THE MARTIAL PATH

 by Phillip Starr

Traveling the martial path is a lifetime endeavor. Many travelers anxiously seek the end of it and believe that they'll finally reach its end and become “enlightened” and understand it all. In time, one realizes that THE JOURNEY IS THE DESTINATION. The path is very long and to travel it requires a lifetime. There actually is no end to the path, no final point on a mountaintop somewhere that is inhabited by sages.

The path is not an easy one to tread. In some places it is wide but it becomes very narrow in others. It is filled with stones – some small and some large, pitfalls, overgrown thorny bushes, beautiful open fields, and precipices. Of course, to avoid many of the obstacles it's necessary to follow one who has been there before. That's your teacher; he/she can show you where many of the nastier obstacles lay and help you avoid them but you're certain to stumble across a number of them anyway. It's just the nature of the journey.

Many travelers will give up and go back the way they came after running into some of the obstacles and pitfalls. Each snag and drawback has a name. These include frustration, discouragement, anger, jealousy, fear, pride, and so on. There's always a way to keep moving forward. There isn't a single hindrance that cannot be overcome if one is determined and one's spirit is strong. The martial way isn't for the weak of heart. It's certainly not for everyone.

Your instructor can encourage and guide you and show you where to go and how to avoid some of the hazards that lie unseen, But you're the one who must walk the walk; no one else can do it for you.

And you're never too old, too experienced, too skillful, or too knowledgeable to avoid every difficulty. It's important to remember that.

MARTIAL ARTS IN TWO PARTS

 by Phillip Starr

When I teach seminars I often tell the participants that any given martial art can be divided into two parts, each of which must be studied in minute detail and trained thoroughly. If they acquire great skill in one but not the other, their ability to effectively apply their skill is almost zilch. So I'd like to look at these two halves of the martial arts pie....

The first is the development of effective weapons. There's more to this half than simply learning HOW to perform individual techniques. Every aspect of the technique has to be studied, practiced, and polished. And the weapons must be tempered and strengthened. You might become very skilled insofar as performing sword techniques with a plastic practice sword but you surely wouldn't even dream of battling an opponent with such a “weapon!” And in grappling arts it's easy to neglect some of the less obvious but crucially important aspects of your technique such as your grip (EXACTLY how is it to be done and can you do it with much speed?) and kuzushi (breaking the opponent's balance just prior to executing the throw).

For percussive arts, the bodily weapons MUST be tempered. You wouldn't want to walk into battle with a sword that hasn't been tempered, would you? The individual techniques by which your bodily weapons are delivered to the target must be perfected as much as possible, too.

The second half of the pie is what I call the “delivery system”; how do you penetrate the opponent's defense perimeter (without losing some of your molars) so that you can effectively deliver your technique? If your technique is strong but you lack an efficient means of delivery, they're useless. At the same time, if your delivery system is effective but your technique is lacking and the enemy simply stands there and asks if that's the best you've got, you're in a really bad spot. There is a technical martial arts term for what happens to you at this point; you become DOGMEAT.

The methods by which you deliver your technique must be studied carefully and practiced regularly. This will require the careful study of what I call the “Three Jewels of Combat”; distance, timing, and rhythm. These are thoroughly covered in my book, MARTIAL MANEUVERS. You must develop a high level of skill with your footwork, body shifting, and other similar methods of moving.

Neither of the two – weapons and delivery system - is more important than the other; they are both essential for a martial art to be effective. Sadly, many martial arts schools focus primarily on only one of these things (usually the development of weapons) and then toss students into the practice of sparring! Small wonder that many of them don't fare too well (particularly when they practice with students of other schools) and may become discouraged with their training. Some schools only lightly touch on the subject of the delivery system, believing that the practice of three-step and one-step fight is all that's needed. They are wrong. Much, much more is involved.

I understand their teacher's desire to retain students by ensuring that classes are fun and exciting but doing too much too soon – like having students engage in sparring long before they are ready – can only lead to a false sense of accomplishment and security. In the real world, actual self-defense situations with very real assailants are unmerciful.

THE LEGENDARY DIM MAK

 by Phillip Starr

The concept known as “dim mak” (点脉, literally: "pulse point", alternatively “diǎnxué” meaning “blood point”), traces its history to traditional Chinese medical theory. Tales of its use are often found in the Wuxia genre of Chinese martial arts fiction. Dim mak is depicted as a secret body of knowledge with techniques that attack pressure points and (acupuncture) meridians, and is said to incapacitate or sometimes cause immediate or even delayed death to an opponent. Little scientific or historical evidence exists for the existence of a martial arts "touch of death", although mild trauma may cause disproportionately catastrophic consequences when applied to known pressure points under specific circumstances.

Numerous martial artists claim to practice the technique in reality, beginning in the 1960s, when the term was advertised alongside the English translation "The Death Touch" by American eccentric Count Dante. In 1985, an article in the leading martial arts magazine speculated that the death of Bruce Lee in 1973 might have been caused by "a delayed reaction to a Dim-Mak strike he received several weeks prior to his collapse". Other authors have also said Lee's death may have been due to a "quivering palm technique" (alongside an article about Choy Li Fut instructor Doc Fai-Wong who said that "dim mak does actually exist and is still taught to a few select kung-fu practitioners”).

Also, during the late 1980's, an Australian named Erle Montaigue (1949–2011) published a number of books and instruction videos on dim mak with Paladin Press. Montaigue claimed to be "the first Westerner to be granted the degree of 'Master' in taijiquan ", awarded by Master Wang Xin-Wu in 1985 (in reality, there are no “degrees” of anything in taijiquan). According to Montaigue's own account, dim mak is an aspect of traditional old Yang style tajiquan, which he claims he began learning in 1978 from a master called Chiang Yiu-Chun. Montaigue stated this man was an illegal immigrant, making his existence difficult to verify. Erle subsequently claimed to have learned the remaining "qi-disruptive" forms of wudang shan from Liang Shih-Kan in 1995. This claim couldn't be verified, either. The hard truth is that NO Chinese teacher who had any knowledge of this technique would even discuss - let alone actually teach - a laowai (foreigner) anything about this subject unless they were extremely close or family members of some kind.

So does it exist or not? I believe that it does. My teacher, who had “adopted” me as a sort of a surrogate son because he never had any children, told me this. There are those who refute its existence because they've never seen it. That's akin to an inhabitant of the Amazon rain forest denying that large metal tubes with wings can actually fly because he's personally never seen such a thing... In the Chinese martial arts community, it is probably the best-kept secret along with the “poison hand.” There have been several books written on the subject (usually by people who claim to possess skill with it) but they're all just so much garbage.

The theory behind the technique is sound. There's no “magic” to it, as some seem to believe. The training for it is rather different from the norm and it requires some considerable time to acquire enough skill to make it effective. As in the arts of “kyusho” (Japanese, the art of striking special nerve points), one must not only know the points, but also develop a special kind of striking power that is different from the types of power that are normally applied.

LEARN THE CHARACTER(S)

 by Phillip Starr

I often urge my students to learn to read certain Chinese characters (particularly the ones associated with martial arts) because I believe that a firm understanding of the characters can lead to real insight into various techniques, forms, and even styles. I strongly suggest that practitioners of Japanese, Okinawan, and even Korean styles do the same thing. Let me provide a couple of examples...

Take the characters for “ninja” for example (忍者). The first character, “nin”, is comprised of two radicals. The uppermost radical is “dao” in Chinese (刀) and means “knife.” Actually, it refers to a type of sword with a curved, single-edged blade (broadsword). The bottom radical, “shen” (心) refers to the heart. Taken together, this whole character means “endure.” The second character, “ja” (者), refers to a person. So this tells us that a ninja is a person who can endure a great deal – remember, having a razor-sharp blade hung ABOVE your heart (thus, the placement of the radicals; the radical for the sword is above the radical for the heart) is a bit stressful, right? But such a man can endure this kind of stress and difficulty.

Now let's look at the well-known “knife-hand” (刀手), which is called “shou-dao” in Chinese and “shuto” in Japanese. The first radical is “dao” (刀) in Chinese and “to” in Japanese (pronounced “toe”, it's just one of several words for “sword” that the Japanese use), which doesn't really refer to a knife as we think of it. Rather, it refers to a curved, single-edged sword (broadsword). The second radical is “shou” (手) in Chinese and “te” in Japanese. The Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese character, which they kept, is “shu.” So the name is literally “sword-hand” or “hand-sword.” But there's more to it that just simple semantics; it tells you something about the technique itself...

The Chinese and Japanese character for sword (jien in Chinese, and ken in Japanese, 剑) refers to a straight, double-edged sword. But this isn't the character used for the technique; that particular character refers (in both Japanese and Chinese) to a curved, single-edged blade. The key word in that statement is CURVED. If, when you execute a “knife-hand strike”, your hand and arm are aligned in a straight line, it's wrong; it should be gently curved from the tip of the little finger clear to the shoulder because your entire arm is supposed to represent the curved blade! And this curvature actually begets greater striking power.

I think you should be able to understand the importance of learning the characters and dissecting them so as to decipher the meaning of the radicals that form them. It can really give you much deeper insight into the art that you practice and/or teach.

THE KNOT IN YOUR OBI

 by Phillip Starr

The next time you don your karategi, take note of where the knot is set; is it as high as your navel? Higher? Is it below your navel? Most martial artists don't know what the belt/sash was originally intended for (and still should be). It wasn't a delineation of rank, per se. It's actually a tool that is meant to promote correct breathing!

Eons ago, the ancients (in China) developed a form of breathing, which we call “reverse breathing. This special technique has the lower abdomen (as well as the flanks and lower back) expand outward upon exhalation, which is the opposite of what we know as “normal breathing.” If the sash (yaodai) was wrapped firmly around the lower belly, one could readily feel it when the abdomen pushed out against it when exhaling. Then one knew if the breathing was correct. Moreover, it fostered the development of very strong breathing and that helped develop increased power in one's technique (as well as promoting other side benefits).

For a long time, this technique was regarded as secret but with the passage of time, the secret eventually became fairly well-known and was practiced by a great many martial artists. But breathing isn't particularly exciting to practice and it was eventually forgotten.

In modern China you can see large numbers of people practicing a variety of forms of gong-fu in the parks every morning (they're especially fond of taijiquan). Many of them still wear a form of sash although it may well be worn underneath their upper garments. It's not unusual to see some of them wearing common Western-style leather belts! Cinched firmly around their lower bellies and hence, the dantien (“tanden” in Japanese), the tradition of wearing a sash during practice is carried on although I suspect that many of them don't know exactly why this is to be done; they do it because their teacher told them to do it...

Old pictures of karate teachers in Okinawa show them wearing a sash. When Gichin Funakoshi introduced karate to Japan, he became a close friend of the founder of judo, Dr. Jigaro Kano. Kano had developed a standardized practice uniform (judogi) and his students wore a cotton belt (obi around their middles. The knot was pulled down so that it rested on the area of the dantien. Thus, if his students were breathing properly they could readily feel it.

Gichin adopted the judogi, making a lighter version of it (the modern karategi) and he began using the cotton obi as well. Early karateists wore their belts down low and I recall seeing the old-timers constantly pulling their obi's down as they would ride up a little higher during training.

Nowadays it's not unusual to see martial arts devotees wearing their belts rather high- some worn as high as old men wear their trousers!! This is incorrect and it's clear that these students (and probably their teachers) don't know what the belt is really all about; it's not to keep your jacket shut or simply a symbol of rank. It's a training tool and should be used – and worn – as such.

KIME

 by Phillip Starr

Kime (Japanese: 決め) is a Japanese word. It is the noun form of the verb "kimeru," which means "to decide". Kime (pr. “kee-meh”) is a commonly used term in Japanese martial arts. In karate it can mean "power" and/or "focus," describing the instantaneous tensing the body at the moment of impact during a technique. The tension at this time is mostly focused on the dantien ("tanden" in Japanese) and abdomen. In judo, the "Kime-no-kata" is often translated to "Kata of Decision." In other budo, the term refers to attacking a vital point. In all cases, certain finality is implied.

I remember many years ago, my karate teacher trying to get across to us the idea of applying kime. In fact, I'm fairly sure that he didn't fully understand it himself.

Nowadays, most practitioners of Japanese karate interpret the term as the instant (of impact) when the body is tensed for a split second. It is my belief that this interpretation of the word/concept is flawed.

When you punch or strike something in any fashion, the instant of impact wherein the force from your body is transmitted into the target is measured in micro-seconds. Trying to tense your muscles at that exact moment is pointless; you're going to be either too early or too late. It's best to let nature/physics take over and do its thing; if your structural alignment is correct, the force will be transmitted perfectly. Don't interfere because you'll just muck it up.

In my opinion, kime is the focus of body (that is properly aligned), mind, and spirit for a split second. It results in a deep, explosive power that is directed by your will (yi).

Unfortunately, the concept of kime is being lost in today's contemporary martial arts world. The concept of focusing one's being (for a micro-second) on a single technique is foreign to many modern martial artists.

I hope that you will practice and develop your kime through the practice of your basic techniques, formal one and three-step fighting practice, and kata. It is essential to understanding and practicing real martial arts.

THE JUMPING-OFF POINT

 by Phillip Starr

Back when I was a young karateka (karate student), the last three kyu grades (kyu is a grade below black belt) of brown belt, sankyu, nikyu, and especially ikkyu, were known in Japanese karate as “the jumping-off point.” That is, most brown belts would give up for one reason or another and never make it to shodan (first grade of black belt). I think many of them figured they knew their stuff well enough by that time and there was no need to continue with the rugged, disciplined training.

Times have changed. It seems that nowadays, shodan has become the new “jumping-off” point. Many students throw in the towel after reaching this grade, the coveted “black belt.” In the West it is held in much higher esteem than in the East, however. We tend to regard a “black belt” as an expert (which, as Walt Whitman so aptly described the term, is “anyone who can spit over a boxcar.”). In the East, it is regarded as an important step in one's progress, but little more. It means that you have learned the basics and can perform them with a reasonable measure of skill. Nothing more than that. It's akin to graduating from high school. You have developed some basic skills but you're a far cry from going into a professional field.

At the stage of shodan, you're now ready to learn the REAL thing. You have enough of an understanding about your chosen art that you can begin to wrap your head around more advanced concepts AND your body has been trained and disciplined so that you can perform and implement them. Prior to this, it would have been like trying to explain trigonometry to a sixth grade student and asking him to solve a series of rather complex problems.

For every ten shodans, only two or three will go on to the next grade (and the percentages get smaller as you continue to move forward). I want to encourage you to keep moving forward along the martial path. NEVER give up! Stay the course and don't jump off!