Philosophy
by Mic Clark

Martial arts and philosophy, they go together like hand in glove, you cant have one without the other. In this section of our web site I would like to share with you my personal philosophy on training, attitude and approach to life in general. This will come in the form of random quotes that have gone on to shape me and guide me into the person that I am today. My philosophy is built from life’s mistakes, from meeting truly great people and befriending them and from my heroes, my role models. There is nothing wrong in moving into adulthood and still having heroes, nothing wrong with being middle aged or old aged and still having people you aspire to be like and who you look up to. The important thing is to keep on keeping on, and if in order to do that you need to stand upon the shoulders of giants… then enjoy the view.

"YOUNG MAN SEIZE EVERY MINUTE OF YOUR TIME, THE DAYS FLY BY, 'ERE LONG YOU TO WILL BE OLD"
- LAO TZU.
I remember reading this as a schoolboy in a Kung Fu Monthly magazine, it had a big impact on me at the time. It’s even more relevant now I’m almost forty six years old.

This next written piece turned my life around completely when I read it for the first time. It changed my approach to training, work, parenthood and life in general. This has got me through some pretty serious periods of self doubt over the past few years.

Stirling Sylliphant the famous Hollywood script writer was taking private lessons in JKD from Bruce Lee, part of his training schedule included fitness work and Lee would take him on a 2 mile early morning run as part of this training. One morning as they were getting near to the end of the run Bruce Lee told Sylliphant that they would "go the extra mile" and to " keep going". The fifty something Sylliphant declared to Bruce that he was "all out" and couldn't possibly continue with the run. If he ran any further it would kill him he explained. The reply from Bruce Lee was a blunt one - "then die". Incensed with anger Sylliphant ran after Bruce and completed the extra miles and with ease. After the training Sylliphant asked Bruce as to why he'd spoke to him like that and the reply was...

"If you put limits on what you can achieve, mental, physical or anything, you might as well be dead. It will spread over into your training, your work and your entire being. There are no limits to what the human body can achieve, only plateaux. But you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. If it kills you, it kills you"
- Bruce Lee

Since meeting Mo Teague in the year 2000 he has gone on to be one of my dearest and closest friends, over the years we have had many conversations about life and the meaning of the universe. During these conversations Mo has influenced me with his mind set and approach to life in general so much so that I have embraced some of it for myself and made it my own. My conversations with Mo are very precious to me and I look forward to them immensely because you never know were they are going to end up, but as they say, its not about the destination it’s about the journey. During my journeys with Mo Teague I have researched my own experience, absorbed what is useful and discarded what I perceived to be useless. This is my interpretation of my great friends teachings -

"PEOPLE LAUGH AT ME BECAUSE I'M DIFFERENT, WELL THAT'S COOL. I LAUGH AT THEM BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL THE SAME"
- Mo Teague

"EVERY DAY I TRY TO BE A BETTER PERSON THAN THE DAY BEFORE, A BETTER SON, HUSBAND, FATHER, EMPLOYEE, INSTRUCTOR, FRIEND ETC. EVERY DAY I FAIL BUT I NEVER STOP TRYING"
- Mo Teague

"I WILL NOT LOSE A FIGHT TO SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T TRAIN, I REFUSE TO LOSE A FIGHT TO SOMEONE WHO DOES NOT TRAIN. HOW CAN I LET THIS HAPPEN? I'VE TRAINED TO HARD AND FOR TO LONG TO LET SOME NO GOOD STREET PUNK TAKE ME OUT. ANY FUTURE OPPONENT OF MINE WILL PROBABLY BE IN THE PUB RIGHT NOW WHILE I KEEP TRAINING FOR THE FIGHT THAT I HOPE WILL NEVER HAPPEN. I TRAIN THEY DON'T, THEY'RE DRUNK I'M SOBER, THEY WILL NOT BEAT ME"
- Mo Teague

".BIG BROTHER? I'M SORRY I DONT GET THAT AT ALL. PEOPLE WITH NO LIFE WATCHING PEOPLE WITH NO LIFE"
- Mo Teague

"SON, IF YOU CAN'T TAKE IT DON'T DRINK IT"
- Advice from my Father as I was violently ill with my first proper hang over. To this day I still ‘err on the side of caution when it comes to alcohol and just cannot fault this wisdom.

“If there’s a problem we’ll sit down and talk about it for twenty minutes then decide that I was right”.
- Brian Clough - (God bless Cloughie, sadly missed)

David, how come you’re always one step ahead?
“I’m not, everyone else is always one step behind!”
- The genius that is David Bowie“

"I’m not interested in yesterday, or tomorrow, what drives me is today, what’s happening now!”
- Mr Bowie again

"I was and am a free spirit, I wanted to gather information and experience everything! To get out and really live, not just hang around the house and dream”
- Marc Bolan

“make going the extra mile part of your daily routine, it’s the law of averages, the more you put in, the more you get out”
- Bruce Lee

And finally a very personal one from my and my wife Michelle. We were having a difficult time, Michelle had miscarried with our first child and had quite a rough time in hospital. A year down the line and Michelle still couldn’t get pregnant. The doctors suspected complications due to the miscarriage and appointments for tests were being arranged at the hospital. It was quite a tense and emotional time for both of us but mostly for Michelle. One day at work I saw a little quote at the bottom of a calendar and cut it off and bought it back home for Michelle. The note read -

“when you get to the end of the line, tie a knot and hang on.”

We tied a knot, we hung on, and we were blessed with our beautiful boys Adam and Lee. Some thing’s in life are worth fighting for. Oh and yes, we still have the note.

Two words, one name, - STUART PEARCE - No matter what I say or write about this role model of mine, I could never do him justice. Pride, passion, commitment, determination, focus, dedication, a true role model and a true professional. Phsyco is right up there with Bruce Lee as far as my figures of inspiration and motivation go, and as those who know me well will testify, that is high praise indeed. Stuart, if by some slight remote chance you ever get to read this, RESPECT.