The transcript below is from the video “I Spent 24 Hours With Steven Seagal” by Jesse Enkamp.

Jesse Enkamp:

It’s 10: 30 a.m in Dubai and I’m about to have breakfast with Steven Seagal in this luxury hotel. I had no idea what to expect. All I had was this message from somebody who claimed to be Steven’s assistant.

“Hello, we’re meeting a friend for breakfast here”.

But as I searched through the entire hotel, the man was nowhere to be found.

“Can you see him?”

Maybe this was all just a scam to kidnap me.

“Where is he?”

Luckily, I brought my brother Oliver along as my bodyguard.

Oliver:

Maybe we should go inside and look. I think he would meet us in the reception.

Jesse Enkamp:

That’s when a security guard suddenly approached us.

Security guard:

Looking for Mr. Seagal?

Jesse Enkamp:

Yes.

Turns out Steven Seagal eats breakfast in his private suite and this man was gonna escort us all the way up.

Jesse Enkamp:

Good morning.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

Good morning Jesse! How are you?

Jesse Enkamp:

And there he was. The martial arts legend, Steven Seagal, known for breaking the bones of men and the hearts of women. This was a dream come true because I used to make my own action movies as a kid and now I was gonna spend a full day eating, training and learning from Steven Seagal himself. Finishing off with a 5-star dinner in the world’s tallest building. Plus, he’s gonna teach Oliver the same kick he taught Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida.

“This is good stuff!”

Get ready to see Steven Seagal like you’ve never seen him before.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

So, I would show some of the techniques in the movies but most of the real, what we call Uraden… we kept secret, you know. Until now. But then you know, you try to talk to people and they’ll go, “well, you know this stuff that you really do, it’s so dangerous, how many times can you rip someone’s throat out in a practice?”

Sir, we don’t rip out your throat. We don’t rip out your eyes. Just as in Karate, we don’t blow out your skull. You stop before.

Jesse Enkamp:

Yeah.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

But the difference is we’re very careful who we teach this stuff.

Jesse Enkamp:

Turns out, sensei Seagal had mastered a secret style of Jiu-Jitsu while residing in Japan. This is what the samurai warriors used on the battlefield. But it’s the complete opposite of modern Jiu-Jitsu because rule number one is to avoid the ground.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

When people say all fights end up on the ground, they are incorrect. 90% of the fights that I know end standing up, with one person going horizontal. They knew if they went to the ground, they were dead. ‘Cause they were on the battlefield. We don’t want to dive down on the ground. And just as much time as those guys spend trying to dive for your legs and get you… we spend just as much time cutting your head off or knocking you out or ripping your eyes out or ripping your throat out or severing your brain stem when you go down there because your head and your neck will be vulnerable. I don’t care who you are. If you know what we know. And then I’ll show you some of that stuff so…

“Good morning, brother. How are you?”

Jesse Enkamp:

This is amazing. Is this what a Hollywood superstar eats on a daily basis?

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

This is what Japanese would eat every day. This is what a Samurai would eat.

Jesse Enkamp:

As the first Westerner to run a dojo in Japan, sensei Seagal faced lots of adversity, including Dojo Yaburi, life or death challenges from rival martial arts schools.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

There are certain very famous people who challenged me. And I said, “there’ll be no money involved, come with no cameras, no one’s going to see it and there are no rules.”

Jesse Enkamp:

Did anyone accept?

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

No.

Jesse Enkamp:

No. Of course, not.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

Great real Samurai says, “When I wake up in the morning, I am prepared to die. When I go into battle, I visualize myself as already being dead.”

Jesse Enkamp:

“Taxi is coming.”

And just like that, it was time to head to the dojo but first, I wanted to talk to this guy.

Jesse Enkamp:

What is it like to be Steven Seagal’s practice dummy? Is it a lot of pain?

Oliver:

Yeah. Yeah. Lot of pain. This is my job, kind of. You know?

Jesse Enkamp:

It’s a very unusual job.

Oliver:

Yeah.

Jesse Enkamp:

Yeah, yeah. I’m excited. Let’s have fun.

Oliver:

I think you will taste this too.

Jesse Enkamp:

You think?

Oliver:

I think.

Jesse Enkamp:

And with those words, we left the hotel and drove about 20 minutes to an amazing mixed martial arts facility, where the top floor had been reserved just for us.

It was time to finally feel the power of Steven Seagal.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

This kind of strike is…

Jesse Enkamp:

Ooh!

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

Just like that. This is my fighting pose.

Jesse Enkamp:

Yeah.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

And from here, I might do this. I’ve already killed you but I have this now.

Jesse Enkamp:

Ah!

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

From here, I have this… Come around here brother. And look here, we break it. This is snap off.

Jesse Enkamp:

And I can’t move.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

And then from here… I can move him around from here.

Jesse Enkamp:

This is good stuff.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

I can also walk him around like this. Go down to here like this. He punches and I throw him. If he doesn’t go, I snap his arm off.

Now, in the street…

Jesse Enkamp:

Yeah?

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

People normally will not punch you like… They normally won’t punch you like this. They’ll punch you like this.

Jesse Enkamp:

Haymaker, kinda?

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

That’s right. So as he comes, you’ll notice something very different. This, in sword, is called Ukenagashi. So when the sword comes down… I’ll show you with him. You see the sword?

Jesse Enkamp:

Yep.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

This is a sword.

Jesse Enkamp:

This is when I suddenly realized what we were actually practicing. Because up until this point, I thought he was just showing us random brutal techniques but it turns out, these movements were meant to be used with a sword. Because if a Samurai lost his weapon on the battlefield, he could use the exact same movement patterns with his empty hands.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

Kicking. Downstairs. I wish you were there. These guys said, “Wow… I know the guys that you taught that front kick to. No one could see it.”

No one can see it because it’s different. For example, if
you’re here.

Jesse Enkamp:

Yeah.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

And I wind up into a big kick, you’ll see it. You know? But what I try to do, you know… is a kick where you don’t see it. It’s more like a spear.

Jesse Enkamp:

Just like the arms could be used as swords, the legs can be used as spears, just like the Samurai.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

Yeah. Just don’t lift your knee. Put your foot straight there. Yeah.

Jesse Enkamp:

Okay.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

Different, isn’t it?

Jesse Enkamp:

So from the hip more… more than the knee.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

And don’t push him, cut him.

Did you see the light go on when he got it?

Oliver:

Yeah. Yeah. He got it

Jesse Enkamp:

And I imagine like if I keep my posture the same, you won’t see anything.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

Yeah, you don’t lift up like this. Spear.

We have another technique that comes from sword.

Jesse Enkamp:

Wow.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

When the strike comes, this is the sword. I’m hitting here, here or here. But this side or this side, doesn’t matter. So when I punch, I’m not doing this. I’m …

Jesse Enkamp:

Yeah.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

You feel the difference?

Jesse Enkamp:

Yes.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

So he’s doing this. I’m doing this.

Oliver:

Whoa… Wow! Yeah. You can’t tell when you’re looking. It’s way different when you feel it.

Jesse Enkamp:

But it reminds me of the kick. Because the kick is also… there’s no telegraph. You can’t really see it until it’s too late.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

From the sword stuff. As he comes, this is the Tentochi. This is Heaven and Earth. But the old style would be that strike. Or… we’re striking, planting on the foot, grabbing the throat, striking with this.

Jesse Enkamp:

Yeah. Can you try that on Oliver? So he can feel it.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

It doesn’t matter how you come from here. I have you here. Here. Here. You can feel what would happen.

Jesse Enkamp:

You need to try that in your next fight. Would that even be legal?

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

Some of it’s not.

Jesse Enkamp:

Yeah. That’s the thing. You can’t do the finger stuff, either?

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

You can supposedly if you have all of them.

Oliver:

Yeah. Yeah.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

All of them are legal, but they never do it. Let’s take a break.

Jesse Enkamp:

Yes. Okay.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

If you have to fight, you to end it immediately but in the case that you can’t end it immediately, you never let him fight his style.

Jesse Enkamp:

Right. Yes.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

You always will break his rhythm and his timing so that he can’t fight his style.

Oliver:

We teach all the beginners to find a rhythm, to find a certain rhythm. But then at some point, you need to learn how to break the rhythm… so you don’t break their rhythm.

Jesse Enkamp:

And not let them break your rhythm.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

Well, when you’re the aggressor, it’s pretty hard for them to break your rhythm. In our style, we are completely offensive. Completely aggressive. We don’t wait and watch and try to get him tired. We don’t do any of that.

Jesse Enkamp:

What do you think about that as a pro fighter, Oliver? Because usually you want to feel your opponent out.

Oliver:

I think it’s dangerous to start to feel the other guy out. Because then he can impose his rhythm on you before you
attack first.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

Yes, and he gets to attack first. And really, in real life, if you want to end it immediately, you have to attack first. That’s better.

Jesse Enkamp:

How about in the eyes of the law? If you look like the aggressor…

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

I don’t want to sound terrible because…

Jesse Enkamp:

Well, you’re above the law.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

I used to be a police officer.

Jesse Enkamp:

Oh, yeah. That’s true.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

But I don’t care about the law. If I have to fight, I don’t care about the law. I care about ending it quick. Because for example, if you go to punch… when your punch comes, if I do this… a lot of guys do this. This isn’t that real Karate. Real Karate would be more like this. Okay? But when you get really good, it would be like this.

Oliver:

That’s like the spear. It’s like your kick.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

This is square. I’m sorry. This is square. This is triangle. And this is circle.

Jesse Enkamp:

Yeah, exactly!

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

They would always say, “Hands, knees, elbows, feet and dagger.” So this, we’re here. We do this a lot.

Jesse Enkamp:

And this would actually be the dagger that a Samurai would…

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

That’s right. And I’m coming in here and in here. Once a while will come in here. And you can feel that, right?

Jesse Enkamp:

I can.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

This, because I train it every day. This, you know, is very dangerous. And you can imagine if I did that in your throat. So if he comes with this wild one on the side, I’ll cut the hole here and… that’s a throat strike.

Oliver:

One of the worst strikes I’ve seen. Two children fighting in a Karate tournament. Punched in the throat. She spit her mouth piece out, walked two steps and then just collapsed.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

Did she die or…?

Oliver:

No, she was carried out on a stretcher. Yeah. And it was just (smacks).

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

That’s what we do. Everything we do is here. We will sever the brain stem. You will sever the brain stem. That’s what happens. That’s why when people like, for example, when you come to grab my leg, I’ll hit you in the eyes like this on the way down. As you come here, I’ll hit you here. By the time you’re down here, look what’s exposed, it’s your brain stem. I don’t care who you are. You’re dead. The only takedowns that we will do, that we think are nicer stuff. We’ll take people down like this.

Jesse Enkamp:

What is your method for power generation? Because I’ve heard so many different ways of generating power.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

Practice.

Jesse Enkamp:

Yeah, of course.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

Practice and meditation. And Zen.

Jesse Enkamp:

How does meditation and Zen…

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

‘Cause then we’re gonna have to…

Jesse Enkamp:

Okay, okay. Yeah. Let’s sit down.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

One of my masters once said: *speaks Japanese*, which means, real Bugei (martial arts) is like lightning. It is the culmination between energy, between heaven and earth. And an explosion when they meet.

Jesse Enkamp:

That’s beautiful.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

Chi and Ki are flowing through you. So it’s not what I would call relaxation. It’s the lightning already coursing through your body. It’s there. That electricity is already coming out of your hands into your eyes. You know?

Oliver:

Wasn’t it Musashi that said…

Jesse Enkamp:

Miyamoto Musashi said, “Make your everyday stance your fighting stance. Make your fighting stance your everyday stance.”

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

What did you just see?

Jesse Enkamp:

Exactly. Yeah.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

You’ll see me standing like this all the time. One great Samurai once said, “When a tiger dies, even though we have appreciated him in life, we take his pelt and hang it on the wall. And that’s what he’s remembered by. His pelt.” When a real warrior dies, he has to be remembered by what he did in life. His technique, his Waza, his ability and desire to teach and what he left his students and what he left the world. The value of Karate is of what it does to you as a human being and changing you as a human being. Understanding that the development of the physical man and the perfection of the spiritual self are the same. And that, in doing these things simultaneously, we learn first and foremost how to make the world a better place and help others. That is what we call a legacy. And that’s another reason why I’m doing this interview. Because in America, you have guys like Gene LeBell and Bob Wall, these people who every time their mouth opened, they were lying. And they tell… Those guys… this is the sad thing about America. You can destroy someone’s life, their legacy, their reputation just by making up lies.

As soon as I spoke the truth about certain things that are happening in the world, a huge campaign on a very top secret level was mounted. 50 people were paid to say all kinds of things about me. To destroy me. I’m not going to put up with that. So I just left. But the shame about the tiger and the way the tiger dies is like one Samurai said, we look at his pelt on the wall and we think, “Wow, it’s beautiful.” But when a great warrior or great Samurai dies, he has a real legacy. And people who have real ethics and morals and decency, they admire the people that have technique and have history and have teachers, have “teachers”. And they would never try to tarnish what they are.

America is different. They don’t care. Where I came from, if you did that, somebody will come and kill you the next day. They’ll come to your Dojo or your house and say, “It’s on right now.” One of us is going to live and one of us is going to die. Or one of us is going to be unconscious and maybe he’ll live and maybe he won’t, I don’t care. That’s how it was. That’s how I was raised. Not in America. It’s the land of the mouth. There are people who say, “I did this and I did this and I did that. And I studied all these martial arts.” But none of them can tell you the names of their teachers or where they studied. None of them.

Everything is in the teacher. Everything. Even Lord Buddha said: “There would be no Guru without the Buddha. There would be no Buddha without the Guru.” It’s the same in Zen. It’s the same.

Oliver:

Yeah. Your spiritual side is very inspiring to me. Like, I didn’t know that before about the Zen and everything.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

Yeah. I am a Lama. I’m a Tulku, I’m a Rinpoche. And I have studied Buddhism and Zen my whole life.

Oliver:

And I think this shows like… in the person, even when you do like martial arts and stuff. Like the way you carry yourself somehow. I think it’s different. It’s such a difference when I’m thinking about some of the fighters that I have trained with that have no spirituality in them at all. And the ones that come from a more traditional background. You see the way they carry themselves is way different.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

Very perceptive. This is, you know, 60 years of stuff. There’s only so much I can remember and so much I can give you in one day.

Jesse Enkamp:

In the next video, I receive an amazing gift from sensei Seagal. Plus, we learned his invisible punch and incredible kick defense and the truth about Bruce Lee.

Steven Seagal (Actor, Screenwriter & Martial Artist):

Like any other human being, he was human.

Jesse Enkamp:

You don’t want to miss this.