tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139614682024-03-14T03:30:32.369-04:00Cook Ding's KitchenBudo with a small 'b'Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.comBlogger2562125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13961468.post-12304558430855349872024-03-14T03:30:00.007-04:002024-03-14T03:30:00.243-04:00Xingyiquan Sparrow Hawk<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMMjefI3MyM6NUhaFCKJMqxr6RlQldND0W-FpNtGGsc4a_XBxU104bPk0_XC5q7nC4-jRpgRx_M8km51bf493v3EMnfLUvw7cIQs6opSwY9FTNVu50TwieRAbyjUXXBPF1X8_-gl6qseTRWVN9sqPprCZCPrHV6zXdyXEO9Kx6wSTxOB6MkFT/s1386/Hawk%20on%20snowy%20branch%20ukyio%20e%20painting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1386" data-original-width="918" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMMjefI3MyM6NUhaFCKJMqxr6RlQldND0W-FpNtGGsc4a_XBxU104bPk0_XC5q7nC4-jRpgRx_M8km51bf493v3EMnfLUvw7cIQs6opSwY9FTNVu50TwieRAbyjUXXBPF1X8_-gl6qseTRWVN9sqPprCZCPrHV6zXdyXEO9Kx6wSTxOB6MkFT/w265-h400/Hawk%20on%20snowy%20branch%20ukyio%20e%20painting.JPG" width="265" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Below is a video about the Xingyiquan Sparrow Hawk shape.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p><br /></p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FBe52VpV02k?si=mEasQAFbanV4Su3S" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13961468.post-80571105160880850332024-03-11T03:30:00.011-04:002024-03-11T03:30:00.154-04:00The Universal Humanity of Taijiquan<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBl4ic9vO69d9NWtVOYItZYHnsRK1-NcolCXilgnUmRts6D6jyJSCnKOQzgXsQ87YTAxtRtDBGWLtL85D4PC1Q1vKvrPFMiXLGD52VhOiCwAEeQUtT_hLmTo-UQYu-YqBdOjwsEw71HmqqxuKzPODTPzDLJ2V2BnAsLpj8J9C9bP5elaUsfmd/s1575/Gold%20dragon%20drawing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1575" data-original-width="1575" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBl4ic9vO69d9NWtVOYItZYHnsRK1-NcolCXilgnUmRts6D6jyJSCnKOQzgXsQ87YTAxtRtDBGWLtL85D4PC1Q1vKvrPFMiXLGD52VhOiCwAEeQUtT_hLmTo-UQYu-YqBdOjwsEw71HmqqxuKzPODTPzDLJ2V2BnAsLpj8J9C9bP5elaUsfmd/w400-h400/Gold%20dragon%20drawing.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />"The Universal Humanity of Taijiquan" is the title of the second episode of a series on YouTube of Chen ZhengLei, a successor of Chen style Taijiquan. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><br /></p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1LCunZ0UiO0?si=t3vQ9O3G2N8wpT9p" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13961468.post-82321067295943224692024-03-08T03:30:00.008-05:002024-03-08T03:30:00.134-05:00Judo Fundamentals<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnEgqRGSuOm92ydZs_-J3G4dMCQngk_k2A1GP2kvrbek5jziD6Pj41rVr_LL7MeVZa25kngcBSE_RUxW1wsSjsmdY4hEQoWYSxcd09Q1Y_iRn94_XX_7mIlC6OiJQ5LpqW5whZSJmmtGx0I3rh-O0CgjYW7ccGxmRppQN4DdJQ7H4DglFPIlP/s1134/Old%20judo%20poster.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1134" data-original-width="822" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnEgqRGSuOm92ydZs_-J3G4dMCQngk_k2A1GP2kvrbek5jziD6Pj41rVr_LL7MeVZa25kngcBSE_RUxW1wsSjsmdY4hEQoWYSxcd09Q1Y_iRn94_XX_7mIlC6OiJQ5LpqW5whZSJmmtGx0I3rh-O0CgjYW7ccGxmRppQN4DdJQ7H4DglFPIlP/w290-h400/Old%20judo%20poster.JPG" width="290" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />A brief video on the most fundamental elements of Judo.</span><p></p><p><br /></p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JOdpVBJPqG8?si=t0pB2vRtEOHfJybr" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13961468.post-224265454439132992024-03-05T03:30:00.012-05:002024-03-05T03:30:00.126-05:00Catch Wrestling<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMPSsGInRrrFnzpUctxOSi2ETj2vviyrDdOfQo3BE-gbvVtRSlnRpbP55e5EP1_vXNeh9bVehv2GQ-k0Pq6IxhXs1hyphenhyphenWDN2iC8qYV16eHyLX8tzEcpzyAt6xh5NlIT73qtBfnOrQ_h2_qSI0gh6715XLl6e11UzL1V8h4NVx0Z_iRKXj0Lt0lE/s739/Bull%20wrestling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="492" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMPSsGInRrrFnzpUctxOSi2ETj2vviyrDdOfQo3BE-gbvVtRSlnRpbP55e5EP1_vXNeh9bVehv2GQ-k0Pq6IxhXs1hyphenhyphenWDN2iC8qYV16eHyLX8tzEcpzyAt6xh5NlIT73qtBfnOrQ_h2_qSI0gh6715XLl6e11UzL1V8h4NVx0Z_iRKXj0Lt0lE/w266-h400/Bull%20wrestling.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Brazilian
JiuJutsu has a solid foundation with classical Judo, but the experience
of the early BJJ guys was colored by the frequent matches they had
against other martial artists. Capoeira and western wrestlers, including
"Catch Wrestlers."</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">From Wikipedia: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Catch wrestling</b> (originally <b>catch-as-catch-can</b>) is a classical hybrid <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grappling" title="Grappling">grappling</a> style and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combat_sport" title="Combat sport">combat sport</a>. It was popularised by wrestlers of <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travelling_funfair" title="Travelling funfair">travelling funfairs</a> who developed their own <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submission_holds" title="Submission holds">submission holds</a>,
or "hooks", into their wrestling to increase their effectiveness
against their opponents. Catch wrestling derives from various different
international styles of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrestling" title="Wrestling">wrestling</a>: several English styles (primarily <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancashire_wrestling" title="Lancashire wrestling">Lancashire</a>,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-aspullsub_2-0"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch_wrestling#cite_note-aspullsub-2">[2]</a></sup> as well as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumberland_and_Westmorland_wrestling" title="Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling">Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling</a>,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-books.google.ca_3-0"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch_wrestling#cite_note-books.google.ca-3">[3]</a></sup> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devon_wrestling" title="Devon wrestling">Devonshire</a>,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-books.google.ca_3-1"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch_wrestling#cite_note-books.google.ca-3">[3]</a></sup> and Irish <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collar-and-elbow" title="Collar-and-elbow">collar-and-elbow</a> wrestling). The training of some modern <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submission_wrestling" title="Submission wrestling">submission wrestlers</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_wrestling" title="Professional wrestling">professional wrestlers</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed_martial_arts" title="Mixed martial arts">mixed martial artists</a> is founded in catch wrestling. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Below is a documentary on Catch Wrestling.</i></span></p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5bg3qTlGx3Q?si=KTBJENd5O-SMlqyE" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13961468.post-64566478499414085562024-03-02T03:30:00.009-05:002024-03-02T03:30:00.138-05:00Vintage Wu Family Style Taijiquan and Taiji Sword<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7ItILXPS8YshOa4vIEOuhhjMMbeeSn0zQi4vwjn8gWrfeiKQSRA_wTJ9C5exCozuU3qOvzbJ_59SWUV0-hFTmFswe4vPVlmaE792RTAhwUQKSgQvyIRn8La0DF3cH_HQLCsBb_a1z027T2hzFpuhKvsQbfTlKY5gtwv1zKCp-EKLVIEdiTkL/s1319/White%20crane%20lifting%20off%20over%20water%20refected.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1319" data-original-width="1179" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7ItILXPS8YshOa4vIEOuhhjMMbeeSn0zQi4vwjn8gWrfeiKQSRA_wTJ9C5exCozuU3qOvzbJ_59SWUV0-hFTmFswe4vPVlmaE792RTAhwUQKSgQvyIRn8La0DF3cH_HQLCsBb_a1z027T2hzFpuhKvsQbfTlKY5gtwv1zKCp-EKLVIEdiTkL/w358-h400/White%20crane%20lifting%20off%20over%20water%20refected.jpg" width="358" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Enjoy!</span><p></p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HxsfZUuLl_Q?si=Bn_WCkQ4XF_s7_6J" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13961468.post-37791584639070532182024-02-28T03:30:00.010-05:002024-02-28T03:30:00.135-05:0093 Year Old Kendoka<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5lIFDUB-A2SPP6CY79WhUHBgad097hbDrsBCRhZpZEJKxw07CrTBpYbVGDkDVL3l-rfSkNHAYX-mjacXqgUz83v_4-kjfmOEwcj699Q0GGYKysZy1nUPGzBfGeKSdR4xnpLublxTX2gx8tR4dXOXD9VzWJmOZVMHg8x8ymNDeBQwd_RKytv7N/s640/Kendo%20instruction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5lIFDUB-A2SPP6CY79WhUHBgad097hbDrsBCRhZpZEJKxw07CrTBpYbVGDkDVL3l-rfSkNHAYX-mjacXqgUz83v_4-kjfmOEwcj699Q0GGYKysZy1nUPGzBfGeKSdR4xnpLublxTX2gx8tR4dXOXD9VzWJmOZVMHg8x8ymNDeBQwd_RKytv7N/w400-h300/Kendo%20instruction.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br />The video below was found at the end of a post at <a href="https://kenshi247.net/">Kenshi 24/7</a> on relative outlook on Kendo in Japan and abroad. An except from the article is below. The full post may be <a href="https://kenshi247.net/blog/2024/02/08/the-green-tree/">read here.</a></i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Modern kendo in Japan has been intrinsically bound with (and to) the
education system for well over a century now. Also, as you no doubt
know, kendo in the <a data-id="14147" data-type="post" href="https://kenshi247.net/blog/2018/06/15/kendotokuren/">police system</a>
(yes, it is a slightly separate thing – nor particularly technically,
but in purpose) has always been a highly influential factor. Of course,
educational kendo and police kendo were highly cross pollinated in the
past (not now unfortunately). Due to such influences kendo was, at
least in generations past, seen primarily as a tool of education, both
physical and mental. Building up to and during the Japan’s highly
militarised era’s, it was also used explicitly as a tool of “soldier
creation” and to engender nationalism. After WWII a concerted effort was
done to <a data-id="5798" data-type="post" href="https://kenshi247.net/blog/2012/02/02/shinai-kyogi/">democratise</a> kendo, but in the end most of the teachers were of the old school variety (and if not, then students of them). </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Since it essentially evolved in such a serious situation, it comes
with no surprise that kendo is – and is still seen to be – a serious
activity. At least that the <i>image</i> here in Japan. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Multitudes of kids clubs can be found all around Japan, and I’m sure
many readers have experienced keiko there. I wonder, however, if you
talked to the teachers about what their <i>purpose</i> is, that is, their kendo philosophy? </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Kids kendo clubs here are generally (not always) community based
affairs. Parents elect to have their kid “study” kendo – often kendo is
referred to as NARAIGOTO (“something to be studied”), in the same vein
as things like as piano, abacus, English, or shodo, for example. Of
course, you’d send your kid to a nearby dojo, not travel too much. The
vast majority of parents chose kendo not because of the physical
benefits for their kids, but because it can (or is <i>supposed to</i>)
engender confidence and manners. Instructors are almost always unpaid,
generally older, and the clubs are run by parents (= usually the
mothers). Of course, there are some for-profit private dojo, but there
are not so many, and I guess don’t make much money (otherwise there’d be
more). Keiko will usually be tough (not violent) and kids may be pushed
about and cry a lot. In general, a kid doesn’t have the freedom to quit
either. Anyway, the point is that kendo – at the very start of a young
persons kendo career – has seriousness already baked in. </span></p>
<p class="has-small-font-size"><i style="font-family: arial;">[ The above, however, breaks down
when kids start older (junior or senior high school age) and do kendo
under younger kendo teachers, or perhaps just amongst themselves. It
looks as if these type of kendoka have increased over the last couple of
decades…. ]</i></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Outside of Japan, in my now admittedly limited experience, kendo
seems to be very more of a social activity rather than a community based
one: a once or twice or even three times a week affair with some drinks
afterwards. There might be some kids in the club, but maybe not that
many, and those that are there are treated softly so that they don’t
quit. There may not be any older people with decades of experience
(kendo and life) to help teach the kids or act as mentors or role-models
to young(er) adults. Obviously, this is a generalisation. <br /></span></p><p></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aLY3YYCsrgg?si=mm-9m2CrcweLpLd9" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13961468.post-60955280392547279312024-02-25T03:30:00.005-05:002024-02-25T03:30:00.132-05:00Baguazhang's Single Palm Change<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhaYjZhQj78TRID12xTaMQxERkuVbNsvJ7rjS6e5iI1lxYN4QJYUyOrPWJnymMS47FJCiK52hifqrJ4OKjDrdco88jeJ6x91gJq0eorIzUxQ73qJyBxPmRL7HACu0mJjaIQmiliovXPjO4NfmyijDeGlqD6fBtcKapNToY-v8WhLsagTPosNG/s1060/Dragon%20and%20pedastal%20sculpture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1060" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhaYjZhQj78TRID12xTaMQxERkuVbNsvJ7rjS6e5iI1lxYN4QJYUyOrPWJnymMS47FJCiK52hifqrJ4OKjDrdco88jeJ6x91gJq0eorIzUxQ73qJyBxPmRL7HACu0mJjaIQmiliovXPjO4NfmyijDeGlqD6fBtcKapNToY-v8WhLsagTPosNG/w400-h355/Dragon%20and%20pedastal%20sculpture.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />The Single Palm Change is the fundamental technique in Baguazhang. Below is an old video of a teacher demonstrating many facets of the SPC.</span><p></p><p><br /></p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AdG3V3NF8m0?si=l9joMJXuuBP3lrt9" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13961468.post-7767554804119891342024-02-22T12:35:00.008-05:002024-02-22T12:35:00.129-05:00Baguazhang Dragon Palm<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17-uMAbRx6fHKHLmX8mXBHKxUbifPW-MMflh6kPJbVOLzawdC7X_PV0cipzVFQA4f2701FSE-ioZZ-gzF2d4vCXVuWDT9aUDKgJnCfAQiyIGprFZ4zfKkCtdYlF39GeQZVD1KtDuyLF7mBp1JlvXtgbSJ36mXTycEKEo0aPcqpQANSbCXJbMZ/s960/Dragons%20outside%20of%20temple.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="639" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17-uMAbRx6fHKHLmX8mXBHKxUbifPW-MMflh6kPJbVOLzawdC7X_PV0cipzVFQA4f2701FSE-ioZZ-gzF2d4vCXVuWDT9aUDKgJnCfAQiyIGprFZ4zfKkCtdYlF39GeQZVD1KtDuyLF7mBp1JlvXtgbSJ36mXTycEKEo0aPcqpQANSbCXJbMZ/w266-h400/Dragons%20outside%20of%20temple.JPG" width="266" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Here's a short video of Master George Xu demonstrating the Dragon Palm of Baguazhang.</span><p></p><p><br /></p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yHXkckAegj4?si=h2LhmJessSnANU0g" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13961468.post-84206533698277237512024-02-19T03:30:00.006-05:002024-02-19T03:30:00.147-05:00Practice and Resistance<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9qApAXp-mCawPSLLU-4NxN4Zga-FhqPAkigQkBkut8O8BpQ7cv__3lRWnsiUUGr0-PLECcDbAdYlthrdwBGRF5bfyewwGWQWoJNQm-tlKQNnIwWaTBeFFPO1i4pc6Ej-oTSJbYVe88gYGum8zvkrF474cMYZlnRpOh0ncXL4ofoVTej6bBTx/s1081/Ant%20Sisyphus.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1081" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9qApAXp-mCawPSLLU-4NxN4Zga-FhqPAkigQkBkut8O8BpQ7cv__3lRWnsiUUGr0-PLECcDbAdYlthrdwBGRF5bfyewwGWQWoJNQm-tlKQNnIwWaTBeFFPO1i4pc6Ej-oTSJbYVe88gYGum8zvkrF474cMYZlnRpOh0ncXL4ofoVTej6bBTx/w266-h400/Ant%20Sisyphus.JPG" width="266" /></a></i></div><i><br />The author <a href="https://stevenpressfield.com/start-here/">Steven Pressfield</a> (author of Gate of Fire and the Legend of Bagger Vance) frequently writes about topics that while specifically are about writing, apply more widely to art in general and to martial arts. Below is an excerpt from a post about Practice and Resistance. The full post may be<a href="https://stevenpressfield.com/2024/02/a-practice-and-resistance/"> read here.</a></i><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Why do we have a practice at all?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">I have my own reasons, some of which definitely go deep into the
airy-fairy, but the most obvious and the most practical is this:<span id="more-22952"></span></span></p>
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">We have a practice in order to confront and overcome Resistance.</span></p>
</blockquote>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">A practice by definition defeats Resistance because it produces work
every day with total focus and dedication. And a practice is lifelong,
so we know we’ll never quit.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">One could say that a practice is “habit.” But in truth a practice goes way beyond that. A practice <em>enlists</em> habit. It <em>implies </em>habit (if we have a practice, we do it every day, i.e. it can be called a habit) but it <em>is </em>habit only in the sense that giving birth is exercise.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Likewise, if we said the purpose of a practice is to overcome
Resistance, we would be vastly understating the depth and effect of
having a practice.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Overcoming Resistance is a side-benefit of having a practice. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">For myself, I was years into the act of having a practice before I
even thought about its efficacy as a strategy to overcome my own
Resistance. Resistance was (and is) a given for me. It wakes up with me.
I know I will have to face it every day, and I know it will never
diminish or relent or go away.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">But I have a practice. That’s all I need to know. I know at a certain
time of day I will go into a certain room. I will enter with a very
specific mindset, i.e. “Leave your problems (and your ego) outside.” And
I will engage in a very specific (though infinitely varied in the
moment) enterprise.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p></p>Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13961468.post-20349042204433675182024-02-16T03:30:00.009-05:002024-02-16T03:30:00.133-05:00Historical European Martial Arts Video<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCzHOdrhEY85oPfJWbEsS9T1Z9kXvfYqicGW-LTz60U9ofiMvW3-MSna9-Gp_DT6NPoCBgjGXg4suHRUaHRuKyowCqz4NmydrUTslFJLI5MGnf17uLzO_RhNNkMYydNYnC7EZu3552EtGcDVmyvltRTGqsIMWI_Hsy5nvicl6iYFBRMQ5pdIh0/s600/Fancy%20fencing%20touch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCzHOdrhEY85oPfJWbEsS9T1Z9kXvfYqicGW-LTz60U9ofiMvW3-MSna9-Gp_DT6NPoCBgjGXg4suHRUaHRuKyowCqz4NmydrUTslFJLI5MGnf17uLzO_RhNNkMYydNYnC7EZu3552EtGcDVmyvltRTGqsIMWI_Hsy5nvicl6iYFBRMQ5pdIh0/w266-h400/Fancy%20fencing%20touch.JPG" width="266" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Enjoy.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HwHNzL9-zpg?si=MJZQiWJHZDSBwZnL" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13961468.post-53392501741145141522024-02-13T03:30:00.009-05:002024-02-13T03:30:00.131-05:00The Norimitsu Odachi<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX3CfGGQzBpnkJf-XU4OdJaOqfjyGf-OmS1yX04tbpeDLIQpLWU-Jssc28Y2HtXoRVy-YuTCRrXRQSklnfpZo3t4umyxY2gL-c6g6mkrmJgCdsfpmj_HbthMV5XYlsEX2CZcyr0Ftjq0VRvJRaT9epmZdHU9gKJhv17eR4W9bLjlD7nkSQed3T/s629/Odachi%20draw.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="427" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX3CfGGQzBpnkJf-XU4OdJaOqfjyGf-OmS1yX04tbpeDLIQpLWU-Jssc28Y2HtXoRVy-YuTCRrXRQSklnfpZo3t4umyxY2gL-c6g6mkrmJgCdsfpmj_HbthMV5XYlsEX2CZcyr0Ftjq0VRvJRaT9epmZdHU9gKJhv17eR4W9bLjlD7nkSQed3T/w271-h400/Odachi%20draw.JPG" width="271" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%8Cdachi">Norimitsu Odachi</a> is a huge katana. I don't believe it was ever intended to actually be used, but rather a showpiece by the sword smith or perhaps a piece of artwork for some daimyo. Below is a short video.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p><br /></p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5rPG7pNMt-g?si=DsiLkL1g9jLRIa7q" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13961468.post-76999507490065255182024-02-10T03:30:00.009-05:002024-02-10T03:30:00.136-05:00Some of the Inner Work of Practice<p><i><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUnfShGe21TGOqX8QiGrx8uNcVsuXnHrxpS8AduXv4A8UznTyB6awanWH3ee3eguCn73VufOH1sucu3v3FSYZ6ssucKxxxRj7txoJUkQju7vX-PwrK2w-Wj0KqfjeqPD_pnixX3kMnv8h_scu3rkpSx3u4tJcXAB9mrKtkRQ6y0qMib3pNamA/s526/BW%20Little%20boy%20with%20barbells.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="526" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUnfShGe21TGOqX8QiGrx8uNcVsuXnHrxpS8AduXv4A8UznTyB6awanWH3ee3eguCn73VufOH1sucu3v3FSYZ6ssucKxxxRj7txoJUkQju7vX-PwrK2w-Wj0KqfjeqPD_pnixX3kMnv8h_scu3rkpSx3u4tJcXAB9mrKtkRQ6y0qMib3pNamA/w400-h293/BW%20Little%20boy%20with%20barbells.JPG" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br />As martial artists, we can learn from other, non-martial activities, which I refer to as "Budo with a small B." Among these is weight lifting.</i><p></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Like martial arts, weight lifters can ride on the surface of what their discipline has to teach, or they can go more deeply and plumb the depths.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Below is an excerpt from an article written by Jordan Castro, which appeared at <a href="https://harpers.org/">Harpers</a>, who is a novelist and happens to take his weight training very serioudly. The full article may be <a href="https://harpers.org/archive/2024/02/getting-the-pump-jordan-castro/">read here.</a></span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Now comes the best part: The reason I came to the gym in the first
place. I experience a sensation I think of as “opening up.” I receive
new eyes. When blood flows into your muscles it changes your eyes—like
wearing glasses. It starts in your blood and stretches out over the
world, where everything remains the same, but different. It’s as if each
color contains a deeper, richer layer of itself, invisible during the
rote machinery of life—working on my laptop, making food, driving my
car—which only gets revealed when blood makes muscle thick and full.
Before, I saw colors, but now I can<em> actually see</em>; before, I could breathe, but now I can <em>actually breathe.</em>
Anxiety disappears; stress disappears; the stories that I tell myself
in language disappear. I experience something like pure phenomenological
Life. And just as Life can only be understood in and through
Life—revealing itself in the living ongoingly—the pump can only be
understood through the pump. One cannot theorize or think their way into
a pump; my pecs quiver; the neon red sign that reads <span style="font-variant: small-caps; text-transform: lowercase;">the montanari bros<span style="font-size: 20px;">.</span> new haven <span style="font-size: 20px;">“</span>the super gym<span style="font-size: 20px;">”</span></span>
becomes redder; the black floor and black weights become
blacker—everything becomes both sharper and softer; clearer and warm;
the taste of iron fills my mouth; I shake my arms and check the clock so
I know when to begin my next set. When a minute passes, I lay back down
and disappear.</span></p>
<p class="drop-cap"><span class="drop-cap-first-letter" style="font-family: arial;">T</span><span style="font-family: arial;">his, in
so many words, is the activity that increasing numbers of us engage in
on a regular basis—that has changed the lives of millions of Americans
in recent years. Roughly half of Americans say they exercise at least a
few times a week. Since 2010, the number of people with a gym membership
has increased by 32 percent, to 66.5 million people, a growth that is
expected to continue. And weight lifting is now the second most popular
form of exercise in gyms in the United States. More people are
exercising, and the way they are exercising has changed.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">I will stick to “lifting” to describe what is in reality several
types of exercise, each with its own distinct methods and goals, but
with enough in common to be comfortably grouped together. Each involves
moving one’s body against some kind of resistance (weights, exercise
bands, bars, the floor), with the intention of changing one’s body
(usually to become stronger, leaner, or both). There is Olympic weight
lifting, which focuses on two barbell lifts (the snatch and the clean
and jerk); bodybuilding, which focuses on aesthetics (size,
conditioning, and symmetry); powerlifting, which focuses on trying to
lift as much weight as possible with the squat, bench press, and dead
lift; “powerbuilding,” a mix of powerlifting and bodybuilding;
calisthenics, which primarily utilizes body weight exercises like
push-up and pull-up variations; high-intensity resistance training;
and more.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Until recently, lifting was associated almost exclusively with a
specific kind of meathead: crude, tattooed, ragey, offensive. Gyms were
viewed as “sweaty dungeons,” and lifters seen as “unintelligent,”
Natalia Mehlman Petrzela writes in her book <em>Fit Nation. </em>When my
dad lifted in the early Eighties, as he tells it, men at the gym would
openly shoot steroids while sitting on old equipment. But now, all kinds
of people lift. Daniel Kunitz, author of the book <em>Lift,</em> has
written about authors and their exercise routines: Kant, Thoreau,
Hemingway, Nietzsche, Roth. Most enjoyed cardio, such as walking—or they
engaged in some oddly specific movement, like Jack Kerouac, who said he
would “stand on [his] head in the bathroom, on a slipper, and touch the
floor nine times with [his] toe tips, while balanced.” It’s only
recently that more people have begun to lift weights, and that the older
mode of hypermasculine aggression has been replaced with—or at least
accompanied by—something cleaner and more health-conscious.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> <br /></span></p>Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13961468.post-9562665278085787602024-02-07T03:30:00.007-05:002024-02-07T03:30:00.147-05:00Chunliang Al Huang Documentary<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiLmvAs6cClyBqRyrjR7Yz0n_FC8km63RpS8oxa8QolznVHv0yT1XfUe9dLLduRXCid9GeStf34BPKlzKFhzV986lGn7c0GiH8WY1xnDn6Es_oF83u33lAuSswn7hOdkaPKIzzGq4E8VUiRgEr2Q43KugY83yW2cPp3x93CJQuI2slJvyo_QCT/s748/Boy%20and%20Ox%20sumi%20e%20painting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="742" data-original-width="748" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiLmvAs6cClyBqRyrjR7Yz0n_FC8km63RpS8oxa8QolznVHv0yT1XfUe9dLLduRXCid9GeStf34BPKlzKFhzV986lGn7c0GiH8WY1xnDn6Es_oF83u33lAuSswn7hOdkaPKIzzGq4E8VUiRgEr2Q43KugY83yW2cPp3x93CJQuI2slJvyo_QCT/w400-h396/Boy%20and%20Ox%20sumi%20e%20painting.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Over at <a href="https://blokeonthepath.blogspot.com/">Bloke on the Path,</a> a documentary about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chungliang_Al_Huang">Chunliang Al Huang</a> was posted in two parts. Mr Huang helped promote taijiquan as a part of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Potential_Movement">Human Potential Movement</a> in the 70's and 80's. The first part is below. The second part may be <a href="https://blokeonthepath.blogspot.com/2024/02/chungliang-al-huang-taiji-at-wu-yi.html">watched here.</a><p></p><p> <br /></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5Qcpv9FzJsQ?si=5Hk5p6BIw0-0PSRp" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13961468.post-20311152704445823512024-02-04T03:30:00.009-05:002024-02-04T03:30:00.131-05:00A Scientific Approach to Taijiquan Practice<p><i style="font-family: arial;"></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhin0VFbTQLB2WzQ9zkW7lSN-l3lhUZkpWJDOKnz-TY-PfVxN3V81TIIcusSti-DB_TpMnkWUXHAMLwQi7hpxbIOcttem49TbxPecGHGD4GGZlsBybs408Pe-PyIoIKacL8c_ZwS90kjL1sL_ZyeONXAtNY6i4l5ZDojHCUyKNJXDEckkJC68BX/s838/Pocket%20watch%20with%20gears%20exposed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="838" data-original-width="442" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhin0VFbTQLB2WzQ9zkW7lSN-l3lhUZkpWJDOKnz-TY-PfVxN3V81TIIcusSti-DB_TpMnkWUXHAMLwQi7hpxbIOcttem49TbxPecGHGD4GGZlsBybs408Pe-PyIoIKacL8c_ZwS90kjL1sL_ZyeONXAtNY6i4l5ZDojHCUyKNJXDEckkJC68BX/w211-h400/Pocket%20watch%20with%20gears%20exposed.jpg" width="211" /></a></i></div><i style="font-family: arial;"><br />Over at <a href="https://taichithoughts.wordpress.com/">Thoughts on Tai Chi</a>, there was a post about applying the scientific method to ones practice. An excerpt is below. The full post may be <a href="https://taichithoughts.wordpress.com/2024/02/01/why-a-scientific-approach-to-tai-chi-chuan-is-the-most-traditional-and-correct-approach/">read here.</a></i><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I was thinking about healthcare in ancient China, not necessarily in
terms of “Traditional Chinese Medicine”, or “TCM”, but more how advanced
the overall healthcare was in older times. I thought I should do some
digging to find more about this subject and luckily I stumbled on some
very interesting articles covering the Han dynasti, the same time as the
Huangdi Neijing and the Suwen, which is the most important of the
historical texts on Chinese medicine. So I read more about this time
era, and was surprised by my findings. I bet you can’t even imagine how
advanced China was at this time.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">I will reveal more of my findings, but first I think I should explain
more about why this era is important. The Han-dynasty stretches from
202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD, and preceded by the short lived Qin Dynasty
(221–206 BCE) starting with the reign of the person we here call “the
Yellow Emperor,” or Qin Shi Huangdi. <br /><br />This period, with these two
dynasties especially, were very important for the future of whole
China. Huangdi means “Yellow Ruler” in Chinese, or “emperor”. This was
the first emperor of China, who united the country. Amongst other
things, he standardized the Chinese characters, units of weight and
measure, built roads, and started to unite guard towers together into
what today is known as the Great Wall.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">His own time and the following dynasty was a time of development and
science. A lot of thoughts and science from that time influence Chinese
people even today, especially when it comes to attitudes to foods,
exercise and general health. Much of the philosophy of Chinese medicine
and “internal exercise” as what is today called qigong and neigong stems
from this time as well. <br /><br />So why is all this important? Well, because the philosophy around <a href="https://taichithoughts.wordpress.com">Tai Chi Chuan</a>
is influenced by this time era as well. A lot of concepts, terms and
ideas are found in different kinds of practice and ideas of neigong,
qigong and Tai Chi can also be found in the Huangdi Suwen. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">But it’s more to this, and it’s here where the rest of the story fits
in. You see, science, medicine and healthcare, were all much more
advanced in this time than what most people here understand. What is
called TCM today is just a part of a much bigger picture. There was
indeed some of the traditional Chinese medicine and the same kind of
philosophy we still find today in TCM, the foundations of TCM. But at
the same time, the scientific approach and methods we can find in
Western medicine and healthcare <a href="https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S0192415X74000225" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">were also prevalent</a>. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Already in the Han dynasty, there were not only hospitals, but they
also had mobile teaching and research units, and health stations. They
had an advanced understanding of anesthesia, and aseptic techniques were
also quite advanced for their time. This also made surgeries possible.
Surgeries 2000 years ago? Really? Yes, they had medical surgeons
performing surgeries like cesarean sections, dental extractions, and
even the removal of tumors. They recorded the patients and maintained
detailed medical records for patients.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">They also develop sophisticated diagnostic techniques and they used
dietary therapy amongst other things. But when it comes to diagnostic
techniques, herbal medicines and diet, the so called “Chinese
traditional medicine” is present as well. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">In fact, back in those times, “western” type of medicine and
“traditional Chinese medicine” were not separated. It all existed as a
whole. There was a scientific understanding and a holistic approach
together at the same time. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">So what is good to know is that the separation into a “western
medicine” on one hand and a “traditional Chinese medicine” on the other
hand, is in fact a relatively modern, new “thing”. Originally, they were
parts of the same whole and it was never supposed they would be
separated like this. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">So what does this mean for us studying Tai Chi and similar “stuff”?
Well, it means that the philosophy and concepts we use in our own
practice were never meant to exist in a vacuum or as an autonomous
system of thought. Instead, this terminology, or what we call
“philosophy”, was meant to be used together with, and as tools for, a
scientific approach. And for many hundreds of years ago, it was used in
science. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13961468.post-66511843181472889412024-01-25T03:30:00.007-05:002024-01-25T03:30:00.129-05:00Leave Your Troubles Outside<p><i style="font-family: arial;"></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7vBXSWN9TW9ngjtKolIe_3-_6I4yjKXydniNsvNYvgWFKvoscHgf0d5EF3oWkGPOojoY3FX2p4Ykgk5glsE7RugICvDjJyXZBO9lmugjkey2CCDuoeZ5_11z5eJ94VOblPzSimQsWI3ZgAkM821Stwk-RnyouJ_6qVkIF-tcUDtXNM3CGCdd/s750/BW%20ballet%20dancer%20in%20smoke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7vBXSWN9TW9ngjtKolIe_3-_6I4yjKXydniNsvNYvgWFKvoscHgf0d5EF3oWkGPOojoY3FX2p4Ykgk5glsE7RugICvDjJyXZBO9lmugjkey2CCDuoeZ5_11z5eJ94VOblPzSimQsWI3ZgAkM821Stwk-RnyouJ_6qVkIF-tcUDtXNM3CGCdd/w266-h400/BW%20ballet%20dancer%20in%20smoke.jpg" width="266" /></a></i></div><i style="font-family: arial;"><br />As martial artists, we can learn from other athletes and artists. Below is an excerpt from a post that appeared at <a href="https://stevenpressfield.com/blog/">Steven Pressfield's blog</a> (author of Bagger Vance and Gate of Fire). The full post may be <a href="https://stevenpressfield.com/2024/01/leave-your-problems-outside-2/">read here.</a></i><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">My great friend and mentor (and also my first boss), David Leddick,
spent several years as a ballet dancer with the Metropolitan Opera.
David trained with a celebrated teacher named Margaret Craske.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Here’s what he wrote in his book, <em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Not-Everyone-Neither-Are-You/dp/B08RRDRR8V" rel="noopener" target="_blank" title="">I’m Not For Everyone. Neither Are You.</a></em></span></p>
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">I studied ballet at the old Metropolitan Opera when Antony Tudor, the
famous choreographer, was the head of the ballet school. In fact,
Margaret Craske was the teacher most students considered to be more
important. She had danced with Pavlova in the ’20s. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Miss Craske instructed us: “Leave your problems outside the classroom.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Such good advice. And in that hour and a half of intense
concentration on every part of your body, the music, the coordinating
with other dancers—you really couldn’t think about your troubles and it
was great escaping them. You emerged much more relaxed and
self-confident.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">We worked hard. We never had a sick day. You went on even if you had
to lie down in the wings until you were needed. No one thought this was
unusual. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">At the Met, the powers that be were only interested in two things:
how well you sang and how well you danced. Your race didn’t count, your
background, sexual preferences, family, none of that mattered. You had
to deliver. That was the sole standard. It was great.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">In later careers, all of this has stood me in good stead. I never had
to work that hard in any of the various worlds I entered. I knew the
quality of the work I was doing. Dancing at the Met was a wonderful
experience and a wonderful preparation for the rest of my life.</span></p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p><br /></p>Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13961468.post-57236929359004492092024-01-20T03:30:00.011-05:002024-01-20T03:30:00.131-05:00Stoked to Practice<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxYd1eY7JbOffIjuwL9LmHHHmqaeAP4n7z5nz__Ruz2BGqWtWffpYS_oT1GwNXbp3o6h8LZ06lb3edG-DAKKCoT7hKUKWHd12xLXgZlySUIA3QVyaBJYyEjGqkC_3K42D9FLPJRb5ZMWtjZclNrTpX1L2roN4aiLYj6v0oZEiQijC0gddVC6VN/s1280/Monk%20raking%20zen%20garden.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxYd1eY7JbOffIjuwL9LmHHHmqaeAP4n7z5nz__Ruz2BGqWtWffpYS_oT1GwNXbp3o6h8LZ06lb3edG-DAKKCoT7hKUKWHd12xLXgZlySUIA3QVyaBJYyEjGqkC_3K42D9FLPJRb5ZMWtjZclNrTpX1L2roN4aiLYj6v0oZEiQijC0gddVC6VN/w400-h266/Monk%20raking%20zen%20garden.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i style="font-family: arial;"><br />Sometimes our daily practice becomes drudgery. It's sometimes difficult to be enthusiastic about our practice every day, and yet it is essential that we do. </i><p></p><p><i style="font-family: arial;">Below is an excerpt that appeared at <a href="https://zenhabits.net/">Zen Habits,</a> while not specifically speaking of martial arts practice, talks precisely about what it is we need to do to maintain our enthusiasm. The full post may be <a href="https://zenhabits.net/stoked/">read here</a>.</i></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> <br /></span></p><h2><span style="font-family: arial;">Cultivating Stokedness</span></h2>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading"><span style="font-family: arial;">By <a href="http://leobabauta.com">Leo Babauta</a></span></h4>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">How many days do you wake up excited for life, stoked to be alive and take on the day’s challenges?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">If your answer is “often,” then congratulations! That’s an amazing way to live life — but you’re in the minority.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Most people are unenthusiastic about their lives, not looking forward
to what the day has in store. That’s not a bad thing — if that’s how
you’re feeling, it’s just how you’re feeling. There isn’t a “right” way
to be.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">That said, if you’d like to be more stoked about life, then there are
ways to cultivate that. We’ll explore some of those ways in this post.</span></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span style="font-family: arial;">Living a Life of Stokedness</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">What would it be like if you felt more excited by life each day? Or
by what you were taking on at work, in your relationships, in your
workouts?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Life is incredible, and we are immensely privileged to be alive in
this miraculous world. We don’t always appreciate it — and that’s OK, to
not always be grateful or excited — but there is the possibility of
feeling more awe and wonder in our days.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Let’s say you wake up and you have a bunch of work to do (in addition
to other things going on in your life). You could feel a sense of
burden, overwhelm, and anxiety about all of it … or you could feel
really excited by the meaningful things you’re taking on. It’s not that
one approach is right and the other is wrong, but they are entirely
different approaches and experiences. We have a choice.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">What if you took on each thing with a sense of wonder, and an open
heart? What if each act of your day were an expression of your love?</span></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span style="font-family: arial;">What Gets in the Way</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">All of that sounds good, but there are things that get in the way of living life this way:</span></p>
<ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">A default of not being enthusiastic about life. This comes from
years of having our enthusiasm dampened, from feeling disappointment
over and over, from learning to be jaded.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">A sense of pointlessness that comes when we feel like we’ve failed
at things over and over, or that people have let us down over and over.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Built-up pain from things that have hurt us, to the point where
little things can agitate the wounds in our hearts, easily causing
frustration, anger, explosions of outrage.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Built-up fear from things that have gone wrong, leading to a general
sense of anxiety and overwhelm, and worrying about everything.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Built-up resentment and anger from injustices and offenses, large and small.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Built-up self-judgment from all the things we think we’re doing wrong, failing at, etc.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Built-up sadness from many losses, both large and small, so that the world and people around us can easily trigger sadness.</span></li></ul>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">This isn’t a comprehensive list, but I hope you can get a sense of
what gets in the way of our enthusiasm and stokedness about life. Our
hearts are closed more than open.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">There is nothing wrong with any of this — it’s a natural consequence
of life! We build up conditioning from lots of things that happen to us,
from grief and loss to hurt and anger and fear. It builds up, and we
lose the open-heartedness with the world.</span></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span style="font-family: arial;">Releasing the Blockers</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">If all of the above represents blockers in our hearts, then wouldn’t it be freeing to be able to release these blockers?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The process to release the built-up blockers is simple but not necessarily easy:</span></p>
<ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">When the world triggers a conditioned blocker (anger, resentment,
fear, sadness, hurt, overwhelm, anxiety, jealousy, grief, etc.) … notice
that it’s there, and decide to release it.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Sit still for a few minutes, and let yourself feel whatever you
feel. Relax, and allow the feeling as fully as you can. Surrender to it,
allow it to just be an experience of energy in the moment.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Know that you’ll be OK. It’s just energy, and if you relax instead
of resisting the energy, it will just pass through you. That said … only
do it if the intensity is a 7 out of 10 or lower. You don’t need to
work with a 10/10 intensity, unless you have a therapist working with
you.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">After it passes, give yourself some gratitude and love. You have released some of your blockage.</span></li></ul>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">It might take a number of these kinds of releasing sessions to
actually release a blocker, but the more you’re able to surrender and
feel it, letting it pass through you, the less it will remain in you.
You’ll be freed.</span></p>Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13961468.post-28783325106362011072024-01-17T10:42:00.002-05:002024-01-17T10:42:36.300-05:00Tae Kwon Do Knockouts<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW9w-VTb6L6CoyYtnsarpHBOpq3vC5UTP9No9BRUQ9UT3lxvzlLva77MOkYAkpds7_gsWkJ-MFkVd44S5YVyZvQqSNQrr1vNTivR-5y33OuWtzCN3dWL2DoqF6obWIzGZBXGnboHj4OCJ71TSPp00BXt0JlwwMQ4oDXTpAootATiLiEb4k7Ey_/s899/Kicking%20the%20moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW9w-VTb6L6CoyYtnsarpHBOpq3vC5UTP9No9BRUQ9UT3lxvzlLva77MOkYAkpds7_gsWkJ-MFkVd44S5YVyZvQqSNQrr1vNTivR-5y33OuWtzCN3dWL2DoqF6obWIzGZBXGnboHj4OCJ71TSPp00BXt0JlwwMQ4oDXTpAootATiLiEb4k7Ey_/w268-h400/Kicking%20the%20moon.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><br /> <span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoy:</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5sNmir-yLnc" title="13 Brutal Taekwondo Knockouts" width="480"></iframe>Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13961468.post-70601643326883790962024-01-14T03:30:00.006-05:002024-01-14T03:30:00.136-05:00Training Ideas: Reduce the Restraints<p><i style="font-family: arial;"></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmFVN3r_opPStDxsAPHC4ci-2x6oYL5nPA8l5yBslSJgjbICFYnSQdOv3xcJMtziJnR76dzuR_BZZWDagDsuaU20-3_OwGF1ZzA4U0dFuQhhl_lR5dOtqEaDOyUs4G02nVxunhQV9Ny2Yvb-urzLXGt3yR3qVJLDkFZPnaAIRQZ3jDgkVKPst/s960/Blue%20river%20and%20woods%20in%20autumn.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="682" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmFVN3r_opPStDxsAPHC4ci-2x6oYL5nPA8l5yBslSJgjbICFYnSQdOv3xcJMtziJnR76dzuR_BZZWDagDsuaU20-3_OwGF1ZzA4U0dFuQhhl_lR5dOtqEaDOyUs4G02nVxunhQV9Ny2Yvb-urzLXGt3yR3qVJLDkFZPnaAIRQZ3jDgkVKPst/w284-h400/Blue%20river%20and%20woods%20in%20autumn.JPG" width="284" /></a></i></div><i style="font-family: arial;"><br />In our training, we talk a lot about discipline and motivation in getting our behinds out there and getting the work in. In the Yin and Yang of things, there is also another approach we can take: to reduce or remove our restraints.</i><p></p><p><i style="font-family: arial;">At <a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/">The Art of Manliness</a>, there is a post that discusses this. Below is an excerpt. The full post may be <a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/habits/why-arent-you-doing-it-already/">read here.</a></i></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I<span data-preserver-spaces="true">t’s a new year, so many men are thinking about making changes in their lives. </span></span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: arial;">Maybe you want to lose weight. </span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: arial;">Maybe you want to get up earlier. </span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: arial;">Maybe you want to spend less time playing video games.</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: arial;">Maybe you want to be less of a grump. </span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: arial;">If you’re like many men who desire to make changes in their lives, you’ve likely attempted personal change but failed. </span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: arial;">You’ve started diets, tried workout plans, and created budgets, only to give up on them a few weeks or months later. </span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: arial;">What gives? </span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: arial;">When
we flounder in our attempts to improve ourselves, we typically chalk up
the failure to a lack of motivation or discipline. So we read books and
watch YouTube videos on increasing our motivation and discipline. But
they don’t seem to help much. We might feel an initial increase in
drive, but then it peters out after a few days.</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: arial;">Like
most men, I’ve had varying degrees of success with different
self-improvement goals. Why do I succeed with some and not others? As a
father, I’m keen on helping my kids develop noble habits and desires.
How can I better nurture their progress? As a guy in the business of
“helping men become better men,” I’m always looking for insights that
can help me fulfill that professional vision.</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: arial;">So
I’ve been thinking and reading about personal change this past year. My
study has taken me to psychology and behavioral science, of course. But
it’s also led me to philosophy. Personal change isn’t just a matter of
neurology or psychology; an element of soul is also involved. Some
changes are more soulful than others. </span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: arial;">Over the next year, I plan to share some of the things I’ve been thinking about and learning about personal change. </span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: arial;">But
to kick things off, I want to introduce you to a theory of how personal
change happens that has significantly influenced my thinking about this
aspect of the human experience. </span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: arial;">...</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: arial;">When it comes to making a change, we typically think of increasing our driving forces — things like motivation and discipline. </span></p><div class="ai-viewport-1" data-block="1" data-code="PGRpdiBjbGFzcz0nY29kZS1ibG9jayBjb2RlLWJsb2NrLTEnIHN0eWxlPSdtYXJnaW46IDhweCAwOyBjbGVhcjogYm90aDsnPgo8ZGl2IGNsYXNzPSdodGxhZC1SZXNwb25zaXZlX0NvbnRlbnRfRmxleCc+PC9kaXY+PC9kaXY+Cg==" data-insertion-no-dbg="" data-insertion-position="prepend" data-selector=".ai-insert-1-71362092"><div class="code-block code-block-1" style="clear: both; margin: 8px 0;">
</div>
</div><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: arial;">Increasing your driving
forces can get you much of the way towards your goals. I’m a
particularly strong believer in the idea that motivation — having an
inherent desire to engage in a pursuit — <a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/featured/motivation-over-discipline/">is essential in achieving success in any endeavor. </a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">But
people often overlook the significance of restraining forces in
successfully transforming their habits. Dr. Ross Ellenhorn, the author
of </span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006296111X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=006296111X&linkCode=as2&tag=stucosuccess&linkId=FSXA3GZUT5SFDAZ4" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">How We Change (And Ten Reasons Why We Don’t)</span></em></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true">,
compares the interplay between driving and restraining forces to
heading out on a road trip: you may have a full tank of fuel (driving
forces), but if you run into a traffic jam (restraining forces), you’re
not going to get anywhere.</span></span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: arial;">So
it’s worth flipping things around from how you may normally think about
goal-setting to consider the restraining forces side of the equation. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Kurt Lewin was the intellectual grandfather of the contemporarily influential psychologist Daniel Kahneman of </span><a href="https://amzn.to/3RHLSeP"><em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Thinking Fast and Slow</span></em></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true"> fame. In <a href="https://freakonomics.com/podcast/how-to-launch-a-behavior-change-revolution/">an interview</a> on the </span><em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Freakonomics </span></em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">podcast,
Kahneman described a key insight he got from Lewin about how to help
someone else change that also applies to changing your own life:</span></span></p><blockquote><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: arial;">Diminishing
the restraining forces is a completely different kind of activity
because instead of asking, ‘How can I get him or her to do it?’ it
starts with a question of, ‘Why isn’t she doing it already?’ Very
different question. ‘Why not?’ Then you go one by one systematically,
and you ask, ‘What can I do to make it easier for that person to move?’ </span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">I love that question to ask yourself when you’re troubleshooting failed attempts at personal change: </span><em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Why am I not doing this thing already? </span></em></span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: arial;">Why am I not already eating right? </span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: arial;">Why am I not already exercising regularly? </span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: arial;">Why haven’t I already curbed my drinking?</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: arial;">Maybe
perfectionism is holding you back from sticking to a diet. Instead of
giving up completely when you don’t keep your diet with exactitude,
perhaps you can give up the perfectionist mindset and settle for good
enough 80% of the time.</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: arial;">Maybe
you’ve overextended yourself in time commitments and don’t have the
time to dedicate to a regular exercise routine. Do an audit and bow out
of some commitments to free up some time. </span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: arial;">Maybe
you’re ready to quit drinking, but all your friends want to do is go to
the bar every night. Expand your social circle and find new friends who
don’t center their socializing around alcohol. </span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: arial;">You
don’t have to eliminate all the restraining forces in your life. Some
restraining forces you’ll never be able to get rid of, like family
members or a disability. But you can always find ways to work around
them or diminish their influence on a desired outcome. Focus on what you
can do, not what you can’t do.</span></p><p></p>Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13961468.post-87412151649990007202024-01-11T03:30:00.005-05:002024-01-11T03:30:00.136-05:00Musashi the Artist<p><i style="font-family: arial;"></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlg9kFlz7vzCjELHmSmslGEb1oq7ihXAAM4JLmrIO3NebKLGWrPeg2Rck8Mm5JdX-acLHFpe200mA8__l-Vy9yTF5OLRvPxvc_15EPVuUz3vmeY6nP-mWRnSVO4V1Yvu2-2vsbYrYOv1PH41CuuXB3PXJxvMqFRcjFXmg1Jdmh7GoU_T8o5qXE/s600/Musashi%20dragon%20detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="600" height="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlg9kFlz7vzCjELHmSmslGEb1oq7ihXAAM4JLmrIO3NebKLGWrPeg2Rck8Mm5JdX-acLHFpe200mA8__l-Vy9yTF5OLRvPxvc_15EPVuUz3vmeY6nP-mWRnSVO4V1Yvu2-2vsbYrYOv1PH41CuuXB3PXJxvMqFRcjFXmg1Jdmh7GoU_T8o5qXE/w400-h349/Musashi%20dragon%20detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i style="font-family: arial;"><br />Besides being a famous swordsman, Musashi was an artist. At <a href="https://ichijoji.blogspot.com/">Ichigoji,</a> there is an article about his famous dragon painting. An excerpt is below. The full post, with accompanying photographs, may be <a href="https://ichijoji.blogspot.com/2023/12/musashis-dragon-painting.html">read here.</a></i><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: arial;">Another
year draws to a close and the Year of the Dragon begins here in Japan
(yes – it is a somewhat odd combination of the Chinese lunar New Year
that begins a couple of months later, and the western New Year).</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: arial;">The
imperial connections of the dragon in China are well-known; in Japan
there was a strong connection with esoteric arts and Zen Buddhism in
particular (at least in art) where they are seen as protectors of the
Buddhist law. In this respect, they are still to be seen on the ceilings
of many temples in Kyoto – some of them dating back to the late
Muromachi <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>period (late
1500s). Some of these are on public display, some in areas only open to
the public during the special openings in the spring and autumn, and
some are rarely to be seen at all - perhaps only when peering through
the wooden slats into the gloom. Some of these are very evocative, some
less so, but they certainly have a power in situation that is difficult
to reproduce in photographs.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: arial;">The same
may be said for the many dragons depicted on sliding doors and screens,
some of them very powerful, others quite strange (or even both in the
case of some of Kaiho Yusho’s paintings, where the dragons loom out of
the darkness as presences quite different from the scaled creatures of
Chinese lore. I wrote about some of the great dragon paintings (Master
Dragon Painters), and strongly recommend seeing them in the flesh if
possible. The reality of a painting is more than the image itself - the
setting, the lighting, the size, the texture, the sense of antiquity, -
all these add something to the experience that make it more than visual
alone. With ink, the age of the paper, the way the ink has sunk in,
faded or worn off – the patina of age, I suppose you could say – is part
of the work. </span><span class="s1" style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: arial;">For
whatever reason, I have always found the works of Miyamoto Musashi
particularly powerful in the flesh (not something I’ve had the chance of
doing very often, mind you), but I have not had the chance to see his
dragon painting. Of course, he is better known for the more modest
creatures he depicted, things he had seen with his own eyes, but at
least one dragon painting survives (and there is supposed to be another,
even more elusive one, too). <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> <span class="s1"> <br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span class="s1"></span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpDNUWPYVOnlvNQUZGEaE5H-EkmRg6KSGHa057hCszd1w3E7tCW9mjyCs8paOcvNct4NKLORPNd90TQ88nbCIqekKYRKrXXMfbCfoK_2vZW6VXGiQxdQyhCbZxMJaUo3LihRCtH0IhJY06-3x0cWE1N8mnL_AfC9OkjkSSoNUvfUfN2c36SOrpmdSOOEw/s824/Dragon's%20head.png" style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="824" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpDNUWPYVOnlvNQUZGEaE5H-EkmRg6KSGHa057hCszd1w3E7tCW9mjyCs8paOcvNct4NKLORPNd90TQ88nbCIqekKYRKrXXMfbCfoK_2vZW6VXGiQxdQyhCbZxMJaUo3LihRCtH0IhJY06-3x0cWE1N8mnL_AfC9OkjkSSoNUvfUfN2c36SOrpmdSOOEw/s320/Dragon's%20head.png" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: arial;">The
dragon faces left into space, but his eyes look elsewhere. The look on
his face is mild, even sheepish, recalling some of Kaiho Yusho’s
dragons. (It is quite likely that Musashi had seen and perhaps made
copies of Yusho’s work). What is he looking at? </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: arial;">As
I’ve written before, there is recognition now in art circles that the
pairing of dragon and tiger had strong associations with military
divination, and these connotations would have been familiar to many
warriors. It is possible that this painting was one of a pair – I have
seen it suggested there could have been a tiger, or as in the case of
Kaiho Yusho’s works, another dragon. Perhaps the eyes are a clue. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13961468.post-72930738914778259602024-01-08T03:30:00.007-05:002024-01-08T03:30:00.138-05:00Murder on the Dojo Floor<p><i style="font-family: arial;"></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4Oxm4Pk3k-pIKLlDLyfy6-0bGZc0a1A5h-XU0HmPUls-rJyV42Uppfqkq0jGzIxadmf9Hrwed3d6AdvAL8RWR8gc1olqG78W0M-znvMFBLauImydoogQ0Q16PREYAf7hBWsegq1ku7KbCePifWNQuQD9AKPeJ4LnPitUL-LuKStBElBdNp-w/s825/Aikido%20ude%20garame%20over%20hip.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="825" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4Oxm4Pk3k-pIKLlDLyfy6-0bGZc0a1A5h-XU0HmPUls-rJyV42Uppfqkq0jGzIxadmf9Hrwed3d6AdvAL8RWR8gc1olqG78W0M-znvMFBLauImydoogQ0Q16PREYAf7hBWsegq1ku7KbCePifWNQuQD9AKPeJ4LnPitUL-LuKStBElBdNp-w/w291-h400/Aikido%20ude%20garame%20over%20hip.JPG" width="291" /></a></i></div><i style="font-family: arial;"><br />Not really. Below is an excerpt of a post by the <a href="https://aikibudokan.typepad.com/the_thoughtful_sensei/">Thoughtful Sensei</a> organizing the techniques in his style using the term for a gathering of crows, a "murder." The full post may be <a href="https://aikibudokan.typepad.com/the_thoughtful_sensei/2023/12/205-flavor-of-the-month-club.html">read here</a>.</i><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Many martial artists look at a kata (aka a group of techniques) and
only see ......... a group of techniques. This isn't a bad thing because
after all ... it really is just that. Unfortunately however, little
thought is given by the younger and the relatively inexperienced players
that those techniques (and kata sets) might have been placed together
for a reason.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Just for the fun of it (now entering "mild humor mode") let us refer
to that group of techniques as a "Murder" (3 or more items involved and
generally used for groupings of crows). In this case however we are not
speaking of crows (specifically) but rather of groupings of principles
and techniques needed to excel in whatever martial art suits your fancy.
In our case it's Tomiki Ryu Aikido/Aikijutsu, the Aikijutsu coming from
our pre-WWII origins.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">In our view Tomiki Ryu has two levels of kihon or basic techniques
that come before the Murders and that everything coming after is based
upon. In Tomiki Ryu these are taught as the walking and the 8 Releases.
The walking is done solo and the 8 Releases are done with a training
partner. Every hand motion and footstep in Tomiki Ryu are taught within
the walking and every off-balance and re-direction of energy and power
is explored in the 8 Releases.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Then come the Murders; the groupings of waza (techniques) that are
based off the kihon, each with a different underlying theme or "Flavor"
if you will.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">In Tomiki Ryu the 1st Murder is the 17 Attack Movements teaching the
fundamental principles of distance, timing, posture, gaze, off-balance
of self and of attacker, foot movement, basic techniques, hand
exchanges, and underlying purpose as seen within the idea of "Closing
Centers" (centripetal forces) or the application of power as the centers
of gravity (of defender and attacker) move towards each other.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The 2nd Murder in Tomiki Ryu is The Big 10 Defensive Movements which
uses some of the same techniques as the 17 but within the context of
"Separating Centers" (centrifugal forces) or the application of
energetic power as the centers of gravity move apart. This 2nd Murder is
actually considered to be more powerful (read "dynamic") than the 17
because of the attachment points and flow of energies as tori and uke
merge, attach, and then forcefully separate.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The 3rd Murder in Tomiki Ryu is Yon Kata or the 4th of the koryu (old
flow) kata groupings where the idea of synchronizing the movements of
both the defender and the attacker is developed and then how to "break"
that synchronization at the best moment is learned; becoming "one mind"
for a brief moment before tori breaks that connection and throws uke.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The 4th Murder is an advanced koryu kata labeled Go Kata. This Murder
teaches combative principles via techniques using both closing centers
and separating centers. It is done at speed to pressure the defender
such that they must intuitively react from the subconscious.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13961468.post-92167755422499233082024-01-05T03:30:00.007-05:002024-01-05T03:30:00.244-05:00Vintage Martial Arts Ads<p><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: arial;"></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9v4TzlhsDScmZenBWThOQydrOuyW-gmPksQczJ8LZEM60IhifntBeHjdXSPkRoCXc_C-Mb3gTmwURbEHRX6vAj5GxrYfDBo9ZHOGiGousxeCwsDdn_fB5swOJhcpomEpHqoh_SncdZqw5AjUO-y03VKZOIpoyzcXoKP_bi8-s1j5YKA3YUpr4/s884/Count%20Dante%20ad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="884" data-original-width="630" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9v4TzlhsDScmZenBWThOQydrOuyW-gmPksQczJ8LZEM60IhifntBeHjdXSPkRoCXc_C-Mb3gTmwURbEHRX6vAj5GxrYfDBo9ZHOGiGousxeCwsDdn_fB5swOJhcpomEpHqoh_SncdZqw5AjUO-y03VKZOIpoyzcXoKP_bi8-s1j5YKA3YUpr4/w285-h400/Count%20Dante%20ad.jpg" width="285" /></a></i></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: arial;"><br />At <a href="https://www.hoganmag.com/">Hogan's Alley</a> is a long, exhaustive and entertaining article about martial arts ads that appeared in magazines, comic books, etc. Below is an excerpt. The full article may be <a href="https://www.hoganmag.com/blog/the-deadliest-ads-alive">read here.</a></i></span><p></p><h2 style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></h2>
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<h2 style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">With the world grown smaller and the Far East drawn so near, it's hard to imagine a time when martial arts had an aura of mystery about them. Nowadays, with afterschool tae kwon do, cardio-kickboxing and a slow-motion kung-fu scene in every action flick, martial arts—while still a crowd-pleaser—have long been leeched of exoticism. In the backhanded benefit of cultural assimilation, they're practically quaint. DAN KELLY examines the once-robust campaign of martial arts ads in comic books.</span></span></h2><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em style="font-family: arial;"></em></span></p>
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<h2 style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>FEAR NO MAN</strong> </span></span></h2><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Saying adieu to Orientalism, it's impossible to approach comic book ads touting martial arts training (the golden age of which took place between 1960 and 1985), with anything but snickering derision. (For the purposes of this essay, martial arts refers to the organized systems of hand-to-hand combat and weaponry training originating in the countries of the East, particularly China, Japan, Okinawa and Korea. Western countries, obviously, also practice arts of warfare (boxing, wrestling, fencing, savate and others, for example), but the term has become almost totally associated with Asian styles in the Western public's mind (ironic since the root of the word martial arts is Mars, Roman god of war). (For further details on practitioners of Western martial arts, please visit <a href="http://www.mrdankelly.com/csg.html">http://www.mrdankelly.com/csg.html</a>.) "FEAR NO MAN!" bellows one ad, promising you the ability to "flatten out any Thug, Mug, Wiseguy or Bully" rendering him "ABSOLUTELY HELPLESS IN SECONDS." Another ad screams a musky-with-man-scent vow to bequeath the power of Chinese Kung-Fu," an art of "...crippling self-defense where <strong>every part of your body is a fearful weapon</strong>. Your feet, your hands, your elbows, your fingers..." forged into "lethal weapons WITHOUT REQUIRING SUPER MUSCLE-POWER OR BRUTE FORCE." Yet another ad trumps them all, telling the lumpish <em>Superman</em> reader that even <em>his</em> pasty, sow-bellied self can learn "...<strong>torturing</strong> techniques which are meant to <strong>maim, disfigure, cripple</strong> or <strong>kill</strong> and have been used by oriental terrorists and assassins to MURDER!"</span></span></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Whew.</span></span></p>
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</div></div><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Times and people were simpler then—accent on the definition of "simple" as "easily gulled." Seemingly improbable now, back then the ads were semi-convincing because people knew little about martial arts beyond what they saw misrepresented by popular media. Decked out with Chinese takeout fonts, blazingly violent copy, mystical gibberish, fear tactics and flimflam, the ads took advantage of the dying view of east Asia as a place containing ancient secrets of savage violence. "Fill out and mail in the below coupon," ended each ad in a crashing crescendo, "and be imbued with the bone-shattering fighting arts of the Orient"—and for only 99 cents at that!</span></span></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Naturally, what was promised and what one actually received for that 99 cents were very different things—par for the course with American advertising at large. What made these ads more interesting than others were the freaky mail order senseis behind them, the highly dangerous "product" they allegedly sold, and the unflattering way the ads reflected American attitudes and knowledge about martial arts and their places of origin. Despite what a certain mindworm of a song suggested, not everybody was kung-fu fighting. Some were just faking the moves in order to separate the kidlings from their allowances.</span></span></p><div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-yui_3_17_2_1_1568725171389_267783"><div class="sqs-block-content">
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<p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">While this article concentrates on ads appearing in so-called Silver and Bronze Age comic books, we should first make a detour to the slightly further past to understand what brought about comic ads for Yubiwaza, Aicondo and other "deadly Oriental fighting arts" puffery.</span></span></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The biggest myth this article wants to burst is the notion that Asian martial arts were forbidden to non-Asian eyes until recent decades. Certainly, racial prejudice on both sides created insularity and thereby an unwillingness to share and explore ideas. Also, consider the historical truism of conquerors forbidding the conquered from ever practicing how to fight, causing many Asian martial arts to be practiced in secrecy for a very long time (Okinawans hid their karate training from Japanese occupiers by disguising it as classical dance practice, for example.) Regardless, Americans might be surprised at how long certain styles have been taught in the United States. Despite the hype, not all roads lead to Bruce Lee.</span></span></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A full-scale survey of the presence of Asian martial arts in American
history is impossible in this article, nor is it the goal. Better
instead to briefly look at how they first appeared here and the way they
were initially promoted. The first recorded instance of an American
viewing a demonstration of Japanese jiu jitsu took place when President
Ulysses S. Grant visited Japan in 1879. Pinpointing the exact moment
Asian martial arts were introduced to America is nigh impossible, but
it's certain that judo (already present and practiced in Victorian
England) sailed to the states in 1902 when Yoshiaki Yamashita, a
sixth-degree master, was hired by Great Northern Railroad director
Graham Hill to teach his son his not-so-gentle art. Hill and wife
quickly decided martial arts were too risky for the lad but obligingly
arranged for Yamashita to exhibit and promote judo in New York and
Chicago. Shortly thereafter, jiu jitsu became quite the thing to do
among the haute monde. Yamashita later trained another president,
Theodore Roosevelt, who added a judo brown belt to his list of sporty
accomplishments. For more information on the history of martial arts in
the United States, visit <a href="http://www.completemartialarts.com/information/styles/american/americanhistory.htm">this site</a>.</span></span></p><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In this manner, Asian martial arts slowly trickled into the mainstream.
Training wasn't as omnipresent then as it is now, but it was available,
though the affluent and particular occupations had the easiest time
finding instructors. If one was a cop, one could expect a lesson or
three in throwing, joint-locks and pressure-points—useful in the
nonviolent, but no less painful, apprehension of ne'er-do-wells—when the
Tokyo Metropolitans Police's brand of jiu jitsu came over here (leading
to the coinage of the term police jiu jitsu, which turns up in pulp
fiction of the time). Any man who did a stint in the armed forces, too,
received hand-to-hand combat training, and though it may not have been
called jiu jitsu or judo in boot camp, that's what it was. Several army
and marine instructors, in fact, went on to produce the precursors of
the manuals referred to later in this article. After World War II,
organizations like the YMCA added judo training to their curricula, well
before the first official karate schools opened. All told, even in the
early part of the last century, Asian martial arts weren't invisible in
America. </span></span></p>
</div>
</div></div><p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p>Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13961468.post-15720586540505058192024-01-02T03:30:00.009-05:002024-01-02T03:30:00.131-05:00The Ethical Warrior<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJaheiFW7r7oD_hOKySZmJjK3uJn2KrBV-NUrSSJf3o83gCuur_dH_4NXkdeiMk3vq5avAo1MJgsF9f_cIN_appUIao8QEL52-d0KaYWwJ5c0shOWQ902rt46xDHNBY0XfoY30J77UVjf0LqLlYXpXBRnO_W8RNZ1L_G8hJz5bZHX7G3RksFb/s720/Old%20fashioned%20red%20lantern%20hanging%20in%20tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJaheiFW7r7oD_hOKySZmJjK3uJn2KrBV-NUrSSJf3o83gCuur_dH_4NXkdeiMk3vq5avAo1MJgsF9f_cIN_appUIao8QEL52-d0KaYWwJ5c0shOWQ902rt46xDHNBY0XfoY30J77UVjf0LqLlYXpXBRnO_W8RNZ1L_G8hJz5bZHX7G3RksFb/w266-h400/Old%20fashioned%20red%20lantern%20hanging%20in%20tree.jpg" width="266" /></a></i></div><i><br />At <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellis_Amdur">Ellis Amdur's</a> excellent <a href="https://kogenbudo.org/blog/">Kogen Budo blog</a>, there was published a guest post by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liam_Kelley">Liam Keeley</a>, where he descibed the ethical philosophy of his martial art, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatsumi-ry%C5%AB">Tatsumi Ryu</a>. An excerpt is below. The full post may be <a href="https://kogenbudo.org/guest-blog-the-ethical-warrior-by-liam-keeley/">read here.</a></i><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In 1985, at Waseda University, Ellis Amdur gave a Japan Martial Arts
Society presentation on “Self-Defense in Japan.” There, he quoted a
Buddhist precept, “Do no unnecessary harm.” This phrase, which I have
never forgotten, was reinforced by what I was told by my <em>Tatsumi-ryū</em> seniors. It has become part of my personal ethos ever since. For example when they explained the duties of a <em>kaishaku</em>, I was told that he should act at his own discretion, and not wait for the person committing <em>seppuku</em> to stab himself in the stomach. Rather, the <em>kaishaku</em>
should cut the person’s neck immediately when he leans forward to pick
up the dagger or short sword which will have been placed before him.
Placing the blade at an appropriate distance from the person to be
executed will ensure that his neck is at the optimum distance and angle
for the <em>kaishaku</em> to cut.<span id="more-2069"></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">It was conveyed to me that <em>Tatsumi-ryū</em> is not morally
neutral. You are not permitted to take part in sadistic practices, much
less enjoy what you are doing, as it clouds your mind and works against
you being in <em>mushin</em> (“flow state”). To sum up the <em>Tatsumi-ryū</em>
approach, if you have to kill somebody to stop them for whatever
reason, you may do so, but you should act like the professional you are,
and use only as much violence as is absolutely necessary. From 22:30
until 23:00 within the Korean language “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF2JGGBsBqg&t=1352s" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Asian Masters</a>” documentary, Kato Hiroshi <em>sensei</em>, the 22nd headmaster of <em>Tatsumi-ryū </em>explains the essence of seven admonitions that are necessary to achieve this flow state.</span></p>
<h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">SEVEN ADMONITIONS</span></h4>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">ON yomi</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">KUN yomi</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">Kanji</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">Admonition</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">Kyo</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">odoroku</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">驚く</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">Do not allow yourself to be surprised, surprise the enemy</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">Ku</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">osoreru</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">恐る</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">Do not give into fear, make the enemy afraid</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">Gi</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">utagau</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">疑う</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">Do not doubt yourself, make the enemy doubt himself</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">Waku</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">madou</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">惑う</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">Do not be led astray or deceived, lead the enemy astray</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">Kan</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">yurumeru</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">緩める</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">Do not lose concentration, make the enemy lose concentration</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">Mu</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">ikaru</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">怒る</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">Do not become angry, make the enemy angry</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">Sho</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">aseru</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">焦る</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: arial;">Do not be hasty, make the enemy act in haste</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">RESPECT</span></h4>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The flow state alone, however, can conceivably be amoral. Therefore,
the starting point for the ethical warrior is respect. The Japanese
saying is “<em>Rei de (or ‘ni’) hajimari, rei de (or ‘ni’) owaru</em>.”
(“Budo begins and ends with a bow.”) The original Japanese is
礼に始まり礼に終わる. (NB: if the other particle is used, 礼で。。。) I think, however,
that translating <em>rei</em> merely as “bow” minimizes its importance.
I would prefer to translate it as “respect” in the broadest sense.
Respect for yourself, respect for the other, and yes, even respect for
your enemies. They are human, and if they are to be killed, they should
be killed as respectfully as possible.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">I would venture that it is easier to create an atmosphere of respect in small groups. Typically, <em>ryu</em>
are small bodies of compatible people under strong leadership who share
a common world view. I have a fond memory which may serve as an example
of such cohesion. After training, we (the <em>Tatsumi-ryū</em> seniors) would go through “house-keeping:” recent and forthcoming promotions, upcoming <em>gasshuku</em> and demonstrations, the exegesis of <em>historical documents</em>, etc. On a chilly winter’s night, we would make sure that there was a heater to keep Kato Takashi <em>sensei</em>
warm. The only problem was that he would keep fiddling with the heater,
turning it away from himself so that we would get warm. That’s just one
small example of how he cared for his students. As an example of
disrespect, I remember him telling me about an incident that he
witnessed during WWII. A Japanese officer hit an enlisted man across the
face (temple area perhaps) with his sheathed military sabre. The
enlisted man later died of the injury. Kato Sensei was very
disapproving, saying it was a despicable abuse of authority, and
disrespectful in the extreme to the victim.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">It is a commonplace that no-one has clean hands, and that history is
written by the victors. This is not to say that all parties to a
conflict are morally equivalent. Nonetheless, every country seems to
have disgraced itself on occasion, exhibiting extreme savagery. One
thinks of Turkey’s massacre of the Armenians and the Fall of
Constantinople in 1453; the savage reprisals of the Nazis against the
resistance in occupied Europe, and beyond that, the Nazi’s “Final
Solution;” the Rape of Nanking by the Japanese, and so on. If you’re an
American, there’s the deliberate starting of firestorms to attack the
civilian population of Tokyo and other Japanese cities, not to mention
the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. If you’re a British
citizen/English speaker, don’t consider yourself and your compatriots
blameless: there’s the carpet bombing of Dresden, and if we go back a
little further into the past, there’s the first use of concentration
camps by the British in South Africa during the Second Anglo-Boer War,
1899 – 1902, to force the Afrikaners to stop their guerrilla campaign
against the British Empire, as well as the horrendous Sack of Badajoz in
1812 by British troops under Wellington during the Napoleonic Wars. It
took three days to bring the soldiers back under control, and several
British officers were killed when they tried to re-impose discipline
during the massacre.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Victor Davis Hanson, one of the foremost American military
historians, points out Nazi Germany’s obsessive persecution of the Jews,
continuing to spend personnel and resources on the so-called “Final
Solution,” even when it was clear that the Nazis were losing. Similarly,
should you be so focused on gang-raping your enemy’s women, torturing
the elderly and beheading children that you leave your enemy no choice
but devastating counter-attack, I would suggest that you may have lost
track of reality. Such loss of clarity, when one is intent only on rape
and carnage, may come about though the very nature of one’s society
itself, through the mediums of cultural indoctrination, and/or
indulgence in some form of drugs or alcohol, possession, sadistic
cruelty, torture, and/or sexual violence.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Starting with <strong>The Western Way of War</strong>, Victor Davis
Hanson develops his theme that some uniquely Western institutions make
the West a formidable opponent in war. Being a citizen and not a
subject, having freedom of speech, a tradition of dissent, and prizing
inventiveness and adaptation, consistently produces superior armies,
weapons, and soldiers. The social anthropologist Mary Douglas pointed
out that the Social Body constrains how the Physical body is perceived.
Briefly, cultures are not cobbled together at random; they are
internally consistent. Thus flaws in the strategy and tactics of the
“Savage” will reflect the flaws in their societies.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13961468.post-10409203553904078422023-12-30T03:30:00.007-05:002023-12-30T03:30:00.134-05:00Warriors of China Video Series: XingYiQuan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSs3-gRz5mtxPcOqoSsugTaWY9h3QGYiBO0IYLiz9H8fIvzRJTQ2RB6Ws19ZUtiML95UcCEfWr3RjLpELJedvsrG1RT8x3ZGwxNqO8_ijNELXRvfmbdcWp61DXjeCxYNeN60ttopwL4EM7prcJRtPewyonGNSljn5Ykud8X6XHUvMXLNYJYNIz/s1253/Steam%20locomotive%20full%20head%20orange%20tint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1253" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSs3-gRz5mtxPcOqoSsugTaWY9h3QGYiBO0IYLiz9H8fIvzRJTQ2RB6Ws19ZUtiML95UcCEfWr3RjLpELJedvsrG1RT8x3ZGwxNqO8_ijNELXRvfmbdcWp61DXjeCxYNeN60ttopwL4EM7prcJRtPewyonGNSljn5Ykud8X6XHUvMXLNYJYNIz/w235-h400/Steam%20locomotive%20full%20head%20orange%20tint.jpg" width="235" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Empty Mind Films has a series names <a href="https://emptymindfilms.com/trailer-warriors-of-china/">Warriors of China,</a> which highlights different martial arts. Below is <a href="https://youtu.be/89D1Xr6E-N4?si=KMrF6veIt70mmYVa">episode #12: XingYiQuan. <br /></a></span></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/89D1Xr6E-N4?si=X2GYYT4VwLBei0Nn" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13961468.post-46433046507183029272023-12-27T03:30:00.008-05:002023-12-27T03:30:00.133-05:00At The Edge<p><i style="font-family: arial;"></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Rz8lsL7eVihJm24r3MbHCfC3RFIbr2bmZD1_qj4WMZxGOZLMBeItFhZT5SclqN2o3BW0PMbnQSLxH_nIPL88Md8IUkly1k5nSyUrqqzz7rIa6OeQEm0Yr-9z4QEyfTtMCp16fvGL4dlu32BMGsg-nklCSX6IWHwQ8Xt8NVI-7tfuYgvo3y8R/s845/Early%20morning%20run.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="843" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Rz8lsL7eVihJm24r3MbHCfC3RFIbr2bmZD1_qj4WMZxGOZLMBeItFhZT5SclqN2o3BW0PMbnQSLxH_nIPL88Md8IUkly1k5nSyUrqqzz7rIa6OeQEm0Yr-9z4QEyfTtMCp16fvGL4dlu32BMGsg-nklCSX6IWHwQ8Xt8NVI-7tfuYgvo3y8R/w399-h400/Early%20morning%20run.jpg" width="399" /></a></i></div><i style="font-family: arial;"><br />Below is an excerpt from an article that appeared at <a href="https://zenhabits.net/">Zen Habits.</a> It's specifically about practicing "at the edge" in running, but I think it applies equally well to martial arts. The full post may be <a href="https://zenhabits.net/edge-practice/">read here.</a> Enjoy.</i><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I’m not the world’s greatest runner, but lately I’ve been challenging myself to stay at my edge.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">As I was running at my edge the other day, it occurred to me that
this is a useful practice in many areas in life. Learning to play at
your edge is a challenging practice, but pays off in so many ways.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">If you learn to play at your edge, you learn to stop shying away from
discomfort. You grow and learn in new ways. And you develop a
confidence in yourself that is hard to do when you stay in your comfort
zone.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Let’s explore this challenging practice.</span></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span style="font-family: arial;">How I Stay at My Edge with Running</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Let’s use running as a concrete example of this, so you know what we’re talking about.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">First, I should say that I don’t do all my running at my edge. I run
about three times a week, and typically only one of those runs is at my
edge. The other two are at an easy pace.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">But that one run a week at my edge typically looks something like this:</span></p>
<ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>Warmup</strong>: I start out running easy, warming up. Then I walk for a minute. This has me fully ready to run.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>Easing in</strong>: I start running and ease myself into a faster pace.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>The Pace</strong>: I run about as fast as I can run if I were running a 5K race (which is a fast pace for me).</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>The Edge</strong>: At some point, I feel like slowing down —
this is the edge of my discomfort, and it makes me want to back away.
At this point, I try to stay here at the edge and not back off. Note
that this is not an all-out sprint, but a sustained strong pace.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>Staying at the Edge</strong>: If I stay at the edge, it
usually gets more uncomfortable. If I can stay here, I do. If I have to
rest, I do so, but then try to come back to the edge.</span></li></ul>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">I repeat this, staying at the edge as long as I can, then backing
off, then going back. If I can stay without resting, I do it, but
resting and then going back is often a part of the process.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">As you can see, this isn’t about never backing off. It’s about
staying at the edge for as long as I’m able. And using rest as a way to
get back to the edge.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">By the way, this has been a really effective way for me to get
stronger at running, though that’s not the only point. The main point is
to learn to stay with the discomfort.</span></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span style="font-family: arial;">Where Else Can We Practice at the Edge?</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Running is a pretty concrete example, but there are lots of other examples:</span></p>
<ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>Strength training</strong>: Similar to running, I practice
at my edge with lifting weights or bodyweight strength exercises. I
don’t have a fixed weight or number of reps to lift, but feel what I’m
capable of that day. If I can lift heavier, I do. If I can lift more
reps, I do. It’s about finding the edge of my discomfort and hanging out
there, which always makes me stronger when I do it.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>Learning</strong>: If you’re studying something, it’s pretty
uncomfortable to be learning something that you don’t really understand
yet. You’re in the unknown, and our instinct is to get out of there as
soon as we can. But if you can hang out in the unknown for longer,
you’ll learn more. Stay with the learning even if you feel lost.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>Creating</strong>: If you’re writing, making music or art,
creating content online, etc … it will bring resistance. That’s the
topic of Season 1 of the Zen Habits Podcast — how to hang out with that
resistance. If you can stay there in that resistance, you’ll be able to
create, but if not, you’ll be stuck in your comfort zone.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>Focusing</strong>: If you want to get better at focusing on
work (or reading), the practice is to stay for longer even if you’re a
bit uncomfortable. We feel some overwhelm, stress, anxiety … and so we
want to run from it. But what if we could stay here for a bit longer?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>Relationships</strong>: The most delicious part of intimacy
is when we’re in the unknown together. We learn more about the other
person, and ourselves, if we can hang out here. But most of us want to
be in the known — where we’re right, or we control things. When you find
yourself wanting to be right, or to control things, see if you can let
go of that and step into the discomfort of the unknown for a bit.</span></li></ul>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">There are lots of other areas you can practice at the edge –
meditation, healthy eating, adventures, public speaking, finances, etc. —
but I hope you can see that this is where the deepest learning, growth,
intimacy, and creating takes place.</span></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Benefits I’ve Noticed with Practicing at the Edge</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">If you can practice regularly at your edge — not all the time, but sometimes — you’ll see lots of benefits. Here are some:</span></p>
<ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Greater growth — you’ll grow faster as a person, and in the
particular area (like running or learning) you’re practicing, than ever
before.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Greater confidence — you’ll learn to trust yourself, that you can
stay for longer than you previously believed, and this will have you
feeling more confident in all areas of your life.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Expansive life — your life will be less held back by discomfort, and
you’ll be able to expand to new areas of life that previously felt
impossible.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Less stress — very often our stress is about our worry about not
being able to handle something. But with this greater trust an
confidence, and greater sense of expansiveness, we actually feel more
fully alive and less worried about not handling things.</span></li></ul><p></p>Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13961468.post-42400683759558804902023-12-24T03:30:00.011-05:002023-12-24T03:30:00.130-05:00Warriors of China Video Series: BaGuaZhang<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://emptymindfilms.com/"></a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNXG3stRPiiw6010lSGeJzRNhIt1x1zl_EmnyYBzyy9Ql12cCE7ZrH_DhT7dKGwmFSkPNpdhO16lK7td_SqoPKsmx9pGqIak13g4LRGwXruA579V_eIv3QvcIc6RSx1JfN2y0thdSuCO1G93PzRHW7YYGHeomCzXBQHA0SXkk7YoZcp7PGNMh/s600/Dragon%20column.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNXG3stRPiiw6010lSGeJzRNhIt1x1zl_EmnyYBzyy9Ql12cCE7ZrH_DhT7dKGwmFSkPNpdhO16lK7td_SqoPKsmx9pGqIak13g4LRGwXruA579V_eIv3QvcIc6RSx1JfN2y0thdSuCO1G93PzRHW7YYGHeomCzXBQHA0SXkk7YoZcp7PGNMh/w400-h400/Dragon%20column.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Empty Mind Films has a series names <a href="https://emptymindfilms.com/trailer-warriors-of-china/">Warriors of China,</a> which highlights different martial arts. Below is <a href="https://youtu.be/unxH9WB1NGY?si=TEHnV1N2vSFS8jeb">episode #12: Bagua Zhang</a>. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><br /></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/unxH9WB1NGY?si=TEHnV1N2vSFS8jeb" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Rick Matzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699550034693340637noreply@blogger.com0