I don’t know if Lady Gaga has ever thought about martial arts
training.
It doesn’t really matter.
The struggle for individuality and freedom of expression is
universal enough.
When a celebrity, especially a singer or actor, behaves
outside the accepted range of normality, I doubt if you are all that surprised.
But for some reason, when I write
about the freedom from formality and the acceptance of natural reactions in
self-defense, traditional martial artists seem to get a bit uncomfortable.
7 TRUTHS OF SELF DEFENSE: TRAIN TO OVERCOME VIOLENT ATTACKS by Richard Moore
That’s okay with me.
In fact it puts me in an exclusive and honorable group along
with such masters of individuality as Bruce Lee and Lady Gaga. I know.
Haven’t seen those two names together before.
But think about it.
Society works to keep people in line for the most part, and we tend to
admire those who can break free from the mold.
Perhaps Lady Gaga hasn’t been an exemplary role model for our children, but
I don’t think that was one of her main objectives (benefit of the doubt
anyone?).
Admit it. Part of the
reason outlandish celebrity stunts bother you is because you wish you had the
opportunity and courage to reach for something earth-shaking beyond the status
quo.
When I was 12 years old, I asked my martial arts instructor
why we performed certain movements and forms.
I questioned the reality of being able to use what I was learning in an
actual violent encounter. That just made
him angry, and my faith in his ability, the tenets of the system, and my regard
for the founder were all called into question.
I just wanted to know that I could block a real punch and
counter a realistic attack. I thought
that’s what they were teaching me to do.
This put me on a path to find a different way. What I found is that I had within me the
foundation of an effective fighting spirit.
Once I was free to consider the reality of a violent attack, I found a
way that worked for me, and I started to understand myself in a whole new way.
I write books
to help people become free of what Bruce Lee called the “classical mess” of
organized martial arts. It’s easy to
write about what I’ve learned. But it
wasn’t so easy for those who first set out on this journey towards an open mind.
I was fortunate (don’t really believe in luck).
Eventually I found others who had been either turned off by
commercial martial arts or who continued traditional training and supplemented
with realistic combat tactics as well.
My journey toward realistic and practical defensive proficiency was
begun in earnest.
Bruce Lee had to fight many challenge matches on the sets of
his movies, and in everyday life, as people wondered if he really was that
good. The establishment of masters couldn’t
seem to understand why he would share his knowledge so openly.
In his search for individual freedom and perfection, Bruce
Lee found some of his peers to be a limiting factor, holding him back. The real battle was to be fought in the mind
and perception of a man who sought to break free of “normality”.
The same is true for the Lady Gaga’s of the world. The same might be true of you.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
It’s easy for me to write
about learning to use your natural movements and attributes as your own way of
moving in a fight.
But it took courage and spirit for our forerunners to stand
up to a classical system and say, “No! I won’t do this your way anymore.”
Those fighters pass on a legacy to us, and will always
inspire those of us who aren’t looking to venerate any particular style or way. Instead, we want to know what it is within
each of us individually that can save us from the clutches of violence, and
deliver us safely home yet again.
Awaken your inner warrior™
Stand!
AppliedFighter.com
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