[I:http://yozing.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/AlCase7.gif]Bobby lost his left arm because of a childhood illness, but it didn’t slow him down. He rode bikes, was athletic, and did everything a child is supposed to do, except for one. He never did the martial arts, he assumed that that was one activity he would never be able to do.

When a martial arts school opened up in his neighborhood, however, he could not stop thinking about it. He would pass by the school slowly, staring at the kids working out inside. He would ask his friends who studied martial arts about their training, but he never went inside the dojo because he knew that there was no way he could do that physical discipline.

One day a friend of his invited him to the dojo to witness a demonstration. Bobby went, and watched, and sadness ate at his heart like a chainsaw chews bushes. After the demonstration, Bobby was introduced to the instructor, who invited him to study the martial arts.

“I don’t see how I could,” Bobbie said sadly, “since I only have a right arm.” The instructor put forth that having one arm wasn’t a problem. He said, “Anything is possible to a man with a whole heart.”

So Bobbie began studying martial arts. He dove into the practice like a starving man attacked a plate of food, and he made good progress. Unfortunately, the instructor, while he would show Bobby all the moves, would only let him work on one technique.

Day after day, week after week, Bobbie concentrated on learning this one technique. Dutifully, he worked out the problems with his execution until he could do the technique as smooth as silk. Still, the instructor would not let him move on to other techniques.

One day, the instructor came up to Bobbie after class and said, “I’ve entered you in a tournament.” Bobbie was aghast, he just knew he was going to be pummeled like a dirty rug and tossed like a rag doll. Still, he trusted his instructor, so he went to the tournament.

He faced his first foe, and when the attack came, he used the one technique and won the match. And he used that one technique to defeat the second foe, and the third one. When the end of tournament came, Bobbie had won it all!

The next day Bobbie thanked his instructor. “The thing I don’t understand,” mused Bobby, “is why that technique worked so well!” His instructor gave a big grin, “The only defense for that technique, no matter what art you study, is for your opponent to grab your left arm.

Al Case has analyzed martial arts over 4O+ years. He knows lots of Clever Tricks, like the one you just read about. Stop by Monster Martial Arts and pick up a free ebook.

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