The Purpose of Training...

Why do you train? What is your purpose, your intent when you step on the mat? How do you apply your training to your life? Do you apply your training to your life? I would guess that all of us have different answers for why we train, what motivates us, our purpose, and what our intent should be.

Let me offer some suggestions...Train so that you understand your self as completely as humanly possible, know what makes you tick and why... Understand your limitations then do something about them... Don't settle for the mediocre... Why would you want to accept being average? Push yourself to excel, to grow, to expand... Look at things from a new perspective, your way is not the only way...(As your instructor, my way is the right way... Just kidding) See things from someone else's point of view...

One of my mentors Master Tom Callos tells me, and probably 300 other people weekly: that the last thing this world needs, is another punch thrown in anger, another grenade or missile launched...There is more to the quote but Coach Tom is like a hurricane of ideas, you have to try to catch whatever you can. The point is that we need to measure our actions, control our reactions, and understand what motivates us to the point where we are able to leave our emotions, our prejudices, our lack of understanding out of the picture and respond as a empathetic human.

Unfortunately some people refuse to be appeased, you cannot always walk or run away, and they leave you no hope for a peaceful solution... You see this cycle repeating time and time again through out history, I am a historian by training as well... This cycle will not be broken in our life time and probably will exist as long as we exist on this planet... Is is hopeless? I don't think so... but we need to educate ourselves, be diligent, patient, and aware... Train our students and our children for peace but teach them self protection so that they will be enabled to do whatever needs to be done. We need to chose our battles wisely and minimize the effects on the innocent that happen to be nearby... Be aware, be prepared, be patient, be concious of those that are not actively involved... (When you are sparring you don't roundhouse kick the ref.... At least you better not if I'm the ref!)

I train for battle, so I can live in peace. I push my body, so my body can continue to push me. I train my mind, so I control it and keep it from controlling me. I train my spirit, so my training won't be just a physical act that occupies my time, it becomes a dance, a merging of the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of me... I train to be...

Why do you train?

Peace

Chris Holmes-Master Teacher

Being Lucky....

We had several new guys on the mat tonight, including one mma guy who described himself as being close to black belt level in jiu jitsu....When asked where he trained and with whom, he replied here and there and with a bunch of guys... I then offered to grapple with him to see where he was at.... He was fast and strong for his size and he was going all out trying to get me but he had very little ground game... I reversed him numerous times and tapped him with a RNC and a Darce Choke. If he had been less sweaty and I had been feeling better it would have been even more one sided... Then at the end he told me that I was lucky that he had worked all day and was somewhat tired.

I laughed... Knowing that I have a bruised tailbone, shoulder impingement, and have been sick all weekend. I was gassed by the end of our two matches but not to the same extent as he was. Seeing where someone is and submitting them when they get wild is part of a teaching and learning curve for many of us in BJJ. He is not to blame for his ego as he has never learned or been taught any better... He does have a lot of potential and if he can learn to lay the ego aside, I will teach him to the best of my abilities...

I did explain that it takes time to progress in BJJ, I have been a personal student of Carlos Machado for well over three years and I am still a blue belt... Guys it's never about the destination, it's about the journey. Some of you didn't have enough classes to test, well that just means that you will have a better test next time. But so and so is getting ahead of me... Really? Does one belt rank really mean that they are that much better than you or are you getting hung up on the belts themselves? It's not the belts, it's the knowledge, the sweat, the tears, the blood you shed on your journey.

I then reflected on the mma guy's statement about me being lucky... He doesn't know how right he is... I'm lucky that I had to wait an extra months to test for my first black belt, I rocked the test! I'm lucky that I ended my relationship with one of my instructors, I now save a lot of money and I am not stressed out about trying to teach what he wants me to teach. I'm lucky that I met Carlos at the Supershow over 3 years ago...I'm lucky that I have friends like him and Vincent and others to push me. I'm lucky that Ms Christine started training with me 7 or 8 yrs ago. I'm lucky that I can call and talk to people like Tom Callos on a weekly basis. I'm lucky in that I have gotten to train with some of the best, Royce Gracie, Relson Gracie, all 5 of the Machado brothers, Mike Swain, GM Song, Master Steve Seo, and many others. I'm lucky that I get to get up every morning and work at something I love and share it with others.

Stop getting hung up on the belts, focus on yourself and don't worry about your classmates. Your time will come, your star will shine, if you practice, practice, and practice some more.

Peace

Chris Holmes-Master Teacher

Balance, Life, and Martial Arts.

Balance, Life, and Martial Arts.... Sometimes life seems like a long walk across a tightrope. Trying to get where you need to go without falling or getting hurt along the way. There always seems to be a ton of distrations that keep us from reaching our goals...We have to learn to balance and juggle all of our resposibilities, our time, and our attention.

What does this have to do with martial arts? Martial arts teaches you focus, self discipline, respect, service, and all of the other qualities that you want to develop...We all can manage our time more effectively...If you want to be successful in life, in love, in martial arts you need to practice. Practice is the key to being good at everything, your life should be your dojo.... You should live as a martial artist. When you feel good about what you're doing, when you are healthy, when you are wasting less time in front of the televison, then you are gonna waste less time.

You will be a happier, healthier, and less stressed if you take your martial arts training seriously. You will be a better person, student, parent, and or child...

Peace

Chris Holmes-Master Teacher

Carlos Machado Seminar

Master Carlos Machado taught a seminar on Sat Sept. 19th here in McComb, MS. If you missed it you missed out... It is always a humbling experience getting to train with a legend and he is head and shoulders above 99% of the other BJJ blackbelts out there. We will be working new strategies and concepts that he introduced over the next several weeks...

Boiling Water, Frogs, and Life.

Boiling water, frogs, and life... What on earth could this have to do with my martial arts training? Let me start by reminding you of the story or telling it to you for the first time. The thing is if you put a frog in boiling water it will immediately jump out because of the heat, the pain, and his body's life defense mechanisms will kick in and get him to safety, but if you put the frog in warm water and gradually increase the heat then he will not realize he's being cooked until it is too late. When we really know how much pain, hurt, injury, and stress things cause us then we naturally tend to avoid them... But life doesn't always hit us with the knockout punch immediately.... Some things just creep up on us.

Ok, so how does this help you? Well that first cigarette doesn't kill you but if you could see the the damage it does and the expense it creates then you would never light up the first one. That first beer may not do you that much harm but ten years and 20lbs later it becomes much more difficult to put it down. Sitting on the sofa watching television and eating junk doesn't hurt you the first time but the cycle of self destruction that this and these other habits create is tremendous. Not only do the people who are in these cycles get hurt but they hurt their loved ones as well and often their children are sucked into the same cycle... So you have created a culture where people are destined to self destruct by repeating the examples that have been set for them.

Come on Chris give me some good news! All this stuff is depressing me! Well folks the good news is that we are here to help. We can teach you new habits, a new life style, and do it in a caring and nuturing enviroment that kicks your butt in the nicest of ways. Gym memberships are good they don't offer the same kind of enviroment, I'm going to teach you self defense, work you out, and make you reevaluate what in heck you are doing with your life.

If you are already training with us then keep up the good work and really give me 100% every time you are on the mat. This will boost your progress to new levels, practice daily, you eat, sleep, drink, go to the bathroom, and hopefully brush your teeth and shower daily. Well practice is at least as important as any of these other things you do.... MAKE IT A DAILY HABIT! Twenty years from now you will still be thanking me, the fitness you will achieve, the discipline you will cultivate, and the focus you will learn will be so valuable that you won't have enough money to pay me what it is really worth.

Put down the Twinkies and get busy...

Peace

Chris Holmes-Master Teacher

Martial Arts and "The Art of Learning"

I have been making my students read "The Art of Learning" by Josh Waitzkin. Josh Waitzkin is an 8 time National Chess Champion, Taiji Champion, and currently a Machado Jiu Jitsu student. Basically the book is an in depth examination of what it has taken him to master so many different subjects. Guess what people...Lots, and lots of practice, of course there is much more involved but until you master the fundamentals of whatever you are attempting to do you are handicapping your self from making forward progress.

I would guess that most of us us the restroom everyday, eat, drink, and sleep daily, and I certainly hope that all us are brushing our teeth and using deodorant daily. Martial arts practice should be just as important as any of these other activities. Every time you eat you need to remember that hey maybe I need to do my kicks, form, or some strikes to burn these calories. When you cleanse your body and your teeth remember that martial arts can cleanse the soul and the mind.

If I could take you my students or parents who are reading this forward in time, 10 years or even 20 years into the future. What would you or your child's future hold? Would they be well adapted, ready to deal with the challenges that life is always throwing at us? Would they have the kind of never say die attitude that drives them to get back up after they've been knocked down? Would they have the kind of leadership skills that would make them an asset to any company's workforce? Would they identify themselves as martial artists, the village protectors who are always seeking to make a difference in their world? I want you, your children, your grandchildren, and everyone you come in contact with to benefit from martial arts training. I do need your help, I need time to make this stick in their heads; I need commitment, they have to train and as parents it is your job to remind them...you have to pick your battles and this is one you cannot afford to lose; and I need enthusiasm, you students have to bring it when you step on the mat otherwise you are hurting your own progress as well as that of your classmates.

Parents and students if you really knew the true value of what martial arts has to offer you would never miss another class... I realize life gets in the way, that there are other things going on, that ball season requires so much time. The is nothing wrong with these other activities, I played high school ball for 3 yrs...But in all the times I have been in bad situation I never said to my self, "hey I'm a baseball player I can deal with this..." Maybe if someone had tried to mug me on the way back from batting practice with my Louisville slugger still in my hand....But no... every time I have had my world turned upside down I have been able to pull something from my martial arts training to help me through. Guys Mississippi leads the Nation in Obesity, our test scores are among the worst in the Nation, and we are near the to in Diabetes and Heart Disease. By the way have you noticed the sides of the roads we drive on every day? We also have some of the trashiest highways, interstates, and public roads in the Nation. What does all this have to do with martial arts training you ask?

Well my friends, I can give you real tangible skills to help you deal with an attacker if that ever occurs... But I have to tell you, your lack of exercise, the things you are putting in you mouth, and the television are far more likely to kill you than an act of random violence. I can do something to help you here....To the best of my knowledge we are the first and only school in MS to be implementing diabetes education, we will be teaching verbal judo to our students, we are the only school around requiring community service, working the concept of bringing marital arts out of the dojo and into the world, and last but certainly not least we have the best martial arts program around (I might just be a little biased here..).

So to wrap up this "Epic" post... What does all this stuff have to do with "The Art of Learning"? Learning requires effort, constant practice, commitment to excellence, and the right mindset. If you will let me teach you have to have success in these areas it will turn you into the kind of leaders that we need today. It will help you manage your life, your weight, deal with your personal relationships in a more positive manner, and it will give you a tool box of knowledge and skills that will help you be successful in life.

Peace,

Chris Holmes-Master Teacher