A martial arts education is like a college education. There are many different fields of study. I may know a lot about intercultural communication, but I know little about public relations. Studying public relations, however, makes me a stronger communicator.

The same is true for martial arts. I studied TKD for a couple of years before taking my first Shuri class. I thought I had a good understanding of basic technique, but I was taught on day one new ways to perform a side kick. I was amazed that there were different ways to do a basic technique. Imagine all of the different ways to perform advanced techniques?

While training in Shuri-Ryu, I explored Praying Mantis Kung-Fu, Aikido, MMA, and more. I felt guilty because we were told to be very loyal to our school. The following statement may be controversial but I believe loyalty was promoted to protect the business. It’s more important to be loyal to a genuine pursuit of knowledge. I’m proud to say you were my student and I’m proud that you are continuing to pursue knowledge.