HAVING NO WAY AS WAY

"Man, the living creature, the creating individual, is always more important than any established style or system." Bruce Lee said that and it is the fundamental philosophy of mixed martial arts. For weeks I practiced parrying the jab, cross, and hook and, in sparring sessions with my instructors, succeeded in getting my head snapped back like a rock 'em sock 'em robot. I was stiff. I was thinking too much. I was quite simply, stuck in the form. Only when they taught me to strike from any position, to parry going forward, and jab while retreating, did I realize the wonderful enigma of Sifu Lee's thinking. You learn the form to internalize motion; and then you make your own.