Random Training Thoughts
by Jack Handy (Aka KenFlo)
Is there
anything better than getting paid to workout and train?
I get to wake up and workout and expand my knowledge of the fight game everyday.
For the most part, I get to do this as much as I want. I can experiment with new
moves. I can work on perfecting different techniques. I can work on my
weaknesses until they become my strengths. I can exchange knowledge with some of
the top fighters in the world in MMA and various arts like BJJ (Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu), wrestling, Muay Thai etc . . . The learning process never stops
and my passion for training never seems to die. Man I feel lucky and truly
blessed that I get to do this everyday. I am lucky that I have my health and
grateful that I am able to move without limitations.
I think the depth of arts like BJJ can only be comprehended after years in the
art. You can get good at the physical part of it like execution of the actual
technique but to fully understand it and to really see the effectiveness of
movement in BJJ, you must really immerse yourself in it. How do you describe the
sensation of swimming without having the person actually feel the water? It can
look so easy from the outside and even for those with experience in the art but
there are a zillion things happening all at once. It is easy to be good at what
you do but what about going beyond that?
I am a black belt in BJJ and I feel
like I have learned more about BJJ in the last 6 months than I have in the 9
years I have been training. I think I really started learning BJJ when I got my
black belt. This is further proof that belts mean nothing. Bruce Lee said it
best , Before I studied the art, a punch to me was just like a punch, a kick
just like a kick. After I learned the art, a punch was no longer a punch, a kick
no longer a kick. Now that I've understood the art, a punch is just like a
punch, a kick just like a kick. The height of cultivation is really nothing
special. It is merely simplicity; the ability to express the utmost with the
minimum. It is the halfway cultivation that leads to ornamentation.
I feel like I made a tremendous amount of progress in body awareness,
sensitivity and being in line with the jiu-jitsu philosophy of efficiency. I
realized though that I still have soooooo much more to learn. Knowing how to
flow and feel like water is something I try to strive for in all positions.
Understanding balance, base and knowing about leverage is a never ending process
it seems. Once again Bruce's words ring true when searching for an answer to a
strong adversary or countering a technique in BJJ or other martial arts. Be like
water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the
object, and you shall find a way round or through it. If nothing within you
stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. It is examples like these
that you can start to draw parallels between training and everyday life.
Training in MMA becomes a unity of body, mind and spirit. Just when you think
you have achieved something great, you realize you are just entering into
another phase. You are nothing and have done nothing. You realize you have just
peeled back a few layers of the onion and you have many left to go before you
get to the core. You must approach every day and every technique as a child
would. You must see it new every time so that you can break it down to its
roots. What makes it work? Why, how and when must be answered through diligent
training and intelligence.
I really believe I am not a fighter. I feel like an
artist more than anything else. Many times savagery, aggressiveness and brutal
action are a part of the sport. However, I care more for the technical aspects
of MMA. The execution of a perfect takedown. The crisp and straight punches that
connect on your opponent. The beauty and sophistication of a submission hold.
The delivery and precision of a head kick. These things and everything in
between like the set ups, footwork, counters etc . . . is what brings a smile to
my face everyday as I drive to another training session.
The art is so much
bigger than me, the sport and everyone in it. This should keep us all humble. To
be truly successful, especially in sports, I think it is absolutely imperative
to be driven by our passion for what we do and not by our ego. I could spend a
lifetime training and learning and I would still not get everything I needed. I
feel a need to learn it all right now but at the same time, I feel the need to
be patient, calm and enjoy each second that I get to train and compete. Life is
short so learn all that you can but more importantly enjoy the beautiful process
of life.
Learning in the martial arts goes beyond the physical. It enters into the mental
and eventually into the spiritual. It becomes a part of you. It becomes a total
quest for perfection. Am I obsessed? Many people close to me would probably
answer that with an emphatic, YES! LOL. Writing down notes, training
incessantly, documenting fights/training sessions, losing sleep over thinking
about moves, analyzing fights/techniques and training till you cant walk etc. .
. .
I am rarely completely satisfied with anything I have done or accomplished
because I aways feel it could be better. I have come to realize that we cannot
control everything that happens. Life is there for us to learn and we often
learn best by making mistakes. Their are paths and signs laid out all around us
for us to learn from.
I always dreamed of having a profession that I was truly passionate about. This
is a gift that I never take for granted. Just being able to train and have my
health, I thank God everyday.
Kenny Florian photos by Meghan Keil
