Side Straddle Hops (for Little Folks)

Ahhh, another exercise to add to the martial arts bunny hops. Think of side straddle hops but take them down to a squat position. Keep that squat position and do as many side straddle hops as possible. The same leg warnings for safety and health apply as the bunny hops in the previous post. This one you may or may not witness in civilian dojo but we used it a lot. My first introduction to it was at Parris Island. 

In the first week at the barracks the Drill Instructors wanted to demonstrate the exercises for the entire platoon. Sooooo, they chose those who looked to be fit and strong. Lucky me, I was at 6’ 1” height and weighed in at 205lbs. I was into body building before I enlisted in the Marines. Needless to say I did the demo for the bunny hops, the side straddle hops for little folk and the squat walk holding a full foot locker over my head. Actually, the hardest exercise was the towel fold. Yes, the towel fold where you hold a towel out in front of you with your arms fully extended. You held it by two corners and you simply folded it till your hands met in the middle then unfolded it and folded it and unfolded it and folded it while maintaining your arms at full length held horizontally at should height, etc. 

The Marines had this knack of creating some interesting exercises and they would impose them upon the platoon or the individual at the oddest times such as 0200 hours when you were at your deepest sleep laying at attention in the rack (bunk or bed to civilians) with your M-14 held at order arms position at the right side, etc. Ever do the manual of arms while at attention in the rack at 2am?

Before the Spartan Race there was, and possibly still is, the “motivation platoon run.” You get muddy, dirty, sweaty and stressed to the extreme at this one. It is a platoon they send a person to who the Drill Instructors feel need some additional “motivation.” Well, lucky me again, I was the platoon fourth squad leader so I marched behind the platoon guide. One day the DI’s decided to assign the shortest person in the platoon as guide. It just happened this recruit was actually under the minimal height standard for joining the Marines. He and his recruiter managed to get a waiver to get him in the Corps. 

Well, when this short recruit took the guide-arm and took up the position in front of me I couldn’t help but smirk. Lo-n-behold the sharp eyes of the DI who was supposedly behind my position came up and into my fact to tell me I lost my job and to report the next morning to the motivation platoon for the entire day, i.e. from reveille to taps. 

I can say that we spent the entire day doing PT (Physical Training) that included interesting and challenging obstacles courses along with full field transport packs and training M-14 rifles. Leaping across natural terrain and into muddy holes, rivers and ravines along with walls, ropes, nets and a lot more to traverse while running in full combat gear with that rifle seems to my memory to be a lot like the Spartan Runs. You older Marines take a look at the Spartan Race site and tell me if you remember the Motivation Platoon runs as similar. They took all day to run with a five minute short lunch break and lots of water to stay hydrated, etc. 

So, as you can see, we were trained to do PT with some unusual exercises like bunny hops and side straddle hops for little folk. Kind of reminds me of the Spartan exercise used called the “Beerpies.”  

OhRahhh, Semper Fi, Do our Die, OhRahhh! (Note: I understand the Spartan folks actually adopted the Marine growl and shout of OhRahhhhhhh - Grrrrrr).

Bunny Hops

My recent foray into the world of the Spartan Race got me to thinking about my training. One of the early training exercises to strengthen the legs for martial arts was the “bunny hop.” I have begun to use them once again to augment my current martial arts training and practice. I must say, it has been a while and my legs wobble when I am done then I move right into basics and kata. 

It must be noted and you must be warned that doing them correctly is critical, critical to your ankles and knees in particular. Make sure you start using them under the guidance of a qualified sport exercise instructor. I say this because not many martial arts instructors are best qualified to teach proper calisthenics. Note that I am not qualified so when I provide advice on doing this exercise take that advice to the professional to validate it “BEFORE” you begin using the bunny hops. 

Feet are about shoulder width apart. The feet should position themselves at a 45 degree angle, see snapshot (shallow-shiko-dachi.png  

).

Make sure you are comfortable. The reason I use the shiko dachi stance is because, for me, that puts my hips and knees in alignment when I do the exercise reducing the strain to an acceptable one for an exercise. Wearing comfortable baggy sweat pants and a t-shirt are conducive to free movement and the karate-gi is also adequate if your doing it in the dojo.

Special Note for the Dojo: In the dojo you are likely to do the bunny hop barefoot. It is imperative that when you return to the floor the balls of your feet should touch first allowing you to roll down comfortably so as to reduce any chances of injuries to your feet and ankles. If you prefer you can do this one with proper athletic type shoes that most of us wear daily anyway. The lack of extra support with shoes means you strengthen the ankles a bit more so “be very careful and start out low and slow!” Low and slow means don’t hop up very high and do them slowly until you build strength and your repetitive practice gets your feet, ankles, shins, knees, thighs and hips conditioned enough.

When lowering your body down into a squat position you should have your hands on your hips or out to the sides for balance. Do not use the hands on the legs to help you do this exercise. If you have to use them then stop because the idea here is to build strength and endurance in our legs along with other benefits especially for martial artists. 

When you lower down to the squat position your buttocks should be slightly lower on a horizontal plane as your knees (at the same level as in the jump-squat or bunnyhops.jpg snapshot). Your upper body will naturally lean slightly forward to balance the entire body properly. For weight lifters doing the squat the movement is the same (see weight-lift-squat.gif snapshot

) 

except, of course, you have some weights held across your shoulders while holding the bar with your hands, etc.

You will notice on the snapshots as well as other graphics you will find on the Internet that there are a variety of ways to hold and use the arms as well as the stance you take. The key to this one is to find the one that will work best for you, your body type and the structure of your body or skeletal, muscular, etc. system. (see additional snapshots or graphics below)

In the dojo where I began this exercise was a regular and we bunny hopped across the dojo floor, back and forth until our legs were shaky, wobbly and ready to fall off. Please note that I tell you this for example and also know that in the dojo, 1979 Okinawa, we all were active duty Marines so we were in pretty good shape to begin with anyway. 

I like to separate kata practice with a couple of sets of bunny hops to really take the legs to a wobbly state so that when I do kata I can focus on making the legs overcome their fatigued state and perform adequately as if I were stressed and affected by the adrenaline rush so my body learns to compensate as much as possible. 

The following video shows an excellent way to do the bunny hops. The hips and buttocks don’t go down as far as I like to create stronger hips, etc. but the overall method is really nice.

Self-Defense: The Line; The Point

“The Line” is that line we don’t want to cross in self-defense that means you are not actually defending yourself but rather you are either fighting or committing acts of violence against another human being. When I say, “The Line,” I mean the one that keeps you within the guidelines of societies self-defense law. It  means you avoid the need for it and if you cannot for any reason you use it judiciously enough so that you don’t suffer the consequences.

Now, we all know that in self-defense, much like in combat, you have to decide on whether you will do what is “necessary” to live. This means you have to give yourself permission to do what is necessary, needed and just plain required to achieve your ultimate goal - to win, to avoid, to be safe and secure and to remove or at least limit damage to yourself, your loved ones and to others who don’t have your abilities. 

“The Line” is a moving entity and it moves according to each and every single individual moment. No one can provide you that one line you cannot cross and this is one of the complexities of the law. The law tries to define that line and the murky water it tries to mark means that a clever person or persons can perceive the line where ever they can as long as they can make their case to those who judge these things. 

If you cross “The Line” then you had better understand all that is involved so you can articulate your position so others who are hell bent on making their case are convinced your case is true, correct and within the “spirit” of their intent regarding self-defense. 

Martial Arts that teach self-defense need to teach you all of this and they must achieve success if you are to have and use self-defense. Marking “The Line” is not as important as teaching students to see the line. Teachings are not meant to induce fear and obstacles of the mind that would cause a freeze. It is more about teaching you that the line exists and you should want to remain behind it but when you do cross it you have the tools to control others perceptions so that they also feel you are behind the line. 

“The Line” is a teaching tool itself. Much like the complexities of self-defense the line is that something you are aware of and that lives in your lizard mind so that when you approach it you can naturally and instinctively decide if you need to cross it or if you do just how far you can go before you reach that “point of no return.”

The point of no return is that point where nothing you do, say or believe will deter the others from making you suffer the consequences for crossing “The Line.” 

The Line and the Point of No Return are both fluid. They change, shift and flux according to many factors that are controllable and uncontrollable. You have to learn how to shift, slide and change your actions so that you control both rather than either/or one or the other controls you. This is extremely difficult and many who teach self-defense/martial arts cannot achieve that level of teachings. 

Know the line, know the point of no return, and train to achieve a state of expertise that allows you to stay behind the line and the point. Know that if you cannot that you have the knowledge, ability and expertise to persuade the perceptions of others so that you move the line and point to your advantage. 

USMC MWR or Special Services for 1950's through the end of the 60"

First generation students. We hear about a hand full but we seldom hear about all those military folks who attended Shimabuku Tatsuo Sensei's dojo from the mid-fifties to the end of the sixties.

I often wonder if that sign up listing is still obtainable. It would list all the military who signed up under the military contract with Tatsuo-san.

There must have been hundreds, at least, who spent time in the honbu dojo after signing up with special services or what is today called MWR (Moral, Welfare and Recreation).

If anyone reading this can produce that list and allow it to be available on the Internet would be much appreciated.

I, for one, would be interested and curious as to the names on that list. Even if they didn't become famous or even continue to train in karate.

Anyone? I have tried to find some source or such but failed so maybe someone else out there will have better luck.

We all tend to focus on those few who took Isshinryu to the next level upon return to the States but it is that "unsung hero" that sometimes matters. After all, would we have the Viet Nam wall if we didn't want to know "all the servicepersons" who sacrificed themselves in that war?

Note: Not saying that this list of karate-ka is on par with the Viet Nam memorial list (it isn't of course) but it is important to give recognition to everyone involved.

Do I Still Need Shugyo

I am sixty years of age. I have practiced karate wholeheartedly since 1976, i.e., about thirty-eight years. I am a Marine and managed to successfully complete ten years starting in 1972 at Parris Island Marine Recruit training. I look at boot as my first real challenging shugyo. 

Although I don’t perform training and shugyo at the same intensity as I did when much younger I still give myself some challenges to keep a hand in but I don’t expend the energies I once did and that seems normal. After all, as we age we must adjust things accordingly. 

Recently I suggested to those who read my blogging that a form of shugyo that they may want to experience is the “Spartan Race.” I had never heard of this challenge until my nephew and his father spoke of it when they came to visit recently. The race they ran while here was in Monterey California. 

I have to say that when I observed a small portion of the race I was intrigued. I guess after a ten year stint on active duty as a Marine I was once again inspired by the challenge found in that race. I spent some additional time researching how this Spartan thing is run along with the levels and the obstacles found in the race. 

You see, it is a race of miles with a lot of obstacles and challenges provided as you run the course. It is a variety of physical and mental challenges that are derived from the military except this one is a collection of those challenges and obstacles combined to put a lot of physical and mental stress and strain on the runner. 

Then as I understood those challenges and the unknown aspects of each race, i.e. you never know when, where and what obstacles will be placed on the route along with environmental challenges such as steep hills, etc. Unlike the military tho these races are one day events while the military challenges the individual, in boot camp, for nine weeks or more. The military will continue throughout your tour(s) of duty provide challenges not to forget the ultimate challenge of combat - if you are selected to participate in combat during your time (I was not selected for combat during my time). 

As a subset of those challenging days in my life, i.e. from 1972 till I retired from civil service and teaching karate in 1999 (I came back to teach for a year in the early 2000’s) where ten years of it as an active Marine I taught and practiced martial arts with its own subset of challenges and shugyo’s. It was a great time but now I have to ask myself why I am intrigued by possibly taking the Spartan challenge.

Is it because it is “loosely” connected to the symbol of the greatest fighting force in history, the Spartans? The Marines are considered the worlds greatest fighting force in modern times (excluding any special forces types, etc.) but still the Spartans have this mystique about them in history. 

Is it because I can sense the down grades and changes as I age and I want to try to reclaim some of that youth through a Spartan challenge? Is it because family are involved and my instinctual need to relate and be a part of that family endeavor sparks a desire to take the Spartan challenge? Is this one of those second childhood things you hear about from men who are aging? 

I am aging really well and I am just entering my winter years, i.e. the years after the age of sixty. My health and age according to the “Real Age Makeover” system indicates that my true age is late forties or early fifties while my chronological age is sixty and that is pretty good. 

I do have some physical challenges in my winter years starting with the aches and pains from the abuses I endured in my earlier years. I have some injuries such as both shoulders have either torn cartilage or the rotator cuff injury I got roller blading. I feel the effects of aging with a history of polio, i.e. I had polio or so I was told by my mother when I was but a couple of years old. I have the shattered elbow from when I was just approaching my teen years. Then there is the aches and pains and restrictions due to stress fractures endured in Marine Boot Camp in the early to mid seventies. Oh and I can’t forget about two years ago falling to the vertigo issue that plagues me even today. They refer to it as meniere’s. 

So, as you can see I have to really contemplate and consider the why’s of taking the Spartan challenge. I should make sure the reasons are not ego driven along with the pride building I might feel due to my aging. Challenges are a good thing. You should challenge yourself daily but the intensity and degree of that challenge should also depend on your free will and the condition of your body and mind at the moment, i.e. at age sixty and over - the winter years. 

Yes, the few described physical challenges are not really all that limiting and with any challenge you have to weigh the good with the bad and then decide whether to take the challenge or not. 

I am training all the time but training for the Spartan challenge or any physical and mental demanding event should be tempered with consideration and prudence. 

I suspect that if I did take the challenge that I would be able to complete it. This is what Marines do after all but even a Marine must evaluate the strategic and tactical obstacles and take a course or direction that will endure success and victory. 

What would be the reason for taking the Spartan challenge and what would be the short and long term effects of that challenge? Many, many questions must be answered and while I take on a bit higher training just in case I go for it those answers should be logical and beneficial for me without ego and pride driven reasoning.

To take the challenge or not to take the challenge, that is my question?

Chinkuchi Pushups: Addendum

Read First: http://isshindo.blogspot.com/2013/05/push-up-bars.html

Read Second: http://isshindo.blogspot.com/2013/05/chinkuchi-push-up-bars.html

As I have noted in previous postings on this subject, these are not easy pushups to do. Regardless of the validity toward the concept of “chinkuchi” being necessary for this to work there are anomalies I would question in the two performing the demonstration. 

First, as stated in other postings the feet are wide for balance. I am not sure why this is so because most pushups I have done including the ones in the military the feet are not spread wide but are touching close together. 

Second, take notice in both snap shots of the hands. The hand position may just be a fluke but for both it seems to be a position that boosts the ability to do the pushups. The hands on both performers is pushed up close to the front of the “chinkuchi pushup bars.” I wonder if that provides additional support so they can actually do the pushups. Please note, if I had a pair I am not sure I could do them either. I do believe, if I had a pair, I would be able to do them after a short period of training time and I firmly believe that would come from repetitive practice and not necessarily because of some ability with chinkuchi. Then again, it depends on your definition of chinkuchi.

In my definition it relates to certain physiokinetic principles such as structure and alignment. Even so, without some time training with the pushup bars it would be difficult for most to do. In addition, it takes more hand and wrist strength then mere structure and alignment. I am pretty strong and do pushups every day but it would still take some time and practice to get it to work and I would be working diligently to keep the feet together during the exercise. 

Third, the second snapshot actually shows the first finger and thumb wrapping around the front of the push up bar. This, in my eyes, provides more support and I also wonder if they actually both placed their hands exactly in the center of the handles and kept the supporting bars that run to the ground free from body parts if they could do it as well as it showed in the demonstration. 

I don’t do this to disparage the person or persons but do so to “question the teaching” that this is indicative of good chinkuchi. I also got the impression from my practice that chinkuchi is a more transient ability, i.e. sequential locking and unlocking process from the feet, up the body and into the arms, etc. where this seems more static. 

Then again, I am not the expert that these folks are and bow to their greater knowledge and experiences in the hopes that one day, one day soon, clarity in explanation will enlighten me to the chinkuchi push up bar as it relates to chinkuchi. 

I suspect that like most things this is about doing something others have no experience with and explaining it in a manner that seems logical but cannot be proven one way or the other. In other words a means to impress others as to ability and knowledge when in the end there is no real proof either way. 

I am using logic as one who has studied physical fitness and tried to learn how to do exercises correctly for maximum benefit, etc. I apologize if this angers some folks but hey, explain it completely and then do the pushups without spread legs and the hands positioned in the exact middle of the handles while doing the pushups. Then, provide the novice a chance then let them work on it for a while and in all likelihood they will do just as well with them and no where will they actually detect a change other than strength and technique. 

Knowing technique is ok but knowing its purpose and how it is applied and under what conditions is superior. This seems, to me, as inadequate in both technique and the knowing of it relating to chinkuchi. Just because I say it ain’t so does not make it not so and the one saying it is so does not make it so. 

Just trying to understand!

p.s. also, why do it on grass? Is it because the bars tend to sink in giving additional support? If this is truly a "chinkuchi pushup" system then why not do the pushups on a hard surface so that true chinkuchi or principles can be used to do the exercise?

Necessary Violence

The line between necessary and unnecessary is very fine and it moves, a lot. It moves with each moment and each scenario. It is never the same and that is a huge defining line between violence and competition or sport. It is also a huge division between self-defense, fighting and combatives. It is that which most sane individuals hope they will never have to endure. The use of necessary violence has its baggage and that bag is not big enough. 

Regardless of all this there will be times when necessary violence will be required. The goal of any martial way is to find that line and then train and practice to keep the line within sight when necessary. It is about never crossing the line. You will want to get as close to that line as you can and that is tricky as hell but don’t cross it.

To learn this takes more than the mere physical of most martial systems. It is that hard to peg type of training that many just don’t know or get. It is where the fool remains foolish while the professional faces it with humility and fearlessness. 

Kokoro is about training the mind, heart and body through the rigors of martial arts to achieve a mind-state of mental toughness while maintaining a humility that keeps you from crossing that line. The line changes from one discipline to the next. Seeing the differences and maintaining the integrity of each is difficult but doable. 

Please note, this mental toughness training (Kokoro) is not complete. In order to be complete, this is where martial artists tend to drop the ball, it requires some means to train the mind to deal with violence, the adrenaline dump and its effects, and realism toward violence, etc. This is just one means by which a person can train to toughen the mind. Remember that sport is sport, self-defense is self-defense and combatives are combatives. 

Also remember that necessary violence is NOT because you think the guy needs a good ass whooping but rather the necessary violence required for your security, safety and health as it falls under the laws of society regarding self-defense, etc. You may think the violence you give is necessary but others may think otherwise and that “otherwise” can get you into trouble. 

Mental Toughness

Physical toughness is not that hard to achieve. There are ways of physical development to achieve a body that is healthy, fit and tough. In martial arts there is a body toughening system called “karada kitae” that when taught and practice properly develops a hardened/tough body. A side effect of that training is a form of mental toughness that cannot be achieved any other way. It is like training, practicing and playing through certain types of pain encountered in a tough game, like football. 

This type of mental toughness is a good thing but is it sufficient when in a life or death encounter, a fight or in a self-defense encounter? Mental toughness beyond the sport version or even the version in competitive martial competitions does not really take you to that place where success relies completely on your mental abilities. How do you achieve such mental toughness?

If you take a military route you will learn how to achieve the mental toughness that will take you way beyond physical toughness into a realm where you achieve great things. Great things that our ancestors achieved for modern folks through the sacrifices often only achievable in combat. You never truly know or understand what that means until you have experienced it. You can get an idea from those who have, if they lived to pass along that information.

The military understand this and work diligently to provide the realism necessary to introduce a person to what is achievable. Every thing is achievable and it relies more on that mental toughness then physical capabilities. In the sport world some actually get a glimpse of what true mental toughness is and how it can take you places you would never imagine till that moment. 

This type of mental toughness is a personal discovery for each person. It is that mental toughness that sees the body break then pushes it on regardless so to achieve victory in what ever endeavor you are pursuing be it combat, fighting or self-defense. 

The disciplines in the martial arts community introduce you to that mental and physical toughness. The system of karada kitae introduce you to that mental toughness. The system of “shugyo or austere” training and practice also teach the person mental toughness. Another way to experience the development of mental toughness can be achieved on a small scale as a civilian.

The Spartan races are one way to check your capabilities in the mental toughness arena. I have not experienced a Spartan race but witnessed it not long ago when my brother and his son ran the “beast” where I live. I got the chance to witness a good part of the race and that means the many varieties of people who experienced it as well. 

The first step in mental toughness is to see the unknown and then overcome that unknown. The unknown is very scary. When you don’t have a clue as to the course route and the obstacles they invented you have to have a mental toughness when you encounter that obstacle just to go on. The obstacles are similar to the military obstacles courses. There are a wide variety and differences between each obstacle. Then you add on steep hills, distances and other requirements you start to understand how one gets or develops a mental toughness. 

When you are exhausted, shaking from the strain, muscles quivering and you collapse at almost every step then you look up only to see more miles (at the largest race 26+ miles and some obstacle every few miles, etc.) knowing it is not over yet. Then you don’t know how long it will take or when you will get to the end you have to have the mental toughness to continue on relentlessly to finish. Only then do you get a sense of what mental toughness really is and you have to know that this race is nothing compared to the training and duties of our military along with other professionals such as Police, etc. 

Look at the mental toughness of combat prisoners from the Viet Nam era. To be imprisoned without any contact then subjected to torture for years only to get to the other end, released and then to assimilate back into normal life - that is true mental toughness. 

I enjoyed the exposure to the Spartan race and I witnessed a lot of mental toughness for those who raced the beast. I witnessed those with restrictions that many would think make the race impossible for those folks only to see them beat others with greater physical ability to complete the event. That is mental toughness. 

Mental toughness is something to seek out when in martial arts. It is that something that gives us the true warrior spirit and ability. That knowing you can do something even when confronted with apparently unsurmounted difficulties is unique and special with a feeling unlike any other normal folks experience. 

Nothing I can write or say will give a person an idea to what it is to have mental toughness. You are not born with it but you can achieve it if you want it. I look at mental toughness as a human condition that when man hunted the prairies of ancient time hunting and protecting the tribe as a survival instinct. It is about survival of the fittest. 

In civilian arenas it is about overcoming the predator to defend yourself. In civilian work it is achieving goals beyond imagination. In combat it is far, far more - it is survival of the man, survival of the team and survival of society. That is a huge responsibility and only the toughest of mental ability can achieve that goal. 

When you have achieve something difficult, find the next level and go for that, then the next level and the next level and the next level. The only limit is the one in your mind and the mind has no limits. 

Eye contact, karate vision, look at the eyes!

I don’t see the benefit of looking at ones eyes in a fight or in combat. It is a misunderstood concept due to sound bits in all probability promoted through the media of movies, i.e. the eye of the tiger song and reference in the Rocky movies and don’t shoot till you see the whites of their eyes  type thing. In reality, is it beneficial to look at the eyes in a fight or combat?

In a fight relating to civilian self-defense your eyes should be doing far more than merely looking at your adversaries eyes when fighting. Considering that most professionals relate that a real fight tends to be very close, personal and chaotic it would seem to me that tactile ability trumps trying to look at your adversaries eyes. 

The eyes are not going to tell you very much. Using your peripheral vision works far better. Some might suggest that keeping your direct vision at a location around the upper chest, neck, shoulder area will give your peripheral vision more to detect. It is also suggested that your peripheral vision allows a more direct connection to the mind where instincts react faster and without thought. 

Then again, if you are attacked there is a great chance it will not be frontal attack. Predators and criminals will want to give themselves the greatest advantage possible and a lot of times it was suggested that an adversary would tend to surprise attack you from behind and to overwhelm you with that attack to remove any possible chance of action in response from you, the victim.

I also believe that eye contact is best used when a social conflict is the dominant conflict mode. There are levels a social conflict will take to persons where eye contact and other aspects of self-defense can result in avoidance by deterrence. After all, in a civil fight one must make an effort if it is possible to avoid the violent aspects of conflict. Your eye contact along with verbal self-defense may be the best and most expeditious avoidance you can achieve before things go south. 

As to combat and the eyes. In my mind as a Marine (currently in inactive status) I don’t want to see my adversaries eyes and I don’t want to have him see my eyes. This means the enemy is too damn close. In my mind I want to achieve my strategic and tactic goals using my weapons from a distance. If I am forced to confront an enemy combatant up close then I want to, like the civilian predator, eliminate any chance the enemy has and make him pay the ultimate price for his country leaving no chance of his survival. That means to me that if I get into a situation where we make eye contact and can see into each others eyes even for the moment before one’s demise then I have failed and done something wrong or my training was lacking something. 

In combat, we don’t want to expose ourselves to any hand-to-hand or close quarter combat because that is just plain dangerous. It is not the best policy, strategy or combat small arms grunt tactics to allow for such a combat. Distance combat is our friend and as Marines we have the training and ability to achieve great victories using our expertise as marksmen as well as grunt ground tactics to achieve this goal, this strategy, necessary for victory, etc.

I also believe that such sound bites used in the karate community may stem from the practitioners and sensei’s inability to express such things in modern ways. We forget that the ancient ways were fine for those times and forget that in modern times self-defense and combatives were not required in those ancient times. It is best to use the ancient teachings to learn adaptation for modern times. Modern times where self-defense laws dominate and the rules of engagement in combat tend to be more convoluted and restricted.  

I also tend to interpret karate vision differently and would not associate it with eye contact or looking into ones eyes. This seems related solely to a more sport oriented competitive match system. Consider what we practice today stems from the conversion of combative style martial arts toward a more educationally oriented watered down version implemented in the late 1800’s into the school systems of Okinawa and Japan. 

Even then, the more ancient forms of karate of Okinawa were more a prerequisite to the arms training a military or security force used as a prep and fitness system for combatives with weaponry. The old stories of how the banning of weapons started the move toward karate and kobudo seems to be false. This warrants additional research and study (see Karate 1.0 by Andreas Quast). 

As responsible sensei and martial artists we must take care in what is passed down. At least when passing along such information do so by placing it into proper perspective, i.e. this quotation originates from ancient practices or from changes accorded and necessary for implementation in educational institutions, etc. 

I feel it is better to think before passing and allow for open discussions so clarity dominates history in the making. 

Common Sense

I wonder why I don’t see any common sense when it comes to teaching “techniques” in the self-defense and combatives arena. Recently I was reading a post with snapshots/photos of how to do a specific improvisational technique using a shirt-jacket against a modern military rifle. My impressions that rise up are as follows:

First, the person with the weapon is facing an unarmed person with just their shirt-jacket. The weapon is held extended toward the tori in a manner if used to shoot might not be too stable. I also wondered if that person was extending the weapon out unconsciously to facilitate a good demonstration with the tori.  Then I noted, if the weapon were loaded, why did the tori start their technique while standing directly centerline in front of the weapons barrel where that little piece of lead comes out very, very quickly? Is there some reason the tori knew without a doubt that the weapon was empty or that the uki would not actually fire it? 

It seems to me that if I were the tori, in combat, and a uke or enemy combatant faced me with a military weapon that I am going to stand there and do what I am told or die because no one would intentionally come within range of a combatant so they could disarm them of their weapon. A rifle like weapon means you can stay a safe distance from an unarmed person and control the situation well enough. 

Second, the unarmed tori then uses the shirt-jacket (still don’t know how he found time to take the shirt-jacket off to use or how he came to have it in his hands and most of all why this person was without his weapon since it seemed to be a combative technique between soldiers of opposing armies. Maybe the lesson is about being able to improvise in this situation but it still does not “make sense.” 

The tori with the shirt-jacket appears to then pull the weapon barrel straight to his centerline in an attempt to bring the uke with the weapon closer in so he can then use his hands to take that person down to the ground. The weapon if we assume is not loaded could have been used as a bo like object and by stepping forward aggressively going with the pull of the shirt-jacket could have pierced the tori’s solar plexus. Hmmmm.

Again the weapon does not seem to be held properly. Another thought is why the person with the weapon moved close to the tori with the shirt-jacket, etc. It just doesn’t make sense. Why didn’t the tori move off centerline and out from being in direct center to the exit point of a high caliber weapon. 

Third, the tori who happens to be the instructor uses an analogy of both the sword and escrima knives as a basis or reasoning for this type of training, against a firearm. This does not make sense either as what was used for a sword fight or a knife fight is like apples to oranges. They are different and come from a time when that type of fighting was without the use of firearms/weapons like an automatic rifle, etc. 

When I think of self-defense regarding techniques I tend to think of strategies and tactics that will allow one to achieve safety. In combatives I tend to think the same processes but with a goal of living while making sure the enemy does the dying for their country. If I have a hostile determined to do me harm with or without a weapon I am going to pull a “Raiders of the Lost Ark movie” by pulling out the pistol and shooting the sword wielding antagonist. 

While I consider what I would implement as to a strategy on this example it comes to my mind to think, “Why and how did I allow myself to end up facing an armed opponent while I had nothing more than my empty hands and a shirt-jacket?” 

Then I think, these guys are military professionals so why don’t they ask these questions and why to they blindly accept the technique without some type of process to validate it for military use vs. civilian defense, etc.?

The instructor has tons of experience teaching martial arts as well as being a retired Marine with combat experience and I wonder why he or she had not analyzed this type of instruction before putting it out there?

Am I just being difficult for questioning such things when I see them? Am I being overly concerned when it comes to such things being taught to our military who could be in combat relying on this for their lives? Does anyone have the research and studies on combat to validate such training regimens? 

Honestly, if it were just another self-defense course for some concerned civilian who in all likelihood will never have to rely on it for safety, etc. would I really care? I care because it is about our military professionals going to combat who may use it regardless of its validity and effectiveness and possibly die along with their fellow combatants that concerns me so I tend to question these things for their common sense factor. 

Oh, as I have this thought, if this were just a scenario where I observed a combatant with a weapon who didn’t know I was there and I had the opportunity to remove the threat I would not approach that person face on. I would approach as stealthily as possible and take them out by surprise. I would hope to have at least a knife to cut the throat but there are other hand techniques that can be used to remove that threat. Looking down the barrel of a automatic rifle is not the best of circumstances and to take that on “head on” facing the barrel seems “stupid” unless you have no other choice. I can think of other ways to accomplish this then rely on a shirt-jacket. But then again, I am not active duty nor am I a hand-to-hand combat veteran, i.e. one who gained experience in this in combat where I took lives in the line of duty, etc.

Drills, only the beginning …..

As with most karate practitioners tend to remain within the  basics. Drills are one of those fundamental practices that tend to teach then stagnate the practitioners progress toward mastery. You might be saying about now, “This guy is full of crap.” Regardless, stay with me and you will see what I am saying about drills.

Drills are like kata. They tend to have a pattern, a rhythm and cadence when performed at the initial stage. What happens when a person has ingrained the drill they are then able to “predict” the next move. They become conditioned to that pattern, rhythm and cadence. Fighting and combat are not fought in such a set routine. Drills, like kata, are meant to get your mind wrapped around the fundamental principles of martial arts along with creating the knowledge and experience that you mind uses to extract appropriate actions in a fight or combat. 

In order to create that mind-state where chaos is countered with chaos from your mind, i.e. the mind is able to separate every move you make into a atomistic encoded action that when chaos is encountered your mind instantly extracts those atomistic actions and inter-connects them into appropriate actions. Using drills and kata encode a variety of techniques into those patters, rhythms and cadences that then have to be blown apart into minute individual actions that are distinctly separate but capable of being blended instinctually into one thing or a combination of things. 

By remaining within the drill and kata’s set patterns, rhythms and cadences you fall into a false sense of confidence and this means you rely heavily on them to do the job when in actuality you need to forget those techniques at the conscious level and focus on bringing them out through your strategies and tactics. Strategies and tactics should NOT be about specific techniques against specific attacks but a goal, if you will, that you have a plan to accomplish by means of any and all encoded actions that are created through drills and kata. Drills and kata that lose their connectivity so that you can create, on the fly, any and all appropriate atomistic actions of any technique or techniques necessary to find safety from damage. 

Let the strategies and tactics as they form from the conflict encountered so that you create individually creative actions in response whether they are actions that provide avoidance or actions that provide action against the conflict. 

Drills are great but breaking the drills and kata are the next step in the evolution toward expertise, efficiency and ability to apply you strategies and tactics as appropriate to any given moment. This is the tuff part, this is the way of the martial arts, this is how we travel through the stages of “shu-HA-RI!”

Hint: after you begin to master the kata and drills have your uke improvise within the two-person kata practice and the two-person drills. If you have several distinctly different drills like separate kata then you can make sure the technique or tactic used when uke improvises is independently chosen, in the moment, to respond. Make this a part of your training “after” you have encoded your kata and drills. This process will require your human, thinking, brain until it becomes natural and instinctive taking that slow human thinking brain out of the equation. It is like looking first directly at something then learning to naturally detect that something using your peripheral vision. The peripheral vision takes the slower direct vision out of the equation allowing the mind and body to act quicker. Same principle. 

Metacognitive Skills and Martial Arts: Learning to Know About Knowing

How often have you been exposed to a topic where a requirement is set that you perform in a manner that is actually at a level higher than you knowledge level of the topic, subject or discipline? In today’s martial art communities regarding self-defense they are exposing students to incomplete knowledge of the subject matter of self-defense. 

It is obvious that in order to achieve a higher level of expertise in self-defense that one should have a foundation to work from. A person seeking self-defense shall have a certain level of knowledge about that subject in order to realize that they don’t understand it “before” signing up for the training simply because a lack of knowledge will automatically handicap that person. 

In order for the student to gage and understand  they must allow the need to have an ability to measure what they are learning against reality, instead of against the fantasies inside their head put there either by their lack of knowledge, their false perceptions put there by modern media entertainment modes or by the fantasy set by an instructor of self-defense also lacking appropriate knowledge. 

What you have in your head may not relate well to the reality of conflict with violence and that puts a student in a bad situation where criticality of health and wellbeing are compromised.

Then there is a sense of “false confidence.” Better yet, lets say that people tend to hold overly higher views of their abilities in many disciplines, social and intellectually, that promote this false confidence. This comes from being unskilled and lack knowledge that would prevent a person from reaching bad conclusions where they make inappropriate choices in self-defense. If the person is unskilled and remains only skilled in skewed training and practice then they will suffer when reality sets it in a real live conflict. 

A term that will help one to understand this better and to achieve a higher level of knowledge with confidence is “Metacognitive Skill.” This is a skill a person should acquire that means some what simplistically as “knowing about knowing.” This particular skill is gaining knowledge about when and how to use certain strategies for learning and for problem solving. These two are especially critical when the discipline involves conflict and violence. 

It is about learning to know what you know is complete knowledge on a discipline. It is about a self awareness of a person own knowledge along with the ability to understand it, control it, and to change it according to their own personal cognitive processes. It is a continual growing learning process. 

It is about learning to learn. It is self-monitoring of your own learning. It is recognition of what is being presented to you as true and accurate facts, information and knowledge about a discipline, i.e. in this case self-defense where safety and heath are concerned. It is the ability to see inconsistencies in the self-defense training regimen. It is about looking and seeing and relating the material against a knowledge base adequate to achieve this skill. 

It is the skill of meta-comprehension. It is about relating the current training information to prior knowledge. This is an ongoing process as you achieve higher levels of knowledge through training whereby you achieve a skill level in cognitive processes that allow you to see, feel and hear when something is good vs. something is not good. It is about an ongoing process of learning where the student makes adjustments to that learning process in response to a personal perception of the information taught along with feedback achieved using the skills acquired, your metacognitive skills. 

It is about learning to monitor your learning without out external influences or the persuasion of a very talented instructor, etc. You have to achieve a level of proficiency that allows you to maintain your own attitudes that allow you to invoke the skills necessary. 

This is a complex subject that for self-defense can be summed up as follows, “One should have a solid foundation of what self-defense is and the many facets involved before taking up a course.” This means having enough knowledge before engaging in the study of self-defense so as to have the ability to exercise your metacognitive skills in a learning environment. A person seeking this form of knowledge and skill must first look out for themselves and not rely on others to impart self-defense but to make a partner ship that fosters a complete knowledge of and training in self-defense. 

A beginning study of metacognitive skill is here: http://education.purduecal.edu/Vockell/EdPsyBook/Edpsy7/edpsy7_meta.htm

Note: I am just beginning to understand this particular topic so read the above link for a clearer picture. 

The Importance of Diet

Diet meaning the “fuel” you provide your body so it operates. What you put in you body counts. It is what I believe leads to most of the physical issues we all endure in our lives. Not saying that I am perfect in my diet but I try really hard. Some times I just give myself a bonus when I feel good about things. I also do this so I am not totally deprived of the fun stuff in life. 

First, I work diligently to keep away from animal based foods. If I do a meat I try for turkey or chicken and work to keep that consumption at a minimum. Mostly I do well. 

Second, I enjoy and try to eat proteins from a plant based diet with beans and legumes. The specifics here are not important but trying to stay with a plant based diet is. 

Third, when make my lunches for the week I tend to use Salmon that is wild caught and from a can. It usually has every single part of the fish including bones. I put it all into my lunch fixings.

I also eat a lot of fruit when I can. I like at a minimum an apple a day at mid morning breaks. I supplement with other health oriented foods that are not animal based. 

This is fundamentally what I consume at lunches during the week then on weekends my wife and I create simple meals. Now, I readily admit I stray especially when out with friends or when guests come to stay. 

One four day weekend my brother and his son visited so we enjoyed good restaurant food. Restaurant food is not as healthy as some might think. If you read the book, “The End of Over Eating,” you will get a sense of what this means. Regardless, health also comes from connectivity with others, to a point says the introvert in me, so eating out has other non-diet healthy aspects. 

Below are three photo’s of my concoction for lunches. There is mustard, some spices, a variety of vegi’s, salmon, etc. along with Olive Oil, vinegar, etc. added. The flavoring is changing but often I put in spicy like peppers, i.e. jalapeño, etc. to really put in a hot flavor.   

Eating the correct foods means maximizing your health and fitness both short term as to energy and power and long term toward a healthy, fit and better body capable of handling the rigors of life as well as training and practice. 

Finally, I work diligently to remove as much of the “sugar, fat and salt,” from my diet. I believe it is what you do most of the time so the periodic strays are not too bad and are a mental health thing. But to avoid these three to me are important as I firmly believe these are the bane of health issues as well as the health system we live with. 

The close up of my concoction.

In the mixing bowl

Four health days of lunch :-)

Tournaments (Sport) vs. Combat vs. Police Force

Note: I am a Marine (currently inactive). I am a martial artist. I have competed in sport tournaments. I have trained in self-defense. I am NOT a Police professional. I have worked with Police, military, as a Physical Security Officer (Civilian civil service GS-11) and I have studied many subjects to include violence, force, self-defense in California, etc. BUT I am not an expert in any one area, just knowledgable. 

"...When the military or police search for an empty hand combat or self-defense instructor to teach their troops or officers, why do they not contact a tournament champion? Why do they not look for someone who has proved themselves in tournaments with others who in many cases possess far superior speed and power in their techniques than does most anyone on the street or in the field of battle..." ~ Marcos Lianes, Post on Ryukyu Martial Arts FB Wall

First, “When the military or police search for an empty hand combat or self-defense instructor to teach their troops or officers, why do they not contact a tournament champion?” Well, because a tournament champion is a sport champion. Combat is totally different. Not to say that one could not adjust their sport to a combative but in my limited exposure and experience that is not done too often, if at all. Most tend to think that their sport is more than adequate to self-defense and/or combat. The rules of engagement for sport vs. combat as well as self-defense vs. Police force, etc. It is often the rules that bog you down in a real violent encounter. 

Not to say that sport is not a good training tool to learn how to deal with stress and pressure, they are. They are not adequate for combat or violence. Someone I know who is a special ops type told me it is not about squaring off with an enemy but more about how you can sneak up on them unobserved from behind and kill them before their minds even register their presence, i.e. one moment the enemy is breathing then next they are lying on the ground dead. Sport is about other things not related to this kind of combatives. 

Second, “Why do they not look for someone who has proved themselves in tournaments with others who in many cases possess far superior speed and power in their techniques than does most anyone on the street or in the field of battle.”

Proving yourself in a rule based sport is not the same as gaining the experience of killing in combat. Even when seeking out training for military vs. police there are vast differences as to rules of engagement. While a combatant may be authorized to kill regardless the police have to go through the training necessary to assess a situation so they can apply the proper “level of force” to not kill but rather to restrain and detain as well as arrest. I don’t have to be a police person to see the glaring differences in this one and I am a Marine, currently inactive. I have not served in Combat but I understand the fundamentals since all military regardless of combat experience are required to train in those rules of engagement. 

Third, it is a huge mistake to lump all martial arts under one umbrella for sport, fighting, self-defense, police and military training because they are just that, separate and distinct methods of conflict. There is bound to be cross over but the core or essence of each is distinct and has their own rules of engagement. 

I like to use a movie quote to help understand this even tho it is limited, i.e.,

Movie Quote: Jesse Stone: Stone Cold with Tom Selleck

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.

Note: remember, fighting is against the law. Also, I suspect that police are not actually allowed to “fight” when handling people but it is a nice quote.