Episode 332 - Sensei Alan Lau
Sensei Alan Lau is a martial arts practitioner and trainer. He is the founder at Dynamic Fitness Training in Massachusetts.
You have to stay true to the art and really spread the fundamental and then let the student mix and match them, and that's kind of my goal...
Sensei Alan Lau - Episode 332
Being born and raised in Hong Kong, there is no doubt that martial arts will be part of your life in one way or the other. Sensei Alan Lau has been into Bruce Lee since his childhood days in Hong Kong. However, he started his journey into the martial arts when he came to Boston for college. His love for the arts is incredible because he trained for different disciplines practically at the same time. His life and philosophy are deeply integrated into martial arts, therefore, making it his way of life. There's so much more to know about Sensei Alan Lau, listen to find out more!
Show Notes
On this episode, we mentioned Bruce Lee and the book by Matthew Polly.You can check out Sensei Alan Lau's school here.
Show Transcript
You can read the transcript below or download here.Jeremy Lesniak:Hello and welcome. This is whistlekick Martial Arts Radio episode 332. Today, my guest is Sensei Alan Lau. My name is Jeremy Lesniak, I'm your host for the show, I'm the founder at whistlekick martial arts and I am a passionate fan of the traditional martial arts so we do this show for you likely another passionate fan of the traditional martial arts because martial arts is great stuff. It brings us together, it helps us grow and truly I think if we really get down to it the world is a better place because we train. You can find all of our products whistlekick.com, many of them are even on Amazon and you can find all of her episodes whistlekickmartialartsradio.com. Sign up for the newsletter be notified about new projects, new products, maybe you get a discount code get some behind-the-scenes info, really do one or two a month. We’re not gonna bombard you we're definitely not going to sell your information, just help you get more context what we do here at whistlekick and hopefully enhance your experience as martial artist. Let's talk about today's guest, Sensei Alan Lau was born in Hong Kong but he's now living in the Northeast, practices judo, he's a Muay Thai practitioner, he's an instructor. But overall through everything we talked about, my biggest take away was how deeply integrated martial arts was to the way he saw the world. It certainly one thing two do martial arts but to be a martial artist, to act as a martial artist outside of training is a whole other thing and I feel like today's guest exemplifies that. So let's welcome him to show. Sensei Lau, welcome to whistlekickmartialartsradio.Alan Lau:Oh thank you so much Jeremy.Jeremy Lesniak:It's an honor, a pleasure, a privilege to have you here on the show and we're gonna talk about martial arts, were to talk about you talk about you, your journey, your story. Listeners know that I love what I do, I get to talk to people about martial arts which I think is the best thing in the world I mean wouldn't you agree? Talking about martial arts.Alan Lau:I have to agree a hundred percent because the way I look at martial arts is really the way of life.Jeremy Lesniak:What do you mean by that?Alan Lau:A lot of things. You know you learn in your martial arts community is really not just about physical it’s a lot more about the mental aspect of things. And since I'm a big fan of Bruce Lee, so you know he was a philosopher on top of being a great martial artist, so I took that away from him a lot.Jeremy Lesniak:There certainly does seem to be a lot of overlap between topics of philosophy and topics of importance in martial arts and some listeners may know I was a philosophy major, I double majored but one of those in college was philosophy. So I'm happy to talk philosophy all day maybe that's why I love martial arts so much, though I started martial arts first, maybe I love philosophy because of martial arts.Alan Lau:Yeah it could be. I can see both go hand in hand.Jeremy Lesniak:You mentioned Bruce Lee, how did you see come to have an influence on your martial arts thought process?Alan Lau:He pretty much kinda, I mean I grew up in Hong Kong. So and being you know, Chinese and in the world of like all the westernized you know, civilization, he actually did a lot for the Chinese community more than anybody could ever imagine. So you know, you know, he just pretty much bring the Chinese people up and you know make people interesting to the Chinese martial arts and kinda spread to the world you know. I mean the martial arts around the world.Jeremy Lesniak:Sure. Now, obviously anybody listening to the show knows who Bruce Lee is knows about the impact of Bruce Lee and here we are if I'm doing my math correctly 45 years after his death he is still the most influential martial artist on the planet what would sorry?Alan Lau:Yeah and I think that's because he wasn't just a martial artist, he is also a philosopher and I think that what carry-on for so long after his death.Jeremy Lesniak:I would agree absolutely. I think his contributions were so much deeper than simply technique. His books are still considered required reading in many martial arts schools. Recently we had on Mr. Matthew Polly who a very in-depth biography on Bruce Lee called Bruce Lee: A Life episode 305 if anybody wants to check that one out. Now what would those of us who did not grow up in Hong Kong, what would be different for us if we had grown up in Hong Kong as it relates to Bruce Lee and his influence?Alan Lau:He pretty much made, he just pretty much made the people proud. He was really that revolutionalist that really brought the Chinese people like on their feet in a sense because now you gotta realize you know, where he came out of his you know shortly after the world war 2, you know the Chinese pretty much you know got conquered by the Japanese, and a lot bad things happened and all that stuff. So you know the war ended in 1945 and then communism started to take over and pretty much. You know, the allies they all get a piece of china and you know and Chinese people were actually in a really bad place until Bruce Lee kinda brought Chinese people up.Jeremy Lesniak:You know this is fascinating to me because it's perspectives that not only do I not have the context for, it’s when I had even considered the idea of growing up in china and looking at Bruce Lee not just as a hero, as a martial artist, but as a Chinese individual.Alan Lau:Oh yeah. I mean he is like idolized throughout china especially from Hong Kong, Hong Kong people. And he really made a lot of progress for the Chinese people especially here in America more than anybody you know, can think of.Jeremy Lesniak:It's really really interesting. Was he the reason you got into martial arts?Alan Lau:I got into martial arts when I was 18 when I started college, when I get into more seriously but you know, when you’re growing up you know, kinda like the Canadians you know, the babies born with a hockey stick in the hands. Chinese and stuff, you pretty much, you know somebody always know some kung fu martial arts, and maybe not you know old school style, but you know somebody always know something so in the neighborhood.Jeremy Lesniak:Alright. Now you went to college in Hong Kong?Alan Lau:No, I went to college in Boston in the northeast.Jeremy Lesniak:Okay. Forgive me for observing but there’s, I think there's a bit of irony there. You grew up in Hong Kong looking up to Bruce Lee, identifying with the martial arts community and you don't get serious about it until you you come here, so what what was it about coming to the united states that you said okay now it's time.Alan Lau:Pretty much at the time kinda looking for activities to do you know. And and pretty much even though you're technically an adult at 18 but you really just finding yourself. As a matter of fact, I’m still finding myself at 39 years old right now. But you know it’s a continuous improvement you know. So yes it started officially, judo as a matter of fact at 18 in northeastern university, Boston.Jeremy Lesniak:And why Judo?Alan Lau:Because that’s what the only clubs that was really interesting. And pretty much the rest of history I’ve doing this since.Jeremy Lesniak:Okay so you are still a judo practitioner?Alan Lau:Yes, I am yeah.Jeremy Lesniak:Okay. And you said that you’re 39, so 18 to 39, so we've got over 20 years of you participating in Judo. What was it that you found in judo that you didn’t have before?Alan Lau:I will say community. We got really good clubs in the new England area, one of the Olympic training center is in Whitfield Massachusetts and we just have many local clubs here in the area just really good and especially the club that I'm with now because the location and we have a lot of people from different countries, you know come and go you know they say for couple years, a year, or even months and they all bring a little piece of them into the club and into the environment. So you just see a lot of different perspectives.Jeremy Lesniak:Did you, did you know early on in your training that this would be something you'd be doing for a long time or did see my just a college thing?Alan Lau:No no because after college, I was struggling really keeping up with martial arts, with judo in particular because you know, hard to find parking in north Easton and you know as a visitor per se, the real estate in Boston is just so expensive and especially for parking. So it’s hard to find parking, so I should stop for good five years until 2008 I started picking up again. And then and but then I also start pickup doing Muay Thai, traditional Muay Thai at around the same time as well. So I’ve been doing Muay Thai about since about 2008 until now as well.Jeremy Lesniak:So not only did you resume your training, you resume your training and started new training what did those five years look like that you went back with such gusto?Alan Lau:Just life, you know. When you first set of working full time after college and all the things that they promised you in college and you find out you know, majority of my faults and so you really have to just find a way. Working, finding yourself again getting into a routine finding a good club, getting a good instructor, the places, it’s not easy especially at today's day and age. While I guess it always been that way but you know as older you get you know, you kinda know what you want and then it’s difficult to find a club that you really want to just settle with. Not settle with the like to be belonged to, [00:12:27.27]Jeremy Lesniak:Yeah. I was hearing the word settle as in settle into as an in kinda find your space.Alan Lau:Right yes.Jeremy Lesniak:The topic of how to choose a school or choosing one school over another is something that that we talk about a bit on this show we've done entire episodes on it with you know, advice and everything. As someone who's been through that process, how did you choose your schools?Alan Lau:For me is really the student, how they act when you as a new comer as well as how the instructor in the it is himself or herself or themselves. I am a strong believer that just like you know, a child a product of the parent, so how they act is a product of how they've been you know, the parenting. So to me how the student around me act is really telling me how the teachers are have been teaching his or her students. So I go from you know the low of the totem pole and see if they treat a white belt with respect and you know and all the stuff and even the class may, you know, maybe a person only been doing it for five months for me or the school instructors, you know, with the same line with me and treat me with respect and with open arms and I can kinda have a good indication of how teachers teaching. If it goes the other way around the how they do is I [00:14:16.25] the newbies, you know, put them in the corner and show them xyz and whatever and then not much you know. I don’t feel like the time being invested in the new students and you know that's kind of how I decide to choose to stay or not. I understand you know a martial artist is you know, as much as me doing it for passion and also for some people is doing it for financial reason as well, so when you invest something you know you looking for return, so you have a lot of people just come and go I try and understand the you know the way of business work. So you know it is a give-and-take situation.Jeremy Lesniak:Now I’m to take a stab in the dark that as long as you've been training you at least are helping teach some classes if not, have your own. I'll confess I don't know the answer, do you have your own school or are you teaching at other school.Alan Lau:I don’t have my own school but I am a, I help out with the kids at my local Judo club and also, I teach the also one of the backup instructor for the adult classes for the judo program and I have taught Muay Thai in different schools and stuff like that but I do not own my own school.Jeremy Lesniak:And you know what? Certainly no judgment there, I don't have my own school. I did in the past and I found it, it's a lot of work and as as you know. All the challenge of teaching plus all of the backend, the logistics, the business, all that, all that stuff that needs to happen. But what I’m curious about, is you sound like a pretty thoughtful person talking about the way that you selected your schools, how has those observations your experience in different schools, how is that impacted you as an instructor?Alan Lau:So everybody has their way of doing things and I have you know, I’m always in all open ears and listen to ideas or you know, [00:16:32.07] and all that stuff. But at the end of the day you cannot please everybody. So if I have system or if you have a system that you strongly believe in and to stick to it and then [00:16:44.21] and you’re proud with it, you know then I just kinda go through the same way as I do. Like I am pretty old school so like a way of, the way I teach is very fundamental and very stern at first. So some people would know in today's day and age you know people, many people like you know, instant gratification so my way of teaching my not be able to hold many students because you kinda have to go through the whole [00:17:15.13] process by itself. But you know the people that will stay with me you know usually are the people that are dedicated to it. So you gain some, you lose some. So it is difficult.Jeremy Lesniak:Absolutely and I think for me it was a little bit easier once I realize that I wasn't the only martial arts school. I wasn't responsible for sharing martial arts with everyone that the folks that jives with my school, our culture, the way I taught, those were the folks that belong there and there were two other schools in town. They had options that and some of the folks you know, went on to other schools after trying mine and vice versa and you probably have something similar. To me it seems like a, it's a load off. It lessens the responsibility you don't have to be the the be-all and offer martial arts instruction in your area.Alan Lau:Well, I means you know just as saying, different stroke for different folks. So you know people doesn't like my style you know maybe they can find at home at different people, different teaching style and and I’m happy for that. You know, at the end day all I really wanna do is to spread the knowledge you know of the martial arts and make the martial arts grow. So even with me or with another instructor, you know I really don’t care in a sense as long as someone is really learning the art, enjoying the art, spread the art.Jeremy Lesniak:Absolutely. In your time training I’m sure you've come across a lot of good stuff, a lot of weird stuff, interesting, funny, exciting. When you think back over your time and all of those stories, which is your favorite one?Alan Lau:This is a tough one because I don't know any of that just, I mean they all kinda fun at the end of the day, right? But it’s going through the process is always the hardest. I don't really have any particular story that is really like, wow its very interesting but maybe I will say something. So I have a Grandmaster in Muay Thai I currently studying under and I’ve gone to Thailand couple times to train with him and all the good stuff. So until I met that Grandmaster, to me I was only like tunnel vision because I only have you know, like again, so now the downside of what my approach is you kinda sometime get tunnel vision in a sense that because you only have you know, one instructor in doing his and her way versus even though I train with other people but you know, I’m very old school and sometimes just under the same lineage if you will. So anyway so until you know I find that the Grandmaster which is my instructor was using the the name under, until I met him over in Thailand and he just like what's pretty much is what you've been doing is, I wanna say wrong, he has different ways of doing things. So pretty much when I went there with an idea that you know the scale of 0 -10 I was may be in a five during that time I’ve been doing Muay Thai for about eight years nine years or so. And then pretty much I started at like thinking myself as a five got down to negative 2 and then came back to like a one or 2. So that would be a very interesting thing. And ever since that time you know like, I think you really need as much as you should be loyal to your instructor, all of the schools or what not but you should really cross train especially you know from the same lineage and different people. And just really should explore and learn different things and then you know just really want to know what's good or what's bad. Even though you saw it that was funny but to me that was pretty funny because in [00:22:10.29] I’m pretty much getting my butt kicked two weeks every day, nonstop. [00:22:19.02]Jeremy Lesniak:You know it's a pretty powerful experiences and when we had a couple other folks on the show who have had a similar one, and I gotta say I love to train and I love to get my butt kicked in an educational way, but that sounds like such an intense environment. Is it as intense as it sounds?Alan Lau:I think to me was more of a mental thing because for me martial arts is like you know, 90% mental 10% physical. Like you know what I mean, even though it gets things physically demanding but when you get the mindset correctly like you can do anything, like that's my mentality. And it’s really too mental because to me at that point I said to myself like what am I even doing here learn Muay Thai like I learned it for eight years, nine years and I don't know jack. You know, I'm saying like so that was you know but then you kinda like one of those things you kinda build yourself back up and just start learning from from ground zero.Jeremy Lesniak:What was the the biggest thing that you brought back from that time training?Alan Lau:Oh just a whole system that my Grandmaster uses. He is actually being recognized by the Thai government to embrace the system to be taught in schools all around Thailand.Jeremy Lesniak:Oh wow, that's awesome.Alan Lau:Yeah. So he's done a lot of work. So the reason I like I like him is because he got the segment how the Bruce when he was you know, doing the Jeet Kune Do things, it’s really about spreading the knowledge the culture behind. You know, like when I do martial arts, I don’t just do the art itself for like why did this art was created, like why you know certain things happen, then you have to understand culture as [00:24:29.20] so you kinda know why you know certain happen. You know, you cannot take things for the face value, you have to understand why did martial arts was created and you know and then you understand a cultural thing at the time it was created and why there was a need for it and so little things like thatJeremy Lesniak:Now, one of the things that I’m kinda struck by whenever someone cross trains is the combination. You know what is the combination of martial arts that they do lead to and you are so very close to the often-replicated formula for folks participating in mixed martial arts. Judo plus Muay Thai is very close to jujitsu plus Muay Thai Is that something that you've ever think about is competing in that way something that...Alan Lau:Well in MMA?Jeremy Lesniak:Yeah did it ever [00:25:35.21]Alan Lau:I'm also one of the officials for MMA judges and referee in the new England area so pretty much I cannot participate and I’m also one of the trainers for Muay Thai judge and referee in the area as well. So for me it’s more for recreational, pretty much you know just clubs, practicing and stuff from the competing in that big stage.Jeremy Lesniak:Okay. Alright. Well I wasn't too far off if you found your way into MMA as a referee. I mean, there's there's something in that combination that tends to lineup for folks. I don't know what it is I can't say but.Alan Lau:Yeah yeah mma is definitely, those fights definitely you know boys and girls [00:26:32.23] and definitely a different mentality you know. Days in days out, they have to grind all day you know like I give them a lot of respects. You know, just the fact that they some [00:26:43.10] trains enough just to step inside a cage or the ring, is should be real proud of themselves and hopefully they put teams upon them and [00:26:51.26]Jeremy Lesniak:I completely agree. It's not uncommon occurrence someone to go through something difficult, something challenging their life but as martial artist we have a different set of tools that we can use as we work through those challenges. Tell us about a time in your life or things were challenging and how you are able to work through it.Alan Lau:One thing you know about the martial arts teachers really the mental toughness and that's really, and like you know, I keep going back to these philosophy side of things because how I carry myself you know as a person have a lot of influence from the martial arts especially from Bruce Lee so obviously I can bring him back up. But, it's really you know, if you've ever watched you know the way the dragon the remake of Bruce Lee you know how he was supposedly paralyzed you know, he won’t be walking again and then he pretty much have the fu mentality you know, you’re not telling him what to do and you know I’m just continuing to keep improving myself, that's kinda you know how I kinda adopted. You know, I live my life really and always try to and minimize my regrets you know that's why I put the very frank and stern at certain things but you know as long as I don't offend people and you know this will make you strong in terms of mentally and you know, life you have good times and bad times you know, and that mentality really keep me in line focused because if you keep dwelling on things make losing yourself sometimes and sometimes you just need to step back stay strong, be focused, look at the big picture and then look at the end result, what you want to do at the end of the day. And then you can reevaluate so I think that right there is really teaching have taught me how to act as a person and how to face no life decisions of you know, easy or difficult. And you know to me that thought process is the same, you know me, I’m pretty much an end result-oriented guy and how you get there is you know, you have multiple ways to get there but [00:29:34.15] and then I will do my best to achieve it so that's kinda how I carry myself.Jeremy Lesniak:When you think about the folks that you've trained with, you know, not just your instructors, folks in Thailand, folks you've trained with here maybe even friends in Hong Kong. If you had the name one or maybe two of them who were the most influential on who you are as a martial artist and that doesn't necessarily mean your skill set, it could mean your philosophy, it's really however you define it. Who would that person or those couple people be?Alan Lau:So the people that I had dealt with like in person not just some fictional guy, right?Jeremy Lesniak:You know what, it could be fictional. It could be Bruce Lee. We've already spoken about him like, I don't like putting parameters on the answers to these questions the way you interpret them tells us just as much as what you say.Alan Lau:I will say, so now I’m going back the whole philosophy of things. So have you heard of the art of war by Sun Tzu?Jeremy Lesniak:Absolutely.Alan Lau:So Sun Tzu is definitely one of the guys that I would like to, that would have influence in my martial arts training, because to get that, his philosophy really how you you know you can be physically strong or well. Well when you can pretty much using your mind to set up to what good or what's best for you. So that right there definitely really, I think every single martial artist should read that book. If you know Chinese, read the Chinese version and then look at the translation version and then you can absorb whatever you think your own interpretation. And then in the second book, you know the other person is the book of five rings, Japanese martial artist. So that pretty much about the five elements and how these elements is but then you know that’s all the philosophy. But then you know, obviously Bruce Lee will be one of the big influential person in my, at the early beginning and then my current Grandmaster from Thailand, he definitely almost like a living legend to kinda doing what I want to do and what Bruce was doing when he was alive in terms of spreading the martial arts and really just... You know my Grandmaster is, he is so much knowledge but yet he can boil down to the basic tool even a dumdum can do and that's when I know a teacher is really, really know his and her craft. Because fighters, a good fighter doesn't mean they have good teachers you know, we kept seeing you know like good football player or basketball player, they can be one of the legends but yet when they try to be coaching then they fail, because the people that he tried or she tried to coach to doesn’t have the same ability as you know him or herself. And order for you to break down anything so fundamental and someone off the street with the right attitude can pick it up to me tasks the real, really like a real good teacher. And that's something that I strive for to become one day at that kind of level.Jeremy Lesniak:Yeah. Powerful stuff. I’m not even gonna try to [00:34:03.06] I’m just gonna go on. Now the flip side of that question if you could train with someone that you haven't anywhere in the world, anywhere in time who would that be?Alan Lau:Oh man, that I haven't anywhere in time. Let's see here, this is very difficult well obviously [00:34:36.07] actually Ip Man will be one of the instructor that I would like, love to train with. So you know, you've seen a movie by [00:34:49.07] movie was you know about the Ip Man series so Ip Man was the wing chun instructor of Bruce, you know resides in Hong Kong and just another beautiful philosophy where a martial arts was created by the female and being adapted many different kind of martial arts around the world and that's just so powerful. So you know it’s all about you know, the most martial arts in china is very strong in a sense, stern [00:35:25.10] forms, you know very, I would say ecstatic but it's very like a strong presence but yet the wing chun is the total opposite of it but yet it’s being adapted by so many so many, all over the world and in a sense that's where I end up doing judo Muay Thai, you have you know, home for the gentle way with you know, judo and then you have the very stern side of you know traditional Muay Thai.Jeremy Lesniak:Yeah for sure. Let's talk about competition. You know, judoka tend to have participated in some way, they're a good way to test your skills and I mean, let's be honest it's kinda hard to practice judo, to play judo by yourself. So has competition been something you've gotten into with that?Alan Lau:Oh yeah, I still do about 2 to 3 Judo tournaments a year locally nothing big. Just to support the the competition scene. You know, I’m a heavyweight just pretty much try to encourage more people to do Judo you know. Those are the brackets usually have less people so try to help out you know, fill out the bracket in a sense that encourage more people to compete.Jeremy Lesniak:Nice and how about Muay Thai, any competition on that side?Alan Lau:No, I don’t compete in Muay Thai, that’s more just a practice in a sense.Jeremy Lesniak:Alright. You brought up Bruce Lee, you've brought up Ip Man, are you a fan of martial arts movies?Alan Lau:Am I a fan? Oh yeah of course. Because Hong Kong is really known for their [00:37:26.02]Jeremy Lesniak:Yeah, I mean, if there is a hub the CenterPoint in the world for martial arts movies it's definitely Hong Kong.Alan Lau:Yeah, they actually, Jackie Chan actually he had a stunt group very popular in the 80s and 90s and pretty much all the stunts around the world that you see they have a lot of choreography on to the movies.Jeremy Lesniak:Did you grow up going to movies? Shaw brothers movies and such?Alan Lau:Yeah. In Hong Kong definitely do you will watch Jackie Chan's movie because he always does a Chinese New Year movies. So at least once a year he will have a big movie so you know, big fan of him obviously. And then it’s like I didn't actually watched any of the Bruce Lee's movie until I was older because really [00:38:39.11] to watch the movies until right now, like right now it’s so much easier. Go to like Netflix, you know amazon prime and all kinds of stuff.Jeremy Lesniak:I guess it makes sense at the time that you were growing up they weren't in theaters. You know they were too far gone for theaters and you know those those were, I mean the movies we tend to think of is if I’m remembering correctly were American releases so you know getting them on video must've been difficult, I could see that. That makes sense.Alan Lau:[00:39:19.00] my mom's generation pretty much I live through how he was for my parents, you know what [00:39:26.02] until older that I actually have a chance to watch myself.Jeremy Lesniak:Sure. Are there any more of the modern martial arts movies that you've seen recently that really strike a chord for you?Alan Lau:Recently... Well, obviously the Ip Man series are good. They are done very nicely. So there was a movie back in the early 90s was by Jet Li, that's one of the movies I like to watch that [00:40:05.22] they call once upon a time in china. So he portray as one of a martial artist who pretty much escapes the communism and then went to southern china and eventually at a school in Hong Kong for a brief period of time so that movie [00:40:33.21] has strong kind of movies that really you know, is to watch the end of the whole dynasty time and you know, accepting the new way of the culture and stuff. So that's kinda like my mindset kinda like around that period of time. You know the early I would say maybe 30's or 40’s-time frame, because that's the way many people had to struggle and then and that's always the same, the chaos create heroes so that kind of movies around the time frame that's really attracts me the most.Jeremy Lesniak:Yeah, I can see that. Now, as we look into the future as you consider your training, teaching, and in all the other things that you have going on, what are your goals with your martial arts training? Are there, you know, are you looking to hold the path you're on are you looking to add another style drop one, achieve a certain rank attend a certain training space, I mean what's keeping you motivated to be dedicated to this lifestyle.Alan Lau:To me, like I said to you before, martial arts to me is really the way of living. So to me ranks don't mean anything. Like I can be a white belt for the rest of my life for all I care, like I really don’t care about that. It's about knowing the knowledge, knowing the art, understanding the art and spread the art and really spread the art in a way that a person off the street who have no prior knowledge can understand. That's my whole goal. You know, because let's be honest, martial arts is not easy, any arts that you do, if you want to do it right people spend decades of their time just perfect you know, [00:42:47.22] profession into certain things. And you know I just have to stay focused because there so many trains not going on all the time, but you have to stay true to the art and really spreading the fundamental and then let the student how to mix and match them. And that's, like my goal if that makes sense because I can't do it all, I cannot do it all. But I’d like to be specializing couple of things that yet you know, so I know how to teach him that, I know what works you know, almost like a, like a proven track record in a sense. And that's kinda what strikes me as a practitioner you know, as a teacher or what not and that’s what keep me going.Jeremy Lesniak:Now if people want to reach you, if they want to find out about your school maybe there in the New England area or they're traveling through and they want to check out what you've got going on, or they want to find you online, you know how would they do that?Alan Lau:Facebook is the easiest obviously, you know, my name Alan, A L A N L A U, that’s what they can find me on Facebook obviously. I have a lot of things going on so obviously martial arts is my passion and but I have other things going on in the same time so, I just also multitasks but you know, I always look for seminars or go to different seminars or teach seminars just to really exchange ideas and you know, just you know, no one knows everything that's fine. That's always stay with me, so you always and doesn't matter from who be a [00:44:47.23] off the street and could be just, can be enlighten that way you know so.Jeremy Lesniak:Yeah, my original instructors taught me that even a white belt on their first day, if you're really paying attention has something to teach you.Alan Lau:Oh of course, yeah.Jeremy Lesniak:Very well may be that it's much harder to teach a white belt on the first day than you would like it to be. I heard that lesson many times.Alan Lau:But that's when I go back to you know, if you can break it down and to the point that even though white belt or someone never done it before can get a basic understanding about it and not being afraid of it. I mean like we all, we are afraid of something that we have no ideas about, right? I mean that's the human nature but if you can conquer that fear in your head, you know in your mental and physical things, that person is pretty much unstoppable. That's just kinda how I approach it. There’s a fear as older we get that's what kinda prohibit us from doing a lot of things like, for instance, now you're older you have more responsibilities, so now I if I do XYZ what happen if [00:46:20.21] because I do XYZ. So now that's kinda stopping you. But you look at kids, two, three years old I mean that no fear, I mean they to tumbling, they can stretch their legs and are [00:46:33.09] they got everything going for. So it is quite interesting how life really plays out.Jeremy Lesniak:I really enjoyed my conversation with Sensei Lau. I appreciate his perspective, his thoughts on teaching, and training, on cross training. Certainly hear someone who reflects quite a few of my ideas. But also has a passion and perspective all his own and I don't know about you, but that enhances my perspective, my training. The way I look at my martial arts. Hopefully you got even half of what I did from this conversation. If you wanna check at the show notes where we have links and photos, and all kinds of other good stuff, you can find those at whistlekickmartialartsradio.com. I just spent a few minutes on Sensei Lau's Instagram, and there's some good stuff on there, some entertaining stuff, some personal stuff, some political stuff. It's no surprise he's just as open in his social media as he was here in this conversation. And of course you can find all our products all of our services at whistlekick.com, it’s all here for you. Hopefully we have things that you are interested in, if not check back soon because there is so much on the way. It's kind of ridiculous, it’s a little overwhelming on our end. That's all I’ve got for you today. Until next time train hard and smile and have a great day.