Way of the Warrior

As some of you are aware, I practice a martial art called ‘AMOK’. It is loosely based on the Philippine martial art style called Kali. That is where many of the knife and stick work come from that is the mainstay of AMOK. Calling it a martial art is a slightly misleading though and a better description for it would be ‘combatative formatting’.

To explain the difference is somewhat difficult as the lines are blurred in some regions in the various martial arts that are available. We tried to take what was available in other martial arts, examine and test it under duress, see what holds and what breaks down and then make it part of AMOK. AMOK is thus a combination of the best of many martial arts, suitably altered to form part of the style and make it its own.

AMOK is also a lifestyle. It is easy to pick up and learn, and you may even find yourself with a new sense of ability after just one lesson. The sense of ability wouldn’t be false as well. AMOK tends to be an eye-opener for most of the people attending it for the first time. It is easy and quick to learn, effective from the beginning, yet still extremely difficult to master. To master it takes an immense amount of training, persistence and dedication. It is a painful art to participate in with frequent injuries winnowing the ranks on a regular basis. It is learning how to deal with this pain and how this affects your technique under pressure that makes AMOK unique since you are encouraged to train with as severe injuries as are possible without becoming stupid.

Training with heavy bruising (having a wooden knife jammed into your ribs can make you intensely aware of this) for instance puts your body’s reactions into perspective. Instinctively you will react to spare the injured area from further punishment, but the price for this is usually that your technique and principles start breaking down. In a full-on confrontation, this could be fatal if you are on the receiving end. This punishing training regime will teach you how to deal with the pain and keep yourself alive. Training in this way will also teach you how your opponent will react in a similar situation and you can compensate for that then.

This seems to be both a boon and a bane in the system of training. We get countless calls of people that say that AMOK is exactly what they have been looking for all along. They attend their first class, where you basically get beaten up since there is no ‘introductory’ class as such. You train with the rest at their level. It is surprising how quick you actually learn then, but it is an extremely painful and uncomfortable process where the concepts of combat you had can sometimes be severely tested and for the most part, usually broken. Thus it happens that most newcomers only last one lesson and never return. Commercialization is possible, but that would entail a reduction of the severity of the training regime which would very possibly create a false sense of ability in the trainees. And then there is the distinct possibility that bullies will be introduced into the system as well, giving them a lethal set of abilities if applied correctly. As it stands, people with that character flaw get worked out quickly. The problem with most bullies is, they have a lot of ego and they can’t really stand pain, no matter how much they like to inflict it. Ego influences training in a very negative way which I am not going to discuss here. Lets just say that one of the rules of training is that ego gets left at the door. All in all, it boils down to the concept of: Train hard, fight easy.

As mentioned previously, it is thus a lifestyle that requires and cultivates a very different outlook on life and the people that surround you. It requires sacrifice and endurance, but it has its rewards too. Among the trainees, it cultivates a brotherhood that is nearly as strong as being related by blood. Partly this is because you have fought each other and have a mutual respect for the capabilities of the person, but also because he has bled with you. Do not make the mistake of likening it to a gang though. Bad character traits are not tolerated at all.

How all of this impacts me personally has become a very difficult distinction to make. I am part what I used to be and part what I have become through the training imparted to me. I have an extremely aggressive personality, but it has been tempered by training and the realization of the capabilities imparted by that training. As I write this I can think of multiple occasions where I have referred to the aggressive use of my training, which in part is wrong. Threatening with my abilities is wrong, even mock-threatening in the playful environment it occurs. Another thing that has been bothering me lately is the active part that my aggressive personality cultivated for use in combat has started to play in this. I find this unacceptable.

It seems like that training, endurance and study isn’t enough to define you as a warrior. There is quite a bit more to it. Thus it means more study, but more importantly self-study. As it stands, it seems like I am my worst enemy and my largest threat.

Aut vincere aut mori - Either conquer or die