daily basis. I do these things between my usual five to eight hours of daily martial practice (which is small compared to my previous regimen of eight to fourteen!), but I am able to do these things because I made a choice, throwing away a life of wealth and comfort. I took a chance, I continue to do so today, and I will continue to do so for the rest of my life. I have sacrificed everything, taken a tremendous risk, and gave it all up for my passion. Why would I do such a thing? Why would I put myself in such seemingly dire circumstances? Because I understand, and have embraced, the philosophy, the idea, and the lifestyle of the way of the, 'scholar warrior'.

The human weapon.

In the past, the ancient masters would pick a particular skill, say, kicking, a particular hand strike, iron robe/iron palm, leaping huge distances, a single favorite weapon, (and so on) and MASTER it. While they would learn an entire system, typically become proficient in eighteen different classical weapons (the standard for most traditional, Shaolin based, kung-fu systems, believe it or not), striking, grappling, throwing, joint locks, and even basic medicine, they would always, 'specialize', in one particular technique, strike, or ability. Often times, a nickname or legend would spawn from their particular skill, and usually, make them sought after instructors, bodyguards and even assassins. For example, one of my teachers in China witnessed a wandering master perform a perfect example of what I am speaking of. They were in a local tavern, and he proclaimed he had the famed, 'iron finger', technique. Of course, seeing is believing, so they all asked for a demonstration on the three inch thick oak table in the center of the common area. He smiled, took a deep breath and then proceeded to slam his fingers effortlessly through the three inches of, nearly rock hard, oak tabletop without any injury (or even discomfort!) at all. This is what is called, 'gong fu' (literally translated as: 'skill-learned person', or, 'acquired skill over a long period of time', in a more practical sense), more popularly (and incorrectly, I might add, phonetically speaking) known as, 'kung-fu'. It means, having a single, seemingly impossible skill, mastered to such a degree that it appears easy and effortless to the casual observer, while, in actuality, is, nearly impossible with out a lifetime of practice, dedication, perseverance and determination. This is the legendary, 'kung-fu'. This also applies to any skill, mastered by anyone, to such a degree. Painting, musical aptitude, sewing, cooking, acrobatics, anything. Even a carpenter, welder, or janitor can have, 'kung-fu', in this sense. They have, simply, just done something so many times that they make a difficult task appear easy. This is, 'kung-fu', in the most literal and obvious sense.

When I was studying at the Empty Jade Palace in the mountains of Hubei with the Daoist monks, there was a particular warrior monk that had an amazing ability that I was fortunate enough to witness with my own eyes. He had partially mastered the famed ability know as, 'qing gong', or, 'light body skill'. He was able to leap upwards of fifteen feet from a stationary position, and even twenty feet or more with a running start (I personally witnessed him doing this), as well as being able to leap from the roof of a two story building without harm, and with complete and total grace. With that being said, these particular skills do come with a price. This particular monk had tremendous knee problems, and was constantly in pain. Eventually, he decided to abandon this skill, choosing a life without pain over, apparently, supernatural ability. There was a famous Shaolin monk of the last century who was famous for being able to meditate for eighteen hours at a time on a single, solitary finger, supporting his entire body weight on this tiny digit. This skill was developed for piercing through the chest plates of an assailant. Yes, it was effective, and yes, it is/was attainable, but at a tremendous cost. In his old age, he had developed such severe nerve damage that he was unable to hold chopsticks due his hands shaking tremendously at all times, and was completely reliant on his students to feed him. He knew the cost, but chose mastery in this lethal, yet self destructive, technique.

These days, we have become soft, infantile and downright pathetic in the shadows of these epic and, proverbially, 'giant', masters. But our society has changed beyond anything they could have ever imagined, and during their time, it was relevant, practical, and even necessary. Now? Point, pull the trigger, bang, you're dead. Plain and simple. Yet, even an ounce of one of these seemingly mythical skills is amazing in our technologically reliant modern society. I, personally, have chosen to excel (I dare not say, 'master') in a dying skill. That skill is, 'iron arm'. I am slight in frame, to say the least. I have suffered from sickness most of my life, it is very difficult for me to gain weight, and I will never be a physically intimidating specimen, as far as contemporary, 'gym', standards are concerned. Instead of letting this truth discourage me, I chose to work with what I have. What I have is a boney frame with thin ropey muscles. I have chosen to calcify the tissue on my forearms, palms and hands into a sort of flexible living steel. The way this is done, is by banging the soft tissue of the arms and fists/hands against, bags filled with sand, then rocks, and then, finally, pennies (metal). At first, your arms and hands, ache, bruises and contusions appear, and you are generally in a state of constant discomfort, and even pain. After using sand for a while, you find that it no longer hurts, and you are able to deliver tremendous blows against the bags that would have broken your hand perviously. Then you move up to rocks. It is almost like starting all over again, but, over time, it beings to feel like the sand, and your blows land without any sort of pain or discomfort at all. Once again, you are humbled as you start your third, and final, section of training with the pennies (or metal). Once you have reached this level, it does not mean that you can stop. You must NEVER stop! This is a, 'use it or lose it', skill. Yes, it is true, you will permanently be able to cave in people's chests and fracture skulls, but not against someone who has chosen to master the counter technique known as, 'iron robe'. This is the exact same skill, yet it is applied to the tissue on the chest, back, ribs, and stomach.

Before modern transportation, ancient masters had to travel huge distances to challenge each other, as China is/was huge, dangerous, constantly in a state of war, and often times, geographically, difficult to navigate. One master would hear of another's skill and train in a counter technique during his or her journey to defeat them. It would not be uncommon for a master to travel upwards of ten years to answer a challenge. Plenty of time to work on a counter strategy. It is no different than when a modern day fighter reviews fight tapes of an upcoming challenger, trying to find holes or weaknesses in their opponent's strategies and conditioning. Some things never change.

I've had street encounters where my attackers have swung wild haymakers at my face and ribs, only to find that their arms are suddenly hanging limp and lifelessly at their sides. What happened? They attacked, I blocked with my tremendously conditioned, 'iron', arms, and temporarily paralyzed their soft and buttery limbs. Of course, I immediately followed my devastating blocks with a combination of incapacitating attacks, immediately, 'resolving', the conflict. When I am teaching my students and younger kung-fu brothers/sisters, I find it strange how supple and clay-like their arms feel against mine. They wince, sweat beads up on their brows and upper lips, and often times, their teeth begin to clench, their movements becoming jerky and obviously pained. Yet, I have kung-fu brothers who's arms give ME great pain and discomfort when performing the exact same exercise. There is always a bigger mountain, and I am barely a hill.

While it is not necessary, it is still important, in my mind, to chose a particular skill, technique or proficiency to, 'master', or at least, become adept in, beyond a, 'general', sense. Avoid becoming a, 'jack of all trades, master of none'. While it is not a tragedy, it is still a shame. So many focus all of their time trying to shove the whole style in their mouth at once, when they should simply take a bite, and savor the flavor of particular skill that they can call their own. Learn a thousand moves, master three, or better yet? One.

A glimpse into the personality of a madman.

Often times, it can be said that students are a reflection of their master. In the traditional kung-fu world, when a challenge is administered, the senior student, or the instructors top disciple (there is a difference, but I will delve further into that at another time), usually takes it in place of the instructor. It is said that a senior student/disciple should have at LEAST 60% of the master's ability. If, and only if, the student/disciple is defeated by the challenger, the master/instructor MUST answer the second round of the challenge, or, traditionally, close his or her school, or (in rare circumstances), join the challenger's school. At times, death was the only option, as defeat was nearly identical to it in a metaphorical sense.

With that being said, one could say that a master is a reflection of the founder/creator of a particular system of martial arts. Yes, over time, students modify systems, add things, leave things out, emphasize some things more than others, but, as long as the, 'skeleton', of a system remains, it remains true to the creator's original idea. If systems didn't adapt or change, they would die out, or become obsolete. As long as the essence of a system remains, the building blocks that make it's particular set of techniques effective, it is still true.

When one studies a system, you begin to notice certain ideas and concepts that get touched upon over and over and over again. Have you ever practiced a form where the same cluster of motions (or combination) repeats several times over in a single routine? That means that whoever created that system really REALLY liked those moves, and, wanted whoever was learning his or her system to really embrace them. After studying a style for while, you'll find that many techniques repeat, footwork patterns become repetitive, and aside from a few, 'new', moves here and there, it's all basically the same. The only thing that changes, are a few different ideas. One form will teach you how to quickly change directions, another will focus on multiple opponents, one will emphasize a particular hand formation, and so on. The system, in essence, remains the same, it is only a new concept, or, 'idea', that is introduced. Nothing more, nothing less. Advanced kung-fu is nothing more than having mastered the basics of a particular style. There is no advanced kung-fu, only advanced basics.

I've studied several systems over the years, none of them for a period of time that warrants the title of, 'master', or, 'instructor'. My kung-fu is about as good as my Mandarin, seemingly fluent to the untrained observer, but obviously flawed and juvenile, to the native. The longest I have ever studied a single system was for seven years. In the world of Japanese or Korean martial arts, that is a long time, and yes, in that arena, I would be considered a master, and have opened a school a long time ago. But in the vast and seemingly bottomless world of ancient Chinese martial arts? That's not even enough to be considered a beginner. Not in the least. Due to politics, and other factors beyond my control, I have had to leave not one, not two, but THREE Chinese martial arts schools. Even renouncing my title of disciple at the Wudang (Yes, 'THE', 'Wudang' of 'crouching tiger, hidden dragon', a.k.a: 'wu-tang', yes, I am, or was, a member of the REAL 'wu-tang clan', believe it or not) temple due to politics and internal corruption amongst fellow disciples. Now? Back in America? I have joined another school, started from zero for a FOURTH (and hopefully last!) time. In light of this, I have had some fabulous glimpses into the, 'personalities', of four different ancient, 'masters'.

Studying only one system is ideal, respected and honorable. And, if it were up to me, I would have never left my first style. I was so dedicated, I tattooed the school logo onto my right forearm. I ate, lived and breathed this style. The style was, 'praying mantis'. I still have a deep and unfathomable love for this system. I find it indescribably, and intoxicatingly beautiful, exotic and perplexing. Whoever created this system must have been a strange person. In this system you utilize odd hops, leaps and shuffles, as if bounding from branch to branch. You attack your opponent from strange angles and unleash blows upon them with lightning speed in clusters of three, apparently retreating and then blasting into your attacker at the last moment like a tornado of fists, elbows, knees and feet. While the motions appear impractical to the exponent of another system, when they are explained by a true mantis master, you cannot believe the pure and absolute genius of this system. In my mind, the founder of this style, Wang Lang (that is his name, and his grave can still be found in the Shandong province of northern China), must have been a deep and profound thinker, a man of great patience, and a genius strategist. It is said that he developed this system by taking elements from eighteen different major Shaolin techniques/styles, and then, after observing a mantis defeating a much larger cicada, created an entirely new system that rocked the foundations of his contemporaries kung-fu systems. His strange and esoteric genius can still be seen today in the beautiful system that he created, and blessed upon the Chinese martial arts world.

In another spectrum, the personality of a total madman can still be observed today in the ferocious and sadistic system known as, 'White Eyebrow'. Who was, 'White Eyebrow'? To be honest, he is more of a myth and a legend than anything else. BUT, he did, in fact, exist, and yes, he WAS, a real person. He existed around the same time as Wang Lang the mantis master, but in a different region of China. He was said to be from south western China, a member of the, 'Ke Jia', or, as they are more commonly known in the United States (and the rest of the Cantonese dominated western world), 'Hakka' (which means, 'guest people'), ethnic group. He was sometimes known as, 'Bai Mei Dao Ren', which means: 'White Eyebrow the Daoist'. He was, originally, said to have been a Daoist priest, who later, joined the Shaolin temple, and even later, became one of the legendary, 'five ancestors'. He favored the techniques used in the leopard and tiger systems, as they relied on total offense, relentless onslaught, and brutal savagery. He discarded the classical fist formations used by almost every style in existence today (Chinese or otherwise), and replaced them with hand techniques that were used only for fatal, crippling, or paralytic blows. Aside from this, the mentality that he bestowed upon his followers still remains true today. Hit hard, hit one hundred times, no mercy, destroy your opponent ruthlessly, kill. This is the mind set of a complete, and total, madman. There are no blocks in his style, only attacks, offense being his defense. In the end, his style was taught to the medieval (and even still today!) Chinese military (foot soldiers, secret service, and officers alike), and was eventually, used to destroy all of his brothers, their students, laymen martial artists, and finally, the famous Shaolin temple its self. It is the style of a killer, and was used to a tee, for this very purpose. Destroy, no mercy, take no prisoners. It is said that White Eyebrow was eventually killed in his old age during combat by two extremely powerful masters at the same time, as no single man could defeat such a ruthless and genius master such as himself. He was truly, the, 'Hannibal Lector', of the Chinese martial arts world.

So, when practicing, or studying a particular martial art, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or otherwise, take a moment to appreciate that you are immersing yourself into mind, the personality and the soul of an ancient master. He or she lives on through your practice. YOU make them immortal, and when YOU pass a system down to another, you continue their immortality, and in turn, become immortal yourself. It is up to us, the chosen few, the ensure the minds and souls of these eternal masters, evil or not, live on through our practice, and teachings, in these modern times of technology and dwindling culture. We are the last glimpses the world ever have into the personalities of these great and ancient masters.

It's not so much the style...

Master Luo often says: "It's not so much the style, it's how you train".

As I often expound upon my students, there is no one, 'master', style. I always say that whatever style works best for you, is the best style. For example, I know of some taiji quan (tai chi chuan) practitioners who are extremely adept at street combat in the most practical and profound way. Most people think of taiji as an old person's, 'moving meditation'. No, no, no... Taiji is a very difficult set of concepts based on the principles of water, and in fact, is not so much a martial art, but rather, a set of ideas. Any style can be slowed down, said principles applied, and presto! Taiji. There are styles that are associated with taiji, and, as I have just said, none of them are superior to the others. It is merely improper training methods, a lack of understanding, and a disregard for what these arts were originally intended for that makes one appear superior to the others in the eyes of a particular person. Some of the greatest warriors/combatants I have ever touched hands with are/were taiji practitioners. Make no mistake, taiji is pure combat.

As we lose touch with our bodies with the increasing reliance on technology, health problems that were once non-existent, start to become more and more prevalent in our everyday lives. I attribute most modern day health issues to stress, fatigue, and psychological issues in general. So yes, the combat aspects of taiji have become almost obsolete, they are no longer important when compared to the need for just good old fashioned, 'healthiness'.

Most Chinese martial arts schools have begun to fall into this category. This is not a bad thing, but an unseen tragedy in my eyes. The average Chinese martial arts school is merely a program of light cardiovascular exercise, stretches, some basic conditioning, a hand full of street defense techniques (that are rarely touched upon, and often times, impractical to say the least), if you're lucky, and a bunch of hand and weapon forms, that, without the understanding of what they are used for, are nothing more than an ancient set of battlefield dance routines.

I currently teach one of the most brutal, and downright vicious, styles of martial arts, Chinese or otherwise, practiced today, 'White Eyebrow'. All of the attacks are to the eyes, throat, nerve centers on, and around the face, floating ribs, groin, and solar plexus. Now, if it is taught in the manner that most contemporary schools teach, none of this would be shown to the typical student. We could simply review the routines, never touch upon what they are used for, and it'll be nothing more than dance. The only difference between dance and martial arts is one simple thing, intent. When you are performing kung-fu, you must imagine what you are doing, you must visualize what is happening, you must wish it upon your imaginary opponent. Otherwise? Otherwise, it is simply WRONG. It is no longer kung-fu, it is dance. Nothing more, nothing less. This is the absolute truth.

When I watch someone perform a routine or set, I watch their eyes more often than not. I generally measure their true understanding by this method of observation. I respect physical ability, coordination and pure athleticism, who doesn't? But in the end? I don't care so much how flexible, strong or fast they are, I care if they UNDERSTAND what they are doing, their intent, their purpose. This is what makes good kung-fu. There is nothing wrong with waving your arms around and leaping about like a crazy person. I enjoy dance as much as the next person and I consider myself an amateur dance enthusiast with absolutely no shame at all. But that is NOT why I practice martial arts. Yes, it is true, I find Chinese martial arts (kung-fu) to be the most aesthetically pleasing of all of the asian martial arts, and, yes, this is a factor as far as me deciding to dedicate myself to a life long study of these particular arts, but it is a tiny and unimportant factor. Chinese martial arts just, 'work', for me. Straight up, straight down. I fell in love with them the moment I saw them. The training methods I have been exposed to just make perfect sense to me in every possible way, and if they didn't? I'd have abandoned them a long time ago. It's a shame so many Chinese martial 'dance' schools have taken the forefront. But, it was inevitable I suppose. The days of the scholar warrior are long gone, and I am one of the last of the, proverbial, 'Mohicans'.

Things change, this is the only thing that ever remains the same. Nothing ever stays the same except for this one principle, this is the only constant, and other than birth and death? The only guarantee we are ever granted. The need for swordsmanship is obsolete, the need for mastering the art of the spear or halberd is completely unnecessary. However, the need for being able to disarm someone with a knife, has not lost it's appeal, as it is still a threat in modern times. While the battlefield has changed beyond anything the ancient masters could have ever imagined, or even comprehend (for that matter), this does not mean that mastering the art of the blade, staff, or spear, is in fact, useless. These weapons develop hand-eye coordination, reflexes, muscular/tendon/ligament conditioning not found in other exercises, practical hand strength, callousing, and a form of self expression not found in, 'empty hand', routines. After practicing with a certain weapon for long periods of time, the practitioner no longer finds the weapon to be a tool, but rather, an extension of their own body, and in turn, their mind, spirit, and soul. It is no different than when someone has a particular car, pair of jeans, or hat that just suits them in a way that they cannot describe with mere words. It becomes a part of their personality to such an extent, that even others cannot imagine them without it.

In the end, styles are perfect, people are not. Some styles favor re-directive techniques that open their opponent to further attack, while others rely completely on offense, relentlessly assaulting their enemy until they are defeated, incapacitated, or flee. None of these styles, ideas, or approaches are, 'wrong', or, 'better', it's just that they happen to work better for some people than others. Often times, it is nothing more than a personality thing. Some people tend to be more passive and non-confrontational, while others, (like myself) tend to be hyper aggressive, high energy and more, 'take it to their chin'. The way you train, the way you are taught, and the way you practice when you are alone is what makes your chosen style, 'the best'. I've seen schools that are focused only on killing, maiming, crippling and pure unadulterated combat. They do very little form or hand routine practice, but do not discard it completely, as they understand the importance of the coordination that is learned from this particular method of training. At the same time, I've encountered schools that are purely spiritual, practicing meditation, reciting Buddhist/Daoist scriptures, and even having to write papers on philosophy. But even they, still sparred, as they realize, in the end, it is still 'martial' arts that they practice. Like I said before, some the taiji practitioners I've known, start their class with an eight mile run, one hundred push ups, tons of conditioning, and then an hour of sparring. And on the opposite end of the spectrum, I've met students of the Northern Shaolin system, famous for hard combat and brutal conditioning, who do nothing more than stretch, practice breathing exercises, review empty hand routines and NEVER spar. You tell me who's training is, 'better'? I'd bet my money on the so called, 'moving meditation', taiji school. Not the, 'family fun moving yoga martial dance academy'.

"It's not so much the style, but how you train".

The modern day mindset.

As the modern day attention span decreases, as we become more reliant on technology, as we become more, 'domesticated', the traditional, or rather, 'ancient', arts start to become more and more obsolete. With the advent of MMA (mixed martial arts), the old ways of battle field combat, street warfare and old school pugilism seem old hat, impractical, and are viewed, generally, as a waste of time. This is true, to an extent, having largely to do with the invention of guns. If you REALLY want to, 'defend', yourself, you get a gun. Plain and simple. I am often asked:

Q: "What do you do if someone points a gun at you"?

A: "I get shot... Or, I don't".

It's just that simple.

Most of the styles surviving today are based on practical, no nonsense street, or, military combat techniques that have survived for hundreds, or even THOUSANDS of years. Why? Because, until the invention of guns, they worked. They worked so well that they are still in existence today! There are no bad styles, only bad teachers/practitioners. There is no, 'best style'. That is ridiculous. That is like saying that there is a best language, fashion, or food. Whatever style works best for that person, is the, 'best', style. I've studied with quite a few of the biggest names in kung-fu today, and it was an absolute honor, but the, 'style', they taught just wasn't for me. I learned a lot from them, but it just wasn't my thing. And, at the same time, I've studied styles that I LOVED from mediocre teachers. While the teacher lacked in actual pedigogic ability, it didn't mean that the style was inferior, just their teaching ability.

Today, as we rely on quick, less-than-three-second cuts on television, movies, three minute and thirty second radio songs and instant everything, the ability to learn ANYTHING properly comes into effect. In my early days of martial training, we'd do boring, repetitive drills, over, and over, and over, and over... and OVER again... and again...

Like one of my first teachers told me: "Do it until you HATE it! And then do it some MORE"!

That's good old fashioned muscle memory setting in my friends. I'd train and train, spar and spar. Mindlessly at times, frustrated at other times, but I didn't ask questions, I didn't complain, and it all paid off in the end. When you chose a teacher, you are giving them full license to do what they want with your training. You must put full and complete faith in your teacher, his/her teachings, and the methods they chose to forge your body, mind and spirit in the fires of your will. Otherwise? Go get a gun and hit the gym. Save yourself the time, and save your teacher the effort of teaching someone who has no patience and in the end, doesn't deserve to learn martial arts. Learning martial arts is a PRIVILEGE, an honor and a gift. At one time, these styles were only passed down in temples, to family members and emperors. Now? It's: 'First month FREE! Free shirt on sing up! And family fun discounts'!

Sigh...

I understand this though. We are no longer in the days of the Mongolian hordes, feudal Japan, Okinawan resistance, warring Filipino tribes or Korean warrior knights. It's a business, we're capitalists. I get that. We're in the time of bombs and guns. MMA rules the modern day mind set, even dwarfing the need for good old fashioned street fighting. And, yes, to an extent, it's true. If you're in great shape, box and wrestle on a regular basis, you'll beat the brakes off of the average inept street idiot. BUT, when you go up against a hard core, traditional, bare knuckle street fighter with hands akin to iron from punching rocks thousands of times on a daily basis for a decade, the MMA training becomes a handicap. I'm not going to tumble and grunt with you on the ground, I'm going to gouge your eyes out, rip your ear off and even bite you. One of my hits is like being hit with a chunk of flexible metal, or stone, and, is, potentially, fatal, if I so desire it to be. I fight to, 'survive', not to, 'win'.

Learn a thousand moves, master three.

This is the essence of basics, this is the essence of traditional training, and this is the reason, in our modern day, 'instant everything', mentality, that the traditional arts are dying. Those who have the patience, dedication and determination to study in the old methods/ways, are the cream of the crop, and the last hope for our beloved arts.

The next time your find training, 'repetitive', 'boring', or, 'frustrating', take a second to appreciate that you are learning something more valuable than gold, and that your are part of history and upholding a part of human culture that less than one percent of the entire world will ever have the privilege of learning. That's good old fashioned muscle memory setting in. Give yourself a pat on the back, and go thank your teacher.

Remember: "There is no advanced technique in ANY style, only advanced TECHNIQUE".