The earliest memory that I can recall about my first experience with martial arts would have to be when I was 5 years old in Popayan, Colombia. In “El Centro” the “Center” there is a movie theater that plays old movies from the 40’s to the 70’s. I remember that one day my friend ran with me to buy a ticket for “Juego de Muerte” or “Game of Death” starring Bruce Lee. I remember watching this man just kick everyone’s tail and taking names. Of course, I was hooked. I ran outside the movie theatre and told my dad that I had to learn Kung Fu. We ended up moving back to the United States and he enrolled me in Shorin-Ryu Karate.
I liked Shorin-Ryu, but there wasn’t a lot to do with it. I felt very limited with what I knew so I quit, right around the same time that my mother passed away. I started learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and regular Jiu Jitsu from two brothers that I met when I was in high school. They taught me about throwing people down and locking them up and it was all messy. Once again, I liked it but it limited me. I didn’t see the point with going on the ground and wrestling people when it would be easier to stand and fight.
When I was 16, I met a trainer for classes on boxing. When I went into the class, he asked if I had done previous training in martial arts and I told him I had. He said he wanted to train me for free to compete in the Golden Gloves tournament that would take place a year from that date. Therefore, long story short, I won Golden Gloves when I was 17, lost when I was 18 and quit right before going pro. Overall, I hated boxing because I felt no satisfaction from fighting for money. Plus, I couldn’t use legs.
I quit doing martial arts for 3 years because I didn’t have something that I would want to learn. I researched kung fu schools one day and found a school called “Shaolin Lohan School of Kung Fu .“ I looked at the site and read about the instructor and found that he interviews people rather then take their money, which is hard to find in martial arts systems today. I sent an email to this Sifu and received one back from him to come in and check out the school. I came on March 5 directly after my cousin’s funeral and talked to Sifu Cabais at his kwoon, I don’t remember every detail of what we talked about, but I do remember him asking me, “Why do you want to learn Kung Fu?” I replied, shakily for some reason, “I just want to be the best I can be.” His eyes opened wide and he said, “GREAT ANSWER!! God if it was only that easy…” I felt proud that he allowed me to train in his system.
Right off from the start, my classes were nothing I would ever experience in any style of martial art that I had done, including boxing. I didn’t understand why I hadn’t learned any blocking, or punching or anything. I was learning horse stance and dragon stances while praying. Then Sifu came up and said “In order to conquer others, we must first conquer ourselves.” I had never had an instructor make his kung fu his life. Someone so dedicated to keeping up with mannerisms that have been long forgotten was a rare entity to come across.
Since I started, I have received another high honor in my life; I am a disciple of kung fu. For 11 months now on this date I have been training endless hours and I can say that I have a higher respect for myself. I have found a harmony in my life that works for me. Sifu Cabais is an extraordinary mentor, teacher, and friend that I have come to admire. His devotion to teaching his students this ancient art is something you cannot fake. I trust that Sifu Cabais will show me the way to unlock my full potential as a human being as I continue my discipleship program. To quote one disciple before me, “I am proud to be a disciple of the art.”
-Joseph Torres-