Martial Arts and the Way of Peace

Like many kids and teens, I first got interested in martial arts because I liked all the fancy kicks and strikes I saw in the movies.  When you’re young and you’ve got testosterone flowing through your veins, few things are cooler sounding than being taught how to rip someone’s arm out of socket.  Needless to say, I sought out a martial arts instructor to start me on my journey many moons ago.

Fast forward about 18 years and here I sit, a Tang Soo Do master.  While I fancy myself pretty well-versed in self-defense as defined by a particular style of martial arts, I am not the all-knowing, all-seeing and omnipotent master that we see in the movies.  Only recently, I was having a conversation in class with one of my students about how the media has affected the attendance to martial arts classes over the years.  The first real boom of interest by the general public was brought about by the legendary Bruce Lee when the movie “Enter the Dragon” hit the theaters.  I can pretty much guarantee that after leaving the movie, people were lining up at the local karate school to learn how to annihilate an entire army single-handedly just like Bruce Lee did in the movie.

"Enter the Dragon" probably single handedly started the American martial arts revolution.

After a while, that interest began to wane until a resurgence came with Mr. Miyagi and “The Karate Kid”.  I don’t think since “Rocky” had there been such a story of personal triumph in the face of adversity…..and with some cool moves stuck in there too.

….and again the martial arts schools prospered because of it.

There really hasn’t been another movie that had brought the masses to the steps of the martial arts schools like these two did.  As a matter of fact, something took their place.  That thing was the Mixed Martial Arts phenomenon.  I remember watching the very first Ultimate Fighting Challenge put on by the Gracie family, and sitting there open-mouthed as quiet, unassuming Royce Gracie picked cleverly picked apart each of his much larger opponents with a series of moves derived from the Gracie family system of Jujitsu.  The rest is really history, and Mixed Martial Arts (or MMA, as it’s commonly referred to) has set up permanent residence in the sports and martial arts world.

Mixed martial arts changed the face of martial arts as we know it.

In my own way, I was caught up in the media hype of martial arts, and that’s what led to my interest and eventual training in Traditional Tang Soo Do.  I’d dare say that I’m now capable of some pretty nasty techniques that could only be pulled out in a self-defense situation;  I also take great pains to keep myself in what I like to call “fighting shape” by pushing myself with cross training.  That way I’m always ready to respond to a physical situation.  It’s still a work in progress; and if you ever ask me at any point in time, I’m probably in the middle of training for something.  One of my favorite sayings is that “there’s always room for improvement”.

…..but after all these years, something happened to me along the way.

At some undisclosed point in my training, it occurred to me that the things that I was learning could potentially seriously hurt or even kill someone if I was not careful.  That revelation made me think about what it meant to have the right temperament as a martial artist.  It was with that discovery that I began to understand the difference between learning a fighting style and learning martial arts.

Now don’t get me wrong, I have the utmost respect for those of us that go through the rigors of learning MMA.  The conditioning and training that goes into it is near unparalleled.  The sport is, in many ways, still in infancy; and as more people become interested, it continue to grow and evolve.  Still, it’s not something that I define as “martial arts”.  To clarify, I define “martial arts” as learning the physical techniques, philosophy and mental training that underscore a particular style of fighting.  Once the practitioner has sufficiently learned the techniques with some proficiency, he or she seeks to perfect them, but at the same time avoid physical confrontation at all costs unless his or her life (or the life of a loved one) is threatened.  It’s sort of an enigmatic situation; but you train for the fight that may never happen.

Along the way, you may find yourself seeking to cultivate your appreciation of peaceful arts.  It’s a natural complement to learning the art of war.  Meditation, for example, is usually the first to be sought out.  There is a simple quote frequently heard in many martial arts schools that simply says “right mind”.  That is to say that at any given time, your mind should be nowhere in particular, but capable of making the right decision at the right moment.  Sitting meditation is a perfect way to cultivate that way of thinking; and it bleeds into other parts of your life.  One of my senior instructors once told me that “we’re in the business of teaching how to seriously hurt or potentially kill someone”.  That’s a pretty heavy statement to live with, and it almost forces you to dwell on the need to always make the right decisions.

See, I prescribe to the old school way of thinking that the ultimate failure in martial arts is actually having to use your abilities on someone.  That means your powers of negotiation and your practiced ability to keep the peace has failed and you have to resort to violence.  At that point, the martial artist switches gears and quite literally turns on the warrior mode of thinking in order to ensure his or her survival of the situation.  It’s a place in our psyche that we don’t particularly care to go, but we are capable of dialing up at a moment’s notice.

Part of harnessing that inner demon and using it at will is to find peace in your heart and mind.  It’s really a difficult concept to explain, but something that each martial arts student must experience for him or herself.  The Tao Te Ching says that “the tao that can be told is not the true tao”.  The words that I use to describe this concept are futile at best; but many Asian-based forms of martial arts tapped into it.  The Japanese called it “mushin” or “no mind”; and you can compare it to being “in the zone” all the time.  That, I think, is missing from a lot of progressive fighting systems today.  Anyone can teach you how to punch, kick, or throw someone to the ground; but who teaches the philosophy behind avoiding that situation to begin with?  Very few, because there’s no money to be made there, unfortunately.  It’s that choice to live in peace, while being capable of great acts of violence, that has blurred the lines between MMA and traditional martial arts handed down from generations of masters.  I don’t seek to prove how fast I am, or how strong I am, or even how many fights I can win anymore.  These years of training have been a journey of self discovery about my own abilities.  I know my capabilities; and I know that I can use them if the situation calls for it.

If you’ve been training for a while, look at the difference within yourself between who you were when you first walked through the doors of your training hall and now.  Ask yourself, “am I a good representative of my art?  Can I defend myself according to the definitions and philosophies set forth by my art?”  The MMA fighter looks for the next fight.  The martial artist trains for a life or death fight in hopes that it will never happen.

Train for war, but seek peace.

Master Wayne Boozer

Eyes on the Prize

Let’s talk about goals and goal setting.

 

Recently, one of my new students remarked that martial arts is different from any other physical activity in its ability to consistently give the practitioner goals.  When you’re coming up in rank, there’s always that next belt.  If you’re into competition, there’s the next tournament.  There’s always something.

 

I’ll use myself as an example.  At my present rank, competition is no longer a priority for me.  I have a scant 4 students that I train at different times of the week.  Right now, I spend more time reflecting on how much I’ve learned than I do prepping for a tournament.  Still, the federation to which I belong has expectations of me, and as a master, I feel as though I have to exceed those expectations to inspire other students to drive past my skill level.

 

In two weeks, I have recertification testing in Arlington, TX.  It’s not a test for rank, mind you.  A re-certification is basically a progress report to yourself and the testing board about where you are since you were last promoted.  I don’t actually test again  until 2012 (right after I turn 40).  Still, I’ll have students watching and I want to make a good impression on the testing board.

 

So I made it a goal.

 

I said once in an earlier post that for my 2008 recertification test, I was very disappointed in my performance; and vowed to do better the next year.  In the spring of this year, I listed out some things that I wanted to accomplish by the time testing came around this year.  One of those goals was the establishment of my own martial arts program with a student following.  The other was to train my way back down to my most successful competition shape.

 

Two weeks before testing, I’ve achieved both.  I have a small but faithful student following and I feel as good as I did when I competed as a Sam Dan in Acapulco, Mexico back in 2006…..possibly even better.  I feel physically ready to test, and I have a small contingency of students even coming to watch!

 

Once I’ve passed this landmark, I have every intention of resetting my goals for the next challenge.

 

…and that is something that I have specifically learned from years of training in martial arts……the art, and science of setting goals and slowly working towards achieving them.  That’s just one of the many “side effects” of training.  After that 3 day adventure, I’ll return home to Houston and start over again.  There’s a master’s competition in Florida next year.  There’s my 3rd recertification.  There’s reaching levels of fitness and peace of mind that I never have before.

In short, I know how to stay busy and motivated.

 

One of my close friends on twitter, who’s handle is TanDaoKungFu, has been training in martial arts for a lot longer than I have.  He constantly refers to himself as “evolving”.  Quite honestly, I didn’t understand this at first, but the more I think about it, the more sense it makes to me.  The Dan (black) belt in Tang Soo Do is actually midnight blue.  The reason why is because it serves as a reminder that we do not know it all and we are constantly chasing perfection.  That means that there’s always room for improvement….and there’s always room to “evolve”.

 

It makes sense to me now.

 

So here I sit, anticipating the next major event….and ready for the challenges that lay ahead.  No matter what your art or profession, give yourself goals.  Take baby steps towards them, but chip away at them on a daily basis.  Before you know it, you’re there….and you’re wiser, stronger, and ready to move on to bigger and better things…..one step at a time.

 

Master Wayne Boozer

The “Art” of Ho Sin Sul

Of late, I’ve been lecturing my few students quite a bit about the subject of “ho sin sul” as part of our curriculum.

In the International Tang Soo Do Federation, Ho Sin Sul is (loosely) defined as self defense largely based on joint manipulation and submission holds.  I have a rather unique background in the subject because I had previously spent some time training in the gentle Japanese art of Aikido.  By the time I started training in my present art, it wasn’t an abstract concept.  The tone of the theories behind Ho Sin Sul, along with much of Aikido, Hapkido and related arts, is that the movement of your opponent can be directed with faced with the possibility of being in a lot of pain instead.  It’s a rather neat by thing to practice, and with proper study, you wind up with some pretty intimate knowledge of how the human muscloskeletalsystem functions (and how it’s not supposed to function as well).

Sa Bom Nim Joe Bruno demonstrating Ho Sin Sul at a seminar.

One of the problems with learning the techniques are that they tend to be directly opposite, in strategy to something that is traditionally defined as a foot fighting art like Tang Soo Do.  Much of this Korean martial art, like it’s cousin Tae Kwon Do, is based on distance fighting.  Plainly put, we learn a lot of neat kicks and it tends to dictate our strategy when fighting.  We want to keep our opponent at kicking range so that we can use one of our foot-based weapons against him.  Unfortunately, it often results in an overdependence on the feet and the practitioner risks having their strategies shut down if the opponent closes the distance.

Still, our tendency is to keep the person at arms-length distance at a bare minimum.  Quite naturally, we don’t want that person in our comfort zone.  That’s just human nature.  Not to go off on too much of a tangent here, but comfort zones and personal space tends to vary from person to person, culture, environment, gender and even age.  When that person gets up close and personal, we tend to clench our fists, tighten up, and (most importantly) forget our other weapons.  The enigma here is that ho sin sul techniques are designed to be up close and personal.  Most instructors will tell you that if you attempt one of the techniques at arm’s distance, it probably won’t work.  To be effective, you have to step inside of your opponent’s comfort zone, and allow them into yours.

This involves changing your way of thinking of course.  It was a rather natural transition for me because I’m short and I’m nearsighted.  I’m a close in fighter by nature.  If martial arts were dictated by physiological makeup, I’d probably be best suited for Wing Chun Kung Fu because that particular style is ALL close in and focuses on tying an opponent’s arms up.  I had to retrain myself to make my chosen art work for me.  You can do the same, particularly as it applies to ho sin sul practice.  Think about being grabbed by the arm.  The last thing your attacker expects is for you to step deeper into their comfort zone.  He’s expecting this to become a test of wills and strength.  You pull away, but he is stronger.  He is focused on his grip and the the assumption that he is stronger than you are.

While getting stronger is an important tool in martial arts training, brute strength has little to do with ho sin sul!

….but ho sin sul has absolutely NOTHING to do with strength.  If you find yourself muscling through a technique, you’re doing it wrong (especially if you are in my class).

Remember that I remarked at the beginning of this article that many of techniques learned are about joint manipulation.  I pride myself on being relatively strong, but that does not come into play when executing these techniques.  The strength serves a different purpose in my martial arts arsenal of weapons.  I will say, though, that because of my short stature, the way I execute a technique may look slightly different from someone taller than I am doing the same thing.  It has a lot to do with leverage and my center of gravity.  As I was telling a friend recently, there were always very subtle differences between the way that I would teach a technique and one of my former instructors.  I stand about 5′4″.  He’s probably about 5′9″ or taller.  Much of his strength (and I use the term loosely) lay in his ability to use his height to his advantage.  I, in similar fashion, want to drag you down to my very low center of gravity.  This caused a natural tendency to vary the technique slightly to make it work for me.  You may find yourself in a similar situation depending on who your attacker is and your individual abilities and weaknesses.

Finally, there’s being on the receiving end.  Another part of training that I developed a distinct appreciation for is falling and rolling.  It was Mark Tedeschi (in his Hapkido series of books) that said that sometimes (and I’m paraphrasing here), in order to protect yourself from being hurt in a throw, you have to purposely initiate fall or roll.  There was a good deal of emphasis placed on this when I was in Aikido, and I try to pass this on to my students.  I’ve seen Tang Soo Do students that were quite adept at throws, and it’s really fascinating to watch.  I’ve seen other students that never learned how to fall and it makes me wince every time they hit the ground.

Typically, I spend time teaching the front fall, the back fall, and the side falls before we start working on rolls.  I’ll revisit their many uses to counter ho sin sul techniques in a later blog post.  My point here is that you really need to spend some time working on how to hit the ground properly in the event that it ever happens to you.  Land wrong and you are no longer in the fight.  The more control you have over that landing, the greater chance of you using it to your advantage.

Remember that ho sin sul involves getting into each other's comfort zones!

Ho sin sul adds a whole new dimension to what is typically seen as a striking art, and it is, in many ways, quite close to some of the things that you see in Brazilian Ju Jitsu and other more popular mixed martial arts in today’s world.  Still, you have to constantly ask yourself how something is best utilized for you, depending on your height, stature and natural abilities.  You also have to remember that it’s all up close and personal.

Master Wayne Boozer

Can the Boxer Learn From the Martial Artist?

A week ago, I gave my students an assignment.

That assignment was to go on YouTube and dig up a couple of old Mike Tyson boxing matches.

See, I’m a huge fan of boxing, and actually discovered how much I liked it through watching Iron Mike fight back when I was a teen.  His matches were amazingly brutal, and because of the training he received by the late Cus D’Amato, he had a strategy that worked extremely well for his height and build.  The reason why I asked my students to watch him was because I want them to start developing an appreciation for a proper hip twist.  I think Tyson’s hip twist when he threw body shots was one of the best in the business, and because of it, his body shots had at least as much knock out power as his punches to the head.

Mike Tyson, in his heyday, was one of the most devastating punchers in the sport. There's something to be learned from his early fights.

Recently, I’ve run into local heavyweight professional boxer Gene “Mean Gene” Hill at the track where I train.  We’ve developed quite a friendly rapport, and often ask each other how our respective training is going when we cross paths.  The last time we bumped into each other, I asked him if he’d ever be interested in getting together and training a little.  Personally, I think the chance for a traditional martial artist to train with a professional boxer is a great opportunity for mutual learning.

Now because I come from the martial artist’s side; it’s easy for me to say what I stand to learn from the boxer.  Take footwork, for example.  Mike Tyson had an almost stalking type strategy.  He never gave his opponents any quarter, and was always advancing on them.  The early recorded examples of this were absolutely brilliant.  Compare that to someone like Sugar Ray Leonard.  While Leonard did not have the knockout power of Tyson for his weight class, he was constantly in motion and difficult for opponents to track.  His footwork was the perfect strategy for his boxing style.  Unfortunately, traditional martial artists tend to pay little attention to the grand varieties of footwork out there that boxers begin to learn on day one.  You know from my previous posts that I’ll be first in line to preach about the benefit of learning proper stances; but when faced off against a skilled opponent, you must be flexible and be able to change your strategy at the drop of a dime.  I may spar you flat-footed if I know that I’m faster than you.  If you spar flat-footed then I may decide to bounce around more like Muhammad Ali.

As I told one of my students just this past week, “you have a moment to gauge your opponent and decide what strategy to use.  Having a repertoire of footwork at your disposal is part of your toolbox.  Learn that from the boxer.”

The other thing that impresses me the most is conditioning.  All too often, as martial artists come up in rank, you hear something to the effect of “I know enough techniques to end the fight quickly so I don’t need conditioning”.  I believe it was Forrest Morgan, in his book Living the Martial Way (and I’m paraphrasing here) that once said that nothing could be further from the truth.  Martial artists need at least as much conditioning as the boxer.  Don’t be lulled into the false sense of security that anything you do is so deadly that you will never have to fight long and hard.  To think otherwise can get you killed.  I was a wrestler during my freshman year in high school.  During that year, I discovered that we spent just as much time conditioning our bodies to wrestle for the full distance of a match as we did learning techniques.  While I didn’t appreciate it back then, I understand it fully now; and it’s part of the reason why you often find me at that local high school track today.  While not an accurate representation of traditional martial arts, I think the world of MMA has exposed much of the martial arts genre to the benefits of conditioning like a boxer.  That is something that should not be ignored.

Finally, the boxer is taught how to properly utilize that “killer instinct” that I’ve blogged about before.  This is the mindset that tells the competitor to knock out the opponent once he sees that the other guy is in trouble.  Again, a powerful tool that we should make note of.  A tool that could save your life if in a dangerous situation.

Still, the question remains, can the actively training boxer learn from the martial artist?  Think of what the boxer already has, including footwork, an arsenal of punches, evasion techniques, and conditioning.  What else is left?

There is, of course, the obvious, as in techniques since the martial artist utilizes more than just hands to do damage.  There is also the adaptability that comes with years of proper training.  You’ll remember that I said earlier that footwork is part of your toolbox; and you must be able to adapt to change at a moment’s notice.  Most boxers train to focus on a particular strategy, and utilize it no matter the opponent they’re up against (like Tyson’s strategy of ’stalking’ an opponent).  If you stifle the strategy, many boxers have no “Plan B” to fall back on.  The trained martial artist can observe, adapt and overcome.

There is also the explosive speed that comes with martial arts training.  I’m a big believer in being able to go from 0 – 100 miles per hour (so to speak) in technique.  Because of this, I fully believe in plyometrics and wind sprints.  The drills that fall under those two categories allow me to change the tempo and rhythm of a fight at will.

Finally, there’s the mindset of the martial artist.  There is a  calm and unwavering demeanor that remains throughout the fight no matter the opponent, the strategy, or the abilities.  Many boxers have special coaches that put them through drills and exercises to get them “in the zone”.  This is a natural part of training where I come from.

The properly trained martial artist can "get in the zone" at a moment's notice. If he or she is also armed with good technique, proper conditioning, & adaptability, it makes for a very formidable opponent!

I think it was Miyamoto Musashi (the great swordsman of Japanese feudalism) that once said to “become familiar with every art you come across”.  We martial artists have a lot to learn from western boxing.  Pay attention to their footwork, and the individual strategies of the well trained.  For the boxer, take time to examine the mindset of the seasoned martial artist.  Observe his demeanor during a fight, and his ability to adapt to different situations.

In the event that I get an opportunity to work with “Mean Gene” Hill, I plan to take full advantage of it.  I wonder if he’ll do the same…….

Master Wayne Boozer

The Neat Thing About Training One on One

When you look at martial arts movies, you normally see an instructor teaching a classroom full of students, barking orders at the front of the training hall, and harshly correcting disciples should they perform a technique incorrectly or speak out of turn.

That’s actually the usual atmosphere of the average ‘real life’ martial arts class as well, with some minor variance, that is.  We instructors, thanks to the media, have been well-stereotyped due to the fantastic tales of the mystical, all knowing, all seeing martial arts master in film.  It’s pretty funny, actually.

While quite the stereotype, the energy of a large class is quite undeniable!

Let me tell you a little story though.

When I was coming up in rank while living in Baton Rouge, my instructor, Dale McKey, taught class in a room he was renting out at a local fitness center.  Classes were meager at best; and dedicated as I was, I would occasionally be the only one in class.  While this did little for his “business” as a martial arts teacher, it gave him the opportunity to spend one on one time with me.  Often as it happened, it was a chance to delve into the soul of the man that would start my real path in martial arts training.  Many of his lessons I still preach today in fact.  That personal time that the man spent with me had a profound impression on my growth as a martial artist.

Since then, I’ve gained a considerable amount of knowledge about teaching large classes, both to children and adults.  Large classes have a personality of their own, y’know.  Teaching them is more art than science, and there is a right and a wrong way to orchestrate them.  I’ve seen them run poorly, and quite frankly, it’s ugly.  I have often told many a lower ranking student that in order to properly teach a class, you must have just as much, if not more energy than the rest of class.  Being the instructor does not give you a chance to rest.  It means you work more.  There’s something to be learned from those simple words.

Still, there’s something special about being able to pull a student aside and teach that person something that they can carry with them throughout their lifespan as a martial artist.

When I left Baton Rouge, I left classes of sometimes 30 students at once.  The energy was high, and we had a blast pushing one another.  It is partly because of the faith that those students had in me that I successfully tested for the rank of 4th Dan.  The students ranged from 6 to late 40’s and they each had their own unique contribution to the art of Tang Soo Do.

Fast forward 2 years, and I’m starting from scratch.  I have managed to gain the confidence of a small number of students here in the Houston, Texas area; but it gives me the rare opportunity to revisit those early years with my first Tang Soo Do instructor.  Twice this week, for example, I have had the chance to spend one on one time with folks.  While driving home from today’s class, I began to reflect on how much those early years with Kyo Sa Nim Dale McKey meant to me, and how the best way to pay homage to the man was to reciprocate with my own students.  Today, in particular, it was a very profound feeling.

Take advantage of any opportunity you get to learn one on one from your instructor! Chances are, you'll learn something neat!

If you have the opportunity to spend some one on one time with your instructor.  You may not understand everything he tells you, but listen well.  You’ll find yourself telling someone else the same thing one day.

Last Weekend Revisited

Today, I woke up late, took my time around the house, and went running this afternoon to shake off some of the soreness.

Needless to say, it was a good weekend.

I came home sore, but happy, having reconnected with many old friends and made some new ones as well.  You see, it’s nice to spend time being the student from time to time.  It’s nice to be corrected and reminded that my technique is far from perfect.  It’s refreshing, humbling and exhilirating all at the same time.  This weekend, at the Instructor’s seminar held in (specifically) Monroeville, PA, Master Y.D. Kim of Arlington, TX introduced a new form to be taught to Sam Dans (3rd degree black belts) and above.  In addition, Grandmaster CS Kim introduced some new Neh Gung (internal breathing exercise) techniques.

See, in the past, the ITF Instructors’ Seminar has been an opportunity to regurgitate and review every single aspect of our beloved martial art.  More recently, it’s been taking on themes.  This, to me, says that the federation’s technical advisory committee presently has faith in how certain things are taught.  That is, of course, a good thing.  This also left room for us to learn new things, like the material that Sa Bom Nim Kim recently brought home from Korea.  One of those new things was the form Kong San So (or Kong San Koon So).  As I understand it, there is a lesser Kong San form that isn’t seen with quite the frequency as it’s greater version.  This past weekend I too learned that new form.

….but not before going through basics!

I have often told many students that much like all of my senior instructors, I still practice basics as often as I can.  Any training session with Grandmaster Kim serves as a reminder that your basics are the foundation for everything else you do in Tang Soo Do.  Last weekend was no different.  The first couple of hours were spent on techniques like low block and stepping punch.  In addition, I also got to spend some considerable time refining my present form, Sip Sam.  Many thanks to Sa Bom Nims YD Kim and Ben Johnson for teaching me that form last year; and many thanks to Sa Bom Nim Dean Kelly of the ITF technical advisoryboard for taking the time to point out some of the smaller details in an effort to make my form look better over the weekend.

Also, I had a great opportunity to work on my staff form along side Sa Bom Nim Chris DuFour of the Pensacola Tang Soo Do Academy, another ITF Technical Advisory board member, and very close friend (you can find a link to his school’s website here).  Master DuFour and I were part of a grand adventure once, an adventure that also included Master Mike McGee of Louisiana.  You see, we three traveled from Louisiana to Monroeville, PA by car for the very first Instructors’ Seminar many years ago.  Back in those days (I sound like my father), we would train for 12 – 15 hours with practically no rest and even less food.  On that first trip, after being put through our paces for an entire day, we decided to trek home that same night.  It made for a non-stop and exhausting weekend; one that we still joke about and swear to each other that we’ll never drive to Pittsburgh again.

And it’s weekends like this that give us a chance to renew those bonds and share those good memories.

My Saturday evening was spent sharing some good conversation with the man I consider to be my “grandfather” in Tang Soo Do, Bu Choong Jae Nim Joe Goss, Sr., the only other 8th Dan in the ITF and the vice president of the federation.  This man is an incredible source of information and has a ton of stories to boot from the extensive years he’s been involved in martial arts.  By “grandfather”, I say that by lineage, my techniques are most closely related to the man who taught the instructor that brought ITF Tang Soo Do to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  Needless to say, Master Goss and I have always shared a bond.  Besides, he’s a motorcycle rider too; and a hardcore one at that.   Those that know the man know what I mean.  If you’d like more information about the man, copy and paste this link:

http://www.tangsoodoworld.com/whos_who_profiles/joe_goss.htm

I could bore you with the rest of the details, but I don’t want to take away from the grand feeling that many were left with over the weekend.  Running from the soccer field to the gymnasium alongside the great Master Marcus Murtaugh (who, in my eyes, has the most near-perfect form I’ve ever seen) after Neh Gung practice is a memory I’ll never forget; and guaranteed, he and I will joke about that when I see him again.

This was a good reminder of how big my Tang Soo Do family really is, how many friends I have in my federation, and how proud I am of what’s been built here.  I’m not so tired and sore that I don’t want to jump right back into training and get even better at what I do.  After this past weekend, I know it’s not just a hobby and a lifestyle, it’s a responsibility.

Tang Soo!

Master Wayne Boozer

The Annual ITF Instructor’s Seminar

Each year, the International Tang Soo Do Federation hauls in all of the certified instructors for a weekend of training at headquarters in Monroeville, Pennsylvania.

The 2007 Participants for the ITF Instructor's Seminar

I missed the 2008 seminar because I was still settling into married life in Houston.  This year I’m making up for it.

There are a lot of schools of thought when it comes to operating as an independent or becoming a member of a federation.  My personal preference is to remain with a federation; but maybe not for the obvious reasons.  I often talk fondly about my first Tang Soo Do instructor, Dale McKey, who hung up his belt for the last time at the Sam Dan level due to a hard fought bout with cancer.  Much of what I learned from Kyo Sa Nim McKey remains with me to this very day…..not just in technique, but i philosophy.  Kyo Sa Nim (I still refer to him with the title because in my eyes he’ll always be my senior) used to always tell me to never get so bold in knowledge that I can’t learn from someone else.  He also once told me to not limit my learning just to him.  That, specifically, is the point I’m making today.

The reason why I remain a member of a federation, particularly this one, is because of the wealth of information to which I always have access.  Quite frankly, there is always someone who knows more.  That, in my opinion, means that there is a lifetime of things to learn from everyone that has walked the path before I did.  That is also my advice to you.  If you are a member of a federation, take the time to learn from all of your seniors.  When you go to the large events, make friends, get e-mail addresses and keep in touch with folks.  You will be amazed at how much better rounded you become as a student of your art by picking up techniques and advice from other senior Kyo Sas (instructors) and Sa Bom Nims (masters).

Kyo Sa Nim McKey also warned me as a gup (color belt)  that as much as I would enjoy being a black belt, the rank holds a lot of weight on the bearer’s shoulders and I would one day not be shielded to all of the politics that come with it.  Granted, this is true for anything that involves interpersonal interaction  in any large group.  Look at businesses, churches, and even government and you’ll see the same phenomena.  The higher up in rank you go, the more politics (both good and bad) t owhich you become exposed.  Only now, having been deeply involved in Tang Soo Do for years, do I see the wisdom in the advice that Kyo Sa Nim gave me.  By the time he was no longer instructing me, he had started me well on the path to making enough friends outside of my school and within the federation to always be able to make my own judgment call, and not follow any one person blindly.  It’s nice to be able to call or e-mail instructors here in Texas, Florida, Pittsburgh, even Germany, Mexico and Wales.  Most importantly, I learned to develop a close relationship with my Grandmaster, CS Kim himself; and if I ever have a serious question about something, the man himself will make time for me.

…and when my succeeding instructor (after McKey’s retirement) left the federation, I remained of my own volition based on the things I had learned on my own and the relationships I had developed over the years.

Whatever your reasons may be for being in a federation, or even being with an independent instructor; make sure that they are YOUR reasons and no one else’s.    Learn to make your own educated judgment call; not one that’s based on what someone else is telling you.

More importantly than the grueling training, the fancy techniques and all the refinement, the Annual ITF Instructor’s Seminar is developing friendships with other Tang Soo Do students that do the exact same thing that you do; but you don’t see every day.  No matter what the event, or to which federation you belong; make friends, learn from everyone, and create your own path along the way.  With the right instructor, it will only accent your ability to grow as a martial artist.

Master Wayne Boozer

IMPROVISE!!

Okay, so based on my past post, you know that my schedule has changed greatly.  I no longer have the luxury of morning free-time that I once boasted.

This afternoon, much like the rest of the week, I came home early in the afternoon to accommodate my wife’s departure for work and watch the kids.  On the way home, I got a wild hair about an impromptu workout.

I had roughly an hour to kill, the 3 yr old was sleeping and the 6 yr old doesn’t get home until 3:15.  The apartment complex where I live is roughly about the diameter of the 1/4 mile track across the street….perhaps a little more.  When I got home I hurried up and changed clothes and proceeded to run 2 laps around the apartment complex.

Once done, I went to the tennis court and proceeded to do my “chair leaps” over the net 10 times.

I then returned home and gutted out 100 push ups, 50 pull ups, and 200 crunches.

Now I don’t feel quite as bad for not working out on my own as much as I should have this week.

My point is, EVERYWHERE can be your gym.  Use your imagination. If you really want to get something done, you’ll find a way!

Master Wayne Boozer

Adapting to change ….especially in training!

Some of you know that I keep a notebook/journal where I write out my daily / weekly/ mid-range and long term goals.  I started this practice in March to keep track of my progress as project “get your butt in gear” was begun.  Since then, each week has been a opportunity for new challenges, updates, and a reshuffling of priorities.

Want to keep track of where you were, where you are, and where you're going? Consider starting a journal.

You see, last year I took my first recertification test as a master.  While I passed, and it served its purpose as a measuring stick for where I was in my training at the time; I left very dissatisfied with my performance.  That dissatisfaction came from the expectations that I place upon myself.  I have never been one to coast through a rank or recertification test with minimal knowledge.  I have always seen any opportunity to test as a chance to show my seniors that I am more than proficient in what I do.  Bearing that in mind, last November I saw my techniques as lackluster at best.

At the beginning of this year, I had a long heart to heart with myself.  Quite honestly, I can’t go through life doing anything in a mediocre manner.  My talk with myself ultimately became a decision to hang up the past 15 years of training and close that chapter in my life or come back stronger than ever in my martial arts training as the next chapter.

I chose the latter.

Granted, there is an old saying about the “road to hell being paved with good intentions”.  Anyone can plan to do something, but it’s in the execution where your plane will either take off of remain on the ground.  Hence, the goal journal was born.  I’ve been writing in it since then.

One of my primary goals was a return to the physical conditioning that I once boasted when I trained in Baton Rouge, LA.  I’ll be the first to tell you that I was quite proud of what I had built back then.  I had a relatively easy job.  I was single (usually), had free run of my instructor’s dojang, ran my own classes at a local YMCA, and had free access to the Y because I was a staff member.  Life was good; and quite frankly, I was rather spoiled.

Fast forward to 2009; and you’ll see that my life has in fact changed significantly:

• I’ve moved across state lines (I live in Texas now).
• My current day time job is much more complex than my old job.
• I no longer have access to a fitness center such as a YMCA.
• My instructor and I parted ways; and the next nearest school in my federation where I now live is quite literally on the other side of town for me.
• I’m now married with kids.

Still, I’ve somehow managed to resume a regular regimen of training.  It’s not easy, I lose sleep, and I have even less free time; but I’m getting there.  How?  Read the backlog of my blog entries.  I’ve made do with the tools that I have available to me.  Fortunately, I live right across from a local high school that opens its track up to the public on weekends and over the summer.  The track, as you know, became both my dojang and my fitness center.

Slowly but surely, that level of extreme fitness has crept back into my life, but not without a lot of hard work.

Fortunately, with the summer just around the corner when I first started this project, it gained momentum because it allowed me to focus on my progress.  And progress was made indeed!  Before I knew it, the sprints up and down the bleachers had gotten more extensive, the morning run had gotten back to 1 mile with the last lap in a full sprint, and the plyometrics were making my legs feel stronger than even my heaviest squats back in my fitness center days!

Then my wife got a job (thankfully) and the school year started.  This, unfortunately, disturbed my schedule somewhat and the 3-4 days I once spent at the track suddenly largely evaporated.  My “day” job is in a 24 hour industry, so to offset my child care times because of my wife’s work schedule, I have to get up at 4:45 am to be at work at 6.

Yeah, yikes.

My biggest worry right now is trying to figure out how to not lose the momentum so close to testing time.  Herein lies the latest challenge.

The good news?  I’m teaching again.  I, personally, feel that there is no better way to retain what you have learned over the years than to teach it to another.  Presently, I have 3 students that started with me over the summer.  While not many (by large school standards), for me, it’s extremely exciting.  Still, one of the demands I have always placed on myself is cross-training.  As you can tell from the scope of my blog, it’s imperative to find some avenue to cross train if you want to be successful as a martial artist.  That is my personal philosophy.

Granted, I knew this was coming with the pending school year; and it doesn’t make it any easier to accommodate.  Still, adaptation is part of the martial artist’s credo.  We make do with what we have.  Less time spent at the track during the week gives me more time to spend on techniques instead.  I’m afraid that my track days to myself will be busted down to Sundays again; but that’s how I started to begin with.  Of course, this is subject to change on the days that I do not have to work early; but I have to be ready to take full advantage of those days as well.

Change means accepting that things will be different, but adapting yourself to the new circumstances.  That’s nothing more than a simple part of life.  Meditate on your goals as frequently as you can; and know that the road to your destination, whatever it may be, will not always be smooth.  My point is, once you’ve made up your mind, get up and do something.  If something throws a kink in your plans, then find another way to accomplish what you want to do.  You can apply that rule to EVERYTHING.

You MUST spend time meditating and constantly refocusing yourself!!

You can catch me at the track on Friday morning, doing my mile run and bleacher sprints before teaching my sunrise class.  If you want to really work out, then I’ll see you Sunday morning before church……  I’ll get my 2 days in one way or another…..

Master Wayne Boozer

Horse Riding Stance – The Immovable Object

In Tang Soo Do, as well as many Japanese and Okinawan arts, there are entire forms dedicated to maintaining a good horse riding stance.  While not the most mobile, I would venture to say that it is arguably the strongest stance in traditional martial arts.

If you’ve read my previous posts about Choong Gul Ja Seh (front stance) and Hu Gul Ja Seh (back stance), then you know that I broadly defined them as your power stance and your movement stance (respectively).  So, where on Earth does horse riding stance fit into all this?

In Tang Soo Do, the stance is known as Kee Mah Jaseh.  To properly execute it, start with your feet a what I like to call “Choon Bee (ready stance) distance” apart.  Choon Bee is normally done with the feet shoulder width apart, although I’ve seen variations (which is another blog post altogether).  Now, double the with between your legs.  Keep the feet pointing forward and bend the knees outward.  As you “sit” down into the stance, arch your back ever so slightly in order to keep your center of gravity nice and low.

I'd never go to this extreme with my students, but learning Kima Ja Seh is very important!

For me, two aspects of this stance make it rather tricky.  First, I am slightly ‘pigeon toed’, which means that my feet turn outward slightly more than normal.  For this reason, I constantly have to monitor the position of my feet in the stance to make sure that they are facing straight.  A horse riding stance with the feet turned out actually has another use, and is known as Sa Go Rip Ja Seh (side stance) in many Korean arts.  The second is the position of the knees.  This stance places a lot of stress on the knees, thighs and lower back.  Because I work so hard to maintain my supportive muscle tissue, my knees usually start to complain first.  The stress will vary from person to person depending on the stronger and weaker body parts involved.  With new students, the most common problems I see include a tendency to turn the knees inward and a lean to the front.  Don’t confuse leaning over to get lower with increasing the strength in your lower back and legs to accommodate a low stance.

In other words, as is true for all stances and moves, if it causes discomfort in a particular area where musculature is involved, then make the area stronger.  But again, that’s another blog post.  Read my early entry about cross-training for the martial artist and you’ll understand that concept more.

What, in my opinion, makes Kee Mah Jaseh unique among stances is the fact that it moves very differently.  Look at what the other stances I’ve described so far.  In Tang Soo Do, front stance, backwards or forwards is a very deliberate motion that involves raising the leg in the direction in which you are traveling.  Once you set down, the weight is shifted slightly to the front leg.  In back stance, regardless of the step or shuffle, 80 – 90% of your weight remains on the back leg and glute.  When you step, the weight shifts to the other leg (much like the front stance).

With Kee Mah Ja Seh, you have a choice of steps, depending upon your purpose.

The first can most easily be defined as a cross-step.  Keep in mind that while your body is facing the left or right, your focus is often pointing in the direction of one of your shoulders (head turned to the side).  To execute a cross step, step behind (or in front in some arts) with the rear foot, pointing the heel away from the direction in which you are traveling, then step with the other in the same direction to reposition yourself in the stance.  A cross-step most easily accommodates Yup Cha Gi, or side kick; but for the more advanced student, you will notice that it also allows for a select variety of other kicks.

The other step is quite different.  This involves raising the rear leg in the direction that you wish to travel.  As a result, a step forwards or backwards will have your body facing in the opposite direction.  Now pay close attention here, because this is where mistakes are often made.  In order to maintain a low stance and have any hope of delivering a strike or kick with sufficient power, you have to raise the knee straight.  Often, you will see the knee cock outwards in order to maintain the low stance.  as one travels forward.  Instead, try raising the knee to the chest.  This in my opinion, helps to focus your energy.  My first Tang Soo Do instructor once told me to imagine a crashing wave when he was correcting the motion of my knee.  A wave comes up high and crashes down.  It never comes from the side.  Think about that one….it’ll make more sense as you practice more.  This particular step accommodates two moves in particular, Dull Ryo Yup Cha Gi (turning side kick) and Choon Dan Wheng Jin Kong Kyuck (side punch).  While the uses of side kick are a lot more obvious, the side punch is a particularly unique variation of the stepping punch that allows the practitioner to slip under the attacker’s offense and strike ribs or other vital areas.  In other words, a well placed side punch hurts.

While not the quickest stance for mobility, Kima Ja Seh has countless more uses for the traditional martial arts student.  You’ll recall that I once said that for the delivery of sufficient power with a technique, you must focus on your center.  To do so, there is a significant amount of waist twist involved.  Kima Ja Seh is also employed for a technique called Choon Dan Pal Po Kee Ja Seh.  This, in layman’s terms, is the traditional in-place karate punch that often see students doing in the movies.  If you want a good media example, go watch Enter the Dragon and look at the kind of punches being done at Jim Kelly’s dojo.

And if you don’t know who Jim Kelly (not the football player) is then shame on you……but I digress.

Getting back, in Tang Soo Do, there is a slight waist twist in the opposite direction before throwing the punch.  In other words, if I am throwing the punch with my right hand, you will see my hip and shoulder both cock back slightly to the right before delivery.  There’s the hip twist in action.  No technique will remind you of the hip twist more than this exercise.

Vintage footage of Shotokan founder Gichin Funakoshi performing the moves of Naihanchi

Finally, you will remember at the beginning of this blog entry that I said there are an entire series of forms dedicated to this stance alone.  In many schools of Tang Soo Do, this is known as the Naihanchi series.  In the International Tang Soo Do Federation they are known as the Kima Hyung series.  The forms are typically not taught until the student has reached a certain degree of proficiency in maintaining the stance, moving in cross step, and utilizing the waist twist.  Quite honestly, while I learned the first in our series of three forms at the red belt level, I did not truly begin to understand them until well after 2nd Dan.  Historically speaking, the forms emulate fighting with one’s back against a wall or combat in a rice paddy field.  Looking back, the forms have helped me to gain a much clearer understanding of what it’s like to move in horse riding stance; and helped me remain cognizant of the all-important waist twist.  I don’t want to go off on too much of a tangent talking about the forms; but will instead save that for its own blog entry.

Til next time!

Master Wayne Boozer