Shinseidokan dojo

2012-02-15T22:52:00.000+11:00

Hiroshi Akamine sensei of the Shimbukan dojo, Tomigusuku, Okinawa

I'm returning to Okinawa again soon, and will divide my training time equally between karate and kobudo. My karate training will be, as always, at the Jundokan dojo in Azato, while my kobudo training will be at the Shimbukan dojo in Tomigusuku.

I never cease to be grateful to the sensei and seniors of each dojo for allowing me to practice there. I bring very little with me other than a willingness to train and do my best. I pay a small fee, and offer a small gift, and for that I receive so much more in return.

Travelling to Okinawa has been a part of my personal training for many years. So much has changed on the island, but at the heart of my training....when I'm standing in the dojo, my feelings are the same as they were on my first visit almost 30 years ago. For those of you who have never put your self in a similar situation, too bad, you're missing out on so much that is important to your education.

Shinseidokan Dojo - Espanol

2012-02-11T00:05:00.003+11:00

Four of the five karateka I am helping with their karate

Did I ever mention that camera's very rarely make it into the dojo? It's not like they are banned or anything, it's just that I don't really associate karate training with taking pictures. If it has to do with my magazine work, or a book, that's something altogether different; but other than work, I'm well past wanting to capture images of me in my gi.

I mention this lack of recent photos here, only because when I do need an image from inside the dojo I can usually only find shots that were taken ages ago. Take the image above for example, Mitch is wearing a white belt even though he has been a yudansha for quite a while. At the Shinseidokan, the belt system was never a very colourful one; just white, brown , and black. The time between each dan takes as long as it takes for individuals to display the maturity and skills I think are necessary for promotion. If they don't display these things, they are never invited to test.

Anyway....to the point of this post. I'm pleased to announce that a Spanish version of the Shinseidokan dojo blog, can now be found here, or by clicking on the link at the side of the posts. With many regular readers in Mexico, Spain, and other Spanish speaking countries around the world, the new site will hopefully prove helpful; and will not only carry many of the blog posts from here, but will also publish, for the first time in Spanish, some of my magazine articles.

The new site is the brain child of Victor Lopez Bondia, who is ably assisted by Juan Luis Cadenes de Llano Bajo; both of whom are serious karate-ka, and far more computer savvy than I. Although the content is small at the moment, this is set to change quite rapidly over the coming months. To those Spanish speaking readers who have been visiting this blog regularly since it began, I hope the new site, in your own language, will go some way to repaying your support.

"Hasta la vista amigos!"

Investments: good & bad......

2012-02-03T23:04:00.002+11:00

Me, around this time last year.....having a quiet conversation with my sensei

Not so long ago I was asked by a magazine editor how many times I had been to Okinawa, and much to my amazement....I couldn't tell him! I had to sit and think about it later, and to tell you the truth, I'm still not completely sure, double figures certainly, but that's about as far as I can say with any degree of certainty. I've been visiting the island regularly for the past twenty-eight years, since 1984, that much I do know.

So, why have I been travelling to Okinawa all these years, and why do I continue to visit? I have no need to learn new techniques or take more promotion tests. I have no need to affiliate my dojo or myself to any well-known sensei, and I have no need to impress the folks back home with stories that begin with...."When I was training in Okinawa!" So what is it then, that continues to draw me back to that long, narrow, island in the East China sea that gave birth to karate?

It's the culture, that's what it is. I believe karate is understood best through the culture it came from, and the people and society that formulated the arts of karate and kobudo. For me, once karate and kobudo have been removed from the cultural milieu from which they emerged, they become something different. The differences are sometimes slight, sometimes huge, depending on the society involved and the intention of those individuals making the changes. So, my visits to Okinawa are to keep me in touch with the culture that gave birth to karate and kobudo.

Do I try to act like an Okinawan? No....how stupid would that be! But I have tried hard over the years to appreciate the Okinawan mentality and their approach to training and to life in general. I should point out that not all my discoveries have been wholesome or uplifting. The people of Okinawa are subject to just as many human frailties as everybody else. Nevertheless, I have found great value in karate over the past thirty-eight years, and much of that has come from being prepared to drop a lot of the things that " I " thought should be done in the name of karate.

I was once the owner of two very old, and very valuable, Japanese swords; a tanto (dagger) and a wakazashi (smaller of the two swords worn by a Samurai). I bought them at different times and from different collectors in the UK. Both came with impressive documentation detailing the age of the blades, the sword smiths name, and information regarding the various styles of certain details on each blade. Even the furniture, the tsuba (guard) seppa (washers) and all the other ornamentation had notes on their age, style, and makers. For years I treasured these two swords, I looked at them and handled them and kept them spotlessly clean; and I imagined too the Samurai who must have handled them over the centuries that the blades had been in existence.

One day it dawned on me.....I didn't own these swords, I was just looking after them for a while. They were older than the U.S.A. and many other nations, they had seen countless people come and go, and yet for a while I harboured the belief that they belonged to me.....how arrogant is that!!! Not long after I woke up to my mistake I sold the swords. The money I received paid for a couple of trips to Okinawa, and from those visits to my sensei's dojo and the time I was able to spend with him, I believe I derived infinitely more value from the money than having it invested in two lengths of ancient steel, regardless of how awesome looking that steel was.

While we're here (on the planet) we have the opportunity to invest in the quality of our existence and to experience those things which bring, or add, value to our lives. The thing about opportunities however is the need to spot the difference between a good investment and poor one. For me, this is where karate comes in. I know it has been a great investment; for without it my life would have taken a very different direction due to my inability to make smart choices when I was younger. So, I say, invest in your self (through your karate), because if you don't construct the life you want for yourself....who do you expect will do it for you?

Iha Koshin sensei (1922 - 2012)

2012-01-30T23:28:00.000+11:00

Iha Koshin, with sai in hand, standing next to his teacher, Miyagi Chojun.

Sad news from Okinawa this weekend with the passing of Iha Koshin sensei; one of the few remaining students of Miyagi Chojun.

I met Iha sensei for the first time back in 1992, when I was introduced to him in the Jundokan dojo by Miyazato sensei, and it's fair to say we never "hit it off" as it were, although I had no idea why at the time, I heard later he was not impressed by the fact I had previously been a student of Higaonna Morio sensei; apparently there was some uneasiness between the two gentlemen. My last real contact with Iha sensei came in 2004 when I demonstrated each of the thirteen kata practised at the Jundokan in front of him, and as a result, was subsequently promoted to my present rank.

Twenty years ago, he often trained in the dojo without a do-gi, preferring instead to simply remove his shirt and socks and train in his trousers and vest. I thought that strange back then, but now find I often do the same! I'll leave it to others who knew him better to say more.

As karateka of Iha sensei's generation pass away, the obligation on Okinawa's younger generation of teachers to preserve, protect, and pass on the spirit of karate, becomes a little more acute; I'm hopeful they will prove up to the task.

Are we made from our experiences...?

2012-01-29T23:37:00.006+11:00

Richard Barrett sensei (centre) - and students of the Shinsokai

Whereas Shaw noted that your character is more likely to be molded by your expectations, I've long subscribed to the notion that you are, at least in part, the sum of your experiences; what you expect points to where you aspire to go, what you experience places you where you are. The two locations are, for a great many involved in karate these days, often a long way apart.

The karateka above face a number of different challenges in their yearly calendar of training, and like other authentic karateka, they face them with a sense of welcoming trepidation. Yes, they are happy to be in a position to challenge themselves, and welcome the opportunity to do so; nevertheless, the ever-present sense of doubt that comes with facing physical and mental discomfort is never far away, for in the midst of such challenges it's often difficult to believe you've put your self there willingly.

So, do these karateka, and others like them, grow and mature as a result of an expectation that they will accomplish the task ahead, or by the experience of having endured the challenge and successfully completed what they set out to do? Are we not changed forever, even just a little, by everything we experience? I would say "Yes we are!" You may disagree. Still, experience tells me that expectation often leads to disappointment, and with that in mind, I'll stick to experiencing karate as I have done for many years now; in the company of authentic karateka......that way, I know what to expect!

And the end of our exploring will be.....?

2012-01-20T22:20:00.001+11:00

Shugoro Nakazato sensei - teaching senior students at the his Shorinkan dojo - Aja, Okinawa

I took this photo, along with a few others, when I visited Nakazato sensei at his Shorinkan dojo back in 2005. Training in the morning class were four of Nakazato sensei's senior students, the most junior of them ranked 7th dan. I was informed that this class took place most mornings and I have to say, at the time, I was impressed by the seriousness of the training as well as the informality of the atmosphere in which it was taking place. Nothing spectacular went on, it was all kihon, kata, and a little kobudo; watching the student's practise, the thought occurred to me..."At their level, what are they getting from such training?"

As I walked back to my lodgings in Tomari an hour or so later, that famous quote from the writer T.S. Eliot came to mind...you know the one: "We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of our exploring will be, to arrive where we started and to know the place for the first time." I've come to appreciate these words in relation to my karate a hundred times, and more, over the years; and I still remember smiling to myself that day, as the penny dropped..."Ah, so that's it!"

I'll end this post with a quote from another, long-dead writer, Rudyard Kipling, who, way back in 1909 wrote; "Funny how the new things, are the old things."

El Budoka Interview - Pt2

2012-01-13T10:27:00.003+11:00

A face only a Mother could love!

For those who are interested, following on from Part 1 of my interview in the Spanish magazine "El Budoka" last year, my publisher has now posted Part 2 on their web page. Once again, thanks are due to the interviewer, Juan Luis Cadenas de Llano Bajo, for allowing his work to be reproduced in English; and to Blitz Enterprises and Charlie Suriano for the use of this photo.

Karate Came from India...right?

2012-01-11T22:14:00.001+11:00

Here's a clip I found, among others, on youtube recently. Unfortunately the vision is spoilt somewhat by stupid advertising, but the footage it's self is worth watching.

It takes no great leap of the imagination to see the similarities between this kind of training and the kigu undo training found throughout Okinawan karate prior to it's move towards sport and commercialism. I'm particularly taken by the natural way these pugilist move, and the lack of any set uniform; all very reminiscent of Okinawan training as little as 60 years ago.

I'm reminded of the saying "Gai Ju Nai Go"...."Gentle looking, but strong." Or perhaps a more apt interpretation here would be..."Easy looking, but difficult."

El Budoka Magazine - Interview Pt1

2012-01-03T10:05:00.002+11:00

A photographer's test shot for my book, Shin Gi Tai

The first half of a two-part interview published in the Spanish magazine, El Budoka, last September, has now been reproduced in English on my publisher's web page; "Thank you" Junalu for making this possible!

This year's training, both formal and informal, has already begun at the Shinseidokan. 2012 is set, if all goes according to plan, to see some significant changes for the dojo; all of which will lead to an improved training experience for me, and by extension, the students too. I'll post about events as they happen.

Akemashite Omedeto!

2011-12-30T23:00:00.000+11:00

An Okinawan karate dojo - in Spain

As one year draws to a close, and another stands in the wings ready to take centre stage, it is once again time to reflect on the way things have unfolded over the past twelve months. To identify what might have been avoided, what might have been improved upon, and whether or not I could have done better.

Undoubtedly, I could have improved in certain area's, I could have been less lazy for a start, I could have looked for excuses a little less often than I did too; but I'm not one to dwell on what might have been achieved had my willpower been that of a Sage. Nope!...I'm all too human, and though I make no excuse for the excuses I've come up with throughout the year, I recognize my failings, take responsiblity for them and move on, secure in my resolve to do better next year.

I did get to practise my karate in Okinawa again this year, I had another book published, the average monthly readership of this blog grew substantialy, I got to witness the students at the dojo make great progress, I met with Kanazawa sensei again, I attended a karate tournament (Aghhhh....how did that get in there?), I welcomed back visitors to the dojo who had trained here before, and said hello for the first time to a couple of others.....and....attended a gasshuku with a wondeful bunch of karate-ka.

What I didn't do was, make as much progress in my karate and kobudo as I had hoped for, experience any great sorrow as I had the year before, lost my glasses for more than fifteen minutes, improve on a certain move in seisan kata that has always been difficult for me, or spend any time in the company of those whose negativity outweights my sense of good will toward my fellow man. I plan to do even better in all these departments next year.

To all those who visit this blog on a regular basis, I thank you sincerly for your interest, and for not giving in to the urge to write to me about every little thing you read on here that upsets you. I understand that I can be "blunt" at times, but I never deliberatly set out to insult or hurt anybody with my comments. I am however, continually fascinated by the number of people who assume I'm talking about them in my posts, even when I'm not. To everybody reading this, regardles of anything else I've said here, please, have a safe and positive New Year in 2012, live well, enjoy your training, and be kind to your mother!

.Akemashite Omedeto!

Boy, Did You Get That Wrong!!!

2011-12-25T14:18:00.005+11:00

Morio Higaonna sensei - Higaonna dojo, Makishi, Okinawa, 2008.

On a day when many karate-ka give themselves a day-off from training, I think Higaonna sensei will find at least some time to go downstairs to his dojo. In case you don't know, today, the 25th of December, is Higaonna sensei's birthday. By the Western way of reckoning he's now 73 years old; but you can add another year to that if you're counting age the Okinawan way.

As I spent an hour in the dojo myself this morning, I thought of my former teacher and wished him a long and happy life. For regardless of all the politics that swirl around him and the folks who treat him like a god, he is at heart a simple, quiet, man who just loves to practice his karate. If more of his followers outside Okinawa got down off their self-made pedestals, and adopted the same attitude toward their training as Higaonna sensei does toward his, perhaps they would be better thought of by me then they are.

Masaji Taira sensei - Jundokan dojo, Azato, Okinawa, 2008

Today I also want to let you know more about another former Jundokan student, Masaji Taira sensei. His followers have now set up a web site for their teachers new organization, you can find it here. The site still has a lot of work to be done to get it up and running properly, but at least it's a start; and hopefully, this site will serve to avoid any more confusion in some folk's minds regarding Taira sensei's karate and the karate practised at the Jundokan dojo.

And finally, to the reason for the title of this post. It has to do with the idiot who wrote to me recently, asking why I make so much of the Jundokan and Eiichi Miyazato sensei, who he has never heard of, while I hardly ever write about Higaonna sensei, who everybody knows is the true successor to Chojun Miyagi. Well...I hope my birthday good wishes to the writer's hero has been duly noted; and just to ward off any similarly impending emails from followers of Taira sensei, please take note of my publicity for his new web site. To all those who are big on hero worship.......

Merry Christmas...and a good riddance to all.....Ho..ho...ho!

What Do You See?

2011-12-22T09:24:00.003+11:00

Seisho Itokazu sensei demonstrating the finer points of slitting a throat

I took this photo many years ago during a visit to the honbu dojo of Matayoshi-ryu kobudo, in Sobe, Okinawa. Shinpo Matayoshi sensei had not long since passed away, and to my regret, I never did get the chance to meet him. I met instead Matayoshi sensei's son Yasushi, the current Soke, as well as a number of the seniors in the dojo, and they were kind enough to demonstrate the use of the weapons used in Matayoshi-ryu.

Itokazu sensei in particular struck me as fearsome budoka. Not that he was anything but a real gentleman in his dealings with me, but in the way he would turn on his fighting spirit the instant he picked up a weapon. The look that came over his face was...well, scary! I was left in no doubt at all that he could apply the techniques he was demonstrating that evening.

At one point he was using the Bo (Kon) to defend himself from attack, when he suddenly stopped and began talking at length. My Japanese is useless, no, actually it's really useless......but fortunately for me I had an interpreter friend along with me, and he was able to translate what was being said. Of course I knew Itokazu sensei was talking about the use of the Bo, he had one in his hand and he was moving it around; but what I failed to understand (until my friend explained it to me), was that he was talking of cutting with it. The idea that you could slice and dice with a six foot piece of wood had never occurred to me, bludgeon someone to death, yes, but cut them up....I was amazed!

Fast forward several years later, I'm sitting in the Shimbukan dojo in Tomigusuku with Hiroshi Akamine sensei, and he begins to tell me a story about his famous father, the late Eisuke Akamine sensei, and how he would often go into the sugarcane fields that surrounded his home, in the dead of night, to practice cutting techniques with his Bo. My meeting with Itokazu sensei years earlier came flooding back...."Wow, someone else who could cut with a blunt length of wood."

My surprise at the time, of what is possible with the Bo, came as much from my respect for the skill some people have, as from my own ignorance of what I was looking at. I'd seen budoka use this weapon hundreds of times, but always assumed they were just hitting, striking, or prodding their opponent. It was a big lesson for me. I now understand that what we see is based firmly in what we know (or think we know), and that limitation alone, is more than enough to make us miss what we're looking at.

Wanting everything....it's childish, right?

2011-12-20T17:01:00.001+11:00

The Jundokan Dojo - Azato, Okinawa

The Jundokan is, arguably, the most famous goju-ryu dojo in the world, but you have to remember something, a dojo is only as strong as the sensei and students who frequent it; the building its self is, when all said and done, just a building. Attaching yourself to a building, or a name, is a mistake. Nevertheless, it's an error common to karate folks world-wide.

A few months ago I posted about Masaji Taira sensei leaving the Jundokan to establish his own group. By all accounts he has been successful in attracting many foreign students in various parts of the world, and has already travelled to Australia, New Zealand, and North America this year teaching his own interpretation of goju-ryu. I'm very happy and excited for him, and hope he can find serious students who are worthy of his talent and insight.

Recently, the Jundokan has asked those using its name to clarify their position in relation to Taira sensei. Making it clear that there is a choice to make; follow the Jundokan way, or Taira sensei's way. Not surprisingly, to me at least, many foreigners are trying to have a "bet each way", promoting and attending Taira sensei's seminars while continuing to trade off the good name of the Jundokan to attract students of their own. At the very least this is childish behaviour but in reality its deceitful too. If people wish to follow Taira sensei's teachings they should be mature enough to make it clear that this is what they're doing.

The letter sent out by the Jundokan recently was not translated into English as well as it might have been, still, the contents of it are clear enough; if you want to keep practising and promoting Taira sensei's karate that's fine, but stop trading off the Jundokan name. Making it clear what kind of karate you're teaching and who your teacher is, is the very least anybody can do when a new student knocks on the door and asks for instruction. Hanging on to a famous name just because it's good for business is shameful, childish, and deceitful, and runs completely contrary to the tenets of budo.

Normally I wouldn't air such a matter in public, but I'm just a stupid gaijin so I have some chance of being forgiven. Frankly, I'm disgusted by the lack of backbone being displayed by many who have chosen to follow Taira sensei, and yet continue to use the Jundokan name. They fancy themselves authentic karate men I'm sure, but in this instance, the hypocrisy of their silence is deafening.

How Times Have Changed.........

2011-12-16T10:27:00.001+11:00

I want to post a video clip here that I came across on YouTube recently. While the demonstration is showing something of Okinawan karate, I suppose, I'm struggling to find anything much in it that I can relate to. This may well have to do with my age, and even my expectations. Nevertheless, I'm posting the clip for a couple of reasons.

First of all, there is no doubt about the level of physical skill the three karate-ka demonstrating the Ryuei-ryu kata and bunkai (?) have, its wonderful. But I'm not sure how much is down to mimicry (acting), and how much is related to having any real ability to defend themselves..... Certainly this is not how I would choose to apply any of the kata I work with.

And second, all the "Oose and Ah's" and clapping coming from the audience made me feel the demonstration was less about karate, and more about entertainment. I was left wondering why? What is it about people these days that they insist on being entertained by karate? Even many of those who practice karate today seem to be looking for something external; something they can use for a while to make them feel better about themselves, only to throw it away once the 'next' distraction comes along.

As physically skilled as these three young men are, what is on display here is NOT karate!

Walking through your own Landscape

2011-12-09T10:41:00.000+11:00

A Street in Tsuboya - Okinawa

I've been dealing with a few Real Estate agents recently, and I've been fascinated by the way they manipulate a conversation in order to get the result they are looking for. Like skilled politicians, regardless of what questions are asked, they give the answer they want their (perhaps unsuspecting) client to hear. It really is quite shameful.

But realty-agents and politicians are not the only folks who behave this way, I've watched karate instructors do this kind of thing for years. It is apparent, to me at least, that many of those teaching today have yet to master their karate skills to the same extent as their skills of manipulation. And yes...this too, is shameful.

You own your life, you own your karate too, you should be walking through a landscape of your own design, not one provided for you by someone else. You should be surrounded by people and events that help you grow and bring you joy. Karate asks you to be disciplined with your self, not obedient of others.

Here are a few pointers to building your own landscape: don't be lazy, be honest with yourself, stay humble, live within your means, and the big one......stop wanting everything!

What's (still) Going On In Japanese Judo?

2011-12-05T12:14:00.003+11:00

Budo, Bushido, or just plain old Brutality - Wake up Japanese Judo!

Back in January this year I posted on the number of children being killed during judo training in Japan. In this months edition of Blitz magazine here in Australia, a report of a judo sensei (?) found guilty of causing the death of a 6 year old boy; and what, you may well ask, was the penalty for killing the child(?)..a fine.. amounting to less then many people spend in a year on beer or cigarettes!

Not to worry, Japanese parents can now sleep easy in their beds knowing that the All Japan Judo Federation has "...revised their safety guidelines in regard to head injuries". I have a suggestion...how about they run a few seminars for their instructors on how to be less stupid! If there must be children in the dojo, at least show some common sense when training them.

As for receiving a fine for killing a child...ehm? I'm not sure what kind of message that is sending to the Japanese MA community; but I'm pretty sure of one thing, the idiot instructor in question would have to go into hiding (forever!) if the child was mine; a few poxy Yen wouldn't be enough "justice" for me.

Okinawa Traditional Karate Liaison Bureau

2011-12-01T17:44:00.004+11:00

A well known landmark in Okinawa, the "Shuto-shop" on Kokusai dori

Ok...first up, before I get any complaints, the "Shuto-shop" is what I've always called this building. It's showing it's age now, and given the speed of re-development on this, and many other streets in Okinawa, it may not be around for too much longer.

The aim of this post is to alert you to a new web page concerning traditional Okinawan karate and kobudo. Backed by the Okinawan Government, the Okinawan Traditional Karate Liaison Bureau is now open and ready to help those looking to connect with Ryukyu's traditional martial arts. A permanent link to the site has been added to this blog for easy access in the future.

The web site can be viewed in Japanese, English, French, and Spanish, and has been set up to spotlight the culture of Okinawan martial arts. Make sure you check out the video collection...fantastic!

I've known of this project for some time now through contacts in Okinawa who helped establish the Bureau. Now that it is up and running, I hope it delivers on its potential. To all those involved, I send my warmest best wishes for a long and distinguished future.

Gasshuku with JKA - Victoria

2011-11-29T11:22:00.009+11:00

JKA -Victoria's first annual Mt Evelyn Gasshuku

I've just returned home from a great weekend gasshuku with some very good karate-ka. Apart from me, everyone else in the dojo was a student of Shotokan karate. The bulk of the students and sensei were from around Victoria, but others, like Petrus Van der Walt sensei and his students, flew in from Queensland; while Robert Matthews sensei drove for eight hours, all the way from South Australia, just to train. I love being in the company of karate-ka who invest more time training in karate, than talking about it.

As the guest instructor at the JKA-Victoria gasshuku, I was responsible for leading the early morning training sessions, starting at 6.00 a.m. and 6.30 a.m. on the Saturday and Sunday respectively, but the bulk of the training, the remaining eight hours of it, was lead by Walter Stark sensei, my friend and the organiser of the gasshuku. With a single theme in mind, that of "compression and expansion", he lead us through a series of kihon exercises designed to isolate any excess movement, and to focus on only that which was needed to deliver a powerful technique. Each training drill was extended and built upon, and before long students were beginning to capture the common "thread" running through all the drills.

Ok....I have a confession to make, I didn't get it...the thread that is. Some of the younger guys however, were very quick and very focused. One young man from Melbourne, and a very gifted young female karate-ka from Queensland, took the challenge on and, in the end, tore through the extended drills as if they had been doing them for months. A testament, I thought, to their dedication to training. Both in the dojo, and outside of it, I witnessed wonderful moments of Otomo (attentiveness), between kohai and sempai, sensei and deshi; no one forced the etiquette, and no one crossed the line. I had thought such awareness was lost in today's karate, but I was wrong, the grass-roots JKA sensei and students I have just spent a weekend with are karate-ka in every sense of the word.

My small contribution was welcomed, I was welcomed; and during the training I did when I wasn't teaching, which was all of it, I had a great time. I receive a number of requests and invitations to teach each year, but seldom if ever accept; why? Because I find I have little in common with a great number of folks who believe they are training in karate these days. From the wording of the invitation, or the way I am approached, I can spot the common ground, or lack of it. So, rather than people waste their money and me waste my time, its always better to let the moment pass, and politely refuse their kind invitation. As my sensei always used to tell me, "Anyone can learn to kick and punch....but this is not karate!"

To all those I've just spent the weekend with, "Thank you!"

What's The Soundtrack to Your Karate?

2011-11-20T13:11:00.001+11:00

Photo courtesy of "Remembering Okinawa .com"

A recent post - Karatedo a Way of Life - featured two short videos I find quite inspirational in their own way. Both clips depict Uechi-ryu, a major school of karate in Okinawa, and both short films make good use of contemporary music to one degree or another too. It got me thinking.....is there a soundtrack to traditional karate? A quick look on YouTube at the trillions of karate videos and you'll notice that many of them make use of loud rock music, while others opt for a seemingly more traditional approach by using classical Japanese music. Interestingly enough, not many, by comparison, use traditional Okinawan music. Strange, when you consider that karate is an Okinawan martial art.

Ok...so actions speak louder than words, but they only say what's on your mind. So, when I hear Rap, or Rock music, being used as the soundtrack to a karate video, I get a good idea of what's going on inside the head of the person who posted the video. "This is exciting....you need to be part of it....sign here and give me your money!" If being "cool" forms any part of your thinking when it comes to karate, you might want to think of something else to do. Likewise, if you can't tell the difference between training and being entertained, once again, it might be best if you looked elsewhere for something to keep you occupied.

I'm not sure who said, "The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of the state of your mind", but I think he/she hit the nail on the head with their observation. If your karate is bathed in loud noise, and smart-ass lyrics, perhaps that's saying something more about you than you imagine.

Dojo kun - Meaningful Advice, or Purely Decorative?

2011-11-17T19:58:00.000+11:00

Has the dojo kun become obsolete?

With so little of the Okinawan and Japanese martial arts being practised and studied in buildings dedicated solely to the arts these days, even in Japan; I wonder how many beginners (people with less than 5 years training) are aware of a dojo kun? Not that you have to train in a purpose built dojo to obtain access to authentic information, for that you only need an authentic teacher. Nevertheless, if the building you train in is used for other activities you are less likely to be surrounded by objects of inspiration.

The dojo kun, as I understand it, is a direct communication from teacher to student. A compilation of thoughts that give deshi some insight into the things their sensei considers important. The kun not only impart information but reflect a level of personal insight; and for this reason alone you need to study the advice your teacher has taken the time to display.

Dojo kun are not rules, nor should they be treated like the Ten Commandments, they are however a signpost pointing you in the same direction as your teacher. If you are fortunate enough to practise your martial art in a permanent dojo, one that houses a kun, then make sure you give it more than a passing glance the next time you're there.

Its Not The Singer....Its The Song!

2011-11-12T22:46:00.002+11:00

Yours truly - taken during photographic tests for Shin Gi Tai

Since my new book hit the shops in North America last month, I've had a fair amount of feedback from people who have found it worth the read. Not because they have agreed with everything I've had to say, on the contrary, but because they have used the book as I intended it to be used: as a point of departure for self exploration. For those who have not yet read it, but are thinking of doing so, please remember why it was written, and when you come across a passage that you completely disagree with, and believe me - you will, don't let that distract you from using the book as it was intended: to give rise to your own thoughts and feelings.

A small number of errors have found their way into the book. A matter of some concern for the editor and me, as we worked extremely hard to fix them before going to print. But, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, as they say; and the chain on this, and my previous book, has contained a link that neither I nor my editors were able to replace. For those who have taken the time to write to me, pointing out the errors they have discovered, I thank you for your time. You might have put all that energy and effort to better use in the dojo of course, but still, I guess it's good that your vigilance, at least in some quarters, hasn't diminished.

Although no one writer to date has informed me of every error I know of in the book, only one person has informed me of an error I was unaware of. A number of people have insisted I'm wrong on several points....interestingly, the number one "clarification" in the correspondence so far has been to point out that "god is real"......ok, have it your way! I expect god feels much better knowing there are people out there willing to defend her existence; and I for one would not dream of denying anyone the right to believe in such beings. Nevertheless, I have to say, I found the comment in one email, "The difference between good and god, is zero" a little hard to stomach, and found myself reaching for a bucket!!! Statements like that do little to enhance a particular point of view.

Look.....like the book or hate it, but if you don't use it as intended than you've missed the point. It's the song that's important here, not the singer: the message, not the messenger. Take the information, establish your own position in relation to it, and then draw your own conclusions. I'm grateful to all those who have written, regardless of what you have had to say, but please, try not to loose sight of why I wrote the book in the first place. I'm told a second print run is likely early in the New Year. The errors that found their way on to the page will be removed before the second printing, after that, I'm hoping any correspondence I receive concerning the book will focus less on who's opinions are more valid, and more on how your training is going!

Nothing much...just training!

2011-11-07T22:05:00.003+11:00

Casey and Jesse working the chi ishi prior to exploring their kata

Contrary to the belief of many, I don't have hundreds of students; actually, the number who train with me on a regular basis can be counted on one hand. Those who I have helped the most (longest) to discover karate for themselves, know me well, and I know them. I am their sensei but they are not my students. For I have no authority over them except that which they bestow upon me. Our relationship is based on friendship and a shared desire to get to grips with the Okinawan training methods we engage in.....that's it!

In the dojo, I've trained in karate the longest, experienced the most, therefore I'm able to point a few things out to others when they encounter problems I have encountered myself in the past. I can't fix their problems for them, of course, but I can offer words of support and encouragement, and a short demonstration if needed too. But really, the fact I'm still there, in the dojo training, is all the proof they need that the problem they are facing can be overcome. How they overcome it, is up to them.

Casey Gorham - a student of karate at the Shinseidokan for over 12 years

Karate is not easy for those training at the Shinseidokan dojo. Not that the training is any more physically demanding than in many other traditional dojo around the world. No, the difficulties at the Shinseidokan arise from my refusal to explain everything to those who train there. I do give explanations, and demonstrations too....but not many! As I see it, your time in the dojo is best spent practising what you're trying to understand, not standing around watching your teacher demonstrate things that you can't do. Where's the learning in that?

This past weekend I was joined in the dojo by Casey Gorham. I've been helping him with his karate since he was a 17 year old kid. He's now a married man approaching his 30's. Five years ago he moved inter-state, about two thousand kilometers away, but he has returned periodically to train at the dojo and continue his own exploration of karate. We managed to squeeze 12 hours of training into a couple of days, and he has now returned home with plenty to think about and work on.

Someone asked me today what I did over the weekend; my answer, I thought, said it all....."Nothing much...just training!"

Ideas that I've found Useful

2011-10-30T19:12:00.000+11:00

Sitting by the Bezaitendo shrine at Shuri-jo earlier this year

The first time I sat on this wall, I was 28 years old, these days I'm 56. In the intervening years I've sat on this same wall many times, spent countless hours training in the physical techniques of karate, and plenty more than that, thinking about what I'm doing. Nothing too revolutionary in that I guess...except to say that my thoughts seem to have lead me to places a great number of karate-ka never seem to visit.

I'm the first to admit I get hopelessly lost (in my thoughts) from time to time, but then, isn't the essence of exploration to be found in the effort you make to cover new ground; when you make like the Enterprise and boldly go where you have never been before? How can you expect to discover anything about yourself if you're not prepared to get lost along the way? Although much is made of being successful these days, we do well to remember that it's often our failures that provide the most valuable lessons.

I'm discussing a few of the concepts I have stumbled upon in karate, in a new article on my publishers website. The piece has been taken from my new book, Shin Gi Tai, and modified slightly to fit this new slot on the YMAA web page. If you are interested in some of the thinking that goes on behind the action of karate, then you may find something in this brief article. Of course, authentic karate requires that you to make your own discoveries, and having done so, act upon them. So......get thinking!!!

Karatedo - A way of Life

2011-10-23T13:47:00.006+11:00

I came across a couple of inspirational videos on YouTube recently, well, they inspired the hec out of me anyway. In the first short film the music is great, the footage is even better. I want to thank Mason Bergeron for posting the first of these, it's a wonderful advert for Okinawan karate. If I was 40 years younger and hadn't been to Okinawa before seeing this short film, I'd be on the next flight out!

A couple of things to watch out for; first, the young man with the tattoos taking part in the grading. You first see him sparring, and then for a brief moment at the start of what looks like sanchin kata. You'll get to meet him in the second film. The other thing to look out for is the young man holding the protection sheet during the third (chudan) break in the demonstration. Ouch!!!!!

In this short documentary you get to see more of the day to day training Mason and his dojo colleagues undergo with their sensei, Kiyohide Shinjo, at the Kenyukai Honbu dojo in Yomitan, Okinawa. It was a B.B.C. television documentary similar to this, featuring Morio Higaonna sensei, that inspired me to make my first trip to Okinawa almost 30 years ago; and I've been returning to the island regularly ever since.

Coming and Going

2011-10-20T17:13:00.003+11:00

The second book of three..?

Ok...this is the last time I'm going to mention my new book. It is on sale now, and for those who like to think about why as well as how, when it comes to karate, it may well prove to contain information that challenges your beliefs about the nature of what karate actually is...as opposed to what some are working hard to make it. If you click on the image of the book to the left of the post, you can take a look inside and read a few sample pages.

The book has, on and off, taken up 18 months of my life. At times it required late nights and long hours to get the words out of my head and onto the page; at other times the work was much more fun, like sifting through the many old photos and images I had available to me. I also learnt a lot about the written word from working with the book's editor, Dolores Sparrow; from her I had my own belief confirmed in regard to doing a job well, to the best of your abilities, and not just settling for the easy or quickest option.

The book is out now, it has arrived, and the greater karate community will make of it what they will. I doubt very much I'll be effected either way. I don't write in order to gather fans or attract students, and criticism means very little to me unless it comes from someone I respect. So, regardless of how the book is received, my head will neither swell with pride, nore shrink under a barrage of caustic comments from keyboard warriors....it will instead, remain as always, in its usual half-empty state!

Garry Lever - always looking, and always ready to learn

In the same week as my book arrived on the scene I received an email from a friend in England, Garry Lever, telling me his Blog was no longer being written. He also told me his reason for bringing it to an end; an instinctive feeling that it was better for him and his karate to step away from carrying the weight of other people's expectations. I have to admit, although I was sad he would no longer be posting, I was very impressed by his reasoning. When I think of the future of karate, I think of karateka like Garry, not the small (in every sense of the word) businessmen who set themselves up in karate academies and teach anyone and everyone they can get through the door.

I have no doubt that Garry will continue to learn and grow as a karateka: for that is his intention. He is not only a husband these days but a father too; so it is only natural that he put in place some 'Big Rocks'. The sense of balance he is learning to cultivate today will keep him on the correct path to where he wants to go in the future. It will keep him true to his convictions and stand him in good stead for the challenges of raising a family in an ever changing world. Some may think the wider karate community has lost something with the closure of Garry's blog, and on one level that may be true; but the groundwork is, I believe, being laid for a more meaningful contribution to come. If karate is to survive at all it will do so in the hearts and minds of karateka like Garry, and people like him.

In "Traditional karate", it is not our words, but our deeds that make the difference; and it's the differences that make us who we are.

What a Way to Earn a Buck!

2011-10-12T23:06:00.001+11:00

Sharing a joke with Kanazawa sensei

Sometimes I have to pinch myself when I'm working. This wasn't the kind of employment I thought I'd be engaged in when I was a kid. In fact, the thing I remember most from my schooldays is the view out the classroom window! Now, as I stare down the barrel of old age, I'm amazed by many of the things that have happened in my life. Among the most amazing of all, are the opportunities that have come my way since I first put pen to paper and scrawled a few poorly constructed prose on a sheet of borrowed A4 paper.

I recently spent some time with Hirokazu Kanazawa sensei, the famed master of Shotokan karate and headmaster of the SKIF (Shotokan Karate International Federation), the largest karate organization in the world under the leadership of a single teacher. I'm not a great fan of karate organizations nor of the deliberate commercialization of karate; nevertheless, like many others who have met him, I'm always impressed by Kanazawa sensei. Having met him several times before in locations as diverse as London, Perth, and San Diego, I was fortunate this time to have him arrive (practically) on my doorstep.

He's in his eighties now, still recovering from a skiing accident in 2009 that nearly killed him, and still travelling the world teaching his own unique brand of Shotokan karate. Next year he will make his last karate trip outside Japan when he attends the SKIF World championships in Sydney, Australia. After that, he plans to retire, but only from traveling. For regardless of age or injury, Kanazawa sensei is still ready to engage life to the full. If spending time in the company of people like him doesn't challenge you to do better in your own life, then check the obituaries....you may already be dead!

New Article - and Preview!

2011-09-29T19:01:00.007+10:00

The Kodokan dojo - Kume, Okinawa

I have a new article over on the YMAA web page discussing the concept of Shin Gi Tai. I was asked recently why I chose this as the name for my new book, well, it seems to me that in spite of all the talk, karate has become a purely physical activity for the majority these days. Indeed, I'm constantly surprised by the lack of knowledge people have of their karate, even though they are prepared to defend their style's party line to the bitter end. Also, the behaviour of some I encounter wearing black belts, leads me to believe they understand little of what it is to be an authentic karateka.

In a recent conversation with a Japanese karate instructor, she told me..."The history of karate is unclear as there were no books in the early days...not like today." Ehm....I didn't think this was a great answer to my question, "Which came first, kata or bunkai?" Still, I'm not one to confront someone unless I feel confronted my self, so I let the moment pass; but...you have to wonder what instructors like this are passing on to their followers.

If we are ever to move beyond the kicking and punching, the theory of fighting, the packaging of karate in to styles, and the desire to follow others instead of forging ahead to reveal our true nature, I think it's important to educate ourselves in mind and body; to encounter concepts and ideas we may not agree with, as well as those we do.

It has been said that education is what's left over when everything you have learned has been forgotten. If this is true, it may be better to avoid a shallow grasp of many things, and instead, immerse your self as deeply as possible in that which you're trying to understand.

Hanami geiko

2011-09-25T23:49:00.003+10:00

Aikido Sword

Today I spent several hours in the company of some really nice people; all serious budoka and dedicated to their chosen art: Aikido. The cherry blossom trees along the river bank just outside the dojo are in full bloom this time of year, and after four days of hard training it is a relief for everyone to relax under a canopy of sakura, eat lots of sushi, and consume generous amounts of warm saki, and cold beer. I was there to catch up with old friends, and do a little magazine work at the same time.

I have to say, I never come away from my aikido friends without feeling a little regret. I regret that it's so hard to find karate people these days with the same enthusiasm for their training. I regret that the level of respect shown to each other in aikido is now quiet rare in karate. And I regret that many of those teaching karate feel they have a right to make money, while all the sensei I know in aikido teach free of charge.

Many years ago I had quite a low opinion of aikido, but not since I felt the grip of the late Seiichi Sugano sensei of the New York Aikikai. If ever I thought aikido was for wimps, I had my thinking drastically altered that day. Tomorrow morning I have a 200 km drive to the State Capital to meet with Hirokazu Kanazawa sensei. I haven't seen him for about twelve years, so I'm looking forward to spending a couple of days in his company again.

Middle Men...Who Need's 'em?

2011-09-22T23:30:00.000+10:00

This arrived in the post today....no wonder the karate world is full of half-witted children...and they're the Instructors!

On the other side of this attempt to solicit business, the slogan reads: "Have enough time to teach your students the right moves.... It goes on to say, "The right move for your business is ---debit". I've blanked out the name of the company involved as I have no desire to give them any more publicity than they deserve.

What the hell is 'Payment Processing' anyway? If your first thought, when you look at a prospective student, centres around the most efficient way to part him from his money, then perhaps you need to go get a job, and leave karate for those who are trying to understand themselves better through the study of it. I expect some advertising whiz-kid with an extensive background in Boxersize, plus a little cross training in Tae-bo, came up with this idea.

If you expect a training fee from those you teach and you have to keep asking for it, then you're doing something wrong. Students should be made aware of their obligations, including the prompt payment of any fees involved, when they enter the dojo for the first time. From that point on it is their responsibility to take care of things, and your responsibility, as their teacher, to teach them a lesson if they don't. How you go about that depends on your priorities.

Happy Birthday!.....this week is the second anniversary of the Shinseidokan dojo blog. To the 1200+ readers who stop by each week, I would like to say a sincere "Thank You!" for your interest and support over the past two years......

Just So You Know....

2011-09-16T10:37:00.003+10:00

Ladies and Gentlemen... Taira sensei has left the Building

In recent weeks there has been much made, in some circles, of the fact that Masaji Taira sensei has decided to leave the Jundokan dojo and form his own group. It's not a big deal, but you know what we westerners are like, we love a good "scandal"...we thrive on it, the gossip, the side taking, and the running down of the (stupid idiots) who don't happen to agree with us. Well I'm sorry to disappoint you, but non of the above applies here.

Taira sensei is an exceptionally talented karate-ka, his insight into the fighting strategies found in the kata of goju-ryu is profound. As a recently retired police officer who spent a career dealing with the unruly, the aggressive, and the down right nasty elements found in certain parts of Okinawa, his karate is grounded in the practicality of its application. For a (physically) small man, he produces an amazing amount of power; I know, because I've been on the receiving end of it many times.

But here's the thing...like sensei's Ko Uehara, Morio Higaonna, Teruo Chinen and others over the years, Masaji Taira is but the latest in a long line of exceptional karate-ka to have emerged from the Jundokan dojo. I have often mentioned the approach Eiichi Miyazato sensei took to teaching his students, that is, to work things out for themselves, to find their own way, to take ownership and responsibility for what they do with karate. Miyazato sensei was not interested in gathering followers! As Taira sensei himself said in a recent interview here in Australia: "Should a student ask a technical question, Miyazato sensei would often answer, 'What do YOU think?' He was like a guide, allowing a student to reach their own understanding through trial and error."

Taira sensei is now in a position to develop his karate in the direction that he believes is right. Those who feel his karate has more to offer than the karate practised at the Jundokan, should follow his example and stop relying on the Jundokan name to give themselves credibility. As Miyazato sensei would have said, take responsibility for your self and your karate. For in truth, if you don't have the integrity or strength of character to do that, I doubt very much you will ever understand the karate being pursued by either the Jundokan or Taira sensei.

As far as I am aware, there was/is no ill feeling surrounding Taira sensei's departure from the Jundokan, and nor should there be. Karate lives when we are are engaged in practice, so let those who would seek to make more of this situation than actually exists, focus their attention on training, learning, and making progress in their chosen appraoch to karate.

From the Top of the Mountain

2011-09-11T23:35:00.000+10:00

The view over Hobart from the summit of Mt Wellington, Tasmania

They say...although I'm not exactly sure who 'they' are...that when you reach the top of a mountain, by whatever means, the view is the same for all. In karate, this analogy is often used to illustrate a couple of things; first, the reality that there is not just one, but many different ways to reach the summit (mastery), and, that once you get there the degree of mastery (the view), is the same for everyone.

I've never been sure how anecdotes like this square with folks who hold so rigidly to the idea of "styles" in karate, and within them, "syllabus" bound training. I mean, if there are many ways to the top, why make such a big deal of the way you're getting their? Why do so many fail to recognize the paths that others are taking? And why do many so-called traditional karate people believe their sensei and seniors are important, but those from outside their group are not?

I don't have any answers, I'm just thinking out loud here........

More of that "Mind" stuff

2011-09-07T13:54:00.002+10:00

Seko Higa sensei surrounded by students

The thing I like most about this blog is...wait for it..... 'no', not the stuff I write about,.....it's the links. That list off to the left of the posts, just below my books, that allow you quick and easy access to the thoughts and insights of some really good martial artists. I've written before about exploring these links, so please, treat this as a friendly reminder to do that.

As well as the links to Okinawan related sites, where you can watch short video clips of the island and it's many attractions, there are links here that will allow you to watch some very gifted budoka in action. Remember though, not everyone you see on YouTube is there to share, in fact, many post footage of themselves to solicit business, like the guy who runs "karate" package tours: that's sad. You would think that everyone understood this simple and basic equation by now....the harder you try to make a business out of budo, the more you lose what budo has to offer.

In the past few days, the links have allowed me to read this about Chojun Miyagi sensei, and this about gaining a sense of perspective in the dojo. I've been reminded, here, of the need to take control of my life, and here, to think of how to go about passing budo on to the next generation. Then, this morning I got to read this. Each and every one of these writers have caused me to sit back in my chair and really think about my own position on the various ideas and notions being discussed...what a gift!

If you haven't spent time exploring the links, you really are missing out on the best part of this blog.

What's On Your Mind?

2011-09-01T22:49:00.001+10:00

My former Shito-ryu sensei, Keiji Tomiyama

Throughout the 1970's, when I was training in Japanese karate, Tani-ha Shito-ryu, most of my training was done in "thin air". Apart from sparring, in its various forms, much of the time was spent repeating, endlessly, the kihon waza of the system; and repetition after repetition of the many kata I was expected to commit to memory. It was a big ask to remember so many training patterns, and almost everyone I knew had trouble doing so once the kata count reached into the twenties.

Add to this, the constant changes in the kata that I was expected to keep up with, and I reached a point where it was difficult to remember what I was supposed to be doing at the time, let alone recall what I was doing the year before. After a few years, I began to wonder how anyone kept up with the constant changes, the new way of doing things, and the ease with which I was being asked to abandon certain techniques that had been considered important enough to be tested on only a few years earlier.

Since leaving Japanese training methods behind, I now understand that karate is based on principles, not techniques. It is brought to life through the spirit, not by developing extreme physical fitness; and it is absorbed by grasping something of the culture from which it emerged on Okinawa, not by harking back to the history of a very different society, Japan.

Where the mind goes, the body follows; that said, it's as well to know what's on your mind.

Do I Look Like an Agony Aunt?

2011-08-28T00:11:00.004+10:00

Watching the Doshu of Aikido work his magic

I'm not sure what it is about some folks, they seem to think that because they want to talk to me, I want to talk to them. They also seem to think that because they want to know something, I want to tell them, because they have a question to ask, I am some how duty bound to give them an answer!

I get a lot of emails from people searching for something they say is "missing" in their karate. Perfect strangers who feel it's quite ok to write to me out of the blue and expect me to spend my time writing back to them. In today's world of instant gratification, I'm expected to fall into line with the expectations of people I don't even know....well it ain't going to happen!

In Joe Hyams excellent little book, Zen and the Martial Arts, in the chapter called, Do Not Disturb, he relates a great story about a conversation between his friend and teacher, the late Bruce Lee, and Stirling Silliphant, one of America's leading sceenwriters at the time. In the story, Lee speaks of the difference between 'spending time' and 'wasting time'; pointing out that once time has passed, it's gone forever. Silliphant agreed with his sifu, and after some thought, took the conversation further.

"It (time) is the most precious commodity we have" he said, "anyone who steals my time is stealing my life because they are taking my existence from me. As I get older, I realize time is the only thing I've got left." He went on to say..."I apply the same yardstick to social relations. I will not permit people to steal my time...the choice of how I spend my time is mine, and it is not dictated by social convention." Just then Lee asks if he can use the author's phone, when he returns he said, "I just cancelled an appointment, it was with someone who wanted to waste my time, not help me spend it."

Eiichi Miyazato sensei did not encourage me to ask questions, so, if I was silly enough to ask him one, I was as likely to be grunted at and told to "Just do it!" as given an answer. Doing it, referred to training, practise, working my problems out for my self. He didn't want to give me an answer, his answer, he wanted me to grow up so I could discover my own answers. While I realize this approach does not sit well with the drip-fed generation of karate-ka who expect to "get" something for their money, I could care less for their aspirations...go bother someone else!

Credit Where Credit is Due

2011-08-24T12:33:00.002+10:00

Tony Green training on the Makiwara

In my last post I mentioned Tony Green's posting of certain videos on Facebook, which he said he filmed at the Jundokan in 1992. Today I received an email from Tony apologising for the error he made in doing that; as he so rightly pointed out..."We all make mistakes". He went on to say, that his aim now was to, "Learn from his mistake", and who could fault him for that, certainly not me.

Although you can't expect to move through life, or come to understand the value of training in karate, without making mistakes (and plenty of them), you can adopt ways of behaving that will limit the amount of errors you make. You can also make a serious effort, as Tony says he intends to, to learn from your mistakes. That you loose touch with your better nature at times is not the problem, it's what you do about it when it happens that really counts.

Tony's apology to me has been accepted, although, as I said in my reply to him, I believe it was offered to the wrong person. The footage Tony was passing off as his own, was shot by Richard Barrett, and it is to him that an apology should be made. Tony's intention to apologise to Richard..."In due course", would in my opinion be better done sooner rather than later; least another mistake be made through tardiness and a perceived lack of good manners.

Why Are Bad Manners Common Practice?

2011-08-18T17:51:00.004+10:00

Australia's National Broadcaster, the ABC, filming at the Shinseidokan

It doesn't happen every day, in fact it's only ever happen three times, but occasionally, various tv crews have come to the dojo to film the training that goes on there. I don't like practising karate in front of a camera, I find it a false world where the atmosphere is heavy with elements that enrich the ego; I prefer to inhabit a calmer world when I'm in my gi.

I wonder sometimes, when I'm directed to a clip of film on Youtube, or Facebook, what the motivation is for the person posting themselves. It may well be that a picture paints a thousand words, and so getting certain points across to others is better done if they can "see" what you're talking about. But if that were true for all the people strutting their stuff in a gi on the Internet, I can only think most are mildly delusional, or, suffering from some deep seated psychological trauma.

A few people do stand out for their use of video footage, to my mind they use the medium, not to show off, but to display there ongoing conversation with the reader of their respective blogs. Others however can't wait to put themselves out there, demonstrating not only their poor technique, but their woeful immaturity. If all else fails and they have no footage of them self they think is "cool" enough, they simply grab some footage they like and put it out there anyway.

Recently, footage shot in the Jundokan dojo in 1992 has hit the net. I've seen it on various dojo facebook pages, from New Zealand to America, so who knows where else it can be viewed. Apparently the clips were filmed by an English guy called Tony Green.....really? In one clip, the old guard from the Jundokan can be seen training on one of the monthly quality-control sessions. I've had the honor of taking part in a number of these gatherings over the years, and I was in the Jundokan during the filming of this one too, I don't remember seeing Tony Green there though...ehm?

On another clip, my sensei, Eiichi Miyazato, can be seen demonstrating a couple of kata, and if you look really quickly after the second kata, right at the end of the clip, you see a very quick shot of me being presented with my yondan certificate from Miyazato sensei, with Yasuda sensei standing alongside. Again....I don't remember Tony Green being around when I took that particular promotion test..."ehm" number two!!! The Jundokan footage I've seen posted by Tony Green recently on facebook was in fact shot by my good friend Richard Barrett. We were in Okinawa together, and, funnily enough...I do remember him being there!

Why Mr.Green would say, "I kindly asked Miyazato sensei if he would perform any kata for me which he gladly did...", than use footage he knows he didn't shoot, is quiet beyond me. Perhaps all his friends on facebook who fell over themselves to thank him for "sharing" could ask him.

Don't Lose Yourself

2011-08-13T20:21:00.001+10:00

Jibun wo motte - Don't lose yourself

When you practise karate, it is entirely possible to get lost...even while you continue to train hard and study. If you're not careful, you can get lost in your own cleverness, in the latest training fad, in the importance of your organization, in how good you think you are, in doing things that fuel your ego and starve your integrity, in feeling you have arrived when in fact you've barely started, in the adulation of students who don't know any better, in convincing yourself that it's ok to do things that are not ok to do, in taking more from karate than you give......and much, much, more.

Phew..! With so many opportunities to get lost, is it any wonder so many do! But wait, even if you do find yourself lost in your karate, you can still find your way back to the path you thought you were walking; all you have to do is be honest with your self. Do that, and you'll never be lost for long. You will always have what you need to get back on track, and you'll always be able to recognise when the way ahead is also the way forward.

My sensei, Eiichi Miyazato, would sometimes mention the importance of morality in the learning of karate. I wonder sometimes, if the reason so many become lost in karate is because they have no moral compass to help guide them. Could it be, in this age of "Do what you like, if you can get away with it", the morals of many karate-ka are no better then those who, 'did what they liked', in cities all over England recently. As I watched the news footage I wondered how many rioters were also members of a karate club, or, how many were instructors.

You don't have to be perfect to understand karate, you just have to be honest with your self; and part of that honesty, is recognising when your lost....then doing something about it!

Where Did The Chi-ishi Go?

2011-08-05T23:08:00.003+10:00

Gichin Funakoshi sensei, surrounded by students, weapons, and kigu

Looking at the photo here, it's nice to see Funakoshi sensei surrounded by the tools and weapons common in Okinawan karate. Victor Lopez Bondia of Spain sent me this photo some time ago, and it has intrigued me ever since I first saw it.

When karate took its first shaky steps beyond it's island home, how come so much of it was dropped by the first generation of foreign students? What was it about the full range of Okinawan karate training that proved so uninteresting to the Japanese; and how come the first generation of Okinawan teachers to settle in Japan, allowed their students to "cherry-pick" the bits they wanted to do, and abandon the rest?

I guess we'll never know, but I often wonder, when I hear young people today talking about various sensei as if they are little more than service providers, whether this isn't the same attitude the young Japanese had when they first came into contact with the older Okinawan sensei. The arrogance of youth has a way of wearing down the resolve of the old...but only if the older folks allow it.

I look at the problem this way; people who want to learn karate from me, have nothing I want from them. That being the case, anything that happens between us, happens on my terms, or not at all. A tad arrogant on my part you might think. Well let me tell you something, I could never imagine approaching any of my teachers with such an attitude, so why would I accept it from anyone else?

Budo or Business...You Decide!

2011-07-31T12:11:00.005+10:00

[Seven falls, Eight rises] - [Polish your Spirit] - [One heart, One mind]

I thought I'd use the photo above from the Shinseidokan, even though it's quiet an old one. I know longer use the kun at the bottom, it was something I inherited from Morio Higaonna sensei's IOGKF organization, and came to be used more like a corporate mission statement than anything meaningful to my understanding of karate. Some years ago I sat down and thought about the advice I want to pass on to those who train at the Shinseidokan, and from that came my own dojo kun.

The advice given above the kun remains where you see it here, as I believe it has a timeless quality to it. Some of the kanji are no longer in general use in Japan, and this adds to the notion that even today we have much to learn from the past. While the majority of people are locked in a mad rush forward, seemingly towards progress, I'm content to hang back and inhabit the world they have left behind. It's a world that is slower than the life lead by many but, I would argue, more fulfilling than the life lived by most these days.

In the stampede to get ahead of others, people become more and more "inventive", which is a polite term for, disgusting. You need look no further than the newspaper phone hacking scandal in Great Britain to see the depth of depravity some folks will go to make money. But...it's not just the Big Boys of the publishing world who set out to deceive; even the tiny, insignificant, players who fancy themselves important members of the karate community act in ways that find me reaching for a bucket!

When you've read this post, take a look at the discussion going on here and then think about what you have just read. It pays to follow the links provided by each of the people in the discussion as you work your way down the thread. I was particularly repulsed, although not at all surprised, by the reaction of the publisher on Facebook, who in answer to his critics said the book had in fact been a collaborative effort by a number of senior karate sensei in Okinawa. I notice that discussion has been removed now, and replaced by more self-serving dribble from the publisher. I happen to know a couple of the Okinawan sensei mentioned, and I'm keen to discuss "their" new book when I see them again in a few months time, I'll let you know how those conversations went once I've had them.

When the line between budo and business is crossed with such ease the outcome is always bad for your growth, both as a karateka and a human being. When lies become your currency, you are always left the poorer for it; and when sincerity becomes as disposable as yesterdays headlines it's time to find something else to occupy your time, for your involvement with karate is doing you no good at all.

Letting Go...

2011-07-25T15:01:00.001+10:00

Letting Go...and why some folks just can't do it!

It's better to give than to receive, or so I was taught as a child. I confess, I had a hard time accepting this particular piece of advice when I was younger, but I see the value in it now. Some years ago I came across a nice story from the Zen tradition that speaks to the problem some folks have with letting go, or as the Zen community like to say..."Becoming Unattached".

Two monks were making their way home one day when they spotted an old lady trying to cross a swollen river. The younger monk hurried past, but the older monk stopped. After a brief conversation, he lifted the old woman on his back and carried her across the water, placing her safely on the other side. The young monk was furious, "How could you do that? You know we are not allowed to interact with women, we're not even allowed to think about them. You should not have spoken to her."...and on they walked.

That night, as the monks made camp and began to prepare their evening meal, the young monk started to rant once again about his companion's behavior. "I'm going to tell the Abbott you know!" he boasted, "oh yes, he's going to hear all about you and that 'woman', and how you not only spoke to her, but you actually picked her up and carried her! How could you do such a thing?"

The older monk calmly continued to make the meal, "And when you tell the Abbott how I carried the old woman" he said, " will you mention how long I carried her?" "Yes!" snapped the younger monk, "I will tell him you carried her for long enough to cross the river, a good ten minutes." "Ah, I see." said the older monk, "and will you mention that you have been carrying her all day?"

I often remind the students at the Shinseidokan not to attach themselves to things in their karate that stop them from making progress. These "things" are as likely to be how they think as much as how they act. But, when you understand that all action springs from thought, you begin to realise the need to think positively. Actions do speak louder than words, it's true, but they only say what you're thinking, so take care not to say one thing and do another; because when you do that, you display your lack of sincerity, and remember, karate without sincerity is not karate at all.

The Guy Who Lives In Okinawa

2011-07-16T20:20:00.001+10:00

Shurei Mon - proclaiming the Kingdom of Ryukyu, the Land of Propriety
Photo courtesy of: Remembering Okinawa.com (see the Links below)

Not always, but often, when I meet other foreigners in Okinawa, I'm greeted with "Welcome to Okinawa - is this your first time?" What strikes me most is the tone people use. It's a kind of boastful, 'let me just put you in your place', kind of thing; and is almost always a result of meeting people who weren't even born when I first travelled to Okinawa. Still, I understand it's the establishment of a pecking order that's going on here, and that this is where the real interest lies, rather than in any actual answer I might provide.

This kind of nonsense is even more noticeable when I visit a dojo for the first time and meet the "resident" gaigin. Regardless of how short a time they have been training themselves, some of these guys immediately assume an heir of superiority over any forign visitor; it's a pantomime I always find more amusing than irritating. What is it about some people that they feel a need to impress others with their "inside" knowledge?

Assistance offered without courtesy or guidance tendered without humility are of no value at all, and serve neither party well. Something to remember perhaps, the next time you meet someone in Okinawa...or anywhere else for that matter!

The Essence of Goju-ryu: Volume 1

2011-07-12T00:30:00.003+10:00

A great new book - of interest to every serious karate-ka

I've just read "The Essence of Goju-ryu: Volume One", written by my friends Richard Barrett and Garry Lever; and while it would be a simple matter for me to recommend it to anyone who will listen, my nature would not allow me to do that if I didn't think it was a volume worth reading. So, what follows are my honest thoughts and opinions on a book that has only just become available, and can be found here.

Firstly, this book is not strictly a training manual, although some may purchase it in the hope of gaining a glimpse of hitherto unknown techniques or perhaps seeing, for the first time, photographs and images that have never previously been published. On both counts the purchaser will be disappointed. But, having read the book, I would be surprised if even the most learned of karate historians, or gifted of karate-ka, will find this book lacking in either information or inspiration. For a book that runs to just 124 pages, it is packed with detailed information on how to perform techniques with the entire body; that is to say, by having the body, mind, and breath, working in harmony.

The amount of historical knowledge in the book, along with a great many historic photographs, paints a vivid picture of karate in Okinawa stretching back into the early years of the nineteenth century; and reveals stories that enhance the readers own appreciation for karate. In short (no pun intended), I thought the only problem with this book was it's brevity. Still, there is talk of a second volume to come, and with any luck it will provide a more ample serving of the same: I hope so.

Having already confessed my friendship with the authors, I hope you will take me at my word here, and if you are in any way interested in deepening your understanding of karate, it's historical milieu, and it's holistic nature, you will acquire your own copy of "The Essence of Goju-ryu". I can promise you this, you won't be disappointed.

Kangeiko 2011 - Final Day

2011-07-08T11:46:00.000+10:00

Five early starts later, and still smiling...well, almost!

When you really don't have to, it takes a certain degree of self-discipline to get out of a warm bed at 4.00 a.m. in the middle of winter, and go into a cold and dark morning to practise karate. Doing it once would be an achievement, twice, a triumph. Three times and one could question your sanity; and doing it four times...well...that's just showing off! But five consecutive mornings is a real accomplishment. This morning it was a full 2 degrees above zero....practically a heatwave!

Achieving what you set out to do, especially when the task at hand is uncomfortable, and even unpleasant at times, shows a level of maturity and devotion to training that is not as common in karate today as it once was. In a world were martial arts are packaged and sold as "fun for all the family", and people "play" in heated rooms with sponge matting on the floor, challenges like kangeiko (cold weather training) have all but disappeared from the educational experience that was once standard in the learning of karate.

I'm not sure when "having fun" became important to those expressing an interest in karate, certainly, you have to "want" to learn; but this is not the same as expecting to have fun while you're being educated. That fun times "happen" is not in doubt, they do, and I believe they are no bad thing either, given the right set of circumstances and people involved; but again, an unexpected cause of levity every now and then is not the same thing as designing a sense of "fun" into a training session. If you are looking for fun then you're also looking to be entertained, and if you're looking for entertainment in the dojo, you (should have) come to the wrong place.

The end of Gekisai dai ni kata provides a good defence against a grab

For the final morning of this years kangeiko we trained together. I started my half-hour of junbi undo and kata training before the students arrived, but at 5.00 a.m. we faced the shomen, bowed in, and partnered up. Some vigorous kihon punching and blocking from heiko dachi (natural, parallel stance) started things off, and this moved on to san-dan-gi (three step technique) shortly afterwards. The introduction of movement lead into two-person kata drills for both gekisai kata. These drills are well known and used in many schools of goju-ryu, although they do vary a little depending on which school you train in.

After the kata drills we practiced ippon-kumite bunkai from gekisai dai ichi and dai ni; and brought this hectic part of the training to a close by working on the flow drills associated with both kata, before doing several repetitions of the kata in its "thin air" form. Kakie (sticky hands) training followed, and a number of different responses to being pulled and pushed were explored and put into action. Oh yes...and for the first time since Monday morning, I could still feel my toes!

With only twenty minutes left until the end of training, we bowed and thanked our training partner...."Domo Arigato Gozaimashita!" Now lined up and facing the shomen (main wall), we continued with a quick review of gekisai dai ichi kata, followed, in very quick succession, by gakisai dai ni, then, came a single but spirited rendition of the kata saifa, seiyunchin, shisochin, sanseiryu, and finally sepai. As this was the limit for one of the students, we stopped there. The training ended with three slow, and deliberate, repetitions of sanchin kata.

The Shinseidokan dojo

At 6.05 a.m. we lined up and formally brought the kangeiko training for another year to a close. As always it had been an interesting week, littered with moments of hardship, moments of laughter, and of course, moments of great personal satisfaction at what could be achieved with a willingness to face discomfort head on, and triumph over it. We did what we said we would do, and as simple as that statement sounds when read, it's a notion that lies at the very heart of budo!

Kangeiko 2011 - Day Four

2011-07-07T14:17:00.001+10:00

The closing technique from Saifa kata brought to life in sub-zero training

From correspondence I've had over the past few days I know you like to know, so here it is; this morning it was -2 below and the coldest morning yet of this years kangeiko training. Ok...that was the weather...now onto sport!

Even before I walked through the dojo door this morning I knew it was going to be really cold inside. The night sky in the southern hemisphere looks in, toward the milky way galaxy, and because of that, the number of stars visible to the eye is staggering. Unlike the northern hemisphere, from which the view is looking outward, away from the centre of our galaxy, the southern night sky sparkles with points of light that in the crystal clear darkness this morning, looked like I could have reached out and touched them. I don't believe in gods, but I do believe in nature and the things that connect all of us to the rest of the cosmos; we are after all, made from the same stuff as the stars!

For the second time this week I focused my training on kobudo, starting at 4.30 a.m. with junbi undo, before moving on to the same thirteen Bo kihon I last practised on Tuesday. They really are a great way to get the body warmed up and take the mind away from the chill in the air. Again, it was a case of my temperature (read comfort) increasing the further from the floor a particular part of my body was. As if to echo the planet right now, it was summer in the north and winter in the south, and not for the first time this week, my feet were locked into their own mini ice-age!

Working with the Bo (Kon) for a while kept my mind clear; I didn't want to repeat the hit to my left knee experienced a couple of days ago. I'm not sure who it was in Okinawa who told me, "If you don't hit yourself from time to time when training kobudo, then you're not training properly." I've often had cause to recall those words over the past few years, last Tuesday being only the most recent occassion. I'm happy to report that this morning I worked with the Bo for half an hour and didn't hit my self once...amazing! If only I had been paying as much attention with the Sai.

I practise just one kata with the Sai, "Chikin shitahaku no Sai". It's a fairly long kata, and one that never seems to get any shorter no matter how familiar I get with it. Throughout the kata a point is reached where a Sai is used to parry an incoming blow before moving in rapidly to make a jodan strike with the same weapon. Now...this combination of moves are always done with the right hand Sai, except in one particular spot in the kata where the move is done on the left. I'm not ambidextrous...in fact, I'm barely able to use a knife and fork, but that's another story altogether! So anyway....this morning my left hand decided to "do its own thing"...and "wallop!" I whacked myself on the side of the head with an ice cold steel truncheon....well worth getting out of a warm bed for in the middle of the night...I don't think! Ok...I was awake now.

No real harm done, and, as I sit and write this some hours later I'm smiling to my self at the way certain aspects of my training have changed very little over the past 37 years; I'm still struggling to make things work, I'm still taking a knock, and I'm still enjoying the challenge of dealing with both. I have to shake my head at times (in disbelief) at those celebrity instructors out there whose only struggle with their martial art seems to be focused on when the next "seminar" is going to be, and how many people are going to turn up. Thank goodness my karate has nothing to do with such activities or the kind of people who engage in them.

When practise is over for the day, soji follows

Finishing off the morning with sanchin kata brought the forth day of kangeiko to a close; I had a hot cup of tea with my name on it and I was just a few minutes away from drinking it. With only soji left to do before we returned to our normal daily activities, the floor was swept as the cloths were dampened down ready to wash the floor. Throughout the week, getting the cloths wet has been a difficult job, the water coming from the mains is icy cold and the last thing anybody wanted to deal with. But deal with things like this we must, for like so many tasks encountered in the learning of karate, lessons like this one need to be embraced rather than shied away from.

With the floor swept and cleaned, the dojo was left ready for Friday morning: the final day of kangeiko.

Kangeiko 2011 - Day Three

2011-07-06T07:51:00.002+10:00

On the wrong end of Shisochin kata's opening defence

Once again this morning it was cold...no, seriously,...it was! My toes just didn't warm up at all today; in spite of pushing my way through a deck-of-cards hojo undo routine, my extremities just point blank refused to warm up. I had sweat dripping from my head, my body was as warm as toast, my legs were cosy....but my feet...oh man!!! Ok, ok...enough whining for one day.

I didn't get into the dojo this morning until 4.55 a.m., just in time to start training at 5.00 a.m. At that time we bowed in and moved off to focus on our own training for the next hour. I have to say, as difficult as it is for me to leave a warm bed and stand in a (very) cold dojo during kangeiko, it is even harder for the students. I only have to get up, put on my gi, and walk across the backyard; they on the other hand, have to get up earlier and make the drive to the top of the hill were I live, and once inside the dojo, get changed into a cold keiko-gi.

My late (for me) arrival in the dojo this morning was not due to any lack of enthusiasm on my part, I was instead exercising my understanding of "balance". You see today is my wife's birthday...and it's a "biggy" too: 50! I couldn't do what I do without her support, so this morning I took the time to sit with her and drink tea and talk about things completely unrelated to karate. Leaving it until the last moment to go to the dojo, I was able to fulfil my obligation to practice karate and minimise the impact that obligation was going to have on our day together.

Miyazato sensei often spoke to me of how to achieve a sense of balance in life, "First", he would say, "look after your family. Second, look after your income, third, look after your karate." He would go on to explain that if I got the balance wrong with the first two, trying to look after the third would be a waste of time. Today, my training began at the kitchen table, sipping a hot cup of tea and chatting with my wife, and like all my karate training, I took great pleasure in what I was doing.

Kangeiko 2011 - Day Two

2011-07-05T09:48:00.002+10:00

Tekko (Tikko) - Okinawa's answer to Wolverine!

Well...it was colder this morning, that's for sure. The thermometer in the dojo was showing just three degrees above zero, but you know what? The icy wind that was blowing in through the open door made the temperature of the dojo floor a lot colder. It took a while for my feet to catch up with the rest of my body, and by the time they did, I was half way through my training.

I decided to focus on kobudo this morning, and was in the dojo by 4.30 a.m. With the dojo to myself for a little while I began with junbi undo followed by several repetitions of sanchin and tensho kata. The deep breathing and focused muscles got the blood moving and the body warm....except my poor feet of course! Still, my mind was somewhere else, so my freezing metatarsals would just have to get on board or suffer the consequences; I'm 56 years old, and these days "warming up" takes a little more time than it once did.

At 5.00 a.m. sharp we bowed in and immediately dispersed to do our own training, which for me now moved on to the thirteen Bo (Kon) kihon practised by the Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinko Kai. At the hombu dojo in Okinawa these techniques are performed straight after junbi undo, and act as a fairly rigorous lead in to the kata or partner training. Three reps of the kata 'Shushi no kon sho' brought my workout with the weapon to a close. Next I picked up the Tekko, a kind of knuckleduster, with which bones can be smashed and the flesh ripped from an opponents body; sounds gruesome, right? But have no fear, I'm no kobudo expert, and in my hands I'm the one most in danger of getting hurt!

Toward the end of the kata - Meazato no Tekko

The mornings training came to a close, as always, with group sanchin practise. Regardless of what form training takes, sanchin kata should never be very far away. I say that not simply because Chojun Miyagi sensei revered the kata so much, but because the fundamental principles of the karate I practice are encapsulated so well within the kata; and for that reason I believe it should be practised regularly (daily).

Today would have been my sensei's birthday. Eiichi Miyazato was born on this day in 1922, which would have made him 89 years old had he not passed away just under twelve years ago. Nevertheless, his portrait hangs in it's rightful place in the Shinseidokan; today I was a little more aware of him watching me than usual. What he would have said about us training so early in the morning in the middle of winter I'm not sure, but knowing him it wouldn't have been much; his favorite saying in English was..."Just do it!"

Kangeiko 2011 - Day One

2011-07-04T17:05:00.000+10:00

Entrance to the Shinseidokan - 4.15 a.m.

This was how my day began today. Twenty minutes after waking up I made my way over to the dojo; I'd remembered everything I was going to need to get through the next couple of hours, slipped off my sandals, and stepped onto the cold dojo floor...Doh!!!! I'd forgotten the camera!

Take two..!!!

This is how my day began today. The heavy cloud cover and overnight rain had kept the temperature a little warmer than usual for this time of year, this morning it was a balmy 7 degrees above zero. The sun wasn't due over the mountain for another three and a half hours, but by that time the dojo would be empty again...at least for now!

Kigu undo is a sure way to wake-up....and get warm!

I managed to get a good half an hour of junbi undo and kata training in before the first student arrived, but by 5.00 a.m. everyone was in the dojo and ready to go. As usual during kangeiko week, we bowed in together and then everyone moved off to do their own training.

For me this meant working my way through a deck of playing cards and doing the required number of pre-set exercises that the turn of each card asked of me. The students opted to work with a number of various tools, ranging from skipping ropes to nigiri gami, sashi, and the two handle chi-ishi, all of which present their own unique challenges.

With the cards done for another day I spent most of the remaining time working with John (sashi) on the fighting strategies found in gekisai and saifa kata. In particular I was searching for a good sense of muchimi this morning, I'm not sure I found it, but this is what time in the dojo is for, to continue the search for the things you know you need to find.

The weather forecast predicts a colder night tonight, with temperatures down to only one or two degrees above zero....now that's more like it!

Kangeiko...or...how to practice karate at 5.00am, and smile at the same time!

2011-07-03T14:15:00.005+10:00

Tsuseishin Hissho Nari
Victory Comes From a Pure Heart

It's mid-winter here in Tasmania, and at 41 degrees south of the equator, that can mean some pretty bad weather; still, this is our time for Kangeiko (cold weather training).

Kangeiko is something we do each July, which for us is usually the coldest month of the year. In Okinawa, karate-ka have always pitted themselves against the extremes of the weather, and stories abound of folks training their sanchin kata in the howling winds that rattle the island during the typhoon season.

For us at the Shinseidokan, it means rising early to start training at 5.00a.m. every morning for one week. I'll keep you posted on how we go, and yes, I'll try to remember to bring the camera in to the dojo again this year, so you can see the the happy smiling faces of those who understand that karate is a not only a noun, but a verb.

A Perspective On How Important Karate Is

2011-06-25T23:01:00.001+10:00

I came across this really nice animation recently, it kind of puts things into perspective a little, especially karate. With the world wide number of karate-ka set at around the 50 million mark, out of a total world population of just under 7 billion, it should come as no surprise to anyone involved in karate, that the vast majority of folks could care less what we're up to.

So, the next time you find yourself in the company of a really, really, important karate master, think of the animation on this post, and you might just get a little bit of perspective on the master, his karate, and the world he inhabits. As with the other film clips I post from time to time, this one is also experienced best full screen and with the sound up....enjoy the flight!

Daylight Saving!

2011-06-21T10:56:00.001+10:00

Dawn at the Shinseidokan

Here in Australia, and in many other parts of the world, the whole nation travels through time twice a year. We do this by collectively agreeing that the time of day today will be different this time tomorrow. So, twice each year we go to bed on a Saturday night and set our clocks forward, or backward, by one hour. When we wake the next morning the new "time" is in place and everyone accepts the altered reality....well, for six months anyway!

This behaviour is a throw-back to a time when the industrial world was just emerging; by manipulating time, employers could keep their workers on the job longer. But in this day and age, changing the clocks back and forth has always seemed a little strange to me. Not so much the commercial reasoning behind the twice-yearly change, but the way we all accept something as profoundly weird as "time-travel" so easily; this time yesterday it was midday, but today, it's only eleven o'clock!

Karate is a little like this. Between them, the commercial oligarchy, and those tiny minnows who fancy themselves as 'professional instructors', have managed to set out a landscape for learning karate that the majority of folks seem happy to inhabit. Like the mass acceptance of the shift in time we experience, and accept, every six months, people looking to understand karate now 'accept' the 'reality' presented by people more interested in making money than preserving a tradition.

I wonder if some human beings will ever stop imagining they have the upper hand when it comes to reality. Does the Earth know it has gained or lost an hour? Does the Sun know we are even here? Does the Space-Time continuum falter when we humans decide to alter time?....not really! Businessmen can live in their 'reality' of what karate is, if they like; and they can even believe their reality is everyone else's reality too, but I, and many others, know differently!

Thoughts and Actions

2011-06-14T15:16:00.001+10:00

Though and Action - they don't always match!

This shot of me sparring with my former Shito-ryu sensei, Keiji Tomiyama, was taken back in 1980. When I launched the kick I had every intention of my foot hitting its target, however, my sensei had a different idea in mind.

Often in karate people begin with good intentions, the best of intentions in fact, but that's not always how things turn out. Still, karate is nothing if it's not a challenge to your mind, as well as your body. Learning a technique, or a kata, reveals difficulties you never noticed at first, only to discover them as you apply yourself in learning. Some people give up early and never learn, while others stick with it and come out the other end with something of value from their efforts.

"Don't give up!" is something you hear all the time in karate; but I also caution those who train at the Shinseidokan, "Don't get lost!". It's easy to spot people who haven't given up, but who are, nevertheless, clearly lost. Some, those with poor physical skills, just need a little nudge to get them moving back in the right direction; but the people who are lost in their own sense of cleverness and self-importance find it tougher going. They're not going to accept any advice from anyone if it doesn't already support their own, deeply entrenched, view of how good they already are. So, they continue to teach fighting techniques they have no experience of using, and continue to teach a philosophy they have no experience of living by; gathering around them as they go, people who are destined to become as lost as their instructor.

However you move through life, remember this, the balance and harmony you achieve between thought and action is the Hallmark of an authentic karate-ka. If I was starting my karate training over again today, the last person I'd go to is the guy advertising how good he is at fighting, if I couldn't see the scars on his face from all the fights he's been in and won. Or the guy passing himself off as a sensei, if I was unable to witness his dignity and good character in action in his dealings with me and with others.

If you don't have experience of real fighting, or of finding the courage to live by your convictions, then at least keep your imaginings to yourself, and allow those who wish to find something of value in their training, a less cluttered world in which to do so.

Shin Gi Tai....update!

2011-06-07T23:12:00.000+10:00

Extra...Extra.....read all about it!

I now have a date for my new book, Shin Gi Tai, from YMAA Publishing.....October 16th. You can find a brief description of it's contents, and can even place a pre-publication order, here or here, or by clicking on the smaller image on the left of the blog if you live in Australia or New Zealand. At 300 pages, it's a fairly big book considering the subject matter: authentic karate.

A warning though, you won't find page after page of photographs depicting the "correct" way to perform karate techniques, nor will you discover the "real" bunkai hidden within the kata. But, you "will" be asked to "think" about what you're reading. You "will" find your long held beliefs challenged and your faith in the accepted method of learning karate put to the test....so be prepared to feel uncomfortable at times when you're reading this book.

What then, you may well ask yourself, could possibly take up three hundred pages in a book about karate, if not the three hundred most deadly, secret, advanced, secret, hidden, street-wise.....did I mention "secret"....techniques ever? Here's a glimpse at the contents...

Chapter One - The Dojo
A Map: knowing where you stand in the dojo
What to expect: dojo etiquette
What's the difference between a karate dojo and a karate club?
Who is going to teach me : your teachers qualifications
Sport, health, and martial art : kyogi, kenko, and budo
Interpreting the kanji: Budo - Budo/Bushido - Karate/Karatedo

Chapter Two - Shin (Mind/Spirit)
The Circle of Budo:
Shinjin - Awakening
Hosshin - Making a start
Bussho - Doing something every day
Jikaku - self realization
Unraveling knots in the thread of life
Zen - the way unseen
Bunbu ryo do - the way of the scholar
The author's ten precepts - the way of one
Austere training
shugyo
kangeiko
gasshuku
What is balance
change verses stability

Chapter Three - Gi (technique)
The purpose of training - karate renshu
Fighting strategies
irimi - kuzushi - sen so sen - go no sen - sabaki
Fighting applications
bunkai - ippon kumite - renzoku - kakie
Kata - focus on Gekisai dai ichi
ippon kumite bunkai - two person kata - flow drills

Chapter Four - Tai (body)
Preparation exercises - junbi undo
Apparatus training - kigu undo
Supplementary training - hojo undo
Ude tanren - ippon uke barai - sandan uke barai

Chapter Five - the future of karate
From whence we came ; Okinawa
Music - textiles - language - ceramics - architecture - cuisine
The nature of karate - why we train
Modern trends - reality based martial arts
We stand alone surrounded by many
Stories of three great men
Kosaku Matsumora (1829 - 1898) The ethical master of Tomari te
Kanryo Higaonna (1853 - 1915) The fist saint of Naha te
Gichin Funakoshi (1868 - 1957) The gentle teacher of Shuri te
In conclusion.......

The book ends with extensive notes, a glossary and bibliography, as well as pointers to recommended reading, and viewing, in relation to authentic karatedo.

When and where...(again!)

2011-06-03T00:13:00.001+10:00

Here...take a chocolate and sit down!

Sometimes, it's difficult for students of karate to understand when they are training and when they're not. Put them in their gi, in bare feet, and stand them in lines, then they "know"; but place them in a situation where the clues are less obvious, and they often let themselves down badly. Knowing how to behave whether you are dressed in your killer-pyjamas, or not, is vital if you want to continue learning.

Everything your body does starts in your mind, this is as true in your everyday life as it is in the learning of karate. That being the case, you need to spend at least as much time getting control of what's going on inside your head, as you do building up a repertoire of physical techniques. If you behave one way in the dojo but differently outside of it, you're not learning karate at all you're just going through the motions.

Being attentive, developing awareness, refining your sense of anticipation, and cultivating humility, are all character traits needed in the learning of karate, for without them (and others), grasping the essence of karate will take you a lot longer than you can imagine.

What you know -v- What you do.

2011-05-29T08:36:00.011+10:00

Students at the Kyudokan dojo, Okinawa, going through a tough junbi-undo session.

In karate it's ok to know stuff, but not if knowledge is all you have. It's more important to have the skill and integrity enabling you to put what knowledge you have in to action; for knowledge of karate without action is of little use. What you do with karate, (what action you take), once you have knowledge of it, is up to you; but here are a few things to think about:

Actions speak louder than words.
Karate training will not develop your true nature, but it will reveal it.
Some people never learn anything because they understand everything too quickly.

So much of karate's spirit has been lost these days in the avalanche of commercialism and the quest for celebrity, that the way is open for people with little or no experience of the Okinawan culture to claim they have great knowledge of karate. I'd like to paraphrase a quote Charles Goodin sensei of Hawaii said in a lecture he gave a few years back, 'To understand karate, it has to be learned through the culture of Okinawa, not just through its techniques.' When I heard this for the first time it became clear, to me, why so many fail to absorb karate beyond kicking and punching. If you base your karate on what you know, you'll forget! If you base your karate on what you do, it will continue to live.

The Taoist philosopher Chuang-Tsu said, "When leaders pursue knowledge but do not follow the way, all who follow them are lost in confusion. Honesty and simplicity are overlooked, and restlessness is admired. Quiet, effortless, action is forgotten and loud quarreling is heard. Such is the nature of the hunger for knowledge; it's noise throws the world in to chaos. Men honour what lies within the sphere of their knowledge, but do not realise how dependent they are on what lies beyond it."

If you, or your teachers, fail to understand what you have in front of you, there is little chance of understanding what lies beyond.

An Old Okinawan Dojo

2011-05-26T18:23:00.004+10:00

This dojo was once used by Bushi from Shuri - notice all the great training equipment!

Not that long ago, karate was something you did outside in the open air. Training was undertaken mostly in private, if not in secret; in out-of-the-way places where the public was less likely to learn of the activity you, and others, were engaged in. Karate was pursued by individuals, as individuals, with the dual aim of improving their chances in a fight, and to discover if they had what it took (in terms of character) to make those improvements.

The dojo as we know it today is a fairly recent addition, to karate training at least, making it's first appearance in the years following the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate. When members of the Samurai class in Japan were forced to earn a living many of them opened "schools" teaching empty-hand fighting methods (jujitsu), and the use of the sword (kendo), to anyone who would pay them. They borrowed the word dojo (place for learning the way) from the Buddhist tradition...it being a room where devotees went to receive religious instruction. As Ryukyu was absorbed more and more into Japan, what happened in Yamoto was soon copied in Okinawa.

At the Shinseidokan, the machiwara and other kigu I use stand outside the dojo, and, I often practise sanchin in the mornings standing outside the dojo. I don't think it's absolutely necessary to train outside, but it is different when you do. Connecting, even in a small way, with the karate of old, is a good way to refresh your resolve to pursue the way of karate with dignity and authenticity.

Dogs, Fleas, and The Company You Keep

2011-05-24T14:47:00.003+10:00

The Tokunoma in the Shinseidokan - 2007

A couple of things my dad used to tell me as I was growing up have come back to me of late; hence the title of this post. The first, 'A man is judged by the company he keeps', and the second, 'If you lie down with dogs, you'll get up with fleas', are but two of the many pearls my dad would deliver at regular intervals throughout my teenage years. Not that I always listened to him as closely as I should have, but here's the funny thing....the older I get, the wiser my dad becomes! Still, do sayings like this have any relevance in the study and practise of karate...?

Well, I think wisdom has many sources, and we can learn from them all; that is, if we are prepared to listen, then think, and then learn. Another little gem my dad used to say was, 'You have two ears and one mouth, so make sure you listen at least twice as much as to speak'. That one, is particularly hard to follow if you're a modern day kuchi bushi, and your life is full of conflict caused by your weapon of choice: the keyboard! But authentic karate folks, I believe, prefer to avoid conflict, and those who follow karate's traditions with sincerity make every effort to do just that. Kuchi bushi on the other hand, can't exist if people refuse to listen. Where an authentic karateka needs no audience to make progress, a kuchi bushi can't live without one.

Over on Glyn Jones sensei's excellent blog recently, he has been speaking on a number of topics that are fast becoming a rarity among those who are trying to pass them selves off as karate teachers these days. Along with a small number of other blogs I read this one often, and look forward to the weekly posts. I don't always agree with everything I read, but I never fail to learn from the thoughts being shared. His two most recent posts have found me nodding in agreement at the sentiments being expressed, and when I compare what he talks about, with the infantile babble of others on the net, I'm glad I have the ability to notice the difference.

If there is any truth at all to the maxim, "A man is judged by the company he keeps" then I am very pleased to be in the (on-line) company of karateka like Jones sensei and others.

Kuchi Bushi...alive and well, and Selling Karate at an Outlet Near You!

2011-05-19T18:01:00.004+10:00

Butoku - Martial Virtue

One of the things I noticed most, travelling to Okinawa regularly over the past 27 years, is the huge difference in character among many long term practitioners of karate. Most of the people I mix with in Okinawa keep the news of their involvement with karate and kobudo to themselves and their immediate family members; whereas in the West, every idiot who can remember how to tie their belt wants to let the world know just how good they are, and for them, the Internet is the perfect outlet.

In the dojo, it's a mistake to assume that just because you don't know something, the guy next to you is also ignorant; this is important in life too. Kuchi Bushi (mouth warriors) share at least one thing in common, their uncanny ability to jump in to a situation they know little or nothing about, and then develop a thousand different excuses' when their stupidity becomes apparent.

The previous post on this blog has upset many people, and from the feedback I'm getting, most of that upset is aimed at me. The assumption that a person is innocent until proven guilty is one I support, but when an admission of guilt has been given then no such assumption applies. I don't suppose any of the Kuchi Bushi out their thought their assumptions about me were as relevant as the perceived assumption I was making about someone else; thinking past the obvious is always too much to ask of mouth warriors.

Show me a kata, show me the bunkai, show me where to kiai, show me what I'm supposed to do next, show me what I'm looking at, show me how to wipe my arse! Kuchi Bushi can help you with all these things; but this blog is not a news service, nor is it a commercial karate class...here you don't get everything handed to you on a plate like a baby. If you don't want to think about what you read here and then form your own opinions (either for or against - I'm happy either way), then don't stop by: stop reading what I have to say.

Remember this one.....
"Virtues before Vice - Values before Vanity - Principles before Personality"
When was the last time you placed any of these before the other?

The Elephant in The Room

2011-05-17T22:26:00.004+10:00

Something came to light last week in the karate world, something so sick it would turn the stomach of any self respecting adult. Amazingly, not a single word has been said about it on the many martial arts forums people seem to spend their lives logging on to these days; the martial arts world has remained as tight lipped as the Vatican.

Still, no harm done hey! Life goes on, the world keeps turning, and after all....there's money to be made, an image to maintain, so let's keep all this to ourselves shall we. After all, what happens in Veges stays in Veges...right!!! Besides, what good will talking about this kind of thing do anyway?

Years ago they said if you played certain Beatles or Rolling Stones records backwards, you could hear the devil talking to you. I came across this clip on YouTube and played it with the sound turned off...and guess what; no...I didn't see the devil....just a guy who, like many other celebrities in karate today, has made a living talking one way, and acting another.

"Karate doesn't develop your true character, it reveals it!"

The One Thing In life That Never Changes - Change its self!

2011-05-07T11:32:00.000+10:00

At work - surrounded by Aikidoka

"So", the guy said, "if you don't teach karate for a living, what do you do?"

A fair question I guess, most people like to get a handle on folks when they meet them. By finding out what I did for a living he would be able to set the status between the two of us and then act accordingly. Of course, the answer arrived at from extrapolating the status of someone you meet for the first time, is effected greatly by your own set of values. If money is your prime measure of wealth and success, then you will project this into you calculations; if it's not your first concern, you may well consider other things, and give more weight to the nature of a person's character for example. I know we humans like to think of ourselves as "special" in terms of evolution and our standing in nature; but as a good psychologist friend of mine says, "We're not much different to dogs really, we still sniff each other's arse when we meet for the first time."

I'm having to make some significant changes in how I live my life this year, you might remember me hinting at this in my final post of 2010. I don't intend to go into details here, but those who know me well will know why. For me life if not a game of Monopoly, my existence is not based on acquisition, or accumulation, but on moving through my existence without causing too much of a problem to others I meet along the way; my youth was fraught with disorder and inbalance, and I paid a heavy price for that. These days, and for many years now, I've had no desire to "sniff arses".

My income is derived solely from writing, and let me tell you, it's a meager and very humbling way to make a living. Like many involved in the arts, I walk an extremely thin line between earning enough income to continue, and falling short of what's needed to carry on. Only a very small percentage of those involved in writing achieve financial security as a result of their work; thus far, unfortunately for me, I'm not one of them.
But I'm working to improve the odds in my favour, and hopefully, in a few months from now, I'll have some good news about that. You may have noticed three of my early books have been removed from the blog, this is in relation to the things I've been talking about here; I hope to have them all back up there before too long; rewritten and enlarged.

I want to thank, sincerely, everyone who has purchased these particular books in the past. If you haven't bought one, but were thinking of doing so, you might want to think about holding off on that for a while. Right now I'm working on an improved second edition of Small Steps Forward, and the new editions of Roaring Silence and Budo Masters will hopefully follow not too long afterwards. All three new editions of my early work will be significantly better then any versions of the books previously availible. Thanks for your patience!

Inside the Shinseidokan

2011-05-01T13:43:00.029+10:00

This is what the inside of the Shinseidokan looks like today

I was asked recently if I could put a few photos up from inside the dojo, ehm?....so I took a couple. Although the camera is not banned from the dojo, it's an infrequent visitor....it gets in the way! Still, I'm going to post a few shots here to give an impression of the space we train in. Of course, the best way to appreciate a dojo, any dojo, is to visit, and if you're really lucky, receive an invitation to train.

A close-up of some of the kigu and weapons we "play" with.

Often neglected by today's karateka are the tools used in Okinawan karate for hundreds of years. The idea of karate training without conditioning the mind and the body for the assault each receives during conflict is, in my opinion, a fatal flaw in the karate of many who have replaced the integrity of personal training, with the dream of being a "martial warrior".

This shot was taken several months ago...did I mention the camera rarely gets inside the dojo? Anyway, it gives a good impression of how the students work; on their own or in pairs. Here they are working with the tan, ishi-sashi, and the kongoken; having completed junbi-undo, hojo undo follows before moving on to the exploration of kata in a variety of ways.

No one is searching for the perfection of technique at the Shinseidokan, just the strength of character to go to the dojo often over a long period of time, and once there, work to the best of their abilities to discover the essence of karate for themselves.

Affiliation...What's "That" All About?

2011-04-27T22:29:00.000+10:00

Kokusaidori, Naha, Okinawa 2007 - Me and one of my affiliates....not!!!!

I've long held the view that karate "associations" are bad for karate...good for business....but bad for karate. Few, if any, remain true to their often stated purpose, the preservation and dissemination of karate; and soon give way to infighting over control and cash flow. I can't think of a single karate association that hasn't followed the same path of growth, simmering discontent, disgusting behaviour, and finally, fragmentation. And yet, the need to affiliate to one, or more, association seems to be as strong now as ever...why is that?

I have no idea why any karate teacher feels the need to be affiliated to a group, or person, on the other side of the planet. Apart from the obvious, and rather childish, issues such as credibility-by-association, why do it? Why form connections that often amount to little more than sending money to people you don't know, people you hardly, if ever, see; are you so insecure in your own karate that you feel a need to hide in the crowd? Where did this idea of remote control in karate come from anyway? I can see what the head guy is getting out of the arrangement....but you!

My sensei never asked me for money. Every time I visited the Jundokan he would explain the training fees involved at the dojo (as if I didn't know), I would put the money in an envelope and leave it in his office. Before the end of my first week he'd always spent at least twice as much buying me meals and making sure I had enough supplies in my room. He never wanted money from me, but I believe he wanted me to understand that nothing comes for free. Our connection was fashioned from something other than cash, more important than money, and more valuable than financial wealth.

I'm sure those who are running a karate business, or a karate club perhaps a few years sooner than they really ought to, will feel a need to affiliate, I did when I was younger and knew no better. But then I came to understand the game being played in the name of karate, and recognised that affiliation was at the very heart of the corruption. The next time you collect affiliation fees from those you teach, you might want to stop and ask your self what they are getting in return for handing over all that money? For many it's nothing more than a certificate and recognition by "the man", neither of which means anything at all to the rest of us.

There's nothing wrong in my book with forming connections, in fact, I'd go so far as to say we need them; but you have to ask yourself what your connections in karate are based on, finance or friendship.

Happy Birthday Mr. Miyagi

2011-04-25T19:34:00.000+10:00

Miyagi Chojun 1888 - 1953

Today, April 25th 2011, marks the 123rd anniversary of the birth of Miyagi Chojun sensei, founder of the Goju-ryu school of karate. When he died, on October 9th, 1953, he had no more than a handful of students training with him in his backyard in Okinawa; today, millions around the world say they are practicing his karate.....but we all know that's a lie!

Karate "styles" (aka: brand name recognition) has always had more to do with commercial marketing than martial arts. When Miyagi sensei was learning karate, I doubt he gave a thought to what "style" he was learning; he was just doing what his teacher, Kanryo Higaonna, told him to do. The karate Miyagi Chojun practiced was heavily influenced by the Chinese martial arts, because that's where his teacher had learnt the bulk of his figthing skills. So, was Miyagi sensei training in karate...or kung-fu?

I'll leave it to others to ponder on such things, my relationship with Miyagi sensei reaches only as far as the techniques and training methods his students inherited when he died. That each of them (at least those who spent a decent amount of time learning from him), developed a slightly different approach to karate, should be of no concern to today's karateka. It's only natural that each generation should re-discover, for themselves, that which their teacher found before them. Therefore, it's unrealistic to expect the student to be a carbon copy of the teacher. The tradition of karate is found in the search and self-discovery, during the learning of your martial art, not the exact reproduction of a fighting art taught to you by an other.

At 8 a.m. this morning I was joined in the dojo by two students. Together we worked our bodies, and practiced our karate with Miyagi sensei in mind. The first two hours we spent walking the Nakasendo, the last two hours in the dojo working on the fighting strategies found in the kata gekisai dai ichi, dai ni, and saifa. The final fifteen minutes was spent repeating sanchin kata. For this time of year, here in Tasmania, the weather was kind, not too cold, and not wet at all...a gift from nature!

To spend a morning in the company of friends, training and thinking about our karate, was also a gift; one left to us by Miyagi Chojun. In return, we took the time to bring his fighting art back to life, as best we could, and in doing so gave a little something back to him....."Happy Birthday Mr. Miyagi!"

What's Real - And What's Not?

2011-04-24T17:17:00.000+10:00

Isn't all karate real?

What does it mean to practise real karate? Well, it means more than turning up and having a kick and punch with your friends. But that's not to say training can't be fun; I think there is a place for levity in the dojo sometimes, to ease the tension that can build when training becomes too intense. Cracking a smile every now and then takes nothing away from serious training among serious karateka.

The above advertisement appeared in the current issue of Blitz Magazine here in Australia, and came as a surprise to me as I had no idea it was going to be in there; still, I'm very happy to see my work receiving such great support and publicity from a Publication I've worked with for many years....Thanks guys! I have to say, I found the choice of words used in the sales "grab" interesting, "Real Power for Real Karate". Wow!....that's a big statement to make when you think about it; the implication is clear, there are forms of karate out there that are not real.

What makes karate "real" in my opinion is the attitude and character of the person practicing it; which kata you study, or what rank you hold, are of little importance, compared to how you conduct yourself in your daily life. Authenticity in karate is not something you can buy, or be graded in, nor can you claim it through the use of a few well articulated words. If your karate lacks reality others know, it's obvious, and if that's the case, it's always because you've failed to put it there.

Who? What? Where? and When?

2011-04-21T12:54:00.002+10:00

Four of the five people I am passing my karate on to...and me!

With so much store set these days by who a person has trained with, what rank they hold, where they've been training, and for how long they have trained...I thought I'd put my thoughts out there on the importance I attache to these matters.....

Who? Well, for me, this is important. The education you receive in karate is effected greatly by the person(s) to who you look to for guidance. While the vast majority of karate teachers today can show you how to kick and punch, a far smaller number are able to go beyond this rather limited skill base, and demonstrate how to grow (mature) as a human being. "Teaching is only showing what's possible - learning is making it possible for yourself." These are not my words, but they capture, so succinctly, the nature of the sensei - deshi relationship.

What? So many karate enthusiasts I come across these days are involved in a form of karate that is clearly different from the kind of karate they think they are involved in. How do I know this? Well...I listen to them speak and then I watch them moving; seldom does one support the other. Learning self-defence while your partner attacks with karate techniques, utilizing bunkai by walking through an entire kata with attackers filling in the gaps to match your movements, and continual sparring in the mistaken belief that you are learning anything at all about fighting.... None of these things contribute much to the education of a karateka, although I'll admit, they can be entertaining!

Where? If I had a $ for every karateka who told me their dream was to one day travel to Okinawa or Japan to train in karate, I'd have more money than you could shake a stick at! While I believe that every karateka would benefit from going to Okinawa or Japan for training, I happen to think it's the things they learn about themselves as they struggle to cope with life in a foreign country, that holds the real value in such a trip. If you have a good sensei to guide you, you're education in karate will be just as good as if you were in Okinawa or Japan. What you do miss out on, training at home, is the cultural lens though which you begin to see karate when you are training in it's homeland.

When? I'm less interested in the views and opinions of those who have trained in karate for only a short time: less then a fifteen years; than those who have trained longer. And, I care little for people who continue to blab on about "When I was training in Japan!" if they haven't been back there since 1978. When you continue to dine out on past exploits, you're karate becomes mighty slim pickings for those unfortunate enough to find themselves having to listen to you. Although the things you have done in the past are to be commended, on any number of levels, it's what you are doing with your karate now that counts in my book. The value, and tradition, of karate is based in the here-and-now....only fairy tails begin with..."Once upon a time..."

Chojun Miyagi's Chi Ishi

2011-04-17T21:51:00.001+10:00

This photograph of Miyagi sensei with students from Naha Commercial High School, was taken in 1942. Standing next to Chojun Miyagi is Koshin Iha (holding a pair of sai). I took my last formal grading test with him in the Jundokan dojo back in 2004. I've always liked this image for a number of reasons, but mostly, because it provides an insight into the tools and weapons used by Miyagi sensei to teach his karate to others. I wonder how many reading this who claim a link to Chojun Miyagi today, actually use tools and weapons similar to those seen here?

Over on Mario Mckenna sensei's excellent blog, Kowakan, the topics of linage and titles in karate are open for discussion. There are folks out there adopting very strange titles, and claiming links to karate's historical figures with nothing to show for it but a list of names on a piece of paper. Did you do know, if you can trace your family back thirty generations, you'll find you are related to absolutely everyone on the planet; a strange but true fact. Put thirty random people in a room and it's highly likely that at least two will share the same birthday; another strange fact. Put your name at one end of a list and some historical figure from karate at the other, and you WILL be able to complete the list....every time! Through a list of names on paper, I can link myself to the founders of the following "styles" of karate: Goju-ryu, Tou'on-ryu, Shorin-ryu (all of 'em), Goju-kai, Shotokan, Shito-ryu, Kyokushin, Wado-ryu, and Shoto-kai. When you think of all the "spin-offs" from these schools of karate, I've got claims on almost every karate style anyone ever dreamed of. Not bad when you think I've only ever trained in two of them.

This Chi Ishi is in the Jundokan dojo, where I train when I'm in Okinawa, and I've worked with it many times over the years. Its the very same tool you can see on the right in the the older photo at the head of the post. Now...when you think of a link like that, and the one with Koshin Iha I mentioned, and the fact my sensei, Eiichi Miyazato, was a senior student of Chojun Miyagi...well, you might think I have a kind of "direct line" back to the founder of goju-ryu....but you'd be wrong! Apart from names on paper, my line goes no further than Eiichi Miyazato sensei.

Would Chojun Miyagi recognise anything of his karate in the training I do today...I don't know, perhaps, maybe? He'd probibly recognise his old Chi Ishi, but apart from that, what would he find familiar about the way I practice karate? To be honest, I'm not sure it matters. Although I try hard to preserve and protect the karate I have received from my teachers, I'm also keenly aware of the obligation I have to develop my karate, and to make it my own. It's an interesting challenge those who are serious about karate face; how to preserve the karate we have inherited, and at the same time, make karate our own.

What Does Tradition Mean To You?

2011-04-12T14:02:00.019+10:00

(Anybody who has bought a do-gi from Shureido in Okinawa over the past few years will be familiar with this image of Daruma. Along with the Kempo Haku -eight laws of the fist- it is given as a free gift with each purchase.)

Daruma, Bodhidarma, whatever you want to call him, is said to have been the founder, and therefore, the first patriarch of Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism in China when he travelled from India to that country in the sixth-century. In Japan his image is widely used in all sorts of ways and for all sorts of reasons, not least of which, in the context of karate, is to illustrate the long history of the "tradition" of our martial art: but is karate really that old? I mean, have people really been doing, for centuries, the same techniques we do today. The answer to that is a big, fat, NO!!!! I've had a short article published on my publisher's web page discussing my thoughts on what the word tradition means to me. You can read it here.

Lessons Learnt

2011-04-06T17:28:00.005+10:00

(This is the new Hombu dojo for the Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinko Kai, in Tomigusuku, Okinawa)

Bearly a year old, the new dojo stands on land that was once an unoccupied block next door to the old dojo. A road widening programme has seen all the buildings on this side of the street being torn down, and replaced by new buildings that are set much further back from the present road. The two story building is in many ways typical of the dojo in Okinawa, where the sensei's family home is located on one level, in this case the ground floor, and the dojo on another. It was great to visit the new Shinbukan dojo, and to practise kobudo there for the first of many occasions.

This trip to Okinawa was a little unusual for me in that I'd arranged to meet up with friends from Spain, the U.K. and Japan, as well as being accompanied by a student from the Shinseidokan. So, when I wasn't training, and I wasn't working, I was hanging out with Western friends. This changed how I spent my free time, and I have to say, because of the particular mix of people in the group, it made my stay a very enjoyable one. Of course, we got to train together too. Unbeknown to my friends Richard, and Sue, I took time to "watch" each of them training. Neither had been in the Judokan for some time and yet both had fond memories of their training with Miyazato sensei, and it was a great pleasure to see them both enjoying their time in his dojo once again.

I never return from Okinawa without learning a lot about karate, and my self. Training once again with, and having my kata corrected by, Seikichi Kinjo sensei, was immensely pleasing. Working through a different kata each night with my sempai at the Jundokan, particularly Masaji Taira sensei, was great fun; to the point where a particular application he did on me had me, literally, rolling on the floor laughing! There was a serious side to the training, of course, but sometimes things just happen and when they did, no one involved thought it inappropriate to laugh. Besides, when Miyazato sensei wasn't encouraging me, he often laughed at my karate.

I was reminded once again, that there are people in Okinawa who really do want to help you if they can, and their are others who only want to impress you with "their skill". There are sensei of great value who have no dojo of their own, but who continue, on a daily basis, to visit the dojo they have trained in for decades. I was also reminded that regardless of what race or gender you are, karate has a way of revealing your true nature; laziness can be spotted quite easily, even from behind a vial of sweat. This trip to Okinawa was, like all my previous trips, an investment worth the effort, a reminder to stay true to my beliefs, and an opportunity to spend time in the company of some truly excellent karate-ka.

Work and Pleasure: Part Four

2011-04-03T09:53:00.011+10:00

(Minoru Higa sensei, kancho of the Kyudokan Shorin-ryu karate dojo in Tsuboya, Okinawa)

Minoru Higa sensei, or "Kancho" as his students call him, is an impressive karate-ka who comes from a family of impressive karate-ka. Perhaps the best known of them was his uncle, the late Yuchoku Higa sensei, the man who founded the Kyudokan dojo and who's work Higa kancho works so hard each day to continue. My visit to the Kyudokan was cut short due to a last-minute change in my schedule which required me to be in two places at the same time, I'm good, but I'm not that good! So, in order to make my third appointment that day, I had to leave the Kyudokan early.

My original schedule left me free that evening, allowing me to accept Higa sensei's invitation to train in the normal class after the interview was over, but now I could do little else but take photos and soak up as much of the atmosphere as possible before dashing off into the night...I was very disappointed! It was my first meeting with Minoru Higa sensei, and I was immediately impressed by the man. His eyes sparkled and he moved around with such ease that it was hard to believe he is seventy-years old. Oh man...when I hear karate-ka back home in their 30's and 40's crowing on about being "old", I have to shake my head; they really have no idea....no idea at all.

My interview with Higa sensei was secured with the help of Miguel Da Luz who introduced me to Makiko Midorikawa (Maki-san), a student at the Kyudokan who, along with another student, was very helpful. Together, they assisted as interpreters, allowing me to converse with Higa sensei and get his thoughts and opinions on many aspects of karate training. This was the last of the four Shorin-ryu dojo I had arranged to visit, and the oldest. There is an atmosphere in the older dojo that, for me at least, gives me a kind of 'buzz' I don't get when I visit newer dojo. Perhaps it's the amount of sweat, and even blood, shed on the dojo floor that bring back echoes of the struggles from so long ago...who knows? Whatever it is, I love these places.

Higa sensei was a perfect host, softly spoken and enthusiastic to share his karate. Watching the first twenty-minutes or so of training before I had to dash, I was really impressed by his stamina and that of the students. My photographic skills failed miserably to catch the energy present in the dojo that night, so you'll have to take my word for it, but this was 'old-school' karate training at its very best. No fancy combinations and no over long explanations, just hard work and plenty of sweat!

Top Ten Books on Amazon

2011-03-31T23:35:00.006+11:00

Well...I never thought for a moment, when I sat down to write it, that my book on Hojo Undo would do quite as well as it has. I've just been informed that I'm the third best selling author of karate books on Amazon right now. Denied first place by none other than Gichin Funakoshi sensei, with books occupying the first four positions; and, Hirokazu Kanazawa sensei, whose book pips mine at the post to claim second place, I find myself in the company of giants.

Due to my recently acquired stature as a great writerer, I've decided to charge a small fee for people to talk to me from now on, with an extra charge if they wish to be photographed in my presence. I think it only fair, now that I can walk on water, that there be an appropriate amount of respect shown to me at all times; after all, I is really good, and me book proves it. Of course, none of this will effect my natural sense of humility!

A deeply sincere "Thank you!" to everyone who has supported my work.....

Work and Pleasure: Part Three

2011-03-27T06:50:00.017+11:00

(Sokuichi Gibu sensei, 10th dan Shorin-ryu, teaching kata at his dojo, the Butokukan, in Urasoe, Okinawa.)

I have a small confession to make, I never took the shot you're looking at here; in fact, I never got a chance to take any photos when I met with Gibu sensei and his son, Makoto-san, over coffee and cake at the Pacific Hotel in Naha. Time, and scheduling, were working against me on this one, but, I could either grab the opportunity to meet with Gibu sensei over coffee while I had the chance, or miss being able to meet with him at all on this trip.

Gibu sensei is a tireless worker, even by Japanese standards, he simply never stops. My Japanese (Nihon-go) is abysmal, and Gibu sensei doesn't speak English, so once again I was relying heavily on Miguel Da Luz to act as translator. Miguel was as enthusiastic as ever to help out, and I can't thank him enough for his assistance on this and many other occasions. So, with all four of us sitting around a low table, replete with cakes and drinks, I entered into conversation with Gibu sensei. His comments were thoughtful and honest, and laced with humour, something I wasn't really expecting, as Gibu sensei has a rather stern look about him; but his sense of humour was never far from the surface and came bubbling through many times.

We touched on many topics during the short time we spent together, a little over an hour, but I came away from the meeting knowing I'd like to spend more time with him. Next time I'm in Okinawa I hope to visit the Butokukan dojo in Urasoe, perhaps now that we've met, Gibu sensei will be gracious enough to let me. During our conversation I asked him about his desire to keep the kata he preserved at the Butokukan intact, as passed on to him by his teacher, Shugoro Nakazato sensei. He said it was important to him to do this without adding to the kata, or letting things slip away. A simple enough task to accomplish, you might think, but I know from personal experience that time, laziness, over-enthusiasm, pride, and a whole host of other things, can nibble away at the edges of your karate, and before you know it, you're looking at something based on an entirely different set of principles from the kata you started out with.

With affiliated dojo in Okinawa, America, Argentina, and South Africa, the Butokukan is an established hub for Okinawan budo culture; and in Sokuichi Gibu sensei, his students have a teacher of great warmth and enormous integrity.

Finding Your Own Way Forward...

2011-03-25T14:52:00.006+11:00

(Mitch Turner standing alongside Akihito Yagi sensei in the Meibukan dojo, Kume, Okinawa. For Mitch, a big fan of the karate movie Kuro Obi [Black Belt], meeting one of it's stars was very cool.)

A little over three years ago Mitch arrived at the Shinseidokan hoping to learn karate. It was something he had wanted to do for some time but, until then, never had the opportunity to set enough time aside to commit to regular training. His friend was already training at the dojo, and this was how he arrived at my door.

It's not easy to gain entry to the Shinseidokan, in fact, it's no longer possible unless you already have a dan rank issued by someone I respect. I'm no longer interested in "teaching karate" to people, although I remain committed to helping those who are able to help themselves. Mitch is able to do this, and he does it all the time. He's got some way to go yet before he's able to stand on his own two feet completely, but I'm already fast approaching a time when I'll have nothing left to show him. Two or three years from now and I'll have shared with him the entire stable of kata found in Okinawan goju-ryu, and shortly after that, he'll be on his own. Of course we'll still come together from time to time for training, but when we do, I'll be expecting him to show me what he's discovered for himself, not what he's remembered from me!

During my recent trip to Okinawa Mitch came with me. It was a steep learning curve for him and a time of many 'firsts'. His first time outside Australia, first time on a long-haul flight, and his first time in Okinawa, but, it was not the first time he had gone to the dojo to train him self in karate. As a result, he knew exactly how to conduct himself with good manners, and how to motivate himself when training. Because of this, I received many favorable comments about him from my friends and my seniors at the Jundokan. I was happy for Mitch, because I know he's on the right track. He won't always be walking behind me though.....actually, the sooner he's not, the better!

Everyday Training - Training Every Day

2011-03-21T11:12:00.005+11:00

(My friend Sunagawa-san helps a young student find a feeling for sanchin, at the Jundokan dojo in Okinawa recently)

There is a myth in some karate circles that karate training will somehow develop your character, make you a better person where once you were a jerk....it's not true! Karate won't bring anything to your character that isn't already there. I've made this point before, karate reveals you character, it doesn't develop it.

There is no esoteric, Zen based, secret to getting the most value out of your karate practice, the real secret is there before you already, in plain view for you to see...make karate training a part of your everyday life, by finding the time to train every day.

Do this, and your karate and life will no longer have a gap separating them from each other. You will also take one step closer to the mindset prevalent in Okinawa, and if you can do that, you have a real chance of finding something special.

Work and Pleasure: Part Two

2011-03-19T08:08:00.011+11:00

(Zenpo Shimabukuro sensei of the Seibukan Shorin-ryu dojo in Chatan, Okinawa. A gracious host and powerful karateka.)

Monday the 28th of February was a wonderful day for me. In the morning I trained alongside my friends for almost three hours with Seikichi Kinjo sensei, a student of Chojun Miyagi, and enjoyed a great lunch with them afterwards. Then in the late afternoon I took a bus ride north to Chatan with my closest friend, Richard Barrett, to meet a man I had known of for over 30 years, but only ever seen once: Zenpo Shimabukuro. The demonstration of kata and applications I watched him perform back in 2006 left me in no doubt as to the power of the man and his karate.

The Seibukan dojo stands in a small side street just a short walk from Route 58, and the close proximity of the Futenma and Kadena U.S. military bases ensures a steady trickle of Americans come knocking on his door. On the evening of my visit I saw one young American boy signing up for his first lesson. He removed his purple belt and wrapped a white belt around him before joining the class. It was gesture of humility, or innocence perhaps, nevertheless, it was nice to see. Shimabukuro sensei told me he often has visitors to his dojo who assume they can just step onto the dojo floor for the first time and maintain whatever status they have back home. When this happens, he is quick to explain this isn't going to happen. When asked by one forthright visitor how much it would cost him to get his black belt at the Seibukan, Shimabukuro sensei replied..."Too much!"

As we talked the dojo began to fill with children, ready for the early evening class that proceeds the adult training. One young lad whose attention had wandered during kihon practice, received a sharp kick up the backside from Shimabukuro sensei and a stern rebuke. Again, it was refreshing to see, as so many dojo in the West these days resemble a kindergarten rather than a place for the learning of martial virtue. "They have to learn discipline!" Shimabukuro sensei said as he sat back down....amen to that!

Everyone's An Expert......

2011-03-17T11:34:00.016+11:00

(This shot was taken a couple of weeks ago, at the Okinawan Budokan, after training, when my friends and I were fortunate enough to reconnect with a student of Chojun Miyagi, Seikichi Kinjo sensei. I had not met nor trained with Kinjo sensei for six years, not since he stopped training at the Jundokan, so I was delighted to have the chance to do both again during this visit. An opportunity that, like so many things in life, came about by being in the right place at the right time.)

(This shot of Chojun Miyagi sensei surrounded by his students was taken in 1948. Behind his right shoulder stands my sensei, Eichii Miyazato, directly behind him Meitoku Yagi, and to his left, Seikichi Toguchi, Eiko Miyazato, and Seikichi Kinjo)

It is no longer possible to stand before many of the people we in karate look to for inspiration; the founders of various schools have all gone, passed into history. In many cases it is no longer even possible to connect with "first-generation" students; people who were there at the start, when what we are doing today was in it's infancy. But occasionally, if we are luckier than a lottery winner, we get an opportunity to do just that; to spend time in the company of someone who learned and practised their karate in an age before international affiliates and sports minded folks took karate from the dignified art it was on Okinawa, and prostituted it in the name of so-called progress.

During my recent trip to Okinawa I was fortunate to meet with Seikichi Kinjo sensei once again. Along with my friends, I shared a wonderful evening of hospitality and gentle conversation with this humble and extremely generous man, and with enormous gratitude, accepted his invitation to train with him the following morning. During the evening at his home, sitting around the kitchen table, and again the following day at the Okinawan Budokan where my friends and I met him for training, Kinjo sensei's humility shone like a beam of light on a dark night. It was, for me, a slightly intoxicating experience, for my magazine work brings into contact with ego's the size of Texas on an almost daily basis. To be back in the company of someone who learnt his karate from the man who's training system I have spent a large part of my life trying to understand, was heady stuff. When he grasped my arm to correct my technique, or pulled my shoulder to straighten my back, I was but one touch away from Chojun Miyagi.

These days, magazines, books, and the Internet, are full of "expert" commentary on Okinawan karate, a large part of it being put forward by individuals who have never set foot on the island, and who readily confuse the information they discover in the writings of others, for the understanding that comes as a result of personal, physical, experience, and, mistakenly, give them equal value. Well, this may be ok for the masses, the sheep who like to follow along behind the ram, bleating as they go. But, it was never how karate training used to be....

History Laid Out Before Us

2011-03-15T19:54:00.005+11:00

(Tetsuhiro Hokama sensei conducting one of the many informal lectures he delivered during our day-long tour of important karate related sites around Southern Okinawa. Here, we're visiting the tomb of Chomo Hanashiro sensei, the first sensei to change the name of his fighting art, from todi, China hand, to the now universally familiar karate, Empty hand)

One of the things that often strikes me most when I meet "traditional" karateka, is just how little they know about their "tradition". For the most part, those who know a bit more than nothing, can quote a few names and perhaps the odd date or two; but usually, people seem to know little other than the information handed down within the particular association they are affiliated with. Given that almost all martial arts associations are set up in order to financially reward the guy(s) running them, what most people know about karate's history, is what the businessmen at the top of the pile want them to know.

But what good is history anyway? Well, it has it's place, it gives structure and order to what you are doing now, today. It provides direction, inspiration, and above all, a sense of belonging. And, make no mistake about it belonging is important; we humans are hard-wired to want to belong....it's in our very D.N.A. This pre-programming is what some enterprising folks in the martial arts tap into, and why so many in the martial arts are willing to follow along behind, instead of forging on ahead as the tenets of budo oblige us to do. As I've said elsewhere, the longer you hold your teacher's hand, the more he will treat you like a child!

Knowing who played a role in the guardianship of karate long before you were born, helps you realise the role you are playing (or not) today. Are you preserving and protecting the tradition you advertise in your promotional literature, or are you simply mouthing platitudes in the knowledge that most people would sooner take your word for it, the easier option to investigating karate for themselves. In 37 years, I've yet to meet a single person who makes their living teaching karate, who teaches karate.

Hokama sensei is a knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide, and the day my friends and I spent with him was a real eye-opener for me on many levels.

Work and Pleasure: Part One

2011-03-14T20:42:00.015+11:00

(Yasuhiro Uema sensei of the Shubukan dojo in Shuri. On this trip, he was the first of four senior Shorin-ryu sensei I visited to conduct research into Okinawan karate)

Perhaps best known in the West through the highly inspirational D.V.D. "Okinawan Karate - Indomitable" Uema sensei leads a small number of dojo within Okinawa under the banner of the 'Okinawan Shorin-ryu Karatedo Kyokai Shubukan'. With affiliates in France, Canada, Spain, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic, the international following may be small but from what I saw, very enthusiastic.

I found Uema sensei to be a calm and welcoming host when I visited his dojo one Saturday morning. Climbing the stairs on the outside of the building led me around a sharp right turn and placed me directly in front of the open dojo door. Inside Uema sensei was instructing two visiting French-Canadians, Roland Raymond and Bernard Lacerte, in kata. He took a lot of time correcting their form and introducing them to the basic bunkai associated with various techniques that came up throughout the kata.

Not for the first time during my research in Okinawa, I was very grateful for the help provided by Miguel Da Luz, a long time resident of Okinawa and the editor of the much respected "The Okinawan" magazine, and, "Okinawa Karate News". Even before I left home, I'd spent many weeks corresponding with Miguel in order to gain a number of introductions to the particular sensei I was interested in talking to. As a Goju-ryu karateka, I've had little contact with Shorin-ryu sensei in Okinawa, the notable exception to this being my numerous visits since 1992 to the Kodokan dojo of the late Shoshin Nagamine sensei, which is now run by his son Takayoshi.

After a while, Uema sensei left his visitors to practise on their own and, along with Miguel, the three of us sat in a corner of the dojo and began discussing karate. Among the things I was most interested in was the Shubukan dojo's preservation of a particular kata not practised, as far as I'm aware, in any other school of Shorin-ryu: Nunfa. My suggestion that the kata may also be known by the name Hanashiro no Kururunfa, brought an instantly recognisable response, and I didn't have to be fluent in Japanese to understand his reply. When Miguel translated Uema sensei's answer it was clear he thought the alternative name was, at best, ridiculous!

Still, he confirmed that the kata was practised in his dojo, although, the information he gave about the origin of the kata was not what I was expecting; but then, I was to encounter a number of 'unusual' comments from the Shorin-ryu sensei I would visit over the next few days.

When Nature Speaks...We Have To Listen

2011-03-12T10:44:00.009+11:00

(Lake Takapo at the foot of the valley leading up towards New Zealand's Highest peak, Mt Cook, which is just off the frame at bottom right of the photo)

Only six months ago the south Island of New Zealand was rocked by an earthquake that badly shook the city of Christchurch. Buildings toppled, and trees fell over, but no one was seriously hurt. A month later my wife and I were in the city to catch our flight home after two weeks of travelling along the East coast. As we prepared to leave our lodgings for the airport we heard a rumble and felt the "rolling" sensation often attributed to earthquakes....we were relieved to be leaving! The quake that hit the city late last month, the same day I left home for Okinawa, did even more damage, and this time, also claimed many lives.

(Kyoto, central Japan. My wife, Kathy, collects drinking water at a Buddhist temple with our friend, Misa and her children)

Although a long way from the present disaster unfolding along the east coast of Japan, my one-time student, and long time friend Misa and her family know only too well the horror that comes when a "Big One" hits; they lived in Kyoto when it was hammered not so very long ago by the earthquake that centered on nearby Kobe, and I have photos of their street and apartment building....or what was left of it!

In both countries now suffering from the effects of the planet doing what it does naturally I have friends I hold dear. I'm thankful none have been hurt in either event, and my heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones, or been injured, as it does to those who's lives have been devastated in other ways. No doubt god will be given credit for saving those who get out alive, so, perhaps it was the devil who caused the earthquakes? Time I think to face up to fact that we humans are not "the" pinnacle of evolution, there is no benevolent alien looking out for us, and when nature speaks we have no choice but to listen.

I don't pray, but I do conduct interviews, and if god were sitting in front of me now I'd ask her, straight out,...."What the hell was all that about?

Lost In Translation

2011-03-10T22:47:00.002+11:00

(I know it's a poor shot, but it illustrates a very common problem encountered in the learning of karate)

I was walking back to Tomari, along route 58 when I came across this sign at the entrance to a parking garage. I was struck by the translation, and how it was so close and yet still incorrect. It got me thinking about the way karate is transmitted from one generation to the next these days...often close, but often incorrect.

Ok....so before I go any further I'm not implying that there is only one correct way of transmitting karate to those who follow. What I'm talking about here is more about the things that go missing, get left out, or completely forgotten altogether. I'm not even talking about kata or individual techniques. I'm talking more about character traits that these days seem to slip away from people's karate practice as easily as the steam rising from your morning cup of tea. Can you really leave things out of your karate practice and still maintain the tradition you believe you are a part of....I'm not sure?

I was reminded of a story I heard many years ago about "Taking the tiger out of the forest". At first this seems like a good idea, it certainly makes the forest a safer place to live and work in. But, with the tiger gone the animals it once preyed on, like the deer and other plant eaters, are free to live longer and propagate more often. Their larger population soon puts an intolerable strain on the forest, and the forest begins to die. Because of the shortage of food, the deer and other animals also begin to die. With the plants and animals now in danger of dying out altogether, the human population also suffers...less food and fewer resources with which to build shelter....and all because the tiger was taken out of the forest!

I wondered, as I walked along busy route 58 towards Tomari..."How much of the karate I've learnt from my teachers has been lost to others by my inability to pass it on correctly?"

Paying Our Respects.

2011-03-09T12:27:00.006+11:00

(My closest friend, Richard Barrett, and me, at the tomb of our teacher, Eiichi Miyazato sensei in Tomigusuku, Okinawa, last week)

I've heard it said, indeed I often say it myself, that the tradition of karate must be living and even evolving, if it is to maintain any relevance to each successive generation. To "snap-freeze" techniques or kata in the form they were practised a hundred years ago is, for me at least, a mistake. I believe the physicality of karate changes according to the times and the people training in it; my mood in the dojo is not the same as the mood I'd adopt if confronted on the street, and as the body follows the brain, so too would my physical response to dealing with a confrontation change from the methods used in the dojo. In one situation I have no desire to hurt my opponent, in the other, hurting him/them would be the name of the game.

The physical training aside, what else is there about traditional karate training that you need to hold on to and transmit to those who follow? For me, the answer to this is found in the character of the individual karateka. Having good physical skills, backed up with equal amounts of humility and good manners, is what separates the karate traditionalist from the "karate-guy", the guy who never learns much, because he knows everything already. The guy who thinks it's the colour of the belt that gives him legitimacy, that rank will somehow bestow respect and knowledge, and who talks more than he listens. Sad, but true, there are many self-proclaimed "traditionalist" folk who think this way, I know, I've met a lot of them.

When I was accepted into the Jundokan dojo as a student of Miyazato sensei, it was without fuss or fanfare. At the end of my first visit, just before returning home to Australia, he called me into his office and asked me what my intentions for karate were once I left Okinawa. I can't remember my answer now, but it must have satisfied him, for he asked me to look after myself, train as often as possible, and come back to the Jundokan whenever I liked. Since then I've made a point of doing all of these things. Miyazato sensei hasn't been in the dojo for almost twelve years now, he passed away in December 1999, but I have continued to return regularly to practise my karate in his dojo, I continue to look after myself by avoiding the problems caused by having expectations in life that are far greater then my ability to fulfill them, and I continue to train in karate often.

Having the opportunity to stand before my teachers grave once again and silently thank him for his guidance and instruction, was made all the more poignant for me this time round, because I was in the company of my closest friend, Richard Barrett, the man who introduced me to my final sensei.

Making an Investment

2011-02-20T23:21:00.007+11:00

(The entrance to the Shinseidokan at night: note the shisa standing guard, and the full moon in the distance)

When you enter a dojo and begin training for the first time, it can be said you are making an investment: in yourself. For whether you appreciate it at the time or not, what you "put in" to your training, even on day one, will either enrich your life, or leave it impoverished.

If you're the kind of person who delegates responsibility for the negativity you encounter to others, karate training is just going to provide another reason to whinge about the unfairness of life. This new and extra layer of negativity only serves to impoverish your experience of living and training, to diminish your whole existence, to lay you low and leave you there.

If, on the other hand, you take the experience of training in the dojo as an investment in your future life, over time, you will begin to find your life, and your time in the dojo, is a far more rewarding experience than you could have imagined. It's not by accident that those who can put a positive spin on events, can also manage the crap better when it inevitably lands in their lap. For good or ill, the life you have is the only one you've got, or ever will have, so make the best of it, and, if you're not already, make sure you take the time to invest in your existence.

For the next couple of weeks I'll be making an investment in my karate, and my life. I'll see you when I'm through.

More Food for your Brain

2011-02-17T21:51:00.005+11:00

I've pointed towards a number of books before, and I'm doing it again here: why? Because I'm always saddened by the amount of karateka who put all their efforts into the physical aspects of karate training, and do little if anything to work their brains. Apart from the occasional magazine article -usually about something they happen to agree with- many karateka never read about the subject matter they are involved with...weired or what? I mean, how do you expect to attain a balanced outlook on life, or karate, if you restrict yourself only to those practices and points of view that support your own?

These two books are related, although the connection might not be so obvious at first glance. As well as dealing with aspects of karate other than the physical techniques, the authors are student and sensei at the same dojo. Both are serious about their karate and their beliefs and both are authentic in the way they go about discussing them in their respective tomes.

I've only had the pleasure of reading a draft version of each of these books, but it won't be long before I have a published copy of each on my shelf, for there is something immensely pleasing and reassuringly tactile about a book sitting, open, on your lap. The larger book stores may be in financial difficulty right now, kindle may be on the rise, and the tide of the electronic age rolling steadily in; but for me and many others nothing will ever replace a real-live book.

Training feeds the body, reading feeds the brain, get the balance wrong and you may end up walking a very different path to the one you thought your were on.

The Old - The New...It's just a Matter of Time

2011-02-12T22:29:00.003+11:00

There is an ongoing conversation (that's putting it nicely) among karate folks regarding the value of the "traditional" way of doing things, verses the modern approach. While I am a big believer in the former, I concede there is plenty of room for the latter.....to each his own!

I came across this great video of Okinawan music illustrating, not only the old giving way to the new, but how the new relies upon the old for inspiration. This is not unlike the situation in karate. Tradition, in my opinion, is of little value unless it is a living tradition that brings value to the lives of each successive generation that taps into it. On the other hand, modernists often forget the debt they owe those who have gone before them: a balanced outlook is the key here I think

Anyway, take a look at the clip and see what you think. Like the last clip I posted, you should click on to full screen and turn up the volume....but make sure your neighbours are out first and the baby's not asleep.

I particularly love the way the jets screaming in overhead, do so right on cue....brilliant!!!

News about my New Book.

2011-02-05T06:58:00.006+11:00

(After a year and a half of hard work and, at times, long hours and late nights, I'd like to present my latest book...well, an image of it anyway)

Shin Gi Tai: Karate Training for Body, Mind, and Spirit - published by YMAA Publishing, is set for release in September this year (2011), and it's what I would call, a karate book for adults. You won't find any of karate's 100 deadliest techniques, nor chapters on the correct way to practise your kata either; but what you will find is an opportunity to think about your own relationship with karate and a chance to sit and ponder the value that relationship has had, is having now, and can have in the future.

As with my previous books, I make no claims of superiority on behalf of the karate I happen to practise. Actually, I make a point of dismissing the notion of "styles" within karate altogether, and argue that such thinking, along with a few other misguided ideas, have played a significant role in the dumbing-down of karate to the point where, I argue, the majority of people teaching karate today no longer understand it, and have few skills past being able to kick and punch. With the focus of many people's efforts squarely on the gaining of rank within a particular organization these days, is it any wonder there has been a quantum shift in the type of training involved in the learning of karate, and the type of people who are attracted to it.

It's not all about thinking though, for karate without action is not karate at all; so the book also deals with common (to karate) fighting strategies and looks at a few of the training drills practised at the Shinseidokan. As far as kata is concerned, I've picked one - gekisai dai ichi - to illustrate the various ways kata can be studied, but you won't find any photos of the kata being performed in thin-air, or advice from me on how the physical movement should be performed. For me, thin-air training is what you do when you have nothing, or no one, to work with, or for the sheer enjoyment of it. Spending years of your life moving around in thin-air won't bring your any closer to understanding a kata then the day you first committed the pattern to memory.

Like I said...it's a karate book for adults!

I'll post more information as the publication date draws closer.

Full Screen with the Sound Up High!

2011-02-04T13:42:00.002+11:00

For those who have never been, and for those who have, here's something to (hopefully) evoke your thoughts and senses. There are a few video clips like this on the net, but I like this one the best.

I'll be looking at this view again, for real, in a couple of weeks....can't wait!

I Think...Therefore, I Am

2011-02-02T21:42:00.003+11:00

(Another great image sent to me by my friend Walt in Melbourne.)

When I first saw this image I spoke out loud.."What!", this had to be a joke...right? I mean, who in their right mind these days would refer to women as "Chicks"? Ok...put your hand down....you should be ashamed of yourself; women are no more "chicks" than you are a "cock", although you're probably a "prick!". Besides, where do you get off referring to more than half the worlds population in such a derogatory way. Don't tell me it's because you're male. Let me remind you of something Mr...It takes more than a bunch of chromosomes to make you a man.

When you put your gi on prior to training you are, in one sense, the same as everyone else in the dojo, male or female; you're there to practice. The dojo is no place for displays of masculine bravado, nor is it a proving ground for feminists with a point to make; it is a place to engage in the task at hand: karate. If you believe some philosophers, you are what you think; so perhaps, if you see women as "chicks", you need to be more attentive to the way you think of those you share the dojo, and the planet with.

Have I lost my sense of humour? No...I don't think so, this kind of thing has never been funny!

What "Style" Do You Practice?

2011-01-31T10:21:00.004+11:00

(Chojun Miyagi overseeing his students as they pose for a photograph, they are from L - R: Meitoku Yagi, Eiichi Miyazato, Seikichi Toguchi, and Eiko Miyazato)

I'm not sure what it was like in times gone by, but today, we like to have a name for everything!

It's not enough to simple practice karate, you have to have a name for the kind of karate you're doing. I wonder sometimes if this hasn't got more to do with acquiring an assumed level of prestige than anything else: maybe?

If you look at the photo above you can see (in the first three students) the founders of the Meibukan, the Jundokan, and the Shoreikan. Only Eiko Miyazato, as far as I know, didn't go on to establish a dojo which later grew into a world wide organization. Here they are all doing the same karate, under the watchful eye of the same teacher, and yet today, each of the three groups I've just mentioned have a very different approach to "goju-ryu". I train at the Jundokan, but, I have often visited the Meibukan to pay my respects to Meitoku Yagi's eldest son, Meitatsu Yagi sensei. The training I do and the training I've seen at the Meibukan are very different...so which style of goju-ryu is authentic to Miyagi sensei's teaching?

The answer, as far as I'm concerned is....NEITHER!

That's because I don't believe there is "one" correct way to execute the techniques of karate, and just because many people use the name Goju-ryu for the karate they do, it doesn't mean it is anything like the karate of Chojun Miyagi. In fact, I would go so far as to suggest that there isn't a person alive today who is practicing their karate in exactly the same way Miyagi sensei did it; and why should they?

The "tradition" of traditional karate is not found in repeating moves exactly as others have done in the past, but in the way you apply yourself, today, to the karate that you practice. I think it's about time we all stopped relying on what others once did, and, with all due humility, openly admit that the karate we do is 'our' karate. Of course, once we do that we have to take responsibility for what we're doing. No more excuses like, "This is how we do it in our style", or, "This is how our association does it." You have to understand why "you" do what you do, and if you don't, then perhaps you need to train more, and teach less.

Recently I've had two visitors to the Shinseidokan, they came a week apart and both practice goju-ryu, but neither of them practiced their karate anything like the way I do. What often strikes me most about the people who visit is not the physical difference in their karate, but their mentality, their thinking behind what they do. I'm frequently amazed at the difference between what people do, and what they think they are doing.

My Own Little Nakasendo - Final Instalment

2011-01-25T22:42:00.014+11:00

With the last of the major challenges now behind me I still have a little over 4km (almost 2.5 miles) to go. At this stage, even the gentle hills I have to climb seem much steeper than they actually are. It takes me a while to bring my breathing and my heart rate down, and my pace is slower here...but I don't stop!

This is the last of the uneven trails too. For much of this walk I've hiked along fire trails put in by the Parks Dept so fire trucks can gain access during the bush-fire season. Like many other parts of the world, Australia suffers each Summer from fires that very quickly, can and do, turn deadly.

This is where the trail meets the sealed road, from here the surface is smoother and easier to walk on, but the same amount of effort is required to keep moving forward.

I'm about thirty-five minutes away from home now, and the wide open road gives me time to think about the rest of my day; after my shower, breakfast, and the long, cool, drink that awaits me.

The sign gives a clue to why I'm able to relax when I reach the wide open road at this part of the walk. Tasmania is home to several of the worlds deadliest snakes and spiders, a bite from any of which can render you in serious trouble (dead), very quickly! Many sections of the walk are prime habitat for these creatures, not to mention blood-sucking ticks and leaches. So far I've managed to avoid any serious encounter, although I've had leaches attach themselves to my legs a number of times. I'm all for live-and-let-live, but it's a hard principle to adhere to when some pesky critter is dinning out on your blood.

Why the "Nakasendo" ? Well...in olden times in Japan there were a number of roads that connected the major cities, perhaps the best known of these being the southern coastal route: the Tokaido. The Nakasendo, ran roughly parallel to the Tokaido, but cut through the mountainous center of Japan, and it was along this road that the last great battle between samurai took place: at the crossroads of Sekigahara.

My own little Nakasendo (middle path) takes me over a series of hills and along a steep river gorge, through deeply wooded paths, and on wide open roads; and each time I find myself at the bottom of the Penstock Ladder, I know I have one hell of a battle on my hands. Where Ieyasu Tokugawa was fighting to become the undisputed ruler of Japan at Sekigahara, I'm only fighting to get home for breakfast. Nevertheless, I reckon my needs are every bit as relevant to me as Tokugawa's were to him. Besides, he may have won control of Japan, but I doubt he ever knew the ecstasy of eating a bacon sandwich as good as those my wife makes.

This sign marks the end of my journey through the Cataract Gorge, and Trevallyn Nature reserves, I'm about ten minutes from home at this point, and for the first time I'm walking past manicured lawns and gardens belonging to homes that border the entrance to the reserve.

The walk is more than just exercise for me, it's a metaphor for karate, indeed, for life its self. I set off fresh and ready to tackle what comes my way. Sometimes the way ahead is easy, sometimes it's not. The journey lifts me to great heights, but it also brings me down too; and all the time I remind myself of the path I am on, and why I am walking it. I accept the easy parts of the walk, when I have time to observe and enjoy the nature I'm surrounded by, but I also accept the more difficult passages, when my heart is pounding and my lungs seem set to burst; for I can't make progress if do otherwise.

In the end, my journey brings me back to where I began, but I'm different now, exhausted certainly, but more than that, I am reminded of who I am and why I choose to live as I do. Each time I leave the dojo to walk the path, it re-enforces why karate is an intimate part of who I am. Apart from the Penstock Ladder and the middle section of the Zig-Zag steps, I once ran where I now walk, but for that I payed a price, a knee joint that no longer works as nature intended it to. However, As I approach my 56th birthday and my 37th consecutive year of karate training, I figure I'm in a better place then many others my age.

When I started karate training in January 1974, it took me a while to figure out who I was learning to fight, but once I began to take notice, I believe I also began to make some progress.

My Own Little Nakasendo Pt4

2011-01-25T22:24:00.020+11:00

From this point on I'm getting closer to home with each step forward (and upward). Apart from the switch-back nature of the trail as it snakes it's way along the valley, almost all the down hill is behind me now. From here the majority of my efforts will be made getting my body up to the same level I started on over an hour ago: it's not going to be easy.

Just before Christmas (2010) a rock-fall took out the first one third of this bridge, and for a while my walk was diverted along a different track. Like life, events happen that cause us to alter our path, but we should never loose sight of where we're going. The alternative route I took added an extra half-hour to my walk, but I considered this a small hardship. To have the time and the good health to do what I do, is always more than enough compensation for any diversion life might place in front of me.

Looking at the point where the old and new sections of the bridge come together, brought to mind the words of Gichin Funakoshi..."The old, the new, this is a matter of time."

You have to duck your head and pass through quickly here. The boulder hanging in the air is heavy and stuck fast between the two rocks....but you just never know when that might change!

Off in the distance a thin, pale, line cuts horizontaly across the gorge high above the river. This is the second suspension bridge I encounter on my walk, but the only one I cross. I still have a way to go to reach it though, for the track meanders even more than the river does, and on top of that, continues to drop and climb like a roller-coaster.

The Duck Reach Power Station is the reason Launceston was one of the fist cities anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere to have electric street lighting throughout the city. Electric powered trams too rattled along it's streets when many other cities around the world were still relying on horses to pull their public transport. What you see here however is a replica built to the original plans on the same site as the first power station. Unfortunately that, along with the bridge, was swept away in a massive flood several decades ago.

Having crossed the bridge I now face the biggest challenge on my weekly ramble: the Penstock Ladder. A steep set of steps have brought me level with the roof at the rear of the Power Station on the left. In the heat of the morning the pine trees release a strong, and distinctive, perfume. Once again, my mind turns to co-ordinating my breathing with my movement, something I also work hard to do in my karate. A series of twelve cruelly steep staircases stand between me and the summit; each is separated by a rugged path that is no less unforgiving on the legs and lungs. This is a serious hill, and it has to be approached with a clear determination to keep going. On a number of occasion in the past it has brought me to a standstill, but not for several years.

One of the two giant pipes (Penstocks) that drop steeply down the side of the gorge toward the Power Station, give an idea of gradient involved here; while the hand-rail in the foreground and the section of staircase you can see just beyond the tree, show where I'm walking.

Here, about one third of the way up, I have to duck under the pipe before continuing on toward the top. Depending on how I'm feeling at this point, I know if the next section is going to hurt or not. Wait...let me rephrase that, I know if it's going to hurt a lot, or just hurt. Still, I'm here now, so what can I do but keep going.

For those of you who are interested in history or engineering, click on this image and read all about the hydro scheme that saw Launceston light up the night sky when the inhabitants of other cities were walking around their home town under the flicker of gas lamps.

And still the steps keep appearing before me in a seemingly never ending succession of flights that can prove too much for the first time walker. I wrote a book once, called, Small Steps Forward; although the title has nothing to do with the Penstock Ladder...it seems quite appropriate advice here all the same.

The final push to the top takes in a bewildering number of new steps that were put in only last year. Set in place to help with erosion from the heavy winter rains, they make my work all the more difficult. The last thing I want at this stage is to have to lift my feet any higher than is absolutely necessary. Placing over thirty cement sleepers across the path seems like a cruel joke. If only I could get those rangers in the dojo, why I'd........!!!!

Here's the sign at the top of the path warning folk of the steepness of the hill, on the way down. You might reasonably ask, "What type of sign do they have at the bottom to warn people who might be walking up?" The answer....none!

My Own Little Nakasendo Pt3

2011-01-23T22:46:00.016+11:00

This is the second staircase of seven on the zig-zag path, and one of the shorter flights that have to be climbed on the way to the top. It's a good example of what the legs, and lungs, have to deal with when not negotiating the steep and uneven incline of the trail.

Each distinct set of steps arrive in fairly quick succession, which is fine in one way, because you get no time to think, you just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and try as best you can to find some rhythm in your breathing. However, because you get little chance to recover in between each set of steps, it makes the physical and mental challenge all the more demanding.

After four flights of stairs, if you have the presence of mind to look back over your shoulder, this is the view that awaits you. You can see the path I've just walked along on the other side of the river, past the old gatekeeper's cottage, and across the Kings Bridge. In the background, the Tamar Highway Bridge, and beyond that, the Northern suburbs of Launceston. Way off in the distance, the top of Mt Arthur peeks over the ridge of the Tamar Valley. This is one of Australia's prime wine making regions, and from here to the sea, almost 40 kms (25 miles) to the North, vineyards cling to the side of the valley.

The final push to the top of the zig-zag trail, about one hundred meters further on from here, finds me looking forward to the long decent on the other side. I'm about an hour into my walk now: more or less. I find the air temperature either helps of hinders my progress, the warmer it is, the slower I seem to be...or it could be I'm just getting older!

Over the top now and on my way down hill, back into the heart of the gorge. I began this walk just beyond the ridge line in the top left of this photo, worked my way around and down the side of the ridge in the centre of the photo, and followed the river to the gorge entrance. It's a little difficult to capture the scale of my surroundings, but, if you click on the images you can see them in more detail.

Here I've zoomed in a little on the track I used to walk out to Kings Bridge and the gate keeper's cottage. If you click on this image and zoom in, at the top of the path, before it disappears into the trees, you can just make out the figure of a man: this will give you a sense of scale.

Looking ahead, just above the immediate tree line, you can see where I'm aiming for. The trail I'm on will bring me to the left side of the suspension bridge, and from there I will follow the gorge upstream to an old Power Station, the turbines of which were once brought to life by the torrent racing below me. There I'll cross back over the river and begin to make my way home, but not before one final, and extreme, challenge.

This is the sign at the side of the suspension bridge. I can't help but feel that it, along with other signs in the gorge reserve, often understate the nature of the trail ahead, and it's not at all uncommon for me to meet flabbergasted tourists on this stretch of the trail, walking back out with a look of shock on the faces.

And so half way through my walk, each stride is now bringing me closer to home than further away. I quicken my pace and push on, the trail is familiar and, somehow, this shortens it, at least in my mind. I'm back in the shade again too, but, my biggest challenge still awaits me on the opposite side of the river, and as you can see, on that side, the sun has already claimed the day...

My Own Little Nakasendo Pt2

2011-01-22T17:45:00.011+11:00

The level ground doesn't last long. Leaving the wildlife behind to enjoy their breakfast, I turn left and begin to follow the river as it drops down towards the edge of Launceston where I live. It's Australia's third oldest city, after Sydney and Hobart, and can boast many "firsts" for this part of the world; like electric street lighting for example. How that came about will become apparent later on in the walk, but for now, it's time to take in the sights and sounds of the river in flood. I'll soon be making my way to the top of that ridge on the other side of the river, and at that time, I'll be focused on nothing more than breathing, and keeping one foot moving ahead of the other.

As the path follows the contours of the steep gorge side, I pass under a stand of huge pine trees. I sometimes wonder what Gichin Funakoshi would have made of this walk. If he would have listen to the wind whispering through the pines, and come up with the same pen name for his poetry: Shoto. The path is still dropping here, but at a much gentler rate.

A quick look back over my right shoulder takes in the view of the swollen river at its powerful best. I recommend you click on these photos to get a clearer image of things. That small green bush in the middle of the river, is in fact the top of a tree. When the river is flowing at it's usual level there is an old stone bridge right next to it. I'm always amazed it's still there when the water subsides.

I love this huge rock marking a turn in the path. It's known to the locals as "dog rock"...any guesses why?

Ok....I've been walking for around forty-five minutes now and I'm getting close to the point where I'll cross the river and turn back towards home, not that I'm half way yet...far from it! Ahead lie some challenging (lung bursting) hills that have to be conquered. As you can see from this shot, the gorge is so steep and narrow here, even the sunlight doesn't penetrate until well into the morning.

The only other place I've seen concrete structures made to look like logs, is in parks in Okinawa.

I'm crossing the Kings Bridge here with just short of an hour of walking behind me. I started far beyond the ridge in the distance, working my way along the gorge on the right hand side of the river. The sun is beginning to make its presence felt now, and the old gatekeepers cottage stands out against the green vegetation hugging the side the gorge. Although the water is calmer here, you can still see a thick carpet of foam floating on the surface; evidence of its volatile passage further up stream.

Crossing to the other side of the gorge I leave the bridge and turn right onto a trail with the innocuous sounding name of: the zig-zag steps. Sounds harmless enough, doesn't it....don't let the name fool you. No sooner do you leave the bridge behind and get on to the trail proper, than you come to the first clue of what awaits you just a little further on around the bend......

My Own Little Nakasendo: Pt1

2011-01-20T14:58:00.013+11:00

At least once, but often twice, each week, I leave my dojo in the early morning and start walking. My travels take me on a circular route that will eventually, about two hours later, bring me back to the Shinseidokan. Between leaving and arriving, I will cover a little over twelve kilometers (seven and a half miles). Some of it easily, most of it not.

Fairly soon the path begins to drop away before me, and for first time walkers who join me from time to time, this is often their first hint of the struggle to come; for what goes down, must come up!

The trail gets wider here, but steeper too. I'm now about ten minutes into the walk and already my mind is beginning to play tricks on me. You would think I "understood" by now, why my legs always hurt at this point. The path is rugged and uneven under foot, and the increasingly steep incline means I'm putting the breaks on with every step. Just as well I have good shoes!

At last, the going gets a little easier. I'm on a sealed road, but the down hill slope continues, will it ever even out? I've been walking for around twenty-five minutes now...my shins ache!

The tarmac ends at a small car park well inside the reserve, but at this time of day there are seldom any cars, or people, to be seen. I turn left onto the maple steps that take me even lower into the gorge I'm about to circumnavigate on foot. At different times of the year these steps are shaded in dappled sunlight, open to the winter sky, or bathed in the brilliant hues of Autumn. At anytime of year, the canopy of maple trees here are a joy to be among.

At the bottom of the steps, what do I see? A few of the locals enjoying their breakfast and catching the first rays of sun as it sneaks, silently, over the ridge. I'd like to join them, but I have things to do, hills to climb, and bridges to cross. I'm about thirty-five minuets into the walk now, and for the first time, I'm on almost level ground.

Kumite for the Mind

2011-01-16T09:13:00.004+11:00

(Here's a book that will get you thinking. It's a recent release from Open Court edited by Graham Priest and Damon Young. Both men are karateka as well as teachers of philosophy at Melbourne University, Australia)

I've heard it said, indeed, I may well have said it myself in times gone by, that karate is all about fighting: in the physical sense. Well it is. The techniques of karate, in fact all martial arts, are there to do harm to others: to quell the force coming your way and to redirect it back toward the aggressor. None of this is wrong, especially in the case of karate, but is that it? Is that all there is to karate? Is there no other reason to go to the dojo and put yourself in situations that, by their very nature, place you in harms way?

What do we learn from training...what's the point of it? Well...this book won't tell you that, it won't even give you a definitive direction to go in order to get the answer. But what it will do, is provide your mind with the push-and-shove of philosophical opinion and age old postulation, and from your encounter with the thoughts of the various contributors, you will emerge, no doubt, the better for having tangled with them.

Twenty essays of various lengths from twenty martial arts philosophers, make up the main body of the book. Now, before your eyes roll to the back of your head and you release a deep and mournful sigh...here we go! I want to make it clear that these folks train, and most train as hard as anyone out there, so please, don't deny yourself an opportunity to learn because of any preconceived notion you may hold that those who think a lot, very rarely do a lot. While I have a small amount of sympathy for that particular observation, this is not the case here. All the contributors in this book have put their bodies where their minds are, and some for considerably longer than many of you reading this.

I didn't agree with a number of philosophies I encountered, but then, I've never agreed with being punched in the face during kumite either. I dare say neither disagreement will have any lasting adverse effect on how I practise karate or go about my daily life. The main reason I engage in kumite in the dojo is similar to the reason I like to read...both activities allow me to learn something. While many are happy to train hard and often, it is perhaps wise to keep an eye on the ego all the same; least you become good at training in karate, rather than good at karate its self.

Martial Arts and Philosophy: Beating and Nothingness, will push your thoughts around, and so expect to push back. But, amidst the mental sparring of acceptance and disagreement, you will learn and, hopefully, finish the book a little changed in how you think about things. Change for the sake of it is of little use, but, change for the better is no bad thing at all! That's why I would recommend this book to anyone who considers them self a "Traditional" martial artists. Giving your body a rest for a moment and letting your mind take the lead, is a display of balanced training many fail to appreciate...but, you're not one of them, are you?

Those who did...and those who never have.

2011-01-12T22:29:00.010+11:00

I've decided to post a series of clips I came across on YouTube recently. The first was shot in Okinawa before the outbreak of WWII and shows early students of Chojun Miyagi sensei training in kigu undo (with tools). As well, the opening movements from the kata Kururunfa and Tensho are also displayed. I've often wondered, as I watch that particular piece of footage; would I have passed a grading test doing my kata like this?

When this short film is over, you'll find yourself on a list of clips showing Morio Higaonna sensei training in kigu undo at his dojo in California some years ago. The contrast in purpose is, to me at least, quite amazing. While the first film shows no sign of the ferocity seen in the later film clips, I'm often asked to believe the training in the old days was infinitely more severe and challenging. Ok...so it would be a mistake to make too much of a judgement on the strength of a few clips of film, still, I'm curious; why is so much weigh given by some these days to the training our predecessors did? Is it not the obligation of each generation to push themselves to do the best they can.

If there is any sense of "tradition" in karate, then surely it is to be found in the daily practice of each individual; undertaken without fuss or fanfare, and for no other reason than personal progress. While the physical aspects of karate may change over time, I would suggest the purpose of traditional training will always remain the same; to reveal ones true character through the daily challenge of training.

What the..!

2011-01-07T21:36:00.003+11:00

(I saw this report in my local Newspaper this week. What the hell is going on in Japanese judo?)

When I read this report for the first time I could hardly believe what I was reading: what the hell is going on here. If this was happening in any other country there would be an absolute outcry. If the stats are accurate, on average, one child is being killed during judo training every 3 months in Japan, and yet, this seems only to be of concern to some parents!

Sorry, but something is just not right here. Japanese judo...you guys have lost the plot! I hope those who were responsible for the well being and safety of the children in their care have been held to account: but this being Japan, I wouldn't be surprised if they hadn't.

When the martial arts are used to hide brutish, and callous, behaviour, they cease to be martial arts. That such things as this are happening so often is cause for a lot more than concern. It's about time Japanese judo teachers did something about the idiots in their ranks, and put a stop to this appalling situation.

Hidari Gomon...Standing Up For What You Believe In

2011-01-02T12:58:00.004+11:00

(The hidari gomon is a symbol of the willingness of the Uchinanchu [people of Ryukyu] to persevere in the face of extreme hardship, and stems from an incident that happened almost four hundred years ago)

When the samurai of the Satsuma clan defeated the army of the Ryukyu Kingdom in April 1609, it marked the end of a nation that had mastered the seas and established significant trade routes throughout south-east Asia. As punishment for not assisting Japan in it's plan to invade China some years earlier Ryukyu was now paying the price, as indeed it would also pay dearly for Japan's invasion of the pacific four centuries later.

In the face of such prolonged adversity the Okinawan people have still managed to cling on to large parts of their heritage, and these can be witnessed at any number of venues around the islands. Music, dance, textiles, and food, are among the unique treasures waiting to be discovered by those willing to make the trip, and these days you are as likely to bump into a foreigner on Kokusai-dori who is there for the scuba-diving, as you are to meet a fellow karate-ka.

When a group of Okinawans loyal to King Sho Nei staged a rebellion against the Japanese and were defeated, they were sentenced to death. Typical of the cruelty of the Satsuma samurai this was to be no quick execution. There would be no sense of dignity offered to the Okinawans who failed in their attempt to restore their king. Instead, death would come painfully: by being boiled alive!

The bodies floating in the scalding water is captured in the swirling commas of the hadari gomon (not to be confused with the Japanese 'mitsu domae' symbol), and has come to depict the courage and tenacity of those individuals who took action against injustice and faced the consequences with dignity. As practitioners of Okinawan karate and/or kobudo, it is incumbent upon us all to at least have the courage to stand up for what we believe in, and not to go along with the sporting and commercial interests which have invaded the Okinawan martial arts since the Japanese multi-national organizations began to sell them to the rest of the world.

As a new year, indeed, a new decade, begins; perhaps now is as good a time as any for you to begin standing up for what you believe in, instead of plodding blindly along behind those who would continue to lead you nowhere!

One Door Closing!

2010-12-19T21:46:00.009+11:00

(This fantastic photo was taken recently outside the the dojo of my friend, Garry Lever, in London. As you can see, it's a little cold in England right now!)

As yet another year draws to a close it would be easy to forget the negative experiences and focus only on the positive. But I think a balanced and honest look at both provides the best insight for what I want to do from here.

I lost a number of things this past year, not least my oldest friend. I also lost my way a little at times too, easy enough when too many negative things in life happen in close succession. Still, among all the frustration and sadness, there were bright sunny days and moments that brought a big smile to my face. All in all, I reckon I have come out on top: but only just. Next year I'd like less of everything...except time with my wife.

My wife and I have plans for 2011, significant plans. I'll let you know this time next year if they come off, and also if they don't. Either way, life in the New Year is going to be interesting for me in a number of ways.

This year I met some truly poor karateka; people so caught up in their own sense of importance as to render useless the physical skills they have. But I also met a small number of excellent karateka too. Of the visitors to the Shinseidokan, I enjoyed the company of most, and regretted extending an invitation to just a few. As well, I relished the thoughts and exploits of karateka whose dojo and writings you can find in the list of links a little further down the page.

On more than one occasion, having read their blogs and wondered around their websites, I've been left feeling grateful that such people are out there, training, teaching, sharing, and passing on karate in a form that seems to have fallen from fashion among the majority of those who today wear a do-gi. To each of them I express my sincere thanks for their education, insight, and good humour throughout 2010.

To the many readers who follow this blog, and to those who stop by only when they have nothing better to do; I hope this year was the one you wanted, and your efforts in 2011 will bring you closer to where you want to be. See you again in the New Year....

Akemashite Omedeto!

Martial Arts Marketing

2010-12-08T13:13:00.009+11:00

(If you think marketing is relatively new to the martial arts...think again! A friend of mine sent me this image a while ago, he's a shotokan karateka...no...not the guy in the picture...my friend!)

I used to think the commercial approach to karate was a fairly new phenomena (how silly does that make me?), but clearly I was wrong. It seems the desire to make a noise has been with us a lot longer than the last decade or so.

I'm not sure why there is a need in some to do more, by way of advertising, than hang their shingle outside the door to let people know there's a dojo inside. It's a tricky question isn't it...just how much advertising is appropriate? What level of publicity is ok and, is it possible to over step the mark?

The reason(s) you are involved in karate will dictate the way that involvement develops, so I guess if you feel the need to be "noticed", you'll also feel a need to seek publicity. As karate training moves deeper into the 21st century, the desire to just train may or may not become more diluted by a need to be noticed. If that happens, finding traditional karate teachers, as opposed to celebrities, may once more become as difficult as it was when karate was practised in secret, in the dead of night.

Would karate be more authentic today if no one bothered with advertising? Would a lack of marketing make karate more respectable? I'm not sure how the tables were turned. How students once had to seek out a teacher and, having asked for instruction, then had to prove they had the kind of character the teacher was looking for; to now, where many teachers spend a small fortune on advertising and actively seek students.

When I ponder such things, I ask my self if karate is better for the increased number of people involved in it? Is karate still providing a vehicle for individuals to discover their potential as human beings; or has it been diminished somehow by the pursuit of business. To those who train, and/or teach, is karate a calling, or a financial opportunity? As always, that depends on you!

Daily Life

2010-12-02T13:13:00.004+11:00

(The decking at the back of my home, my silver Ferrari [aka - Hyundai Getz], and the gateway to my dojo)

For the past week I've been busy working on the decking at the front and rear of my home; summer is here (in Tasmania) and the wood needs to be refreshed to cope with the harshness of the summer sun. The wind and rain of winter have taken their toll on the timber and so, as well as re-coating the decks with decking oil, I've decided to paint the balustrade and handrail to match the colours of the house and dojo....it should look nice!

Ok...so here's the thing; I've been at this job for almost a week now, the front deck is painted and looks great, but the rear deck still looks pretty much as you see it here. After a couple of long days spent cleaning, filling, and sanding, the structure is now ready for it's first coat of paint. Looking at the deck as it is, you might be forgiven [but not by me] for thinking nothing much has been done! When the job is finished no one will see the effort of all that cleaning and preparation, they will just see the paint.

A couple of things have come to mind as I've become engrossed in my chores each day this past week; A) how good outcomes depend on good preparation, and B) how my daily training, and my work on the deck, are all just a part of daily life.

Treasures To Be Found.

2010-11-26T10:50:00.007+11:00

In my previous post I spoke about the value of exploring the links. They all have wonderful information to share and many contain videos, such as the one above, allowing us to see karate sensei we can no longer visit in person.
In this short clip Shoshin Nagamine sensei and Chotoku Omine sensei demonstrate four of the kata found in Matsubayashi-ryu. It was filmed about 1969, so Nagamine sensei is around 62 years old here.
I hope I can move as well as he did when my tired, old, bones reach that age...OMG, that's less than seven years away!

Enjoy the footage, and the music, and start exploring those links!