Dont be Namby Pamby

 Today I sat and endured a type of training that, IMHO, will create weak minds, weak personalities and more issues than it cares to solve. 

Apparently people are that easily offended these days, that workshops and educational programs are now in place to make people (you and me) aware that anything that is  said might offended someone else.....

Its a great way to generate a new industry and create jobs, spend money and reap the taxes from it. So it starts at the top with Government and then filters on down through companies as law, and therefore a requirement. 

Now, I don't condone bullying or harassment of any kind.  I've been bullied myself back in the day. Hence another reason I do a Martial art.

Martial arts breed and nurture physical and emotional strength, and ultimately a way of being in the world. The 'Do' ...the way of Karate is part of this. It helps us navigate a path through things we don't like, gives us strength and tenacity to deal with the bullshit created by those around us and to us on a daily basis. 

One of the things I have always liked about the Karate world i move within is the non existence of prejudices. No one cares about race, religion, sexual orientation, male, female or even what job you do. 

All that is focused upon is the Karatedo and the training. 

Ex president Obama is noted for saying that Michael Jordan contributed to the way people viewed the Afro American athlete......

Personally I never thought of Jordan in this way....I only ever saw him as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.....his race had fk all to do with anything.....

And this is the problem....something isn't a problem until someone makes it one. Hurty feelings and Namby Pamby attitudes are now the norm.

Personally I don't care much for Namby or Pamby. Nurture strong minds and bodies through sweat and hardship. Or, it could be you're now part of the problem with a 'flowery' Karate club where a student gets an award for just rocking up.  

Martial Happiness

Not all Karate is the same. Not all clubs are the same. Not all organisations are the same. Not all Dojo are the same. But this said, there is a common theme amongst them all....no exceptions....control.

I once had a Sensei who would say or give an impression of one thing, but in actual reality was something else. Sure the Karate was authentic enough, but the thing I was a part of was a bit different than what I was led to believe it was. Maybe I was bit naive, or maybe I couldn't see the wood for the trees, my mind  not wishing to accept that it wasn't what I thought. 

I did however, learn to train myself. Sounds odd right. But its not as easy as you think, training yourself. It's all too easy to 'let yourself off. Let things slide; its not easy putting yourself under such self scrutiny. 

I actually feel a little bit sorry for those i left behind and the illusions they are under. The art of fighting can be an odd thing, with many who do it never having had one....

Training was a free session today ....I do one of these now and again where I give no mind to working on anything in particular. I don't worry about form, or working to exhaustion, I just do my Karate. The opposite if you like of the scrutiny I talk of. And having 3 fractured ribs at the moment hasn't kept me out of the Dojo....that would be letting myself off...... there are no illusions here. 

So....you need to know what it is that you're involved with...it could be you're happy with it, or it could be that you're not sure. Or maybe like I did, you will awake from the illusion and be in a happier Martial place. 

Weapons

 We train repetitively in Martial Arts. Technique after technique repeatedly flogged to within an inch of its life. 

Countless hours also, memorising, regurgitating and trying to understand Kata. The simulated sequence of fighting.... blocks, strikes, locks, throws and kicks that we hone in our basics. 

Typically, partner work is done with compliance, offering the opportunity to try and make your Art work and have a better understanding of the 'in thin air' techniques that every one has an opinion of. 

But this said,  the real fight is very different. There are a multitude of things that all the training in the world cannot possibly prepare you for. 

Fear, for example. My first Sensei Ronnie Christopher of the KUGB noted, that everyone feels fear. But, its what you do with that fear that will make or break you. 

All the training in the world won't help if the mindset isn't right.....

The real fight is messy and unpredictable, spasmodic too, in so much that it is very start stop. The basic punch and kick are the normal go to, possibly a headbutt somewhere, but all the flashy stuff, or kata related techniques go out the window.... 

The number of times I've heard Karateka say " I know that kata" or " I know all the kata" is unreal. Folk getting carried with themselves and false achievement for a bunch moves they can only regurgitate in sequence. 

Working basic punches, kicks and strikes is where my focus lies. Making them strong, quick and effective. My time is precious in the dojo so I don't fill it with things I deem unnecessary. The weapons I rely on are honed and tested nearly every session as are the muscles, sinews and tendons that support the weapon network, something often overlooked in a club.

The realisation of the above can be attributed to the last Dojo i was a part of.  My Sensei always saying that we should be able to take care of our own training and be self reliant. Explore karate for ourselves and keep ourselves in check as we do so. (Thank you Sensei)

I also realised that for me to continue grading through the Blackbelt ranks, then I would have to continually learn new stuff. Some of it unrealistic in my humble opinion, and certainly some stuff that with a tearing body would just make things worse. Karate really, is a young man's game. But then they can be said for any physical activity or sport....of course there are always exceptions, I talk generally of, here.

Hone but a few weapons that you can use effectively. Don't worry about those more awkward or less in keeping with ability. Keep it simple, and true. And don't forget the head. 

Giri.....

 Duty..Obligation..Burden

This is the 3 key components to Giri.

Giri is prevalent in the Martial Arts.....

You will have experienced it for sure. Whether you realise it or not......

Giri is also prevalent in our everyday lives.

I experienced it today.

I came off a 3rd in row 12 hour night shift drained and exhausted having had a pretty rough time, along with others, doing what we do. All I wanted to do was sleep and chill out.

But then there is Giri. A work colleague and friend had organised drinks and snacks in the afternoon at a local pub. The last thing I wanted to do was attend.... so this was a 'Burden' . But nevertheless one i had to carry out of 'Obligation' as he was my friend and 'Duty'  because I owed him......

No complaints.....Giri is what it is, pure and simple  i wouldn't have missed it for anything.

Giri is something you feel. It runs deep and means something. 

I'm pretty sure if more people applied it.. then the world would be a nicer place to live..  

So you read it in a Book

 Growing up I played contact sports, Rugby and Basketball....and before i go any further, if you think Basketball is a non contact sport, then you are very much mistaken. It's supposed to be, but the reality of it, well, that's something else. So I got bashed about a bit, and also did a bit of bashing. Growing up on the Streets of Birmingham, I saw my share of fights, and when I used to occasionally work the doors for one or two Nightclubs back in the day, saw the odd ruckus there too. 

Unlike competition fighting, street fighting has no rules. Its messy and unpredictable and there is no referee. 

People confuse Kumite and competition fighting with fighting in general. I'd also go as far as to say that I don't think many of the Karateka I have trained with over the years have actually been in any kind of real fight. 

The sort of fight where you're definitely going to get hurt....and just hope you come out of it ok, win OR lose.....

I find that more and more people are teaching more and more things that they have no practical or life experience of... . 

No qualifications 
But a great teacher....

In a recent training course ( not related to karate) a Lawyer and Psychologist were teaching about multiculturalism and diversity. It got me thinking as to what they actually knew from experience about what they were teaching. 

The Lawyer in their thirties and the Psychologist in their twenties had known nothing but books and school their whole life. Hardly qualified then to teach about what they were peddling. 

Teachers of Karate are the same....   one time I was in a class where the teacher began talking of Kumite.....once he referred to things or options you would have in a fight, I left the class. 

You see, you can't teach what you have no experience of. The person teaching admitting to me only a couple of weeks before that they had never been in a kumite competition or been in a street fight.

WTF......but here they were teaching fighting. 

Working with a standing  Makiwara, you will learn how to punch. Facing a swinging Sagi Makiwara you will learn how to block and evade. Both of the tools hurt, so you are conditioning the brain to pain and both never get tired so your stamina and will improve. 

Credentials are important in Karate, and I don't just mean academic ones......give me an unqualified (academically that is) teacher with real world experience of what they teach every time, over the one who read it in a book.   

What is it......

 I got to thinking the other day about the last training session I did where I was involved in a group. Some members didn't show up, despite a years notice in advance for what had been organised. Very piss poor  I thought then, and very piss poor I think now. 

But hey, what do I know? 

I didn't like the training much. Everything felt rushed and hurried and as a result I didn't really learn too much, no more than I could on my own at any rate, and I was already doing that. The whole thing was just a waste of time and money. 

I did learn about egos though, and double standards from my peers and also learned what Karate meant to me and what I wanted from it..... 

Over the years, more than 25 now, the karate circle within which I move has slowly but surely been diminishing in size.

Where some find it necessary to train with many others, I have felt the opposite. 

The Sagi Makiwara.... an eye opener 
To what you think you know.....

          

 In reading an ancient Aikido document the other day, I now realise this to actually be a Transcendence. An achievement that was never trying to be achieved. On purpose anyway. 

...."Karate, a solo pursuit often done in the company of others"....  

There is an old saying in the Martial Arts...."if you understand something, then all is as it should be....if you don't understand something, then all is as it should be".....

A bit like learning how to use your elbow for striking. On the face of it you know how, in reality its something else. Try striking a Sagi Makiwara with your elbow, how you think it should be struck and you will see what I mean. 

At its core, karate is not social, it isn't friendly and it certainly will not tolerate an ego. 

Karate is different things to different people.....I get that .....you just need to know what thing it is for you.... 

 

No pain no gain

 After a month off training, due to an old injury showing itself, I returned to the dojo with a fresh enthusiasm. I always knew that the ruptured disc in my back, would at some point in my life, be an issue again. 

Nana Korobi Ya Oki .....eight times down seven times up.....

Karate, over time teaches and cultivates tenacity. The endless hours engaging with various Makiwara, helps condition the brain to pain. Injury therefore, can be a little more bearable. Another bi-product of the training. 

It's interesting to note too, people's reaction when you say you are injured. A Sensei I once had never seemed to take such things on board, but that's another story. But I find others could care less too. Disappointing. 

Rehabilitation should be slow and steady. The temptation to go 'harder ' ever present, but is the enemy. 

The point of the post.....not training is ok, but to do nothing about why you can't train, well, that's a problem. 

I'm also finding out that being honest is not always the best policy.....the reason, others take advantage of your integrity. This in my very nature I will have to review. 

Train often, if injured rehabilitate and be careful what you say and to whom.......

   Me, the Jars and Groot....

Walking the Middle Path

 I've been struggling with the title of this post for a long time......ever since I heard the phrase in fact, upon entering training in the Budo way. 

It suggests sitting on the fence so to speak. Not wishing to give an opinion either way. The way of being average, neither causing an issue or helping get out of one. I first heard the phrase as I began the way of Budo, and Karate that is trained in an original way. I have an issue with the Middle Path.....why?...well, quite often it just doesn't fit and is hypocritical. 

"Being sincere in your dealings with others....."

I heard this about the same time as the Middle Path....whilst I totally agree with this way of thinking, a different view of someone who purports this message is had when they are caught out in a lie. Oh dear. Be careful not just with what you say but, also with what you write....

The things I write about in the blog are based upon my own experiences. 

Unlike a psychologist ( for example) who will constantly rattle off quotes and doctrines of those they have had to study as a requirement. Umm. And not from personal experience. 

You will hear all kinds of philosophies, guidelines,ideas, whatever you wish to call them, that are supposedly connected with, or to Karate Do.....

But here's the go.... strive to be a good person and train diligently, and really it's all that is required. All the other shit that surrounds Karate, created by people who strive for control over it, is just that....shit....

Remember, most of what we have no choice about in life is because.....somebody somewhere at sometime said so.......