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