First off, I wanted to point out to everyone that I put up a new poll on the blog. The last poll had to do with "Should I have Ad's on the blog." 7 for yes, 1 for don't care, and 1 for no. I don't know how we have 9 people voting, but I have had plenty of 3rd party traffic across the blog in the past. It would appear that those people like to vote! So from here on out, there will be ad's with every post. Visiting the sponsors will bring in only a few cents, but any money it generates will be back to supplies/material for the class.
Secondly, there's a new poll. This particular issue has been a rolling debate for some time. We have been encouraged in the past to formalize class, add belts, ranks, tiers, etc. I encourage you all to consider this, and vote accordingly.
Thirdly, I wanted to tell everyone what a great job they have been doing in recent classes. This isn't coming from my mouth as much as it has been coming from the mouths of other students. I have discussed with several students about things like:
1. Tristan looks really good lately! He has made amazingly big strides in the past months.
2. Mark hits like a truck. I can't believe how hard he hits.
3. Jason has made great progress already. I really enjoy having him in class.
These of course, are the quotes of other students. I would never say nice things to you guys, I am far to much of a jerk...
The Martial Concept I wanted to write about for this week is:
The Bashful Monkey
We all struggle with this. Even MMA/Boxing pro's struggle with this. It is the reason that Hillbillies, Bums, Thugs, Maggots, and other violent types win against trained fighters.
The Bashful Monkey is the title of a concept form Musashi's The Book of Five Rings. Everyone should read this book, as it's one of the best martial handbooks ever put to print.
The concept is this: When you fight, You cannot worry about being hit. Act ferociously and skilled, and you will avoid being hit and you will launch a solid offense.
Many folks go through life for years at a time without getting hit, or wrestled. The result is that they fear it. It becomes the unknown, and it probably has to do with their last painful memory of the school playground. The fear of an attack keeps you jerky, sloppy, and weak. Learning to deal with objects flying at your head is a ESSENTIAL part of Martial Arts. You must be able to look at an attack and fight through fear. Dodge appropriately, but don't let your fear of getting hit overwhelm you.
How to drill:
1. Show up to class and partake in drills. Let your fellow students throw some shots at you while you preform drills.
2. Rondori/sparing. Cover Crash and Smash and other forms of high intensity drills keep you on your toes. Have your wife/son/neighbor/friend take a weapon and try to hit you with it. Learn your footwork, range, and defeat the fear of getting hit.
3. Punching bag drills. After doing a combo on the punching bag, let it swing back and clock you. Repeatedly. Learn to elbow spike it as it swings at you. Also learn how to absorb the impact of a heavy object hitting you.
Once you learn that getting hit is no big deal and that you can fight through it, you will not be a Bashful Monkey!
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