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Ma is space and Ma-ai is distancing or that space between you and another person. Everyone who reads this blog or practices a fighting art understands this to a degree yet this posting is one that I hope helps you look outside the box.

Rival comes from a Latin word that means neighbor. A neighbor can be someone who actually lives next to your home and it also can be the person in the next cubicle at work or even that person standing next to you on the train ride home from work. This same neighbor has the potential, simply because of proximity, to become an opponent.

When we show disregard for another’s space (Ma; in this instance personal space) we are displaying a disregard for their privacy and tranquillity which turns out to be one of the most frequent events resulting in conflict.

We are all territorial by nature and when someone moves into our space, especially with out permission or aggressively, we start to go on the defensive. Out survival instincts depends on a defense of space which makes us ready to fight at even the slightest provocation.

So you say, what has this to do with Ma-ai and karate-do? It is our perception of Ma that can be used to stop confrontation before it becomes confrontation. If we practice ma or ma-ai outside the fighting circle then we can really live up to the way of the empty hand.

If we understand the above and we treat everyone we come in contact, or when we enter their space, with civility then we avoid that provocation. Understanding everyone’s “Ma” or “personal space” and showing regard and respect for their “Ma” we can avoid having to depend on “Ma-ai” in combat.

Ma outside of karate-jutsu-do is that personal space each of us has or the space we perceive that surrounds each of us as a protective zone or restricted space. We respect one another’s Ma and are perceived as a non-threat to others.

Ma or personal space is where our “ki” extends. Think of that Ma or personal space as being filled with an aura or a force field. When it is penetrated we go on alert until our perception determines if the violation is by friend or foe. The answer determines our response.

Try this the next time someone seems to be getting in your face. Back up a small amount, display your palms forward toward the person, stand up straight and face body forward toward them, keep your feet close together say in narrow musubi-dachi with out bent knees, display a facial expression of open eyes wide and eyebrows raised, and then say something like, “Sorry sir, I did not intent to offend you!” in a low, calm, slow speaking tone. See what happens. You may find that the person perceives you as leaving their space and showing a non-aggressive stance while you remain in a defensive kamae.

Practice Ma and be one with that idea before practicing Ma-ai in the training hall. Think about it! Karate-jutsu-do is more than fighting; it is about learning what we can do to avoid fighting.

The Art of the Word:

Recently I have noticed on some of the groups, i.e. yahoo groups for karate, a trend toward misunderstanding, misleading, and mistaken words. I call them words for to call them facts is misleading since none of it was thought out or confirmed to be fact.

Example: Subject line “Lost kick and Misc. Kata”. Along with the content in the body of the message the two together gives one reading the thread the idea that there may be something that belongs in the style and is secret, missing, lost, stolen, and so on. Reading the thread and how it was composed got me to thinking about my practice.

I write a lot in this blog and in many group threads on the Internet not to mention my web site and fighting arts booklet. I try hard to write the correct and factual words simply because I firmly believe we should strive to convey correct information especially to new practitioners.

How does this work with my practice. We train daily to get the technique correct and hopefully those who are following the way of the empty hand take what we learn in practice and apply it to life. Writing and speaking the “word” or groups of words that end up forming thoughts and idea’s can lead to either an enjoyable conversation with almost anyone or it can lead to misunderstanding that creates fear, anger, discontent, and so on.

Practice the art of the word in your daily practice. This mean take the time to “think first” and then write or speak. This means to take the time to not only think first but to consider what it is you wish to convey to others be it written or spoken. Edit it, read or think the thoughts again, take a moment to consider what your words are going to convey, edit it again, and then speak or write.

As to the written word since it is so prevalent today in regards to email, web sites, blogs, facebook, text messaging, phones, and so on. Before you hit that send key do all the above. Edit and edit again. Set yourself apart from any emotional feelings, come into the moment, decide what kind of reaction you are trying to get from your audience, understand what it is you want in return, edit and edit again, and finally when you are sure of what it is you are doing, hit the send key.

If you consider what it is I am trying to convey here you will see examples of your karate practice and training such as in the physical self-defense and so on all the parallels.

Think bout it Train in word-jutsu or the technique of the word!

Ever wonder sometimes why you don’t remember something? Ever wonder why when you learn a new technique when you go to practice it the next day you have a difficult time remembering it? Ever wonder why you get all that homework when you attend a class?

It all comes from the natural learning process that nature intended for us. Lets cover some stats:

Retention rates of humans (normal):

When you receive a lecture you have a tendency to retain only 5% of what is said. This might explain why a good Sensei will tell you very little and show you a tiny bit at a time meanwhile insisting on you performing and practicing for a period before going on. Ever wonder why Sensei does stuff like this? Well maybe this is a good reason why.

When you read material you retain maybe 10% while something presented by audio and visual maybe 20%. Demonstration retention is a whopping 30%. Is this not cool. A good sensei speaks little and the practices a lot and when you combine the two you can get up to 75%.

Another most important teaching tool of a good Sensei is that of “Practicing by doing” which helps us retain 75% or so of the material. Wow, now we are starting to see the big picture as to how we can achieve a level of expertise in one thing by what we do in training and practice.

Some of the best Sensei are the ones who can individualize their teachings and use a combination of teaching tools to get it achieved. You combine a small amount of explanation at any one time then you repeat it every time you train on that subject to achieve repetitiveness and couple it all with a demonstration and then getting everyone to do it in practice. The practitioner will achieve far better retention, up to 75%, which will assist them in practice outside the training hall.

With this type of training and practice even when a person gets a part wrong they will retain the correct teachings better the second time around or the third. Then as they continue to “Do” the practice with intermittent talk, demonstration, and practice by doing they achieve greater levels of expertise.

This is why Sensei teach the way they did in the old days and the good ones teach today. This type of teaching/practice/training are what make someone an expert. It is also what achieves the “Way” in any singular endeavor. The scientific evidence proves it.

So, when you ask Sensei a question and his answer is seemingly vague understand that his or her purpose is to assist you in retaining and learning it properly. When Sensei answers your questions by doing it they really want you to learn and retain it. When Sensei then tells you to do it then the chances you will learn it, remember it, and practice it correctly is even greater.

Does the light bulb over your head pop on? When Sense speaks, listen! When Sensei demonstrates, Pay Attention! When Sensei then says “Do it”, Do your best and hope for Sensei to step in and teach!

Ok, one more item. Ever wonder why Sensei requires Sempai to assist in the learning process of Kohai? When you use it, when you teach it, you retain 90%. Wow, ain’t it great!

How to learn and retain:

1. Listen to the lectures on the material.

In the training hall this means you must really listen. Come into the training hall only when you have told yourself that you will “actively” listen to what Sensei and Sempai tell you. When you pay attention and actively listen you are alert to everything. This means you focus exclusively on the person who is talking. You don’t interrupt. We do not take control of the conversational flow. We don’t suddenly redirect our attention before they are done with their talk. We have a tendency to listen with our future and interests in mind resulting in the urge to interrupt and talk about ourselves or the idea we think is pertinent, don’t do this.

Put everything out of your mind and stay focused on the present and the person talking. Show you are listening. Show that you understand the subject. Ask the right questions only when appropriate so you have a clear sense of what the person is saying and expects from you.

2. Read and research the material.

Use everything at your disposal from books to magazines as well as the Internet. Take everything with a grain of salt and always verify from at least two reliable sources.

3. Watch the material as it is used, i.e. demonstrations, video, DVD, audio, etc.

Pay attention…remain focused on what is being done. If your mind and mouth are going toward either something about your past or future then you are not in the present moment. You are not listening actively. You are not paying attention and focusing on the content of what is being done in the demonstration. Many fail to achieve results simply because they didn’t pay attention.

4. Demonstrate what you have learned or watch it being demonstrated by experts.

Always observe Sensei, Sempai and Kohai in practice. Even if you are unable to actually participate don’t pack up and go home as there is a great deal you can learn from watching others who are practicing what you are practicing. Sensei provides a demonstration or a Sempai that is an opportunity to learn something new. You don’t have to get it all yet if you are able to learn one new small thing then you progress.

5. Discuss the material with sempai and kohai (Internet discussion groups, etc).

Conversations with mutual exchanges with an open mind allows you to compare and discuss perspectives until you all have the same perspective in training. We all come to any endeavor with baggage we build up by our lives, the environment we live in daily, what we learn in our family, neighborhoods, and schools to name a few. This can change what we perceive into something slightly different and by discussing things with our peers we can compare our perspectives until we come to the same conclusions.

6. Practice the material by doing it.

The absolute best method I know of to learn and retain new things be they mental, physical, or both is to practice, practice, practice. Do it over and over and over again until you get it right then practice it again till you get it right then practice, practice, practice it again until you get it right.

7. Teach others the material and use it frequently (teach and practice – repetitively).

Once your practice gets you to a certain level you improve with more practice. When you begin to teach then you begin to see things from a different angle. You slow things down and when demonstrating for new trainees you find you see things that seem to have been hidden before. You tend to analyze what you do in this manner which provides you the window into your own soul. You start to see more details as to what you do, what you should do, and how to improve your own practice.

Learning styles affected by this process:

1. Kinesthetic: the perception of body position and movement and muscular tensions etc; the ability to feel movements of the limbs and body

One of the most important and beneficial aspects of training and practice in the martial arts. One must have the ability to perceive or feel how the body moves, what each part be it hand, wrist, foot, toes, etc is doing and how it positions itself for correct execution and maximum effectiveness while protecting against possible injury and so on.

To perform kihon, kata, and kumite and know in your mind by perception and feel that your body alignment, posture, etc are at the correct point at the execution of the technique contributes to the practice of the singular in achieving the “Way”. Study this thoroughly!

2. Visual: relates to means of sight or the eyes which for the martial arts also includes the mind in that the mind must be paying attention for we sometimes see but we don’t comprehend or understand simply because we are not focused on the procedure or thing that is occurring.

3. Social: We gather with like minds and practice. We create a connection with others and with that connection we exchange thus allowing us to grow and prosper which in turns helps others to grow and prosper. It has many other benefits for physical and mental fitness. Societal connections provide us many different sources of learning and understanding that can not occur on an island.

4. Audio: To hear and understand. To comprehend what is being presented be it a talk, demonstration, lecture, or video/DVD, etc. means we must listen attentively. Like listening we hear things that may not be readily apparent when we look at something with just our eyes. Be an active listener to individuals, lectures, radio, DVD’s, video’s and so on. Coupled with active viewing and paying attention you learn more and more; sometimes things come forth when you hear, see, and/or experience something more than once.