In the world of guns, martial arts don’t mean what they used to. I don’t care how good your martial arts are, bullets and bombs can’t be blocked.
Martial arts, however, are incredibly useful on a daily basis. Especially an internal or healing martial art that forces you to change your body to accomodate the martial art. You can also see here for the best healing practices, to get a better body and mind.
Some years ago, walking around the streets of Taichung, Taiwan, I saw a flyer advertising Danny Lai’s Tai Chi Studio. What captured my eye were the phrases “peace of mind” and “comfortable body”.
How often do we use our martial arts for fighting? If I have to resort to throwing a punch, I’ve already lost in the sense that I’ve lost control of the situation and need to resort to violence. This puts me (and potentially my friends and family) in a high risk situation. I’ll explain more, later, in a post describing the “last fight” of another teacher of mine, Bones, but, suffice it to say, martial arts have given me the confidence, ability and insight to control situations and avoid many, many fights or situations that otherwise could have resulted in a fight. For example, a friend once noticed me slip a shoulder slam from a punk walking along the street. Afterwards, my friend said to me, ‘Nice one.’ I hadn’t a clue what he was talking about. I had barely noticed the kid. My movements were instinctual.
How often do we use peace of mind and a comfortable body? Every moment of every day! Practicing tai chi, chi kung and meditation have turned back the years on my body. For that, I’m eternally grateful to Danny. I don’t want to think how stiff and how injured I’d be as I near my middle years if I had continued with western sports and hard martial arts styles alone! It’s no wonder so many Chinese doctors prescibe tai chi to people getting older. It’s no wonder so many hard stylists move to tai chi as they get older.
Practice makes me calmer, humbler, more confident, happier, more relaxed. These I can use every day with my family, at work, driving, walking, playing, sleeping. And, the more relaxed I am, the more speed and power I have. Crazy.
Click the “Testimonials” link on the right to read what others say on the benefits of this practice.
Read a lot of books, study from a lot of teachers, and practice, practice, practice. Shut down your computer and go work out!
-David True