Author Archives: Brett

New Students

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This week we have welcomed two new students to our dojo: Zoltan and his son Norbet. And, in proper Kyokushin spirit, by the end of the night we had all beat the hell out of each other!

Now, let me pause a moment and tell you a bit about Zoltan. He is big. Maybe 6’4” and weighs 270lb and, I came to learn later, reached blue belt in Kyokushin back in his home country of Hungary. So right after our warm up, when my instructor paired me up with him for sparring, I began to formulate my brilliant strategy of bobbing, weaving, and juking out of the way of his strikes all while delivering my own devastating counter attacks. Then we’re told that we are to only spar within the space of one puzzle mat effectively killing my perfect strategy. “Best laid plans of mice and men”, right?

Ok, so I have to brawl with a man almost literally twice my weight inside the dimensions of a phone booth. That’s cool, I  can deal with it. And so it began. Right off the bat I noticed that Zoltan had a habit of throwing long left-jabs (which hit about as hard as my right-cross) and leaning in at the waist to make up for his enormous height. I took advantage of this by throwing in a uchi mawashi geri (crescent kick) and stopping just before impact to the side of his skull. He stopped leaning forward, though, at least for a while. After that, it was basically a slug-fest: block, slam, block, slam, block, slam, slam, slam.

Toward the end of class we all sparred again. When I was paired up with Zolton again we were at least able to make use of the dojo space and could employ a bit of footwork. Here I learned that while he is pudgy and hasn’t trained on a few years, when you’re as tall as he is you don’t need to be that flexible to kick a man like me (5’9”) in the head. Fortunately I judged our distance correctly and his foot only met air, or that would have been the end of my sparring for the night!

Later I fought his son, Norbet. Norbet is a young kid of maybe 12(?). He’s quick, eager, and shows great potential. Though, given our size and experience difference, he is easily intimidated and dominated in sparring – even my opening kiai seemed to shake him. I decided, on the outset, to focus my attacks on his head since he had the habit of keeping his hands around his stomach and chest (to block in coming punches). Like his father, though, I didn’t connect with my kicks when I aimed for his head – no sense in KO-ing a young newbie his first time in the ring.

What I liked about fighting Norbet was his unorthodoxy. He threw the craziest stuff at me including and elbow ram I recognized from Mortal Kombat. I had to warn him, though, to stop putting his tongue between his teeth lest someone kick him and make him bite it off. He also had a habit of leaving his fist out after a good strike, a la Bruce Lee, which is a great way to get thrown. Still, the sheer joy on his face during kumite and his eagerness as he asked our senpai, “Are we going to spar again?” was invigorating and refreshing.

 

New students are always a mystery. Sometimes they work out and sometimes they don’t. I feel good about these two additions, though. Both Norbet and his father Zoltan appear to be very friendly people; quick to smile and earnest in their training. I think they’re going to fit in very well here.

 

 

Osu!

You Might be a Martial Artist if…

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You might be a martial artist if…

…The sight of bruises on the opposite sex is oddly arousing.
…You plan vacations around tournaments and belt tests.
…You’ve ever been caught miming abbreviated kata while waiting in line.
…Your family is not concerned when you come home covered in bruises.
…You’ve schedule dates around training.
…You’ve ever brushed your teeth in horse-stance.
…You close doors and operate switches with your feet.
…Your Best Man has given you more than a few black eyes.
…You’ve traversed an empty hallway walking through in a forward stance.
…You consider combat-effectiveness when choosing daily attire.
…Normal people wearing “Tapout” apparel make your eyes roll.
…You criticize fighting technique in action flicks.
…Half your Facebook friends are people you’ve fought.
…You answered “Osu!” at the altar.

Did I miss any?

 

 

Osu!

Cruelty

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Here is another gem I found on Zen Pencils. This one got me thinking on a few important topics, but more on that later. Have a look…

Artist: Gavin Aung Than

Artist: Gavin Aung Than

 

Good stuff, huh? Check out his website and read through the archives. You will laugh, be inspired, and you will struggle not to cry.

But back to the topic at hand. What we have here are a couple basic themes: Good and Evil, Protecting the Weak, and Mercy for your Enemy. The thing I wonder about is whether the monk made the right decision to let the monster go. If you recall, this is the second time he has encountered and defeated this beast. The first time the beast seemed to seek him out in an attempt to kill a worthy foe. And now we see him attacking a helpless innocent. It did not claim the food cart, it claimed the woman. It attacked the weak, presumably, with intent to murder. What is to stop the beast from finding another mask and then another victim? To let the monster go, in a way, makes the monk culpable to the next act of violence committed. It is because of this that I think the beast should have been killed on the spot.

 

“Hang on Brett, this is just a cartoon. Take it easy.”

Of course that’s true – but what is the purpose of art but to make us think about our world? And this piece of art got me thinking further… To what extent do you think martial artists supposed to be peace keepers for our society when we happen to witness something going down? What should we do if we witnessed the real life analog of this comic? It is easy to say that we should help, and on the whole I agree. I’d like to think I’d fly in there with a tobi yoko geri, dispatch the bad guy, help the victim, and at the end of the day have the Mayor present me with the key to the city.

But when has reality ever that simple? What would happen to my wife and my family if I were killed trying to be a hero? And on a separate note, here I am advocating that the monk kill the monster but who, in real life, gives me the right to decide what “reasonable force” is in order to help my fellow man?

 

These are important questions, and I’d like to give you my thoughts on each (and in the comments I’d REALLY like to hear yours, too).

1. What would happen to my wife if I were killed in the act of protecting another?
She would be completely destroyed, and it would be a long, long, time before she would be functional again. This might sound like ego, but it is just a fact: she loves me much more than I deserve and for me to be ripped from her life through an act of violence would devastate her.
Knowing this makes me think about what it would mean to place my own life at risk for a stranger. If I were to die in the process it would mean that I failed one of my primary duties as her husband – staying alive for her. So, to intercede in someone’s assault, when thinking about it from this angle, is tantamount to a betrayal of my marital vow (an unspoken one, at least).

2. What right do I have to hurt or kill someone else in order to protect someone else?
On this, I am somewhat more black and white. But before we get to my own foolhardy opinion I’d like to drop a HUGE disclaimer here:
THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE. I AM NOT A LAWYER OR A COP AND DOING ANYTHING YOU’RE ABOUT TO READ HERE COULD VERY WELL LAND YOU IN PRISON OR ON DEATH ROW.

Glad we have that straight.

So, what do I think gives me the right to dole out punishment, a la Judge Dredd, when it is not my own life that is threatened? I think it comes from our social contract with one another. In a tribe, for the good of society, we reward behavior that protects the whole and punish that which harms it. I believe that if someone wishes to use violence, up to and including killing, to obtain that which is not theirs forfeits any guarantee to remain unharmed, or alive.
This is why I support the idea of the death penalty. Those who wish to kill members of my tribe have relinquished the social promise that the tribe will not kill them in retribution. I’m not an advocate of “eye for an eye”, I am simply acknowledging that there are members of our society that don’t deserve to continue living after they have perpetrated heinous acts of violence.

So how does this relate to we who train in combat? It means that if we respond then our response must always be scaled within the context of the situation. See two drunk college guys beating on each other and one goes down but the “winner” keeps pounding? Stop him but don’t cause lasting harm.
See someone trying to maim or kill a child? I won’t tell you what to do here, but I can tell you that I think there is a special place in Hell reserved for those who harm kids and the sooner he sees it the better.

In the end, I am advocating that those of us who CAN act DO act.

 

So, here is where I ask for your thoughts: What do you feel is the martial artist’s role when it comes to protection of the public? And if you were to intercede to aid someone being attacked, how much force would you feel you could justify to yourself while you lay awake at night and second-guess your actions? Or would you not loose any sleep at all?

 

 

Osu!

What I Don’t Know Can’t Hurt Me

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I’ve been on a short blog hiatus while I refocus on my training and some other projects I’ve been simmering for a while.

But I did want to post a video I found which really shows you what kind of training you can expect if you want to take Kyokushin to the competitive level. I’m glad I didn’t see this before I began training – I honestly wonder if I might have been too afraid to step into the dojo otherwise if I had!

McDojo – The Snake Oil of Martial Arts

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If Clark Stanley were into martial arts, he would definitely own a Mcdojo

A couple weeks ago I got an email from someone who read an old article of mine about the commonest signs of a McDojo. He took umbridge with a few of my choices and I have to admit he made a couple good points. So while I stand by my list, he did convince me that a little elaboration is in order.

But what is a “McDojo”? In short, a McDojo is a martial arts school whose primary objective is to accumulate money, rather than to pass on the art. Now, financial success isn’t bad, but the problem is that in this pursuit the McDojo will happily trade quality of training, and sometimes even safety, for that success! It is also common for those teaching to be found lying about their experience, credentials, and effectiveness in order to secure more students and a bigger bottom line. In short, they are hacks.

So how do you protect yourself from these con-men? Common sense is your best weapon but a little knowledge of some of their lesser known tricks won’t hurt either. Read on and you’ll be better prepared.

 

1. MMA
Sign: MMA is advertized but you see everyone in dogi (white uniform), using “traditional” dojo customs such as bowing and occasionally speaking in the language of the styles origin nation (such as Japanese or Chinese).
Why this is a problem: With the growing popularity of UFC, it has become common in many McDojo to offer MMA training even when the instructor has little more experience in MMA than those he is teaching.
Avoid this by: Ask how long MMA has been offered. Ask for the instructor’s MMA lineage.
Caveat: Some traditional dojo offer special classes, such as MMA, and this is often taught by a guest instructor.

2. Junior Black Belts
Sign: There are prepubescent black belts.
Why this is a problem: Extremely young black belts are often a sign of a school with low standards of training and a focus on promotion-fees.
Avoid this by: Training somewhere else.
Caveat: Very seldom, but sometimes a kid really has earned his black belt.

3. Voodoo
Sign: The sensei claims to have supernatural powers. (I’m looking at you, Dilman)
Why this is a problem: There is no such thing as magic.
Avoid this by: Sometimes the sensei won’t come out and advertize his “special powers” to new comers, afraid he will raise red flags. So ask other students, especially those who may be young or in their early teens (and will be more likely to brag about their superhero sensei). They will tell you if he has ever claimed to have mastered Chi projectiles, Dim Mak, etc.
Caveat: The only caveat I can think of would be if you already believed in the supernatural power that the teacher claimed to have and you sought him out because of it.

4. Self Aggrandisment
Sign: In the martial arts some sensei expects to be addressed with elaborate title, such as “Supreme Grand Master”.
Why this is a problem: This is often a sign of someone who bestowed his own title and may lack actual credentials.
Avoid this by: Again, ask for his martial arts lineage. Also ask what he has his students call him in the dojo.
Caveat: Even if he gave himself the title, he may really know his stuff and can teach valuable skills.

5. Mixed Signals
Sign: The sensei is fat and his black belt is falling apart
Why is this a problem: It often means he does not practice what he preaches. Physical skills expire without use and chubby teacher means that he is not keeping sharp. Yet a frayed and faded black belt implies that the martial arts instructor trains very hard.
Avoid this by: Not training with an overly fat instructor. And watch out for a suspiciously frayed black belt; these are often made this way through manufacture instead of training.
Caveat: Some teachers have accumulated injuries that limit their ability to keep themselves in shape, yet they still want to share their arts with the next generation. Same can be said of those with chronic illness or advanced age. And in some martial arts an instructor will pass his black belt down to a favored student, in which case even a single generation would account for extreme wear.

 

So there you have it, my favorite five. But remember, you need to use your best judgement and keep a sharp eye out. Con-men are clever men and they work tirelessly to separate a fool from his money. But now you’re nobody’s fool.

 

 

Osu!

Empty Your Cup – Wise or Wasteful?

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Picture by Kanko

One of Journeyman’s recent articles speaks about the process that those in the martial arts must go through when attempting to learn new things. And this got me to thinking about one of the basic tenants of martial arts: when learning, we are told to “empty your cup”. It is simple, beautiful, and like many simple truths this zen precept not only applies to martial arts but to nearly everything you try to learn from birth until death.

In his amazing book, “Zen in the Martial Arts“, Joe Hyam relates the anecdote of when he first met Bruce Lee. It was, as he describes, an interview of sorts. And after a brief demonstration of Hyam’s skills Lee warned Hyam that he would have to forget everything he knew before before he would be ready to learn anything. He told Hyam to “empty your cup” and he illustrated its importance by telling a story of a Zen sage and the scholar.

In the story, the sage was visited by the scholar who did far too much talking and not nearly enough listening – even though he sought out the sage for his wisdom. Upon seeing this the sage suggested that he and his guest enjoy some tea. And being a wise old coot the sage he poured the scholar’s cup until it overflowed. When the scholar called this fact to attention the sage said that the scholar was much like the cup, already full, and thus cannot receive anything further. Clever little bugger.

The logic is that you simply cannot learn something if you already believe that you know everything. People who feel this way have a “full cup” and cannot readily learn or be taught. Therefore, to learn something new or different, you must “empty your cup”, right? I mean, even Yoda said, “You must un-learn what you have learned”. Now, far be it for me to argue with the greatest Jedi who ever lived, but I just haven’t been completely keen with the idea of forgetting everything in order to learn something.

 

“Wait, you’re going to try to bump thousands of years of wisdom?”
Yes, and no. There are times when looking at the world through an infant’s eyes can be a beautiful, enlightening, or humbling experience. And I think we would all do with a great deal more humility (myself especially). But there are other times when you need two scoops of adult cynicism in order not to waste your time, get swindled, or suckered into something dangerous.

 

“But Brett, you’re no master of Zen. You’re just some jack-hole with a blog. Why should I listen to you?“
Fair point. And the short answer is: you shouldn’t. Only you can walk in your shoes, so only you know what is true for you. I can only tell you what I have found to be true for me. But since you’re still reading I am going to assume you are interested in my thoughts so let me at least elaborate by explaining my interpretation of the “empty your cup” philosophy.

Remember the zen story of the sage and the scholar? In the story, the scholar was so preoccupied with proving his own knowledge that the sage would be wasting his time to try to impart any of his own. In the dojo, new students (and often not-so-new students) are told this story as a reminder that one must let go in order to learn.

Like all stories, though, this one is open to interpretation. And to me, this fable illustrates more about hubris and ego than keeping an open mind. The scholar was intimidated by the sage and felt that the only way he could increase his standing was to impress the sage with his own knowledge. Had the scholar not been so insecure then he could have just as easily received the sage’s wisdom while not needing to abandon his own knowledge first.

Because whether it is zen, martial arts, or daily life, I have always seen learning as a layering process. One that is best served by not abandoning all of one’s previously held truths.

 

“Ok, smart-guy. You think you’ve got all the answers. So what do you do?”
I dunno about that, but I remind myself that given the relatively short duration of the human lifespan, our brains are not limited to the amount of information they can store. You and I both can continue to learn until the day we die, provided that we are of the right disposition. So, I keep my mind open to new truths, but I don’t necessarily need to forget the old ones. This inclination, in fact, has helped me embrace new truths more fully because they have undergone the scrutiny that my years has provided me.

So in short, when my cup is full I drink it – then ask for more.

 

 

Osu!

Want to Live Forever?

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It is a new year and, as customary for millions, a resolution is typically made to improve one’s self, and popularly these resolutions often revolve around physical health. Well with January wearing on more and more people are undoubtedly finding it difficult to keep up with their health resolutions.

Knowing that, I found this over at Tribe Sports that I think can help. Have a look.
Everything Counts: Lifehack your way to 30 minutes of exercise a day

 

The bottom line is that movement is imperative to life (or at least continued life) – something I have long advocated. So whether it is martial arts training, P90X, or gettin’ your freak on, JUST MOVE!

 

 

Osu!

The Karate Kid

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Recently I tested and passed for my advancement to 5th kyu. Yay for me but that isn’t what I am writing about. Instead I am writing about the REAL Karate Kid.

No…not him. And not Ralph Macchio either. The real Karate Kid that I know is a 12 year old 2nd kyu (brown belt) and we’ll call her “Sammie”.

 

Sammie is from our sister-school an hour away and she came over with others to help out with grading. And right from the start I should tell you that I am somewhat biased against high ranking children as my experience is that many earn their higher belts through either pity, birthday presents, or “well, he always comes to class”. So I wouldn’t have paid much attention to her for the first hour of class even if I weren’t busy with my own training. But when it was time for the higher belts to perform kata, I then first took notice.

In a word, I was surprised. Most children, you see, simply do not have the patience nor the desire to get good at martial arts. Most kids, and I include my childhood self in this, flit from one interest to another like bumblebees, always in search of something novel and interesting. So to find a child that has obtained a high kyu rank in karate is rare. Rarer still in knockdown karate.

Her kata had begun and I watched as she moved through her sequences; after an exhausting hour of kihon she wasn’t perfect, but nor was she sloppy and all of her movements had fluidity and snap. It was a good showing and proved she at least had discipline. Still, though, among underage female martial artists in higher ranks it is fairly common to find proficiency in kata. And who of us hasn’t seen an example of a pint-sized martial artist who’s parents make her focus on something safe like forms?

 

Well I fortunately make a habit of keeping these kinds of thoughts to myself because the next stage of the test was kumite. During my eight 1-minute rounds I wasn’t able to watch, but since she is Brown Belt she had 3 more fights after my rank was told to sit down.

Sammie, very small for a 12 year old, impressed the hell out of me during kumite. She showed more spirit than probably any of us while she fought one larger and older opponent after another. She had great combos, quickness, defense, and endurance. But most impressive was how she literally kept fighting through her tears. I’ve watched older boys, and even some teenagers take a hard shot and immediately quit and begin to cry; and while I am not without sympathy, it makes Sammie’s performance all the more inspiring as she’d return a savage low inside-kick with a jab-cross-uramawashi geri combo.

 

Students like her just go to show that you can’t always judge a person’s spirit by their size.

 

 

Osu!

How to Get Healthy

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I laughed so hard when I saw this

As you know from reading my blog, I am pretty heath conscious (at least to the extent that I am conscious of the importance of health) but not above polishing off way more pizza and chicken wings than I have any business doing. In short, I am probably a lot like you. And since that is the case then I can bet you are probably interested, like me, in learning more about how you can keep that body of yours in good working order. Well you’ve come to the right place. But first, the fun part…

DISCLAIMER: Like it says at the bottom of my site, I am no doctor or nutritionist. So don’t go and take all this as medical advice.

Now, with that out of the way…The way I see it, keeping a healthy body is a lot like keeping a “healthy” car. And there are a few key elements of maintaining your “vehicle”, namely: fuel and maintenance.

 

Fuel
A healthy lifestyle begins with healthy food choices. This might sound obvious off the bat, but take a step back and consider this: there is a nearly infinite number of recipes, foods, and combinations of foods. So how do you know you are doing the right thing for your body?

Well, as with most things, I like to keep it simple. Did the food you’re about to eat come from the dirt? If “yes” then you’re probably good-to-go. But what if (like me) you’re no vegetarian? Simple – when choosing meat or fish, pick options that are going to promote your good health. This means that you want to aim for less refined or “less altered” foods. So pass on the deep fried fish fillet or that bacon double cheeseburger and choose the grilled tilapia or steak and don’t forget the steamed veggies. In short, pick foods that have touched as few human hands as possible.

 

Maintenance
Auto repair is expensive. But “body repair” is even more expensive. And while it is fortunate that, unlike car insurance, health insurance covers the maintenance of your body, we’d all still prefer to avoid needing to “go into the shop”. So how do you do it? Daily exercise.

The first thing you need to do, when it comes to exercise, is imagine the most unpleasurable workout possible. Then make sure you don’t do that (I know…complicated stuff). Do you know the core reason that causes most people to quit working out? They HATE the type of exercise they’re doing! So your primary goal is this: ask yourself the following question, “What do I like to do that is physically challenging, but also fun or enjoyable?”. And once you have that answered it is easy to see that exercise can be fun! I love to grab my MP3 player, throw on my running shoes and burn through an audio book while I hyperventilate. Or you might set yourself an exercise game. You could even take up a martial art (what a concept!).

At the end of the day you must expand the definition of certain words. In this case, “exercise” doesn’t necessarily mean hitting the gym every day and busting your ass on the treadmill. But if you are serious about your health then you must find a way to move every day. Just move your body: take the stairs, go for a walk on your lunch, bring a kettle bell to the office and do a few curls when no one is looking, just do SOMETHING!

 

Remember, good health, like basic auto maintenance, doesn’t have to be anything complicated. What it comes down to is having a healthy lifestyle that involves putting high-octane fuel in your tank and rotating your tires with every oil change.

 

 

Osu!