Circle of awareness

On February 7th, at Talvisota (”Winter War”) wrestling show I am to have a match against Joey Impact and H.C. Andersen, two newcomers that are bound to hunger for victory over someone such as myself. My job is to make sure they’ll lose, and due to my martial arts background plus the fact that I train pro wrestling as a martial art my chances of fulfilling the commitment are way better than average.

In sports combat usually takes place in a way strictly controlled. There is one opponent, there are rules that say what must and must not happen, so you know what to expect. In a 3-way bout it’s a different deal: you put a guy in a hold and the other one strikes you in the back, he takes you down only to be attacked by the third party and so on. It does get chaotic, so that is when the higher aspect of wrestler is called to the arena.

Martial arts, especially when studied as military skills, are for one to be schooled in the zanshin state of mind which techniques will follow. In a real life situation there may be multiple attackers, countless of factors, anything can and will happen. Say you’re hit in the back of the head – the more you’re afraid the more tension there will be blocking the movement of your body and making the blow more devastating. Then again, once you let things happen as they come and just go with the flow you start creating influence that actually softens the world around you. The universe is not built of matter but dual directions through which energy moves. When somebody grabs you, do not seek strength to struggle but relaxation; you’ll take away the opponent’s game plan for a split second during which time you make the move to end the fight.

The 360 degree defence is like a circle of troops guarding every route to the capitol. This is not to be thought of as a clock-like plane but rather a shining sphere of awareness. Even in cases when the enemy is not stopped, information will travel. With the addition of “rhyme and reason,” the perception of continuity, you will dive into the magic ocean of 4D. Take the teachings of your art but never forget to apply. Keep in mind that training is not meant for the gym and it is not done for the sake of any contest. “Everything is Kung Fu,” yet I would simplify this by saying that everything is everything. The ring of Talvisota belongs to me, so does the ring of life.

Liu Fengcai