The Thoughtful Sensei-Aikido Musings

183. My Eidetic Works Pretty Good, How's Yours

One of my senior Yudansha has a thought about how people learn; one that I’ve always liked and agreed with that has to do with how a newborn zebra patterns his behavior (and who his mother is) after the first set of adult zebra stripes he sees, with no two zebras having exactly the same pattern.  Another way to look at it (but with a different species) is when a baby duck comes out of its shell the first motion it sees “becomes” its mother; demonstrated by a science experiment in which a human squatted and waddled around while quacking and the nest full of new baby ducklings begin to follow him around.  The baby zebra and the baby ducks are both genetically programmed to pattern (imprint) after the first thing they see; a basic genetically encoded survival skill that makes them follow the adult for food and protection.  This is eidetic memory, or the ability to vividly recall someone seen possible only once.

Humans can gain knowledge (translates into learning new skills) through watching an experienced person perform a physical or communications skill, or even simply being near that person and watching how their body language reflects their interpersonal communnications. Their way and method of doing things, and even their knowledge, can be passed on to someone else, especially if the learner really wants to understand it (or literally “get it” dynamically, something Heinlein called “grok”).  The student observer is looking for practical and experiential knowledge that in the Japanese martial arts is sometimes referred to as “direct transmission” or doing something and looking (patterning) exactly like the teacher regardless of whether real understanding (of the model’s actions) has been achieved yet.

In Western cultures this learning method may also be referred to as “mentoring” which causes people to seek out, surround themselves with, and strive to spend their time with respected or powerful figures, even emulating them down to matters of detail such as copying comments made in conversations (“Ah yes but of course, my lineage is from the Smiths of the London Smiths Parkway, an upscale gentrified trailer park just south of town”), way of dress (“Hmmm, preppy or morning coat and tails, decisions decisions), table manners (“Ok, where is the salt cellar …. dammit … there is supposed to be salt cellar with that cute little spoon”), and even the preferred cocktail at business gatherings (“Dude …. I really hate gin …. is there any bourbon around here I could work on”)?

This method of learning is probably known (or suspected) by everyone since we started (as small toddlers) by patterning our parents and siblings; learning by copying until the copying becomes who we are, with later learning done more deliberately and methodically as we mature and set our own path in life.  Unfortunately, as we grow older and begin that self-programming of our own path, we can sometimes skew sideways and lose sight of the goal.  Thus, the need to look for the better example, or mentor.

"Mitori Keiko" means learning from other people’s practice.  It also implies that practice through watching may be just as important as the actual practicing itself.  As you carefully observe other people’s movements you realize how you can improve your own movements.

The more normally seen Western oriented methods of logical and scholastic learning, when employed by themselves or as a matter of habit acquired from grade school, interrupt this way of study.  This is one idea behind the phrase ‘learn how to learn’ that we hear many times that people repeat but never really follow through on.  It is commonly heard by students’ of ancient traditional schools but especially in dojo that have a higher focus on learning by transmission.

Part of this is the Decay Theory; a theory that proposes that memory fades due to the passage of time. Information is therefore less available for later retrieval as time passes and memory, as well as memory strength, wears away. When an individual learns something new, a neurochemical "memory trace" is created.  In many ways a continual use of mitori keiko helps avoid decay and improves long-term retention and these memory traces are reinforced.  This has been illustrated by Olympic athletes mentally imaging how they will compete to the point to where the muscles themselves react to the mental imaging.  So how to utilize mitori keiko.

First, you can notice positive points of other player’s practice.  If you are a regular member of a dojo, there should be other members who practice together on a regular basis.  Regardless of the martial art being practiced every keiko is different person to person so this should provide the opportunity to see (and compare) positive points of practice that different deshi may have.  These can include footwork, favorite waza (esp. during randori sessions), posture and so on. Through noticing these different positive points, you will be able to garner ideas from these other players, and by copying improve your own practice.

Second, you should also be aware of negative points. Every deshi has both strong and weak points in their practice.  This unevenness in their overall performance should be apparent enough from the outset for you to be aware of it unless you yourself are a total beginner.  You should become aware of any negative points remembering that unless you are the Sensei giving advice on how to correct that deshi’s negative points is not part of mitori keiko.  You are learning and not teaching.  In a sense however, you are teaching yourself and while observing should be internally questioning yourself with, “Am I doing the same movements?  Do I walk like that?  Do I have that stutter step in my initial attacks?  Do I ever break my posture forward like that?”  Conducting this private internal dialogue with yourself is a part and parcel of mitori keiko.

Lastly, mitori keiko enables you to use practice time efficiently since you should not be doing it during your actual physical practice but instead, during your break or down time.  Basically you should have no “real” downtime while in the dojo since you are either in the fray or are actively watching and evaluating.

Mitori keiko can be a great positive if used as an internal dialogue with yourself.  Over a long period of time a senior player can notice a difference in the overall development of deshi who engage in mitori keiko and who use it for self-improvement.

L.F. Wilkinson Kancho

The Aikibudokan

Houston, TX

February 27, 2022

207. Spannungsbogen

Spannungsbogen - a German word that generally indicates a form of tension created by a sequence of events (or so say some dictionaries) and considering that there are more than one interpretation of the term such as the tension created by drawing the bow, or tension from self-denial. I would prefer to use the term as it is applied in a sci-fi novel recently made into a movie series; that is, the tension created by the self-imposed delay between desire for a thing and the act of reaching out to grasp that thing, or the tension between desire and action.

 

So does this mean that you could have personal issues come up that could hinder progress in your training in Bushido and martial arts? Yes it does and those issues could be severe enough to cause you to even stop training unless a means by which to mitigate the tension is found. Remember ... "self-imposed"; e.g. desire and action.

 

Many prospective deshi come into the dojo eager to learn. They've spent who knows how much time researching what they think will best fit their goals, reading up on the ryu, watching countless videos, talking to friends to sound them out on the idea, and generally working themselves up into a lather over the idea of Yoda-hood and becoming the next Mifune or Musashi (or maybe even Tom Cruise). Once they actually don the keikogi and begin training they come to the realization that, in a phrase, "it just ain't that easy" and suddenly action can't keep up with desire.

 

Building a steady training schedule, dealing with demands on personal (training) time put upon you by girl/boy friend or spouse, family, friends in general, job, household chores, shopping for victuals', (the list sometimes just seems like it never ends) can all get in the way of steady training leading to stress over ideas such as "I need to get ready for that Shodan demo but .... etc. ... etc ... etc. .... keeps getting in the way. What to do, what to do".

 

So looking at how to deal with the stress gives us migraines and flutters in the stomach and maybe makes us a little irritable. The answer is simple, (hah .. simple and who am I kidding). That is, acknowledge the need to deal with other issues outside the dojo, handle the demands, look at it as being just a short training break to catch your breath, and then just get back on the mat, and with some focus and personal self-discipline stop letting it impact your overall attitude and performance (in everything).

 

Some things in life just need handling and indeed, should be handled as rapidly and as thoroughly as may be needed ... AND .... once handled and out of the way it clears that path back to the mat. They (the issues) are what they are or in other words ..... what is, is and what isn't, isn't. They can't be avoided but they can be handled as may be appropriate.

 

So don't drive yourself crazy over small issues but look to the larger flow of ideas. Work to follow a Stoic idea of dealing with what is necessary and recognizing what is not necessary. After all, if it is necessary then it can't be avoided and should be looked at as just one item in life that should be done and put behind us, and not fretted over.

 

The moral here is to not let your Spannungsbogen (self-induced tension) get in the way of your heiho (strategy) for your keiko (deeper training in Bushido and the martial arts).

 

Originally Published July 5, 2024

202. A Further and Larger Level of Being

How does anyone grow as a person. How do you become something that you are not. How do you escape from the shoe box that you grew up in and become aware of the larger world outside the bubble that you normally exist and live within. How do you become something you are not (yet).

The answer is reasonably simple but it must become a regular part of your life. You need people in your life that are further along than you, people that have a bigger vision, people that are more experienced in the ups and downs of life, people that are out of your league in terms of knowledge and sophistication, people that are more mature emotionally, intellectually, and experience-wise.

Long story short, you need to be exposed to new levels of knowledge, understanding of life, maturity, and experience so that you can go to your own new levels by being around new sources of knowledge, a broader view of life, and deeper information on new topics.

I came to martial arts from a small country town that when compared to a big city was incredibly backwards. We had lots of BBQ and Tex-Mex food but we didn't even know what a pizza parlor was and something such as Chinese food or sushi was equivalent to an invasion from outer space ...... and philosophy ......... what in the world was that. Buddhism, Taoism, meditation ..... scary stuff to be avoided and belittled.

So I begin training in Aikido & Judo and am immediately exposed to those, and many other new ideas that changed my way of life. New foods, new ideas, new information, new people all of which taken together opened my eyes. My old attitudes about such things as martial arts, even politics, changed and grew larger in scope allowing me to better understand the good and bad points, the strengths and weaknesses of everything around me including different opinions, and new training ideas. In effect, I became a more worldly and sophisticated person open to exploring new ideas.

However, as an interesting side note, I also became more discriminatory in what I did and accepted; that is, greater knowledge can manifest itself by our having a deeper understanding of everything around and what is desirable, or undesirable and what to accept or not accept. In other words, growing up in a small country town had resulted in a lack of depth and accepting (or denying) many things at their face value, also known as naivety.

A dojo is different from other endeavors. People who go to the same church tend to have the same ideas on religion and philosophy. People who belong to the same book club tend to read the same books. People who live in the same area of town tend to go to the same bars and restaurants and eat the same repetitive selections of food.

Martial artists however generally start training with only one thing in common, learning martial arts and maybe getting in shape but they all come from different backgrounds. Everything else you may know (or think you know), believe in, or have experienced is very likely completely different from everybody else on the mat so every day working with others potentially results in new knowledge and information to be exposed to ....... and then there is "Apre's Dojo" or the social hour after practice as you discuss everything and anything over a cup of sake where you go into "being exposed to new ideas" overload.

So, learn from your training partner and the teachers and begin to grow your horizons. Use this idea as just one more reason to train in Bushido (a word, an idea, and a way of life that I didn't even know existed until I put on my gi for the first time and stepped on the mat).

And ..... pay attention to the Sensei at your dojo. The word Sensei after all translates as "One who was born before"; not necessarily by a calendar but instead, one more experienced in life, more broadly educated, and knowledgeable (in all that "new stuff").

L  F. Wilkinson Kancho

The Aikibudokan

Houston, TX

October 4, 2023

199. How Did He Do That

Over the last five decades of my training in martial arts I’ve observed that promotions are one of the big events in a dojo, in a students’ life, and their career in Bushido.

Aside from the sense of personal accomplishment that the deshi feels upon being promoted, the promotion itself brings a certain sense of pride and accomplishment to the entire dojo if considered from the aspect that everyone in the dojo has at one time or another been their training partner.

The first thought that goes through their mind is, "Well, if so-and-so can do it then so can I because I've been training with him". Then the second thought may be, "He did that kata really well and I helped him learn it because over the last few weeks that is what he and I have been working together on, so in a way I can take a little credit for his success".

Both of these are completely true, but they leave out the important part which is how the newly promoted deshi actually did it and while it sounds trite it is in all actuality true; that is, "They Did The Work". They went to class on a regular basis, trained, put in extra time with their training partner, and learned what needed to be learned.

So many times, we see someone who has only half-hardheartedly focused on the next promotion and while they are learning and progressing, their way forward is slower than it could (or should) be. They may get upset at not being "auto promoted" but once they understand the requirements for the rank they are working towards things tend to smooth out, esp. as the other deshi provide encouragement.

Promotions (and the attending demo) have so many positives that anyone who runs a dojo should require demos for certain ranks, esp early black belt ranks. If properly done then it shouldn't become a difficult or scary thing for the promotional candidate and it can serve to get the entire dojo behind them. In effect, it builds a form of "Team Dojo" spirit that everyone benefits from.

More (most) senior black belt ranks (such as 4th Dan and up) don't necessarily have formal "demo requirements" per se but are actually more stringent in their requirements. The candidate must not only know (and show) technical proficiency in larger portions of the overall curriculum but must show the ability to explain in-depth knowledge of the concepts and principles. This ability is illustrated by the "work product"; e.g., the junior students that he has been teaching.

Since the work product is the real factor under review then it becomes impossible to have a public demo of the promotional candidate conducting a teaching lesson or having the junior ranks demo instead (as a form of review of the work product). So, a study and observation of the candidate within the normal dojo class environment over the long term becomes the means by which the final promotional evaluation is eventually made.

Also a part of this overall decision to promote is a recognition that no candidate is fully prepared for that promotion. Instead, they are judged as being close enough with the anticipation of their growing into the rank. Another way in which to consider it is to acknowledge that no one is really at 100% of all the requirements but is deemed functional in all areas with the expectation of long-term improvement.

Are promotions sometimes granted without the candidate having a full awareness of all the technical and teaching and philosophical aspects? Certainly. Being able to conduct normal business management tasks and teaching support of the dojo (in cases such as Sensei being ill or out of town and that person taking over classes) means the dojo stays open that week and everyone stays excited and goes to train. Not every candidate for senior rank has the financial ability to pour money into the bank, but taking classes, teaching and supporting the deshi, illustrating the fundamentals, then showing emotional support to the deshi so that they continue to train and learn what many times can be frustrating material can be more important than simply writing a check; which for some becomes an all too easy substitute for doing the work.

Is everyone truly ever "ready" for that next big promotion? Not in the least. Remember that if you wait until the candidate is "completely, totally, absolutely" ready then they should actually be considered for the rank beyond that one (and very likely would never make it). To paraphrase Voltaire, "Perfection is the enemy of the good" (one of my Sensei' favorite quotes and I heard it often).

My Sensei had an interesting way to view it. When he promoted me to Nidan he said that I was finally a good Shodan; and of course, when promoted to Sandan he said I was a pretty good Nidan. This was his way of saying that yes, I still have weak areas, still have flaws, and still have improvements to make in how I speak to and relate to junior ranks and how I gauge my strength, power, and focus when working the material; and it clearly said that I had far to go and must expect to "grow into" the rank as my experiences at the new level deepened.

All of these ideas taken together make for a large and complex picture that any Sensei must work to manage. This picture is not simply and only technical but has serious spiritual aspects involved that go well beyond a simple punch list.

Over the years I've seen and heard criticism (some even directed at me) about why someone was promoted (or not) and whether they deserved it or were ready. Lower and less knowledgeable ranks tend to only see things as a two-dimensional photograph, like an old prom photo from high school. You could refer to the process as being 5-dimensional, but it is actually much more than height, breadth, length, width, and time. When you add in the extra dimensions (how well they communicate, average good or bad mood, time each week on the mat, visible commitment, support of the deshi, can they grow into a more mature senior position in spite of where they are "today", etc.) it becomes a complex flow of multi-dimensional energies that are impossible to measure in the Western sense and that only very senior ranks such as the Kancho or Soke are able to see the full dimensions of.

Put another way, the whole is always much greater than the sum of the parts and the whole itself is infinite in its capacity to grow.

Go to class. Train hard. Do the work. Get the promotion. Grow into your full potential.

L. F. Wilkinson Kancho

The Aikibudokan

Houston, TX

August 17, 2023

197. Personal Goal - Teaching Goal

A meme sometimes circulates on the internet that goes something like ...... "I'm a popular loner. I know a lot of people and a lot of people know me, but my circle is small and I'm usually by myself".

For those of us who are long-timers (life-timers) in Bushido and the martial arts world this is likely truer than not.  Over the many years of putting in the training time and work that it takes to excel at something simultaneously complex and sophisticated but at its essence very primal, we've changed, matured and are blunter and more direct than in the past.  We've probably become scary in some ways but gentler in others and we likely have outlooks on "life, the universe, and everything" that don't really match those of most of the people around us.

For example, if we have an argument with someone who is angry, we tend to not easily back down.  In fact, we may deliberately provoke them in order to test the depths of who they are.  It likely won't lead to a true confrontation but it's not easy to intimidate us; something that most people don't understand (and may therefore fear) since so much of society today involves itself with various levels of loudness and attempted intimidation tactics (such as raising their voice or making accusations such as "That's a lie").  They simply do not understand what is happening on a deeper level when they are working the angles to win the discussion and the most they get out of us is a bored, "Well .... ok .... whatever" or we just flow-on and act as if it never happened, almost like we just didn't notice; that "non-response" in-and-of-itself possibly being within the realm of heiho (or deeper strategy).

Martial arts gives the long-term practitioner something that no other activity (be it golf, poker, a pick-up game of baseball or basketball, or psychotherapy) can give that makes you different and apart from the normal's (the common person on the street who does not have your calmness or focus).

That is, when you spend 100's or 1,000's of hours on the mat learning to read and then physically and spiritually dominate an opponent in training then a simple loud argument in "civilian life" has little impact on you.  After all, if you can "whack" someone bigger than you, then that apoplectic maniac with the bulging eyes and throbbing veins in their neck and temples will have little success at establishing their dominance; in short, they have none (dominance over you) and they simply cannot understand why as it has worked so well on others ........ but not on you.

While this may sound overly simplistic consider this. In a changing society with all the crazy insanity, arguments over anything at all, lighting quick memes, 30 second sound bites, apocalyptic news reports, crazy people who fly off the handle into personal assault or road rage for seemingly no good reason, and internet news panic porn (aka "click bait") it can be really difficult to "abide" and "maintain" (your peaceful, calm, and relaxed attitude).

In the 60's they referred to it as "stay cool man" and your parents may have said "take a deep breath before you act" all of which helps avoid hyperventilating and "stroking out" and then making what could be a serious mistake.  You in effect have learned to be "above the fray" making you that person who stands alone and acts as an independently thinking individual who is not a part of the surging crowd moving as a mindless group; and, if you do choose to react then it is on your terms, on your time frame, and intuitive in its conduct.

If you train and learn to use that self-confidence, “centered-ness” and grounding that it teaches and gives you, then it positions you to let the weirdness and crazies roll off your back like water off a duck; instead of over-reacting like that apoplectic maniac who loses control and greatly regrets what comes after.

"If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you ....." Rudyard Kipling

They may not understand you .... but you understand you.

Stay centered.  Stay grounded.  Stay relaxed.  Be cool man.  Get into the keiko and set yourself apart. Budo (or Bushido, your choice) is to be lived and not just dabbled in like we just happened to be at the dojo that day.  Or as in a recent movie based on the book, be one of the "Humans" instead of one of the "people".  As I've said for many years now, "We Sensei sift through the people to find the humans".  Not my quote but I still get to steal it once in a while.

L.F. Wilkinson Kancho

The Aikibudokan

Houston, TX

August 2, 2023

191. Are You Elegant

A rock and roll singer once used the phrase “… are you experienced …” in a song to express a sentiment; so, to paraphrase, “… are you elegant …”.

Elegance is neither elusive nor elitist as some may think; it is, however, difficult to achieve in an effective and believable fashion, as it contains more “mental” than “exhibited” traits although exhibited traits are definitely part of the picture.

Simply buying expensive clothes or pursuing the latest “thing”, always buying the priciest fragrance in the store, going “commando” like the rest of the guys down at the sports bar, following the newest clothing trends from Hollywood or shoe trends from New York, or adopting and posturing a physical attitude that is demeaning to others (by the nature of its’ very arrogance, think “let them eat cake”) doesn’t bestow elegance upon anyone.  Elegance is between the ears first, and only after becoming part of you will it begin to manifest itself through seemingly very small but extremely important changes in your dress, behavior, language, and attitude.

Elegance “becomes” you.  You do not “become” elegance.  It takes control of you and reshapes who you are.  You do not “seek” it out to achieve it.  You simply look up one day and discover that associates are looking at you in a new, more respectful light and only then do you discover the idea of “not” seeking something that you gain and of “not” trying to deliberately do anything.  Another way of considering it is the idea of the journey being more important than the goal; the goal having not been set as a “goal” when the journey began and you’re simply following the path.

Very “Zennish” isn’t it?  Living and shaping your existence to be “simplicity” generally is.

Many years ago I read a novel that focused on the story of a man’s life-long effort to achieve shibumi, the Japanese concept of “restrained elegance”.  One of the leading characters’ teachers was a Sensei teaching the game of Go who told him that shibumi was not something that could be worked on like a project at the office but, instead is discovered or put in another way, “grown into”.  It also should not simply be another goal set for achievement and recognition; instead, one must pass through knowledge and arrive at simplicity.  Shibumi has been described as a very Zen state of unpretentious perfection, common in appearance but deep like an ocean.  Not flashy.  Simple.

So how does this apply to Aikido on the tatami and life off the tatami.

Shibumi has to do with refinement that belies commonplace appearance.  It is a statement of fact or reality that is so totally correct that it does not have to be bold or blunt to make the point.  It is so touching or emotional that it does not have to be pretty and so true it does not have to be real.

Shibumi is understanding, rather than knowledge.  It is expressive silence, and in your demeanor it is modesty with no shame or embarrassment.  In art it is elegant simplicity.  In a man’s personality and behavior, it is quiet authority without domination or intimidation.

Examples of this can be illustrated by looking at some simple dojo examples;

When doing an embu or promotional demonstration showing control over your body by using minimal movements as opposed to swinging your arms back and forth as you move into or out of position for the kata and next technique.  Look coordinated and in control instead of looking and moving in a “sloppy” fashion.

Not preening by continually “fixing” and “fluffing” your hair or adjusting your gi, all that excessive and unnecessary movement indicating that your subconscious is preoccupied on something other than the opponent while minimal body movements (only the movement needed in that moment) shows a quiet focus and comportment (and body/posture awareness).

Wearing a “quiet” gi indicating only your name or maybe a small dojo patch; as opposed to your gi looking like you drive for NASCAR and you have 3 dozen sponsors.  A quiet gi allows onlookers to focus more on you than the distracting information on the gi and doesn’t work to ostentatiously call attention to you by your clothing.

Focus your conversation on the work and your fellow deshi and when discussing martial arts don’t brag about things done or not done and don’t exaggerate.  Discuss the techniques in an academic way instead of the immature, “Yeah, I could really __________ (fill in the blanks) with this”.  Understatement many times is much more effective than the opposite.

Acting a little quiet and thoughtful when on the mat instead of being loud and brash.  Sometimes the quiet man draws the attention since he is seen as pausing to consider before offering the studied opinion, that pause drawing more respect than being “out there”.

This of course can be extended outside the dojo but then again, we are working on Bushido and dojo ideas.

L.F. Wilkinson Kancho

The Aikibudokan

Houston, TX

February 12. 2023

189. Samurai Chicken

Having been an athlete since grade school where I ran track as a sprinter before getting into playing competitive football through my high school years, I’ve been in weight rooms and gyms my entire life training before eventually moving into dojo and martial arts.  For me and others like me, staying in shape became an obsession literally decades ago which is why, at age 70 (well, if you count gestation like the Japanese it actually makes me 71) I can easily operate like someone 20 years my junior.

Part of that fitness obsession included a lot of research on what could be called “balanced training” such as nutrition, structuring training routines, and discipline (in their application).  That research covered Japanese concepts that eventually led to a tattoo; speaking to balance.  Ever since being inked, I’ve strived to remember the two mottos (here roughly paraphrased) which are; Ningen Keisei (become a complete human being) and Bun Bu Ryo Dou (living a life in balance).

This includes life in the gym, resistance training, working to stay flexible and limber and also includes the same ideas of “balance” in the dojo as I work through the material.

So today I’m in the gym trying to get back to (and stick with) a regular resistance training routine when I look up and in front of me is a guy preparing to run through sets of chest press using dumbbells.  When I do sets of chest press, my working weight is 40 to 45 pounds per dumb bell (or per hand).  He was working with dumb bells that were 70 pounds each and then he pyramided up to 100 pounds in ten-pound increments.  Impressive for someone who was not a pro football player (based on his size) or an obvious power lifter.

He completed the set and stood up from the bench and since he was wearing shorts, I saw them as he rose.  The legs.  The skinny, scrawny, undeveloped legs. The legs that looked like they had never done any lower body work such as free bar squats, or deadlifts.  His legs were smaller than most peoples’ arms.  It was an amazing moment of cognitive dissonance, this exhibit of upper body over-development and lower body neglect.

Times change as does street slang but when I first began hanging out at gyms and focusing on resistance training the nickname for this was “Bar Body”; someone who hyper-developed the chest, arms, and shoulders so-as to impress someone while buying them a drink.  That was the “kinder” term.  The other term, not quite as nice was “Chicken Man” or sometimes “Turkey Legs”; someone who had a large body (like a good size fryer) but who had the skinny leg bones of a bird.  I still remember once knowing a female co-worker who took one of these specimens’ home from a bar one night and couple of days later at the office, she got talkative and said “WTH …. That’s false advertising.  I was cheated”.  All I could do was laugh.

Martial arts and dojo have much the same issue with many deshi as they come up in rank.  They gain rank, improve ability, move forward in understanding, and one day look up and decide that so-and-so kata set is a little too difficult and uninteresting when compared to other kata (that are easier); much like Chicken Man decided somewhere along the way that chest and shoulders were easier than leg day so they’d do the easy and pass by the hard. 

I must admit that I don’t like legs either, much like many gym regulars who have broad and well-thought routines.  Legs are tough to enjoy but if you want a balanced physique then you simply must include a well-rounded leg routine and you must stick with it long term regardless of how difficult it may be to stay with or however slow progress may be.

Likewise, if you want to achieve well-rounded ability in your martial art then you must use a well-rounded routine for training; a little basics, some intermediate work, some advanced work, and maybe some research on the arcana such as the relationship between Buddhism and combative behavior so that you see the subtlety of some of the teachings.  You have to make a regular pass through all the material, even kata sets that may be confusing, difficult, tiring, or whatever because they broaden certain aspects of your study and at some point teach you how it all inter-connects.

We train in Aikido in the Tomiki Ryu which at it’s core is simply pre-WWII Ueshiba-ha Daito Ryu Aikibudo.  It’s an old koryu based system that is organized much like Kodokan Judo was; kihon (basics), bunkai (analysis and applications), and formal kata, with each kata designed for teaching principles and variations.

For example, in the Tomiki Ryu we have Koryu Dai Ichi (the 1^st kata) and Koryu Dai Ni (the 2^nd kata) both of which are directly related to and clearly illustrate Daito Ryu such that Ichi kata directly shows old school Daito Ryu as originally illustrated in the book Budo Renshu which documented Daito Ryu techniques.  These two kata have short and direct techniques that have a flow to them, running one into the other, but are very much self-defense oriented.

Koryu Dai San and Koryu Dai Roku (3^rd and 6^th kata) are very formally structured and presented to best illustrate the fundamental principles of the ryu including knife, sword, and stick ideas.  They are presented slowly and very precisely in order to best illustrate your understanding.

Koryu Dai Yon (4^th kata) has very large, circular, and flowing movements to show the circularity of certain patterns and also introduces, in a deliberate fashion, the idea of failure in which you apply a technique and it works but then you apply it again and it fails requiring you to respond with a kaeshi waza (counter).

Koryu Dai Go (5^th kata) has many of the same techniques as do Ichi and Ni to the point to where the last 5 of Ni and of Go are identical.  The primary difference is that in Go everything from the first suwari waza to the last striking technique is done at absolute full speed and very dynamically to pressure the defenders’ subconscious which must respond instantaneously; a true test of the intuitive processes in which should tori (defender) move too slowly or go into brain lock, uke is allowed to complete the attack and knock tori over.  It builds an understanding of pressure.

Each kata looks at and teaches different areas of the ryu.  Each kata is important for showing (and learning) all the variations in attack, with or without a weapon.  Each kata teaches variables in application of principles.  Each kata is, therefore, critical in learning and understanding the full scope of the ryu.  Leaving out a serious study of any of the kata (along with the kihon & bunkai sets) will result in an “unbalanced” Aikido player, much like the guy in the gym.

Without the full balance study, the Aikido player will have large “gaps” in their ability to intuitively recognize and respond correctly and appropriately to an attack; something permissible in the dojo where everyone are friends, but inadequate in the street where friendship is non-existent.  The lesson here to remember is that of balancing your training and not leaving out your legs.

L. F. Wilkinson Kancho

The Aikibudokan

Houston, TX

September 12, 2022

186. I Need Me Sum' Monjin

Beginners.  Monjin waiting at the gate.

While every dojo needs and wants them, they do have side effects such as slowing down the class, and making you repeat the same thing repeatedly (and redundantly).  Not learning fast enough (or at least it seems that way to the more advanced deshi).  Unable to work more advanced material.  The complaints go on.

However, once you slow down and cool your jets (as some would put it) you suddenly realize that monjin who are now deshi (are inside the dojo) can serve a higher purpose.  Having beginners in class allows the deshi who have been there a while to suddenly realize just how much they know; how much they really do know.  Once that realization occurs, the more experienced players stop ranting (verbally or non-verbally) over the idea that they aren't learning anything (or learning fast enough) when they see how advanced they are when compared to the new players.

Beginners delay the flow into intermediate and advanced level material.  This is nothing more than one of the realities of teaching but when looked at in the broader sense it is not necessarily a negative.  Too many times going fast turns into a failure to break down what the waza calls for (at a deeper level) and then to adequately explain it (they call that “auto-pilot”).  Then you the Sensei begin to not correct mistakes or errors in the basics such as kamae, sen or ma-ai.

Teaching, guiding, creating “good learning” environments means taking the time to carefully observe, analyze, and then give commentary that should result in improvement; this, remembering that improving the basic fundamentals (you know, the “beginner stuff”) really is advanced work.

Sensei should break the material down into digestible bits sized by the ability of the group to grasp, and then proceed to explain the lessons inherent within the kata.  That becomes difficult too impossible if you just repeat the waza (or a larger kata set) at speed as if everyone already knew everything you do.  Beginners ask questions (sometimes a frustrating number of them ….. repeatedly) but by doing so they create thoughts of why take this action or posture instead of that one and in another sense, create the need to find an explanation that will be at the level of the deshi’s ability and easy(er) to understand.  By doing so, the questions should cease, at least on that topic until understanding deepens (again) and then the questions start all over but on more intense levels.

L.F. Wilkinson Kancho

The Aikibudokan

Houston, TX

April 18, 2022

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

179. Killer Instinct (not the song)

Before you ask; no, it is not a line from the latest video game or movie.  It is a description of what we see on the mat many times as-to whether a deshi can be trained to be responsive to actual attacks.

One of our senior players once had a conversation with another Yudansha and basically told him that he should not get in a fight with anyone as the outcome might not be to his advantage; as-in he would likely get his butt kicked.  As related, the conversation went on to describe the three primary responses to a threat that suddenly occurs with those three responses not being the more normally cited “Fight or Flight” but instead, “Fight, Flight, or Freeze”.  The deshi in question has the “Freeze” response to the point at which when I would work to train him in randori and put my hand in his face his eyes would get big and he would jerk back like I had rubbed my feet on the carpet and had given him some “static shock”.

The first two responses are obvious in what they are.  You get attacked and don’t have any real time in which to decide what to do so you automatically fight the threat (and hopefully you’ve had some training).  In the second you instinctively run.  Sometimes taking flight is the better part of valor if you are able. 

The first two choices of fight or flight (run or fight to survive) both stand the better chance of survival for the organism (that’s you) and many consider them part of the natural evolutionary process of what Darwin referred to as “survival of the species”.  Fighting may get you hurt but sometimes it works well and the ability to stand and face-off (showing the attacker that you are willing) can stop the conflict to begin with, so there is that.  Flight may mean they chase you down from behind but if you run fast enough it may not matter and then if unable to escape and realizing that it can’t be avoided you switch into Fight mode.

Freeze on the other hand poses a whole different set of problems not the least of which is what happens.  You might have been able to fight your way out of it or run your way out of it but instead, you Freeze like a rabbit trying to hide under a bush from that circling hawk.  The hawk sees lunch and by not moving you in effect have become a selection on the cafeteria food line.  Then when the attacker lands that first blow, it becomes game over.

The whole of humanity as a broad average likely leans toward the Flight response due to inner fears over being able to handle the situation (especially after an intuitive evaluation with the recognition of the superiority of the attacker) and sometimes due to upbringing such as being trained to avoid conflict by negotiating or apologizing. 

Unfortunately however, there are those attackers who have little interest in either negotiations or apologies.  This is what martial arts and training in self-defense is supposed to teach and give us; the ability to Fight or at a minimum, the ability to stay calm long enough to evaluate the situation and recognize when Fight is possible and when Flight (or conflict avoidance) might be a better choice.

What does Killer instinct consist of, where is it, what is it?  Basically, it is the ability to savagely address the threat, to run towards the gunfire, to react aggressively to stop the problem.  It is either totally instinctual, or readily trainable, or just not there.

It was once said that Charles Manson was part of that 5% or so of the population that is naturally and automatically violent.  Remember that the Bell Curve dictates that at the bottom a certain percentage are just murderous psychopaths without remorse for their actions and at the top a certain percentage is completely “Love is Now” and would not step on a cockroach even if it bit them and tore off a toe.  All the rest of us fall somewhere (by degrees) in the middle of the curves’ hump.

So, if the psychopaths are “always sitting on ready and rocking on go” and might be the bottom 5% of the Bell Curve and the non-violent to the point of consciously not engaging in self-defense (the “Love is Now” folks) are at the other end and are roughly 5% (just to pick an estimate) where do the rest of us fall?

Without any viable studies to lean on but having trained in and taught martial arts (and having by necessity to study and evaluate the student population) for some 50 years, I’d simply use 1/3^rd, 1/3^rd, and a 1/3^rd; one third are easy to provoke to fight, one third are hesitant but will with sufficient provocation, and one third will freeze in place and suffer the consequences. 

Who goes in the first third?  That would be military personnel, special forces (rangers, SEAL’s, Military Police), civilian police and law enforcement, martial sports competitors (boxing, wrestling, MMA, UFC).  This group while not blatantly violent does not shy away from violence or self-defense.  They are easy to train and with some guidance make competent martial artists who become disciplined.

The second third would be civilians who do not choose professions where violence is required but with some training and personal focus and discipline can become very effective at self-defense.  They may hesitate somewhat before engaging and may even in some cases have to take a few before getting angry enough to engage but once initiated, they don’t back off.

The third “third” are those who freeze.  They may go to a dojo and train in kata and maybe even some light randori but never shiai.  They may take lessons in “non-contact” boxing or some simple self-defense classes but bottom line, when suddenly attacked their brain turns off.  They might eventually choose to fight and to self-defend but only after massive and severe threats and injury to themselves and possibly to those around them.

So what does this mean and how does a dojo fit into this.  As Mushashi and many others have said, “How you train is how you fight”.  The only viable self-defense (unless you are overly big, overly strong, or have street experience from growing up) is a self-defense that stays within the guidelines of principle for the martial art you are training in (like good erect posture, weight on balls of feet, correct breathing, understanding of kuzushi, tsukuri, kake, knowing the waza correctly for example) and that is repeated hundreds if not thousands of times in order to make everything completely intuitive and automatic without thought.

One of the primary ideas behind such training is to embed the responses (of self-defense to an attack) so deeply within the subconscious mind that they override hesitation.  For the 1^st third, it improves the natural responses of self-defense, remembering that the first third already has the will to respond and run towards the gunfire so-to-speak.  The natural response is already there, and the training only refines it and deepens its technical effectiveness.

For the 2^nd third, the training improves and refines the natural response of self-defense but more importantly removes the hesitation in responding to the attack such that the defender needs less stimulus (abuse) to respond and go into action.

For the last 1/3^rd, that portion of the bell curve that is locked into the Freeze response, it is less certain.  Since Freeze is how they naturally respond then whether or not the training will be able to override it becomes questionable.  With sufficient training (read, “LOTS and “LOTS”) then it is possible that their subconscious can take control enabling a response.  The question then becomes what happens if their initial response fails (after they get hit in the face)?  The odds are that they will again Freeze at the shock of the blow.

So what is the solution for those whose natural response is to Freeze?  How do we as Sensei work them past that into effective responses and viable self-defense?  The only solution that I've seen in 50 years on the mat is reps.  And more reps and more training.  And much more training and many more reps and not stopping at any point to assume that you now have all the responses programmed.  Just stay with it.  For how long?  How about for your entire life ........

L.F. Wilkinson Kancho

The Aikibudokan

Houston, TX

February 26, 2021

175. Bushido & Incivility

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  “Incivility as generally noted in the workplace has been defined as low-intensity deviant behavior with ambiguous intent to harm the target.  Uncivil behaviors are characteristically rude and discourteous, displaying a lack of regard for others.”  Unfortunately, in the degeneration of today’s society during Cootie-19 and all the other social issues, it may start as low-intensity action on the part of the aggressor but quickly rises to physical violence.

On a daily basis we see (thanks to CCTV security cameras and the now-endemic cell phone video) the initial “insults” or “aggressive verbal attack” can quickly turn into physical “beat-downs” as street people (denizens of the sidewalk, unemployed, bored, belligerent, and sometimes with an ax to grind) take out whatever frustrations their demons might be on the targeted victim who is generally random.

Cities large and small have always had this issue as it is part of the human condition but generally if someone stayed to themselves, avoided certain areas, used polite language, didn’t stare at someone as if issuing a silent challenge, and used good manners then the conflict could fairly easily be avoided.  Such is not the case in today’s environment.

How to avoid the beat-down and the conflict before it starts?

Martial arts, having originated on the battlefield, have always taught situational awareness; basically, having your head on a swivel and observing in a casual way everyone around you and making immediate value judgements on their threat level.  The value judgement could be based on the look in their eyes, the clothes they wear, or their overall attitude.

For example, if walking down a sidewalk and approaching someone coming in your direction who looks marginal then crossing to the other side of the street or making all attempts to avoid getting close enough to appear as a threat to the other person has a lot to be said for it.  However, as society de-evolves into a lawlessness, simple avoidance tactics become less and less effective as their internal demons express themselves as deviant behavior; with their demons essentially “having control” of the person.  Their focus on intent to harm makes avoidance difficult if not impossible as the violence seems to seek you out.

What to do?

Training in martial arts has several fundamentals underlying the entire idea (of training in battlefield tactics and strategies).  Some we know about as they are discussed all the time in writings about Modern Budo and by the instructors on the training floor at the dojo.  Such ideas as physical fitness, improving coordination, centering and mental focus, “discovering” who you are (and who you want to become) are most certainly important parts of normal training for the civilian who seeks improvement of body, mind, and spirit.  However, the “other” side of True-Budo includes the ability to step in decisively and take control of the encounter and to do so on an intuitive basis which is only garnered from your training.

One example of this learning to be decisive sticks in my mind to this day; some 50 years after the fact.  My hometown was a rough place to grow up.  It had a university (full of hormonal young people who were aggressive and barely out of high school), a military base (full of navy and marine personnel who were naturally trained in aggression so it only took a beer or two to set them off), ranches (full of cowboys who liked to party on Saturday night payday), and it was an oil town (with hundreds of cat skinners and rough necks who came off the rigs looking for a diversion).  For the most part if you kept to yourself and did not go looking for it, trouble avoided you.  On occasion however, a few found trouble and for those of us watching from the side, it could provide some brief entertainment along with a life lesson to be learned (at someone else’s expense).

One Saturday night at a burger stand a small group of military guys challenged a man to a fight.  At no point do I believe that five to one is a fair fight but since the man being challenged was my Tae Kwon Do instructor who at the time was world light-heavy weight champion then everyone there who knew him and his reputation just sat back and decided to watch and enjoy.  Remember that this was the late-1960’s before the advent of gloves and foot protectors and he was trained in full-contact, bare-knuckle fighting and most of his matches were won with a knock-out.  He did not believe in “point sparring”.

After the first punch was thrown, my Sensei lashed out with a kick to the stomach and dropped the first to his knees.  The second guy moved in and took a kick to the face and he was “one and done”.  The third guy moved in and took a beautiful reverse punch to the face and he fell backwards and was out before hitting the ground.  The moment was done because Sensei had dropped three guys in less time than it takes to type this paragraph and the rest of the gang, having seen how fast and decisive it was, backed off like crawdads being chased by a guy with a bucket and decided that running was the better part of not being dropped like a rock.

The lesson I learned was that if you cannot stay out the problem then taking control may work to solve the issue.  Bullies and aggressors act as such only until it is proven to them that the intended target is not that easy.  Being one of a group gives courage to the group, until the first aggressor (who is generally the leader) is put down and the rest begin to have second thoughts simply because the leader was the toughest in the group and suddenly, he’s not in the action any longer and everyone else is a lesser being.

People who train in martial arts learn skills that are not natural and that cannot be acquired from a book.  They are learned over years on the mat and hour after hour of practice.  It is true (unlike movies) that fighting 5 guys at once is not possible.  Instead, the martial artist learns strategies and only fights one person at time so if you can take out one at a time, the rest can be dissuaded.

The most important thing learned in training (keiko and shugyo) is the mental calmness and self-confidence it takes to not fear the aggressor(s) and to relax and accept the flow of the action.

Don’t be lazy.  Go to class and train intensely.  It could one day save you from the beat-down.

L.F. Wilkinson Kancho

The Aikibudokan

Houston, TX

July 24, 2020