Good morning! Good morning!
I made it to Clearwater, Florida,
and am advertising for students.
Yippee!
Back in the saddle again.
So how are you guys doing?
Do you work out every single day?
I do.
Can’t stop.
Even if I’m beat and battered,
then I simply work out slowly,
tai chi style.
Tai Chi is a wonderful art,
and outside of matrixed martial arts,
it is one of the two most powerful classical arts I know.
(the other is karate)
Unfortunately,
most people think it is for health,
and old people,
and not much use for self defense.
I’ll tell you something interesting,
I don’t think I really began to truly understand
martial arts and self defense
until I began to delve into Tai Chi.
Oh,
I could beat people up.
But not if they were better and faster than me.
But once I learned Tai Chi
I began to relax in combat,
to see what people were going to do
before they did it.
The trick,
of course,
is to develop the patience.
When you are first doing that slow ‘ward off’ move,
you ask,
how can this work?
Aside form being slow,
it doesn’t have much application.
But the secret of learning
is to keep looking at something
until you understand it.
So I looked and looked
and went slower,
and…here it comes…
FORCED MY MIND TO SLOW DOWN!
Yes,
your mind is an errant child,
throwing distractions at you.
But if you MAKE yourself move slowly,
and MAKE your mind accept a different mode of thinking,
then everything becomes understandable,
and even those weird moves suddenly make sense.
And you find the applications.
And you find out that there is a vast world
of balance and sensitivity
of perception and appreciation.
Unfortunately,
if you don’t do this,
if you don’t MAKE your mind behave,
you miss out on all this wonder.
And you actually miss out
on a lot of the true meaning of the Martial Arts.
Just saying…
So here’s the Tai Chi Package.
Will help you look,
will help you MAKE your mind behave,
will show you some of the incredible self defenses,
that other arts miss out on.
Got lots of things today,
including a PHEEEnominal win from a Monkey Boxer.
So…
LET’S START!
First,
it is the month of HanaKwanMass,
and I should explain that to all you newbies
who only joined the newsletter in the last year.
HanaKwanMass stands for…
Hanukkah, Kwanza, and Christmas.
Political correctness is for idiots,
if somebody says Happy Kwanza to me,
I say Happy Kwanza back.
Skin color, religion,
those are just distinctions for the ignorant.
We all bleed red,
and I don’t care what you call your viewpoint
of the Supreme Power.
So
HanaKwanMass,
I reach everybody,
or offend everybody,
and the heck with political correctness.
Second,
the path of the martial arts
involves making a person intuitive.
So they don’t have to think,
but do the right thing,
without thinking about it,
automatically.
What matrixing does is do this FAST.
Look,
there’s a lot to matrixing,
and that’s because the martial arts have had a lot done to them.
People,
well meaning instructors,
have obscured the real arts.
They have hidden the path to intuition.
Matrixing merely cleans up the field,
derails mysticism
with scientific observation,
and heaping helpings of logic.
One of the first things I ever wrote about Matrixing…
If you want to teach somebody how to count,
you wouldn’t say…
4, 7, green, 5 elephant…and so on.
You would say…
1…2…3…4…
and so on.
The martial arts, because of politics,
religion, nationalism, personal interest,
and so on,
are a mixed mesh up of…
4, 7, green, 5 elephant…and so on.
Matrixing returns the art to the logic of 1…2…3…4…and so on.
But there’s so much more,
there is the intense scrutiny of basics,
the rearranging of form,
the alignment of techniques,
and the presentation of a scientific philosophy
so that people no longer get lost in the mysticism.
Unfortunately,
people who aren’t too smart,
can’t let go of the mysticism,
and they resist matrixing.
Invariably,
they haven’t studied it,
but they sure know how to badmouth it.
So,
third,
here’s a win.
It is a spectacular win,
comes from a Monkey Boxing student.
And I should say something about this.
Matrixing presents the logic,
can be applied to any art.
Monkey Boxing is me teaching.
I use matrixing,
and all the tools at my disposal.
You might see a drill I learned in the Kang Duk Won
45 years ago.
You might see a translation from Wing Chun to Aikido,
that I worked on 40 years ago.
You might see something I made up yesterday
to help one student make the leap
from the hard grind of repetition
to the joy of intuition.
It goes this way and that,
an intuition of teaching,
and I have no way of judging
whether my instincts are correct.
So to get a win like this
really makes my day.
Here’s the win…
Al,
I don’t have room here to say this big enough or joyfully enough— but if I did, I’d put a HUGE big “Whoopee!!”
I’ve finally been through the first few videos of the Monkey Boxing course. I have a habit of watching all I have- this from a learning technique I picked up years ago called “super-learning” and it basically says to learn anything- first skim over the material, which creates a ‘sense of familiarity’ to the information. I’ve done that. I have been left on CLOUD 9.
I was injured in an accident in 99– got mashed between two HUGE trucks– my 16 ton tow truck and a 9,000 pound Ford Excursion SUV…. and after that, I took almost 3 years to learn just to walk semi-normally again and I still limp. Lately, I’ve had more “arthritic” effects and stiffening as a result. The other effect it had on me is, for some reason, and no doctors have been able to tell me why- I’ve lost a LOT of memories of my life. I can put all my past memories probably in a two or three hour video if I could transfer my thoughts to video. My 5th degree black belt in Kenpo- for instance– is GONE. I know it did it, and every so often get a little “glimpse” of things but doesn’t stay with me. My bodyguard years- I have a few memories of that- and even the last few years since the accident, most of the past part is just not there.
I’m telling you this because I wanted to get back into a martial art- more for self- defense than the “art” part. I’m 60, not in good health at all, but want to learn to take care of myself.
What I found, just watching the first 14 videos (for some reason I missed 13- which I’ll get when my internet is back on- my data limit ran out).. was that it IS exactly as you said– SO INTUITIVE!! It’s a truly NATURAL grouping of actions and motions- and I easily flow with it. I’m So excited, I could scream– probably will a bit later!! 🙂
I have begun, and will have to work consistently and SLOWLY, and let it build on its own. I can see myself doing it all- very slowly- and with dynamic tension to get the motions correct and build the muscles for that particular move as the same time- then over time the drills will build the motion back into my muscle memory (which hopefully will stay with me since they ARE natural- logical motions). I don’t know how long it will take me to learn and get really good at this- and don’t really CARE– because I KNOW it works- my “spirit” says it WORKS… and my mind KNOWS it works- because it is NATURAL/LOGICAL and REAL. I’ve already put my Kenpo books, cds., and other stuff I was looking at BACK in storage– and won’t be needing them. I’m not interested in spending another 5+ years just learning something that is NOT right for me anyway. And I love that just doing the Forms is the only realy “workout” I need. I DO a workout- have begun recently- called 7 miracle tiger moves.. which is dynamic tension in motion.. and LOVE them- they are very effective and are working. I can just AD this system to my routine and learn Monkey boxing while “working out” at the same time!! I LOVE this.
You can’t possibly KNOW just how happy this has made me. I have no one to work out with–and the forms will take care of that. Later, once I’m settled where ever I go- I want to get a dummy and stuff to work out on. I’ll probably teach it to someone close by once I get settled too.
I DO have a lousy internet right now, though– it’s wirless through Net Zero– which is a good service– but the “hotspot” I got from them is crappy. It’s a pad that I use for hotspot- and most of the time it kicks out right in the middle of whatever I”m doing- and I have to shut everything down and start over… and the signal strength is weak- so it doesn’t pick up well at all when it’s cloudy. I’m ordering a better “hotspot” later- like Jan. (my check this time is already spent on my truck).. Until then- I’m hoping all the videos you post are ARCHIVED– because I will miss from now to about the 5th… That is why I want to DOWNLOAD them all to my hard drive– because I use up “data” limit time watching them directly and can’t do them over and over like here at home.
I thought I would have loads of questions– but don’t- because it IS so “intuitive” and natural (or maybe the kenpo and tai chi is still in there helping with that somewhere- just unconsciously).. and I just LOVE this.. I was seriously looking at JKD online, and Wing chun online– etc.– but not now– I’m Doing MONKEYBOXING totally!! Forget all that other long time stuff!! 🙂
Anyway- hope this wasn’t too long- but just wanted you to know- I have FOUND my “niche” in this!!! THANK YOU.
David C
pS– There’s NO WAY I can possibly do the Monkey in a Box for a bit– I have trouble getting up and down out of a regular chair lately… but I’m working on it.. and I’ve always had this “feeling” in me that there was “an answer” or a “secret” to ALL martial arts– and this is it!!
David,
thank you very much for the win.
Thank you for allowing me to share this,
I know it will inspire people.
And,
for all you guys and gals.
David’s points are very simple…
anybody can learn it,
it is intuitive,
it can be learned fast…
or slow.
Depends on what you need and want.
And,
I don’t wish to replace anybody’s arts,
but that sometimes happens.
I actually prefer that you take my material
and revitalize your own art of choice.
Here’s the key,
matrixing breaks apart and rebuilds,
it makes logic, and logic becomes intuitive.
Monkey Boxing is me teaching.
I teach matrixed art,
and I draw on ALL my experiences
to get the student to experience ALL of his abilities.
Now,
those of you who have signed up for Monkey Boxing,
you’ll get a Monkey Boxing newsletter shortly
giving you the heads up on the new videos,
and other things that are happening on the site.
Here’s two links…
http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/matrix-karate/
starts the matrixing path…
and…
http://monkeyboxingnow.com/internet/
a page I’m trying out
to gear to ads on the internet.
Why I Wrote About Martial Arts and Indian Stealth Skills!
Happy Friday! Time for a great weekend! Time to work out!
Recently, I finished a five part series on Indians and their stealth techniques. I thought you might be interested in why I wrote that series. Not much martial arts in this newsletter, but an interesting story.
Members of my family lived in Arizona last century, during the time of Geronimo. One summer Geronimo went on the warpath. White people left their ranches, headed for town, and waited for the military to come.
On my family’s ranch there were two hands. These fellows were named, and you will chuckle when you understand the relevance of this, ‘Red’ and ‘Baldy.’ Seriously. Red had a full head of hair, Baldy had only a bit of hair.
One night the family heard the Indians in the distance. They decided to turn out the lights, and travel to town the next day. Red and Baldy, minimum wage workers, decided the heck with that, ‘We’re gettin’ out of here now!’ and the heck with the family, which included a couple of young girls.
So the family put out the lanterns, and acted like the ranch was deserted. Red and Baldy saddled and skedaddled.
All through the night the family huddled in fear, listening to the sounds of marauding Indians. Somehow, they survived, and the next day they got in the wagon and headed for town.
Who should they find, just a couple of miles down the road, but Red and Baldy. Red was no longer red, and Baldy was much more bald.
Anyway, it was being told this story, as a young child, that encouraged me to write the series on Indian stealth. That, and the fact that the Indian warrior truly was the finest light infantry and light cavalry in the entire world.
If you want to be the best, learn from the best, so I’ve always had an eye and ear on American Indians, and especially the Apaches.
You can find five articles for Indian skills here… https://alcase.wordpress.com
The word Apache, incidentally, means ‘enemy.’
The word was apparently coined by a neighboring Indian tribe and stuck.
Apaches used weapons, and here’s the Matrix way of using weapons.
The new site,
Monkey Boxing Now,
is going great guns.
Thanks to all.
And,
I should,
before we get back to matrixing,
explain a few things.
Matrixing is the science,
the logic,
the whole martial arts.
Monkey Boxing is the art I developed,
after decades of practice,
for true self defense.
In Matrixing
I go into the real reasons behind the martial arts.
In Monkey Boxing
I go into Monkey Boxing for self defense,
for reality and combat.
In Matrixing
I impart the knowledge of the martial arts.
Monkey Boxing
is for fighting.
But that doesn’t mean Matrixing is not for fighting.
Don’t get that wrong.
Matrixing can be applied to all martial arts,
bring them together,
allow one to see the truth behind their martial arts,
and fix them if need be.
Monkey Boxing is the art I developed for fighting.
It is how I teach,
How I apply myself to combat.
You will find pure knowledge in matrixing
and be able to apply it to any martial art,
and therefore fix that martial art.
Monkey Boxing develops
speed, power and technique,
in the realm of combat applicable martial arts.
Both are real.
You’ll find more drills and exercises in Monkey Boxing,
and the drills and exercises are aimed at improving
speed, power and technique.
Matrixing will give you drills and exercises,
but the drills and exercises are aimed at
building a complete art,
no mistakes or hesitations,
no problem dealing with arts other than yours,
because you understand how all arts work.
Monkey Boxing is the fastest way I know
to take out a suicide bomber,
disarm a Jihadist,
or just handle somebody protesting in the streets
and who got carried away.
I hope this makes sense to you.
Both approaches are valid,
both have fantastic impact.
But they are for different purposes.
Let me put it baldly.
If you want knowledge,
if you want to see the martial arts as a whole picture,
if you want the understanding
of how all arts fit together,
if you want to understand self-defense and fix your art,
go do matrixing.
If you done all the matrixing,
or,
you just don’t give a darn about all that stuff,
and want to learn the fastest,
quickest,
most efficient way of slaughtering an attacker,
of rendering a thug to the mud,
of unconsciousizing a terrorist,
do Monkey Boxing.
Yes,
you can do both at the same time,
but that isn’t the point of this newsletter,
the purpose of this newsletter is just to delineate the arts,
to separate Matrixing from Monkey Boxing.
I will be announcing Monkey Boxing releases
in this newsletter,
but I will probably be putting that info
into a side panel.
Or you will have to periodically check in with
http://monkeyboxingnow.com
The main thrust of this newsletter
is Matrixing.
Monkey Boxers will get their own newsletter.
Here’s the Monkey Boxing site…
http://monkeyboxingnow.com
Okay,
any questions,
you can email me at:
aganzul@gmail.com.
So special I am issuing two newsletters on the same night!
So special…
there is NOTHING like what I am about to do.
Click here to go to: MonkeyBoxingNow.com!
First,
don’t get me wrong,
people need Matrixing.
They need to understand the science of the martial arts.
It is the only way they will gain true understanding,
and true understanding is necessary
for true mastery.
Second,
I have provided many paths for people to master the martial arts.
What could be better than that is if I gave you personal lessons
for as little as $2.50 per week.
Go to:
http://monkeyboxingnow.com
Monkey Boxing is MY art.
It is not the scientific analysis of art,
as in Matrixing,
or matrixed courses,
but it does,
of course,
follow matrixing principles.
Monkey boxing includes the following courses,
which are offered on MonsterMartialArts.com.
Blinding Steel.
Matrix Kung Fu
Rolling Fists
tied together by The Master Instructor Course.
(What?
You thought I would teach you something without using
The Master Instructor Course?)
Further,
you will get snippets and tidbits
from ALL my courses,
because I have to give you all the drills,
and tell you where they came from,
and how they were developed.
And ALL my drills and exercises.
And Forms and Freestyle.
And everything else.
And you can ask me questions.
I will respond by email,
or,
if necessary and appropriate,
on video.
Thus,
I draw on everything in my 50 years experience,
to teach you my art.
Now,
the drawback is that there isn’t going to be
a specific order to all this stuff.
I am teaching people Monkey boxing,
as I teach the video course.
I draw on material I need,
as I need it.
So I don’t organize it,
I just teach it
in an intuitive sequence
based on what my students need.
But,
don’t worry,
I will be releasing,
sometime in the next few weeks,
a study guide of some sort,
to help you order all the material,
so you will understand the order,
and be able to focus on that order.
Don’t get me wrong,
this course DOES NOT replace matrix ing.
Matrixing is the ultimate science,
it is the martial arts in order.
But this my art,
the art that has come out of me
because of all my experiences,
because I need to express myself.
Okay,
here is the special announcement website…
http://monkeyboxingnow.com
Go there,
poke around,
and see if it is for you.
have a great work out!
Martial Arts and Indian Stealth Skills!
part three
Happy work out to you!
Which is the same as saying,
be strong and well,
be smart and sharp.
Be kind.
This is the third part of a five part series.
Subscribe to the newsletter to find the other parts
The most important Martial Arts book ever written.
In the first two articles
we have discussed why
the native American Indian
was the best light infantry in the world.
This included a discussion of their hunting prowess,
and their devotion to silence,
all of which combined to make truly great silent warriors.
In this part I want to discuss
motion.
To begin,
for most people
walking is a process of unbalancing.
Simply,
people are standing like clumps, and to begin moving,
they unbalance their body
and fall in a direction.
Stick out a foot,
unbalance themselves,
fall in a direction.
I can’t even begin to tell you how inefficient this is.
At rest you should be able to move in any direction,
and without the need for unbalancing your body.
Now,
consider how the Indians were raised.
The woman cared for the child until the age of six.
At six the brave took over.
The child was trained to be totally and utterly silent,
and to move with extreme awareness.
Punishment for transgression in this fields was simple:
go hungry.
If the child didn’t master the skills,
then he didn’t bring home the meat,
and he went hungry.
And the family went hungry.
No excuses.
This attitude went towards hunting,
which was the main duty of the warrior,
and which led directly to combat.
No excuses.
You learned to use a knife the right way,
or you went hungry,
or…
died.
Harsh methods,
but they resulted in amazing warriors.
Here’s something that many people don’t understand.
The white man didn’t beat the Indians.
He infected him with disease.
It’s true.
The Indian had no defense for this kind of ‘germ warfare,’
and he eventually succumbed.
He didn’t lose in battle
so much as die out from disease.
Now,
that all said,
I liken the Indian hunting techniques to Tai Chi Chuan.
To sneak up on a wild animal
you had to move so slowly,
as slowly as the wind moved a tree branch.
You had to blend with the motion of nature.
You had to have a strong body to support this slow motion.
And you had to stand in a manner
in which you were still capable
at any moment,
of moving in any direction
as if sprung from a spring.
Not falling uncontrolled,
but legs loaded and ready to shove off,
in any direction.
Okay,
if you want to move with total silence,
and yet be so balanced
that you can move in any direction
without the need to unbalance yourself
and fall uncontrolled,
check out Five Army Tai Chi Chuan.
and make sure you subscribe to the newsletter
and read the first and last parts
of this scholarly treatise
on the methods of the finest guerrilla warriors in the world.
Good Afternoon!
Heck,
GREAT AFTERNOON!
And a workout is what makes it great.
A workout makes you stronger,
mentally sharper,
calms you down,
makes a better you.
Got an interesting email today.
Michael S shared a win.
Here go…
So, odd story tonight. Contains mildly explicit textual content, just to give you fair warning.
I was on the subway earlier tonight and there was a guy harassing a young woman. They were both standing by the door and he poured a beer out right next to her. She walked away and stood between me and him. Then he pulled out his penis and muttered but didn’t get any closer. I got the cops on the line.
Sure enough, she got out and he followed her. I followed him. At this point I suspect he realized what I was up to because the 911 phones are garbage and I was having to yell his description and location into mine in order to be heard.
He started walking in circles and generally trying to shake me but he didn’t want to get too far from the subway since he’d probably gotten off before his stop to do his creeper thing. At one point he went up to the station platform and walked back down with me at the stairs. After this I decided to call it a night.
The police contacted me about twenty minutes later to ask where he had been heading when I last saw him. I told them but the trail was cold.
Now I would like to give out some advice. If you are a creep, please don’t be. If you are a bystander, involve yourself. If you are a target, look for help. Put as much distance between yourself and the aggressor as you can. If you see a guy glaring daggers at him, get on the other side of that guy. Don’t be afraid to call the police. They take a long time to get there but calling in the first place can be enough to settle the situation. If I hadn’t called the cops, the guy might have tried to fight or intimidate me. Just being on the phone was enough to keep him from even wanting to be within a block of me.
If anyone is still reading this, I’d like to thank Jorge for teaching me a thing or two about keeping my wits about me on the subway.
Fantastic win.
You know,
getting involved doesn’t have to be bloody.
It can just be smart.
Weapon attacks are no big thang with the Blinding Steel art!
You’ve got to understand
that bad guys don’t want to be caught,
so the slightest show of attention does them in.
You don’t have to challenge them,
just pull out your wallet and
pretend you’re talking into it.
They’ll freak,
won’t even perceive what you are doing.
And the cops do appreciate it.
Crimes stopped is what they are about.
It’s no fun mopping up the mess afterwards,
much better to stop the creep.
And,
for everybody,
the common citizen is not very brave.
They don’t know how to fight,
when things go different they freak,
so it is up to you.
It is up to the guy who does know how to fight.
It is up to the martial artist who has trained.
And what better use for your training, eh?
This course has weapons,
because the thug on the street will probably have a weapon.
It has empty hands that lead to takedowns.
It has speed training drills,
and ALL sorts of stuff.
Just the thing for the guy who wants
a bit of street oriented martial arts.
Why would I recommend those?
Because those three forms
focus on grounding,
and dedicated hand motion.
All three forms teach one how to move in any direction,
and yet keep your ground,
and use that ground in your hand techniques.
There is a tremendous swirl of energy
up the body in those three forms.
And,
the energy is easily manifest in the hands,
and the hands,
almost perfectly fit the ‘slap-grab’ concepts
which are outlined in Binary Matrixing.
This is not to say the forms of classical Karate aren’t good,
they are,
but they are ten,
and the request was for three.
And,
this doesn’t mean Shaolin isn’t good,
but Shaolin spreads out over a number of concepts.
And,
why not Matrixing?
There are three forms in Matrixing?
Because the purpose of matrixing
is to put logic in the martial arts.
What good is all that knowledge
if you can’t apply it to a variety of martial arts,
to more than three forms?
So I was sort of caught,
hoist with my own petard,
I believe it is called.
I wanted to say matrixing more than anything,
but if you only had three forms,
then those are the three.
They give more internal energy,
contain more face to face,
hand to hand combat.
And,
I can’t resist,
I would recommend the iron horse
(kima shodan/tekki 1)
as a fourth form.
Just because it causes
oodles and oodles of pure energy.
Anyway,
that all said,
the reason the question was so good,
so appropriate,
was because when I write a book
I always think it is the best.
You have to, or why write?
So I think a book is the best,
but it may or may not be,
I have to wait to see what people say.
And the idea that one could study only three forms,
aligned with my purpose
in the Tiger/Butterfly book.
My purpose,
as always,
is to put together
a better martial arts system.
Each time I sit down to write,
I am thinking,
how can I make this better,
how can I formulate what I’ve done,
into better and better art.
How can I give people the purest information
to cause them the quickest progress,
and the most profound experience
in the martial arts.
So if the question had been,
what seven forms,
then I would have rejoiced mightily.
But…
three forms.
Zowie.
What a question.
You guys feel free to consider your choices.
Put them in the comments for this newsletter
at monstermartialarts.com.
Hey,
again,
thanks for purchasing
the Tiger and Butterfly book (amazon)
Thank you to everyone who has purchased the Tiger and Butterfly Martial Arts System.
A complete Martial Arts System! ~ Click on the cover!
If you want videos of the forms, if you want to expand your understanding of the two systems from which this system came, check out the Matrix Karate and Shaolin Butterfly courses.
Don’t forget to leave a good review on Amazon.
Okay, here’s some stuff about martial arts drills.
When somebody is training a person, maybe to close distance, they might set them up a few feet from a bag/wall/whatever, and have them practice shuffling forward.
You shuffle and shuffle, people get tired and go do some boxing.
Hey, it’s true. People don’t understand the classical, get tired of the grind, they want to fight, so they go somewhere where people do more fighting and less drilling.
But the drilling is crucial. The martial arts are like a wall, the bottom bricks need to be firmly in place before a student can build the wall higher. So you have to practice these basic drills, and build the basic building blocks.
So, you are drilling, practicing closing with the wall, trying to get the time from launch to impact to disappear. And you are making a crucial error.
There are two directions to a line, and no matter which direction you are going, both directions are important.
Watch a person start to walk from a standing still position. chances are they lean backward so they can push a foot out. It’s true, they unbalance themselves, so they can fall forward. They go in two directions to go in one. A most inefficient method for starting the motion of walking. But, if you watch the martial arts, you will see the most amazing examples of similar inefficiency. People just don’t know how to get started.
The correct method is to bend the legs slightly, and cause yourself to lean forward, into the motion, by thinking about it.
And, if you are going to close distance in the martial arts, you need to set your stance so the ‘wave’ of your legs can be properly unleashed, and every part of the body can contribute to the forward motion.
CBM, Coordinated Body Motion, put to work in the simple act of walking.
Now, if you are not guilty of unbalancing yourself to walk, if you are already engaged in CBMing to walk, then let me give you a further example.
Do both the hard and the soft!
I had a group of students attempt to close distance. They would shuffle and punch, and they were abysmally slow. And they didn’t even like it.
So after a few minutes of springing forward, I had them play a game. I had them move forward, extend a forearm for the grabbing, and spring back when their opponent grabbed.
This put a whole new excitement into the drilling. This made the student think backwards, even as he was going forwards.
Then I had them do the original exercise, and they were shocked at how they had improved at closing distance.
Try it for yourself. Drill one way, then set up the opposite direction, then go back to the original direction, it won’t be long before you are faster.
And, the drill can be used quite gloriously when it comes to freestyle. You can set up different targets, move them into range, retreat with verve, and, here’s a kicker, set up a counter to attack. And you will be most excellent at the counter, because you are adept at moving in both directions. You haven’t gotten bored with going only in one direction, which breaks the concept of yin and yang, of opposites in the universe, and have become adept at the whole motion.
This drilling, incidentally, is the product of neutronics.
Matrixing provides logic. Gives understanding to the whole picture. But who is doing the martial art? You. That is what neutronics is about. And in this case, you are taking advantage of the two directions of a line, and training in both directions, to fully understand one direction.
Most people only train in one direction.
Here’s a neutronic datum for you:
The purpose of the martial arts is to deliver a force or flow while avoiding a force or flow.
How are you going to accomplish that purpose if you don’t understand the martial arts in, at least, two directions? How are you going to master the hard, if you don’t understand the context of soft from which it comes? And how are you going to master the soft, if you don’t understand the contact of hard from which it comes?
So, I say it again, if you know Karate, or TKD or Kenpo, or some other hard art, then you need to learn Aikido, or TCC, or some other soft art. Only if you understand two directions, will you master one.
‘Karate is the best thing you can do for your child.’
Who said the above quote?
The answer is at the bottom of this newsletter.
We didn’t have much of a kids class
back when I was learning at the Kang Duk Won.
There weren’t many schools back then,
and there was no shortage of adult students.
Now,
of course,
schools can only survive if they have children’s classes.
But how the heck do you teach a child?
Children have short attention spans,
they tend to whine,
and they don’t remember everything you say!
Which brings us to the solution.
First off,
don’t try to teach classical forms,
just keep working on the basics.
Teach them basic kicking,
basic rolling,
and do lots of freestyle ‘games.’
Here’s a couple of things to illustrate what I mean.
I went into a school, a pretty good school,
and noticed a healthy sized kid’s class.
Interestingly,
there was a riot of color when it came to belts.
white, yellow, orange, purple, blue, green, red.
All with stripes of…
yellow, orange, purple, blue, green, red.
This school had an amazing amount of belts,
and I asked the instructor about it.
He equivocated,
and when I watched a class,
I suddenly realized what he was doing.
He was teaching nothing but basics.
But there was a method here.
Kids can’t remember things,
so he just kept emphasizing basics,
and waiting for an individual child
to reach the point where he could accept instruction.
Until that point was reached,
it was calisthenics,
basics,
and games.
Interestingly enough,
though there wasn’t an emphasis
on teaching classical forms and techniques,
children who were wild and wooly
began to calm down.
The exercise tired them out,
and made them amenable to reason.
The discipline of just doing the basics,
made them more able to focus.
And when were they ready?
When they stopped trying to interrupt the class,
when they began to focus on what they were doing,
when they became aware
that there was more than a game going on.
Here’s something to think about:
I have seen young children
who were mature beyond their years.
I have known adults
who were nothing but children.
The key word is responsibility.
So you teach things like
kicks and shoulder rolls,
basic one step sparring games,
breakfalls and punches,
and you back everything up with
don’t let them rest.
Don’t make them cry,
don’t drive them like an adult,
make everything fun and laughs,
but don’t let up.
It is an interesting line you walk with this method.
When a child starts to look at you,
to understand what you are saying,
and especially when he is willing to help younger students,
then he is ready for instruction.
It might take a month,
it might take years,
but you just have to watch and wait.
You have to keep them there with games and fun,
until they can string a half dozen moves together,
and remember them,
until the light of awareness enters their eyes.
Here’s what you are actually fighting.
Parents that don’t feed their children properly,
that send them off to school
with cereal,
if that.
Electronic games that consume children,
and drive them to frenetic activity.
Peers that squash children.
Drugs that are handed out freely
by adults who don’t understand
what the real solution is.
Karate,
or any martial art,
can be part of the solution.
In many cases,
it is the only solution that is needed.
We live in a weird society,
a place where values have been forgotten,
where parents have never been parented themselves,
and simply don’t have a clue,
where teachers are guided by psychological interests,
and the simple fact of raising a child
has been forgotten and neglected.
As a martial arts instructor,
you may be the first sane person a child has ever seen.
You might be the only sane person a child has ever seen.
Yet your small influence,
being based in common sense and good values,
may be the difference.
Now,
Who gave the quote at the beginning of this newsletter?
Chuck Norris
Go to the Testimonials in the menu and do a search for your martial art!
Hi Sensei Al!
(On the Black Belt Course) Everything is working great! Thank you for the quick responses. I am enjoying the one on one videos. It may be cliche, but I do feel like I'm there. I also like the conversational style and the way you explain how you're teaching and why. You've got a new student for life. Thank you. ~ Daniel
What's interesting about Al Case's writings and teachings is there isn't any emphasis on 'the unknown' or 'mystery' behind martial arts. Al will slam this information in your face! Quite frankly the data isn't hidden, you'll find you're blind. ~ WG
Al Case is a powerful presence to be around, but if you can confront it, then you will not be sorry, for there is no one like him, and it is an extreme privilege and honor.
I used to read your articles in Inside Karate and was excited when I found your web site. ~ RV
As an old timer with thirty-five years of experience I was really bored, but your works have peaked my interest and shown me that there is much more to learn. I Thank You Again, Sincerely ~ CC
Where was this information 24 years ago? This course is one of the best things to ever happen to me. Thank you Al Case for the gift of knowledge!
Be blessed my teacher, ~ Rev. Ernest R
I bought the Infinite Fist tape YEARS ago and you know? I Keep going back to it! ~ KS
You are a master. You have opened me up to things that I have never thought of before. ~ KFM
I purchased your course on "Create Your Own Martial Art" and absolutely love it. I believe that your matrixing system is very unique. ~ DW
In my entire experience twenty years as a student and an instructor since, no one has contributed more to my martial arts education than you have. I started following your works twenty years ago and although I was young then I knew you had the True Art it was obvious to me even then. ~ Charles C
Students will know longer be slaves of poor instructors and practitioners. ~ Lonnie M
Win from Master Instructor Course
Let me start out by saying thank you. Thanks from all the martial artists who asked why. Al, I'm in the Security and Law enforcement field and carry Instructor credentials, so effective methods in combat and teaching them is what I constantly look for.
Win from Matrix Aikido
I just had to write to you to say WOW. Your INSTANT AIKIDO is great!!! ~ SD
My students have started coming up to me after class telling me how much more they are enjoying it, and that the classes have stopped being so ridged and now flow in a kind of give and take between me and them. I have stopped being a task master and started having fun and letting them teach me as well.
I did the Master Instructor Course and it hit me. The Basics that are so concisely communicated in this course including the Matrix principle IS the solution. It doesn’t matter what “style” I call my art, because all styles follow these same principles. It doesn’t matter how hard I train or how many repetitions I do if I don’t train the right way. And I would never become a master if I didn’t know how it all fits together. Now I do! I can honestly say that I am now on the path that I have always sought as a martial artist. Thank you Al!
I conducted a Matrix Aikido training class for a Security Team at a local manufacturing plant. I tailored the training according to their Use Of Force policy. As you know they need control and takedown skills. I knew Matrix Aikido would be the answer. The training plan you shared was boss. The class went so smoothly. The participants learned very quickly. By the end of the class you could see techniques of Monkey Boxing coming through. They were also able to create their own techniques. There was one female officer in the class who asked to become my private student. She was throwing, locking and taking down guys twice her size. The Security Supervisor wants me to come back and with more participants! I'll keep you posted. ~ L M
Have found your books and dvds excellent. My background is mainly in medical qigong but I practice Sun Style Tai CHi, BaGua and HsingI as well as Eagle Claw, Snake Style Kung Fu and several Wudang weapon styles. This is the first time I have had the underlying principles so clearly explained and in a way that they are immediately workable and demonstratable. I have worked through the Master Instructors Course, Aikido and Butterfly Bagua and have started to breakdown the Sun Hsing I using your matrix method. I was even able to teach a 70 year old friend of mine with no martial arts background your instant aikido where she was able to do some very accomplished locks and throws after the first lesson
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