My son had reached the ripe old age of fifteen when he got around to asking me to teach him martial arts. I had twenty years experience at the time. I knew a dozen different types of karate, and didnt know which one to teach him.
We were living Los Angeles, and I thought that Karate would work best for him. I had knowledge of half a dozen karate systems, however. I really didnt know which one was the best.
I began to look at the different systems, and from each I began to select what were, in my mind, the best techniques. After that, I went through the forms and chose the ones that held those techniques. Finally, I made little changes in the forms so that the techniques were all represented.
I taught him for a year, and it was the hardest class I ever taught. Five other guys joined in, they were constantly bruised almost to the point of breaking. To this day, when I see these fellows, there is a look in their eyes like the grin of an eagle.
Karate is designed for self defense. You dont ever want to use it. If you have to use it, however, youd better win, or why did you bother in the first place, eh?
My son was walking to work one day. The sun was bright and shining, and it was a typical Los Angeles day. He didnt have a care in the world as he sauntered down the sidewalk.
You got some change? My son said no to the bum and shook his head, and he saw that there was a second bum. The second bum was disappearing around the corner of the building that Aaron was passing.
Hey, man, gimme some money! The first bum advanced towards my son, who was backing away with his hands up. Suddenly my son felt something flying towards him, and realized that the second bum had circled the building and was jumping off a fence at him!
Aaron twisted quickly and kicked the bum behind him in the chin, and that bum laid down on the sidewalk rather fast. The first bum put his hand on Aarons shoulder and pulled him around as he launched a punch, and Aaron ducked under the punch, locked it in an elbow lock, then started bouncing the bums head between elbow and knee. The other bum got to his feet and came at Aaron once again, and this time Aaron blocked and punched so hard that the bum was launched into a meter pole six feet away, and the pole bent over severely.
It was all over was over, and Aaron looked down at the two muggers in confusion. He looked around, shrugged his shoulders and went on to his work. He had been outweighed and outnumbered, but the art I had taught him, an art constructed of mean and nasty and down dirty techniques, had worked.
Its been years since that fight, and I never taught that system again. Since that time I learned more arts, and I have other things that I prefer to teach. Still, that breakthrough art, which I called Outlaw Karate, was really something.