You Can’t do One Martial Art without the Other!

Newsletter 878

THE SUMMER OF SUPER MARTIAL ARTS!

Happy hot day to you!
Hot days are the best days,
the work outs sweat you hard
and you detox the body.
Do it!

One thing people should remember,
when it comes to the martial arts,
is that they are not all hard,
nor all soft.

Take a look at Morihei Ueshiba.
Guy studied some serious hard arts
before he came up with peace and love.

How about Tai Chi?
Those soft moves
are backed up by some brutal moves.

So what does this mean?
It means you have study both the hard and the soft.
You can’t study one without the other.

Now,
eventually,
if only by age and injuries,
your hard art will soften up.
Then comes enlightenment
and a profound appreciation for both sides of the yin yang.

But why wait forty years?
Why risk not making it to forty years
and not even discovering the other side of the art,
of yourself?

I’ll tell you the truth here:
when people ask me why my karate punches are so effective,
I tell them Tai Chi.
When people ask me why my Tai Chi is so effective
I tell them Karate.

That’s the truth.
Because I know what a hard punch is,
I have been able to develop tai chi to handle them.
Because I know what sensitivity and balance are
I have been able to develop Karate beyond simple muscles.

Okay,
I know I’m preaching to a a few of the choir here,
but there are others out there
who need to know this.
Who need to do some Tai Chi or Aikido
to go along with their punchology.
And there are others
who need to beef up their punches
with some good old karate or kung fu,
if they are going to evolve
their sweet and sensitive side.

Here’s TWO links…

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

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

If you order the DOWNLOAD ONLY…
(Not the physical disks!)

I will give you two for the price of one.
Simply order one of the above courses,
Temple Karate or Five Army Tai Chi,
DOWNLOAD ONLY,
and write to me,
say you want the two for one deal,
and I will send you the passcode for
the DOWNLOAD ONLY.

Let’s see,
it’s wednesday,
so let’s make this offer good through Sunday, July 16.
Come Monday don’t bother to whine and grovel,
it’s gone.

So do it,
take advantage,
I don’t make offers like these often.
In fact,
can you even remember the last time?
So do it,
and make this the summer of super martial arts,
study and master BOTH sides!

Have a great work out!

Al

Here’s TWO links…

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

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

If you order the DOWNLOAD ONLY…
(Not the physical disks!)
ONLY GOOD UNTIL SUNDAY, JULY 16, 2017!

http://www.martialartsinstructortraining.com

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

go to and subscribe to this newsletter:

https://alcase.wordpress.com

Remember,

Google doesn’t like newsletters,

so this is the best way to ensure you get them.

You can find all my books here!

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

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

American Indians and Pa Kua Chang

Newsletter 833 ~ subscribe now!

Pa Kua Chang and Indian Stealth Skills!
part one

Good evening!
I just finished teaching,
2 1/2 hours of bliss,
and I am in heaven.
Let me share a little of that heaven with you.
Here’s one of the things I was thinking about,
which relates to the martial arts.
Specifically,
how Pa Kua Chang relates to the stealth skills
of the native American Indians.

The most important Martial Arts book ever written.

Incidentally,
I am going to write five articles on this subject,
so if you want all five,
subscribe to the newsletter.
The other four articles will be coming out over the next month.

The American Indians were arguably
the greatest light infantry in the world.
They could outrun horses,
they had thoroughly mastered such weapons as
bows and arrows, knives, hand to hand, and so on.
And, they were masters of stealth.

Think about this:
to put food on their table
they had to be able to sneak up on wild animals.
This meant they walked with no noise,
don’t rustle a leaf,
or step on a twig.
Do it so well that a deer won’t hear you.
Have you ever seen how big a deer’s ears are?

The way they walked was very specific.
They did not walk heel to toe,
they did not place their heel down first,
the placed the front of their foot down first,
so they could feel a twig,
or any other surface that was going to cause noise
sufficient to alert an animal.
So they placed the front of the foot down first,
then rolled to the heel,
and they were aware,
feeling with their feet,
sensitive to whatever they were walking on.
And they walked fast enough to close on an animal
before the animal went elsewhere to feed,
and without alarming the animal.
That takes incredible skill.

Interestingly,
this method of walking is very similar to the way
students of Pa Kua Chang walk.
The precise way of walking in Pa Kua Chang
is to place the whole foot down,
gently,
sensing the ground through the feet.
This eliminates slippage on icy, grassy, wet whatever surfaces.
Further,
it breeds silence.
Further,
it enables the student to grip the ground.

This method of walking
is commonly called ‘Mud Walking.’
Walk so you won’t slip in mud.
Walk silently,
with no wasted (as in audible) energy.

There are differences here,
but here is the point:
both methods are used to build awareness.

It is awareness that makes a better martial artist,
not muscles,
not speed,
not anything else.
It is awareness,
of environment,
of the opponent,
of whatever is going on around you.

It’s funny,
when I hear people refer to Indians as savages
I have to suppress laughter.
They adapted to their environment,
they built a technology
that made them possibly the finest warriors in the world.

If you just study them,
if you consider how you might use their methods,
how you might improve your awareness,
you will find that they were geniuses of combat.

Now,
let’s be honest,
I haven’t studied Indian combat methods in depth,
but I have studied methods that closely align.
Here’s the link to Pa Kua Chang.

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/butterfly-pa-kua-chang/

Think about what I’ve said here,
and then bury yourself in some Pa Kua,
it will be well worth the journey.

Stay tuned for four more articles
concerning the martial arts
and the stealth abilities of the American Indian.

and have a great work out!

Al

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/butterfly-pa-kua-chang/

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

go to and subscribe to this newsletter:
https://alcase.wordpress.com

Remember,
Google doesn’t like newsletters,
so this is the best way to ensure you get them.

You can find all my books here!
http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/

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

Turn Up the Heat on Chi Development

Newsletter 740
Turning Up the Chi Heat

Listen,
here’s a bit of data that not many people know,
and don’t understand if they do.

The word tan tien,
the hieroglyphics that make that word,
have to do with a fire giving off heat.
Some linguist can take me to task,
but that’s my understanding.
The tan tien is an oven giving off heat.

New Gung Fu book!
Click on the Cover!

Now,
here’s the funny thing,
most forms of martial arts
do not cause the tan tien
to generate heat.

It’s true.

Yes,
a little heat.
But there is so much emphasis on correct posture
that people miss the ‘incorrect posture’
that is necessary for giving off heat.

I know Karate is that way,
most Kung Fu styles are that way,
and I know that even I
sometimes misrepresent it.

But the reason I misrepresent this fact
of the tan tien giving off heat
is because learning proper alignment
is more important.
At least,
in the beginning.

So let’s assume you aren’t a beginner,
and want to learn about
the real alignment necessary
for your tan tien to give off heat.

Be subtle when you do what I am about to tell you.

Tuck the hips,
and round the back.

In pa kua I refer to this as
‘turtle backing.’

And,
you will find this posture
in arts such as pa kua and using i.
Not so much Tai Chi,
though some instructors will note it,
but not normally the Yang instructors.

Now,
do your form with tucked hips
and rounded back.
Make sure your body is relaxed,
and you tighten only your fists.
Make sure you are properly grounded with your feet.

After doing a half dozen forms,
or repetition of a form,
go sit down somewhere and wait.

Sure enough,
if you’ve done it right,
you will feel a sensation of heat
rising up through your body.

And,
the sensation can get QUITE strong.

So,
what do we do with this?

Well,
heat is a manifestation of energy,
so if you are generating heat,
you are generating energy.
Simple dimple.

Now all you have to do is think of your fists
when you strike from that ‘back rounded’ position,
and the energy will start to go into your fists.

And,
a note,
proper body alignment,
taking into account
that it is now okay to round the back
and learn how to line energy through it,
will increase energy to all parts of your body.

Okay.

Want more?

Check out
Matrixing Chi
on the Monster website.

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/4c-matrixing-chi-power/

And,
a good bet is the book on
The Punch.

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/hard-punch/

Okely dokely.
I’ll try to get in some kind of groove here,
I’ve been late and missing on putting out the newsletter,
but I can only get better,
eh?

Now,
have a great work out!

Al

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

Making the Four Decisions of Martial Arts Freestyle!

Winning at Martial Arts Freestyle

To be victorious while using martial arts in a fight it is necessary to make the decision to win the fight. Without that decision, simply, there is no way you are going to become victorious in freestyle, or kumite. Thus, you have to practice making the decision, and then implement a plan so that the decision becomes reality in your martial arts freestyle.

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There are five decisions you must make to back up the decision to win a fight. This combat strategy is found in every fight. This is the strategy you must understand and master if you are going to be able to deliver the original decision.

The first decision, and the most important, is that there is going to be a fight. Interestingly, you don’t have to get in a fight if you refuse to make the decision to be in a fight. Even if the other person has made a decision, unless you agree with his decision, you don’t have to fight.

The second decision involves distances involved in the fight. You should understand , at this point, that a fight is going to collapse in distance. And, you must understand that if you can control this distance, and even change collapsation into expansion at will, you can control and win a fight.

The third decision has to do with which side of the bodies the fight is going to occur on. One out of eight people being left handed, a fight will usually occur with right hand, and the bodies will turn to fit the hands, and the fight will be on that side. If you can control that decision, as to which side the fight will be on, then you are going to win that fight.

The fourth decision is going to be whether you are on the inside or the outside. What this means is that if he punches with a right hand, you must block/push/whatever so that his right hand misses you on the outside, and you see the inside of his wrist. And, if he punches with the right, you must block/push/whatever so that his right hand misses you on the inside, and you see the outside of his wrist.

There are other decisions in a fight, there can be millions of decisions, literally. Do you wish the fight to be conducted at a specific distance, such as foot, or fist, or elbow, or whatever. Or, do you wish to control the decisions so that the fight collapses or expands in distance as you wish, from foot to elbow to knee to throw to fist to foot to whatever, your choice, and so on.

The point, however, is that to control all the other decisions, you must control the first four decisions. If you can understand and create drills to back up these decisions, then you can win any fight. Of course, as I said in the beginning, the first decision, that you are going to win that fight, is the most important.

The Matrix Karate course will enable you to figure out ALL the decisions one has to know how to make in a fight.

The Pa Kua Mystery

Do enough Pa Kua Chang and something really weird happens. Pa Kua, as many people know, is that martial art where you walk in a circle endlessly.

Circles where you find loops within spirals within circles. To explain this really weird thing that happens in Pa Kua Chang, let me explain a couple of things first. Understand these things, and you will find that weird is normal in this universe, and normal is weird. Okey dokey?

The circle must consist of eight steps from beginning to end. This is about one good leg sweep, or six feet in diameter. And, of course, the beginning is the end, and the end is the beginning, and so on.

Long time Pa Kua students claim that if you explore various positions of the palms as you walk the circle, that the positions stand for various phenomena. Fire palms, water palms, lightening palms, thunder palms, and so on.

By following this analogy they have created a separate and entire universe. While this universe can occupy a student for a lifetime, there hasn’t been a good explanation for what is happening, up till now.

When you create this Pa Kua universe, you should understand that the body is a machine. Just like alternating current, power goes down and up the legs. You should confirm it with a good dictionary, at this point, that power is energy, and energy is the capacity for work, and the capacity for work is how much weight you can lift.

Energy of the body is credited with being created by the tan tien. The tan tien is a point a couple of inches below the navel. The tan tien sends the energy down and up and the legs and back into the tan tien. What happens is that the body becomes a capacitor, a storage device, and the energy can be stored for later use. But also, and most interesting, is that after walking the circle sufficient with the idea I’ve detailed here, you will experience actual lightening going up and down your legs.

You will also, as you explore the potential of the palms in conjunction with the storing of the energy, experience a barber pole type energy swirl up and down your arms. Pa Kua is not mystical, it is common sense physics, but it does take a dedicated practitioner and a calm mind to experience what I have explained here.

For the body to start acting as a capacitor one must tell the body to do so enough times and with enough sincerity, and this while walking the circle enough times. If one learns to believe that this universe is not a trap, but a journey, what I have told you here is not only possible, but even easy.

Check out the Butterfly Pa Kua Chang at MonsterMartialArts.com

How to Create a Motor in the Martial Arts

Here an old post that deserves a new read…

One of the more profound mysteries in the martial arts is the concept of Chi. Chi is a mystical energy that pervades the universe in mysterious ways. And, chi is supposed to be a mystical energy that after a lifetime, you can use to do superhuman things. Unfortunately, proof seems to be sadly lacking for these claims concerning Chi. Maybe there are a few people who can do things, but most people can’t, and just a few exceptions here and there don’t prove the truth of certain theories concerning the subject of Chi. Fortunately, there is a theory that will result in Chi, that is not mystical, and that will work. A motor is two terminals which result in tension. Everything in the universe can be defined as a motor. Every tension in the universe is the result of a motor. An atom has a proton and electron interchanging to create energy. A cell has sodium and potassium interacting to create energy. Everywhere in the universe that you find two terminals opposing, you will find energy, and you will find a motor. And, when you take a martial arts stance with the human body, you have increased your weight, and this causes energy to move between the body and the planet. When you shift the weight from leg to leg, from stance to stance, the weight moves up and down the legs, and this excites the tan tien, a spot two inches below the navel which generates energy for the body. Thus, there is energy, and the body is a motor, and you can call this energy chi. Here’s the problem: everybody concentrates on making the body strong, and so creates only the low level chi required to operate the body. What people should be doing is focusing awareness on the procedure. If you build the awareness it takes to create the energy, you will build the energy that will result in the ‘superhuman’ potential that people look to Chi for. Thus, do your form, build awareness, and concentrate not on the violence of action, not on building the body, but on becoming aware of what you are doing. Feel the energy going down and up your legs, feel the energy building in the tan tien, and feel your connection with the planet. Do this and you will shortly become aware of energy building in your body in a surprising way. Energy that tingles a body part just by thinking of it, energy that warms the palms upon mere thought. Energy that can be channeled throughout your body and into the various body parts, and can even be felt outside your body. Once you have started building energy in this manner, then you can start searching for more spectacular ways to use it.

Why Does It Take So Long to Learn the Martial Arts?

The bully charges out of the alley and tosses a whole, darned trash can at you! Do you ask him to take that garbage can back because you’re only on your ninth Karate lesson and haven’t reached the deflecting the garbage can lesson? Or do you ask him go away because, here it comes, you forgot to pay your dues at the local dojo?

There is a point to all this silliness, why do the martial arts take so long to learn? You can teach a guy to fly a jet, get in a dogfight and get shot down, spend time in a concentration camp, get released and run for political office, and become a senator, and retire, in the time it takes to learn some systems of the martial arts. I heard of one system that it takes seventeen years to get to Black Belt in!

Some people will make the excuse that you’re learning more than self defense. You’re solving martial mysteries and its all about the lifestyle and you need to invest in your old age, you know? But you’re still lying under that trash can and the guy is pulling out a knife, and no matter how many lessons you’ve taken, you have to do something!

One of the old sayings that I heard, long time ago, is garbage in, garbage out. The sad fact of the matter is that if something is hard to put into your head, then it might not be easily accessed and used. Maybe it would be appropriate to find an art that is as easily absorbed as track, or boxing.

It is true that the Martial Arts are not a sport, they are an art, but they can still be learned easily and quickly. They just have to be taught not by one mystical technique after another, but rather by understanding concepts behind them. Those endless techniques that you memorize, to be truthful, are random data, and, often as not, they don’t really relate to one another.

That is a problem, to be sure, even if you learn a thousand techniques, you might not have enough data to be able to make sense out of the whole thing until you reach one thousand and one. And, let’s face it, a hundred years is to long to become competent. And then go to heaven.

The solution is that the martial arts must be taught on a conceptual basis. Instead of having a fellow memorize endless strings of tricks, have him learn the rather simple principles behind those tricks. Have him learn conceptually and he’s suddenly going to be able to figure out those thousand techniques without any need for endless memorization.

Give him an acorn and throw in the watering pot, that’s what I believe, and then watch the oak shoot upwards. Most martial artists, and I don’t mean to be mean in this observation, are lost in the limbs of the trees. The real way to teach, however, is to show the guy the principles, then have use those principles, and, faster than a rabbit on steroids, you’ve got yourself a fast and competent martial artist.

How to Create a Motor in the Martial Arts

One of the more profound mysteries in the martial arts is the concept of Chi. Chi is a mystical energy that pervades the universe in mysterious ways. And, chi is supposed to be a mystical energy that after a lifetime, you can use to do superhuman things. Unfortunately, proof seems to be sadly lacking for these claims concerning Chi. Maybe there are a few people who can do things, but most people can’t, and just a few exceptions here and there don’t prove the truth of certain theories concerning the subject of Chi. Fortunately, there is a theory that will result in Chi, that is not mystical, and that will work. A motor is two terminals which result in tension. Everything in the universe can be defined as a motor. Every tension in the universe is the result of a motor. An atom has a proton and electron interchanging to create energy. A cell has sodium and potassium interacting to create energy. Everywhere in the universe that you find two terminals opposing, you will find energy, and you will find a motor. And, when you take a martial arts stance with the human body, you have increased your weight, and this causes energy to move between the body and the planet. When you shift the weight from leg to leg, from stance to stance, the weight moves up and down the legs, and this excites the tan tien, a spot two inches below the navel which generates energy for the body. Thus, there is energy, and the body is a motor, and you can call this energy chi. Here’s the problem: everybody concentrates on making the body strong, and so creates only the low level chi required to operate the body. What people should be doing is focusing awareness on the procedure. If you build the awareness it takes to create the energy, you will build the energy that will result in the ‘superhuman’ potential that people look to Chi for. Thus, do your form, build awareness, and concentrate not on the violence of action, not on building the body, but on becoming aware of what you are doing. Feel the energy going down and up your legs, feel the energy building in the tan tien, and feel your connection with the planet. Do this and you will shortly become aware of energy building in your body in a surprising way. Energy that tingles a body part just by thinking of it, energy that warms the palms upon mere thought. Energy that can be channeled throughout your body and into the various body parts, and can even be felt outside your body. Once you have started building energy in this manner, then you can start searching for more spectacular ways to use it.

Balancing the Martial Arts!

Balancing through Matrixing and Neutronics

One of the concepts I came across
early in the martial arts
was the concept of balance.

At first I thought it was
keeping your equilibrium, not falling down
while doing something.

Then I got into dietary things,
and ways of moving energy in the body,
but I didn’t really get it,
until I started doing Neutronics.

So you are standing on one leg,
the muscles on both sides of the leg
fire up,
trying to keep the balance.
It was a faster way of getting stronger,
bordered on Yoga.

And I started exploring other methods
of achieving balance.
When through stances,
balancing between the feet,
trying to find the tan tien,
trying to keep the tan tien working,
using the proper amount of push/pull,
especially when changing stances.

Went into how the body loses balance
when you extend limbs.
Requires a constant adjustment of balance
even while doing the most subtle motion.

Here’s the thing,
everything in life is a motor.
This is a basic neutronics principle.
A motor,
as defined in neutronics,
is when there is tension between two terminals.
Tension can be a push or pull.

So,
to take this thing of motors and terminals a little further,
let’s say you have a fight with the mate,
that means there is tension between,
and you have to figure out
how to balance the tension.

A fight means you are probably pushing towards each other.
That would definitely create tension.

So,
how do you cure a fight?
Well,
there are three ways.

One,
you fight harder,
you win,
the other person loses.
Yeehaw!

Two,
you give up.
The other person wins,
or,
if you really gave up,
the other person
has nobody to fight.

Three,
you agree with the other person.

Do you get it?
Either towards,
away,
or with.
Those are the only three directions
in the martial arts or life
in the whole durned universe.

A dog tries to bite you.
Do you go towards him?
Scare him?

Or do you go away,
hoping to outrun
the length of his chain?

Or do you…?
How the heck can you harmonize with a dog?
And this isn’t just a loose question,
as there are many people that are mad dogs.

To harmonize with a dog
you have to change your spirituality.
You become something that the dog doesn’t want to bite.
Not because he is scared,
but because he is suddenly transported out of fear.

You see a dog bites because he is scared.
A human fights because he is scared.
That’s an absolute.
Hiding in the heart of the biggest bully,
is fear.

If there wasn’t fear,
then the bully wouldn’t want to fight.
Think about it.

So a dog goes to bite you,
and you turn and look at him,
and you have nothing in your mind.

No reaction.
No fear.
He hasn’t made you fear,
thus there is no fear,
and then there isn’t any fear in the dog,
so he stops coming at you
except to rub against your leg
and look for a good petting.

Now,
here’s the interesting thing.
I was up here at Monkeyland,
one of the first times,
when we were trying to buy the property,
and the previous owner had a mean dog.
Three of us were standing in the drive,
talking,
and suddenly I feel ‘Buddy’
nosing at the back of my leg.
The owner takes in his breath,
I can see he expects the dog to bite me,
and I turn and look down at the dog.

He is caught,
and finds that there is nothing to bite.
I am not threatening him.
I am with him.
I understand his fear,
so there is no fear,
and he suddenly nuzzles against me.
Whines.
So I pet him.

But it all comes from understanding balance,
and this thing of neutronics
that there are only three motions in the universe,
towards, away, or with,
and that using these three things to achieve balance
changes you,
makes you impervious to fear,
or any other odd emotion or thought.

Look,
if you want to conquer life,
and by that I mean to agree with it (go with it)
until it does exactly what you want it to,
then you have to understand the other person,
and then you have to choose the right motion.
Towards, away, or with.

Do you know why some Muslims don’t like Christians?
Because they don’t understand them.
Do you know why some people are racists?
Because they don’t understand them.

So you could stamp the other person out,
and win,
or you could run away,
or you could find out about them,
study them until you understand them,
and thus be able to go with them
without losing any of your own beliefs.

It’s a simple thing.
Too simple for governments and politicians.

In the martial arts,
it’s not Karate over Jujitsu,
or
Gung Fu is better than Taekwondo,
or
Krav Maga is superior to Aikido…

It is studying each and every art,
until you understand them.
Then…
you can put them together,
blend them.
Know them all
without losing any of yourself,
or pride in your specific system,
or self respect.
Heck,
the truth is,
when you understand everything,
you gain in pride and respect,

When a person thinks his art is better than somebody else’s
all it shows is a degree of fear.
A wrong type of pride.
An ignorance,
and,
the worst thing in the world,
the inability to learn.

But,
it all comes down to this thing of balance.
Figuring out where the fight is,
where the tension is,
and then balancing the terminals
by choosing one of the three directions.

So,
if you are studying only an art that goes towards,
go to the monster
and find an art that goes away.

And,
if you are studying an art that goes away,
go to the monster
and find an art that goes towards.

Balance your arts,
until there is no tension between arts.
you will find that there is a resulting lack of tension
in your head,
in your attitude towards the world.

And,
if you already understand what I am saying here,
and you want to know more about this thing of balancing,
and choosing the right direction,
if you want to know the physics
behind every motion in the world,
outside and inside your head,
then pop over to the ChurchofMartialArts.com
Start reading a few of the books,
put them together with the martial arts.
‘Prologue’ is a good place to start,
as it is an overview,
then you can start getting more specific.
At any rate,
Neutronics will teach you how to always
make the right decision,
how to balance all tension,
it’s the fastest and easiest way
in the whole wide world
to help the people around you,
and to take over life,
to conquer it smoothly,
and make life do exactly whatever you want.

Here’s the URL for prologue.

http://churchofmartialarts.com/bookstore/church-prologue/

Al

http://churchofmartialarts.com/bookstore/church-prologue/

The Work Out Before Christmas!

Hanakwanmass!

(Hanuka/Kwanza/Christmas)

Budo means ‘to put down the spear.’
So whoever you are,
wherever you are,
work out long and hard,
so you can put down the spear
and hug your fellow man.

One of the things that newbies don’t think of,
they are so immersed in their studies,
is what is martial arts good for
after the mat.

It is so much fun to fight,
that they don’t think about the discipline they are building,
and the increased awareness,
and it takes them a while
to figure out what martial arts are good for.

So let me ask you the question…
have you picked up a musical instrument
since you began martial arts?
Or put some poetry down on paper?
Or taken classes in school?
Or done something else that requires
discipline, awareness,
patience,
whatever virtue you possess?

One of the things I enjoy is Haiku.
Haiku is a form of poetry,
requires extreme discipline,
and you end up with something like…

the frog on the pad
sees the moon in the water
kills it in one jump

And you think about life before you became aware of it,
whether a frog has awareness
what the moon looked like to that frog
before he attacked it.

This type of thought
is so much more fulfilling
than tweeting.

This type of thought fills your soul,
instead of emptying it.

So make a Hanakwanmass Haiku,
if you will.
Something about a tree
an ornament
a work out
a sword
a present
or…?

And think about how you are going to use
that delicious discipline you are building.

think about music
or writing
or painting
or whatever.

How can you express all that discipline and awareness
once you walk off the mat?

Okey dokey,
I know you’ve got family a waiting,
presents to open,
but make sure you take the time to visit the monster.

A glitter of electrons,
a computer present,
jump in.

Hanakwanmass to all!
And a durned fine work out, too.

Al

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/2f-matrixing-the-master-text/

PS
following is my annual seasonal poetry.
Read it wisely.

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS!

Twas the night before Christmas
I was in my shack
primed and ready
for the red fat attack.

my weapons were loaded
the windows were barred
all would be safe
while I was on guard

The chimney was decked
with concertina wire
I crouched by the couch
ready to fire.

I had an M60
with ammo to feed
I didn’t care
if the red fat did bleed.

A loaded shotgun
and grenades to spare
when red fat came down
I’d blow him out of there.

Throwing stars and knives
and a really long sword
and if that didn’t work
I knew a bad word.

Sitting there late
my eyes started to close
when suddenly I heard
a bunch of ho hos.

Off with the lights
safety off, too
I  watched the fire close
and heard a sound from the flu.

‘Ouch and gosh darn it
who put the wire here
those are my undies
starting to tear!’

Then a shower of soot
and a grunt and a groan
he landed in the fire
and gave out a moan.

He was rubbing the place
where the wire did tear
so I held down the trigger
and lead filled the air.

belt after belt
did I deal the red fat
he danced and he jumped
I knew he felt that!

then quicker than spit
I ran out of lead
but enough was enough
he had to be dead.

Boy was I shocked
to see him stand tall
stepping out of the fireplace
not bothered at all.

So I grabbed up the 16
to mow him down
he had to be hurting
cause I saw his big frown.

Then I was empty
and he came straight for me
I pulled out my knives
and sliced him with glee

He jumped to the side
moving real quick
disarmed my knives
with a well placed kick

then he dropped the big bag
he had on his shoulder
reached forth his arms
and his anger did smolder

He grabbed hard my neck
and held me up high
I tried kicks and punches
but I was like a fly

Not karate nor judo
no art did work
and he grinned a mean grin
and called me a jerk

‘Don’t you know
you stupid little man
Christmas is forever
in spite of your plan.’

Then he threw me aside
and proceeded to work
giving presents to all
and to me a great smirk

And when he left
the great big red fat
he left me a lump of coal
the big red fat rat!

HANAKWANMASS TO ALL

and to all
have a great work out.

Al
=o)