Newsletter 1006

Extra Bonus on Nine Square Diagram!

Hi guys and gals,

I just put up a couple of extra bonuses

on the Nine Square Diagram courses.

The hard side gets a video

with more data on lop sau.

The soft side gets a video

and more data on push hands.

I included a video

on how the three freestyles fit together.

It’s a freestyle sequence,

and it will help everybody understand

how matrixing works with freestyle.

If you are getting this email

and don’t know what I’m talking about

check out this site…

https://9squarediagramboxing.wordpress.com

It’s got everything you need to know.

and a great work out, too!

Al

A New Fourth Black Belt!

Newsletter 1003

Justin Earns a Fourth Degree Black Belt

Happy Covid!

Hope you’re enjoying your vacation,

and that all is well with your friends and families.

Haven’t been writing much lately,

well I have,

actually I’ve been writing 8 hours a day,

but it’s been in other fields.

Simply,

I need to make some money.

That lame excuse out in the universe,

let me say…

CONGRATS TO JUSTIN HARRIS

Justin just earned his black in Shaolin Butterfly,

which, with the other arts he has studied

earns him a fourth degree black belt.

WELL DONE!

Now that’s a guy who takes advantage of the Corona crisis!

Okay, 

Since I haven’t been writing much lately,

you can always catch up on old writings.

First,

the inexpensive way,

just go to

https://alcase.wordpress.com

and start reading the blog.

There’s probably

a 1000 blogs there.

Or,

if you want to go a bit more in depth,

I compiled all my articles in a ten book series.

The Biggest Martial Arts Lesson

That’s a lot of articles,

near a thousand,

and they cover EVERYTHING!

 Or,

you could just start ordering courses,

stop reading about and start experiencing.

You know,

I came across an interesting question today.

It was something to do with how many defenses you need

to really protect yourself

I started to chuckle,

cause the guy had it backwards.

You don’t worry about how many things you can do,

you just worry about what he is going to do.

If you are worried about what you will do

you are introverting,

and not looking out,

to where the danger is.

So look outwards

and learn to analyze strikes.

Do you know how many punches there are?

Six.

That’s all.

So let me cover this in more or less logical (matrixed) fashion.

There are two punches left and right

There are two types of punches straight and circular

There are two modes of punches snap and thrust

When you matrix these, and toss out things that don’t work (you don’t snap a circular punch, for instance) You end up with six possible strikes. Of course they could sail in fron odd directions, but still, only six…

left straight snap

left straight thrust

left circular

right straight snap

right straight thrust

right circular

So,

first, watch for the kick.

No danger from punches or other strikes,

maybe from weapons,

but you will usually see if there is a weapon pretty quick.

Second, as you step in

the kick gets jammed,

easy to handle with a retreat or a turned hip, etc.

Now you have to worry about the punch,

but worry introverts,

so you just watch him.

I know some people say you have to train

for punches from the rear,

yes,

but as soon as you turn to him he is in the front,

so front training is where the punch is coming from.

Watch his feet to see if he is angling for a punch

watch his shoulders to see if he is loading

sidestep slowly,

always being ready,

and always moving so he can’t quite fix on you.

Third,

don’t worry about knees and elbows,

he has to close to use those,

and that is so obvious it is ridiculous.

And there it is.

Fighting is easy,

reading an opponent is easy.

Of course,

it all means nothing

if you don’t spend some time

hitting things so you can feel what it feels like

practicing forms so your body is in top top shape,

and just training like your life depends on it

because,

darn it,

it does.

Anyway,

that is sort of how you apply simple logic (matrixing) to fighting.

And,

obligatory ad,

you really should look into my courses,

because they are all like this,

simple and thorough,

realistic and fun.

That all said,

don’t worry about the Covid crisis,

because worrying is introverting

and life is out there.

Instead,

train hard and strengthen the immune system,

best medical advice I can give you.

Sensei Case

Have a great work out!

Al

Here is ‘The Last Martial Arts Book,’

Best one I have ever written,

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/nine-square-diagram-boxing/

A Martial Arts Night Before Christmas…

Newsletter 993

The Martial Arts Night Before Xmas

Here it is,
my annual Xmas poem,
the Night Before Xmas,
adapted for Martial Artists.

I won’t make apologies for it,
but I will ask one thing,
a present to me for Xmas,
if you will.

If I have offended,
sent the wrong order,
dropped a communication,
offended you in ANY manner,
even with this poem,
please forgive.
It’s a new year,
help me start it fresh,
the world is too wonderful a place
to carry around ANY ill will.

Now,
with no further ado,
here is…

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 a great work out.

Have a great work out!
Al

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

Bruce Lee Died Because of One Thing!

Newsletter 977

How Bruce Lee Died

One of the biggest questions I get,
year after year year,
is how did Bruce Lee die.
At first I didn’t know.
I searched through all the theories,
his family was cursed,
he was poisoned by jealous masters,
he had a bad reaction to
marijuana, tea, speed, aspirin, etc.
None of these worked,
all the theories fell apart under close examination.
Recently,
however,
I found out the real reason Bruce died.
It is totally logical,
backed up by facts,
makes sense,
and I fell it is the real reason.

Did you know that Bruce had his sweat glands removed?
That’s right.
He was trying to get rid of ‘underarm blotch,’
which looked terrible on the camera.
Now,
sweat glands are important,
and the ones under the arms VERY important.
It is a way of cooling down the body when it is overheated.
Overheated like working out,
shooting films in 100 degree heat under lights,
and so on.
In the months before Bruce died
word has it that he had fainted several times.
His brain is supposed to have swollen.
Again,
a byproduct of heat.
So Bruce Lee died through overheating his body,
which was caused by his having certain of his sweat glands removed.

Can I be totally, 100% sure?
No.
But I can be 99% sure.
His history,
the condition of his body,
the effect of removing sweat glands,
it all makes sense.

I would love to have a doctor exhume the body and find out for sure.
Except,
it’s done.
Whether it is misadventure
through the removal of sweat glands,
or Triad masters giving him repeated overdoses of aspirin.
Bruce is gone.
Thank God he was with us for a while,
he sure left us some gold.

Here’s a link to a site filled with Bruce Lee info.

http://freebrucelee.com

Have a great work out!

Al

A WIN!

I’ve come to the same conclusion as Bruce (Lee):  I no longer believe in ‘styles’.  I believe every martial artist has to create their own personal martial art.  Even if they are a die hard ‘traditionalist’ they still do it their own way or their own interpretation. ~ Matt R

“The less effort, the faster and more powerful you will be.”
– Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee’s Secret of Formless MartialArts

Newsletter 976

Formless like Bruce Lee

There is a quote by Bruce Lee…

“You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.”

Now a lot of people refer to this quote.
It is held up as an iconic concept,
a golden standard.
Be formless.

And it is almost entirely misunderstood.

I heard one fellow say,
I don’t want to study karate
because I want to be formless.

But how can you be formless if you don’t have form first?
Do you think Bruce didn’t study forms?
He studied Wing Chun,
which has forms.
And he studied the forms of the drills,
the form of the Sticky Hands.
The guy was a living,
walk and talking
form.
Then he was formless.

First comes form,
then comes formlessness.

I want you to google Fred Astair.
Old time dancer.
Probably the most graceful man who ever lived.
His secret?
He makes every thing look effortless.
Do you know how much effort it took
to make his moves effortless?

Now consider that same concept with form.

Do you know how hard Bruce studied
how hard he worked,
how he must have visualized and sweated
to become formless?

Fortunately,
you can choose from a lot of arts to study,
and you can choose from a lot of forms.
You can choose the ones which intrigue you,
which fascinate you,
which seem to be the best for self defense,
or whatever your goal is in the martial arts.

Here are some of my favorite forms.
http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/6-shaolin-butterfly/

They are incredibly simple,
very short,
very easy to translate into formlessness.
(Read the win below…)

Have a great work out!
Al

A WIN!

Al,
I’ve sped through the Shaolin Butterfly, am learning the Five Army Tai Chi Chuan and the Butterfly Baguazhang. It seems to me that now I can look at classical forms and simply understand how to do them correctly. It’s absolutely amazing. The practice and learning process basically infuses a student with the basics to make anything work. To correct the whole of an art simply by looking at the forms and playing around with them. I’ve applied this to many classical forms I learned years ago. Thanks so much for the master key to all the martial arts right in my hand. ~ Justin

“The stillness in stillness is not the real stillness;
only when there is stillness in movement does the universal rhythm manifest.”

– Bruce Lee

A Martial Arts Night Before Xmas!

Newsletter 952

The Night Before Xmas

Here it is,
my annual Xmas poem,
the Night Before Xmas,
adapted for Martial Artists.

I won’t make apologies for it,
but I will ask one thing,
a present to me for Xmas,
if you will.

If I have offended,
sent the wrong order,
dropped a communication,
offended you in ANY manner,
even with this poem,
please forgive.
It’s a new year,
help me start it fresh,
the world is too wonderful a place
to carry around ANY ill will.

Now,
with no further ado,
here is…

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 a great work out.

Have a great work out!
Al

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

Here’s a Christmas win…

A WIN!

Merry Christmas my friend. I love what you do, and you’ve changed the way I approach the arts that I love. 2018 marks my 40th year as a martial artist, and I believe that what you do is so important to us true believers. Please remember that innovation is always going to be violently resisted initially. What you do is absolutely logical, and it’s impossible for any sane man to argue with logic. Press on with pride brother. You ARE making history and a legacy. Best wishes and thanks.
– Sean

“There is no comfort in the growth zone and no growth in the comfort zone”
Unknown

Offending Everybody with Martial Arts

Newsletter 950

Something You Should Know About Martial Arts

You’re going to have a great time,
you’ll be remembering the MA all your life,
you’ll be healthy,
when old people get alzheimer’s,
you won’t.
when other people are carrying oxygen tanks,
you’ll breath easy.
When they are in wheel chairs,
you’ll be spry.
The truth is…
you’re going to be feeling so freakin’ young
while everybody else grows old.
It’s odd,
so think about it
and prepare yourself.
Your life is going to be great.

And,
speaking of great things,
let me change subjects here
and say…

HANAKWANMASS!

That’s right,
it’s that time of year.
Past years people have gotten upset
if you say Merry Xmas.
You’re supposed to go generic,
‘happy holidays,’
and not offend anybody.
I say…
OFFEND THEM ALL!

If it makes a difference to somebody
that you wish them well
in a manner they don’t like…
well,
they’re idiots.

And,
my solution,
offend everybody.
Wish them HanaKwanMass,
Hanukkah, Kwanza, Xmas.
Mix them together
and you’ll be able to offend everybody.
People who prefer Hanukkah
can get angry about Kwanza and Xmas,
People who prefer Kwanza
can get angry about Hanukkah and Xmas,
and people who prefer Xmas,
can get angry about Hanukkah and Kwanza.
You see?
You’re wishing everybody well,
but no matter who you say it to,
they get offended.
Pretty clever, eh?

So,
I wish you a HanaKwanMass,
and if you don’t like it,
tough bananas,
it’s your problem.

And,
if you are offended,
the best way to get over it
is to work out.
Work out your angry,
work our your upset,
and know that working out,
know that the martial arts,
gives you calm and certainty,
makes you stable and friendly.
Martial Arts makes the world better.

Have a great work out!
Al

Here is the obligatory ad,
it’s about matrixing the samurai sword.
go to the link,,
purchase a present for yourself,
and wish me a HanaKwanMass.

http://monstermartialarts.com/matrixing-kenjutsu/

Here’s a great win from a previous Xmas…

A WIN!

hi sensei Al
Happy holiday workout to you…just wanted to say thank you for everything, it was a great first year with you and the matrix universe.
I enjoyed everything, the journey, the learning, the discovering and all. you are an amazing teacher of life. Honest to God, the world is a bit a better place because you are here. My life has definitely improved because of you. I think I even got a bit smarter if not wiser. Thank you! ;-))
Btw, I took the yogata course today, awesome, looks quite easy to learn and pragmatic. Exactly what I was looking for to get started. I want to implement it into my training syllabus. I am working on my karate form and blocks pretty much every day, on my blinding steel basics and matrix tai chi line every day. Nothing old discarded, the new will be incorporated to form a whole. After all, you designed it this way (grin). I read thru all the materials you gave me, bonuses and all, I filed and organized them neatly and work my way thru the concepts and discoveries. I love your scientific approach, cuts a lot of crap out. Thank you. I hope you are doing great and monkey land will thrive very soon. Do the world (and me, duh) a huge favor and turn your sword fighting books ASAP into an entire matrix kenjutsu course. ;-))

Happy Holiday workout and happy new year,
your biggest fan and student.

Why Karate Masters are Wrong

And what to do about it…

Defeating the Linearity of Karate

I was watching videos
of people doing karate on the internet.
This included demo teams,
old masters,
and whoever,
and I was struck
by wrong they are doing karate,
by how they didn’t really know karate.

The funny thing is
karate is one of the most powerful arts I know,
yet everybody is doing it wrong.
Let me give you one example.

Watch a video on youtube,
watch a demo team for karate.
They are fast, powerful, explosive.
It is not good karate.
Why?
Because their arms and legs move back and forth
in a linear manner,
stopping and starting.
Real karate is liquid,
it does not stop and start.
At the end of every movement there is a circle,
often too small to be easily seen.
this circle avoids the stopping and starting of the muscles.
It takes effort and muscular exertion
to stop and start muscle motion.
When you have a small circle
somewhere in the end of the motion,
which leads into the beginning of the next motion,
you are doing real karate.

Now,
those who don’t understand will argue,
that is okay,
they will remember
and eventually come around.
For those of you who are frowning,
standing up and checking to see
if you have a little loop on the end of a punch or block
(both ends)
the truth is dawning.
Karate is not linear.
It is not a rigid piston effect,
it is a looping,
neverending effect.
And,
what do you get out of it?

The loop helps change one move into the next
the loop saves energy and is more efficient
it is faster
your body becomes more liquid,
more fluid,
you start to develop ‘pulsing power.’
Pulsing power is when you…
push with the legs
turn the hips
throw the punch.
Not exactly together,
but one…two…three,
so fast that the punch becomes one motion,
each action lending power and energy to the next action,
and yet becoming more and more fluid.

Now,
I read of this concept originally
while reading books on Chinese martial arts.
And,
I observed my instructor,
who was quick and whippy,
fluid like a striking snake.
And I read about a more fluid karate in Shotokai
(not shotokan)
which is supposed to be the style
funakoshi handed down his lineage to.

And I thought about it,
and developed it,
and came to realize the truth of it.
So take your time,
practice your forms,
and search for places where you can
add a loop at the end of a technique.
Maybe it is in the motion of the hand,
maybe it’s a turn of the hip,
a sink of the hip,
and flip of the shoulder.
Whatever it is,
you’re now on the path to true karate.

And,
all these guys doing wrong karate?
They are phenomenal,
not to be disrespected,
but it is a simple matter of physics
that reveal them to be expert beginners,
even master beginners,
who haven’t made the transition past beginner,
into the real thing.

When I teach karate to newbies
I usually let them work on the piston effect.
But when they are starting to remember everything,
I shift them to the looping effect.

Now,
I don’t talk about the whiplike effect much,
I instead recommend people do Matrix Karate,
but if you have matrix karate under your belt,
you could look at Temple Karate.
I do more advanced forms there,
and you can probably,
if you have a quick eye,
see how I add the teensiest of loops
to make my karate fluid.

But your eye has to be quick,
because the longer you train,
the smaller your loops become
until no one can see your loops.

Have a great work out!
Al

Matrix Karate
http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/matrix-karate/

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

Following is a great win that shows one thing…you aren’t going to get the answers, you are going to get the questions, the questions that lead you to understanding your own martial art. Do you have the kind of mind that can do this?

A WIN!

I picked up Matrix Karate from you; and I definitely get it.  My area of study is Kajukenbo; and based on watching the Matrix Karate DVD last night, I am reasonably sure that matrixing Kajukenbo would be very straight forward.  Time consuming, yes, difficult no.  I think it would be best to break Kajukenbo into its 7 arts (Karate, Judo, Jiujitsu, Kenpo, Boxing, Kung Fu, and Escrima), and matrix each of those.  My questions are: do you think that is the right approach? Is there a particular order you think these should be taught in? Do you teach each matrix’d art to completion, then move to the next? And, how does sport karate fit in?  And finally; for the traditional forms, would those be one entire section? Or would you recommend splitting them into each sub-section of the art?

Rules to Learn the Martial Arts

Newsletter 938

Martial Arts Rules to Live By

We are born and we don’t know the rules.
the result is that for the history of man
we have been making up rules

Over 4,000 years ago
Hammurabi set down his rules.
280 rules on 12 stone tablets.
These rules dealt with everything,
from contracts to murder.

Then there was Moses,
10 rules on two tablets.

And throughout history everybody has made up rules,
rules to trade,
rules for criminals and punishment,
rules for marriage.

In your martial art there are doubtless rules.
Funakoshi wrote that there were six rules.
then only gave us five.
My theory is that the missing third rule had to do with matrixing.
But maybe that’s just me.
Grin.

In the school I am currently teaching
we have rules.
The head sensei came across these rules somewhere,
and printed them up and posted them
on the front door of the school.
Just to let you know,
before I reveal the rules,
his school specializes in kids.
He has no problem with specialized needs.
We even have a girl who is blind.
Every kid in there gets to help her,
and they all love it.
And she is actually learning some good martial arts.
Anyway,
here are the rules he posted.

In this studio…
We do second chances
We apologize
We forgive
We respect each other
We keep our promises
We never give up
We encourage one another
We laugh often
We belong…

I find it interesting to compare these rules
with the rules of other schools,
with rules posted by Funakoshi,
Hammurabi,
or whoever.

Obviously,
these rules were crafted by somebody
who wanted to reassure parents,
maybe was a social justice warrior,
maybe not,
and that’s okay.

My rules are pretty simple,
I write about them occasionally,
especially in my books on Neutronics.
They include such things as…

‘Be polite.’

and…

‘For something to be true,
the opposite must also be true.’

There are lots of rules in the world,
but they usually come back to such things as these.
I believe in simplicity.
Life is simple,
there is right…or wrong.
A simple choice,
that doesn’t need a lot of explanation.

The thing is this…
if you want to know the rules,
work out harder.
The rules of life are self-evident.
Simple truths.
Only crooks make them difficult.

Anyway,
I recommend ‘Chiang Nan’ this week.

http://monstermartialarts.com/how-to-translate-karate-into-tai-chi-chuan/

This book holds my thoughts on the original karate form,
how to translate karate to Tai Chi,
and the techniques deliberately hidden by the old masters.

The reason is simple…
if the old masters really hid the real techniques,
they were likely breaking their own rules.
Either that,
or they hadn’t worked out hard enough
to understand the real rules of living
and of the martial arts.

Have a great work out!

Al

http://monstermartialarts.com/how-to-translate-karate-into-tai-chi-chuan/

WIN!

Here’s a couple of wins I received. What makes them interesting is that two different people came across my ‘Buddha Crane’ book, and they reached similar conclusions, and had a heck of a lot of fun doing it.
The Buddha Crane book is bundled into ‘how to create your own art,’ and also as a book on Amazon.

Hello sir.
It’s going well. Really well. Once I was able to connect Buddha crane with shuri ryu, the pieces began to fall into place all by themselves.
The Buddha crane is the foundation of the kihon waza, ippons waza and came into their own flow drills(taezus naru waza).
Making changes to the Kata isn’t as easy, but I have done the first few Kata. Even crazier, I found someone who has already blended shuri ryu with something. So, it came rather easy.
Upon showing him how I’ve made changes opened his eyes and he’s asking me to give him pointers on how to make his karate be more ‘alive’.
My shuri ryu master is dead and I never got the chance to get my black belt. So, I’ve gone thru these people I’ve run into and just from what I showed them they are willing to bring me to the black belt in shuri ryu.
I’m not sure if that’s even important now, being that I matrixed the whole art, but I do hope to bring this understanding of shuri ryu to the table. Thus, starting a new (sub) ryu to the family.
I couldn’t have done it without you. Osu ~ Timothy G

Master founder,
How are you doing. I hope all is well. Happy belated fourth. Been busy with creating the art to make it my own. Honestly, I’ve been  working on some things with the arts. Oh yeah, I found a way to matrix the shuri ryu style. Quite interesting to see an existing art turn into something really workable.
Thanks to you sir, I’ve gained an understanding of true art. What turned it to be a great help was Buddha Crane Karate. Some fine points in that book. ~ John L

Martial Arts Become the Problem

Newsletter 936

What’s the Difference Between a Martial Art?

Why did you sign up for the martial arts?
What reason was ticking away in the back of your skull?
If you’re like me it was probably to get tough,
to be strong enough to fight back against the bullies.
And that is the secret of selling the martial arts.

To sell something you have to find a problem,
and offer what you’re selling as the solution.

The problem the martial arts addresses
is the student’s poor opinion of himself,
his desire not to be victim to all the people who bully him.
And this problem/solution has been selling the martial arts
since time was invented.

I remember a book in the fifties/sixties,
‘Super Karate Made Easy.’
And you don’t have to look for it,
it’s here…
http://monstermartialarts.com/free-martial-arts-books/

In this book situations were presented
in which the reader was addressed as being helpless,
but has fortunately studied a mysterious art.
Here’s a sample…

Your opponent tip-toes behind you and grabs your hair. To stop the hair pulling throw both your hands above your head and grab his hand. Follow thru with repeated smashes of the foot to opponent’s shin or down hard on his instep. That will be the last time this ingrate will get into your hair!

Do you see it?
You were a victim,
now you are offering the punishment.
This book sold…MILLIONS.
Wasn’t a very good book,
but it had the formula down,
present the reader as victim,
offer the solution.

When I signed up for Kenpo
I was fodder for the sales guy,
because I had just come through high school,
which means I had been bullied for four years.

In fact,
my parents told me to
shape up,
listen up,
shut up,
toe the line,
don’t fight back,
do what you’re told
and so on.

Then my teachers said to
shape up,
listen up,
shut up,
toe the line,
don’t fight back,
do what you’re told
and so on.

Even the other kids told me
shape up,
listen up,
shut up,
toe the line,
don’t fight back,
do what you’re told
and so on.

I wasn’t being raised…or educated,
I was being prepared for a life of
shape up,
listen up,
shut up,
toe the line,
don’t fight back,
do what you’re told
and so on.

So when I walked into that karate school,
and they offered me a solution,
man…I JUMPED AT IT!

Want to know a bad secret?
If you want to make money in the martial arts,
start up a website,
put a few techniques down on paper,
and surround them with descriptions of mayhem,
and sell them as a book.
And advertise the book by telling people they are weak,
and your ‘system’ are the solution.
Guaranteed.
You are going to get rich.

You don’t think so?
Go back through the internet scams
of the last few decades.

The guy
(who is described in a way that reminds you of you)
walks into a dangerous situation
(a bar, a party, a convention of skinheads)
accidentally offends
(bumps, is shoved into, makes a joke)
a bully
(a biker, a skinhead, a big drunk)
and uses a secret technique
(fight ender, prison elbows)
taught to him by a mysterious person
(monk, nun, spetznatz operative, green beret)
and he will share this system with you
for a price ending in 7.
(37.00, 47,00, etc.)

So why am I telling you this?
Because the other day I came across a website,
it was selling the same old same old,
a new and efficient system,
tossed out the slop,
focused on brutalizing the opponent.

I want you to think about that.
Brutalizing the opponent.
Isn’t that why you started the martial arts?
To stop being brutalized?
And now people are being sold on brutalizing.
They have become the problem.

The truth is that the martial arts have shifted.
They have gone from ‘defend yourself,’
to ‘beat the crap out of somebody.’
We have stopped seeking the solution,
and started seeking the problem.
Weird.

Now,
here’s the truth.
When I walk into a martial arts school,
I meet people who are not competent.
They don’t know how to teach the martial arts,
so they push fighting.
Not the martial arts,
but fighting.

Instead of drilling until one is aware of how a technique works,
the student is taught to fight…fight…fight!

Instead of learning how to control his body,
and thus the body of an opponent,
the student is taught how to brutalize.
Sure,
it’s all in the name of justice and humanity,
but it’s not in the spirit of justice and humanity.

What’s the solution?
Present the truth,
as best you can,
and hope you can penetrate to the human being
before he catches on fire.

The martial arts are not about fighting,
they are about not fighting.
About stopping the bully without beating the crap out of him.

It’s not about hitting the bag so hard you bust it,
it is about investing yourself with awareness.

Here’s the truth:
it’s not about beating some bully up,
it is about beating yourself up,
working out until you are so strong and competent
that the bully doesn’t come near you.
That is the way you create a peaceful world.
Not by pounding it into shape,
but by pounding yourself into awareness.

Here’s a win to encourage you.

Hello sir, I hope this email finds you in good spirits. I just wanted to give you an update on my progress with the Butterfly Pa Kua Chang training. I have kept up the 3 hours a day training, adding in some training elements such a lion holding the ball and the serving tea cups exercises. On the weekends I’ve been training at the parks here in Philadelphia, while my kids run around playing.

As previously mentioned I have a lot of martial experience, but Pa Kua Chang is unlike anything I had ever done in the past. It took me a good couple of months to get used to, but I have a real firm grasp of all of the basics and have even worked on my own double changes, three in total. I am absolutely addicted to it!!!

I can’t thank you enough for putting the course out there for people like me, who have no access to learning it in person here. I’ve even had several people stop me at the parks and ask to follow along with the movements as I walk the circle!

Thank you sir,
Fred

Have a great work out!

Al

Here’s the PKC course

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