Intro: Zen in the Martial Arts – Written by Joe Hyams I am pleased to profile this book today because there is a lot of confusion out there regarding the Martial Arts. Today with the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) and MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) people think that Martial Arts is only about fighting. This is not the case. I have been involved myself in several Martial Arts and I can tell you from experience that there are life lessons to garner from the study of the arts. One example comes from Grand Master Edmund Parker who introduced Bruce Lee to the U.S. back in the 60’s. What Mr. Parker articulated so well, was the way people learn and how good teachers teach. Let me give you an example. Lets suppose that a teacher is showing a beginning technique to a class of beginners and advanced practitioners. The great teacher will be able to show the basic move and the beginner as well as the advanced student will learn something new. Gifted teachers can relate to learners across any learning style and at any level. This will help you evaluate any endeavor in life, not just Martial Arts Training.

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Why is this important to me? If I was spending my precious time listening to this video then the first question I would ask is – Why is this important to me? I start every video with this question because it is important to get something of use from every book you read. “Zen in the Martial Arts” has several key teachings that relate to any endeavor in life. One concept talked about in the book is “Zen Breathing”. There are several benefits to Zen Breathing including vitality, clarity and high energy. Humans can live 30 days without food, 7 days without water but not more than a few minutes without breath. Understanding Zen breathing brings balance and calm to an otherwise chaotic world.

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Joe Hyams covers several important topics and examples in this small book but we will focus on three key areas for this summary. 1. Empty your cup. Have you ever noticed that people want to learn something but in reality they want to prove to you what they know? Empty your cup is the concept of forgetting what you know and being open to what is being taught. This does NOT mean simply accept what is being taught as law. Knowledge still needs to be questioned and scrutinized. “Nothing is impossible to the willing mind” 2.

Know your limits. This means to focus on your strengths and accept your limitations. Most people don’t know but Bruce Lee had very bad vision and one leg was one inch shorter than the other. He understood these limitations and tweaked his study of the Martial Arts accordingly. He studied a close range art known as Wing Chun Kung Fu and he took an unorthodox stance (southpaw) / (right hand lead) because of the limits of his legs. No matter what, even the best of the best have limitations. The key is to understand them and work around them. 3. Lengthen your line. In the book, Mr. Parker was debriefing with Joe Hyams after a sparring session in which Joe lost and was trying very advanced moves. Mr. Parker drew a line on the floor and asked – How can you make this line shorter? “I can cut it in half or in thirds answered Joe.” Mr. Parker drew a longer line next to it. The moral of the parable is to make YOUR line longer. Instead of trying to make your opponent bad, make yourself better. This simple advice is true in all

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aspects of life including business. Think about it – if you bad mouth your competitors, most people will not buy from you but if you perform better than your competitors then customers will come to you.

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In this last section, I wanted to share a couple of great quotes that really require some thought but if followed will have an impact on anything you do. The Angry Man will defeat himself in battle as well as in life – Samurai Maxim. This quote rings true in any area of life. Think of any relationship be it with you spouse, kids or colleagues. Losing control of your emotions results in bad outcomes. Life unfolds on a great sheet called Time, and once finished it is gone forever. You need to do what you love and respect your time and the time of others.

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I hope you have found this short video summary useful. The key to any new idea is to work it into your daily routine until it becomes habit. Habits form in as little as 21 days. Here is a quick exercise you can do while driving to work. This is a simple deep breathing exercise. Breath in deep through your nose for a count of 10, hold your breath for a count of 10 and breath out of your mouth for a count of 10. Do this 10 times. Try it for 21 days and notice the results. Let me know what you think. If you enjoyed this video then please do not hesitate to pass it along and if you want more detail then click on the link below and purchase Joe’s book – “Zen in the Martial Arts” Thanks for watching and have a great day!

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