Topic: Martial Arts
Donnie Yen’s Five Rules of Martial Arts Mastery
1. Turn your basic movements - regardless of style - into perfect jewels. If you accomplish this, you’ll have a good chance of becoming an advanced practitioner sooner than you may expect. Like good WuShu or even western boxing, extreme basic training is the only real secret for excellence.
2. Train your body athletically. Probably the most lacking aspect of modern practitioners, your overall physical condition, regardless of style - internal or external - is crucial to sustain long periods of often painful training.
3. Emphasize "fa jing" in your techniques. Top Western boxers exhibit fa jing as much as top Asian martial artists. Start with traditional Chinese styles to learn this crucial use of energy.
4. Strive for versatility and a wide exposure to different disciplines. After some years developing a specialty, force yourself to obtain at least intermediate skill in a few other styles completely different from yours.
5. Train for both combat and beauty of movement. Contrary to popular belief, a serious practitioner can achieve excellent fighting ability while looking fantastic. Always remember that top western boxers are as engaging to watch as contemporary WuShu athletes. Don’t be scared of one or the other.
