Tag Archives: kung fu spirit

Three Martial Arts Elements that are Crucial!

Newsletter 980

Martial Arts Elements for Survival

The Martial Arts elements that are necessary for survival are three.

The first martial art element is strength.
The forms and training will give one lots of strength. The stances are squats and lunges, and you will do hundreds of them during a class. Further, you will have real body resistance in your techniques when doing them with a partner, which will also aid your strength.
Strength, however, is not the most important attribute you should seek in the martial arts.

The second martial arts element is speed.
Speed comes from repeating movements endlessly. This repetitiveness will build a ‘zen’ frame of mind. One learns how to empty the mind sufficient to do the technique, to build more speed.
Obviously, speed is important when one is fighting; one needs to be faster than the other fellow, faster than the incoming punch or kick.
Interestingly, speed can lead to power, but strength does not necessarily lead to speed.
Speed, while an important second attribute, is not the most important element of the martial arts.

The third element is technique.
Technique is knowing how fast, how slow, how close, how far, how strong, how weak, how fast, how slow, and so on.
It is the appreciation of space around the body.
It is understanding what a punch (or kick) is, what it is comprised of, how it is built and delivered.
While some people may have a natural ability when it comes to speed or strength, there is no natural ability when it comes to technique. Learning the techniques of a fighting discipline, such as karate or jujitsu or kung fu takes time. And it takes time to improve them. And even more importantly, for those who are serious about learning a fighting discipline, the study of techniques will easily occupy a lifetime. Or three.

So the three characteristics that one should occupy himself/herself with in the martial arts are speed, power and technique. And of the three, technique is always the most important. Technique is the measure of a person, the measure of an art, and it is this study of space and time that makes the martial arts one of the most enjoyable activities in the universe.

Here’s the obligatory link to improve all three elements of the martial arts…

1d Master Instructor Course

Have a great and technically perfect work out!
Al

A WIN!

Hello Master Al
The Master Instructor Course has taught me to competently teach proper posture and changing positon by being perfectly balanced in natural stances.  To impart energy most effeciently by implementing CBM.
Thank you for teaching me to utilize the proper powers in the correct manner which in turn has caused me to be more confident in all of life.
Sincerely, Lori S

“Art calls for complete mastery of techniques,
developed by reflection within the soul.”
– Bruce Lee

How to Evolve Spiritually Through the Martial Arts

Newsletter 973

Evolution Through Martial Arts

An interesting thing to think about,
when you do martial arts,
is how much you are evolving.

If you do a form
you might be doing a certain number of squats
by doing the horse stance,
a certain number of lunges
by doing front stances,
and so on.
This is all physical.
You get in better shape through
the simplicity of body weight exercises.
But what about the spirit?
How do you measure the progress of the spirit?
Actually,
there is a way to measure your spiritual evolution
through the martial arts.

What does a white belt have?
hopes and dreams,
not much discipline,
that’s all.

What does a green belt have?
a bare understanding of movements.

What does a brown belt have?
better understanding of movements
with power.

What does a black belt have?
He understands the movements
and he has control.
Control is so-o-o much more important than power.

What does a master have?
Wisdom.
His techniques are so polished
he can do them without muscle.
He knows what is happening
without having to think about it.
So what is the difference between these ranks?

Time.
And…the number of times they have done their forms/techniques.
The number of times you have done a technique
is the most important thing here.

So you go to class,
two hours a week
for a year.
You make it to green belt
and you have some understanding of what you have done,
and you have done the forms ten times a week for a year,
or 500 times.

You go for brown belt,
you practice for another year,
and you have done the forms 1000 times.

You go for black belt,
practice for another year
1500 forms

A few years pass,
let’s say ten,
you make it to 4th degree black belt
more forms,
add them up at 500 a year…
13 years
6,500 forms

But what if you did the 6,500 forms in one year.
Would you be a master?
You might have the wisdom,
you probably need a bit more physical work,
but, yeah.
If you could do 6,500 form in one year,
you could cut 12 years off the runway.

Unfortunately,
most people practice inadequate forms.
Random movement,
incorrect physics,
dictate that they will go slowly
no matter how much they practice.

But what if you had perfect forms,
that condensed the material of the random motions
that make up the classical forms?
What if you had a form that focused
only on the true and correct technique,
and was totally logical?
Would you have to do the forms 6,500 times?
Or,
if the forms were ten times better,
could you just do the forms 650 times?

Interesting question, eh?
With an interesting answer.
You see,
after selling matrixing course,
specifically Matrix Karate and
The Master Instructor Course,
since 2007,
I have seen that people have a rough time with this idea.

They think it takes 13 years,
because some bozo who wants to make money off them
tells them so.

But if this idea was correct
we would have no rock and roll.
Takes too long to master the guitar,
you know.

If this idea was correct
we would have no army.
Takes too long to make a soldier,
you see.

If this idea was correct
we would still be cavemen,
chipping flints
and scratching our armpits.

But the idea is correct.
Kids pick up the guitar today,
and next year are rock and roll stars.

Young men are given weapons,
and go into combat a few months later.

We aren’t cavemen.

But,
we have to give up the idea
that learning is slow.

If learning was slow
we would still be children!

No.
You can learn the martial arts fast.
And you have to.
It is a dangerous world,
riots,
home invasion,
crooked cops,
a government in love with abuse…
you have to learn fast.
Period.

Here are the fastest, best, most logical martial arts courses in the world…

All you have to do is scroll down the page,
pick the art that interests you the most,
and do it so darn quickly
the mugger’s head will spin.

Have a great work out!

Al

A WIN!

I have found such tremendous benefit in my study of Matrix Karate that I want to dig deeper and deeper.  It’s only been a few weeks, but the forms flow so easily; it’s like Matrix Martial Arts are the way the body is SUPPOSED to work.  I love it! ~ Ryan O

“Those who are unaware they are walking in darkness will never seek the light.”
– Bruce Lee

How to Use the Four Paths to Immortality in Your Martial Arts

Newsletter 970

Martial Arts and The Four Paths to Immortality

Last newsletter I talked about the path to immortality.
I mentioned that there were four paths to immortality,
of which the martial arts are one.
Let’s talk about these four paths.
Understanding all four paths will help you better progress
on the martial arts path.

There are fourth paths to enlightenment,
or immortality,
or getting out of your body,
or whatever you want to call it.
With no particular order in mind,
one of the paths is the monk.
Simply,
you study religious texts,
and meditate (pray) on them,
until you blast on out of your head.
Here is the problem.
You have to read a lot of religious texts,
not just the ones from one religion.
This is because you need context,
and context can be had from understanding
different points of view.
Let me explain it this way:
a guy who speaks English knows some stuff,
but a guy who speaks English AND Spanish
(or any other language)
can compare and contrast words and terms.
He has a richer experience in terms of phraseology,
anecdotes and mysticisms,
he will be,
for lack of a better word,
‘smarter.’
And don’t take it hard if you don’t speak two or more languages.
I only speak one,
and sometimes I don’t understand that one to well.
So you have to study different religions
until you understand what the various beliefs mean,
and then you can progress to the deeper concept,
which is the truth.
For instance,
before last newsletter
you were (perhaps) in awe of ‘immortals’ in the martial arts,
or were, at least, impressed by what you didn’t understand.
Now,
because of the last newsletter,
you do understand,
and you understand the concept behind immortality.
Not dying,
which is something a body can’t do,
but which an eternal spirit,
the ‘I am’ that you are,
can do.

A second path to immortality/enlightenment/
knowledge of your true self,
would be the fakir.
A fakir is usually a student of Islam or Hindi.
He denies the existence of the universe,
begging for meals,
not owning anything,
putting aside family,
until he achieves the ultimate realization,
that the universe isn’t real.
Which,
of course,
makes him real.
And it’s true.
But it is a path of no luxuries,
and self denial.
Not much fun,
if you ask me,
but don’t ask me,
because I don’t want to be judgmental
concerning a path that,
like it or not,
has results.

Another path to immortality
would be yoga.
I like this path,
though there is a major problem with it.
You sit in a posture and become aware of your body.
Change your posture and you change the way you are aware,
slowly becoming aware of more and more,
until you are aware of all,
or,
at least,
aware of yourself as separate from your body.
Sort of weird,
sinking into your body,
until you blast on out of it.
But there you go.
A minor problem is that the instructions for this
vary from strip mall to strip mall,
and few wish to study ancient writings,
and then compare schools,
until they have the truth of pure concept.
The major problem is that there is no motion.
Which brings us to the last path,
the one I prefer,
which solves this problem of no motion.

In the martial arts you use the body,
and you look at it,
but only as a tool for your motion.
You deny
as a fakir,
any distractions to your practice,
to your art and fighting.
You read countless texts,
from Bruce Lee to
the Book of Five Rings to
ancient Chinese writings,
trying to understand motion
and the contortions of your body,
what it means,
the energy involved,
and so on.
Eventually,
you understand that the universe is motion,
and you come to the truth:
you are the source of motion.
Which makes you the source of everything
that happens in the universe.

Okay,
I know I have slanted a bit here,
but that is only because I love the martial arts,
and I understand everything
from the viewpoint of the martial arts.
But what I say does make sense,
and makes use of the four specific concepts of the other three paths.

Study concepts,
from Bruce to Lao Tze,
and find the pure concepts of the arts.
deny that which would distract you
from practice or from freestyle.
Contort your body,
finding the nooks and crannies of awareness,
but while in motion.
And study motion,
realizing that it is you,
the spirit,
that causes motion in this universe.

Use all four paths
to propel you through the martial arts
to truth,
to the truth of yourself,
and find out what everybody is but nobody knows…
that you are a spiritual being.

And know it.
Not like reading about water,
but like jumping into the ocean.

Here’s a link to the Yoga Kata.

4b Yogata (The Yoga Kata)

Or, if you are feeling gutsy…

Black Belt Yoga

Have an immensely satisfying work out!
Al

BTW
If you like concepts such as are in this newsletter,
check out ChurchofMartialArts.com

A WIN!

Well Al, it has been almost a year since I started working with your Matrix Martial Arts material. I am pleased to tell you that I have improved more than I ever dreamt I could with your courses.
My body is stronger, more flexible, and pain free from the Yogata I learned. My Tai Chi has become a powerful, reliable, and completely energizing martial art. I have taken up the study of Karate again after 28 years of not practicing and the work is invigorating. My Bagua has become an art that is filled with effortless power. My mind is calmed and I am happy…I’m healthier and more aware of my body than I have been in my whole life. ~ Justin H

“The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.”
– Bruce Lee