Take A Stand

Sometimes you have to take a stand for what you believe in.  Sometimes it’s you versus the masses.

The masses are asses.

Diminishing Returns in Gung Fu

In economics, Diminishing Returns, refers to how the marginal production of a factor starts to progressively decrease as the factor increases.

The principle applied to Gung Fu suggests that the more ‘steps’ used to deal with an assailants attack, the greater the probability of being hurt. For example, if i decide to block, clinch and then transition to the ground i have prolonged my interaction with the opponent. The prolonging of an interaction increases the probability of me being hurt, maimed or killed.

Wing Chun Gung-Fu teaches you to limit the interaction by using the simplest and most efficient means to deal with an opponent. A single, powerful punch that ends the fight is far better than waging a war of attrition.

Hot

Get up. Walk downstairs, coffee hot. Walk downstairs. Dubstep playing. Gloves on, sweat. Gloves off, skip. Gloves on, hot. Train hard. Walk upstairs. Walk upstairs again. Shower, hot. Black suit, white shirt, black tie. Downstairs, coffee hot. Black car. Drive fast, engine hot. Work. Get home, upstairs. Get changed, shorts black. Downstairs. Downstairs again. Gloves on, punch kick. Get punched, get kicked. Heart pumping, hot. Wu Tang playing. Upstairs, upstairs again. Shower hot. Bed.

I Don’t Give Up

“The one thing that I do have above everything else … I might lack in technicality. I might lack in strength, but there’s no quit in me… I don’t give up… I don’t know the meaning of tap.”

Doctrine of Violence

Cold (met with scornful contempt)
Snide comments behind my back… insults about me, my profession, my family or my home… challenges to fight… being called a coward… insults against Bruce Lee (R.I.P.)… idolatry of traditional martial arts…

Warm (met with verbal warnings suggestive of impending action)
insults about my race, or remarks about my family with racial undertones… insults about my brothers’ disability (Downs Syndrome)… bullying of any kind… posturing through spoken or body language…

Hot (met with profane hostile language and persuasive action designed to control and subdue)
threats of violence towards me or my family… damage and/or theft of my property… bringing poison such as alcohol, drugs or cigarettes into my home…

Boiling Point (met with violent action indicative of an overt desire to cause pain)
hurting my family… attacking me… invading my dwelling place… any deviant action which a reasonable mind would have rationally contemplated me having an extreme violent reaction to…

10 More Days

135lbs (62 kg) – 1 pull up. Done.

Windshield wipers. Done.

Fingertip dips. Done.

Horizontal hold from pull-up bar… almost. Give me 10 more days.

GSP, BJJ and Montreal

Of course a bit of inspiration, too.  What else would you expect from me?

http://www.graciemag.com/en/2009/12/prof-bruno-fernandes-m-d-to-launch-gb-montreal-in-january/

Gallardo Goes Skiing

Thanks to S.C. for the find:

Dot Simple

Guides come in various forms.  This morning I had a business meeting with a web designer/marketing guru.  While we talked about marketing and web-presence, the ideas she had were more like life-lessons:

1. Start with the bronze package: Invest back into yourself and upgrade to the silver package.
2. Don’t jump into anything with both feet right away.  Feel things out first.
3. Take it slow.  Build it up.  Balance.

While I can’t guarantee that you’ll get life-advice, I can tell you that you’ll get one helluva web designer.  Dot Simple.

Gide

Believe those who are seeking the truth; doubt those who find it.

-Andre Gide

To Be A Warrior

“To be a warrior is not a simple matter of wishing to be one. It is rather an endless struggle that will go on to the very last moment of our lives. Nobody is born a warrior, in exactly the same way that nobody is born an average man. We make ourselves into one or the other.”

Castaneda

Sarah Says

Opportunity comes knocking sometimes. On occasion the knocking can be so subtle that we fail to hear it. I’m happy that Sarah was able to recognize the sound and embraced the opportunity to move to England to train and live with one of the best female MMA fighters in the world, Rosi Sexton.

Here is an interview that Sarah did and two clips of her recent fight;

Interview

http://www.mmahitpit.com/news/sarahmorasinterview

Round 1

Round 2

Honesty

I would rather you just tell me that you don’t have the drive.  That you don’t really have the passion.  That you thought you wanted to learn a martial art – but it’s really not for you.  Or that it’s not for you anymore.

This type of statement I would respect instead of the usual excuses:

• I can’t remember my forms
• I don’t have time
• I’m too tired
• I don’t know what type of stuff I can do on my own
• I’m out of shape

Shit or get off the pot.  I’m not going to babysit you and your studies.  All you’re doing is making me lose my passion for teaching and forcing me to take my studies underground.

Perhaps that’s the point that is trying to be made over and over anyways.  Watch me slowly disappear…

Mirror Neurons

With The First Hello…

Balls of Steel

Courtesy of Sat Pow;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZzvwipf72k

Nine Body Blade

The body is feeling slightly less fatigued. Don’t get me wrong though, I still have a long way to go before I even begin to feel good. The aches in my hands and legs continue and muscle soreness appears to be fairly constant. Over the last two weeks I have continued taking a handful of Vitamin D tablets, a couple of multivitamins and one tablet of zinc per day. In addition, I started juicing more green vegetables for a quick drink. Today I did something I haven’t done in a long, long time. I bought a tub of whey protein. I’ve lost more weight and am trying to avoid muscle wastage. Even despite this, yesterday I managed 2 pull-ups with 125lbs of added weight (plates and dipping belt). I’m for 1 pull up with 135lbs soon, but figured this is would be harder if I continued to lose muscle.

I’ve calmed down the amount of conditioning, but skipping is still very much a staple of my daily workout. This creates soreness in my ankles so that in the mornings my first steps as I get out of bed are taken tentatively due to imbalance.

I took a long hiatus from sparring until a couple of weeks ago. I’m just now beginning to regain my rhythm and timing. It’s funny how fast skills deteriorate when not practiced regularly.

My stress levels have been through the roof the last two weeks too. Some physical altercations have left me spent. Also, money issues seem to be a constant worry with mortgages, bills and taxes. The psychological drain has been so significant that I have caught myself talking to myself a bit more often. Perhaps I am creeping toward some neural impairment. Right now, I am in survival mode, attempting to stave off the ageing process. Perhaps I should just accept the inevitable.

H.D.S.

Time For War

Style

“The idea of style
and competing for the best style
is the key to all forms of rocking.”

-Style Wars (1982)

Morning

Embrace the Morning, give Rise to a New dawn.