#12: Zoltan Bathory – The Power of Creative Problem Solving

“When people are faced with obstacles, they try to brush it away, or shut it out of their minds.  Obstacles and doubts are different.  Obstacles are real and doubts are created by the mind.  Martial Arts is one of the best ways for your mind to train for real situations.  You have to deal with situations and deal with them right now.  You have to face it right now.  This training has shaped everything.  You are not looking for a way out, you are looking for a solution.  As a martial artist, I become a problem solver, and get to figure it out.”  -- Zoltan Bathory

My guest this episode is Zoltan Bathory who is a Martial Artist and a World Class Musician.  He is the founder and rhythm guitarist of Las Vegas based heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch.  In 2010, he was named Golden God's "Best Shredder" by Metal Hammer magazine.  He is an actively competing martial artist, holding Black Belts in both Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Judo.  In 2022 he won Gold Medals at the IBJJF International Open Jiu-Jitsu Championships in both Black Belt Super Heavy Masters and Black Belt Absolute Masters Divisions.  He also practices Wing Chun Kung Fu and is one of a few civilians certified by the US Army as a Modern Army Combatives Instructor.  Bathory is also a founding board member of the veterans nonprofit Home Deployment Project in Las Vegas and sits on the Board of Advisors at VETPAW (Veterans Empowered to Protect African Wildlife), an anti-poaching organization operating on the African continent, composed of US combat veterans.

This episode is a truly enlightening discussion and a journey into the conscious experience of being a martial artist.  We dive deep into how to get the body and mind to work in perfect harmony so we can harness our true potential and find flow on the matts and in our lives. My key takeaway is that the through the practice of martial arts we can unleash the power of creativity and solve problems in real time.  Martial Arts provides us with an experiential feedback loop in which we get to test our ability to relax under pressure, create sequences and adapt and change under pressure.  We also dive deep into the spiritual growth that comes through martial arts, how we get to grow as people, express ourselves without fear, and responsibly conduct ourselves with integrity and honor.  I thoroughly enjoyed this episode; it is a true reminder of the value of the mental and spiritual benefits of martial arts practice.  After all we don’t “Do martial arts, we become martial arts.  It’s a Lifestyle”.