Awareness

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When I hear some martial artist saying, “The first step in self-defense is being aware,” I go into anaphylactic shock. That phrase is the martial arts equivalent of the pointy-haired boss from the Dilbert comic strip telling you to “Work smarter, not harder.”

Worthless…absolutely worthless.

But then it continues with. “You need to look both ways before you put your keys in the car,” and, “You need to have an escape route.” OK, all well and good, but I want to take you a little further. Gavin Debecker’s book, “The Gift of Fear” presents two key points:

1) Trust your gut reaction

2) Criminals are clever and very good at what they do

Then he dives into the breakdown of those two points, demonstrating the permutations of criminal behavior, and carefully outlines the types and actions they will take. He instructs readers how to recognize pattern and form to give their gut reaction credence.

The recognition of pattern is a form of wisdom.

Here is a drill you can do:

How many times have you been to an event (sports, and concerts are best) when you see or hear some yelling, and everybody looks and turns toward the disturbance? That is a disruption of pattern - get it? So, now you need to get better by watching for the small disturbance, and by that I mean what doesn’t fit, what is slightly out of place, and then put it in the context of the moment. You can ask yourself a lot of questions, but the best one to ask is what every method actor in the world has been trained to ask, “What is my motivation?” See the disturbance and find the motive. Could the motive be violence to another? Violence to protect themselves? Rage? Alcohol? Drugs?

Now, of course, this is a science and I can’t address the totality of it in a brief post, and there are numerous books and seminars on this as it is an art unto itself, but I feel better now having spouted off.

P.S. If you have not followed Debecker, or want a refresher here you are:

THE WUDAO (BUDO) SPIRIT

If you don’t know who Phillip Starr is, well here is your chance. He is a great guy and has a ton of knowledge. You can find his books and more information on him and his art here: Amazon.com --- Kris

It was during my last year of high school back in 1967 that I decided to attend Tokyo University. I frankly didn't care one whit about which university I attended; I wanted to go to Japan and study the martial arts - especially karate. I wrote to Master Masutatsu ("Mas") Oyama, who was the founder of the Kyokushin style of karate. I held a black belt grade in his system and discovered that he allowed a certain number of foreigners to live in the honbu dojo (headquarters training hall) each year. I had visions of waking up, cleaning the dojo, working out for a short time before breakfast...what a life! Ah, but life had different plans for me.

I was accepted at Tokyo University and Mr. Oyama actually wrote me back and invited me to stay at his dojo...but try as I might, I couldn't get enough money put together to bring this dream into reality. I still have that letter that the legendary "god-hand' (Mr. Oyama) sent me. One of his statements stuck in my head and it's still there. For some years I couldn't figure out exactly what he meant but as I matured and kept training, I came to understand it. He wrote, "I always look forward to teaching my foreign students in Japan. The most important thing for them to learn while they are here is spirit..." He said that it was the most difficult thing to teach Westerners.

What Master Oyama was talking about has nothing to do with religion, ghosts, or any of that sort of thing. What he was referring to is the very glue that holds together each aspect of the martial ways of the East. It is very a very real, almost palpable thing although it cannot be weighed, measured, seen, heard, or tasted... But without it, there are no true martial arts - just exercise and dance routines. You cannot really understand this concept through intellectualizing about it. Talking or reading about it may help you acquire a basic grasp of its meaning but to truly know it you must experience it directly. It isn't something that you try to experience from time to time - it's something that has to be strengthened, refined, and lived every day. To find a simple definition of it is far from simple. It is a striving for perfection - perfection of technique, perfection of form, perfection of physical skill - and these lead to perfection of character, proper behavior, correct etiquette at all times, and consideration and respect for yourself and others.

You don't seek perfection only within the boundaries of your chosen martial art. At first, that seems to be the goal but with time, introspection, and incessant training, you seek perfection in everything you do. It begins with relentless training of the body, which leads to training and refinement of the mind. This means training daily. In the East, it's understood and accepted that training in any martial discipline is going to be painful and new students accept that (for the most part). In the West, things are very different. In our society, any form of discomfort is to be avoided.

If training in aikido or kendo or any other martial form results in bumps, bruises, sprains, strains, and other assorted "ouchies", we either discontinue practicing until we feel that we're properly healed up or we might quit altogether. In short, we're wimps. The find and develop this spirit, you must train daily even when you don't feel like it. You have to push yourself and find the strength to go on even when your body or mind feels like giving up. Now, I'm not encouraging you to practice when you have a serious injury or illness.

Spirited training doesn't mean that you should be foolish...but it does mean being mature, tough, and unwilling to accept anything short of perfection. It means that you're unwilling to accept any excuses that you make up for yourself as to why you just can't practice every day, why your punch, kick, iai kata, or whatever, just isn't up to snuff. No excuse is acceptable...to you. It means being a useful and productive member of your community and society. It means being sincere and honest, and it means being honorable and standing up for what is right. It's not something that you strive to develop and feel only when you don your practice uniform or attend your martial arts class. If that's what you're doing, then you're just playing "make believe" and your training will come to nothing. You either dive in head-first and immerse yourself in it or you stay out of it altogether. It's not something that you can do on a part-time basis.

You have to want to learn badly enough that you won't allow anything (I repeat...anything) to stand in your way. Words like "quit" are not a part of your vocabulary when speaking of your training or doing anything else that you set your hand and mind to do. To you, such ideas are shameful and unacceptable. This kind of constant training will reveal to you, as well as your teacher and many of your classmates, much about your personal makeup. All of the ugliness and flaws, as well as the beauty of your personality and spirit will be laid bare. Your true self will be unveiled. This can be more than a little unnerving but it is part and parcel of traveling the path of the martial ways. You must determine that even if your desire to learn should lead you to your own death, you'll do it. I know this probably sounds a bit melodramatic but that's how it truly is. The price for learning and acquiring a high level of skill in genuine martial arts can be very high and it involves much more than dollars and cents.

Contact Info: Email: pdstarr@cox.net

Black Eyes and Mat Rash

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The other day I stood up off the mat and I knew that I was going to be sporting some bruises from the grabbing and twisting of my gi. The guy I got up off of was looking through a swollen eye, and we both had grins on our faces, because a quick cat and mouse game of ne-waza (ground work) had come to an end.

The next day his eye was a little swollen and my upper arms and chest had some nice purple discolorations and a few scratches. “Macho!,” you scream, “You idiots are doing nothing but macho head butts!” Well, I would have to disagree with your charge. Let me explain the difference. Nobody was hurt, we worked fast and strong, but nobody needed ice, or a wrap, or a doctor for that matter. And that is the difference. None of the minor rashes we had would stop us from competing that weekend - in any sport. Conversely if you are saying, “Yeah I would like to compete but I was training so hard that I separated my shoulder.” Then that is macho and it deserves to be called out.

Look, injuries, accidents, mishaps, happen but training to the point of consistent and constant injury – that is wrong. Does the National Football League train like that? Nope; in fact, I would like you to point to any professional sport that trains recklessly, because they don’t. Money is on the line with the pros and that - is - the - bottom - line. You should be just as smart. A black eye and some mat rash are part of fun training, true injury is not. Know the difference.

A Prophet in Your Own Land

There is an old saying that a person cannot be a prophet in his or her own land. Moreover, it is actually quite true, and speaks to a very pervasive attitude that most of us, I will assume, have succumbed to at one time or another.

A personal example that comes to mind concerns a guy on my local sports radio station named Softy. I often listen to sports radio – even though my teams are terrible I cannot help myself.

So, one day I was in the dojo cleaning up and listening to Softy on the radio. It occurred to me, “I remember Softy when he was an intern, doing all the odd jobs, bad slots and fill in work that this station needed, and today he has a prime morning spot." At one point in the broadcast, I found myself disagreeing with what he had to say regarding one of the local sports teams. I said to myself, "I knew you when you were an intern, you don’t know what you are talking about!" Frankly, that was just wrong on my part. I was trying to force Softy back into a slot in time that he had long outgrown. Why? Because, if he was once just the intern, his position was not credible, you follow? I put him down, if only in my own head, to make him fit my line of thinking.

Often times, I think that we see martial artists in the same light. We say things like, “I remember training with him way back when he was 10 years old." That is true, but he has gotten older, better and probably is still in his prime. While hopefully you have gotten older, and better, but you might just have edged past your own prime.

I guess what I am really getting at is that instead of living in the past, and judging people on what they were doing, or were capable of, when you first met them, it is really important to accept them for who they are today, whether it be in the role of a young college student, a first-time parent, or somebody who's left the nest and started their own martial arts school.

By taking people at current value as well as in the context of how far they’ve come we get a far better picture of their worth. We may also find that this time around they may have something to teach us.

Guest Blog by Wim Demeere - Extreme Unsportsmanlike Behaviour!

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Some people say you know you’re getting older when you no longer understand the young people. Though I’m only ten years older than Serena Williams, I’m at a loss for her actions during Saturday’s semi-finals of the 2009 US Open. She displayed extreme unsportsmanlike behaviour. On top of that, she was incredibly rude and proved to be one of the things I hate the most, a bully: It’s just a bit too easy to take out your frustrations on somebody who isn’t allowed to talk back or do anything about your threats. That line judge is not allowed to do anything but stay quiet and run to the umpire to tell what happened and Serena full well knew it.
Imagine her cussing like that to a street thug in the bad part of town. Wait, you can’t because she wouldn’t do that. She’d know full well he’d not just sit there and take it like the line judge did. Like I said, a bully.

Since this happened, I’ve heard all sorts of arguments to defend Serena’s actions:
• It wasn’t a foot fault.
• Even if it was, calling one at match point in a semi-final is simply not done.
• The line judge is a racist.
• The Williams sisters are systematically boycotted by judges and umpires.

Now all of the above may be true but here’s what happened:
She threatened and cussed out the line judge like a sailor who just got told he can’t get shore leave after six months on ship.

Regardless of any mitigating circumstances (I know about what happened with her and Capriati) she crossed the line with her threats and verbal tirade. In any sporting event, you accept that there are referees and rules. If you have half a brain, you know that bad calls and decisions will happen. Sometimes they’re in your favour, other times not but they a part of the game. Go to any karate tournament or watch a boxing match and you’ll see truckloads of bad decisions by the referees. I’ve had my share too:
• In the first tournament I entered, I got to the finals and lost on points. Turned out the referee was my opponent’s coach. That probably explained why he got away with kneeing me in the groin with such enthusiasm.
• At the European cup in Moskou, I spent several minutes waiting for a decision by the judges after the last round. I won that one. But later I heard the officials were trying everything in their power to have me lose as my opponent was Russian and the world champion at that time.
• At the world championships the year after, that same Russian did an illegal armbar right in front of the judges and referee. They didn’t even give him a warning. I lost that fight; not because of the armbar but I still lost.

In all of these incidents, I kept my mouth shut and didn’t throw a temper tantrum at the judges. Simply because doing so would have had consequences. First of all, I’d have been disqualified. In almost all of the current martial arts competitions, you get penalized for just talking to the referee. I’ve yet to see a fighter cuss at the referee or judges like that but he’d get tossed out of the tournament in a heartbeat.
But more importantly, that’s not how a competitor and martial artist act. We’re supposed to display self control and good judgement. You disagree with a call? Go lodge a complaint via the established protocols. That’s what they’re there for.

Now before you get the wrong idea, martial artists are only human like everybody else. I’ve lost my temper with people before, sometimes in the worst way, and will probably make even more mistakes in the future. We’re all nothing but ordinary sinners in that regard. But I’ve always respected the judges, referees and my opponents in the ring and I teach my students the same thing:
• They have to salute their opponents, regardless of the outcome of the fight.
• The same goes for saluting the judges and referee.
• They don’t get to act like arrogant, show-off prima donnas. If they do anyway, they get one warning. Second offense means they get booted from my school.

A competition is a test of skill and will. It should be a celebration of the human spirit and a showcase of what our bodies are capable of with hard training. In martial arts, these competitions take on an extra dimension as your techniques can cause permanent injury or even death to your opponent. The only thing that differentiates you from a common thug is your behaviour and fair play. This is even more important if you make a living in the ring, the cage or on the mat.

What Serena Williams seems to have forgotten is that as a professional athlete, you’re in a privileged position: you get paid to do what you love most. In her case, the monetary rewards are astronomical. Perhaps her sportsmanship should then be at the same level.

Here is more information about Wim. He is pleasant, bright, and the real deal. If you are not following his work your missing out.

About Wim Demeere

Wim Demeere started his training in the martial arts at age 14 with the study of judo and ju jitsu. After a short while he switched to a traditional Chinese style called Hung Chia Pai... (more)

www.wimsblog.com
www.wimdemeere.com

Bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?

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Sterling Hayden 1916 –1986 was an actor and author. At six feet five inches his forte in acting was the western, and many great film noir. He was in Dr. Strangelove , and The Godfather and many other films. Hayden, always considered acting a way financing his adventures. Read his words from his autobiography, “Wanderer.” and see if you have any resonance with his comments.

“To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise, you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen who play with their boats at sea... cruising, it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about. "I've always wanted to sail to the south seas, but I can't afford it." What these men can't afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of security. And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine - and before we know it our lives are gone. What does a man need - really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in - and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That's all - in the material sense, and we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention for the sheer idiocy of the charade. The years thunder by, the dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed. Where, then, lies the answer? In choice. Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?”

Here is a short interview by a French company - stay with it it goes to English for those of you who don't speak French, (like me).

Leaving the Dojo

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Well, the building that the West Seattle Karate Academy is located in has gone up for sale. That means that the dojo is moving…a whole three long blocks down the street.

The new space is a little bigger, a little nicer, and right next to my chiropractor, not bad. Standing in the dojo the other night, alone, I was taking account of what needed to be done to get the move going. And then the moment turned into a sentimental accounting.

Looking over to my right I saw the window that Ito threw Devin into and that spot is where Devin used duct tape and paper towels to stop the bleeding from the glass. “Oh yeah!”…I turned and looked at the other window Lawrence Kane broke. There is the cabinet that I kicked…”Mmm, never did replace that broken door. “ “Aahhh, the wall that Ito threw Tony into, man, that left a big hole.” I ran my hands over that back wall seeking any incongruence or bump; “Oh yeah that is where I punched through the wall.” My hand moved more; “Huh…I don’t remember that one…big, too.”

I stood up, nose to the air; I could smell the late-night cooking from the catering company next door. When we moved in almost a decade ago the catering company was a tattoo parlor, a tattoo parlor that sold weed out of the back. I remember having to close the back door on some summer nights to keep the ganja smoke from wafting into the dojo.

The area above the door where we store the mats, yeah, those mats cover the .22 caliber bullet hole in the window. Heading for the front door to leave I stopped to look at the floor; the wood floor we laid down almost nine years ago had held up well. I then started to recall the occasional throw-up and the getting down on the floor to bleach and scrub up the blood from lips, noses and cuts.

When I review what I have written it sounds like a horrible place, a place populated by irresponsible, macho jerks. But no, no it is not. If that were true then the dojo would be closed because nobody would train at the West Seattle Karate Academy. I would say instead that these stories are just a result of focused training and the, oh, let’s call it the “uneven character of the neighborhood.”

Well ,the new dojo is going to be great – a great facility and a great place for focused training. And, as always, if you are in Seattle, bring your dogi, you are always welcome.