Sunday, September 30, 2018
Blunt Force Trauma.
If one does not begin their training until later in life can they make a claim that someone is their lifelong Teacher? If they had spent their time speaking very unflatteringly of their Teacher and others within their lineage, in private, would they be able to claim themselves as true to a teaching they claim someone else is also not following?
If some central tenants of a Teaching are to 'keep a disciplined mind' would it be considered a breach of that teaching for someone to freak out over something trivial and to behave in a manner unbecoming someone within a school that touts Courtesy and Manners as part of its' school name and central teaching?
There have been many unflattering things said in private, while presenting a different face in public, although most seem aware of a certain loss of trust and a certain pencheant for the dramatic on the part of the other party.
Certainly aware of the artful embellishments of this party when they write out what they have to say.
A person that can, like a chameleon, move from circle to circle and insinuate themselves into things with skilful use of words, charisma, a skill for making connections with people, sometimes at the expense of other people.
It is a wonder they ever had the trust of their Teacher at all, for the face they present in public is different for each circle and FAR different than the face that is presented in private.
I suppose that is par for the course, however, it is best to be wary of people like these, for they are only out for their own gain and will stop at nothing to gain at the expense of those around them.
They will place themselves in positions of high esteem with a lot of pull and use that pull to do whatever is best for them, they will make threats, they will also follow through with some of those threats if it benefits them to do so, sometimes it doesn't and they will switch strategies.
One person I know if likes to talk a big game, they sometimes put down the skill of others, even though they barely had any skill of their own when they COULD actually train.
They are great with words, and therein lay the possible reason they did not have the full trust of their Teacher and the reason they barely spoke. This person was only continuing with their partnership because it was an investment, not because they actually cared or acted in the same spirit as a man who would often place the wellfare of others above everything else.
Some within the Dojo could not afford dues and were feeling that they could no longer train because, unlike their Teacher, this person was more business minded and less compassionate.
A lot of talk and zero follow-through in regards to ANY of the central Teachings, with even less skill in ANY of the aspects of training on the floor.
It is a shame that these types are even able to make it through the door, but again, anyone can step on the floor, not everyone can actually walk the path laid out before them.
That is all.
Common Sense.
There are cults in the Martial Arts; personality cults around which small followings grow in which worship is in the form of someone presenting themselves as having something others do not... The one true way.
This tends to appeal to that part of the psyche that needs to feel special, privy to information no one else has, part of something greater than the self, and this is normal human behavior, but it is a huge flaw, a weakness upon which these sorts of people prey.
Certainly they may not make any money at these things, but it does make them feel greater than they actually are, charimsatic attention seekers that they are, they really cannot help themselves and, more often than not, will never recognize that there is a problem (believing their own stories so whole heartedly that, even when they are shown the truth, they have justifications ready to reinforce the story when it is shattered).
There is NO one true way. A correct and original way are not the same thing and what is correct for one person is not necessarily correct for another.
There is NO pure way, each walks the path in their own way, this is why variations pop up, sometimes from the Teacher, sometimes from insight, but no one EVER does things EXACTLY as their Teachers have done, it is simply not possible.
One can usually tell when someone else is a part of something like this, they make claims, they argue against someone else's claims with their own claims, but they seldom actually back up those claims, simply saying things like, 'If only you knew who I knew.'
Basically a cop-out, but they reinforce their own story in their heads this way and do not elaborate further.
My advice? Stay away from groups like this and, if your curiosity gets the better of you, keep a reasonable mind about your shoulders, remain a true skeptic, take what is useful and remain honest about the rest, do NOT give your mind and heart over to these people.
Often they speak very well, they have stories they share, most of which are embellished, but in the end, none of them really have any idea what they are talking about and, when one looks more closely at the information they provide they will find gaping holes... Heed these red flags.
Stay safe in your practice. The best self defense is simply having common sense.
This tends to appeal to that part of the psyche that needs to feel special, privy to information no one else has, part of something greater than the self, and this is normal human behavior, but it is a huge flaw, a weakness upon which these sorts of people prey.
Certainly they may not make any money at these things, but it does make them feel greater than they actually are, charimsatic attention seekers that they are, they really cannot help themselves and, more often than not, will never recognize that there is a problem (believing their own stories so whole heartedly that, even when they are shown the truth, they have justifications ready to reinforce the story when it is shattered).
There is NO one true way. A correct and original way are not the same thing and what is correct for one person is not necessarily correct for another.
There is NO pure way, each walks the path in their own way, this is why variations pop up, sometimes from the Teacher, sometimes from insight, but no one EVER does things EXACTLY as their Teachers have done, it is simply not possible.
One can usually tell when someone else is a part of something like this, they make claims, they argue against someone else's claims with their own claims, but they seldom actually back up those claims, simply saying things like, 'If only you knew who I knew.'
Basically a cop-out, but they reinforce their own story in their heads this way and do not elaborate further.
My advice? Stay away from groups like this and, if your curiosity gets the better of you, keep a reasonable mind about your shoulders, remain a true skeptic, take what is useful and remain honest about the rest, do NOT give your mind and heart over to these people.
Often they speak very well, they have stories they share, most of which are embellished, but in the end, none of them really have any idea what they are talking about and, when one looks more closely at the information they provide they will find gaping holes... Heed these red flags.
Stay safe in your practice. The best self defense is simply having common sense.
Friday, September 28, 2018
False Harmony.
I am a blunt person, but I am an honest person.
I will tell it exactly how I see it, and yes, sometimes I am a bit of an asshole, but the truth is that I am this way because I care too deeply to just let things go by with any amount of sugar coating.
To cut through all the nonsense is simply a way of remaining true, keeping things simple, and keeping things practical.
Nothing needs to be so overly complex or convoluted and complaining only means that our energy, our focus, is not directed where it should be.
Budo training shows us exactly how to cut through all the nonsense in our day to day lives; how to zero in on the solutions within ourselves and start implimenting what needs to be implimented.
False harmony and paying lip service have no place here, just as half-assed focus and technique have no place on the Dojo Floor.
The answers cannot be found on the floor if one is not fully present on the floor, just the same with life.
Do we complain over and over when we are not quite getting something? A new Kata? A new technique? Or do we simply question and work at it until we start to get it?
If people were to tell you what you want to hear in the Dojo then no progress could be made, again, just the same with life.
Conflict and difficulty, viewed from the correct context, are our true Teachers; they are the road to true harmony, to true strength of spirit.
This is NOT just philosophy. This is the sort of thing that shapes great people who, in turn, shape the world.
I will tell it exactly how I see it, and yes, sometimes I am a bit of an asshole, but the truth is that I am this way because I care too deeply to just let things go by with any amount of sugar coating.
To cut through all the nonsense is simply a way of remaining true, keeping things simple, and keeping things practical.
Nothing needs to be so overly complex or convoluted and complaining only means that our energy, our focus, is not directed where it should be.
Budo training shows us exactly how to cut through all the nonsense in our day to day lives; how to zero in on the solutions within ourselves and start implimenting what needs to be implimented.
False harmony and paying lip service have no place here, just as half-assed focus and technique have no place on the Dojo Floor.
The answers cannot be found on the floor if one is not fully present on the floor, just the same with life.
Do we complain over and over when we are not quite getting something? A new Kata? A new technique? Or do we simply question and work at it until we start to get it?
If people were to tell you what you want to hear in the Dojo then no progress could be made, again, just the same with life.
Conflict and difficulty, viewed from the correct context, are our true Teachers; they are the road to true harmony, to true strength of spirit.
This is NOT just philosophy. This is the sort of thing that shapes great people who, in turn, shape the world.
Sunday, September 23, 2018
The Answers Are On The Floor.
Shihan John Roseberry is someone I, personally, will never forget, indeed, whom has been in my thoughts even before the news of his passing yesterday.
I am truly grateful to have known this man and even further grateful to have had the opportunity to share the floor with him one last time this passed June at the Sho Rei Shobu Kan National Convention in Lincoln Nebraska, at the Dojo he founded, the original Hombu Dojo of the Organization prior to his moving it to Virginia.
New faces, old faces, a long time coming home, and we were all there for one reason, to see Shihan, even though he practically put us through torture while sitting down, his voice barely above a whisper as he gave directions.
Many would say that Shihan was less concerned with the business side of running an Organization and more concerned with simply Teaching and helping people.
One student at the LMAC had been showing up to class every single day, all classes offered, for many many years, the direct result of Shihan Roseberry's influence.
Shihan had brought this guy in off the street, an older gentleman with a developmental disability, and invited him to train, the man loved it so much that he continued to just show up, even though he would not be able to learn a lot of the aspects, he is now a Brown Belt in the Organization, having been promoted this last summer during Convention, much to his own surprise.
Shihan began his training in Karate under Seikichi Toguchi in 1955 while stationed in Okinawa during his time in the United States Marine Corpse.
A friend of Masanobu Shinjo, Dojo Brother of Yoshio Kuba Sensei, and Teacher of many many other people, one of the first to bring Karate to America at a time when Karate itself was not so well known.
A Champion Boxer, Alternate of the 1964 US Olympic Judo Team, Student of the Blues Guitar, Motorcycle Enthusiast, among many other things, one could not possibly box this guy into a single category, but it all goes back to simply being who he was and helping others to become, more fully, who they were meant to be.
A man of such influence, one would expect to find him plastered all over the internet, but that is the beauty of it.
While many out there have their faces all over the internet in promotion of their various Organizations, Seminars, Videos, ect., one would be hard pressed to find anything on Shihan, other than a few blurbs here and there, but if you ask people like Yoshio Kuba Sensei, or Kris Wilder Sensei, you will clearly see just how far reaching the influence of this man was.
You will not find his Kata on Youtube, you will not find videos extolling his ideas or theories, he had nothing to prove to anyone and did not really care who accepted his ideas, because he knew their value and he knew they would get to the right people at the right time to help those people.
I was one of those people. I first met Shihan Roseberry when I was eleven years old at the Dojo of my Teacher, Michael Dascenzo, the original Senior Student of Shihan Roseberry, and participated in a seminar put on by Shihan Roseberry during that visit.
Another occasion I was traveling with the Olympic Martial Arts Center's Tournament Team to AAU Nationals in Chicago, I was twelve, and we stopped off in Lincoln where Shihan put us through the ringers at his Research Center before we all broke from training to go swim at a Pool where he worked as a lifeguard.
That night we all stayed at Shihan's house before breaking back on the road the next day toward Chicago.
Shihan had come up to Washington again and, this time, we were training out of Olympia where I also acted as his Otomo and Uke on the floor.
He threw me from strange positions, twisted me into a pretzel many times over, picked apart each of my Kata, really pushed me on so many different levels, I came out of it with a better understanding of myself, especially considering I was extremely physically ill through the whole ordeal.
That seminar was more wide ranging, considering we also had Aikidoka in attendance. One would think he would focus on Karate and Aikido, nope, he went into some old school Japanese Jujitsu training.
The man was full of surprises, yet very humble in his approach to everything. I do not feel that one could do him justice by simply classifying him as a Karateka, a Judoka, an Aikidoka, or anything of the like.
He practiced EVERYTHING with the same fervor he had for Budo as a whole, absolutely everything, it was all to be done with full attention, it was all important, every single moment of life was worth living, from the trivial to the important, as nothing was trivial and nothing was more important than anything else.
This is what I have taken away from my encounter with this man, directly, and through his Student Michael Dascenzo.
In coming months it will be interesting to see where things go, I hope that people can hold it together and others can leave their egos aside or keep their mouths shut, but ultimately that has nothing to do with me or my own training, I will simply follow Shihan's constant advice and find the answers on the floor.
I am truly grateful to have known this man and even further grateful to have had the opportunity to share the floor with him one last time this passed June at the Sho Rei Shobu Kan National Convention in Lincoln Nebraska, at the Dojo he founded, the original Hombu Dojo of the Organization prior to his moving it to Virginia.
New faces, old faces, a long time coming home, and we were all there for one reason, to see Shihan, even though he practically put us through torture while sitting down, his voice barely above a whisper as he gave directions.
Many would say that Shihan was less concerned with the business side of running an Organization and more concerned with simply Teaching and helping people.
One student at the LMAC had been showing up to class every single day, all classes offered, for many many years, the direct result of Shihan Roseberry's influence.
Shihan had brought this guy in off the street, an older gentleman with a developmental disability, and invited him to train, the man loved it so much that he continued to just show up, even though he would not be able to learn a lot of the aspects, he is now a Brown Belt in the Organization, having been promoted this last summer during Convention, much to his own surprise.
Shihan began his training in Karate under Seikichi Toguchi in 1955 while stationed in Okinawa during his time in the United States Marine Corpse.
A friend of Masanobu Shinjo, Dojo Brother of Yoshio Kuba Sensei, and Teacher of many many other people, one of the first to bring Karate to America at a time when Karate itself was not so well known.
A Champion Boxer, Alternate of the 1964 US Olympic Judo Team, Student of the Blues Guitar, Motorcycle Enthusiast, among many other things, one could not possibly box this guy into a single category, but it all goes back to simply being who he was and helping others to become, more fully, who they were meant to be.
A man of such influence, one would expect to find him plastered all over the internet, but that is the beauty of it.
While many out there have their faces all over the internet in promotion of their various Organizations, Seminars, Videos, ect., one would be hard pressed to find anything on Shihan, other than a few blurbs here and there, but if you ask people like Yoshio Kuba Sensei, or Kris Wilder Sensei, you will clearly see just how far reaching the influence of this man was.
You will not find his Kata on Youtube, you will not find videos extolling his ideas or theories, he had nothing to prove to anyone and did not really care who accepted his ideas, because he knew their value and he knew they would get to the right people at the right time to help those people.
I was one of those people. I first met Shihan Roseberry when I was eleven years old at the Dojo of my Teacher, Michael Dascenzo, the original Senior Student of Shihan Roseberry, and participated in a seminar put on by Shihan Roseberry during that visit.
Another occasion I was traveling with the Olympic Martial Arts Center's Tournament Team to AAU Nationals in Chicago, I was twelve, and we stopped off in Lincoln where Shihan put us through the ringers at his Research Center before we all broke from training to go swim at a Pool where he worked as a lifeguard.
That night we all stayed at Shihan's house before breaking back on the road the next day toward Chicago.
Shihan had come up to Washington again and, this time, we were training out of Olympia where I also acted as his Otomo and Uke on the floor.
He threw me from strange positions, twisted me into a pretzel many times over, picked apart each of my Kata, really pushed me on so many different levels, I came out of it with a better understanding of myself, especially considering I was extremely physically ill through the whole ordeal.
That seminar was more wide ranging, considering we also had Aikidoka in attendance. One would think he would focus on Karate and Aikido, nope, he went into some old school Japanese Jujitsu training.
The man was full of surprises, yet very humble in his approach to everything. I do not feel that one could do him justice by simply classifying him as a Karateka, a Judoka, an Aikidoka, or anything of the like.
He practiced EVERYTHING with the same fervor he had for Budo as a whole, absolutely everything, it was all to be done with full attention, it was all important, every single moment of life was worth living, from the trivial to the important, as nothing was trivial and nothing was more important than anything else.
This is what I have taken away from my encounter with this man, directly, and through his Student Michael Dascenzo.
In coming months it will be interesting to see where things go, I hope that people can hold it together and others can leave their egos aside or keep their mouths shut, but ultimately that has nothing to do with me or my own training, I will simply follow Shihan's constant advice and find the answers on the floor.
Legacies in New Moments.
Class this last Friday was focused solely on breaking down Jodan Uke and applying it in a more functional manner, with focus specifically on the 'off' hand as it moved through the center line.
This was done partially in the vein of a recent visit I made, in June, to the Lincoln Martial Arts Center for the Sho Rei Shobu Kan's Convention put on by my Teacher's Teacher, Shihan John Roseberry.
He took a Kata he created, Gakusei No Kata, and broke it down into sparring drills that we worked for eight hours, from beginning, to end, which really shed some light onto not only the applications there-in, but approaching application of Kata in general.
I had worked a twelve hour shift off of Graves, from Midnight to Noon, and had stuff to do throughout the day, so I had finally laid down for bed when my phone went off asking what time Karate Class was, since it was Friday.
My body said, 'No class today,' but a voice in my head said, 'You have to get up and work with these kids,' so I told the person that Class would be around six o'clock and took about an hour nap, then went to teach.
Class started off with a grueling warm-up, myself and my students performed what I call 'frog sprints' and a quickened 'lizard walk' both of which contain elements of various other exercises meant to work multiple muscle groups at the same time, with a focus specifically on the core.
Some kids were having a hard time with it, some were getting it, but still missing elements, so we took some time to go over proper form and the reason for proper form in all things, which lead to the next focus of class, Jodan Uke.
We started off just standing in Sanchin Dachi performing Jodan Uke, then moved into partner work with specific focus on Ude Uke to the center line as one partner quickly reached out with open hands to tag the defender in the center of the chest, or the head, targeting was random.
Again, the focus was on the reason for proper form and how it feeds the functionality of the technique and, in turn, shows that the target does not matter, the function of the movement is the same.
We ended with the last portion of Jodan Uke turning into a strike after the initial Ude Uke, with a pull in to Chamber and a forearm strike/hammerfist follow-through to the head.
After this more about form and function were stressed as we moved in to closing. The classes are not specifically formal, I simply have them sit and focus on a spot on the ground, then we have a Q and A session and class is over.
I went home and crashed hard, slept for a few hours, then woke up feeling rested, but a different kind of rested, something had changed.
I went back to sleep again after spending some time with my kids, then woke up to the news that Shihan John Roseberry had passed.
It was not really a surprise, I somehow knew, but regardless, it hit many, including myself, pretty hard.
The above is to illustrate the legacy that Shihan left behind, this is how we honor his memory, this is how we continue his legacy.
Who is senior? Who is his successor? These things really don't matter because we are all successors to aspects of what he taught and THIS is how we move forward, by not getting caught up in our own sadness, by continuing as we always have.
Ultimately death is a natural part of life and is not something to be viewed in a negative light, it is something to be celebrated and welcomed, to be accepted for what it is.
Shihan is not gone, he has just entered the next phase of his journey.
Keep finding answers on the floor. Until we all meet again.
This was done partially in the vein of a recent visit I made, in June, to the Lincoln Martial Arts Center for the Sho Rei Shobu Kan's Convention put on by my Teacher's Teacher, Shihan John Roseberry.
He took a Kata he created, Gakusei No Kata, and broke it down into sparring drills that we worked for eight hours, from beginning, to end, which really shed some light onto not only the applications there-in, but approaching application of Kata in general.
I had worked a twelve hour shift off of Graves, from Midnight to Noon, and had stuff to do throughout the day, so I had finally laid down for bed when my phone went off asking what time Karate Class was, since it was Friday.
My body said, 'No class today,' but a voice in my head said, 'You have to get up and work with these kids,' so I told the person that Class would be around six o'clock and took about an hour nap, then went to teach.
Class started off with a grueling warm-up, myself and my students performed what I call 'frog sprints' and a quickened 'lizard walk' both of which contain elements of various other exercises meant to work multiple muscle groups at the same time, with a focus specifically on the core.
Some kids were having a hard time with it, some were getting it, but still missing elements, so we took some time to go over proper form and the reason for proper form in all things, which lead to the next focus of class, Jodan Uke.
We started off just standing in Sanchin Dachi performing Jodan Uke, then moved into partner work with specific focus on Ude Uke to the center line as one partner quickly reached out with open hands to tag the defender in the center of the chest, or the head, targeting was random.
Again, the focus was on the reason for proper form and how it feeds the functionality of the technique and, in turn, shows that the target does not matter, the function of the movement is the same.
We ended with the last portion of Jodan Uke turning into a strike after the initial Ude Uke, with a pull in to Chamber and a forearm strike/hammerfist follow-through to the head.
After this more about form and function were stressed as we moved in to closing. The classes are not specifically formal, I simply have them sit and focus on a spot on the ground, then we have a Q and A session and class is over.
I went home and crashed hard, slept for a few hours, then woke up feeling rested, but a different kind of rested, something had changed.
I went back to sleep again after spending some time with my kids, then woke up to the news that Shihan John Roseberry had passed.
It was not really a surprise, I somehow knew, but regardless, it hit many, including myself, pretty hard.
The above is to illustrate the legacy that Shihan left behind, this is how we honor his memory, this is how we continue his legacy.
Who is senior? Who is his successor? These things really don't matter because we are all successors to aspects of what he taught and THIS is how we move forward, by not getting caught up in our own sadness, by continuing as we always have.
Ultimately death is a natural part of life and is not something to be viewed in a negative light, it is something to be celebrated and welcomed, to be accepted for what it is.
Shihan is not gone, he has just entered the next phase of his journey.
Keep finding answers on the floor. Until we all meet again.
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