What I am reflecting?
A special way to reflect on this week. I stumbled upon Jesse Enkamp on YouTube. Jesse is a Karate expert. One thing that intrigued me is that even at a master level, he remains really humble in his videos—reaching out to masters of different martial arts around the world, understanding their craft, and humbly learning from them.
I watched the full video of this episode, where he interviewed Jiang Yu Shan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeiPZyrK85c
In the video, Master Jiang shared the five external and internal principles that guide his learning of martial arts.
The external principles focus on the physical and observation, using the senses you have:
- Hand Techniques (Shou): Developing hands that are fast, quick, strong, and sensitive. This includes training for both grabbing and smashing techniques.
- Eyes (Yen): The eyes are crucial for observing the opponent, making quick decisions, and identifying opportunities. They also help analyze an opponent’s fighting style, physical condition, and breathing patterns.
- Body (Shenti): Building a flexible body that can accumulate and circulate energy. This includes keeping internal organs healthy and protecting joints like the spine, hips, knees, ankles, shoulders, elbows, and hands.
- Method (Fa): The specific style of martial art being practiced, such as Karate, Five-Ancestor style, White Crane, or Praying Mantis. The chosen method shapes the path to one’s martial arts goals.
- Footwork (Bu): Essential for quick movement, changing angles, and generating power from the ground. A stable trunk and quick feet make a fighter hard to move and difficult to catch.
The internal principles focus on qualities and the deeper roots of a martial artist:
- Essence (Jing): One’s inherited body structure and natural attributes—such as height, build, and athleticism. This is the physical foundation passed down through generations.
- Spirit (Shen): Awakening the inner warrior spirit through discipline and adherence to a moral code, like the Buddha way or Bushido. It emphasizes using abilities for good and taking responsibility for safety.
- Chi (Qi): Known as “key” in Japanese, this involves breathing exercises and understanding that energy is everywhere. It includes different breathing methods, like the “wind road” for fast movements and the “fire road” for developing energy through slow exercises.
- Physical Power (Li): The strength required to make martial art skills effective. Even masters of internal arts like Tai Chi possessed strong physical power, debunking the misconception that brute force is unnecessary.
- Effort/Ability (Gong): “Gong” (as in “kung fu”) represents the effort invested in training and the ability gained. It reflects how deeply rooted, loose, and capable one’s muscles, tendons, and fascia become through consistent and diligent training.
The final thought that struck me in this conversation is the pursuit of mastery. Mastery involves the commitment to show up every day and practice the craft. If you don’t do that, it simply means you’re being lazy.
It’s also a mirror for me, seeing how I “procrastinate” in perfecting my craft on YouTube. I am a master in this space, and I commit to making videos at least on a weekly basis.
A great video—Jesse truly made an impact on me, and I hope on you too by sharing this. His creativity in blending martial arts and learning allows us to see the essence of mastery in a whole new way.
Quote I’m pondering
Don’t care and talk about how a man should be. Be first one. – Master Jiang Yu Shan
Affirmation I used
It is a great day today!