Don’t get me wrong—black belts are great. We live in a hierarchal world, after all. However, for all true martial artists out there, meritocracy is the only real measure; and I guess you just have to ask yourself one thing: am I a martial artist, or am I someone who just practices martial arts?
Read MoreIf we’re talking instead about Martial Arts Philosophy, then that is a totally different story, with only one true winner standing out against the rest: The Tao of Jeet Kune Do.
Read MoreIf I asked you to conjure up an image in your mind of the most spiritual person you can think of, you’ll probably think up a silent Zen Monk sitting under a tree; or perhaps you’ll imagine Buddha; or see an image of Christ. All universally accepted examples of highly spiritual individuals, but I contest that each of these spiritual individuals pales in comparison to a true Martial Artist.
Read MoreMartial Arts, when practiced correctly (not merely used as a means for make money; diluting the art in order to turn an Academy into a belt-factory), is a practice of truth.
Read MoreMartial Arts is controlled chaos, which allows you to rewire and reinforce your neural pathways for perseverance, problem solving, and self discipline; while simultaneously affording you a better look into “who you are” as a person.
Read MoreSo, put aside your expectations of who you "should" be and simply be who you are. Practice your craft until your craft has become you. In this way, we will all have become masters; the second we stop thinking and the moment we start being.
Read MoreIn order to further dissect the subtle difference between these two distinct ideologies, mathematics will be applied as an allegorical representation to facilitate understanding.
Read MoreThough the style has flourished within the educational system of today's contemporary Philippines, many practitioners of the original art of Arnis have derived their own expressions of the style — from Balintawak, to Tapi Tapi, to Doce Pares — though made most-popular, combatively, by the Cañete family in Cebu.
Read MoreThe mind, like any other tool, needs guidance. Turn on a power saw and leave it there. It will begin to chaotically saw away at anything around it. Now, take hold of that same saw and guide it to help cut away at what's needed.
Read MoreWhat makes a great teacher? Is it skill? Technique? Does it require a specified format or predetermined pattern of call and responses? Can a real teacher be developed or must they go out and develop themselves?
Read MoreYour mind is that limit. Your mind is the origin of the self. And so, I began my journey from self-ish-ness into self-less-ness. No mind. No problem.
Read MoreSo, what was it that I had learned most during my time as (and still) a martial artist? Well, I had learned a lot about control, both of the body and of the mind. I also learned a lot about who I was.
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