Big Lew's Essay
I'm not too big on huge, self analytic essays about why martial arts are important to me. In fact I don't really even consider myself a martial artist but more of a martial scientist. I study fighting. That's it in a nutshell. I don't try to fathom the inner most reaches of my spirituality nor do I try to supplement my well being by tieing martial arts to the rest of my life. When I leave the dojo I am merely Lew. I'm a husband, Father, and plain old guy outside the gym or ring.
But when I'm at the school or in the ring I have only one thing on my mind, a tunnel vision of sorts, I aim to learn all I can about defending myself when I'm attacked. Whether I'm teaching a class or wrestling around with some local redneck who wants to test himself against a NHB fighter I am always learning. In fact, I think I've learned more about what works and what doesn't since I started teaching then I ever learned as a student in a dojo. So the pursuit goes on. I throw away one technique and replace it with another, more effective, one.
I see and hear all types of talk about mystical martial arts. Dim Mak, pressure point fighting, even levitation and blowing ki smoke from one's fingers. Anybody that believes in all that stuff is either foolish or stupid. I believe in a technique only when I see it demonstrated efficiently on me. If you say you can knock me out with a demon's breath technique then by all means do it and make a believer out of me. There is entirely too much chacanery and tom foolery in martial arts today. Always the charlatan waiting to take some naive sucker's money to teach him the system that can't be beaten. I'm here to tell you folks that every system can be beat. There are no great systems, only great fighters. Any system of martial arts can produce a great fighter. So instead of trying to blow smoke up your opponent's arse with some mystic chinese or Japanese art why not find one that just feels good to ya and work hard to master it?
Lastly, I'd like to comment on all the young guys who want to become teachers before they've actually paid their dues and studied something. No one with any brains is going to buy your stuff about a mysterious master who slipped out of the woods and chose you to be his successor. This ain't Hollywood kiddies and things never work in real life like they do in a chintzy kung fu flick. So, by choosing to hoodwink people the only students you'll ever have are those that are easily hoodwinked. Wouldn't it be much better to just study hard and someday be the teacher of a real system? I have nothing at all against guys that develop their own eclectic art after studying a couple of others. How could I? I'm one of those guys. But study first...not a week or a month....study for years. You can't teach your own system without first mastering at least one other. That's the way its been all throughout martial arts history.
And speaking of history, this is for you guys that are so hung up on history and lineages that you can't ever find the time or patience for those that you deem not real martial artists. Keep in mind that many of these guys you're roasting for not having 1000 year old scrolls can probably whup your paunchy middle aged butts. Its fine to have pride in one's martial art heritage. But, remember, the heritage actually belongs to the art and not to you. You can't use a long heritage to prove you're a good martial artist. The only way to prove that is to step up against another seasoned martial artist and let the licks start flying. After all, gentlemen, this is a "martial" art you're studying and the word itself ought to tell you that its tried and tested through combat.
Lew
And for those of you that don't like the way I think.....
.....click on the tape to hear my message for you.
