Episode 31 - Mr. Cory Rose
Mr. Cory Rose - Episode 31
Everybody thinks they know who they are, but I thought I knew who I was, too. And then I realized that I didn't, really.
cory-rose-aksel
Today's episode features Mr. Cory Rose, a taekwondo practitioner from Oklahoma. Mr. Rose is a longtime martial artist with a great story. We don't want to give away too much, but Mr. Rose credits his life to the arts, and in a far different way than other guests have done. We had a great conversation and discuss how martial arts has influenced his life as well as connected a number of dots on his path. A humble man, Mr. Rose opens up about every subject that comes up, which makes for a great episode.
Show Notes
Movies - Ong Bak (Available on Netflix), Ip Man (Available on Netflix), Fearless (Unavailable on Netflix or Amazon)Actors - Jet Li, Jackie ChanBooks - The Book of Five Rings, Art of War, Budo and Bonsai: Martial Strategies in Everyday LifeMr. Rose's martial arts school, Peaceful Warriors Martial Arts AcademyPeaceful Warriors Martial Arts Academy on FacebookHere is the pool ball scene from Jet Li's movie, Fearless, that we discussed.Mr. Rose was able to find the video of his son, Aksel, sparring with Bill Wallace.
Show Transcript
You can read the transcript below or download here.
Hey there everyone, it's episode 31 of whistlekickMartialArtsRadio, the only place to hear the best stories from the best martial artists, like today's guest Mr. Cory Rose. I'm your host Jeremy Lesniak and I'm the founder of whistlekick, makers of the world's best sparring gear as well as great apparel and accessories for traditional martial artists. I'd like to welcome our new listeners and thank all of the returning fans. Don't forget our great products like our light weight vented sparring gloves. You can find more information about those and the rest of our product line over at whistlekick.com and all of our past podcast episodes show notes for this one and a ton more are available at whistlekickmartialartsradio.com and while you're on our website why don't you sign up for our newsletter, we've got some good stuff in there and we promise not to spam you or sell your address to anyone. And now to today's episode, on episode 31 we're joined by Mr. Cory Rose a Taekwondo practitioner and school owner from Oklahoma. Mr. Rose shares a powerful story about his youth and credits martial arts for saving his life. It's a great episode that gets a bit intense at times but there's obviously a happy ending to that story and with that, Mr. Rose welcome to whistlekickMartialArtsRadio.
Corey Rose:
Oh no thanks for thanks very much for having me anytime someone wants to take a little bit of time to listen to me I see it as a great honor.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Well the honor is mine to have you on you know we've had some conversations online and offline it's gonna be fun to really dig in and get to know a lot more about you and of course we're bringing the listeners right along with us and looking forward to your story. You hinted at some pretty good stuff that I'm sure that we're gonna get into. So, let's just start right with it so tell us how you got started with the martial arts.
Corey Rose:
Oh, that's actually probably the longest part of my story. I had, I was very off and on I had an off and on relationship with martial arts in my whole life. It was kinda like something that was it was just always in the background but I still remember my first time getting involved I always so it's really 02:13 to say my memory's terrible but I was 8 or 9 years old, my parents had just recently divorced and I was a really introverted kid, I was shy, I was picked on I had as I said terrible self-esteem I wasn't a very physical kid you know I wasn't a football player, basketball player that kind of thing, anything at the time. My mom she was really worried about me for different reasons, different scenarios. So, she found a guy who was teaching martial arts to this day I couldn't tell you the name of the style. I think it's kind of one of those things with that so certain age you're not really sure you care.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Right
Corey Rose:
But I remember it was I remember all the terms being at Japanese it was a Japanese style the word kenpo got in on around a few times but I remember my teacher Sensei Scott 02:56 and this was in the back of a building I mean like an abandoned place you know concrete floors and rolled up carpet for 03:04 and all that didn't look like a place a kid like me would be in but I stepped in there but I fell in love with it, I absolutely fell in love with it, it was kind of a controlled environment to let myself go a little bit but I wasn't able to do it very well I can't remember exactly what happened I think 03:21 something along those lines where I was only able to do that for about 03:26 and then you know my mother approached me and you know we said well we can't do this anymore that sort of thing and so I didn't do it for a while but I remember always begging I had just I wanna get back in I wanna do it I wanna do it some more and so eventually you know it lead where I got to take classes at this place where 2 or 3 months at this place for a year and when I wasn't taking classes I was surprised that I didn't get more trouble than I did I would fight to other kids I went to school with that we're taking classes at different places hey man show me teach me let's work you know that's always a great idea a couple of kids practicing, growing together with no supervision but we had a lot of fun and I learned a lot of stuff I did get a few injuries those were about the extent of my martial arts injuries were in those days but when I hit my old early mid-teens I kinda fell off a bit to some issues in the family ended up living with my dad for a while and he was kind of the pay your own way type of person I really respect that I really respect my father and the things that he instilled in me and so I spent all my time working, trying to buy my first car, trying to do all that sort of thing and I made some bad decisions so I ended up I actually ended up on my own but 16-17 years old and I was living out of my truck, condemned buildings, taking on whatever jobs I can get, got myself through high school and to college but you know during that time there's a lot of angst there's a lot of stuff anyway to be in that age and you know I made some bad decisions I fell into some dark things and they kind of came back to haunt me later but I got through college you know I had a pretty good career and then all of that stuff kinda came to a hit you know I got to without delving too deep into it I had some major problems with depression and anxiety, I had some major problems with drug abuse, alcohol abuse, you name it I was probably doing it at the time and all that kinda came to a hit and I ended up and this is where really my martial arts story began so I ended up in well basically I was hallucinating for about 3 weeks and I ended up in the hospital I ended up in ICU and I was only laying there and they're kinda cleaning out, puffing all the stuff through and my wife comes in, my wife 05:37 she comes in and says man you sacred me you know the doctors said 3 days to a week you need to be in bed, if they didn't catch and you know I'm like barely 20 at this point and it just absolutely terrified me so I'm laying there an I'm thinking about the past and I'm thinking about the future and one of the things that popped out 05:58 epiphanies and it had to do with the hallucinations I was having but all these little words all these little phrases and I started realizing that you know I was blaming the wrong people, I was blaming circumstance, I was blaming the people that seemed to be pushing me down, I was blaming this I was blaming that and now I realized that you know I can't read the future but every decision I make leads me to where I'm at and I have some responsibility and no matter what it is that happens to me I've got to learn to take that responsibility. So you know I don't blame anybody for 06:27 to happen but I'm laying there and I'm thinking and these things starts to make sense all these things martial arts teachers had told me really were popping out in my head all these bits of you know these little wisdom and philosophy and things that you know you kinda read and you either don't really understand and then you don't see where it applies and then all of a sudden I'm seeing where it could have applied at any point in time all through my life. So I got out of the hospital and I really couldn't find another job so I was unemployed I really tried to find a job but I had a lot of free time so in that free time you know I'm still little my brain's still 06:58 and I started studying philosophy I started studying religion I started studying culture just all kinds whatever I could get my hands on and in between times and it was kinda during that time that I ended up in establishing what would later become one of the major cornerstones of the curriculum I teach now which is something that I call the universals or the near universals and you can think of that kinda like something you could walk up to people from multiple cultures, religions, backgrounds whatever most of it across the world and you have to word it right but if you ask them what quality is if we saw in other people would make the world a better place and you have to ask about what probably see in other people if you ask a person what qualities could you show to make the world a better place, you get an entirely different answer which is just kind of a funny take on that. But anyways you get those common answers like you know the extreme levels of courtesy if people showed more integrity if they would keep their word people showed more perseverance more courage, things like that you know things that were universal and I started trying to figure out how to apply it to my life because that was kinda always my problem with philosophy so I'm getting off on a tangent here but that was kinda always my problem with philosophy was the application of it, right and also I gotta saying a lot of people look at it and they think well it's hard to understand or it only applies to a certain circumstance or whatever in my mind wisdom had to be something that was universal, something that worked across the board right or whether you're talking about and this is something we deal in martial arts all the time whether you're talking about a fight as in a physical struggle or a fight as in a mental struggle or even a debate or an argument with another person, I felt like it all had to be there kinda like spirituality what people kinda tabooed that word in different circumstances but regardless or your religion in my opinion spirituality is not some mystic thing it's out there it's what's all around us right now. It's how we react it's how we see things, it's how we perceive things and that kind of related into our spirituality anyways so in my opinion martial arts kind of helps to bridge that gap I guess between philosophy and application. So for example Bruce Lee I think we all like Bruce Lee right and he got this famous quote about you know be like water and you can see where that applies to whether you're taking a hit in a sparring session you can also see where that applies to just adapting in general to life scenarios and things like that you know in martial arts I started you know you can reach across social issues too that's one of the things I noticed you know any issues that are challenging society martial arts has often to be on the front end of that whether it's you know obesity or race issues or sexism issues, religious issues you know the thing about martial arts and is where you know people from all kinds of backgrounds come together and they come together for a common goal to get better to help each other get better and to work together and I think it's an amazing you know amazing thing anyway I got a little bit off subject so where this kinda comes back down to it is I'm working graveyard shifts so I try to start a business detailing cars for people and I found this school I've never done Taekwondo before but I found this Taekwondo school and they offered to teach me if I washed their cars once a month you know and they just kept telling me come in and try, come and try it out. I wasn't really sure I had a fear of large groups 10:15 anyway one day I went in and I looked around and I was like wow you know this is amazing like I'm not here and anyone say the words but I'm looking around and it's just the atmosphere and I'm seeing all these things that you know a lot of people kinda looked around and wished they saw more of in the world and I'm seeing 10:29 in practice I'm seeing it being applied. I'm seeing and it was probably in every dojo dojang every 10:37 practiced before but I guess I was too young I just didn't get it you know I didn't see it the same way. Anyway, and I ended joining they taught me a lot and when I got up to my advanced ranks they started they saw my anxieties and they started throwing me up at in different classes especially kids which is absolutely terrifying I mean I don't have any experience and 11:01
Jeremy Lesniak:
Of course, yeah
Corey Rose:
It absolutely terrified me but it was kind of that moment but they were like look you can let your anxiety choose this for you, what you do in your path or you can take charge of your life and here's how you take charge of your life you let that anxiety go and you just pushed through and I did and you know what I found I really really enjoyed it and it just fell on me and all the work I had done in my life all the different career paths I tried to take, all the different things I tried to study all before in my life I never really knew what I wanted to do and I kinda just walked through my life like a chicken with his head cut off you know who's that Chinese let's go over this let's try this and it all kinda kept falling flat and I kept changing and then here I am doing this and I felt different I mean I actually for the first time in my life this might sound a little crazy but I thought like I was on the right path. I felt like I was doing something good, I felt like I was doing something that was meant for me and then shortly I forgot my black belt that school ended up closing down and so I moved down 11:55 started teaching because it was kind of a passion I didn't have any money still I was bouncing around between minimum wage jobs and stuff and still didn't haven't got a job back in my career and then my wife kinda says why don't you start teaching? So, I found a few kids and I was like hey you know you guys wanna learn some martial arts and started a school and you know here I am now and now that's I gave up on the job search you know I had my parents always when are you gonna get a real job you know here's an opportunity here's not anyway I was like you know what I feel like I'm on the right path I'm gonna stay with this and I stayed with it and trained under whoever I could, took any seminars I could. I've actually am one of those probably strange people that's tested for every level of black belt under a different person or a different group and but I made it to where I'm at I'm very happy with where I'm at.
Jeremy Lesniak:
That's awesome, so what I'm hearing the common thread as we go through your life is that the clarity the times that you're talking about where you've experienced clarity is when you've been in the martial arts. It sounds like any of the times when you strayed away from martial arts you got lost? Is that a fair.
Corey Rose:
Exactly that's exactly right and I'm not trying to say that you know my path is for everybody or anything like that like yeah, every time I strayed away from the martial arts world I did I become lost. I felt like I didn't know where I was going or where I was, I felt like my whole world was coming against me and then as soon as I'd set foot on that mat it didn't matter who it was under, or who I was with or who I was training with 13:17 with the kids or adults it didn't matter, that all just disappeared you know and I was me you know I felt full and whole and complete and so yeah, I've made it my life's passion now.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And I think that's great and I you're right not everybody's path is going to be your path. I think you know there's a good chance that majority of the people listening to this show right now probably do feel something similar to you I mean I certainly feel the same thing that you that there's something very grounding about martial arts as a passion and you don't have to have martial arts as your passion but I think it's important for everybody to have that passion whatever it is to find that thing that grounds you for some people it's running or weight lifting or art you know doesn't even have to be a physical pursuit but just to find that thing that roots you to the ground and makes you feel like you is just so important.
Corey Rose:
Yeah that's right and I know that this story you know it sounds more like a personal story that martial arts but I'll say you know when you're really are passionate about something I mean it's really passion about something it is you and you are part of it. It's a big part of you your part of it so you know I don't separate it too. I don't separate the idea that this is my martial arts life and then this is my regular life I mean a lot of people use the word and throw that term out there that martial arts is a lifestyle and I truly believe that and so you know the reason I tell more of a personal story when it comes to get into martial arts is martial arts is my life it really is at this point and not always just the physical training and stuff but the mental aspects that come with it, the philosophy that comes learned with it. It helps me gain I guess a better understanding of myself, better understanding of where I'm at you know and what I can do for other people.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah yeah without a doubt and it's funny that you know one of the things you're bringing up for me as I'm listening to you and this is probably gonna come across a little self-serving and that's not the intent so I won't even tell people where they can find it but we put out a piece kind of a poster meme sort of thing last week with a quote - martial arts isn't about fighting, martial arts is about using the idea of combat to make yourself a better person and it goes on and says some other things but that you know you really kind of reminded me of that and how resonant that idea has always been for me that you know when we talked about martial arts a lot of people hone in on that first word the combat aspect but if you break it down as you know an English construct you know like we would in an English class what is the noun, the noun is art you know it is a martial art not a martial art.
Corey Rose:
Right, right now I'm totally with you on that and you know it's one of those things like you know 16:01 training and physical combat can really you know help you calm you down and I'm all about I've always been about I just mentioned the universals earlier and that's what I like about martial arts, martial arts concepts you can read it in all kinds of blogs and things like that but it really all comes down to perspective and when I was laying in the ICU I think it is one of the biggest things that kept popping back in my head was perception, it's all about your perception so all through my life I'm like oh these things how to get me, 16:24 how to get me, this that and the other whatever I've got hide from it or I'm gonna cut this part of myself away and then it kinda just occurred to me no that's just how Looked at it that was my perception I created my own reality I guess in a sense right so we always talk about if you think positive you see positive, you think negative you see negative you kind of attract what it is that you put out there and I was always thinking negative and so negative was always happening and it was all in how just really how I looked at my life, how I looked at where things were going and how I looked at things in general and I had to change all of that first before I could find myself out of the pit I had dug myself in I mean to give the idea that perception it's kinda like I'll give an example it's kinda like if you have a young kid that's had a pet for their entire life, that pet becomes their best friend right I mean really super attached and when you have someone in their 30s and to have a mentor for the past 25 years or whatever someone that really close to like a father figure and now this little kid pet dies and then this older gentleman's mentor dies, can you honestly from a third person perspective say that the kid's pain is less because it was an animal then this older person's pain is greater because it was a person or because there was a longer relationship now realistically it's all based on your perception if you were that little kid you would think hey man you know my situation is just as hard as his so you know it all comes down to how you look at it. Personal victory works the same way a little kid first learning to walk feels you know a great sense of accomplishment and does that make an adult since the accomplishment at learning how to do a back flip any greater just because everybody can walk and not so many people can do a back flip you know it all comes down to perception, how you look at it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah, couldn't agree more. So that was a great window in to who you are I mean you know we're gonna get a lot more of that as we move on but I wanna move on to the next part of the story, the questions the interview the conversation which is your best story, there we go, that's what I was looking for so cut out all the rest give us your best martial arts story.
Corey Rose:
Right, story man there's a lot of stories it's always really hard to choose something like that.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Martial artists always have the best stories that's why I started this show.
Corey Rose:
Yeah
Jeremy Lesniak:
Cause I wanted to hear all the great stories.
Corey Rose:
Yeah and I mean a couple of mine might sound a little self-serving but I'll say you know for me let me just kinda prelude that with it's always the little things you know the little stories in my opinion are the best stories but it don't always make the greatest entertainment I guess but for me I think you know my favorite story is always relates too when I'm so I've given a chat in class you know and I'm looking around going this is in one ear out the other these guys are all like making excuses 19:16 and in 2 weeks later someone comes up to me and says hey man that what I really need to be hearing now it's got my butt in another gear or when so you ask some questions to a bunch of little kids you don't think any of them could ever possibly come up with a reasonable answer and they say they spit out something so deep that just leads you mind blown you know those are kind of my favorite stories but I'll say I got 2 in particular that pop out too me. We attended I didn't get to participate but I did get to go didn't get to participate cause my son with me but me and my wife and my son we attended a seminar with Mr. Wallace with Superfoot back in 19:50 in Oklahoma back last year and I think it was just such a super cool thing that as he's teaching the seminar you know my son starts to get a little out of hand my son's a little rowdy and then he's 2 years old at the time and I run this drill and Mr. Wallace comes up and he's talking to him he's talking to my son Axel and Axel's like 20:10 his karate moves out there and yeah Bill Wallace is kind of challenges him to a spar match right there and he let me get it on video and I got to watch my son you know out there kicking my 2 year old son kicking Mr. Wallace in the legs and throwing that back fist you know that front hand back fist and I just thought it was hilarious. I think my other favorite story thought was I have got to have tested done a black belt test on an injury. So, I'm gonna speak on and it's always the little things you know my first-degree black belt says I was helping out like a kid's night and I did this summer sault I just got up and I couldn't straighten my back and I was like what just happened I couldn't find out I torn something up around my shoulder blade my black belt test was a week later. I made my way through that but I think the best one was my second I had put off my second-degree testing for quite a while and I had to travel 5 hours to take my second-degree test and I've been putting off for months and months cause I didn't really wanna do it I didn't feel ready and when I finally did decide I was gonna do it in 2 weeks before I 21:16 broke my foot. I actually shuttered the knuckle in my pinky toe and broke the metatarsal there but I decided no I'm gonna test, forget it I'm gonna test 21:26 and I showed up to it and I had just recently maybe the previous year started to get involved in creative martial arts, extreme martial arts 21:36 that sort of thing. I'm not good at it don't get me wrong but I just like to play around with it
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah that's good stuff
Corey Rose:
And yeah, the guys I was testing under at the time they were like hey why don't you want to put on a little display for it you know so why don't you something so I decided that I was going to then I told them that day I said look you know I got this broken foot I don't know if I can do this and they basically begged me and said just take the elements out they're not gonna hurt you for it you know. Well I had a 540 I had a touch rise kick I had a hyper feeling all landing on my right foot broken foot and I think okay I'll just take em out while when I do my forms but you know how it is and you get into your form and you really get going you know and you're just so ingrained in the motions you know practice this thousands and thousands and thousands and I saw the video later in that and you can tell it hurt because it looked terrible but at the same time it didn't hurt at the time so I wasn't getting in to it and then suddenly I did that 540 I'm in midair and I'm never thinking uh oh this is just gonna be terrible but I landed and I was like oh my god it didn't hurt on and on and on and I just kept going and I got through the form I thought this is fantastic, start to walk off the floor I just collapsed I mean just felt and I don't mean like graceful collapse you know fancy roll out of it nothing I mean face plant to the mat just smack and that was the only time I've ever got a bloody nose in martial arts. But I always found that kinda be a funny story where I was somewhat humiliated myself a bunch in front of a bunch of black belts I didn't know but I did pass they did give it to me. I managed to break my boards so I just had to use the other foot and after that I took a good 3 months off with that left heel, ended up breaking it 4, 5 more times across the next 3 years.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Wow okay that's you're doing something with that foot that I don't wanna do with my feet. So those are great stories and I gotta ask that the video of Mr. Wallace and your son Axel do you still have that?
Corey Rose:
Of course, I do why could I 23:33 something like that.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Would you be willing to let us put that in the show notes for listeners?
Corey Rose:
Of course, I will.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay cause I can't imagine there's anybody listening to this right now that wouldn't wanna see that. Of course, Bill Wallace has been on the show great man friend of the company friend of the show and yeah, I'm sure he would get a kick out of seeing that again too.
Corey Rose:
Oh yeah, I'd be glad to.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So, awesome, awesome he'll look for that folks we'll put that up at whistlekickmartialartsradio.com. Great I know we're gonna work in some more stories as we move along but I'm gonna twist the next one a little bit. where do you think you would be today if you hadn't gotten into the martial arts?
Corey Rose:
Well I think I already kinda answered that and this isn't an all of that might not would've happened or any of that this was pretty definitive. I would not be here I mean I would I'd be dead and I can say that with 100% and that's why I say martial arts saved my life and I can say that with 100% guarantee like I said as I was laying there in the hospital that's what was said to me you know given 3 days or a week without help and I wouldn't have made it. Now I know I wasn't as I'm involved in martial arts at that time but let’s talk about the year after for just a second you know. I think we all know that the martial arts that when you create goals or if you wanna change something about yourself, sure you want your long-term goal right you want your big thing but five-year goals don't just come in 5 years, they happen in your decisions every day and any goal that you might have as long term you gotta start small. If you wanna lose weight or if you want to stop losing your temper as much or whatever you can't just 25:22 you know you've gotta start with something small and you gotta make that a habit. A small little reminder and you have to make that a habit and once that becomes a habit then you can build on that and so even if I had got out of the hospital and in this did happen across that next year of course now I can't suddenly I can't provide for my family suddenly we're living off next to no wages, my son's 25:45 in this time and our well a little after but all this at the 25:52 I mean all this stuff is going on and I had moments and I had these doubts and these fears and I can't even with martial arts in my life I came very close to making some serious mistakes and it in falling right back in to my old habits. But it took that one step at a time being in that right environment being with the right people being shown a purpose and giving a purpose through the martial arts that helped me to stay on that path rather than I feel like even if I didn't end up in a hospital even if they'd save my life if I hadn't found martial arts after that 26:23 right back 26:24 right back into what I was doing so I'd say if it weren't for martial arts I would not be here today at all.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And that's pretty impressive to be able to say that I think a lot of us can say that figuratively you know I wouldn't be where I am you know I would've gone off I would've done something else. I don't think I would've achieved this what I consider the success that I've had in my life, things that I've done that I've been proud of. But I would still be alive and so I think that that's pretty powerful it's pretty amazing that's part of why I was excited to have you on the show to share that because there aren't a lot of stories that go to that extreme and I'm always a big advocate that everyone should at least try martial arts and here's a great example why because you know how much time when you know at that point when you're in the hospital, if you were to add up all the time you had in the martial arts how long have you been training?
Corey Rose:
Oh man, I'm gonna do a little quick math here probably about you know honestly probably I mean like I say it was a few months to a few months there would've been about 3 little over 3 years maybe 4 years.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay so 3 years of martial arts training and how old were you again?
Corey Rose:
When I was in the hospital?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Corey Rose:
I was 20.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay so 3 years of martial arts training gave you enough of a foundation to save your life at 20.
Corey Rose:
Yeah and then finding 27:56
Jeremy Lesniak:
That's huge. I mean that catapulted you through so many things and that's the impact of the martial arts and I'm know I'm preaching to the choir when I talk about this on the show but I just constantly reinforce it cause I want people to hear it, I want people to go out and help spread that and in not to just spread the so to speak gospel of the martial arts that martial arts is great but you know people come up to me a lot and then they say you know what do you think about my kid getting in the martial arts I said you know 6 months give your kid 6 months in martial arts because there's nothing else that they can get into that will give them longer term return on that investment of that time the martial arts. 6 months of soccer is not gonna have an impact 20 years later.
Corey Rose:
Not definitely and enough time it makes such a huge impact. I mean even if martial arts is not your path I know we kinda talked about that earlier it's still very beneficial the way martial arts is taught you know you learn about personal victory you learn about the feeding your demons you know you learn about self-control you learn about how to succeed and I don't wanna sound like a self-help book here but let's face it 9 out of 10 self-help books you pick usually have some similar theme to them you gotta believe I yourself you can't doubt yourself, you gotta see what you can overcome, you gotta erase your doubt you've got to not fight your fears just don't give them any credibility and these are all things that’s you know you learn to push through through martial arts training so regardless what you wanna do I think everybody wants to be successful so regardless of what they want to be successful in, martial arts can really help give that foundation of helping to be successful and well-rounded in whatever you do.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Absolutely, couldn't say it any better. Awesome, so I wanna know about some of the people that have influenced you, I'd like you to tell us about you know I'd like you to hone it down to one but if you gotta go to 2 or something that's okay, tell us about the people that you would say have had the biggest impact on your martial arts career?
Corey Rose:
Oh, wow biggest impact normally I'd wanna go to the instructor someone who's supported me or something like that but honestly when you're gonna talk about the biggest impact it's gonna be my wife and my son and kinda put this way my wife didn't have any martial arts training, she did a lot of yoga and stuff like that. She was very flexible you know she's had a lot of natural talent but when I started training again as an adult she was very supportive of it she saw how it was dealt with you know and she was there I mean I met her when I was 18, she was there through all of this and she saw my struggles she saw my hard times she saw my fall and she stayed with me to help me rise back up and she saw this 30:40 rise back up so even though she wasn't training with me per se you know I come and I get frustrated something would be going on and she'd say let's practice let's practice. She's like why don't you show me how to do it you know and I'll help you do it and she'd hold pads for me and pretty since sparring became the household game. We're like I'm serious we're couple of adults but just running around the house it's like our family game, right? It's just the sparring all the time wrestling you know we're always kinda doing some stuff like that but she supported me 100% of the way you know her my son obviously pushing me just by being there and then you know my father really gave me a good foundation I didn't understand that 12 years later but you know I have a lot of respect for my father to for helping me get where I am today as well.
Jeremy Lesniak:
It's awesome great answer and it's clear that you know you're not just talking about martial arts is a lifestyle or should be a lifestyle but you know you can hear in your answers that it is your life I mean it's threading itself through everything that you're doing your whole life you know your school and everything else and I think that's fantastic.
Corey Rose:
Oh yeah, my wife's 31:47 got her first degree
Jeremy Lesniak:
Great
.Corey Rose:
Black belt and she's training for a long time and she's helped started helping me teach. It's become quite a little family business.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Good and I think that's the way to do it. I think that's the best way to do it when I see those families that do martial arts together, my instructor's son went off to become an absolutely tremendous Taekwondo practitioner and school owner and he was actually on the show I forget what episode Master Leonard Yordan, somewhere around 10, 12 somewhere in there. So, awesome yeah so, we’ve heard a lot about your background and your beginning but let's talk about your time getting out there showing what you can do you know we talked in the pre-interview that you don't have a ton of time with competition but I'm sure you've got some stuff in there and I'm guessing you're being a little humble so why don't you tell us about you getting out into the tournaments scene.
Corey Rose:
Oh yeah, I mean I've done it, I've done it some I did it a couple times as a kid and you know before I got my black belt I was a lot more involved with it I guess, during that time and then the other time you know I'm kinda one of those people that I love to compete I love to compete with other people but I don't necessarily believe there has to be judges or any of that so you know we have like what we call a fight night every Friday night. I spar with my students we invite other schools over you know 33:19 other black belts and we always play around and have fun so I don't really feel much of a need to compete but I still do it, I still do it every one or two events every year sometimes 3 sometimes I'll spar sometimes I'll do form. I'm just not overly competitive now my wife on the other hand she competes a lot and we have a lot of students that do to. I'm just not overly competitive with anyone, anyone but myself and I guess the deal of it is most events are really great but you know sometimes you run into the ego and I don't like you know getting involved I mean like putting myself in a position where ego can be involved by 33:57. I just don't wanna see where that plays out but yeah I've done some tournaments, I've I can't say I've ever done necessarily fantastic I've not gotten a lot, I've not gotten trophies a lot more than I've gotten trophies and then I really didn't get like I said I didn't do much once I was a black belt but I still do it from time to time I was thinking cause I just love standing there and watching the other black belts and looking and going I wanna work to that yl I wanna be able to do it as well as this person 34:25 as this person did it. I find it fantastic I think competition has a great place for some people and we have students that compete and it’s just one of another one of those things not necessarily for everybody but something's really needed you know.
Jeremy Lesniak:
No, it's certainly not for everybody but it's one of those things that because it's so different it is 180 from training in the dojo the dojang studio whatever you call it, that it's something I think everybody should try once. Would you agree?
Corey Rose:
Yeah
Jeremy Lesniak:
Just to get to get out there check it out.
Corey Rose:
It's a fun game you know I hear a lot of people go off on sport karate or point sparring there are all kinds of different competitions you know there's all styles in competitions out there. I mean you know you hear people go off on it sometimes but in my opinion, it is looking at it wrong it's a game right it's a fun game it's a test of skill. Yes these things can be used in self-defense sometimes so sometimes not yeah sometimes the rules are a little different whatever but in my opinion you know and I'd say this to my students we offer the chance to compete in lots of different stuff from semi contact kickboxing, to point sparring to full contact kyokushin and Olympic style and all kinds of things because I kinda tell them look if you really wanna be able to defend yourself then I ought to be able and you really have self-control of yourself and I ought to be able to walk up to you and say okay today you're not allowed to do this but you are allowed to do this. In order to be able to lay a bunch of rules on, I mean I would be able to follow those rules and I think it's a fantastic test of skill it's just a fun game to play no matter how you compete in it and then a lot of events are really a good teacher of that self-control that you know taking a hit and hitting each other whatever than you get but you get up you hug you go out after that tournament you know have dinner whatever and you're still friends and it's I think it's absolutely a fantastic testament to the change of perception a person gets within the martial arts I think competition is kind of the epitome of that.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah and I think a lot of the people that make the criticism of martial arts competition they're doing it from they're coming in from the perspective that martial arts competition is equivalent to using your martial arts in a self-defense situation which obviously it's not.
Corey Rose:
Yeah not the same thing, but you know I think everyone that teaches they kinda teach in a couple different styles 36:50 on the class they may have a separate class for competition style they may only teach sport karate but I think most teacher or most schools still go okay well 90% of it don't necessarily train for the competition you know they are still training in their style they're still training for self-defense scenarios but the competition just is another additive another aspect another test of those skills you know.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Absolutely and it's the same reason that still in most martial arts schools there are forms, kata, poomsae whatever you call them still those forms it's a way of practicing it. It's a way of engaging the martial arts in another way and I think for most of us to get out on the competition floor it's facing our fear.
Corey Rose:
Definitely.
Jeremy Lesniak:Most people don't do well in front of groups, I think still the biggest fear in at least this country is the fear of public speaking and people put that above and beyond plenty other things are a much greater threat to their life. But it's still the greatest fear and I attribute my ability to do something like this where I'm talking to you, knowing that this shows gonna go out and a whole bunch of people are gonna listen to it or my ability to go to a martial arts school and stand up and present to people that I've never met before. I throw all that back to my teen years in the competition circuit competing in front of hundreds of thousands of people at you know all over New England.
Corey Rose:
It's exactly it you know it's the same thing as what my instructor he used a different tool before I got black belt and he saw those anxieties, that group anxiety and couldn't get 38:28 competition for a little while so you know he started calling me in front of classes and it's just like that was another tool for him to help me overcome my anxieties. Competition is another tool in your instructor's tool box I guess to help students with the real underlying issues the anxiety of whatever their anxieties might be, it might be public speaking it might be performing in public. My issue was you know I never had a problem performing in public mine was having to speak in public when it came to the performance I was fine cause once Is started doing my thing that was it and I had to learn to translate that to public speaking as well you know just let it go and be yourself and just do it I guess, I use that slogan a lot.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah, it's good, right there with you glad we're on the same page. Now you've bounced around you've trained in some different arts with some different people but if you could train with somebody that you haven't, tell us who that would be and why?
Corey Rose:
You know I put a lot of thought into this I actually have 39:27 this because I do go around do seminars I do I love to train with as many people as I can and honestly it depends on my focus for that day. For example, if I'm on a stretching fitnessing kicking day I have horrifically tight hips so if I'm working on something like that today I would love to have Mr. Wallace around you know not to mention his sense of humor and I watched him and how much fun he was having and how he was able to get people to push beyond their limits through a sense of humor I've never seen that done quite like Mr. Wallace can do it. It was fantastic you know I'd also like an opportunity to train with Jackie Chan just cause I think it would be fun like I would really enjoy it and the other my third my number 3 would be Jet Li I'd really love a chance to train with Jet Li.
Jeremy Lesniak:
2 of my favorite martial arts actors right there Jackie ChanJet Li. Of course, I've been fortunate enough to train a little bit with Mr. Wallace and I've actually spent more time with him not training which is kinda fun and yeah that sense of humor that comes through for anyone that's met him or heard or watched him in video or something all the time he is always on he is always a riot and he just people are just naturally drawn into him and I think it's from that he's just genuine love of life. It's contagious.
Corey Rose:
Yeah and we have the same style when it comes to sparring that's what I love about him like everything he said in a seminar 40:47 I'm a front leg kicker I leave with the front hand all the time and you know s everything he said you know of the seminars I've ever attended or even found a video of my god that's my style you know that's how I do it. So
Jeremy Lesniak:
Right on, awesome. You a movie guy you got any favorite martial arts movies you wanna share with us?
Corey Rose:
I am actually, very big movie guy but I have an issue with giving a favorite cause I'm a big movie guy but I'm not a great movie critic I'm kinda one of those people that I enjoy movies then I get in these conversation and someone would say hey you seen this martial arts movie and I'll start to say yeah I thought it's fantastic but then they'll cut me off oh it was horrible wasn't it that choreography was I'm just not a good martial arts critic a movie critic cause I’m gonna enjoy the ride kinda guy you know I put it in to kinda just watch something and enjoy the ride but I do like pretty much any movies related to martial arts old and new you know I like the Ong Bak series I like the ip man series I like the old kung fu tv series that was a big one for movie, that's not a movie I guess.
Jeremy Lesniak:
No, it's still video I mean maybe we have to the reason that question is movies cause the TV options are so limited.
Corey Rose:
That's true it's very true.
Jeremy Lesniak:
You know the whole people listen to these shows well into the future but you know here it 2015 and coming up I think it's soon might even be in the next week. AMC is releasing their new show Bad Lands.
Corey Rose:
Oh, I've heard of that.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Which looks amazing and the people that they have involved in it bring a lot of credibility so maybe we'll be able to talk about more martial arts Television in the future. Hopefully that'll inspire more and more because I'm like you I wanna see all of it I think it's all fantastic. The good the bad the ugly you know just give me more and if you've listened to the show you know that people aren't always picking what critics would call great martial arts films.
Corey Rose:
Right.
Jeremy Lesniak:
They're picking ones that often resonated with them for you know some other reason whether who they saw it with or how old they were when they saw it you know it's often reasons completely unrelated.
Corey Rose:
Right.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So, if somebody had to pin you down and say you get to pick one to watch for the rest of your life what would it be?
Corey Rose:
Oh, I'd only get to watch one martial arts movie wow 43:11 pop out of my head right but I can't even remember the title of one of them so I'll go ahead and 43:17 I like fearless, Jet Li's fearless.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah with Jet Li that was a fantastic movie. Is that the one where he kicks the blue wall?Oh man you had to catch me.
Corey Rose:
Or is that hero.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I haven't seen it in about a year, either fearless or hero and I'm sure somebody's out there screaming at the speakers in their car in at their headphones as they listening to me which one it is I'll have to go look it up.
Corey Rose:
I'll watch it again in over the weekend, I'll let you know.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay make a note cause we often breakout when you know we talk about a video clip or something like that I'll jump on YouTube and find it and link it into the show notes over at the website. How about actors so I mean you mentioned Jet Li and Jackie Chan as actors you'd like to train with are they the people you'd call your favorite martial arts actors?
Corey Rose:
Yeah I mean it depends on my mood, I really much, I very much enjoy watching Jackie Chan movies you know some of them are better than others but 44:18 just the movies themselves I think they're fantastic and when I'm in a more serious mood you know I like to I like to see stuff with Jet Li but outside of that really I'm not so much a name person I mean I enjoy watching Tony Jaa movies and I just enjoy watching anything that's even if it is all cinematography, anything that just comes out is really cool so I like to watch it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah absolutely you know it's can't think about Jackie Chan and not remember Rumble in the Bronx and you know what was that 94, 95 and me and my 2 best friends at the theater opening night you know just watching that movie and how transformational that was for me and realizing what martial arts could be I've been training a long time by that point but still whenever somebody brings up Jackie Chan my mind goes to Rumble in the Bronx and it goes to that ladder scene you know right? You know what I'm talking about right? You've seen the movie, anybody that's seen that movie once remembers that scene cause it was so creative and so well done and yet so real.
Corey Rose:
Oh yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
In a way that most people can't bring martial arts in. Awesome.
Corey Rose:
Yeah when I the movie that pops out of me of Jackie Chan I can't remember the title of it it was more of a comedy thing you know he played the what was it almost hero not a hero, 45:48 deal that would stick out for his chest so he could pay dead and stuff, he was trying to kidnap the prince or kidnap some 45:57 or something I can't remember that movie I always think of that movie when I think of Jackie Chan.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I don't know what you're talking about I'm gonna have to find that.
Corey Rose:
Oh man I'm sorry I wish I had the title at the top pf my head but I.
Jeremy Lesniak:
That's alright, you know that's the fun of the show notes you know and I get to go back and do a little bit of research and people are going ahh what were you talking about and hopefully they come and check it out see the other episodes we so it's okay no worries. How about books?
Corey Rose:
I love books I think it's pretty obvious I said earlier I was, I'm a big fan of reading for multiple reasons. I like to think I guess let's put it that way. When you talk about martial arts books you know there's 2 that they really stand out that I think you know every martial artist should read and I guess that would be the book of the Five Rings and The Art of War, Miyamoto Musashi and Sun Tsu but the issue I did kinda have a couple issues with those books they were great books but it's kinda like movies when you see a movie is coming out and you get all this anticipation for it you start we always say you know never walk in and then you were expecting anything but we do this to ourselves and you expect it to be some phenomenal movie and then you watch it, it was a great movie but you're like oh it wasn't quite my expectation, I look into those 2 books the same way and so I was left a little short of what I thought I would get out of them now I don't away take away from those books, they're great books I just I walked in with to much anticipation but I think a book that doesn't get the, of course it's a more modern book but a book that doesn't get the attention, 47:20 ever got really much attention but it really awakened me during that time I was just getting back involved in the martial arts can't remember the author's name but it was called Budo and Bonsai. I don't know if you ever heard of that it's a fantastic book though and it was very talking about different types of warriors, different types of fighting styles and then how to apply those styles on the different scenarios in modern day life and it was a really interesting book but I'd say I enjoy a lot of books so as far as author as you know Iike Daniel 47:51 I like Bodie Sander's books and stuff like that I just like to read and you know anything philosophical or cultural.
Jeremy Lesniak:
That's great yeah and we've had some great book selections here on the show and certainly more than I'm able to read of course doing episode every week which means I'm recording at least an episode every week and unless everybody starts talking about Five Rings and Art of War every week it's gonna take me a long time to catch up if ever so thanks for sharing those. Budo and the Bonsai, that sounds really cool something that I don't think has been suggested before.
Corey Rose:
Well you know and it's a short book it's easy to read if you're just. It's easy to read in a couple of days to a week you know it's a really short book and big words and the whole thing, so it's a good one just easy to flip through.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Awesome so let's talk about where you're going what do you have for goals, what's keeping you motivated with the martial arts and tell us about that talk about tell us about what you're looking forward to.
Corey Rose:
Well you know I've my goals are I guess are kinda split and yet they're all the same thing I have some personal goals and I have business goals and I have goals for each one of my students and I the one thing I do when I look at goals is I never want to forget the bottom line of my goals and that's to help people. So, my bottom line of my goals are my students and the goals that I have for them but you know building up from that I don't really have any personal goals in the martial arts except for you know just to get better, train as much as I can you know I'm not like oh I wanna get to this rank or I wanna get to this level or I wanna do that, I do but I just 49:30 wanna be the best that I can. I mostly just I do it for myself and I do it for my students, when it comes down to the business that we run I mean obviously no one walks out and say you know that I feel 100% like this is my path and like this is what I'm supposed to do and then feels like you know 100 students is all they're supposed to have or one location or whatever so I mean I do have long term goals for the business once we kinda get things cleaned up, get ourselves out of debt for my mess you know from you know my teenage years and all that, start to get there I'd like to grow but I'd like to grow slowly. I know that sounds weird, I don't want any massive jumps I wanna be able to be self-funded to keep this family oriented that no matter how big it gets to keep the same ideals that it's all about the individual it's all about the person so yeah my goals I guess to grow my business and not for my name or for anything like that but just to not only continue with the opportunity to teach but to give other people the opportunity who might need a rode like I had and give them a place where they can go and an outlet and then give them a place they could also turn around and show others and help others as well. So that's been kind of the goals I've got set for the future and I just try to do something every day involving my students. I try to do something every day especially with the new students then the ones that have been around for a little longer and work help work them towards their goals and I feel like helping them get towards their goals is gonna help me get towards my goals.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Excellent wow that's I think that probably pretty solid goals and ones that I'm gonna guess a lot of people listening share with those that have martial arts schools and I really like I smiled of course you can't see we're not on video but when you mentioned that you have goals for each of your individual students, that's something that I think that only people that have taught can really identify with and for those of you out there that aren't martial arts instructors yes your instructor most likely has goal has a goal or probably more likely more than one.
Corey Rose:
Yes
Jeremy Lesniak:
For you and for every other single person in the class, so
Corey Rose:
But it's individualized we look at every body as individual and we go okay this person what's gonna get this person to the next level, what's the next step for them and finding themselves I mean when you talk about you know martial arts the part of martial arts in there, throughout their whole life may not be for everybody but again one another one of the things that martial arts teaches, it teach you how to find yourself, it teaches you how to learn about yourself, it teaches you I mean everybody thinks that they know who they are but I thought I knew who I was too and then I realize that I didn't really. I really didn't know who I was at all and I didn't take the time you know martial arts helps with that it helps you learn to take the time to understand yourself a little bit better and what you wanna do.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah absolutely and there's again more 52:28 value of martial arts I think we could boil this down and turn into just kind of a public service announcements sort of commercial for the martial arts you know. So, if people wanna get a hold of you follow you on social media or maybe they know someone in the Oklahoma you know in the New Castle are where you are that they wanna get somebody enrolled how would they find you?
Corey Rose:
Well I got a website, oklakicks.com that will be www.o k l a k I c k s.com it's got all the videos to kinda how to get started. It's got our phone number email address, I try to be very responsive you know I have the phone on me at all times. Outside of that I'm on social media, Cory Rose or our school has a Facebook page, Peaceful Warriors martial arts and if anyone happens to come across like the martial way network you know I'm a member of the martial way council as well and I'm pretty easy to find, if you wanna find me you can and you know anybody if anyone does wanna find me I will respond to you too so.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Great and of course we'll link all that stuff that you talked about at over on the website whistlekickmartialartsradio.com. So, any parting advice any last words of wisdom you wanna leave us with.
Corey Rose:
Sure, been talking about this actually the past couple of weeks in my classes and I had split it up under 3 talks but I wanna shorten this down very easily and this is one of the things that I feel like a very important to yourself to success and I think this is kind of a key to success for anybody. first of all, take time every single day I don't mean every week I mean every day few minutes of quiet time call it meditation, call it whatever you want. Take a few minutes of everyday think very non-judgmentally about who you are right now the good and the bad. Are you an angry person are you a happy person what are some specific 54:17 think about who you want to be the type of person you want to be and think about what it is you want to accomplish, do that every day and then you know you have to get up every day and we all have those negative things, first thing on our head. I'm not a morning person you know we all have those self-doubts we all have those fears and you never truly get rid of that but you can give them less power by not thinking on it, not dwelling on them so I recommend from that point that once you kinda have a goal you have that processing mind and you know your starting point then you have to get rid of that doubt that anxiety and that fear you know and not fight against it. My personal favorite is use the mantra you know do some positive you repeat to yourself every morning a thousand times if you have to till it really starts to sink in and be able to look at yourself in the mirror and take full responsibility for where you're at don't blame the circumstance, don't blame your mama, don't blame anybody else, your choices whether you knew the outcomes or not led you to where you are and once you start thinking like that then you can wake up every day and realize that you owe it to yourself to say no to the extra sometimes. You owe it to yourself to try a little harder and you owe it to yourself to reach those goals, you do deserve it but no one's gonna put it in front of you it's not just gonna pop up in front of you if you're waiting for the right opportunity it's not gonna happen. You don't open a door 55:33 back door right here beside me will not open until I get up I look for it I know that I want it and then I walk over and turn that knob. So that's my bit of advice.
Jeremy Lesniak:
It's a wonderful advice and I hope people listened to that I'd encourage everyone to go back listen to that a couple times because there's some great wisdom in there, stuff that I think all of us even if we've heard it, we need to hear it again. Maybe even hear it every day you know just great you know mini life plan right there to get you on the right track.
Corey Rose:
I admit it I recorded that and I play it to myself daily yes, it's in my own voice but you know I do I play it to myself I listen to it every time I start to get down on myself and I did in my most excited voice too. My motivational speaker voice of it's like me telling myself to get in gear make it happen.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah, I actually for people that follow me personally on social media may have seen that I just taped the card to my alarm clock I'm famous for having the best of intentions getting up early and then getting in hitting that snooze far few too many times. I even have to get out of bed to hit, I've moved it and that wasn't enough and I can tell you offline this funny story that kinda wandered through all that but there's now an index card taped to it that says how did I phrase it, your dream hinges on you not hitting that snooze button right now.
Corey Rose:
Definitely.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And it's worked since I put that on there, I see it I have to see it to hit the button and you know what I'm not going back to bed.
Corey Rose:
It works.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So, thanks for sharing all that, thanks for sharing everything on the show today Mr. Rose, really appreciate you being here.
Corey Rose:
Again, thanks for having me it's an honor and it's anytime you know someone wants to take someone actually takes an interest or wants to take an interest in anything I have to say it's a humbling and very honoring experience.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Thanks for listening to episode 31 of whistlekickMartialArtsRadio and thank you to Mr. Rose. Head on over to whistlekickmartialartsradio.com for the show notes, including that video that we mentioned on the air about Superfoot Bill Wallace and Mr. Rose's son Axel while you're there if you wanna be a guest on the show or you know someone that would be a great interview please fill out the guest form and don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter. If you wanna follow us on social media we're on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest and Instagram all with the username whistlekick. If you liked the show please subscribe so you never miss out in the future, and if we could trouble you for 2 things to helps us first leave us a 5-star review wherever you download your podcast, and that would help new listeners find our show and if we read your review on the air, just go ahead and contact us and we'll get you a free pack of whistlekick stuff. Secondly if we could just trouble you for a moment to tell someone that you know personally about the show and why you like it, we'd really appreciate that. Don't forget the great stuff we make here at whistlekick at sparring gears, shirts, pants and a whole bunch more. All made for martial artists by martial artists. So, until next time train hard, smile and have a great day.