FORTY YEARS OF
STANDING BACK UP.

The floor is honest. It does not negotiate. It does not give you a participation point for trying. It does not let you skip ahead to the part where you are good.

If you fall and you do not stand back up, the floor wins.

If you stand back up, the floor still wins this round, but it is no longer the deciding factor.

ITF Taekwondo taught me form.

Shaolin Kung Fu taught me patience.

Krav Maga taught me that some attacks are not philosophical and you do not get to pause to consider them.

All three taught me the same thing the floor taught me. You are going to fall. You can fall well or fall badly. The choice is in how you stand back up.

I am still training. I will still be training when I am eighty.

The body is the first thing the world tries to take. I do not let it.