Root of the Tree.

 It is amusing when people talk about ‘this’ style versus ‘that’ style, how much emphasis is placed on ‘how we do things’ versus ‘how they do things.’

‘Ours is the correct way’ so it goes, but what constitutes correct? Is the art being taught as ‘self defense’ (an ambiguous term unto itself)? Is it being taught as a Cultural Art Form? How is it being presented?

It is human nature to believe what we have put our time into has merit, value, and it seems to puff up the ego in small talk at social gatherings.

It hurts the ego when this is challenged, another example of human nature, a natural response... Further exacerbated when it is proven through an on the spot test to the challenge presented.

(Most don’t heed this and improve, they lick their wounds and just go on believing the delusion).

Arguments over ‘this point’ or ‘that detail’ are not very productive or useful in the long run, at least without context.

If something proves useful then, fine, it is a keeper and worth noting. If not, why keep it? Why train a bad habit? Why are you training? What is being taught? How is it presented?

Are you training for actual conflict or are you just learning an art form?

Getting the fine points so that something looks right is okay, but this is not training for conflict, it is learning a form, for presentation; a glorified dance.

Some principle based approaches fall into this as well when people begin to obsess over the proper way to perform a movement via principles rather than applying something to see it if works or if you get your ass handed to you.

This is function versus form.

It is not about the style, there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution, everything has a weakness, everything has a strength.

If a person is so focused on form then they have no means of knowing where something is lacking or where it is truly strong.

I would say that the first point should be to note that the weakness is in the over emphasis on form and performance with no real context in conflict or testing things out.

If you learn something then it is up to you to attempt to break it, see where it is lacking, see where it is strong, once the strength is found, try to break that as well.

Don’t get hung up on one style versus another, don’t be a style loyalist or purist because when the rubber hits the road the only thing that matters is what worked and what didn’t.

What didn’t may very well get you killed or, at the very least, fuck your world up for years to come after it leaves you eating from a tube.

Are these things being packaged as self defense when they are clearly a performance art?

That is a huge red flag. Take note. It is likely best to thank the Instructor for their time and move on to greener pastures.

Often what works is not pretty to look at; it is not flashy, not fancy, but it also does not take years to master.

Those are the things that are truly worthy of attention and, ironically, years of dedication.

If something requires you to close your mind to learning and seeks to convince you that it has all the answers then RUN!

A black belt is just a piece of cloth and those who feel they have nothing left to learn have nothing worthy of being learned.

Always seek to learn, always seek to grow, never get stuck in one thing unless that one thing is to grow yourself, your way, in the way that works for you.

Passing this on should never be a practice of preserving something just as it is either, it should be an exercise of seeking to help others find their way, what works for them.

I am not a Karateka, I have not been for a long time.

Though I train, I am a Budoka, I seek what works, I seek to learn and grow, to pass on what I know in order to help others do the same.

I respect my roots, but roots only serve as support for the whole tree.

Are you a dead tree?

Context is King.

 Budo is important as a foundation in life, beyond that it is not so important or special.

Yes, it does instill confidence, yes, it CAN be used as a foundation for effective defense against physical, mental, and emotional assault.

Does that mean it should take center stage above everything else in life? Does that mean one should dedicate their life toward its’ pursuit?

One need look no farther than Social Media or the evening News and Politics to see what happens when something takes center stage and begins to dominate a person’s life in every aspect, Heart, mind, and soul.

It is no different than an addiction, cravings consume a person, the person becomes the addiction, their mind, their whole persona, they are no longer themselves and will do everything they can, without even realizing it in some cases, to appease this thing that has dominated their entire being.

In other ways it is nothing like this at all. When kept in proper context it can yield tremendous value and guidance, but it is not the be all, end all; merely the beginning, the foundation.

It seeks to yield a blueprint, or loose guidelines, nothing really concrete, one can get the same thing studying the likes of Aristotle, Socrates, Pythagoras... All of whom, if I am not mistaken, were Martial Men in their own right, and in Ancient Greece, Martial Study was considered a foundational aspect of a Philosopher (in later times, an integral aspect of Religious devotees as well).

Recently I have been learning how to take care of a house... I had to replace a light fixture, something I had never done before.

Call me a slow beginner, but it was a very interesting undertaking.

The basics of a light fixture are the same across the board for the most part, with a few exceptions, and something Karate had not taught me, but had certainly prepared me for.

You see, endless hours of working Kihon, putting Kihon together into Waza, Waza going into Kata, from Kata to the Bunkai, from Bunkai to Oyo.

From Karate to Jujitsu and Aikido, to Okinawa Ti, they all utilize similar processes to learn and one can see that there are almost identical foundational principles for each aspect, from striking, to throwing and taking someone down, to grappling, to weapons.

It is the same and if you have foundation in one thing it is usually much easier to learn something else... Not that you KNOW something else from your previous foundation, but that you KNOW HOW to learn it.

Budo gives a person the tools for effective learning, it does not teach you what to learn, but how to learn... It does not tell you what to think, but how to think in many different ways.

One can take the principles they utilize to learn Budo and apply these to ANYTHING and it will reduce the time it takes to learn something (for some people) by quite a bit.

So, in proper context, yes, devote your time to this practice so that you may utilize it to better yourself in other areas of life that have possibly been neglected.

This is an aspect, I feel, has not been a proper point of focus in many Dojo... Especially with the younger crowd whom are sold on just learning to beat people up.

If they had proper guidance leading to proper focus with an emphasis on utilizing the PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING in ALL aspects of life at a very early age, just imagine what this could do for people as they grow older and seek more knowledge with deeper understanding! Imagine what it could do for the world!

Instead of allowing something to dominate our lives perhaps we should seek ways to harmonize that thing within our lives so that we could make the world, and ourselves, better, more knowledgeable, and, ultimately, wiser.

I could not tell someone how to invest their money or how to write the best Computer Code, but I CAN give them the tools to help them explore those things for themselves.

I am working on doing this within my own life, applying these Principles of Learning to personal endeavors in Self Education within Math, Physics, and Computing... Math being my weakest subject, which subsequently effects my computing abilities in certain areas.

This extends to everything, from Gardening to Car Maintenance. The key is focus, dedication, immersion, drilling the basics, putting the basics together in various ways after learning the basic patterns and drilling those endlessly.

Another aspect is in recognizing basic patterns themselves, which is a key that makes things even easier.

A Sensei does not know everything, most know little to nothing about many things and a great deal within areas of life upon which they have focused.

Just remember it is not about WHAT we know, but HOW we know it and HOW MUCH MORE we can learn utilizing the first HOW...

Wake Up Call.

 As each day goes by lately, the more I see, the deeper the pain.

In all honesty it does not just bother me to see people treating each other the way they are, it literally hurts, it hurts to the core of my very being and I cannot really explain why.

I do not even pretend to speculate what it is, nor what is going through people’s heads, but I often know, without words, rhyme, or reason, I know... I know people, often within the first five minutes of meeting them, I can feel what sort of person it is I am dealing with.

One can speculate this might be a side effect of my training, but I have done it my whole life and I have put people before myself long before I began my training.

Seeing the state of things and knowing the outcomes, this is not bragging, this is a warning. Work to better yourselves and overcome this, because there are people out there who feel it deeply, like a wound straight to the heart.

I think of my children, I think of other people’s children, I think of other people themselves, friends, family, people I have not even met; I wonder, how many people actually think of THEM as they are attempting to appear virtuous or resolute with whatever cause they happen to throw themselves behind?

Is it worth it? When all is said and done, do they realize who this will effect and in what way?

Children have already died because of this, people have already died, and what is being sought will cost the lives, livelihood, homes, and security of countless others.

Do they take the time to get to know their names? Do they even care?

Many don’t, most don’t, most just follow the directions of the mob, not even realizing they are following a contrary path to the very things they profess.

In the end, should any of this come to my door, I will have to do what is best for my own family, and I will have to live with the consequences of acting because of the actions of other people forcing me into such a position when all I want to do is live life the way I choose to live it and be left alone.

I have, and will always, stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves, but there is a difference in that and what is being played out on the world stage, even the local stage.

This is not a game. People have died. It hurts to see you all act this way, with your opinions, your demonizations, your actions, your violence.

There will always be violence and there will always be a need to face it, why add to that? 

This will be my last post here. I see many in this community, of all communities, acting in this way when we should be leading the way towards something more meaningful and virtuous.

I am not perfect and I have acted in such ways at times, I also do not have even a fraction of the answers, but I do know that I can feel this deeply and it is taking a toll. 

How Do YOU Make This Line Shorter?

 Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, even the next moment is not guaranteed.

‘I will do it tomorrow’ is an empty statement based on the assumption that a person will wake up the following day.

Lack of proper perspective prevents many things and lack of follow-through stops everything in its’ tracks ensuring that nothing ever gets done.

Sensei, in the process of teaching something new, used to say ‘just do it, even if it is wrong, do it without a second thought,’ the correction would soon follow, but the follow-through to the completion of the intent was the most important thing... Never do anything half-assed, never leave anything incomplete.

Be present, fully, in everything that is done and see it through to the end regardless of the difficulty, even in the face of death.

Death is the ultimate certainty for everyone, no matter what you do, you are going to die, so in everything that is done, do it well, to it with your whole being, and do it completely.

This moment, right now, is all that we really have. Yesterday is gone and ‘tomorrow’ is a dream that may or may not be granted.

That line of intent that turns into a strike or something else is here one minute and morphing into something else the next, never static, always dynamic, continuous change, full of little deaths and little births, becoming and ending in the blink of an eye.

Planning for months is useful, but acting as though each day is a gift is where we will find the true power behind all accomplishment.

Even small accomplishments are great accomplishments when followed through to completion. 

Whether a person is performing a sword cut or completing an on the job report, being fully present, they are the same thing. Details and execution along the proper path make all the difference.

Putting something off for tomorrow means that execution has been thwarted today, the task will not be completed... 

Then there is the question ‘can this level of exertion be maintained over the course of months, weeks, or years?’ That question becomes meaningless when we realize that the timeframe may well be unreasonable.

The real power is in maintaining the exertion, the focus, the energy and intent for this moment... Should the next moment come, then maintain it there as well.

Each breath is a gift, the next is never promised.

Projections and Reflections.

These are very interesting times in which we find ourselves.

Civil unrest, global pandemic, very strange occurrences the world over, people all around us are definitely acting in very interesting ways.

Yet, at the same time, if we tune out for even a moment, nothing has really changed at the core. We have just become so engrossed in media and narratives that we have become disconnected from reality and the people around us.

We no longer know what is really going on, truth from falsehood, even right from wrong, we only know what we are told, what we have heard, and our energy is expended to those ends... Not our own.

This is the heart of the problems we face today... 

Not who is oppressed or who is not, nor the color of a person’s skin.

Yes, there are things wrong with the world, no one is perfect, injustice should be corrected, but that never begins with forcing others to change... That is tyranny... Fighting injustice with injustice only breeds more injustice.

Refusing dialogue does nothing to advance a cause or change a mind, it simply dehumanizes a person in order to justify actions that a person would not ordinarily condone, let alone participate.

No, true change begins with the one thing we all have control over, ourselves.

Can we be better today than we were yesterday? Are we making that choice each day? The mass mind and its’ ideology, whether left or right, would have us overlook that simple fact... With all the cookie cutter ideas infecting the mind turning each of us into chattering automatons incapable of individual thought or feeling, we have effectively given up our most powerful tools... The Mind and Spirit themselves.

There is a Zen story that illustrates the path to discovering the true self as attempting to polish a tile into a mirror.

Can it be done? Does it even matter? It does, but not when one identifies with all the things that cover the self, the real self, allowing actions from a confused stance to move forth as though they were wise.

Ideas are addicting, ideas can behave like a virus, good ideas bring about good things, bad ideas bring about bad things... This would be common sense, but it seems it is not so common these days.

To judge someone because of a set of talking points and the color of their skin, whether white, black, or brown, or even their sexual orientation, this would obviously seem like a very bad idea, but it is happening, it is driving some very destructive behaviors and very deep divisions... Why? Is it truly the case that the white straight male you have known your whole life is suddenly a bigot because they are white and straight? Have they said or done anything remotely racist because they happen to disagree with certain things? Are they suddenly different, or is it just the idea that tells a person they are suddenly evil and inhuman?

What do you actually believe? What do you actually think? Shedding all the media infused BS, what remains?

Is living life how you are told to live it enough? Is it truly worth it? Are you living the way you truly want to live and doing the things you are drawn to do? Do you even know what you are drawn to do anymore?

In the Dojo we are supposed to leave all the baggage at the door as we bow to enter, showing respect to the Dojo and all our brothers and sisters within.

We forget that worldly self for a bit in order to do battle with the things that hide the real self beneath the surface, to shake away the sediment, to look away from the reflection in order to see the actual source.

We walk away changed each time, hopefully a bit more humble with a little bit of wisdom... Better people all around.

We might go to seek some direction, to seek some clarity, to seek a better lifestyle, health on whatever level, to seek connection, to feel some sense of accomplishment.

Whatever the case, it all comes from within and it is all the result of breaking down old paradigms in an effort to grow.

On the flip side, we count on our Brothers and Sisters to hold us accountable and keep us on point while they count on us to do the same for them.

At the end of the day we learn to judge based on something even deeper than character, something that words cannot quite describe or even allude to at times.

We get to know them, we get to know ourselves, we take the steps on the journey hand in hand.

It does not matter if that other person is Gay or Straight, Non-Binary or Transgender, Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, Arabic, Male or Female... They will put you to the ground if you are not on point and they expect you to do the same with them and shake hands, laugh, and smile when it is done for the day and they will have your back, just as you will have theirs.

Maybe that is an idyllic sort of thing on my part, but it has been my experience in most cases.

Some have drifted over the years, but if they needed me in whatever capacity they should know I would be there in a heartbeat. 

To me they are family and at the end of the day I don’t care what beliefs they hold or don’t hold.

This is how it should be for those of us that enter the Dojo and it should carry over into every aspect of our lives.... It would be nice if that were the way of the world, but one step at a time and we can only start here, now, within ourselves.

Love thy neighbor, wise words, love thy enemy, even wiser... Wiser still, don’t hold anyone as an enemy, but a Teacher.

A Teacher to mirror yourself as, being human, we tend to project what is within upon others... Often what we judge and find wanting in another is actually something we either do not recognize, or refuse to recognize, within ourselves... There is where the work needs to be done.

We forget this stuff as we sit on our high horses screaming from our pedestals as if we were holier, wiser, and more virtuous than everyone else.

We forget to work on ourselves, especially now with the ideas that permeate (infect) our ‘culture.’ 

The mantra upon the lips of the masses speaks about how others must change in order to suite our needs and feelings.

How times have changed... 

The Void Strategy.

Forget Bunkai, analysis is a conscious thing... Train to work outside of thought in continuous flow of the void.
Understanding that most cannot have a partner right now due to Social Distancing, I am fortunate I can just grab my nephew and throw him around in the back yard whenever I want, but the imagination is useful, as is a bottle of water suspended by a string and swung at random.

Irikumi is something I first experienced (outside of point sparring) in the Dojo of Gene Villa Sensei, prior to that it was Randori in Aikido and rolling in Jujitsu (although I did learn to utilize a very slow form of Randori/Irikumi in Gene’s Dojo as well).
The point is, don’t train by analysis, train by doing and allow things to unfold out of the endless sea of motion, the back and forth, the pushing and pulling, the striking, the attempted throws, etc.
The form of Irikumi I see practiced in Genten No Ti is a VERY effective training tool in order to bring things to the surface along the lines of the mechanics taught and the modes of attack. Very strategic in nature and requiring very little thought, everything just flows out from the source (Genten).

I experienced this sort of thing for the first time many years ago. I was a member of the testing board at the Evergreen Learning Center and a green belt student of my Sensei’s was testing for his next rank.
He was older than me, but had a younger sort of vibe, so I can say that he was a shy kid, trapped in his shell much like I was at the beginning, although not as extreme as my shell had been.
Sensei wanted to break him out of that shell so he turned to me and said, ‘We are going to break from Tradition today,’ I simply stood there waiting to see what he would say next, ‘Jiu Kumite’ he said, it was not a question or suggestion.
I nodded and stepped onto the floor, bowed to my opponent, let out a kiai, and attacked without warning.
It took a few moments, but our Shy Guy started to fight back, and fight back hard... It was actually a pretty amazing thing to behold... He was on the offensive and was actually attempting to take the initiative and control the fight, mind you neither of us were wearing any sort of protective sparring gear.

He was taking hits, hard hits, I was taking a few as well and they were getting more and more powerful as we went, ‘Fight me,’ I would whisper under my breath, ‘You got this.’
At one point he landed solid on my ribs, which snapped something in my brain, after that, he landed nothing.
I was twisting and turning, letting him pass and landing elbows simultaneously, as he tried to back up I would follow with a barrage of backfists, hands sweeping in circular form on their own.
Afterwards I was complimented by a guy in the audience who said I moved really well and he liked what I was doing... I had been working nothing but Saifa Kata (some say a variation on Naifuanchin) all that week and it all flowed from there... No analysis necessary, just endless flow from the void. Nothing exists, until it does.

That is something Jan Sensei said at one point, regarding the void, that will stick with me forever.

Genten No Ti.

Most things, over the years, have seemed redundant. There are easier, more direct ways to study this stuff and it need not take years to become competent at utilizing any of it... Mind you that does not imply proficiency.
Having studied, and cross studied to depth and death over and over again from varying angles many things became apparent, but something was always missing, yet blatantly hinted at within every single aspect.

I found some of it, to varying degrees, in various sources. Then I reconnected with an old friend and Dojo Brother, Sandifer Deer, who felt that I should become acquainted with Okinawan Ti to further my study, to breathe new life into it.
This led me to Genten Kai and a man named Jan Dam, a Policeman in Denmark, a wealth of deep old school knowledge in Okinawan Ti, having learned it directly from a family lineage into which he had been taken by his Teacher.

Now my Karate is forever flavored by this study. The Ti he presents draws off of Naifuanchin Kata, but goes back before Kata were even an aspect of the Okinawan Military Training.
Genten, itself, refers to a ‘source’ in more ways than one and I do not fully, or even partially grasp everything or anything about it to any degree of proficiency, but, it is straight forward and easily applicable once one begins to study and practice the principles imparted.
From active footwork to shapes, lines, power generation, body mechanics, it barely even begins to scratch the surface, but the basic stuff is enough to blow anyone’s mind.

Karate is the surface level art. It was never an art practiced in secret, it is highly influenced by the Chinese and, to some degree, it was influenced by Ti, but Ti is Ti, incomparable with Karate. There is no concept of Bunkai because there is no need for it.
As Jan constantly states, nothing exists in Ti... Drawing from this, everything exists because it is not bogged down by points of focus, rather, lines of execution, circles, locking, throwing, taking down, striking, deflecting.
Ever flowing and moving, brutal in its’ execution and beautiful to behold. One can apply it to Karate and deepen their understanding, and one can also study Ti in its’ own right and be able to understand, to great degree, aspects of Karate just by witnessing.

Carrying to daily life one can apply the mechanics of Ti to everything and utilize their motions to greater effect whilst safeguarding their overall health.
If you want to go to any great depths then go straight to the source... It still exists and it is definitely NOT what we have been told.

Modern Karate - A Tool Towards Social Conformity.

The Mob Mentality is an interesting thing to behold; taking otherwise reasonable, intelligent people and turning them into their polar opposite.
Human nature is social at it's core, emotional, and conformist when it comes to the way of what is perceived as the majority in whatever tribe the individual identifies with.
Defend it tooth and nail they will, regardless of right or wrong, even when faced with truth... The crowd is an organism that has no use for truth, fact, or even solid morality, although morality will be twisted and utilized to justify conformity to the butter end.

Many Organizations seem to bolster this conformist tendency in nearly every way.
The individual must submit to the group as a whole, must never question, must always do things as they are taught/told without fail.
Perform everything in exact detail the very same as everyone else, although some variance will creep in, ultimately what is correct is correct without question and very little, no, or inaccurate explanation.
When reality rears its' ugly head this is written off as either lack of experience or glossed over and forgotten entirely with many different excuses.

The individual's shouts get drown out by the crowd and the individual themselves get ostricized, or worse... Banishment is still a very real threat, at least at the core of our base human nature, a Psychologically ingrained need to belong based on millennia worth of necessary traits for survival.
Banishment, failure, denial of moving to a better position within the group heirarchy... Conform or else.
This may not be something of which the leadership of any Organization are even aware, but it is there none the less, and common practice seems to reinforce it.
Some are aware and outright seek to manipulate it. Cults do this all the time, as do Politics... The entirety of our society as a whole functions through its' lense and our schools seek to reinforce it as well.

On the flip side we are capable of being truly individual as people, thinking for ourselves when outside the 'hivemind' standing on our own two feet.
We are capable of discernment, of learning and growing, of facing reality and correcting course when necessary.
Able to take what is useful and discard what is not in light of new information as we face the truth in reality rather than shunning it to remain in compliance with the group.
We are capable of being Self reliant, even capable of passing this on to others in a coherent fashion with good understanding whilst allowing those we teach the individual freedom to explore for themselves.
On an individual level we do not tell others what to think, but teach them HOW to think, learn, and grow for themselves without enforcing rigid conformity to some system, form, or Organization... People like this are often called heretics, eccentrics, odd, insane, crackpots, cooks.
They do not tow the line, they have no real line, the line goes them and they move in unison with it (or sometimes against it as the situation dictates).

This should be the true aim of our journey, or not, depending on what you might seek, maybe you don't know? Best not to let someone else tell you what you are looking for and actually look for yourself, even if it puts you at odds with everything and everyone.
The individual values truth above all else, the group values itself above all else and despises truth.

Why are you practicing specific Kata? Do you even understand what you are doing? Do you fiercely defend what you are doing despite your lack of understanding?
Waking up is sometimes hard to do if you have fallen into specific habits and unconsciously conform. It is one of the most painful processes in the world, and costly in the extreme.
Expect fierce resistance, from the group AND your own heart and mind, they will fight back as you seek to rebel.

In the end we all walk alone, matching to the beat of time's finite drum until death takes us... Did you seize the day for yourself?

Flowing Thoughts on Ti and Karate#2.

I have a lot to learn.

The majority of my training now is spent not on perfecting ‘blocks’ or ‘punches’ or ‘stances’ nor even on performing Kata to any sort of standard, but toward understanding something about the shape and flow, proper timing, proper alignment, proper generation of power, focus, and intent.

Seeing things I did not see before in Kata I have been practicing for a long time, even the most ‘basic’ things are shown in a new light, all through practicing from a different perspective, and that is all it is, perspective masked within perspective.
I know now that what I thought I knew well I did not actually know at all and most of it was rudimentary, surface level, beginning steps toward something much, much different and far more than I had, perhaps, initially thought.

Maybe these are the steps towards heresy within many circles, but that is okay. I have never shied away from being THAT person because those who follow the herd tend to only go as far as the herd, as Confucius once said.
The path leading directly into a void, where there is nothing and everything, seems mystical, but highly practical in the unlearning process... To get to a point where loyalty to form is no longer an issue and true practicality is found in a continuous flowing expression of shapes, directions, redirections, driven by foot and hip on up through structure, executed with intent, yet naturally, without thought.

Maybe I am far off, there is still more to gather and far more to do. Once done, nothing really will have been done, the only thing retained is unretainable.

Mystical mumbo jumbo, or something else entirely? Maybe both.

Good day.

Discourtesy and Rudeness -Symptoms of Rank and Hairarchy.

Rank is a trivial thing. A piece of paper and/or a piece of cloth around one’s waist complete, often, with a head growing larger in size with each go at testing.
As though collecting techniques, drills, and Kata were the measuring stick by which skill, understanding, and experience were measured.
There is also the bolstering of Ego through a dominance hierarchy all its’ own within certain places of the community... Where specific belts are conferred with status, respect and unquestioning conformity/obedience is expected on up the line... Whether or not it is earned or even deserved.

People can do nice crisp Kata with snappy technique, but seldom do anything beyond that, training to the test seems to have become the social norm, programmed through just about every aspect of life leading to the dumbing down of civilization and the declawing/defanging of critical thinking as a tool towards deeper understanding.
This is a huge problem; lip service should no longer be paid to the issue, it MUST be dealt a death blow and make way for the resurgence of real education... Not just here, but everywhere.

Depth studies in specific areas, no curriculum, no tests, just various areas to study via choice. Respect should be paid where it is earned and especially paid to elders and Teachers.
Far too often I see attitudes like ‘You stand there Green Belt!’ or ‘I am just a student of so-and-so, who are you?’ (Experienced that particular line of disrespect and ego my first day on the floor at the Lincoln Dojo just before Convention from the Junior Black belt in charge of teaching Youth Classes... It was directed towards not only me, but my Teacher/Dojo Brother).
The first is blatant disrespect, not even seeing a need to address a person by their name because they are not seen as a person, they are seen as lower than oneself.
This second is an exercise in perceived status towards seeming ‘outsiders’ by throwing the weight of one’s Teacher out in the air so as to say ‘I learned from the source so what you say is nothing to me.’ If they had truly heeded that, then they would have acted from a different place with a different attitude.... They would have seen a he worn Gi brandishing the same patches and realized we are elders in an extended family, holding a different mental and spiritual stance so as to set a better example for the Youth Students whom were present.

These things cause more problems and perpetuate them into an endless cycle. This really is an issue if we are claiming to Teach certain things... Like Courtesy and Manners... We must embody them. Rank and Heirarchy (beyond time and experience) are a barrier to this.

Flowing Thoughts on Ti and Karate#1.

Coordination of things should be at the core and foundation. From bottom to top, left to right, up to down, down to up, right to left, top to bottom... Rotational Torque, Push/Pull, Rise/Fall, Fall/Rise, and various combinations there-of.
Never seek to memorize beyond the point of its' usefulness, and never apply usefulness where rigid conformity is mandated and fluidity/adaptability are sacrificed as the price.

There are no movement basics that draw upon stances or body positions. Fixed positions don't exist, no technique exists, no Kata exists, the only Kihon is in the true motion, without the true motion, endless, unconfined, unnamed, there is no real practical reason to study anything... Unless one seeks to be trained in conformity and have their mind and spirit molded, rather than discovering it for themselves.

Do not care for an 'us' versus 'them' based on trivial differences and always seek to understand the reason... Those differences will be brought to light and shown to be just as valid as any other... IF they are within the bounds of true dynamic motion and mechanics.
Seek to understand the box in order to break free of the box to which you have been confined. Not only to free yourself and rediscover yourself, but to continually mold yourself through each fire as the fire is presented... Grounded in sound mind and cool spirit.

Visualize to Actualize.

Small steps lead to leaps and bounds.

Shihan Roseberry used to say ‘do a little, but do it often,’ to which I might add to ponder it even more  than is physically put into practice.
Olympic Athletes spend A LOT of their time training, but A LOT more of that time is spent visualizing and pondering, which has been shown to have even greater Positive effect on performance.

As a beginning student of Okinawan Ti it is a bit of a change and many things elude me, but the more I delve into it and the more I visualize, the more I ponder things, the more the questions themselves become clear and I find myself on the right track (or the completely wrong track) when I present those questions to my seniors and my Teacher.
It is a bit of an odd sort of training as much of it is done remotely, but there is a great group in Washington from which I can gain experience, but, as I have learned a long time ago, my training is my own and only I can walk that path.

My roots in Karate do help, especially since I still train Karate, but ultimately those are incomplete, so it is new territory and the way has not exactly been tread by a vast majority.
Then again, I have never really been one to travel the beaten path and it has led me to some interesting places with interesting, fierce, and humble people.

This new aspect of my journey has taught me to also remember the little things, those often make the most difference, so I am spending much of my time on every minute detail, from training to visualizing to pondering.
Keeping in mind the context that is relevant, conflict, violence, and beyond that, calm. The questions form in their own time and, often, they are answered before they are even asked.

As I had many years ago when I began my training in Karate there is a feeling that I will ‘never get this,’ but knowing where I have been and where I am now, I know, with persistence, I might gain some little bit of understanding... Even should it take another thirty to forty years... That is life.

The Deeper One Goes.

I have taken up the study of Okinawan Ti for a few months now, a bit of a rocky start, and, as expected for a Beginner, I have barely even scratched the surface.
My understanding cannot even be called ‘understanding’ and I would be a fool to think that I can even speak on any aspect of it with any modicum of confidence.

From a Karate perspective it has completely changed me, I can no longer view things the same way, but I know I will get to a point where things start to come to light as I have been down this road before with some great Teachers who literally happened across my path.
This is the way of life, we never know everything and there are layers upon layers which challenge any notion of what we thought we knew, and these challenges are necessary in order to force us to get beyond ourselves lest we become stuck on ourselves... To shake up the ego a bit.

It is like the difference between regular penmanship and cursive. Without going into much detail beyond that, the first steps alone have produced numerous ‘head explosions’ on my part yielding those notorious aha moments, after which the very core of one’s being is never the same.

The main point is Shoshin, the Beginner’s Mind, that a belt is always white no matter how black it becomes and there are more possibilities in the mind of a Beginner than there are within the minds of those who think themselves to be experts.
There is always something to learn, always a deeper experience, and those deeper experiences always influence and change anything that has come before.
To remain attached to those things is rigid and unnatural as life itself is all about change and growth eventually culminating in the inevitable reality of death... The ultimate form of change, at least for this plain of existence.

I will not go beyond this point with any details of Ti itself as that is not my place, but the lessons learned in such a short amount of time have been anything but trivial... I would urge anyone reading this to seek those deeper experiences and really dive deep into them when they present themselves.

Breaking Obsessions.

There is a trend, for some, to become so engrossed in Karate or some other type of training that it consumes every ounce of their being to the detriment of everything else.
There is also a trend, among these types, that people who Teach should be experts on life, sometimes acting as a counselor, or wise old sage with knowledge in pretty much everything.

That is the way of it, at least for some individuals... It is fine to train as often as possible, but if there is no room for anything else the training has become akin to an addiction and WILL harm a person by becoming the very thing that keeps them from their full potential rather than acting as a vehicle through which that can be achieved.
Karate is NOT that important in the grand scheme of things, it does NOT dictate what life is supposed to be about, it is a tool through which one can explore HOW things can be achieved through dedication, hard work, and practice.
If one wishes to keep training in manner they have been along side whatever else they are seeking in life, great, but they may also choose to apply what they have learned to other things and cease training in that way altogether... That is also okay.

Some go on to utilize the very efforts and methods they learned and applied on the floor to professional careers and raising children, Art, even computer programming.
Still others stick with the training in its’ first incarnation in order to gain more understanding into themselves and utilize that incarnation to help other people along the path by teaching it. Both of these things are perfectly fine.

What is the point of attaching to one thing or the other? If it serves no purpose or has outlived its’ usefulness then let it go.
What is the point of something if it cannot be adapted? Sure, a hammer cannot do anything that is not according to its’ design, or at least it was not meant to, but that does not mean there are not other tools in the box or that a hammer cannot be adapted when necessary... At least in a limited capacity.

Karate, without its’ romanticized aspects, is simply a study in violence and how to deal with it. Nothing more, nothing less.
It is useful for protection and, like cleaning a gun, necessary to keep it in working order. That is all. Beyond this it is a lease through which we can learn how to apply ourselves in order to achieve in whatever endeavors we decide to undertake... Again, that is all.

If Karate has become the sole obsession of one’s whole life, the entirety of their being and persona, what do they do and what becomes of them when something happens and they are no longer physically able to do Karate or something similar?
That would be a hard lesson to learn, especially later in life when all else has passed one by and time is fast approaching to check out... Heck, time is always fast approaching and anything could happen at any moment. What do you do?

Karate does not even mean one is an expert on fighting or violence... I cannot imagine who would want to be an expert on those things anyway, those that qualify as that are not the types that relish this fact and many spend their time trying to help people avoid it or properly face it if it cannot be avoided.
The Warrior Sage persona is just that, a persona, a mask worn to present a good front... Especially if a person’s livelihood counts on being able to sell that particular persona as part of a brand.

Don’t get me wrong, such individuals DO exist and they MAY just happen to teach and practice (insert Art or Style here) but their lessons will point to and reach beyond that limited area of focus, using it as a springboard in an effort to help you.
Karate is not about that and it only recently adopted to self-help type focus we have come to know in our own walks down our respective paths.
Born of violent encounters, alcoholic philanderers, brawlers, illiterate drunks seeking money to pay their way, or just straight up charging whiskey for lessons... These are not the Mr. Miyagi types the movies have led many to expect.... So why place them on a pedestal? The real lessons are learned on the floor, not from any particular individual or any particular thing.

Best to remember that... Nothing makes you special other than the special you bring with you and apply to whatever you are doing at a given moment... 200%. You should expect nothing less than that from yourself. What you Teacher thinks and expects only matters insofar as they are a good Teacher. A good Teacher will tell you the same.

Fake Authorities.

So I purchased a book a couple months ago mainly because I wanted something new to read and the title, as well as the description, stood out to me.
The Author and his page are followed by a number of my friends on Facebook, all reputable and skilled Martial Artists in their own right, so I figured I would give the book a shot and it sounded like it would be an interesting read. Controversial at least.

I had to force my way through a good portion of the book as something felt a bit off, red flags were going up everywhere.
So much ego-stroking and trash talking in the book that did not fit the persona this individual presented to the world through his Facebook Page and his other books.
The man was all about honor, respect, the warrior ethos, humility, but in these pages he had proven himself to be anything BUT what he purported himself to be.

Was this a way of Marketing himself? Most likely, and there is nothing wrong with that, but I prefer honesty, even brutal honesty, over whatever was going on here... Something told me there was more to it, however, so I looked into it before reading the book any further.
What I found really did not surprise me at al, considering this type of thing happens all the time. The Author of the book is an outright con-man. He has almost no formal experience beyond basic Kyu Ranking and a one-off session with Al Decascos.

He entered into an Organization, which itself has a pretty laughable title, and was awarded an honorary Dan Grade that was later revoked by that Organization due to a falling out they had with the individual.
He was caught photoshopping some certificates and putting them on his website, buying certificates from a certificate mill, even got himself named to a Martial Arts Hall of Fame (read shame, because most of these are scams for which you can pay to have your name entered and receive ‘honors’).
Now he has taken down the certificates and only lists the title of ‘Hanshi’ which he also has printed on the black belt he wears around a pristine white Gi (complete with a Replica of the sword from Highlander in hand).

Obviously this all looks ridiculous and normally I would just laugh it off. I gave a review of the book because I review what I read and other things I purchase.
I felt it necessary to explain my review so that others could be more informed and not waste their time or money on a work of outright fiction presented as fact by a fraud.

Needless to say my review was reported as abuse of policy through Amazon and removed... I was given a warning that threatened the existence of my account, for which I pay to get services and streaming, and told not to do it again.
I have only given a couple negative reviews, so this was surprising to me and the message did not list which product it was regarding, at least not in the E-Mail, so I went to Amazon, reviewed the message there and also reviewed their guidelines.
Upon review I could not find where it had violated any guidelines listed, so I E-Mailed them to clarify exactly what rule or rules had been violated.
I am still awaiting a response on this. It seems more likely that the Author reported it simply because it called him out for what he was, but removal of a negative review is not a valid reason, in fact, giving honest reviews is protected by law in the United States.

My aim was to give just that, an honest review based on what portion of the book I had read, why I did not finish it, and what I had found regarding the Author and the blatant misrepresentation they were promoting of who they are and what was contained within the pages of the book.
It is NEVER okay to mislead, especially when your whole persona is based on principles of virtue and the idea that one teaches these virtues to others... If one cannot practice what they preach then their words are meaningless and, in the case of Martial Arts, misrepresentation of this kind can get others hurt.
What is the purpose? A quick buck made off the ignorance of others? A sense of Authority and Power? Both?

The Author, Bohdi Sanders, is very good at convincing others with zero proof. He has been placed on a pedestal by many good people who DO listen to what he has to say, and this is a travesty.
Many are following his page ‘Warrior Wisdom and the Warrior Lifestyle’ on Facebook where he speaks as though from a pulpit with a voice of Authority, but it is unearned Authority with next to no experience.
Why do they not ask why few videos exist of his Kata or Training (save one)? Is it because his training is so secretive and deadly that it cannot be shown? That is just as much of a bullshit argument as ‘it is too deadly to use my art in the ring.’

Why do they not ask why this guy has such a huge sense of self importance for a guy that talks about how bad egocentricity is and how people should follow the virtue of humility? What about his teachings and sayings regarding Honor in light of his actions and how he presents himself as opposed to the truth?

Giving such people a podium and position of Authority just because they have the capital to publish some books does nothing but make the Community as a whole look bad.

I don’t care if anyone continues to listen to the guy, it doesn’t really effect me, but don’t pretend. Take the blinders off and take a look in the mirror. Are you being honest or are you just fooling yourself? If it is the latter, how do you know? Did you inform yourself by looking into all this or did you choose to just accept things at face value, thus remaining willfully ignorant?
If ignorant, how can one impart anything to anyone if they are willing to accept that stance rather than better themselves?

Do what you will, but honesty is always the best policy.

Breaking the Mold.

New information should always be embraced as it is presented, but thoroughly vetted, tested, and he findings implemented with the rest cast off for more testing.
Science and art go hand-in-hand in this regard.

When learning something new we start off repeating and practicing, but after a time we must break the mold and start thinking for ourselves.
This is the problem with Education today, it is no longer Education, it is Indoctrination, whether it be in School, at work, or in something like Martial Arts... The Art and Science of thinking for ourselves is no longer the sole aim. Rote memorization and repetition in preparation for testing is the sole aim... With this comes the promise of status in the form of a degree or rank certificate.

We delude ourselves into believing what we have gained is going to serve us, in some instances it might, in others, certainly not, especially when it comes to Martial Arts.
The effectiveness of an Art is touted, but seldom achieved in most cases; endless repetitions of Kata and Punching/kicking Air, light point style sparring that has no relation to the Kihon or Kata aspects of Training, zero scenarios, zero self defense, endless two inch adjustments with the only explanation being 'this is just how we do it' as opposed to how 'they' do it.
Automatically viewing others as incorrect because of trivial differences in stance, arm/hand/foot position, posture, ect.

Ask a Karateka about footwork and positioning in relation to an assailant and few will be able to answer with any coherence or logic.
Ask about recovering from a surprise attack or remaining aware of surroundings and using the environment as a tool to aid positioning, footwork, and other tactics, the majority are equally clueless.

Once they do start to break the mold by applying principles of analysis (Bunkai) then they become stuck, still, on Kata... If it does not look almost exactly like Kata then it is incorrect or Kata becomes viewed as useless and pointless.
The first conclusion is flawed and the second conclusion is only slightly correct.
If something works then it works, but the main point is to internalize the underlying principles that make it work, without this understanding it is incomplete... Kata IS useless and pointless if it is not utilized as a tool to come to a complete understanding of something.
This is the proper context, not rote memorization of specific patterns and drills that look a specific way. In my own understanding of this Karate, if it were to remain effective, was never meant to impart specific Kata and was not meant to have more than one or two set Kara at all... Kata are not even the starting point, nor are stances, blocks, punches, kicks, or any other specific technique.

The Application of Principles and Strategic Thinking are the beginning and end of Karate.
Techniques, Stances, these things are specific points along a line that only serve to teach and do not truly exist in their own right... There is no such thing as a Technique AND no such thing as a Kata... A lesson I learn over and over from a very wise Dane with much deeper knowledge than most anyone from whom I have had the pleasure of learning.
This is not meant to take away from any other Teacher, most things are revealed in stages and life has a way of providing what is necessary to move to the next stage when a person is ready... Whether or not I am, life seems to have felt it so.

Most of what we learn is just the beginning, but most never move beyond the beginning, thus we see high ranking Black Belts performing very nice 'advanced' Kata, but no real differentiation between how they perform it and how a 6th Kyu performs their Kata.
We like words like 'advanced' and 'High Level' r 'Black Belt Level' but never stop and question what this actually means... If we did then we would certainly find ourselves disappointed wondering why we are just doing the same stuff over and over with no real understanding of why or how to even apply what we have gained to any real degree of success.

I recently read a book by a good friend and Teacher titled 'Sh!t Sun Tzu Said' and it really took me back to the first time I had read The Art of War forcing me to see it on new terms... Same light, but new terms.
Sun Tzu did not mince words, his only concern was the path to a successful Military Campaign, all the various ways to get there as well as the various pitfalls a good General should avoid along the way.
What to look for, how to exploit opportunities and utilizes weaknesses as a strength, things that are paid lip service in many Traditional Schools, but seldom successfully imparted or understood to any degree.

I also watched a video recently by Ramsey Dewey, a Mixed Martial Arts Coach living in Shanghai China with focus on Sanda, Combat Tai Chi, Jujitsu, and experience in Tae Kwon Do.
He was relating an account of one of his students who had been an Aikidoka having successfully pulled off an Aikido tactic in an MMA Sparring Session... When Ramsey asked him about this the student explained that Aikido works for those who already understand how to fight and that was why he was there, to understand combat.
Through understanding chaos one comes to work through a strategic mindset that brings momentum towards a goal, thus bringing order.

When we start from a place that is NOT rooted here and are told to do things in certain ways with no relatable context and no way of finding one because we are expected to memorize and repeat ad infinitum then we are not being educated, we are being indoctrinated, and we are also not practicing in a way conducive to a successful campaign... We are mindless automatons in something akin to a personality cult.
This is not a good place to be in, not a good thing to perpetuate.

True Education will show a person HOW to think, not WHAT to think.
If something is shown as a building block then it only serves a purpose to a point and that purpose should always be towards getting beyond itself in order to move a student to a place of creative and free thinking that utilizes thinking in effective ways that are easily adaptable to various situations.
one gets this from approaches utilized in Arts such as Jujitsu, Judo, Boxing, some schools of Karate, MMA, Kickboxing, Wrestling, Fencing, Okinawan Ti, but seldom from arts that are stuck on 'Tradition' and misguided notions of 'Purity.'

There is no such thing as purity, at least insofar as the above things are concerned... True purity is found when one lets go of any notion of purity, even when they practice an art for the sake of the art itself... If they are repeating set Kata and Drills they are NOT an Artist because they have created nothing of their own.

A good Soldier wil l certainly follow orders conducive to achieving a specific goal, but a good Soldier is also capable of thinking on their toes, adapting on the spot, acting towards the specified ends without a need for directions should those lines of communication be severed.
They are not stuck on a specific form or way of doing things to the point that adaptation is impossible. At least they should not be, according to Master Sun.

Miyamoto Musashi was only successful due to his self taught unorthodox style that had been refined through direct experience in combat itself.
Primarily strategic in nature, strategy defined the tactics for each situation and these went beyond mere sword strokes. These included Psychological Tactics, such as perceived insults to anger the opponent and make them act wrecklessly, utilizing the schedule of a duel to scout an area AND to inferiate by showing up late, or to surprise by showing up early.
There was also the utilization of the environment itself as a weapon.

We like to think that we could hold our own in the ring AND on the street, but we fail to take any of the above into account, even deluding ourselves into believing that there is no difference between the ring and the street... There is a HUGE difference and there are even differences in various things one will encounter on the street, far more than what would be encountered in the ring, plus, what works in one will often not carry over to the other... It goes back to Master Sun and the example of Musashi.

Most Karateka are not strategists, they take none of this into account.
They live in a world far removed from reality, even when it comes to the very roots of their own art that have made it successful and highly effective in the past.
They look at their system founders almost as demi-Gods and wonder how they were so effective in their application and do not even stop to think that what they are doing may not even be the same as what their supposed Founders were doing or teaching.
They perpetuate myths and legends as factual history with the same fervor as a true believer, yet if they stop to question the obvious inconsistencies they might just see the Bullshit for what it is... Bullshit... Then the real training would begin.

why do some schools practice twelve Kata and other schools twenty? Why are specific Kata assigned to specific rank as a requirement for testing? Especially in light of the fact that most Okinawan Karateka did not practice more than one or two Kata and it was from these that their entire curriculum was derived and defined by strategy?
What about those ranks? Especially since Founders seldom awarded any rank at all and most of the seniors, from whom our modern systems are derived, promoted themselves to Yudansha Grade?

Going back to strategic training, there are even some schools that do not practice Irikumi or Kumite and tout pre-arranged two person patterns as the 'one true way to train for real fighting' believing they will be able to successfully meet the chaos of violence when it rears its' ugly head... With nothing more than choreographed partner drills and Kata.
There is a group that is, sadly, connected to my Goju Ryu lineage that believes this wholeheartedly, a dangerous mindset for obvious reasons, and they treat their Teacher, whom they call Dai Sensei, as a God... The man does nothing but trash talk everyone else and holds himself in highest esteem due to his Chinese heritage.

There are MANY groups like this out there... Unquestioning cultists that will hurt themselves if they do not break this mold and start actually questioning things.

that is the main point and take away here... Think for yourself. The best way to show respect is to be better than those who came before and not get hung up on things that serve no one.

Dogma Has No Place in Training.

The illusion of purity is something that permeates the realm of many Traditional Martial Arts the world over.
Yes, proper technique and proper training are important, but not for the reasons we are constantly given.

'We do this like this' is a mantra I have heard for years and years, but the question remains, why? What is the purpose of punching six inches one way or six inches the other?
What is the purpose of making a fist a certain way as opposed to another? What are the strategic points for each thing? What are the mechanics of each seeking to promote in order to achieve what specific end?

Does any of that really matter in the long run? Yes, understanding does go a long way in order to utilize things to a certain degree of effectiveness.
The underlying mentality is important as well, but this is an attempt to intellectualize something that takes place on a baser level of brain function, a very savage level of operation that has more to do with taking out a threat to one's survival... The rest is more of an afterthought.

True purity is in forging a spirit through tremendous fire and discovering who we really are beneath all the crap that has been thrust upon us from the day we were born.
Coming into our own, standing on our own two feet, braving the storm no matter the outcome, success or failure, it will be seen through to completion.

In the Lincoln Dojo they have, in place of a Shomen, what they term a Shinzen, something more along the lines of a Religious Shrine.
This was an interesting observation, at least for me, because for me Shinzen, or Shinjin, is something within, it is the Faith/Mind of the Heart/Spirit of the individual. Not something you bow to outside of yourself.

Then there was the argument of the proper line of focus in the Ibuki Breathing of Sanchin Kata. The majority accepted one way of doing things because that had become the dogma of the Organization based on the lineage, while another had accepted an explanation given by their own Teachers based on their own lineage, again, Dogma.
No one really seemed to question it to any significant degree, they just gave explanations based on how they had been told to do it, nevermind whether or not that actually worked for them, that was just how it has been done for a long time... Although this is questionable by the very fact that multiple explanations even exist to begin with.
Which is the correct method? Which is the incorrect method? Why? What is the basis for any conclusion?
Maybe they are both correct? Maybe they are both wrong?

There are older ways that still exist today, but even despite this fact, these more modern Organizations still hold to their Dogmas and Methods, seemingly performing tremendous mental gymnastics to get around this fact and hold fast to their ways... Relying solely on faith rather than reason and logic... But real faith is found in reason and logic.

Much of what we know of the history of Karate is also questionable, again, there are older sources of knowledge, but despite this the majority cling to the Traditional Narrative as they completely ignore what is right in front of them.
It is said that, in the old days, Karateka would learn ONE Kata, yet EVERY school teaches twelve or more Kata that a Student MUST learn in an EXACT way specific to each School or Organization, no questions asked.
There is also a claim that Karate has a direct connection to Okinawan Ti and that Karate was once practiced in secret due to having been outlawed, but this does not seem to have been the case at all, at least only partially, yet the mainstream cling to this as Gospel.

It has always been my view that Karate was originally NOT a Kata-centric Art and, in fact, had no Kata of which to speak, these seemingly came later per the evidence and many other sources to which I have come into contact.
This has earned me outright scorn from some within the community, again, despite the evidence in support of my view (and the view of many others).
The whole of Karate, as it exists today, is modern, and is not Okinawan, but Japanese in its' spirit, it has really nothing to do with any historical connection to Okinawan Ti, but has a strong connection to Tode, or Chinese Arts, as they were brought to Okinawa from China... Many other forms exist that have a stronger connection to Japanese roots through the Satsuma Clan that invaded the Island.

What does all of this have to do with anything? Everything. In fact, it is the very heart of the matter. What we accept as true is not necessarily true, yet we are told to accept it without question as absolute and unquestionable fact.
Many view the Founders of their respective schools in a light that gives them absolute authority as though they could do no wrong and knew everything, nevermind the fact that at least some of them were barely in their early thirties when they founded said schools.
They were not the wise sages many have made them out to be and, some of them in fact, were propped up by an outside Government Entity due to their pro-Government views at a time when Imperialistic Ideals were popular.

One size does not fit all in any form of training and all things must be open to question, critical thinking must be the norm.

Worldwide Intensive.

Now is a time of reflection and inner struggle as we, each of us, have no choice but to face what is present.
This should be a time of Shugyo, of deep intense training, of self-improvement, overcoming our obstacles and limitations, rededicating ourselves to whatever it is we find truly important... Or discovering just what that really is and what it really means.

While this is not a new situation for me, as I seldom go out, it definitely has me noticing some things about myself in light of the fact that there is really no choice involved.
It forces me to realize things I do as an escape from the moment, to recognize these things for what they are, it forces me to rework my perspective in light of what I do and do not have control over. The situation may be outside my power to control, but internally, I have the power to change my perspective and utilize this for what it really is.

It has also shown me the limitations and weaknesses of society at large; who the real authentic people are in contrast to those merely flapping their mouths, not just in relation to training, but to every single aspect of life and society.

Many spend their time chasing after what they are TOLD is important without giving my thought to what is REALLY important.
In Martial Arts this has to do with chasing rank, recognition, and status. There is very little in the way of deep questioning or understanding. I am seeing many adapting to the current situation, some are groping around in an attempt to figure things out, others are diving in headlong with clear direction and clear goals.
I saw a beautiful thing take place in many MMA and Jujitsu Circles in response to this closure of the world... ALL OF THEM STARTED TO FORMULATE SOLO DRILLS AKIN TO KATA.
They did this without making a huge deal out of it, because it was necessary in order to impart what they sought to impart and they did it without much delay, and it worked.
When they go back to normal these things may fall by the wayside as they continue down the path they travel, but it is really an interesting things to behold and really made me think about how many Karateka view Kata in our modern day and age.

Something that may well have developed out of necessity has become somewhat of a sacred cow and the central defining feature of a 'style' or 'school' or whatever artificial label you give to whatever it is you do or claim to do.
These MMA Drills are not even the result of set two-person drills, but are meant to convey certain principles that each person found important. Not codified by an Organization, not meant to be anything more than what they are.

Coming full circle, we are witnessing this, in addition to many other things. The main take-away, I gather for myself, is viewing things just as they are, not getting caught up on anyone else's notions of what is important and what is not, unless it serves a purpose that is beneficial to you, then you work on things until these things become part of you and discard whatever helped you to that point in favor of formulating something more personal... Or better yet, learning and imparting by DOING until necessity dictates you can no longer do this in person.

I suppose it is fine to learn various Kata and various curricula of an Organization in order to pass a test, but in the end, most of these things are just repeats with trivial changes that make little to no sense in the explanations we have been given.
Most of it is simply repeating the same things over and over in different ways, at different angles, and two-person drills are often done with unrealistic applications and distances, no real explanation given for this.
They do not really produce the results they claim... Mind you they DO improve memory tremendously along with functionality of mental faculties and improved hand-eye coordination to an almost superhuman capacity, which are great benefits unto themselves, but one can do this with just a couple drills, there is no need to number them up to 100 and make them all requirements.

These are limitations in training. The other aspect of this is in how much of our lives we give up by way of obedience and subservience to others who may or may not deserve those elevated positions?
It is fine to respect one's Teacher, it is proper to do so, even to the point that person is considered a part of one's family, so long as they are authentic and provide something meaningful, rather than a demand for subservience and unearned respect.
The more I look at the world of Karate the more I see how much of a culprit it is in regards to instilling a spirit of obedience and subservience to authority. In Okinawa one of the tenants promoted within Karate was that it makes a person into a Good Citizen, in Imperial Parlance this means complete obedience to the Emperor, without question.
Many of those who did not agree with this left Okinawa and lived in Exile, some of their families and those people still alive remain in Exile to this very day.

Do NOT speak out against Authority, you can stand against things that are clearly wrong so long as those wrongs are done by someone of equal or lesser stature, but never stand against wrongs perpetrated by those in positions of Authority because they are beyond question (and clearly all knowing according to the culture promoted in some circles).
This situation has cut us off from these houses of subservient training, they have forced us to look inside and all around us, what are we seeing?
I can tell you one thing, I am 37 years old... If I am to be treated like a subservient child in some instances where someone has assumed undue command over me, the way I act, the way I live, then I am NOT going to walk down that road... I WILL throw it by the wayside because it does not serve me, it does nothing to make my life better, nor does it set a good example for my children, who look to me for an example of how to live a good and whole life.

Yes, giving respect where respect is due is proper, yes, being kind and polite is necessary for society to get on, but when all is said and done, the ability and willingness to drop all the niceties and stand up against wrongs and injustices, no matter their source, is a MUST!
We are all sovereign individuals, therefor, we must take back that sovereignty.

My job does not consist of promoting a specific Organization or Lineage, it consists of providing for, teaching, and protecting my family and those of my friends whom I consider family.
I have a deep respect for my Teachers and their Teachers, but they are NOT GODS and I refuse to place them on more of a pedestal than anyone, including myself, deserves... We are all flawed.

That being said, I do not expect to gain anymore of a position within the Goju Ryu Organization to which I belong, nor does it matter to me.
I do not expect to learn any additional Kata, nor do I really wish to because what I have is enough to keep me busy for a lifetime, and it is enough to pass on to others to help them with whatever they seek to gain from training.
When things are back up and running I am not going to Teach to the standards of others, I will take their advice and, if they wish to offer some instruction and insight, I will graciously accept that, but I will not be teaching to anything but my own understanding, mainly because it is physically and mentally impossible to do otherwise, for anyone.
I am not my Teacher, he is not me, I DO have two arms and two legs, so many of the principles WILL carry over, but not all of them, just as my own Students will have to take what I give them and work it in a manner that helps them find their own ways to apply what is there, or discover something else that may not have been readily apparent to me.

My school will not be awarding ranks to adults... Ranks, in my view, are for children. It keeps children focused and interested, it gives them something to shoot for. For adults and some Teenagers I find this to be insulting and distracting from the real goal and spirit of training.
Everyone, except those able to teach, will be wearing white belts, and the ability to teach will be based on understanding of what a person knows, plus the amount of time they put in to exploring it, NOT based on how much of a curriculum they know, not how many Kata they know.
I honestly don't care what anyone thinks of this approach, it has nothing to do with them, they are welcome to criticize me, but the most important thing, for me, is to impart a pathway to understanding and discovery, not material.

This time is Shugyo, it should be used as such, to rediscover or discover for the first time what is within and bring that out to the benefit of the world around us.
In my view the world has lost sight of what is important. We have become too dependent on certain things, too dependent on certain people, certain Organizations and Businesses. We are told what we need, what to think, what to say, how to behave.
No underlying context... As a result, we have become slaves to those outer voices that compel us to consume, to obey, to march along in a slumber oblivious to reality as it is. We then wonder why we cannot get ahead, why it seems like the world favors some over others, without ever exploring our own potentials as sovereign individuals.

Stop mindlessly consuming, start looking inward, beyond all the brand names, all the things you are told are important, things you are told you should or should not do, and really delve deep.
Wake up.

The Principle of Harmonious Chaos.

Viewed a video of someone doing a drill, attempting to feel some principles at work, good stuff all around except one point where they stopped and said ‘no, that isn’t good because your hand is there and I would walk right into it.’

No. In reality the hand is not going to be there, it will not be hanging there for your convenience, nor will it remain there as an impediment just sitting in one spot.

Drills like these have flaws built into them for a reason. It is not necessarily important what the other person is doing or how they are standing because that is NOT reality. What IS important is what YOU are doing; how you are moving, getting a feel for it.

THAT is where one should reframe their focus, keeping in mind that, in reality, it will NOT be so clean and crisp either, but the mechanics will be there. Don’t get hung up on form, or how something should look, that is never the bottom line and anyone looking strictly at these things is missing the point entirely.

There is a lot missing from any given drill. Look at what is missing, take note, look at where your focus is, take note.

Remember that you are NOT fighting or defending against a technique, you ARE fighting or defending against a PERSON, complete with all their ferocity, aggression, and will.

That hand is going to move, come from another angle, a different hand will come at you from somewhere else, now a foot, now a head, grabs, pulls, pushes, knees, elbows, fingernails, spit, slobber, cuss words, derogatory statements... Maybe a weapon appears, maybe not.

Sometimes you need to close distance, sometimes you need to create distance... The latter is going to be your ultimate aim in order to escape and get to safety.

Maybe you have that option, maybe not.

My Teacher used to say ‘Don’t think, just do,’ and ‘No Mind.’ Going along with my previous post about hyper-vigilance and operating from the lizard brain, this is precisely correct.

Thinking about things in logical sequence, trying to make sense of these things from a higher brain standpoint is okay, it has its’ uses, but the aim is to sink into the lizard brain, to hone our ruthless survival traits, to focus them and, ultimately, act without thinking.

Some people call this second nature, but it is really first nature, innate to all of us, otherwise we would not be here. 

This is not a philosophical journey in its’ primary aim, most of that is secondary stuff. The aim is always to seek advantage, to dominate or be dominated, so when I see people going through motions and thoughtfully considering things, but then getting hung up on things that don’t really matter, it is a wonder that things have degraded over time.

The proper aim of things has been lost. 

It is easy to see the nature of a person by the way they move and their intent. One can pick the ruthless from the meek in just a few simple movements.

Now for the philosophical side. One need only know that peace is preceded by war, without conflict we would not have needed to invent two separate words to describe two concepts such as war and peace.

The truly peaceful are those capable of terrible violent things, yet choose not to do those things unless  absolutely necessary.

I understand the idealistic views some people hold. The romanticized view of things as we would want them to be, but reality rarely confirms to our ideals and when we try to force it to conform then all sorts of things go wrong.

It is best to live in balance with nature, knowing full well what that actually implies. Harmony is an action word, it has nothing to do with pacifism, it has nothing to do with doing nothing when something must be done.

It has everything to do with seeing things as they are, without blinders, delusions, or personal idealistic opinions.

It is both ugly and beautiful at the same time. Great and terrible. Ordered and chaotic. It is a mess. Live with it or be torn apart by it.