My Top 5 Reasons To Train Jiu-Jitsu

I've trained in various forms, systems, "styles", and cultures of martial arts since I was eight years of age. Why? Because I was bullied a lot. End of long sad story there, LOL! :) No seriously, it makes my wife upset when she hears me talking about it. The GOOD NEWS, however, is that by being beat up a bunch when I was all small and young, combined with me learning martial arts taught me how to stand up to bullies... and, even better, how to embarass them without lifting a finger to violence - defeating them with their own insecurities.

In effect, martial arts taught me the value of being able to discern the volatility of situations such that I can choose the wisest course.

But, I digress!

This Martial Arts Musings post is about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and my Top 5 Reasons of why you should train in it! If you interesting in other musing posts, Click HERE!

So, without further ado...!!!!!

My Top 5 Reasons To Train Jiu-Jitsu

1) Honesty. Honest to yourself, to your training partners, to the people who depend on your "skills" to defend their safety, if not lives... honesty. What do I mean by this? Well, in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), it is a rare thing to be able to hide behind one's rank and/or experience. However, in many other systems of martial arts, such is most definitely the case. Many high level ranks from a variety of systems aren't compelled, pressured, obligated, or even worthy of considering a full-force-sparring-match with a lower ranked practitioner. You are protected by forms, drills, and formality. In BJJ, if you're a purple belt, brown belt, or black belt... it isn't because you spent a summer in some advanced, accelerated program. It isn't just because you're the most senior student in some secret style and learned the final forms. It is because you've spent literally thousands of hours on the mat, rolling, training, grinding, and getting grinded... toughing it out when it hurt too much, holding out when your eyes were popping out, and getting up in the morning to train more when you could barely move. It wasn't because you put in the dollars; it's because you put in the hard, honest work to become better. In fact, not only did you work hard, you proved it on the mat... over and over and over again... with hundreds of taps from the dozens and dozens of techniques you've perfected over the many years. Be honest. Reason number one.

2) It is one hell of a workout. Many of you know me as the kettlebell guy. Fair statement! And, many of you know that kettlebell workouts can be one of the most grueling experiences - pushing heart rate response and other exertional factors to the safest of extremes. I can tell you for a fact, the drills, movements, and core strength required for BJJ is incredible. Moreover, the sparring can ramp up your exertional response just as well as anything else -- in fact, if you've never tried it, just ask your local BJJ academy for a look-see and roll with a brand new blue belt for 5 minutes. I guarantee you, those will be the longest 5 minutes of your life and you would have felt like you've wrestled a bear for 5 hours, much less 5 minutes afterwards.

3) Sparring-Application Congruency. In BJJ, the sparring is the combat application. What is more, you can effectively train with a partner at basically 90+% of intended strength nearly all the time without hurting yourself or your training partner. This is something that you really can't do in most other martial arts - certainly not boxing, muay thai, or other striking forms. Do that for too many sessions and you won't have many partners left... in fact, you probably wouldn't have much left to yourself if you sparred at even 75% of those striking systems. This is where BJJ (and other grappling systems) really take off; the applicability is practiced in full form nearly every training session. You can't really do that with many other of the arts without causing hurt or harm.

4) It's effective! There's nothing like watching a jiu-jitsu practitioner run a clinic on a less skilled opponent... it almost looks like a demo, even if the match is done in full force. BJJ takes advantage of natural body handles, mechanics, and anatomy in a way where your strongest elements attack the weakest facets of your opponent. Additionally, we've seen BJJ work in various scenarios. Surely, it doesn't apply in a mass effect, however, there were some fairly interesting "team" style ultimate fighting tournaments. What one quickly noticed was that the team which really knew how to get up from the ground game were able to help their teammates out to gang up on others who were taken down. This leads to reason #5.

5) BJJ Develops Mental Toughness For The Worst Scenarios. BJJ gets you used to becoming comfortable, skilled, and tactical (both physically and mentally) in the worst and most uncomfortable positions. Having people on top of you, controlling your body... even your ability to breathe. Such training is a toughness one can rely upon in moments of truth. We hear it all the time; people fall back on their level of training -- rarely in combat do people "rise to the occasion." BJJ teaches you how to keep composed during the worst situations and to solve your way out of it.


So there it is! My Top 5 Reasons To Train Jiu-Jitsu. Did I miss any tops for you? Please share!

Applications: Musashi's "Book of Five Rings"

This post continues from my Martial Arts Musings with Sun Tzu's Art of War. You can find my related posts under the Martial Arts label.

Miyamoto Musashi was a legendary samurai duelist who independently studied into an epic level of skill and understanding. Winning his first duel at 13 and retiring from dueling at age 29, this Japanese swordsman boasts over 60 victories. Now mind you, in the age and culture during Musashi's time, the Japanese did not fight to first blood - swordplay was to the death. I think from just this fact alone with surviving 60 life & death encounters, there is much to be learned from his philosophies.

This, of course, is part of the irony since Musashi wrote his book as a first draft, top-of-the-mind memoir on his career, his martial arts school, and his philosophy & approach in life.

The Book of Five Rings, perhaps better translated as the Book of Five Sphere - or perhaps even, "Five Worlds/Realms" - is Musashi's retiring thoughts as a martial arts teacher, reflecting on his career as an samurai ronin and duelist. This book is noted by many law professors, political scientists, business schools, and military academies - the content most useful concentrating on one to one combat encounters and expanding into the battlefield at large. There are many lessons in this book which can be applied in life and is readily applicable to best practices. Below is a list of my favorite quotes and excerpts for which I will also add my own thoughts.

Applications: Musashi's Book of Five Rings

"The field of martial arts is particularly rife with flamboyant showmanship, with commercial popularization and profiteering on the part of both those who teach the science and those who study it. The result of this must be, as someone said, that 'amateuristic martial arts are the source of serious wounds.'"

Musashi was obviously a man and mind far beyond his times. It was only in the last century that martial arts have truly become blended and unified into functional terms. Mixed martial arts, as we know it in recent times, has really taught us that things that look impressive tend to perform terribly. Another saying that I've heard of is: "Looks good, tastes terrible; looks bad, tastes great!"


"When your life is on the line, you want to make use of all your tools. No warrior should be willing to die with swords at his side, without having made use of his tools."

I'd like to point out that Musashi was famous for using two swords even though, traditionally at the time, only the single long sword (katana) was used in Japanese combat. This struck me as an important philosophical point; Musashi practiced that which worked - even if it wasn't popular or accepted. He studied and refined that which demonstrated repeated success.


"In distinguishing the advantages of the tools of warriors, we find that whatever the weapon, there is a time and situation in which it is appropriate. The side arm, or short sword, is mostly advantageous in confined places..."

Musashi goes on to list Japanese weapons and purposes... it goes to show that he understood beyond what he specialized in. You can always specialize in one area; however, it is important to be familiar with all aspects in any field. This culturally mirrors teachings of Sun Tzu - you must know your enemy as well as yourself.


"You should not have any special fondness for a particular weapon, or anything else, for that matter. Too much is the same as not enough... Pragmatic thinking is essential."

In combat, business, clinical thought, and life in general - flexible common sense is key. Being too terribly structured & unable to think outside the box is a mind trap for the self.


"Generally speaking, fixation and binding are to be avoided, in both the sword and the hand. Fixation is the way to death, fluidity is the way to life."

"Be water, my friend" - Bruce Lee. Enough said.


"Holding down the pillow means not letting someone raise his head."

"If you consciously try to thwart opponents, you are already late. First, doing whatever you do scientifically, thwart the opponent's very first impulse to try something, thus foiling everything. To manipulate opponents in this way is mastery of the art of war, which comes from practice. The act of holding down the pillow requires thorough examination."

I love this concept. Musashi touches on this several times in his book. When in conflict, it is of paramount importance that once engaged, you pressure your opponent so that they have to keep their head down. This keeps them on the defense, and, positionally - you on not just the offense but in a place where the opponent can't even hope to counter attack. A popular sportive aspect we see this applied in; American football.


"To 'cross the ford," puts the adversary in a weak position... then you will generally quickly prevail."

In Chinese Chess, there is a structure on the gameboard called the "river crossing" or "ford." In this, if an army cross the ford first, and can maintain position - this pressures the defending army in a manner where the consciousness can only focus on the pressure and not the tactical situation at hand. My thoughts are that similar cultural constructs exist - if not borrowed in the point in history - in Japanese cultures during the time of Musashi.



"Also, in individual martial arts, you determine opponents' traditions, observe the person character of adversaries, find out people's strengths and weaknesses, maneuver in ways contrary to opponents' expectations, determine opponents' highs and lows, ascertain the rhythms in between, and make the first move; this is essential."

More of "know your enemy and know yourself."


"Stomping is not only done with the feet. You should also learn to "stomp" with your body, "stomp" with your mind, and of course "stomp" with a sword, in such a way as to prevent opponents from making a second move."

It is important to remember that many Asian languages are highly metaphoric and figurative; I feel this conceptually has much to do with "holding down the pillow." Once you engage your opponent, it is important to stomp, step, and apply pressure to your enemy so that they are so cornered and overwhelmed, they are not mentally able to make another move.


"When you think you are going to get into a deadlock, you stop that right away and seize victory by taking advantage of a different approach."

We've seen this in large scale battles. Battle lines such as the Battle of the Bulge or any of World War I's trench warfare show how detrimental deadlocks are for both sides. If you find yourself in a mutual clinch of any sort, it is imperative to break the stalemate and immediately re-engage your opponent before they can react.


"When your opponent is not as skilled as you are, or when his rhythm is fouled up, or when he starts to back off, it is essential not to let him catch his breath. Mow him right down without even giving him time to blink his eyes."

Again, more of keeping the pressure on the enemy. Don't let up!


"When an excessive number of sword moves are taught, it must be to commercialize the art and impress beginners with knowledge of many moves with a sword. This attitude is to be avoided in military science.

This goes back to the flashy style of useless schools of thought. I think this is highly applicable to all types of business, clinical, and academic philosophical operands. I find this particularly true for intellectual reasoning. Schools of thought that seem to make more of a situation than is truly required - as if such thoughts were above its competitors... such patterns, I've observed, result in a xenophobic, elitist attitude. In the martial arts world, we see this quite frequently - some grandmaster of a sub-sect of a school never heard of. And yet, the school has many, many students. They square off with a blue belt from another school and get worked. Substance? I think not.


"The performance of an expert seems relaxed but does not leave any gaps. The actions of trained people do not seem rushed."

For those of you who grapple - especially in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu - it's as if the higher the belt level, the slower people roll. And, no matter what you do, you still feel like you are out of control, steps behind, and out of position against this slow-as-molasses moving brown belt who is trapping you at every corner. It goes to show: mastery can be performed at any speed - at any time.


"It is bias to think that the art of war is just for killing people. It is not to kill people, it is to kill evil. It is a strategy to give life to many people by killing the evil of one person."

I appreciate this quote from Musashi. I've actually left out some of Musashi's more graphic quotes from his book since I felt the content was not entirely congruent with the presence of this blog. Nevertheless, I think it worth pointing out that the Japanese consider their primary sword, the katana, as the "life giving sword" - recognizing that violence is inevitable in human history (the human condition), and thus its future. Therefore, the only way to preserve life is to defend it, and, to defeat those who wish to take life from others.



"When you strike a blow, do not let your mind dally on it, not cerning yourself with whether or not it is a telling blow; you should strike again and again, over and over, even four and five times. The thing is not to let the opponent even raise his head."

Once again, the holding down the pillow, snuffing out the opponent with pressure concept. I think this happens to many of us when we are at the moment of truth. We take our eyes off the ball to see where it went... well... it went no where because we took our eyes off the ball. Keep on it and never lose focus on until the job is done. THEN take a look at where the ball went.


Regarding the Mind
"When you wield a sword, if you are conscious of wielding a sword, your offense will be unstable. When you are writing, if you are conscious of writing, your pen will be unsteady. Even when you are playing the harp, if you are conscious of playing, the tune will be off."

An expression of true mastery can be seen in the uniting the tool, the wielder's body, and the mind - all as one. The art must become part of the consciousness of the student - only then, do they begin mastering the art.


Some Closing Thoughts:
I've learned many life lessons from martial arts over the years. Reading Musashi's Book of Five Rings has always been a life goal. While my wife was in labor with our son Nathan, I had the opportunity to go through these writings during periods of rest. It was an enjoyable read. What I learned most from the spirit of intent by which Musashi wrote. These closing thoughts stood out to me as the lessons Musashi wanted his readers to learn:

• Learn what works, not what looks good. Practice them. Master them. And, apply their lessons.
• When you engage an opponent, ultimate victory occurs because you have out-maneuvered your opponent so much so that they are mentally pressured out from the fight, physically out of position, and tactically incapable of striking back - rendering you safe from the beginning of the encounter.
• Teachings that trump superiority typically lack in substance; they are only at words - not deeds. Teachings which only offer the truth that their methods work in the circumstances for which they've mastered - these systems are functional. They work for their intended purposes. These can be trusted and are worth studying.
• Intercept your opponent as they are on their way to attack you; strike them before their strike lands; beat them back with pressure as they retreat; crush them when they stop; take advantage of their weaknesses and avoid their strengths.

I hope you've enjoyed this episode of Martial Arts Musings. Until next time!

Applications: Sun Tzu's "Art of War"

This post is a follow up from my Martial Arts Musings. This follow up post continues for a series which I've labeled in the sidebar appropriately under "martial arts." This particular post focuses upon highlight excerpts and my own reflections from Sun Tzu's Art of War. The follow up to this post will feature Musashi's Book of Five Rings.

From my last post, I concluded that, for myself, all martial arts have merit to study so long as they meet these three criteria/principles:

• The system must be biomechanically sound (it must make sense)
• The art must employ and value efficiency of movement (it really cannot be "flashy")
• The training must yield situationally adaptable skill sets (it needs to work in the vast majority of possibilities, environments, and scenarios)

For this post, I'm going to center around the writings of Sun Tzu. Thousands of years ago, the most famous Chinese military strategists, Sun Tzu, compiled content for which the "Art of War" was composed. This book contains topics and tactics for which are readily applicable not only to war and martial arts - this book spans wisdom into social psychology, economics, politics, and business.

Here begins a collection of my favorite quotes and content from Sun Tzu with some commentary from yours truly:

Favorite Quotes from Sun Tzu's Art of War

"Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without peril. If you are ignorant of the enemy and know only yourself, you will stand equal chances of winning and losing. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you are bound to be defeated in every battle."

I find this to be one of the self-evident and classic of Sun Tzu's writings. How true it is, whether in the world of martial arts, business, politics, or even customer service (not necessarily seeing the customer as "the enemy" but the problem set of satisfying the customer as "the enemy) - self awareness and situational awareness are the keys to success. Particularly when it comes to customer satisfaction, the firm providing the service must be very keen on being sure they are providing what they customer wants, not necessarily what the firm wants to provide.


"There is no fixed pattern in the use of tactics in war, just as there is no constant course in the flow of water. He who wins modifies his tactics in accordance with the changing enemy situation and this works miracles."

Being adaptable; fluid; amorphous, yet determinant - aren't these also of pivotal importance in life? If we are stuck in our ways, we will become stuck in rough terrain. If we do not change with the situation, the situation will overwhelm us. SO MUCH APPLICABILITY to our current times of healthcare economics. 


"There are five weaknesses of character for a commander. If he is stubborn and reckless, he may be deceived and killed. If he fears death more than anything else, he may be captured. If he is hot tempered, he may be provoked. If he is honest but has too delicate a sense of honor, he is open to insult. If he is too compassionate towards his people, he may be easily troubled and upset."

I feel that this quote is very telling for all levels of management. If anything, this quote tells us how to position ourselves against our "enemy" - but more importantly - how to position ourselves that we might not get manipulated by those who have studied the Art of War.


"If the enemy is close at hand and yet remains quiet, he is relying on the natural strength of his position; if he is at a distance and yet provokes you, he is luring you to advance; if he positions himself on level ground, it is because he has some advantage... If his emissaries sound humble and yet he steps up his readiness for war, he plans to advance; if their language is belligerent and they put on aggressive air, he plans to retreat..."

I just love this quote. How true! This should bring particular light to business dealings. Or, perhaps, if you enjoy a flutter at poker. #KeepItInMind!


"There are five factors leading to constant victory: A commander who has the trust of his sovereign and can direct his battles independently wins; one who knows the way of war wins; one who has the support of his soldiers wins; one who can unite his subordinates wins; and one who is adept at analyzing the enemy and sizing up the terrain wins."

This is a great expansion on some of the situational factors in warfare, and, in any business dealing. If a corporate structure is untrusting of line staff, the staff will get frustrated. If line staff do not respect nor like their managers, a department will eventually fail. This is true also for the team leads, shift leads, etc. which serve under their managers - much like the NCO's of our current world military systems.


"There are five factors leading to frequent defeat: A commander who is constrained by his sovereign loses; one who does not know the way of war loses; one who is at cross purposes with his generals loses; one who does not know how to use spies loses; and one who does not have the support of his soldiers loses."

I feel the lesson here is that when any level of management micromanages the tier below, it spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E. All lines and levels of business should be appropriately empowered to deal with their own frontline issues. I believe Ritz Carlton allows their line staff levity up to $1000 of value for service recovery until a supervisor needs to be informed/approve further value options. The line about "the spies" tells me that those who do not know how to acquire nor process information are lost - you will know nothing about your enemy.


Regarding Strengthening the Army:
King - "What then is the most crucial (to strengthening the army)?"
Sun - "Make the country prosperous."

"Against an enemy superior in number, it is possible to divide it into pockets so that they are unable to help each other... it is possible to make the well-armed troops unable to fully display their power, to make the courageous and fierce soldiers unable to protect their generals... Once you have exhausted the enemy and demoralized his generals and soldiers, then you are sure of victory. You can attack his right flank while tying down his left flanks so that it cannot come to the former's rescue, and vice versa. Then the enemy will find that his troops have been immobilized and cannot fight a battle, that he has few troops close by to meet his needs and the other forces have been distanced far away, rendering them useless to him..."

Bigger doesn't always mean better. Better means better. I feel this quote helps me during situations when the task seems insurmountable. Recalling that I can tie down the flanks (an item/facet/variable) of the situation allows me to deal with the mass of the situation at large. When the situation no longer remains a moving target, it becomes quiet easy to deal with.


Regarding Five Types of Army:
"There are five types of army: 1) powerful and tenacious, 2) arrogant and imperious, 3) head-strong and self-willed, 4) timid and suspicious, and 5) weak and hesitant.

When up against a powerful and tenacious enemy, appearing to be weak and await your chance. When faced by the arrogant and imperious, appear to be respectful and find an opportunity to eliminate him. When tackling the headstrong and self-willed, overcome him by inducement. When handling the timid and suspicious, threaten his front, harass his flanks and cut off his supply line by digging deep gullies and building high ramparts. When tackling a weak and hesitant enemy, frighten him with an uproar, disturb him with probes, set on him should he ever dare come out and encircle him if he doesn't."

Sun Tzu opened up his book with his famous quote: "All warfare is based on deception." This is an expansion of wisdom surrounding that opening statement. Again, I feel this is a big point of knowing yourself as well as your enemy. These are things you can do to subdue an opposing force; these are also ways you can, yourself, become subdued - be aware!


"An army will end in ruin if it hesitates when favored with excellent conditions, if it does not know how to make timely use of opportunities and if it realized its mistakes but does not know how to act correctly."

All too often, people hesitate at the moment of truth. When sparring, I'm certainly guilty of it - so many missed opportunities if I just wasn't mentally worried about "What if this doesn't work? I'll lose my position... THEN, I'll have to struggle the rest of the match." Additionally, if things are going wrong, one must develop the awareness to reverse the course swiftly and avoid disaster.


Closing Thoughts:
I gather that much of Sun Tzu's writings have much to do with a keen application of military strategy, martial arts, political science, economics, and psychology in the form of having a heightened levels of awareness of the situation, yourself, and your opponent. All three elements are required to ensure success and all three elements are equally important - one cannot just rely upon the single dimension. I feel that much of the wisdom written by Sun Tzu has amazing applications in business - particularly in business negotiations and in advanced marketing concepts - primarily in branding a service (which is quite a difficult thing to do).

I hope you've enjoyed this martial arts musing post and look forward to any stimulation discussion that sprouts. Take care!

Martial Arts Musings

This post is prompted from the many hours that my hero wife was in labor which allowed me to read Sun Tzu's Art of War and Musashi's Book of Five Rings - two very noted texts of literature known for its applicability in military science, business, and politics. THIS - I will surely blog on in the future. 

So a part of me that I've recently shared is my enthusiastic interest in learning martial arts. I've dabbled, studied, learned, gleaned, tried-out, tested, and journeyed in martial arts since I was about 8 or 9 years old. Why? Not for the best reasons. It was because I was getting bullied - a LOT.

Now, I know this is hot topics in the current sociopolitical climate - let me just say that while getting bullied really REALLY sucked, the experience made me for the stronger. Paired with the study of martial arts, I learned how to have an accurate view of myself, a good sense of what real confidence is supposed to look like, and, when things get violent (ie. I get cornered or surrounded) - how to best make my way back to safety.

Let me also say that - sure - I started martial arts at a young age; I am by NO MEANS ... a master of ANY sort. I am a student. An enthusiast. A life long learner regarding the disciplining and optimizing of the human body's functional performance. Moving on...

For a while, however, I dropped out of martial arts. I found my refuge in surfing because some certain life events (surfing actually has many similarities in terms of martial arts lessons and philosophies). Surfing was great. I lived for those perfect northwest ground swells for the local San Diego reef spots. Amazing. In any case, for over seven years, my training completely ceased and my skills deteriorated with it. However, fate has it that I've come back to martial arts at a new level of awareness, analysis, learning, and execution. I have also found that there are certain parallels in how I've traveled through systems of martial arts to find my current destination (and home) much in the same way I've found a destination in the concept of how I apply myself clinically.

Since my young age, I've come across the paths of Southern Chinese blend kung fu - a mixture of what is best described as Shaolin, Wing Chun, and Tai Chi. I eventually sought confidence in the hard hitting styles of Western Boxing, Kick Boxing, and Muay Thai. I found interest in wrestling and eventually (like most) in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I found some formal training in Wing Chun and also found a fascination with Combat Shuai Chiao (Shuai Jiao) - best translated as Chinese combat wrestling/judo (much of which, historically, the United States Marine Corp has adopted into their martial arts repertoire). Through all those learning experiences, I enjoyed the positional strength and adaptability of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). Also, I simply loved the explosivity and pure dominance of Combat Shuai Chiao (CSC). Studying Wing Ching (WC) taught me line of attack (and defense), trapping techniques, and a general philosophy (for which I now can more deeply appreciate) the evolutions of Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do (JKD).

After all these collections of martial arts experiences, I realized that in my younger years, I had less purpose to my study and more passion. While passion is important, misguided passion is much like unharnessed energy. Energy can build and energy can destroy - I was unfocused and constantly defeated myself in my poor application of training.

Also, during those experiences, I was drawn to study the systems which were attractive to me. I was not necessarily dedicated to the arts that were functional - merely attractive to me at the moment in time of youth.

In any case, my journey now has landed me at the Rebellion Academy in San Diego - studying under Professor Jeff Baldwin.

At this academy, three very well respected combat systems are taught:

• Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do (JKD)
• Bruce Lee → Dan Inosanto → Roy Harris → Jeff Baldwin
• Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ)
• Mitsuyo Maeda → Carlos Gracie → Reylson Gracie → Joe Moreira → Roy Harris → Jeff Baldwin
• Filipino Martial Arts (FMA, aka Kali; Eskrima/Escrima; Arnis)
• Guro Dan Inosanto → Roy Harris → Jeff Baldwin 

It is the content at this academy and the way it is instructed that has found harmony with my maturing martial arts philosophy. After years of contemplation and self-inflicted-floundary, I've realized in corroboration with the writings of Sun Tzu and Musashi that in martial arts, there exists a science which considers physiology, physics, and psychology.

I have found, for myself, that all martial arts have merit so long as they fulfill three criteria/principles:

• The system must be biomechanically sound (it must make sense)
• The art must employ and value efficiency of movement (it really cannot be "flashy")
• The training must yield situationally adaptable skill sets (it needs to work in the vast majority of possibilities, environments, and scenarios)

JKD is seen by many as the next evolution of WC and the first real mixed martial art (MMA). BJJ is nothing if not biomechanically focused. It also is one of the best training platforms to hone a system which is adaptable to practically all situations/scenarios/positions - since BJJ is basically bringing joints, connective tissue, and circulatory tissue to terminal stress, this is actually an art which I feel that all physical therapists would benefit learning from! And, finally, FMA starts with training with rattan sticks (eskrima); "The Stick trains the Sword, The Sword trains the Knife, The Knife trains the Empty Hand." - Guro Dan Inosanto.

FMA, as it stands, is a blend - taking the best of all the worlds it has learned from and tossing the useless/redundant/flashy. It is typically an art that considers melee weaponry by which anyone at anytime could hold something in their hands and use to defend themselves - a pen, the corner of your mobile phone, a newspaper, a hardback book, a pronounced key, a cane or crutch... the list goes on.

The teachings at this school are disciplined, systematic, and constructive - three elements one really values at a martial arts academy. There is no pride at this school; no one is out to prove something. The members of this academy are decent and kind - willing to share their experiences and help you strengthen your weakness. This, of course, represents good instruction and leadership from the academy professor.

In another vein of thought, I've also found that much of life unfolds in the same manner as to the three principles above. Why study or employ things that do not make sense? Why get involved in systems that are not effective? That are a waste of time and effort due to redundancy or being complete bunk? Why identify with an approach that works only in small window of confidence for which only a small and select set variations are made possible?

I see these three principles are a great set of tuning forks for clinical approach. Say you come across some new clinical method for dealing with foot pain. Does this approach make sense? (ie. is it evidence based?) Is it efficient? (ie. let us make sure this isn't over complicated) And, does it work for the vast majority of foot pain out there?

Food for thought. Again, I'm not a master by any means. But, I would humbly suggest that I've seen and learned enough to make solid judgments in this regard. This musing of martial arts blog series is something very exciting to me - it's exciting to be back in training and its exciting to share about this very important part of my life.

Yours Humbly,

-Ben Fung