Manage Pain Naturally: A World Champion’s Story
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“We all have this fire inside of us. And sometimes we don’t even feel that it is there. All it takes is for something to ignite that flame.”--Tomm Voss
Welcome to the new Plum Dragon Herbs Podcast Series “Staying in the Game.” In this podcast series, we will have conversations on achieving greater health and fitness and natural ways to manage pain. In our first episode, we’re talking to stickfighting gold-medalist Tomm Voss.
Tomm discusses his battle with chronic pain and how he used the ancient Chinese practice of Qigong to aid in his recovery. (Qigong incorporates relaxation techniques involving meditation, intentional breathing and coordinated movements.) Tomm believes in the power of the body to heal itself using natural methods including Chinese herbs. Through these natural methods, Tomm was able to wean off of his prescription medicine and find lasting relief from his health problems.
During the time that Tomm worked on regaining his health, he was introduced to the Filipino stickfighting art Escrima through a student of Bruce Lee's training partner. Tomm tells how he began competing and went on to achieve victories against fierce competitors in the 2016 and 2017 world stickfighting championships. He discusses the importance of vision and commitment, and his motto “Never Give Up” is a strong theme in the interview.
Show Notes
01:38 Tomm Voss, world champion martial artist: learning about the art of escrima through a student of Bruce Lee's training partner, Dan Inosanto
02:28 Meeting teacher Grandmaster Felix Roiles who encourages Tomm to compete.
02:58 Experiencing a health breakdown and being told there is no cure; choosing to believe the body is capable of healing itself with natural remedies and modalities.
04:42 Discovering Qigong and with the help of Grandmaster Zhou Ting Jue (Master Zhou), a Qigong healer and practitioner, healing in 3 months time, including coming off all medications.
07:07 Enjoying renewed health and in response to Grandmaster Felix’s relentless encouragement, deciding to compete.
08:05 Competition -- a reawakening for Tomm.
09:30 Finding something we are good at in life and how that then becomes our passion.
09:50 Setting the intention to begin competing for the World Champion stickfighting competition in the Philippines, the origin of the art.
11:15 Visualizing standing in the finals
12:25 Many personal obstacles causing Tomm to feel like he isn’t going to be able to compete. The help of friends enabling Tomm to purchase his tickets four days before the fight.
17:00 Being paired up against some of the best fighters in the world at the 2016 Stickfighting World Championship in Cebu, Philippines; never giving up during the hardest fight of his life.
22:00 Tomm describing his techniques to prepare for competition, including Qigong and other methods of relaxation/meditation to handle competition stress.
27:30 Arriving in London for the 2017 World Championships and finding a surprise. Winning the gold medal in the single stick welter weight competition. Team Luxumbourg winning a silver medal in the finals.
32:00 Being fully present in the moment is what really matters.
“You have to see. You have to hear. You have to feel. And then what determines the outcome is your ability to respond to whatever comes at you.”
33:45 Current involvement with mentoring, private life coaching… teaching teens how body language is important. The most important communication you have in life is communication with yourself.
35:50 Advice to other martial artists on making progress. Importance of finding a great teacher and being patient with yourself instead of getting stressed out.
“Do the best that you can every time. It’s not a race. It’s a marathon.”
38:15 Wouldn’t be where he is at without great teachers: Grandmaster Felix, Grandmaster Joe, and close friend Michael Jai White who is an actor and martial artist that he trains with fairly often.
39:10 Setting the intention and having the power of vision is key to success.
39:49 Other endeavors including acting and film-writing.
42:25 How Plum Dragon Dit Da Jow has helped Tomm protect his joints and heal from bruises. (Learn more about Bruise Juice.) Also how these herbal analgesics have been used since ancient times for healing and how he gives his parents Plum Dragon Dit Da Jow for arthritic pain. (Learn more about Ancestors Advanced Dit Da Jow.)
Links and Resources Mentioned:
Find out more about Tomm Voss (http://tommvoss.com)
Shop for Plum Dragon Herbs Dit Da Jow (http://plumdragonherbs.com/product-category/dit-da-jow/)
Ancestors Advanced Conditioning Formula (https://plumdragonherbs.com/products/ancestors-advanced-topical-arthritis-and-conditioning-formula)
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Thank You For Listening!
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