The Biggest Secret in the Martial Arts!

Yes,
breathing, grounding, relaxing,
they’re important.
body alignment and synchronization,
very important.
But the most important thing is
where you put your intention.

So here’s a nifty, little trick.
Having trouble touching your toes?
Especially that first bend or two?
Try these two things.
First, arch your back and touch the sky behind you.
Really stretch,
relax,
let the back bend backwards.
Now,
LOOK AT THE GROUND
as you touch the ground.

Suddenly you can reach the ground easily
and with no effort.
Good martial arts never takes effort,
it takes relaxed intention.

Look, the reason you can’t bend forward enough
is because the back is tight
energy is locked,
or at least unmoving.
So you have to move it.
But the back is like the string of a guitar,
it doesn’t just bend in one direction,
it’s got to bend in both directions,
and when you bend in both directions
all the energy that is locked up
can start to move.
Bend only forward and the back is only half bending,
and the other half is fighting you.

And when you look to the ground your intention is freed,
it is no longer distracted by your half moving back,
and your body can go where your intention directs it.

So,
how do you put intention into your strikes and blocks?
The other side of the guitar string,
in this instance,
is emptiness.
Mentally empty your body,
just relax and breath,
even forget about what you are doing,
then direct your intention into your hand
imagine it being in the new position.
Pop!
What was empty is now full.

People talk about focus,
and they are right,
but it’s not just filling the muscle,
it is emptying the muscle before you fill it.

Want to punch faster?
Want to assume deeper posture?
Want to do away with reaction time
and be in the moment?

the secret is intention.
And the secret of intention
is to be empty before you be full.

What’s fascinating is to apply this,
to do this long enough
that you start assuming a viewpoint outside your body,
empty and fill your body,
figure out when the energy is going through which leg,
and out through which arm.
Empty and Be.

And,
eventually,
your mind is empty,
virtually cleansed,
and you have freedom of motion in all directions,
and in all directions of your life.

Okay,
so,
obligatory ad.

First,
go here

The Last Martial Arts Book

It’s been rated at five stars, then go here…

The last Martial Arts Book w video

Same book, five dollars more,
but…
FIVE HOURS OF VIDEOS!

And don’t forget to give me a good review!

Okay
guys and gals,
remember
every form is a prayer, so…

have a great work out!
Al

Don’t forget to check out the interview
https://anchor.fm/dale-gillilan/episodes/S1E10—Al-Case-e12e3np

How to Fix Karate! (volumes one and two)

volume one is at

And volume two is at…

‘The Last Martial Arts Book’ has 11 ratings for 5 stars.
(There is a video version of this book with no stars yet)
My two yoga books have 9 ratings between them for 5 stars.
‘The Book of Five Arts’ has 7 ratings for 5 stars.
‘The Science of Government’ has 6 ratings for 5 stars.
‘Chiang Nan’ has 5 ratings for 5 stars.
My novel, ‘Monkeyland,’ has 5 ratings for 5 stars

That’s a lot of good ratings
so hopefully you’ll find that useful
find the book/course that is right for you,
and matrix your own martial arts.