I love my new martial arts study. For the record, Parra Kali/Silat and Jun Fan Arts. Or to put it another way, Filipino Martial Arts, Thai Boxing, and Jeet Kune Do principles.

I like that it’s free. Not free as in beer, but free as in freedom of expression. I did some western boxing and while I love the science and mechanics, I don’t like how restrictive it is. Too many rules, so many options at your disposal and you can’t use them. Kuk Sool could allow me some level of expression, if you were allowed to do things. The art could allow you to do a lot of things, but the way the art is taught is too rigid and bound. Still, it was good that I participated in that “classical mess” (as Bruce Lee might refer to it) because it laid a good foundation.

But now, I feel free. Sure there are drills. Sure there are steps. Sure there are techniques. But overall what’s coming out of this is allowing your body to flow. For things to be natural. Sure we might spend a class exploring backhand strikes (as we did tonight), but it’s looking at the concepts of how they can work, how they don’t work, how they can be used to open things up and you can then create other entry points or where to flow next. Ultimately it’s conceptual, it’s principles, working at a higher level, allowing you to find what works for you.

It’s most refreshing.

On the other hand, I feel so clumsy in class. There’s much to unlearn, and there’s much to learn. Just being in a different environment is still a bit strange to me, even after all these months at my new school. My body and mind are still wanting to be rigid, and while my soul is striving to be free the body and mind are still locked up. I’m working on it. I’ve even noticed it in my handgun shooting.

What I’m looking forward to is more free-sparring. I’ve been unable to participate in the full-on sparring classes due to equipment limitations, but that’s soon to come to an end. It will be a humbling and educational experience, and I can’t wait.