Sunday, January 27, 2013

Fearless Fitness/Martial Arts: The Word

Fearless Fitness/Martial Arts: The Word: What an astonishing thing a book is. It's a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts,  on it are imparted lots of funny dark ...

Saturday, January 26, 2013

The Word


What an astonishing thing a book is.
It's a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts,
 on it are imparted lots of funny dark squiggles.
 
With one glance you're inside the mind of another person,
maybe someone that died thousands of years ago.
 
Across the millenia author is speaking clearly,
 silently inside your head, directly to you.
 
Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions,
binding together people who never knew each other.
 
Books break the shackles of society.
A book is proof that humans are capable of magic.
 
-Carl Sagan-

When I trained with Lawrence Tan (Tan Dao founder).
 Tan referred to forms as books of knowledge.
 Forms contain ancient interpretations of different
 'languages of movement' labeled with animal names.

We alone have the power within us to solve our problems,
 relieve our anxieties and pain, heal our illnesses,
improve our golf game or get a promotion.

 Stephen Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,
 is so massively popular that it gave rise to a publicly traded corporation.
 Last year, Franklin Covey,recorded sales of $333 million.

Obviously we want /are willing to pay for keys to self improvement.

Martial arts is not the most popular form of fitness training,
definitely the most all encompassing.

Mind    Body    Spirit

Recently in the moments preceding a Kickbox Fitness class,
a student and I were looking at this months fitness magazines.
Believe it or else.......
4 outta 5 magazines featured articles on
 the unparalleled benefits of martial arts fitness classes.

When a society is rich and triumphant
its people start to ask not just what can be had from life
 but how can I live a life that's worth living,

The answer is fitness, not just of the body.... but total fitness. 

The father of American kickboxing, The Legendary Joe Lewis
created several tools to achieve this total fitness goal.
The first was Kickbox Fitness the second were his fighting forms.

Today we can still be inspired by his'voice'
in the black belt manual or these 'books of knowlege'..


Don't let your fear of the unknown cost you this opportunity
Try something new ...Read a book 
Practice these books of knowledge.

I wonder if kids now feel as sad, lonely,
and serious about life as I did when I was at that age.

Whether its your biological child or your inner child,
I have compassion for both in your quest to find comfort in your own skin.

Joe Lewis taught,

 confidence comes when you are hurt and/or exhausted,
not when you are fresh.

 Learn to stay dangerous despite being at at a disadvantage,
your confidence will build.

 Confidence comes from experiencing the times when you survive,
  though you may not have won the fight,
 
 That translates to all areas of life and has helped me tremendously.

 

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Home of the Brave

A Christmas story,
Garbage men have saved more lives than every policeman and paramedic combined, ever.
So did the designers of the sewer systems in major citys.
 
  Good deeds. Heroically good deeds. And done every day.
  People who are nice everyday,
 make the world better everyday.
  Not just on Christmas.
 
-Rory Miller-
 
There are many unsung heroes in our communities.
Volunteers at animal shelters to those serving meals to the elderly,
single parents and our underpaid educators.
 These people pass under the radar and are unrecognised for there efforts.


 
The theft of your passion....

Mainstream media and politicians misdirect your attention and cause a 'split focus'.


 The Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
 wants the government to regulate the purchase/possession of firearms.
 The League urged, "Do this to keep guns out of the hands of violent bigots."
They also claim to be deeply concerned about the possession and use of firearms by children.

Home of the brave ?

Our government promotes a justice system based on reform and reeducation.
How about educating children on the proper use of firearms,
firearms safety & unarmed self defense.

What if Vicky Soto had been armed or trained ?

 "Assault" rifles are used least in murders but are demonized by politicians.
 Clearly,
 the Government fears militarily effective weapons in the hands of the it's people.

Whats next.....?
Perhaps I should register my hands !!!


 
'Uncrowned Champion'
 One such boxer was tough enough to be nicknamed ” Bad “.
He was Bennie Briscoe from Philadelphia.
  He was the most feared middleweight of his era.
 If you were bad there, you were bad everywhere.

Briscoe turned pro in 1962 and would win his first fifteen contests.
Bennie was among the middleweight elite.
In 1970 Bennie began to make his march to the world’s middleweight title.

He won eleven straight fights.1973.
 
In 1973 Briscoe would then go undefeated in his next thirteen bouts.
 He won nine and drew in four.
 By 1977 any middleweight who dreamed of becoming champion
had to meet Bennie.

His legacy, 

 96 fights against many of the toughest welterweights and middleweights of his day.
 He won 66 fights and an amazing 53 of those by knockout.
 He was stopped only once in his career.
His record reads like a who’s who of boxing in that era.
If ever an uncrowned "champion" fighter deserved the Hall Of Fame,

 it's Bennie Briscoe.
 

Let’s honor all of our unsung heroes past and present.
When you live on a round planet, there’s no choosing sides
 Lives have been changed forever because of their courage,
tolerance, and perseverance.
 They deserve it.

-Robb Buckland-