The number of messages I receive asking how to develop similarly callused knuckles is rather substantial, so this article is really a response to a frequently asked question. My knuckles are heavily callused and to some people, they signify hard training and conditioning. To others, they’re a status symbol, much like cauliflower ear and to some, a source of envy. I promise you though, there’s really nothing to be envious of! Let’s be honest, they don’t exactly look pretty, either; definitely not winning any beauty contests! If anything, they’re a reminder that years of training don’t necessarily do your hands any favours aesthetically.

My knuckles are the result of 33 years of martial arts training and over that time, I’ve developed a fairly well rounded skill set and I never focused solely on the hands. That’s an important distinction, because I want to emphasise that the calluses are a by-product of the training, not the end goal. Training specifically to develop them is short-sighted; it’s like wanting cauliflower ear without the jiu-jitsu to back it up, or fingertip calluses without becoming a better guitarist. You’d be pursuing a physical consequence of an activity rather than developing the skill itself.

Calluses develop when the skin thickens in response to repeated friction and pressure. For instance, if you lift weights regularly, you’ll probably develop calluses on your palms over time so you can handle heavier loads. Your knuckles can respond similarly to repeated contact, although the skin, underlying tissues and structures involved are different, but I won’t go into that.

The appearance of conditioned knuckles also varies between martial arts. Some Karate practitioners develop prominent calluses over the first two knuckles, while some practitioners of Chinese martial arts may develop them across all four. The pattern largely depends on the techniques practiced and the type of contact involved.

…But is it important? Not particularly. Can it cause problems later in life? It can, especially if conditioning is approached improperly or excessive force is used. …And if your primary motivation is to develop calluses simply to look tough, you’re probably training for the wrong reasons in the first place and more likely to injure yourself.

I’m often asked whether I have any problems with my hands. Honestly, I don’t. I still play the piano regularly and do plenty of handwriting without any issues. I’m also asked whether my knuckles allow me to hit harder, to which my answer is yes, I hit slightly harder for slightly longer because they allow me to tolerate repeated contact. It must be said though, if you trained for the calluses, you may develop endurance, but that’s not the same as generating more power; callused skin doesn’t automatically make your bones, joints or connective tissues stronger, which is why it’s so important to train the technique. Punching power comes from proper alignment, efficient biomechanics and the effective transfer of force through the body; callused knuckles alone contribute nothing to the power of a punch.

Another question I’m asked is whether or not they serve any practical purpose in my day-to-day life. Absolutely not. Am I planning on hitting anyone again? No (unless all else fails of course, but it’s important to have a few more tools in your arsenal than just punching!)

That said, there is definite value in sensible and progressive conditioning within an appropriate martial arts context. Learning to use your hands correctly, developing sound technique and gradually adapting to the demands of your discipline are all worthwhile. However, there’s an important distinction between preparing your body for training and deliberately subjecting your hands to excessive impact in pursuit of a particular appearance. More punishment doesn’t automatically mean better conditioning and visible calluses aren’t a reliable measure of progress.

I’m certainly aware that this particular look can contribute to the appearance of being a tough fighter and I get it, but as a deterrent, I really wouldn’t put much faith in it. From personal experience and I’m fairly certain I can state this unanimously that someone who wants to start a fight with you is unlikely to inspect your knuckles before making a decision. In a nightclub for instance, people can be impulsive, intoxicated or so caught up in their own emotions, that they may not even notice your hands. Even something more visible such as cauliflower ear, isn’t a reliable deterrent. Looking intimidating is no substitute for avoiding a confrontation in the first place.

So, if you’re serious about martial arts, focus on what actually matters; technique, cardiovascular fitness, sound judgement, situational awareness and composure under pressure. Train to become a better martial artist, not to look like one.

If callused knuckles develop along the way, so be it. They’re a reminder of the training you’ve done, not a qualification in themselves.

…And lastly, if you can become a highly capable martial artist without ever developing them, you’ve lost absolutely nothing; don’t chase the cosmetic evidence of training at the expense of the training itself!

Rant over!

For a few years now, I’ve been meaning to write another book, but after much thought, I decided to do a complete overhaul by writing and releasing a second edition of The Martial Heart, as an improved body of teachings and insights, with rewritten and revised content to make the concepts clearer, more practical, applicable and digestible with newly written chapters to further aid your training and way of life.

​​​​The contents of this book are lessons and principles I live by and have taught over the last 3 decades or so. As martial artists, we strive for continual improvement; this second edition of my 2020 book is therefore no different as I want it to reflect and share my own deeper understandings and developments as a practitioner and instructor. ​

The book is now available and published through Amazon directly as a hardback and on Kindle, which has considerably reduced the cost and is therefore more accessible to more people. (I can’t express just how much of a nightmare it was to format for Kindle, as well as getting the cover dimensions right for the hardback!

Those of you who have done it will know what I mean!). I’m so grateful to everyone who has already supported me with the first book and hope that you enjoy this second edition even more. ​If you enjoy the book, I’d be so grateful if you left a review. Thank you all so much, I really appreciate it and hope it helps you along your journey!

​Lastly, I’d like to thank Muleya Sialwiindi for the cover photography and design.

The questionnaire administered revealed from 30 participants that whilst all situations are different, if individuals are able to remain composed, they will always have an impact over the outcome of the situation, stating that emotional states play a significant role in conflict resolution. Action through calmness and empathy can help to resolve a situation whereas reaction through aggression can exacerbate it and lead to dire consequences. Situational awareness was listed as a key factor to keep into consideration as the conditions of the environment are always subject to change.

Frame of being determines behaviour; being calm allows one to be present, to see what is actually happening; empathy breeds harmony, which does not damage, but helps to find a solution with an aggressor by understanding the situation. Harmony refers to the alignment of body (language) and mind; one’s input therefore does not oppose the aggressor’s, but seeks to collaborate. Fear keeps one dwelling on conditional tense of what has yet to occur. Forcing one’s opinions can lead to aggression and overconfidence. Harmony through empathy from calmness is therefore grants an individual a strong position of influence in conflict management and resolution.

Conflict has been prevalent throughout the history of humanity and will continue to exist. Though, in learning new attributes whilst consolidating and practicing old ones in terms of controlling oneself through the martial arts will help for conflicts to be resolved before they escalate into undesired outcomes and to encourage a more peaceful environment. Martial arts teaches self control above all else and fighting as the last option. It is therefore the recommendation that martial arts schools should endeavour to teach the ways of peace before the ways of battle. With martial arts participation on the increase year upon year, if conflict resolution is taught more formally, there will be more trained martial arts practitioners, who will be in a better position to de-escalate and reduce conflict.

I devised a framework / matrix based on the findings to help individuals resolve conflicts below:​

Conflict Resolution Matrix (2019)

Situational awareness takes into account future events that could occur from actions / words being carried out now. If an individual is angry or scared, the experience becomes subjective, where s/he may say or do something rash, which may in turn exacerbate the situation; being calm in comparison allows for objectivity to see the situation for what it is as opposed to what it could appear to be in order to determine the most appropriate course of action. This model also looks at breathing according to the emotional states, which can determine the behavioural attributes. In order to change one’s emotional state, where s/he has experienced something subjectively, s/he must first revisit the breathing in order to be able to regard the situation objectively whilst being aware of the circumstances and taking into account possible consequences; in doing so, s/he will be able to respond and behave accordingly. It is therefore always more advisable to respond in empathy than it is to react in aggression.

Update 20-03-2026: I’ve been meaning to revise this in light of writing the second edition of The Martial Heart, so below is a more streamlined coherent version of the matrix; the diagonal progression of this matrix is the key. Regulating physiology improves emotional control, which increases awareness and objectivity, leading to a more constructive conflict method / approach:

Revised Conflict Resolution Matrix (2026)

Derek James head of the Rewind Group asked me if it was possible to learn Martial Arts through VR. He asked me if it were possible to create an accelerated programme for individuals to learn Martial Arts proficiently through VR. Martial Arts is very much my passion and interest, so for me, it is very difficult to find one that suits me best. What I have found is that each discipline I have trained in adds to my own way of Martial Arts. This way, I am not pigeon holed into just the one style. People have said I am freestyle, but I am not; I am style free, but I will come back to this point later.

I have been teaching for about 12 years; I have taught members of the public, members of the police force, fire service as well as those who work in security. More recently, I have had the army express an interest in training with me also. My teaching is very application focused; how it’s used and how it can be adapted. My way of teaching is exactly my way of training. It is all based around the individual. I wouldn’t want to teach in the same way to very different individuals because each person learns differently and moves differently. In many ways, teaching the same things to different people to get them to do the same thing is just like being a drill instructor. Teach and regurgitate. Whilst this does have its place, I feel it does not always allow for the individual to grow. Personality within one’s movements such as dance, is essential. If they are only being taught to move a certain way, that personality gets lost. Therefore, it is always important for a student to learn different skills and allow them to be able to grow and develop.

An analogy I would like to use here is me being an art teacher, leading the class. I will paint my own painting with different techniques. I will then teach those techniques to my students as opposed to getting them to copy what I have painted. I want to see what they paint with the techniques I’ve shown to them. If you copy the original, it won’t ever be the original, much like a song. Often, the original is the best. If you keep copying a copy of a copy of a copy, it loses its quality and essence. Eventually, you lose the entire soul of the original. A musician never wants to run out of songs to play; musicians may end up composing their own tunes instead of just playing covers, where they draw inspiration from different forms of music. The genre does not define them. I am the same with Martial Arts.

As Derek was exposed to a lot of Martial Arts growing up, he had a good knowledge base of what Martial Arts is. As we have worked together on several projects prior to this, it is in part, because of my style free approach that he asked me to come talk at Oxford’s first VR Conference (2017) and proposed a project for us to work on together in this regard.

I really pondered about the potential of VR. Is it really possible to learn Martial Arts through Virtual Reality? Yes. In fact, VR can help with many different aspects of our lives such as children with mathematics and also has medical applications, for instance, VR has helped to improve motor functions in individuals who suffer from neurodevelopmental conditions such as Cerebral Palsy. Virtual reality has been used to help with sports such as baseball and golf. Not only this, Major League baseball teams are actually turning to virtual reality to help players. Eon Sports tested 30 athletes and found that only after a few days of using a VR headset, their decision making had improved by 30%.

If we apply this to Martial Arts, can it help you to learn movements and develop reactions? Yes. It’s an excellent tool for this. NASA had a programme for its astronauts, which was then extrapolated and introduced to the Olympics where athletes were connected to biofeedback machinery, where they were told to run a race in their minds. From the start line, all the way to the finish line. What they found was that as they visualised their entire run, every muscle involved with that run was activated. This is something called Visual Motor Rehearsal, which we are all capable of. A good exercise to try is imagining you have a cut up lemon in your hand. Look at it in your right hand. Feel the cold peel. Now bring it up to your mouth. Open wide and sink your teeth into that lemon. How does that make you feel? I am certain your eyes will water and you will pull a ‘vacuum’ face. So, we are all capable of Visual Motor Rehearsal accurately so long as we have actually done it before because the neural connection has been established.

We have seen Keanu Reeves’ character, Neo in the Matrix. Neo can be seen downloading multiple Martial Art disciplines into his brain. As soon as he takes the head gear off, the first thing he says is ‘I know Kung Fu’. Is this really possible? Well. It is not entirely implausible, but we are quite far off this level of technological development. Though, you will be able to see what a martial artist goes through, such as an opponent throwing attacks at you, teaching you to move evasively. It will teach you through experience. Experiential learning is by far the best way to learn, doing it virtually allows for your movements to potentially be measured also.

VR does have its limitations, however. For instance, VR will not make you physically tougher or more resilient. VR will not make you the next UFC champion of the world, but it can definitely be a contributing factor, a tool towards developing further proficiency in what you do. The potential for a Martial Artist to learn through VR via a style free approach that allows them to grow and develop through their own creativity is absolutely phenomenal.

​As such, Derek James and I have featured in an article by the Oxford Mail with regards to the Virtual Reality conference on 25th March 2017, which can be seen here.

To now put the group of articles written together, Martial Arts is very much a way of life; it feeds into what we do, how we do it and the attitude in which lead our lives. For instance, there is a big emphasis on discipline, physical, mental and spiritual development. The training for self defence and fighting becomes less of a priority, yet still remains an important part of the practice. Many Martial Artists train only practice the movements. Unfortunately, any Martial Artist who only practices without any form of physical contact is simply an artist.

Martial Arts is all about application. Not just how it applies into street situations, but all situations. If you cannot apply it, then either it is redundant or more understanding of it is required to be able to apply it.

It is essential for Martial Artists to have a zen-like approach where the solutions are focused on as opposed to dwelling on the problems. That being said, it is advisable for all people to have such an approach, where it is objective and well-grounded; this way, people do not act in anger.

Acting out in anger, especially if you are a fighter may cause long term issues. For instance, dealing with a situation with your fists when it is not the last resort, may end the situation quickly, but have long term implications, whereas being diplomatic where possible may take longer, but resolves the situation peacefully.

Having control over all your faculties allows you to be in control of yourself when you do not have control over the situation. In having a cool and calm equanimity that is objective will enable you to have influence over the situation itself. This is to say that most of what we experience in life is up to how we act and react to it. Much of the time, people look back at our collection of memories and have regrets over what they did and what they should have done. It is therefore better to have a calm, informed and objective composure where one chooses to act with reason, without ego and with a retrospective, multi-dimensional approach that takes into account consequences that will ultimately remove future regrets. For the most part, people get very caught up with things that ultimately do not matter and will not matter after a period of time; a simple phrase to go by is ‘this is not the hill I want to die on’ and move on.

If you remove the ego, you will remove the desire to get involved with disputes in all respects of that word and attract less of those experiences. Putting this into context, if you are able to walk away from a situation that may elevate into a physical confrontation, then you walk away knowing full well that you did not need to raise your fists to resolve it. Of course, there may be confrontations that happen unprompted and unexpected; this why is situational awareness and the faculty of attention are so important.

Taking yourself and life too seriously simply results in a harder more pressured life. It is therefore essential for us to accept ourselves unconditionally, the free will of others whilst understanding that we are accountable for everything we do past, present and future. This is a good lesson and an excellent way of being, not just for the Martial Artist, for people as a whole.

How many times have you seen people walking with their headphones in, with their eyes firmly placed on their phones? How many times have you seen people bump into each other or things just because they were not looking? These are very common occurrences, especially nowadays with the continual advancement of technology. Why do people listen to music when running on treadmills? Is it to distract them and divert their attention onto something else than what they are doing? Absolutely.

Most car accidents happen because the driver’s attention was on something else. This in itself is a scary thought as so much can happen in the blink of an eye just because one’s attention had been momentarily distracted onto something else.

It is all to do with the faculty of attention, one of the most important faculties that we have. Often, we get distracted with our phones or even with our own thoughts. An important part of, not just the Martial Artist, but every one’s safety is to have awareness skills. To have an awareness when you are out an about is simply to be alert, conscious, reactive and attentive to the things going on in the environment. For a Martial Artist, it could be walking into a room, watching people, their behaviour, their physical and personality attributes, whilst keeping note of where the exits are. Some are even able to recite many things from the license plate numbers to the colour of shoe laces of an escaped assailant.

The truth is, many people these days simply do not have good awareness skills in the slightest; the ability to be able to spot something out of the ordinary or the ability to not bump into anything or anyone. For the most part, awareness is something that can save one’s life from being able to read the situation and recognising threats to removing oneself from it before something happens or being able to deal with the situation in a calm manner.

In the last article, Composure Under Pressure, the importance of breathing was emphasised so that an individual’s mental and physical faculties can be returned to him in the event of a stressful and dangerous situation. Unfortunately, people have a tendency to think too much, where one has become a slave to his own thoughts. Often, many either think about past events, what could have been done differently or what will happen, what should happen and what could happen instead of what is actually happening. With the attention focused on anything but what is currently happening, anything could happen in those moments and an individual would be powerless to react to it. If an attacker were to hold you up with a knife, the tendency is to either look away or at the knife itself. Having awareness can either allow for you to prevent the situation from the first place, or remember everything about the attacker should he escape with your possessions.

If you drive or ride a bike, you need a level of awareness to get you from A to B. It is therefore important to implement those skills when you are walking. If you are too busy in your thoughts or what is happening on your phone, then your attention will not be on where you are going. If there is a tight turning for instance, the driver is taught to come out and then in so that he does not hit any oncoming cars. The same principle can be applied when walking around a tight corner.

Being able to place our attention on the present, onto what is actually happening when we are out will enable us to see much more in terms of the ongoings in our environment.

Update 23-11-2019: I am proud to announce that this article contributed towards the production and conception of the short video below, The Faculty of Attention (2019) directed and produced by the very talented Reuel James of HercuLeys Pictures. It was an absolute pleasure to be a consultant for this video, as awareness, composure under pressure and personal safety are topics I have always been passionate about spreading; this video covers a lot in a short space of time, so please do watch and share it with your friends as it could make the difference.

What is meant by this term? How does it apply to a Martial Arts context? Simply put, composure under pressure means being able to remain calm and retain one’s faculties when faced with a difficult situation.

A Martial Artist can be defined as an individual who has mastery of himself in terms of his physical and mental faculties, someone who is able to act under pressure calmly and morally. However, sometimes in times of fear, an individual may inadvertently and unintentionally kill another in self defence because they did not know when to stop, whereas another example would be an individual who crumbles under the sheer pressure and freeze.

There are many practitioners who are excellent at what they do in training and in training only. For some reason, they are unable to translate their skills to real life situations, which may be due to aspects discussed in previous articles (Traditional to Modern Parts 1 and 2) of having a limited skill set. Many may be able to analytically describe how they are able to defend themselves theoretically and therefore write cheques that their bodies simply cannot cash, where they are unable to apply what they know when they are under pressure.

We have all been there; it does not need to be a situation involving physical confrontation, it could be an argument or dispute with someone else or almost anything of that nature. So what happens when we are under pressure? Generally, we freeze, clench up and we do not breathe properly; with the surge of adrenalin pumping through us, we are unable to act appropriately despite our training. Of course, having ample training does help; it is absolutely advisable to learn as much as you can to be able to contain and effectively deal with situations as best as possible (Whilst this may sound vague, the purpose of this is for you to be able to apply this to almost every situation you could face); you will simply not come into possession of new knowledge in times of pressure and stress.

It is all to do with your fight or flight response; when we are suddenly faced with danger, our bodies automatically make a switch to allow for us to deal with the situation in preparation for defending ourselves. The Sympathetic Nervous System activates when we are under threat, where those changes are made. Many of us crumble under the fear as we freeze up also. Our minds often concentrate on what might happen as opposed to what is actually happening, which contributes towards our powerlessness. This is something that will be discussed in another article.

If you are to examine your breathing right now, it is safe to assume that your breathing is not laboured, but relaxed and slower than what it would be if you were afraid. The body is influenced more strongly by the Parasympathetic Nervous System when relaxed. When we are in a stressful or frightening situation, it is essential to return your breathing, which by now may have become faster and more laboured, back towards what it is when you are relaxed, thus reducing the influence of the Sympathetic Nervous System and encouraging greater activity of the Parasympathetic Nervous System. To do this, you should take slow, controlled breaths, allowing yourself to breathe deeply without forcing the breath. It is important to slow your breathing rather than simply trying to fill your lungs with as much oxygen as possible, as breathing too deeply or rapidly can result in over breathing. During the fight or flight response, the Sympathetic Nervous System can also cause the airways to dilate, allowing greater airflow in preparation for action.

Once you are able to do this effectively, your physical and mental faculties will return to you so that you are able to overcome the freezing and the fear. This can be applied to every situation that compels you to be afraid, from physical confrontations to job interviews and driving tests, so that you are able to relax and perform to your maximum capability.

Knowing how to breathe and apply it to such a situation can be a Martial Artist’s best tool so that he can act and react accordingly. Nervous individuals about to go in for their driving test go through similar if not the same processes as competitive fighters who have nerves before a fight. Though, it is not just the Martial Artist who can benefit from this.

Photography by Hannah Anketell

Following on from Part 1, it is essential for traditional practitioners to not only learn from the forms they have been taught, but to move away from them to grow. Traditional forms or Katas, which are fixed patterns in which a practitioner moves in a set mould can be described as a summary of a book. You read the summary of the book to receive an outline of what happens within the book itself. If the book is not read and studied in depth, then one cannot claim full comprehension simply from reading the summary as many details will have been missed out. The same can be said for forms. The forms are a guideline to the move set within a style; some styles may have several forms involving specific techniques.

Many traditional practitioners swear by their forms and therefore do not deviate from them due to tradition. This unfortunately, limits and restricts one’s ability to transcend their skill set. Whilst it is important to uphold the history and culture of ancient movements and the rationale behind those movements, a practitioner cannot live in the past. The fact is, times are changing and new methods of training are available. If a form is compared to a sentence consisting of a few words, many may only practice that sentence thinking that they speak the entire language without realising that they can say the same thing but in different ways, expressions and languages. Traditional practitioners who have practiced their forms to the point where it is perfect, but have failed in physical confrontations can often be due to this misguided approach. The cognitive dissonance in this regard can be great due to the attitudes and beliefs being in conflict with reality.

The mind is very much like a parachute; it only works if it is open. This statement can be applied to very traditional and as well as egotistical practitioners who do not transcend the barriers of what they know due to the fear of having their weaknesses exposed, where they will also shroud themselves in mystery and lies. Such people have been around for many years and are detrimental to the Martial Arts and its practitioners.

Learn the form but seek the formless. If a form is taught to you, learn, practice it and perfect it. As you are doing this, understand the movements and their purpose. Practice them separately and try sparring with those movements but not in the order they are placed in from the form. Those who are able to do this have a far better and informed understanding of the discipline itself. Forms and fixed routines only work again and again if the conditions are the same. As the conditions are always subject to change, the routines should be used as a tool, but not the rule.

The practitioner should therefore learn the principles, not the rules. Generally speaking, principles guide and rules control. A style free practitioner who follows the principles will learn how the style moves and operates and how would apply to his current and developing understanding of the Martial Arts. A fixed set practitioner on the other hand who follows the rules of a style will only practice what has been taught and will develop bad habits. A shift in one’s approach can mean transcending restrictions and barriers to improvement. Learning the rules may involve one to practice movements in a particular sequence that only applies under a specific condition. 10 people learning the fixed rules of a style would yield 10 copies of the original; if continue to photocopy a copy, it will lose its quality and the same can be applied to this context. Learning the principles on the other hand, may allow him to for instance, practice movements from other styles to be applied to the principles of another style. With learning the principles, 10 people learning the same discipline would yield 10 separate and unique ways of moving, despite the similar move sets.

Due to the ever increasing popularity of Mixed Martial Arts, many practitioners have made the switch to learn more diverse skills. That being said, the more one learns with an open minded approach, the more he will realise there is to learn. Many MMA practitioners train in Boxing, Brazilian JuJitsu, Judo, Wrestling, Muay Thai Boxing. With the sheer amount of disciplines that exist, it would be ignorant to neglect them and their principles and efficacies. A Martial Artist’s development should never end. It is a lifestyle. The training should reflect and apply itself to that lifestyle. It is advisable for all practitioners to continue learning other forms of disciplines in order to develop a broader understanding of combat and the Martial Arts.

Every individual is different and must find their own personality within the movements they have learned. It is like an art teacher who has presented a painting to his students; instead of demanding that his students copy exactly what he has done in the way he has done it, he simply asks that his students learn how he has done that painting to create their own.

If China had taken over the world, then learning other disciplines such as Boxing and JuJitsu from their respective origins would be regarded as learning Kung Fu. As traditional Martial Artists, it is so important to transcend the idea of where a style comes from and learn it for its merits to complement our own. If you are resistant to change, then it is not just your mind you need to open; your attitude must change also. The attitude is like a flat tyre; you can only move forwards if you change it.

So continuing with the analogy of the warriors and practitioners of old who travelled the land to increase their knowledge and expand on their own experience, be like an ancient Martial Artist; be a literal Mixed Martial Artist.

Traditional styles are mostly predicated on respect and honour. This is a tradition passed down from many centuries ago (probably longer) to today. These characteristics and attributes are essential aspects to learn so that they may be incorporated into our lifestyle. That being said, many traditional practitioners due to cultural values regard ground fighting to be disrespectful to a high degree, as being on the ground considered to be of a low status, similar to that of a beggar. Many practitioners therefore feel that the Martial Arts are based on honour and respect and therefore a lack of, ceases to be true Martial Arts. For many who cross train in various disciplines to increase and expand their own martial paradigm, this particular value will be difficult to agree with, especially as there is often no honour and therefore it is absolutely essential to learn as much as possible.

To master one thing, you must master all things. From personal and direct experience in physical confrontations, you cannot depend on your opponent’s respect or honour to stop the attack when you are on the ground. Physical confrontations generally originate from a difference in opinion. If the two parties were respectful, it would never get to a physical form of resolution, with exception of organised matches, though even those have rules, which participants are expected to honour. As soon as the conflict escalates to a physical level (not talking about sparring, but real fighting, especially with multiple opponents), honour and respect are the first things to go in favour of beating and winning at all costs even when all else fails.

Sticking to one style forces you to stay within that paradigm and thus, limiting what you can learn and achieve. Learning other styles to complement your strengths and weaknesses is an excellent way to improve. Some will criticise that learning other styles forces bad habits but those who say that tend to be those who stuck to their one paradigm and are afraid to transcend those barriers simply because it would expose their own weaknesses.

It is therefore more important to be free of these restrictions, paradigmatically speaking. Kung Fu can be translated as one’s time and effort. Therefore, a musician’s Kung Fu could be their expertise with an instrument. Kung Fu is one’s expression and unique and therefore everybody should be different. Ground fighting is simply one form of fighting amongst many.

Now, an ancient military warrior back in the day would be required to fight at all distances:

• Infantry: close quarter, weapons, hand to hand including ground fighting against multiple opponents

• Cavalry: fighting from horses with and without weapons at a distance; if they get knocked off the horse, they would have to fight close range like an infantry soldier

• Artillery: fighting from a long distance with weapons that have a range that exceeds that of conventional weapons. Projectile weapons, for instance. Now, if the enemy breached the borders and cut down the range of an artillery fighter, he would have to fight close range like infantry.

It can therefore be argued that the only fighting distance is contact distance. As war times have moved on, teachings for fighting styles for those times grew less and less. Teachers got by on teaching less and would not want their students to surpass them out of respect / ego. Unfortunately, respect in this regard is synonymous to the word ego. Consequently, what happens then is that the student eventually never surpasses the teacher and the style becomes more and more watered down. The student who becomes the teacher may hold a similar value of not wanting his students to surpass him and therefore withhold certain teachings. Eventually, all that is taught is forms and very basic application that may not be practical in the slightest. The truth is, the modern day traditional practitioner on the whole is limited in understanding and skill. This is a false sense of security given to students from their teachers who do not know much better simply because they themselves have been trapped within this paradigm. Due to this, the ‘master’ often pretends to know more than he actually does simply because he himself gives the impression that he has done it all when in truth, they only ever stuck to one form of training. In light of the above, one form of training is no longer enough.

This is why it is so important to learn different styles and principles of those styles regardless of their nationality. Once we transcend where each style comes from and disregarding styles because of their nationality so that we can learn them for their merit, we evolve as practitioners.

It is important to train in multiple disciplines, armed and unarmed against multiple opponents who may be armed or unarmed. How many people genuinely do this? Few. A warrior in ancient times would have to. He would also travel in the pursuit of increasing his own skills by learning from others from other styles along their journeys / pilgrimages. What those individuals did back then, was in essence Mixed Martial Arts. This is not a new concept, but the literal definition of the term.