Don't just sit there...do it!

As I'm sat here, skipping Kempo class, I feel...well, relaxed. I need a night off to crack this cold I have and hopefully I'll be back on form soon and training with gusto. I need to as the only way to learn a martial art is by doing it. Learning the key principle behind techniques is useful but it's in no way a replacement for doing it.

Knowing that martial arts training techniques are governed by principles such as "changing a small force into a larger one", "applying rotational motion", "transmit more force by adding momentum" are pretty fundamental when studying a martial art. Put another way, using some principles of physics and knowledge of the human anatomy including vital points can go a long way but it just can't replace feeling it.

I often read the mantras spun out by teachers about this principle or that and I understand it. They are often well put and I have no problem grasping the base idea of how to move a person in a certain way or how to immobilise a joint because of this or that physiological principle but really the only way to learn and appreciate is to do it. This means feeling your opponent and sensing where the right spot is to plant a fulcrum, or move them to the floor. Don't be mistaken though, this is in no way magical or mystical. It's sheer hard work and perspiration. Trying the technique on others (lots of others), and experimenting in a dynamic way is the only way to true mastery of a technique. I say this not as a master but a student who keeps trying.

I once made, what I thought, was a compliment to a super skilled, guitar-playing friend of mine saying, "Wow, you're really talented! You've got a gift!". Instead of delight, though, he replied in a level voice that it wasn't down to talent but sheer hard work; trial and error and hours and hours of practice. You can understand how to read music and how it's supposed to work but without hearing it, playing it, practising it, it's just theory!

Don't let your martial arts become a theoretical past-time... feel it!

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...

The most beautiful samu I've ever seen

I was careful to say *I*'ve ever seen as, if you look closely at the photo, you'll see that these diligent karateka are in fact my children and therefore this is special to me...

The act of cleaning the hall before training is a great way to make sure everything is clean and tidy and hopefully reducing the likelihood of splinters or at the very least making for a more pleasant experience. We don't have a dedicated martial arts hall so this is fairly necessary - I was scolded after one week's lesson when we hadn't been able to sweep the floor and had done some floor exercises and everybody's white do bohk's were filthy! But to be honest the kids love doing samu. And so do I!

I like the idea of devoting some time to cleansing (nurturing) the place where we'll train. It's almost a pre-training meditation. After all you're lost in the act of cleaning and making sure the floor is free from splinters or miscellaneous objects which may injure (in the past I've found-as I'm sure others have- thumb tacks on the floor, paper clips and small lego blocks which are REALLY painful underfoot!...). Of course this time can only be achieved if you turn up nice and early without being rushed-that's what I like. It may be considered a calm before the storm (especially when I'm teaching the little ones!) but I do have a job getting the brooms off the little ones who love to do it partly to play with the brooms and partly they like to help dad out.

I don't think they should do it out of obligation to me, but one day they'll see that it's nice to do it for their own benefit and for that of the others they train with. Doing this simple chore puts us against ideas of servitude if we're not careful. It's not only about serving others (although the word samu may allude to this) it's about working through a concept of diligent application for each and every one of ourselves.

This cleansing ritual is very useful. My opinion is that it's about helping others through a simple task as well as helping ourselves through applied and continued service to the hall and our co-students. This helps us retain a sense of ourselves-we're a member of a club: black belts masters, 6th gup all perform cleaning tasks. This helps us all see that we work together to help each other grow through martial arts.

The Mighty Migraine

Pronounce it how you will but the migraine is a bummer. Especially in the middle of a Tang Soo Do beasting. High energy, high kicking, and my temples about to explode through the pounding. To be fair I suffer from the less violent 'visual' migraines when white blobs appear in my vision until I go half blind and then have a mild to bad headache. But it's not advised for martial arts. Having said that....

My still working thought processes managed to juggle the options. It started half way through the adult class so I could have whinged and bowed out and gone home or just sucked it up, breathed deeply and got on with it. The latter being what I chose to do and I'm glad I did as by the end of the lesson my head was clearing and I even had fun!

Martial arts aren't magic. I reckon the migraine would have gone in just the same amount of time but training to focus and have a determined spirit is something quite important. Make your mind up on the course of action and get on with it without whinging even if it is a bit difficult. (You had the choice earlier to bow out and you didn't so get something out of it.)

All good.

Book review: The Way of the Warrior

This is a hardback, colourful almanac of descriptions of the world's martial arts but is it any good?

There are many entries in the book, which is encyclopaedic in its format, and it does give a good, broad look at the martial arts around the world. I'm sure that some esoteric arts might not be covered but to me it looks pretty comprehensive. The entries I have knowledge about seem fairly accurate but don't stray from the 'party line' and therefore have no analysis. This isn't surprising from such a broad look at the martial arts. What does lift this book is the photo documentaries sprinkled throughout which give more insight into the human aspect of living martial arts, examining how people today, all around the world, dedicate themselves to their art. As a human documentary this is interesting and helps to convey the idea that to some people the martial arts is a unifying force, despite its basic premise of conflict.

Chris Crudelli is mentioned on the cover as the author but apart from a couple of little editorial snippets where he adds that he has trained in this style or that, I can't see what else he really adds. Perhaps he was responsible for the photo journals.

Buy it or not? Good clean, fun book, lots of descriptions about many martial arts around the world but no in depth analysis or critical appraisal. Have this on your shelf as an encyclopaedia of martial arts (especially as Borders is now closing down and has some pretty good offers on!), or just use Wikipedia for free.

Man wrestles gun from assailant outside Manchester pub

Interesting clip. Not my choice of music.

The accompanying news article says the big guy came out to see what was going on and check on his wife. I am somewhat amazed that he walked, seemingly coolly, towards the gun toter. Staying cool may have played in his favour and he certainly used a minimum of movement, possibly as he thought he didn't want to spook the gunman, possibly out of ignorance or that he felt that the other guy didn't *really* want to use the gun. In any case this is pretty ballsy.

What I'm interested in here is the use of weapons; how people use them and why. Surely brandishing a weapon is partly to have a psychological effect on others, showing that you literally hold power, much like fasces were used in ancient Rome. But what likelihood is there that a brandisher of weapons will turn into a shooter? Is the act of brandishing a weapon completely different from having a weapon with intent to use?

Geoff Thompson in 'Dead or Alive' (p.174 ) "a stabber rarely shows and a shower rarely stabs".

Having said that he doesn't recommend taking these people on in the first place! Don't be there is his first line of self defence.

'Big guy' in the video seemed to have intent as he strode out to meet the gunman, so was this a foolhardy act?

Never judge a book by its cover

...or a lesson in not underestimating one's adversary.

Worth a watch as 'drag queen', Steve floors thugs on a night out in Swansea. The interesting bit starts at about one minute in.

Does the dragged up victor then scrawl lipstick on the thug's chest? Sweet.

Turns out the 'drag queens' were cage fighters...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8296403.stm

(Thanks CS)

Indonesia quake

Spare a thought for the Indonesian quake victims.

Martial arts class flattened during earthquake; survivors crawl from debris:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8287159.stm

Quote of the day

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

Google offered me this little titbit which I thought was quite useful for a amrtial arts training outlook!

Advice for martial arts teachers

I read recently in a book on the subject of teaching the following passage:

"it is very tempting to propose something like 'Do you understand?' or 'Is this clear?' The problem with these questions is that despite feeling unsure about what they have just been taught, most students when confronted with a question like this are unwilling to admit they don’t understand. They will most likely answer 'yes'. As teachers it is our job to check if students have understood rather than simply ask them."

OK, so that's the first self defence technique- understood? Good, off you go and practice in pairs, I'll be back in 10 minutes.

Seem familiar?

It seems glaringly obvious but as teachers we should concept check often: get the students to show that they have understood before pairing off to practice and even then come back and concept check often.

As a student I find it hard sometimes when a teacher comes back to check then introduces a further level of complexity before I've even grasped the initial concept.

The solution: KISS them.

Not literally or there may be ramifications. But Keep It Simple Stupid. The Stupid was probably put on the end by the marketing guru who thought this up to give it some pazazz.... ho hum.

(Wikipedia states: that KISS is possibly based on ideas "such as Occam's razor, and Albert Einstein's maxim that "everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler"".)

Keeping it Simple need not mean not showing examples or context but I find the simpler the better.

Concept check and KISS.

Stressed and strained

I seem to be having a stressed couple of weeks. Modern life sometimes goes at a billion miles an hour. But we have to find a way to get on, carry on and push through the mist.

Part of this process involved a long barefoot run along the beach. 5 miles of firm sand and a salty bite to the air. It was sunny but I kept my running jacket on as the wind was chilly.

View Long Seaton Carew run in a larger map

So you think you have a strong punch?

A man has been ordered to pay 1,950 euro to the owner of an amusement arcade for striking a punch-bag after it swung back and hit him on the jaw.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8144233.stm

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/man-fined-for-punching-a-punch-bag-1815656.html

The Martial Artist's motto

The unofficial motto of the British and of the martial artist everywhere:

(Note use of King's crown)

As seen in the shop at Imperial War Museum, Duxford.

In case you're wondering the official motto of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is: 'Dieu et mon droit'.

Go figure.

Lessons from the air

Leafing through 'Go Flying!' (don't ask) I came upon an interesting article by aerobatic pilot Corinne Dennis who speaks about her nerves in the face of speed, danger and possible death.

She outlines in the article that she would be sick with nerves a week before an event. It wasn't the performance which bothered her but being unsure of her abilities to land the aeroplane! She has mastered her self doubt over the years through mental preparation and visualisation. Dennis flipped those nervous, negative thoughts into positive mental scenarios of "calm, unhurried ... preparations".

"Keep in mind a picture of yourself finishing the job".

From someone who works under intense pressure in an environment where mistakes could cost her her life these are indeed wise words.

Ref. Go Flying! July/August 2009.

Issue 15.

Thinking evening

It was hot in the city tonight. Wow. I was dripping! Sensei therefore made the lesson a thinking and feeling one. We spent the time after kihon examining one particular technique okuri gote, but with much feeling and seeing what seemed to work or not. How did it work and how to feel through the technique. what did it do to the partner? How did they move? Where was the point of imbalance?

A thoughtful and in depth lesson.

Waking up

I experienced a strange, amusing and startling thing the other day as I pulled myself from sleep through into the wakefulness of day.

I knew it was early. I was conscious but lay there without thought on the edge of sleep, feeling completely calm. As there were no thoughts I simply enjoyed this state of 'being' and the sensation of soft and slow purring throughout my body. As my consciousness began to take over, though, I began to realise where I was and what the day ahead had in store for me. As soon as these thoughts entered my mind a sharp pang of regret kicked in as I knew that this state would now change. The calm state was broken. It was a real process that I followed from paisible relaxation, thoughts entering about the day (stressful agenda ahead) then panic that my calm will be soon shattered...a crashing of my day's worries into my head. The fact that I sensed and was aware of this process startled me almost as much as feeling the whole tempo of my body sharply change. I encountered a wave of (what I think was) adrenaline squirt through me then a sudden rise of heart rate (almost instant). This made sure I was well and truly awake! Peace was broken and I was now focusing on the day to come instead of my warm, cosy, duvet moment.

Humbled

Following a rather frisky sparring session tonight one young lady was a bit shaken from an encounter with her partner, a young fella who has pretty good technique for his age but not so good control. At the end of the session I asked how she was as I saw she was upset. After she'd explained what happened I sympathised with her but she replied, "Well no point blaming other people for your own mistakes. I should've been more aware".

I was quite humbled. As I said to her, if only I'd had that sort of attitude when I was younger!

I am celebrating a good session and hard sparring with a Hoegaarden Blanche. Ah!

Beside my shoes

I was fed up tonight and didn't want to go training. It had been a lovely day and as it was a bank holiday it all had the feeling of a Sunday evening. I don't train on a Sunday evening. and I was tired. But I hauled my ass onto my bicycle and by the time I'd got to the river I was feeling much better. 

Still fed up though. Very curious feeling of indifference but I managed to get there, change, help out with samu and then into the lesson. I didn't have that usual corporeal heaviness when I'm having trouble concentrating. My body was ok despite my mental mist and I eased through the warm-ups and was lucid during kihon but there was a strange dream-like sensation. The French have a saying which sums up how I felt: "à côté de ses pompes" (to be beside one's shoes). This strange out of body experience: as if I were standing next to myself. Not quite right.

All this despite good tuition, smiles and help from colleagues and at the end a feeling of having learnt something (potentially profound).

I still couldn't shake that feeling of being à côté de mes pompes, but I'm glad I went.

Do you drink cola?

A recent study shows that excessive consumption of 'cola' can lead to mild muscle fatigue and worse! This, says the report, is because the caffeine, fructose and glucose found in these 'cola' drinks can cause hypokalemia or low blood potassium levels.

The author of the report points her finger mostly at the caffeine content though: "...in most of the cases we looked at for our review, caffeine intoxication was thought to play the most important role."

What I'm surprised at is not so much that caffeine or the consumption of lots of fizzy cola can have an adverse effect on your body's performance, but is Dr Clifford Parker's comment that he feels that it's, "tens of millions of people in industrialised countries drink at least 2-3 litres of cola per day."

TWO to THREE litres of the stuff a day! I'm not surprised one would feel impeded after that. Maybe two to three litres of sugary coffee would have the same effect. 

In fact the British Soft Drinks Association countered that the cases used in the research were "extreme" and that "moderate consumption...is safe".

Either way I'm gonna stick to my potassium rich bananas thank you very much... 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8056028.stm

Cantona's way

Taken from Ken Loach's new film Looking for Eric, out on 12th June.

"If they are faster than you, don't try to outrun them. If they are taller, don't outjump them. If they are stronger on the left, you go right. But not always. Remember, to suprise them, you've got to surprise yourself first." (Tongue in cheek?)

From Guardian article, 9th May, 2009.