I took some time scrolling through the endless rabbit hole of social media. Feeling both irritated and understanding, I get where these ‘influencers,’ ex-fighters, and instructors are coming from. We gotta make a living, so some sell crazy combinations that the aspiring newcomer has a hard time getting their head around the intricate movements that make the combinations work. Anyway, why am I addressing this?

Well, to anyone who wants to investigate what Phylasso is about, I want to inform you. I have been there and done that. It’s hard as a martial artist. Not only do we have to compete against others within the industry, but we constantly beat ourselves up. From the top of the totem pole to the bottom.

That struggle is similar to the insecure musician, artist, actor—you name it. Why am I saying this? To understand what I teach, I think it’s best to break down why I teach it to begin with.

When asked to teach kids’ classes rather than get involved in the adults’ MMA class, my response was nothing short of arrogance but through in life I learned that no one cares about how much you know until you show how much you care. Teaching is the most selfless thing to do… and we flip it. Look, no one lives forever, and many of us who are fortunate enough to either afford to attend a local gym or have the physical capacity to move, regardless of whichever martial art or hobby you are doing, is a blessing that we far too often take for granted.

What do I mean?

Well, for starters, many gyms teach students how to execute techniques like them, making clones. This results in a competition-based martial arts world instead of a ‘be like water’ philosophy. Bruce Lee, who we all respect, had a philosophy in martial arts of taking in what is useful to you and discarding what isn’t.

Yet, I’ve taught so many people who say, “I learned this is the way to do it.” You fill in the blank. The reader may say, “Well, yeah, I disagree.” Sure, but most of the instructors you learn from, or if you are one of those instructors, subconsciously treat their craft as THE GODSEND way of doing techniques.

That stops with me. Anyone coming into my gym wanting to train with me or just new to the whole world of martial arts will get a fresh perspective. I teach many techniques, but I have no set ‘combinations,’ because the customer isn’t me. I once went into teaching to get money to feed my dog back in 2017, but I’m in a different place now. Not only was I saved from death, but I was very restricted in my ability to move for five years until I had my second heart procedure. I trained at many gyms, and with each one, I was familiar with the stench of narcissism. I get it, but without customers, we have no base. We are irrelevant—just a nutcase that loves to be hit. That’s what the average person thinks of fighting anyway “All I see is red, bro.”

But seriously, as a teacher, I believe it’s great to teach all the tools a person needs to be literate in martial arts. Owners and coaches should never seek to have students lingering around for years just to secure their bank account. If you have confidence in what you teach, you should be content if people come, learn, grow, and move on.

That’s what I teach. I wasn’t that way before, but through trial and error, I’ve learned it’s so much easier when you teach techniques and then watch your students use their minds to put them together and make them their own with their magic, expressing themselves in a way that brings beauty to the art of violence.

I implore instructors, gym owners, and social media influencers around the digital world to consider this: Teaching martial arts is never about you. When you die, no one will care, but how you teach matters. To who? The student—the one who pays. Something to consider. Let’s enjoy the summer and beat one another up!