The "Ki" to it all...

I'll go out on a limb and say that there are plenty of martial artists that don't really think too much about ki. For whatever the reason, it's just not a primary concern.

Aikido, Aiki-jujutsu, Hapkido...they all have ki included in their name. Karate and Taekwondo are famous for their "ki-ai" and "ki-hap" yells. Yet there remain practitioners of each of these arts that don't take the time to learn about ki.

I strive to practice the martial arts for the mental, physical, and spiritual benefits. I exercise my body and sharpen my techniques. I read and learn more about martial arts history. I listen with an open mind to other martial artists as they speak about their own style. Many times I just sit quietly and practice breathing techniques to calm my mind.

It's all training. The important thing is that no matter what type of practice I'm doing, I must remember the ki to it all.

Ten years and counting...

Ten years and counting…

Wow. Ten years. While there are plenty of martial arts schools that have been around far longer (my instructor’s school Mudo College to name just one), there are also plenty of schools who have come and gone within that period of time.

I want to take a moment to recognize MuSool Academy of Martial Arts in Port Orange, Florida. Master Shelby Creech has done an exceptional job with the school. He’s a top-notch instructor, an incredible martial artist, and a great friend.

When I moved to Port Orange to help get the program started, Shelby and I were excited. We used to run wind-sprints on the concrete slab where the school was being built. We were training at the school before the school as even there.

Shelby, John Combs and I worked hard to assemble a curriculum that represented our core beliefs about what the martial arts were all about. We wanted a school that had solid roots in tradition, but wasn’t afraid to try new things. We wanted students who respected where they came from, but also had the vision to look to the future.

I believe that MuSool has achieved that. It has great competitors without being a “sport school” like some other TaeKwonDo programs. It teaches students to defend themselves realistically without forgetting the customs, language, and theories of traditional HapKiDo. MuSool is about every student being a martial artist from the day they start their first class, not just when they get their black belt.

I’m very proud of Master Creech, the MuSool black belts, students, family, and friends that help to make MuSool Academy what it is today. And I’m not ashamed to say that I’m proud of myself for being a founder of the school.

Way to go MuSool!

Brian Stanton
MuSool Black Belt #2

"Wood-Chopper"

This one is hard to write, so I'll do my best to make sense as I do. 


This morning, my mother's dad, my grandfather passed away. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents when I was young. My mom, brother and I lived with them for a while when I was a kid. Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop we called them.


There is a lot that can be said about Pop-Pop. I wouldn't attempt to say it all here. But I can say that his time on this earth was full of life. You always new where you stood with him, and you always knew his opinion about things. He was one of the funniest people I ever met, and was always ready with a good joke. He laughed with his entire body.


When I was young, I would help him with his projects. He'd refinish old wardrobe trunks, build things, and fix stuff around the house. He was always tinkering with something. And I was his helper. Many times I would help him out when he was cutting wood. Most of the time he was doing the cutting, but he took to calling me Wood-Chopper. The nickname stuck.


Years later, when I graduated college and was teaching martial arts in my own program, he came by to watch me in a demonstration. I was performing a HapKiDo self-defense demo with Shelby, and he got to see us in action. 


After the demo, he pulled me aside and told me he didn't sleep well that night. The demonstration had bothered him a little, and he wanted to talk with me about it. I'll never forget what he said:


"Chop, I didn't know you could do all that. You're name has a whole new meaning now (I also did a little board-breaking in the demo). You can chop people down! I knew you studied this stuff for a long time, but I didn't really understand it. Now I see that you're a nice guy who can do some damage. But you don't go around acting like a tough guy. Good boy."


For a man who served in WWII, member of the Greatest Generation, it was one of the biggest complements I could have received from my grandfather.  We didn't always have the same interests, or see eye-to-eye on philosophy, but we both knew there was always a deep respect and love there. No matter how far away we were, or how long it had been since we talked.


I'll miss you and always love you Pop-Pop.


Your grandson,
Wood-Chopper

A book and a movie

My martial arts career was heavily influenced by two things: a book and a movie.

Zen in the Martial Arts is a great collection of personal stories and anecdotes written by Joe Hyams. It's an easy read and a great asset to your library if you haven't already picked one up. I refer back to this book often. It's a great reminder of why I became interested in the martial arts in the first place. I've bought several copies over the years. I always give my current copy to a friend or student, and then I pick up another copy for myself. Books like this are best when shared.

The movie that heavily influenced me was the original "Karate Kid" - one of my all-time favorites. To some it's a cheesy 80's movie, and it definitely has some of those qualities too. But it is also a great depiction of the relationship between an instructor and his student.

It was famous for Mr. Miyagi's training method. Paint the fence, sand the floor, wax-on/wax-off. These made for great cinema, but they were a little more important than they let on.

For martial arts training, it is important to relate techniques and your everyday actions. Why not equate techniques to something students already know. Have a baseball player in your class? Then they already know how to shift their weight and follow through. Any dancers in the room? Ask them about footwork and see if they can show you how it relates to martial movement.

There is also something a little more subtle in that film. Daniel didn't train in a nice matted school with mirrors. He trained in the back yard. He trained at the beach. He even trained in a boat. What's funny about this is that the Karate Kid did a lot to fill martial arts schools across the nation, and that was a good thing. But great martial arts instruction can happen anywhere.

When I was younger, I used to hear martial artists make fun of people that learned in someones garage or back yard. I admit that I even bought into that for a while. But I've come to realize that it's not the place you train in that makes the training great. 

I'm proud to say I have a few students who come to my house and train in our own private dojang...my garage. Nothing fancy, but learning definitely takes place. And that's what's important. One of my good friends has taught at his home for years, and he has helped to produce some quality martial artists.

I guess what I'm trying to say is let's put a little more Zen in our martial art; put a little more Mr. Miyagi in our training. Making our teaching and training personal can only only make it better.

Back to Basics

Basic techniques are the foundation of every style. You learn them on day one, and you never stop practicing. Even instructors, good ones at least, make basics a part of their routine training. But there is one key basic more important than the rest: learning.


Generally, new students who step into a martial arts school want to learn. They are trying something new and putting their faith into their instructor. New students walk onto the mat knowing they may slip and fall, say the wrong things, make mistakes, feel awkward, and look silly. But they do it anyway.


This is courage—the courage to learn something new. But over the years, some martial artists become complacent. They achieve a black belt, open their own schools, and stop learning. Many times, ego steps in and says, "Hey, you know this stuff. You're a master!"


As a great friend of mine likes to say, "We don't do martial arts. We practice martial arts." He's absolutely right. And it's not just the practice, it's the learning. You need the courage to learn every time you step onto the mat. Have the courage to put ego aside and learn something new. Have the courage to understand that you don't know it all.


I've learned just as much from my students and peers as I have from my instructors. That's the way it should be. As an instructor you need knowledge, skill and experience. But, for as much as you have to teach, you also need to let the students know that you still have a lot to learn. Don't just show them what kind of instructor you are; show them what kind of a student you are.


So, let's get back to basics. Let's get rid of the ego and have the courage of a new student. Have the courage to slip and fall, say the wrong things, make mistakes, feel awkward, and look silly. Have the courage to learn.

First Thoughts...

For years I've had discussions with friends, teachers, and fellow martial artists about this path we undertake in life. I've also planned to record these thoughts and conversations so they wouldn't be lost to my the abyss that is my sometimes horrible memory. Over the years I've failed miserably in this task.


Well, that ends now.


The purpose of this record is simply to share my own take on the martial arts, its history, traditions, training, and theories. In advance, I would like to do two things:

1. Thank everyone for the help they have given me over the years. My friends, family, teachers, and fellow martial artists. I am forever in your debt.
2. Apologize for anything I post that sounds too familiar. I will attempt to give credit to anyone I quote, but as we all know, sometimes you never remember where you heard a story or anecdote.

If you're reading this (and with all humility I don't expect many to do so), please understand that these are just my own personal thoughts and beliefs. The martial arts have a long history of honor and respect, but there is also a long history of conflicting viewpoints. I do not expect you to agree with me about every entry, and I'm sure if i read your thoughts, it would be the same.

However, there are some common threads that bind all martial artists, and I hope you find some here.

Thanks.

To paraphrase Musashi...

This 17th day of March, 2011, around 6pm.

-Brian Stanton