Martial Development – Fun Facts About The Author

Reader and contributor Rick Matz tagged me to participate in the 7 things pyramid scheme writing project.

The rules:

• Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
• Share 7 random or weird things about yourself.
• Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
• Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here we go…

• I previously ran a social networking site for creative talent (think Friendster meets Flickr). The service was unique and appealing, with a strong potential for profitable growth; but after some soul-searching, I decided that I would rather write about martial arts than continue reviewing import models’ photo shoots. So I shut down the website and opened Martial Development instead.
• I know dim mak is real, because I have experienced it myself! While finishing a game of ping-pong at the neighborhood park, a child accidentally struck my arm with the tip of his elbow. He didn’t even notice that he had bumped me, but my arm instantly went numb, and I was unable to move it for almost five minutes.
  I figure that if a small child can execute a crippling nerve attack by accident, then a highly trained adult martial artist should be able to do the same on purpose.
• Stephen Chow Sing-Chi is my favorite actor. His comic timing and delivery are brilliant, and almost all of his movies contain martial arts references. God of Cookery and King of Beggars rank high on his long list of great work.


King of Beggars (Part 1, continued on Youtube)

• Although I love poking fun at Occidental re-imaginings of Chinese internal arts, I do respect the genuine article and its sincere proponents.
• I have lived in Seattle all my life, yet I’ve never bothered to visit Bruce Lee’s grave. And why should I? He never visited mine!



• I once fell asleep outside Bodhidharma’s cave, where he is said to have faced the wall for nine years of uninterrupted meditation. Word to the wise: if you ever plan to spend the night on a mountaintop, bring your tummo skills or a warm blanket.
• I stopped attending regular classes more than a year ago—so that I would have more time to practice.

I now tag:
Taiji.Question
Scott P. Phillips, Weakness With a Twist
Baiguai, Kung Fu Artistry
Aiki in Seattle
Lori O’Connell, Jiu-Jitsu Sensei
Nathan Teodoro, TDA Training
Another Neijia Blog
Albert Foong, the Urban Monk