By Cecilio Andrade

“The true science of martial arts means to practice them in such a way that they are useful on any occasion, and to teach them in such a way that they are useful in all ways. ” Martial Arts? What Martial Arts? What’s up with “Martial Arts”?

But no, they are not “other” things, they are the same, what today we call Martial Arts, traditional or modern, are simply what more or less centuries ago any warrior had to learn and master. Those weapons, from back then, are now obsolete, true, but their procedures, and the reasons for them, are by no means obsolete. Within a century or two I am sure there will be traditional Martial Arts sports clubs where they teach the “Ancestral” combat techniques with “chemical propulsion” weapons.

Regarding combat anatomy, we may discover that we are not so far from our Cro-Magnon or Neanderthal ancestors when it comes to using two feet, two arms, a heart and a brain. I will only ask you for one thing, remember the following words from the author, the great Miyamoto Musashi, “do not read for reading or imitate, but you must have interest in discovering these things yourself, you must reflect.”

Going back to the basic principle that with the common equipment of two arms, two legs, a heart and a brain, which we share with our more or less hominid ancestors, it is obvious that few variations can be generated if we speak of combat positions. I am sorry for many “discoverers” but the mathematics are clear, everything we consider innovative and transformative in this field, are nothing more than punctual anatomical adaptations to the “tools” and circumstances of each era.

What made the difference over the millennia? Obviously it is the controlling factor, the brain and how we feed it. Is that correct? Then seek to educate the best weapon you have, the brain itself.