I was listening to Boxing Legend, Sugar Ray Leonard last night talking about what makes a real champion, it's not how many fights you've won, it's not how tough you think you are, it's the ability to take what you've learned in the ring and applying it outside the ring in your personal and professional life.

This is the key and it's in perfect sync with our philosophy about training in the martial arts.

LIFE is a combat, not what you see on TV.

Every fighter out grows wanting to prove himself in a ring, cage or pit.

The smart ones have already planned their exit strategy, and have lined up alternate ways of maintaining if not exceeding their standard of living after their fighting career is over.

This is what I want for all the students of FSD. That you realize you possess a powerful tool to make every area of your life better.

Just like you seek to improve every physical aspect of martial arts like speed, power, flexibility, flow, and endurance, the same energy needs to be invested in your personal development.

Refusing to be average, facing fears head on, visualizing first - acting second, developing self-confidence, transfering the intensity you have when striking bags and targets to tackle any problem, task, project, work related issues, or new venture you might be undertaking.

It is way more satisfying to me to see a student (whether in our schools or anywhere around the world who follows what we do because of the wonders of the internet) improve on a personal level through martial arts than to see a student let's say... apply a perfect cross body arm bar.

Whatever life throws at martial artists, they will adjust, re-direct, counter, and roll with it, all the while finding a way to learn from it.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

P.S. Through a mutual friend of my father's, I've found another man who shares the same views about using martial arts as a means to improve every aspect of your life, he is very well known, his identity I will keep secret for now until the interview is complete, he was a very close friend of Bruce Lee. More details to follow....

P.P.S. "To follow through and revel in the smallest of successes, to realize the old you is nothing but a forgotten shadow, barely remembered apart from making fun of."