Spartacus Maximus

There was one Okinawan teacher who got rid of yakuza types who attempted to intimidate him thinking he was an easily scared old man. They would not so subtly remind everyone that the building where the dojo was and many other parts of the neighborhood was their turf, and therefore owed them something. They often showed up acting arrogant, threatening and belligerent demanding recognition and « respect ». Instead of cowering in fear, the 9th dan 70 something sensei invited the yakuza in and showed them his personal makiwara, which was basically a piece of iron/steel sheet. After striking it a few dozen times with his hands and then with his toes(similar to sokusen kick in uechiryu), he asked if any of the yakuza characters wanted to have a go. One tried to look tough not to loose face, but visibly winced and very obviously could not continue beyond a couple of halfhearted punches. The sensei asked if anyone else wanted to try, but they all looked at each other, gave a sheepish bow and left. They never bothered him afterwards, even ignoring him if they saw him.

without going into details(some of you out there may already have an idea why), articulating a specific word/sound as a kiai makes it less effective because it is no longer the burst of physical effort/exertion it should be. A long, drawn out shout also would be ineffective because it involves exhaling for longer than normal. is just a really simple concept that seems to have been lost in translation when East Asian martial arts spread out of their native territory. For some reason, like many things uninitiated Westerners seem to have construed it into some sort of mysterious esoteric, cultish thing. This all seems very strange and quite bizarre to anyone with the least bit of familiarity with how a human body works.

Chuck Norris used to be the face of Century MartyArts catalogue in the late 80´s and the 90´s. That catalogue was quite popular in many schools and they would hand it out to the students. As a 90´s student/fan, his movie career already passed, and was only discovered much later; after the television series he was known for later.

That’s awesome. Like so many martial arts fans, it’s inspiring to see an icon such as Chuck Norris still alive and well at an advanced age, even more so if the man in question is still training and maintains a high level of skill. Many martial artists can only hope and dream to reach that age and still be strong.

For the longest time mokuso was something that was done with only very limited or no explicit explanation as to its purpose. Nor did previous instructors ever really tell anyone what we were supposed to be doing for that 2-5 minutes before or after the training session. We were just meant to breathe and concentrate…and everyone did because that is what one is expected to do when training in a Japanese/Okinawan dojo. Finally and luckily an excellent Okinawan instructor explained that, mokuso, in his view had a more practical purpose rather than just spiritual or intellectual theory. The martial/training purpose is to practise natural abdominal breathing(diaphragm), focus the mind and train ourselves to become more aware and conscious of our environment. All very useful for anticipating an attack and avoiding or countering without having to think about it. This, he explained, was essential to developing instinctive techniques and when mastered to a high degree can appear like a « sixth sense »

only a few known by reputation, and one noteworthy known personally as a private instructor. Cannot give his name, but its fine to talk about some of his eccentricities.

Has anyone ever stopped to think about how self defense and use of force are most commonly taught in the martial arts? Perhaps it is more prevalent in classical martial arts. In personal experience, most of what is taught for self defense is too extreme for dealing with what people are likely to face. Here are some overlooked points in most situations in no specific order of importance: 1. It is incredibly easy to cause more damage than intended. Falling the wrong way from being struck or thrown can easily result in death and /or permanent injury regardless of any training. 2. Most of the violence one is likely to face will not be of predatory/criminal intent. 3. Treating every aggressive or violent encounter as if it were trench combat is neither smart nor sane. 4. The legal system, no matter where in the world will always assume everyone involved is at least partly at fault. Whatever the outcome, dealing with the law and trials are never a cheap or pleasant experience.

Perhaps the disappointment might be less important when there are less students. The matter of fact is that it is a normal thing to occur, even just for a fleeting moment. It does no good to dwell on it, especially when students and prospective students are abundant. That could hardly be considered coldness. It’s just how teaching works and, a wise instructor knows from the beginning that most students will probably quit well before the 4-5 years(average) required to even get to shodan(or equivalent). Never mind beyond that.

It is natural to feel great disappointment when one has spent the time, energy and dedication teaching someone a skill; seeing potential in them only for them to quit at the very time when their efforts begin to show results.

the best puzzle mats are the ones about 2,5cm thick and medium firm(yes, some makes/brands have different firmness). Floor mats that are too thick/soft will not react the same way. Something with minimal cushioning close to bare floor/ground. Mats that are too thick/soft will feel like standing on a bed mattress and may even increase the likelihood of foot, ankle or toe injuries.

The longer one trains in the same style and dojo the more lonely it gets. Things and priorities get in the way and life changes. It is only the smallest minority of almost obsessively dedicated individuals who manage to continue past shodan. It is even rarer for those who reached sandan or higher within the same dojo. Usually by that time everyone else who started around the same time have quit way before or soon after reaching shodan. For every 1 person continuing beyond shodan, there must be a crowd of people who left after reaching shodan. It would be interesting to ask a few sandan and above how many people who earned their grades at the same dojo at the same time are still actively training.

Every indoor training space will have a smooth, even surface and most of them have floors with hardwood, linoleum tiles or similar materials. Many will install the typical martial arts or gym mats over that. The only difference that comes to mind when considering the dojo floor, is that there may be more caution when doing things like throwing and falling, or being down on the floor. Knowing that any real life situation is highly likely to happen on uneven and unpadded ground, it makes sense to train on hard floors or outside whenever and wherever possible like the old timers did.

Unless the space has no other users(other renters) or were personally owned, it seems more practical and less of a hassle to have only things that can easily be taken down quickly and easily. It would be infuriating to have something really nice, only to have it lost or destroyed.

Worst ever seen was a senior student nearly take his ear off with a kama that wasn’t all that sharp

Worst ever was a severely sprained thumb from catching a hard kick directly on it instead of the forearm/wrist area like a block was supposed to be done. Misjudged distance and timing during drill. Took dam near 3 months before the pain/sensitivity got back to normal.

What makes the difference is the type and strength of bond an instructor has with the students. In the modern day, it is surely not a common occurrence for a martial arts instructor to feel personally and strongly responsible for a student’s misuse of what they teach.

A dojo’s decor and aesthetics ought to reflect the instructor and whatever system is taught. It would make little sense for a traditional TKD dojang, for instance, to have Judo related items if the instructor does not practise or teach Judo. Many martial artists appreciate and admire the skills of others who train in different disciplines from their own, but it is better to stay relevant to one’s system. Space is vital for a training place, so a minimalist approach is preferable, personally. Walls would be bare, except maybe some portraits of the instructors from my lineage going back to the founder. The entire floor space would be for training and equipment, no decorations, because clutter is distracting and space can be expensive.

One issue with using belts is that it has become so familiar that people expect it. Even the average nobody who knows nothing about martial arts except what popular culture and media says will be aware that martial arts=belts. This is so ingrained that it has become practically impossible to run a school without using belts in some form. Perhaps maybe you might teach a small group without using belts at all, but the second it turns into a formally established school/dojo, people will start wanting and expecting belts or at least some outward marker or progress and rank. In this karateka’s humble opinion, three or four belts is ideal(ex: white, blue, green, brown). Time in grade are minimum guidelines before being considered for the next level; and depend individual efforts. just like in school. Progress is always personal and never automatic. One look at schools will show precisely why the average students-customer seems convinced that skills and knowledge can be bought, consumed and instantly effortlessly acquired like they would at a fast-food store. If that is how people think and behave concerning school, we should not be surprised when they hold the same mentality about martial arts, or music lessons, or whatever else they think can be gotten just by throwing down a wad of cash

It would not be a surprise knowing how common dishonest practices are in the martial arts world. As you have said more than once, martial arts schools are businesses, and no matter what they sell or provide things if it can happen then it probably does.

All the virtues or rules of every martial arts dojo could be combined into one, that is: Strive to be a good person(kind, honest, trustworthy) and a good citizen(follow rules and laws, avoid trouble and troublemakers) in daily life as well as in the dojo. Most people can manage this just fine and it is not a difficult thing to do. If it were, there would be a whole lot more bad apples

It is a little strange to bow to anyone outside of the context and environment of where one trains. Unless the gesture a normal thing to do in the surrounding culture. Bowing is part of East Asian culture. If one lives and trains there under a native instructor it wouldn’t be out of place or be strange. Anywhere else it would be quite odd and perhaps slightly cultish to many outsiders.

These are accounts heard personally, the most recent from about 5 years ago.

To avoid going too far off course in this discussion, what the old teachers meant by a « murderous disposition » was the kind of person who seems to look for an excuse to hurt someone or will purposely hurt others without concern for themselves and especially not others. Has a confrontational attitude, a volatile and violent temper Cannot control their emotions and deal with frustrations and lacks patience Is easily provoked to anger or violence by insignificant things. Knowingly puts themselves in stupid positions, in dangerous places at dangerous. As you can see, this applies to many types of undesirables whether they have a criminal background or not. In Japan and Okinawa and one or two occasions elsewhere there has been cases where someone was turned away because of supposed(not confirmed) ties to Organized Crime(quite a big deal in some locations).

Being able to spot undesirable people comes with experience. There are a few telltale patterns of behaviour that can identify a potentially dangerous individual. Some of these are obvious even to regular people. Perhaps it was/is easier to do with a smaller select group of students than in large groups where the instructor knows only names and not much else. In such a situation, what ways could an instructor use besides discussion to determine if a particular person was of good moral character enough to be taught potentially dangerous things?

There are many reasons why respectable instructors of martial arts might delay, or even refuse teaching a person. Anyone who has trained in Okinawa or Japan for a while might be more familiar with this reason. The one and only reason was that the instructor saw what could be explained as a murderous disposition, a fatal flaw of mind and character in the person asking to learn. A responsible and fair instructor, these circles would never want to facilitate or help cause violence by teaching a violent criminal to be more dangerous and efficient in felonious assault. The curious part is how early the old timers could spot this type of character. A generation or so before now, many karate instructors would know before teaching the slightest thing, whether a particular person was morally teachable.