Only in the Dojo

Blog Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)

If you only practice in the dojo; if you only train in the dojo; if you build experience(s) only in the dojo then you can imagine how little you know, understand and have experienced. There is a whole wide world out there and we encounter every day in every moment small things that relate and connect to what it is we strive to achieve within the dojo walls. Many of the small things may seem irrelevant to what we do in the dojo and as you already know and can readily imagine those irrelevances actually provide us experiences that we can then translate to proper trigger concepts to what we do "doah if you will" in the dojo. 

If you only train, practice and apply skills in the dojo and you don't relate that and other studies with an interconnection the the way of the dojo you can understand then how much you short yourself of the possibilities of the dojo, both in and out of the dojo. 

To truly achieve the way to the dojo you have to “transcend” that dojo and take that to the streets. To transcend the dojo one must connect the dojo to everyday life. Even when it seems to stand far from what is in the dojo. If we expect the things we do in the dojo to be relevant and workable, practical if you will, to the streets be it sport competition or self-protection against aggression and violence then transcension  of dojo practice, training and understanding must be relevant and connected to what is done in the dojo. Otherwise the dojo becomes not a dojo but a club where one socializes then leaves the social reality of the dojo at the dojo doors when re-entering the real world. To make the dojo real-world applicable it must transcend beyond the dojo doors. 

To practice, train and understand only in the dojo is to NOT practice, train and understand the martial arts within the dojo proper for martial arts to be understood is to live the training and practice in every moment of life whether obvious or not.  

Let’s use the four key features of scenario-based training as provided by Greg Ellifritz Sensei in his article, “Conducting Quality Force-on-Force Training“ to provide an example of what taking it out of the dojo might mean:

Question: Is your training, in and out of the dojo, about pretending to be someone you are not AND
Question: Is your training, in and out of the dojo, about performing, i.e., practice and training, etc., in a LIVE set of conditions, a reality-based adrenal stressor condition, with all the emotional pressures and effects, etc. AND
Question: Is your training, in and out of the dojo, about experiencing vivid and speedy feedback AND
Question: Is your training, in and out of the dojo, repeated over and over and over again while having fun with it?

These are just indicators of whether your efforts are achieving a reality-based live action role playing training, practice and learning process to ensure that what you do works, in the dojo and out of the dojo, when you need it most otherwise what you are doing only in the dojo is all well and fine except when out of the dojo and in that situation where you need it most, IT WILL FAIL YOU unless you are very, very LUCKY BECAUSE that is the essence of why one trains in a “Quality Force-on-Force Live Action Role Playing adrenal stress-conditioned emotionally challenging training and practice program!”

Think about this… read Ellifritz Sensei’s article above for more on this then look within the provided bibliography to find more sources and lets not forget Rory Miller’s and Marc MacYoung’s and OTHERS new venue of “getting the information out there,”:


and many, many, more including Marc MacYoung’s Youtube venue: Safety Concepts Youtube 

Note: this is why the four pillars of fundamental principles is so critically important because philosophy speaks to the ability to imagine just how the stuff in the dojo can apply to even the most obscure actions, deeds and thoughts both logical and emotional that lead humans around in our environment and social reality especially when it comes to aggressions and violences mankind heaps upon mankind. 


For reference and sources and professionals go here: Bibliography (Click the link)

No comments:

Post a Comment