I was recently reading an interview which was conducted some time ago with Master Gin Foon Mark, the head of the Southern Praying Mantis system. Born in 1927, Mark grew up in a martial arts family. His father was a White Crane boxer. When Mark was quite young he attended training at a nearby temple to learn a peculiar internal system (I don't think it still exists) and he ultimately ended up finding his niche in the Southern Mantis style.
I was recently reading an interview which was conducted some time ago with Master Gin Foon Mark, the head of the Southern Praying Mantis system. Born in 1927, Mark grew up in a martial arts family. His father was a White Crane boxer. When Mark was quite young he attended training at a nearby temple to learn a peculiar internal system (I don't think it still exists) and he ultimately ended up finding his niche in the Southern Mantis style.
The interviewer asked Mark about differences in the way people train nowadays as compared to the "old days." One of the things Mark noted was lifestyle. He said that when he was younger (in China), martial arts zealots could devote more of their time to practice because they had plenty of time and a lot less stress. Most jobs weren't particularly stressful as we think of of it; a lot of the local people were simple farmers. There were far fewer distractions; no television, movies, video games, restaurants...or any of the other distractions that exist nowadays. "To amuse ourselves we practiced martial arts," he mused. "We didn't watch television because nobody had one."
Indeed. Although television certainly existed when I was young, video games didn't...and I recall practicing martial arts was what I did at home to amuse myself much of the time. Sure, I went to an occassional movie and hung out with friends. But the bulk of my private time was spent practicing...just because I enjoyed it.
I recently spoke with a young lady who is a staff member at the college where I am employed and she told me that she "does aerobics three times a week and taekwondo twice a week..." and that's the thing that concerns me. When I was her age there just weren't that many martial arts schools in the whole country! Nowadays, people shop around for martial arts schools much as they would for fresh produce but when I was younger, that was simply impossible. You were darned lucky if there was even a martial arts school in your state! So you took what you could get and that was that.
Martial arts enthusiasts were often regarded with a certain awe. People weren't sure what you were about. There were stories about having to kill a man with your bare hands in order to achieve the coveted black belt (my own Father actually believed this). It was said that karate "experts" could kill a man with a single blow or jump up and kick you in the face. They could shove their fists through bricks and planks of wood and there were tales of one karate master who even killed bulls!
So when you began training in a certain martial art, people sort of looked at you sideways.
Not so today. Today people "do aerobics on Mondays and Wednesdays, karate on Tuesdays, and bowling on Fridays..." It's just something they "do." Maybe two klicks down from a hobby. Like bingo, scrapbooking, or whatever. If you miss an aerobics class or bowling night, it's no big deal and you don't give it a second thought.
Not so with martial arts in the old days. If you missed a class you'd bloody well better be explaining "why" to your teacher pronto. If you didn't, you might be expelled from class altogether. You were expected to be serious about training. You had to be; if you missed certain training the end result in the next class might be a nasty injury. The teacher didn't review it for your benefit. You either learned from a senior classmate or you just didn't learn it...but you were expected to know it whether you were in attendance or not.
People marvel nowadays about the masters of times past and what they could allegedly do. But consider the "why." It's not because they were particularly gifted. It's because they practiced. A lot. Every day. Come hell or high water. They were determined. You don't see that much anymore.
I remember one of my students who used to come to the training hall in the early morning and train for several hours. Five and six days a week. Sometimes he'd be back to the night class. And we're not even talking about the training he put in at home. And he did this while he was carrying a full load and a GPA of 4.0 in nursing college (talk about stress...)! Another one would come straight from his work (as a sergeant in the Air Force), train downstairs in the "dungeon" for a couple of hours, then come upstairs for class...six (and sometimes seven) days a week!
That's determination.
I don't ever recall hearing people like this tell me, "I'm just too tired to practice tonight." They didn't make excuses. They were tougher on themselves than I could have ever been. And that's what makes a superior martial arts practitioner.
Interview with Phil Starr
Phillip Starr, a fifty-year veteran of Chinese martial arts and founder of Yilichuan kung-fu, has offered Martial Edge a vital insight into his life and teaching upon the release of his debut novel, The Making of a Butterfly. The book focuses on Philips first kung fu teacher, Master W.C. Chen, and offers a great insight into how Chinese martial arts were taught and approached at a time when people were unfamiliar with its concepts and philosophy.
It's a question of how bad you want it. If all you aspire to is some level of mediocrity, then you don't have to work too hard. But if you want to acquire real skill it's going to take a lot of practice. And bruises, scrapes, bloody noses, split lips, and maybe a broken bone or two. Just as you can;t expect to become a concert pianist by practicing once or twice a week in class, you can't become a superior martial artist by doing the same thing.
If you want something, go after it with all that you are. If you want to excel at something, it's going to take a lot of work.
Philosophy and Opinion 
I was recently reading an interview which was conducted some time ago with Master Gin Foon Mark, the head of the Southern Praying Mantis system. Born in 1927, Mark grew up in a martial arts family. His father was a White Crane boxer. When Mark was quite young he attended training at a nearby temple to learn a peculiar internal system (I don't think it still exists) and he ultimately ended up finding his niche in the Southern Mantis style.
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