Article Categories
Daily Buzz
|
Lessons from the PastFeatured in In the Daily Buzz - Jan 04, 2011 Neil Ripski
Back in the mid 1980s a small boy dreaded his walk home from school. The first field from the school he had to cross was what he dreaded; and it was there, around the corner next to the “smoke pit,” that the big kids would hang out and bully him as he went by.
Nearly every day this became an exercise in sprinting and endurance, speed and longevity, in order to avoid the bruises, black eyes and humiliation he would feel if they were able to catch up to him. If he could make it to the trees at the end of the field they would usually give up the chase and he could walk, panting, the rest of the way home – safe until the next morning.
Most of the time the bullies would kick and punch him in places that would not leave obvious marks so that none of the teachers or parents would know what they were doing and the usual threats were uttered from teenaged mouths about how much worse it would be if he told anyone what they did to him. Out of fear he would keep his mouth shut and never tell a soul what was happening. Nurse the bruises to his body and emotions alone and wish he could find some way out.
Finally one day at a local hangout he and his friends saw a poster advertising self-defence with the art of kung fu. All of them had silently resolved to take the class and hopefully one day fight off the bullies as they tried to deliver another beating to them.
The first class, he walked into a school gymnasium full of fear and hope that the man in the black uniform could help teach them how to stop being hurt. Stretches, pushups, agonizing leg squats, repeated kicks and punches, blocks and holds – he realized he had found something he truly enjoyed and felt empowered doing.
Years passed and, as his body grew stronger, his confidence grew. The beatings began to subside due to his ability to run faster and farther than the aggressors could. More training allowed him to begin to understand the body of an opponent and its telltale signs of aggression before movement really began, how to remain calm in the face of a more powerful, older, more experienced opponent.
The master would push him farther and farther, even though he was young, in order to perfect his movements and control his emotions.
When the day finally came that he chose not to run from the bully who had been hitting him for years, since elementary school, he stood defiantly with years of fear and hatred in his heart as he faced him. The strangest thing was that even in striking and kicking the other boy in the head, throwing him to the ground and stalking around him like a predator, no joy came from it. No feeling of satisfaction surfaced as he walked away from the first fight he ever won, only the regret from having to strike someone else, from having to cause harm, to draw blood.
His master sat with him after being told and said, “Now you are beginning to understand the way. Kung fu is not for fighting but growth. Fighting is always a last resort and a kung fu man should never take joy from it.”
Although the path has continued for more than two decades since then, my master’s advice still rings true in my ears. Martial art is for self-preservation, as a last resort. Self-development is its true purpose.
Neil Ripski teaches kung fu and tai chi at Red Jade Martial Arts in Creston. He can be reached at 250-866-5263 or www.redjademartialarts.com.
Comments
you must login to comment |
Article Archives
Article Authors
|