Revenge through the Martial Arts

Newsletter 786
Revenge…Martial Arts Style

Good Evening!
Feel tired after a long day’s work?
Go stand in the ready stance.
Don’t burst into motion,
just wait.
Let your body fall into the first move.
then the second.
Soon you will be working out full bore,
and feeling tremendous amounts of energy.
Just don’t push it…
let it happen.

Okey dokey!
I was talking with a fellow this past week end,
and an interesting subject came up.
Revenge.

I don’t know why.
We were just talking,
and then…revenge.

Now revenge is very over rated.
if you want revenge,
then you have already lost.
Already been beaten.
So get over it.

But,
that said,
if you are the kind of fellow
who dwells obsessively
on all the things that people have done to you…
the best cure is hard work,
attention to details,
and dedicating yourself to the goal.
In this case,
the goal of revenge.
Of beating him.
Of teaching him a lesson.

And that brings us to an interesting saying.

‘Revenge is a dish best served cold.’

You probably heard it in a Steven Seagal movie,
‘Hard to Kill,’
I believe is the name.
The one where he goes through a seven year coma
only to wake up and kick ass,
and have revenge.

So this old saying an oriental saying and…
except it is not oriental.
Do a google,
and you’ll find it is French!

That’s right.
French.
And,
there is some argument
as to which novel it appeared in first.

But,
it sounds oriental.
It sounds like them evil slant eyes
with their insidious plots,
said it.

I mean,
it even sounds sort of…zen!

But…
French.

But here is the trick,
it doesn’t really mean what you think it means.

Everybody think it means you take twenty years
craft a glorious payback,
and laugh evilly over the dying foe.

Nope.
That’s downright silly.
It’s silly because
in 20 years a lot can happen.
The guy might die.
Your plan might fail.
You might evolve and realize that he was right to win,
and he isn’t such a bad guy.

But assuming he is a villain of Darth Vader’s stature…
why would you want him to enjoy himself for 20 years?
I mean,
get your revenge and get it while the getting is good!
Right?

So here is what the saying REALLY means.
Mind you,
this really is going to be zen.

Served cold refers to having a calm state of mind.

If you laugh maniacally
as he lays dying,
then you have become him.
You have become the evil.
And where is the enjoyment,
when the mind is fevered?
You aren’t enjoying,
you are giving in to your own base urges.
But,
if you can have a calm mind,
then you have beaten him,
not just with your revenge,
but you have ‘out-evolved’ him.

So,
don’t wait,
get your revenge as quick as you can,
but cool your mind down
so you can actually enjoy yourself.

Of course,
as for myself,
I think I would rather dedicate myself to training
before I lost,
before I ever needed a revenge.
Win the first time.
That’s the real key.

Have a great work out
and
HanaKwanMass!

Al

BTW
here’s a course that will help you take control
of your hot to trot,
fevered,
out of control mind.

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/2ba-matrix-tai-chi-chuan/

Or you can get the whole package.

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/tai-chi-chuan-package/

http://www.amazon.com/Matrixing-Tong-Bei-Internal-Gung/dp/1507869290/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423678613&sr=8-1&keywords=tong+bei

Congrats to a New Master Instructor!

 

Martial Arts Master Instructor Course

Okay,
my apologies,
I should have announced Jim a few weeks ago,
but this durned Al’sheimers really gets me.

So,
Congrats to Master Instructor Jim McElroy!

Dear Mr. Case
Something I want to say:
I’ve studied martial arts for many years (1977-) and never had them explained as clearly as your courses do. I cannot thank you enough for these courses. Sincerely Jim Elroy
Now with that said here I go:
Some Wins and realizations that i have gotten from your (Master Instructor) course:

And,
sorry to say,
I can’t tell you the rest of Jim’s wins.
The reason is that he goes through the material,
point by point,
explaining exactly how it works,
and how he understands it.

This tells me that he really understood the material,
which means that he will be able to use it,
but…
if I tell you the win then I will be giving you
the contents of the course.

Shucks,
we don’t want to do that!
Grin.

But here’s the thing,
this is the only course in the world
that people read,
and understand the material
well enough to transform their martial art.
Just by reading!

Oddly,
it is simple stuff,
but it is not talked about commonly in the martial arts,
or,
if it is spoken of,
then only in mystical terms
that reveal a fascination for what is being said,
but no understanding.

This is important,
this thing of mysticism vs understanding.

Three blind men came across an elephant.
One said, ‘it is like a wall!’
The second said, ‘it is like a little snake,’
the third said, ‘it like a fire hose with two big teeth!’

Each has a different viewpoint,
and they pass these viewpoints down
until everybody argues what the elephant is like.

Then you come across one yourself,
and you are not blind,
and you see how each blind man misunderstood,
and you are the only one that truly understands.

This is what matrixing does.
And it does it not by passing down my viewpoint,
but by giving you the actual physics of the martial arts.
Not the western world version of physics,
but the physics that takes into account
things like chi energy,
how the body is constructed for the martial arts,
and so on.

Things that people have rarely heard,
and then only in mystical terms.

So,
again,
my thanks to Master Instructor Jim Elroy.
Well done for that great win.
And my apologies for being so late in announcing you.

And,
now the news,
the next book,
‘How to Matrix the Martial Arts
(and the universe and life and everything else),’
is almost ready to go.
I am actually working on the physical version,
just a couple of things to do,
and then it will be here.

And,
for everybody…
it is fall.
Fall has fallen,
so have you picked an art to dedicate yourself to this winter?
Are you going to know a new art by Summer?

Think about it,
do it,
and let me know how it goes.

Have a great work out!
Al

http://www.amazon.com/Binary-Matrixing-Martial-Arts-Case/dp/1515149501/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437625109&sr=8-1&keywords=binary+matrixing

http://www.amazon.com/Matrixing-Tong-Bei-Internal-Gung/dp/1507869290/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423678613&sr=8-1&keywords=tong+bei

The Correct Way to Do Yoga

Yoga (The Yoga Kata)

Yoga has been around for thousands of years. Yoga asanas, or postures, were being done by people for this period of time for one simple reason: they work. The interesting thing is that they work, in spite of the fact that they are, for the most part, being done wrong.

I stumbled across this fact as a result of my studies in the martial arts. I studied martial arts for years and years, for decades, and finally realized that I was trying too hard. I was using all my muscles, all my energy, and it was a waste.

do yoga

Click on the Cover

yoga for karateIt was a waste because how tense your muscles are doesn’t have much to do with how hard you hit. What matters is how relaxed you are. For when you are relaxed you can deliver the punch more efficiently.

If you are tense you are actually working against yourself, against your own body and mind. You are locking up muscles and actually stopping the flow of energy that results in efficient motion.

The problem was that nobody understood this. Instead, karate instructors would train people and wait for them to get tired of using so much effort, would wait for them, after some years, to start relaxing when they executed the moves.

Waiting for a student to get tired is not very efficient. Especially when compared to instructing them on when and how to relax.

In Yoga people are put in postures, and they stay that way, and the instructors, often sadistic animals, chuckle as the student undergoes the effort and the strain and the pain. Heck, we’ve all heard them chuckling and expounding on how easy it is.

But they don’t tell people how to make easy. Even if they do understand, they are often so filled with their own cleverness that they don’t take the time to make the simple explanations.

It’s one of those things of: ‘We’ve always done it this way!’ And no real understanding.

The truth is that effort, strain and pain can actually result in injuries.

The correct procedure should be to encourage the student to relax. Not to put him in difficult poses and wait for a year or two until he finally relaxes, but to educate him as to how to relax individual muscles.

When an instructor does this the student suddenly gets better. He enters more and more difficult poses not by trying harder, but by relaxing his body, by learning that his muscles are fighting, and he must give them commands to relax.

The interesting phenomena is that the student’s mind will not clear out until he has relaxed.

Well, of course. A straining mind is not empty, is not clear of distractions, it is filled with one, huge distraction.

The author will tell you more at Yogata.

How to Kill People by Just Touching Them!

…but you’ll be protected by the invisible force field around your body!

The one thing that gets me concerning the Martial Arts, and it shouldn’t, but it does, are ads like the one right below.

I Couldn’t Believe I Froze Up … What’s Really Ridiculous Is That I’ve Been Trained In 13 Martial Arts Since I Was Only Four Years Old, So I, Of All People Should Have Been Able To Do Something, But I Couldn’t – I Didn’t Know What To Do In This Exact Situation, Even Though I Practiced Many Similar Situations. This Was A False Sense Of Security.

kung fu training manualdynamic tension hard punch martial artsThis ad is off the internet, it’s part of a big pitch designed to empower people with ‘invisible force fields’ that enable them to handle multiple attackers with their bare hands, to tear apart whole mobs, and without any martial arts training.

Or, as in the case above, the guy had studied lots of fighting disciplines, but they didn’t work.

Okay, so let’s look at the real facts here.

Fact Number One: I doubt if the guy studied Karate, or Kenpo, or Aikido, or even a smidgeon of Shaolin. But if he did, he better ask for his money back because…They weren’t the real thing, they weren’t real fighting disciplines.

Fact Number Two: In spite of the hype of ads like this, ads which actually degrade the real martial arts in favor of making money for some bum who studied no martial arts, or martial arts that weren’t real, there is no substitute for learning a real martial art.

A fake, comic book, internet scam martial art is a handful of tricks that look neat, but have little relation to each other.

A real self defense method is a LOT of tricks, tied together with effective theory so that everything relates, and which then can work on you to change your mindset and make you a better human being.

Consider this: a real art, like Karate or Gung Fu or Krav Maga develops intuition. It develops a sixth sense. Let me tell you this: if I was that guy I wouldn’t have awakened when the bad guys so much as stepped on my property. The hairs would have stood on my neck, I would have been wired, I would have been more alert than Defcon Five! Because THAT is what a real fighting discipline does to you. It wakes you up, it makes you intuitive, it gives you that sixth sense. 

Consider this: when you study a real discipline, like Jujitsu or Wing Chun or good, old Karate, when somebody holds a gun on you…you instantly wake up! You are more alert than you have ever been, and you can’t stop the scenarios from enfolding in your mind. I can do this, I can do that, and you sort through them and wait, because you know, when the time comes, that you won’t be thinking, you will be doing.

Concerning the above two considerations, the above two chapters, I speak from personal experience. This is not a hype, or a war story, or some whimsical comic book supposition.

So the conclusion is this: if you don’t know a real form of self defense, a classical method that’s been formed through the centuries, then you are a sitting duck. You have no discipline for emergencies, you have no plan, and you likely don’t even have the conditioning.

Yes, sometimes a form of self defense like Karate or Kung Fu might have some mistakes in it, maybe defenses against weapons that are no more, maybe a poser technique, but even these problems tend to make you think, condition your body, give you alternatives in the extreme. Everything is an education, and it really all depends on what you do with it, whether you make it real enough to save your life.

And, here is the truth: don’t bother with the hype, don’t bother with comic book ads. Only seek out real martial arts, real forms of self defense. Learn them fast, and learn more than one, because what one doesn’t teach another one will.

To do less is to stand on the street in the middle of the mob holding hundred dollar bills and scream ‘Don’t take my money!’

You’ll end up in the gutter faster than fast, and it’s your own fault for not being prepared, for not getting in shape, for not giving yourself a real Martial Arts education when you could have.

About the Author: Al Case has studied Martial Arts since 1967. He is the originator of Matrixing Technology, which is the only science of the martial arts in the world. People who learn Matrixing can absorb classical martial arts three times faster, and make them work three times better.

If you want to learn a real method of Self Defense, the best place to start is Matrix Karate

New Bruce Lee Book Released!

Bruce Lee versus Classical Martial Arts!

The name of the book is ‘Bruce Lee, Jeet Kune Do, and Neutronics.’

Written by Al Case, a martial artist with near fifty years experience in the martial arts, this book takes an outside viewpoint of Bruce Lee, and his martial art (Jeet Kune Do).

bruce lee training manual

Book on Bruce Lee’s Martial Art of Jeet Kune Do.

Bruce Lee is often considered, specifically as to what drove him to his martial arts theories. The main focus of the book, however, is to compare and contrast Jeet Kune Do to the more classical martial arts, specifically, the author’s art of Karate.

This is a hard core book. While it is respectful, it is obvious that the author holds Mr. Lee in high esteem, there are some very hard questions asked concerning the formation of JKD, and the real purpose of the art.

It is also an intelligent book, going into Matrixing Technology, which is the first and only science of the martial arts, and Neutronic philosophy. The author claims that because JKD is an advanced martial art only advanced methods of thought can be used to analyze it.

Which is to say that if you are Beeavis or Butthead, you may want to avoid this tome. It won’t teach you Jeet Kune Do, and it may hurt your head to actually start thinking about it.

Mr. Case has, as said, near 50 years martial arts experience. He began Kenpo Karate in 1967, quickly became an instructor, and went on to study virtually every martial art that came down the pike during the Golden Age of Martial Arts. He became a writer for the magazines in 1981, and had his own column in Inside Karate. Thus, Mr. Case doesn’t enter the picture as a newbie, but an experienced fighter and writer. His compare and contrast with JKD should provide the most enlightened student with much thought.

Bruce Lee, Jeet Kune Do, and Neutronics, will be released and on Amazon within the week, and students interested in the paperback version should do a search on Amazon probably by the last week of April 2015.

Students who would like to save $5 and purchase the instant download of the book should go to FreeBruceLee.com.

http://freebrucelee.com/martial-arts/new-book-on-bruce-lee/

Hard Punches Break Bones

How to Break a Bone with a Punch

Do you know what clunking is?
Of course you don’t,
I made up the term.
It describes the feeling of a real hit,
a strike that goes through the body,
a punch or kick that shakes the very bones,
sets up a wave of destruction,
shivers the heart of the person being struck.

You think I am being a little too exuberant in my description?
Nah.

 

how to get a belt in karate

kang duk won break

You wanna break things?

Listen, there are three depths of strike.
One to the skin,
one to the muscle,
and one to the bone.

Punch skin deep and you are playing,
no bruises,
nothing but gotcha, with no impact.

Punch muscle deep and you create bruises.
Little welts to purple blots.
There is room to descend here,
into the muscle to varying depth,
and it is a very educational time
when you are playing with this strike.
Got to be careful,
too,
because it hurts.

Now,
to strike bone deep is something else.
You actually have the perception of hitting the bone,
not even bothering with the skin or muscle.
Oddly,
there are very few bruises.
but,
you can actually feel the bone shake,
and the guy who is struck has a queasy feeling,
and he rubs his arm
as if there was pain.
It hurts,
but none of that sissy ouchie stuff
that the kids cry about.
This is the deep touch,
the hello to one more bit of depth
and that bone is going to break
and if I did this to your kidneys you’d piss blood and die.
Not pain,
but knowing that the body is going to break.

Now,
how do you practice this depth of punch?
Well,
I’ll give you a couple of good clues.

One,
you relax.
You don’t put your perception in your arm,
in the sensation of muscle tightening,
except by the way.
Instead,
you put your perception in his arm,
you feel him with your fist,
and this leads to the second hint.

When you hit somebody,
plant your fist on his body
and gently push.

Now, you are working the exact muscles
of the punch
at the point of impact.
Can’t get more specific with any type of muscular training.
The exact and perfect range and motion of muscles
at the point of impact.
But,
remember,
don’t concentrate on the sensation within,
concentrate on the sensation of his body.
Feel the muscle and tissue retreat before your fist,
feel the touch of bone with your knuckles.

After a while
you can actually feel the wave,
the vibration
of the bone.

Bone doesn’t like to be touched in this manner.

Muscles and flesh, you see
hide the bone,
protect the bone,
and you have just passed all the safeguards and
touched the bone.

Now,
there is more to it than this,
but if you just practice this kind of punch,
gently,
then you will get it.
And,
when students get this kind of ability,
to punch a guy right to the bone,
I call it Clunking.
Clunking
is just sort of the appropriate word
for the sensation.

Think of it like this–
clunking is like
dropping a rock into a pond,
and having the rock strike the rocks
just below the surface.
You hear a splash
and a…clunk.

Well,
that clunk,
that sickening, splitting sound
of rock breaking
(or almost breaking,
other rock,
is what you want.

Clunk.
Deep,
dull,
thud.

You feel his bone,
he feels his bone worry and revulse,
and
clunk.

Okey doke.
Holy sweet heysoos,
I like talking about
breaking bones.
I’d think there was something wrong,
but such fun…such fun.

So,
dig into your wallet,
get out twenty,
hit the monster
and find the page on the punch.
It’s right here…

The Punch!

cause what I have been telling you here
is just a sweet taste
of how to break bones
with a simple punch.

And have a downright immortal work out!

Al

=o)

Life must be understood backwards; but… it must be lived forward.
Soren Kierkegaard

Make a Hard Punch with Old Time Training Method

Old Muscle Building Method Makes for a Super Hard Punch!

I mean that literally, you can have a hard punch in days. The old body building method is called Dynamic Tension, and it was used by the old comic book guys like Charles Atlas and Joe Weider. It is actually still sold today.

kung fu training manual

Start developing your kung fu super powers! Click on the cover!

dynamic tension hard punch martial artsInterestingly, Chuck Atlas made his millions in the pages of comic books. He had ads that ran for years, and he even beat the Great Depression. His most famous ad, a bully kicking sand in a lads face at the beach, actually happened to him when he was a youth, and inspired him to create his world famous method for building muscles.

I was acutely aware of the comic book ads, liking comics and being a skinny weakling when I was young. I suppose, in some way, I answered the comic book ad when I took up the study of the martial arts. And, serendipity, amongst the forms I learned was one which dealt with Mr. Atlas’ form of shaping the body.

The pattern was supposedly a variation of a Wing Chun form. I don’t recall what we called it, but I do recall the hours spent on one specific movement in the form. That one movement made my punch get stronger and stronger and stronger.

When you do the move, take a back stance and cross the wrists in front of you. Press wrist against wrist, and slowly slide the wrists past each other. Let the power build, then let the hands snap off each other and execute a punch.

It’s best to punch with the rear hand, and let the front hand come back across the chest. It is also good to simultaneously press your feet against one another in the back stance. Then, when you release the hands, you can release the stance and really cover ground.

The muscles tend to build fast, and you’ll notice an increase in strength I would say within seven days. Over time you will notice the working parts of your arms and legs are getting denser and better shaped. And, in conjunction with the thrusting forward of the whole body, you are going to have some kind of powerful strike.

Obviously, you can tailor this exercise for other body parts, other types of strikes and blocks, and your body should get in fantastic shape. I’ll tell you this, one look at your chiseled physique and nobody is going to try to kick sand in your face. And that is how an old body building method can give you a hard punch in literally days.

About the Author: Al Case began martial arts in 1967. He studied such arts as Kenpo, Karate, Wing Chun, Aikido, Norther Shaolin Kung Fu, Southern Shaolin Kung Fu, Tai Chi Chuan, Pa Ku Chang and various weapons. He became a writer for the martial arts magazines in 1981, and had his own column in Inside Karate. Check out his course on increasing Chi Power.

If you liked this martial arts article then you should subscribe in the sidebar. There’s more a comin’.

The Munio Fist Load Keychain Karate Weapon

Making the Deadliest Karate Weapon in the World!

A Fist load is a Japanese term for a hand held martial arts weapon of the small variety. In this classification you would find brass knuckles, possibly saps, and definitely Kubotans.

 

munio key chain  martial arts weaponmartial arts weaponAnd, you would definitely find Phil Ventrello’s handy, little keychain called a Munio. You can read about the Munio, and of my test of it, here, (https://alcase.wordpress.com/2014/12/01/munio-self-defense-is-great-martial-arts-equipment/)

What you don’t know is that at one time, a few years ago, I decided to make one of these key chain killer devices myself.

First, I went to the lumber store and bought a six inch dowel.

Then, I went to the hardware store and bought a handful of nasty and sharp, little nails.

Then I measured the spread of my finger in a fist, and pounded the nails through the stick at the measured points.

ZOWIE!

I was holding a gnarly stick that fit perfectly into my hand and projected the points of some very, sharp nails between my fingers.

I had a device that could be adapted to carry keys, would fit in my hands, could be used to pound like a hammer, or flail like a small mace, and I pitied the fool mugger who wanted my skinny, little wallet!

And, here is the thing, I could make these suckers and sell them!

I could see it in my mind’s eye, mass produced by some third world country, recommended by police officers and Navy SEALs everywhere, and people would buy them like hot cakes!

Hot cakes with nails in them, but still hotcakes!

Conjecturing over this massive sales bonanza, adding up zeros in my head, I slid my home made fist load into my pocket and—OW!

The nails ripped apart my pants and scored my skin! And when I tried to take it out of my pocket it hurt even more!

I stared at the nasty, little martial arts tool. It bled at me. Darn. It was so perfect, but you couldn’t carry it. Heck, it would defeat any kind of holster, rip apart clothes, and…and if I was caught carrying one of these I would be guilty of intent to maim and all sorts of other stupid laws!

So I tossed it in the trash.

And, several years later, I carry a Munio. And now you can understand why I was so excited when I came across the Munio.

Munio means ’I defend.’ It can be carried into an airport, it won’t zap some poor fool into a heart attack, it won’t spray you in the face, and the darned thing is really cool looking!

Yet you can flail the keys and use the butt of the thing to pound sense into some poor mugger’s face!

Heck, I showed mine to my wife, and though she has NEVER showed an interest in martial arts weapons, she said, “Can I have one?”

So, check it out here…http://www.munioselfdefense.com/munio-workshops/.

How Bad is Outlaw Karate?

Is Outlaw Karate Really a Kick Ass Martial Art?

I get the question, every once in a while, as to how tough Outlaw Karate really is. Let me answer that question once and for all.

4 outlaw karate cover orig

Here is the cover of the Outlaw Karate book which is for sale on Amazon.

First, I did study with the Hell’s Angels, which is to say that there were quite a few Hell’s Angels in my Karate class. They were tough, they were not the reason for the naming of this art, but they did tend to focus in on what worked on the street, and backed up their observations with real experience.

Second, I did name it Outlaw because it was going outside the realm of normal, or classical, Karate. I was combining two very hard styles of Karate, and this was looked down on back in the day.

Third, I’m not going to tell you it was a tough class, I am going to give you a  list of things that happened during that class that made it very tough. Then you can make up your mind as to whether it is a tough style or not.

I taught the class over a year long period. I chose the forms and techniques that I did because I was teaching my son; I wanted him to have the best, the things that worked the most. During the course we cracked his breast bone, actually put a dent in it. When the doctor said ‘No more Karate,’ Aaron refused, told me I would have to beat him up to stop him, and then walked into class that night. His attitude was not singular.

Mike had broken fingers for nearly the whole year.

Some of the guys, grown men, broke into tears during class.

All throws were taken to the max, which is to say we didn’t have mats, and we threw each other on the floor, full force, and laughed.

One night Josh found himself at a party, and a fight broke out. He stepped into a corner and faced outward and waited. Man after man ran up to fight him, took one look at the look in his eyes, then turned and ran looking for another fight. He just wasn’t a victim, and it was plain to see.

One day Aaron was walking down the street and was jumped by two much larger fellows. He rendered them both unconscious within ten seconds.

And so the stories go. It was tough and it was brutal. I can honestly say it was the toughest class I ever taught.

And I still think that the art was the toughest, and that solely for the attitude of the students. They laughed when they broke their bones, they persisted through tears and blood.

And they made Outlaw Karate a legend.

So, was it tough?

Heck, you can get a copy of the book, or the book and a video of some of the forms and techniques, and decide for yourself.

No matter what you decide, it will be a healthy addition to your martial arts; it will be something that  will work, and it will certainly enhance your other martial arts.

Book and video Outlaw Karate Course.

Just the  Outlaw Karate book (from Amazon).

 

 

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/outlaw-karate/

Horse Stances and Karate Punches…

It’s the wind up, it’s the karate punch, it’s the…oops!

Good Lard is it a beeootifull day, especially for the ultimate karate punch..

Good day to work out, limber up the muskles, knock the fat off yer frame. Get healthy. Ya know? Are ya ready to talk martial arts?

kata unsu

Matrixing your horse stance training with Matrix Karate. Click on the pic.

Click on the book to find out about the man who killed Kenpo Karate.

Click on the book to find out about the man who killed Kenpo Karate.

One of the drills I hated the most, but got the most out of, was the simple horse stance. We would spread the legs, get the thighs down to where they were almost parallel to the floor, and put up one high block, and extend the other hand to the side in a chicken beak, and look at our finger tips. We called this position Kima Chasie. Horse Meditation.

And we meditated on the pain it would cause us.

Now, forget the pain, forget the stronger legs, forget everything but the real purpose of it. Get out of your body.

After a couple of years of dabbling with horse Meditation I decided to do it right. I decided that pain wouldn’t cause death (in this instance) and that I should just do the exercise until I got what it was all about.

So, I hit the stance, looked at my fingers, and concentrated on breathing. Time passed. Minutes seemed like hours. My mind began to still, the world slowed down. Seconds seemed like hours.

And, suddenly it all stopped hurting. No pain at all. The whole universe was one peaceful concept that i could live with forever.

How long did it take me to get there?

Five minutes.

That’s all.

Zingo bingo, instant enlightenment.

Doing the Horse Stance Form and techniques at 61.

Now came the problem. When I tried to move, I couldn’t. My whole body had locked up. Man, I was freaked. Tried to wiggle backwards, couldn’t move, couldn’t even rock. Tried forwards, ah, there we go, I could fall for…oh shit…ah! Landed on my face.

So, enlightenment is possible through the old training methods, but sometimes it can be weird, freaky, and even as significant as a karate punch on the nose.

Hey, any of youse guys feel like coming over to see me, I live on good old Monster Martial Arts. Brings your friends, the doors are open, leave your old life outside.

See ya.

Al

Here’s a great article on how to be Karate tough. If you can take it. Grrr.