Master Hopkick
There is a legendary character named Master Hopkick. He is one of the greatest martial artists ever to throw a kick. Long ago, Master Hopkick was a young boy, living on the island of Tulagi, in the Solomon Islands. There, he met a man named Mr. Tung, who gave him his very first lessons, and his love and passion for learning everything related to martial arts. That young boy grew up to have many adventures, and teach students of his own. His name was John Ramo, and this is one of his stories.
The Listening to Mosquitoes Lesson
12-year old John Ramo adjusted the straps on his backpack as he waited for Mr. Tung to join him on the path into the hills that rose high above his village. Today, his teacher was taking him on a hike. Mr. Tung, a middle-aged Chinese man who had moved to the island after studying many different martial arts, had been teaching John for nearly two years now. John was a dedicated student, and the two had become good friends.
“You bring food, and canteens?” Mr. Tung asked as he approached.
“Yes, sir! I have plenty for both of us.” John was excited; it was always exciting to do something different for their training.
For over an hour, the two hiked up a small, steep trail, stopping occasionally to drink water, but Mr. Tung kept the pace steady, and John worked hard to keep up. The thick jungle all around them was full of life, and a green canopy of trees and vines shaded them from the hot sun as they walked.
As the path wound through a flat section of jungle forest, Mr. Tung stopped, looked around, then nodded his head.
“We will rest here and eat.” As the two sat on a fallen log and enjoyed the fresh fruit and dried fish John’s mother had prepared for them, Mr. Tung spoke.
“Close your eyes, John.” John did as he was instructed, curious as to what Mr. Tung had planned. It seemed his teacher always had a plan, and a lesson to teach.
“Always important to know surroundings. Observe, very important. In fight, you must know where danger lies, where safety.” As Mr. Tung spoke, John nodded. They had discussed this many times before.
“Same in all of life. Keep eyes closed, tell me about what is here, around us.”
John thought hard. Now that he was supposed to recall his surroundings, everything seemed muddled. He hadn’t really been paying attention to what was around, he had been thinking about how hungry and thirsty he’d become while hiking!
“Well, trees. And vines.”
“Trees, vines. That is not answer – we are in jungle. Tell me what is here.”
John kept his eyes closed, but took a bite of the mango he’d peeled as he thought.
“Well, we are sitting on a fallen tree.”
“Yes. What color?” Mr. Tung encouraged.
John thought for a second. “brown, the moss growing on it is green. And there is a large branch from it, sticking into the ground. There!” He kept his eyes closed, but pointed to the place where he remembered having to step over the branch.
“Yes. What else? Where is sun now?”
Turning his face towards the sky, John kept his eyes closed, but tried to concentrate on where the light and warmth were coming from. He hadn’t noticed until this moment, but suddenly realized his back was quite warm because of the afternoon rays shining between the overhead branches of trees.
“It is behind me. I can feel it on my back.”
“And?” Mr. Tung continued questioning his student.
John thought for a long moment and swatted at a mosquito. “I don’t know. I am trying to remember, but I can’t – I didn’t pay much attention to what exactly is around here.”
“Keep eyes closed. Listen. Tell me what you can know about this place when you listen.” Mr. Tung’s English was not perfect, but John understood what he was saying.
Sitting as still as he could, John listened. He could only hear the jumbled chorus of birds and insects. Swatting again at the air around his head, he frowned.
“All I hear right now are the bugs trying to eat me.”
“Ignore bugs. Listen to more than only what is right in front of you.”
John’s brow furrowed. Now that he had noticed the mosquitoes, he could only think of them. “But Mr. Tung, I can’t hear anything else because of their buzzing!”
“They are only distraction. Whole jungle around you, much more important to know what is in jungle than only insects. Concentrate. Think about what else you hear.” Mr. Tung’s words were sharp, but his tone was encouraging, and John listened more intently.
“Well, there are birds. Many different kinds of birds.”
“Where are birds?” Mr. Tung asked.
“Everywhere!” John’s answer earned a short, gruff chuckle from his teacher.
“Not everywhere. Listen. Let your ears tell you where.”
John sighed and continued to listen. After a moment, he cocked his head to one side and considered the many different sounds he was hearing.
“The birds are up high – above us. In the trees. And…and I think…I can hear the ocean!” John concentrated, listening for the sounds he knew so well. “The tide is coming in! I hear the water crashing against the coral reef!”
“Excellent. What else you hear?” Mr. Tung asked the question, then stood and quickly approached John. His young student whirled around, eyes still closed, and raised his hands defensively.
“Open eyes.” When John opened his eyes, he squinted in the bright sunlight and saw his teacher, only a few inches away from him, with an approving grin on his face.
“You use only ears, but you sense my movement and react quickly. This is lesson today. If you only listen to mosquitoes, you never hear ocean. Or approaching enemy.”
“I never knew you could hear the ocean from all the way up here!”
Mr. Tung nodded. “Always pay attention to surroundings. Much more around you than only what you first notice.”
Picking up John’s backpack, Mr. Tung handed it to his student.
“We go back now. Keep thinking about lesson. Always observe, always be aware of what is around.”
John did his best, and as they walked back down the trail, he realized how many different types of flowers, trees, and birds he had not even noticed before. It was incredible how many things there were to see and hear, all around him!
Discussion questions:
- Have you ever stopped, closed your eyes, and tested how much of your surroundings you can recall? Try this when you’re in a new, unfamiliar place.
- How do you think being aware of your surroundings can help you in your martial arts training?
- How do you think being aware of your surroundings can help you in other parts of life?
- For John, the mosquitoes buzzing around were distracting him and keeping him from being able to hear what was around him. What are some distractions that can get in the way of you being aware of your surroundings?
If you enjoyed this story, please share it with others! Consider reading this series and discussing the lessons using the questions, as a part of your classes with younger students, or even over zoom! Let us know if your students enjoyed it!
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