OIA

Okinawan Internal Arts, an aspect to Okinawan Isshinryu Karate-jutsu-do that had previously been relegated to the limited "chinkuchi." Chinkuchi or muscle, bone and power/control (a composite of bone, sinew and ki [energy] manifested through body mechanics).  Often demonstrated through the dynamic tensioning of the body as related to the sanchin kata. It is just more complicated than this simplistic explanation although the purpose is served relating this to "basics" of karate.

OIA comprises all the aspects of body mechanics leading toward the comprehensive teaching of the fundamental principles of martial systems. A stepping stone or a gateway toward fuller understanding and application of chinkuchi-OIA-FPofMS. Chinkuchi provides the dynamic tensioning and basic understanding in applying body protection through muscular, tendon and skeletal cohesive application. Once understanding is achieved then a move toward a more holistic aspect in the understanding of the middle path called the Internal Arts of Okinawan Te. We begin to understand structure, alignments and other aspects in separation with a goal of a blending or holistic way.

The third phase or level is to then incorporate the comprehensive knowledge that is the fundamental principles of martial systems, i.e. axis, triangular guard, posture, breathing and much more. The core of any martial system without begets a system of kicking and punching - dancing without substance as to context.

Again the number three as it relates to the goku-i, heaven-man-earth, where balance achieves the meaning of following the way through chinkuchi, OIA and FPofMS. This is already understood and the "outing" of the three brings it to the mind allowing enlightened practice and training. Putting a name to each and an explanation with connectedness achieves a wholehearted learning, practice and application (learn it, practice it and apply it or make it work).

Click for larger view; please copy and use as you please.

Terms or Characters, Oh My!

Terms, in my analysis, can help practitioners imagine, or put themselves into, a view of that person's belief, custom and perspective as to their practice and training. Tatsuo Sensei expressed to some of his early students the importance of learning the customs of the Okinawan peoples when learning Isshinryu karate. This follows the beliefs of many Okinawan Karate Sensei.

In my studies I have found that what I thought meant one thing turned out different when I realized a bit more about who the person was, the time in which he practiced and taught as well as the customs and courtesies along with societal influences that governed the way  the think, act and believe. This seems critical to create an environment to understand the history and meaning behind our martial arts.

Now, if all you want to do is kick someone's ass and feel the elation of a crowd cheering you when presented the trophy then by all means have fun. If you wish to truly understand and learn your "art" be it karate, kung fu, aikido then it means you have to learn about those who went before us, the Sensei who are Okinawan with that culture and beliefs.

Terms when defined can open a door that opens the mind to perceive a different perspective of how our art form came into being and what it did and can do for its practitioners both past and present. It was once said that those who ignore the past tend to relive it. I would prefer to know of the past, learn from the past and then create a new future - not just keep repeating the same routine time and time again; over and over again.

The next time you encounter a term. Take the time and effort to find its meaning. Don't assume the presenter is accurate. See if there is a difference and find the best definition and you may be surprised what it tells you. Semantics is an American term and view of words. The characters speak symbolically of the culture, customs and beliefs of another peoples. It is worth the effort.

The question that often comes up in discussions of this type is, "Do you use Japanese karate language in the dojo?" Other than a few terms such as dojo, Sensei, Sempai, Kohai, etc. I don't use terms. I don't use them for techniques, stances, etc. I do use the terms for the kata simply because that is the name of the kata and is easier then saying this is the "13 steps" kata although that would not be bad. In general don't use them because being Americans we tend to butcher the pronunciation making it unintelligible. I sometimes listen to the Japanese in a place I frequent and when I hear a familiar term or phrase I can tell from the sound and body language that what I would have said is just plane wrong.

Terms, phrases and references from Japanese/Chinese characters as related to English/Japanese words help to understand the many meanings that can relate to us in understanding context and intent - hopefully.

Chinkuchi, Body Mechanics and Fundamental Principles

Structure: [breathing, alignment, triangle guard, posture, axis] [Okinawan Internal Arts - body mechanics (Rory Miller, Chiron Blog)]

Body mechanics often in Isshinryu referred to as "chinkuchi." Chinkuchi is limited when teaching such things as "body mechanics" or as Rory Miller coins from his post in reference to Kris Wilder, "Okinawan Internal Art or body mechanics for Karate." Taking it a step above the grade, it is actually those fundamental principles of all martial systems as posed by Stephen J. Pearlman in his book, "The Book of Martial Power."

I have posted many times on this; I have made many references to the fundamental principles as connected by the book; I have posted on Chinkuchi; I have given opinions on all of it and I find this new phrase of interest in regards to specifically Okinawan Karate. It is my theory that the fundamental principles of martial systems is more an intricate part of Okinawan karate practice then in other martial arts - I could and most assuredly incorrect in this assumption but what the hey, I like the phrase.

It appears to me that both phrases are interchangeable. Okinawan Internal Arts or Fundamental Principles of Martial Systems except that one has a wider encompassing feel and the other directs to Okinawan Toudi. You might consider that since the FPofMS is a wider net that the Okinawan Internal Arts can be system and culturally specific while encompassing all the FPofMS which has Chinkuchi or body mechanics as a part thereof.

Read Mr. Miller's entire post Sea Change. http://chirontraining.blogspot.com/2011/11/sea-change.html
Read Mokuren Dojo post "BOMP - Ch 27 - Structure." http://www.mokurendojo.com/2011/11/bomp-ch-27-structure.html

Final analysis findings: I find that both work well for what I would implement in teaching/instructing karate from Okinawa. I would fit chinkuchi into an overall Okinawan Internal Arts aspect as a part of the fundamentals (basics) as a lead in to the more involved FPofMS, fundamental principals of martial systems, as provided by the "Book of Martial Power" by Stephen J. Pearlman.

Sho-dan

I practice Okinawan Isshinryu. The "dan ranking" system is not Okinawan by design or intent. It was adapted from the Japanese, specifically from Kano Sensei Judo origins. Any theories as to the ranking and dan system is Japanese, period.

I decided to write this post because I have come across so many different ideologies as to what a "sho-dan" really means. I can say with certainty that there is no one accepted definition of a sho-dan or first grade black belt. There seems to be as many defining explanations of a black belt as there are actual black belts out there - almost.

Depending on with who you speak the meaning varies greatly. Some feel a special affinity with their first black belt. So much so that they tend to allow it to  degrade in appearance to the point of ridiculous due to that attachment. I found that the one my Sensei gave to me was like that, for a while, but soon lost that luster and shine as I realized that he as well as many others placed no special significance on the belt when it was awarded. Sometimes it is a matter of luck, luck that you may be the first sho-dan he or she promotes at a time when he or she needs a new black belt.

Henry Sensei later told me he was a bit miffed when I handed over the new black belt I bought since the size was smaller than what he needed. I kind of chuckled and told him next time to let the person know what size to buy, etc. The significance I attached disappeared. I would have kept it for posterity purposes if I had not lost it in shipment when transferring around the country later.

I digress, sorry. Back to the subject. Much like many of my time, 1970's, I assumed that Sho-dan was more significant than it truly was. I tried to run a dojo shortly after leaving Okinawan as a fledgling Sho-dan. My only luck was I still looked to others for guidance in lieu of assuming I was the know all, end all Sensei - really, laughable today thinking of that time.

Sho-dan: First, the sho or the character for it " 初 " means "first," generally. As I utilize the Internet and my Kodansha dictionary I find that it can and does mean, "first, beginner, a first step, a beginner's course, elementary, rudiment, a novice [first, new, early, innocent, naive, artless, unsophisticated, inexperienced] and finally " 柔道 - Judo 初段 - first stage " being first stage or the first grade of the senior class for Kano Sensei's Judo.

The defining term for my perspective on Sho-dan is the words, "naive, artless, unsophisticated and inexperienced." Why? Because as been written in many articles one has barely achieved knowledge and a modicum of ability in the fundamentals of the particular system. A Sho-dan is naivety at its earliest stage; it is an artless form simply because a Shodan has not achieved anything greater than the mere physical, only a limited level has been achieved; the person lacks any true sophistication in the martial "arts" and they tend to lack any reality based experience which sometimes goes for an entire life time of practice and training - if your lucky.

Read that again, the paragraph above, for it speaks to many aspects of the grading system, i.e. belts and all the rainbow of colors. Black belt is truly the first door one enters on the journey and maturity, culture and morality tend to go a long way in awarding the sho-dan. To award black belt, sho-dan, at an early age than psychological ability is crucial. This means NOT award belts higher than 3rd brown to anyone before the age of at least 18 years; coupling that with a personalized assessment to maturity, etc.

This is not to diminish the accomplishment of attaining a sho-dan, black belt, for it is truly a milestone in anyone's efforts to achieve proficiency and enlightenment through a martial art such as Okinawan Karate-jutsu-do. A huge accomplishment yet also is a tempering of the mind. A reminder that there is a longer and more difficult road to follow. It is no wonder so many tend to end the trip at Sho-dan.

Many of the early American military assumed that false sense of mastery at the black belt. To some we applaud for realizing this and changing. Many not.

Ask yourself when you received your Sho-dan, "Did it feel like you achieved your bachelor's degree from University? Or, did it feel like you passed your entrance exams to University?"

Click to view larger version for clarity.

Internet Intelligence

This term was coined, first time I read or heard it, in a group email thread on the Animal List. For those who are not familiar with the Animal List, it is a listserv run by Dianna MacYoung and her husband who actually owns and is referred to as "animal" which is the basis of the list, etc. I found the animal list from Mr. MacYoung's web site, "No Nonsense Self Defense."

The Internet: A global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardized communication protocols.

Intelligence: the ability to comprehend; Intelligence is an umbrella term describing a property of the mind including related abilities, such as the capacities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, learning from past experiences, planning, and problem solving.; to understand and profit from experience; the gathering and interpreting information from various sources of supposed reputable origins.

Some might feel that the two terms joined in holy information gathering marriage is an oxymoron. When someone makes an assumption that the information is accurate, irrefutable and above reproach just because it is in ePrint and on the Internet or World Wide Web (does anyone even use this anymore?) is to be mistaken in that assumption. After all, assumptions and expectations can get you into trouble more than not.

My view, subjective of course, is that the Internet is a huge repository of information - all kinds. The data-diver must assume that the information is open to error, omissions and human faults or they are going to be open to critical repercussions. Like what news media were supposed to do is once you gain a bit of information you have to sublimate it with other verifiable sources and in some cases actually experience it to validate it.

I explore the Internet for a lot of things. I hope that I convey that sometimes the information is subject to inaccuracies. Sometimes I accept things as true and sometimes not but I accept the information for analysis even if it goes directly against what I believe simply because I may be wrong.

I guess the idea behind my post today is don't allow Internet Intelligence to be perceived as something either good or bad but rather just "one source of many" that you use to gather information to learn and gain knowledge. Consider learning and knowledge a necessary trait of a human who wishes to be enlightened.

Then again, maybe not :-)

"purify: remove impurities from, increase the concentration of, and separate through the process of distillation (The extraction of the essential meaning or most important aspects of something); "purify the water" or "Purify the Data" and gain some actual Intelligence. - World Wide Web ;-)

"The Internet has become an extension of the human brain, functioning like a self-organizing entity. " - Dr. Andrew Newberg, MD

Uniform Etiquette

I had this question that seems to come into my thinking from time to time. Why is it there is such a disparity between students as to uniforms and how they are worn. I am wondering if anyone else has "uniform etiquette for the dojo" other than myself. I am asking the readers of this blog to comment as to any requirements their dojo or governing organizations ask their participants to follow when wearing a karate-gi.

First, I am narrowing this down to the "traditional white karate uniform made of medium to heavy weight cotton." The one that is tied at the waist and the jacket with string, lay of jacket is left over right, etc.

If you have such criteria, rules or requirements I am interested in how you do it at your dojo, etc. so ask for comments. If you prefer to you can send me a response directly to the email account on this blog.

Sincerely,

Charles J.
Blog Author

Karate Trivia Question, answered :-)

Koma musubi (駒結び , square knot, reef knot, literally "foal knot").

The obi knot. I remember the first time Henry Sensei taught me to tie the knot. He had a "vision" as to what it looked like after tying it properly that is not appropriate to this post. The point, like the use of metaphors, it stuck and always reminded me to tie it right, correct.

Not until just recently when someone asked did it occur to me that it may have a name or term in Japanese. The following is what I found on that knot, it is referred to as the "koma-musubi knot (駒結び). The knot description is the only one that actually refers to the belt width which matches the karate obi as 2 inches or 5 centimeters wide. It is only in direct relation to the martial arts that the obi is knotted in this manner and as to other area's of the martial arts such as where the "hakama" is worn do they indicate other variations or knots are used.

It is considered a type of square knot, foul knot, but don't look to the American way to tie a "square or foul knot" as they don't appear the same as this knot for the karate-obi. In the American square knot you can "see" that one half of that knot would some what superimpose over a obi knot. In a view of a foul knot you can also see some similarities.

Finally, the reef knot appears to have more graphics that display the knot in appearance close, real close, to the karate-obi knot - koma musubi. See the two adjacent snap shots.

Regardless, it appears that the koma-musubi knot is the term to use. At least until someone can provide a more definitive definition with an appropriate snapshot of the knot.

In addition, over the years I have found that there are two distinct ways to tie the obi. The one I use fits for the koma-musubi knot but the other I was unable to  see or find a related pictorial with a term.

Click for large view.

Playing with Graphics

Click for a large view, click and save if you like it and want to use it somewhere, etc.

I was doodling around with a graphics program I like to use from time to time when I create, sorta, idea's in a picture format. I sometimes see things elsewhere and it inspires some idea and I try to create something else a bit like it yet unique.

The "tomoe" on the upper left side has three tails. There is a cultural significance to the three tails of the tomoe either Japanese and/or Okinawan.

The circle with the koma-musubi knot for karate-obi is just a doodle put on for balance. It the knot is correctly tied, the ends of the obi balanced and the belt properly wrapped around the torso it also has a significance and as you can see those three also meet the three tails symbolism, i.e. 3, three or III, etc.

Strange Mind, Flexible Mind

I simply read a book on lucid dreaming. Normally I only become aware of my dreams when I wake for the morning. The dream data I read indicates we will dream about four times a night. Since I became more aware of this I have been aware of several dreams states at night. One, sometimes three and a lot of the time two dream states. Interesting.

Our minds are very strange and absolutely wonderful. As I study this aspect of my practicing I am finding that the mind is a wonder simply because it allows us to function "normally" with the world and all its myriad things, states and scenarios.

Our minds are very flexible. They are only subjected to obstacles when our minds through experiences, perceptions, beliefs, etc. influence the believability of any thought, idea or matter. Our minds are flexible and until we open them to the knowledge that our minds are Matrix Like minds we are subject to assumptions and expectations that may or may not be reasonable or even true.

Strange, Flexible and Wonderful all rolled into one human being - each unique and special just like fingerprints.

Loose Knot

Recently I asked a forum group if they could identify the term used to describe the knot used to tie the martial art obi, i.e. karate, judo, etc. I was visiting a dojo recently and noticed a trend, maybe, of black belts wearing their obi with the knot loose. It was not a tight but one that had clear space around and through the knot that you could see through across the room.

Apparently black belts are not the only ones as the only snap shot I could find was the one you see here. I wonder what this says about the person if anything. I can say several thoughts traveled through my mind.

Much like the time in a dojo where I was a guest Sensei I observed a black belt wearing a clean but very wrinkled karate-gi. The obi was not even at the ends, it was very very long (almost down to his knees) and it was tied loosely with an open knot and down around the hips cocked forward and his thumbs were hooked into the front by the loose knot with feet far apart, etc. Does this speak to the person's attitude? Does it speak to his position as Sensei or Associate Sensei? What does it, if anything, say as to this person's ability to lead?

This seems to fall under the requirement that once a person decides to be a black belt and especially to "teach" that they must assume a certain level of professionalism that speaks, projects and feels like someone who leads by example. What you say and "do" speaks volumes beyond mere words spoken. Communications depend mostly on such things as the body language. What you project tells more than any certificate, any trophy and any color belt.

I have seen "kyu graded" folks who project more than some very highly graded karate-ka. I will admit that some of my examples fall into the category of military bearing. This is due to my history, training and belief system but if you were in a meeting and the chairman walked in unshaven, hair disheveled and wearing pajama's (no pun intended toward the gi :-) would you have respect for that person?

The adjacent picture of the karate-gi with naming is one that projects, from my beliefs and views, what a karate-ka should look like in the uniform. Note that the belt is comfortable, secured properly and of a acceptable length. A pressed uniform with the body maintained, i.e. fingernails trimmed, hair neat, body clean and oder free and so on, denotes a person who cares about themselves and cares about what they project to those who are going to look up to them in the dojo, yes?

Gokui - Zen - Koan?

In the beginning the Americans were presented with the ken-po goku-i. The presentation was in the form of a silk certificate with the "gokui" written in Japanese characters (note that Japanese characters are based chiefly on those assimilated from Chinese characters). The English translation, approximate, was presented along side since Americans do not know or understand Kanji.

This presentation is reminiscent of a Zen Master presenting a "Koan" to a disciple. Like the Zen Koan the gokui also is a kind of "story or dialogue," a method of self questioning, a statement that inspires one to think, consider and contemplate. Like the koan it is not readily or literally understood, it is not considered rational except in its "appearance" or literal meaning.  It is in need of the individual's intuition, the instincts created through study and meditation, both physical and motionless.

The nine lines of the gokui are a Zen Koan for the martial arts. It is a sagely sayings to teach. It was born of the larger and more complex documents, the I Ching and others. It consists of a grouping of words that underneath the obvious that are perplexing, critical and concise words somewhat poetic but also a commentary on martial systems.

Again, like a Zen Koan, responses to the gokui will differ with each practitioner. Different systems and Sensei demand different responses as to meaning and application to the system itself as practiced by an individual. It is fluid in nature and presents answers to questions that will vary by the circumstance, person and moment in time.

The idea is not to gain specificity to the gokui but to look for a state of mind as expressed with each study and finding for the gokui. There are no traditional answers as will be seen throughout this book. It is meant to provide the practitioner a means to display the evidence of the systems working by what is grasped each moment by the disciple as they follow the path presented, the many paths of a martial system.

The greatest obstacle to Americans who study this simple, concise and complex koan called the gokui as to a qualified teacher of the gokui who can judge the depth and breadth of attainment. The gokui is a dynamic system to seeking an answer to the gokui. It is an object that seeks the object with a relentless seeking of itself - man seeking the answer to the self. To break through the obstacles of the mind!

Is it real or is it memorex?

Remember the old ad, dating myself, about the new memorex cassette tapes to promote their reliability and reality based quality? I have been studying how the mind works as it relates to reality and how that also relates to our beliefs. I highly recommend the book and am providing to you the reader the below graphic to demonstrate that what we see is not always what we might believe.

The question then arises, how do we know what we see in reality based fights, violence or just plain everyday occurrences is real or matrix mind perceptions. The book inspires some interesting and thought provoking questions for each of us.

This is a large graphic of many interesting illusions so click on the picture to view the whole.

Let me know your thoughts, etc.

Karate Trivia Question?

Ok, you martial arts experts. What is the knot used to tie the obi in marital arts, karate, called in Japanese?

Games, it is all about Games

Game: A form of play or sport, esp. a competitive one played according to rules and decided by skill, strength, or luck; A type of activity or business, esp. when regarded as a game; A secret and clever plan or trick; The quality of being game; bravery, courage or pluck; An important part of most traditional Native American cultures, often having spiritual, ceremonial, and/or social implications. Games were often taken very seriously and were marked by intensive preparation, rigid codes of conduct, and wagering. ...

Although "games" is often thought of as those things "children" do for entertainment it does consist of a more critically important definition not found in any readily accessible definition.

In American Mainstream English cultures the game is everything. It drives how that culture sees things and there is a seriousness that is attached that is not a "game." To this culture it is actually a "game of life" with game plans, game rules and game associations that do not fit the general idea of a game. In this game two participants can become frustrated, angry and aggressive to win but will be on a friendly level after the game ends. Rules can be bent and broken in the game with little or no repercussions as long as it is a part of that games plans and rules.

To perceive a game participant in life with assumptions that a threat or confrontation ends in enemies would miss the mark because when the game is done those same combatants will go have drinks and dinner.

In some cultures and at all levels it is a matter of "games." In other cultures it is a matter of "classroom" etiquette where there are no broken rules and the culture allows for no games and all aspects of the classroom are to be taken seriously - it is not a game. In the game it is not personal, in the classroom any deviations or breakage is taken personally and collectively.

If you think games are not serious then consider the types and sizes of the paychecks of professional game players. Football and Golf are games and they are big business.

The Puzzle that is Karate

Click to see source.

Sometimes I am asked, "What is karate?" It does not occur often. Many assume they know what it is from their exposure to it though media, i.e. television, movies and commercialize promo's. It ain't that easy folks.

Karate, one of many martial systems consisting of themes, rhythms, cycles. Often expressed over a long period of time that would be covered by any of the skills they impart. Martial systems are a complex puzzle.

What a difference it is when a person see the fragments then gathers them together in a meaningful unity and then creates an integrated whole of what was once parts. 

"What a difference between the puzzle when it is only a jumble of parts in a box and when it is a compact picture on the table." - Robert Bolton, Ph.D.

Dojo Kun - "Kun"

家訓 - derived from translating the Japanese word "kun" where it means "family precepts"

特訓 - derived from translating the Japanese word "kun" where it also means "intensive training, special training."

The common character to both is the "訓" which by itself means: give lessons, teach, instruct, guide or lead (training).

This just might be the true meaning behind dojo kun. Dojo kun could mean a place of intensive or special training according to the family precepts, these being the insight of the Sensei as it might relate to a family sense and a household both of which are a dominant cultural system of the Japanese.

It might be that this is the intent that was lost in the disparity between the belief systems of American vs. Okinawan's or Japanese. This is a possibility worth consideration.

As shown above the common character also gives further credence to this possible meaning since insight from Sensei is a lesson that is taught through Sensei's guidance and leadership.

Is this possible? Please comment constructively and let me know your views.

Dojo Kun (dojo precepts from Sensei): Sensei insight through leadership and guidance; family/dojo precepts. ????? hm, thought provoking .....

Isshinryu Dojo Kun

First, go to Michael Clarke Sensei blog and read his post on the "Dojo Kun." Then return here to read my thoughts on the subject.

The dojo kun for Isshinryu seems to have received the interpretation of a code of conduct for the dojo. When I consider the content of this dojo kun I begin to question its authenticity as to being inherited from the systems founder Shimabuku Tatsuo Sensei. I say this for a few reasons.

First, references in the kun (short for dojo kun; brevity purposes) to budo, God and Faith, smoking and drinking tend to convey a more American and/or Military perspective. As far as I can determine Tatsuo Sensei was not a Christian or other religious affiliation that would teach about God. I can see where this might be perceived when he talked of such things as the gokui but wonder a bit about this point.

Second, it would appear that like many urban legends the composing of the dojo kun is or has a rhythm and feel of an American and/or Military influence. I know that Tatsuo Sensei actually composed copies, in Kanji, of the ken-po goku-i but as to the dojo kun in the honbu dojo I suspect that it was created and posted by the leadership of the deshi or senior military attendees.

The kanji provided at the top of one source of the below copy of the Isshinryu Dojo Kun if translated, working on this, may just be a title for the dojo kun or it may be similar to the terse kanji of the gokui (brevity again for ken-po goku-i).

Another source gives us a picture of kanji that is believed to be the dojo code of conduct, dojo kun. It is translated into English but since the snapshot of the kanji is difficult to actually read it is not easily verified as accurate. I also found the kanji for the gokui to lack accurate translation to English where a good deal of latitude was taken in its translation which I also question since those who filled in the holes are and were not so immersed in the culture of Okinawa, etc. that they could do so with any impunity.  In this source they go so far as to add a signature in typeface only of Tatsuo Sensei.

Please understand, I am questioning things for the sake of study. It is not meant to say that either source or anyone in Isshinryu is either right or wrong regarding either the dojo kun or the gokui, it is a matter of study and personal philosophies and perceptions only. Meant to inspire comment and thought.
The closest I have come to any kind of translation of "code of conduct" into Japanese is actually "kodo kihan" which translates into "code of conduct." This does not say that dojo kun is not actually coduct but the word kun does not show in the two translator programs I use.

Dojo of course refers to a martial arts training hall. I cannot extrapolate code or honor or conduct that translates from either word, dojo or kun or both together. When I run into this type of disparity I tend to doubt the validity but do so with a bit of caution and allowance for the greater disparity toward an ability to understand Japanese or Okinawan dialect, customs and meanings. Often kanji literally loses its original intent and meaning when absorbed by such disciplines and budo or martial arts or any art form. I have discovered this when I ask the Japanese business person I frequent to translate a word for me or a phrase.

This is why I felt something when I read Mr. Clarke's understanding as to the meaning of the dojo kun. I suspect his assumptions as to meaning being one that is not set in stone, rules, but rather open and fluid information conveyed from Sensei to his Deshi, if you will allow me those terms. Much like the gokui it is a primer, a key, a cornerstone that is associated with the dojo and with the dojo's master. If it inspires and leads then it has done its job. If it ends up as dogmatic doctrine, rules, specifics that control and stifle the dojo then it needs to be visited and studied many more times.

Could this also be the answer to the question, "why are there so many definitions of the kun and gokui?" As I travel this path I am of the understanding, for me, that this is true and in lieu of wondering simply study the one you possess and let it smolder in the unconscious. The unconscious will speak to you and let you find your philosophy of both the kun and the gokui.

The more I learn, the more I study, the more I investigate the more I see that Clarke Sensei hits the nail on the head. The differences as seen in the snapshot on this post indicate that it is truly a personal thing most often provided by the dojo, system, Sensei.

Click to see full version - it was a larger graphic created by C.E. James ;-)

Okinawa Remembered

Take a cultural type tour of Okinawa that gave birth to many of our current systems of karate. This site is nicley provided for those who have not had the pleasure of a personal visit.

Okinawa Remembered

The Trouble with Change

When we try to emulate a culture, as in martial systems practiced today, and we base that on assumptions made by our culture vs. the culture of the Okinawans; a culture base on a totally different set of assumptions, we would have to reorganize our entire base of thinking in order to understand. We operate on American assumptions from our culture, environment and upbringing and Okinawan's have a different set of assumptions for their culture, environment and upbringing. This upbringing includes their experiences in a particular group of martial styles within a martial system derived from that persons culture, environment and training/practice, etc.

Therefore the trouble with changes is that we tend to not reorganize our thinking but rather blend what we perceive in accordance to our assumptions those of the other culture, environment and upbringing/training/practice to "fit our perception." This is inherently dysfunctional leading to false assumptions and beliefs.

The trouble with change is not the various cultures but rather an ability to drop our assumptions and assume those of the opposing culture, peoples and beliefs which is impossible unless one is able to be assimilated entirely into that culture for a lifetime. This is the trouble with change.

"Our assumptions are prone to misinterpretations simply because of a lack of full immersion and understanding to the beliefs and spirit of the Okinawan people." - Edward T. Hall, redacted to fit the Okinawan Position.

Fight vs. Box

Fighting vs. boxing or any other sport oriented system seems to fill the same shoes. I was watching a re-run of the Tom Selleck TV-Movie series "Jesse Stone" when one scene had this exchange:

Candace Pennington: Did you ever box?
Chief Jesse Stone: Oh, I don't box, I fight.
Candace Pennington: What's the difference?
Chief Jesse Stone: Rules.

I laughed to myself that although this is a movie the quote does speak to a truism of fighting and violence. Whether sport or self imposed rules tend to muck it up and can be detrimental to your safety if you don't have the right mind-set along with reality-based practice and training.

Tough Stuff.....really cool series that seems to fit Mr. Sellect well......

Learning Plateaus

There were, are and always will be times when nothing goes right, progress stops and they can be frequent in the beginning, middle or toward the higher end of training and practice. Welcome to life.

I remember as a Go-kyu that my sparring was suddenly good for that level. I was really making it work on the dojo floor. One session a few weeks later I got up, stepped onto the dojo floor and nothing worked. I couldn't make even the simplest of technique work. I slipped, I forgot and sometimes I could see the move coming but I stood there and got clipped. I was as bad as the first time I started to one-step spar practice.

What is going on here? Learning plateaus, that is what is going on here. I have hit those walls frequently over the time of my practice. In the beginning I almost quit it hurt so much, the ego that is. That first time went on for a while then like when it began I stepped up to the dojo floor and whoa, things got real frosty. I apparently exceeded my previous levels and ability. It was like my mind and body forced time to pass so it could encode or contemplate or whatever my subconscious was doing so I could actually learn and grow.

The learning plateaus taught me that there is a method to nature's madness and that all things have their own time and place. There are intervals that are a part of nature and nature is not going to let you bypass them to get to the good stuff.

Tiger Wood goes through this and it is obvious but then one sudden day it all falls into place and he is off the charts. This is what you will do as well. Recently I got an email from a fledgling black belt - Sho-dan. Who had been there for only about a year. He mentioned he was thinking of quitting as he couldn't find any more. I made some suggestions and I hope he made it past his learning plateaus - hopefully.

Your breathing, good. You get a cold and breathing becomes labored and a strain. You wait it out, do what you need to do and then the cold is gone and all things are right with the world - same thing but different.

Rhythm and Teaching

Did you know that studies were done on human rhythms? In classrooms the rhythm of the class as a whole is determined by the rhythm of the teacher. It has also been found that when students are immersed in their own, familiar, rhythm then and  only then do the settle down into a comfortable rhythm and learn. Is this another aspect a Sensei shall investigate to achieve an optimal learning environment.

Many times in my past postings I have alluded to perspective martial artists seeking a good dojo to look at the personalities of the martial system and the Sensei as well as the dojo atmosphere in finding a good fit. It now appears to me that finding a dojo, a Sensei and fellow practitioners that have a similar rhythm might be such a personality and atmosphere a perspective new person could and would thrive.

As humans we seek out clan's that meet our social needs as to belief system, expectations, perceptions and now rhythms that match up, that are synchronistic. We join or allowed to join such clans and there by assure survival. The survival instincts rear up once again.

Is this all possible, rhythms? People are dominated by behavior which is influenced by complex systems of threads or connections to similar rhythms. All human behavior may be connected intricately by a rhythmic system or process. We are just now fully comprehending that rhythm is the essence of time and that equal and syntonic intervals of time defined events as rhythmic.

We see a master perform and we instinctively recognize a pattern of rhythms that seem to be perceived in a way that makes them a master. This seems to validate the book of changes and other terse tome of such as the gokui, maybe yes?

SDT - slow down time

When I think of slow down time I gravitate toward a mental picture of "Neo" dodging the bullets in slow time. A really revolutionary film discovery that actually makes the brain feel like the actor is "really slowing down time" to see, move and dodge faster and normally imperceptible things. This seems from the research to be a trait the humans have for "survival."

Stories abound about how during a crises the person involved experiences matrix-slow-down-time where fast seems incredibly slow allowing the mind to perceive, analyze and pull out actions to act. This is how the human actually tells time in all its variances.

I have experienced time distortions that sometimes have been detrimental to the scenario I was in at that moment while at other times the distortions were of great benefit in helping my mind to do what would result in my survival. Perceptions of Time.

SDT seems to be one of those things as I recently posted on that may be why we perceive masters as "masters." It occurs to me that this could be something a person might be able to develop and train. I recently read articles and research on "lucid dreaming" where the dreamer acknowledges the dream state and then actually begins to control the dream state. If this is possible then it goes to say that controlling Matrix SDT might be a trait a martial artists might develop.

Could we actually do this by controlling the monkey, the emotional roller coaster ride stress, fear and anger cause? Is the breathing techniques along with martial practice through the Zen model a way to train the mind where we might even trigger the Matrix SDT ability? I find these types of questions exciting and the possibilities of great wonder.

Is this what we perceive when we see a true master?

Context - High/Low

As Sensei we fall into the false sense of authenticity when we try to emulate the Asian Sensei by being more stoic and non-communicative in instruction.  It occurs on occasion not be be disrespectful to those Sensei but in our attempts to honor them by following there example. In this case we forget that this mode of teaching is derived, as my previous posts on Zen attempt to show, from a belief system where the context of communications is different than the one we have and use as Americans - in general.

This once again promotes the often quoted Tatsuo Sensei of Okinawa Isshinryu that it is important to learn and understand the customs of the people of Okinawa.

Context in Asian dojo, in the past, tends to be high-context when it comes to interactions - teaching, instructing or mentoring. Those Japanese Sensei utilize this context simply because it is a way of life for all Japanese. They use a lot more nonverbal elements in communications. This also falls toward the assumptions humans make which are also influenced by context, not just words. Voice intonation, facial expressions, gestures, eyes, etc. will carry more information that any words they may use.

We are low-context oriented which relies a lot on rules, i.e. dojo rules, and we are task oriented. Our messages are carried more by the words we say with minor supplementation of body language. Our verbal communications are direct where we tend to spell things out. This comes from our societies administrative controls that begin as a child and continue through the school systems and into the business world. We see our communications as an exchange of data, idea's and our opinions.

Our learning is thinking; finding the specifics and then taking it to a general with less importance to the general vs. specifics. Our focus is on the details. We rely heavily on individualism and the Asian Sensei toward group for learning and problem solving.

All humans will oscillate from high to low to high and sometimes somewhere in between with a preference or dominant context mode. It becomes important for a good Sensei to observe and determine a practitioners sense mode and context level to provide optimal instruction that will be better absorbed and then applied. 

As I continue my research and studies I am finding the reasons why traditional Asian systems for martial instruction require age when certifying certain teaching levels and credentials. They recognize the benefit and value that age brings to a Sensei. I have often expressed the need to reach at least a San-dan level before taking on a dojo's responsibilities but am learning that it may better benefit the systems as a whole if Sensei were not opening dojo until at least that level and an age of at least 35 years of age. There is no better Sensei than one with the experience of age. I am fifty-seven and actually feel that I am just getting to a stage where my teachings are adequate.

Sense of Self

In might illuminate our understanding of American vs. Asian martial systems if we take a look at our beliefs and perceptions, i.e. how we came to them. The very first thing we do as newborns is to synchronize our movements with mother's movements. Schedules are almost immediately introduced to our minds and perceptions at this stage as well.

When we enter the school systems the culture hits us full blast. We are instructed on how to make the "system" work. Communications are delegated to administrators and remains that way.

The school bells tell us when we must be in class, i.e. when we start learning, and when we leave the class, i.e. when we stop learning. It seems to me, personally, that the programming of our minds begins at entry into the school systems after being indoctrinated by our parents who are, of course, products of that same system.

The bell system of schools sends a message to the mind, there is an administration calling all the shots. Our time is run this way. Our internal and natural rhythms are controlled to the administrations time. Classroom dynamics, our learning experience and all the teaching are all controlled by the "schedule." Americans are basically decentralized.

We also tend to accept rules set by administration as immutable, unchangeable and not retractable. Mostly .....

Americans do not put their national interests ahead of everything else. It takes a national catastrophic event or threat on the nation to get us to drop our own self-interests and band together into a team to combat the threat or handle the catastrophic event.

Americans can tend to communicate in a "low-context" mode which is about communicating in details which can make high-context models seem like they are being talked-down too. Knowing the context communications system would help to determine if they are communicating in high or low context mode.

Americans tend to compartmentalize or put things into "silo's" with little communications or authorities transcending boundaries.

We assume that time is a given, that it is the same wherever we go in the world. We are basically imprisoned by the confines of "linear time."

Atomistic back to Holistic

It is a matter of taking all the individual parts and placing them holistically back as one whole entity that is coordinated, integrated, and rhythmic in its application in practice or life. This is true martial art.

Once this has been accomplished the next phase is balancing the flux between atomistic and holistic where the blend is fluid and instinctively adjusts to events both in time and in space. My theory as to why true masters of martial systems seemingly move and apply their art flawlessly and seemingly with ease are simply applying the holistic whole of their system in "slow down time."

The intensity and ease of this level of concentration takes a person out of linear time and places them in a time space location that removes the sense of time and that removal of time explains how the  mind perceives "slow down time" where no matter the intensity and speed of external movements the true master "sees" and "hears" things allowing the mind to retrieve and apply tactics that seem to literally come "before" the uke can even think the attack.

I can imagine that the uke's sense of time is affected similarly where in lieu of slow-down-time their sense of time is fast and they find themselves caught in a vortex from the master further imposing a sense of time even observers take as "extraordinary" thus validating the masters status.

It therefore can be hypothesized that time is the true manifestation of mastery over the martial systems and this holistic view fits into the Asian wholeness as taught through Zen Buddhist practices.

Zen Buddhism, Japanese and Martial Systems

First, I am not a zen master. I am not even a zen practitioner although I attempt to learn and live up to that path in my practice and training. Recently I have come across more information regarding the Asian mind, time and Zen. I wanted to take the time to pass along that information here not to say I know or that I am the expert in this but rather to provide more so that one may change beliefs in this one way or another.

Let me begin that I feel strongly Americans are at a great disadvantage due to ignorance. In Isshinryu circles it is known that Tatsuo Sensei spoke often of the importance of learning the customs of Okinawa to really understand its karate. I believe this more today then ever before. I have to add one caveat tho, that we must learn of their customs but also we must first change our beliefs to allow for understanding. We have to get into their minds, their time and their time as to the other more esoteric understanding of time. If we continue to fool ourselves that our assumptions and expectations through our personal perspectives, beliefs and experiences we will miss the whole boat.

"The tremendous possibilities that lie ahed if the human race can be weaned from its fascination with technology and turn its attention once more to the study of the human spirit." - Chapter six.

What I am gaining slowly from this and other aspects of my studies is we are driven past our spirit as it relates to the spirit of the heavens, earth and nature is detrimental to our overall health and well being. The speed and complete disconnect from nature's timing, rhythm and beat is causing such distress that humans are suffering for it. I believe this is true. This is why I am presenting the next regarding a view of the Asian mind and it through Zen Buddhism beliefs.

Zen utilizes the "koan" as a teaching tool Koan are sayings or quotes that are given to disciples as a teaching tool. They are meant to take these koans and mediate on them until the key is released in a natural way. These koans seem to be convoluted, confusing and illogical, but they do have a deep meaning and in order to understand that meaning, to discover that key is to understand in which context that koan is to be understood. It is in the context.

The koan is a basic teaching tool of Zen practitioners. This teaching and learning process depends on the use of models, practice, and demonstration (note, this is how many art forms are taught such as martial systems.). Words only distort Zen (this may be one reason why Sensei tend to not use words in teachings).

Zen is very high on the context scale and the communications for Zen is very, very fast. In order to understand the context one must understand the history, background and customs of Zen. In order to begin that understanding you must start with a few facts about the Japanese.

Japanese are raised in and live in a close-knit, highly contextualized social context life. This is why there is no questions, no explanations, and this is why outsiders such as Americans find their methods difficult to understand and accept.

In Japan, the discovery of self is directly linked to the full realization of the basic social laws by which one's family, relatives, friends, neighbors and countrymen live. The American "M-time or one-thing-at-a-time" mode is a type of silo'ing or put it into a box type method that is the opposite. Examples follow.

In our country we look at most martial systems as a sport. Archery, an art in Japan, is viewed as a sport here. In their country it can be a sport, but it is also a spiritual-philosophical ritual. This is considered a discipline that trains the mind. The Zen part drives the Japanese tradition of a spiritual exercise regimen that is designed to train/expand the mind. This is the method to get into the rhythm of the unconscious. This is the method to remove all the obstructions that block our free and direct access to that unconscious.

In the art of Archery it is to achieve a blend of the practitioners to the arrow to the bow to the string and then to the target as not separate entities but rather a unified process - the whole. Americans train for skill while the Asian trains by emptying the mind and removing the self and all the self's baggage. The same is true of how they perceive time. Time springs forth from within, the self and it is not an imposed time. Zen tunes us to nature. In that light in lieu of "its noon so its lunch time" they eat when the body says it time for sustenance. They sleep when the body says its time to rest.

In Zen the thoughts that run willy nilly in our brains interferes with our consciousness. It is a form that teaches to think naturally and unconsciously where Americans tend to think logically and analytically which leads us to dogmatic beliefs, creeds and codes, and philosophies while Zen orients toward form and context.

In Zen it is to achieve dissolution of ego and they use the meditation process to bypass the influence of conscious thoughts. This is geared to take those monkey driven feelings of success or failure  and consciousness of self and make the dissolve or at the very least provide for control to the extent that they no longer drive the person.

In Zen swordsmanship the Zen part is the removal of any feelings about either life or death. Truth to the Zen practitioner is all encompassing and yet the very essence of self. Paradoxical to say the least.

Our brains here in our country tend to reside and rely on the left side which is a low-context side, ultra-specific (this tends to explain why we go to the atomistic and tend to ignore the holistic).

The Asian culture believes in the concept of "hara." This is a part and parcel of Zen as well, the two are intricately blended. Hara is a logic of context and "of action" and not limited to word paradigms.

Art, in Japan, is a Zen discipline where you can say such arts as flower arranging, calligraphy, archery and swordsmanship are tied to it thoroughly and completely. This is what makes them arts in lieu of just a sport or discipline. As such all of them are high-context oriented.

Asian art has four elements which the reader will find familiar - hara, MA, intuition, and michi (the way).

Hara links the individual to nature, the universe, man-earth-heaven. MA is a space-time concept and a meaningful pause, interval, or space. Silences in Japan shout the deepest feelings while in American culture it says "embarrassment or dead time. Intuition come from long, deep study and experience. It is the distillation of a theme, an emotion, idea, or object. Michi implies devotion to discipline and the perfection of one's art. The American view of michi is the limiting belief in "technique."

In a short quote, "The Zen artist, after years of disciplined exercise, experiences the object with his whole self and then lets the object draw the picture using the ink-brush as a tool. There is seemingly no conscious effort on the part of the artist to direct the brush. As was true of the Zen archer, the object - the brush - and the artist are part of a single, unified, integrated process. The Japanese, in order to develop his art, must center his efforts on self-knowledge and ultimately on enlightenment. The greatest efforts are made to still the mind and to eliminate the ego, which is subject to the frailties of praise, success, failure, and lack of recognition. "

Japanese arts come from and grow from within and not influenced a great deal from the outside. American art tends to focus on the aesthetic context or on the object itself or both than using the arts to gain insight to the self, the inner workings of our psyches.

Another unique aspect of the Zen practitioner is the view that any failure is seen as merely insufficient effort in the physical discipline, work and dedication to the task or art at hand. It also places a huge demand on the individual.

The Japanese act comes from three centers, not one as we tend to think of it: the mind, the heart, and the hara. Mind is for the business end, heart is for family, friends and home, hara is what one strives for in all things - balance as a whole.

The heart you can depend on; the mind is fluid, chaotic and always in flux. It takes the hara to bring the other two into balance, equilibrium, the whole. If we are to understand context of Asian's to understand our martial practice as a classic/tradition then we must also understand "tate-mae," "honne," and "suji." Tatemae is a sensitivity to other humans, the public self; honne is a sensitivity to that private self; suji is a situation significance to an event.

We Americans also can divide people into an "us" or a "them or othering." The Japanese Zen aspect does do this to an extent in that honne and tatemae is an "us and them." The exception while Americans have shades of gray in us or them the Japanese Zen aspect has nothing in between honne and tatemae.

One last aspect is "giri" or that obligation which a Japanese can incur  during their lives with a "requirement" to repay that obligation. The Japanese have a meeting of the "heart" and Americans have a meeting of the "minds." One last note of significance is in our country we tend to spar with words to show superiority or greater intelligence. In Japan, they will synchronize their "breathing." Now, I would love to learn more about that part and maybe my continued studies will lead me to that one.

Remember, this is my view as to my current studies. My studies are fluid. They will change as I gather in more information and knowledge. This post is meant to give the reader more information as a key to prompt opening a door, a door to more information gathering and to hopefully inspire the reader to open the mind and truly seek out the customs of Okinawa from their perspective, perception and belief systems.

Bibliography
Hall, Edward T. "The Dance of Life: The Other Dimension of Time." Anchor Books. New York. 1983, 1984, 1989.

Uechi Ryu Short Story or Documentation

I was reading the post on the Shinseidokan Dojo site by Michael Clarke Sensei where this short documentary was presented. I felt it was a good one on the Sensei and System of Uechi Ryu, an Okinawan "Style" of karate. Enjoy, and the first clip is of Okinawa for those who have not visited to date.

A Martial "Style"

What is a martial style. Many hear the question and speak only a word. It is karate. It is Kung Fu. It is Aikido. This explains little to nothing and people make assumptions in lieu of simply asking, "What do you mean by style?"

Style is an individualize mark the is expressly representative of a particular discipline. It is an individualized imprint upon the system. It is a particular skill associated with that particular system. It is that something when presented impresses the observer with a particular person, a particular place, a particular belief that says or causes imagery of the mind stating, "this is Okinawan karate," or "this is a southern Chinese Kung Fu," or "this is a Japanese sword art."

It is a specific "feeling" one gets when the style's name is given, when a style's art is displayed/demonstrated and it is that system with a unique spin on the fundamental principles that govern all martial systems, styles.

A particular style has a unique structure and rhythm, it has a fluency much like languages of differing cultures, it has a unique culture and its precision is governed by the whole of all its parts. Its economy, clarity and dialect speaks volumes of its uniqueness in separation from the flock called martial systems.

Style is that which gives it personality much like your personality sets you apart from all other humans. It has a fingerprint so unique it will always be seen in all its variations as that "style."

This is what I mean by "style" when you hear me say I practice the style of Okinawan karate-jutsu-do as created by and named by Shimabuku Tatsuo Sensei, a fortune teller, a farmer, a father and family man and a native Okinawan who studied, believed and practiced those ancient classics that so influenced his decision to create a wholehearted system called, "Isshinryu, the one heart style."

Defending vs. Counterattacking

Duality, life if full of this and our entire beings run on duality and its balance or unbalance/imbalance. Reading some materials I found a couple of quotes that spoke to me on semantics. You know that semantics can be beneficial or it can be a hindrance depending on the extent one goes in its usage, explanation and value to any discipline.

Do humans in their instinct to save face find themselves sometimes feeling that loss, that self imposed dishonor and self imposed guilt trip when confronted by some threat or confrontation? Yes, I believe we do and I want to say my personal philosophy is that any "non-violent action" is an honorable path to take. The damage done when violence occurs is just not worth it.

It is much better for all of us, especially males, to avoid or defuse all confrontations/threats. I would feel a greater guilt if I made the decision to use force if it damaged another human when I could have and should have avoided, deescalated or defused things. If forced beyond my control the guilt is just not going to be there but .....

My motto when speaking on self-defense is "Defend yourself, don't counterattack." Remember that non-violence is honorable. Try to defuse, deescalate or avoid altogether confrontations and threats. You may feel guilt but that is normal; let it come, ignore it but observe it for what it is and then take that garbage out and drop it into the minds dumpster.

Just letting the mind seek out of the box idea's for contemplation, consideration and implementation when of value.

My First Car

I worked hard. I earned the money to buy a brand new car. Not some pre-owned, used, formally owned by this little old lady from Pasadena but a new vehicle with only the miles used to take it off the ship, move it onto the truck and park it on the sales lot.

It's parked out front. The apartment is shoddy and you are eating instant food but you got that new car, awesome. You shower, shave and dress. You run, not walk, not saunter but you run with keys in hand to get in and drive your new "ride."

Yank the door open, jump in and insert with force the new key in the ignition. Hit it, the ignition, the rrr-rrr-rrr of the starter and motor send chills up and down you back - Ohhh, my ride you say. The engine catches and roars to life. After all you took it straight to the hobby shop and your mechanic friends helped you juice it up a bit, headers, hi-performance equipment and a drive train with special four speed shifting performance - ready for the quarter mile track, yea!

You with abandon shove the shifter into first, pop the clutch and off you go. You press the accelerator and pick up speed, roarrrrr, the rpm's are climbing and you feel like your on top of the world. The rpm's reach 5K, 5.5K, 6.5K and climbing. The engine is roaring and the pitch is climbing and you feel like your powerful, fast and leaving others in the dust. Your blinders don't allow you to see that everyone is basically maintaining the same pace.

Roar, your day is like this all day long until you go home, park it and get out to admire your brand new vehicle.

Day two, the same. Day five, the same. Week four, the same. Your on a roll, all is well and you and your new car are impressive. People stop and stare as you zoom, zoom, zoom - flashing by them like posts of a picket fence.

Week six, roaring once again when out of the clear blue sky comes, "ping .... pingggg .... PING." Hmmm, you say, wonder what that could be but since your roaring and traveling like the speed of light and without interference you continue on.

Week seven, start it up and "ping .... pingggg .... PING." You have been hearing all this for a time now and you figure since all is running except this "little ping" you can go for it. You do just that.

"ping .... pingggg .... PING," and "thud, blonk, boink," "rattle, hackle, shimmy and shake." It has been like this for a while, ah well what the heck cause I am still roaring down that road. It never occurred to you that maybe a four speed means you can shift into second, third and fourth as needed by the rpm's. Who cares you might think, all is well and ... it works.

About a month or so passes, your roaring down the road and suddenly the car bucks, you are bounding around in your seat and then you hear such a racket the world must be ending - it does, your engine ceases to roar and you coast to a stop on the side of the road.

You can't help but think to yourself, how could this happen? I was doing so good and running so fast and hearing such power I should be running like this "forever," what the %$@&.

The mechanic took a look, assumed a very sympathetic face and said, "Your engine is done. You blew it up, what happened?" He heard your story, chuckled and then sadly conveyed to you that your rushed and passed up a lot of good information that would have helped you take care of your car and run it well for many, many years - it could have, with care, taken you through your entire life, bummer dude the mechanic said.

Epilogue: You rush out the front door with your uniform on for all to see your new belt and tell all that your fast, powerful and ready to take on the world. You rush to the dojo, jump on the floor and go full blast with the basics. You've been doing it this way for a while, your comfortable and your roaring around the dojo floor - black belt is just around the corner.

Not a Reflection on Origin Posts, Periodicals or Books

Just want to let anyone know who reads my posts that an extracted quote and attached comments by me are NOT to disparage the original source post and it is not to refute or otherwise make a statement that the original source post is right, wrong or other. It is just that sometimes a specific quote out of the context of the original source post, periodical or book triggers a thought, an idea and a topic for a post here - it is not personal and not any of the above.

If you feel otherwise let me know and I will make sure I don't extract quotes in or out of context from your blog, periodical or book - send me a private email at my blog email account and I will stop.

Thanks,

Charles James, esq. :-)

Othering the Monkey

A thought occurred to me as I traveled to work on the BART train (Bay Area Rapid Transit).

"Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of .... fade sound to silence; change to a silhouette  of a tall figure where the eyes smoothly guided end up at the ears ... they are pointed - Spock; a conundrum of human and Vulcan speaking of the struggle gain control over the emotional human condition - the monkey brain."

It occurred to me in the many postings and readings I have done over the years that in an effort to gain control of a mass of humans and pursuade them to do the bidding of the tribe, society, to "kill others" they tend to suggest through supposition that those who don't belong are "others" and thus easier to put into a category so "killing becomes less of a struggle."

I am suggesting that if this works so well is is possible we could use this method in a more constructive manner. Could we "other" the monkey in us like Spock tries to "other the human emotional side" so the Vulcan logical side can be in control?

If this could be done to any significant extent how would a person go about achieving this goal, this strategy and what tactics would work? We can other humans, who are not really any different than we are, can we not other that part of us that gets us into the monkey dance?

Can we take those methods already available and morph them into some tactic of training that will allow for mind bending the self into "other-ing the monkey?"

Thinking Backward regarding Self Defense

My recent reading of the articles on memory and analysis by the CIA I was inspired by this technique as a possible effective technique for anyone who may make a decision to use force in a self-defense situation. As stated by many sources once you make the decision to utilize a tool such as karate in self-defense you are opening the door to legal, medical and civil repercussions.

This particular technique may be a way to "see" a situation from a perspective that might provide a new view before you encounter one to make a fully informed and correct decision on using force for protection. To my mind this is critical thinking before your faced with all those not so nice repercussions to taking a force posture in a threat or conflict.

Take another read of the article or chapter "Keeping an Open Mind: Seeing Different Perspectives: Thinking Backwards" and see if it would fit your training regimen for self-defense.

CIA on Backward Analysis Training HERE.

While your there, take a look at the "Crystal Gall" method as well, it seems valid in this context as well - interesting and informative.

If you try these out and find value in them, let me know. I don't have the resources to try this out in a group.

An Exciting Time

I was reading some comments and posts at a blog when I suddenly realized, "what an exciting time!" This blog is hosted by a fledgling Sho-dan who is entering into the Yu-dan-sha realm with enthusiasm and a joy only a new black belt can experience ..... except ..... the yang of this yin attitude is much to often the case with new black belts.

New black belts as a whole find that they seemingly reached the end of their journey. Soon, they will disappear from the dojo. This is one of those things that separates the cream from the milk. The cream is sweet and delicious but for the long term the milk is where it is at - a bit plain but nutritious.

I remember the time I finally wrapped the black belt around my waist. I remember distinctly the entire event. It is like Marine Boot Camp at Parris Island, you remember details even after thirty-nine years. The excitement was like being on a high that had complete awareness and focus on the time and moment, it was special.

I also remember that I felt this way for many years after Sho-dan. I was lucky that I had a view and perception that kept me looking, seeking and diving for more every single day. That first day as a yu-dan-sha has stayed with me all these years - thirty-three years ago on Okinawa. I can visualize the dojo at the Camp Hansen Gym, that little square room that we built our system from at the rear of the main gym floor where all the sport activities such as basketball, etc. were played. I remember the slight cheshire cat smile Henry Sensei used when he spoke to me before taking his obi off and passing it along to me.

Even tho this was not such a special act, giving me his old, worn, faded obi, it was significant as it put me into a place that in all probability resulted in my view for my entire career. It said, this denotes experience and proficiency - I had better get on the ball if I am to live up to this symbol from Sensei.

I have heard many such stories about the obi presented at Sho-dan and they all have meaning to the individual. It is just a wish that the time would inspire those who stopped training to have continued. Ahh, but that is not life and not the way. Like the Marines, if everyone could be one then it would not be the elite, the Marines.

If everyone could wear the meaning of sho-dan then everyone would be a sho-dan. It is nice to read the blog of the fledgling sho-dan. It is inspiring and it reminds those who have previously passed this way of the joy so long ago and it inspires those who are or are about to put it on the joy of what they will encounter long after that first black belt.

Tank said it well, "It is an exciting time."

The CIA

Often I post on changes, beliefs and assumptions and I try to convey how we tend to limit our perceptions and beliefs but advocate an open-mind-set to gain more from knowledge, training and practice. I thought that it might provide more willingness in taking to change if I were able to pose an organization that could be seen as a type of validation and I found the CIA. Interesting, interested?

The following two links were closer to what I am trying to convey. It involves how CIA analysts are to be trained to "see and hear" more than what our human brains tend to use, to go outside the box and beyond a closed-mind.

Take a moment to read through these three URL's. It is ok that they are out of sequence and of course you may end up reading the entire fourteen chapters of the article.

Try to imagine that in place of analyst you use Sensei or Deshi or what ever but remain open-minded as to how this can be related/connected to martial systems and our belief system for MA.

Chapter 3: https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/psychology-of-intelligence-analysis/art6.html

Chapter 6: https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/psychology-of-intelligence-analysis/art9.html

Chapter 9: https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/psychology-of-intelligence-analysis/art12.html

A Kata Formality: Symbolistic Respect Displays in Martial Systems

In a recent posting at the "Talk Isshinryu Forum" the question was posed, what is the purpose and/or meaning of a the diagonal step with the left foot out and back as a prelude to kata-rei and kata performance. I would describe is as follows:

"Step out diagonally forty-five degrees with left foot, return, bow/rei then begin kata."

There are a variety of methods to begin and end kata as to etiquette - in general. One might be to stand in musubi-dachi, rei, step out to the right with the right foot and then begin the kata with some defensive move, etc. Actually I think this is the "norm" one might find dominating most karate kata.

Even with that generic etiquette prelude to kata performance, practice and training does it actually have any meaning or symbolism in Asian Okinawan Martial Systems, i.e. Isshinryu, Gojuryu, Uechiryu, Shorinryu and others? Are we humans actually taking a more holistic meaning and trying to move it without merit to the more atomistic view?

I asked a few sources for some feedback on this particular practice and got two answers. One is that it was introduced by Kichero Sensei, Tatsuo Sensei's first born son, and practiced by the IWKA members. The second answer I got was Uezu Angi Sensei created it as a symbol or sign of respect for Tatsuo Sensei and is practiced by his organization and Dojo.

In my final analysis it really doesn't matter and it is not significant outside either circle of influence be it the Uezu or Kichero Sensei source and/or requirement. I can understand this perspective because I also changed this process of start and end kata by the new positioning of my hands. I take on a posture similar, regarding the hands, as the Isshinryu-no-megami. I do this to indicate I have respect for Tatsuo Sensei and what he accomplished in his one heart system of Okinawan karate-jutsu-do.

I will express emphatically that I do not require anyone who trains with me to perform their opening sequence to kata this way, it is my way and my display of respect as I suspect it was for Uezu Sensei. He just made it a part of his organization, his dojo and his students.

p.s. as one single source stated, anyone can derive some purpose out of anything and everything we do be it karate or flower arrangement. It is a matter of belief and perspective. 

Give Yourself a Break

It took the masters decades to discover what works then more time to condense it into kata and pass it along to their students. I would ask students to also give themselves a break, they are in no hurry, there is no time limit or restriction in the study and practice of a martial system and they are not required to learn in any set time window or requirement.

It is interesting that humans, especially the American male species, to even consider that one can learn all that knowledge and gain all that experience in any short, brief and efficient manner. It cannot be done. I realize that my previous posts explain how we tend to drop into that mode of quick and easy and I would advocate to all who read this and all who study with me to take a moment and give yourself a break. You are not going to do it quickly and if you try you will only hurt yourself.

Let us not assume any requirements other than due diligence and attention to learning. Let us Sensei dismiss any expectations other than a person's due diligence and attention to learning. Sounds good to me!

Question Everything

Never accept anything with blind faith. Do not even accept your won beliefs without first questioning them thoroughly and completely. When Sensei or a senior person speaks never assume that what they say is correct and/or accurate. We as humans have the propensity, the DNA you might say, to automatically accept what authoritative figures tend to say.

Remain skeptical at all times. Remain skeptical even more so with yourself, your beliefs and your data both incoming and outgoing. Question it all, question it again and never have either expectations or assumptions that what you know is reality, true and accurate. We humans have so much input from sensory gathering that we have to parse that data in a matter of milliseconds to either retain or discard.

We will dismiss perfectly good data if it happens to be outside our or our groups belief system. No matter what we sense by eyes, ears or touch, the brain must process every tiny bit of data to perceive reality to the world outside the self and the self's world in our minds. Our personal matrix driven by the brain. We can never truly know reality.

We make assumptions, lots and lots of them to make sense of the reality we encounter, perceive and define in our minds. There is always a bit of disparity between the real world and the matrix of our brain/minds.

Our beliefs, what they are or may be, provide us the means to survive in a dangerous world. The assumptions we make are not accurate, but our beliefs reduce our fears and our values facilitate the tribe survival systems. This is good and has its flaws.

Because of the minds tendency to be a bit iffy we must always question everything more than once to achieve some semblance of cohesive knowledge or we don't survive.

In the martial community it is even more important to question everything, especially and with emphasis those who teach, lead, and guide - Sensei, regardless of rank, level or grade; regardless of age and years of experience. If what Sensei says sounds plausible still question it. If what Sensei teaches seems to work the question it, prove it and make sure it works for you.

There is no other way on the path to karate-jutsu-do. There is no other way on the path to marital systems.

Quick and Speedy

My recent academic studies have provided me a "reasoning" behind the propensity of humans to seek out effortless, quick and efficient solutions to reaching the "fun stuff" vs. remaining steadfast on the fundamentals to build a solid martial foundation. It is simple, it is a part of the human survival condition. It is as natural as breathing.

It is not as simple as it seems on the surface when you read about it. It is a complex system that promotes weeding out the information needed and not needed when inundated by a tidal wave of sensory input.

We get and process every single tidbit of data our eyes, ears, touch, taste and smell send to our brain. Simplistically speaking, the data must be first sorted for either the left or right side processing, i.e. the holistic or atomistic aspects of our perceptual processing systems. Once in one side or the other then we place it in our memory depending on a variety of factors that are tied to perceptual filtering and our belief systems. Complex, isn't it?

This process also incorporates our need for survival in finding those resolutions that are simple, fast and efficient. In today's world that means some things that should be taken slowly and methodically are placed in a position where we desire to do it quickly and in this case not as efficiently as our end goals would need.

Knowing that this is true might allow our minds to move things from the holistic aspect or side and place it into the reductionist or atomistic side for further processing before we place it quickly into the holistic or "feels right" side for storage.

The atomistic aspects ensures we train and practice until it works for us so when we migrate it into the more "feels right" holistic side for storage and rapid retrieval.

Knowledge is good, knowledge is right and knowledge is necessary - assimilate it, analyze it, question it and then accept/discard it.

Kata - Lethality and/or Destructive

Does kata allow us to practice potentially lethal or destructive techniques without destroying training partners?

First, I am a kata person. I believe in kata. I believe that kata is the keystone to karate-jutsu-do. I believe ..... but ...... I don't believe that kata provides practice for "potentially lethal or destructive" techniques.

I believe kata are merely blueprints or story boards that provide karate-ka a means to pass down possible techniques that were perviously derived from those that were proved by individuals to "work." I believe they were and are the best method to pass down those working techniques. I believe they are and always will be the best method to pass down those working techniques for the future of martial systems - karate-jutsu-do.

The key issue here is kata were those techniques found by person or persons who then put the working, validated, techniques into kata  for the future but were and are not written in stone but meant to be merely a stepping stone for the future generations to "find or discover" those techniques that work for them in this time and in this place and at any moment in time.

It bothers me a bit when someone preaches that kata are the "potential lethal or destructive" technique source or sources. As an individual I have no clue as to whether the inherent techniques of the classical kata will work - for me, at this point in time, the present moment of a threat. No one can know. You can't know that the bunkai, if the original classical bunkai originally intended by the master who created the kata, of your kata work or not until you vet then yourself.

There are way to many variables involved not the forget to mention that as time passes the translation and meaning will change naturally as is the inherent trait of the human and the human brain. A pet peeve, the kata are the blueprints of your perception and application of karate-jutsu-do, not the old masters. Your merely taking their fighting wisdom of that time and place and "making it work or adjusting them to work" in your time and place.

I would rather have the advice and teachings of an experience practitioner, combat experience or out there in the threat making it work, than one who never encountered a true threat and lived to teach about it. A person with at least one fight under their belt as a karate-ka then a gazillion Sensei who never once came face to face with a true threat either social or anti-social predator.

So, do kata allow us to practice potentially lethal or destructive techniques? No, not at all but they do provide us experienced and proven techniques, if still of the original classic bunkai, that "could possible" help us to "find those effective techniques." I would prefer defining them as effective vs. lethal or destructive.

As to lethal or destructive; I prefer to have a mind-set that says I will effectively stop the damage then assume that I have to have either  lethal or destructive mind-set to stop damage with lethal force or destructive force. These tend to express aggressive intent which of course is fighting and of course we all know fighting is illegal.

I feel the mind-set of kata is important, can you tell?