BEGINNER'S MIND

 by Phillip Starr

Tsutomu Ohshima, one of Gichin Funakoshi’s last students (and now a senior instructor of Gichin’s legendary Shotokan style of karate) tells a story about his teacher that illustrates the importance of the basic techniques of the art. Originally a schoolteacher in Okinawa, Gichin had introduced karate to Japan in 1923. He passed away in 1958. In his last months of life, Ohshima would literally carry him up and down stairs whenever the master was scheduled to give demonstrations. A few days before his passing, Gichin was sitting up on the edge of his bed practicing the basic forefist punch. He turned to Ohshima and said, “I think I’ve finally got it!” Ohshima wept.

Mr. David Lowry, in his excellent book "Moving Toward Stillness" relates a story about the late kendo (Japanese swordsmanship) master, Mori Torao. Master Mori had studied his art under men who had had to use the sword in actual combat. Needless to say, the training was extremely severe; in fact, prior to WWII the art was often referred to as gekken which means "severe swordsmanship." Mr. Mori taught in the U.S. back in the 60's.

A friend of Mr. Lowry's attended a clinic conducted by Master Mori and arrived early. There he found the legendary Master already in his keikogi (practice uniform), preparing for the class. Mori asked the young man if he would train with him for a while. The young man held Mori in awe and was thrilled with the request. Now he would get the chance to see advanced kendo techniques and learn from the legendary master! He was shocked when Mori asked if he might practice shomen uchi which is a frontal strike learned by every kendoka (kendo student) in his first class. "I still don't have it right," Mori explained.

Students who are still in the junior stages of training envy their seniors who are learning the more advanced forms and techniques of our art. The instructor may call out a cadence and force them to practice the most basic punches and kicks, but you can bet that the juniors are watching (out of the corners of their eyes) their seniors in the corner practicing the advanced techniques and forms and longing for the day when they will learn them. They tend to judge progress by how much they've learned; how much they've acquired.

Several decades ago, a good friend of mine named John Hutchcroft, who trained in a style of Okinawan karate told me that students of that particular system never said, "Yes, I know that form," or "I know this punch." I asked why. He explained that to say that one knew the form or technique indicated that one had truly mastered it. Instead of saying that they knew a given form or technique, they would say that they trained or worked it.

It's a small matter of semantics, I know, but it does indicate how seriously these people were about training and true understanding or mastery of technique.

The legendary founder of Kyokushin karate, Masutatsu Oyama, once said that after 1,000 repetitions one could say that one could perform a given technique. Only after 10,000 repetitions could one say that one had mastered it. He was slightly more generous with forms; after 1,000 repetitions one could say that one had mastered a given form.

The legendary Xingyiquan teacher, Hong-I Xiang (who passed away in the 1980's), was known to practice his pengchuan (the basic punching technique of Xingyi) daily. Even after more than six decades of training, he focused on constant practice of the most fundamental techniques. Wang Shujin, one of the most famous twentieth-century exponents of Baguachang was known to train daily in the system's most fundamental form and exercise, the Single Change Palm.

Any given martial art system is finite; limited in scope and curriculum. There comes a time when there are no more new techniques or forms to learn. Having explored every road, the student finds him or herself with only one choice; to go back to the beginning. In this sense, the road is circular and the last teaching is also the first. The greatest secrets lie within the most fundamental techniques and movements. However, they cannot be grasped by those who have not yet traveled the whole length of the road or path.

In my school in Omaha, I had (amongst other things) framed Chinese calligraphy, the characters for which meant, "Beginner's Mind." This was not intended so much for junior students as it was for the seniors. Once one has "gone full circle," one must come back to the original "mind" of a beginner. Only after coming full circle and back to this stage can one truly grasp the more esoteric teachings of the art.

There is a saying that tells us, "The greatest secrets lie within the most fundamental techniques and movements. However, they cannot be grasped by those who have not yet traveled the whole length of the road or path."

Of course, there are some who, having reached a lower grade of black belt, assume that they have come "full circle." Puffing out their chests, they are proud of their accomplishments but the truth is that they have not come "full circle." They are still traveling on the "road." Those who have traveled its full length do not puff out their chests and rarely speak of their accomplishments. They have, after all, come back to the stage of "Beginner's Mind"; a blank slate upon which they will write and draw.

WHAT ARE YOU REALLY UP AGAINST?

 By Phillip Starr

Although we, as martial arts practitioners, constantly train to be able to effectively defend ourselves, very few of us truly understand what we could very easily be up against when it comes to the paved jungles in which we live and strive to survive. We hear and talk about “the street fighter” without necessarily knowing much of anything about these creatures.

To begin with, these animals aren't stupid or clumsy. They're smart and very tough s.o.b.'s. Many of them have a smattering of martial arts skill, just enough to make them really dangerous. They HAVE to be tough to survive on the streets. They're not compliant, foolhardy, dimwitted wimps. Not at all. And should you ever be accosted by one, you'll only get one shot. And it had better count...it must cause some serious damage because if it just causes a bit of pain, it'll just make him real unhappy with you.

For a time many years ago, I worked inside the walls of a state penitentiary. If you really want to know what a true “badass” is, this is the place to look! I remember one inmate nicknamed “Shorty” (you can guess how large he was). He looked like a human Coke machine and it was all muscle...no fat at all. He lifted weights daily and had a hair-trigger temper. If a guy like this ever got hold of you, you'd be looking at a real serious problem! It scared ME (none of us carried any weapons at all...nothing), so I trained extra hard every day to sharpen my skills.

And there many others like Shorty...not as big, but very strong and tough. The idea of fighting just a single assailant on the street is an error (a very serious one), Lone wolves don't survive for long and most thugs travel in packs. So the idea of spending a lot of time thumping just one guy is a bad mistake...let alone taking him to the ground and wrestling around with him in the mud and the blood and the beer...and gravel, broken glass, and whatever else is on the ground. You can bet that his buddies are in the wings and watching. They'll happily step forward and quickly turn you into a very icky wet spot on the concrete while you're engaged in your makeshift wrestling bout.

And anyway, the odds of a street thug who accosts you being armed with something is pretty close to 100% nowadays. If your defensive tactics/techniques against weapons aren't up to snuff, you'll quickly become a statistic.

Don't take your ability to effectively defend yourself for granted. Train hard, get fit. The bad guys are.

WEIGHT TRAINING FOR MARTIAL ARTS

 by Phillip Starr

No, this isn't a “how to” article; dozens and dozens of good books have already been written on the subject of weight lifting and more than a few on weight lifting for martial arts. It's actually about “resistance training”, which a large number of neijia stylists (those who practice taijiquan, baguazhang, or xingyiquan) firmly believe is counter-productive to acquiring real skill in their particular discipline.

Foo.

Past masters of these arts regularly used resistance exercises to toughen and strengthen certain muscles and muscle groups. There's no such animal as a martial art that requires NO STRENGTH to be used effectively. Most, if not all, of the neijia Masters of times past regularly practiced forms of resistance training, from weights to various other apparatuses. And anyway, stance training (standing in deep stances that stress the legs and hips) are actually forms of resistance training, right? Heck, push-ups, leg lifts, and the like are all forms of resistance training that make use of your body weight.

On the other hand, any so-called martial art that emphasizes the development of large muscles and requires the use of much strength in its application isn't what it claims to be. As Master Seiyu Oyata (10^th dan, dec.) told me, “Any martial art that requires a lot of strength to be effective is not really a martial art. Martial arts were developed so that the small and weak could overcome the large and strong.” And he was living proof of that.

In generations past, a wide array of devices were employed in resistance training. These included iron geta, “locks” (usually made of stone or concrete, they were quite similar to today's kettlebells), nigiri-gami (wide mouth jars that were filled with stones or sand, iron balls (usually quite large), and so on. Improvements in technology today enable practitioners to utilize modern ankle and wrist weights, dumbells and barbells, kettlebells, stretch-cords (surgical tubing works very well) and a wide variety of other such training aids. Different styles of gong-fu and karate seem to prefer different pieces of equipment. And most of them can be used into old age, I know; I use a number of them every day!

It's absolutely essential that one learns to train correctly and not hurry or over-do lest one injure oneself. Proper training enhances one's technique as speed and strength are very gradually increased. Such training is also excellent for overall health, including those of us who are now “senior citizens.” Resistance training comes in many forms; using one's own body weight is very common. For instance, push-ups, pull-ups, leg lifts, and holding a static horse-riding stance are a few such resistance exercises. A partner can be sometimes be used to assist with them (if the student is fit enough to handle such exercises). I remember standing in a horse-riding stance and having a partner holding onto my shoulders as he stood on my legs from behind. Then I'd have to squat down a bit...up and down for several reps. And with a classmate on our backs, we'd advance forward in a forward stance, being careful not to rise up (lest our teacher berate us) or stumble.

If you practice such exercises, it's important to train with them very regularly. Intermittent training pretty much guarantees injuries.

WEDDING VOWS

by Phillip Starr

Taking up the study of martial arts is really very much like getting married. When I was a youngster there weren't too many young women available. That is, there weren't many martial arts available. The inscrutable Oriental fighting disciplines were things of mystery and awe. In fact, many people had no idea what "karate" was! There were no commercial schools at all and none of the clubs advertised. Most martial arts training was conducted in an instructor's backyard, basement, or garage.

It's very, very different nowadays; people shop around for martial arts schools much as they shop for fresh vegetables. All you have to do is open the phone book and scores of different schools and arts are listed. Some even offer special bargains (kind of like K-Mart specials). In the present world of martial arts there are a great many available "young ladies."

My teacher, Master W. C. Chen, used to compare the study of martial arts to being married. First you try to find the young lady/man of your dreams. When you think you have, you woo him/her and spend a lot of time together. If and when you finally decide that he or she is the one for you, you "get married", as it were, and devote yourself to her or him.

You cannot have two wives/husbands.

And why on earth would anyone want to?

Some of the Asian spouses can be a little tough to live with. For instance, some are fine when you're young but as you get older, it's pretty tough to carry on much of a relationship. Judo and jujutsu come to mind. When you step over the threshold of becoming a "senior citizen", they're a little tough on the body - breakfalls or not. And I don't see a lot of people in their sixties (or even fifties) and beyond doing kickboxing or muay thai.

Others are a little high maintenance. That is, they demand that you spend a lot of money on them. Anyone who's ever become deeply involved with kendo will be only too happy to tell you how terribly expensive bogu (kendo armor) can be.

So you want to pick one that you can live with. You have to get to know each other. Will her or his beliefs (philosophy) fit into your life? What is he/she about? You sure don't want to jump feet first into a relationship without really knowing the other person (art). Some so-called arts are actually pretty superficial. There's just not much to them. I guess they're the "Valley Girls" of martial arts. Very attractive when they're young but no breeding and they don't age well. There's no real depth to them, either. Do you want to spend your life with one of these?

No lady or man is entirely beautiful. At first you may think so but in time, you'll find aspects of her/him that you don't especially like. But in time, you understand that this thing that you dislike is an important part of who and what your spouse is. Don't try to surgically remove what you don't like just to suit yourself. No nose or boob jobs. You either take her as she is or walk away.

Then you have to make a lifetime commitment. No marriage was ever made in heaven; you have to work at them if they're to be successful and like any marriage, there will be times when you argue. What's important is that you resolve the problem and move forward. A marriage is not a 50/50 proposition. It's a 90/10 proposition with the 90% being on your end of the measuring stick.

Sadly, there are lots of divorces in the marriage of martial arts and people. Many more today than when I was young - probably because there are so many other attractive "ladies and men" with which to flirt.

I'm talking about other martial arts - for those of you who have no imagination.

After you've made the commitment, that's it. Unlike actual marriages between people, however, it's okay to "fool around" with other arts from time to time, once you've reached a certain level of comfort...but your primary commitment must remain firm. For instance, I am committed (married) to Yiliquan (the form of gong-fu that I teach). Sure, I like to practice iaido (Japanese art of drawing and cutting with a sword). In fact, I love it! But my commitment is to Yili. She comes first. I study her, listen to her, "talk" to her every day.

I cannot possibly be married to Yiliquan and iaido both. I can have only one wife. One spouse is very demanding - why or how could I possibly handle two (or more)?
A marriage deepens with the passing of years and the interaction between the two parties. You get to know each other better - you seem to become "one." You learn from and with each other. There's so much more to your spouse than you'd ever imagined and as you age and grow older with her/him, it causes certain changes to occur in you. It's the same with your marriage to your chosen martial discipline.

Unfortunately, many people leave their spouses before they really get to know them or they flirt with other arts so much that they never really get to know their primary art. In fact, some become so flirtatious that they never get to know a whole lot about any one art. Theirs is a very superficial relationship and it's going nowhere.

It's all about making a commitment and then sticking to it. There'll be tough times, sure. And there'll be good times. But by staying together the relationship only gets stronger, sweeter, and deeper.

WEAPON NATURE

 by Phillip Starr

One of the important aspects of gong-fu, taekwondo, and karate training is that of quite literally turning your body into a weapon; you become a living, breathing weapon. This means not only that you must strive to master the fundamental techniques and learn how to use them for self-defense, but you must “temper” each weapon as well. Like everything else in martial arts (training), this takes time and focused effort. That is, you can't approach it with a “laid-back” attitude and train in a haphazard manner. You must focus and train your spirit as well as your weapons.

And as is the case with any kind of weapon, you must take care of it. If you fail to do this it may not take care of you at the critical moment. A sword cannot be left to rust; it must be oiled properly and kept sharp and clean! And when your body finally achieves what my teacher called “weapon nature”, you dare not slack off. He warned me about this more than fifty years ago. If you get lax in maintaining your body's weapon nature, it will become soft, rusty, and dull.

One thing about the revered Shaolin Temple that is mostly unknown is just why Da-Mo (in Japanese; Daruma or Bodidharma, the founder of chan or zen) taught the monks hand-to-hand fighting techniques. Legend tells us that he taught them a series of exercises known as the yijinjing and also a highly advanced form of qigong known as sisuijing. But he also taught them combative techniques. Remember that he was the 28^th patriarch of Gautama Buddha...and the Buddha was very much against needless violence. The key word in that statement is “needless.”

In those days (the early 5^th century and for many centuries thereafter) groups of bandits roamed various areas of China, preying on the weak and defenseless. Buddhist temples were a favorite target because their inhabitants wouldn't offer any opposition to the bandits who would take most of their food. Shaolin had been hit several times and Da-Mo determined to put a stop to it.

And so it was that the monks of Shaolin began their combative training...and when the bandits returned some time later, they were handed a quick and brutal defeat. It is said that Da-Mo told the monks:

“In times of (physical) distress, it may be necessary to call forth one's

martial skills to put an end to the violence. Therefore, from this day

forward, let us train our bodies and minds so that unto every hand there

comes a sword, unto every finger a spear, and unto every fist, a mace.”

The need for personal self-defense is as great as ever in our modern, high-tech world. Times haven't changed much.

THE MASTER

 by Phillip Starr

Kitaro is a world-famous Japanese musician/composer who has been named as one of Japan's National Treasures by the Emperor. His music is truly remarkable. Labeled as “new age”, it calls to mind images of wind and surf, of trees and bamboo swaying in the wind, of ethereal beings soaring through time and space. It is truly remarkable music and he's one of my favorite musicians. He says that his art is inspired by a desire for harmony with the universe and alleges that much of it “comes to him” from heaven. I can believe that.

So, what does this have to do with martial arts? Well, hold on for a bit... When Kitaro conducts a concert (or records a piece of his genius), he naturally employs some of the finest musicians in the world, including Western players. A while back a documentary was made of Kitaro; his life, and preparation for an upcoming concert. Many musicians had been employed, including a number of Americans. “Everything you do comes from nature”, he explained. And it is this very things that we, as followers of the martial ways, also seek...but getting to that point is anything but “natural.”

One of the Americans explained, “Usually, when I play with a band, there's no limit to what I can do.” But this wasn't to be as long as he was in the employ of the legendary Japanese musician. Kitaro knew precisely what he wanted to create and he was no more interested in the improvised “jamming” of the Western musicians than a karate sensei has in the “insights” that a novice finds in, say, a front snap kick. This really made the American musicians uncomfortable; they weren't permitted to “add their own creativity” to the music at all.

Moreover, when practice ended for the day, Kitaro remained somewhat aloof. Although he was invited to “go out with the boys” and enjoy a few drinks and perhaps admire some of the lovely ladies, the master returned home alone. The Westerners didn't understand this behavior. “When we finish practice, he's just one of us”, one band member complained. “We're all the same...” Not so with Kitaro. The Americans were acting and seeing things through their American eyes and they'd been raised in a culture that is very different from that of Japan. The Americans regarded him as rather “uppity.”

What they failed to understand was that according to the tenets of Confucianism, the student-teacher relationship cannot allow them to regard themselves as equals. And the Way of the master isn't based on a 40-hr. work week with time off and numerous other benefits. The Way of the master is a way of life itself. Contrary to the Western notion of a “master” who teaches class and then goes out with his students for a few beers or to flirt with the ladies, a master is considered to be a true master only when he is a “shihan”; a model for his students. While he may socialize and be a bit informal with them, he is always the teacher and this creates a certain distance between him and his pupils.

Ultimately, the band members came to understand Kitaro and see him in a very different light. One of them remarked, “He speaks of things like wind and mountains...of natural things instead of the electronic things that we're used to.” Kitaro saw directly into the heart of things rather than frittering and fussing with petty gadgets and musical accroutrements.

“I've practiced this musical piece at least 200 times”, one member noted. “always the same, over and over and over. But I finally realized what Kitaro is after...simplicity. And the simpler the music is, the harder it is to do.” Exchange the word “music” for “technique” or “form” and you can see what insights can be gained in the presence of master.

He sees everything from a different perspective than most. He sees into the heart of things. No fanfare, shouting, or cursing while jumping up and down. No need.