Bruce Lee On A Motorcycle
Everyone Martial Artist should have to ride a motorcycle.
At least for a year.
When you ride a motorcycle you are aware of a lot more things.
You don’t look at signs; you look at traffic. Just because someone is supposed to yield doesn’t mean they will. You give everyone else the right of way. You are a nicer driver.
Because you look different a lot of other drivers don’t notice you. You have to be careful.
When you drive past other bikes you always wave; sometimes you bow. You have great etiquette.
In a few towns in Europe they completely did away with traffic signs. No stop lights, no signs, not even lines on the road.
Accidents went DOWN by more than 80%.
People behave better when they aren’t following rules; but instead are looking around and using their best judgement.
I know a man who raised excellent kids. He told me he had never given then a curfew. He told them they had one simple rule to follow.
Don’t disappoint your mom.
A lot of Martial Arts styles love to use rules. They have hundreds of moves that the student has to memorize and repeat.
Often students learn all the moves; but aren’t very good at the art itself. They are looking at signs; but not paying attention to the driving.
Bruce Lee in “Enter the Dragon” said: “It’s like a finger pointing at the moon; don’t look at the moon or you will miss all that heavenly glory.”
It’s like that.
Long ago I used to have lots of students who had memorized all the moves in a style I was teaching. Trouble was they knew all the moves, had earned all the belts; but they weren’t in very good shape and couldn’t defend themselves.
I gave up.
I went through everything I and decided to only teach what would do three things.
Get them in better shape
Teach them self defense
Teach them to better focus the mind
I took out a lot of stuff.
I added a lot of new stuff.
Now I teach something I’m proud of.
Lots of people were mad at me. They missed the old signs.
Everyone who studies Martial Arts should ride a motorcycle.
… Except for Mark Sears