The Three Laws of Robotics by Isaac Asimov

I am a sci-fi fan and Isaac Asimov is a favorite. I especially like his robotics books and short stories. You may remember Will Smith starred in a modern movie called, "I Robot." In those stories the three laws of robotics spurred me to think, "can this be applied to a karate-ka?"

Here are the original:

The three laws of Robotics:

1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm
2) A robot must obey orders givein to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Here are mine:

The Three Rules of Martial Artists

1. A martial artist may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A martial artist must adhere to higher moral principles except where such principles would conflict with the first rule.
3. A martial artist must protect themselves as long as such protection does not conflict with the first or second rule.

Ok, tell me, does it work?

Holistic + Atomistic = Sychronistic Practice, Teaching and Learning

This will sound a bit familiar, atomistic is where you divide something into separate and often disparate elements. Holistic is a means of viewing the whole with out looking or seeing the individual components and the goal is to have a whole system feel that feels right in practice.

I posted that it takes a break down into the smallest components to learn and teach martial systems and I expressed emphatically that it does not end there. It continues down that path until you reassemble the individual components into an integrated "whole." The ideal is to see in detail the atomistic aspects of martial practice with an end result of assembling it into a integrated whole that simply feels right to the individual practitioner.

I have alluded to the reasons for this method loosely and over the weekend my research has uncovered more information that may explain why the human condition seems to naturally gravitate toward this method of holistic to atomistic and back to holistic aspects of the practice, training and learning.

Apparently our brains run on a dualistic process. Our brains spend a good deal of time labeling everything we perceive. Our senses are taking in undefined data all the time. This is our perception through the senses then one side or the other of various parts of the brain process that data until it is converted from undefined to defined according to our perceptions and beliefs. Out concepts, our words, and the labels we attache shape the awareness we experience.

Our brains are equipped with a holistic capability that will take the sum of all the individual components or parts and provide us a "feeling" for the whole of all those parts or components. This is a fundamental system of sensory organization. The left side of the brain takes care of processing and formulating information of a logical, rational and a reductionist  processes, i.e. the atomistic activity. The right side of the brain is where we view the world in an integrated way and where our connectivity to all the myriad things of the world are stimulated. When something feels intuitively correct this is our holistic view of the entire whole of any combination of sensory undefined data as processed by that side of the brain.

A good example is "facial recognition" is processed by the holistic functioning of the brain. You might think that it would have been the atomistic side for the details but the process is more holistic apparently and we may need to consciously activate the atomistic side to describe a face. This is apparently the reason facial descriptions for criminals tends to be misleading, convoluted and prone to greater error.

If we are perceiving the holistic aspects of reality we are less inclined to require the processes of analyzing, comparing, quantifying or justifying our perceptions and beliefs. Because it feels right we have accepted this as a belief and thus feel no need to cut it up and perform such functions on the components or parts.

We tend to have a holistic feeling toward reality when our overall impressions as identified by some previous analysis of specific features or facts give us that impression or feeling of "this feels right." Holistic is not a function of language since there is no need to express or validate the data with it. Look at the holistic side as a more "intuitive skill."

The dualistic nature of life and the brain requires us to have a left and right side as both separate and distinct functions are necessary to achieve a feeling of satisfaction and a feeling of a whole or completeness. The parts can be considered only in relationship with the whole and the whole cannot be if not for the parts so we naturally take that which does not feel correct or right or just and perform a atomistic action by breaking it down, labeling them and then analyzing, discussing and data mining to validate and then reconstruct into a whole that is either accepted as right or discarded and "not right."

Where martial systems drop the ball is they take the holistic form and break it down into a atomistic form that promotes analysis, discussion and validating actions but then drop it in lieu of reconstructing it back into its whole system.

Lets discuss a bit more detail as to the reductionist form we naturally gravitate to in sensory analysis, the atomistic aspect of training and practice and life. Atomistic is a type of reductionist activity that our survival instincts require. Our brain labels everything that the senses receive. The process then takes the data and either sends it to the right or the left side of the brain where it is either accepted as holistic or "it feels right." Then the rest is sent to the right or left side to be deconstructed into the smallest bits and pieces it can for detailed analysis. This is where we identify all the leaves of the tree and let the whole tree reside in stasis until the process of analysis, validation and identification are completed.

The holistic aspects of the brain depend on the gathering of sensory data more by perceptual elements, intuition or imagination and then comparing that with our stored memories. It may be why we tend to freeze in stress situations as our holistic side is searching short and long term memory to find an appropriate match. Anything that has no match in memory is discarded. If this is so this is important for our training and practice. Train and practice to store the appropriate data so important and previously unidentified data is not discarded when the holistic part searches memory.

I would feel personally that the atomistic aspects of the brain are more important during the training and practice functions in martial systems. It also feels right that the holistic, the whole of the atomistic, are what we depend on in stressful situations. If we train and practice right it will reside in memory and depending on the importance of the data may remain in short term memory for quicker retrieval.

It may be the reason why advice of putting the more simple and most important actions in short term memory so as to give the holistic activity of the brain the time to retrieve the more appropriate responses and actions. In short term the "break the freeze" and the "move" and the "act" permissions may be a method to give you time to act or run or what ever to avoid, deescalate, etc.

Does this make sense? Perception takes us to reality. Reality is subjective to personal perceptions. Perceptions are subjective to social and personal beliefs resulting from various sensory encounters. Reality results to the individual where results of s synchronic matching to others provides for social cohesion by a certain flexibility induced due to survival instincts governing groups. Perceptions and realities seldom truly match so a balance is achieved with brain belief acceptance of a kind. Synchronic communications are necessary to achieve tribal/group cohesion and adjustments to belief systems for survival. If there is a belief disparity the group through this synchronic vibration match accommodates achieving an equilibrium acceptable to all parties.

Bibliography:
Newberg, Andrew MD and Waldman, Mark Robert. "Why We Believe What We Believe: Uncovering Our Biological Need for Meaning, Spirituality, and Truth." Free Press. New York. 2006

The Links in a Chain

"The chain is only as strong as its weakest link." - Unknown

A recent posting on the sub-categories of a martial system got me to thinking about this quote by an unknown, shame as I would like to know who inspired it. The sub-categories are symbolized by the chain and the links are those sub-categories. This metaphor tells me that all the links must be learned, trained and practiced to make the chain strong. The entire set of links, like a tribe; team; society, make up its strength and ensure its survival. It is a metaphor for survival for that weak link can result in a broken chain.

When you exploit a weak link in a perimeter you allow a threat to enter in and do damage. You need to build a strong perimeter where all the chain links are strong and none are exploitable - the fundamental principles of martial systems dictates this is so.

What is the weakest link in the martial system chain? If I had to name one, it is knowledge.

Victim Selection by Sue Wharton

Today, I read an outstanding post by SueC. Please take a moment to go HERE and read it. Victim Selection by Sue Wharton "My Journey to Black Belt" blog

Criminal Intent

Click for larger view.

Reading a recent blog post the writer mentioned in home self-defense to keep the baseball bat handy. Thinking on this it begged me to question this in regards to law, prosecution and intent. Is it possible that if a burglar broke in and died due to multiple trauma to the body and head could be construed as criminal intent?

Could a prosecutor make a case that because you kept the baseball bat next to your bed that you had prior intent that if anyone broke into your home you would use it as a weapon to kill or at the very least maim? I have been told, I have read and I have heard weirder stories like the burglar who was breaking and entering a business fell through the roof and was injured. He sued the building and business owner and won even tho it occurred during the commission of a felony.

Now, if you had a closet close by where you liked to store all your sport equipment for baseball, soccer, basketball, hockey, etc. and just happened to grab either the baseball bat or the hockey stick from that closet then would they even consider criminal intent?

It just goes to show you need to be thinking not just self-defense against an intruder but other threats as well be they legal or criminal. When you consider what you want to do to protect yourself, your family and your home take all sides and all directions into consideration. Then make an informed decision as to intent and how it does or could play out when viewed by others, police or civil attorney's.

Does this make sense? Now, the graphic above seems like a baseball fan where I would not make an assumption of intent with the bat next to that bed :-)

Lucid Dreaming

Unlike Chuang Chou who could not decide if his dream as a butterfly was real or his waking state of being a man is. Lucid dreaming is awareness that one is dreaming.

"I, Chuang Chou, “Dreamed I was a butterfly, flitting around in the sky; then I awoke. Now I wonder: Am I a man who dreamt of being a butterfly, or am I a butterfly dreaming that I am a man?”

The question I have is lucid dreaming also a controlled dream? Is imagery or visualization a form of lucid dreaming or wakeful dreaming? Finally, if true can it be used to train martial artists to apply their art in the waking state?

According to this wikipedia entry, "A lucid dream can begin in one of two ways. A dream-initiated lucid dream (DILD) starts as a normal dream, and the dreamer eventually concludes it is a dream, while a wake-initiated lucid dream (WILD) occurs when the dreamer goes from a normal waking state directly into a dream state, with no apparent lapse in consciousness."

Celia Green did a study of lucid dreams and in part stated, "concluded that lucid dreams were a category of experience quite distinct from ordinary dreams." Then the philosopher Norman Malcolm states in his text on dreaming, " ... the realization that eye movements performed in dreams may affect the dreamer's physical eyes provided a way to prove that actions agreed upon during waking life could be recalled and performed once lucid in a dream ... "

Then in " ... a later study in Barrett's book, The Committee of Sleep, she describes how some experienced lucid dreamers have learned to remember specific practical goals such as artists looking for inspiration seeking a show of their own work once they become lucid or computer programmers looking for a screen with their desired code. However, most of these dreamers had many experiences of failing to recall waking objectives before gaining this level of control. ... "

Certain studies suggest, ... "If the brain perceives something with great clarity or intensity, it will believe that it is real, even when asleep. Dream consciousness is similar to that of a hallucinating awake subject. Dreams or hallucinatory images triggered by the brain stem are considered to be real, even if fantastic. The impulse to accept the experience as real is so strong the dreamer will often invent a memory or a story to cover up an incongruous or unrealistic event in the dream." ...

" ... many lucid dreamers report using dreams for problem solving and artistic inspiration ... "

All said and done the question of lucid dreaming in relation to martial practice and application is a bit iffy, to say the least. There is no apparent correlation between dreaming, lucid dreaming and it use in improving our training and practice. I endeavored to find any correlation to any sport activity. I do know that imagery/visualization in a waking state does provide improvement on action especially in the stress induced state of the adrenaline dump.

I have found through the reading of fringe-ology, the book by Steve Volk the brain, or mind, is a funny thing and it is not exacting as we would like to think. I will provide more from my studies there to help expand my understanding of its workings in the hopes of improving - in all areas to include martial.

Take a moment and access the two sites below. If you find data there that may open the door a bit so we can see how dreaming, lucid dreaming and wakeful dreaming (is this actually imagery/visualization?) work in relation to practice, training and applying martial systems.

Bibliography:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_dream
http://www.lucidity.com/LucidDreamingFAQ2.html#creativity

Disparaging Remarks Unintended

In my posts it may be perceived that I am making a statement that one thing is better for fighting and self-defense. I am simply showing a preference. In my inexperienced opinion, an academic understanding if you will, all things are good for sport and martial applications. The critical factor is not what you do physically. It is rather what you have mentally and what you do mentally - mental attitude is everything.

Mind-set at the get go is critical. Knowing what to look for and knowing what to do and then doing it is part of the mind-set. You can practice and train in all the real-world-context reality stuff but if the mind-set is not trained, if you don't give yourself permissions and if you cannot make it work mentally in the heat of battle - your going to receive damage.

In my entire martial lifetime, Marine lifetime and Sensei lifetime the one constant through out it all is the mind-set intention of the practice, training, and application of martial arts, fighting, self-protective defense.

So, it it appears literally or by supposition that I am saying what you may be doing is wrong or incorrect or impractical for defense - ignore that part. That part is to make a point about another part. As I say, all bottles are good, they all serve a purpose and that is truth as long as the proper mind-set-intent is applicable and sufficient to get the job done. It is very interesting to know that it is always the physical that comes first, it is always the physical that gets the attentions for training and the mind/mental training is always either left out completely or assumed. Interesting that the more important is pushed to the rear of the bus, by the monkey driver.

Mastery II

I tend to think of these things in the light of a "master craftsman." You can master almost anything if you have due diligence, dedication, drive and a willingness to sacrifice the things needed to be a master of your craft.

The key issue when we view someone as a master is do they meet our expectations and perceptions of what a master craftsman is, is a master craftsman of say karate-jutsu-do up to the speed or level we place upon ourselves form our perspective for us as a person?

We might tend to feel that if they have not been able to go beyond the fundamental, first pillar or basic level, that they cannot be master craftsmen. Are we limiting ourselves by assuming some unknown criteria speaks to being a master of anything especially for us in the martial community of karate, Aiki, Judo, etc.?

I can be a master craftsman of playing solitaire if I so desired to make the appropriate sacrifices. The other day I posted on someone who was promoted to master craftsman level for a martial sport accomplishment in kata and kumite. It seems now that I lambasted this person but in reality who am I to say whether that person is a master or mastered his craft.

I am correct that the terminologies and rhetoric both alluded to master craftsmanship in martial arts which I would still contest. I can say today tho that this person is a master of his craft, martial sport. As my view changed over the weekend I realized that we all become master craftsmen of the discipline we practice, in time and with the appropriate accomplishments in that particular craft.

Consider this, lawyers in general were considered experts or master craftsmen but today you can be a master craftsmen, attorney or lawyer, in a speciality such as civil law, criminal law, corporate law and even more specific such as sport law or even football law. So, why can't you have such divisions in the martial system community, you can you know.

The one big "BUT" here is that when you present yourself or others as master craftsmen you must make sure you are absolutely clear as to what craft in particular they have mastered. This person of which I posted is considered a master craftsmen of martial sport and that is a good thing.

Sometimes one position on a subject is necessary to reach another position of greater understanding. I hope I have taken a step up here.

I am a master craftsmen in the particulars of my system of martial practice. I don't want or warrant a title such as "master" because that would not be appropriate. I feel a master title is honorary and given by the governing system group, not a dojo or person. My craft is Isshinryu karate-jutsu-do and the Ken-po Goku-i or Philosophy of Martial Systems.

But then again, this is my personal opinion and is not validated by any governing body of any sort. I am not a master of the self-defense world of violence and fighting - lets make that clear here. My mastery is more ..... academic ..... with a smidgeon of the physical proficiency to support my ability.

If I offended this person I posted on lately or their governing body it was not my intent and I regret giving a misrepresentation of the facts. It is imperative they do understand that they also misrepresented, unknowingly.

Mastery

The recent post by "Kowakan" blog about mastery got me to thinking, again, on the slippery topic. What constitutes mastery of anything, one is the idea of having a comprehensive knowledge and skill in a topic. The actions one takes to achieve that level of "mastery" also plays an important role in achieving mastery - especially in marital systems.

Sometimes "martial masters" mistake their mastery of their respective martial system as control over or superiority to someone else of to something. It is also mistaken for domination, mastery, to dominate or defeat or subordinating a person or persons.

To my thinking mastery is the knowledge and skill that makes you stand out as a source for the topic. The knowledge and skill that denotes mastery over the system, mastery over the principles and mastery over those methods you use in teaching, leading and displaying proper actions.

Recently one was honored with a high level of achievement through the bestowing of 9th level of Dan-sha but that award didn't come from true mastery. It was awarded for some specific accomplishment that did not transcend the particulars and cover the entirety of the practice. It involved tournaments, trophies and other accolades. No where did it become apparent that this honor was in recognition to what I describe above and Kowakan blog describes denotes "master of a topic or activity or both."

Let me provide the example by addressing just one term in the defining of mastery, domination. First, to dominate anyone or anything is not mastery but rather master over. The one word added, over, is significant for a true master of an art like the martial systems does not dominate over anyone or anything, ever - they don't need to, their mastery is apparent in the actions and deeds.

Mastery also does not mean that just because you know the fundamentals, the kata, kumite and all perceivable aspects of your system, your style or your techniques that you have mastered your system, i.e. dominated it by knowing it, but rather something sometimes unexplainable yet detectable is apparent denoting a mastery of something.

Master also has an unwritten but understood meaning that a person is selfless and pure of heart. The person holds perfection in every way even if not perfect - perfection in imperfection. It is something see, heard and felt all the time and in every perceivable form. It is real, complete, pure, unqualified, unconditional, self-existent and conceivable in relation to normal things. Principles are well established and confirmed in all actions and deeds.

In a nutshell, true mastery is one who knows the path and one who "walks the path." I wish to thank Kowakan blog for this inspiration in my defining a master of a martial system.

Mastery, to get on the path and stay on it. - George Leonard, "Mastery"

A Taste of Why Things are not Right in the World of MA

This is going to piss off some folks but I just can't hold this one in. I am going to express myself anyway. I read an announcement via email today that I normally don't follow. I read it for some reason that I can't figure as normally I delete it. I am going to go out on a limb and guess that a recent posted question on a forum I frequent spurred me to look. It was a question about tenth dan's in martial arts. Here is the excerpts from that announcement (the names were hidden/change to protect .....):

"... promoted from green belt, to Black Belt, due to his kata performance and excellent fighting ability, ... A very quiet humble man, with whose fighting  ability was ferocious and earned him numerous grand championships in both kata and free style fighting ..."

I don't really care that someone does a kata performance at a tournament really, really well. This does not mean they understand and utilize kata in the appropriate classical way. I also take umbrage to a fighting skill determined by the rigid and restrictive rules of a tournament. In a nutshell neither of these either alone or together warrants a black belt. In my mind that kind of promotion diminishes the meaning I have for a black belt.

Neither of these speaks to any ability to either fight or defend out there, outside the constraints of the tournament. If it were strictly expressed that this promotion was due to sport kata gymnastics and that the sport oriented fighting ability, a don't think skill is appropriate here, then maybe but black belt. Maybe if they promoted the black belt as a black belt in martial sports.

I guess it is just the way it is and I don't have to accept it but it burns my ass that it promotes the misconception that it will be there for you in a fight, i.e. fighting skill as connected to the "grand championships in ..."

Then again maybe that is why I finally decided that the belt I wear, when and if I wear it, is not black or red-n-black or red-n-white or red; it just doesn't carry the meaning or weight it once did so very long ago. It has been subjected to so many convoluted meanings that it became a commercialized money generating title and symbol.

Oh well, rant is done, I feel a bit better and yes I do express it from a point of view of someone who did not win any tournament stuff or grand championship stuff. Yes, I will admit that it does take a form of expertise to to what this person does and did. I also admit freely that to overcome the many stresses involved in competitive aspects of martial sport takes considerable effort, dedication and diligence of a person  but ( a big but ) it should and needs to be in the proper light in which it was given. Maybe today everyone knows and assumes that regardless of the expressions conveyed it is S to be martial sport.

The Three Pillars of Fighting: Confrontation, Conflict and Physical Attack

Conflict is in our nature. It is in all of nature, anything living. We also have the natural inclination to seek out balance in everything. Equilibrium, when we experience cold we strive to warm-up. When the heat becomes unbearable we strive to cool-down. In the most desirable situation we are neither hot or cold, but just right - equilibrium of temperature of the body, mind and thus spirit.

In a conflict the balance is our of whack. One person may be demanding something from another person that person is not willing to provide. Once the level of demand irritates the other person above acceptable levels, you have conflict.

Conflict is not literally a physical assault on your person. It is not even a shouting match, you saying you are not going to accept his/her demands and him/her saying yes, you will. This can be in a computer like mode with no blaming, etc., simply making a statement but a one that is in conflict with what the other is demanding and stating.

Conflict vs. Confrontation, confrontations are sometimes merely a person expressing a conflict. It can be something expressed as irritating or something else all together.

A confrontation can escalate to conflict or be conflict and conflict can escalate into violence. The level and type of violence is determined by the confrontation/conflict as it moves up the socially accepted levels until it breaks free of its instinctual constraints on physical violence and one or the other now cross-over into a chest bump, a finger in your face tapping (or chest) and finally into the huge round house haymaker.

Conflict is messy, uncomfortable and unproductive unless one or the other recognizes the monkey dance and changes the game plan (think deescalation through GAVSD, etc.).

It is rare when this cannot be accomplished due to instant bypass of instinctual socially accepted conflict levels going straight for damage, physical damage level.

Kuchi Bushi - The Mouth Warrior

Morpheus said, "... sooner or later you're going to realize, just as I did, that there's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path." This is a sound bite or quote from the movie, "The Matrix."

This movie seems to have a good deal of what I refer to as, "Visual Metaphors," that speak to us for good reason. Metaphors tend to speak to the human mind far better than simply stating the facts ma'am. I often wonder about this but cannot deny that this is very true - most of what I see, read or hear talks to me if in a metaphor that resonates with my philosophy of life.

The book I am working on is meant to be a means for the martial artist to achieve "walking the path" and not just "knowing the path." It is easy to spout out quotes of this or that, to read the book of five rings to students and to say the I Ching says to do this or do that but it takes great effort, due diligence and herculean effort to actually live the words, the quotes and the meaning of such ancient teachings. Humans have endeavored to do just this, walk the path, over thousands of years, this is my effort to walk the path and to inspire others to walk the path, not just talk the path.

The Kuchi Bushi of martial society is a less than complementary term used to expose those who do a lot of talking on how they can do this or do that or that they are of this rank or that rank - the Mouth Warrior, "Kuchi Bushi." Often when asked to step on the dojo floor and show me what you got they will fall down and you will not see them again. They move on to another place in hopes of "fooling" people.

The kuchi bushi is a "wanna be" who does not "want to make the efforts" necessary to actually achieve what they only dream of, to be proficient in the martial arts. These are the folks who "talk the path" in lieu of "walk the path." See how the metaphor speaks to us by relating to the Matrix in our subconscious, cool huh.

I walk the path - mostly. In some cases the fact that you achieve the path in some cases and in others your efforts to walk it suffice, as long as you continue the effort to walk that path. We have many paths we take like the many faces we assume (see faces post :-). When we step off that particular path we learn things about ourselves and life - good. Then we attempt to get back on that path, or others, and that effort can be challenging - just do it, just try and try and try.

As Morpheus told Neo, "know the path - good - now walk that path - better." You martial brothers and sisters, forget the mouth and institute your actions in a manner that walks that path - no kuchi bushi, more Neo.

Inner Wisdom, Direct Knowing and Subjective Understanding

The mind .... a strange device that is just as confusing in the study of as it is in its actual use in life. Strange, bazaar and amazing. The more I study the more I am amazed and inspired and cautious.

We truly live in a self-matrix mind. The recent book I am working through is "Fringe-ology" by Steve Volk. I was listening to the book review and interview of the author on the radio show National Public Radio. It was about explaining the unexplainable, the paranormal and other subjects like lucid dreaming, etc. Never did I start feeling I could extract or find relations to my practice of karate in this book. It was about UFO's and Ghosts for crying out loud, a book that would be fun but I found a lot of connections, amazing ones and suggest it for reading.

When I reviewed the Noetic Institute site and realized the meaning of the word and the efforts of that site it spoke of the things we martial artist of a classical practice strive to understand; our inner wisdom, our direct knowing and our subjective understanding of it, its practice and its repercussions when applied in life and especially in threat conditions.

When you read about the brain/mind and other connections that will also connect to all the sections of the book you will find it an amazing book on humans and humanity.

I highly recommend this book for martial artists and of course everyone else outside the martial community. It is informative, fund and amazing - enjoy!

Real-World Context

It was written that we should make use of the subconscious to achieve idea's about what we write, I am trying to develop this beyond merely the martial arts so I begin with the words, "real, world, and context."

What is real? What is reality? Isn't is a subjective reality built by each individual in response to their personal perceptive filtering systems which has grown out of their time, their place; their contemporaries; their sources of information; their sources; their traditions as built along the path they travel; their intellect; their economic situation; their aesthetic climate; their background materials; their customs and their societal membership.

What is a world? What is a real-world? Isn't it a subjective world that is directly created, like a personal story, by the individual from the same influences that make up our reality or real world. Do we have more than one world in which we live?

What is context? What is our context? What is the real-world context? what is the real-world context for each individual human? Isn't it also subjective to all the influences previously presented for your review, analysis and final results?

This particular term or set of words were first presented to me through my filter of martial practice, study and training. It referred to how we unique and individual humans perceive violence in its various forms, i.e. sparring, fighting, and predatory violence. In our attempts to live with the violence of the world in its many forms humans have to find something to allow us to accept it for what it is even if that means burying it in some story that allows us to be comfortable and functional as we travel through the many stories of life.

If humans and their minds are susceptible to suggestions and we are susceptible to stories and imagination turning into a belief even if not true then how can we truly find "real-world context" that protects us from violence?

Then when presented with "real-world context" for training how do we know that it is "real-world context - true, factual and verifiable by three sources?" Then ask the question if those three sources are within "real-world context" without stories, fantasies and perceived belief of its reality to non-reality?

Then we have to ask, when is it time to stop and believe in "real-world context" as it is dictated by each unique personal perceptive filtering so we protect and defend ourselves, our families and our neighbors?

From Iain Abernathy Seminar via Samurai Girl blog entry:
There are three contexts Martial Arts can be used in. When practicing, you should always set the context and practice in that context.

    •    Martial Arts - a formal setting, this is done because it is fun, we like it, it is fun, it feels good, etc. Martial Arts and a hobby.
    •    Fighting - a fight to a conclusion. This is a mutual decision to fight, whether a sparring setting or a monkey dance/bar fight.
    •    Self Defense - practical. I DON'T want to fight, but since the situation is absolutely unavoidable,  the FIGHT is totally MINE. If someone jumps you, you can't hesitate, you have to take the fight to them. Their limbs, their jaw, etc, its MINE.

Belief System

The basic components of a belief system are; one, our perceptions, two, our cognitions, three, our emotions and four, our social interactions. This starts at birth or shortly thereafter in the family environment then continues through out our entire lives - constant fluctuations, constant changes. The idea is to develop a belief system(s) that are constructive both to ourselves and to the society in which we live.

The greatest question I have tried to find an answer for, especially regarding the different beliefs regarding Isshinryu Karate, is why do people hold on to some beliefs even if there is evidence to the contrary?

Perceptions: Our perceptions are those abilities we build that allow us to see, hear, touch, taste, smell or become aware of - that have some affect on how we behave in life. Our perceptive filters change as our perceptions build, grow and change. The intuitive understanding and insight so unique to the human brain are like this,  do they come from perceptions or do perceptions come from intuitive understanding - the chicken or the egg model.

We regard, understand and interpret the things we see, hear and touch and that creates a mental impression. The impression in accordance with our perceptions changes the perceptive filter changing the new perceptions and governing our impressions of our world. It is a process in which we gain knowledge and it is subjective to perceptions as well as the other basic components.

Cognition: We all have a unique mental process that best asissts us in acquiring knowledge and achieving understanding related to that knowledge by our thoughts, experiences, and by the senses. Those senses are the gates to which knowledge enters our minds and then associates with perceptive filtering to provide new knowledge. It is a process by which we come to "know" the process which is what this exercise demonstrates. The value and degree of encoding of knowledge is influenced by the mode of presentation regarding an individual's sense mode most conducive to that encoding. Sight sense mode, hearing sense mode and touch (tactile/kinesthetic) sense mode.

This is the part that relates the information with our logic and then emotions as we will discuss in the next section. This allows us to also judge as to the validity and importance of the incoming knowledge resulting it either a change or no change to our perceptions and perceptive filters. This promotes remembering or encoding, reasoning out things such as an appropriate action to some stimuli, i.e. block a strike coming to your face, understanding how the knowledge and its results affect us in part and on the whole and using the judgement that builds from emotions, perceptions and our interactions with other humans. Results of cognition are; a perception, a sensation, a notion, or an intuition.

Emotions: The state of mind as set by a circumstance and the effect it has on mood or a relationship with another person. It is a particular feeling, i.e. anger vs. joy, etc., that characterizes a state of mind, such as joy, anger, love, hate, horror, and so on. It allows an instinctive or intuitive feeling as distinguished from reasoning and knowledge. All are affected by a person sense mode.

Social Interactions: A relationship between two, three or more individuals. That relationship is governed by all the above components and as the chicken or egg metaphor governs social interactions. The process of our actions, interactions and the way we and people act and react to one another be it one-to-one or one-to-many changes our makeup and our perceptive filtering mechanisms, i.e. that which is comprised of the basic components discussed in this post.

When we consider all the possibilities by the basic components discussed here we can begin to see the complexities and obstacles we deal with in changing a belief even in the light of demonstrating evidence that refutes the original belief. It may be proven in current studies that this is hardwired in our brains as a part of the survival instincts.

Interesting don't you think?

Helplessness

Rory Miller wrote, "One of the most devastating aspect of being a victim, especially for men, isn't the injury or the defeat. It is that in the final moments the victim is utterly helpless." He also wrote, "Victim status also makes a convenient excuse."

I can say to you, "Don't fall for either of these," but what does that actually mean to each individual at any one moment?

We have all felt helpless at times in our lives. A loved one is suffering from a deadly disease and you want to help them so bad but you can do nothing. You see someone or something suffer like a child, yours maybe, after an accident while you try to comfort them but it doesn't alleviate the suffering, the pain and the after affects.

I have not experienced "helplessness." I don't know why but I have not felt it. Not true helplessness - a loss of control maybe and maybe that is a form of helplessness but I suspect it doesn't really meet the criteria for true helplessness like I described above.

I have been a victim and I didn't feel helplessness and I never used it as an excuse to do things that are morally wrong, inappropriate or mean. I also did not allow it to affect me long term - maybe I am just lucky as hell to have lived fifty-seven/eight years and not experienced it, truly experienced it.

I want to understand so when I post, write or comment I can be more empathetic but influential in avoiding the pitfalls. My first step is to try and understand how it fits into self-defense and self-defense training.

Helplessness is the perception that one was unable to act in a situation. In SD that means witnessing a violent situation and finding yourself frozen and unable to properly intervene. In the average person this is not as "intense" as it is for martial artists who have trained to be the "warrior" if you will allow me that term.

You may train and tell yourself the story that what your doing is adequate to "act" when the time arises that you, your family or your fellow persons are subjected to some violence be it a predator or some natural incident. You freeze and fail to act when you "think" your training should have allowed you to do "something." When you feel unable to influence what is happening in your own life, even though you feel you ought to be able to. This also goes for that feeling of inability to influence what is happening by word or deed in events occurring to others when your training says you ought to be able to act appropriately.

I guess it comes down to an understanding of what is normal human behavior and what is also the survival instincts that nature provided via DNA that is still with us long after the migration from jungle life to modern life.

I can only provide an example of my friend and Sensei who at the age of 70 something began to suffer and really didn't understand why - a Viet Nam combat veteran. When I recommended the books "On Combat" and "On Killing" by LtCol Dave Grossman did a light come on in his head and he finally understood, "It isn't his fault and there is nothing he could do and IT IS OK!" He wrote me back and let me know he was doing well now, he understood the truth of combat and killing and he was comfortable with what he did and did not do those many years ago.

I believe as to helplessness the martial artists must address it face on to understand what is normal and what people do that is normal and what people will feel that is normal and allow themselves to be ok with it and how it relates to what they are doing, what is happening and what they feel. I think Rory Miller said it best that regardless of the how, your alive - you survived and that is good.

Again, I am not experienced in this but my feelings about things in life can sometimes cause me pause. I try to understand or find out normalcy and allow myself a lot of slack. I understand one thing, "I am (or can be) my own worst enemy." I can not allow my personal self-enemy entity within to be my judge, jury and executioner - I won't allow it and neither should any of the others of the human race.

Free Association

A training technique of the mind. A recent challenge resulted in my scribbling out specifications for the answer as quickly as I could after reading the question. I wanted to truly meet the challenge and if I had taken time to work out a response that was a bit more comprehensive I would not have met that challenge and I would have missed this opportunity to challenge my mind.

It appears to me that we don't really promote training of the mind specifically to challenge our mind to retrieve information quickly which is what it has to do in a situation of stress or survival. It seems to me that when I am walking around my world scanning and remaining aware that on occasion I should challenge my mind to suddenly retrieve a list of things that would trigger my spidey sense just to freely associate those items to some specific say, "I would use imagery to see a person approaching and what list could I make to observe and analyze and choose appropriate response or responses.

This may seem obvious but I would do this from time to time as a refresher of those particulars. Once I got to where I would freely associate items with stimuli  of challenge then I would allow them to refresh those training particulars that I can let go so instincts and such can readily retrieve appropriate actions on the fly and with a modicum of freely associated morphing and melding of stuff for new and appropriate actions.

Changing a Martial Art System

There are pre-requisites to this question and the answers. A prerequisite or set of prerequisites:

A. A certain amount of experience in teaching, practicing and applying the system in question.
B. A certain amount of proficiency of "making it work" in the appropriate contexts.
C. A certain age of the proponent of the system.
D. A certain number of years in the system.
E. The ability to answer the question, is it needed? Is it beneficial? Does it work?

This is the minimum. If you cannot answer it an affirmative then you don't need to change the system. Change simply for the sake of change is not good for the system. It may be beneficial for an individual in practice only but for the system and especially for teaching of the system do not change it unless you can address all the requirements and specifications.

Most of those who made changes to karate had spent the time, effort and gained reality experience before even considering a change. In a lot of cases the changes were geared more toward a specific philosophy of the practitioner - the system adherent. Often those changes are of a subtle nature and none of the fundamental principles of martial systems changed - they can't or they lose the status of principles and undermine the foundation of a working system.

When you do reach a point where you meet or exceed the prerequisites then you still have to vet the change. In a short version the following questions need to be answered before trying to change the system as a whole by its parts or specifications.

Specifications to Change:

1. To add a feature.
2. To fix a broken feature.
3. To improve on a feature.
4. To optimize the system for a specified and accepted feature.

In most cases the addition of a feature is a more esoteric change that is governed by:

"The work of art is always produced by a certain person in a certain time and place, and it is always related to its author's other works, his contemporaries, his sources and traditions, his intellectual, political, economic, and aesthetic climate. Background materials that can help the modern reader grasp the ideas or catch the flavor of a literary work of the past serve a valid and necessary purpose." - Damon Knight, "Creating Short Fiction: The Classic Guide to Writing Short Fiction."

To bring that into a direct form I would say that the person instituting the change only does so because the current time and place as to the current customs and morals of the time and place; the persons intellectual level; the climate of the times; the persons background and the ideals of the society as to ramifications if the change or addition of the feature is validated.

This would also apply to all the four specifications because it would be a critical matter. If a feature that was once valid and worked suddenly begins to fail it must be determined that the failure is due to the reasons above. If the failure is indicative to an individual regarding such as application at the moment, etc. all features of a system fail in this instance. It must be determined that the broken feature transcends the individual and is indicative of all applications at every moment. A very difficult spec to determine.

Lets step up and add both to any and all improvements. It must be necessary to all the reasons already provided. It applies to the optimization of the entire system.

It also must be asked, does this require change or simply dropping from the system entirely. This last is important for the moment you lose it you have changed the original classical intent of the originator's intent in creating the system. This is neither a good or bad thing but rather a step taken with extreme caution.

Change is inevitable, it is nature's way and it governs all life and all living things on Earth. Don't enter into this lightly or quickly.

p.s. this part is only provided because it is usually the reason most change the system or amend the system; to justify commercial gains and the pronouncement of mastery and the highest rank of the martial arts - 10th Dan.

Drop Step Kata (滴 歩 形)

Sweat dripping into my eyes - ignored, stinging from the body salt. A glimmer of a thought trespasses in my mental moment of practice - it is never ignored for it means illumination, enlightenment and innovation.

Rory Miller posted on the drop-step not long ago and today my thoughts swung that way. My sixth sense spoke to me and tried to inject an impression as to drop-step and kata practice.

The three stages of kata training and practice begin with gross movement, etc. then transcend themselves into more economic practice, one of the many principles taught and encoded as we progress through the stages, levels or pillars of proficiency. This thought fills both the second and third stages of which I recently posted on.

Our first stage stance transitions sometimes involve movement that can sometimes be hidden by a vale of smoke and mirrors to their true intent - in the moment at hand.

Take a close scrutinizing look at one of your kata. Use imagery when your moving into a stance and say striking with a vertical punch to the solar plexus. Are you shifting your weight back and then forward to apply the technique so as to get body weight into the punch? Rory Miller mentioned in the article that martial artists tend to telegraph punches and kicks because they are taught, in level one, a shift in weight to move into the stance and apply the technique. Notice I used the term "telegraph." Don't do that.

In my rendition, still needs to be vetted in applications, I see adjustments to your kata practice by finding those forms and techniques that use a drop step type move - I said type, not drop-step. In stage two and three you work out of those grosser moves and into economic moves and this may or could help practitioners transition into a real drop-step as explained by Mr. Miller and in the book Marc MacYoung mentions of a boxer of long ago to which name I forget.

Try it out by replacing the shift and step with a direct drop-step. Don't forget this involves removal of the chamber action to the hip as well. Work it, try it and then take your technique that seems to work well and that you have some experience applying in practice and try the change. Make it work or discard it. Now, don't just try it once or twice and forget it because it feels weird or doesn't work right away - don't make that mistake. Give it time and experience to gain momentum. You didn't learn to hit powerfully the first time did you. You didn't break the makiwara the first time you started to hit it right? Give it time, try it and you might like it.

Try implementing the drop-step kata practice. It can be one of the many that provide you forward momentum in your system of practice. It just might be that one thing of many that sets your proficiency a notch higher than if you stayed with the same old tried and true set of combo's, etc.

A Book Cover

This is a tentative idea for a book cover for the future, far future, book cover. Comments .....

Click for full view of the 800 x 500 cover.

"I see dead people."

The Sixth Sense, that sense I call my "spidey sense."

Cole Sear: I see dead people.
Malcolm Crowe: In your dreams?
[Cole shakes his head no]
Malcolm Crowe: While you're awake?
[Cole nods]
Malcolm Crowe: Dead people like, in graves? In coffins?
Cole Sear: Walking around like regular people. They don't see each other. They only see what they want to see. They don't know they're dead.
Malcolm Crowe: How often do you see them?
Cole Sear: All the time. They're everywhere.

Cole speaks of a type of sixth sense and I tend to think of it as a spidey sense. We have survival instincts, they are as old as man and they are still with us providing for our "survival of the fittest." What is "spidey sense" and how does "it work?" All very good questions I will attempt to answer here in today's posting.

I hope to become a writer, a good one is my wish. Damon Knight explains of a relationship he has as a writer that provides him the idea's and inspirations of the stories he writes. It is actually a connection to his sixth sense. It is a relationship with his subconscious.

He feeds information to his subconscious and then patiently awaits inspiration. It is that "ah-ha" moment, it is the "doah" moment and it is that type of inspiration that seems mystical - where did that come from. It is that which seems mysterious and it is the sense that inspires the likes of Einstein, Curie, Newton, Shakespeare and Freud. They didn't just pull their geat inventions, idea's or creations out of thin air, it was their sixth sense that spoke to them and made it seem like some mysterious source of the Universe talked to them and gave them the idea's, etc. - the spidey sense.

Martial Artists through training and practice try to feed as much information as possible to the unconscious mind, the mind deep down and underneath the logic, monkey and lizard influences. It is the fourth dimension of the mind that connects us to all things in the Universe. If our training and practice are reality based then the mind when confronted by that tingling sensation that says, "hey dude, what the ...," and you then listen to the spidey sense and your training will result in the mind breaking the freeze and retrieval of either a set response that is appropriate or it influences the mind to blend in a variety of things instantly into a new and innovative response.

The Sixth Sense of Martial Systems is that connection we create with our instincts, our unconscious and its connection to the myriad things of the Universe allowing for inspiration and innovation.

Sensei: I see innovative things.
Student: In your dreams Sensei?

Sensei: Shakes his/her head, no.
Student: While your awake Sensei?

Sensei: Nods in the affirmative.
Student: Innovative things around you?

Sensei: Shakes his head no, in my mind - deep down beyond my conscious thoughts.
Student: How often do they come to you?

Sensei: All the time, they are everywhere in my unconscious and I always listen to my unconscious for it is far wiser than I.

or something like this, the sixth martial sense that is what we seek in our practice. It is that something that comes with practice and is achievable if we allow it to communicate with us. All to often we are presented some new and innovative thing but we tend to suppress it over the already tried and supposed true thing.

To pass from the novice to the student is allowing the conscious to express more from the fundamentals but to achieve student to practitioner you need to allow more - the sixth sense speaks and you listen, true innovativeness and inspirations that achieve great things - enlightenment.

Then again, who am I to speak of such things ;-)(

Making Assumptions

A thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof; The action of taking power or responsibility; Arrogance or presumption; premise: a statement that is assumed to be true and from which a conclusion can be drawn, etc.

How fast can you get into trouble by making the most human error of an "assumption?" Where and why do assumptions kick in for humans - in general? I believe it happens for the reason of survival and our minds are geared toward finding answers to questions rapidly so decisions can be made quickly and decisively.

It can be said in most modern situations life and death are not on the table. It can also be said that mother nature has not evolved us to a point where such stimuli that trigger instincts has not been adjusted past the "life or death" trigger. Stress will hit the monkey brain who will trigger the lizard brain which accesses the survival instincts and kicks in things like the adrenaline dump, i.e. fight or flight.

Training and practice are geared toward martial artists learning to control the survival instincts and all that the dump brings up out of the lizards lair and into the forebrain with out full influence of the monkey brain. A very difficult method.

When a stimuli is encountered the brain will look quickly for some action to take. In a lot of cases it will cause us to react in a somewhat predefined manner, i.e. run like hell or simply freeze. When the brain pulls up from a more coherent and applicable memory an action then you can act. It is this moment that causes martial artists concern. Training should provide a form of action more appropriate to the stimuli and proper reality based training will reprogram or encode a new action. The idea is to get that dump to focus on that more appropriate response vs. the DNA ingrained survival response, especially the freeze response.

Take some of the video's you see on the Internet today that are edited to show only those more dramatized views  and the lack of the full story tends to make humans "assume" what their perceptive filters determine or interpret as true when in most cases it will be false.

Do you train for "assumptions?" If not, why? Should you? and How does this apply to your path in the martial arts?

The Devil is in the Detail

What ever you do in life is worth doing well. It should be done "thoroughly." I will say it from experience, "details are important." It is "the small details which make things challenging." 

Details, especially in martial arts, are the smaller, important critically so, components of the larger whole. It is one very important reason why it takes such a long time and a great deal of dedication and due diligence to achieve certain levels of proficiency.

Your the owner of a company getting a chance and a very lucrative contract with a very large and prestigious organization. It is time to examine the contract. It might look reasonable at first but with a close scrutiny, the fine print, you can reveal potential issues that could cost time and money. You   would look for snags or issues that would make the deal untenable.

As to martial arts, the attention to the details removes most and sometimes all risk of surprise. Remembering that the devil is in the details is crucial to set the proper foundation that will carry you through a lifetime of practice and training. It also reduces your chance of making mistakes that would, could and do result in damage - physical, legal and psychological.

It must also be reminded that details are necessary and at a point in time the details are to be forgotten - another post to explain this one :-)

Cruise Control

You learn all the rules of the road before driving. You learn about how to drive the automobile, i.e. steering, brakes, accelerator, speed, turn radius, etc. You also learn about other drivers and the bad and good of driving defensively. You learn to start the car, put it into gear, check the mirrors, and then check the environment all around your vehicle. Once you determine that your safe and clear to go, you place it into the appropriate gear, check around for safety again and then slowly accelerate.

As you drive you find your on a straight road for a long distance so you know you have cruise control. You set it at a specific speed, sit back, hands at ten and two and you allow the vehicle to drive you - mostly. Your still aware somewhat and your knowledge allows you to scan left, right, rearview mirror, side mirrors and turn to look at your "blind spots."

You watch for other vehicles coming up behind you, pulling out from side streets or entering on the road from on-ramps, drivers changing lanes, and so forth, your driving defensively and when your scans detect some anomaly, something not quit right or something simply does not fit in your situation your hit the brake to release the cruise control, sit up and your awareness opens wide - your alert and focused on what is going on and ready to act if the need arises.

Self-defense, learning all the intricacies of what to be aware of and allowing your mind and body to work on cruise control until some stimuli that triggers your warning system triggers the hairs on the back of your neck then you turn off cruise control, put up your shields and scan for details. Then all those particulars you learned in self-defense, all the data on what to look for and to recognize and finally the appropriate actions to avoid danger - danger Will Robinson, danger!

Focus on the particulars to learn, dismiss them into storage - encode in the brain through training and refresh the encoded data from time to time to keep it frosty but underneath the radar until needed. You can't stay frosty 24/7 but it can remain ready at all times. Allow your mind to work its magic through instincts and survival mechanisms where training and practice use or replace those flight or fight type responses, i.e. freeze only when useful, break the freeze only when useful and so on .....

The only constant habit you need to stay 24/7 occurs when you leave the safe zones of life. You need to keep frosty by making "the scans" a part of every day habit. Remain curious to your surroundings once you walk past the front gate of your home until you close and lock the gate behind you at the end of the day. Always allow your mind to put up shields when instincts trigger your spidey sense that something is amiss here, something does not fit and something just ain't right. Fix it with awareness, recognition, classification and action (avoidance is best at this point but ...).

p.s. SueC, see what your challenge inspires!

10 things that you look out for in your environment when you are out and about as part of your self-protection strategy

Sue asked, "list me 10 things that you look out for in your environment when you are out and about as part of your self-protection strategy?" I gave some specifics but felt clarification was necessary and this resulted in the post I am doing now.

In reality I don't have specifics I look to when I go out in the world regarding self-protection strategies or should I actually say tactics. My strategy is to know and understand what constitutes danger or dangerous situations or dangerous persons. This knowledge and understanding becomes what my mind looks into when my spider sense tingles. It is that which says, pay attention Charles and then I start to focus my awareness.

This allows me to be up without the stress of being in combat mode all the time. You can't be in combat mode and you cannot focus your mind on the particulars of what you should look for but rather have that knowledge there to trigger the spidery sense and get your shields up and running to take more appropriate actions - this is my avoidance strategy.

I don't focus my mind on ten "things" per say but rather all of it is encoded into my brain so when instincts kick in I know what to look for for what ever reasons appears. To focus on particulars could shut out those others that are just as important.

This falls under learning the details, forgetting the details and allow your instincts and impressions be your strategy for public geared self protection strategy. Make sense?

Faces: The Many Faces of Fu-Manchu

Long ago in a distant galaxy there was this very old movie, "The Face of Fu Manchu," circa 1965 starring Christopher Lee. This image reminded me of "Facing Violence" with its references to "losing face." This seemed so important that when I thought of it and the image of the movie came into mind it spurred me to write this post.

We humans assume many "faces" in life. We have one when we are alone, another when with a loved one, then there are those other faces we put on when we are at work, on vacation or in a very stressful encounter. We also change faces constantly when we are in a primary face. In a stressful encounter the exchange can change a face from easy conversation to irritation and if it escalates into a "war face (courtesy movie "Full Metal Jacket.")."

Our many faces are an intricate part of us, our personalities (those vary with the facts too) and our communications. The words we use are supplemented and dominated by face and body language, i.e. the many faces can achieve aggression or deescalation.

Our perceptions will be skewed to the face we put on or shift into from moment to moment. How we see things, how we hear sounds and what we feel are also driven by face resulting in our primary faces deflecting those sights, sounds and tactile/kinetic energies, data and perceptions.

Much like misdirection of the mind by magicians, our minds will misdirect those we encounter by the face we assume directly influencing the person or persons perceptive filters as fed through the lenses of the eyes, the microphone of the ears and the tactile input of the skin.

Face can change by proximity to persons/humans, their face projection and the make up of the environment. I am reminded by the clever computer graphics that can morph many faces depending on the ad and associated implied meaning of the admen.

This all begs the question, "How we lose face?" In face loss philosophy we then need to know, "which fact" is lost and the importance of that face in the scheme of all the faces we use from moment to moment.

I then began to freely associate this ideology with that of the ken-po goku-i with the following results:

Heaven, Earth, Sun and Moon are referenced so I started to think of the many phases (faces) of the moon. The cycles it travels through similar to our travels through life provide the face, i.e. waxing or crescent moon; waning or crescent moon; waning gibbous with three quarters moon, etc. This changes as the moon changes in relation to the position of the Earth and the Sun. The moon by this proximity and from influences of the Sun and Earth result in an affect on humans, nature and the Earth itself, i.e. tides, etc. This can be looked upon as the faces and influences of the moon.

The faces we see of the Sun come at sunrise through mid morning, noon, mid-afternoon and finally the face we see reflected by the sunset. The varied influences of the sun are by the intensity of its light, heat and radiation dependent on its location across the sky. The shadows as well are dependent on that position and present a set of different facts as that changes. We can perceive this through the needs of artists and photographers for that "face" provided by the sun's position changes the face of the portrait taken.

Then we can see within the other references to humans in the gokui that hard-n-soft can be displayed in the face we assume and speaks to those viewing the face as to a disposition, etc. The balance or lack thereof, the eyes, the skin (flushed, white or pale, etc.) and how they manifest and display control our "face" and thus the perceptive filters of those we encounter.

Hard-n-soft can infer such emotional states as to face such as "anger-n-love, hate-n-like, etc." We show our unbalance as well by the "fear, anger, frustration" we experience, face. Then we show our balance by the "love, pleasure, excitement and affection" we experience, face.

If we lose face, which one? If we lose face, how does it affect our whole "one self" and does a connection to the other faces cause as much damage? These and many other questions are to be asked when you encounter others as to the "face" and more importantly as to others affect on you as to your "face," which ever face that may be at that moment in time.

This type of perspective as to "face" may alleviate the perceived loss of said face into a manageable form allowing you to accept and believe that losing face might not be all that important in the overall scheme of life. Lets not forget that what we perceive through our perceptive filtering is also greatly influenced by the "face" we assume in any given situation. Does the face you wear blind you to the truth or to something that could tell you to take a different tactic or strategy?

If we assume an angry and offended face does that shut down our ability to objectively assess any given situation to "see" or "hear" the other person? How can we deescalate or avoid if our angry/offended face is in control? Isn't this just another "way" for the monkey brian to take over driving the bus?

Hmmm, questions-questions-questions but of course that means possible "answers-answers-answers."

To Cheat or Not to Cheat - That is the Question

Think "survival." Think "avoid damage." If you cannot avoid the entire situation and you find yourself stuck in a physical altercation then you should give yourself permission to "cheat" to gain your goal - survive, avoid damage and find a safe zone.

Maybe "cheating" is a bit confusing as a choice to describe what you may need to do. It comes down to asking some very real and important questions long before you encounter a situation where you may need to apply your expertise be it boxing, wrestling or any martial system. If you can answer all those questions, allow yourself to be comfortable with your answers and then give yourself permission to "cheat or do what ever it takes" to "survive, avoid damage and find a safe zone," then do so - tell yourself every time you do the realty-world context rich training or practice, "I will be ok with doing what ever it takes to survive, avoid damage and find a safe zone." Then "do it!"

Another point to my concern with the use of the term "cheat" is that it may be unconsciously understood that it is some sort of game out there. Don't fall for this, make sure you fully and completely understand the "context" in which you use this term or any other term or group of words to describe to "yourself" what it is you have to do or not do. I believe this is important.

Bibliography:
Cheating is always Allowed. - Iain Abernethy Sensei Seminar as quoted by Samurai Girl Blog post dtd. Thursday, October 13, 2011 titled, "Abernethy Seminar Review"

When Kata go Wrong

When practicing kata sometimes you miss a technique, turn to the wrong direction or miss a whole set of combinations, when the kata goes wrong - what do you do? Is this wrong in and of itself?

If kata are combative ability brought together into one or more forms to transmit, transfer and teach us how to apply them for self-protection then they must be important. I would surmise that originally only a very small set of techniques were used successfully so very long ago. I can also make an educated guess that as "Te or Ti" practitioners got together and compared notes they discovered many additional techniques they could learn and use. This also occurred when various villages had contests to display courage, skill and provide "face" for the village that won the contest.

As these exchanges continued and the various village oriented training and practice and application continued those practitioners needed some way to compile all they were learning so it could be easily remembered, as history shows for the Greeks and Romans to name a couple, and passed down from generation to generation. This promulgated innovations by each practitioner garnering new systems and combinations and techniques.

Our kata are a culmination of all the past practitioners knowledge, understanding and ability. A template to teach and learn. A blueprint to build a better house. A house made of straw and branches that now has to consist of steel, brick and mortar - changes are necessary as the architects will make pen and ink changes to the blueprints as the building goes up, right?

What the heck does this have to do with when a kata is disrupted from its original form? Nothing and Everything. I at one time would say the same things when observing kata that go wrong. I would say, "That is not the correct way to do the kata." Is this actually true? Not really and the next part will explain my reasoning.

If I do a kata and mix up the techniques with some other kata I have done nothing wrong providing I applied all the correct principles of martial systems. Why? Because in this instance the individual components be they a single technique or a combination of techniques they are correct and assumed to be applied within the constraints dictated by violence, principles and efficient-proficient-working application. Ok, that is a bit convoluted, what I am saying is as long as those individual or combination of techniques are correct and work then it really does not matter.

Caveat Time: When it does matter is when your teaching new practitioners who need to adhere to the plan until they reach a certain level of proficiency.

Dogmatic adherence to form-function-application is necessary but at the passing of a certain level, unique to each of us, then one must progress into a more chaotic form of practice where the kata no longer needs to be exact and promotes the ability of the mind/brain to draw on, mix and match to the present moment situation.

Maybe this would allow karate-ka to actually utilize kata technique in fight/defense/protection training - at least a form of the technique since that too has to adjust to the present moment application which is fluid, chaotic and messy.

Recognize the Flaws

Flaws and violence, a dangerous combination. The comfort zone is one of those things I feel relate to flaws in training. We get comfortable with the routines we do in the dojo. We become use to the patterns and drills and kata and basics used as fitness exercises and that promotes a false sense that we are doing something that will provide for something other than a physical fitness routine for health and strong bodies.

If your martial arts training is geared toward sport, fitness or the mindless dance similar to jazzersize then know it and leave all expectations it will serve you in a fight of when in a violent encounter cause it will not do it for you. Don't take my word for it, there are pro's out there living that life and will gladly let you know it won't work that way.

One of my pet peeves is self-defense in the dojo. It conveniently slips by all the really important and hard stuff and goes directly to the "if a guy does this, you do this in response" scenario's. It feels good, it works well in a controlled training situation and it just might fail completely in a real encounter with a real threat intent on doing damage.

There is so much more that must be known before you enter into the physical responses to attacks. Most that will avoid the physical responses, they are important. The pro's I mention in this and other posts have the experience, the data and the drills that will help you reach that place but you have to start at the beginning, the knowledge - like, "Meditations on Violence, Facing Violence, Drills by Rory Miller" and "Secrets of Effective Offense, Ending Violence Quickly, Becoming a Complete Martial Artist by Marc MacYoung." [forgive me, these are the two recent and dominant folks I prefer to read but there are many others who contribute to martial systems application such as Dave Lowry, Kris Wilder and Lawrence Kane, Iain Abernathy and more.

My chief goal here today, yesterday and tomorrow is to provide my views and insights related to this stuff in the hopes the readers will become inspired to move toward this adjustment. It is just an adjustment. As Mr. Miller states the MA stuff is good, it just needs some adjustments so it will work when you need it the most.

Set it Free

Pick up your  cat. Hold it close to you. Embrace it to your heart. The cat begins to squirm. You tighten your hold, the cat wiggles and squirms. You reach up with the other arm to encircle the cat with both arms, the cat is now struggling. The cat does not like this, it is against its very nature to be held in place - to lose its freedom of movement.

You struggle to maintain a hold on the cat, the cat responds - your action results in the cats counteractions to gain its freedom. The cat turns its head and growls while using all four paws, with claws, to initiate a decisive action to gain freedom from the restrictive hold your applying. The struggling, squirming, wiggling along with biting and scratching does the job, you let go and the cat is off.

You treat your wounds. You return and sit down to contemplate this and to relax. The cat looks up from behind some obstacle that gives it comfort, safety and protection. It waits, you sit. You breathe deeply and relax into a meditative state and ignore the cat.

The cat comes out of hiding, walks up to your chair and begins to circle around you. You continue to be meditative and suddenly the cat leaps up into your lap and watches you intently. You remain meditative. The cat relaxes, settles down into a comfortable position and begins to enter a meditative state - typical cat thing.

Your reach up with your hand and stroke the cat along the head, down the back and out past the tail neither grasping, holding or embracing. You just stroke and the cat purrs.

Dogmatic adherence to a particular way bothers the cat. Your allowing the way to be free and go about its business with the Universe allows you to connect, enter a meditative state and become one with it. Sounds really good doesn't it.

Muscles-n-Power

Interesting question. It may be because we have be programmed that strong, large muscles make you powerful. I was hell bent on being one of those early in my life. I gained the weight and muscle mass of a body builder. I can tell you that the perception, misdirected as it is, got me through some possible ass-kicking, mine that is, by causing the attacker to "pause and think" that maybe going after me was not a good idea.

You know because you were taught that "muscle-ing it" will make you feel powerful and by feeling powerful you think your powerful. I have been hit by very large, strong and body building type muscled folks and it didn't drop me or knock me out and I responded accordingly. In my old mind that guy should have killed me, but he didn't.

When I first started to box I found out quickly that my size and strength meant very little. Why? Cause I didn't know how to apply my self to generate power, the muscles were a hinderance vs. being an asset. Shit.

As the boxing took hold I started to learn by osmosis that this much smaller and seemingly less strong person was causing me to go down - a lot. In those days much like the ancient stories of the stoic Sensei he expected you to "get it" without being told or having it explained.

Thank goodness today the professionals are explaining it, demonstrating it and helping us to "get it." I am not going to try to provide you that information here and will recommend you go to "these two sites: site one and site two," and read a pro's words.

An eBook .....

I am considering a book. An eBook to be exact. There is a means of publishing on a site called "smashwords" so it spurred my creative juices. I have several years of material that I would pull together into this book so wondered if this blog's members and readers would be interested if I publish it?

I really appreciate the response and any comments on the idea. I wanted to break away from the typical book on techniques, etc.

Respectfully,

Charles J.

Work of Art

Our system can be viewed as an "art." To my view the "art" of karate-jutsu-do is that ability to blend the mind, body and spirit into one cohesive unit of function and application. It involves the ability to achieve a blend of "sight, hearing and touch" to extract what is to be learned and encoding it into your "DNA."

It is taking many individual parts and making them "one" whole. To achieve balance in the life we live we have to achieve an equilibrium of the mind, body and spirit, i.e. Heaven, Earth and Humanity. Humanity is that which makes us "human." Equilibrium of the mind, body and spirit is that perfect blending where one cannot be discerned from the other - a challenge.

I read the following quote in a book on writing. It seemed that writing fiction can be a good metaphor for the art of martial practices. This quote speaks of the connections in metaphor.

"The work of art is always produced by a certain man in a certain time and place, and it is always related to its author's other works, his contemporaries, his sources and traditions, his intellectual, political, economic, and aesthetic climate. Background materials that can help the modern reader grasp the ideas or catch the flavor of a literary work of the past serve a valid and necessary purpose." - Damon Knight, "Creating Short Fiction: The Classic Guide to Writing Short Fiction."

As I contemplate my studies and practice I realize that this quote speaks volumes as to things like "kata." Kata are those collections of techniques that those who created them used to save their lives and possibly the lives of others. They worked and they wanted us to learn from them. This is exactly how the "Greek Warriors" passed down knowledge and experience to their descendants. The Roman Warriors also used kata like drills to train their soldiers and they. like the Greeks, were world known and world feared as warriors - this says something, yes?

We as martial artists must remind ourselves and remain aware that although our systems may be born of a person of a certain time and place, of his works, his contemporaries, his sources, traditions and customs, his intellectual, political, economic and aesthetic climate/environment.  His idea's  and work for that past era are relevant and must be "changed" to fit our world today. Even in those early years, 1900 to 1960's those professional martial practitioners were changing and adjusting technique and kata to meet the needs and demands of that day, time and place - we should do the same.

Even those who participate in MMA, wrestling, boxing and other combative endeavors could benefit from using kata to pass along what is effective and what works. This type of method could make available to the non-MMA participants those aspects that could be translated into self-defense and such.

It is worth the effort to remind ourselves, martial artists, that what we practice is good. It is also worth the effort to remind ourselves that it may need to change to meet the needs of the current time and place, the current moment, the now.

Bibles of the Martial Artist

The last few years in practicing the art of karate-jutsu-do, Isshinryu, has been the discovery of so many things that were just not right. Correcting them has and is exciting. None of this would have occurred if not for a lot of influence from others in the MA community.

My library alone got to be, to me, extensive. I data-mined a lot and kept the most valuable for continued review. I have come to the conclusion that there are three "bibles of the martial arts" that have provided me the references to continue to learn and understand the world in which I live, the story of me and that zone I wanted to enter.

If a perspective martial artists were to ask me where to begin I would say simply, "read these first." If they have an understanding as to what these mean and then understand what they are entering into, in this aspect of MA, then they can at least have a fundamental awareness and enter without being fundamentally dysfunctionally skewed.

Book One: "The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense" by Dr. Suzette Haden Elgin, Ph.D. This is a series of books and the one I find that encompasses what I feel is a primer for VSD is "More on the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense." The others can be even more helpful in many areas such as the written self-defense book and the VSD at work, etc.

Book Two: "Facing Violence" by Sgt Rory Miller. This is the one book of his that seems, for me, to really convey the fundamental principles of Violence in its various forms, i.e. social, anti-social or fighting and violence. If you wonder what I mean you will not wonder anymore when done reading and "studying" this book. He has others that contribute but this one is the first to read.

Book Three: "The Book of Martial Power" by Sensei Steven J. Pearlman. This one is the bible of the principles of martial systems. The title is a bit misleading and I would assume something the publisher required to help it in sales but to me the actual title could have been "The Book of Martial Principles." Splitting hairs but the end meaning here is this book provides a written form that helps MA's understand many principles that are taught, understood in application and not consciously identified adequately.

Again, this is my list of Bibles of the Martial Arts. I am going to be the first to tell you that this choice for me was difficult as many, many books have been of great influence in my studies. I suspect my writings and mindless meanderings over the past ten years are a blend of them all. It is just for me on a very personal level these three have a good deal of influence and meaning in my training.

Personally, I wish to express my sincerest appreciation and thanks for their willingness and efforts to bring this to the public and especially the the martial arts community!

Parts as a Whole

This blog, like other blogs, is a message in a bottle. I know who I am and what I understand, but I can only guess who you are and what you understand - the people who are going to pop the cork on the bottle and read the message. (redacted from the similar quote in the book by Damon Knight.

My desire to write both the blogs and (future) short fictional stories is to express things from the self in a way that folks can see, hear or touch in some direct or esoteric way.

I can't pump determination into a student, and would not if I could. What I can do is try to tell folks what they are in for, and help them acquire the knowledge that makes the difference between an amateur and a professional.

A successful martial artists, like any other professional endeavor, is all one wholehearted thing, not just the collection of the parts. Everything in the martial arts, its parts, fits together, flows together, and harmonizes with a unique personal rhythm. When we talk, teach and write about the components of the whole, when we try to teach you to achieve proficiency of a new skill, you need to know what the components are and how they work.

You try to improve one piece or component at at time - work on form, function and application, for instance, until you make progress; then turn to another aspect and work on that. If you try to learn all of it all at once, you will stifle growth, your progress, ability and proficiency will be stagnated, frozen and paralyzed.

Remember that the sum of all the parts, components, dealt with in practice and training are all interrelated. It is up to you to bring them together into the one whole of the system - and make it work.

You must learn the system your own way, or you won't be able to truly learn it at all. I am not trying to say that a karate-ka can do whatever they please; the karate-ka still has to learn along with the rest of the dojo. I am trying to convey that although the Sensei can tell, show and direct what is necessary to a karate-ka you have to learn the rules, follow them, and the bend (break some) them to fit your uniqueness.

We all have different bodies, minds and spirits - we are unique human beings. Remember that the brain, each human brain is more unique and individual than fingerprints, has a lot of variability. The number and kinds of cells in a given area are different inside every brain. You follow the rules until you get proficient enough to then start to blend the parts into a whole that will be a bit outside the rules and sometimes outside the entire box to best encode the practice and application into mind, body and soul.

Karate or any martial art is not just "one thing." It is a cluster of many things and abilities that are merged in a unique way each and every time they are applied. The components or parts learned are where you find your strengths and weaknesses and that uniqueness in your blending into a wholehearted "one whole system" is where the rubber meets the road. The system your being taught is designed to help you do this and it behooves the practitioner to learn to get the most out of what you have.

The unconscious works better if you don't watch it too closely. Follow the rules, learn them and apply them - then let them go, somewhat by bending and sometimes breaking. Remember, The unconscious works better if you don't watch it too closely.

Three Pillars of Learning

This was a past post. I am not sure it came from me or some other source. If you recognize it and know the source let me hear from you so I can add the appropriate bibliography at the end.

How we learn in the dojo is as important as what we learn. Some suggestions on learning:
                                      


1. Learn to be flexible in your perspective.

When seeing a new technique for the first time don't let the details fog your learning. Remember to take a broad look and as you learn move towards the details. You may miss a body movement necessary to make it work while focusing on the hand position in a tuite technique.

2. Be willing to appear stupid.

This means be willing to let go of your natural ego and desire to show that you are correct or you already know what is being taught. When a teacher begins to demonstrate a technique, etc, do or say nothing that will stop the instructor before they are done. When the instructor is observing you and says "sono mama!", freeze, stay exactly where you are with no movement or adjustment what so ever so they can adjust you accordingly even when you feel you already know what is wrong.

3. Discern between learning based on past experience and being open to new experiences.

You may initially feel that something you are learning is similar or the same as what you already know yet remember one and two and start looking at the details being taught. You may be leaning a new bo kata that has a part that, on the surface, looks identical to another bo kata you know only to find out that the grip in one technique is different.

It is good to build on what you already know just avoid becoming too reliant on what you already know. Go beyond your past experiences and open up to new ones.

Learning how to learn is not easy and is not mastered quickly (sound familiar). It is vital to training in the fighting arts. It is a skill you should constantly study and improve.