Modern Karate - A Tool Towards Social Conformity.

The Mob Mentality is an interesting thing to behold; taking otherwise reasonable, intelligent people and turning them into their polar opposite.
Human nature is social at it's core, emotional, and conformist when it comes to the way of what is perceived as the majority in whatever tribe the individual identifies with.
Defend it tooth and nail they will, regardless of right or wrong, even when faced with truth... The crowd is an organism that has no use for truth, fact, or even solid morality, although morality will be twisted and utilized to justify conformity to the butter end.

Many Organizations seem to bolster this conformist tendency in nearly every way.
The individual must submit to the group as a whole, must never question, must always do things as they are taught/told without fail.
Perform everything in exact detail the very same as everyone else, although some variance will creep in, ultimately what is correct is correct without question and very little, no, or inaccurate explanation.
When reality rears its' ugly head this is written off as either lack of experience or glossed over and forgotten entirely with many different excuses.

The individual's shouts get drown out by the crowd and the individual themselves get ostricized, or worse... Banishment is still a very real threat, at least at the core of our base human nature, a Psychologically ingrained need to belong based on millennia worth of necessary traits for survival.
Banishment, failure, denial of moving to a better position within the group heirarchy... Conform or else.
This may not be something of which the leadership of any Organization are even aware, but it is there none the less, and common practice seems to reinforce it.
Some are aware and outright seek to manipulate it. Cults do this all the time, as do Politics... The entirety of our society as a whole functions through its' lense and our schools seek to reinforce it as well.

On the flip side we are capable of being truly individual as people, thinking for ourselves when outside the 'hivemind' standing on our own two feet.
We are capable of discernment, of learning and growing, of facing reality and correcting course when necessary.
Able to take what is useful and discard what is not in light of new information as we face the truth in reality rather than shunning it to remain in compliance with the group.
We are capable of being Self reliant, even capable of passing this on to others in a coherent fashion with good understanding whilst allowing those we teach the individual freedom to explore for themselves.
On an individual level we do not tell others what to think, but teach them HOW to think, learn, and grow for themselves without enforcing rigid conformity to some system, form, or Organization... People like this are often called heretics, eccentrics, odd, insane, crackpots, cooks.
They do not tow the line, they have no real line, the line goes them and they move in unison with it (or sometimes against it as the situation dictates).

This should be the true aim of our journey, or not, depending on what you might seek, maybe you don't know? Best not to let someone else tell you what you are looking for and actually look for yourself, even if it puts you at odds with everything and everyone.
The individual values truth above all else, the group values itself above all else and despises truth.

Why are you practicing specific Kata? Do you even understand what you are doing? Do you fiercely defend what you are doing despite your lack of understanding?
Waking up is sometimes hard to do if you have fallen into specific habits and unconsciously conform. It is one of the most painful processes in the world, and costly in the extreme.
Expect fierce resistance, from the group AND your own heart and mind, they will fight back as you seek to rebel.

In the end we all walk alone, matching to the beat of time's finite drum until death takes us... Did you seize the day for yourself?

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.

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.