Recently Written
Categories
Archives
Blogroll
Admin
Sep
27
Be Proud, but Humble
Filed Under Uncategorized
Being proud of your art is great, it’s normal, but sometimes we get arrogant and egotistical and end up making an ass out of ourselves.
Every Sunday, at my old school on Kiesel Ave., an old Chinese man would walk by, wave, and smile. I’d be in the school cleaning the mats or vacuuming, basically getting ready for the upcoming week. One day this same man poked his head into the school and introduced himself.
Dr. Lee was an acupuncturist and retired officer with the Hong Kong police. He also taught Kung Fu at the police academy there before retiring and moving to the US. Now, every Sunday he met with clients in a small office in the same building I had my jiu-jitsu school.
Dr. Lee explained to me how jiu-jitsu was for sport and Kung Fu was for self-defense—being a respectful man, I listened. I listened a lot. Then Dr. Lee, who was in his mid-fifties, decided to demonstrate on me. A couple of groin shots and an ear rip later, I had to say something.
“What if you get taken to the ground?” I asked.
“That would never happen; my kung fu is too good.” He replied.
I thought Dr. Lee was a little arrogant and I had an urge to shoot a single-leg and take him down, but I fought the urge out of respect. I talked him into lying down on the mat, although he assured me this would never happen in “real life.” My intent was to simply hold him down from crossbody for a minute or two so he could see the power and beauty of jiu-jitsu.
While lying in crossbody, he smacked me in the ear—hard.
Yep, in the ear, with all his might, with a cupped hand even. My ear rang as I snatched his wrist and applied a firm Americana- to which he immediately tapped.
I let him up; he said a few things I couldn’t hear because of the buzzing in my ear. He smiled and left.
The next day I introduced Dr. Lee to a good friend of mine, Dave, who had also studied Kung fu as well as boxing and jiu-jitsu. The two of them were discussing the fine art of Kung Fu in the parking lot while I left them to open up the school. Five minutes later I see Mr. Lee storm past the school—no wave, no smile, no acknowledgement at all. He was followed by Dave, who entered my school shaking his head in disbelief.
“What happened?” I asked
“He slapped me in the ear.”
“What?”
“We were talking about how jiu-jitsu was just a sport, and he smacked me in the ear. So I took him down and put him in a rear-naked choke. After he tapped, I let him up and he took off. He said he’d never work with me again.”
I laughed.
I told Dave of my experience the day before, then he laughed.
I like Dr. Lee. He waved to me a day or so later and every time I saw him since then. I just think he had too much pride in his art to see that there are other arts besides his own that also have good techniques. There are people in every art, including jiu-jitsu, who are arrogant and egotistical and that shouldn’t be. Be proud of your art, but humble in your manner.
Hey, maybe we’ll call the ear slap the “Ear-Micana”
Great story. I wish we could unlock a few more from the Mark vault of experiences.