Eye Square Martial Arts

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  • The Need for Strength

    The Need for Strength

    It still amazes me that martial artists, (in some corners at least) are still spouting that lifting weights will make you bulky and thus slow.

    Keep in mind these are same people that will say that lifting weights takes too long to see an appreciable difference but will also say that if you look at weight training equipment you’ll instantly swell up like Arnold.

    All of which is generally bullshit – the exception is once you get past the general adaptation phase.

    If you’re spending more than ~60 minutes 3 times a week doing resistance training – it’s probably too much.

    Injury Avoidance

    For a long time I thought if I was “flexible” I’d be less prone to injury so I spent a lot of time stretching – while also subscribing to the above ideas about bulking up and such.

    Thing was I decently “flexible” but I didn’t have much muscle mass to support my movements – so I’d get weird injuries – like when I threw my back out snatching a 4lb medicine ball out of the air.

    The thing is that proper supported flexibility requires muscular strength – otherwise muscles will simply relax and then injuries will happen when resistance is encountered.

    Proper resistance training is as much about proper muscular engagement patterns as it is about building strength. Having proper engagement is more energy efficient as well it increases general mobility and joint stability.

    General Usefulness

    There’s also the simple fact that stronger people are more useful in general. Having general strength and mobility typically means you’re healthy – your lungs and cardiovascular system are working properly. Having a source of physical exertion also lowers your general stress level.

    With martial arts specifically you’ll be able to hit harder, move faster, and take harder hits.

    Where’s the downside?

    Building Strength

    There’s a basic model for increasing strength – it goes:

    1. Stress
    2. Recovery
    3. Adaptation

    You go through the three steps and then go back to one.

    If you’re very detrained – any physical activity will make you stronger – you can go for a walk and you’ll build strength.

    You’ll hear from some martial artists that you just need to do more reps and you’ll build strength – again that’s true – to a point. But once you’re trained to a certain level – you need to be more specific with your training to continue building strength – just like mobility.

    There are a ton of resources out there, but my general advice is that once you’re past a basic calisthenics routine you need “The Big Four” lifts:

    • Low-Bar Squat
    • Deadlift
    • Bench Press
    • Overhead Press

    You need to learn to do them properly, and you need to progressively overload them every session – do a session with warm-ups and working weights and then add weight to your working sets for the next session. Between sessions you need to rest – generally 48 hours.

    “The Big Four” lifts are compound lifts meaning they will engage multiple muscle groups – meaning you will be tired, and then sore between sessions. The soreness will go away entirely if you’re consistent in training and resting multiple days a week.

    Specificity

    Once you’ve built general strength then you need to focus on specificity for what you’re doing – yes, a bit of circular logic – but there it is.

    At this point you need to continue with general development, but on your off days you need to focus on specific exercises for your martial arts.

    General mobility can’t be beat here if you’re at a loss of inspiration.

    But working footwork and isometric contractions or increased resistance will help you develop stronger movements.

    Voluntary Hardship

    One thing with building strength is that it is uncomfortable.

    Lifting heavy things is uncomfortable.

    Learning to override basic desires for comfort is uncomfortable.

    Learning to deal with minor pain – such as is in martial arts training – you will feel uncomfortable.

    When you learn to embrace discomfort, you accept the single factor that has inspired humans to create the society we have now – at least in Modern Western Society.

  • Empty Your Cup

    Empty Your Cup

    I’ve been around the martial arts a while now and I’ve realized that while I possess no natural talent – I do have an advantage – I can simply set aside what I “know” and put myself in the mindset of a beginner.

    A Full Cup

    The late Senior Grand Master Ed Parker Sr. relayed a story where a potential student came to see a master and the master attempted to show the student some movements.

    The student kept responding with “oh you mean this?!” and would perform the movements.

    Finally the master said to the potential student “I would like you to practice these two things.” The master then proceeded to show the student a couple of simplistic movements and then told the student to return in a couple of months.

    The student did as he was instructed and when the appointed date arrived, the student returned.

    The master asked the student to demonstrate the movements and the student did so.

    The master then asked the student to demonstrate his other skills. The student responded that he had spend so much time practicing the movements the master had shown him that he forgot everything else he “knew.”

    The master then accepted the student and said “You’re now ready to begin.”

    Setting Things Aside

    If you’ve been in the martial arts for a while (or maybe not even that long – ask any green belt who “knows” the most) and you’ve more than likely accumulated a collection of techniques that you “know.”

    But go to another school that does something very different or at least generally different from what you “know” and try it out.

    Yes, there are a lot of skills that transfer from one style to another. You’ll probably be able to imitate the execution, but there’s so much more to martial arts than simply moving.

    What if you put yourself in the mind of a beginner?

    Approach something from the idea that you know nothing.

    What do you see that’s different?

    What do you see that’s the same?

    What are the intentions behind the movements?

    What is the strategy behind the art?

    There’s an odd paradox with being experienced, but still retaining the mind of a beginner.

    You need experience to see the questions to ask, but you need to humility of a beginner to ask the questions.

  • The Teacher Student Dynamic

    The Teacher Student Dynamic

    I looked at the situation I’m in currently and I realize I’ve got access to a lot of the best martial artists in the world – I’ve been fortunate enough to have some pull me aside and say “hey, let me show you something.”

    I found myself wondering why – I know I’m nothing special.

    Then I realized it’s because I try or at least that’s what it seems to be.

    My Kenpo grandmaster loves to drive an hour and a half to come up here and train for nothing more than gas money. He’s told me it’s because my fellow students and I are eager to learn what he has to teach – and we give him the proper respect.

    I treat my teachers and what they’re attempting to teach me with respect and I actually try to do what they’re showing me. I actively work to engage with the material – I ask questions and I try to help others understand it as well.

    Paying for an Experience

    So why don’t more people get this kind of treatment? I think a big part of it is you’ve gotta put in the work beforehand – you need to develop a base level of skill before someone advanced can show something really interesting. See the post: There are No Secrets for some further context.

    Beyond that – you need to show that you’re more involved than simply paying your tuition and expecting certain things – the relationship needs to be moved beyond a simple monetary exchange.

    I’m not saying teacher’s shouldn’t expect to be paid (or even paid well if they’re excellent at what they do and can teach you to do the same) – they’ve put in time and effort often more than it takes to become a doctor.

    For a lot of teachers they want to teach – they want more than to simply collect tuition and call it a day. Myself included – I love when students are clearly engaged and are obviously more interested in what they’re learning than just getting their next rank.

    But most students are simply paying for an experience – they don’t really care about the art, they just to be able to say they’re taking a martial art.

    A Give and Take

    There’s a complimentary nature to students and teachers – without students teacher’s have no one to teach. Without teachers, it’s far harder for a student to learn – if not impossible.

    Both positions in the relationship deserve and demand respect.

    Both positions also require different perspectives – a good teacher will be able to adapt and break down what they teach to various types of students. A good student will communicate with their teacher – ask questions, let them know if they don’t understand or aren’t getting something. A good student also shows respect by meeting their obligations – generally money and time.

    A good student will also spend time practicing and experimenting on their own – outside of class – the best teacher in the world can’t make a student good after all.

  • There are No Secrets

    There are No Secrets

    There are no secrets in Kenpo

    – Al Tracy

    There’s an idea that there are secrets in the martial arts – perhaps there still are – I don’t know everything. But without getting into esoteric/mystical/supernatural stuff (most of which is bullshit anyway) – there are no secrets.

    There is only physical ability, and skill.

    Years ago my Kung Fu instructor demonstrated the entire Wing Chun system to a guy that asked about it – just a prospective student that walked in off the street. My instructor informed the guy that it was going to take a while – then he proceeded to demonstrate:

    • 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Empty Hand Forms
    • The Wooden Dummy Form
    • Wing Chun Double Knife Form
    • Wing Chun Pole Form

    I don’t think think my instructor walked him through Stick Hands, but that’s application anyway.

    From the perspective of potentially “giving secrets away” – more than likely the guy was just someone who was curious about the art. Meaning he most likely wouldn’t know what he was looking at. In the case of someone with enough experience to understand it – okay he already understood everything – or he saw something he didn’t understand and that piqued his curiosity (no, I don’t know what happened to the guy).

    Why Were There Secrets?

    In a different time there were different concerns – particularly in martial cultures.

    Imagine being a student or a teacher and possibly having to defend yourself from other practitioners simply for reputation – okay scratch that – we do have tournaments after all.

    But imagine having to face down a potentially life or death challenge from someone potentially just as or more skilled than you. It would be very prudent to have some surprises you could pull out if needed.

    Makes sense when you think about it like that.

    What’s Wrong With Secrets?

    The real problem with secrets is the “Bus Test” – if the head of a system were to be hit by a bus – how much knowledge about their system would be lost?

    Pre World War II the Karate Masters in Okinawa had the tradition of keeping secrets within their schools.

    But after Japan made the mistake of touching America’s boats on December 7th 1941 – a lot more people died. This was on top of the brutal stuff the Japanese had already been perpetrating in China, Indonesia, and the Philippines (stuff that made the Nazis look a lot less bad by comparison).

    Prior to the US dropping the Sun on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki – there were a lot people that had martial secrets that died with them.

    Meaning – that unique knowledge was lost – “Bus Test” failed.

    Luckily, Post WWII the surviving Okinawan Masters started to share knowledge so that it wouldn’t be lost should the worst happen – “Bus Test” probably passed.

    Martial Application

    It takes a lot of skill an experience to perform martial arts at a high level under pressure.

    The thing with really advanced techniques is that they usually require high-degree of timing and finesse that’s simply impossible to fake in a combat situation.

    A Jujutsu master could walk you through techniques they’ve developed over their lifetime, break them down piece by piece for you and make sure you understand what’s in them – at least on an intellectual level.

    But you wouldn’t be able to actually apply the information properly without years (or decades) of practice, patience, and focus.

    So I’m going to channel my inner Master Ken here and say that secrets in the martial arts are “bullshit!”

  • What Change Demands

    What Change Demands

    When I started my martial arts journey 20 years ago, I was a gangly, uncoordinated mess. I was about 6’2″ (~1.9m) and weighed in, soaking wet, at 165lbs (~75kg). I hadn’t played sports outside of the mandatory requirements in PE. Then to top it off, I had borderline-high

    In short, I had nothing going for me.

    So it tends to grate on me when I hear people say bullsh*t like “oh I’d love to learn that, but I’m out of shape.”

    Right…

    There will be discomfort and outright pain – but nothing people look up to is easy to do – otherwise they’d all do it.

    To get something of value – something must be given up – be it time, energy, blood, sweat, and tears.

    You Will be Uncomfortable

    About a decade ago I decided I needed to get into shape – well I should say a better shape than the round blob I was slowly turning into – my grandmother told me once that “looks like marriage is being good to you.”

    Pointing out that I’m getting fat in only the way a grandmother can.

    After some experimenting I decided I needed a gym membership so I could start a weight program.

    My then wife told me she wanted to get into shape as well – so we started working out together – big mistake. There were several of the exercise she would do – deadlifts, squats, dips – but they were “uncomfortable.”

    She was surprised that she didn’t see any improvement.

    Go figure.

    Martial arts are very much the same way – you’re going to be pushed in ways that are uncomfortable – but in order to make progress you have to keep going.

  • A Good Martial Art?

    Spend any amount of time in Martial Arts forums online and you’ll inevitably come across a discussion about:

    Which Martial Art is Best?

    I’ve got some strong opinions about the question itself – especially since it’s malformed. But I digress – read Why do You Train? for some further context on exactly why.

    What Makes a Martial Art Good?

    There are a lot of various arts from all over the planet – many that have been around in some form or another for hundreds of years – some lay claims to thousands.

    So there must be something to the arts themselves, especially since it’s only been in the recent couple of centuries that something as physically demanding as martial arts could be practiced for anything outside of survival.

    So what is it that’s kept these arts around?

    I think primarily it’s been that they work – be it Karate, Muay Thai, Jujutsu, Kali, etc.

    And yes, this is in within the context of War Arts.

    But beyond that, it’s that these arts work for humans.

    A Common Platform

    Another common thing you’ll see is a discussion of “oh this move looks just like this one from art x – it must have come from there.” Nevermind the shear distance between the birthplaces of the disparate arts.

    Is it possible? Yes, absolutely.

    But I think a much more likely answer is that common motions simply evolve out of the fact that they’re all built around the human body.

    It’s a fundamental assumption – just like gravity – that a human body generally has two arms, two legs, a head and they’re all connected to a central torso.

    With that assumption come others:

    • Cut blood-flow off to the brain and it will eventually die
    • Cut air-flow off to the body and it will eventually die
    • Move a hinge joint far enough one way and it will break

    Good Body Mechanics

    Ideally an art will teach you to move in such a way that you don’t hurt yourself while doing what you need to do – again, there are only so many ways of making that happen.

    As well a good martial art should teach you to manipulate an opponent in such a way that they violate the good body mechanics – thus multiplying the likelihood of injury to them.

    A good art will also teach you to develop yourself as needed, ideally it can work with your body as you age or overcome injuries – it’s not much help if you can’t use it when you really need it!

    The Big Picture

    I hope it’s obvious at this point that “what’s a good martial art?” has a pretty complex answer to it – outside of someone’s personal preferences anyway.

    A good martial art:

    • Allows the practitioner to pursue their goals for training
    • Teaches the practitioner to move in ways that minimize injury to themselves while maximizing injury to the opponent
    • Works with the practitioner as they age or deal with limitations

    Outside of those, the question shifts from “what makes a martial art good?” to “how do I use this art effectively?” You could be training in the single most effective art in the world and not know how to make it work – it’s not the fault of the art if you can’t do it.

    There are really two parts to the equation – the art as well as the artist.

    How an artist uses their tools is what ultimately determines the outcome.

    Thus I reiterate – “Which martial art is best?” is a stupid question.

  • Why do You Train?

    A question my Wing Chun instructor posed to me many times was “why do you train?” At the time I don’t know that I had a reason outside of I simply wanted to.

    I’ve always found martial arts interesting – i.e. “cool” – and as I’ve gone along I’ve found that’s as good of a reason as any to train.

    Having realistic expectations for your training goals will keep you focused as well it will help you accept what you are and are not qualified to judge as you progress.

    Functional Uses of the Martial Arts

    There’s a lot of different reasons for studying, but from a high-level perspective here are the possible reasons to study:

    • War – it’s in the name – the Arts of Mars
    • Sport – take skills developed for war and adapt them to competition
    • Policing – apprehend and get someone into the justice system
    • Self-Protection – using physical force to keep yourself safe
    • Bodyguarding – using physical force to keep others safe
    • Self-Development – a catch-all for everything else

    Looking at the list it’s easy to understand that there are different reasons for studying and that the reasons will dictate the focus of training.

    A cop needs to rely on a different set of skills than a soldier.

    When I started studying I needed something physical so I could get in-shape. Now I lean more toward understanding and cataloging methods from various systems.

    Being Realistic

    There’s a tendency for some teachers to try to be all things to all people – at least when teaching to make money is a goal.

    But the realities of Self-Protection are a lot different than competing in a sport – are skills from one usable in the other – yes. But the assumptions surrounding them lead to different mindsets.

    A competition match has an agreed upon set of rules – strikes and targets that are acceptable as well as unacceptable. The idea is to allow competitors to participate while keeping the risk of long-term injury to a low level.

    Contrast sport with Self-Protection and the picture is quite a bit different. If you have to use force to defend yourself, then most likely you’re already at a disadvantage – i.e. you’ve been surprised, the attacker is bigger than you, there are multiple attackers, you’ve got small children with you, etc.

    In a situation like that sudden, decisive violence needs to be used – usually resulting in long-term injury or worse.

    Having Multiple Goals

    There’s nothing wrong with having multiple goals for your training – i.e. getting in shape, competing for sport, and developing self-confidence.

    But the goals need to be generally complimentary.

    Building building battlefield skills while also wanting to be a Gold Medalist in the Olympics aren’t going to have a lot of similar touch points.

    Yes, you can develop practical self-protection skills while still competing, and in-fact being in-shape is a big deterrent for would-be attackers. But then again, self-protection goes far beyond simple physical capabilities.

    The Heart of the Matter

    Ultimately you need to know why you’re training and you need to keep that at the forefront of your mind.

    As well you need to take responsibility for your training and make sure you’re getting training that will help you in achieving your goals.

    No particular reason is any better than the others.

    But problems arise when instructors and students have delusions about what their systems can and can’t teach.

    Until next time.