civility: Civic virtue is the cultivation of habits of personal living that are claimed to be important for the success of the community. An individual act or a manner of behaving which conforms to social conventions of propriety.

morality: Concern with the distinction between good and evil or right and wrong; right or good conduct. Concerned with principles of right and wrong or conforming to standards of behavior and character based on those principles.

honor/honorable: Not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent; the quality of deserving honor or respect; worthy of respect.

When you look at the fighting arts in a strictly physical form it is no more than techniques used to cause great bodily harm to another. Morality, civility, and honor should be viewed as the buffer or a layer developed and utilized to screen situations before the physical aspects of karate are used. This is a precept that provides the “Do” of karate its depth and meaning.

Other adjectives that should be a part of the “Do” in karate-do:

intent – restraint – action

intent: An anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions.

restraint: the act of controlling by restraining someone or something; discipline in personal and social activities.

action: something done (usually as opposed to something said); carry through: put in effect; execution of a decision.

humanity – justice – courtesy

humanity: the quality of being humane; regard for the health and well-being of another; compassionate.

justice: the quality of being just or fair.

courtesy: Etiquette is a code that governs the expectations of social behavior, according to the contemporary conventional norm within a society, social class, or group.

As one can readily determine by these precepts (precept – principle: rule of personal conduct) this is the metaphysical triad that must become one in order to temper and balance our practice of the fighting arts.

Mr. Ron Crew, since March 1999 has served as Instructor/Coordinator for the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officer’s Training Academy. Mr. Crew has developed training courses for First Line Supervisors, Field Training Officers, and Defensive Tactics programs for a variety of agencies, authoring the book “Police Subject Control©”. He has worked in the Law Enforcement field since 1989 as Patrol Officer, Narcotics Investigator and Chief of Police. Mr. Crew has served 15 years with both the Army National Guard and Army Reserve in the Military Police Corps and Special Forces. Ron has studied Isshin-ryu Karate for 31 years holding the rank of 6th degree black belt. He has also studied Escrima & Arnis since 1985, and Aikido since 1992.

AJA

When we reflect on these two kenpo gokui tomes we tend to think in regards to combat. It is best to think outside the box and reflect on what these two and other kenpo gokui mean in relation to every facet of life be it in the dojo or out in the world.

A good example is the eye must see all sides can be interpreted in practice as the practitioner focusing on his/her Sensei and/or Sempai when receiving guidance in waza.

We first must use our “ears” to focus and actively listen to what is being said. We learn this way but in order for it to stick we must couple that learning with other forms such as the “eyes.” This means once the Sensei/Sempai finishes telling you something they will then demonstrate it for you where you must actively focus on what is being performed.

You then couple that or connect that with what was said. Then then next phase after seeing all facets of the waza with the “eyes” ; hearing the details of what is said with the “ears”;  we then get to actually put it all into action which reinforces what was said and seen.

Just an example of what we can get from the study of the kenpo gokui and karate-do. To actively listen and see coupled with demonstration/self-demonstration binds it all into “one”.

The practitioner studies diligently to polish the waza while continuing to hear, see, and do each time Sensei/Sempai provides additional guidance on that waza.

“Karate is not for fighting.” “Karate is not for winning. If you want to win use a gun or atomic bomb . Okinawan karate is for self-defense.” - Kaneshi Sensei during personal interview with Advincula Sensei on Okinawa

“Seishin means mind, soul, heart, spirit, and intention. The true intention of karate is seishin which is not to fight. It is the essence of karate. It was Kyan Sensei way.” - Nakazato Joen Sensei during personal interview with Advincula Sensei on Okinawa

I feel we can now extrapolate from the Masters of the Okinawan Fighting Arts that in essence a practitioner of Karate-do should strive to reach a level where they no longer fight except as a “LAST RESORT.”

I am a “Marine” which means I am a “Warrior!” As a Marine I know that there are various levels of engagement. One such level is hand-to-hand combat. Others might be air strikes, patrols that involve themselves in fire fights using automatic weapons, rifles, handguns, grenades, mortars, and so on.

In all those levels of engagement one very important rule is “Engage in hand-to-hand combat as a LAST RESORT!”

Use everything you have at your disposal but if left with no other recourse when your position is over run then as a last resort go to hand-to-hand. Even then you should have fixed bayonets and then utilized the rifle with bayonet to defeat the enemy that has over run you. Even here there is most likely a means of engagement that keeps us away from the last resort of hand-to-hand combat.

Whether in combat or on the street there are many levels of engagement you must take before resorting to a last resort of hand-to-hand (karate) combat.

Give this a good deal of thought and consideration each time you enter the training hall to practice and train in the fighting arts of Okinawa, Karate-do!

3-27-09: Seisan kata taught  with Chinkuchi nujisashi

3-28-28: Hindiandi take downs

Promotions:

Mark Riddle  (Nanadan) Ocean Springs, MS

Susan Riddle (Nanadan) Ocean Spring, MS

Bobby Holly (Nanadan) Conway, AK

Mark Jerger  (Rokudan) Knoxville, TN

Mark and Susan Riddle who first started training with me in 1982 were both promoted to (Nanadan).

Bobby Holley also first met me at a seminar on July 9, 1982. All these years at any seminar, he has asked to be my uke. He has been pretzelized on many an ocassion and will soon be 50, so has now been officially retired as my uke.

Mark Jerger was also promoted to  Rokudan.
AJA

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.

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!

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.

What you are doing in essence is opening your ventral side or exposing your front, i.e. eyes, mouth, chest, groin, etc., is our way of showing favor to someone or something. This exposure shows we care and validates the other as an equal. When the other person does the same they are showing you a return of the same feelings and sentiments. Add to that a “bow” then you and the other person are telling each other you have due regard for one another.

If your arms are relaxed, ventral showing, and palms are clearly visible demonstrates favorably to the other person.

Then you also show your openness and willingness by the way your face takes on a particular form. When we greet another in such a manner with our eyes open wide, loosen the furrough lines on your forehead, relax the muscles around the mouth, and let your lips emerge full indicate positive emotions and for karate indicate a non-threatening person.

Go one step further and let your head tilt to one side slightly to indicate that you are comfortable, receptive, and a friendly person.

As we go over the greetings we practice in the training hall and in life we begin to understand that there are many ways of self-defense with out actually having to strike another person. What we do before and up to the moment when physical confrontation is eminent we can most times avert that step.

So, the next time you rei/greet someone be it in the training hall or on the street remember to check your technique as it tells others both consciously and unconsciously what we intend.

A simple “hello” in our society is the most basic form of acknowledgment and we thus provide the same acknowledgment when we bow or rei upon entering the training hall, the kamidana, Sensei, Sempai, and Kohai. It is a conferral of honor to the masters who came before us and all of us who come to this training hall to work hard, train hard, learn and teach.

Though he following of reishiki/reigi we also validate. It is a form of expression such as to express to others we wish them well and to place them at ease with us as we continue the association in the training hall.

When we “rei” to each other we express our intent to do no harm and acknowledge our concern for the well being of others. We thus also invite others to look toward us in the same way as we look to them. We are saying to ourselves and to others we greet one another with civility and cordiality thus avoiding any type of rude behavior that would diminish one another.

There is more to the practice of reigi/reishiki yet this explanation is but one reason why we practice this form of greeting with each other as martial artists, comrades, and martial art community. To take this with us into the world and expressing it to others we meet with a hand shake (in lieu of the bow) and a friendly smile associated with a warm “hello” would go far in bringing us all together in a common goal of respect and humility.