An Excerpt from Master Vigil's (soon to be published) Book

The Genesis of Martial Arts

Since the first fur-clad, foul smelling, thick-skulled human picked up a big stick and whacked a bear, we have been working on combat. I can see it so clearly:

Caveman 1:“Ugh, how not die to bear?”
Caveman 2: “Me hit with big stick!”
Caveman 1: “Show Caveman 2!”
Caveman 2: “Yuh!”

As Caveman 2 swings his stick in demonstration, the first martial arts form is born.

Every lasting people has had to systematize the study of combat. This is where the “martial” in martial arts originates. Dictionary.com gives us the meaning of martial as “inclined or disposed to war; warlike”. If we called it “martial study” instead of “martial art” it would be much easier to trace the lineage of the first martial artists. But the addition of the word “art” after “martial” makes things complicated. Dictionary.com gives us the definition of “art” as “the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance”. Every culture has had to systematize combat to survive, but no culture has had to systematize art. Who were the first people to establish this link and system? Perhaps more importantly, why did they do it?

Historians have credited everyone from ancient Korean peninsula warriors, to Native Americans as being the first to link warriorhood with art. One such story claims that a Buddhist temple was constantly under assault from bandits. The monks of this temple began to incorporate punching, kicking, blocking and movement into their meditation in order to be able to better defend their temple. They did it not with the intention of creating martial art, but rather as a way to remain peaceful in the heart while being violent with the body. A visiting monk from China witnessed their practice, thought highly of it, and brought it back to his temple. Such, as the story goes, is the birth of Kung-Fu, which many consider to be the oldest martial art in practice.

What is important to understand about the birth of martial arts is not the who, what, when and where – but rather the why. Picture this: The year is 551 A.D, and you are a new recruit in the military of the Silla dynasty of what will eventually become Korea. You are one of the legendary Hwarang warriors, though you are yet untested in real combat. You stand in your armor, grip your spear, and fill the ranks of the front line, but you are not a warrior yet.

You were born a farmer, the loving son of a doting father and mother. In your youth you were known as a compassionate, friendly young person. Perhaps you enjoyed simple, peaceful hobbies like fishing and calligraphy. The Silla dynasty was introduced to the peaceful ways of Buddhism in the 300s, and adopted them fully in 527, so it is likely that you are a Buddhist.

Now you stand on a mountain side overlooking the city of Seoul. Without the benefit of hindsight, you are unaware that capturing this city is a pivotal moment in the history of your country. You are a member of it's most famous warrior culture, it's proudest dynasty, and on the eve of capturing the capital city that will endure even until the 21st century.

As you and your fellow Hwarang swarm the city you experience bloodshed like you have never thought possible. You are cut several times, though your life is never threatened. You see skulls crushed, limbs torn from their bodies, and hear the screams of men dying in anguish. For you this is not an isolated occurrence, it will become a regular part of your life.

You are faced with two choices – lose the person you were in youth, and become a cursing, aggressive, angry marauder, or find a path to inner peace despite your external circumstance. If you choose the former you become just more battlefield fodder, choose the latter and you become a martial artist.

If you are reading this book, I suspect you would join me in the ranks of the martial artists. The unifying trait of all martial artists is combat. Without combat there is nowhere to begin, no cause to develop the mental and spiritual strengths under discussion in this book. The challenge for the martial artist of today's world is find where his “battle” is. For instance, Japanese businesspeople of the 1980s read Sun Tzu's Art of War as though it were a religious text, and a manual for corporate management – and treated the boardroom like the battlefield.

The true origin of martial arts is impossible to identify, but to my mind it was the first time a warrior tried to make sense of war. He found a way to not lose himself to the blood and gore, but also to return to peace a stronger and more balanced person for having been at war. He found a way to pass on his physical combat skills, and in so doing the mental strength associated with the ability to apply them. The origin of martial arts is the first time a warrior took the things that were “inclined or disposed to war; warlike” and turned them into “the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance”.

Doers and Critics

Keith Hafner is a veteran martial arts teacher, a controversial personality, author of "Rock Solid Kids", and my good friend. He has always been a source of great wisdom. Always knowing just what to say, and how to say it, Keith has a beautiful way with plain English.

This is one of my favorite things ever written by Mr. Hafner:

"Criticism has its own agenda." That's what I wrote at the beginning of the week on our school chalkboard.

Immunity to criticism is one of the key building blocks in a successful person's life.

Too often, when a person tries to make positive changes in their life...they are shot down by neighbors, co-workers, or relatives.

Here is what you need to know: there are two types of people in the world...

Doers and Critics.

Most people are one or the other. Rarely does a person have "dual membership" in these groups.

Why? Because critics criticize instead of doing anything constructive in their own lives. Being critical of others serves as a substitute (a very poor one) for positive, constructive action.

And -- Doers are seldom critics. They are too busy focusing on their own goals!

If you are a Doer...NEVER, ever worry about what the Critics are saying! Their vote, their opinion of what you are doing, simply doesn't count!

I'm reminded of this quote by Theodore Roosevelt...

"It's not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or when the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worth cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."

The Four Stages of Learning

Practicing Martial Arts makes it easy to understand the four stages of learning that apply in any endeavor. They are as follows,

I. Unconscious Incompetence.

You have absolutely no idea what's going. You flail around, you think it's right, but you aren't sure. At this stage of learning you are just trying to figure out which way the pants go, and think someone gave you a belt that is six sizes too big.

II. Conscious Incompetence.

This is the phase where your realize something is different between you and the teacher. You start recognizing what you need to do - but can not make your body do it. The fun part of this stage is that you set goals for improvement.

III. Conscious Competence.

Stage three is where, if you really think about each facet of a technique you can actually get it right. It's the stage where, with a lot of forethought and careful execution you can begin to mirror your teacher.

IV. Unconscious Competence.

This is what I would call the black belt phase - it's where you can perform movements, execute blocks, strikes and movements on instinct. No thought, just action and reaction. A 1st degree black belt should have their basic techniques built into an unconscious competence.

This is why we so often say that training really begins at the black belt. The basics are not just known, but have become a part of you. It's a foundation on which you can build a martial artist of true strength and skill.

Your challenge as a martial artist is to recognize which stage your individual techniques are in. Moreover, your challenge is to figure out what other areas in life the four stages of learning apply.

Where does a Martial Artist eat in the Northville area?

I've wanted to do a blog entry about one of my favorite subjects for a long time. It's not, I'll warn you, in any way a martial arts related post... but it is Northville related. The subject?

Food.

Jess and I love sampling the fare at as many restaurants as possible. I'm always on the lookout for something new, so I thought I'd share my favorite places with you all in hope that you would do the same.

Most Frequented:

Sushi House, 9 Mile and Farmington Rd. - Farmington, Mi. Not that far away at all, quite honestly the best sushi I have had in the Midwest. Better than 99% on the coasts too. They also have a handful of Japanese and Korean dishes on the menu for the non-sushi person in your family.

Best Place to Celebrate:

Flemings, off of Haggerty Rd. behind Bravo/Cladaugh/Mitchell's fish market. If you want to celebrate an anniversary, birthday or big promotion this is the place to do it. It's mostly a steak house, so veggie-lovers be warned. Great Martinis. This is one of the best restaurants I've been to anywhere.

Best Pizza:

Benitos. They have locations in both Northville and Novi. Benitos has some absolutely wonderful “gourmet” selections. I believe they make their own sauce and cheese daily, and then use all very fresh and high quality ingredients. My favorite? The Portobello - fresh mozzarella, goat cheese, portobello mushrooms, caramelized onions, roasted garlic, Italian parsley, white wine sauce.

Best Asian Specialty:

Shiro, 9 mile in Novi. This place is a great all around restaurant. It's expensive, but not as expensive as Flemings. They do “Japanese with a French flair”. I know it sounds weird, but I had a teriyaki filet mignon, and it was excellent. They also have sushi that is very good, and an impressive menu. Very good service and drink from the bar.

Other Local Places of interest:

Claddaugh, Livonia Michigan. Best fish and chips around.
Bonefish, Novi Michigan. Best fish in general.
Number VI chophouse, Novi Michigan. Best seafood, and second only to Flemings for steak.
Steve and Rocky's, Novi Michigan. Best desert.
J. Alexander's. Best place to bring a large group of people for a “nice” dinner. Good variety, good food, reasonably priced and excellent service.
Diamond Jim Brady's Bistro, Novi Michigan. Best burgers.
Green Cedar, Livonia Michigan. Excellent Lebanese food, and a good place to eat healthy.
Maisano's Italian Restaurant, Novi Michigan. Best Italian.
Box Bar, Plymouth Michigan. Best beer selection. (All things in moderation. :) )

Please add to this list!