I wanted to kick off this article by reflecting back to 1985. I was a young boy watching Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon movie with a few of my friends. Like most boys I was amazed by the speed and grace of martial arts.
For those of you not familiar with the movie; the main character Leroy Green (a.k.a. Bruce Leroy) searches for the “master” to reach his final level of martial arts mastery known as the glow. During the course of his journey he must fight an evil martial arts expert known as Sho’nuff (a.k.a. The Shogun of Harlem) and finds himself having to rescue a beautiful singer from an obsessed music promoter. I know most of you are probably saying, “What kind of movie is this?” remember it was the 80’s.
The most significant part of the movie, in my opinion, occurs during the final battle between Bruce Leroy and Sho’nuff. The setting is an abandoned warehouse (why wouldn’t’t it be I thought all movies had to have an abandoned warehouse scene) where Leroy and Sho’nuff have been battling back and forth. Sho’nuff has Leroy held over a large tank of water and continually submerges Leroy’s head into the water while asking the question, “Who is the master?” As Leroy is being held under water he starts to think back to the many lessons that he has learned during the course of his journey and realizes that the answers he has been searching for have always been within him. When Sho’nuff pulls him from the water one final time to ask, “Who is the master”, Leroy confidently answers….”I am”. Leroy develops the “glow” by believing in himself and defeats Sho’nuff before rescuing the girl.
The point that I’m trying to establish is that everyone that I speak with today seems to be in search of the “master”. Advertisers hammer home their messages. Store layouts, movies, television, radio, and magazines and of course the internet all sending us messages of where to find the “master”.
We’ve become a society in search of instant gratification. If you call this 800 number, if you send back this card, if you log onto this site………..I’m sure you’ve heard them all. The health and fitness industry has capitalized on this concept. You know the one’s……..take this pill for 30 days and lose 30lbs., buy this ab crunch gadget use it for 2 minutes a day and be shredded, hook these pads up to your stomach and stimulate your abs for only minutes a day! All of these things to help us get the “glow”.
I hope you understand that we are no different than Bruce Leroy. We are searching for answers that are within ourselves. When it comes to your health and wellness, you are the “master”. You have to be willing to put in some hard work, sweat a little and do your best to have a clean diet. There are no magic pills or gadgets to help, and please don’t hook any type of electronic pads up to your stomach!
Start 2006 off right and remember, “You are the master”.
Shawn is an independent performance coach. He is a graduate of Waynesburg College where he was an all-conference defensive back and attended CFL/NFL tryouts in 1994. He is a certified Renegade Training practioner under world renown Strength & Conditioning Coach John Davies, and is a certified Speed / Agility and Quickness Trainer through N.E.S.T.A. (National Endurance and Sports Trainers Association) Visit his website http://www.gamespeed.biz which is the most comprehensive web site regarding performance training for anyone. He delivers top notch products and information for anyone!
