Skip to main content

The Day I Became A Ronin

 

Miyamoto Mushashi

In feudal Japan, there were two types of warriors: Samurai and Ronin.  Samurai were loyal to a particular Master, while Ronin answered to no one.  One of the most famous Ronin in history was Miyamoto Mushashi who lived in the 16th and 17th centuries.  He wrote the masterpiece of swordsmanship known as the "Book of Five Rings." In more recent times, Bruce Lee could be considered a Ronin.  He famously broke from the teachings of his Master Yip Man to create his own unique martial art of Jeet Kune Do.  His conversion from Samurai to Ronin was prompted by his difficulty in winning a fight against fellow martial artist Wong Jack Man. Lee discovered that sticking dogmatically to the Wing Chun techniques taught by his Master limited his growth as a martial artist.  

I had a similar epiphany.  One day I attended a martial arts class and I was asked by my instructor to demonstrate effective defenses against a straight right or cross.  By this time I had trained in boxing for many years.  When my training partner threw the right cross, I instinctively and effectively slipped the punch. My martial arts instructor promptly reprimanded me for slipping the cross, because that technique was not in the curriculum of the style I was studying.  From that day forward, I became a Ronin.  I decided that I would no longer be bound by any particular martial arts style or instructor.

I searched out the best martial arts instructors from various styles I could find and trained with them. I took the best of what they had to offer and mixed it with my existing martial knowledge. I eventually developed my own unique approach to empty-hands combat known as "Powell Combat Arts" or PCA.  My growth as a martial artist increased exponentially when I made the decision to change from being a Samurai to a Ronin.  While I honor and respect all of my martial arts instructors, I remain my own Master.  I love this quote from martial arts legend Dan Inosanto.  He said, "Knowledge comes from your instructor.  Wisdom comes from within."


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grandmaster Ulysses "Pop" Winn Jr

My first martial arts instructor Grandmaster Ulysses "Pop" Winn passed away on May 9, 2024. He was a 10th degree black belt in Nisei Goju Ryu. Thank you Sensei for being a mentor and positive role model to me when I was growing up. Until we meet again in heaven.
Post a Comment
Read more

Fit to Fight

I am a big believer in physical fitness. This is especially important for those engaged in Combat Sports, such as Boxing, Kickboxing, and MMA. It does not matter how skillful you are if you cannot go the distance. That is why I became a Certified MMA Conditioning Coach. I wanted to have the knowledge to train athletes to be in top physical condition to compete successfully. To show just how serious I am about fitness, I recently entered a fitness competition. I am competing to be crowned Mr. Health & Fitness for 2023. You can view my profile and cast your vote here: https://featured.muscleandfitness.com/2023/roderick-p
Post a Comment
Read more

The Physics of Power for Combat Sports Participants

Introduction A basic understanding of physics can lead to an improvement in athletic performance.  One concept from physics that is especially relevant to boxers and other combat sports participants is "power."  The colloquial term for power in the context of sports is "explosiveness."  Power is defined as the rate at which work is done.  For example, if you watch Mike Tyson's boxing matches from early in his career you will see explosiveness or power in action.  The ability to quickly apply enough force to knock someone out before they knew what hit them is "power." In physics, power is expressed in watts.  For example, the power used for walking is about 280 watts.  The power used for playing basketball is about 800 watts.  The power used for sprinting is about 2,415 watts.  The power used for boxing or MMA would probably rank somewhere between 800 and 2,415 watts.   The Work Component of Power In physics, work is define...
Post a Comment
Read more