10 YEARS OF TRAVEL, PART 1

Bruce lee once said, “i do not believe in styles.” He went on to explain that because we all have two arms and two legs, the techniques that are available to us and that are effective against human opponents are basically the same. For this reason, the styles we see in different countries do not necessarily exist because they are superior in a fight; they exist because they are expressions of culture.

While investigating the grappling arts, for example, I’ve experienced Japanese judo, Brazilian Indian Balinese Korean and Chinese along with plenty of others. Some practitioners wear a loincloth, while others sport a wrestling jacket, a or a specially made belt. Some matches take place before tens of thousands of spectators, while others unfold in front of a few fellow practitioners. Some allow students to earn a good living — win a medal and retire! — while others provide practically no prize money. Yet many of the same techniques are present in all the arts. In fact, pick a random move like the fireman’s carry, and you’ll find it in every art I just listed.