My Son got a new set of focus mitts and punching gloves and it just so happened to be the day my Brother was visiting.
He definitely wanted in on the action, waited until I was completely focused in working with my Son on some drills in the driveway, snuck up and put me in a half-nelson-type hold saying to my Son, 'You see this! He doesn't...' the next thing he knew I was twisted out of the hold with my fist in his face, pure reflex.
He had meant to say that I don't surprise easily, but what he fails to understand is that I am surprised every single time it happens, I just have a good flinch that takes care of the rest.
In the words of Jack Burton (Big Trouble in Little China) 'It's all in the reflexes.'
That is the difference between thinking 'step and turn, then punch,' and just 'Smash in the face!'
We shouldn't be focusing on learning all these different techniques (especially when there really are only a few techniques with thousands of variations), no, what we need to focus on is the 'switch' or as Rory Miller calls it, the 'Go' button.
These should also be in-line with natural reaction, the fact (and I have seen it first hand both on the street and in the Dojo) that trained fighters become worse while the untrained tend to become better under pressure.
Does that mean they are doing something different? Yes and no, my brother does not have Martial Arts training, but I have seen him pull off movements from Kata nearly every time I have witnessed an altercation, or sparred with him, always by instinct.
The difference being that while we give fancy names and fancy steps to things he would say, 'I just grabbed and hit,' or 'your face was open so you just got jack-slapped.'
Millenia of survival oriented evolution prevails over a few years of hard work on the training floor with some good friends who are not intent on making sure you don't ever walk (let alone breath) again.
Training is, in my opinion, important, but certain things need to change, the approaches need to be complimentary to the above, otherwise you have two opposing things that will cancel each other out (and ultimately cancel you out) when the time is necessary to act.
When you step on the floor you know what you are there for, which is already working against you (though I have seem some pretty surprised faces when contact is actually made - maybe there are some people who think they are actually at a health spa??).
I like the random surprise scenarios, it gives me a chance to really let loose and see what happens (and I usually only do this with my brother and a select few people).
I can play with sucker punches at random, being grabbed from behind when I absolutely do not expect it, see what happens and mull it over in my mind afterwards - not something that can be consciously worked on in the moment when you are in a state of mental surprise, but conscious thinking does play a role in the aftermath, 'Ok, so that worked,' or, 'Ok, so that didn't work, lemme see what I could have done and train it over and over again.'
Repetition is a great friend to have, though many people get bored with it, especially in the Dojo where you are constantly line-drilling up and down the floor for hours without ever really making contact with anything.
There is also that notion that there is some standard by which we need to be working in order to seem 'authentic' in what we are imparting.
That is well and fine, some things are going to look similar on the surface, but no such standard exists, and holding on to some standard or looking to some higher authority for the correct way of doing things has just effectively taken responsibility out of your hands - at least that is the illusion under which most of us tend to live.
I've been in some pretty bad areas, some pretty bad situations, my Sensei was not there to help me out, it was only myself, the other guy, the pavement, and whatever else was around.
No one is going to hold your hand through these things, no one is going to say, 'alright now darling, you're going to be alright,' unless you find yourself in the Ambulance afterwards with a bunch of EMTs trying to keep you alive. No, this is about taking on responsibility yourself, the only one you can trust (and the only Teacher you really have) is yourself.
People can show you different ways to do things that may or may not have worked for them (in theory or in practice, whichever, most often in theory), but they cannot apply it for you (and they are equally responsible for the image they portray in what they pass off as 'effective').
I'm also not saying that these Guides are not important, those that are the real deal are out there and definitely worth listening to and respecting.
They will also not foster some delusion of a 'mystical' death-touch-type technique that will be an end all - the fight stopper is not some magical technique, or age-old secret teaching, it is less physical than mental.
You want to get it done, get him down, and get away, however you do that, if it works, that is the only measure of correctness - you do what is natural, what is within you to do, not what someone else tells you to do (in the end you are the one that has to sort fact from fiction, no one is going to do this for you).
So how might training be changed up in order to accomodate the above? Some might say not at all, and perhaps this works for them, that is fine.
There are some aspects I like and some I do not (mainly because they have fostered some really bad habits and ideas), perhaps this is more of a personal bias, but I would rather trust myself in the long term and I would rather have those that come to me for guidance trust themselves.
Maybe they take something useful, maybe not, it is less about passing on a 'style' than it is about passing on a 'spirit' or a 'mentality,' even then, what is really passed on was never really passed on when the dust actually settles.
I've said that before, I know, but even working with my own Son I realize that some things are universal because of the Human Body, the mentality is a different beast entirely and that is really what we are dealing with (and often what is lacking in many mainstream Dojo, Gym, and Training Hall).
When surprised my body acts, it may have seemed that I am not surprised, that I just went with it, but the fact is, I was surprised, just as much as people who seem tough as nails are scared on some level, so they fight harder.
I don't even begin to understand the cog-work behind some meth-induced frame of mind, it is just as well to know it is there and to understand that it is not going to be nice to you or treat you in the same way a training partner does.
It doesn't care if you are able to keep on going to your nightly training sessions or get up for work the next day - it just doesn't.
There was a similar movement I did with my brother where I spun around, stepped in and tapped him under the rib-cage with my hand, under his arm where he could not see it, 'Now imagine if I'd had a knife, even a small pocket knife.'
Yeah, that got the gears turning and put him in the frame of mind to think about it, like he needed to, perhaps that was a mistake on my part - hopefully he doesn't get stabbed because he over-thought the scenario and became stuck in some mental loop.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
What's Wrong with my Eyebrows?
What is self image? I often think that most Students have some kind of preconceived notion of things in their head and when they meet me for the first time I am not quite what they expect.
Again, too many Kung Fu movies, maybe they were expecting some old guy with a flowing robe, bald head, and white eyebrows (well, I have the bald head part down at least).
Maybe I should work on being a little more vague with things, as should we all, wouldn't that be an interesting exercise? Not to speak unless you can word things in as vague a way as possible - then what would be the point of speaking?
No, instead what they find is not quite what they expect, which is true of anything, especially any type of Martial Art.
Then you have those students that shop around until something fits the bill, which is French for 'conforms to preconceived notions/beliefs.' (or is that Spanish?).
In that case they are fooling themselves and the one who sells them exactly what they are looking for is playing off that foolishness to make a buck, and being as vague as possible is a good tool for many frauds.
Even if it is offered for free, there is some kind of exchange going on, and payment is expected in full, even if you don't know it, you have just bought a load of crap (otherwise known as Snake Oil).
Maybe you have learned something of value in the art of being vague and making your eyebrows white somehow, but that is about all.
You can tell the real deal from the fakes, trust me on that, some of them may be old asians that speak in vague tongues, others may be some white guy in a flannel shirt and cowboy beats saying 'Good, now do it again, git'er done!'
Does it really matter all that much?
Training in Martial Arts is not about conforming facts to beliefs or about following and building upon some preconceived notion - much like boot camp, it is about breaking those things down, though not replacing them with some new ideal, but clearing the way for something solid.
You won't find something that fits the bill because what you expect is not what you are going to get, plain and simple; if you are expecting something and find that your feelings are hurt when you don't find it, perhaps you need to start looking at just what it is you are expecting to find and dash that to a bazillion pieces.
You may have some notion, some idea, sure it sounds good, does it stand up even in a good simulation? Again, sounds good, but the proof is in the pudding, show me.
Face value is not a currency in which we deal, not if we are really doing what we should be doing.
There are a lot of people out there that can, and have, kicked my ass; I've always learned something.
Testing is not something we do once a month, on the floor, you are tested every day, at least you should be - if the fire seems mild then something is wrong.
If you can't even take the heat of a simulation and try to justify quitting by saying it didn't fit the bill (which is usually what people do) then you are fooling yourself, again.
What would you expect to do in reality? This isn't a game, this isn't a movie, this isn't some exercise to strengthen your sense of identity, the persona you wear, the story you tell yourself, the expectations you have.
This is all useless bullshit, and like all other forms of bullshit, must be left outside, otherwise it will be knocked out of you and burned to a crisp until there is no substance left but ash.
Brown Eyebrows has left the building.
Again, too many Kung Fu movies, maybe they were expecting some old guy with a flowing robe, bald head, and white eyebrows (well, I have the bald head part down at least).
Maybe I should work on being a little more vague with things, as should we all, wouldn't that be an interesting exercise? Not to speak unless you can word things in as vague a way as possible - then what would be the point of speaking?
No, instead what they find is not quite what they expect, which is true of anything, especially any type of Martial Art.
Then you have those students that shop around until something fits the bill, which is French for 'conforms to preconceived notions/beliefs.' (or is that Spanish?).
In that case they are fooling themselves and the one who sells them exactly what they are looking for is playing off that foolishness to make a buck, and being as vague as possible is a good tool for many frauds.
Even if it is offered for free, there is some kind of exchange going on, and payment is expected in full, even if you don't know it, you have just bought a load of crap (otherwise known as Snake Oil).
Maybe you have learned something of value in the art of being vague and making your eyebrows white somehow, but that is about all.
You can tell the real deal from the fakes, trust me on that, some of them may be old asians that speak in vague tongues, others may be some white guy in a flannel shirt and cowboy beats saying 'Good, now do it again, git'er done!'
Does it really matter all that much?
Training in Martial Arts is not about conforming facts to beliefs or about following and building upon some preconceived notion - much like boot camp, it is about breaking those things down, though not replacing them with some new ideal, but clearing the way for something solid.
You won't find something that fits the bill because what you expect is not what you are going to get, plain and simple; if you are expecting something and find that your feelings are hurt when you don't find it, perhaps you need to start looking at just what it is you are expecting to find and dash that to a bazillion pieces.
You may have some notion, some idea, sure it sounds good, does it stand up even in a good simulation? Again, sounds good, but the proof is in the pudding, show me.
Face value is not a currency in which we deal, not if we are really doing what we should be doing.
There are a lot of people out there that can, and have, kicked my ass; I've always learned something.
Testing is not something we do once a month, on the floor, you are tested every day, at least you should be - if the fire seems mild then something is wrong.
If you can't even take the heat of a simulation and try to justify quitting by saying it didn't fit the bill (which is usually what people do) then you are fooling yourself, again.
What would you expect to do in reality? This isn't a game, this isn't a movie, this isn't some exercise to strengthen your sense of identity, the persona you wear, the story you tell yourself, the expectations you have.
This is all useless bullshit, and like all other forms of bullshit, must be left outside, otherwise it will be knocked out of you and burned to a crisp until there is no substance left but ash.
Brown Eyebrows has left the building.
Evil Dead Kung Fu Zombies.
When I think of Kung Fu movies I think of great dancers - most will ask who would win in a fight, Bruce Lee or someone else.
Give both guys a gun and you might call it a draw, if they knew how to fire they might stand a good chance of at least coming close, especially when the miss rate of trained Police is so high due to environmental and bio-chemical factors.
They're just movies people, appreciate them for what they are; do you think Zombies are real because they appear so much in video games and movies? Who would win there? Bruce Lee or a Zombie? What if Bruce Lee WAS the Zombie? (Now there is an interesting B movie in the making.haha).
Seriously though, if one got pissed off at the other I'm sure we would not really see a good display of anything we have seen on the silver screen (or even in the Cage for that matter, with two fighters pissed off at each other).
They certainly could give the River Dance Guy a run for his money, but they really aren't even in the same league - especially since one advertises as Dance, straight up, and the other fools people into thinking otherwise.
It is almost like a form of hypnosis, the same technique is used when we see commercials that subliminally tell our brains we need something we don't and to go buy it.
I wonder how many people actually thought Stallone was really Rocky? There was something interesting I heard about how he trained for that movie, that he'd broken his nose in the training and gotten upset because his face needed to be in tip-top shape for close-ups.
I wonder if he ever thought that it might lend some credibility to his character should he appear with a broken nose, instead of make-up, in some of those close-ups? Again, he is not the same guy in the movie that he is in real life. He never went Rambo on someone and if he had he would be in prison for a very long time.
Look at Wesley Snipes, Mr. Blade, who just got sentenced to two or three (maybe more) years in prison for Tax Fraud.
He portrays the silent killer type in movies, even some types that are brave, honest, forthright, but as a person, he is just a person like everyone else, answerable to the same laws, and not even half the person as some of the characters he plays.
Who would win there? Wesley Snipes or Bubba the Cell Mate? My money would be on Bubba and his shank.
Marc MacYoung talks about the rough nature of Construction Workers and Miners in his book 'Taking it to the Street' in which he talks about how much time they spend fighting, actually fighting, as opposed to people who study fighting.
How these guys are tough as nails - one story he talks about how his Dad had fallen from a great height and then went back to work the next day, or how he himself had been kicked numerous times by Cows (I think it was Cows, maybe horses).
My Uncle Chuck is damn near 80 years old and still breaks horses, he used to drive truck where he saw altercations almost every night at truck stops, people trying to break into his truck, bar fights, ect.
Do we really think about these individuals in our training? They are not few and far between, though many would like to think otherwise.
Who would win between Bruce Lee and Uncle Chuck? My money is on Uncle Chuck, for one, I KNOW that I would never want to piss off this 80 year old guy.
Maybe Bruce Lee COULD kick my ass back in the day, unfortunately he is six feet under (no disrespect intended to Mr. Lee) and when he was alive he was a great actor and great Martial Artist, perhaps he even had some fighting experience (as his biography attests), however, I don't know.
What I do know is that Uncle Chuck stands well over six feet and takes on animals much larger and more spirited than himself, at 80 years old!
In the face of all that, and other things, a Black Belt is nothing more than a giant target (in most cases, with a few exceptions, but the belt never makes the person, it is the other way around).
In closing, movies are great for entertainment, and there are many forms of entertainment (including sports entertainment). Appreciate things for what they are, not what we want them to be.
Give both guys a gun and you might call it a draw, if they knew how to fire they might stand a good chance of at least coming close, especially when the miss rate of trained Police is so high due to environmental and bio-chemical factors.
They're just movies people, appreciate them for what they are; do you think Zombies are real because they appear so much in video games and movies? Who would win there? Bruce Lee or a Zombie? What if Bruce Lee WAS the Zombie? (Now there is an interesting B movie in the making.haha).
Seriously though, if one got pissed off at the other I'm sure we would not really see a good display of anything we have seen on the silver screen (or even in the Cage for that matter, with two fighters pissed off at each other).
They certainly could give the River Dance Guy a run for his money, but they really aren't even in the same league - especially since one advertises as Dance, straight up, and the other fools people into thinking otherwise.
It is almost like a form of hypnosis, the same technique is used when we see commercials that subliminally tell our brains we need something we don't and to go buy it.
I wonder how many people actually thought Stallone was really Rocky? There was something interesting I heard about how he trained for that movie, that he'd broken his nose in the training and gotten upset because his face needed to be in tip-top shape for close-ups.
I wonder if he ever thought that it might lend some credibility to his character should he appear with a broken nose, instead of make-up, in some of those close-ups? Again, he is not the same guy in the movie that he is in real life. He never went Rambo on someone and if he had he would be in prison for a very long time.
Look at Wesley Snipes, Mr. Blade, who just got sentenced to two or three (maybe more) years in prison for Tax Fraud.
He portrays the silent killer type in movies, even some types that are brave, honest, forthright, but as a person, he is just a person like everyone else, answerable to the same laws, and not even half the person as some of the characters he plays.
Who would win there? Wesley Snipes or Bubba the Cell Mate? My money would be on Bubba and his shank.
Marc MacYoung talks about the rough nature of Construction Workers and Miners in his book 'Taking it to the Street' in which he talks about how much time they spend fighting, actually fighting, as opposed to people who study fighting.
How these guys are tough as nails - one story he talks about how his Dad had fallen from a great height and then went back to work the next day, or how he himself had been kicked numerous times by Cows (I think it was Cows, maybe horses).
My Uncle Chuck is damn near 80 years old and still breaks horses, he used to drive truck where he saw altercations almost every night at truck stops, people trying to break into his truck, bar fights, ect.
Do we really think about these individuals in our training? They are not few and far between, though many would like to think otherwise.
Who would win between Bruce Lee and Uncle Chuck? My money is on Uncle Chuck, for one, I KNOW that I would never want to piss off this 80 year old guy.
Maybe Bruce Lee COULD kick my ass back in the day, unfortunately he is six feet under (no disrespect intended to Mr. Lee) and when he was alive he was a great actor and great Martial Artist, perhaps he even had some fighting experience (as his biography attests), however, I don't know.
What I do know is that Uncle Chuck stands well over six feet and takes on animals much larger and more spirited than himself, at 80 years old!
In the face of all that, and other things, a Black Belt is nothing more than a giant target (in most cases, with a few exceptions, but the belt never makes the person, it is the other way around).
In closing, movies are great for entertainment, and there are many forms of entertainment (including sports entertainment). Appreciate things for what they are, not what we want them to be.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Smashing the Philosopher's Stone.
Some things are fairly predictable, but often we tend to fail even when we see it coming, or perhaps because we see it coming and it just does not register because we spend most of our time in the upper hemisphere of consciousness rather than the lower hemisphere.
Most training is designed to appeal to the Upper Hemisphere way of looking at things, reasoning things out, approaching things in a systematic and orderly manner, while also not paying attention to the inner stuff of the psyche (usually only with a nod to this by mentioning vague concepts such as Mushin, Kime, or more generally, Zanshin).
The more I go on, the more I find that people are expecting some orderly thing where X somehow equals Y (or perhaps the 2+2 mentality, where everything has its' place and there is a place for everything).
I hear a lot of talk about those previously mentioned vague concepts, but no one really seems to know what they are and when they demonstrate they usually take up a position and cultivate a blank and mindless stare.
Since when did Mushin mean Mindlessness? Since when did Zanshin mean standing still and looking all 'crazy eyed?'
When did any of this ever become orderly and well-defined? The truth is, it never did, this is a case of people trying to bend facts to beliefs.
In a recent podcast I listened to there was a very thoughtful insight shared by Rory Miller, he said, 'When a student has successfully knocked their opponent to the ground then looks at me to see if they did it correctly, that is bullshit.'
I'm sure the point is not lost, but we spend so much time worrying about 'correct' in a different way that we forget about results, if the guy is on the ground and you have created distance for an escape, obviously you did it correctly because you achieved the desired results.
Training should be about cutting out all the bullshit and achieving results, cultivating and training continuously is less about perfecting technique than it is about achieving better and faster results - perhaps better technique is an afterthought (the concept is more important).
That is also Kime, Mushin, and Zanshin... Did the cave man think 'Did I club the other guy correctly' after he had successfully clubbed the other Guy and made off with whatever it was he was after? Perhaps they thought about better, more efficient ways of clubbing (obviously we wouldn't have made our way to swords, spears, knives, and guns were this not the case).
There was also an efficient way for each, but the main point is, if it got the job done then it was attested to in the results, not whether form was correct or incorrect and it most certainly was not some philisophical issue.
"Pointy end goes into the other man" - Antonio Banderas, The Mask of Zorro.
Most training is designed to appeal to the Upper Hemisphere way of looking at things, reasoning things out, approaching things in a systematic and orderly manner, while also not paying attention to the inner stuff of the psyche (usually only with a nod to this by mentioning vague concepts such as Mushin, Kime, or more generally, Zanshin).
The more I go on, the more I find that people are expecting some orderly thing where X somehow equals Y (or perhaps the 2+2 mentality, where everything has its' place and there is a place for everything).
I hear a lot of talk about those previously mentioned vague concepts, but no one really seems to know what they are and when they demonstrate they usually take up a position and cultivate a blank and mindless stare.
Since when did Mushin mean Mindlessness? Since when did Zanshin mean standing still and looking all 'crazy eyed?'
When did any of this ever become orderly and well-defined? The truth is, it never did, this is a case of people trying to bend facts to beliefs.
In a recent podcast I listened to there was a very thoughtful insight shared by Rory Miller, he said, 'When a student has successfully knocked their opponent to the ground then looks at me to see if they did it correctly, that is bullshit.'
I'm sure the point is not lost, but we spend so much time worrying about 'correct' in a different way that we forget about results, if the guy is on the ground and you have created distance for an escape, obviously you did it correctly because you achieved the desired results.
Training should be about cutting out all the bullshit and achieving results, cultivating and training continuously is less about perfecting technique than it is about achieving better and faster results - perhaps better technique is an afterthought (the concept is more important).
That is also Kime, Mushin, and Zanshin... Did the cave man think 'Did I club the other guy correctly' after he had successfully clubbed the other Guy and made off with whatever it was he was after? Perhaps they thought about better, more efficient ways of clubbing (obviously we wouldn't have made our way to swords, spears, knives, and guns were this not the case).
There was also an efficient way for each, but the main point is, if it got the job done then it was attested to in the results, not whether form was correct or incorrect and it most certainly was not some philisophical issue.
"Pointy end goes into the other man" - Antonio Banderas, The Mask of Zorro.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Conceptual Blending.
The other night I was doing some solo practice with the beginning movement of Seipai Kata (loosely - based more around the concept rather than the stylized movement); what I was doing was practicing different variations of what Wilder and Kane call 'Crossing the T to Escape' which is based around the naval strategic concept of broadsiding.
I have found time and again that all escapes, whether standing or on the ground, can be broken down to those principle - where you either cross your shoulder to the opposite of their body or, when on the ground, form a letter 'T' with your hips as the base.
Not only does this way of looking at this concept help to make things simple and avoid the whole complex mess of trying to learn thousands of different escapes, but it works, and there is really nothing more to it - if you have an extra-large guy really cranking on the hold, you facilitate the movement with a little added strike to some vital areas, like the side of the thigh, the groin, or rake up on the face, whatever, doesn't really matter, the job gets done either way.
Breaking things down, taking segments of Kata that you may know and not really worrying about 'correctness' or 'crispness,' just looking at the principles behind the movements and getting out of the mindset of 'this technique' or 'that technique' will yield some interesting insights and add that much more depth to your training.
In a very profound way, when we let go of the things we are lead to believe are important we find out just how much of a hindrance they have been to actually understanding what it is we are doing.
It is like the notion of how the lower/lizard brain thinks in pictures rather than words, and interestingly enough, it is the lizard brain upon which we are dependent when it comes to self defense, so the higher order of thinking needs to take a back seat in training and things need to be approached in a more holistic way.
Funny thing, when I was practicing the Seipai Principles my buddy thought I was practicing Bagua.
You find interesting little things like that as well, leading you down some interesting places, especially when everything is in place and you understand what it is you are looking at according to the principles, not the movement or individual movements.
I have found time and again that all escapes, whether standing or on the ground, can be broken down to those principle - where you either cross your shoulder to the opposite of their body or, when on the ground, form a letter 'T' with your hips as the base.
Not only does this way of looking at this concept help to make things simple and avoid the whole complex mess of trying to learn thousands of different escapes, but it works, and there is really nothing more to it - if you have an extra-large guy really cranking on the hold, you facilitate the movement with a little added strike to some vital areas, like the side of the thigh, the groin, or rake up on the face, whatever, doesn't really matter, the job gets done either way.
Breaking things down, taking segments of Kata that you may know and not really worrying about 'correctness' or 'crispness,' just looking at the principles behind the movements and getting out of the mindset of 'this technique' or 'that technique' will yield some interesting insights and add that much more depth to your training.
In a very profound way, when we let go of the things we are lead to believe are important we find out just how much of a hindrance they have been to actually understanding what it is we are doing.
It is like the notion of how the lower/lizard brain thinks in pictures rather than words, and interestingly enough, it is the lizard brain upon which we are dependent when it comes to self defense, so the higher order of thinking needs to take a back seat in training and things need to be approached in a more holistic way.
Funny thing, when I was practicing the Seipai Principles my buddy thought I was practicing Bagua.
You find interesting little things like that as well, leading you down some interesting places, especially when everything is in place and you understand what it is you are looking at according to the principles, not the movement or individual movements.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Besting Yourself.
Learning to do new things always takes time and effort, a lot of mental wrestling as you find thoughts go through your head saying 'I can't do this.'
I am playing around with spinning fire staff and poy (two flaming balls at the end of a chain that is spun around in various ways) - neither of which I am very good at at the moment and I am truly amazed at some of the things people can pull off with both.
For most people there is the intimidation factor, after which they try a few times to do what they have seen, then they give up, often with some justification, in order to go back to doing what they can do.
This is alright, some things are not for everyone, but never say never. So what if you can't do that spinning back kick this week, try it a couple times a day, every day, then increase the number of repetitions the next week, increasing each week as you go (take your worst technique and make it your best, then repeat the process over and over again).
I remember at a Karate Fellowship hosted by Scott Wall Sensei a while back, I was doing staff work with Lawrence Kane who had noticed that my strikes were lacking any body, basically they were 'all arm.'
This got me to really look at what I was doing, I didn't take offense to it because he was right - I also worked repeatedly on minute details of each little bit of the Sanchin Principles taught by Kris Wilder, reading the book over and over, practicing as I read, practicing throughout the day, at work, at home, out walking, driving, then I bought the DVD recently from the Martial Expo and follow along as I watch it.
As a result I can knock my friend Logan back pretty easily, and he is about two feet taller than me and outweighs me by a good hundred pounds.
Now there is more body behind everything I do, more ground as well. I am still not the best Karateka, nor will I strive to reach for such delusions of grandeur, but I will strive to continually improve upon myself, to be better than I was the week, month, and even year before.
Just by paying attention, really listening to what is said, rather than just hearing the words and having an emotional response.
It is not about making people feel good, warm, and fuzzy; it is about making them work beyond their limits and improve - to what ends? I honestly don't believe in limitations or categorizations, though they are useful tools at times. Nothing more.
I am playing around with spinning fire staff and poy (two flaming balls at the end of a chain that is spun around in various ways) - neither of which I am very good at at the moment and I am truly amazed at some of the things people can pull off with both.
For most people there is the intimidation factor, after which they try a few times to do what they have seen, then they give up, often with some justification, in order to go back to doing what they can do.
This is alright, some things are not for everyone, but never say never. So what if you can't do that spinning back kick this week, try it a couple times a day, every day, then increase the number of repetitions the next week, increasing each week as you go (take your worst technique and make it your best, then repeat the process over and over again).
I remember at a Karate Fellowship hosted by Scott Wall Sensei a while back, I was doing staff work with Lawrence Kane who had noticed that my strikes were lacking any body, basically they were 'all arm.'
This got me to really look at what I was doing, I didn't take offense to it because he was right - I also worked repeatedly on minute details of each little bit of the Sanchin Principles taught by Kris Wilder, reading the book over and over, practicing as I read, practicing throughout the day, at work, at home, out walking, driving, then I bought the DVD recently from the Martial Expo and follow along as I watch it.
As a result I can knock my friend Logan back pretty easily, and he is about two feet taller than me and outweighs me by a good hundred pounds.
Now there is more body behind everything I do, more ground as well. I am still not the best Karateka, nor will I strive to reach for such delusions of grandeur, but I will strive to continually improve upon myself, to be better than I was the week, month, and even year before.
Just by paying attention, really listening to what is said, rather than just hearing the words and having an emotional response.
It is not about making people feel good, warm, and fuzzy; it is about making them work beyond their limits and improve - to what ends? I honestly don't believe in limitations or categorizations, though they are useful tools at times. Nothing more.
Kokoro.
Back in the day we used to have what was called 'Warrior's Journey,' a training that was formulated around a heavy emphasis on Zazen, ritual, and light emphasis on Bokken work with very harsh and strange etiquette.
Those of us that undertook the Journey had more expected of us as it came to the Dojo and to life, things were taken deeper, the pressure was turned up on high, and every little mistake was scrutinized in the form of a 'cut,' something of a game we played in the Dojo that was meant to teach a lesson about something specific.
What did it/does it mean? I still cannot really answer that question, but that level of training is not for everyone, in fact, very few I feel would have stayed in the Dojo had that been the normal order of business.
Normal people (and I do not mean that as an insult) do not generally stay with something that they dislike, nor is it understood how someone can continue with it even when, at times, they seem to dislike it entirely, though never on the surface.
The level of training only deepened as years went on and the 'Warrior's Journey' type of trainining turned into month-long Zen Intensives held during the Summer at Sensei's house in Olympia after he had returned from Tassajara where he'd stayed for something like two years (more or less).
Jeff Iller Sensei, the guy that gave me my first lesson with the Bokken (and guided me through my first year of Karate training as my Mentor) was left in charge of the Dojo, a lot is owed to him for that time and effort (Here's to you Two Foxes.haha).
I don't know why I am taking this stroll down memory lane, but I think it is heading somewhere.
Most Dojo I have been to have lacked Heart, Kokoro is very important, and by heart I mean Character, with a good core group of people - nor could any of them ever truly be my home, as I am already a core part of something that is long gone.
You can never take two steps back, but you can take two steps forward - regardless of how many steps, you are always where you are, and there is the most powerful place from which you can work.
Charlie Todd took a rec room at Eastern Washington University and made it into a strong Dojo, with only myself and a guy from Isshin Ryu, there may have been only two students drawing from his knowledge, but he made it count, because that is what he loved doing.
I guess that is what separates those that come and go from those that are the pillars, the core, the fact that love for the training is deep, while the other is just a passing curiosity.
This can be forgiven as, again, it is never for everyone and never will be, but it is always open to those who want to take a peek.
The core and the spirit are the heart, and the heart is what makes or breaks things - generic organizationship is just a franchise.
What makes a true family? What does any of this really mean and where is it leading? Interestingly enough, I'm certain someone may reply with an answer, or not, no big deal either way. Just a standing curiosity among many standing curiosities, right?
Those of us that undertook the Journey had more expected of us as it came to the Dojo and to life, things were taken deeper, the pressure was turned up on high, and every little mistake was scrutinized in the form of a 'cut,' something of a game we played in the Dojo that was meant to teach a lesson about something specific.
What did it/does it mean? I still cannot really answer that question, but that level of training is not for everyone, in fact, very few I feel would have stayed in the Dojo had that been the normal order of business.
Normal people (and I do not mean that as an insult) do not generally stay with something that they dislike, nor is it understood how someone can continue with it even when, at times, they seem to dislike it entirely, though never on the surface.
The level of training only deepened as years went on and the 'Warrior's Journey' type of trainining turned into month-long Zen Intensives held during the Summer at Sensei's house in Olympia after he had returned from Tassajara where he'd stayed for something like two years (more or less).
Jeff Iller Sensei, the guy that gave me my first lesson with the Bokken (and guided me through my first year of Karate training as my Mentor) was left in charge of the Dojo, a lot is owed to him for that time and effort (Here's to you Two Foxes.haha).
I don't know why I am taking this stroll down memory lane, but I think it is heading somewhere.
Most Dojo I have been to have lacked Heart, Kokoro is very important, and by heart I mean Character, with a good core group of people - nor could any of them ever truly be my home, as I am already a core part of something that is long gone.
You can never take two steps back, but you can take two steps forward - regardless of how many steps, you are always where you are, and there is the most powerful place from which you can work.
Charlie Todd took a rec room at Eastern Washington University and made it into a strong Dojo, with only myself and a guy from Isshin Ryu, there may have been only two students drawing from his knowledge, but he made it count, because that is what he loved doing.
I guess that is what separates those that come and go from those that are the pillars, the core, the fact that love for the training is deep, while the other is just a passing curiosity.
This can be forgiven as, again, it is never for everyone and never will be, but it is always open to those who want to take a peek.
The core and the spirit are the heart, and the heart is what makes or breaks things - generic organizationship is just a franchise.
What makes a true family? What does any of this really mean and where is it leading? Interestingly enough, I'm certain someone may reply with an answer, or not, no big deal either way. Just a standing curiosity among many standing curiosities, right?
Organic Classes and the Dojo of Now.
In the days of the old Masters, perhaps long before those with whom we are familiar, I imagine things happening in a very different manner, something very much organic as opposed to mechanistic.
Wherever you happened to find yourself when these things happened, that is where you were and that spot has just become sacred until things were finished 'happening' and you found yourself in another spot as the process continued.
'Do' meant the Way, 'Jo' meant place - Dao Jang?? I'm uncertain about that translation and a lot of people are not too fond of semantics, but I think this aversion to semantics has robbed us of our understanding as to what the power behind the 'word' truly is.
The word is the pointing finger, as the old saying goes, the point is understanding what the word truly means - not just a cold definition, but truly knowing.
A Dojo is not truly a place, not just a training hall, now-a-days we have set places where things 'happen' at a specific time, according to a specific schedule; one can still learn many things by not missing scheduled classes, but one needs to be open to always letting things 'happen' wherever they are, because when things happen organically it can be a truly deep and life-changing experience.
I have always said that the world is my Dojo as life is all about learning, that life is constantly 'happening' and does not truly have a schedule; just as the ancient Daoists did not have a set time and place to follow the Dao, wherever they went, there they were, immersed in the happening, that was their Dao Jang.
When you leave the Dojo you may leave that mentality on the Dojo Floor as you bow out of class and pick it up as you bow in - that is fine, but what do you take with you and how do you apply it in other areas? Life should be the Dojo, the Training Hall you attend is where you go for guidance as you continue the 'happening' endlessly no matter where you find yourself.
Recently Wilder Sensei told me that the first Dojo of Mas Oyama was something akin to a run-down Garage, I had also read that prior to his first actual Dojo he accepted students and trained them in an empty grassy lot.
Myself? I have trained in nice places, and not so nice places, my back yard in many different locations has served as a great Dojo, my basement, garages, hills, mountains - in the extreme heat of Spokane's summers, in the extreme cold of Spokane's winters, no matter where you go, there you are, and it doesn't end until you end, until you are no longer 'happening.'
Last night my friend Logan and I were having a discussion on many different things, then it turned to Martial Arts, as he had studied Kendo and wanted to study Karate. It turned into an on-the-spot class in the living room - a living exploration of concepts, ranging from Sanchin posture, to 'Crossing the T' as a sole basis for escaping holds and Ground Fighting, to the concept of seeing the body as a wheel or sphere with various points of imbalance that can facilitate throwing and takedowns.
We switched back and forth between using Bokken to empty hand, with a little bit of Bo thrown in as an interesting aside to explore these principles.
It was less like what you would see in a formal setting, more like a physically involved whole-body and mind discussion.
Now he is spreading the word and more people would like to join in the discussion. When it happens, it will happen.
These organic on-the-spot things always go deep and I have been blessed with few students who think deeply rather than many students who go through the motions. The process is never-ending and class is never out of session.
Wherever you happened to find yourself when these things happened, that is where you were and that spot has just become sacred until things were finished 'happening' and you found yourself in another spot as the process continued.
'Do' meant the Way, 'Jo' meant place - Dao Jang?? I'm uncertain about that translation and a lot of people are not too fond of semantics, but I think this aversion to semantics has robbed us of our understanding as to what the power behind the 'word' truly is.
The word is the pointing finger, as the old saying goes, the point is understanding what the word truly means - not just a cold definition, but truly knowing.
A Dojo is not truly a place, not just a training hall, now-a-days we have set places where things 'happen' at a specific time, according to a specific schedule; one can still learn many things by not missing scheduled classes, but one needs to be open to always letting things 'happen' wherever they are, because when things happen organically it can be a truly deep and life-changing experience.
I have always said that the world is my Dojo as life is all about learning, that life is constantly 'happening' and does not truly have a schedule; just as the ancient Daoists did not have a set time and place to follow the Dao, wherever they went, there they were, immersed in the happening, that was their Dao Jang.
When you leave the Dojo you may leave that mentality on the Dojo Floor as you bow out of class and pick it up as you bow in - that is fine, but what do you take with you and how do you apply it in other areas? Life should be the Dojo, the Training Hall you attend is where you go for guidance as you continue the 'happening' endlessly no matter where you find yourself.
Recently Wilder Sensei told me that the first Dojo of Mas Oyama was something akin to a run-down Garage, I had also read that prior to his first actual Dojo he accepted students and trained them in an empty grassy lot.
Myself? I have trained in nice places, and not so nice places, my back yard in many different locations has served as a great Dojo, my basement, garages, hills, mountains - in the extreme heat of Spokane's summers, in the extreme cold of Spokane's winters, no matter where you go, there you are, and it doesn't end until you end, until you are no longer 'happening.'
Last night my friend Logan and I were having a discussion on many different things, then it turned to Martial Arts, as he had studied Kendo and wanted to study Karate. It turned into an on-the-spot class in the living room - a living exploration of concepts, ranging from Sanchin posture, to 'Crossing the T' as a sole basis for escaping holds and Ground Fighting, to the concept of seeing the body as a wheel or sphere with various points of imbalance that can facilitate throwing and takedowns.
We switched back and forth between using Bokken to empty hand, with a little bit of Bo thrown in as an interesting aside to explore these principles.
It was less like what you would see in a formal setting, more like a physically involved whole-body and mind discussion.
Now he is spreading the word and more people would like to join in the discussion. When it happens, it will happen.
These organic on-the-spot things always go deep and I have been blessed with few students who think deeply rather than many students who go through the motions. The process is never-ending and class is never out of session.
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