Thursday, August 2, 2007

Karl Gotch......May he R.I.P

A true legend in the world of physical culture died this past saturday nearing the age of 83. A man of moral character and a great student to wrestling was known throughout Japan as "the god of pro wrestling" for his shoot-fighting style and conditioning training. In the united states though he wasn't a popular hit so he never became a big figure in the ways of other famous athletes. Up until recently this man was very private and kept a strong eye on the people who felt should be trained for wrestling. He knew that if you werent in condition you're not worth a damn and if all you wanted to do was learn a few moves then he'll kick you out the door. He was considered by a few peers and students as arguabley the greatest wrestler of all-time. He wasn't always a wrestler though, he was a survivor of world war ll concentration camps and became a soilder of the US army. He was an olympian in 1948 and became a pro throughout the 60's and 70's. He put his heart and soul to the sport he loved and created many friends and equally as many enemies but through it all he was just a man that squeaked by with a few injuries and a determained will to keep on fighting. A few years ago, he took on a student that was different then most of his others and taught him the ways of wrestling and conditioning. He turned this man's life upside down and for the better and is now known as "the zen master" Matt Furey. That was just one of thousands of students that he made a wrestler out of. In some circles he was considered brutal, viscious and unmerciful when it came to conditioning. Thats the fun of it cause thats how he was not only hated but also respected knowing that cause thats what he was taught and he made it his own unique style. Be as it may he wasn't the biggest public figure but he was a true loyal man and believed in what he loved and how life should go through one's life. Rest in peice Karl and thank you for the powerful impact you've put on us through your conditioning and ways of wrestling that can never be matched.

Yours in Power & Might

Ben

Is it possible to gain strength/flexibility/stamina all in one shot?

To answer that question you have to look at the type of people who know and those who don't. Its common in todays gym rats, high-tech loving and hardcore trainees who believe without question that in order to get these attributes you need to lift for strength, stretch for flexibility and run on the tredmill for a half hour just to get a decent amount of endurance. Now thats all good for them and they can all of that as much as they want but its not always true. It is possible to get those three major attributes into one exercise. The people i've mentioned don't want to believe that cause thats what they were taught and you don't see trainees talk about the important factors anymore cause its "outdated" and science proves new theories for the fitness industry. Its what I have learned in my 7 years of weight lifting. Up until my freak leg accident I learned an researched the old ways of strength training and decided that weights and scientific theories arnt my idea of conditioning. Mother nature with a few peices of equipment are my choices.

Now back to what I was saying..........When you look at animals in the wild by looking hard enough you notice they don't do seperate things to keep them strong and fit they tie everything together from their body structures and survival skills to keep everything strong. The old-timers knew this and adapted to their styles of training. The thing to remember is don't always look to the future in fitness but look to the way you adapt old styles for the future for yourself. Take in what you know and adapt. Its a lot simpler then it looks just find out for yourself and find a unique way to enhance all three of these attributes. The secret to this is to adapt and improvise never repeat.

Yours in Power & Might

Ben

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