The Traditional Way

 By Phillip Starr

      In a recent conversation with an old friend I was told that within the past few years there has been a movement back towards "traditional martial arts."  However, a senior student told me that, in his opinion, many of the "traditional" schools aren't really training in the "traditional way" anymore.  Huh. 

      Even more recently, I was congratulated on being able to trace my martial arts lineage.  I've never been much of a stickler for establishing one's pedigree because in the long run, it doesn't necessarily mean much.  I've known a good many "blue bloods" who weren't worth a damn when the chips were down and more than a few "mutts" who I'd be more than happy to have on my side should a situation ever go south.

      When I served as National Chairman for the AAU Chinese Martial Arts Division I traveled the length and breadth of the U.S. and met a good many of the nation's foremost kung-fu "leaders."  Naturally, all of them could trace their lineage back to the nth degree and many of them looked down their noses at anybody who couldn't.

      Now, I've always been pretty much a pudding taster - like in the saying, "The proof of the pudding is in the eating."  Purebred or not, what mattered to me then and what matters to me now is whether or not a practitioner can make his stuff work.  Does he really know what he's doing and can he make it work or is he just going through so many empty (but traditional) movements?  Therein lies the truth of it.

      I also recently read an editorial in a martial arts magazine that stated that "bending the truth" about the origin of one's martial art system is actually considered traditional in the Orient.  The author was right.  I mean, look at some of them:

• Zhang Sanfeng (Chang San-feng) is said to have originated the art of Taijichuan although there is no concrete evidence that he even existed.

• The founder of Baguazhang (Dong Haichuan) allegedly learned his art from a Daoist hermit who was living up in the mountains.  This is a favorite fable and many kung-fu styles point to enigmatic hermits as the originators of their arts.  It makes you wonder if there was some kind of conspiracy going on with a bunch of hermits...

• Xingyichuan points to the legendary general, Yueh Fei, as its originator.  This is a second favorite fable.  Yueh Fei is revered throughout China and although he died at a fairly early age, he's been given credit for having originated several kung-fu schools, including Eagle Claw.  Very creative fellow...

• In Japanese martial arts, more than one school of swordsmanship credits their origin to ghosts or goblins who, for some obscure reason, decided to teach certain warriors their special technique

   And so on-

     I'm reminded of a scene from one of my favorite movies, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", when King Arthur is trying to explain to a group of peasants just how he became king...that Excalibur was given to him by the Lady of the Lake.  And the peasants make disparaging remarks about why it's not logical to base a system of government and leadership upon a story wherein "some watery tart lobs a scimitar at you..."

     Hilarity aside, they have a point.  As funny as that entire scene might be, we, as martial arts enthusiasts, base entire martial arts systems on similar tales.

     Now, I'm not going to say that these kinds of things can't happen.  I know that they can.  BUT -  let's try to keep these stories to a minimum.  In Asia, lineage - the past - is everything.  Confucianism, which spread all over the Orient, stresses the importance of one's lineage (whether it's one's family lineage, martial arts lineage, or whatever) and subsequent obligations to ancestors.  

      So.  Back to the point I was making at the beginning of this lecture... I believe that a "traditional" school should practice in the "traditional way", more or less.  I think that that's what makes a school traditional (or not), regardless of their actual lineage.

     Certainly, it's fine to employ training methods that may not have been used back in the day - but the old ways of training and the attitudes involved therein are what made the martial arts what they were and what they should be.  Our martial arts ancestors didn't have the nicely made heavy bags that we enjoy, nor did they have many other pieces of modern training equipment.  If they had, they almost certainly would have used them.  But it's the spirit with which they'd use them that makes the difference.

      To me, it's the spirit in which training is conducted that determines how "traditional" a school may be - not the sheepskin upon which a lineage is written.

THE IMAGE

 by Phillip Starr

The phrase “martial arts master” seems to have a particular sort of image associated with it. Many people immediately picture a white-haired, bearded, wizened old recluse of some kind who spends at least half of his time meditating on the mysteries of life and the other half practicing ancient martial arts techniques that have been cloaked in secrecy for several hundred years. The master is wise in all things; he is able to provide sage advice in every aspect of life, including (but not limited to) personal finances, marriage, virtually every facet pertaining to physical and mental health (and, by the way, he is perfectly capable of treating most illnesses and injuries via his high level of knowledge and skill in ancient forms of Eastern medical therapies), purchasing a home, preparing one's annual income tax return, or even how to field dress a deer.

I can see some of you smiling while others laugh openly. Those who laugh are probably those old martial arts teachers who've actually had students approach them with questions about such things. I have. All of them (that's right; go back and look through the list). How to field dress a deer?, you ask. You betcha. And many other equally bizarre subjects about which I know absolutely nothing. Yes, I have practiced and taught kung-fu for most of my life. I am also an acupuncturist and I hold black belt grades in two forms of Japanese karate. I enjoy practicing iaido, too. But my understanding of personal finances, investing money, marriage, and generally understanding women are right up there with my knowledge about how to field dress a deer, rebuilding a truck's engine, or treating schizophrenia. I have, by the way, been asked about each item mentioned in this paragraph.

People will not be easily dissuaded from the image of the wizened old master that they hold firmly in their minds. A perfect example would be my dear friend, Master Arthur Lee (dec.). Arthur was probably the world's highest authority on the old Shaolin Fut-Ga system and his skill was truly second to none. But you'd never guess that this kind, well-dressed Chinese gentleman knew anything about the martial arts. Slightly built, soft-spoken, and extremely polite at all times, Arthur's demeanor never revealed his tremendous skill. He had worked for Sears for many years and was always ready to laugh and share a joke.

My kung-fu uncle, Master Ming Lum (dec.), is another fine example. One of Henry Okazaki's earliest jujutsu pupils in Hawaii, Master Lum was also very highly skilled in Choy Li Fut. And he would certainly be one of the last people anyone would suspect of being a master of a martial art. He stood perhaps 5' 4” (on his tiptoes), had one prosthetic arm (with a blunted hook instead of a hand), and smoked like a train. And no matter what the weather or the event (such as festivals, funerals, and weddings), Uncle Ming always wore a brightly colored Hawaiian shirt. However, he was hailed as a renowned master by virtually every martial arts teacher who ever met him.

Authentic masters may well work as train conductors, plumbers, school teachers, or any other profession. The real ones don't walk around with their chests puffed out, proclaiming their accomplishments. They're ordinary people except for one thing; they've walked a path that most people will never see.

I CAN'T!

 By Phillip Starr

     "I can't" is an expression that should all but be removed from the vocabulary of all martial arts practitioners. Here are some reasons why:

*Henry Ford failed and went broke five times before he finally succeeded.

*18 publishers turned down the story about a "soaring seagull" before the MacMillan company finally published it in 1970. Within five years, Richard Bach's book, “Jonathan Livingston Seagull”, had sold over five million copies.

*21 publishers rejected the idea of a comedy set in a medical camp during the Korean War. Richard Hooker kept going until M*A*S*H was published by one company. It became a runaway best seller and spawned a movie and TV series.

*General Douglas MacArthur was turned down twice by West Point when he applied to become a cadet.  On his third try, he was finally accepted. The rest is history.

*When NFL running back Herschel Walker was in junior high school, his coach told him he was too small and suggested that he go out for track. Walker ignored this advice, built himself up through intensive training, and won the Heisman trophy a few years later.

*Colonel Sanders went to over 1,000 places trying to sell his chicken recipe before he found a buyer for his Kentucky fried chicken!

*Dr. Seuss's first book was rejected by 27 publishers before being published and selling 6 million copies.

*Once a week for four years, a black author received a rejection letter regarding his novel. He was traveling on a freighter and decided to give up and throw himself overboard. He claimed he heard the voices of his ancestors telling him not to give up and he decided to give his book one more try. Alex Haley's book, Roots, was finally published.

*In 1905 the University of Bern turned down a doctoral dissertation as being irrelevant and fanciful. The young physics student remained undaunted and continued in his efforts. His name was Albert Einstein.

There are thousands and thousands of similar stories. My own is one of them and will be yet again.

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."

-Will Rogers

     One of the most important things we learn through our training in martial arts is that anything is possible if we just believe. We discover that the only obstacles we ever encounter are those we have placed in front of ourselves. And we are the only ones who can move them; nobody else can do it for us. If we believe that we will fail, then our destiny is certain. If we refuse to accept failure and believe that we will succeed, the same thing is true. We are what we believe.

     Of course, simple belief isn't enough. Absolute determination and the willingness to work hard and long are also elements which must be included.

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are nothing compared to what lies within us."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

     The process can begin with something as simple as a shoulder roll. Over the years, I have taught many young students who were terrified at the thought of doing such a thing. I coaxed and prodded and made each one of them do it. And then I made them do it again and again until their fear was a thing of the past and the obstacle had been removed. They were often overjoyed and wanted to practice rolling at every training session!

"It is better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have one and not be prepared."

Whitney Young Jr.

     At various point(s) in our training we all run up against the same kind of obstacles. Just because we overcome the first one doesn't mean that's the end of it. Far from it. We discover one obstacle after another. Some are very large and some are small but each one requires a certain measure of effort and belief in ourselves in order to overcome it. This is, we find, a continuous process in life. But if we realize what it takes to overcome these obstacles, we can ultimately overcome all of them one at a time.

"Never look where you're going.  Look where you want to go."

Bob Ernst

     A student once asked me how I was able to thrust my fingertips through small bricks. "First you have to learn the technique," I answered. "Then you have to believe that you can do it. Each time when I set up the brick to do that demonstration, I see myself doing it successfully before I hit it. That's the secret." He didn't believe me and gave up training shortly afterwards.

"I cannot discover that anyone knows enough to say definitely what is and what is not possible."

Henry Ford

     Now understand that technique is essential. A person who can barely read cannot become an author until he learns the technique. A scrawny youth who has never played football will never become an NFL star until he puts in the time and sweat and learns the technique.

     Your teacher can teach you correct technique. That's what he's for. Once you learn that, a good teacher can take you farther and show you what you can really do with it. A great teacher will go beyond the physical technique and show you how to live (it).

"The doctors told me that I'd never walk again, but my mother told me I would. So I believed my mother."

Wilma Rudolph

    Think about it. Masutatsu Oyama's real name was Choi Yong Li. He was Korean. He went to Japan in hopes of becoming a pilot during WWII, but the Japanese wouldn't hear of a Korean flying one of their fighters and he was turned down (fortunately for us). The Japanese have never been very fond of Koreans and the young man had difficulty even finding a job. He made money as a "milkman" driving a delivery truck and managed to get into the university. It was there that he saw Gichin Funakoshi teaching a karate class and he fell in love with the art.

     After several years and superhuman effort (which included living on a mountain for three years), he established his own karate system and developed the Kyokushinkaikan which became one of the largest karate organizations in the world! He was adopted by the Japanese people and took on a Japanese name.

     And it all started out driving a delivery truck and scrounging for meals.

"It never occurred to me that I couldn't do it.  I always knew that if I worked enough, I could."

Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics

     Morihei Uyeshiba, the legendary founder of aikido, started out running his own small business. His father had fronted him the money for it. He failed miserably.

"Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity."

Oprah Winfrey

     Jigaro Kano, founder of modern judo, was a schoolteacher who was highly skilled in jujutsu and who dreamed of bringing the art into the schools and into the modern sports arena. Until a few years ago, it was the only martial art represented in the Olympics.

    Gichin Funakoshi was also a simple schoolteacher who was ordered to go to Japan to demonstrate karate in 1923 because he was well-grounded in Japanese culture. The Okinawans wanted to send someone who was well educated and familiar with the Japanese culture.  Funakoshi subsequently established the world-reknowned Shotokan karate system.

"If you don't hear opportunity knocking, find another door."

Omar Periu

I CAN! (Not "I Can't...")

 By Phillip Starr

     Yeah, I know...this all sounds like so much new-age claptrap.  But it isn't.  I know because I've used these principles in the past and they work.

      Your "mind" is really comprised of two parts; a conscious, thinking mind (which you are aware of), and a subconscious (so-named because you're not necessarily aware or conscious of it).  The conscious mind is constantly analyzing data.  Thinking.  And that's what it's supposed to do.  The subconscious part of the mind catalogues information and never forgets anything.  For instance, it remembers how many steps it took you to walk up the steps to school on Oct. 15th of 1988.  It never forgets anything and is capable of storing an untold amount of information.

     It also does everything it's told to do by the conscious mind.  Without questioning anything.  If you look at something and say, "I can't do that," it will do whatever it must to ensure that you cannot do it.  The saying about being careful what you wish for is very appropriate here.

     On the other hand, if you insist that you CAN do something, the subconscious will do whatever it takes to make sure that you are capable of doing it.  And that's the trick.  Re-read that statement - IT WILL DO WHATEVER IT MUST TO ENSURE THAT YOU ARE CAPABLE OF DOING IT.  That means that you will be CAPABLE of doing whatever...not that you WILL do it.

                       "The world is full of failures.  Do not seek to add to their number."

Line from "The Octagon"

      Yeah, I can see the guy in the back raising his hand and saying, "Oh yeah?  What if I want to fly?  Can I jump off the roof of my house?"  Go ahead.  You'll probably break something important, too.  The subconscious is very much aware of what you can and cannot do as a human and the person you are.  So that eliminates flying by flapping your arms, standing in front of a cruising cement mixer in the hopes of stopping it, and doing other such "superman" type things.

     But you are capable of doing lots of things that you've probably never considered.  You COULD become a brain surgeon...but you'd have to go to school first.  You COULD be an NFL star running back, but you'd probably have to work on it for awhile first.

      Also, the subconscious doesn't work too much with commands (like your brain), but rather with images.  If you visualize yourself doing something, it will accept that information and work to bring it into reality.  But first you have to have the IDEA; the IMAGE of doing something.

                                   "The indispensable first step to getting things is this...

 Decide what it is you want."

Ben Stein

     First you have to decide what it is that you want.  Oddly enough, lots of us have never really considered that.  You want something, but you've never really considered EXACTLY what it is that you want.  You have to take time to sit down and think about it.  Once that's been decided, you can start to work.

     Remember that even once you've decided what it is that you want, you're going to have to work for it.  If you're not willing to do that, your desire is nothing more than a wish.  It'll never become a reality.  You want to become a black belt? OK, but it's going to require some work.  It isn't going to just "happen" miraculously.

                                   "If you keep believing what you've been believing,

 you'll keep achieving what you've been achieving."

Author Unknown

     Once you've decided what you want, you have to get very specific.  You want to lose weight?  And you're willing to do whatever it takes including giving up those candy bars?  Fine.  The subconscious mind accepts that information.  And you might even lose an ounce or two.  Not enough, you say?  Well, then you've got to be SPECIFIC.  You didn't tell the subconscious HOW MUCH weight you wanted to lose.  And by when (the time has to be realistic, remember).  You REALLY want to lose 20 lbs. by Jan. 15th of next year?  Okay.  It'll start to work on it.

                                          "I never hit a shot, not even in practice,

 without having a very sharp,"in focus"

picture of it in my head."

Jack Nicklaus (world renowned golf champion)

      You have to be careful about using negative statements.  Saying things like, "Everything I eat goes straight to my butt" will ensure that that's precisely where it goes.  Remember, the subconscious doesn't care whether something is necessarily good for you or not.  It simply believes what you tell it and does what it's told to do.

     The visualizations and wording you use with the subconscious are very important.  They have to be SPECIFIC.  If you say, "I want to lose weight," that's not specific enough.  So you say, "I want to lose 20 lbs by Jan. 15th of next year."  Fine.  What's wrong with that statement?  You said YOU WANT to lose weight.  The subconscious acknowledge what you WANT, which isn't what you GET or ARE.  It simply acknowledges the fact that you have made a wish.  Like Jiminy Cricket wishing on a star.  Big deal.  You have to word things the right way.  It's like working with a super-computer.  You have to know the right commands to get it to work for you.  So you say, "I WILL lose 20 lbs. by Jan. 15th of next year."  That's better.  You've just given a command and the subconscious goes to work.

                                                      "Take the first step in faith.

 You don't have to see the whole staircase.

 Just take the first step."

Martin Luther King, Jr.

      The subconscious works best with images.  So you take some time each day, sit back, and visualize yourself weighing 20 lbs less than you do now, and DOING the things you'd be doing at that weight.  You have to BELIEVE that you're really losing weight and do what it takes to achieve it.  You can BELIEVE it all you want but if you eat a steady diet of Snickers and chocolate malts, it isn't likely to happen.  You COULD tell yourself that you really don't like the taste of excessively fatty foods.  And that will work.  In a short time, you honestly won't like the taste of Snickers.  And tell yourself that you really LIKE foods which are low in fat and that you actually prefer them to fatty foods.  And that's what will happen.  Soon, you'll be losing weight.  And with exercise, it'll happen faster.  And the weight will stay off.

                                           "Nothing happens unless first a dream."

Carl Sandburg

 

     Think about it.  There are millions of people who achieved their dreams this way.  You probably know some.  Ask them if you like.  I remember a student of mine who owned a couple of fast-food chicken restaurants.  Times were tough.  But he and his family had a dream and wouldn't let go.  Now their company owns over 80 fast-food restaurants. Pretty good for a youngster who started off with no more than a dream.

     And there are SO MANY others. Wilma Rudolph (the fastest female runner in the world) who was crippled as a child, Martin Luther King, Jr. who was an unknown black preacher, the riverboat bum named Sam Clemens (aka. Mark Twain), the deaf, dumb, and blind girl whose family decided she was hopeless (Helen Keller)...millions of them!  And martial arts are full of such people as I mentioned in the first lecture...the internal boxing master who started off trying to commit suicide because he was so horribly poor and he even failed at taking his own life (Sun Lutang), the enlisted sailor who decided he wanted to make martial arts his living (Robert Trias), the dirt-poor Texas kid who joined the Air Force to escape poverty (Chuck Norris), and many, many others.  Each one had a dream and decided to make it a reality.  They set to work and wouldn't give up.  Hard times and setbacks are inevitable; the subconscious isn't a magic wand.  But with its help, you can achieve anything.

                                "We cannot rise higher than our thoughts of ourselves."

Orison Swett Marden

 

     And that's what much of martial arts training is about.  Helping you learn to live and overcome obstacles.  Helping you know yourself better.  Achieving your dreams.

                                              "Age is something that doesn't matter

 unless you are a cheese."

Billie Burke

HOW MANY FORMS?

 By Phillip Starr

Almost all Eastern martial disciplines teach a given number of forms (kata). Even judo originally taught a number of standardized kata. The number of forms that each discipline teach varies from one system to another... Wing Chun features only three while Shotokan includes 21! You might ask, “Just how many are necessary and how many do I need to learn?” It depends...

Most martial arts require that you learn or perform (with higher and higher degrees of polish) certain forms before you can be promoted and/or move on to practicing more advanced aspects of the art. It's important to bear in mind that the forms contain all relevant information about a given discipline; they are books of a sort but first it's essential that we learn how to READ (for more information on this subject, see my book “HIDDEN HANDS”, available on Amazon.com).

Some forms are intended to develop specific skills and are not necessarily combative. Most forms, however, are definitely intended for self-defense.

It's also worth considering that a given (combative) form is a complete fighting system in and of itself. To perform a certain form skillfully is something that cannot be achieved in a few weeks, months, or just a couple of years. To fully understand and master it will likely require a lifetime.

Most percussive martial arts (such as karate, kung-fu, and taekwondo) utilize no more than a couple dozen forms at most. I remember my teacher's words about learning various forms, each having its own rhythm(s), and spirit. I had said something about the fact that I had a lot of difficulty in school with math and I could see no viable reason for learning such things as algebra or trigonometry. My father had told me that they were actually intended to teach me to THINK in different ways. My kung-fu teacher concurred.

“Exactly!”, he said. “Each form teaches you to think in a different way. There is much more to them than just fighting.”

That said, I have heard of teachers who teach a rather unreasonably large number of forms. I had a student who had trained in a praying mantis system for many years and he knew something like 80 forms! Many of them were nearly identical to each other. What was incredible was that he could actually remember all of them! I told him that such a number of forms was much too much. His teacher was, I felt, continuously teaching new forms in order to retain as many students as possible.

When you practice your forms, don't just “lob” your way through them; strive to polish them with an eye towards perfection. FEEL them and “listen” to what they have to teach you. There's so much more to them than what you see on the surface.

HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT

 by Phillip Starr

It's said that if you really want to conceal something, you should hide it in plain sight. And so it seems with one of the most fundamental things taught to martial arts novices, the horse-riding stance. Known simply as “ma-bu” in Chinese (“Ma-bu” literally means. “horse stance.” The full name is actually “qi ma-bu”, which translates as “horse-riding stance.” In Japanese it is referred to as “kiba-dachi.”), this basic posture places the feet apart as if one is riding a horse. The knees are bent and the back is held straight. It sounds easy enough to do but if you look closely at how most martial arts enthusiasts perform it, it's often incorrect.

The weight should be equal on both feet, with the weight held directly over the “yangquan” points on the soles of the feet. The forelegs should be perfectly vertical so that the body's weight falls directly onto these points. Many, if not most, martial arts practitioners fail to do this and their forelegs are angled. Because the feet are too far apart and the forelegs are cast out at angles, the muscles of the upper legs, hips, lower back, and lower abdomen must constantly struggle to keep the body upright. The result is a weak posture and considerable pain as the supporting muscles struggle to endure the strain of standing incorrectly.

Keeping the lower legs perfectly vertical also determines exactly how far apart the feet should be spread. Obviously, if the feet are placed too far apart the lower legs cannot be held vertically.

This is the real secret to holding the horse-riding stance for any length of time.; simply learn to stand correctly. Remember that gravity pulls STRAIGHT down, not angularly. If you stand properly, gravity will settle your body's weight directly over the centers of the soles of your feet.

Over the six-plus decades that I have practiced and taught the martial ways, I've seen many senior practitioners and teachers (some of whom were world famous bit I'm not going to mention any names here) demonstrate various techniques from a horse-riding stance. To say that the stance was way off-kilter would be a very serious understatement.

This is equally true for many practitioners of contemporary wushu (a Chinese discipline that combines martial arts with gymnastics and traditional Chinese opera); the ma-bu that they demonstrate often looks like someone trying to use a “squatter” in an undeveloped country! Such a “squat” places excessive strain on the knees and although it may look good, it has no real value in so far as martial application is concerned. You simply can't move with much speed if you begin from such a low position. The depth of the stance varies from style to style but regardless of what style one practices, the buttocks should be held HIGHER than the knees.

The back should be held straight, but not stiff. The buttocks should not protrude; rather, the coccyx should be SLIGHTLY tucked and the anal sphincter SLIGHTLY contracted. This assists in maintain alignment of the lumbar vertebrae with the thoracic vertebrae. The ears are pushed up away from the shoulders to align the cervical vertebrae with the rest of the spine.

I am in agreement with those traditionalists who insist that one simply cannot acquire real skill until this stance is thoroughly mastered. Many traditional martial arts teachers encourage their pupils to stand in this stance for varying lengths of time, This strengthens and toughens the muscles of the legs, hips, and lower back. A dear friend of mine(and the world's foremost authority on Fut-Ga kung-fu), Mr. Arthur Lee of Honolulu, Hawaii, insisted that real kung-fu simply could not be learned until this stance was mastered.

Unknown to many practitioners, the regular practice of holding this stance also has a very beneficial effect on the breathing. Ancient texts tell us that practicing this exercise will cause the qi (vital energy) to gather in the dantien (an area within the lower abdomen). This fosters the development of the so-called “foothold” (the ability to firmly root oneself to the ground), which enables one to generate tremendous striking power. Without a solid root, this is simply not possible.

Moreover, the (correct) horse-riding posture has a beneficial effect over the entire body, which includes not only the larger muscle groups but the internal functions as well. In times long since past, kung-fu teachers would recommend “holding the horse-riding stance” as a form of health maintenance and for students suffering from various ailments.

Because this exercise is more than a little boring and uncomfortable, many contemporary instructors simply gloss over it. They fear that they'll lose students if they urge students to practice such routines. And they're probably right. But then, martial arts isn't for everyone and a teacher who is true to his art will not compromise it for the sake of a few bucks.

So, there you have it. The lowly horse-riding stance is probably the most frequently employed posture in the martial arts but within its practice lies many of the real secrets of martial skill. Most practitioners never really notice it because it's been so well hidden...in plain sight.