Legacies in New Moments.

Class this last Friday was focused solely on breaking down Jodan Uke and applying it in a more functional manner, with focus specifically on the 'off' hand as it moved through the center line.
This was done partially in the vein of a recent visit I made, in June, to the Lincoln Martial Arts Center for the Sho Rei Shobu Kan's Convention put on by my Teacher's Teacher, Shihan John Roseberry.
He took a Kata he created, Gakusei No Kata, and broke it down into sparring drills that we worked for eight hours, from beginning, to end, which really shed some light onto not only the applications there-in, but approaching application of Kata in general.

I had worked a twelve hour shift off of Graves, from Midnight to Noon, and had stuff to do throughout the day, so I had finally laid down for bed when my phone went off asking what time Karate Class was, since it was Friday.
My body said, 'No class today,' but a voice in my head said, 'You have to get up and work with these kids,' so I told the person that Class would be around six o'clock and took about an hour nap, then went to teach.

Class started off with a grueling warm-up, myself and my students performed what I call 'frog sprints' and a quickened 'lizard walk' both of which contain elements of various other exercises meant to work multiple muscle groups at the same time, with a focus specifically on the core.
Some kids were having a hard time with it, some were getting it, but still missing elements, so we took some time to go over proper form and the reason for proper form in all things, which lead to the next focus of class, Jodan Uke.
We started off just standing in Sanchin Dachi performing Jodan Uke, then moved into partner work with specific focus on Ude Uke to the center line as one partner quickly reached out with open hands to tag the defender in the center of the chest, or the head, targeting was random.
Again, the focus was on the reason for proper form and how it feeds the functionality of the technique and, in turn, shows that the target does not matter, the function of the movement is the same.

We ended with the last portion of Jodan Uke turning into a strike after the initial Ude Uke, with a pull in to Chamber and a forearm strike/hammerfist follow-through to the head.
After this more about form and function were stressed as we moved in to closing. The classes are not specifically formal, I simply have them sit and focus on a spot on the ground, then we have a Q and A session and class is over.

I went home and crashed hard, slept for a few hours, then woke up feeling rested, but a different kind of rested, something had changed.
I went back to sleep again after spending some time with my kids, then woke up to the news that Shihan John Roseberry had passed.
It was not really a surprise, I somehow knew, but regardless, it hit many, including myself, pretty hard.

The above is to illustrate the legacy that Shihan left behind, this is how we honor his memory, this is how we continue his legacy.
Who is senior? Who is his successor? These things really don't matter because we are all successors to aspects of what he taught and THIS is how we move forward, by not getting caught up in our own sadness, by continuing as we always have.
Ultimately death is a natural part of life and is not something to be viewed in a negative light, it is something to be celebrated and welcomed, to be accepted for what it is.
Shihan is not gone, he has just entered the next phase of his journey.

Keep finding answers on the floor. Until we all meet again. 

Closed Door Traditions vs Mainstream Karate.

Over the years I have found myself wondering about the true history, form, and nature of Karate as a whole.
We have the mainstream history that most schools espouse, unique to their own respective 'lineages,' but often these histories are called into question and there remains quite a bit that has been left out (like all the Political nonsense, the bickering, the backstabbing for personal gain that has gone on behind the scenes that many like to pretend never happened and still does not happen).

I was recently introduced to a term I had never heard before in a Group discussing Ryukyu Martial Arts; it was termed as Tijiichakaya or Tigaya, something that does not show up on Google Searches or anywhere else, which automatically calls it into question, but the person who used the term referred to it as a group of people who 'shaped the history of Ryukyu Martial Arts in a very specific and purposeful way.'
Yeah, it seems a bit on the side of conspiracy theory, like a small group of people who have a hand in developing mainstream things as they see fit while keeping the truth/real stuff hidden within the confines of a small group of people.
The person that used the term stated they are a group of four people on Okinawa and, while they do teach a number of people, they only pass on the complete teaching to one successor each, per their tradition.

It was an interesting topic of discussion, but coming from only one source I still have not been able to verify it beyond that, which I find interesting because NO ONE seems to have shared anything on it that is showing up ANYWHERE other than from this one individual.
I am not going to dismiss it outright, if it can be verified, great, if not, then it is no big deal, but the mere fact that SOMEONE has stated something like this just goes to show how much of history can be called into question; history is subjective, often written by the victors... What he have is hardly the whole story.

In the same topic of discussion I had called into question the very idea of Karate as originally Ryukyuan.
My reasoning for this was simple; by the time Karate, as we know it today, was developed it was already the 20th Century and the former Ryukyu Kingdom  was now Okinawa Prefecture, a part of Japan, it was in the process of assimilating to Japanese society and culture, with the majority of Okinawan Martial Arts Teachers onboard.
Miyagi himself went to great lengths to solidify his brand of Karate with the Japanese Governing Body of Martial Arts, even going so far as to expressing his piety towards the Japanese Emperor by saying only the Emperor could award a Black Belt or Dan Ranking to anyone.
(Which calls into question where his own students actually got their Black Belts and authority to award Black Belts to anyone since they did not receive this from their own Teacher).

The underlying point was that Karate, once Ti, or Tou Di, was an Uchinaaguchi expression for 'China Hand' or something akin to that, and became 'Empty Hand' with a predominantly Japanese pronunciation.
We learn Karate using Japanese terminology, whether you are on Mainland Japan, Okinawa, or anywhere else in the world, it is primarily Japanese in its' expression, from the terminology, to the uniforms, to the ranking system, to the very structure of the classes (albeit classes in some schools on Okinawa are less structured).

This point lead me to question whether or not the practice of Kata was actually originally part of the Ryukyuan Martial Arts at all and not just a more modern addition to it using a Japanese concept.
Forms were, and are, certainly part of Chinese Martial Arts, and they were, perhaps, a part of Ryukyuan Martial Arts (we will possibly never know), but not really to the point of having them as anything more than a training aid.
The very word 'Kata' is Japanese, and I have yet to find anything similar in Uchinaaguchi that expresses the same concept, in point of fact what I have discovered about Ryukyuan Culture is that it is not as formal as Japanese Culture... There is an expression I once heard that 'nothing in Okinawa ever starts on time,' which is the exact opposite of Japanese Culture, where everything is about etiquette, timing, propriety... Everything in Japanese Culture seems to be one long ritual pattern, or Kata.

There was a story of Miyagi and two Students visiting a Master of Ti, they asked him to show them his secret of fighting and he obliged by dancing, to which Miyagi's Senior Student attacked the old man and ended up being thrown on his ass.
I am obviously not telling it exactly as it has been told time and again, but the story demonstrates a separate Ryukyuan Martial Art that is outside the mainstream and that is not considered a part of what we now call 'Karate,' something a bit more deeply rooted in the Ryukyuan Culture itself.
The story ends with the trio leaving the old man in disappointment because they did not understand what had just happened, they could not comprehend the secret of the old man's school (which further illustrates a disconnect between their generation and the older generation that was more deeply rooted in the old ways of the culture which their generation was forsaking in the name of assimilation).

This is not to disrespect those that came before, but to look at things with a more critical eye.

One might feel they should dismiss all this outright as nothing, but there are many examples of 'closed door' traditions throughout many cultures of the world, especially in China, Japan, and India.
Even here in the United States, where we have people from many different cultures, there are examples of cultural ties through 'closed door' traditions that only members of said culture, or those with extremely close ties, are privy to.
Good luck ever getting in with these groups, they are extremely guarded and tend only to pass on their ways to their own people.

Just food for thought. I found the following description of 'Kata' in a search I was doing as I was attempting to find an Uchinaaguchi equivalent to 'Kata' as a word and concept;

'Kata (型, 形, or 方 literally: “form”) is a Japanese word describing a form or a way of doing something, and is completely generic in usage. …  Kata, in the Western parlance, is a detailed choreographed patterns of movements practised either solo or in pairs. Kata are used in many traditional Japanese arts such as theater forms like kabuki and schools of tea ceremony (chadō), but are most commonly known for the presence in the martial arts. Kata are used by most traditional Japanese and Okinawan martial arts, such as aikidō, iaidō, jōdō, jūdō, jūjutsu, kenjutsu, kendō and karate.'

Politics.

Today was a very frustrating day as far as Karate is concerned; I seriously thought about throwing my hands up and just walking away.
From questionable words to questionable actions along with a hand dragging me into something that had absolutely nothing to do with me... This is why Organizations piss me off, although it is not even the Organization, but one individual within the Organization that seems to like to make waves.
Is it the Organization Head? That is what they would have me believe, but the Organization itself seems to be ran by the Senior Black Belts, so maybe only partly the Organization Head?

Who is REALLY to blame? I honestly don't know and, personally, don't care... This is Kuchi Waza in full swing and has no place on the floor or in the heart of one truly practicing Karate.

It does not matter if someone says they will take care of something, volunteering their time and energy, then failing, just so the bragging rights can be claimed.
It is easy to tell who has put in the time and who has not, whole heartedly, has their Kata and Kihon EVER been on point? Not from what I have seen.

If the only concern is business, representing a corporation within and aside from the Organization, and one is very good at spinning stories so as to awe others into believing their own hype, they are not practicing Budo.
They would have others believe they are more experienced on the floor than they actually are when their efforts have actually been focused elsewhere... As though a business venture... What do they have to offer other than to say, 'look at me!?'

Is it even that big a deal? Do they even need to drag others into it? Could it have been handled directly with the other party with a little patience?
Getting frustrated over lack of response after only two back to back communications, when it was proven a phone call was all that was necessary, shows a lack of self control and severe character flaws.
Was the point to exercise perceived authority after positioning oneself in a place of influence, yet having done very little of the work on the floor itself?

It is a shameful thing to behold when things are revealed for what they truly are, but they are what they are and that is the way of it.
Ultimately none of that matters, the true testament is on the floor, in the training, and this comes out in our actions, thoughts, and words as we improve upon ourselves daily.
No one is perfect by any means, we all make mistakes and miss the mark... Others just seem to have gotten the wrong idea entirely.

Namaste.

Fleeting Shadows in Candlelight.

Remembering back to the days at the Evergreen Learning Center, remembering the many talks with my Sensei over cups of coffee in his Kitchen after hours of 'training' when he would teach me everything from Karate to Cooking to Cleaning properly, things seem so different now.
Waking up at 4:00 in the Morning during Zen Intensives, before the sun came up, to go sit and do nothing but count breaths in the Zendo while facing a wall, but really just watching the candle-light flicker about in a dance of shadows in various shapes and ghastly forms, knowing all too well the reality was there was no reality to any of it, but there was an observer.

Insights came and went, honestly not sure these were even the point of anything, as insights go, they are fleeting and they change, nothing really permanent there, just various judgments of a mind that, like the candle, flickers all about, but again, there is an observer.
What does the observer see now, in light of the memories of these various talks and practices? That, perhaps, the candle-light has been mistaken for the observer, that opinion has become fact, and change is seen as the only constant... The observer, in others, has been missed entirely and the more time goes on, the more are carried away in an almost trance-like state, issuing various mantras fed to them from all around, but nothing ever from within, drowning out that true voice with garbled garbage.

Sensei used to say that he hated Politics, that it was not the essence of what we were doing, that this was missing the point, which was to find the True Self within the spirit of what was passed on, to make it your own you had to know who you really were, otherwise you were just blindly falling about a darkened corridor groping for the walls... At least that is what I took away from it.
Shortly thereafter my Sensei retired from Teaching, saying he was moving to the next level of his practice, getting rid of all his Karate stuff, ceasing to Teach, yet maintaining that the Teacher never truly leaves the Student, quitting the Organization was one thing I could understand, but quitting the path entirely? Certainly I did understand moving to the next level or phase of Practice, seeking to focus on Art or whatever else one was pursuing, but as time went on this did not seem to be the case.

Now? A voice is lent to an endless sea of voices shouting from the streets to the rooftops a single mantra of Politics, Cognitive Dissonance, in a Collective Mindset, completely and totally giving way to the Political thoughts of the day... The candle-light flickers to and fro, but everyone thinks the shadows are real, that they hold weight when everything is blown to dust.
Not even Karate or any other pursuit holds that kind of weight... When it all turns to dust, what remains? There is an observer.

Do we allow the world to dictate who we are? What we think? How we feel? Or do we utilize out Practice to rediscover this for ourselves? The spirit of Martial Arts, indeed, of anything meaningful, is in this.
One cannot even begin to develop true Martial Power without first discovering their True Self. Even still, one must remain Mindful, vigilant, lest they, again, forget who they really are and start to fall for what the world tells them to be, what the world tells them to say, what the world tells them to think.

The answers may be found on the Floor, but was was the original question? Do you remember?

Courtesy and Manners.

I know I have not posted here in a long time, but a lot has been changing around here. I have new Students in the Tri Cities area of Washington State and have been named as Assistant to Charles Todd Sensei, the Director for the Northwest Region of the Sho Rei Shobu Kan Budo Organization.

In that capacity I must now keep in mind how I present myself as I represent something larger than myself or even a single school.

The Sho Rei Shobu Kan is the School of Courtesy and Manners in the Martial Way founded by Shihan John Roseberry whom is a direct Student of Seikichi Toguchi Sensei.
The notion of Courtesy and Manners is the staple of the Organization, how one acts, how one presents oneself is equally as important a part of training as to how one performs in the physical aspects of training.
Etiquette is important, respect, being courteous, but also being truthful in word and action.

Recently there was a video presented as the original 'pre-war' version of a specific portion of a specific Kata and, me being me, I noticed something was off, so I did more than point it out, I wanted to know where it was from and why no one else did it this way... Why I had never seen this myself from any school or organization, the person that presented it is a close cousin in Karate as far as lineage is concerned, so it struck me as a little more than odd.
People shared pictures of the founder doing drills with his students using similar posture stating that this is what was being depicted, but a general photo of a kicking drill just did not do it for me, considering the context behind the photo is really up in the air and anyone can read into it what they like.

The real lesson does not lay in the exchange and what I thought and felt was not as important as how I approached it.
My approach could have been WAY more in keeping with my Organization's ideals of being courteous, respectful, observing proper manners and etiquette, but I fell short, quite a bit short. Regardless of whether or not the other party had chosen to observe the same sort of behavior to which the Sho Rei Shobu Kan strives, it was my duty to be the bigger person and to observe these ideals within myself, to be better in mind, body, AND spirit.

That night I had a dream that I was in a city of Temples from various different spiritual paths and faiths.
I was seeking a Golden Dragon that did not exist and, upon realizing I was never going to find this Golden Dragon I entered a Temple akin to a Japanese Zen Monastery and found two basins of water in which I washed my hands and my face, stood in Gassho for a long period of time, observed by the Monks in quiet Satori, after which I turned and left... I woke up at this point.

When I woke up I found that the messages had continued into the new day in private messaging on Facebook and had involved someone from my own Organization and they had pointed out my behavior, the embarrassing nature of it, how poorly I had represented his Teacher and the Organization.
I had already planned on issuing a Public Apology, and this drove it home. Not the weight of his words, but the dream the night before... There was no Golden Dragon to be found outside myself because I was that Dragon, it was up to me to hold to the gold standard, despite how anyone else behaved or thought and despite my past actions, in acknowledgment of them, to let them go, to move on, and to grow in the way I knew I had to.
This required an apology, a truly sincere apology for anyone that was disrespected, offended, or just plain put off, I had to wash my hands and my face in the waters of the situation that was created in order to rise above it and to learn everything it had to offer.

Everyone has their own bias, everyone has something they hold to, and it is my feeling that the path we are on requires us to let that all go, to really open up to something deeper within ourselves to that we can let it through to the world.
Their actions, words, and views do not define me, I can only define myself and myself is a fluid and elusive thing, but the real trick is in maintaining that gold standard in everything, from practice, from behavior, from life itself.

Does that mean not pointing out something that one feels needs to be pointed out and questioned? Not at all, but it means finding a skillful means of doing so.
Maybe certain times require a blunt object, other times a finely tuned means, razor sharp, but one has to be mindful enough to know when this is required and have the courtesy in all cases to be respectful of the other when doing so.
It is a razor's edge because courtesy and kindness can sometimes lead one to ignoring the obvious and allowing it to go unquestioned when questions are required or when something needs to be pointed out or called out, be courteous and respectful, sure, but be truthful and diligent.

The Devil is in the Details.

Karate is a life long journey in which the destination is unimportant, goals may be made, but they are only there to provide direction and people tend to focus on these so much that they forget to focus on each step of the journey.
Some people chase rank and collect all sorts of things under their 'belt' as a sign of authority, really it is just to puff up the ego, some people have taken the time to really study and these people can truly perform, they do not get caught up in things and everything seems to fall in place naturally, whether they are of high rank or low rank.

There is so much to be gained from even a single movement if a Karateka has the patience to really pay attention.
It is never about quick learning, it is always about the journey, and even in a single movement is a lifetime of study.

Tonight I was focusing on the Morote Chudan Kamae, a position that so many of our Goju Ryu Kata take as a starting, the first movement after the bow and Yoei.
One person with whom I am acquainted is a long time student of Kayo Ong Sensei who states that Kata are a Mandala and they begin with Prayer, as expressed in the intention behind this movement, which does have some validity, depending on one's reasons for training, but I feel this is something that can be applied regardless of reason.

In my own practice, today, I was working on the mechanics of pulling back, punching, and returning to Kamae, fairly simple stuff, at least on the surface, but the mechanics are profound in the fact that these must be done in a way that is harmonious with the way the body is built.
Pulling back into Chamber, leading the motion with the breath, followed by the elbow, the forearm, the fist, then extending outward leading with intent, breath, fist, elbow, and the shoulder rotating slightly forward.
Returning to Kamae, rotating the shoulder back slightly, pulling the elbow into position, the hand following and slightly rotating back into position.

Adding to this the rest of the body, from the ground up, pushing with the heel and pulling with the ball of the opposite foot, shifting from pulling with the front foot and pushing with the back foot to pulling with the back foot and pushing with the front, depending on whether you are pulling to chamber, moving into a punch, or returning to Kamae, all the while rooted with the foot as if they are clay mashed into the ground.
Moving upward from there you have the knees, thighs, and hips adding to the motion, the spine straight as a current to the arms that carries the intent/energy in a flow that executes technique in such a way so as to expel the most power without losing energy and maintaining stability of the entire frame.

This has to be understood for each and every movement before one can move on to the quicker performances in Kata such as Seisan, Kakuha, Gekiha, Gekisai Dai San, Suparempei, or in anything that utilizes mechanics, which is to say ALL of Karate as a whole.
My own Sensei used to have us perform certain things at a Tai Chi like pace and another of his Students, a Sempai to me, Kris Wilder Sensei, always says to go slow in order to learn fast.
These days people tend to go straight to the quick and explosive stuff without truly thinking about, let alone focusing on, what it is they are actually doing, and this is true of any art.

This is why it took so long to learn even a single Kata in Okinawa Te before the onset of modernized and Japanized Karate, which is fairly modern and mostly seen as a sport.

Empty of Definition, Filled with Everything.

Karate is a very subtle art with focus more on aspects that cannot readily be discerned; this effectively removes it from the realm of combat as most who wish to learn would expect to learn something they can use right away.
Certainly one can gain this from Karate, but as a whole Karate is the long way, there are other things out there a person could study that do not take near as long to understand in order to apply and many of them are able to be directly applied.
That is not the point of Karate, the point is much deeper... Will Karate work? Yes. Again, is that the point? No.

Karate is a core focus that can and should be applied to everything, from cooking and cleaning, to sports, to the way one behaves and, finally, to combat.
If that is the main focus why would a person look at the mechanics of a single punch, or posture, in Sanchin Kata, or the rotational aspects of Seipai??
These things are training tools and meant to focus on different things that can carry over to combat.

The focus many have on Karate is strictly as a Martial Art, or a Civil Defense Art, the latter certainly applies, but they get stuck here, they begin to identify as what they are doing rather than looking at it as something they do to improve themselves, to ground themselves.
The idea is not to limit oneself to a certain thing or a certain identity or to limit what one is doing to a specific focus, but to allow it to exist as it is and allow it to do the work it is meant to do.

At the same time a deeper aspect is to unify with it, to become the center, the dancer and the dance, while at the same time not identifying AS the thing or as SEPARATE from the thing.
Internalizing what you are doing will come out when thought ceases, when expectations cease, when everything is allowed to fall into place rather than forcing something to do a specific thing you think it should be doing... That is like trying to pound a square block into a round hole.

These days Brazilian Jujitsu and Muay Thai are very popular through MMA Training, trends come and go because people have these expectations and these are not wrong, but they do show a lack of depth as one thing comes and another goes.
Enrollment in Karate is at a low in some areas, a high in others... At what used to be our Hombu Dojo Karate is no longer the main attraction, most go for Judo, Jujitsu, and MMA type stuff, these things pay the bills while Karate exists as an aside, which is a much better way for it to exist because it is allowed to be what it is meant to be rather than a means of keeping Students walking in the door in order to pay the Dojo bills.

Karate is a path of peace and self cultivation... You study the kick and punch in order to understand the hug and handshake, to shut conflict down before it even starts while at the same time you have the tools to deal with things should confrontation be the only possible option.
This is not just Physical Conflict, this is all aspects of Conflict, and this is certainly lacking in many Dojo these days, but it takes more than just physical conditioning and skill, it is mostly a mental thing.

Focus.