Effective Training versus Delusional Mind.

So what you do will work on the street? Tell me, what sort of active drills do you practice? How often do you practice free sparring? What type of free sparring? Do you do any pad work? Heavy bag? Makiwara training and conditioning? Rice bags? Do you go over scenarios and apply those in live scenario training? Do you have any comprehension of weapons? Classical AND Modern?

No?

Then what do you practice that has you convinced what you are doing will ingrain itself and save you when you need it most?
Real fighting you say? Just what does that mean exactly? Are you going out and getting into knock down drag outs on the pavement and leaving a bloody mess every day? Are your hospital bills through the roof? No? That’s good because that would make you a thug and a criminal.

So what ARE you doing then?

Oh? Standing there in a stylized stance while someone yells from the front of a packed class and attempts to push you over? This is good training for posture, balance, and energy transfer, but it is not the whole picture.
How is this real fighting? The yelling inoculates you to stressful situations so you can act with a cool head? Seriously? Have you EVER had some two hundred pound tatted up douchebag try to take your head off while yelling and snarling in your face, chest bumping you in preparation for the blow? No?

Then I’m afraid what you are doing is training, and only partially, and I’m also sad to say that this is building a false sense of security and confidence if you are not aware of the flaws in your training whilst actively seeking methods to strengthen those areas.
If you are not pressure testing your stuff on a continuous basis and really getting beyond ‘the mind’ on these things then you honestly have absolutely NO IDEA what is and is not going to work for you when push comes to shove.

You may have some sense of loyalty to a Teacher, this is great because it fosters character and shows that you have loyalty and humility, when it is a good Teacher deserving of such loyalty. You may also have some overt attachment to some style as part of your identity, which is ultimately not healthy in the long run.
Style is not going to save you when your life and limb are on the line. Your Teacher, in all likelihood, will not be by your side, nor will either pay your medical bills when it is over.

YOU and ONLY YOU are responsible for your safety, when all is said and done you have to make it home, for whatever your reasons.
No one is going to do this for you, so you have to decide how to get to this point and do what is best for you whilst drawing from good resources along the way.

In the end, it is all training, just training, by its’ very nature it is flawed because it has to factor in safety of your partner and yourself, first and foremost, and some training focuses on specifics in regards to mechanics, among other things.
The simulation is not the real thing, but the more you train and focus on each area the better off you will be, even without experience, your body will know and it will only know when it is in the thick of things.... For real.

Violence Is Not Glory.

Fight is a word that most use interchangeably with Self Defense, as if they are the same thing, rarely giving it a second glance.

Fortunately many are waking up to the fact that there is a difference, however, it seems there is still a long way to go and many groups out there still subscribe to a Killer-Kung-Fu-Fighter mentality.

You still hear ‘oh it will work on the street because (insert whatever here),’ but that is only part of the equation.

Sure, it may work in the street, but does it leave you looking like the aggressor and, therefor, the guilty party? Will your actions hold up in a court of law? Did you stop when you had to? Did you make every effort to get away? Did you first try to de-escalate the situation? Does your school even teach de-escalation?

Self Defense is a legal term and definition that is very clearly defined in each State and Municipality, if what you did does not fit within that definition and you cannot convince a Judge or Jury of this then chances are likely you will be subject to jail time, legal fees, and all sorts of other issues thereafter.

Even if you are found to be within the legal definition of Self Defense you are going to face some issues, internally (especially if you have never faced violence before) and socially (from those who don’t understand and judge anyway).

Using slang like ‘throw down’ is only going to make it sound worse because it makes one sound like they were looking for a fight and does not fit within the legal realm of Self Defense.

A fight is a mutual thing, both parties are complicit in the violence, the fight is about ego the majority of the time beginning with one party trying to one-up the other in an escalating Monkey Dance (Rory Miller’s term) culminating in someone throwing the first punch.

Chest puffing, voice raising, arms and hands flinging everywhere, there are usually signs.... Overt signs.... Which means one has amazing leg time to swallow their pride and walk away.

The vast majority of violent encounters are like this. Either Domestic Disputes that result in handcuff, hospitals, restraining orders, and damaged reputations or drunken/belligerent scenes that escalate into full blown brawls that last for a short time... Really worth it to prove you’re the biggest and baddest in the room? 

Most times the bait fest and baddest does not even get involved and when they have to it is a terrifying sight as they, very calmly, stand up, take a deep breath, clear their spine, glance on with an annoyed look in their eye and just wait.

Yes, street violence does happen and, yes, there are times when violence cannot be avoided. Walking down the street and suddenly you are blocked by a couple bangers one way, ‘Hey, where you going b*tch!?’ and ‘Nice watch! Lemme try it on homes!’ A few dozen shoves, turning to find three more blocking your path the other way.

This is not even an extreme scenario, albeit it does not happen just out of the blue and with a little bit of awareness it can be avoided before it becomes too late. 

Most things can be avoided by simply paying attention and following common sense, but when push comes to shove, you have two options... You can give them the watch and whatever cash you’re carrying, maybe they let you walk away, maybe not... Or you can take your chances, hopefully you find an escape, you may not have a choice if they are just looking to use you for their entertainment, either way there are no winners, it is going to hurt, and you are going to face repercussions afterwards.

I was having a conversation with a guy at work about how people tend to glorify violence. I listened as he recounted an experience he had at a local Church.

The Pastor gave a sermon regarding mass shootings and open carry stating that ‘if anyone came in here you should all get down and I will take care of them,’ rather callous, met with applause from the crowd.

The person I was talking to was bothered by this response, not with the idea of doing what you have to do, but with the response. He stated that he had confronted the Pastor afterwards and expressed his concern... ‘People applaud the killing of the image of God without a second thought, but do not applaud when the Preacher talks about the peace and love of Christ.’ The Pastor brushed it off saying that my friend was too young and inexperienced to understand violence.

My friend was a former Green Berret, eleven years in the Army, deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, and other places... He was also called in for CAG, Black Ops.... Imagine that for a minute.

Glorifying violence, even necessary violence, is not going to be on your mind when you have to actually engage with it.

Those who glorify it have never truly been there on any level and, if they have whilst continuing to glorify it then they are nothing more than a Sociopath... 

You can go on and on about the mean streets and how it is, how laws don’t matter, how your training will work because it has worked, most times that is just talk from someone who has something to prove or someone that gets off on that sort of thing.

The fire simply means they are blowing hot air, the latter means they are a criminal and probably should not be given further education in violence.

Teachers that perpetuate this sort of mentality are even worse. They either perpetuate ignorance (which most are ignorant of the beast to begin with) or they perpetuate the violent criminal mindset itself by providing it with more tools of the trade.

Learn the difference.

Karate Cults II

Laying criticism upon someone is not without its’ price, even if the criticism is well deserved. Myself, I could have practiced more tact in my approach rather than just throwing it out there, but a simple comment it was, yet it blew up into a huge banter war.

Not necessarily the finest of moments and, perhaps, I should reflect a bit on my own motives. Was my motive simply to start something with a specific individual? No. I can safely say that was not the intent. 

Did I know the individual was going to respond the way they did? Yes. I certainly could have bet money on that one.

A simple comment that pointed out the individual’s habitual trash talking of others while boosting himself as holding the ‘better way’ really took off and had the cult-like behavior of this individual’s group on prime display in all its’ classic cult-like glory.

The individual took a jab, I responded, the individual took another jab, then another, verbally of course, then their followers joined in... Both students and non-students alike.

Cults generally surround a single charismatic individual that claims direct access to some source or secret knowledge or, in this case, the best knowledge.

A following builds up around them with no real reference point beyond them against which to actually test what this individual claims to know and many begin to echo the leader in their words, deeds, and actions.

Should someone challenge the Leader and/or the worldview they will step up to defend it, tooth and nail, logic and reason be damned.

Threats were thrown my way, along with childish insults, plus an invite to come and try their way, a classic cultish move, followed by more childishness, banter, and outright hostility... Over a single comment that would have been brushed off by anyone else.

Yes, I hung around, I contributed, my motives at this point? See where it goes and if my suspicions were well founded.

Others had told me of their experiences with this group and the individual in particular. Others have voiced their opinions of this person openly, but most keep some modicum of courtesy. 

At one point a Senior within this individual’s group called for an end to the banter citing a quote from Chojun Miyagi, the Founder of Goju Ryu, regarding anger and keeping one’s cool while at the same time naming myself and another individual as the instigators and completely ignoring the actions of their Teacher and their fellow group members.

This same person had, previously in the conversation, suggested I shut my mouth and open my ears when his leader spoke, implying that I would do well to learn from what he has to say.

This is all basic cult-like behavior. Do I feel they are going to run off to some compound and die for their leader? No. However, to a lesser extent, they CAN get hurt should they depend on their absolute belief in what their Leader is showing and teaching them.

Without any sort of outside reference or even some more of pressure testing AND no real understanding of self defense law it is not going to be a pretty fallout should one of them have to depend on this for their own safety.

This sort of mentality is dangerous. 

At one point I brought this up, but the notion was scoffed at. Laws? Seriously? That was their attitude, which was echoed by their Leader.

This after being told my skill was nothing, my life was a joke, and I likely couldn’t throw down if my life depended on it... All based on comments in a social media thread, one comment in particular which directly called their Leader out.

Never mind none of them had met me, none of them had ever trained with me, and none of them had any insight into my life or what I had or had not experienced.

Their Leader even ‘threatened’ to out my ‘past’ even though he, again, has no knowledge of my life on even a superficial level... Which is interesting considering all the stuff he says about other people, just how much of that is made up too?

Basic tactics to get someone to submit and a means for the Leader to maintain dominance within their circle of followers, not that the followers would break rank so easily, but they might start to show cracks of the Leader does not assert control in whatever form.

It rarely even has to make any sense depending on how much of the follower’s mind is given to the Leader via the ideology touted.

The Leader’s self worth and ego depend on skillfully keeping followers whilst amassing more while the followers tend to gain some sort of purpose from this dance, but it is always a one way street.

The individual shoots down any notion that they are seeking attention, then goes out and does interviews, puts on seminars inviting more people to ‘come and try,’ that it is ‘exactly the same as was passed down,’ and ‘the old way you will not find anywhere else.’

They find ways to go to other people’s events in order to get their name out their, even if the person has no idea who they are.

They begin to sow the seeds of their influence within other Organizations and Schools, drawing in even more under an unofficial banner that would become official at some point.

Some might even capitalize on this to draw from something mutually beneficial, even at the cost of a good relationship with their own Teacher, but that is how they tend to operate... Under the radar in some cases.

These groups are out there. Unfortunately they are not rare. They exist as Organizations unto themselves, but they also exist within pockets of other Organizations that are not necessarily cult-like as a whole.

Buyer beware.

Karate Cults and Impractical Methods.

It has been a while since the decision was made to cease writing and during that time many experiences, insights, and issues were presented.
So here I am, back at it, for what it is worth, sharing and learning, most of all, looking at things through a critical lense.... On that note...

There is a group of Karateka that train out of a fitness center to which I also belong and I decided to join in a few of their classes.
Fingers stiff, body sore from nearly two hours of rock climbing just a few minutes prior, donning the Gi given to me by Todd Sensei for Christmas just a year ago, chalk still fresh on calloused hands.
I had been invited to the group by a Yudansha a few weeks ago as I had trained for six months with the Founder of their Organization and, while a different lineage with differing methods, it was still Goju Ryu and an opportunity to expand my horizons.

I walked away from the experience with a particularly bad taste in my mouth. First they had me doing a drill where I would jump straight up in the air and spin to face the person behind me.... To avoid a sweep... Really? All that to avoid a sweep? This is not a Goju Ryu practice! Every ounce of me screamed farce as we continued with the drill. I gave it a chance because it was a good workout, but selling it as a practical sweep avoidance is quite a stretch.

In that same session there was also another drill that had us going through extremely long and deep stances, block and punch sort of stuff, good for training footwork and positioning, but it made more sense to me as simple throws and takedowns... Striking and entering to pull and finish sort of stuff, but that is just how my mind works and how it would be reworked were I to teach it.

Another session had me demonstrating our Hookiyu Dai Ichi Kata and re-learning their Fukyugata series, which are fairly similar to the Taikyoku Drills we do in the SRSK.
This was fine, I enjoyed the Kata training and went home picking apart their Kata looking for little gems of wisdom. Great stuff there when I modify the stances so they are not so deep and keep in line with the Atifa power generation structure within Sanchin Kata.

The next session had me paired up with a Senior Yudansha for Randori, which is a form of free sparring that is very light.
It was fun, but when I began utilizing Muchimidi (Chi Sao) as a tactic to get inside and take the center I was reprimanded and told not to do that. We reset and I refrained from using that tactic, instead utilizing a loose Sanchin Guard to take the center.
My elbows caught light strikes along with my forearms as I moved in. Again I was reprimanded, ‘don’t do that.’ Okaaay?

I was able to grip for throws, several openings for takedowns, great opportunities to test out Kata Bunkai, all of these things were prohibited. Basically I was to stand there, let the guy punch and kick me, move in, move out.
Besides this being one of the only opportunities for partner work, outside the jumping sweep avoidance on day one, most of this class was spent in line training, doing technique in the air and even imagining a Makiwara at one point... Yes, they instructed us to imagine a Makiwara rather than utilizing the time to work partner drills and actual full range Randori.

The mentality was that no one really knew any better and this was just how things were done, with ZERO explanation as to why, even less explanation on mechanics or principles.
Honestly, this type of thing right here is what gives Karate a bad name... I am not going to mince words on that, it doesn’t matter what the reasoning actually is, what matters is the fact that this approach is not practical and, while a great workout, serves no real purpose beyond that.

I am not meaning to be disrespectful, but it is really hard to avoid coming off that way. The attitude towards my presence was one of tolerance so long as I conformed and submitted to the way they do things... In a club that I pay quite a bit of money to be part of... Honestly I feel like there should be an option for me to use their facilities to train the way that I train.
As the Assistant Regional Director for SRSK in Washington State it would not be right for me to train with them and conform as though I am a member of their Organization, but Organizational Status aside, it would simply be wrong to train in a manner that does not sit well with me and does very little to yield any sort of practical insight.

When I trained with their Founder he came off as a very nice guy, with very brutal methods that made a bit more sense, very different to my recent experience. I parted ways with that guy due to the overtly cult-like status and control he maintained.
A bit of that remains with this group, but far less considering they are operating out of a health club and that may play a role in the reason their methods differ.

I witnessed someone get injured when attempting the full 180 jumping sweep avoidance, zero explanation from the Yudansha as to where his error lay, zero instruction on how to correct it and seemingly zero concern for the injury aside from a few comments at the end of class.
I am grateful for the opportunity to train with others, but this all goes contrary to every fiber of my being and I can still feel the cult-like mentality that is the legacy of their late Founder.

I will post more on the technical side moving forward.