Thursday, October 24, 2024 by C. Michial Jones
When I started my journey in February of 1977, my world was Goju-Ryu. In the nearly 48 years since, I have expanded that world to include Judo, Jujutsu, Aikido, Uechi-Ryu, Shito-Ryu, Shorin-Ryu, Kobudo, Iaido, and Brazilian Jiujitsu. I have achieved Black Belt ranks in nearly all of them and “dabbled” in everything from Kali to Sambo. During my career as a police officer, I added a dozen defensive tactics instructor certifications to that list.
People often ask, “How do you remember it all?” or suggest that one couldn’t possibly be proficient in so many disciplines. One of my teachers even warned me, “An ass can’t saddle two horses, son.” But I believe that depends entirely on where you are headed.
Striking, Grappling, and Weapons
When I was younger, I was searching for understanding. While I have always maintained Goju-Ryu as my core art—my “home base”—I approached martial arts as a continuous, holistic study.
Despite the thousands of styles in existence, there are really only three fundamental approaches to fighting: Striking, Grappling, and Weapons. A “style” is simply a founder’s personal understanding of those three elements. Every founder trained, chose what worked for them, and passed that filter down to others.
The Study of Movement and Structure
At its core, the study of martial arts is the study of movement and structure. There are only so many ways to generate power, only so many ways to twist a wrist, and only so many ways the human body can move.
By studying other styles, I wasn’t just “collecting kata”—in fact, I discarded much of the specific choreography I didn’t need. Instead, I was studying:
- Concepts: Why does this style prefer this specific angle?
- Reasoning: What is the strategy behind this movement?
- Mechanics: How does their generation of power differ from mine?
This allowed me to understand martial arts as a whole. If you understand how the body moves to generate power and where its structural weak points lie, you have the foundation of self-defense, regardless of the “name” on the dojo door.
The Practitioner vs. The Style
We often hear people claim one style is the “ultimate” art. I disagree. A style provides the foundation, but it is the practitioner and their depth of understanding that makes it effective. A “Black Belt” in a style is merely a blueprint; the house you build upon it is up to you.
In the modern era, being a “purist” to the point of ignorance is a liability. You must be able to strike and you must be able to grapple. More importantly, you must be willing to “stress test” or pressure test your abilities.
Final Thought
I have always been willing to train with anyone who has a sincere desire to share knowledge. Whether it’s on the mat, in a patrol car, or in a backyard dojo, the goal remains the same: to move better, to understand the human structure more deeply, and to keep what is useful.
The “horse” I ride is Goju-Ryu, but the “territory” I’ve explored is the entirety of Budo.
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