Mind Training - Prologue.

Mind is a hard subject to discuss, let alone train, which seems to be why so many people in so many different walks of life have a hard time touching upon the subject beyond the level of superficial 'lip service.'

Perhaps it is not the fact that it is hard to discuss, but the fact that we are conditioned into a certain way of thinking and so many people have different expectations and beliefs that we do not wish to take it too far and offend?

Whatever the case might be, it is a VERY Esoteric subject and it is easy to see why the depths of such training and study might be avoided in many areas. 

It IS however a VERY important aspect of study and training, as the physical only makes up about 10% of everything under the sun, and when you break it down, what is physicality by a collection of wiggly things on a sub-atomic level? 

What is more, these wiggly things can be broken down even more, but more interesting, Mind and Observation seem to have an effect on these Wiggly things as there is no separation between observer and observed (Quantum Theory).

So even if we cut away all the Spiritual/Esoteric lingo, we still have ground for a Mind-Matter connection in Science. 

Visualize yourself training, then begin training, end the training with another Visualization, and the skill level improves markedly over one who does not visualize, or one who only visualizes. 

Perhaps that is a simplification, perhaps not, take it or leave it however you choose. We tend to remember and learn A LOT better when we are fully involved, Mind, Body, and Spirit. 

Putting the imagination to work while, at the same time, immersing ourselves emotionally and physically into whatever it is that we are trying to accomplish, especially if we are having fun, but also if we are nervous or stressed. 

When I speak of Mind, I speak of a fusion between Mind/Spirit which does not preclude a fusion with Body itself. 

The Intellectual, Emotional, and Physical levels are all interconnected, but Intellect is not necessarily a primary function of what many perceive as mind, at least not in IQ standards, but in a deeper sense.

I'm not really sure where to take that, and I may write more as I go along, but I have spent a great deal of time exploring this aspect of my training recently, both IN training and IN life, mainly because it cannot be avoided, though it seems it CAN be ignored. 

More to come later... 

Strategic Transcendence.

Thinking deeply it seems that it is conflict which defines us, that harmony cannot exist without something to contrast and the key to good strategy is not necessarily working by principles which become stagnant.
Interesting story about the Prussian Army that was defeated and driven away by the French under Napoleon, the Prussians held fast to old tactics that were no match for the unorthodox methods the French employed.
The Prussians were streamlined, orderly, but the French seemed to work in more of a chaotic harmony (which we see utilized by Armies in todays world).

They were able to move freely, erratically, while the Prussians were predictable due to the utilization of outdated tactics, not necessarily in support of an outdated strategy, but a strategy that employed too many rigid principles.
We are seeing a similar paradigm shift today, in which the enemy no longer follows some of the rules of combat where it is easy to differentiate between civilian and combatant, which catches the modern army off guard and calls their methods and practices to question time and again.
Often an enemy is a reflection of the times and a society in flux all around us. Things are no longer so easily defined and the more we look at it the more we realize anything goes, it is every man or woman for themselves.

Miyamoto Musashi was famous for his ability to adapt, his strategic genious was not based on any one principle and did not rely on any particular tactic.
It was fluid, constantly changing according to circumstance based on intelligence gathered before hand.
Sometimes he used one sword, sometimes he used two, he even used a sharpened boat oar and some comments meant to send his opponent into an emotional frenzy on one occasion, you never knew if he would be early, late, or right on time for a fight, the key being that this would throw the opponents' mental balance for a loop and create turmoil in their hearts and minds.
If you defeat the mind and heart of the opponent then you have already won.

The point being that we have so many people saying 'do x in response to y,' while it is good to gain an understanding of such things the main goal is to transcend it and become fluid like Musashi, or the French when they defeated the Prussians and forced them into retreat.
It is conflict that defines us and without conflict harmony cannot be achieved, this is not a half-hearted harmony that leaves you warm and fuzzy inside, no, it lets you know where you stand in relation to everything else.
Let's face it, we live in a diverse world, there is always going to be conflict making way for new things, the survival of a species, the evolution of a species depends on conflict, you cannot build your immune system unless it is fighting sickness, you cannot survive without killing and eating another living thing whether it be plant or animal, and this is true of all creatures.

To see strategy as useless because you are a pacifist means you have no idea what true pacifism is because you deny its' contrast.
Sure, Martial Arts is about not fighting, or more accurately, understanding when to fight and when to flee, the latter being the best option in a society ruled by laws, but what does it truly entail and what tactics are employed to see the strategy through? To understand strategy the mind must be clear and centered, waging war against those emotions and thoughts that would distract from the task at hand - ultimately living in the moment just as the modern Zen ideal would have us do, to fully live and see things just as they are, respond to the reality, not what we THINK is reality.

One Mind.

Confrontation has less to do with the body, more to do with the mind. Naturally mind and body are interconnected, interdependent, and in Zen it is found that the mind can be trained by bringing focus to the body or bodily functions (as well as those in the mind when being mindful of thinking and feeling).
So the first statement of this post is only partially true, but holds true never the less.

Shinzen Sensei posted on facebook about not thinking during confrontation, a little something that people in this particular circle call 'Mushin,' often referred to as 'No Mind,' something I like to call Ichi-Shin, or one mind (probably not the proper Japanese for that one, but oh well, you get the point).
It is not about having no-mind, it is about having a clear mind sharpened to one point, and is not separated from anything, but is an active participant on both ends of the spectrum.
It can appear to be supernatural if it is understood and applied correctly, and one cannot just understand this from a superficial level, it must be developed, cultivated, and actively utilized.

It is not about not thinking, it is, however, a different kind of thinking, a less complicated kind of thinking that does not include words, concepts, or sequential/linear types of thought to which we have become conditioned and accustomed.
Living in the moment we are not thinking about past or future, there is a goal, but the goal does not take center stage during the doing, because the doing, or the process, is the most important thing - the same thing as enjoying the journey without worrying about what lay at the end.
There is no separation of process and the one doing the process, at the same time, there is no separation between assailant and assailed, at the same time there is a HUGE difference, but in that moment none of this matters, only the moment, the process of which you are actively processing.

These are huge words that hold no meaning once the real thing is experienced and everyone will have their own way of explaining and imparting to others when the time comes to do so.
Words point the way, they are not the end all, but there again, the process is the most important thing. Become the process. Become the predator. Kime.

The Overlooked.

It should be mandatory for each belt test (if that is your thing) to include the study of local laws.
Most importantly, self defense laws, carrying laws, trespassing laws, heck, one could make it a habit to study and re-study whatever portion of the law catches their attention.

I have learned a lot even about laws governing protection of children, what constitutes child abuse, labor laws, but I am far from an expert. It is always good to be informed, however, because what we are given is a responsibility to be informed, uninformed users are a danger to themselves and everyone else, otherwise they are rendered impotent BECAUSE they are uninformed.
Survival of the fittest, in this instance the fittest is the most informed and most prepared.

It should also be mandatory to study one's surroundings, which is often neglected in just about every aspect of training.
Where are the exits? What is the terrain like? Positioning is very important. If you are sleeping on a couch next to the front door and someone busts in you end up jumping up facing AWAY from the assailant and have to readjust.
If you are facing the door with your head being the farthest from it you are in prime position, not only because you can see what is going on, but they have to actually work their way to you in dark and unfamiliar territory, you have homefield advantage.

This is all beating a dead horse, but so many drills are designed specifically to deal with combat on the level of a contest, as has been pointed out by so many others in so many different ways.
This is alright for that particular approach, and it is good to cover as many bases as you can, or at least as many of those bases that are relevent to your specific needs.
Just some food for thought.

In the Yard.

So I started teaching my four and five year old the benefits of good roots a couple weeks ago and when I see them this passed week they are still at it.
Made a game out of it, they were playing with some wood as if they were swords, and one of them was using a Garbage Can lid as a shield, one of those old metal lids, going back and forth.
I had them take some broom sticks and bash a tree so that they could get some energy out without hurting eachother.

Good form and posture already, but they have always been fast learners, Garretty, my four year old, can beat any grown man at Halo or other shooter game.
I have tried to start backing off on the more physical stuff with my eight year old, there is a lot of aggression there and they have been through a lot, but his form has definitely improved as well, it is obvious he is missing the atmosphere that was provided when I was teaching regularly out there.
I may put some money aside to have him enrolled in a class, but a class where I am not the teacher that way he gets the same atmosphere with a little outside influence from someone I trust.

The more I think about it, the more it becomes apparent that Karate is a good way to break the ice and relate, to get to know one another on a deeper level that words seldom provide.

Getting back to the roots, the feet are always first and foremost to ponder, then working your way up.
Transfer of energy needs a good conduit through which to flow, so mechanics is extremely important at all levels.

Foundations.

I have been pondering the feet lately. What I find is that there are a lot of Budoka who only think of their hands and their upper body, with the feet being even less than an afterthought.
Pondering the feet in conjunction with the whole body as a single unit, say, a brick, can be a useful exercise; going through Kata with this mindset one comes to realize that there really is very little movement other than shifting position and the body does this as a whole as opposed to first moving the arms, or first moving the legs, it all happens at once.

Now there are some instances where the hands do move first, but only slightly, and even this means there really is very little movement, thus, very little energy expended.
That is the very essence of economy of motion and such an exercise helps to shave off unnecessary movement such as 'tells' where the shoulder moves before the punch is initiated.

Pondering the feet also helps to realize that we need foundation, instead of bouncing around like crazy monkeys on a dance floor.
One thing I have been doing lately is imagining a triangle on the ground, inside a square, inside a circle, and playing around with footwork inside that design, which covers a very small space.
The design itself covers all 'stances' within Karate and shows how to apply them from a single point, with the circle acting as the boundary; if you go outside the boundary you have lost your ground and, therefor, your foundation.
Naturally it is not an 'end all' exercise, there is no such thing, but it does cover rooting and unrooting while limiting the range of motion.

What I find this helps to do is get the practitioner out of the 'static stances' mindset and actually engage in the practice of fluid footwork in conjunction with strategy.
How do these strange foot positions apply when they take on an active role in the execution of Sabaki? Apply that with the brick exercise, then top it off by playing around with axis of the body, moving the whole body as one unit within a sphere.
Then apply the Yin/Yang idea of completing a movement on one side with its' simultaneous opposite on the other.
You have a winner that covers all fronts of proper Tai Sabaki. At least in my own opinion.

The Sacred Circle.

The frame of mind that takes hold in the experienced is often discernable, not necessarily physical, but very discernable.
There are a few people who get together every so often for some intense training and discussion, this is the sacred circle, and the circle gets smaller and smaller, not everyone is welcome, whether it is of their own accord, or they just don't make the grade.
Whatever the reason, there is nothing that can change that other than what is already written in the heart and soul.

The fire lets people know who they are, not that person that stares back from behind the mirror, nor the person observing, it runs much deeper than this, and the fire will burn them, no matter who or what they think or know they are.
It is not about style, methodology, rank, stature, or heirarchy; maybe fellowship, maybe kinship, but nothing else need apply.

We have taken many people to parks and other odd locations, people that had asked, given them something to think about; whether they knew it or not, it was at the fore front of their minds long after the sessions had ended and still may be lurking somewhere around the brim of uncharted thought.
Most never return, some come back eagerly awaiting the next inner adventure; it is not about what one might think.
Does it dawn on the person what they are getting into when they catch a glimpse of the circle? Hell no.
They leave changed. Whether it is a change they can accept, that is up to them. Not everyone is meant to enter the sacred circle and ultimately they make this decision for themselves, the circle will not judge, neither accepting or rejecting. It is what it is and that is the way it should be, with nothing added, nothing subtracted.