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.