Trippin'

Business travel sucks.

I don't care what anyone says. If you think it is glamorous or cool, filled with 5-star hotels, swimming pools and exotic locales, you can gladly take my trips for me anytime.

Ten things about business travel that cause it to suck:

1. long flights - at 18 hours nonstop, the Singapore/New York haul is just insanity
   
2. airline food - even business class food sucks nowadays. Better to pack your own
   
3. lack of proper sleep - hotel beds suck, and airplane seats are impossible
   
4. too much drinking/heavy meals - clients want to go out every night and never to the salad bar
   
5. boredom - lots of wasted time in lounges, buses, trains, cabs, hotels, etc.
   
6. too busy/very little free time - morning til night relentless schedules are the norm
7. blackberry/mobile - the absurdity of thinking we are still available 24/7 no matter where we are
   
8. jet lag and recovery - it can take weeks to get back to normal, especially from the US/Europe trips
9. loneliness - I actually like my family and miss them terribly when I travel
   

10. The worst of it all - no training. The double whammy is that not only am I gone from my home so I can't go to my local dojo, I am usually so busy that I can't even use the hotel gym.
That is a recipe for weight gain and depression.

So...what to do? Here are some ideas from my life as a Road Warrior.

Swim - I am far too lazy and space-conscious to bring my gym kit on the road. Instead, a swimsuit and goggles take up very little space and swimming is a good, low-impact workout. I also like those elastic bands to do isometrics in the hotel room. Yoga or tai chi also works.

Schedule sleep- I try to control my schedule to have at least a night or two to get proper rest.

Spa - I don't care whether or not the company pays for it. I am getting the body massage, the detox, the wrap, or whatever else will help me adjust and get rid of the stress. My body needs it.

Learn to let go - The worst nightmare is to try and keep up with all your work at home office while on the road. Don't. Delegate it or let it go. You'll only kill yourself.

Food and Bev - Since I don't get the same training time I normally have, and many nights are client dinners, I try to go way healthy on breakfast and lunch. Low cal/low fat to stay lean for what comes later. For drinking, I hydrate a lot and try to stick to wine when I go out.

Plan in advance - I was glad to find out that Yoshinkan aikido has schools almost everywhere. On the road it's a great chance to schedule in a visit to a local school. More new people to meet, and even though I said I would never pack my gym kit I somehow have no reservations packing my dogi :-)

Yeah, business travel sucks. If only they had mats in the business lounge...

Osu!

The Magic Touch

Yesterday was Tai Chi Thursday. We do a variety of Chi kung exercises to strengthen the breathing and chi flows, and then segue into the regular lesson. Last night was deep breathing using the whole lungs (upper, lower, and back). But I digress. The Magic Touch appeared during a trapping drill. One of the finishes to the standard two step trap was a devastating strike.

It made me suspect that the "Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique" a la Kill Bill really exists. I am prohibited from posting any specifics (Guro Fred expressly told me: "this one does not go on your blog") . Suffice to say it was a heartstopper (literally).

I have heard tales of these things throughout my martial arts career. The true precedent in Chinese martial arts is Dim Mak, the "death touch". Basically, this is the antithesis of acupressure. Acupressure uses energy meridians to improve health and energy flow; Dim Mak uses the same points to disrupt energy flow and harm the victim.

George Dillman is notable for this but it seems to have a number of caveats that can make in ineffective. To me, it seems very much like what Televangelists do, since it works best on True Believers.

What do I think? The body is a hydroelectric system. Although resilient, it can be "shorted" like any other electrical system. This can be short term (knockout) or permanent (death). Mostly, this can be attributed to damage to the head/brain. However, it can be disrupted at the pump (heart) or a number of other key spots. I believe in Dim Mak. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

In any case, with great power comes great responsibility. That technique was intimidating to say the least. If you run into any of the techniques, BE VERY CAREFUL. You can permanently injure training partners or yourself if you do not have the right level of self-control. Make sure you have your instructor very close by when practicing anything even remotely related to Dim Mak.

Safety First!

Nice Guys Finish Last

Today was a good lesson at King George dojo. Most important advice that Ramlan-sensei gave me was on Zanshin. Zanshin is the moment of total concentration at the beginning and end of any martial arts technique. I was lacking a bit today and this was the biggest thing he corrected.

During Jiyuwaza, the zanshin has a very important part to play, since it is like the glue holding the techniques together and creating flow. Uke attacks; shite responds, ending in zanshin, which flows into kamae (and the next technique). Without zanshin, jiyuwaza becomes just a set of mechanical movements, without the grace that makes aikido so beautiful (and so powerful). As Ramlan-sensei says "without zanshin, you practice jiyuwaza for 20 years and progress very little."

so remember, nice guys finish last - with zanshin.

Osu!

PS: looks like my test is 1 August, with Joe-sensei doing the grading...PANIC!

The Cutting Edge

Did some good knife work last night...basic 5 angles cutting and block/parry combos.
Getting attacked with a knife by someone who knows how to use it is a scary situation.
Some key take-aways:

1) Keep your hands tight to your body
Don't let your arms wave around. It just makes it more likely that you will get cut or be out of place. Keep your arms close to your upper body forearms facing outward (protecting vital organs there) when not active.

2) Think SMALL
Keep all actions minimal. Fear will make your motions exaggerated. Success depends on precision.

3) Protect the Big Stuff; use the Outside
Blocking should be done with the outside of the arms, NEVER the inside of the arms.
The inside is where all the key arteries are, and this needs to stay protected. If you are cut on the outside of the arm it is less likely to result in a lethal wound.

4) Focus on the MAN, not the knife
There is a tendency to develop tunnel vision and stare at the knife - staring at it won't make it go away. Knife or not, the attacker is the target. Keep your attention trained on the shoulders so you can see attacking motion develop.

5) Watch your Lines
Make sure you move your whole body, not just your arms/upper body, out of the way of the knife. Stand in one place; die in one place.

6) Finish Up
Like every Kali situation, if you need to use it, you need to use it properly.
Finish your oppenent completely. A knife situation is potentially lethal.
No time to be nice or merciful. There are many cases of fatally wounded attackers still managing to kill their victim before they go out. Make sure the attacker GOES DOWN and STAYS DOWN.

7) Sink the Blade; Sink the Man
When you have the knife...many classic texts on knife fighting emphasize that while slashing/cutting can kill; stabbing is a a far higher percentage stop. The goal is to get a torso stab. In either case, putting the attacker on the ground (via takedown/sweep) is important since it greatly reduces the chance that the attacker will recover.

8) Practice Practice Practice
Train these responses a lot. They will help your empty hand work too.

This is the real deal. Focus. Make sure you are the one that walks away.

In the UK this is becoming a more serious issue: http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/07/12/simmons.uk.knife.crime.itn
Just because they don't allow guns doesn't make it safe.

Born Free

My Jiyuwaza sucked yesterday...

Jiyuwaza ("free flowing technique") is the closest Yoshinkan aikido gets to actual combat.
You get attacked by one or more opponents and you do techniques until they tell you to stop. The goal is to show flow, timing, distance, creativity, precision, and grace. Sounds pretty simple, right?
(Jörg is the guy in the link above - thanks mate!)

Sunday was all yokomenuchi (strike to the side of the head). I know bucket loads of responses to this attack, and even did it for my 1-kyu test. So what happened?

Not sure. Maybe I was distracted or something. But in the heat of the moment I drew a blank...and kept going back to the tried and true solutions...hijiatekokyunage and shihonage kuzushi. At least they work and I did not end up just standing there like a muppet. Bad news is when they grade you, they look for variety. In a perfect world you can apply any technique to any attack. Some of course fit better than others for particular situations.

Here are some pointers (which also make excellent drills). These should get put into muscle memory so you can fall back on them if for some reason you are not "flowing" when the time comes...

1) Inside/outside
Alternating inside the attack and outside the attack

2) Sequentials
Ikkajo, Nikajo, Sankajo, Yonkajo, Shihonage, Shomeniriminage, Sokumeniriminage, Kotegaeshi, Udegarame, Koshinage, and so on...sometimes you can lose your place, but it should at least help get you back on track.

3) Ichi/Ni
do a technique ichi and ni in sequence

4) Over/Under
capture of uke's hand from the top (nikajo, shomeniriminage, sankajo, udegarame) or the bottom (shihonage, hijiatekokyunage, sokumeniriminage)

Try them out and let me know if you get a little closer to being FREE

Osu!

Hero

Today I took my six-year old to see Iron Man. Good entertainment.

I don't want to spoil the story for you, but as the name implies, a guy makes an invulnerable suit of armor and beats up bad guys with it. Lots of cool SFX and a hero you can really identify with.


To me, we can all be heroes. We have the potential. We cannot make an invulnerable suit of armor, but we can have something almost as good. We can train.

Our training in martial arts is a great way to help us find that hero inside. It is a way of developing the willpower, discipline, and humility that allow us to help others in need; to become a giver rather than a taker.

The armor we make and wear is impossible to see. It is the armor of self-confidence. This armor is not bullet-proof, but it can protect you from a lot of other harm. It is armor that will will make you strong, and will protect you from being a victim of abuse, not just physical, but emotional and spiritual as well. It can make you a kind of "Iron Man".

Becoming a hero is not easy. In this movie, the main character had to overcome a lot of things and make some mistakes to realize his calling in life. We often have to do the same. Because not everyone can understand our choices, sometimes it even means leading a dual life, and keeping one of our identities secret from others - until they can understand who we really are.

I am not suggesting everyone run out and buy a cape and a pair of tights. Being a hero does not always mean saving the world. We can be heroes every day to the people around us. We can be heroes by being good examples of what is right and just, and by being a positive influence in the lives of others. This can and should start at home with our own families.

I encourage you to help make your world a better place by training hard and finding the hero I know is inside you. Rest assured I will be doing the same.

See you around Gotham City...

The Countdown Begins!

Yesterday I got hit with the news...

Ramlan-sensei says I am expected to test for shodan in August...in Malasysia...

there is also a rumor that Joe-sensei might be doing the grading...



Insert PANIC here




I know I should not feel nervous, but I do nevertheless.

I tested for my first black belt in 1987...it was a tough test. empty hand, weapons, history, philosophy - the whole 9 yards. Took weeks to recover from that one, and I was 21 years old.

The RYA 1-kyu Yoshinkan test was the toughest one in recent memory, and I honestly think without the 1 hour massage beforehand I would not have made it through. It was 45 minutes of constant motion and intensity, trying to will my body to do what it knows; trying to LET GO;
trying to RELAX;
trying to STAY FOCUSED.

I would be nervous enough just having Farid-sensei and Ramlan-sensei grade me. However, hearing that Joe-sensei might be there adds another dimension to it. He is MAGIC, and by 10 years old he was better than I am now.

Sensei-Joe's "secret handshake" (aka kotegaeshi)

More than anything, I am the product of my training. I don't want to shame any of the teachers in RYA who spent so much time and energy to help me learn Yoshinkan. I don't want to embarrass Farid-sensei who travels a long way every week just to try and correct my techniques. I hope I can make them all proud to have been part of my journey to this new milestone. More to come. Plenty to do before August.

Osu!

Above the Belt

Interesting conversation over the weekend on chakras. It came about as part of a discussion we were having about why many martial arts masters smoke, drink, and have mistresses (no, I am NOT jealous).

Guro Fred expressed that they are trapped in the lower 3 chakras. Interesting point...

Asian mysticism considers chakras to be centers or "channels" of human conciousness, and defines 7 of them. From lowest to highest:

1. lower body

2. reproductive organs

3. navel

4. heart

5. throat

6. forehead (between the eyes)

7. top of the head

Our spiritual journey, according to such writings, leads us through opening these chakra, which bring us to enlightenment. However, such is not a path to be undertaken lightly. The lower chakras focus on material things such as emotion, hunger, and sexual drive. These must be relinquished if one seeks a higher level of consciousness. Buddhists will tell you that desire causes attachment, attachment leads to fear of loss, and fear of loss leads to suffering. We must LET GO in order to be free of such distraction. Not an easy task.

My whole study has been focused on making my experience of life more full and vibrant, more passionate, more involved in the lives of those around me; not less. Could I actually lower the volatility of my ups and downs and be left with a constant state of higher awareness? Wouldn't that be "boring" (not sure what else to call a life without emotional attachment)? How does one just go be "free"?

These thoughts show me that I still have so much to learn and understand in order to move forward. For now, my life is not bad despite having an emotional roller coaster. I am living vibrantly, and not sure I would ever want that to change.

Going above the belt is a scary place, and maybe fear of losing what I now have is preventing me from venturing there.

The Kid

We have all seen it, that 1984 classic, the Karate Kid.
When this movie came out, frankly I was skeptical. I had been training about 3 years under my teacher, and I thought I was a badass (doubtful I will ever think that again). The reality though, is that for all of its campy 1980s anti-style, The Karate Kid is one of the greatest martial arts movies of all time.



You loved it. You know you did. Be honest.



What do I like about it? Where do I start? This movie appeals to the Daniel-san in all of us, the underdog that wants to fit in, that wants to be accepted. At the same time, the Daniel-san who needs maturity and wisdom to reach the next level. With it come self-confidence, and a the respect of peers.

As well, we all must have our Mr. Miyagi. Someone who knows more than we do, and does not belittle us for it. One who sees our childlike selfishness as phases, and our boundless energy and enthusiasm as opportunities for development. Someone who sees the end goal for us, even when sometimes we cannot see it for ourselves. We need someone to make us start to walk, so that we can discover how important walking really is. We need a motivator. We need someone to show us how to "believe".

I love the fact that this movie presents the martial arts so positively. It includes the kind of zen dialog between Miyagi and Daniel that is so common with good teachers - that marvelous way of pointing you in the right direction and giving you enough to find the way on your own. Far too many movies emphasize the violence and lethality of martial arts; too few show the universal benefits it can bring as a way of keeping one humble and focused on personal development. Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme movies are entertaining, but miss the point for me, and cause youngsters watching to want to emulate exactly those things I would want them not to. The movies wane a bit after this first classic, but that's OK.



for a Tibetan Lama, he doesn't smile much





There will always be a romantic part of me that wants to paint fences and wax cars, knowing that it will help me win the championship at the end. That part of me still knows the crane kick can beat the five-point palm exploding heart technique. My personal Miyagis have been many, and they still have much to teach me.

Now, where's that paintbrush??

"Martial" or "Art"?

Over tea in between demonstrations yesterday, Guro Fred and I had a chat about the martial arts. It is very rare to find someone with his astounding background, which includes healing and fighting, Chinese and western styles, and a lifestyle steeped both in deep philosophy and practical application. When you visit Singapore, I suggest you empty your cup and come see for yourself. He will impress you. And he's also a really nice guy :-)

We can surely find a difference between arts that are purely combative and those which offer longevity. Boxing, Muay Thai, Krav Maga, BJJ all spring to mind as arts wich promote total combat effectiveness, at the expense of often failing to emphasize longevity or spiritual and philosophical framework. On the flip side, we consider such arts as Tai Chi or aikido as being "moving yoga", impractical in actual life-or-death confrontations. As is so often the case, BALANCE is the right approach.

In my view, Martial Arts are simply that. We must try hard to keep an equal amount of "martial" and "art" in what we do. Losing one or the other diminishes the value. Overemphasis on one or the other leaves us in danger.

Overemphasis on Martial - leads to violent tendency, short-term mentality, and damage to the body



he was never much for meditation






Overemphasis on Art - leads to false sense of security and failure to develop practical life-saving skills



helpful for picking daisies, but...




Let me be very clear - The right combination is always the combination that suits the soul of the one doing the training. I think it is very important to find a master who has the right mix for you. Failure to do so can lead to disappointment later on. By way of example, a dear friend of mine is more skewed toward martial than art, and Yoshinkan fails to satisfy his need for practicality and combat effectiveness. At the same time, I have friends for whom the martial arts is a vehicle of self-discovery, deeply connected to their worldview. Boxing is considered by them to be an improper vehicle for spiritual development.

For what it is worth, my personal goal is optimization, and I think that is best found in balance the "martial" and the "art". My experience is that this blend offers the best of both, and satisfies in times where our spirit needs a bit of each to keep growing.

Turn your TV off, have a think about it, and let me know your viewpoint.

OSU!

Being Grounded

I have read somewhere that about 70% of street fights end up on the ground (not sure how you get an accurate bit of research on that though). As well, watching IFC and many other popular MMA that abound together with the explosive popularity of BJJ these days, it is clear that for those competitions that allow groundfighting a lot of fights end up there. Why? Is it that the stand-up styles lack decisive power? Is it that the groundfighters have a game so good it is no longer possible to deliver a knockout counter before they can shoot in?

Many styles seem to forego groundfighting...in particular Yoshinkan aikido (although Aikijujitsu styles such as Takeda ryu include it). Kali Majapahit is comprehensive and I see elements of groundfighting, while at the same time there is a strong emphasis on mobility. In that sense, the ground is used quickly, as an inescapable place where the opponent can no longer backup (ie. a "wall on the floor". It certainly is admirable to keep mobility, especially when faced with multiple attackers. But is such an approach really realistic?



two of my favorite reference materials here. If either of these guys ask for your wallet, give it to them quick. :-)



I have long admired groundfighting work by Gene Lebell and Mark Hatmaker both of whom I consider among the absolute best that can be found. While neither style seems to include deep philosophy (other than perhaps combat purism), technically and scientifically you have to respect the magic these guys have.

So where does that leave us? I suppose an Indian yogi would find little karmic value in the application of a good hammerlock for submission, I also find it hard to deny that groundfighting adds versatility to your fighting, the goal of which should be to feel comfortable in any environment and any condition.

I have more to study here, but in closing I think groundfighting skills remain practical and useful in our scope of training.

Stay Well Grounded!

Less is MORE

After a week off following testing, I was very fired up to get back to Kali training, and it did not disappoint. We started off doing some chi sao (Wing Chun sticky hands) which wove into knife and stick applications as well. The key concept was "less is more". Basically, this means that you should always be using the minimum possible energy (and distance) to redirect your opponent. To do more is inefficient; which basically means you create an opening for the next attack in his/her chain. This was seen with an exaggerated block of a jab leading into an elbow, which when blocked led into a headbutt or knee, etc. Once the defense begins to come apart as a result of inefficiency, it is very hard to recover. See here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaP1X-lEtgc&NR=1

This is a video of Sifu Emin Boztepe doing Chi Sao with Michael Casey. You can see once Mr. Casey's defense begins to come undone he just gets hit more and more. The other very important thing to note here is how close together and tight sifu Boztepe's hands are. Chisao done well is done with very slight, small motions that keep the opponent thinking he will hit you, until he overextends and loses balance.

A good lesson for any training, but especially useful in Chinese/Filipino striking arts. Oh, by the way - KEEP YOUR HANDS ON THE INSIDE. This also helps an awful lot.

Japan versus Philippines

Check out my new teachers!

One of the biggest differences I notice in the two types of training is the level of emphasis placed on the decisive ending "kime" in Japanese. For Japanese martial artists, the strategic idea is to draw out a committed attack from uke. That means an attack where uke really has their UPA (unified power of attack, read aikido and the dynamic sphere, thanks guys!) . Once this committed attack comes, it can be redirected and neutralized. This is achieved by taking/breaking uke's cranial and spinal balance, which leads to controls/projections and pins. Great emphasis is placed on centering your spirit and reaching zanshin, where techniques dynamically manifest. Done correctly, it is a one shot stop.

In FMA (Filipino Martial Arts), the concept of "chaining" together techniques in a flowing combination seems far more important. Once a weapon enters my sphere of control, I want to triangle into my attacker and remove it - having done so, next I want to enter and finish. A chain in FMA can be any number of techniques, but usually 5 or more. Great care is made to immobilize the opponent's weapons as they enter the sphere, and to adapt the chain as needed.

Perhaps this difference seems esoteric, but the change in attitude is enormous. For the Japanese stylist, lack of a committed attack can be problematic. Thus, fighting an opponent who likes to jab and kick low to the legs can frustrate a traditionalist, especially when the opponent has enough mobility to avoid shite driving in to secure the center of balance. For the Filipino stylist, this doesn't present the same problem. Jabs and low kicks are just weapons to be taken away, and many of the technique chains begin specifically with "attacking the attack" in order to damage uke's arms and legs before closing distance.

Plenty to think about as I explore the new surroundings at (www.nitien.com).

Integrate

Integrate - love that word. Since about a week ago, I have made a commitment to train at another school here in Singapore - Ni Tien Martial Arts (www.nitien.com) Have a look.

The senior instructor and his wife have nearly 60 years of combined experience in martial arts and teach mainly Filipino Martial Arts integrated (love that word!) with Tai Chi, western boxing, and a mashup of other stuff (even Iaijutsu!). They also teach traditional healing methods. I have found everyone to be of superior focus and attitude, and we are all really trying to FLOW. It is a great lesson to attend and I am inspired again.

One of the main differences seems to be the way the hips are used. Yoshinkan always wants the hips low and descending, putting shite's center of gravity under uke's (maybe more accurately moving uke's center of gravity onto shite's). In FPM (Filipino Martial Arts), capturing uke's center of gravity seems secondary to immobilizing uke's arms and legs. Most chains start with counters to basic attacks by controlling the center line and either going inside or outside uke. Once the attacking element (uke's arm or leg) is immobilized, uke is usualy "opened", that is to say that shite enters into close range. At that distance, knees, elbows, headbutts are used to disable uke and remove and further will to fight. The chain usually leads uke to the ground and applies a finish there. It is fast and furious and the teachers spend a lot of energy on drills to develop awareness and muscle memory.

Despite FPM's outwardly violent application (harder by far even than Krav Maga), they teach it as "a cultural vehicle for self-discovery" and maintain that the violence stays in the dojo and is really just about preserving the tradition of the arts the way they are taught in the Philippines.

I have always been fascinated by the practicality of the Filipino styles, and fortunate to have found a school that teaches them so well here. Life is full of surprises, and the good ones are better by far than the bad ones. I am hopeful that this school will not only enrich my time here in The Lion City, but also give me a chance to bring together a lifetime of my own study.

Integrate? Inte-GREAT!

Where Do I Go From Here?

We all go through peaks and valleys in our training. It could happen any time, for example after a big event such as a rank test or demo. It could even happen simply because it's been too long without a big event. We question our training, ourselves, and the point of it all. We want some validation or proof of progress, and without it we doubt our abilities. What to do about that?

Yoshinkan is especially hard to measure, since we have very rigid structure and lack of "points" or "rounds" or other methods which are easy to count. It is very different from boxing or Judo or other "sport" arts, and even from karate with its many kata and competition fighting.

Yoshinkan training is really about learning to control your own body. Of course, by exploring our bodies and learning what unbalances them, we learn to unbalance our attackers. By learning what makes us strong, we learn to take strength away from our attackers.

The Yoshinkan techniques are all specifically designed to introduce students to the core principles and help show examples of how to apply these principles in certain circumstances so we can master the body movements.

Specifically we have to learn balance, power, smoothness, focus, centering, sinking, extension, relaxation, contact, distance and breathing. These are universal and done in every single technique. Together, we study Ikkajo, Nikajo, Sankajo, Yonkajo, and the throws and Osae against all the common attacks and angles to program specific responses. We train these until we achieve muscle memory and can do them without thinking about them.

The goal is to learn to do the techniques correctly as easily and naturally as walking down the street. It is only then that we can stop thinking and free our minds to extend our energy outward. Properly done, Yoshinkan becomes a kind of "Moving Zen" when we remove outside distractions and no longer think about ourselves or our partners.

When we have reasonable success with this already difficult challenge, we must seek consistency - so that we keep a high energy level and relaxed state simultaneously whenever we are on the mats. That becomes a benefit we can take with us outside the dojo as well, which will help us live our lives vibrantly and cope with daily stress, as well as enriching our human relationships and promoting our overall mental and physical health.

There is so much to do and learn, I hope your training never gets boring. Training plateaus occur, as do peaks and valleys. Resist complacency. Take a deep breath, take your time, but keep moving forward. I promise you will get there. Let's go together.

Osu!

Once you go black you never go back

She made it!!

After more than 3 years of dedicated training, she passed her shodan (first degree black belt) at Honbu Dojo. I wish I could have been there. First of all, a big Otsukare-sama for her. The belt represents a serious commitment. It shows. She is no longer the scared little girl who showed at the 5:45 am lesson shaking with fear at what might happen to her. Now, I look at her and see a proud, confident, capable lady who commands and deserves respect.

She has mastered her own life by mastering her aikido. She believes in herself and in her techniques, and that in itself is beautiful. Her comment to me was "Now I can walk around town without makeup on. I could never do that before". You said it Little Sister.
You are beautiful and radiant just as you are. No need to change a thing.

It has been a very long time since I got my first black belt (20 years to be exact), and I will never forget that feeling. I was different, but it was hard to explain. Somehow, my life had a certain intensity that it didn't have before. I have never forgetten that the magic is there, but it is really refreshing to see it happen to someone, day by day. Going forward she will be a great teacher, because she knows the value of hard work and the commitment needed to be good at aikido.

So what happens next? Here are some random thoughts my teacher gave me 20 years ago...

the invisible belt - once you put that black belt on, it never comes off again (metaphorically of course). You are a black belt 24 hours a day, no matter where you are. It is a constant burden of reponsibility that you are now strong enough to carry. Bear it with pride.

leadership - the road to black belt should include the experience of looking after your juniors and being a role model to them, long before you ever put that belt on. Now it is implicit. They will look to you as an example of The Way. You must give 100% to make sure that path shines true and clear, and to never disappoint their dreams of what and who a black belt should be. You will be a part of them changing their lives. Get ready for it. You are living proof of what can be achieved through hard work and commitment.

relentless and unforgiving - the black belt opens the door to a new stage of your training. Now you can no longer forgive yourself for anything less than your personal best. You must deliver 100% every moment, on the mats and off, and are expected to hold yourself and your aikido to higher level of awareness and perfection than before. Getting there showed you have heart; going forward you must show consistency. That will require you to be relentless and unforgiving in your own training.

mercy - as much as you must be relentless and unforgiving on yourself from now on, you must never fail to show mercy and have understanding for others who have not been called to The Way yet. The struggle to this milestone has contained many obstacles and hardships, and you must never forget that others also face them every day. You must have strength in excess to help them get through. Draw from your energy and give it to them.

rock of strength - in traditional schools, a student was not even entered into the dojo register until shodan. Before that you just didn't even exist. Having been listed on the books, now you are the kind of person the teachers should be able to build a strong school on. You are a foundation stone. Don't forget it.

With great power comes great responsibility. It is not given lightly and should not be taken lightly. There is real magic here, and real magic, the kind that changes lives, is hard to find these days. Little Sister, you are truly one of my inspirations, one of my heroes - you will change the lives of many. Ganbatte!!

Ouch!

Jammed my thumb into David's neck last week (by accident), and it has been hurting ever since. I think I jammed it again. That brings us to the question of training when injured. Without question, training in the martial arts will result in some injuries no matter how safely you train. What do you do about it?

This is not Major League Baseball, so I think it is wrong to stop training every time you have chapped lips or a stubbed toe. Basically, we usually tape up and get back to the training. I have dislocated my left hip and my right shoulder (thankfully not at the same time) on the mats and continued to train. I did it because I bought into the whole "hard-core" nature of my youthful training. Sadly, it was also among the more foolish decisions I have made, since at 41 years old I can feel both of them every time it gets cold. I wish I had been smarter. you CAN be.

Some advice from me:

• seek medical help for anything serious - take no chances
• stretch out before (and preferably after as well) every workout - even more important as the temperature drops
• show up for class even if you cannot train - it can be a good chance to observe and take notes or film the lesson
• allow your body enough time to heal - do not rush back into the training until you feel ready again
• understand that this is part of the training process - use it as a chance to become more aware and "in tune" with your body

"It's just an eye. The Gods saw fit to grace me with a spare"...yeah right.

I don't know about you, but I am not a spartan, and I believe the goal of martial arts training is to increase our mobility rather than decrease it.

Train Smart.

Osu.

Ignorance is Bliss

Found the book Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes yesterday at ABC Books in Roppongi for Y500...What a bargain.

I remember this book well from school days and it was always one of my favorites. It is the story of a mentally retarded man, Charlie Gordon, who with an IQ of 68 is aware that he is not smart (like a Forrest Gump) but nonetheless is basically happy working as a janitor at a bakery.

He is selected for an "operashun" which is designed to increase his intelligence, and succeeds by "making him smart like other peepul". His newfound intelligence brings with it new awareness - for example how his "friends" at the bakery were actually making fun of him the whole time, and allows him to experience the joy and sorrow of discovery and knowledge.

The book takes a turning point when the original test subject of the operation, a mouse named Algernon, dies, and Charlie's intelligence begins to fade away, and he realizes he will also die as a result of having had the surgery. He can feel his understanding slipping away as he starts to forget things again...

It is errily told in the first person through Charlie's journal entries. This book is quite frankly one of the most tragically beautiful stories I have ever read. It is the classic parable of the garden of Eden. Once becoming aware of the existence of the tree of knowledge, how can Adam not eat the fruit?? It touches me on so many levels and leaves me with questions I have been unable to answer for the past 30 years.

* is it wrong to strive for understanding?

* at what cost should we try to be "like other folks"?

* is the chance to be smarter worth dying for?

* is better not to know?

* what do you do when you are faced with your own impending death?

* how do you live each day and make it precious?

Forrest Gump tackled some of these questions in a gentle and humorous way showing us that perhaps ignorance really is bliss. Maybe Charlie Gordon would have been better off never having had that surgery...what do you think?

Relevant to aikido?? of course!! (what isn't?)

There is always a tendency to over-intellectualize what happens in the dojo. It is not wrong to think about the techniques or the training. Aikido can be learned with the mind, but it must be understood with the body and felt with the spirit. It is actually about thinking less rather than thinking more.

Do not suspect that making your aikido "smarter" will improve it. There is no King's Road, and the secret of aikido training lies in the TRAINING. There is just no substitute. Do not shy away from the sweat and hard work that make your aikido strong.

Read the book if you get a chance.

See you on the mat.

Osu!

Do You Speak Aikido?

Yes, aikido is a language. In fact, we could call it a "physical language"; a "communication between shite and uke".

If you look at it, aikido includes all the elements we find in other forms of communication (including both verbal and non-verbal). Let me be very clear about the fact that this is not due to aikido words being in Japanese, since native Japanese will go through the same process of learning as non-Japanese and may even have a disadvantage due to misunderstanding the application of Japanese language to the aikido language. Those languages may share some cultural linkages, just as Hamlet, Beowulf, and The Canterbury Tales have cultural connections to modern English, but we can hardly call them the same thing.

As a beginner in aikido, we learn like any baby learns any language. We mimic our parents "teachers" and learn from our older siblings "sempai", ocassionally even picking up words and phrases that they don`t want us to. We are the mirrors of our parents, and will reflect their mannerisms unconciously. At this level, we struggle with our bodies to make the sounds of aikido, and usually with only limited success. It can be frustrating. Our words are clumsy, and we have trouble to say more than one at a time. We fail to grasp the meanings fully, but are trying very hard to make ourselves understood. repetition fosters confidence.

After some time, we have learned some of the basic words like kamae, and are beginning to "speak". However, we may still be translating in our heads (in this case translating words to actions), which takes time, and may have trouble carrying on more than a "one-sided" conversation. We begin to discover how this communication can give us certain responses in certain situations, but we have a long way to go before we achieve fluency.

Over a period of many years, often without realizing it, we reach a point where the language of aikido becaomes native and fluent to us. At this level, we can combine words and phrases, and our use of this language can even be considered elegant. Our physical "dialogue" with uke becomes a real communication, with all the subleties that entails, and we can both speak and listen to each other. We are able to interact in nearly any situation effortlessly, and no longer have to translate phrases like shiho nage and kote gaeshi in our minds before we use them.

OK, now you can probably see where this is going. This also means that the same techniques I used to learn japanese will work for learning aikido. I want to:

1) Immerse myself as much as possible
2) Practice regularly with a variety of conversation partners
3) Build vocabulary and become fluent in fundamentals first
4) Seek out and eliminate mistakes; try to make even small improvements
5) Try over time to focus on chaining together words into phrases
6) Remember to build listening as well as speaking comprehesion
7) Seek out examples of the language all around me and try to understand them
8) Be aware of my own growth and not get frustrated even at failed attempts
9) Use my language as a way of connecting to others
10) Never stop learning

Like any language, English, for example, there are dialects. We find under the general language of aikido, dialects like Yoshinkan, Tomiki, Aikikai, Shinshintoitsu and others, which organically arise from circumstance and situation. We are still able to share a foundation with these other languages and can communicate on a basic level, even though some dialects "spell words" and use them a bit differently sometimes (like the differences between Parisian French and Canadian French or between American, British, Australian, and South African English).

Finally, along the idea of aikido as communication/language, I want to leave all of you with the same few questions I have been asking myself as I wrote this:

• How will I communicate? harsh and rude? Or elegant and kind?
• Will my words hurt or help other people?
• Will I be able to listen as well as speak?
• Will my words "persuade" my partner?
• What does my use of words say about me as a person?

Looking forward to our next "mat chat"...

Osu!

Who I Am

Life is a constant process of self-discovery. We all wear masks, and part of the benefit of training is learning to see ourselves without them: as truthfully as possible. Who I am cannot be summarized on a one-page resume. I am not my business card. I am not my tailored suit or my expensive shoes. I am not my expensive watch or my luxury car or my home address or my penthouse view or my place on the org chart or my email or my mobile phone or my blackberry or even this blog (although the blog is closer than the others) .
OK Then, Who am I?

When I enter the dojo all the worldly trappings are left behind. I take off all the things that make me someone else. I put on the same white uniform and belt that everyone else wears. The color may be different, but what it represents is not. It represents the same commitment we share to our aikido training.

The person in the dojo is who I really am.
That is the person who can get up early in the cold darkness (at least all winter long), leave a sleeping family, and go to train before work. That is the person who can be sharp and focused, who can give 100%, who can be dedicated, who can be disciplined, who can be loyal. That is the person who overcomes hardship and who never gives up; the person who relentlessly pursues his dream until he reaches it. That is the person who can be a student; a teacher; a leader; a friend. That is the person who is strong, confident, and full of life and energy.
If I can be that person inside the dojo I can be that person outside the dojo.

So Can You.

Sadly, the person in the dojo can also be the opposite of all those attributes as well. When I make excuses or am lazy or unmotivated. The times when I am frustrated or have a short temper, the times when I want to give up (but thankfully don't).

Do not miss the chance to practice being the person you want to be.
Do not miss the chance to become the person you want to be.

Osu!