In the mean time, I thought it'd be cool to check out the original Karate Kid that got every kid in school back in the 80's amped up about signing up for karate. I watched the entire movie from beginning to end, but this time, 20+ years older and with wayyyy more martial arts experience and I have to say, this movie really is a gem. It's not an action movie, but a drama - about teacher/student relationship and the life lessons of karate. Simply brilliant.
Ok, I want to go over some important lessons from Mr. Miyagi (Daniel's Sensei) that I think serves as a great reminder for all martial artists.
1) Walk on road. Walk left side - safe. Walk right side - safe. Walk in the middle - squash! like grape! With karate - it's either karate yes or karate no, karate guess-so and squash! like grape!
Great lesson here - commit to it. Either you're in or you're out - you can't be half-assed about it.
2) Better learn balance. Balance is key. Balance good. Karate good.
Another gem - oh so true. Balance is vital. Without balance, you can forget about any cool arm locks, spinning kicks, pressure points, etc. Balance is key.
3) Drive punch - use whole body - legs, hips - drive punch!
Couldn't be any truer. The key to a good punch is using the entire body. Sometimes this is kind of foreign to the wing tsun student since we're initially taught to restrict such movement given the mechanics of the chain punch and 100/0 weighted stance. Flash forward a bit and you'll realize that putting the entire body into the punch is key and always has been.
4) Karate here (points to head). Karate here (points to heart). Karate never here (points to belt).
it's not the colour of your belt or student level or sash. Martial skill is comes down to what you truly know, what you feel and your ability to express that.
Love this movie! can't wait to check out the new one!
Until then.
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