My private picture library

Many of you have written in with an interest in the many unique pictures I have in my possession.

Remember a few e-mails back I mentioned Fang Shen Do had done the opening show for the Shaolin Monks a couple of years ago when they were passing through Montreal?

Since the Shaolin Monks were back in my school a few weeks ago I thought I'd post a few more pics from their original show for your enjoyment.

When reviewing my picture folders and CDs, I came across a whole slew of pictures I had forgotten about. I'll make sure to post them on a weekly basis from here on in.



















Here the Abbott prepares himself to bend the 2 edged spears on his throat while the monks brace themselves for what's about to happen...



















You guessed it...easy as pie. Well, he made it look as easy as pie.

Whenever you see a master in action in any field, they always seem to inspire you by making it look so damn easy and effortless.

When in reality it took dedicated practice, sacrifice and some good ol' stubborness.

























The tri-sectional Bo, a traditional weapon used to build superior hand/eye coordination. Unfortunately illegal in Canada.




















One Shaolin Monk, great.

2 Shaolin Monks, better.

Each Monk on stage brought their own special energy to the show, adding to the synergy of the group, as they say: "the result was greater than the sum of their individual effects or capabilities".






















Seeing a brawl in a bar is one thing but seeing a brawl among Shaolin Monks, better.

Seriously, their choreography skills were quite impressive, just watching them gave me lots of ideas for my own demos.



















At this point the show was going great, even asking myself: "How they could top what they had just done."

This demonstration brings a whole new meaning to threading a needle, hey gramma?

Throwing a needle through a plate glass and busting a balloon on the other side requires some skill, ok the monk is good... real good.



















Their fluidity and naturalness was like watching poetry in movement.





















Even when handling a Kwan Dao or Long-Handled-Broadsword which is considered a heavier weapon, the monks still showed excellent control and speed wielding it.
























What do you say to a guy who's holding on to 2 hammers and he wants to smash your head in?

Don't get hit.

The Shaolin Monks used a variety of old weapons like these ones during the show. Not practical in today's times but impressive to see them swinging these big ol' hammers at each other's heads without hurting themselves.

Note: Do not try this at home.













Classic Shaolin Monk memorabilia.


















Here's the Bow and Arrow Exercise I was mentioning about yesterday.

It's a great breathing exercise. Builds tremendous focus, gives you a good isometric resistance training, increases mental toughness and great for a quick solo training in the morning.



















A closer look at one of the 8 health and vitality moves I was talking about yesterday.



















Every exercise is designed to move your Chi freely throughout the body by getting into specific positions and holding them.

Something I mentioned on many occasions in our Neigong training in FSD.

Without a doubt the Shaolin Monks are impressive, being primarily a kung-fu practitioner, I owe it to them for keeping the art alive. To think on so many occasions the art was almost completely wiped out by Emperors and Foreign Country Invaders, almost forgotten and never to be spoken about again. How it survived against such odds is quite a feat.

You can own a small piece of Shaolin History by purchasing one of only a few DVD sets left available.

There's about 3 hours of footage of them going through different drills and exercises, as well as offering demos and answering questions from the students.

Expand your own library of unique DVDs and build something of value you can show your kids one day by grabbing a copy today.

Shaolin Seminar DVD

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

More Shaolin Pics

Here are more Shaolin Monk pictures for your enjoyment.




















A Big Thank You to Marieve for doing an excellent job with the pictures.

This exercise is designed to develop yang energy. A great conditioning exercise of the Shaolin Monks.























Here's a picture of my youngest brother Sifu Silvain performing some of the more intense striking drills of the Shaolin Monks.













This was 1 of 8 movements you should do daily to increase your health and vitality.





















Some students working the different close quarter techniques of the Shaolin Monks.



















The oldest of the Shaolin Monks led the students through a series of sword moves to increase finesse, balance, and coordination.





















The Shaolin Monks made sure to leave no student unattended. Proper form was a top priority.









Their technique was flawless. One can just imagine how many repetitions the've gone through in their training throughout the years.


They clearly don't understand the common western question: "How many more times do I have to do this?" or "I'm bored, show me something new"

Repetition, really is the mother of skill.























Even the Shaolin Monks believe in Push-Ups, this one will never go out of style, that's for sure.












Here the eldest Shaolin Monk opened the seminar with a drunken style form using the sword.

The level of explosiveness got a few students snapping their heads back, as you can see in this picture.

















With so many students in the school, it made for a very special 'ambiance'. Everyone feeding off of each others energy.































Here Sifu Brian and one of my Black Belts, Peter, engage in the more advanced hand to hand techniques.




Pierre-Olivier, another one of my advanced students, demontrates an exercise we also use in our FSD training, the Bow and Arrow.


Great for conditioning the Shoulder, increasing focus and strengthening the kidneys.

































I got to work with the Shaolin Monks throughout the night and was fortunate enough to receive a gift from him, one of his personal weapons which he used during the seminar.


A souvenir I'll hold on to, to remember the experience.

You can also hold a piece of Shaolin Monk memorabilia by way of DVD.

Yesterday I mentioned how I would be making these DVDs available to a select few who act quickly.

I only made 50 copies and I have about 37 left.

Reserve one today

Until next time,

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

Like being taught by Bruce Lee himself

Last Monday was a dream come true for many of my students, any kung-fu practitioner would agree it could of only be topped by being taught personally by Bruce Lee himself.

They got a chance to learn and train with the famous Shaolin Monks.


Something to the equivalent of meeting in person one of your biggest idols. Would you be excited?

The school was jam packed with close to 70 people in attendance.

They made sure to grab everyone's attention by starting with a dynamic demonstration of their kung-fu skill, both armed and empty handed.

You could feel the energy in the air, their intensity and presence that kept everyone's eyes glued to them was impressive.



















Both had been studying since the age of 8 and I was curious to see how they were going to teach us, you know with the language barrier and all.

To my surprise, after a demonstration of a technique he was doing with me, he uttered the words: "Encore".

Which you know is french for "again". He had taken the time to learn a few french words so he could better connect with us.

At first they seemed too focused and stern, I guess because of years of training in a very regimented way at the temple in China, as the seminar went along you could feel them getting more comfortable and managed to get a few smiles and chuckles out of them.



















I came to realize that they are no different from us. They're Human.

And they love their kung-fu training as I do.

They find great joy in discipline, they want to be happy, they treat their body as a precious temple, and they don't shy away from taking the journey within via meditation.

Do you share these same desires?

I hope you do.

No other sport or activity can connect you like Martial Arts does. It really is the sport of the 21st century.


In Fang Shen Do we're commited to giving our students the best possible, martial art experience. That's why inviting the monks was a no-brainer.

Although I know most of my students wouldn't (or couldn't) spend the rest of their life in a monastery and train 8 to 12 hours a day, I know meeting the monks, seeing them and hearing them talk about their experience certainly inspired most of my students to take their FSD training even more seriously.

It also opened their eyes to the possibilities of what can be accomplished with disciplined effort, commitment, and intensity.

The monks are powerful models you can learn from.

What if you couldn't make it when I sent out the announcement?

I made sure to film everything. Capturing every moment so you can revisit it whenever you wish.

It will be like having a monk look over your shoulder like this student, Mathieu, had the privilege of having.

I'm going to make it available for the next 5 days after that it's going in my prized video library where it will stay there as a souvenir for my kids one day.

To grab a copy of the whole seminar whether you were there and want a souvenir or if you're just curious about seeing the kind of demos, drills and techniques they had us do, Click here.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

It's Louse Time! Fear of Success

If you're new to my list of focused, motivated, self- starters, Welcome.
(if you're not new jump right away to today's lesson below)

Every day I communicate to you the best ways to train and the kind of mindset it takes to get results either in your physical fitness or martial art training.

Friday is always what I call: "Louse Time". Modeled after Bruce Lee's strategy in Enter the Dragon.

You know that part where he's having tea with the government agent but he's disturbed by one of his students and Bruce Lee tells the agent: It's Louse Time! The agent replies with his British accent: "yes of course".

Since I'm 6 years old that scene has always stuck with me and I'll be using that same strategy with YOU every week.

Friday is where I share with you Life Lessons and Direction given to me by my dad (and Sifu) every Friday.

Today's lesson is: Fear of Success

Did you know more people have a fear of success than a fear of failure?

When it comes to fitness, more people will choose to avoid exercising and losing weight, miss out on the opportunity to transform their body while raising their self-esteem and be generally happier just to please other people.

"If I lose weight and look better than ever what will my friends say about me?"

"If I get strong and independent, my spouse might feel threatened and feel like they're losing their control over me"

"I've never been good at anything why should I even start, I'll fail anyway"

"My whole family is fat, I'm doomed, it's my family genes"

"Once I get slim and toned I won't be able to enjoy the food I really like"

And the classic statement that goes: "It won't last forever. You know what THEY say, after 30 your metabolism starts slowing down, so why bother?

Who is They?

When you listen to people talk, pay attention to the words being used.

THEY is just another way to pass the responsibility to someone else.

When it comes to fitness, your health, your family, your business, your life, THEY have absolutely no say in anything.

It's your responsibility.

Maybe that's the biggest fear of success. Responsibility.

Are you ready to assume it?

Every man and woman should be able to run a mile, do a minimum of 50 push-ups and sit-ups, stretch and touch their toes, bike at full speed for 10 km, swim 10 laps and put in a full days work every once in a while without eating anything and not be affected by it.

Once every citizen understands that, we'll have a society that is strong and willing to take full responsibility for our happiness, results, success, motivation and our future.

Practicing Martial Arts makes you quickly understand that. No significant development can be achieved without concentrated effort and discipline.

Since it's my dad's birthday this week (Feb 18 th) I'd like to invite you to put any of our products to the test and take advantage of a 18% percent discount on any one of them by simply punching in '18' in the coupon/promotion box at check out.

FSD Product Page

There is great pride in knowing the results you've gotten in any area of your life, especially physical fitness, was your way of staring fear of success in the face and proving to yourself that results can be long lasting when you apply a bit of perseverance, sprinkled with consistent effort.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

See Bob Wall Live

"Show me your friends and I'll show you your future."

I wanted to give you a heads up of what's happening at FSD Central in the early spring.

If you live in eastern Ontario or western Quebec and maybe even in the Vermont area or close to the border you might want to mark these dates on your calendar: May 8th to May 19th.

Bob Wall is coming to town.

Yes, Ohara from Enter the Dragon.

Yes, one of Bruce Lee's closest friends.

Yes a Black Belt under "Judo" Gene Lebell and the Machado Brothers of Brazilian Ju-Jitsu fame.

And let's not forget, friend, business partner and student of Chuck Norris.

An Encyclopedia of knowledge when it comes to martial arts and a pioneer in the martial art world.

Why is he coming to town?

To hang out with my Dad.

I mentioned on past posts how they met in Germany and how they instantly hit it off because they have so much in common.

It's very special.

Consider how many people Bob meets in a month or year and never get to spend an hour, let alone a week with him.

This is our goal, our service to you: To give you unique opportunities to take your training to another level.

So mark these dates on your calendar, it's an event you will not want to miss.

As we get closer to the dates I mentioned above I'll make sure to give you links and more information on how to get involved in the many different seminars which will be made available to both our students and to the general public.

Stay tuned,

Sifu Martin

P.S. Remember a few months ago I interviewed Bob about his life growing up, behind the scenes details of filming with Bruce Lee and so on? Well I'm almost done editing it (over 3 hours worth of audio), I'll let you know how you can get a hold of it shortly.

Happy B-Day Sijo

I know you've stopped counting a long time ago and you're a strong believer that aging is the same as any other kind of disease, it can be cured.

With enough research, many organizations and scientists around the world are coming up with breakthroughs in this area.

It's only a matter of time before it's completely eradicated.

Until then, Thank You for leading by example and I know you attribute your level of physical fitness to regular Station Training as taught in our Fitness Kits.

If you would like to find out how our Grand-Master stays in top physical shape and not look his age, you can visit this page to find out how you can get started.

Sifu Martin

Balance is when you fight like hell to catch it

Had a blast last night with my dad heading our Chi Sao Seminar.

Whoever has mastery of the basics will be in control most of the time.

The basics of footwork, sensitivity, sticking ability, center of balance, and the understanding of how to use pressure or remove pressure are the keys to acquiring skill in this drill.

How much time do YOU dedicate to the basics?

Even before mentioning footwork, the first element you should focus on is Balance Training.

Bruce Lee once mentioned how he turned every moment in his day in a training session, even with some thing so basic as putting on his pants, he would turn it into a balancing act.

"Balance is when you fight like hell to catch it" Sijo mentioned during the seminar.

Just like a plane is never on course 99% of the time, small adjustments are made to eventually land in the right direction, the same holds true with balance.

Balance is one ability we all lose as we age and what better way to maintain it as long as you can through special drills like Chi Sao.

The better your stability, the better you can deliver devastating power in your strikes and by having a decent control over your center of balance you can make it way harder for your opponent to throw you, sweep you, lift you or manipulate your body is such a way to put you in a compromising position.

As martial artists those are elements that we are constantly on the look out for.

After you've taken care of your balance training then you can move on to footwork development, jumping ability, Ladder work, Grounding work and Closing Attacks.

If you can't reach your opponent you're in trouble. Don't you agree?

When you do decide to attack, you have to do so in an explosive manner, with speed and power, while maintaining control over yourself.

That's exactly what you'll learn in our New 2 Disc Closing Series.

Re-shot in full HD with almost 2 hours of footage guiding you through the steps to acquire the ability to quickly exert your power while maintaining control and removing your greatest enemy:

Distance

Learn to cut the distance that's stopping you from your main objective:

Knocking out your opponent.

See what I'm talking about here.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

Your secret weapon (it's not what you think)

Get rid of Bad Habits Such as Blinking, Over-reacting and the Fear of Getting Hit with a Valuable Lesson in Chi Sao.

These are some of the elements you'll read about in the March Issue of "MMA Authority" where you'll find a full spread article on the subject of Modern Chi Sao and how to use this close quarter hand drill to increase your reflexes and sensitivity.

A drill that has much to offer if you're a professional fighter or if you just want to know how to get rid of the anxiety of not knowing what to do if you have someone standing, up close, in your face, and threatening you in a real confrontation.


























Let's face it, although many martial art systems practice close quarter or "in fighting", no other art spends as much time close quarters as the Wing Chun practitioner.

Which is precisely why Fang Shen Do borrows from it and uses it as a secret weapon to develop a strong offense when space is limited.

Using Wing Chun alone is obviously not the answer to every aspect of combat but it offers one piece of the equation.


Fang Shen Do's mission is entirely based on Bruce Lee's same endeavor: "To use what works and discard the rest."

In a way Fang Shen Do picks up where Bruce Lee left off with his JKD, a never ending research and journey in the realm of mental, physical and martial development.






















From the Body Conditioning Drills of the Silat Systems, the Bone Crushing Kicks of the Thai Systems, the Joint Destruction System of Ju-Jitsu and the list goes on and on. There are at least 150 different systems influencing Fang Shen Do and that number is growing every year.

We're crazy about Martial Arts and we want to know everything there is to know about it.

Which is precisely the point of my e-mail today.

Whatever your career or profession is.

Get excited.

Be a life long learner.

Never sit back and think you know it all.

When you do, you'll be left in the dust.

In your work, at your job, in your relationships, in business, be the most "alive" person there.

Enthusiasm is contagious.

People, Bosses, Partners and Women are attracted to people like that.

Let it be your secret weapon.


Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

P.S. We're holding a Chi Sao Seminar tonight at my school with our Master Instructor, Sijo. Seminar starts at 7 pm. To register:

FSD Members go here.


Non-members go here.

It's Louse Time! Find Support

If you're new to my list of focused, motivated, self- starters, Welcome.

(if you're not new jump right away to today's lesson below)

Every day I communicate to you the best ways to train and the kind of mindset it takes to get results either in your physical fitness or martial art training.

Friday is always what I call: "Louse Time". Modeled after Bruce Lee's strategy in Enter the Dragon.

You know that part where he's having tea with the government agent but he's disturbed by one of his students and Bruce Lee tells the agent: It's Louse Time! The agent replies with his British accent: "yes of course".

Since I'm 6 years old that scene has always stuck with me and I'll be using that same strategy with YOU every week.

Friday is where I share with you Life Lessons and Direction given to me by my dad (and Sifu) every Friday.

Today's lesson is: Find Support

More and more research shows the reason some people fail to follow through on their fitness goals can be traced to one of 3 things with one of them being: Not having a group to turn to when motivation runs low.

Take Gym Memberships, everyone I've met throughout the years had the same thing to say about them "I paid but I never went more than a few weeks"

One such gym near my school boasts 14,000 members, when I asked how many were active, training minimum twice a week, the answer was 1200.

Staggering!

I also found it alarming to find out how many couples don't train together.

What better way to strengthen your bond and develop each other physically while having a common goal of fitness for life than to take some time every week to train together.

When going for that candle light dinner tomorrow with your spouse why not bring about the subject of starting a training routine together.

You'll both feel stronger, healthier, sexier and deepen your attraction for one another.

It's so easy to let yourself go. To stop trying to impress your partner. It's so easy to get caught up in the false illusion that everything will be fine and you'll stay together forever without trying to keep everything you do together new and fresh.

Your relationship should be like your training, always growing and improving, passionate and commited, learning from mistakes, being there in the present moment as if it was your last.

We want you to feel what we feel, training together should be rewarding and of utmost importance to you if you value your friend, partner or spouse. Find a partner to train with and when you do, you might want to check this course we designed with that in mind.

How to get started with Partner Conditioning. (How to make the most out of your time together)

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

P.S. I know for me personally, Tuesdays with my girl-friend, Wednesday with my brothers and Fridays with my dad are the times that I look forward to the most throughout the week, Find your team, your support system, and the odds show you'll stick with your program way longer.

Get started today

You'll never know...

If you've never bought a product from us before you'll never know... well... let me let Dan tell you.

----

Good Morning Sifu Martin,

I have recently purchased the weapons DVD's (Basic, Levels 1 and 2). A little background about me, I am currently training in Pekiti Tirsia/FMA Kali under the guidance of Philip Gelinas (from GAMMA).

I also have 2 years of Aikido (which I studied some time ago back in my University days). As an avid student of the martial arts, I believe in gaining as much knowledge as I can for obvious reasons (accelerated training, mastery of knowledge, etc...)

A friend introduced me to Fang Shen Do and the many products you provide for the Martial Artist. I was deeply interested in your weapons DVD's which I ordered. This leads me to the reason for this e-mail. I just wanted to say what a pleasure it is to view an item of such superior quality.

Many DVDs I have viewed (and I have viewed a number of them) look more like home movies. They look more like a demo than an instructional video which is sad because a lot of these can cost hundreds for an entire set. The instruction you provide is also top notch. Logical, concise and never deviates from the point.

One can get to work right away the minute you pop the DVD in the player. You also leave nothing to the imagination as what you teach is perfectly viewed (great camera angle). All of this at a most awesome price as well.

I will most certainly purchase other products as well when the time comes and am certain those products will be equally impressive.

Thanks you for making a statement that quality can still be produced and us Martial Artists can still benefit tremendously from such fine products such as yours.

Humbly yours,

Dan

P.S. I will have the opportunity to thank you in person tonight as I have registered for the Montreal seminar at 7:00 to meet and train with the Shaolin Monks. A rare treat indeed. Looking forward to it.

----

SMP: Thank You Dan. It's always been our goal to differentiate ourselves by going the extra mile whether in the way we produce our DVDs, our courses, the school design, our Training Camp, etc...Nice to see people like you notice it and appreciate it.

Take the time to review our Product Section and see what Dan is talking about.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

P.S: speaking of the shaolin seminar, tonight is the night, there is still time to register for it, join us at my school at 7 pm:

FSD Members go here.

Non-members go here.

Stretching the Brain?

Yesterday I was reading an interesting article by Robert Ringer and he was talking about and referencing some new findings from a cognitive science expert on what has to be THE biggest Wonder of the World.

Something we still don't know enough about...

Our Brain

As Ringer put it: "In his book The New Brain, Dr. Richard Restak uses the term "plasticity of the new brain" to refer to the capacity of the brain to transform itself. This is an incredibly exciting notion, and one that has endless positive ramifications."

"Until recently, it was generally believed that the brain's plasticity peaked out at young adulthood, if not earlier. But researchers now believe the brain is subject to transformation throughout life, which is why Restak appropriately refers to it as a "lifetime work in progress."

This falls right in line with the Fang Shen Do mentality of "Learning should be a life long Journey not a trip to the corner store."

For years I've been getting the excuse from potential students that they might be too old (coming from a 30 year old!) to start martial arts or to just start training and get physically fit.

Some people still have the mentality of "You can't teach an old dog new tricks"

Bull.

I thought it to be very cool of knowing there is no DEADLINE for starting something new or challenging. Your mind will expand and grow to the extent you push it.

He went on to say: "The plasticity of the brain is why you can accomplish great things without being born with superior intelligence or natural talent. And Dr. Restak maintains that a transformation of the brain can be achieved by sheer determination."

Repetition makes repeated impressions on your brain so you eventually master what you're trying to get good at. It doesn't mean you just blindly repeat, you study your results and make adjustments along the way as you gain more experience, staying determined and focused every step of the way.

Restak's main point is that regardless of how much of success is due to genetics and how much is due to practice, the level of success one achieves is based on the plasticity of the brain.

Which begs the question: "If you know your mind is capable of adapting itself to anything you subject it to, and becoming physically fit is one of them, what are you waiting for?"

Wherever you are fitness wise, we have something in store for you. Whether you're just starting out or you've been at it for a while and you need to step it up a bit, give your mind a new challenge, find it right here.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

P.S. Another way to expand your mind and open it to the endless possibilities is to witness Masters in movement. We're almost out of room for our Shaolin Monks seminar tomorrow in Montreal, you can register for it here:

FSD Members go here.

Non-members go here.

Make it through the pain

I work with alot of students on a weekly basis and want to make sure to offer the best possible advice so they and most importantly, YOU, stick with your fitness plan this year.

Whenever you start something new and especially something fitness related, there is a certain amount of pain you have to endure a few days following your workout.

Gage the amount of pain you feel after your workouts to determine your level of fitness.

If it takes you 1 day to recover you're in very good shape and next time, you need to push yourself harder.

If it takes you 2-3 days to recover you need to take training very seriously and stick with your program, this is your bodies way of alerting you, confirming that you're not using your muscles on a regular basis, remember the old saying: "Use it or lose it".

If it takes you a week to recover, you need to look at yourself in the mirror and say: "Get your ass in shape because your life depends on it".

Most people get discouraged at that point, the point where they wake up the next morning feeling stiff and sore, deciding they are just out of shape and call it quits.

This is exactly the point where you need to double your efforts, your focus and determination.

You don't want to dig for gold and fall short of hitting the jackpot because you gave up just a few feet away from uncovering the prize.

Typically the prize is found around the 5 th workout. You feel yourself getting stronger. You have more endurance. You're less out of breath. And the muscle soreness you feel the day after your workout slowly diminishes. Instead of dreading the next morning you're looking forward to it, kinda like a scale to measure the degree of intensity you brought to your workout.

Progression is so much easier when you follow a system that was designed with that in mind.

Start with your very first step to top physical fitness. Partner with us and make week long soreness a thing of the past.

Get started NOW.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

The rule for hand speed

If you've been training in martial arts you've surely asked yourself: "What I can do to get faster?"

If you've been working on increasing your speed as long as I have, you've come to realize "being fast is only part of the equation".

The same is true with power.

There's one element that cannot be over-looked, it needs to be addressed and that is...

TIMING.

If you cannot apply that speed or that power at the right time it is utterly useless.

Kinda like the same idea of owning a real fast and powerful car but being bound by a 100 km/h limit. Why buy that car in the first place?

You find a testing ground. A race track. The autobahn. A secluded street. A deserted highway late at night.

As Martial Artists we use 2 tools: Sparring and Speed Drills.

In FSD we break down speed into 4 components:

1) Perception Speed
2) Speed of motion (Execution)
3) Reaction Speed and ...
4) Timing.

Here are quick points to keep in mind:

-One must have sharp perception speed through sight, hearing and touch.

-Clear knowledge of how to execute the technique so there is no wasted movement and to guarantee maximum efficiency.

-And instant reaction to the outside stimulus (using perception speed) and cutting down the hesitation time between seeing, hearing, or feeling and actually responding to the threat.

-Timing will actually make someone who is "average" when it comes to speed and make them seem pretty fast just by understanding this principle.

We took on the painstaking job of collecting, recording and developing the most efficient speed drills for our students.

I love working on my speed and you should too. It's not just about being fast, the more you train our drills the more you feel like you're doing a "systems check" on your own body. Guaranteeing that your brain and nervous system is in perfect working order.

Make your brain and body a finely tuned machine, just like your computer needs a clean-up and an upgrade every once in a while to guarantee performance, acquiring our Speed Training DVD will have the same effect on your body and mind.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

P.S. Many of the drills can be done on your own in the comfort of your own home. You might not realize it but you're surrounded with everyday items you can use to build your speed. See what I mean here.

P.P.S. Another group that is famous for speed are the Shaolin Monks, catch them in Montreal on Feb.10th at my school on St-Denis.

To register:

FSD members

Non-members

Biggest tragedy to plague human kind

Yesterday my parents brought me an article from the Journal de Montreal that I thought I'd share with you today.

I'm compelled to share it with you because I know it touches so many of us.

What I'm about to cover today has to be one of the biggest tragedies to plague human kind.

I still don't know why people, young and old, are engaging in something so destructive in the 21st Century. An age where technology and research is at an all time high.

Information, surveys, and statistics concerning it prove its deadly without a shadow of a doubt.

A highly evolved society that willfully engages in something that kills you slowly.

A decision that makes absolutely no sense and defies logic.

SMOKING

Do you smoke?

Know someone who smokes?

I'm sure you do.

If you're not a smoker, maybe you're like me, I want to over-saturate myself with as many reasons as possible to not smoke so I never, ever start. I found the following facts very interesting even as a non-smoker.

And if you do smoke, what the hell are you waiting for? QUIT.

There was this little section at the bottom of the article that caught my eye.

What happens if you stop smoking?

NOW: You cease to be a threat to your spouse, family, and friends.

In 20 minutes: Your heart rate returns to normal

In 24 hours:

Your breath doesn't stink so much.

Your risk of suffering a myocardial infarction has already dropped

There are no longer traces of carbon monoxide in your system

In 48 hours: You no longer have nicotine in your blood

In 2 weeks:

Your clothes no longer reek the stench of smoke and tobacco

The food you eat is more flavorful

Your skin tone is brighter

In 3 mths: Your breathing has improved and will continue that way

In 1 year: Your risk of cardio-vascular disease has dropped by half

In 5 years:

Your risk of a stroke drops 50%

Your risk of developing a cancer of the mouth, esophagus, and bladder also drop 50%

Your risk of suffering an infarction (loss of adequate blood supply to an organ) is equivalent to a non-smoker

In 10 years:

Your risk of lung cancer drops by half

Your risk of a stroke returns to non-smoker levels

In 15 years: Your risk of cardio vascular disease also returns to non-smoker levels.

Smoking is the first preventable cause of death on the planet with the yearly death rate totalling 5 million. That number is said to double in the next 20 years.

I guess some people do not value their life. They haven't realized the importance of taking care of their most precious asset, allowing something so insignificant to threaten simultaneously our level of intelligence and physical well-being.

The most important gift that you and I possess is Consciousness.

Are we conscious beings or easily manipulated pawns?

It takes discipline to smoke. Why not shift that discipline to something that actually extends your life rather than shorten it?

Discover the joy of martial art training, put your health and your family's health first.

Experience our unique Fitness System today and literally KICK the habit.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin