Kung Fu: The Art Of Mastering One’s Self

‘Train only to master yourself” is our long-standing school motto. We developed it over 30 years ago from a phrase that Mr. Suh frequently used.

We all come to martial arts (kung fu) for varying reasons. Some come for self -defense: others come for self-esteem, better health, greater confidence and/or to align themselves with themselves. The list of reasons is long and it’s truly amazing how effective kung fu is for fulfilling all of these needs in such profound and mysterious ways.

But, in the end, most of us agree that to “train only to master yourself” is always one of the primary reasons (for each of us). We train with hopes of becoming better people with greater effectiveness as spiritual souls on the earth. We train in hopes of learning from our mistakes: and that we harm no one and yet, if for some reason we do, we offer our prayers and sincerely ask forgiveness.

Learning to punch an opponent is one thing. Learning to “punch ourselves”, as Mr. Suh would say, is another. Defeating ourselves remains the group mantra and aligns perfectly with the school motto.

“Victory over ourselves is greater than a victory over another.” This philosophical thought is the sibling to our school motto. I don’t go anywhere without it being in my consciousness these days. It’s self –aligning… and humbling.

“Train Only To Master Yourself”. I’m planning on training another fifty years to seal the deal — to once and for all to become the very essence of what that phrase means. It may take some time but it’s a worthy pursuit and well worth the effort.