Bonus Rounds

“Opportunities multiply as they are seized.” Sun Tzu

A good martial artist knows how to get to the Bonus Rounds. In video games, the Bonus Round is a special level within the game which is designed to reward a player with extra points, special powers, or valuable information. In the martial arts, the Bonus Rounds are where we make the most significant gains in our training. In a video game, a player has to play long enough or well enough to get to the Bonus Round. It is the same in martial arts training as the keys to getting to the Bonus Rounds are constancy and consistency. To achieve constancy and consistency, each of us tries to maintain a “regular” training schedule. In the martial arts, we reach the Bonus Round whenever we go to class outside of our regular training schedule or when we stay late or come early in order to get some “extra” training in. Basketball legend, Jerry West said, “You can't get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good.” Thus, those days when we really don’t want to go to class or when going to class is a struggle, those days are considered Bonus Rounds as well. The Bonus Rounds are where we find that extra little something that when applied to the momentum of our regular training helps to push us over the edge toward mastery. In Sun Tzu’s Art of War, he writes that “Opportunities multiply as they are seized.” Sun Tzu’s quote is about momentum and that the more we do something, the more that thing multiplies. Greek Philosopher Seneca once said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Therefore, we are successful as a result of the momentum that is acquired through regular training and that momentum is multiplied whenever we do something outside of our regular training. With that being said, if we aren’t regular with our training, we can never get into the Bonus Rounds and making gains will be much harder to achieve. In life and in the martial arts, success comes to those who have prepared themselves and are ready to seize upon opportunities as they arise. A good martial artist knows that in the Bonus Rounds opportunities multiply as they are seized.

To help students get to the Bonus Round, we are expanding our schedule June 1st back to seven days a week. There is one change to the already published schedule which is that Saturdays at 10:15 AM will be Regular instead of Advanced.

Today’s goal: In what ways can you get to the Bonus Rounds?

Watch this video to better understand putting in the work.

Restraint

The best martial artists know how to exercise jishuku (自粛) or “self-restraint.” For the most part, Japanese culture is built upon this idea of restraint. We see this idea of restraint in not only Budo, but in Japanese art, culture, and daily life. One of the most widely unspoken words in Japanese is enryo (遠慮). To enryo means to hold back or refrain from doing something out of consideration for others. Restraint is the basis of most Japanese aesthetics, and we see it in things like wabi-sabi, mono no aware and shibui to name just a few. In Japanese culture, it is thought that a person who lacks self-restraint also lacks shuyo (修養) or “self-discipline.” The techniques in the martial arts can cause injury and even death and because of this lethalness, it needs to be tempered with discipline and restraint. That is why the martial arts is based upon self-restraint and self-discipline rather than indulgence. Joseph Campbell told this story about samurai self-restraint. He said, “Once, there was a samurai who was tasked with avenging the murder of his lord. After many years, he finally found this person and was ready to complete his task. As he drew his sword, the man spit in his face. The samurai became angry and realizing this, he sheathed his sword and walked away. The reason he spared the man’s life in that moment was because he was bound by oath to kill this man and killing him because he became angry would mean that he was only fulfilling himself in that moment.” In the martial arts, we learn restraint through etiquette, decorum, and kata. In class, students must show restraint by how much power or force they put into the technique. For teachers, what and how they teach needs to be balanced with self-restraint and self-discipline as well. By routinely practicing restraint, when the time comes, we can demonstrate restraint and show our true level. Regardless of the situation, everything in life and in the martial arts should be balanced out with restraint and self-discipline. At the highest level, the best martial artists demonstrate restraint, not indulgence. Just because we can doesn’t mean we should.

Today’s goal: In which ways can you exercise restraint today?

Watch this video to better understand self-control

Bring Order to Chaos

混乱を静める
Konran wo shizumeru
To bring order to chaos

The best martial artists are tegusunehiku (手薬煉引く) or “ready for anything.” The other day, I read a news story about a teenage girl who fought off a person trying to abduct her. As she was waiting for the bus, a man tried to pull her into his car. At the last second, she grabbed a nearby fence. Holding on for dear life, she kicked, and screamed and made her assailant give up and run away. The authorities think that one reason why she was targeted was because the bus was late. A clever opponent will lie in wait and attack us in times of chaos when they think we are the most vulnerable. In warfare, damashiuchi (騙し討ち) or a “surprise attack” is one of the most effective techniques. Chaos is a force multiplier and it greatly improves the effectiveness of any surprise attack. It is said that “The martial arts bring order to chaos.” What that means is that through the practice of martial arts, we establish order within ourselves. On a physical level, order means that we practice kata (形) or “pre-arranged movements” so that they become naraisho (習い性) or “second nature.” When a technique becomes second nature it comes out spontaneously and without thought which enables us to do the right thing at the right time. In training, in addition to dealing with physical attacks, we learn to deal with shikai (四戒) or “The four diseases.” The four diseases are: kyo (驚), ku (懼), gi (疑), and waku (惑) or “surprise, fear, doubt, and confusion.” Thus, order on a mental level is the ability to stave off the four diseases and have shitsuitaizen (失意泰然) or “the ability to remain calm in the face of adversity.” Creating order within ourselves greatly improves our chances of success not only when we are being attacked but in every aspect of our lives. Order enables us to stand up to that which confronts us and meet that adversity with a sense of calmness and with the ability to come out unscathed. A martial artist trains because when the time comes, they know that they can’t be getting ready when they are already supposed to be ready. A martial artist brings order to chaos and that is why the best martial artists are ready for anything.

Today’s goal: Get ready before you need to be ready.

Watch this video to better understand how to bring order to yourself by making your bed.

Potential

A true martial artist is a person who is striving to realize their fullest potential. The teacher is not a guru, the dojo is not a church and Aikido is not a religion, but it is the training which changes us and helps us to realize our fullest potential. Once, I was having dinner with another Aikido teacher and his student. During the course of the conversation, we started talking about another student who the other teacher thought had the potential to be very good. The student having dinner with us asked, “Do I have potential to be good?” The other teacher replied, “no” and as a concession said, “but, you could be a good teacher.” The student turned to me, and I said, “You have the potential to be good as long as you apply yourself.” What that other teacher got wrong is that every person has senshinryoku (潛心力) or “potential power.” President Calvin Coolidge said, “The most common commodity in this country is unrealized potential.” Thus, the real problem is that we have lost the awareness and ability to use our power, but training is how we re-discover our power. I am not sure what it is but there is something about the training which helps us to unblock our energy and then enables our power to start to flow. This flow is known as ki no nagare (氣の流れ) or “the flow of ki” and this is where we get the power to accomplish our goals. Prior to getting a black belt in Aikido, I had never accomplished anything before in my life. After training hard and passing the black belt test, I realized that anything is possible as long as I applied myself. I then applied the template of training over other aspects of my life and used those lessons to accomplish things off the mat. It is never too late for a person to realize their potential. Some realize it early while others realize it late. It doesn’t matter when as long as it is realized. Every person has jiriki (自力) or the “self-power” to change themselves. Training teaches us how to do it. The normal person is satisfied with their lot in life, but a martial artist is not a normal person. Former Navy Seal, David Goggins came up with the 40% Rule which states, “That when our mind is telling us to quit, that our body has actually only used up 40% of its potential.” A martial artist understands this and therefore wants to see where the limit to their potential power lies. That is why the true martial artist strives to realize their fullest potential.

Today’s goal: Let go of what you “think” is holding you back from realizing your fullest potential.

Watch this video to better understand potential.

Throwback Thursday - Complete Training

Throwback Thursday - Complete Training

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on May 27, 2002.

The scroll that I placed in the dojo tokonoma reads: Seichu no do (動中の静) or "Movement in calmness." This comes from the complete saying: Seichu no do, Do chu no sei (動中の静 静の中動) or "Movement in calmness, calmness in movement." This calmness does not come from a mental other-worldliness or from a psychological denial of what's going on around us. It is a calmness which is derived from “complete training” which allows us to think and move freely at will.

As we develop awareness of ourselves or the technique through training, we should also be aware of our mental state - how we are aware, how we are focusing our energies and how we are concentrating our energies towards the action. In incomplete training, as soon as one issues speed or strength, they immediately lose their balance or timing. When we try to only develop strength, we end up only becoming stiff and inflexible, this is not complete training. When we try to go faster, and break our posture or get confused and lose our focus on what we are doing, this is not complete training. When we try too hard, and cannot blend with the opponent, this is not complete training. The technique should be strong and well balanced, without being forced, stiff or awkward. We are moving quickly but not rushing things. We should be strong but at the same time not muscling it either. Within the technique, we should feel the time and space but at the same time we should also be able to see and be aware of everything else around us - this is calmness in movement. Within our technique, we should always feel balanced and at ease with ourselves, without any idea to show ourselves off or demonstrate our strength, this is movement in calmness - this is complete training.

There is no end to Aikido training. As we train, the spiritual aspects of the art only get deeper, wider and more profound.

Resolve

A good martial artist has to have hara wo kimeru (腹を決める) or “resolve.” Resolve in the Japanese sense means “to decide in your abdomen” or in other words have “guts.” Having guts means that we have the intestinal fortitude to see something through until its end. Long ago, a young samurai and his bride-to-be were taking a walk through the forest when they were attacked by a tiger. The samurai fought fiercely trying to protect his bride-to-be from the tiger. However, at one point, the tiger lunged at the bride-to-be and the samurai wasn’t able to save her. After her death, the samurai was overcome with sadness and vowed revenge and was resolved to seek out the tiger and kill it. Once he recovered from his wounds, he took his bow and arrow and went hunting for the tiger. After months of searching, the samurai finally saw a sleeping tiger whose stripes looked like the tiger that had killed his bride-to-be. Quietly he snuck up on the tiger, focused his mind, took a deep breath, and drew his bow. With great determination, he pulled the bow back stronger than he had ever had before. He released the arrow and it hit the sleeping tiger directly in the heart. Even as the arrow pierced the tiger, it didn’t move at all. As he slowly approached his bride-to-be’s killer, he realized that he had shot his arrow deeply into a striped colored rock which happened to look like a sleeping tiger. Hearing his story, everyone in the village began to talk about how strong he was because he could pierce stone with his arrow and people wanted to see him do it again. However, no matter how many times he tried, his arrows kept bouncing off the rock. In the past, the samurai’s resolve to avenge his bride-to-be’s murder had been so profound that he was actually able to physically pierce a stone with an arrow. However, now that he knew it was just a rock, he was unable to repeat the same feat. Martial arts training will have its ups and downs - no person’s journey is immune to this. Without resolve, every little obstacle could cause us to quit and nothing in life will be achieved. With the power of resolve, we will eventually succeed at whatever it is we set our minds to and that’s why a good martial artist always has to have resolve.

Today’s goal: Be resolved - don’t let anything stand in your way.

Watch this video to better understand resolve

Happy Friday the 13th!

Therefore since the world has still
Much good but much less good than ill,
And while the sun and moon endure
Luck's a chance but trouble's sure,
I'd face it as a wise man would,
And train for ill and not for good.
- A E Houseman

Happy Friday the 13th! The Japanese are engiwokatsugu (縁起を担ぐ) or “superstitious.” The Japanese are superstitious about Friday the 13th but no more than any other unlucky day. The Japanese love puns and homophones and many are used in superstitious beliefs. For instance, the Japanese don’t like the word shi (死) because it is a homophone which means “to die” and that’s why the word for the number four or “shi” is often substituted with yon. Another example of Japanese superstitious belief is that a person's name should not be written in red ink because that is how it is written on graves. Should martial artists be superstitious? That’s up to the person. I don’t know if the prolific swordsman Miyamoto Musashi was superstitious or not, but he said, “Shinbutsu wo tattobite, shinbutsu wo tanomazu” (神仏を尊びて神仏を頼ず) which means, “Respect Buddha and Shinto gods, but do not ask them for anything.” Why would he respect them if he wasn’t at least a little bit superstitious? It is not that martial artists should be superstitious or not but like Musashi, warriors should rely more on themselves than on the divine. The line in A E Houseman’s poem “train for ill” illustrates this mindset and it reminds me of the Stoic proverb of “Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.” In this world, the only thing we can rely upon is ourselves and like Archilochus said, “We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.” Friday the 13th is just a day like any other day. Don’t get too caught up in the Friday the 13th hype but at the same time don’t tempt fate either. At the very least, it’s Friday!

Today’s goal: Why not do something kind for a stranger on this superstitious day.

Watch this video to better understand believing in yourself.

Throwback Thursday - Mindfulness

Throwback Thursday - Mindfulness

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on May 2, 2002.

Mindfulness means to "pay attention," - paying attention carefully to everything that we do and think is paying attention to the world at large. . . . .

In a dojo, practice to be aware of everything around you. Practice paying attention to ourselves and what we are doing and thinking in every moment. Then practice paying attention to what our spouse or significant other is saying very carefully and what our children are doing and saying to us. Then pay attention to our co-workers and boss at work and everyone around us. Then pay attention to everything, everywhere in every moment, when walking, sitting, working, eating, talking and even sleeping. I feel that as a student gains a strong sense of awareness or sensitivity to themselves and everything around them in every moment, this profound and wonderful concept of harmony in Aikido will emerge and become clear to them. This idea of harmony which is the single principle and the basis of all Aikido movement and techniques.

Watch this vide of Furuya Sensei demonstrating in 1991

Pay Attention

The best martial artist knows how to pay attention. In Japanese, “to pay attention” can either be mewotomeru (目を留め) or kinitomeru (氣に留める) which literally means for one’s eyes or energy “to stop.” Learning in all traditional Japanese arts is referred to as minarai keiko (見習い稽古) or “To watch and learn.” It is said that the teacher only teaches us 50%. The other half, we have to learn on our own. In order to learn the other half, we have to learn how to learn and part of that is learning how to pay attention. Minarai literally means “to learn how to see.” Learning how to see is a euphemism for paying attention. A person who can pay attention is able to see or ascertain the subtlest details which they can then use to create minor changes which yield much larger benefits. There are four levels of paying attention: unawareness, hyper-focus, awareness, and mindfulness. Most normal people live in unawareness. Hyper-focus is next to unawareness because to be so focused that we are unaware of our surroundings is dangerous and it is also partly based upon ego and that is why it’s just as bad being unaware. In order to improve, we have to become aware of ourselves and that means learning to care enough about what it is we are doing to want to improve. Awareness is the gateway to change. When we get good at being aware of ourselves, others, and our surroundings, that leads us to mindfulness. Being mindful is a state of awareness where we can see the smallest and seemingly insignificant detail and understand how it figures into the big picture but at the same time, we are still aware of what is going on around us. Mindful.org defines mindfulness as “The basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.” When we have mastered mindfulness or the ability to see, every person and anything can become our teacher and at that point we can begin to fulfill that other 50% of learning. That is why the best martial artist knows how to pay attention. 

Today’s goal: Don’t sleepwalk through life. What can you pay better attention to? 

Watch this video of Sesame Street teaching the art of paying attention

Self-praise

The best warriors are jisan (自賛) or “good a praising themselves.” Japan’s greatest swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi advocated, “Do not seek pleasure for its own sake.” One way to look at pleasure is from the standpoint of praise and compliments. Every once in a while, it is nice to get a bit of praise or receive compliments. However, we can also become addicted to the dopamine hit of praise and begin to live our lives searching for it. Once that happens, we become a slave to it and live our lives searching for it. Normal people are externally motivated. An externally motivated person searches for motivation or praise outside of themselves. If we search externally, we run the risk of coming up short when we don’t get the amount of praise that we were searching for. Most times when this happens, we double down on our efforts and try harder to get more and more praise. The problem with this type of thinking is that no matter how much praise we get, it will never be enough. A martial artist is not a normal person, and we are supposed to be internally motivated. An internally motivating person is supposed to be good at self-praise. Internal motivation is a closed loop system where nothing external is necessary to keep it going. Thus, through the highs and lows, we are able to self-motivate, self-reflect, and self-correct. Why this is important is because if we are able to do this then we cannot be swayed by things, people or events. This is the basis for true inner strength. Musashi also said, “Shinbutsu wo tattobite, shinbutsu wo tanomazu” (神仏を尊びて神仏を頼ず) which means, “Respect Buddha and Shinto gods, but do not ask them for anything.” We should respect all gods and all people, but not look to them for anything, especially praise. A normal person is constantly at the will of things, people, or events. Warriors are supposed to be steadfast and internally motivated and that’s why the best martial artists are good at self-praise. 

Today’s goal: Don’t live your life for others. Do not seek pleasure for its own sake. Live your life for yourself. 

Watch this video to better understand self-praise

Throwback Thursday - A Dojo

Throwback Thursday - A Dojo

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on July 15, 2005.

Although a dojo needs four walls and a roof, it is the students and members within which make a dojo. The greatness of a dojo is determined by the spirit of the dojo and how well everyone works together. A dojo is not a business nor is it a religion. Spirit is cultivated by proper reigi-saho or “etiquette” and manners. How everyone can work together in harmony and in good spirit is the greatest accomplishment of all - even great countries and governments in the world cannot achieve this so easily.

Fighting, pettiness, jealousy, power struggles, small mindedness and selfishness are typical and common - anyone can do this, it is not an accomplishment at all. None of this “pettiness” leads to greatness of spirit or accomplishes anything good. Being small only shows one's mediocrity and a lack of understanding of the true spirit of Aikido and practice.

In real Life, we often have to put ourselves first above anything. In practice, we put the other person first. It is in putting others first that we can refine ourselves and develop a sense of nobility and bring beauty into our Lives. This is the spirit of a dojo. 

Watch this video of Furuya Sensei from the summer of 1991

Integrity

武士に二言なし
Bushininigonnashi 
Warriors never go back on their word
- Japanese proverb

Happy Birthday, Michael Stinson! Michael was a student at our dojo who passed away just prior to the beginning of the pandemic. Yesterday, we were finally able to gather and spread Michael’s ashes into the ocean and lay him to rest. I use Michael a lot as a teaching tool to help my students understand things like being present, having awareness, or how to better understand mental health. As I drove to the beach, I reflected about not only his life, but his passing as well. Then it struck me, “Do I really live all the lessons that I say about him?” Sometimes as teachers, we lecture about things like being present to help students deepen their training experience but then turn around and do just the opposite. Acting contrary to what we are teaching isn’t usually malicious; it’s just human nature to forget but how much we are living our integrity demonstrates our true level. A warrior on the other hand isn’t supposed to forget and is supposed to have integrity which means never allowing for gaps between what they say and what they do. In Japanese, the proverb which supports this is bushininigonnashi (武士に二言なし) or “Warriors never go back on their word.” This is integrity. Someone once said, “Integrity is the value which insures all others.” When we act with integrity, what we say will be congruent with what we do or how we act. Sometimes, we are just talking to talk, talking to fill a void or just saying things to get people to like us. A true warrior does none of these because they know that they will be held to their word. Living with integrity is not an overnight thing. Like almost all the concepts in the martial arts, they are difficult to live and take years of practice in order to fully inculcate them into our lives. Michael’s life was cut short because he wasn’t able to see how much he meant to so many others around him, but isn’t that most of us? Michael’s passing also teaches us that life is short and not to waste ours, but don’t we all take our lives for granted? Warriors don’t have the luxury of duplicity and going back on their word. Living with integrity means that I must not forget to live the lessons that Michael’s life and passing have taught me. Bushininigonnashi. Happy birthday, Michael. 

Today’s goal: Live your life with integrity - follow through on the things that you say you will do.

Watch this video to better understand integrity

To Care

“If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” - Anonymous

The best martial artists care. The not-so-secret to success in the martial arts is to care. Nothing more, nothing less. Success comes to those who care enough to do a good job. In Japanese, kikubari (氣配り) or kokorogake (心掛け) both can mean “to care” but they also literally mean to put one’s “energy” or “heart” into something. An anonymous person once said, “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.” To fall in a colloquial sense means “to be tricked” but in a martial arts sense, it means “to be cut down.” As a martial artist, everything we do must begin with care. If we care about the outcome, we must put care into its preparation or as Archilochus put it, “We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.” If we care, then we will pour our energy (氣) or our heart (心) into it and eventually we will succeed. Care is one of those things like self-discipline or willpower which cannot be taught but can be learned - it is an internal thing. The more we train, the training somehow teaches us how to care just as it teaches us to also have self-discipline or willpower. Aikido is a very technical and precise martial art. Learning Aikido is kind of like learning the language of movement. Once our bodies learn the details of the language, it can flow just like in a conversation. However, to learn the details requires care and consideration on our part. James Redfield said, “Where attention goes energy flows; where intention goes energy flows.” Thus, to care begins with a choice. We must deliberately choose to want to care. This is a threshold that every student must come to on their own. When we make the choice to care, it opens up the doors to great things not only in Aikido but in life as well. Emily Dickinson once wrote, “If you take care of the small things, the big things take care of themselves.” Nothing great is achieved without care and consideration and that’s why the best martial arts always care. 

Today’s goal: Remember, “We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.”

Watch this video to better understand caring

Throwback Thursday - One Mind

Throwback Thursday - One Mind

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on March 27, 2003.

The martial arts have always been related to warfare from times past but, in this day and age, as we enter a state of war, we see that it is quite a bit different from what we do on the mats in the dojo. This is a result of the great transformation of Japanese martial arts in the 17th century.

It does not mean that our martial arts are too primitive or outdated, it means that our goals and purposes are so much different now. We practice a martial art to "save lives." Despite the new technology and science of warfare today, it is still a method, however advanced, to “destroy lives." We must always keep this in mind.

I think one must also keep in mind that it is much harder to create life, than it is to destroy life. Destroying life is quite easy - it only requires a little strength and violence. Creating life or preserving life is a much more complex, time-consuming, and continually on-going process which we experience every single day and moment of our lives.

In war, we must prepare ourselves to witness and experience many, many horrible things. This is war, and there is no way to avoid this. It is already happening now as I read the newspapers and listen to the daily news. War will never change, until we change. But this means that it will be in a time when we have all forgotten about the idea of "us and them.” How long do we think it will take until we will all begin to realize this?

Please continue to practice hard. As long as we think of ourselves as “you and yourself" or “me and myself," there will never be an end to war or violence. Please train to realize that you and the world around you are one and the inseparable same entity, integrated and whole and indivisible. I think this is part of O'Sensei's message to us - which we can only discover for ourselves in our practice.

Make Mistakes Wisely

A good martial artist makes mistakes wisely. The crux of learning is to make mistakes - no one is above this maxim. If we are not making mistakes, then we are not trying hard enough to succeed, or our goals are not lofty enough. Also, if we are not making mistakes, then we are not growing either. Growth is a function of shikosakugo (試行錯誤) or “trial and error.” Mistakes pave the way to achieving our goals. All martial arts techniques are based on kata (方) or “a set of predetermined moves.” Many, if not all kata, were born out of trial and error where someone needed to find a solution to a problem and through the process of trial and error came up with a solution to their problem. For instance, in the 1870s, Jigoro Kano studied Tenjin Shinyo-ryu Jujutsu while in college. One of Kano’s seniors, Kanekichi Fukushima routinely defeated him. Kano became so consumed with defeating Fukushima that he thought about it day and night. Kano tried everything from unorthodox Jujutsu techniques to Sumo techniques, but nothing worked on Fukushima. The more Kano studied and tried, the more he failed and sometimes failed miserably. Then one day, Kano happened upon a book about western wrestling in his college library which showed a throw called a Fireman’s Carry. Kano worked out how to use the Fireman’s Carry in Jujutsu and practiced it all night. The next day, when the time was right, Kano sprung it on Fukushima, and it worked. Jigoro Kano went on to create Judo and that throw became known as kataguruma or “shoulder wheel” throw and is still a part of the Judo repertoire today. A mistake is only bad if we either continue to repeat it or if we don’t learn from it. Mistakes aren’t personal - they are just part of the process. Whenever I make a mistake, I try to remember a quote I read in a book on tea ceremony: “Be rebuked, stand corrected and learn. This is the basis of a successful life.” Everyone makes mistakes, but only a good martial artist makes them wisely.

Today’s goal: Go out and make some mistakes but try to learn from them as well. 

Watch this video to better understand mistakes

One Step Further

三倍努力
San bai no do ryoku
To triple one's effort

The best martial artists are always striving to go one step further.

The one step further is a mindset which is dedicated to something called kaizen (改善) or “continuous Improvement.” Author James Clear wrote about continuous improvement in his book Atomic Habits where defined it as “a dedication to making small changes and improvements every day, with the expectation that those small improvements will add up to something significant.” In his book, Clear stated that “If you get one percent better each day for one year, you'll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done.” Judo legend, Masahiko Kimura advocated this kaizen mindset in something he called, san bai no do ryoku (三倍努力) or “To triple one's effort.” He said, “If my opponents train twice as hard then I will train three times as hard.” For beginners, the one step further mindset is physical as they strive for a deeper irimi, a stronger tenshin, more reps, or further technical improvements. Later on in one’s training, the improvements become more mental and pertain to things outside of training on the mat. For instance, how my assistants prepare and set up this weekend’s O’Sensei memorial service will demonstrate their true level of training. The one step further mindset demonstrates to others who we really are or where we really are in our training. When we face off with an opponent, it is the littlest things which give away our true level. If we are willing to go the extra mile for something as benign as preparing or setting up a memorial service, then more than likely we also put that same diligence into our Aikido training. Therefore, we can see a person’s true level or their true character in “how” they do whatever it is that they do or as Martha Beck once said, “How you do anything is how you do everything.” Everything we do in the dojo is a practice run for real life. I’m not talking about hitting, kicking, or throwing people down. In the dojo, we are cultivating a mindset. One aspect of our mindset is to always strive to go one step further in everything that we do. A person who strives for a high level will have to push themselves further and that’s why the best martial artists are always striving to go one step further.

Today’s goal: Figure out how or where you can strive to go one step further.

Throwback Thursday - Start With Stupid!

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on June 23, 2005.

Start With Stupid! I know what you are thinking, “What a horrible thing to say!” Everyone hates this word, “stupid.”

However, as bad as it sounds, this is the best place to start. Always start with "stupid." Do not take "stupid" in such a negative way but take it positively. If we start with “stupid," we can leave behind all pride, ego, stubbornness, selfishness, and greed and begin our practice with a clean slate with nothing at all to worry about. From the word, "stupid," we have nothing to defend or protect, we have nothing to stand up for, we have no care or worries in the world, we are free to do anything we like! Like cleaning the slate, it is the perfect place from which to begin.

Some students come to class with their own strong, self-image - "I am smart" or “I am better than others," or “I am great," and then spend all of their time trying to defend or conceal whatever their notion of themselves is rather than actually buckling down and learn what they need to learn and practice and be their real, true selves!

Often, in Japanese, they tell someone who is having difficulty making progress or at a standstill in their work, to "baka ni nare” or “to be a fool!" This means, "to stop thinking too much or "over thinking" (kangae-sugi) something and begin with a fresh start.

When we become a fool, we have no cares in the world and are free to do what we need to do without all of the heavy baggage of pride and ego.

Many, many years ago a great Karate teacher and good friend came up to me and said, "Hey, look at my feet!” I looked down and saw that he had on one red sock and one blue sock. He looked at me and started to laugh out loud. "Don't you think that is the funniest thing ever?" he asked. I smiled and thought to myself, "It's kind of stupid, what is wrong with him?"

He confessed to me, "I have to be so serious as a teacher every day, it is so nice to be stupid and do stupid things!" I understood this feeling perfectly. It is so hard to live up to my own standards when I think I am so smart and better than others, to be a fool - how wonderful and free of care!

We always think that "stupid" is a reflection on our tremendous, burdensome image of ourselves, not realizing that "stupid" is often the easiest, quickest way to freedom.

Watch Furuya Sensei demonstrate in 1990.

Be Patient

“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.” - Sun Tzu

The best warriors are always patient. Having the ability to be patient is often the difference between winning and losing. Patience is defined as “being able to accept or tolerate delays, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious.” When the Japanese talk about patience they either use nin (忍) or gaman (我慢) which both mean to have “patience, endurance perseverance or self-restraint.” In combat, being patient is about self-restraint which means knowing when to strike and when to retreat. Sun Tzu once wrote, “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.” If we are patient and attack when the moment is right, then there is a high likelihood that we will be victorious. If we are impatient or impetuous, then we run the risk of attacking when the time is not opportune and we will most likely fail. In the dojo, being patient is about learning to persevere through the ups and the downs of training where we have to be patient with how fast (or seemingly slow) we develop. Just yesterday, someone much wiser than me reminded me that, “training is a marathon and not a sprint.” Most of us want to develop as fast as possible, but true skill is only born out of consistency and constancy and that requires the patience to persevere. With patience, we circuitously learn to have tact and deftness. Furuya Sensei once wrote, “In Japanese, there is a word, ‘sunao na’ which means to be ‘gentle.' Be gentle in our outlook and try to see what the teacher is trying to teach us. Sometimes, understanding does not come immediately and may take days, weeks and even many years before it comes to us. This is what it means to be ‘gentle’ and have a little patience.” This gentleness is one of the greatest gifts that comes out of training because it teaches us to have the humility of the student which dictates that we are all on the journey of self-discovery and so we should always be kind, gentle and patient. Ian MacLaren said, “Be pitiful, for every man is fighting a hard battle.” In Aikido and in life, being patient is the difference between winning and losing and that is why the best warriors are always patient.  

Today’s goal: How can you be patient with others or yourself today? 

Watch this video to better understand patience

Move Forward

臨兵闘者皆陣列在前
Rin pyo to sha kai jin retsu zai zen
The bravest warrior excels at the front of the battlefield. 

The best warriors always move forward. Zenshin (前進) is the Japanese word used when talking about moving forward on the battlefield. In Aikido, moving forward toward our opponent is referred to as irimi (入り身). A number of years ago, a famous Aikido teacher visited our dojo and watched class. After class, he admonished me by saying, “Your Aikido is too aggressive and relies too heavily on irimi.” From what I gather, because he didn’t have any other sagely wisdom, he was insinuating that irimi was a form of aggression or violence. He is not wrong on a certain level, but Aikido is about balance and one can think of irimi as yang and tenshin and tenkan as yin or that they are two side of the same coin, and one cannot exist without the other. The movements of Aikido are weapon based movements. So, if we think about it from the standpoint of swordsmanship, irimi must be learned first. Prior to the 16th century, swordsmanship was primarily irimi based but in the mid 1500s, Yagyu Munetoshi, the founder of Yagyu Shinkage-ryu, developed muto (無刀) or “no sword” techniques.  He was considered genius or enlightened because he was able to incorporate tenkan and tenshin movements and use them to disarm a person with a sword. Before that time, it was unheard of person to irimi on a swordsman empty-handed let alone tenkan or tenshin. In my opinion, people learning Aikido need to be able to have a balance between irimi style movements which can be thought of as “aggressive” and tenkan/tenshin movements which some think are more “peaceful.” Furuya Sensei referred to this balance as, “Saikan Kobai” [sic] or “the elegant apricot flower and the strong plum blossom.” He said, “To focus too much on war makes us rough and crude while the emphasis on too much beauty makes us weak.” Thus, in Aikido and in life, we have to learn how to move forward (irimi) before we can learn to yield or draw back (tenkan/tenshin). Training in the martial arts gives us confidence in ourselves to move forward toward that which confront us and it is why the bravest warriors move forward and excel at the front of the battlefield. 

Today’s goal: Figure out what in life you need to move forward on?

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Non-violence

“The Art of Peace is the principle of nonresistance. Because it is nonresistant, it is victorious from the beginning. Those with evil intentions or contentious thoughts are instantly vanquished. The Art of Peace is invincible because it contends with nothing.” - Morihei Ueshiba

The true goal of martial arts training is non-violence or “hiboryoku” (非暴力). This statement seems like a paradox. The other day, a friend asked the question, “Does Aikido encourage violence?” The short answer is no. My friend is a mediation student, so I tried to explain it to him from the standpoint of meditation. In meditation, one thing that we are trying to strive towards is mushin (無心) which literal translation means “no mind.” Erroneously, some misunderstand mushin as a state where we are trying to not think or the absence of thought. I don’t think that this understanding is true because what we are trying to achieve in mediation is equanimity or learning how to not hold on to our thoughts. This same misunderstanding happens in martial arts as we think that non-violence means the absence of anything violent. Violence/aggression is a primal tendency and so we cannot eradicate it from our minds. Understanding this, in Aikido we are learning equanimity where we are not that we are trying to suppress violence but how to manage our violent tendencies. From the standpoint of violence, any form of resistance or retribution on any level, mental or physical, can be considered violent. Thus, in Aikido, we are trying to learn how to better deal with situations which previously could only be solved with violence. What Aikido is trying to do is to teach us how to manage our desire to deal out violence when attacked. In Aikido, we learn how to move with the attacker to ensure our safety and theirs. We are all capable of violence and hurting others, but it is only the trained and learned person who can put a limit on the violence. Physical movement is just physical movement, but it becomes violent with our intention. Therefore, violence is really about intention and so we try to not engage in violence but also try to have the intention to not be violent as well. The situation might be violent, but our intention is compassion rather than destruction. Digging a hole to plant a tree is virtuous but to the insect who got crushed it is violence. No matter how hard we train, we can never be completely devoid of violence. Thus, the goal of training, like mediation, is equanimity where we do not hold on to the desire to be violent or act on that desire. That is why the true goal of training is not to learn how to be violent but to learn how to manage the violence which arises inside of us.  

Today’s goal: Try to understand in what ways you engage in violence with not only others but with yourself as well. Be kind!

Watch this video of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to better understand non-violence.