JUST THE RIGHT TONE

 by Phillip Starr

One of the anecdotes featured in my book, THE MAKING OF A BUTTERFLY, talks about how my sifu, Master W.C. Chen, chided one of my classmates about spending too much time training himself for, and playing, (flag) football. The young fellow was confused; how could “getting in shape” adversely affect his gong-fu training? Sifu explained that there's “getting in shape” and then there's “getting in shape” for a given activity. This very principle would be presented many years later in a book entitled Maximum Performance, authored by Laurence Morehouse and Leonard Gross.

Sifu Chen (and the book) explained how different exercises that may get you “in better shape” (especially for a particular sport) can be counter-productive to getting in shape for a different sport/activity. He used the analogy of stringed musical instruments... for instance, a guitar is tuned in the key of E. Not so with a violin or other stringed instruments. And so it is with our bodies; the muscles (and the nerves that control them) must be “tuned” or “toned” in the proper key...that is, for our primary sport/activity.

Many moons ago, I had a prospective student who had been the state powerlifting champion for two consecutive years. Of course, he was very powerfully built and enormously strong...in so far as lifting very heavy weights is concerned. But he couldn't stand in a horse-riding stance for more than 20 seconds without falling over! It certainly wasn't because his legs and hips were weak; they simply weren't “toned” for that kind of exercise. His attempts at learning to punch were even worse. I finally told him that he'd have to make a choice; lifting heavy weights for competition or martial arts. He did what was best for him and continued with what he was accustomed to doing. This isn't to say that weight lifting is contraindicated for martial arts. On the contrary, it is used, in one form or another, in most martial disciplines...but the weights aren't extremely heavy and emphasis is on repetitions rather than just one or two reps of lifting extremely heavy weights.

Enjoying a rousing game of basketball or football or any other activity won't impact martial arts training...but regular, repeated practice of exercises for another activity can. This is why the old teachers of the neijia (internal martial forms of China, such as taijiquan, xingyiquan, and baguazhang) frowned on students who engaged in training in “external” systems such as shaolinquan. It ruins the type of “muscle tone” that's required for the development of skill in the neijia.

All martial arts require the development of certain “toning” of various muscles and even tendons. They're not at all the same. A devoted karate practitioner might think he's “in shape” for kendo but if he jumps into a traditional kendo class, he'll quickly change his mind! Kyudo, taijiquan, taekwondo, judo...they all require the body and the muscles to be toned “just so.” This is true of all sports as well. A baseball pitcher needs a different tone to his body than a tennis player.

Just something to consider...

IS SPIRIT IMPORTANT?

 By Phillip Starr

In the martial arts, we often hear the word “spirit.” Does this refer to what we, as Westerners, refer to as “soul?” Or is it something else? The revered “Father of Japanese karate”, Gichin Funakoshi, stresse the importance of spirit and said that karate in meaningless without it. The founder of Kyokushin karate, Mas Oyama, and the legendary Yamaguchi Gogen (of Goju-ryu, known as “the Cat”) also spoke frequently of the importance of spirit.

The first thing that we have to get straight is that, in so far as martial arts are concerned, “spirit” does not refer to what Westerners refer to as the “soul.” Rather, it refers to an unbreakable, indominatable will that is as strong as case-hardened steel; the drive to persevere and succeed at all costs, the willingness to do what must be done to accomplish a particular goal; attitude. Without this, martial arts become little more than dancing.

It is, in a very real sense, the glue that holds the art and all of its movements together. It isn't something that you are necessarily born with. It must be forged and then tempered through arduous training, which is often painful as well as tedious. It has nothing to do with machismo, the show of bravado. Such things are only outward posturing and nothing more. Spirit is much more than that.

Don't misunderstand; spirit cannot make up for poor technique. The two must go together. They are to be forged together, not separately. There is a technical word for what you become if you engage an enemy in battle and move in with a strong spirit and strike him...and your technique bounces off. It is DOGMEAT. The same term applies if your technique is good but your spirit is weak. You'll fail to do what must be done when the “moment of truth” presents itself.

And spirit must be tempered with wisdom. An untempered spirit may lead you to attempt very foolish things, You may well fail. In battle, doing something stupid often meant/means death. This is known as a “dog's death.” You don't want that, obviously.

Every aspect of your daily training must be done with a strong spirit. When you practice your single basic techniques, don't just “lob” them out there; you must imagine striking a foe who will take your life if your technique is weak or incorrect. When you do your forms, are you just running through the movements like a robot? I see this frequently at competitions; participants do their forms with less spirit than they'd have if they were doing a fancy dance. There's no “feeling” there; no spirit at all. The form is actually very weak although it may be pleasing to the eyes. It has no life.

Good teachers foster the development of a strong spirit in their students through arduous training and even vigorous exercise routines. Standing in a horse-riding stance for extended periods has always been one of the most basic ways of doing this. When my students did it, I told them that falling down was okay; they could get back up and continue trying. “Fall down means weak legs and hips”, I said. “That's okay. We can fix that. Giving up means weak spirit. I can't fix that.”

IS MORE BETTER?

 By Phillip Starr

“More is better.” Although I'm tempted to say that this kind of thinking is exclusive to the West, I've seen it in the East, too. But seeing it applied to martial arts practice IS rare in the East, while it is all too common in the West. For instance, one of my students built a striking post to use at home during his daily practice. I had given him the proper dimensions but when he invited me to his house to see the finished product, I was a bit taken aback. He was using a 4x4” post! He'd simply wrapped rope around it, without using a pad of any kind. I struck it a couple of times and told him, “Looks like you've got a first-class tree here.”

He smiled and said, “I know you told me it should be no thicker than 1 inch at the top and it should be padded under the rope, but I figured this would be stronger and do the job.”

“What...job?”, I asked.

“Toughening my hands”, he answered.

Wrong answer. Way wrong. And I let him know it, using some very colorful adjectives, which I won't repeat here. The striking post is NOT intended to toughen the hands! He said that he'd reasoned that a solid post would work better than one that flexed when struck. The striking post is SUPPOSED to flex, but he'd ignored that and just figured that a solid, unmoving post would work...the “more is better” mindset.

Another student insisted on practicing with a very heavy, iron sword to strengthen his grip, shoulder, and forearm. But although I'd recommended doing it for rather short periods of time, he tripled it, hoping to shorten the process...and ended up with seriously inflamed wrists such that he was unable to practice again for a couple of weeks. More isn't necessarily better at all.

IF YOU WANT TO TEACH

 by Phillip Starr

So, you want to teach your particular martial art? If you do and you want to be a good teacher, there's a few things that you must do; obligations of a teacher...

• First, you must know your art very thoroughly; and not just the HOW. You must also know the WHY. The well-worn excuse of, “That's just the way we do it”, doesn't cut it. WHY do you do it that way? If you don't know, you need to find out.

  

• You must be able to transmit your art effectively. That means learning how to communicate with different people in different ways; never “talking up” to them, or “talking down.” Use words and phrases that they can easily understand. Corrections should be made in a way that is not offensive.

  

• You must always ARRIVE EARLY for class. Showing up late indicates a lack of interest in teaching and makes you appear to be uncaring about the students. Get in early and warm up!

  

• Your uniform should be clean and should NEVER look like you've slept in it for a week! Show that you have respect for both yourself and your students.

  

• The training hall (or whatever area you use) should be very tidy and clean. Many instructors teach in places that are shared with other groups, so the area may be a bit less than well-maintained when they arrive EARLY for class. If it's needed, it's their responsibility to clean the area before class. Students can clean the area afterwards.

  

• You absolutely MUST train regularly outside of class...NEVER use class time as your own training time! Not ever! You must continue to strive to polish your own skills. If you don't do it, how can you expect your students to do it? I'm a firm believer in “leading from the front.” Don't ask your students to do anything that you won't (or don't) do.

  

• You should study things like human learning, effective communication, and so on. And never forget how confused and uncoordinated you were when you started. Extend courtesy, understanding, and kindness.

  

• Remain humble rather than haughty...and be willing to learn from your students. They can be your best teachers. A teacher who cannot or will not learn from his/her students is in the wrong business.

  

• Remember – teaching, being a sifu/sensei is a PRIVILEGE.

  

And above all, you must truly CARE about your students. A little compassion goes a long way.

I DON'T HAVE TIME

 by Yang Shuangxing

If I had a nickel for every time a student or prospective student told me that they didn't have time to practice, I'd be a very wealthy man! I'd ask, “You mean you don't have 30 minutes of free time every day?” And they'd sullenly shake their heads as they presented me with a whole list of “chores” that had to be done every day. It was really very silly.

Usually, I didn't argue with them; the actual translation of “I don't have time” is “I don't want it bad enough.” I'd often remind them of a common saying; “You'll never have time...you have to MAKE time.” Did they think that the practitioners and masters 300 years ago had it any easier? If anything, their lives were likely busier than what ours are today! The difference is that there were fewer distractions and they really WANTED to learn and perfect their skills. They were strong-willed and possessed strong spirits. And they were willing to make certain sacrifices to achieve their goals. Most people nowdays are much less inclined to do the same thing.

It's really a question of how high up on your list of priorities your training is. If it's near the top, you'll find a way to do it; you'll MAKE time. Otherwise, you'll just make excuses. And every excuse is a reason for failure.

If a wannabe truly doesn't have 30 minutes of free time every day, he should (A) quit, or (B) get a new life.

HOW MANY REPS?

 By Yang Shuangxing

I have a suggestion for those of you who really want to understand your forms and who have the gumption to undergo a rather tedious process of training. It is simply this: In addition to whatever else you do in your daily training, practice just one of your forms five to eight times a day. Every. Day. For 30 days. Don't skip a day. If you miss a day for any reason, start over from Day One. Want to give it a try?

I can hear some of your starting off with, “But...” If you said that word (“but”), don't bother with this exercise. You're not ready. Not committed to learning. Maybe try it later, sometime.

It's well to do this exercise with your most basic form the first time around. Most of those who object to this type of practice prefer to be “spoon-fed”; they want someone to show and tell them everything that their form contains. They don't want to put up with the tedium and sweat of digging for themselves. Theirs will be a shallow art.

If you do this training exercise with your system's first form, you'll probably be very surprised at how poorly you perform (at first). Many of us, once we've learned that form and passed the basic examination(s) that require it, just toss it to the wayside and ignore it for a very long time. It gets pretty rusty. But it shouldn't.

YOUR HANDS MUST HAVE EYES

 by Phillip Starr

Some time ago, I was teaching more senior students how to strike certain vital points. One of them was located on the upper arm and when hit correctly (using the second knuckle of one finger), the strength on that affected side of the body vanishes and the opponent is unable to continue the fight. Striking this point isn't particularly dangerous if practiced under supervision, however.

One student had quite a bit of difficulty striking the point...he kept missing. I told him what my teacher told me many, many years ago; “Your hands must have eyes.” Of course, I was confused when he first spoke those words. But over time, I came to realize their truth. It required a great deal of practice with live partners (no, nobody was ever injured during such practice sessions) until it seemed that my hands “knew” exactly where to go, as if they could actually “see” the points.

Numerous gong-fu styles, particularly southern forms such as white crane, dragon boxing, white eyebrow, and southern praying mantis, are designed for very close-quarters combat. Many of their strikes are very short-distance techniques, intended to strike certain vital points. Learning to issue any substantial power with such short-range blows requires a great deal of special training; even more is required if one hopes to have hands that “see” the vital points, and strike and hit the mark without the slightest hesitation.

This same skill can and should be developed with martial disciplines that utilize longer-range techniques.