Back To Basics

When I was in martial arts, I would practice a punch 30 times and then ask my Sensei to teach me the next move. My Sensei would then say "No, you've got to master the basics."

"I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times." - Bruce Lee

Today, I realize that the basics in anything is everything. The martial artist master who breaks a brick with his fist used the same type of punch that was thought to the beginner. The only difference is that the master practiced it more - he understands it better.

It's only after you've "punched" thousands of times that you start paying attention to what you're doing. You start realizing how it works and how complex a "simple punch" actually is. That "Eureka" moment is when true learning begins. It's at that moment that you see what it takes to be a master and whether or not you want to pay the price in order to be one.