Awareness in modern life

So we were talking about ki no sen the other day in Shorinji Kempo and from what I can grasp of this it's a bit like using your common sense or keeping your wits about you (OK, probably a bit deeper than that but let's work with 'awareness' for the time being!).

And then I watched this following video on YouTube... It made me think how easily we get distracted by all our modern accoutrements...how easily we can focus so much on our mobile phone or ipod or whatever and forget about the real life around us!

And then I had an even scarier thought...

Check out this slightly scary/disturbing video (not for young kids) but thought provoking film then see what I realised after I'd watched it!

And so to the rub.... I mean nobody would do that would they!? Let some bloke into their house cos he *looks* like he's going to check the meter...Except I did! Only the other day...

This guy turns up at the door with clipboard, badge and the like and says to me, "I'd like to talk to you about the gas supply" and I, without waiting because I was busy working at the time when he interrupted me, said, "Oh, you want to read the meter? Come in, here it is". Before I knew it he was sat down at the dining table trying to sell me something. I kicked him out as soon as I realised and was a bit miffed at his sales technique but you can't blame them too much I suppose. But I was surprised that I'd been 'had' that easily because my mind was clouded with the project I was doing when I was interrupted!

It's good to have a gap or a pause between moments in our day. Sensei DD made a very good point during kihon the other day: try and ready ourselves between techniques. Very often during an intense and rapid counting one texchnique can very often blend into another. Instead of being techniques: "ichi", "ni", "san", ... they become one long technique, "ichinisan...". It's good to ready oneself between the different techniques, making them separate.

Doing this makes you less likely to be open to nasty surprises...

Martial artists have better will power

Or Zanshin is good for you.

I was listening to the Today programme the other week and a piece on will power struck me as quite relevant to the martial artist. Listen again here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8451000/8451220.stm

Scroll down to 0721:

"According to neuroscientists, having a lack of willpower isn't a character flaw, it could all be down to the physical make-up of the brain. The American science writer Jonah Lehrer explains an experiment by a psychologist at Stanford University."

Being self aware constantly can help build up the frontal cortex which is the area of the brain which handles willpower. Scientists found evidence that subjects who were trying to be aware of their posture throughout the day also built up their willpower. Also exercises in self-awareness or pay more conscious attention will help improve it too!

More cake anyone?

He who hesitates is lost

Ok so I was going to make it (s)he who hesitates... but it sort of spoils the title bar...:-)

I find that London is never as busy as in Easter week. Kids are off school and there are thousands of French tourists. We added to the quota with our family and our French friends and we all bumbled around the sites enjoying the typically overcast-in-April day. When we arrived in Covent Garden we hit maximum crowdage. Couldn't move. Country bumpkin Littlefair, here,  didn't know where to turn. At one point I set off one way realised I was on a collision course with a commuter with a mean glint in her eye and thought twice about it so I did a bit of a jig, falling over myself and had to change course, twice in half a second. The hard-eyed commuter slightly changed her trajectory, readjusted and was off probably accustomed to this strange country dance that the bumpkins bring to the City.

Iai is about focus, as are many other martial arts. But especially iai. Focusing on your enemy and your strike is imperative. Sometimes you are aware of other attackers but you choose first and then  strike hard, with conviction and complete focus. Making this first cut your consuming aim is essential. If this first attacker isn't dealt with correctly and with all your attention then there won't be a chance to shift your focus to the second or the third. That's not to say you shouldn't have an all round awareness of the other attackers on the periphery but you must kill the first enemy with conviction. No dancing around or fumbling. No half committing to first attacker then half way in thinking maybe it's a mistake and dithering over the second attacker without having even finished the first. Bad idea. Strike forward with meaning, readjust strike out again.

Otherwise you might end up with a face full of commuter.

Blitz memorial at St Paul's Cathedral.

Clever Hans and observer expectancy effect

No this isn't a pun on hands it's actually the name of a horse. Called Hans. Who was...wait for it....clever! Yes a clever horse who could count and do simple arithmetic by tapping out numbers with his hoof. The case amazed all of Germany (and probably the world) in the early 20th Century. He amazed so many people that an eminent psychologist called Oskar Pfungst was called in to investigate Hans in 1907.

Pfungst's studies established that Hans was, sadly, unable to count or make simple sums. His gift was an uncanny ability to read the expectation on the face and in the body language of his owner who would ask him questions. When the answer was five (for example), the owner would (inadvertently) give off signals for the horse to stop tapping his hooves when five had been reached. He couldn't repeat this when the owner wasn't in sight. Hans seems to have had an ability to read these visual clues in order to please his owner (and possibly get a food reward).

I thought of this the other night in training because when we train in partners we tend to do this too. No, not tap our hooves to count but we do give off 'expectation' in our expressions. What is meant to be 'spontaneous' attack is sometimes telegraphed by these expressions or even simply an eyebrow raise! In Tang Soo Do a kihap is often performed by both attacker and defender to ensure everyone is ready and from that point onward the attack can be initiated at any moment. In practice the kihap is perfunctory and initiates the technique. This shouldn't be the case. We need to stay focused and ready to receive the attack at any time and without telegraphing by the attacker. No raised eyebrows, head lifting or hoof tapping.

So Hans couldn't count but he could read his owner's subtle body and facial language. We should train with this in mind.

Don't try this at home

I was pacing again. I'd missed two training sessions this week due to ill health. Well, it was a mild cold but you know how blokes are. So by about 7.30pm, once I'd put the kids to bed, I felt like stretching out a bit but felt too lazy for a run so I opted for a stroll around the block. Unusually for me I decided to pull out my ipod and pop it on for my jaunt which turned out to be a cool and dark evening.

On the way round I started texting a friend and we got into a text conversation which was fun. Trouble was I soon realised I was absorbed in a world of my own: deaf due to the music and blind due to the texting (looking into a shining bright light doesn't help your night vision).

Now I'm all for bringing martial training to everyday life but I didn't feel threatened: it's my neighbourhood which is fairly safe apart from the odd 'youff'. I remember reading on some MA forum how one guy only ever wore special elasticated jeans and trousers with sewn in gussets in his daily life just in case he was attacked so that his kicks wouldn't be hampered by tight trousers! I think this may be being a bit over zealous and I wasn't concerned that I could've been jumped at any moment!

So why the post? Well, here's the punchline of the story: as I was walking along in time to the music and happily texting my friend and thinking about that glass of Glenmorangie that was waiting for me at home I nearly walked into a hedge! And I don't mean a glancing blow, I mean I looked up from the mobile phone and my nose was a 30 cms away from a 6 foot hedge!

Der.

There're plenty of conclusions you can draw from that, my friends....

Tunnel vision

Tonight in training I was consumed. Consumed with a feeling of well-being. Unfortunately this meant I lost all focus on the techniques I was executing. The exercises we were doing demanded attention on distance and visual focus, especially limb length and penetration. When the teacher explained which techniques we were to do I very ably visualised what I had to do- I imagined myself moving thrrough the technique and where the problem areas might be and ironed those out. Problem was half way through the sequence I realised I had this warm fuzzy feeling. Maybe I was feeling smug but I managed to drift off whilst still going through the motions. My execution was perfect. Well, it was good but I lacked focus on what was ahead of me, my opponent, my reach-where was I hitting? Where was my target. 

I looked up Zanshin as I felt that this was what was lacked but wasn't sure of the phrase and found this sentence which sums things up I think:

"When body, breath, speech and mind are broken from each other and scattered in concept and strategy, then no true action can reveal itself."

http://www.wwzc.org/teisho/zanshin.htm

Feeling good!

As I made the toad in the hole tonight for dinner I felt suddenly quite tired. I'd not slept well the previous night and I'd cycled my youngest daughter to playgroup this morning so I wasn't surprised when I felt fatigued on coming home from picking up my eldest daughter! I was, however, surprised when I at the start of training tonight i perked up. Usually this lethargy brought on by sleep deprivation and general busy-ness gets me down during training, seeping in to my mind and my body. I try and re focus and bring in zanshin into my training and it does help. But tonight I felt, well ... good! My idea is that it's likely due to the fact that I've stepped up my aerobic training generally. More running, more cycling, more healthy!

So all that pain and discomfort from pounding the pavement seems to be paying off!

Ouch. Iaido hurts....

Hurts my ego, that's what Iaidio hurts. I find it difficult being told my iai is poor. I don't feel angry or aggressive towards the critic rather disappointed in myself or my performance. My good friend John thinks I'm hyper critical of myself and I think he's probably right. I need to find a balance between pushing myself towards an idea of perfection and trying to live like that and not being devastated if I drop off the path. Just get back up and back on...

And this is what I'm writing about. After two difficult iaido sessions I was driving home and felt glum. "I'm not going next week", I thought for about 2 seconds then in a sudden flash of realisation I shook my head to rid myself of that thought! Last week I my mind was unfocused, no zanshin, and certainly no mushin. I was so worked up I felt all hot and bothered and my mind kept wandering to the thought of global warming. This came about as I looked at the dark windows with mud streaks on them; for a moment I was fooled into thinking it was rain: but no rain! Mild weather for January, ergo: global warming. Consequently no mushin. Boo! The sadder aspect of this for me is that I didn't focus and get on with my iai. It affected my iai.

So this week came around and I was determined to diligently work through my setei iai. This was a good beginning mind set and I went about it seriously. Until sensei picked me up on something. You think I'm being petty? Well let me tell you- I think I was too! As ever he was kind and informative and coached me through Shihogiri and my ego was bruised. But there is no place for ego in the dojo. Especially when there are so many masters who have gone before who have shown humility towards younger and less experienced students. My lesson has been learned. I need to implement it now, next time my wanders. I wonder what the weather is like later....

Shihogiri

• The first strike with the hilt must show real intent to forestall the attacker. Large and powerful movement quickly executed!
• Draw the sword out and up to threaten this first opponent, with good sayabiki, the the threat is maintained. Once the sword is released and out at chest level, pivot the feet, do not step out.
• Thrust second opponent, strike first opponent, cutting him down.
• With a feeling of moving through ukenagashi the hands move up and back (or to the left of the head) as the body turns and moves towards third opponent. If an opponent was striking down at this time the body will already be moving away.
• Turn through waki gamae. Note: turn sword down first then body follows.
• Strike down fourth opponent.
• Return to jōdan-gamae. Crucially keep seme on the opponent and raise the tip of the sword first, as if cutting upwards along the centre line of the stricken man (in my case my opponent is a man)
  

Also see pp258-268 Japanese Swordsmanship-Technique and Practice by Warner and Draeger.

Grading

Well the nerves and stress leading up to my first Shorinji Kempo grading were soon given over to relief and joking with my fellow 'Kenshi'... 10 minutes of techniques was sufficient to show what we had learned for the exam as each small group (ours consisted of 5 people ranging in age from 15 to 75!) had an instructor/examiner watching and marking as the grading progressed.

It's always nice to bond with others on grading day! Everyone is ready to help, to give advice and to practice together. What a superb feeling of comradeship!


The grading being on Saturday I trained last night, Monday, and our sensei gave us some feedback. This feedback can be summed up in two words: focus and awareness. Or Kiai and zanshin. It was felt that although technically the grading was successful there seemed a lack of spirit. This spirit manifests itself in the focus given over by the practitioners and also by the focus and kiai during techniques. This is something that anyone slightly trained in martial arts can pick up on- how does the room 'react'? Does it feel like there is focus and awareness. Do heads go down due to a missed technique or a forgotten zuki?


Well I was inspred by our sensei who said (quite rightly) nthat towards the end of the class it's easy to ease off, chat a bit, not focus as well. But if you persist throughout and aim for a state of zanshin then week on week it'll become much more a part of your training. Or more accurately a part of you!


I tried this last night-I put a lot of effort in and tried to remain focused on the task in hand.

Today, I ache. Hmm.


Maybe that's the ache of progress?