"Keep your back straight" is so important and so simple that I take it for granted a lot of the time:
My mom used to tell me to stand up straight.
Master Takara of the Shoehei/Uechi-ryu school Stated the importance of keeping your back straight during Kata. He emphasised this directly when speaking to us once at my dojo in Lowell, MA about the Kata SanSeiRyu. He stated that there were 8 directions you moved in but your spine being straight was the connection between heaven and earth.
Tim Cartmell taught me the importance of body mechanics and the importance of your spine, using it as a great lever.
The great Brazilian Jiu Jitsu folks I've had the opportunity to train with always have told me to "posture up."
Sometimes, the most simple thing to do is the hardest to do.
Just keep your spine straight, that's all...
Good training,
Joe
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
What's in a freakin' name?
I guess I should have named my website, "do you have the balls to do this???"
The name the study within is too soft for most people. I don't do therapy. Although, the training I give the guys can be theraputic.
The guys that train with me, don't rub their navel and chant.
They work hard on mixing it up. They push themselves. For a lot of them, they're doing things they never thought they could do. They want to do Burpees every workout as part of the warm ups. They are freakin' nuts.
So, I'm going to keep the blog the same name. However, I'm trying to come up with a new name for the website. Something that people can sink their teeth into and not be embarassed about the name. Enough with the esoterical and more with the meat and potatoes.
Maybe it will be "Step up you sissy mary martial arts and killer arts"
Stay tuned...
To study the way is to study the self,
To study the self is to forget the self,
To forget the self is to be enlightened by the ten thousand things...
- Zen Master Dogen
The name the study within is too soft for most people. I don't do therapy. Although, the training I give the guys can be theraputic.
The guys that train with me, don't rub their navel and chant.
They work hard on mixing it up. They push themselves. For a lot of them, they're doing things they never thought they could do. They want to do Burpees every workout as part of the warm ups. They are freakin' nuts.
So, I'm going to keep the blog the same name. However, I'm trying to come up with a new name for the website. Something that people can sink their teeth into and not be embarassed about the name. Enough with the esoterical and more with the meat and potatoes.
Maybe it will be "Step up you sissy mary martial arts and killer arts"
Stay tuned...
To study the way is to study the self,
To study the self is to forget the self,
To forget the self is to be enlightened by the ten thousand things...
- Zen Master Dogen
Thursday, October 2, 2008
You have to want it
Mindset.
It's the first tool you need to be successful in fighting or competing.
If you don't want it, you won't get it.
You have to want it.
Other tools are necessary too, but if you don't have the right mindset and want it, pack it in because all those other tools are useless.
That's why I named the site the study within. Your toughest opponent is yourself. You fight your own laziness, fear, guilt, busy schedule all the time.
You have to want it.
See you on the mat tonight...If you want it.
It's the first tool you need to be successful in fighting or competing.
If you don't want it, you won't get it.
You have to want it.
Other tools are necessary too, but if you don't have the right mindset and want it, pack it in because all those other tools are useless.
That's why I named the site the study within. Your toughest opponent is yourself. You fight your own laziness, fear, guilt, busy schedule all the time.
You have to want it.
See you on the mat tonight...If you want it.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Is it the picture or the frame?
All I can say is "wow." I had a conversation with a very dedicated martial artist who's practiced a traditional art for many years.
He did everything and believed everything the style stated. He never ever doubted the system. Until he had an encounter that made him almost loose everything. He was lucky...He only lost his confidence in his art after the incident. I told him it wasn't his art that let him down, it was him working with his art. It was as if he never saw the picture in the frame, he only saw at the frame around the picture.
I was really suprised that he never thought about other aspects of martial art training. I guess I shouldn't be all that suprised. He never thought he had to look at his study and pull the concepts and training practices apart to self inspect. He simply thought that he didn't have too.
I think a lot of people are like this too.
I think most martial artists either want to blindly believe and don't want to have to think. All they have to do is do what the "Sensei" says, while others believe that if they get tattoo's and hit each other hard, all is good.
That martial artist was lucky. His ego was bruised but he's not dead.
Where's the fight, inside yourself or out?
He did everything and believed everything the style stated. He never ever doubted the system. Until he had an encounter that made him almost loose everything. He was lucky...He only lost his confidence in his art after the incident. I told him it wasn't his art that let him down, it was him working with his art. It was as if he never saw the picture in the frame, he only saw at the frame around the picture.
I was really suprised that he never thought about other aspects of martial art training. I guess I shouldn't be all that suprised. He never thought he had to look at his study and pull the concepts and training practices apart to self inspect. He simply thought that he didn't have too.
I think a lot of people are like this too.
I think most martial artists either want to blindly believe and don't want to have to think. All they have to do is do what the "Sensei" says, while others believe that if they get tattoo's and hit each other hard, all is good.
That martial artist was lucky. His ego was bruised but he's not dead.
Where's the fight, inside yourself or out?
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
"Take what is useful"
"Take what is useful" is a famous quote from Bruce Lee. It is a great piece of advice. In fact, many martial artists these days are taking pieces of useful techniques and using them. The "take what is useful" quote is a direct attack on another phrase Bruce Lee coined. That phrase was "classical mess."
Now, "classical mess" to me means, blindly following a process and protocol. Tens of thousands of martial artists do this continually. Why? Because it is easy to do. The martial artist doesn't have to think. Many martial artists don't want to self inspect, they are looking for the next best parlor trick.
So, "taking what is useful" is a very good thing, but if you want to go deeper into your art you must self inspect. You, as a martial artist must understand your strengths and weaknesses and build around them accordingly. This means understanding your physical attributes and your martial mindset. It's hard to self inspect. However, if you don't, just pulling useful techniques off the shelf will only get you partially complete in your art.
My concept of Martial Arts Fusion, the class I teach is built around:
- A solid use of technical martial skills, drawing from a variety of disciplines.
- The skill sets developed by my students will be different in each of my students, based upon their physical attributes and martial mindset.
- The concept of flow and proper body mechanics in chaining become vital to continued development.
I look forward to sharing these with you and look forward to seeing you on thursday nights. All are welcome.
Now, "classical mess" to me means, blindly following a process and protocol. Tens of thousands of martial artists do this continually. Why? Because it is easy to do. The martial artist doesn't have to think. Many martial artists don't want to self inspect, they are looking for the next best parlor trick.
So, "taking what is useful" is a very good thing, but if you want to go deeper into your art you must self inspect. You, as a martial artist must understand your strengths and weaknesses and build around them accordingly. This means understanding your physical attributes and your martial mindset. It's hard to self inspect. However, if you don't, just pulling useful techniques off the shelf will only get you partially complete in your art.
My concept of Martial Arts Fusion, the class I teach is built around:
- A solid use of technical martial skills, drawing from a variety of disciplines.
- The skill sets developed by my students will be different in each of my students, based upon their physical attributes and martial mindset.
- The concept of flow and proper body mechanics in chaining become vital to continued development.
I look forward to sharing these with you and look forward to seeing you on thursday nights. All are welcome.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Some videos you might find interesting...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2VGqi-6W9Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2tsG5H0v7s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7ImMi2DCGs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2tsG5H0v7s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7ImMi2DCGs
Real Tough Guys...
Yesterday was a great training day at Sityodtong. My coach, Jake Steinmann, really pushed me hard. I wanted to quit during the last couple of rounds. I had no gas, my legs felt like lead and I was struggling with all my might to get all the air I could between the bells. Jake was constantly encouraging me, being positive, and passionately motivating me when my tenacity started to fail.
There's something gained in a relationship when you work through a physical challenge and someone helps you get through it. In the fighting arts, there's a bond that is created that is difficult to describe. The person experiencing the challenge exposes their vunerability and indicates, to his or her trainer, a need for help. The other person, because he is dedicated to his student, helps him or her to overcome the obstacle. In the fight game, this obstacle is usually a physical one, like getting through the last 30 seconds of a round. However, the impact of the comraderie developed often lasts far longer than the physical exercise. Often, it lasts a lifetime.
Yesterday, I watched Patrick Cote go through his conditioning exercises at Sityodtong. He ran sweating from station to station to complete his circuit. Patrick is fighting for the UFC middleweight championship in October against current champ Anderson Silva. With each circuit becoming harder and harder, Patrick kept up the pace and sprinted in the later rounds of circuits. While no one yesterday morning was helping him complete each circuit, every single person there was pulling for him. I spoke with him briefly after he completed his workout. Patrick is a sincerely genuine person and I wish him all the best. I'll be pulling for him for his middleweight title shot. BTW...for those of you that are interested, Stacia says he is WAY more handsome in person.
Kenny Florian came by to give Stacia a poster for her classroom. He didn't have to swing by Sityodtong and drop it off to her. It was an off-training day for Kenny and he was going to fly out to LA to do a promotional signing for the UFC later that afternoon. He is pressed for time these days. Kenny and I will be friends when he is no longer a UFC star. He was my friend before that and he'll be my friend after too.
That's the way it is when you share an experience with someone and there is genuine sincerity between the two people. Tim Cartmell once told me that we'll always be friends, even if we never did martial arts together again.
Those are the true tough guys. People that sincerely give something of themselves like Jake, Kenny, and Tim.
Last but certainly not least...Jake has a fight in NY on October 3rd. He's been training very hard for it, and I want to wish him the best of luck.
Kenny Florian is fighting on the UFC 91 card against Joe Stevenson. Best of luck, my friend. "Get his neck!"
There's something gained in a relationship when you work through a physical challenge and someone helps you get through it. In the fighting arts, there's a bond that is created that is difficult to describe. The person experiencing the challenge exposes their vunerability and indicates, to his or her trainer, a need for help. The other person, because he is dedicated to his student, helps him or her to overcome the obstacle. In the fight game, this obstacle is usually a physical one, like getting through the last 30 seconds of a round. However, the impact of the comraderie developed often lasts far longer than the physical exercise. Often, it lasts a lifetime.
Yesterday, I watched Patrick Cote go through his conditioning exercises at Sityodtong. He ran sweating from station to station to complete his circuit. Patrick is fighting for the UFC middleweight championship in October against current champ Anderson Silva. With each circuit becoming harder and harder, Patrick kept up the pace and sprinted in the later rounds of circuits. While no one yesterday morning was helping him complete each circuit, every single person there was pulling for him. I spoke with him briefly after he completed his workout. Patrick is a sincerely genuine person and I wish him all the best. I'll be pulling for him for his middleweight title shot. BTW...for those of you that are interested, Stacia says he is WAY more handsome in person.
Kenny Florian came by to give Stacia a poster for her classroom. He didn't have to swing by Sityodtong and drop it off to her. It was an off-training day for Kenny and he was going to fly out to LA to do a promotional signing for the UFC later that afternoon. He is pressed for time these days. Kenny and I will be friends when he is no longer a UFC star. He was my friend before that and he'll be my friend after too.
That's the way it is when you share an experience with someone and there is genuine sincerity between the two people. Tim Cartmell once told me that we'll always be friends, even if we never did martial arts together again.
Those are the true tough guys. People that sincerely give something of themselves like Jake, Kenny, and Tim.
Last but certainly not least...Jake has a fight in NY on October 3rd. He's been training very hard for it, and I want to wish him the best of luck.
Kenny Florian is fighting on the UFC 91 card against Joe Stevenson. Best of luck, my friend. "Get his neck!"
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