Page 34 - Martial Science Magazine Dec/2014 #6
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fender is someone we call Mrs. Jones. She is and innovative ways. We have superior nutri-
an average female between 25 and 60, not par- tion, conditioning, and access to everything
ticularly athletic, who has a job and/or family. you could ever possibly want to learn.
She doesn’t get into street fights or bar fights.
The only time she is likely to be in a self-de- In some parts of the world, people are training
fense situation would probably be something at a level of intensity and commitment that is
serious. hard to believe. Far more than we did, or at
least than I did, in the old days. In others, we
We also have four basic assumptions about the see athletic feats that boggle the mind. There
opponents Mrs. Jones has to face. are more people practicing in more places and
in more ways than would even be conceivable
1. They are bigger than her in another time.
2. They are stronger than her
3. They have a weapon(s) As always, we have the full range from really
4. They have friends bad to truly excellent. We have fakes and char-
latans as well as true masters. This is normal
So, a large part of what we do revolves around and natural. Indeed, this is a part of what I
being able to handle situations that might arise love about the martial arts, all the crazy peo-
for Mrs. Jones. ple, egos, attitudes, competitions, books and
videos and Internet and all the rest. It’s a giant
However, in reality, very few people will prac- smorgasbord of humanity embedded in a prac-
tice a martial art for nearly 50 yrs. just for a si- tice that is infinitely varied and engaging on
tuation that hopefully will never happen. There every level. In my opinion, we are living in a
has to be more to it than that. Golden Age of martial arts practice. I think it’s
absolutely great.
The great joy of Kenpo is that you can bring to
it whatever you love. It can be historical, phi- DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE OR MES-
losophical, or spiritual, for health or just for SAGE FOR THOSE COMING INTO THE
fun. You can incorporate whatever previous ARTS TODAY?
training you have, add elements of other dis-
ciplines such as yoga and tai chi, or whatever Yes. It’s all about showing up day after day.
appeals to you. You can be very traditional in You don’t have to be special, or gifted or big,
etiquette or very loose if that’s your preferen- strong and fast. You don’t have to be particu-
ce. As long as you don’t lose the essence of the larly smart or mean or cool. All you have to do
self-defense aspect, then you are free to make is keep going, day after week after month after
your Kenpo your own. year and you will get there. My main message
to anyone, in any endeavor is this: The secret
HOW DO YOU PERCEIVE MARTIAL to success is consistency over time.
ARTS TODAY?
I think martial arts are at the greatest level they
have ever been in history. All over the world
people are studying and training in amazing
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