Dojo.com Blog

I will be posting my associate Bill FitzPatrick’s Shaolin Action Principle videos each week. I suggest you also visit YouTube and study Bill’s real estate and success videos.

Go with the Flow

Develop Body Wisdom through eurhythmics and you will unleash your physical and mental powers.

Eurhythmics is the art of harmonious, rhythmical body movement. It is a dynamic system, marked by a continuous sequential flow of movement. It requires shutting off the mind, shutting the mouth, and letting the body take the lead.

As a training principle, we speak of this concept as “the empty mind” or “no mind”. In Japanese, the translation is Moo (none) and Shing (mind) and in Korean, Moo Shim.

The system is aerobic, quick to learn, and will help you and your students build confidence from your training. Here are the simple steps to follow:

Empty the mind and find great wisdom.

Repeat a harmonious pattern of movements rhythmically until reflex is conditioned.

Repeat this pattern on both sides to become equally dextrous.

Repeat this pattern with increasing speed to prevent an analytical mental process and to further ingrain wisdom i the body.

Do not burden yourself with overly critical self-assessment or demands for personal perfection. Train hard but relax, go with the flow, and your best will emerge.

Open the Door

Walk into a dojo and feel the positive energy. Feel the tradition, the honor, the respect, the courtesy, and the warmth. You will feel welcomed by the smiling faces of your fellow students and teachers.

Ahead, you will face the doors to learning. Afraid or not, open these doors and proceed without fear because supportive hands will be there to help and to guide you. Pause for a moment and visualize the new you. See yourself with strength and flexibility and grace and power. See yourself at your best.

Knowledge in the mind. Honesty in the heart. Strength in the body. It is my goal and responsibility, as it is the goal and responsibility of all black belts to pass on this tradition of excellence. To share with those who follow the rewards that will come from a commitment to the disciplined demands of martial arts insruction. To pass on the feeling of empowerment that the martial arts offers to all who walk the path and all who can say with sincerity, “Hey, I’m stronger than I thought I was.”

When a martial artist delivers a punch or kick, the object is to remain loose and light. This aids speed and focus. The only time that rigid force is needed in karate is when contact is made. Most karate movements are loose, light, fluid, agile and flexible, rather than tense, hard, rigid and stiff.The martial artist realizes that although he may be young and powerful today he must prepare for tomorrow when he will be neither. If he relied on brute strength alone, it would follow that he would become a less efficient warrior as he aged and became physically weaker. The martial artist accepts that in addition to continued strength training, he must also work on endurance, speed, agility, timing and coordination.

All opponents cannot be defeated through head charging confrontation. As the martial artist reaches the black belt level, he learns an ever increasing number of physical and mental techniques to deal with opponents. The martial arts offer a lifetime learning opportunity.

In your personal dealings, remain loose and light. Eliminate stress. There is rarely need to be tense and hard-headed. Many fights can be won and problems solved with calm reason and a soft voice.

Discover the Greatness Within

Martial artists should put more emphasis on becoming athletes first. Get your bodies in shape. Don’t try to hide or pretend any longer. Quit hiding behind your PC keyboard, living the fantasy through magazines and videos or camouflaging your insecurities behind some need for certification.

There is only one way to become a real fighter and that is to go to a real gym with high athletic standards. Don’t watch. Make a commitment to yourself to go back to your basics. With enthusiasm, you must practice and keep practicing. Then, get out there and fight. Never yield. Never quit. Strength, wisdom, and spirit are the traits of greatness. Work hard, train smart, study with the best, and you will discover the greatness within yourself.

 Get up, stretch and be happy because today you are one day closer to your goals. You know who you are and where you are going. You are generous and kind and hard working. Above all, you are self-reliant. You know that success can be yours because success is in your own hands. You feel the enlivening power of having control over your own future. You expect good things to happen. Optimism is a wonderful feeling.

    You are your thoughts. You are thankful for being tough enough to take a few setbacks and keep going forward. You are thankful to have the curiosity to keep learning. You are thankful to see opportunity knock so often. You are thankful to have the personality to keep making new friends. Your mind can only hold one thought at a time so make that one thought positive.

    One of the five Shaolin animals is the dragon. The dragon possesses many different techniques to deal with opponents. The spirit of the dragon is indomitable. He cannot be destroyed. The dragon is the Shaolin symbol for heaven.

    You are a positive thinker for whom all is a possibility. Count your blessings. The way is clear. You are a follower of the Shaolin principles. The world is a better place because you are in it.

Become a Champion

    Generally, there are seven basic physical qualities developed through martial arts training.  These physical qualities can easily be transformed into their corresponding human emotions and over time, these emotions will create positive human qualities that become ingrained as part of our character. These seven qualities of a champion are:

1. Quickness, Alertness, and Market Change Awareness

2. Endurance, Perseverance, and Persistence

3. Timing, Punctuality, and Delivery on Time

4. Power, Knowledge, and Financial Strength

5. Balance, Rationality, and Balancing Supply and Demand

6. Flexibility, Gentleness, and Adaptability

7. Posture, Honesty, and Business Integrity

The purpose of knowledge is to take action. My philosophy of the martial arts is straightforward: “Lead by example through your actions.” a picture is worth 1,000 words; an action is worth 1,000 pictures. Let us teach our children not by words alone but through our actions. The three basic human qualities we emphasize to our students is Knowledge in the mind, Honesty in the heart, and Strength in the body. I encourage everyone to set a life goal. “A hundred years of wisdom in the body of a twenty-one year old.”

From Master Mark: Here’s MY Shaolin Action Principle. why not write and submit your own?

     Commitment is an undervalued principle today. There is tremendous power and freedom in surrendering to your commitment. When you are committed to a person, a purpose, or a passion, there is never any doubt or question. You will do whatever it takes to honor your commitment.

     When you say “I am going to be a Black Belt.”, be committed.

     When you stand at the altar and say “I Do.”, be committed to your spouse.

    When you figure out what your purpose and passion in life is, be committed to living it.

     When you give your word, be committed to keeping it.

     Many people leave themselves a “back door” to their commitment, a less than honorable way out of keeping their word.

     “I’ll try this for a while.”

     “If it doesn’t work out, I’ll get a divorce.”

     “Well, I really didn’t mean that…”

     When you close your back doors, there’s only one way to move in your life and that’s forward. Honor yourself by honoring your commitments.