In reading Seth Godin's blog, I came across this entry on how to be successful. (It's really titled "how to make a million dollars" and even though I'm not trying to make money, I am trying to make an impact.)
I've applied the advice to my earlier entry on the Martial Arts Book of Knowledge or MABOK. The advice is to focus your topic to a group that cares enough to engage. If you visit KarateForge.com you will now see that the MABOK has been restricted to the KBOK - the Karate Book of Knowledge. This has allowed me and others to make forward progress on defining something needed by the karate community.
If you're into karate and know something about it, please contribute to the pages. If you're seeking to learn more, please participate in the community.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Live with Passion and Ignore the Critics
The dojo kun is a set of five principles that guide the practice of karate. The first of the dojo kun's precepts is to "seek perfection of character." While this precept has many and deep meanings, one of the ways I've adopted to improve my character is to try to
- live with passion and to inspire it in others.
Obesity & Stress
I'm doing much better at researching why I'm not losing the weight I want than I am actually losing it. The latest addition is this piece on how chronic stress and junk food stimulate the body to create biochemical messengers that cause fat to grow in all the wrong places. NPR has a good piece on it.
My modified goal is to exercise 12.5% more (which I've been doing), eating 12.5% less (which I'm not succeeding at but am inching toward), and now to find piece amidst my stressful life (which I'm also pretty much succeeding at). This will be my triple threat against being overweight, out of shape, and an unnecessarily shortened life (see previous post).
Part of calorie control, emphasized by this article on the role of junk food, is the elimination of junk food from the diet. That's an amazing "duh," I know. This research just serves as a reminder.
I've approached stress management in the past using relaxation and karate. I found that wasn't enough. The most significant change has been to adopt a bushido attitude. The bushido attitude says, I will not let others cause stress in me. The spirit is one of being indomitable in peace of mind; the application is situational. It comes down to asking, "Am I going to let this person in that situation cause me to feel that way? Why would I give them that power?" And then finding the spirit to shut out their malicious influence.
I'm on my way! Cheer me on!
My modified goal is to exercise 12.5% more (which I've been doing), eating 12.5% less (which I'm not succeeding at but am inching toward), and now to find piece amidst my stressful life (which I'm also pretty much succeeding at). This will be my triple threat against being overweight, out of shape, and an unnecessarily shortened life (see previous post).
Part of calorie control, emphasized by this article on the role of junk food, is the elimination of junk food from the diet. That's an amazing "duh," I know. This research just serves as a reminder.
I've approached stress management in the past using relaxation and karate. I found that wasn't enough. The most significant change has been to adopt a bushido attitude. The bushido attitude says, I will not let others cause stress in me. The spirit is one of being indomitable in peace of mind; the application is situational. It comes down to asking, "Am I going to let this person in that situation cause me to feel that way? Why would I give them that power?" And then finding the spirit to shut out their malicious influence.
I'm on my way! Cheer me on!
Saturday, June 23, 2007
More energy, more brain cells, more life (I hope)
In the last blog, I wrote about using calorie restriction (dieting) and increased exercise to rejuvenate my cells, and ideally, live a happier longer life. This time, I'm writing about another part of my program to feel better, live longer, and, now, ta da, be smarter, too. I'll also give an update on my progress (or lack of it).
Again, from Science News, comes a report on how your brain cells actually regenerate (or not) depending on how you live. See Brain Gain: Constant sprouting of neurons attracts scientists, drugmakers, by Brian Vastag, and published in Science News, Week of June 16, 2007; Vol. 171, No. 24 , p. 376.
In the article, brain cells growth responds to certain conditions and is repressed by others. From the article: "Exercise, estrogen, antidepressants, marijuana-like compounds, stimulating environments, and high social status, along with strokes and other injuries, all rev up production of new brain cells. Aging, stress, sleep deprivation, barren environments, and methylphenidate (Ritalin) damp it down."
So, I like my program of 12.5% less calories, 12.5% more exercise (measured as calories burned), with the addition of sleep, stress reduction, and interesting environments. I'll pass on the marijuana, estrogen, Ritalin, and strokes, thank you. Aging, too, please. Karate should help with the stress, as should more sleep.
Disclaimer. I'm choosing to do things that are moderate changes and that I feel are safe. I don't have any real evidence that I'll get the effect I want, particularly that I'll live longer or be smarter. Still, since I don't think it can hurt, I'm trying it. Follow at your own risk.
Update on my plan. So far, the days start well and end poorly. By the afternoon, I'm scrounging for food. Thursday, it was chocolate. Yesterday a bagel. I'm going to start bringing some good snacks to work to counter the afternoon lows. I've got to stay away from the big carbohydrate loads that I think after an initial sugar spike, drop my blood sugar even lower and send me into a downward death-by-sugar spiral.
The good news is I have upped the exercise. I'm adding hiking about 2 miles to the daily routine and I got in my first weight lifting in a long while. The shoulder's sore, but I'll do some light work on the weekend. Also, I'll put in more miles hiking, along with karate. The goal is to go just over the comfort line, but not so far as to be demotivating.
Again, from Science News, comes a report on how your brain cells actually regenerate (or not) depending on how you live. See Brain Gain: Constant sprouting of neurons attracts scientists, drugmakers, by Brian Vastag, and published in Science News, Week of June 16, 2007; Vol. 171, No. 24 , p. 376.
In the article, brain cells growth responds to certain conditions and is repressed by others. From the article: "Exercise, estrogen, antidepressants, marijuana-like compounds, stimulating environments, and high social status, along with strokes and other injuries, all rev up production of new brain cells. Aging, stress, sleep deprivation, barren environments, and methylphenidate (Ritalin) damp it down."
So, I like my program of 12.5% less calories, 12.5% more exercise (measured as calories burned), with the addition of sleep, stress reduction, and interesting environments. I'll pass on the marijuana, estrogen, Ritalin, and strokes, thank you. Aging, too, please. Karate should help with the stress, as should more sleep.
Disclaimer. I'm choosing to do things that are moderate changes and that I feel are safe. I don't have any real evidence that I'll get the effect I want, particularly that I'll live longer or be smarter. Still, since I don't think it can hurt, I'm trying it. Follow at your own risk.
Update on my plan. So far, the days start well and end poorly. By the afternoon, I'm scrounging for food. Thursday, it was chocolate. Yesterday a bagel. I'm going to start bringing some good snacks to work to counter the afternoon lows. I've got to stay away from the big carbohydrate loads that I think after an initial sugar spike, drop my blood sugar even lower and send me into a downward death-by-sugar spiral.
The good news is I have upped the exercise. I'm adding hiking about 2 miles to the daily routine and I got in my first weight lifting in a long while. The shoulder's sore, but I'll do some light work on the weekend. Also, I'll put in more miles hiking, along with karate. The goal is to go just over the comfort line, but not so far as to be demotivating.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Calorie Restriction for Karate Training?
I recently read an article from Science News titled Living Long on Less? Mouse and Human Cells Respond to Slim Diet (Week of March 10, 2007; Vol. 171, No. 10 , p. 147). The article explains that it's unknown if calorie restriction actually leads to longer human life, but that a person's cells do show the same change as those seen in mice who have been shown to have longer lives as a result of calorie restriction.
What are some of those changes and how do they relate to Karate? Most important from my point of view was the observed rejuvenation of mitochondrial cells, the energy producers. I'm older and starting to feel my age. I've put on a little weight and don't have the pep. What if I could restrict some calories and get the boost in energy from my mitochondria? How much would I have to do?
Here's the really great news from the article. Human studies show that whether you restrict calories 25% or only 12.5% plus increase your exercise to expend 12.5% more calories, you get the same effect. I'm a little leary from a health perspective to restrict calories 25% and it's absolutely important to get complete nutrition as part of the approach. However, I think I can restrict 12.5% and increase my exercise enough to meet the study limits and also get a nutritionally complete diet. Normally, its very dangerous to take a research study out of context and apply it to life. In this case, I've done this before and I felt great (at age 32). Now I'm age 47, and ready to try it again. My other stats are 255 pounds and the scale showing 28% body fat.
For another connection to Karate, the Okinawans, who eat 8/10 full, invented Karate, also are renown as the longest lived of human societies (see The Okinawa Program : How the World's Longest-Lived People Achieve Everlasting Health--And How You Can Too by Bradley J. Willcox, D. Craig Willcox, and Makoto Suzuki (Paperback - Mar 12, 2002).
I'll let you know how it goes, but without the ability to test my cells!
What are some of those changes and how do they relate to Karate? Most important from my point of view was the observed rejuvenation of mitochondrial cells, the energy producers. I'm older and starting to feel my age. I've put on a little weight and don't have the pep. What if I could restrict some calories and get the boost in energy from my mitochondria? How much would I have to do?
Here's the really great news from the article. Human studies show that whether you restrict calories 25% or only 12.5% plus increase your exercise to expend 12.5% more calories, you get the same effect. I'm a little leary from a health perspective to restrict calories 25% and it's absolutely important to get complete nutrition as part of the approach. However, I think I can restrict 12.5% and increase my exercise enough to meet the study limits and also get a nutritionally complete diet. Normally, its very dangerous to take a research study out of context and apply it to life. In this case, I've done this before and I felt great (at age 32). Now I'm age 47, and ready to try it again. My other stats are 255 pounds and the scale showing 28% body fat.
For another connection to Karate, the Okinawans, who eat 8/10 full, invented Karate, also are renown as the longest lived of human societies (see The Okinawa Program : How the World's Longest-Lived People Achieve Everlasting Health--And How You Can Too by Bradley J. Willcox, D. Craig Willcox, and Makoto Suzuki (Paperback - Mar 12, 2002).
I'll let you know how it goes, but without the ability to test my cells!
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Kelsey Smith, Abduction, and Self-defense
As a parent, it is unimaginably painful to contemplate the case of Kelsey Smith, whose body was recently discovered after being abducted. But also as a parent, I feel more commited than ever to ensure my karate training is not wasted by forgetting to train my children in the essentials of self-defense.
Please make no mistake, I am not claiming that Kelsey Smith could have prevented her abduction if only she had known karate. Such a claim is cruel to the family, dishonors her memory, and pretends omniscience. The bitter truth is that our world is inhabited by ugly people who commit horrible atrocities. What I am claiming, is that as parents, we have an obligation to our children to arm them as best we can against the many worst possible situations that they may face, work to change our society where we can, and then pray every day for their safety.
The most imprtant rule of self-defense is avoid trouble. I think being in a mall, Kelsey was no more in trouble than any other public place. Being with friends might have improved her chances of not being selected for this horrible crime, but there are times when that's not possible. Awareness is also part of avoiding trouble. Be aware of tricks that attackers use to put their victims unaware and use innate politeness against them. Scenario training can make someone more comfortable resisting such situations without feeling stupid about over-reacting.
The second rule of self defense is to act quickly and fight like hell to protect yourself when trouble threatens. Teens in such situations need to scream, kick, gouge, and refuse to comply. Once you're in the back of a van, you are often well on your way to being dead. Please see this short video on karateforge. If you're reading this and are a self-defense expert, please contribute to the information on the site.
My heart goes out to the parents of Kelsey and all parents with children. Please suggest ways we can solve the bigger problem of bad people and vulnerable children. For example, is anyone aware of a fund for the reduction of violence against children and teens?
Please make no mistake, I am not claiming that Kelsey Smith could have prevented her abduction if only she had known karate. Such a claim is cruel to the family, dishonors her memory, and pretends omniscience. The bitter truth is that our world is inhabited by ugly people who commit horrible atrocities. What I am claiming, is that as parents, we have an obligation to our children to arm them as best we can against the many worst possible situations that they may face, work to change our society where we can, and then pray every day for their safety.
The most imprtant rule of self-defense is avoid trouble. I think being in a mall, Kelsey was no more in trouble than any other public place. Being with friends might have improved her chances of not being selected for this horrible crime, but there are times when that's not possible. Awareness is also part of avoiding trouble. Be aware of tricks that attackers use to put their victims unaware and use innate politeness against them. Scenario training can make someone more comfortable resisting such situations without feeling stupid about over-reacting.
The second rule of self defense is to act quickly and fight like hell to protect yourself when trouble threatens. Teens in such situations need to scream, kick, gouge, and refuse to comply. Once you're in the back of a van, you are often well on your way to being dead. Please see this short video on karateforge. If you're reading this and are a self-defense expert, please contribute to the information on the site.
My heart goes out to the parents of Kelsey and all parents with children. Please suggest ways we can solve the bigger problem of bad people and vulnerable children. For example, is anyone aware of a fund for the reduction of violence against children and teens?
Monday, June 4, 2007
Korean Dancing and Chi
I'm going to try this post, even thought the interface is in Korean.
My goal was to do some posting on Korean martial Arts. Instead, I went to a traditional Korean dance last night at the Korea House in Seoul. At the beginning of the evening there was a dancer performing movements remeniscent of kata.
The dancer made sweeping foot movements similar to unsu and bassai sho. These are often interpreted as bunkai for fighting in the dark, sending out your foot slowly from a strong position and then attacking when contact is made.
Her hand movements were reminiscent also of Tai Chi or other slower kata movements. And it was the hand movements that struck me most.
I was standing about 30 feet away. As she did the hand movements, long slow, sweeping gestrues, I could feel chi stirring in my body that was timed to her hand movements. It was not an eerie feeling, but one of connection. I am also not certain whether I was having sympathetic chi reaction, or a legitimate detection of her energy flowing at a distance. My scientific mind suspects it was my own chi flowing, but my romantic mind (is that a contradiction in terms?) wants to believe she was that powerful in her chi.
I have felt chi projections before, but never from so far away, and never so unexpectedly. We often do an exercise in our dojo where we close our eyes, stand in a circle of potential attackers, and one attacker is chosen by the sensei to project an attack, from chi only. I have been able to easily discriminate the one attacker, with eyes closed, from eight different possibilities. I have been able to do it repeatedly, and for the strongest, it is like being flooded with warmth.
For this experience, my eyes were open, and I was enjoying the show. A similar feeling of warmth, but not one of an attack, washed over me as the dancer moved her arms. It came unexpectedly. Not believing it, I waited, and it happened each time she manipulated chi with her hands and arms. I could have done a more scientific test, but didn't think to do that.
So far, that's the Korean report. I saw some kids running around in Tae Kwan Do uniforms, but other than the dancing, that's all.
My goal was to do some posting on Korean martial Arts. Instead, I went to a traditional Korean dance last night at the Korea House in Seoul. At the beginning of the evening there was a dancer performing movements remeniscent of kata.
The dancer made sweeping foot movements similar to unsu and bassai sho. These are often interpreted as bunkai for fighting in the dark, sending out your foot slowly from a strong position and then attacking when contact is made.
Her hand movements were reminiscent also of Tai Chi or other slower kata movements. And it was the hand movements that struck me most.
I was standing about 30 feet away. As she did the hand movements, long slow, sweeping gestrues, I could feel chi stirring in my body that was timed to her hand movements. It was not an eerie feeling, but one of connection. I am also not certain whether I was having sympathetic chi reaction, or a legitimate detection of her energy flowing at a distance. My scientific mind suspects it was my own chi flowing, but my romantic mind (is that a contradiction in terms?) wants to believe she was that powerful in her chi.
I have felt chi projections before, but never from so far away, and never so unexpectedly. We often do an exercise in our dojo where we close our eyes, stand in a circle of potential attackers, and one attacker is chosen by the sensei to project an attack, from chi only. I have been able to easily discriminate the one attacker, with eyes closed, from eight different possibilities. I have been able to do it repeatedly, and for the strongest, it is like being flooded with warmth.
For this experience, my eyes were open, and I was enjoying the show. A similar feeling of warmth, but not one of an attack, washed over me as the dancer moved her arms. It came unexpectedly. Not believing it, I waited, and it happened each time she manipulated chi with her hands and arms. I could have done a more scientific test, but didn't think to do that.
So far, that's the Korean report. I saw some kids running around in Tae Kwan Do uniforms, but other than the dancing, that's all.
Friday, June 1, 2007
Korea Trip
I won't make much of a post today. I'm off to Korea for some business. I'll have some down time while I'm there and will see if I can take some pictures of Tae Kwon Do or Hapkido classes or demonstrations.
I will post the pictures on Karateforge.com
Remember, the KarateForge.com site is an open community where all are welcome to contribute to the building of the MABOK - Martial Arts Book of Knowledge. I've added some youtube videos that are among the best of what youtube has to offer.
If you have a blog dedicated to martial arts, you can import your blog page there for greater exposure and feed it from an RSS that links back to your blog source. Let me know, and I'll give you some help. See my blog mirror at http://karateforge.com/tiki-view_blog.php?blogId=3
Please join.
~Gedan
I will post the pictures on Karateforge.com
Remember, the KarateForge.com site is an open community where all are welcome to contribute to the building of the MABOK - Martial Arts Book of Knowledge. I've added some youtube videos that are among the best of what youtube has to offer.
If you have a blog dedicated to martial arts, you can import your blog page there for greater exposure and feed it from an RSS that links back to your blog source. Let me know, and I'll give you some help. See my blog mirror at http://karateforge.com/tiki-view_blog.php?blogId=3
Please join.
~Gedan
Friday, May 25, 2007
Karate vs. Bear
I was just walking in the woods with my wife. We love to get out in nature and train, so to speak, on the mountain paths. We've both been training about 8 years in Shotokan karate, but came on a situation and were untrained for the circumstances.
As we came around the corner, we came nearly face-to-face with a cinnamon bear (technically a black bear). We were within 10 feet and could see that he was huge, probably 300 pounds, beautiful, the morning sun was at a low angle and backlit his bushy fur, and his hunched shoulders made him look unopposedly powerful. And he seemed totally unafraid.
His lack of fear contrasted my reaction. I can't say I was afraid, but I could feel the adrenaline kicking up. I knew not to turn my back on any opponent - and I did consider him an opponent, but also knew not to engage to provoke a reaction. I kept talking to him, using a light command voice to create a boundary. He just stared back. I called to my wife to get closer to me and we made ourselves larger as a pair.
The bear just stared, and then apparently unimpressed, turned his back and wandered of in search of food. He looked back a few times, so we must have made some impression on him, but was largely unconcerned and sauntered rather than jogged away.
In my first draft of this story, I used the phrase "unprepared for the encounter", but as I typed, I realized that wasn't true. I changed the phrase to untrained meaning that we never explicitly trained for a bear encounter. I realized, however, that karate has prepared us, even for the unexpected, even if imperfectly.
Our training taught us how to react to situations. We had to control our adrenaline, to analyze a situation quickly, and to generate options. We also knew that while we felt some fear, we had to communicate total commitment to a possible showdown. I don't believe the bear was belligerent, but don't know if a fearful response on our part might have triggered an agressive response, either.
Should I run? Definitely not. Scream louder, maybe. Wave my arms? Maybe. Grab a stick? I should have. What I did do, depended on his reaction to us. I knew that many charges are bluffs, and was ready.
In the end, we both walked away, both unwilling (or at least uninterested) in tangling with the other. I'll claim it as a win. We reacted well, and won by not fighting.
As we came around the corner, we came nearly face-to-face with a cinnamon bear (technically a black bear). We were within 10 feet and could see that he was huge, probably 300 pounds, beautiful, the morning sun was at a low angle and backlit his bushy fur, and his hunched shoulders made him look unopposedly powerful. And he seemed totally unafraid.
His lack of fear contrasted my reaction. I can't say I was afraid, but I could feel the adrenaline kicking up. I knew not to turn my back on any opponent - and I did consider him an opponent, but also knew not to engage to provoke a reaction. I kept talking to him, using a light command voice to create a boundary. He just stared back. I called to my wife to get closer to me and we made ourselves larger as a pair.
The bear just stared, and then apparently unimpressed, turned his back and wandered of in search of food. He looked back a few times, so we must have made some impression on him, but was largely unconcerned and sauntered rather than jogged away.
In my first draft of this story, I used the phrase "unprepared for the encounter", but as I typed, I realized that wasn't true. I changed the phrase to untrained meaning that we never explicitly trained for a bear encounter. I realized, however, that karate has prepared us, even for the unexpected, even if imperfectly.
Our training taught us how to react to situations. We had to control our adrenaline, to analyze a situation quickly, and to generate options. We also knew that while we felt some fear, we had to communicate total commitment to a possible showdown. I don't believe the bear was belligerent, but don't know if a fearful response on our part might have triggered an agressive response, either.
Should I run? Definitely not. Scream louder, maybe. Wave my arms? Maybe. Grab a stick? I should have. What I did do, depended on his reaction to us. I knew that many charges are bluffs, and was ready.
In the end, we both walked away, both unwilling (or at least uninterested) in tangling with the other. I'll claim it as a win. We reacted well, and won by not fighting.
The Karate Hobby
I was speaking to a group of senseis and we were talking about all the amazing things we'd seen from the masters. Sensei Tim described a story down in Phoenix of one of Funakoshi's students who is now a master in his own right.
The master was sparring a black belt student, dove between his legs and wound up behind him. Normally, this would be an insane move, but it was done so fluidly, that no one watching was quite sure how it happened.
Astounded, the student said, "that was awesome - how did you do that?" The answer was, "for you, karate is just a hobby."
We talked some more about that, figuring that this master was dedicated each day to karate, perhaps for the entire day. We then asked ourselves, are we willing to pay the price it would take to get that good at something? Is that what separates the masters from the rest of us hobbyists?
We all agreed to be amazed, and also that we were indeed, just hobbyists.
The master was sparring a black belt student, dove between his legs and wound up behind him. Normally, this would be an insane move, but it was done so fluidly, that no one watching was quite sure how it happened.
Astounded, the student said, "that was awesome - how did you do that?" The answer was, "for you, karate is just a hobby."
We talked some more about that, figuring that this master was dedicated each day to karate, perhaps for the entire day. We then asked ourselves, are we willing to pay the price it would take to get that good at something? Is that what separates the masters from the rest of us hobbyists?
We all agreed to be amazed, and also that we were indeed, just hobbyists.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Karate, youtube.com, and MABOK
Youtube.com has been a boon to the internet world, but if you've spent any time on it, you know there's a problem: anybody can post anything.
How do you sort the good from the bad? User ratings may help, but it'd be even more helpful to have discussion pages, surrounding text, explanations, and the like.
In learning or training anything, and for the purposes of this blog, karate in particular, it's very important to train properly from the begining since it's harder to shed bad habits than to learn them.
At karateforge.com, where I do most of my web editing, we're building a website that expands on the good of youtube (widely available user-generated videos), and adds to it. Through wiki pages, forums we select the best videos, and add to them the context and discussion needed to understand the proper execution of karate techniques as well as injury prevention and discussion of application. This website is called MABOK, the martial arts book of knowledge, and we invite knowledgeable contributors.
Another weakness of videos in general is the problem of individual authorship or single point of view. This problem is that a single individual often does not have the same experience as a group of authors. A video is also difficult to contribute to without surrounding tools like forums, so collective authorship is not possible on youtube.com.
A social collaboration site, like Karateforge, addresses the single point of view problem by integrating multiple viewpoints with a higher probability of correctness in the result.
Improtant note: in any training, videos and even collective how-to, may be insufficient to guarantee safety. Quality innformation coupled with proper instruction is the best approach to learning without wasting time or risking injury.
How do you sort the good from the bad? User ratings may help, but it'd be even more helpful to have discussion pages, surrounding text, explanations, and the like.
In learning or training anything, and for the purposes of this blog, karate in particular, it's very important to train properly from the begining since it's harder to shed bad habits than to learn them.
At karateforge.com, where I do most of my web editing, we're building a website that expands on the good of youtube (widely available user-generated videos), and adds to it. Through wiki pages, forums we select the best videos, and add to them the context and discussion needed to understand the proper execution of karate techniques as well as injury prevention and discussion of application. This website is called MABOK, the martial arts book of knowledge, and we invite knowledgeable contributors.
Another weakness of videos in general is the problem of individual authorship or single point of view. This problem is that a single individual often does not have the same experience as a group of authors. A video is also difficult to contribute to without surrounding tools like forums, so collective authorship is not possible on youtube.com.
A social collaboration site, like Karateforge, addresses the single point of view problem by integrating multiple viewpoints with a higher probability of correctness in the result.
Improtant note: in any training, videos and even collective how-to, may be insufficient to guarantee safety. Quality innformation coupled with proper instruction is the best approach to learning without wasting time or risking injury.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Teaching Vs Learning Karate 6 - Collaborative Learning
This is the sixth post in a series that compares traditional teaching to the learning that occurs in the best karate dojos.
When my mother went to school, back in the 1940's, she went to a one-room school house. All grades, k-8, went to the same school house. She'd ride her horse from the farm, stable it in the barn next to the school, and attend with kids from all around. They all knew each other well. I can't say they cared equally about each other, but still, something important was going on that is lost in today's age-segregated schools.
Lost in our modern schools, perhaps, but not lost in our best dojos.
When there are many students of various skill levels and ages, all working in the same dojo, the opportunity for collaborative learning is everywhere. Advanced students (sempai) help the less experienced students (kohai) learn kata, demonstrate form, practice kumite, etc.
The traditional sempai/kohai relationship found in some dojos may not be the best model, because it carries the baggage of too much rigid social hierarchy. With a good dose of western egalitarianism, and some good modeling by the sensei, this form of learning can be very productive, because all students can get individualized instruction, and eventually, all can learn their karate better by being required to teach it.
This approach worked well in my Mother's one room school house. Older kids helped younger kids with math and spelling. The younger kids who were more advanced even helped some of the older kids.
The best collaborative learning not only is modelled by the sensei/teacher, but also taught. For those who have not done it before, the sensei should set up learning pairs, be explicit about the interaction, and then monitor the results. Not only is teaching more individual, the sensei is also ensuring that all students are learning. Often, students will listen to each other better than to the sensei. And you know they'll get more attention.
A recent video on teachertube.com mentioned that a student in a classroom only gets to ask one question a week. That changes completely with collaborative learning.
When my mother went to school, back in the 1940's, she went to a one-room school house. All grades, k-8, went to the same school house. She'd ride her horse from the farm, stable it in the barn next to the school, and attend with kids from all around. They all knew each other well. I can't say they cared equally about each other, but still, something important was going on that is lost in today's age-segregated schools.
Lost in our modern schools, perhaps, but not lost in our best dojos.
When there are many students of various skill levels and ages, all working in the same dojo, the opportunity for collaborative learning is everywhere. Advanced students (sempai) help the less experienced students (kohai) learn kata, demonstrate form, practice kumite, etc.
The traditional sempai/kohai relationship found in some dojos may not be the best model, because it carries the baggage of too much rigid social hierarchy. With a good dose of western egalitarianism, and some good modeling by the sensei, this form of learning can be very productive, because all students can get individualized instruction, and eventually, all can learn their karate better by being required to teach it.
This approach worked well in my Mother's one room school house. Older kids helped younger kids with math and spelling. The younger kids who were more advanced even helped some of the older kids.
The best collaborative learning not only is modelled by the sensei/teacher, but also taught. For those who have not done it before, the sensei should set up learning pairs, be explicit about the interaction, and then monitor the results. Not only is teaching more individual, the sensei is also ensuring that all students are learning. Often, students will listen to each other better than to the sensei. And you know they'll get more attention.
A recent video on teachertube.com mentioned that a student in a classroom only gets to ask one question a week. That changes completely with collaborative learning.
Teaching Vs Learning Karate 5 - Testing and Assessment
This is the fifth post in a series that compares traditional teaching to the learning that occurs in the best karate dojos.
The last post looked at the role of feedback in teaching and learning. An extension of feedback is testing and assessment. Beyond improving learning in a specific case, testing and assessment are meant to be a summary look at a learners progress against a standard for performance. The stakes are higher for the learner.
In a traditional classroom, learning is time based. Tests are given at a standardized time in the learning. At risk is the learner's grade and more importantly, the learner's self-esteem and motivation. In contrast, tests are given in a dojo only when the sensei has confidence in the learner to pass the test. Thus, the testing in a dojo is ability based, rather than time. Ability based testing sets up a learning situation that values competence over speed of learning.
While time-based, high-stakes tests have the potential to harm the learning process, there are some who argue that competency testing, especially when associated with a belt system also can harm the learning process. Both, they argue, shift motivation from the competence itself to an external reward - a passing grade in a course or a specific color of belt.
If done properly and in the right learning culture, belts and their associated testing, can also be motivational. As mentioned, if belt testing is done only after high confidence in the learner's ability to pass, which is developed based on observation of competence in each of the tested components, then the learner has formal recognition of competency for oneself and the collaborative community. If there's a supportive learning community, then the belt, rather than primarily ranking the learner within the community, is an opportunity for the community to collaboratively support the learner on the journey to high-competence.
The last post looked at the role of feedback in teaching and learning. An extension of feedback is testing and assessment. Beyond improving learning in a specific case, testing and assessment are meant to be a summary look at a learners progress against a standard for performance. The stakes are higher for the learner.
In a traditional classroom, learning is time based. Tests are given at a standardized time in the learning. At risk is the learner's grade and more importantly, the learner's self-esteem and motivation. In contrast, tests are given in a dojo only when the sensei has confidence in the learner to pass the test. Thus, the testing in a dojo is ability based, rather than time. Ability based testing sets up a learning situation that values competence over speed of learning.
While time-based, high-stakes tests have the potential to harm the learning process, there are some who argue that competency testing, especially when associated with a belt system also can harm the learning process. Both, they argue, shift motivation from the competence itself to an external reward - a passing grade in a course or a specific color of belt.
If done properly and in the right learning culture, belts and their associated testing, can also be motivational. As mentioned, if belt testing is done only after high confidence in the learner's ability to pass, which is developed based on observation of competence in each of the tested components, then the learner has formal recognition of competency for oneself and the collaborative community. If there's a supportive learning community, then the belt, rather than primarily ranking the learner within the community, is an opportunity for the community to collaboratively support the learner on the journey to high-competence.
Teaching Vs Learning Karate 4 - Feedback and Motivation
This is the fourth post in a series comparing traditional teaching to the learning that occurs in the best karate dojos.
In a traditional classroom, you start a course with an "A" and then complete a series of assignments. Each of the assignments is graded, and the "A" is yours to lose if you don't approach perfection on each of them (90% or above). The feedback you get on each assignment is often just the score, and sometimes a "good job" comment. The problems with this approach are many.
The first problem is that the structure of grading inhibits risk-taking in learning. If you have to perform each exercise nearly perfectly, you attempt only what is safe for your grade. You won't push the boundaries of the exercise to see what works, and more importantly, to learn what doesn't work. Contrast the situation with karate, where failure is actually an important part of learning a new technique. To learn well in karate, you have to accept failure as part of the learning process.
The second problem is the shift in motivation caused by this grading system. Are you trying to perform well because you want to learn something new, or to avoid failure? When grades become the point of learning, you disconnect from your authentic motivation. When you do that, you become prone to losing your motivation altogether, especially if you should slip (the "A" is yours to lose, and once you slip, you can almost never recover).
Authentic motivation is key to learning and its close companion is enjoyment. The type of feedback you receive as a learner can maintain or destroy your motivation and enjoyment. In a traditional course, the purpose of feedback is to assign a grade and often to rank you against your peers. In authentic learning, the purpose of feedback is to improve the learning itself. But authentic feedback is not a rating of performance, instead the instructor uses feedback to
Wrapping up, let me leave you with the thought that above all else, motivation must be preserved. You can't teach students who don't want to learn, or in the case of the dojo, aren't even there.
In a traditional classroom, you start a course with an "A" and then complete a series of assignments. Each of the assignments is graded, and the "A" is yours to lose if you don't approach perfection on each of them (90% or above). The feedback you get on each assignment is often just the score, and sometimes a "good job" comment. The problems with this approach are many.
The first problem is that the structure of grading inhibits risk-taking in learning. If you have to perform each exercise nearly perfectly, you attempt only what is safe for your grade. You won't push the boundaries of the exercise to see what works, and more importantly, to learn what doesn't work. Contrast the situation with karate, where failure is actually an important part of learning a new technique. To learn well in karate, you have to accept failure as part of the learning process.
The second problem is the shift in motivation caused by this grading system. Are you trying to perform well because you want to learn something new, or to avoid failure? When grades become the point of learning, you disconnect from your authentic motivation. When you do that, you become prone to losing your motivation altogether, especially if you should slip (the "A" is yours to lose, and once you slip, you can almost never recover).
Authentic motivation is key to learning and its close companion is enjoyment. The type of feedback you receive as a learner can maintain or destroy your motivation and enjoyment. In a traditional course, the purpose of feedback is to assign a grade and often to rank you against your peers. In authentic learning, the purpose of feedback is to improve the learning itself. But authentic feedback is not a rating of performance, instead the instructor uses feedback to
- enhance (or at least preserve) the enthusiasm of the learner;
- recognize what is done right and should keep happening;
- suggest areas for improvement.
- give the student a complement on a genuine accomplishment to get their attention;
- point out what else it is that they're doing right;
- ask a question so the student becomes aware of an issue and can self-correct any problems, such as "what's your target in this technique?" or "how could you hurt yourself doing this?", and if necessary be more direct;
- if the student is doing everything right, then say so, and give them the next challenge in scaffold of learning.
Wrapping up, let me leave you with the thought that above all else, motivation must be preserved. You can't teach students who don't want to learn, or in the case of the dojo, aren't even there.
Teaching Vs Learning Karate 3 - More Authentic Learning
This is the third post in a series that compares traditional teaching to the learning that occurs in the best karate dojos.
If you've read posts 1 and 2, you may be saying, "wait a minute - karate is not authentic, because my sensei is all into bowing, and ousing, and we punch the air all the time." And if he or she does, you have a point - I concede that not all karate teaching is authentic, and in fact, I'm arguing for much more of teaching in karate to be authentic. You can find plenty of commentary, such as 24 Fighting Chickens and Bruce Lee who make the point that traditional karate is non-authentic.
Let's return to some more authentic and inauthentic examples of training.
Take stances. We spend lots of time learning in shotokan karate about front stance. Front stance is authentic only if your goal is traditional art - then it's used primarily in kata. For any kind of self defense or sparring, kumite stance is used. It is a springy stance alowing movement in any direction and great power. On rare occasions, you might see someone shift from kumite stance to front stance for a finishing blow.
If your goal is self-defense or sport karate, authentic training should be tied to your skill level. You might start with one-step kumite, which pairs people into defender, attacker pairs. Initially, the attacker tells the defender what's coming, executes, and it's up to the defender to get out of the way, parry, block, or counter-attack as appropriate. Still, you might ask, why is that authentic? Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't - it depends on the skill level of the practitioners. If at least one of the karateka is not experienced, at least one-step kumite slows things down so that the less experienced person doesn't get clobbered, and has a chance to develop awareness, timing, and can be comfortable in these simplified situations before moving on.
Sidebar: in an earlier post, I mentioned "scaffolding" where the difficulty of learning situations is progressively increased. Learning theorists sometimes call a goldilocks exercise like this that is not too hard and yet not too easy, a zone of proximal development or ZPD. The goal of every instructor should be to find the ZPD for his or her students. Let's return to the example.
Let's say the students have become comfortable with one-step kumite. It's easy to increase the difficulty while controlling for safety by adding parry-and-counter to the initial attack. In parry-and-coutner, the defender knows what's coming, but has to parry and counter-attack. A more difficult progression is to limit the number of moves to 2 or 3, tell the defender that one of the set is coming, but not which. Good sensei's progress until free-sparring is developed.
Taking authenticity one step further, are folks like Peyton Quinn who developed "Adrenal Stress Conditioning". The dress attackers up in big padded suits, develop realistic scenarios, add screaming and shouting, and then freak the defenders out. The purpose is not to overwhelm them, but to teach them as authentically yet safely as possible. Authentically, because in real life, you often get freaked out, your adrenaline kicks in, and your motor control and vision degrade considerably. "Redman" is a variant that many law enforcement agencies use. If you're not freaked out by one assailant, then they use two. If that's not bad enough, they arm them. You get the point.
Meanwhile, back in the classroom...
Johny is doing times tables and copying spelling words. He's probably wishing he could put his teacher through some authentic red man training. Maybe then the students could start doing some authentic learning.
If you've read posts 1 and 2, you may be saying, "wait a minute - karate is not authentic, because my sensei is all into bowing, and ousing, and we punch the air all the time." And if he or she does, you have a point - I concede that not all karate teaching is authentic, and in fact, I'm arguing for much more of teaching in karate to be authentic. You can find plenty of commentary, such as 24 Fighting Chickens and Bruce Lee who make the point that traditional karate is non-authentic.
Let's return to some more authentic and inauthentic examples of training.
Take stances. We spend lots of time learning in shotokan karate about front stance. Front stance is authentic only if your goal is traditional art - then it's used primarily in kata. For any kind of self defense or sparring, kumite stance is used. It is a springy stance alowing movement in any direction and great power. On rare occasions, you might see someone shift from kumite stance to front stance for a finishing blow.
If your goal is self-defense or sport karate, authentic training should be tied to your skill level. You might start with one-step kumite, which pairs people into defender, attacker pairs. Initially, the attacker tells the defender what's coming, executes, and it's up to the defender to get out of the way, parry, block, or counter-attack as appropriate. Still, you might ask, why is that authentic? Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't - it depends on the skill level of the practitioners. If at least one of the karateka is not experienced, at least one-step kumite slows things down so that the less experienced person doesn't get clobbered, and has a chance to develop awareness, timing, and can be comfortable in these simplified situations before moving on.
Sidebar: in an earlier post, I mentioned "scaffolding" where the difficulty of learning situations is progressively increased. Learning theorists sometimes call a goldilocks exercise like this that is not too hard and yet not too easy, a zone of proximal development or ZPD. The goal of every instructor should be to find the ZPD for his or her students. Let's return to the example.
Let's say the students have become comfortable with one-step kumite. It's easy to increase the difficulty while controlling for safety by adding parry-and-counter to the initial attack. In parry-and-coutner, the defender knows what's coming, but has to parry and counter-attack. A more difficult progression is to limit the number of moves to 2 or 3, tell the defender that one of the set is coming, but not which. Good sensei's progress until free-sparring is developed.
Taking authenticity one step further, are folks like Peyton Quinn who developed "Adrenal Stress Conditioning". The dress attackers up in big padded suits, develop realistic scenarios, add screaming and shouting, and then freak the defenders out. The purpose is not to overwhelm them, but to teach them as authentically yet safely as possible. Authentically, because in real life, you often get freaked out, your adrenaline kicks in, and your motor control and vision degrade considerably. "Redman" is a variant that many law enforcement agencies use. If you're not freaked out by one assailant, then they use two. If that's not bad enough, they arm them. You get the point.
Meanwhile, back in the classroom...
Johny is doing times tables and copying spelling words. He's probably wishing he could put his teacher through some authentic red man training. Maybe then the students could start doing some authentic learning.
Teaching Vs Learning Karate 2 - Learner vs Teacher Centered
This is the second post in a series that compares traditional teaching to the learning that occurs in the best karate dojos.
If you've been involved in teaching you know the phrases "sage on the stage" versus "guide on the side". The "sage on the stage" is the old model of teacher-centered learning. In this version, a wise teacher or sensei imparts knowledge through lecture and story-telling to a large audience of eager learners.
The problem with teacher centered learning and lecture in particular is that it is not authentic - it does not match the learning environment with the performance environment. If it did, then we would find ourselves in a self-defense situation able to get out of it by putting our assailant to sleep with a lecture!
Not all teacher-centered instruction is lecture, of course. Other forms of teacher-centered instruction assume that the teacher knows all and the students just need to learn from the teacher.
To be fair, not all K12 teachers teach this way (the best ones don't), and many karate Sensei
do teach this way (and again, the best ones don't).
The best instruction in karate follows the student-centered approach. Sensei's teach authentically by asking:
I would have a conversation with my students about bullying experiences. I would get them to characterize situations and add one of my own, if appropriate. I would explore the rules of the school and the consequences of those rules. I would encourage my students to have conversations with their parents about bullying if its an issue. These conversations create a student-centered learning context. I find out what's important to them, and then create learning scenarios appropriate to their wants and to their level of karate.
A possible scenario is to defend against the shove. I would explore student notions of defense. Usually these are quite aggressive resonses involving hitting and kicking. Karate principles include "win by not fighting" and "no first attack" so we'd also practice some verbal defenses as well as attack avoidance. We'd pair-up, try some shouting of "no" and "back off" and explain you want to get everyone's attention that you're not interested in fighting. If it ends there, great. If it doesn't, then everyone knows you tried to avoid it. We'd then incorporate "defense by avoidance" such as side stepping a rush or stiff-arming an attack. By doing so, we learn some useful techniques that we can scaffold into an entire learning sequence that builds on knowledge already gained, and progresses as skill and knowledge are developed to increasingly challenging scenarios.
The type of learning advocated here involves some talking and a lot of doing. The talking is to ensure alignment with learners' goals and to create a learning context. The doing is where the learning takes place. To be effective, most of the time in learning should be spent doing. By practicing with a partner, students are able to try techniques, from which they get immediate feedback on whether they understand, whether their techniques are effective, and their learning is completely authentic. Besides those benefits, this type of learning keeps them engaged and enjoying their learning.
In he next post, I'll compare this teaching example to the traditional classroom. In future posts, I'll describe methods of feedback, assessment, and expand on partnering to a full discussion of collaborative learning.
If you've been involved in teaching you know the phrases "sage on the stage" versus "guide on the side". The "sage on the stage" is the old model of teacher-centered learning. In this version, a wise teacher or sensei imparts knowledge through lecture and story-telling to a large audience of eager learners.
The problem with teacher centered learning and lecture in particular is that it is not authentic - it does not match the learning environment with the performance environment. If it did, then we would find ourselves in a self-defense situation able to get out of it by putting our assailant to sleep with a lecture!
Not all teacher-centered instruction is lecture, of course. Other forms of teacher-centered instruction assume that the teacher knows all and the students just need to learn from the teacher.
To be fair, not all K12 teachers teach this way (the best ones don't), and many karate Sensei
do teach this way (and again, the best ones don't).
The best instruction in karate follows the student-centered approach. Sensei's teach authentically by asking:
- What does the student want to learn and how can I capitalize on that motivation?
- What expertise can the I bring to the problem?
- What type of practice is needed that is authentic, but is also ability-appropriate?
- What feedback can I give to affirm progress and adjust performance?
I would have a conversation with my students about bullying experiences. I would get them to characterize situations and add one of my own, if appropriate. I would explore the rules of the school and the consequences of those rules. I would encourage my students to have conversations with their parents about bullying if its an issue. These conversations create a student-centered learning context. I find out what's important to them, and then create learning scenarios appropriate to their wants and to their level of karate.
A possible scenario is to defend against the shove. I would explore student notions of defense. Usually these are quite aggressive resonses involving hitting and kicking. Karate principles include "win by not fighting" and "no first attack" so we'd also practice some verbal defenses as well as attack avoidance. We'd pair-up, try some shouting of "no" and "back off" and explain you want to get everyone's attention that you're not interested in fighting. If it ends there, great. If it doesn't, then everyone knows you tried to avoid it. We'd then incorporate "defense by avoidance" such as side stepping a rush or stiff-arming an attack. By doing so, we learn some useful techniques that we can scaffold into an entire learning sequence that builds on knowledge already gained, and progresses as skill and knowledge are developed to increasingly challenging scenarios.
The type of learning advocated here involves some talking and a lot of doing. The talking is to ensure alignment with learners' goals and to create a learning context. The doing is where the learning takes place. To be effective, most of the time in learning should be spent doing. By practicing with a partner, students are able to try techniques, from which they get immediate feedback on whether they understand, whether their techniques are effective, and their learning is completely authentic. Besides those benefits, this type of learning keeps them engaged and enjoying their learning.
In he next post, I'll compare this teaching example to the traditional classroom. In future posts, I'll describe methods of feedback, assessment, and expand on partnering to a full discussion of collaborative learning.
Teaching Vs Learning Karate 1 - Overview
In a previous post, I spoke of "Authentic Learning" as creating a learning environment and activities to be as similar as possible to the performance environment. In this blog, I compare the learning that occurs in traditional K12 classrooms to the learning in a typical dojo, and show that even when karate dojos are not perfectly authentic to a learner's purpose, that their methods are generally superior.
In a series of blog posts, I will compare the following areas:
My goal in writing this series is to both influence traditional teaching to be more authentic and to influence dojo instruction to focus on best practices.
In a series of blog posts, I will compare the following areas:
My goal in writing this series is to both influence traditional teaching to be more authentic and to influence dojo instruction to focus on best practices.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Karate as Art
Sensei Lauri Cochran taught today, and during her teaching, she used the phrase "the language of martial arts." That phrase stuck in my head, because I recently was in a discussion about the language of digital media.
Art is a language in the sense it is a communication tool used by us, the humans (well, and some elephants, apes, and maybe other animals, too).
If martial arts are a language, what are we trying to say? In different contexts, we may be saying different things. In self-defense, we're saying "back off or I will hurt you (again)." In sparring and self-defense, we're actually having a conversation with give-and-take. In kata, and if we're good enough, we're reciting the poetry of the masters. If we're masters, we may even be writing new poetry.
Seeing martial arts as a language gives us an important metaphor for learning and expression. When we first start, we're learning the words: this is how you make a fist, a knife hand. Not much later, we're making phrases: combine the fist with a rotating forward movement to make a punch. Soon we're combining phrases into sentences: execute a rising block followed by a reverse punch. And then poems or, for most of us, paragraphs: do heian shodan.
We progress from one-side statements to conversations with our imaginary friends when we imagine an opponent during kata or drills. And finally, in sparring, we have conversations with each other. Like real conversations, there can be give and take, or a whole lot of shouting.
But where's the art? The art starts when When we move from being aware of our conversation to the pooint where we're in the conversation. When we're truly artful we deomstrate through the beauty of our expression what we feel: that's when a kata shifts from a paragraph to a poem.
Art is a language in the sense it is a communication tool used by us, the humans (well, and some elephants, apes, and maybe other animals, too).
If martial arts are a language, what are we trying to say? In different contexts, we may be saying different things. In self-defense, we're saying "back off or I will hurt you (again)." In sparring and self-defense, we're actually having a conversation with give-and-take. In kata, and if we're good enough, we're reciting the poetry of the masters. If we're masters, we may even be writing new poetry.
Seeing martial arts as a language gives us an important metaphor for learning and expression. When we first start, we're learning the words: this is how you make a fist, a knife hand. Not much later, we're making phrases: combine the fist with a rotating forward movement to make a punch. Soon we're combining phrases into sentences: execute a rising block followed by a reverse punch. And then poems or, for most of us, paragraphs: do heian shodan.
We progress from one-side statements to conversations with our imaginary friends when we imagine an opponent during kata or drills. And finally, in sparring, we have conversations with each other. Like real conversations, there can be give and take, or a whole lot of shouting.
But where's the art? The art starts when When we move from being aware of our conversation to the pooint where we're in the conversation. When we're truly artful we deomstrate through the beauty of our expression what we feel: that's when a kata shifts from a paragraph to a poem.
Karate and Authentic Learning
Authentic learning is a method of constructing learning experiences (you can't quite say teaching) that places the learner in the center of situations which as much as possible simulate the performance environment. Arguably, it is one of the most effective learning methods around. It also goes by the name apprentice learning.
Different karate dojos (learning environments) may or may not be authentic.
Before diving in to the question of whether karate is authentic learning, however, we have to ask - what is the performance environment? What are we trying to accomplish? Answering this question is the key to answering the other question -- is karate authentic learning? -- and answering it at the personal level -- is my karate authentic learning?
So, ask yourself, "What do I want to be able to do?"
The reason the question of authenticity is so important can be illustrated by the goal "Defeat a mugger." I'll illustrate with a story.
I began learning karate eight years ago. After about a year, I experienced my first free sparring. Because I had been learning traditional karate-do (the art form), I was very good at jabbing by extending my fist forward, lunging, and pulling my draw hand to my opposite hip. I attacked my opponent (a third-year student) with all my enthusiasm and confidence. I missed. Bam. With my draw hand pulled back to my hip, there was a huge opening around my entire right side, which my opponent's huge fist filled. His fist cracked into my head, drove my glasses into my head, popped the lens out of the frame, and left a half-inch, freely bleeding gash in my eyebrow. I was so stunned (literally) that I spun as I fell to the floor. Less hurt than disillusioned, but that hurt deeply in its own way.
The hurt was the starting point of my answering what do I want to get out of this practice? Do I want to be invincible? Not gonna happen. So what, then? I decided I wanted the following out of my dojo:
So, my recommendation, is to determine what you want out of karate and align what you want with your learning environment. If you're in your perfect environment, your very lucky. If not, you may have to talk with your current instructor to request custom learning, a change of lessons, or even advice on changing dojos.
What you can't afford to do, on the street, is find out that your karate was not authentic. I have a small scar to remind me how lucky I was to lose that sparring match.
Acknowledgements
I was inspired to write this column by the blog http://vickygraboske.blogspot.com
Different karate dojos (learning environments) may or may not be authentic.
Before diving in to the question of whether karate is authentic learning, however, we have to ask - what is the performance environment? What are we trying to accomplish? Answering this question is the key to answering the other question -- is karate authentic learning? -- and answering it at the personal level -- is my karate authentic learning?
So, ask yourself, "What do I want to be able to do?"
- Get a black belt.
- Defeat a mugger.
- Keep my family safe.
- Compete in karate.
- Stay in shape.
- Beat up the bully.
- Be part of a venerable tradition.
- Live through a war.
- Seek perfection of character. (See Funakoshi's Dojo Kun)
- Take down criminals.
The reason the question of authenticity is so important can be illustrated by the goal "Defeat a mugger." I'll illustrate with a story.
I began learning karate eight years ago. After about a year, I experienced my first free sparring. Because I had been learning traditional karate-do (the art form), I was very good at jabbing by extending my fist forward, lunging, and pulling my draw hand to my opposite hip. I attacked my opponent (a third-year student) with all my enthusiasm and confidence. I missed. Bam. With my draw hand pulled back to my hip, there was a huge opening around my entire right side, which my opponent's huge fist filled. His fist cracked into my head, drove my glasses into my head, popped the lens out of the frame, and left a half-inch, freely bleeding gash in my eyebrow. I was so stunned (literally) that I spun as I fell to the floor. Less hurt than disillusioned, but that hurt deeply in its own way.
The hurt was the starting point of my answering what do I want to get out of this practice? Do I want to be invincible? Not gonna happen. So what, then? I decided I wanted the following out of my dojo:
- personal drive
- health
- more safe (rather than a guarantee of safety)
- companionship
- last, and least, some art
So, my recommendation, is to determine what you want out of karate and align what you want with your learning environment. If you're in your perfect environment, your very lucky. If not, you may have to talk with your current instructor to request custom learning, a change of lessons, or even advice on changing dojos.
What you can't afford to do, on the street, is find out that your karate was not authentic. I have a small scar to remind me how lucky I was to lose that sparring match.
Acknowledgements
I was inspired to write this column by the blog http://vickygraboske.blogspot.com
Karate and the Wiki Community
If you're both a karate practitioner and a netizen, you've probably tried to use wikipedia to learn more about your martial art. As far as it goes, wikipedia is pretty good. As far as it goes.
What WP lacks, is depth of subject and proper orientation. WP is about karate not in support of learning karate. What the net needs is a community supported site. A site where we work to gether to capture and even develop new knowledge about learning and practicing karate.
That need is why we, members of the Palmer Lake Shotokan Karate dojo, created a wiki site for collaboratively building up the knowledge we'd like to see about martial arts, and karate in particular. That site is KarateForge - the place where karate can be hammered to our needs.
We're just getting started, but we already have articles on techniques that wikipedia doesn't have. And we cover those subjects from the I-want-to-learn-how perspective. Sure we throw in a little encyclopedic knowledge, but it's mostly about how.
We're also humble. We don't believe we know it all. Come join with us to create the Martial Arts Book of Knowledge (MABOK). Membership is easy and you will never have your email shared with commercial interests.
We're also frugal. We don't think it takes a lot of money to learn karate. We won't charge you a thing for membership.
We're also lonely. If you run a dojo and don't have a web page, come join us. Put your page next to ours and make this the place to go on the web.
If friends are not enough to convince you, think how easy it is to run a school where you can make announcements, refer to articles that you've written, and have lively discussion of the art vs. application of karate.
What WP lacks, is depth of subject and proper orientation. WP is about karate not in support of learning karate. What the net needs is a community supported site. A site where we work to gether to capture and even develop new knowledge about learning and practicing karate.
That need is why we, members of the Palmer Lake Shotokan Karate dojo, created a wiki site for collaboratively building up the knowledge we'd like to see about martial arts, and karate in particular. That site is KarateForge - the place where karate can be hammered to our needs.
We're just getting started, but we already have articles on techniques that wikipedia doesn't have. And we cover those subjects from the I-want-to-learn-how perspective. Sure we throw in a little encyclopedic knowledge, but it's mostly about how.
We're also humble. We don't believe we know it all. Come join with us to create the Martial Arts Book of Knowledge (MABOK). Membership is easy and you will never have your email shared with commercial interests.
We're also frugal. We don't think it takes a lot of money to learn karate. We won't charge you a thing for membership.
We're also lonely. If you run a dojo and don't have a web page, come join us. Put your page next to ours and make this the place to go on the web.
If friends are not enough to convince you, think how easy it is to run a school where you can make announcements, refer to articles that you've written, and have lively discussion of the art vs. application of karate.
Out of Shape? Try Karate!
The first time I did karate was at the invitation of my children's Sensei (teacher). I had been watching my kids do it, and thought, "why not?"
She showed me kihon or basics to perform, such as stepping down block. I was so out of shape, and so tense in my movements that I became winded in just a minute of anaerobic moves. I had not realized just how out-of-shape I had become: my kids were able to do it all morning long, and I could only go a minute.
I vowed in that moment to do something about my life. I joined up and began working out 3 times a week. Not only was it hard for me to keep up, I was also tight and could not stretch beyond finding my shins with my hands.
After a few months, my flexibility improved, and my lungs were transformed. It didn't hurt that I learned to relax during the movements, either. I began to look less ridiculous and to feel comfortable.
I found karate to be an excellent activity for getting from completely out of shape into fighting shape. I attribute that to
PS: If you're interested, find a comfortable feeling dojo in your area. Beware of long-term contracts, and dojos that seem overly formal. Our dojo, Palmer Lake Shotokan Karate has been ideal for me.
She showed me kihon or basics to perform, such as stepping down block. I was so out of shape, and so tense in my movements that I became winded in just a minute of anaerobic moves. I had not realized just how out-of-shape I had become: my kids were able to do it all morning long, and I could only go a minute.
I vowed in that moment to do something about my life. I joined up and began working out 3 times a week. Not only was it hard for me to keep up, I was also tight and could not stretch beyond finding my shins with my hands.
After a few months, my flexibility improved, and my lungs were transformed. It didn't hurt that I learned to relax during the movements, either. I began to look less ridiculous and to feel comfortable.
I found karate to be an excellent activity for getting from completely out of shape into fighting shape. I attribute that to
- Karate is an activity that allows for a gradual increase in intensity and flexibility; I could do as little or as much as was comfortable without hurting myself or holding others back;
- I could feel and measure the change;
- My kids were doing it;
- I always wanted to be assault proof (more on that in a future blog)
- The training environment can be a great social support; in my situation, several experienced students and sensei took an interest in me (thank you Sensei John Reed, Sempai Nancy Alexander, and Sempai Janet Wade);
- and because my life had to change (more on the needed changes in a future blog).
PS: If you're interested, find a comfortable feeling dojo in your area. Beware of long-term contracts, and dojos that seem overly formal. Our dojo, Palmer Lake Shotokan Karate has been ideal for me.
Naruto and the Martial Arts
Naruto is a popular cartoon based on the most popular manga in Japan. Episode 1 gives the basic story. Naruto is a trouble-maker, uses unbelievable ninjutsu, makes some friends and lots of enemies, and has hilarious adventures. It's a cartoon. What can a cartoon possibly teach us?
Behind all the silliness, Naruto has a deeper story. If you can suspend disbelief, Naruto and his teammates practice, suffer, and even sacrifice their lives for the safety of their villages and teammates. They know they're freaks (each has special powers - one is infested by helpful beetles and Naruto by a nine-tailed-fox demon). They learn to ignore the taunts and to defeat the threats.
The spirit is summarized by the theme song of episode 100 that includes the words "we are fighting dreamers" showing the characters as prepared to fight for their convictions regardless of the challenges.
Karateka (people who practice karate), at least those caught by this charming cartoon, are able to internalize this message: believe in yourself, believe in your dreams, train hard, work together, be willing to fight for what's important, and sacrifice, if necessary.
PS: Curiously, Naruto and his teammates train like karateka seldom do - they learn to fight together to defeat an enemy too strong for an individual to conquer. Hmm. How should karateka train for that, and why wouldn't we?
Behind all the silliness, Naruto has a deeper story. If you can suspend disbelief, Naruto and his teammates practice, suffer, and even sacrifice their lives for the safety of their villages and teammates. They know they're freaks (each has special powers - one is infested by helpful beetles and Naruto by a nine-tailed-fox demon). They learn to ignore the taunts and to defeat the threats.
The spirit is summarized by the theme song of episode 100 that includes the words "we are fighting dreamers" showing the characters as prepared to fight for their convictions regardless of the challenges.
Karateka (people who practice karate), at least those caught by this charming cartoon, are able to internalize this message: believe in yourself, believe in your dreams, train hard, work together, be willing to fight for what's important, and sacrifice, if necessary.
PS: Curiously, Naruto and his teammates train like karateka seldom do - they learn to fight together to defeat an enemy too strong for an individual to conquer. Hmm. How should karateka train for that, and why wouldn't we?
Friday, April 27, 2007
Karate, Heroism, and Virginia Tech Tragedy
There are those of us who first come to karate because we believe karate will make us invincible. We believe that learning karate will ensure our personal safety, always. We have this illusion destroyed in our first sparring match with a senior student. If we're not dejected by this and quit, we continue training. We get better. If we train hard enough, we develop to the point where we can beat the average person in a sparring match most of the time.
But life's not a sparring match. Real life can involve attacks from behind, being jumped by a gang, or even attacked by a well-prepared, seriously disturbed individual prepared to die and take as many people as he can with him. So what is the point of karate?
The point for Karate's founder, Gichin Funakoshi, is to "seek perfection of character." Perfection of character includes many things, and I'm certain it includes heroism. Reading the story of Liviu Librescu is as fine a case of heroism as any ever written.
A recent article at CNN.com celebrates the heros of the Virginia Tech tragedy. Liviu Librescu was a professor at Virginia Tech. He was also a holocaust survivor. When he heard shots in the hall, he didn't think of himself - he thought of his students. He barred the door to the hall. It allowed his students time to escape. In the process, two students were wounded, and Professor Librescu was killed.
Karate isn't victory. Perfection of character means doing what's right. It means standing up to danger and taking the needed steps, regardless of the cost. Ideally, we survive. If not, we lived doing the right thing.
Liviu Librescu, I am humbled.
But life's not a sparring match. Real life can involve attacks from behind, being jumped by a gang, or even attacked by a well-prepared, seriously disturbed individual prepared to die and take as many people as he can with him. So what is the point of karate?
The point for Karate's founder, Gichin Funakoshi, is to "seek perfection of character." Perfection of character includes many things, and I'm certain it includes heroism. Reading the story of Liviu Librescu is as fine a case of heroism as any ever written.
A recent article at CNN.com celebrates the heros of the Virginia Tech tragedy. Liviu Librescu was a professor at Virginia Tech. He was also a holocaust survivor. When he heard shots in the hall, he didn't think of himself - he thought of his students. He barred the door to the hall. It allowed his students time to escape. In the process, two students were wounded, and Professor Librescu was killed.
Karate isn't victory. Perfection of character means doing what's right. It means standing up to danger and taking the needed steps, regardless of the cost. Ideally, we survive. If not, we lived doing the right thing.
Liviu Librescu, I am humbled.
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