Theme: Focus | Martial Arts

This May we look at the idea of focus, the deep ties it has to martial arts, and the connected cultures, philosophies and historical impacts martial arts and focusing has in fostering healthy human beings.

How well do you focus on your internal well being? How well do you focus on loved ones? How well do you focus on your job? How well do you focus while in conflict? This TEDxUCLA Salon looks at the connections that underlie these questions by looking at them from a thousand-year-old lens. Martial Arts are known for their ability to aid an individual to focus on personal dedication, on relationships with others both positive and negative and of course in conflict both physical and non-physical. How well can you, and do you focus when in times of need?

Pauley Pavillion
301 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, California, 90095
United States

Alan Weil

Alan Weil has been engaged in the practice of Shotokan Karate and the practice of law as a trial lawyer since the 1970’s. Both have been intertwined in his life since then in a sort of wonderful symbiosis. In this TEDx talk, Alan discusses how focus in Shotokan Karate – the Japanese word for which is kime -- can provide the visceral and mindful template for getting on the road to mastery of anything and everything in one’s life, whether it be a career choice, a sport, a relationship or any other passion in one’s life. The road to mastery is an endless path rather than a destination. It is a series of plateaus on which all of the learning takes place. That is where we have to be willing spent most of our time, to keep practicing even if we think we are getting nowhere. Alan’s talk examines how we can find and stay on a path of our own choosing, despite the obstacles that get in our way. And how a martial arts path without an ending, fortified through passion, a love of practice of a special kind, and patience on the learning plateau can lead to something truly extraordinary -- a life well lived.

Brian Shiers

Kurt Cornwell

A life-long martial artist, Kurt Cornwell has spent his adult life putting into use the practical benefits of regular martial art training, from escorting celebrities and teaching law enforcement, to fighting his own private battles with depression and chemical health. In this keynote presentation delivered at UCLA’s TEDx Salon Focus & Martial Arts event he highlights the unorthodox benefits of martial artistry. Kurt lays out a concise look at the greatest villains to modern health, while simultaneously weaving in his own personal tales of triumph and tragedy. Through this lens we are shown a Martial Art practice based on community and companionship, one that ensures not only our preservation against the dangers that prowl in the darkness of our cities, but as well the dangers in the darkness of our minds. He asserts that we are each worth defending, and that a modern path to personal peace is available to all who would choose to walk it. The beauty, he claims, is that you’ll never have to walk it alone.”