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Have you ever noticed when a high-level Master walks into the room, everyone knows it? Not because there are trumpets blaring and fanfare, but because of the aura around the individual, the quiet projection of power that is almost palpable. This is the most dramatic example of the personal improvement that is the hallmark of martial arts done right.

We all have our own reasons for entering the martial arts: self defense, get in good shape, social reasons. And these are all valid reasons to begin in the studies, but most who stick with their training do so because of what they learn that goes beyond the merely physical aspects. And this is the reason why my children are learning Tae Kwon Do, because martial arts are really about personal development.

As a kid I was a scrawny asthmatic bookworm. Not a 98 pound weakling because I wasn’t even that heavy. By the time I was in graduate school I had played in the Junior Olympics and competed for a National Championship in a different sport, and within a few years I had completed a marathon and competed in the US Mountain running championships. Not too shabby for someone that couldn’t even run around the block before starting martial arts. But the training physically changed me and drastically reduced my asthma to the point where I have not had an attack in two decades. That alone would be great development because my medicine as a kid made me a total spaz. But there are other improvements too.

The confidence that the Masters reflect is critical in business, especially in sales. Some of the guys I started in my career with failed out because they were afraid to call people. As my Master says about opponents (or potential clients): “They put on their pants same way as you.” And it’s not like these potential clients could do anything bad to me. I mean, they could yell, but that’s not a big deal. They could hang up the phone. They could call up the person that introduced me and grouse. But they couldn’t hurt me, and every time I did not get the results I wanted I would just chalk it up as a learning experience, like not blocking with your face or going toe to toe with 6’9” boxer. And I actually was much more successful percentage-wise simply because I was not afraid. This cannot be learned in a two-hour classroom seminar on sales but through thousands of hours in a training hall. And the economic rewards from success based on confidence are certainly nice.

Another personal development component to the martial arts is that as you climb in rank, the spotlight shines on you and others see and emulate what you do. As a newbie, only the Instructors care. But the instant you start getting some color on your waist and there are newer students, they are watching you and trying to be like you, just like you are trying to be like those that you see ahead of you. By having good role models and becoming one yourself, we are essentially creating a culture within our dojos of respect and excellence, of high personal standards and a reflection of the organizations and our Masters. As John Maxwell says in one of his many books on leadership “The greatest thing you can give your people is a reputation to uphold.” Every time I open my mouth, or type a word, I know that it will reflect back upon my school and every other student in it. Every action brings honor or disgrace in some increment to my Master. It is a large burden that becomes greater yet easier to bear the higher in rank you climb. With great power comes great responsibility.

So as you tie on your belt next time, think about what the Martial Arts have given you and remember that you are not only the beneficiary of those that came before, but an example for those that come after you. Thus it is not just an outcome, but a requirement, to develop personally to become an ambassador of your school and your Art.

I admit it, I am a boring martial artist. I can’t do a flip. I do the old forms I learned twenty years ago that have been unchanged forever. I prefer my original black belt that is graying over my flashy one with stripes. I still think a good back fist to the head solves a lot of problems. But I love looking at what other styles have, partially so I can figure out how to defeat them and partially because sometimes you just have to say “Whoa. That’s cool.”

Quiet frankly the two most cool disciplines in my opinion are on the extremes: Brazilian Capoeira and Israeli Krav Maga. Maybe they appeal to different parts of my Irish-German heritage. Maybe because they are so extreme, yet each reflects the history of where it came from and so is uniquely their own. Don’t know, don’t care. Just know that I love watching each of these styles for what they are.

Brazil is well known for its enthusiasm for life and its music: rhythm is genetic heritage to Brazilians. Quite honestly I think they learn to samba before they learn to walk. So Brazil having a martial art that is rhythmically driven by drums and is as much free form dance as it is fighting is a perfect reflection of its people. I can’t dance anything more complex than the Chicken Dance, so the fluid beauty hiding the impressive power of Capoeira fascinates me, especially the sheer athleticism of some of the moves that make almost everyone gasp and say “Cool!”

The diametric opposition of this is the Israeli art of Krav Maga, born of and reflecting the psyche of its people. One of my business associates told me “We don’t make five-year plans because we believe the country is going to disappear next week.” Thus the focus on instant results driven by a desert inhabiting group always under attack: neutralize the threat with a minimum of effort and maximum effect so you are ready for the next person that attacks you. Krav Maga is precise and efficient. Succinct. Engineering instead of art. Deadly and beautiful in its simplicity, awe inspiring in its unmasked brutality and intensity. Cool in the uncoolest way imaginable.

Opposites attract, and that is why Capoeira and Krav Maga draw my attention as polar extremes of cool martial arts.

Martial arts have for centuries hidden secrets inside themselves, in forms and esoteric techniques, and training that the uninitiated are impressed by but can not truly understand. Wisdom is one of the hallmarks of experience in the Arts, partially because our knowledge is earned over decades instead of found in a nano-second on the Internet. There are many things that you must learn for yourself, but the duty of a teacher is to teach, so here are some things I have learned over the decades in my training.

1. The Secret 2 Steps of Fighting. Pay close attention so you don’t miss this! Step One: don’t get hit. If you don’t get hit, you can’t get hurt. If you can’t get hurt, you can’t lose the fight. Not getting hit might mean not being there at all, or it might mean slipping and dodging the attacks, or it could mean blocking. It could also mean attacking before they do. But don’t get hit! Two: Hit. Punch, kick, throw them into the nearest wall, whatever is appropriate that you know. If they are hit by something (physical technique, object, or energy) and you aren’t, guess what? You win!

2. You are more than what you think you are. You are stronger and faster than you let yourself be. You can take more physical and emotional stress than you let yourself believe. You can have a greater impact on others, and more success by whatever definition you chose. Do not limit yourself!

3. I don’t like pain, even though I can take it. Unless the pain is going to make you or someone else (like a student) better, try to avoid it. This includes self inflicted things too, like all the stupid things we did in our early 20′s.

4. Never give in to bullies. And that includes attorneys. If you are right, never stop fighting; if you are wrong, then don’t fight in the first place.

5. Don’t block with your face. It hurts. Especially the night before you have pictures. Or a few days before your wedding.

These are just some of the things I’ve learned in my lifetime of the Martial Arts. Now you don’t need to get the scars to get the lessons like I did.

I took my first Tae Kwon Do Class in 1983 at the local Y. This was obviously before I had kids. Or a cell phone. This was pre-MTV. In fact, this was pre- Karate Kid!

I had been going to class for about two months when the movie came out, and suddenly instead of the fifteen of us in the class (five from my family), there was literally a hundred that all wanted to be Daniel-san. This movie was the seminal event of the Second Wave of American Martial Arts, and for many of us Gen X martial artists remains among our favorite movies of all time. Yet what did we take from it other than spoiled blond rich kids deserve what they get?

The first thing I think is that training does not have to be sexy, but fundamental. My Master’s basement is the best training spot I know of, not some sexy studio. Just a dungeon that in the winter is warmed by body heat and in the summer actually gets supersaturated (I have seen it rain in the room from the humidity). The most hi tech thing in the room is the fluorescent lights. Old school the way it should be, just like the training.

Did Larusso win because of flashy techniques, or because he learned “Don’t get hit”? The basic idea of not getting hit meaning you can’t lose a fight has been lost to a generation of martial artists that have forgotten how to block and dodge and slip. Maybe they should go back to a mouth guard, cup, and cheesy gloves like we had. Then they’ll realize that not getting hit equals not getting hurt.

And of course the most important thing that Miyagi taught us: must have balance! In your techniques. In your life. Something those of us with the pressure of careers and kids and everything else struggle with but try to achieve.

Notice Miyagi took the time to go fishing. He had a “real job” but integrated martial arts into his day explicitly through his forms practice and implicitly with his attitudes and awareness. He balanced toughness with compassion, love with discipline, sacrifice with enjoyment. Balance in all things, thus producing harmony and ultimately a great story.

And so my five-year-old son Danny has been focusing on his first lessons taken straight from the Karate Kid: you don’t need all the toys, hitting hurts, and balance, Daniel-son!

Tournaments are a good thing to train for in that they give a target deadline and allow you to benchmark against others as you progress, as well as a way to garner additional respect for your Master and your School by showing your skills.  Also, there is absolutely nothing as cool as going to watch a big, well run tournament.  The variety and level of the techniques are great, and you never know who might be there.  I met Chuck Norris at a tournament almost fifteen years ago out in California; he let me live.

To make it easier for our readers to search and find an appropriate tournament, we are presenting a calendar broken down by style.

Here is the official ATA Tournaments site.  This one is nice because it lays out the entire year’s tournaments beginning with the World Championships (in Little Rock, AR June 21-27) all the way through Sept. 2011.  It is updated fairly regularly too.

Being a WTF stylist, I would go here for their major ones.  Boy, would I like to be in London 2012!

Kung Fu Stylists should go here.  This lays out the tournament schedule chronologically for the calendar year, but has a nice geographic breakdown feature too, thus letting people in different areas search in case they want to watch.

A good listing of Karate Tournaments and is pretty up to date.  Or here.  Don’t forget that the US Open is July 9^th and 10^th at Disney World.  And of course the most famous of all, the Long Beach July 30^th through August 1st!

I like the home made looking www.judocalendar.com.  The colors are really obnoxious, but man is it useful.  You can search by date or region of the world very easily, and it will synch with your calendar system.  Old School Arts with new tech!  You should also just consider Googling “Judo tournament” with the state you are looking for because there are so many smaller tournaments out there.  This search technique can e applied to any style or geographical area too.

If you are in England I would use this link:  http://www.uknas.com/event-calendar.php as it has a variety of styles listed for a locality not exactly known for martial arts.

This is in no means a comprehensive list as there are constantly tournaments popping up all over the globe, but it does hit some of the high points.  Find your style, chose your time, and find your tournament.  Then get back to your training as you now have another goal to motivate you!

Almost every teenage boy wants to take martial arts for only one reason: to kick ass!  They want to be Jet Li and Steven Segal and have people say that they could last over a millisecond with Chuck Norris.  They want to be able to take down the bullies and get the girl and all that.  So, in a nod to my inner fifteen year old that still listens to heavy metal and wears a mullet, let’s talk about the four reasons that martial arts kick ass:

1. The first and foremost reason that martial arts kick ass is exactly that: you can kick ass.  Now we all know that you don’t start fights but you always finish them.  You don’t purposely walk down the dark alley in the middle of the night wearing the jersey of an opposing rival team, but if someone threatens you and yours you will do what needs to be done so that you can walk away.  With enough training you have the ability to defend yourself against almost anyone.  Maybe you can’t catch arrows, but how often are people walking around with bows and arrows anyway?

2. Secondly, martial arts kick ass because you learn to get your ass kicked.  In the early 1990′s I fought one of Mike Tyson’s sparring partners, a 6’4″ 240 pound left-handed red-headed Irish monster that was quick as a jack rabbit and hit like a mule.  I was a black belt candidate in my early twenties, a graduate student in nuclear engineering, and 155 pounds if I was fully clothed and wearing boots.  After this monster beat the crap out of a 6’2″ 220 lbs fighter for three minutes so badly the guy wouldn’t come out of the corner for the second round, it was my turn.  I flew across the space with a spin back side kick aimed right at the center of his chest that was about the size of a refrigerator.  He ducked underneath it and hit me with a jab that sent me back ten feet while breaking my nose and essentially knocking me out.  It only knocked me about ten feet because the wall stopped me.  But I came right back firing even though I was out on my feet and don’t remember most of that round.  I fought him for three rounds, and took one of the worst beatings of my life.  And you know what?  I didn’t die!  I learned to take more punishment than I ever thought possible and push forward when I couldn’t even lift my hands.  It helped my martial arts immensely, but it also helped my business career, helped me make it through my son’s health issues, and taught me to never stop fighting even if you can’t win.  Based on all the butt kickings I’ve taken over my life I’ve become stronger and tougher than any of my competition in the professional world.  And I don’t get beat the same way twice, because I’ve learned to analyze failures to create learning experience, so the scars are really notes from various lessons.

3. Those lessons let you kick ass in other realms.  I was able to out work everyone in my training class when I entered the financial services arena because of my martial arts experiences.  I was Rookie of the Year because I kicked everybody else’s ass.  I worked harder and longer.  I was more focused, and learned from every loss and every win.  I knew that I had to do something a thousand times to just understand it and 10,000 times to be perfect, whereas the other guys thought doing it ten times was hard practice and “good enough”.  Martial arts teaches you to kick ass everywhere else and in everything that you do because you learn that good enough is never good enough.

4. Lastly, martial arts kick ass simply because you have less ass to kick.  Face it: we get in good shape.  Wickedly good shape.  Like only my friends that are tri-athletes are in better shape, and they spend literally every waking moment outside of work working out, so they have no balance.  The hard workouts burn out any impurities in our systems, the hours of training give us cardiovascular systems better than runners, and we can eat almost anything because an hour-long training session burns off a thousand calories.  When I was competing I had body fat levels that were actually dangerously low.  My brother said my arms looked like French bread, and my girlfriend wanted me to go around shirtless to show off.  Chicks dug it!  That was definitely kick ass!

So to recap: martial arts kick ass because you learn to lose, you learn to win, you look good doing either, and you do it everywhere.  That is the definition of an ultimate ass kicker!

Caveat: I don’t watch that many movies, as I’d rather actually be training.  So my list is completely skewed, and that’s ok.  I’d really like to see this open up for a debate, but you need to have good rationale behind your movies.

And I am limiting them to real acting (term used loosely) as opposed to animated in any capacity.  Yes, I think Kung Fu Panda is a great movie, probably the singularly most entertaining martial arts movie because I can watch it with my kids.  But because it uses cartoon physics it is disqualified.

Other criteria I used too are that it is not just pure eye candy but has to have some real usable martial arts concepts, and that the budget had to have been greater than the used car I had in high school.  And “Way of the Dragon” has been disqualified because Chuck Norris does not have his beard.

So here they are, my Five Favorite Fighting Flicks:

#5: Bloodsport.  When this came out Van Damme was the hottest star in martial arts, and the fact that this was loosely based upon an actual real life series of events (the story of Grand Master Frank Dukes, whom I was once around when I was 13) makes it even more powerful.  Yes, there is the requisite cheese factor, but the variety of the Arts displayed and the fact that it showed some of the real dark side of fighting earns it a place here.  Bonus points to the training sequences as I always love seeing new or interesting ways to improve.

#4: The Karate Kid.  For those of us born in the early and mid 1970′s, this was the first martial arts movie we ever saw and had all the requirements: bullies, wise Yoda like teacher, boy learns to fight, gets girl and trophy.  Miyagi has evolved beyond the movie screen, and most of us have probably said in reference to a technique “Don’t know, first time.”  Again, bonus points for cool training making up for the bad 1980′s music and fashions.  And admit it, you’ve tried to catch a fly with chopsticks.

#3: Fearless.  Jet Li with a tale of redemption and sacrifice.  Instead of fighting bullies he was one, lost everything, and eventually found the keys to his Art.  Extra points for the stunning visuals and the martyrdom.  Just one question: how come they always have a huge hulking Irishman?  Most of the men on my Irish side barely reach 5’6″!  Probably the best written story of the group, based loosely on history, and by far the biggest budget.

#2: Enter the Dragon.  The first Martial Arts blockbuster and the cinematic high point of Bruce Lee’s life. Horrible fashion, bad acting, but incredible martial arts.  Every kid wants numchucks because of this movie!  I don’t know a single guy that studied martial arts in their teens for more than three months that didn’t have a poster from this movie, and if impersonation is the sincerest form of flattery than Enter the Dragon is under a micron thick.  Many people will put this one number one for all the reasons I’ve said plus it was the first cinematic hit in the US with an Asian actor as lead, and that is ok.  But this is MY Favorite Five.   And number one is….

BEST OF THE BEST!  Cheesy?  Yup.  Great training sequences?  Both old school and high tech.  One liners?  How about “Don’t block with your face” and “Do you know where you are?  (answer after looking around) The floor.”  Redemption and forgiveness and patriotism.  Plus very real martial arts, including the swelling and the trouble coming out of the corner and cheap shots to go with psychological gamesmanship.  Maybe I am totally biased because of my Tae Kwon Do background and my old shoulder injury (similar to Eric Robert’s character), but c’mon, it’s got James Earl Jones as the coach!  Not nearly the cinematic wonder or economic success of the others, it still makes me want to train like a madman just thinking about the movie!

And that might be one way to measure the power of a martial arts movie: not box office sales or Academy Awards, but by the effect it has on YOU and your martial arts.  Let the debate begin!

Having studied with lots of different individuals over two and a half decades, I have been exposed to some pretty esoteric concepts and techniques.  Here are some of the most interesting fighting techniques that I have come across.  I have a buddy who is (ahem) rather portly.  Shaped like a ball.  He has a lot of strength and pretty good hands, but obviously doesn’t throw kicks over his head.  But man, does he know how to throw his weight around to control the ring!  I remember watching a mob movie once where a huge guy like my buddy got into a fight in a bar and basically grabbed the bar and crushed the other guy against it using his body weight.  My buddy has never done that as far as I know, but I have seen him go “Kung Fu Panda” on people and purposely step/stomp on their feet so that they become distracted and unable to use that foot, thus limiting the weapons that they can use against him.  Brilliant use of the available resources.

Accepting your physical limitations and being able to actually turn them into a tactical advantage is a tradition of the martial arts.  Tonfa and  nunchaku were originally grain threshers.  Bruce Lee’s poor eyesight helped lead him to close-in fighting in wing chung, and his shorter leg enhanced his spin kicks.

I have seen dojangs and dojos with lists of rules that go on for multiple pages, and that bothers me.  Partially because they feel like they need to lay out all the details and foibles.  Attorneys do not belong in the martial arts because of their need to create complexity where simplicity is better.  As Albert Einstein said, things should be as simple as possible, but no simpler.

Based upon this principle I really have Four Rules that my children and students are taught, because they can apply them in all situations that they encounter.  They are not immutable laws like physics, but guiding ideals to use whenever they need help in figuring out what to do and what not to do.

The first is simply “Listen”.  Obviously with a toddler it is tough, but if they learn to listen it really can prevent bad things from happening.  It is also fundamental to building relationships whether on a personal or business level.  And it definitely applies to a martial arts classroom.

The second is “Obey”.  Maybe it comes from my Catholic and military upbringing, but every martial arts student needs to learn to follow orders from their higher ranks.  And as individuals climb ranks they learn to accept the burden and responsibility of power over lower ranks.

Third is “Do Good”.  This covers everything from teaching three year olds that “hands are for helping, not for hurting” to assisting old ladies across the street.  Almost every major religion in the world has this component prominently in it, so it makes sense to have the moral principles reinforced early and often in children and beginning students.  Modeling this behavior is critical to maintaining respect in the training hall and outside of it.

Last is “Practice”.  This really should go without explanation for the martial arts, but it goes beyond the dojo’s walls.  Practice your math and spelling as a child so you can get good at it.  Practice your presentations in a business setting.  Practice doing good by just keeping an eye out for others that are struggling in some way.  Practice listening to your spouse, and obeying the moral teachings of whomever you follow.  Continuously work at being a better everything and you will do so, and if you are being guided by the other principles then your practice will really drive you to success however you care to measure it.

I do have these rules written on the wall of my training hall.  They are also on the wall of my office, to continuously reinforce the basic principles for excellence in all things.  And if I ever forget I have a three year old to remind me “Dai, do good today!”

Over stimulated, over caffeinated, and hyperactive, Americans as a whole are way too stressed out.   This leads to high blood pressure, obesity, and short tempers affecting everything from family situations to business productivity.  But why?

One thing is that Americans load up on stress, because to a certain extent it is good.  Challenges get your blood flowing and releases creative and competitive juices in addition to adrenaline.  To a point that too many Americans go wayyy past.  Too much stress actually causes the body to inflect and produce cortisol and other chemicals that instead of helping the body be stronger and more engaged for longer actually start to break it down.  You become mentally and emotionally drained if under too much stress for too long.  Short periods of intense stress are fine, but longer ones are counterproductive and potentially emotionally and physically devastating.

So how can you deal with the too much information always on and going on in the world, short of ditching your cell phone and going to a mountaintop?  Balance your stresses.  Create eustress in your life.

Eustress is a term I first heard Tim Ferriss use a few years ago.  It is the opposite of distress, and it is that which pushes you while stimulating.  Positive as opposed to negative stress if you will.  One way to generate it is to take total breaks from your normal stresses, which reduces them down past the inflection point so that they once more become energizing.  Turn the cell phone off during dinner with the family.  Stop in the middle of work to walk around the block, or meditate.  Watch a Three Stooges clip on your computer and laugh until you cry.

This last one is actually a stress of a different form that allows your body to rest and reset.  Similar to the active meditation of doing forms or going for a hard run while wrestling with a problem.  They all create a different form of stress on your body that allows your body (and mind) to not focus on the negative pressures and alleviate them partly through a different outlet.

We Martial Artists are actually very good at this shifting to blow off steam.  I went to see my Master once after about two weeks of hell at work and he could instantly see that things were not right.  Testing my blood pressure it was 200/140.  Surprisingly I didn’t have blood coming out of my eyes. “Get downstairs now and do your forms.”  45 minutes later I was back to a fairly normal 130/90.  Because of eustress alleviating the distress.

So go do your forms.  Take some time and meditate.  Go smell a flower, or hit a heavy bag for a few rounds.  Create something to oppose the distress in your mind and body so that you can work through these tough times.  Use your Arts as Miyagi said “to find balance.”