News: Child With Down Syndrome Earns Black Belt

Here is an article on achieving your goals no matter what adversity you may face. Budo is about being the best you can be.

Congratulations Mr. Bradley Schneider.

Click here for the article and video

One Chance

Ron Beaubien has captured an award winning Kendo photo. Look into the eyes of the Kendoka and you can almost feel the hit.

See the photo on Flickr: Kendo: One Chance in the Blink of an Eye

Threat Assessment and Intervention

As martial artists, we are more aware of our environment then most people. As times change we need to keep up to date on current social trends, threat warning signs and appropriate responses. This will help us to keep ourselves and our family safe from potential violence. Nothing is a guarantee for safety; but, awareness goes a long way towards avoidance.

The School Shooter: A THREAT ASSESSMENT PERSPECTIVE by Mary Ellen O'Toole, PhD, Supervisory Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation is geared towards school teachers, administrators, mental health providers and law enforcement; but, is valuable to everyone. The focus is on school shootings since they have a higher shock value then non-homicidal violence. The fact that we have become numb to non-homicidal violence is for another discussion. But, the warning signs and evaluation process will be the same for most violent threats.

There are many warnings on over-reacting to a checklist or display of just one or two behavioral characteristics. This can not be overstated given the effects of the zero-tolerance policy in some situations. See Has 'zero tolerance' in schools gone too far? for more on this. The FBI report covers assessment, findings, intervention, and examples. It will educate you on things to look out for that may not have been a factor when you grew up.

Read the report here.

Fighting Distance and Peripheral Vision

In response to Kevin Leavitt's Fighting Distance article, I would like to take a look at the use of peripheral vision as part of your preparation or methodology. It is often said to look into the eyes of your opponent. The eyes are telling; but, it should be a relaxed gaze and not a focused stare. Your peripheral vision is much more sensitive to motion the focused/tunnel vision. (See rods and cones for further explanation). Since we are not concerned with the color of the eyes of our assailant, only if he moves, we will use our peripheral vision in combat.

We use peripheral vision every day and do not think twice about it until we get to the dojo and panic sets in that someone is about to throw a punch at us. Take walking in a crowded mall. How often do you bump into someone? Not very often considering there could be thousands of people with no set walkways heading in many directions at the same time. Here is an exercise you can use to demonstrate the difference in peripheral vs focused vision. Have a bunch of people gather close around you and stare at you. Move casually in different directions. They will start bumping into each other. Now tell them to relax their vision and take everyone in while still looking in your direction. The group will move as one with little lag time from your movement.

Now, lets apply the use of peripheral vision to a combat situation. Beyond 12 feet we can use focused/tunnel vision because we still have time to react. There is enough discussion on the 21-foot Rule for Police drawing a weapon that we will only talk about the 12+ foot range for empty hand defense. I would still recommend the use of peripheral vision to pick up the motion of the assailant, additional attackers, and escape options. At the 6 foot range, you are only one step away from physical contact. Peripheral vision is a must to pick up any motion and have time to react. Move on Movement. At the 3 foot range, you should already be responding to the threat. If you are in a close space and have to deal with someone this close, do not stare them in the eyes because you will not be able to pick up any hand or foot movement.

Work this into your training and you it will make your reactions times better. A few tenths of a second can mean a big difference in the outcome of a fight.

Book Review: Kodo Ancient Ways

Kodo Ancient Ways, Lessons in the Spiritual Life of the Warrior/Martial Artist by Kensho Furuya is a collection of 41 articles written for Martial Arts Training magazine. Each chapter/article is only a few pages but a lot is contained in each. There are many pictures and illustrations to help convey the current topic. Another feature I like are the quotes in the margin to highlight key aspects of the current topic.

I decided to review this book first on here because I bought this book in 2002 and among my shelves of martial arts books, it is by far the one I come back to the most often. This book is on how to be the best martial artist and person you can be. The chapters are short but they will spur a lot of contemplation. This book is not meant to be skimmed over. It should be read in small increments and reflected upon. Each time you come back to the book and reread a chapter you will discover new meaning and application to your own training.

Here are a few chapters and quotes:

Learning Is Only the Second Step

The very first step to learning is to become a completely blank slate.

Hard or easy is just in your particular frame of mind. Many people with a lot less than you will accomplish much more than you in their lifetimes. Do not be defeated by a small mind or poor attitude.

You Never Get Good in the Martial Arts

We satisfy ourselves because we settle for less - even when we think we are getting more. Never be satisfied.

Make Mistakes Correctly

Respond to your mistakes correctly. A mistake is only another form of learning

True Learning is Incomplete

We seek knowledge, but when we convince ourselves that we understand that knowledge, the process of learning, training and being sensitive to everything around us ceases.

Cultivate Inner Strength

Please keep in mind that inner strength is not a matter of skill or strength. ... Inner strength is someone trying hard to make a good life for himself and those around him as best as he can.

I hope these few quotes will get you to reflect on your path as a martial artist. There is much more in the book.

Purchase from Amazon.

Shugyou

"Practice the technique 1,000 times and you may learn 10%." - Hayawo Kiyama, Daito Ryu Shihan

When you read the quote above, what was your first thought? If it was something like "That is crazy. I can learn a technique long before a 1,000 repetitions let alone only 10% of the technique," you should consider two things. First, your approach to learning. Secondly is you may be taking the quote too literally.

Shugyou is the Japanese word for austere training, apprenticeship, and discipline. But, as with many concepts it goes beyond the mere literal translation. Have you learned a new technique and after a class of practice satisfied that you know it? We all fall into this especially as new martial artists. But the longer you train the more you realize there are endless layers to everything. I have often had an aha moment months or even years after learning something when a new piece of the puzzle is discovered.

Shugyou is the mindset that you are always training to become better. You will need a lot of discipline, practice and a bit of patience. You should always be looking for a way to improve your technique. It could be mechanics, timing, speed, mental focus, etc. Do not become complacent or do the minimal amount of work required for your next rank. Always be reaching for a higher level or two levels above your current ability. You will be become a better martial artist then you were yesterday.

Bowing

Bowing is ingrained in most Asian cultures. In the West, we may think of it as the same as a handshake; but, it is much more. In martial arts we often use the term reishiki to mean etiquette but literally it is the bowing ceremony. This just reinforces how closely the two are tied in budo. Dave Lowry has a excellent article on bowing. It will give you the history and reasons why it was and should continue to practiced.

"No doubt fearing that etiquette without martial skill was nothing but pomposity--while its opposite would have been barbarism--the Ogasawara were careful to transmit all of their arts in equal measure and to have at their head a man who was competent in all." - Dave Lowry

Read the two part article on bowing here.

Post your bowing etiquette in the comments.

Customer vs. Student

Are you a customer or student of martial arts? There is no wrong answer; but, there is a difference.

In the context of martial arts, a martial arts customer is someone who comes for exercise, basic self defense, or status of just taking a martial art. A martial arts student is someone who trains for the love of the art, gives back to the art by helping others and is there for self improvement not the next belt.

There are probably extremely few people who start out as a student of the martial arts. Most come in for their own reasons such as self defense, a change in workout routines, gain confidence, a goal of getting a black belt, etc. Hopefully the atmosphere of the dojo and especially of the sensei will show the customer there is much more to martial arts then memorizing a bunch of techniques. This is just the very beginning.

The longer the new member stays with the dojo the more they should become a student. The rules and discipline may seem foreign and over the top for many people. But, not only are they there for safety; but, respect for each other and the art itself. This is most likely the first of endless layers the new member will experience. Sensei with the help of senior members of the dojo will guide the new member as far as they would like to go. Hopefully, their example and guidance will peak the new member’s curiosity and start them on a long and rewarding journey of becoming a student for life.