Intertwining Roots: A Theme of Community for IATC 2024

Trees are seemingly individual, independent beings that turn out to have vital connections with one another. They have deep and sometimes surprising mutual relationships.

Did you know that Coast Redwood trees, the tallest trees in the world, have relatively shallow roots? But their roots spread wide and intertwine with the roots of their neighbors, so they support each other against high winds and floods. Each one of these massive, towering trees is the very image of individual strength and endurance. What we can’t see right away is that underground, they’re drawing much of their strength from their community.

Other forest trees, even ones of different species, intertwine roots, sometimes grafting together and sharing water and nutrients directly, like sharing a blood vessel. Aspen trees may share their roots entirely – that is, what looks like a hundred individuals might really be a single root system with a hundred trunks growing from it.

On top of that (or actually, underneath it), there is the extensive web of fungus threads in the soil that permeates – and connects – all the roots in the forest. You may have heard about how this network is used by trees to communicate and share resources between their roots. And there are “parent trees” that ensure the survival of new generations by sharing resources through this web, especially in times of drought or scarcity. Meanwhile, the fungus network is doing its part to help the forest survive by gathering and sharing nutrients with the trees.

These are meaningful metaphors for Cuong Nhu, a community founded by someone whose name meant “tallest tree,” where so many dojos use tree imagery in their names. And of course, like the Redwoods, we link up and keep each other strong – as martial artists, as people, as family. Like the forest, we share resources, teaching and training together, supporting and advising each other. That is what it means to be community.

For the martial art of Cuong Nhu, there’s another layer of meaning that’s important to understand: The art O’Sensei Dong created, with roots intertwined from seven styles, was designed to be greater than the sum of its parts. It requires us to be a community, beyond being the best individuals we can be. That’s because no single one of us can master all the possibilities of Cuong Nhu. On the other hand, together, as a community, we can come close.

Think of us as a redwood forest, each of us a tree made stronger by our connections, and also made taller, stronger, fitter and more efficient by nutrients drawn from many sources. Our intertwined roots – our curriculum – supports and feeds us. Among us, in the forest, we have members whose roots intertwine with other species, who amplify what we gain from those sources, making all of us stronger. As a forest, we are greater than what we can possibly be as individuals.

As martial artists, we’re asked to master underlying principles, build our strengths and skills, and thus become the best experts we can be. We have a broad and demanding curriculum, and we’re trees of different shapes, sizes and ages. Each of us embodies the principles as best we can. But Cuong Nhu itself is the forest; it encompasses all of us, and we need the whole forest to be complete and to thrive. As individuals, we have strengths, but also weakness. As a style – as a community – with intertwining roots – we’ll always have all of it covered.

-- John Burns

Forging a Single Blade at IATC 2023

I am eagerly looking forward to seeing all of you at IATC 2023 in Raleigh. It’s long overdue. It was something like 45 years ago I attended my first Cuong Nhu “campout.” The past three years – as much as we’re all grateful to Zoom for keeping us together in tough times – it just hasn’t been the same.

It’s high time for an in-person family reunion, and I hope all of you will come.

This year’s theme: “Forging a Single Blade.”

What does it mean? The IATC theme is important, and I thought about many things that are important to us right now. Looking ahead while remembering the past. Moving forward through difficulty. Coming together, finding strength after a period of separation. I still like the theme we used for V-IATC 2022: “Remembering what brings us together.” For a minute I thought, why can’t we just use that one again, in person?

But remembering isn’t enough. We need to move forward, forge ahead. Coming together isn’t enough; we need to make ourselves stronger together – forge ourselves into a whole that’s greater than the parts. Many things bring us together as human beings, but this is essential: We are coming together as martial artists. Cuong Nhu is what brings us together – a singular martial art created by O’Sensei Dong and carried on by Grandmaster Quynh; forged out of seven sources, as a swordsmith repeatedly folds and hammers steel into a single blade that is strengthened by the process. Cuong Nhu is the seven-times-folded sword; but we are Cuong Nhu, so we are the sword, too, each contributing our talents, expertise, and humanity to strengthen the single blade.

It’s important that it is a single blade. Cuong Nhu isn’t seven swords jammed into one scabbard, or a toy sword made out of seven different legos stuck together. O’Sensei created something singular. But even in his time, people sometimes found it hard to grasp how seven times one equals one instead of seven – how Cuong Nhu is not “a little of this, a little of that.” I know Grandmaster Quynh was concerned about that; we talked about it many times. Let’s go forward now to forge a better understanding of what’s unique about the art O’Sensei created, and that we now embody and carry on. I will have more to say on the topic as we go along, and I’m open to hear what all of you have to say.

So, come to Raleigh, to train hard and forge ourselves into the best martial artists we can be – which also means, the best human beings we can be; forge a community that is strong, mutually supportive, and single-minded in our pursuit of excellence; and forge all our spirit, talent, and knowledge into this singular art of Cuong Nhu.

-- John Burns

This is a time of remembering. We all have different memories of Grandmaster Quynh; we’re all at different places in our grieving, on our path to acceptance of this great loss. Some of us are still looking back with disbelief: how can he be gone? Quynh himself was not one for looking backward; he was a man of action, all about looking ahead. He’d advise us not to let the past bring us down, but to keep moving forward.

But remembering isn’t the same as looking backward. Our past is our foundation; our memories are inspiration. I have memories of Quynh all the way from back when he was a teenager. Lately my favorite memories are of Grandmaster Quynh training with the kids, at IATC and at West Coast Training Camp. Please indulge me in a brief slide show. [photos of GM Quynh teaching kids at WCTC]

This is a time of remembering, and I want it to be a time of remembering what brings us together.

Last year, in his introduction to the virtual training camp, Grandmaster Quynh spoke of the Journey – how important it was to enjoy the journey, and not let that joy be lost in focusing on an endpoint or a goal, like black belt, or whatever your next rank. Enjoy the journey itself, the friends you make, the special experiences you have along the way.

That journey is what has brought us all together – the martial arts journey. At some point, each of us discovered we had a passion for training. We discovered this martial art of Cuong Nhu, that brings 7 different approaches into harmony to make each other stronger. We discovered each other, different people with different points of view, all made stronger by our shared interest.

Take a moment right now to remember the very first time you discovered martial arts, and realized it was something you wanted to try.

The very first time you walked into a dojo. The excitement you felt.

The first time you put on a uniform and belt. The first time you passed a belt test.

Your first teacher.

Remember training so hard you hurt, and doing a skill you thought you could never do.

Your first board breaks.

Remember, if you can, the first time you went to a big training camp, like IATC, where you had to find your place in long lines of people, many of them strangers on that first day. You were nervous and excited and weren’t sure what would come.

By the last day, those strangers were lifelong friends.

Remember the people you see only once a year – but every time, it’s as though you’re family. We can talk about anything, because we all know what it means to share this journey – to train hard, to teach, to care about our students, to keep training hard.

Remember the people you don’t see any longer, because their journey diverged from the martial arts, or because they’ve passed away. Their light is still with us.

When I say that, I’m thinking of something Alexander Ngo expressed recently in his Sandan paper. He spoke of the Journey as being like ships sailing, with a lighthouse beaming energy to show the way – until one day the light was extinguished, suddenly, unfathomably, and out of our control. Grandmaster Quynh was a lighthouse to all of us. The lighthouse may have gone dark, but the light is still within us; we remember it and go forward.

Now will everyone stand please. Let’s call up one more memory: That of Grandmaster Quynh lining everyone up and calling the count as we all begin training camp with Taikyoku – First form – all ranks and all ages performing together, moving one step per count. [Bow and count, as everyone at their respective Zoom locations perform Kata 1. Applause after bow out.]

That’s what it’s all about: Practicing together. Training hard.

Thank you Sensei Todd Morrone of Cypress Dojo for the beautiful idea of remembering Grandmaster Quynh in this way.

Now for more recognitions. Many outstanding martial artists were promoted over the past two years, and didn’t have the chance to stand and be applauded at IATC. We’re going to honor them now with a video presentation put together by Sensei Smack. Not everyone may have gotten their photos and videos to Smack in time, or they may not have had great shots to share. Everyone is now recognized on a page on the new website, however, and you can check there later.