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“Mind, Body, Spirit together, we can help others. Shingitai (True meaning) [of karate is] we should not fight.” Karate expert Tatsuo Sensei says “Karate is not to be wounded.” which meant in his words, don’t fight. ” - Shimabuku Tatsuo Sensei, founder of Isshinryu Karate-do

“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!

Advincula Sensei recently promoted the following individuals at the Ole Miss Seminar (3-27-28, 2009):

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

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.