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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added the Cambodian martial art of kun lbokator, more popularly known as "bokator," to its list of humanity's intangible cultural heritage Tuesday. It joins a handful of other martial arts, including tai chi, pencak silat and capoeira, which have been enshrined on the list in past years. In it's description of bokator, UNESCO said it traces its roots back to the first century. However, the art's origins are widely debated with some sources claiming present day bokator is, at best, a recreation of extinct Cambodian fighting arts. There appears to be little, if any, record of bokator prior to its revival in Cambodia 20 years ago though this might be due to the genocidal rule of the Khmer Rouge, who controlled the country in the 1970s. During their reign, the Khmer Rouge sought to eliminate traditional Cambodian culture and historical sources. Sean Kim San, the man credited with reviving the art, escaped from Cambodia to the United States in 1980 where he taught hapkido. Though he reportedly said he learned bokator as a child, he did not start teaching it until the early 2000safter he returned to Cambodia. Since then, other Cambodians have also claimed expertise in the art.

Klaus Müller for Judoinside.com recently wrote this essay which I wanted to share this week. At the very mention of the acronym for 'Mixed Martial Arts' today, many a mind will probably jump straight to the Style Bender Israel Adesanya, Joe Rogan's podcast, the newest Conor McGregor controversy, or the latest UFC odds for the next event. The UFC, which stands for the 'Ultimate Fighting Championship,' has seen incredible growth in the past decade and has become one of the fastest-growing spectator sports of the 21st century. In Judo have our own Tour, the IJF World Judo Tour in various places around the globe where athletes can also win prize money. Not just the winners, but all 56 medalists will take prize money. Maybe incomparable to the commercial sport of UFC, but the sport is familiar for the discipline and values such as honor and respect. When looking at the disciplines of judo and MMA, there is definitely respect, but in advance that is not always visible. There are many things to consider about the two forms of combat, as well as many differences between them. While judo can be seen as a more calm and 'intellectual' way of fighting, MMA is often decried as a brutal blood sport with no safety, which has led to the implementation of new rules and safety regulations within the UFC. Before we start a comparison of Judo vs MMA, let us understand the basics. What Is MMA? Dating back as far as Ancient Greece, the combat sport known as MMA is a variation, or a hybrid, of many different techniques from the worlds of boxing, wrestling, karate, and even judo, among others. It's called mixed martial arts for a reason; because it's precisely that. A different mix of various martial art forms has been combined into one discipline. The sport generally consists of a standing element where fighters will look to kick and strike their opponents and a grappling element on the ground where forcing an opponent into submission is the goal. It also draws on some of the striking and wrestling techniques of Muay Thai, as well as the grappling techniques of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. After the first UFC event held in North America in 1993, the no-holds-barred style of fighting garnered negative attention from the public and politicians alike, who blasted the sport for being too brutal, with one politician even referring to it as ‘human cockfighting.’ This forced new management of the growing event to change the rules and add safety measures to the combat, which proved to be a valuable move for MMA in general. The sport gradually grew from the mid-2000s, with superstars like Chuck ‘the Iceman’ Liddell and Randy ‘the Natural’ Couture increasing the events’ popularity and viewership across the United States. The UFC and MMA, as a whole, have continued to benefit from larger-than-life fighters who have taken to the Octagon and wowed fans and critics alike with their strength and ability. There’s been a new resurgence for MMA for a new generation of fans over the past decade, with fighters like Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey, and Israel Adesanya attracting large audiences and increasing UFC’s profile at the same time. What Is Judo? The discipline of judo began as just that, a discipline. Created in the late 1800s out of the ancient Japanese samurai's jiu-jitsu practices, judo was initially designed as a type of physical education, teaching students how to fall safely and practice mental strength. As the practice of judo became more popular, the focus on the discipline as a sport rather than a way of life began to increase, particularly in the West. The progression to full-on competition was complete when it was officially made an Olympic sport in 1964 . Nowadays Judo is at least an Olympic sport and the team event has an added value since the last Olympics in Tokyo. Judo is in group 3 of the IOC which means better income from TV revenues for the international federation, so they can build out judo. You see that there is a development that ne-waza judo is going deeper now, it's more appreciated and used as a tactics to win the bout, perhaps inspired by the various grappling sports gaining popularity. Which One Should You Choose? The answer is largely relative and dependent on what your aim is. While both provide fantastic workouts for the body, these workouts are vastly different in their outworking. Judo will have you on the floor almost every session after getting thrown over someone's shoulder. At the same time, MMA is sure to leave you absolutely exhausted (and possibly bruised) from the high-intensity workload it offers. If you're looking at increasing your core strength and learning a little self-defense in the process, judo outweighs MMA in that regard. There's no striking involved; however, the precision and total body awareness required for judo have proven largely beneficial for all types of people, from young children to older women. If you’re looking to develop physical and mental toughness, and improve your striking and kicking ability beyond that of a mindless brawler, then MMA is your sport. You’ll also likely learn how to take various strikes to the face, body, and legs in the process. That can be handy! It’s also largely entertaining to watch UFC and actually understand what’s going on. In Conclusion As stated above, the best way to go about choosing a combat sport like judo or MMA is to figure out what your end goal is, and go with the one that best serves that goal. Judoka have the skills to adjust quickly to any new fighting sport and seemed to be successful. They have the stamina to come out of judo and experience other combat sports and adjust easily to the level as their condition is so all-round and they are physically ready for any other challenge.

People often say that Bruce was way ahead of his time, and he was. People lust for his knowledge of fitness, speed, training, and nutrition. They desire to know how Bruce stayed focused and energetic. However, people were and still are searching under the wrong rocks to find his secrets. Bruce’s mindset was highly evolved and still is difficult for the Western world to comprehend and grasp. If you have ever listened to the stories of people whom Bruce taught, they all say he was trying to teach them something more extraordinary than martial arts. Almost like he was using martial arts as teaching in disguise. And Bruce was doing just that. He was trying to get people to understand chi. Bruce knew if people could grasp the concept and connect with chi, they could be better than what they structured themselves to be and what they thought they were. “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe What Bruce was trying to teach was something that could not easily nor simply be written down on paper. But he tried by writing Jeet Kune Do. If you skipped reading the quotes at the beginning of the book, then you missed out on the most powerful and important part. Techniques are useless without training your mind first. He wrote these quotes to help you establish harmony and balance mentally before practicing the martial arts section. What is Chi? Bruce was expressing the secret power inside every human being, called chi. Chi was and is new to the modern era and was established from ancient wisdom. Chi is best described as feeling energetic, vibrant, focused, vigorous, etc . Remember the first time you fell in love? Or the first time you kissed a girl or boy? Just try to remember something in your life that happened that produced an incredible feeling. Well, that is what chi feels like. Because no matter what negative situations occur, you still stayed positive and moved forward in life. Being in a state of harmony makes you see life differently. The state of harmony serves as a guide to enlightenment, unraveling life's secrets. “Life is never stagnation. It is constant movement, un-rhythmic movement, as we as constant change. Things live by moving and gain strength as they go.” Bruce was trying to develop your chi because it is your chi that gives you incredible power, energy, strength, speed, the ability to concentrate and think clearly, have laser focus, breathe better, sleep well, perform better, and punch, kick or run faster. It also makes you intuitive, creative, and instinctual. Balance and harmony activate your chi to understand greater depths of knowledge, wisdom, and insight in your life. Chi is a universal energy, a life force that infinitely flows freely in your body. How you think and feel will block or activate this energy. For example, being negative produces antipathetic reactions, disharmony, ill-will feelings, and stress. Although the mind, body, and spirit are separate, they are interrelated and interconnected to function as one. Any thoughts and feelings of negativity will disrupt and infect the other. “Pessimism blunts the tools you need to succeed.” Qualities that Balance Chi Sincerity, honesty, love, compassion, and passion are the qualities that activate, stimulate, and increase your chi energy. Your chi will thrive if you are passionate, sincere, honest, and love what you do and who you are. These qualities promote positive ways of living that ramify your thinking and feelings and avert thinking negatively. For instance, you see failure as a stepping stone to success rather than failure and inadequacy itself. Most people take the wrong road in life. For instance, they follow money without passion, sincerity, honesty, and love of their work. From this point of view, negativity and failure will not be seen as a stepping stone but as an anchor that burdens and drags your mind and spirit away from balance into loathing. “Many people dedicate their lives to actualizing what they should be like, rather than actualizing themselves. This difference between self-actualization and self-image actualization is very important. Most people live only for their image.” How to Keep Your Chi in Balance Get deep, restful sleep Exercise consistently and regularly Learn to breathe and be mindful of it. Eat healthy and well habitually Learn to protect your mental health by avoiding negativity. Bruce was a living example of highly evolved thinking and creativity because his chi was fully activated. And he wanted people to discover and develop their chi because he knew it held great power. The road to self-discovery requires in-depth knowledge, practice, and thinking. And that requires change and philosophy to unlock wisdom and experience your unconscious inner self. “I feel I have this great creative and spiritual force within me that is greater than faith, greater than ambition, greater than confidence… Whether it is the Godhead or not, I feel this great force, this untapped power, this dynamic something within me.” There are many ways, routines, and practices to restore, connect, and channel your chi. But ultimately, it requires changes, adaptation, and adjustments to your life, beliefs, and thought process. Tapping into your chi requires great changes that are specific and different based on the person. It is not just going and doing tai chi, and poof, you have it. You must unravel the web in which you weaved and tangled to get back to balance. Once there, you can find harmony. Once you find harmony, you will find your path Baby birds are not born to fly but have the potential and ability to do it. They must practice. Instead, baby birds are shown to fly and are trained by their parents. Once they can fly, they can develop their own way. Much like your chi. Everyone has it, but it takes guidance and practice to develop it. Once you develop it, you will live in a harmonious way-exactly what Bruce Lee was trying to do using martial arts.

People often say that Bruce was way ahead of his time, and he was. People lust for his knowledge of fitness, speed, training, and nutrition. They desire to know how Bruce stayed focused and energetic. However, people were and still are searching under the wrong rocks to find his secrets. Bruce’s mindset was highly evolved and still is difficult for the Western world to comprehend and grasp. If you have ever listened to the stories of people whom Bruce taught, they all say he was trying to teach them something more extraordinary than martial arts. Almost like he was using martial arts as teaching in disguise. And Bruce was doing just that. He was trying to get people to understand chi. Bruce knew if people could grasp the concept and connect with chi, they could be better than what they structured themselves to be and what they thought they were. “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe What Bruce was trying to teach was something that could not easily nor simply be written down on paper. But he tried by writing Jeet Kune Do. If you skipped reading the quotes at the beginning of the book, then you missed out on the most powerful and important part. Techniques are useless without training your mind first. He wrote these quotes to help you establish harmony and balance mentally before practicing the martial arts section. What is Chi? Bruce was expressing the secret power inside every human being, called chi. Chi was and is new to the modern era and was established from ancient wisdom. Chi is best described as feeling energetic, vibrant, focused, vigorous, etc . Remember the first time you fell in love? Or the first time you kissed a girl or boy? Just try to remember something in your life that happened that produced an incredible feeling. Well, that is what chi feels like. Because no matter what negative situations occur, you still stayed positive and moved forward in life. Being in a state of harmony makes you see life differently. The state of harmony serves as a guide to enlightenment, unraveling life's secrets. “Life is never stagnation. It is constant movement, un-rhythmic movement, as we as constant change. Things live by moving and gain strength as they go.” Bruce was trying to develop your chi because it is your chi that gives you incredible power, energy, strength, speed, the ability to concentrate and think clearly, have laser focus, breathe better, sleep well, perform better, and punch, kick or run faster. It also makes you intuitive, creative, and instinctual. Balance and harmony activate your chi to understand greater depths of knowledge, wisdom, and insight in your life. Chi is a universal energy, a life force that infinitely flows freely in your body. How you think and feel will block or activate this energy. For example, being negative produces antipathetic reactions, disharmony, ill-will feelings, and stress. Although the mind, body, and spirit are separate, they are interrelated and interconnected to function as one. Any thoughts and feelings of negativity will disrupt and infect the other. “Pessimism blunts the tools you need to succeed.” Qualities that Balance Chi Sincerity, honesty, love, compassion, and passion are the qualities that activate, stimulate, and increase your chi energy. Your chi will thrive if you are passionate, sincere, honest, and love what you do and who you are. These qualities promote positive ways of living that ramify your thinking and feelings and avert thinking negatively. For instance, you see failure as a stepping stone to success rather than failure and inadequacy itself. Most people take the wrong road in life. For instance, they follow money without passion, sincerity, honesty, and love of their work. From this point of view, negativity and failure will not be seen as a stepping stone but as an anchor that burdens and drags your mind and spirit away from balance into loathing. “Many people dedicate their lives to actualizing what they should be like, rather than actualizing themselves. This difference between self-actualization and self-image actualization is very important. Most people live only for their image.” How to Keep Your Chi in Balance Get deep, restful sleep Exercise consistently and regularly Learn to breathe and be mindful of it. Eat healthy and well habitually Learn to protect your mental health by avoiding negativity. Bruce was a living example of highly evolved thinking and creativity because his chi was fully activated. And he wanted people to discover and develop their chi because he knew it held great power. The road to self-discovery requires in-depth knowledge, practice, and thinking. And that requires change and philosophy to unlock wisdom and experience your unconscious inner self. “I feel I have this great creative and spiritual force within me that is greater than faith, greater than ambition, greater than confidence… Whether it is the Godhead or not, I feel this great force, this untapped power, this dynamic something within me.” There are many ways, routines, and practices to restore, connect, and channel your chi. But ultimately, it requires changes, adaptation, and adjustments to your life, beliefs, and thought process. Tapping into your chi requires great changes that are specific and different based on the person. It is not just going and doing tai chi, and poof, you have it. You must unravel the web in which you weaved and tangled to get back to balance. Once there, you can find harmony. Once you find harmony, you will find your path Baby birds are not born to fly but have the potential and ability to do it. They must practice. Instead, baby birds are shown to fly and are trained by their parents. Once they can fly, they can develop their own way. Much like your chi. Everyone has it, but it takes guidance and practice to develop it. Once you develop it, you will live in a harmonious way-exactly what Bruce Lee was trying to do using martial arts.

I would like to open up this article by saying that, no, your martial art of choice does not have to be practical for you to enjoy it. I’ve worked in the martial arts industry for many years now and one topic that I’ve witnessed and taken part in ad nauseam, is the concept of practicality. There is always a holier-than-thou tone taken whenever an MMA fighter starts talking about fighting to, say, a Tae Kwon Do blackbelt. I’ve heard the same tone taken with a hardcore Krav Maga guy when talking to the MMA guy. It’s almost always a conversation that goes in circles with one critical point that always gets missed, the point that I believe is one of the most crucial in literally anything you do, regardless of how much passion you have, and that’s adherence. Simply put, if you don’t enjoy doing something, you won’t do it enough to become good at it. One of the best benefits of working in the industry as long as I have is that I have made many amazing friends, one of those being a man named Rob Campbell. Rob owns a Kung Fu San Soo school in Oklahoma City where he has achieved the rank of master and is a fantastic follow on instagram. Rob eats, sleeps and breathes Kung Fu, so it's no surprise that the vast majority of his content is weaponry in the style of Kung Fu. The man is a master with the rope dart and the three sectioned staff. You can tell in the fluidity of his motions as well as the consistency of his posts that he has put lots and lots of time and energy into becoming great at those things. Because he loves doing them, if he didn’t, like I was saying earlier, he would never stick with it long enough. Every now and then however on one of his posts, you will see someone (who most likely trains nothing) make a comment about how “He’ll never get into a fight with a rope dart” or that his style is “All flash and no substance” and a few different variations on that, all of which are toxic, unconstructive and annoying. The first thing I would like to point out is that sure, all styles aren’t created equal but something compared to nothing will almost always win. So, even though Rob loves weapons, he could still handedly defend himself against the vast majority of untrained people out there. Because it all comes back to what he does almost every single day for years of his life. Another amazing person I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in my time in the industry is a man named Shaw Furukawa. Shaw not only owns his own Kendo School but is a 4th Dan and 6th Dan in Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Seitokai Iaido. Something to keep in mind with all this Kendo talk is that unlike most martial arts, their tests have an extremely high fail rate. The rank of 8th Dan, has a pass rate of less than 1%. You are measured objectively by someone who does not know you, not your coach or your coach's coach. With 3 components necessary, written, kata and performance. Shaw has been able to achieve so much in his field because of the passion he has for the sport and for his culture. So again, he loves it enough to do it consistently over a long period of time. It's the only recipe to get great at anything in life. Does he carry around a katana in his corduroys, ready for a deathmatch outside of the local Starbucks? Absolutely not and he’ll be the first to tell you that he’s not training for the heavyweight championship of the world but his passion for Kendo runs deep and simply how cool it is just emanates from him when he speaks about it. Both of the men I talked about just now will, and have already accomplished more in martial arts than the vast majority of people out there. Including those that need to think whatever they spend their time doing is more important than what somebody else chooses to do or the egoist that needs to attempt to put somebody down to build themselves up. Anybody that trains consistently has my respect and I wish that would be the standard moving forward. With all that being said, it would be remiss of me to not mention a few key, clarifying factors. I’m not going to start style shaming or anything like that but I would like to point out a few concepts that might prove useful in this conversation. One being that if there is no live sparring in the chosen style, it will never be able to come close to mimicking the intensity of hand-to-hand combat. Sparring can look different from style to style but if there is no way to test your techniques against someone at almost full resistance, there can’t be any more certainty in that technique compared to one that can. Any style that is primarily based on theoretical knowledge and passive drilling will always fall short in this discussion compared to a style that has the ability to test their techniques at a high pace. That doesn’t mean that if what you’ve chosen to train doesn’t have that component, then it's a waste of time. It just means that it will produce different martial artists, with different skills and abilities as its outcome. It all comes down to what you enjoy doing, so in turn you will do it long enough to become competent at it. Your martial art doesn’t have to be practical to be enjoyable and I hope in the future we can all be kinder to each other when talking about martial arts.

In the Israeli Army, where I served, new recruits have six months to go from high school graduates into soldiers. Instructors need to squeeze every bit of training into these weeks, and there is never enough time to cover everything. The West Point Military Academy is a far different system. As this is a professional army, this is a military college where students learn how to become officers. There, they learn the skills to lead their soldiers into battle. Therefore, the cadets prepare the way one would for any other career. It was a privilege to enter a completely different world. Cadets are selected from the top students across the United States. Once accepted, they will have access to the finest facilities and have entire semesters to perfect their skills over a four-year period until they graduate as officers and attend active duty. At the end of four years, most Israeli soldiers have been released from service for a year and are backpacking through South America. Even officer training in the Israeli army is only, at most, fourteen weeks. My afternoon with Matt Larsen, Combatives Director at West Point, allowed me to understand what was possible with a vast amount of time and resources but also outlined the principles which can be applied to all martial arts students and teachers. This fits with the idea of the program. The training these cadets get is not typical of the average soldier. Larsen reports that they will be in charge of maintaining the fitness of their soldiers and working with their subordinate officers to maintain the standard. Having a high degree of knowledge will allow them to set and maintain a high standard for the entire company. Here are the top three principles I learned from the entire program that every school should implement. (I learned so much from Matt Larsen himself, I filled up an entire second article) Principle: Learn How to Move The West Point combatives program starts with learning the fundamentals of movement. Cadets study the basic forms of running, climbing, and falling, as well as basic gymnastics. This allows them to be able to control their own bodies in space, allowing for efficient and ergonomic motion. Although it seems strange to begin combatives by going so back to basics, this foundation allows them to pick up techniques in more advanced classes much more quickly. One especially important movement that students must learn is swimming. Not everyone comes to West Point knowing how to swim. By the end, they must learn not only how to do so but how to do so under stressful conditions such as not having use of their feet and hands. While this may not seem like combatives on the surface level, the skills of keeping their composure in stressful situations are vital for being able to function on the battlefield. Principle: Learn the Rules, Then Break Them After movement, comes classes in actual combatives. The first class is boxing. Of course, students are not expecting to go three rounds with terrorists. However, learning to punch, block, move, defend, and pivot will become the foundational fighting skills. After that, students learn a form of ground combat that also allows for striking. The final class is a close-quarters combatives class that brings in weapons. Each class builds on the other, in order to create students who are able to fight in close-quarter situations. Although one would imagine that soldiers would primarily use weapons, Larsen illustrated that many times, using weapons would be counter-productive and seen as brutal when working in foreign countries, and soldiers must be able to defend themselves without resorting immediately to shooting. Larsen described the learning process as getting from short-term memory to long-term memory. He compared it to learning letters, and then building them into words, and then making use of those words to form independent thoughts. Students first learn the basic principles of combatives, but then learn to work them together to be able to form battle strategies of their own. The emphasis isn’t on memorizing but on making combatives natural to the student. This is shown by the way each semester builds on the other, utilizing the skills from previous ones to build a more rounded skill set. From movement comes boxing. From boxing comes the groundwork. And the final class creates the well-rounded warrior. Principle: Learn to Cultivate a Spirit of Healthy Competition by Competing for Mutual Improvement I was surprised by how hard the students were going at each other. During the tests, hard strikes were allowed on the body. Cadet Caitlin, one of the students about to test, explained that any strikes above the hip and below the clavicle were permitted, making them extremely painful. Also, these tests were given in public before all of their peers, which means the losers would be known to everyone. “Fighting publicly, the fear of public humiliation, that is something you just have to overcome with every single class,” she explained. Since the events were publicly graded, cadets had to get used to being criticized publicly and taking it with grace and honor. Given that the students work and live together in such close proximity, I wondered if there would be hard feelings. Cadet Fahad, the other of the two students I interviewed, said no. “It’s all about maintaining your composure.” But after class? “It’s all love.” He shared how they go really hard on each other in class, but afterward, everyone was extremely supportive of each other. “They’re breeding warriors here, but at the end of the day, we can go back, do our homework together, and laugh it off, It’s a new day.” West Point has created an atmosphere where students go hard on each other to improve each other, so the harder one goes on one’s partner (appropriately), the more camaraderie it shows. Most gyms can’t replicate the West Point Academy experience. Most armies can’t even do it. But the principles from this elite program can be brought to training everywhere. I know I have been inspired.

Here is a question that never gets asked: What is what what is? You can read that a couple more times if it helps. It would be the proper response to the ridiculous and nonsensical phrase, “It is what it is” if only it was thought about for a second. Whatever the modern Shakespearean wants to mean when they are saying what it means (or what it is) to be involved in MMA, it seems most people are content to let things be what they are. It is easiest on the fan of MMA to just let its producers and promoter (singular on purpose) tell us what we should want. And then if questioned on whether there is something to reconsider – how much fighters should be paid for example – we are essentially just told: It is what it is. Then we walk away and wait for them to give us what it is . Thought experiment: What do these names mean to you the reader? Miguel Torres, Tyson Griffin, Melvin Guillard, Mike Pyle, Leonard Garcia, or Evan Dunham? Whatever they mean to the reader, it is safe to say they mean less to the UFC regardless of their individual and/or collective contributions to that promotion over the years. About the best those retired and should-be retired fighters are going to get right now from the promotion is to get to use an ice bath at the Performance Institute – assuming one of the stars has not made sure the place is all to themselves. It might be that the subject of fighter pay is an immediate turn-off to some. It is clear to most that follow Mixed Martial Arts that the subject has not really gained anything like traction in the public consciousness. The proverbial sausage-making is a non-starter. For our purposes here, it is more question than complaint. Why is such a dedicated fanbase, who seem to recognize the stakes for the chosen profession of their favorite athletes, so averse to paying attention to what the athlete is being paid or leaving the sport with? Is it possible the fans fell for what the promoter or its president says in that its athletes are getting paid “tons of money?” Yet those above names do not even have pounds or ounces to show for it – let alone tons. Is it possible that the fan thinks if the ‘stars’ are in any way representative like they are in sports with collective bargaining that even the lowest person in the organization is making a comfortable living? In other words, Lebron James is a wealthy star and the lowest paid athlete in the NBA with literally zero years experience making $1,017,781 a year (in 2022). Therefore, this might have us thinking that Conor is making millions, so a new MMA fighter must be making a decent living, right? Well, no. If a new fighter (with the common contract) gets three fights in the UFC in a calendar year, wins two and loses one, their pay will be around $60,000 for that year. This does not take into account management if they pay them, gym fees, equipment, etc. Does an NBA player have to pay their team’s facility to use its equipment or go out of pocket to pay coaches? It is not exaggeration to suggest that a first year UFC fighter after expenses might make something like the minimum wage in California. Tons? This is the part where the jaded commentator or smart guy says, “They don’t have to do it.” Those names listed above that are most likely unknown to the current crop of UFC fans are not complaining (that we can hear anyway). True; they did not have to do it. But it is equally true that a 4.2 billion dollar company does not have to pay their fighters the way they do either. When pro athletes in other fields (pun intended) get in trouble or wind up in court (another pun?), it is always part of the narrative to say that they squandered an opportunity. After all, “How could they do that when they get paid all that money?” No one has ever said that about an MMA fighter not named McGregor or Jones. And we have yet to even introduce the subject of other promotions which will come later. In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Eddie Alvarez, an MMA stalwart and former UFC (and other organizations) Champion, said the answer to these types of issues is not collective bargaining which is often suggested as a solution to the fighter pay issue (and those related, i.e. healthcare, pension, etc.). In fact, he inadvertently made his own point very clear that opponents will not ever likely work together when he spoke of the time when he and Michael Chandler had a sort of gentlemen’s agreement as opponents to join in negotiating their Bellator contract together . Alvarez said with a laugh that it did not unfold that way and Chandler had a deal all of a sudden and Eddie was left out of that. Eddie is a very astute fighter and business person in the space. He always speaks candidly about how a fighter needs to be in business for themselves and make stands for their own benefit. Even to the point of saying, “no” if they have to. There is an undeniable tension between employer and employee ahem , independent contractor. It exists in every field. Somehow when it comes to sports, the fan seems to assume a pro who is not doing a normal job must be getting paid handsomely and therefore has no right to complain or in some cases, even discuss that they might deserve more. Apparently, only fans can be frustrated about not being paid what they are worth. Does the reader deserve to be paid more at their chosen (yes, chosen) place of employment? Is there contentment if the higher-ups say, “Well, it is what it is”? If your employer were to say in public right now, “our people are getting tons of money,” would you agree? Stated earlier, this is a question. Do we care what Mixed Martial Artists get paid or how they are treated? If so, how is that proven? If not, why not? How much pay does Michael Bisping deserve for losing an eye in the UFC? Before anyone points to his current success, we must remember, that is not due to his fighter pay alone. Or what about Paul Felder’s lung chunk? Or the countless names we do not remember who are working full-time jobs after their fight careers because the sport did not afford them a comfortable living. Can we name five financially independent former fighters? Three? This writer knows a former title contender and fan-favorite fighter who is a very good carpenter. Not on a yacht. Not in broadcasting. Not with a chain of MMA gyms. It is a foregone conclusion that fighters need to have a career plan after fighting. This is no longer a fringe back-alley sport. It is in the mainstream consciousness. The biggest promotion was sold for 4.2 billion dollars and is now more profitable than it was when it was sold. More questions than answers it seems on this subject. One question that remains: Why do MMA fans seem ok with martial artists giving so much and getting so little? Is it what it is?

Here is a question that never gets asked: What is what what is? You can read that a couple more times if it helps. It would be the proper response to the ridiculous and nonsensical phrase, “It is what it is” if only it was thought about for a second. Whatever the modern Shakespearean wants to mean when they are saying what it means (or what it is) to be involved in MMA, it seems most people are content to let things be what they are. It is easiest on the fan of MMA to just let its producers and promoter (singular on purpose) tell us what we should want. And then if questioned on whether there is something to reconsider – how much fighters should be paid for example – we are essentially just told: It is what it is. Then we walk away and wait for them to give us what it is . Thought experiment: What do these names mean to you the reader? Miguel Torres, Tyson Griffin, Melvin Guillard, Mike Pyle, Leonard Garcia, or Evan Dunham? Whatever they mean to the reader, it is safe to say they mean less to the UFC regardless of their individual and/or collective contributions to that promotion over the years. About the best those retired and should-be retired fighters are going to get right now from the promotion is to get to use an ice bath at the Performance Institute – assuming one of the stars has not made sure the place is all to themselves. It might be that the subject of fighter pay is an immediate turn-off to some. It is clear to most that follow Mixed Martial Arts that the subject has not really gained anything like traction in the public consciousness. The proverbial sausage-making is a non-starter. So what is the business of MMA? For our purposes here, it is more question than complaint. Why is such a dedicated fanbase, who seem to recognize the stakes for the chosen profession of their favorite athletes, so averse to paying attention to what the athlete is being paid or leaving the sport with? Is it possible the fans fell for what the promoter or its president says in that its athletes are getting paid “tons of money?” Yet those above names do not even have pounds or ounces to show for it – let alone tons. Is it possible that the fan thinks if the ‘stars’ are in any way representative like they are in sports with collective bargaining that even the lowest person in the organization is making a comfortable living? In other words, Lebron James is a wealthy star and the lowest paid athlete in the NBA with literally zero years experience making $1,017,781 a year (in 2022). Therefore, this might have us thinking that Conor is making millions, so a new MMA fighter must be making a decent living, right? Well, no. If a new fighter (with the common contract) gets three fights in the UFC in a calendar year, wins two and loses one, their pay will be around $60,000 for that year. This does not take into account management if they pay them, gym fees, equipment, etc. Does an NBA player have to pay their team’s facility to use its equipment or go out of pocket to pay coaches? It is not exaggeration to suggest that a first year UFC fighter after expenses might make something like the minimum wage in California. Tons? This is the part where the jaded commentator or smart guy says, “They don’t have to do it.” Those names listed above that are most likely unknown to the current crop of UFC fans are not complaining (that we can hear anyway). True; they did not have to do it. But it is equally true that a 4.2 billion dollar company does not have to pay their fighters the way they do either. When pro athletes in other fields (pun intended) get in trouble or wind up in court (another pun?), it is always part of the narrative to say that they squandered an opportunity. After all, “How could they do that when they get paid all that money?” No one has ever said that about an MMA fighter not named McGregor or Jones. And we have yet to even introduce the subject of other promotions which will come later. In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Eddie Alvarez, an MMA stalwart and former UFC (and other organizations) Champion, said the answer to these types of issues is not collective bargaining which is often suggested as a solution to the fighter pay issue (and those related, i.e. healthcare, pension, etc.). In fact, he inadvertently made his own point very clear that opponents will not ever likely work together when he spoke of the time when he and Michael Chandler had a sort of gentlemen’s agreement as opponents to join in negotiating their Bellator contract together . Alvarez said with a laugh that it did not unfold that way and Chandler had a deal all of a sudden and Eddie was left out of that. Eddie is a very astute fighter and business person in the space. He always speaks candidly about how a fighter needs to be in business for themselves and make stands for their own benefit. Even to the point of saying, “no” if they have to. There is an undeniable tension between employer and employee ahem , independent contractor. It exists in every field. Somehow when it comes to sports, the fan seems to assume a pro who is not doing a normal job must be getting paid handsomely and therefore has no right to complain or in some cases, even discuss that they might deserve more. Apparently, only fans can be frustrated about not being paid what they are worth. Does the reader deserve to be paid more at their chosen (yes, chosen) place of employment? Is there contentment if the higher-ups say, “Well, it is what it is”? If your employer were to say in public right now, “our people are getting tons of money,” would you agree? Stated earlier, this is a question. Do we care what Mixed Martial Artists get paid or how they are treated? If so, how is that proven? If not, why not? How much pay does Michael Bisping deserve for losing an eye in the UFC? Before anyone points to his current success, we must remember, that is not due to his fighter pay alone. Or what about Paul Felder’s lung chunk? Or the countless names we do not remember who are working full-time jobs after their fight careers because the sport did not afford them a comfortable living. Can we name five financially independent former fighters? Three? This writer knows a former title contender and fan-favorite fighter who is a very good carpenter. Not on a yacht. Not in broadcasting. Not with a chain of MMA gyms. It is a foregone conclusion that fighters need to have a career plan after fighting. This is no longer a fringe back-alley sport. It is in the mainstream consciousness. The biggest promotion was sold for 4.2 billion dollars and is now more profitable than it was when it was sold. More questions than answers it seems on this subject. One question that remains: Why do MMA fans seem ok with martial artists giving so much and getting so little? Is it what it is?

In the Israeli Army, where I served, new recruits have six months to go from high school graduates into soldiers. Instructors need to squeeze every bit of training into these weeks, and there is never enough time to cover everything. The West Point Military Academy is a far different system. As this is a professional army, this is a military college where students learn how to become officers. There, they learn the skills to lead their soldiers into battle. Therefore, the cadets prepare the way one would for any other career. It was a privilege to enter a completely different world. Cadets are selected from the top students across the United States. Once accepted, they will have access to the finest facilities and have entire semesters to perfect their skills over a four-year period until they graduate as officers and attend active duty. At the end of four years, most Israeli soldiers have been released from service for a year and are backpacking through South America. Even officer training in the Israeli army is only, at most, fourteen weeks. My afternoon with Matt Larsen, Combatives Director at West Point, allowed me to understand what was possible with a vast amount of time and resources but also outlined the principles which can be applied to all martial arts students and teachers. This fits with the idea of the program. The training these cadets get is not typical of the average soldier. Larsen reports that they will be in charge of maintaining the fitness of their soldiers and working with their subordinate officers to maintain the standard. Having a high degree of knowledge will allow them to set and maintain a high standard for the entire company. Here are the top three principles I learned from the entire program that every school should implement. (I learned so much from Matt Larsen himself, I filled up an entire second article) Principle: Learn How to Move The West Point combatives program starts with learning the fundamentals of movement. Cadets study the basic forms of running, climbing, and falling, as well as basic gymnastics. This allows them to be able to control their own bodies in space, allowing for efficient and ergonomic motion. Although it seems strange to begin combatives by going so back to basics, this foundation allows them to pick up techniques in more advanced classes much more quickly. One especially important movement that students must learn is swimming. Not everyone comes to West Point knowing how to swim. By the end, they must learn not only how to do so but how to do so under stressful conditions such as not having use of their feet and hands. While this may not seem like combatives on the surface level, the skills of keeping their composure in stressful situations are vital for being able to function on the battlefield. Principle: Learn the Rules, Then Break Them After movement, comes classes in actual combatives. The first class is boxing. Of course, students are not expecting to go three rounds with terrorists. However, learning to punch, block, move, defend, and pivot will become the foundational fighting skills. After that, students learn a form of ground combat that also allows for striking. The final class is a close-quarters combatives class that brings in weapons. Each class builds on the other, in order to create students who are able to fight in close-quarter situations. Although one would imagine that soldiers would primarily use weapons, Larsen illustrated that many times, using weapons would be counter-productive and seen as brutal when working in foreign countries, and soldiers must be able to defend themselves without resorting immediately to shooting. Larsen described the learning process as getting from short-term memory to long-term memory. He compared it to learning letters, and then building them into words, and then making use of those words to form independent thoughts. Students first learn the basic principles of combatives, but then learn to work them together to be able to form battle strategies of their own. The emphasis isn’t on memorizing but on making combatives natural to the student. This is shown by the way each semester builds on the other, utilizing the skills from previous ones to build a more rounded skill set. From movement comes boxing. From boxing comes the groundwork. And the final class creates the well-rounded warrior. Principle: Learn to Cultivate a Spirit of Healthy Competition by Competing for Mutual Improvement I was surprised by how hard the students were going at each other. During the tests, hard strikes were allowed on the body. Cadet Caitlin, one of the students about to test, explained that any strikes above the hip and below the clavicle were permitted, making them extremely painful. Also, these tests were given in public before all of their peers, which means the losers would be known to everyone. “Fighting publicly, the fear of public humiliation, that is something you just have to overcome with every single class,” she explained. Since the events were publicly graded, cadets had to get used to being criticized publicly and taking it with grace and honor. Given that the students work and live together in such close proximity, I wondered if there would be hard feelings. Cadet Fahad, the other of the two students I interviewed, said no. “It’s all about maintaining your composure.” But after class? “It’s all love.” He shared how they go really hard on each other in class, but afterward, everyone was extremely supportive of each other. “They’re breeding warriors here, but at the end of the day, we can go back, do our homework together, and laugh it off, It’s a new day.” West Point has created an atmosphere where students go hard on each other to improve each other, so the harder one goes on one’s partner (appropriately), the more camaraderie it shows. Most gyms can’t replicate the West Point Academy experience. Most armies can’t even do it. But the principles from this elite program can be brought to training everywhere. I know I have been inspired.

In this fourth installment of John Wick, Keanu Reeves suits up once again to dismantle those who are out to kill him. An official trailer has been released along with a scheduled movie release date of March 24th, 2023. In 2014, the John Wick franchise made its debut and has been a tremendous success ever since. With the addition of martial artists and action stars, Donnie Yen and Scott Adkins, things are taken to the next level. John Wick 4 (JW4) will see the return of familiar characters, Lawrence Fishburne as the Bowery King, Lance Reddick as Charon, and Ian McShane as Winston. This action-packed movie will also feature actors with serious martial arts skills, the most notable additions being Donnie Yen and Scott Adkins. After the franchise's third installment opened to great success, JW4 was confirmed as the fourth installment. Originally, John Wick 3 and 4 were intended to be shot back-to-back, but due to covid-19 and Matrix Resurrection, JW4 was delayed. The latest film began shooting in the summer of 2021, in multiple countries. It’s said to continue where John Wick 3 left off. In the trailer, you can see Wick (Keanu Reeves) training as he prepares to take on the highest authority of the underworld, the infamous High Table. The Bowery King shows up holding Wick’s iconic black-on-black ensemble. Upon being asked whether he is prepared for the task at hand, Wick replied, "Yeah." As usual, Wick dresses to impress, no matter who he's killing at the time. The John Wick franchise knows its fanbase very well. People who enjoy nonstop, fast-paced action with a simple storyline. The trailer by Lionsgate does a great job of appealing to its base by showing some of the action that can be expected. There are several new high table members revealed in the trailer, which is one of the most exciting things to take away from it. Who doesn’t want to see John Wick go to war with Bill Skarsgard’s character Marquis and Donnie Yen’s character Caine? Bill Skarsgard, who played Penny Wise in the movie IT, appears to be one of the main antagonists of John Wick along with Asia Kate Dillon. Although having a part in the movie, there is no information on Scott Adkins’ character yet. In the end, Wick may have to face Caine, played by Yen, a high-ranking member of the High Table. This is something I am very much looking forward to. We can expect more trailers as the film's release draws closer. With the release of more trailers, more information about the plot and characters will be explained. Other than the latest trailer, no further details have been revealed about the plot of JW4. However, when you combine Donnie Yen's and Scott Adkins' martial arts prowess, this installment is bound to be a box office hit.

The majority of martial arts training is geared toward all of the things that you need to do to improve and advance. Regardless of style, there is usually a long list of techniques to learn, exercises to do, drills to perfect, and so on. With so much time spent on what we should do, perhaps it would be a good idea to consider the things that we should not do.Minimalist Martial Art. The whole idea of minimalism, de-cluttering, and other philosophies geared toward getting rid of the junk that we seem to accumulate, but don’t need, is a concept easily applied to martial arts training. This is certainly not a new idea. If one pays attention to the wisdom of the venerable samurai Miyamoto Musashi, and his treatise on strategy from the 17th century, The Book of Five Rings , he spells it out quite simply: “Do nothing which is of no use.”The first step in the process is to question why we do what we do. This can be difficult, I know it was for me, as we tend to do what we’re told by our teachers, our fellow students, and do things that we’ve picked up elsewhere (books, videos, etc). However, we all learn and grow, and something that may have been a great drill, exercise, or technique years ago, may not serve the same purpose any longer. It may be time to move on. Here are some questions to ask yourself: What do you practice, and what are your goals? Does your practice match what you want to achieve? That may sound simple, but I know for myself, my practice was quite different than my goals. I wanted to get better at weapons, but I was hardly practicing them at all. Why? I didn’t want to give up time on things that I had done for years. A change was needed. Either I was going to have to cut some things and add others, or reevaluate what I was trying to accomplish. How long have you been doing a particular drill, technique, or exercise? That’s not to say that you should jettison something just because it’s old. The purpose is to remember the reason why you started doing it in the first place, and consider whether it is still valuable to you. I was still practicing drills to fix a bad habit long after the bad habit had been fixed. The drills had done their job. Time to tick the box, and move on. Do you have a program of practice with metrics to determine success, or is it just a familiar activity? We like what we know, and it can be very uncomfortable to make changes. While we shouldn’t necessarily make changes for change's sake, we shouldn’t keep doing what we’re doing just because we’re used to it either. Evaluate The act of questioning your practice and focus is an important first step. The next step is to evaluate whether the things you do are effective or not. If you are doing a kicking drill, is this the best one? Are the kicks getting better? If I video myself now and compare it with a video from months ago, is there improvement? As with many things in life, the secret to success lies in the questions we ask ourselves. If you are going “back to basics,” are you improving your basics? If your basics are the same as when you learned them, then something is amiss. The goal should be an improvement upon those basic skills to bring them up to a higher level, and not just to be good at practicing them. There is a difference between busy and productive. They can appear similar, but the results are very different. Execute If you have questioned the efficacy and effectiveness of your practice, then most likely, for some things, it will be time for the axe to fall and sever that which no longer serves you. As a big believer in lists, I suggest simply sitting down and creating a new training schedule or routine. Write it out and start making the necessary changes. Here are the steps: Question why you do what you do. Evaluate if the activity is truly building your skills, abilities, or techniques or just keeping you busy. Eliminate anything extraneous or that no longer serves a purpose. Execute a newly pruned-down and powerful practice program that gets you to your goals. As I mentioned previously, questioning can be difficult, but it is important to do. If things are merely done by rote, then we run the risk of making our practice a ritual that may not yield the benefit it once did. I think one should question most things. Question authority. Question convention. Question your own beliefs. It is important to know why you do what you do, and deal with things how they really are.

One of the greatest influences in the Martial Arts world has been Bruce Lee. There are, of course, naysayers that like to focus on his lack of a prolific professional fight career that many MMA stars benefit from today. To argue what Bruce Lee could or couldn’t do in the Octagon is really a moot point. It reminds me of the comparisons of the Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls team versus today’s best teams. All that we really know and can prove is who is the best in their day. That said, one of the best at promotion and creating excitement regarding the Arts in his day was Bruce Lee. Bruce captured the audience’s imagination and wowed them with his skillset at his formal introduction to the American Martial Arts world via American Kenpo Grandmaster Ed Parker’s Long Beach International Karate Championship. His impact then and through the remaining years of his life was so profound that we still discuss him to this very day. One of Lee’s greatest contributions to the Arts wasn’t based on his physical talents. Rather it springs from his philosophical views and the establishment of the proper mindset for the ultimate benefit of our studies. Together with you, I would like to explore a few quotes from Bruce Lee and see how they can serve as guideposts for our training. Let’s dive in. “Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless, like water. You put water into a cup, it becomes the cup.” Whether you are an experienced Martial Artist or a brand-new beginner, establishing a proper mindset is perhaps the most important thing you can do to prepare for success. When approaching something new or different, we frequently use past experiences or fabricated beliefs which falsely shape what we are about to learn. As Bruce points out, it is vital to clear the mind and be willing to assimilate and be shaped by what we are taught. When we submit to this idea, we are prepared to learn. “Don't speak negatively about yourself, even as a joke. Your body doesn't know the difference. Words are energy and cast spells, that's why it's called spelling.” As you train and work to be like water, the temptation for self-talk is unavoidable. As Bruce points out though, what you tell yourself is of the utmost importance. Speaking negatively about oneself may happen for several reasons, but it doesn’t do anything positive for us in the long run. We should use caution and make sure what we tell ourselves during training is positive. Build yourself up rather than tear yourself down. “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” As you’re working to assimilate knowledge with the proper mindset and positive self-talk, focus your training in a way to maximize your results. The continual temptation for Martial Artists is to spread themselves so thin that they do a lot but master nothing. As Bruce talks about the man that practices one kick 10,000 times, he seems to be purporting mastery of a few skills rather than dabbling in a multitude. “Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.” Take the skills you develop through much practice and make them your own. Bruce then says to reject and get rid of that which you find useless IN THE MOMENT. This jives with his thoughts on the one-kick ideology but allow me to suggest a simple possibility. That which is “useless” for you today , may not be useless tomorrow . Furthermore, it may be helpful to someone you’re teaching in the future with a different natural talent base. For this reason, even when applying Bruce’s philosophical ideas to my training, I like to return to the beginning mindset and approach my training with an open and clear mind. “The ego boundary is the differentiation between the self and the other. It is not a fixed thing. If it is fixed, then is becomes a character or an armor like the shell of a turtle.” On the flipside of focusing on little rather than exposure to much, Bruce talked about the ego . This is a humbling warning reminding us not to me overly confident with that one kick that has been practiced 10,000 times. Yes, focus and build a strong skill, but always be willing to be humbled and learn something new. Your ego may tell you to identify as a turtle, but that may be holding you back. To survive in the wild, you may need to evolve into something other than a turtle. For a real-life example, look at the evolution of MMA and the fight game over the last few decades. You can’t deny the evolution of the fighters, and the skillset changes over even that short period of time. What would have been enough to be a champ in 1990, may not be enough to even make the UFC roster today. I don’t want to get too far off-topic with combat sports. My main point is that our skills must evolve with the real-life threats of today, and we can’t let our ego hold us back from learning something new. “Punch when you have to punch. Kick when you have to kick. Forget about winning and losing; forget about pride and pain. Let your opponent graze your skin and you smash into his flesh; let him smash into your flesh and you fracture his bones; let him fracture your bones and you take his life!” When push comes to shove, and there is no referee to make sure a fight is fair, you must be willing to do what is necessary. Bruce expresses that you should be ready to take some damage and deal with pain. But he also makes it abundantly clear that you must have the fortitude and skills to take it one step further than any attacker you may face. You must be able to push through adversity and unquestionably defeat anyone with ill intent toward you or your family. “Don't think, FEEL.” If you find yourself in the situation where you must exercise your skills for self-preservation, you will be well served for having practiced extensively with intensity and intention. For in the moment of battle, you can’t spend time thinking. You must feel and act on the instinct you have developed through your years of directed preparation in the dojo. Bruce Lee brought so much to the Martial Arts world. It was not only his physical skills, but his philosophical views which are some of his most significant contributions. I hope you’ll consider these guideposts from Bruce’s quotes and use them in shaping your studies to develop a training approach that helps you become the best Martial Artist you can be. Salute, Ian Lauer 3rd Degree Black Belt American Kenpo 1st Degree Black Belt Tae Kwon Do 1st Degree Black Belt Hapkido 1st Degree Black Belt Coszacks Karate