Greg Koval
Foreword
It has long been my desire to create something lasting in martial arts that would give back to the community as a whole. After a lifetime of learning and dedicating myself to martial arts, it is only natural to want to put my own little contribution back into the community, and put my own little stamp and legacy in the thing that has been such a cornerstone of my very identity.
I had originally created this in a digital format as I believe thoughts and ideas pass on better in that format and as I mentioned I wanted to share with the community. But I have some concerns regarding the digital format, and a system or a stranger can delete my legacy like they were trimming a weed in a garden. I want this to last, and books serve this purpose better.
I also have come to believe this legacy is not for everyone. Most martial artists continue to learn and pass on the poor teachings from what came before them. So the closed mind closes the minds of others and they congratulate themselves on the surety that theirs is the correct way. But their systems and methods are outdated, wrong, and mostly reinforce bad technique. They claim the virtue of concepts but don’t know what those concepts are. They rely on technique selection over systems. They spend countless hours doing repetitions for the sake of repetitions that lead to no improvement. But these people don’t matter to me and I don’t want to change their minds.
Instead I pass my knowledge on to those I do care about. This book is to be for my family, passed on through my children and grandchildren and down the line of succession. It is more than just a book of martial arts, because martial arts is more than just fighting. Martial arts is a way of living, and not in a flowery poetic sort of way. Though if I will wax poetic, I’ll say that if the Dao is the path, then martial arts is the gateway to the path and road signs along it. In truth, it is much more than that. It is the tools to develop that which is lacking in most people. It increases personal fortitude and confidence to overcome anxiety and insecurity. It is a cathartic release from the stresses of life. But mostly, it is a passion to be pursued giving life a purpose, rather than one of living through from one thing on a screen to another or vicariously living through your kids. This makes it a thing that I hope is pursued by my line for their own benefit rather than to placate the ramblings of a wackadoo.
My greatest hope is that this is not a finished product, but rather a thing that is added to, and after lifetimes of martial experience is built upon to create a family legacy that is as unique as the people who develop it. What a marvel it will be if ten generations add to this their own thoughts and hopes for future generations.
Now go train.