Be like Water
photo courtesy of Gary Arndt under Creative Commons License BY-NC-SA
So following yesterday’s events, and a thread that has been running in my head for awhile I have decided to take up a martial art. Which one?
Now, I know that followers of martial arts can be quite fanatical about which styles are better then others, the history behind one or other, or why such and such a style is a joke. And I am going to sum it all up and say: SHUT IT!
My goals are simple:
- The martial art becomes part of my fitness program.
- The class is easy to get to and fits in my schedule.
- The course is not too expensive.
- The style is practical if I need to use it.
I do not care about history, school politics, or why this style is less real then another.
Which was why my first choice was Keysi Fighting Method, a tight fast fighting system of smashing past your opponents blocks to deliver a hard brutal hit. None of which matters half as much as it being the fighting style of Christian Bale’s Batman in the new movies. Fanboy art I. Sadly, no school has opened up in Canada or even the USA.
Real-life mentat Chris Penn suggested Budo Montreal. It looked promising, and again, geek-dar pinged at seeing the word ninjitsu. With a free session to try it out I would have gone, except it is too far out of my way. One thing I have learned about working out is that unless the gym/course is located along a frequently traveled path, you will finding plenty of excuses to skip it.
I looked into an old course I use to follow called Senshido, which was heavily focused on street fighting. Not too much out of my way BUT at 124 a month VERY pricey, and I don’t really have fond memories of it. The place was a dive (unbelievable given the costs), and while the lead instructor knew what he was talking about, I did not feel the same about half of his instructors.
So I looked to Concordia University, which is right down the street from me, between work and where I live. I am already registered at the gym, as its where I am doing my weight-training. And they have a weekend course in Jeet Kune Do, created by Bruce Lee, at $40 for 3 months!!!
Which means we have a winner! Wish me luck, or laugh at my choice in the comments!
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This is interesting. I came back to martial arts during the holidays. I hope we’ll fight one day
Aloha Rudy!
Very glad to hear you’ve decided to add a Martial Art form to your workout routine. And I applaud your pragmatic approach. With the onset of the new year, so many seem to make grandiose plans about getting in shape, or eating better, blah blah blah. But making sure it’s convenient and affordable can certainly help you to stick with it beyond the initial enthusiasm.
Full disclosure: I was a First Dan Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and as a tournament fighter was undefeated and also have several years of advanced training in weapondry and acrobatics. All before I left home for college. I also served as an Instructor for several years while in college and can tell you that I learned far more as an Instructor in just a few years than I did in all the previous years as a “student.” I write in the past tense because I haven’t studied/practiced the Art for 15 years and now consider my rank to be something that I WAS rather than something I still AM. But much of the training, reflexes and sensitivity does tend to stay with you even after so many years.
One of the clearest lessons learned as an instructor is that the people that came to “learn to fight” were either lousy students (until that got that out of their system) or more likely, didn’t last very long once they learned that the real reason to practice a Martial Art is so that you don’t ever have to fight. I know it sounds kinda corny and cliche. But if you stick with it long enough you’ll come to learn what that “cliche” means for you on a personal level.
If you find a good instructor, then Jeet Kune Do can be an amazing Art form for body, mind, and spirit.
I wish you the very best and look forward to hearing about your experiences!
Hey Rudy, who was the head Senshido guy? Lee? They need this sort of feedback to improve so please let them know they will improve on it. Feedback is the food of champions
cheers
Clive
Congrats on choosing the Way of No Way, Rudy. Bruce Lee deconstructed traditional martial arts in order to figure out what really worked and he incorporated elements from a number of styles including karate, wing chun, boxing and Savate as the basis for Jeet Kune Do. Please let us know how your training goes.
There’s no such thing as a good martial arts style. There are only good teacher and bad teachers. A good teacher can make a martial art work for you wonderfully.
Broheem… good for you. I was once motivated to get back into tae kwon do, for different (and less heroic) reasons. The “be like water” thing catches my eye; the tattoo on my right arm is “unsui”, Japanese word for “travelling monk, truthseeker”. Literally, though, the characters mean cloud and water–with and without form at once, being able to move anywhere and adapt. Me likey. Anywho, good luck, grasshoppah.
I remember the first dojo I ever went to. My brother and I went, the first thing out of the instructor’s mouth was “I teach you to be killers.”
I…ah…..didn’t stay on after that. : /
@long Not a chance in hell. You are smaller and deadlier then me. It would be the Game of Death all over again.
@Shane - Yeah, I am not planning on using this to “kick ass”. I just know that when I was doing boxing, it added a certain confidence.
@Clive - I can’t remember. He was quite passionate and clearly in charge. And to be fair, this was years ago at this point so I don’t know if it qualifies me piping up now.
@George - Of course I will share George. Makes it easier to hit the other New Year’s Resolution of blog daily
@Christopher - Yeah, getting a good teacher seems to be the number one response to this post. Hope fate is on my side.
@Chris - Often wanted to get a tat of the IChing (sp?) symbol #23.
@Jim - Yeah, tired of the Cobra-kai BS. I need a Mr. Miyagi
If Michael Gregory still teaches the JKD class, say “hi” to him from me.
Reading up on your goals though, you’d probably gain more fitness through joining tri-star gym which trains George St-Pierre (GSP).
Yo Rudy, an earlier experience gave you an urgency to sign up for a martial art?
Good job buddy!! It will be an excellent complement for a total fit body!!
I wonder if you guys will use this experience as fuel for a future episode of Galacticast!