Guro Dave Gould

El Luchador,

Hola, y una vez mas espero que estas bien. Crea mi cuando te digo que estoy muy tranquilo en vida y guerra en misma manera. I hope that you didn`t read any negativity directed toward you in my response, as there was none intended. I discovered a long time ago that different people study martial arts for many different reasons. To me there are two basic groups when it comes to training in the arts. And I accept both groups equally.

The first group are social martial artists which train for social reasons. They like to go to class where they can meet with like minded individuals and engage in interesting topics with interesting people. This type of student is usually more interested in the system and all of its many facets than fighting itself. They really enjoy the technical side of the system with all of its possibilities. This group usually will not participate in training which will lead to pain, bruises, or blood shed. As the main objective isn`t to fight but in its stead to train for self defense and master the system with the greater goal of gaining rank from within the system in a certain amount of time.

The second group are warrior minded individuals (Juramentados) whom are only interested in the functional side of various indigenous warrior arts. This group could not care less about the technical side of the system. They don`t want numerous dead series of useless techniques but are rather more interested with the truthful combative translation of a technique, and when, where and how it should be applied in a real time non-cooperative environment. Survival alone drives this type of student and they accept that nothing but death itself will deny them of taking a life in combat should a life be required to be taken. I belong to this group for obvious reasons, but I don`t hold it against you if you do not. Again we all make this choice for ourselves and this is the side that I belong on.

It has been said that a Lion makes a lousy Lamb and a Lamb makes a lousy Lion. We are what we are and the quicker that we come to terms with what drives us as individuals the sooner that we can move on and conquer life in our own way. What I mean by this is that we shouldn`t deceive ourselves into thinking that we can do things that are not with-in us to do. I will take a life if one is required to be taken, and in like manner I understand that mine may be the life that is taken if the situation necessitates it to be so. So with this self awareness of who I am I train and condition myself in a way that allows the way that I train to reflect as much as possible the very thing for which I train. Because the way that we train will reflect best the way in which we will respond when confronted with crisis situations. I allow the way that I train to brush up as close as possible to reality in hopes of having a better combative guage, and so far this guage has been spot on.

I`m not saying that the social martial artist is wasting his time in doing what he is doing. As he is getting what he as an individual is looking to get out of the experience of training. Like wise no one should condemn the warrior group for training how they train. Let us not forget that these are warrior arts first and only through the generations have they been translated by some as sport. We are the watchdogs of this knowledge for our generation, and we are leading a noble society of warriors past, present and future. The warriors before us have passed the torch on to us and it is up to us to provide the next generation of warriors as to keep that torch burning for future generations to come. The choice is ours to make be it social or warrior, I for one will continue to pass down a legacy of warriorship in representing these warrior arts of ours. Espero que me entiendes, ciao.

Guro Dave Gould
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