Have A Drink On Me

There's an old story about a dedicated student of quan fa. He trains everyday, very hard, doing his best to emulate his sifu (master). Through the years he improves and becomes a great champion, but one day he realizes he's reached a plateau in his training. His abilities and knowledge have come to a standstill. In spite of his already acquired great skill, he is distraught by this turn of events. Finding himself at the local watering hole, he hopes to find relief at the bottom of a bottle. As certain inebriation sets in, some of the other trainees observe him getting plastered and rush back to the school to inform the master. Enraged, the master sets off to teach his young disciple a stern lesson. Forced to defend himself in this altered state of consciousness, the student is liberated from conventional thinking processes and in turn fights in a seemingly off-balanced, lopsided manner. Finding his charge completely unpredictable with this contorted approach to combat, the master has decided he's had enough and calls it quits. Afterward, when sobriety finally returns, the student realizes he has transcended his limitations with a new creation - Zui quan - the Drunken style. Kung fu would never be the same.

Alcohol is occasionally referred to as spirits. Having spirit in the martial arts is favorable, as in "fighting spirit". But too much of a good thing is no good. Alcohol does indeed have health enhancing properties, and artists of every type have composed under its influence. The benefits of consumption are optimal at about .06% in the circulatory system - about two drinks for most people. Beyond that, things tend to go awry. To say that the effects of alcohol have been known to produce violent tendencies in some is somewhat cliche. A good portion of street fights and even domestic disputes have been drinking related. Squaring off with someone who has "beer muscles" is risky business, as getting tanked significantly reduces one's superego (the Freudian seat of good behavior) and increases the pain threshold. Drunkards have also been known to exhibit unusual levels of strength.

Research has revealed that having a glass of wine twenty minutes before studying something enhances memory retention. When social inhibitions are thwarted we learn better! An adult student showed up one night at the dojo with whiskey on his breath. (Maybe he read that report.) He was relatively new, and he geared up for what was maybe his second time at kumite. When it was his turn to spar with one of the black belts, he attempted to project some of his abusive tendencies onto his senior. He (the novice) came out of it with a broken nose, but I don't think he felt much. Imbibing booze before a rigorous karate class is not recommended, and his pre-training libation of Jack Daniel's thankfully came to an end. See, you can learn something from drinking.

Cults and Quackery

In the US, there exists no governing body that specifically oversees the operation of martial arts schools. No certification, teaching license, or documented credentials of any kind are required to become a martial arts teacher. In other words, anyone can open a school and bestow upon themselves any title or rank they wish without intervention. Some instructors have claimed knowledge to secret techniques (okugi) that have roots to ninpo (ninja ways), yamabushi, or other esoteric warrior sects that typically have little to do with real combatics or anything useful. Dim mak (death-touch), hypnosis, or other magic tricks that are hawked are the stuff of snake oil salesmen, not real martial artists. Wackos that try selling this claptrap prey upon the weak and gullible and usually have no difficulty finding them. In my opinion, there's not much of a difference between a charismatic quack sensei and a pseudo-religious cult leader. Both types have an unquenchable desire to control, dominate, and eventually abuse their disciples. Quite often, these students lack so much self-esteem that they have no clue they're being manipulated and project unconditional authority onto a teacher with a distorted purpose and agenda.

"Train here and only here - this is the only art you'll ever need" is a common slogan of the cult school. A few years ago, somebody wisely left a kung fu/aikido "temple" when things got too weird. Dissenting from the Order was not taken lightly, and some of its loyal followers actually broke into this guy's house through his skylights in the middle of the night to illustrate he was still in dire need of self-defense guidance. Fortunately. he was able to fend them off with a sidearm and a call to 911, but he was badly shaken from the ordeal. Pathological cultists, like real martial artists, can be extremely dangerous.

The Natural

Chuck Norris once remarked that he preferred to coach a student with shortcomings in ability, as opposed to the trainee who is inherently talented. Some are more inclined to do martial arts than others, and this is true with all endeavors. On the average, it takes five to seven years to achieve a black belt in most systems, but there are those who can do it in considerably less time. Norris tested for black belt after a year, but it should be pointed out that his tang soo do sessions lasted five hours and were held six days per week. Paying dues through arduous training is part of the martial way. Woody Allen's rule that "80 percent of success is just showing up" really applies to just about anything one wishes to pursue. Sometimes discipline is just being able to arrive at the dojo.

Should someone be allowed to move up through the ranks quicker than the next person just because they're more naturally inclined? The idea of having a novice around who gets techniques down pat on the first try, and can whip most of the people in the school (regardless of rank) doesn't always go over big. Don Nagle, as a white belt stationed on Okinawa during his US military stint, routinely razed local black belts in kumite. This gave tremendous credibility to his teacher and the maverick style of Isshinryu, but truth be told, Nagle probably would have excelled in any karate style.

There's no guarantee that innate ability will carry you far in the martial arts. The opposite is also true: Perceived liabilities cannot hold anyone back. We all have talents and special abilities that are meant to be realized and shared. Even if we're not the best at what we do, we each have a distinct way of expressing that which makes us unique. But being prodigious at something usually comes at a cost. Nagle's sensei, Shimabuku, advised him to stop visiting other dojos to issue challenge matches. He wasn't welcome there anymore.

Aged To Perfection

Years ago I remember watching a broadcast of The Tonight Show that featured a 90-year-old woman who had recently accomplished the amazing feat of earning her black belt in karate. She came onto the set wearing her full gi and at the end of her interview with host Johnny Carson, proceeded to break some boards with a series of powerful front snap kicks. What I found even more impressive than this woman's physical skills was her lucid demeanor; her mind and resolve were as sharp and sound as her body. Can something like training in the martial arts actually retard the aging process?

Exercise has been proven to extend longevity in people. Too much exercise is actually detrimental to health - this too has been proven. Japanese judo coaches found that when their competitors cut down on their previously relentless training regimens, they performed better in matches. The Germans have developed de-conditioning programs for their Olympic athletes because it was discovered that at their level of performance, arthritis and cardiomyopathy (heart enlargement) resulted from the drive for the gold. In a rather disturbing survey, Olympic athletes from around the world were asked if given the choice, would they prefer to relinquish competing and live long or win a gold medal and die young. The majority chose the latter. For them the agony of defeat is a more terrifying prospect than the inevitabilty of death.

The Wise Old Man is an idealized archetype in most cultures that dates back to antiquity. In the East, the elderly are generally revered and held as bearers of experience and adepts of skillful living. Examples of this can be found in the martial arts: Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba and the fictitious Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid movies to name two. Some of those stories about the O'Sensei make Miyagi look like a hack and should be taken with a grain of salt. In contrast to his message of peace and harmony, Ueshiba was reputed to be a brutal taskmaster, particularly with his uchi deshi (live-in students). Miyagi made poor Daniel-san perform seemingly endless mundane tasks to develop his character and motor skills. Plus he got alot of nice work done around his yard just for teaching karate. Wise old guys get that way because they've figured out how to deal with the young.

Schools of Thought

The martial artists' perception about what they do vary greatly. And since we're all betting on a different horse so to speak, I've decided to list some important themes and (mis)conceptions that I've compiled from readers' feedback, my own personal thoughts, and various other references. I've arranged these viewpoints into pairs for the sake of contrast. Although they stand opposed to one another, they each contain elements of truth:

1. General

a) The martial arts were created during an era of daily mortal combat. True martial arts are the ways of killing.

b) The martial arts are methods of self defense, exercise, and sport that belong in a category with many other activities that the masses enjoy.

2. Kata/Forms

a) Kata is the essence of martial arts. It is the artistic expression of combat. Therefore the practice of kata should be approached with utmost seriousness and conviction.

b) There are a number of highly effective combative styles that do not, nor ever have included kata or their equivalent in their teachings.

3. Goals

a) The martial arts are attractive in part because of the widely accepted colored-belt grading system. Goal setting and meeting them empowers the student to push forward to meet new challenges.

b) The idea that attaining a goal brings satisfaction and happiness is illusory. The practitioner should be process oriented. The path is more important than the goal.

4.Teaching

a) Once a certain level of expertise is achieved the student is expected or recommended to take on teaching duties. This is not only a form of altruism, but also fulfills a giri (obligation) to those who went before.

b) Modern teaching entails some aspects that have little to do with the martial arts. Managing a business, dealing with children (and their parents), and arranging your work schedule to accomodate running a class are all par for the course for the martial arts instructor. Teaching is not for everyone.

5. Law/Ethics

a) As a martial arts adept, you have a moral and legal responsibility to avoid conflict at all cost. This philosophy is taught and consistent within all styles.

b) Physical confrontations can happen in a heartbeat and frequently without warning. There's simply no time to mull over ethics or the threat of lawsuits when some hoodlum is trying to boost your wallet.

6. Society

a) At a time of suicide bombings, drive-by shootings, and global terrorism of epidemic proportions, the study of the martial arts and ways have become a futile vestige of a time past. Its use and aims have become outmoded.

b) Societal change on a global scale can only begin one person at a time. The ultimate goal of the martial arts is to direct the practitioner toward peaceful ends. We need them now more than ever.

I believe in seeing as many sides to an issue as possible. I'm not suggesting being a fence-sitter on certain matters either. Being overly broadminded could cause one to take perspective to a distorted dimension; akin to viewing a work of cubism - an art form based on the depiction of multiple and twisted spatial relations. In this manner true understanding becomes muddled and lost. Our opinions and beliefs are not necessarily written in stone. What we hold as true today can change tomorrow. There are as many sides to a so-called truth as there are those to perceive it.

Ultimate truth, if there be such a thing, demands the concert of many voices. - Carl Jung

Less Is More

"Rank doesn't mean anything of itself. What counts is what you know", somebody once said to me. Rank in the martial arts is generally equated with knowledge. What about applying what you know? With that said, is it advisable to acquire knowledge of a multitude of techniques or is it better and more practical to have just a few at your disposal?

In boxing, there are four basic techniques: jab, cross, hook and uppercut. Yet an endless array of combinations and tactics are at hand for the boxer's discretion. "Shadow boxing" is the pugilist's version of kata (practice forms). Most karate systems offer over a dozen of these forms to be learned through black belt and beyond. Choki Motobu, Okinawan karate's early embodiment of a tough guy, preferred training on only one kata - one that he felt utilized the necessary side-to-side movement for an actual street fight. Since Motobu's version of bunkai (application) made use of an unwitting but usually very willing uke it's hard to argue with his methods.

Learning a plethora of skills is one thing; knowing which ones to use in a moment's notice is quite another. Practitioners who fear arriving at a plateau in their art probably aren't being creative enough with what they already have or don't have somebody capable if showing them how. Variations are key, and it's quite often just a matter of focus. For example, the bunkai for an outside middle block as shown to a novice is strictly defensive - it's just a block. For a more advanced trainee, the very same block turns into a backfist driven into the biceps of the attacker causing muscular trauma. Defense becomes offense (kobo-ichi) all from the same move. Understanding the depth and variety from a select few techniques is far better than a cursory view of too many.