What is the difference between fighting and combat?

In a thread about "karate" it was mentioned that karate is not combat but fighting and not necessarily one that was taught as the pre-cursor to what is practiced today, i.e. sport oriented, etc.

In that thread two quotes were made that prompted me to consider the question. Quotes are:

Combat (intent to kill someone from another tribe as he tries to do the same to you) is very different from fighting (usually two people in the same tribe in contest over something). - Marc MacYoung on Animal-List; Subject: AL:KARATE: Contemporary vs. Traditionalist by Tristan Sutrisno Sensei.
A DI expressed the attitude about boot camp trainees undergoing grappling training as, "We don't expect them to fight at this range, but we want to instill the willingness to fight at any range." - Marc MacYoung on Animal-List; Subject: AL:KARATE: Contemporary vs. Traditionalist by Tristan Sutrisno Sensei.

We get things so mixed up and it is simply because we see or read or hear something that triggers this innate feeling of "cool stuff" and then without further ado we use it and only find out that it is crap when someone who took the time to research and find out the "rest of the story" and are told we are wrong, incorrect, inaccurate, and just plain stupid.

Marc MacYoung in his quotes above really provides a good view of combat vs. fighting. If you are on the animal list you can read the entire post which is enlightening. He has such a good way of conveying things, crude sometimes and funny and factual with a smidgeon of experience thrown in.

Combat does not occur on the streets against violent attacks. We are not Samurai, we are not Warriors. We are civilians who wish to learn how to compete in sport based competitions. Those who practice to fight still are not learning combat but actually a ritualized way to fight in the monkey dance. Seldom does anyone actually practice and train for predatory violent encounters.

Even if a predator is trying to kill you it is not combat. Your fighting for your life yes, but not combat. Combat is where one tribe, say country, tries to force something on another tribe, another country, or tries to take by force something away from another tribe/country. Sometimes wars and combat are a result of belief systems such as religion. It is not fighting, it is combat where folks on both sides try their very best to kill each other.

For what fighting is in its entirety you need to go to nonsense self defense and both Marc MacYoung and Rory Miller's books on violence where they will be more than willing to explain all the various forms of violence and "fighting."

Lets get real, all those sound bites are "selling points" to get the uninitiated to buy into their all encompassing three day course of how to be the deadliest person on the planet. There is no such animal ... ops, sorry Mr. MacYoung, forgot you are the Animal! ;-)

This post is mine and does not reflect in any way any meaning that would be Marc's, he may or may not agree with what I have posted. The quotes are his and are outside the thread so may be incomplete in meaning as it should be read with the rest of the post for proper context.

Did those who trained with Tatsuo Sensei really understand his intent, etc.?

As I study another book on Japanese communications I am finding the possibility that the American Service member of the late fifties and following decades of the sixties and seventies may have assumed incorrect or inaccurate information from their discussions with Tatsuo Sensei.

Some might say that this is not possible since Tatsuo Sensei was not actually Japanese, and my source for this post is a book on Japanese communications, but Okinawan. Here is the rub, both relied heavily on influences from China. A lot of the Japanese ways are direct decedents of Chinese Buddhism influences as they are practiced in Japan as Zen Buddhism.

After finding that such things as silence and other traits some of the claims and information that seemingly comes directly and indirectly from Tatsuo Sensei may not have be conveyed to Americans where we truly understood the meaning of what was said.

I am not looking to disparage those who believe what they understand to be Tatsuo's wishes regarding his system of Isshinryu yet I do want folks to consider the possibilities. We have great difficulty understanding what we say to one another as Americans and yet we assume our viewpoint and knowledge actually translate into our belief we understand all that Tatsuo Sensei, Japanese and Okinawan together, mean/meant/implied between the lines - silence to perceive the void between, etc.

Face it, we don't truly understand the Japanese/Okinawan mind, belief, customs and courtesies - we think we do but we don't. Even those who live there don't fully understand it - they tend to accept it.

When folks asked Tatsuo Sensei questions and met silence, sometimes this means no and sometimes yes, which must be interpreted by someone who has close ties, understanding and like beliefs, etc. to see the answer from the void of his silence do they truly understand. Some who met the silence kept up the questions which is rude and crude would maybe then receive some response to remove the feelings Tatsuo Sensei might have felt from the insistence where a Japanese would never push or insist but interpret the silence properly, etc.

Is this possible? If you are open to "maybe" then you may find the book below of interest.

Bibliography:
Davies, Roger J. and Ikeno, Osamu. "The Japanese Mind: Understanding Contemporary Japanese Culture." Tuttle Publishing. Tokyo, Japan. 2002.

What does "humility" mean to you (me)?

First, read the post by Sue at "My Journey to Black Belt."

I remember once long ago while instructing my system at the Naval Weapons Station Concord California, as a civilian karate-ka, when a person spoke up about an article in the base newspaper. He mentioned that it was a bit forward of me to promote health and such via karate while holding a cigarette in my hand. You see, the picture along with the article had me at my work desk so they took a photo out of the karate-gi and I held a black pen in my hand, between my first and second fingers much like a smoker.

The moral here is a persons perceptions can be askew with out all the facts about such things. So, before I go into what humility means to me I just want to say that a blanket statement from a stranger to another stranger with out full understanding and proper perspective means diddly.

Sue, there is nothing haughty or prideful in your blog, at least from my point of view.

When we think of humility outside the world of martial arts we consider a person to be without a false sense of pride. To be at a level of modesty that is accepted by a society/group/tribe as appropriate. It can be a feeling within or a feeling another has who may know of you. It can be a diligent personality trait, both natural and learned, that says you do things in life out of the goodness of your heart. It can be a spirit that exudes a feeling when others are in close proximity. It can be demonstrated in simple conversations. Some might think it a type of charisma. It can be the absence of the tendency to boast. Vanity is not apparent or present.

I think of Mother Teresa when I think of humility both spiritual and outwardly. Mother Teresa should be the level of humility we seek in our lives. If in doubt simply look her up in google and take a moment to read and be reminded. I am not saying drop everything, take up a religious stance, and go around the world doing the kind of unselfish things she did, that would not be proper. Just take the time to realize that you can achieve great things in a humble way by following her example. There are others we can look to as well.

How about Ghandhi, don't you think he can be an example. But I am skirting the issue as to the question where I must come up with my own answer as to what humility means to me.

I guess I have to say just one thing, "Asked and Answered." It matters not whether your a MA practitioner or a school teacher or a minister or another Mother Teresa, humility is something that transcends any one thing much like my view of fundamental martial principles that also transcend all systems and those who practice them.

Can we truly learn how to defend ourselves?

As I travel this path I have come to realize that we can truly learn to defend ourselves IF ...

The IF is always that one word that transcends understanding of what it would and does mean to defend or protect ourselves in life. SD can be verbal at home or work, it can be a chance encounter in our cars, it can be some natural phenomena. Yet I would once again narrow the field down to personal/physical self protection against another person/physical threat. One who is possibly bent on doing you physical harm.

I have been discussing/posting/practicing self defense stuff for a few years now and the one absolute I have found is that to truly learn how to  defend ourselves is one that takes a lot of effort and a very long time. It just does not happen in one three day seminar or one of those two week self defense courses regardless of advertisement and the ads language.

I am absolutely convinced beyond any doubt that you do not learn self defense by the instruction of a person does this technique and you do this in response type technique. I taught that way and called it self defense classes - ops, I fu@# that one up. How did your reality gap handle that sentence?

I am most positive that what is needed BEFORE you do any physical practice and/or training takes a considerable time span and a continuous one so it remains accessible to our brains in a crises. You only hurt yourself and your students if you fail to get all of it and instruct/teach all of it to them. You can fool them with rhetoric and platitudes but that will depend a lot on the fact that almost all of them will never have to call what your providing up in a live fire situation.

I spend an exorbitant amount of time reviewing and posting on definitions, semantics, and other such things because I am finding, daily now, just how important communications are and that a lack of knowledge and awareness widens that reality gap by a huge amount. The bigger the chasm - the easier it is to fall in.

Click for large view.

Imagine a early American venture across the uncharted nation we call the American West. If those brave souls did not take time to become aware of the dangers and to discover the resources they would need for their travels this great country would have lost the ideology and heritage those pioneers gave us for their efforts and lives.

Today we still travel a potentially dangerous uncharted land of violence so why should we dismiss all that it takes to cross it safely and securely?

What is the difference between Bu-do and Bu-jutsu?

Generally speaking, a school of martial arts chooses whatever term they feel most comfortable with. A martial arts school might choose to call their practice bujutsu, because they desire a connection with the past, or to emphasize that their art is practiced as it was during a certain point in history. A school might choose to call their practice budō to reflect an emphasis on spiritual and philosophical development, or simply to reflect that the art was developed more recently.

Civil vs. Military:
Many consider budō a more civilian form of martial arts, as an interpretation or evolution of the older bujutsu, which they categorize as a more militaristic style or strategy. According to this distinction, the modern civilian art de-emphasizes practicality and effectiveness in favor of personal development from a fitness or spiritual perspective. The difference is between the more "civilian" versus "military" aspects of combat and personal development. They see budō and bujutsu as representing a particular strategy or philosophy regarding combat systems, but still, the terms are rather loosely applied and often interchangeable.

Budō is a compound of the root bu (武:ぶ), meaning war or martial; and dō (道:どう), meaning path or way. Budō is most often translated as "the way of war" , or "martial way." Specifically, dō is derived from the Buddhist Sanskrit mārga (meaning the "path" to enlightenment). The term refers to the idea of formulating propositions, subjecting them to philosophical critique and then following a 'path' to realize them. Dō signifies a "way of life".

The modern budō has no external enemy, only the internal enemy, one's ego that must be fought (state of Muga-mushin).

Bujutsu is a compound of the roots bu (武), and jutsu (術:じゅつ), meaning technique. Bujutsu is translated as "science of war" or "martial craft."

Budo and bujutsu have quite a delicate difference; whereas bujutsu only gives attention to the physical part of fighting (how to best defeat an enemy), budo also gives attention to the mind and how one should develop oneself.

Okinawa indigenous fighting methods called te (手, literally "hand"; Tii in Okinawan) were melded with Chinese Kenpo and Okinawan Wrestling to become Touda or Tii (pronounce like "tea").

As a martial artist, shouldn't you be looking for ways to improve, to learn more, and to try new things? - Question from Samurai Girl's Blog

This statement is one from a person who practices her MA wholeheartedly! It would appear that too many MA halls fall into the flat world society mentality where their's is the one and only, shame and their loss. If your going to join up to find a club, a social club that just happens to kick and punch, then have at it and good for you.

If you want to train in Bu-do/Bu-jutsu then you MUST go outside that box. SD and all that entails. Fighting and all that entails. Combat and all that entails. None are in a neat and tidy box with all the answers in one or two little techniques. Threats and Fights are messy, chaotic, confusing and dangerous - mentally, physically, morally, and Legally.

Why did the choose to use "Empty" when they changed it from "China?"

Originally the Okinawan fighting system was simply referred to as Ti or Tii (pronounced like "tea"). It was a type of wrestling and boxing Okinawan style but morphed into Touda or Tii when they combined the indigenous system to China's boxing or Kenpo. [Okinawa indigenous fighting methods called te (手?, literally "hand"; Tii in Okinawan) were melded with Chinese Kenpo and Okinawan Wrestling to become Touda or Tii (pronounce like "tea").]

What I wanted to know is when they decided to change the name "karate or China hand to karate or Empty hand" why did they choose the term "empty?"

One source says, "... the name was changed from 唐手 ("Chinese hand") to 空手 ("empty hand") – both of which are pronounced karate – to indicate that the Japanese wished to develop the combat form in Japanese style." Yet this does not really explain why "empty" would express a Japanese form of martial art vs. say "koryu."

I have to ask myself why empty? I can guess that it may be due to the change from weapons to just your body so the loss of weapons from the hands of combatants would mean they now have to apply techniques with "empty hands." It may mean they wanted to refer to weapons, i.e. then the weapons ban - both Okinawan and Japanese dictates, being removed from the hands of civil/military persons so the hands become "empty."

Although this makes sense how to we prove it. I suspect there may be some elusive reference to why they chose empty to replace China. We all know, or think we know, that the change was also prompted by not wanting to reference China, an enemy of Japan, in this new form of fighting system introduced to Japan. But still why empty?

Is there some other reason other than my hypothesis (guess)? This also asks the question, why "hand" or "te in Japanese or Tii (pronounced "tea") in Okinawan dialect?"

Yes, this is most likely an old question, why hand when you use all parts of the body to fight, i.e. hands, elbows, feet, knees, etc.? It could be simply that it was the easiest term or set of terms to use much like the Chinese calling their form of fighting arts as "boxing." Especially when viewed from American perceptions of boxing being a fist-to-cuffs witnessed today in the boxing of America.

It could also come from the idea that the primary weapon in "hand-to-hand" encounters is the hand - open or closed fist. There may be no mystery at all since it was also easy to keep the pronunciation of kara where that character in Chinese meant China and in Japanese meant empty.  I can see that for expedience sake and to stay as close to the pronunciation of "kara te" which makes the transition easy, i.e. just change the character a bit, for both Okinawan and Japanese.

I suspect that if you tried to find a single word or character that would best describe the new system, at that time late 1800's to early 1900's, you would see that it would be very difficult, try it!

Do you call it "body vs. empty" since it involves all the body? Do you refer to it has limbs? You don't want to convolute it by saying it is hand-n-foot system. Even if the Japanese pronunciation sounded good would it be easy and isn't the ease of transition an important and vital aspect to have the Japanese accept the Okinawan system of fighting with out weapons?

Oh, one last thought ... coulda been simply a economic thing too. Think bout it.

What does it mean to practice wholeheartedly?

Wholeheartedly Defined Officially: without reserve; without reservation; Showing or characterized by complete sincerity and commitment
Wholehearted: with unconditional and enthusiastic devotion; the quality of hearty sincerity; wholeheartedness - undivided commitment or unreserved enthusiasm

Apparently in a non-martial art way this simply means one who devotes their efforts with complete and absolute commitment with enthusiastic devotion. This seems to fit what many in my system mean when they say, "The Master (Shimabuku, Tatsuo Sensei) wants us to practice Isshinryu wholeheartedly!" I can also agree with Charles Goodin Sensei's blog post excerpt [" ... simply practice Karate for Karate ... if you practice Karate wholeheartedly, you will become better at Karate."] that to achieve good karate one must practice wholeheartedly.

It appears there is no mystery to this quote or the saying of many Isshinryu practitioners. It is simply conveying a meaning of practice and training as the only true way to achieve any significant level of proficiency.

A recent blog post stated, "As a martial artist, shouldn't you be looking for ways to improve, to learn more, and to try new things? " The question would seem to tell us that to be a MA one must practice wholeheartedly - isn't this the type of trait that says, "Wholehearted?"

As to the Isshinryu connection it may be that when presenting the ken-po goku-i, the name being one heart way and the references to heart in the goku-i that one incorrectly assumed wholehearted or wholeheartedly was some mysterious connection. It can be connected but I would feel now that my view above is actually what is meant by saying, "Practice Isshinryu wholeheartedly as intended by Tatsuo Sensei."

Why does karate (MA's) promote "not striking first?"

We can go through all those esoterically psychological reasons why the karate-ka, in this post, should not strike first. Why they should not do so in applying impact techniques in self protection is another matter.

In general there are some very good tactical reasons why you might want to "not strike first." Just so you will have something to research or a better reason to buy a book - read chapter forty-eight of the book, "The Book of Martial Power," by Steven J. Pearlman. Pay attention to the paragraph on "Committed."

Sorry, bet you thought I was going to answer this one for you, NOT, read the book for it contains far more that this principle of martial systems.

Why can't I make anything work in the training hall - dojo?

Ever have one of those training sessions or group of training sessions - you know - where nothing goes quite right and you just can't do things you know your proficient at worth shit?

You have to ask yourself, what is it, why can't I make anything work? Why am I suddenly this stupid clumsy jerk who knows this part yet cannot do it worth spit?

Good question and its normal. You will reach certain plateaus in your training and practice. Mine were senior brown belt, Ni-Dan and then many times there after regardless of ranking/level. I have been practicing for about 35+ years and from time to time it seems like I don't know squat and I can't do anything with out flubbing up seriously. I have times in sparring/fighting practices/scenario's where I will get my clock cleaned by someone I know I can handle easily.

This is all part of the process, ergo why I like it being called the "way" of the empty hand. There are and always will be these surprises in practice/training. It is a form of "shugyo" and how you handle it is also great training/practice.

Don't take an extended break thinking it will correct itself, it won't, only by hard work and continued practice will this particular bump in the road go away. If you take time off it will or could be even more difficult to return. Some times I see good practitioners quit completely and never return because they see it as something terribly wrong and insurmountable. Not true, persistence and practice and training will get you past this obstacle.

It is normal, suck it up and deal with it. You will find that protection will create freezes and lost ability but break the freeze and change what your doing if the ability is not cutting it. Better than quitting or getting hurt or worse.

Why do we feel kata must be judged a particular way?

Do we as MA's actually feel that if we don't perform a kata a certain way that it is to be judged as bad? I have witnessed serious upset folks who make some trivial mistake in a performance yet the overall kata was pretty good. Is this maybe because kata training is so involved as to tournament competitive judgement toward perfection of form, etc.?

One of the best I have seen is a black belt who performed a kata, hit a freeze, simply said "pardon me" and then started over again. I could tell he just hit a moment we all experience in practice where our brains simply stop, blank, nothing and not even encoding appears. This is good fundamental training so the only question I would have posed is, "Why didn't you just go on? Why stop, apologize, and start over? If a true fight and you freeze it is more important to break it and keep acting appropriately - after all the goal is to not get hurt and your threat is going to keep right on attacking.

Maybe, just maybe the over emphasis on kata perfection, kata tournament competition, and reliance of kata perfection in form, pretty, for promotions has further diluted its true purpose?

Mistakes, flubs, freezes, etc. are all normal. It happens to everyone all the time. It is how you handle it that counts. If it ain't pretty yet it works and you don't get hurt - that seems a better way don't you think?

I do like to instruct novices to get good form, i.e. body alignment, proper posture, etc., but if it does not achieve a very specific form it in the end only matters if it diminishes the actual function - in fights/combat.

All the rest must remain in proper perspective, yes?

What is the Budo Path? What is Budo?

Lets get the supposed official definition out of the way first. Budo is "Martial way; combat way; a system whose primary purpose is to develop character. Budo is to be distinguished from bu-jutsu (from bu, warrior, and jutsu, technique) because budo belongs to the spiritual level and jutsu to the physical level (strength, intelligence). Bu also signifies the way of harmony and reconciliation."

Also:

Budō is a compound of the root bu (武:ぶ), meaning war or martial; and dō (道:どう), meaning path or way. ... Dō in the Japanese context, is an experiential term, experiential in the sense that practice (the way of life) is the norm to verify the validity of the discipline cultivated through a given art form. ... budō is most often translated as "the way of war", or "martial way", ... Budo and bujutsu have quite a delicate difference; whereas bujutsu only gives attention to the physical part of fighting (how to best defeat an enemy), budo also gives attention to the mind and how one should develop oneself. Modern budo uses aspects of the lifestyle of the samurai of feudal Japan and translates them to self-development in modern life.

When one says, "I follow the budo path," it means to me a practice that provides a discipline where one cultivates the mind-body for a spirit or belief that transcends normal life. It helps me to see self, to develop a self for a higher moral purpose conducive to society and so forth.

On the flip side of the coin, do we Americans truly understand what is means, Budo? Even with all the definitions do we really know the core of it? Consider this, we are Americans and tend to see, hear, etc. the complete opposite of what Asians do with a pointer toward Japanese. How can we know when it appears that Budo in Japan is from a time period totally and completely unknown to us.

I have read material from those who have practiced "Budo" that is referred to as "Koryu" and my understanding is that even those folks don't truly and completely understand its history and meaning. They have mentioned that most Japanese don't truly know either outside a small circle of Koryu system practitioners.  So, how can we actually believe we know?

Maybe it is that mystique we desire be attached to this practice of MA? Maybe it provides us a basis to build a story that suits our needs and wants in this field to provide stimulus to our training, practice and studies? Is this wrong?

It depends, does it do harm to either the Sensei, the practitioner or to society as a whole? In my view, "mostly no, it does no harm." I will drop back to what MA is to me, a fighting/combative system or protection, etc. This means that to use such terms as Budo or "warrior/martial way" indicates the practice is for real life protection, not sport, etc. which further means that as long as the use of Budo or Bujutsu is related to real, not sport play, fighting/combative SD aspects of today, then it does no harm yet if it fools folks into thinking it is what it is NOT, very potentially harmful.

We all have to decide for ourselves. Take a reality check and compare what you practice and train in to the reality of violence both street and combat/war then make that decision.

Keep this quote in mind, " ... the difficulty lies in differing perceptions about time in different ethnic group. ... " Although not directly applicable to this post it does bring to light a huge obstacle in determining validity of some term outside our group, American, as both the group and its position in time as well as place, customs, courtesies, etc. have relevance in usage and meaning.

Of course, this type of discussion has and will go on forever much like folks using the title of "warrior." I highly recommend reading Dave Lowry's books on the Japanese Arts as well as his book on karate because he is a good source/authority on Koryu systems.

Grateful-Appreciated

I just wanted to recognize the following blogs and say simply, "Thank you for all your efforts, your blogs are an inspiration and an education. - Thanks!"

Martial View by John Vesia, Kowakan by Mario McKenna, Mokuren Dojo by Patrick Parker, Chiron by Rory Miller, Karate Thoughts by Charles C. Goodin, Dojo Rat by Dojo Rat ;-), 24 FightingChickens by Rob Redmond, My Journey to Black Belt and Countdown to Shodan by Sue C, Martial Secrets podcasts and blog by Lawrence Kane and Kris Wilder, Tai Chi With Melissa by Melissa, Bushido Road by Felicia, and of course the many folks who take the time to read my stuff and especially those who provide feedback and comments.

While I am at it I want to say thank you to those many authors who provided me more knowledge than was available when I began. Old dogs do learn new tricks.

Thanks,

Charles

What is the most difficult SD defense technique to learn?

Right now, I would say "verbal self-defense." I would say this for two reasons - 1) I am studying the art of verbal self-defense and 2) I am finding that the content of the studies applies to me.

Regarding number 2. I find that the discovery that I am as guilty of verbal attacks as any opponent is the hardest part to accept - I accept it. I also find that in order to use VSD I have to overcome my ingrained verbal assault tendencies. It was also important to note that like myself, my opponent does NOT fully recognize the fault. Makes it doubly hard especially since the most predatory verbal attacker tends to be the one closest to the victim where the bond of Love and Family ties close and tight.

It is so much easier to learn and teach how to clean someones clock when they verbally attack you yet to truly defend to your best you must deescalate/avoid. This means listening actively and recognizing the bait so you can respond with out resorting to the same tactics.

Truthfully, there are many things that are difficult to learn and most, if not all, tend to blend and mix making distinctions difficult to impossible yet it provides many benefits if patiently accomplished.

For me I discovered I had "placater, blamer, and computer modes of VSD." I find my opponent in one case to be "blamer and distractor" mode type. It seems many of us fall under the "blamer mode."

Is there really a one stop or one kill punch in the martial arts?

Ikken Hassatsu or One fist, certain death - "What is Ikken Hissatsu" on Karate by Jesse Blog

Enter this term in google and you get about 15,400 results. You can view either Jesse's blog or the wiki at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikken_hissatsu for what this is and means - generally or approximately.

My post is to provide a view of this mixim's limitations as written in English. It tends to lead practitioners to the idea that developing their hands/fist on makiwara promotes the ability to achieve death with one punch - fist. I would pose that to have a mixim for karate in a violent encounter, i.e. social and anti-social attacks not sparring or sport, be "End it quickly and with the least amount of damage to yourself." To shorten it up, "End it Now!"

Ima sugu shūryō = 今すぐ終了 = End it now

In reality it is a nice sound bite and many believe it to be so yet my limited understanding tells me the chance anyone can stop violent attacks with one blow be it fist, foot, elbow, etc. is extremely unlikely. Let me also add that to achieve a impact technique of this magnitude also requires a perfect blending of "ALL the martial fundamental principles" at one specific time and against so many different variables it ain't funny.

Heck, most can't achieve that kind of impact technique in a controlled environment against either a heavy bag, makiwara or in sparring. It is not impossible just highly unlikely. This type of thing can blossom into a full blown belief system, which in some circles already has, which could get someone hurt.

Imagine those who thought the big knuckles and the ability to break things meant they could stop someone with one impact technique. In reality it will most likely end up with a broken appendage and an ass whoopin - at the minimum.

Does kata really teach to fight multiple attackers?

If you want it to. In my practice kata does not teach you to fight. Kata is the blueprint to practice martial technique. It is used to draw out actual martial, in my case karate, technique which the practitioner must put together on the fly to apply them using fundamental martial principles.

Kata teaches you to apply those principles. It is the traditional documentation of waza that "work." Work in regards to their intent yet they still are "adjustable" to learn and implement regardless to the time, i.e. 1800's vs. 21st century.

It trains you to move, maintain posture, maintain body alignment, apply body mechanics, etc. so it does plenty. It provides us the tools to achieve efficiency in applying karate techniques toward an attacker.

Just take a moment to look at the principles of martial power and you will readily see how kata applies to instruction, etc. To go completely into how kata are used is extensive. Lawrence Kane and Kris Wilder wrote a book on kata and that was only a part of it.

Ok, now you have my view on kata but back to the question in particular, does kata teach to fight multiple opponents? No, but I will admit that once a person achieves a certain level of proficiency that kata can be utilized to provide fundamental instruction and practice in fighting more than one person.

Yet, how often do folks actually encounter multiple attackers. In my view seldom. When it involves multiple persons I suspect and theorize that it usually involves the "group monkey dance" which can be avoided.

Lets also remember the "adrenaline dump effects." Very few have the ability to overcome the tunnel visioning, etc. so how on earth can you expect to be aware and reactive to multiple persons attacking? Not likely for most of us and even those who are professionals have posted or written that it still takes great effort to achieve success here. So, how can the regular "joe or sue" achieve this level of expertise in the dojo? Not likely but then again it is fun to try and achieve some practice drills that allow us to experience a bit of the pressure, etc. of facing several opponents.

Lets be real, most folks will never encounter multiple attackers and if they do it will most likely, in my opinion, be a surprise violent attack designed well in advance by the attackers to overwhelm you where you will not be able to act. If your lucky to break the freeze and have just enough mind left you may be able to flee, maybe, but there are so many variables that remain fluid and chaotic it ain't funny.

My final advice, have fun with the idea and train if you will but remember that you must tell yourself that this is not realistic and that you are not able to realistically train to deal with multiple attacks. SD is doable but remain realistic, train to avoid, deescalate, etc.

How soon can I or do I have to spar?

This is a most difficult question. It is driven by several factors which start with the individual. Each individual is unique and Sensei must monitor those new to the martial arts closely so they know when that individual is "ready" to start applying their new knowledge in a controlled drill/sparring environment.

Pushing someone to fast into the dangerous and difficult physical contact can have adverse effects both on the individual and on the dojo. This brings back up the importance of relationship development in a difficult and dangerous practice.

Most martial artists and most martial arts instruction tend to put folks into that environment way to early. Long before they have encoded into their brains actual martial techniques. I attribute this to the sportification of martial arts. In the excitement of competition and winning trophies and accolades we tend to forget fundamental principles that make martial practices work and simply instruct in a few simple boxing/kicking techniques to get "points" and "win."

In my dojo, in my instruction, I would not allow anyone to participate in free sparring until the stage/level of "Go-kyu." It was simple, any practitioner who wants to actually learn martial arts, i.e. in my case karate, must establish a foundation comprised of fundamentals with principles or it will not work and be merely "fighting/brawling." This is why sport tends to NOT be martial arts or karate regardless of beliefs and instructions to the contrary.

The Sensei-deshi | Sempai-Kohai relationship is either a detriment or benefit to a practitioner where forward movement is dependent on how that is applied in instruction.

Note: There are many ways to train realistically so you learn proper application of martial techniques. Sparring both free style and drill style are only a small part.

What martial system do you study?

This question is more apropos when meeting other martial artists even if in the same system. You both have some common ground to walk on where you get to know each other and create a relationship necessary to practice well. Again tho, in my view and for me, I would limit it to the system such as:

I practice an Okinawan form of karate called Isshinryu.

That's it, unless someone responds with an "open-ended" question that requires some further explanation I am done. Even then when responding I "TRY" to be short and concise although since it is near and dear to me I tend to express myself a bit more than would be desirable in a lot of cases - yes, I am opinionated and long-winded ... geeze ;-)

Does the Martial Arts Instruction Today Take into Account Self-defense?

Depends. In some sense it does yet a comment by Kris Wilder, Lawrence Kane, and Rory Miller in a Podcast I listened to today said something that resonated for me. In general, "martial arts, karate in particular, traditionally use "excessive force" in its combative applications." The expressed to my ear that this is due to the original traditional nature of karate - combat.

Then they made another statement, "The use of excessive force - nature of karate - does not take self-defense into account." [Note: I might have heard right and I might have not, listen to the podcast for yourself. Don't take my word for it.]

I feel, from my view of my system, this is true along with many other points they made in the podcast. I also believe that most martial arts training and practice do not take into account many, many aspects of self-defense into account in their instruction and training.

Made a lot of sense to me and prompted the question and MY answer.

Who is your Sensei?

Why one would ask usually involves a person who practices your martial system because being a community member of that system may have a relationship with your Sensei. If so, then they can get a fundamental fix on your training, practice, and proficiency level. Sometimes a person just wants to see if you trained with anyone they know or who may be special, i.e. like someone who trained with Bruce Lee, etc.

In most cases if you are starting up with another system completely I believe it is merely a conversation question to foster a beginning of a Sensei-Sempai relationship for the future of their practice and training.

If I am asked, either by another Isshinryu Practitioner or another system instructor, I usually provide information about the "person" and not necessarily the person's so-called martial art resume. If I mention the name and see no indication of recognition then to provide any type of qualifications is pointless. No one can determine what that may or may not mean unless they know the person and have experienced training/practice with that person - for a fair length of time vs. say a seminar or such.

Example: My Sensei was also my Company First Sergeant while we both were stationed at a Marine Base on Okinawa. He was my Isshinryu instructor and mentor and he also provided mentoring for me as a Marine. I was lucky to have had his experience in both to provide me the means to excel under his command/guidance. He become a true fellow Marine and a very good friend.

That pretty much sums it up in answering this question. Anything else is pointless once again unless all parties know one another and if I started in on his history, etc. then I am either bragging or lack confidence in him, his training/instruction, and my own proficiency, i.e. I may have some innate need to qualify my expertise by spouting off about his karate resume. That is how I would feel about it. It is like the "bragging rights" of those who seem to have a need for the type of validation, i.e. my Sensei was a First Gen Student of ... fill in the blank here ...

A quick, terse introduction is all that is necessary while all else will become evident once a period of training and practice time have passed then any detailed description regarding the martial arts aspect are moot.

p.s. In my personal case if you mention your Sensei's name, I recognize it, and have some knowledge of the quality of their instruction then I have knowledge of what I need or do not need to cover during the initial training. Nothing else matters.

"Advanced techniques are the basics done better?"

This comments/statement was a comment on a blog post and I just had to comment in return specifically to the statement itself. I replied to the comment by saying, "I would disagree." I disagreed because to me there are no "advanced basics" because basics or what are more accurately called "fundamentals" of a martial system are the ground work, the gross movements to teach a novice, and yet something a practitioners must use as a "reference" in instruction and continued learning.

I still practice a somewhat modified version of the Isshinryu system so-called basic techniques which are not the basics or fundamentals of the system although most would argue that point.

The fundamentals are comprised of those "principles" that are a part of any and all systems. Read the "Book of Martial Power" by Steven J. Pearlmen to get the picture I am trying to paint here.

The basic techniques which are exclusive to any one system are connected to those martial principles that transcend any one style or system. If one learns the basic techniques in their "basic" form then learn the other fundamentals of martial systems, the principles, then those same basic techniques are "adjusted" to fit/meet/apply those principles into the system so that they become correct in application yet they may be labeled as "advanced" but in reality the basic techniques are simply a foundation from which to teach correct principles as to a systems techniques.

This also begs the question of "basics done better," where this is misleading. It denotes that someone is doing the basics "incorrectly." This is inaccurate for hopefully the systems instructor is teaching the basic "techniques" correctly at that level, i.e. gross movements to teach about such principles as structure, pose, alignment, etc.

In my view there are NO ADVANCED techniques or basics in any martial system. What happens is when the practitioner learns the principles and then as they apply them and learn the correct application of said principles to the system "seem" like moving into "advanced" techniques. Any improvement of principles applied to the system might be viewed as "advanced" but are merely applying the principles to the system and "improving" that application.

So, this quote is misapplied to marital practice of "basics" and the inference of doing badly on basics then doing better and calling them advanced seems, "hinkey."

Is there actually an accurate translation of the ken-po goku-i?

Click for larger view.

I wonder all the time which of all the translations are accurate to the kanji passed to us as the "ken-po goku-i." Let me begin by what is provided just for the title, "ken-po goku-i."

Ken means "fist." Po means "law." But doe it really mean that when you look at the kanji. I will use the translation from the AJA tribe which has not apparent kanji characters available for the title. I have one copy of the silk certificate where you can extrapolate the approximate characters but since it is written by hand and the clarity is questionable who can tell for sure.

First, the block and hand written versions in the accompanying graphic have no kanji for the title of ken-po goku-i. In the silk certificate you can see at the far right four characters that would fit the "ken" "po" "goku" "i" translation. Since they are written in what I would call "freehand or cursive style" it is hard to determine the exact characters.

Some may ask the question, "Why bother?" Well, from my perspective if we are to study the system completely we must study the ken-po goku-i but to do that we must find the "correct and accurate" translations of the characters. If you compare these three you can at least determine with some accuracy the block characters to the free hand of the silk certificate and be pretty positive they are the same.

This reminds me of the study of the I Ching, did the translator's get the character to English right?

I have two kanji sites I will use to try and determine the meaning of the characters. Also, I have humbly asked a Isshinryu practitioner who is currently stationed on Okinawa to see if he can get a more accurate translation from the Okinawan Isshinryu practitioners, etc. Petty Officer 2nd Class Andy Sloane, Go-dan Isshinryu Karate-do.

1 - http://www.saiga-jp.com/cgi-bin/dic.cgi?m=search&sc=0&f=0&j=&g=&e=&s=&rt=0&start=1&sid=1256767060_65568
AND
2 - http://translate.google.com/#en|ja|

Another issue is that these characters have more than one meaning when taken separately which also convolutes the translations and overall meaning. Take the character for "heart" which is used  in the Isshinryu kanji as well, it is " 心 ."

1 - heart: 心 = mind, spirit, heart, a soul, a thought, will, a mood, a feeling, sincerity, consideration, sympathy, the core
2 - heart: 心 = heart, mind, core, wick

As can been seen there are several ways to interpret the kanji. Another issue as will be seen is that when you translate the English versions of the kanji translations through the google translation module you find that the characters that are provided in the silk, and other, certificates don't translate to those English versions - none of them.

Note: The thought just occurred to me of another road block to understanding martial systems with my emphasis on Isshinryu and Ken-po Goku-i. Humans, my theory, tend to "stop" when they first perceive an answer they feel is what they are looking for in relation to their experience and understanding to that point. It is the same when reading we come across the very first thing that seems to answer our inquiry according to our perspective and view then we "stop." This may also be why the translations don't gel, we got what seemed like the stuff we seek and never took it beyond that point. My experience to date, a hard lesson still trying to work past, indicates that we need to go beyond our acceptance and seek out more knowledge for that additional knowledge will change our views, knowledge, and perceptions.

Back to the title, ken-po goku-i. The first part, ken, is 拳. I have viewed it in both 1 & 2 to find that it, the kanji character, matches the one in the silk certificate. It means, "fist." The part, "po," has been provided as "law" in most translations. I found in both 1 & 2 the same character as the silk, "法," which means "law" in both.

We can translate the first two title characters as, "拳法," as "fist law." So, this seems to translate to "fist law for ken-po." Yet, does it really. What happens when you put fist and law together in 2. You get, "拳法," which seems to work, in this case. I also reversed the translation in 1 and got back the same, which often is not the case, of "Kenpo."

Here is where things get a bit muddled, the goku-i part in both 1 & 2 don't match to the two remaining characters in the silk version of the graphic so we must do a bit of hunting to find the correct translations. How do we do that? First, what is the English translation found on various sites:

Click for larger view.

a. essential principles or essential points which become, "essential = 必須 and point = 点," no match. As a matter of fact, which adds to the confusion, when the characters are copied and placed in the reverse they translate to "required." Interesting, yes! Essential principles is, "essential = 本質的な and principle = 原理. Neither translate properly and in reverse, "本質的な原理 = essential principles." Do we start to "see" how convoluted it all is and that translations are very difficult if we don't know and understand the author's intent as to the time, place, customs, and beliefs of that person and time and country!

The hand written version has what the author "believes" are the English equivalents but do they, according to the translation of 1, you get:

person 人 - heart 心 - same と同じ - heaven 天 - earth 地

and we can tell immediately that although separately some are verified yet not all and one that does partly has two other characters that are appended, etc. to complete the translation.

If we translate just the English in site 2 we get:

person 人 - heart 心 - same と同じ - heaven 天 - earth 地
blood 血液 - pulse パルス - similar 同様 - sun 日 - moon 月
method 方法は、- hard ハード - soft ソフト - swallows 飲み込む - spit 唾
position 位置 - advance 事前 - pass パス - separate 別の - meet 満たして
body 体 - follow します - movement の動き - proceed 続行 - change は、変更
hand 手 - meet 満たす - empty 空 - suddenly 突然 - enter のように入力します
eye 目 - necessary 必要な - see を参照してください - four 四 - sides 辺
ears 耳 - "should examine" を調べる必要があります - eight は、8つの - directions 方向

Although the core characters, mostly, appear there are still other characters that are added to make the translation work in this site. The first site does not allow for full translations that can be added to this post but if you take a few moments and punch in the English you find some are accurate but have again many other English meanings so which would be correct and/or accurate.

Since I could not find a character for either goku or i I find that the character translation for that part is to be even more "iffy" but maybe Sloane Sensei can provide them from Okinawa.

I took the next graphic from site 1 and find that they "might" be the closest characters using a lot of leeway. They would mean essential points and if they are by some chance correct we get, "fist law essential points," which to my view come close to what I would use as a meaning behind the title of this group of characters.

What is the hardest thing to learn in martial arts?

Wow, love this one and there could be many, many answers. Bet the readers can provide about a million answers to this question. Some might say learning to do the jump spinning back kick while others might say applying a specific pressure/vital point technique - take your pick.

The hardest thing anyone can learn in the martial arts is, "self-honesty!" The ability to see any and all obstacles encountered in the training and practice from the view that if it goes well or not so well it is because you did not do something correctly, i.e. failed to follow a fundamental principle, etc. Self-honesty in that you are "brutally critical of yourself." Not so brutal that you end up hindering your training and progress but a form that allows you to see truth and to have the intestinal fortitude to "change" and "correct."

We as humans, my speculation and theory, tend to look "outward" to the answers. If we lose an encounter we automatically tend to lay blame on something totally out of our control. We would allow ourselves to say it is ok cause it ain't my problem when in reality every experience and its effects are always a direct result of us, what is inside us, etc.

In martial arts the body-mind connection is critical. The body-mind principle [read the book, "The Book of Martial Power," in this book will provide more information regarding this subject matter.

If we delude ourselves, fool ourselves, encode false beliefs and perceptions then we lose. Only by our ability to self-analyze ourselves, our honesty with ourselves, only then can we truly learn and apply martial arts.

I quote, "The state of the  mind effects the state of the body; the state of the body effects the state of the mind. As the mind perceives, so the body follows. ...  As martial artists we require a deeper, more specific understanding of how each effects the other."

Bibliography:
Perlman, Steven J. "The Book of Martial Power: The Universal Guide to the Combative Arts." New York. The Overlook Press. 2006.

Is Karate legal for Self-defense?

Maybe the better question is, "Will being a black belt in a martial art be detrimental to a self-defense criminal trial action if I use it or participate in an altercation?"

Vague but good question. I can only say that it may or may not be detrimental to a person who intervenes for defending or self defense if attacked or intervenes to assist another under attack, etc. Rory Miller does remind MA's that most of what we practice is actually "illegal." I assume that because of the nature of karate practice, combative and not sport, that the techniques are kind of brutal in their applications [an understatement yes ... ].

I can only tell you what I think personally and that is if you defend yourself, you find your being prosecuted, and now trying to justify your actions in the manner most appropriate for a self defense defense strategy you might find the Jury thinking that because you are a "professional," as they perceive it from media propaganda, you might find that your MA will get you convicted.

Even in criminal court if you win what would it tell a jury that is deciding your civil suit?

These are questions I would be asking a lawyer who actually specializes in self defense law (force law), etc. because I suspect it is very complicated and convoluted. It is why some professionals like Mr. Miller and Mr. MacYoung will recommend you retain a good force law/self defense lawyer. Especially if you teach as a martial artist self defense.

After all, it also should be a part of your training syllabus, yes? It makes me wonder just how many "self-defense" training systems actually stop to consider this and it also makes me wonder how many assume that their liability insurance will take care of any suits [might be a false sense of security, might]? It also asks, how many are out there that don't know and don't even have insurance to mitigate this type of action?

p.s. I just received a couple of comments from both Rory Miller and Marc MacYoung on this topic. In a nutshell it does not matter for if you can "articulate" your stand in self-defense you will be addressing that aspect or view. "Articulation" seems the most important aspect in you defense and it should be a part of your training and practice, i.e. analyzing situations and coming up with the words and phrases that would "articulate" why you did what you did. Thanks to both Mr. Miller and Mr. MacYoung!

Is this statement really true?

"A clear mind is the only thing that can help you in a confrontation."

Not really, a clear mind is pretty much impossible yet you can train to control the mind to a point. Remaining present and mindful of the present moment seems more appropriate.

If you also take into account the adrenaline dump effects to the mind you might find your mind doing so really strange and bizarre things. The idea is to make your actions instinctive or encode them well to achieve proficient ability yet that is not the crucial matter when we talk of the mind. It is complex and involves our perceptions and beliefs along with the knowledge of what we will "actually encounter" in a real attack. Not the monkey dance which has a path it follows before blows are thrown, generally, but that unexpected and violent attack of some nefarious dude who has his goal and plan done and in place while your mind is trying desperately to understand what is happening, etc.

In a nutshell before you believe or tell yourself the story that what you practice will be there for you make sure you find out all about violence and violent people so you can determine your needs and your beliefs in what you would or would not do if attacked. This is a simplistic answer with only one goal, to get you the reader to find out about all this stuff before you have to deal with it.

If I recommend anything it is to access the No Nonsense Self Defense site by Marc MacYoung then go to the Conflict Communications site by both Marc MacYoung and Rory Miller for a real good start. Then get, read, and re-read books by both these guys. Start with Mr. Miller's new book "Facing Violence" where he succinctly provides the primer to violence before you face it.

We can spout off such things as "mushin and zanshin" but until you actually "know" about the subject and have practiced and trained with that knowledge driving the specifications of the realistic training/practice mushin and zanshin are merely words, sound bites to impress students and the uninitiated.

Don't take my word for it. I do not have the experience these folks have and when I ran my self defense training it was "INCOMPLETE" because I really didn't know or understand what these guys are teaching us.

Oh, as to the word, "only," that is a bit misleading. Fighting whether it is the monkey dance or a true violent encounter involves a lot more than "only the clear mind."  There is stuff before a situation, during the situation, and after it is all done. The variables involved begin with the mind and mind training yet they extend far beyond that and if all of the parts are not working together to some extent then it can fail.

The idea is to "NOT FAIL!"

Caveat Alert - Danger, Danger, Danger Will Robinson

I quote a lot of folks; I allude to their writings; I am wanting to ensure that readers know that the opinions and theories and stuff I post is my opinion, theory, idea's, beliefs, and interpretations of said sources and MUST NOT BE MISCONSTRUED as coming from them or that they are validating/advocating anything I say here on this and other blogs.

I use them as sources of posts where I tend to slide off into my own world, my soapbox monkey brain. I am meandering through this wonderful world of ours, the martial arts, and want everyone to KNOW that this is my stuff and subject to being incorrect; to omissions; to errors of all kinds.

Take it all with a huge dose of skepticism. Nothing is as it would seem yet if has value in your "PURSUIT" of truth and knowledge if only as a stepping stone to greater knowledge.

If you find I am in error; if I am just wrong; if I have omitted; if I have misinterpreted then comment! I can take it! Go ahead and let me know for it means I still can learn and grow and prosper from the wisdom of all who stop by and read my mindless meanderings of martial arts and life.

What is a Powerful Kata? How can one observe a powerful kata?

A blogger made this statement, "When I observe a strong kata, I think: I really would not want to get hit by that person." It made me ask, "how can one observer power in a kata?" The following is my possible answer(s):

How can you observe a strong kata? What constitutes an outward manifestation of what is called a "strong kata?" An interesting question because I wonder if the person is looking for so called telltale signs of power. Isn't it reality that true power manifests itself as "not powerful looking" if applied correctly?

In The Book of Martial Power is is quoted as, "The Power Paradox." Defined in the book as, "true power feels, and actually should be, effortless AND that which feels like powerful exertion is not." Does this mean that one should not or cannot actually observe a strong kata?

Or, maybe looking at it another way is that the person who said he liked to observer a strong kata as in the quote means that his observation does NOT detect what is normally thought of as power or powerful kata.

Maybe they meant that if the kata is strong it merely displays good stances, good stance transition; applied techniques as appropriate with momentum, speed and power; maybe observing powerful kata is the observation of good posture, body alignment, economy of motion, structure. If this is what was meant then yes, I would not want to be on the receiving end of that karate-ka if they were going to hit me.

Bibliography:
Perlman, Steven J. "The Book of Martial Power: The Universal Guide to the Combative Arts." New York. The Overlook Press. 2006.

"Do we lose creativity due to being judged?"

" ... no one can judge us unless we let them." - Rory Miller Chiron Blogger

Reading a post by Rory Miller on the Chrion blog created this question in my mind. Could this be one reason why testing and judging someone's ability promotes a loss of creativity? Rory does mention, I believe, that our creativity (or is it spontaneity) is important in self-defense.

Is it also a detriment if we are told that we "must remain true to the system" by not allowing any deviation in our practice. Some today think that it is critical to remaining true to the system by adhering to a maxim that "one should learn, practice, and teach the system as the creator/founder taught it." [note: this might be a good thing if those who teach today actually learned and had full knowledge of the entire system; start to mastery!]

If we practice for self improvement and remove any and all intent to use it in real fighting and/or self defense then maybe this maxim us valid yet if what I am perceiving it true then doesn't it cause us to lose an important aspect of martial arts for defense, spontaneity/creativity?

If we spend our time trying to memorize it "exactly and unchangingly and rigidly" are we not removing the trait that may actually provide us the ability to use it in defense/combat/fighting?

If we are focused on validation from Sensei, Dojo, and the governing organizations don't we lose the real focus of defense in application? If we don't actually point our focus where it does the most good then it seems we should make sure our intent is self-improvement and not delude ourselves into believing that it provides security and ability in defense.

As an instructor would it be more prudent and efficient if I am able to inspire creativity and spontaneity vs. dogmatic doctrine used to control and profit?

I advocate participation in events like seminars and tournaments but to test our mental ability to deal with pressure, etc. so also recommend when participating remove the judging and thoughts of winning and focus on training the mind to deal with stress, stressful situations and such yet leave all the fluff and glitter in its proper place.

Remove the external and remain fixed on what internals are needed to achieve a goal. It is like one of the principles of martial power being to focus on the true and efficient application of principle and forget about the opponent. Keep focus properly focused!

What is the best source for a beginner to learn about self defense?

Many might say that a person should seek out a martial arts training facility that specializes in self-defense yet I don't feel that is adequate. A person intent on following this path must first learn and understand what they are seeking and that comes from knowledge.

Knowledge may get you to thinking, well I don't want to get into a fight or be attacked to gain knowledge of what I need to know and you may ask, "Where can I learn about this before I look for training?" I would make some recommendations but as of today I have received the one "starter book" for the uninitiated and inexperienced that will give them some working knowledge so if they feel they still need to seek out training they will have a foundation of knowledge that will allow them to "ask the right questions."

Asking the "right questions" is critical. Critical so you will achieve your true goals and critical so you are not "fooled" into a false sense of security and critical to save you from spending your good hard earned cash on something that will NOT provide security and SELF-DEFENSE.

Start here:

This book can be the cornerstone to self defense!

If you finish this book, the primer to facing violence of all kinds, then if you still feel it necessary to pursue training then I suggest you continue on with:

Bibilography:
Miller, Rory. Meditations on Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training & Real World Violence. YMAA Publications. 2008

Sutrisno, Tristan, MacYoung, Marc and Gordon, Dianna. "Becoming a Complete Martial Artist: Error Detection in Self Defense and the Martial Arts." Lyons Press. Connecticut. 2005.

MacYoung, Marc. No Nonsense Self Defense: http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/

MacYoung, Marc and Miller, Rory. Conflict Communications: http://www.conflictcommunications.com/index.htm
Otto, Frandon. Use of Force: http://www.useofforce.us/

MacYoung, Marc. "A Professional's Guide to Ending Violence Quickly: How Bouncers, Bodyguards, and Other Security Professionals Handle Ugly Situations." Paladin Press. Boulder, Colorado. 1996.

MacYoung, Marc. "Violence, Blunders, and Fractured Jaws: Advanced Awareness Techniques and Street Etiquette." Paladin Press. Boulder, Colorado. 1992.

Chiron Blog by Rory Miller: http://chirontraining.blogspot.com/

Was the Ken-po Goku-i actually a very important document in the development of Isshinryu?

Click for Large View!

Reading a statement on the web concerning the value of the ken-po goku-i or the "Secrets of the Fist Way," taken from the Bubishi, is reportedly what is stated, a very important document to Tatsuo Sensei's efforts to create his own system of Okinawan karate-do. Is this true?

Now, as to the source of this statement I have to say that there is no reason I can fathom to refute this statement yet in my efforts to learn and understand I can not say emphatically that this statement is true/truth. Why?

In all the efforts to research the matter there has been absolutely nothing said, written, documented, passed down, passed along to anyone, American or Okinawan, that states its purpose and value to karate-do. We can infer a lot from our studies yet nothing to verify, validate, or explain it or its purpose other than this one statement.

Andy Sloane Sensei who is stationed on Okinawa and active in Isshinryu had this to say about my question: "This is not anything I've been able to come across in my research, and there are precious few senior Okinawan 1st-gen students left who even MIGHT be able to answer this.  It appears, though I could be wrong, that Tatsuo Sensei did not give out silk diplomas until after the Agena dojo opened in late 1957.  I would just have to guess that Tatsuo Sensei felt it was important enough to give it to them so much so that he had an English-language translation drafted by someone to assist in their understanding of the deeper meanings of their training. ... and ... he also stated as to the English-language translation ... y the way, you do know that the kanji for the precept 'The body should be able to change directions at any time' does not actually say that, right? Likewise, the kanji does not say 'The time to strike is when the opportunity presents itself.'"

Sloane Sensei has dedicated a lot of energy and effort to clarify various teachings of the Isshinryu system so I do consider him and expert in Isshinryu History, customs, and courtesies.

Personally, I find the ken-po goku-i, in its original/exact English form with Kanji, a valuable document in many things not just karate-do. I find its connections to the I Ching and other Ancient Chinese Books, etc. of even greater value. If nothing else it has taught me to seek out things way outside the box for both martial practice and other aspects of living this life of human being.

Now directly answering the original question, no one can say that it was or was not a very important document in the development of Isshinryu. We can theorize all we want yet Tatsuo Sensei is gone and since he cannot answer the question and his son, Kichero, cannot answer the question either then there is NO ONE who can validate the statement.

I can say if I wish, "The Ken-po Goku-i was directly responsible for influencing Tatsuo Sensei in his development and practice of Isshinryu!" I can also say, "The Ken-po Goku-i was NOT directly responsible for influencing Tatsuo Sensei in any way, form, fashion, etc., in his development and practice of Isshinryu!" Either way, can't prove the statement as either true or false, period!

Is there really a benefit to a person who gets a black belt in a variety of systems?

Yes. No. Did you expect me to answer it any other way. I have practiced Isshinryu for about 32 years as a black belt. I am familiar with other systems yet I felt instinctively that trying to take on more systems to lay claim to more black belts just would not work for me. In that I feel very lucky.

Also, I have done so with my system yet even now realize that I still have not learned all the principles/fundamentals of the system and/or those of all martial systems so how can I achieve a black belt in several systems in such a short time.

I had to take note of Marc MacYoung's comment about the system and its uniqueness of movement. To learn that and then several others along side it in short order seems to me to be a very tall order for even the best of practitioners who have natural ability, etc.

I guess that what I am saying, for me anyway, is that I am very lucky I couldn't fall into that trap and that I remained within my core martial system and continue to expand on it.

Yes, there is a benefit if it is merely your assimilating the system as a familiarization. No, if you are not fully encompassing all the systems principles, both martial in general and system specific, then your just adding a lot of different hand and foot movement that runs on your core system.

Lets not forget that in order to make all these systems available and applicable to combative aspects it takes a lot of work to encode it all adequately into the brain so it will actually work. That in itself says a lot cause it takes a lot of effort and time to achieve that natural and instinctive encoding, i.e. changing/adding to the minds neural pathways/networks, yes?

This then begs the question, why do it? If it is what I think, then it is merely a way to fluff up the martial art resume. Yes, I suspect this post, as many of my past posts, will "piss off" a lot of folks who have lived and achieved fame on having this or that many black belts in this or that many systems.

If you wish, won't hurt my feelings, to say that my disparity is simply jealously cause I never did or never could do the same then have at it.

p.s. Personal thought, once you have really, really learned your system then to achieve total understanding of another would require the same dedication and time so in a lifetime, to my view, you might be able to actually learn two systems ...

p.s.s. Oh, and truthfully can the brain/mind actually keep the two apart, i.e. not inadvertently as the brain does, meld them together. Can one do this with out the full time and dedication?

What is Muscle Memory? Is it real?

Second question first, "No." Now the first question. I want to answer it by providing a quote from a post made on the "Animal List" by a Mr. Marc MacYoung.

"Muscles do not have brain cells or any other capability that denotes a type, any type, of memory yet there ARE neural networks that course through the body -- this, as well stuff upstairs in your brain pan."

The usage is prevalent through out any physical endeavor but in martial circles it remains a steadfast answer to why someone has to repeat something over, over, over, and over again. It is inadequate and incomplete for the process of making a movement natural, as possible, and instinctive is complex and warrants more than this more simplistic answer.

The brain has what may be called neural pathways/networks where many things encode many things in the brain for retrieval and use by us in our every day lives. Normal, yes.

Encoding is where appropriate, efficient, and applicable training and practice add, adjust, change or modify those pathways or networks to when the mind achieves that state of "action" it actually retrieves the correct stuff and implements it with out conscious thought. A really tuff thing ergo why we practice, practice, practice.

This is also, like telling you about so called muscle memory, a simplistic answer yet it is supposed to inspire you to seek out the entire and complete answer as to why you have to do things a certain way to achieve instinctive action.

It prompted Mr. MacYoung to say, I quote: "I have such a problem with martial artists who claim to have 'mastered' five or six martial art styles in 15 years or so. ... This is somewhat problematic since, like different beers are brewed to go well with certain foods, a style's hand work is pretty specific to how they move their bodies. With someone who actually knows different styles, you can see the change in their body movement like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. With someone who has tacked on extra stuff, it's just them waving their hands around in different ways while their body remains the same."

I do like the way he puts stuff, informative and entertaining!

Why do Sensei go to the technical all the time to answer questions on fighting/defense?

The technical seems to be the easier path to follow. What I am saying is to immediately go to a specific technique to answer some question regarding, "What do you do in ???? situation Sensei?" You might also hear, "Why does this technique work or not work?" You find Sensei going directly into a demonstration of the why it worked or not or to demonstrate a specific technique that is supposed to work against that specified situation.

The hard road ... well ... is hard! Sometimes, mostly, folks want a simple this fills all type of answer and if it starts to take a while or get a bit complicated you can sometimes see in the eyes the mind just shutting down and they wait till your done and just say, "yes, thanks Sensei." You can say, "Do you understand?" They just smile and say yes Sensei.

In my opinion the strictly physical as taught mostly, my opinion here, is a matter of this technique to counter that technique. This kind of system can be learned quickly and with little effort yet when you start to add on stuff say like bunkai in kata the eyes glaze over and some tend to start second guessing their practice, etc.

The more esoteric explanations, the psychological, the discussions on repercussions in using martial systems, the principles/fundamentals that actually give the physical stuff their oomph are either not known thus lost or not discussed cause it takes time and a lot of effort to teach and learn, at both ends, i.e. practitioner and Sensei.

Lets not even get me started on those who do it, teach that is, because they enjoy the power and the sparring. I had one guy say that the only reason he had a dojo was to have students he could spar with and, basically although not openly admitted, to beat up on. Fruitless and pointless in martial arts.

A good example, when one person of note is asked about self defense you get sent to his site where the entire site is dedicated to that topic. It is deep and complex and has no clear cut answers. Why? Cause that is its nature.

What is Avoidance in regards to Self-Defense?

It might be good to try and convey what I feel is necessary to achieve the best and most effective self-defense posture every, "Avoidance!" So, I felt a short post to convey that idea so maybe someone can use it to discover their own personal self-defense avoidance system. If you follow the various posts on the Internet blogs, etc. you will understand the complexities of entering into violent behavior so therefore find that the only true way is to avoid it at all costs, this is why I am doing this post - Avoidance is the superior self-defense system ever.

Self-Analysis: The first layer to the "Art of Avoidance." Your life choices, do you find that your time is spent where you either encounter or witness violent behavior? Where you live, how you live, who you associate with or socialize with, how you play or socialize, where you work, the routes you take to work and going home, where you go and travel to do everyday life tasks, etc. All these will tell you, if you are brutally honest with yourself and determine the level of activity that exposes you to violence or violent environments, etc. will tell you if you even need to seek out the Art of Avoidance, i.e. self-defense instruction.

In your self-analysis the most important personal trait you can have is "honesty." That is total and unequivocal truth of who and what you are, etc. The ability to open all the protective layers you have acquired in life to see the true and completely bare exposed self. the naked self where nothing is hidden for to not see self completely and honestly can hide those things that lead to conflict and conflict leads to violence, etc.

Ask your "self:"

1. Are you willing to die for what you believe?
2. Are you willing to kill for what you believe?
3. Are you willing to sacrifice your family for what you believe?
4. Are you willing to sacrifice your financial security for what you believe?
5. Are you willing to sacrifice the family and financial security of the person your encountering?
6. Are you willing to sacrifice your mental and physical health and well-being for what you believe?

These are just "some of the questions" that you should ask your "self" about and the concerns you should consider if you decide to go past the Art of Avoidance and go right into violent behavior no matter the excuse or reason you believe justifies it.

Academia - Knowledge: The second layer of the "Art of Avoidance." Can you recognize violence, violent behavior, area's where violence is likely, what are traits of violence and violent people, what is predatory violence, what comprises self-defense what are the repercussions of self-defense/violence/violent people, what is the path that leads someone to violence, etc. If you cannot answer such questions then start here because if your brain/mind/spirit does not know these things you will fail at avoiding them. The brain and mind can only reference what is encoded in the memory so if it is not there ... ?

Do you know what kind of behaviors, yours, that will get you into violent encounters and situations? Are your communications skills viable to deal with the various personalties that make up people who tend to do violence/violent things?

The knowledge base must be one that not only encodes that information accurately in your brain but must be trained and practiced daily in life and in the training facility. If that does not occur then you need to find it and get there.

Practice-Training: The third layer of the "Art of Avoidance." Do you or does your training facility actually teach the fundamentals/principles that provide what is necessary to avoid conflict. It it or they cannot answer let alone provide for any and all of the first two layers then seek it elsewhere.

Realistic training scenario's must be conducive to utilizing all the first two layers into action. Knowing something does not necessarily equate to the mind/brain actually retrieving it as viable in avoiding attacks. Utilizing the ability to discover and recognize actual signs or the instinctual alarms is not as easy as reading about it in a post.

The Art of Avoidance: This is the layer where the rubber meets the road. These are some of the things you must utilize and utilize frequently to achieve a good solid foundation of avoidance.

It is easier to start by providing zones that move away from the center, i.e. referred to in martial principles as "centrifugal." Then we will try to cover when danger or violent traits/behaviors/environmental stuff starts to penetrate that outer zone coming toward you, i.e. referred to in martial principles as "centripetal." [Note: I am taking some liberties with Stephen J. Pearlman's book of martial power.]

Your closest zone is what I call the exclusion zone. This is the moment a person or person's actually enter a range where either of you can actually attack physically with strikes, kicks, etc. This is called the exclusion zone because your goal here is to keep any and all folks who are intent on violence or violent intent from gaining access to your body. Here is where your martial training, if combative in nature, comes into play. This is the first that communication ability of  a diplomat is effective to keep if from physical and hopefully achieve deescalation, etc. Hopefully this zone is never penetrated under any circumstances because all the other layers achieved avoidance. Your diplomatic ability is coupled with all your senses, your body language, your demeanor, and more ... so if training does not teach it, seek it elsewhere.

The next zone is your clear zone. That area where you still have the ability to detect and still avoid by say, "running or leaving the area or seeking an area of safety, etc." Your EWS has triggered alarms and your eyes, hearing, smelling, etc. are assisting all those trained academic knowledge material into some semblance of intent and action to avoid.

The next zone is one that extends as far as the eye can see and the ears can hear. This is the zone that provides a much larger buffer zone and a lot more time to consider the alarms, etc. Nature imbued us with instincts that are programmed in our DNA and Genes so they tend to trigger that so called "spidey sense" so we pay attention. I mean pay attention and disregard/remove the stories we tell or might tell ourselves that this sense "means nothing, it cannot possibly happen" type stories, etc.

If I had to pick the most dangerous moment for anyone who is practicing the Art of Avoidance for Self-Defense it is this moment where we try to hide in some comfort zone of it can't happen to me syndrome. Yes, we do live in a society that provides a great deal of safety and security. It is not bullet-proof.

If your self-analysis dictates you should learn the Art of Avoidance/Self-Defense then don't let the little voice of dissent dissuade you from listening to the EWS alarms. Look at it this way, find safety quick and what harm does it do, none. It may mean a few moments delay in your journey but the delay if you get attacked will be a lot more costly. Think about it.

Environmental Awareness: This layer speaks of both Self-Analysis of probability  of violent encounters where the places you go, you frequent, you need to pass through going to these places. Knowing this beforehand is paramount to avoidance. If you ignore them for convenience, etc. your asking for trouble and if you are asking then the probability of ending in violence is higher.

Know all the environments and what potential for violence they have so you can plan accordingly.

Self-awareness: Know thyself! Everything we do, say, encounter, experience, etc. is a direct result of "self." To me this means knowing how you think, act, talk, socialize, etc. so you will recognize those triggers that would send violence your way. This is especially important as to Self or "Ego." I would say in my limited experience and growing knowledge that the most responsible thing that always leads to or away from violence is knowing thyself, our ego's, or what some refer to as our "monkey brain."

A good maxim might be if you cannot take a picture of it, then it has done no damage you cannot recover from. If your being "dissed" or "insulted," etc. then the choice is all yours. If you allow such things to push your buttons and trigger anger, fear, resentment, etc. then you are open to responding in an inappropriate manner that can/will get you in deep.

All in all this is a mere tidbit of what I am trying to convey here as to the Art of Avoidance. Go to level one and try to continually learn and discover what violence is and what it takes to get there so you can avoid it at all costs.

Layers of avoidance are long and complicated. They have no real order of importance because it takes a "whole" to achieve success. Don't leave out any part and don't forget all the fundamentals/principles that are involved.

Remember, if you find you don't need it then don't yet if you have a remote chance of needing it, then do.

Questioning Authority: Why do karate-ka resist questioning authority in martial arts?

Somehow it was conveyed that one should never question the Sensei. How this came to be is a question of debate and its validity is also one of greater debate even today. Personally, my theory is that it started from a complete misunderstanding of how Asian's Sensei teach where it came to be understood that Sensei not talking or even recognizing a practitioner in practice was some "aloof" type demeanor that resulted in one putting that one up upon a pedestal. In some circles it was frowned upon and one who questioned Sensei was responded to as if they committed some grievous sin. I can go on yet that is not the point.

In some circles Sensei of Asian origin would demonstrate a thing, watch the practitioner emulate Sensei, then correct or demonstrate a couple more times, and finally leave the practitioner to practice. Sometimes with Americans it was not some special teaching method but a matter of communication where Sensei didn't speak English all that well so demonstrating and utilization of Sempai were the way to instruct.

Somehow, in America, I also theorize that some Sensei, prematurely taking on the mantle of dojo operator and instructor once sho-dan was achieved, tended to incorporate this method, wrongly of course, to preclude any questions that he/she could not answer. What occurs here is the fostering of incorrect and deficient and watered-down systems that no longer met the level of martial art or martial system.

I have run into those who when asked  would not comment as to my instruction or demonstration of something simply because my level was such-n-such and my years we so long or longer by a margin than theirs. Poppy-cock!

NO ONE; repeat; NO ONE is above or beyond reproach! Everyone is learning and everyone is capable of mistakes, errors and omissions. As I age I find that when I actually go to give a talk or to instruct a specific or set of specifics for martial arts I take a set of 5 by 8 note cards to use as a guide. I feel it is something done to make sure nothing is missed. I even take notes of questions I can not immediately answer so I can go back, think, contemplate and if needed find the answer in some further research. This seems "normal" to me, we are all fallible.

I found out early on that sometimes a beginner/novice or someone some where in the middle can see things or hear things that make a difference and can get me or any Sensei back on track, we all make errors and omissions and relating that to practitioners is not some unacceptable fault but a means to continue learning and refining.

How you ask the question and how you do it in the dojo, etc. does matter. Respect for one another is an intricate part of training and practice. How you pose the question is also important as it can denote how it is received and how it is interpreted. Communication and communicating questions is important and a most difficult technique, all part of what we are striving to learn in avoidance and deescalation, etc.

If I have posted/said it once I would say it a thousand times, if you have a question then ask it. How are you going to learn and discover if you don't seek out information and answers to questions. How can you possibly program/encode the mind/brain if you don't. Anything less can and will result in a loss of the way.