GrandMaster Art Mason's Martial Musing

Here are the six tenets that we teach our students in our school.

• Integrity
• Courtesy
• Self Control
• Commitment
• Perseverance
• Indomitable Spirit

Our students must know these, live by these and show them in all aspects of life.  So why is it then that so many martial artists and instructor are such egotists? The answer is simply, they practice what they preach. That’s right, they practice what they preach!

OK, now I know you are confused! Aren’t you supposed to Practice What You Preach? Well, if you practice what you preach you practing because this is what you are preaching. Thus the HUGE egos in the martial arts world! What should you be doing? Preaching what you are practicing in your life!

Think about it….

When I do Kyusho Course in my school, the novice session is 12 3 hour segments lasting a year in time. We meet once per month. My success rate with these groups getting to Black Belt is very high, but there is a reason for it. We follow certain laws that pertain to learning a new skill or any skill for that matter.

There are 4 major areas we will talk about.

1) Who to listen too. There are many people on the internet who are claiming high ranks and understanding of the art. How do you decide? Find someone who is doing the things with Kyusho you want to learn to do. That simple, but often overlooked.

2) Am I teachable? This is an important question to ask yourself. How badly on a scale of 1 to 10 do I want to learn this information and what I am will to do, change or give up to do it!

3) Technical Balance - There is a certain amount of technical skill needs to be balanced with the information processed from Kyusho Jitsu.

4) Putting it together. There are 4 knowledge states to be considered. Your goal is to the reach the forth. This takes time and much word to achieve.

a) Unconscious Incompetence- This is not knowing you don’t know something
b) Conscious Incompetence – This is know that you do not know
c) Conscious Competence – This is know that you know something
d) Unconscious Competence – This is doing something you know without thinking about it. This is the ultimate place to be in any martial art or skill.

If you apply this these skills to anything you are learning you will find great success in the field in question. Kyusho is a great example of this. If you would like to know more about learning Kyusho Jitsu visit on Kyusho Online Course Website

I was in London the other day shooting some video footage with my Kyusho Jitsu teacher Grand Master Steve Stewart. GM Stewart has been a full time school owner operator for almost 20 years (Fulltime). After the shooting we went out to grab something to eat and ended up talking about MMA.

What is MMA really? Well we do have the fighters who are the ones who coined the phrase MMA. But what is it really?

I get a phone call per week from people looking for MMA sport fighting. I don’t do it so I will send them to my good friend Hanshi Mady. But it is interesting that so many of us, even if we don’t train fighters are teaching a Mixed Martial Art.

I have Black Belts in 4 different arts, my son Curt also in 4 and my son Scott in 3.  Curt is currently looking at the study of American Kenpo under GM Stewart to increase his hand speed. But lets face it what he learns will become integrated into his teaching.  The art of Hon Sang Mu Sa Hapkido is an eclectic art composed of about 5 other arts. So really it is a Mixed Martial Art.

Martial Arts is about growth, personal growth not just combat. Yes they were once combat systems, but most fights or conflicts on any scale involve some nasty weapons. It is far wiser to avoid these situation.

Have an fantastic and properous New Year.

With 2010 right on our doorstep it is time once again to look at the New Year with new hopes and dreams. Have you thought about what you want to achieve in 2010?  This year I have several adult members eligible for their 2nd Dan, plus 2 for 3rd Dan, and I am hoping they are thinking about this as we head into the New Year.

Personally this year is looking like a time for promotion in Kyusho Jitsu with a test for 5th Dan. As well as my promotion in Hapkido to 8th Dan.

Why set goals? I have known so many people over the years of my life who do not believe in setting any kind of goal. They also never get anywhere in life. The subconscious mind needs information given to it to do it’s job. Written goals are a way to supply this to it. Thinking about it consciously does not work. We must commit it to writing and reviewing these goals periodically to achieve them. When I revisit my old goals, those set in writing at the end of the year. Most have been reached or at least started.

For martial artists goal setting is of utmost importance. With set goals comes motivation to train and achieve. Overcoming inertia and getting to class is not only good for your physical health but your mental health as well.

Human’s were not meant to be sedentary, which is the way much of our societies have become. With movement come peace of mind and happiness. Along with some of the things mentioned about my New Years Resolution is to continue to be HAPPY.

There must be a starting point for everyone that decides to become involved with martial arts training.  Formally we call this white belt, but it lasts much longer than this.  This beginning is based on movement and technique.

As you first begin your training you learn many, many different technique. Sometimes I think as a teacher I am teaching far to many of these. What is really needed is learning how to move. We have all learned and practiced technqies that work on some, then not at all on others. Yet the master seems to be able to always make them work. This can be very frustrating. Depending on the student sometimes I will tell them what is going on, other times I leave it to them to think about.

One thing the student tends to do when a technique is going bad is revert to using force or power to try to finish it. The problem with this is that you are now fully committed to the movement, and there is no way out.  What is needed is continuous motion.

The concept is simple, application is more challenging.

The student will often ask at this point “what about stances?” Stances are transitional points, not finishing events.  Continuous movement, through the varying stances for the particular application will yield a great result. The body cannot defend against such movements.

Students watch your instructor carefully over the next few months. See exactly what he or she is doing to make things work. Martial Art is about movement, and movement will make you successful.

A new white belt walks on the floor of the dojo. She feels very odd in her new, crisp uniform. The instructor calls the class to order. The new student is both excited and intimidated at the same time.  She wonders “what is expected of me?”,  ” Can I do this?”

These are all the normal emotions and thoughts of the beginner. However fear may get in the way of his or her training and progression.  “What happens if I can’t do this?”

Over the years I have seen so many people quit martial arts, not because they did not like it, but because the fear of failure is so overwhelming. Some will say this is a lack of self esteem, which is true but it is also not true at the same time. Thus a paradox.

When we think of someone with low self esteem we tend to see a shy person, alone in a corner not talking to anyone.  However self esteem cannot really be judged by such simple characteristics. A personal with low self esteem may often be very outgoing. Also self esteem can come in different forms and areas of life. The person in this example may have excellent self esteem in every other area, but martial arts.

Here the teacher is key to getting the new student to understand that a great martial art system is constructed in such a way as to assure success, if the student just comes to class. How is this possible? The school must have teachers on the floor, not just instructors. Will the student work hard? Certainly, but fear of failure will be lessened each time they walk on the mat.

Black Belt is considered to be one of the ultimate symbols of success. As teachers it is our job to show the student the way, and help them overcome fear. Fear of failure is a real fear, it is real because if it remains, failure is assured.

Remind your students and piers in the arts that we were all White Belts once. We all felt the same, and that with a little work it can be overcome. When someone leaves martial arts training for the wrong reason, we all suffer.

Happy Halloween Everyone,

Each year at Halloween young students will come and ask me if it is OK for them to wear their Dobok (gi) out for Trick or Treating.  Even though it is really a breech of etiquette I always say yes.  Now Halloween is a time to dress up as something you are NOT, these children are all martial artists.

As I was thinking about this today, I realized that perhaps some people see martial arts training as role playing. This can be especially true for new members, but in reality they are not role playing, they have become martial artists.

This all gets down once again to the way we think, especially the belief system that will often tell a person they are not good enough. Many times new adult students will come and talk with me because they feel ackward in class, and feel they are not really good enough to martial artists.  The truth is every accomplished martial artist in the world was once a beginner, a white belt, but we saw what we wanted and went after it.  So should you!

This applies to everything in life. I only use the martial arts as an example, because that is what I am most familiar with.  But here is the important point.

“You are exactly what you want to be…….”

There are no exceptions to this rule. Everything you are is an extension of your thinking, good, bad and indifferent.  Your reality is a result of all your thoughts to date. If you are not happy with this, then your thoughts must change to become what you desire down the road. The first step however is seeing in your mind’s eye, yourself as the way you want to be.

This has been a hard lesson in my life, but only hard because I kept getting in my own way. My belief system needed a major overhaul. The only area I had no trouble in was martial arts. This is because that fire burned very bright and hot. From my first class I could see myself in that Black Belt.

Start right now and imagine the changes you want in your life as a reality. When they appear in your mind they have been created, keep seeing them and they will manifest in your personal reality.

Everything is created twice.

A new student starts our as a white belt, learning movement, kata and self defense forms. He or she learns to block, punch and kick.  Soon forward movement is added as the student will step forward in a stance and either block or strike.  What was once unnatural soon becomes simple.

Patterns or Kata are added to the learning. At first these are simple routines,but grow progressively more difficult at the student progresses. Self Defense techniques are introduced and the eager student quickly learns these movement too, not quite understanding the implications, but have some idea of the importance.

As the student progresses questions begin to develop. The students begins to bore as the constant repetition continues.  Finally he or she will ask the teacher for some deeper knowledge.  Satisfied at this point the student continues to train, realizing how much more important each move and stance have become.

What was once form, becomes something formless as the student’s movements become automatic and effortless.  After years of diligent practice the student is awarded the coveted Black Belt.  But now the question arises, there must be something more?

As the student heads towards mastery, he or she becomes formlessness;  their ability to move from one technique to the other becomes seamless. Then one day it happens, all progress seems to stop. The student feels their technique is losing ground, that they no longer move formlessly.

The final transition to mastery is close at hand. Soon the student will understand that all knowledge is of the self, and he or she is simply learning to move, that there is no technique, only continual motion. Once this knowledge is understood, the new master is once again back to form, the first circle of training is complete.  He or she sees that their art is both empty of form, and empty of formlessness.

They realize there is no defense, only motion. They are ready for the next stage.

Everywhere I look I see stressed people….Sounds like a twist on the movie the 6th Sense, but this is true. Everywhere, all day long I hear about stress, stress, stress…….Hmmmm, Why am I not stressed???

There are two types of stress. There is physical stress, the kind you get from working hard or exercising, then there is mental stress, the killer in our society. Here is a definition of the word Stress.

Stress is a biological term for the consequences of the failure of a human or animal to respond appropriately to emotional or physical threats to the organism, whether actual or imagined. Ok people, guess which one is killing you? That is right, the IMAGINED one!

Most stress caused in people lives today is because of their lack of ability to prioritize their lives. They put far too much mental energy into things that are of little or no real consequence. This accounts for about 80% of your life and day.

Have you ever been awakened at night by something that needs to be done the next day, or a bill that is late being paid, or a problem with a family member, etc etc etc. Well everybody it is high time to take your life back. Read on and I will get you started.

First, everything in your life that happens is only as important as the meaning you give to it. Life does not need to be a drama. When something happens that upsets you ask yourself, will this still matter in 2 years, 2 months, 2 weeks? It might not even matter in 2 hours!  Since the only moment we have to live in is this one, there is no past or future, then we can chose how we feel about these events.

How do we live in the now, rather then the past? First you MUST spend some quiet time with yourself each day.  Mediation comes in many forms, but a great way to start is to just sit in a comfortable chair for 15 minutes and listen to some soft instrumental music.  Don’t use this time to plan or anything else. Just concentrate on relaxing and breathing. You will feel much better after wards.

You must take time for yourself each day, no excuses. Don’t bother to talk about what the kids or the spouse or the boss needs.  If you don’t put yourself ahead of these other issues you will not be effective in handling them when the time arrises.  You must come first!

To reduce and eliminate stress in your life you must give time to yourself.  If time is so short get up 30 minutes earlier, before anyone else is up and use this time. The difference in how you feel will be well worth the effort!

There are many great philanthropists in the world, when I think of these men and women people like Bill Gates comes to mind.  But what really is giving, why should we do it, but more importantly how should we do it?

Giving is very misunderstood. Churches will teach you that you should give 10% of your gross salary to their work (if you belong to a church) and you will be rewarded a 100 times in merit and other rewards.  At the same time telling you to not focus on being rewarded.

Most people when they think of giving with think of money or some physical item like food and clothing.  Sadly this also falls short of the real meaning of giving.  Giving is also a donation of your time, the most precious thing we have to offer.

Today no matter were you go you will find a hand out looking for money. There is certainly no lack of opportunity for giving.  The government even gives us tax credits for doing it. But how best do we do it?

In the Diamond Sutra the Buddha talked about giving. He said that “you must give without attachment to the thing given.”  He also said “you must not be attached to merit or rewards you will receive from giving. ” This is all pretty straight forward and is taught by many religions across the planet.  “Giving from the heart without thoughts of rewards, or that you are losing something by giving.”

The final part of this teaching however is the most difficult. This is “not being attached to not being attached.” This may sound like a puzzle, but what it means is not being attached to the great feelings you get in giving without thought of return. This is true Altruism, and is the Zen in the art of giving.

Now perhaps this posting has caused your head to hurt. Don’t despair, this is all good. Everything we are and everything we do comes from MIND. Understanding this and the concept of non attachment leads to a properous and happy life.  Everything is thought and how we think. Now I have you thinking….