But What If...

Post By: Sensei Lee

I think one of the most common questions I hear as a Sensei is "But what if...?"

"But what if someone grabs you this way?"
"But what if the have a knife?"
"But what if they are on drugs and don't feel it when you hit them?"
"But what if they hit you with the other hand while you're escaping the grab?"

There are countless "But what if's...?" in life in general, and certainly these questions are bound to come up during training. In fact, it is good to be questioning. It shows that you are thinking about your martial art techniques and not simply following through the motions blindly.

Training in any martial art does not guarantee that you will conquer a gang of goons like Bruce Lee by delivering one perfectly executed technique to each bad guy. It means that should a threatening situation arise, that you are better prepared to handle it than the average person who has no training.

Lets say you are leaving a crowded theater when a fight breaks out. Suddenly an angry, violent, and out of control individual comes hurtling at you and your loved one. Your training can do a few different things for you. Perhaps because of your training, you heard the sounds of a fight and recognized it for what it was ahead of time. Martial arts training could allow you to get yourself and your loved one out of the situation before you inadvertently become stuck in the middle of it. Maybe you were able to get your loved one out of the way and divert most of the blow from this attacker while managing to subdue them with a couple of well timed strikes. Or maybe you heard the attacker coming and had enough time to meet their blow and throw them to the ground with an imperfect but effective Koshi Nage. Or maybe as they were coming at you...

There are thousands of scenarios you can work through. This is in part because of your training, you understand all the different ways a situation like this could play out. In contrast, someone with no martial arts experience would likely not even recognize what was going on until it was too late.

In real life, a self defense situation is never going to work the way it does in the dojo. An attacker will not grab you the same way, react the way you are used to, or necessarily respond to a foot stomp. However, after training for a number of years you start to develop a kind of martial arts 6th sense. You recognize what way joints move and what ways they do not. As openings present themselves you strike without really thinking about it. Awareness is what prepares you to react to an attack accordingly, even if it is not exactly like the way we practice in circle attacks.

This awareness comes from practice and time. One of my favorite Sensei told me something back when I was a green belt that I still think about today: "Cry in the dojo, laugh on the battlefield." I love that saying, and think about it often.

Photo By: Dan Hucko 

Solitary Training

Post By: S Lee

We are all happy to get to practice and see a group of people ready to work hard! Their energy helps keep us going. Seeing people you enjoy working with is always a bonus as well. However, solitary training is also valuable.

Training by yourself can seem boring at first. You also may worry about practicing things incorrectly. But the benefits of this kind of practice outweigh the potential risks. Going through techniques on your own can give you insight you would not normally have gained working in  group. Your focus becomes internalized, forcing you to examine yourself more than you would in a class full of people. As we progress, this is also how we develop our own art, as opposed to doing a kata or technique a certain way because we were told to do so. This might mean seeing other possible applications of the techniques, such as transforming a simple side-block reverse punch combination into an arm break in Seisan Kata. Solitary training is also when you have an opportunity to be experimental. You can freely play around with weapons, techniques, and drills without worrying about possibly messing up and being embarrassed. I spent a week drilling the "suicide" nunchaku move by myself before attempting it in front of other people, not wanting them to see me bash myself in the head with the things. Committing to a seigan is a great outlet for solitary training. Unless you are able to make it to the dojo every single day for classes, you will end up doing some of your training alone.

Lone training can help you develop into a stronger martial artist. Overcome any trepidation you may have about practicing techniques incorrectly. Working on your own is an excellent opportunity to really examine yourself.

Photo By: Ken Smith

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

It's Not Too Late

Post By: Ken Smith

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have your entire martial arts career laid out in front of you in your own words? Your challenges, your accomplishments, your “ahah moments”?  Well, although it may too late to capture it all from the beginning, it'’s not too late to start now, because only the past is certain. The future is yet to be written.

Keeping a journal of your training can add a level of depth in your understanding of the techniques as well as understanding of yourself.  You can use it to remember key points that were taught during class or to jot down questions for Sensei later. Sometimes there'’s a certain technique that suddenly just “works” because some little adjustment you make. Write it down!  While it's still relevant to the state of mind you’re in, it’s easier to remember.  For some, jotting down what they value from the practice right after class can be easiest. For others, choosing another time later in the day can work better. It doesn’t matter when.  Just try it.

With all the electronic means today to record just about anything, keeping a journal about important things in your life is easier than ever.  But something as simple as a pen and pad of paper can add a lasting dimension to a part of your life that would otherwise be left to memory.  You can do it anyway you choose.  Jot down words, phrases, concepts, even the occasional humorous description by a Sensei. For example “ "Being centered with the uke is the way to be. It’s the string cheese of life”." I guess you had to be there, but thanks to Sensei Jay for that classic moment in Aiki class May 9^th 2009. Now that classic moment lives on permanently “out there” on the Internet thanks to my journal. 

Maybe you can take this moment as your start of your journal similar to when I mentioned to Sensei, “ "I wish I had written down stuff I’ve learned from when I started."”  He said “ "Why not start now, it’s not too late.”"  And it’s not. Try it for a week. After a week, look at what you wrote and I bet that it helps all those important bits of info soak in deeper to the places they belong in your training. If not, then maybe you can just forget the whole thing….

Photo By: Nattavut

Seigans and Commitment

Post by: Kris Green 

On this, the 950th day of my Seigan, I find myself wondering what has helped me

continue with my commitment? I’m not doing it for a record; it’s a personal 
challenge. 
 
Some of what’s kept me going is definitely an obsessive personality trait. 
That’s the part that has me log each class. (That’s how I know that I’m 
averaging just over 63 minutes per day.) Mostly though, it’s the desire to 
improve myself physically, mentally and emotionally that’s kept me going. 
 
I started simple, challenging myself to keep an official seigan going. Then I 
tried to bump it and do an hour each day. It doesn’t always work: sometimes I’m 
sick or injured or too busy or make other excuses and only get in 30 or 45 
minutes. But I always feel a little bad about it the next day – there’s the 
obsessive part of me. A half hour sometimes feels like I haven’t quite gotten 
what I want out of my workout, especially since I’ve started trying to bring 
more balance to them. 
 
A big key for me is variety. For a while I achieved this by making each day’s 
workout different. I’d do my kata as slowly as possible one day (I made the 
motion-sensing lights in a racquetball court turn off and stay off while doing 
kata once!) The next day, I might try to get power out of the kata, or focus on 
my stances or balance. Or really envision all the attackers and different ways 
to apply the movements. Some days I’d do a thousand kicks, or a thousand 
punches, or both to work on stamina. 
 
Recently, though, instead of doing the same thing for the entire workout, I’ve 
started to bring variety into each day. I’ll break the hour up into segments, 
like three 20-minute segments or four 15-minute segments. Then each segment gets 
a different focus. I may do one segment for conditioning, one to go over the 
most recent moves from kenjitsu, one to run through some self-defense moves, and 
one to work on my kata for third degree. It’s amazing how quickly the time 
passes. 
 
Another trick is to add in a little outside element to your training. For 
example, if you like to watch cartoons, have them playing while you work out and 
make them part of the workout. Scenes change quickly in cartoons, and every time 
the scene changes, you could swap to a new sparring combination, or add in an 
extra punch or kick to the head of your imaginary opponent. 
 
Anything we do in class is a potential source for a workout, and everything can 
be modified for different situations. Try doing all you upper body basics 
sitting in a chair, or doing the lower basics from seiza. 
 
Start small, build up, and pretty soon you’ll realize that you’ve made it 100 
days or more! Keep a record of your workouts so that you can vary them and to 
encourage you to remember to do it. 
 

Photo by: Salvatore Vuono 

The Law and Martial Arts

Post By Pete Smith 

One of the first requirements for Black Belt is to be able to explain the legal implications of self-defense. I hope that will I never have to use my skills in self-defense. I try to be smart about people, places and things, and I avoid the types of situations that would put me in danger. But even in our routine suburban lives, we may not know when or from what direction a threat may arise! I travel for business so I am not always in familiar surroundings. If I am attacked or drawn into a fight, will I have time to stop and ponder these questions about the law? Probably not, so that is why it is good to review this very important topic.

Have you ever been in a fight or witnessed a fight take place? Maybe back in high school, out by the flag pole? Or at a Bills game, after they lose? On a downtown street or outside a bar? Did you have to use your martial arts skills? Were kicks used or were the police involved? When the fighting stops, the law will get involved and the battle moves into the courtroom, where different rules apply. When is self-defense appropriate? How much force is too much? When should we back down? When does self-defense cross the line and become an attack? Is a karate student viewed differently by the courts? Of course, if you are ever pulled into court, there is no substitute for good legal counsel.

To further muddy the waters, criminal law and self-defense varies from state to state. For example, a deadly weapon is a gun or other instrument, substance, or device, which is used or intended to be used in a way that is likely to cause death. Under New York State Penal Law, a person is guilty of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree when he or she possesses any firearm, electronic dart gun, electronic stun gun, gravity knife, switchblade knife, pilum ballistic knife, metal knuckle knife, cane sword, billy, blackjack, bludgeon, plastic knuckles, metal knuckles, chuka stick, sand bag, sand club, wrist-brace type slingshot or slungshot, shirken or "Kung Fu star”. One example I have of a deadly weapon is a piece of thick, braided copper electrical cable that I was given by contractor on a job site. He told me that his philosophy was “it is better to be judged by twelve than carried by six”.

There are many aspects of criminal law that are available for future discussion: the definition of criminal liability; lethal and non-lethal use of force; civil liability; assault and battery; the use of deadly weapons; the doctrine of self-defense including the Castle Doctrine; and examples of case law involving martial arts. Until then, remember that is always better to avoid a situation whenever possible: if there is a safe avenue of retreat, use it (regardless of jurisdiction).

Photo by Simon Howden 

Balancing Exercise and Inner Training

Like many people, I use martial arts as a way to get a good workout. I've always joked that without karate, I would probably weigh about 500 pounds. Going through katas full power, snapping the bo around, and blasting through the punching bag all provide an excellent workout. So does sparring at a fast and intense pace. At one point I believed if I didn't leave the dojo with a sweat-soaked uniform, that I didn't work hard enough and had wasted the class.

After receiving my black belt, I realized that there was a lot more to training than pushing these physical limits. It is one thing to fly through katas, but it is another to actually feel the moves and to understand them. This higher level training is only possible to achieve by going through things slowly and methodically. The same goes for sparring. The only way you can improve and eliminate bad habits is to slow down and cut out all the unnecessary movements. To ask yourself "Why did I just throw that front kick?"

That being said, there is also a place for physical exercise in martial arts training. Without endurance and muscular development you will not last very long performing katas, while sparring, or in self defense. Push-ups, sit-ups, squat-thrusts, and bag training help turn our bodies into efficient tools capable of delivering devastating power when necessary. Having the ability to sprint or run away from an altercation is just as important.

I believe that you need both components in order to be a well-rounded martial artist. The difficulty is managing to balance them out. Sadly, most of us do not have the luxury of being able to train at a gym for a couple of hours, and then to train in the dojo. So how do we work in both sides of our training?

Training on your own is very important. Getting to class early or staying late and slowly going through katas is always a good idea. Even 15 minutes will make a difference.

Vary your goals during sparring. Pick a few rounds to slow down and to work with your partner, regardless of their rank.

Take advantage of the endurance training during class. Perform all these exercises to the best of your ability and without any excuses.

Think about martial arts during the day. One thing I love doing is looking at people walking by or standing in line at Wegmans, and imagining how I would best unbalance them.

I'm sure there are other ways to fit in both sides of martial arts training. Feel free to share your own ideas and methods!  

Photo by Federico Stevanin