Taking something Common and using it uncommonly

I'm beginning to look at myself and really notice that some racism has been holding me back in terms of my success.. but the racism of others and my own racism.
The racism is others is benign. It is when they see what I do and they call it Karate.
But the racism of myself is something easy to fix. It is that when people call what I do Karate... and I can't fully embrace that. I mean what if I actually started just teaching Karate and Jiu -jitsu? In terms of my goals would it mak a difference? I mean, okay, there are some cases in Chinatown, where I should continue to teach Kung Fu. Why? Because the people are hiring me to teach Kung Fu.

I mean I can also just call it Martial Arts. In fact when I went to perform for that game show... America's got talent... showing up by myself when I had intended for the whole team to show up... They called me "Martial Arts Adam!" after thinking through what sounded best.. basically because Kung Fu, Karate, Jiu-Jitsu.. that's old. It's Martial Arts now. Mixed Martial Arts. And the truth is all of it has always been mixed Martial Arts. Tell me a Martial Art that isn't mixed? The only one that really tries to claim that is racist forms of Samurai Sword that focus on ritual and purity of race Spirit. You might as well be doing Nazi Bayonet form if you are so focused on Purity. But where did those sword techniques come from? They never mixed or encountered another style or way of doing it? It's true, these are maybe the purest. But all the stuff that has been out there in villages and among the people... it's all mixed. Just like the people themselves.

Anyway, A lot of Kung Fu forms are forms that take something Common and turn it into a weapon. A hoe, or other farm tool. A bench.

What if I were to look at some of the techniques that way. I mean I've been looking through a lot of Jiu Jitsu and Tai Chi and other stuff online. Before I would look at things very critically, looking at the counter. And guess what, A lot of people have been doing my work for me where they adapt Tai Chi and stuff to the ground. I am influenced by them, but would I do it exactly like them? no. I see some differences both from my training, and my experience.

In a lot of ways I hate the step by step.. he does this and then you do that type of technique. All the criticisms, for instance, that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has against other martial arts... you can take those same criticisms and turn them on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Those interviews with Helio Gracie... you subistitute the word Kung Fu with Jiu-Jitsu and what is the difference? You look at his tutorials of the techniques and what is the difference with the 1950's American Judo stuff... the stuff that Bruce Lee was Criticizing? And then UFC and MMA criticized Jeet Kune Do in the same way. But everything is going in circles.

You look up Jiu-jitsu.. it came from China, so it was Kung Fu, but a lot of those techniques were lost, and one could even say deemed unrealistic. The reason why I say that is because even though they were used by the Gracies... the way they used them was different. The focus was not on the technique. I think that is what Helio Gracie was talking about and he even said that everyone else's Jiu Jitsu was not his if he didn't put his stamp on it. But what made his different was actually not the technique.

Basically you could take any technique, any form of martial art out there, and use it like a how or a farm tool or a bench. You could use it like a weapon. But if under developed and trained improperly it is useless.

For me, I rely more on my Kung Fu moves and the Gung and some of the meditative concepts, of course because that is what is inside me, through forms and practice. So whatever I do... will ultimately Kung Fu.

But if one day, it makes sense to teach Kata and put on Gi's and send kids to Karate Tournaments because that is just easier or Jiu Jitsu tournaments, or Judo tournaments, that could work too. And I would be taking car eof the problem of, "Why are you teaching our secret techniques to everyone?" Instead I can keep those Kung Fu forms and techniques for insiders. People I trust.

As for doing forms... Wushu has it right. Focus on a few moves and forms and concepts and some very acrobatic moves and put the athletic break dancer types out there to perform and attract attention. See even in that way, what is becoming commonplace and is already put there, what everyone knows.. use that!

Even sports, Soccer, volleyball basketball even.... There is great benefit to these sports. First of all on the playground, if children are sparring with sticks... People get nervous. People are worried about someone going blind. But with a ball you can pretty much ignore these kids ( which is sometimes what they want) and let them go. Save the Kung Fu for when they really ask you. But drilling constantly? Maybe it's not the best thing for them.

For Chi Gung and Yoga... You can even use the moves already out there...
But behind everything there is that secret, that essence which I want to teach. It isn't really in the moves though is it? Or it is, but it is both hidden and right there staring you in the face.

I haven't even uncovered all of it. I think what I have uncovered.. people will not think is all that great. But it has good use in a street fight. That's because when I uncovered it, that's what I was interested in.

I'll tell you the truth, my style of fighting is actually completely different from my Sifu's. The reason is because I came to him and asked him about some things and he said that my way was not as good, what I was bringing up. There were several things that I brought up to him that he said no too. But then later he said, "Well I guess you could do that to."

But the reason why I went in that direction was because I realized that we were very different in terms of personality and upbringing. He is a fighter. I am not.

My way of fighting combines the idea of the Bezerker, with the idea of the of the meditative Elightened one, animal Kung Fu, and even some concepts of Sun Da (which I did not formally study) But Why do I credit it?

Basically my way of fighting is for someone who finds dealing with violence stressful. A switch is flipped. There is another you that you create (but still have control over) and you strike with movements that is controlled by chi and of course controlled by you... but in some ways is not directly controlled fully consciously. Part of it is submitting to your training and the technique you have practiced in a trance like Shamanic state. When I trained like this, people would watch me and say, "If Ah Gwai later creates his own system I would not be surprised."

Or in English, "Adam if you did those techniques on the street you would go to jail for a long time. They have special laws to add time to what you would cause. They call it Mayhem. It adds time to a sentence."

But I would say, "How are my techniques more violent than the gun or the knife?"

It is adding the strength of the mad, to the calm of the internal arts so that unlike those true Bezerkers, after ward you feel energized instead of exhausted. The focus is not too technical. So in a way, the techniques do not completely matter. The concept behind the techniques do. Maybe you get the concepts from some of the basic movements. Maybe it is important that you turn your waist (at least I once thought it was) But watching stuff online, I have seen masters of different systems and lineages that have achieved similar things. Or at least an inkling of it on certain techniques. Except they do not fully give over control (Maybe I do not either) I have had students that achieved this too... but because of lack of technique or gung...or control or flow... well they have it, but it misses something too. Control is the wrong word. In any case.. couldn't I teach this through other martial arts as well? And in that way, not sell out the Kung Fu my Sifu taught me? But then I wouldn't be spreading it either.

I think there is a balance. Perhaps the focus could be in the concepts. And the movements, they could be anything. Lion Dance, Chinese Folk Dance, Boxing, Wrestling, Jiu Jitsu... whatever is lying around. The techniques are just tools, not Vedic scripture.