In part one we discussed that a person has to know something, and not just in the general monkey see monkey do attitude of the current crop of so called masters. This article has to do with the second and even more important lack upon the part of todays masters. This article has to do with the amount of knowledge a master has.
Yes, a fellow can study an art and say he has mastered that art. He can get so good at karate, for instance, that nobody can beat him. That, however, doesn't make him a master.
To be able to destroy somebody using a particular art is very limited. Destruction, you see, is very short sighted. While there is an art to destruction, the true art is in control.
How do you control somebody who is trying to attack you? You must learn more than one art, and this means you must learn both the arts that result in destruction, and the arts which espouse control. You've got to learn the difference between force and flow, which is another way of saying you must be able to bash something, or control it.
Destroy something and it is no longer around. This means that you have no more authority or power over that. True mastery is a perpetuating state whereby you can sustain your power and authority over your subject even into the future.
In the first article I said you had to know something about something. In this article I am telling you have to know everything, and one other thing. I am telling you that you must have power and authority even over those strange and unreasoning things called people.
Having power and authority over not just the technology of an art and all its moves is not enough to make somebody a master. You must be able to have power and authority over the people of the world. You must not just know the moves of an art, you must be able to apply them at any place and any time and over any person.
Now, having defined what a true master is, consider those individuals who lay claim to being a master. Can they just destroy and hurt people, and especially their students? Or have they studied and can apply a wide range of arts, without the necessity of hurting anyone, to anybody at any time? - 31373
Yes, a fellow can study an art and say he has mastered that art. He can get so good at karate, for instance, that nobody can beat him. That, however, doesn't make him a master.
To be able to destroy somebody using a particular art is very limited. Destruction, you see, is very short sighted. While there is an art to destruction, the true art is in control.
How do you control somebody who is trying to attack you? You must learn more than one art, and this means you must learn both the arts that result in destruction, and the arts which espouse control. You've got to learn the difference between force and flow, which is another way of saying you must be able to bash something, or control it.
Destroy something and it is no longer around. This means that you have no more authority or power over that. True mastery is a perpetuating state whereby you can sustain your power and authority over your subject even into the future.
In the first article I said you had to know something about something. In this article I am telling you have to know everything, and one other thing. I am telling you that you must have power and authority even over those strange and unreasoning things called people.
Having power and authority over not just the technology of an art and all its moves is not enough to make somebody a master. You must be able to have power and authority over the people of the world. You must not just know the moves of an art, you must be able to apply them at any place and any time and over any person.
Now, having defined what a true master is, consider those individuals who lay claim to being a master. Can they just destroy and hurt people, and especially their students? Or have they studied and can apply a wide range of arts, without the necessity of hurting anyone, to anybody at any time? - 31373
About the Author:
Al Case has analyzed martial arts 4O+ years. He began writing articles in'89, and had his own column in Inside Karate. He is the originator of Matrixing Technology, which you can find out about in a free ebook offered at Monster Martial Arts.
