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.......

 

 

Not unhealthy training.....

 My last Sensei, Michael Clarke of the Shinseidokan Dojo, once said to me that, the real benefit of Karate training was for our health.

Of course, like many things Clarke Sensei talked about, he is right. 

When I was asked the other day, why do you train in Karate, my response was the same as it has always been since training in authentic Karate...

"I train for the fight I hope I never have to have". 

This statement runs deeper than the superficial street fight that many would automatically think of. I am of course, talking of illness. Authentic karate also breeds a tolerance to pain, which is why you don't see many of the Kigu (tools) of this type of Karate in the all to familiar family setting of a club. Some of the tools are positively brutal when engaged with on a higher level. 

It's not for everyone,  which is why less people practise/train in this way. 

You can pretty much  say that it harms the body and is thus is bad for your health, and this to an extent is true, but, and here's the kicker, once repaired the body and the mind are stronger. A transformation is taking place where by a higher resistance to, and a higher tolerance of pain has begun.

As I said the training isn't for everyone. 

Progress is slow, which is another good reason the type of training isn't popular in our 'need it now society. 

Being able to work the three areas of the forearm (inside, outside and back)  and back and side of the hands for hundreds of strikes cannot be had straight away....it takes time, a lot of endorphin release through continual practise and a desire to improve. 

For example, at strike/block number 45, your brain goes on the defensive to stop the exercise. It's easy to listen and go along with the notion that stopping is the best option, but so much more can be gained by carrying on. A true glimpse of yourself might even be had at this point.

Karate (or substitute any martial art here)  for health  is a great idea. And when you've been training for a couple of decades you have to ask yourself 'do I need a Sensei' ?... the answer will only probably be yes if you are one of those who are focussed on grades, belts and titles; but really, do they matter....? Not where your health is concerned. 

If your paying out  a couple of hundred dollars a year in fees, and not getting the person you're  paying for then there's not much point. 

So striking and hitting stuff can be done by anyone, and you don't need a Sensei, club or organization to do it, and contrary to some that you will hear  critique it, it's not unhealthy training. 

          

 

The Moral of the Story

 You can look fit and strong on the outside but still be physically weak on the inside....

Having a teacher that has little or no knowledge of anatomy and injuries that can be debilitating, will more than likely be detrimental to your overall health and your training. It's why some of the more reputable larger Karate organizations have educational training programs in place for their instructors. The KUGB for example and the AKF to name but two have such programs in place. How do I know? well, I've successfully completed the training of both.

Weight I was struggling to move around, walk with, lift and hold a couple of years ago, is now somewhat easier. My body has repaired from the tears it was suffering from. Had I have kept going along the road I was then my abilities today might be quite different. 

We have to recognize in our training as to what is good for us, but moreover, we need to recognize that which is bad. This includes the people around us, those we train with and even possibly the Sensei who expects that which we can not possibly give, or chooses to ignore limitations we have. 

Karate, among other things should be enjoyable, tough but enjoyable, once it isn't, then there's a problem. 

Being mindful of the job you do too must be considered when training. Doing manual work is quite different from pushing a pen around a piece of paper, working from a laptop or sitting listening to someone's issues. Training may have a greater impact on the manual work you do, yet the later not so much.

The moral......

It doesn't matter how good the Karate/Training is, if, over time you think it is a bad fit, look else where or simply leave.  

 

So you train in a Martial art....

 So you train in a Martial art do you.....?

Ever asked yourself what that actually means....?

Ever asked yourself what is Martial about it....? 

These are questions I asked myself back in 2012.  

Realizing the money making franchise I was a part of...for that is what most high street martial art schools are....had little or nothing to do with anything martial at all...... I left.

Yes, they are franchises. Clubs generate money for the person in charge of them. Often described as ' non profit' they all actually make money..... the money then going to the Head of the organization disguised as other things, such as grading fees and memberships, Uniform sales and expenses, some organizations even sell things like soft toys wearing a Gi......FFS.....is there no end to the money making.

          Not a Franchise

Personally I think a franchise has nothing to do with anything Martial at all. 

The penny dropped, so to speak, when I saw the prefilled grading certificates issued by the club i was then a member of.

Typical then of the Millennial era and a money making Karate Franchise where there was no opportunity to fail. 

Some groups even promote through their sales splurge that they promote a non contact environment. So there goes your locks, throws and pressure point training. But it's traditional Karate, right? 

Maybe you're not doing what you think you are, and it's very doubtful that there is anything remotely Martial about it......

But it is .....right ?