Sandan Test - RYA Style

Yesterday I had the privilege of attending the spring testing of Roppongi Yoshinkan and watching the 3rd degree black belt testing of my dear friend Saori Watanabe.

As you would expect, it was an extremely challenging test, which requires technical mastery not only of all the prerequisite basic movements, but also selected techniques chosen without prior notice from more than 100 attack/response variations of the common controls and projections in Yoshinkan, 3 rounds of free-flow (jiyuwaza), 3 versus  1 free-flow (one attacker has empty hands, one has sword and one has dagger).  It also includes a demonstration of teaching skill and has an essay component as well.  It requires an very high level of prolonged concentration and focus just to finish, let alone to succeed.  An applicant must be in excellent physical condition, have determination and focus, and really be able to use the principles of aikido to their fullest.

The Sandan test is a milestone test.  At the shodan level (my current rank in Yoshinkan), a successful test shows good familiarity with the basic movements, as well as some limited technical proficiency.  A shodan should be able to perform the techniques properly without major errors.  Shodan represents enough commitment and perseverance that the student is ready to really learn what makes Yoshinkan tick - to begin to get below the surface and explore the real magic in the art.  A shodan has the basic vocabulary of Yoshinkan, but is hardly a fluent speaker yet.

By Sandan, some years later, an aikidoka should show that the technical side is becoming automatic - the body and energy are strong, and expressing the techniques as they have been taught is part of the muscle memory.  More than this,  the jiyuwaza and sanningake (3 versus 1 free flow) are there to show that the aikidoka has continuously balanced natural movement and can adapt to situations beyond the choreographed sequences we use to learn the principles and techniques of Yoshinkan.  There is  teaching component to validate that the aikidoka has depth of understanding and can explain the most important points for teaching a technique to the lower ranks, being aware not only of the key success criteria, but also of the most common pitfalls to executing the basic movements.

I was very impressed by Saori's test.  Her movements were confident and sure, she had good decisiveness and awareness (kime and zanshin).  Especially, I could see how polished her basics were (tainohenko, hiriki no yosei, shumatsu dosa) which is a testament to her constant mat time (she usually logs more classes than any other member of the school).  She has grown from a person whose hobby is Yoshinkan Aikido to someone who has Yoshinkan as a permanent part of her being, someone who lives and breathes it.
It was a joy to watch her work and to see how far she has come.

It must have also been an extra proud moment to have our teacher serve as her uke for the test.
We all want to be tested and judged by the people we respect, and Sensei Mike was there from day one, helping her over the last 9 years of her daily training sessions.  Of course it is nice when people from other dojos compliment us on our aikido, but nothing matters more than recognition from our own teachers who have seen us grow and mature in the art.  Of course, being graded by someone as demanding as Sensei Roland makes the result even more rewarding.  As the head of Roppongi Yoshinkan, he is legendary for his attention to detail and focus on the warrior spirit and discipline of Yoshinkan.  Satisfying his strict testing requirements is not easy.

In every test, there will be things we wish we did better, for both uke and shite, but aikido is always lived in the moment where we can only do our best and afterward accept whatever result that brings.  Testing is no end to the training, just a snapshot of a moment in time, and a proud milestone which recognizes all the commitment and sacrifice it takes to reach that point in the lifelong journey.

Saori, my Yoshinkan sister, I AM SO PROUD OF YOU FOR NEVER GIVING UP.
I am proud of you for your willpower and determination to make Yoshinkan your own way of life.
Whatever happens, I will always be watching you with a smile as your Aikido continues to blossom.

OSU!!!

(taken from the NY Times Opinion column)

MARK BITTMAN February 27, 2013, 9:47 pm 827 Comments

It’s the Sugar, Folks

By MARK BITTMAN

Mark Bittman on food and all things related.

TAGS:

DIABETES, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, OBESITY,SUGAR, WEIGHT

Sugar is indeed toxic. It may not be the only problem with the Standard American Diet, but it’s fast becoming clear that it’s the major one.

A study published in the Feb. 27 issue of the journal PLoS One links increased consumption of sugar with increased rates of diabetes by examining the data on sugar availability and the rate of diabetes in 175 countries over the past decade. And after accounting for many other factors, the researchers found that increased sugar in a population’s food supply was linked to higher diabetes rates independent of rates of obesity.

In other words, according to this study, it’s not just obesity that can cause diabetes: sugar can cause it, too, irrespective of obesity. And obesity does not always lead to diabetes.

The study demonstrates this with the same level of confidence that linked cigarettes and lung cancer in the 1960s. As Rob Lustig, one of the study’s authors and a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of California, San Francisco, said to me, “You could not enact a real-world study that would be more conclusive than this one.”

The study controlled for poverty, urbanization, aging, obesity and physical activity. It controlled for other foods and total calories. In short, it controlled for everything controllable, and it satisfied the longstanding “Bradford Hill” criteria for what’s called medical inference of causation by linking dose (the more sugar that’s available, the more occurrences of diabetes); duration (if sugar is available longer, the prevalence of diabetes increases); directionality (not only does diabetes increase with more sugar, it decreases with less sugar); and precedence (diabetics don’t start consuming more sugar; people who consume more sugar are more likely to become diabetics).

The key point in the article is this: “Each 150 kilocalories/person/day increase in total calorie availability related to a 0.1 percent rise in diabetes prevalence (not significant), whereas a 150 kilocalories/person/day rise in sugar availability (one 12-ounce can of soft drink) was associated with a 1.1 percent rise in diabetes prevalence.” Thus: for every 12 ounces of sugar-sweetened beverage introduced per person per day into a country’s food system, the rate of diabetes goes up 1 percent. (The study found no significant difference in results between those countries that rely more heavily on high-fructose corn syrup and those that rely primarily on cane sugar.)

This is as good (or bad) as it gets, the closest thing to causation and a smoking gun that we will see. (To prove “scientific” causality you’d have to completely control the diets of thousands of people for decades. It’s as technically impossible as “proving” climate change or football-related head injuries or, for that matter, tobacco-caused cancers.) And just as tobacco companies fought, ignored, lied and obfuscated in the ’60s (and, indeed, through the ’90s), the pushers of sugar will do the same now.

But as Lustig says, “This study is proof enough that sugar is toxic. Now it’s time to do something about it.”

The next steps are obvious, logical, clear and up to the Food and Drug Administration. To fulfill its mission, the agency must respond to this information by re-evaluating the toxicity of sugar, arriving at a daily value — how much added sugar is safe? — and ideally removing fructose (the “sweet” molecule in sugar that causes the damage) from the “generally recognized as safe” list, because that’s what gives the industry license to contaminate our food supply.

On another front, two weeks ago a coalition of scientists and health advocates led by the Center for Science in the Public Interest petitioned the F.D.A. to both set safe limits for sugar consumption and acknowledge that added sugars, rather than lingering on the “safe” list, should be declared unsafe at the levels at which they’re typically consumed. (The F.D.A. has not yet responded to the petition.)

Allow me to summarize a couple of things that the PLoS One study clarifies. Perhaps most important, as a number of scientists have been insisting in recent years, all calories are not created equal. By definition, all calories give off the same amount of energy when burned, but your body treats sugar calories differently, and that difference is damaging.

And as Lustig lucidly wrote in “Fat Chance,” his compelling 2012 book that looked at the causes of our diet-induced health crisis, it’s become clear that obesity itself is not the cause of our dramatic upswing in chronic disease. Rather, it’s metabolic syndrome, which can strike those of “normal” weight as well as those who are obese. Metabolic syndrome is a result of insulin resistance, which appears to be a direct result of consumption of added sugars. This explains why there’s little argument from scientific quarters about the “obesity won’t kill you” studies; technically, they’re correct, because obesity is a marker for metabolic syndrome, not a cause.

The take-away: it isn’t simply overeating that can make you sick; it’s overeating sugar. We finally have the proof we need for a verdict: sugar is toxic.

Practical Application

The master stonecutter patiently struck the stone again and again.  One hundred times. Two hundred times. Day after day.  On the thousandth strike, the stone broke in half, revealing the beauty of the quartz within.  The stonecutter smiled to himself, knowing it was not that blow that made the stone split, but the thousands that had gone before.

It's been a tough five months.  Since early November last year I have been deeply involved in a big project at work.  It started around September of last year, but by November it was clear this was consuming me, overshadowing everything else in my job and, ultimately, everything else in my life - period.  I began to work more and more; with late night calls growing from once a week to two, then three nights.  Finally I was on late night calls every single night (either internal or external).  I was here at work from 9AM to midnight every day.  On Fridays I would go to teach class (my unbreakable promise to the students and to myself), but then come back to work at 9PM and do more calls. More and more I began to miss the last train home.  I never saw my family except on the weekends, when I was still mentally and physically exhausted from work.  Frequent business trips to London and New York made jet lag another layer on top of it all.  I slept maybe 5 hours a night, usually less.  The stress would give me chest pain and make my hands shake.  There was no time to go to the gym, and my failing health/lack of sleep made me worried that a workout would only cause me to collapse on the spot.  Sometimes I had to stay in a business hotel near the office, since I was so busy I could not even take the time to commute back home.  Still, inch by agonizing inch, I have moved this project forward.  Now, the light of day is visible, maybe a month or so away.  What will I do when I get my life back??  What will it feel like when I finally shrug off these chains??

We often think of martial arts training as being learning to fight.
Still, I have continued to tell students that the battle in martial arts training is always the battle with THE SELF, as many zen sword masters have clearly explained.  It is a constant battle to overcome our weak mind, weak body, and weak habits and exercise our willpower to force the self into the moment, where we can be fully free and fully connected.  Good training gives us the strength to endure the unendurable; the discipline to stay the course when we think we cannot hold on; the conviction to press on until the objective is reached.

Many nights as I traveled home I wondered why I keep doing this.  Why I don't just give up. If it would all be worth it in the end.  I really don't know.  I DO know that I must finish what I start, whatever the cost.
I am now past any limits I thought I had to my ability to focus and concentrate - far past any capacity I thought I had to work hard.

Martial Arts is my religion, and my religion gives me the strength to carry on beyond any limitations I thought I had.  People ask me if I have ever had to use my training.  I always tell them I use martial arts EVERY SINGLE DAY.  Now maybe they will better understand what I mean.

See you on the other side.

Seeking The Prophecy

Over the long weekend I finished "The Celestine Prophecy" by James Redfield.  This is on Guro Fred's must-read list, and you should add it to yours as well.

I don't want to recant the book here, you should read it yourself, but here are my thoughts.

The book explains nine prophecies (so far) that the protagonist is searching for, prophecies which are supposed to guide human evolution to the next phase of development and enlightenment.  He experiences these through encounters with a variety of characters, all of whom appear at the right moment to help him get the next necessary insight.  Coincidence??  Hmmm...

As a piece of fiction, I was not too terribly impressed.  The story is formulaic, the characters are a bit hollow and shallow ("aloof", is the word he uses), and the whole thing comes across as a bit contrived.  That said, I encourage you to think of this as a parable rather than a true piece of fiction.  Jesus supposedly taught using parables, as do most spiritual leaders.

The book is not as introspective as Dan Millman's "Peaceful Warrior" series, but neither as heavy and challenging as Blavatsky's books.  Read on its' own, there is some merit for any aspirant, and some important reminders as well.

For me, the key parts were about the understanding and usage of energy.  Redfield goes into some detail explaining how our energy interacts with others whenever we communicate, and that we can determine how to source and deliver that energy in order to change the nature of every encounter.  We can revert to our childhood dramas of control, or choose to evolve to a higher state of being where we draw energy from the Universal source and use it to empower others, who then give back energy to us through a cycle of positive affirmation.  His explanation is elegant, and links many aspects of pop psychology (Dale Carnegie, Tony Robbins) to unified philosophy and non-denominational religion/spirituality.

The important message here is to continue to meditate every day - to inhale LOVE and exhale PEACE, to consciously evolve into a being which is complete in itself, and thus free to share the limitless energy of the Universe with others in a positive cycle of Oneness.
Too Touchy/Feely?  Too much Group Hug?  Possibly.

However, it is undeniable that our attitudes, the energy we project, and the way we engage are central to having positive and successful relationships with others.  These aspects are within our control and demonstrate emotional maturity once we can learn to harness them.

As martial artists, we must be keenly aware of the flow of energy, not just in our fighting technique, but as a constant part of our everyday lives.  We must not lose sight of the fact that we are responsible for what happens to us, and that we have the POWER TO CHANGE OUR LIVES.  We also have a responsibility to be messengers of peace to others, and to use what we know to create positive outcomes in our lives and the lives of those we engage.

Yesterday I received an email from one of my students questioning a change in my energy during the Friday class last week.  I am no different in that I must focus on sending the right energy all the time - people notice when I don't.  People notice when YOU don't, too.

Martial Arts is a vehicle for personal life success - keep learning, keep growing, keep sharing.
INHALE LOVE, EXHALE PEACE.

Thank you James Redfield for the reminder.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Two weeks is a long time.
As much as possible, I try to avoid business trips.  They have a way of messing with routines, and since I am generally a person with good habits, I like my habits undisturbed.  Then of course is the jet lag, the hassles in the airport and hotel, the high-calorie in flight meals, and so on.
Suffice to say, if I didn't have to, I wouldn't.

The worst of all is missing my class.

I spend plenty of time every week thinking about Kali...hours and hours in fact.  I love thinking about how to move; how to solve for various situations; how to synthesize various influences into one complete and adaptable set of responses.  I love thinking about what drills to do, each student's weak areas, and how to try and get all the elements of Kali Majapahit to sink in faster.  If I sound obsessive, it's because I AM.  I LOVE KALI.  I want my students to be the very best they can be.  It's as simple as that.

I am glad that our group has grown into a group filled with great people.  When I am out, Paul, Bruce, Frank, Jeremy are usually up to the challenge of leading the class through drills and practice.  When I am out of the country, I always send a lesson plan to help them out, but I trust them to give guidance to the practice.

Sadly, attendance drops a lot when I am not there.  While I am flattered that everyone enjoys my classes so much, as a teacher I worry that students aren't getting enough training time in.  Due to economic constraints, we only get a single two-hour slot every Friday night.  During that time, we usually have to cover at least three topics (this cycle they are largo mano, daga defense/disarms, and sikaran low kicks).  After we get warm ups in we have usually about 30 mins each week for each topic.  It's just not enough time.

To make the most of our time together, two things are critical:

1) MAKE IT TO EVERY CLASS AND BE ON TIME
There simply isn't extra time to go back and repeat material in our 12-week cycle.  We can and do review before cycle testing, but by then it's too late.  Unless you are gushing blood from an artery (or have a work commitment, which on a Friday night is almost as tragic) BE AT CLASS.  You deserve it.

Even when I am out of town, DO NOT miss the chance to practice what you have learned.  You can never review too much or too often.  Our senior students may not know everything, but then again neither do I.  Respect them enough to give them your attention and let them help you.  TRAIN, EVEN IF I AM AWAY.

2) TRAIN OUTSIDE OF CLASS
I believe in the Kali Majapahit curriculum.  Guro Fred spends countless hours working on how best to present the concepts for students, and every iteration just keeps getting better and better.  That said, a single two-hour weekly session is simply not enough time for all we have to do.

PICK UP YOUR STICKS AND TRAINING KNIVES EVERY DAY FOR AT LEAST A FEW MINUTES.

This makes an enormous difference, especially in the lower belts.  Do not wait to be spoon-fed by me.  Take responsibility for yourselves and work on our own.  Bring me questions/problems, but remember that The Journey is one you must walk alone.  I can guide you, like all instructors do, but YOU and ONLY YOU can take the steps.

See you Friday.  Can't wait...

Captain America

(SPOILERS INCLUDED)

For those of you who have not seen Captain America, you should.

While it is on some levels a very patriotic pro-American movie, the underlying premise is an interesting one.

Steve Rogers is a skinny, wimpy kid from Brooklyn who is desperate to "do his part" in the war against Nazi Germany.  He tries again and again to enlist, but is rejected for health reasons.  He finally happens upon a doctor who is conducting research on a "super soldier" formula which will enhance the attributes of the subject.

This is the part I like - "it makes a good person better, it makes a bad person worse".  The doctor chooses Steve because Steve does not want to fight per se, he "just doesn't like bullies, no matter where they're from".  He undergoes the procedure and emerges with superhuman strength and speed.  With his dying breath, the doctor reminds Steve to keep his good heart and remain just who he was.  Steve becomes "America's First Superhero" and is ready to sacrifice himself for others and defend the weak from injustice.

Martial arts training is a lot like this.

It has been my experience that it enhances the basic attributes of the student - good becomes better, bad becomes worse.  The quality of the teacher, his/her values and principles, his/her energy and beliefs strongly influence the students.  These aspects help students to become more of who they already were.

The training makes good people into better people - not just faster and stronger, but more compassionate, more giving.  It makes good people become heroes - defenders of the weak and champions against injustice.
REAL SUPERHEROES, which our planet needs very desperately.

In my post on The Karate Kid, I explain how the teacher determines the student, and I believe this is very much true.  I have had experience of both good and bad teachers, and have seen the same in other schools.  Choose your teachers well.  Do not choose solely on the basis of physical prowess, but also according to their strong conviction and moral character.  Choose based on their dedication to the school, the art, and the students.

American or not, I hope you will all become the heroes you are meant to be.  

Magic Pill

Making my way home from Crossfit last night - exhausted.

On my long train ride back I started thinking... people (myself included) can be unbelievably lazy.

On the good side, this tendency toward finding an easier way has given us many of the modern conveniences we now take for granted.  They were all born of the notion that people are willing to pay for convenience - this is at the heart not only of product innovation, but of service quality.

I also have to say that I am a true believer when it comes to improving training methods, and every good instructor I know is as well.  We are always on the lookout for any drill or exercise we can show students to help them pick up the techniques, improve their flow, and generally become better martial artists and people.

Going beyond this is the willingness in FMA, especially in Kali Majapahit, to continually re-evaluate the curriculum and change it to reflect the best possible ways of delivering the material to students.  We have a detailed curriculum to black belt (Kadua Guro) and beyond which helps integrate the various influences in the system including Filipino martial arts, Indonesian Silat, Muay Thai/Muay Boran, Western Boxing/Kickboxing, Hakka Kuntao/Wing Chun and other Southern Chinese styles.

At higher levels, Kali Majapahit practitioners "flow" in their own style, based on their expression of the core concepts of the school.  To reach this level, however, requires that everyone have a common framework of knowledge around impact, edged, and empty hand weapons that develop the fundamental skills that lead to flow.

I wish I could say there is a magic pill - a single exercise or drill that gives everything in one neat, tidy package.  I wish there was a "6 minute abs" of Kali that allowed you to master it with a minimum of effort and commitment.

Sorry, but that just ain't so.

Even with the best training drills and methods, and the best quality instructors delivering the material, excellence in Kali Majapahit really just boils down to the commitment of the individual student -  the person who wants to reach their full potential and trains hard to get there.  It means being in class, working the drills, and training on your own.

I think the end result is well worth the effort.
I hope you agree.

When a magic pill comes out, let me know where to buy it.
Until then, see you at class.

A Daily Slice Of Zen

Here is an Omamori, a type of Japanese lucky charm. This specific one is the one I got last year at New Year's at Sensouji in Asakusa, Tokyo, one of the most famous temples in Japan.  I was here visiting with Guro Guillaume and Guro Morgane when they came to Japan to visit.  It feels like a long time ago, even though only a year has passed.  Very soon this one must go to the fire to return to the Everything from which it came.

I made a decision to use this omamori as a way to practice zen.

For the past year, this omamori has been in my pocket every single day.  Every morning, I deliberately take it from my desktop, put it in my pocket, and carry it there all day.  From time to time, I take it out and reflect on it.  Mostly, however, it has been a daily reminder to me to do at least one single action deliberately, purposefully, with focus, every single day.

All too often it is the little things that go unnoticed and forgotten; it is the little habits that chip away at our awareness and slowly erode our willpower, turning us into mere creatures of habit.
By overlooking the little things, we are forced to wait in limbo between the big events of our lives, falsely believing that nothing else was happening in the meantime.

Zen is being aware and connected in the present, every moment of every day, one after another.
Achieving this is no miracle of instant awakening.  Rather, it is the calm, steady progression of practice at paying attention to every detail of our lives until we master them all - one by one.

We spend so much time focused on our big goals; the bigger the better - our aspirations for our education, our career, our love and marriage, our family.  We dream of our big houses, big cars, big vacations.  We miss the small details.  We lose the awareness of the little things that happen in our lives every day that shape how we are.  Sadly, we miss the little things about the myriad people in our lives that make them so truly unique and so truly beautiful.  We miss the constant daily feelings of gratitude we owe for the millions of blessings Life constantly gives us.  We miss celebrating every single breath we are fortunate to have.  We want more without fully appreciating how lucky we are for everything we already have.

This year, 2013, is a year of restoring balance.  2012 was a volatile year in every possible meaning of the word.  The weather, the markets, our relationships.  Everything was in massive flux and fundamental changes were in flight across the board.  Now it is time to let the dust settle and put our lives and our world back in order; A BETTER ORDER.

I challenge you, in this year, to focus on the smallest of details.  Start as small as you can.
Find a way to master them one by one, and I promise you will find a way to master the big challenges as well.  Use your focus.

May 2013 bring you happiness, peace, love, gratitude, and most importantly a renewed sense of purpose for yourself in the brave new world we face.
IT IS TIME TO MAKE A CHANGE.
IT IS TIME TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY.
IT IS TIME TO TAKE CONTROL.

MAKE 2013 THE MOST IMPORTANT 12 MONTHS OF YOUR LIFE (SO FAR).  

Christmas for non-Christians

Well, it's that time of year again.  Christmas.  Lights, trees, carols, and....shopping.  As a non-Christian, this holiday has a very different meaning for me.

For many, Christmas is a disillusionment, being far more about presents than it is about the actual religious holiday.  In my case, we are modest about gift-giving, but the spirit of the season is an important one.  Let me explain.

I think there is sufficient historical evidence to conclude that Jesus of Nazareth actually existed (despite the fact that he probably would have looked very different from the depiction above).  This being the precedent, if we dismiss the idea that he was directly the son of God, his story is no less amazing, and no less inspiring.

He would have been born of modest means, but was well-studied in the traditional spiritual beliefs, being able at a young age to debate religious scholars at an equal level.  Being a young man, he set off on his path, passionate in his beliefs.  He was both student and teacher, eagerly sharing his ideals with everyone, regardless of their background.  He believed so deeply in his cause that he was willing to die for it.  In doing so, he set in motion a chain of events that would alter human history for the following 2,000 years and beyond.

What did he believe?  That all are equal regardless of race, background, or social status.
That all deserve mercy and compassion and above all else...love.  That we must follow our spiritual beliefs wholeheartedly, even when inconvenient - even unto death...without compromise.
That austerity and servitude to each other were keys to achieving happiness.

As a parent, I can want nothing more for my boys than that they accept other people unconditionally, without regard for color, race, or belief; that they carry with them a heart overflowing with compassion and love; that they are merciful to the weak and helpless; that they are at times both student and teacher in their lives; and that they follow their passion with total resolve, even when inconvenient and even if it means risking their lives.

Most importantly, that they fully understand that one need not be divine to change the world.

I cannot say whether or not Jesus was divine.  What I can say is that the legacy he left was an enduring one, and that at this time of year I am inspired by his example.

May you all have a happy holiday and see your dreams fulfilled.

Warrior Thoughts

The media is once again overwhelmed with coverage on the latest tragedy - a shooting at an elementary school in suburban Connecticut.  As a martial artist I feel I have to put forth my opinion about it.

While both the pro-gun NRA lobby and the anti-gun lobby are using this as a way to justify and strengthen their respective positions, I respectfully have to say --- it is not about you.  It is not even about some mentally disturbed angry little person seeking attention.  The cold, sad reality is that it is, and always has been, about children.  Children and heroes.  The poor children who are now gone, and the heroes who risked their lives trying to protect them.

As a martial artist, I honor the fact that it is the highest duty to give your life in service to others.  Even more, there is no greater or more noble cause than the protection of our children.  The fact that this is the moral and right thing to do does not in any way diminish the courage and bravery of these heroes.  Rather, it should serve to underscore the fact that, although we have surely lost our way as a society, our foundation still has a glimmer of hope for the future.  These brave people embodied right action in the right moment, and should remain as examples of what we as martial artists must aspire to be.

I grew up in Illinois, and was a registered and lawful gun owner.  Although I never owned any "assault" rifles or shotguns, I owned and fired many different types of handguns, and qualified on nearly every caliber and make of revolver and automatic at the time.  I felt a duty as a citizen to be well-trained in firearm use, and I was prepared to defend myself and my liberty if needed.  That said, I would gladly be the first one in line to give up my right to bear arms forever if it would save the life of even one child (or one hero who would die protecting him/her).  My rights are secondary to protecting the lives of innocent people.

Our Constitution and its Historical Setting
At the time our great country was founded, we were beset on all sides by potential enemies.  We had just very narrowly won our independence from England at a terrible cost, and were a very weak fledgling nation.  However, we still had France on our Western border (owning the Mississippi Delta all the way to Canada).
We had Spain to the south in Florida, and again in Mexico and far west in California.  There was every reason to believe we would be in need of a continental militia again very soon.  For those who would dispute this, bear in mind that we fought England again during the war of 1812, and English troops managed to burn the White House.  Our Constitution rightly allowed for citizens to bear arms in case we needed to raise a militia.  In modern times, we have both a standing professional military of 5 branches, as well as a State national guard, which is our citizens' militia.  By this rationale, it is no longer necessary for private citizens to bear arms.

The second major objective of the Constitution's second amendment is to allow private citizens to bear arms in case our government were to become as oppressive as the English one we fought to win independence from.  In such a case, we would be expected to overthrow it and start anew.  Whether or not we can argue this has already happened (DHS and TSA anyone?), the idea that private citizens could stand any chance against the standing military is ridiculous.  Even with the best weapons private citizens can buy, they stand no chance whatsoever against the might of the US military if martial law were declared.  If you doubt this, imagine what good your 12 gauge shotgun would be against an F22, a drone, or an M1 Abrams battle tank.
Our liberty is kept secure by the patriotism and level-headedness of our citizens serving in the military, NOT by the private sector.

I think it is very important to be clear on the context of how our Constitution came to be what it is, rather than allowing special-interest groups to twist the meaning in order to serve their own political agendas and corporate sponsors.  The life of even one child or hero is worth far more than someone's hobby, be it hunting or target shooting.

The Media
I agree with Morgan Freeman's comments that the media fuels the desire for unknown losers to want to be remembered, even if they are remembered only for the shocking horror of their crimes.  I agree it is necessary for the public to get access to unbiased reporting on important events, but not while glorifying the monster who is responsible for the incident.  Media and special interest groups represent the impending doom of our great nation if they cannot be held to rational, constructive guidelines.  When their freedom of speech results in the loss of life, especially the lives of children, they must be held fully accountable.  When special interest groups care more about their agendas than they do about the society that permits them, they must be disbanded.

Being a martial artist is about mastering the self to allow our natural courage to manifest.  Sometimes the most courageous thing to do is not to fight, but to be willing to lay down arms - forever.

It is time for all guns to be banned in America.  Period.
This can never be allowed to happen again.  Look into the eyes of any of those children, or any of the heroes who gave their lives protecting them, and I dare you to believe otherwise.

A Quick Dose of Reality

Have a look at the shocking video above.

The point I want to make here is that all the martial arts training in the world doesn't make a difference when you get attacked from behind by an attacker you didn't see coming.

In our modern world, violence we are likely to experience (outside of military service or terrorist attacks) takes two typical forms:  monkey Dance and Predatory assault.  In the Monkey Dance, violence is secondary to the emotional need to show dominance, status, offense, and the like.  It is a social behavior where the violence can usually be avoided by apologizing, conceding defeat or giving in to the social demands (saying "uncle" or whatever).  In the monkey dance, the other party is not really out to harm you; they are out to prove a point.  Sneak attacks are socially reprehensible, and the monkey dance includes unspoken rules about "fighting fair" for both sides.  lions establishing dominance in the pack is a version of the monkey dance, and lions generally are not killed or seriously inured by it.  one gives up and the "fight" is over.  Violence is not the main objective.

Predatory assault is what you see above.  It is generally an attack using surprise, superior numbers, and possibly weapons.  Lions hunting zebras is not a social exercise  and the objective for the lion is to kill and eat the zebra.  Violence is the main objective.

In the video above, the attacker doesn't seem to be after her money, her body, or anything else except violence for violence's sake.  Still, after a hit like that he could probably do whatever he wanted.  I hope this video leads to his capture and imprisonment.

This has also caused me to rethink whether or not I would wear headphones/earbuds while walking.
Hearing approaching footsteps is better than not hearing them, right?
  

There is no way

There is no way to Peace
Peace is the Way;
There is no way to Happiness
Happiness is the Way;
There is no way to Love
Love is the Way.
- Dan Millman, Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warrior

I just finished a read of this excellent book by Dan Millman, and the above passage sticks with me as one of the most important in the whole read.  What does it mean??

I have maintained throughout this blog that "life is about learning to let go".  Usually, I present this as a first step, which is learning to let go of hatred, anger, negativity, guilt, sorrow, doubt - let go of everything that stands in the way of your own contentment.  One of my recent blog posts on "lifesculpting" suggests exactly that - beauty is created by taking away, not adding.  This is about revealing the True Self, hidden behind the veil of consciousness   given by the lower selves.  Exposing this True Self is the only way to achieve the higher levels of being that are essential to the grown of our humanity.

I bring the concept of "letting go" further by saying that we must let go of the ridiculous notion of duality.
"Peace", "Happiness" and "Love" are not states to be achieved.  They are simply allowing us to be in our most natural states of being, freed from base emotion, ego and logic.  Freed even from thoughts or words.  This is accepting the timeless "God-State", where we are instantly, eternally connected to the original life force.
It is not possible to fully express this concept of "oneness" in words.  It is only to give the years of meditation required to allow the single moment of transformation to origin.  Letting go of all else.

There is no way to Peace.
Stop trying to make Peace and BE PEACE;
There is no way to Happiness
Stop trying to make Happiness and BE HAPPINESS;
There is no way to Love
Stop trying to make love and BE LOVE.

The essential secret is to recognize that these are already innate aspects of your being and simply allow them the freedom to express through your every breath, every word, every action.  

The SACRED JOURNEY is no journey at all.
There is no need to travel.  The journey is simply.

Letting

Go

Combat Aikido

Above please observe Sensei Gordon Muller performing some "combat aikido" including gun and knife disarms and handcuffing techniques.  He is excellent, and I love showing this kind of material to people who believe that "aikido doesn't work".  I surely would not want to be on the receiving end of any of the techniques he does above, especially if he were not specifically trying to avoid injuring his partner (as he is in the video).  I definitely would not want these applied on me when "excessive force" or other lawsuit risks did not apply (such as in a dark alley).

For aikido to work in a real life situation, against a determined, prepared (possibly armed) attacker, a few things need to happen:

1) YOU NEED TO BE FAST --- observe the blazing speed Sensei Muller uses and how he has no hesitation
2) YOU NEED TO BE PRECISE --- Sensei Muller is in exactly the right position, with the right grip at the right point
3) YOU NEED TO BE RELAXED --- tied to #1 above, there is no real speed without relaxation
4) YOU NEED TO BE COMMITTED --- Sensei follows through until the technique is over.  No pause.
5) YOU NEED TO USE PSYCHOLOGY TO YOUR ADVANTAGE --- Sensei uses non-threatening body posture, hands-up genstures, and other means to set up his attacks.
6) MANIPULATION OF THE FINGERS HURTS (AND HELPS SUBMISSION)
7) PAIN (not injury) CAN BE AN IMPORTANT AID IN SUBDUING AN ATTACKER

Surely there will be naysayers and "what-if" ers as I would expect in every case.  That said, I think Sensei Gordon Muller illustrates the kind of powerful, effective aikido that can be achieved with practice and strong intention.

Bravo!

Life Sculpting

"The sculptor produces the beautiful statue by chipping away such parts of the marble block as are not needed - it is a process of elimination"
 - Elbert Hubbard

This quote really made me think about sculpting; LIFE SCULPTING.

To turn my life into a beautiful statue what do I need to do?  I want my statue to be made of a strong material, with a strong core, so it will stand the test of time and last as long as possible.  To me this is our moral center and spiritual education and is very important.  Otherwise, our statue will crumble at the first gust of wind or drop of rain.

Large, vulgar strokes of hammer and chisel do not create beautiful statues.  The process is one of patience, and precision.  It is delicate work, and the tools are specific to the sculpting medium.  marble is not worked the same way as basalt; wood differs from granite.  Every medium is different, as we are all different.  Every piece has flaws, knots in the wood or pockets in the stone, that must be understood and adjusted for.  Every one of us is unique in our possibilities and circumstances, every one of us must be handled carefully with deep understanding.  Every hammer stroke counts; small mistakes can be corrected, but large mistakes cannot.  A good artist strikes neither too hard nor too soft.  Our daily training in meditation and martial arts is the patient, precise work of the sculptor to remove the excess and leave the purity.

Of course, making a beautiful statue requires the artist, the soul, to have a vision of what can be made from the starting block of material.  We must surely recognize this potential in ourselves and in others, and realize that a central mission of our lives is to help draw that special potential out - to help ourselves and others to reach our potential as human beings and collectively as human society.

It is also important to remember that this sculpting process is contrary to how modern people think, but totally in accordance with zen beliefs.  Modern people always seem to want to add more to their lives - more possessions, more technology, more activities.  Sculpting, especially LIFE SCULPTING, is about taking away the unnecessary so that what remains is beautiful.

I want my statue to be an enduring symbol of who I am.
I want it to be a testament to my hard work, discipline and perseverance.
I want my statue to inspire all those who see it.  I want it to give people hope for what they, too, can achieve.
I want my statue to appeal to everyone regardless of color, race, or belief.
I do not want it to be perfect, since its flaws will help people know it is real and was made by an ordinary man.  My small mistakes will give it unique character.

This statue is my life, and I want it to personify the essence of what I believe.

What statue will you create for yourself?
Can you sculpt your own life?

Happy Birthday To Me

"The world is not to be put in order.  The world is order.  It is for us to put ourselves in unison with this order." - Henry Miller

Well, that's it.  Another year in the bag.  I am now officially 46 years old.

As I usually do, let me take stock of where things sit as I turn another page in my book of adventures.  There have been many changes since last year, and yet many things remain unchanged.

I have a new job, which is interesting and exciting.  I also have a lot of new friends, colleagues, coworkers, clients as a result of this.  I am back working in Akasaka, near to where I was when I joined JP Morgan in July of 2005.  It has nostalgic memories for me, and I like how the area has changed.

All the birthday messages I received from around the world showed me that I have engaged in and interacted with a huge number of people all over.  Since I believe we are all connected, the greater the number of peoples' lives I touch, the happier I am.  This has been very rewarding and I feel truly blessed for knowing the diverse group of excellent people I know.

I started Crossfit this year, which is an awesome way to work out and think about fitness.  The coaches are smart, the workouts are savage, and it is a great community of professionals who really care about achieving their peak performance.  Crossfit motivates me to do my best.

Our Kali group has grown bigger, with many new faces.  Every Friday we have 10-12 people, which is much bigger than last year.  Our group is really a great little community of friends who train hard together and support each other.  My more experienced intermediates are well-regarded when they go to Singapore, and the new students are coming along quickly - we must be doing something right.  The KM Japan Study Group remains a cornerstone of my life and something I really look forward to every week.

George and Ray grow bigger, stronger, and more energetic year by year.  It goes so fast.  Their dialogues become more complex, but they are still at an age where we can spend time together and enjoy being a family.  I am blessed to have such happy, healthy kids.

We went from one pug to two, adding our Xie Xie as a companion to Butch.  Over the year she has settled down quite a bit and proven to be a great member of our family.  We watch "The Dog Whisperer" regularly, and I have to say we have a "good pack" at home.

I have been reading a lot, especially books about Austrian economics.  This has really turned me more toward a fundamentalist about the US Constitution and given me much more respect for the foresight our forefathers had when they imagined our government and what would be needed.  It is still every bit as relevant a document now as it was when it was written - and that says something very important.  Sadly, however, I am reminded how far from it we have come, and how my beloved country --- the Land of the Free and the Home of The Brave --- has become the Land of the Oppressed and the Home of the Apathetic.

Today we re-elected a man who will do his best to increase the size of government and our citizens' reliance on it, who at the same time will quietly take away our rights and liberties and replace them with a police state, and who will tax us all into debt slavery.  He is somehow still seen as "the better man", but ultimately our proud nation is doomed to be globally marginalized even further than we were.  This is truly heartbreaking.
I love what my country has stood for, and it is unbearably sad to see it sink into irrelevance.  We only have ourselves to blame for allowing this to happen to us.

Overall, it's been a good and productive year with a lot to be thankful for.
I am looking forward to a great 46th year on Earth and can't wait to share this journey with all of you.

John

willpower

"Having survival skills is important; having the will to survive is essential."
- U.S. Army Survival Guide

As I was reading the above on my way into work today, I reflected on what this might mean in the con text of martial arts training.

For many of us, especially those of us who come from the Japanese traditions, martial arts is a "do" 道 a way of life or life path.  Still others see this as a way of improving health/physical fitness, overcoming stress, or otherwise increasing the quality of their daily lives.

When it comes to survival/self defense, there are only a few things that really matter.  Probably first and foremost is your state of mind.  This may seem counter-intuitive to some, but good training without the right frame of mind will get you killed.  bad/no training with the right frame of mind will probably still save your life.

There are countless examples of people under attack that have survived because they had the right frame of mind.  Victims of rape, assault, attempted murder, multiple attackers/armed attackers, and other seemingly impossible odds have stayed alive by having the right frame of mind, not giving up, and having enough pure will to endure.

In a self-defense situation it means understanding the reality of the situation and your environment (including your attacker(s)).  It also means being savage and aggressive enough to take the initiative and keep it throughout the encounter.  It means staying focused on the goal - staying alive - to the exclusion of everything else including pain/injury, fear, squeamishness, doubt, shame, and other negative emotions.  It also means stacking the deck as heavily in your favor as possible, which is precisely what your attacker(s) will do to you.  Using the element of surprise/ambush, cover,  evasion, psychology, and environment at your disposal to increase your chances of surviving.

We spend a lot of time in the dojo learning techniques and their application and not enough time developing the mental toughness and willpower that drives success and survival under stress.  I recall helping to teach a rape prevention class many, many years ago on a college campus near Chicago where several attempted rapes had been reported.  We showed responses to common attacks including a bearhug from behind.  In this case, we showed slamming the back of the head into the attacker's face, pal-heeling the groin, stomping the foot, and then running away for help.  One co-ed saw the palm heel to the groin and squealed "I could NEVER do that!".  Really?  Then guess what darling, you're raped (or worse).

No amount of training or technical knowledge can take the place of having the right frame of mind, underpinned by an iron will to survive.  Here I am not talking about paranoia (a healthy amount of which is also important) or fear (a healthy amount of which is important).  I mean being able to apply focus to a bad situation and escape it by whatever means are necessary and available.

Good training in the dojo can help with this, but it is also up to each individual to cultivate this willpower for himself or herself.  It is a skill that goes well beyond what you would need in self-defense, and is a cornerstone of using the martial arts to make a positive difference in your life.

"without a desire to survive, acquired skills serve little purpose and invaluable knowledge goes to waste."

Be a survivor.    

In Style

It was a great day with perfect weather.

We were lucky to have my friend Guro Romeo Ballares back in Japan and I asked him to come and give a special seminar on Redondo Arnis.  Guro Romeo is an interesting guy - 5th dan in Yoshinkan Aikido, but also having done FMA since his childhood days including Illustrimo Kali, Modern Arnis, Balintawak, and some others.  He is a spicy combination of the best of all of them, and a wonderful, kind and genuine person as well.

For my KM Japan students, most of them have had no direct experience studying FMA before joining my class.  Several of them (thankfully) have visited our HQ school in Singapore, gone to the annual camp in Bali, and attended Guro Fred's seminars here in Japan and so they have an idea of how diverse the Kali Majapahit system is and its major influences.  That said I encourage them to explore the richness of FMA as it is reflected in other major styles.  Seeing the different approaches to the same concepts helps develop a well-rounded perspective, and different styles emphasize different aspects of the FMA, which can add depth to the students' understanding.

While on one hand I believe it is important to study a particular style deeply for long enough to feel really at ease with it (generally 10+ years of regular training), it can also be said that through diversity of experience we can more fully understand the core concepts and gather a wider variety of expressions.  A critical flaw in Bruce Lee's Wing Chun training, for example, was not being able to learn the full footwork underpinning Wing Chun, without which the whole system cannot fully come together.  At the same time, the awareness of this led Bruce to explore ways to fill that gap - which led to the emergence of Jun Fan/JKD, which has been a truly revolutionary discovery for martial arts that has had almost limitless influence on our training and philosophy.

As its name would suggest, Redondo Arnis uses a circular style as a foundation, and like modern Arnis, contains some overlap with Japanese systems, especially in some of the locking and disarming.  They do emphasize a "walking" stick and FLOW, by having a variety of continuous-motion drills that develop dexterity, fluidity, and timing.  KM, by contrast, is much more heavily influenced by southeast asian style (hakka kuntao, silat, muay thai/muay boran) and has almost no connection to the Japanese arts.

Despite having no direct experience in Redondo Arnis, I found many of the basics to be very similar to things I have seen elsewhere or have worked on in KM.  At the core was single sinawali, which Guro Claes presented in Bali last year, and which is a great container/structure to work applications of flow, especially in the medium range (bridging to close range).  This framework allowed us to explore both solo and doble patterns, as well as solo versus doble applications for working on our reactions and timing.

From this flow we were able to explore bridging from medium to close quarters via the puno, finding the entry point (and response to puno attacks) every time the sticks crossed.  I have seen this flow in modern arnis before and I like it a lot.  It offers a clear reason why controlling the hand (not just the stick) is so important when blocking.  This led us to tapi-tapi drills to work on connecting the live hand to our partners and keeping that contact through the drill.

In the solo variation, we were able to experience the live hand contact with our partners, and ultimately this led us into a variety of disarms/strips in medium distance which were interesting and useful.  Some were variations of other common disarms in medium range (vine disarm, snake disarm), while others were body strips using elbow or underarm which felt very practical and easy to apply under pressure.

I wonder how many of my students picked up that the single sinawali is basically a flow using the punch block series that we have been working on throughout this cycle...

The Balintawak influence was evident in some of the recoveries and blocks in closer ranges, where returning from the dunga (stab) rapidly was critical, and where we used a combination of stick on stick and hand trapping to control the centerline and open up abaniko or other fast responses exploding from the centerline.

We spent a final few minutes on daga and application, using what we had learned and finding a unique disarm that I liked a lot :-)

Overall, as a contrast to what our students see in KM, this was a great seminar by a very talented martial artist.  Subsequently, I am sure we would be able to dig deeper past these basics into the depths of Redondo Arnis without disappointment, finding it (especially as Guro Romeo shows it) to be rich and robust, with plenty to take away.

Thank you again Guro for a most enjoyable Sunday in the park!

Pugay!   

  

Poker Face

Back in 2006, I wrote a post comparing martial arts (in that case Yoshinkan Aikido) to a chessgame.  You can read that post here: http://martialartsdigest.blogspot.jp/2006/01/checkmate.html

However, the other day, I heard a quote from someone about a contract negotiation that went like this, "It's not a chess game, it's a poker game".  I have been thinking about that idea ever since.

Chess is a great game because it involves deep strategy - in particular, predicting your opponent's reaction to your moves.  In this sense it is a lot like fighting.  Chess also involves a finite space and defined rules that nonetheless have infinite possibilities and combinations.  That is also a lot like fighting.  There are only a certain numbers of discrete movements humans can perform, but there are infinite ways to combine the movements and solve for particular situations.

At the same time, fighting is, in reality, much more like poker than it is like chess.

Chess is a game of defined rules and restrictions on movement for the various pieces.
This makes it a game for understanding limitations.  Poker, on the other hand, is about understanding probabilities.  A good poker player knows what hands can be made from the shown cards and the probabilities of other players being able to make those hands.  One key to good poker is pressing bets on high probability hands and folding low probability hands.

In martial arts, this means using the highest probability techniques in every situation, and having a very good understanding of the opponent's highest probability responses/counters to them - and being prepared for them.  Good fighters are not only masters of strategy, but also masters of psychology, able to predict the probability of an opponent reacting in a particular way and being ready when they do.  Setting up and Attacking by Drawing use exactly this principle.

Another one of the most important skills in poker (and fighting) is bluffing.  Bluffing makes playing poker a very different experience from playing chess.  By bluffing, you must rely on being able to convince the other player that their potentially winning hands are actually potentially losing hands.  This causes them to react to fear/apprehension and fold hands sometimes when they could have actually won. In fighting, this can make all the difference. Just giving the enemy pause - causing the apprehension or fear response - can make him decide to back down from a fight he could have won.  By the same token, bluffing too much will cause the other side to challenge, which could result in the bluffer losing.  Bluffing is best used sparingly and in combination with both weak and strong hands so the others never really know if it is a bluff.  Important too is the bluffer's ability to mask the tell - or giveaway - by having a flat expression or "poker face".

Bluffing is evident time and again in the animal kingdom as well, where countless species have used the bluff as part of their mating, courtship, or dispute resolution strategies.  They fan their feathers, puff up their chests, shriek loudly, or otherwise present themselves as formidably as possible, making their bluff in the hopes that the other will back down and give up.

Calling the bluff carries a risk that the bluff is not really a bluff and you will lose.  Fear of loss is an unbelievably powerful motivator to people to resist temptation (think of husbands not cheating on their wives for fear of divorce).

It could be said that poker is a game of emotion where chess is a game of logic.
A smart fighter knows how to use both to full advantage.

Size Matters

(at left - the character DAI 大 "big" in fires on a Japanese mountainside)

Size matters.  You hear it all the time.  This is not wrong, but it needs some context.

I am a big proponent of efficiency rather than just sheer size, not just because I am only 5"7" tall.  It is also because I abhor wastefulness, and I find an elegance in scaling the solution to the need.  For me this applies in martial arts as it does in everything.


There are times, though, when size matters more than anything else.

One of those times is when you SET YOUR GOALS.

Richard Bach, author of Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, wrote "argue for your limitations and they're yours."
I couldn't agree more.  While it is of critical importance that although your plans consist of smaller, more manageable steps to reduce the risk of failure, allow for contingencies, and reinforce achievement, the goals in your life - especially your long-term goals - should be BIG.  BIG enough to be meaningful for you.

To me, there is simply not much point in going after things which are already in reach - if they are too easy to achieve, there is no value in achieving them at all, and we never develop the unshakable confidence we need to make our real mark on the world around us.  If our narrow mind can imagine only something so small, it is far better to start over or wait than it is to pursue a goal which is not worthy of our continued best  efforts. Much of the time, the effort between small and big goals is not proportionately different, and the chance of success or failure not really so different either.  If you are going to fail something small, you might just as well fail at something big - something worth shooting for.

In my case, after I started martial arts training, my teacher used to talk about Japan and I became fascinated.  I set my mind on going to Japan one day to see for myself what was in all the books I read and stories he had told.

Ultimately, this goal took 10 years of my life to achieve, and I failed the first three attempts (the third time nearly breaking my will for good).  On the fourth attempt, my plan came together and I was able to realize my lifelong dream to visit Japan, arriving as an exchange student in Osaka in 1991.  That changed everything.  By January 2003 I was here for good, and except for some time in Singapore (at my company's request in 2008-2009) I have stayed in Japan the better part of 20 years.  Beyond even my wildest expectations I have built a life here --- A career, a home, a family... a treasure of experiences that has helped me truly understand that mankind knows no limitations other than what we impose on ourselves.

I wish you all the same sense of accomplishment I have had and I encourage you to plan small, but to DREAM BIG.

Focus

In Yoshinkan Aikido, my teacher used to tell me:

"all your power, all your force, at a single point, at a single time."

He said it so much it became like a mantra to me.  He meant that I always have to connect my contact point with my partner to my hips, and deliver (through hip rotation) my full body power into the contact point to control it and use the force to disrupt an attack.  This idea is at the core of Yoshinkan.  In Japanese, this focus is called "kime"　決　and is the subject of a lot of discussion both practical and philosophical.

My views on aikido have changed over the years, but I still think it offers some really important insights for training.

In Kali, our goal is to be in motion all the time, never static.
At the same time, we want to use our entire body all the time.

This may seem counter-intuitive to my prior post about relaxation, but it is not.
A central idea here is that we want to use the bigger muscle groups wherever possible.
This means not relying on our arms to do the work, but rather connecting through the hips and back.  We want to hit by driving from the balls of the feet up the line through the pelvis and hips, and deliver that power via the spine.  The feet are principally important not just for balance, but to deliver the explosive power of the coiling steps.

A second major concept is that we want to use our full bodyweight.  This means that I am actually dropping my weight into my strikes, as well as my stick.  It also means that I am letting gravity give additional force into what I am doing.  I do not want to lift my opponent.  Instead I want to drive down through the weak point of the structure and disrupt it.  When I throw someone I do not ever lift them.  Instead, I load them onto my hips and then use my bodyweight to drop or launch them.

The more efficiently and completely you can use your full body, the easier the motions will become.  Start by overemphasizing this motion.  Later on, you will remain tight but still be able to connect and drive.  The key is to focus your full body power at the same time on a single (weak) point of your opponent.

Filipino Martial Arts are very effective and easy to learn, but take a lifetime to do properly.
If you do not use your body efficiently, it may even take several lifetimes.