Martial arts
Someone recently pointed out to me a new show on the History Channel called Human Weapon. I don’t have a television, so my response comes from poking around the website and watching the short videos there. The show consists of two guys, one a mixed martial artist, one a football player, going around the world importuning various local martial artists and then ending the show by fighting with them. I was sufficiently annoyed by it and the level of idiocy in the comments that I had to write something in response.
Before anyone asks, I’m not going to discuss whether or not I study martial arts.
1. Which is more ludicrous:
American marines and Chinese tai chi,
or American tai chi and Chinese marines?
What is either ludicrous?
In the end we have the same form.
Why the preoccupation with karate vs. capoeira?
A style is a codification by a master.
The codex matters, but not its name.
The codex lost, the name has no meaning.
A line of masters can build great things,
one generation can lose them all.
Study with a present master,
or the skilled student of a previous master.
Beyond that the line is broken.
2. The fool says, this attack can’t be blocked.
The master says,
angle your elbow so or it will be broken
you lose your balance in the step
don’t neglect your other hand
you’re putting a weird twist in your spine; stop it
remember your elbow!
what is it you’re trying to hit? hit it
you locked your elbow straight. why?
your opponent dodged. what’s your followup?
3. It’s a different mind to play in the ring
or react at once to the unexpected
or premeditatedly kill a man.
The last I’ll gladly leave to soldiers
the second we call self defense
does the first prepare us for the other two?
4. Watching a master, you see his limbs move,
you don’t see the motions of his spine
you see where he hits, but you don’t perceive
the nerves and bones he strikes
you see his stance
but what muscles bear the weight?
you see him move
do you know why he does?
how will you know unless you can ask him?
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