The Indulgent Samurai

Kumite Tips #10...Use Your Peripheral Vision for lightning fast reaction time...

2009-04-11T15:52:00.000-07:00

Learn to develop your peripheral vision.

The first thing you have to do is to become "aware" that your peripheral vision can be used to enhance, not your minds, but your body's reaction to your opponents movements.

As mentioned in earlier Kumite Tips, your thinking mind is your worst enemy, when sparring, even more so than a real opponent.

Your true friend is your body and so by enlarging its field of view through peripheral training, you can literally see things happening that your normal vision and thinking mind would miss completely.

By utilizing your peripheral vision, your body will react twice as fast to movement than your normal visual perception could ever hope to achieve. Faster perception of movement means faster analysis and response to your opponents attack.

There are many ways to enhance your peripheral vision, simply Google it and you will have more than enough information to get you started. You'll find different focal points for your gaze from various martial artists, everything from your opponents eyes, to his neck to looking into the distance. Try them all and see which gives you the best overall perception.

The key is to be able to see your opponent from head to toe from a certain distance, of course when you are sparring in close, your perceptual field will be smaller.

This ability to see everything that your opponent is doing will improve your Kumite sparring skills by at least 100%, guaranteed.

Once you've mastered that you've only got your posture, stance, distancing and the correct time to execute a technique left to master...

...more on those aspects of freestyle sparring later.

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RJF

Foot Blisters from Martial Arts...

2009-03-22T09:31:00.000-07:00

This is a great tip for Martial Artists of all kinds that get foot blisters.

I just discovered this great product called "new skin-liquid bandage". It's really a flexible antiseptic bandage that protects and heals your blisters once you get one.

The cool part is that, if your prone to blisters, like I am, especially on my big toe and pad of my foot, you can apply "new skin" before you train.

If you apply it a couple of times before you hit the Dojo floor, it literally gives you 2 extra layers of skin. That's 2 extra layers of skin that will get worn off before you start to wear your own skin out.

I don't get any residuals from the makers of "new skin", but if they wanted to send me some bucks for endorsing their product, I wouldn't turn them down.

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RJF

Kumite Strategy # 3...The "Way of the Warrior" is resolute acceptance of death....

2008-05-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

Kumite Strategy # 2..Know Yourself and Know your Opponent. Part One

2008-03-29T09:12:00.000-07:00

Kumite Strategy # 1

2008-01-14T16:20:00.000-08:00

Indulgent Samurai Book Review "Samurai Strategies"....

2008-01-04T19:03:00.000-08:00

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Kumite Strategy #1/

The astounding transformation of tiny, resource-poor Japan into the world's second largest economy in the span of less than 30 years was due to the ongoing influence of an ancient samurai code of ethics—a code that once made the Japanese unbeatable warriors in hand-to-hand combat and which now makes them formidable strategists in business
and other fields.
The most famous combat strategist in Japanese history was Musashi Miyamoto, a warrior who lived from 1584 to 1645. Musashi fought his first duel to the death when he was 13, killing a veteran warrior more than twice his age. By the time he was 29 he had killed over 60 other warriors in death duels and was a legend in his own time.
Just before he died, Musashi recorded his philosophy, strategies, and tactics in a short treatise entitled Go Rin Sho —"The Book of Five Rings." Samurai Strategies has extracted the fundamentals of Musashi's tactics from this esoteric little book and explains them here in the modern context of business, politics, and war. Musashi's strategies for winning are as valid today as they were in seventeenth century Japan and provide valuable insights for anyone in any field of endeavor—from business, war, and sports to the fields of art, love, and politics.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Boyé Lafayette De Mente worked for several years as an editor of newspapers and magazines in Tokyo and has written many books on Japan's language and culture, including The Japanese Samurai Code—Classic Strategies for Success, Japan's Cultural Code Words, Etiquette Guide to Japan, Survival Japanese and Instant Japanese.

Customer Reviews

A Must Read
This book is definitely a must-read for everyone, martial artist or not. It reads fairly quickly, and is one you'll want to read again. Each of the '42...secrets' are life-lessons. They give you insight into the time when Samurai lived, and explains how the lesson applied then and how it applies now. We all have something to learn from their code of Honor, and this book can help everyone.

A Cracking Book and not just limited to Martial Artists!!
THE BOOK of FIVE RINGS (Go Rin No Sho) - Summarised!!

I really can not emphasise enough how BRILLIANT this version of The Book of Five Rings is. Most other translations of "Miyamoto Musashi's" book are long and hard to understand, or more precisely, you can read it, understand the words easily enough, but the meaning and the important LIFE saving lessons don't come though very well......

......but this book by Boye De Lafayette Mente is just so well written and laid out. He breaks down all the lessons from "Musashi" into small chapters. Once you've read the book a couple of times all you need to do is just look at the chapter headings for a quick refresher & apply these skills to your life.

THIS IS NOT JUST A BOOK FOR BUDO or MARTIAL ARTISTS!! It's for everyone. Musashi devoted & sacrificed his whole life into discovering how we should live successfully & conduct ourselves. He was the very best swordsman in Japan of his time, never once was he defeated (or even cut). This was all down to his unique approach to his fighting, from the lessons he learnt during duals he was asked at the end of his life to summarise and tell the world how he became so successful.

This really is a cracking book. It takes the "The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi" and summarises it (in plain easy to read & understandable English) into 42 easy to follow and understandable chapters & steps.

It can be easily read in a day or two, but its best if it's RE-READ a couple of times at least 'though. It gets straight to the point. Each chapter is dealt with in just a page or three.

Apply these important principles to your life and work, as well as to your chosen Martial Art. Samurai Secrets may have been a better title perhaps?

Do look out for Boye Lafayette de Mente's other titles. His style of writing is very easy going and precise. He makes the subject matter easy to absorb and understand.

For example try "The Japanese Samurai Code" and Enjoy!! If you buy the actual translation of "The Book of Five Rings" then Thomas Cleary's version I think is the best. I say this as there are many translations of the same book and most are in the old classical direct translation style and not easy (for me anyway) to digest.

I really am so surprised that there are no other reviews raving about this translation of this version of the Book of Five Rings.

You really WON'T be disappointed!!

Highly recommended reading for corporate executives and entrepreneurs 5
Musashi Miyamoto was a famous Japanese warrior who lived from 1584 to 1645 who recorded his philosophy, strategies and tactics in a short treatise just before his death. Samurai Strategies: Forty-Two Martial Secrets From Musashi's Book Of Five Rings by Boye Lafayette de Mente adapts Musashi's military precepts and martial arts ideals to the modern world of business. Swiftly carrying readers through the philosophical issues faced in business procedures and identifying the most effective premise from which to work, Samurai Strategies draws from Miyamoto's philosophy and is very highly recommended reading for corporate executives and entrepreneurs for it's conceptual approach to life lessons learned in ancient theaters of war and directly applicable to modern business practices.

Indulgent Samurai Review

Musashi's lessons and motto's are particularly valuable when one is in a fight for ones life...

...if one is to ultimately "win" the fight, one has to know ahead of time and be convinced of that very important fact.

Musashi's very effective strategies and techniques made him the most renowned and feared Samurai of his time.

What was amazing about Musashi, was that he never aspired to any one particular martial fighting method, but rather had a complete understanding, of all the various styles of his time.

Also amazing, was the fact that he possessed a keen understanding as to the nature of his opponents mind, as well as his own. He even stated that most of his opponents thoughts, actually attributed to their own defeat.

There is no doubt that Musashi was a well trained Samurai, but no more so than any other experienced or famous Samurai.

Without being base, I would argue that Musashi was indeed more of a mind or mental Samurai Warrior, rather than a physically dominating one. I would even go so far as to say that he was a dirty fighter and often resorted to trickery or underhandedness in his duals...

...although in a fight for your life, there really aren't any rules and everything goes.

Musashi perfected the strategy of striking down his opponents when they displayed a split second of indecision, doubt, fear, or any other kind of emotion that took their mind away from their life and death struggle. Musashi's mind was always acutely in the moment and when his opponents mind was not, he struck them down.

Musashi was a master of human nature and if his opponents didn't defeat themselves, he would use techniques to confuse their minds or to make them respond emotionally, that's all it would take.

He had no morals in a fight and would feign weakness by presenting an opening to his opponent to attack. When they rushed in to finish off Musashi, he would quickly cut them down.

The Martial Arts is as much a mind game as it is a physical one and Musashi killed more Samurai with his mind than his physical abilities.

Learn his lessons well...

RJF

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Indulgent Samurai Book Review "The Martial Way & It's Virtues"....

2007-12-30T10:58:00.000-08:00

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Book Description

The Martial Way is nothing less than self-cultivation and the promotion of virtuous conduct.

Customer Reviews

Helpful aid to my martial arts quest.
Two recent events have galvanized me towards seeking the deeper aspects of martial arts. First was competing in a local tournament, where things got a bit out of control in the sparring ring. The second was my Shihan's announcement that I'm up for possible promotion to Shodan (1st degree black belt). Both events jolted me out of my comfort zone, and I knew I needed to reassess where I was at as a martial arts practitioner.

I began to study some of my Soke's writings, and also looked for works by other senior martial artists. However, my goal was not to master secret techniques or win tournament sparring in 7 easy steps. Instead, I sought out writers who dealt with the philosophical underpinnings of the martial arts. I wanted to explore the "why" behind the "what." "The Martial Way and its Virtues" grabbed my eye, and it was an excellent beginning to my quest.

For full disclosure, I'm a Christian practicing in a Christian dojo. That means my ultimate master is Jesus Christ, and my beliefs, presuppositions, morals, and so on rest upon the Bible. For those who may fret about that, or think Christianity and martial arts don't mix, be assured that this book does not have a Christian bent. Indeed, Sensei Chu draws from such diverse sources as Confucius, Soren Kierkegaard and Carlos Castaneda to make his points. However, my particular style is Shiho Karano, and a key aspect is that we have an open approach to knowledge and learn from all.

It was with that attitude I read "The Martial Way," and I was not disappointed. Sensei Chu writes using a clear and accessible style. The book is organized into three parts that respectively deal with philosophy, strategy and technique, and spirituality. Smaller sections flesh out each part, and titles such as "Lose Your Ego" and "Practice Real Life" indicate the specific focus. Overall, Sensei Chu wants his book to serve as "a call to practicing martial artists everywhere and to aspirants of the martial Way (page 3)." His guiding philosophy is "Tao De Gung," the pure essence of the martial arts.

Of particular interest to me was Sensei Chu's take on Shodan promotion. He indicates there are two paths a newly minted Shodan can choose. One is the "beginning of the end," usually taken by those whose main purpose was earning the black belt. They have reached their goal, and therefore leave the martial arts and go on to the next thing. But there's a second path as well, called the "end of the beginning." Here, the Shodan realizes he is just starting a lifelong quest towards a deeper life in the martial Way. That person maintains a "beginner's mind", and humbly acknowledges that he will always be a student who learns just as much (or more) by teaching as by doing. That's how I'd like to be.

Stressing the importance of a responsible code of conduct5
Accessibly written by F. J. Chu (a certified black belt instructor in Kenpo Karate), The Martial Way And Its Virtues: Tao De Gung is an informed and informative treatise on the mentality and physical and moral demands of following the path of life embraced by martial arts. Stressing the importance of a responsible code of conduct and higher ideals intertwined with learning physical and combat-related skills, The Martial Way And Its Virtues is an intriguing work and recommended supplemental reading for all students and practitioners of the martial arts. Also very highly recommended is the YMAA Publications website at www.ymaa.com.

A very good book

Indulgent Samurai Review...

I really liked reading this book, as it exemplifies everything this blog is about, in terms of the integration of the mind, body and spirit, through the rigorous training in the Martial Arts.
It gives a brief history of the Martial arts as far as origin and reasons why the Martial Way was developed in the first place.
It enforces the idea of the Martial Arts as a "Way of Life" rather than simply an intricate form of exercise or a philosophical ideal.
Through dedication and practice, the Martial Artist loses his ability to distinguish between the world of his everyday life and the life in the Dojo.
The Martial Artist learns that the lessons revealed from dedicated training, are pragmatic, applicable and powerful tools to be used as a buffer against the onslaught of everyday life.
The lessons of war, strategy and knowing your opponent, give the Martial Artist a distinct advantage over his fellow man. He learns that action alone counts and that by using death as an adviser, each action is done with a purpose and reason, as there is no recklessness in the life of a Warrior...
The "Martial Way" is a signpost for all serious Martial Artists who travel along the path of self discovery and come to a fork in the road. One can choose the safe and familiar path, and never go beyond his limitations. Or one can choose the unknown of the empty void and risk everything, but if successful consequently reap the benefits and rewards. Only the individual Martial Artist can make that choice...
To paraphrase Don Juan, "...we are obligated to seek out all there is to know about our lot as men and then to find out that there is much, much more, than we ever thought was possible"

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Indulgent Samurai Book Review "Chi Walking"

2007-12-27T19:24:00.000-08:00

The Indulgent Samurai Book Review "Hagakure "(In the Shadow of Leaves) The Book of the Samurai...

2007-12-26T09:50:00.000-08:00

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Product Description

Hagakure ("In the Shadow of Leaves"') is a manual for the samurai classes consisting of a series of short anecdotes and reflections that give both insight and instruction-in the philosophy and code of behavior that foster the true spirit of Bushido-the Way of the Warrior. It is not a book of
philosophy as most would understand the word: it is a collection of thoughts and sayings recorded over a period of seven years, and as such covers a wide variety of subjects, often in no particular sequence.

The work represents an attitude far removed from our modern pragmatism and materialism, and posesses an intuitive rather than rational appeal in its assertion that Bushido is a Way of Dying, and that only a samurai retainer prepared and willing to die at any moment can be totally true to his lord.
While Hagakure was for many years a secret text known only to the warrior vassals of the Hizen fief to which the author belonged, it later came to be recognized as a classic exposition of samurai thought and came to influence many subsequent generations, including Yukio Mishima.

This translation offers 300 selections that constitute the core texts of the 1,300 present in the original.

Editorial Reviews

East West Journal
"A guidebook and inspiration for ... anyone interested in achieving a courageous and transcendent understanding of life."

Review

"A Classic of Japanese thought....Poetic, robust...a feast of aphorisms and martial anecdotes." -The New York Review of Books
"HAGAKURE became a kind of magical discovery for me, and 'hidden under its leaves' were some important gifts." -Jim Jarmusch
"A fascinating glimpse into another place and time." -Library Journal
"Yamamoto brought together three temperaments: loyalty to his master, a literary sensibility, and the enlightenment of Zen." -Choice

New York Review of Books
"A Classic of Japanese thought….Poetic, robust…a feast of aphorisms and martial anecdotes."
Customer Reviews

for the future warrior5
If you are considering reading this book than be prepared to step back into time when death was not considered a negative part of life. When it was more important what you did in life rather than how much you have, how long you live or how much you think you know.
It very easy to misinterpret what this book was all about, many of what is written shouldn't be taken literally and may seem to contradict it self and was not meant for scholars and the like.
When I read this book the first time it totally challenged many of my beliefs and therefore I rejected them. Once I realized this book has less to do with what is written literally and more to do with courage and self sacrifice, it did have a profound influence on me. Many examples given seem to be about accepting death, but then I realized it was a metaphor for anything which we cling to. I guess only when we are ready to give everything up at any momement are we truly free.

"Calculating people are contemptible. The reason for this is that calculation deals with loss and pain, and the loss and gain mind never stops. Death is considered loss and life is considered gain. Thus, death is something that such a person does not care for, and he is contemptible. Furthermore, scholars and their like are men who with wit and speech hide their own true cowardice and greed. People often misjudge this."

A Great Book!5
I loved it. It's an enjoyable read, full of great stories and full of insights. When I first read this book back in 1998, it had a tremendous impact on my life. It allowed me to view things from a different perspective. I will continue to recommend it to everyone. I also highly recommend the modern day version Understanding: Train of Thought.

A classic!5
This is one of the best historical texts available on the subject of Japanese warrior philosophy. While many of its practices seem alien to the 21st century reader, there is still much wisdom to be found here. I have read this book many times over the years. I will very likely continue to read it again and again.Bushido: A Modern Adaptation of the Ancient Code of the SamuraiMeditations (Penguin Classics)

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Book Review "The Book of Five Rings"...Kumite Strategy...

2007-12-23T11:35:00.000-08:00

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Kumite Strategy #1/

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
To learn a Japanese martial art is to learn Zen, and although you can't do so simply by reading a book, it sure does help--especially if that book is The Book of Five Rings. One of Japan's great samurai sword masters penned in decisive, unfaltering terms this certain path to victory, and like Sun Tzu's The Art of War it is applicable not only on the battlefield but also in all forms of competition. Always observant, creating confusion, striking at vulnerabilities--these are some of the basic principles. Going deeper, we find suki, the interval of vulnerability, of indecisiveness, of rest, the briefest but most vital moment to strike. In succinct detail, Miyamoto records ideal postures, blows, and psychological tactics to put the enemy off guard and open the way for attack. Most important of all is Miyamoto's concept of rhythm, how all things are in harmony, and that by working with the rhythm of a situation we can turn it to our advantage with little effort. But like Zen, this requires one task above all else, putting the book down and going out to practice. --Brian Bruya

From Library Journal
Written by legendary Japanese swordsman Musashi, this 17th-century exposition of sword-fighting strategy and Zen philosophy has been embraced by many contemporary readers, especially business school students, as a manual on how to succeed in life. There are many English translations, but every one, including this one, suffers from inadequate cultural, literary, and philosophical commentary. Musashi's work should be studied, not simply read, and Cleary's translation lacks commentary; it also makes the prose seems flat and the philosophy simplistic. Yet what makes this new translation worthwhile is the second text, buried deep in the back like an appendix: Yagyu Munenori's The Book of Family Traditions on the Art of War. This text, also an exposition on sword fighting and Zen philosophy, is difficult to find in an English translation, and its availability is welcome. Recommended for academic libraries generally.
- Glenn Masuchika, Chaminade Univ. Lib., Honolulu
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"I have some advice for American businessmen who are trying to figure out why the Japanese excel in business. Buy and study a copy of Musashi's A Book of Five Rings."
-- George Lois, chairman of the board/creative director of Lois Pitts Gershon, New York
Customer Reviews

Excelent read!5
When read and thoroughly understood, this is a book that will change the way you look at life. I would suggest this book to anyone.

Spirit of Zen4
This is actually a great book on practical Zen in a way of swordmanship in medieval Japan. Two heaven sword tehnique is described there but it is difficult to understand for people who doesn't use to martial art.

Classic.5
This book is only a translation of the original. You may not find the extensive commentary you seek. While written centuries ago, Miyamoto Musashi, in my judgment, didn't write a book just about how to fight.

Reading this book with an open mind will surprise the reader. Deep thought and reflection will be needed. The areas to which the principles in this book may be applied (such as lessons in leadership and politics) and the success in said application are only limited to the amount of imagination and study put forth by the reader.

It offers a great deal of knowledge for every day life, and even if you never pick up a sword, or raise your fists, you will find his philosophy extends well beyond the realm of martial arts and battle strategy.

To some readers you will not be able to fully grasp all of the concepts and ideas presented after one reading. This book is invaluable and definitely invites repeated readings as new insight is to be found as your understanding deepens. I'm not sure if a single review could do this book justice because each time you re-read this book your thoughts are guaranteed to be provoked and you will definitely walk away each time with a new form of enlightenment and that is my reason for giving it Five stars *****.

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RJF

Find the right meditation technique to improve your martial arts...

2007-12-11T09:27:00.000-08:00

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Comprehensive Guide to Worldwide Meditation Techniques
By: Anmol Mehta

There are as many types of meditation techniques as there are wonderful flavors of ice cream. This allows each person to find a flavor that is delicious to them. In this article I will provide an overview of some of the most popular meditation techniques that exist and hopefully this will help you find the style that is sweetest to you.

Some meditation styles suit those of an intellectual disposition, while others are more attractive to those who prefer the path of love and surrender. Still others, with an active approach to life, may like the meditation techniques involving movement, while those with a strong mind would enjoy the approach of visualization and concentration. Overall, there are several broad categories under which we can capture most of these various meditation practices and the following two are amongst the most widely used styles, Insight Meditation Techniques and Sound (Mantra) Meditation Techniques.

1. Insight Meditation Techniques: These are the meditations of choice for the Gyan Yogis or those drawn to the intellectual path. It incorporates the advanced meditation techniques from the Zen school of Buddhism, the Advaita Vedanta school of Hinduism, certain schools of Western Religions among others.

A. WHO AM I Meditation Technique: This techniques comes from the school of Advaita Vedanta (Non-Dualism / End of Knowledge). The meditation was popularized by Shri Ramana Maharishi and is based on negation of the false self in order to realize one's True Nature. Here is an example of my experience with WHO AM I Meditation Practice.

B. Koan Meditation Technique: These meditations come from the Zen school of Buddhism and are designed to break down the ordinary pattern of conceptual, dualistic thinking. By breaking down the interference created by the thinking mechanism the practitioner is brought to confront the non-dual reality of "what is" directly and thus Awaken.

C. Contemplation Meditation Technique: These meditations utilize introspection, self-study, reflection, self-dialogue and contemplation to cut through the layers of false conditioning and false understanding that deludes the mind. These meditations have their roots in many Western Religions and are also a part of Eastern philosophies.

D. Silent Mind Meditation Technique: This meditation technique is my contribution to this category and it involves directly perceiving the fact of what is by acute observation of the thinking process. This is the flavor that I enjoy best and I have explained it in detail in the The Silent Mind Meditations, which are part of the Silent Mind Meditation Program. These meditations are an extension of the teachings of Jiddu Krishnamurti.

2. Sound (Mantra) & Intention Meditation Techniques: The meditations that fall under this category use the science of sound and thought vibrations (Naad Yoga), along with rhythm and music (Laya Yoga) to purify the heart and mind. These meditations have a wide range of applications, from bestowing Enlightenment, to improving health, wealth, happiness, peace etc...

A. Mantra Japa Meditation Technique: This meditation method uses the repetition of a mantra (a particular sound, word or phrase) verbally or mentally to create the necessary conditions for purification, refinement or expansion to take place. Mantras are essentially keys which allow one to tune into the individual energy field or tune into the Universal Energy field to produce certain desired results. Here is an example of using OM Mantra to activate the Third Eye Chakra.

B. Rhythm Meditation Technique: This form of meditation uses the combination of rhythm, chanting, music and breath to calibrate and perfect the system. The excellent Three Step Rhythmic Breathing (3srb) meditation technique of Sage Pantanjali and many Kundalini Yoga meditations fall under this category, among others.

C. Meditation via Song: Most of the meditations from the path of Devotion (Bhakti Yoga) and Love, designed to dissolve the ego belong in this category. This is a path most dear to those who are emotional in nature and feel a deep love for the divine. Christianity, Gospel, Sufi Meditations, Hare Krishna Meditations, Kirtans and Bhajans are some examples of techniques in this category.

D. Meditation via Prayer & Intention: All religions have meditations involving prayer and worship. The meditations that also use the power of intention to manifest desires fall under this category.

So you can see from above, these is a rich diversity to the science of meditation and certainly something for everybody. The best suggestion is to pick a style and with an attitude of experimentation dive in and explore it. You may be astonished at the wonderful treasures you discover within using the profound art of meditation.

All meditation articles.com

Anmol Mehta is a Yoga Teacher, Zen Expert & creator of profound Meditation & Yoga programs. These Free Guided Meditation Techniques & Kundalini Yoga Classes are available at Mastery of Chakra Meditation, Kundalini Yoga & Zen. You will also find a wealth of insightful articles and lively discussions on the Guided Meditation, Kundalini Yoga & Zen Blog.

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RJF

Secret Karate "Death Blow"...Warning

2007-11-23T09:43:00.001-08:00

How to throw a lightning fast Karate punch...

2007-11-11T10:09:00.000-08:00

Steps to mastering Free-style Kumite....starts with the basics and ends with the basics...

2007-10-28T10:13:00.000-07:00

Learn to slow down time and your opponent in Kumite...

2007-09-18T09:33:00.001-07:00

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Rapid Perception - Slowing Time Down

Posted by Enoch Tan

Your spirit operates outside time and space. When there is an emergency where danger is about to approach you faster than you can normally sense, your spirit will compel you to act quickly without pondering. It directs you through your instinct and reflexes. Think of a time when you moved out of harms way in an instant and the move was so spontaneously it seems that everything just flowed in the moment. Your awareness of what was happening and your response happened without hesitation, but so quickly that it was almost together at the same time.

That is because your spirit can observe things and sense reality beyond your ordinary rate and range of awareness. Imagine that a dagger is flying towards you from the side. In ordinary rate of awareness, there is simply not enough time to notice the dagger coming and to move out of the way. But in the realm of your spirit’s awareness, time is slowed down to a crawl and it can fully perceive everything that is happening no matter how quickly. It sends the message to you and in that moment you experience the spontaneous and seemingly simultaneous knowing and action. The awareness comes just before the action but it seems that time slows almost to a standstill during that moment of thought. Perception and action become as one.

If you want to consciously perceive faster so that things don’t seem to happen so quickly, you have to slow time down in your consciousness. It is not time that slows down but you that slows down. See in your mind’s eye and memory things slowing down. Like a picture frame frozen from a movie in motion. It is the way you experience time slowing down or stopping when you see a beautiful person of your dreams.
It would be an advantage for anyone to stop the world or at least make everything appear to move in slow motion. It would give you time to analyze the situation and the actions of everyone and everything around you. It gives you extra time to determine your actions in a pressure situation. This would would be incredibly useful in business, driving your car in traffic, playing games, military combat, sports and life threatening situations.
Perceptive awareness is being fully alert and living fully in the moment. It is seeing the trees bend in the wind and the way the birds circle overhead. It is sensing how the trees feel and what problems and joy the birds are experiencing. It is experiencing the full moment around us and not just our little thoughts. It is clearing the mind of future events and past replayed scenes, so you can experience the entirety of the current moment in time. It is putting yourself in the full frame picture now in front of you in relationship to everything happening around you. It is being fully alive. With that kind of perceptive awareness, a moment can seem to you to last forever.
A master baseball batter is apparently able to slow things down when he’s at the plate. To everyone else, the ball would be rocketing toward the plate at approximately 100 mph, almost faster than the eye can see. But to the focused athlete, the ball seems to slow down just for him, and present itself to him.
This is what many of the best batters have this in common. Somehow, when they need to slow things down to make their big play, they are able to perceive everything happening in slow motion. The ball rolls slowly up to the plate and is easy to see, often appearing larger than life. It’s almost as if the ball is waiting for them to hit it. To everyone else, the ball is racing to the plate at a blistering speed, curving, sinking, and breaking in ways that make it almost impossible to track, let alone hit.
This is truly time manipulation, since the perception of the person who seems to manage this trick is that time has been stretched longer or made shorter. Since this is the perception of the magician, and becomes the way he acts upon the world, it becomes that person’s own functional reality. It’s really a consciousness shift and an expanded awareness. And yes, it is real magic as we will see.
When playing baseball as a batter, allow yourself to focus consciously on the location and speed of the ball. Clear your mind of all noise and clutter. Get unnecessary thoughts out of your head. Tune out all sound and distraction around you. Simply focus on the baseball being pitched to you. Focus your intent. Imagine hitting it squarely and watching it sail far through the air. Concentrate on your abdomen and visualize projecting energy from this “will center”. You must want to hit the ball and will it to happen. See the ball big and bold. Fixate on the ball. See only the ball and focus your total intent and will on the ball. Did the ball appear to be moving slower than normal? If so, you are well on your way to becoming a master of time manipulation.
For most rapid perception, attention must be at its maximum focus on the area of the thing to be perceived. You must intend to see everything you can in that moment of looking. To experience timelessness, you need to focus intently on the moment at hand. You cannot allow your mind to wander over events of the past or wallow in deep concern over the future. You must be in the present moment, fully alert and clear headed. In short, you must be totally involved in the “now”.

You must not fear but be calm and have a heightened state of awareness. Fear collapses time. You do not want to collapse time, you want to expand it. Awe is one of the feelings that expands time and slows it down. The opposite is true, things that move in slow motion likeness create a feeling of awe. Fear and awe are very similar and yet very different feelings. Fear causes you to be totally unseeing and blind to the action of the thing you are afraid of in the moment. Awe causes you to be totally seeing and taking in the fullness of what you are looking at.
There are two kinds of fear. The first kind shuts off your attention from what you are seeing in the moment of it happening. This is the kind of fear that collapses time. The second kind of fear is not really fear. It is what you feel when your consciousness is arrested in the moment by a critical event. You enter the hyper aware state of mind or superalertness where you have hyper beta brain activity. This kind of fear that functions very much like the feeling of awe except that you are not in the alpha or relaxed state. It should not be thought of as fear but as a different frequency of heightened consciousness as compared to the heightened consciousness of awe.

In the moment of so called fear or more accurately heightened state of consciousness, your consciousness is arrested in the moment by a critical event and things stop or slow down, even for a brief second or a certain number of seconds, however the situation demands. Everything pauses for a brief moment no matter how long or short it seems like so that your mind processes what is happening and issues a decision, and then the next moment your reaction happens. Your mental activities happen at a highly increased rate at that moment. This is what you can call as a state of superconsciousness.

Scientists have shown that mild anxiety can improve performance in some instances like a 100 meter dash, a musical performance, or even an exam. But for the most part, a full-blown autonomic response is not adaptive in most of these circumstances. These are classic instances of what the Taoists would call getting in your own way.

The ancient Eastern masters from various traditions such as Taoist, Buddhist, Hindu, Zen, Sufi and many others recognized this feature of the human nervous system, and so found antidotes to it. These were awareness and equanimity. They cultivated a calm temperament through meditation and breathing exercises, which you can think of as strengthening the parasympathetic response.

As a result, the Eastern masters were able to develop a very strong and nearly imperturbable presence. Because they were not getting in their own way, in the face of danger they were pure action, maximally effective. This cultivation fed into a hyper-aware state of mind, which, interestingly enough, seems to block out emotion-based responses.
A concentrated mind is not an attentive mind, but a mind that is in the state of awareness can concentrate. Consciousness or awareness is never exclusive, it includes everything. It is not a constricted concentration but a relaxed and free one. When you get into the calm and unperturbed state of mind of conscious awareness, you can perceive easily and nothing can happen too quickly for you. When you are able to slow time down in consciousness, you can use time as the ultimate weapon. Nothing can stop you but you can stop anything. Time is the ultimate illusion. All time is mental.

By using the principle of “it is not time that slows down but you that slows down”, you slow down your actions to slow down the rate of things moving around you in consciousness. Then once you have that increased rate of perception, you can start moving faster again with much greater control and effectiveness. This is the secret of slowing down in order to go faster. Do not hurry because hurry manifests fear and collapses time. Only when you are calm are you able to perceive things in slow motion.

Act as if you have all the time to do everything you want. Every time you slip up on an action or have a hesitation, it’s because you overlapped a proper sequence of things and it just cancels out in your mind. Maybe it’s because you were in a hurry. Your mind can only do one thing at a time, yet each may be done at the rate of microseconds, giving the illusion of many things at once. If you actually try to do many things at once, nothing happens. We’re referring to the conscious awareness here, although your subconscious can do many things simultaneously. It is your conscious awareness that uses rapid perception in order to slow time down.

Time is an illusion, only consciousness is reality. Who is to say that only a certain amount of things can happen within one second and not more? There are times when people encounter life threatening situation and in the moment, their whole life passed in front of them. As their precious life hung in the balance, for one split second, they took stock of their life, including their loved ones, unfulfilled dreams and unrealized goals and made a momentous decision that saved them in virtually no time at all.

Maybe you experienced moments like this before. Everything seemed to slow down. Things seemed to appear in slow motion. You saw your loved ones and they seemed to be frozen in time. You considered logical arguments and argued them through the steps to completion. All of this takes a long time normally, but for this one instance when you are so sharply focused and alert, you play it all our in one magical moment, a moment that you seemed to control.
You can perceive things in slow motion and still let your thoughts and actions flow at the “same speed”. It is all relativity. To you, time around you slows down but to an outside observer, you become phenomenally precise and in control. When you are able to perceive faster, you also possess the ability to respond faster. Each second of your time becomes stretched and you can have increased rate of movement within it. Your time is increased compared to other people’s. Those watching with normal rate of consciousness will see you moving like flashes of lightning with sudden bolts of speed.
When things are happening too quickly for you, you can either slow everything down, or you can speed yourself up on the inside while slowing things down on the outside. You become very fast on the inside but on the outside everything around you moves very slowly. This can also be the accelerated learning state where you are fast on the inside and enjoying it but yet having all the time in the world to learn and to do what you have to do. This is also the zone where atletes get into when they “turn it on”. They become very fast on the inside while everyone around them is moving in slow motion. They are able to think three steps of everyone else in the game.
The best ballplayers, it seems, have learned how to manipulate time whenever it suits them. Perhaps they do this without a great deal of thought or analysis, but they certainly employ all of the key factors of time magicians. They focus their intent, engage their will power, and energize their thought forms. This is personal magic. This is personal power. Everyone can do it. The superstars just do it more easily and more often than the rest of us. We say that they are gifted or superhuman. They are simply focused, intent and willful.
All champions have one thing in common, they have learned to seize the moment. No matter what situation we are in, there is always a cubic centimeter of chance that appears in the moment for us to accomplish what we want. The trick is to be alert enough to seize the moment and then have enough personal power to execute the appropriate move at the appropriate instance. Impeccable warriors are fully alert and fully aware of the physical world.
Everybody knows that under normal conditions when heroics are not on the line, a person cannot pass a ball through a crowd to a selected teamate who scores, all in less than one second. Under normal circumstances, most people cannot even locate a person in a crowd in less than one second, let alone pass the ball to him. This demonstrates over and over again the elasticity of time.
There’s a young swimmer who came out of nowhere at the end of a race to eclipse the field. She always found a way to win, and would “pick her spot” to “make her move.” Still, it seemed uncanny how she could close the big gap between herself and the race leader at the end, when you consider she had to swim nearly twice as fast as she had been swimming throughout the rest of the race.
It’s like the track sprinter who digs down at the end of the race to bolt like a cannon to victory at the end. To the observer, it looks as thought they are running against opponents who are moving in slow motion. How can somebody who’s been running at top speed suddenly double that speed at the end of a race, when they should be the most tired? It’s an obvious display of will power, focused intent, and energized thought power, whereby they conceive of miraculous victory and believe it is possible. And whatever our consciousness can conceive, the body can achieve. Since everything is consciousness, the physical world is only an illusion.
You can cope with daily emergency situations and daily challenges where you need extra time and powers that heightened awareness affords you. You can run faster in less time and slow down events when needed by altering your perception of time and space. Some of the greatest athletes do it. Heroic rescue teams do it. You can do it too.
You can meditate anywhere and reach a state of heightened consciousness and timelessness. Surely, star athletes in action do not stop everything that they are doing to sit down in perfect posture and slowly number their bodies to enter this state. They have learned to do it within the flow of events. They pop in and out of this state, as needed. They do it quickly and almost effortlessly with practice. It becomes a learned behavior. Soon your total self will sense the opportunity or need and shift you to that new, higher level of consciousness. Then everything slows down in front of you, so that you can respond.
If you watch top athletes who gets into this “zone”, as sports people often call it, you will notice that their eyes seem to glaze over or close halfway for a brief time. They might even appear to be going into a trance. That trance, of course, is the altered state of consciousness known to meditators. They go into a state of higher consciousness very briefly. A split second can seem to last much longer to a person in this state because there is no time or normal laws of physics in higher consciousness.
Most people think that spectacular athletes simply try harder when they “turn it on”. Certainly, they do find extra energy and move with greater speed in less time at these moments, almost as though time for them was standing still. These golden moments in an athlete’s life are truly magical. They can see everything happening in slow motion around them. They have all the time in the world to make amazing moves. They can run faster, think faster, and jump higher than anyone else. And all of this comes by slipping momentarily into higher consciousness, a nonphysical reality where time does not exist and the normal laws of physics do not apply. What’s even better, they operate in these golden moments with a higher consciousness that thinks faster and better than the normal, physical consciousness that people use.
Remember that you control time as you experience it. As an agent of change, you control the only real measure of time. This is because time only occurs with change. The theater of events around us is interpreted by our personal perception of change. Your perception will be somewhat different from mine, although we might agree on many things we observe together. Because of your unique perception, you create your own reality. You also create your own sense of time as an agent of change. Time simply measures change. Beyond that simple function, time is nonexistent. There is really only the “now”.
Since time only operates according to perception of it, you can manipulate time by controlling your perception of it. Your higher consciousness exist in the realm of timelessness. Stay in a state of heightened awareness in order to make your perception of time stand still. It is a matter of personal time perception and a focused intent to stay in the now. There are people who use such time powers to transverse great distances in very little amount of time and cause limited resources to last far longer than normal as though inexhaustible. Such are the miracles that happen when time and space are altered.
Sword masters and ninjas all use this “slowing time down” and “stopping the world” with the mind technique to accomplish amazing feats of lightning fast combat which normal perceiving people can hardly even comprehend how it is humanly possible for themselves to attempt.

We miss ourselves. We are so busy out there in our minds, in the mirror, on the phone, on the pc, listening to deafening music, overtaking, seeking power, status, labels. The boy racer feels alive, excited, when he is near a near death opportunity! Adrenalin pumping, over excited, showing off, seeking attention, seeking power, seeking approval, fearful. Fight or flight that we cannot see the signs. We make mistakes, we miss turnings, we lose or forget things. Because we lose the plot, we lose reign of our senses.

Only when there’s an accident, a car crash, a thump on the head, a slap in the face, a comment, a synchronistic moment, a glance from a beautiful person, song of a sweet bird, the rising or setting of the sun, a shooting star, ever renewing the rhythm of the waves do we stop for a second…time slows down…in awe, devotion, speechlessness, thoughtlessness, our ears perk up. We become aware of something here now. Something beautiful, fresh, sweet, pristine, shining, glowing, effervescent, ever fresh. Only at these times, are we awake, truly alive - during the skid / bang / crash - time slows down.

Mindfulness can be defined as knowing what is happening while it is happening, no matter what it is. The essence of meditation is training in mindfulness. It’s direct perception. We see through meditation, what the mind is doing, moment by moment. Why? Because we are training ourselves to become present. If we are present, we naturally bring our intelligence to bear on the moment. Therefore we have no option but to find out what is happening.

Meditation, then, involves being present with what is here. The observer consciousness allows you to fully observe what is happening internally as well. You notice thoughts and feelings as they arise and realize the causes. It is a self-reflective awareness where you know you are thinking when thinking happens. When you become mindful, you become more aware of things both within and without. The way to wisdom and intelligence is to understand ourselves as human beings. Not through a theory, not through a concept, but through direct experience.
When you are calm, you are clear seeing. You filter out a lot of noise that affects consciousness. To have a calm mind is to silence and still a lot of vibrations leaving perception to be free and unhindered. You get into the state of observer consciousness, where you are just watching what is going on and seeing it in every moment of its happening. Mindfulness is the systematic training in knowing what is happening, while it is happening.
As the mind becomes tranquil, many things begin to become clear. Things that were not formerly clear to us about ourselves, the world around us, the way we are living, relationships. We become clear about everything. So we need to generate within our minds the conditions for a prelimary mindfulness which is the essence of meditation. As tranquility arises we began gaining insight into the state of our own minds. Insight may arise naturally with tranquility. That is the traditional teaching. We train in tranquility and insight naturally arises.
Insight is the most profound level of learning. It is learning through direct perception which naturally gives rise to understanding. It is not learning through externally acquired information, something imported from outside. It leads to wisdom because it is learning inwardly how we are and what we are as human beings. When your meditation becomes really powerful, it also becomes constant. Life offers many challenges and the serious meditator is very seldom bored.
When you’re looking for something or a solution, take time to pause and enter the stilled state of consciousness. Don’t think of it as wasting time during the work day. With practice, this little exercise takes very little time, as others perceive it. Think of it as a creative way to think through your problems by engaging your higher mind to meditate on work issues. In that state of consciousness, the answer can come to you suddenly.
Remember, even a brief second in an altered state of consciousness can seem like hours, since you are controlling time. You are creating perfect timing of perfecting time manipulation. Time is but an illusion. There is all of the time in the world, if you can focus your intent and control your perception. Make your own reality.
Any activity where you perform can be expanded and enriched by a heightened state of consciousness that allows you to expand your perception of time and operate somewhat outside of normal physical limitations.
Slow down only that which you want to, otherwise allow it to proceed at normal speed. Use rapid perception on whatever you want to, whenever you want to.

rapid-perception-slowing-time-down

G.Scott on Kumite

Don't forget to check out the exciting books and dvd's on Karate, Martial Arts, Zen, Weapons, Nutrition and Health from the Indulgent Samurai Store...

RJF

Kumite Secrets - Do's and Don'ts of Freestyle Kumite...

2007-06-26T09:29:00.001-07:00

Mind Body connection for freestyle Kumite...

2007-03-18T09:24:00.000-07:00

More thoughts on Karate Kumite tournament fighting...

2007-02-04T16:29:00.000-08:00

On becoming a Karate/Martial Arts Champion

2007-02-03T15:34:00.000-08:00

What is it like to be a Black Belt?

2006-12-19T10:47:00.000-08:00

Timing...it's all about awareness and opportunity...

2006-10-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

Rhythm...and no, you don't have to be a dancer.

2006-10-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

Principles of good Karate and Martial Arts...continued

2006-09-30T11:55:00.000-07:00

Principles of good Karate and Martial Arts...

2006-09-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

The lazy indulgent days of Summer....

2006-08-06T11:32:00.000-07:00

Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9

Kumite Drills # 1/Kumite Drills # 2/Kumite Drills # 3

Summer is really a bad time for staying focused on one's martial arts training, it is for me anyway...

That's why our family oriented Karate organization completely shuts down, except for perhaps one or two dojo's.

Martial arts, in particular Karate, are an important part of mine and other people's lives...

...but so is family...

So other than a yearly karate retreat on beautiful Vancouver Island, my karate takes a back burner to hikes, mini vacations to the mountains and visiting family members who have cabins at the lake, with my wife.

Not to mention all the great barbecued food and drinks that get consumed while on holidays...

...my poor waistline.

That's not to say I stop practicing, but rather a "do it when I feel like it" attitude takes over.

I'll start to crank my training up in the fall again when the weather gets cooler and the memories of summer have begun to fade.

I'll be coming out with some more Kumite Tips and Drills for beginners, in the coming months so stay tuned.

Here's a training tip for all you martial artists out there, one that you'll find quite interesting...

...try your martial art's training and Kata's on different surfaces and with different footwear.

If you've never tried it before, your in for a real surprise...

...that beautiful balance you've developed on the hardwood floor of your dojo, has suddenly been transformed into something not so beautiful.

Train on the grass without sandals and then with them on...

...put on your sneakers and train on a hard surface like asphalt, at an outdoor basketball or tennis court.

And of course there is the sand of your local beach or desert.

The different surfaces and having weight from shoes on your feet, places new demands on the muscles you use for your particular martial art.

You'll notice how much stronger you'll feel when you get back onto the hardwood of the dojo.

Have a good rest of the summer...

Don't forget to check out the exciting books and dvd's on Karate, Martial Arts, Zen, Weapons, Nutrition and Health from the Indulgent Samurai Store...

RJF

Kumite Drills for the beginner...Kumite Drill # 3

2006-07-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9

Kumite Drills # 1/Kumite Drills # 2/Kumite Drills # 3/

Kumite Drill # 3

Start with the left leg forward.

Bring the back foot almost up to where the front foot is and transfer your weight onto that leg.
With the front leg, do a front kick at jodan or chudan level. After the kick and from the hikite, place the kicking leg down in front of the weight bearing leg (Not too far forward), then transfer your weight to the front leg and shift back.

You should almost be completely back in your original position in a balanced kamae.

Next, bring the back foot up almost to where the front foot is, transfer your weight and do a roundhouse kick with the front leg.
Return the kicking leg to the ground in a medium front stance, transfer your weight once again and then shift back.

From your left leg forward Kamae, bring the back foot up to where the front foot is and do a side thrust kick with the front leg. Place the kicking leg down and in front of the weight bearing leg (Not too far forward) and then strongly shift back.

Bring the back foot up to where the front foot is and do a reverse roundhouse kick with the front leg. Place the kicking leg down and in front of the weight bearing leg (Not too far forward) then once again, strongly shift back.

Change to the right leg forward Kamae and repeat the drill...

Pointers:

Your hikite must come back quickly and you must be perfectly balanced and not leaning forward or backwards.

Your placement of the kicking leg should not be too far forward, unless of course you are setting your opponent up for a reverse punch by stepping into a front stance.

When you transfer your weight on to the front leg, thrust the back leg backwards for a faster and stronger shifting motion.

This drill helps to develop kicking from a balanced kamae, to the unbalanced kick itself and back into a balanced kamae, ready for the next offensive or defensive technique.

Like always, practice it about a hundred times from each side.

Don't forget to check out the exciting books and dvd's on Karate, Martial Arts, Zen, Weapons, Nutrition and Health from the Indulgent Samurai Store...

RJF

Kumite Drills for the beginner...Kumite Drill # 2

2006-07-16T09:22:00.000-07:00

Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9

Kumite Drills # 1/Kumite Drills # 2/

This drill is similar to Kumite Drills # 1/...

...when you've pulled your kicking leg back to it's original position, take a full step back with your left forward leg instead of shifting back. Your final stance will now be with your right leg forward.

This drill trains your body to take stances from both sides and to kick with either leg...

Start with the left leg forward.

Shift forward half a step and jab or back fist...this time instead of shifting back, take a full step back and end up with your right leg in front.

Shift forward again half a step and jab or back fist with your right fist...

...again, instead of shifting back, take a full step back and end up with your left leg once again in front.

Do this drill hundreds of times until you feel comfortable changing from your left leg forward stance to your right leg forward stance.

Once your comfortable changing stances, it's time to add all of your kicks.

Starting with your left leg forward, shift forward half a step, jab or back fist, and then do a front kick with the back leg. Return the kicking leg to its original position and then instead of shifting back like in Kumite Drills # 1/...step back with your left leg, ending up with your right leg and guard in front.

Shift forward half a step, jab or back fist, and then do another front kick with the back leg. Return the kicking leg to its original position and then take a step back ending up with your left leg and guard once again in front.

Do the same drill for the round house, side thrust kick, back kick and the reverse round house kick.

You can also add a reverse punch in after changing your Kamae from one side to the other for a variation...if your opponent made the mistake of chasing you, the reverse punch can be used to great affect.

Pointers:

When stepping back, try to keep the back straight and don't let the head trail your shoulders.

Instead of stepping back with the forward leg, it should actually be thrust back into position, this will allow you to set up much more quickly for your opponents counter attacks.

Don't forget to check out the exciting books and dvd's on Karate, Martial Arts, Zen, Weapons, Nutrition and Health from the Indulgent Samurai Store...

RJF

Kumite Drills for the beginner...Kumite Drill # 1

2006-07-15T12:41:00.000-07:00

Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9

Kumite Drills # 1/Kumite Drills # 2/

Freestyle Kumite is hard, damn hard and it seems that after a few minutes of sparring, all of my Karate technique goes out the window...

...I then have to remind myself about what I should be doing, technique wise.

When that happens I lose focus on what I am suppose to accomplish against my opponent.

Here's a simple drill that is the basis for all beginners in freestyle Kumite...

...it must be practiced so that the movement becomes a part of you.

Practicing this drill will give the beginner both an offensive and defensive posture and is the basis for more advanced Kumite movements...

Drill # 1

Start with the left leg forward.

Shift forward half a step with the left leg and jab, shift back to original position.

Practice that a few times to get the feeling of shifting in and shifting back out.

Then shift forward half a step, jab, and then do a front kick with the back leg. Return the kicking leg back to it's original position and then shift back...

At this point you should be standing exactly where you started.

Now shift forward half a step, do a back fist or jab and then do a roundhouse kick with the back leg. Return the kicking leg to its original position and then shift back to your starting position.

Now, shift forward half a step, back fist or jab, and then do a side thrust kick with the back leg, return the kicking leg to its original position then shift back to your start position.

Shift forward half a step diagonally to the right side, back fist or jab, and then do a back kick with the back leg, return the kicking leg to it's original position and then shift back to your start position.

Shift forward half a step, back fist or jab, and then do a reverse roundhouse kick with the back leg, return the kicking leg to it's original position and then shift back to your initial start position.

Switch to the right leg forward and repeat.

Shifting forward a half step stretches the body like an elastic and the kicks naturally snap towards the target with greater speed...

...getting the kick back as fast it left and then shifting back, doesn't allow your opponent enough time or distance to counter attack you.

Even if he does make up the distance, you will be in a perfectly balanced position to defend or attack once again..

Practice those movements about a thousand times until they become automatic.

Pointer:

The key to shifting is in dropping your weight on your supporting leg and pushing straight forward or straight back. Also keep your hips as level as possible.

Don't forget to check out the exciting books and dvd's on Karate, Martial Arts, Zen, Weapons, Nutrition and Health from the Indulgent Samurai Store...

RJF

Devise at all times...Funakoshi's 20th and last principle of Karate...

2006-06-25T13:40:00.000-07:00

Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9

Use the Google search bar to the right to find articles of interest...

Devise

1. To use ingenuity in making, developing, or achieving: concoct, contrive, dream up, fabricate, formulate, hatch, invent, make up, think up. Informal cook up. Idioms: come up with. See make/unmake.

2. To form a strategy for: blueprint, cast, chart, conceive, contrive, design, formulate, frame, lay1, plan, project, scheme, strategize, work out. Informal dope out. Idioms: lay plans. See planned/unplanned.

3. To give (property) to another person after one's death: leave1, will. Law bequeath. See give/take/reciprocity, law.

Here's some quotes on the importance of using the mind as a creative tool in Kumite...

"They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and when the necessity is survival she can be one mean mother, but it's her child invention that's the real dangerous one."

Darien Fawkes quotes

"Conflict is the gadfly of thought. It stirs us to observation and memory. It instigates to invention. It shocks us out of sheeplike passivity, and sets us at noting and contriving."

John Dewey quotes (American Philosopher, Psychologist and Educator, 1859-1952)

"It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation."

-- Herman Melville

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep."

-- Scott Adams

"Man's mind stretched to a new idea never goes back to its original dimensions."

-- Sri da Avabhas

"Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way."

-- Edward de Bono

I think it is very important to use the mind in this way...

...if a person is devising and creating on the fly then the mind is in a place free of fear and failure, it's right where it ought to be...

...completely in the here and now.

Don't forget to check out the exciting books and dvd's on Karate, Martial Arts, Zen, Weapons, Nutrition and Health from the Indulgent Samurai Store...

RJF

Funakoshi's 19 th principle of Karate..."Do not forget light and heavy application of power"

2006-06-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

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Funakoshi's 19 th principle of Karate..."Do not forget light and heavy application of power"

In my Kumite and Kata experience so far, I've noticed a direct correlation between Speed and Power.

While muscular strength is important, it isn't as important as the effective use of ones strength...

...and that's why some women and smaller men, can effectively deliver more power than others who have more muscle strength.

I'm not sure what Funakoshi means by light application of power, because it seems to me that when you are delivering a punch or kick with maximum speed and maximum concentration of power it will automatically be a heavy application.

It is possible he was referring to the light application of power while one is moving and making use of what the Japanese refer to as Tanden or the area behind the navel in the very center of the body...

...it was believed that this is where the spirit resides and this is the center of power and balance.

The use of the lower abdominal area and in particular the hips, plays a central role in all Karate movements...

...thus the relevance of the saying "...punch with the hips, kick with the hips and block with the hips"

I believe that through the correct use of a harmonized and powerful balance, built upon a proper stance, a very quick and devastating delivery of concentrated power, can easily be achieved.

I guess it would similar to being in the "zone" or perhaps seeing perfection from a place void of the ego and being aware enough to know, you've just witnessed the spirit.

RJF

"Practicing a Kata is one thing and engaging in a real fight is another " ...# 18 of Funakoshi's Principles

2006-06-04T17:18:00.000-07:00

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Ah yes, the question that always crosses the mind of every Karate-ka...will I be able to hold my own in a real fight?

Well, it depends...

...my wife who doesn't practice Karate, would probably do pretty well in a fight.

She's one of those people who just seems to know what to do once things get physical.

On the other hand, I myself have never been in a fight, so what happens next, would depend on the circumstances.

My sensei says, in a real fight forget about taking a Karate stance and making a bunch of noises like Bruce Lee...let your back fist be your first weapon of choice.

He also says that when faced by someone holding a knife, grab the closest movable object and clobber the guy with everything, I mean everything you've got.

How well I do in a fight, depends on a couple of important points, the first one being "fear".

The second one is how well I can control the adrenaline rush flushing through my body.

I believe if I can overcome those 2 self induced obstacles initially, I might have a fair chance of holding my own when the fists start flying.

When it comes to Kata practice, it's always a good idea to train as if you were really fighting someone, rather than just going through the motions.

Also, if you've worked on training your spirit as well as your body, it may well just be the spirit that settles things down before the fight even gets started...

What do I mean by that?

You see, my Sensei has a stare, a stare that is as cold and as feeling-less as the moon...it's like a Mike Tyson, I'm going to tear your f*%#ing head off kind of stare...

...get the idea.

I don't have that kind of stare, it's the kind of stare you don't want to run into...

...unless your crazy and looking for that macho chip on your shoulder kind of stuff...

...because if you are, there's all kinds of those people out there waiting for you.

My Sensei says that in a fight with a real street fighter I wouldn't stand much of a chance...

...I might put up a good fight but that's about it.

In the end the deciding factor may very well be compassion for human life, or most likely, the lack there of...

In a fight for your families or your own life, compassion is something that you will have to forego...

...because you won't be shown any by your opponent.

No, Kata is not like being in a real fight, but I would rather have had those hours of training under my belt than not...

RJF

Low stance for beginners; natural stance for advanced students....# 17 of Funakoshi's principles

2006-05-29T09:47:00.000-07:00

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The reason your Sensei is always telling the class to get lower in their stances, is to build the strength of the leg muscles.

Having strong legs means having quickness in movement and power when kicking.

Being low initiates the flow of power from low to high.

Power comes from the ground and moves laterally or upwards.

Just try to deliver power from a high to low position and you'll soon understand where power comes from.

If beginners don't train from low and deep stances, they'll be at a disadvantage when sparring against someone who has...

...they'll get to feel the extra sting and power in their opponents attack and it'll be intimidating, knowing that they can't respond in kind.

Advanced students who have trained low and deep have the power and spring built into their legs and can train at more natural stances for increased manueverability.

They've also learned to drop their weight and rebound off the floor when punching or kicking.

No one, including myself likes to get down lower and deeper in stances, for the simple reason that it hurts, it's down right painful...

...but like what my Sensei says, "...if it doesn't kill you it will make you stronger"

Then there's the old adage, "no pain no gain"...

...I never new what that meant until I started my Karate training...

...I do now.

So, when your Sensei says get lower, then get lower, it's for your own good and you'll advance a lot faster on your path to becoming a true Karate-ka.

RJF

"As soon as you leave home for work, think that millions of opponents are waiting for you...."

2006-05-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

Funakoshi's 16 th principle of Karate...

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This principle I believe, is all about awareness...

...awareness of your surroundings and of the circumstances that are ever changing as you go about your daily business.

It's not about being schizophrenic and fearing that your going to be attacked by someone at any moment ...

...it's more of a moving meditation or paying more attention to what is happening to you from a moment to moment reality.

If your attention is firmly anchored in the here and now, which takes a lot of practice to accomplish by the way, your ability to make the proper decision at the proper time will be significantly enhanced.

For example, if your stuck in a traffic jam and talking on a cell phone to someone, maybe the wife or husband...

...you won't even notice the car jacker walking up, smashing your car window and sticking a gun in your face.

Perhaps your at the ATM bank machine at night getting some cash, and your mind is a million miles away, thinking about something else...

...you won't even feel that baseball bat to your head until it's too late.

Get the picture...

To be totally aware of your situation means to have your mind and attention where it belongs...in the present and not in the imaginary realm of the future or reliving memories from the past.

When your mind is focused on the present, you have an array of self defense tools at your disposal...

...your peripheral vision can be developed to a point of being able to see things clearly happening from the side...

...and from the sides to your back, your sense of feeling can be developed so that you know when someone is coming up from your rear.

If your aware of your body and paying attention to it, you can actually feel your ears perking up to sounds coming from behind you...

Your body will alert you to danger but you must be there in the here and now to receive those messages.

Make a habit of reminding yourself throughout the day to simply stop for a moment and cease the activity of the mind. Focus the mind on your surroundings. Exercise your peripheral vision by trying to identify objects off to the sides. Feel the presence of others around you and use your ears to hear people moving about, particularly from the rear.

Practice bringing your mind back into the present and no one will ever be able to sneak up on you or catch you off guard...

RJF

Funakoshi's 15th principle says "Consider your opponent's hands and legs as you would sharp swords."

2006-05-22T10:42:00.000-07:00

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"Consider your opponent's hands and legs as you would sharp swords."

A lot of the martial art's techniques and styles, have evolved from historical sword fighting warfare.

In fact, I believe, if it weren't for the invention of hand guns and rifles, swords of all sizes would still be king...

...whether or not a society of sword wielding citizens would be less violent than today's gun toting one, I'm not sure...

...but it certainly wouldn't be as easy to rob or kill someone, as any coward on the street can do today.

Skill and honor has been replaced by the simple act of pointing and shooting...

...an act requiring as much skill and honor as a 10 year child possesses.

I believe, the gun has given power to the insane and uncaring elements of society...

...the very last group of people that we would want to be empowering.

Getting back to Funakoshi's principle...

...your going to have a keener sense of awareness of an attacker, if he is wielding a knife or sword.

You might have 1 or at the most 2 opportunities to finish off your attacker, so you've got to be focused and be able to deliver a fatal blow to a vulnerable area.

So, why not use that extra awareness when facing all of your opponents?

Spar and fight in Kumite as if you have just one chance, one opportunity to survive.

Not only will it cut out all the extraneous stuff but it will develop your spirit for bravery...

...you won't have time to retreat from a knife or sword attack, you must fearlessly advance towards those sharp points, deftly moving within centimeters of them to launch your own laser focused attack.

If you practice and develop that kind of attitude and concentration, you'll be very well prepared when you have to exercise those skills in a real life and death situation.

RJF

Move according to your opponent...# 14 of Funakoshi's principles...

2006-05-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

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Move according to your opponent...

I like this quote by Bruce Lee, from the movie "Enter the Dragon"...

"A good fight should be like a small play but, played seriously. When the opponent expands, I contract. When he contracts, I expand. And when the opportunity presents itself, I do not hit. It hits all by itself."

Along with that premise is the use of minimum energy...

...Why minimum energy? Well, a skilled Kumite player can often exploit the use of excess energy and use it against his opponent.

Deflection and circular motion is more effective diverting attacks to the middle of the body than the use of hard blocks.

I mentioned this before, that the body must be relaxed...

...if it is tense or stiff, the center of balance can be influenced from any point, rather than having that energy easily diverted by means of a relaxed moving body.

In most encounters in Kumite, awareness and reaction often triumph over force and aggression.

RJF

Funakoshi's 13th principle of Karate..."Victory depends on your ability to tell vulnerable points from invulnerable ones."

2006-05-16T19:46:00.000-07:00

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Funakoshi's 13th principle of Karate..."Victory depends on your ability to tell vulnerable points from invulnerable ones."

This principle is fairly self explanatory...

...a good example is a young supple tree, maybe a few years old compared to an old oak tree.

In a stiff wind, the young flexible tree will bend almost in half and will bounce back into shape after the wind has subsided...

...conversely, a very old tree with hardened and stiff branches will break and splinter against the might of the wind.

In Kumite, you must become like the young tree, fluid and ever bending in response to an attack, and always trying not to tighten up and becoming stiff like an old tree.

The harder you are when you get hit, the more the damage that will be inflicted on you.

Of course, martial artists are well trained in the vulnerabilities of the human body...

...knowing full well that an attack on those sensitive areas will result in severe permanent damage or even death.

It may be necessary to use lethal force on someone who is attacking you or your family on the streets...

...but it should never to be used in Kumite or in tournaments.

Sometimes it requires a judgment or an assessment of a situation...as an example, do you really want to be responsible for blinding some drunk with a spear hand shot to the eyes in a bar, who made some rude comments to your wife...or would it be better to simply kick his knee out with a roundhouse kick or a hard thrust kick?...

...sure he's going to need surgery to repair his knee, but at least he'll have his eyesight...

The martial artist has a responsibility to use his skills wisely...

...and part of that wisdom is to win, or at least to hold his own in a physical confrontation.

Knowing what areas to attack are crucial for ending an altercation early...

...so make sure you practice hitting those areas in your training...

...that will ensure that you can hit them, when you absolutely need too...

RJF

"Do not think you have to win. Think, rather, that you do not have to lose...the 12th principle by Funakoshi"...

2006-05-09T13:17:00.000-07:00

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"Do not think you have to win. Think, rather, that you do not have to lose."

Harriet Woods said,

"You can stand tall without standing on someone. You can be a victor without having victims."

Marian Wright Edelman said,

"You're not obligated to win. You're obligated to keep trying to do the best you can every day."

Marie Ebner von Eschenbach said,

"Conquer, but don't triumph."

Vince Lombardi said,

"Winning isn't everything, but the will to win is everything."

Ralph Waldo Emerson said,

"Win as if you were used to it, lose as if you enjoyed it for a change."

Albert Gray said,

"Winners have simply formed the habit of doing things losers don't like to do."

Having to win, I believe, will put you at a disadvantage, mentally, against someone who is like Funakoshi says, is trying not to lose.

That slight difference in thinking is all that is needed to affect an outcome.
infinitesimalismal second of opportunity, or space in time, can determine in a life and death struggle who lives and who dies.

In competition the winner is declared almost after the first or second encounter with their opponent...

...only ones strength of spirit determines who relinquishes to defeat and the one who does not.

It's the mental part of Kumite and I believe it's more important than the physical...

...make sure you train them both...

RJF

Karate is just like hot water. If you do not give heat constantly, it will again become cold water...Funakoshi's 11th principle...

2006-05-04T19:10:00.000-07:00

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"Karate is just like hot water. If you do not give heat constantly, it will again become cold water."

I believe, Funakoshi was talking about perseverance...

...and continually practicing and improving ones karate skills...

... always seeking perfection, knowing full well that one will never reach that perceived perfection.

Here's some awe inspiring quotes about perseverance...

"As in the case of making a mound, if, before the very last basketful, I stop, then I shall have stopped. As in the case of leveling the ground, if, though tipping only one basketful, I am going forward, then I shall be making progress."

~ Confucius

"He who labors diligently need never despair; for all things are accomplished by diligence and labor."

~ Menander

"Persistence prevails, like a stream that is temporarily blocked by boulders and then collects force enough to overflow onward."

~ Vernon Howard

"Victory belongs to the most persevering."

~ Napoleon Bonaparte

"When I have finally decided that a result is worth getting, I go ahead on it and make trial after trial until it comes."

~ Thomas Edison

Once Karate or the martial arts gets ahold of you, it will never let you go...

...you can stop your practice for a while maybe even for years, but you'd be better off continuing and persevering, even if it doesn't feel right to you at the moment.

Because sooner or later, you will either regret your actions or you will be pleased with your perseverance...

...just like in mindfullness meditation, by continually coming back to your breath you'll build mental strength, so should your karate through continual practice build physical and spiritual strength.

RJF

Karate-size everything...Funakoshi's 10th principle of Karate...

2006-05-01T12:07:00.000-07:00

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Karate-size everything...

I believe a Karate-ka has to have Karate and its principles fore front in ones mind as often as possible.

If practiced like that, the Karate-ka will have an easier time of getting through the easy and tough times that life presents them with.

Karate builds character and self esteem and teaches respect and tolerance of others who may have different beliefs and doctrines...

...even if that respect is not reciprocated by closed minded and self serving religious practictioners, is that of any concern to the Karate-ka.

Karate-ka are not interested in spreading religious dogma to the world, they simply respond to the solicitations of the world and act accordingly.

To Karate-ize everything means not to be offended when hypocritical evangelicals denounce their practices as perpetuating violence in the world.

To Karate-ize everything means to understand the violence being perpetrated to the earth each and everyday through commerce and corporate greed...

...by companies who's CEO's steadfastly appear in church each Sunday to proudly wallow in a doctrine which in reality they completely contradict.

A Karate-ka practices respect, not just giving lip service to it, but making it an integral part of their life.

Karate-ka make their minds and bodies strong, develop concentration, power and focus and use those skills to manage their affairs with effectiveness and purpose.

The people who publicly decry the learning of how to severely injure or kill another human being, are the very same hypocrite's who stand firmly behind a government and it's policies, which use even more vilolent methods to kill innocent civilians through military intervention, all for its own self serving interests.

To Karate-ize everything means to stand up and defend the weak, and to speak out about human and the worlds degradation.

People can only accomplish this from a position of power, brought about by the development of discipline, self-awareness, respect and knowledge through countless hours of dedication spent in the Dojo...

...and in the world.

RJF

"It will take your entire life to learn Karate"...number 9 of Funakoshi's principles..

2006-04-30T10:03:00.000-07:00

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"It will take your entire life to learn Karate"...

I think everyone agrees that it takes a life time to learn anything of importance not just Karate.

Rosalyn S. Yalow was quoted as saying that..."The excitement of learning separates youth from old age. As long as you're learning you're not old".

Everyone who takes up Karate wants to be a Black Belt...

...and it's true that there are Black Belts and then there are "Black Belts".

Newton D. Baker said, "The man who graduates today and stops learning tomorrow is uneducated the day after".

I will leave you with 2 of my favorite quotes on life long learning...

"There are some things which cannot be learned quickly, and time, which is all we have, must be paid heavily for their acquiring. They are simple things, and because it takes a man's life to know them, the little new that each man gets from life is very costly and the only heritage he has to leave".--Ernest Hemingway (Death in the Afternoon)

"The Universe is one great kindergarten for man. Everything that exists has brought with it its own peculiar lesson. The mountain teaches stability and grandeur; the ocean immensity and change. Forests, lakes, and rivers, clouds and winds, stars and flowers, stupendous glaciers and crystal snowflakes, - every form of animate or inanimate existence, leaves its impress upon the soul of man. Even the bee and ant have brought their little lessons of industry and economy".--Orison Swett Marden

Funakoshi's 8 th principle of Karate..."Do not think that you can learn Karate only in the Dojo"

2006-04-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

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"Do not think that you can learn Karate only in the Dojo"

Here's some famous quotes similar to Funakoshi's idea of Karate education...

Lord Chesterfield

"The knowledge of the world is only to be acquired in the world, and not in a closet".

Ralph Waldo Emerson

"We are shut up in schools and college recitation rooms for ten or fifteen years, and come out at last with a bellyfull of words and do not know a thing. The things taught in schools and colleges are not an education, but the means of education".

Robert F. Goheen

"If you have both feet planted on level ground, then the university has failed you".

Sir William Haley

"Education would be much more effective if its purpose was to ensure that by the time they leave school every boy and girl should know how much they do not know, and be imbued with a lifelong desire to know it".

Aristotle

"Those who educate children well are more to be honored than parents, for these only gave life, those the art of living well".

You see, Karate is not just kicking and punching, it's a way of life, and it's built upon fundamental principles.

What is taught and what is learned in the Dojo is directly applicable to one's life outside the Dojo.

Everything from respect, concentration, timing, kime, awareness and adaptability can be utilized in business transactions or when dealing with people on any front.

Your decisiveness, goals and actions, coupled with the knowledge that there is no power on this earth that can guarantee your life won't be snuffed out in a flash...

...gives the Karate-ka a distinct advantage over his fellow man and makes his/her actions that much more powerful.

I believe Funakoshi was trying to say, take what you learn in the Dojo and apply it in your life...

...that's where the real battles are fought, not in the Dojo.

RJF

Accidents come out of idleness...the number 7 principle by Fuanakoshi...

2006-04-27T11:06:00.000-07:00

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Accidents come out of idleness...the number 7 principle by Funakoshi...

What exactly does Funakoshi mean about idleness...?

...here's some famous quotes that might help.

"We do not lack strength so much as the will to use it; and very often our imagining that things are impossible is nothing but an excuse of our own contriving, to reconcile ourselves to our own idleness". - François, Duc De La Rochefoucauld

"Purity of mind and idleness are incompatible".

Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) Preeminent leader of Indian nationalism.

"Prolonged idleness paralyzes initiative".

Unknown Source

"Idleness is emptiness; the tree in which the sap is stagnant, remains fruitless".

- Hosea Ballou, Manuscript--Sermons

"Inactivity and deprivation of all accustomed stimulus is not rest; it is a preparation for the tomb".

- Robertson Davies

What I think Funakoshi was getting at here, was the fact that if a Karate-ka moves about lazily with no real prupose in mind, he or she will end up realizing some very negative consequences.

In Kumite the Karate-ka should always have some kind of goal or idea of what they want to accomplish...

...I could go on, but I think you get the idea...basically, never be lazy...

RJF

Be ready to release your mind...Funakoshi's 6th principle of Karate...

2006-04-26T12:50:00.000-07:00

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Be ready to release your mind...Funakoshi's 6th principle of Karate...

Here's some quotes on what Funakoshi was getting at...

Rene Descartes said...

"It is not good enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well".

Margot Asquith (on Stafford Cripps) said...

"He has a brilliant mind until he makes it up".

Arnold Bennett said...

"Your own mind is a sacred enclosure into which nothing harmful can enter except by your permission".

Frank Zappa said...

'A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it's not open".

Plutarch said...

"The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled".

Desiderius Erasmus said...

"ManÂs mind is so formed that it is far more susceptible to falsehood than to truth".

To me, the mind is not what most people think it is...

...that being some great store house of our waking and dreaming reality, and proxied with the control of our feelings, emotions and consequently our actions or reactions to external stimuli.

For example, when something happens in our lives that frustrates us, and we let the mind run with the emotion, it quickly ratchets up into anger and if we let it continue, it ultimately manifests into physical violence.

Now most people can control their anger before it manifests into physical violence, while most children having undeveloped awareness and perceptions, cannot...

I believe, it is this awareness of the mind and its thoughts, that allows anyone, but in particular Karate-ka, to use the mind as a tool rather than letting the mind use the person to perpetuate it's own emotional musings...

When Fuankoshi stated that a person has to release the mind, I believe he meant to dissassociate themselves from the thoughts of the mind...

...once that is accomplished, the person is completely free to take the appropriate action no matter what the circumstance he/she finds themselves in...

Hope that makes some sense...

RJF

Spirit first: techniques second...the 5th principle by Funakoshi

2006-04-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

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Check out these famous quotes on the Spirit...

"There are only two forces in the world, the sword and the spirit. In the long run the sword will always be conquered by the spirit".

Napoleon I (1769-1821) Napoleon Bonaparte. French general, First Consul

"When you examine the lives of the most influential people who have ever walked among us, you discover one thread that winds through them all. They have been aligned first with their spiritual nature and only then with their physical selves".

Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-Swiss-U.S. scientist.

"The foundations of a person are not in matter but in spirit".

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) U.S. poet, essayist and lecturer.

I believe it's just as important to develop ones Spirit in Karate, as well as ones techniques...

...my Sensei says that in a fight techniques will get the upper hand, but in the end the one with the greatest spirit will prevail.

One of the ways to build concentration to strengthen a Karate-ka's spirit, is through Zen and meditation...

...and just like the practice needed to perfect Karate techniques, practice is what strengthens the spirit.

RJF

Know yourself first and then others...the fourth karate principle by Funakoshi

2006-04-24T10:12:00.000-07:00

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"Know yourself first and then others..." said Funakoshi.

Barry Lopez stated,

"How is one to live a moral and compassionate existence when one is fully aware of the blood, the horror inherent in life, when one finds darkness not only in one's culture but within oneself? If there is a stage at which an individual life becomes truly adult, it must be when one grasps the irony in its unfolding and accepts responsibility for a life lived in the midst of such paradox. One must live in the middle of contradiction, because if all contradiction were eliminated at once life would collapse. There are simply no answers to some of the great pressing questions. You continue to live them out, making your life a worthy expression of leaning into the light".

"Self is the only prison that can ever bind the soul". ~Henry Van Dyke, The Prison and the Angel

"Man is never alone. Acknowledged or unacknowledged, that which dreams through him is always there to support him from within". ~Laurence van der Post

"And remember, no matter where you go, there you are". ~Confucius

"There are at least two kinds of cowards. One kind always lives with himself, afraid to face the world. The other kind lives with the world, afraid to face himself". ~Roscoe Snowden

"The outward man is the swinging door; the inner man is the still hinge". ~Eckhart

"Up to a point a man's life is shaped by environment, heredity, and movements and changes in the world about him. Then there comes a time when it lies within his grasp to shape the clay of his life into the sort of thing he wishes to be. Only the weak blame parents, their race, their times, lack of good fortune, or the quirks of fate. Everyone has it within his power to say, "This I am today; that I will be tomorrow." ~Louis L'Amour

It seems to me that the greatest knowledge a person can covet, is that of self-knowledge...books and school are all wonderful tools...but if they never teach a person to know themselves, what good are they?

Karate on the other hand, when fully actualized, brings the practictioner face to face with oneself...

...and once you've faced your true self...you will discover a whole new world to focus your eyes on.

RJF

Karate is a great assistance to justice...Funakoshi's 3rd principle

2006-04-23T18:51:00.001-07:00

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Funakoshi said that "Karate is a great assistance to justice"...

Alexander Solzhenitsyn said,

"Justice is conscience, not a personal conscience but the conscience of the whole of humanity. Those who clearly recognize the voice of their own conscience usually recognize also the voice of justice."

Aristotle said,

"Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts."

Benjamin Jowett said,

"We cannot seek or attain health, wealth, learning, justice or kindness in general. Action is always specific, concrete, individualized, unique."

And this sign at the Holocaust Museum, Washington, DC reads,

"Thou shalt not be a victim. Thou shalt not be a perpetrator. Above all, thou shalt not be a bystander."

I kind of like that one...

...Karate teaches the practictioner how not to be a victim, the wisdom not to be a perpetrator and the strength and courage to defend the weak...

RJF

There is no first attack in Karate...

2006-04-22T17:25:00.000-07:00

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What does that mean... that "There is no first attack in Karate"?

It's the second principle developed by Funakoshi...

I am reminded of a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson...

"When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers".

Ralph Waldo Emerson US essayist & poet (1803 - 1882)

You see, to me, it means that a true Karate-ka does not impose himself on his fellow man or the world for that matter...

...but if he/she is attacked and has to defend themselves, they will do so, and with the correct response, be it words or fists.

Karate is a way, a way of dealing with threats, to oneself, ones family and the innocent.

Often, like Ralph says, all's that's really needed is the courage to take a stand...

...Karate teaches the practictioner to take that stand.

Once a person understands this reality, it is virtually impossible to be an aggressor towards another human being or the world.

That's the way I see it anyway...

RJF

To begin ones journey a Karate-ka must have respect...

2006-04-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

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I wanted to talk about the 20 principles of Karate presented by Mr. Funakoshi...

...and in particular the first principle...the act of bowing.

"In Karate, start with a bow and finish with a bow."

The bow is really about respect...for oneself, others and the world at large.

Here follows some famous quotes about respect...

Eldridge Cleaver:

"Respect commands itself and it can neither be given nor withheld when it is due".

Laurence Sterne:

"Respect for ourselves guides our morals; respect for others guides our manners".

Baltasar Gracian:

"Respect yourself if you would have others respect you".

Andre Gide:

"There are admirable potentialities in every human being. Believe in your strength and your truth. Learn to repeat endlessly to yourself". "It all depends on me."

Henri Frederic Amiel:

"There is no respect for others without humility in one's self".

Thomas Jefferson:

"We confide in our strength, without boasting of it; we respect that of others, without fearing it".

Harry S. Truman:

"We must build a new world, a far better world - one in which the eternal dignity of man is respected".

How is it, that a simple act like bowing... has so much power and meaning?

I believe, it's the simplicity...

Don Juan use to say that "...acts have power"

...and he was right.

RJF

2 greats ways to relieve stress in today's busy world....Karate and Meditation

2006-04-16T09:50:00.000-07:00

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Karate in itself is a great stress reliever...that is if you can make the time to practice it by getting out to the Dojo.

Meditation on the other hand, can be practiced just about anywhere, at anytime and is an excellent counterpart to the physical stress relief brought about through Karate...

Check out this article to see if meditation might be right for you...

ArticleCity.com

Use Meditation As A Form Of Stress Relief
by: Steve Hill

Do you feel that you are constantly under stress? Are you looking into ways of how you can reduce your stress levels? If you have answered yes to both of these questions, you are not alone. The world is seemingly becoming faster, more demanding and more pressurised. In this article I write about how meditation can help you to relax and become a happier person.

Stress affects people in different ways. I personally feel very tired and lethargic during these periods and start to worry about things, like a future event. This can easily lead me into a period of depression, which in the past I have found it very difficult to come out of.

Other people suffer from panic attack attacks, become very shaky and nervous, feel sick in the stomach, become sad and can begin to think in a very negative way.

Most of the conditions I have described above are actually a mental and not so much of a physical problem. This is why I believe meditation to be an excellent form of stress relief or stress management.

Meditation helps us to control our emotions, to think in a more relaxed and positive way and certainly helps us to think more clearly.

Positive effects of meditation:

It reduces your heart rate

It relaxes your breathing and can even make it slower

It can lower blood pressure

It can increase your self-esteem by making you think in a more positive way

Helps you to think in a more logical and clear way

Helps you to reduce stress

Types of meditation:

Walking meditation

Mandala meditation

Yoga meditation

Sitting meditation

Prayer meditation

Visualisation meditation

I personally prefer the sitting meditation. I try to make time around three of four times a day when I will sit down to meditate. Originally I had a lack of belief about what I was doing and about if it would work. I found it difficult at this stage to get myself into the zone. With practice and realising that I needed this to work for me, I managed to get enough concentration and focus to see the full benefits.

A lot of the people in my circle of friends think that I am a bit mad. They can not believe that I actually just sit there and think. Meditation has had such a positive effect on my life and continues to do so, therefore my friends can mock as much as they like. I actually believe that some of them should try it themselves but they always laugh at the suggestion.

This is something I now do on a daily basis and it works. Give it a go with belief and I am sure it will benefit you to.

Steve Hill

About The Author

Stephen Hill helps to promote a number of websites including:

Have a problem stutter or stammer. The How to stop stuttering stammering centre can help

Alglas :: Main Page

Ringtones Help And News :: Main Page

info@stammering-stuttering.co.uk

ArticleCity.com - In the Ninja Warrior's Martial Art of Ninjutsu - Practice Makes Perfect

2006-04-15T09:27:00.000-07:00

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ArticleCity.com - In the Ninja Warrior's Martial Art of Ninjutsu - Practice Makes Perfect: "In the Ninja Warrior's Martial Art of Ninjutsu - Practice Makes Perfect
by: Jeffrey M. Miller

In the ninja's martial arts, just as with everything else in life, experience brings many benefits. The more a person does something, the greater the level of confidence, understanding, and proficiency they will have with that 'thing.' This is a truth but as with any medicine, is often hard to swallow.

If we are to become truly skilled at our martial art - able to use our skills in an actual confrontation should one ever arise - we must be able to do our techniques as easily as we tie our shoes or lift a fork to our mouths to eat. And, unfortunately, two classes a week will NOT bring about this mastery and skill.

True mastery comes from practice - the homework done when we're away from class to perfect our skill. Just as with any other schooling, homework is necessary to really get good at what it is that we're trying to learn. This is something we cannot get in the classroom where the learning takes place. Practice is the constant experience derived from having done the techniques repeatedly. It is the magnifying glass which spots the errors that must be fixed for the technique to work quickly, efficiently and correctly.

The basics - the bare essenti"

About The Author

Jeffrey M. Miller is the founder and master instructor of Warrior Concepts International. In addition to regular classes for local students, he is called upon by groups and organizations as a speaker, lecturer, and seminar leader on such topics as child-safety, leadership, self-defense, and the benefits of training in the martial art of ninjutsu He may be contacted for media interviews and seminar/speaking information at (570) 988-2228 or through his website at Warrior Concepts Int'l - Professional Martial Arts Programs, Seminars & Info

Read more articles like this by subscribing to the author's newsletter at: Subscribe to the WCI Online Newsletter and stay informed!

Discipline...one must have it or at least a semblance of it to become a black belt...

2006-03-23T18:15:00.000-08:00

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"Self-respect is the fruit of discipline; the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself."

Rabbi Abraham Heschel

Saying no to oneself... isn't that just the real problem with mankind in general?

How could George W. say "no" to invading Iraq...?

I mean, personally, how can I say no to french fries and yes to a side salad instead...?

How can I refuse myself the pleasure of an extra beer or glass of wine after a hard days work...?

Must my karate always be the main focus in life right now, or can I day dream about lazing about on a beach somewhere?

I think the Rabbi has it right though...

...there is something empowering about saying no to yourself, even after your ego has made its very logical argument, for making a particular kind of indulgence...whatever it may be.

You see, we're all dealing with the shrewdest of used car salesman, especially when "it" wants something or "thinks" it deserves something.

Getting back to discipline, I rather enjoy this quote by Brian Adams...

..."Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success."

Now that's the kind of motivation I like to hear...the kind of stuff that keeps me on track, and on the right path...

...the path that will lead me to a black belt, which in reality, is just another stop on my journey...

...a journey we call life...

Discipline...it's one of those vital "life" ingredients.

RJF

The Journey for a Black Belt begins...

2006-03-20T20:28:00.000-08:00

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I got my Red Belt on Friday and my certificate today...

...and so begins my chronicles on becoming a Black Belt in Karate.

Over the next year and a half, I've got to watch what I eat, make more healthy food choices, reduce my alcohol consumption and somehow get into the best shape of my life...

...quite the task for someone who's nearly 49 years old and somewhat indulgent.

It's going to be tough, but hey, that's what makes any journey real...

...the struggle, the ups, the downs and the obstacles along the way.

Tonight there were just 3 of us in the Dojo. It was a cold evening and the new schedule for training hasn't drawn that many students to Monday nights yet.

What I like most about small classes is that you get more personal attention and instruction from the head master, like having your own personal trainer...

Anyway, we spent 45 minutes straight doing Kata's Heian Shodan, Nidan, Sandan, Yondan, Godan, Tekki-Shodan, Tekki-Nidan, and Tekki-Sandan.

I was nearly exhausted afterwards, as we had to put a lot of Kime into each Kata, over and over again...

...I think I'll sleep well tonight.

Next week Kumite starts again, so I'll have some more tips on how to improve your sparring...even against the women.

RJF

Passed another sign-post on Friday...

2006-03-19T08:34:00.000-08:00

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After an hour of hard fought Kumite with various participants, ranging from kids to the ladies and finally the tough guys...I performed my Kata for the Red Belt.

The Kata was Bassai Dai...and even though I was totally exhausted and quite nervous, I managed to perform it adequately enough with only a few mistakes.

It's only been about 3 years since I began my Karate training with Erica, who unfortunately had to drop out due to school, part-time work and a boy friend.

So, in 3 years I have a yellow, orange, green, 2 purple, 3 brown and now a red belt.

That belt progression by today's standards is quite normal and in some cases it might seem a bit accelerated...

...Especially since my Sensei, spent 8 hard years punching and kicking as a brown belt, in an era when Karate in Canada and in particular Alberta, was in it's infancy.

It was a time when the only Black Belts around, had all come from or had been trained in Japan.

And from some of the stories my Sensei has told me, the Black Belt instructors had no qualms about getting physical with their students...which is of course a no no today.

I have in front of me now, the real test for a martial artist, that being climbing the last stretch up the mountain to the summit, to receive a Black Belt...

...I will have to dedicate my total being for the next year and a half to the principles and forms of Karate.

On my final ascent I will need a strong yet flexible body, a focused but not fixated mind, and a dedication and determination to surmount physical and mental obstacles.

A strong body and character will not in themselves guarantee that I will make it to the top of the summit...

...because patiently waiting for me there, will be my master and if I'm not ready he will know and will surely send me back down the mountain.

You see, a Black Belt cannot be bought, it has to be earned...

To be failed on ones first attempt will humble some and discourage others...

...but the ones that have the fortitude to start the climb again, and possibly again, will one day wear the Black Belt.

In the end, one see's that it is not the Black Belt that is important, but what the being that it wraps around has become...

RJF

Kumite Tips #9... Develop one or two trademark techniques...

2006-03-04T09:04:00.000-08:00

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Tylenol... isn't it a wonderful drug, especially after you've been sparring non-stop for an hour?...

...trading punches, kicks, throws and sweeps, tends to involve every muscle imaginable.

Anyway, last night at Kumite I managed to avoid breaking all my toes from a front kick to my partners very hard knee which he threw up for protection.

It's a natural reflex action when someone is kicking at you to protect yourself...

...Fortunately for me, I actually kicked the way I've been trained to kick, that being with the ball of the foot and to keep the toes up and back.

So, its important in Kumite to spar the way you train and the way your Sensei tells you to punch and kick...

...even when kicking your bag at home, try using the ball of the foot on your roundhouse kick and not the top of the foot.

I got to spar with my Sensei, which is a scary proposition as he doesn't hold back just because I'm a brown belt...he doesn't follow through with his punches to the head and pulls his punches when I expose my vital organs to him...which is why I am still able to write this blog...

He mentioned that my Kumite experience is at a place, head wise, where I am taking punishment but not dishing it out...

...and I have to get into a head space where I can make the transition from defense and retaliation to offence and the instigator.

So, here's the tip that really isn't a tip at all...

...become very, very good at one or two punching and kicking techniques.

Spend more hours training in those couple of techniques than others...

...make them your most devasting attack or counter-attacks.

Everybody is built differently, so find the technique that suits your style and perfect it.

Once your able to deliver your favorite perfected techniques when given an opportunity, you will garner a lot of respect from your Kumite partner.

If its a perfected technique that doesn't get overused during Kumite, it will be literally unstoppable, even if your partner knows your going to use it a some point.

My Sensei has mastered his back kick, amongst other techniques...

...by the time I realize that it's coming it's too late and usually end up on the floor or falling backwards at warp speed.

Bruce Lee, would say that, "...your opponent should feel your technique before he see's it"...

...and that only comes from spending hours perfecting one or two solid techniques.

Happy sparring...

RJF

The Martial Arts are not a form of violence....

2006-03-02T17:33:00.000-08:00

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You see, people who say that the Martial Arts are violent and are avenues for the socio-path, don't understand (A) real violence and (B) it's opposite, that being hard work, focus, dedication and the development of strong and good hearted people.

They are totally unaware of the steps and intent needed to create violence by individuals who's ultimate goal is to perpetrate harmful acts on other human beings.

It is much easier and less work for someone who simply wants to beat people up, to simply cruise the night clubs looking for trouble, than to spend countless hours doing Kata, or Kumite, working on a bag or makiwara board and endless years of basics ...

...or if they're really into violence, they can join the army, where they learn to kill people with guns and use they're army boots to kick an enemies head like a football once they're on the ground.

It is true the Karate-Ka learns techniques that can ultimately kill another human being...

...but there is no intent to ever harm another person and every attempt is made to avoid the use of violence...

...exactly the opposite to the person who intentionally seeks violence.

There is kind of a personal power, developed over many years by the Martial Artist.

That being the knowledge that if a fight ensues, death will be the ultimate outcome...

...who's death it will be, no one knows.

...and that is not a risk a violent individual is willing to accept.

You see, violent people are really cowards and they prey on and seek out the weak and innocent. They take very calculated steps to maneuver their victims into disadvantages positions...

...and if a person can make themselves into a hard target tha'ts not going to go down easily, the perpetrator will move on to easier hunting grounds.

There's the difference, one person seeks health, vitality and a strong calm nature while the other person seeks destruction, weekness and chaos...

RJF

Kumite Tips # 8 ...Practice Control

2006-01-29T10:28:00.000-08:00

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In my last Kumite class I was quite tired after having worked 6 days in a row...

Our class is usually around an hour and a half...most of which is non-stop free style fighting.

So we all go at it pretty steady, working with our partners, male and female until the Sensei wants to change up the partners...

...needless to say I was gasping for air after about 5 minutes of non-stop sparring and could barely keep my guard up for protection.

It's at times like this that I can feel my weaknesses and realize how out of shape I am, even though I am 48 years old...age is no excuse as my Sensei is in his fifties and is in excellent shape.

After changing partners a couple of times, I was paired up with a gal I will call Heather, not her real name, but she has a black belt and is an instructor and is in way better shape than I am...

We were practicing a couple of Kumite moves. The first move is from your Kame as you lower your stance and move both arms out, indicating to your opponent that your about to come in for an attack. This is just an affront, instead of coming in, you wait until your opponent takes either an offensive stance or defensive stance...as soon as they realize that your not coming in, is the moment when you shift in and deliver a backfist to the side of their head and then shift back out...the back fist is one of your most indispensable tools in Kumite, as long as like everything else, you don't use it so often that your opponent can easily recognize it coming in.

Now here's the alternate attack that follows the setting up of that particular back fist attack, in your opponents mind.
From the Kamae, shift in like your going to throw your backfist again, but this time, simply, put your fist or open hand directly in your opponents face and block his or her view and throw in a hard round house kick, aiming for the lower ribs...they won't be able to see it coming, and there guard will be up in anticipation of blocking your feigned backfist to the head.

It's a devasting combination of moves if it gets used sparingly, in conjunction with other techniques...

Once I was tired, my control went out the window, and so it was that during my blocking of Heathers eyes, that I scraped a hunk of flesh off of her nose with my finger nail...oh yah, that's a good point to remember, always keep your finger and toes nails as short as possible or perhaps even taped up to avoid accidental injuries...you don't want to be responsible for poking or scraping someone's eye out.

Anyway, make those above mentioned Kumite moves a part of your arsenal...they work great...

RJF

Time...is it an illusion?

2006-01-22T11:26:00.000-08:00

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Well, it's about time I did some blogging, man talk about being a slacker...

I've got an excuse though, I've been setting up the new computer, and it's taken up way more of my time than I thought it would...

Not to mention the fact that I had to work an evening shift...that sure messes up a guy's routine.

That evening shift also cost me a weeks worth of Karate training, including my favorite, a Kumite class.

Things are starting to return to normal, so I hope to be putting more effort into my Karate especially since I've got a red belt exam coming up in March as well as a badge exam in June and then there's my instructors training...

I started thinking about how much time I was wasting doing things...

...and then wondered if I really was wasting time? I mean, what "is" time anyway?

If I live my life, as best I can in the present moment, as fully aware as possible ...am I really wasting time?

Then I thought about the mechanism that makes up my "sense" of time...

...and I came to the conclusion, that it must be made up of one, ever present moment followed by another, ever present moment and so on and so on.

My sense of time then, is really in part, just the use of my memory...using it to reflect on a particular moment of time in the past along with my imagination, to create an imaginary moment of time in the future.

I thought to myself, that's why I lose all my sense of time when I am concentrating on my Karate, because I am not engaging those 2 mental processes...

...I am living and experiencing my life through the present moment.

That's my understanding of it anyway, I'm only wasting time or rather living in time, when I am not living my life in the present moment.

Now the problem is, I don't live my life in the present moment, at least not as much as I would like too, and that is why I'm thankful to be able to engage in Karate as a means of accomplishing that fleeting reality.

Well, enough about time...it's time to practice my Kata...

Kumite Equipment...make sure it fits properly and is in good shape...

2006-01-10T20:42:00.000-08:00

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I originally bought my Kumite equipment used, (not the groin protector) because the equipment itself can be quite expensive...some where around $300.00 for everything.

Unfortunately on my last outing, I tore the thumb right off one of the punches from a hard reverse shot to my opponents body.

The particular style of punches that I use are 1/2 vinyl foam, and I had already ripped the finger slots off of them in previous sparring sessions.

I had more duck tape holding them together than vinyl...

...so I figured it was time to cough up the money for a new pair.

They just aren't robust enough for the kind of contact being made in our non-contact Kumite classes...

...some nice leather ones would be better I think, as they could better handle the flexing when I tighten my fist on a punch.

While rummaging around the local thrift store the other day, I found a pair of elbow pads which appear to be brand new.

...they actually have more padding than the ones I normally use and they were only $2.50

I'll probably end up replacing all my Kumite equipment over the next year or so, that way the cost is spread out over time.

It's a safety thing for yourself and your opponent that you keep your equipment in good shape, just to avoid any injuries...

Happy sparring...

RJF

Meditation: Why Meditation And How Does It Help by Kevin Pederson

2006-01-07T20:16:00.000-08:00

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The stressful lives we lead today take their toll on our health. Mental stress and physical fatigue drain us of our positive energy leaving us depleted physically, mentally and emotionally. Considered to be part of alternative medicine, meditation is fast gaining popularity amongst conventional medical practitioners as well. Patients are increasingly being advised to meditate for sometime in the day, which is believed to have a positive effect along with the allopathic medicines prescribed for a number of medical conditions.

What is meditation? Meditation is a technique that helps us focus and calms the mind resulting in relaxed and restful state of physical and mental being. Meditation is generally focused on one constant thing, usually your breath. Meditation is an effective tool to gain mind control, self-awareness and understanding that eventually lead to inner calm and peacefulness. For people practice meditation, it can lead to profound experiences of self-realization and transcendental awareness and knowledge. A proven alternative therapy, meditation is a known stress reliever.

Meditation is beneficial not only psychologically but is known to have positive effects on various health conditions ranging from blood pressure, insomnia to even depression. There are different techniques of meditation that people follow today. These are a product of diverse cultures and peoples around the world. The power of meditation has been harnessed to alleviate pain, suffering and promote healing for centuries in different cultures and religions, in some or the other form.

Types of meditation There are various types of meditation that originate from various parts of the world. Prayer is possibly the most common one, the others are Transcendental Meditation, mindfulness meditation, Zen meditation, Buddhist Meditation and Taoist Meditation.

The body under meditation Scientific experimentation and research has found out how the human body reacts under profound meditation. It has been found that the meditation process counteracted the effects of the sympathetic nervous system - the one that wants to fight or flee. Whereas the sympathetic system dilates the pupils and gets the heart rate, respiration and blood pressure up, the parasympathetic system, activated when we meditate, does just the opposite.

Muscle tension decreases, blood pressure drops, and for some extraordinary practitioners, even temperature and basal metabolism rates drop during a prolonged meditation. Oxygen needs of the body are reduced when you are in a highly relaxed state, and brain waves change from the busy beta waves to the blissful alpha waves.

Meditation Techniques There are two major approaches to meditation, which are Concentrative Meditation and Mindfulness Meditation. These can be explained as follows -

1. Concentrative Meditation The approach to still the mind is to focus the attention on the breath, image or sound (mantra). This gives way to greater awareness and clarity. In its most basic form concentrative meditation requires you to sit quietly and focus your attention on your breath. Practitioners of yoga and meditation believe that there is a direct correlation between one's state of mind and one's breath. For e.g. when a person is anxious, frightened, agitated or distracted, the breath will tend to be shallow, rapid and irregular. On the other hand, when the mind is calm, focused and composed, the breath tends to be slow, deep and regular.

2. Mindfulness Meditation In this type of meditation, the mind is aware of all that is happening around you. You just observe the sounds, feelings, sensations, images, thoughts, smells etc without getting involved in them or thing about them. The person is just like a spectator who is witnessing everything but one who does not react or get involved with thoughts, memories, feelings, worries or images. This helps to gain a more calm, clear and non-reactive state of mind.
About the Author

Kevin Pederson has been managing a number of natural home remedies websites which have information on home based natural cures and remedies for some of the most common illnesses as well as methods of meditation .

Holidays are over...it's back to the Karate workout...

2006-01-05T20:27:00.000-08:00

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Had my first Karate class after our Dojo took the Christmas, New Year holidays off...

What a killer...1 hour of mostly kicking....front snap, side snap, side thrust.

Then just for fun, Sensei would make us do double kicks... and then he would throw in a few slow pushups when we slacked off.

After that first hour, my gi was soaked with perspiration and we still had another hour of Kata training to go.

I'm going for a red badge some time in June...all's I have to do to get it is, Heian 1-5, Tekki 1-3, Bassa-Dai, Kanku-Dai and the first Jo Kata, Nijuni...

So, for the second hour, we only worked on perfecting the first 6 movements of Kanku-Dai, paying attention to the slow and fast aspects of the different movements, and making sure we used lots of Kime.

Sensei was also demonstrating the bunkai, or the practical meaning of the movements...there's some really cool and damaging techniques in Kanku-Dai...great stuff.

I was completely exhausted after class, and downed a liter of water before I even made it to my car for the drive home.

A couple of tylenol before bedtime and I slept like a baby.

I was sure stiff the next day though...that'll teach me for slacking off during the holidays.

Anyway, I should be getting back into the routine of things. Funny how fast the body goes soft when it isn't being worked, and how long it takes to get it back into shape....

That's why its important to find a sport or activity which a person really loves doing...it's way easier to motivate oneself that way and easier to stick with it and ultimately stay in some semblance of good shape...

RJF

How To Empower Yourself With Self Defense by Rob Goyette

2006-01-03T21:01:00.000-08:00

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Maybe you were bullied in school, or maybe you live in a rough neighborhood - whatever the case you just want to know how to defend yourself. Self-defense training is a way to take back control of your life, rather than cowering when a dangerous situation arises. Many people will take self-defense courses, or arm themselves with weapons or other self-defense tools.

No matter which course of action you take, there are some key things you need to understand about self-defense. Here are a few things that will help you in evaluating your self-defense needs.

* If you choose a self-defense course, do your research on the course. Not only should it offer physical techniques for defense, but it should show you how to handle aggressive conflicts, being aware of your surroundings, and what you need to do to be safe. All good courses are a combination of things to not only help you fend off a physical attack, but to avoid them if you can.

* Whatever option you choose for self-defense, learn to execute it properly. If you have a can of pepper spray or a pen knife, find out everything you can about the application of these products, what they can do, and maybe most importantly - what they cannot do. If you are learning verbal avoidance and awareness, learn as much as you can and apply what you have learned regularly. The more you make self-defense a part of your life, the greater the chance of it saving your life when the time comes.

* Learn several options for self-defense. You may not be able to get that can of pepper spray or the Taser out of your jacket or purse, so an alternate strategy is important. It might be worthwhile for you to take a brief course to learn the awareness and resolution strategies, and a few close combat physical techniques, along with carrying a self-defense product.

* If you like the idea of learning a discipline and perfecting it over time, then marital arts classes might be the right idea for you. You will be taught several physical techniques for defense, along with personal discipline and in some classes you will also learn simple escape techniques.

* Not one method can guarantee success, as each attack is different. Don't let anyone tell you that they can guarantee that you will get away from attacker with their system or their self-defense weapon. This is impossible. No one can ever predict or re-enact your attack when it happens. Being taught how to respond is the only thing they can guarantee.

* Realize that any self-defense method, whether it is a weapon, or physical defense strategy, is meant to merely provide an opportunity to escape - never to continue engaging with an attacker. If you are being taught to prolong your defense, or to make the attacker 'pay' longer than they should, then you might think twice about that option. The longer you are with the attacker the more jeopardy you put yourself in, physically and emotionally.

The options are there: weapons, physical defense such as karate or other martial arts, and avoidance techniques. Find the right one for you - one that you are most comfortable with, and stick with it. Once you learn to defend yourself from attack, you will feel empowered in the face of danger, rather than shying away and being taken advantage of by your attackers. Confidence and peace of mind are a much more enjoyable feeling than fear and angst any day. Empower yourself with a self-defense option - you won't regret it.

Visit us for your FREE subscription to the about-self-defense newsletter where you will get great information on various styles, weapons, classes, and self defense books and videos. http://www.about-self-defense.com
About the Author

Rob Goyette created the about-self-defense.com website to help educate those who want to walk the streets with confidence knowing they can minimize chances of attack and injury. Sign up for your free newsletter here: http://www.about-self-defense.com

The right breathing....source of personal and universal Ki...continued

2006-01-02T19:35:00.000-08:00

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Excerpts from The Zen Way to The Martial Arts...

...breathing in is taking in supplies; breathing out, slowly and deeply, spreads them through the body.
It is important to concentrate on breathing out, on spreading and distributing, because breathing in, stocking up energy, happens unconsciously and automatically.
The Japanese martial arts use this way of breathing, and any attack must take place while breathing out (yang), if possible while the adversary is breathing in (yin), because he is then at his most vulnerable.

What is the most important thing of all in the martial arts?

T.D. Breathing. What condition are you in below the navel? I don't mean your sexual organs! I mean the hara, three fingers beneath the navel. The way to develop the power of the hara, to assemble all your energy there, is by right breathing.

Belief, Faiths and CONS by Robert Bruce Baird

2006-01-01T13:16:00.000-08:00

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The CON in CONstructs:

There are many esoteric wisdom schools and many divisions or a hierarchy in each one of them. Some of the initiates think they are all-knowing once they see what their school has placed in the ether to make them think what they want to think. Carl Jung describes something related to this in his forward to The Tibetan Book of the Dead. He makes it clear that once a person is entering the afterlife they will see what they thought they believed or expected to see at first. Astral 'travelers' who blunder along with little awareness of history will think they are finding proof of God or alien involvement in Earth's cultural development. The magicians and priesthoods of the past were well aware most people 'traveled' every night. In the pre-Christian era this 'travel' was conscious and most people were more adept and aware. The Thoth-Hermes or Imhotep-Asklepios intellectual schools which noted historian Michael Grant tells us was the main system of thought in the Old World is mirrored throughout the whole world.

The Mediwiwin Society of North America and the Toltecs or Chanes/Dragons join the pantheon of adept spiritual scientists that modern quantum physicists note the Eastern philosophies were most expressive about. The Mandukya Upanishads, the I Ching and Tao or Zen - all these systems including Yoga of my early adulthood and search for truth are noted by Capra, Heisenberg, Wigner and the likes of Zukav as well as top Nobel Laureates of all hard sciences. It was these schools of philosophy or thought that made me know our history was all made up and not very close to reality. It goes both ways. Knowledge must be checked through other means of awareness and all facts must be included. There should be no anomaly in any true account that understands our culture or science. Belief is 'closure' of the mind! But 'belief' or 'Faith in some CON game that Noahdists, Brahmins or other Cabalistic types might have made has a very negative side to it. It builds the kind of obsession and nationalism that leads to Gihads of many kinds. It makes people say they speak for God or 'consult higher authority' as they create War on Terra (Or is that Terror?).

"Two key terms for Pisces is Sacrifice and 'I believe'. Could that be the lesson of the Piscean age, to sacrifice belief? By the way there is nearly six hundred years of the age of Pisces left to run. To stop the indoctrination of our young into established religions, to tell kids the truth and stop trying to build moral conscience through the stick and the carrot method of religion. This continual projection of shame, judgement and repression upon people who possess particular abilities is more the cause of psychological unsoundness than the ability itself. Yes, as a modern progressive society we are growing into a fuller appreciation that freedom of expression and psychological health go hand in hand but we are still a long way from libertarianism. {Which certain Illuminati say is their front and I know is derived from the Merovingian Physiocratic School that Dupont de Nemours initiated Jefferson into.}We are still a hard punishing lot, the rule of law of our secular governments simply representing a shift in power base from king and Pope to a ragtag of over-opinionated people sponsored by commercial interest promoting an ethic of self interest.

As long as society in general and us as individuals resort to punishment as a way of modifying human behavior, God as the face of human collective unconsciousness, the universal mind will not be whole and balanced. God will be too ashamed to look at his own face because of how disgusting and ugly the not understood aspects of his nature are thought to be. So there the God and Devil sit at opposite ends of the same fence, facing away from each other, we forgetting that they are two halves of the one whole. For those who have journeyed along the inner landscapes will know you need to be friends with all aspects of human nature and it is the job of the individual to reconcile this split in consciousness and let these two friends, God and the Devil go home together.

Once again getting back to the legends of the enlightened ones who guide mankind, the secret societies, the esoteric orders who boast themselves privy to secrets too sacred for the uninitiated, the custodians of spiritual truth, the mystery schools that demand loyalty upon fear of death. Why would God as collective consciousness dream such groups into existence? For one, these groups have literally cemented the inner landscapes with bricks and mortar and sign upon sign. These pioneers of psychic exploration have mapped the human subconscious with such dedication that they have made travelling the realms, looking for answers possible. These groups provide a double function. They know the direction of man's destiny is going to come through the unravelling of a psychic thread so they promote themselves as custodians of the keys of enlightenment. Their second function is to prevent anyone gaining access to this psychic thread.

God as the collective unconsciousness knows that as long as the hero keeps entering the labyrinth clutching Ariadne's thread only to return through the same way he left that it is the thread it's self that prevents him finding the other side of the maze. His own tradition of trusting in the fate repetitiously woven by Athena/Arachne in aspect as the weaver goddess, prevents him from dropping the old thread and finding the new one. When I enter the subconscious realms I want to met Elvis and Frank Zappa, Freddie Mercury and my Aunt Shirley. I found it really annoying to be directed by the custodians of the inner paths to answer questions about such old Archetypes such as Janus and Isis. My imagination was figuratively being constrained by the cemented traditions of which I have no interest, they are so antiquated they only represent tombs for thought not repositories for the living material of conscious building.

So any aspirant who seeks enlightenment who is able to open his mind up, raise his conscious level is trapped like a fly in a spider's web, into a stereotypical interaction with the subconscious resultant of the archetypal conditioning of the collective subconscious. What appears to have happened is that participants in the initiate mystery schools started to believe that the ritual Archetypes who were deliberately woven into the mists of the collective unconscious as signposts were actually real. This sentiment permeates many modern initiate schools who speak of the reality of the Otherworld as being just as real as this one. So the belief structure built up around this Otherworld has cut it off from the technique's original purpose which was simply an easy way, a step by step plan of gaining access to the human collective consciousness. These belief structures have cemented God, as collective conscious, into a prison. So, why if this is so obvious, why hasn't it been picked up before? This is the other function of mystery schools, to prevent people from seeing the truth, finding the keys, having access to a broader view of God as the collective unconscious.

By structuring the collective subconscious it has been fixed to a spot, anchored if you like. Imagine the evolutionary process of mans consciousness as a precessional zodiac wheel. With time errors appear, the archetypal map no longer represents the topography but the errors are only slight and by extending the original structure by over laying new myths over the old frame the map appears accurate. The two dimensional imagery of the subconscious becomes three dimensional. Every time the current of man's development has allowed him to glimpse a new concept, the essence has been symbolized and quickly incorporated as new building material in the old structure.

So the original spot in man's consciousness where the precessional development of man's full nature has been so built upon, become so dense, that a fortress, a whirling castle of Arianrhod has been built. Instead of mankind drifting along the path of evolution we have been fixed in space, chained to a huge structure architecturally designed and contributed to by every fully initiated master. So if this structure is what's keeping man from continuing on the road to enlightenment why was it designed by people who were seeking that very thing. Because the Architect knew that one day these structures would finally be seen for the prison they are and God as collective unconscious would teach himself the means by which he could escape the prison walls. In hindsight we can say that man's conscious is genetically coded not to continue development until such time as man is consciously aware of the process and has made a conscious decision to evolve." (7)
About the Author

Author of Diverse Druids Columnist for The ES Press Magazine Guest 'expert' at World-Mysteries.com

The right breathing....source of personal and universal Ki..

2005-12-30T19:38:00.000-08:00

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From The Zen Way to The Martial Arts...

...In the traditional Japanese arts, whether martial or other, proper breathing is taught as an essential and fundamental factor of concentration.
Air contains the energy and life from the universe which we receive through our lungs and every cell in our bodies, and so it is important to know how to breathe.
We ordinarily breathe fifteen to twenty times a minute...

...deep, full breathing does not take place only at the level of the thorax or diaphragm but is supported by the intestines. One can learn to breathe more slowly, five or six deep, calm breaths a minute.

...through the practice of zazen this type of breathing gradually becomes a regular, basic habit, especially while we sleep. The life energy of the universe that is contained in the air is transformed into human energy. The more receptive we are to that universal life, the greater our own energy grows and the fewer calories we need.

...to be continued.

Transforming Anger by Nikhil Gangoli

2005-12-29T20:20:00.000-08:00

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All of us feel anger and hatred from time to time. Eastern meditation and mindfulness techniques can help us mange and transform our anger so that the energy contained in
the anger benefits us instead of spreading misery in others and ourselves.

It is important to note that although anger causes us pain we should not reject it or
disown it. Suppose your stomach or legs or some other part of your body grew diseased
and caused you pain. Would you for that reason try to get rid of your stomach or your
legs? Of course you would not. Anger can be transformed and the energy contained in it
can be of much use to us. The story is told of Angulimala - a famous dacoit who had
murdered 999 people. Yet a meeting with the Buddha changed him and transformed
the anger within him. If a legendary dacoit can transform his anger then surely so can
we.

Think of your anger, as a farmer would regard organic fertilizer. A farmer with garbage
and organic waste knows that he can use it to grow nutritious fruits and vegetables. So
also we can use the anger within us to grow spiritually and become awakened.

We can care for and transform our anger the way a mother cares for here baby - by
practicing mindfulness whenever we are angry. The effect mindfulness has on anger
can be compared with the way flowers respond to sunlight. At sunrise the rays from
the sun reach the flower. The photons contained in the sunrays penetrate the flower.
After 15 to 20 minutes the flower can no longer resist and she opens herself to the
sunrays.

In a similar manner we need to practice mindfulness at all times and especially
when we are angry. Observe the breath entering or leaving the body when you are
angry. At the same time observe the anger within you without judging or condemning or rejecting it in any way. After some minutes the anger will open itself to you and fade
away. The cause of the anger will be revealed and the energy contained in the anger
will be available for your use.

Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese poet and Zen Buddhist master, says that we need
to care for our anger the way a mother cares for her newborn baby. The mother may
be cooking in the kitchen and yet the moment the baby cries out she immediately goes
to see what is wrong. Because she is a skillful mother she soon finds out what is wrong
- whether it is that the baby is hungry or the nappy is too tight or whatever may be the
case. In the same way the moment we fell angry we need to care for it by practicing mindfulness. We can observe the breath. We can go out for a walk and make the act of
walking our meditation practice. Observe the sensations in the feet as they land on the
ground one after the other. At the same time observe your breath. You will soon know
how many steps you take for each in breath and out breath. Walk in this mindful manner
for 20 minutes to half an hour and your anger will open itself to you and be transformed.

Anger, left uncared for, spread a lot of pain and misery not only in ourselves but also in
other that we come in contact. There is a natural tendency to lash out at others when we
are angry and this has the result of spreading misery. If we practice transforming anger
through mindfulness we will not only be much happier and more peaceful ourselves but
we can also care for others and share our happiness and peace. In this way our meditation practice will help in making the world a better place.

Thich Nhat Hanh has written a very insightful book on this subject - Anger, Buddhist
wisdom for cooling the flames. Many effective ways of dealing with anger are explained.

I hope you enjoyed this article and hope that it will be useful to you.

Stay tuned for more.

For more articles in this series and a free report on the connection between
Eastern
Philosophy and Quantum Physics please visit Eastern Philosophy and Meditation

About the Author

Nikhil Gangoli is a keen student of Eastern Philosophies and Meditation
methods.
For concise and insightful descriptions of Zen, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism,
Confucius
and meditation techniques in the Eastern Tradition please visit http://eastern-philosophy-and-meditation.com

Kumite Tips #7 You must be perfectly centered at all times...

2005-12-28T16:28:00.000-08:00

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You can immediately improve your Kumite by 100% by simply practicing proper body positioning...

...and learning to automatically snap back into that centered position after every technique...

Think of your body as being a tank. Compact, with a low center of gravity, arms, legs and hips in perfectly balanced position, ever ready for the crank of the turret and launch of a missile...

It's the tank that does the fighting, the arms and legs are there simply to deliver the payload.

Your Kamae must be centered and have the ability to move the hips in any direction at any time. If your not balanced it'll create an opportunity that your Kumite partner can utilize to launch an attack.

One of the best Kumite positions in Karate is Sanchin, it's the most balanced and it creates an inside tension, which makes it easy to explode out in any direction at any moment.

I am learning that the initial power in kumite is done primarily with the legs.

Attacks are delivered by pushing off the floor, keeping the hips centered as you torque the momentum generated by your legs, through the rotation of the hips and finishing with the whip like rotation of the upper torso, including the shoulders, arm, and finally ending with the fist...

...and don't forget to immediately snap back, or retract to your original centered position, otherwise you'll be a sitting duck for a counter-attack.

I've learned that more power and accuracy is generated, when my feet are planted firmly on the ground and I am well balanced

Your legs should be not too wide or too narrow, you must be able to move quickly in any direction. A good Kumite stance is a modified Sanchin, where the width is as usual but the length is a little longer...
The hips are in Hanmi or facing to the side, rather than to the
front.

The secret to quick movement is with the back foot...

...angled fully forward or nearly forward, as this position allows for the greatest freedom of movement in any direction.

There should be pressure on the back ankle, so that once it is released, it automatically springs forward. Try to use your rear foot for control of your movements, not the front foot. Your rear foot is better able to propel your center forward and back, side to side, and at different angles.

Spend time training in just movement in all directions, and in particular the use of the rear foot as a spring, it will elevate your Kumite dramatically...

RJF

Newest martial arts study today by Dylan Miles

2005-12-27T14:29:00.000-08:00

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When we say martial arts, we think of the much publicized Chinese Kung Fu that is graceful yet powerful. Ever since Bruce Lee hit the screen with his Kung Fu flying kicks, people of the West has been mesmerized and in awe of the martial art method. Jet Li popularized the martial art called Wu Shu, which is a far more graceful, and yet lethal and quick. Jackie Chan also hit the screen as a Kung Fu master with his own brand of comedy.

Thanks to the movies and screenwriters, many more people are learning martial arts as a method of self-defense today. Other types of popular martial arts include Taekwondo, Karate, Kickboxing and Jiu-Jitsu.

For those who are keener to explore the art of 'self-defense' instead of style, power and grace to help protect themselves from physical attacks, try Jiu-Jitsu. The actual full-name of the martial art is Shorinii-kan jiu-jitsu. When they say that in martial arts, the most important thing to develop is the strength of the body, the mindset and avoidance, they are right. For example, if the attacker was using a knife against you, learning Jiu-Jitsu will teach you how to use the very same knife that the attacker is holding now against him. The art of Jiu-Jitsu is very unique because it does not teach you how to attack another person, but instead, it teaches you how to redirect the force, energy and anger that the attacker is aiming at you...back to himself.

Jiu-Jitsu is also about escaping, restraining the attacker and disarming and throwing them on the floor with force.

Of late, another form of martial art has caught the attention of more people, Hapkido, a Korean form of self-defence. Hapkido is a form of martial art that uses very natural techniques. The people often move around in circles, like they are in a circular shaped ring, therefore, their movements are often in a huge circle.

The reason why Hapkido is an extremely useful martial art is because of their jabbing movements and can-hardly-be-seen and hard to predict jabs and kicks that leave the attacker totally floored. Movements flow from one to another smoothly until the 'victim' returns the attacker's favor with a countermovement.

Martial art is not aggressive but instead, they are responsive and most of the time, extremely graceful and elegant. The more elegant ones with flowing movements are often designed to enthrall the audience. Others aim at helping the proponent defend themselves. Knowing a few basic martial art moves can save your life, especially if you're of the weaker sex.
About the Author

Dylan Miles, journalist, and website builder, lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of http://www.martialartsmasters.info on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.

Balance: A Mystic Ideal by Edwin Harkness Spina

2005-12-26T18:50:00.000-08:00

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Last week, a friend of mine gave me a best-selling business book that forecast the rise of the right brain thinker and the demise of the left-brain thinker. Scientists have identified the right brain as the emotional, empathic, artistic side and the left-brain as the side of logic, intellect and language. The essence of the author's argument is that we are moving from the age of information, which was dominated by computer programmers, MBAs and accountants, into a new conceptual age, which will be dominated by artists, caregivers and designers.

To many people with an interest in personal and spiritual growth, this is old news. A variety of tapes and CDs have been on the market since the early 1980s that were designed to influence brain rhythms, so that you can, in the words of one marketer, "meditate more deeply than a Zen monk."

What is remarkable is that the underlying mystic principles are now being accepted and transmitted to the general business public!

Albert Einstein once said, "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it."

While producing great technological advances, our reliance on left-brain thinking has not necessarily advanced our evolution as a species. From the mystic perspective, however, neither would switching to a world dominated by artists and caregivers.

In the world of the mystic all is one. This provides the answer as to which side of the brain we should use-both.

The overriding goal should be BALANCE. Those that will thrive in the emerging spiritual age will be whole-brainers. Using both sides of the brain in synchronization puts you in the proper state of mind so you can transcend it and attune with God. You will think more clearly and improve your coordination.

This is true no matter which side of your brain currently dominates. In the mystic's view, there is only one Creator. Your job as an artist is to attune with this One source of all creation and report back your "findings" via your work. Similarly, the engineer will never design anything of transcendent value by only relying on logic. You are selling yourself short by only relying on one dominant hemisphere.

The Kabalistic Tree of Life illustrates this principle. Tifereth, the sephira of beauty, represents the ideal balance between justice and mercy. Lying in the middle column, it is also the most direct path to the highest aspect of God.

The most direct method of attaining balance is through meditation. Meditators are taught to "center themselves." But meditation is not the only way. Any activity in which you feel pure joy, in which you lose yourself so completely that time passes without your conscious awareness, is one in which you are in balance. This can happen while you are walking, swimming, singing, dancing, playing a sport, communing with nature or making love.

A simple way to tell if you are "in synch" is by looking at a stereogram. These posters consist of a collection of black and white or colored dots. When the proper focus is attained, you are able to see a hidden picture within a picture. People that are too dominant in either their left or right brain are unable to see the picture. When your brain is synchronized you can see it. To view a text-based stereogram with a hidden word visit:

Mystic Warrior Stereogram
What's important is that in times of stress or fear, the brain will automatically return to its dominant side. Accountants will become more left brained and artists will become more right brained, neither of which is suitable if your goal is to attune with God and express your God given gifts. Neither will help you evolve spiritually.

So the next time you're feeling frazzled and tense, pursue an activity that involves your whole mind and helps you connect with God. Turn off the TV and go for a walk, play with your children, or take 15 minutes to meditate. The influx of spirit into your being will not only reduce your anxiety, it will make the world a better place, as well.
About the Author

Edwin Harkness Spina is the author of the award-winning spiritual thriller Mystic Warrior. Receive a free copy of Mystic Secrets Revealed, when you sign up for the Mystic Warrior Newsletter at Mystic Warrior Stereogram

"Lil" Dragon program...starting 4 to 8 year old kids off on the right path...

2005-12-25T12:51:00.000-08:00

Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9

MIDWEST CITY, OK. The martial arts industry combats childhood obesity with Century’s, “Lil’ Dragon” program. Over eight hundred martial arts schools across America are catching kids early and teaching children from ages four to eight how to respect their bodies as well as their parents and teachers. They learn to kick out calories while learning important life skills such as stranger awareness, anti-drugs, health, nutrition, and exercise. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, “one in three children is overweight.” The Lil’ Dragon program addresses this issue head-on, (and stomach) by providing children a whole life approach to making choices that effect both their mental and physical health. The best part is no one sits on the bench. Everyone is included. Century’s Lil’ Dragons’ catches all kids early and helps them develop terrific life skills that will make them not only a better citizen but a healthier one as well. Century, Incorporated is the world’s largest manufacturer and distributor of martial arts supplies and school curriculum. For more information please contact Greg Hodson, V.P. Media, Century, Incorporated. (405) 426-4187. ghodson@centuryfitness.com. Or Kimber Hill, National Spokesperson, Century’s Lil’ Dragon. (386) 740-0605 kim

ber@modernmartialartsacademy.com

Free Fighting Kumite Tips...#2....R E L A X..

2005-12-25T09:28:00.000-08:00

Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9

It's easy for me to sit here and tell you to be more relaxed and not so tense while free style sparring with a seasoned or a not so seasoned kumite partner.

What isn't so easy, is to take my own advice and actually make this principle of tensing and relaxing a part of my basics and the focus of my Kata...

In fact, properly done Kata utilizes these and other very important principles.

There are postures where for a split second, you should turn your body into a stone statue (during blocks and strikes) and times during the transitions between postures, that you should be as relaxed and flowing as a meandering river.

I can tell you from my own experience how a tensed body and tensed muscles, restricts not only your speed and power, but one's ability to move properly...

...although I think that's apparent to most martial artists.

So basically, the answer to the tightening of the mind and body problem, is through the application of mind and body relaxation...

...the mind in particular...

...as one quick thought can transform your body into a young bending willow branch or a hard stationary tree trunk.

The answer to this problem of resistance as opposed to relaxation can be resolved through Kata with the correct application of strong hard techniques and smooth flowing transitions between techniques...

...so practice your Kata diligently and focus on the points where your body is either tensed or relaxed.

Then when Kumite rolls around, you can practice the little points you picked up during your basics and Kata training and apply them to sparring.

Of course in Kumite were not only faced with one opponent but two...

...the other one being ourselves...

...the one that allows fear to creep into our minds, which in turn tenses all of our muscles and movements...

...more on over coming fear later...

RJF

The Origins of Tai Chi by Stephen Todd

2005-12-24T18:56:00.000-08:00

Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9

The Origins of Tai Chi The principles of Tai Chi were established by Taoist hermits and evolved as a martial fighting art called Tai Chi Chuan.

The early Tai Chi teachers were mystical figures however; the exception was Chang San-Feng, who was the first major figure in Tai Chi history.

The Ming Dynasty places his date of birth at 1247 and he is credited with being the founder of the fighting art called Wudang Kung fu.

He is believed to have studied under a Taoist recluse living in the mountains of Northwest China; he then studied at a Shaolin temple.

The Shaolin temple is credited as the originator of fighting martial arts such as Shaolin temple boxing and Kung Fu.

After watching a fight between a bird and a snake, Chang was impressed by the ability of the snake to dodge and counter attack the larger crane.

Chang observed this ability to defend and counter attack and then modified his Kung Fu fighting technique.

From this point on the soft or internal Chinese marshal arts were born including: Ba Gua, Hsingi and Tai Chi Chan.

Chen Style The 17th century in China was a time of war and Tai Chi was developed as a fighting discipline. The most famous of these was the Chen style of Tai Chi founded by Chen Wang T'ing who served under general Chi Chi-Guang.

General Chi Chi-Guang is credited with writing the "classic of Kung Fu" which, set out the principles of what has now become the Cheng style of Tai Chi.

T'ing is credited as being the first person to refer to Tai Chi Chuan rather than Wudang kung fu.

Yang Style Yang Lu-Chan found work in the household of Chen Chang-xing and secretly spied on Tai Chi Sessions of his master.

One day he offered to fight a stranger in front of Chen, who was unaware of his fighting skills.

Chen was so impressed by his performance that he accepted Yang as a student, Yang then travelled throughout China as Chen's representative and in any fights he took part in legend has it he was never beaten.

Yang adapted the Chen style to be a gentler version of Tai Chi. Today, Chen is acknowledged as the oldest of the three Tai Chi styles but it is Yang's style is more popular.

Wu Yu Hsiang Style The third major style of Tai Chi was developed by Wu Yu-Hsiang, who studied with Yang and Chen.

His style incorporates features of both styles and these three styles form the base from which many other styles have flourished.

Modern Developments The government in Peking in 1949 established the Wushu Council to formulate a style that would popularise Tai Chi, improve people's health and make it a competitive sport.

The Wushu style is responsible for popularising Tai Chi and bringing it to a greater audience than ever before.

A new style called the Beijing 24 step form came from this research and has become popular worldwide.

The most famous of the Tai Chi masters of the 20th century was Chen Man-Ching; he simplified the Yang style big form of 108 postures cutting it to just 37.

This style is easier to learn and established Chan Man Ching as the most influential Tai Chi master of the 20th Century.
About the Author

Re Vitalise offer a warm welcome to both novice and experienced pupils. In addition to offering regular tuition there are several Tai Chi weekend breaks available.

To learn more about our services go to:
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AMAZING KUNG FU MARTIAL ARTS HISTORY

2005-12-23T12:16:00.000-08:00

Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9

AMAZING kung fu martial arts HISTORY by Peter Sundbye

The term 'Kung Fu' does not relate to any specific form of martial art, but rather translates as 'skill' or 'ability'. Scholars believe that the use of Kung Fu to describe the Chinese martial form originated in Hong Kong and Kwangtung province. There are records of the Jesuit priest, Pere Amiot, writing of the 'peculiar exercises' practised by the Taoist priests of his region which he called 'Cong Fou'.

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Wu Shu is traditionally the term widely used to describe the traditional Chinese martial arts, though other descriptions such as Kuo-shu, Kuo-chi, Chien-shu and Tao-fa have also been used from time to time. (Wu Shu is the term currently used for Chinese martial arts by the People's Republic of China).

Exactly when Kung Fu first sprouted is unknown, with historians stating that Chinese martial forms most likely predate recorded history. Since the dawn of time there have been battles between man and animal, warring tribes, etc. during which conflicts combative techniques were executed and accumulated and passed down from generation to generation.

What is particular about the Chinese martial forms is that many schools or styles were created by imitating the fighting techniques of animals such as monkeys, lions, tigers, snakes, bears, etc. The adaptation of animal techniques stems from a belief that in order to survive in their harsh natural environment, all animals (even birds and insects) were naturally endowed with skills for fighting.

Hence techniques were born from the tiger's pounce, the eagle's sharp claws and the elusiveness and unpredictability of the monkey. Still, it is difficult to attach a precise date to the true birth of Kung Fu. Some traditional historians date it as far back as the Shang Dynasty (16th century BC). Others place it in the period of the Contending States (475 - 221 BC) and the Yellow Emperor, Huang Ti. Indeed, it would appear that modern Kung Fu has adapted and evolved from the warring experiences of China's past, with distinct traces of Mongolian, Tibetan, Indian and other cultural ideologies exhibited in many styles. If there is one common reference point in tracing Kung Fu's history, it is the Shaolin Temple and the journey of Buddhism from India to China.

Buddhism reached China during the period of the Eastern Han Ming Emperor (58 - 76 AD) and soon flourished. It is estimated that by 500 AD there were more than 10,000 Buddhist temples in China and many emperors became devout Buddhists. In 495 AD the Shaolin Temple was constructed by the order of Emperor Wei Xiao Wen (471 - 500 AD). The Temple was built to house the teachings of a Buddhist monk named Batuo, who came to China for Buddhist teaching in 464 AD. As such Batuo can be considered the first Shaolin Temple monk, though there is no record of how or what (471 - 500 AD). The Temple was built to house the teachings of a Buddhist monk named Batuo, who came to China for Buddhist teaching in 464 AD. As such Batuo can be considered the first Shaolin Temple monk, though there is no record of how or what Batuo passed down by way of religious Qigong practice, just as there is no record of how or when he died.

The most influential person in the study of Kung Fu's history through the Shaolin Temple is an Indian monk named Da Mo (or Ta Mo). Da Mo, also known as Bodhidarma, had been a small prince of a Southern Indian tribe. He followed the Mahayana school of Buddhism and was revered as a bodhisattva - and enlightened being who had renounced nirvana so as to save others. The legends of Da Mo in Chinese mythology are elaborate, to say the least. One legend has Da Mo sitting in a cave where he stared at the wall for nine years in meditation. After accidentally falling asleep, he became so angered with himself that he tore off his eyelids and threw them on the ground. Tea shrubs grew from the ground beneath the discarded eyelids and monks have used tea ever since to deter sleep.

Dao Mo was invited to China by the Emperor Liang Wu. He arrived in Canton in 527 AD but when the emperor disliked his preaching. Da Mo withdrew to the Shaolin Temple. Upon arriving at the Temple, Da Mo found many of the monks to be sick and weak. He pondered this problem for nine years (his nine year seclusion) and when he emerged wrote two classics: Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing Classic) and Xi Sui Jin (Marrow/Brain Washing Classic). The classics taught the priests how to build their Qi to an abundant level and use to it improve their health and change their physicality to one of super strength. When this training was combined with martial forms, the priests found a marked improvement in the strength and power of their martial techniques.

It is believed that Da Mo may have authored the series of 18 exercises contained in a manuscript, the I-Chin-Ching, outlining the Shaolin method of Chinese boxing. The method that emerged from the Shaolin Temple, which is representative of the northern Chinese styles in general, was called wai-jya (wai-chia) or external family of Chinese boxing. Shaolin strove the increase speed, strength and elasticity. It was vigorous and calisthenic and became the basis from which Karate in Okinawa and the Korean martial arts were derived. The Xi Sui Jin was hard to learn and as such was passed down secretly only to a few disciples in every generation. Sadly Da Mo passed away in the Shaolin Temple in 536 AD but what he had started would live on for centuries.

Very quickly the Shaolin Monks would become revered for their fighting prowess. During the period between the Sui dynasty and the Tang dynasty, in the 4th year of Tang Gao Zu Wu De (621 AD), Qin King Li Shi-Ming had a momentous war against Zheng King Wang Chi-Chong. With Qin King in trouble, 13 Shaolin monks came to his assistance against Zheng. When Li Shi-Ming later became the first emperor of the Tang dynasty (618 - 907 AD) he rewarded the Shaolin Temple with approximately 600 acres of land. He also granted the Temple the right to train its own soldiers.

Such were the riches of the Shaolin Temple that martial arts training became a necessity to protect its wealth from bandits. The responsibility of defending the Temple was given to the soldier monks known as Seng Bing. For three hundred years the Shaolin Temple enjoyed a golden period in which it legally owned its own martial arts training organisation. The Temple also remained open to outside martial influences, absorbing what it could and incorporating these techniques and training methods into its own system. During this period one of the most famous Shaolin monks was Jueyuan. He travelled the country learning martial arts techniques and working with other famous martial artists. When in Lan Zhou he met the famed martial artist, Li Sou, who in turn introduced him to, Bai Yu-Feng and his son. Later all four men returned to the Shaolin Temple and studied together. After ten years, Li Sou left the Temple but Bai Yu-Feng and his son stayed on and became monks. Bai Yu-Feng's name changed to Qiu Yue Chan Shi and, according to the book of Shaolin Temple record, it was he who developed the then 18 existing Buddha Hands techniques into 173 techniques. He also compiled the existing techniques contained with Shaolin and wrote the book The Essence of the Five Fist, which discussed the methods and applications of the Five Fist (Animal) Patterns. This is proof that animal patterns had already existed for some time in the Shaolin Temple.

The Shaolin Temple would also be responsible for spreading the Chinese martial arts to Japan. In the year 1312 AD the monk Da Zhi came to the Shaolin Temple from Japan. He studied the Shaolin martial arts (barehands and staff) for 13 years and returned to Japan to spread Shaolin Gongfu to Japanese martial arts society. In 1335 AD a Buddhist monk named Shao Yuan ventured to Shaolin from Japan. During his stay he mastered Gongfu and returned to Japan in 1347 AD.

The golden era of the Shaolin Temple ended when Manchuria took over China and became the Qing dynasty. In order to prevent the Han race (pre-Manchurian) Chinese from rebelling against the government, martial arts training was outlawed between 1644 and 1911 AD. In order to preserve their teachings, the Shaolin techniques were passed onto layman society. Martial arts training in the Temple was carried out in secrecy and the Shaolin monk soldier decreased in number from thousands to a couple of hundred. In 1911 the Qing dynasty fell in a revolution led by Dr Sun Yat-Sen. The value of Chinese martial arts was re-evaluated and for the first time the secrets of Chinese martial arts were permitted to be openly taught to the public.

During the Chinese civil war, Chiang Kai-Shek tried to unify they country. The battle spilled into the Shaolin Temple in 1928 and the Temple was burned for the last time by Warlord Shi You-San's soldiers. The fire lasted forty days, destroying all major buildings and priceless books and records. In order to preserve the Chinese martial arts, President Chiang Kai-Shek ordered the establishment of the Nanking Central Guoshu Institute at Nanking in 1928. The traditional name Wushu was renamed Zhong Guo Wushu or simple Guoshu. For the first time in Chinese history, by rule of the government, all the major martial arts powers in China came together to share their knowledge. Unfortunately, at the commencement of World War II, all training discontinued. China was taken over by Communists following the Second World War. All religions and all Shaolin training was prohibited under Communist rule. Wushu training was established at the National Athletics Institute. However this was not pure Wu Shu, but rather performance based with major portions of martial training and technique application eradicated by the government to discourage possible unification of martial artists against the government. It was not until the 1980s (unfortunately after several of the traditional masters had died) that the Chinese government realised the value of traditional martial arts training and so encouraged it. KFS
About the Author

This article was submitted by P. Sundbye who has been training in various martialarts for the last 11 years including Wing Chun Kung Fu, Aikido, Tong Long and the Lee Total Control system.

For more information and martial arts news visit MARTIALARM martial arts supplies MACHINE - Very Unique Martial Arts Equipment and Training Gear

MARTIALARM martial arts supplies MACHINE - Very Unique Martial Arts Equipment and Training Gear

Kumite Tips #6....Feints...use them to overwhelm your Kumite opponent...

2005-12-21T12:08:00.000-08:00

<Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9

If your opponent knows what area you are going to attack, it will be a simple matter for them to counter such a telegraphing of your intentions...

...thus the use of feints, and why they are an important part of a kumite students strategy.

Humans are creatures of habit and patterns, so the secret is to unlock your opponents responses ie: blocks and movements, to certain high and low attacks.

You have to get your opponent to react to what appears to be a serious attack...

...so your feint can't be a half hearted attempt, or else it won't be as effective.

It should seem as though you're making a full blown attack and fully intend to carry out the attack, except at the very last moment, and while your opponent has been frozen in anticipation of the attack, you arrest the technique and focus on the newly created opening for your secondary technique.

The more realistic your feints are the more unnerved your opponents mind will become while trying to defend against your attacks...

Don't be too repetitive with the same feint though, because your opponent will catch on...

...of course, if your opponent is slow to learn, like I am against my Sensei, keep using the same feints, if your opponent keeps falling for them, well...they'll eventually catch on...

...so throw in an actual attack to certain areas of the body, just to keep your opponent off guard and guessing...

Here's a couple of examples that work for me...

I raise my knee straight up as if intending to do a front kick, usually someone who isn't that experienced will react by lowering there guard, this opens up the head area for a Jodan punch. Next time I will again raise my knee, but my opponent has learned by now not to lower his guard, so he keeps it up anticipating a Jodan punch, instead I use a Jodan mawashi-geri around his guard or a Chudan mawashi-geri to his unprotected ribs...

When it comes to punching techniques, feint with either hand and punch with the other...your opponent won't know where the punches will be coming from.

Feints are designed to uncover weaknesses in your opponents defenses...

...once you find those weakness, attack them with both physical and spiritual authority...Its techniques like this that can overwhelm an opponent and make the difference between two equal Kumite partners.

RJF

King Kong--The Ultimate Martial Artist

2005-12-13T09:48:00.000-08:00

Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9

A must see movie this Holiday season will be King Kong...

...not just because it's a classic, because it has some great martial arts fight scenes in it.

In particular when Kong faces off with 3 T--Rex's handicapped by having to use one of his appendages to gently clutch Naomi...

It's better than most martial arts fight scenes, very well choreographed as Kong displays aspects of a seasoned Martial Artist with high flying kicks and the use of Hikite to tear one T--Rex's jaws apart...

Kong's use of awareness, Maai and Waza o hodokoso koki, are exemplary and in the end the awesome and fierce creatures don't stand a chance against this big fellow...

By the way if you want to order this and other great looking posters of King Kong, click on him and you'll be taken to MovieGoods.Com

King Kong (2005)

Cast: Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Andy Serkis, Jamie Bell, Kyle Chandler, Lobo Chan, Thomas Kretschmann, Evan Parke, Colin Hanks; DIRECTED BY: Peter Jackson;

RJF

Bunkai...the street fighting Kumite secrets of the Martial Arts

2005-12-11T17:24:00.000-08:00

Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9

At first, the Karate-Ka diligently learns the lessons and techniques of Kata...

...then, once a level of competency is reached, the student attempts to learn all there is to know about the very deadly applications, or Bunkai, hidden away within the Kata movements.

During a Karate-Ka's training he/she believes they are training oneself to adequately defend themselves when they have to, but once they start to utilize Bunkai, only then do they understand the level of physical damage that can be inflicted upon another human being, and why it must never be used except in extreme situations.

To understand certain aspects of Bunkai, you simply need to understand basic physics...

...when you strike any object, a certain amount of force and energy is released...

...and if you can double the speed of your strike, the resultant force inflicted upon the object almost doubles.

And if the object being struck happens to be human bones, joints or organs, catastrophic and in some cases fatal injuries will arise.

Now, a Karate-Ka can train hard and long to increase the speed of his blocks and strikes with great effectiveness, or...

...he/she can use the secret of the Hikite , which they have been unknowingly learning from their very first Kata movement...

For example, if after blocking and trapping a punch, you grab hold of an attackers arm and pull him towards you while unleashing a back-fist or front kick you will inflict the most amount of damage possible, by doubling the amount of impact speed through the simultaneous action of striking and pulling or Hikite...

...couple that action with the targeting of a pressure point and your attacker will undoubtedly know by then, if they're still conscious, that they're up against the real thing and just might decide to go and find an easier victim...

You see, it's that pulling by one arm, while striking with the other, the Hikite, that doubles your punching or blocking speed, and faster speed means greater force.
It's like a head on collision between two speeding cars, as opposed to one car just hitting a wall.

To practice Bunkai in the Dojo is very difficult and must never be practiced except at a very slow speed, otherwise someone will get hurt.

So, right away you can see the problem...how can you become proficient at Bunkai without practicing the techniques at full speed?

Well, realistically you can't, you'll just have to learn them at a controlled pace and realize that they will be there for you, when you need them.

So, there you have it, one of the secrets of Kumite, the Hikite...

...the secret that's no secret at all, and one that you've been practicing all along...cool eh?

RJF

Black Mask--Movie review---3 1/2 out of 5

2005-12-11T09:52:00.000-08:00

Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9

Don't see the article you were looking for?...use the Google Search this site box on the side or the Blogger Search this blogg at the top...

Black Mask (1996)
a.k.a.: "Hak hap"

Cast: Jet Li, Ching Wan Lau, Karen Mok, Matt McKenzie, FranÃÂ§oise Yip, Kong Lung, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang
DIRECTED BY: Lee, Daniel

This movie has some funky set designs... almost cartoonish at times. The story line and plot is the usual good battling evil as Jet defends the good against steroid pumped up gangland ninjis trying to take over the drug trade in Hong Kong. There's lots of action in this movie of course, with excellent hand to hand fight scenes as well as lots of explosions. This film isn't to be taken very seriously, thanks to the dubbing of voices and the silly comic relief...
But if you like this genre like I do, its fun to watch and have a good laugh with...

By the way, it's rumored that Jet Li is getting out of making martial arts movies, which is sad news to hear...so if you want something to remember him by, you can click on the poster where you'll be taken to MovieGoods.com and you can purchase the movie poster...

RJF

How to become a Healthy Samurai...Eat a Healthy Diet...Its that simple...

2005-12-10T10:49:00.000-08:00

Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9

It's hard to believe that with all of today's scientific and modern medical practices, the boomers, gen x'ers and their children, will by all accounts, not live as long, or be as healthy as their parents and grand-parents.

The three biggest reasons for that unfortunate fact, is our lack of exercise, poor diets and stress...

And it is also the three areas of our lives which we have the most control over...

You see, there are all kinds of reasons or excuses for instance, that I use unconsciously to justify my choice of a Wendy's cheese burger combo with fries and pop, as opposed to the grilled chicken burger with a side salad and a bottled water...

When I make the effort to become aware about how I feel about my choice, I experience the uncomfortable sensation of guilt...

...now I don't like that feeling, so I instantly direct my mind away from the guilt and focus it on how good that greasy burger and fries taste...especially with ketchup on the fries ...and consequently my feelings of guilt become a distant memory.

I know I don't have the greatest diet in the world and it's obvious there are a whole lot of folks in the same boat.

So, what I have attempted to do to rectify this problem, is to try and eat healthy every other day...

If I had the greasy burger and fries on Monday, on Tuesday I will go to Safeway and grab one of those packaged salads and a water or a container of fruit...

That way, I don't experience any guilty feelings and instead get the sense that I am doing something very good for my body.

This alternating of food choices on a daily basis is a good interim step for most people and could lead to an overall habit of simply putting the very best food available into your body.

The example used above was for eating out, but you can use the same principle when cooking for yourself or your family at home...every other night cook a highly nutritious meal with plenty of vegetables, leaner cuts of meat and try to incorporate a different kind of salad as well...

There are many good sources for the proper kinds of food to eat, like the Canada's Food Guide To Healthy Eating...

...or Food Guide Pyramid Topic Page (Food & Nutrition Information Center) and sites that have easy meal planning ideas...

So if you make a conscious effort to eat healthier, your body will perform better and you just might live to be a hundred...

RJF

Shin, Wasa, Tai---Mind or Spirit, Technique and Body

2005-12-05T20:29:00.000-08:00

Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9

The Zen Way to the Martial Arts<----Click to purchase this book from Amazon.com

..."In the martial arts, as in the game of Go, a thorough knowledge of wasa, technique, is useful. And it is certain that in a young person the body is the fundamental element, whereas in an older man technique and spirit predominate.
In reality, shin---spirit---is what matters first; technique and body come afterward. In other sports, especially in the West, physical strength is the most important factor, but this is not so in the martial arts. In judo the body must be well formed, but that is less important than technique and mind-intuition needed to use it correctly. In a fight between a strong technique and a strong body, technique will prevail..In a fight between a strong mind and a strong technique, mind will prevail, because it will find the weak point."...

RJF

Really Cool Samurai-Martial Arts Movies--The Seven Samurai

2005-12-04T11:02:00.000-08:00

Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9

Seven Samurai (1954)
a.k.a.: "Shichinin No Samurai", "The Magnificent Seven"

Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Yoshio Inaba, Kuninori Kodo, Isao (Ko) Kimura, Seiji Miyaguchi, Minoru Chiaki, Daisuke Kato, Bokuzen Hidari, Kamatari (Keita) Fujiwara, Yoshio Kosugi, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Jun Tatara, Sojin, Kichijiro Ueda, Jun Tazaki, Keiji Sakakida, Keiko Tsushima, Gen Shimizu;

Directed by legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa,
WRITTEN BY: Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni; CINEMATOGRAPHY BY: Asakazu Nakai; MUSIC BY: Fumio Hayasaka. PRODUCER: Shojiro Motoki, Kingsley International, Toho Films.

Kurosawa's masterpiece, set in 16th-century Japan. A small farming village, beset by marauding bandits, hires seven professional soldiers to rid itself of the scourge. Wanna watch a samaurai movie? This is the one. Sweeping, complex human drama with all the ingredients: action, suspense, comedy. Available in several versions of varying length, all long--and all too short. Splendid acting. In Japanese with English subtitles.

If you want to purchase the poster...simply click on it and you'll be taken to MovieGoods.com

RJF

Karate & Martial Arts Kumite Tips...#5...Train with an experienced partner...

2005-12-03T19:44:00.000-08:00

Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9

I was fortunate enough to be able to spar with my Sensei last night in Kumite...

...It was both awe inspiring and humbling to witness his punch/kick speed, feints, foot sweeps and agile footwork firsthand, up close and personal...

...and it gave me a new appreciation for the role that experience plays in Kumite.

My Sensei, who is in his early fifties, has over 40 years of Karate and Boxing experience, and has the ability to pull his punches and kicks even when they're being launched at full speed...

...otherwise I would have been picking myself up off the floor all night.

A thought entered my mind about the lives of samurais, who would have had to go up against more experienced samurais or accomplished instructors and how they would have learned the lessons of Kumite the hard way...

...losing teeth, broken ribs, other broken bones and torn ligaments...ouch...

...and I thought about how thankful I was that the ways of training in Karate-Do have changed so much for the better.

I mean sure, I'm going to take a lot longer to learn to keep my guard up than the poor student who learns to do it instinctively after being clocked on the jaw a few times, but hey that's the way things are now, or at least they should be...

And if they aren't that way at your Dojo, you might want to ask yourself why they aren't.

My Sensei was showing the class a secret technique and then we would practice it on each other...

...what I noticed immediately, was that the technique was really awkward and counter intuitive to perform...

...consequently, what the opponent thought he was seeing, was not what was actually happening and that misdirection left a huge opening for a hard front kick to the body or a roundhouse kick to the head after feinting a low front kick...it was really cool.

You just don't get that kind of insight and knowledge from sparring with a same level or lower level colored belt opponent...

...but once you do learn something new like that, it's always fun to try it out on lower belt Karate-Ka...

...and that way the knowledge gets passed down.

So if you want to improve your sparring skills, seek out experienced partners who would be willing to show you some of their secrets of Kumite...

RJF

Martial Arts outside the Dojo...

2005-11-26T10:18:00.000-08:00

Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9

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Everyone does a good job while training in the Dojo's, but that time is very small compared to the time outside.

Outside the Dojo should be just as important as inside.

I'm not talking about training at home, which is of course a very good idea...

...I'm talking about your daily routines at home, at play and at work.

A good habit to get into is to "think" about your martial arts at various times during the day...

...practice in your mind what you might do in a situation if you were attacked or grabbed by someone while at a restaurant or shopping mall... or if you had to help an innocent person who was being attacked by a vicious dog at a park...

...if you didn't have a walking stick to use like a jo, what else could you use as a weapon...These kinds of thoughts.

You can also practice your punches and kicks on objects throughout the day...

...and your children, pets and significant others aren't one of those objects...

...I should know, a play fight with my wife ended up with both of us having bruises and soreness for days...I had to put her in a wrist lock just to keep her from strangling me...

During work, if you find yourself alone in a big enough area, practice one of your Kata's or Kumite sparring...

...try to avoid the Karate yell though, tends to draw attention.

It's outside the Dojo that you may be called upon to use what you've been trained to do, so you must also train your mind to respond correctly.

Develop an awareness for your surroundings, escape routes and such...

...always a good idea anyway, just in case there is ever a fire or emergency in your work place or wherever you might be.

Another good mental exercise is to look at body types of people and determine how you would respond if they suddenly attacked you. Would you be able to maneuver yourself into an advantages position considering the obstacles in your surroundings?.

If you are mentally prepared for a situation and your body has been physically prepared from hours of hard work in the Dojo, then you'll be able to respond in the most efficient way to any circumstance...

RJF

Kumite Tips...#4...ones spirit...

2005-11-21T15:59:00.000-08:00

Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9

One's Kumite training must be more than just strength and technique focused...

...although that kind of training is absolutely necessary and will serve you very well in your Kumite battles, it lacks the one quality that may in fact determine your fate...

...that quality being the spirit.

In the days of the Samurai, battles were a matter of life and death, and in a battle of physical equals, it was the intuition of the mind that decided who would live and who would die.

It is with this sense of spirit, fighting as if ones life was on the line, that gives the Kumite Martial Artist, the proper perspective and the edge in a battle...

..it is the spirit that must be developed along with the mind and body...

... all together they will transform you into a formidable opponent.

RJF

Secrets of Martial Arts...and life...

2005-11-20T19:16:00.000-08:00

Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9

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Excerpt from The Zen Way to The Martial Arts...

Concentrating means "all out," total release of energy; and it should be the same in every act of our life.

In the present-day world what we see is the opposite: young people half living, half dead. Their sexuality is half way, too, yet they think about sex at work or during zazen, and the other way round as well, and so it goes with everything they do.

But if you have exhausted all your energy, you can take in fresh energy, flowing like the water in the stream.

If you try to spare your energy in a fight, you cannot win. That's one secret of the martial arts. We cannot count on wasa, on technique alone. We have to create.

The martial arts are not theater or entertainment. That is not the true Budo. Kodo Sawaki used to say that the secret of the martial arts is that there is no victory and no defeat. You can neither win nor be beaten. It is not the same as in sports.

...to be continued