NOT EMPTY NOR HOLLOW

 by Phillip Starr

Practitioners of karate, taekwondo, and most styles of gong-fu are told that they must strongly visualize their opponents as they practice their forms. However, devotees of taijiquan, baguazhang, and even xingyiquan are rarely, if ever, given such instructions. They focus on doing the postures and footwork methods correctly but scant attention, if any at all, is paid to applying the postures.

To perform these sets properly, there are several things that must be considered. The first is visualization of the opponent(s) and extension of the yi (intention). Remember that extending yi automatically extends qi. Without yi, the form is about as worthless for actual self-defense as jumping jacks.

For many practitioners, they must get over the idea and practice of moving with all the power and spirit of a damp rag. The body should be energized (a technique I call “engaged”, which is discussed in my book, DEVELOPING JIN) and blows must land with force! To do this does not require muscular tension but it does require proper structure.

Moving with speed is critical (no one ever won a fight by moving in slow motion) and the proper rhythm is also vital to mastering the form. Where and when is power applied (fajin)? And you must learn to emit the power very quickly. Without an understanding of how this is done makes your form no different than the forms of shaolinquan or even karate. This is not to say that shaolinquan and karate aren't effective; they definitely are, but their methods of issuing power are considerably different than those used in the neijia (internal martial arts).

The set should follow a particular rhythm. When you engage a flesh-and-blood assailant, combat does NOT adhere to a nice, even, 4-beat rhythm. Your instructor should be able to show you the proper rhythms of the form.

You must never be completely “empty” or “hollow” as you move through the form. You must be “engaged” at all times (that is, the connective tissues are “inflated” with energy; qi). You never hold your breath and inhalations must occur at just the right moments. To do all of these things and remain relaxed (which is a relative term which means, roughly, “not stiff like a wooden soldier”) requires a huge amount of practice over and over. Trust me, you won't get it right – or even close to it – for some time. You need lots and lots of repetition and focus.

NO MATTER WHAT SHAPE...

 by Phillip Starr

Back when I managed my own full-time martial arts school, I had many prospective enrollees come in and inquire about classes. It wasn't unusual for them to tell me something like, “I'll start classes once I'm in better shape...” Or something like that. That always struck me as making about as much sense as someone saying, “I'll start school when I'm smart enough.”

I tell prospective students who are concerned about their lack of fitness (as well as those who feel that they're in very good shape) that I always assume that every new student is in terrible shape. They won't be expected to be especially flexible or strong when they first begin... Anyway, I prefer flexibility over strength.

A new student (or even a current one) who works at becoming stronger by developing large muscles will find it's a hindrance in his training with me. But most new prospective students are at the other end of the spectrum; they feel that they're not fit enough to begin martial arts training. Maybe they expect to be asked to perform very high kicks or gymnastic-style aerobics but they needn't fear that at all!

I do want to ensure that their health will not be impaired by rigorous exercise and I always check to see if they have any health conditions that might be at risk. If they have a risky condition, I require that they obtain a doctor's note giving them permission to begin training. But most prospective enrollees are more than healthy enough to start training. They may lack flexibility and feel that they're not very strong physically, but the most important requirements are their spirit and desire to learn.

MODERN SELF-DEFENSE NEEDS?

 By Phillip Starr

Anyone who's practiced a traditional martial art for some time has no doubt heard the expression, “That traditional, old-fashioned stuff won't work nowadays”, or something similar. And then there are those who speak authoritatively on “reality-based” methods of combat (as opposed, I guess, to the “unreality” methods). Oddly enough, I've never heard one of these “authorities” explain just why the traditional methods don't work, and if they ever did, exactly when did they become obsolete?

Apparently, a good number of these critics believe there actually was a time when an aggressor chambered one fist on his hip and advanced with several straight punches that the intended victim blocked effectively when stepping back into a solid front stance...kind of like a fight scene in an old 1970's grade B kung-fu movie...or a basic karate/taekwondo class. When was this? When did the local thugs attack with crisp reverse punches and clean lapel grabs that enabled the victim to perform nifty joint techniques?

I've followed the logic of these “experts” for a very long time and it seems that the change in how people fought occurred sometime back in the 70's...about the same time that “full contact” karate came into vogue. It seems that someone woke up one morning and had an epiphane; real fights involve head butts, eye gouges, punches thrown in flurries, and wrestling maneuvers. Wow! How brilliant of these innovators to realize these previously unknown truths and to have set out to remedy things! We should all be thankful for their insight!

It's typical of some people, usually those of an adolescent mentality, to believe that nothing important happened prior to their own lifetimes. They seem to believe that before the advent of grappling, contact-type sports, fighting arts consisted of dorks attired in weird pajamas throwing “unrealistic” punches, fancy kicks, and, of course, “judo chops” at each other. And we must conclude that the old “traditionalists” were either involved in some massive cult-like deception, or that bad guys back then were really stupid and easily defeated by such methods.

Face it....in so far as hand-to-hand fighting is concerned, people have fought (whether on a battlefield or a local bar) in much the same way that they always have. Physiologically, we haven't changed much in a long time! True, culture plays a role in how we fight. I remember when I was very young, anyone who kicked in a schoolyard scuffle was regarded as a sissy. Of course, that's very common now. A century ago, an English schoolboy would expect his opponent to admit defeat if his nose was bloodied. City gangs back in the 50's often had semi-elaborate rituals and posturing as they approached each other in anticipation of a fight. Nowadays, they just drive by and spray gunfire. And practical aspects of daily life can influence the approach to combat...for instance, feudal Japanese martial arts rarely involve kicking because wearing a kimono or hakama made kicking very problematic.

But those are secondary considerations. When it comes to single hand-to-hand combat, we haven't discovered anything new. That's why it's silly to talk about “traditional” forms of fighting or “reality” combat disciplines. It's more important to think of differences in APPROACHES to learning how to fight effectively. Naturally, there are inferior and superior ways of teaching and learning how to engage in personal combat. A karate, taekwondo, or gong-fu school that practices forms robotically (as a rote exercise) is not engaging in traditional training. In fact, what they are doing is practicing an inferior method...probably because the instructor learned it that way from someone who didn't know any better and passed on his inferior method to his students, who will pass them on to others. A grappling school wherein students go to the mat immediately and never provides regular practice of the fundamentals...providing haphazard instruction in the hopes of finding “what works” in the heat of the moment, is not doing anything new at all. It's just bad training...akin to tossing someone off the end of a pier to teach them how to swim.

If karate or judo practitioners fail to adequately defend themselves, it is certainly no indication that their arts don't work. If I am practicing a sort of pantomime, watered-down version of judo or taekwondo and I don't fare well in a fight, it's no reflection on the effectiveness of the art. I'm simply not doing it correctly. They certainly worked very well in the past (taekwondo made its debut in Vietnam where it was shown to be highly effective at close-quarters).

To argue that these arts are no longer effective because we've “moved on” is to say that an M1 Garand is no longer a viable weapon...the military no longer uses it. But even the most modern rifles aren't effective if instructors fail to teach recruits how to use them effectively.

One chooses to practice a martial Way not because it is magical, perfect, or flawlessly reliable. One practices it because it is a serious way of confronting and dealing with violence...a Way that has been proven again and again over many generations. However, you can, if you so choose, believe that people just didn't know how to fight as effectively in the past as we do now; that the “traditional” Ways are outmoded and you are witness to (and may have participated in) a new and unique creation in the field of personal combat. Congratulations...

MISSING THE POINT

 by Phillip Starr

Why do you practice martial arts? For that matter, why do I? It would seem to be a pretty simple question with a fairly simple answer.

Is it because we want to get in better shape and stay fit? Well, that can be accomplished in a a few weeks. Is it for reasons of learning self-defense? Okay...but basic self-defense skills are achieved within a few months. So really, why are you still doing it – especially those of you who have been at it for years or even decades?

And just why we continue to do it is often confusing to friends, family, and associates who don't understand what we do and often tend to view of it something of an exotic Asian hobby. And every now and then, we ourselves take time to consider just why we're still doing this...

Uechi-ryu karate Master, Kanei Uechi, said, “Karate is not something so simple as to teach only fighting.” Very true, and his words apply to all traditional martial arts. Just as in our forms, there is more to them than what we see on the surface...so it is with the whole of martial ways. Initially, we seek technique with which we may combat an opponent “out there.” And we polish and polish...and then, if we are truly focused, we realize that it is not really all about what is “out there.”

We push ourselves, seeing just how far we can go. And more importantly, we continue to polish ourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually. It is an exercise in seeking perfection, which, we know, cannot be realized in this lifetime. And that's okay. It's the struggle; the polishing itself that we're after. The path is the goal..

KANTOKU (To Perceive Virtue)

 by Phillip Starr

I once read about a well-known instructor of kenjutsu who was introduced to the art of chado (the Way of tea ceremony) by his teacher and wife, who were both avid practitioners of the art. In the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, there is MUCH more involved than simply pouring someone a cup of tea and drinking it. Much. More. Everything, every tiny thing, must be done just so. There are even actual kata that must be mastered...

One day, his teacher was showing him variations on the “temae” (the movements, the kata, of chado). He was explaining the “ kinin kiyotsugu usucha”; the proper term to be used for serving tea to a person of nobility or an aristocrat. The young student asked why he was to learn this; the feudal days of Japan had ended long ago. It was a fair question and his teacher nodded. “Yes, but you can learn to use the sense of “kantoku” that serving tea like this can teach you. And you can use that many times in your life.”

“Kantoku” is a very old-fashioned word in Japan. The young student tried to find it in a half dozen Japanese dictionaries, but to no avail. It means, literally, “to perceive virtue” and if and when it is heard at all nowadays, it's likely in a martial arts school or in another of the “do” forms such as the tea ceremony or ikebana (flower arranging). It has no English equivalent; grace, composure, awareness, and controlled vigor are all components of kantoku.

Its martial origins are to be found in kyujutsu (the feudal art of the bow and arrow). The founder of kyujutsu, Morikawa Kozan, wrote that an archer has two goals. The first is, of course, to hit the target. The second was the development and perfection of kantoku. Nowadays, kyudo (as it is called) is largely a matter of shooting at a fixed target. Mastering the etiquette, poise, mental focus, and kata are of paramount importance. But in the feudals days, training was very severe and shooting from atop a galloping horse (called yabusame) was critical. Today, this can be seen in special demonstrations and it's really quite remarkable.

Of course, the sword overtook the bow as the primary weapon of the samurai. Near the end of the feudal era, archery competitions were often held and this contributed to a decline in the art. Hinatsy Shigetaka wrote in 1716 that archery had devolved from a true martial art into “mere gambling for the sake of amusement.” “If only those conversant in the old ways would show us the etiquette and decorum of former times”, he said. “Nothing more important could be done to restore the true Way of the bow.” What he was decrying was not entirely the loss of kyudo's purely martial applications, but the loss of kantoku.

Kantoku became a component of archery because so many of the art's ceremonies, were conducted before higher-ranking samurai and the aristocracy. It was grace and calmness and energy exercised under the intense stress of performing in front of one's superiors. It vanished when the ceremonies were replaced with sports and other shallow diversions, viewed by audiences unable or unwilling to discriminate the finer points of the art and who were more concerned with the production of a “champion.”

I realize, of course, that contestants in any form of competition (from a sports championship to an audition) are under pressure to perform well. But amongst the spectators watching the performance, how many can appreciate real technique and virtuous behavior as opposed to mere artifice or displays of ego? How many can genuinely appreciate the attributes of kantoku that might be present in a particular performer? It's hard for us to imagine the sort of pressure the lords and masters brought to bear on the samurai in the days of feudalism just as it is difficult to imagine the tension experienced by the practitioner of chado who was engaged in making and serving tea before the nobility. Certainly, there are lessons to be learned from contemplating such things, for within the dynamics of those ancient pressures lay the essence of kantoku. Can we revive it?

IS IT REALLY NECESSARY?

 By Phillip Starr

When I was living in China, I was once approached by a young man who was one of my English students. He knew that I practiced martial arts and asked why I bothered to practice such an arcane art. I told him that there were several reasons but he went on and said, “But you can't make a living that way (I could easily argue that point but I understood what he was saying) and since we have modern-day policemen, why continue to train in an ancient form of self-defense? He felt that it had very little, if any, practical use in today's “modern” society.

Ah, the blissful ignorance of youth!

Violent crime is very rare in China and even more rare in Japan. This is not, as many contemporary leftists believe, due to the lack of availability of firearms, but because of the culture of these nations. Still, it does occur and even more so in other nations! The need for effective self-defense is probably greater now than ever before.

I'm reminded of a story here about a scholar who took a small ferryboat to cross a rather large river. As the boatman handled the rudder, the scholar asked him if he'd ever read some of the great Confucian classics. The boatman said that he'd never learned to read and the scholar smugly replie, “Ah, what a waste! You have lost half a life!” Time passed and before long a a squall had come up and the boat began taking water from the crashing waves. The boatman turned to the scholar, “Can you swim? The boat's going to sink.” The scholar replied that he'd never learned to swim and the boatman said, “Ah, what a waste...you have lost all of a life!”

Stress in unquestionably responsible for many more deaths annually than violence. It is insidious and our “modern” society, with all of its creature comforts, only serves to increase it. Everywhere we turn, there are “new and effective” programs being hawked as ways to reduce one's stress level. Martial arts is an excellent way to reduce stress. Whether it's taijiquan, taekwondo, judo...they're all effective.

Fitness is another story altogether. Looking at the current generation of both children and adults, it's clear that some sort of regular fitness program is needed more than ever! Getting fit and staying fit contributes to both mental and physical health. Many “fitness programs” have a central problem that is one of the main reasons people don't stick with them for very long (if at all)...boredom. But martial arts are anything but boring.

And then there's discipline. As with fitness, the need for discipline is needed by both adults and youngsters nowadays. Desperately. My most senior student hails from Japan, where he trained in various forms of gong-fu for many years before we met. He told me that discipline is one of the greatest benefits he derived from his training when he was young.

Today's world is, in my opinion, more violent and dangerous, more confusing, stressful, and undisciplined than ever before. Laws can be passed all the livelong day but to no avail. Each of us must take responsibility for ourselves.

Taking responsibility for ourselves and striving to perfect ourselves (or at least, to improve ourselves to some measurable degree) gives us a goal...and without a goal, we are lost.

IN ONE BREATH

 by Phillip Starr

The study of proper breathing in so far as martial arts are concerned is a tricky subject but one that must be well-understood and utilized by anyone wishing to acquire real skill. You've all been told that you must exhale when emitting power and this is true. You should exhale 2/3 of your air as quickly as possible – I tell my students “in the space of a gunshot.” This means you have to open your mouth and avoid pursing your lips like a blowfish. If the opening through which the air is blown out is too small, it takes too long for it to be fully exhaled. Novices have to practice opening their mouths to do it properly. I tell my students, “Your mother always said you have a big mouth...so use it!”

Basically, your body works like a machine that is powered by a bellows. To make a strong movement, a large quantity of air must be forced through it. Small quantities of air just won't do it. And to make movement faster, the air must be forced through the machine quickly. When you are pushing your car, for example, you exhale slowly. But in martial arts, we want both a powerful movement and a fast movement. So 2/3 of the air must be exhaled very, very quickly (1/3 is kept in reserve).

With some practice, students can learn to do this fairly well. Now, let's look at the 4 stages of a breath and how that affects what we do:

1. First, you inhale (through the nose is preferable). It is at this time that you are most susceptible to blows; you can hardly resist them (unless you have learned a special form of breathing that I call “inverse breathing.”). Moreover, your reaction time is cut down by about 50%.

2. Then there's a slight, almost imperceptible pause. You are still unable to resist incoming blows.

3. Exhalation. This is when you are strongest – able to resist blows and move quickly.

4. A second pause occurs, leaving you as vulnerable as #2. This pause usually lasts just a bit longer than the previous one.

So, in delivering multiple blows (a combination), what should you do? If you watch your classmates, I'll bet money that they exhale seperately with each technique. This means that they are very vulnerable in between their techniques because their breath is paused, they are holding their breath, or they are inhaling. This is not a good thing.

Combinations should be fired off IN A SINGLE BREATH! And don't lengthen the exhalation to accommodate them; your exhalation should be as fast as possible...just as if you're executing a single technique. Your body will have to accommodate your breath by learning to move faster!

This isn't too difficult to do with a two-technique combination. Try three. It's much harder to do and will require considerable practice. Four technique combinations are darned near impossible! The next time you see someone perform a combination that involves more than three techniques, you can pretty well be assured that they're inhaling in there somewhere...not likely that they're doing it in a single breath!

Now, the very same idea applies to your forms...actually, any time that you fire off a combination. If your form calls for more than one blow to be delivered to the opponent, you must do so in one breath (unless the form distinctly calls for a pause, which rarely happens). This will help you learn the proper rhythm(s) of your forms. It's going to take time, patience, and lots of practice.

This begs the question, “just when do I exhale; at the beginning or end of a technique or combination?” The answer can be found by watching a car racing event! When the flag is still raised, the drivers rev their cars...hitting the gas so they'll go flying off the line when the flag drops. They don't try to give themselves much of an extra burst of speed and power just as they're closing on the finish line. The same is true for a rocket launch. The blast-off occurs at the beginning to give the missile plenty of power and speed to go into orbit. So...your breath is exhaled at the BEGINNING of your technique rather than at the end. Trying to exhale at the very end of your technique doesn't work well...and attempting to do so will usually result in your breath being mistimed so that the exhalation occurs too late.

Practice, practice, practice!