Kyokushin Dojo Kun: Sixth line

Hitotsu, wareware wa, chisei to tairyoku to o kojo sase, koto ni nozonde ayamatazaru koto.
"We will look upwards to wisdom and strength, not seeking other desires."

The Japanese culture venerates age, and the elderly. They have a special holiday KEIRO NO HI where they show respect, and affection to their senior citizens, and offer them gifts. Age equals rank, and status in Japan because experience is something that cannot be bought, it can only be earned.

Wisdom is something that cannot be spoken, and is visible in age. Simplicity, longevity, and silence are the gateways towards finding wisdom. The best way to get a glimpse of how much age, and beauty are held in high esteem is to sit in a Japanese Garden, and soak in the messages contained in the quiet moments there.

Our goal is not just to become older, but to do so with style. We look upwards to becoming a wiser, and spiritually stronger so that we can be a wonderful elder person with much experience, and knowledge to share with the young.

Kyokushin Dojo Kun: Fifth line (Warning: contains religious topic)

Hitotsu, wareware wa, shinbutsu o totobi, kenjo no bitoku o wasurezaru koto.
"We will follow our religious principles and never forget the true virtue of humility."

Throughout these meditations on the Dojo Kun, I have been attempting to look at them, as best as an outsider of Japanese custom, and culture can do, from their original perspective. I have been trying to peer through Sosai Masutatsu Oyama's eyes and see what he might have intended these Dojo Kun to represent to the present, and future students.

I would like to offer that when he wrote down "We will follow our religious principles" that he was speaking specifically about the 8 fold path known to the Buddhist, and Shinto followers of Japan. Other Religions can find it possible to follow their own principles, there is nothing wrong with this. The opening is there for anyone, of any religion, to chose to train in Karate without being uncomfortable.

For this moment, let's look at the option that Sosai Oyama was speaking directly about CERTAIN principles. The Eightfold path consists of

* Wisdom

1. Right view
2. Right intention

* Ethical conduct

3. Right speech
4. Right action
5. Right livelihood

* Mental discipline

6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right concentration

Sosai Oyama states ""In many countries around the world, the question, 'What is Zen' often turns up. Usually we answer that Zen is karate and that karate is Zen." Quote taken from "This is Karate." For him, his ideals, and his religious beliefs were integrated with his physical expression, and martial arts philosophy. He could not separate the two.

Seeking to develop, and live what we believe to be "right", there are tendencies when we look upon others as being "wrong". This is where we cannot forget the true virtue of humility. In humility, we can embrace our path, and goodness with confidence, and dedication, and be willing to share what we have with others if they are interested. We also have to respect that others may not see what we are seeing, and that they may chose a different path. In humility, we have to admit that we are not perfect, and that we also have limitations, and mistakes, and that we are working on ourselves to the best of our abilities. The virtue of humility relies on honesty, and truth.

As Sosai Oyama explains "Concentrate on sincerity and on unifying your spirit. Forget yourself, forget your enemies, forget winning and losing, and when you have done so, you will be in the spiritually unified state that is called mu, or nothingness, in Zen."

I am not a Buddhist, but I can value the goodness in Buddhism without sacrificing my own beliefs. This is to go beyond "right" and "wrong", "winning" or "losing", it is to come to a center position where I am secure, and willing to look calmly at all possibilities around me.

Kyokushin Dojo Kun: Fourth line

Hitotsu, wareware wa, reisetsu o omonji, chojo o keishi, sobo no furumai o tsutsushimu koto.
"We will observe the rules of courtesy, respect our superiors, and refrain from violence."

The above English translation of the Japanese alerted me that I needed to try to understand what each word was saying. "Reisetsu" refers to politeness, decorum, propriety.. or in other words being courteous. "Omonji" means to honor, esteem, and respect. This points to me that COURTESY goes beyond just observing the various rules in the Dojo such as responding to a command with "Osu", placing our shoes neatly against the wall, not swearing, or eating in the dojo, showing respect to our Sensei/Sempai etc.. It embraces these specific rules, and includes being respectful in daily life towards all things, and all people. The Japanese language, and culture contains many symbols of respect. One speaks differently to someone who is of higher stature than the other, using the addition of the word "Gosaimasu" to show respect. Bowing at the right time, in the right way, and with the correct posture is very important in showing respect. There are rules for eating, and drinking that reveal if you are a polite person, or not. You do not fill your own glass, but wait for someone to fill it for you. You receive a gift using both hands. These little daily signs, and signals are important to make people feel comfortable in your presence, and to have them see you as polite rather than rude. Kyokushin-kai are to make public decorum important to them not only in the dojo, but outside of it.

The fact that the first three words of this line already refers to showing respect to our teachers, I had to look more closely at the next three lines: "Chojo" gives the indication of someone or something superior/divine, "Kieshi" refers to consulting, asking for instructions, and seeking approval. What is a "Sensei" in the eyes of the Japanese?

"The term "sensei" is an honorific accorded to teachers, with a meaning transcending that of professor. It has been suggested that if a Japanese prime minister were to meet a former teacher, it is the former student who would bow low as a matter of acknowledging his proper place. The prime minister might later tell someone about having met his onshi, a word translated in the dictionary as "former teacher" that also connotes a person to whom one owes a debt that can never be fully repaid. Sensei, then, is not only a person of wisdom but also a major actor in the intricate web of obligations, group memberships, and dependencies that define Japanese social life and culture." Quote from The Professor and the Sensei: Faculty Roles in the United States and Japan by Robert Birnbaum

In other words, we are being called to refer to our instructors for direction in our path. We consult them, and rely on their guidance as we walk in our Martial Way. We turn to them as the primary source of the knowledge, and skills that we are hoping to attain. Through our training, we might be able to find out new things from other teachers, but we make an effort to stay faithful to the expectations, and philosophy of our chosen teacher. We owe them a debt of gratitude for all of the time, energy, and instruction that they have invested into our learning.

The last concept in this line is to "refrain from violent behaviour". At first, it seems that this is a separate idea from the first two. However, I'd like to offer that thought that a student's behaviour reflects on their Sensei. If a student is rude, impolite, ungrateful, and violent to others during class, or outside of training, he/she casts a bad shadow on the dojo. Daily decorum, patience, and politeness in word, and in deed, builds up the relationship, and honor given to one's Sensei.

So.. where do we get the motivation to live up to the difficult expectations of politeness, and courtesy? I would suggest that this is centered on the aspect of "love". I am talking about the kind of affection wherein we value ourselves, and those people around us so much that rudeness would not be a possibility. Sensei Gichin Funakoshi said "Love of Karate, love of self, love of family and friends; all lead eventually to love of one's country. The true meaning of Karate can be acquired only through such love." Karate Do: My Way of life

Kyokushin Dojo Kun: Third line

"Hitotsu, wareware wa, shitsujitsu goken o motte, kokki no seishin o kanyo suru koto."
"With true vigour, we will seek to cultivate a spirit of self-denial."



Meet Arisada, the self mummified Japanese Buddhist priest. He died in an ultimate act of self-denial. Through years of extreme physical training to remove any fat from his body, a special diet of bark, and roots from pine trees, and then drinking a special poisonous tea which induced vomiting, sweating, and urination, the priest prepared his body to be buried alive in a small stone tomb, with just a tube that provided air, and a rope that allowed him to ring a bell that was suspended outside of the tomb. This kind of suicide by choice has been outlawed near the end of the 19th century, but there are 16 known shrines of such mummified priests. This history is part of the Japanese culture, and stories. In fact, North american children, and teens can became aware of this historical fact before adults from some of the anime cartoons that they watch coming from Japan such as "Inuyasha".

This kind of extreme self denial was done in a way of becoming a permanent symbol of being able to disregard one's physical self as important ( Live or die ) to other buddhist priests. Arisada's example is to strengthen the hearts of those who think that they just possibly "can't" do things. He is an embodiment of what the human will is capable of.

Training in karate is very demanding when following the Martial Way. It can be tempting to just stay home today, or to find an excuse for why one can miss class again, or to avoid doing one's best during class. The Dojo Kun tells us to deny ourselves of these complexities, and to return to the simplicity of when we first started training. We had no expectations then, only a desire to learn something new. We were willing to give it our best shot, and accept that we would have to overcome limitations.

Training in karate means "emptying your cup". It can be that we feel that we know this already, or that we've done Chudan tsuki over 100,000 times already. Yet, we need to deny ourselves this option of dismissing the chance to learn from our efforts. There is always room for improvement no matter how well we think we know the various demands of our Art. We have to return to the simplicity of a beginner's mind, and yet rely on our prior experience to guide us up into even more effective use of each movement.

As we age, and our bodies become older, we have to learn to work within the challenges that this present. We have to deny ourselves the temptation to stop our efforts due to our pride. Our memories of prior youthful abilities may taunt us, but we need to simplify our desires, and realize that we are becoming like the mummified priest to the younger generation. They look upon us, where we are now still training in spite of all of our challenges, and they learn to appreciate, and hope to imitate us in the future.

Second line: Kyokushin Dojo Kun

Hitotsu, wareware wa, bu no shinzui o kiwame, ki ni hasshi, kan ni bin naru koto.
"We will pursue the true meaning of the martial way so that, in time, our senses may be alert."

I'd like to quote the Characters Miyagi Sensei, and Daniel-san from the movie Karate Kid to express what I feel is focused upon in this line of the Dojo Kun.

"Daniel: So, karate's fighting. You train to fight.
Miyagi: That what you think?
Daniel: [pondering] No.
Miyagi: Then why train?
Daniel: [thinks] So I won't have to fight.
Miyagi: [laughs] Miyagi have hope for you. "

We have to look at what it means to pursue the "Martial Way" to understand the concept contained in this sentence. In eastern culture, there is something called the "Do", or the "Way" of living. How one speaks, how one draws, how one does their tea ceremony, how one dances, how one lives.. it is all part of your "Way". Budo is "the Way of the Warrior", Aikido is "Way of Harmony", Tae Kwon Do "Way of the fist, and foot", Karate Do is the "Empty hand Way". Following a "Way" is to walk a path of choices, actions, values, and expressions.

So? What is the "Martial Way"? Westerners tend to focus only on the thought that the word "Martial" means "warlike, concerning war, and fighting". Who could blame us? Most of our movies, and t.v. entertainment reveal Martial arts with a "Kick their butt" philosophy. We see the underdog hero enter into a difficult situation, and through his acquired skills, he achieves victory over the "bad guys". We thrill over the speed, skill, and power plastered on the big screen. Children walk into the dojo wanting to be able to do fancy flying kicks that will assure them success over any threat. Black belts are looked upon as frightening images of someone that you wouldn't want to anger. It is the rare movie, or t.v. show, like "The Karate Kid", or "Kung Fu: the original series" that shows us what the Martial Way is in the eyes of the country of origin.

If we look at the Japanese Kanji that make up this word we see that the first symbol is a set of crossed weapons, and the second one represents the word "Stop". The word "Bu" is not really about fighting, but learning how to avoid, prevent, or to stop fighting. The Martial Way, "Budo", is to follow a path where we avoid having to fight by developing our awareness of ourselves, our environment, and our opponents.

"It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle." Sun Tsu "The Art of War" 6th Century.

We pursue the Martial Path by working on ourselves. We learn what our strengths are, and what our weaknesses are, and we build them both up to improve ourselves. We learn to temper our emotions, and not let fear, or anger goad us into putting ourselves into a fight. We learn to look at our surroundings, and find an alternative to fighting. We learn to take advantage of every moment that is offered to lower the intensity of a situation. We put forth a confident body language which will make an attacker think twice before chosing us as a target. We use our words to de-escalate a situation, if possible. We avoid environments that we know are dangerous. If we can know ourselves well, and become aware of what signals our body gives us, we can learn to avoid danger. Some people ignore that sixth sense within them that quietly warns us that we should be careful. We need to learn to listen to the wisdom within us, and avoid dangerous places, and people.

So in other words, we train so that we won't have to fight.

Meditation on the Kyokushin Dojo Kun

"Hitotsu, wareware wa, shinshin o renmashi, kakko fubatsu no shingi o kiwameru koto."
"We will train our hearts and bodies for a firm unshaken spirit."

The first thing I noticed about this sentence is the three aspects mentioned. As a person who studied psychology I learned about the id, the ego, and the superego theory which are the three levels of a person's mind. As a religious person, I noticed three aspects of a person being addressed, the mind, the body, and the spirit. Now, as a Martial artist, I see within this statement of the Dojo Kun three different parts: our hearts, our bodies, and our spirit. Although separated into three parts in theory, we are aware that these are totally integrated.

The more that I learn about Eastern Philosophy, about chakras (central energy points), and about Chi/Ki (energy) movement, the more I can understand where this statement is originating, and what it's goals are. It is taught that the center of our "spirit" is the Hara: a point located a few inches behind our center of gravity near the navel. Our heart is by the Anahata chakra point, and is involved in all emotional decisions or considerations. The goal, in Eastern philosophy, is to activate all 7 of the chakra points in the body for good health, and to be able to make good decisions. In an ideal situation, all of the 7 energy centers should be spinning at the same rate, but in most people, some points spin too much, and others are blocked, or spin slowly.

According to this, we have to train our heart, and body equally to balance our physical ability, with our mental/ emotional reaction in order to achieve a strong spirit. Our whole selves has to be involved in our karate training. Just performing the movements of a kata would be similar to performing a dance. It would be like "Put your right foot here, put your left arm here.." and no matter how well one did it, they would have no "spirit" in those movements. Training on emotion alone would not be karate either. Without technique, physical effort, a person would just be wildly swinging their arms with lots of energy, but with no effect.
Showing "spirit" comes when the body, and mind are united to the same purpose. All energy is focused into each action. This is referred to as "Kime". Usually it is accompanied with a Kiai ( a spirit shout) as breath is very closely united with the flow of energy in our bodies.

I can see how to have a unity of the body, heart, and spirit one has to train in every aspect of their lives. You cannot just train in the dojo anymore. There has to be a perseverence in your training. You have to carry what you have learned in class out with you, and keep up practicing each day. Just like a musician cannot improve in their performance by just showing up to class once, or twice a week, and they are expected to do at least a certain amount of practicing at home to ingrain the skills, the same should be true for a Martial Artist. This is even MORE true, as a Martial artist is training all of the parts of their body. The foot is just as important as the hand. The thought is just as important as the body.

In fact, our inner thoughts can make or break our ability to defend ourselves. Many fights have been won just by unbalancing the opponent mentally to the point where they could not apply their hard earned skills to defend themselves. We must develop a firm unshaken inner posture in the face of hardship, fear, threat, and challenges. Where does our inner strength come from? I would suggest that they come from our values, and our confidence in these values. We value our life, or the life of our children so we will do what it takes to protect these. We value our honesty, so we make efforts to be truthful. We value our courage, so we will put forth the best that we have in a challenge. The more that we value the good things in ourselves, and in the teachings that we have embraced, the stronger we can be in the face of adversity. Our karate training shows this in every class that we put forth our best effort to meet the challenges placed before us, and to even surpass what we believed to be our limitations. I read a quote that said "If you think you can't, then you won't." The words "I can't" should not be in the vocabulary of a Martial artist. The focus is more on " I will", whether you achieve the goal or not isn't the issue.. the main idea is that you will do your best to achieve it.

Nothing should shake you from your values, no one has the right to try to remove them from you. If there is one thing that you can claim as being your own, and as being untouchable, it is your values. Regardless to what esteemed societal position, or high rank in karate that other person has, he/she has no right to expect you to sacrifice what you believe in. If you chose to embrace the values of another person because you deem them worthy that is a different thing, but no outside pressure should force a person to "change their mind". This is one of the benefits of training our hearts, and bodies for a firm, unshaken spirit.

I won an award

I attended a celebration at my daughter's Tae Kwon do club just a few weeks ago. It was quite a moment for all of the children. They were given various awards such as "Best Attendence", "Best progress", "Best in sparring".. etc. My daughter proudly won a badge for "Best stance". She was so pleased with herself that all of her hard training had been apparent.

To my surprise, I won an award for my participation in the adult's class. You see, I've asked the Master if I could just train alongside the other students instead of sitting at the back of the gym, and watching. He kindly allowed me to wear my Shotokan black belt, and Karate gi to class. I would line up on my own behind the other students, and attempt to do the various techniques as best as I could. It was a little challenging at times as my body wanted to do things in a Kyokushin way.. so I just let my body do what it wanted to do. I did look, move, and act a little different from the other students, but I was still doing the combinations. A head block is a head block regardless to the style that is asking for it to be done.

So, here I am at this celebration, and the Master called me up to give me an award that I will always cherish. I have won medals at tournaments, but they do not mean as much to me as this one. I won "The Student with the Best Manners" medal. In my eyes there could not be a greater praise for my effort in class! I personally would rather be remembered for my strength in character than for how well I could knock someone down.

YES! I achieved it

I waited until the living room was empty of kids, and I entered it to proceed to do my 280 punches in Sanchin dachi. Within a few minutes, I had an audience of 3 of my children watching me as I counted up. They kept track of how long I was taking, and questioned each other "What is she doing? Why is she still counting? How high is Mom going to go?"

I ignored them as best as I could, and kept up the speed, power, and technique of all of my punches. Well.. another 2 children joined in asking the others "How much longer is Mom going to be doing this??"

I managed to finish the punches, and in voice that was interrupted by my breathing deeply, I explained that I needed "space" to do 280 punches, and kicks. I told them that I didn't mind if they watched, but that they had to be quiet.

"It took you 3 minutes to do all of those punches Mom!" crowed one of my daughters.

"Oh.. and that's another thing.. please do not disturb me as I'm counting by asking me questions, or telling me what time it is.." I asked them. I proceeded to do 280 front kicks.

The noise brought down the fifth child... he came walking in the room asking "What is mom doing?" to the sound of the other 4 kids going "SHHhhhh.... don't bug Mom.. she is doing a Karate New Year thing. She's been kicking for about 5 minutes now..."

AArgh! I didn't want to know.. I didn't want to hear how long I've been kicking! I just wanted to work towards the goal of doing 280 kicks. My left leg was getting pretty tired by the 200th kick.. it's doing better, but it's injury is still there weakening my movements. All of a sudden, I see one of my daughters come stand in front of me holding up both of her thumbs, and standing there with a goofy wide open big grin. I know that she was trying to be supportive but I lost count. I think that I was on 270 maybe it was 280 I wasn't too sure so I did an extra 10 kicks just in case.

I walked away from the living room, and went to do dishes. It was near impossible to be able to focus with this audience of commentators, and I couldn't see myself doing my kata in that.

Again, I waited until the kids had found other things to do, and then I went to the dining room and started my Sanchin Kata. I was on the 8th one when my teenaged son walked up to me to ask me who was the director of the Spiderman 3 movie. He was standing in my kata path. He didn't notice that mom was in the middle of a kata, he was standing there looking at the DVD casing, and trying to figure out who the director was... I didn't answer him, I just kept on with the kata. My son looked up at me in surprise, and said "Hmm.. I guess that this would be more of a Dad question.." and he turned around to go walk to his father's bedroom. I had to shake my head at that whole scene.

I was only able to finish 14 Sanchin kata. My left leg refused to do anymore stance work. It complained loudly enough that I conceded and chose to be gentle to myself in the New Year of 2008. Oh well.. I'll work towards finishing the last 14 kata throughout this year.

Starting the New Year.. tired.

I'm so tired! The Holiday happenings have had me running around making large meals, setting up platters, cleaning up afterwards, entertaining the kids, going to other places, etc. etc. I haven't had any chance to rest by myself, to focus on karate, to even get the normal housework done.

It's the first day of 2008, and I'm exhausted mentally, spiritually, and physically.
I'm living off of chocolate, and pistachios. This isn't how I pictured my first day of the year. I had daydreams of doing kata... 28 of one of the kata.. probably Sanchin due to the lack of space in my home, 280 punches, and 280 kicks to start the year right. This was a tradition that my First Sensei had given to me, and that I cherish in my heart. But I haven't done it yet.. maybe later tonight, I will ask my children to give me an hour and a half of "me" time, and I will achieve this before the first day of this year is over.

Pictures from my test, and New Years goals

Well.. I want to show you some pictures from my belt test. This time I have a few, however, I also want to respect a promise that I made myself to keep dojo happenings in the dojo. So.. Here is how I have balanced the two desires:


I decided to crop the pictures so that only I am in the scene. These pictures revealed alot of different things to me. Since I wasn't "posing" for a picture, and I was just training, I now can see what good habits, and bad habits I have acquired through these candid shots. Here is a picture of me in fighting stance during a sparring match. I'm happy to see that my knees are bent, feet pointing in the direction that I want them, and my body is angled to my opponent. ( That was one of my 2007 goals! It looks like I achieved it.) My right guard hand is a little lower than I'd like it. So I've decided to make improving how I hold my guard hands as one of my 2008 karate goals. I love how my weight is on the balls of my feet in a natural way. NICE! NICE! I've tended to fight flat-footed almost seeking for security from the floor. It looks like I'm a little more relaxed now.



This is a picture of me doing my 50 push ups. From the condition of my body, I believe that it was taken near the last 10 push ups of that set. I am so glad for this picture because it reveals how bowed down, and curved my body is. This is so wrong for good dynamics. There is nothing supporting my shoulders here, not my neck, back, or stomach muscles. NO wonder those last dozen push ups felt like only my arms were working, and were the most difficult ones to achieve. I'm far more aware of what was happening. During the test, I could feel that something was wrong, but I couldn't figure out why things were not working as well as usual. This picture told me in just one glance. Here is another 2008 karate goal: Improve my body posture during push ups to continually keep a straight strong body line.




Here is a picture of me performing moving basics. I get a great view of how I'm forming my fist. Not bad, but it could be improved. It seems that I'm putting more pressure on the thumb, and pinkie finger, but ignoring the three mid fingers of the right hand. Hmmmm... That would explain why I've been having troubles when I strike with my right on the punching bag. I've always wondered why my right fist seemed weaker than my left when I punched. I thought that it was from a previous injury that I received on my largest right knuckle, but now that I look at how I form my fist, I can see that I must be "favoring" that hand still. It's time that I can command that fist to get stronger, since that knuckle has healed ages ago. AHA! Another karate goal for 2008!!




















Kicking.. not bad.. not bad. I'm keeping my hands up! YES! I used to throw my hands down with almost each kick. My hips are doing better, also. OH! and to my joy.. I'm keeping my supporting leg's knee bent on my roundhouse kicks. YES!!! I am pretty happy with the progress of my kicks.

Now.. my goals for 2007 were:

Kihon: I want to be more alert to hear the various messages that my
body is telling me of "yes.. I can do more.." or "Hold on.. any more of this,
and I'm going to break down on you, " or "the technique would flow more
naturally THIS way."

Kata: Turning.. I want to focus on understanding the turns within the
kata,to understand my balance, placement of feet, turning of my head, and
such.

Kumite: Ah... back to basics here as I struggle to keep my belt knot
pointing the right way, my feet pointing the right way, and my hands
pointing the right way.

I feel that I have met quite a few of my goals. I have become far more secure on my turns, and I have become more comfortable with my sparring stance. As to listening to my body, I listened, but then I ordered it to do more than it thought it could.. um.. well.. that really wasn't my goal, but it's what worked.

This year, 2008, my goals have become:

Kihon: To work on my right fist so that it is more solid, and constant. To unite my body's effort when doing push ups so that I do not stress my shoulders.

Kata: To compete at a Tournament in Montreal this spring as a Kyokushin Adult in Kata competition.

Kumite: To work on keeping my guard hands up at in a better level when sparring so that they can be useful.

Ahoy, matie.. just call me Peg leg..

OUCH! OW! Left leg was slammed pretty good during my test on Friday night, and now, sleeping is near impossible as I turn onto my left all of the time, wake up in pain, and then try to go back to sleep. It's been 2 days. It's not a joint pain, but more like a "nerve" pain. I can walk without issue, o.k... yes.. I do limp when I walk, but ask my thigh muscle to do anything other than rest, and I groan.

I saw the kick coming, but I was in an awkward position to avoid, and I was too tired to shift, or lift anything. I tried to absorb the kick, but I felt my leg overwhelmed by the power of it. Sigh..

I'm limping everywhere, and in everything that I do. Motherly duties do not cease just because Mom is sore everywhere. I've gone grocery shopping.. very slowly. I've done the dishes. I've cleaned house. Sure.. my husband, and kids are giggling at the little whining tones that I let out each time that they offer to give me a hug.

It's too soon to inform anyone as to whether or not I passed the test, but I can say that I did my best, and that I survived quite well. I've come a LONG way, baby! I managed to train hard for 5 hours, and still be able to walk away in one piece.

I was very satisfied with my kata. I was able to perform it the way that I wanted to.. nice.

Testing day, and gratitude

Today I test for 3rd Kyu in Kyokushin. My heart is filled with gratitude for the gift of Karate in my life. I am testing for a Brown stripe.. Wow. Just WOW!

Me?

Let me do a reality check again.. yep.. it's going to be me up there testing for a BROWN stripe in Kyokushin karate. I'd better check again to see if this is real.

I am really grateful for all that I have achieved in the past 4 years. Oh man.. it's been such a daydream! To think that I laughed at the words of my friend Sensei Paul when he suggested that I'd successfully make it past yellow belt in Shotokan. Look what I'm facing today.. Wow!

Pass or fail my heart is happy that I have a dojo to train in, a good Sensei to train under, and the good health to attend classes.



People will not see me doing things such kicks as this. That is beyond the reach of my body, but not beyond my heart, and mind. My karate is my own, and no one elses. I will do my best with what I have, and I will walk away feeling proud of my effort regardless to the result.





I am so grateful that I can even attempt to meet the demands of this test. I will live up to the virtues, spirit, and goals within me. There is so much strength, and goodness around me, and within me that I can lean on to hold me up through the demands of such a difficult test. I appreciate that I can experience this in my life. Here is a joyful prayer of unity, and mutual joy for all those who are facing a belt rank test in this month.



"We will train our hearts, and bodies for a firm unshaken spirit.
We will pursue the true meaning of the Martial Way so that in time our senses may be alert.
With true vigor, we will seek to cultivate a spirit of self denial.
We will observe the rules of courtesy, respect our superiors, and refrain from violence.
We will follow our religious principles, and never forget the true virtue of humility.
We will look upwards to wisdom and strength, not seeking other desires.
All our lives, through the discipline of karate, we will seek to fulfill the true meaning of the Kyokushin Way."

Make sure that you return your rented videos on time

Make sure that you return your rented videos on time, or you'd better train harder in your chosen Martial arts because it looks like the Video Rental companies are getting tougher on late returns.



See?

Memories: Training in a deep freeze

For some reason, my mind, spirit, and heart is revisiting some memories of training at my old Shotokan dojo. I guess it's because I came across a "Leisure Guide" when I was volunteering today, and I noticed that the dojo that I used to teach at is not listed anymore. .. sigh... I guess that the class was cancelled due to renovations of the facility. I wonder what my students are doing now.

I still remember training in a deep freeze in winter boots, and a parka. That was one of the strangest karate moments in my life:


When I had arrived at the main dojo one day, one of my fellow students opened the door to the room, and out blasted freezing cold air as if she had opened the door of a freezer. It seems that the main furnace to that room had broken down over the weekend, and that we were the first people to enter it in 2 days. All of the students stood in the hallway with a look of dismay on their faces as comments like "Wow! That's COLD in there! I'm not going in there! You can't train in that!!!"

I looked into the room, and thought to myself "Hmm.. this isn't that much bigger than my Kyokushin Sensei's garage, and I've trained in there in the cold fall evenings to the point where I was able to warm it up to a comfortable level. Let's see.. If I go jog around in this room, I should be able to warm it up a little."

I walked calmly into the cold, and set my mind, and heart into thinking about warmth as I started jogging around the dojo. I remembered how my Kyokushin Sensei had been teaching us how to mentally place ourselves to handle stressful environments. Sure, I could feel the cold wind passing by my face as I jogged, and the cold cement floor stinging my feet. I added some punching combinations to the jogging to get my arms moving, and then I had to giggle because I was reminding myself of all of those "Rocky" movies where he is training in a fridge. Then I focused, I ran and felt the cold air coming in my nose, and going out warm out of my mouth, and I thought "Wow!!! I'm a portable moving heater!"

Ten minutes went by, and I just kept running in a moderate pace around and around the dojo. I learned which parts of the room were warmer than others. I could already feel a difference in the air that was going into my lungs. It felt slightly less tinged with cold. Or maybe it was my imagination keeping me hopeful.. I'm not sure.

After awhile the room did warm up, and we were able to continue class in our normal gi attire. What a memory!

Alpha dogs, Sempai, and psychology

I wonder how much of our inner subconscious might be influenced by our animal selves without our knowing it. I once compared the sempai of a dojo to the lead dogs of a sled dog team during one of my blog postings, I'm surprised at how this comparison is seeming to become more and more valid as I experience training in Martial Arts.

A dojo class seems to flow by the effort, and example of the higher belts with the lower kyu ranks taking example from what is happening among the senior students.

In this posting I will attempt to study about the Alpha dog position, how it is established, and it's importance, and attempt to compare it with Sensei/Sempai positions in the dojo.

Using a website dedicated to learning how to control a pet dog, I have found these guidelines for establishing human "lead dog" position.

1. Never tolerate growling. This is a threat and it means your dog sees you as a subordinate meant to be dominated by him.

In the dojo, I have noticed that "growling", or territorial behaviour is not tolerated either. A Sensei will not accept defiance from his/her students. It will be addressed, and usually compliance will be demanded and expected to establish the student/teacher roles, or the student will be asked to leave the group. Allowing a student to defy, reject, or correct the commands of the leader, whether it is a lead belt or an instructor, creates confusion in the mind as to whom is in charge.

2.Do not let your dog walk through the door first.

It has been my experience that the Sensei, and higher belt's position is naturally respected when entering, or exiting the dojo. I have seen a whole group of karate students stand, and wait patiently for their Sensei to enter the room first, or to serve himself first at the buffet table. This was done without verbal communication between us. We just all pulled aside to show respect for the rank of that person. When Sensei enters the room ( in a traditional dojo) all students stop what they are doing, and greet him/her by bowing, and saying "Osu". This tradition might be extremely important in keeping the "animal" part of us aware of which person is leader.

3.Do not let your dog sleep in the same bed as you. This is a definite Alpha position.

O.K... This is a strange comparison, but I'm seeing it as not allowing yourself as a Sensei to become too friendly with your students during class to the point where the role of teacher/student becomes hazy. To be able to teach, the student has to see value in what you have to offer. You cannot do this by being their best buddy, especially when you need to challenge them and expand what they believe is their limitations. At this point, they need a coach, and a motivator, not a friend.

4. Socialize, socialize, socialize. I cannot stress enough the importance of introducing your dog to different places and people.

I have noticed that really effective Sensei bring a feeling of "what is he/she going to do next?" to the class. The students are always being challenged to learn, and improve in various ways even with the same techniques being studied. Tournaments, seminars, and other events have always been a high point for me as a student as I was able to see what other dojo students do, and how other Sensei teach, and I have found that I appreciate my own Sensei even more.

5. Do not baby your dog too much. He needs to learn to be a dog. Do not over-protect him. He needs to explore and learn to be independent. You do not want to raise a flighty, paranoid dog. When he acts afraid of something that he should not be afraid of, do not pick him up and ooh and ahh over him. Simply tell him it is okay, and show him the object, person, etc. Your confidence will make him a confident and dependable dog. If you feed his imaginary fears, he will become a snappy and untrustworthy dog. He may develop fear aggression.

If we apply this to karate, we can see the co-relation. It is important to respect the level of each person's training when correcting as a Sensei/ Sempai. The student has to explore, experience, and learn to be independent. It is important to guide them into a better expression of their karate, but also, the Sensei has to know when to allow the student to struggle with a concept. Also, Sempai are very important in this respect. They need to be sensitive to understanding the things that the Sensei has asked the lower kyu students to work upon, and to not place more expectations upon others. For example, perhaps the Sensei has asked the lower kyu students to work upon their stances, and to focus on the position of their feet. It would be more helpful for the Sempai to reinforce this expectation, than to change direction and to insist that the student's punch be more centered. A Sempai, like a lead dog of a sled dog team, has to be intuitive to the desires expressed by the Sensei, and to put forth effort running in that direction. They help remind the other students, by their own energy, and behaviour, that the Sensei wants the focus to be on good stances right now. There should only be one leader of that class, and then the higher belts support the direction of the commands being offered. How many times have I turned my head to look at the higher belts to see what was expected from me when I was learning as a white belt? Countless number of times. If the higher belts were confused as to the commands, then I knew that there was no hope that I'd be able to make anything up.

Also, a Sensei needs to feel out the emotional level of their students, and to work within that environment to create confidence to replace interior imagined fears of failure, rejection, and abandonment. Helping the student to realize that the thing that they are fearing is not as immovable, nor as impossible as they picture, the Sensei changes the student's perspective to bring them to a state where they see this as a challenge, and an opportunity rather than an impossibility.

Truly, I can see that our baser animal driven part of our brains does influence some of our behaviour, but that we are more than capable of accepting this, and even using it to our advantage. In fact, I believe that all of the traditional dojo etiquette has been designed to meet the needs of our animal selves, and to establish an environment wherein we can work together as a team with a leader.

(Quoted material comes from Written by
Dawn Littlefield
Littlefield Kennels

Snap, crackle, pop go my hips

Side kicks are harsh on my pre damaged hips. I can feel them popping, crackling, and making the most sickening sounds as I attempt to lift my leg, and stretch it out. At first there is no pain, just the crunching noises within me that make my heart sink, and fill me with deep concern. Later, it hurts to put any demand on that leg such as standing in a stance that has all the weight pressure on that leg. Hips! Hips are the center of Martial arts, of all movement.. aargh. Yes, I've gained in flexibility to the side through stretching, and perseverence, but this seems to have become a curse as my hip joints seem to have trouble keeping up with the the increased height of the kick. I WANT a higher kick.. yet.. I want to protect my hips. Aargh!!!!

With my Kyokushin Sensei's help, I'm going to work upon adapting my side kicks, and improving my technique so that I can put the least amount of stress upon my hips to allow them to improve, and yet continue training.

Yes, I realize that going to a sports doctor would help. I tried that and was told that I'd need special therapy sessions. Physiotherapy costs something like $55 a session, and I'd have to go 2 to 3 times a week. Chiropractic help would probably do wonders, also, but it costs. My kids come first, there is no question on that.. so back to adapting my side kicks to put the least amount of stress on my hips.

I will keep training, and trying, and working with what I have regardless as to the limitations I carry.

Go Sensei Boaretto Campaign

Sensei Cesar Boaretto



Training on the hanging bag...



Working on his push ups..



Building up his kicks..



Posed with Champion Sempai Bruno Feitosa at Gran Prix Kyokushinkai after winning 3rd in 2006



Sensei Boaretto with some of his Martial arts companions.



Captured on t.v. doing an ax kick on his opponent..



Outdoor training in a waterfall..

I want to support Sensei Cesar Boaretto ( Brazil ) in his efforts to compete Internationally at the 2nd World Cup Kyokushin Tournament being held in Japan, Jan. 17-19th in 2008. With his permission, I'm posting some pictures from his online photo album.

In a country where soccer/football is the "in" sport, it can be quite daunting to raise support, and sponsors for international competition in Martial arts. I wish Sensei Boaretto great success in his goal. If any of you silent readers of my blog would wish to support Sensei Boaretto financially, or with supportive comments, you can feel free to contact him at boaretto_karate@yahoo.com.br

Hypocrisy: on being a hypocrite

The word "Hypocrisy" comes from the Greek word which means "play acting". In Greek theatre the actors would place masks over their face, and show forth a different behaviour than what was reality. In our society, hypocrisy is the manner of survival. We learn quickly that we must not reveal the truth. As an example of this, I can still remember the kind of very uncomfortable social situations that I had to face as a mother of an autistic child. One day my son, who was about 11 years old at the time, approached a teacher's aide in school asking her if she was expecting a baby. The very overweight woman was shocked at his statement, and said "No!". My son, totally unaware of the normal social signals that tell us what is acceptable to talk about, looked at her with concern and said "Well if you aren't pregnant, then you really need to go on a diet. You are far too fat for your own good." Oh my gosh! Yes, he spoke the truth, but there was an upheavel in the school that day. I was called into the office, and there we had to help my son realize that there are certain things that we do not tell people.

What does this have to do with karate, and self defense? Karate is centered on "hypocrisy" also. When one is injured, or in pain during a self defense moment, we are taught to hide the damage, and not let our opponent know because that will not only encourage them to continue fighting, but will actually make the situation worse for us. We have to continue in spite of how tired we are, and even convince ourselves that we can go farther than we think we can. We have to show confidence, and keep trying in spite of how badly we think we are doing.

Is "hypocrisy" needed in the interrelations happening amoung the various members of an organization? I believe so. I believe that being totally honest in a group of people will not make for smooth running of the organization. You just can't open up and say things like "So and So is a lousy person".. no matter how true that is. Your statements affect not only the person directly, but also that person's students, family, friends, etc. It affects all of the other people connected to the group as they start taking sides. It brings disharmony, and builds walls. It is best to remain silent, and calm, and to watch reality reveal itself. If that person is as bad a person as you think that they are, reality, time, and patience will make everything apparent.

However, I have come full circle on the issue of speaking out for the truth. I believe that there are moments when one has to choose to go against the pressures around you, and within you to remain silent. There are times when your personal values are being attacked by the actions, and words of the people around you. In these moments, you have to make a decision of how much you can withstand before you place your feet securely down, and make a stand for what you believe in.

I have come to that place in my Martial Arts path. I have decided that I will not tolerate any disparaging, or negative remarks about any aspect of my Sensei being said in my presence. I know that I have not tolerated such statements about my family, my husband, nor myself.. then why would I accept any negatively directed statements about someone as important to me as my Sensei? It will not matter how high the rank is of the person talking to me. When it comes to standing up for my values, the Dan rank of the other person has no importance. If that person has issues with my Sensei's behaviour, teaching, or experience, they will need to speak to someone else, or bring their concerns to Sensei's attention personally.

It is a very possible that such a stand can cause unpopularity as many people dislike having someone stand up and say "This is intolerable, and wrong." Prophets have the common fate of being killed, ridiculed, and ostracized. Oh well.. I accept that fate as part of being willing to live as close to the truth as I can in my life.

Confusing stances

Looking at karate techniques/stances, there are many times that the same terminology can be said for different stances especially with Martial Arts coming from the same country.

Let's look at Sanchin dachi:

In Shotokan, this stance does exist, but I have found that it was rarely included in training. It looks like this:


(Picture is from www.karate-shotokan.it)

The weight is 50/50. Notice that the back foot is pointing straight. The feet are close together. I have found that Fudo dachi (Rooted stance) is usually the preferred training stance for Shotokan.



In Fudo dachi, you are positioning your feet similar to a side stance ( kiba dachi)done at 45 degrees, however you turn your hips to face front. The feet are at the same distance as if you were doing a front stance.

There is another alternative stance that may be mistaken for Sanchin dachi. It's called Hangetsu dachi.



This stance is used very frequently in Shotokan training, and even has it's own kata. Notice how similar it looks to Sanchin. It's like a stretched out "giraffe" of a Sanchin dachi.. isn't it? The weight distribution on this one is similar to a front stance 70/30 but it uses the same inner tension of a Sanchin stance.


In Kyokushin, we use the Sanchin stance constantly in training especially for doing basics. It looks like this:



Again the weight is 50/50, but notice how the back foot is turned more inwards almost pointing towards the navel.

The Kyokushin Fudo dachi looks totally different:



I'm sure that Shotokanists would look at this stance and say "Wait a minute!!! That's just a Natural stance, or ready stance." All that I can respond is "If you ask a Kyokushin karate ka to stand in Fudo dachi.. this is what they will do." We stand in Fudo dachi quite frequently during our training in Kyokushin.

It is confusing to try to discuss karate movements, and bunkai with people from other arts, and dojo because of this terminology wall. I may think that I'm describing things clearly, but since the other person has a different understanding of what the stance/technique is supposed to do, or look like the message might get warped through the translation. I believe that the best thing is to get to know what your Instructor wants from you, and how he/she wants it delivered. The internet is a great resource for ideas, and inspiration, but the center line is that it can create more confusion than clarification.

Starting up another blog at Kyokushin4life..

The website Kyokushin4life has added the blog feature.

I decided to start up a small blog there that would focus on how Martial arts has infiltrated my daily life. I'll add small stories of how my training has helped me to handle little things, how my martial arts training has affected my kids/husband, or how martial art training has changed how I react to those moments when I normally would have done something different. Feel free to visit me over there, if you want to..

My very first posting is about origami, and how my daughter and I handled going to our very first session in paper folding.

This weblog, as my center, will continue to be focused mainly on Karate thoughts, information, and training.

My third weblog is focused on my preparations for Kata Tournament next year. It's mainly a training journal that lists which kata I've done that day, and how long I managed to train. However, I am updating it with videos of the kata that I am working upon to capture the progress of my efforts.

Bamboo plants, and karate...

"He who would study Karate-Do must always strive to be inwardly humble and outwardly gentle. However, once he has decided to stand up for the cause of justice, then he must have the courage expressed in the saying, "Even if it must be ten million foes, I go!" Thus, he is like the green bamboo stalk: hollow (kara) inside, straight, and with knots, that is, unselfish, gentle, and moderate." - Gichin Funakoshi

( Quote inspired by Linden Huckle's blog The Karate Way )

Karate resources on the net

One of my favorite haunts on the net is The Martial Arts Curator forum found at:

http://cwee.proboards29.com/index.cgi

This resource has a multi Martial art style view of kata applications, bunkai, and history. It looks at how many traditional kata have evolved in the various countries/ Martial arts styles, and works towards unravelling possible interpretations, and stimulating further research into each pattern of movement. It's amazing to see both the similarities, and differences contained within each style's version of the same kata. Filled with respectful interchange of thoughts, this forum shows forth that the future of Martial arts is linked with having an open mind, and a willingness to look beyond the walls that we have placed around us.

I believe that this Kata centered website is a rare find for the serious Taekwondo practioner, and provides them with something extra special to add to their knowledge.


I've been frequenting a Kyokushin website that is filled with interesting information, and resources.

http://www.kyokushin4life.com/

On this site one can find various things of interest to full contact martial artists like articles, a photo/video gallery, international dojo listing of Kyokushin dojo, Kyokushin blogs, etc.

Full contact fighting has it's own challenges, and topics of discussion such as methods of helping bruises heal, for example. There is alot of information that can be helpful to any Martial artist such as which foods can help with hard training, or how much water should one consume per day.

One of the aspects that I love the most about this website is that the founder actively avoids any political martial arts issues showing a deep respect for all organizations, and various Arts.

If you are interested in Kyokushin Karate, or even just in karate related websites, I'd recommend this site.

Two of my favorite Shotokan related sites are:

http://www.theshotokanway.com/

and

http://www.jkasv.com/articles/articlesmain.html

I have already mentioned how wonderful a resource these two websites are for the serious karate ka regardless to what style is being practiced. Filled with information about training in the art of Karate, one can learn how to make affordable training equipement, or read interviews with inspiring people, or read about medical research being done in karate. I always find myself visiting these sites to read up on the latest information.

If only I could exhaust the amount of information available on the internet through my efforts to read everything that I can find, but this is impossible. Each day more is added, and I only have a few minutes per day to dedicate to study, training, and life. I remember my sensei telling me in a joking manner that "life happens inbetween training" For the longest time, I had no idea what he meant, but now that I hunger for more knowledge, skill, and ability, I think that I am beginning to understand.

Just loving the freedom

There is something to be said in support of cross training. I do not regret the years I spent trying to injest, understand, and survive training in two Martial Arts at one time. I sure did develop a broader perspective on how various movements could be utilized, and also, I gained a deep respect for the positives that are inherent in all of the various martial arts. I also realized that there is no way that I could learn all of the styles adequately, and that sooner or later I would have to narrow my path down to one art.

I'm finding that focusing on one direction has helped my efforts in training immensely. Oh.. there's nothing wrong with dabbling, and appreciating other Arts, but honestly, if one wants to GET somewhere with the energy that they are expending in their training, focusing in one direction is really good for the mind, body, and soul ( Don't forget finances!)

Yes, I appreciate that I was able to achieve the rank of Shodan in Shotokan karate. I value the lessons that I've learned from that art. However, as time lengthens more and more away from training in Shotokan, I'm noticing how my joints are not complaining in pain anymore. I do not feel the screams and cries of my knees, and hips after training. It used to be that 1 1/2 hour of Shotokan training would make it so hard for me to move properly for the next 6 hours as my knees would swell up, or my shoulders would feel sharp pains. I can now train for over 5 hours in Kyokushin. I get tired.. very tired.. ready to lie down, and stare blankly at the ceiling exhausted, but my joints still feel fine after the session. Yes, I get bruises, and "ouchies", but they heal within a few days, and all is back to normal.

Are my stances of any less quality? Nope. I get down in them as usual. The big difference, I have found, is the lack of "surging/ stopping" in Kyokushin. In Shotokan, I would spend so much energy shifting forwards, and backwards as fast as possible. The pain happened in the sudden starts, and stops.. not in the speed. I had to send my body as fast as possible forwards, and use even more power to STOP the forward momentum, and use control. In Kyokushin, it feels like we go forwards, and through the target, so the momentum doesn't stop at the joints.. it continues. The pain only happens when you hit improperly, so you quickly learn where, and how to position your limb for the least amount of pain to happen.

I've heard of other people discussing how they have noticed a positive effect from choosing another art over Shotokan such as Goju Ryu, Tai chi, etc. I do know that the Shotokai Karate style ( which also comes directly from Sensei Gichin Funakoshi) insist that the harsh stopping/ starting was never part of Sensei Funakoshi's instructions. Their philosophy is to move smoothly at all times. They do not even Kiai with any of their techniques as they feel that all should flow softly. Looking at how my body has improved through the past months, I cannot help but wonder.. just wonder.

Should I continue? I can see no other alternative

So many things happening that make home training even more difficult to accomplish.

Things that I want to do are being put to the side:

- Weight lifting exercises for my shoulders
- working on my handstand
- working on my kicks
- working on my sparring combinations
- working on shadow sparring
- 3 series


Other things are being emphasized:

- Belt rank requirements
- self defense combinations
- kata
- Bunkai for kata
- Bo training
- conditioning exercises

There just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day, nor enough energy in my system to meet all of the requirements being put forth.

I'm feeling an inner stress of dis-satisfaction at what is happening. Sure.. I'm meeting the needs of each moment, and I'm keeping my head afloat.. but wow! It feels simiar to that moment in the movie "The Karate Kid" when Daniel tiredly tells Miyagi Sensei that he finished the work. Miyagi Sensei turns, points out the whole yard and says "All of it?"

I do not have the potential, and freedom of youth to lean upon. I've noticed this fact lately.. I've seen people on the various Martial Arts forums saying things like "I've been training in the Arts for over 25 years now. I started when I was 8 years old." This kind of answer will not ever come from my mouth. I started Karate when I was 39 years old. In 25 years, I'll be near 70 years old. I want to still be training at that time, but I can give myself no guarantees. Now is the moment for me.. I'm only 5 years old in experience of karate, and I only have the present moment to train as much as I can.

There is so much to learn, and my body can progress only so fast without overtraining, and weakening. I cannot dedicate all of my energies towards my training, either. I have to balance the family needs, and life demands within my hopes of becoming the best karate ka that I can be. My teenager needs someone to talk to, my young son needs someone to help him with his reading, my daughter needs to go shopping for new clothes, I need to connect with my husband, I want to visit my aging mother.. and my training time is placed to the side so that I can be a Mother first.

But.. I want to compete in a Kyokushin kata competition now.. while I can.. while I have the strength, and meager skill to be able to share my love for kata, and perhaps inspire others to see the beauty contained within each movement. Not through my youth, nor my fantastic flexibility, nor my strength.. I do not see myself as having these things... but all through my spirit.. for that is what my kata offers.

I can see no other alternative than continuing to juggle the various needs, and demands so that there is balance in my life as I work towards my goal of training in karate to the fullness of my ability. I refuse to let go of any of these important things that I cherish.

I've been tagged

I got tagged by Mat.
I have to say 7 random things on me and then tag people.

1. I can recite the Greek alphabet. I learned how to do this when I was homeschooling my kids, and it's such a lovely, sing song type of thing that I haven't forgotten how to do it.

2. I love to eat Subway's Veggie Delight sandwiches. It's one of my favorite "eating out" moments.

3. I prefer wearing Gator shoes over all other shoes. I've even worn them outside in the middle of winter when there is no new snowfall on the ground.

4. I love to be helpful to others. There is just a surge of joy within me when I can do something that makes another's life just a little better.

5. I have no tolerance for rude, violent, taunting, or aggressive behaviour. Zero tolerance. This does not mean that I will attack the person, but more that I personally totally reject what that person is doing, and their attitudes. There is no hope in my home for my kids to argue, and fight. As soon as I hear negative tones, I call out "I'm not hearing a fight, am I?" and my kids all answer "No, Mom.." "Good, then settle the problem in a good way.." I'd suggest to them. Usually we will find a way to meet all of the various needs of the kids while still maintaining respect for each other... ( OR ELSE.. they face Mom's discontent.)

6. I love reading Fantasy books such as the Belgarion Series by Mr. David Eddings. What a fantastic author!! Each character in his book is so rich that they deserve their own novel! This is quite a big series, but each book that you take up is so hard to put down, and when you finish them all, you have that sad feeling of wanting more. .more.. more! I honestly hope that someone will make a fantastic movie of this series one day, and that I live long enough to see it.

7. I sang in a Radio Choir as a Descant in elementary school. It was quite a challenge for me as a young 8 year old to meet the demands of professional singing, but I enjoyed the sounds that we created when we sang together as one. I still have fond memories of those days ( Mixed in with the memories of long hours of training our voices with various singing exercises..)

I would like to tag Frotoe now.

Second day of camp

We started off the morning with a sunrise kata session. It was held by the two little lakes. It was awesome.. even with the rain falling upon us now and then. We'd get a shower of rain, and then it would stop, and then another little shower almost as if the clouds were hesitating interrupting our kata. I was doing Kyokushin kata most of the time because I didn't want to disturb all of the extra training that I've been doing towards my hopeful tournament next year.

After the kata session, we had pancakes by the fire made by the brown belts of the dojo. What a wonderful, joyful, and social moment!

Our first class that morning was by Sensei Charley Porter. One couldn't have asked for better! He brought forth the mathematical concepts of angles, and arcs. We did so many different exercises with our partners to learn about angles, arcs, and how to use them to our advantage when sparring. My partner and I were a great match. I learned so much from him, and I feel that I gave him a solid presence to work with. Magic happens when you can do an exercise with someone that you "click" with. For me, one of the most interesting concepts was when Sensei Charley started sharing about the concept of "It's all Shotokan. It's all Jujitsu." He encouraged us to look at how full training in Martial arts brings one to an understanding that at a high point in training all movements are contained in all of the arts. It was a very enjoyable class, and ended far too soon.

Sensei Miguel Araballo gave forth a class that introduced us to the idea of "tunnel vision", and paralyzation when placed in a stressed moment. He had us working towards recognizing body movement, and responding to it in slow motion. We realized how we tended to speed up when defending. We'd tighten, and move our feet all over the place. Why? Why did we feel so inclined to do so when the attacker was moving in slow motion? That was an eye opening moment. Then, Sensei Miguel brought out some homemade padding which transformed him into a mega monster villian who challenged the student to learn how it feels to be accosted, and to have a feeling of panic, get past the fear, and to defend themselves. I volunteered to be suited up in this body armour, and to be another attacker. It was really difficult to move in that armour because the helmet part weighed close to 40 pounds. I found myself having difficulty to see through the little space offered to me. I think it is because I was shorter than Sensei Miguel. Here are some pictures of me being outfitted:





For your enjoyment, I also have a video of my experiences as the Mega attacker. I can't help but chuckle at how difficult it was for me to get back up once the student had struck me hard enough to unbalance me. They only had 5 seconds to successfully knock me off of my feet.



The camp ended on a wonderful high note. Sensei Bill Thornton, the MYB Representative for the state of Missouri, came and demonstrated to us the solid understanding of directions of defense during an attack. He showed us the weakness of certain movements, and the strength of others. More importantly, he showed us how important just "getting out of the way" is above achieving a good block. After this moment, he talked to us at length about our interior attitudes in training. I feel that this lecture was of equal importance to all of the physical training that we had done in the past two days. Sensei Bill reminded us of what is important, what will continue to inspire us, and what challenges lie before us as we walk the path of Martial arts. His words tied together all of the experiences that we had of building friendships, and trust between each other.

I walked away from this camp a lot more complete, a lot more aware, and a lot more filthy with grass stains, and ground in dirt. Oh my GOSH! I've got to tell you how badly dirty my gi was!!!!! It took 3 washings with bleach to get my gi back to reasonable shape! It was raining off and on during our camp, and we trained in the rain ( no problem for me ) but doing throws onto the grass in the rain just enhances the grass, and mud stains. My kids were in shock when they saw my Gi's condition. They have never ever seen their Mom's white ironed gi look so NASTY before.

Back from the very first experience of teaching at a karate camp

My past 5 days have been astounding! I travelled down to Independence, Missouri to attend, and teach at the Hoyukan Dojo Shotokan in the park Fall karate camp invited by Sensei Charley Porter. ( For those interested in where to find Hoyukan Dojo it's located at 529 us 24 Highway just outside of Kansas City.)





My husband and I were lucky enough to arrive early, and be able to participate in an Aikido class being taught by Sensei Doug Coulas. He revealed to us some basic wrist manipulations with take downs, and then proceeded to show us the more complex possibilities which could happen. It wasn't long that my husband and I were making many different and interesting sounds as we learned which direction our bodies would go to avoid the pain.

Afterwards, Sensei Michell Barnhart included us in his Jujitsu class. ( Yes, Steve, I got some interesting experience in ground work, and the complex strategies of this Art.) To my joy, my Kyokushin Self Defense training has had many similar aspects to what I was doing so I smoothly was able to put my partner into a controlled side mount. Sensei Michell came up to me encouraging me to "finish it off". I was totally confused, my mind was blank as to what he wanted me to do. I centered on thinking.. "hmm.. I wonder which part of her he would like me to strike.. I guess I can elbow strike her jawline..." Although, my solution seemed a little bit out of what was being taught so I decided to ask Sensei for clarification. Good thing that I did so... I was supposed to get her into an arm bar. OOOOOOoooooHH!

The next day, my husband and I were allowed to visit Sensei Howard High's Kobudo class being held in Kansas City. It was great! I met this wonderful lady at the registration desk whose eyes lit up with happiness when she talked. She recognized me from reading this blog. COOL! It is such a joy to meet and greet people who have enjoyed the various things that you write. Meeting her was a real high point on my trip.

I watched the Sword fighting class and took a few pictures. With Sensei High's permission, I can post them here:





It was awesome to watch Sensei High demonstrating, and instructing various swordsmanship. He showed how the opponent can be disarmed by just a small movement. I was honored to be able to meet the person who had founded the Cyberdojo Forum that I had been reading, and posting to for so many years. His teaching style is relaxed, and intricate. He guides his students with a gentle, calm, constant, and reliable hand. His main message throughout that class was to control the eyes, and where they were looking. I was surprised how similar the main ideas were with swordfighting, and with karate kumite. It truly opened up Sensei Gichin Funakoshi's phrase of "Think of your opponent's hands and feet as swords". By watching swordplay, it's amazing how much is revealed.

After those great opportunities to train under, and watch such experienced Sensei, it was now my turn to teach. My first ever moment of teaching at a seminar/ karate camp type of event. I felt those anxious butterflies, and yet there was a solid core of confidence that I would do well because I was prepared, and I would do my best.. How can it go wrong?

I taught the very first class of the camp with so many higher belts watching me as I led the warm up. I knew that I was being assessed as to my teaching skills, and I also knew that I couldn't think about that. I had a job to do, and so I centered on sharing what I had with the students. I focused my lesson on thinking about how our bodies move, and making them do what we want them to do. I geared the warm up to include some confusing, and challenging moments similar to patting your head with one hand, and rubbing your stomach with the other. It awakened the mind into wondering "Why is it that I can do this in this way, but not when I do it in the other way?" By the end of the hour class, I had the students performing reverse blocks to defend themselves. It was challenging, and enjoyable. I walked away feeling very good with what had just happened.

Our next class with Sensei Brian McGuinness was eye opening. He took the information that I had learned from Sensei Doug into a higher level, and helped me to understand how various movements can be used in so many different ways. He took a move from a kata, and revealed three levels of defense that were possible: Nice, not so nice, and nasty. I enjoyed seeing how adding just a little tweak here or there can change the level of a self defense movement.

The last class of Saturday was taught by Master Mike Kaylor from Springfield, Missouri of the Midori Yama Budokai Association of Leavenworth, Kansas. Master Kaylor was amazing. He was both gentle, and hard at the same time. He introduced me to Low Horse stance. I have always heard about this, I have seen pictures of it, but until now I had not been able see it in action. This day, due to the great training that I get under my Kyokushin Sensei, I achieved a low horse stance, and held it for awhile. I was quite satisfied with myself. The exercise wasn't too good on my damaged right hip though, so I kept lifting up for a second, stretching the hip slightly, and then lowering back down. Master Kaylor's lesson focused on the traditional 4 wrist stretches, and their practical applications in Aikido moves. I loved how he united the two so that it was so much easier to remember and bring the information home.

The "lesson" time of the camp was over, and now was the time for fishing, campfires, hiking, and fun. My husband and I went hiking and we took some pictures.. LOOK!

Giving advice

The more that I train in Martial arts the more I question the idea that the higher belt is expected to give unsolicited advice, and correction to the lower belts.

This is a difficult position to place both the higher, and lower belt student. For example, the lower belt student could be struggling with the concepts that were placed before them by their Instructor such as keeping their arms in control during a kick. Then the higher belt comes along and brings attention to other aspects that may need correction. This shifts attention to a different aspect than the one that the Instructor had wanted to see improvement. Instead of benefiting the student, and enhancing understanding on the concept that he/she was working upon, now the student is dividing their energy to try to meet all of the expectations.

It would have been better if the higher belt just allowed the lower belt to work on themselves at the speed, and direction of the Sensei. Usually it will happen that when the mind focuses attention on the arms, then the other parts of the body may look a little awkward for awhile until everything smooths out. To have a higher belt reminding, and reprimanding about those other aspects makes it difficult to focus energy where it is supposed to be focused.

The higher belt also is putting forth energy in the wrong direction. They become more centered on the performance of others than on their own training. Instead of learning the main lesson of the day, they are worried about other things that are happening around them.

Yes, it is good to offer help, especially when the other student is struggling, and becoming frustrated with their efforts. Sometimes, all that it takes, is a little pointer in the right direction, and then the other person has an "aha!" moment. Also, it is good to point out some things that the lower student is doing that could cause injury to themselves. But I have found that it is best to remind myself that I am not the Sensei of this class, and it isn't up to me to teach my fellow students, in fact, it is my centered goal to work on my own skills.

When I was teaching as a Sensei I had a goal for each class. Let's say that I would want to work on the student's speed, and therefore I would overlook any technical mistakes that may happen as the student worked on improving reflexes. I would find it a little frustrating when a higher belt would correct a lower belt at that moment because everything would slow down. I'd have to state out loud "Please remember....do not worry about technique, or the placement of your feet, but work on your reaction speed." Also, I found that the noise, and actions of the higher belt/ lower belt was distracting to the flow of the class. There were times where, as a Sensei, I would be explaining something to the class, and I'd have to stop, and wait for the higher belt to finish correcting the other student before I could continue what I was saying. I appreciated the higher belt's concern for his/her fellow student, and of course, the higher belt would notice that he/she was being distracting, and stop what they were doing. However, the effect happened, the flow of the class was affected, and we had to regroup to continue.

As a student, when I would warm up with kata before class, I would find it distracting, and bothersome to have higher belts come up to me to correct my kata. All I wanted was to "do" the kata, enjoy the effort, and warm up my muscles before class. I was not focused on improving the kata, or perfecting it. I wanted to "sing" the kata. There are times when one just sings a song regardless to how good they can sing, and then there are times when one works on improving the singing. During these moments, I truly wanted to tell the higher belt to "keep their advice to themselves." It ended up that I just refused to do kata in front of any higher belts unless I felt inclined to being corrected. Sure, I appreciated that the higher belts wanted to help me. It was nice to see them investing their time, and energy towards helping me improve, but during those "singing" moments, I didn't want to stop, and dissect.

Therefore, I've become less generous on advice now when I train with lower belts. I assess the moment, the goal of the Instructor, the atmosphere, and the look on the face of the person across from me. I ask myself "Does this person look like they would appreciate some help at this moment, or are they intending to figure this out on their own?" If I have any doubt, I will ask the person "Would you like me to give you some help here?" To my joy, I have had more than one white belt say truthfully, and even with a touch of gratitude, to me, "No.. no.. I would like to slow this down, and figure it out by myself right now." It was wonderful to see their honesty, and to be able to respect it. Later on, when that person was ready, they would approach me and say something like "O.K.. I got that part of it, but how do you do this?"

I believe that many higher belts have a "sempai" syndrome where they feel like that have to be a teacher. I do not believe that we have this role in the dojo. The Sensei is the teacher, not us. I would like to believe that we are more like facilitators. We give the lower belt students a good example of what to do, and how to do it. We offer ourselves as supports through encouragement, and even suggestions when needed. We train hard so that we can improve our knowledge, skills, and abilities. However, we need to remind ourselves that each student is paying the Sensei to teach them because they want to learn from him/her. We are the side dishes, not the main course.