Put your best foot forward

Lately, we have been focusing on ushiro ryote-tori or an attack from behind where the partner grabs both wrists with an overhand grip.  Typically, this attack is first taught from static so that students can work on the basic movements and footwork.  As the student becomes more proficient the attack becomes more dynamic and the students learn how to "draw" their partner in. In ushiro-waza training, spacing and timing are very crucial.  Any problems with footwork or body positioning are magnified when the movement becomes dynamic. When the footwork isn't strong or the hand or body are out of position, the uke can collide with the student.  This is typically seen when the uke steps on the nage's foot or when the uke's runs into the nage on the way behind.

On a basic level, in order to control the spacing and timing one needs to have mastered the footwork.  The footwork enables the student to control the spacing.  If one controls the spacing, it is easier to control the timing.

Martial Arts IQ: Karate

Here is a wonderful documentary on Karate done by NHK World.  NHK is the public broadcasting TV station in Japan.  They have many wonderful English language programs on Japan that are quite interesting. This documentary is an excellent overview of the way of Karate.  One can see not only the beauty, but the power of Karate.  At first glance, Karate might seem like a sport, but you can see by the practitioners in the documentary that it is a way of life.  All martial arts come from the same source and, while taking divergent paths, all eventually meet at the same top of the mountain.  From this documentary, one can see Aikido in Karate and Karate in Aikido.  Please don't judge.  Judging is not learning.  Please only observe and learn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MuwIOjVkMY

"If you miss a week, the teacher notices.  If you miss a month, the other students notice.  If you miss several months, you'll eventually notice, and by then you've lost a lot." - Mark Ehrlich Gosh, this really is the truth.  Training is something that we sometimes think is a singular pursuit.  Whether we show up or don't is completely our business and we think nobody notices.  In a dojo as small as ours it is hard not to notice when someone hasn't been around for a while or if their level drops.

The aphorism, "You don't really know what you have until it is gone" is so true.  Students sometimes think that their level of accomplishment in Aikido is tangible and will never deteriorate.  The truth is that what one gains through training is primarily ephemeral in that when we stop training our bodies begin to forget.   We don't lose it totally, but we do lose a step or two or sometimes even more.

Furuya Sensei used to say, "We should pick up our swords everyday so that our bodies remember."  This is so true.  If we don't use it, we lose it.

Training is a habit like brushing one's teeth.  Nobody, except maybe your spouse, will notice until that one fateful day when you go to the dentist and she tells you how many cavities you have.  Please make your training regular.

Happy Black Friday

 

How will you spend Black Friday?  Hopefully, conducting yourself with etiquette and decorum.

When we start to take ownership of our lives, we see what Eleanor Roosevelt was saying when she said, "Life is what you make it"  Our lives unfold due to our actions, our efforts and, most importantly, our choices.  After a certain age we are the architects of our own destiny - nobody else is responsible for us. 

Thus, in Aikido training we are learning "how" to do Aikido not only physically, but mentally and emotionally regardless of the type of confrontation.  This training begins with taking ownership of one's actions.  Training gives us options and having options allows us to choose "how" we deal with confrontation.  The path of Aikido dictates that we use our intellect and choose compassion and harmony over aggression and brutality regardless of the situation.  Our belief is that harmony and compassion are the antidotes to the aggression and hostility that seems to plague man today.  We understand that the person attacking us is really attacking themselves and is thus unaware of themselves and because of that we choose not to destroy them.  They are in need of kindness, compassion and forgiveness just as we are when we get worked up and end up making a mistake.  Sometimes we need a gentle reminder to stay the course or as Furuya Sensei used to say, "Always act as if your teacher is watching."  This aphorism is the platform that reminds us to look deeper into the situation and act accordingly.

Our lives are made up of the decisions that we make.  We chose the path of Aikido and so we must act like Aikidoist and this includes when we think nobody is watching.  Sartre's quip that, "Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself" can be thought of as the mantra of Aikido training.  It is our choice to choose to be better and thus our lives are nothing more than what we make it.

Happy Thanksgiving

"The true path of the martial arts is that of great love that protects and nurtures all growth and development. Were the path of Aikido anything less than that, it would not be a true martial art. Aikido is not for the purpose of creating winners and losers. The human body and the universe are one in the same; the universe is the body we inhabit. Aiki can only be understood as the expression of universal movement.  Until you realize this, you will not understand Aikido."

- Morihei Ueshiba, Founder of Aikido. From Mitsugi Saotome's book A Light on Transmission. 

Being able to give thanks is the first step of compassion. Thank you for all you do or have done for me. I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.

What do you say?

I recently read an interesting article that people who talk to themselves as a means to remember can be considered geniuses.  Here is an excerpt from that article:

Psychologist-researcher Gary Lupyan conducted an experiment where 20 volunteers were shown objects, in a supermarket, and were asked to remember them. Half of them were told to repeat the objects, for example, banana, and the other half remained silent. In the end, the result shown that self-directed speech aided people to find the objects faster, by 50 to 100 milliseconds, compared to the silent ones.

“I’ll often mutter to myself when searching for something in the refrigerator or the supermarket shelves,” said Gary Lupyan. This personal experience actually made him conduct this experiment. Lupyan, together with another psychologist, Daniel Swigley, came up with the outcomes that those to talk to oneself are geniuses.

I guess from this assertion, people who study the martial arts are geniuses.  A good teacher does their best to not overwhelm the student with a lot of talking.  They demonstrate the technique and give easy one to two word teaching cues for each step of the technique.  Easy one or two word cues enable the student to follow the steps along in their heads while they say the steps silently to themselves.  This is the way I teach and is the same way my teacher taught.

An easy way to be successful is for the student to follow the steps the way the teacher lays them out.  The first step is follow their cuing by saying them in your head.  The second is to do them but this may take some time.  There is a saying, "Each movement begins with a thought."  One might not be able to do the movement right away, but at least they will know the right steps.  From this rationale sooner or later the thought will become right action.

So genius, go right ahead and say the steps in your head  - you're in good company.

If you want to read the full article visit www.lifehack.org/334241/why-people-who-talk-themselves-are-geniuses-according-scientists

I would also suggest applying their suggestions to learning Aikido as well.

Reminder: Dojo will be closed November 26 & 27 for Thanksgiving

No class on Thanksgiving or the day after.

Aikidoist are people who excel at confrontation management.  Here are four powerful statements that have the ability to change any confrontation. I am sorry.

I was wrong.

I don't know.

I made a mistake.

It doesn't matter who is right and who is wrong.  What matters is one's ability to see the other person's side of the argument.

To be able to say these statements without coercion shows that one has attained a level most never get to.  It shows that one is not only powerful, but humble as well - A combination not easily overcome by an opponent.  The one final supremely powerful statement is "I love you."

Try some of these out next time you are confronted and see just how powerful they are and how powerful they make you.

Dojo Christmas Party

When: December 5th at 6:30 PMWhere: The Smoke House in Burbank

$50.00 per person for adults and $25.00 for children

Everyone is invited to attend.

Please come even if you haven't been training lately.  We would love to see you again!

Do you ojigi?

One of the most difficult things for foreigners to do properly is bow or ojigi (お辞儀).  Why do people bow in the first place?  Bowing is a customary sign of respect.  How one bows and how low they bow depends on the situation and ones sincerity.  The hardest part is knowing what type of bow is necessary for the situation.  It is said that no two people are of the same rank.  Therefore, one should always assume that the other person is of higher status and thus treat them with more respect.  This idea of rank and respect is a difficult one for even native Japanese people. For instance in 2009, President Obama was criticized for bowing to the Emperor of  Japan.  The proper form for bowing to someone of the Emperors stature is called Saikeirei (最敬礼) and one bows to a 45 degree angle with their back straight.  Many said that his bow was too deep and that he let his back curve and his head drop.  Others said he was the leader of free world and thus not obliged to bow to someone who is not even a true head of state.

Here is how I read the situation.  For starters, President Obama was in Japan and thus must follow the etiquette of the land he is visiting.  Two, the Emperor of Japan holds a hereditary rank and President Obama holds a positional rank.  So technically speaking, regardless of one's politics, the Emperor is of higher rank.  Next, President Obama is six feet one inches tall and the Emperor is five feet five inches tall so it was necessary for him to drop his head below that of the Emperors (In samurai culture his head could never be held higher than the Emperors).  Finally, President Obama's bow was neither naive or offensive.  He is a foreigner who was trying to conform to the local custom and the Emperor, who is schooled in every detail and nuance of etiquette, would have realized Obama's sincerity.  There is a saying, "In terms of respect, never be outdone."  President Obama was showing the Emperor respect by bowing the way he did despite the fact he is a foreigner.  The Emperor showed Obama respect by realizing the nuances of the situation and not getting offended.

Below I have posted a pretty good basic outline for bowing.

Source: http://www.tofugu.com/guides/japanese-bowing/

Important dates for the next few months

Important dates for the next few months November 26-27^th: Dojo Closed for Thanksgiving

December 5^th: Dojo Christmas party

December 12^th: Osoji – Dojo cleanup at 9:00 am

December 20^th: Children’s class Christmas party

December 24-25^th: Dojo Closed for Christmas

December 30^th: Osame keiko – Last practice of the year

December 31-January 3rd: Dojo Closed for New Year’s

January 9^th: Kagami Biraki – Dojo official opening of the New Year

January 16^th: 2^nd Doshu memorial service

Sumo loses one of its greats

The famous Sumo wrestler Kitanoumi Toshimitsu (北の湖敏満) passed away today.  He was 62 years old.  Kitanoumi (北の湖) was the youngest person to be promoted to the rank of Yokozuna or grand champion at 21 years and 2 months and was the most dominant sumo wrestler of the 1970s.  When I watch his bouts, I am amazed at how quickly and how agile he moves for someone who weighs 373 lbs.  His yorkiri ( 寄り切り) or force out technique was always exciting because he would sometimes pick up the smaller sumo wrestlers by the belt (mawashi) and force them out. In this match, you can see Kitanoumi's excellent balance and agility as Takanohana (貴ノ花)  tries several different take-downs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ5GmMuD9Js

Here is a compilation of Kitanoumi's matches where some he loses, but they are always exciting.  His chief rivals were Takanohana (貴ノ花), Wajima (輪島) and Chiyonofuji (千代の富).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPtTcaB18gs

May he rest in peace.

How fast should the techniques be done?  It really doesn't matter how fast one does any of the techniques.  What matters most is that the tempo of the techniques be kept the same.  What I mean by this is that the techniques shouldn't start out slow and end fast or vice versa.  The technique should have a smooth flow with the same tempo throughout the entire movement. Some say that your movement should match the speed of your partners.  I am not in favor of that.  Younger people are naturally faster than older people.  It is just human nature.  If we try and keep up with them, we will succumb to their speed.  Furuya Sensei used to say, "Bring the other person into your movement.  Don't let them bring you into theirs."  So by that aphorism one shouldn't try and match the speed of their opponent.

The techniques should also only be done as fast as one can do them correctly or in other words being able to maintain the proper body position, balance and posture while making sure to execute every step of the technique.  Experts follow the same steps as beginners but they just do them faster.

When one is a beginner, they should try and do the techniques slower so that all the steps are followed.  The adage, "If you can't do it slow, you can't do it fast" is something I have heard numerous teacher say in one way or another.

Keep the same tempo and only do the techniques as fast as one can still give each step is proper emphasis.  Once you master the steps, speed up, but not until then.

Holiday cheer

I noticed over the weekend that XM radio and KOST have started playing holiday music.  In the past, I hated that fact that people started putting out holiday decorations and that radio stations started playing holiday music so early.  But lately...I kind of like it. The holidays are supposed to be the time when we think of others.  We try and be a little nice, forgiving and generous.  It is the time of the year when we are the people we always hoped to be.  As Bill Murray's character in Scrooged said, " It's [Christmas Eve] the one night when we all act a little nicer.   We...we smile a little easier. We...we...share a little more.   For a couple of hours we are the people we always hoped we would be."

If we can be the people we always hoped we could be for this short few weeks, why can't we be this way all year around?  I know I wish I could.

Aikidoist try to embody this "holiday spirit" all year around.  All that means is that we do our best to be better people.  When we see a pieced of litter, we pick it up.  When we see that someone is need of help, we help them.  As martial artist, we are supposed to be the best of the best.

It is easy to be grumpy or in a "holiday rush," but we are martial artists.  Our training dictates that we be not only aware of our surrounding but aware of ourselves.  When the holidays arrive we almost instantly find ourselves in the thick of it and can't seem to get out of the funk.  To circumvent the craziness, we need to prepare ourselves earlier.

So now, I listed to the holiday music as soon as it comes on so that I can start the holiday cheer before the holidays even start.  And just maybe I can be a better person for a couple of more weeks longer than the usual holiday month.

The dojo is used to film an independent Doritos commercial

An independent group filmed a commercial to be submitted for consideration in the Doritos  - Crash the Superbowl campaign.  If they win, they promise to donate a portion to the dojo.  Please follow the link below and vote for their ad. https://crashthesuperbowl.doritos.com/gallery/-created/0/3315?q=dojo%20madness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrXKkKb6sdo&feature=youtu.be

Adversity builds character

There is a Japanese proverb that goes, "Nanakorobi yaoki" (七転び八起き) or fall down seven times, get up eight.  Metaphorically, as Aikidoist we are the most adaptable to adversity because we are constantly getting up after being thrown down.

It is easy to see that failure is the worst thing that has ever happened to us.  It is supremely difficult to see failure as the greatest thing that has ever happened to us.

William Shakespeare had a great quote in Hamlet, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”  Winning, losing, succeeding or failing are all the same to Aikidoist.  We understand that regardless of the outcome, everything gives us the opportunity to learn or as they say in Zen, "Let everything become your teacher."

This piece of calligraphy reminds us that to be successful in any endeavor all that is required is that we get up after being thrown down.  The Dalai Lama put it best, "When you lose, don't lose the lesson."

The more you know the less you carry

What does it take to be considered a master?  First of all, it takes humility.  Those who say they are probably aren't.  Secondly, to gain a level of proficiency to be considered a master takes a lifetime of study. Regardless of one's genre, one has to put in the time. Over the years I have become a fan of the famous wilderness instructor Mors Kochanski who many consider to be the father of the modern Bushcraft movement.  I say fan because I merely read his books and articles, but don't practice his skills.

His lifetime of study makes him great, but his down to earth humility makes him a master.  He has come up with numerous wilderness survival techniques over his career and he is someone who seems readily accessible and willing to pass on his knowledge.  One of my favorite Mors Kochanski sayings is, "The more you know, the less you carry."

This quote is apropos for martial artist too.  What he is basically saying is that knowledge is power.  With knowledge comes options. The more we study and train, the more options we will have and thus the less we will need.

Below are two videos.  The first one is of an ingenious winch Mors Kochanski came up with.  The other is a video of him candidly talking about how to pick the best knife.  You can see from that video his level of understanding and his willingness to teach others.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNkmH3R9u70

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BXKHRzn_yE

Martial Arts IQ: Kyudo

Here I have posted an interesting and through overview of Kyudo or Japanese archery.  Those who follow a way or do (道) will especially find this video interesting in that it touches on not only the physical but the mental aspect as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DiqOLhRrZk

Make the goal not the throw but the perfection of the throw.

One of the greatest things about Aikido is that every technique has many layers and that every one contains several hidden secrets. The only way to reveal these secrets is to peel off each layer.  To peel off the layers, one must put in numerous hours of practice.  It is quite an interesting process as one delves deep down into a technique.  What worked at one level will be revealed to be obsolete.  Each layer brings with it more and more questions.  This might seem like a daunting task, but to me it is quite interesting.

When we begin, our training it is largely physical or what one might call jutsu (術) or technique or skill based.   As one becomes more experienced or, more importantly, more mature they start to see training not as a physical practice, but one that is an inward journey or do (道).

Every level has to be looked at with what they call in Buddhism,  "The beginners mind."  Suzuki Roshi said, “If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything, it is open to everything. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few."  People often misunderstand this quote to think that experts only have a singular emphasis, but that is looking at this quote the wrong way.  The beginner has a blank slate that is filled with curiosity and wonder while the expert can sometimes become jaded and have tunnel vision approach to things.

True power is more than merely knowing and lies in the depths of realization.  In order to see the depth of these Aikido techniques one must look past the primitiveness of just throwing people down and realize that Aikido is so much more than that.  Training reveals the true beauty of Aikido while simultaneously revealing the intricacies and sophistication of the techniques.

To forgive is easy to understand but even harder to do.  How can we call ourselves Aikidoists if we can't forgive others?  Forgiving others is not for them but for us, but it is still one of the hardest things to do.  To be a true Aikidoist is to first and foremost be a person of forgiveness.