The structure of a typical class

"Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we often might win, by fearing to attempt."

Happy New Year to everybody, I hope to see everyone's martial arts skill continue to improve this year. My last e-mail was on life legacy. This e-mail will cover some of the foundation of the martial art teaching as well as the most basic techniques that we teach in the beginning. Most often ones image of a martial art school is all about punching and kicking, an external form of fighting. Real and superior martial art is an internal path and it is about wisdoms and virtues.

Keep in mind that martial art skills are based on life skills. The same skill and attitude that will help you survive in the physical self defense scenario is exactly the same skill you need to face the challenge of life. The practice of martial arts can make you a better human being and therefore, a successful warrior should also first be a successful human being.

Now ask yourself on any day, if there ever were no need for honesty, integrity, compassion, character, good judgment, discipline, self-control or focus. And the answer is, of course not. There will NEVER be a day in your life that will not require the demonstration of these noble virtues.

This type of day happens when you come to Meng's Martial Arts classes. In class you will learn the noble virtues in our traditional martial art lessons, learn to take initiative, feeling that you can do better and demonstrate excellence. Every class you will experience our creed; Sweat (body), Smarter (mind), Smile (spirit). In the past, the Warriors will not survive without those life skills. Thousands of years later, in our present day we still need the same life skills to face today's life challenges.

It takes effort just to maintain a certain level. If you are not moving forward in life it still takes a lot of time and energy to maintain your current level. The most efficient way to use our energy is by moving forward consistently. So let's move forward and become successful in life and to become the best that you can be.

Normally every New Year's we go through a comprehensive review. So let's start our review at the very beginning: How should we line up for class (and why)?

Before we step into the school or learn any physical techniques, martial arts starts by teaching the proper way to do things, which is called protocol or etiquette.

The highest level of skill in the martial art is using the RIGHT TECHNIQUE at the RIGHT PLACE at the RIGHT TIME with the RIGHT ENERGY. That is exactly what etiquette is: to do the right thing at the right place at the right time with the right energy (also called intention). If you walk into a martial arts school, where there is no protocols and discipline. Everybody walks around with big egos, and only thing they care is to find someone to beat on. Then you should walk out of there as if you're walking away from harms way. To beat on somebody or to create a fight, it's very easy. This takes no skill. Superior level of skill is to solve problems without hurting anybody. So how do we obtain this superior school? First you must enter the right school.

How do we enter the training hall?
Once we are ready for training. We enter the training hall by taking off our shoes and then we put our feet together and bow towards the training floor and to the instructors on the floor when making eye contact (and any Black Belts/Sashes we see that are not in the active class), and take our belongings into the locker room. We should bow the first time we enter and the last time we leave the training hall. We bow when we first enter and last exit the training hall because it is a special place where we come together with our instructors and fellow students to improve ourselves, so we need to pay respect and set the proper attitude before we enter. Our training hall is not a cage just for fighting. Don't forget to greet your martial art families.

How do we prepare for class?
After we come out the locker room, we need to get our attendance card and mark the date. We can get on the training floor for practice on our own, so long as we do not disrupt or disturb the current class in session. Alternatively, you can sit quietly and work on your Sitting Focus, waiting for the instructor's instruction to line up. Seniority does not constitute school age. We line up by rank. It expresses ones accomplishment and discipline. Discipline represent orders, the definition we give is "do what you supposed to do, no matter if you like it or not." Do not be late for class. If you are late for class, follow the same procedures for the entering the training hall, and then do 10 laps, 30 jumping, 30 push-ups, and 30 sit ups, then ask the instructor permission to join class. Being late to class occasionally happens in life but consistent tardiness demonstrates a lack of disciplines, a lack of proper planning (if you know traffic might be bad, leave earlier) and most often, it disrupts the class.

What to do after we line up?
Once we are in order by the row, the first sets of techniques we teach and practice at the beginning and at the end of each class are SELF-CONTROL, FOCUS, HUMBLENESS, and RESPECT. If you notice, those techniques are attitudes and life skills rather than mere physical skills. Our school is an academy that teaches you how to solve problems rather than creating problems. Therefore you must have life skills first; knowledge and wisdom second and physical skill last.

What do we learn first in the class?
The first student on the first row starts out the class with the instruction of "Focus". At this key word, all students should stand with their feet together and hands straight by the side, palms flat and touching legs. This physical posture expresses SELF-CONTROL and FOCUS. The body is an instrument of the mind, so the lesson here is that, first and foremost, we need to know we can have self-control. This is accomplished by practicing the mind controlling the body and the emotions. Once we physically express self-control, the mind will be more focused. Without physically demonstrating and practicing self-control and focus, it is easy to cause injuries for yourself or to your partner's in class.

The second instruction is "Respect". The way we show respect in the martial arts is by bowing. The concepts behind this physical movement are: 1) bowing to show an open mind and humility and 2) showing respect and a willingness to put the learning into physical action. The first concept is humility: to be a great student you must have a willing and open mind. Being humble does not mean that you are second-rate, second-best, or less than someone else. Instead, it means that you realize there is room for improvement in your actions, thoughts, feelings, and motivations. When you maintain a humble attitude, you maintain a mental 'empty cup' – a realization that you should only make conclusions after gaining both understanding and practical experience. Bowing also remind us to leave our egos behind.

In martial arts we have a saying "even to your enemy, you must show respect for when respect is lost we human beings can do terrible things to each other." The first person that we learn to give respect is ourselves because you cannot give when you do not possess. Respect is when you show that you care, doing things and treating things with positive energy. This is often difficult for people: to show that they care about themselves and to treat themselves with positive energy. If you continually try to do for others when you have no self respect, no compassion and no confidence, you risk wearing yourself out and being useless to everyone. Finally, attempting to learn without humbleness and respect will have a negative effect on your progress. If you continually jump to conclusions, resist corrective instruction, or decide you already know all the answers before even hearing the question, your mental activity will disrupt, slow down, or can even cut off your ability to learn and improve your knowledge, wisdom, and skill.

The four techniques that we teach at the beginning of the class – Self-Control, Focus, Humbleness, and Respect – are called the Four Generals. When you put these Four Generals into practice, you take a big step towards developing the twin virtues of the martial arts: Self-Confidence and Compassion. A true warrior possesses both self-confidence and compassion. As a dedicated martial artist, you should remember that our ultimate opponent is not the muscle-and-bone human being that stands in opposition to our goals, dreams, hopes, wants or needs. Our ultimate opponent lives within us, in our own misunderstandings, our attachments, our ego, and our illusion. The Four Generals of Self-Control, Focus, Humility, and Respect are the first techniques you earn in our martial arts classes to prepare you for the ultimate battle with yourself.

What is next?
Once you become a student. One of the first life skills to learn is to set a goal. In martial arts it means to recognize the target. In everything that we do on the martial arts training floor - kick or strike or grab or tackle or throw or sweep or choke or submission or form - the energy that we use is always towards a target. It will be very inefficient for us to think without a target or goal in mind. It is the same as a wheel spinning without going anywhere.

To have a target means to have a sense of direction. When you have no personal goal, you are more likely to go around in circles; you find life itself purposeless. Human beings are built to face challenges, conquer environments, solve problems, achieve goals and you will find no real satisfaction or happiness in life without dreams to achieve and goals to accomplish. When people say that life is not worthwhile, they are really saying that they have no personal goals which are worthwhile. The prescription to overcome this deficiency is to find the goal or project worth working towards. This gives you something ahead of you to look forward to, to work for and hope for; it is when you have a mission for your life that you truly start to live. Your body doesn't function well without a reason or purpose for its existence. When you stop having goals to achieve and nothing to look forward to, there's no reason to keep on living. One of the fastest ways to die is to retire and start thinking about retirement home. When you stop living for a mission and just live to entertain yourself, you risk losing your social connections and drives to keep striving. Once you lose your mission, there literally is no reason for you to be alive. The solution: stay active, stay connected, and have a reason to keep living – teaching, working with children, volunteering, etc.

Only individuals with clear goals to shoot for will live life with forward, positive energy. Many times people want to improve themselves and long for a better personality but they have no clear-cut idea of the direction in which improvement lies or what constitutes a good personality. Quite simply, a good personality is one which enables us to deal appropriately and effectively with our environment and with reality and gain satisfaction from reaching goals which are important to us.

“Big ideas and small ideas are created with the same energy. Big goals and small goals use the same energy. Therefore don't settle for less.” This is the quote that I often say in class. You do not need to have years of experience before you set the goals of becoming a black belt. As a matter of fact, the sooner you set up to become a black belt, the easier and more efficient it is to get a black belt. Let me share the definition of a black belt: a black belt is a white belt that never quits. In our school we have a very efficient learning process. There are three processes or stages with total of nine steps to get to black belts. The first stage consists of first six belts/sashes or grade. Each belt/sash requires minimum of 20 classes of training with a test at the end of each belt/sash. The second stage will consist of the last three belts/sashes or grades which require minimum of 35 classes in addition to leadership classes with additional hours of training. The last stage is what we call a black belt/sash preparation training which consists of a comprehensive review from grade one to grade nine. The last process normally takes 30 hours with special elite black belt/sash training classes. But all of this process does not matter without making the commitment to achieve Black Belt first. The goal and the commitment are the energy that drives accomplishment in the martial arts. In our school, we guarantee success, if you give us the time and effort. Together, we can make the world a better place.

Master Benny Meng

"To enjoy every minute of your life, be happy now. Don't wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it's at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored."
Earl Nightingale