tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46349340553908294782024-11-01T00:50:57.977-07:00an online column for members and friends of the academy of martial philosophygdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634934055390829478.post-42260376764084630902009-11-27T21:47:00.000-08:002009-11-27T21:52:45.240-08:00

Okay, okay, I admit it.  I read the Twilight books LONG before the movies came out and enjoyed them enough to put a set in my classroom....and replaced them twice after swarms of young ladies took them home, never to be seen again. :) Taylor Lautner, plays the character of Jacob in the films, most noticably in New Moon where he's revealed the results of his new workout regimen. Few people

gdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634934055390829478.post-72280292241402438442009-11-25T23:40:00.000-08:002009-11-28T00:42:47.933-08:00

"The Sensei" is a martial arts film set to release on DVD in November 2009, starring some very dear friends in the martial arts world, in particular, Diana Lee Inosanto - daughter of Grandmaster Dan Inosanto, one of Bruce Lee's closest students. But don't watch this purely for the lineage.  This is a completely new brand of self-defense that you NEED to be watching. "The Sensei" is set in

gdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634934055390829478.post-59008154570618585712009-11-18T22:26:00.000-08:002009-11-21T22:30:59.394-08:00

(at least not the way things are right now.) Let's pretend for a moment that I'm not an instructor/former school operator, and that I don't have the martial arts background required to effectively teach my own children.  (Let's also pretend that I have children. haha)  Let's also pretend that the friends I have in the martial arts world don't exist, because I'm not talking about

gdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634934055390829478.post-43171717196532405272009-11-11T23:18:00.000-08:002009-11-14T22:22:00.591-08:00

When I trained under Grand Master Ed Fong, I tested four times for my 2nd degree black belt, thrice for my 3rd degree, and twice for my 4th degree.  I didn't fail any of the tests; in fact, I rocked them.  I tested multiple times because it was expected that I complete my test in phases, divided somewhat evenly throughout my candidacy.  Because of this, I was constantly preparing

gdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634934055390829478.post-51835339673170144442009-11-09T22:10:00.000-08:002009-11-28T22:12:38.057-08:00

My friends, please allow me to introduce you to Pretty Boy Bam Bam, a young man who is about to set a brand new standard for punching in your respective schools. This training video was taken when he was 5 years old: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEp9FpMQx40 He's seven now, and receiving quite a bit of media attention!  Here's an ESPN feature: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iovJXCXiriM

gdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634934055390829478.post-1742929541993678692009-11-04T22:10:00.000-08:002009-11-14T22:15:18.251-08:00

Young people never cease to amaze me.  It's one of the reasons why I choose to teach.  Seeing people actualize the infinite potential within themselves affirms my faith in humanity, and keeps me connected to my own humanity.  When I look for the goodness in things, I often find it - not necessarily by being all "sunshine and rainbows", but by empathizing with those whom I observe.

gdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634934055390829478.post-33860964675964097522009-11-01T22:58:00.000-08:002009-11-28T22:00:35.852-08:00

You are a unique brand of martial artist.  The way we approach our training makes us much more than most people could ever conceive. In hard economic times, when students are trying to stand out above the crowd to be noticed by colleges, workers are interviewing like crazy in order to find a job that will make ends meet, and business owners are feeling the crunch and needing to "make the

gdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634934055390829478.post-11115074485886847952009-10-28T23:34:00.000-07:002009-11-01T23:37:32.727-08:00

For all of you who are partaking in this year's Halloween activities, I hope you have a safe and enjoyable time! However, whether you're part of the celebration or not, it's still a good idea to be mindful and use your self-defense training to remain aware, as you may still encounter situations even if you haven't planned to participate!Because I care so very much about all of you, I want you to

gdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634934055390829478.post-30421476337406072552009-10-24T23:57:00.000-07:002009-11-01T23:37:54.904-08:00

This year, South Korea is beginning construction of The Taekwondo Park, future home of the World Taekwondo Academy. It will become a pilgrimage site for martial artists from all over the world. Based on the concept art, it's going to be beautiful....an amazing tribute to the old traditions as well as the innovations which drive the 21st century!Watch the video in this link, and explore the rest

gdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634934055390829478.post-4824297260493455772009-10-22T22:47:00.000-07:002009-11-12T00:12:32.268-08:00

For generations, the founders of new styles cross-trained in other styles and fused them into new systems of martial thought. This kind of thinking and innovation in the martial arts world predates Bruce Lee and his maxim of 'absorb what is useful'.When I came up through the ranks, I studied a hybrid system which included elements of Tae Kwon Do, Hapkido, and Eskrima, along with some dabbling in

gdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634934055390829478.post-62972548098898607872009-10-18T22:01:00.000-07:002009-11-28T22:04:48.765-08:00

First of all, smile a little bit and watch this clip from the Conan O'Brien show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r1CZTLk-Gk Next, take a deep breath, look around you, and check out all of the amazing stuff in your world right now.  Now the hard part: begin carefully evaluating your attitude before you make another complaint, and EVERY time you're about to complain. ;) Today's lesson:

gdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634934055390829478.post-58701037301579449132009-10-15T23:29:00.000-07:002009-11-01T20:31:38.702-08:00

Guilty confession: as a child, I used to sneak spoonfuls of frosting right out of the container and eat it. Doing this gave me a sugar rush like no other, and it was always soooooo much sweeter than just eating the cake. In fact, I used to just lick the frosting off of my cupcakes and then leave them there, much to my family's disgust....since I'd usually wipe out the tray and leave them with a

gdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634934055390829478.post-63351773769721636842009-10-08T22:14:00.000-07:002009-11-01T20:16:12.062-08:00

This is a video made by a colleague of mine, Master Chan Lee, a heartwarming photo montage which helps to illustrate the power of martial arts.The teacher depicted in the video is Master Chan's father, Grand Master J.K. Lee.I believe that this video shows a little bit of all of us: how we all struggle, how we all have challenges, how we all have something beautiful to give, how our passion and

gdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634934055390829478.post-48361300742867289712009-10-01T23:41:00.000-07:002009-11-01T20:13:49.329-08:00

If I could travel through time (without any weird sci-fi loopholes, butterfly effects, intricate ethical dilemmas, fixed assumptions about determinism vs. free will, etc.), I'd love to be able to show my students where their lives are headed. In particular, I'd love them to meet the person that they could become after 5, 10, or 20 years of martial arts training.If you could meet that version of

gdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634934055390829478.post-73193141034802269122009-09-24T23:05:00.000-07:002009-11-01T20:06:48.074-08:00

This one's circulated around the net a few times, but I thought I'd share. Enjoy!

gdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634934055390829478.post-61801688030206724182009-09-20T23:33:00.000-07:002009-11-01T20:35:18.756-08:00

Yesterday, volunteers from LPS San Jose were out in full force contributing to the International Coastal Cleanup Day efforts! Several others also assisted with local cleanups in their area - thank you everyone for helping to protect our neighborhoods!This article may be of interest to you. It contains a few familiar faces and some kind words of praise from a world-class teacher:http://

gdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634934055390829478.post-82635955096961655942009-09-17T22:57:00.000-07:002009-11-01T20:01:25.053-08:00

...is the number of hours in one week. After you take away sleeping, eating, personal hygiene, home stuff, training, daily commutes, and work/school, however you choose to use the remaining time will play a critical role in your success. As I speak to people, one common thread in our conversations is always how busy we are. I wonder: how effective is our usage of time? If we're all

gdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634934055390829478.post-29081919491250185192009-09-10T23:52:00.000-07:002009-11-01T20:01:44.317-08:00

When I first began this e-column, I opened with an article called "The Question". If you missed it, the full text is available here. I'd like to offer the beginnings of my answer today. In his article, Forgetting the 'Martial' in 'Martial Artist', Phil Elmore, editor of The Martialist, once wrote that "...for a martial art to be a martial art, its focus must remain on fighting. A

gdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634934055390829478.post-7687455752112593452009-09-03T21:49:00.000-07:002009-09-13T14:52:14.163-07:00

Sorry, I'm not going to talk about the Green Day song. I'm just looking forward to September.Why? Well, because we miss you. Many of you have been gone for the summer, and for whatever reason, we've been apart. Whatever you've been up to, I hope it's been fun and interesting! It's just that, for many of us, September is a month when our habits get a tune-up. We're returning to school, or

gdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634934055390829478.post-91174620405252890062009-08-28T22:46:00.000-07:002009-09-13T14:48:39.496-07:00

Kwan Jang Nim Ed Fong was my first teacher in the arts, a guide who showed me my life's path before I knew where to step, a mentor whose advice I still seek out, and a man whom I will always honor as my master. It is an unusual concept in the U.S. to refer to someone as master, but there is no other term which accurately describes the relationship that I have with Master Fong. In his presence,

gdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634934055390829478.post-78040839876352161912009-08-23T23:48:00.000-07:002009-09-13T14:40:31.328-07:00

Today's somewhat-longer-than-usual blurb addresses the topic of tradition. Among many martial artists, what we practice is not considered traditional martial arts - and that label carries several connotations within the larger martial arts community, some positive, most not. In constructing the Anamika system, I saw myself as advocating a 'new tradition', one which honors the past (as stated in

gdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634934055390829478.post-7216534640653977252009-08-19T22:32:00.000-07:002009-09-13T14:34:35.713-07:00

...just might get someone knocked out in the ring, and on 4/4/09, it did!(0:29-0:30, but the first 28 seconds is worth watching too)Nice job, Maestro Aurelio! Everyone else: go practice today. :)

gdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634934055390829478.post-9477182222877904032009-08-13T23:26:00.000-07:002009-09-13T14:31:43.539-07:00

When you live on an island, every interaction is precious. There's a finite limit on the number of people that you're going to be able to talk to. Since everyone knows everyone else, you always have to be on your best behavior.On an island, you can't choose to ignore certain people, or make connections solely for personal gain at others' expense. You can't 'play the field' and live for

gdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634934055390829478.post-38677563546745666972009-08-09T23:31:00.000-07:002009-08-09T23:34:05.321-07:00

Sometimes it's best to let images do the talking.With that in mind, enjoy 3.5 minutes' worth of AWESOME.

gdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4634934055390829478.post-58215164995299117002009-08-03T22:56:00.000-07:002009-08-03T23:00:47.881-07:00

Today's issue is a old short story, circulated often on the Internet, but still worth sharing: Two monks were walking along a river when they came upon their usual crossing point. At the crossing was a woman in tears. The older monk asked her what the problem was, and she told him that she was deathly afraid of the water and could not swim. So, the older monk suggested that she climb upon

gdgarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01136736261594659917noreply@blogger.com0