Why 9 out of 10 Martial Artists Choose Team Jacob

Okay, okay, I admit it.  I read the Twilight books LONG before the movies came out and enjoyed them enough to put a set in my classroom....and replaced them twice after swarms of young ladies took them home, never to be seen again. :)

Taylor Lautner, plays the character of Jacob in the films, most noticably in New Moon where he's revealed the results of his new workout regimen.

Few people know that Taylor came up in the martial arts world, and it was his big break into Hollywood!  His skills won him the title role of Sharkboy in the 2005 Robert Rodriguez film, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D, a film which showcased his skills!  When he was eleven, he was ranked number one in the world for NASKA's Black Belt Open Forms, Musical Weapons, Traditional Weapons and Traditional Forms and, at the age of twelve, he won the Junior World Championships.

Here's a clip of Taylor in the 2003 World Series of Martial Arts:



Awwwww, what a cutie.  He's quite good!  Imagine Jacob doing THAT.

Take that, Robert Pattinson.

Film to Watch: "The Sensei"

"The Sensei" is a martial arts film set to release on DVD in November 2009, starring some very dear friends in the martial arts world, in particular, Diana Lee Inosanto - daughter of Grandmaster Dan Inosanto, one of Bruce Lee's closest students.

But don't watch this purely for the lineage.  This is a completely new brand of self-defense that you NEED to be watching.

"The Sensei" is set in a rural town in Colorado, during the late 80's when the rise of HIV had many people in a panic about AIDS.  The film focuses on McClain Evans, a young gay teen who is the subject of bullying in his town.

Karen O'Neill (played by Inosanto) is returning home to family after a five-year absence and the loss of her fiance.  Initially, she is there to be close with her family, who owns a successful dojo and is very active in their town's church ministry.

When McClain is hospitalized after a brutal beating, his mother turns to Karen for help.  O'Neill begins training McClain secretly, and through learning the martial ways, he learns to rise above prejudice and intolerance.

This is a film which examines the kinds of prejudices which fuel hatred, and a group of people who are able to find humanity even in their darkest hour.  While most martial arts films contain poor scripts (and worse acting) which function merely as a  loose excuse to string action scenes together, I feel that this film's story carries a power greater than its content. 

Check it out online at:
http://www.thesenseimovie.com/

See the trailer at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAm_mZyYTlg

I hope you get an opportunity to watch this.  Practicing tolerance and open-mindedness IS self-defense against hatred and bigotry.  Rare is the film which makes this connection in the way that "The Sensei" does.

Why I will NEVER sign my child up at a martial arts school...

(at least not the way things are right now.)

Let's pretend for a moment that I'm not an instructor/former school operator, and that I don't have the martial arts background required to effectively teach my own children.  (Let's also pretend that I have children. haha) 

Let's also pretend that the friends I have in the martial arts world don't exist, because I'm not talking about them, and with respect to this discussion, they are a statistically insignificant minority.  Someday that will change, and I know that we will be a part of that movement, but that day is not today - at least not yet. 

Let's also pretend that I'm angry and frustrated instead of playfully twisting negativity to communicate a helpful message. :)

All that being said, right now, I wouldn't ever dream of "signing up" my hypothetical offspring at a studio, dojo, dojang, kwoon, academy, or any other martial arts school.  What they stand for offends me because it is a LIE.

The vast majority of martial arts schools today are run by someone who is/was either a great fighter/competitor, great teacher/motivator, great scholar/historian, great businessperson, great human being, or is/was trained or influenced by one of the above.  Very few (so statistically meaningless that it would almost be accurate to say 'none') are led by someone with more than one of those qualities.  Many more are led by someone with none of those qualities.  All of them are currently seeking to acquire more of these traits, and in the current economy, the trait most heavily desired amongst martial arts school operators is "great businessperson" because it keeps the doors open....while as a "parent", I'm seeking "great human being" and "great teacher" as the person that I'd entrust my imaginary children with first and foremost.

So as a pseudo-parent, I have this to say to you, Mr./Ms. Karate People Out There:

I don't care who trained you.  I care about how you will train my child.

I don't care how many people you've beaten in the ring.  I want to know if your training will protect my child if he/she ever needs it.

I don't care how many battles you've won.  I want to know how your training will help my child face the challenges in his/her life.

I don't care how many trophies you have.  I want my child to feel like a winner, not hold a sparkly plastic decoration - I can buy that for them myself.

I don't care about your prices, discounts, incentives, or sales packages.  I want to know that my child's training will be worth every penny before you will EVER see a single cent of mine.

I don't care about your mottos, creeds, and slogans.  I want to see you live the way you're asking my child to live.

I don't care about your long and proud history.  I care about how you will play a role in my child's long and proud life story. 

I don't care about how much you know.  I want to know how much you care. 

I don't care if your ad says that you teach respect, if the only thing you respect about me is my wallet.  Have we ever had a conversation without a sales pitch or an exchange of money? 

Don't tell me what I want to hear; show me what I want to see.  Only then will I entrust you with my child. 

Until I can see this from your school(s), then the person most qualified to teach my child how to protect themselves from the dangers of the world is ME.


I don't see that right now.  All I see is 'sign up for this karate birthday party' and 'buy that funny-named foam play weapon'.  You've become a part of my child's recreation (an expensive one at that) and not a part of my child's education.  This is why my friends are pulling their kids out - because in the process of trying to make a living doing what you love, you have constructed something which presents nothing more than unnecessary expenses for my family. 

I want no part of it.

If you claim to be different, show me.  Stand above the crowd high enough for me to see you, because in the blur of my fast-paced life, your uniform looks just like everybody else's.

The preceding message is a call for us to stand for integrity, my martial arts brothers and sisters.  If we cannot lead our lives as leaders in the truest sense, how can we expect anyone to support us?

My Life Is My Test

When I trained under Grand Master Ed Fong, I tested four times for my 2nd degree black belt, thrice for my 3rd degree, and twice for my 4th degree.  I didn't fail any of the tests; in fact, I rocked them.  I tested multiple times because it was expected that I complete my test in phases, divided somewhat evenly throughout my candidacy.  Because of this, I was constantly preparing to test.  I'd train, train harder, train insanely, peak, test, and then repeat.  (on top of school, family, etc.)

During the time that I served as his advisor, I strongly recommended that he eliminate this practice.  I felt like the constant pressure led people towards burnout.  He looked at me like I wasn't getting the real picture.  He was right.

Today, I do not test my black belts in phases; however, I've also realized GM Fong's real lesson and I fully intend to honor his teachings by passing this knowledge to you. 

The truth is: the test never ends.

In fact, your "test" (or more appropriately, OUR test) began the first day that we walked in the door.  When I use the word "test" in this fashion, I really mean "personal improvement", "mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional growth", "lifestyle of consciousness and awareness", and many more things!

Our "test" is most keenly felt when we come across something that is hard, and that moment is EXACTLY the time when your actions reveal your "skill" (my code for: "character").

We train because the very act of training is a transcendent action.  Every time we do it, we are trying to make ourselves better people - to transcend ourselves, in a manner of speaking.  Every time we make the effort to organize our lives so that we can train, we are trying to become more efficient at doing our homework, performing our job duties, managing our family's busy routines, etc....all so that we have time to grow.  Sometimes it's a pretty tough thing to do. 

Sometimes life can be a tough thing to handle. That's because our life IS our test. 

Train for it. 

As you grow in your mastery of the martial arts, it will be revealed in every minute of your day, in every aspect of your character, and in every action.

Up & Coming Talent

My friends, please allow me to introduce you to Pretty Boy Bam Bam, a young man who is about to set a brand new standard for punching in your respective schools.

This training video was taken when he was 5 years old:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEp9FpMQx40

He's seven now, and receiving quite a bit of media attention!  Here's an ESPN feature:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iovJXCXiriM

And again on the Ellen DeGeneres Show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9dAG1majss

Here's his website too:
http://www.prettyboybambam.com/

Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I need to practice some more. :)

Impressive, Young Padawan

Young people never cease to amaze me.  It's one of the reasons why I choose to teach.  Seeing people actualize the infinite potential within themselves affirms my faith in humanity, and keeps me connected to my own humanity.  When I look for the goodness in things, I often find it - not necessarily by being all "sunshine and rainbows", but by empathizing with those whom I observe.

Today, I found inspiration in the form of a 5-year-old wushu stylist named Abigail Chu.  She is a martial artist of superior caliber - you can see it in her focus, balance, and expression!

Check it out:

I'm convinced that by the time she's 7, her skills will surpass mine.

Oh wait...those vids are from May 2006.  She's already 8.  Doh!

And her skills have grown...check out these vids from 2007 - only ONE year later:

I want to be like her when I grow up.

The Martial Artist's College/Job Interview

You are a unique brand of martial artist.  The way we approach our training makes us much more than most people could ever conceive.

In hard economic times, when students are trying to stand out above the crowd to be noticed by colleges, workers are interviewing like crazy in order to find a job that will make ends meet, and business owners are feeling the crunch and needing to "make the sale", you must DAZZLE people...and what we do dazzles people because they don't always see us in that regard!

Students: If you're looking for a 'unique selling proposition' for your UC personal statement (especially prompt #2 - hint hint!), take a good look in the mirror, martial artist!  Hasn't training awakened something within you that you didn't have before?  How has this changed your life?

Job-seekers: If you're trying to make a good impression with your interviewer, talk about the kind of training that we do, because virtually NO ONE else has that.  There is absolutely no one else who could be more qualified than an experienced, well-educated, and well-trained martial artist (except a higher-ranked one, perhaps).  You probably already have the first two, so your training would give you an extra edge!

Business owners: If you want to build your business, then market yourself with the same passion that you use when you focus hard on a training goal!  Connect with your customers like we connect to our training partners - not with a side kick and a bruise, but with a smile and unconditional respect.  They can't respect your business if they can't respect you as a human being.

Some schools of martial arts encourage their students to keep their training a secret.  For them, their art is purely for survival purposes, and therefore, you wouldn't want to tip your hand to a would-be attacker.  However, whether you align with this idea or not, I hope that you also understand: right now, I'm not talking about protecting yourselves from mass murderers, armed robbers, gangs, rapists, and kidnappers.

We're talking about all of the benefits that martial arts training provides - very few of which can be consistently matched by other activities.  We OWN the market on respect, discipline, social responsibility, healthy living, anger & stress management, conflict resolution, achieving serenity in the mind and heart....and so much more!

Live it, breathe it, be it.  Through your actions, show the best of our world to a college admissions director, employer, or prospective client, and you will dramatically increase your likelihood of success.