Systems within Systems Blog

What Shaolin Means to Me

2012-09-26T23:37:00.001-04:00

A lot of people ask me about the meaning behind shaolin. It has a great history but personally it is more about what it means to me and what discoveries I have made as an individual.

I believe shaolin combines the mind and body and uses the self as a vessel in search of understanding as it travels the seas of time. Let me give a little more background before I go into that.

To me kung fu represents a foundation upon which the mind, body and soul build on. This is an initial step that can last for years depending on one's energies, discipline and determination. Kung fu means time and energy and it can be anything you put yourself and your time into but to me the martial art is the ultimate achievement because it uses nothing but you to sharpen the body's movements and clarity of thoughts, depending on which path you are travelling, and move on the path of understanding and accepting the self. Kung fu represents the time and energy one puts into him or herself; the discipline to put effort into developing the mind, body and energies that are part of one's vessel and the connection to all life. To me that is shaolin.

I use kung fu to represent time and energy put into the self: cultivating the mind, body and spirit through the arts. The art itself is a path and a tool to help one move forward on a personal journey until the kung fu becomes transparent. At this point it is beyond the labels of style or art and simply means that a great deal of time and energy have been put forth into melting the mind through the body and both have become strong on the journey to shaolin.

Discipline, to me, means never convenient. Regardless of what life throws at you there has to be a conscious choice to continue to keep moving, training and discovering. My personal philosophy called “the unsheathed sword” deals with this but I'll go into that another time. When the mind melts into the body and all the mini brains throughout and the many voices and personalities encapsulated in each individual are heard this is the beginning of shaolin. An overall body consciousness and mindfulness coming out but never completing. It is a path that will never be completed and must be forged by each individual traversing it in order to have a better understanding of the many steps that one must take. Never truly completing, never isolating or making the way a fact but simply taking many steps along a path that leads you on the way to the endless possibilities of existence.

Through the practice of kung fu one comes into a fuller understanding of the combination of body and mind movement along with the energies or life essence of the body. To me, this is when one becomes shaolin. It is through the warrior of the self that one can cut through adversity and understand the internal and external combat and look deeper into the energies of life. Shaolin is a school yard of the self where one combines body and mind movements to better understand themselves and the world in which they live. To me this has become a lost art. Things now are more based on aesthetics and ego rather than an understanding of the self which is meant to give you the tools that you need to better understand the way and the path you are on whether you like it or not.

Everything begins with a step but one must take that step to prepare themselves for the next you must first see the step that lies in front by taking it. There is an old saying it is hard to see the face of the mountain when one is standing on it.

Sifu Lawrence Hill

Importance of Footwork

2012-09-16T01:34:00.001-04:00

One of the most fundamental lessons you can learn in any martial arts is how to stand. As easy as the it sounds, every practitioner needs to be aware many different aspects occuring in their body from something as simple as staying upright.

Try standing as a quick exercise now. How are your feet positioned? Do you feel the weight evenly distributed between the feet? Is your back straight? Are your core torso muscles engaged to help maintain your balance and posture? These are just some of the few things you need to be simultaneously aware in your body.

Now comes movement. Can you feel your weight easily transition between one foot to another as you move in any direction?

Sifu Hill recently started several advanced discussions about the importance of footwork, and how to move swiftly and effectively in a combat situation
Below are some of our best videos on the subject:

For more class videos, visit our Systems within Systems school YouTube video at:
http://www.youtube.com/user/SystemsWithinSystems/videos?view=0

Grow, learn, teach!

Losing to win

2012-09-08T10:39:00.001-04:00

(Dictated by Sifu Lawrence Hill)

"A lot of people will feel really bad when they perform poorly, especially if in a fighting situation. They will get frustrated or upset if they get beat and bloodied up. But I've taken a different view: you have to lose to actually win. In order to improve you need experience and there is no experience like losing.

"I remember my first time really dealing with the concept of losing in the Wing Chung school. I was fighting a guy who had a lot more experience than me and he may have been going for his black belt at the time. I got hit in the nose, eye and he knocked the wind out of me because he was using a technique I didn't know how to deal with at the time. After the fight I was drinking from the water fountain, washing the blood out of my mouth, when my friend Greg walks up behind me. (Greg is mentioned in my other post about how I began the arts) He patted me on the back and said "Don't worry, you'll do better next time".

"Here I was, this young kid having an epiphany. Instead of being depressed about losing, I chose to learn from it. I've always been able to view things in my head, like there is a big screen in my mind where I can watch scenes. I replayed this fight in my mind a lot until I could really dissect how this guy's hits were coming out and how I could deal with them. I did this quite a bit.

"A few months later my school was doing a demonstration in front of 200 people. My crazy teacher thought it'd be pretty fun for me to fight this guy again, expecting me to get my butt kicked again. I was now able to see if what I was viewing in my head would work in reality. He came at the me the same way but because I gained enough experience to deal with it, he couldn't get past my defenses like before. I ended up beating him pretty easily. I think that is when I really started developing my "losing to win" philosophy. In the end, it comes down to taking a disadvantage and making it an advantage.

"So if you find yourself in a similar situation, don't get frustrated or angry. Try to change your perception and really try to learn from the experience.

-Sifu Lawrence Hill

How Sifu got started in Kung Fu

2012-08-27T23:39:00.000-04:00

[Dictated by Sifu Lawrence Hill]

“Well, my whole journey into the martial arts began with a bet.

“I was in high school at the time; it must have been 9th grade, so I guess I was 14 or 15 years old. My friend Greg and I used to cut classes a lot in the middle of the day. We used to be pretty far away from school when we cut, and then had to run back in time for the next class so the teachers didn't know we left for the entire period. Greg was taller and had longer legs than me, but we were running side by side for most of the way. Once the school came into view, I said "So long Greg!" and took off past him. He was so mad.

“Later I found out that Greg ran track and had all these medals for being a fast runner. I've never been competitive, but after I outran my friend he challenged me to everything physical, like wrestling and that kind of thing, he just wanted to beat me at something. One day, he made a bet that if we join a martial arts school at the same time under the same teacher, he was going to kick my butt.

“At first I really didn't want to do it. Going bare foot in a gym and whatever I thought the martial arts was at the time did not appeal to me, but he kept nagging and annoying me until I eventually agreed. I still remember, I was in this big gym with windows when I agreed to the bet.

“We ended up taking Wing Chung lessons at the YMCA. When we walked in, the teacher took one look at us and we both knew he hated us. I had long, frizzy hair past my shoulders, wearing boots and leather biker jacket; the teacher did NOT want us there.

“During our first class we had to do something like 150 push ups and maybe 500 sit ups, but it didn't bother me. Stuff like that never bothered me, and Greg was in good shape so he wasn't bothered either. It must have been my second class when the teacher called me out to fight. I had to fight this green belt with a few years of training over me. I got out there and I humbled myself by saying "Alright, I'm here to learn, so I"ll try to learn".

“But the green belt fighter was coming at me hard, and I was getting hit for about 1 or 2 minutes before I got angry and aggressive and just went after him. I punched him in the face and stomach before knocking him to the ground. At that point the teacher stopped the fight and told me I had some natural abilities with the martial arts.

“From then on, his attitude towards me changed and he started to really like me. My friend and I continued to train there for a while, but he eventually dropped out after he injured himself. I just stayed with it. Instead of just stopping when the bet ended, I was driven to train because I wanted to find out if it was real. I continue to seek what is real to this day.”

Benefits of Breathing

2012-02-29T15:53:00.001-05:00

Pop Quiz! (You will not be judged or laughed at if you screw up.)

Fill in the blank: One of the hardest aspects of your martial arts practice is_______:

A) Muscle conditioning

B) Flexibility

C) Breathing

The acceptable answer I am looking for is: C) Breathing

What’s so hard about breathing?! It’s something all living things instinctively know how to do, from the moment we are born to the last thing we do before we die. Think of it this way: you can gradually build up your muscle development and flexibility through the proper exercises and your formwork, but nothing feels worse than losing your breath while working out.

Whether you do sports, yoga, martial arts, or just need to catch a bus, proper breathing is key. When you learn to control your breathing, you are introducing many self-healing properties to your body, including:

- Increases oxygen levels to your blood cells

- Relaxes the central nervous system

- Lowers blood pressure

- Provides gloating rights to all your friends that you can breathe better than they can

Here are a couple of key things to keep in mind when breathing properly:

1) Breathe through your nose, not your mouth. Your nose is a wonderful filtration system, with membranes and hairs that are meant to trap foreign matter (like dust) and allow you to intake cleaner oxygen into the body. Keep your mouth closed during your breathing practice, unless otherwise taught by your instructor.

2) Keep your spine straight, especially in the lower spine. To feel whether or not your lower back is straight, put your fingers on your lower spine area. Naturally, there is a slight curvature to the lower back. To prep for the breathing exercises, tilt your hips slightly forwards and upwards until you feel your lower back become straight.

Another way to try and feel your spine align is to stand with your back facing a flat wall. Your spine should be able to feel the entire wall, from your shoulder blades all the way to your tailbone.

3) Locate your lower “dan tien”. This area is widely believed by most cultures to be a well of your energy, similar to what yoga practitioners call “chakras”. Your lower dan tien is located near your lower abdominal area, where your breathing should really begin. To find your dan tien, keep your fingers together and align both palms of your hands to your lower belly area. Your thumbs should touch your belly button. Your own dan tien is around the area of where your pinky touches.

When you breathe with your dan tien in mind, you are utilizing more of your diaphragm and therefore allow your lungs to intake more oxygen. Ideally, your chest should not be moving; all the action should be felt in the dan tien area.

Sifu Hill taught us an exercise where we gently massage the dan tien area by gently (GENTLY!!! Do not whack yourself hard!) chopping the area with the outer blade part of your hand for about a minute or so. When you stop, you will feel the lower abdominal muscle to be warmed up, which makes it easier to recognize the area where we should be focusing our breath.

4) When you breathe in, your dan tien area should expand outwards. When you breath out, you should feel your lower abdominal pull inwards towards your body.

You don’t have to crunch in your abdominal muscles until it’s as tight as you can pull it in. The in-out motion of the lower abdominal area should go with the flow of your inhalation and exhalation. Breathing from your “dan tien” like this will allow you to take more oxygen into the body.

5) For a few minutes a day, try breathing deeply through your dan tien area. Ideally, you should do this standing up, but you may also try a seated position as long as you maintain the straight spine. You don’t have to close your eyes, or surround yourself with candles in a dark room (unless you REALLY think that will help). However, you can do it any time during the day or night. If you think you don’t have the time, here are some suggestions on when you should try:

ü During a commercial break

ü After your workout

ü Reading brilliant entries from the Systems within Systems blog :D

ü Waiting on line for….whatever you’re waiting for

There are lots of different schools that have more advanced breathing techniques meant to stimulate your nervous system, increase stamina, even control your heart rate. The Systems within Systems school teaches the Tai Chi and Qi Gong style of breathing, but each school has their own breathing techniques for different purposes.

Keep in mind that if you are going to learn more advanced breathing exercises, make sure that you are following a teacher who can explain to you how to do it. Like any exercise, if you aren’t trained properly on how to do advance breathing, you may end up hurting yourself.

However, the steps above are the basics of good, effective breathing, which everyone can benefit from. A couple of good, deep breaths will make a world of difference to your health and your Shaolin practice.

Grow , learn, teach!

It's all Shaolin

2012-01-20T02:41:00.002-05:00

Dear Systems within Systems students (and fellow blog readers who are interested in knowing what forms we teach at the Systems within System school),

Please take a few minutes to look at the three videos below, and tell me if any of them look familiar. Go ahead, I'll meet you towards the end :)

If you are a student from our school and had an odd sense of déjà vu, just know that you're right; these do look very much like the forms we teach at the Systems within System school.

Then you may be wondering, "DAMN, do I have to get that low in my form? Is that the way the form is suppose to go? Wait, did they add a step/change a step? Have I been doing it wrong all this time???"

Martial arts is like a giant tree. Each martial arts school is a branch, and has their own way of expressing their institution's values and philosophy through movement. New schools were created from the foundation of other traditional schools, so sometimes there are crossover forms between schools depending on the lineage.

But no matter what school you represent from whatever part of the world you're from, it's all Shaolin. Shaolin is pure expression of the individual. When a martial artist does their form with full intent, has total awareness of their body's positioning/balance, and is mindful in the moment they are doing the movement, that's when a martial artist expresses what Shaolin is truly about.

The best part is, you don't necessarily have to be in the martial arts in order to express what Shaolin is. You can be a runner who is one with the road, an artist in the midst of their creative passion, a driver who becomes a united force with their vehicle. As long as you move through your life with purpose in your action, you can understand why understanding Shaolin is so powerful to the individual.

Don't look at these videos and think about what you're doing wrong or what you can't do. View them as a way to inspire you to challenge your body and your mindset and improve on what you already know. If you can be mindful of what is going on in your present, that Shaolin mindset will help you move forward with your future.

Grow, Learn, Teach!

I LIVE!!!!

2012-01-11T12:33:00.000-05:00

.....I know, right??

First off, BIIIIIG thank you to those who are still in touch with the Systems within Systems blog. I'm so honored that you all still check every so often to see if there are new updates, and I openly apologize for not being more regular with blog articles.

The problem with taking a break as a blogger is that if you are gone for longer than you need to, people think that you're:

1) Dead
2) Lazy and pretended you were dead
3) [insert a fantastic epic story of survival and courage, like being kidnapped by ninja/pirates and fighting your way back to freedom]

But the truth is, I took a break so that I can really focus on what the blog should express, gather ideas on how to make it better, and yes, took a few self-paced courses on HTML so I can make the blog look better.

And then I realized it was January 2012. Oops.

There are big plans for this blog. Lots of really great blog ideas, an attempt to improve the user layout, and a few more surprises if the stars will technically align themselves.

If you have any suggestions/comments, feel free to email them to SouthernToph@gmail.com. I look forward to feedback!

Grow, learn, teach,
Toph

Defending Against Knife Attacks

2011-07-21T02:08:00.002-04:00

Many of our class lessons are available at Sifu Hill's YouTube page. One of our more recent and important classes that we put up are the knife defense lessons. Every few weeks, the Systems within Systems school will practice disarming and defending against various knife attacks.

It's not a pretty class where people use sweeping Hollywood-style blocks or somersualt over their opponent's heads. In our drills, we learn to be aware of how our blocks and our fighting stances align up with the attacking movement as we slash, stab, and slice towards each other (with practice knives, of course). Sometimes, someone gets poked, or screws up a move and misses a block, but it's all part of the learning process. Ultimately, the knife defense classes are a great way for students to visualize different knife attack scenarios and build confidence in their movement against such violent attacks.

Please take a look at one of self-defense classes by Sifu Lawrence Hill:

Part 1

Part 2

Key Class Lessons:

Small, everyday items can be used to help defend yourself. Thick pens, keys ready in your hand, rolled up magazines...weapons are extensions of yourselves, and should be easily accessible yet inconspicuous items for your use.
Be aware of your surroundings. There's a reason why all self-defense classes emphasizes "awareness" as a principal rule. However, "be aware" doesn't mean "be hyper-paranoid whenever you go out". It only takes a minute in your day to take a quick glance around when you step into a new place: notice the type of people walking around you, and the openness of the area you're in (whether it's a small space like a subway or a crowded sidewalk).
If someone is going to attack you, be ready to react. Don't freeze up and be afraid; in class, we call it a "combat state of mind". You have to be ready to respond if someone else is coming maliciously towards you.

If you are in the New Brunswick, NJ area and would like to see what we do in class, feel free to stop by. Click here for the Systems within Systems school contact information.

Site Updates / Systems within System Forms

2011-06-29T02:03:00.006-04:00

Hello all,

As the old Monty Python saying goes, "I'm not dead!" While you've been reading articles about how to protect your finances (Lose the Fear and Follow the Spirit, The Total Warrior) and how to fight off online attackers (30 Moves of Cyber Security), I've been ninja-ing around in the background and you haven't even noticed!
Click here to read up on the new website updates.
Click here to learn about the Systems within Systems forms.

Website Updates
- All of those who have those nifty, modern smart phones that allows you to do everything except microwave your food (although there's probably an app for that too) can now use your Internet browsers and read the Systems within Systems blog in a new, mobile format! It will show up on your phone like this:

Feel free to click the title headings to view past entries and participate in the conversation threads by leaving a comment. It also would be nice if you clicked on the nice advertisements on the side. Hint hint. :D

- I've been submitting the Systems within Systems blog link to various search engines, so now if you type "Systems within Systems Blog" in the Google, MSN, and Yahoo. Searches in RSS feeds should also show entries from this blog.

- I've gone back to studying HTML/CSS/Java so that I can make the website more manageable and prettier. One of the things I would like to do is have an area to promote other blogs/personal website created by our Systems within Systems students and friends of the Systems within Systems blog. If you have a blog/personal website you would like to suggest, please email me at SouthernToph@gmail.com. Nothing inappropriate please.

Systems within Systems Forms
Now that we're past our first month of summer, take advantage of the nice weather and practice your martial arts forms outside! Studies show that you will get more out of your workout when you are outside rather than inside (click here to read a recent article). Think about it: the air flows more freely outside than when you work out inside, and you'll reap the benefits of getting more oxygen into your body from all the outdoor plants. Plus, who doesn't want to work on that nice summer tan?

You can see some examples of the Shaolin forms that are taught to us by Sifu Lawrence Hill through the Systems within Systems VIMEO channel. We have parts of the tai chi form up (accompanied by some charming tai chi music), a Hung Gar form, Eagle Claw form, etc. We also have some martial arts related discussionson the VIMEO channel, similar to what you'll see on our Systems within Systems YouTube Page.

Even if you are a student of the Systems within Systems school and you haven't been taught the forms that are in the videos, it's still a good idea to work with what you have. It's not about the quantity of forms you know, it's all about how much quality time you put into your forms.

Grow, learn, teach!

30 Moves of Cyber Security

2011-06-22T16:55:00.002-04:00

The Basic Form: 30 Moves

There is a basic form that Sifu teaches each new student when they join the class. It's called '30 Moves'. It's a wonderful form that teaches the student how to move through the basic Kung Fu stances while incorporating punches, kicks, as well as blocks. It has both linear and circular movements that contain different layers of interpretation. With practice you will learn to go through the form in a confident and efficient manner. I know you are wondering, what does a basic Kung Fu form has to do with cyber security? Perhaps more than you imagine, let me explain.

Defining the Problem

You may not realize this, but each day there are billions of attempted attack from the dark corners of the internet on our personal information online. They are automated, sophisticated, and relentless, and they succeed from time to time. Lately it seems that the hackers are winning some key battles. Just this past year for example, Sony's PlayStation Network was hacked into with millions of account information stolen, Gmail accounts of federal government employees were hacked into last month, and Citigroup just announced that financial information of 200,000 customers were just stolen this month. Can you imagine if a hacker obtains access to all your emails from your gmail, hotmail, or yahoo account? What if you can never access that account again? Worse yet, what if someone with an agenda simultaneously obtains your social, family, financial, medical, and personal information, what kind of damage can they do without you ever knowing who they are and where they are located? In light of this, we should review our own internet usage practices to make sure that we minimize our exposure to unnecessary online risks. Defending our online presence is like defending our physical presence, it takes knowledge, practice, and discipline, just like practicing forms. For some sacrifice in convenience and time, we gain a peace of mind and stronger online presence.

Basic Principles and Application

1. Have no favorite sword.
Most of us use a suite of online/cloud services in our everyday live for things like photo sharing (i.e. flickr, smugmug), instant messaging (google, yahoo, skype), entertainment (apple, netflix) socializing/networking (i.e. facebook, linkedin, twitter). This is the way of modern life and we accept the fact that we'll need to share at least some of our personal information with each of them in order to use them. However, we should not overly rely on one company to provide all our online service needs. While I give facebook my social network information, they don't have my credit card, phone, or address information. While I share my financial information with my bank, they don't need my music preference, or education history. While my insurance company might have my medical history, they don't need to know who my friends are and have access to my email accounts. The bottom line is to use multiple services from different companies. DO NOT trust your financial, personal, social, and medical information all to one organization/company!

2. Expected repeated, layered attack.
When you do get attacked in cyber space, it's very rare that there will only be one single attempt. Hackers nowadays are sophisticated and they'll use multiple methods to fish out your passwords, phone number, mother's maiden name, and the city you grew up in. A single password will not provide you with the necessary protection you need. First, develop multiple passwords for yourself, some of them may be more valuable than others, and use multiple passwords! Do not, rely on one password for all your accounts. Second, DO NOT use anything like your birthday, family member's names, pet names, phone numbers, bank account numbers, anniversary, or simple phrases like 'joelovesjane' in your passwords. Ideally, they should be a LONG sequence of letters and numbers that only you can remember. Spend some time on this, it's worth it. Third, ideally, even if someone obtains your password, they can't access your account. Google has implemented the '2-step' verification process for their accounts which I think is worth implementing. In addition to your password, you'll need a temporary randomly generated passcode generated by Google that's sent to you that you use in combination with your password to access your account. It sounds like a pain, but if you have a smartphone, it's really not hard to do. In other words, there is an app for that! Just make sure your phone is also secure. Do not carry it around without passcode protection. For iPhone specifically, you should enable the '10 tries before the phone is wiped' feature. There is no reason why you'll enter you passcode incorrectly for 10 times straight.

3. Be mindful of what you cannot see.
First, everybody should always remember is that email transmission is NOT secure! Any internet router that routes your email (and there are always several routers used for each email delivered) can in theory access your email, and you have no control over that. If you are going to send anything important/private using email, encrypt it first, then send it as an attachment. Second, always delete your cookies, LSO's, and clear the browser cache, history, and search, each time after you use an web browser. An amazing amount of personal information is shared by your browser and left by your browser each time you access the internet. There are browser extensions that can do these clean ups for you and you should use them. My favorite browser is Firefox mainly for the reason that it has many privacy protection extensions written for it. Arguably the most powerful of these extension is 'NoScript'. Google it and read about it. In essence it blocks, by default, websites from executing little programs in your web browser. These little programs (aka javascripts) can gather information about your location, create cookies to track your web browsing, and find out what your favorite websites are. Be very aware of javascript and do not let any website you don't trust run them on your computer. Finally, quit your web browser if you are done using it for the day! That is the perfect time to wipe your browser clean.

4. Practice your weapons and learn how to use them.
Visit, understand, and customize the privacy settings of your favorite web services. Have you ever gone through your facebook privacy setting? Do you care if only your friends can see your photos chugging that beer while in that super tight speedo, or everyone on facebook can see it? You CAN control that, learn how to do it! The same applies for websites like google, they have marketing preferences and web browsing history settings that you can adjust, learn how to set those. Have you ever used an unsecure WiFi network to access your email account? Guess what, the owner of that WiFi router who is a complete stranger to you just got your password. There is a way to make that much more difficult of course. If you company or school has Virtual Private Networking, use it, especially on open WiFi network, or if you want to access facebook from China. Finally, do you leave your desktop, laptop, external hard drives, and thumb drives at work or somewhere others can access? Make sure they are locked down, have a good password for the screen saver, and quit/reset your web browser.

5. Have a backup plan.
In case the online services/devices you rely on breaks down or got hacked into you need a back up plan. You want to make sure you can still access the information you need while resolving the security breach. Have a backup copy of key emails. A simple way of doing this is to create multiple email accounts (free and easy to do) and forward all the email from you main accounts to the other. Make sure the accounts have different passwords. If you lost your smartphone, you can both remotely track it and remotely wipe it clean. But this require you to set it up beforehand, learn how to do this! For the iPhone Apple offers this service.

6. Be disciplined!
Finally, be discipline in your online communication. The less frequent important information get transmitted, the less likely they'll be intercepted. Do not talk about your bank account numbers, passwords, social security number, driver's license numbers in any email, chat, SMS, facebook, or IM services. If you have to communicate these information to someone, do it over the phone or encrypt it first, at least you know that only the government and phone companies are listening. Cyber security, more than a set of practices, is a mindset. You have to regularly revisit the issue, and always ask yourself, what is the security risk of any new online service and is there a better more secure way using the service.

Many basic principles of Kung Fu are as applicable to our online life as they are to our everyday life. Of course we cannot completely prevent all hacks and attacks unless we complete quit living in the 21 century. For an average internet user like most of us, the goal is to minimize online risks and make plans to counter attacks and breakins when they do happen. I hope you find this article useful to you in some way. See you on the journey. Grow, learn, teach.

Lose the Fear and Follow Spirit

2011-06-13T01:58:00.008-04:00

To the brethren court and Jen,

Today's Laugh Line: "President Obama's top economic adviser, a man named Austan Goolsbee, is stepping down: He will be replaced by something a little more effective ... the magic 8-ball." - Jay Leno

On a more serious note, thanks so much for the comments that were posted! I actually thought the same regarding "a freakin pause button" while I sat through the entire video beginning at 1:30 AM! The second comment, "if America falls..." has been the subject of many personal reveries. Recently a Chinese finance official (my apologies, I can't remember his name) has warned that by not raising the debt ceiling come August 2, 2011 that the U.S. is "playing with fire." India, another country who own a large amount of dollars, does not believe that the U.S. would actually let a default happen as the resulting impact on the global economy could be potentially catastrophic. Yet many current republicans are of the opinion that allowing a temporary default (potentially 3 to 4 days) would benefit the U.S. economy, "forcing dramatic spending cuts." They claim our debtors won't mind waiting 3 to 4 days for their interest payments if it means that they are more likely to received future owed monies once the our economy is, for lack of a better word, "fixed."

In any case, I intend to pursue that matter a bit further and attempt to understand what the recommendations are the of people I actually respect in the field. More on that later...

In the meantime, I wish to raise a separate, but related topic: the mentality of preparedness. Some claim that there’s no need to prepare for e.g. 2012, or the fall of U.S. dollar as the world reserve currency. Others are quite prepared, fully stocked and ready to go. Most are just beginning to sense that it’s a good idea to stock up on food and stuff the garage with camping gear and water purification. Still, there are many avenues of distraction, varied responsibilities to attend to, and a lot of noise in the environment.

Where—and how—does one begin such a daunting task? I am of the opinion that the key is to embrace change. To the extent that one can, make it a daily practice. Though it is not ideal, one should accept during times of extreme uncertainty, taking "risks" and "gut feelings" are pretty much all of we truly have. The question remains how do we balance "gut feeling" with a well thought out plan? Ideas?

I leave the remaining lines for you to fill with notions.

Until we meet again, "Be the change you want to see in this world" - Mahatma Gandhi
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The Total Warrior

2011-06-05T16:25:00.013-04:00

A note of humor to start things off:

"A new Facebook app is coming out that will remind users exactly what they were doing a year ago from that day. Nine times out of ten, the answer will be 'wasting your time on Facebook' " - Conan O'Brien

It has been long, long time time since our forefathers have unraveled the mysteries of focus and harmony that have paved the way for our own training. The circumstances that dictated their cultivation are unquestionalbly different than the issues that characterize the present day. Yet, even on the broadest environmental level, similarities abound.

A quick peak beneath 'spiritual surface', will reveal that the Shaolin monks too were immersed in a world governed by money, politics, and power. I do not wish to have a discussion on the financial and polictal yesteryears of Shaolin monks. It is my intent to convey that in our struggle to become complete warriors today, as was the case of the monks in their day, a proper understanding of money, politics and the flow of power is essential.

In the spirit of training, please take a moment to view the following link below. Fair warning: it is fairly lengthy (~1.5 hours) and it is very controversial. It is a product of Porter Stansberry, founder of a legitimate investment company, based in Maryland.

Second Fair Warning: the video comes across as an investment pitch and in fact he is offering investment advice. I do feel however that the video raises some very important issues that could affect of our way of life. As such, it is worth listening to.

After viewing the entire video, I remain very skeptical as it is very difficult to believe that the US could allow its place in the world to crumble as the video suggests. It is also difficult to take a complete contrarian stance as I simply do not have enough evidence against what Stansberry purports.

As a final thought, please DO NOT construe this video as an attempt by me to promote "Fear Mongering." This is NOT the point of this post. I am truly hoping that Stansberry's predicitions which have apparently already begun, do not ring true in the next couple of years. Remember, the 'herd mentality' is not always the best play, especially in the financial markets. At the very least Stansberry's efforts offers us a chance to prepare for the worst.

As a warrior, the goal is totality; it is our duty to be aware and act whether the battle is physical, spritual, or as important, economic.

http://www.stansberryresearch.com/pro/1011PSIENDVD/PPSIM128/PR

Until we meet again,

Nav

"Martial Smarts"

2011-05-24T09:59:00.000-04:00

“So it is said that if you know others and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know others but know yourself, you win one and lose one; if you do not know others and do not know yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.”

- Sun Tzu, The Art of War

The martial arts is more than just learning how to kick ass (although admittedly, it’s the most fun). Martial arts is about the combination of mind, body, and spirit, working together as one. You have to do more than just rush forward at the enemy; you have to think about your next step, strategize your available options, and use your intuition to execute a powerful attack. To be able to harmonize all three aspects is really the heart of Shaolin. But you don’t have to be in a epic battle to practice this; your personal expression and how you approach life when faced with a difficult situation is also a part of your martial arts practice.

So far, most of the previous blog articles have touched upon the spiritual philosophy of our kung fu school. As the weeks progress, we’ll also start including more insight on how to prepare yourself mentally as well as physically for all of life’s challenges.

What can you do to protect yourself during the economic recession? How do you prepare your family and your home during a natural disaster? How can you emotionally deal when life seems to constantly throw you in the ringer? Learning how to approach the situations in your life will open up a world of better possibilities. And if you have any suggestions or stories that you would like to share, please feel free to comment!

In the next coming months, our blog postings will hopefully provide the kind of advice that will apply in your everyday life as well as your martial arts practice.

We live in eccentric times on a social, economical, and environmental level, and the Systems within Systems blog wants to empower you to be prepared for whatever may come in the future. Stay tuned!

Grow, learn, teach!

How do you train?

2011-04-27T11:18:00.002-04:00

Geeky confession of the day: I love training. I love the fact that my body becomes more adaptable and stronger every time I move. Sure, I get injured, get sweaty, get sore to the point where it pains me to roll out of bed sometimes. There are definitely days where I just want to melt into the sofa cushions and be left alone with my video games and a pot of tea. But nothing beats that energy-rich adrenaline that rushes through your system during a sparring match, or the relief and satisfaction you feel after completing the final ten minutes in your workout. Whether I'm doing a straight hour of kung fu forms, weight lifting, plyometrics, or running frantically to the bus stop, I enjoy moving.

That's why I'm really excited for the next article I'm working on. As mention on Day 1, the goal of this blog is to have an overall perspective of the martial arts, which includes life philosophy, self-defense techniques, and training strategies. Some of the upcoming articles I'm working on will talk about how to build on your own natural flexibility, increase your fighting stamina, and any other ideas which can better your martial arts practice.

But before I go on, what do you do to improve your training? Are you a long-distance jogger, or a sprinter? Do you prefer to lift weights at the gym, or train Rocky-style by climbing stairs and tossing snow tires? Or maybe you train real-old school Shaolin style by doing your forms and your kung fu drills for hours upon end. I'm even asking all the yogis, the dancers, the urban runners, the sports players, anyone and everyone who wants to share how they train to move better.

You don't have to be super specific, like share your weekly workout journal or talk about your daily caloric intake. But the audience for the Systems within Systems blog is diverse with their knowledge, and this blog hopes to share that knowledge with everyone.
Go ahead; talk amongst yourselves.

Grow, learn, teach!

Note To The Form Hungry

2011-04-17T12:18:00.000-04:00

This is not designed to be a reprimand or wagging finger but rather a humble reminder. Many people in the arts are form hungry, by which I mean, they want more forms. From my perspective, there is nothing inherently wrong with this, but I would like convey the importance of not neglecting the forms they've already learned.

Each form has its own lessons and will attach to different aspects of an individual. Often people have a favorite form or a form they've seen that they want to do and I have no issue with wanting to expand the range of technique or allow their expression and movement to change but I just hope they realize what allowed them to get to that form and be able to do it. If there is a particular form that someone is connecting with and they get a great deal out of doing that form then that's great.

That, however, is not an excuse to neglect the other forms they have. If they find themselves connecting to a specific form then they should do that form more, rather than the other forms less. Each form is a teacher and each form has something to offer.

In our school the first three forms in conjunction with the basic drills are all one needs to become dangerous. As long as they do those three forms and those drills regularly and seriously.

Again, this is just a humble reminder from someone who has fallen into this trap; don't look down on any form, don't neglect any form especially if it's frustrating and don't ever think you'll outgrow your forms.

Rick Oshea
Grow, learn, teach...Breathe

2012 and You

2011-04-06T19:29:00.007-04:00

Surprisingly, the most popular question asked to Sifu Hill isn’t about the mystical nature of kung fu, or insight into the human soul. Many people are asking him about his thoughts on 2012.

"2012?! The prophetic year of death and destruction, as predicated by ancient civilizations long before us?!"

A dark, cynical part of me is skeptical about the end of the world coming up in less than a year. I’m a Y2K survivor, so I’m a bit more aloof when it comes to doom-and-gloom discussions on 2012. I tend to agree with the other side of the argument, where nothing major would happen: just another year, another set of seasons.

Whichever way you argue, there is a universal concern about the topic of 2012 because that specific year represent some unknown, ominous, oncoming change. What IS going to happen next year? How will it affect my family/my friends/ my job/ my life? What if nothing happens, but I already prepared for the worst?

The idea of change can be scary, intimidating, especially since the year 2012 has so many historical contexts from various cultures. Whether it’s this year, next year, or a millennium into the future, dealing with change all comes down to the individual self, and how the can adapt to the situation that presents itself.

To address the people’s concern (and prevent him from repeating himself to everyone who asks his opinion on 2012), Sifu Hill has made 4-part series on his advice on what 2012 represents, and how you can deal with whatever may come next year.

To see more videos on Sifu Hill's personal philosophy, please visit the main Youtube page at:
http://www.youtube.com/sifuhill

Grow, learn, teach!

New Blog Features

2011-03-31T02:05:00.001-04:00

I’m not being paid to say this, but I really like making this blog with Google. Google has made it easy to create a blog without reminding me of how I barely got a “B” in my college web designing class. J

Here are some really cool features which I hope you guys will enjoy:

ü Google Search Bar – Type in any word or phrase, and it will show results not only from the Systems within Systems blog entries, but also any article within our main Systems within Systems homepage and Sifu Hill’s Youtube page. You won’t believe how much content we already have!

ü Sifu Hill’s YouTube Videos – On the left side, you can click the See more videos from Sifu Lawrence Hill link to go to his main YouTube website. There, you can take a peek at what we do in class, and more philosophy videos.

ü Blog Archive - 20 years from now, this blog is going to be the next Big Thing that ever graced the world wide web. History in the making. Better then butter and sliced bread! (OK, that might have been taking it a bit too far) Therefore, the Blog Archive will allow you to look back at previous entries. Click on the year and month links that you want to see, and a list of the blog entries for that period will be shown.

ü Labels – Want to view only articles about philosophy? Read only about the kung fu topics? Sort only by author name? Each blog entry will be labeled accordingly by topic.

ü Followers – Be our friend! All the cool kids are doing it! Click the Follow button in the right part of the screen and sign in with your Google account so you can be informed of the latest and greatest blog entries the moment it is posted. Of course, you don’t have to be a Follower if you want to add your two cents to the posted blog entry; anyone can ask a question and make a comment to any of the blog entries. Just keep it PG, people, we’re all quite civilized here. J

If you have any ideas/enhancements requests for the blog, leave a comment in this entry.

Grow, learn, teach!

What's a Sifu?

2011-03-26T12:31:00.006-04:00

When people ask “What’s Sifu Hill like?”, the only descriptive phrase that comes to mind is “He’s…Sifu.”

In martial arts terms, your Sifu is more than just the person who teaches you how to fight. It’s a term that should be used with great respect and honor. Using the term “Sifu” would be the same as referring to someone as a mentor, advisor, instructor, life coach, spiritualist, all at the same time. A good martial arts Sifu is your guide towards understanding yourself, and thus understanding how to defend yourself in the world.

Sifu Lawrence Hill teaches his students to know more than just how to defend themselves in a combat situation. He encourages us to be aware on all levels in our lives: socially and spiritually. To Sifu Hill, Shaolin is a form of true self expression. True Shaolin helps you find more about who you are and what you are capable of doing. This is the foundation of combat; when you know yourself, you will be able to connect with everything within your environment.

The world is full of problems, whether it is suffering from today’s economic issues, situations at work, complications with relationships, or being faced in a life threatening situation. Ultimately, the answer comes down to you: your knowledge, your skills, and your execution of your skills will allow you to get out of each problem that you will be facing in life.

At the Systems Within Systems kung fu school, we use the phrase “Grow. Learn. Teach.” These three simple principles are fundamental to any student, no matter what you practice.

In our case, we as martial arts students do more than just go to class and work out. A good student should recognize that each martial art form taught in class and each sparring session with another student is a lesson in itself, and the student slowly grows as a better person with every time they practice. Once the student acknowledges and appreciates the purpose of the lesson, they start teaching what they learned to other students. Teaching not only allows you to pass the knowledge down to others, but also helps reinforce what you already know. Often, teaching others also helps you understand more about how you connect and express yourself to other people. The cycle of growing, learning, and teaching is limitless in its rewards.

Listen and see how Sifu Hill describes his views on the martial arts by clicking the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Qb8f1nYl-4

Grow, learn, teach!

How it all began...

2011-03-16T17:52:00.004-04:00

So I’m in the kitchen chopping vegetables for dinner, trying to find the best words to convey my “oh-so-brilliant-plan-at-the-time” idea to Sifu Hill, who is calmly sitting on the couch trying to catch up on some reading before we eat. Finally, I just blurt out what’s on my mind:

“Sifu, I have an idea that I think will work.”
(Actual sound that came out of my mouth: “SIFUihaveanideathatIthinkwillwork.”)

He looks up from the top of his glasses, with the kind of patient look that develops over decades from listening to other babbling students, even though all he really wants is to finish up reading and eat dinner. “Ok….”

“I want to start a blog. For our school.”

“…Oh~kaayy….”

At this point I take a deep breath and pause from cutting the vegetables, because I’m pretty sure I’m going to lose a finger if I multi-task. “I want to start a kung fu blog with your school name to promote what our school is really about. I can write articles based on everything you teach us in class, from philosophy to combat strategy to personal growth. I want to be able to expand on everything we learn, and I think a blog would be a fun way of doing it.

“I think it’s a great tie-in to all of the school’s videos we have on the school’s YouTube page. I can further expand on everything you talk to us about, like all the practical philosophy and self-defense tactics that actually work on the street. I can also write about other kung-fu related topics, such as training/conditioning exercises, local martial arts related event in the area that can be promoted, and other information that would be helpful to people who wants to learn more about what you teach us. You always teach us that all combat systems are related, that all schools have a common thread….The blog can not only allow a common forum with our students, but with a whole community of martial artists, andother people who can benefit from what you teach.”

After what I believe is the longest pause of silence known to Mankind (probably only 10 seconds in real time), Sifu says, “Ok, sounds great. So do it.”

“Umm, I sorta-kinda need your permission.”

“….So do it….”

This is one of the many Sifu-isms I try to practice: Don’t overcomplicate things.

So here it goes: the unofficial official Systems within Systems martial arts blog. Like any good warrior, this blog will grow and evolve for the better as time progresses. I hope that readers will be able to better understand and learn our school’s practical philosophy, to benefit from our shared experiences, and to share with others what you learn from this blog.

Grow, learn, teach.