The Concepts of O.N.E.
A Faith-Based Martial Arts System Designed for an Increasingly Threatening World
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
The world we live in has been a violent place ever since Cain killed his brother, Abel. With human history being full of genocide, homicide, & wars over ideologies or beliefs, how can we elude, or even prevent, some of the bad things this world has to offer? The truth is that everyone has a different idea of how to stay safe, but regardless of your ideas or feelings about it, the fact is that evil has a sneaky way of reaching us all in one way or another.
If you happened to buy this book without taking a glance at the cover, you may not have noticed that there is a large cross in the system’s logo. It is probably obvious that this book, while centering on this new martial system that you’ve most likely never heard of before you bought the book, is interwoven with Christian faith. If you’re not a Christian, don’t worry, I’m not here to convert you; I believe that is between you and God. As I tell every person that walks into my school with the intention of signing up, “I’m a Christian first, a martial artist second, & a business person third. I have no desire to cater exclusively to Christians; all are welcome.” I run my school like a family. Everyone strives to have good relationships with everyone else, & we all learn from each other.
My name is David Gaw, & my idea of staying safe in my little corner of the world is through training & preparation. I believe that to truly be safe is to prepare my mind for evil things that I pray I don’t have to encounter. In the event that I do encounter some of these things, I hope that I can handle them in a way that, most importantly, pleases God & is efficient enough for me to protect myself or someone else. As you have seen in the “About the Author” section, I have been training in the martial arts for over 35 years. In addition to that training, I have also been able to train with firearms and psychology. My decades of martial arts & psychology experience are primarily what I used to create my system, the “Concepts of O.N.E.” My goal was to create a martial system that has its foundations in Christ & His love for mankind, but also no nonsense training for a world that seems to be becoming increasingly threatening. When I think of the things going on today in our country such as riots, murders over race, & the injustices facing our society, I feel compelled to act; it is due to these facts that the Concepts of O.N.E. system has a singular mindset: survival. However, I want to act appropriately & in a way that would be pleasing to God. The best way for me to achieve this, is to strive to achieve balance in my life across the board.
The “Concepts of O.N.E.” are based in the principle that all things require balance. Yin & Yang, Dark & Light, Hot & Cold…all of these things would be utterly misunderstood without their counterparts. Like these things, our lives require balance if we desire to perform at the highest individual level. Whether it’s martial training, work, school, etc, most people want to get better at whatever it is they’re doing, & they understand that to do so, they must combine their education with their practical application.
Before we venture into the depths of the “Concepts of O.N.E.,” let’s explore the differences between our minds and our brains. As one of my favorite teachers, Great Grand Master Jack Lannom, stated, “The eyes have never seen, the ears have never heard, & the mouth has never spoken.” All of these things, the eyes, ears, & mouth (as well as the rest of the physical body) are tools, & tools are always utilized by a higher power. The brain controls the body, but the mind controls the brain, & by default, the mind controls the body. As a Christian, I believe that I have been placed on this earth for a purpose: to know God & to make Him known. In my understanding, I am a tool for His will, work, & glory, not my own. I subscribe to my faith as best I can, & due to this, I do my best to allow God to work in my life & pray that He uses me to build others up & ultimately, show the love of Christ in a way that persuades others to want to come to Him, or get closer to Him. Likewise, our physical bodies are simply tools that our minds use for specific purposes, such as conveying of feelings, assessing people or situations, or recognizing potential dangers. Therefore, before trying to understand the “Concepts of O.N.E.,” or anything else for that matter, we must understand the interactions between mind & body. In essence, we should seek to increase our self awareness that is to say, not only who we are, but how we react to our environments, what we project into them, & why we do so.
My primary goal for creating this system is to empower each and every student & cultivate a positive life from the inside out. The “O.N.E.” represents each individual who studies this system. Regardless of one’s worldview, ideology, or theology, each of us has to choose our own path in life. How someone thinks, acts, treats others, prepares for each day, etc. is strictly up to them. For me, Jesus Christ is the one that I look to for guidance and strength (Joshua 1:9), but if you’re reading this, & you’re not a Christian, I would like to ask you this simple question: Where does your strength come from? Whatever your answer may be, I would challenge you to connect to whatever it is & empower yourself to be able to deal with any & all situations in the most efficient way possible for you. As I stated previously, my idea for staying safe is through training & preparation. What’s the best way for you? Only you can answer that question accurately. After all, you are the “O.N.E.”
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Book Details
About the Book
The Concepts of O.N.E. focuses on teaching people how to attain balance in their lives by learning the mental, philosophical, and practical sides of the martial arts system created by Master Gaw. The main goal of this system is to spread the love of Christ to all who are engaged while also educating people about how to survive, should they ever find themselves in a life-threatening situation.
In this book, you will learn a new way to think about your daily life, why it is so important to alter your mindset about certain things, & why paying attention to the world around you is crucial to your survival.
About the Author
At the time this book is being written, Master David Gaw has been training in the martial arts for over thirty-five years. In that time, he has been blessed enough to study multiple arts and systems. He began his training in 1984, at the age of seven, in tae kwon do. Being a smaller child who was often bullied, he found comfort in learning to defend himself. When he was seventeen, he began training in judo. While learning judo, he was introduced to concepts of other arts, such as Bushido, aikido, jujitsu, and hapkido. These concepts would aid him in understanding the martial arts in future years. At the age of twenty-one, while enlisted in the US Air Force, in addition to his military hand-to-hand and weapons combat training, he was fortunate enough to meet people who trained him in combat judo and Muay Thai kickboxing. By this time, he was gravitating toward more combat-oriented arts as opposed to sport-oriented ones, and these two arts enabled him to gain a better perspective for self-defense and combat. After years of training to defend himself or others, Master Gaw felt that he needed more context. Not being satisfied with his current level of knowledge, he wanted to dive into the more psychological side of the arts. In 2003, he met an individual who introduced him to the philosophical side of the martial arts; meditation, energy, awareness of self, and balance in all things were the main objectives. They trained together for years, and in that training, Master Gaw began to realize that the body can only do so much, but it can do nothing without the mind. Learning about these aspects helped him to understand what the martial arts are truly about. Master Gaw is infinitely grateful to his friend for being willing to share his experiences and knowledge; they are still very close friends to this day.
In 2007 he was blessed with the opportunity to study Wing Chun kung fu, and it quickly became one of his favorite systems to study. Since joining the Chinese martial arts, in addition to his Wing Chun training, Master Gaw has had the privilege of learning multiple arts such as Shuai Jiao (Chinese fast wrestling), Kuo Shu kickboxing, Kali (Filipino stick and knife fighting), and Qigong (energy building). In addition to these arts, he was extremely honored to be taught the system of traditional shaolin chin na in its entirety, including many aspects of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) by Grand Master Bruce Linville, who also taught him yang tai chi chuan, concepts of Ba Gua Zhang, and certain northern shaolin forms, concepts, and weapons.
Master Gaw is incredibly honored to have had the opportunity to train with a number of high-level martial artists over the years, including Grand Master Jack Lannom, Grand Master Dr. John Wing Lok Ng, Grand Master Jim Thompson, Grand Master Buddy Wu, Grand Master John Dufresne, Grand Master L. R. Gray, Grand Master Jimmy Tarpley, and Grand Master Chuck Burnett. The inclusion of a more general knowledge of the arts continues to help him grow and evolve as a martial artist, person, and teacher.
Master Gaw still trains, studies, teaches his own students, and hopes to one day be able to teach and encourage his students as positively and effectively as he has been encouraged by his teachers. His goal is to one day be able to use his martial and healing knowledge to help others live fuller, healthier lives.