The Thoughtful Sensei-Aikido Musings

182. I Wanna’ Be 85th Galactic Dan

The world turns, times change, nothing stays the same, 2 steps forward and 3 steps back, and turn in circles.  Sometimes change is not progress and certainly not for the better.

Lately I’ve been noticing blogs by other Sensei and dojo about a decrease in promotional standards aggravated by an increase in big-time promotions, so this must be the new thingie’ in Budo-politics, a new fad maybe, all trendy and such, kinda’ like hair styles.  However, I can sadly tell you is that it’s actually nothing new and has been around for a while, decades maybe if not longer; certainly as long as I’ve been around.

With that said and as jaded as I am sometimes even I can be surprised by a blog such as the one I read recently which said that a high rank went inactive from his organization for a time and when he came back to re-start training they apparently said, “Buddy, friend, hey guy, alright-alright, welcome back, good to have you ……. but we’re dropping your re-entry rank by a few so even though you still know the material we’re just going to punish you for …… whatever.  Just look at it as character building as you learn that humility we keep talking about to the white belts.”

I’ve been around on the mat for about 50 years now and that was the first time I’d heard that one for a couple of reasons.  First, I wouldn’t be surprised by a bill for the missed time in not paying membership fees (but this was way beyond that) and second, why did the guy accept being busted in rank?  Neither I nor most of the people I know would take that from anyone as it is an insulting slap in the face and clearly shows that the organizations standards weren’t that quality-based to begin with.  And third, the last time I heard of anything like that was when someone was required to resign (read: forced out involuntarily, hit the highway buddy, get lost).  In that case he was not allowed to rejoin and not only his membership, but all his rank was effectively cancelled, the demand was made to return all his certificates and scrolls, which of course made him a true ronin in the classic sense.

What do you say to a group in any martial art that basically promotes (or “un-promotes”) based on whether you take a hiatus from training?  Doesn’t that mean that they don’t actually have standards at all and instead promote based on who you are, or how much money you pay, or who’s in charge this week, or did you do something they didn’t like such as asking out the Sensei’s best girl on a date?  After all, you knew the material when you were originally promoted to “whatever dan” so did you somehow forget everything since then as if you never knew it to begin with?  And if so, then why were you promoted back then, thus necessitating the downgrade today?

What I’ve normally seen in the ‘verse of entropic budo (as the classical traditions are lost) was how my old organization handled it; both the initial high requirements for promotion and then the degradation of standards that came later.  When I first joined as a “nothing belt” I was given a list of promotional requirements which included both the required time in grade (actively training mind you and not just holding up the wall) and the technical standards to be performed.  One of those was that to make Yondan I had to know all the kata including basic, intermediate, and advanced.  When I say all then I mean all.  I had to literally know the entire system including all the Koryu work, and all rank beyond that was based upon increasing levels of ability, deepening understanding of life, the universe, and everything, along with teaching experience. 

I guess one could call that “Dynamic Promotional Performance”, or in other words you already know the technical requirements of the entire ryu but now you must demonstrate increasing levels of expertise every time you step on the mat to do an embu or teach a lesson and, do it consistently at that high level over a very long period of time.  This standard was almost like judging in gymnastics where they score on both your historical performance and your putting on a good show today in order to prove that you’re not simply a flash in the pan; that long term consistency proving up your comprehension and deep understanding and ability in the fundamentals.

At some point in the entropy of the universe (and the standards of my old organization that I eventually resigned from) all that changed.  People began to be promoted by what member dojo they came from, who their Sensei was, how long they had been practicing (or not practicing at all) and whether the Kaicho (head of the organization) liked them. 

Money came into play as I was told by one of my deshi (students) of his friend in another state (also in my old organization) who had stopped training 2 or 3 years back but was told it was now time for him to be promoted to the next higher rank for the small but tidy sum of several hundred dollars.  Obviously, the promotion was based on “time hanging around” and writing that check (damn, if only I had known that good handwriting would get me there faster I would have spent more time practicing my cursive).  As a friend and fellow Sensei I currently know and train with described it, “He (the Kaicho) became a merchant and forgot he was Samurai class”.  Money just corrupts so many things and needing to make a car payment is not a good excuse.

The other issue that arose and that played a part in my eventual resignation was the day that a 6^th dan in a karate school applied for membership in the organization.  He was immediately promoted to 6^th dan in Aikido under the guise of “Anyone who reaches 6^th dan in any martial art is also 6^th dan in Aikido because the principles of all martial arts are the same across the board”. 

No mention made of actually “knowing” the kata or the technical standards came into this transaction or that some karate principles may differ from some Aikido principles, only that he (karate Sensei) had multiple dojo in his business model with a few dozen students and that my Aikido Sensei could enroll all the karate students in his organization and promote them.  Can you smile and say, “Lots of membership and promotional fees to take care of?"  Well …… I thought you could.

The moral here is that as organizations and their management age, things can change and at some point, you may have to decide.  In my case I had already reached 7^th dan before the creeping degradation of standards and of reaching for the Yen (and the dollar) became too outrageous.  Younger players, not knowing what I had witnessed over my 25 or so years with that organization stayed and, in some cases, they were promoted on actual knowledge and ability since they were honestly committed to the study.  Others rose in rank to ridiculously high dan levels with no real or true ability shown with the resultant underlying conflict between the two groups raring it’s ugly head on occasion.

So if you decide at some point to reach for 85^th Galactic Dan (and get your lifetime membership in the “Obi of the Month Club”) then now you know how to do it.  Just go look for that “special” Budo organization and be sure that you have your checkbook sticking out of your shirt pocket so that they can see it when you walk in the door.  However, don’t expect the rest of us to do anything but bust you down in rank if you want to join a real Budo organization and we happen to be sitting in the admissions office.  After all, there are more legitimate rationales for “de-promoting” someone other than simply taking a vacation.

L.F. Wilkinson Kancho

The Aikibudokan

Houston, TX

December 15,2021

181. Gestaltic Drift

The idea that by learning any martial art and eventually reaching senior rank somehow enables the Bushi to simply ignore the specific how’s and why’s of what they learned and how they now train is an error in thought caused by an over-familiarity with some or most of the ryu’s curriculum (but not all).  In other words, they know part of the total system very well indeed, part of the system a little bit, and the rest …. well ….. somewhere between not at all and “I did it one time 5 years ago”.

Assuming that someone is properly taught and can therefore hew to the correct pure line of principal to begin with, and additionally has put in the necessary time working the material to understand, internalize, and make it functional under pressure fails to consider several things. 

First, the system is a gestalt in the sense of how it is put together.  You cannot understand “just one part” and then assume that you understand it all.  In gestalt, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts and that “whole” is really on a geometric progression (as compared to the sum of its parts) and is not simply a linear expression of understanding.

A gestalt has two or more parts that are so integrated together and crucial to the other parts in that joining together that we perceive them as one object.  Think of the idea of teaching "the whole child," and you have a basic understanding of the ideas behind gestalt based on the perception of oneness from many.  So, in martial arts understanding only part of a total ryu leaves a gap in understanding that leads to not understanding the parts well at all nor how they fit together, much less having an intuitive understanding of the totality of the whole.

Second, that the increased understanding of “some parts” won’t eventually result in that player doing things slightly differently based on that more limited understanding (of some parts) For example, that different body types will end up making the same waza look “slightly” different from someone else with the same time on the mat and the same rank, when if both players had the same level of “gestaltic understanding” then the differences in appearance should be minimal with each illustrating the same fundamental principles in their performance regardless of their body types.  Each has flaws but neither understands that they do, nor are they able to adequately identify those flaws, much less correct them; thus the confusion in their students from their incoherent and disconnected teachings.

There is a third possibility here and that is full understanding was never achieved in the first place and that the Bushi is making small errors and fails to realize that they have deviated from the “pure line” of that waza, but even their limited understanding is better than the abilities of the opponent such that they are bad, but the other guy is worse.

They do not realize that this deviation exists because they operate at such a high level that they can make the waza work despite any “technical” errors in the “pure form”.  Another way in which to consider this is to think of the “pure form” as 100% efficiency (a full expression of pure principles) and their actual performance is maybe at 60% to 80% of that “pure line”.  However, the opponent is simply unable to themselves operate and anything over 50%.  Basically, the player can make errors, but they are so good (and the opponent so bad) that those errors do not matter in the least.

So that success basically results in a self-validation of that deviation from the 100% pure line.  That validation, since it is not apparent due to their success against a much weaker player, is therefore not corrected and continues to be reflected in how they teach and train.

However, as true Bushi we should always strive for that mystical 100% even if no one is ever able to train and operate at that level of “purity” and efficiency on a consistent basis.  To do otherwise is to fail in our efforts towards mastery and will forever stunt our growth in the ryu/art form.  Acceptance of the idea of being less than what could be possible (operating at 100% of the principle true line) will not only limit our ability to perform, but it also limits our ability to teach and over time will result in the loss of the ryu itself as over several generations it becomes a shadow of what it once was.  Once lost it cannot be regained as the number of senior Sensei who are able to express, operate, and teach at that 100% level diminishes over time thus removing any sources of deeper understanding and corrections.

L. F. Wilkinson Kancho

The Aikibudokan

Houston, TX

December 14, 2021

180. So, What Is Your Problem Re-Examined

You have a problem.  I have a problem.  Everyone on the mat has a problem.

Every rank presents issues that must be dealt with.  These issues largely come from having to overcome natural human tendencies.  Those tendencies may change based upon the rank attained and currently held due to growing maturity, greater in-depth understanding of the principles, increasing experience in working with kohai (junior ranks) and learning from sempai (senior ranks), more time training in a keiko attitude (having deep consideration for what is being done while doing it), higher levels of performance (naturally resulting in the granting of that higher rank), and the understanding of etiquette towards others.

The beginner ranks have issues that are easy to see and understand; uncertainty, fear of failure, and concern over injury to themselves (or sometimes to a training partner) all serve to restrain progress until those concerns are understood by the student and begin to be moved beyond as experience is gained.  The beginner then starts to enjoy the training and rapidly progresses forward until achieving later (higher) ungraded rank when entirely new concerns manifest themselves (such as will I be able to learn enough for that promotion or I don’t want to work with other, perhaps lower ranked, beginners because I am finally doing better with personalized instruction from the black belts).

Unfortunately for the deshi, these issues within themselves are generally only able to be seen by senior ranks and not by the deshi themselves (it is difficult to be within one’s own skin and step out of it for purposes of looking back to engage in self-evaluation).  The result is that when uncorrected the issue can fester.  For this reason, it is up to the seniors, including the Sensei and the Hatamoto, (the Sempai as it were) to identify the problems as they arise and to apply corrective measures.

Most of the time the corrective measure is simply guidance as normally provided by Sensei and Hatamoto for learning Bushido.  This guidance can consist of encouragement and suggestions on how to train and is generally sufficient for correction and the resumption of positive forward motion within that ryu or dojo.  Hitting one of these maturity (growth within the art form itself) issues is normal, it is expected, and is part of the curriculum and anticipated growth within the art.  However, staying there is not and it may not be ignored.

Lower kyu ranks (ungraded ranks) are generally insecure and unsure of themselves for a time.  They are not certain if they can learn especially once they move into focused ukemi practice and kata.  Everything is awkward and uncoordinated and must essentially be learned from scratch since any prior athletic activity simply does not apply to what amounts to an entirely new physical paradigm.  Being supportive of their efforts and positive in your opinion as-to their eventual success works well as does personal hands-on for practice of fundamentals and basic kata.

Upper kyu ranks are discovering that learning comes faster, easier, and more intuitive as the internalization of the basic principles and fundamental movements are ingrained.  However, doubt begins to creep into the Bushido mind-set and the deshi begins to question whether making black belt is possible.  Again, positive support combined with encouragement to not quit but instead to press forward is important.  Also, important here to note is communicating to the deshi how Shodan is only (and literally) the first step in a life-long journey.

Shodanitis can hit the new Yudansha.  Having working so hard, so diligently and for so long they become overly prideful and conscious of that new black obi.  They may (or may not) primp and prance but generally Shodanitis appears as a “I know a lot of stuff” attitude.  The fact of the matter is that they do (know a lot of stuff that is) but that slight touch of arrogance fails to take into account how much they actually don’t know (which is a lot).  After a while with some patience and on the part of the senior players, and being told that yes, they should be proud (but not too proud) of their accomplishments they come down off the pinnacle and realize that Shodan is actually nothing more than one very small step on the path to the future as a Bushi and that the serious studies are only just getting started.

At around 3^rd dan and 4^th dan many martial artists get bitten by the bug.  When they first started, they had pretty low goals.  My goal when I first began training in Aikido for example was to make 3^rd dan.  My Sensei at the time was only a 4^th in Aikido (in later years he was promoted to 6^th dan by Tomiki Sensei and eventually he made 8^th dan and then 10^th dan) so as far as I knew at the time, my Aikido career would top-out at 3^rd dan.  Once my Sensei made much higher rank my goals changed, and I became driven to make 6^th dan and began to work towards that goal.  In many ways I became obsessive about it and constantly approached (pestered) higher ranks looking for new information and more keiko (deeply focused practice).  After Sensei told me that I would get there eventually simply by being steady (not in a real hurry) and not quitting (just make a steady calendar appointment for myself) I relaxed a little and learned to focus on the journey and not the goal as-they-say.

At 6^th dan you may find yourself abusing junior ranks because it has become all too easy and natural.  Taking kuzushi, controlling their body, throwing them at will is so elementary that you become “Sensei of Throw Too Hard and Too Fast” and even other yudansha may shy away from working with you.  Is it an ego issue?  Yes and no.  It is because you feel so good about your abilities, but it is not because everything has become so easy that you forget that others cannot train at your level, nor can they take ukemi at the high speeds that you now can.  You simply do the waza and at times don’t realize that while you may not be deliberately physically abusive, the younger student is being intimidated beyond belief at how helpless he feels or how unsure about taking those dynamic ukemi.  So in that sense, it could be considered emotional intimidation.  Once the realization of these dynamics sets in then the solution is simple; work slower with less power.  This benefits your long-term learning since the slower pace lends itself to better neuromuscular programming and won’t intimidate lower ranks as easily as they gain confidence.

At 7^th dan or so, you may find yourself thinking that you are largely above teaching beginners, thus missing the entire idea that today’s white belt is your uke tomorrow.  You may find that management is difficult (since you are now in senior management) and this would include; difficult to run the mat since some nights it’s like herding kittens, managing the deshi and being sure they get along with each other and train safely, watching the clock as to when to start, teach the lesson and end class, have a lesson, train yourself, teach others, speak with visitors, and work to advance the seniors with out-of-class training.  Basically, time management and organization become critical issues and if not cautious it can become frustrating as you swirl the plates on sticks like a circus show.

When you finally make 8^th dan (or above since some styles award higher ranks) it becomes an entirely different set of issues to deal with.  Sometimes you become so bored with teaching the same beginning ideas repeatedly with little visible progress that you find you cannot.  You are bored and impatient.  Everything has become so incredibly easy that you simply cannot understand why new deshi can’t learn it.  You want to quit but it has become such an integral part of your very existence that you can’t, so you continue. 

By stepping back and taking in the larger picture, you eventually realize that by teaching beginners and lower ranks you come to appreciate the courage it takes to start and then to continue with the study.  By considering that larger picture you remember the growth process that you went through and how the senior ranks were patient and thoughtful in their approach to your progress.  Basically, you begin to understand the psychology of it all and become a better teacher, and a better human being.

Every rank has its own set of issues and challenges to observe, consider, and then overcome.  What is truly important is not whether every rank, every issue, and every solution has been listed here but instead, the realization that each step in our advancement (not just martial arts but life in general) has hurdles to leap and that each successful leap (in understanding) only helps us grow as a human and as a martial artist and better enables us to pull forward those who are behind us.

L.F. Wilkinson Kancho

The Aikibudokan

Houston, TX

December 8, 2021