Rick Vargas

Conversation with martial artists and self defense experts these days can be pretty weird.

It used to be about how hard we trained in our particular practices.  If you had a good punch that you could get me with 9 out of 10 times it was because you worked on it over and over from a lot of angles. You just plain worked it.  Good teachers drilled you a lot to get the most out of you, and for you, in speed, power, accuracy.  Beyond what was required of you from your style or instructor, you were always looking to exceed your personal best.  Self defense was always a factor in why and how you trained.

There were people who talked about secret techniques and supernatural powers, but they were never seen in training halls beyond the free lesson that they left from worn out and huffing and puffing.

Today I hear a lot of new jargon from a lot of guys who also don’t seem to train that much either.  They talk about “reality,” about “odds of going to the ground,” “adrenal stress,” “heightened awareness,” “physiological” this and that, etc.  I hear more talk about “the brain” and “neurons” from martial artists and self defense experts than I do from my scientist son.  I see sales pitches that make it seem like learning self defense is a PhD dissertation.

It’s not that complicated.  Some simple physical instruction, and clues on what to watch for are plenty for most non professionals.

I’ll paraphrase Bruce Lee’s paraphrase of an old zen saying:

“Before I studied martial arts a punch was just a punch, a kick was just a kick.  When I studied martial arts a punch was no longer a punch, a kick was no longer a kick.  Now that I’ve transcended martial arts, a punch is just a punch, a kick is just a kick.”

It’s dizzying to read the material out there complicating martial arts and self defense.  A lot of it very scholarly sounding.  But it can be too much, and overdone.

To illustrated I’ll tell you this story:

I’ve trained in and practiced meditation almost all my life. At one point I had trained with a renowned master in many types of meditation, many techniques.  Years later, I happened upon a Zen Master, and attended his center.  I Listened to the talk, and even had a question/answer with him.  Upon going to the meditation hall I asked “what technique shall I use, a silent mantra, visualization, a breathing one…”

His answer with a snap was, “don’t move muscle, don’t move mind!”  I was confused.  After all, I knew all these things.  So, I sat in the hall amongst others, whose sole technique was to try to sit still in body and mind, and, I had one of the most enriching experiences of my life up to that time.

Simplicity is often a sign of the highest achievements.

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