Under Pressure

 

(Thanks for the inspiration Guro Paolo)

I showed up on Day 2 of the Tokyo seminar with Guro Paolo Rubio not quite knowing what to expect. Usually I like to attend both days to ensure I have the full context and can perform at my best, but it wasn't possible this time. Still, one day is far better than no days, right? I've been watching his videos from Funker Tactical for more than 10 years, and they have consistently delivered leading edge (pun intended) information about practical applications of Kali.  

It was one of the best seminars I have attended. Guro Paolo not only knows his material fully and confidently, he is aware of the value he can bring from his teaching approach. He understands the attendees and what we need, and is laser-focused on delivering exactly that. The material is drawn largely from the PTK playbook, which means it is well-researched. What differs is Guro Paolo's presentation. As he stated "My job is not to know more than all of you. I cannot be the source of ultimate knowledge. What I can do is be an architect of great training environments." He is. This really resonated with me.

Rather than simply being focused on presenting information or variations of techniques and applications, there is a lot of value in crafting good training environments - situations where the techniques can be tested, explored, implemented and mastered. This bridges the gap from rote memorization to application, which is critical to mastery. Guro Paolo has studied and researched this topic in great depth, and it shows.

All too often, we focus on the techniques themselves, the drills and repetition. These are certainly good and important, but equally important is to balance this with scenario-based pressure testing. Yes, sparring is one method of achieving this, but it is not the only method (and sparring has limitations too). Guro Paolo's seminar was rich with problem-solving opportunities. He provided guidelines and "rules" to focus our solutioning, and allowed us to discover and explore. This requires maturity (no ego) on the part of the problem-solvers, but is a great way to uncover interesting situations and deepen understanding. We had a lot of fun and repeatedly found good solutions to good problems. 

Having  spent decades in aikido, one common criticism is that it doesn't work on an unwilling opponent. I've addressed this in other posts, but I believe this is not due to the fundamental techniques themselves but rather to the method in which they are taught and trained. Having been to war, O-Sensei (Ueshiba Morihei) was far more interested in a safe, spiritual practice that promoted peace/harmony and longevity than he was in presenting a devastating combat art. This does not mean that aikido techniques cannot be efficient and effective. It does mean that when the training goal is connecting with the partner and avoiding injury, those techniques will not be framed with the intention of life and death survival. The context is wrong.

Another example is Tai Chi's use of the long sword and other weapons, where the flowing, hypnotic movement looks detached from any practical application apart from health. There are very practical applications of Tai Chi for fighting, including weapons work, that are at least on par with other combat arts. However, these are rarely trained in that context. 

Aikido principles still lie at the heart of a lot of elite LEO and operator combat training and I have been teaching them in an effective manner for more than a decade. 

Guro Paolo emphasized the importance of pressure testing the sequences and movements. Famous in FMA are groups like the Dog Brothers, who have focused on "higher consciousness through harder impact", which sits at the extreme end of pressure testing. This is not for everyone, but the point is clear. In order to be confident that the techniques are valid and we can apply them with success, we need to approximate real-world situations as much as we can (safely) do.

Pressuring ourselves is important not only to prove the effectiveness of our martial arts responses, but also to develop our ability to manage stress and perform when situations are critical. When we keep the pressure and intensity but reduce the speed and power, we create environments where problem-solving and discovery can be developed in depth.

A full-day was not enough to fully grasp everything that Guro Paolo had to show. I am excited to see him again next year and challenge myself on his level 1 instructor track. It's a great way to add additional dimensions to how we train in KM and continue to provide the best training for our students.

Salamat Po for the great training, Guro Paolo. See you next year (or before)! 

The Great Debate

 

He and I been friends a long time. In fact, he was one of the first who believed in me. We've shared countless meals, drinks and chats about many different topics over the years. We've traveled together many times and enjoyed our time together (and still do). Last night, however, we disagreed.

Not a mild disagreement, rather a fundamental disagreement about how society should function and how we should function as part of it. Both of us were passionate about our positions. Both of us were adamant. We tried, in vain, to persuade each other to accept our arguments. We tried to show why we were "right". In the end, our opinions were not changed. If anything, they were galvanized. That's OK.

What was really important was that we could disagree; deeply disagree. Passionately disagree. Yet still remain friends. We understood each other's positions. We accepted the logic, even though neither of us was swayed by the other. Through the argument we each gained a deeper insight into the other's perspective and came away with a newfound respect. At the end of the night, we hugged each other like we always do with no bitterness or hostility. Nothing but love.

There was no need to resort to personal attacks or character assassination. There was no need for shouting or threatening or insulting. Our disagreement did not damage our friendship or result in anger. We simply have opposing views on a topic of grave importance to us both. That's OK.

My country was founded on a two-party system designed to promote exactly the kind of dialog we had. It was deliberately structured so that both parties could have opposing views and through debate decide what outcome would be the most acceptable (or least unacceptable) to both sides. This method forces compromise and cooperation, as well as helping make sure both sides always get at least part of what they wanted.

It's very disappointing that these days we cannot disagree without it descending into visceral hatred and  potential violence. We are all stuck in our microtribalism and living in echo chambers where we never really get an opportunity to safely challenge each other and discuss the important issues of our time in a respectful way. We actively avoid anyone who doesn't share the exact same beliefs we do. We seek to reinforce our confirmation bias at every opportunity, afraid of ever being wrong or, God forbid, persuaded to change our minds.  This is not healthy for us nor for society writ large.

Sadly, our leaders model the worst possible behavior and spread lies and personal attacks rather than accurate information and persuasive logic. It is increasingly difficult to find quality news and information and every day it is more challenging to find the truth hidden in all the misinformation. We are disillusioned and mistrustful of everything that doesn't align with our personal worldview.

I yearn for a simpler time when we could actively debate our way forward. I wish we could get rid of all the poisonous rhetoric and focus on the facts in order to decide the path that brings the most benefit to the majority of Americans (not just the billionaires). I wish I could trust again.

I'm grateful for having the kinds of friends, true friends, that I can disagree with. It's a blessing.

Smashing It

 

(Thanks for the inspiration David)

This weekend we met David and his lovely daughter. David is a junior high school teacher, which means he has nearly infinite patience given that he needs to navigate early-stage teenagers through one of the most challenging periods of their lives. He is a direct, no-nonsense guy, and it turns out I had some things to learn from him, too.

One of David's favorite phases is "smash it". Over the course of the weekend, we "smashed" snowboarding runs (Naeba), "smashed" our breakfasts, and even "smashed" some of the party games he had prepared to entertain us on Saturday night. I came to love that phrase and have been thinking about it all weekend.

These days we are inundated with data and information to an overwhelming degree. People can't stop looking at their phones, at Youtube/TikTok/Instagram/Facebook/Snapchat. We have so much news and content coming at us it's becoming harder and harder to determine what is true, what is real (not AI-generated), what to focus on or prioritize, and even when to act. We often feel like if we wait just a little longer, we might get new/better information to make better decisions. We get stuck in "analysis paralysis" and end up doing nothing at all. I asked David about his phrase and he explained that, having grown up on a farm, there were always chores to be done no matter the day of the week or the weather. They simply had to be done every day. These were not deep-thought experiments. They were tasks that had both vital importance to the farm operation and were shared across the family members. Standing around was not going to help. In such cases, David advised, the best approach was to just smash it out ("get it done"). I was reminded that it is critically important to live with a sense of urgency; a bias to action. This mindset helps us prioritize and then just get moving, get busy so we can get things done.

I thought of a passage in Yamamoto Tsunetomo's famous book "Hagakure" (Hidden leaves) , which was his treatise on Bushido for young samurai. He wrote "The Way of the samurai is one of immediacy. It is best to dash in headlong." This does not condone foolhardiness, rather it is rewarding the notion that when we know what must be done we must not hesitate. This is also referred to as "Right Action in the Right Moment" and is an aspirational outcome of good zen practice.

In fighting particularly, it is important to learn how to recognize danger and, when we do, to act boldly without hesitation until the matter is resolved rather than waiting for a situation to escalate out of control. This decisiveness gives us the best chance of minimizing risk and injury, not only to ourselves, but to others (including our attacker(s)). Decisiveness is not to be underestimated.

There is a time for long and deliberate reflection, of course. However, in general we would all do well to have a constant sense of urgency about living our lives, and to do so with decisiveness and immediacy.

Thank you for the lesson, David-Sensei!

Let's Smash it at training!