Last class before Xmas!

This week, Chris, Nat, Pete and Zac drove out to the Te Miro dojo to train. We had a great night making the most of the good tatami to practice body throws. The Hamilton Dojo has thin, hard, puzzle mats that are not comfortable to fall on repeatedly, so having the thicker tatami was a great opportunity for Chris to have us work on these falls. It was the last training session for me before my family takes to the road for Christmas holidays.

We started with practicing different forms of ukemi. After spending quite some time on this Chris took us through the kuzushi for body throws then we proceeded to work through the Shoden Tachiai Tai Nage. These are great fun and on the thicker mats we could throw one another around with little chance of anyone getting hurt.

Zac had some trouble adjusting to the smaller space. He hit the wall with his heel in one instance and knocked over a jo later during the session. He reminded me of a giraffe let loose in a cluttered shop.

After the training Ricci and I invited them in for a hot drink and a chat, then they headed home for the evening. It was a lovely way to finish off the year.

I always know if it has been a good session if I can feel some stiff muscles the next day and this was the case. Good training indeed!

I don't intend to post anything else before Christmas so train hard but train safe out there people!

See you in 2017.

Theory versus Practice.

The cycle of learning is an interesting one in Martial Arts training. On the surface, an instructor explains or shows a technique and a student tries his or her best to copy. This sequence is repeated time and time again, over this time the student starts to learn these techniques and perform them without guidance.

Sometimes there is an aspect of the technique that the student simply fails to do correctly. The instructor then patiently explains what he is expecting the student to do. Maybe he uses an analogy to help describe the positioning or movement. The students attempts to do the technique again and is still stuck on the same point. 

Sometimes the student understands what is being asked of him or her but still does the technique incorrectly. They struggle to take what they know and express it with their body. 

This idea of 'knowing' but not 'doing' has occurred with me many times. Even when I am absolutely sure what I am supposed to do, I can't get my body to do it. It can be very frustrating. Eventually, at some point the transition is made where finally after many attempts, hours, days or months later I can finally do the technique the way my instructor wants it done. So what is happening?

Well to start with it could be a neuromuscular phenomenon. I might not yet have the coordination to move those particular muscles in that particular way. So I see my sensei do a technique and I monkey it. However, my version doesn't look the same. I haven't got the same coordination as my sensei so my muscles may fire in a different sequence or even the slightly wrong muscles fire to achieve a similar outcome. 

Some of the biggest changes to the neuromuscular system occur during tasks that require explosive movements or when muscles are put under high loads. This sums up a lot of budo. Neural pathways linking to target muscles become more efficient at transmitting the message. As motor units send the stimulus from nerve to muscle, more and more often, the better they get at it. Messages don't get sent to the wrong muscles en route and messages also get to their target muscles with increasing speed and less delay. 

The martial arts often talk about the mind-body connection and this is what I think they are talking about. You have in your mind the movement (theory) and you attempt to make your body do it (practice). 

The world of theory seeks understanding while the world of practice simply wants to act. If all a martial artist does is sit in his arm chair and reads all about the concepts found in budo then can he call himself a martial artist? On the other hand, if the martial artist simply starts kicking, punching, and throwing without instruction, how does he know he is even doing things correctly?  

We must try and find a balance between the two. 

Discussing these two ideas, theory and practice reminds me of something I read once. This was about the way Japanese teach and learn martial arts and how westerners teach and learn. The traditional Japanese method involves little instruction from the sensei. He will show techniques then ask the students to do them. He may say "No, not like that, like this." and repeat the movement. But no further instruction. A whole lesson may go by with the student being told, "No, not like that, like this." The student diligently repeats a movement over and over, hoping to capture the technique of their sensei. There is not a lot of talking in this kind of dojo.

A western instructor (and student for that matter), talks more. He or she will show the technique, answer questions from the students and talk abut why a technique is done a certain way. Students will try the technique and stop and ask more questions. The sensei will try different ways to explain what is happening. 

Both methods have their value. You could argue that the Western method is more theory-based while the Japanese method is more practice-based. Is one better than the other?  I don't know. I believe that we could talk less in some western dojo and perhaps Japanese instructors could take the time to explain things further. 

The danger for any martial artist is losing the balance between theory and practice. When I am on the mat I am conscious of the amount of time I spend talking about a technique rather than simply getting on and training. You can talk all day about how to place your feet or get the right positioning, but it is sometimes better to just get on with the training and work it out. One thing that can come out of the Japanese style of training is how observant the student becomes. As they cannot rely on the sensei so much for instruction they tend to look very closely at what he is doing. They pick up things that a western mindset might not. 

If you spend too much time trying to make a technique work and not listening to your sensei then you have another problem. Your training will venture off course and what you end up doing is not what your instructor asked you to do. You will lack the understanding behind why the technique is done that way and may hurt yourself or training partners accidentally. I know some stories where good martial artists are asked how they do something and they say "I don't know, I just do what my teacher did." This is no problem for that student but the martial art suffers because that person will struggle to pass on the art in any depth. 

TSYR is a funny beast as it tends to attract intellectuals. I'm not sure why, maybe its the history and culture associated with it, maybe its the complexity of the art itself. What ever the reason it is easy for some people to become too academic on the mat and try to think about the movements too much. Theory creeps in and tries to make a home. 

Even the most accomplished martial artists must continue to put theory into practice. I once asked my past sensei, Robbie Smith what was the key to ongoing training in the martial arts and he said, "Find a source." He was saying that you need a teacher to set the standard by which you can follow and keep training. This avoids your training straying. He was bothered by people who taught martial arts but never trained for themselves anymore. They would run a class, speak at length about the philosophy of the art, demonstrate the technique then let the students train. These teachers had let the balance tip heavily towards theory and had almost given up practice. 

So where do you see yourself on the continuum between theory and practice?

Latest musings - Family, work and training.

Below is a picture of the kamidana of my private dojo. I finally finished putting the shelf up. 

It has taken a while because work and family always come first. So when I get the chance, I go out to the dojo and work on the current project. For a while it was the shoe rack. I put together some old shelves, sanded them and painted them. Now I have a shoe rack in the area which will be the genkan eventually. 

I had the shelf for the dojo made for a while but the brackets were being made as a project by a young man at the high school I teach at. They were eventually finished and then had to be stained to match the shelf. Just staining the brackets took a while because the oil-based product needed 24 hours between coats. I would try and get some of the staining done in the evening after work or in the weekend and sometimes it would be two or three days before I could get back at it. 

Once the brackets were done I wanted to buy brass screws (I eventually used zinc gold) to match the colour of the brackets. I had to wait two weekends before I had the chance to get to the local hardware shop. Visitors and family kept me busy until then. I eventually had to tell my wife that I wouldn't be going on the latest family road trip just to get time at home to drill the brackets and shelf to the wall. 

The whole off-mat area is still awaiting my attention. It is functional but the walls need lining and most surfaces need a paint job. The matted space is functional but small things still need some work. I have to decide how I am going to finish the floor space that borders the mats, at the moment the plywood flooring is still exposed 

I'm not complaining, work provides the money for the projects and family comes first. I just accept that things get done in the dojo at a slow plod. As long as I keep making progress I'm not too concerned. 

Training in TSYR continues as always. The core group are still at it and I never tire of it. The Hamilton dojo will be closing for renovations in December and I have said I am happy for the TSYR group to come out and train in Te Miro. I'm looking forward to sharing the space with them. I can practice batto in my own space which is a bonus but I need bodies to work with for most of the shoden curriculum. 

Since Threadgill sensei's last visit to NZ we have been going over the key points he mentioned. I know for myself I need to be less passive in my sword work. We all need to work on smoothing out our unarmed techniques so that they flow more and establish a connection with our partner earlier to get control as quickly as possible. 

It is all good for the mind and body.

Training in the Hills

I recently had the honour of having my instructor, Chris come out and train at the Te Miro Dojo, my private dojo on my property. He came out with Pete and asked me to set the structure of the class. I took the three of us through warm ups and then Nairiki no Gyo. Then we spent most of the two hours working through the five idori kata that have recently been placed in the Shoden Mokuroku. We hadn't practised them for a while and we were rusty. The guys appreciated the softer mats I have at my dojo. The Hamilton dojo has hard puzzle-mats and although they are on a sprung floor, it doesn't help much when working from our knees. In the last half hour we worked on the standing Uchite set. 

Pete (left) and Chris (right) at TSYR hombu with headmaster Toby Threadgill.

It was a fine spring morning with nice views of the hills and native trees. Great training with good men. Afterwards we popped down to Cambridge for a light lunch before going our separate ways for the weekend. Its times like these that I am reminded of what great friends I have with the TSYR people. It was my perfect morning.

Dueling with O-sensei: Book Review

I was first introduced to Ellis Amdur's writing many years ago when I read the article "Hiding in the Shadows of the Warrior" that had been put up on Koryu.com. That article had a profound affect on me and fueled my interest in koryu budo. I scanned the Internet reading anything I could of Amdur's concerning martial arts. In time I read reviews about his first edition of Dueling with O-sensei: Grappling with the Myth of the Warrior Sage but never got the opportunity to read it myself. Just recently I have finished reading his revised and expanded edition.

It is a book made up of essays that are grouped into chapters following a particular theme. There is so much in this book that I'm not even sure how I'm going to tackle it.

I will start by giving my overall impression of the book. This is one of the best books I have read on the Japanese martial arts. Amdur writes honestly and with conviction, not only about his experiences with martial arts but on the human condition as well. What makes the book so compelling are the personal accounts from the author and how he links them to Japanese concepts. Amdur doesn't shy away from showing peoples' faults including his own and I think it is this quality that helps the reader  reflect on one's own actions and motivations for being in and around the martial arts. 

As with Old School, I will break the book down into chapters and try to cover main themes. There are 23 chapters in the book so at times I may combine some of them simply due to the amount of content that the book contains. 

Chapter 1: The Knights of the Mouldy Rope. 

Amdur talks about his introduction to Aikido and Terry Dobson. The majority of this chapter is about Terry and who he was as a man and his profound influence he had on the author. It is a great piece of writing and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Chapter 2: Ukemi from the Ground Up.

This chapter discusses ukemi (receiving body) by taking us through the role of two people training and how these roles have changed over time. He discusses taking ukemi in the context of classical budo and then how that changed in Kano's Judo. He discusses Daito-Ryu and Aikido and how the roles in the training have changed again. Overall Amdur appears to be saying that Ukemi is different things in different contexts. 

Chapter 3: My First Days at the Headquarters Dojo. and Chapter 4: The Best of Their Time.

Here Amdur tells his experiences at Aikido's Hombu Dojo. He writes about his experiences meeting the Doshu of the time, Ueshiba Kisshomaru and his son, Ueshiba Moriteru. The fourth chapter gives Amdur's perspective on a number of high level practitioners of the time; Osawa Kisaburo, Arikawa Sadateru, Tada Hiroshi, Yamaguchi Seigo, and Nishio Shoji. The author gives the reader a personal insight into the character of these men. 

Chapter 5: Forever Young.

This chapter centres around Kuroiwa Yoshio. A man Amdur obviously has a lot of respect for based on his writing. 

Chapter 6: A Conversation with Daito-ryu's Other Child. 

Here we read about Hapkido and its relationship with Daito-ryu and Aikido. 

Chapter 7: Atemi: Striking to the Heart of the Matter.

Amdur writes a small chapter defining atemi, what it is and what it means for aikido practice. 

Chapter 8: Did You Ever Meet O-sensei? O-sensei Who?

O-sensei, defined as great teacher does not always mean Ueshiba Morihei, founder of Aikido. Amdur gives some great examples of people that could be referred to as 'great teacher'.

Chapter 9: Tenchi: Head in the Clouds and Feet in the Muck.

This is a fascinating chapter where Ambur attempts to debunk the Myth of the Warrior-sage, Ueshiba Morihei and tell the man's story as it really was. It is a large chapter but well worth the read. Anyone who practises Aikido should read this chapter. It is eye-opening and makes a lot of sense. Earlier publications by other authors paint Ueshiba as almost god-like. This chapter treats him like a normal man who finds himself in extraordinary situations at times. 

Chapter 10: Toward Simple Morality - Or How Come Something So Fine Sometimes Turns So Ugly.

Here Amdur tackles the topic of abuse in the martial arts. Sexual abuse of children, physical abuse of students of any age and abuse of trust. Aikido in particular lends itself to physical abuse due to the junior-senior relationship set up in the dojo. Amdur's expertise in dealing with this issue is obvious in his writing. It is a tough chapter to read through and sickening in places as the author mentions cases where such abuse has occurred. Despite the content, Amdur's honest writing makes the reader think and reflect on their own practise. One line stands out for me in particular, "Be careful with whom you choose to study. You will become who they are, and if you haven't chosen wisely, you'll suffer and other people will, too." 

Chapter 11: Otoko (Manhood)

This chapter discusses what it means to become a man, in the Japanese context. It is perhaps a way to understand why some interactions in the dojo are set up they way they are and why it can be confusing for Westerners to understand. Amdur compares the Japanese and Western mindset and settles somewhere between the two. 

Chapter 12: Anyone Can Be O-sensei In One's Own Movie. 

This is a personal account of the author trying to be the hero of his samurai movies and discovering that he should stick to fighting his own battles. 

Chapter 13: The Ring is Where You Draw It. 

I'm not completely sure of Amdur's theme in this chapter. The collection of essays appear to be about taking the martial arts out of context. The essays are interesting and remind the reader that the lessons you may learn (or not) in martial arts can be applied outside the dojo. 

Chapter 14: So How Tough Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? 

This chapter discusses that old chestnut - which martial art is better? Amdur writes about how every martial art makes assumptions that fit into their particular training paradigm. This means practitioners learn how to fight within those parameters and get very good...in those parameters. So what does Aikido promise?

Chapter 15: Setsuninto-Katsujinken.

This chapter is a hard-hitting tale of making hard choices and living with the consequences. Setsuninto (the sword that takes life) and katsujinken (the sword that gives life) are ideas representing the use of the sword for malicious ends opposed to its use for protection of others. Amdur gives the reader a scenario that ends tragically and he had a say in the outcome. Not for the light-hearted.

Chapter 16: Hiding in the Shadows of the Warrior.

I have so many good things to say about this chapter. As I said earlier, this essay was the first piece of writing I had read of Ellis Amdur's and it encouraged me to continue to search for a koryu to train in. War and fighting is ugly, decisions must be made and ultimately you are left dealing with your own demons. It is a fine balance and often there are no perfect answers. 

Chapter 17: Aiki: A State of the Union. 

For me, Aiki is such a loaded  term and here we find Amdur trying to define it. Aiki has been interpreted in many ways over the years and Amdur's take on it comes from a second-hand quote from Ueshiba, "Aiki is a means of achieving harmony with another person so that you can make them do what you want." Another chapter I believe all aikidoka should read. 

Chapter 18: Aiki is Not Always Pretty.

This chapter is a personal account of the author's when dealing with an angry man with a gun. How does one de-escalate the situation so that the least amount of harm occurs?

Chapter 19: Cutting the Circle.

Amdur writes about irimi and tenkan and then, as he likes to do, adds a personal account to emphasize his points. 

Chapters 20, 21 and 22

In these short chapters Amdur looks at three Japanese terms; Musubi (tying together), Bushi no Nasake (warrior's compassion) and Kamae (stance). 

Chapter 23: Oniisan (Elder Brother).

This chapter discusses the author's earlier times in Japan while training and living with Kuwamori Yasunori. It is a tribute, really, to a man Amdur regarded with respect, in his own words he says, "I reflect how much finer a man he was than many of the pirates and rogues that I admired so much," 

At the back of the book is a comprehensive glossary of Japanese terms. 

As you can see, the book covers a lot of ground and although Aikido is much the focus of this book, it is the tales of people that bring it alive. 

To date, this has been the best book I have ever read on budo and especially, Aikido. Highly recommended. 

Persimmon Wind - Book Review

Persimmon Wind: A Martial Artist's Journey in Japan, is the first book I have read by Dave Lowry. It is not, however, the first time I have heard about this book. Anyone interested in koryu bujutsu will most likely know of Koryu.com. This website is a great place to find out about classical Japanese martial arts for the Western practitioner. It was here that I stumbled upon such authors as Dave Lowry and Ellis Amdur. It was the promotion of Persimmon Wind on the Koryu.com website that encouraged me to buy the ebook. What I didn't realise was that this book is the sequel to another book, Autumn Lightning: An Education of an American Samurai. So I suspect my perception of Persimmon Wind may change after reading Dave Lowry's prequel. For the time being I will give you my thoughts on the book as a stand-alone piece. 

The book is a mix of Dave's feelings and thoughts as he travels Japan entwined with stories of Yagyu Shinkage Ryu history and other idiosyncrasies of Japanese culture. The book tells of Dave's journey to Japan to continue training in Swordsmanship by reuniting with his sensei.  It is split into chapters with names such as, Glimpses of the Warrior, Obligations, and even Noodles and the Art of the Slurp. I found Dave's writing style a combination of direct story telling in some chapters while at other times he got quite poetic and esoteric. I'm not sure what I was going to expect from the book but I felt he didn't really dwell on the actual training of Yagyu Shinkage Ryu. He would mention it in passing while moving onto another historical account or Japanese cultural quirk. Perhaps this was his aim; to give the reader a feeling of living in Japan as a foreigner and give an introduction to some ways of the people there. 

What did I enjoy the most?

 His personal accounts were great to read about. The realisation that his Japanese was deemed, rather old-fashioned. The fact that a young Japanese boy knew more about baseball than he did (as an American), even a story of how the locals discovered that this crazy American wore old-style, traditional Japanese underwear!  

I also enjoyed his telling of the relationship between himself and his sensei, including his sensei's family and neighbours. Dave managed to capture the characters of the people with simple descriptions. For a practitioner of a koryu bujutsu Dave emphasised for me how important it is to the Japanese that they know the roots of their art. This especially reminded me that the elements of Shinto and Buddhism are part and parcel of studying the art as much as swinging a sword around. Dave visiting the grave of the founder of Yagyu Shinkage Ryu and his sensei's brother highlighted the importance of such acts and gave me an understanding into the importance of my own Ryu's ancestry and why Threadgill sensei has traveled to Japan to visit graves and living members of the Shindo Yoshin Ryu line. Dave successfully tells how deep and rich Japanese history is and that these koryu both he, I and many other Westerners practice are very, very old and entwined within the fabric of Japanese culture. 

What did I not enjoy?

At times Dave's story-telling feels long-winded and a little boring. A few times he is describing a visit to a certain place in Japan and I am intrigued until he slips into a retelling of Japanese history or similar which carries on for quite a while before he gets back to the point at hand. His obsession with traditional Japanese culture is sometimes a bit too much. Does a Westerner really have to wear archaic Japanese underwear or sleep on a futon in his American home to be fully immersed in his koryu training? 

Overall Impressions?

The book gave me insights into rural Japan that I may not get the opportunity to experience myself. This in itself is valuable but Dave also managed to convey the richness of koryu study and how it is an ongoing pursuit that goes beyond clashing bokken together. This book is not for everyone but if you practice the classical martial arts (and I know many of my readers do) then I recommend this book (maybe after reading Autumn Lightning).  

The Bar is Raised.

I have recently finished two full days of training (approximately 6 hours a day) with Toby Threadgill. He was back with us, here in NZ and was in top form.

I managed to train both Saturday and Sunday, but there was a Friday night open seminar and  more training on the Monday for those who could take time off work.

So what was the training like?  Well, those attending were members of TSYR. The Hamilton dojo members were the most experienced with the Auckland study group joining us. Threadgill sensei was in good spirits and was showing some great stuff, his expectations of us were high. 

Saturday morning session was dedicated to Tachiai Kansetsu Waza - Katate. Sensei gave some great tips on how to refine our technique. I found this training to be a mixed bag of experiences. If I ended up practicing with one of the less experienced members of the group then I felt I ended up teaching more than refining my own technique. If I was partnered with someone of experience then I could really explore some of the ideas sensei was suggesting. Either training helps improve the quality of the students in general, so I didn't mind. 

The afternoon session started with batto (sword-drawing). This training is tough because Threadgill sensei wants precision in these techniques. It is a matter of repeating movements over and over again and adjusting small sections of the draws. Sometimes by millimetres. It was only the second time I had even been tutored by sensei directly about my batto and it was great. 

After critiquing our batto, sensei asked us to move into the first set of the Shoden kumitachi. He asked myself and one other person to demonstrate each kata before critiquing us and then letting the rest of the class practice. I can tell you that it is a very humbling experience to be asked to demonstrate a technique knowing full well that everyone is watching and sensei is most likely going to find fault in what you are doing. 

Sunday morning saw us back with the Tachiai Kansetsu Waza. This time the Gyakute set. I really enjoyed the tips and advice sensei gave for these techniques. I came away feeling like I had made improvement on many of the techniques. I am finally getting to a point in my training that I can make the corrections sensei asks for sooner than I used to. My body control is much better and my structure is improving. 

After lunch it was onto a further two Batto techniques. Again, sensei has a very high standard when it comes to sword work and we were pushed hard. 

Following the sequence from the day before we moved into kumitachi and sensei put me and the other guy back in the spot light. The second set has some very difficult techniques and we were beat on about those ones. 

Despite the high level of training, I remember some positive moments. While practising our sword cuts, sensei spotted me after one particular cut and said "Dean, that was OK." Believe me that is good praise from sensei. At the end of that afternoon sensei also said to us that "you are starting to look like swordsmen."  Again, high praise, coming from sensei. 

When Threadgill sensei visits it is an opportunity for him to see us improving as a group. It is important that he can see improvement and that we are not wasting his time by inviting him out to NZ. I believe he is happy with our progress and we now have 6 months to put his recent advice into place and improve some more. I felt that he really started to push us this time and he even played around with some freaky jujutsu from time to time, it involved advanced sensitivity and body mechanics. That stuff is mind-boggling but inspiring at the same time. One thing he said more than once is that we needed to start adding flow to our taijutsu techniques. We had the 'big dots' so now we had to start putting them together in a smooth sequence. 

All in all he pushed us right to the edge of our abilities and that can only promote growth. 

German Instruction

Today I had a fantastic training session. A member of the Takamura-ha Shindo Yoshin Kai, Jurgen Buchwald, was visiting from Germany. Jurgen is holidaying in New Zealand with his wife, Fusako and has managed to train at the Hamilton dojo for Wednesday's kenjutsu session and our Saturday taijutsu session in between sight-seeing. 

Jurgen in the dark blue.

I couldn't make the Wednesday training but witnessed his instruction and technique first-hand today (Saturday's training). First, let me say he is an incredibly nice guy. He is humble and polite with a ready smile. He started by saying he does not consider himself an expert by any means and what he was showing us today were simply his interpretations of the waza and underlying principles. Despite his humble introduction it was very clear we had plenty to learn from him. Jurgen has Shoden menkyo and has about 14 students in his own dojo but oversees other German TSYR groups as well. This makes him the senior most member of the Kai in Germany. With these credentials it was obvious to see why he was a great teacher and comfortable working with all body types on the mat. His waza is strong and clean. He concentrated on taking the 'slack' out of limbs to create the desired connection with uchitachi. His presence in the dojo was timely as he was able to affirm where we were going well in our training and correct mistakes. Threadgill Sensei arrives in three weeks and this was a nice way to check progress before his arrival. 

Two members from the Auckland study group had traveled down to train and had requested that they work through the katate set of the Tachiai Kansetsu Waza. It was great to see Jurgen's interpretations of these waza. His movement was precise and powerful. He patiently explained key concepts he thought were important to each kata and made corrections where necessary. The training during the session was positive and at a good pace. It was clear to see he was another level above our own training, his movements flowed through each stage of the kata and he mentioned that at any point shitachi should have control and have uchitachi at a disadvantage. In other words the first movement of the kata could finish the encounter if you wanted it too. 

After the session we went out for lunch before Jurgen and Fusako left for Rotorua. It was a privilege to have had the opportunity to meet another member of the Kai and take some points away from training today. 

A Cautionary Tale.

I was diligently training in my dojo recently. I had worked through all the battojutsu that I knew and I decided to spend some time working on a movement from one of the kumitachi. I had been told prior, that this particular movement can be practiced near a doorway or similar because it is important to move the sword precisely ninety degrees during the movement. So I lined up a section of wall in my dojo that borders where people would enter to step onto the mats. I tried the movement a few times until I was happy that I was moving the sword ninety degrees. The second movement of this technique requires the blade to snap up from a horizontal position to a vertical position. I looked to the low beam that ran across the entrance to the mat and thought, "Will my sword hit that, I guess I will find out."  In the next instance the tip of my sword is embedded in the wood of the beam. My first thought is "My poor sword!" my next thought is "The beam!."

After checking the sword for damage (there was none I could see) I then admired the fine line I had produced in the wood of the beam. It reminded me that despite the fact I am training with a habikito (dull blade), the metal point at the end of the sword is still quite dangerous. It had punched into the wood very well despite a lack of effort on my part.

The cut in the wood reminds me of a group of fine lines over some of the mats at the Hamilton dojo. These lines occurred when Robbie Smith sensei used to train by himself at the dojo. Sometimes he would get the angle of his cuts wrong and hit the mat. Just another reminder that these dull blades are still large metal knives that must be handled with respect.

Takamura sensei had plenty to say on the matter of swords. My understanding is that he was a strong believer in swords taking on the spirit of their owners, or at least being imprinted with past events where they were used. He a list of do's and don'ts when handling swords in the dojo as well. Some of them are Shinto related, others simply there to ensure safety. 

Of course it is a natural progression to think of the implications of training with a shinken (live blade). Imagine the danger of making a mistake with a three foot razor blade!

After a quick search on YouTube under the key terms "sword accident" shows just what can happen.

Shopping Channel Accident

A lesson to be learned there, for sure!  

There are plenty of other videos you can watch, but you get the point (pun intended).

Train safe, folks!

The Training (and Posting) Continues!

I must be feeling inspired at the moment. I am churning out the posts!

After many years, I began teaching aikido again this week. I am teaching a 10 year old boy along with my daughter at my private dojo. It's great to be thinking about aikido techniques again. With this young fellow I have to teach dojo etiquette as well because he has never practiced any martial art before. It brings me back to my early aikido days. The first session went very well. My daughter loves the fact that she can be involved in an activity with her dad and the young boy is diligent and keen. As I took them through the most basic of aikido exercises, I can see already that the body mechanics I have learned in TSYR are already having an impact on my movement and how I teach movement to the students. As I journey through aikido with these young people, I suspect I will be able to piece together how I will apply my aikido with my new TSYR 'engine'. It will be interesting. 

I looked back at some of my old posts and came across this one:

Walking away from aikido

In this post from 2012 I say:

"As my young family gets older and if time allows, I may drift back into aikido training along side TSYR training once more. Time will tell."

Well, here I am in 2016 and I HAVE drifted back into aikido along side my TSYR training! My girls are growing up fast, my youngest is 5 and turns 6 in October. Things are certainly easier with two school children and a private dojo to train in. I also have a VERY understanding wife that knows how important budo is to me. 

TSYR training this week was once again, awesome!  On Thursday we worked through both sets of kumitanto kata. These sets we know well so it was all about refinement. 

On Saturday we spent a lot of time on nairiki no gyo and kunren then we got into kansetsu waza. Lots of fun. I am feeling really happy with my progress in these kata. The last few weeks I have felt that my training has been consistent and solid. Threadgill Sensei is out in September so I'm looking forward to seeing what he thinks of our progress at this stage. Bring it on!

Ritual and respect.

Budo is an odd beast at times. 

One area where this really shows is in reigi (manner, etiquette). One thing a western student will notice very quickly when entering a dojo is the amount of bowing that goes on. When I started aikido I understood that bowing had to do with respect and when bowing to another person it was explained to me that it was like a handshake. Both parties had made an agreement of respect towards one another. When we bow we are saying, "I respect you and I will look after you as we train."  

This worked for me (and still does). But of course we also bowed towards the picture of Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of aikido. To some this seems stranger still. Bowing to the a picture of a dead guy? What?  One woman who trained with us for a while came from a Christian background. She made peace with the idea of bowing to "false idols" while in the dojo. However, her husband discovered that this ritual was part of aikido practice and encouraged her to quit. It was unfortunate. 

So why do budo students often bow to pictures of people who founded the martial art they practice?

I follow Dan Djurdjevic's blog and his recent post answers this question. 

That debt we owe to our masters.

To sum up, he says that it is important to acknowledge your teachers and the knowledge they have given you. Even if you have gone separate ways, you are the martial artist you are now because of your past teachers, and their teachers before them.

In budo, one way past teachers are acknowledged is by having their picture on the shomen (front wall/place of respect). The students bow towards the shomen before and after training. In this way the past teachers continue to be remembered for their contribution to the martial art. This is certainly the case in the aikido, judo and karate dojo I have visited or trained in. 

Bowing is based on the Shinto belief system. In Japan people can be found bowing at shrines to show respect to the kami (spirits/gods) that reside there. 

Yukiyoshi Takamura (the founder of Takamura-ha Shindo Yoshin Ryu) was a man committed to Shinto ideals and customs. In fact it is considered very important to be familiar with Shinto to understand the mindset and training methodology behind TSYR. Takamura is quoted as saying,

"Acceptance or rejection of proper dojo etiquette can expose a student's dedication or shortcomings to a sensei. The student who refuses to embrace reigi is not suitable for continued training because he ultimately views his own opinions and desires as superior to the aims of the ryu."

So as you can see, he took this very seriously. 

This aspect of budo I believe can separate traditional martial arts from the more competitive versions out there. Consider karate, aikido and judo for a moment. Then compare mixed martial arts or kick boxing gyms. Obviously karate and judo have a competitive element to them but reigi is still practiced in these dojo as well. 

Some people might say the traditional martial arts allow an individual to develop a sense of humility due to the values of respect that are involved in practice. Whereas, the athletes of mma and boxing, although very proficient physically may not develop as much respect for others. In fact the intense competition of mma and boxing may develop people with very large egos. To be the very best, you have to think you are the very best, don't you?  

I would say that the environment of the traditional dojo can be both good and bad. I have seen and heard of examples in a traditional dojo where reigi is used to establish power by either an amoral teacher or senior students. Often passive aggression can be rife in some of these dojo. This is reigi gone bad.  It is tainted. Also students come to the dojo with their own values established by their up-bringing. Some students can learn from technically sound "bad people" without being corrupted. Of course, the reverse can occur. A teacher of high morals can attempt to teach and perhaps influence a student with a bad background, but might just end up giving that person more tools to cause harm with. 

When all is said and done, reigi requires sincerity. Hollow bows and over-the-top praise for your sempai or sensei looks and sounds nice but is merely acting. Truly respectful students show respect in subtle ways. Sure, they follow the rituals but they are done with intent. They will quietly carry out duties no one else can be bothered with. They will see that the dojo stays clean, they will help a junior when they are struggling and listen carefully to the advice given to them by their seniors. 

A student who is sincere in their reigi is open to what is being taught to them and may in time be transformed by their practice. A student that does reigi mere lip-service will not change their ways. 

My 10 cents.

Dean.

The next steps!

Training is going well. 

Good session on Thursday with kumitanto. Refining the techniques. Slice and dice!

Saturday was great with good numbers. A couple of members showed up that we hadn't seen on the mat for a while. Sensei took us through the nairiki no gyo then some kunren. After that it was into the katate set of the tachiai kansetsu waza. (Standing joint locking).

I really enjoy this set. It was the first set of unarmed kata I was introduced to when I first started TSYR. Externally they look a bit like aikido techniques such as ikkyo, nikyo and sankyo. However, as some of you may know, they are far more complicated than that. They are considered betsuden, which means they are applications of TSYR principles and are not part of the classical syllabus. My understanding is that Takamura Sensei added these kata in order to cater to the change of the times. They contain an assortment of strikes, different joint locks and take downs. In other words, lots of fun!

One of the guys I train with likes to increase the intensity and when we pair up we do a few slowly then get into it. Often this results in quick decisive movements that slams the other chap into the mats. I get a buzz off this kind of training because I can gauge my progress. If the elements of the technique are not internalised then things get messy pretty quick and the other guy lets me know about it. There is something exciting about executing a technique cleanly at speed.

We spent most of the session on these kata. In the last 5 or 10 minutes we looked at the tachiai tai nage (body throws). There are five and we do them most Saturdays so we know them well. Although there is always plenty to work on. I'm very happy with my progress in this area because my exposure to body throws was limited to koshi nage and seio nage in aikido and even then I did not execute them very well. I am tall and lean so you can imagine my difficulty in getting my hips low enough with correct technique to pull them off. Nowadays, I think I'm getting the hang of these throws.

So overall it was a great session.

On the aikido front, I caught up with my old teacher after 4 years!  He still trains in the same place at the same time so I popped in before training to chat with him. It was great to see him and the other seniors who are still training. I went to ask him about getting certification for my dan grade in aikido. Since I stopped training in aikido he had affiliated with a larger organisation. As I am starting to teach aikido again I thought it prudent to be under the umbrella of this organisation as well. I was asking for his endorsement. He was more than happy to do this. So the cogs are turning and in due time I will have certification of my grade through this organisation. I think it is important for my credibility when dealing with the public.

Next week I begin training a boy in aikido at my personal dojo and I am excited about delving back into my original martial art. I will head back to my original aikido dojo as well from time to time to knock off any 'rust' in my techniques as well. 

Exciting times ahead.

Teaching and Learning

I've had a good week of training and teaching. 

On Wednesday evening I lead the class through all four battojutsu kata at the Hamilton Dojo. We spent the whole session on just those four. I figured that when our sensei came back from the instructor's seminar, he would have lots of new information for us so let's nail our basics. 

Drawing the sword. 

Starting with the first of the kata, I asked everyone to work very slowly but smoothly. While we did this I looked for one or two points each person might need to fix or refine. Sometimes everyone had the same problem so I would stop everyone and just clarify a point. Once everyone had slowly teased out some problems then we would speed up the kata to see how things looked.

We did this for each kata. 

The great thing about teaching is that I learn as well. When I take the time to consider how to explain a concept or share an analogy to help someone through a problem, it clarifies the movements of the technique in my mind also. It can be challenging to come up with a way of describing an idea that the other person understands. Some of the body dynamics we deal with in TSYR are quite subtle and require minute changes in body position or muscle tension. It can be a matter of millimeters between correct and incorrect sometimes. So coming up with a good way of describing movement is very important. Despite only covering four kata, everyone said they enjoyed the training. 

The Saturday morning session was held at my dojo as only one person could make it. It is a long weekend so many people are out and about making the most of the extra day off work. After warming up and going through the Nairiki No Gyo, we decided to quickly work on one of the Idori Te Hodoki that the other guy had not practised for a long time. We then worked through all of the Katate set from the Tachiai Kansetsu Waza (Standing joint locking techniques). 

Rather than just a teacher-student dynamic, here we gave each other feedback as to when we felt our balance was taken and when we didn't. This way we could tweak our techniques as we went. It was a good session with both of us making some progress. It also solidified what we were doing correctly. 

Next we looked at the Tachiai Tai Nage (Body throws). I'm really enjoying these throws at the moment. I had not done much of these sorts of techniques in aikido so I always struggled a bit with them. However, in the recent months something has clicked and I am much more confident in my ability. Just as before, we talked to each other and gave honest feedback to help the other person improve. 

To finish the session off we went back to idori and worked on gaining the centre of the other person while they held both wrists. I find this training fascinating because something like this occurs in aikido training and I knew it as suwari waza kokyu ho. With my TSYR perspective on the exercise I see the value of it much more. 

So that's it. My sensei is back next week and I go back to being the student. I have fulfilled my duty to the dojo by maintaining a training regime while the teacher is away but it will be nice to go back to simply being one of the crowd again. 

Until next time...

Dean.

Masakatsu Agatsu

Lately, I have been thinking about a quote from Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido.

He once said, "masakatsu agatsu or "true victory is victory over oneself."

Like many of his quotes, this can be interpreted in many ways. I often find my self thinking about this quote in my own training.
During my aikido practice I often thought of the quote to mean if I had control of myself emotionally and had a calm approach to an assailant, then I could control the situation. In other words, if I had self-control then I could control others. This is of course true in a verbal confrontation, in fact I use this idea everyday in my job. I'm a high school teacher in a state-funded school and staying calm with teenagers is very important. Teenagers will often resort to verbal abuse like put-downs and swearing to disrupt your influence. Being able to use body language, precise wording and a calm demeanor is important.

I find one flaw in my own logic here. Even if I could be calm under a physical assault I would still have to be technically proficient to survive such a confrontation. Just because I could be calm under pressure does not guarantee success. 

When I began practicing Takamura-ha Shindo Yoshin Ryu an important aspect of the training focused on correct alignment of my body, 'structure' is the term we use often. The more I train, the more I realise that without proper structure I cannot possibly control others. If my structure is not correct, then it becomes more difficult for me to take control of my opponent. So on a simple, physical level masakatsu agatsu applies. 

While in the draft stages of this post I came upon this blog:

Predator or Protector?

In this blog the author talks about how anyone who studies martial arts, studies violence. There is no other way to look at it. We can wrap it up in soft fluffy philosophy but at the end of the day, the definition of martial arts is forms of self-defence or attack. We learn how to use physical violence to get an end result. So the author then goes on to say, "How does this make us any different to bad guys?"  

It is an interesting point. People who rob, rape, assault or kill use violence or at least the threat of violence. How do we differ? The author's point? We use violence to protect while the bad guys use violence to prey on others.  He then goes on to say that in order to protect we must be better at violence than the bad guys. What a thought.

A quote from the blog:

"So it is imperative that GOOD people be skilled at violence.

What does that mean?For the most part it is helping good people give themselves permission to do what is necessary.
Unless they are competing for the same resources, it is rare for a predator to hunt another predator.
So protection can also be achieved by helping folks remember that they are also predators.  The confidence that brings can remove someone from some victim profiles."

The author continues to say that should you allow yourself permission to do what is necessary and be violent, then how much is too much? When do you turn the violence off? How do you turn the violence off? Masakatsu agatsu. True victory is victory over oneself. This mental level is something I have been chasing all of my martial arts journey. As I have trained I have pushed myself out of my comfort zone, then once that was comfortable I looked for more discomfort. The problem I had was if the people around me didn't want to amp things up like that I was left with no one to train with. When I started aikido, taking a physical risk might mean taking a high break fall or letting someone twist on my arm. As that fear disappeared, I wanted faster attacks and to dance more on the edge of what I was capable of. Unfortunately for most of my training partners, they weren't interested after a certain level of stress. 

Then I started TSYR. Here my training colleagues were more capable and used to higher levels of stress in the dojo. The training involved committed attacks often with wooden training weapons. I know at even higher levels of training, shinai and armour are used and permission is given to move away from kata and really try to make the hits land. Sensei has a systematic approach to amping up training and getting the adrenal dump to occur in the participants. I am not at this point and Threadgill Sensei has said that not everyone wants to go there. I want to go there. 

One of my TSYR buddies is an Air Force Medic. He had the opportunity to train with the Australian Special Forces at one point. Members of the Armed Forces were asked if they would play the part of terrorists on a Special Forces exercise. My friend put his hand up. One thing he noted when he meet these men is the absolute confidence they had in their abilities. It was a quiet confidence, no bravado what-so-ever. The exercise simulated a takeover of a bus. The Special Forces guys were to storm the bus and take down the 'terrorists'. My fiend said he had never experienced anything like it. The Special Forces guys went from quiet, confident men to aggressive, violent soldiers in a second. They moved with absolute precision, with calculated violence. My friend found himself taken to the ground with a knee on is chest in seconds. He said there was nothing gentle about how they dealt with the situation. He said these men carried  a presence that none of the other soldiers carried. One of utmost confidence in their abilities in moments of high stress. They had gained victory over themselves. Masakatsu agatsu.

I have read many articles by Ellis Amdur. He wrote this one:

Hiding in the Shadows of the Warrior

How can I, a civilian studying martial arts ever get to the level of calm efficiency that the Special Forces guys get to? Should it even be a goal for me? A part of me wants to find out what I am capable of. What happens to me, psychologically if I really feel threatened? Ellis Amdur's article addresses his own training under stress and one of the outcomes for him. It is sobering reading. 

Part of me wants to go into this psychological space. To see where my breaking point is. To see what demons lurk within. And then quell them. 

Then, and only then do I think I will have achieved masakatsu agatsu.

A Little Perspective.

At the moment, my sensei, Chris is overseas at the TSYR instructor seminars in Colorado, USA.

I have been asked to teach in his absence. I thought I would share a few thoughts I have had during this time. On Thursday I rocked on up to the Hamilton Dojo for the usual Tanto training session. As it turned out it was just me and one other student. He had driven in especially from out of town so was glad to see me walk in. 

I decided to work through the Mae Aku set of the Kumitanto. We took our time with each kata, highlighting main points and refining technique. Then we moved to a type of free form practice where the uchitachi will say an attack height e.g. chuden, and then thrust with the tanto. The shitachi responds with an appropriate technique. I really enjoy this type of training as you quickly work out what has been internalised. Hybrid techniques often pop up at this point and uchitachi is not quite sure what he or she is going to get!

We then did the same with the Gyaku Aku set. Slowly at first, kata by kata, then semi-freestyle with named attacks. 

We ended the training session with two kata from the Idori Te Hodoki.

For today's (Saturday) training I invited the other students to the Te Miro Dojo. None of them had been out yet and I saw this as an opportunity to let them see what I had built. Nat and Michael said they could make it and we kicked off at the normal 9 am start. After warm ups, Nairiki No Gyo and some kunren we settled into the Idori Te Hodoki. 

We were so busy with the finer points of these kata that we spent the entire hour and a half working from our knees. It wasn't until a text message from my wife reminded us it was time to stop...20 minutes after we were supposed too. 

During one of the kata Nat asked if what she was doing was right. I was uchitachi at the time and Michael was watching on. Michael laughed and said "If you could see what I could see you wouldn't need to ask that."  So I suggested we do the technique again and Michael take a picture from my phone. This is what he got.

Natalie demonstrating Morote from Idori.

As you can see Nat's posture is unbroken and I'm a twisted mess. This is why Michael was laughing. It was obvious that the technique was working. But until Nat saw the photo she was unconvinced of her ability. Isn't it funny how we can have different perspectives on the same thing? 

We made some great progress on five of these kata today. Everyone walked off the mat feeling like they had made an insight. I call that a successful lesson.

I next teach on Wednesday, that is kenjutsu night. I'm looking forward to it. 

The Dojo is open!

I have recently had the privilege of hosting Marco Pinto from Portugal. Marco is licensed to teach the Shoden Mokuroku of TSYR and is one of the senior members of the Kai. It was with great pleasure and pride that Marco was the first to bow in and train on the mats of my newly-built personal dojo here in little ol' New Zealand.

Te Miro Dojo

Marco came down from Auckland with Jules (a friend and fellow TSYR member) on Wednesday afternoon to see the dojo and get some extra training in between seminars. We spent the afternoon working through the tachiai tanto toriageru (standing tanto disarms). Marco is an excellent teacher and a powerful technician of the art. It was an honour to have one-on-one instruction with him.

Wednesday evening is the Hamilton dojo's normal training time, so we headed into training after dinner to join Chris and Pete on the mat. Wednesday nights are traditionally sword-work so Marco took us through the batto kata and aspects of one of the kumitachi kata. He made some great technical points and he worked on refining our technique.

It was then home to bed.

The next morning Jules and Marco trained some more in the dojo. They worked on the Gyakute kata from the Tachiai Kansetsu (standing joint locks) forms. I was a bystander for this session as I had my two daughters to look after but I still managed to observe and ask questions from time to time. I said it earlier but I must mention just how polished Marco is as a teacher. I would ask him for the main lessons of a particular kata and his answers were succinct and confident. His understanding of the waza is obvious in his movement and explanations.

Marco demonstrating waza.

The dojo held up admirably. The robust sprung floor and new tatami handled the impact of thrown men with ease. For us the falls were comfortable. Considering the size of Marco and Jules (I was the light-weight) it was a good test and both men agreed that the floor was great for TSYR.

The three of us after the Wednesday afternoon session.

I am very happy with the outcome of the visit. It was exciting to have Marco be the first to teach and train on my mats and I am thankful to Jules for providing the opportunity. I hope this is only the beginning. The dojo is open to any TSYR members and my wife and I have plenty of room for people to stay over. I see the dojo as part of my contribution to TSYR and it provides another place in the world where we can come together and enjoy this koryu bujutsu.

Dojo Build - Into the New Year!

After a great holiday with my wife and girls it was back to working on the dojo. Needless to say I was really excited based on what Andy and I achieved in the few days leading up to Christmas.
The very first thing we did was take off the tilting garage door. I wanted to replace this with a wall and window to allow more light into the space.

Not long after we had removed the door, my friend Jules turned up with another person, Kate. They dedicated a day of their holiday helping out. Andy got them onto lining the internal wall with 9 mm plywood. The plywood I used here was non-structural and only had one 'good' side. This kept the cost down.

Jules and Kate on the job.

You can see in the picture that we had to build the internal wall out to go around one of the trusses, this will turn out to be quite a cool design feature later on. 

The external wall is built, cladding underway.

Andy spent most of this day building the external wall and putting on the cladding. I managed to find the exact same cladding that is on my house. It is a cement-based hardyboard with a 'rustic' finish. Basically it gives the appearance of wood grain. 

The window is in!

I sourced the window from a demolitions place. It is an aluminium sliding window with tinted glass. It is 2850 mm x 1200 mm. I am very happy with the size and the tinted glass helps reduce heat inside as the window is north-facing. You can see in the picture the smaller side door that will become the main entrance. 

We were lucky with our timing as no sooner had the window been installed than we experienced heavy rain for the next day! 

The rest of the time Andy was with me he taught me how to put in studs (vertical framing) and nogs (horizontal timber blocking between studs) and measure and cut plywood for the lining of the walls. 

This left me with enough knowledge to carry on by myself. 

So I carried on lining the walls. Needless to say this was a slower process by myself. 

During this time I got an electrician in to sort out my lighting. The original lighting was simply two standard light sockets in the shared space of the shed. They were powered by one switch. This was now a problem as I had put an internal wall between the two lights. Also one of the lights had been hanging on the truss Andy removed!  

Here is my solution...

New lights.

I bought three low profile LED batons. I had two placed in the dojo space. They were connected to the original switch. The third baton was put on the other side of the internal wall and connected to a different switch. I am very happy with the LEDs as they are very bright and energy efficient. 

Looking North.

 Jules came back again to help me with lining the truss above the internal wall and as you can see, the majority of the matted space is now complete. I have decided not to line the ceiling at this stage to keep costs down and it doesn't effect my ability to train. The genkan (reception area) will be stage two of the project when I can afford to do it. I have the paint for the external and internal walls and I have started the external painting at the time of writing this. 

Looking South

I plan on painting the internal walls with a bleached timber stain (like a white wash) so that the grain of the ply shows through. I will post more pictures once I have finished the matted area. The tatami are due to arrive in about 7 weeks. 

I am very happy with the outcome. But I wouldn't have got very far without Andy's expertise and Jules and Kate giving their time.

However, my biggest thanks must go to my wife, Ricci. The money for the build came from her father's inheritance and when we had people over she put on some splendid meals as well as keeping the children entertained!

Without her giving me the money and time, there was no way the build could have got off the ground.