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...