Waiting for Patience

One of the foundations of studying karate in our dojo is "Perfecting the mind of patience."  This is very likely the most difficult of the five principles for me.  I have never been a particularly patient person, although age and maturity do tend to go a long way toward mitigating patience in general.

Patience is a much more Eastern concept, as we in the modern Western world tend to want things to happen NOW, not later.  This makes martial arts a somewhat difficult endeavor for many.   Some of the techniques that we learn, while simple to do, can take years to master.  So, for us Westerners who need to see results immediately, the thought of spending that much time attaining a goal can be a chore.

Patience is more than a concept in martial arts; it is a cornerstone.  Patience means taking the time to really learn a skill or technique before moving on to the next.   I confess to being in a hurry sometimes when I'm learning something new.  I want to "get to the good part."  Realistically, when learning, what part ISN'T the good part?  In our competitive world, however, we always push ourselves to be better or THE best.  Perhaps this will sound a bit mean, but honestly, giving trophies to children who participate in a sport just because they participated I believe can eliminate the drive or determination to work toward anything.  I can see the reason for the trophy-giving...it is powerfully important to ensure that children grow up with self-esteem and self-worth, but if everything one does is just GREAT and THE BEST EVER, then why try to improve?  One of the most difficult parts of being a leader in my karate school is sometimes telling a student that he or she did not do well enough to promote to the next belt rank.  I do this not to hurt them, but because we expect all students to earn their belts.  Patience is a great teacher; I have personally witnessed students that we have held to the same rank be promoted at the next test because they had patience and did not quit!


I am the world's worst example sometimes of patience.  I've noticed that many of my training partners are the same way, even in other areas of our lives.  I attempt to play the bass guitar and have for a couple years.  Well, darn it, I should be really, really good at it by now, surely!  Unfortunately, I have a long way to go...it doesn't help that I know many incredible musicians and am constantly comparing my skills to theirs!  I also am training to swim, bike, and run (all in one day) and, gosh, I just KNOW that I should be a better swimmer/biker/runner  than I am. After all, I've been training since January, for crying out loud!  I've recently learned the kata, Chinto, and I should definitely have those crane stances perfectly balanced, right?  That'd be a big, fat, hairy "Nope!"

Fortunately for me, the concept of perfecting the mind of patience is the only perfection I need to worry about.  If I am patient, progress will be made.  I can say that I'm already a better cyclist now than I was a few months ago.  This concept is the one also that makes me willing to take a few risks and learn new things at my advanced age of 40+!  While learning patience has been a life-long endeavor for me, and I dare say that I will never fully reach the pinnacle, martial arts as a path to patience has helped me get further along the road than I would have otherwise. 

Run, Rabbit, Run!

Although running is not my favorite activity (Ok, I mostly hate running), it serves me in so many ways and helps keep my fitness levels up.  I'm a bit more focused on running at the moment due to the Ramblin' Rose Women's Only Triathlon in August.  I used to have a better relationship with running, as I took off about a year and a half from martial arts and used running as a way to stay somewhat in shape.  During that time, I trained for three half-marathons and before that, I dipped a toe in the waters by doing a full marathon (walking) in Alaska.  Moving oneself for a really large distance through only the use of one's feet is possibly one of the coolest things ever!

Although I am far from an expert, I learned several things about running. First off, unless you are running for competition or running, literally, for your life, running can be just as slow as you want.  If you would rather train for speed, there are a plethora of training plans involving speed work and assisting you with completing a certain distance within a certain time-frame.  For those like myself who just need to cover the certain distance without worrying about winning, the best way to train is to start out sloooowly.  Instead of training for distance, train for time.  In other words, plan to move your body for, say, twenty minutes and then increase the time over successive weeks (not days!) until you are doing a set amount of time.  A good goal for a slower runner is to aim for running for 40 minutes at a time.  In general, if you can run for 40 minutes, you can cover a 5k (3.1 miles).

A second concept I finally got through my thick, mostly over-comptetive skull, is that you don't have to run the entire time.  In fact, it is thought now that mixing running and walking, particularly for beginners, but even for more experienced runners, can actually assist in a better quality workout.  There are a multitude of training plans for running/walking also.  The most popular and the one for which there are several really decent apps is the Couch to 5k program.  Generally, most of the apps now will let you have your own music, but I started using Robert Ullrey's plan several years ago, and that served me well.  (Admittedly, I would rather run to my own music!)  There are cues for when to walk, when to run, as well as time at the beginning for the warm-up and cool-down.

One other tip that I got after many years is that you really, really should invest in some actual running shoes, preferably at a running specialty store.  I discovered, after much pain, that my arches are really high (who knew?  I thought everyone's arches were high! Isn't that why they are called ARCHES??).  This resulted in a horrid case of plantar faciitis that pretty much made running and martial arts extremely painful.  In addition, I tend to wear my running shoes only when I'm working out or when I feel I need some extra cushioning for my poor little arches and I'm going to be walking a great deal.  You don't NEED the tech t-shirts or fancy running shorts, but it is true that these items offer benefits that your old cotton clothing doesn't.  That being said, if you can afford it, go for it.  If not, you can add items like this slowly (maybe as a reward for completing a couple weeks of running!).

Finally, running supplements martial arts and vice versa.  Cardio training is an important aspect of martial arts training, and if you don't think so, let your kumite go to the mat and try to get out of a hold while flat on your back.  Trust me!  You need your cardio!  In addition, from a purely practical standpoint, it is better to have at least gotten your body used to actually running before you really have to run from an attacker.  Adrenaline can take you farther than normal, but always assume that your attacker knows how to run.  If they don't and you do, all the better for you, but if they do, you want to be able to use your adrenaline and your training.

Here are some really good books about running:

Mina Samuels- Run Like a Girl

Claire Kowalchik- The Complete Book of Running for Women

And for you guys...

Bob Glover- The Runner's Handbook


Finally, Runner's World magazine is perhaps the seminal publication on all things running for beginners to experts.

Why are you still sitting here reading this?  Go run!!

My Love-Hate Relationship with Technology

I have not posted in nearly TWO months!  Not the way to keep a blog going, for sure!  Unfortunately, technology was against me and my computer motherboard decided to up and die on me.  Hey, guess what?  Computers don't run without a motherboard!  (Well, duh...)

So, between one repair and another (not just my motherboard decided to fail me!), I finally was able to get all the pieces and parts and components, and memory, and cables, and video cards, and power supplies to operate at the same time and I am back amongst the land of computer-dom!

I actually love technology...except when I don't, which is when it fails me when I need it most.  Similarly, I love working out and exercising, but my body sometimes fails me too if I don't give it enough rest or TLC.  Fortunately, I don't hate my body, but at the same time, occasionally, I will try to do something that I SHOULD be able to do, or that I USED to be able to do and, I can't (a jump spinning side kick, for example).  Even with all the technological and medicinal advances in the world, sometimes, you just aren't able to do something even when you feel that you have to do it. 

My cousin and I are in the middle of training for a Ramblin' Rose Women's Only Triathlon.  We're making slow but steady progress, yet even with all the high tech arch supports in our cushioned shoes and our tech-shirts and our special wicking bike shorts, we still sometimes end up with sore feet, soggy, smelly shirts, and chapped rear ends.  While I can't say that part is FUN, it's all a part of the process.  Of having to struggle through a sucky workout or push through when you don't really wanna.  Come race day, I expect that there will be pitfalls, but I fully 100% expect to finish.  Over-confident I am not.  But I do believe in the process of training and working towards a goal.  The bottom line is that technology can make things easier in some ways, but if you've never gotten a blister on a long run, then you haven't really experienced training!

In karate, the same is also true.  I can honestly say that not much has changed for our karate school and technology is often only outside the dojo.   Research and better methods of doing things- fueling our bodies, for example- has helped us, but not much has changed in terms of the uniforms we train in (white gi and pants) and the fact that we train in bare feet.  I admit to wearing a pair of tech UnderArmor shorts or a tech t-shirt under my gi, but if I don't, I don't really notice it that much.  (Ladies, you'll understand when I say that the shorts help a lot with modesty....drawstring karate pants have a tendency to gape open and show too much on the side for my comfort!)

While I have not been happy about my enforced "computer vacation," I do realize that for every good thing that we rely on, there is a negative aspect when you have to be without it!  Will I have abandon technology?  Heck, no!  I wouldn't be able to post my thoughts and share with so many people about some of my passions!  Not only that, but my friends would probably get a bit annoyed with me if I wrote down my thoughts long-hand and then passed out copies for them to read!  This way seems a lot less intrusive!

Life inevitably involves change.  As human beings, we resist change even those that we know are good for us.  Exercising, like any other facet of our lives, must involve change.  If you lift weights, for example, how much progress would you make if you only ever lifted those little pink 2 lb dumbbells.  Granted, you would get really awesome at lifting the two pounders, but what fun would that be?   Giving up the nice cushy couch in the evenings after work for a three mile run involves a sacrifice also.  That couch looks mighty good after a long hard day at work!

When you first start an exercise program, it is very likely that you were sore afterward.  A week or two later, however, you realized that the soreness was not as bad and you felt like one bad mother!  But, as with anything, you gradually added more distance or time and realized that the soreness came back as strong as before...until your body adapted.  Thus, the challenge of change involves pain.

Change without some pain or loss isn't really change at all.  Not that the change is not good (for example, switching out a favorite pair of running shoes for new ones with more cushioning....your feet may feel better, but it can be difficult to part with equipment that you really love!)  Going up in rank in martial arts is an awesome accomplishment, but now the challenge is that you have to get out of your comfort zone, learning more challenging techniques or kata that may be more difficult than anything encountered before.  With higher rank also comes more responsibility....a brown belt can't get by with making the same mistakes that a white belt can!  Change can be positive even though it may not feel that way at the beginning.

Change is everyday life.  Embrace change; don't reject it.  Pain that comes with change can be overcome.  As change is inevitable, so too is progress.

"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. "
Lao Tzu

Competition in Karate

Competition season in karate, with the change in weather, is upon us and many of the students in my karate school are planning to participate this coming weekend at an AAU qualifier for the Karate Nationals.  The students are working very diligently to perfect their skills in kata and kumite and it's a true pleasure to see so many of our dojo principles put in to action.  My favorite, especially, for this time of year is: Seriousness, Try Hard, and Never Give Up!  With that attitude, I expect every one of our participants to do extremely well.

Competition in karate is a unique concept.  As many people probably know, I am a huge Karate Kid movie fan (the first one!) and an enormous plot line is the main character's training for a tournament to once and for all keep those mean ol' Kobra Kai's from continuing to beat him up.  In the end, Daniel-San wins the tournament against his arch-nemesis with the infamous "crane stance" kick.  The good thing about this movie is that winning the tournament was not the important point; conquering one's fears and not other people IS the whole idea.  Yet another concept that we train by in our dojo is that our purpose is "Not to conquer others, but to conquer the weaknesses in oneself."  We have this precept painted on the wall above the mirrors in our dojo, so that it is literally right in front of your face.  Many is the time that I have been struggling through a drill or kata and looked up and taken those words to heart.

Competition is a worthwhile endeavor in any karate school, particularly if entered into with the attitude that you are competing against your own weaknesses.  It seems almost antithetical since you are often in the ring with another competitor.  Rather than wanting to "beat up" your opponent, the goal is to do YOUR best.  Can you be just a bit faster?  Can you get over your feelings of nervousness to perform a kata as flawlessly as you can?  Yes, you want to "defeat" your opponent, but do you really want to hurt your opponent?  Karate is for the purpose of defending oneself; not causing pain and torment in a tournament setting.  Yes, we train to hurt others, but only under the threat of serious harm coming to us from someone else.  Tournaments teach you how to be better at your sport...and karate in this context IS a sport. 

Now I am all for tournaments.  It is not my main purpose, but it is fun to train for a specific event.  I have had a great time at tournaments, particularly at Nationals when it was held here in Winston-Salem.  Every year, I had to convince myself to get back in the ring, as I was always matched up in the finals with a student of Sensei Doug Perry's.  This lady was amazing!  She was at least 5 inches taller than me and was tough as nails, particularly in the ring.  Off the mat, she was very kind and sweet.  She always beat me for the gold medal, but one year, I came much closer than ever because I worked on my weaknesses to prepare, instead of training against her strengths.  The year before, she fought me in a left handed stance, which totally threw me for a loop.  She was an excellent puncher and she would always managed to get inside on me.  The next time we matched up the following year, I had trained, not for her southpaw stance, but instead, I worked more on my kicks.  I worked on my weakness with my kicks, which was mainly my timing.  That way, it didn't matter what stance she was in.  I managed to score on her twice before she ever scored on me once.  I think it actually surprised us both when I got ahead...the look on her face was priceless!  Unfortunately, she was still much faster and she won.  I still felt victorious because I had worked on something to make me better, not to make her weaker.  My goal for the next year was to work on my speed, but unfortunately, she broke her ankle very badly while riding a motorcycle and did not return to karate.  I was very sad for that, as she taught me a lot, likely without even realizing it.

So, best wishes to all the competitors out there!  Remember what your karate means to you and you will come out on top with or without a medal!

Weekend Awesomeness

This weekend has been a blast for myself and several others in my dojo.  First off, we were honored to have our instructor's instructor, Shihan ("a teacher of teachers"), Dale Coker, visit us from Charleston via Thailand, where he lives most of the time.  He taught several seminars, as well as helped us learn some of the black belt kata in more depth.  While this was a physical pursuit, my brain is crammed full of new information and insight, so it may take me several days to get back to my "normal" self!  Oh yeah, wait...I'm not normal.  Well, I can certainly get back to what passes for normality before Monday morning.  Maybe.

One of the best parts of the weekend was participating in a shodan rank test for one of our students.  Happily, and not unexpectedly, he passed and showed a great deal of black belt spirit and fortitude.  For every shodan test I witness or participate in I am reminded all over again of my own test waaay back many years ago.  While reaching black belt is a tremendous milestone, it does serve to remind me that it's not the end goal of a martial arts career, but actually, a beginning of a beginning.  At black belt level, you are finally ready to BEGIN studying the martial arts.  Yep, that's right.  Black belt is not the end.  For some, perhaps, this is the goal, but honestly, having a black belt does not make someone a super hero.  I'm sure my family and friends can attest to that!  I can't imagine stopping just when the journey has only just started!  Could you imagine someone being drafted for the NBA and attaining a starting spot on the team, and when it's time to play, just...stopping?   That would be like stopping work on the skyscraper when only the first floor has been finished.  You'll never know what the view looks like from 100 stories up! 

Incidentally, when someone hears I have a black belt, I get the usual questions/comments:  "Do you really have to register your hands with the government?"  "I'd better not make you angry!", or "Wow, can you really beat up anyone?"  I generally let people know that I only use my powers for good, so they have nothing to fear from me, and I am still waiting for Tony Stark to invite me to be a member of the Avengers.

Okay, maybe not.


But...you never know!

Symbol for Wado Ryu karate