Episode 53 - Dr. Terrence Webster-Doyle

Dr. Terrence Webster-Doyle

Dr. Terrence Webster-Doyle - Episode 53

The stronger and better your physical martial arts skills, the better you'll be able to, the more capable you'll be able to,  use the mental part.

Dr. Terrence Webster-Doyle

Dr. Terrence Webster-Doyle

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whistlekick Zip-up Hooded Sweatshirt

Today we talk with Dr. Terrence Webster-Doyle, or Dr. T as he's commonly referred to. A martial artist with over 55 years experience, numerous awards and decorations, it was an honor to have him on the show. Dr. T's passion is around bullying education and prevention, which is why he founded the organization Martial Arts for Peace. We talk about the path that brought him to founding the organization and the life events that showed him how important the issue of bullying was, decades before anyone else was talking about it.Our conversation doesn't always follow the path you might expect, however. We talk about Dr. T's conversations with Linda Lee Cadwell (Bruce Lee's Widow) and her opinion of what Bruce Lee might have thought about his work. The thread of bullying weaves throughout the episode and Dr. T's answers to the questions, but there's a lot more to this man and his work than bullying. I found him to be very thoughtful and very authentic. I haven't spoken with many people who have shouldered a cause for as long as Dr. T, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for that.

amp;nbsp; Today we talk with Dr. Terrence Webster-Doyle, or Dr. T as he's commonly referred to. A martial artist with over 55 years experience, numerous awards and decorations, it was an honor to have him on the show. Dr. T's passion is around bullying education and prevention, which is why he founded the organization Martial Arts for Peace.

Your humble host, Jeremy LesniakToday's featured product is our zip-up hooded sweatshirt. Lightweight, stylish and extremely comfortable. You can learn more about them or purchase at our website.

Dr. Terrence Webster-Doyle

Dr. Terrence Webster-Doyle

Show Notes

Movies / TV - Kung Fu, Secret of the Horse, The Karate KidActors - David Carradine, Ernie Reyes, Jr., Ralph Macchio, Pat MoritaBook - Why is Everybody Always Picking on Me? A Guide to Handling Bullies, Karate: The Art of Empty SelfDr. Terrence Webster-Doyle provides all of the materials on his websites for free. There are a number of them that are appropriate for martial artists, parents, school owners and others in our community.Atrium Society & Youth Peace LiteracyMartial Arts for Peace12 Ways to Walk Away with ConfidenceIf you'd like to contact Dr. T directly, you can email him.

Show Transcript

You can read the transcript below or download here.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Hello there everyone it's episode 53 of whistlekickmartialartsradio the only place to hear the best stories from the best martial artists like today's guest Dr. Terrence Webster-Doyle. I'm the founder here whistlekick but listeners know me better as the host Jeremy Lesniak. Whistlekick in case you didn't know makes the world's best sparring gear as well as great apparel and accessories all for practitioners of traditional martial arts. I'd like to welcome our new listeners and thank all of you returning fans. If you're not familiar with our products you should check out everything we offer like our zip up hooded sweatshirts. They're comfortable they incorporate our really popular vintage styled graphics and they just look sharp. They're available in two colors and they've been a big hit ever since we introduced them a couple months ago. Lots of pictures of these and all of our other great stuff are at whistlekick.com. If you want to check out our other podcast episodes or the show notes those are over at whistlekickmartialartsradio.com and while you're on our website go ahead and sign up for the newsletter. We offer great content to subscribers and it's the only place to find out about upcoming guests for the show. Now let's move on to the episode. On episode 53 we get to talk to Dr. Terrence Webster-Doyle who asked that I call him Dr. T. Dr. T is a noted authority on the subject of bullying and uses his more than 50 years of martial arts experience to bring context to bullying and other conflict situations. he's written extensively on the subject for over 30 years and he brings that knowledge with him to our conversation today. I enjoyed talking with him I hope you'll learn as much from today's episode as I did. Dr. T welcome to whistlekickmartialartsradio.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

I really appreciate it Jeremy. I've been looking forward to this really to say some things hopefully that will stimulate people to look in the martial arts more, deeply let's put it that way.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Fantastic that's what what better goal could be have to come out of an episode didn't have people look at what we do and what we love so much with depth but let's get started the way we always get started. Tell everybody who you are how you got started and that early part of your journey your origin story.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Okay well as a child in the 1950s I'm up there in age so in 1950s I was bullied terribly my teeth were knocked up. I got a head injury that it was very serious Dr. [00:02:42.22]you'd be dead nice thing to tell a 10 year old kid [00:02:45.19] this guy he kept going he wouldn't stop he wouldn't stop and so what I wanted to do was be able to you know get out of being bullied and not get this continual thing now I moved to the next child the next child [00:03:00.15] we weren't wealthy as well as the school teacher and so on and the next time bullied me even worse or more emotionally you're the kid from the other town you know and you are not a part of our little group you know kind of our little you know little tribes that they have [00:03:14.09] is an original tribe.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Yeah.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

So that was more emotional that was like you not part of our group and just [00:03:21.25] I was so furious at being bullied in the other town physically but [00:03:27.16] when I walked to the school on the first day the new school in the other town what happened was this the head guy in the school and his budding behind him walk up to me and kind of the whole bullying thing and he grabbed me in a headlock, I was so furious I picked him up by his belt and his shirt and looked at him up over my head [00:03:46.18] I said don't you ever ever do that and we've been friends for over 50 years [00:03:54.27] now but that was a good thing for me to do at that point, that's what I needed to do but that's bullying stimulated me. Now I'd go to the martial arts and get involved in that about to continue to continue to find what's going on with bullying.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Yeah it's certainly an important topic and we didn't reach out to you for this reason but I think it's very appropriate time wise to have you on and I'm looking forward to learning more about this cause you know the the issue and what you're offering to help people out with it you know I think it's something that as martial artist there's a lot that we can do not just within our own community but within the wider

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Yes

Jeremy Lesniak:

Global community so you went and trained in the martial arts to help you with being bullied so what what kind of training did you start with?

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

You know I'm 75 years old believe it or not and I'm in the martial arts for 54 years I used to have it 1961 in Florida in University of Miami I was going as a student and I was walking down it was called miracle mile there and there was this little store saw these thing that looked like pajamas’ white pajamas jumping around I said what in the heck is that so I got I was intrigued by cause I've been bullied I wanted to do something. So I walked in the store I don't remember the style I remember the man was Philippine and I don't really I just know it was very close to Japanese-style where but you know practice [00:05:21.23] knew that so I just was intrigued [00:05:25.03] to do this it's something about this and I did and I started practicing and then I kept going and going and going and going and I started the major part of my [00:05:33.21] was in New York City [00:05:36.25] sensei so that was where I started and I just it just caught on to me I couldn't let go I just kept going and not just not just for me being bullied because you know physically but I think there was more behind that it that just you know just kept [00:05:57.07] so I said I wanna help kids I've gotta help kids and so that's what I started to do later on maybe we can talk about going through this.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Yeah absolutely I mean there will be things that's thread through this episode every episode we had in the past and I think anybody that listens to this show consistently knows that while the show is varied the people that come on are just as varied but at the same time we have things that are really important to us and the thread to our lives and they can't help but come out as we talk and I think that's fantastic, it's part of the beauty of the show. So it sounds like even from and from an early age long before bullying was something that was discussed openly and publicly as a problem it was important to you?

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Yes it was well in those days 2 things boys will be boys and everybody figured that's what happens you just fight but you know it's strange in those days you never could kick somebody if you kick somebody we would bully you. If you want [00:07:00.09] boxed out punch and everything out wrestle whatever but no kicking so yeah that was interesting for me at that point and that later on that you have all of these other parts the physical parts of the martial arts command was with a rather interesting too and I then I had to deal with that.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Did you ever defend yourself and have to have an internal debate do I use my feet or not? That was the first thing I thought when you said that.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Very good, no I actually I developed over the years my way to deal with the bullies that people came after me without using anything physical I've just figured them out you know and then that I written [00:07:50.16] books about that, how to use my mental martial arts as I call them how to you know I [00:07:55.15] 12 ways to [00:07:56.06] with confidence very very many things you can do to deal with a bully. You could talk to the bully are you gonna make friends with the bully you can call the proper authority, you can trick the bully into you know the creative type of distraction [00:08:09.17]. So I use those just because I didn't know [00:08:12.13]o and so I never did all these years I've never physically got although I've been a cause of an attack I'm not physically attractive I'm pretty big I'm 6 foot 3, 260 pounds I was pretty big all my life [00:08:28.24] strange enough for the smaller guys who just wo was kind of like very primitive they wanted to get the big guy you know but most of the time I can handle it so that was that's what I thought would work and it did work and that's what I wanted to teach the kids.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Excellent you're about as far ahead of a curve as I think anyone really could be on this subject that's really great. So that gives us some good context for who you are and the other things that were gonna talk about through the rest of the episode but of course as I already said as anybody who listens knows it's all about the stories for us and give us some hints of some stories I'm sure you've got a ton of great ones and I'd like you to pick out one that you'd like to share with us or your best martial arts story.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Well that's a good one to think about what the best is. I think that when I've met okay what happened was I remember Bruce Lee obviously and I read his book the Tao of Jeet Kune Do and I was very interested in the first part of it the part of conditioning you know to put behind [00:09:33.29] you know that mental conditioning and so on. So and I remember that Brandon died, obviously I remember that and I wrote to his brother and Bruce's widow wife Linda she remarried a man named Bruce Caldwell another Bruce believe it or not so she's Linda Lee Caldwell [00:09:51.26] and said how sorry I was about you know Brandon and Bruce and we started to become friends I was writing back and forth back and forth very educated woman very fine woman and we have to be in Arizona at the time and she happened to be in Arizona so we met and my wife was rather [00:10:07.29] well Linda's gonna come up and visit you I was like oh okay she lived up in Idaho I said well okay and Linda said no fine I want you to come up so wow this is great so we came up and we visited Linda and I stayed Brandon's room which was in which was really something it was very heartfelt and then Linda showed us all of Bruce's paraphernalia and other thing she'd saved up over the years and later on I had a very we had a good talk my wife and Linda and I and her husband Bruce about the martial arts and about Bruce and she said to me but [00:10:40.26] and because the Tao of jeet kune do, the first part of it about what's behind [00:10:48.27] what caused his conflict she said that's what his real interest was [00:10:53.18] in the movies and all of that he really wanted that to be explored and go beyond that but unfortunately it didn't have [00:11:00.16]so she said I'm gonna write she wrote foreword in one of my books [00:11:05.13] martial arts book and that 4 and a half page [00:11:10.07] which was beautiful and I said that was just meant so much to me it was a great a great honor and not because I thought Bruce was on a pedestal I thought he was a down to earth human being who himself in China got bullied and who himself in the United States got bullied because of inter.. what they call interracial marriage that was very difficult for him and for Linda so to me that was a very important time that when I met her and what I learned and what Linda has come forward and told me about Bruce and what we were and she really really and liked what we did  and then they had a Bruce and Brandon Lee Memorial banquet so I went to that and one of them is from San Francisco and they give out this medal the Bruce the Tao of Jeet Kune Do medal and she gave one to me and then this is really good and everybody well okay doctor T alright you know and then she said [00:12:05.20] is my wife and everybody who is this woman what is she in the martial arts. Well of course she's my wife and she we're partners in this you know whatever I have written whatever I have done she's always been behind me so she came up and got a medal too [00:12:18.03] what who's this but Linda goes this is important [00:12:22.20] is his wife and this is his partner so that was very wonderful that with Linda.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Wow what I can't think of much better of an honor than to have your can I say life's work.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Yes.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Okay you know this cause that it is clearly evokes so much passion for you validated by you know sort of indirectly but is direct as you could get the most famous martial artist of our era yeah yeah and  a few weeks ago we did an episode on Bruce Lee we do this periodically diving into the historical profile of a famous martial artist and the first we did was on Bruce Lee and we talked a little bit about his history of being bullied and the fighting and all of these things and watching that path and one of the things that we speculated was what would his life have looked like had he lived longer because of course he died so young but here we get a little bit of a glimpse of what that might have been you're connecting some of those dots for us so.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Yeah

Jeremy Lesniak:

That's really fantastic.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Linda felt that way he would've been my age too he would've been exactly 75 we're born in the same year as Chuck Norris. Chuck and Bruce and I are the same age Bruce being not alive anymore obviously.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Of course, wow wow what great story that's you didn't disappoint.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Thank you.

Jeremy Lesniak:

So of course like just about everybody we've had on the show your life has had martial arts through it almost entirely but if you had to go back you know that those occurrences that had you stepping into a dojo for the first time what if those hadn't happened or or if you had been bullied enough to push you over the threshold of wanting to train in the martial arts, what you think your life would have looked like?

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Very superficial excuse me I think I would just go along with what everybody else does and you know may monitor whatever I do whatever I'd done but the martial arts game me such a focus. I can't even tell you what it's like what it does for me I mean it's something I live every single day because I write continually and I talk to people continuous, I always talk to a man in Columbia South America this morning we have this you know Skype calls back and forth and then met up in Maine this morning too [00:14:57.22] so this is something that really means a great deal to me and my life would've been just very empty very unfocused so I'm so extremely happy to have and few friends along the way to really really meant a big deal to me and one may I mention one right now.

Jeremy Lesniak:

By all means please.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

This man is sensei Danny Hakim, Danny Hakim was Australian and he went to Israel and he wanted to do something about fighting between Israelis and Palestinian kids I mean he walked right into the war zone last time I talked to him on the phone he said he was going from shelter to shelter because there were bombing and last time he emailed from the Palestine’s you know were killing [00:15:46.19] people all over the place so this is real I mean in a real martial art zone if you want to call and he's used our programs  there to great success and he really [00:15:56.12] them be very important for what he did was that was extremely important it was so simple can I just tell you it just take a second he has two groups of Palestinians Israeli kids and so he has these kids out in the street most of them are at each other’s throats and some of them were actually on each other's throats so he [00:16:17.22] his dojo Shotokan completely Shotokan, completely Japanese and [00:16:23.09] you know all of the things are all Japanese it's a culture he created a culture in the middle a Japanese culture in the middle of Israel okay so the Israeli kids come in the door, let's say this [00:16:36.06] they come in and then the Palestinians come in they have a culture they've been commissioned into their cultures now when they come into the dojo and is totally Japanese they have to drop at least temporarily their old framework of their culture and embrace the new right cause both of them do. So what happened [00:16:55.17] is a Budo for peace  B U D O if you're having to get interview somebody boy interview this man Budo for peace in Israel and now what happened was these kids could talk to each other they would say on the Internet that you can see them talk to each other he's got solo videos and they say you know outside in the street I'd be one to kill you but now I can talk to you in here and so he created this kind of tricked the brain so to speak. I don't know how much he's [00:17:20.18] he got these kids to come in and become peaceful by embracing a new culture and not the old ones that were causing them to such hostility and he used the martial arts for that and I did and I used to he and I and now the few other really feel the martial arts could do and not only with the bullying on the playground but bullying on the battlefield most definitely that the bullying on the battlefield starts the bullying on the playground it's in [00:17:48.14] stages and then the other factors that create that carryover so that to me is [00:17:54.08] important that man is doing a wonderful job.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Wow and as I was listening to you it reminded me I grew up in a small town in Maine and just a few miles down the street there was a camp that operates in a very similar way called seeds of peace.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

I know that.

Jeremy Lesniak:

They bring together okay SEP so I grow up a few miles down Seeds of Peace and for listeners that might not know they bring in Palestinian children and Israeli children and have them interact in a traditional American summer camp environment..

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Yes

Jeremy Lesniak:

With the hope that as they spend time together they realize that they are far more alike than different.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Exactly [00:18:34.20] gonna use the martial arts to do that. I think the martial arts has a tremendous potential for helping children like that in war zones and so on.

Jeremy Lesniak:

I would be shocked if it if it didn't you know it does you know it certainly this I don't know if this is a one off or if he's done this in multiple locations but II would expect pretty much anywhere you could drop a program like that it would be successful.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Oh he's done it in many locations throughout the Middle East and the so he's quite a man Danny Hakim Budo for Peace

Jeremy Lesniak:

Yeah after the episode let's talk maybe you can make an introduction sounds like someone we should have on the show.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Oh yes.

Jeremy Lesniak:

So the next story I wanted to get into is talking about how the martial arts has helped you overcome or move through or however you want to think about that that path some kind of low point some challenge in your life and you know I'm guess it's around bullying but it doesn't have to be and just tell us about that how did how did you move forward because of your martial arts experience?

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Well that's interesting there's bullying and there's bullying. There's bullying when somebody in the outside wants to attack you physically or mentally emotionally but then what happens a lot of times what happened to me and what happens to most people we take on the bullying and we bully ourselves it goes internalizes oh I must be bad it must be terrible to call them in these names and I must be you know etc. etc. etc. so we start bullying ourselves our self-esteem just goes right the tubes and we feel depressed and that's what happened I felt terribly depressed and I just I didn't know what to do and I realized that one thing that could give me a sense of self-esteem was the martial arts and also what was really interesting was in the physical part of the martial arts the kata [00:20:29.17] Japanese form the kata  was very interesting in how that gave me sense of self-esteem what it did was when I really did it and really did it fully completely that I lost myself into it and what I did was allowed all that anger and fear that that I had inside myself to come out of the form in a safe and controlled way and that's what I created for kids a safe and controlled environment where they could exorcise let me use that word not exercise but exorcise those kind of demons of anger and fear and so on and so on within the form so when we did the form in that way I did I felt oh this just feels good and the kids did too so I knew that that the physical form not the katas were not just to apply to self defense forms from  [00:21:18.02] physically attacked but how to deal with your sense of I can let this out and let it fully out completely utterly out in this form without hurting myself or anybody else and that sure felt good like you know it's like screaming when you're really angry really screaming but you did it within the form it was beautiful so I think that meant a lot to me.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Yeah and as someone who gravitated far more towards doing kata as I was growing up in karate than sparring for possibly different reasons like I can certainly empathize with that you know to to get out there and scream bloody murder as one of my instructors express it.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Very good.

Jeremy Lesniak:

So cool, so I mean you've already mentioned some pretty fantastic names of people that you've been around during your time in the martial arts but if you had to pick the one that was the most influential, the strongest supporter of your martial arts career who would that be?

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Well he’s an actor David Carradine in Kung Fu. I thought Kung Fu show was extraordinary because here's a man who could fight and who could you know put anybody out so to speak and there's so many situations in the kung Fu series where he was attacked [00:22:44.18] in the bar because he was Asian and he said you know you just you're Chinese China man you know you get out and he just turned away from him and the man pulls a knife and he just does a kick he kicks a knife boom [00:22:56.29] keeps drinking his water I mean he did all these things although at times he did fight but he would try and most of the time not to get into physical part of it and that I thought was a great a good thing for martial artist to see and anybody to see there are all other ways to get out of it and he was the story obviously he was falsely accused or maybe I don't know about the death of that fellow who he killed or to protect himself back in China so he was the [00:23:32.02] kept moving get moving and moving moving my wife says you know you're a kung Fu cause we keep moving around trying to find people to who really want to do this kind of martial arts so yes David Carradine as an actor portraying the martial arts in that way and really that his early part when he went in the martial arts school anyway and trying and just sat outside it wouldn't leave and then the structure would come out and say leave you all leave and he would never leave and then they came in they said this boy is dedicated and the things he learned I thought the things he learned at martial arts school were very interesting from [00:24:10.18] grasshopper and so on so that to me was important part of my life.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Now I'm I'm wondering and you know this that show came out a little bit before my time so I don't remember quite the the context but I'm wondering if that was the first or one of the first martial arts portrayals where it wasn't all about the fighting?

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Yes yes it was I don't know I don't remember when it was out but maybe in 80s or something yes it that that was the portrayal of  the martial arts where I think we’re very important too for people and I think they should bring that back at least the videos [00:24:54.23] videos I watch them once in a while just to enjoy and so yeah that's that was quite something.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Yeah what what striking me is is the contrast to the explanations the impressions that other guests that have been on the show for for example John Graden talking about his first exposure to martial arts movies and not only that the fight scenes were exciting and flamboyant but incredibly violent and..

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Yes

Jeremy Lesniak:

I'm reading his book right now Who Killed Walt Bone, really a fun book and just really talking about how strong of an impact that made on him the the unnecessary elements of the violence and they were exciting but here we've got kind of the another end of the spectrum where you're resonating with the avoidance of the violence.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Yes yes I don't like violence. I don't like to watch I mean I think the younger eras we had we had violence in the films John Wayne was our hero at that point but I was young you know and but then that I got the point this is I don't like watching this it just doesn't resonate with me at all so when when David Carradine came out with Kung Fu I said that's [00:26:09.16] more I don't like to watch violence I just can't see the sense of it I mean it gets [00:26:13.26] there's a thrill but it's very primitive so to speak and I just it just turns me off completely oh by the way I want to mention something if I may.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Sure please.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

There is this incredible film and I'm not sure it's in a major film but it was called Secret of the Horse with Ernie Reyes Jr., secret of the Horse and you can get it online and it's a very very interesting film about a young boy who went to this school and he got bullied it's very funny because the bully in the movie was actually his brother in real life but he was being you know [00:26:48.06] or called names and then you try and avoid all those kind of thing so there's only one scene where we kicked the guy [00:26:54.23] but then the head of the school was there so they said look if you do this physical skills you're out in the school. [00:27:02.10] throughout the film and actually at the same time and [00:27:08.06] his father Ernie senior and I've been conversing about the 12 way to walk away with confidence in my books and so he comes out in the movies start using those 12 ways, walks away uses humor etc. etc. avoiding fights all the way through even when they said okay let's fight and they showed me how to fight he physically he did amazing he both and his brother some amazing martial arts techniques where Ernie [00:27:35.17] blocked everything that his brother threw [00:27:39.03] the bully threw at him so that the whole thing it was it was high adventure but it was not the typical thing I'm gonna go blow this guy away so to speak so the Secret of the Horse with Ernie Reyes Junior great great video.

Jeremy Lesniak:

I'll check it out and of course we'll have it in the show notes and for anybody that may be new to the show we put all links and video clips and all that stuff that we talk about in the shows over at whistlekickmartialartsradio of course all one word .com. So you can check that out there. How about competition? Is competition something that that you ever jumped into?

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Once

Jeremy Lesniak:

Okay

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Once in Madison Square Garden 1966 [00:28:23.24] Bruce Lee there to he was doing his 1 inch punch [00:28:27.14] I saw Bruce doing that that was back in 66 or something I don't remember that year. In New York City Madison Square Garden [00:28:34.27] right okay so they had this friend of mine named John McGee [00:28:38.29] black belt I don't know if you recall the blood bath, nobody knew anything of that part about terms so I'm making up as we go along like oh what shall we do about this, what shall we do he kicked [00:28:47.21] what shall we do you know so it was kinda like very beginning everybody was kind of beginning anyway  [00:28:55.20] love demonstrations some of them were ooh but anyhow yeah so I mean you know we were fighting [00:29:03.28] kumite and anyhow I was winning you know and I so so then he threw a kick and he got me and I hurt my self-hurt my arm and he kind of went one up on me and then every time I kept forward he would step out of the ring and you're not supposed to do that so every time I kick [00:29:25.26] but in those days  they didn't have any sense of hey this is not right get back in here and do it and so he won he became the brown belt head of the brown belt division and I basically beat him so and I hurt myself I said you know  I don't think I want to do this it just doesn't feel good and you know what I mean and Chuck Norris was there and I seen other ones that and I think chuck was more of an athlete than I didn't see violence I thought he was a very good athlete. He will sit down in his mind figure out what I should do and imagine it and so on so but you know I’m not I wasn't athletic in way I didn't know that just didn't stand out to me so I said I’ve gotta do something other than this and obviously I went off into what I do writing the books something about martial arts and so on and for children especially.

Jeremy Lesniak:

When did you write your first book?

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Oh gosh I wrote my first book karate the art of empty self, I wrote in 1980 three no actually in 82 whatever it was and that was amazing I thought here's a very simple book [00:30:38.27] and I figured okay and it just bit people  and they just said wow and I got people calling me or sending me emails they love this book they said this and that and all the people did that and so I ended it into the Benjamin franklin awards it's for independent publishers and I said oh let's take a look at it and let's see what happens so anyhow [00:31:04.22] the book so we went to this big event this big convention where they had to put books being awarded and so on and I remember seeing a table [00:31:14.18] book and all the tables and I said can [00:31:17.18] you know they go and try  the cheering for me and the winner is you know gold-medal karate the art of empty self in new age [00:31:28.20] so that that book made a big difference I remember member a man in Switzerland read that and traveled all the way to California to see me because of that book. That was just a simple little book little vignettes page after page after page but it got a lot of awards and acclaims and so I was very happy and that was 82 and I just it led to another one and another one and then you know it just kept going, it just opened the box so to speak and then that was the first though that was good.

Jeremy Lesniak:

It sounds like that book has a special place in your heart.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Oh yes

Jeremy Lesniak:

Is it because it was the first one or it sounds like it launched a good chunk of your career?

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

It did it did it really took the essence of what I was feeling about the martial arts. I didn't know that it would very popular because it wasn't physical technique it wasn't anything like that. It was more the philosophy of the martial arts but actually not made up although I read books in the martial art world, the Tao of jeet kune do and you know very Asian books but this was for my own observation just directly from my own observation what the martial arts I felt really the significance I've had so that meant a lot to me and there were just little vignette so it was a little few paragraphs per page it wasn't those big. I didn't want people to memorize and make this their authority in any way. I wanted them to take little vignettes and think about it and then go look if those true if this what this vignette this little this part of this page about that that the author saying Doctor T, is this is true let me look let me find out for myself, not memorize a bunch of information you become some kind of authority because I've memorized all this but I want them to actually look and see that's what is being said is accurate and then what affect that has on their lives so it was very different than just putting out a lot of knowledge for them to memorize.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Wow, yeah and I think for a lot of us that started training in the 80s for me the book that I always remember is Zen in the martial arts which has come up a few times I don't know if you've ever read that.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

What book sorry say it again?

Jeremy Lesniak:

Zen in the Martial arts.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Oh yes of course Joe Hyams yeah.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Yeah I mean just a great book, lots of it reminded me of of that as you were describing it just a short pieces so.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Well it's not like on my book and I'm not trying to put myself out there as being important or anything I'm not.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Oh no please.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

About the difference their very different than Joe's, Joe's book was really more the Zen basis of martial arts which is important to understand too definitely.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Well you're certainly important cause you're here right now and he's not so.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Oh oh

Jeremy Lesniak:

We can lift you up all we want.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Uh oh okay.

Jeremy Lesniak:

So if there's somebody that you could train with and we leave it open it up living or dead who would you would you want to hang out with and maybe share some kicks?

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

That's a very interesting question who in the the martial arts world what I well there are obviously I think that Danny Hakim in Israel is somebody I'd like to work with because he's working with children in a real martial situation real not just some dojo or dojang down the corber joe's you know whatever it is but he's having to make his martial arts skills very very real physical skills and mental he realized that using our program as a mental part of the martial arts these kids could not start physically fighting, somebody pull out a gun bang they're gone or they stab them and they you know they would kill him right away and not and most people the martial arts I say to some people [00:35:10.25] so if you ever wanted a self defense get yourself a trained Doberman pinscher and a 457 magnum and then you can deal with the bully you know right of course here I'm just kind of joking but in his situation in Israel you can't just say okay hey and get into your stance and [00:35:26.26] they just pull out a gun and boom and so he had to teach these kids a mental martial arts which I was doing and so he hid that [00:35:37.01] in this amazing danger zone going right ahead nothing is stopping him and he's saying Dr. T your program [00:35:47.23] great and of course he has to have this is very important I’m not saying the physical martial arts is not important they're absolutely important in this way in the martial arts the physical martial arts you see the confidence to use the mental part cause you could always figure if you fell back and you couldn't use them you've got some really strong physical skills here the stronger and better the physical martial skills the better you will be able to more capable to be able to that mental part the two work together so very well so Danny the person I would work I don't feel like I want to go to Israel that's a little bit dangerous but you know he's incredible.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Yeah that and that falls right in line with with what I would've expected for you for an answer we generally have a theme as we usually do and that's great. So we we mentioned one movie the Secret of the Horse is that your favorite? Do you have a favorite martial arts movie?

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Favorite movie.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Yeah.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

This as I say I think that the karate kid was a very good movie too that means a lot the first one and they although they got when I thought the last one is a very you know very glorious type of film but it was based on the original film. Jackie Chan played the actual character I mean almost verbatim as in the first film which was good but I that's where you know I did enjoy the physical skills when the young boy you know in karate kid was being attacked by those guys and his instructor comes over and you know you know knocks them out so to speak you know that that made sense because he was defending the boy so I mean that was that boy would've really  been hurt instead if all those boys really went and beat him up so that physical part was okay but I think the karate kid meant a lot to me back then and that I think that meant a lot to people change again I started pushing the martial arts in another direction away from the very violent martial art movies which you know I think that Linda Lee Caldwell I think and Bruce Lee I think they really want a change out of that. They wanted to create something more [00:38:03.08] didn't make it so to speak but he wanted to so I think that film karate kid meant a lot to me [00:38:14.04] people changed the view of the martial arts away from that very very violent image.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Absolutely and that movie comes up often on the show and certainly for its impact not just on people that were in the martial arts for people that were not in the martial arts. It was one of the first martial arts movies that was appropriate for not only brought ages the brought audiences and pretty much anybody could relate to that movie and just the legions of children that started training in the martial arts and and I was one of them you know that movie had an influence in bringing me in I mean I was just a hair ahead of it but you know I was still part of that karate kid generation of people that trained in the martial arts. Have there been any other movies that seem to have that sort of approach for you I we we've got two of them can we rounded out with a third, Dr. T recommended martial arts films?

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

I have to go back to one and I'm gonna say again if you don't mind because I don't watch many martial art movies I just didn't cause I thought it were awfully ultraviolent and I can't think of any other than this one that Ernie Reyes Jr did the Secret of the horse and what that meant to me what that meant I think in the martial arts and I it's interesting because what the way for a thought was the EFC educational funding company they did conventions a while back I don't think they do them anymore though and they showed that film and I got tears in my eyes so strange enough and I came out I saw his father Ernie Sr. I said and I looked I had a book that I had written that showed a young boy in the position like the same boy that Ernie Jr represented in the film and he was being beaten up so badly but then he gets out of it in a more intelligent and nonviolent way so I just happened to see [00:40:09.04] book with me and I talked to [00:40:10.28] I said look at this [00:40:11.10] wow you just you two are right in line with this so that meant a lot to me I mean I watch movies I watch other movies kung Fu type and karate type of thing but I want the ones that really means something to me and like karate kid like the other one the kung Fu well I think that Ernie Jr's his film that Secret of the Horse really meant something because here's a man in that film and he has a dream to work to where he's really pounding on this bully it's just you know really want [00:40:45.21] but he does and that he has wonderful physical skills amazing physical skills and and just a voice in every way possible [00:40:54.27] I won't tell you the end cause the end is nice if you find it online Secret of the Horse. So I would say going back to the films but they don't stand out to me or something there's meaning beyond just punch kick strike do you know what I mean.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Sure and that's important I mean there are a lot of movies that you know are fun to watch once.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Right.

Jeremy Lesniak:

But there aren't a lot of movies that are fun to watch even when you know what's gonna happen and certainly the karate kid is one of those for for me and sounds like for you and I suspect a good number of the people listening right now.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Yes.

Jeremy Lesniak:

So how the actors you know if we open it up a little bit more there are there any martial arts actors that you think really do a good job?

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Well yeah and I have to go back to the once I've just mentioned I don't wanna be repetitive,

Jeremy Lesniak:

That's fine.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Ernie Reyes Jr. you know [00:41:45.17] I'm sorry I can't remember his name but

Jeremy Lesniak:

Ralph Macchio.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Who what's his name?

Jeremy Lesniak:

Ralph Macchio.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Oh yeah yeah yeah right of course and he's and instructor too he was very good and David Carradine. I think as an actor I would take David Carradine he was a Bruce lee apparently applied for that role and they didn't take him, maybe he's too Asian or something very you know prejudicial but Carradine got it he looks kind of Asian if you know what I mean, but his acting I thought was superb you u know he could bring out emotions in his eyes subtly it was very subtly but looking at the guy the bullies come out from the bar for instance and he just has this look he's just kinda turns and look at the guy like oh yeah go ahead try it but [00:42:31.28] far you gotta get but he can see that and he doesn't do it and then he does something else or steps out of the way or he does certain things that are martial arts physical skills but that makes the bully look like an idiot you know bully falls on the floor or whatever he does. So I thought David Carradine as an actor actor really portrayed the martial arts in a very holistic way. He has the subtlety of being able to deal with the villain in a way that made you laugh that just made you like go yeah great and then part of you though I hate to but go for it get them you know there's a part of you [00:43:08.22] you know but who didn't and it meant yourself that are like good now I'm glad he didn't do that because of too many of this violence so I would really stick if I may with and I know I am repeating myself but I think it's important that David Carradine with Kung Fu people should get that even after him maybe it was a while ago but look at his episode when the early once when he's in the monastery oh my goodness and though what they taught him and what the instructors taught him that was very intelligent it wasn't just simple Hollywood stuff.

Jeremy Lesniak:

There's a reason that some shows like kung Fu have been in syndication globally for as long as they have. There's there's something that they bring that a lot of modern shows don't so I don't think there's anything wrong with going back to choose him or the movies that you've chosen by any means.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

If I may I wanted to put this in here I'm not sure if it's appropriate at this point, the martial arts because you asked about the martial arts in the future and so I've may I interject this at this point.

Jeremy Lesniak:

By all means.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

I think the evolution in the martial arts are kept for me going it kept going it kept going I said why was I so bullied in that one time  of the year, why are there after me you know and then the next time why what did I do I didn't do what I found out it was very primitive very almost like animals are after me like I was the big guy and then they were going to get me and they let me down it was very primitive so I said my God this is this kind of animalistic of him that this that's driving people to bully and so I kept going and going and going and then this is this is a little bit well is very important but it may not be what most people would think of the martial arts there was a study done at the university of British Columbia  and the sender for infant cognition now this was a very very interesting I’m interested in bullying but why are these sounds like they're just automatic. these kids are just doing it's like this instinct boom instinct. So anyhow this in this this study that they did which is called this is kind of a fancy word but it isn't empirical observation means firsthand looking in at first hand you stand there looking at it what's happening and you see what's happening based on your observation, very simple.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Yup yup.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

So they did this to little infants nine months to 11 months and the mothers had them on their laps and this is on our webpage martialartsforpeace.com webpage, it's on our webpage anyhow they visit they would do this little teddy bear and they have this two teddy bears one who did certain things that the little babies seem to like they seem to gravitate into it and the other one they did the teddy bear did something that was not liked about from these nine 11 month-old kids and they figured out I won't go into too much too much they figured out that children all human beings are born with what they call social stratification in other words my group versus your group in other words we're born to be a bully it's in our genes genetically we have this is like a hard drive in the brain that this hard drives says you have to protect yourself and your own group [00:46:30.21] whatever's it's very very ancient but still in there and so what we do is we're really genetically you know DNA hard wired to fight and that's the fight or flight system you know that's okay it's in there and I say to the kids you know I do a little exercise with the kids you stand over there 20 feet away and I walked towards them when it feels uncomfortable tell me to stop and they go stop usually arm length and a half so I stop and I say ok do you feel a little nervous I step back how do you feel fine so I take a little further step forward right in to their face so they saw woah they'll get all very very you know their eyes get open and they start you know like preparing to fight and so I said look at that is your bully brain that bully brain is actually your buddy on these kids I'm talking to they that bully brain wants to protect you here I’m coming towards you it wants to protect you it's good this is not bad bullying is not bad unless it gets carried away and keeps doing and keeps hurting I said all the bully wants is some more alternatives to just fight or flight it wants to learn to do other things [00:47:37.20] conflict like maybe I could the talk the way out maybe I could walk away maybe I can call them sorry maybe you know the 12 ways to walk with I could use all if the bully brain wants that but the bully brain is the bully brain and and we are born according to this study and the studies firsthand right so you can't really argue with that that we are born bullies so to speak we are born with social stra my group social stratification my group [00:48:04.19] or whatever now that could lead to very serious consequences call ethnocentrism that was my group is better than your group and I’m you know that's what the war is about so it it's in our brain it's basically structurally in our DNA that primitive brain the reptilian brain way in the back you know the three parts of the brain where in the back that we're actually hardwired for war if you wanna use that so that's what they're dealing with our friends in Israel looking in this and saying yes this is so so we have to look at the bully of a totally different way now we have to look at the martial arts as a means an actual means to deal with this bullying in this new and important new view of this insight that's come along to say we've got to take this bullying and treat a whole different ways and start giving the person the young person the  [00:49:02.16] more alternatives to deal with the bully but don't judge the bully the bully's there to protect you, does this make sense?

Jeremy Lesniak:

It does.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Good.

Jeremy Lesniak:

It does yeah I think the one thing that I would play a little bit of devil’s advocate because part of my role here on the show is to think about what some of the listeners may want to ask for questions so if it's innate isn't is there ever a sense of futility on your part feeling like you're you're banging your head against the wall?

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Absolutely I think that's about most people feel that it is futile it's just hopeless we can't deal with this violence we just can't because it they feel it embedded in them they can feel this tendency in themselves each of us can feel in certain circumstance everybody feels this way let me just share a little little little story if and this is why everybody feels this way is really important if you're on a playground you're on a playground with a group of kids and you talking blah blah blah and all of a sudden you look to the side and here's comes joe now [00:50:06.17] a second you may say joe oh joe the bully so you recognize it you have a recognition that this guy coming across the playground is a bully and that there's there's the image there is joe the bully has an image in your brain that image like domino effect create fear and that it goes to the free fight or flight and these basic three parts of the brain like almost like an automobile engine they are computer they work all the same structurally anatomically the brain is the same for all human beings on the spot our content is different my bully may be different than your bully and so on and so on the playground or racially you know globally and so on the Russians of this or that whatever and that might affect them very much involved with helping Russian people to deal with this too, that's another story but this bully brain is exactly anatomic [00:51:03.01] see that first of all we have to see that we're all the same in that way and therefore it's not we have to say you are at fault you're to blame [00:51:12.15] you know no hey we all have this situation that were all conditioned in this way let's look at that let's all take time to all of us at the time to get together have the dialogue and look at this thing talk about this thing and see what you can do in the martial arts school cause I know the martial arts school can if recognizing the important of this can create an environment that will bring this bully brain into a place where it should be recognized if it is put in its proper place and is given alternatives to deal with the  violence so yes you can feel very frustrated you feel very you know depressed if you don't know what's going on if you just feel  this impulse and don't know what to do with it but there's something that one can do it and that's what I’m saying.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Okay I mean and that's great and it's gonna take a lot of effort you know certainly I would feel if I was if I was in your shoes you know doing this work and then finding out that genetics are actually against what I believe to be is right ii would feel like it's gonna take that much more effort.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Well that's [00:52:24.23] sorry wrong

Jeremy Lesniak:

No no no

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Genetics is not against genetics is just what is.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Okay.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

The bullying is what is it's not bad or good or anything it's just a fact at our situation it's just like part of our brain does other things  we have memorization the way this and parts of the brain we do different things it's just like a machine

Jeremy Lesniak:

Okay.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

You know the being is like a machine but the thing about this hard drive that's in the brain this DNA you know sense of that we're bullies it's just a fact that's all but people think oh my god  what shall I do about that you know the fact is that you can do something first by like you said by recognize them and then 2 creating an environment where you can make more intelligent choices in the situations would come up against you when people try to bully you and so on so I think that even though we are in a sense driven in this one way let me well let me give you little quick thing this is another one with an E you know this is called epigenetics all it means is the gene that bully gene you what I called the warrior gene can actually not be changed it does what it does and give  example riding a horse you get on a horse if you just sit there and do nothing the horse will do what it what does it has own sense of what he wants to do genetic and everything else just what's learned and everything will go and do what it was doing but you're the rider so you take the [00:53:57.18] and you're sitting on the horse [00:54:01.10] on top so this this thing on top of the gene and if you look at the genetics or if you look at that violence in yourself and it's just there's nothing fancy all these words sounds like it's fancy it really isn't just to sit there and feel and observe this this impulse to fight and in in situations that may not even call for it you could observe the same that observation just observing it that's what we're talking that's like the rider on the horse when you observe it when you look at it it doesn't have to go in the direction that's isn't supposedly intended you can alter that or you change you can make it so you [00:54:43.01] environment it does not bring about that genetic structure in a very destructive way that it was intended to do but it wasn't again it wasn't intended to destroy it was intended to protect us and a very primitive brain long time ago it was very simplistic you know like the movie 2001 I don't want to get into that but it's very very primitive and you had to be in your tribe to survive and you had to make sure that your tribe was only one that could survive with just one quick thing is that [00:55:14.20] film there was this groups of 8. There's two groups on this island [00:55:18.13] was at one time during the year this this section of the woods with the rain with all these fruits would come out and so on and so on so the two groups [00:55:29.20]  do you think there was plenty of fruit wherever or do you think hey let's just share this no they were at each other's throats pounding their chest screaming yelling fighting each other wait a minute what's going on because inside of them genetically when was this hard drive it says my group has to win has to win over your group has to that they were very primitive obviously and they're not about about the change that the only way they can change is one group wiped out the other one and that happens in war you say this group is bad they should not live get rid of them it happened for centuries and various ethnicities and so on. I think the Jews have suffered more than anybody in history [00:56:12.07] that that they were bad that they were the wrong we got to get rid of them [00:56:15.14] I mean it is hideous but but this comes from a very basic primitive sense of what the brain does at that reptile brain part but again and we are in it we can bring about intelligent human beings unfortunately we could also think about the enemy and think of uh oh and think of all kinds of things about the enemy that makes it worse but wait there's intelligence in ourselves we can say this is not right look at what I'm doing look what I'm [00:56:46.02] right now and just one quick thing and to me it changed my life this is the thing that changed my life right now was I was raised as a young man to think the Russians were coming and I was  [00:56:59.03] in the 1940s and they rang the bell and I would duck underneath the desk a rush of the comet the bomb the atomic bomb that's you know so years later in the town of California [00:57:10.04] oh my God the Russians oh what am I gonna do so you know I'm thinking they come in look [00:57:19.05] the kick and the hats and all the big brush so they came in looking just like us but wow so I’m going to nurse I'm walking around the background and I'm talking to this woman I said yeah well where are you from she said I'm from Georgia I didn't hear a Southern accent though so I oh Georgia so they didn't mind [00:57:35.28] Russia so she said at one point in the conversation we from Russia I said what we from Russia I'm a Russian I tell you I went into a fight or flight as if she were holding gun into my head because at the condition image I had in my brain that she was my enemy it it just like Pavlov’s dog year after year month after whatever it is all those years [00:57:58.20] so when I saw her just the image triggered that fight or flight  as if it was real well it wasn't she's a nice lady so I'm like my God what is this doing to the brain what's happening with the brain it's doing this and where can I talk about this where can I bring this out and talk about this is this happening to all us? The images that we have of other people to quote enemy that's built into our brain causing this kinda of [00:58:22.08] so I think the the only place I could say was a martial art world because it's martial this whole thing is martial arts all of this which creates this kind of conflict, so I hope this makes understanding but it changed my life saying my god our own human brain is doing this and yes all  human brains  work exactly the same the content may not be the Russians may have been somebody else that we thought was the enemy but it's exactly the same thing in the brain and all of us so we got a look at it we gotta say my god look at this thing does this makes sense?

Jeremy Lesniak:

It makes all kind of sense.Good thank you.

Jeremy Lesniak:

And certainly there's no thank you I appreciate you sharing this and you know certainly you're working from a much broader body of knowledge on this than I have and probably most of the listeners have but I think you've done a really good job breaking it down and and giving us the high points the important stuff but I’m wondering in our modern climate here in America with our strained relations with folks of the the Islamic.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Yes.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Do you see any correlation with what you experienced coming you know around the cold war?

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Yes I think it's basically this is the same no matter who your enemy is this is the same somewhat enemies pretty horrific I mean they're so identified with their ethnocentric belief system they're so identified with that that if anybody threatens them they'd say they're got to die and so that they have to they defend themselves in pretty horrific ways I mean every war is horrific you know you can't really choose one over the other. Yes I think it's the same situation as always been human beings are caught in this dilemma of being driven by the hardwired for and by the way this isn't it's difficult it may seem it's because it's new people say wow that's not [01:00:13.04] it's not all one can have to do is observe themselves everyday just just watch what's happening when you look at a different person ooh that's what we truly feel that, will look at all just watch was going on in ourselves each and every moment but it is related to what's going on in the middle east most definitely but if you look at your history there's no difference you know back for whatever all they're doing the same thing that the brain thing the hardwire says I’ve got the control that everybody outside my group is a threat to it etc. etc. that's all it is and it's very very simple and the thing that actually can deal with it is just to observe it the actual act of that observation of that impulse can nullify in the moment and you only could do it in the moment you can't go I'm gonna go gotta [01:01:05.04] no there's nothing to do with thought and that way thought can't create the solution to thought the problem this thought has creative thought is what's happening that divides us I have an image of you that's thought you have an image of me that's thought so it's thought that's causing the conflict coming from the biological brain that says you better stay in your group and you better protect yourself because the other whoever there there that may be is a threat to you so it's very structurally very simple and one can see it in themselves and again it's not knowledge that's gotta bring it you know it is not a problem to be solved it's a reality to actually being experienced in the moment to observe them in oneself in the moment when one sees somebody that all of a sudden feels a threat to them look at this where is this is coming from it did not react [01:01:59.10]freaked out and not judge it just to see oh wow look at that that's interesting and that that can nullify it that intelligence this is just oh I see what's going on I'm not gonna act out of this is stupid and that it ends it but people say oh no you have to study you have to get 10 PhD or so the every intro course introduction course to ph education any college that is you have to study anthropology sociology political science history psychology and so on and so on and so on I said no that's all [01:02:30.05] it has nothing you can't do it that way I mean I don't want to go to it too much it's very simple actually just to observe oneself in the moment and to see those kind of reactions coming from that old brain.

Jeremy Lesniak:

This is great stuff.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Thank you.

Jeremy Lesniak:

But and and I’m sure we could sit in and have hours of conversation and I would love to do so and I don't know if you would love to do so but I know you have the the background the context to do so probably give a daylong lecture if I asked you.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Well [01:03:02.10] again were nonprofits were not all books on our webpage are free we were getting very generous donations to forward by forward thinking individuals who have finances so all the books on are free it's martialartsforpeace.com martialartsforpeace.com go on there take a look at it and see what's being said there and see it is one of thing about Linda's part of her quote is on there to in my book and so and all the books there are they can download them the curriculums to teach your kids we ask some people to contact us on that but it's all there for anybody that wants it.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Okay well you I mean certainly given atomic context about your mission but take a minute tell folks a little bit more about what those resources are what's out there for parents or martial arts instructors what can they expect to find that they'll benefit from.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

I think that the book I wrote the first major book on bullying called why is everybody always picking on me like the song Charlie brown why [01:04:10.03] so I wrote that [01:04:13.04] book on bullying so and I said [01:04:14.02] picking on me then I started thinking well hmm this picking on us this group bulling okay I said well why have everybody picking on us I said wait a minute I'm also picking on myself [01:04:24.20] it goes and goes and goes so on our webpage you can see there's a there's quite a few books  and quite a few then I realized you can't just talk about this like you and I just talked about it. If you really got to educate young people you have to have means by which the teacher could educate the young person not only the book but the curriculum so they can read it and teach children like why is this picking on me has a curriculum and a workbook the kids can have a workbook too so they can write in it and so on so I'm really taking the martial arts into the school so to speak into the classroom and have those kind of books curriculums workbooks programs my martial art industry association of this essentially martial arts did two progress in my the bully [01:05:16.02] system and character for kids [01:05:18.14] so again I wanted to create those type of materials that martial instructors could use them and believe me it really helps to bring parents into the school they want their children to deal with bullying in creative ways and when they see this type of program they'll choose them over somebody who just is punch kick punch kick, I'm not putting that down but they'll choose these type of skills for their children. So I highly recommend that and again so there for anybody to use at any time.

Jeremy Lesniak:

It's wonderful and it's fantastic contribution back again to the martial arts community to the wider community on a subject that is so resonant for so many people right now and if anybody is on Facebook they see you know the discussions they the passionate discussions going on around the subject so I think it's really appropriate that we have you on today.

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Well thank you we just tried to create the resources they can do something about it with.

Jeremy Lesniak:

It's great we're gonna have links to everything that we talked about the various books and the movies and all that over the website whistlekickmartialartsradio.com. But before we go do you have any parting advice for the people listening?

Terrence Webster-Doyle:

Yes I do the martial arts make it your life completely your life and don't do anything but martial arts in the way that we're talking about now because the martial arts can really deal with helping this tremendous violence in the world. I have a picture of a girl taped to my wall and she's maybe about 11 years old and she's looking so sad she has a string of bullets across her chest, she's in a war. I look at that girl and I say I can help that child. I could really help that child I have, I've helped children all over the world and that I'd tell you [01:07:20.19] I'm 75 years old and I feel like I'm 15. I've got tremendous energy [01:07:26.18] know what we do helps children deal with this violence. I in Liberia we worked for eight years [01:07:33.10] in Liberia had a tremendous success [01:07:35.29] success but a tremendous response so do I do the martial arts and see if what I'm saying I don't take it as I'm at the Safari but see if it's true and then look at the possibility can the martial arts really address conflict in this more intense battleground [01:07:57.19] if you know what I mean. Look at that just find out keep pushing, keep asking questions [01:08:02.21] and make it your whole life, make it your complete whole life.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Thanks for listening to Episode 53  of whistlekickmartialartsradio and thank You to Dr. T for sharing with us. Head on over to whistlekickmartialartsradio.com for the show notes with links to everything we talked about today. Including information on the books Dr. T has written as well as all of the other free resources from Martial Arts for Peace. If you liked the show please subscribe or download one of our apps so you never miss out on a new episode and if we could trouble you to leave us a review where ever you get your podcasts, we'd appreciate it. Remember if we read your review on the air just contact us and we'll get you a free pack of whistlekick stuff. If you want to be a guest on the show or you know someone that would be a great interview, please fill out the form on the website and don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter so you can stay up on everything we do. Go ahead follow us on social media  we're on Facebook Twitter Pinterest and Instagram all the username whistlekick and remember the products we make at whistlekick like our Great Zip Up hooded sweatshirts those and everything else we make are at whistlekick.com. So until next time train hard, smile and have a great day.

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Episode 54 - Instincts

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Episode 52: Tournaments