It was March 2002, one of my managers(I had 3) called me in for a meeting...
"Well take a seat,in this ever changing World..."He strangely said.....
he continued..
"Kit,you have done many things for this company in the past,but you haven't done anything for me,I am afraid you have 3 weeks left to work here"
I was stunned, I came back to this company in October 2001 after leaving for another role for about a month(as that didn't work out for me) This would have been my 2nd job loss in six months.
I decided to take it on the chin and weather the blow. Sure it left me negative and my attitude was getting other people down. I had three weeks to prove myself,but strangely instead of concentrating on my work I sought out for something I enjoyed.
I had to get something positive in myself, so I turned to the Martial Arts. I was already doing Tae Kwon Do,which was great but only occupied 2 nights a week,it wasn't enough in my opinion.
"Hey you should come capoeira its great!" said a friend of mine
"I don't know I'll give it a try" I replied not so convincingly.
I saw Capoeria on Television before,brilliant and acrobatic it looked,two combatants swirling kicks towards each other,just missing the other person with great precision and cartwheeling over low sweeps to the sound of Brazillian music. It was great to watch but I felt there was no way I could do it.
"That guy there he did Wing Chun and beat me in a sparring match remember?" I told my brother as we was watching a bunch of guys practice Eskrima. This was a Friday where my brother Lun and I go to the gym. We decided to stroll around the gym to find out what was going on in the squash courts(where Martial Art lessons take place) We heard a bunch of clattering sticks and saw a Eskrima lesson take place. I recognised one of the guys practicing,he was someone I had a sparring match with two years earlier(a friendly one) where he beat me with his Wing Chun,I was impressed and we became friends but lost touch with him. When I saw him learning this art,I felt that "This must be good" so I sought to start it with my brother.
"I am going to restart JKD" Jeet Kune Do was another Martial Art concept I wanted to retry,I already had a go years earlier and shot a video for a college project,my bro and I decided to go back. I told my Brother I was going to choose the most enjoyable one and drop a Martial Art.
The wheels were set in motion,TKD,Eskrima,Capoeira and JKD. A melting pot of different Martial Arts that would fuel positivity and make me forget about work.
The following Tuesday was my first capoeira lesson,Danny Henry was the instructor and still is,it was amazing as it was like nothing I ever did before. Everyone struggles of course,but within two weeks I was doing cartwheels and doing crazy one handed upside down spinning kicks that you only saw in Hong Kong Action movies.
I then started Eskrima,this was a harder art to pick up,it is complete Filipino system of sticks,knives and empty hand. Bob Meilia was the instructor along with assistants Rob and Simon Campion. It was many weeks until my brother and I became competent at the art...
So my Martial Art Schedule was TKD on Mondays and Wednesdays,Capoeria on Tuesdays and Eskrima on Fridays....but that wasn't quite enough...Capoeira and TKD are what I would call more aerobic arts then street combat(if you were good at these arts or whatever arts you could turn them into an effective self defence but the way they were taught was more for aerobic and art purposes).So i decided I needed a mix, Steve Powell was a doorman and disciplined in several Martial Arts before forming his JKD school.
Jeet Kune Do is a Martial Art concept created by Bruce Lee,that asks the students to "use whatever is useful" There are many elements to JKD such as Filipino boxing,Silat,Savate,Jun Fan(Bruce Lee's style) and Wing Chun and well as others. Taking the best elements from each Martial Art and making it effective(in this case to defend yourself)..My brother and I are great fans of Steve Powell and his teachings,he is humorous and generous and really knows what he is talking about.
..and yes I did that on Tuesdays after Capoeria and Thursdays.
I had a full slate of Martial Arts and it was the most positive thing I did,how did this affect my work?
I was so positive outside of work it began to reflect inside work,we had a new manager in who I worked hard for. Within 3 months I asked for a pay rise and got it and also a month later I was awarded "Employee of the moment" I am not one for gloating but I felt quite proud as three months prior I was told I had to go.
Lun and I even booked a holiday to go on a Martial Arts training camp,with the Minnesota Kali Group with Guro Rick Faye. We trained everyday at Rick Faye's gym until it was time to go to camp in Wisconsin,it was excellent. I will always remember what Rick said:
"I enjoy what I do,why should people get up 5 or 6 days a week in the morning to go to something they hate,they wasted their lives,I think the goal of a person is to go out and find something they enjoy and be happy to get up 5 or 6 days a week to enjoy their lives"
It was something along those lines and it really hit home,I haven't found it yet but undoubtedly will because I am really getting into my hobby with a passion(which is filmmaking but that is another blog)
So that is my story of 2002: The year of the Martial Arts.
Within the last three years I have been to seminars, taking grades( only 2 grades away from apprentice instructor for Eskrima), several Capoeria gigs.
My Martial Arts journey is never ending, I am now making an instructional capoeria video in my spare time. Who knows maybe I will start a new Martial Art this year,all I could say is that the Martial Arts is a positive rush!
Kit