So, you have a strong punch, but
do you have it with uncontrolled anger, or do you have it with peace of
mind? Are you able to integrate to a point where fighting or combing your
hair or studying or typing at your computer all have the same smoothness, or
is it that each of these has this stressed-out, manic
spike to it?
(Bruce Frantzis)
One of my friends studied judo for years and years. She was waiting for a
chance to use it, but for a long time nobody tried to attack her. Then one
day somebody grabbed her in a parking lot - and she slugged him with her
purse!
And then she thought, "Oh! What happened to my judo?"
She must have been practicing judo as if it were an isolated thing. We
should always practice to let the immediacy of the moment come through. Then
you always have a sense of what you are doing now.
(Chungliang Al
Huang)
If you look at the sparring part or the technique part of it, you have to be
here and now and pay attention or you are going to get hit.
You can do forms and visualise and all that kind of stuff - that's really
good when you train on your own. But when you are with other people
practicing techniques, it gives a 'live' quality to the training.
(Tim Cartmell)
The sword, which has now become his 'soul', no longer rests lightly in its
scabbard.
Thus it may be that he avoids combat with an unworthy opponent,
a cockscomb who brags about his muscles,
accepting the charge of cowardice with smiling indifference;
though on the other hand, out of esteem for an opponent,
he will insist on a combat which cannot bring anything but an honourable death
to the latter.
(Eugen
Herrigel)
It is essential
to see both sides without moving the eyeballs.
(Miyamoto
Musashi)
Be
still,
when attacked by the opponent,
be tranquil and move in stillness;
changes caused by my opponent fill him with wonder.
(Song of the 13 Postures)
When fighting an opponent who feints,
stay calm, don't respond.
If your opponent is in range it doesn't matter whether the attack is a feint or
not,
just step in and attack.
(Lau Kim Hong)
The correct rhythm not
only gives you maximum power, it helps you conserve energy so you know when to
use force and when not to.
(Tim
Cartmell)
In the SAS
we aim for the five-second knock-down
(you don't want to take any punches whatsoever).
(John
Wiseman)
The word seriousness is elaborated on by the saying "One aim with no
distractions".
(Takuan
Soho)
The
body should respond
immediately to the requests of the mind. The less the gap between the two, the
more efficient the action will be (in medical terms this is called 'reflex').
(Vanda Scaravelli)
Without understanding where the opponent's weaknesses are
you cannot borrow their strength to use against them.
(Cheng Man Ching)
The field of martial arts is particularly rife with flamboyant showmanship,
with commercial popularization
and profiteering on the part of those who teach the science and those who study
it.
(Miyamoto
Musashi)
Shock is a result of your own resistance to an external force. When
you allow this force to come into you and spin around with you,
you can have fun with it. This is an example of being vulnerable, of not being
afraid to be flexible, and open to receive.
(Chungliang Al Huang)
When you fight in the street, there is only one goal in your head and that's to
escape. It's not your job to punish them, that's the court's job. If a guy
attacks you and you can duck, push him down and run out of the alley or out of
the bar, and get in your car and go, you can escape unharmed. They might call
you names, but that was smart.
(Tim
Cartmell)
Follow the opponent and not your own inclination. Later your body can follow
your mind, and you can control yourself and still follow the opponent. When you
only follow your own inclination, you are clumsy, but when you follow the
opponent, then your hands can distinguish and weigh accurately the amount of his
force, and measure the distance of his approach with no mistake. Advancing and
retreating, everywhere the coordination is perfect. After studying for a long
time, your technique will become skilful.
(Li I-Yu)
If the essence of the person is weak and fearful, he may put on a gentle act,
but the reality he manifests is hard. A person compensates for internal weakness
by becoming aggressive and defensive.
A transformation is required, one that cannot occur when a person sees tai chi
as an empty dance or a shoving match.
(Wolfe Lowenthal)
It is essential to make sure that obstacles are to the rear of your opponents,
then chase them into an obstacle any way you can.
When you get opponents to an obstacle,
in order to prevent them from observing the situation,
press your attack without letup so that they cannot look around.
(Miyamoto
Musashi)
Try, whenever possible,
to wait for your attacker to throw the first punch
for this is the moment when he uses the greatest amount of strength
and so you will have far more force to 'borrow'.
(Lau Kim Hong)
If your opponent is
bigger than you or using strength it should be to your advantage.
Use four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds and then borrow his strength.
(Cheng Man
Ching)
A lot of martial arts will basically destroy your body.
(Bruce
Frantzis)
Every encounter is
unique,
and the appropriate response should emerge naturally.
Today’s techniques will be different tomorrow.
Do not get caught up with the form and appearance of a challenge.
(Ueshiba)
Discerning the rhythm when the time comes,
one strikes spontaneously and naturally scores.
(Miyamoto
Musashi)
It is
necessary to be continually mindful; to whatever part of the body is touched the
mind should go. You must discover the information by non-discrimination and
non-resistance.
After a practicing for a long time, the opponent will be controlled by me and I
will not be controlled by him.
(Li I-Yu)
When I'm throwing you,
you don't feel a lot of force, you don't feel a lot of anything; we're kind of
moving around and suddenly you fall. That's internal.
(Tim
Cartmell)
When you get a black
belt ranking it doesn't mean you've gotten a foot in the door.
It means you have learned how to find the doorknob.
(Dave Lowry)
When attacked you should always 'slip' the attack.
Never meet force with force,
or your opponent will be able to borrow your strength .
(Lau Kim Hong)
Generally the body goes on the offensive first,
followed up by the stroke of the sword.
(Miyamoto
Musashi)
Fitting the martial art to the person rather than stuffing the person into a
martial art is an appropriate approach.
(Ron Sieh)
There are
also tempo opportunities when the opponent makes conscious movement,
that is, he steps forward, makes an invitation, etc.
In such and
similar cases,
the moment for attack is when he is executing the movement because until he
finishes it, he cannot change to the reverse.
(Bruce Lee)
Tai chi chuan at its highest level is one touch
and your opponent is unable to do as he wants.
(Cheng Man Ching)
If every time you
decide to do a punch, kick or throw during form or sparring, you tense up, lock
up, or make a certain type of scream, all of this creates a certain mindset that
constantly trains your body to tense.
(Bruce Frantzis)
When you want to
attack, you remain calm and quiet,
then get the jump on your opponent by attacking suddenly and quickly.
(Miyamoto
Musashi)
If you want to live in peace with yourself, leave others to live in peace.
Do everything in your power to prevent or reduce violence whenever you can,
and avoid perpetrating it yourself, whether physically, emotionally or
psychically.
(Barefoot Doctor)
If the qi is dispersed, then it is not stored and is easy to scatter. Let the qi penetrate the spine and the inhalation and exhalation be smooth and unimpeded throughout the entire body. The inhalation closes and gathers, the exhalation opens and discharges. Because the inhalation can naturally raise and also uproot the opponent, the exhalation can naturally sink down and also fa jing him.
(Li I-Yu)
Never think of pushing your opponent far away - just taking them off-balance will do.
(Lau Kim Hong)
Anybody that's done a combat sport like boxing, wrestling or jujitsu knows that
the first person who loses his wind loses the fight, regardless of skill level.
(Tim
Cartmell)
Mood is a thing for cattle or
loveplay, not for fighting.
(Dune)
There is a
thread that binds all martial arts. Any technique can work - a shotokan side
kick, a capoeira cartwheel - but what is involved in making it work - the entry,
timing, distance - is encompassed in the study of relationship.
(Ron Sieh)
Stopping an opponent's attack at the initial onset,
not letting him follow through,
is the sense of 'holding down the pillow'.
(Miyamoto
Musashi)
In the curve seek the straight, store, then discharge; then you are able to
follow your hands and achieve a beautiful result.
This is called borrowing force to strike the opponent or using four ounces to
deflect a thousand pounds.
(Li I-Yu)
In fighting always try to control one of your opponent's arms
while attacking with your other arm.
Cut down his options while increasing your own.
(Lau Kim Hong)
It is elusive and evasive,
yet it does manifest itself.
(Lao Tzu)
When adversaries are
excited and evidently are in a hurry to act,
you behave as though you are completely unfazed,
giving the appearance of being thoroughly relaxed and at ease.
(Miyamoto Musashi)
The fastest, most powerful hand movements are the ones that use no strength.
(Cheng Man Ching)
It is not about anger,
It is about peace.
It is not about power,
It is about grace.
It is not about knowing your enemy,
It is all about knowing yourself.
(Bulletproof Monk)
It is essential that you follow what he does,
not letting him relax for a moment.
(Miyamoto
Musashi)
Always aim to upset your opponent's balance.
(Lau Kim Hong)
The jing
of the whole body, through practice becomes one unit.
Distinguish clearly between substantial and insubstantial.
To fa jing it is necessary to have root.
The jing starts from the foot, is commanded by the waist, and manifested in the
fingers, and discharged through the spine and back.
One must completely raise the shen at the moment when the opponent's jing is
about to manifest, but has not yet been released.
My jing has then already met his, not late, not early.
It is like using tinder to start a fire, or like a fountain gushing forth.
(Li I-Yu)
Manipulate their attention,
making them think confusing thoughts about what you are going to do.
It means finding a rhythm that will fluster adversaries.
(Miyamoto
Musashi)
Fear is the only darkness.
(Kung Fu)
In all the martial arts
the critical foundation that must be cultivated by the student
is mindfulness.
(Ron Sieh)
The idea is that when you close in on an opponent,
you get in there quickly, before the opponent strikes,
without putting forth a hand at all.
(Miyamoto
Musashi)
An inflexible army never wins a war.
A rigid tree is ready for the axe.
(Lao Tzu)
Desirable characteristics to promote speed:
1. Mobility
2. Spring, resilience, elasticity
3.
Resistance to fatigue
4.
Physical and mental alertness
5. Imagination
and anticipation.
(Bruce Lee)
To subdue the
enemy without fighting is the supreme excellence.
(Sun
Tzu)
When you inflict pain on part of his body
each time an opponent makes an aggressive move,
his body will weaken by degrees until he is ready to collapse
and it is easy to beat him.
(Miyamoto
Musashi)
In tai chi chuan there is no one-two.
Only one.
The source of power is in the waist, with the root in the foot.
(Cheng Man Ching)
Vulnerability does not mean losing or going weak or that its time to give up.
It is the source of our information.
We are always vulnerable. Everything can hurt us.
To feel deeply demands courage; to stay awake and open under duress gives us the
opportunity to effectively change our circumstances.
(Ron Sieh)
How can the qi discharge from the spine?
It sinks downward from the two shoulders, gathers to the spine, and pours to the
waist. This is qi from up to down and is called closed.
From the waist the qi mobilizes to the spine, spreads to the two arms and flows
to the fingers.
This is qi from down to up and is called opened.
Closed is gathering, and opened is discharging.
When you know opening and closing, then you know yin and yang.
(Li I-Yu)
The state of mind should remain the same as normal...
let there be no change at all - with the mind open and direct,
neither tense nor relax,
centering the mind so that there is no imbalance,
calmly relax your mind,
and savour this moment of ease thoroughly,
so that the relaxation does not stop its relaxation for even an instant.
(Miyamoto
Musashi)
It is inadvisable to punch unless you are sticking to your opponent,
except when your move is a feint.
(Lau Kim Hong)
You began to notice how people stand or walk, movements that make them
vulnerable to this or that attack. You started to see the gaps in some people's
sitting and standing postures, and how these people tend to go through life
blindly in terms of their awareness and personal safety.
(Dave
Lowry)
But then, I'd rather
be a killer than a victim.
(Blade Runner)
Page created 15 May 2003