Training

October 3, 2016

Dojo Disillusionment

The martial arts world attracts strong egos, big politics and more drama than a high school play.

Maybe, someone received a rank that you felt they didn’t deserve or someone of high esteem lacks what martial arts writer Dave Lowry calls “moral stamina.” Perhaps, there’s constant gossip and you hear more about the people training than about the skills you should be mastering.

Because of this, at some point, you may feel disillusioned and disheartened. You might even have the urge to quit and think “I don’t need this drama in my life. If this is what the martial arts attract, why am I still doing this?”

That is the question, isn’t it? Why am I doing this?

Japanese martial arts have been likened to a path. As many of us know, the term “do” is attached at the end of martial arts, like Judo and Kendo, that means “the way.” This suggests that the martial arts is a journey that goes beyond the cultivation of physical skill, and hones both mind and spirit.

There are many things that attract us to the martial arts when we first begin our journey. Some pursue the martial arts for self-defense, physical fitness, to avoid boredom and even just for a sense of community.

But, there’s something beyond physical reasons that makes us return to the dojo time and time again. It’s an intangible, not qualified by how hard you kick or the belt you wear.

Koryu Uchinadi Black Belt

Something more. . .

Something deeply personal. . .

Something else. . .

It’s the calm that radiates through the dojo when you’re the first and only person in there practicing.

It’s the final breath of your kata, when you know it’s the best you’ve ever done it, but bow with the knowledge it will never, ever be perfect.

It’s the effortlessness in which someone slams to the floor when you get a throw JUST right.

It is the moments that lie between aggression and tranquility. A harmonious combination of our most animal nature with our greatest serenity that paradoxically brings us into a frame of being that transcends words and our human imperfections.

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An internal stillness propelled by breath and what I call a “return to centre.”

It’s sometimes easy for our compass to become skewed in the mist of frivolous nonsense that seeps into our practice brought on by human inadequacies.

So, when you lose your way along the path, focus on the most basic of human functions, breathe and return to centre.

It’s in that moment you realize there was no trick of the light. . .

No magical unveiling. . .

And, there was no illusion to begin with.

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August 24, 2016

You Failed Your Grading; What’s Next?

So, you went for your next belt and you failed!

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But, just because you failed, doesn’t mean you should lose sight of your purpose; rain, after all, is just a falling cloud. . .

And, everything that falls can rise again!

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I mean, we’ve all been there. You don’t know what went wrong. . .

Maybe. . .

You were truly ready, but just choked—mentally unprepared.

Maybe. . .

You think you’re better than you actually are—a hard truth.

Maybe. . .

You worked hard, but just didn’t pay enough attention to the details—damn those details!

No matter the reason, your following actions should be the same. . .

1. Listen, REALLY Listen.

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In my experience, students fail to pick up on the specifics of a lesson because they perform what they perceive to be the right thing and focus more on pleasing the Sensei rather than actually listening to what’s being asked.

The conversation usually goes like this. . .

Sensei: I’d like you make your stance wider, so that you have a better base for. . .

Student: (Cuts off Sensei, changes stance slightly). Like this Sensei!? 

Sensei: No, not quite. I’d like to see you have your… 

Student: (Cuts off Sensei, makes stance even more wrong). LIKE THIS SENSEI!?

Sensei: No, I want you to put. . . 

Student: (Cuts off Sensei, stance incomprehensively wrong). LIKE. THIS. SENSEI!?

Sensei: (Mental face palm). No. 

So, really listen to what the Sensei is trying to tell you, let it sink in, then try, try again.

2. Remember it’s about the journey, not the destination. 

A Zen Proverb says, “When you have one eye on the goal, you only have one eye on the path.” The point it’s trying to make is that one should give their full attention to the steps to achieve the goal, not on the goal itself.

I’ve had many students ask about belts, usually concentrating on what they need to know to receive one or when and where the “test” will be. Yet, if they just focused on the things they need to work on to reach their goal, they would achieve it as a natural consequence of following each step of their journey.

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I know we’ve all heard this and it usually gets across. . . Until we have to be graded, that is.

It’s not only true in class, but during the grading as well. When you focus on each step and not the result, you’ll find that your nerves melt away.

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3. “Train Hard, Suck Less”

This saying was coined by my Calgary-based teacher, Sensei Cody Stewart. Simple and almost crude in its phrasing, its meaning is of great value. When you train, “train hard” to the best of your ability and with your full attention.  And, “suck less”, a humble expression of success, is both an act and a result of your focus and work ethic.

Sensei Cody Stewart

Although there are many paths to success, remember that failure is a key part of the learning process.

In reality, as my first Sensei once said, “There’s no failing in karate” as long as you’re always progressing. And as long as you’re always moving forward, that is success, no matter the belt you wear.

So, just keep training!

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