"But there is only one direction that is going to be done and delivered and that is the simple way."
- Calasanz
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This is uh... something that I want to talk about first of all to bring it to the attention of Frank Dux even if I don't mention his name I just want to be able to tell him, "Read it."
Just like how ________________ has written before about me as a kid, I knew probably Martial Art since I was born but didn't know that it was Martial Art or Boxing that I was doing until I got to the city when I was 14 or 15. That was the time that I first went to a school and took my first class. As I was watching, everything that they were teaching did not make sense to me because it was just brutal. They were just hitting each other. The first day I remember sparring and they would throw a front kick or round kick at me and I was using techniques of closing the gap to block them. Lifting my leg and blocking the kicks. For me it was nothing new. It was something that I realized later on that I was born with.
I did not go back to take a class at the school or to train with Rafael Martinez their Master / head trainer or any of the other trainers there for about 3 months. After I came back from 3 months I could beat anyone there, but I could have beaten anyone there even on my first day.
You see, on my own I was already doing movements within the traditional forms and katas. I remember including some of those movements in a kata I put together in 1987 for a form we call "Bojitsu Ni". I remember Matellen Coves was performing a weapons kata put together by Tameyoshi Sakamoto, Bojitsu Ichi, but traditionally it was just too short. He was performing it perfectly but it was just too short and he was not winning. So I took that same form or kata that was related to kobudo and I elaborated on it to put together the Bojitsu Ni. In less than one year, or probably 3 or 4 tournaments he was number one in weapons Nationally and number one in New England for many of the other things that he was doing.Now, Belts.
So, belts are not so important for me, but it is important and I do use them in our system. You want to have a black belt in Physical Arts under our system. Why? Because that is just a little taste of what is the most well balanced system in the world. Anything that we do we can divide a belt into whatever; 14, 300, 400... we can divide our belt system into any number of different levels by using our skill to bring people to the equivalent of a black belt and that could be in Karate, Kung Fu, Chinese Boxing, American Boxing, Wing Chun Ground Fighting... even for Boxing we have a black belt equivalent over here.
So belts are more of a respect for me. I respect the Martial Arts more than anyone out there. I spent a fortune in Martial Arts just out of respect for the teacher. "Here you are Moy Yat. I'm gonna give you a lot of money because you're teaching me the Wing Chun system. Then I am going to teach it." We had worked it out such that I knew that after three months of training under Moy Yat I would be certified to teach, and I did. And Moy Yat did not care because he knew what was the skill that I had.
He said, "No, no, no. Why put Calasanz in a class to pay $50 and spend 10...15 years doing 小念頭?" No. Somebody sent me to 梅逸 (Moy Yat) and in 1 year I had the system of Wing Chun. Even myself, I had many students teaching 3 months after learning Wing Chun, Patrick Wilson, Pamela and many others. So belts are important for me as a respect. So many instructors like Mr. Chow in Wing Chun. Frank Dux in all that he did. Lee... in reality I retract that word, I don't want to mention that guy... but many others.
Whenever I went to a new school I had a way of talking with and working with their head instructors and owners. They would say, "Oh, Calasanz, why don't you get a black belt in our system?" You see, I can be a black belt in one day. My obsession was so excessive and my skill was so beyond that I could reach that level in a very short time. I remember when I went to Lee, I talked to George and taught him some of my skill and then he gave me in just one week all of their forms of Tae Kwon Do. It was easy for me because I did TKD in the DR and I knew how to deliver all the kicks as TKD as well as in the style of Goju Ryu karate.
So when I went to this guy on the Post Road to learn Hapkido the first thing I said was, "I want to do this because I came to this country to be Bruce Lee. I want to be well balanced. I am good at Goju Ryu but I don't want to confuse what I learned. I want to be at least the equivalent of a brown belt."
But I could be the equivalent of a brown belt of any system if I wanted because that was my skill. I was born with it. I spent a lot of time in school but I devoted to this after my formal study for the love of it. I have 24 diplomas in all sorts of different fields. But I devoted myself to Martial Arts because its what I wanted to do. It was my obsession and my passion over anything else.
Now, all these writings and recordings that I am doing here are related to one thing. Respect. I love to have a belt from many different systems just to have it out of respect. But the fact is that belts are not so important for me, however, I like the respect of it. And that is one thing that I want people to understand. If someone offers me a belt, I want it. But at this moment I have a system. I have a system that I need and for me to accomplish my system and to leave it here; to give it to the world before I am gone I would need probably... easily, 10 lives. If I am going to be 90 years old then I need another 90, another 90, another 90 and so on in order to leave it.
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| Calasanz and Tameyoshi |
We created our name by delivering 1 punch and 1 kick. A side kick that no one, no one could block and no matter who it would be, an MMA fighter in the UFC... we could apply that sidekick to any fighter beautifully. The System Kick we called it. A kick coming from a short distance with lightning speed and power with the heel. My guys just made people... you could call it shit. Maybe there is a different word that Alan can find but... that just made them... it was a kick delivered to the gut that just made them... you know. This is how we created the name. So we don't need so much about that, but again, respect.
Anybody tomorrow that contacts me, "Oh let me get a belt in your system." and I will spend 1 hour with you and give you a belt. But the belt is really not what is helping you. It is of course the time spent and what gets retained that is really important. Anyone can wear a belt, not everyone can throw a good kick. I don't have to do that but I respect those that love the Martial Arts. I respect those that love the Martial Arts and do the Martial Arts for real. No bull-shit.
Still I expect that this be written in a way that does not offend anyone. Bull-shit could be misinterpreted as someone who is not too good as a fighter but is good at teaching and helping kids to be confident at something. We don't criticize anyone. And certainly teachers such as that are not bull-shit. Martial Arts can be a lot of things.
It's like I told Kenny Lamara who said to me, "Calasanz, my kid goes to this school. I don't know why I didn't send him to you."
I said, "Kenny if you sent him to me he wouldn't be with me." He wouldn't have stayed with me because in those times I was tough on them. I was tough an anyone. It didn't matter their age or anything. So those schools over there that take their time to teach a kid just how to feel it. It's okay. Its okay. Good luck. It's like Bas Rutten said, "I respect you." You have a 3rd degree black belt in ____________, and I respect that. But I wouldn't respect you if you say now you're gonna step into the UFC or if you want to step into the ring with me because that would be an offense. You don't have to be a killer in order to have a black belt and have another Martial Art as a hobby. You don't have to be a killer. You can just be. You can enjoy. You can enjoy the Martial Art. You can do the Martial Art soft but you must be careful when you open your big mouth. [jokingly] You know, don't say that. But yes....
You know, this is what Bas Ruttan said. Alan, the minute you see and follow him you will be inspired by him. Every word that comes from his mouth is something that you want to save. He is one guy that is the same type as me. That is just logical. Everything works. Don't criticize some school because the guy just throws a kick and didn't do anything with the kick. No. They are enjoying that. You see? That helps them. That is what makes TKD today. That is why there is the big killer TKD and the other ones. Okay?
So that is related Alan, that is what I want and probably I give you some time tomorrow, I want that you write that and even words can come even from your own development; your own skill.
I respect.
I don't want belts. I do not want to learn anything. I just want to see if I can leave before I am gone to the world 10 to 15 percent of the most simple Martial Arts in the world. This is all I care about today. But I do care about respect. I do care about sharing with people and so on. This is what I want.
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