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GRAPPLER Fall 2018

The guy says, ‘Man, you gotta help me out.’ with guys from countries who have very limited or maybe
no English [speaking experience], but we had great
I said, ‘Look man, you’re the one causing problems here, conversations just from knowing martial arts. So I think
so I’ll see what I can do.’ The club [owner] is like, ‘Man that’s kind of like another universal language, if more
we just want him out of here.’ So I said, ‘Dude, they’re people practiced a lot of barriers would drop.
gonna let you go, but [you have to leave].’ He was like,
‘Trust me, man. I don’t want to be anywhere near here GM: What advice would you give to a young martial
right now.’ So, you know, they uncuffed him, and he gave artist, or a young musician?
me a hug, and he went on his way.
MB: First and foremost, with martial arts or music, just
GM: A lot of martial artists have the ability to really injure do it because you love it. Don’t do it because you know if
people and yet when somebody’s past the introductory you get a black belt you can open up a school and make
level, they’ve spent time learning and understanding the money; or if somebody hears one of your songs on the
danger that comes with fully throwing in some of these radio, you can make a ton of money or be famous. Do it
techniques,they tend to have more restraint then people because you love it. If you do it with that kind of passion,
that are less trained. people will notice, and people will also notice if you’re
doing it for the wrong reasons. That’s one good thing that
MB: If you saw what [police] learn in the in the academies, we [all] kind of instinctually have. Pretty much anybody
it really is a joke. Frank Caracci, who owns Louisiana can spot a fake. [Secondly] surround yourself with other
Martial Arts Academy where I teach and train, he was a like-minded people. Those are the two main pieces of
police officer for 16 years, and he was showing us what advice that I would give to anybody doing pretty much
they’re taught. [Techniques] with the mindset of ‘we anything in life.
don’t want to be sued,’ so everything is a safe version of a
technique. Unfortunately, safe-version techniques don’t GM: What about advice specifically regarding training?
really keep people in pain and don’t keep them compliant.
MB: Don’t disappear from the dojo. You still got a long
So that guy might have felt a little bone bruise after being way to go, there’s a lot of things that can [still] be
put down, and a little pain on his wrist and it probably learned. Don’t forget your roots. Those basics are your
hurt, but ultimately he’s fine. [Without proper training,] foundation. Those techniques are the most important
with possibly anxious police officers, if hands on fails things you’ll ever learn in the art. At some point your
they may just start to beat the fuck out of him or pepper speed, your strength, your flexibility, and just the gift of
spray or taze him, or even worse case he gets shot. youth, will leave you. The reverse De la Riva, 50/50, even
the Berimbolo, that stuff [will] be off the table for you
GM: Give us your perspective on martial arts, not only as later in your life. But all the little basic techniques, they’ll
a seasoned practitioner, but as a world traveler. pretty much never leave you. As long as you’re walking
on two legs and have all your limbs, all that basic stuff is
MB: People come up to me at shows talking about all going to be the bread-and-butter, from right now until
kinds of martial arts. A lot of times they know I practice, you take that last breath.
so they’ll seek me out, we’ll have conversations about
it. It’s always really cool, like a universal language. [I] The other advice is, there’s nothing wrong with wrist
can always have this great conversation with somebody locks. Dangerous weapon. It’s there like 90% of the time.
about music without even speaking a common language,
and the same goes for martial arts. I’ve been on the mat Visit Crowbar’s Facebook page for tour dates and merch.

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