Working Hard and Being Tough

Post By: Lee Phelan

Recently we all received a letter from Sensei Harp explaining a concept of "old school" training. I have also noticed during my time as a sensei that upper belts often have questions concerning the requirements for black belt, especially once everything in the back of their book is checked off. Often the response to these inquiries is vague and abstract, since it is difficult to put these higher level requirements into words.

However, I believe things can be made much simpler, especially in light of Sensei Harp's letter. Students in the martial arts need to work hard and be tough. I don't necessarily mean cranking out a hundred handstand push-ups or walking on broken glass. There are many other things students and teachers can do to meet these two concepts.

As soon as you enter the floor, get to work. Do not talk about that jerk at work, how much homework you have, or your annoying relatives. I realize this can be difficult, especially when friendships develop within the dojo. But remember, the only talk should be about martial arts. So unless you have a specific question about a technique or kata, start working.

Come to class with the intention of doing your best. If you have an injury or condition you think will hamper you, either stay home or readjust what you are doing the best you can. Complaining to a Sensei or other students will only give you an excuse to take it easy, which negates both concepts.

Think about your uniform. If you only have a lightweight gi, consider switching to a heavy weight. The heavy weight gis will help with your training. It makes performing strong techniques irresistible, since hearing that nice SNAP becomes addicting. It also helps get you in the right mindset, just like wearing formal dress for an important event.

Keep the smiling and giggling down to a minimum. Some humor and being friendly is fine, but be careful not to take it too far. If you are laughing or talking with your partner more than you are working, you may have a problem.

Face your fears. If sparring is scary for you, do it anyway, but without showing your fear. Acting afraid of your opponent will only give them power. I think it is important to continually challenge your fears. For me facing my fears through sparring is a huge affirmation to my martial arts training. Yes, you read that right. There are people I spar with who scare me.  

Everyone struggles with these concepts, and no one is perfect. It takes effort and a strong sense of character to start practicing while others are talking, or to put on the heavy weight gi when it is eighty degrees outside. However, your training both physically and mentally will greatly improve, and your goals will become even closer to your grasp. 

Photo by: Teerapun

Awareness in Every Direction

Post By: Sensei Kris Green  
 
This is, I hope, the first of several posts related to a common theme: the 
karate code. And while the code is Okinawan in origin and derived from and for 
karate, it applies equally well to any martial art. Isshinryu’s founder, Master 
Shimabuku, adapted the Code of Karate from an ancient text on empty-hand 
fighting called The Bubishi. This code is a set of eight precepts that a 
karateka is encouraged to consider, interpret, and reinterpret as he or she 
develops through the art. 
 
1. A person’s heart is the same as heaven and earth. 
2. The blood circulating is similar to the moon and sun. 
3. The manner of drinking and spitting is either hard or soft. 
4. A person’s unbalance is the same as weight. 
5. The body should be able to change directions at any time. 
6. The time to strike is when opportunity presents itself. 
7. The eye must see all sides. 
8. The ear must listen in all directions. 
 
Here, I’d like to focus on the last two precepts: “The eye must see all sides” 
and “The ear must listen in all directions.” I want to consider them together 
because they are very similar, and yet that similarity often hides a much deeper 
interpretation. 
 
On the surface, these two seem to be very applicable to self defense. After all, 
how can one defend against opponents if you are not aware of their presence? If 
you only look forward, you cannot see the enemy hiding just beyond the doorway 
to the right. You may miss the sound of footsteps behind you as a malcontent 
approaches. Not to mention the threats that may come from above as someone drops 
from the ceiling, or below as the floor shifts, slides or falls out from under 
you. 
 
After reading many interpretations of these two precepts, it seems that most 
people stop there. And yet that ignores the profound philosophical side to these 
precepts. Lately, Sensei has been working with us specifically on developing 
awareness. Certainly these precepts speak to the importance of visual and 
auditory awareness of one’s surroundings. But there are two other directions in 
which we must see and hear. 
 
Notice that all the above awareness is focused externally, on one’s opponent or 
potential opponents. Basically, it teaches us to be productively paranoid. But 
we must also listen and see internally. Listen to our own breathing for signs 
that we are tense. See one’s stance and guard from the opponent’s perspective. 
Be aware of one’s awareness and where our attention is located. Listen to our 
intentions, and let go of them as needed. 
 
The other direction is one that normal people might not think of as a direction. 
But I’m a physicist/mathematician by training, so thinking of time as a 
direction is second nature. We must see the future and the past. I’m not talking 
about mystical mumbo-jumbo here. I’m talking about hearing and seeing our 
previous and possible future selves. What did the old me want to get out of my 
training? Have I accomplished it? What will the me of ten years from now want to 
be able to do? How can I help him get there? We are like the stream: the water 
is always changing, but the stream remains. Our self is always changing, and our 
perception of past, present, and future selves is always changing. We must be 
aware of these as well, for we train not just for now but forever. This applies 
every minute of our training – if throw a technique that is good or bad, we must 
move past it and look to the next technique, rather than getting stuck on what 
has already happened. 

Photo By: Idea Go

The Importance of Open Sparring Classes at Harp Karate

Post By: Lee Phelan

One of the things that makes our dojo truly unique is our open sparring class. This is something that many of us have grown accustomed to and may not fully appreciate. A couple of years ago I asked permission from Sensei to check out some sparring classes offered at other schools, which he seemed to happily encourage. Allow me to again express my appreciation for our sparring class.

First of all, very few dojos have open sparring classes. The ones that were willing to let a foreigner in were, well, unique. Some were more open than others. There was one dojo that had to first gain permission from their head Sensei, who required my name, age, rank, number of years training, tournament history, and gender. After two weeks I was allowed into their inner sanctum. The atmosphere at this particular dojo was very competitive. Despite the full gear I was required to wear, I still left bruised and battered. Another observation I made were the lack of female students who were actually participating in the sparring. There was only one, and she was serving water from a cooler to the guys. (Lee takes a deep breath and calms down, repressing the urge to jump into a feminist rant.)

Another dojo I ventured to was very laid back during their sparring class. Uniforms it seemed, were optional. Which made it difficult to tell who was a beginner and who was advanced. After a brutal warm-up we went back and fourth between sparring and bag work, with Limp Bizkit blasting from a stereo the entire time. Students were allowed at any time to stop and partake in energy drinks which were in a mini fridge on the dojo floor. While I was curious about what 288 mg of caffeine would do to my sparring, I ultimately decided to pass.

One of the strangest dojos I went to was actually a Kung Fu school. Everyone was very respectful there, and I enjoyed the group meditation before we started. Off in one corner of their training floor was a guy with a giant drum. Drum guy would provide a tempo which we had to correspond our techniques with. The result was a bunch of mechanical and robotic movements. This actually could have been a fun training exercise if the beat had changed at any point during the hour of sparring.

Our school has an excellent atmosphere for sparring. We have the freedom to go at our own pace, to advocate for ourselves, and to learn. If you want to work on slow sparring, you can! If you want to throw on gear and train with stronger techniques, you can do that as well!  

Appreciate our open sparring class, participate and learn from the experience.

Photo By: Ken Smith

Switching Styles: Aiki and Karate

Post By: Lee Phelan

For the month of September Karate students had the opportunity to switch over and try some Aiki classes. I have also been practicing Aiki a couple nights a week for approximately a year or so. Even though these arts are practiced under the same roof, they are very different, and switching between them is no easy task.

Sensei Kris is the one who pointed out one major difference that tends to perplex karate students. In karate, you can really feel the devastation of a correct technique. For example, if you kick a bag or mitt with a perfectly balanced and executed roundhouse kick, you can see and feel the strength of it. The punching bag swings back with a deep THRUMP and you feel like you could hold your kick in the chamber and deliver yet another technique. Aiki is much more subtle. When done correctly, gravity does more “work” than the practitioner when it comes to throws. Controls are more about alignment than wrenching certain joints one way or another.

It is never easy switching styles. Even similar arts like Karate and Taekwondo or Aikido and Judo have some major and unexpected differences. It takes a bit of effort to put aside familiarity and muscle memory in order to learn something entirely new. It also takes some humility to adjust and take in instruction on concepts or techniques you thought you knew.

So this is a congratulatory post for the karate students who ventured onto the Aiki mat in September, and for the Aiki instructors who patiently shared their knowledge and insight. I also want to commend the Aiki students who have come to sparring classes. Aiki practitioners are excellent sparring partners, despite coming from an art that has little traditional sparring instruction. 

Photo by: Ken Smith