Thoughts on Respect

I realize I have lots to lose not being nice to others.  I am getting older and am learning to let go and be nice, because I believe in the “Karma Boomerang”…what goes around definitely comes around.  I practice what I preach, being a school teacher keeps me accountable for this….my good friends and family know this of me.
In this world it’s easy to get sucked into the gossip….the forums, behind closed door bashing of others, putting people down, and raising people up all for what? Personal gain….easy to get sucked into this.  Fragile egos man!
You see it all the time, in the work place, in the internet, on facebook comments, youtube comments etc.  People bash, put down, raise up….”my fecal matter is better than their fecal matter”…..
Anyway…..had a facebook conversation with a “reputable Martial arts instructor”  today, well known, world-class dude…..only to realize, that this man thinks “his fecal matter smells like roses and others smell like fecal matter.” Quite funny, the boxes people make for themselves.
I was literally told that the camps I’ve trained in are well,”terrible”.  I fully respect this man’s decision, after all it’s just an opinion….but if you follow this man’s material, his stuff is filled with territorial statements…..”I came up with this fecal matter, and it’s all mine, all original fecal matter”.  The second photo below (laughing) expresses my sentiments….

I can only laugh at how this man, along with a GAZILLION others out there think the same thing! It’s up there with….”Don’t take my rubber ducky man, it’s mine and you can’t have it!! (*said with an Angelina Jolie pouty lower lip)

Back to square one….I guess, I have to have big muscles, or formerly have had big muscles, and now off of the roids, have tattoos, swear a lot, be a badass, wear earrings, bash other instructors and styles, induct my follower sheep flock to do the same (i.e, bash others), wear combat shorts, hang out with army dudes, market my fecal matter as new fecal matter, bash other people’s fecal matter, think i’m the best….in order to get others to respect me!!..oh man…I gotta stop, because I’m not being nice……..as I said to you I’m a nice person….damn…see how easy it is to be “un-nice” LMAO!
Ok, Rant-o-monium done.  Yes, I talk about the Martial Arts world I am apart of…..a sea of amazing individuals, go getters, strong entrepreneurial people, ethically right, yet……among them, are the fragile ego centric people who well….think their fecal matter smells like flowers, you suck, we’re better….join our facebook forum or martial arts organization and let’s all play a game of “name that tune”….if you name the wrong tune, you suck….we’re awesome, you suck cuz you’re not singing our tune……but I will be all nice on here to you, and bash the snoot out of you behind your back to my other sheep followers who suck as much as I do……lol….. I guess Rant-o-monium was not over…..lol.
After this is all said and done, I have some thoughts for the world with respect to RESPECT:

RULE 1:  Accept people for who they are- we all came from a family with a certain upbringing, we are doing the best we know given what we’ve learned

RULE 2: Think before you type or speak….words stick and reveal a lot about your soul.  If there is no positive function in your prose, don’t say it.

RULE 3: If and when you come across a youtube video of anyone doing or saying anything, look at it for what it is….an expression of someone’s opinion on something….again…..see RULE 1.  Don’t bash, say something positive for once, you don’t need to give advice and tell people what to do as they will only listen if there’s something in it for them (just my opinion and no, i’m not telling you what to do lmao).

RULE 4: Look out for each other…..extend a hand man!

Like I said, those of you know me personally, you’ll know that I live by these rules man….I try my best each and every day….I teach this to my students, love my family and friends by these rules, and I try to promote respect all the time…..I’m not all that…..I’ve been quite the ass at times……but I catch myself, say sorry, and do my best to not burn bridges……I HATE DOING THIS STUFF……if I kept up with that….man, I’d be on the run, couldn’t live in a country for long…..I’d have too many enemies lol!

 

 

Coming Soon to REAL

Hello folks, it’s been a while since I’ve posted on here.  Life has been busy for me with the birth of my daughter, however, I’d like to launch a series of videos on solo training.  As martial artists, we spend so much time by ourselves practicing and making personal goals for ourselves, that I think it’s worth taking the time and sharing some ideas of what i’ve done over the last 30 years or so.  My aim is to simply share my development and receive some respectful feedback from other like minded individuals.  So, in the next few weeks, I plan to film and write about the following ideas:

- how to solo train effectively
- solo striking
- solo defence
- solo kicks
- solo self defence
And much more……stay tuned and keep training!
Chris.

Critical Thinking in the martial arts using the R.E.A.L method

Hello world! Hope all is well with you.  You guys reached my site for a reason, curiosity! Well, I hope to satisfy that.  There is too much ego and emotion in the martial arts.  People are quick to criticize and bash.  I find that if you look at all material out there on the web with a critical lens, you can extract personal meaning and hopefully reach an empathetic understanding of what the author of the work was thinking too.  I will discuss in this short article how to extract meaning from some moves out of the Pinan I kata (it’s a Shorin Ryu kata).

Critical thinking is key…

I am lately on this critical thinking high and thanks to one of my sensei’s, Vic Arnold, who opened my eyes to creative thinking, only now I am totally free in my expression of my art.  I don’t mean to discount the works of my other instructors…don’t get me wrong here, I am totally grateful for everyone’s work and I have learned so much from all of you….it’s just that recently, Vic has made me realize that critical thinking is key! I find that good friends and instructors, are all pieces of puzzles in our life….they all serve an amazing purpose, and they add color and spice to your existence.  Critical thinking is key for getting meaning out of life.  There is so much material out there, not just in the form of media, but from people, conversations, and relationships that you can gain from and give back…I always question things that are around me, and I urge you too as well…

The R.E.A.L Method revisited….

When you take any move, you have to put it through the critical meat grinder so to speak  That is why I developed a learning tool for myself, and called it the R.E.A.L method.  So critical thinking for me takes the shape and form of R.E.A.L.  On my blog, if you search through the various material, you will find various pieces addressing what R.E.A.L is, however, once again, as a review, here is how I use REAL:

R – stands for Replicate.  So I learn up everything I need to know about a particular technique or idea.  If I learn it from a person, DVD, book, seminar or whatever, I pay attention closely to the biomechanical principals and copy it AS IS.  I find this step important in capturing the essence of what you want to learn.

E – stands for Examine.  So now that I can copy the move, I take it apart in stages and examine it for it’s purpose.  Here I ask myself tonnes of questions:
- What’s this for?
- under what conditions can I use this?
- can i turn this into a self defence tool?
- what are the body mechanics telling me? – I find that ANY move gives away enough body language that you can UNLOCK meaning
etc.

A – stands for Assess. So once I’ve formulated my questions and answers; which really at this point is your Hypothesis, you put your theories to the test.  So this stage is critical.  And what I do for this stage is follow a recipe for my testing.  It’s my PLAY time, and it goes something like this:

1. get some partners together and work your ideas
2. start with total compliance first – this is important for you to open up the technique, make sure you’re abiding by it’s principles, and you want to know you’re biomechanically sound; rushing through it is the fast food way to success…you get fat and sloppy! Kidding….
3. Next, examine out all of your ideas (that you formulated in the Examine stage) against still a COMPLIANT partner
4. Have your partners decrease the compliance and increase the resistance (e.g., say you’re going for a lock, strike, throw, jam etc., have them intercept you, stop you in any way)…you work your way up to full out non-compliance and sparring really.
    NOTE: in this stage I recommend that as you put on the heat with resistance, you do it with 3 layers of intensity (I use the word intensity subjectively, so to me, it’s the perceived “hardness” of how you are feeling the offence and how your opponent feels with your defence…something you guys have to mutually agree upon)
  – low: you guys are resisting each other and reacting but not going full tilt…just feeling each other out and developing tactile sense (no equipment needed – head gear, shins, cup, gloves, mask etc.)
  – medium: you take it up a notch and go harder and faster (equipment needed)
  – high: full tilt boogie! Full on shots and counters…throw in scenario and surprise training, keep the dialogue realistic, and try to work on efficiency and finishing it fast, also keep in mind the laws of your country in order to avoid using techniques that will get you in jail

L- Stands for Link.  So this is where you put it all together.  You take all of your statistics you gathered from the previous exercise in (A – assess) and figure out what worked, what didn’t, why, and why not, strengths, areas of weakness, and areas for improvement.  You then have to figure out whether to discard what you just did, or link it to your existing martial arts game.  Does any of what you just did have any resemblance or connections to other arts? What is the basis or link for this connection? What can you learn from this connection? This step is where you make connections to what you just tested to other methods, forms, etc.

So this, in a nutshell is my formula for critical thinking in the martial arts.  It has been enhanced lately with my work with sensei Vic Arnold, who actually fostered this type of thinking way back in the day since I met the man.  So OSU, and thank you sensei Vic!  I have also been blessed with so many other instructors who have formed my critical thinking tool box as well…too many to list on this page…you can go to my ‘About’ section on my blog to find out about these amazing gentlemen.

I think it is so important to critically think about anything you do in life! My recommendation above, is really nothing special.  I’m sure, that with marketing I can pimp this out and make it flashy or look better etc., but I don’t really care about that…I’ve honestly seen that my REAL method is essentially the scientific method!  I simply coined it REAL, to it gives me a unique way to remember and learn how to critically think about anything really.

Let’s get philosophical….

The internet can be a bashing ground, and honest critical thinking is often thrown out the door!  It’s really a disappointing place to be when you see so much amazing material out there and because people are not willing to take the time and understand it all, sometimes they are quick to bash. .. very immature, in my opinion.  And it’s all up to the individual to make a positive connection.  I am positive that there are instructors or students of instructors that I’ve had an affiliation with before, that might come across my material, and well, simply laugh at it and poke fun of it etc.  Yet, these instructors do the very same thing as me, if not better than me.   In my life now, I try to stay away from negative people.  I took a step away from several organizations because of the bashing, and negative politics…..i couldn’t stand hearing things like:

- oh, you can’t do it this way, you can’t do it that way
-  you ask too many questions
- you want this way too fast, slow down, you are not ready to learn this
- here, you can teach the class, but it has to be like this…..
- what! you trained with him??? you’re ex-communicated from this club!! lol
- UFC are for idiots, no real martial artists go in there!
- what? you’re weight training….stay away from it, it’s bad for martial arts
- oh, you have to wear your white belt forever until I feel you’re ready….
- this instructor is an idiot…look at him, he sucks, he does this, he does that….don’t train with him….
- our club is the best, I brought this technique to north America, I did this, i did that…..other instructors claim to have done the same, stay away, they suck ….etc….

….and Wah…wah….wah…and more wah……martial arts schools sometimes are cults…..lol…..

When I have the time and the chance, these people are always welcome in my life, and I try my best given my communication skills and personal beliefs to turn it around and mend any burned bridges.  I am positive that these people think the way they do because it’s the best way they know how.  I find, I simply have to accept them for who they are and well, critical thinking might not be accomplished the way i’d like it…it is what it is….and life moves on.

Life is too short folks! Events such as: losing a loved one, a friend, divorce, having a new born child, raising kids etc…..these type of events have taught me to appreciate people for who they are man! Accept them as is….try to see things their way, and empathize.  This to me is very much lacking in the world, and you see this everywhere: on the internet, at work, with family members, among friends, in the cafeteria etc.

I am no saint by any means.  I TRY to practice what I preach, it’s not easy, as I came from a challenging upbringing and this brings much baggage into my current life….however, because I’m open to change, I find myself deconstructing my past day by day and with introspection, soul searching, acting on it….anything is possible!

Critical thinking will get you there, and hanging around people who engage in  this, helps as well!

Video Sharing…

Below are 2 videos that I’d like to share, as it is a result of some critical thinking Sensei Vic and I have been doing lately on Kata analysis.  I find kata’s are often misunderstood by the world.  They are often views as old antiquated pieces of work that are not worth looking at.  Yet, with understanding, you’ll find that the biomechanical principles are the same as of that which is taught now in contemporary martial arts and tactical systems.  I attempt to show this in the second video.

Raw footage on trapping applications behind Pinan Kata

As you can see, above, the Pinan Kata can be used for trapping.  The hand positions dictated in the kata, share biomechanical principles found in Southern Chinese Kung Fu systems like Wing Chun, Mantis, Choy li fut, etc..  It makes sense because the Okinawans were influenced by many Chinese gung fu men.  So as you can see, in Wing chun terms, for instance, Sensei is doing nothing but a pak sao, and wu sao, and larp sao.  It’s trapping hands essentially, and done at various angles.  Sensei Vic in this video is only giving me one particular idea, and with this idea, he’s opened it up to many interpretations.  What got me excited was that I never used to think of Pinan Kata like this!! I used to think that the shuto hands are for strikes and blocks and in a linear fashion.  Here, we see them as traps, strikes, and entry points at various angles.  There is not one way to do things, and I was very much inspired to make the video below after this session.

Some applications inspired by Sensei Vic Arnold.

So here i demonstrate my interpretations of the work we did in the original video.  I often take what I learn and test it out on static objects and on my partners.  I want to film more partner work…but it’s hard to get together a bunch of 30+ year old dudes with families to train!! lol.  So for all of you RBSD-ers out there, what I’m doing here is NOTHING NEW! My argument is that all of this stuff, especially the biomechanics behind these movements are all sourced in these katas.  Kata, in my opinion, is not THE WAY, but ONE OF THE WAYS to extract info.  I am learning that kata was a communication system…a way to hand down ideas at the time.  The ideas are embedded in literal meaning, and with critical thinking, you can extract more application meaning too.

Here, you can see that the double sword hands signify many things: a strike, an entry, a by-pass, a manipulation, a balance disruption etc.  Just like a hammer, it can be used in various ways without taking apart the hammer.  So all throughout, i demonstrate various uses of my double hand posture.  I was simply hyped to see this connection to the kata.  It might be boring to some of you, but man, for me, I just can’t stop playing and writing about it….LOL.

Well, that’s it for now, hope you enjoyed it.  Please drop me a line here on my blog, facebook page, or youtube channel.

All the best,  Have a great day,

and keep in touch!

Chris Hanson.

How Do You Get Good at Anything During Chaotic Times in your life?

                         

Simple answer….Work Hard and Marinate in it!

Well, hello folks, it’s me Chris again having one of those reflective moments.  I often wonder who the hell will read the stuff I write?  Who will ever care?

Will my words make a difference to anyone reading this?  Who knows??  All I know is that I pour myself out to the internet worlds here, as a way of paying back what the world has given me….Great Memories, Experience, Knowledge, Struggles, Friendships, and Love.  So, here I go again…..rambling on into Internet Oblivion!  I know people will pass various opinions on these pieces I produce….lots of eye rolling, laughing, criticizing, or whatever…i welcome them all….all I know is that I speak from the heart man…I speak the truth as how I see it in my own flesh and bones…..I speak to those who have an open mind and want to actually hear what i have to say…..anyway……

I often think about the question of “How to get good at anything?”  Especially during this time in my life.  It’s been a busy summer, with the birth of my new baby girl, life has been a whirlwind of learning….learning how to take care of a baby, learning about how to manage my time, and learning how to manage relationships.  Juggling life, you can say is the story of my life. Getting good at anything, especially your favourite pastimes seems like an impossibility during times like this.  However, inner passions and hobbies should never go astray, because to me, this makes up the inner core of your being.  Most of you who know me understand that one of my biggest passions is the Martial Arts.  It’s definitely a hobby, however, I see it as a metaphor for life. 

Martial arts has been my saving grace….it’s kept me sane through the insane times of life, and it’s given me the courage and determination to push through life’s challenges that come up.  You see, us Martial artists share a common passion….the passion of self-development and self-mastery.  I am always critical of myself. 

I realize I am born “broken”.  What I mean by that is, I am born into the flesh, bones, and organic infrastructure of an advanced neurological system..yes the Brain, and it’s organs.  Given all of this, there’s our emotional self that gets in the way, and lets say our emotions often get in the way of doing things “properly”.  Emotions like fear, greed, selfishness, anxiety, anger etc., plague us as human beings, and we are left to struggle through life dealing with all of this.  These emotions take many shapes and forms, and we have to sort it all out at times….and sometimes we’re just oblivious to it!

I ramble on…yes, i know, however, my realization of the fact that we are all “broken” makes me want to “fix” it.  At least for myself first, and when I come up with some solution for myself, I will pass it on to others.  So, I will get to the issue at hand….How do we get good at anything during times of chaos in your life?  

Well, the task that I will talk about is how do you get good at Martial arts?  Now, if you can good at this, then you can get good at anything….and if you can get good at anything, you can get good at martial arts.  What am i trying to say here? LOL…..bottom line….ATTITUDE and CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT….if you adopt a positive attitude and engage in character building activities, you can achieve ANYTHING.  Here are my suggestions based on my experience in life so far:

1) Decide what is it you want to get good at?  You have to narrow it down to a short list.  Write down a list of things you want to accomplish…then narrow it down to a short list of achievable goals.  For me, it’s self-development through the Martial arts.  Inner motivation here is key folks.  You have to basically motivate yourself into action by comparing your “old” self to the “new” self with newly acquired skills! This involves some visualization!  See yourself successful and fluent in this newly acquired skill!

2) Ask yourself, why do you want to get good at this? Is it because others are pressuring you? Is this going to just help you or help others?  Do you want to show off? Are you insecure about something?  Are you not happy with something about yourself? Self reflect here.  Stop at this step and hang out here for a while, because in my opinion, having a purpose to your venture is important.

3) Make a plan –  gather resources, find a teacher, find people or things to practice on or with, think about the environment that will foster success.  You need to write all of this down.

4) Start implementing the plan by finding a good teacher! Everyone needs a mentor! Having someone to look up to and to learn from in my opinion is so important for growth in this world!  Lately, I’ve been hanging out with my Kempo Instructor Vic Arnold.  I have trained with this man way back in the late 1990’s, lost touch for over 10 years, and only recently we’ve rekindled a teacher-student friendship!   I don’t know what got into me, but something is telling me to be with this man, connect with this individual, because something great will come about for both of us….it’s real surreal, yet amazing and motivating.  So lately, I’ve had my “Sunday’s with Vic” – Martial art training: philosophical discussions about the martial arts, fight strategy, character development, technical training, drill development, and a whole lot more! 

We need teachers! I am a school teacher, and I see the need to teach my students.  The need me as much as I need them.  I need my students, because it’s my vocation to help these young citizens to grow and connect to the world.  I know with all of my efforts, something positive will come about to those who apply the knowledge.  It also feeds my family….and I will never deny the hand that fed me!  My students need me…at their young age, they are totally dependant on guidance.  Guidance is key! Having a teacher, parent, mentor….we so need this! It is impossible to do anything, and get good at anything without a teacher!

5) Be open minded and learn up everything in your area of Martial Arts interest.  Man, being open minded is the key! Bruce Lee once said “Be formless, shapeless….you put water into the cup, it becomes the cup….” well, i don’t think these were his words exactly, I firmly believe it came from his philosophical studies….but anyway….the dude meant well and these words are just mind boggling powerful!  If you are open minded to your teachers lessons, you will absorb useful information, and apply it to your life.  You will not only just restrict yourself to his/her teachings, but you will make connections with other teacher’s lessons as well, and be open for criticism and other points of view!

6) Learn everything your teacher dishes out to you.  Take the techniques, work them for form.  Then work them for application.  Then work them to see how they are connected to everything else you’ve learned.  Do not pass judgement on anyone else but yourself!  You will see the light in time.

7) Practice like mad!  Immerse yourself in a sea of repetition.  Repetition is your best friend.  Thousands of times, practice your techniques, and when you’re done, repeat.  Perfect practice makes perfect.

8) When you’re done, with this all, you will realize you are still not done yet

9) Now you have to immerse yourself in context – yes folks….Marinate in it!
 So what does this mean?  Well, acquire as many resources to supplement and enhance your learning:

DVD’s,seminars, books, magazines, etc.… digest it, and Marinate in it!

Hangout in user forums that talk about these things.  Talk to like-minded individuals.  All of these above mentioned activities will enhance your learning and also provide a tangible measure for you to decide if you are in fact on the right track at being successful in your endeavour. 

Over the years, I have practiced what I’ve preached.  I am not whatsoever saying I’m a master or guru of anything….however, every aspect of the martial arts that I took on caused me to follow the above steps.  I am good at what I do, but no where near where I want to be!  I am constantly growing and changing, being humbled year after year! 

The Martial arts community is a political one.  I have trained in clubs that have engaged in very cliquish behaviours….”yes sensei, osu sensei, all about our system sensei, our system is the best sensei…”…blah…blah…and frankly, this is highly negative in my mind.  This is no way for me to engage in open minded behaviours!  I am tired of instructors bashing others.  We need to learn from each other, because all martial arts have something to offer.  I tend to marinate with positive individuals who make me a better person.  How do i know this? Well, i feel better about myself, and I am motivated in wanting to improve.  What more can I ask for?  Seriously…tell me!?

I have been blessed, over the last few years to have met/rekindled with some amazing people.  Facebook has been a tremendously positive force in achieving this.  And I thank each and every one of you out there whom I’ve touched base with on FB! I appreciate your friendship, advice, and mentorship! BOW!  I’ve also reached out to others by literally flying out to visiting people, training with them, driving to different cities etc.   Marinating in something involves all of these things!

10) Take what you’ve learned, peace them together, practice them inside, and out…reverse certain things, take them apart, analyze them from various perspectives: their footwork, their handwork, their overall movement and direction….take apart their structure….look at the biomechanics behind EVERYTHING you’ve learned.  See where these biomechanics can be found in other techniques.  Discover patterns.  Stress test your theories and observed patterns.  And seriously…once you discover the patterns….this is when you will start your learning…….you will realize that all martial arts are the same!!  They all follow very similar biomechanical patterns……therefore….it boggles me as to why there are so much politics in the Martial arts world…we are all the same! We all have 2 arms, 2 legs, a nervous and organic system….um…hello.

I have, over the years, formulated this part of the learning curve, and coined the term: R.E.A.L (Replicate, Examine, Assess, and Link).  For more information on this methodology, go to my blog article on the topic (http://realmartialarts.wordpress.com/2011/08/09/re-post-r-e-a-l-at-a-glace-once-again/) or simply go to my blog and read about what REAL stands for.  It’s simply a logical method, I developed myself for my own learning of basically anything martial arts related…and frankly, you can apply it to anything!

11) Validate – we all need some sort of validation as to whether we are doing things right or not?  Turn to the pros in your field…your teachers, coaches, mentors, your team, etc.  Are you doing what they are doing?  And most importantly, have you accomplished what you have visualized in the first place? Did you accomplish your initial goals!  Check your list that you created? Mission accomplished or not?

Getting good at anything involves hard work and marinating in the activity.  I can honestly say to you, that I have done the best I can do at this moment in my life.  This is all I can ever do, and this is all I can ever ask of anyone to do.  If you do your best at anything…this and only this will increase the odds at being good at what it is you wanted to get good at…..you might fail…you might come close…..you might even be successful….but does it really matter? In my opinion, if you achieved what you set out to do….this is a real bonus….but man……if you didn’t….I guarantee you one thing….if you’ve followed with your heart some of the ideas set out above…..then I’m sure you can honestly say to yourself, you have learned something along the way…..in the end….it’s the process of working hard…it’s the process of learning that counts!……

If I die at any point in my life….if I leave my loved ones behind for whatever reason…..I have done my best.  I have followed my own advice to the best of my ability.  I have been honest with myself….not complained much…because seriously folks…when you complain…who really does give a shit? Nobody!  So, take responsibility for everything you do, work hard at it, follow some of the ideas above, and marinate in it!  I have, I’m sure, neglected some important steps, however, hey, life is nothing but a work in progress for me, and I would love to hear some of your advice.  I think  however, that you are bound to gain something out of this practice somehow!

Well, I wish you all well.  Dig deep inside yourself….look at your accomplishments, figure out where you want to be, what you want to do, think about your strengths, weaknesses, and come up with an action plan at getting good at something…..in my case, lately, it’s been this…how can i get better at the martial arts, and how can the martial arts help me handle my life better, my kid, my wife, my family, my friends, and my co-workers?

All the best, and please drop me a line or two at my blog letting me know what you think about all this stuff!

*bow

Chris Hanson.
www.realmartialarts.wordpress.com
www.facebook.com/realmartialarts
www.youtube.com/chrishanson

Picture Credits:
All pictures were sourced from Google Images.

The Martial Way: Be Nice, Help out

Hello world, how’s everyone doing?

Purpose for Writing this

(picture taken from http://jsdaw.com/2012/01/18/social-purpose-meaning-the-new-nonprofit-imperative/)

Well, I simply wanted to write this reflection based on an incident that happened yesterday while I was out with my family.  Not sure if writing this will make much of a difference, however, I am sure at some point someone will read this, and if you do, and if it triggers something within you to do something positive, then mission accomplished.  My purpose of writing this is not to seek recognition, not to get an ego stroke, not to have others say, “oh, this dude is righteous” etc., but rather, my purpose is to basically point out that being nice goes a long way, and helping others out and putting yourself out there on the line for others is key to ensuring a positive human climate, and a better world.  We need to teach by example!  Actions speak louder than words.  I am very tired of people simply neglecting people in need, and people do this for many reasons…so anyway, down to the incident at hand…

What Happened?

(picture take from http://eileenastels.blogspot.ca/2011/05/are-you-writing-scenes-or-incidents.html)

Yesterday, my wife, daughter and myself went out for a walk in a local park in Markham, Ontario.  It was a really nice day, and we had a great outing.  When we were putting the baby in the car, I turned suddenly and noticed a man on his mountain bike wipe out on the street, he actually lost his balance and collapsed.  He didn’t fall too hard, it was a gradual fall, he landed on the meaty part of his shoulders and thigh.  He wasn’t wearing any padding or head gear.  He then got up picked himself up, stumbled quite a bit, from a distance he acted drunk as he was wobbling and when he got back on his bike, he fell down again and was lying on the street!

Cars passed by him, without even pausing!  People just drove by without even flinching! This pissed me off.  I told my wife, and said, watch Sienna (my daughter), and I’m going over there.  I walked up to the man, picked him up from the floor, he was about 6 ft tall, over 220 lbs, big boned….he seemed drunk-like and slightly disoriented…

I asked him, “were you drinking?”, he said no.  I asked him, “do you have a medical condition?”…he said, “yes, I am diabetic”.  I asked him, “are you on any meds?” He said “yes”.  I then said, my wife and I can drive you home, you can put your bike in our car etc…..he then said, “I live really close, don’t worry about it.”  He then seemed very frustrated at himself, and was desperate to go home.  He then got back on his bike and drove away from me.  So, I didn’t want to impose on him, and what I did was go back to my car, put my daughter back, and then my wife and I decided to follow this dude back to his house to make sure he was ok.

I was planning to call 911 if he collapsed further, and I was planning to respond accordingly in terms of getting his personal information from his wallet etc.  Anyway, so after we drove back to find where he went, we couldn’t locate him, we drove all over the subdivision where he was biking around, and no sign of the guy.  We assumed he went home safely, and from the pace of his take off and from the way he was moving on his bike, I was confident that he made it back ok.

Aftermath Reflections

• hope the man was fine
• Can’t believe people, and the bystander effect! 
• People stopped, some flinched, most didn’t, just looked at the man and left!!
• People either didn’t know what to say out of shock, were scared, or simply did not have the confidence and self-esteem to handle a situation like this, or maybe, they couldn’t help because they didn’t know what to do, who knows? It could be a lack of social skills thing too? Who knows???
• I was mostly disappointed by the lack of effort by people to help others out!
• My wife and I felt amazing that we at least tried to help the dude out…whether we truly helped or not, it seemed that way, the guy was safe, off the street, away from cars, and it seemed he went home fast. 

Conclusions

• We simply need to focus on the positive in people and see good in them.  This way we can give people the benefit of the doubt, and say to ourselves that this can happen to us, and having others help out when we are in need would be much appreciated
   
  (picture taken from http://fedrickbowe.wordpress.com/2012/04/27/seeing-the-good-in-others/)
• We have to get out of our comfort zone to exercise change in this world
  
  (picture taken from http://mooreleadership.blogspot.ca/2012/03/tips-and-traits-of-peak-performers.html)

We have to catch ourselves being “comfortable”.  People act and react to situations based on what they have learned from the past, the kinds of parents they had, what they have taught them, and the kinds of relationships they form and deal with.  So I’m guessing that when we are faced with situations like this, we just don’t know any better than not to help and stay neutral.  This is one explanation.  We need to get out of comfort zone to make positive change.  You know, we are surrounded by amazingness everywhere! There are tonnes of amazing literature written by amazing people, there are tonnes of amazing people, giving amazing advice that are meant to induce amazing things……..why don’t they work???  Well, like fashion diets, they crash eventually, because people generally lose steam on being on a health kick.  The drive, and the inner spark to do well, just fades……it’s all impulse….this is just one possibility.  True motivation to get out of your comfort zone and effect change in the world comes from within! So what are you waiting for? Go out there and do some stuff!

(picture taken from http://kiranmendekar.wordpress.com/2010/05/28/fruits-of-moment-of-truth-in-retail/)

• We will be faced by many “moments of truth” where we will have to make a self-sacrifice and put ourselves on the line for others….to me this is where we count as moral and ethical human beings! Martial Arts, taught and exemplified by good teachers show us how to rise up positively and effect good change in these moments of truth.  Having being trained in traditional and non-traditional martial arts for decades, I have had the privilege of training under and with respectful instructors that fostered respect for your fellow classmates.  Whenever we worked out with others, we’d always look out for each other….make sure the other person was safe, being challenged, working hard, and motivated each other.  Why can’t we simply apply this kind of work ethic outside of the dojo?  I am proud to be a Martial Artist…we are good people….we are taught to be nice, and help….not all of us do this on a consistent basis, but man…i sure as hell try my best to do this on a daily basis….one step at a time.
  (picture taken from http://www.learningfromlyrics.org/cope.htm)
• I will conclude with this idea – we need to be nice, as this world is definitely small….you never know who you will bump into if you burn any bridges….in this high-tech world of ipads, ipods, cell phones, internet, texting, facebook, youtube, and the myriad of social network venues out there…..we can run into people any time, any place, and any where!  So…we be nice….it’s a small world….AND MOST OF ALL…BEING NICE IS CONTAGIOUS!  I use Martial Arts as a vehicle for mental and physical well-being…and as a vehicle to help others….so…BE NICE, IT’S A SMALL WORLD….and what goes around definitely comes around….full circle man! It’s all about the yin and the yang!!
  
  ( picture taken from http://har-ki.webs.com/blackbeltclub.htm)So, all the best people! Once again, we can make a difference only if we want to and only if we look for it!  Try to do this everyday with everything you do. Be nice and you can make a difference.  Live by the balance…there’s so much to do in this world…..if you ever think you are bored…man, you can just get out there and make a difference, be nice to others, and keep thinking of various ways you can balance your life’s needs and the needs of others!……Bye for now, and have a great day!

Learn Martial Arts Biomechanically

Hey folks! Chris  Hanson here, once again with a training reflection.

I have learned many forms of martial arts on a technical level.  That is, memorized the moves and work them in drill sequences.  This is great, but if you learn the biomechanics behind it or the body mechanics behind the move, then you can break free from “style” and apply the  “ideology”.  As Zayid Jones (Facebook-PMA Forum, June 17 2012) mentioned, “it’s not style as much it is an ideology”.  Bruce Lee, among various other great legends, broke free from style and applied concepts and ideas to life.  This activity happens in music: think of the various “fusion” bands.  You get a Cello player, drummer, electric guitarist, and an oboe player….put them in a room, and they will make music.  How? Well, they have learned up the “musical mechanics” behind making music, they follow and are tuned in to various musical “patterns”, not “styles”….even though they specialize in different musical styles!

Music and Martial arts share various similarities, once you learn notes, you can make music.  Therefore, once you learn a few basic ideas, you can make your own art and applications that suite you! I find that all arts differ on a technical level, but are similar on a body-mechanic or biomechanical level.  Some examples:
- Arnis/Kali,  Wing Chun, and Thai boxing: all arts control centerline, they utilize both hands as attack and defence, their usage of checks and switches, and offence are all very similar….then there’s the footwork….they all have penetrating steps, forward and lateral movement, diagonal stepping, turns, lines of attack and defence are similar (straight, circular, zig-zag, figure eights etc.)

- Boxing, and Aikido: similar footwork – sidestep, quarter, and half turns, retreats, penetrating steps, shuffles, etc..
- Wrestling and Shaolin Chin Na – this is a no brainer here….all their clinch work is the same…the pummel, the locks, controls etc.…..same goes for most grappling arts….

Now, the video below, basically elucidates the idea that you can take any system….in this case, Shorin ryu Karate, examine it’s biomechanical principals and apply them in your own applications.

This is, in my opinion, an amazing way to learn out of style….to learn and make connections between pieces of arts and link them up on a biomechanical level…..learning like this makes you break free from style, and ego, and examine the true beauty and meaning behind each and every art!

Keep learning folks…stay passionate….hope you enjoy this article and video.  Please drop me a line here or on my Facebook page!

Sincerely,

Chris Hanson.

Functional vs. Traditional Martial arts

Acknowledgements

 Hello folks, and welcome back to my blog.  In this blog I will discuss how all Martial Arts are the same, and how you can extract meaning from Traditional Martial arts.  I will illustrate my ideas in a 5 part video blog mini-series that will be embedded below.

 First off I must give a few shout outs to some recent influences that made me write this article.   Recently I had lunch with Sensei Vic Arnold (founder of Dai Nisei Kempo) – Sensei Vic was my first Kempo instructor who truely opened my eyes to the idea of having an OPEN MIND!  As soon as I step foot in this man’s dojo, I knew immediately that I found the right place to learn.  I came in as a Nidan from another school of Karate (Wong’s Karate and Kung Fu Society) and he allowed me to wear this belt and learn from him.  I was prepared to wear a white belt, but he insisted I wear my black but learn everything I can from him.  That was a deal of the century!  Everything I learned from him had some relevance to what I learned before, and this showed in what I did, however, Vic had no problem with it.  He simply took what I knew and either enhanced it or modified it ONLY IF I HAD PROBLEMS MAKING IT WORK….if it worked, then he left it alone.  This is a sign of a good teacher.
 At lunch, Sensei Vic and I discussed the state of affairs in the Martial Arts world, and frankly we are both disgusted and dissapointed at the ego and narrow-mindedness of most instructors out there.  Why can’t we all just get along!! Lol! Well, ego fuels the ignorant, and need I say more?  Closed mindedness is a disease and hence I write this article to rock the boat, to open the minds of others, to get a rise out of people….to whatever…..The bottom line is Sensei Vic allowed me to take any martial art concept, examine it’s body mechanics and underlying idea, and apply it to your own knowledge.  This, for some is a very difficult thing to do because of ego.  I learned that Kata and/or any Martial art has value if you examine it and test it thoroughly.  We as martial artist neglect this exercise. 

Attitude is everything! With a positive and respectful attitude, not only do you feel good about yourself, but you make others feel good about themselves! It’s a win-win man!  Let’s talk about work for a second…say you go into a boring meeting.  Well, it’s only boring if you think it’s boring.  If you accept the meeting and the people there as they are, and understand the purpose behind the meeting you will not be bored.  If you are looking for something positive out of it, then you will find it!  This works for understanding Martial arts as well.  I am fortunate enough that Sensei Vic is still alive and kicking and I look forward to expanding my knowledge with him after such a long break away from him!  For more information on Sensei Vic and his work you can friend him up on facebook or you can friend me up and I can refer him to you.
 
Secondly, after having recently established virtual friendship with Sifu Adam Chan of Pragmatic Martial Arts, I feel refreshed knowing that there are truely passionate martial artists out there who actually give a shit about other martial artists and people in general!  Adam Chan, based in Vancouver B.C., Canada, instructs a hybrid martial arts approach that pulls ideas from several disciplines and is highly influenced by Wing Chun and JKD.  I totally appreciate what he is doing for the Martial Arts world, and I have often expressed this to him as I feel we share lots in common.   For more information on Adam, I highly recommend you look him up at www.pragmaticmartialarts.com  Adam’s work has inspired me to voice out what I truely think about the Martial Arts in an open and honest fashion.

Ok, So the main Issue

Below is my 5 part video mini-series discussing Traditional vs. Functional Martial arts.  I will briefly highlight some key points below:

 1) Fighting about which style or instructor is better simply pisses me off – there are too many pissing contests in the world of marital arts.  Ego fuels too many businesses and battles start over lack of understanding of each others art and game.  Some RBSD guys sometimes acknowledge the traditional arts, but they mostly bash them with their big muscles, tatoos, earings, combat gear, tap out gear etc.  Some Krav and Systema guys think the world revolves around them; it’s military or nothing attitude .  Then you have all the “gazillion” other systems out there that go under the CQC, Combatives, Tactical Solutions, Military Systems…blah…blah…blah…..to me, when you look at the martial menu that is available in the world today…they are all attempting to solve the same problem…personal violence solutions…AND…from what I noticed, some take from each other and call it different things!

2) There is too much segregation in the Martial arts.  I absolutely hate this stuff!  Historically, there has been too much in-fighting among Martial arts masters and their schools that shed blood over what? Ego!  The Traditional world has been further segregated by the so-called “Contemporary” martial arts world…the RBSD world…the CQC World…the Combatives world…the Tactical Worlds…Krav World…Systema World…etc…you get the idea right?  And then you get the MMA world…the world of sport.  Some of these guys think MMA stuff translates into reality applications.  Well, I have to agree that MMA training makes you tough, and you need that for the street, BUT you could be much better at cross training in other arts to improve your edge.   I have mad respect for every system out there….but I simply think it’s wrong to bash without understanding…bash without testing….and bash without affiliating yourself or immersing yourself in something before you blow your load in talking!  What gets me too is that there are so many haters out there that don’t even have 1 single video posted! LMAO!  Segregation is bad…it’s bad for the world period!  Segregation leads to isolation and hatred…we’ve seen this in history among religions and politics….need I say any more? RANT over! lol. Why complain…nobody gives a shit anyway! That’s my line of the year.

3) Some RBSD-ers, and basically most Contemporary MA-ists have kicked tradtionalism to the curb.  This to me is a shame.  It’s funny because I used to be all about the modern, all about the fashion…..but maturity has lead me to stray away from the “fashion”.  You have all these “fashions” now in the fitness and martial arts industry…..the fancy and catchy acronyms….This-Fit…That-Fit…This Fen Do….That Fen Do…..This-KD…That-KD….Kettle Bell This….Kettle Bell That….Club Bell This…Club Bell that…..come on folks…..We have not changed as a human being one bit! As long as we have limbs, and a neurological system equipped with muscles and an emotional system….we will have nothing new as a martial arts system or fitness system….all we will have will be this….NOMENCLATURE!! LOL….terms and names….personalization of the ego really.  We have many names and brands for cars, but under the hood is your basic engine!  The same goes for martial arts.  I personally have difficulty telling people what I train in…they think of style or belts in this or that….I’ve done this shit for over 30 years folks….I’m no master, guru, sifu etc….just a humble man, who trains hard, and who is always learning from people!  I hold several senior rankings, and yes, I am an instructor…but please….nobody, and I mean nobody knows everything….always learning people.

The various fitness crazes like Kettle Bells and Club Bells have been done before.  The Japanese, for instance, have used the Chishi (a stick with a stone dumbell weight at the end)…and now we have the infamous “Clubbells”…give me a break…the same movements, the same exercises…..nothing new under the sun…what does this mean to me? MARKETING….MONEY…CHA-CHING!  Then you have the infamous “KettleBells”….well, the Japanese again have used the Sashi (cement block with a handle) in similar ways as the Kettle bell! I’m not pro-Japanese here folks…all i’m saying is that there’s nothing new under the sun…YET THERE’S SEGREGATION THROUGH BRANDING!

4) Traditional Martial arts are functional! Just because they are old doesn’t mean they suck! How do you think thousands of ancient civilizations without any modern weapons survived? With their hands and legs folks! Yes, Martial arts! Back then, Martial Arts were TOTALLY FUNCTIONAL….hell, they weren’t even called “arts”.  They were actually all military tactics for survival.  The whole “art” thing is relatively new…as in a few hundred years old….back then, they were purely tactical systems to defend farmers, and civillians, then nations!  Hand to hand combat was where it was at folks, and to think the RSBD-ers neglect this fact!

Don’t get me wrong! I totally support the works of many RBSD-ers….Richard Dimitri, Chris Roberts, Tony Blauer, Rich Grannon, Geoff Thompson, Iain Abernethy, TJ Kennedy, Rory Miller…etc…..BUT many other instructors out there, I find, segregate the traditional …trash the kata/forms….and if you look at it all….all the body mechanics are the same!  Functionality comes with understanding and testing. 

5) Kata/Forms are a delivery system of the various arts.  Kata is the internet of the Martial arts world.  It’s the communication portal that brought down movements that catalogued thoughts of the masters.  These moves, some of which were codified, but some were just passed down “as-is”.  The literal move in itself is not to be taken as an application, but rather the idea behind it is what counts.  Nobody punches in chamber….please!  It was developed as an exercise and focus tool…that’s it that’s all.  Kata was given to us so that we can do whatever we want with it.  To me, this is the key behind learning…..if we can embrace whole heartedly any belief system….give it a chance….then and only then we can learn….make the changes (if necessasry)…add…change…delete….modify etc….and bingo…you’ve just improved yourself!

I hope you enjoy the videos below.  It represents my underlying passion for learning and expression of the Martial Arts.  I don’t intend on being “The Next Bruce Lee”…I don’t intend on hurting anyone’s feelings….I simply want to promote learning for all…and learning with everyone…..