Speed and Fluidity

Speed is generally a misunderstood aspect of proper execution. Too often beginners think of "being fast" as a highly important, or even the ultimate goal of karate training. Being fast has benefits, and being faster has benefits, but striking at the appropriate time and place is more important than getting there in a hurry. If you go fast and miss, or use improper structure, you fail or are injured and you open yourself to be countered. Your timing in combat is also heavily dependent on the timing of your opponent(s). You can only understand and appreciate this by interacting with a resisting opponent. It's not just about being able to move your limbs quickly. Your opponent will be moving around and in and out of range and acting and reacting and altering his speed all the time. And you have to make all the same adjustments and alterations simultaneously. Or faster. But that means more than just having "speed."

There are ways to change the amount of time it takes for your body to move through empty space, and there are ways to program your brain to act or react in association with certain stimuli faster than others, and with specific pre-programmed responses. But you must also learn when to move, which is far more important and more difficult to understand. Swinging your limbs through the air as fast as you can may make you faster, but it won't necessarily make you more effective. Instead, learn that there are times to go fast, and times to go slow, and times to move first, and times to move second.

Sometimes you hear people talk of "speed" and "fluidity" as though they were interchangeable concepts. These are really two different things, although they are linked. Speed is all the things that have been discussed. Moving fast. Thinking fast. Prediction. Proper form and accuracy. Timing. But fluidity is the result of relaxation, breathing, energy flow, creativity, muscle memory, strength, flexibility, and technique. Like everything else in karate, they are affected and influenced by one another. When you are fluid you are fast, when you understand timing you are fluid. When your mind is free there is a counter to every move but when you introduce intention you inhibit action. There is only so far you can move your arms and legs, and stretching and strength training can safely increase that range, but it will always be finite and while generally the same still specifically different to each of us. Moving limbs requires muscle activation. Some limbs have more mass than others. Some muscles are stronger than others. Developing range and strength can increase both speed and fluidity, but that doesn't make them the same thing.

Understand too that it is important to be able to correctly alter your speed in combat to interact effectively with your opponent. Sometimes you wanna get high, sometimes you gotta start low. Dramatically shifting your speed will make it more difficult for your opponent to predict your actions. There are ways to disguise your speed as well and appear slower or faster than you really are. Read your Sun Tzu. And move linearly in and out of range while maintaining a consistent relative height to the opponent. The human eye is designed to recognize movements and changes in light. Changing your profile dramatically in your opponent's field of vision, with large up and down motions or wide sweeping strikes, will make it easier for his brain to recognize and interpret your actions. Moving in straight, direct lines makes it more difficult for the opponent to accurately gauge and adjust to your speed. But moving along angles makes it more difficult for the opponent to accurately gauge your position. Learn how to marry the two, and make it more difficult for the opponent.

My advice would be not to worry about speed. Worry about form. Practice your techniques as correctly as you can as often as you can. With practice, proper form will begin to result in proper accuracy. You'll hit the targets you aim at more often, because you are trying to hit them correctly. Correct technique results in correct contact to correct targets. And with accuracy comes speed. The more often you are able to hit something correctly and accurately, the faster you will be able to do it. It will require less time mentally, and physically, and will continue to improve with every repetition. And the faster and more accurately you hit something correctly the harder you are able to hit it. Power is the natural outgrowth of the combination of Form, Accuracy, and Speed. But it all begins with doing it right and righter all the time. We all have a long long way to go. Focus on doing things right, you'll never regret it. Speed and power will come with time.

That's the best thing about karate.

It works.

Drills-
Beginner: Practice each technique, as slowly as you can do it correctly, ten times. Then practice each technique with steady, practiced timing, ten times. Then practice each technique as fast as you can do it correctly, ten times.

Intermediate: Practice dynamic stretching before your workout to increase blood flow and muscle pliability. Practice static stretching after your workout to increase overall flexibility. Practice strength training and calisthenics to increase athleticism, range, and power. Improve yourself through diligent effort and your karate will improve, but understand that there are natural limitations to the human body. Do not fight them. Instead learn how to be the most effective within them, and how to take advantage of the opponent when he goes outside them.

Advanced: Learn the counters to the counters. Practice each possible position change from each possible position. Understand which grapples can be defended with which strikes, and where the opponent can move to when pressure is applied from every angle. When you know how he can react, you know how he will react. Prepare for his reaction. Stay ahead of his O.O.D.A. loop and force him to try to catch up with you mentally and you have already defeated him physically.

How the Ninja Rids Himself of Desire

Stephen K. Hayes is a recognized American Ninja Master. He trained under Masaaki Hatsumi, the Master of the Bujinkan Organization, an international martial arts organization teaching nine styles of ninjutsu. While there is some disagreement about the origins of the Bujinkan and the legitimacy of it's historical ties to the ancient ninja, Master Hayes has been teaching his own style of ninjutsu techniques based on the knowledge transmitted to him from Master Hatsumi since 1980.

In his 1981 book, The Ninja and Their Secret Fighting Art, Master Hayes discusses the importance to the ninja of ridding one's self of desire, and how that lesson was conveyed to him by his instructor.

Chapter 7
The Realm of the Spirit
Pg. 134

"The first step to spiritual power is to rid yourself of desire." Hatsumi Sensei's face held an expression of solemn authority. He spoke with conviction.

I was disappointed almost to the point of contempt. Hatsumi Sensei was supposed to be introducing me to the fourth of the nine levels of development, and he had begun with a cliche that I could have gotten from a cheap Hong Kong kung-fu thriller. Rid yourself of desire. How will that help in the real world? How could one develop the power for which the ninja were famous, without desire?

I nodded gamely for the sake of fitting in. "It's a common thing in the States, desire. Everyone wants a big car, a big house with a pool, lots of money," I agreed amicably. After all, the man was my teacher.

There was an odd pause. The master seemed to be looking for words. He tilted his head slightly and continued his explanation. "Well, yes, those are desires. But those desires are superficial and rather easily overcome. What we are talking about are the desires of the personality. Demanding that things be ways they are not."

"Oh, I understand now. It's wanting to be famous, or rich, or powerful," I said.

Hatsumi Sensei smiled wearily. "Well, yes, those are desires, too, but not . . . this is difficult to explain." The master ran a hand over his close-cropped hair. "Let me phrase it this way. You must clear your mind and being of preconceived impressions of the way things are. Many times there is a great difference between what we want to believe and what is real. We can be so caught up in what we want to see, that we are prevented from seeing what is really there. There are the desires that cloud the mind and prevent it from being in touch with the world."

I slowly realized that I had not been allowing the master's words to sink in because of my preconceived notions of what he was saying. I had read his words the way I wanted to, and had missed the meaning entirely.

Hatsumi Sensei went on. "When I say we desire that something be a certain way, I do not necessarily mean that we want it to be that way. We want to think it is that way. If you think of a certain man as your enemy, then anything he says or does will be examined and found to be an insult or a threat. The identical words or actions on the part of a beloved friend would carry far different meanings. We have a saying: "Suspicious eyes see only evil." The unenlightened will see only what the desire to see."

"We human beings choose to see things as we wish. Few people seem to believe this, though. We decide to be jealous, or angry, or depressed, or happy, or bored, and these choices are often based on our biased interpretations of the thoughts of others. It is amazing how much psychological control many people relinquish to others. If we think that someone else disapproves of us, we are worried. If we think that someone else is pleased with us, we are happy. If we think that someone else holds views contrary to our own, we are insulted. If we think that someone else is contemptuous of us, we are angry. With all these others determining how we feel, it is sometimes difficult to find the actual self."

"These are the desires of which I speak, these mental barriers that prevent us from accepting fully all that life has to offer. If a man wasted his time in emotional indulgence, he will be forever preoccupied and will miss much that could be his."

"Wouldn't an emotionless life be incredibly dull?" I asked.

"We aren't talking about getting rid of emotions themselves. We are talking about getting rid of inappropriate and useless emotional responses. These uncontrollable responses are weaknesses, in that they make us manipulatable by others."

The ninja's most subtle, and perhaps most insidious, method of handling adversaries is the manipulation of the enemy's mind. One of the highest developments of shadow warfare, the ninja's pragmatic psychology, is based on fundamental human weaknesses. By recognizing an adversary's needs and fears, the ninja knows just what to give him or deprive him of in order to bring him to submission. The ninja observes subtle body signals, voice qualities, facial features, and personality quirks in the enemy to know how to manipulate him."

Self Knowledge
Pg. 144

"I asked the Master how to drop the desires - just use will power?

Hatsumi Sensei told me that crude suppression of personal needs was the hard way to rid the personality of it's vulnerabilities, and not very effective in the long run. The best procedure is to openly and honestly examine those things we think we want, and those things we think we wish to avoid. Many times, the mind tries to protect the "observer" in us from the truth. We learn to hide our true feelings beneath a cover that we feel is more acceptable to others and to our own sense of ourselves. We may want to become teachers or priests, not really for the good we can do, but because we are seeking a feeling of importance or superiority over others. We may desire nice clothes and luxurious living quarters, not for the comfort they bring, but for the fact that they make us look attractive to others. We may seek corporate or political power, not for the obvious rewards, but to make up for feelings of personal inferiority. The examples are endless.

In knowing himself, the ninja can come to an honest appraisal of his weaknesses and those areas where he is vulnerable. From there he must find ways of strengthening the potential trouble areas. He cannot just close his eyes and pretend they do not exist. He must satisfy the needs through personal understanding and work the weaknesses out of his personality."

In order to grow as a martial artist, the practitioner must be honest with himself about his strengths and weaknesses and focus on the areas where he needs most to work. But he can also grow as a person by applying the same rigorous honesty to his life, examining his needs and desires and intentions and motivations, and focusing on ridding himself of unhealthy practices and focusing on the pursuit of positive goals. In karate, we understand that we must make sacrifices, suffer discomfort, and work ourselves to exhaustion in our pursuit of skill and ability. In life, the path to our goals is often no different.


Drills-
Beginner: Make an honest list of your physical strengths and weaknesses. Are you fast or slow? Heavy or light? Fat or thin? Strong or weak? Big or small? Graceful or clumsy? Flexible or stiff? There is no wrong way to be. There is only who and what you are. Once you understand where you are starting from you can begin to move towards something greater. By working on your weaknesses you will develop strengths that no one else has. The things that make you unique will be the weapons that only you possess. If you are fat, you may be able to crowd your opponent when grappling. If you are stiff you may be harder to throw. If you are heavy you may be able to exhaust your opponent by leaning in and forcing him to support your weight. If you are small you may be harder to corner and control.

Intermediate: Make an honest list of your technical strengths and weaknesses. Are you a better kicker or puncher? Striker or grappler? Stand up fighter or ground fighter? At close range or long range? With weapons or unarmed? Moving in or moving away? With circular or linear techniques? Identify the things you do well and make them the core of your fighting strategy. Identify the things you do poorly and work twice as hard to eliminate the weaknesses in your approach. If you are good with your hands then draw the opponent in to your striking range, but work on your kicks so that you can attack him when he thinks he is safe. If you are good with grappling then close with the opponent and control his positions, but work on your striking so that you can use impact techniques to create opportunities to lock your opponent.

Advanced: Make an honest list of your mental strengths and weaknesses. Are you easily frustrated? Quick to anger? Prone to panic in stressful situations? Are you calm? Do you maintain your emotional balance? Or do your moods swing wildly from one extreme to another? Do you bear grudges or are you quick to forgive and forget personal affront? Are you slow and deliberate? Or do you make snap decisions and act on instinct? More important than correcting any perceived behaviors is recognizing them. When you understand how and why you act when confronted with stress, you can identify how your mental habits and behaviors affect every facet of your life, both inside and outside the training hall. Only then can you begin to make the changes necessary to live the life you desire.

Unarmed Defense During the Zombie Apocalypse

One of the most lethal enemies the martial arts practitioner may face is the undead zombie. Whether they are magically reanimated or the result of a biological infection, the zombie is a dangerous killing machine that does not feel fear or intimidation and can end a life with as little as a scratch.

When faced with the zombie apocalypse, the skills the karateka has developed can give him the edge he needs to survive. While armed and unarmed combat skills will be intermittently useful; focus, environmental awareness, and the ability to stay centered and calm are all vastly more important and crucial to avoid succumbing to the infected hordes. Just as in a "normal" self defense situation, when confronted with zombies the follower of the Way must keep his cool or risk losing his head. In any potentially dangerous environment, awareness and avoidance are ninety-nine percent of survival. Watching for the presence of the Walkers, avoiding being cornered or trapped in inescapable spaces, and being prepared ahead of time will prevent the survivor from having to resort to violence except as a last resort.

But when surrounded by vicious, hungry, mindless predators bent on devouring all human flesh, there will be times when there is nothing to do but fight to survive. And in those times there are specific fighting techniques and approaches best suited to the unique aspects of fighting the infected. If at all possible, the practitioner should be armed at all times. Whether with projectile, blade and point, or impact weapons, no human wants to face the horde with his bare hands. When faced with more than one zombie, run. Always run. Fighting multiple opponents is inherently dangerous, but against the undead it is even more so. You simply can't risk being tied up with one zombie while another bites you. But should you find yourself squaring off against a single zombie, with no weapons at hand, your response must be disciplined and guided by some foundational principles of zombie fighting.

The first and most important thing to remember when fighting zombies is that it only takes one bite to kill you. Let me repeat that. It only takes one bite. What's more, due to their insatiable hunger, zombies will attempt to eat you with a single minded ferocity unlike that of any human opponent you may ever face. This precludes most grappling techniques because while you are trying to apply your joint lock or control position, the zombie will be rabidly snapping at your tender flesh with the rotted, yellow shards of its broken teeth. Joint locks are also unlikely to be effective because the zombie opponent won't feel the pain the techniques apply, and their brittle bones and muscles are likely to break and rip, allowing the zombie to turn into locking techniques which would normally provide positional advantage and once more bringing the practitioner within range of the zombie's deadly bite. Additionally, the absence of pain or fear may give the undead superior strength, allowing them to overwhelm the average human during any wrestling match.

This means that the survivors must rely primarily on impact striking against zombies, and the primary target for those strikes should be the zombie's head. In a world where dead doesn't always mean down the only way to dispatch a zombie is to do significant traumatic damage to the brain. Unfortunately, that means you have to put your body within the natural range of the zombies greatest weapon, its mouth. Because of this, the practitioner must strike quickly from oblique and unpredictable angles, and recover his weapons before his opponent is able to react. Initiating the action and staying ahead of the zombie's O.O.D.A. Loop will give the practitioner the ability to control the combat engagement and make decisions while forcing the zombie to try to "catch up" to his movements. Secondary targets for striking would be the knees, which due to their decomposing state are likely to collapse easily when encountering destructive force thereby limiting the zombie's mobility, and the spine which could limit the zombie's ability to locomote entirely by preventing bio-electrical signals from what remains of the brain reaching the limbs.

Defensively, the ability to deflect and redirect the zombie's force and line of action will give the practitioner the ability to use position to his advantage. Combined with effective footwork, the survivor will be capable of moving to the zombie's obscure zone and create opportunities to strike or escape. Preferably escape. Simple sweeps and takedowns can also be used to put the zombies on the ground, in range of finishing techniques such as head stomps and hammering downward strikes to the base of the skull.

Simple defensive techniques which can be applied to zombie assaults include,

1. Deflecting Outward Blocks followed by High Line Striking Counters.
2. Windmill Parry to Outside Position followed by Side Thrust Kick to the back of the knee to bring the zombie to the ground followed by a Stomp Finish to the head.
3. Lead Leg Pulling Sweep to bring the zombie to the ground followed by Front Thrust Kick to the head.

At all times the first goal is DON'T GET BIT, the second goal is ESCAPE, and the third goal is FINISH. By focusing on this force continuum, the karateka will increase his overall chances to survive.

Remember these basic rules, and you will be one of the few who live to face the unending horror that is the zombie apocalypse.

1. Never assume. Dead isn't down. It only takes one bite. Don't take risks.
2. Never go unarmed. Always have a weapon, and a back up weapon. Don't waste time with strikes that won't incapacitate or kill.
3. Never wander off alone. Never leave the group without telling anyone where you are going. There is strength in numbers. You may need someone to pull the Walkers off of you if they get their hands on you.
4. Run first. Run second. Strike only to create an opportunity to escape. Surviving the zombie apocalypse isn't about face or pride or ego. It's about survival. Live to run another day.
5. When confronted with a zombie, strike instead of grapple. When grappled with a zombie, disengage and change positions. When striking a zombie, attack from an unexpected angle and recover the weapon quickly.
6. The only targets that matter are those which can affect the zombie's ability to locomote or aggress. Namely, the brain, the spine, and the legs. The zombie can not feel fear or intimidation or pain, so don't waste time trying to hurt him. Fight only when you must, and when you must, with utmost seriousness.

Those are the basic rules of zombie combat. There is far more to learn about how to use weapons and tools during the zombie apocalypse, how to engage the horde versus engaging individual Walkers, how to move and escape and avoid notice, and how to store resources and establish "safe" zones. But the basic concepts contained herein should give you a place to start. As with all karate techniques, the only way to develop real skill is through diligent and disciplined training. Practice morning and night and you will be uniquely prepared for when, uh, I mean, if, the zombie apocalypse occurs.

Happy Halloween!


Drills-
Beginner: Group activity. Stand in the middle of a circle of opponents. Have them advance on you, one at a time, with their arms outstretched. Practice deflecting their arms using wedge guard positions and redirecting them in to each other.

Intermediate: Practice your techniques on the body. During each technique, have the uke attempt to bite you continuously. Learn when and where you are vulnerable to such counters, and practice manipulating the opponent's position with position checks, lockout striking, and control maneuvers to cancel his ability to dine on your mortal flesh.

Advanced: Group activity. Have a group of five to ten opponents representing the zombie horde pursue you around the training room floor. Practice evasion and multiple opponent strategies such as Lining and Grouping to isolate individual Walkers. Control and finish one at a time until you either survive or are bitten and turned.

The Tao of Focus

Doctor Jerry Lynch is a teacher, lecturer, and author, and the founder of the Tao Center for Human Performance. Using the concepts of Taoism that he learned from the Tao Te Ching, Dr. Lynch has developed a unique approach to athletic performance that he has used to successfully coach thousands of professional, Olympic collegiate, and recreational athletes from a number of disciplines. The goal of his approach, "TaoSport," is to help people to enjoy sports and life "more fully and to reach the levels of extraordinary performance of which we are all capable."  Together with Chaungliang Al Huang, a renowned educator, philosopher, performance artist, and T'ai chi ch'uan Master, he has written a book describing this approach. Thinking Body, Dancing Mind uses passages from the Tao Te Ching to help teach concepts crucial to successful athletic performance such as Relaxation, Simplicity, Balance, and Motivation.

While the book focuses specifically on how these concepts can be applied to both sport and life, many of the same lessons have clear applications to our study of self defense. In the chapter Focusing, he discusses the importance of being "present minded" and not allowing distraction to inhibit performance. Whether in training or in combat, the practitioner must not allow his mind to stray from the task at hand. A moment's hesitation or distraction could lead to injury, or to death. When confronted with an opponent intent on doing us harm, we must not be preoccupied with the challenges of our work life or the frustrations of the day. Only by focusing on the task at hand can the karate practitioner achieve victory; in life, in sport, or in self defense.

Dr. Lynch ends each chapter with exercises the reader can use to aid in his study and practice. I have included some of those below to aid you in developing Focus.

Focusing
Pg. 59

Hold on to the ancient Tao

Control the current reality.

TAO TE CHING   no. 14

"When Soren, a sixty-four-year-old ultra-distance runner, reached the finish line of the Western States 100-miler, a reporter asked him how someone his age runs a hundred miles. Soren replied, "I don't run a hundred miles; I run one mile-a hundred times." By focusing on one mile at a time, Soren can go the distance. If he focused on the whole distance, the mere thought of such a task would distract and fatigue him.

Focus your thoughts and your actions on one small aspect of the present, and you will create personal power. Giving full attention to the present moment is energizing and enables you to control the current reality. You must be present in order to win. For athletes, focusing on the moment is key to the Beginner's Mind for achievement.

Olympic medalist swimmer Dara Torres has stated, "Luck isn't what makes the difference when competition is really close. It boils down to who is more 'on' that day, who has the focus, the will to win at that moment."

Centering is the thought process of understanding how every aspect of your game contributes to your overall development and growth as an athlete and person. It is a kind of concentration that is all-encompassing. Focusing, by contrast, is the process of narrowing your concentration in order to eliminate specific unproductive or distracting occurrences. It is a method of fine-tuning your span of attention so that you stay in the moment, in the here and now.

You can focus on that backhand volley you missed, on the strike you looked at, on the pass you dropped in the end zone, on the shot you blew at the buzzer, on your failure to surge the last two hundred meters of the race, on the putt you almost made. You can focus on past and upcoming problems forever. But this will only put pressure on you and impede your concentration on the next move, play, or shot you make. The only way to make something positive happen is to focus on the present moment.

Concentrate on what you have control over. You can't control your competitors, or your teammates, or the weather, or the crowd. But you do have control over your own performance. As former Olympic diver and now coach Janet Ely-Lagourge has said, "All too often we get wrapped up in the pressure, and suddenly it's not fun anymore."

Developing the power to devote full attention to the present is one of the most valuable Beginner's Mind skills. Athletes who perform optimally are totally engaged in the moment. Their effectiveness is directly related to how well they focus on being present. In his book The Tao of Leadership, John Heider says, "expeditions into distant lands of one's mind...distract from what is happening. By staying present...you can do less yet achieve more."

Mark Allen, one of the greatest triathletes ever to compete, has said that it's a mistake to focus on how much more there is to go when doing the Ironman Triathlon. He attributes much of his success to focusing on the moment-to giving his attention to his form, stride, and breath. He focuses on his reasons for doing the race, on why he is here on the Big Island of Hawaii competing in this ultra-event, on his deep urge to move and run. By focusing on the joy of movement, you take yourself deeper in to the present moment, down into your motivation, and past any fleeting distractions and discomforts.

Single-mindedness accompanies excellence. We all have varying degrees of concentration. But with the Beginner's Mind, visualization and mediation processes can train you to develop greater powers of attention. No one can maintain this state for very long periods of time, but you can learn to focus to provide yourself with the proper mental environment to develop your athletic skills rapidly. You can learn to discipline a wandering mind that diminishes your performance through distraction and diversion of energy."

It is of great importance to achieve an inner peace

which will allow you to act in harmony with the times...
Hold your thoughts to the present...Actions that
spring from this attitude will be appropriate.

                               I CHING   no. 52

Drills -
Visualization: Imagine yourself playing in an upcoming event. Visualize yourself as clearly as possible, participating as you would hope. Simulate, in your mind's eye, various distractions; noise from the crowd, a bad call from the referee, an obnoxious play by the opponent. As these distractions occur to you, tell them that they can stay if they wish or step aside and leave, but you must immediately attend to your play, or performance. Imagine yourself dismissing them, that they have left. Focus your vision on the ball or road or slope or water itself. See its shape and texture. Look for the writing between the seams of the ball (or in the cool air or water). See the ball spin, feel it in your hands. Stay focused on this image for two minutes, no matter how difficult it is. Practice this exercise twice a day. The object need not be a ball; the image of any significant, tangible object related to your sport will do.

Affirmations for Focusing: Choose any of the following affirmations, or create your own to repeat during those times when distraction sets in before or during an event::

• "I stay in the here and now, so I'll take a bow."
• "Think less, achieve more."
• "Single-mindedness creates happiness."
• "Like a child at play, I ask my mind to stay."
• "Focus, focus, focus, focus."
• "Follow through, and I am true."

Exercise for Focus: This is an easy, quick way to strengthen your ability to focus and be present in the moment, in the Beginner's Mind. Stare at the candle at the base of the flame (do not stare directly at the light) while you focus on your present feelings. Exclude all other thoughts. Just focus your body and mind on your sensations. If your mind wanders, bring it back to the present moment and feelings by saying, "At this very moment, the candle flame and I are the center of life. I focus on the brilliant light that enables me to feel peaceful and calm. That is all there is in this moment."

The Most Important Part of Karate

Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.

Anton Chekhov

There is a moment during our belt ceremony where we place our old belt next to our new one to form the shape of the letter “L.” L stands for learning. That's what we do in the karate school. We learn about the art, we learn about the body, we learn about ourselves. And one of the most important things we learn is that learning alone is not enough. We must train to improve. We must practice.

The difference between knowledge and skill is practice.

Holly Marie Simmers

In the kenpo system we have a complex curriculum of techniques, sets, and forms. You will also learn a large number of drills and exercises to aid in your training. But it is not enough to simply know the material. Memorized physical movements are insufficient to the development of real skill. You could read the written curriculum and commit every move and counter and principle to memory, but what we do is more than words on a page. It is more even than the movement of the body. The method only exists in the practice. Only when you are actually standing on the training floor working with the material are you truly a karate practitioner. And only by practicing your karate will you be able to transcend the mere regurgitation of memorized performances and gain the ability to truly and spontaneously express what you have learned.

Knowledge unused tends to drop out of mind. Knowledge used does not need to be remembered.

Henry Hazlitt

You can not become skilled by knowing the movements. You can not win a fight by understanding how techniques are supposed to work. It is true that one must understand the principles in order to be effective. But principle alone is not enough. When Takuan wrote to Munenori he said, “Technique and principle are just like the two wheels of a cart.” And you only develop technique through constant and rigorous practice.

Practice isn't the thing you do when you're good. It's the thing you do that makes you good.

Malcolm Gladwell

And in the case of karate, we are training to face an opponent. Specifically with regards to the karate we practice here, we are training for a life or death situation. Yes, we are practicing the development of the self and the internal journey towards enlightenment and constant improvement. Yes, the ultimate goal is never to have to use kenpo to fight. Yes, the enemies we will face most often are the ones within. But the Way we follow is that of true combat. It is not the Way of the athlete or the Way of the dancer. It is the Way of the warrior. Our style is one that seeks and teaches truth in combat against another human being. And should we ever be forced to face another, skill against skill alone, it will only be our dedication to practice which gives us any chance to survive such an encounter.

When you are not practicing, remember, someone somewhere is practicing, and when you meet him he will win.

Ed Macauley

Karate is not easy. It is not a thing to be done by half measures. It is a Way without an end, a lifelong journey towards ability and understanding and no matter how long or how diligently you train, you will never, ever, finish learning. You may stop some day, but it will not be because you are done. And every day between now and then, while you continue practicing, you will continue improving. There is no technique that you can do enough times that you would not get better by doing it once more. There is no form or throw or combination that you will ever master to the point that you have nothing more to gain from one more repetition. Each time you step on the training floor with purpose you grow. Each time you step off the training floor you have become more than you were. That is the path you are on. Every step is a step up. No matter how good you are, or how bad you are, or how long it has been since your last class, every time you practice, you progress.

If you train hard, you'll not only be hard, you'll be hard to beat.

Herschel Walker

Karate is hard. It is a constant challenge. Every student who has ever begun his training in the martial arts, every champion, every Master, began as a white belt. And every time he learned a new technique, no matter how long he had trained, he began again as a beginner. There is no skill you will ever learn that you don't have to do for the first time first. But that is also the promise of karate. That it works. That training makes you better. That it really is worth it. Every class. Every repetition. Every tired muscle. Every bruise. Every bead of sweat. Every drop of blood. It is all towards something. You can't always see it. But you're always getting better. Every time you throw a punch. Every time you block a kick. Every time you show up and dress out. The only difference between you and your instructors is the amount of classes they've attended. There is no place in karate that you can not go. If you strive. If you work hard. If you practice, day and night, with utmost seriousness.

I know you've heard it a thousand times before. But it's true, hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice.

Ray Bradbury

There are no shortcuts in karate. There is no secret other than this. Practice, and you will improve. Understand that there is nothing we do more important than actually doing karate. Every question you'll ever have can be answered on the training room floor. Every academic debate or stylistic difference or training paradigm is settled without question by what happens on the mats. Everything else is distraction. There is only the practice. That is all karate is. It is not what you think or believe or want it to be. It is only what you do.

If someone asked me what a human being ought to devote the maximum of his time to, I would answer, "Training." Train more than you sleep.

Masutatsu Oyama

Drills-

Beginner: Practice each of your basic techniques 10 times on each side in the air, on the pads or shield, and on the body. Remember the F.A.S.P. training model. Form. Accuracy. Speed. Power. The more you do something correctly, the faster and more powerfully you will be able to do it. Speed and Power come from Form and Accuracy, there can be no other way.

Intermediate: Practice each of your techniques 10 times each in the air and on the body. Practice slowly, making every strike, every stance, every movement precise. Then practice it as fast as you can do it correctly. If you make a mistake, slow down, and begin again. There is no hurry. You will never be done, no matter how fast you go, and trying to rush now will only result in sloppy performance. Haste makes waste.

Advanced: Practice each of your patterns 10 times each in the air with your eyes open and your eyes closed. Pay attention to how every movement affects every other part of your body. The more exhausted and sore you become, the more your body will speak to you. You will learn how moving your arm affects muscles in your shoulders, back, buttocks, hips, legs, and feet. You will learn how even the smallest changes in orientation cause changes in balance and force you to adjust your stance and position. The body is the instrument. Listen to it. Let it be your teacher. Do not argue with the lessons your body is trying to convey.

The Martial Arts and Moral Education

Yang Jwing-Ming is a certified Kung Fu Master. In addition to earning a Ph.D., Yang Jwing-Ming has training in several Chinese systems of both internal and external martial arts.

Dr. Yang began training martial arts at the age of 15 under his White Crane master, Grandmaster Gseng, Gin-Gsao. Dr. Yang also studied Tai Chi under Grandmaster Kao, Tao. During his time at Tamkang College, Dr. Yang began to also train Long Fist under Grandmaster Li, Mao-Ching.

Dr. Yang has been involved in Chinese Kung Fu since 1961. He has taught for more than 40 years: 7 years in Taiwan, 5 years at Purdue University, 2 years in Houston, and 26 years in Boston. He has taught seminars all around the world, sharing his knowledge of Chinese martial arts and Qigong.

His 1982 Book, Shaolin Long Fist Kung Fu is an excellent introduction to the forms, techniques, and training methods of that traditional Chinese style of fighting. Its step by step instructions, numerous photographs, and in depth descriptions of movements and applications gives the reader a thorough education in the beginner and intermediate aspects of the art. But to many martial artists, the most valuable part of the book may be contained in the opening pages, where Dr. Yang describes the most important requirement for achieving true martial ability.



Page 9
MORALITY


"In Chinese society it is common for parents to send their children to receive formal training in martial arts. For the Western parent this may seem unusual because they think of martial arts as somehow encouraging violence. But for the Chinese parent the exact opposite is true martial arts is a way to train the child in good habits of mind and body. The Chinese community in general, and Chinese martial society in particular, have always believed morality to be an integral part of Wu Su [martial technique].

To understand the proper relation of morality to Kung Fu, two important points must be introduced. The first, and the most important fact in Kung Fu is that the level of achievement of any martial artist is directly dependent on his morality. If the martial artist is a bad person, then his ability can only reach certain limited levels, if the martial artist is a good person, then there is no real limit to what he can achieve.

This idea is admittedly strange to many Westerners. In the West an athlete such as a football or baseball player may be a heavy drinker, take drugs, engage in malicious actions and act immaturely, and yet it is believed that such overall behavior will in no way reflect on the athlete's actual or potential abilities. The Chinese martial artists obviously does not subscribe to the philosophy.

The second point relates to the defining of morality. some people hold the notion that morality is merely restricted to restraining themselves from stealing, lying, cheating, and other negative acts. For the Chinese martial artist such simple restraints are not enough. Morality for the Kung Fu practitioner is a total way of acting and thinking; morality, as a condition of life, is lived every second in thought and deed. If the martial artist is working, talking, playing, eating, or doing a thousand other activities, his way of being or morality is constantly a part of his character. In the actual training and mechanics of morality two categories are taught to every student; the morality of action and the morality of mind. These categories reflect the dual development of deed and thought.

The morality of action may be defined as how the martial artists should behave outwardly to the world. Five important traits compose the morality of action; they are humility, respect, righteousness, trust, and loyalty. The student should commit these ideals to memory. At this point let us being with humility.

In China there is a saying, "humility gains and pride loses." When a person is humble he admits, in a sense, that there exists something above him, or at the moment something beyond his reach. This attitude when closely examined is the foundation for all learning. If a student felt adequate and satisfied (pride) with what he had learned, then the ability to reach out beyond his scope would be destroyed. By being humble, the martial artist realizes that what he knows is next to nothing; there is always a gap to fill in by constant learning and practice. In this way "humility gains" by instilling in the martial artist the understanding that he is incomplete in his ability and thus must keep striving for perfection. The final outcome is a better martial artist in mind and ability.

From the above it is easy to see why "pride loses." Pride creates a feeling of satisfaction and adequacy. A mental block is created by giving the martial artists a false sense of achievement. The result is that growth and ability come to a halt. If the martial artist thinks he is good, then why should he practice as hard? If he isn't humble, there is no way to improve and reach high levels of ability; morality goes hand-in-hand with achievement.

Respect is intimately related to humility. If a person has humility it is easy to give respect because both traits involve the recognition of goodness in everything. Respect occupies a special position in the relationship between martial artists of all styles. By giving respect, dignity is gained for all martial styles. Respect and dignity give martial arts an importance beyond words; every person from the instructor to the beginning student realizes through respect that martial arts is not mere fighting, but something that strives for pure spirit. In this way respect for and obedience to the master become absolutely imperative, since it is the master who will be the guide to the higher levels of ability and spirituality.

Loyalty, righteousness, and trust complete the traits of morality of action. When the martial artists has righteousness he will stand up for justice and fight evil whenever he can; to fully complement the actions the martial artists must also have a good approach to life. Having trust means not that the martial artists will trust everybody, but that everybody can trust the martial artist. By showing his dependability and honesty, the student shows other people that his character will be guided by goodness.

Loyalty involves faithfulness to the ideals of family, culture, nation, and martial style. In particular, a student may someday be called upon to teach his particular style, which he must honor by teaching what he has learned to be the traditional aspects of his style. Without this loyalty, a style will undergo as many changes as there are instructors; in time the established forms which have been proven effective and which have identified the style though the ages will disappear. The death of the style will surely come about if this happens. There is always room for innovation, but innovation must occur within the context of an established tradition.

The second aspect of morality, the morality of mind, also has five major traits. They are: will, endurance, perseverance, patience, and bravery. Morality of mind, as contrasted to the morality of action, deals with the inward spirit or soul of the martial artist. Will, of all the traits, is the center point.

In China there is a saying, "If a man is a ship, the the will is the rudder." The martial artist must have something which stands determined to control and direct his energies. It is easy to say that everybody should have a strong will, but for the martial artist it is particularly important. For nearly all of his life, the true martial artist will devote at least three hours of every day for practice; only a strong will can push the martial artist to make this tremendous sacrifice. The will grows in importance once the student realizes that the study of martial arts is a lifetime commitment. Martial arts should not be a hobby which a person drops after a few months or years of practice. Devotion to a lifetime of martial arts requires a guiding force during the times of personal trouble, sadness, laziness, and self-doubt; only the will can provide such a force.

The other traits can be thought of as supporting the will. Endurance can be likened to the physical fuel or energy source of the will. If the body engages in difficult exercises or if the person is tired and sore, then it is endurance which keeps the body whole. If endurance is the physical fuel of will then perseverance and patience are the mental sources of energy for the will. In performing difficult tasks the mental as well as the physical side is affected; when the mind is in pain or is exhausted then perseverance and patience must be present. Sometimes weeks, months, and years of practice are required to perfect certain techniques; during these times the martial artists must never get discouraged. By having perseverance and patience the student will endure.

Lastly, bravery can be seen as the principle of action for the will. Bravery for the martial artist is the spiritual courage needed to face the truth. In facing the truth the martial artist must stand up to any situation and deal with it in an honest and courageous way. The martial artist will always meet the challenges of life head on whether in failure or in success. Secondly, bravery involves the courage to fight evil as the Shao Lin monks once fought evil. The martial artist must follow the example of the Shao Lin Temple and become an active agent for the establishment of justice and righteousness; if the principles of the Shao Lin monk can be followed, then the martial artist can make this world a much better place.

Many more points can be made about martial morality, but as the student makes each trait a part of his character he will find that some things become obvious. As an example, once humility becomes a living ideal the thought of showing off or being boisterous disappears. The martial artist will realize that showing off and boasting are the disguises of pride and limited martial ability."


Simply being able to hurt someone does not make you a martial artist. That is mere thuggery, and can be accomplished by anyone who is willing to aggress upon someone smaller and weaker than himself. A martial artist is built upon three pillars. Knowledge. Technical ability. And Morality. He is more than a brute. He is a thinking individual, possessed with great power, and devoted to right action. You can buy a black belt for next to nothing. But you will not understand the true depth of the Way until you turn within and work on your self. Martial arts is a path of self discipline, both the discipline to focus on your training, and the discipline to improve upon your own character.

All the punches and kicks in the world will never be equal to the strength of simply doing the right thing when called upon. In order to reach the highest levels of ability, you must work both inwardly and outwardly. In so doing, you will gain the strength to truly impact the world around you with more than just your fists.

Drills-
Beginner: Pay attention to your actions throughout the day. When you react to a situation with anger or hatred or frustration, stop and think about what you've done and why. Make a conscious effort to be patient and understanding throughout your day, and to act rather than react. Pay attention to the teachings of your instructors, and dedicate your training to those who have walked the path before you.

Intermediate: Be humble and patient. When someone criticizes your work or performance, rather than leaping to defend your actions, pause and consider what they've said. Even if they are wrong, you may have something to learn from their perspective. Be slow to anger and take offense, and quick to forgive and forget personal affront.

Advanced: Develop your self discipline. Spend time each morning and night practicing your techniques. Practice your foot maneuvers, your stances, your kicks and punches again and again, focusing on polishing and perfecting your material. Do not be content with good enough. Keep training. Keep improving. Temper your skill in the fire of your will.

Fighting, and the Fighting Arts

Michael J. Rosenbaum was born on May 12, 1961 in Knoxville, Tennessee. He started his martial arts training at the age of five when his father instructed him in both Judo and Boxing. At the age of fifteen, he began studying Isshin Ryu Karate and by the time of his seventeenth birthday he had been introduced to the Burmese fighting art of Bando. At the age of eighteen Michael enlisted in the U.S. Army.

He went through infantry school, airborne school, jungle warfare school, and was a member of the elite 82nd Airborne division, where he put his extensive knowledge to good use, having been awarded the Army Commendation Medal, several citations for a job well done and the Distinguished Trooper Award by the Commander of the 82nd Airborne Division himself.

Seeking to advance his knowledge of the Burmese fighting arts, Rosenbaum, in 1990, began studying with Allan Thompson and Edward Francisco, both of whom were students of the late Bando pioneer Bob Hill. Thompson was also the founder of the Tiger Hand/Tiger fist fighting system.

Two years later, with much encouragement from Francisco and Thompson, Rosenbaum went on to found the Snow Leopard Boxing/Tiger Fist system. Michael has conducted numerous self-defense and rape prevention courses as well as having been a body guard, bouncer and instructor of law enforcement personnel. He has written several books on the martial arts, including Kata and the Transmission of Knowledge: In Traditional Martial Arts and The Fighting Arts.

In The Fighting Arts, Mr. Rosenbaum discusses the evolution of the study of violence from non-specific combat practices to highly stylized and ritualized forms of training. In his own words the introduction to the book "examines the seeds from which our fighting arts were grown and points out that they are not an entity apart from us, but instead are of us."


Introduction
Page xix

Under heaven all can see beauty as beauty only because there is ugliness. All can known good as good only because there is evil.

- Tao Te Ching 

"At some point in man's evolution, his primal rage compelled him to climb down out of the trees, pick up stones, and take a stand against the animals that had been hunting him for so long. From this rage the art of fighting was born. This inner rage of our ancestors would become the foundation from which many classical and contemporary martial arts styles and systems were built upon. Sir Richard Burton once stated, "The history of the sword is the history of humanity." To expand on Burton's statement, we can say that to study the art of fighting is to study a strand of humanity itself because our survival as a species has at times depended upon our fighting prowess. For some this ideal may seem almost alien in nature while others may view it as repulsive. But, as Will Durant said about our suppressed primal rage in the modern world, "Every vice was once a virtue, necessary in the struggle for existence; it became a vice only when it survived the conditions that made it indispensable." In today's society, fighting is considered a vice by many, and its impact on the history of mankind is to a large degree downplayed by our present culture, which views fighting for the most part as politically incorrect. This view holds true even in the martial arts world where many practitioners consider the act of fighting secondary to their studies, overlooking the fact that all systems have a pugilistic past fueled by our own primal rage. It is an omission that can often hinder the practitioner's development.

In order to practice a fighting art we each have to face our primal rage or at the least acknowledge its presence. Ehrenreich observed, "If violence was, almost from the beginning, the means of human survival, then, according to some advocates of the hunting hypothesis, it must be bred into our genes-an evolutionary version of 'original sin'." (p. 37). Ehrenreich's statement points out that we each have our breaking point, a time when this rage or "original sin" will consume us and harm those whom we focus it on. In order to understand this inner force, its presence cannot be ignored. As ironic as it may seem, the fighting arts that were born out of our primal rage can also aid us in controlling it. It is at this level, fighting is viewed as a last resort.

When a practitioner evolves to this level of studying a fighting art, they begin focusing their energies inward away from the external and more toward the internal realm of things. By doing this they can come to understand those emotions that contribute to our rage and enhance its fury. Shi Ming whose extraordinary powers were featured in the Bill Moyer's 1993 Public Television Special Healing and the Mind stated once, "The aim of pugilism in the martial arts is seeking the Tao" (Shi Ming p. 99). His statement brings to light that at advanced levels of study the art of fighting can become a means to fortify the human spirit by strengthening weaknesses through training.

To study the art of fighting is to examine not only our primal rage, but also our best and yet worst traits, such as fear, courage, hate, respect, and even compassion. History has given us many examples of warriors displaying uncommon valor in the face of certain death. For examples, consider the many duels of Miyamoto Musashi or Pickett's charge at Gettysburg. The history of the art of fighting has shown how, in one instance, a warrior will strike down their foe yet in the next instance will show respect and compassion to a fallen opponent. Both Keegan and Amberger speak of this phenomenon. Keegan states in his scholarly work, The Face of Battle, that "the study of battle is therefore always a study of fear and courage." (See p. 303). Amberger in his book, The Secret History of the Sword also gives an example of our best yet worst traits by describing in detail the 1896 duel between Leonardo F. Terrone and Guido Flauto. The duel was fought because of an insult to Terrone's honor, and it ended when Flauto received a severe cut to his face. After the duel, Flauto and Terrone shook hands out of mutual respect for one another. Later during the 1900 International Fencing Tournament, Flauto expressed to all present his immense respect of Terrone for having fought the duel (Amberger pp. 159-160). These best, yet worst, traits of mankind are still exhibited today in our own study of the art of fighting. One example is those practitioners who perform a bow or execute a salutation at the beginning of a kata or sparring session. This is a ritualized way of showing respect to an opponent. In many cases, the ritual is considered just as important, if not more so, than the techniques used within the form or kata.

The art of fighting begins in each and every one of us as a shapeless, formless entity, until we give it form by expressing it in an action, such as a punch or kick.

It evolves into a system when these physical manifestations, become organized by an individual, or a group of people into a standardized method of training. The reader should bear in mind that there is a difference between the barroom brawler's approach to fighting (as effective as it may be) and that of the trained fighter. The trained fighter's style or system allows him to execute conditioned responses and standardized techniques in a consistent manner. By comparison, the barroom fighter's approach has no such standardization in execution of techniques.

To truly understand the art of fighting and how it becomes systematized by people and their cultures, let's illustrate with a big bucket of water. The content of this bucket represents the source from which all styles and systems come. Now let us pour the source into smaller buckets. These buckets represent different cultures and their interpretations of the art of fighting. Now let us take one of these smaller buckets and pour its contents into several glasses. These glasses represent the different systems that make up a culture's fighting art. For example, Japan has several major systems that make up the culture's fighting arts, such as karate-do, judo, aikido, kendo, etc. Now let us pick up one of the glasses and pour the contents into small cups. These cups will represent the different styles that make up a system such as shoto-kan, shito-ryu, isshin-ryu, and many others. We will take one of the cups and pour the content into shot glasses. These shot glasses will represent the individual techniques that are found within the style. It is at this level that the art of fighting both begins and ends. It begins with a single punch, kick, or throw, and becomes a system because of mankind's tendency to organize these techniques into systems and styles. However, for a system or style to exist, it has to have these basic techniques-which have been used by mankind for many years to physically express the art of fighting. This is an evolutionary cycle that makes the art of fighting literally a living breathing entity, one that is constantly changing and evolving as a result of mankind's analytical and creative skills. Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming stated that, "the arts are alive and are creative." (The Essence of Shaolin White Crane p. 24). And they are! Today's contemporary systems and styles have evolved from those past but, more than likely, their appearance and execution are in many ways different that those of their ancestors. 

From a purely combative standpoint, to study the art of fighting is to also understand an evolutionary process that concerns not only the practitioner, but also the art of fighting. Mankind is always seeking better techniques, weapons, and tactics to defend his self. This quest for advancement forces the art of fighting to constantly evolve and devolve. It is not a linear progression as many of today's practitioners would like for us to believe (Amberger p. 2). When technology is present, it is used to develop more effective weapons, but when technology is not present, then mankind develops his natural abilities to a high degree (Draeger and Smith p. 58). The Japanese samurai are an example of the evolutionary portion of this cycle. Their traditional martial arts, the bujutsu (not to be confused with martial ways, budo), had developed to very high levels through centuries of warfare. However, within sixteen years after Commodore Perry's visit to their country and the Japanese's first-hand observation of the Western ways of war, the samurai sword was replaced by the rifle and the spear by the cannon as the soldier's primary weapons (Harries pp. 3-22). This evolution caused many of the traditional bujutsu forms to take on secondary roles in warfare, even though the samurai sword was still worn by officers for years to come. This was the devolution cycle of classical Japanese systems however their evolutionary cycle can be seen again with modern day law enforcement agencies (Draeger, Modern Budo Bujutsu pp. 68-76). Although many law enforcement officers carry firearms, they cannot always use them to arrest suspects because of their lethal nature; so they are trained in empty-handed methods of fighting. Techniques that in some cases were developed by the samurai hundred of years ago and are now frequently used by the police while arresting suspects.

In America, our own study of the art of fighting has been greatly influenced by the meeting of Asian and European systems. It is a meeting that, at times, makes us seem almost at a loss in trying to understand these two cultures' approaches to fighting and how they fit within our culture. In situations such as ours, people can embrace very ethnocentric views about the martial arts/art of fighting and by doing so become very engrossed in the concept of styles and systems.

The systemization of the art of fighting is important because it allows us to segment and practice various concepts and techniques; yet it is a process very much influenced by people's personalities. Since no two people are alike, no two systems will be exactly alike. It is the fighter who makes the fight and not the system. Miyamoto Musashi is a prime example of this. Musashi was a great swordsman, influenced by the culture and times in which he lived. However, his skill was achieved, not because of the sword or a particular style or system, but because he understood the art of fighting. As Musashi expressed it, "Then you will come to think of things in a wide sense and, taking the void as the Way, you will see the Way as void." (The Book of Five Rings p. 95). The art of fighting has to be understood from the wide sense that Musashi speaks of. It has to be seen with form or the Way and yet seen with formlessness, the Void. The art of fighting begins within us as the Void, and it becomes the Way when we give it form."

The use of violence is always influenced by culture, technology, and environment. But at a deeper level it comes from something within each of us. It comes from our natural animal desire to survive. It comes from that part of us that still remembers being chased through tall grass and between trees by animals red in tooth and claw. It comes from the same drive that led the first man to pick up a rock or a stick and turn it against his predators. The use of violence is natural and formless. But the study of violence and the codification of its applications comes from another place. Where violence comes from our animal natures, the systems and styles that we use to give it form come from the thinking man. They come from the same place as poetry, philosophy, and science. Where lashing out at a predator is instinct, punches and kicks are learned behavior.

The martial artist must learn to harness the animal within, and give it form through his capacity for creative thought and analysis. These are the two aspects of mankind, the animal and the thinker, and it is through embracing both that he becomes a truly formidable warrior.

Drills -

Beginner: Look within yourself. Take time during a calm, quiet part of your day to analyze your behaviors. Be honest. What makes you angry? How do you react to anger? How do you feel when you are angry? What do you do to calm yourself? When you are angry, stop and say to yourself, "I am angry. I am reacting with emotion." Seek to understand your own motivations and patterns and actively practice state management, or the practice of "moving from an emotional state to a rational state."

Intermediate: Study the patterns. Perform the techniques. With each repetition of each basic carefully practice proper form. Seek to understand the relationships between each of the movements, and the interaction between attacker and defender. Recognize the role that stance, angles, and position play in each movement and pursue constant improvement and perfection of execution.

Advanced: When fighting, bring the beast to the surface. Reach within yourself and awaken the animal part of your nature. Fight with emotion. Project your inner strength against your opponent through your eyes and your voice. Burn with passion and let it fuel your actions, but even in the midst of the fire never forget proper technique. It is the combination of both which gives you strength. Be strong.