3000 years of training science.

March 6th.

" let each man exercise the art he knows"

Aristophanes

WO du jour:

"grip-tastic" for 10 min. 12kg KB

Bike ride:

20 miles easy pace on my hill ride. Its early but there is hope. Snow is melting away but lots of sand on the roads. watch the turns.

I was discussing with one of my clients yesterday the difference in western VS Asian fitness training. Like Yoga and many of the martial arts date back over 3000 years of history and development, unlike US fitness sports which not even 300 years has yet to survived the test of time . Take Kettlebells as an example, there are pictures dating back two thousand years in India and China of kettlebell like implements used to strengthen the body. Most any art or physical study in Asia was a total physical/mental process to make the body healthy and above all functional. There was always a life's skills conponent as an end result of your training.

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When I was studying Tang Soo Do in the early 60's, it was not just to be able to kick someone ass, but to be healthy and strong in mind, spirit and body. In those days you never saw a black belt that was fat or over weight regardless of age, unlike what you see today in US schools. Our daily training activities included, running outside regardless of weather, basic body weight exercise for strength(something like crossfit in work volume only more) joint mobility, skills instruction, speed training, core work, mediation and stretching. If you maintained the training constantly for at least one year, you were well on you way to becoming a black belt and fit has hell. Few Americana's survived or continued the training when they saw how intense and hard, even for military personal. However, any one who continued to train found that belt awards did not mean that much as you finally realized what was really important, and that is the physical benifits you were gaining as a result of such total training. You also found by working with others students that had gained black belt status, that it was really the beginning of a long journey that never ends. It was not unusual to see 40,50 year old black belts you did not really want to fight as you were usually about to get a ass whipping from them.

Now when I stated to training in US schools, the training was dumbed down physically and mentally so you can assembly line people to a black belt AFAP, make money and not get sued for physical abuse. Basically you could buy your black belt or any color belt as long as you stayed with the time and payed your fees. It was like a navy SEAL trying to stay fit doing step aerobics classes. I did start up a school in the in the 70s during the era that Bruce Lee made martial arts famous, but after I begin to see that all people were interested in getting a black belts so they can show there friends how bad they were. I eventually shut my down my school and never put my Tobak back on again. That was also during the time of 20 year old 10th degree black belts and 30 year old masters, who now invented their own art with their vast experience.

So whats remains today is a mixed bag of fighting systems called Mixed Martial arts, which is not art at all, but a sporting event, featuring a bunch of young white males, with a lot of anger to quell on each other, and who show who is the cock of the rock. Basically bloodsport. Yes, those who find this kind of sport to their liking are usually in good physical condition, but it seems to be limited to young males. Its not lightly you will ever see females, mature or senior citizens participating in cage fighting. The end result once again, is to pervert a method of physical development into some form of ego boosting activity which has limited benefits for the few.