The end of this blog

That's right folks, I'm ending this blog. I've decided that there's nothing more for me to say here.

...So I'm starting a new one.

Hahaha.

I was thinking about waiting for the new year, but I decided I'd just get started on creating a new blog account this month. The only real truth is that I was getting bored with the layout of this blog. Not much room for customization. Or at least not customization in the way I want it. I started another blog on WordPress and I like the layout of that, especially how I can choose my own photos for the header. So I figured it's time to switch.

I can't believe it is December already. I started this blog in March during my last weeks in Detroit. So many things have happened since that time, karate and non-karate related.

My search for the kind of karate I want isn't over yet. I'm looking for a combination of something that is physically healthy and also trains realistically. More broadly, I'm looking to deepen my understanding of kata, as that is the heart of this art. So far that search has taken me to places outside the world of karate and I am sure it will continue to expand even further. My concern with karate isn't with "styles" or "teachers" or "techniques". My interest with karate has to do with "how things work". As the author and martial artist Rory Miller says,  

"...A mechanic that knows every tool in the tool box but doesn't know what an engine looks like...this is endemic to martial arts..."

Well, I ain't lookin' to be just another incompetent mechanic. I'm looking to gain an understanding of the thing so that the thing starts to make sense. I'm tired of looking at the words on the page struggling to make sense of how they sound, how they flow together, how they make meaning. I'm interested in learning the alphabet of karate so that I can learn how to read, write and speak karate. I'm tired of being an illiterate karateka.

What's interesting is that, in my heart of hearts, what karate is about for me is gaining confidence in self-protection. That's why I walked into a karate dojo in my mid-twenties, that's why I'm attending Rory Miller workshops, that's why I'm searching like I am. I'm not interested in tournaments, demonstrations or even "tradition". What I care about is overcoming fear. I'm not looking to have some kind of macho MMA image. I don't care about my identity associated with doing martial arts. I don't care if people think I'm too old to be a martial artist (gonna be 31 at the end of this year). I'm an artist, period. How I interpret and manifest the various streams in my life is up to my imagination.

And that's what the karate world and the rest of the world needs right now...

Some goddamn imagination.

Anyway, I'm gonna keep on searching for what I need. Keep on trying out things to see how they fit. This upcoming year should prove to be very fascinating to say the least.

If you're interested, here's a link to the new blog: http://thequantumkarateka.wordpress.com/

Take care.

Elbow SMASH!

- Hiji Até

"The acorn requires a mentor"

I just got back in from Mill Valley, CA where my friend and I went to see the mythologist and storyteller Michael Meade give an all day presentation (9 to 5) about a great many things that can be summed up in the title of the workshop, "Personal Myth: The unique story trying to live through you".

If you don't know who Michael Meade is, click here.

I hadn't really known of this man or his work until rather recently. It was in fact this same friend that turned me onto him. Meade had done work with James Hillman (Soul's Code author), the poet Robert Bly and even Joseph Campbell; all authors that I had been avidly reading in the past couple years.

Of course all this kind of metaphysical research that I have been doing since before Detroit has brought me into an awareness of this kind of language and of the kind of people who speak this language. So Meade is definitely someone I considered checking out. What's cool is that he was doing this workshop in Mill Valley, which is only about 40 minutes from where we live in Oakland, even though I believe him and/or his organization is based in Seattle, WA. The Bay brings a lot of cool people here. Relevant people. Anyway...

So I was at this thing and of course there were some profound moments. What's significant is that I stood in line to speak with him briefly because I wanted to ask him this question about mentorship that has arisen in me lately. And certainly Meade would be the man to ask on matters of this kind. So my question was basically, and this came after reflecting on what Hillman speaks to in The Soul's Code (which is the title of this post), does the person seek this mentor or does the mentor seek you?

And his answer struck me as being profoundly obvious:

The mentor does no seeking. You must go out and seek one.

I mean he didn't say it exactly like that, I'm kinda "Yoda-fying" it. But I said, "thank you", and he said "good luck" and that was the blessing and answer I needed to keep on going, to not lose hope. Simple as that. It was the same kind of blessing from an Elder that I received from Madeleine Schwab, the woman who gave the workshop presentation that I took on March 4th (forth) of 2012 that kick-started me on the path to going to Detroit. Blessings from the right Elders are powerful for young people. It is a very deep affirmation of their soul and that journey it is on. It is so life affirming and exciting that I cannot even begin to tell you the hope it brings. Obviously I'm saying more young people need that affirmation from their Elders. But as Meade said during the workshop, growing older does not necessarily equate growing wiser. Therefore, it is the Elders that know and speak this metaphysical language that need to do the blessing. Otherwise, you get older people saying to you, "WTF?! Are you crazy?! You need to get a JOB! Stop dreaming!". That kind of language is so damaging and hurtful because it comes from not seeing the genius within.

So anyway, the mentor I am seeking has to do with the martial arts. With karate in particular. But maybe in the search for that I'll discover that that isn't the case. And in fact the mentor is for a whole new discipline altogether. I don't know. I feel like there were some very profound things I began researching and reading on in Detroit about Okinawan karate in particular which is what has motivated me to start this blog for one. But also motivated me to keep seeking out the kind of martial arts teachers who could help to clarify this more for me here in Oakland. I haven't found that yet and I can tell you it has surely been disappointing, not to mention frustrating.

But so yeah. Onward now. Keep on seeking the "karate truth" that I'm seeking. The tagline for this blog is "In search of a living karate". Not just karate of course. This really is "bigger than just karate dude". But this is an art-form that also speaks to the deep ancestral roots which I carry with me today. And I believe that it is important that we not only maintain our traditions but we also adapt them to fit the ever-changing world we live in so that they may remain relevant and valid for future humans. In my humble opinion.

Elbow SMASH!

- Hiji Até

Mentor

I think in some way I am looking to be mentored.

As James Hillman writes in The Soul's Code: "...the acorn requires a mentor." (pg. 116). If you don't know what the heck an "acorn" is then you obviously need to read the book. Acorn refers to "genius". And this genius lies in each of us. I find it particularly fitting that I now live in OAK-land, which is so named because of the oak trees that grow in this region and of course, from what does an oak tree originate from? I like how the Oakland Unified School District's logo (at least the old version) is of an oak tree and two little acorns (which I've seen on vehicles used by Oakland Unified).

But mentorship in what exactly? I'm still not sure of that one.

I recently met with a friend visiting from Detroit. Even she asked if I had a mentor. 

Where does one find a mentor?

Does one seek a mentor? Or does a mentor seek you?

I feel the latter, but I also don't have a clue. Maybe both?

But anyway, clueless as I am, I'm still being as real as I can with what I do and just keep doing what I do.

What else can I do?

Elbow SMASH!

- Hiji Até

Mediocre martial artist

I'm still sweatin in my clothes as I write this.

Just got home from judo class.

BLEH.

On some level I realize that a person has got to be good at something if they wanna have some authority with it. With martial arts, it's easy to hide behind a black belt. People believe in the belt. But if you can't do what you talk about, then you are a FAKE ASS martial artist.

That's me. FAKE. I say I wanna be good at karate. I say I wanna understand the art. BLAH BLAH BLAH.

If I really wanted to understand the art I'd be training much more damn harder than I am now. Right now I'm doing "hobby martial arts"; "weekend warrior" type bullshit.

If I really wanna be good at it, I gotta train it. Daily.

If there's no teacher around, then I'd have to teach myself.

I'm a lazy martial artist.

There is so much bullshit in the martial arts world. And there will probably continue to be bullshit for as long as human beings like to bullshit.

On some level I feel like an "anti-bullshit" martial artist. Searching out people who think like me. Who can see through the martial veil covering their eyes.

But if I wanna be "anti-bullshit" then I gotta back that up with some real skill.

How does one acquire that skill?

Gōngfu 功夫

There is no other method so tried and true to human kind.

Until I can say I put my ass to work acquiring that kind of skill, then I'm just a talker. A BLAH-ger.

So for now, blah bLAH BLAH!
  

Elbow SMASH!

- Hiji Até

Having fun

The kids at East Oakland Boxing Association are really liking this new "game" we've introduced. John (the Phys Ed Coordinator) calls it "drops". Basically it looks like a stand-up version of wrestling. Since I've been doing judo the past two months, I've been calling it that. But I'm realizing now that it's more along the lines of kumite. Not the modern sport karate version of it, but rather the literal translation of the characters: "grappling hands". And honestly, it's not something foreign to kids. I mean, have you ever wrestled around with your brother or sister? Have you ever grasped the clothing/limbs of another kid and pushed and pulled them? This is like that, except with some very specific rules to make it as safe as possible (like no grabbing the legs, no hitting, no poking, choking, etc). I think what makes it so fun is that it's so physically invigorating for them. I mean, as an "adult" it's also invigorating (like doing randori in judo). And it's also "non-technical". Meaning that, you don't need to learn "basics" before you do it (like endlessly repeating stances or punches or blocks). You just need a willingness (or the guts) to wrestle with some other kids your size. Of course, I'm thinking to throw in some drills before hand that get them to be conscious of tucking their chin to avoid hitting their head and also perhaps some rolling/falling drills. The thing is, I'm not going to introduce any over-the-body-type throws. That can get too dangerous I think (especially since we're only using tumbling mats that cover concrete). Save that for if they want to join an actual judo school. Basically this kind of kumite is employed in order to teach them the principle of kuzushi. So we're not really doing "Kodokan judo" but rather a bastardized version of it to fit our needs of getting them to be physically active and engaged in this after-school program. In order to make it more challenging of a game, I am going to look through the Kodokan judo book I have and pick out techniques that seem appropriate for kids their age (7-10). A couple of them were already doing versions of osoto-gari. What I was gonna do is pick out a few easy techniques (standing and ground) and the goal will be that they can only use these techniques to play. So I think foot sweeps are good. Hon-kesa-gatame is good. Stuff like that.

What's significant about this to me is that we're still having them be a part of "karate club" (John, who is an Uechi-ryu practitioner created the club; basically the kids can choose from a list of clubs to participate in on a daily basis). Of course, it may not look like the stereotype of karate, which can be referred to as "punch-kick" karate, literally. I like to think of this as a more holistic version, one that incorporates things like grappling. I think what's most important though is having the kids learn principles of body mechanics through what seem like fun games.

Right now the kids are just wearing their regular clothes. John and I were thinking of trying to get judo/karate gi donated. Or at least just have two uniform jackets that they rotate, don't really need the pants. That way they can also wear a belt which can further help them to understand principles through visual aid (like explaining to them how to throw someone by positioning their hip below the other person's belt) or by utilizing the belt to optimize a technique. We did tell a few of them to start bringing in their hoodies or sweatshirts so that they can grab the clothing. It might get too hot for them though. I am worried that one of them is going to fall badly or bang their head too hard. We already had a few close-calls. The thing is, it's hard to avoid any hurt at all when doing this kind of stuff. Gotta make sure they sign the waivers and that we structure the game so that they are being supervised constantly.

It's cool too that EOBA is a rag-tag kinda place. I mean, martial arts is not the focus, boxing is. Therefore there is license to experiment because nobody really understands what we're doing. I could demonstrate a throw and call it karate and overall it would just look like "martial arts" to the uninitiated (or un-indoctrinated). I just like the idea of being able to provide a doorway into the martial arts in places that would be considered "under-privileged". I like being able to use my privilege to provide that privilege. If that makes sense. It's what I was introduced to doing in Detroit.

But anyway, I think next week when I go back I'm going to start introducing this game as "tegumi":

"The Okinawan name for our style of wrestling is 'tegumi', and should you write the word, you would use the same two Chinese characters that are used to write karate's 'kumite', except that they are reversed. Tegumi is, of course, a far simpler and more primitive sport than karate...Unlike most forms of wrestling, in which the participants are lightly clad, entrants in tegumi bouts remain fully clothed. Further, there is no special ring; the bout may be held anywhere - inside the house or in some nearby field...." - pg. 124

 

Elbow SMASH!

- Hiji Até

What am I doing?!

Just gonna process out loud here...read it if you dare.

I've come to the decision that I do not want to continue Danzan-ryu jujutsu at the Suigetsukan dojo I was attending since the summer. That's also the same dojo I had initially gone to for Wing Chun lessons. It's nothing necessarily bad. I mean, I like Sensei Mike as an instructor; he's down to earth and honest with his teaching. I think I've just become increasingly disappointed with the lack of fitness involved with their training curriculum (as well as the lack of realism). I mean, that's a subjective assessment of course. For some people, maybe the 10 minute warm-up we do before class is sufficient. I guess I'm saying I personally like things to be a bit more physically demanding. Otherwise I feel like my money isn't being well spent. You know?

For the past two months I have been doing judo at a place that's about 15 minutes from where I live. It's more like a club than an actual school but the two main sensei who run it are experienced judoka (it's called Oakland judo). I had initially come across it by "accident"; I had been waiting around to meet a friend and I was drawn to the awning of a business that read "The Taoist Center". Curious, I looked inside and then noticed a guy in white judo pajamas walk by in the back. Turns out that the physician who helped treat me in the ER when I had my hip injury is one of the black belts there. I remember him telling me the place where he did judo after mentioning to him that I did karate. For whatever reason I didn't make the connection that the place he trained at was right here in Oakland.

Judo class is Tuesday, Thursday. I was going to jujutsu Monday, Friday. I've decided that it's best to stick to the thing that's most helpful fitness-wise (randori = good sweat) as well as martial arts-wise (it's helpful to know and practice throwing principles that are a part of some of the Okinawan kata).

I'm planning to use the two days that I'm no longer doing jujutsu to finally implement a karate regimen for myself. I was sort of haphazardly practicing kata after Wing Chun class over the summer but I have not actually done any kata practice since. I've been very disappointed with that. And I know that if I do not implement this soon my retention of the kata I learned will diminish. Not good. The whole point of my seeking out these other arts was to further my understanding of karate, not lose it. My task now is to find a quiet place to train. I did it in Detroit. I can do it here.

I just need another job first.

Elbow SMASH!
- Hiji Até

Weekend seminar photos

So what would a blog be without photos? Boring right? Anyway, I stole some snapshots from the Soja facebook page to post here (Soja is the name of the school where this was held). Thanks mostly to Peter Ajemian who I believe was the one taking these. Peter is the founder and chief instructor of Soja. Many thanks to him for having the insight to bring Rory Miller here to Oakland. I can't tell you how much fun I had this weekend. It was a great group of people to work with. Can't wait to do it again!

This was from Friday night's talk/lecture covering "Conflict Communications". Basically a whole college level course covered in about 3 hours.

A snapshot from Monday night's "play date". We were going over potential responses to a Threat with a knife.

From Saturday's 8-hour workshop. We were practicing the "drop-step".

Rory teaching.

This is what you can expect from a Rory Miller seminar...utter chaos! Rory had us do a one-step drill in the stairwell at Soja. You don't see me cause I'm being crushed underneath the guy in the white t-shirt.

Group shot at the end of Sunday's 8-hour workshop.

-- 
Elbow SMASH!  
- Hiji Até

Workshop thoughts: Day 3

Okay so yesterday was officially the last day of the weekend seminar with Rory. There is going to be something "special" going on tonight called a "play date" which is donation based and more for the people who have worked with Rory in the past. Beginners are allowed so I'll be at that one. But I wanted to get my thoughts down about yesterday's workshop first.

I would have to say yesterday was more intense than the previous day. I think it's safe to say most of us got a little bruised up. On both days there there were a good number of people there...I'd say about 20? The drills were different but were built off of the previous days drills. For example, we did something called "environmentals" where we take that "one-step" geometry exercise I spoke of and applied that to different locations at the dojo (where the workshop was held). So each of the groups rotated with being on the stairs, in an office, in the bathroom, and down in the parking garage. The point was: use your environment to aid you and against your attacker. Another cool and very useful drill was "plastic mind". Basically, you take the one-step exercise and both people are either given or told to make up a particular kind of mind-set to do the drill with. It's almost like role-playing but the point was to get you thinking outside your box and to understand that the mind plays a much larger role in combat than physical skill.

Something interesting, weird and important came up for me yesterday as well. It has to do with wanting to be "recognized" by the teacher. Rory Miller is someone who, after reading his books, I realized that I could connect to what he was saying (even though I'm not even remotely close to the field he works in) and who I wanted to learn from. I can't tell you how cool it is that someone like that has been coming to Oakland regularly. And how cool it is that I am actually here to partake in all of it. Who the hell knew I would be moving to Oakland after Detroit?! But basically this weird thing is that I'm still seeking outside validation; still wanting to be acknowledged by the teacher as a "good" student (like with my Sensei in LA). But the thing about Rory is that, he's not teaching us to be clones of his "style". He's not interested in teaching us to be like him. He's teaching us to be the best that we can be, using the knowledge that he has. And even Rory himself admits that he doesn't know everything. I mean he knows a few things more than most of us who don't have that kind of experience (which is huge actually). But Rory's not teaching us to be students of him. He's teaching us to be our own teachers. Our own students. He's teaching us to look for the possibilities ourselves. And that is how I think martial arts needs to be taught. Not just martial arts of course. But I think that's just a really good way to teach. That is true empowerment. I think perhaps the reason why Okinawan karate is not taught that way today (for the most part) is because most of it has become so divorced from reality ("Newton is my Shihan"....get it yet?) that it has come to exist in its own special universe with its own special rules. Read your history and you'll know that karate developed from the instinct of self-preservation. It developed amongst the Okinawan aristocracy into an art form that was engage-able at the civilian level of violence (as opposed to a battlefield). Because perhaps most teachers and practitioners have no real substantial experience with that kind of violence, we start to get caught up with the little details that make our art "more special" than other people's. In other words, we're totally losing the point of why something like karate even developed in the first place. We no longer become concerned with what works and what doesn't work (in accordance with the laws of physics applied to violence) and more concerned with what makes me more special than someone else. Remember, karate as we speak of it today never used to have an official name. It was just "Shuri-te", "Naha-te", etc.; labels to signify a particular geographical region where "te" was uniquely practiced.

Let me end this post (because I need to eat lunch and get ready for tonight's play date) with a quote from Margaret Wheatley's Leadership and the New Science (from which the term "Quantum karateka" is inspired from). For anyone reading this, try to understand how this applies to karate and other modern martial arts in general:

"In fact, information is an organization's primary source of nourishment; it is so vital to survival that its absence creates a strong vacuum. If information is not available, people make it up. Rumors proliferate, things get out of hand - all because people lack the real thing." (pg. 107)

What is the "information" that nourished this thing we call "karate"?

We need to get back to that.

Thank you Rory Miller.

Elbow SMASH!  
- Hiji Até

Workshop thoughts: Day 2

Just to give you some kind of idea of how Rory thinks...he was wearing a shirt today that read:  

Newton is my Shihan

If you don't know who "Newton" is, think physics. If you don't know what "Shihan" means, think Japanese. And put all of that within the context of learning and training martial arts.

Get it yet?

Anyway, like I mentioned in the last thought dump, Rory is an extremely cool guy to talk to. Some of us students stayed after class to get dinner with him. Just very chill. Unpretentious. But very sharp. He knows his stuff. If for whatever (stupid) reason you're trying to fool him on something, you're gonna get fooled. That's my impression of him.

And as last time, there was a lot of things he covered. Much of it is discussed in his book Facing Violence. But he threw out a lot of little tidbits here and there. Also part of the fun today; we got to do one-step "geometry" drills, not "fighting" drills, but "geometry". Basically, in a two-person drill, one partner very slowly throws out a "problem" (punch, kick, knee, headbutt, elbow, choke, strangle, etc). The other person counters the problem with their own problem. I'm guessing Rory calls this "geometry" (and I could be wrong) because, like the Wikipedia definition of geometry: "...concerned with questions of shape, size, relative position of figures, and the properties of space...", you are seeking to understand how your body can position and move itself in relation to another moving and attacking body. And you'd think going slow would be kinda easy right? All I'll say is, I worked up a pretty good sweat doing it.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this: I truly believe that if any of the Okinawan karate masters from "back in the day" were alive today (such as Choki Motobu, Itosu Anko, Sokon Matsumura, etc), I definitely think they would approve of Rory. I think what Rory is teaching is as close to the true origins and spirit of Okinawan karate as you can get. I mean, yes it's not "martial arts", but if you really read about the history of Okinawan karate, if you read about what the kata are designed to teach, if you read the philosophy and codes of conduct that some of these masters laid down, I think you will begin to see that if we want a "living karate" (as Motobu says in Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters) then we need to update our training to reflect the times we are living in with respect to the attitudes, laws and other conditions of that society. That's why we go over legal issues; that's why we go over the aftermath of an assault; that's why we go over avoidance/escape-evasion/de-escalation, etc. To me, Rory is more of a real Okinawan master than some of these actual so-called "Okinawan masters" out there. Okay, so maybe that's gonna sound insulting for some people? Fine. I'm just thinking about what it means to have a "living" art as opposed to one in which the students merely "preserve the ashes". And being of Okinawan ancestry, is that the kind of art I want to pass along and be a part of? No. So what is a 21st century karateka supposed to do?

I'm gonna leave this post with a few good quotes from Rory. Hope you like 'em:

"...A mechanic that knows every tool in the tool box but doesn't know what an engine looks like...this is endemic to martial arts..."

"If you're practicing against things that don't happen, you're wasting your time."

"You have to tell your students it's okay not to fight."

"There is more skill at talking people down than there is in fighting."

"When you fight, you will not be the you that trains."

"You know you're adrenalized when you're yelling, WHAT'S THE NUMBER FOR 911?!"

"He can be the engine, I'll be the steering wheel." (referring to being attacked by a bigger, stronger person)

"Safety doesn't exist. The world has a 100% mortality rate."

"Never run half-ass. Never fight half-ass."

"A hunter will beat a fighter every time. I want you to be a more efficient hunter than they are."

--
Elbow SMASH!  
- Hiji Até

Worshop thoughts: Day 1

So as I mentioned previously, there was a hell of a lot of information to process in tonight's talk/workshop with Rory Miller. Rory is a really cool dude. He's soft spoken. He comes across as almost shy. He himself says he's an introvert. I like people like that. Probably cause I'm like that. Now I gotta muster up the courage to just shake his hand after class. I tend to get nervous around people who's ideas/words/actions I really like/relate to, especially if they're older. Not sure why yet. Something to do with not really feeling like an adult that can speak on equal grounds...? Anyway...

Rory basically gave a 3 hour slideshow presentation that could easily have been an outline for a whole college semester course. The topic? Conflict communications. Forget college course. How about a whole degree program. Maybe that already exists.

I can't possibly begin to break down or report everything that was said tonight. There is however one thing from the presentation that is ticking in my brain. It is related to the ideas that Seth Godin discusses in his book The Icarus Deception. It is this:

Your monkey brain simultaneously makes you scared to actually put your creation out in the world for fear of criticism as well as makes you scared to actually have to change your lifestyle should your creation become a success.

What's critical to understand is that the real thing your monkey brain is preventing you from is change. It's not the critics you are afraid of. It's having to actually change because now people know who you are and like what you do. That means responsibility. That means a shift in lifestyle. We think we want that success, the accolades, the praise, the people buying your album. But deep down you are scared to accept that. This connects to what Marianne Williamson says about being more afraid of our "light" rather than our "darkness".

All very profound stuff. It's bigger than just "conflict communications". I think what Rory Miller is presenting is a way to actually be a change-maker and peace-maker in the world.

Can't wait for Day Two of the workshop...

Elbow SMASH!  
- Hiji Até

Facing Violence

So I'm doing my best to finish up reading Rory Miller's Facing Violence before attending his three day seminar this upcoming weekend (excited! and nervous!). I'm on the last chapter. Cool. This is a book that I actually came across in my "investigative" readings in Detroit several months back.

I'm feeling the need to blog something about what I'm reading here. I mean, there's so much important stuff in this book (I also recommend reading his Meditations on Violence as well). So much stuff to question yourself with as someone who does martial arts; to ponder about; to feel nervous about; to feel excited about; to feel frustrated about. Since there is so much stuff and since I feel like I'm still processing much of it (actually all of it and how it relates to me and my training), I've decided to just pick out various bits from the book and quote them here. That way I can help highlight this book for my fellow karateka, other martial artists, and other people in general (but especially for karateka and martial artists) and help provoke some thought with some words from "the guy who is actually there".

This bit is from Chapter 6, "The Fight":

Winning or losing, it can play on the Threat's social conditioning to end things, especially if it was a Status-Seeking Show or Educational Beat-Down and the audience is watching, "You win, dude, just let me go." (And this will trigger all of your monkey buttons, it will feel like surrendering or even begging and you have millennia of genetic conditioning not to do it. You will have to decide if you are more man than monkey and do the smart thing, and trade an internal shame for injury.) (pg. 159)

*SIDE NOTE: I'm taking these bits out of context from their chapters, so the terminology being used will not make sense to lay-readers. But even more reason to go out, buy the book and read it your damn self!

This bit is from Chapter 5, "The Freeze":

This is the thing, the difference between a fight and an assault, the victim is behind the curve, trying to play catch up, trying to figure out what the situation is and how to respond while the Threat is already well into the steps of his plan. (pg. 119)

From Chapter 3, "Avoidance":

It is better to avoid than to run, better to run than to de-escalate, better to de-escalate than to fight, better to fight than to die. (pg. 42)

Also from Chapter 3:

When you are or believe yourself to be on dangerous and alien ground, keep your mouth shut. This is hard for some people. I can't help but think that if you don't have the common sense to keep your mouth shut or you believe that your opinions and insight are so precious that everyone wants to hear them, then you probably will suck at avoiding conflict anyway. Get this, the commanding presence and facile vocabulary that made you president of your college debating team will be triggers that can get you stabbed or beaten in a different social environment. The charm and over-the-top personality that made you prom queen can get you gang-raped. (pg. 56)

And this last bit I'll take from one of the most important chapters in the book, I think...Chapter 1, "Legal and Ethical":

Hurting someone else, the intentional infliction of pain and damage, is generally wrong. Invading another's space violates social taboos you have absorbed since childhood. Most of the rules you learned about how to be a good human involved not hurting people. Most of these rules are ingrained so deeply that you are not consciously aware of them...If you ever need to defend yourself with force, you will likely run into these issues. What are your personal ethics of violence? This is deep stuff, because what the conscious mind believes often has little bearing on what the person can do...This programming is subconscious and takes a great deal of work and insight to bring out into the light of day and consciously examine. It is imperative to work it out in advance. (pg. 12)

Of course, there's so much more in this book. The context of the bits I've quoted from these chapters needs to be read and understood. I think any karateka or martial artist who is serious about their art, who is serious about matters of personal safety, or who is serious about the world of violence in general, absolutely needs to pick up these books by Miller.

If it doesn't become too much of a headache for me, I'll blog about what I learned from the upcoming Miller seminar. I'm just expecting a hecka-of-alot of information to process and I always end up sitting at this damn computer longer than I should be!

Elbow SMASH!  
- Hiji Até

Random thoughts

I wonder if this martial arts relationship between "master" and "student", while ostensibly being about "respect", has had more of the effect of retarding the critical thinking faculties of the student than anything else?

People who wear black belts are not authorities on the art they train in (nor are they authorities on life). Belts are somewhat arbitrary (depending on how your school does it) and earning a black belt does not make you an expert. Unfortunately this ranking system has the effect of making the martial arts newbie think otherwise.

I'm not saying you can't be an expert with a black belt, but I mean "expert" at what? Within a martial arts system there are various facets. Some of it can be for sport. Some of it can be for performance. Some of it can be for combative skill. The black belt itself does not necessarily distinguish what area of training you have focused on. It just shows that you have spent some time training within that system and ideally (key word: "ideally") have ingrained some of the basics of that system. I think in some cases, getting your black belt just means you paid enough money for it.

Perhaps in some long forgotten martial arts land, the color of your belt actually meant something. It actually spoke to the skill level you had. And it was actually awarded to you based upon some kind of test of that skill. But belts, especially within the karate world are a relatively new phenomenon. You really think "back in the day" they had purple belts to give out? You really think some old Okinawan master was like, "Here. You have earned your blue belt with white stripe." Don't believe the belt hype. Martial arts is bigger than the color of your belt. If there is any belt color that makes sense to me, it is a white belt. You will always be a beginner in one way or another because there is always something new to learn. Wouldn't it be funny if your dojo started with black belt and then decreased color from there? You'd get a "white belt certificate" once you master the system. Actually, that kind of makes sense, despite its silly nonsense.

Why am I doing martial arts? Am I training for competition? Am I training for sport? Am I training for actual real combat/fighting/self-defense (remember, wearing gloves in a ring with a mouthpiece is not "real" combat)? Unless you specify what you are training for and thus tailor your training to fit that thing, I don't think just doing your chosen martial system can prepare you for all of those things simultaneously. Training in one aspect may have cross-over benefit into another, but let's say you want to focus on competition sparring. Do you think if you trained really hard for that arena that you will be ready to defend yourself in an actual instance of violence outside of that arena?

If you are starting to believe that the power of your punches corresponds to the snap of your crisp white gi every time you punch, then try taking off your gi and punch a makiwara.

I think a black belt only really means something if you take it seriously. Cause otherwise it's just a belt. And unlike wine, it does not mean you get better the more you age.

Elbow SMASH!  
- Hiji Até

K.O. your EGO

I think it was in my jujutsu or judo class the other day where the thought occurred to me: here we are learning physical techniques that can be used to subdue the physical violence and aggression of another human being, but what about learning to "tap out" our own violence and aggression? It's interesting that when we think of martial arts as being "self-defense", violence becomes framed as a problem that we must deal with in "other" people. Maybe some of us have never been in a fight. Maybe some of us have never even killed a fly! But violence isn't something that just comes in the form of a slap, punch, kick, shove, head-butt, grab, etc. That is to say, violence is not just "physical". Think about the time when your anger was triggered by the person who cut you off on the freeway. Think about that middle finger you may have greeted them with. Think about the words you may have shouted aloud or muttered in your head. Think about the kind of things you wanted to do to them. Yeah, maybe you didn't get out of your car and exchange fists or get your shotgun and shoot the person (I hope you didn't). But I don't think the world can become a less violent place just because you might not act on the aggressive/violent thoughts in your head. Physical violence seems to me the outward manifestation and projection of what starts within us; our pain, our fears, our insecurities, our misconceptions, our misinterpretations, our unfulfilled emotional needs and wants. Okay, so you may not be a person who physically acts upon those angry thoughts, but does that then excuse you from an inner examination of your human shadow? I don't believe a healthy mindset means thinking pleasant thoughts all the time and smiling even when we are feeling dark. That seems fake to me. I think we need to acknowledge our human capacity for brutality. We need to stop pretending as if some of us are just "nice" people and it's only the "bad" guys that cause all the violent problems of the world. I think that the greatest threat to our daily peace of mind and well being doesn't come from outside of us. It is us. I'd like to be involved with the kind of karate/martial arts training that incorporates ways to handle and process this violence inside.

"Any martial art without proper training of the mind turns into beastly behavior."
– Shoshin Nagamine

Elbow SMASH!

- Hiji Até

“Karate aims to build character, improve human behavior, and cultivate modesty; it does not, however, guarantee it.” – Yasuhiro Konishi (founder of Shindo Jinen-ryu Karate) - See more at: http://www.karatebyjesse.com/karate-quotes/#sthash.EYYIdmZV.dpuf

“Karate aims to build character, improve human behavior, and cultivate modesty; it does not, however, guarantee it.” – Yasuhiro Konishi (founder of Shindo Jinen-ryu Karate) - See more at: http://www.karatebyjesse.com/karate-quotes/#sthash.EYYIdmZV.dpuf

“Karate aims to build character, improve human behavior, and cultivate modesty; it does not, however, guarantee it.” – Yasuhiro Konishi (founder of Shindo Jinen-ryu Karate) - See more at: http://www.karatebyjesse.com/karate-quotes/#sthash.EYYIdmZV.dpuf

Decision

I have made up my mind not to go forward with the Kidpower instructor certification process. I still believe that their material is relevant when thinking about facilitating a training space that incorporates Personal Safety training (which I will employ their services if I ever get to that point). But I'm not totally feeling that decision any more. Basically what I wanted was a way to make a living doing something that spoke to what I was about. Even if I had gone through the entire process, it is unlikely that I would be able to make a living doing that by itself. And with all the time and money spent on getting that certification, I'm not sure it would have been the smartest investment right now. Guess I was just eager to find something. Nothing "wrong" with Kidpower. I think I need to just keep looking. I only been in Oakland 6 months dammit. Had I been here 6 years and still hadn't found something, then maybe I could say there was something "wrong". But even then, who decides what's wrong or right?

I have decided to go forward with volunteering at East Oakland Boxing Association. That isn't something I had to think too hard about. The only thing making me hesitant about that decision was feeling inadequate and unqualified to potentially conduct a karate class there. Those are not valid reasons to stop myself though. If anything, those are indicators that I need to do that. Do what scares you, if you know what I mean.

So here I am again. Back at square one. My temporary job ended a week ago. Put some money in my bank account. Now what? My intention is to continue to keep my eyes open for a part-time gig that can work with my training schedule; to continue my judo and jujutsu training; and to volunteer with EOBA until I feel otherwise. There isn't much I can do about the lack of attention to fitness/health/healing in my martial arts classes; that's something I'll have to figure out for myself. There isn't much I can do about the lack of realistic training in those classes either; that's something else I'll have to figure out. And there isn't much I can do about the absence of "practical karate" teachers (along the lines of Abernethy or McCarthy) here in the Bay Area, which sucks. But it's good in a way because at least I connect to that movement and those ideas and I live here. In response to these concerns, a fellow martial arts student told me, "Looks like you'll have to start all of that." haha. Me? Little 'ol me? We'll see...

Elbow SMASH!

- Hiji Até

Hesitation

Damn. I need to decide quick if I am going to go through with the Kidpower instructor certification process. I have been feeling some hesitation about it since my recovery from my hip injury a month back. Not sure why. I was feeling enthusiastic about it since I attended their workshop in July. Since then I have been in contact with their central offices to pursue my desire to be instructor certified in their program. There is a lot of paperwork to sign, another Skype interview I have to do, money that is owed to begin the training, etc, etc. Although I told my contact person that I felt I was ready to move forward, there is a tinge of something holding me back. I'm having to really focus on being honest with myself here. Is it because I think I can't do it? Is it because there are other options out there that I am considering? Is it because I'm not really into all this "personal safety" business as I thought?

In the meanwhile I am continuing to pursue my personal martial arts training with judo and jujutsu. Although a lot is still left to be desired with my training (especially with regards to fitness and flexibility), there isn't much I can do except strive to improve upon what's there.

I am excited for an upcoming Rory Miller seminar that will be towards the end of October. Three days for which I paid an early bird fee of $265. Kind of a lot of money to me right now, but for the amount of insight, information and other illuminations I might get, I am willing to risk it. It's really great that a person like Rory Miller does seminars here in Oakland. I mean, sometimes I forget about the high degree of synchronicity I experience here in Oakland. There are a lot of avenues/opportunities for me to pursue here in the Bay Area. The key is actually pursuing them and not being afraid that it might be the wrong decision. To that end, I am going to fill out my volunteer forms for East Oakland Boxing Association (a non-profit I came across while on a delivery route for my last job) and I may reconsider the specific instructor training path I want to take with Kidpower (I was set on being a padded instructor but I realize there are other types of instructors). 

I have no idea where any of this might lead to; the one thing I am having to remind myself of constantly is that the reason I became interested in personal safety, the reason I became interested in doing Wing Chun and jujutsu, is all because I was trying to make my karate training more relevant, more realistic and more broadminded. I realized from my brief time spent showing karate to young people in Detroit that they needed something that was relevant to their immediate personal safety needs. Simply showing them any one of the 15 kata I memorized from my previous 5 years of training, while interesting and exotic, was not the reason I was interested in showing them karate in the first place. The "self-defense" aspect of karate has been disconnected from in the modern era and until my personal situation allows me the flexibility to pursue "practical karate" training, I am going to make do with what is here. It's like I've blogged about previously; I broke down karate into three areas that I feel are important for me to pursue and what I see as being interconnected parts of an entire whole: Fitness, Personal Safety, Self-defense.

That's why I started taking up judo twice a week because I really needed a good sweat; that's why I signed up for the Rory Miller seminar because I really want a reality check in learning about how to deal with violence; and that's why I'm going to reconsider the instructor training path with Kidpower. I simply need to keep pursuing and acting on the things that were made apparent to me in Detroit.

There is no "try".

Elbow SMASH!

- Hiji Até

Things Funakoshi said

At the jujutsu dojo I go to there is a bookshelf with martial arts books available for borrowing. Of course, the one book on the shelf that caught my eye was Karate-Dō: My Way of Life by Gichin Funakoshi (I believe this was one of the only karate books on the shelf actually). Besides books by Nagamine sensei, this is the only other book I've read that is available in English by one of the Okinawan masters. I just wanted to record here in this blog some things that caught my attention from his book. For anyone reading this....enjoy some karate/martial arts food for thought:

"While it is true that a karate expert has the power to break a thick board or several layers of tile with one stroke of his hand, I assure my readers that anyone is capable of doing the same thing after undergoing sufficient training. There is nothing extraordinary about such an accomplishment. Nor has it anything whatsoever to do with the true spirit of karate; it is merely a demonstration of the kind of strength that a man may acquire through practice. There is nothing mysterious about it." (pg. 10)

. . .

"Both Azato and his good friend Itosu shared at least one quality of greatness: they suffered from no petty jealousy of other masters. They would present me to the teachers of their acquaintance, urging me to learn from each the technique at which he excelled. Ordinary karate instructors, in my experience, are reluctant to permit their pupils to study under instructors of other schools, but this was far from true of either Azato or Itosu." (pg. 16)

. . .

"Today I'm a wiser man than I was yesterday. I'm a human being, and a human being is a vulnerable creature, who cannot possibly be perfect. After he dies, he returns to the elements - to earth, to water, to fire, to wind, to air. Matter is void. All is vanity. We are like blades of grass or trees of the forest, creations of the universe, of the spirit of the universe, and the spirit of the universe has neither life nor death. Vanity is the only obstacle to life." (Apparently the words of Master Matsumura from the story Funakoshi recounts of Matsumura and the Engraver, pg. 28)

. . .

"One serious problem, in my opinion, which besets present-day Karate-dō is the prevalence of divergent schools. I believe that this will have a deleterious effect on the future development of the art...There is no place in contemporary Karate-dō for different schools. Some instructors, I know, claim to have invented new and unusual kata, and so they arrogate to themselves the right to be called founders of 'schools'. Indeed, I have heard myself and my colleagues referred to as the Shōtō-kan school, but I strongly object to this attempt at classification. My belief is that all these 'schools' should be amalgamated into one so that Karate-dō may pursue an orderly and useful progress into man's future." (pg. 37-39)

. . .

"It seemed to me that I had learned an important lesson from that viper. As we continued on our way toward Azato's house, I said to my son, 'We all know about the habu's persistence. But this time that was not the danger. The habu we encountered appears to be familiar with the tactics of karate, and when it slid off into the field it was not running away from us. It was preparing for an attack. That habu understands very well the spirit of karate.' " (pg. 48)

. . .

"It was around 1935 that a nationwide committee of karate supporters solicited enough funds for the first karate dōjō ever erected in Japan...I entered for the first time the new dōjō (in Zoshigaya, Toshima Ward) and saw over the door a signboard bearing the dōjō's new name: Shōtō-kan. This was the name that the committee had decided upon; I had no idea that they would choose the pen name I used in my youth to sign the Chinese poems I wrote...I am often asked how I happened to choose the pen name of Shōtō, which became the name of the new dōjō. The word shōtō in Japanese means literally 'pine waves' and so has no great arcane significance..." (pg. 83-85)

. . .

"Some of the younger ones, I confess, disagree with me: they tell me that they believe karate may fairly be used whenever circumstances make it absolutely necessary. I try to point out that this is a total misconception of the true meaning of karate, for once karate enters, the issue becomes a matter of life and death. And how can we allow ourselves to engage in such life and death confrontations often in our few years on earth?" (pg. 93-94)

. . .

"True practice is done not with words but with the entire body. Others have mastered the kata that you are practicing. Why then are you unable to? Is there something wrong with you? These are the questions you must ask yourself; then you must train until you fall from exhaustion; then soon you must continue, using the same strict regimen. What you have been taught by listening to others' words you will forget very quickly; what you have learned with your whole body you will remember for the rest of your life." (pg. 106)

. . .

"All too frequently I hear teachers speak of trainees as oshiego ('pupil'), or montei ('follower'), or deshi ('disciple'), or kohai ('junior'). I feel such terms should be avoided, for the time may well come when the trainee will surpass his instructor. The instructor, meanwhile, in using such expressions runs the risk of complacency, the danger of forgetting that some day the young man he has spoken of rather slightingly will not only catch up with him but go beyond him - in the art of karate or in other fields of human endeavor." (pg. 109)

. . .

"The Okinawan name for our style of wrestling is 'tegumi', and should you write the word, you would use the same two Chinese characters that are used to write karate's 'kumite', except that they are reversed. Tegumi is, of course, a far simpler and more primitive sport than karate...Unlike most forms of wrestling, in which the participants are lightly clad, entrants in tegumi bouts remain fully clothed. Further, there is no special ring; the bout may be held anywhere - inside the house or in some nearby field....Once I had determined to become a karateka, I used to get four or five younger boys to wrestle with me, believing that such bouts would strengthen my arm and leg muscles as well as those of the stomach and the hips. I cannot say how much tegumi actually contributed to my mastery of karate, but I am certain that it helped fortify my will. For example, I seldom had any great difficulty thrusting back a single opponent, but my difficulties increased greatly as the number of my opponents increased. Then, if I attacked one opponent, the others would find an opening in which to attack me. It is hard to think of a better way than this to learn how to defend oneself against more than one opponent, and if it sounds like nothing but a children's game, I can assure you that those of us who engaged in it took it very seriously." (pg. 124)

- -

Elbow SMASH!

- Hiji Até

Karate is like hot water

"Karate is like hot water, if its heat is removed it becomes cold."

 - #11 of Gichin Funakoshi's "Twenty Principles of Karate-do"

The sensei at the judo dojo I am taking classes at asked me the other night if I still did karate. My mind wanted to say "yes" but I realized I would only be lying to myself if I did. So I said, "no". And that's the truth. How can I claim to still be doing karate if I'm not even practicing the kata on a regular basis? I mean, people ask me if I've done martial arts before and I always tell them that "karate is my main thing. I'm just furthering my understanding of other arts in order to inform my karate". And for the most part that's true. I mean, considering that the kata in our various systems of Okinawan karate included grappling, throwing and other close-quarter combat-type techniques, it would only seem necessary to gain an understanding of those things (especially since modern karate as taught to me did not teach this). But I recognize that unless I'm doing the thing, I can't claim to be doing the thing. Simple as that. My task right now is to find a way to keep the kata ingrained in me while still broadening my understanding of martial principles through other arts. All the while finding the time to do the other things in my life as well...sheesh. Sure is a lot sometimes. Do I have any idea what I'm doing?

Elbow SMASH!

- Hiji Até

Doing the right thing?

I'm just getting back into a training routine now. I took myself out of the loop since that hip injury I blogged about. Fortunately, it wasn't so serious that I'm permanently damaged but serious enough to let me know that I need to be realistic with myself in how I push my body. Training can't be accomplished in a day. Training is a lifetime. Patience, perseverance and dedication.

I guess being out of the training loop is why I'm feeling this hang up with wondering if I'm doing the "right" thing with my ventures into jujutsu-judo-Kidpower. An idle mind is the devil's workshop. I mean, there is no "right or wrong". It's just that, I guess deep down inside I feel inadequate. I feel unqualified. It's the same feeling I had in Detroit when I had the opportunity to teach young people what I knew about karate. I was like, "what can I teach them? I'm no Olympic champion. I'm no karate master. I'm not even that good!" Much of that skewed negative self-perspective has changed, but it still lingers in the shadows of my mind. Who said I had to be an Olympic athlete with ten gold medals around my neck in order to feel qualified to teach young people? Who said I had to have 20 years of prior martial arts experience because I've trained since I was in the womb? Yeah, I need to be realistic about my skill level with people I'm teaching, but that don't mean I don't have anything to give. With young people, it's really less about the karate for me and more about finding a way to connect with them. To show them that the adults really do care and that they are investing their time into their development. I mean, that's not to say teaching them about how to face violence (within themselves and with others) isn't also important to me, but that's an ongoing part of my own personal training that is still in the process of being articulated with regards to how I'm going to present that. For now, karate is the vehicle with which to connect. But I did have the thought the other day that it seemed like what I am moving towards, with my Kidpower instructor training and my interest in "practical karate", is something along the lines of developing a comprehensive self-defense training program for young adults. A program that's rooted in something ancient (using the kata system of Matsubayashi-ryu for instance) and linking that to the reality of violence for today's young people. Otherwise I think Okinawan karate will, at least in the U.S, continue to lose its legitimacy with people. Violence is the factor which keeps the art fresh and alive; not preserved in formaldehyde. And facing violence continues to be a tremendous problem in our world now. We need an art that can address this issue. An art that guides the physical and mental development of its adherents along strong spiritual foundations...

What is this thing they call Karate-dō?

...the way of the empty hand.

Elbow SMASH!

- Hiji Até

What "karatedō" means to me

I was sitting at the barber shop the other day waiting for Wally the barber to give me a haircut. I brought along a book to read that my mom gave me on my last trip home. It's called The Center Within; a collection of transcribed talks by the Buddhist Reverend Gyomay Masao Kubose. As I was sittin' there waitin', I came across two articles that struck me as, "huh...when karate is translated to empty hand as opposed to China hand it has deeper meaning for me." The "empty hand" translation of karate reflects a modern Japanese influence upon this Okinawan art that some people in the karate nerd community feel is unnecessary to emphasize anymore. And actually, I kind of agree with that notion as its motivation lies to me in the recognition that Okinawa's unique cultural contributions have been obscured by their forced assimilation into Japanese society. That being said, I also have a 1/4th Japanese blood in me and maybe that's what's coming out when I say that I kind of like karatedō being translated as " the way of the empty hand". I'll quote Rev. Kubose's articles to breakdown the metaphysical meaning I like to think of behind "karate" and "dō" respectively:

EMPTY HANDED (pg. 8)

In Buddhism it is said, "Go with empty hands." To go empty-handed means to have no fixed ideas, no rigid plans. It means to be ever-ready; whatever comes we will receive it one hundred percent, do it one hundred percent.

Suppose you bring beautiful flowers or a box of candy to a friend. Some might say that taking something with you is not going empty-handed. However, empty-handed does not mean nothing in the hands; it is a condition of the mind. You simply want to give flowers out of real joy. There is no idea of "I am giving; I will be thanked, or I am returning a favor." There are no expectations. This is empty-handedness. Life as it is, without speculation, without intention.

Emptiness or nothingness means that there is no manipulation and no planning by the you, which is the accumulation of your five senses. Both sides of the struggle: I want to, I don't want to, must be forgotten. So it said, where there is enlightenment, there is no self. Where there is self, there is no enlightenment. Both self and non-self must disappear. When non-self is conceptualized as non-self, then it is not non-self. Many people become attached to the idea of non-self and to the idea of nothingness. But when we are attached to nothingness, this kind of nothingness is not what Buddhism teaches.True nothingness is to be fully aware.

In the fresh, creative life there are no rigid plans. But some people say, "Don't we have to plan for tomorrow, for next year?" Yes, we make plans, but they should only be tentative guidelines. To have "no plan" means that when you actually do something you put your whole life into it, whatever it is. The minute we say, "I must be selfless," then that is fixed, not free. Go at it with your total self. Let life take over. When we really do things the self is transcended. In that kind of life every moment is fresh. Every minute creative. This is what empty-handed means.

*NOTE: Gichin Funakoshi's "Twenty Principles of Karate-do":

#6 - Respond with an unfettered mind.

 BUDDHISM IS EVERYDAY LIFE (pg. 6)
When Nansen, a teacher, was asked, "What is Buddhism?" he answered, "Everyday life." This is one of the many ways to point out the essence of Buddhism. In Buddhism we talk about the "way" or "path". In Chinese it is called "Tao", in Japanese, "Dō". "Dō" is the path or the way we live each day. What is this path? What kind of path do you walk? We make many pretensions, and we represent things as we want them to be. We do not see things as they are. We do not understand life "as it is". Buddhism is the most natural way of life where every little thing we do is the way.

Without pretensions or artificiality, each path is uniquely an individuals own. Each way is different and yet there is the Great Way that everyone walks. It is the same path but different to each individual. It can be difficult to understand that the universal Way is one's own way. This is the difference between the true way and the not-true way. Just as freedom is different from lawlessness, freedom is always one with the law. Freedom exists when law is lived. What this means is that one must find the way deep inside oneself. Yet at the same time the way does exist "out there". Outside and inside become identical. The universal and particular become one. You live your own life and there is no pre-established pattern. Yet your unique pattern forms the same way the universe forms. This is life's path. It is a flower blooming, the wind blowing. You live; I live.

When you live the universal Way, you see life expressing itself everywhere. It is such a tremendous, noble life that you cannot help being inspired. Life is art when lived this way. Art means it is absolute. There is creativity in life; imitation has no value. Art must be original and unique. The art of haiku, Japanese poetry, is the Buddhist life expressed in poetic form. Each moment in life is a poem in itself. When each action is an expression of life itself there is beauty and fulfillment. This is the universal path. It is the way that Nansen pointed to when he said, "Buddhism is everyday life."

*NOTE: Gichin Funakoshi's "Twenty Principles of Karate-do":

#10 - When you learn how karate is related to everyday life, you will have discovered its essence.

...

Elbow SMASH!

- Hiji Até

Imagine a karate dojo...

- That has regular skill sharing classes with other qualified martial arts instructors.

- That has regular cross-training classes with other martial arts students.

- That has regular skill sharing classes with other Okinawan karate teachers inside/outside of your style.

- That has regular cross-training classes with other karate students inside/outside of your style.

- That has regular seminars/presentations with karate historians/practitioners (such as Patrick McCarthy, Charles C. Goodin, Jesse Enkamp, etc).

- That has regular seminars/presentations with professionals in related fields outside of traditional martial arts (such as Rory Miller, Marc MacYoung, etc).

- Where uniforms are not required (but not rejected either).

- Where the belt system does not exist (but maybe like a certification of some kind).

- Where you are tested for your skill and not for your rank.

- Where the kata in your system are analyzed and practiced so as to determine their functional civilian combat applications.

- That regularly brought in qualified teachers (such as Iain Abernethy, Patrick McCarthy, Kris Wilder, etc) and/or held study sessions to aid in deciphering the combat applications of the kata in your system (so as to make it a living civilian combat system).

- That focuses on the students health and fitness just as much as on their fighting skill.

- That focuses on developing conflict de-escalation/people safety/boundary setting skills just as much as on fitness and fighting skill.

- That utilizes scenario-based-stress-training to help prepare the student to respond appropriately (functional spontaneity) to actual unprovoked habitual acts of physical violence.

- That not only incorporated Okinawan kobudo into the curriculum but modern weapons training as well; such as how to safely handle, breakdown and use a firearm, how to use a knife, etc.

- That encouraged the student to be actively involved in some kind of violence prevention group (such as Alternatives to Violence Project) or other similar group that deals with the consequences of inter-personal violence.

- That emphasizes learning and ingraining martial principles over style.

- That maintains style only so much as to provide the student with the necessary historical and cultural context with which to understand and appreciate their karate system.

- That took annual field trips to study and train karate in Okinawa; also took field trips to study and train martial arts in other countries.

- That provides instruction and study in Zen meditation and/or non-denominational, non-sectarian Buddhist history, philosophy and thought.

- Whose vision is to produce karate students that exemplify kisshu fushin (鬼手佛心).

...
Elbow SMASH!

- Hiji Até

Beloved Community and Okinawan Karate

Hahaha. You ever heard those two words go together? Maybe. I haven't. But that's what I been thinkin' about recently.

I just got an email update from a friend in Detroit. She told me about the housing cooperative they are building on Field St. in East Detroit. It is exciting stuff and it is the reason I went to Detroit in the first place. My friend also gave a speech recently (read it on her blog here), quoting from Grace Lee Boggs:

“And unless we want to live in terror for the rest of our lives [think of the fear that drove George Zimmerman], we need to change our view about acquiring things.” The antidote to consumption is creation. The antidote to violence is interconnection. The antidote to fear is community. “Beloved community,” Grace says, “is the essence of the next American revolution.”

My thoughts exactly. And I'm thinking about Personal Safety. I'm thinking about in the meantime. I'm thinking about the people who don't give a f--- about "beloved community" and would rather make a quick deal on the street. I'm thinking about the ones who have a mean streak. Who got no respect for the boundaries of other human beings and who use their weapons to scare others into submission. I believe that there are hella more good people in this world than bad, but who then will respond to the bad? Who will respond to the violence? We need a new kind of "police officer". Not even like the old kind. I went to a documentary screening about the Zapatistas in Mexico the other day and found out that there are like community "police" in their communities. That they are proficient in hand-to-hand combat. That they carry machetes. I think about my upcoming work with Kid Power. I think about my hoped for volunteering and participation with the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP). I think about my jujutsu training with Sensei Mike at the dojo. I'm thinking about all of that and I'm thinking, "how can I be of service to this beloved community?" And I see those things as being like getting qualified in that, you know? Not that I need a name tag or a certificate or a title to qualify me. But that I need training in those things in order to know how they work and how they can be implemented into whatever particular situation. This is me dreaming big now. Maybe it's not right to associate the karate of my ancestors with Beloved Community, but I think they go together like peanut butter and jelly. Okinawan karate should be (I agree with Sensei Nagamine) an art of peace. Therefore, I think, how do we practice it as such? How do we manifest it as such?  This is the real, honest reason I got involved with karate in the first place 6 years ago; I wanted to acquire a real skill that I could use in defense of some vague notion of "community" (that's such an abused term).

In retrospect, I realize that I may not have really been ready to receive such skill (demon's hand). And I'm only just now beginning to get a better understanding of what that community looks like and how my training connects with that.

Elbow SMASH!
- Hiji Até

Clarification of the Vision

I need to know what I'm doing. I need to know why I'm training. I need to know what purpose my training can serve. That purpose to me has to be something larger than myself. I need to know what my art is for or what I want it to effect. It may not effect like how I want it to affect but that's okay. I just need to know what I'm going for. Without a strategy, all the tactics in the world can't save you. Without a strategy, how can a team attempt to win the game? You might have the best talent in the world. But no strategy? Then you're just relying on your luck.

I'm trying to figure my life out here in Oakland. Not being able to train for a month sucks. But it's good cause it allows me time to evaluate my VISION. This is something I've been struggling with since I left for Detroit. I see it as a necessary step in my life right now.

Something is off right now though. I'm not sure what it is. A thought came to me the other day that maybe I'm in the wrong movie? That was kind of a scary thought.

I need to push ahead with honesty, humility and integrity.

Elbow SMASH!
- Hiji Até

Out of Order

This past Sunday after my morning Wing Chun class, I did like I sometimes do and stayed a bit longer at the dojo to do some stretching. Perhaps my body was not warmed up enough, perhaps it was poor conditioning, and/or perhaps I overworked my body doing certain drills in class, whatever the case, I ended up with a minor (very slight) soreness in my right hip after doing my usual hip-flexor stretch:

There were no other complications the rest of that day or night despite that minor soreness.

The next day I had my Monday evening jujutsu class. We didn't do anything unusual that night; some falling, lifting, rolling, etc. Nothing I hadn't done before. Throughout the class though I did feel the soreness in my right hip a little more acutely but nothing that alarmed me.

I went to bed that night at my usual time. I remember not sleeping very well. My right hip area felt cramped and I couldn't lay my leg flat. I was sorta in and out of sleep the whole night. Things went from a minor soreness to a swelling pain overnight.

When I woke up the next morning I realized I could barely move. It wasn't like a sharp pain or anything, it just felt like a really bad bruise or an extreme cramp. I texted my friend telling him that I had to cancel our plans to hang out that day because I couldn't get up. Fortunately since we live in the same apartment complex, he came up to my room and helped me out. It wasn't until the evening of that day that my friend finally convinced me to go to the hospital. I didn't think it was that serious to go despite the fact that it felt as though my ability to move had become much more difficult since that morning. He drove me to the ER and to make a long story short, we stayed there for about 5 hours.They took some x-rays, drained some blood, got my urine, did an ultrasound to look at my bones, etc. What the physicians on duty figured out was that I had torn my muscle and there was some internal bleeding which is what was contributing to the pain. They gave me crutches, a prescription for some Vicadin and advised me to stay away from the dojo for about a month or longer to fully recover.

It's been a couple days since that trip to the ER and I'm feeling much better. I can even walk around my room without my crutches, albeit with a hobble in my step. I'm kinda surprised at how I feel actually. I'm certainly not going to risk going back to training any sooner than necessary. But it's just funny how I went from being basically helpless a couple days ago to now being able to make my own meals. And don't even get me started on how difficult it was to sit on the toilet! WHEW! That was a mini-ordeal.

This is the first time in my life that I've done any serious injury to my body. I hope it's the last (or at least a rare future occurrence). All I could remember thinking as I lay there in the ER hospital bed waiting for the physician to check on me was the words of my Sensei:

All you have is your health.

That may sound pretty obvious to some people, but for lots of reasons it's not always apparent. People wanna learn how to fight, how to hurt, how to maim, how to injure or how to kill. Guys especially wanna be the one who is toughest, who hits hardest, who stays in the fight longest. What's so hilarious and serious to me is how fragile we are as human beings. Hilarious because we think our training makes us tough and yet the smallest paper cut, the slightest speck in your eye, the littlest splinter in your foot can make you irritated with pain. Knowing how to hurt someone, but also how to heal someone, including yourself (whether physically, mentally, or spiritually) seems to me the necessary paradoxical task of the authentic martial artist. IMHO.

Elbow SMASH!
- Hiji Até