the masters handbook

8/18/2019 the masters handbook

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-masters-handbook 1/52

1



TABLE OF CONTENTS

introduction

The Martial Arts

The Computer

The Machine

Energy

Grounding

Weight

Body Alignment

Coordinated Body Motion

Internal Energy

Legs

Arms

Hips

Force and Flow

Force

Flow

Explosions The Zen Double Punch

Emptiness

The Zen Stick Drop

Form

The Art as Religion

Considerations

Philosophy

Ki

The Basic Problem

My Plans

3



Dear Reader;

This Handbook has tremendous knowledge in it. Read carefully it can explain just

about every phenomenon that there is in the Martial Arts.

The key to this Handbook, however, is in its use. You do have to understand it before

it becomes e" ective. Towards that end you will have to make sure that you understand all

words and concepts. Use a dictionary liberally.

The second thing to be remembered in the use of this book deals directly with the

application.

See how much weight you can feel in a stance, examine whether or not you will have

more Energy for that weight. See if you can move your body parts as one in one direction.

You see I could have written things out with particular technique and filled volumes.

But the truth of the matter is that I am not overly concerned with pushing my Art on you,

but rather how you can create your own Art, how you can make your own Art work. I am

concerned with you knowing the theory, applying the theory, and understanding the Art.

So if you really want to get the most out of this Handbook, remember that you must

understand and apply. Good skill.

ALTON H. CASE

4



introduction

Hello, my name is Al Case. I have studied, read and done much in the Martial Arts. I

have been around a very long time. I am here to bring the Martial Arts to the apex of their

evolution upon this planet.

It is now possible to learn the Martial Arts in months instead of years. You can learn

them easily without the pain and bruising sometimes associated with their study. You can

attain competence in the movement of your body no matter what the Martial situation or

context.

You see the Martial Arts are actually based on what works. An error is readily per#

ceivable. The e" ects of bad computations in your actions are quickly understood. And what

I have been doing, for a very long time, is to ask myself what works, what is the easiest way,

and not in just the doing of the Art, but in the teaching. I have compiled and catalogued the

Martial Arts until they made sense.

And they do make sense. If you can realize that you are operating a body machine

with certain limits and considerations, then it is very easy to actually program that machine

to the fullest, so that it will function to the fullest within those limits, and perhaps stretch

those limits a bit further.

I have a feeling that there will be a certain part of the population that will object to what I say. It seems that there will always be people who object to the ordering of confusion.

There has been enough of myth and mysticism in the Martial Arts. It is time that things

were viewed in their proper perspective.

When I had completed my initial studies, after IU had gotten my Black Belt, I

looked back and was rather amazed. Why were the Martial Arts taught in such a haphazard

fashion? Why were they arranged so maze#like? To me the Martial Arts had become so sim#

ple and easy. If a punch is thrown you block it. If you fail to block it, well, the results of yourcalculations are not hidden from view.

So why the maze? Well the truth of the matter is, people don’t really understand

what the Martial Arts are really all about.

Martial Arts practitioners today do an unlimited variety of kicks, punches and dance#

like steps, yet they don’t really understand what they are doing or why. This is a mad search

5



for competence without much hope except for those elite few who have an inherent under#

standing of such things. I have decided that the situation is ridiculous, and have resultingly

created an Art that would resolve this a " air. This Art is based on logic and common sense.

I originally called my Art Universal Karate. My thought was that the Martial Arts

should be universal in their practice and application, and that they should be available to all.

However, as my Art chanced and came to encompass all the facts and theories of the

Martial Arts I realized that I would have to change the name. For that reason I changed the

name to Shaolin West.

Shaolin is the name of a temple in China where the Martial Arts were practiced and

developed with the utmost in determination and intention. For over a thousand years the

Shaolin Temple has been held up as the ideal and inspiration for the Martial Arts. West, of

course, refers to a direction.

In changing the name of my Art my thought was that the ideals and intentions of

those originally at the Shaolin Temple should be put forth again, this time with the benefit

of the advancements of Western culture.

This booklet is the introductory booklet to the Art of Shaolin West, and it lives up to

its title quite well. It is truly a Master’s Handbook.

There are many meanings to the definition of the word Master. One meaning is ‘to

become skilled or proficient in the use of.’ Another meaning, one that seems to go just a lit#tle bit further, and lends itself a little bit to the context presented by the Martial Arts, is ‘to

gain a thorough understanding of.’

In the past it has usually been understood that to gain a thorough understanding of

something takes years and years, perhaps even lifetimes. With Shaolin West that reality is no

longer true.

You still have to ‘practice your basics,’ and ‘do your form,’ but in Shaolin West your

progress is sped up by the simple act of understanding your basics and your form. You see a Master is not just one who can do the blocks and punches and kicks. A

Master is one who knows and can apply the rules.

Yes, there are rules in the Martial Arts. Rules of motion and structure, rules of body

usage, rules of two and more body usage, and so on. These rules have been put aside, tram#

pled on, discarded, held in ill repute, rediscovered, and so on, and so on. For the trillions of

6



And to you, the reader, I say this. You don’t have to believe what I say. Just read the

book, get the rules, and observe how your Art improves. That will be the proof of my words.

And that will be my ultimate reward. Enjoy yourselves.

Al Case

8



THE MARTIAL ARTS

Martial pertains to war and Art is self #expression.

Martial Arts are also a means of health, sport, self #defense $ combat % games, etc.

Specifically, shed of all the ‘significance of life and death,’ and all the other mystical

backwash, the Martial Arts are a game of tag.

The purpose of the Martial Arts, and the primary rule of the game is ‘To deliver a

force or flow without receiving a force or flow.

The goal is to do this aesthetically, as a way of expressing the self, as an Art.

To sum it up, the Martial Arts are an aesthetic way of making war, as contrary as that

may sound, and they are a terrifically fun game. That is what they are.

Your mind is like a computer. It is a control system for your machine $ your body %.

Your mind and your body are responsive to the data you feed into your mind. Quite simply,

you are responsible for the program you feed into your computer.

There are many programs. Engineering si a program. Mathematics is a program.

Housekeeping is a program. And so on.

There is nothing wrong with programs. In fact,m programs are fun to do. The better

aligned the program is the more fun it is to do. This is called competence.

Competence of programming depends upon clear and concise data that does notcontradict.

Many people can take data and synthesize it orderly and accurately. This is called

creativity.

Many people mush the data. These people usually talk about the end product of the

program whether they have achieved that end product or not. To talk about the end product

glibly or rhetorically and to not have a system whereby others can uniformly achieve that

end product has a tendency to mush data together. This isn’t right as it stops the orderlinessof other’s computers $ minds %.

The purpose of the mind/computer in the Martial Arts is to analyze any incoming

force and flow $ direction % and to respond to that force and flow in a prosurvival manner.

There are many ways of responding to a force and flow. there are programs with cir#

cular techniques, passive techniques, angular techniques, straightline techniques, and so on.

9



11



THE MACHINE

The first thing you should realize is that you have a body. It is rather surprising, but

many people do not know this. They walk into things and never say ‘Ouch!’

The fact is, the body is a rather wonderfully complex piece of machinery with atoms

and molecules arranged in patterns to form blood, bones, organs, and so on.

There are actually a number of machines within the body, each arranged to do a job,

usually in conjunction with the rest of the bosy. To watch people, however, this is sometimes

not so obvious. People have a tendency to do things only with the muscles. They will move,

lift, dance, jog, whatever, solely through the expansion and contraction of muscles. When

you consider the other machines within the body, each needing attention and willing to

lend themselves to the job, the concept of using muscles only seems not only wasteful and

di&cult, but ridiculous.

Since I started out with muscles we might just as well analyze them fully. Muscles are

a system of pulleys arranged within the body to move the body. Look at your arm, move it,

observe it, see for yourself how it resembles a pulley.

So when weight lifters or musclemen work out, what they are primarily doing is

strengthening, or making thickere, or whatever, the ropes on the pulley system.

This is not wrong, of course, it is just di" erent from the Martial Arts. The Martial Arts not being concerned with the size of the pulley, but rather the ability to deliver or

avoid a force and flow.

Please don’t misinterpret this. It is important to have strong, well balanced ropes on

your pulleys, just not at the expense of the rest of your body.

Muscles must be built up in conjunction with all the parts of your body. Take a look

at ballet dancers. They have beautiful bodies, yet i doubt if they spend much time concen#

trating solely on muscles.

Another system within the body are the bones. The bones are girders upon which the

pulleys are hooked. They are the framework upon which you hang your flesh. Bones are very

important. Consider that a slug has no bones. Where would you be without bones?

12



Another system within the body is the fuel line. Some people call the fuel line blood

vessels. The fuel line feed fuel to the body, it also supplies oxygen. A very important system,

the fuel line.

And there are other systems within the body.

Nerves for sensory apparatus.

A muscle called the heart for a fuel pump.

Lungs for bellows.

And so on.

13



ENERGY

The next subject to be taken up is Energy. We have the machine. We have the com#

puter, now let’s consider what we shall be running through the machine, and what is at the

direction of the computer.

In the dictionary are several definitions for the word Energy, the one that seems

most applicable to the Martial Arts is ‘The capacity for doing work.’

I find this definition most useful, and not in the least mysterious.

I have found that Energy seems to follow basic rules, very similar to electricity. Here

is an outline of these rules and the way that Energy is used in your body.

Gross Energy is created by your machine burning fuel. This is the simplest level. It is

like a car burning gasoline, a fire burning wood, and so on. Incidentally, this is the reason

why we should study such subjects as nutrition, vitamins, etc. We must select the right fuel

for the best performance.

There is a center for this Energy in the body. It is called the Tan Tien and means ‘The

One Point.’ It is an actual generator.

In the normal human being the generator moves about as fast as you shovel food

$ fuel % into the furnace. But just as you must align data in your program and in your com#

puter, you must align the Energy flows in and about your generator and your machine. The faster and smoother your Energy flows become the better you can operate your

machinery. You will become better able to hold a position in space, more able to drive for

that straight line, and your balance will be better. It is like a gyroscope, the faster and

smoother it spins the better it will fulfill its function.

One way to improve the Energy flows is merely by having clear and concise pro#

grams. Your machine will react to what you have in your mind, so set your goals, make your

goals, and get sidetracked. A clean, uncluttered mind will result in a clean, uncluttered body. Another way to improve the energy flows, one that deals directly with the body, since

we are engaged in defining a body Art, is by breathing.

If you have ever been light#headed or hyperventilated from improper breathing then

you know the importance of proper breathing.

14



Proper breathing is done by breathing into and out of the generator itself. Don’t feed

the chest or the lungs, but rather the generator directly.

Breathing should be in conjunction with the whole body. When the machine expands

or directs Energy outward you should breath out. You should tighten the diaphragm and

clamp down on the generator. This helps the outward push and locks the generator in place

as you project energy. Locking the generator in place is particularly important is you plan to

project Energies of any large size.

When the machine contracts or pulls Energy inwards you should breath in. This re#

plenishes depleted stores and prepares the machine for the next outward push. Again, your

generator must be kept tight so that it doesn’t wiggle/ It ,must be able to accept any incom#

ing Energies in as easy and controlled a fashion as possible.

The body is like a little power plant, it is capable of storing and discharging consid#

erable amounts of energy.

You can use the Energy by being sti" and rigid, feeling yourself as more solid, actually

‘Charging up.’ You may better understand this by observing people that are all ‘charge up.’ In

the Martial Arts, of course, we want to be in charge of this ‘Charge up’ state.

You can Energy flow by being loose and easy. You just practice relaxing, being limber

in body and mind, and let the Energy flow.

This is not to say that you should be limp. Limp is no Energy flowing and not ofmuch use.

This can all be analogized to a garden hose. If you crimp it, it ‘charges up.’ If you let

it be, water will flow.

One last thing you should be aware of is this. Energies flow positive and negative.

Positive is a push and negative is a pull. It is all a matter of viewpoint and direction.

15



16



This illustration is turned and expanded on the next page for your viewing pleasure.

18



19



WEIGHT

Weight converts to Energy. As any good weightlifter knows, the more you lift $ follow #

ing a sense of gradiency and proper weightlifting, of course % the more you can lift. This

means that you have Energy $ of a particular type in this instance % available to you.

So when you take a stance, stay low and create weight, be heavy, and you will gain

more Energy.

If you are ‘Charged up’ then Energy is being held in place in your machine and you

will not be heavy, but rather rigid. If you are relaxed then you can direct the flow of Energy

groundwards and be heavy. This means you will have a better ground and more weight which

will convert to Energy.

When somebody directs a force at you, you let that force course into the ground. You

conduct it, so to speak.

When you direct a force at someone you will again conduct, but this time outwards

from the body/machine. Make sure you retain your ground as you direct the flow. It’s all a

matter of direction.

20



BODY ALIGNMENT

The last couple of chapters have touched on a rather interesting concept. This is the

concept of Body Alignment.

Body Alignment is when the parts of your body are in a line or direction. Be it circu#

lar or straight there is but one intention and your body expresses that intention.

If your body is out of alignment it will warp and bend under the force of the Energy

being conducted.

If you strike somebody with a fist, for instance, and the wrist is bent, out of align#

ment, then the wrist can break. And if the elbow is bent improperly, power leaks out of it

and the full amount of Energy is not transmitted.

There are four basic Body Alignments. You can ground with the right leg and extend

Energy with either arm, and you can ground with the left leg and extend Energy with either

arm.

There are other forms of ground and extending Energy, but these are the basics.

21



COORDINATED BODY MOTION

Body Alignment leads us to Coordinated Body motion. Coordinated Body Motion,

quite simply, is when the body acts as one unit. It is not jerky or uneven, but smooth and

well oiled. As I said, it is one unit. Here are some things that will help a person achieve Co#

ordinated Body Motion.

Practice the theories I am outlining here. Practice Grounding and extending your

energy with proper Body Alignment. Practice extending Energy with breath exhalation.

Practice committing weight to the motion. Don’t hit with just an arm or leg weight, but

with the whole body weight.

Practice moving the body without rocking it. Usually there is a backswing of the

hands, or a tilting of the body and then the person is unbalanced enough to fall forward and

do what we commonly refer to as walking. This is a lot of Uncoordinated Body Motion just

to fall forward. Practice walking without unbalancing. Don’t go in two directions, but just

one. Just fall forward with no backward or other extra motion. This is pureness of intention.

One thought, one direction.

22



INTERNAL ENERGY

Internal Energy is merely Energy on the inside of your body. You can run that poten#

tial back and forth and round and round. You don’t really have a good chance of developing

Internal Energy until you have achieved Coordinated Body Motion. Once you havem

though, you can really go to town.

Such things as Grounding and Body Alignment are also very important to developing

Internal Energy. This is because they actually deal with Internal Energy.

Another thing that’s important to achieving good Internal Energy is the ability to

work on straight lines and tight circles. This means that you practice initially with large

movements. Practice getting the whole body and weight into the motion, then make the

motion smaller, straighter and purer. SMall movements will create large e" ects.

At first your ENergy is very outside. You shoot your muscles around and slam your

structure against things and/or the air, etc. After a while your computer gets pretty will pro#

grammed and your body starts getting smoother and smoother. At this point your Internal

Energy is starting to build. You can shoot an arm out without unbalancing the body because

the balancing is on the inside.

23



LEGS

Legs are the grounds for the structure. The two main functions of the legs are solid#

ity and mobility. There is a secondary function of kicking, or projecting Energy, but the main

two functions are as I said, solidity or mobility.

Moving the machine around, sometimes referred to as walking $ running, etc. % is actu#

ally rather humorous. It is the process of falling as fast as you can stick out a leg $ ground % to

fall on.

Consider this when you move towards someone: when you cover ground, instead of

walking, try falling. Utilize your ground leg and push into space. The better your ground the

better your fall will be. That’s mobility.

Now solidity is manifest in your ability to ‘Hold your ground.’ And this isw a very

good reason for strong legs and good stances. The interesting thing is that this definition for

solidity can lead one to an important little discourse on Power in the Martial Arts. Power

being considered in the light of how well you can ‘Hold your ground,’ or, strategically speak#

ing, position.

This means a tremendous amount to me. It not only means that he who holds the

city collects the taxes, but that when the game starts, and here I particularly refer to the

Martial Arts, Power is when you can hold your position, and you can increase your Power bytaking your opponent’s position.

So now perhaps you have some insight as to the importance of grounding. And this

leads us directly to the importance of stances.

What stances do is make your legs work harder. And the ‘capacity for work’ is the

definition for Energy.

You see the lower you get the more eight you feel. The more weight you feel the

more you work and the more energy you will have feeding into your body$ machine

%.

So the lower you get the better will be your potential for mobility and solidity.

Here we get the idea of positive and negative. If you push the ground, then you are

mobile. If you relax and feel your weight go through your legs and into the ground then you

become solid. This is negative. You are not pushing your weight, you are letting it go.

24



26



ARMS

So now we go into the arms. Arms are the extenders of the system. They extend out#

ward and can be positive or negative, again following the basic rules of Energy.

In the hard Martial Arts, the Arts dealing with striking $ projecting a force % or block#

ing $ shearing a force %, the major work is done with positives. This means, quite simply, that

your actions are towards your opponent.

In the softer Martial Arts, the ones dealing with flow $ guiding a force %, the major

work is done with negatives. This means, quite simply, that your actions are away from your

opponent.

There is a handy, little thing about the arms. You can transmit great Energy through

them, and they are very flexible, but an additional bonus is that on the end of each hand

there are five separate, little extenders. These extenders work in a clawlike manner. Their

primary action is to open and close, and when used in a coordinated manner they are capa #

ble of the neatest little tricks. Go on##look at them. I personally think it’s a shame that

some people can only use them as clubs and bludgeons.

That is about it on the arms. They are very handy once you have used the legs to

move the machine close enough to your target, and they can be used in connection with the

legs delivering the force quite cleverly.

27



HIPS

Hips are the housing for the generator in your body. This gives them a very central

part in the function of your machine.

In Body Alignment, the Hips are the hinge between the legs and the arms, and so

must be perfectly aligned. This holds true for Coordinated Body motion.

They are also the center for weight movement in your body, this too, is a very impor#

tant function.

You see there are two ways to commit weight. One is with the legs, the other is with

the hips. If you are too close to step your feet, then you pivot your hips. Both ways enable

you to strike with full body weight versus 10 or 15 lbs of arm or leg weight.

NOTE: the third way will be detailed later. This is an early work of mine, and there were yet

things to be learned.

28



FORCE AND FLOW

In my study of the Martial Arts I came to a basic recognition. In the Martial Arts

there are actually only two things to be considered. These things are Force and Flow.

To have the game of the Martial Arts someone must first initiate a Force. That Force

will have a Flow to it. $ I sometimes refer to Flow as a direction. %

To be an attacker one must project a Force with a particular direction to it.

To be a defender one must analyze Force and direction, and shear or divert that di#

rected Force. Shearing or diverting is again a matter of Force and Flow $ direction %.

And that is all there is to it.

Oh, yes, we can lose ourselves in the multitude of techniques, and we can build end#

less theories, but the truth of the matter is that there is onloy Force and Flow. Very Yin

Yangish, really.

At this point I am going to take some time to define these words. If they are going to

be the prime ingredients of the Martial Arts then we should do our best to understand

them.

30



FORCE

1 % strength or energy exerted or brought to bear, cause of motion or change.

2 % violence, compulsion or constraint exerted upon or against a person or thing.

3 % an agency or influence that if applied to a free body results chiefly in an accelera #

tion of the body and sometimes in elastic deformation and other e" ects.

4 % to impose or thrust urgently

5 % to achieve or win by strength in struggle or violence

There are other definitions, of course, but these are the ones that particularly pertain

to what we are studying.

FORCE

attack defense

31



FLOW

1 % to issue or move in a stream

2 % to proceed smoothly and readily

3 % to have smooth uninterrupted continuity

4 % to deform under stress without cracking or rupturing

5 % $ this is a separate definition, pertinent to what we are doing % a continuous transfer

of energy.

There are other definition, of course, but these are the ones that particularly pertain

to what we are studying.

As I have said, I sometimes refer to Flow as direction. This was my original cognition

and I am fond of it.

FLOW

attack defense

32



Now that we have defined Force and Flow there are a couple of things that we should

consider concerning Force and Flow.

You have have a Force without a Flow.

You can’t have a Flow without a Force.

The harder Martial Arts, like Karate or Tae Kwon Do rely upon Force.

The softer Martial Arts, like Tai Chi Chuan or Aikido, rely upon Flow.

The di" erences between the Martial Arts are one of emphasis. They merely empha #

size particular technique or theory above other technique or theory. All the elements of the

Martial Arts are in each and every Martial Art. It is sometimes left up to the Martial Artist

to find and define them.

Neither side of the Martial Arts is superior to the other. The True Martial will incor#

porate both sides in a balanced e" ort.

As I have said, the Martial Arts are a game. the game is that one Martial Artist pro#

jects a Force or Flow towards another Martial Artist. The second Martial Artist must avoid

this Force or Flow and project his own Force or Flow. A more pure game of tage we could

not have.

It is the various ways that you can intertwine and interact the Forces and Flows thatmake the game so fascinating. Here are the basic rules for the game.

1 % If the other Force is greater that your Force, Flow it.

2 % If the other Flow is greater than your Flow, Force it.

These are the rules for the game.

33



EXPLOSIONS

Exploding is lots of fun. Some people hold it in disregard, but the truth of the matter

is that those who object the most strenuously probably exploded or were exploded once too

often. As I said, exploding is fun.

In the Martial Arts, to have a good game, there must be lots of exploding. Exploding

is the sudden generation of Force, and if we don’t have Force then we don’t have anything to

deliveer or negate. So where’s the game?

In life, also, is exploding important. One must use dynamite to clear away obsolete

structures, cars use gasoline to move, and the end of life itself is merely the breakdown $ slow

explosion % of substances. Now exploding with a purpose is all right, but exploding just for

the sake of exploding is what we call destruction for the sake of destruction, and not of too

much value. I prefer evolution with a purpose, that is upward growth. But I won’' insis t that

anybody believe the way I do.

It is actually very easy to explode e" ectively. All you have to do is relax, inhale, and

coordinate the following actions.

Breath out from your generator as you generate energy. Focuse the energy into a pre#

cise point $ in time % and pattern $ ridge or thrust %.

One interesting thing I read while looking up definitions of words was that one defi#nition for the word focus is the place of origin of an earthquake. I like that.

There are a couple of things to remember when you explode. If you hold your focus

too long, that is if you ridge through time, then you will anchor your position in space, this

will result in a decrease in mobility and balance. So explode and let go of the explosion.

Don’t try to sustain what is meant to be momentary.

Another thing to remember is that you should strive to control the explosion. Why

explode in all directions when you can explode in just one? It is a waste when you break therules for Economy of Motion $ the least amount for the most done % and spend extra or un#

needed energies. Not only that, but an engineer who explodes his dynamite indiscriminately

takes away more than just the obsolete building. What it all gets down to is that the wedge

is a primary tool of physics, and we should try to use as few as possible to get the job done.

34



So you should wedge your structure and energies. And all body parts on the line of

attack should explode in one direction simultaneously.

Just remember, there is actually nothing wrong with force, it just happens to be a ma #

jor factor of this universe. Force should be recognized for what it is and dealt with accord#

ingly.

The only thing to be careful of in your dealing with force is that if you destroy for no

reason, your energy, by the nature of your being, will return to you in some manner.

35



THE ZEN DOUBLE PUNCH

Here is a good exercise for exploding.

Sit silently in the Zen position. Breath down and relax. Don’t do anything, don’t

twitch, move your muscles, sigh or be tense in any manner. Just sit and forget about things.

then explode into a Horse Stance and simultaneously extend both arms to the front

in a double strike. Make sure your form is correct and that you have followed all the rules I

have set forth.

The trick is to have a pure explosion. Nothing in one position, then everything in

another.

36



37



EMPTINESS

Emptiness, that great building block of the Martial Arts, that great mysterioso of the

Masters, is actually very simple.

Emptiness means nothing.

In your mind $ computer % that means no static $ confusion from other programs %.

In your body $ machine % that means again, no static.

Static can be generated by yourself or by others.

When there is no static you can run the program you want without interference.

Anybody who has driven a car through heavy tra &c has encountered static.

Anybody who has been so engrossed in their work or task that the time just seems to

‘disappear’ has reduced static and created an emptiness which made their program very pure

and easy to do.

I used to call this concept ‘Doing Purely,’ and the idea is to commit yourself so to#

tally to the Martial Arts that there is nothing else.

Don’t allow yourself to be distracted by other’s programs or your own program will

become distorted.

don’

t allow yourself to be distracted by any other of your programs or the one you are doing be#comes distorted.

Just do one thing at a time. Your program will align and so will your abilities in the

use of your machine. You are in charge of your program and it is up to you to change it, no

one else.

38



39



The application of this concept in the Martial Arts is as follows.

In the hard Martial Arts you empty your mind and machine. Then, when you ex #

plode, you can drive your program through the Emptiness you have created. This makes for

a very pure Art.

In the soft Martial Arts you again empty your mind and machine, and on the physical

side you want to empty the space in front of the force projected at you. In other words, you

step aside.

As I have said before, neither side of the Martial Arts is superior to the other, they

are just of di" erent emphasis, and the True Martial Artist will blend them together workably.

On thing before I move on. I really wouldn’t recommend meditating to create Emp#

tiness. The best way to achieve Emptiness is by streamlining your intention and ‘doing

Purely.’ Meditating has a tendency to lose the meditator in his machine. It also has the ten#

dency to open the computer to uncontrolled programs. In the following chapter I will give

you a good example of an exercise which can help you to develop Emptiness, and which can

be used to create other exercises.

40



THE ZEN STICK DROP

Sit facing your partner, each of you with your legs folded in the zen kneeling posi#

tion. One of you holds a small stick about the length of a pen and the thickness of a broom

handle. The stick is held slightly below eye level by a horizontal and gently curving arm. No

attempt at concealment is made, and the stick is just barely held by the tips of your fingers.

Sit silently for a period of time. The stick is dropped by the one holding it, and is

caught by the one opposite.

Don’t try to build a rhythm for dropping or try to fool each other. Just sit. Let the

static in your mind subside as you concentrate upon watching your opponent. Create silence

and observe one another. Realize that no amount of tensing will make the stick easier to

catch, but that relaxing will.

As you do the exercise you will have ample opportunity to still the jerks and twitchs

of your muscles and mind. You will get to go through the pain in your legs. You will get to

still the jerks and twitchings of your partner. You will get to still yours and his tendency to

guess at when the stick will be dropped.

You will get to still the ridges of readying muscles and energies and you will get to

still the focus of the catch. You must reach out and hold the falling stick in one position in

space. There should be no slapping or grabbing or sudden tightening of the muscles. Thereshould be the same naturalness and amount of insignificance as when you lift a glass ot turn

on a light switch.

The application of the can be very interesting. This would be the practice of not

‘telegraphing your motion.’ This means that you stay perfectly still before a movement, no

leaning or drifting in any direction before moving. You must stay in one place and let the

stillness build and explode without forethought. Have fun.

41



42



FORM

In the Martial Arts a Form is a pattern of movement. It is a series of steps or move#

ments which teach one about the mechanics of the Martial Arts.

Let’s go a little deeper.

The word ‘form’ in the dictionary has quite a few definitions. Here are a few.

The shape and structure of something as distinguishable from its material.

The essential nature of a thing as distinguished from its matter.

Idea.

Established method of expression or proceeding.

One of the di" erent modes of existence, action or manifestation of a particular thing

or substance.

Orderly method of arrangement.

The structural element, plan or design of a work of art.

There are many other definitions and sub#definitions to the word ‘form,’ but these

seemed particularly applicable. I would advise you to look up the complete definition for

yourself, however.

Now the reason I bring this all up is because the essence of the Martial Arts is in the

Doing of your Form. Operating your body. Expressing yourself through the motion of yourbody. That is what the art is all about.

So what exactly is the function of the Form, in relation to the Doing of your Form.

Doing your Form programs your Form.

This is to say that doing your Form will give you data input as regards manipulation

of your Form. you learn balance, agility, strength, and so on.

Simply speaking, if you move your body around you will learn what it can do. Repeti#

tion of movement through a precise pattern will give you depth of movement. In other words, the longer you do your Form, the more you will see in it.

If you travel a road day after day, it becomes familiar. You learn how fast you can go,

what corners to watch out for, where the sights are, etc.

43



If you move your body day after day, particularly in a set pattern of motion, you will

become familiar with that body. You will learn how fast it can go, how much power it can

generate, how agile it is, etc.

So a Form is a pattern, a program for your computer to run your machine, and it will

teach you much as you build familiarity with your program. And now it is time to say a few

words about those who disagree with Forms.

Many people claim that a Form is rigid.

They are right. A Form is a set pattern or sequence of moves.

If a piano player can’t perform a piano piece by Beethoven, should he change the

notes to suit his inabilities?

That is the way many Martial Artists are these days.

That is not to say that when a Martial Artist has become thoroughly familiar with a

piece that he can’t create variations on a theme. This is okay, as long the Martial Artist is

variating and not proposing No Form because he doesn’t understand and can’t do the Form.

Many people claim that a Form is static and unmoving.

Of course it is. A Form means nothing unless you fill it up.

A Form is like a book that has not been opened. It just lays there. Open the Form.Do it, and you will find some interesting reading. The Form isn’t dull or uninteresting. What

is dull or uninteresting is the person doing the Form, and Form will only become interesting

if you become interested.

Many people say a Form is unreal. A Form done without interest, energy, drive, un#

derstanding, etc., is very unreal. A form done with energy and enthusiasm is very real. And a

Form explored for practical applications is incredible.

Many people say that a Form is not applicable. Nonsense. A Form teaches compe#

tence in body action. Is competence non#applicable?

44



A Form is nothing more than an encyclopedia, an encyclopedia of the Martial Arts.

Unless you read the encyclopedia, unless you strive for understanding of the data therein,

and unless you input the data into your computer, it will have no value.

45



THE ART AS A RELIGION

Many people consider the Martial Arts as a religion. I would like to say right now

that the Martial Arts are not a religion. People can practice it like a religion if they wish, but

that does not make it one. A religion is a religion and an Art is an Art. The Martial Arts are

no more a religion that ballet or gymnastics or painting or the theater.

The source for this confusion is easily explained. An Art is a form of self #expression.

A religion is a form of finding the self. As one becomes proficient in an artform he expresses

his self. Upon inspection of his product or his particular way of expressing his self he sees

his self manifested. But seeing the room illuminated does not mean that you have found the

bulb.

Anybody who does consider the MArtial Arts or other similar body studies, be they

passive or active, as a religion is falling into quite a trap. As I said, the body is a machine,

and to worship it and its movements as divine or nirvhana or heaven or whatever, is like be#

coming a car mechanic to find God.

So now that I’ve warned you properly, I’m going to go into some of the more spec#

tacular aspects of the Martial Arts.

You see thus far I’ve been outlining the theories of movement. But this does not pre#

clude the possibilities of great feats through the MArtial Arts. On the contrary, it merelyprovides a platform so that we all may properly achieve spectacular feats.

I would like to say at this time, that if my writings do not include something, or if

you have found ways of doing things that are not covered or are even beyond, then that is

just great. I am outlining the body machine, giving general rules for operation in the MAr#

tial context. It is perfectly okay with me if you go further, or are able to synthesize or create

new ways of doing things, new bodies of action, and so on. I describe the vehicle, you drive

it.

46



CONSIDERATIONS

You can actually change the way this universe is. You can do this with thought, that

is, by changing your consideration of the way things are or should be.

Gross examples of this are demonstrated by such things as board breaking and the

like. The person performing the feat must ‘think’ through the object he is breaking.

If his considerations is strong enough he is successful, if not, he isn’t.

Another example is when you project a Force at someone, unpon impact, if you con#

sider that you have imparted your energy and force and not received your opponent’s, then

you don’t get bruised. If you don’t consider this, then you will get bruised.

A finer example of this ‘Changing of the Universe’ is the ‘Iron Palm.’ This is a hand

that has been beaten and scourged, thrust into sand, pebbles, iron filings and the like until it

feels no pain. The Martial Artist is then able to hit somebody with it and totally devastate

them.

What has occurred is that through the continuous pounding upon the hand or palm,

the Martial Artist has lost his consideration for it. He may have attained extra energy

through practice and a certain degree of hardness, but the main thing is that he is no longer

scared of hurting it. So when he throws it, he throws it without consideration.

Also what is so deadly about this type of hand is that the fellow considers it deadly. Itis not that the hand is actually all that deadly, because it is just a piece of a rather fleshy ma #

chine. But the fact is that the fellow has just undergone a terrific training regimen that

probably deadens all feeling, and no he can deaden feelings in others with it. Quite a trick,

actually.

So if you want to develop deadly hands, do it by your consideration, not by the maul#

ing and disfiguring of your hands.

What I used to do to achieve this type of thing was much simpler, and a lot easier on

your hands.

I simply took out all the Energy, muscular and otherwise, got real relaxed, stood

back, and threw that hand like a rock, or dropped that hand upon my opponent with the

idea that it was heavy. The e" ects are rather devastating.

47



KI

The Japanese word Ki literally translated means ‘Spirit Flow.’ The little pig pen let#

ters that the Japanese use to write with show stove with steam rising. This, of course, is a

symbolization of Energy coming from your generator. There has been some confusion of

these two concepts.

Spirit pertains to the total self. You.

Flow pertains to movement.

So Spirit Flow, or Ki, is what you do.

This is a very interesting little commentary on The Way, which is ‘Do.’ It would seem

that the American counterpart is Do, which refers to Doing, or some sort of action.

But to get back to Ki. Ki is what you do, Energy is the capacity for work. There is a

di" erence. You can build Energy, but this is not necessarily a manifestation of Ki. Ki must

be present, but the emphasis is on Energy.

You see Energy is generated by the body. Ki is generated by the self.

There is a further definition of Ki, one which can’t be compared with steam rising

except on a gross level.

Ki is thought. Ki is the stu" of which life is made.

You see life is a vehicle. you operate it, make it do things much the same way you op#erate your body. But where you operate your body with muscles and Energy and such, you

operate life by thought. Your actions, of course, reflect your thought.

If you think life is miserable, then miserable things happen to you. If you think that

life is good, if you think good thoughts, then good things happen to you.

It’s just like feeding data into a computer and getting back an answer. A perfect ex #

change of flows, or causes and e" ects. Rather amazing really.

You can have good Ki. Your life will work and you will succeed at what you do and

have lots of friends and so on.

And you can have bad Ki, in which case you get sick have accidents, and so on. I, for

one, don’t consider it very di&cult in the way of choices.

The way to have good Ki is through your intentions. When you do something, do

only that thing. ‘Do Purely.’ When you talk to people be sincere and honest. When you

49



practice your Art, draw straight lines and circles without corners. and when you decide to do

something or get somewhere, make sure that you get whatever it is you set out to do done,

and make sure you get to wherever you decided to go. Your life will reflect the purity of your

Art.

50



THE BASIC PROBLEM

Now that you have read my book, and I trust that you have some understanding of

the theories and concepts in the Martial Arts, you will have some idea of what you are prac#

ticing and why.

You see there has been on basic problem with the Martial Arts. No one had ever

taken the human body and considered it for what it really is, an engineered device, a ma #

chine. No one had ever taken the human form and analyzed it for its potential in structure

and motion.

It’s true that people had put together various systems, but no one had ever cataloged

a system to fit the machine they were using. It was always a piece of the machine, or a par#

ticular concept or idea that was used, usually to the virtual exclusion of all other ideas and

pieces. It was always emphasis on hands or legs, circles or straight lines, grabbing, weapons,

and etc.

It can actually be quite humorous, once you know the rules, because it becomes ap#

parent that a m an with a gun will attack with the gun. And a man trained in a particular

concept or part will attack or defend with that concept or part.

You see the Art is so physical that people haven’t really gotten into the concepts.

They get into the general philosophies, but they don’t define or understand the concepts.People will wallow through thousands of techniques until a concept is defined. Never mind

that the concept is hazy and general and known only on a body level. Never mind that the

concept is just a single concept in a universe of rules. My God! You can imagine the joy of

somebody who, after a lifetime of searching through a vast amount of technique, finally

finds a concept, maybe a rule, a single rule, any rule. No wonder we have such true believers

in the Martial Arts. And it’s no wonder that Martial Artists tend to be labeled fanatics.

So let’s look at the other side of it. Instead of letting the technique and the experi

#

ence define the concept, why not define the concept right at the start. Find the basic rules

and thousands and thousands of techniques will be right at your fingertips.

If you do it this way, if you define the concept, if you learn the rules before you play

the game, then the time required for mastery will be short indeed.

51

the masters handbook

Documents