Kind of a Random Nostalgic Rant
About 18+ years ago, my Shifu of the Dragon Gate Lineage, Zhang Yong Chun, sent me a message on chat. He said:
“Little Shieh, You have no speed… You have no power… You have no flexibility… You have no endurance… You have no strength…”
I waited patiently online, expecting some kind of encouragement to follow. Maybe something like, “But you have heart,” or “But you never give up.” Perhaps even a simple, “But you’re making improvements.”
Nope. Nothing. No “buts.”
That was the entire message. Done. Finished. Complete.
At the time, I had already spent years training, and according to my Shifu, I had made no progress. I was deeply disappointed, disheartened, and demotivated. And, honestly, I was sad. Really sad.
If I were a character in a video game, my attributes would have been the equivalent of an NPC. Like this:
Now, nearly 20 years later, having trained and worked with many great martial artists, I am still humbled beyond words—especially by Rick Hotton Sensei of West Wind Dojo in Sarasota, Florida.
Some people try to insult me by calling me a groupie, a fanboy of Hotton Sensei.
How is that an insult? Yes, I am. And I’m proud to be one.
Hotton Sensei is in his 60s, yet he moves faster and strikes harder than people in their teens, 20s, or even 30s—supposedly prime years.
After two decades of training, I compare my attributes to his, and the gap is overwhelming. He surpasses me in every category by an absurd margin.
If Hotton Sensei were to say to me, “Johnny San, you have no speed…” I could only nod and say, “Yes, Sensei, you are correct.”
If he said, “Johnny San, you have no power…” If he said, “Johnny San, you have no flexibility…” If he said, “Johnny San, you have no endurance…” If he said, “Johnny San, you have no strength…”
You get the idea. It’s the same damn déjà vu all over again. And I can’t refute any of it.
The frustrating part? I feel like I’m in the best damn shape of my life.
But hey, that’s the whole point of conquering higher mountains, amirite?
If you ever find yourself in Sarasota, FL, you NEED to visit West Wind Dojo. Just witnessing what is “possible” with the absolute basics is eye-opening, inspiring, and might just light your martial arts journey on fire.
I often wonder: how can someone perform the most basic movements with such ridiculous speed, power, and precision? I’ve never seen anything like it. Ever. In my entire life.
To quote Ted Mosby, “It was RIDONCULOUS.”
Honestly, Hotton Sensei reminds me of the Baji Quan legend, Li Shu Wen—also known as the “God of the Spear.” Literally, in Japanese terms, “Ikken Hissatsu”—one strike, one kill.
His own disciple, Keith Hart, once said to me, “I do not want to be punched by Sensei. I would die.” He said it with no doubt, no hesitation. And then we laughed it off. Kind of.
On the wall of my school, I have three key messages for my students:
I’m considering making a slight adjustment to that last point: “Unless you can be Rick Hotton. Then be Rick Hotton instead.”
I want to grow up and be Rick Hotton.
Here’s a post from a while back:
