We can still talk a good fight (as the brain is still there) but out reactions have slowed a bit (partially due to our increased stature – beer belly) and regular workouts are only in our mind. I’ve included myself in this group because as much as I hate to admit it – I’m 54 years young now and while I still work out often – I pay dearly for any injuries! It makes the next workout challenging.

In this post I will go over some issues older martial artists have to confront and some really great strategies for transitioning into that next phase of your martial arts training (and I don’t mean quitting) so you too can grow older and better!

Before I begin I’d like to consult those famous philosophers – the Beatles, take on getting older.

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Well will ya? (still love me when I’m 64) is the 64 (000) dollar question and more to the point of this post – will I still be worth anything as a martial artist?

First some background – as we age we lose some muscle tone, reflex speed, maybe gain some weight (or in some cases a heck of a lotta weight) and have long stopped sparring. We still go to the local dojo if we live in the area for special occasions and even judge some tests all the while talking about the good old days. Well let me ask you – do you thing the gold old days are long gone? Or do you still have some moves in under your belt?

What about training? Over the years I’ve hurt my knees kicking and broken my wrist and hands many times doing bag workouts. I’ve broke my mountain bike/s while hurling over the handle bars (yes as I was eating it) and after getting back up after a dust off – had to do a new exercise the next day. I’ve started and stopped working out at the studio as new injuries cropped up… I’ve went from full contact, to point karate, to jiu-jitsu back to studio karate (full contact with the groin open – Hurrah – not that pseudo fighting they call boxing, full-contact or MMA – on slight intended by the way – just saying it how it is).

Here is the deal – when you get older – you have to keep changing your exercises because you get injured easier. I tend to increase the intensity in whatever I do – I guess I could lay off but that is not me. But my muscles and bones apparently did not come with a warranty (or it expired) so I have to be smart about it.

What is “being smart about it”? I mean if you start on a run and one of your knees start hurting – do you just tough it out and continue with the run? NO!!! You are an old guy/gal now. You can try to transition into a power walk if the knee does not hurt anymore but keeping up with the run is stupid! Even if you don’t push it – you are older and are going to pay! If you can get used to that – you can transition into older age as a marital artist gracefully.

Here is a quick video of a middle-aged man in some sort of boxing gym… he has heart.

Now here is the other deal. I do karate and the way I’ve normally practiced most of the my life was everything was geared to fighting. I mean I know self defense techniques (240 of them) and katas (17 of them) as well as how to do every kind of strike (kicks, punches, elbows, knees, claws, finger jabs, hammer fists… and so on – you get the idea) but most of this stuff was the foundation.

After I got my first few black belts, sold my karate school and stopped teaching regularly – I stopped practicing the foundation of my martial art. It was the bridge to get me to where I proficient in karate but I was more interested in fighting.

Well let me let you in on a secret – I won’t be fighting much in my golden years…  so how then am I to stay sharp (as possible)? I have started putting what I used to call “fluff” back into my workouts. I have been doing kata, basics and techniques as part of my training as well as bag workouts, bicycling, walking, hiking and jogging. And yes as you may have guessed – as I injure one limb or muscle – I have to creatively try to work around it or turn to another exercise.

So old grasshopper – there is light at the end of the tunnel and I believe that martial arts are and can be a way of life into your 90′s (if god willing).  I’ll end this topic here and leave you with a video of one old master still practicing his kraft.

Anyway after years of learning and eventually teaching karate – do we really do a good job of teaching basic self defense? I mean there is so much fluff in the martial arts… all of that philosophy about only fighting if there is no other way out and the stuff about forms and even basics. Who ever won a fight by practicing punches from a low horse stance?

Well in this post I’ll answer the question about how well the martial arts teach self defense for the masses (most kids have had a lesson or two) and if all of the fluff actually helps but most of all I would like to say how I would teach self defense and why I would not open up a school teaching self defense.

First for your perusal is the episode of Longstreet (an old TV flick of my day) where Bruce Lee did a guest spot helping the blind man learn how to defend himself.

What did Master Lee tell the blind man to be water? Really self defense happens in the mind first, before the first punch is ever thrown. If you learn the mechanics of how to fight and then let yourself go – you can achieve anything! Most people do not realize this so they really limit themselves (not just at martial arts but at anything).

Have you ever seen a bobcat fend off coyotes from a kill? Or witnessed a wolverine fend of a pack of wolves from a kill? Have you heard about a woman that was able to fend off a rapist by kicking the nuts or poking the eyes? Have you heard about a girl that was being snatched by a child abductor that was able to get away because she put up a fight? How about a guy that was able to fend off six attacker?

All of these situations are not the norm unfortunately but I have heard of or witnessed all of the above. Let me see on the wildlife shows I saw the smaller predators keeping the big ones away form their kill sometimes (I guess depending on how hungry they were). Plenty of women have escaped rapists and girls have escaped abductors if they do put of a fight. The guy fighting off six guys? Me back when I was a bouncer at a bar.

When I was a kid I dreamed of being such a good fighter that it would just be a game to me. That never came true but I did hone my fighting skills to the point that I always believed I would win if someone attacked me. I always did probably to the stills I learned and my attitude.

Lets get back to this question of all of the fluff in martial arts. Boxers, Muay Thai, MMA or Wrestlers might argue that all of the fluff in marital arts are useless baggage. The reasoning is kata and techniques just keep one from practicing the only real art – fighting!!! What??? Or maybe learning how to do old fashion moves (such as chambering your punches or standing in a low-horse stance) do not contribute to fighting skills. How about the philosophy of non-aggression? Oh yeah I can hear the full-contact types now… what a bunch of huey!!!! How about developing ki or chi? What? Why not just learn the touch of death? You see the critiques could be endless.

I’ll address many of these points but when I started learning karate at Tracy’s karate – my instructor told me if I wanted a black belt I was going to have to learn the whole system. I just wanted to learn how to fight at the time but saw value in attaining rank so I took the three or four years it took to learn the art.  Along the way I learned that one should not ever be the aggressor unless maybe you were outnumbered or the opponent had a weapon. You see it was hard enough back in the days before mobile phone video cameras to keep legal in a fight (not going overboard with witnesses) but nowadays even if you do everything right – you might have to answer to a court of law… it is better to try and avoid a fight at almost any cost (except life and limb of you and yours).

So I think the fluff in most cases is good. It is good to learn discipline and get into good shape. It is good to improve your mental awareness and thought processes. Kata take time and practice to perfect. Why not learn good balance and coordination? What about point sparring? It is good go learn how to hit someone without getting hit back. What about if you had to fight a MMA superstar? Just don’t fight toe to toe but rather employ self-defense moves and get the heck out of Dodge like one is taught in a non-aggressive approach to the marital arts.

But you might be asking if I think self defense could be taught better? Yes it could if a martial arts school understood the students needs. Not everyone wants to attain belt rank or fame and fortune by becoming a MMA superstar but the folks that do not have the drive to stick with a martial art could benefit from some age training much like Bruce Lee did for Longstreet (videos on youtube) or like I did for my youngest son 15 years ago.

You see he was getting challenged on the way to the store and his mom was worried – told me about the issues. I took my son out to the front yard and taught him critical distance and how to through a step back – counter punch. The next day the kid ran at him (part of 10 kids or so) and my son stepped back (letting the kids punch miss) and countered him to the bread basket! The kid fell over and could not get up for a few minutes until he caught his breath. None of the other kids wanted to mess with my son after that.

Self defense is not rocket science but rather just doing what makes sense. Anyone can learn basic self defense in a short amount of time such as distance, side stepping and a few strikes and that might be sufficient if they remembered it. I mean bullies being what they are – trying to pick on a kid they perceive as weak – do not keep picking on a kid if they fight back… win or lose – if you are willing to fight back and are smart about it… you too can beat the odds and actually defend yourself!!!

Well some other teen boys approach you as dusk falls – asking if you want to party. There are three of them and they are younger than you. You tell them no thanks and as you try to leave – they block the trail in both directions! Still talking they say that have some beers in a cooler nearby and how about having a bit of fun.

Your escape route is seemingly cut off and you don’t want to go with these boys for a “bit of fun” so what do you do?

More on this later but in this post I will examine what fighting spirit is and how it can help one make good self-defense decisions. Also I will talk about the lack of fighting spirit and the ramifications of that. In a nut shell the fight or flight decision in us sometimes has to be made in an instant for us to gain a momentary advantage. If we do not act when we have a tactical advantage – your chances of a good outcome diminish!

Take a look at this video to see what is possible as Dr. Ruthless so aptly demonstrates.

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Watching this video I can see what I call figthing spirit in action. The willingness to put up a fight to escape an attack is key to having fighting spirit. One quote from this video is how I feel about self-defense, “… hit the on switch inside yourself and become the attacker… ATTACK BACK…”

Defining the meaning – Fighting Spirit is the willingness to fight back but also the ability to rise to the occasion and do it! If you are willing to fight back but are not used to the idea of actually hurting someone in your own defense – you may hesitate too long and lose any advantage.

When I used to teach karate, one of the things we graded on was fighting spirit. I’d look at a student willingness to explode in an instant. I would watch sparring, techniques, kata to see if one took fighting seriously and seemed to be able to surmount adversity!

What do I mean by surmount adversity? Well in fighting one does not always do all of the hitting. Sometimes the other guy/gal gets in some good strikes. When this happens… what does the student do? If he/she fights through the pain with good tactics and is able to rally – then I think the student is able to surmount adversity (at least as far as I can tell in the school).

One example I can give when I was learning kick-boxing, regular boxing matches were part of the training. One day I was boxing with Andy Selcer at the school we were going about three rounds. Andy is a very well rounded fighter who had won the battle of Atlanta and he had some good boxing skills. The first round I came in confident as I was taller and had the reach on him. You see I had been working on my boxing skills for about six months and thought I could punch my way out of a paper bag.

Andy took me to school that day as I came in with the fast jab and cross – attempting to trade blows with Andy. He took my first punch and countered on the inside very effectively. I would then back up taking his heat. After the first round I had taken a beating and knew I had to do something different. Andy basically owned me so far… I was his punching bag.

The second round I switched up my strategy. I started sticking the jab and moving laterally in either direction (so as to not give away my escape). I’d still do the odd attack to keep him guessing but I did not take too much heat in the second round.

The third round I had gotten back my confidence and stuck with my stick and  move strategy. After the rounds Andy said to me after the first round – he did not think I would be able to adjust my strategy and was happy to see I had adjusted. This is one of the reasons I did so well as a young fighter – having so many good partners to work out with. We each tried to build on the others skills to help each other.

Sorry – I went off on a tangent here a bit but you get the idea – to have fighting spirit you not only have to have the willingness to fight back with the smarts to figure out a winning strategy! It is your life on the line.

Many instructors I know have opined that fighting spirit cannot be taught. One either has it or does not. I disagree. Fighting spirit can be drawn out of a student as they are educated on what a fight actually is! If some one attack you… you do not have long to respond. Many people do not respond because they had depended on everyone else to protect them in their lives and they just would freeze if anything bad ever happened to them.

I say this. The fact that you exist demonstrates that you are fit. I mean through out the ages until just recently – the survival of the fittest just like the animal kingdom dictated who lived and who died. Your ancestors were survivors! You can be too!

Here is the thing… if you ever need to defend yourself – you will need it now! You will not get a chance to agonize over the decision to fight back or not. You will have to go off like a crazed animal to survive!

Well let me get back tot he girl in the park. She probably should not have gone into the park at night or even stuck around if she was coming up on a group of other kids she did not know but in this case she was already surrounded. As it did not look like the kids were going to let her go – our girl tried an evasive technique.

She said ok – let me show you something (all the while calculating her escape route), she unfastened her belt (or keys would work) and after getting it loose (the boys were thinking she was getting friendly) she swung the belt buckle at the lone boy in her path and yelled GET BACK!!! and she ran keeping an eye behind her (to strike back as needed).

This is just one possible escape plan and attack were really fluid. If someone kidnaps you (preventing your escape) you have to right to do what you have to do get away so long as you don’t go overboard. By the way in this case a couple of bad decisions contributed to the girl being at the wrong place at the wrong time. It is not her responsibility bad boys detained her but she does have to deal with it.

It will not always be clear the time for talking is done unless you are willing to fight your way out of a situation. If you are willing then you can more confidently tell the attacker to BACK OFF! And remember fighting spirit can be drawn out with the proper training so you too can make good fight or flight decisions if you ever have to!

[Editor's note] This is a guest post by Allision Gamble whom I received an email inquiring about guest post opportunities. I always like to explore martial arts from all angles and am happy to share her ideas here. About the author – Allison Gamble has been a curious student of psychology since high school. She brings her understanding of the mind to work in the weird world of internet marketing.

Most of us have heard the quote: “Pain is weakness leaving the body.” And in the forensic psychology of a fight, there might be reason to believe it. The brain is an organ comprised of more than a hundred billion nerve cells that together create a network of communication for our entire body, physical and psychological. In conjunction with the spinal cord, the brain relays messages of pain or fear or threat. However, in the case of combat sports, the psychology of the brain can be a powerful tool one may utilize to overcome the body’s physical autonomic responses.

When you experience pain, it is because a pain signal has reached the brain and has been transferred to the thalamus where it is then sent to various other areas of the brain for translation. For instance, signals are sent from the thalamus to the limbic system, which is the emotional sector of the brain. Feelings are encountered with every sensation you feel, and the limbic system translates these emotions and then initiates the proper response in terms of physicality or emotionality, such as an increase in heart rate and respiration, or those feelings of fear and potential ‘fight or flight’ responses. Though the last two responses are autonomic and inherent to everyone, the athlete, particularly those trained in martial arts and other combat sports, can train him or herself to attenuate those feelings and continue fighting the good fight.

Focus and confidence play into a fighter’s ability to overcome the brain’s autonomic reactions and the pain he or she may be encountering. In addition to mental preparation, the body and mind are intrinsically trained to optimize (up to a point) in states of arousal that are encountered both mentally and physically. In psychology it is called the “The Yerkes-Dodson Law,” and it proposes that when the body and mind are sufficiently aroused, peak performance may be achieved. The catch here, however, is that this remains true up until the point the stimulation has become overwhelming. Which is why it is key for those athletes participating in sports that involve fighting, martial arts or otherwise, to stay cool, focused and confident in their ability.

In martial arts, the aforementioned ability may be gained in several ways, but always includes intensity and discipline. In the physical sense, a big part of martial arts is technique and muscle memory. Muscle memory is the body’s ability to “ingrain” a movement and to then be able to react in a way that is in itself almost autonomic. In “Motor Learning,” by Dr. Richard Schmidt, it is suggested that it takes roughly 300 to 500 repetitions for the body to fully integrate a movement.

With patience, dedication, repetition, focus, and confidence, it is within any fighter’s grasp to overcome the distractions and pain he or she might experience during a fight. Though our bodies and minds are inextricably linked, measures can be taken to balance one’s response to the other. Winning a fight requires more than bodily strength and technique, it takes a strong mind. Strengthen your will, prepare your mind, and weakness will leave the body.

As a child I have always loved books and moves involving adventure and martial arts. I loved the swordsmanship of Conan the Barbarian books and the sage lessons of the Kung Fu TV series. Some of the best martial arts flicks are timeless such as Seven Samurai but the theme of all of these wonderful books and movies show how the fighter overcomes overwhelming adversity by focusing his Ki (Qi, Chi).

Well I was asked to read Chambers and I agreed as I’d not read a martial arts book in a while. Let me just say once I started reading this book – I could not put it down easily. I usually take months to read a book (at a few pages a night before dropping off to sleep) but Chambers is a real page turner. I was a bit apprehensive as this looked to be a teen adventure but I was pleasantly surprised that I related well to the characters and the book grabbed my interest from the first couple of pages.

In this post I will review the book (soon to be a movie) and interview the author, Sarah Gerdes.

Here is a video about Chambers.

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The story starts out with a bang. Cage and Mia – siblings are waiting for their father in a cave. They see their dad whisked away and follow with the help of an orb – right into the Ming Dynasty!  The teens have to first survive being captured (as spies) and figure out what they are doing there – and ultimately find they are part of an epic battle that has gone on for a thousand years.

Cage has to pull all of his marital arts experience from his modern master to make sense of their predicament and with the help of his sister, Mia – they have to navigate these treacherous times to save their father and fulfill their destiny!

Cage had to depend on the powers of the orb for time travel and some magical feats. Mostly he (Cage) had to use his extensive martial arts prowess to defeat ancient warriors with extensive weaponry including crossbows, shurikens (throwing stars in modern lingo), along with various swords and daggers.

Often times martial arts books and movies make extensive use of magic in the fighting scenes but in Chambers I was riveted while reading how Cage defeated mass attackers with weapons. I could see how many of these sequences could really work if a fighter did not make too many mistakes. This was very refreshing after watching Mortal Kombat and Dragon Ball movie characters using magic to win their fights.

Mia is a headstrong, beautiful girl that has to learn to serve the Empress along with the many customs of the times. Luckily Cage does not have to worry too much about her while they both try to prove their innocence and save the Emperor.

While I won’t say too much more other than the author, Sarah Gerdes managed to intertwine Ming Dynasty history and customs in an interesting way while telling the story. I was able to keep up with what was happening while reading this fast paced historical adventure. While I thought at first this was a teen book before starting the read - I found it kept my interest all the way through – and I am a middle-aged man.

Chambers should have broad appeal since is a historical fiction set in a really interesting point in history (the struggle for power in the Ming Dynasty) that also has martial arts in it.

Chambers is the first book in the series and I understand the books have been optioned as a film series. Here is a recent video of the New Northwest Day show about Chambers.

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I rate this book 5 Kicks Up!

Flickr: photos/tucia

When I got the book I fully intended to do a book review but after reading it – I found I really liked it. I asked the author Sarah Gerdes to do an interview and she agreed.

INTERVIEW

[John W. Zimmer] I liked that Chambers integrated martial arts into the historical fiction. Can you tell use a little bit about your martial arts background?

[Sarah Gerdes] I’ve always been fascinated by martial arts, and watched my oldest brother get involved in MA when I was a teenager. Seeing the time and dedication it required, I waited until a co-worker revealed she was a blackbelt. At her invitation, I attended a self-defense class, and two weeks later, signed up for a black belt program.

[John W. Zimmer] I was totally intrigued by the setting in the Ming Dynasty. How much research did you have to do?

[Sarah Gerdes] A lot (smile). It started with general research of China, searching for a period that had real teenagers in roles of authority. 6 months and lots of time at the library later, I found the 2nd Ming Emperor was ruled from age 12-14. Once I had the time period locked, it took 2 years of research to cover every aspect of life: clothing, buildings, food, decorum etc.

 [John W. Zimmer] How did you come up with the idea of book?

[Sarah Gerdes] When my son was 12, we were climbing the rocks outside a volcano in northern California. I was always telling him stories, and as a reluctant reader himself, he suggested I write a book he could read. This was the start of the time-travel adventure concept. An earlier version I wrote was geared for his age group, but when the studio got involved, the producer asked if I could re-write the book based on a more mature audience 18-25) to deal with the themes. That opened up a new world in terms of plot lines, themes, fighting and romance. The initial idea evolved to be Chambers.

[John W. Zimmer] Tell us a bit about the fight sequences and weaponry.

[Sarah Gerdes] A part of my training includes Weapons. In my program, we are given the weapons based on our belt level, so I only have so much experience. Since I’m one belt below a black belt, I pulled most of the scenes from actual practice sessions I’ve had to endure. The scenes with one against multiple are, sadly, from observation and what I’d do (in theory) versus what I’ve thus far been allowed to do in practice. For the weapons, I couldn’t use what I’ve been taught. I had to adapt the weapons for the period. This took an extensive amount of research from weapons sites and masters from around the world (thank heaven for the Internet!). The design, styles, uses and details of the weapons I found were so amazing, I wrote an additional 50 pages or more that got cut by the editor. Apparently, I’d gone a little overboard in my zeal for the weapons.

[John W. Zimmer] I grew up watching the TV show Kung Fu as a teen and have always thought martial arts concepts were a way of life (or should be). How did you manage to capture the mystical part of the martial arts so well in the book?

[Sarah Gerdes] Thank you for the compliment. It’s very humbling that you say that. During my very first lesson, I was struck by the symbols and words on the walls of the practice room. They were very spiritually oriented, yet when I commented on this to the instructor, he wouldn’t answer the question until I was a fourth section (2 away from a black belt). In effect, he told me that the right to tap in to the spiritual side (the spirit/soul etc) had to be earned. Those that didn’t make it through the toughening, weeding-out process of rudimentary practice were not worthy to have the enlightenment that comes with training in the pure forms. Some of the practice techniques, like Bagwa Chung, are designed to tap in to this very element that is all around us. I tried to work that into the book in a way that was both believable but tangible for readers who have no idea what true martial arts is all about. Now that I’m in the second book, the challenge is quite different. It involves native Americans, who believe in being one with nature. Whereas they called mysticism, another culture calls spirituality, but it’s very similar. Another level exists within all of us. It’s there if we choose to tap in to it, and live our lives in such a way where we can be sensitive.

[John W. Zimmer] Tell us about the main characters Cage and Mia. They work very well together – how much of you are in them?

[Sarah Gerdes] Dare I reveal this much! Well, the fighting with Cage is certainly me, along with anger at a relatively absent father, who was working all the time but did his best. At the same time, I have injected a little of myself in Mia, but the first book doesn’t express it so much. When she hits her fantastic, teenage rebellion streak (in book 2, after learning her father has been lying to herself and Cage), that certainly has a bit more of me. That said, I never played soccer—one of her gifts. All those moves actually came from my middle brother (I have 3 bros) who was/is a soccer whiz. Though this brother wasn’t the one who got in to martial arts, I adored him, we were only 16 mo apart, and we were best friends growing up, doing everything together. (that happens when you live on a tree farm with no one around for miles). We weren’t twins, but it certainly felt like we could read each other’s minds. That influenced the interaction between the two, as did the challenges of starting with similar viewpoints on life, then facing the struggle, disappointment and other emotions that arise when a sibling takes a different course in life.

[John W. Zimmer] About the upcoming movie – are you going help with that process too?

[Sarah Gerdes] I’m going to stick with what I know, and continued writing. A screenplay is its own art, and I’ve got a lot of work to do on my existing art (writing) before I take on another. That said, I’ve been invited to provide opinions on a number of elements (roles etc), but I think my biggest gift to the producer is to stay out of their way so they can do a great job.

[John W. Zimmer] Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

[Sarah Gerdes] The producer Lucas Foster has produced some big hits like Mr & Mrs Smith, Law Abiding Citizen etc. When I got a bit depressed at the time it takes to make a movie, he said something that resonated. “Making movies is like training for a marathon. Some days it seems like progress has only moved an inch. In a few weeks, that’s become a foot. Then a mile. It takes a while, but its eventually completing a marathon.” Writing is like that. One can become a writer starting with a single sentence a day. That sentence becomes a paragraph, then a page, a chapter, and ultimately a book.

This is where practicing martial arts is a definite asset. It’s a combination of determination, patience and ‘pushing through’ to the other side. During my early belts, we held positions for many minutes, to the point where my muscles felt like acid, burning off my bones. The instructors counseled us to ‘set your mind.’ Once that was in place, the body could handle any physical challenge. At the time, I thought I was going to collapse, and sometimes I did, but ultimately, I came to believe (and experience) that I truly could push through anything when I set my mind.

Writing is similar. An aspiring writer (replace writer with any objective) sets his or her mind to becoming, then doing that task, over and over with diligence, the outcome is not in question. One will become a writer, technically and creatively. To invoke a conventional saying, it takes 10,000 hours to become proficient at any task, be it making a free throw, jazz musician or writer. In approximately 10 yrs, I’ve written 7 books and 2 screenplays. I tallied my numbers for writing, and I’m only about 3,500 hours. I’ve got a long way to go to qualify for true proficiency, but I’ve made a lot of necessary progress. In a sense, I’m still training for my marathon.

About the author: Sarah Gerdes is writer living outside Washington with her family. In addition to Chambers, she has two other books and 3 screenplays in production. For more information on Chambers, check out the Chambers Series facebook page or the Chambers youtube channel. For more on Sarah, her official author site is http://www.sarahgerdes.com/, and her random musings on all things life is www.sassality.blogspot.com.

The books are available on Amazon.com and BarnsandNoble.com.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Sarah Gerdes for the great story and interview!

This is just a quick note about a new feature on this blog – the 3-minute retreat found on the right sidebar. As you probably already know to be good at karate takes focus of mind, body and spirit.

The 3-minute retreat is one way I relax my mind and allow myself to focus. It has the added benefit if you are Christian to relate a good message daily.

Grandmaster James Mitose in his book, ’ “What Is True Self Defense?” he stated that one should practice the dominant religion of whatever country one is in, including its application to martial arts and spiritual practices.’

I encourage you to find your own peace or borrow mine – the 3-minute retreat.

As some of you know I used to own a karate school in the 1980′s and back then in the stone age (pre-internet), supplying students with uniforms and such was a bit challenging. Each school had several suppliers that sent you a catalog one used to find the best deal.

Then came the internet and while reading through the catalogs were a bit easier – one still had to find trusted suppiers that would pull everything together for school owners. Zengu.com is one attempt to make it easier for school owners.  

This quick post is going to highlight Zengu.com so any school owners can have another resource. I do have a relationship with karatedepot.com and I have had advertisements from boxingdepot.com in the past but this is not a paid post. I think this resource is one good option any martial arts instructor (karate, boxing, mma, etc…) should consider for their students needs.

Matt over at Ikigaiway.com did a post about Zengu.com that explains some of the tools available for school owners. Zengu.com is actually the wholesale website for:

• KarateDepot.com
• BoxingDepot.com
• MmaOpinion.com
  

From what I can see Zengu.com is an easy way for school owners to find their wholesale needs. Owners need to build relationships with suppliers and Zengu.com is a one more good option for school owners.