Chapter 35 – The Best Curriculum
In this particular column, we are going to further our exploration and refinement in the Art of Teaching. Remember…In Descendants of the Masters, we like to break things down from the 30,000 foot view in 3 aspects.
- We want our instructors to be masterful at sparring and fighting.
- We want our martial art to be our business. Our financial income to provide for our families.
- And finally we want to use our Martial Art as a vehicle to enter the spiritual door(this is the art of giving back).
To a martial artist, their curriculum is their product. Typically when students are searching for whomever they are going to be taught by(The flagship that initially attracts them is one’s curriculum), so the $64,000 question is, what is the best curriculum ? Of course when we use the term best, we must first define what the term best actually means. Simply put, with our business hats on, as business men, the word best means, that one is able to get the most people possible, as emotional as possible.
So what are the things, that actually impress most people ? The most popular subject in martial arts, and the most popular martial artist is Bruce Lee. The members of this club, actually get the privilege of using this gentleman’s name, because you are descendants of the man. So assuming, it is ethical and legal that one can use Bruce Lee’s name, the next most popular curriculum would revolve around MMA. People in the know, understand that the best fighters on the planet are in Mixed Martial Arts. The third most popular buzz word/curriculum, is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. And finally, fourth place belongs to the enigmatic and direct art of Wing Chun.
So when one is devising a curriculum, it would be profoundly invaluable to use one of these aforementioned popular arts. After all there are over 3000 martial arts styles on the planet. If one is lucky enough to have one of these 4, they are going to do financially well. Now my question to you is, what if you could use all 4 of them, in one curriculum? My question to you is, what if you then threw eye jabs, groin shots, kinamutai on top of this curriculum ? Ladies and gentleman, members of our club, I can guarantee you, you can write your own ticket. If there is one catch, in this formula of wealth, it would be how do you combine all of these arts, into a two day seminar format ? Remember, my members have been and continue to travel around the world doing seminars (and most seminars are 2 days long, over the weekend). Regarding my question, (how do you combine all of this in a 2 day seminar), the answer is simple. You spend the next 20 years developing, refining, refining, developing, developing, refining, until you finally have, well it is the product that I am about to give you !!!
The 30,000 foot view of this curriculum is the ability to apply Wing-Chun, Tai-Chi, Footsweeps, and all of our self-perfection/self-preservation moves out of MMA. To this day people do not apply their martial arts techniques out of Mixed Martial Arts. They apply their techniques out of their own style. Finally after we have done all of our techniques out of the matrix of MMA, and combined Kinamutai, we integrate stick fighting, and the simple concept of De-fanging the Snake. I realize that some of you understood exactly what I just said, and to others their still might be a bit of ambiguity. So allow me to give you a literal and specific agenda.
1. Pac Sao of the retracting jab. 2. Double Pac Sao of the retracting jab. 3. Pac Sao Lop Sao of the retracting jab. 4. Jow Sao High of the retracting jab. 5. Jow Sao Low off of the retracting jab. 6. After said traps have been completed, engage in the Thai Clinch Drill. 7. After said traps have been completed, engage in the Pummeling Drill 8. After both drills have been completed, complete a takedown, and engage in our specific Kinomutai advanced bite flow(This is the flow pattern that Singh did at the retreat).
Now the next two numbers that I am going to give you 9 and 10, are disproportionately more important than the previous 8.
9. One must do this curriculum with professional body mechanics. Remember you are going to have imitators all over the world. When separating those that imitate from those that duplicate there are two words, body mechanics.
And then finally there is number 10. Number 10, is when finally you have impressed everyone with your curriculum while exuding professional body mechanics. Now you have one final mission. Whoever brought you in, is going to undoubtedly want to spar with you. I’m not saying this is going t be any big dramatic challenge, I’m not saying this is going to be some big blood bath. But I am going to say this, ego is ego. And every sponsor that has flown me in, in their own way has wanted to spar with me.
Sparring can be broken down in 4 areas, standing up, ground fighting, weapons sparring, and chi-sao. If you do a great seminar, and loose to the sponsor sparring, they will never call you back again. If you do a great seminar, and beat the sponsor sparring, there is a 50/50 chance they will call you back. However, if you do a great seminar, beat the sponsor sparring, and then do it in a humble way, then you complement the sponsor so that he feels good about being beaten. Now we have a win win for everyone, you, your sponsor, and your career. See ya next Week !
Please check the Table of Contents for links to other chapters of this Online Book.
