Innovation is one of the newest buzzwords to enter to the corporate lexicon.  By definition, it refers simply to the introduction of something “new or different”. I tend to hold the concept to a high standard.  Being innovative, in my view, is not just a matter of introducing, but of creating or generating something new or different.  Using that elevated standard, Rodney King is a true innovator and his GAME model  as outlined in this book  is a true innovation in martial arts.

Rodney's evolution as a martial artist is remarkable.

Like many fighters, he emerged from a challenging background of troubled family relationships, premature independence, and peer victimization to become a tough, skilled, respected and feared warrior.  His success was measured by who and how many - he had beaten.  His driving goal as a man and a martial artist was to become the most dominant and formidable force possible. He succeeded. 

But along the way the joy he once experienced from practicing and teaching martial arts was lost.  Unlike many fighters, Rodney found his way back. This book distills many of the lessons Rodney has learned on his resilient journey to re-discovering joy and meaning in martial arts.  He learned that many people pursue martial arts for the “wrong” reasons, or at least for reasons that do not reflect their real needs.  He learned that many contemporary martial arts schools were willing to use fear to motivate students to train and to offer a pre-packaged, large-group curriculum that produced only a sense of inadequacy or a false sense of confidence. 

He also learned that martial arts offers so much more than self-defense techniques, and that it can be used effectively as a metaphor and a vehicle for success in any life endeavor.  And that this premise could be the platform for a viable  - albeit non-traditional martial arts business model. It is now Rodney's goal to transform the way that martial arts are viewed, taught, and experienced. 

In the following pages, Rodney - who is perhaps best known internationally for pioneering the Crazy Money Defense Program discusses the philosophical and practical foundations of three core activities in implementing a GAME:  Teaching, Coaching, and Creating Wisdom Environments.  He clearly articulates his mental model for how to mobilize people's strengths, to equip them with a growth-oriented mindset for success that is energized by their own motivation, to move them actively along a path to personal excellence.

Everyone reading this book with an open mind is likely to find something of value.  Some who read it will find pearls of wisdom to apply to their personal outlook on or activity in life.  Others will find pieces of ideas that they feel they might use to tweak their existing martial arts instruction.  A few will find in this book an embraceable blueprint for transforming lives.  Among those few, the ones with courage, vision and faith to move forward will be pioneers in taking martial arts instruction into the 21st Century.

Dr. Randy Borum
Professor University of South Florida

Certified Sport Psychologist