Warriors and champions

EVERYONE Wants To Be A Warrior And Champion But NO ONE Wants To Do The Work . The Warrior Doesn't Believe In Pain And The Champion Isn't Afraid Of Sacrifice . He Simply Does What He Does . A True Warrior Is ALWAYS Training And The Champion Is ALWAYS Working To Reach The Next Level Because There Is No Second Chance , No Reset , No Do-Over . It's Not That He Does What You Can't Do , He Does What You Won't Do

Great quote from Mark Twain

Of all the animals, man is the only one that is cruel. He is the only one that inflicts pain for the pleasure of doing it. Mark Twain

Inspired

I love Sports and Athletics ! I mean as in I truly enjoy to participate and when i can't participate I love watching . Sports and Athletics give us a glimpse of the impossible becoming possible . Sports and Athletics Inspire us and often times bring people together regardless of diversity . Imagine if MY actions or YOUR actions ETHICALLY , MORALLY , SOCIALLY had the power to inspire and rally people ? When the day comes that people start rockin GHANDI or Mother Theresa sports jerseys , shit might just be alright on this planet

Endangered species

I do not have a PHD and i am not a scientist BUT I have Masters Instructorship in the Martial Arts . I have conducted several experiments and tests and I have concluded that HONOR , DIGNITY , BUDO AND RESPECT just made the top of the ENDANGERED SPECIES list !

FOOD

So these days i am reading and researching nutrition . I only buy organic and it's expensive as hell but to me it's worth it ! What i wanna know is , why is it ok ? Why is ok for food companies to produce and sell crap ( Food that contains GMOs ) ? Why would they do that to people and why is it ok ? Furthermore anytime laws or bills are on the table to stop this or at least have these foods labeled the Food companies fight till the end in order to continue . Why ? I really want to know ! Food is supposed to sustain us not kill us

What happened to MMA?

So I am a HUGE fan of MMA! I love the sport and I love all that comes with the lifestyle, correction i love ALMOST ALL that comes with it. So i have a question, Do these fighters always have to hate each other? That's a generalization but every time i read about MMA and the Athletes all you hear is _______ said _________ is ( insert any and as many negative comments as you like ) . Seriously , this is getting corny and tired. I know that sometimes it's the media, maybe most of the time it's the media, I hope so. If it is the media maybe we should do something to shut them down because that element that they bring has NOTHING to do with the sport and lifestyle that i love so much. Damn this bickering and badmouthing is so annoying!!! back in the day we trained, fought, laughed and the repeated the process. I have learned more about love through the combat arts then i would have learned anywhere else. What happened ?

There is only one way to fail and that is to not even try. Everything and anything else just means you have to attempt a different method

Yoga

Some time soon i will be sharing my thoughts on Yoga. If you don't already practice Yoga then you should. It will change you

Hush

Some free advice to anyone who fights - SHH!! SHH! Trash talk is corny, REAL CORNY with regards to fighting UNLESS it's funny but even then it's gotta be for real funny. TRUE greatness just IS. So here are some musings and ruminations on trash talk in Fighting and in Sports : 1. As stated above it's CORNY 2. Fighting is about fighting and not about talking 3. If you talk trash and don't deliver you look even MORE CORNY 4. Now some moron is gonna say "BUT TRASH TALK HYPES THE FIGHT AND SELLS TICKETS" NOPE , it does not . I watch fights because i enjoy combat sports . Rest assured if 2 combatants are planning on beating each other up i'm gonna watch it regardless, no PRE-fight commentary is needed. 5. If you really must talk trash PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE have the decency to be funny, LAUGH OUT LOUD funny 6. If you trash talk and get stomped for it can you please refund the minutes of my life back that you so CORNILY ( YES CORN-ILY ) demanded by talking trash 7. HAVING INSUFFICIENT FUNDS IN THE FIGHT BANK! If you talk trash and lose you open the flood gates to statements like "THAT'S WHAT HE/SHE GETS FOR TALKING TRASH" or my personal favorite " I'M GLAD HE/SHE GOT HIS/HER ASS BEAT!" Although when this sort of thing occurs it kinda is funny but that is beside the point 8. It occurs to me that Trash talkers probably don't have ANY REAL friends because if they did their friends should have stopped them from A.) BEING CORNY and B.) POTENTIALLY WRITING A CHECK THAT THEIR ASS CAN'T CASH. Sort of like when a good friend stops you from impulse buying or 9. REAL GANGSTERS DON'T TALK ( they just DO ). If one is truly great or truly BADASS then that skill should be as natural as breathing. No one ever brags about how well they breathe do they? The true greats and the elite should just DO what they DO and let others discuss while they keep it moving 10 If you are an elite level combatant or athlete don't cheapen your performance and victory by flapping your lips before or after just BRUSH YOUR SHOULDER OFF . Hope everyone has a great day

Laundry

So you're rolling with an advanced belt, and things are going great. There seems to be more space, the usual tightness that your opponent has just isn't there in fact he/she seems to be on the run! You can SMELL victory , It APPEARS that your game is improving almost over night then suddenly that advanced belt has just had enough and he/she TAPS! You're like YES, YES my game IS getting better! I have news for you that wasn't victory you smelled and it wasn't your game that made the higher belt run and tap IT WAS YOUR GI! and it's time to wash the damn thing! I own a lot of Gis , I own several Black, Several Blue, I also have the Ultra Badass NAVY BLUE ( 3 of them ) , but I am also a bit of a traditionalist and love the CLASSIC white Kimono! Simple but gangsta, White Gis look best when they are broken in and worn looking. NO ONE wants to have a clean uniform at the end of a football game and the same rules hold true for the White Gi in the gym and on the mats. Personally i love the look and smell of clean Gi. With that being said , school is in session and i am offering you some laundry tips for your Gi. So first things first lets assemble some ingredients : White Vinegar - to neutralize bacteria and it will preserve the color of your Gi Tide Detergent Actually liquid Tide - Pine Sol - to add a little extra punch to the wash Goo Gone or Goof Off - to pre treat stains particularly the neck/collar of the Gi NO BLEACH!!! REPEAT : NO BLEACH EVER!!! And now the process : Depending on your situation it may be in your best interests to go to the local laundromat . I do this because i like to do ALL of my laundry in one shot! but if you need to just wash your Gi then you will be fine if you use your home washer. Step one : Pre treat any and all stains that you are concerned about ( for those of you that are lazy, STOP IT NOW, this takes like 2 minutes seriously . Step two : Place Gi in washing machine and set washer to cold ( preferred ) or Warm if your Gi is really filthy. Add your liquid detergent , add a cup of White Vinegar and a cup of Pine Sol to help freshen things up Step three : Go find something to do like read or run a QUICK errand ( emphasis on quick ) Step four : When the wash cycle concludes remove Gi and HANG dry if and when you are able . Steer clear of the dryer the extreme heat may shrink your Kimono or prolonged use weakens the fibers of the Gi making it easier to rip and tear Additional tips : always CHECK the lint and or dirt traps of your washer ( you'd be surprised at what nastiness you might find that will in turn find its way onto your Gi If you need to speed up the drying process place your kimono on a fan or in the DIRECT path of the in the immediate vicinity of the fan Only wash your Gi with like or similar colors Wash it alone or with several other Gis when possible . So that's it try it out go wash the stank out of your Gi you heathens LOL.

Style ?

" Man, the living creature, the creating individual, is always more important than any established style or system" - Bruce Lee. QUESTIONS I hear frequently: 1.What's your style? 2.What style do you teach? 3.What's the BEST style? ANSWERS I give frequently: 1.My style 2.My style 3.(For me)My style There is only ONE way to fight and that is YOUR way(YOUR OWN PERSONAL INDIVIDUAL WAY) with regards to style BOXING and KICKBOXING are not styles they are ACTIONS . Wing-Chun, Praying Mantis, Silat etc etc are NOT styles of fighting they are CURRICULUM and POSSIBLY methods of TEACHING . A proper perspective towards training and learning will result in a fulfilling Martial Journey and the best way to move towards that goal is to recalibrate our rains and look at the arts differently. If you look at other lifeforms you will notice that their method of combat strongly evolves around the use of their natural weapons,natural tools and natural attributes . Take elephants for example they aren't designed to bob and weave , they don't have an anatomy that could permit them to try a single leg takedown and i am pretty sure you won't see them doing jump spin kicks either The only thing Elephants do is CHARGE, TRAMPLE and of course use their TUSK and TRUNK . All Felines fight the same as do all monkeys therefore it is easier to understand that ALL men fight the same based on how they are genetically and anatomically predisposed. Have you ever noticed that some people just have a talent for fighting ? regardless of whether a combatant is trained or untrained there are some individuals that just possess an INSTINCT for fighting, some have it ( the ones that WIN fights) and some don't ( the ones that LOSE fights ). Training, natural athleticism, superior strength,endurance and agility must ALL be factored together when assessing one's skill in combat . Once we are actively using and practicing this training paradigm we will be able to learn and develop better and faster as Martial Artists. We will also be better equipped to express ourselves freely,honestly and effectively in combat. The goal has always been this even when we are/were operating from a place of our own personal ignorance. Fighting is often fast and usually very chaotic anything less than FREE, HONEST and EFFECTIVE EXPRESSION and EXECUTION could result in disaster! So there you have it, there is the case and a philosophy to support the concept and belief that has been suggested by a man who I have always admired .

Warrior Monk ?

A great day in the life of a modern day Warrior Monk. This morning i started my day @ 6am with some stretching and some water next was 7 rounds of Boxing sparring and then 5 rounds of No-Gi BJJ rolling. I am tired, I am sore, I am HUNGRY, I am content. My afternoon is in full swing and i am teaching Boxing to urban teenagers. A day in the training hall is just what everyone needs. It is a place to feed and grow the soul, strengthen the body and hone our skills. Many practicioners of the fighting arts consider themselves warriors HOWEVER i believe i am more i am a WARRIOR MONK . I approach the "WAY" differently if my training doesn't cultivate my spirit then it is incomplete and insufficient. There is more to training then just physical execution and exertion . We will talk more about this

It's been a while

So yeah , it has been a while, a LONG while since i've stopped by to say hello to myself. I don't have much profound going on or to share BUT it is time to break the silence . So these days I am running the gym and teaching and just trying to find answers to any questions that i may have. I have learned so much since the last time that i posted . I guess I can take a moment and share some random musings and ramblings , I have been coaching kids and teaching them the science of Boxing it is challenging but it is fun ( SOMETIMES ). I have really connected to my step daughter and she has discovered a love of Martial Arts ( BJJ in particular ) . My son has been doing some VERY amazing things with his Eskrima/Kali ( He has strong Boxing/Kickboxing and BJJ skills BUT he really has a talent for Eskrima . There was a FIRE in the gym ( NOT COOL ) . I rediscovered my love of Striking ( YES ) . I have been putting together some awesome training progressions and doing some truly creative stuff with my Martial Arts . I DON'T SLEEP ( maybe 2 hours a night ) . I am also VERY present these days , my personal goal is to be in a state of complete immersion in the moment . I will be elaborating more on these things and other stuff in the upcoming posts but for now at least there is activity here . Be well ,stay well Namaste, Chris