First Impressions

In a previous musing I explored why it took so long to get started in the martial arts.  Just getting started took me 30 or more years and it was the first of many milestones in the short time I have been studying the martial arts.  If the path of martial arts study can be likened to a hiking trip, the first watercourse I had to cross would have been be a wide river.  Getting started was a major crossing and I am glad to have finally forded what, for me, were raging waters.  When searching for a style to study I visited a few dojos and watched the Sensei and his students work their style.  In every dojo I visited I was welcomed warmly and was treated respectfully.  I had some idea of what I didn’t want and only vaguely knew what I did want.  If I was going to invest time, money, sweat and self, I wanted something in return.  I wanted more than aerobic fitness; I had that.  I wanted more than choreography.  I wanted function.  I wanted to improve my balance, flexibility, and coordination, and why not learn how to defend myself also.  Being able to kick butt was not, at the age of 53, the driving motivation behind this endeavor but it would be a pleasing result of all the time, sweat and diligence.  I would realize later, that when coordination and balance were no longer my greatest challenges, the confidence in my improving defensive ability became a motivating factor in continuing my effort.

So I shopped the styles.  I visited dojos and watched classes that were great aerobic workouts with fast paced repetitive movements.  I visited one where the testosterone ran high and the action seemed full contact with little instruction.  I visited another where the instruction was clear and concise but the style seemed a little unrealistic for an average type, like me.  I visited a couple of dojos where finances and contracts seemed unrealistic for a creaky old beginner.  How did I know if I was going to survive the first 12-18 months?  I’ve done the long-term contract thing before and the contract is usually written for the protection of the one who writes it.

I continued searching on and off for about six months before I came across a style taught by a thin wiry man a couple of years my senior.  This man was fast, ambidextrous, and serious.  He taught an upright style that stressed defense first, followed by an automatic offense.  The first class I observed began with warm-up and stretching followed by a fast paced series of movements called “squat exercises” (various punches, strikes, and blocks) and katas (prearranged defensive and offensive movements).  I liked what I had seen so far.  There were many movements stressing upper body, lower body and coordination of upper and lower body movements.  The class moved on to kicking skills, and there were many types of kicks and kick combinations, most of which seemed effective and doable to this untrained eye.  Then the class moved on to ground work which consisted of rolls, falls and flips.  These are learned to protect one’s self in the event of a throw, trip, or fall during a fight. Now that looked like fun.  I could do that.  Falling has always come naturally to me.  The instructor kept a good pace and had a knack for coaxing and helping the students improve on their techniques.

The class ended with the students breaking off into groups to practice self-defense techniques.  These techniques appeared simple, yet when broken down were intricate in their body placement.  The instructor gave each student full attention and when the individual student was given personalized attention, the group also learned.

I had observed a style which stressed defense, fought from an upright position designed for close-in combat, and yet had offensive moves like punch and kick combinations followed by throws and submission holds.  I had observed more than a stylistic martial art; I had observed a philosophy, a strategy, and a means to pull them all together.  I had observed LOTUS.

The author began his study of martial arts at the age of 53 with LOTUS Self Defense under Ajarn Mac Petry.  Three years later he has added the study of Jui Jitsu to his training.  Visit a LOTUS Self Defense class and keep your eye on the gray-haired student in the second row.  He pops and creaks but he can do it.  And so can you.  If you wish to comment on this article, please feel free through the website's email address.