Grit

It was 11 years ago this weekend that I drove 12 hours to Billings Montana to train with Sgt. Rory Miller. I’d never been to Montana before, but the 8 hr Saturday seminar fell on a weekend that I could make it happen. I had read Meditations on Violence  earlier that year. After reading it I emailed and he answered the email. That was a nice surprise. He said he would let me know if he was doing a seminar in the area.

I have learned  a lot from Rory. I also learned  a lot from my core MA instructor as well as from Phil my first SD instructor. The saying is that steel sharpens steel.

I guess.
However grit polishes rock.

The process of polishing rocks is a long process involving different size grit. You gather rocks and put them in a tumbler. Several steps are needed to create the final product. Starting the process coarse grit rounds the rocks. Smoothing, pre-polishing and finally polishing are the various stages. Many stages, lot and lots of time. Some rocks make it through the tumbling process, some do not.

The dudes I have trained with have been part of the polishing this old rock.
The final stage of rock polishing involves the finest grit to create the end result. The shinny lustrous rocks you see for sale. They don’t come out of the tumbler shinny, they have to be cleaned for that polished look.

The nearly 20 years I was in the traditional martial arts could be considered the rounding process. The skills abilities and knowledge I gained in that rounding stage opened many doors. I was sincerely blessed to have the experiences I did in that system under that instructor.

Leaving the traditional and finding my way to Phil Messina of Modern Warrior gave me the direction I was seeking. He was generous, experienced and so full of information and knowledge. He set the standards for what I do. Phil was the one who pointed me in the direction of Rory by suggesting his Meditations on Violence book.

Rory's stuff is good because it is not prescriptive, its is principle based. I never really analyzed what I do, however when he first stated “You are not a 6 foot guy. Stop trying to fight like one.” I had to figure out what that meant. I fought like the person I was trained by. That is how it was back in the day. We were all trained exactly the same rote way.

Having things pointed out to me from a perspective that sincerely is in the interest of making me better, not just teaching their stuff, certainly has been different. No need to regurgitate, but definitely have to scrutinize and contemplate. A new level and way of learning.

A bonus is the amazing group that I have become a part of. They are truly the fine grit that is a part of the polishing process. There are so many people I don’t think I would have even known of if it were not for Rory. Which is awesome. I have been very fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time.

Thanks man. Thanks for being the grit in my life.
And bringing so many other gritty people into my life. Its been an honor.