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.