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

One of the aspects of martial arts, as I have mentioned several times before, has to do with connecting the mental, the physical, and the spiritual.  Visitors to our dojo are likely intrigued when we open and close every class with a period of seiza, in which we sit quietly in a kneeling position (those over 18 get to sit cross legged).  This time is either a period in which one can prepare the mind to train, or reflect on what has been learned.  Either way, this is perhaps a uniqueness that sets martial arts apart from many other sports activities.

During seiza, which is generally as short or as long as the instructor wishes, we sit with our eyes closed (mukuso) and often, the instructor asks someone to recite the dojo kun, or dojo principles.  These consist of the following:

• Uphold the principles of propriety and courtesy.
• Cultivate the spirit of effort
• Perfect the mind of patience.
• Live the way of truth.
• Do not lose self control or act in a violent manner. 

While our purpose is to train physically, the additional emphasis on living our life by means of the dojo principles, hopefully ensures that the individuals we train are developing ideals that persist long past the sweat and effort put forth trying to attain a belt color.

Over the next few posts, I hope to give my own perspective on each of these principles.  I will try to do them justice!

Ok, so you have considered taking martial arts classes and being one who prefers to research something before jumping in with both feet, you start clicking away with your mouse and searching on the Internet for information about martial arts and, maybe even more specifically, about martial arts and women.  In the process, you see LOTS of sites pertaining to women in karate, jiujitsu, MMA, whatever.  You click on pictures and, if you are like me, you think, "Those women don't look anything like me!  I'm too (short, tall, overweight, skinny, stiff, awkward, etc.) to ever do THAT!"  Not only that, but when you look at some of the pictures, especially the "posed" ones, you may notice that the women are all doing really, really high kicks...I mean, way high, often over their own heads.  Or gymnastic type splits.  Naturally, you also think, "well, I could never do martial arts because I could never kick that high or do that split, or crouch down that low!"

So, first of all, while I do respect most of those women we see on the Internet and yes, they have all worked very hard to get where they are, head high kicks are not necessary in martial arts.  Most of these women have trained for years and have developed the agility and ability to kick high and that's super.  Keep in mind that this is mostly the "Hollywood" version of martial arts.  Myself?  Well, I quit kicking head high long ago.  Although some styles, tae kwon do, for example, emphasize beautiful, high kicks, that for me, are just not realistic.  Also, common sense tells me that if I am defending myself, if I get my leg THAT high, that just makes it all the easier for an attacker to grab my leg or sweep my supporting leg and plant me on my behind!  The first rule of self defense is that you never kick above the waist.  A well placed kick to the knee can disable an attacker and you, being wise, perform "kata number one," also known as "RUN."  

Now, as far as the "weight" issue...well, I look at it this way... I would much rather be the weight I am (not that I couldn't lose some poundage!) and participate in martial arts, rather than be extremely skinny and try to do the same things I do.  One of the techniques to avoid getting knocked down is to get lower than your attacker.  That takes muscle in the legs to support your weight.  To be perfectly honest, I'm built (relatively speaking) more like a brick wall than a split rail fence.  And that's perfectly okay!  You work with what you have.  Not only that, but martial arts (or any full body sports activity) can help you lose weight in a healthy way or even gain (with added muscle you can develop) weight. Muscle weighs more than fat and you will never look like the Incredible Hulk unless you began taking steroids.  Muscle weighs more, but makes you look smaller and helps you burn more calories.  Don't misunderstand! For individuals who are slender, martial arts is an excellent sport!  One thing you learn regardless of weight is how to distribute your weight or balance to your benefit.  

If you want to see women doing martial arts check out this video of a woman performing a kata at the ISKF Nationals here.  This lady is average height and weight, but she performs with power, precision, and grace.  Here is yet another woman at a Shotokan Tournament performing a kata known as Passai or Bassai.  I really like this!  And finally, this kata, a different version of Bassai, is performed by a woman who is not at all like me in body type, but wow!  Her speed and precision is something I aspire to.  Also note by how worn her black belt is...it's nearly white which indicates that she has studied for a very long time.  So much so, that she has nearly come full circle back to white belt!  (As an aside, she would be in MY division if I were to ever compete in that particular tournament!)

The final point is that, whatever your activity (running, biking, martial arts, fencing...) use that wonderful tool known as the Internet if you must, but find individuals who do what you are interested in and emulate them!  If it doesn't inspire you, then it's not worthwhile! 

Martial Arts and "Arts"

One thing that I have noticed, and this was incidentally pointed out to me not long ago, is that people I know who study martial arts, a) tend to be involved in another facet of "art," be it music, dance, or art, and b) also tend to be accomplished in other areas.  For instance, Hanshi Doug Perry from Hendersonville, NC is the first non-Okinawan promoted to ninth degree black belt in shorin-ryu karate.  For those who know how long the journey to receive a shodan (1st degree) rank in martial arts is, to have attained a ninth degree belt is incredible! Unsurprisingly, he was distinguished in the military as well. What few people know, however,  is that Hanshi (or Sensei, as most still refer to him) Perry is also national champion in the art of shagging!  Having met Sensei Perry several times over many years, he is also one of the most humble individuals I have had the pleasure to know. 

In my own small dojo, we have six individuals at nidan (2nd degree) rank.  Of those six people, two are accomplished artists in painting and one is an experienced flute player.  I have some musical aspirations, as well, in that I play bass guitar, bass steel drums, and baritone horn (hmm...notice a theme here?).  While this is small evidence to "prove" my theory, the reality is that martial arts can enhance other endeavors, particularly those involving creativity and diligence.  I know for a fact that musicians spend HOURS practicing their instruments, not unlike the HOURS we spend practicing kata and technique.  Actually, kata, as a series of set movements or patterns, can equate to songs or performance pieces, and basic techniques in karate can be compared to scales, music theory, or rhythm.  I would imagine that there are similar comparisons to the mediums of painting, sculpting, or drawing as well.  Kata, in fact, actually were "dances" meant to disguise the fighting arts in ways that the conquerors of Okinawa (for example) could not understand.  Thus, the linkage between karate and the arts are perhaps irretrievably linked. 

As far as how studying the martial arts (no matter what your age!) can help one achieve in other areas of life...well, first and foremost, karate requires discipline, dedication, determination, diligence, and any other "D" words I may have forgotten.  Any goal requires the same.  Having recently signed up to do a triathlon, I have several times stopped myself and thought, "what the heck am I doing?  I'm not good at swimming, biking, or running!"  But, I am pretty good at karate, or at least what it takes to get better at karate.  So, while I won't "wow" anyone with my times, set any PRs, or finish the race looking as if I just went for a stroll in the woods, I do intend to finish.   I also am very aware that it will take...guess what?  HOURS of training! 

The bottom line for anyone is not that if you want to be a better musician, artist, or dancer that you HAVE to study martial arts.  However, the awareness of one's body and mind (zanshin) and the dedication and determination to do a thing and do it to the best of your ability can certainly enhance your art!  

Zanshin